Disclaimer: I own nothing except my character

A/N: When I wrote this, it all came through my fingers before it registered in my brain and when I reread everything, I loved it cause it almost made me cry. Enjoy!

Realizations of a True Friendship

After we said our thanks and goodbyes, we left to go check out this apartment building that will be my new place and Naruto was right, it is a couple blocks away. Climbing the stairwell to the 3rd floor, it seem normal, a beige color of sorts on the walls but then again maybe it was something else before nature ran its course on it. The steps itself are dark metal but creaks here and there.

When we got to my floor, I noticed the end of the hallway to have no wall at all, like it's for easy access for us ninjas. The walls look sturdy but chips here and there on both the wall and ceiling but relatively in good shape.

Stepping to the door of 3B, I unlocked it and walked through the threshold to reveal a small studio apartment. The bathroom is to the left of me behind a simple door and the kitchen area is on the right with the bed straight across from where I am currently standing. Everything is small: the kitchen, the bed, the night stand and living necessities. A large cabinet by the bed for my clothes and I checked the cupboards in the kitchen to see if there is anything and there is: cups, plates, utensils, and cookware.

Closing the door behind him, Naruto set my bags on the bed and sat down, looking around.

"Well it's small but I like it" Setting down my other bag on the bed, I open it and started unpack my clothes.

"Yeah it is kind of small but it's good if it's you living here" Naruto stands up and opens my other bag, one by one taking out what is in there and laying them carefully on my bed.

I smiled at this and nodded in agreement as I proceeded to hang my clothes on the hangers that are provided in the cabinet. The pants, socks and underthings went in the drawer in the bottom of the cabinet. When finished with this, I folded both of the empty bags and threw it on top of the cabinet.

"Who's this?" Holding up a picture frame for me to see "My parents, it was taken before I was born" Picking up the scrolls and books, I walked over to a long shelf that stood against the wall between the doors of the bathroom and the front door.

"Do you have a picture of yourself when you were little?" Shaking my head in a 'no' I went and took the frame from Naruto and also picked up another frame from the bed to set on top of the same shelf I dropped the scrolls on.

"Who's that then?" Pointing at the lone woman in the other frame I picked up.

"That's my nanny, her name is Maria" Coming back to the bed, I picked up my camera and bottles of chemicals and walked to the bathroom to set them underneath the sink. Still holding onto the camera, I came back to the main room and saw Naruto looking at me parent's photo from the bed with a sad smile. Removing the cover of my lens, clicking the film in place quietly, I aimed my camera at Naruto and when he looked my way, I snapped a picture perfect of him and I said as such: "Perfect".

Covering the lens and setting the camera down on the stand, I walked back to the bed and picked up a black thick book with various color pens.

"What's that?" Naruto asks standing next to me.

"This is a story book. Well short stories I've wrote over the years but" I held it out of his reach when he went for it "only when it's completely full will anyone read it, so hands off, ok?" Hands down, Naruto nodded and smiled

"I promise I won't try to read it until you are sure you are done" Setting the book down on my night stand, I picked up the last item on my bed: my bag of toiletries. In and out of the bathroom, I stood once again in the middle of the apartment and looked at my surroundings; I nodded and gestured for Naruto to follow me.

Hand on the door knob, I stop mid turn and turned back to Naruto, eyeing him head to toe before shaking my head. Walking over to my 'closet', I rummaged through all my clothes until I found what I was looking for. Hands behind me, I stood in front of Naruto's confuse form and brought me hands out to reveal a set of clothes for him.

"What's that for?" Looking down at the items in my hands than at me, I smiled and held open the shirt:

"You can wear these for training today and I'll send for my personal tailor to come ASAP for an emergency fitting, for you" Scratching his head in wonderment but not taking the clothes, he looked down at his attire.

"Why? What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing now?" Smirking at this comment, I stepped forward and untied his jacket from his waist and let it drop to the floor. Having no modesty does have its perk as I unbutton his puffy orange pants whilst he tried to protest but the redness took over his face and vocal cords in embarrassment. Letting the pants drop to the floor, I stood back and pointed down to his shoes, in which he got the meaning and slip both his shoes and pants off. Dropping the shirt on the bed, I bend down to one knee and held open the pants I chose for Naruto to step in and when he did, I pulled it up and zipped it close.

Grabbing the shirt, I once again held it open for Naruto and this time, he put his arms through the short sleeves. Straightening it and button it up a couple, I stepped back to see my handy work as I circled Naruto once.

I then went to the bathroom to my bag of toiletries where I keep my accessories such as: chokers, armbands and wrist bands, bracelets, rings, necklaces and whatnots. Grabbing two wristbands, I came back to the main room and put them on Naruto's wrist and again stepped back to see the full description.

