Chapter 6 - Get Serious {Oneshot}

Here is the start of the stories that take place in Naruto Shippuden! Anything you read that's posted below this story will take place in that version of Naruto...just a note to help so nobody's confused XD


Get Serious

"Geez, what a day!" Sighed Nozomi as she left the training field, rubbing her arms while groaning. "Sensei overdid it in training, today...he never said he was gonna use the Sharingan, either! Man, what a workout!"

A sigh of relief escaped the cat girl's lips as she spotted a bench nearby, and she made her way over to it, wincing as she felt her knee pop when she sat down. "Ugh, seriously, Sensei! Tone it down a little!" She groaned, leaning back against the bench and throwing her head back.

"Hmmm..." It felt so nice to finally be able to relax! Nozomi smiled slightly as her eyes closed. "Maybe I'll...just...close my eyes for a few minutes..."

As she sat there, dozing off, she suddenly heard light footsteps coming her way, and she became aware of a girl's voice calling out to her. "Hey, Nozomi!"

"Nn...huh?" Reluctantly, Nozomi opened her eyes to greet her visitor. "Oh, it's you...hi, Sakura."

Said kunoichi giggled as Nozomi gave a halfhearted wave, her eyelids drooping. "Tough day of training?" she guessed.

Nozomi yawned and nodded her head slightly. "Uh huh...I'm completely worn out!"

Sakura chuckled softly. "I can see that." she said, taking a seat beside the cat girl and, in doing so, crushing all hopes Nozomi had of taking a nap. The cat girl closed her eyes and heaved a deep sigh. "What is it, Sakura? What do you want?"

Sakura gave an innocent smile. "Nothing. I just want to sit here, if that's ok. You're not the only one with a tough master. Lady Tsunade is hard to keep up with!"

"Oh really?" Nozomi glanced at her through half opened eyes. "I had heard it was going well, that you were super strong from it...did something go wrong?"

"Oh, no, I am strong!" Sakura replied. "I just wish I could take a rest sometimes, you know?"

"I see.." Nozomi closed her eyes again. "Hmmm.."

A long silence followed, and Nozomi silently prayed Sakura would get up and leave. It had gotten so quiet, she was beginning to wonder if she had left. Then the pink haired girl cleared her throat, instantly proving the cat girl wrong.

"You know...He's been asking about you."

"Eh?" Nozomi mumbled, unfocused since she'd been about to fall asleep again. "Who?" she yawned loudly.

"Don't play dumb, Nozomi." Sakura sighed. "You know I'm talking about Naruto. He's been wondering where you've been at."

Nozomi's eyes flew open at this and she swallowed hard. "Naruto? You mean, he's back in Konoha?"

The truth was, Nozomi had known he was back. She'd come very close to running into him the day after he'd returned. She had been on her way to Ichiraku's ramen shop when she'd heard voices. One of them had been faintly familiar, but slightly different; the other Nozomi had recognized as belonging to Jiraiya; and they were coming her way.

Thankfully, Nozomi had been quick enough to take cover in a tree before she could be spotted. As she had stayed hidden, she'd seen Naruto walk by the tree, then stop and turn. He had kept his gaze fixed on the tree for a long minute or two, almost as if he was staring at her before turning and walking away.

Nozomi sighed inwardly. Naruto had really grown handsome over the years.

'It'd be a lie to say that just seeing him doesn't make me blush a little.'

Sakura smirked slightly at the girl. "Well, who else calls you 'Nozo-chan' or 'Nozo-hime'? Of COURSE I'm talking about Naruto! Don't tell me you didn't know he was back - it's been two weeks since he returned!" she sighed and frowned at the now nervous looking cat girl. "Admit it, Nozomi. You're avoiding him."

A drop of sweat trickled down the back of Nozomi's head and she gulped. "A-am n-not!" she protested.

"So why the stuttering then?" Sakura questioned, not believing her.

Nozomi said nothing as she heaved a sigh, leaning forward and glancing down at her toes.

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura said softly. "You know you have feelings for the guy...why avoid him?"

A few minutes of silence went by. "Is this still because of him looking like that one guy, Suoh..?" Sakura asked unsurely.

This time, Nozomi shook her head in answer.

