Unlikely Love

Written By: Fliscent Firetail ^_-


AN: Hey there everyone! Wow, another chapter! And so soon too. (Heavy sarcasm) ;-) Hehe, yeah I know, I stink, taking so ling to update and all. To tell the truth, both the first and second chapters needed to be looked over. But guess what?! I've got a beta now! And she's been helping so much with making sure that the quality of the stry and plotline is flowing alright! :D After going over the first two chapters, hopefully this will help clarify and questions or confusions in the past two chapters. Please give feedback if you catch a few typos or anything that you think could improve the quality of the story, since writing is always a work in progress! :D

Anyways, I just wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to read the story. I would like to thank my Editor for her hard work and for sending me some pretty awesome K-pop music to listen to as I worked. It helped a lot. ;-) Well, please read and review!

Happy Late Birthday! :D My birthday just passed a few days ago, which is why I decided to have a mass update. That way everyone can leave a review as their birthday present! lol ;) This only happens once a year so cough 'em up!


Italics are thoughts

Bold is English

"this is regular talking"

this is an emphasis!


Ch. 3 Part I

Beginning


The morning was quiet as the young woman lay curled up under the blankets, her head of wild brown curls spread messily around her, sticking up at odd angles from the tossing and turning that had occurred from the young woman's sleep. To tell the truth, Samira had been awake for about four hour previously, before going back to sleep. She had originally woken around day rise, the sound of an enraged teacher at her host's front door, bringing her sharply from her much needed rest. Still tired though, deeply so, she had gone back to sleep almost as soon as her young blond host had left for the day to attend to the mess of a prank that he had created for his teacher, leaving the woman to sleep in silence. Samira frowned slightly in her sleep and shifted slightly before whimpering. She was having a… odd dream.

"Gah!" Samira gasped as she shot up in the bed. She looked around groggily before groaning and curling up once more under the sheets, the unfamiliar yet distinct smell filling her nose as she groaned and sat up. Blinking groggily she sighed and looked around the room, taking in the cracks in the plastered walls and weathered floors which barely shined despite the fierce cleaning it had been given yesterday. What a dream… why the hell had she dreamed of that?! Trying to push the vision from her mind she continued to look around as she took in the shabby quality comforter and the thread bare clothing she could see. She sighed, as the simple reminder's from the boy's home brought her mind to a more serious and dark place; reality.

It went without saying that things would be hard from here on for her, whatever path she decided to take. Samira was aware of this but as she sat in the bed she had woken up in that morning it was becoming even more apparent, the silence of the apartment stifling against the sounds that came from outside that where muffled by the walls of the building. Without the sunshine blonde boy around to cheer her with his company, she was being left to her thoughts and given time to reflect on her situation, and all its complications. In the hospital she had been spending more of her time observing those around her, and trying to formulate a plan of escape. Without these distractions… her mind was now free to wander. Grimacing, she rose from the bed to make it properly before stifling another yawn and heading into the interior of the apartment where the living room was. She found herself seated on an old couch as she took in the rest of the details of the room, things she had missed last night in their hasty entrance.

The walls where the same off white as the rest of the apartment, a crack here and there coming through the old plaster, the floors scattered with scrolls and garbage. Nearby was also a chair in the living room, making up all of the blonde's furniture and decor. There was a very lively looking plant in the window over the kitchen sink she found when she went into the surprisingly clean looking kitchen hunting for food, only to find that his fridge was mainly empty except for milk and that his cupboards where bare except for lots of ramen and a few old cans, some rice pushed into a deeper part of the cabinet that had a thin layer of dusk. The appliances looked surprisingly familiar to those that she used in her world, either to cook with or make tea, making her wonder if things operated on electricity here as well.

Of course things use electricity here, idiot, Samira thought as she peaked out the window to taking in the grungy street bellow and the rough looking power lines that ran from wooden pole to wooden pole, opaque clouds covering the sky in a shifty grey mass. Sighing she went back to trying to figure out how to use the water boiler properly so she could make herself some food. It didn't help that all the labels where written in Japanese, or Kanji as it is called since both the Chinese and Japanese use some of the same character system or symbols for their writing systems. She grit her teeth in mild irritation as she gazed at the written characters on the heater as if they had personally offended her. Samira didn't need a genius to tell her that she was going to hate learning how to read and write with kanji, that is, if she could even get someone to teacher her while she was here in this world.

"Since I'm apparently here to stay, because that scarred Hulk of a man said that there was no way to go back," she muttered irritably before sighing, a wave of despair mixing with her irritation at the impossible situation she had been thrown into. What was she going to do? The water began to boil and she pulled herself from her thoughts so she could pour the scalding hot water into a ramen cup, beef flavor since that was her favorite. As she let the noodles steep she absent mindedly took a seat at the table to wait, chopsticks swirling the steaming broth around slowly.

She was thinking about every that had happened so far as she tried to understand what exactly had happened. Ok, so when she looked away from the road, all of a sudden there's a person there that hadn't been there before. Poof! Sudden person appears! That was odd. Then she tried to avoid hitting them and her car flipped before she was sent into the lake, the car starting to sink. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to recall what she could of the chaotic parts before giving up on those parts of her memory, instead settling on what she understood. She had defiantly remembered seeing large gnarled roots, roots so big that they had to belong to a monster of a tree. And yet these roots hadn't extended from the surface… she frowned in confusion. What the hell? The roots had been branched out in the water as if they had… been growing towards the surface…

She shook her head, not understand why it had looked like there had been a tree growing its roots towards the surface of the water, not away from it. Blinking herself from her thoughts she began to dig into her ramen as she absently took in the grains of the old wood table she was sitting at, her eyes stopping on a scorch mark here and there over the wood. The water, she realized after a moment ramen freezing halfway to her mouth before she lowered the noodles slowly back into the cup. She had only been able to see those fantastic gargantuan roots that deep under the water because there had been a brilliant glow that seemed to be coming from the water itself, making things bright and clear the closer she had gotten to the surface. She sighed and rubbed her head wearily remembering how the water she had choked out had been glowing as well. To think that that stuff had been in her lungs for lord knows how long… it wasn't a comforting thought considering most stuff that glowed now a days was either magical fairy poop or radioactive. Seeing as fairy poop didn't exist (or unicorns for that matter,) she was going with the idea that this was perhaps radioactive… then again people seemed to have super powers here in this world… where they radioactive too? Is this what happened when living cells evolved to function with radiation and instead of freaking Godzilla, you get ninjas with otherworldly powers?!

