Chapter 13 - D.A.R.E (Don't Anger Red Eyes) {PART 4}

"Man...I hate life!" Nozomi whined as she pulled on her bathing suit. "Why'd I have to have a TAIL?! It makes life so complicated...especially when it comes to wearing a bathing suit!"

The cat girl groaned. "That's ANOTHER thing I've had to rip thanks to this cursed tail!" She sighed. "Why does life HATE me?!"

The brunette sighed and took a step back, glancing at herself in the mirror once more, as she had several minutes before. She wore a deep green two piece bathing suit.

The top, though it was small, fit snugly and was modest enough, even if it did show a little in places; the bottoms were a cross between normal bikini bottoms and mini shorts, and did little to cover her thighs. Despite all this, the cat girl felt satisfied, and she grabbed her bag, hastily covering up with her beach towel as she stepped outside of the changing rooms.

'Oh, god...if Naruto-kun makes ONE perverted comment on this swimsuit, I SWEAR I'm gonna use the jutsu on him!' She thought, sweatdropping as she walked back to the towel where Naruto waited. “I'm back...”

A blush colored her cheeks as the spiky haired boy turned, having changed into his swim trunks, and she struggled to keep her gaze off of his muscular chest.

In response, Naruto blushed as well, though he did NOT try to avoid staring at her, which made Nozomi all the more grateful to be covered up by her towel.

“So, um...are you ready to go swimming?” the blond asked a moment later, breaking the awkward silence that seemed to have fallen over them.

Nozomi hesitated before nodding her head slowly, the blush on her face deepening. “Y-yeah...let's go then...”

“Ok...” Naruto got up off the towel and held his hand out for the brunette to take. “Then leave your towel here with mine and let's go!”

'Oh...rats...' A drop of sweat rolled down Nozomi's face. “...Ok...” Slowly she removed the towel and placed it on the ground with Naruto's, not daring to meet the boy's gaze as she heard him inhale sharply.

“.....Nozo-chan....” Naruto couldn't help blushing hard as the cat girl turned to him, and he took her in all at once. Her scent, her curves, her face, everything. She was absolutely stunning. Beautiful...No. Naruto shook his head to correct himself. Not beautiful- drop dead gorgeous!

Nozomi remained frozen, unable to look him in the eye for fear her blush would get even worse.

“Nozo-chan...” Naruto smiled despite his embarrassment. “You look beautiful. I'm glad I chose that swimsuit for you out of the two.”

Nozomi glanced at him, surprised. “....Really...?”

“Yes, really...Gorgeous..” Naruto's grin widened.

“But...I'm really not a lot to look at.” Nozomi protested, sweatdropping.

“Not a lot to look at?” Naruto stared at the cat girl so intently that she took a step back, intimidating by his penetrating gaze. “Nozomi...YOU might say that...but any guy would say you're hot, at least! ME...”

A mischievous smirk appeared on the blond's face, unnerving Nozomi even more, “I think you're more than just hot...I think you're downright sexy!”

“What?!...M-me...s-se--- NO WAY!” Nozomi blushed as hard as was possible and backed away from him even more.

“Yes...sexy...my cute little pussycat...I could just eat you up you're so adorable!” Naruto smirked. “Where do you think YOU'RE going, cutie? We're not finished talking about this!”

Another drop of sweat rolled down the cat girl's head as she backed even further away. “I'm..going...swimming....ehehehe...”

“Not YET, you aren't!” Naruto insisted as he lunged at her, catching the surprised cat girl in a hug as he pinned her to the ground on her back

“Kyaa! Naruto-kun, let me up!”

“Nope, not just as I finally got you where I wanted you.” Naruto grinned devilishly, and Nozomi gulped.

“Get UP!” The brunette wailed, struggling to push him off, with little success.

“Not yet,” Naruto grinned. “Hehe....I really could eat you..” A devious smirk was on his face now, “In fact, I think I will!”

“What?! Naruto-kun, what the heck are you talking about-- AHHHAHAHA!! STOP! That tickles!” The cat girl shrieked, laughing uncontrollably as Naruto leaned down, giving a throaty growl, and kissed all up her exposed neck, chuckling softly at her reaction.

