Weeee!!! I got another reviewer and a future beta!!! So, everyone please welcome…

Jasmine Hatake!!!!!!!

This lovely person requested that in this chapter, Naruto and Yuri would end up in a situation were they both blush.

I shall do my best, for it's the springtime of youth!!

Love ya'll!!!

'Porn and a rude mouse'

"Absolutely not! I will not allow it!" the bulky woman boomed.

"Why not!? Sandaime said I was talented!" I yelled back.

She looked shocked that I didn't just submit to her will. But then she pushed it aside and began to talk again.

"Doesn't matter. As long as you live under this roof and wear the clothes that have been given to you, you're staying! That goes for everyone here!"

'Basically, that means they're all trapped. They can't leave. They're orphans. Where could they go?'

'So that's why they tolerate being here…' I looked at Tsubaki as if I've seen her for the first time. What I saw made me feel angry and sick at the same time.

"But I want to become a kunoichi!"

"Unless you become adopted, there is no way that can happen. And there is no way you'll be adopted." She smirked.

"Why's that?" I said angrily. Was she implying that no one wanted me?

"Well, you're a girl. No one wants a girl in the first place. So why adopt one?" Tsubaki laughed. "Like it or not, gaki, you're staying."

I glared at her, too angry to say anything. Then I got an idea. I began to untie the obi on the yukata, dropped it to the floor, stepped out of my geta sandals and then I began to work on the yukata.

"Oi, what are you doing?"

"You said it yourself. As long as I wear these clothes…" I yanked off the yukata and stood there in only my underwear, not bothering to be shy of showing my body or the many scars on it. "…and stay under this roof, I can't be a kunoichi."

I gave her my most murderous glare, and then I pivoted around and left Tsubaki's office, walking with my head held high to my room.

"Number sixty-seven. Number sixty-seven!" I kept walking, ignoring her completely.

"OI! Number sixty-seven!! Answer me!" she growled.

"Hmm? I'm sorry, were you calling for me? But I'm Yuri… no, you must have called for someone else…" I smiled prettily (as they had taught me against my will) and kept walking.

"You won't be the first one leaving the Camellia, you know." Said a voice behind me. It was my redheaded roommate!

"I thought you were mute?" I said with a raised eyebrow.

"What? No, I had a cold." I sweatdropped. Oh.

"So ka. Well, what do you mean with me not being the first leaving?"

"Many have run away before. But they all die on the streets."

"I won't die on the streets. I have a friend."

"That's what they said too."

I stared at her. Those girls' friends let them die?

"I don't know why." She said, as if reading my mind. "Maybe they weren't as good friends as they let on."

"Why are you telling me this? I thought you hated me after…" I didn't finish the sentence.

"Don't misunderstand me. I do." Her eyes darkened. "But everyone who tries to escape deserves to know."

I frowned. She really did think I was going to die. "What's your name?"

"I'm number…"

"I don't want to hear your number." I interrupted. "What's your name?"

"… I'm not sure." Her eyes were downcast." It's been so long since anyone said it. I think... it's Akie."

I bowed to her. "Thank you for your warning, Akie-san. But I'm not going to die. Sayonara."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I was now dressed in the kimono Miyako gave me half an eternity ago. I had fixed it in sewing class. It was surprisingly easy. On my feet were the spare slippers I had gotten at the hospital. They looked a bit like zori sandals, so I didn't look too weird. What might have looked were the elegant black katanas at my hip. They were shorter than I remembered them, perfect for my height and strength. Had they shrunken? Nah. That couldn't happen, right?

However. I had absolutely no idea were to go. At first I had considered going to Sandaime's-san, but I didn't remember the way to his office. Sure, I could see it from here, after all, it was hard to miss the huge red building, but when I tried to get closer I just got lost in the alleys and ended up somewhere further away from it. So I went to the Academy instead.

I became calmer the second I saw Naruto. His class practising throwing kunai and shuriken. Everyone was doing quite well, some better than the others. Except Naruto. He kept missing the target, over and over again. But he said he was great? Didn't he say he was going to be the next Hokage?

