He's always been there for me. Since I first entered the forest.

I always liked Konoha forest. There was always a certain air of mystery surrounding it. And the rumours of the demons which inhabit it, make it a good place to hide when you need it. I go there a lot, now.

I first entered the looming trees when I was about twelve: nearly finished my years at the ninja academy. And I was running, again, from someone who felt the need to boost his ego and hurt me. His name was Kata, and he's much like the king of the playground. He has his own ring of guys to do the dirty work - and he enjoys hurting others. Especially girls. I never could understand the meaning behind it.

My legs felt heavy, but I kept running as best I could - away from the gates of the academy as fast as speed would allow. The burning slap on my left shoulder stung like crazy, and I whimpered slightly as I pressed my right hand over the wound in an effort to control the distracting pain. I've always been too gentle; for everyone, in fact. I'm a disgrace to the Hyuuga, a failure when it comes to fighting one on one and my intelligence isn't anything special. I'm a coward, stutter a lot and can't raise a hand against anyone. Iruka-sensei once remarked that it was a gift to care about everyone. I find it more of a curse.

Father will hit me for being late again when I get home - maybe over the already burning pain of the slap, to make it worse. But my thoughts draw away from the future as I enter the forest and still can hear the shouts of them behind me. It is only fear and adrenaline keeping me upright now.

"There's the weakling!" I can hear Kata's voice clearer above the others, "Let's get her!"

"N-No way, man, I'm not going in t-that forest. It's just plain creepy!"

"Huh," the bully snorts in a degrading way, "You're a scaredy cat then, just like her?"

"Man, Takai's right, that place is way too scary. My mom said it's haunted by that demon, the Kyuubi!"

I flinch in fear at the low name, spoken by none other than Kiba Inuzuka, one of my daily tormentors. Everyone knows the story of the nine-tailed demon fox: sealed within the stomach of a boy when he was born by the Fourth. Many crow on about how they'd be able to beat the Kyuubi with their hands tied behind their back by the time they reach Jonin: but even the Hokage, we all know, would be scared witless by the return of such a nightmare.

"Shh, You know we're not supposed to talk about that!" hissed Takai, barely audible as I increase the distance between us.

But finally, my limbs cannot deal with the strain and I fall to the floor in a small clearing with a tiny whimper escaping my throat; pitiful. And so my pupil less eyes stare in desperation at the path I had come down moments before, where a singular silhouette appears against the setting sun. Kata grins sharply: he comes from a sort of animalistic family. Much like Kiba, so the canines on either side of his mouth are sharpened and look suddenly very, very realistic. Another cry escapes my throat but the pure terror seems to increase the length of his grin.

"So, cry baby, who's going to save you now? No Iruka-sensei to help you and no Hyuuga family members to stop me hurting you. Just you, me and this big empty forest." He spread his hands widely to emphasise the fact we were all alone before grinning again, the fangs suddenly seeming magnified in the midst of my terror.

"K-Kata-kun y-you know t-that my F-Father won't l-like it i-if you hurt m-me," I warned desperately, my stutter more pronounced by the fear I was feeling. He seemed to notice too, and a manic glint came into his eyes.

This guy isn't normal, I realised in a sudden blink of clarity, He's crazy.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to insult a Hyuuga now would I?" he sneered in distaste, "You think I care? The Hyuuga need taking down a peg or too, really - all of my clan think so. So it's not a great loss if we get a few stern warnings from the Hokage. After all, the old man can't even walk anymore, can he?"

His harsh laughter echoed like a warning beacon off the enclosed trees. The sharp, nail-grinding sound of metal against metal warned

I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact of kunai to hit my soft, vulnerable body and as the clink of metal hits the air I clench my eyelids together tighter. I would either die, or be scarred for life in this encounter. The realization was terrifying.

Then one, two.. three seconds passed. Kata, if he was going to throw anything, would have done it by now. Could he have missed? No, not from one of the top male student in the class.. Surely not. But the impending death seemed to not be coming. Did I dare open my eyes? Another minute passed before I feel the need to open them.

The scene is the same - yet, very different. For it appeared that someone - or something - had intervened on my behalf.

