Chapter 16 - D.A.R.E (Don't Anger Red Eyes) {PART 7} FINAL

'Morning already...?' Nozomi sighed as bright sunlight forced her awake, and she hid underneath her covers in an attempt to shield her eyes from the sun's rays. The cat girl closed her eyes and covered her mouth as she yawned softly.

The morning that she'd anticipated had finally come, but now instead of being eager, she dreaded getting up; Because she was about to do the cruelest thing she had ever done...for the first time ever, she was going to to break Naruto's heart. Not just by playing hard to get and throwing insults as she had when they were younger....she wished she could just do that and him take it as a hint to leave her...but no. What Nozomi was about to do was much worse. Much, much worse...Oh well....at least she was fortunate enough that Naruto, being the heavy sleeper he often was, hadn't heard a bit of the conversation that had taken place the previous night, as she'd laid there, trying to drift off to sleep.

'I'll never forgive myself for this...' Nozomi thought with a sinking feeling. '...But if I don't...Naruto-kun might die...and it'd be my fault....I couldn't live with that....' The cat girl frowned. 'I'd rather be miserable if it means he stays alive...'

"Good morning, sunshiiiiiiiine!" Came a loud, enthusiastic voice, just before Nozomi's body was burdened by the weight of something heavy.

'Naruto-kun...sweet, goofy Naruto-kun...what will I do without you to make me smile...?' The brunette thought sadly as she felt a sharp pain in her heart. She cleared her throat, trying to force back the sob that threatened to escape her. "O-ok, Naruto-kun...I'm awake...get off, will ya?"

"...Ok." The boy's voice sounded reluctant, but after a slight pause, the weight on Nozomi's back was lifted, and she took a deep breath. 'Ok, just play it cool. Go out there and put on the best act you can! You've done worse, this is NOTHING!'

Nozomi reluctantly crawled out of her sleeping bag and gave a wave. "Morning." She said softly, faking a smile as she went to work rolling up her sleeping bag.

Almost immediately the cat girl was swooped into the loving embrace of a very happy to see her blondie. "Nozo-chan!" the boy greeted, loud and enthusiastic, hugging her tightly, "How did my favorite kitty sleep?" He frowned, now noticing how droopy her eyelids were. "You look tired...are you ok?...Did you not get enough sleep again?" He grinned toothily. "Cause if that's the case, my lap is always available for you to nap in like yesterday, hehe!"

Nozomi did a double take, hoping in a way this would shake away her pain, and tried to pull away. "Naruto, it's NOTHING! I'm FINE!"

"Ok, ok..." Naruto frowned, looking a little taken aback. She hadn't yelled at him like that since before they'd started dating! "Aww...somebody's a grouchy kitten..." The blond grinned. "Here, let me cheer you up." He leaned in then, capturing the cat girl's cold lips in a warm kiss.

After a few seconds, however,the blond pulled away, frowning in confusion at her obvious refusal to return his embrace. "Nozo-chan, what's wrong?" A drop of sweat rolled down the back of his head as he saw the tears in her eyes, and worry flashed through his blue eyes. "Nozo-chan? What is it?...Why are you crying?"

Nozomi didn't answer, she just looked down at his jacket, unable to speak as the sobs she had fought back earlier succeeded in escaping her, drowning out any words that she might utter.

"C'mon, talk to me!" Naruto's frown deepened, concern written all over his face now.

"I'm...sorry..." Nozomi managed to choke, her golden eyes glazed over with tears as she slowly pushed the blond away, freeing herself from his arms, and took a few steps back.

"Wha--huh..?" Naruto looked at the brunette, more and moe confused by her actions. "What was that for?...."

Nozomi didn't answer as she struggled to stop crying, dabbing at her eyes with her jacket sleeve.

"Tell me what's going on, Nozomi!" Naruto demanded, feeling helpless and a little bit angry. "You're freaking me out! What is it?! Are you...on that time..?" The blond blushed but forced himself to stare directly at the cat girl. "If that's what's making you emotional, tell me, cause you're scaring me!!"

Nozomi merely shook her head at his inquiry, too numb in pain and sadness to feel embarrassed.

"Then!--" Naruto lunged forward and grabbed the girl's shoulders. "TALK TO ME! Nozomi, tell me what's bothering you!!"

"I..." Nozomi heaved a sigh and hung her head, forcing herself to stop crying. 'If I'm gonna do this, I can't be crying...or he'll never believe me...'

"I've decided to stay here." The cat girl raised her head to face Naruto now, and he was surprised to find that her tears had vanished. He frowned as her words sunk in.

"What...? Nozo-chan...you really want us to STAY in this place?"

".........Not us.......ME." Nozomi forced herself to say, feeling the tear on her heart begin.

"Wh-WHY?" Naruto's frown deepened, if possible. "You know that won't work...I can't leave and let you stay behind...I'd miss you too much!" He paused as another thought struck him. "....Besides, what about Kumoraku?! You have to be in a 10 foot radius of me to keep her sealed!"

"...I don't care..." Nozomi muttered. 'Here it goes...'

"...Nozomi. What are you saying..?"

"Naruto-kun...what I'm saying is...whether the ring comes off or not...we're over...I no longer want to be with you anymore...I'm sick of feeling like your prisoner, never free to do what I want for more than a half hour! I'm tired of having nothing but ramen, day in, day out, and I'm sick to death of having to get dressed in a tiny bathroom just because I can't trust you! You know what ELSE I hate?! Being forced to share a BED with you! Do you HONESTLY think it's ok to force me to sleep there while you cuddle me like I'm some stupid stuffed animal?! Well here's a newsflash for you! It's NOT ok!!"

Naruto just stared at the girl, his eyes wide with shock, pain visible on his face. "N...Nozo-chan...I...I thought...Why?...I thought...you loved me..! ...I get it. You're scared, now that things are so serious between us.....so you're trying to push me away.....I won't let you do it!"

'Stop, Naruto-kun...you're making this so HARD!'

"Don't you GET it, Naruto?!" Nozomi cried, desperation in her voice, as well as in her golden eyes, "I'm sick of it all...I can't DO it anymore....I'm fed up..."

"But Nozo-!!"

"I HATE you!"

Hearing these words, Naruto shut up, his ears pressing flat against his head, eyes filled with sadness, lip quivering. "N-no, you can't m-mean that...y-you're lying, N-Nozomi...."

