*Five years later*
"Is this necessary?"
"Yes."
"I just think it's a bit excessive."
"Well that's because you don't understand love."
"You only met her two months ago."
"So? It was love at first sight."
Harumi sighed, Hido was back to his old antics. He had met a girl a few weeks ago by the river that he chatted with and he was now apparently in love. Harumi had met her too, she seemed very kind. She was a warm spirit, a perfect fit for someone like Hido. He invited her out again tonight and was in the process of trying to pick out an outfit. Harumi disagreed with his clothing choices, which was a bright yellow shirt with a lot of flowers around it and red pants. He better fit cold colors.
She thought it was too much, but she supported her best friend in his quest for love. She knew she didn't want to look for it, she had her fair share of heartbreak and wasn't looking for someone to make herself feel even worse when they eventually left her.
"I just think it attracts a lot of attention, and she might not like that," she explained
Hido huffed and disagreed, saying women like bold men. It made her laugh, realizing he didn't truly understand what the saying meant. He glared at her, he liked his outfit very much and didn't care if she thought it was too much or the fact that he was in love was funny.
'She doesn't know the first thing about love!' he thought. As quickly as the thought came to his head, it disappeared as well. Of course she didn't know anything about love, she was never given the opportunity to. And the one person she did love, well…that didn't go too well.
She never spoke about him, or her childhood, but he knew both traumatized her deeply. The first year they traveled together, she seemed very skittish and on edge that Itachi would come to finish the job. Hido would catch her restless at night, sometimes unable to sleep from the fear. And then, there were the nightmares. Those were terrible, she would wake screaming or covered in cold sweat. She'd always cover her ears, almost as if she was hearing whatever she was remembering all over again. She'd pat herself down and look around to make sure it was just a dream, and he would always comfort her after them. They decided to stick together as they became very close to one another.
She saw him as a brother, like he was family. No, that was wrong. She saw him as something much more, something that could not be put into words. Her love for him exceeded the words 'platonic'. She was his world, the only thing keeping her tethered to her painful existence. While he shared that indescribable affection, he saw her as something more romantic sometimes.
He didn't know when it started, but somewhere along the way, he fell in love with her kind smile, her violet eyes, her soft black hair, and her pure heart. He loved the way she'd thought so carefully when trying to pick a food from the menu, how she always laughed at his jokes even when they weren't funny so as to not make him feel bad. He loved the way she was terrified of small spiders but wasn't phased in the least in the presence of a bear. He loved everything about her, but he knew she didn't feel the same way.
He didn't mind solely being her friend either, just as long as he could be with her. He'd never admit his feelings for her, he liked their relationship just as it was. And because of that, he went for other girls. He'd fall for them as well, and his romantic feelings for Harumi would fade into background ones. But every time he was dumped, she was always there to comfort him, which made him feel the love all over again.
He'd never act on it of course.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Harumi smiled a bit nervously, her head tilting to the side as she tried to decipher his look.
"Because you're mean," he stated, to which she shook her head and laughed before lying down and looking at the ceiling. She should probably figure out what to do while Hido is on his date.
Eventually, Hido did leave for his date, leaving her by herself. She didn't like being alone, it left her isolated, her only company being her memories and thoughts. She sighed and decided to go to the river nearby, she always did love the water. She was only ever safe from that man when she was bathing, and she developed a connection between water and peace. She soon reached the river, and she took off her shoes and let her feet soak. The moon above her head shone a light to tell her that at least something other than her mind was with her. A cloud blocked its light though, causing her to sigh. She heard splashing noises coming a little from the side, causing her to perk up and grab a kunai.
Relax.
Harumi took a breath and slowly approached the noise, only to see a boy in green boxers splashing around. She sighed, putting away her weapon and letting the tension leave her body.
"Eh? Is someone there?" the boy asked.
"It's a little late for you to be out here alone, isn't it?" she put her hands behind her back.
"I'll be alright, I'm a ninja after all!" the boy smiled. She could see his features more clearly now that the cloud moved and let the moon shine once again. The boy had blonde hair and eyes as blue as the day time sky. He had rather odd lines on his cheeks, they resembled some sort of whiskers.
He couldn't help but blush when he was able to see Harumi. 'She's really pretty' he thought.
