[ I HAVE AN ORIGINAL STORY CALLED: Cursed Beauty!
It's a secret fanfiction of this book. TaniaJanae923

🌹🌹🌹

Chapter 17: A Growing Bond

Nia stood outside in the pouring rain yards and yards away from the hut in which her, Jiraiya, and Naruto camped in. It was late at night and the girl was drenched from head to toe and walking about in an unknown direction. She had immediately made her decision to leave when she had realized she could walk once more and waited for the two guys to sleep before heading on her way.

However, she didn't realize Jiraiya was the only one truly asleep as he was passed out drunk meanwhile Naruto was having trouble sleeping as he couldn't help but think about Sasuke whom he had believed passed on to the next life. At one point, his thinking stopped and because he was unable to sleep, he decided to walk around. When he made it into where Nia was supposed to be laying, he gasped as he didn't see where she were ought to be. He looked all around but found no sign of her.

Finally, he opened the front door and saw the girl many yards ahead as she seemed to almost disappear from his sight. Immediately, the blond walked out in the rain, shut the door behind him then ran to her as he called out her name.

Nia stopped at the sound of his voice and bit her lip in frustration.

'Damn,' She thought as he approached, 'Why the hell does he always do this to me?! It's so damn frustrating!'

"Stay away." The girl told the blonde as he did indeed stop several feet behind her.

"Hey, it's pouring outside, ya know? Why're you out here? You're all better now?" He asked as he stared at the back of the girl's head.

"I was... getting some fresh air." She lied as she didn't turn her body to face the genin.

"In the rain...?"

Nia faked a laugh, "Yeah. Hehe, I can kinda be pretty weird sometimes."

Naruto raised a brow, "I thought... you hated getting your hair wet though?"

This time, the kunoichi didn't say anything as this was true.

"Is something... wrong? I mean, don't you think you'll catch a nasty cold if you stay out here? You're drenched..."

A dark shadow casted over the girl's eyes as she lowered her head.

"I'm... leaving... Naruto." She decided to tell the boy.

"Huh?" His eyes widened in response, "Why's that? I thought you wanted Pervy Sage to teach you some more ninjutsu or something?"

"Well... I change my mind." This time her voice sounded a little funny, "Besides... it's not like... it's not like anyone truly needs me around."

Naruto walked forward and stood in front of the girl. When he did, he was bewildered by what he was seeing. The girl's eyes were completely lifeless. There were no shine in them at all as they were completely dull. He couldn't see her pupils either as tears slipped down her face.

"W-What... What are you..." He took in the sight once more before asking completely, "What are you crying for?"

Thoughts raced through Nia's head as he asked her this. There were many reasons as to why she was crying. However, not wanting to answer, the girl walked passed the blond. Naruto grabbed her wrist as she did so.

"Hold on! What's going on here? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," The girl lied again, "Just leave me alone and pretend like we never knew each other."

"What? Why would I do that? You're my friend, aren't you?"

Nia yanked away her wrist and began walking again.

"Curly Brow!" Naruto got in her face, "Seriously! What's going on?! Why're you so sad?"

"It's none of your business!" She raised her voice, "Besides! How many times do I have to keep telling you to stop being nice to me?! It's getting really irritating now!"

"And how many times do I have to keep telling you that that's not going to happen, ya know?!"

"Seriously, just move. Forget about me. I don't wanna do this right now. You're making this harder for me to do."

"Where are you trying to go?"

"I don't know!" The girl answered, "Just somewhere where there's no people around."

"Somewhere where there's no- So, you're just gonna go wandering off in the wilderness?!" He replied.

Nia sniffed then nodded, "There's no place for me here with everyone else. I look too much like a beast. I don't deserve to live a normal life."

"Is this what this is all about?! You wanna fend for yourself in the wild JUST because of your looks?! That's what you want?!"

Nia thought of what he said and eventually shook her head, "No, that's not what I want..." "Oh... what a relief, ya know?"

The genin breathed a sigh of relief as Nia grabbed a kunai from out her pouch.

"What I want... is to be normal. I don't wanna be noticed in any way, shape, or form. I hate being the reason why everyone can make a cruel joke because of something out of my control. I hate feeling as if I'm worthless. I hate feeling as if nothing matters. I hate feeling as if I should die. I hate being treated as if I should die. I hate feeling as if I have nobody. I hate feeling as if I'm absolutely uncared for. I'm just a waste to the world... I can't take it anymore! It's too much for me to handle. I tried to make my life better, but nothing ever works. I need to relieve myself."

Nia raised the sharp blade.

"Hey... what're you..."

"Naruto..." The girl still silently cried as the kunai shook in her trembling hand, "Do you wanna know what happens to most people when others push them to the brink of their sanity? When they're trapped in a corner of eternal unhappiness and suffering? Do you wanna know what goes through the minds of most when they're constantly insulted, ridiculed, mocked, ignored, laughed at, and treated as if who they are doesn't matter because they don't fit what others call "normal" on a daily basis? Every time they even step outside?"

