A/N - YOOOO! We've made it to that part of the story you guys! THE PROPHECY! Geez, it took me freaking TWO YEARS to finally getting around to revealing Nia's fate. Will she live... Or will she perish?

This chapter has over 14 THOUSAND WORDS! If you really wanna get emotionally invested in this chapter, be sure to read through EVERYTHING! Also guys, huge shout out to lestina118 for helping me with a small part of this.

Anyway, PLEASE remember to comment and vote and enjoy ❤️

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Chapter 57: Nia's Prophesied Fate - Life... Or Death?

"Haah... Haah..." Nia panted as she was hiding in what was a cellar, a stream of blood dripping from her temple down her face.

A deep wound was sliced in the flesh of her upper right arm. It heavily oozed out blood and there was a bluish-purple bruise forming around it. She lightly pressed her index finger against the center of the cut and sucked in a sharp breath as the pain spiraled all across her body. Colorful spots contoured the sides of her eyes and she had to bite her lip from the pain of it all.

Time passed slowly. Nia stayed hidden within the darkness, feeling every beat of her heart pounding on the cold stone she laid upon. The wine and ale cellar was as quiet as it was dark, with only one sound to be heard; the sound of her own pulse throbbing in her ears. Suddenly, the serenity of silence surrendered to the deathly scream of hinges, as the door opposite her was slowly prised open. A narrow stream of light gracefully meandered through the room, and a shadow quickly followed.

She was scared and held her breath, daring not to make a sound. Each second seemed to last an eternity as she lay perfectly still listening to the footsteps of the intruder, which had muted the pounding of her pulse.

"Don't you grow bored of this cat and mouse game?" The dark voice spoke. "You're only stalling your death. Why not get it over and done with?"

Tears filled the girl's eyes. All she wanted was to live in a world of peace. All she wanted was to not have her or anyone else be hunted down by someone or something. She wanted to live in a world that could only be described as a fantasy world.

But this was her reality - someone wanted to kill and spill her blood.

She had tried to confront her attacker for the sake of the villagers, so that they and their children would have enough time to escape from the onslaught. However, all her jabs and kicks would only go right through the person - she couldn't land a single hit. Not even her ninjutsu could do anything.

"Found you," Zetsu suddenly sprouted from the ground in front of the girl causing her to shriek.

Quickly, she kicked it in the face and stood up, running off while holding her wounded arm.

That's when the racks of wine she was hiding behind moments ago suddenly exploded. Glass and liquid flew everywhere, piercing the walls and wooden floors alike. A few shards of glass struck the girl's body as she winced in pain. However, her legs kept moving.

She was more or less limping as she ran.

Her breath came in small spurts, hot and nervous. Behind her, she could hear the approaching footsteps of her enemy. Mud smeared her sweaty face as sweat dripped from her matted hair.

"Please just leave me alone!" She cried aloud, throwing herself forward with even greater abandon.

Her lungs and heart were pumping, but the air didn't seem to be enough as she limped forward, panic trembling in her exhausted limbs.

"We can't do that..." Zetsu once more grew from out the ground below some yards ahead. "You're a guardian of the Nine-Tails. You have to die... otherwise we can't draw the Nine-Tails from out of the jinchuriki you love so much."

"Kya!" Nia freaked out as her feet slipped outwards on the wet summer leaves while she rounded the corner, the cold evening air shocking her throat and lungs as she inhaled deeper, faster. With each footfall a jarring pain shot ankle to knee.

Fire blazed all around her, collapsed buildings lied around as bodies cluttered the streets of the village.

So many people dead... all because of her... all because she was whom the Akatsuki were after.

'Please...' Tears flew out of her eyes as images of her life came flashing before her eyes. 'Someone... someone help! I can't... I can't take these two on by myself! I need help!'

In that moment, a spiral appeared out of nowhere as the man with the orange mask stood right in front of her, halting her movements. Nia fell to her bottom as she bumped into him.

"Enough of this," He grabbed her hair and lifted her to her feet as Nia did her best to get out of his grasp.

"No! Let go of me!" She took out a kunai and threw it at him, only for it to fly right through him as if he were a ghost.

"Why?! Why can't I hit you?!" Her frustration grew with every passing second.

"I grow tired of you, Nia," He breathed. "Why can't you just accept your fate? You were always meant to die for the sake of Project Tsukiyomi."

"I don't give a damn about this project of yours! Just let me go!" She then formed a few hand signs and shouted, "Water Style: Raging Waves!"

Water gushed out of Nia's mouth, getting the man who went by Madara, to release her. Once he did, the kunoichi threw a smoke bomb to the ground, using it to hide herself within the screen of smoke.

She only had moments to flee and so she did. Taking off as fast as she could, she found herself taking refuge within a barely standing building. Flames were surrounding her, but the girl had nowhere else to go. Everywhere else was in the open.

"This again," The man groaned as he stood in place, observing the area. "How cowardly are you?"

'It's called playing it smart until reinforcements arrive, dumbass,' Nia thought as a chunk of a wall she was hiding within collapsed.

An image of Naruto appeared in her mind as she held a closed fist to her heart and closed her eyes.

Oh Naruto... I wish you were here right now with me... You're the only one that can save me from these people... I'm so scared... I don't wanna die here...

"Thinking about your love?" Zetsu once more appeared, only from the wall to her left this time. "Sorry, but he went chasing after Sasuke and left you to die..."

"You shut your mouth!" She threw a fist at his face, only for him to move his head to the side.

"Oops, you missed," He messed with her.

Nia gritted her teeth and threw another quick jab, this time landing a blow. When she did, she took off again.

They're wrong... Naruto won't abandon me. He wouldn't leave me to die even if it meant he would have to put his desire to bring Sasuke back to the village on hold. He's coming to save me right now. I just know it... I can feel it in my heart! I just have to last long enough until he gets h-'

BOOM!

An explosion flew the girl many yards forward on her stomach across the streets of the small village. When she stopped, she writhed in pain. When she attempted to stand, she collapsed back to the ground, unable to move.

'M-My leg...' She reached down to it, gritting her teeth in agony.

"That paper bomb did the trick," Tobi appeared from the smoke. "Now you can't keep running away from me."

"I-It's no use..." Nia tried to move but couldn't. "My leg... It's broken..."

Having approached her, Tobi grabbed her by the throat, raising her to the tips of her toes as he done so.

"N-No..." Nia breathed, resting her hand on his wrist.

"This is as far as you go..."

"Naruto... Please... Help..."

"He won't be here in time to save you," The masked man said.

Tears flowed down Nia's cheeks as memories of her with the genin brushed passed her mind.

From the moment they met until even now, the memories of him poured in. She had started off as so rude and distant from him. In the beginning, Nia treated Naruto like he was a person not to be trusted — therefore, a person not worth her time. She felt that he was like everyone else in the end, and no matter how much Naruto tried, Nia didn't want to believe he was different.

She thought he was all talk. It wasn't until Naruto actually showed Nia that he wasn't going to turn his back on her the moment someone else came around, she felt that he was an okay person. Although, that wasn't enough for her to completely give all her trust to him, but it was enough for her to want to get to know him just a little bit. Still Nia, upon having someone who was genuinely nice to her, made her feel overly conflicted about herself and how she was supposed to react to the kindness she was being given.

It made her act a little bi polar, but she slowly started getting use to his acts of kindness. Still... even though she had Naruto's kindness, he was only one person and at the time, she could never forget that he had a huge crush on someone who was beautiful. To her, she believed she would still end up alone, but Naruto was a good distraction and it was nice for her to have somebody listen to her even if it didn't last long.

It wasn't until Naruto got kidnapped that she realized that she didn't want the first person that had actually been a friend to her and had related to her, in some way, gone. To her, Naruto hadn't given up on humanity and it made her want to try and believe she could go through her hardships and find a place for herself in this world without giving up either. Naruto was the first person she truly fought for.

There was no instant love between the two of them, no attraction, no hate, no trust when they first met. In fact, the only reason the two really got to know each other was because they shared the same master: Jiraiya. Other than that, Nia wanted to be an author and Naruto wanted to focus on training. They were complete opposites when it came to likes and dislikes.