"Naruto!" Nozomi gave an exasperated sigh, doing her best to appear as hateful as she could, to mask the pain she was feeling as her heart split into two equal halves. "I mean every BIT of it! I hate YOU, and I hate BEING with you!"

Naruto lowered his head now, heart breaking with every word. "N-Nozo-chan...I....I thought...you were happy with me..."

"Well you thought wrong!" Nozomi's voice quivered slightly, and she raised her hand to her face, wiping away the newly formed tears from her eyes. "I want nothing to do with you, Naruto...NOTHING...and to prove it...!" The cat girl heaved a shaky sigh as she uttered the word "realease", and Naruto's fox features vanished, his human ears returning now that they weren't being replaced by fox ears.

"There," Nozomi winced inwardly as she felt the remains of her heart shatter into little tiny pieces, much like a broken vase that has shattered into millions of pieces; beyond repairing. "Now you're free...my jutsu has been lifted from you....you have no excuse to follow me around anymore...So now...just do me a favor...and stay the heck away from me!"

Now dangerously close to tears, the cat girl turned and started to run, hoping to get out of reach before they fell down her face, but her hopes were dashed as Naruto lunged forward and grabbed her arm.

"Nozomi," his voice cracked as he choked through the sobs that were now coming from him, and at a second glance, you could see his eyes overflowing with tears that streamed steadily down his face. "please don't do this...don't leave me to be alone!"

'...That's really the last thing I want to do...I wish...I could stay....but I can't!'

"Naruto, let GO!" Nozomi cried, struggling to break away, but the boy's grip only tightened.

"No! I worked TOO hard to get you, for you to just abandon me now...Sorry, but I WON'T let you go Nozomi!" he said stubbornly, pulling her back against him, intending to trap her in a tight hug.

"...I'm sorry too..." Then, without any warning, Nozomi spun around, swinging her free hand at Naruto, and in doing so, she slapped him hard on the face, the impact of her hand on his cheek making a loud clap like noise. This slap stung Naruto worse than any other before, because it was filled with the cold bitterness that was Nozomi's rejection of him, and the pain stunned him, causing his grip on the girl's arm to loosen.

"...I'm sorry..." Nozomi hung her head as she pulled her arm free, and raised her hands to the back of her neck, messing with something from the look of it.

"...Nozomi...no...!" Naruto cried, now aware of what she was doing. He cried even harder as the cat girl reached out to him, the silver bell he had given her resting in her hand. "T-this can't be happening...!" He cried, suddenly feeling weak, voice trembling as he watched her place the bell in his hand and back away. "Nozomi, why?!"

"Because..." Nozomi took another step back, forcing hate into her eyes. "I already told you, Naruto....I HATE you! I'm through being tied to you like some stupid pet on a leash!"

"N...Nozomi...!" Naruto's lip quivered and he sobbed. "You can't mean that...!"

"...You'd better believe it." Nozomi mumbled, feeling sick to her stomach from the pain she felt now. For this was it. There was no going back. The damage was done. "This is it. Good bye, Naruto." Without another word, the cat girl turned and took off running, never looking back, for fear he'd see the tears that had begun to fall.

Naruto just stared, blue eyes watering over once more, and he cried harder than he ever had, his body shaking from how hard he was sobbing. "Nozomi...why...What did I DO?!...You...she...." The boy's shoulders heaved up and down uncontrollably as he struggled to form sentences that made sense, obviously failing miserably.

"Nozomi...why...?...Such...good times...wh..why...?" The blond babbled on, still crying hard as the memories he'd made with Nozomi flashed before his eyes, once after another, almost like a film, only they were playing in reverse, starting from their most recent memories here in her village, and going all the way back to the first night they became a couple. It had been a bit rocky in the beginning, but with time, the two of them had really found they were happy together.

Naruto sighed, a heavy sigh of sadness. It had been one of the first times he really felt like somebody cared about him...like he belonged, and had a purpose other than to be the ninetailed fox's human container. She...Nozomi, had given him a joy he hadn't felt in a long time. It wasn't the same kind of joy he'd felt when Sasuke had still been on squad 7...but it was still joy...and hope. Nozomi had been one of the only people who'd truly understood him, being a demon host herself, and she had made him feel like he could do anything if he truly wanted to. As long as he had her at his side. Leaving..she seemed to have taken more than just her love from him...she had stripped him of his joy, and his peace...He couldn't go on...not without her. He had come to be far more dependent on Nozomi than he'd ever been on anybody else...now to lose her...she might just as well have ripped his heart out and thrust it far out of his reach.

The blond was silent now, his tears seeming to have dried up, as he slowly got to his feet, head lowered. 'I can't give up...there has to be some explanation for her leaving...and it's not because of my behavior...because...she told me yesterday, she wouldn't love me any other way than how I am!....No...something else is going on....and I have to find out....I can't give up, I just can't!' Naruto glanced up in the direction Nozomi had run, his eyes flashing red for a brief minute before he tore down the same path, running as fast as was humanly possible for him. 'I WON'T lose her!'

"Nozomi! I'm sorry, but I'm NOT gonna give up on you!" The blond shouted loudly as he ran, despite the fact that he knew she wouldn't answer...

--

"I feel like such a jerk..." Nozomi hung her head as she walked now, exhausted from running for as long as she had. "That's because I AM...a freaking heartless, emotionless jerk!" The cat girl sighed. Her tears had long ago dried up. Now all she felt was cold and dead, numb despite the gaping hole she felt in her heart.

One could hardly blame her, though...after betraying the one man she truly loved, all in order to SAVE this same person from potential death!

'I wish we had never come here,' Nozomi thought, sadness washing over her again like a huge tidal wave. 'Oh well...it doesn't matter now...not anymore...not now that I've ruined the only good thing I ever had...'

She heaved a sigh and stopped walking, cat ears twitching back as a twig snapped. "Ok, not that I didn't already know you were there, but you may as well come out since you blew your cover...Suoh."

There was a pause before the boy emerged from behind a nearby tree, clapping his hands delightedly. "Amazing, Nozo-neko-chan...how DID you know I was there?"

"Sense of smell...heightened more than a normal ninja...demon sense." The brunette mumbled, heaving another sigh.

"Ah, of course." Suoh snickered. "Oh well, moving on...please, allow me to congratulate you on what you did out there...that was quite an extraordinary performance you put on!"