Thunder rumbled throughout the dark clouds as Nia held the sharp tip of the kunai just inches away from where her heart was.

"I don't know how I got so far as to live this long with everyone hating me and I hating myself as well. My life is just a living hell! I'll never get to be happy nor normal. I'll always just be this creature who nobody cares for. Someone who looks like me doesn't deserve to live. I'll just do the world a favor and just kill myself like they've asked."

"WHAT?!" The blond couldn't believe his ears, "Curly Brow! No! You know that's not what you want! Nobody wants that!"

"Yeah well... people sure as hell have no problem putting others down until they feel suicide is the only way out of their misery."

"Suicide isn't the way, ya know?!" Nia closed her eyes and said a final farewell to her family in the Cloud then to her master. She opened her eyes to see the genin once more.

"See you... Naruto." Her voice was empty.

The girl finally had enough of the world. Again, she closed her eyes and quickly aimed her kunai at her heart in a real attempt to murder herself.

"NO!" Naruto immediately grabbed the girl's wrist and tried to smack the weapon out of her hand as it lightly pressed against her skin, "There's no way in hell i'm gonna stand by and watch you take your life away!"

"LET! GO!" Nia became extremely annoyed that her attempt was interrupted and began to fought for control of the weapon, "Just leave me alone! I don't wanna live anymore!"

Naruto tried to remove the kunai away from the girl as the two stepped back into a muddy puddle during the struggle, "I'm not gonna let you kill yourself just because you're not happy with how you look! That's the dumbest excuse I heard why someone would want to kill themselves, ya know?!"

"It's not just because of the way I look! It's because of the way I'm treated! No one cares about me! All everyone cares about is laughing and treating me as if I'm some hideous creature or beast! I don't wanna live like this anymore! I'm done! I swear I'm done with life! It's too cruel for me! I wanna die! Just let me die!" The kunoichi told the boy as she moved their arms to the side as both still fought for possession of the blade, "You don't understand anything! No one does! You're normal!"

As this went on, Nia finally grew tired of fighting and released the kunai as Naruto stumbled backwards from the sudden release and fell. The girl dug for another weapon in her pouch and tried another attempt to stab her heart out. When she did, Naruto threw the kunai in his hand and caused the kunai in Nia's hand to drop before it reached her.

"Honestly! What the hell is your problem?!" She demanded for an answer as she once more grabbed a third kunai.

This time going immediately for the kill. The genin stood up and tackled her to the muddy puddle beneath them before she could harm herself. The kunai flew out of her hand and slid many feet away from her.

"You're asking what's my problem when you're the one trying to hurt yourself?!"

Naruto scolded the girl as he was finally able to pin her wrists to the ground as he was atop of her.

"Stop helping me!" Nia nearly lost her mind, "You can't get me to change my mind no matter what you do or say! No ones ever been able to cheer me up so back off, Naruto!"

Her eyes had became red and puffy. There were so much pain, sorrow, and loneliness drowned in them. Naruto's hard glare softened when he recognized this.

"I... understand..." He told her softly as a shadow covered over his eyes, "I know how bad it feels to be-"

"How?!" Nia interrupted and went off on him, "How can you understand when you look normal?! Even if you didn't look normal, you're still a guy! You're not expected to look beautiful like a woman is! Just leave me alone already!"

"That's not what I meant! I meant... I understand what it feels like when you feel as though you don't belong anywhere in the world because of something you can't change... and because everyone treats you differently from everyone else, ya know?"

"What... are you talking about?"

"Being a jinchuuriki, I got treated all sorts of ways. People hated me, no one talked to me, everyone talked about me behind my back. They glared at me, threatened me, told me I didn't belong and that I should die too. I always felt as though everyone was against me... because of that... I was really lonely and when I was alone, I would cry myself to sleep sometimes as a kid."

Hearing this, Nia began to lighten up. She already had a soft spot for the genin so hearing what he said bothered her. However, what he was saying didn't really seem to help her much.

"Naruto... I get what you're trying to say, but still... what we've been through are two completely different things. I'm treated badly for my looks... I'm called a monster for that reason alone. You were treated badly because of what's inside of you... two different things as I said before."

"Sure, but at the end of the day... we were still called monsters, right?" The girl didn't say anything.

"That means you can relate to me on some level! In case you didn't know... I have a huge soft spot for those who I feel relates to me in any extreme and deep way. That's why... I won't be cruel to you. I won't treat you like you don't matter just because of the way you look. I wanna be your friend, ya know?" The boy spoke calmly.

Nia just looked at him in shock then turned her head away as she stared to her left.