Orange is a good color for him but not in such huge quantity. Natural color may work well with Naruto, as it contrasts with his hair and skin color. However darker colors really bring out the blueness of his eyes.

The pants I picked out for him are dark grey khakis and a grey short sleeve button up shirt that goes well his already black t-shirt and black wristbands, Naruto then put on his shoes and the image is complete. All in all, I say he looks good.

Smiling, I remembered I saw a full length mirror in the 'closet' when I put my clothes away, so I went over to it and open the door to show Naruto how he looks now.

"Whoa! Is that me? I so look different in this then the orange get up. I look cool!" Naruto twirled around to get a better look, I stood leaning against the door and letting Naruto have his fill. When he finished looking, he turned to me:

"This looks great and all but I can't accept it, Roxanne. It's awesome that you are nice to me and want to be my friend but I can't. What if I do something stupid and you don't want to be my friend no more or if Sasuke bastard starts talking to you, then you won't be my friend and be his friend, I can't, just…cant" Before his could keep on rambling, I stopped him with a finger to his lips when I step next to him during his little rant. Removing my finger when I knew he won't start talking again, I put both my hands on his shoulders and looked at him square in the eye.

"Naruto, how many friends do you have?"

"Well there's Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba but they don't really hang out with me very much"

"You live alone, right?"

"Yeah"

"If you ask for help, do people help?"

"Not really"

"Are you treated fairly, like everyone else?"

"No"

"When you go shopping, do you get help or told to leave?" His expression gave me an answer.

"Are you ignored in favor of this Sauce Guy?" Same thing

"Have you always been different?" He nodded

"Naruto, I have been ignored, shunned and almost beaten because I am different. I AM Different but it didn't stop me from being nice, friendly, mouthy or forward. The way I was treated most of my life made me stronger not bitter. It made me see that the real world is harsh and dangerous and only the strong survive. I've been on my own since I was two years old (Naruto's head snapped up at this) No help, No parents, Nothing. All that should of made me so bitter, so resentful or just down right Bitchy but it didn't. It only made me stronger and independent and that is what I see in you. I see you trying and struggling and lonely, and I'm not going to stand idly by and do nothing. We both need someone because we have no one else and after years of loneliness, finally there is someone who understands what we feel. That is why I chose you; you understand what it means to be alone, to have no parents to care for you, to have no one help out, to be different. I chose you Naruto, do you understand? I will never cast you aside for anything or anyone. You are my first friend and friendship with me is for Life"

Tears are streaming down Naruto's face as the words sunk in and he knew that my words are true. With a choked sob, he wrapped his arms around my waist and cried openly and freely on my shoulders. I held him tightly and protectively as years of repressed emotions finally came out.

A tear rolled down my cheek when I hear the pain and anguish in his sobs and I knew I made a right decision when I chose to sit beside Naruto that first day. He knew the meaning of loneliness like I did, he experience pain without uttering a word, and he knew the feeling that dwell within when nobody showed any interests in our lives. All this I heard and felt through his breakdown, through his sobs, through his pain and it reminded me of myself the first time that I broke down those many years ago.

I was seven at the time and realization hit me full blown about my situation. The loneliness of nobody wanting nothing to do with me the second they learn of my tail, the pain from the beating I sometimes never escape from and the fact that knowing I am a 'monster' kept me from having a normal life and least of all, having no one to love me as a child, as a person and as a being. Everything came down on me, hard and fast, and depression set in slowly, along with dark thoughts of bitterness and anger mixed in. For weeks I didn't eat much and didn't move much, as I stayed in my little camp in the forest far away from any civilization. No one to comfort me, no one to give me warmth and no one to turn my thoughts away from the darkness, I almost became a shell of my former self, crying until I could cry no more and unmoving from my spot in the darken woods. On the 20th day of my depression, the sun finally showed itself in my life. My thoughts stop it ongoing path through negativity and turn itself into positivity.

I have been surviving this world on my own two feet since I was born, I taught myself to walk, talk, fight, hunt, trap and fish since then with no help. I've been taking care of myself a doing a damn good job at it than any other person could. I make my own money by selling furs, hides and helping strangers cross dangerous forests. Everything I did, I did to survive and every negative thing people do or say has made me stronger and proved them wrong so many times. After that my strength came back to me and it was enough to hunt with, so that I may eat and get my real strength back. I proved I am stronger that day and I will prove to Naruto that he is as strong as me this day.

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I held Naruto as he cried his heart out and after he fell asleep, I picked him up bridal style and laid him on my bed. Making sure he is comfortable, I checked my pockets for my wallet and keys before I took off to stock up on groceries. When I came back, Naruto is still sleeping so I made sandwiches and tea for snacks, wrapping them up in saran wrap; I set them on the table. I went over to the bed side table; I picked up my camera, open the cover and snap a couple pictures of Naruto sleeping soundly.