"Of course, you wouldn't miss out on a chance to see that..." Nozomi huffed, bitterness in her tone.

"Now, now, kitty, cheer up." Suoh smiled devillishly. "At least you can take pride in the fact that you are a GREAT actress! You even had ME beliving you hated Whiskers! Seriously, such a believable performance!"

'Yes...my best lie ever...too bad it was at a time when I didn't want to lie...' The brunette thought miserably.

"Such a shame that it was ONLY an ACT...now Whiskers undoubtedly thinks you hate him," Suoh sneered.

The tears which Nozomi thought she had run out of welled back up into her eyes again as Suoh pulled her close, holding tightly to her as he crushed his lips against hers in a firm, demanding kiss.

'NO! I don't WANT to kiss him!' The cat girl thought, sobbing as her tears fell now, sliding rapidly down her face as she refused to return the boy's embrace. This frustrated him, and he pressed harder, all but bruising her fragile lips in his attempts to get a response. It worked, but not the way he expected, as she bit down hard on his tongue, and he pulled away, screaming in pain. Nozomi just kinda smirked, in spite of the tears that were running down her face.

"What the heck was THAT for Nozo-neko-chan?!" Suoh growled, looking angry.

"Come now, you must remember.." Nozomi sighed, "I agreed to go with you, yes...but NOT because I loved you...just to protect Naruto-kun..."

"W-well!" Suoh growled again, "You'd better change your attitude, and be a little more willing, if you want to keep him ALIVE!"

"U-understood..." Nozomi cringed, a little scared by his response.

---

Little did they know, that they were being watched by said Leaf ninja himself. The blond had followed Nozomi all morning, confused by the sobs and other noises he'd heard coming from her. He had hidden in the bushes when she stopped, curious as to what she would do next. Then, just as he'd been about to walk out and grab her, Suoh had come out from behind the tree, and he'd barely been able to contain his surprised growl.

It had been even harder to contain himself once the two had begun talking. It confused him, and he wanted to know what they meant, especially since he'd heard himself mentioned a few times. But he'd kept quiet...up until now. The last two things they had said had raised his curiosity level far too high and he could stay quiet no longer..

---

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

Nozomi jumped back in shock as Naruto emerged from the bushes and ran in between them, glaring at Suoh, then giving her a very confused little frown, "What's going on here?" he demanded in a confused, yet firm tone.

"Whiskers...right on time." Suoh said, looking amused.

"What do you mean, right on time?" Nozomi frowned at him, now feeling confused herself. "You didn't plan for this to happen, did you?"

"Not really," Suoh snickered, "but I had a feeling he wouldn't just let you go that easily."

"Suoh!" Naruto growled, feeling ignored, "What did you mean by all you just said?! What did you say to make Nozomi have to dump me?!"

"I didn't say a thing, she just lost interest in you." Suoh smirked.

"LIAR!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the boy by the cuff of his shirt. "I heard EVERYTHING! Don't try to deny it, you SAID something, because you KNEW she wouldn't just up and leave me without good reason! Now tell the truth!"

"Alright, fine...but you asked for it." Suoh smirked wider. "Basically, while you're all depressed and confused about your kitty leaving you, she's depressed because she didn't WANT to, but it was the only way to save your life."

"Save my life...?" Naruto blinked, appearing puzzled as he let go of the boy's shirt. "...What do you mean, save my life?"

"Geez, you're dense." Suoh sighed. "Fine...I'll explain...but remember that there's nothing you can do about this."

Naruto glared angril at the smirking blond, already knowing he wouldn't like the story, and nodded. "Go ahead...and see that you don't leave anything out!"

Still smirking smugly, Suoh nodded and explained. Everything. He didn't leave out one little detail. Just as Naruto had asked. "Like I said, there's not a thing you can do," the dirty blond haired boy snickered as he finished his explanation, "cause I can kill you easily."

"Why you...!" Naruto growled angrily, trembling wildly, uncontrollably, with rage.

"C'mon Suoh-kun..." Nozomi hung her head. She felt reluctant to leave, but she couldn't look at Naruto anymore...it hurt too much. "...Let's go..."

"Nozo-chan!" Naruto grabbed the girl's arm as she turned to leave, pulling her into him, and hugged her tightly, still trembling, now with sadness as he cried. "I knew it...I KNEW you wouldn't leave me, after all we've gone through together...! Not without a good reason, anyways..." He frowned as the cat girl's entire body went tense, a sign she was going to try to escape, and hugged her tighter. "Nozomi...Please...don't do this...we can work this out a different way!...Please, Nozomi, I need you! You're my heart!"

Nozomi's eyes grew wide, tears falling from them once more as she heard his statement, and her shoulders heaved up and down as she used a trembling hand to try and push him away.

"Hey, paws off my girl, Whiskers!" Suoh growled, looking annoyed.

"YOUR girl?!" Naruto growled back, glaring at the blond.

"Yes...MY girl...Kyuubi." Suoh sneered as he grabbed the cat girl from Naruto's arms and locked her in his own embrace; a hug which, to Nozomi, felt cold and hard, just as the feeling of having him pet her ears had felt.

"N..Nozo-chan...?" Naruto looked desparately at the brunette and frowned as she looked up at him, only to bury her face in Suoh's shoulder, unable to look at him.

'GAH! Think!' Naruto growled in frustration. 'You can't lose Nozomi, not to THIS jerk! There HAS to be a way to stop this! Arrrghh! Think, Naruto, think! You can't give up here if you're gonna be Hokage! A true shinobi NEVER gives up!' Naruto's eyes widened then, and a determined grin appearing on his face. 'That's it!'

"Suoh!"

Immediately said boy looked up and smirked. "What is it, Whiskers?"

Naruto scowled at him. "I challenge you to a fight...It's the only way we're gonna find out who the right guy for Nozomi REALLY is!"

"What? A fight?" Suoh frowned and shook his head. "But, I already won...Sorry, no can do."

"Hehe," Naruto gave a devious smirk, "gee Suoh, I didn't know you were a CHICKEN!"

"I'm no chicken!" The boy holding Nozomi growled.

"Chicken!"

"Am not!

"....Chicken."

"Am NOT!"