"Just stop..." She begged, "Just stop saying all these things to me. Stop looking at me as if you actually care. No one cares... they only care after you're dead and that's when all of a sudden they regret treating the person the way they did. If I kill myself, they'll finally realize just how evil they really are. Maybe then they'll finally to keep their damn mouths shut so they don't go getting someone else to kill themselves."

"Curly Brow... no one really wants you to die."

"Yeah they do! They told me to kill myself!"

"That doesn't mean you have to listen to them! Admit it! You don't really wanna die, do you?!"

"I do!" The girl yelled, "If you just let me go, I'll gladly get rid of myself like how everyone wants! I'm hideous... I should die."

"You don't wanna die, you just want to be happy. You just want the pain to go away. You don't really wanna die. I know it's not easy, but you really can be happy if you can just choose to do so, ya know? You just need to endure through your struggles like a true shinobi."

At this, the kunoichi began to think to herself. Naruto's words were getting to her and had hit her like a strong jutsu.

"Is that... true?" She asked.

"Yes," The boy nodded, "Of course it is..."

She once more made eye contact with the boy, "You don't think... I look like a monster?"

"No... I think you look human," He told the truth, "Besides... it isn't the face that makes someone a monster anyway."

"If that's true, then what do you think makes a monster?"

"The choices they make with their lives," The genin answered, "You're a pretty good person, but you're just in so much pain that you sorta just act out on it a bit, ya know? You're not a monster, Curly Brow. You're just hurting real bad... and it's hard to watch. It makes me feel really sad..."

Touched by what he said, Nia's eyes slowly began to gain life back into them.

"You keep pushing everyone away. If you just let others help you or at least befriend you, you won't feel as alone anymore..." "Naruto..." Tears once more began to roll down Nia's face.

Feeling as if he had helped her, the blond released her wrists and sat her up as both were soaked with rain from head to toe. They were covered in mud in some areas also due to falling in it during their struggle.

"Are you okay now, Curly Brow?" Nia threw her arms around his neck as she sobbed uncontrollably on his chest.

"Thank you," She cried, "T-Thank you so m-much! I'm so sor-sorry, Naruto! I'm so sorry for this! I'll... I'll never d-do it a-again!"

Hearing this, the male smiled sheepishly as he tried to hide the worry that had built up in his heart during her attempts. "I'm just glad I could help, ya know? Also... Please don't scare me like that again, alright? I don't know what I would've done if I were to have saw you kill yourself right in front of me... I would've never been able to live that down."

"I promise to never do it again!" Nia swore. Naruto nodded as he then returned her hug as a means to try and comfort her.

With that, many hours passed as Naruto kept watch over the kunoichi as he feared she would try to pull the same stunt she did earlier.

It was late at night as a fire was prepared for the three that were traveling and had to camp outside as no villages were in sight. Jiraiya was napping while Nia sat by the fire warming herself up and thinking deeply about her life and desires.

Not too far, Naruto was gathering more firewood and as he was coming back to put them in the fire, he observed the far away look in Nia's expression as she watched the wood burn.

"You okay?" He then approached her, setting some more wood into the fire before sitting next to her and waiting for his fish to be cooked.

"I'm fine." She told him.

"You don't really look like it, ya know?"

"I'm just... thinking to myself." The girl reassured the boy, "I'm someone who needs to think to themselves a lot."

Naruto looked at her, "You sure do do that a lot. Just wander off to be alone."

"Well... I just need time for myself, you know? I'm not very energetic like you are. I like to be by myself at times to recharge so to say."

"Oh, you're one of those people then."

"Yeah..."

As the genin payed more attention to the girl, he began to see certain things he hadn't notice before. Goosebumps were on her skin, she continuously rubbed her hands in together, and her body slightly shook.

"Hey..." He leaned closer to her, "You're cold, huh?"

"Erm... a little, I guess," She replied as she shivered a bit, "It's not a big deal or anything to be honest. In the Cloud, it was always usually a bit cold. This is nothing."

Her lie was immediately discovered as she had then sneezed into her elbow.

"It is pretty chilly," Naruto began to unzip his jacket, "You'll catch a serious cold if we don't get you warmed up quickly, ya know?"

He then removed his jacket off completely and threw it over Nia's shoulders as her eyes suddenly widened a bit in surprise.

"W-What're are you doing?" She asked him as she began to feel a strange sensation in her stomach.

"Giving you my jacket." The boy replied, "I'd be worried if you were to get sick."

Immediately, Nia's face became completely red because of the boy for the very first time. Her heart had skipped a beat, "Y-You'd be...?"

She then quickly looked away to her left dismissively, "That's ridiculous! There's no way you'd worry over me having a dumb cold."

"And what the hell's so ridiculous about that?!" The blond became agitated.

"Everything!" The girl shot back.