Samira groan and shoveled the rest of her ramen into her mouth, cheeks bulging as she chewed angrily. Whatever, I'm done thinking about how weird and fuck up everything is here. I need to think about how I'm going to survive, she thought grumpily as she managed to swallow the noodles. She drained the broth easily with a smack of her lips like a pro and stood, making her way to the kitchen before heading into the living room, only to pause at the mess that greeted her eyes. She looked around the room for a moment before sighing. First though, she had the feeling that she was going to have to do a bit of cleaning. This place was just too messy for her to think in.


Across Konoha at the Academy…

It had been a nice day for Naruto, to say the least, his mood so truly jubilant that nothing could have put a dampener on his happiness today, not even the gloomy weather or the rain that kept going off and on.

It seems I've made a friend, thought the boy happily as he thought back on the young woman that he had managed to get to agree to stay with him. The thought of anyone trying to hurt such a nice young woman had him in a huff, but he was secretly a bit glad since she had decided to stay with him, if only for protection. You better believe it! He was going to kick those bad ninja's buts for trying to get to his new friend. Daydreaming about pulling awesome ninja moves and the young woman being eternally grateful sprang to mind making him chuckle happily as his good humor returned. The fact that he was all smiles didn't go unnoticed by his classmates, who where warily aware of the prankster's change in demeanor. Iruka had noticed as well but had merely chalked up the boy's glee to another successful prank accomplished. His other classmates however had not.

"What did you do Naruto?" demanded Sakura irritably as she came over to her classmate, the lunch bell having released them for the lunch period. Naruto, pleased to see his crush coming to talk to him, just grinned wider. It seemed like things were going his way today! He had a new house guest and his crush had actually come over to talk to him!

"What do ya mean Sakura-chan?" he asked happily as the pink haired girl continued to scowl at him.

"What are you so happy about today? Have you set up another prank? Iruka sensei will be so mad if you did," she demanded making the boy blink in surprise before starting to laugh nervously. Perhaps things weren't going to go as well as he had thought.

"Ahaha! What are ya talkin' about Sakura-chan? Can't a guy just be happy or somethin'?" he asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. What if someone noticed his oddness and decided to check his apartment? The Lady didn't want other people involved for fear of them getting hurt, and he had made her a promise after she agreed to stay. If anything, Naruto was a man of his word. He had to distract Sakura fast or else she might draw more attention to him or something. Normally, it's what he wanted, just not today. Besides, the lady was his secret, and he didn't want that to change so soon. Sakura's green eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Na-rU-TOOOO!" she grit out dangerously, her fist raising threateningly. It was clear that she wasn't going to accept that answer from him, and he wasn't going to spill the beans to her, even if she was his crush. That didn't mean that he was going to let himself get beaten up by an angry Sakura though.

"Ah, look its Sasuke! He's kissing Ino!"

"What?! where?!" Cried Sakura as she spun around to look. Finding no one but Shikamaru and Choji looking at her in question she turned back around to find that Naruto was long gone.

"Whew, that was close," muttered the blonde haired boy as he took off down the street heading for Ichiraku Ramen, raising his collar against the cool humid wind and the light drizzle that was staring up again. He hadn't had time to pack a lunch this morning. Maybe the lady would pack lunches for him if he asked really really nice? He couldn't help but grin widely as he chuckled at the idea, an extra spring in his step.

"NARUTOOOOO!" came an angry yell behind the fleeing kid as a furious Sakura stuck her head out the class room window to glare at his retreating back while he ran off. Shikamaru sighed as his portly friend shot him a questioning look.

"Troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru. Choji just shrugged in acceptance of his friend's word before going back to his chips. Troublesome indeed.


Forty five minutes later…

The blonde returned to the class a few minutes late shivering since his jacket had gotten pretty wet. Too bad he didn't have an umbrella or anything. That would have been nice…

"Naruto," Iruka called, his tone disapproving as the blonde gave a sheepish grin and scrambled for his seat. Maybe just this once he'd listen to what Iruka sensei was talking about. He had made the man mad enough for one day.

Finally the day ended and the school bell rang, kids rushing from the classrooms as Naruto followed only pausing at the entrance to the school as the other kids hurried past, laughing chattering or complain about this that or the other as Parents waited on the side with umbrellas and rain jackets for the unfortunate few children who had been foolish enough to forget theirs that morning on the rush to school. Naruto watched as a string of longing began to coil in his chest as he watched a boy smile happily at his mother who smiled back and helped him with the buttons, despite the boy's protests of being too old for that sort of stuff. The mother just laughed, eyes warm as she stood and readjusted her umbrella. Then she looked up and the warmth in her eyes fled only to be replaced with cold hate as she stared at Naruto.

The blonde's lips pursed as he stared back until the mother finally looked away, leading her boy firmly away through the growing rain. Naruto sighed and looked to the side to only realize that the woman wasn't the only one giving him those hard hateful eyes. The boy could feel anger at the people begin to coil hotly in his chest as his hands clenched, the loneliness being pushed away. He was going to show them one day, he would be powerful and even if they didn't like him, they would bow to him, the Hokage. They would never be able to treat him like this again! Believe it!

Wait a second, isn't that Lady waiting at my house for me? He wondered before he took off through the rain, the anger replaced with excitement. Maybe these people looked down on him, hated him it seemed, but that lady had seemed so nice! She had been so accepting of him too! She hadn't freaked out when she heard his name or shot him hateful eyes when looking at the lines on his cheeks. Those where usually the things that people recognized that marked him as the village pariah. She had even called the cheek marks… cute! His grin threatened to split his face as he raced through the village, intent on getting home. He finally had someone waiting for him now.


