AN: Hey guys! Sorry, that I haven't been updating. School and my life have been interfering with my time to update. Luckily, I am on spring break, so I have plenty of time to update more chapters. Hopefully, you guys like this story and I appreciate that some of you have followed and favorite this story. I love getting those emails Lastly, I don't own Kenshin or Naruto because if I did, Kenshin would have had a way better ending and Naruto and Hinata would actually be together, Sasuke would either be dead or nicer, and Naruto's dad would have been brought back to life sooner . Now on to the story!
'Darn Kenshin for being taller than me,' she complained as she stretched herself as far as she could; her attempts in vain. Natarii broke out of her thoughts to find Naruto taking down the clothes as carefully as he could. Naruto smiled at her surprised expression as he brought the clothes to the porch; he began "folding" them. Natarii giggled to herself, making her way over to the goofball. Maybe being friends with the blonde in front of her wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Natarii took the clothes away from Naruto and began to fold them herself.
"How about you keep me company as I fold the clothes, since you got them down for me," suggested Natarii. The blonde smiled and nodded in agreement and set about thinking of something to say. She smiled at his concentrated face while continuing to fold the laundry. Finally, Naruto snapped his fingers and yelled A-HA!
"I'll tell you all about myself. My likes, my dislikes, hobbies, interests, goals, etc."
Natarii nodded and waited patiently for him to start. Soon, he began with, "I like ramen, my brother, friends, training, fighting, winning, and sleeping. I dislike, bullies, people who take advantage of other people to fulfill their sick, twisted goals, people who act all high and mighty just because they have power in the government, people who abuse their powers, and I really dislike cleaning. I have interests in training, eating ramen, hanging out with friends, and fighting to protect or for fun. My goals are to become the strongest person in Japan and be able to beat my brother in a fight. One of my newest goals is to earn your trust and to become your friend."
Natarii smiled throughout his detailed introduction, nodding and agreeing here and there. As the blonde ended his introduction, she looked up from the clothes and looked at him in wonder.
Why are you so friendly to me, Naruto?
'Because, you seem very scared and lonely, even though you are surrounded by people. Maybe it's just because you aren't yet used to being around a lot of people,' he replied. Natarii gasped at Naruto's voice inside her head and quickly looked into his blue eyes. She saw that, in fact, Naruto had spoken to her with his mind.
'You're right, Naruto. I am not used to being surrounded by many people, but I've never been completely alone. I have been in the company of one or two people at a time in my life. I used to be pretty outgoing and social, but events in my life have changed me into a quiet and cautious person. I am not really scared, more wary. I'm always on guard and constantly aware of everything that goes around me.'
'Are you comfortable with talking to me about these events? I'll be okay if you don't want to talk about them yet.'
Natarii's violet eye filled up with tears.
'I don't want to talk about it,' she replied as images flashed through her mind*. She wiped most of the tears from her eyes, but some started sliding down her cheeks. Suddenly, Naruto's finger caught the teats and began to wipe them off her cheeks. He gave her a bright smile. She was just about to say she was sorry for crying in front of him when his finger came to her lips and he shook his head.
'No need to apologize for crying, Natarii. Everyone needs to cry sometimes, even I've cried,' Naruto admitted. The red headed girl smiled at his embarrassment and pat him on the head. She began to laugh as she made her way to the kitchen, Naruto still sitting on the porch, arms crossed with a pout on his face. Grumbling was heard outside and she knew who it belonged to. A few minutes later, Naruto came into the kitchen to find Natarii making his most favorite food in the whole wide world. RAMEN! The smell enveloped him and he began to hum in delight. Said girl turned around to find the blonde, eyes closed with a huge smile plastered on his face. She giggled and turned back around to add some noodles and vegetables to the boiling broth.