"Man, you can be really annoying sometimes, you know that?!" He pointed an angry finger at her.

Hearing this, the girl then sadly sighed, "Yeah... I know."

Instantly, the genin regretted what he blurted out and apologized, "Hey, wait... I didn't mean to-"

"No... you're right." The girl gave him a depressing look, "I am annoying... and really irritating too..."

"Curly Brow, c'mon... don't say that."

"But you just confirmed it, didn't you?"

"I said... sometimes. Not always... I actually think you're pretty cool, ya know?" Naruto gave his opinion.

"Y-You do?" Nia began to cheer up slightly.

"Yeah," The boy nodded, "I just think... you have a huge attitude sometimes. Whenever I'm nice to you, you just... get agitated or something."

"Oh... sorry." The girl gave a sincere apology as she wrapped her arms over her crunched up knees and placed her chin atop of them as she stared into the fire again, "I just... I mean... you're just super nice to me. To be honest... when you're like that... I'm just completely... at a loss for words. I don't know how to respond to that to be up front with you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow before asking, "Are you saying you act the way you do cause you're not familiar with someone caring for you?"

"Mm... well... yeah, that's pretty much what I'm saying. I just find you... strange to be honest. No offense. Well actually, I find your strangeness as a good thing. Uhh just... never mind."

"Thanks... I guess?" The boy sweat dropped, "Erm anyway... what were you thinking about before I came over here?"

"Something stupid."

"It can't be that stupid if you were thinking about it. I mean, you looked like you were deep in thought, ya know? I wanna know what you were thinking about. You can tell me, I'll keep it between us, I swear."

"I already told you it's stupid." Nia raised her voice a bit then placed her hand over her mouth as she knew Jiraiya was trying to sleep.

"Just tell me. C'mon! Pleaaase?!"

"Ugh, you're super nosey..." The girl sighed and gave in, "Fine... I'll tell you. I was thinking about... marriage..."

"Marriage? Why would you be thinking of that? You're still a teenager, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but we'll be in our twenties not too long from now. We'll officially be adults."

"I don't get it... why're you thinking about this so early though?"

"Because... one day... I wanna be married, but... I'm afraid it'll never happen."

"Why wouldn't it happen?" Naruto asked naively.

"Are you like, serious right now?" Nia couldn't help but give the guy a look, "What do you mean by that? Can't you see?"

"I can see perfectly fine, ya know?" Naruto blankly stared at the girl.

Nia sweat dropped, "Geez, you really are strange."

"So getting married is one of your dreams or goals in life, huh?"

"Mhm." The girl nodded as her eyes became somewhat soft, "You can... say that, I guess."

However, to Naruto, he recognized the look they gave: the emotion.

"You're lonely, aren't you?" He blatantly spoke.

"HUH?!" Nia became awkward and began to babble, "Whoever said I was lonely?! You're out of your mind if you think I am! I never ever get lonely. I don't need anybody."

Naruto only kept giving her a serious and knowing look. When Nia saw this, she stopped denying his suspicions and placed her forehead atop of her knees as her arms crossed around it.

"You know, if you feel lonely you can just say so..." He spoke softly.

"No..." Nia hid her face from him, "Why should I admit that? It makes me feel... just ugh... I don't like thinking about stuff like that. It... hurts... so bad. Really bad."

She hated where this was going. She hated how she always ended up showing her vulnerable side to the genin. It irritated her. She always ended up letting her guard down. The girl just couldn't understand. Why did this happen? Why did it always happen?

"Curly Brow, you should really start living in the moment, ya know?" The boy gave his opinion as Nia looked at him with a sad face.

"What're you talking about?"

"You know, like stop stressing about the future and learn to just be in the present for a change. A lot of things can happen within the next decade. If you keep stressing about the future, you'll end up looking at your past and regret not enjoying it."

"Well... I guess that's true, but still..."

The boy thought to himself for a bit then asked, "Now that you brought up this whole marriage thing, what do you even like in a guy?"

Immediately, Nia became awkward once more and thought carefully to herself, "Oh wow, that's a good question!"

"Wait, wait, wait." Naruto became confused, waving his hands around, "You were talking about getting married and yet you don't even know what kind of guy you like?"

Nia chuckled nervously.

"Guh... wow..."

"Oh okay, I know what I like!" The girl came up with what she considered to be the most desirable traits she'd want in a partner.

"Let's hear it." The blond said, ready to listen.

"Well, for starters... he has to be extremely kind. Like the type of kind where I don't have to worry about him talking badly or making fun of me behind my back. A guy who's kind to people who need someone to be kind to them. The kind of guy who protects others from bullies. Someone who treats the ones I love with respect and kindness. However, I don't want him to be a pushover either. I really don't like that. I like guys who can have some sass when necessary. A guy with a backbone. That's very attractive to me."