Had he lied to me?

But then I saw his expression. Raw determination. No matter how many times he missed the target, he kept picking up his weapons and tried again and again and again. Maybe he wasn't great at the moment but… he would be. One day.

I was sure of it.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was about to set. I sighed heavily. It really had been a long day, a lot of things had happened since this morning. I was pretty sure Naruto's class would be dismissed pretty soon, then I could ask him to show me the way to Sandaime's office.

I walked over to the tree with the swing that Naruto seemed to like so much. It was kind of 'his spot' in a way. I sat on the swing, closing my eyes enjoying the spring breeze. I removed my swords, (I couldn't sit comfortably with them on) and put them beside me in the grass.

I looked down at the swords and frowned. I really did need to become better at using them. I couldn't just hope that Touki-nii-chan would jump in to save me… I glared at the swords, as if it was their fault. I didn't know why, but the thought of being helpless and needed to be saved disgusted me.

Speaking of Touki… why hadn't he spoken with me? I felt a stab of guilty conscience. I had been so busy with playing and having fun with Naruto, I had forgotten him completely. I should talk to him. Besides, he might know something about the strange lyrics from the lullaby. And why the locket had opened. After all, I had tried to open it before, and then it wouldn't budge. I sighed. It was all so confusing.

'Onii-chan?'

'Hmm?'

I raised my eyebrows at this. He was never this laid back! No whining? No demands for apologies? Who was this?!

'Ano… are you feeling alright?'

'Yeah. Why?'

'Maa… you're not whining and nagging…?'

'I can be nice too, ya know!'he sounded miffed.

'Hai, hai… gomen! Anyways, you know, earlier today, when my locket opened? And and I … we could hear the words? What do you think it means?'

'Well…' I held my breath. He actually did know something! 'Not a clue.'

I anime fell from the swing, attracting some strange looks from some of the students. Laughing nervously, I got up on the swing again. 'Stupid brother! If you don't know anything, then don't act like you do!' I growled in frustration. 'Look what you made me do!'

'Aww, don't you know? I'd do anything to embarrass you.' He snickered.

'Hmpf! Fine, be that way!' I couldn't believe I actually felt guilty because of my idiot brother.

"You really do fall off swings a lot, don't you, Yuri-chan?" said a cheery voice I'd recognise anywhere.

"I guess my balance sucks, ne?" I laughed nervously.

"Only when you're on a swing. When you fight you're awesome dattebayo!" I blushed.

"A-Arigatou. Ne, could you help me with something?"

"Sure dattebayo! What is it?"

"Ano… I would like to see Sandaime-san. I need his help, but I don't know the way to his office…"

"But Yuri-chan, you can see his office from here 'ttebayo." Naruto said confusedly.

"Maa…" I drew little circles in the ground with my foot, too embarrassed to look at him. "I … kinda keep getting lost on the way there…"

Naruto sweatdropped. "Ano, Yuri-chan, all you have to do is walk straight to the tower dattebayo."

"Well, I've tried all afternoon, but I just get lost along the way…"

"AH! Now I get it! You use the streets, right? They are made so that strangers will have a hard time coming to the Hokage, for security reasons I think. Why don't you jump from roof to roof? It's waaay easier dattebayo!" he said happily.

"Jump the roofs?!" I stared at him. Was that even possible? "But how am I supposed to get up?

"Like this dattebayo!!" he shouted cheerfully and jumped up in the top of the tree. "Cool, huh?" he shouted down at me proudly. "Now you try it!"

"How?" I yelled back.

It grew quiet. Naruto had his thinking expression on and was scratching the back of his head.

"I dunno 'ttebayo!" he then yelled back. "Try it anyways!"

I sweatdropped. Brilliant.

I couldn't help but to feel a tad bit silly as I crouched down and tried to jump as high as I could. When I didn't even reach the lowest branch, I felt more than just a tad bit silly.

I felt plain stupid.

"Naruto-kun! It doesn't work!"

"Try again dattebayo!"