Across Konoha

It hadn't taken Samira long to pick up the litter and clutter that had filled the boy's living room. Most of it had either been scrolls that had been left carelessly out or trash or clothing that had been discarded… well ok, there were also plates and garbage as well but she didn't mind too much. After picking up the litter, she had dusted, cleaned the windows, swept and mopped, finding herself once more cornered as she sat on the couch waiting for the floor to dry. She pouted moodily before laying back on the couch with a sigh, her head resting against a stack on scrolls she had collected when she had been scouring the room for all the things left out. Needless to say, all the dirty cloths where now in the wash being cleaned, the left over plates had been put in the sink to soak in hot water, the garbage picked up and ready to be thrown out, personal affects put in the boy's room and all the scrolls piled on the couch.

A scroll fell off the couch as she shifted to get comfortable and she huffed in mild annoyance before swiftly swiping it from the damp floor before it could either dirty the now clean floor or before the scroll could be damaged. Leaning back to get comfortable she frowned slight as she opened the scroll, only to grimaced as she took in the kanji. Huffing she opened the scroll a bit more and frowned slightly in interest at the diagram being displayed. It looked to be the yin yang of something in the human body, and there were some notes on the side, a few of the kanji familiar as she turned to scroll slightly to see a bit better in the dim light of the room. Mind, body, and power where the only things she could really understand as she continued to puzzle over the diagram. What did mind and body have to do with the yin yang symbol? Or power for that matter? As she thought about it she was suddenly reminded of that hulking scarred man. Hadn't he made a hand sign like the person in the diagram before he had started shooting water out of thin air?! Eyes widening at the implication Samira sat up sharply, her breath catching. So this was how he did it! He had used mental and physical energy along with the hand signs to create a spell that summoned water. Did that mean that Naruto could do that same? Was this a common thing here in this world, to be able to use magic or was it just a few that could do so? Mind whirling Samira sat there lost in thought as she tried to recall all she could, to see if she could come up with her own answers already or if she needed more information.

If only I could ask Naruto, she thought with a huff, frustration rising at her inability to be able to speak Japanese. Well, she could actually speak Japanese fairly well, just not this kind. This kind of Japanese was almost backwards in the way it was spoken in comparison to the kind she that was used in her world, which was ironic since Japanese from her world was very backwards compared to English. The Japanese in this world however was probably closer in structure to her own language, English, but she wasn't sure what went where in the sentence structures yet which was why when she spoke it probably sounded broken to native speakers here. There were also some words that where a bit off or different that she wasn't so sure about. She was still trying to adjust to the different accent she heard them speaking as well.

She frowned, pulled from her discovery to muse over her current language barrier. Surely once she got over the accent and the changed structure she would be able to understand the language just fine. Hopefully. She started grumbling irritably as she slumped on the couch. Slam! Went the front door as it was thrown open.

"I'm home!" at the sudden sound the young woman fell off the couch in a crash. She groaned. That hurt.

"Gah! Naruto?" she called as she rubbed her elbow gingerly while the boy slammed the door shut again and raced into the room. He skidded to a stop as his excited expression became surprised, eyes widening as he took in how clean everything was.

"Wow! Looks like you got busy, lady," he said as Samira frowned in concentration. She was starting to understand him a lot better since she had time to puzzle over things and she found herself wanting to speak better as well. To do that, she was going to have to put herself out there and start speaking her worlds Japanese in hopes that the boy would be able to understand and correct her speaking style to where she would be able to speak fluently.

"So, go well your school did?" she hedged in Japanese from her world. Naruto frowned as he shot her an odd look.

"Uh, yeah I guess it was alright." He said, shifting uncomfortably from side to side as the awkward silence began to grow. Not knowing what else to say, the boy blurted out what was on his mind.

"You talk funny," Naruto blinked before flushing in embarrassment when he saw his house guest raise a dainty eyebrow at him questioningly. After a moment the lady snorted her cheeks becoming slightly pink. This was why she hadn't been speaking the Japanese from her world. She had always been rather self conscious about how well she knew things, usually not showing a skill until it was adequate enough to be considered fair or passing. To speak the language so badly was rather embarrassing.

"Well, I from where people talk like this. To learn the difference of this language I must, so I speak." She said with a sheepish grin.

"Oh." Said the boy as the awkward silence started up again. He had just been so eager to get home and now he was here he wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next. The young woman regarded him for a moment before frowning.

"Told you my name, have I?" she asked. Naruto blinked in surprise before shaking his head when he realized that he hadn't even gotten her name yet.

"Samira Cloud," she said with a grin as she gave a small bow in greeting. "Nice to meet you." Naruto blinked in mild surprise one more before giving a laugh.

"It's nice to meet you too Cloudu-chan," he said. Samira gave a laugh before grinning at him.

"My name that is last is Cloud. My name is Samira. You can call Samira-chan, ok?" she said as the boy smiled again, this time less hesitantly as he began to relax, though his giddiness was beginning to return a bit. He now knew his house guest's name! "Well Samira-chan, how about I teach you my language?" he asked with a wide grin as she grinned back in embarrassment. Hopefully she would pick up the difference pretty quickly.

Samira learned a lot that night as the two of them talked, the boy teaching her the proper ways to say what she was wanting to say as she mentally adjusted her Japanese to fit the Japanese for this world. Samira was still working on adjusting her speaking style but she could at least understand what was being said much better now. She had a good evening talking with him as she asked him a wide myriad of questions that he was happy to answer for the most part. She eventually asked him about the diagram in the scroll she had found and he had explained the concept of chakra to her before going on to talk about the different branches of ninja training.

"There are three main categories I think under which a ninja's gotta fall: Taijustu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu ninja." Said the boy as Samira quirked an eyebrow at the odd names.

"What is taijutsu and the other categories?" she asked as the boy hummed in thought, his features struck in a classic thinking pose. Samira had to fight back the urge to hug him and squeal; he was just too cute for his own good.