"Okay... what else?"

"Umm... oh! He has to be faithful, period." Nia placed much emphasis in her sentence, "Nothing hurts me more than being betrayed by someone I cared for and trusted. I can't stand cheaters! I can't stand guys who also lead girls on. Being faithful is just as important as being kind. They're on the same level. I can't have one without the other. I'd rather have a guy break up with me than have him cheat. I'd be torn to shreds if I were to ever be cheated on. It's MUCH better to just be dumped instead."

"Are you... faithful? Or like, would you cheat if given the chance?"

"I wouldn't cheat," The girl told the truth, "I actually don't understand cheaters. I mean, it's obvious you don't love the person you're with so I don't see why they can't just break up with that person. Cheaters aren't deserving of love in my opinion until they truly fix themselves. If they wanna hook up with lots of people, stay single."

"So if someone were to cheat on you, would you give him a second chance?"

"Noooo. He's gone. There is no second chance. You're through."

Naruto laughed, "I guess that settles it. What else do you like in someone?"

The girl took a moment to think to herself before saying, "I like guys who are brave... I don't know what it is, but I love a guy who can face his fears."

"Would you rather have a strong or brave guy?" The blond questioned.

"Brave, hands down. What's the point of being strong if you're a coward? I don't like cowards. When a guy is brave, he's courageous. He finds the courage to do and say things that he's actually afraid of but does it anyway. I look up to that; it inspires me. That's very attractive to me, but I do also like a guy who's strong. I usually feel extremely threatened so it would deeply calm me if I were to have a strong guy or at least someone stronger than me."

"Okay, how about being funny? Is that important?"

"Erm... that's more like a bonus cause I laugh at almost anything. If you can't make me laugh, it's very sad cause I really do find almost everything funny. The only time I don't laugh at something is when someone is making fun of someone in a very cruel way. That's a deal breaker for me. I wouldn't be interested in the guy anymore. I really dislike super serious guys too. They're very irritating to me."

"What about being quiet? Are you one of those girls who likes mysterious guys?"

"No. I don't like that. I hate guessing what kinda person someone is. It's very frustrating to me. As for quiet... it depends. Like if he's quiet with everyone else but he's talkative and cool with me, then that's fine, but if he can't talk at all or if I find it very difficult to talk to him... it's a turn off."

"So then you don't like shy guys...?"

"No, not anymore." Nia answered then began to laugh a little, "I'm shy myself so I don't like it when the person I like is shy too cause it never goes anywhere and I really hate that. I mean, I'm not as shy as I used to be but I like my guys straightforward and to the point. It makes me feel fuzzy inside. However a little shyness isn't bad. I like seeing guys getting nervous over me. It's cute at times."

Naruto sweat dropped, "So you basically like someone who's your complete opposite?"

"Yep!" Nia smiled, "Except we gotta have some of the same core values and be able to understand each other when it comes to important things."

"You know, I just realized all you keep talking about is the personality too..."

"Yeah? And?" Nia raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you like the looks over personality?"

"...No," She gave her honest answer, "Looks are nothing if you don't got a personality to back it up. I can't date a guy who's supposedly hot but is mean as hell and really irritating. At that point, they're not hot to me. On the other hand, if a plain dude has a really good personality, he becomes hot to me eventually. I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks."

"That's a first." Naruto replied a bit dumbfounded, "I always thought girls liked the hunky bad-attitude type."

Like Sasuke.

"You gotta be ridiculously dumb or must really want a broken heart if you date someone you think is hot but has a terrible personality. I don't know how people deal with that garbage."

"Erm... so... does height matter to you?"

"Height? Hmm... sort of, but not really. I mean when I was a kid, every guy I liked was shorter than me and I didn't really mind, but now that I'm older and guys our age are getting taller, I would like it if he were taller, if not, the same height. I don't like feeling like a giant or manly. I wanna feel feminine. That's very important for me to feel. Besides it'd be a little awkward if I was trying to kiss or hug him. I don't really like that."

"So, is it impossible for you to like a shorter guy then?"

"No." Nia shook her head, "If he's a good person and makes me feel like a woman and not like a man or a giant, then it's entirely possible I could end up liking him. I'm not gonna say it's 100% guaranteed, but it is a pretty big possibility if he plays his cards right I guess."

"How about a hairy guy?"

"Ew," Nia began to laugh, "I can't. Like if they're looking like they have fur, that's gross. Some hair is fine. Like, I guess leg hair is acceptable as long as it's not out of control. I actually find armpit, chest, belly, and back hair nasty. To be honest, the more shaven he is, the more attractive he is to me."

"What?" Naruto started laughing too and placed his hand on the girl's knee, "C'mon, I can get the chest, belly, and back hair, but armpit hair?"