“Naruto-kun, STOP it!” The brunette begged, tears in her eyes now from how hard she was laughing. A few minutes later, however, she inhaled sharply, no longer laughing as her eyes went wide. “Naruto-kun, get your hand OFF of there!”

“Aww, but why?” Naruto grinned as he ran his hand up and down the base of her tail, “I'll be able to touch more than that soon enough...besides,” The blond snickered as a soft purr escaped the brunette, “You seem to like it, kitty...”

“I do not—wait--what do you mean by touch MORE than that...?” Nozomi blushed darkly as she realized the hidden meaning behind his words, and she glared at him. “You pervert!! That does it, I'm using it! That'll teach you!”

“Hey, wait! I'm not a pervert!” Naruto protested.

“Then why did you SAY that?!” Nozomi demanded.

“Well....” The embarrassed boy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, “I was just stating the truth...you know when we're married we'll be-”

“I KNOW! That's it I've had enough, you're still a pervert whether you'll admit it or not! I can tell who YOU trained under...what, did you read his books, too?!” Anger in her eyes, Nozomi launched into a series of handsigns, her brow furrowed as she focused intently on performing each sign just right.

“No way! Why would I read something as boring as tha--..Um...Nozo-chan, what are you doing...?” Naruto stared in confusion a drop of sweat rolling down the back of his head. “What are the handsigns for?”

An evil grin appeared on Nozomi's face as she fought back the urge to pound his face in. “You should have behaved like a good little boy...” she said sinisterly.

“Nozomi?!” Naruto stumbled back, freeing the cat girl as he let let go of her. “What are you doing?!”

“Punishing you.” Nozomi glared at him as she slowly sat up, handsigns finished. “...Baku Mimi-o Jutsu!!”

“What the...?” Naruto sweatdropped. “...Baku what, now?” He snickered.

“Baku Mimi-o Jutsu.” Nozomi smirked as she got to her feet and extended a hand down to the boy to help him up. “C'mon, I'll show you.”

Naruto hesitated briefly before taking her hand and letting her help him stand. “Um.....ok....?” The blond answered nervously as he allowed her to lead him. He frowned at a small ripping noise from behind him, but thought nothing of it a few moments later as Nozomi stopped and he saw they were in front of the ocean. “What now?”

Nozomi merely smirked as she pointed down at the water. “Take a look in the water and tell me what you see.”

“Ehh? Ok, if you say so, Nozo-chan..” Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he knelt down and glanced at his watery reflection. “....Nozomi, I don't see anythi-” The boy broke off in mid sentence as a movement caught his attention, and he almost cried in shock as he saw that the movement had been one of two very twitchy orange and white tipped fox ears that were perched atop his head.

“EARS?!” A drop of sweat trickled down the boy's head as realization hit him. “Wait...if I've got fox ears, then that must mean...oh, no! NO!” In a state of panic, the blond jumped to his feet and spun around, glancing behind him, and groaned loudly as his stare landed on the bushy orange and white fox tail that was now twitching against his ankles relentlessly. THAT must have been the ripping sound he'd heard earlier!

Nozomi just watched, trying her hardest not to laugh at the boy's startled reaction.

“Waaah! Why me?!” The blond was screaming, tugging on his newly grown animal features in frustration, crying out in pain at the pain this caused him. “Nozo-chan, what did you DO to me?!” he cried, “...And how...and WHY?!”

Nozomi snickered under her breath as she responded, “Well, I used a jutsu that made you grow animal features....fox in your case...why did I do that?” The cat girl paused and gave a slight shrug. “Well for one thing, you were talking like a real pervert! I could tell you'd been the student of that Pervy Sage for a little too long..” she scowled, “and for your information, I specifically made this jutsu to be your punishment for that stunt you pulled with the engagement ring.”

“What?! But! I thought you'd be over that by now!” Naruto groaned. “Man!”

“Don't be so down, Naruto-kun...there IS a way to get rid of the fox features.” A devious grin appeared on Nozomi's face as she said this.

“There is?!” A hopeful look was on Naruto's face now. “What is it?!”