I sighed. I wanted to be able to jump like that, it seemed like fun, but …

"Come on Yuri-chan! Don't give up dattebayo!" Naruto yelled as if he had read my thoughts.

I nodded, then realised he couldn't see it and yelled an 'ok!' back. But I couldn't help but to think it was impossible for me to do it. To jump that high, you had to be really strong…

I almost slapped myself in the face when I realised how easy the solution was. I really didn't have to be that strong at all, just like I didn't have to be insanely strong to send Naruto flying when we sparred earlier today. The answer really was simple: chakra!

I didn't even have to search this time, it came out at once. It must be because I had used it so much recently. I pumped it into my legs and jumped.

….And flew higher than I meant to. I had jumped over the tree. And then there was the tiny little issue about landing…

I landed in a very (coughnotcough) elegant spread eagle on the grass. Well at least it wasn't rocks.

"Yuri-chan!! Are you okay dattebayo?!" Naruto came running at me. Oh. So he came down from the tree, huh…

"I wanna try again. Can you be up there if something goes wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"Oi, you sure?" he said as he helped me up.

"Hai."

"Yosh! See you at the top dattebayo!"

I dusted off my kimono and began to concentrate chakra in my legs. Only this time, not quite as much as the last time. I had no intention of going splat on the ground again, thank you very much.

This time, before I jumped, I did what I did when I sparred with Naruto; I let my body be in charge. This time when I jumped, it all felt right.

No.

It felt absolutely awesome.

I laughed out loud. To think that something could feel this good! A thought hit me mid-air. Why not play a little…? I twisted and spun my body and vaulted backwards, laughing with joy as I went flying trough the air. This was great!

"Yuri-chan that's amazing dattebayo!! Now you only have to land!!" Naruto cheered me on.

Wait. I had to land too?

Oh. Didn't really think of that.

Whoops.

I didn't see Naruto's expression, but I heard him.

"Eh? Yuri-chan? Aaahh!! Feet first, FEET FIRST!!! AAAH!!!"

I slammed in to him, almost knocking us both off the tree. But luckily, Naruto caught me. I sighed in relief. We swayed unsteadily on the treetop, laughing like idiots.

"Arigato Naruto-kun." I smiled at him, and he blushed for some reason. "Ano…You can put me down now..."

"Ah! Hai, hai..." He put me down, but he didn't let go of my hand.

"I guess I have to practice some more..."

A sudden gush of wind made the treetop shake violently. We both cried out and hugged each other around the waist for support. I blushed. It felt kinda nice. Almost like the feeling I got when I flew through the air… only this time, there was this warm and fuzzy feeling too. I snuggled a bit closer. Mmm. He was so warm and huggable...

"Ano, Yuri-chan, the wind has stopped blowing..." came Naruto's voice.

"Mm." I mumbled back in to his t-shirt, which smelt sooo nice by the way. It smelt like sunshine and summer...

"Um, you can let go now..." came the uncertain reply.

"Ah! Gomennasai! " I blushed furiously and let go, not knowing where to look. I settled for my hands. My bangs shaded my eyes, and I sneaked a peak at Naruto. He was also blushing madly, and he looked at his sandals as if they were the most intriguing things he had ever seen.

...

Had he liked the hug too?

Before I knew what I was doing, I lay my arms around him again. I was going redder and redder every second.

'Come on! It's too late to back down now anyways.' I tried to encourage myself.

"Thank you for helping me so much." I said softly. I didn't dare to look at him, but from the heat radiating off of his cheeks, I could tell he was as embarrassed as I was.

"Never mind 'ttebayo." Came the reply as he hugged me back.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Here we go again. Sitting in front of Sandaime-san, Naruto next to me chatting at a hundred miles per hour speed and I myself can't manage to get out a single word. I just didn't liked to ask for help, I didn't want to be a burden to anyone.

I sighed. As soon as Naruto had found out that I had lived in the orphanage and wasn't welcome there anymore and had nowhere to go, he had grabbed my hand, and before I knew it we were jumping the roofs on our way to Sandaime-san. I had been too surprised to be nervous about landing, so we had crashed quite a few times.