"A ninja, you say? Wow, that's so cool! What's your name?" she asked with a bright smile.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, believe it!" said the boy. Harumi suddenly froze at the sound of his name. Naruto…Uzumaki? The nine tails jinchuriki? Her mouth gaped, she hadn't seen him in years.
*Flashback*
Harumi walked along the village's streets, she was trying to pick which stand to eat from. All the food smelled delicious, but she was feeling like eating ramen that day. As soon as she saw the word ramen on 'Ichiraku Ramen', she dashed in. The man running the place was very friendly and asked for her order, which she happily gave. She sat down and when the hot bowl was placed in front of her, she gushed with joy. Just as she was about to eat, she noticed a small boy in the corner of her eye. He was hiding to the side of the small stand, peeking in. She recognized him instantly, it was the nine tail's jinchuriki. The shop owner looked a little worried when he noticed she saw him and whispered, "Naruto", but was surprised to see Harumi smile widely at him.
"What are you standing there for? Come in! The ramen smells delicious, no?" she said.
Naruto looked surprised, he'd never met someone from the village who didn't look at him with hate or anger in their eyes except for the people working at the stand. He hadn't been smiled at in so long, the feeling of joy he got from it was foreign. He quickly ran in and sat beside her, looking at her with adoration in his eyes.
"Order anything you like! It's on me, okay?" she ruffled his hair before beginning to eat her own ramen. Naruto nodded with a big smile and told the shop owner his order, which he quickly and happily made. The two of them ate together, both enjoying the flavor immensely.
"That was delicious! Thanks old man, and pretty lady!" Naruto gave a toothy grin. Both the shop owner and Harumi laughed.
"My name is Harumi Uchiha, and you are?" she spoke in a kind and soft tone.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to be the next hokage!" his eyes glowed with passion.
"Wow! The next Hokage, huh? That must mean you're really strong! Don't forget me when you're famous," she winked, boosting his self confidence.
"I won't, I swear!" he put a fist to his chest.
"That's a promise, Naruto Uzumaki. It was a pleasure eating with you," she got up before paying the shop owner what she owed even though he tried to insist that she didn't need to pay.
Naruto and her both left the stand, and immediately, passers by glared and moved away from him. She noticed it, which caused her hands to turn into fists. She wanted to smack them all, but instead turned her attention to the small boy who now had a sad look on his face.
Naruto never understood why everyone looked at him like that, why they avoided him and told their kids to stay away from him. He didn't even have any friends because everyone hated him so much. No one to hug, or to laugh with; no one to call mom or dad, or sister or brother, he had no one. So why? Why did everyone want to make him feel worse by isolating him? What did he do to make them all hate him so much? He didn't know, and if he ever tried to talk or ask them, he'd either get hit, or they'd run, or they'd tell him to shut up.
He gritted his teeth and began running away, screaming, "STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!" He could hear Harumi calling his name, but he didn't care, he just wanted to get away from everyone. Just as he was running, he bumped into a bigger and older man. The man looked angry, and shoved Naruto away from him.
"Watch when you're going, you brat! What the hell is wrong with you?!" he yelled.
Naruto usually would've just left, but he was angry. He knew he didn't deserve this and let his temper get the best of him. "There's nothing wrong with me, you big, fat, ugly man! But everything is wrong with you and your ugly, old friends!" he yelled as he punched the big man's legs.
"What the hell did you say?!" the man growled before pulling his leg back, causing fear to spread through the young boy's body. Naruto noticed two leaf ninja witnessing the scene, and he looked at them with pleading eyes, but they only narrowed theirs in a disgusted way. He suddenly felt something hard collide with his stomach. Almost as if in slow motion, the man's leg pushed deep into his stomach, causing to nearly throw up everything he just ate. The kick sent him flying a few meters, he landed on his back and rolled a little before coughing harshly. He slowly lifted his head for help to the bystanders watching, but all of them looked at him like he deserved it.
The man stomped over and picked Naruto up by the collar. "I'm going to teach a lesson about running your mouth!" he said as he pulled his fist back. Naruto felt his heart stop for a moment, knowing very well that the punch might break his nose or jaw, but no one stopped it. No one cared. Just as the punch was coming to his terrified face, a hand grabbed the man's wrist mid air. The hand was much smaller than the big, buff man's wrist but it seemed to bring it to a complete stop. He turned to see a very angry, nearly fuming, Harumi.