Naruto snickered loudly as he tucked his hands under his arms and made flapping motions, making loud clucking noises at Suoh. After a few minutes of this, Suoh had had enough, and he let go of Nozomi, throwing his hands in the air.

"Fine!" He snarled, "If it's a fight you want, then a fight you'll GET! Winner take ALL!"

"Let's go then, right here!" Naruto shouted anxiously.

Suoh nodded and thrust Nozomi onto a large, flat rock on the ground. "You can watch me win from here, babe." he said softly, kissing her cheek and winking. "Then after that we'll go out to lunch to celebrate, and do a few OTHER things as well...hehe..."

"Hey, Suoh, are we gonna fight, or are you just gonna put Nozomi to sleep with your failed attempts at being romantic?" Naruto smirked.

'Ooh, nice one!' Nozomi hid a grin as she watched Suoh stomp away and take up a fighting stance.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Whiskers!"

"Then let's DO this already!" Naruto grinned determinedly and formed a hand sign. "Shadow clone jutsu!"

As he said this, several "Poof!" sounds were heard, and seven more Narutos appeared behind the blond.

"Shadow clones?" Suoh folded his arms and tsk-tsked. "Really, Whiskers, I expected more from you."

'Don't underestimate him and his clones!' Nozomi thought, praying that Naruto would win, and Suoh would honor his word and let her go with the leaf ninja.

"CHAAAARGE!!" Naruto commanded, dashing toward Suoh, followed closely by the 7 copies of himself.

A smug smirk appeared on Suoh's face as he did a few of his own handsigns now. "Keiuseru no Jutsu." he said quietly, and his body vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Hey!" Naruto and his clones skidded to a halt and glanced around anxiously. "Where'd he go?!"

'Hehe...nobody can compete with my disappearing jutsu!' The now invisible Suoh thought, laughing silently as he snuck up behind the real Naruto. 'You might as well call it quits and go home NOW, brat!'

"Heads up, Whiskers! Aha, too late!"

"What the?!" Naruto cried out in shock as his legs were yanked out from under him, and he landed face first on the ground.

The invisible Suoh laughed and fell over backwards. "Haha, face it, you can't fight me if you can't even SEE me! You lose!"

"I'm not giving up THAT easily!" Naruto growled, getting to his feet and swinging his fist in the direction he thought his opponent's voice had come from.

"Ah, nice try, but wrong!"

"Darn it!" Naruto's eyes widened as he was grabbed by the arm, and spun around several times before being thrown head first into a tree. "Oww..." The boy groaned and did a double take, trying to make the spinning ramen bowls stop circling over his head, and sighed.

"Face it, loser!" Came Suoh's taunting voice. "You don't stand a fighting chance against me while my disappearing jutsu is in effect! Give up already!"

"I'm NOT giving up!" Naruto growled in response. "I'm gonna beat you to a bloody pulp!"

"Oh, really!" The voice belonging to Suoh taunted, sounding further away. "Then come on, prove it!"

"You get back here!" Naruto jumped to his feet and took off running, only to stop and scream in pain a moment later. "GAAAH! WEDGIE!!"

"Hehe, surprised?" Suoh's voice said, now behind the stunned blond. "Please, don't get your boxers in a knot over me....hehe, too late!"

"Owww!" Naruto whined as he tried to fix his pants discretely. "Suoh, that's fighting dirty!"

"We never set any rules for this fight, baby!"

Naruto groaned and glanced back at Nozomi, dismayed to find that she was in tears from trying not to laugh. "Oy, Nozo-chan, it's not funny!" He whined, shaking his fist at her childishly.

"Sorry, sorry!" Came the cat girl's snickered apology.

"Hey, you should really pay more attention, Whiskers!"

"Wha?" Naruto turned just in time to get socked square in the jaw, and sent crashing into a wall that was being painted by two workers. Said workers jumped back and screamed in surprise as the blond plowed head first into the wall.

"Ugh...owww...!" he groaned, rubbing the back of his head and wincing.

"If that's the best that you can do, this is gonna be a piece of cake!" Suoh's voice snickered loudly from nearby.

Naruto growled in annoyance as he struggled to think of a plan of attack. ANYTHING to hit his invisible opponent!

'Let's see...Wait...he's already knocked out all my clones?! GAH! If only I could SEE him, this would be sooo much easier!' Naruto clutched his head as it began to throb again, glancing down in annoyance. Then suddenly, he had it as his eyes landed on one of the workers cans of paint. 'That's it!'

"Multi shadow clone jutsu!"

Suoh smirked in amusement as several clones of Naruto appeared everywhere, and shook his head, laughing softly. "Whiskers, it doesn't matter how many clones you make- they can't beat me!"

"Hmmm...maybe not," Naruto and his many clones nodded, all of them giving a toothy grin, "but they'll keep you from finding the REAL me!"

"Is that a challenge?" the invisible Suoh frowned.

"Hmmm....maaaaaaaaaybe...!" All the Naruto's snickered.

"I'll make you eat those words...ALL of you!" Suoh growled viciously and socked one clone after another. "Take THIS..and THAT!" The invisible boy snarled as he socked one clone after another, and all the remaining Naruto's snickered.

"Nice try, but that WASN'T me!"

Suoh growled and punched another 10 clones, and the real Naruto, hidden amidst the middle of his clones sweatdropped, watching as one copy of himself after another vanished.

'He's fast! I'd better hurry!'

After making sure there were still enough clones to keep his opponent occupied, Naruto crept out of the crowd of his copies, and over to the wall he'd crashed into before, trying not to laugh at the two workers who were now standing there, their job forgotten as they watched with jaws dropped, the scene that was before them.

"Hey, sorry, but can I borrow some of this?" Without waiting for an answer, Naruto bent down and grabbed two of the four cans of paint and hurried away, ignoring the workers' protests.

'Ok, now I just gotta figure out where he is..'

It wasn't hard to guess this, as Suoh was yelling, and grunting loudly as he fought his way through the army of Naruto clones. As soon as Naruto was sure he was within hitting range, he swung one of the heavy paint cans, only wincing slightly when it made a sickening THUD! sound as it hit what he guessed was Suoh's head.

"Ow! What the heck?!" The startled invisible boy cried.

Naruto wasted no time now in prying both cans open. "Eat PAINT, jerk!"

Before Suoh knew what was happening, Naruto had thrust the two cans' contents at him, and he was covered in red paint, exposing his location. "What the?! Naruto, that's foul play, ruining my clothes like that!"