And now that we were here, Naruto kept telling Sandaime-san that I should get my own apartment (what?!) and that Sandaime-san should do a lot of nasty things to Tsubaki, were in a some of them the hokage monument, a pogo-stick, a goat and a chimney were involved. A part of me wanted to cheer him on and the other part... well.... the other part wanted to suggest he used an anvil too. (Nani? Like I'd stop him.)

Sandaime-san... well, he looked like he didn't know what to think. Poor guy. A furious hyperactive kid scolding him, and another creepy kid sulking in the corner. And he was just about to go out for a drink too...

But wait a minute...

"Naruto." Sandaime held up a hand to silence him. "I understand. It will be arranged as soon as possible. But what is this 'camellia' you're speaking of?"

"Nani? It's the orphanage Yuri-chan had to live in 'ttebayo! Don't you know anything+ you're supposed to run this village dattebayo!" Naruto grumbled.

"Hm." Sandaime frowned. "I've never heard of it. And I certainly don't like the idea of treating children like that. I shall look into this." He said thoughtfully.

"Ano, Sandaime-san...?" I began uncertainly. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but... where am I supposed to live? Surely you can't fix a place for me in five minutes? And how am I supposed to pay for it?"

"Ah, well as for paying, you're going to be a kunoichi in the future right?" I nodded. "Well, then you're going to protect this village, and that's all the payment I need." I smiled gratefully.

"Arigato, Sandaime-san."

"And when it comes to where you should live... well, I suppose you could stay with me for a while, until you have a place for yourself..."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT DATTEBAYO!!!!!" shouted Naruto as he stood up, waving his arms in protest. "I've seen what you during the lunchbreaks! You're a dirty old man who reads porn dattebayo!"

Sandaime turned beet-red and began to protest, while Naruto kept insisting that I absolutely under no condition whatsoever were to stay with him, since he was inappropriate and vulgar. Well, Naruto didn't exactly use those words, more like 'he's a perv dattebayo!' and 'he's got a porn collection in his desk! He reads it while pretending to work dattebayo!'

I looked at the scene, confused as ever. How come I was always confused in this room?

"Ano...?"

No reaction.

"Erm, excuse me..?"

Same.

"Excuse me?" I said a bit louder.

They were still going at it, aka bickering about whether that hokage had porn in his desk or not.

"It's in the left drawer dattebayo! I've seen it!"

"No it isn't! Look! It's only boring old papers here!"

"Liar! You probably hid it at the bottom!" and before anyone got the chance to stop him, Naruto began to toss out the papers, which singled down to the floor, one by one, like confetti.

"NARUTO!! I had just sorted those papers!! Have you got any idea how many hours that took!?" Sandaime-san yelled frustrated. Naruto ignored him completely.

"Hm! Empty? How strange... I was so sure... AH! It's probably in the other drawer!! And before I could blink he had emptied another drawer on the floor.

"NARUTOOO!!!" bellowed Sandaime, looking surprisingly murderous for an old man.

"AAH!!! YURI-CHAN, WE GOTTA GO!!!" he grabbed my hand and off we jumped out the window to the nearest roof, were we jumped to the next, escaping the same way we came.

(Little did we know that Sandaime-san drew a sigh of relief and muttered to himself after we had gone.

"I knew it was a good idea to change the hiding place...")

"Where are we going, Naruto-kun?" I asked.

"Maa, you need a place to stay, ne? I thought... if you want to, you can stay at my place..." Naruto looked like a tomato with horrible sunburn. "It's not that great, but if you want to...?" he looked up from under his bangs uncertainly.

I beamed at him. He really was a true friend! I was so lucky to have met him. The warm fuzzy feeling blossomed inside of me and filled me from head to toe. I didn't know what to say.

"Arigatou..." was all I managed, but Naruto understood. He grinned his in his fox-like way that was so typically him and scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. Then we began to leap across the roofs again, since we were both too embarrassed to say anything sensible.

I suddenly remembered the song from the locket.