The kunai hangs in mid air, pointing downwards: as if someone's holding it. But instead of a person, there is a sort of ghostly chakra hanging around it: holding the object in midair. Iruka-sensei always took great pains to explain to us that chakra was a sort of essence that some humans managed to possess and with training control. He also, always pointed out, that it was blue. But the eerie colouring holding the kunai steadily was a vivid fiery colour - maybe red, or a deep orange.

Kata was staring at it - a look of fear on his face. He hadn't moved from his original spot. My eyes drew automatically to the trail of chakra which protruded from the dark shelter of the trees. Who was controlling it? Who had saved me? Answers did not come as minutes ticked by in stunned silence. Then the kunai, silently controlled by the unnamed chakra, was thrown back at Kata.

He almost looked like he was in a daze, when it drew near, but he seemed to snap out of it with a yell of pain as the kunai dug into his shoulder. I winced, sympathetically, despite my previous predicament from before. For what kind of person, no matter what age, could not pity one who was hurt due to his own doing? Briefly distracted, my attention was turned back to the line which disappeared into the line of trees. My frame started trembling again. Whoever could stop a kunai in midair through chakra control alone - and this red chakra as well - must be at least chunin level, lowest.

As my pupil less eyes turned downward, I caught a slight strain in the edge of the chakra length - like the red substance was struggling against the immense control holding it there: trying to break free and complete its own goals. I shivered at the morbid thought. Chakra with it's own mind: that was more terrifying than any shinobi I could come across in this lifetime.

Kata, briefly obscured from my vision by my red saviour, let out a howl of rage which both scared me further and awakened a certain curious detachment. Why was this boy - a young boy, with surely no possible murderous goals yet - so set on spilling my blood? My blood in particular? What was it that drew that dark side of him out and made him want to act upon the instinct immediately? I shuddered - clenching my teeth together until they made a distinct grinding sound. My weakness. Right. He was infuriated at my endless care. Understandable, but still hurtful. My small hands bunched into fists, a sign of violence, surely not, at my side and I could feel the perfectly filed moon crescents digging into my palms. Why me? Why always me?

The insane boy jumped up from his kneeling position - something he had assumed after being hit in the shoulder - and clutched the bleeding wound with a twisted, furious rage in his features - marring the normally passable face. For a moment, fangs protruding from his upper lip, uncharacteristic slit eyes, hair in a wild disarray, he looked as much an animal as anything I'd seen. The change was startling. But I didn't have time for this now. Whoever felt the need to intervene.. for all I knew, it was simply for the chance to kill me themselves. Gasping, I pushed myself to standing with trembling limbs - and even through that small action, I could see the contempt shining out of Kata's eyes as he pulled out another kunai. Dazedly, I wondered where he bought them from. For a child in ninja academy, it was expensive to have a full range of weaponry-

There! Another glint of metal in the air, fast incoming towards me. I can't count on my red saviour - for they may not even be a saviour. Instead, I try to work the easy loop on my weapons pouch on my leg. A whimper of fear escapes me. No good: my fingers are trembling too much. Opting for the faster way, I push my unsteady fingers under the loose flap and encounter the cold metal of my own kunai. I wrench it through the pouch of leather - nicking the once immaculate but now slightly bedraggled looking flap of leather. No time to waste thinking of my punishment later. Shakily, I try to move into the defensive position Iruka-sensei taught us barely fifteen minutes ago, amazed I can still remember such useless information even now as I await my demise. But again, I am not given the chance to react as the silent third partner - or chakra, rather - grabs the small weapon out of the air and almost carelessly throws it to the side, where it lodges with a resounding shudder in the bark of a tree trunk.

Not for the first time, I wish I was able to use the Byakugan.

The primal eyes of the boy suddenly switch their attention to where the trail of chakra leads to: as if, only now, he has figured out that the controller lies where it leads. With a deadly grin, he is running .. on all fours. Like an animal. I take the time to try and scramble backwards: how selfish of me to leave the one who saved me to die. But I can only think of my own safety. The idea of more pain is too great. Far too great for my limited knowledge to comprehend. Acting on my own instincts, I plunge away from the battle scene and into the trees: running.