It didn't help that Nia didn't trust easily. It actually lead to most of their relationship being one sided with Naruto doing his best to reach out to her when she didn't want to be reached. Of course, Naruto didn't give up and was finally able to build a steady connection of friendship between Nia and himself. It was then Nia gave him a chance and reluctantly put some faith in him not to mess up, but that didn't mean she trusted him. She'd simply gave him a chance to gain her trust, and even when he did, she didn't believe it would last long; but it did, and it surprised her every time Naruto didn't take the chance to break her trust or her faith.

From there, the attraction started for her and with that, she started to treat him differently — she started to cherish him more. Although for Naruto, well, he was as oblivious as he could be and though he was, he still saw Nia as a friend he must protect — especially since there was no one at all to protect her, but with Nia treating him differently, Naruto realized he was number one.

He was the only one to be there for her, not just to protect her, but to listen to her, to actually see her and to stop her when she was going off road and didn't want to be stopped. He was her one and only personal hero, and although he was slow to admit he liked being her one and only, he didn't want anyone else to be her hero.

"This is the end for you... Farewell... Nia Umino," Tobi drew his hand back and clenched his fist as chakra emitted from it.

'Naruto... i'm... sorry...' Nia closed her eyes, accepting her face as a fresh set of tears rolled down her already tear and dirt-stained face.

Then... there was an intense and unbearable pain.

Not too far off, Naruto roughly kicked off a branch of a tree, leaving an indent of his sandal on it.

"Dammit!" He swore as he dashed through the forest as fast as he possibly could, "I can't believe I left her in that village alone! I should've known! Dammit!"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out as she was quite a ways behind the genin, "Calm down, I'm sure she's-"

Suddenly, they heard an explosion ahead of them. They could see smoke rising into the air and heard lots of people screaming at the top of their lungs.

"That's... coming from the small village we just left out of." Sakura gasped.

Feeling a horrible tightness in his chest, Naruto clenched onto it very hard.

"Nia's in danger, Sakura... I just know it! I can feel it in my heart, ya know!"

"Naruto, I'm sure she can protect herself, can't she?"

"No!" The blond replied with anxiousness in his tone, "I don't know what it is, but lately she's been acting really fatigued and drained of energy. She's extremely vulnerable right now! I have to protect her!"

"Is she that sick?"

"I... I think she could've ate or drunk something that was contaminated. I don't know! I do remember her complaining about how her water tasted weird."

His mind then went back on his girlfriend.

Even before they got together. Nia treated Naruto better than most girls he knew. She wasn't violent towards him when he did something stupid or perverted.  In fact, she was kinda meek and standoffish, but she was never afraid to share her opinion.

However, once Naruto got pass all her walls, and confusing layers, he saw that she was actually a really sweet and caring person with a soft and bruised heart. As she opened up more to him, she began to pay him more attention than anybody ever had. She'd lift him up when he was down and take care of his wounds, even the minor ones.

She was always so attentive to him, never dissing his dreams and even the one of coming home to someone. If she could do something to make him happier, and keep those cyan blue eyes shining brightly, she would at any given moment. In Nia's eyes, Naruto was the best no matter what. Nia truly believed that Naruto was and is the world's greatest gift not only to her, but to anyone who's alone and have given up on humanity.

Nia treated Naruto like he was the hero who held the world on his shoulders. While at the same time, giving off a radiant warm light that could reach even the darkest of places.

Nia means the world to me! I have to hurry! I wouldn't be able to bear it anyone dared laid a finger on her!

Back in the village, many laid dead on the ground while only one was left to be in the clutches of the enemy.

"You should feel honored to die... for you are helping me get one step closer into setting my plan for this dark world into motion." The masked individual said to Nia as he held her by the throat, "You were able to escape last time thanks to the last guardian the Akatsuki had managed to kill, but this time... no one's here to hide you away, little girl."

The kunoichi was shakily gripping onto her attacker's wrist as blood poured out of her mouth and down her chin. She was weakened and beaten badly. Something had prevented her from defending herself like she used to and because of it, she paid the ultimate price.

She coughed out blood that had then splattered onto the man's mask. His hand was pierced through the girl's midsection as her blood dripped from off of it and onto the ground below.

"Though I'm not quite sure why you couldn't put up much of a fight, I do thank you for being so easy to get rid of. All that's left now is to head over to the Leaf and kill the two remaining guardians over there then after that... Sasuke Uchiha. And once all you guardians are no more, I can finally go and capture the nine-tails."

With that said, the man pulled his hand out of the girl while she screamed in pain as blood began to pour out of the hole made in her body. He then released her throat from his grip and watched as she slowly fell onto her back. However when this happened, he began to get reminded of what he had once seen in his earlier years.

His eyes narrowed as the memory came back to haunt him. His victim was going to die in almost the same way his beloved did. However, he had been secretly watching Nia prior to this whole thing. Watching the connection she had to the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails.

He observed as she formed a bond with him. Watched as she supported him much like his love once did to him. Watching as she was becoming important to the blond like his lost one had become to him. Her caring nature towards Naruto had reminded him too greatly of his beloved's caring nature towards himself.

'Rin...' He thought as he stared down at his victim.

Though it was Nia lying helplessly on the cold ground with her eyes closed, blood seeping out her mouth down her neck, and with a hole in her body, the masked man could only see Rin lying down beneath his feet as opposed to the kunoichi.

"My light was taken from me..." He talked with a deep dark tone as he slowly started to look ahead of himself, "It isn't fair for you to be able to keep your light while I had to lose mine. However... her death is for the good of this wretched world. As in time, yours shall too... Naruto Uzumaki."

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" An army of clones then came out of nowhere from the trees and leaped into the air as they all came crashing to the ground with a rasengan in hand.

Dirt blasted into the air on impact while the individual simply disappeared out of sight then reappeared as soon as the jutsu was no longer a threat. Upon seeing this, the clones all engaged him in battle.

As the masked man was busy with the illusions, the real Naruto went over to Nia as she was lying in a pool of her own blood and sat her up in his arms.

"Nia!" He called for her with an ache in his voice as he saw just how badly wounded the girl really was, "Nia don't worry, I'm here now. You're gonna be all right, okay? Sakura's going to heal you."

Weakly opening her eyes as Sakura was beginning to do her work, Nia only felt pain and almost as if she could pass out at any moment. She was extremely exhausted.

"Naru...to... it's you. You came back..." She said weakly as she had her palm atop of her wound.

"Shh... don't say anything," The blond told her, "Just stay quiet and rest as Sakura does her job, all right?"

Lifting her hand off her injury, Nia saw how it was covered fully in blood. She then softly looked at the blond as she understood her time had come. Her fate was sealed.

"Naruto," Sakura called in a panicked voice as her hands glowed a green aura around it as she healed the injury, "These wounds... she's... she's lost too much blood! I'm not... I'm not sure if I can save her."

"W-What do you mean you can't save her, Sakura?!" The blond began to panic also, "You trained under Granny, right? Y-You should be able to save her!"

"I'm... I'm doing the best I can, Naruto!"

"Hmph, you can't save her no matter what you do." The masked man lowly declared as he finished off the last clone and felt no remorse for his actions, "There's a literal hole almost right in her stomach and she's beaten badly. You can't help her."

"YOU SHUT UP!" Naruto yelled as he began to get up slightly, "You're the one who-"

"Please...stop," Nia grabbed onto the blond's jacket, "Just please... don't let me go..."

"Sweetheart..." Naruto once more focused on her and held her closer to him.

"Nine-Tails, if it weren't for you chasing after your precious friend and leaving this girl all by herself, she wouldn't be as injured as she is had you protected her."

This seemed to take a hit at the blond's emotions.

"You left your defenseless woman to die. You didn't as to so much leave a clone to watch over her. No... you wanted to reunite with Sasuke. You chose him over your own lover. Your own woman."

"D-Don't listen to him, Naruto..." Nia spoke once more, "You left me here cause you were worried I'd get hurt. You thought I'd be safe here... but he's right. I... I don't think I'm gonna make it... I can feel myself... slipping. My body's beginning to shut down"

"W-What're you saying?!" The blond then became immensely sensitive, "Of course you're going to make it! You're not going to die, Nia! Not like this!"

