Chapter 10 - D.A.R.E (Don't Anger Red Eyes) {PART 1}

Nozomi rubbed her eyes and yawned. 'I hardly got ANY sleep.' she frowned as she entered the Hokage Tower and started down the hall, heading for Tsunade's office. 'Oh well...at least Naruto-kun seemed to have energy...' The cat girl smiled a little at this. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. That was the only way to describe the way her blond haired companion had been, what with the enthusiastic "MORNING" he'd bellowed in greeting (not to mention the tackle hug she'd received upon getting out of bed).

That, and -Nozomi smirked evilly- it would be the perfect way to describe him once she put her new jutsu to effect. Too scared to go back to sleep right away, for fear that her nightmare would return, the girl had stayed up perfecting the technique. It would be her ultimate revenge on Naruto (who had tricked her into agreeing to marry him, and wearing a ring that wouldn't come off until the wedding day). 'Now I just need to figure out when the best time is to use it on him.' The brunette thought to herself. She snapped out of her thoughts as she found herself standing outside the door to the very office she'd been seeking out and sighed inwardly. 'Oh well, that's not important now...I'll figure it out later.' she decided as she knocked loudly on the door. "Hello...Tsunade-sama?"

A brief pause followed before she heard a loud, annoyed sounding "Yes?"

'Uh oh..I must've caught her drinking...again...Oops..' A drop of sweat rolled down the back of Nozomi's head as she answered, "Um...it's Nozomi. Can I come in?"

"...Yeah...come in." The still annoyed sounding female's voice grumbled after a moment's pause.

Nozomi opened the door and walked in somewhat timidly. "Sorry for intruding on you like this, Tsunade-sama." she apologized, grimacing at the name. She never used such polite terms! Normally she didn't even use Tsunade's name, just called her an old hag...cause that's what she was. However, when there was something you wanted -and indeed Nozomi wanted something from Tsunade-, the best way to get it was by being polite; no matter how little respect you held for the person.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, not a stranger to the cat girl's sugar coated tactics. "Just skip the phony flattery, Nozomi, and tell me what it is that you want...save us some pain."

"Wow, you're sharp for a woman your age," Nozomi muttered, smiling sheepishly, "Nothing gets by you."

"What IS it, Nozomi?" Tsunade demanded, looking even less pleased at having her age mentioned. Nozomi paused briefly, taking a deep breath. "It's about the jutsu Naruto-kun used on me...well I heard that somebody delivered both those scrolls to you....and I was wondering if you could tell me what that person looked like."

"Sorry, but that information is classified." Tsunade said in a bored tone. "Now if that's it, you can le-"

"Just answer me this...if it was a boy...did he look like Naruto-kun at all?" Nozomi interrupted quickly, too determined to give up.

Tsunade had been about to tell her to get out, but the cat girl's words had caught her off guard. "It's possible that he looked like Naruto...what's it to you?"

"Well if he did, I think I know who your visitor was," Nozomi began, "and I want to pay him a visit myself, to see if he's had a change of heart...it isn't like him to want to save me, cause...you see, if I'm correct, your visitor was the guy from my past that treated me the worst, Suoh Maekawa."

"So, that's what this is about, then." Tsunade smirked, finally understanding.

"Yes..." Nozomi nodded and bowed as politely as she could. "I would like your permission to go back and see him for a few days."

"Well," Tsunade began, "I don't see why not..." she paused. "This isn't really an actual mission either, so Sakura and Sai don't really need to go unless you want them to."

"Oh no, thanks." Nozomi heaved a sigh of relief. Sakura had always annoyed her with her overly optimistic, never say die attitude, and her insane hard to understand need to interfere in the cat girl's love life.

Sai...Nozomi rolled her eyes at the thought of cell 7's newest member. He annoyed the heck out of her! Whether it was his fake smiles, the lack of emotions, or perverted remarks about Naruto that annoyed her, she wasn't sure. There was just something about Sai in general that bugged her.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama, I'll leave immediately." Nozomi bowed again and turned to leave. "I'll be gone no more than 5, 6 days tops."

"Nozomi, I do have one request of you." Tsunade spoke up, stopping the girl in her tracks.