"Then why are you hiding like this?" Sakura pressed.

Nozomi made no attempt to answer, and after a few minutes, Sakura gave up. She sighed, getting to her feet and placed a hand on Nozomi's shoulder. "Just remember, you can't hide forever. He will find you, sooner or later."

As she said this, Sakura noticed Nozomi's shoulders go tense, and she sighed. Nozomi may have grown, but that -and a couple other things- was the only thing about her that had changed. She was still the same stubborn cat girl who refused to accept that she cared deeply about her friend, Naruto.

Sakura shook her head in frustration. Why was Nozomi so gosh darn stubborn?! 'Oh well, it doesn't matter. Once Naruto finds her, it'll take more than just stubbornness for her to keep him away!'

Shrugging her shoulders in defeat, Sakura took a step back. "Anyways, I gotta get going. See ya later...and remember what I said!" With a final wave, Sakura turned and walked off.

Nozomi raised her head, watching the pink haired kunoichi, and she made a face at her. "What a fool!" The cat girl snickered, leaning back against the bench, eyes shut with her mouth twisted into a cat like grin. "Yeah right, Naruto's gonna find me...ha! I'll bet he's already given up searching!"

"How much are you willing to bet?"

Nozomi's eyes flew open as she heard a boy's voice, and she sat up quickly, locking eyes with none other than Naruto Uzumaki! Her eyes widened slightly as her hands flew to her mouth to stifle her cry of surprise.

A toothy grin appeared on Naruto's face. "Long time no see, huh, Nozo-chan?" He grinned even wider, examining her so intently, so thoroughly, Nozomi felt her face heat up.

"Wh-what're you looking at?!" she demanded with a scowl, trying to hide the embarrassment she felt.

"Nothing, nothing, you've just really grown over the years!" Naruto chuckled.

"Um, so have you." Nozomi replied, trying not to read into his comment.

"Yeah, but you've really grown into quite a woman!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at her in awe, his face taking on a faint reddish color.

Nozomi blushed furiously and folded her arms across her chest, giving Naruto a dirty look. "Geez, that time with the Pervy Sage has turned YOU into a pervert, you know? Stop staring at me like that!" she snapped.

"S-Sorry!" I...uhh..." Naruto stammered, annoyed to have been caught "peeking" by her. "I...you just became so beautiful I can't help staring!"

Nozomi's blush darkened slightly at his words, but she rolled her eyes. "Yeah...fiiine...Whatever!" she paused, giving herself a chance to calm down so her face could return to normal. "So, uh...why are you here? I would think you'd be at Ichiraku's right now." she added hastily.

"Actually, I was on my way there when I saw you and thought I'd say hello." Naruto smiled.

Nozomi groaned inwardly. "Ok, well...hello." she gave a small wave.

"There, now was that so hard?" Naruto folded his arms and sighed. "I don't see why you couldn't just do that last time. Just a simple 'Welcome home, Naruto!', and maybe a hug, too."

Nozomi smirked. "What am I, your wife?"

A long, awkward silence fell over the two as Nozomi glanced away, face heating up once again. When would she ever learn that blurting out the first thought that came to mind wasn't always the greatest idea?

"So...uhh.." Nozomi mumbled. She nervously got to her feet, preparing to leave...only to be pushed back onto the bench by Naruto. She rubbed her forehead where he'd pushed her and scowled up at the boy. "Hey, what gives?! What the heck did you do that for?!"

"Well," Naruto answered, "You looked like you were about to leave, and I'm not done with you, yet."

Nozomi just groaned in reply.

"You gonna answer me now?" Naruto asked after a minute or two went by.

Nozomi gave the blond a skeptical look. "What do you mean? Answer what?"

"Why," Naruto began, "did you hide the last time you saw me?"

Nozomi gave a nervous laugh. "Wh-what do you mean? This is the first time I've seen you since you returned!" She scooted down to the other side of the bench, trying to put a little space between her and Naruto. This tactic failed, as he sat down beside her, assuming that she'd made a space for him to sit.

"No it's not." he argued. "You've seen me before now...the day after I got here I was walking with the Pervy Sage and you saw us...but that time you hid in a tree that time. Why was that?"