"Well, taijutsu users are close combat nin that use their bodies for attack, like punching and kicking and stuff," said the boy as Samira frowned as she mentally began comparing taijutsu to martial arts. "Ninjutsu is super cool! You use hand signs to create a jutsu before releasing it. You can create lightning and blow stuff up or send fireballs or whatever! It's awesome!" said the boy excitedly as Samira's eyes widened slightly. Had that Hulk of a guy be using Ninjutsu when he had shot the water out of thin air? It was starting to sound like it. So he had to be a ninja… At that thought Samira's gaze landed on the large black trench coat.

"Hey Naruto," she said slowly as the idea began to take root in her mind. The boy shot her a questioning look and she continued speaking now she had his attention.

"You think maybe cool ninjas hide things in clothing? Like in jacket?" she suggested as she pointed to the trench coat that was hanging beside the door, looking far too big for either one of them to wear. The boy shrugged easily.

"Sure why not?" he said as Samira's eyes lit up with interest. She was going to have to take a better look at that jacket later to see what else it was hiding other than a few weapons. However right now her attention was still on what they were discussing.

"What is last category?" asked Samira curiously drawing their attention back to the subject a hand.

"Oh! That last category is Genjutsu, the art of illusions. I hate those though. I can't even do the bunshin jutsu which is an illusion based jutsu," grumbled the boy with a pout as the young woman thought over what she had learned so far.

"That and my taijutsu sucks," complained the boy before freezing dread appearing on his face as he shot her a worried look. Uh oh! He hadn't intended on letting that slip! What if she didn't think he was strong enough to protect her now and she decided to leave?! Samira shot the frozen boy a questioning look when he remained frozen as if warily awaiting her reaction. What the heck was up with him? After a moment she decided to break the silence.

"Ok. Bad at taijutsu you are? Well, I can teach you if you want. Know much taijutsu, I do," she said easily as the boy's shoulders relaxed slightly, his tense worried expression being replace by one that was hard for her to understand.

Naruto couldn't believe his luck. He had just slipped up big time and she wasn't even mad at him for not being good at fist fighting. She had even offered to help him. But others had offered him things before only for it to turn out to be some kind of trap… His face darkened slightly as he remembered the spoiled food that had made him sick… cloths that turned out to have something foul on them and the people that had taken pride at sneering at him embarrassments before in the past… did he dare hope that she was any different than the others? Struggling with his inner dilemma he decided to look up only to see her watching him patiently, eyes kind if not slightly confused.

She really didn't treat him like the others of the village, did she? She seemed to be treating him like he was perfectly normal kid and he found himself relishing the treatment, even if it wasn't over the top. Such a simple thing and yet before he could think over it much more, he found himself nodding in agreement as his grin began to surface once more, threatening to split his face. It would take time to tell but… he might have just found another precious person to add to his list of people he cared for and who treated him well.

"That sounds awesome Samira-chan!" she smiled back easily and Naruto felt something warm start to grow in his chest. The kindness she seemed to emit without meaning to only served to reassure him that she was genuine and he found himself looking forward to learning from her, despite his lingering hesitance. She might be a foreigner, and maybe she talked funny and looked a bit odd, with her big round eyes and curly hair, but he had a feeling that he could put his trust in this person.

"Good. If you want, I teach you a little now," she said as the boy perked up excitedly. Teach him she did, but the first thing that they had started out with was the academy style that he had been taught, so she could gauge where his learning was at. Samira had been a bit surprised at the unbalanced forms that the boy showed her, and had felt a hint of unease watching him try to go through the surprisingly awkward and choppy Kata styles. This won't do, she thought to herself with a frown as she watched him move, her mind already rapidly drawing up what she needed to teach him to get him on the right track with his training. He didn't seem to have muscle memory either for block and kicks and what he did show was surprisingly off balance and lacked power due to his form. As the boy finished he rose out of his final position to look to his houseguest. A wave of worry began to coil in his gut when he looked to find that her face was dark and deep in thought as she regarded him with pursed lips, clearly not pleased. Before his worry could grow she suddenly spoke.

"You have lot of potential. But not with this style. You're fast, light on feet but lacking power needed for this style. It is also inefficient for you to use this at your age. I will teach you my two styles, and I want you to forget about academy style altogether. That style will get you hurt, or worse, killed." She growled out making the boy jump a little in surprise before he nodded hesitantly. It took him a moment to realize that she wasn't displeased with him but the style itself.

Samira couldn't believe what she had seen. Perhaps the boy just hadn't learned the style right, or maybe that was the actual style, but to see that many openings had made her uneasy with the knowledge that he would get pummeled into the ground if he used it in a real fight.

"S-so you're going to teach me your styles?" he breathed, hope and excitement threatening to burst into bloom. She nodded resolutely. She was going to teach him Wing Chung and Wado Ryuu, but first she was going to be teaching him some basic gymnastics she had learned as a kid. She had always integrated it into her fighting style and it had always kept her fast and spry in her sparring against her formidable friend Antonia. Antonia never really joked around when it came to sparring and had more experience as well as dedication to her style which meant Samira needed something up her sleeve to keep from getting slaughtered in their occasional sparring practice. It had been years but she still remembered the mechanics and what they would need to do. She grimaced when she realized how poorly she had done fighting that drunkard off from earlier. True she had been shocked enough by the man's actions for her to be hesitant to hurt him, but she should have reacted faster, and broken his grip on her at least. It had been a disappointing moment for her.

To tell the truth, this wouldn't be the first time for her to teach these styles, or to teach for that matter. In school she had occasionally been given the task of tutoring other students, having to explain the concepts behind the lesson whether it was math or chemistry or orchestra. She had learned through school the communication skills needed to teach in the first place. When she had reached brown belt in her old dojo she would often help her sensei and senpai teach. It had been her age that had kept her from completing the training to become a full fledged black belt in her discipline though she was still taught the styles and methods used in more advanced fighting, all the way up to sixth degree black belt. Something her teachers had instilled in her at a raw age of five however was not to hurt other unnecessarily. This mixed with her fear of punishment growing up still served to make her hesitate at crucial times in fights, like yesterday night. Still, she was a bit disappointed it had taken her so long to act. She sighed, moving past her musings of her past.