"This is what happens when you rely on others to protect your woman!" The Akatsuki member, who went by Tobi, then spoke again as Nia closed her eyes but was still breathing, "For she will get slaughtered the moment you leave her side. The girl barely even put up a fight to be quite frank. She tuckered out quickly and she could barely land a hit, let alone, defend herself. She's weak!"

Suddenly, a gasp came out from Sakura's lips, "O-Oh no... this... this... can't be...!"

"Sakura! What's wrong?! Tell me!"

"I-I'm sure of it..." The girl then began to get noticeably upset, "Naruto... Nia... she... there's... I sense, no I feel... a heartbeat."

"Sakura, of course you're feeling a heart-"

"NO, Naruto!" The girl raised her voice, "There's a heartbeat! A heartbeat coming from... her stomach!"

At this, Naruto's eyes began to widen as everything began to make sense to him. The reason why the girl was so fatigued. The reason the girl had been so tired easily. The reason she couldn't keep up in her training sessions. The reason she felt sick a lot.

"No..." Tears began to well up in the boy's eyes, "This can't... This can't be happening... why now?! Why does this have to be happening now?!"

Immediately, he grabbed ahold of Nia's hand and squeezed it in his own then placed it near his heart, "Nia, hey! Listen to me, don't give in to your wounds, ya hear?! Please! Sweetheart!"

"Na...ruto... there's... there's..." Sakura then spoke again as she gave a look as if she had seen a ghost. Her hands trembled over Nia's body while tears of her own fell down her cheeks.

"Please, Sakura... please tell me she'll be all right..." Naruto begged with a shaky voice.

"Two..." The girl breathed as she tried not to get choked up, "There's... two heartbeats... it's not just one. I can feel two..."

"!"

"Nia, she's... she's pregnant... with twins, Naruto."

Hearing this, his heart dropped. The tears that were locked away in his eyes had then scurried about. Deep down, in a place in his heart that he never wanted to have to face—He knew... not only was he about to lose the love of his life, he was also going to lose the two beings that he and Nia had ultimately created together.

"Ah... pregnancy would give a good reason as to why the girl could barely defend herself. For the toll it brings on the body would slow one down immensely. I guess not only will you lose one light, but also an additional two... Nine-Tails."

"Y-You monster!" Sakura barked as her chest felt heavy due to her discovery of the unborn twins, "You knew, didn't you?! You attacked her knowing she was with child!"

"I speak the truth when I say, I did not," Tobi spoke honestly, "However... it is best that these children do not be born into this world as it is. I will save them from the darkness by letting them perish with their mother."

In the world I create, all three shall be resurrected as the world will truly be at peace when my project is finished!

"Sweetheart..." Nia felt Naruto's tears fall onto her cheek then opened her eyes.

"D-Did you hear?" He asked with a lump in his throat, "W-We're... We're gonna have twins. You're gonna be a mom... and I'm going to be a dad, ya know?"

The kunoichi offered him a weak smile and spoke in a solemn voice "Naruto... I'm... forgive me... for everything. I just feel... so tired. Please... please let me rest. I'll only take a little while..."

"NIA, NO!" The blond screamed desperately before he spoke softly, "Nia, please... please don't sleep. Y-You have two lives inside you... Two innocent lives..."

Nia's breathing began to slow as she was succumbing to her wounds. Despite Sakura's best efforts, the girl's injuries were just far too severe to heal. The pink-haired girl and her teammate could only watch in despair and hopelessness as Nia's time began to dwindle on the earth.

"Think about the promises we made to one another." Naruto then croaked as the girl still gazed deeply into the eyes she loved so dearly, "You promised... You promised to stay by my side. You told me you wanted to be with me forever... you promised me you'd be with me forever, Nia!"

As he said this, memories of their moments together ran through the boy's mind. All of which had already came to pass in the present and been forest by the Great elder sage toad of Mt. Myoboku.

~FLASHBACK~

"Naruto, this is such a big teddy bear." Nia said as her and the blond were sitting on his bed with their backs against the headboard.

The lights were off and the only thing that gave them light was the full moon.

"I thought... you'd like that, ya know?" Naruto grinned as he then gazed at the profile of Nia's face.

She was so happy over receiving a gift from him. Though gifts weren't something she felt he needed to buy her, it still made her feel wonderful that her loved one would buy something she had always wanted. Taking her hand, Naruto intertwined his fingers with hers and placed them on the bed in the space between them.

"Curly Br-"

"The moon," The girl incidentally interrupted, "Look at it. Isn't it pretty today? It looks like there's a purple glow around it, Naruto."

"Yeah," He nodded before getting the girl's attention, "Curly Brow, can I... ask you something important?"

"Hm?" The girl looked back at him, "Oh yeah, of course you can."

The genin gave her hand a squeeze, "How long... do you intend... to be with me?"

"Eh?!" Nia blushed as she was confused why he'd ask that, "You... wanna know that for real?"

"Of course I do! Just tell me the truth, ya know? Your honest answer!"

"The truth?"

"Yes!"

Gazing into the blond's oceanic colored eyes shyly, Nia then answered, "If you want the honest truth then... I... wanna be with you... forever. For the rest of my life, Naruto..."

Hearing this, his eyes widened a bit.

"You... you're being serious? You wanna-"

"Yes..." Nia laid her head on his shoulder as she still held onto her large teddy bear in one arm, "That is... if you'll let me of course."

Taking a few moments to let her words sink in, Naruto then responded, "Let's make a promise to each other then..."

Nia looked at him.

"We're gonna stay together forever... nothing's ever going to tear us apart, ya know?"

With a flushed face, Nia softly smiled, "Yes! I promise! I wanna be with you forever. No matter what, Naruto. Nothing will ever separate us."

Thrilled to know this, the genin leaned in and softly brushed his lips against the girl's as he silently thanked her in his head.

Curly Brow...

~FLASHBACK ENDS~

"Remember those times you supported me non-stop! How you always believed in me! You promised you'd watch me become Hokage one day, dammit!" The blond cried as he then reminisced their first date on the Hokage Monument.

~FLASHBACK~

"You know... one day I'm gonna be the best hokage that's ever lived..." The blond said with a calm tone as he stood atop of the fourth's statue while Nia had only sat down on it.

Nia looked up at him as he continued to babble.

"I'm gonna prove to everyone just how awesome I really am. I'm gonna show the whole village that I'm someone who deserves their respect and acceptance."

"Well, you sure do have a lot of determination. When I saw you training with Jiraiya-sensei, I was super impressed. Hell, you have the attitude of a hokage too in my opinion. You care so much about people." Nia shared her honest opinion.

Naruto slightly blushed and looked at the girl, "Wow... you really think so, Curly Brow?"

Nia nodded, "I know so."

She then stood up and added, "Your dream is really awesome to me. When you talk about it, I can't help but to root you on. In fact, I really wanna see this happen. You have to be hokage!"

"You mean... you'll watch me become it?"

Nia nodded and grinned, "Hell yeah! I'll watch you every step of the way and will be cheering you on too! I believe in you, Naruto. You're awesome!"

~FLASHBACK ENDS~

"You promised you'd be there to take care of me when I get sick! We both promised!" The boy added.

~FLASHBACK~

"Ugggh! This is the worst!" Naruto groaned as a washcloth was on his forehead and he was laying in bed sick as a dog.

"I told you not to eat that mushroom, but you did," Nia shook her head as she sat near the genin with a glass of water in her hand.

"It just looked... really good, ya know?"

"That doesn't mean it's edible. You need to look pass the appearance of things, Naruto. The mushroom we were looking for wasn't pleasing to the eye, but it was the healthy one to eat." Nia lightly scolded the blond as she helped him sit up and tilted the glass gradually up as he began sipping the water slowly.

When she was done, she noticed there was some vomit on his jacket and as she wore her gloves, she helped him out of it and placed it in a basket where she would wash it for him later. Looking into his closet, Nia then grabbed him a black shirt with an orange swirl at the center of it and placed it on him.