Nozomi's eyes widened, a drop of sweat trickling down her face. "You mean you...you s...you saw me?!" she sputtered in shock.

"Of course I did!" Naruto said, now laughing. "You thought I didn't? Ha! Why do you think I turned and stared at that tree then? It's because I heard you!"

Nozomi blushed faintly. "Ah...whatever...A-anyways, I'd better be..." her voice trailed off as she stood up.

"Going?" Naruto finished, grabbing her long, fuzzy tail and giving a firm yank, forcing her to sit once more. "I don't think so. We're not done yet, kitty." he added, gently tapping the silver bell that hung around Nozomi's neck. "I see you're still wearing that, after all these years." he smiled at her.

"Um, yeah." Nozomi mumbled, wishing he'd let go of her arm. "N-Naruto, whatever it is you wanted to say, could you please say it? I have to be-"

"Going." Naruto finished for her again. "I know, Nozo-chan. You always have somewhere to be...though call me crazy, but it seems like that's only when I come around. Otherwise, you have all the time in the world for anything."

Nozomi sweatdropped, giving a toothy, sheepish little grin. "Y-yeah, you're crazy, all right...heh.." she muttered, knowing darn well she was lying. She did use that excuse whenever he came around, even though she usually didn't have anywhere to go.

Naruto frowned at her. "If you say so.." He leaned back, stretching his arms and sighed contentedly. "So...Nozo-chan, didja miss me?"

Nozomi thought about this before nodding. "Yeah...you're a much better training partner than Kakashi-sensei...he's such a tough trainer!"

Naruto chuckled. "Was that the only reason you missed me?" he asked, discretely putting one of his arms around her.

Nozomi shrugged her shoulders. "Can't think of any other reasons, sorry."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Think harder. Think really hard!" he urged.

Nozomi sweatdropped and shook her head. "Nope, sorry...nothing." she insisted, having a feeling she knew what he was driving at.

"Think harder, Nozo-hime!" Naruto hinted, now resting his arm fully on Nozomi's shoulders.

Nozomi blushed. Crap. That WAS what he'd meant! "S-sorry, still nothing, hehe!" She looked away as she lied, unable to meet his gaze.

Naruto stared at her in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

Nozomi shook her head. "Nope, I'm dead serious." She jerked her tail away from him and got to her feet quickly. "An-anyways, it's getting later and later every second! Soon it'll be dark! I'm gonna head home...enjoy your ramen, bai!"

"Nozo-chan, wait a second!" Naruto protested, but she was already walking away.

He growled under his breath and got to his feet. "Ok...I'll skip Ichiraku's. THIS time!" He sighed and hurried after the retreating cat girl. "Darn it, I said wait! Nozomi!"

Nozomi froze as Naruto, having caught up to her, reached out and grabbed her wrist, turning her to face him. "Wh-what?" she stammered nervously.

Naruto just stood in front of her, staring at her solemnly. "I just thought that in 3 years, you'd have changed by now. I had hoped you wouldn't run away anymore." He paused long enough to sigh. "Why? Nozomi, tell me why I'm not good enough! What did I do wrong?!"

Nozomi tried to act oblivious as to what he was referring to. "Naruto? What do you mean? Why are you acting this way so suddenly?"

"Why are you acting the way you're acting?" Naruto demanded, shifting the conversation back to her. "Why do you blush around me one minute, then just treat me like I'm an annoying teammate you want to get away from?!"

Nozomi flinched, her ears going back slightly.

"You know how I feel!" The blond ninja added loudly. "I thought by now you would have accepted that you feel the same way! What's going on with you, Nozo-chan?!"

"Naruto.." Nozomi lowered her head. "Listen. That was back when we were 12. Puppy love is a common thing when you're young...things have changed now."

"You can call it that if you want," Naruto said, "but that's not what it was...because puppy love is a term for two people who think they're in love but then quickly get over it."

"Exactly, that's what I me-" Nozomi began, but Naruto wasn't finished.

"It wasn't puppy love as all because I never got over you! You were always on my mind, Nozomi! I couldn't wait to come home and see you again...of course I wanted to see everyone else, too, but I was really excited to see you again!"