Running. Tripping. Sprawling. Returning to my feet. Still running. A flinch when the sounds of approach come near, but always fade away. I try to block out the sounds, but they rip through the air like paper being shredded before my eyes. Animal whimpers - and roars. Pain. I shudder as they come into contact with my ears. Who - or what - have I left Kata to deal with?

But the continual idea of the pain I would have to certainly endure pushes me forwards. The sting of someone's hand hitting my flesh. The pain of the blood flowing, even if only from a paper cut.

My endurance, as I am told regularly, is pitiful so I have barely run a few hundred metres before I fall beneath the branches of a tree. I try to shut out the bloody sounds of fighting, but fail. Kata's voice - sort of hoarse with an animal fury I've never heard before - rips through the air; still clear besides my efforts to run.

"You want something, eh, you stupid fox? I'll give you something!"

The soft moan is out before I can stop it as I hide my face in my palms. Have I abandoned my classmate to a death at the hands of none other than the Kyuubi? What sort of ninja - in training or not - would do such a thing? A pitiful one at best. A failure. The word echoes round my thoughts in a taunting barrage, my sight black and filled with the word when I open my eyes. Failure. Worthless. Failure. You're a failure, Hinata. Failure. I barely make it to the bushes before I start retching up my hastily consumed lunch from earlier. The sting of tears in my eyes from the effort hurts.

And then the endless sounds of fighting stop. Ominously.

Maybe it'll come and put me out of my misery.

Shuddering and shivering, I crawl away from the mess I've made before lying still on the ground. If it's come to kill me, I might as well make it easier. Far better than being taken down easily - less humiliating. The sound of approach is fast and clumsy - like someone trying to fight through the thicket. Despite wanting to die, I can't help but feel hope rise. Maybe a Jonin heard the sounds of a fight and has come to save me? Never the less, I fiercely keep my eyes shut to the world outside. Maybe, just maybe, we can forget all this. I can go back to school and be unbothered, my father could ignore me as he usually does, I could quietly train..

"Are you okay?"

The more or less human voice snaps me out of my depressing thoughts and forces me automatically to open my eyes - which are filled with a vision of huge, deep purple ones. With a yelp, I manage to drag myself away from the hauntingly lonely depths, before realising who they belong to. A boy. Maybe barely my age. A little taller than myself, perhaps, he was wearing a pair of baggy black trousers and a shirt to match with a red leaf symbol on the front. Despite the clothes, his appearance was ragged. The bottom of the trousers were ripped and worn away, the t-shirt sporting a few minor cuts in its material. He wore nothing on his feet, which should have really been considered strange, but I found it somehow suitable to him. It was mainly the facial features which made me pause and do a double-take. On either cheek, three whisker like birth marks adorned his cheeks. Strangely, they fit the blonde, spiky hair and sparkling eyes. The dark purple eyes, which I swear was a mix of red and blue. When the dull sunshine glittered through the trees, throwing light on to them, it was like the primary colours were fighting for dominance in the raging, violent depths. I shook my head slightly at such strange thoughts.

It took me a moment to realise he was awaiting an answer.

"Oh! I-I mean.. y-yes, I- I'm fine, th-thank-you."

The boys features, before carved with worry, suddenly brightened - the difference startling, even to me. It seemed to light a flame in him, making the being instantly more likable. It was that smile, I recognized vaguely. That smile made me want to smile. I couldn't remember when I'd last wanted to smile at someone purely for the feeling of happiness.

"U-Umm.." my voice trailed off as my throat was filled with a hard lump: reminding me exactly why I was here and what had just taken place. The brief, glowing moment of content was gone, and suddenly, I was the lonely outcast from school again. Nervously, I twisted my two index fingers together. A habit which had developed over the last month or so. "H-Have you.. I m-mean, have you s-seen a boy a-around m-my age? He was.. he w-was j-just here a m-moment ago. I mean.. h-he was b-bleeding!" I cringed inwardly at my own shaky voice. Why couldn't I be more confident?

But he seemed to know who I meant as the smile drifted to nothing, replaced with a dark and suddenly scary sombre look. "Look, um.."

"H-Hinata. My n-name's Hinata."

