Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
Since the overall reviews were positive, I'll continue on! Here's the next chapter!
When Naruto was exhausted from playing so hard, Kaoru held out a hand for him to take. This time he didn't hesitate and she pulled him up. He patted her on the back as he panted.
"I haven't run around like that in forever! You don't even look like you're winded! You'd sure be a good person to train with! What's your name?"
She pulled out her pad of paper and wrote her name, turning the pad to him. His face scrunched up as he looked at the kanji. "Wow…those are really complex kanji…I can't read kanji…"
Her eyebrows pulled together in thought. What was my name in hiragana…oh yeah! She quickly wrote down her name again in the simpler characters and showed them to him again.
His eyes lit up as he read it. "Sakurai Kaoru? That's your name?"
She nodded, her grin contagious as one of his own spread on his face. He put an arm around her shoulders and announced, "I'm starving! Let's go get a bowl at Ichiraku Ramen!"
Kaoru thought about all the play she'd done. I'm not even the slightest bit hungry, nor am I tired… I'm positive that it isn't natural, but since I died and fell down here, I must be something unnatural. I probably will never have to sleep, eat, drink, or…relieve myself. I wonder what other things I'll experience here. I'll probably find out more as I spend more time here.
"…are those real?" Naruto asked.
She tilted her head, confused.
"Your wings," he prompted.
She nodded. Although I have no clue how to use them, they haven't moved since I landed. They don't look strong enough to hold my weight, but they probably could if I could learn. I could probably—
"Can you fly?"
She shrugged. If I learned how, I suppose.
They entered the ramen shop and Naruto sat down, Kaoru following suit. The blonde boy called, "One pork ramen, please!" then turned to her, asking, "What do you want?"
She shook her head. I don't want to waste his money.
"Aw, come on! You ran just as much as I did! You have to be hungry!"
Kaoru shook her head again for further refusal.
"Okay, but don't complain later."
She nodded. I wonder if Hyuga-san left. She turned, only to see him standing outside the shop. I guess he takes his assignment seriously. I suppose until I go home, he'll be here, although not as close, since no one seems to like Naruto-san. I suppose I'll be looked down on for befriending the village outcast, but I don't care. He was crying out for someone to be kind to him and I'm surprised no one has. Is there something he's done that everyone knows but won't talk about? I suppose I'll ask Hyuga-san about it.
"Kaoru-kun."
She looked up from her thoughts and found Naruto watching her, his half-empty ramen bowl still steaming. He sure eats fast, if he's half done and it's still hot. What does he want?
"Whatcha thinkin' about? You looked spacey until I spoke."
Spacey? I guess… She winced. …that is true. When I'm lost in thought, my face goes blank. But I guess I should be paying more attention to him. She pointed at him, not bothering to write it down.
"Me? Why me?"
She took the pad of paper and began to write, before pushing it over to him. 'I'm curious.'
"Why? No one wants to know a thing about me. Hardly anyone talks to me without giving me a look of hatred or mockery. I don't get why you came and played with me at all."
'Do you know why everyone hates you?'
He clenched his fists and shook his head hard. "If I did, I wouldn't be so frustrated! Why the hell does everyone hate me so damn much? They don't even bother to hide it! What did I do? Sure I've played bunches of pranks on people, but they looked at me that way even before I started that! They stare at me like they wish I didn't exist!"
Kaoru looked at him with concern as she thought, I know how that feels to some degree… My parents looked at me with such loathing and told me every day they cursed the day I was born to them. "Such an ugly, worthless bitch!" they screamed. Just to spite me, they did this to me along with the beatings… What I am today is because of them: a masculine girl with no voice, killed by her own father because he couldn't take looking at her hideous face anymore. I suppose that's why they gave me a name that could easily be mistaken as a boy's… But why am I feeling sorry for myself when it's over and done with? I should try consoling Naruto-san! Idiot, you're being "spacey" again!
She began scribbling at a frantic pace and he looked over at her, curious as to what made her write in such a frenzied manner. She finished and pushed the paper over to him.
'I don't think it's you, Naruto-san. If you don't know what you did, and everyone has hated you for as long as you can remember, don't you think it might be something else?'
"Yeah, I do, but what could it be? No one will tell me, so once I become Hokage, everyone will respect me and I'll know the truth for myself!"
She smiled at his determined face and nodded in agreement. I think with that much determination, he'll make his dream come true. Dreams…such fragile things when there is no action…or strength…but it seems that by the heavens above I was given a second chance. I was trapped by my weakness, but Naruto-san won't let that stop him, I can see it in his eyes.
"You believe in me, don't you?"
Her smile softened and she nodded again. Of course, you're going to rock the world. If I could say it out loud, I would, and it doesn't seem right to write it down, it would be too insensitive. If necessary, I will help you through this whole thing. I think we're going to be the best of friends.
"What's with that look? You look like you just scored the jackpot."
'Oh, I just thought that we will be good friends. Without words, I think I understand you more than I have anyone else in my whole life.'
He grinned and patted her back. "Well, I think you're right, Kaoru-kun! After I finish, do you wanna go have some more fun?"
She beamed and nodded.
"All right!"
They went to a small corner of the village and Naruto handed her what looked like small cardboard stars with holes in the center. "This game is more fun than just plain tag. I'll go hide, and then you'll come looking for me after you count to twenty. When you find me, throw these stars at me. If they hit, I'll be the next one who seeks, but if I get to the place where you counted before you can catch me, you get to seek me again. Okay?"
