'Appears behind wooden shield' And I'm back! Please don't kill me!

I know I'm late and I'm really sorry; it's just not easy juggling between pre-exam studying and writing stories! Anyway, here's the next chapter, so enjoy!

Btw, just to be certain: Does the kiss-scene between Sasuke and Naruto happen before or after Naruto finds out he's the Kyuubi?

Admin.: Nope don't own, or the Shika I met today would be my age and we'd be dating now.

So what am I supposed to tell him? That I've known about the Kyuubi since it killed my 'parents'? That would go over really well. After all, he knew about the Kyuubi and its attack on Konoha twelve years ago; there's no doubt he might be worried about losing me as a friend because of it.

So I decided to do this in the typical anime speech-talk (aka cheesy storytelling to make him happy):

I pulled him down to sit next to me and started: "Yeah, I know about the Kyuubi; and I guess I also know about it being inside you."

His shoulders slumped and the gloominess increased to maximum lvl. I have to tell ya, after all this time taking care of him it really hurt seeing him that depressed; so I quickly continued: gently pushing his chin up so he looked me in the eye.

"But you know what? I knew when we first met, and it didn't stop me from meeting you! Having a demon inside you doesn't mean you're the demon yourself. Others might look at you and see the Kyuubi, but when I look at you I see the same lonely kid I always saw when I looked in the mirror before we met. And meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me."

You know, it might seem kind of nauseating when these speeches are made in the anime, and you just want to fast forward them, but when you actually make them yourself it feels really good to see the results. Nevertheless I still had to suppress my gag reflex even as Naruto gave that big goofy grin he's so famous for and hugged me tightly around the waist. I hugged him back, praying I'd never have to cheer him up like that again, and then looked at the clock:

10:00 am

"Hey Naruto? Aren't you supposed to head over to the main building now for your file to be made?" I swear I only taught him about 50 percent of the words that came out of his mouth as he hurried to get his clothes in order, grabbing an instant ramen before heading out with the paint I only assumed he was gonna waste his first picture on. Grinning slightly I checked to make sure that I didn't have to work today, and then got back into bed for some well-earned rest.

I woke up again around noon, listening to the crowd bustling by the open window. It used to really bother me to hear so many people around me – you know, before my rebirth? - but now I don't mind as much; I can only assume that my Autism disappeared together with everything else of my past as I entered a new life. And it was definitely fun having Naruto around, even though he could be quite noisy at night.

I sat up and looked around the apartment, a single room with adjacent bathroom and a small kitchen in the corner; Naruto's bed right under the window. I slept on a thin futon on the floor, simply because there wasn't enough room to put another bed. Getting up and stretching, I rolled up my mattress like every other morning and took a shower, then headed out for some shopping. I kinda hoped I wouldn't run into Naruto, as he would most likely be having his 'forced' tutoring session with Konohamaru, so I first headed to the flower shop to say hello to Yamanaka-san.

And of course I forgot one crucial thing: Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji's fathers had been together as a team in the past; it only figured they'd meet up together with their kids to discuss the possibility of them working together as well. So I entered the shop, heading to the main house behind the counter-

- and nearly ran into Nara Shikamaru, who was leaning against the wall right next to the door, apparently dozing while his father was discussing with the others in the adjacent room. Ever had a heart attack before? Then you can tell what I felt right now, standing in front of my anime crush (who apparently hadn't noticed me yet). And of course with any love-sick girl I got a moment of giddiness, ogling him as if he were the god of the universe, until the ugly truth hit me: He's still six years younger than me!

I think the suicidal aura surrounding me significantly disturbed him, because he immediately woke up and eyed me warily. I immediately put on a fake smile and waved at him, then (with great difficulty) walked/slouched by him, heading for the kitchen. The not-so-silent "Troublesome" he sent after me made it even worse, so instead of greeting my boss, I actually greeted the counter when I entered the kitchen. With my forehead.

I think the 'thump' and immediate cry of the kind lady was enough to get everyone into the kitchen; I couldn't be sure though, because I hit the counter a little too hard, and ended up sliding down to the floor, a trail of blood following in my wake.

Oh dearie me, it actually happened. And believe me, I'd react the same way if I was in her position -_-;

If anyone has any questions about maybe the Autism I mentioned or anything else, just review and I'll answer.

And since the cat is now out of the chimney here's a new call: Reed and river, flames will be used to kill the lawyers that prevent me from owning Shikamaru :3