Naruto stared at the now red faced cat girl. "You can call it whatever you want to, but I really did -and still do- care about you a lot. I.." he paused, moving a little closer to her. "I love you, Nozomi."

The blush on Nozomi's face darkened, and she began to back away from the boy ever so slightly. "I, umm..I need to...err.."

"Nozomi, you don't have to actually say it. Just tell me." Naruto took a step forward. "Do you return my feelings?"

Nozomi gulped nervously as she realized he still had her hand, with no intention of letting her go anytime soon. Darn him! The cat girl's face heated up even more as he repeated his question, and she glanced down at the ground, uttering a soft "Maybe."

Then she forced her hand out of the boy's and turned away, starting to walk. "Now I gotta run. I'm late for, uh, training!" she lied, hoping he'd be fooled.

"Hold on a minute." Naruto said quickly. "You're already done for today! Kakashi-sensei told me when I saw him earlier!"

Nozomi gulped again, quickening her pace to a run.

"That was all a lie...so you could get away from me!"

Nozomi skidded to a halt as she suddenly found herself staring into the angry, electric blue eyes that were Naruto's. He had somehow managed to cut her off!

Before she could say or do anything, Naruto grabbed her, holding onto her waist as he pulled her toward him, closing the gap between them. His other hand, he used to push her head towards his slowly.

"Naruto!- Stop!-" Nozomi shrieked, eyes widening as she felt him place his hand on the small of her back, just above her tail, and push firmly, forcing her into his muscular chest.

The cat girl blushed darkly and pushed her arms against his chest, trying desperately to break free from his strong grip. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Why?" Naruto repeated, "Because, I'm sick of this! You're always running around giving me all sorts of hints that you may like me, then turning tail and running away when I try to get near you!"

Nozomi listened, gulping and still fighting desperately, but to no avail.

"See? You're still resisting me!" Naruto frowned. "Why can't I ever fall in love with a girl who doesn't play hard to get?" he rolled his eyes, sighing, and turned his gaze back to Nozomi. She was staring at him in shock, eyes wide, lips slightly parted.

Those lips...Naruto growled, gritting his teeth. She just loved to tease him! Well, that was going to stop, here and now. Her lips would be his, no longer able to taunt and tease him, or hurl insults at him. They would be his; he'd make sure of it!

"Naruto, pl-please, let me go." Nozomi whimpered timidly as she noticed the look on his face. The way he was staring at her with such intensity in his eyes. What on earth was he thinking? "Naruto?" she said again, trying to squirm free once more.

This little bit of movement snapped Naruto out of his thoughts and he spoke. "Nozomi, this is the end of your charade. It's time for you to stop playing games, and get serious!"

"I-I-but..Naruto!-" Nozomi stammered in protest, but the look he gave her was enough to shut her up as he said "Nozomi...Quit messing with me."

Before Nozomi knew what was happening, Naruto gently tilted her chin upwards. Then, seemingly faster than the speed of light itself, he lunged forward, swiftly catching the bewildered girl's lips with his. In response, the girl's eyes bulged, and she fought desperately to get away, pounding her fists against her captor's chest.

After what seemed like several minutes, Naruto broke the kiss and let go of Nozomi. This resulted in Nozomi falling backward, having still been pushing away, and she landed hard on her tail bone. The cat girl winced, rubbing her sore spot and glanced up, locking eyes with a very unhappy looking Naruto. She frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused. Usually, after he kissed her, Naruto would be staring at her with a big, goofy grin plastered on his face.

Said ninja let out a deep sigh. "That's what I want to ask you. What's the problem? Why are you holding back? When we were 12, you'd at least kiss back, but just now you didn't even do that." He cast a sad, confused frown down at her. "Why are you so cold? I know you still have feelings for me. Why the resistance, Nozomi? Is it..another guy...?"

Nozomi stared at Naruto in surprise. "No." she said flatly.

Naruto looked unconvinced. "Are you sure? Cause if there is someone else, it would explain a lot-"

"Naruto-"

"-Like the way you're acting-"

"Naruto-"

"-and why you won't kiss me-"

"Naruto, shut up and listen to me!" Nozomi shouted, frustrated as she got to her feet. She lunged forward and stunned Naruto with a quick, somewhat timid kiss.