"I'm sorry," Nia kept giggling, "I just don't like it. The guys in my family are super hairy and I find that gross. I mean, I'm not going to reject someone cause they're hairy but I would encourage them to shave every now and then. To me, I view it as how a guy views it when a girl doesn't shave. It's gross. I don't care if it's acceptable for you guys to keep your hair."

"What about beards then? You probably find that gross too, huh?"

"Not always," Nia shook her head, "I do prefer clean shaven but scrubs can work too. I don't like mustaches or full beards and all that other stuff. Other girls do but not me. It'd be nasty to kiss those things."

"I see." The boy scooted closer with a smile and gave Nia's knee a squeeze before noticing some strings of hair in her face and gently brushing them away.

This action prompted her to blush as she was not used to a guy just randomly touching her during a conversation.

"You know, your hair feels pretty soft." He told her as he ran his fingers through them and watched as they fell back onto her shoulder.

"Oh uh... thank you." The girl said nervously as Naruto continuously played with her hair with his fingers, "I'm not used to someone complimenting my hair. Especially from a guy."

"I think your hair is pretty nice."

This only made Nia's blush deepen and she began to smile to herself. Naruto then suddenly took her hand and began gently brushing his thumb across the girl's fingers.

"Your hand is small... they're soft too. And really warm." He observed as he smiled down on it.

Nia's heart began to race in return due to this action.

What's he doing? Why does he keep touching me so suddenly?

"Anyway," He kept ahold of Nia fingers in his hand and placed them on his thigh, "What kind of body are you into?"

"Erm, I'm not super choosy with the body. I mean, I notice when a guy has a nice body but it's not super important to me. It's more of a bonus."

"Do you like man boobs?" The genin joked and squeezed the girl's fingers a bit as she laughed.

"No..." She told the truth gently, "That's not very attractive to me. I don't like that. I don't feel like I could be protected when a guy has that for some reason."

"Oh, you just like the washboard abs, huh?"

"Abs aren't very important to me," She giggled as she turned a bit red, "That's a bonus. A very good bonus. I actually pay more attention to the shoulders, arms, and chest. Like, I like a guy with wide shoulders, at least some muscle on his arms, and a chest that isn't... you know, like a woman's. I find most men's bodies attractive so I'm not particularly picky."

"So, if you feel as though he can protect you, you're attracted to him then, right?"

"Erm... pretty much... if he has the other qualities along with that."

Smiling, Naruto scooted even closer to the girl to where there feet touched. Startled, Nia jumped slightly though it went undetected by the blond. When she realized how close he was, she began to get nervous. It wasn't exactly like him to get in her bubble.

"Curly Brow," He said as he placed his hand on her knee once more than lowered it onto her thigh where he then began to rub on it gently yet firmly too, "You notice... when I protect you, don't you?"

"Uhhh..." She became speechless as steam pushed out of her face, "I... uh, I mean, I erm... ha, you see, I just, um..."

WHY CAN'T I FREAKING TAAAAAALK?!!!

"Are you okay?" The boy asked as he then noticed the redness in Nia's face.

"Oh man," He next placed his hand on her cheek then her forehead, "It might be too late for you. You're already catching a fever. Your face is warm and red, ya know?"

'Geez, could he be anymore touchy?' Nia asked herself as she realized she was only blushing.

She took this chance to calm down then said, "I'm fine... and to answer your question, yes, I do notice how you keep me safe..."

Relieved, Naruto reddened a bit and rubbed the back of his head, "Good... I was worried you didn't notice that..."

"Why would you be worried?"

"Er... ANYWAY! What kind of skin color do you prefer?" He avoided the question.

"Skin color?" The girl chuckled, "That's not very important to me, but usually I like guys who are lighter than me for some reason. Guys who are around my skin color are usually the meanest towards me so I'm not very attracted to them. Of course, I can be if they're nice. Then again, that applies to any guy with any skin color."

"What kind of hair color do you prefer?"

"Ummm... I don't really have a type, Naruto," The girl giggled, "I could be attracted to anything, but if you really want an answer, when I was younger I always preferred black hair."

"Guh, come on." The boy groaned, "Every girl just likes dark hair."

"Black hair is just-"

"Forget about black hair," The boy suddenly got in the kunoichi's face as she became startled and backed away a little, "What do you think of blondes?"

"Blondes?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded as he subconsciously placed his hand atop of Nia's and gave it a squeeze, sending electricity shooting up her whole body.

"I'm attracted to blondes," She told the truth though quite shyly.

"R-Really?" Naruto's eyes widened a bit as his cheeks remained a little red.

"Mhm... especially blondes... with blue eyes."

Unbeknownst to her, she then began to softly smile and make direct eye contact with the genin as he then quickly noticed the way she looked at him. To his surprise, he began to adjust his clothing and began combing his fingers through his hair earning an even bigger smile from the girl.