"Yes. First lesson: Balance, since balance and recovery is key in any fight. Perhaps one of most important things, it is." She said seriously as she moved into a stance and began to explain the mechanics of what she was doing and why it was important she do it that way. The boy nodded, listening intently as she talked while she adjusted his stances and showing him how to fall to the ground properly to minimize damage from a hit. She could tell while working with him that he was rather agile and fast on his feet, which was a tremendous help. She was a bit surprised how quickly he was learning and integrating the information as she taught, but was fairly pleased with her eager and hardworking student. It was evening by the time they finished the first lesson, both their stomachs starting to growl as the last of the light from the sky was pushed away by the lingering clouds on the horizon. The rain began to fall once more in a gentle patter on the roof and windows.

As they made their way into the kitchen, both tired but pleased with their day's work the boy set the water heater to boil and pulled out a few ramen cups as Samira shot him a questioning look.

"So, what else do you eat other than ramen?" she asked as the boy fixed their cups. The blonde shrugged easily.

"Meh, not much else. But I like ramen a lot, so that's ok," he said with a grin as Samira's concern for the kid began to spike once more. Geez, his blood pressure must be horrible, with all the salt he eats. She began to look over him with a critical eye as the boy continued to make their food. He had left his jacket in the living room letting her see his arms and upper body with ease through his thread bare shirt. She frowned, not liking what she saw. He was definitely smaller than he should have been for his age, a sure sign of malnutrition. The way he had spoken about food had made it sound like ramen was all he could get for food but that he didn't mind… she found herself a bit alarmed at the idea, considering her staying with the boy was going to put a bit of a dent in the boy's food supply, whether she meant for it too or not.

A pit of dread began to settle in her stomach as she stared unseeing at the cabinets, mind slowly churning as her tension grew. It wasn't until she saw the boy shifting nervously that she realized she was making him uncomfortable though he hadn't said anything. If anything he seemed to be shying away from her. The sight made something shift uncomfortably in her chest. She pursed her lips. She could think over this later. For now she took a deep breath and forced it down. She wasn't going to break down in front of the boy at the reality of their current situation. It would be alarming and probably upset him. Naruto seemed to relax slightly as he went about making their ramen cups in silence. Forcing a grin, the two of them sat down and ate their food in the continued silence, the boy's silence one of growing content, while the young woman's was one of tension and the inner conflict that wanted to rise to the surface. She sighed tiredly to herself as she stirred her ramen. She would have to think on this later.


Omake: The Dream

(AN: Fan service since I had to edit ch. 1 and 2 and take a brief hiatus)

Samira was surrounded by countless Anbu masked men, except for a scowling Ibiki who was only wearing a black spandex Speedo thong, revealing all the rippling muscles she had felt moving under her when he had carried her to the village. Oh my gosh, those Abs! I could use those as a wash board to clean my cloths with! I don't think he would mind either with the way he was smirking at me all of a sudden.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" She demanded as she did her best not to start drooling. Sweet hallelujia, it's raining men…

"We're ninja strippers, Woman, what do you think is going to happen?" demanded one masked Anbu as he began to remove his vest and shirt, leaving a chiseled upper body that had her mumbling gibberish.

"Uh, you're going to strip? And pole dance for me?" Samira questioned breathlessly as all the masked Anbu men around her began to follow their leader's example. A slight sheen of sweat glistened over the hard masculine bodies that were starting to be revealed as all the Anbu men began to peel their clothing away. Oh, that yummy trail… those abs… ack! The tantalizing curve of his hipbone as his pants clung precariously to his hips, the cloth in danger of sliding off. Suddenly the silver haired hottie from the hospital was in front of her, smirking widely.

"Well, it's time for the show to start sweet heart, and guess what? You're going to be the pole," he purred as he flashed a dashing grin, revealing glistening canine teeth that where probably longer than they should have been, his mismatched eyes glinting with lust and he stalked forward. Wow, what a nice chest, she thought dreamily before her gaze drifted lower, eyes widening. It was then that she realized that he was only wearing that sexy grin and nothing else.

"Gah!" She cried as she sat up blinking blearily before sinking back into the mattress with a groan.

What a time to wake up. No wonder she was in a bad mood the rest of the morning.


Ch. 3 Part II

Face the Music


The next day Samira woke a little after nine or so, she guessed from squinting cautious out the window to see where the sun was in the sky. Yawning she picked up her futon from the floor and refolded it before placing it in the closet once more, before making her way through the cleaner looking house and into the kitchen area, Naruto nowhere in sight. Opening the cabinet she found herself frowning slightly at the ramen. The supply was starting to look a lot smaller, with the fact that there were only about nine packages left, opposed to the seventeen packages that had been in the cabinet yesterday.

Where the hell did it all go? She thought to herself in mild bewilderment before the leftover haze of sleep was pushed from her mind by a gut clenching realization. If the two of them ate one cup of ramen two times a day, and the two cups at dinner, in total, that would mean that they both ate at least four ramen cups per person, per day. With this rate of eating the meager helping of noodles, the ramen supply would be gone by tonight.

Samira stared at the cabinet as something coiled in the pit of her stomach, something that made her feel so nauseous that any notion of eating was long gone.

She was a foreigner, and would stick out like a sore thumb in this alien society, making it easy for her captors to hunt her down again, meaning she couldn't get a job to provide for herself, much less the boy that she was staying with, making her a burden and a dependant. She hadn't felt like this since her parents had died, throwing her world into utter chaos as her situation became completely unstable.

Feeling like she had been punched in the gut she sank to the floor against the door, her emotions roiling as she was struck with the facts of her situation. She was on the run, with no means of supporting herself, being hidden away by an orphaned kid, in a completely different world, with no hope of getting back. And she couldn't even get a fucking job to take care of herself with. She hadn't felt this helpless in years, nor so alone.