Her eyes were wide with anger, her hand clasping down hard on the man's wrist. "Were you about to punch a seven year old child?" she asked. The man felt a pang of fear hit his body, something wasn't right.
"He needs to be taught a less-" he began explaining before he was cut off by his own scream. Harumi's grip was beginning to break the man's bone, and it was only getting tighter by the second.
"Naruto, tell me, what exactly did he do before I got here?" she asked calmly.
"He…kicked me," Naruto looked away, his voice shaky with pain.
"Well then, let's even it up shall we?" she replied with a tone that almost sounded amused, before her foot's heel pushed deep into the man's stomach, breaking a rib or two at the same time. The man flew back four times the length Naruto did, his scream of pain echoing throughout the place.
"You wanted to fight a child? Well come on, teach me the lesson instead. Hurry up then, what are you so scared of?" she taunted. "You were so confident a second ago. What happened to that? Don't you want to pass your wisdom on to the next generation?"
The man only cowered away as big, crocodile tears came from his eyes. "Hey! You can't do-" one of the leaf shinobi was saying but was cut off.
"Ah yes, you two! I'm sure the third hokage would be thrilled to hear that his ninja stood by and watched a defenseless child be beaten by a man ten times his size! Shall we go together and tell him what happened? I just know he'd be content with your actions," she offered, opening her hands wide. The two ninja were left speechless, along with all the other bystanders. It wasn't very crowded that day, but it still angered her greatly.
"And to all of you who watched, I hope the same fate doesn't meet your children. Because if karma is real, you'll watch as they scream and cry but no one comes to their defense," she pushed, watching as people squirmed in discomfort and some looked away in shame. "But I'm sure you sadistic people would love that, no?"
She picked Naruto up and jumped to the top of a building, performing medical ninjutsu to help the pain go away and make the bruise that was already forming disappear. Once the job was done, Naruto hugged her tightly and thanked her for standing up for him.
"Listen, no matter what these people do, you stay strong, okay? Cause one day, when you become hokage, they'll look at you and realize that they never succeeded in breaking you down," she hugged him tightly. Naruto pulled away and gave her thumbs up.
"How about I walk you home, okay? You can even piggyback me if you'd like," she pinched his cheek. He nodded with excitement and climbed onto her back and gave her directions.
"Thank you pretty lady! I really enjoyed the time we spent at Ichiraku's! And I promise to remember what you told me!" he hugged her tightly as they reached their destination.
"I had lots of fun too! Let's do it again soon sometime, okay?" she replied with her own bright grin. He nodded vigorously before going into his apartment. She smiled and closed the door before jumping from building to building, back to the Uchiha's special section of the village.
She jumped back down to the ground and skipped back home before seeing a familiar face.
"Hey Itachi!"
*End of flashback*
She couldn't believe she'd seen him again after all these years. His smile hadn't changed though, it was still as bright and happy as ever. Naruto, on the other hand, was waiting for her to stop looking at him like that. It kind of looked like he surprised her, but he only said his name. Was that not normal in towns like these?
"Lady, can you hear me? Hello?" he called out, trying to capture her attention once more.
"Oh yes, sorry! You just look very similar to someone I know," she explained while looking around frantically to make sure no one else was around. He looked confused but quickly got out of the water. He dressed himself while she respectfully looked away, and only looked back when she felt his presence in front of her. She smiled at him and ruffled his bright yellow hair, just like she did back then.
He blushed and quickly laughed nervously before blurting out, "Hehe, w-well what about you? What are you doing out here so late?"
"Well, the moon's out and it's really nice, isn't it? And my friend has a date tonight, so I decided to come out where it's peaceful," she sat down, causing him to mimic the action. "He's very loud, you know? So I decided to take advantage of the quiet while I can."
"Yeah I get it! I have a friend who doesn't like loud people either, which might be why he doesn't really like me…" Naruto seemed to have a moment of realization before continuing, "But this girl I really like is in love with him and I don't understand why! He's mean, rude, overconfident, and always acts like he's better than me!"