"You know... I do notice... how very kind you are to me, Naruto." The girl began to get a bit flirtatious, "You're always here for me. You make me smile even when I'm feeling upset. That's really something I like in someone."

As tension began to build, Naruto began to smile back.

"And you even protected me from those adult guys who were trying to hurt me back that day when we first met." Nia added.

"Yeah... I did." He replied.

"You know, when you were training earlier... I thought you were incredibly hardworking and improving at a quick pace," The girl then softly placed a hand on the ninja's arm, "You're getting stronger."

Feeling her hand on him, the genin straightened up his posture a bit and began to even flex a little. Nia felt this and moved her hair from her right shoulder to her left with her free hand as she kept gazing into the boy's eyes and smiling at him.

"Oh, I can feel your muscles getting bigger." She then bit her bottom lip as she next gently rubbed her hand up and down his bicep, "I really do like strong guys, you know? Guys that make me feel protected."

Flattered over the attention and acknowledgement he was receiving, the boy flushed in the face.

"Yeah, Yeah!" He nodded quickly then grinned and pointed his thumb at himself, "I'm strong and brave too, ya know?"

"Yeah, I've noticed that. You're also really funny. That's attractive... I really enjoy your jokes. They're hilarious. I really like spending time with you, Naruto..."

"I... like spending time with you too, Curly Brow." Naruto leaned a bit closer to the girl as his hand touched her lower back.

Liking where everything was going, Nia became excited and began to helplessly glance at the genin's lips then his eyes.

"Has anyone ever told you you have a very nice smile?" She asked.

"Maybe," He replied before he poked her cheek, "Has anyone ever told you your dimples are cute?"

Nia giggled as she tugged a piece of hair behind her ear, "Oh my goodness, do you like them foreal?"

Naruto winked before he playfully bumped himself against the girl, causing her to blush.

"Stay over there." She lightly pushed at his arm as the two were flirting for the very first time.

"No, I like it right here." He playfully kept pushing against the girl's arm with his arm causing her to tip to her left a bit.

"Naruto." She laughed continuously as she placed her hands on on his arm and tried to push him away, "Why're you doing this to me?"

The genin only smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. This only made Nia get flustered.

"So, girls like guys with a lot of money, don't they?" Naruto then calmed down a bit and continued asking questions.

"Erm, some girls do."

"What about you? Are you into guys with a lot of money?"

"I mean, it's always nice if anyone has a lot of money, but I'm not like the type of person who would get with someone just because of their money. I think that's just really... bad because then it's like you're practically using someone so that you can get the things you want. If the guy I like has a lot of money then I guess that's just a bonus. I'm not very materialistic and I couldn't care less if a guy has a lot of money. I'd just depend on myself to make myself rich if I wanted money, not on someone else."

"That's a surprise. Sakura will only accept a date with me if I pay for it all." Naruto sighed.

Geez... ever since I met him, it's like he always brings up this Sakura girl in almost every conversation. What's so good about her anyway besides her looks? From what he's told me, she treats him like trash. Geez, he should really start looking for a girl who would treat him like a king already.

"Ouch, that sucks." Nia then cringed, "Yeah... I don't like it when a guy pays for everything. I like putting in some of my half in it as well. Plus, I just feel bad if I'm the reason his wallet gets thin."

"Well, Sakura's pretty so it's worth spending all of my cash. Anything for a pretty girl, ya know?"

As he said that, something boiled in Nia's veins and she suddenly became angry—removing her hand away from the blond's, turning her back towards him, and crossing her arms.

"You know, just because a girl is pretty doesn't mean you should be her doormat and let her walk all over you. They're not the center of the universe, Naruto! And they don't always deserve to be the center of your thoughts, object of your affection, and the one to have your heart! Even I would treat you better than-"

'That...' The girl suddenly had an epiphany as her eyes slowly widened and her arms fell to her lap.

"Err, what the heck was that all about, Curly Brow?" Naruto's voice ringed through her ears as she had found it to be very pleasant, "Why'd you get all mad for?"

'There's... no way,' She continued to think to herself as she turned to look at the blond, 'I got jealous... I really just got jealous.'

"Curly Brow, hey. Are you listening?"

"Please don't... say what you said to me ever again... Just please don't..." The girl turned to face the fire again, brought her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them then laid her chin atop of her knees.

"Huh? I don't get it... what made you get all offended?" Naruto was truly confused.

"If you're pretty much saying pretty girls deserve everything then... what does that leave girls like me? Are we worthless then? Are we nothing? Am I... nothing?"

"Wait Curly Brow, I didn't mean to-"

The blond then noticed the girl was still shivering despite wearing his jacket over herself and the fire being within a few feet in front of her. He sighed as he realized that not only was she cold and appearing lonely, she was now also hurt somehow because of what he had said.