She was royally screwed, and she was just a burden to the kid, no matter what she did. She was going to have to leave even though she had initially wanted to stay. She wouldn't be able to inconvenience him like that. He was such a sweet heart too, the only person from here to really welcome her, treat her with genuine… well, to be genuine with her. The thought of leaving what little stability she had had her tearing up.

She hadn't cried in the hospital because she had been having to keep up appearances there, not wanting anyone to pay too much attention to her, but now she no longer had to keep up a mask, she could feel her emotions unraveling around her. Tears began to well in her luminous brown eyes and soon the tears where flowing freely, leaving her a sobbing mess as she huddled up against the counter. She didn't have a lot in the world she had left, just broken pieces of a family, and a tentative future with a few friends and such, but at the very least she had belonged there. At least she knew the language and had freedom! At least she knew how things worked there with the government to the laws of gravity, but here… everything was topsy turvy and soon she found herself crying from pure frustration at what had happened to her, at her situation. How the hell was she supposed to make it?! Then on top of that, there where ninjas with super powers in the mix! She just wanted to scream with frustration.

She didn't know how long she stayed there against the faded cabinets, soft hiccups breaking past her slightly swollen lips, her eyes swollen sand bloodshot from her tears. She didn't know… she just… her thoughts trailed off as her head leaned back against the cabinet and she sighed, feeling slightly irritated in the back of her mind, that now her nose was clogged up.

What am I going to do now? She wondered to herself, feeling emotionally spent after her long bout of crying. Her eyes slid shut sluggishly and she sighed before pulling herself back together the best she could. As she straightened from her hunched position in the kitchen, she quickly scrubbed away the tears, determination replacing the despair. There was no going back it seemed, and if she wanted to survive she was going to have to start moving forward. But first she needed a plan of action, and to create a plan of action, she was going to have to gather some Intel first to see what she was dealing with, and for that she was going to need a disguise.

Forty minutes later, Samira cautiously stuck her head out of the front door and looked around furtively. Her short curly brown hair was now, straight , the length appearing to be longer as well since she had straightened it, and her large round eyes looked to be more slanted since she used eyeliner to create the illusion that her eyes where a different shape. It was also died black, giving her a more Asian look than before. She was wearing a plain black shirt she had found at the hospital and a pair of khaki shorts, flip flops on her feet. Satisfied that the way was clear she swiftly shut the door behind her and locked it with the spare key that was hidden under the eave. She took in the grungy empty street below her and quickly made her way down the walk way and down the stairs to the street below, making sure to remember what apartment number and floor Naruto's home was on. As she came to the ground floor she paused looking around. After a moment of contemplation she decided to head the left section of the street. Hopefully she would be able to get some information so she could figure out what to do next.

It wasn't long before Samira in her new disguise came across the market place. The hustle and bustle of the people filled the air as she took her time taking in the sights. The market was an open air market with colorful awnings in place over the goods for sale, most of which were foods. There were also shops dotted here and there that sold a variety of things, from clothing to cooking supplies to cosmetics and herbs, the sound of people chattering growing louder as she moved further into the crowd. She watched the way the people talked and pulled their children along, to how the teenagers laughed and joked as they pushed each other around playfully as they made their way down the street. There was a couple shooting loving looks at one another at the local café and a mother scolding her husband for something, the man shooting her a sheepish grin as she continued to glower at him. It was the people that where moving through the crowd however that caught her attention. There where both males and females of varying age and height that where just going on about their business as they want through the market but that wasn't what caught Samira's attention. Most of them had on matching uniforms and a head band that looked a lot like the kind she had seen on the man that had brought her. On their head bands was what looked like a leaf that had a spiral stuck in the center of it. These must be ninja's, she thought to herself as she tried to hide her unease while she watched a few from the corner of her eye. As she looked around at the passing people, a motion from the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned in time to see a little old lady drop the parcels she was carrying. Quickly making her way over to the woman's side she began to help the elder woman gather up her groceries and parcels.

"Oh, thank you young lady," said the elder woman as Samira grinned.

"No problem ma'am. I'll help you get these back home if you want," Samira offered as the older woman smiled gratefully.

"I would appreciate that, thank you my dear." Samira grinned and followed the elder woman, not noticing how a ninja from the shadows of the building beside her halted on his way to approach her before melting back into the shadows. As Samira walked with the older woman, the two of them talking, Samira couldn't help but notice that one of the parcels she was carrying appeared to be an instrument case of some kind. Samira had grown up around all sorts of instruments from the time she had been little, and had been taught how to play several herself though she was better at some than others. Her best where violin and cello, though she also knew the basics of guitar and piano and flute. She had always had a certain love for new instruments however and had always enjoyed experimenting with a new instrument to see what kind of sounds she could make with it. Perhaps she could find something in this new world that she could play. The idea was oddly rather relieving.

"Yumiko-san, what instrument is this?" she said making the older woman pause and look to see what Samira was referring to. At the sight of the instrument case that Samira was looking at, Yumiko's old face tightened into a bittersweet smile.

"That, my dear, is an Erhu. Come, I'll show you," she said as the two of them made their way over to a large tree that was in the middle of the street that had benches all around it. Setting the parcels aside carefully, the older woman sat heavily on one of the benches with a sigh before gesturing for Samira to give her the case. Samira quickly complied and Yumiko opened the case to reveal what looked like a long stick with a medium sized box on the end, a single long string running the length of the instrument. She pulled what looked to be a lap violin out before pulling out the bow and setting up the instrument. Samira watched the process in clear fascination before the older woman finally set the instrument on her lap and began to play a few notes. After a moment she began to play the opening of a song before fading off, a frown making her wrinkles be thrown into sharp relief. Before Samira could ask the older woman what was the matter, Yumiko shot her a rueful smile.

"I'm sorry dear. It's been a long time since I last played. Would you like to try?" Samira nodded eagerly and the older woman passed her the instrument.

"Alright, now you hold the bow like this, and you draw it across the strings like…" the older woman trailed off when Samira adjusted her bow hold and swiftly played a clear note. Yumiko shot her a bemused grin and nodded slowly, clearly pleased if not a bit uncertain and curious with the young woman's apparent skill despite the fact it was clear that Samira hadn't seen an Erhu before from the way she was eyeing the instrument curiously.