Only when I covered the lens and set it back down did Naruto stirred from his sleep as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked around, I'm guessing trying to remember where he is and when his eyes set on me, he bowed his head in shame and opens his mouth to try and apologize but I stopped him. Sitting on the bed beside him, facing him, I took his hand in mine and use the other to lift his chin up until our eyes met.

"Feel better now?" A small smile with a nod is my answer.

"Good. Don't ever feel sorry for showing your emotions to me. It hurts to keep it all bottled up and it hurts even more if you believe what you hear. My philosophy in life is this: It doesn't matter what others think of you, they don't know shit. What matters is what you think of you and how well you can prove them wrong. When you thoughts go dark, your vision goes dark and your heart goes dark. That's how bad people are made because they had no one to turn to like you did and all the negativity they thought and felt consumes them whole so that nothing is left but the bitterness, the pain and the hatred for all, You felt this once before, haven't you? (He nodded) As did I, a long time ago, it almost took me but after a while I told myself positive things about my life, about how I survived time and time again in the world and how I overcame so many obstacles with no help. Through the years, I still clung to small strings of hope in finding a friend, no matter how long it took. So all in all, everything turns out great: I finally got a friend and so do you. Remember this Naruto: When we share the hardship of our lives, our guilt, our suffering, and then our pain is lessened. There is no weakness in sharing pain, only grace and honor. Ok?" Smiling to each other, I gave him a one arm hug and he whispered thanks to me.

Letting go, I looked out the window and saw that we still had a couple hours until the sun sets, so turning back and with a smirk; I stood up and hauled Naruto up in surprise from the bed.

"Still want to train?" He nodded

"Yeah and I know just the place for it. There's this big area in the forest behind the academy and usually not much people hang out there" Picking up his orange pants that was discarded earlier, he dig through the pockets for his keys and coin purse that looks like a frog, cute.

Stashing away his things in his new pair, Naruto walked over to the door and opens it, waiting through the threshold for me. I checked my pockets to make sure I had what I need to go out with and when it's all there, I followed Naruto out and locked the door behind me.

As we stepped out in the hallway, I saw some carrier pigeons on the railing, so I dug out a pen and small piece of paper. Scribbled a little note to my personal tailor, I attached it to the leg of one of the birds and whispered to find the person, it took flight. Putting my pen away, I asked Naruto if he was ready, when he nodded, he turn to walk towards the stairway but I had other ideas.

Grabbing his arm, I swirled him around and hoisted him onto my back, with a surprised yelp, I ran and leaped over the railing at full speed. Naruto held onto me for dear life as we sailed through the air and slowly coming down to the roof tops of the building next door and I laughed out loud but Naruto yelled instead. Landing gracefully on the roof top but didn't give Naruto time to relax and try to let go, I jumped once again high in the air to the next building.

After a couple more leaps, is only when Naruto started to relax and enjoy himself being carried through the air. One good last leap, we landed on a branch sturdy enough to handle us as we both laughed at the exhilarating experience, Naruto got off and stood on the branch on his own two feet, albeit wobbly but standing nonetheless.

"That was Awesome Roxanne! Can you teach me how to do that? Please?" Chuckling at the cuteness of his begging, I nodded and jumped off the branch to land on the ground quietly. Looking back up to the branch, I waved Naruto to jump down but instead of doing what I gestured for him to do, he climbed down, slowly. I sat on the ground waiting for him to climb down and when he finally did, Naruto came over and sat down beside me.

"First things first: you are going relearn the basics of chakra control. From what I've seen today, you weren't taught well and I'm going to fix that. I'm going to explain the basics of controlling chakra first and then show you a good and easy way to up your control. First off: relax. It isn't going to work as well if you are all frazzled up and you'll end up wasting your energy then using it. Relax, clear your mind and let go of the nervousness until your mind and body is calm" With that I stood up and so did Naruto,

"Take deep breaths until you feel yourself relax" (He did) "Then bring your hands together and make the usual jutsu sign and then concentrate on your chakra, let it flow through you evenly. When you have that down, flow your chakra down to your feet" Naruto looked at me kind of confused about this last bit.

"Here, I'll show you" I walked over to the tree that we landed on and did all that I said and took one step on the base of the tree. Step after step, I walked upwards on the tree without my hands, just with my chakra on my feet. Walking up further until I came underneath a branch, I stood upside down and looked up (for me) at Naruto, who's eyes widen at my display.