"Yes?" The cat girl glanced over her shoulder curiously.

"Actually take Naruto with you, don't make him track you."

Nozomi's face went pale hearing this, and one of her cat ears twitched nervously. "Take Naruto-kun?"

"Yes." Tsunade folded her arms across her chest. "There are three reasons. Obviously you can't keep your demon contained that long alone...and besides that, Naruto would realize you were gone and come after you so why not take him along and save yourself the effort of running like a coward?"

Nozomi growled quietly and tried to ignore that "coward" remark. "The third reason is...?" She sweatdropped as the older woman leaned forward and smirked at her. "What?!"

"Nozomi, you're leaving for about a week...to go and see the guy you used to like. Do you honestly think Naruto won't get jealous when he finds out, and come to check up on you?"

"Well, I was gonna explain the situation to him before I left..." Nozomi mumbled, frowning. "He'll understand."

"Of course he will understand...every detail. Because the only way you're going is if he goes with you." Tsunade smirked. "Just behave, and don't do anything stupid that would make him call off the engagement."

'Engagement?!' Nozomi wanted to scream. 'How does SHE know about THAT?!'

"Now then, you'd best get going and pack."

Nozomi nodded hastily. "Y-yes, ma'am! I'll leave immediately once I'm packed."

The cat girl shrieked shrilly as she felt Tsunade's hand clamp onto her her tail roughly. "Naruto, too." the older woman said firmly.

"B-but, I can handle mys-" Nozomi broke off and shrieked again, louder as Tsunade squeezed her tail tighter than before.

"Nozomi, that is NOT a suggestion. I'm telling you to take him with you. That's an ORDER from the 5th Hokage! You got it?!"

Nozomi winced at her tail being crushed in the older woman's hand, and nodded reluctantly. "....Understood."

The blonde haired woman gave a sly smile and let go of the cat girl's tail. "Very good...now out with you! I'm a very busy woman, you know!"

"Yeah, I know!" Nozomi rubbed her tail, whimpering softly before glaring at Tsunade and heading for the door. "Enjoy getting drunk on sake, old hag." Then, before the angered Hokage could say or do anything, the brunette walked out, slamming the door shut with more force than was needed, grumbling under her breath. She had no idea that in the next day or so, she'd be thankful to have Naruto along...

---

"So, tell me again what's going on?" Naruto said as he watched Nozomi pack, already having finished himself.

Nozomi gave an exasperated sigh and looked up from her packing. "Oy, Naruto-kun, you can be so slow, I swear...!" The brunette paused. "I already told you. We're going back to my visit my clan for a few days or so."

"I know, you already told me that," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head in confusion, "but I don't understand why we're going...I thought you hated those people!"

Nozomi rolled her eyes. "I do...but there's obviously at least one person there who doesn't hate ME, if he brought the clan's jutsus to the old hag..."

Naruto just stared at the girl. "Well, ok...but how are you gonna find-" The blond's eyes widened suddenly and he pointed at Nozomi accusingly. "Hey, wait! You know who it is, don't you?!"

A drop of sweat slid down the brunette's head as she held up her hands in protest. "Well, not really...I just...more like I have a hunch...no need to get so worked up, Naruto-kun...geez...ehe..."

"Nozo-chan, who do you think it is?"

Nozomi didn't say anything as she looked away. If her hunch was correct, Naruto wouldn't be happy about who it was, and he might even try to prevent her from going to meet him!

"Nozo-chan, tell me!" Naruto whined.

Nozomi still said nothing as she quickly went back to her packing, avoiding his eyes.

"Nozo-chan, why won't you tell me?!" The blond groaned, seeing that he wasn't going to get any answers. He'd have to guess. Naruto frowned as he racked his brains for an idea. "It's not that...Suoh-what's-his-face guy, is it?"

Nozomi froze. 'Man, he's a good guesser!' she thought, eyes wide. 'I can't tell him he's right though...he'd go through the roof if he thought my past crush/abuser had actually done something to rescue me!...What's worse...he'd wanna know WHY, and I don't even know the answer to that!...I need a distraction...but what?' It was then that her gaze landed on the two bathing suits next to her, and a devious smirk appeared on the cat girl's face. 'I know what to do...'