"Your food will be done in a little while, all right?" She told him gently, "For now, let me just change this bucket for you. You've been vomiting a lot."

As she did that, Naruto waited for her return and when she came back, she placed a new bucket by his side then took the cloth off his forehead to wet it again with cold water, squeeze the extra water out, then place it back onto him as he sighed in relief.

"Nia," He talked as she began to take out some bland crackers for him to eat while he waited for his food, "You're... an angel, ya know?"

"Oh no..." The girl began to blush while smiling to herself, "I'm no angel. I just like to do whatever I can for you. I'll always be here to take care of you when you're sick."

"What? You really mean that?" Naruto weakly replied before wincing.

"Of course I do," Nia answered with a smile as she kissed his cheek then gently lowered him back onto his pillow, "I promise."

Feeling touched, the genin grew red as his lips curved upwards.

"I promise to do the same for you too, ya know?"

"Mhm," The girl understood then placed her hand on his cheek, "Okay, why don't you get some rest now? I gotta go back and keep preparing your food, all right? If you need something, just ring this bell I'm putting beside you, okay?"

"Yeah... thank you."

"No problem, I just hope you feel better real soon. I'm so worried about you."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be in perfect shape in no time, thanks to you, Sweetie."

"That relieves me," Nia sighed happily, "I'll do my best for you, Naruto."

~FLASHBACK ENDS~

"Nia, we may have gotten off on a rocky start... we may have had our fair share of arguments..."

~FLASHBACK~

"Waaaaa!" Nia awoken in the genin's arms after spending the night on a tree branch and squirmed out of his grasp then backed up, "Why are you touching me?!"

Naruto was about to speak but Jiraiya interrupted.

"You know, sleeping up on that tree all night isn't something you should do when it's a very chilly night." He said.

Nia looked up. Her eyes immediately sparkled upon seeing the man she's dreamed of meeting since a long while ago.

"Jiraiya-sensei! Is that really you?!"

"The one and only!" The old man straightened himself up and placed his knuckles on each side of his hip then laughed obnoxiously.

Oh my gosh! This can't be happening!

Nia cupped her hands around her mouth and nose. Her excitement over finding her desired future master was beginning to take over her.

"If you know Pervy Sage over there, you must know who I am too." Naruto stood up and walked towards the girl his age, "The name's Na-"

"Jiraiya-sensei!" Nia ran then shoved Naruto back to the ground and out of her way. She next jumped and hugged Jiraiya around his neck while kicking her legs behind her, "I can't believe I finally get to meet you! This is the greatest day of my life!"

"Woah there." Jiraiya watched the under aged girl squirm about, "Why don't you try calming down a bit and telling me a little about yourself?"

"Oh right!" Nia listened and released Jiraiya, "My name is Nia Umino! I came searching for you so that you may take me to be your student!"

The girl then bowed politely.

Behind her, Naruto recovered and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. Nia looked at him.

"What was that all about?!" He pouted while pointing at his cheek, "You totally rammed your elbow into my face!"

•••

The early sun was rising upon the faces of Naruto, Nia, and Jiraiya.

Currently, the sannin was still waiting for an answer out of Nia's mouth.

"Well..." He said, "Are you gonna explain yourself? What are you doing away from your village?"

Nia quivered but remained tall. Her hands trembled but she placed them behind her so that neither of the male ninja would notice her uneasiness.

"Mmm..." She hummed, "I left... my village. I went rogue."

"What?!" Naruto gritted his teeth. This reply had made him agitated, "Why would you do something like that? Do you even realize what you've done?"

"Of course!" Nia barked back, "And I don't regret it at all! Not a single bit!"

"But-" Naruto leaned forward before Jiraiya puts his arm in front of the younger male.

"That's enough, Naruto."

•••

"Why're you being nice to me?" Nia asked plainly as she was lying in a bed with multiple bandages after the four-tails transformation incident.

The blond just blinked, "What do you mean?"

Nia sighed, "Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, you protected me from three guys who were insulting me, this is the second time you bought me a cookie with your own money, you made me cup noodl-"

"Ramen, ya know?" Naruto corrected the girl.

"Ramen..." Nia sweat dropped, "You help me with my ninjutsu, you help me improve my taijutsu, you offered friendship to me, you literally listened to some dumb crush story I had when I was younger, you laugh at some of the things I say... no, you talk to me in general, you protected me in that cave, gave me encouragement, and now you're actually sitting here watching over my pathetic state while Jiraiya-sensei is out looking for whatever the heck he's looking for..."

"What're you trying to say then?" Naruto replied.

"Don't you find it strange that you're not being like... other people?"

"Eh?"

"Ugh, I mean, why aren't you being mean to me? Why aren't you laughing at my appearance? Why aren't you insulting it? Why aren't you even talking about me behind my back? Trust me, I know when someone, even if they claim to be my friend, insult my appearance behind my back. I always know. Even if they try to lie about it if I confront them."

"Well, I don't really bring people down like that if I know they've been treated really badly because of something out of their control, ya know?"

"Yeah sure." Nia said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"I just told you the truth so why are you rolling your eyes?" Naruto got a little offended.

"You're a guy."

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you supposed to just talk to girls who are at least somewhat pretty or decent even?"

"I like to be friends with everyone."

"And I like to eat cupped ramen," Nia again answered with a smart-mouth, "How about you tell me the truth? Why're you being so nice to me?"

"I already told you, ya know? I like being friends with everyone. Especially with people who-"

"Well whatever the reason, I don't buy it. What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything," Naruto answered, "and why're you being so moody all of a sudden? I thought we were finally getting along..."

"That reminds me: why did you hug me?" The kunoichi asked.

"I felt bad... for hurting you..."

"You didn't do it for like... any other reason or anything?"

The blue-eyed boy shook his head, "I don't know what you're getting at, but I really do feel terrible for what I did to you."

The girl sighed, "You're really strange for being nice to me. You should really stop."

Naruto didn't say anything.

"No seriously, you should stop being nice to me. Be like other people and treat me like garbage. That way you won't have to deal with the consequences of being nice to me."

"I'm not going to be mean to you for no reason, ya know?"

"But you don't get it! If you keep being kind to me, I'll end up falling in-" Nia cut her sentence short and sighed again, "Listen, I'm just trying to save you the trouble is all I'm saying, okay?"

Naruto sighed, stood up and placed his arms behind his head, "Well, I'm going to train now."

"But you're supposed to be watching me!"

"You're kinda having a bratty attitude right now so I'm gonna come back after you stop being that way."

Nia became offended, "I'm not being bratty! I just think that deep down you're actually just as bad as everyone everyone else!"

"Yeah yeah..." Naruto headed for the door, "See ya."

"But seriously! Who's supposed to watch over me?"

"I would use a shadow clone, but you're gonna give it a hard time and then when it disappears, I'll get irritated because of what you said to it, ya know."

"Well then, fine! Just leave then! I don't need your company anyway!"

Naruto placed his hand on the handle, "You know, I have no idea why Pervy Sage would ever tease me about liking you in that way..."

He then opened the door and looked back at the girl, "I could never like you in that way. That'll never happen! You're such a brat, ya know!"

•••

"Don't be so nervous." Naruto tried to calm Nia down as they waited for the girl to take her chunin exam, "Trust me, you'll be passing this test with flying colors. Kakashi-sensei is tough but I doubt he'll go too hard on you."

"Sure." Nia averted her eyes.

Naruto frowned then crossed his arms, "You're very depressing sometimes, ya know?"

"Well excuuuse me for not being overly optimistic like you!"

'Oh boy...' Naruto thought to himself, 'This girl has zero confidence.'

"If you want my honest opinion, I think you should learn to be more positive."

Nia averted her eyes. Naruto saw this and removed his headband.

"Wear this," He said as he waited for the girl to grab the item from him, "This always helped me to never give up on anything and always reminded me of what I am: a ninja. It should do the same for you."

"Well I don't want it." Nia crossed her arms and refused to make eye contact, "A simple headband could never give me the courage I need to go out there and prove myself to the Raikage."

Naruto sighed heavily and brought his headband to the girl's forehead anyway.