“Simple,” the grin on Nozomi's face seemed to widen, “cancel the engagement so this ring can come off,” she held out her left hand as she spoke, “and I'll cancel the jutsu.”

“OK-Wait, WHAT?!” Naruto's eyes widened, and the grin that had just appeared on his face now vanished. “Why?!”

“Because, it's only fair.” Nozomi answered, “If I have to deal with something I don't wanna deal with, then so do you....but if you set me free from mine, I'll free you form yours as well.”

There was a pause before Narutp sighed heavil. “...You're sure there's no other way for me to get rid of these things?”

“Nope,” Nozomi said smugly, “I control the jutsu with my desires...those fox features won't vanish until I want them to...that's how my jutsu works.”

Naruto heaved another deep sigh and folded his arms, eyes closed. “...Fine...”

“Fine?” A smirk formed on Nozomi's face. “You mean you'll do it, then?”

The blond gave a stiff nod and grunted. “...I'll learn to deal with having animal features like you...'cause there's no way I'm giving up on you.”

Nozomi's eyes bulged in shock, the fur on her ears and tail standing up, quite easily making her slightly resemble a witch's cat after a Halloween flight. “WHAT?!”

“You heard me, kitty.” Naruto snickered and reached out, smoothing her fur down as he spoke. “I'll just learn to adjust.”

“But!! Naruto-kun!'” Nozomi sweatdropped as her fur spiked up yet again, “Aren't you worried what people will think when they see you?! Wouldn't you rather look normal like everyone else?!”

“Eh, not really,” Naruto gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, “Nobody really treats me normal anyways. Yeah, sure I have friends now, but even though they try to hide it, I know they're all afraid of me deep down...Afraid of Kyuubi coming out and taking control...It's not like having fox features will change the way they treat or view me THAT much...besides, I can handle animal features a lot easier than I could handle calling off the engagement. So there.”

Nozomi didn't say anything. She just stared at the boy, wide eyed, her jaw dropped. This wasn't supposed to happen! He was supposed to be so devastated that he'd give up on the engagement to be able to return to normal...why did things always seem to backfire on her?!

“W-well then!- Have fun suffering!” The brunette stammered, “It won't be as easy as you think! TRUST me!”

“I know it won't be easy,” Naruto grinned and winked at the cat girl, “but you're worth it! Besides, this can give me a little better understanding of you, and the things you go through.” He smiled widely. “I think I'll adjust to these things soon enough, just fine.”

Too stunned to think of a comeback, Nozomi just stared wordlessly at the blond haired boy, shock written all over her face.

After a few minutes of complete silence, Naruto grinned at her. “So...we gonna swim, or just stare at each other like this?”

“Ah, let's swim!" Nozomi sputtered, glad for the subject change.

“Ok,” an evil grin appeared on Naruto's face suddenly.

“Umm, Naruto-kun? What are you looking at me like that fo-” Nozomi broke off and shrieked loudly in surprise as the boy suddenly lunged forward, catching her and throwing her over his shoulder as he charged into the ocean, splashing them both with icy water.

“Kyaaa! Naruto-kun, let me GO!” Nozomi screamed, pounding on the blond's back with balled up fists.

Naruto stopped, the water coming up to his waist, and nodded. “Well...Ok...if you insist..”

Before the brunette could prepare herself, he had let go of her, and she dropped face first into the cold, salty water. The cat girl quickly resurfaced, and glared at Naruto, who in response sweatdropped and gave a toothy smile, shrugging sheepishly. “What? You said to let go, so I did...”

Nozomi's only response was to spit a mouthful of the salty water in his face before turning tail and swimming away-- err, trying to, that is.

“Hey, where do you think you're going after a stunt like THAT?” Naruto demanded, a smirk playing on his lips as he lunged forward and grabbed the cat girl around the waist, pulling her into him in a hug from behind.

Nozomi shrieked and tried to get away, but to no avail as the blond only tightened his grip on her.

'C'mon, Nozomi, think! There has to be a way to make him let go, there just HAS to be!' The brunette thought desperately, ears flattening against her head in frustration. Then she had it! 'Yes, there IS a way..' The cat girl grinned deviously as she felt around behind her in the water.