"Hey, Naruto-kun...which of these do you think would look better on me?" She asked, picking the swimsuits up (one yellow, one green), and held them to her body in a flirty manner. 'PLEASE let this distract him!' The brunette thought desperately, blushing fiercely.

"What?" Naruto's face turned a light shade of red at the question, and he swallowed hard, taking a step back. "Um...well...I...don't know....you can decide, heh..." he stammered.

Nozomi smirked, pleased her distraction was working. "Well...I could try them on and you could tell me which one you like best." she offered, stepping closer, an innocent cat like grin on her face.

"What?!" Naruto took several steps back and blushed harder, looking away. "Um, I mean you...err...you should be able to decide that for yourself, shouldn't you?"

"But," Nozomi pressed, allowing a hint of sadness into her eyes, "I want you to help me choose..."

Naruto didn't say anything as he quickly turned his back to her to hide the nosebleed that was coming on.

After a minute or two, Nozomi gave up, smirking secretly to herself as she spoke sadly. "Oh...I get it...you don't mind having me close to you at night, but you're too embarrassed to see me in a swimsuit...I'm sorry...I'll get somebody else's help." She turned and began to walk back over to her bag to resume packing, pleased her distraction had worked. "....Maybe old man Kakashi-baka or the Toad Sage could help me figure it out..."

The cat girl snickered softly to herself. Perfect, now Naruto would be so stunned he wouldn't say another word, and she wouldn't have to deal with him for awhile.

Naruto's eyes bulged at this. Kakashi? Jiraiya?! She was going to model...for THEM?! 'No WAY! If she's gonna be seen in those by ANYBODY it's gonna be ME!'

"No, Nozo-chan." The blond stepped forward and pulled Nozomi into a hug (much to her surprise, not to mention dismay). "You have it all wrong...I'm not embarrassed about seeing you in your swimsuit...you just surprised me...that wasn't what I was expecting you to say...I actually can't wait to se--err..." The boy broke off and blushed, seeing how red the cat girl's face had gotten at that last comment. "I-I-I mean...the green one. I think it would look good on you...so...uhh.." Naruto sweatdropped slightly. "What's all this got to do with visiting your clan, anyways?"

"Th-there's a beach nearby." Nozomi explained, discretely pulling out of his arms. "I thought if we can wrap this up quickly, maybe we could spend some time there together...since we won't be expected back for at least 6 days. So make sure to pack your swimming trunks." She winked at the boy.

Naruto just nodded, blushing faintly. Something about the tone she'd used when she'd said that made him feel...awkward. "Uh...ok." He reached into his storage containers under the bed and pulled out a pair of shorts, which he hastily shoved into his bag. "Well then, if you're ready, let's get going."

"Right." Nozomi nodded, pleased that he seemed to have forgotten their original discussion and crammed the swim suit into her backpack. Then she threw the straps over her shoulder and grinned at him. "Ready."

Naruto nodded and held the door to the apartment open for her, locking it behind him once she'd walked out. The two walked until they reached the village gates. Then Naruto stopped and looked at the girl beside him. "You'll have to lead the way now, Nozo-chan, 'cause I don't know which way it is from here."

Nozomi nodded and took a step forward. "Alright then, follow me." The cat girl jumped and glanced back in confusion as Naruto grabbed her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Naruto-kun?"

The blond hair boy grinned and squeezed her hand slightly. "What is it, Nozo-chan?"

"Why're you holding my hand like that?" Nozomi asked quietly.

"Oh, that?" Naruto grinned looking somewhat mischievous. "I just want to make sure that that Suoh-what's-his-name jerk knows you're taken." The boy smiled and gave a slight tug on her hand, drawing her closer. "I don't want that guy trying to steal you away from me...you're my fiancee."

Nozomi blushed and looked away. "...Naruto-kun, this is Suoh we're talking about; a guy who nearly killed me when we were ten...If he didn't like me that way then, I doubt he will NOW. You don't have to be so protective."

Naruto nodded, but he made no move to let go of her hand

"Umm...Naruto-kun...?" Nozomi stammered, her blush deepening.