She shrieked and stepped back, "What're you doing? I told you I didn't wanna wear that thing."

"Well, you are!"

"Make me!"

"Fine then," Naruto responded and crossed his two finger across another two, "I will!"

A poof of smoke appeared and a few of his clones grabbed Nia by the arms and legs. In the time she was trying to shake off the clones, Naruto had tied his headband around the kunoichi's head and grinned.

"There!" He said. His clones then dispersed and Nia groaned.

Before she could do or say anything, however, Naruto grabbed her by the wrist, "I know you can do this."

Again, the girl scoffed at his faith in her. The ninja ignored this, turned a certain direction, walked, and pulled the girl forward.

"If you keep thinking like that, you best believe you'll remain a genin forever."

"That doesn't make sense. You're completely overly optimistic and you're still a genin too, aren't you?"

Naruto stopped walking yet kept his hand on the girl's wrist. She stared at the back of his head and wondered that if what she said went a little overboard.

"I am still a genin..." The jinchuuriki spoke ever so softly, "but believe me when I say that even if I do stay as genin forever, I'll still be hokage."

~FLASHBACK ENDS~

"But no matter how many times we got into it, the arguments would only bring us closer once we resolved it!" Naruto sniffled as Nia shakily brought her palm up to his cheek in the hopes that she'd be able to comfort him.

"Naruto..." Sakura still did her best to keep the girl alive for as long as possible so the two would be able to at least say their goodbyes.

As they did, Tobi could only think of his own past once more.

"This is what it means to be in hell..." He told the blond, "The girl will die, but I am not without any sort of kindness. You are at least able to say your farewell to her."

For you will be difficult to subdue if you lose your complete utter sanity and release the Nine-Tails all at once...

"Nia, please... please don't do this to me," The blond continued to plead, "You... You were difficult to get to know, but you opened up to me. You made me feel trusted. You made me feel close to you, ya know!"

~FLASHBACK~

Nia sat on a field of flowers as she appeared lonely and seemed to be in deep thought.

Not too far, Naruto had spotted the kunoichi and walked towards her direction. He stopped when he saw the expression on her face.

Curly Brow...

Her face was stained with tears and her nose looked stuffed. When the ninja got closer, he saw that her eyes were also slightly red and that they looked somewhat swollen.

"Nia...?" He reached the girl.

Shocked to hear his voice, Nia turned to look at the male, "Naruto!"

The boy's eyes showed concern in them. This caused Nia to get embarrassed.

Quickly, she took her glasses off and turned her back towards him then used her hands to wipe her tears and face.

"What's wrong, Nia? Were you... crying?" Naruto asked with a soft tone.

"No!" She lied as she continued to freshen herself up, "I wasn't crying. Why would I be crying?"

"You tell me..." Naruto sat down next to his comrade.

Nia fidgeted when he actually sat near her. The moment felt awkward to her. She really thought no one was around when her emotions got the best of her.

Finally, she took her hands away from her face, placed her glasses back on then looked at Naruto with gloomy eyes. However, his eyes radiated with sympathy and kindness. It didn't take long for the girl to glance away.

"I... I thought you were having fun in the village." Nia finally spoke but with a dull tone.

"I was but I got bored pretty quickly."

"Oh..."

Naruto watched as the girl lowered her eyes to her lap. It was obvious she felt uncomfortable.

"Nia, I know something is bothering you-"

"Nothing's bothering me!"

"Like hell there isn't!" Naruto raised his voice, "I just saw you crying! You honestly think I'm dumb enough to believe you?!"

"..."

Her unresponsive answer gave Naruto the signal to speak more calmly.

"Friends are supposed to be there for one another. I'm just trying to lend you an ear that'll listen to whatever you have to say."

"What? We're friends?" Nia looked at Naruto with widened eyes.

"Of course we are, ya know!" Naruto pumped his fist.

His quick answer caused blood to rise to the surface of Nia's face. She never really saw them as friends but since he said it, she began to think it too.

"It's such a weird feeling." She began to slightly smile.

"What is?" Naruto tilted his head.

"You saying we're friends... It makes me feel a little giddy inside."

"Why? Did you not ever have a friend before?"

"I've had some but... none of them ever really cared about me. If I was upset or felt alone, none would bother cheering me up. I eventually grew distant from them with time."

This got on Naruto's bad side.

"People who abandon you aren't your friends, Curly Brow! A friend doesn't watch you live your life in pain and agony! They're supposed to give you a helping hand and lend their support." He spoke from his heart.

"Really?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah! That's why, from this moment forward... You can always count on me being there for you; I never turn my back on any of my friends!"

For a moment, Nia's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Naruto with a tomato-colored face.

"Hm?" Naruto noticed the girl's stare.

Quickly, she again pretended to look over his shoulder. Naruto sweat-dropped.

She keeps avoiding looking at me...

"Err so..." Naruto talked, "You wanna get that load off your shoulder?"

"..."

Though Nia still felt suspicious of Naruto's intentions, something in her gut told her that venting to him would make her feel a bit better. She decided to take the gamble and speak what was on her mind.

•••

"Helllooo?! Earth to Curly Brow?! You there?!" Naruto called to the kunoichi as they had been both locked up in a separate cell due to Nia having gone rogue from her village and Naruto helping in resisting her arrest.

However, the girl didn't respond to Naruto's voice. This got on the genin's nerves before he finally yelled, "NIA!"

"WHAT?!" She angrily turned around.

Naruto turned blue in the face, "N-Nevermind..."

Nia sighed, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel like talking... Can't you see that I'm upset right now...?"

"Uh, actually... It's sorta hard to tell when you're not facing me completely."

The kunoichi faced Naruto and when she did, he could see the stress in her eyes.

"Don't worry so much..." He attempted to reassure her, "Things'll get better, ya know?"

"Sure. That's what everyone says."

"It's true."

Nia lowered her head, "I just... I just don't wanna get laughed at and shunned again..."

A tear slipped down her left eye. Naruto saw this and made a face.

"Don't cry..." He got serious.

Nia heard him but didn't stop. In fact more tears rolled down her face. The memory of her past once more clutched onto her. She thought of herself in her early teens up till the age she was currently at.

"All I've heard since I was fourteen was just insults day in and day out," The girl sobbed, "I was so tired of hearing that I'm ugly or that I'm fat or that I was of no use on certain missions cause I couldn't use ninjutsu properly at the time! Now I have to hear all that crap again."

Naruto continued to frown but didn't say anything.

Nia was feeling so gloomy that her toffe skin began to show redness on its surface, "No one didn't wanna be my friend after my looks didn't grow appealing like theirs did. I was always alone in my room if I didn't have any missions because of my fear of being judged and being treated like an outcast! I was lonely and could barely manage to make a few acquaintances."

Naruto waited for a few seconds for Nia to talk and when she didn't, he decided to say what he wanted.

"I don't... like to hear the sound of your voice when your feeling the way that you are now, ya know?" He said with an empathetic tone, "I can hear the loneliness in your voice when you do and... It makes me feel a connection with you."

Nia slightly looked across from where she sat. Naruto was looking at the ground with a sad smile.

"I felt the pain of feeling and being alone too, ya know? I was always treated like dirt and no one wanted to be my friend when I was younger... I wanted someone to make someone make me feel like... Well someone. However, that's where you and I differ: I didn't care what kind of attention I got. Negative or positive, it didn't matter to me as long as everyone acknowledged my existence," Naruto then made eye contact with his friend, "With you, you'd rather be invisible than deal with having negative attention..."

Nia looked away from him.

"But still..." Naruto continued, "When we first met, I could see it in your eyes that you really wanted to improve yourself when we fought to see if Pervy Sage would make you his second pupil... You wanted to learn ninjutsu so you could prove that others are wrong about you and that it'll help raise your faith in your abilities, right?"

"Mhm..." Nia nodded but still wouldn't make eye contact.

Naruto chuckled a little, "That's where we're alike. We both have the desire to prove ourselves to those who doubt us. We both wanna be seen in a positive life."

Finally, the kunoichi looked up to see her blonde sibling student appearing very confident in his words.