He thought of a way to warm and cheer her up and as he did, he heard Jiraiya quietly calling his name.

"Pervy Sage, I thought you were sleeping." The blond went over to him.

"It's hard to go to sleep when you two are talking loudly and you're constantly flirting with her, kid." The Sage replied.

"What the? I wasn't flirting with her or anything." Naruto became red with embarrassment, "How many times do I have to keep telling you I like Sakura?"

"After all that touching and playing with her hair, I think you like Nia. I saw the way you were staring and smiling at her, sitting close to her, touching her, brushing your thumb across her fingers and then holding them in your hand. You can't fool me, Naruto."

The boy only looked away and pouted, "I... didn't do anything like that..."

"Yeah... lie all you want," Jiraiya took his blanket off of him and handed it to his student, "Here, she's cold isn't she? Give her this."

"What about you? Won't you be cold?"

"Ah, no need to worry about this old guy. Besides, I'm used to weather like this. I'm always traveling, you know?"

"Yeah." The blond nodded.

"Anyway Naruto, just wrap yourself and her in the blanket then after that, throw your arm around her and pull her close to you almost as if you're giving her a side hug."

"What? Why would I do all of that?"

"Let's just say you'll be able to get closer to her. She may begin to feel she can trust you and feel safe in your presence." Jiraiya replied.

"Wait, you really mean that? You're serious?" Naruto became a bit intrigued by the thing.

The sannin only gave a thumbs up.

"If you want to get closer to her, now's your chance, kid."

"R-Right!"

With that, the blond placed the blanket over himself and slowly walked over to the kunoichi who still appeared to be shivering.

He sat down and then too covered the blanket over the girl's shoulder along with his jacket. With that accomplished, he awkwardly yet nervously placed his arm over her and brought her close to him.

Of course, being as shy as she was, the girl began to panic.

"H-Hey, what're you-"

"I'm just... trying to keep you warm okay? Us warm." The blond stated as his heart raced a little and his skin flushed, "This... doesn't mean anything, all right?"

"But... does your arm really have to be wrapped me? You're practically... hugging me to your chest." Nia timidly responded as her heart raced as well, though a lot faster.

"J-Just for tonight we're going to be like this. Besides, we're friends. Friends do these sorts of things so it's only weird if you make it weird, ya know." Naruto scratched his head as he tried not to get awkward and nervous.

"If... you say so." Nia scooted even closer and placed her head on the genin's shoulder as she kept the blanket wrapped around her, "It's all right with you for me to lay my head here isn't it?"

Naruto tugged at his collar and smoothed his hair, "Y-Yeah."

Nia softly smiled and made herself comfortable. As the two relied upon the other for warmth, they began to smile to themselves and even blushed as they were in this intimate position by the fire and under the moonlight.

Behind them watching, Jiraiya could see Naruto as he was gazing at the girl in a way he never had before.

'Well, I'll be...' He was a bit surprised by what was going on. 'Those two are actually starting to warm up to one another... I guess being forced into a scary situation with the opposite gender really can get two people to become closer with one another... what on earth went down in that cave they were stuck in?'

----

A/N- Update! I think it'll be safe to say that I'll be updating every 7-10 days for the moment. I could probably update twice a week but that'll depend on how much people tell me they enjoy this story.

Remember, I really do appreciate feedback from you guys cause that helps me to create even greater chapters for you all. Don't be afraid what you don't or do like about a chapter or just the story in general.

Also....

DID YOU SEE THE NEW NARUTO OVA?!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh, that was so good and funny lol. I don't read the manga ahead of the shippuden anime but clearly most people who are familiar with Naruto already know that he accomplished his dream and even had a family in the epilogue.

The good news with this ova was that I didn't really see any spoilers (maybe none at all) In the comments, people said there was a sasusaku moment but I'm just like 0.O where's that? (Don't tell me what that moment was/ I think it'll probably be in a upcoming shippuden episode and maybe I'll understand something?)

Anyway, those NARUHINA moments tho <3 <3 I know you shippers were freaking out lol. I feel bad for NaruSaku shippers. Tbh, I don't really got a problem with narusaku or naruhina. I'm just glad Naruto ended up with someone and doesn't have to ever come home to an empty house. It made me kinda emotional to see the family interact and bolt and Himawari being extremely adorable ^_^ Hinata was being such a good wife too! I'm so proud of her :)

There was a moment where the kids were fighting and Naruto looked kinda impatient but then looked as if that he was happy for a few seconds before yelling at the kids to hurry. I just that was just a sweet moment cause it looked as if he was taking a few seconds to appreciate the fact that he was a father and husband before doing what a dad does. It's so sweet :)

I'm done typing lol. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter AND the ova (if you've already seen it). Please don't forget to comment and vote before you go.

Have a great day :)