"What?" Naruto followed her gaze down to their hands and he frowned. "Geez, Nozomi...is it really that big of a crime for guy to want to hold his girlfriend's hand?"

Nozomi glanced away as a drop of sweat trickled down her cheek. Ok...Maybe she WAS overreacting a little. "No...I..guess not. Sorry."

Naruto smiled and lifted their hands together to kiss hers lightly. "It's ok, Nozo-hime."

Nozomi smiled back before sighing softly. 'Why DO I freak over the slightest touch from him? I know I'm still unhappy with him for tricking me into getting engaged the way he did..but still...I shouldn't freak out from one touch.' The cat girl was so lost in thought, she failed to see the concerned look Naruto was giving her, nor did she notice that he'd let go of her hand and was putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Nozo-chan...you know I'm here if you need to talk." The blond said quietly. "Right?"

"Mmmhmm." Nozomi nodded, only vaguely hearing him, still lost in thought.

"Hey, Nozo-chan!"

Nozomi blinked, snapping out of her thoughts for the moment and turned to look at the boy beside her. "Yes?"

"You know," Naruto grinned, glad to finally have her attention, "you look really cute when you're lost in thought like that."

"Kyaa! Naruto-kun!!" Nozomi looked away as her face turned a faint shade of red. "That's not true, baka.."

Naruto's grin widened at this. "Oh yes it is...you look VERY cute!"

"Naruto-kun, drop it!" Nozomi whimpered, unable to face him. She hated it when he said things like that, because she ALWAYS blushed! The cat girl lowered her head in an effort to hide her face like she always did as they walked.

Naruto, guessing she must be blushing pretty badly couldn't help but snicker quietly under his breath.

---

"Heh, well what do you know, it hasn't changed a bit." Nozomi smirked as she glanced around her old hometown. Her village. There was the alley where she'd so often been chased and cornered by all the village children, and beaten mercilessly. Not far ahead was the marketplace where she had often stolen fish and ramen cups- the only substances that had kept her alive, since the owners of the place refused to sell to a "Kubota demon".

"So, this is where you grew up, huh?" Naruto said as he scanned the village.

Nozomi nodded. "Yeah...I know it's not that glamorous...you don't have to pretend to think so."

Naruto blinked. "I'm not pretending anything...I was just asking to say...something." he frowned. "It's been too quiet, you hardly said anything the rest of the trip here..."

"Oh..." Nozomi laughed sheepishly. She'd been lost in thought most of the trip here, so it HAD been a quiet walk. 'Poor Naruto-kun...he's not used to such silence...' she thought, laughing quietly. Naruto wasn't one who was made for quiet, he usually needed some kind of conversation going, being the loud mouth he was.

The cat girl glanced up at the sky and frowned, seeing it was already late. It would be dark within the next hour. "Hey, Naruto-kun, let's camp out in the forest for now and we'll go searching tomorrow, ok?" she suggested. "It's already pretty late...I forgot that the journey here was at least a day's walk..heh."

"Hmmm...ok. Let's go then." Naruto grinned. "Let's go find a place then."

Nozomi nodded and they quietly left the village, unnoticed by anyone.

---

"Hmmm, this seems pretty good." Nozomi grinned as she glanced around the spot they'd chosen. It was small and circular, surrounded by a thick cluster of trees that made the clearing all the harder to find unless you knew what to look for.

Naruto walked over and sat down against one of the tree trunks, heaving a soft little sigh. "C'mon, Nozo-chan...sit down." he urged grinning at the cat girl.

Nozomi nodded, placing her backpack on the grass and sat down beside Naruto, which seemed not enough for him and he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist.

"Naruto-kun!" The cat girl blushed and frantically tried to pull out of his grip. "Let me go, baka!"

"Why should I?" Naruto grinned and hugged her tightly, resting his head on her shoulder, eyes closed in contentment. "You can't lie and tell me you're not comfortable like this, Nozo-chan...well you could try but you're purring so I wouldn't believe you."

The blush on Nozomi's face darkened and she sweatdropped. 'Purring?? When did I start purring?!'