'That's more like it!' the astonished boy thought, wrapping his arms around Nozomi and deepening the kiss. He frowned and stopped their embrace as the girl's body tensed up, once again fighting to be released. "There you go, messing with me again. What's holding you back?"

Nozomi sighed, her ears flattening against her head. There was a reason, but she'd kept it hidden all these years, always hiding behind lame excuses she'd make up on the spot. "You wouldn't like....I can't talk about it.."

Naruto stared at her, a glint of determination in his eyes. "Aha! So there IS a reason!" he exclaimed, and Nozomi backed away a little, sweatdropping. "All right, talk, Nozomi!" Naruto reached out and grabbed both the girl's wrists, preventing her from fleeing. "Tell me what the heck's going on!"

Nozomi heaved a soft sigh, realizing any effort to escape would be futile. "You'll hate it if I do tell you.."

Naruto frowned impatiently. "Just tell me!" he demanded.

Nozomi gave him a serious look. "Only if you promise not to interfere afterward."

"Interfere with what?" Naruto said confusedly. "What are you talking about, Nozo-chan?"

"Promise me!" Nozomi said firmly.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever! Just tell me already!"

"It's a very long story, so please don't interrupt." Nozomi sighed and took a deep breath. "It's been a long standing tradition where I come from, the Kubota clan, that whenever a Kubota is born with a demon in them, the child is not allowed to live past the age of 15, 16 at most."

She held up a hand to silence Naruto, who looked about to interrupt, and he reluctantly remained silent.

"The reason for this tradition," Nozomi continued, "is that the older and stronger that child gets, the faster their power increases. The inner demon's power, however, increases twice as fast as its host's. The people of the Kubota clan thought this to be a blessing. Just adding one demon Kubota to a squad enabled the clan to win many, many wars with other shinobi. So, to put it lightly, Kubota members who possessed an inner demon were very popular."

Nozomi paused, giving Naruto a few minutes to let this sink in before she continued. "Several years ago a boy, Makoto was born. He too possessed an inner demon. This made the clan very happy, and Makoto was loved by all. By the time he was 15, he had been involved in many wars, believed to be Kubota's greatest weapon. He had friends, a lover, and everybody knew and respected him immensely. Then came that day," Nozomi hung her head, "The day that the clan's views of us demon Kubota's was changed drastically."

"Well, go on." Naruto urged, deeply involved in the story now.

Nozomi nodded, frowning. This was the worst part of the story. She remembered when her father had first told her the story, after she'd asked why people didn't seem to like her. She remembered how horrified she'd been hearing this.

With a heavy sigh, Nozomi continued with her tale. "Makoto and his squad were headed out to aid allies in another war.They had just gotten to the village gates when it happened. Makoto's inner demon possessed him, and he began to kill. He killed his squad, killed his lover...he was so horrifyingly powerful, he would've wiped out the entire Kubota clan, if not for the jutsu the Head of the clan had developed; it was a complex extraction jutsu that split Makoto apart from his demon. Because of this, the clan was saved, but both Makoto and the demon died instantly."

Naruto stared in shocked silence at the grim looking cat girl. "Afterwards, it was decided that Kubota's with inner demons were to be put to death by the time they reached 16 years, the age believed to be the time where the host is unable to control his or her demon. From that day forward, all demon Kubota's were sent to as many violent wars as possible, in hopes of them not returning, and those born with demons in them were viewed as a curse."

Now that her story was done, Nozomi sighed deeply. Naruto stared at her in shock. "So wait, you're telling me that up until now, everyone like you has been killed?!" He paused. "Wa...wait! 16 years..Nozomi, you're not thinking YOU have to die, are you?!"

Nozomi nodded grimly. "If war failed to kill the demon's host, the extraction jutsu was performed." She glanced away. "That's why, Naruto. I can't let myself be with you for that reason alone. All those things I said in the past were lies to hide the truth...I'm sorry I did it...I just...didn't want you to get too close to me. Otherwise you'd be hurt when it came time for my death." She hung her head. "Now you know the full truth. I'm sorry."

She began to move back, only to be jerked forward as Naruto tightened his grip on her wrists. "Naruto, that hurts!" She glared up at him- and immediately regretted it.