"Look, Hinata, I'm pretty sure that person you were with.." his voice trailed off as he reached a hand behind his head to scratch the back of his neck, almost nervously. The tone was more hardened when he continued. "I'm quite sure that guy wasn't any friend of yours - throwing kunai at you and all that. So I don't think you should worry about him anymore."

As the words sank into me, my mind suddenly focused on a few very important words. "W-wait, that ch-chakra was y-you?"

I was almost sorry I spoke, then: from the conflicted emotions which fluttered across the boys face. Pain, uncertainty, fear, wariness. The dark feelings were an endless torrent before it finally settled on the wary truth. I wondered, to what could cause such conflict at a mere question.

"Yes."

A short, abrupt answer. Despite not having any attachment to the stranger in front of me, a strange kind of hurt at his lack of explanation ran through me. It was irrational, but still, it was there. During the brief smile, I had thought there had been some sort of connection - understanding. Obviously, I had been grievously wrong. My feelings must have shown on my face and unmistakable pain attached itself to his features - or was it guilt? An unfamiliar determination overcame me. So this boy had saved me. The least I could do was offer some kind of conversation. I tried not to think too hard on how exactly he'd saved me. If my assumptions were anything to go by, it was very bloody.

"S-so," I struggled not to stutter too much, "I.. I've told you m-my name. What is y-yours?"

There it was again. Unmistakable uncertainty. My curiosity was piqued at his reluctance to release even his name. Surely, that wasn't unreasonable? But at the same time, I could appeal to the need to keep secrecy. It was much the same at school. In the years ago that I had arrived, kids had questioned me constantly: being the friend of the Hyuuga heiress would certainly earn most instant popularity. But I was painfully shy, still, back then. And eventually they had ceased in their efforts to befriend me. I was treated more as a friendly outcast; fine to ask a if you wanted to borrow a pencil but not to be included in games and activities.

Just as I was about to voice these thoughts, he replied.

"My name.. I don't know what it is," he admitted.

The words confused me to no end.

"You.. d-don't have a n-name," I repeated slowly.

"Well.." he looked torn as he fought some inner battle. A vague feeling of unease settled over me, prompting my already weak stomach. I struggled to not over to the undergrowth and retch my empty insides again. "I've been called many different names. Mainly they call me.. Kyuubi." A weak smile.

I felt the blood make a very abrupt exit from my face. The world seemed to take on a shaky appearance - completely irrelevant as I tried to comprehend what he was telling me. This boy - this human-looking, harmless boy - was the Kyuubi. The nine-tailed demon's host. I whimpered again, all thoughts of escaping this alive gone from my mind in the blink of an eye. The animal terror returned as I instinctively tried to drag myself away from the boy.

"No, no! Wait, Hinata-chan!" yelped the host, his voice panicky. The unexpected ending suffix was enough to make me pause in confusion. Since when was I called 'Hinata-chan'? Not even my younger sister, Hana, called me that. Slightly breathless, the demon host was suddenly in front of my face, boring his own pleading eyes into mine. I froze: my breath hitching at the sheer tortuous pain within the pupils. He hurried on - stumbling over his words as he tried to explain.

"Look, I'm not the Kyuubi - I swear! I'm kinda half him, half .. Well, me, whoever I am. But you have to understand: I really don't know my name! Even before I was driven out of the village all those years ago, I never knew my name! I was just called 'demon' and 'Kyuubi'." I could only blink in reaction before he desperately continued. "I really don't want you to leave - I've been so lonely out here! Heck, you can call me whatever you want - I j-just.." His face took on a light, tinted blush, but the eyes were sincere. "I-I just knew you'd be nice when I saw you, you know? I really don't want you to go."

I was utterly still for a few moments. To go with a demon boy, of all things? Even for a few hours, it would be dangerous at best. After all, how could you be safe in the company of the most dangerous of all tailed beasts - the nine-tailed fox? Yet still, those eyes drilled a plea for companionship into my own - and its hard to pronounce the word 'no' for a moment. How to deny those eyes is a mystery.

"Al.. Alright. J-Just for a few hours: Hiashi won't b-be pleased i-if I'm l-late.."