"So, no matter what, don't let yourself be caged in self-pity just because others gave you a bad and unfair hand in life. I really do understand what it's like to feel so low that I convinced myself that maybe the world was better off without me. However... with more positive thinking, I came to acknowledge myself as a person and was able to make friends eventually. I never tired of trying to change the fate that life had for me back then. I fought for a new one and got it. You should do the same too!"

"But..."

"Don't even start!" Naruto cut Nia off, "You're about to say you can't do it and that's where you're totally wrong! All you need is courage and perseverance! Without those two qualities, life will always be a burden to you. You've got to learn how to carve your own destiny, Curly Brow... You've got to learn how to do it on your own."

"But I don't wanna be alone in this!" She cried.

"Then I'll show you how until you finally catch on yourself!"

Suddenly, the tears rolling down Nia's cheeks seemed to halt. They were now only a long single line. She once more made eye contact with Naruto.

"All you need is confidence and someone to show you the way of the shinobi: The will to never give up and the endurance to succeed even if you fail at times." The then sixteen-year-old male smiled.

Again he was able to touch Nia's heart with his strong words.

"So, how about you wipe your tears now and hope for the best?" He suggested.

The kunoichi nodded and stopped feeling bad about herself. She wiped her tears and thanked Naruto for his kindness.

"You're welcome, but you don't gotta call me kind or anything." A tiny blush appeared on his cheeks just below his eyes. 

•••

"I'm not... taking advantage of you. I know you're not being yourself right now and I know you have pretty deep feelings for me. You tell me so much it makes me wonder why you feel the way you do even though you already told me your reasons. But still... " Naruto said as he was atop of Nia, pinning her wrists down to his bed after she had tried to seduce him in her drunkard state of mind.

"Why does it have to be Sakura who has your heart?" The girl then replied.

Naruto opened his eyes.

"How come just because she's pretty means you gotta be with her? It'd be different if you actually liked her, but you only like her mainly for her looks. Whenever you talk about her, it's always because she has a cute smile, pretty eyes, and nice hair. You completely ignore the fact that she hits you, refuses to acknowledge your feelings, had feelings for someone else, and calls you an idiot all the time... it's like you let her get away with hurting you in some way because she's hot to you."

Because of her drunken state, it caused Nia to openly vent what she's kept inside for a while that she had no intention of spilling out while sober.

"I know that I'm not pretty or anything but can't you at least acknowledge my feelings?! Please stop chasing after a girl just because she's hot when she treats you like garbage! That pisses me off so much! Even I didn't lay my hands on you during our worst arguments. I let it go cause I care about you." The girl then blushed heavily and admitted, "I liked you since that day you helped me when we were inside that cave!"

"What?" Naruto's eyes widened.

"Don't you remember?" The girl then hiccuped, "The cave where our chakra was being sapped. I liked you after realizing just how kind you were. I got scared when you transformed because I thought you were gonna die. It scared me to death! I was completely terrified! I thought I was gonna lose you."

"What? That long ago? That happened several months ago. Even then... I hadn't even known you for more than a month when that happened..."

"And? I spent that whole month only talking to you and Jiraiya-sensei since we were traveling. That means I spent countless hours speaking to only two people but since Jiraiya-sensei kept going off to those bars and stuff, I was left with you for at least a few hours more. So pretty much, the only person I talked to for that whole month was you! Of course I'd end up catching feelings eventually."

"I... I had no idea... I had no idea you felt that way towards me back then," Naruto replied, "Is that why you kept staring at me so much? Why you kept getting embarrassed every time you and I would have a moment together? Why you kept asking about Sakura?"

"I repressed what I felt for you cause I felt unworthy. I felt you were too good for me. I still feel that way. You're too good for me, Whisker Cheeks."

"Wait! So then..."

"Deep down, I wanted you to like me but I was afraid that if I gave in to my feelings and tried to win you over, you'd reject me completely."

"This doesn't make sense! I thought you liked someone else!"

"NO! NO! NO!" Nia became irritated, "NO ONE COMPARES TO MY HERO! I LOVE HIM!"

The genin froze upon hearing that last sentence. He didn't know what to feel or what to say. He never heard anyone say they loved him to his face.

"Wait, Curly Brow... you don't mean that love, do you?" Was the only thing he could get out of his mouth.

•••

"Curly Brow, you try really hard to get anyone to acknowledge you as someone who's more than their appearance... I like that about you." The blond gave his opinion of Nia as they both raked near his front door from the inside.

"Really?" The girl began to blush, "I find it very exhausting... but, I really wanna have people treat me normally so I keep trying to have them see that how they treat others that are different from them cruelly is wrong. I'm always being harassed everywhere I go... insulted and laughed at by strangers and pretty much humiliated all day every day."

She then took a deep breath to calm herself, "My main goal in life is to be normal and happy forever and to help make other unfortunate people feel better about themselves instead of just giving them my pity. I hate when someone feels bad for me, but never does anything to brighten up my day. They're the worst cause they either watch you suffer or join in on making you suffer more than they should. It's so... disgusting."

"I think... you're a strong person to have been going through all of that and still retain a majority of your kindness, ya know?"

Nia shook her head, "No, I lost my patience and became ice cold and detached myself from the world for a pretty long time after being traumatized the way I was. However, you... people like you who go out of their way to make others feel good about themselves are a blessing. The world needs more people like you. You're very kind. The only reason I'm starting to become a warm person again is because of you. You help me find my way just by you being you."

"Oh?" Naruto grinned and scratched his cheek, "Yeah, I've had a few people tell me that before, hehe."

Seeing him like that made the girl smile slightly though she was still in some distress. His cheerfulness always seemed to have an affect on her.

That cheerfulness was short-lived though as the boy found himself getting serious again.

"Curly Brow..." He sat down in a criss cross position, "About you being traumatized due to being completely treated like you didn't matter... how bad is it? How badly traumatized are you?"

"Pretty bad," The girl took no time to answer, "If not, very bad. When I had just recently turned sixteen, I was diagnosed with something."

"Diagnosed with what?"

"C-PTSD." Nia answered.

Naruto crossed his arms and tilted his head, "Eh? I'm lost."

"Complex post traumatic stress disorder," The girl clarified, "Its like PTSD except this variation of it is caused by something traumatic happening to you long term and for a repeated amount of times as opposed to experiencing something horrible that was for a short amount of time and wasn't repeated over and over."

The blond still didn't seem to understand what it was she was suffering from. So Nia decided to lighten it up.

"Basically... because I was being verbally abused, threatened, laughed at, mocked, humiliated, shunned, rejected and all that on a daily basis and for a long period of time, I inevitably ended up suffering from this condition. It's part of the reason why I act the way I do at times still. Especially when I was first getting to know you. I'm sorry... for never telling you this. I didn't want you thinking badly of me."

"I knew something was really wrong with your thinking, but woah... I had no idea you were fighting against that. Curly Brow, you're incredible and I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for always telling you to suck it up and pretty much tough it out. I'm such a jerk. It's not your fault you get really upset at times. It's totally understandable. You really can't help it."

"Yeah, well... you're right too, Naruto. If I need to sulk, then I should sulk, but after I'm done with all that, I should get right back up and try even harder to keep loving and believing in myself! ...Right?"

"Right."

~FLASHBACK ENDS~

"I just... I just can't lose you! Not you too, Sweetheart!" Naruto placed his free hand over the girl's as she had it on his cheek and gave it a squeeze.

It was painful for him to see her in the state she was in. All he could do was helplessly watch her bleed to death slowly and hold her in his arms as the torrent of her blood stained and soaked through his clothing. He could feel her fighting to win a losing battle, as he didn't know whether to be mad or to give up hope all together. He could hear her silently suffering, suffocating with each breath she took as she held onto her life and the lives of their unborn twins.

"The girl has a strong will..." Tobi noted as he still stood by to watch the kunoichi die painfully, "She should've died long ago but her love for you and the girl's healing powers is giving her the adrenaline rush she needs to keep pushing."

"Nia, you can do this!" Sakura cheered her on, "Naruto's right! You have two babies inside you! They're relying on you to keep them alive."

"T-The babies..." The dark brown-haired girl then began to get emotional as she drew closer to her death, "Please take my babies out of me..."