"Hehe, we never said we'd play fair, though, right?" Naruto grinned.

"Ugh...I guess not." Suoh slumped his shoulders, growling as his words from earlier came back to haunt him.

"Hey, Suoh..." Naruto suddenly said, a devillish grin appearing on his face. "I can SEE you!"

"What?! Aww, crap!" Suoh tried to jump back, but Naruto was too quick, slamming his balled up fist into his face. The impact of the blow was so great, the dirty blond haired boy was sent into a tree, snapping it in half like it was a mere twig.

"Oh yeah, I'm back on top! Take THAT!" Naruto crowed, grinning goofily as he did a little dance.

"...He actually hit him." Nozomi stared for a minute in shock, before jumping up and cheering loudly unable to contain her excitement.

Naruto's grin widened, hearing the excitement in her voice, and he chuckled, watching as Suoh struggled to his feet, panting hard. "Nice defense you had there, Suoh, but now that I can see you, I'm gonna punch your lights out!" He paused, wincing slightly. "...You're going to PAY for that wedgie!"

Nozomi snickered quietly under her breath, hearing this. 'He's one to hold a grudge!' She thought, laughing out loud in her mind.

"Oh really....you know I DO have more than one move, right?" Suoh smirked as he began a long series of handsigns. When he had finished, he gave a grin that made him look like the devil himself. "The jutsu I'm about to use is one that nobody has ever succeeded in using...but I can, after years of practice!"

'What jutsu is he talking about??' Nozomi frowned to herself as she tried to think what Suoh had meant, and her eyes widened as a thought hit her, 'Wait...not THAT jutsu! Anything but that!'

Suoh glanced up, seeing Nozomi's worried face, and he laughed. "Yes, Nozomi, it is the same jutsu you're thinking of...hehe..." The boy smirked again and looked back at Naruto. "You ready, Whiskers? No? Ehh too bad!" The boy took a deep breath and snickered. "Kagirinai Koori Sutoraiku no Jutsu!"

As Suoh said this, the sky grew dark, and there was a great gust of icy wind as the entire area around them was transformed into a frozen wasteland.

"Naruto-kun, look out!" Nozomi cried, worry in her eyes, "That's a DANGEROUS jutsu, don't let your guard down!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine Nozo-chan, it's just an icy surface now." Naruto smiled back at the brunette, a careless look on his face.

Nozomi tried to smile back, but at that moment, she looked up and panic appeared on her face. "Naruto-kun, watch out!!"

"What? WOAH!" Naruto looked up and slid out of the way on the ice, just in time to avoid being hit by a huge, pointed stalagmite made of ice, slipping and falling face first on the icy ground in the process.

Suoh laughed and smirked widely at the now fallen boy. "Yeah, sure...you look REAL tough with your face in the ice!"

"You--SUOH!" Naruto growled angrily as he got unsteadily to his feet, slipping and sliding unsteadily. "You're DEAD!"

"Hehe, take your best shot!" Suoh grinned. "That is...if you can get close enough to attack me without falling!"

Naruto growled in annoyance and made a clone, and the two of them got to work forming the Rasengan in the palm of his hand.

"This is it, Suoh! Say goodbye!"

"Uhh yeah...ok." Suoh smirked and gave a half wave, watching as the blond practically skated across the ice, heading for him, Rasengan in hand.

'I'll let him get just a little closer..' the blond smirked, still watching.

When Naruto was 12 feet away, Suoh began a short series of handsigns, working rapidly through them.

"Rasengan!" Came Naruto's voice, as he thrusted the spinning blue orb of concentrated energy forward.

"Kesshou nankan no jutsu!"

Just as the Rasengan was about to hit its mark, a firm wall of crystal clear ice appeared in front of Suoh, deflecting most of the ball of chakra (though some DID hit Suoh, leaving a burn), and sending it hurling back towards Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, get out of the way!" Nozomi cried, eyes full of worry as she watched Naruto, who was frozen in shock, and she jumped to her feet, running out in front of the blond.

"NOZOMI, out of the way!" Suoh screamed, eyes wide in horror as he watched the girl take the full blow of the rasengan in Naruto's place; the force of the blow sent her head first into Naruto, then both of them were sent flying a good 20 feet, snapping several trees in half like it was nothing.

"Ow...Nozo-chan...are you ok...?" Naruto groaned as he rubbed his head yet again, then looked down at the brunette who lay sprawled across him, her entire back burned from the direct contact it had had with his Rasengan. "Nozo-chan?" Naruto repeated himself, eyes filled with worry as they stared down at the unmoving form of his kitten. "Nozomi!"

"No, Nozomi!" Suoh cried, eyes filled with worry. He hadn't meant to get her...why couldn't she have just stayed back?!

When she still didn't respond, Naruto's concerned frown deepened, and he gave her a shake. "Nozomi!!"

Still no answer from the girl.

"Darn that was stupid..why didn't she just stay away?? She KNEW that would happen! Why didn't she just stay put?!"

Naruto looked up and glared daggers at Suoh, hearing this comment, and he carefully lay Nozomi down in the grass before getting up and walking slowly towards Suoh. "Why? WHY?! I'll TELL you why!"

Suoh sweatdropped, hearing the angry tone in Naruto's voice. "Easy, Whiskers, chill..."

"No, YOU chill!" Naruto snarled as he grabbed the boy's shirt and lifted him off the ground. "If you had spent HALF the time I spent with Nozo-chan you'd KNOW that she would do anything to protect people she cares about, but NO! You assumed that she was still the cold hearted person YOU TURNED HER INTO before she ran away, so you thought she would just STAND BACK AND WATCH while I was hit with my own attack! Well she DIDN'T, and now thanks to your boneheaded move she's hurt or maybe even...."

The boy lowered his head as he realized the girl hadn't been breathing (she could have been unconscious, but he was too worried and thought of the worst scenario possible)..."She could even be...DEAD...and it's ALL your fault!"

"But I didn't mean to...I mean...she shouldn't have....I...!" Suoh stammered, eyes widenening.

"I don't CARE!" Naruto growled as he blinked; His eyes, Suoh noticed, were red upon opening once more, and the three whisker marks on his cheeks were more pronounced. His mouth opened in an angry glare, sharp canines exposed in the process as he spoke darkly, "You're going to PAY for hurting her!"