'…Trust the fox…

…Others might fear him…

…But you mustn't leave him …'

'Could it be... that Naruto was the fox? But why would people fear him?' I furrowed my brows, trying to sort it out in my head. He was so cheerful, bright and sunny, a really, really good friend and on good terms with the Hokage (well, sort of)... but he had a smile for everyone, so... why the fear?

Did that mean that the other things in the song represented other people too? The cherry blossoms, the lonely one, the lilies and the darkness within?

Well, the lilies probably represents me, compared with the cherry blossoms.' I thought. 'And since Naruto were the fox because of his appearance and behaviour, the others probably are too.' I concluded. 'But if that's the case... how does a cherry blossom behave? And what does a cherry blossom person look like? And there were probably plenty of lonely people. How could I possibly help all of them or find a specific person? Konoha was so big... and the darkness within.... could that be same thing as the true strength within? Then maybe that was Touki-nii-chan! But he wasn't my own strength, so maybe he was the darkness...?'

I shook my head. This was all so confusing! I sighed and decided that talking to Naruto would be more fun.

"Ne, Naruto-kun? What are your parents like? Are they nice?" I asked.

Big. Mistake.

His cheerful expression changed into the saddest one I had ever seen on him in a heartbeat.

"I don't have any, like you." He said shortly. He didn't sound angry or upset, but something about his tone said that he didn't want to discuss it.

His smile was soon back in place, but it was a forced one. Or maybe it had always been forced, maybe I had just failed to notice it before. What did I actually know about him? He wants to be Hokage, he lives in Konoha and his parents are probably dead. That's close to nothing...

But then again, what did he know about me? If he knew the truth about me, would he still be my friend? Of course he wouldn't. He wouldn't understand. No one would ever understand. The thought made me feel lonely, lonelier than when I was locked up in a basement. Then I hadn't had the faintest illusion of being free and making friends. But now... it was so close, but just outside my reach. True friends don't lie to each other.

But if I didn't lie, I'd lose him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

I woke with a start. I wasn't sure how, but I somehow knew there was someone in the apartment. I got up from the soft futon soundlessly, following my instincts; whoever it was, he was in the kitchen. I grabbed one of my swords, unsheathed it and sneaked out.

The moonlight shone in from the window, and I saw a tall figure by the table. He had his back towards me, and he seemed to be busy putting things on the table.

'I suppose that's why he hasn't heard me then.' I thought. Because this man had to be a ninja, wearing a uniform and all. He was also wearing a mask of some sort. I decided that I should let him know that I was there.

Using chakra, I moved rapidly and was behind him in a blink of an eye. He spun around, having sensed me, and even though I couldn't see his face for the mouse-mask he was wearing, I knew he was surprised to find a six-year old pointing a word at him.

"What are you doing here, Nezumi-san?" I asked him calmly. (A/N: nezumi-san: Mr. Mouse)

He seemed to not know what to say but he found himself quickly.

"Hokage-sama's orders. I'm here to leave a certain amount of money and a letter to Fuyuno Yuri-san."

"Why?"

He kept silent as a wall.

"Would telling you that I'm Yuri help?" I asked annoyingly. He did wake me up, I had every right in the world to be annoyed.

"It's for your equipment. I don't know what's in the letter, I haven't opened it."

"Arigatou, Nezumi-san." I lowered my sword and smiled brightly at him.

"...My name's not Nezumi-san."

"What is it then?"

"That's a secret."

"Then I'll call you Nezumi-san!" I said and sticked my tongue out.

"..."

"... I think I'll be going now..." he said.

"Okay, bye, bye Nezumi-san! Say hi to Sandaime-san from me! Oyasumi." (A/N: oyasumi means goodnight)

Instead of replying, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

I huffed. How rude!

A/N:Hellooooo!!! I hope you all enjoyed it! PLEAAASE REVIEW! I KNOW YOU WANT TO! .

Recommended story:

Fuck, I think my tv's broken

Written by:

Exhale vanilla lace

Bye!!

//Izuru-sama

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