"Uhh...well...I guess I'm comfortable...but..." The cat girl trailed off, looking for an excuse to be able to split them apart. Then she had it! "Oh! We need to eat dinner! So you'll have to let me down, hehe."

Naruto stared at her reluctantly. "Aww do we have to eat right now? I wanna stay like this!" He hugged her tighter, nuzzling her neck with his nose. He stayed like that, to the cat girl's dismay, for about 5 minutes (it felt like an hour to her) before he leaned back and let go, groaning as his stomach growled. "Alright, fine...let's eat!"

Nozomi nodded with a grin and quickly got up, relieved to be freed from his arms and lap. "Phew..." she sighed.

"Hey," Naruto said with a teasing grin, "You should at least try to get used to being in my lap and all that."

"...And just WHY is that?" Nozomi demanded with a red face.

"Just cause," Naruto grinned with his teeth, "Once we're married I'm not letting you go!"

".........Oh........" Nozomi's blush darkened. "Um...you'll have to at some point...once you become Hokage."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find a way to hold on to you and get my work done...don't forget who it is you're talking to."" Naruto smirked.

A drop of sweat ran down the back of the cat girl's head As much as she hated to admit it, Naruto had a point there. He had a reputation as the number one unpredictable ninja for being able to succeed at whatever he put his mind to, usually in quite unlikely ways. Usually anyone who underestimated him had it rubbed in their face in the end. Luck just always seemed to be on Naruto's side for some reason, and this time would most likely not be any exception.

"Yeah, right...whatever you say, Naruto-kun." Nozomi turned away and began rummaging through her backpack.

"Well, I could always just make it an order that you stay in my office with me while I work." Naruto smirked mischievously. "You might have to, you know, since you have that 10 foot radius rule with me. Hehehe!"

Nozomi groaned. Why did he always have to be right? "Ughh...whatever!" The cat girl growled and went back to digging through her backpack. A few minutes later she found what she was looking for and grinned triumphantly as she held up two plastic cups of pre-made ramen for Naruto to see. "Dinner time!"

Naruto's mouth watered, seeing the noodle cups, and he grinned. "Don't mind if I do!" he said, reaching out for one of the cups.

Nozomi smirked and held it out of his reach. "Ah, ah, ahhhhhhhhhh!"

"Aww, c'mon, Nozo-chan, that's not fair! Why can't I have one?" Naruto whined. "You don't need two all to yourself, do you?!"

Nozomi didn't speak; her smirk just widened.

"Nozomiii!!"

The cat girl snickered. "First of all, what do you say?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto looked caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

Nozomi just continued to stare at him smugly. "C'mon, Naruto-kun...I know you didn't remember to pack any food, I watched everything you put in your bag...If I hadn't made these we wouldn't have anything for dinner...now what do you say to me for remembering?"

"Ohh..." Naruto gave a sheepish little grin. "Uhh...thanks, Nozo-chan...you're a life saver."

There was a pause as the boy's stomach growled loudly, and Nozomi giggled. "Ok, fine...I guess you can have this now." The cat girl snickered and handed him one of the ramen cups.

"Yaaaay!! Thanks, Nozo-chan!" Naruto grinned as he tore the lid off and dug in. "Hey! These containers keep the ramen hot?" he asked, surprised at the steam that flew up into the air.

Nozomi nodded. "They're specially made to keep the heat in." she said with a smile. "I didn't think we'd want cold noodles so I packed the ramen in them."

"You're the best Nozo-chan!" Naruto grinned, surprising the girl as he put down his ramen container just long enough to hug her warmly.

Nozomi heaved a soft sigh and hugged him back lightly. 'I guess it's true what they say- the way to a man's heart IS through his stomach!' She thought with a laugh. "It's no problem, Naruto-kun...now eat before it gets cold, please, or all my hard work will have been in vain!"

She didn't have to tell Naruto twice. The boy dug into the ramen, slurping noodles like crazy, and didn't stop until his container was completely empty. Nozomi just stared at him in shock, ignoring her half finish ramen container. "I'll never understand how you're able to finish so fast!"

"Haha, that's just because I love ramen so much!" the blond grinned. "Besides, you eat pretty quick too when you want to!"