"B--b-but!- I didn't MEAN-" Suoh was cut off as Naruto, now surrounded by a thick cloak of red bubbling chakra, lifted him over his head with sudden inhuman strength, and hurled him several feet away, not even flinching at the sound of his body crashing through and completely destroying the same wall their fight had damaged earlier (the workers had taken off running by now).

"Ung....Owwww!" The blond groaned as he got to his feet, rubbing his head. "It...hurts...ugghhh....WOAH!"

Suoh just barely managed to jump out of the way as Naruto lunged at him, narrowly evading the clawed hands that swiped at him. "Phew, that was cl-" He didn't have time to finish his sentence as suddenly the chakra surrounding Naruto's arm formed into a long, clawed arm, and reacted on its own, reaching out and grabbing him tightly around the neck.

"GAH!" Suoh squirmed and struggled, but to no avail as the boy's demon chakra held tight to him, strangling him worse with every cry he made, every feeble attempt of escape.

"Face it, Suoh...escape is futile...you're not going to get out of this alive..." Naruto scowled, "Not unless you SWEAR to leave Nozomi and I ALONE!"

"Never!" Suoh cried, choking as the hold on his neck tightened, and he struggled to breathe unsuccessfully.

"I wouldn't say anything but yes, if I was in your situation." Naruto growled. "Don't make me any angrier...I'll KILL you...I SWEAR I will...!"

"Yeah right..you couldn't kill me!" Suoh smirked, though it was getting very hard to breathe.

"Ohh...is that a CHALLENGE?!" Naruto snarled, hatred in his eyes as he stared at the boy. "Because I WILL!"

No sooner had he said this, then a strange feeling shot through Naruto. It was a mixture of emotions, sadness happiness, hatred, loneliness and forgiveness...He felt as if he were in a daze, unable to move as all these emotions washed over him like a tidal wave. It was as if he was drowning, sinking lower and lower under these feelings he was experiencing.

Naruto wasn't sure what to find more alarming. The fact that he was feeling such a rush of emotions now, or the fact that he was now feeling paralyzed, unable to move. Whatever the case, he found himself letting go of Suoh, and dropping onto the ground, immediately losing consciousness..

"Hehe." Suoh snickered evilly as he glanced down at the unconscious boy. "That worked like a charm...I knew it was a wise move, slipping that special poison into his ramen the other day...hehe it took its sweet time to take effect, but when it did....man, that was perfect!...Now, to dispose of him before Nozomi wakes up."

Suoh started to do a series of handsigns, but stopped frozen still as an icy voice rang out from behind him, its tone cold and bitter. "So...you were lying all this time..."

Suoh's eyes widened and he spun around quickly. "What??"

"....You...even after I did what you said...you were still going to break your promise and kill him...I never should have trusted you..."

"Uhh...Nozomi....I didn't know you were up!" Suoh sweatdropped, backing away slightly as he saw the look in her eyes; intent on kiling. "Wh-when did you get up..?...Are you ok, are that attack hit you? Should you be up so soon?? Ehehe...."

"I'm fine." Nozomi muttered, anger in her voice as she eyed the boy, ears flattened against her head, tail lashing out behind her angrily. "So...you were gonna betray me and kill Naruto-kun all along, weren't you?"

"W-well...." Suoh was about to lie again, but the look in the cat girl's eyes made him think to do otherwise, and he cleared his throat nervously. "Uh--uhm....." He sighed. "Yes, Nozomi...I had to...I'm sorry, but I HAVE to eliminate the competition, don't you see?! Only I can be your lover, no one else!...So, if you'll excuse me..."

"Oh, yes of course..." Nozomi lowered her head, hiding her eyes from him for a few seconds, letting a heavy silence fall over them for a brief period of time. "But you'll have to excuse me, too..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Suoh frowned.

"Hehe...I'm not going to let you kill him...not without a fight..." Now Nozomi raised her head again, and Suoh froze as his stare locked on a very familiar pair of red eyes, filled with hate, a vicious smile curved up in a sinister grin, exposing extremely familar oversized fangs. A quick glance told Suoh that she was indeed in demon mode, as the claws on her hands and feet had grown several inches longer, making them more jagged, more deadly.

"N-Nozomi..?" Suoh gulped. "Wh-what's going on?"

"I told you already," Nozomi smirked devilishly at the confused looking boy, "I'm not letting you kill Naruto-kun without a fight....you'll have to kill me before I let you lay one finger on him!"

Suoh just stared in shock. "W..but...Nozo-neko-chan...why...?...I LOVE YOU! I care about you, a lot!"

"NO You don't!" Nozomi growled, lunging forward and grabbing the blond, holding him up by his shirt. "If you TRULY cared about me, you'd have cared about my feelings, meaning how this made me feel!" She slapped him across the face. "If you REALLY cared like you said, you'd have let me be happy, whether it was with you or with someone else!"

Suoh winced as she slapped him yet again. "Bu..but...Nozo...I DO care about you...and your feelings..."

"NO YOU DON'T!" Nozomi screamed, eyes flashing with anger. "If you cared about my feelings, you NEVER! WOULD! HAVE! MADE! ME! DO! THIS!"

Suoh flinched as she slapped his face repeatedly, and groaned, knowing both his cheeks had to be nearly as red as tomatoes by now. "Owww! Stop with the slapping!" he whined. To his surprise, the slapping ceased. Had he said the magic word or something?

"...You don't want to be slapped....fine....we'll do this a differennt way...!" Nozomi snarled angrily as she thrust the boy to the ground roughly and jumped back a good 6 feet, landing on all fours, poised to strike.

"...Great...what now...?" Suoh groaned as he watched the cat girl. For some reason, just the sight of her like this was just....it screamed danger. Why, Suoh wasn't 100% certain, but it was, just the same.

He soon found out why, as the girl reached into her pocket and withdrew a kunai, holding it in her mouth and charging at him, running on all fours as she did so, tail thrashing wildly behind her, seeming to serve as a warning.

It took a few minutes for panic to register, as Suoh just stood there, watching in obvious disbelief as the brunette lunged at him, but finally it did, and he took off running, screaming and flailing his arms as he did so.

"GRR! Get back here and fight like a MAN!" Nozomi hissed through her teeth as she kept a hold on the kunai, still running after the dirty blond on all fours, slowly beginning to pick up speed.