His blue eyes blazed with what Nozomi guessed to be rage, and his jaw was clenched tightly, lips pulled back to show his tightly gritted teeth.

"Nozomi..that's a stupid reason to push people away! There are other ways to handle your problem without dying! You can change your destiny!" His expression softened a little as he saw how scared his harsh scowl seemed to make her.

"Besides that, Nozomi, you failed to keep me from getting too close because, like I already told you before..." he paused, tears beginning to form in the corner of his eyes. "..I love you."

Naruto gave a tug on Nozomi's wrists, causing her to stumble forward, and he released her hands, wrapping his arms tightly around the girl's middle.

"Naruto!-" Nozomi tried to pull away, but it was no use. He had her trapped. "I already told you! I can't get into a relationship- I'm going to die soon!-"

"Nozomi, don't say that!" Naruto shouted, making her jump, fur spiking up. He lowered his head, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "Please, Nozo-chan, listen! Don't throw away your life!"

"Naruto, I already told you, there's no other way!" Nozomi protested, blushing at his actions.

"Let me train you!" Naruto raised his head off her shoulder and gazed down at her, a serious look on his face. "Yeah, some special one on one training! I could try teaching you a way to control the demon's chakra. That would make it harder for it to be able to possess you. It's worth a shot, right?"

Nozomi frowned and shook her head slightly. "No, Naruto. I could end up seriously hurting you!...Or even...killing you.." she whimpered.

"That's a chance I'm willing to take. Besides, I have Kyuubi in me, remember? Possessed or not you'll have a difficult time beating me!"

Nozomi was about to say something when he spoke yet again, his voice softer. More sober sounding.

"Nozomi, please...I already lost Sasuke...I can't stand the thought of losing anymore important people!"

The cat girl felt her face heat up again, and guessed she as blushing fiercely again. This always happened, it seemed. She'd just barely calm herself down from whatever had happened, and then he'd say or do something to make her blush all over again!

"Nozomi, just give me a chance." Naruto whined. He stared at her with moist, sad looking blue eyes. "I promise I'll help you find another way to stop your demon from taking over...so just, stop running away from me! Be mine and let me help you!"

Nozomi glanced down at the zipper on his jacket, avoiding his gaze. "Naruto..I.." The blush on her face deepened as it always seemed to when he was around. Darn him! "I..don't have much experience in a relationship..or with others. I have only ever been with Suoh...and you know how that ended..." he voice trailed off.

Naruto grinned. "Just relax, Nozomi. I'll help you with that, too, if you'll stop running from me." he leaned in and kissed her cheek softly. "Please, Nozo-chan. It's been 3 years. Time to change. Saying yes would be a good start."

Nozomi just stared at the boy, uncertainty flickering in her golden yellow eyes.

"..Nozomi. Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?" Naruto gave the girl an encouraging smile, frowning when she relaxed against him and began to sob, shoulders heaving violently. "No, you haven't. You've always been kind to me, even though I didn't deserve it. Even when I insulted you, you never left my side."

Now she tilted her head upward, meeting his gaze. Her's was a look of fearfulness and nervousness, but also determination.

"Naruto, I..love you, too. When you were gone I told myself I'd force my feelings away and forget you..but I couldn't. So when you came back, I-I hid. I couldn't face you. Please forgive me!" she paused, sobbing. "I don't deserve it, but i-if you'll still have me, I would be happy to be yours...

"It's ok, don't cry anymore, Nozomi." Naruto said, rubbing her back and lightly stroking her tail. He couldn't help but snicker under his breath as the cat girl purred loudly, closing her eyes contentedly.

'You definitely haven't changed a bit.' he smiled. "Don't worry about a thing, Nozo-chan. I'll take care of you from now on."

"Please, Naruto..help me learn to control my inner demon...I don't want to die." the cat girl whimpered, her voice muffled by Naruto's jacket.

"I will, Nozomi. I promise I won't let you die. You're my girl, and I'm going to protect you no matter what the cost!"

Gradually, the heaving of Nozomi's shoulders stopped, and she closed her eyes, still looking troubled. Naruto loosed his grip on her and placed his hand on her head, tracing his fingers lightly over one of her ears in hopes of soothing her even a little bit.

