Normal

"Speech"

Thought

Kyuubi

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 17: Nightmares and Dreamscapes.

Naruto and Gaara shared a nice lunch at Ichiraku's talking about the more mundane things in life.

"I'm still having problems sleeping." Gaara confided in Naruto. The blonde slurped at another bunch of ramen and nodded. "Get yourself a girl and you'll sleep like a baby.

"Is that coming from experience?" The Kazekage raised his eyebrow. Naruto nearly spit his ramen out.

"No… But Ero-sennin would sleep most of the day after a night of RESEARCH." Naruto laughed.

"I don't think I have that kind of luck when it comes to women." Gaara seemed to sulk. Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You're kidding right? You have that tortured broody look that girls swoon over. You should be beating them off with a stick." Naruto let that process for a moment.

"Women seem to be more trouble than the experience is worth." Gaara sipped at his tea. Kankuro slipped under the flags that adorned the open air ramen bar. "Would this be a good time to mention that Temari is looking for you, Gaara." Kankuro nodded to Naruto.

"I am sure that she wants to fuss about the party this evening. She will, most likely, have a script for me to read from. Temari thinks I have a problem with small talk." Gaara finished his tea. Naruto couldn't resist laughing.

"She also has a few traditional and formal dress robes she wants you to look at." Kankuro snickered.

"You see, I would have to agree with Shikamaru-kun, women are more troublesome than it's worth." Gaara got up and put some money on the bar. The Kazekage turned to Naruto. "I hope to see you at the party this evening with Ms. Ravenheart." Naruto grinned really big. Kankuro and Gaara left the ramen bar.

The blonde slurped at his 3rd bowl of ramen thinking about the party that evening. There was something ominous about the political motives behind the party. The council of elders didn't like the idea that Tsunade had openly announced she intended to name Naruto as her successor. The council didn't even like Naruto. He didn't like the thought that he was being toyed with.

Naruto slurped his last noodle with alarm bells went off in his head. The clone had dissipated, Myra was awake. The blonde ordered another bowl of ramen to go and hurried back to his apartment.

The cold night air burned her lungs as she ran through the rows of houses and shops she knew as home, but had never seen before. She stopped for a moment and looked up and the full moon. Myra felt her heart skip a beat. A cold chill of fear shot down her spine that made her hairs stand on end. She was being watched, but could not see the watcher. Myra looked around at the rows of houses. Red and white fan crests were painted everywhere. There weren't any lights on, nor were there any busy activity. She started to run towards the end of the row. Myra turned the corner and skidded to a halt.

She screamed at the sight of dead bodies splayed open along the streets. Blood splattered the square. Hundreds of kunai and shuriken littered the bodies and were stuck in the walls. Her heart continued to pound in her chest with fear. She was beginning to panic. Myra's body didn't want to respond, but she had to keep running. She started to run further into the maze of houses. She stopped in front of one particular house that seemed even more comfortable than the rest and opened the door.

Her throat was dry with the fear and panic she was feeling. No one was in the entry of the house. She took off her shoes and explored the house further. The living room and the kitchen were empty. Myra ran through the back door of the kitchen towards the back bedrooms. A long open corridor led to the main bedroom. She started to reach for the doors, and felt uneasy. There was a presence behind that door, evil, malicious, slimy and extremely dangerous. Myra had to force herself to open the door.

A man and woman lie face down and dead in the center of the floor. Light from the full moon illuminated the bodies. Myra screamed and collapsed to the floor. She lowered her head to her hands and sobbed. She felt helpless and weak. The sound of footsteps pierced the darkness of the scene. Myra looked towards the man and woman that had been replaced by a single boy.

Her brother laid dead and cold in the middle of the room. She pulled herself to her brother Minato's body and pulled his head into her lap. Myra started to rock back and forth with anger.

"WHY! DAMIT WHY!" She screamed into the darkness. The footsteps got closer. A boy stood in the shadows. "WHY! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY!"