'Dang it...she's gaining on me!...What now?!' Suoh panted hard as he ran, slowly running out of energy. True, he was a ninja, but the Kubota clan saw such little action, there had never been much need to work on agility; the prime focus had always been ninjutsu. Now he was wishing he'd worked more on speed. Sure, it was great to be so highly skilled in your jutsu, but that didn't mean SQUAT if you couldn't outrun your enemy long enough to stay alive!

"Uhhm...Nozomi!" The blond whimpered as he was grabbed by the leg, "Can't we just...you know...TALK about this?! Do we HAVE to FIGHT?"

"I already TRIED talking to you...YOU wouldn't LISTEN!" Nozomi snarled angrily. "No, we'll do this MY way!"

"Your way?" Suoh sweatdropped nervously as the demon girl lifted him and dropped him on his head roughly, and he winced. "OW...Wh-what's your way...?"

"THIS." Nozomi lunged at him, jabbing a kunai into his right shoulder, causing him to cry out in agony.

"Nozomi!!"

Nozomi didn't answer as she lunged forward yet again, digging her claws first into his stomach, then his other shoulder, and finally, his back, just below the beginning of his neck.

"Please stop, it hurts!" Suoh cried out in pain as he struggled to run away, finding this rather difficult since he couldn't use his arms to stand himself up, since the wounds in both his shoulders were so deep.

"No, no no, you aren't leaving..." Nozomi grinned evilly as she began a long stream of handsigns. When she had finished, she looked down at Suoh, and the killer's intent in her eyes was unmistakable.

'....Crap...I'm going to die...' Suoh frowned as this thought ran through his mind, repeating itself over and over again.

"Ice Twister: Two Hit Strike!"

"Wha??" Suoh ws snapped out of his thoughts and brought baxk to earth as a huge twister made of incredibly sharp ice shards formed around him, and he was caught up, sent flying this way and that way inside it; all the while, the shards of ice were tearing at his skin, and shredding his clothing.

"Yes...suffer.....feel the pain....YOU WILL SUFFER!"

"Ow! Nozomi! PLEASE!" Suoh cried, screaming in pain as the shards ripped deeper and deeper in his skin, making the wounds she'd inflicted with her kunai and claws all the worse. "PLEASE STOP THIS, NOZOMI!"

"Not a chance, loser....you WILL suffer, just as I did, thanks to your cold hearted ways!"

"But, Nozomi! PLEASE!" Suoh cried, screaming again in agony as he was ripped at even more.

"SILENCE, you will DIE before the jutsu stops!!" Nozomi shouted, laughing evilly and focusing more chakra into the ice twister, making it larger and more deadly.

She frowned, confusion flashing through her eyes as she thought to herself. 'Wait...I..that's NOT what I opened my mouth to say...! I was...I was going to make him promise to leave me alone....why'd I say no?!....Why do I feel....dark?....It's like...my heart's being swallowed up in darkness....what's going ON?!'

'I can answer that...' Came the deep, velvety voice of Kumoraku into Nozomi's head, 'You're being consumed with hatred...soon you'll be just as evil as me, and your rage will take over...causing you to kill the young man trapped in your ice twister...but that won't be the end of the murders...shortly after that, you'll kill your obnoxious boyfriend...then this entire village; Fully consumed by hate by then, you will go on to kill more and more, and slowly I will take control, since the blond nuisance won't be around to keep me contained any longer!...The beauty of it is, you won't be able to resist, your heart is already fullly controlled by hatred...it won't be long...you'll be transformed into the monster everybody already views you as!!'

'Wh-what?! NO! That can't be true! I won't let it! I've still got love in my heart..it's not ALL darkness and hate!....because...I'm....' The cat girl frowned as she struggled to recall her purpose for attacking Suoh. Her eyes widened as her gaze landed on Naruto, who seemed to be coming to slowly, and she nodded. 'That's right! I'm fighting so I can be with Naruto-kun, so there!'

'Prove it then....cancel the jutsu.'

'I can and I WILL!' Nozomi heaved a deep, frustrated sigh and turned her attention back to the blond caught up in her ice twister. 'I won't kill him...I'll prove Kumoraku wrong!' Determination in her eyes now, Nozomi focused all her chakra on stopping the jutsu, frustrated as her every attempt to break the jutsu failed, and she growled with frustration.

'What can I say but...I told you so...you're a monster...even your chakra rages with hatred now...it won't respond to PURe commands...only evil ones, such as killing the boy!'

Nozomi grimaced as Kumoraku's voice sneered nastily in her head, and growled again. "No! I'm not a monster, I'm NOT!"

"...Nozo-chan...!"

"Nya?" Nozomi glanced up and was shocked to see Naruto on his feet, walking unsteadily toward her, concern all over his face. "N..Naruto-kun..?!"

"Nozo..chan..are you...ok..?...Your eyes...they're red...are you Kumoraku right now..?" Naruto frowned worriedly as he walked quickly and unsteadily over to her, arms spread out wide, intending to hug her.

"Naruto-kun, no!" Nozomi's eyes widened, and she jumped a few feet back, giving him an apologetic look. "I..you...can't get close right now....something's wrong with me...my chakra.....it's.....tainted....evil...Stay away, please!"

To her dismay, Naruto did just the opposite, speeding up and half lunging, half falling into her, wrapping his arms around her tightly, not letting go, even when she struggled to break away.

"Naruto-kun, please, I!-" Nozomi stopped struggling, lowering her head and closing her eyes. 'What is this...?...I feel so calm..serene...peaceful...like when I'm at the beach in the sand, feeling the crisp breeze and enjoying the sun's rays....it's as if nothing has ever been wrong, and there was never any danger..' Slowly Nozomi let herself lean against the boy, hugging him back tightly and sighing softly, a smile on her face. 'You were wrong, Kumoraku....I don't feel hatred...my heart feels light, not heay...and I feel warm and happy inside...'

'It's not YOUR doing, wretch, it's that darn blondie of yours purifying your heart!' Kumoraku snapped back in response.

Nozomi ignored her as she smiled, slowly pulling away from Naruto's embrace, and looked back to Suoh once more, pleased to find the twister was coming to an end, the chakra used to keep it going purified, slowly running out. Sure enough, the minute Nozomi concentrated her chakra on canceling the jutsu, the twister vanished, and a very injured, blood covered Suoh fell ungracefully to the ground and just lay there in a heap.