He stared down at her solemnly. 'All these years of lying and hiding the truth..I'll bet you feels better now that it's over. Still, I had no idea she was in such a rough situation. It really explains a lot.'

Naruto blinked as he felt her breathing become steady, and it didn't take him long to figure out she'd fallen asleep, exhausted from the tedious day's events. Still, Nozomi was the only person Naruto knew who could fall asleep standing while leaning against someone else. He glanced up at the sky, surprised to find that it was dark, dotted with thousands of tiny, twinkling little stars. Time had sure flown by quickly! He made a few attempts to wakes the girl, all of them in vain.

Finally, Naruto placed one arm under her knees and wrapped the other around her back, picking her up bridal style. This seemed to do the trick, as Nozomi's eyes fluttered and she shot up.

"Naruto? Kyaaaaa! Put me down!" she shrieked, noticing the way he was holding her. The cat girl blushed awkwardly as she saw him smiling at her. "Wh-what?"

"C'mon, Nozo-chan." Naruto was still smiling as he spoke, "Let's get you to bed...you've had a rough day." Still beaming, he started walking.

Nozomi sweatdropped. "Um, Naruto, you're going the wrong way." she said timidly.

Naruto chuckled at this. "No I'm not, silly." he turned a corner. "I know exactly where I'm going!"

Nozomi frowned at him unsurely. "But Naruto, this isn't anywhere near where I live!"

"Oh, I know." Naruto replied, getting a skeptical look from the girl. "I'm not taking you to your house. You're staying with me tonight, so I can keep an eye on you."

Nozomi's eyes bulged, her face heating up rapidly. She knew it. She had to be blushing again. "Whaaaaaat?!"

"Calm down, Nozo-chan." Naruto chuckled. "I don't bite."

Nozomi tried to fight, but she was still too sore from training with Kakashi, so she didn't have her full strength. "Ugh, fine!" she groaned, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I'm warning you, though...you try anything and I'll beat you up so badly that you'll need the power of Kyuubi to recover!"

Naruto blushed and looked at her in surprise before laughing a little. "Nozomi, what kind of person do you think I am? I wouldn't do anything to you!"

Nozomi scowled at him. "I'm just saying...after all, you never know WHAT you might have picked up from being with the Pervy Sage for 3 years!"

"Relax, you can trust me!" Naruto gave his most innocent, convincing smile.

Nozomi sighed and glanced away. "Ok..." she lowered her head, an uncomfortable look on her face. This was so embarrassing!

Naruto smiled and kept walking, chuckling when her purr told him she was asleep again.

Soon he arrived home and he opened the door, being careful not to drop the sleeping cat girl. He made his way to his room and laid her on the bed, taking her sandals off and placing them on the floor next to her. Then, after a second thought, he removed her jacket and skirt, in case she had any concealed weapons in them. He didn't want her to hurt herself in her sleep.

He folded the clothing up and placed it with her shoes. Then he glanced down at her, sweatdropping as he noticed that the only thing she had on was her net top and knee length net shorts. Seeing this made the boy blush, and he quickly covered her with the blankets on the bed. Then he changed into his pajamas and got in the bed as well, pulling the covers up to his neck, shivering. When had it gotten so cold?

'I hope Nozomi's warm enough.' he thought, worriedly. How warm could a simple top and shorts made of netting be?

He froze, his face turning a light shade of red as suddenly Nozomi rolled over and snuggled up against him, laying her head on his shoulder.

The boy's blush deepened slightly as he heard her purr, and he sighed, resting his arm on her shoulder. Oh well. At least he knew that when she woke up and demanded what was going on, he'd be able to say she had started it.

Naruto smiled at the sleeping girl, no longer cold; not with her warm body against his. Still blushing, Naruto kissed her forehead lightly.

"Good night, Nozo-chan."

Almost as if she'd heard him, Nozomi smiled in her sleep. "...Night..." she mumbled.

Naruto stared at her for a minute, trying to decide if her answering him had been a coincidence or not. He sighed, shrugging his shoulder. "Nah...who cares?" he smiled, allowing himself one last glimpse of the cat girl. Then he closed his eyes and leaned into his pillow, instantly asleep.