"See? If you put enough chakra to your feet, you'll be able to walk on trees, walls and leap from them without worrying if you'll slip or not. BUT if you do too much on one side, you'll crush your step in the tree and fall off. Too little, then you have no grip at all." Jumping off the branch, I somersaulted a couple turns and landed quietly at the base of the tree. Pulling out a kunai from my leg holster and throwing it nearby Naruto's feet, he looked up from the knife to me.

"Use that to mark how high you go up and each time try and go up higher than the previous line. Remember: relax and concentrate and clear your mind. I'll be over there doing some katas while you are doing this" Pointing a few feet away, I walked off while Naruto picked up the kunai. "Oh one more thing: Give it a run, it helps with a little speed from the start"

I started stretching while walking away, stretching all my limbs to get them loose and ready and then I heard a crash.

Turning my head to where Naruto is, it looks like he crashed into the tree instead of climbing it. Pushing himself up into a standing position, he laughed at his own mistake and I could just make out a blush tainting his cheeks before he turned back around, I smiled and we both started our little activity.

A few hours rolled around and it proved worthwhile for Naruto. In those hours he made it to the top of the tall tree and stay there without falling off. He could even hang upside down from a branch, just like I did earlier.

I am impressed with the hard work and effort he put into this training session and I told him so. With a hand rubbing the back of his head, he laughed and thanked me. Walking out of the forest to an open area, I turned my head sideways and asked a really good question:

"You hungry?"

"Starving, that workout really built up an appetite"

"Great, let's go back to my place and I'll cook up a feast worthy of a king"

"Awesome! I'll race you there!" Naruto took off like a shot and put to good use the thing I taught him today, laughing I chase after him and when I caught up, we made a brief eye contact. In the brief moment, I smirked and leaped up with a single bound onto the roof tops. Giving a yell and a laugh, Naruto caught up quickly beside me on the tops. Jumping building after building, chasing each other and laughing with such happiness, we made it to our building in a tie. We didn't care because we were laughing so hard it hurt and so after we calmed down, we climbed the steps with huge smiles on our faces and I slung an arm around Naruto's shoulders. When we reached the 3rd floor, I stopped at the top step and so did Naruto. There standing right by my door is a tall thin black clad man; eyeing us both and Naruto stiffen underneath my arm. Giving him a small squeeze, I slipped my arm off,

"No worries man, I know him" Turning to the man; I stepped closer until we were a couple feet from each other and at the same time bowed elegantly at one another. Straightening back up, we shook hands,

"Antonio, how great it is to see you again after such a long time. I am somewhat surprise though that you are here after such a short notice. Care to elaborate?" Letting go of our hands, I gestured for Naruto to come closer, in which he did, hesitantly.

"Miss Roxanne, it's always a pleasure to see you, as you do know you are one of my favorite customers and you should have seen MY surprise when a little birdie told me of your current address. I was ecstatic to heard you are in this village as I am now doing a little business myself here and as soon as that was finished, I kicked my ass into high gear and got myself here as soon as possible. I only just arrived minutes before you, so I did not have to wait long. Now, may I ask why I am here, in as you say: short notice?" Smiling warmly at me and me to him, I placed my arm around Naruto's shoulders once again and lightly pushed him forward.

"This here is Naruto, my new friend and he is in need of a new wardrobe, fast. Can it be done?" Scoffing at me, Antonio stepped up and I step back as he circled Naruto.

"Of course it can be done, who you think you are speaking to, woman. I am the best!" Chuckling, I took out my keys and unlocked the door.

"This way please" Motioning with my hand inside, Antonio went in but Naruto stood in the same spot, with a 'what the heck just happen' look on him and he said so:

"What's going on?"

"Well that's is Antonio there and he's my personal tailor and he's here to get your measurements for a new wardrobe, so come on, don't want to keep him waiting, the quicker it goes, the quicker he leave. He is a very busy person" Naruto walked in the apartment and I followed, closing the door behind us. Flicking on the lights to bath the room in artificial light as the natural light of the sun is now gone, Antonio scanned the little apartment and sighed:

"Now how is it possible to do this here? It is absolute tiny in here" Shrugging off his coat, he laid it down on the bed and then took out a pen, notepad and measure tape and turned to us

"Shall we?" Smiling I turned to Naruto and told him to strip down to his t-shirt and shorts. He looked at me like I grew a second head: "WHAT! Why?"

Shocked that I would even mention this, let alone in front of someone he's not familiar with, Naruto stepped back and stared at me. I sighed:

"Because if Antonio is to gets an accurate measurement, then this is the easiest way for him to do so; No worries, Naruto, I'll be here, well in the kitchen but my eyes and ears will be open throughout this whole process while I get dinner started. Relax Naruto, Antonio doesn't bite and he knows what to do, so don't freak out" Nodding in a force manner, Naruto started to get undressed and I gave a nod to Antonio and went to the small kitchen to get started.

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