"Very good, my dear." Samira smiled at the praise before letting her fingers fly across the string to find where the notes on the instrument where, experimenting as she played by ear. She frowned at the differences this instrument posed compared to her cello before adjusting to the new positions and attentively sounding out one of her favorite melodies, making adjustments to her fingers here and there to get a better sound.

Samira had taught herself how to play violin after all and knew what to look for to start teaching herself this instrument. The Erhu was a bit different since it required a lot of shifting since all notes where on one string, but having spent years playing the cello, shifting from hand position to hand position wouldn't be a problem for her as long as she adjusted accordingly. Playing with the bow wasn't going to be a problem either since both violin and cello required using a bow. This bow was a little lighter to what she was used to and require constant outer pressure rather than inner pressure like the other two instruments but she was certain she could adjust swiftly enough to play with finesse. The older woman just watched on patiently as Samira puzzled out a few things with the instrument, the older woman giving a few tips here and there, and helping adjust her form as she tried to learn the instrument.

After about thirty minutes, when Samira was finally satisfied that she understood what note was where, and that she had gotten the hang of moving the bow, she began to play in earnest, beautiful swells of vibrato filling the air as she played, a sense of peaces falling over her. Her teachers had always praised her for her technique while playing string instruments. She had thought that she had lost everything while coming here, since there weren't cellos or violins here, meaning her skills play would have been useless. To be able to transfer these skills made her smile slightly as she played. It seemed she could make her own music, and play the long beloved tunes that she had grown up listening to, even if it was on a different instrument. She smiled even wider at the thought, caught up in the tune and the rich sound that filled the air as her eyes slide close, her hands busy at work playing over the instrument to make it sing enchantingly. She made sure to play low and tremulous at the sweet parts of the song, and made sure to express the delicacy of fleeting love with the soft whispers of the string and made sure to swell into rich loud vibrato when the song reach its climax, the feeling of overwhelming grief and sorrow clear through the instrument before it died down into the deep quietness of sorrow as it ended, the tremulous vibrato expressing the delicacy and heart breaking finality of The End of the piece of music. She stayed sitting there in silence for a moment before opening her eyes with a sigh, feeling more at peace than she had for a while. She could do this. She shouldn't give up hope just yet.

A loud cheer broke out and Samira nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized that she had attracted a crowd of curious bypasses with her playing. The case that had been sitting open between her and the older woman had money put in it as people chatter happily and praised her on her playing and skill. Samira watched the people in a daze before her gaze fell of Yumiko whose eyes were misty with tears.

"Yumiko-san, are you alright?" Feeling alarmed Samira quickly placed her hand on the older woman's to get her attention. Yumiko blinked before giving her a watery smile as she nodded a few strands of white falling out of her loose bun to frame her ancient face. Even through the years, Samira could see the older woman had been a beauty.

"Yes, my dear. I think that I'm doing better than I have in a long time." She said quietly as Samira relaxed slightly before shooting the crowd before her a shy smile. It only seemed to encourage them and soon the people where asking her questions and a few more put money in the instrument case. After a few minutes they were able to get away from the crowd and continue on their way, Samira regarding the small sack of cash that they had managed to make in such a short amount of time with large eyes.

"Geez, who would have thought that street performers would get paid so well here," she said as Yumiko grinned wryly.

"That's because we don't usually get many here, seeing as this is a ninja village," said the older woman.

"Ah. That would make more sense. They were acting so enthusiastic," said Samira with a nod as the older woman chuckled. Samira made sure not to let her surprise show as they continued their walk in silence. So this was a ninja village? Bloody hell, she had ended up in the worst possible place to escape from, hadn't she? Why hadn't they managed to find her yet, if there where ninja everywhere then? She sighed and shook her head to herself as she followed the older woman. Despite their previous detour, they managed to reach Yumiko-san's house in good time.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around then, Yumiko-san," said Samira with a slight grin as she began to turned to go.

"Wait. Aren't you forgetting something dear?" called the older woman. Samira shot her a questioning look before Yumiko held out the Erhu case and the bag of money. Samira's eye went wide as her breath caught in her throat. No way…

"Yumiko-san?" she asked meekly as the older woman gave her a slight smile and gestured for her to come closer.

"Here, I wanted to give this to you my dear. It's been many years since it has been played properly, and I believe my husband would be happy to know that it went to someone who deserved it, who is as passionate about music as he was," she said quietly as she placed the case in Samira's arms who continued to regard her with wide eyes. Wow, so that was why she had been so sad… this erhu had been her late husband's…

"Yumiko-san, are you sure?" she asked quietly as the older woman gave a small laugh and nodded.

"Yes my dear. Now don't forget this as well," said the older woman as she pushed the bag of money into the young woman's hands. Samira's gaze grew pained.

"You should keep it, Yumiko-san. This instrument is already enough," she said quietly with a bow as the older woman gave a small laugh, her eyes taking on a knowing look as she regarded the young woman carefully. Samira nearly blushed in embarrassment, knowing that the woman was taking in the faded and worn quality of her clothing and how it didn't fit her well.

"Trust me my dear. I have a feeling you need it more than I. I insist. You have been very kind to this old woman. Now go and do a little shopping for yourself, alright?" said the older woman as Samira finally nodded, humility at the older woman's words making her push her pride down. It was true, she probably need real cloths as well as supplies and food… she couldn't help but feel grateful. She now had a means of supporting herself if people made this much just playing on the street.