This seems like a ninja version of hide-and-seek. I guess I'll play this one, even though it's more fun with a group of people, but since no one else will play with us, this'll have to do. Kaoru nodded, before turning and counting in her head, hearing Naruto begin to run. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten… She heard his footsteps stop and counted the rest quickly, before standing up. Ready or not, here I come!
She turned around and walked quietly along an alleyway, listening for anything. She suddenly heard something scuff against some wood and turned her head, seeing a tuft of blonde hair sticking up over a pile of wood and boxes. She threw a star, but it landed in front of the junk. I knew that I should've paid more attention in P.E. This is terrible. Okay, just get closer and try again.
But as she stepped closer, Naruto jumped out, running past her and towards the safe spot. She ran after him, amazed by his speed. How can he run so fast for someone with shorter legs than mine? No wonder I flunked every year! I can't give up! Come on Kaoru, catch him!
She threw a couple more stars, but at her sprint and the almost nada forward motion of her throw, they hit her instead. She sighed and tried to run faster, tossing the rest of the stars, only to get the same result. She heard laughing and saw Naruto at the safe spot, holding his stomach as he roared with mirth.
"Th…that was the funniest thing I've ever seen! You really suck, you know that?"
Well, sorry for being such a failure. She pouted, only to see the friendly gleam in his eyes. Oh, I see! He was just joking around, even if I do suck, I don't have to get depressed! I guess this is what friends do. I rather like it. Her smile was luminous as her eyes danced with amusement. I guess I'll have to try something else to catch him, something that'll give me an advantage…
"Just to go easy on you, I'll take the next turn. Go hide, okay?"
She nodded and waited until he turned away, running to a different alleyway, climbing over the rubbish, ducking low, flattening her wings and peering through a gap between two sticks. As she did so, she noticed something. Oh…now I see! I do have something he doesn't have! Let's see if I can make this work.
As she heard him reaching the mouth of the alley, she jumped out of hiding and began to run straight at him. He looked surprised by her tactic, confused as to why she doing so. She suddenly opened her wings and flapped, soaring over him and landing behind him, closing her wings tight and running to the safe spot, her fingers on it just as he recovered from the shock of her brief flight. He turned and stared, awe on his features.
"Wow, that was awesome, Kaoru-kun! You used just enough lift to get over me, but then you landed and ran while I was surprised! When you ran last time, I noticed that your wings were just limp, creating drag, which is why you couldn't run as fast as I could! You learn fast!"
She smiled and blushed, not sure how to take his compliments. Wow, I've never heard anyone call me "awesome" before. Even the other kids at my school…I was the weak boy, always covered in bruises and looking like I never ate enough. I'm sure I still look like that. "Pathetic", "wimp", "skinnybones" were all things I heard every day. This positive comment is foreign. I feel so warm and fuzzy inside…
"Do you think you could fly now that you're moving your wings?"
She shrugged and flapped her wings, taking flight. This is so pleasurable…like I could go on forever…
"Hey! This is our spot, Naruto!"
Her eyes zeroed on a group of kids around Naruto's age who had gathered around the blonde boy.
"Yeah dummy, you know better than to play here!"
"Go away, blockhead!"
Kaoru felt a burning anger against the other kids, especially when she saw Neji just standing there, out of sight to the children, just watching. I won't let him get picked on anymore! Ignoring him is one thing, but bullying is a major no-no in my book! She dived, the kids diving out of the way as she gave her wings a mighty flap to level herself out before landing. She wanted to scream at those kids, but since she couldn't, she lashed out the only way she knew how.
She beat every last one of them up, not even panting or sore when all of them were on the ground, groaning in pain. She nodded in finality and turned to Naruto, who stared at her with huge eyes, his face a mask of shock. Did he not expect me to come and protect him? Sure we just met, but it wasn't right for him to get picked on like that.
"Why did you protect me? You hardly know me at all."
She wrote down her explanation quickly and handed it to him.
'I know you, because you remind me of myself. I didn't have someone to protect me, so I want to be the person I wished for all fourteen years of my life.'
His eyes lit up and tears began to spill down his cheeks. He rubbed his eyes furiously, sobbing. "No one's ever done that for me, not even Hokage-ojii-san." He took his hands away and grinned. "You're truly my friend, Kaoru-kun! Thanks!"
He hugged her, and she did so back, a smile that came from her heart appearing on her lips.
Once night came, Naruto went home, and Kaoru heard Neji come up to her.
"Why have you befriended that loser?"
She whirled and slapped him, her eyes set in a sharp glare. Why does everyone call him that? Oh, if only I could speak, then I'd give him a tongue-lashing! Naruto-san's a good kid and I'll support him through all this!
"I can see through your eyes that you've really taken a liking to him. I suppose I'll be hanging around in the background while you play juvenile games with him until he graduates from the ninja academy. After that, you won't see much of him, for you aren't a ninja."
Kaoru rolled her eyes and huffed. I wish already that I could get a different person to guard me.This sucks.
She spread her wings and flew up to the level where her apartment was, Neji having to scramble to keep up with her through leaps. She unlocked her door and gave him one last poisonous look before going inside and slamming the door behind her.
The nerve of these people! Naruto-san is such a wonderful individual if you get to know him! Why, why, why does everyone look down on him? I could see when we walked to his apartment building how everyone looked at him with such hatred, and murmured to each other! If I don't get an answer from the normal people, I'll interrogate every ninja I can find until I do find out!
She went to her bed and sat on it, since she didn't feel tired in the least.
Now we have some more info on Kaoru being an angel and that she'd readily protect Naruto from any bullying. How far will that go?
Please review!