"You aren't supposed to be here." Said the dark figure. Myra gently laid her brother back on the floor. She didn't turn to look at the figure.

"Yes I was. I was supposed to be here. I would have been too young to save him, but I would have been able to die with him." Myra continued to stare at her brother. She put her hand on Minato's face, remembering his smile and laughter. The dark figure moved closer.

"He was your brother?" There was no emotion in the boy's voice, but Myra could sense his curiosity. She turned to look at the boy. He was tall and pale like he preferred the cover of darkness to a sun filled day. His hair was spiked and black eyes filled with remorse and sadness. The boy was wearing a white open shirt and tight black pants. Thick purple ropes were tied around his waist and a sword tied to his back.

Myra stood up and whipped the tears from her face. "Yes he was my brother." She closed her eyes and took a breath. "And those two people back there were your parents?" She asked him.

"You shouldn't be here." He kept his tone even and emotionless.

"And where should I be?" Myra's anger was beginning to replace the fear. She turned and glared at him.

"You should wake up and end this nightmare." He moved within arms length and slapped her across the face. Myra closed her eyes in anticipation of the impact. She opened her eyes and looked around Naruto's apartment. She took in a deep breath. "I hate strange dreams. I wonder who that guy was." Myra noticed the small plushy Naruto tucked in the crook of her arm. She blinked at the plushy. Myra smiled and hugged the plushy that made a soft squeak when it dissipated in a puff of smoke. She blinked and looked at the clock. It was almost 2 o'clock.

Myra stood up and stretched. She immediately sat back on the bed as the dizziness passed over her. There was still a little weakness, but it wasn't a little something to eat wouldn't cure. Myra got up again. She made the bed and headed for the bathroom.

Naruto opened the door. "I brought ramen!" There was a big grin on his face. He headed for the kitchen only to hear the shower going as he past. He put the bowel of ramen in the kitchen and went to stand outside the bathroom door. He took a deep breath and breathed in the scent of cherries, peaches and jasmine. He tried the door and seriously thought about knocking it off the hinges when he realized it was locked. It was shortly after he tried the door that he heard the water shut off. It seemed like an eternity before he heard her unlock the door and the door open.

Myra stood before him a little startled. She was wearing one of his spiral t-shirts that hit her mid thigh. She had artfully wrapped towel turban on top of her head. Myra smiled and kissed him on the nose. "Hello." His mind went numb. She tried to step past him into the kitchen, but he barred the door. She smelled so good he didn't want to exhale.

"God you smell good." He continued to breathe her in.

"That is usually the point of a shower." She grabbed his arms, pulling him closer to her and buried her face in his chest. "You smell like ramen and…" She breathed him in again, "And a sandy desert?" Myra tilted her head inquisitively. Naruto had a little trouble thinking through the intoxication of her fragrance.

"A few friends from Sunagakure are in town. I had lunch with one of them." He pulled the towel off her hair and tossed the towel back in the bathroom. Her wet hair fell around her face and down her back. He gently pushed her hair out of her face, grabbing her face just below the jaw line. His touch was as electric as it had been earlier that morning. Myra tensed and took a deep breath. Naruto pulled her face to his, kissing her softly at first, then increasing the pressure. He explored with his tongue until Myra responded in kind.

Myra moved her hands to the zipper on his jacket. She unzipped that jacket and slipped her hands inside just to be met with a light weight metal mesh shirt. Naruto slid his hands down her shoulders, following the curves of her body, stopping his hands on her hips. He couldn't help musing about how well her hips fit in his hands.

They broke apart, both breathing a little heavy. The blonde took a step closer to the raven haired girl, sliding his hands along her hip bones. Myra wrapped her arms around him placing her head on his chest. His hands found the soft naked flesh of her backside. Naruto's eyes went wide with the realization that she wasn't wearing anything but that t-shirt.