"Maybe she likes his confidence?" She questioned. She nearly cringed when she remembered how her classmates didn't like how often she and Itachi hung out. They were always so obsessed with him and despite being a boy genius, he seemed so oblivious about how to talk or react to them. Though, she did remember the one time he so kindly asked them to leave when she and him were practicing their shuriken's aim.
Her eyes dulled when she remembered how he tried to distance himself from everyone when his friend died on a mission protecting him. He began cutting off ties with a lot of those around him, with the exception of her and Shisui.
"I don't think so, I think she likes him because he's good at stupid jutsus and stuff. She follows him around, always tries to spend time with him and hug him, and she always compliments him but if I do the same thing, she smacks me! She says she'd never like someone like me, and goes right back to loving him. But he doesn't even like her! He always calls her annoying and ignores her!" the small blonde child huffed. Harumi began laughing loudly, causing him to look at her like she was insane. She tried to stop, she truly did but, his words just reminded her of her school days as well. When she noticed his confused and weirded out look, she smiled and decided to explain.
"Sorry, it's just that what you said reminded me of my old school days as well. I had a boy in my class who was really good at jutsus as well, and all the girls really liked him too. But you know something? He didn't like them back, not even the ones who would try and impress him with gifts and such. The first reason was because he didn't have any social skills," She snorted a bit at the memory. "The second reason was because he didn't want to be around people he felt couldn't protect themselves. That may sound a little harsh, but it was only because he didn't want them to get hurt, he didn't want to risk having that emotional connection being cut off by death. He always wanted to take everything upon himself, and that's why his friend group was very small. Do you see why I'm telling you this?"
"He sounds a lot nicer than the guy I'm talking about, but no. You kinda lost me," Naruto pouted.
"This girl you like enjoys the safety that comes with being around this boy. She likes that he's strong, because if he's strong enough, he can keep her safe from anyone. The reason he might not like her back is because he doesn't see that same safety net with her. This is just my theory, but he may even dislike her because he doesn't want to be around someone who can't hold their own and constantly relies on others for help," she stated before patting his head. "He'd want to be around someone he didn't need to worry about, even someone who could match his strength so they could push him to work harder. I'm guessing this girl is so head over heels for him that he sees that love as a weakness."
Naruto's eyes widened at her words and looked at her with awe, she got all that from a small description he gave?!
"So…she doesn't like me because she thinks I can't keep her safe? And that I'm not strong enough?" he asked, a bit of sadness in his tone. Her eyes softened, he really seemed to like this girl.
"Probably, but you know what? If she can't see you for how cool you already are, she doesn't deserve you. Power is cool and all in a relationship, but it has no value if there's no love there. You could be the strongest person in the world, but if you neglect your significant other, it won't matter anymore in their eyes. Everyone just wants to be loved, even if they won't admit it. She's just a kid right now, and doesn't understand the true concept of love and how it works. I'm sure you'll find someone out there that values both your strength and your love, and will treat you with the same respect. So work hard, okay? So that when you do find that special woman, you can make her feel both loved and safe," Harumi smiled, her tone calming and soft. Naruto imagined it would be the kind of voice that a mother would sing a lullaby to a child with.
"I guess you're right, but I'm still going to beat him! And she'll acknowledge me, everyone will! Even the special lady you're talking about!" he exclaimed.
"That's the spirit! I promise you that one day, if you work hard enough, you'll be stronger than the boy she likes!" She stood up, helping him up as well. He nodded and agreed, giving her a toothy grin. It warmed her heart, it was the same smile he gave her years ago.
"Well, I should probably get back. My sensei could be getting worried!" he replied.
"Alright, I'll walk you back to the town just in case, okay?" Harumi grabbed his hand and led him back into town before they gave their goodbyes.
"Bye Naruto!" she waved.
"Bye, mystery woman!" he said before walking away. As he was leaving, he couldn't help but have a sense of familiarity towards her.
"Hey, this is an odd question but have we met before-" he turned around to see that she was gone. His eyes turned to lines as he looked around, did she disappear? Was she a magician?! Or maybe a ninja!
'Oh well, maybe I'll see her at the hot springs tomorrow!' he thought to himself.
Harumi smiled as she walked through the lively market, thinking about what to eat. If only she had realized there were eyes that had been watching her since she came out of the forest.
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