Nozomi snickered. "Maybe, but not half as fast as YOU!" she gave a small sigh and went back to eating her noodles, allowing a pleased purr to escape her as the sweet flavor of the noodles invaded her mouth.

"Does kitty like her ramen?" Naruto asked in a teasing voice. Nozomi nearly whacked him over the head for that one, but she managed to hold herself back. 'Later.' she promised herself, 'Later you can get him with your new jutsu...but not now...just grin and bear it!'

"..Yes, I do." she said, forcing a grin onto her face.

Naruto looked surprised by her reaction, having expected her to lash out or hit him for calling her "kitty", but didn't say anything, thankful not to have a lump on his head from her fist.

Nozomi continued eating, ignoring him. A few minutes later, it came to her attention that he was watching her intently, a look of longing on his face, and she sighed. "Close your eyes, Naruto-kun."

"Huh? Ok..." Naruto closed his eyes as he'd been told, and pursed his lips. 'Is she actually gonna kiss me? Did she figure out that's what I was thinking about just now?...And she's not mad?!'

Nozomi sighed and rolled her eyes. "Open wide, Naruto-kun."

The blond nearly had a heart attack at this. 'TONGUE now?! Who are you and what have you done with Nozo-chan?!' He hesitated before opening his mouth.

Heaving another sigh, Nozomi took her chopsticks, scooped up a good amount of ramen noodles and crammed them into the boy's mouth. In response, he inhaled sharply, choking. 'Ramen?! Awww...I thought.....geez, I should've known better, I guess...this is Nozomi...she wouldn't kiss me like THAT...or even kiss me of her own free will...'

"Happy now?" Nozomi muttered, folding her arms across her chest and smirking slightly. She'd never seen him look so surprised! Obviously ramen hadn't been what he'd expected...What HAD he expected then?! The cat girl blushed. 'I'll bet I know...'

"Uhh...thanks, Nozo-chan." Naruto said once he'd swallowed the noodles, smiling sheepishly. 'Man, why couldn't she have kissed me?? Oh well...I'll get her to before this trip's over..'

Nozomi smiled back, feeling awkward. "No problem..." When she was finished eating, the cat girl grabbed both containers, put the lids back on them and crammed them into her bag again. Then she looked at Naruto with a small smile. "Well...we should get to sleep...morning comes quickly, and we're gonna be busy tomorrow...let's turn in for the night."

The blond boy nodded his head in agreement and reached into his back pack, pulling out a rolled up sleeping bag. Nozomi did the same and laid hers close by the small campfire they'd built. Then she crawled in and zipped it up to her chin. "Mmm...it's cold outside but not in here." she commented, heaving a contented sigh.

"Yeah, it is." Naruto agreed from his sleeping bag next to hers. He grinned and looked up at the sky where the stars were already starting to dot the sky.

"It's kind of funny." Nozomi remarked softly.

"Hmmm?" Naruto turned so he was on his side, facing the brunette. "What is?"

"I remember laying in my bed when I was little, watching the stars by myself...I remember in particular that whenever I would see a shooting star, I would wish to be as free as that star itself...that was always what I would think about. Being free and starting over, with people who knew nothing about me or my demon...starting in a place where I wouldn't be hated right off the bat."

The girl turned now and allowed herself to face Naruto, exposing the tears in her eyes. "I remember wishing I could just have one friend, even if they were afraid of me, just so I wouldn't be alone..."

"Hey.." Naruto smiled and gently reached his hand out, wiping the tears from her face. "You don't have to think about those things anymore...you're not alone, I'm here with you, and I'll never leave you."

"I know..." Nozomi said softly, trying to stop crying.

"Shhh..just don't think about it...I'm here with you now." Naruto leaned in slowly, kissing her lightly on the lips, then pulled back just as slowly. 'Darn it...she still didn't kiss me back!' he thought with a frown. 'Oh well...I'll get her to kiss me by the end of this trip! I'm not gonna give up!'

Nozomi looked at him, blushing, despite the tears that were still rolling down her face. "You idiot.."

"What?!" Naruto looked at the girl in shock. "What'd I do?!"