"Alright Yumiko-san. Good day, and thank you for everything!" she called as she began to leave, feeling exuberant with rising hope. Maybe she would be able to make it here after all? The older woman grinned back and waved as she left, heading down the street. It was only when Samira was about three blocks away did she realize that she was lost. She groaned as she began to beat her head on a wooden post repeatedly. What a day she was having…

After some minor cloth shopping, picking up some food and wandering aimlessly for a bit, she came across a tea stand that sold Dango as well. She had taken the time to look over the money she had gotten as she tried to analyze the money she had to see what it was worth. She was thankful that she could understand the Kanji that was marked on the coins and bills enough to understand how much things cost. Finally satisfied that she still had enough after her previous shopping, she ordered a tea and took a seat on the bench in front of the stand as she people watched, ears open as she listened to the pass byes talk. After catching a hint of a conversation in which a woman said that she was going to go to the academy to pick up her boys, Samira decided to follow. With some luck she could catch Naruto in time since she was hopelessly lost... After she returned the tea cup, she sped up a bit to catch up so she could follow the woman at a subtle distance, the case strap shifting on her back as she walked. Soon she was back in a part of the village she vaguely recognized before she found herself in front of a large four story building that had the Kanji for Shinobi/ninja on the front. Not very subtle if you asked her.

She noticed that there where parents and older siblings gathering in front of the building to pick up students. She shifted nervously as she stood at the edge of the crowd before spotting a tree that had a swing hanging in its shade. Gratefully she made her way very to it, sitting with a satisfied sigh as she settled into the seat, the shade feeling pleasant and cool on her slightly sweat dampened skin. After all the rain yester day the sun had finally come out, making the air hot and humid. She pat her hair nervously. If she sweated too much, her hair would return to its wild curls, giving her away and her eye liner would start to run. Hopefully she could get back to the apartment before that could happen.

She nearly jumped as a bell rang and soon the thunder of feet filled the air as the first few kids all but burst out of the academy doors. Samira watched wide eyed as a few of the older students actually jumped easily out of the second story windows before landing effortlessly outside before continuing either to their family or on their merry way. She kept her eyes peeled for a head of blond hair as the kids continued to pour out of the building. She started when she spotted blond hair only to frown when she realized it was a pretty girl with long blond hair, not Naruto. There was a flash of orange and Samira felt her face split into a large grin as the familiar yellow hair came into view. Naruto finally moved out of the academy as a few kids shoved past, making him stumble as he shot them annoyed looks. Samira felt her grin fade slightly at his closed off, if not wary appearance as he eyed the people before him while he carefully made his way past. The way some of the parents where looking at him made Samira's skin crawl. Before she could think on it, she moved out of the shade of the tree.

"Naruto!" she called, making the boy's head snap around his eyes widening. He froze for a moment in shock before a blinding grin split his face and he took off at a dead sprint. Oh shoot, Samira thought as she swiftly set the Erhu case and bags down in time to catch the suddenly airborne blond, the momentum nearly knocking her over. She managed to swing them in a circle to keep from getting knocked over, having had lots of experience catching flying kids. Dojo kids were like that when they got excited. Good practice though.

Samira couldn't help but laugh as she continued to spin him, glad if not a bit relieved to see that he was happy again. She didn't know what was going on between him and those people, but he seemed to have completely forgotten them as they watched the two of them in shock. Feeling mischievous, Samira slowed their spin before throwing the boy over her shoulder as he cried out in surprise before laughing. Keeping him there, she bent carefully and picked up the case and bagsbefore setting it on her back once more and picking up the bags. Everything and everyone in place she walked of confidently as the boy continued to snicker on her shoulder, clearly enjoying being carried, even if he was being toted around like a sack of potatoes. She had a feeling the boy was blowing raspberries at the crowd as they made their way around the corner.

"So, where we going from here?" Samira called as she carried him. Naruto hummed before speaking.

"I don't know… I thought we could… well, never mind," muttered the boy to himself before starting to wiggle. Taking the hint, Samira put him down and the boy straightened himself out before hesitating as he looked at her, something clearly on his mind. He suddenly grabbed her hand and started pulling her along as Samira shot the boy a slightly bemused look but followed as they wound their way through the village into a more commercial area. Soon they were next to what looked to be a stand of some kind as Naruto puller her in, taking a seat at the long table that was inside on one of the bar stools.

"Ah, Naruto. What can I get for you?" called an older man kindly, clearly the chef.

"Two bowls of miso ramen and whatever she wants," said the boy brightly as he gestured to Samira who had hesitantly taken a seat beside him. The chef looked her over for a moment.

"And what can I get you young lady?" he asked as Samira nibbled her lower lip, not really sure they should be eating out with their current budget.

"Um, I guess a miso ramen. Thank you." She murmured as the chef nodded with a slightly satisfied grin.

"Three miso ramen coming right up." He called as he disappeared into the kitchen as Naruto wiggled excitedly in his seat.

"You're going to love Ichiraku's ramen, Samira-chan. They make the best food ever," he said with a grin as Samira smiled back shyly.

She sighed and began to fiddle with her chopsticks as she thought. She wanted to stay, more so after seeing the boy's living situation. She didn't want him to be alone anymore, not when he seemed like such a neat kid… but she couldn't burden him, nor could she stay here in a ninja village. Not only might they come after him for information since her helped her, but they might catch her as well, and she had no idea what they were going to do if that happened. Sighing once more she quickly broke her chop sticks and accepted her bowl of ramen with a polite smile. Tomorrow she would get supplies. But for today, she was going to enjoy her ramen and talk with Naruto. Hopefully she could figure something out by tomorrow.

AN: Dun Dun DUUUUN! Oh no! Whatever will she do? Tune in next time on Unlikely love to find out!

Also, a note on the side. The ninja of the village who are looking for Samira are looking for someone who has light brown, curly hair with round eyes, who speaks Anbu code (Aka: English) who sticks out like a sore thumb. Not only is Samira speaking relatively normal Japanese for their world, (it was the accent and the original speech patterns that where what gave her trouble understanding) she starts playing an instrument from their world, and has altered her looks to appear as normal as possible so she can blend in. Of course most ninja would look at her and see a civilian street performer instead of looking underneath the underneath and seeing a fugitive. If she had had ninja training, I think that they would have been immediately suspicious and picked up on her, but she acts fairly civilian despite her martial arts training, and well bathed and fed, and at ease. not dirty nervous hungry, desperate and drawing attention to herself.

Anyways, please review! That make me so happy! :D They also make me do more fan service as well… Kukuku, wink wink.