“Umm...Nozomi-chan? What are you doing now?” Naruto asked, sweatdropping as he felt the girl's fingers latch onto his tail (his tail; THERE was something he'd have to get used to saying in time...).

“Hmmm...just wondering...” Nozomi gave an innocent kitty grin. “...Are we ever gonna swim?”

“Of course, silly.” Naruto smirked.

“So, shouldn't you be letting go of me now, then?”

“Why would I do that?” Naruto asked with a chuckle, hugging the girl slightly tighter, nuzzling her neck with his head.

“Because,” Nozomi groaned, knowing she was blushing again, “you-you can't hold me and swim...not at the same time, anyways!”

“Wanna bet?” The smirk on Naruto's face widened and Nozomi frowned.

“Ugh! I was afraid you were gonna say that...” Nozomi sighed, “Oh well..” Then, without warning, she jerked her hand forward, yanking harshly on Naruto's newly grown tail in the process.

In response, the blond screamed loudly and jumped in surprise, and, in doing this, freed the cat girl's waist from his grasp.

“Haha, free at last!” Nozomi snickered as she started to walk away, going toward the part of the ocean where the water went from shallow to semi deep.

“Arrgh! Maybe,” Naruto muttered, rubbing his lower back gently, “but you won't be for long...I'm gonna get you for that one, kitty! You're toast!”

“You'll never take me alive!” Nozomi shrieked, diving underwater and swimming away at a high speed.

Naruto groaned, rubbing his back once again before taking off after her, swimming as fast as he was able to.

Every time he thought he was getting close to her, the cat girl would speed up, pulling far out of his reach again.

“Just give it up, Naruto-kun!” Nozomi snickered as she surfaced for air and glanced back at the boy briefly, “You're not used to swimming with a heavy, wet tail...or fur in general...either way, you'll NEVER catch me!!”

“Don't count me out just yet, kitty cat!” Naruto gritted his teeth as he pressed on (though, just as Nozomi had said, it was getting harder to stay afloat). The boy panted hard as he struggled on. It seemed like the further he went, the heavier his tail became, trying to drag him under...but -Naruto grinned to himself- if Nozomi could do it, then so could he!

A few minutes later, however, Naruto was forced to stop as he realized how deep the water was. They had gone WAY out, he couldn't even see the bottom anymore! They were almost so far out he couldn't even see the beach behind them anymore!

“Hey, Nozo-chan,” he called, “I think we better go back...it's really deep here...”

“Nya? What's that, Naruto-kun?” Nozomi stopped swimming and glanced back over her shoulder at the boy. “What'd you say? I can't hear you over here!”

“I said!-” Naruto had opened his mouth to repeat himself, but he broke off in mid sentence, eyes widening as he stared at Nozomi in what seemed to be fear.

The cat girl noticed, and frowned at him. “What is it? Why do you look like you've just seen a ghost?”

“Watch out, behind you!!” Naruto shouted loudly, but he was drowned out then by the 10 foot wave that had risen up just behind the girl.

“Huh?...What...?” Nozomi frowned and glanced back, eyes bulging as she took in the huge wave that was about to crash down on her. “Ohh...THAT'S what...Rats!!”

Try as she might, the cat girl couldn't get herself to move, frozen in fear, and she could only watch, eyes wide as saucers as the huge wall of water came crashing down on her with a mighty roar.

“Nozomi!” Naruto screamed, eyes wide in horror as the girl was shoved under the water from the impact of the wave, and failed to resurface after it had subsided. “NOZOMI!”

Nozomi could not answer, nor could she hear him. That wave had taken her by complete surprise, and she'd inhaled huge lungfuls of the salty sea water, which had caused her to run almost entirely out of air almost immediately once she'd been pushed under the water.

Struggling was futile, she found, as her body slowly stopped responding, and she gave one final gasp, now completely out of air. Slowly, the world began to fade from her view, and all she saw was black as she slipped into unconsciousness, no longer aware of the world around her as she drifted deeper and deeper into the dark, ocean water...