The cat girl sniffled and gave a small smirk. "I'm not crying because of the memories..." she paused. "I'm crying because I'm happy...I'm no longer alone...that's something I never thought I'd be able to say." she sighed happily. "I much prefer watching the stars with you than alone like I did when I was a kid...thanks for not leaving me, even when my temper was awful."

Naruto just stared at the girl for a minute, surprise written all over his face. "Nozo-chan..." his eyes softened. "I could never leave you, no matter how mean you've been in the past...you're my treasure, Nozo-hime.....my kitty." With a grin, he reached out and tapped the tip of one of the brunette's cat ear's, making it twitch ever so slightly.

The cat girl giggled. "Thanks, Naruto-kun..." she yawned. "I guess it's time for sleep now, huh?"

The blond next to her nodded, also yawning. "Yeah...let's turn in for now....Good night, Nozo-hime...I'll see you in the morning."

Nozomi's face turned a light shade of red as she answered, "Night, Naruto-kou."

'Prince Naruto?!' The blond thought, stunned.

Nozomi giggled slightly at the bewildered look on the his face before closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. A few minutes later she was fast asleep, her even breathing mixed in with the purr she did whenever she was in a deep sleep.

Naruto lay wide awake staring at the starry sky. 'I agree with you, Nozo-chan...it's much nicer to watch the stars with someone at your side...you're not the only one who wished on a shooting star when you were little...hehe, who'd have thought after all these years our dream would come true?' The blond grinned to himself and closed his eyes to get some much needed sleep.

Not even 10 minutes later, he too was fast asleep, breathing deeply, his facial expression one that can only be described as purely content.

Suddenly, Nozomi sat up straight a hand on her heart, eyes wild. Only when she saw that she was in the forest, with Naruto asleep at her side did she allow herself to breathe. 'It was...a dream...again...yes, another horrible dream...'

The brunette heaved a sigh and unzipped her sleeping bag so she could sit up. 'What should I do?...Should I wake Naruto-kun?....No...he's sleeping too peacefully...I could never disturb him without feeling guilty...'

She sighed and absentmindedly ran her hand through the boy's hair in a soothing, massaging kind of behavior. The blond smiled in his sleep, which made her wonder if he was fully asleep yet, but she didn't bother to ask.

This dream had been almost as horrible as the one she'd had the night before. Like the last dream, she'd been wandering in her old village, trying to figure out how she'd gotten there.

Then suddenly the scenery had changed, and she'd found herself at the beach. She hadn't been the only one there. Naruto, as well as the grey eyed shadow figure from her last dream had been there, too. As soon as they'd seen her, the shadowy figure ran up to Nozomi, and kissed her square on the mouth, taking her breath away. This had enraged Naruto, calling forth Kyuubi, and he had challenged the shadow to a fight- winner take all.

Next thing Nozomi knew, she was watching one of the fiercest fights she'd ever seen, each of the contestants putting up their best fight, Naruto calling up his demon chakra, the shadow attacking with an ice jutsu. Then, suddenly the shadow uttered a phrase and was gone, vanished. As Nozomi had stood there, trying to figure out where he'd gone, the figure had reappeared behind Naruto, and delivered quite a beating; good enough to knock him unconscious anyway!

What had happened next was the worst part, as suddenly unable to move, almost like she was changed down, Nozomi had been forced to watch as weights were tied onto Naruto's body, and he was hurled deep into the ocean. "There, that should get rid of the competition." the shadow had muttered.

Then came the part Nozomi really had been frightened by. The shadow had teleported, appearing right behind her, and grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him. "You're so much better off with me, Nozo-neko-chan...I could actually make you happy...oh well...I'll see you tomorrow." Then, just like that, he had vanished again, after allowing her one more look into his dark, cloudy grey eyes.

Nozomi shuddered, still remembering how his icy hands had felt on her skin. What did it all mean?

Though she was still trembling with fear, the cat girl laid back down in her sleeping bag and closed her eyes to try and get some sleep. However, try as she may, though she tossed and turned, nothing could get her to sleep. She was still too worked up over her dream to be able to rest.

'Why am I having such awful dreams?!...I wish I knew...and what's worse...why does it feel like they're trying to tell me that something's going to happen?'