"Naruto, can you make rice balls?" Natarii asked. He nodded happily and set about making rice balls. When lunch was ready Naruto used the Kage no Bunshin no Jutsu to create two clones to tell Yahiko, Minato, and Kenshin to come and eat. The 1st Naruto clone found the back yard clean of all the fallen trees and Kenshin and Minato finishing up the last tree. A huge stack of chopped wood leaned against the back of the dojo. The clone yelled to let them know lunch was ready and then proceeded to disappear in a puff of smoke. The 2nd clone entered the dojo to find it spotless and Yahiko practicing while yelling like he was taught. The clone smiled at Yahiko's dedication and determination. The clone yelled at him about lunch and the he, too, disappeared in a puff of smoke. Yahiko stared at the place the clone used to be in surprise and quickly ran outside to find everyone, including Kaoru and Sanosuke, were sitting around waiting for his arrival.
"Naruto! What the hell was up with you and the puffs of smoke?" Yahiko demanded. All eyes turned to the goofball blonde, his face still in his bowl of ramen. He slurped up the noodles and licked his lips. He stood up and walked in front of Yahiko. Naruto formed the hand seal; soon four puffs of smoke revealed four identical clones of Naruto that stood next to the real Naruto.
Then he said, "This is the Kage no Bunshin no Jutsu, a forbidden jutsu. This is because you are literally dividing parts of chakra into real life clones of yourself. If you have low amounts of chakra and try to create many clones, you suffer from chakra exhaustion and can possible die. Fortunately, I have huge amounts of chakra, so many clones is nothing,"
Yahiko's eyes sparkled and all of the Narutos smiled cockily while everyone else just sighed. The blonde ninja dispelled the clones and he and Yahiko chomped down on tons of ramen. After half of the pot was gone, Natarii zapped their hands and shook her head. Lunch continued with everyone talking and laughing, except the teenage boys, who sat in silence with pouty faces. Eventually, the food was eaten and Natarii and Kaoru cleaned up and washed dishes, while the boys, minus Kenshin, started a little brawl of sorts. The first fight was Naruto against Yahiko. Yahiko threw a punch at Naruto, but was blocked by his hand. The young teen tried again with his other hand and ended up with his hands being enclosed Naruto's hands, both pushing against each other. Yahiko kicked Naruto's legs out from under him and landed on top of him as they both fell to the ground. Yahiko began punching Naruto everywhere he could. This went on for a few minutes, Yahiko's punches being blocked by Naruto. Soon, the boy began to tire and that was all the opportunity our blonde ninja needed to throw a quick charka punch into Yahiko's stomach, making him kneel over. Naruto threw Yahiko off him and stood over the groaning and coughing boy.
"In order to win long fights, you need high stamina. I won because you tired out quickly, allowing me to break your guard and wound you. If we continue to spar, your stamina will increase and you will become a better fighter as well as a better swordsman. Also, never forget to practice you swordsmanship and you will become strong, though I believe you will never forget. Now, let's get you to Rii-chan and she will ease your pain a bit," Naruto explained with an unusual serious tone in his voice. He lifted Yahiko to his feet and helped him into the house. Naruto went back outside to watch Minato and Sanosuke fight, leaving Yahiko with Natarii. Unbeknownst to anyone, she healed Yahiko's stomach with her chakra instead of the usual wrapping up the wounds with the bandages. The apprentice swordsman pretended he saw nothing after seeing her pleading look that she gave him. They watched the coming fight through the window, interest peaking in their minds. The Yellow Flash versus Sanza, a fight worth seeing. She just hoped they didn't kill themselves.
Natarii's past is not normal in any way, shape, or form. Her childhood will come out later. Be prepared, because it isn't entirely pretty.
In case you are wondering, I'm trying to keep Naruto's personality the same. Yes, he may seem more perceptive than normal, but I have always wanted him to be less dense and since this is my fanfiction, I can do whatever I want. Hahahahaa…yeah, okay you get the point and I will stop being crazy now. Reviews are again appreciated and I love you guys for taking the time to read my story.