Despite the unpromising words, the change to his features is immediate. The serious façade is cast aside in such a manner, that I briefly wonder if it was a part of my currently reeling imagination. His laugh is delighted as he pulls me from my standing position with a burst of energy. That same smile. And again, the same feeling of wanting to match the bright emotion with one of my own. The idea confuses me. How can one stranger - a dangerous stranger, no less - cause such reactions in me in such a short expanse of time?

"C'mon, Hinata-chan!" he laughed wildly, in that carefree way of one discovering something exciting. "I'm going to show you this awesome place I found - I know you'll love it!"

I stumbled along after him: trying to match his pace without success. It was like trying to keep up with a Jonin. Impossible. Obviously realising so, Kyuubi - for lack of a better name - stopped briefly and seemed to pause as he considered something. I had no time to wonder what it was before he put it into action and picked me up; bridal style, of all things! The blood rushed to my cheeks and I placed a palm on the burning skin. Was I blushing? Furiously, I refused to meet his gaze as he suddenly and quite literally bounced off the ground: jumping from branch to branch with ease. I gasped in awe as we sailed through the air - passing a few surprised nests and sleeping animals along the way. Kyuubi kept up a constant chatter as we went.

"I know you'll really like it, Hinata-chan! I mean, you're all gentle and stuff, right? So this place would be really great for you - it's got all this wildlife and flowers. There's even a really small river by the edge, like in all those fairy tales, you know?" I didn't get a chance to tell him if I did indeed 'know' before he continued. It was almost like he was nervous. "There's these really shiny butterflies there, too. And yes, I mean shiny. They're all silver and stuff. I squashed one by accident a few years back, and it even had this weird silver liquid inside it - disgusting, I know."

I was only really half-listening to the one-sided conversation - one ear listening to the meaningless chatter and the other concentrating on making sure he didn't miss a branch and made us both fall. But the utterly meaningless, yet still amusing comment about the butterflies just made me laugh. It seemed we were both startled by the sound as Kyuubi ground to a halt on the branch and I blinked - about to say sorry, for some unfathomable reason. But then his features returned to their sunny grin, and mine could not help but mimic it. His enthusiasm was infectious.

Enjoying the now comfortable silence, I leaned back in the strong arms and stared at the leafy foliage above - only then, just realising the enormity of what I was doing. I was being carried off to who knows where by a complete stranger. A demon, no less. One who could kill me in a matter of seconds. Yet.. The smile he constantly had attached to his face flashed before my eyes. And I suddenly find myself scrabbling for a reason to stay. After all, what sort of demon smiles?

I was distracted from my less than sane thoughts by the sudden burst of blue sky - originally the varying greens of the trees. Twisting my vision, I realised we were at the place Kyuubi had been so eager to show me - and he hadn't been exaggerating.

The land wasn't like the fairy tale book places of magic - far from it. It had a distinctly wild look about it, the grass long and uncut. The flowers bursting in all directions. The stream awkwardly twisting in curious patterns. But still, it held some sort of beauty. An untamed feeling. The trees were not perfected to human likeness as some were in the Leaf Village - some were bent, some were tall, some bore flowers and some did not. The butterflies, which Kyuubi had only moments ago been telling me about, seemed to look like tiny silver flashes in the air. There was a certain feeling of dominance in the air, like it knew no master. It felt strange, even different, from the now seemingly tame grasses and boring, separated trees which were essential in the regular Konoha park.

I probably would have gone on taking in the atmosphere, had Kyuubi not started lowering me to the ground. I gained my feet, to my own surprise and amusement, easily. The air around my sleeves suddenly felt cold. In a moment of madness, I missed the warmth of his hands holding me against his body. Purely for the feeling of warmth. I rubbed my sleeves uncomfortably.

"So, Whatdoyouthink?" he asked, the last sentence coming out in a rush. It took me a moment to realise that Kyuubi was actually nervous of my reaction. I was torn between the urge to laugh and the idea of crying. Why in the name of Kami would the nine-tailed fox care about my reaction to such a thing? But the nervous intent gaze still bored into my face as he waited for an answer.