"I... I wish I could, but... you're too early in your pregnancy. If I take them out, they'll die."

Understanding what this meant, the girl gave her full attention to the blond as his tears continuously dripped down onto her cheeks.

"Nar...Naru- I-I'm... I'm so..."

"Don't..." He interrupted, "Don't give me that! I don't wanna hear you apologize! You're gonna make it, Nia! You've got to! You're carrying our children, ya know?!"

"Uzumaki..." Nia began to slowly lose her vision, "You meant... the world to me. You always did... You'll always be my hero. I won't be able to be with you in the way we've both wanted originally, but... I will always be with you. You won't be able to see or hear me, but I know you'll be able to feel my presence. I'll watch you become hokage, I'll watch you get married and have a family of your own, I'll watch you change this world as we know it. Ill be waiting for you, but please... please don't come to me so soon. I'll always love you with all my-"

Before she could finish saying what she wanted—Naruto, overcome with emotion, brought his lips down onto hers as they shared one last final goodbye kiss.

As this happened, Nia could only see as the genin was severely heartbroken. The two would be separated for who knew how long. Although she wished for this not to happen, as a result of her pregnancy, she would have to take their unborn twins with her as she would cross over to whatever waited for them after this life.

Naruto deepened their kiss and ran his fingers through her hair, time and time again as a river of tears surfaced from the girl's eyes and slid down her face all while leaving marks on it from the intensity of them.

'Uzumaki...' She thought as the two pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes.

"Nia!" She barely heard him say her first name, "Nia, I love you more than anything else in the world, ya know! We're gonna get through this! We're gonna get to the Leaf, you're going to give birth to our children, I'll marry you as soon as possible, you'll be my wife, we'll live together..."

As the genin kept going on and on, Nia only began to lose her senses. Sakura and her killer were no longer in sight. The dark night of the sky became light. All around her, was light. The only person who was still in the midst of this light was Naruto.

"When our children get older, they'll enroll in the academy," He went on and on as he desperately tried his best to keep Nia from moving on, "They might be pranksters but we'll have them in check! We'll have to train them too so they won't be like me when it came to being really pathetic in school! We'll all go to Ichiraku! And you don't even have to worry, you don't have to do anything! I-I'll take care of everything, I promise Nia!"

Nia's hearing began to fade and her organs were shutting down. Her heart at this point barely pumped as light slowly began to envelop the genin as well.

'Naruto,' She thought as she gazed at him one last time, 'I... love you...'

"When our children get to be adults, we'll be able to grow old together and then-"

Slowly, Nia's hand, which had rested upon Naruto's cheek, fell to her side as the blond could only watch as the luster in her eyes faded out and her pupils no longer showed. She was only looking at him with lifeless dull eyes. Her breathing had ceased.

Nia had passed away in his arms along with their unborn children.

"N-Nia!" The blond immediately grabbed the girl's hands once more and shook her body, "NIA!"

Realizing there was nothing more they could do, Sakura stopped healing her friend and only cried silently to herself as grief took over the two young adults.

"No, please!" Naruto tried in vain to shake the girl awake, "Please don't do this to me! I need you! You were kind... you were always doing your best to keep me happy! You always put me ahead of you even if I didn't deserve it ya know?! You were always there for me... ALWAYS!"

~FLASHBACK~

"NARUTOOO!" Nia came over running to the genin with a bag behind her back as the boy was busy training in the training grounds.

"Curly Brow? What's up?" He stopped and asked as he was curious as to why the girl seemed so excited.

"You remember that new rare flavor of ramen you've been dying to taste and try out?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, guess what?" The girl then showed the ninja the bag she hid, "I was able to get my hands on the first and only one that was in the market for you!"

"NO WAAAAAAY!" Naruto's eyes sparkled as he jumped up and down and took the bag away from her, "Curly Brow, I can't believe you'd do that for me!"

He then embraced the girl and nuzzled his cheeks against her own, "You're the best person ever! I love you sooo much, ya know!"

"Naruto..." The girl nearly melted in his hug, "You're sorta hugging me too tight..."

•••

Naruto watched over Nia as she was still unconscious due to his attack on her from when he had transformed.

He took a wet rag and started to clean the girl's face. However, instead of patting, he inadvertently rubbed pretty harshly and had caused the girl to wake up.

"T-That hurts," She mumbled as she weakly used her hand to move away the cloth Naruto held.

Nia was now awake but had a red mark on her face thanks to Naruto being reckless.

"Oops! I didn't mean to rub so hard. Sorry, Curly Brow."

Nia blinked a few times in order to get a better sight of who was beside her. When she finally did, her eyes widened.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed, "You're okay?!"

"Huh?" The genin blinked, "Oh uh yeah. I recovered completely not too long ago. Since I'm a jinchuuriki, my body heals fast, ya know?"

"I see..." The girl replied before she noticed that she was covered in bandages, "That's good for you. I'm very glad you're okay, but... It looks like I won't be getting up anytime soon."

Naruto again felt the guilt of hurting another friend of his with his power. He looked at the girl with a somber expression.

"What's wrong?" Nia asked when she
noticed the look in her friend's eyes.

"I'm sorry." The blonde said softly, "I heard the story from Pervy Sage. I'm the one who injured you. I was so out of it that I-"

"It's fine." Nia softly mumbled.

"Huh?" Naruto looked surprised, "It's fine? But I put you in danger, I could've killed you."

"But you didn't." The girl smiled as she weakly sat up with her back against the wall. She winced upon doing so.

"Hey, be careful." Naruto lightly placed his hands on her shoulder, "You're not fully healed yet, ya know?"

Nia nodded then continued what she wanted to say to the jinchuuriki, "Truth is... You seriously saved my life. I mean, let's face it, if you hadn't transformed, you and I would've been killed while trapped in that cave."

"But-"

"Stop worrying, Naruto. I said it's fine. You really shouldn't be blaming yourself. Besides, I'm the one who thought it was logical to get you back to normal at the state you was in. I'm partly to blame also. I don't know what I was thinking pulling a stupid move like that. I guess I just couldn't stand not being able to help someone who actually listens to what I have to say."

Naruto felt relieved that he had been forgiven from his outrage but still... It bothered him greatly that he let the nine-tails get the best of him.

•••

"Naruto..." Nia sat down on the blond's bed as he was still crying over the death of his loved one.

"Naruto, listen..." The girl also had tears in her eyes as they were in the midst of grieving, "There was nothing that could be done to save him. The enemy really was far too strong."

"Nia, I just... wanted him to see me become hokage, ya know?"

"Yes, I know." Nia then hugged the ninja as she next said, "I know he's watching over you. But Naruto, you and I both know he wouldn't want us grieving forever. Let's honor his death by fulfilling his wishes for this world. That what I know he would like."

"Nia.." Naruto then brought the girl's head to his shoulder and placed his hand atop her head.

~FLASHBACK ENDS~

As fire surrounded around the four and buildings were still breaking away, Naruto's heart slowly began to crumble away.

You loved me with all your heart! You never saw me as a demon! You always saw me for me! You always loved me for me, Nia!

~FLASHBACK~

Nia held onto Naruto's hand to her forehead as her eyes were close.

"Being able to see how you are made me wanna change." She told him, "You're the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki and yet... and yet you can find a reason to smile in the end despite how everyone treated you. Seeing how you are makes me smile. It makes me want to better myself.  I feel stronger and more alive because of you. I wanna be by you. I guess the reason I got all hurt was because deep down, I wanted to be accepted by you. I admire how you're always looking on the bright side. You being like that makes me wanna be just like you in that regard."

Nia then pressed her forehead more onto Naruto's hand. Doing so just made her feel a thousand times more peaceful. However, her emotions became so intense, she found herself crying again.

"N-Now that I'm thinking of it, being by you makes me feel calm too. Listening to you does that also. I don't know why, but you just make me feel that way. Hearing you going on and on about wanting to be hokage makes me want to cheer you on. I don't think I'll ever tire of hearing you speak about your dreams. You make me think of what it is I wanna do and try my best to achieve it too. Somehow, you make me feel safe. You make me wanna be by you. Like if you stumble or fall, I wanna help you up like what you've done for me."