"I..It's b-beautiful," I murmured, suddenly feeling over-whelmed and extremely insignificant in comparison to the scenic forest. It was only when I noticed the orange sheen cast over the place did I realise how late it was. I hesitated before asking. What should I call him? Kyuubi seemed somehow unfitting for the enthusiastic boy - who was currently destroying some of the more delicate plants as he tried to catch one of the famed shiny butterflies he had talked about. "U-Um.. Kyu-kun?"

It didn't sound very good, but it was all I had to work with so far. Kyuubi stopped his avid dance of capture for a moment before blinking slightly at the unfamiliar nickname. When he raised no objections, I silently noted to myself that was what I would call him in the future. I was only mildly shocked to realize that I was planning to actually meet up again with the demon in the future.

"I-I have to g-go now. It's g-getting late a-and I n-need to get h-home." The words seemed to make him recoil slightly - like I'd physically slapped him. Automatically, I recoiled in my own mental pain as well. How did such simple words hurt him? I was surprised at my own actual care in the thought, rather than the natural feeling I had towards others. A sudden, unidentifiable emotion flickered across the unusual features, but was gone before I could convince myself I had seen it. Instead, he jumped and sprinted the few metres between us before gripping my shoulders with such intensity that I gasped slightly at the rough-handling. But his gaze on my own fixed my attention. Completely irrelevant to the current situation, I noticed the difference in our respective heights. He was slightly taller than myself. I had to crane my neck in a way which hurt to actually meet the raging purple irises.

"Promise you'll come tomorrow, Hinata-chan?" he asked seriously, a note of pleading in his voice. My pupil less eyes widened briefly and before I knew it I was nodding: agreeing. Despite all the misgivings shouting from the back of my mind. This boy is a demon. He could kill you. I pushed them aside with an unfamiliar feeling creeping over me. Was that disdain? He also saved me, I argue silently.

It all seems worth it when the spark returns to those eyes and the slowly becoming familiar, carefree laugh bounced off the spacious trees.

That day set a strange pattern to all the days that would follow. I would endure the lessons, wait patiently for the final one to end and then run from the school as fast as I could. At first, the familiar group of Kata, Takai and Kiba followed me - shouting abuse of my family after my burning ears. Kyuubi, despite my warnings, was deeply upset by the episodes and constantly intervened when I reached the edge of the forest. They stopped following me after school for a while, then. But I still had to go through the nightmare of breaks. I didn't tell Kyuubi of that. I harboured a secret fear he'd try to do something about that, too.

I came to keep him company, and he showed me the entire forest and taught me some, too. It was a trade off, of sorts, and I felt slightly guilty at the very poor exchange. When I let the matter rise during conversation, though, he had firmly told me that I was being silly and that he was getting the most out of the arrangement. I still wonder about those words, sometimes.

Sometimes, we both lost track of time and after the first night of missing dinner, I resolved to take another step to have longer with the demon boy I was slowly becoming fond of. After the day of lessons ended, I stopped by the Ramen takeaway in town and bought myself dinner before meeting Kyuubi. He seemed to eye the carton warily when I took it out. Sometimes, it really confused me how he knew nothing of the civilised world - living in the isolation of the Konoha forest. He watched with interest as I separated my chopsticks and started on my early dinner. When I caught him staring, I asked if he would like to try it. It was all I could do to not laugh at the look of concentration on his face as the demon container carefully picked up a noodle and slurped it up.

"What, ah, flavour is it?" he asked hesitantly, almost like it was a personal question.

"Naruto R-Ramen," I laughed, stuttering. I laughed a lot, these days, when I was around him.

"Naruto," he repeated, seeming to roll the unfamiliar word around on his tongue, "It's got a certain ring to it."

"Kyu-kun! You c-can't be s-serious!" We'd discussed a change of name for him, before. But never settled on one that seemed right. I smiled as I chided him though. Only Kyu-kun would think the word 'Naruto' would be a good name for himself.

"What?" he pouted childishly, "You don't think it'd be a good name?"

The puppy dog eyes did me in as I wearily shook my head with a sigh. Despite being an actual demon, I found it becoming harder and harder to refuse him of something. It was all a part fo the constant, cheerful atmosphere which seemed to permanently hang around him. He laughed at my defeated expression before nodding again - in a more serious way. Like he was about to say or do something very important.

"Alright then. From now on my name is Naruto."