The girl next lifted her tear filled eyes and met them with Naruto's sapphire colored orbs.

Man they were just so gorgeous to her suddenly. They were super pretty and a work of art to her. Blue eyes never was attractive to Nia but Naruto's eyes had her completely captivated for some reason. They were beautiful.

"So... because you were able to make me feel this way. Because you were able to make me wanna think differently of myself when no one else could even come close, because you were able to make me snap out of it, because you gave me a reason to endure and keep on living, I see you as a hero. Naruto... you are my hero."

•••

"You're my light, Naruto." Nia said as her and Naruto were near the kitchen in his apartment.

The girl placed herself against her crush's chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You're a hero too... there's no doubt about that."

"Um... so then... you're not jealous?" The genin rubbed the back of his head as he was referring about Nia possibly being envious of Sakura.

"...Maybe... a little," Nia admitted as she rested her head on his shoulder, "But... I really do like you, Naruto... I hope you believe me."

At this, his heart skipped a beat and his face grew warm.

"You tell me that all the time, ya know? Are your feelings really that deep, Curly Brow?"

"Mhm," Nia nodded, "I feel really happy when you're by me. I legit can't stop smiling now. I'm so glad I've got to known you. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I wish I knew you just a couple years back even. I would've been so so happy if I knew you back then."

Nia then tightened the hug, "I wanna stay by you for as long as possible. You're my hero."

Now Naruto's heart was beginning to throb. It wasn't often this sorta thing would happen to him. Nia's words always seemed like music to his ears. Hero... It was his favorite word from her. Her confessing her feelings over and over also was something he enjoyed hearing. It made him feel loved.

Slowly, he began to give in to his emotions and wrapped his arms around the girl's frame. Allowing her to be in his arms like she wanted.

"I don't wanna let go of you. I feel so safe in your arms like this," The kunoichi was barely able to say as her heart pounded and a deep blush became evident on her toffee colored skin, "Its the only place in the world that I feel really comfortable in. I'll never let any other guy hold me like this. I don't care how awesome or handsome he may be. I'll only be in your arms only, I swear."

"Curly Brow," Naruto was quickly giving into the girl's constant attempts to show affection toward him, "You care so much about me... but I don't understand, I'm a jinchuuriki. I have a beast inside me. What if-"

"I don't care," Nia replied honestly, "You have a beast inside you and yet you don't even act like one. You're so kind and accepting. I feel like I'm really falling for you, Naruto. Other people were really mean to me and yet, they don't even have a beast inside of them but they act like one. You're not a beast, Naruto. You're like an angel from heaven or something. You're really incredible. I totally can't get you outta my head. I hope that doesn't sound creepy. I'm just telling the truth as is."

Hearing this, tears inadvertently began to well up in the genin's eyes. The moment he was sharing with the girl right now instantly reminded him of the time Iruka had recognized him as a person and not as a beast once more.

Tears now began to drip down from his eyes and onto the floor just like it had when Iruka had acknowledged him as someone truly worthy of being recognized and praised. Though Nia's recognition was more in a romantic sense, it still touched his heart deeply to hear she didn't care if he was a jincuuriki and that she liked him despite all that.

"Y-You really are like I-Iruka-sensei, ya know?" He sobbed as he pulled Nia closer to him.

Immediately, the girl began to panic.

"N-Naruto!" She tried to push away as she heard the weeping he was making, "Are you okay?! Why are you crying?"

"I fe-feel so happy right now, ya know!"

"Wait, you're not sad?!"

"No! Why would I be sad?!"

"I thought... maybe what I said was a bit too creepy..." Nia felt worried.

"N-No!" Naruto sniffled a few times before saying, "Curly Brow, I love you!"

Not too long after confessing this, Nia would tell the boy she felt the same toward him.

•••

"All right! Let's get this started," Naruto wanted to begin a count off as he and the kunoichi held wish lanterns in their hands, "One."

"Two." Nia then said.

"Three." They both say as they lift their hands up and allow their lanterns to float up into the sky right next to each other.

"So... what did you wish for?" Naruto then asked as Nia watched her and his lanterns go up into the sky.

"I wished for something that's much more important than having even my deepest desire come to life," The girl replied softly, "I wished for... your happiness... Naruto."

Upon hearing, Naruto's eyes slowly widened and quivered, "Y-You wished for my what?"

"I wished for you to stay happy," Nia said as she still watched the lanterns in the sky, "I wished for your deepest desires to come true. Like, how you wanna be hokage, or how you wish to not be alone, to be the best shinobi in the history of shinobi. I wished for all of that to become true to you."

~FLASHBACK ENDS~

'Curly Brow...' Naruto hugged his deceased loved one tightly as he felt as though his happiness was stolen from him. He placed his hand atop of the spot where his passed away children were being carried, 'Why did this have to happen... WHY?! I loved you... I loved you with all my heart, ya know! Nia..."

---

"Naruto, kyaaa! I did it! I really did it! I became a chunin! It's all thanks to you! Thanks so much"
•••
"You make me feel accepted. You have a way of making me feel liked and that I matter. Your warmth makes me feel I won't be judged harshly and that I can just be myself with you. You bring me up when I'm down and you're always, or a majority of the time, very kind to me. I feel like you're the type of person I can talk to about anything. You're also someone I can have a deep conversation with and someone I can joke around with. You have some sort of energy that attracts me to you. You're basically like a blanket to me: Warm, comforting, makes me feel safe, happy, secure, and protected."
•••
"Whisker Cheeeeeks!"

---

'Nia!' A thick red aura began to surround Naruto's body as his skin began to tear away and his canine teeth began to show.

---

"My name is Nia Umino and I'm going to beat you so I can be Jiraiya-sensei's student no matter what!"
•••
"To be honest, I only ever feel safe when you're around me, Naruto...
•••
"If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'll listen, I swear."
•••
"Oh my gossssh Naruto, it's so cute when you for once get all shy ahehe."
•••
"Kyaaa! Did you really have to say that out loud? That's between me and you."
•••
"My hero's so strong! He always makes me feel protected."
•••
"You meant... the world to me. You always did... You'll always be my hero. I won't be able to be with you in the way we've both wanted originally, but... I will always be with you. You won't be able to see or hear me, but I know you'll be able to feel my presence. I'll watch you become hokage, I'll watch you get married and have a family of your own, I'll watch you change this world as we know it. Ill be waiting for you, but please... please don't come to me so soon. I'll always love you with all my... heart."

---

'NIAAAAAAAA!'

At this, Naruto's aura exploded. It blew away everything in the area as the ground beneath began to crack severely while buildings were being broken off and thrown into the wind.

The genin felt as if something had reached in, tore his heart from his chest, and threw it in a shredder. The pain was so deep, so agonizing, so intense, his heart was mangled beyond recognition. His mind only thought of the girl as it raced in circles, unable to make sense of what had happened.

Was this real? Was she really taken from him? Was she really murdered in cold blood as their unborn twins died along with her?

It couldn't have been real! He had to wake up!

However, his hold onto Nia's body as she no longer was of the same world as him was too real for him to ignore.

Meanwhile, as the masked man was able to escape out of harms way, Sakura was pushed back violently and was rendered unconscious.

As Tobi watched the genin's rage, he was hit with another memory.

At the same time, Naruto was losing complete control of himself. He was not sure if he could use his heart again. He was not sure it could heal. If he were to survive, he felt as though he would not be sure how to live... He would be awake, living, but slowly, emotionally and mentally dying.

His heart, mind, and soul had connected to the demon inside him.

The Great toad sage of Mt. Myoboku was right all along — Nia... had died.

---

A/N - WOW! Okay, so that was pretty sad to write. As you all just read — The prophecy had came to pass. And yes... Nia is dead! Like DEAD! I'm just a little emotional now cause this is just really sad for me, but this had to be done to make the story unpredictable and interesting to read.

What're you guys' opinion on it?

Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope this didn't make y'all too sad! Please comment and vote and have a great rest of your day! ❤️

QOTD:

1. Fave Part?

2. Fave Line?

3. How do you feel about Nia's death?