"Now, then." Nozomi started walking toward the boy, and he panicked, feebly struggling to get away.

"St-stay away from me!" He screamed.

"S-Suoh...I was only going to-"

"I said stay away!" Suoh screamed again, his voice coming out unusually pitchy and feminine sounding.

Nozomi ignored the boy, taking a step closer, and extending a hand out to help him up. "Suoh, I'm so-"

Suoh seemed to panic at this movement, and he scrambled to his feet, clutching his right shoulder that had been stabbed with the kunai and backing up quickly, looking extremely disoriented. "Nozomi, I understand! You and Naruto are both monsters, you deserve each other! So just stay away from me!"

"But, Suoh, I!-" Nozomi frowned and shook her head, breaking off. Se had planned on telling Suoh that she'd spare his life now, but give him a warning that she WOULDN'T if he ever tried to come between her and Naruto again, but.......well, this worked too. She didn't appreciate being called a monster, but she could deal with it...because if Suoh was afraid of her, he wouldn't likely come near her ever again.

"Err, uhh...yeah....come near me again and I'll...kill...you." She said feebly, watching as the badly injured boy turned on his heel and fled the best he could, never looking back at her or Naruto.

"...Nozo-chan..."

"...Naruto-kun!" Nozomi turned then and ran, flinging herself into Naruto's open arms and hugging him tightly, then pressing her mouth against his in a firm kiss, which she broke after just a few seconds. She stared up at the dazed looking boy, eyes wide in fear. "Please, please forgive me Naruto-kun! I had to break up with you earlier, because Suoh was going to use the extraction jutsu on you if I didn't!..But that doesn't mean I WANT to split up! Please, don't cast me away, I love y-"

She wsa silenced as Naruto tilted her chin upward and caught her lips with his in a long, lingering kiss, one which he didn't break until both of them were in desperate need of air. "Nozomi, I....could never.......cast....you away......." Naruto panted heavily in between each syllable. He gazed lovingly into the speechless cat girl's golden yellow eyes and smiled tenderly at her. "I...love you.....too much....to let...you go..."

This said, Naruto hugged the brunette tightly. "Oh...by the way...that poison didn't work on me when I was under Kyuubi's power...I was only acting...." he whispered. "I just couldn't resist watching what you were doing to punish him....you faced your own demon down, and I'm proud of you."

Naruto frowned as he felt the girl's knees buckle, and she slumped against him, only staying upright by the hold he had on her. "...Nozomi?" After a quick examination, the blond's suspicions were confirmed; Nozomi had fainted. Most likely due to the show she had put on while in her demon mode, as well as the enormous amount of chakra she had put into that one ice twister she had trapped Suoh in.

Heaving a soft sigh, Naruto leaned down slightly and scooped the brunette into his arms bridal style, and began to walk. "Poor kitty...you're exhausted..." he smiled down at the slender cat girl in his arms. Even when unconscious, she managed to look so peaceful. "Let's go home, Nozo-hime."

The cat girl gave a soft purr, despite being unconscious, her silent agreement, and Naruto's smile widened all the more as he headed away from the village...

---

"Uhh..." Nozomi groaned and opened her eyes, wincing at the pain she felt all in her entire body.

'What did I DO to be hurting like this?!' Then suddenly all the day's events came flooding back to her. The fight between Naruto and Suoh....the showdown between her and Suoh...the battle for her will to remain "pure", rather than a monster...everything. The last thing she remembered was Naruto hugging her and telling her he loved her.

'...Wait...where am I now?' Nozomi glanced around her, and was surprised to find that she was laying in bed, in the apartment she and Naruto shared, the room dark and quiet as the moon shone in through the window, giving only the slightest highlight to things in the room.

Wait. If she was here in the apartment...where was Naruto? The brunette glanced around, and was surprised to find he was not in the room. Where was he?!

"N-Naruto?" Nozomi sat up in bed, feeling a bit of panic wash over her. "Naruto-kun!"

"Woah, hey, take it easy!"

Nozomi's eyes grew wide, and she sighed with relief as Naruto hurried out of the shadows and over to her, lit up in the bit of moonlight he stood in as he sat down on the bed and stared at her, blue eyes wide with concern.

"Nozo-chan...are you ok?" he asked, voice soft with concern, but also dripping with acid toward anyone who may have tried to harm her while he'd been out of the room.

"Y-yeah....I'm ok....I was just...scared when I couldn't find you..after everything that happened today." Nozomi gave a sheepish little smile before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around the boy's shoulders tightly in a quick hug, and purred softly.

"Hey, hey, don't worry, I'm not ever gonna leave you, Nozo-chan...not for as long as I live." he smiled and stroked one of the brunette's long, fuzzy black cat ears. "I promise."

"..I'm so glad." Nozomi smiled broadly and allowed her purring to become louder as the petting of her ear soothed her more and more.

"Kitty sleepy?" Naruto asked with a small, teasing snicker. To his surprise, the cat girl nodded. "Well then, you should go to sleep then, you've had a rough day." The blond smiled.

Nozomi paused before giving another sheepish grin. "Err....well..."

"What is it?" Naruto blinked at the girl.

"Uhm....will you...come to bed too?...I mean....err..." Nozomi sweatdropped and blushed, unable to phrase her question without it sounding bad.

Naruto laughed. "Of course, silly! I was just coming to join you when you woke up!"

"Oh..." Nozomi blushed harder now, taking note of his blueish pajamas, and nodded. "S-so you were...hehe."

Naruto just grinned as he crawled into the bed beside her, and made himself comfortable under the covers before settling back against the pillow and yawning. "Good night, Nozomi." The blond blushed slightly as he felt the cat girl snuggle up against him, hugging him warmly.

"Good night, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled and wrapped his arm around the girl, and closed his eyes....but then they flew open again a moment later. Something felt...weird. Itchy, in a way. The blond used his free hand to feel his head, and nearly cried out in shock as he felt twitchy fox ears! Ears that replaced his human ears, as they had before.

'Oh...no...!' In a fit of slight panic, Naruto threw the covers off of himself and groaned quietly, his fears confirmed as his hand brushed against a soft, fluffy orange and white tail...HIS soft, fluffy orange and white tail!

"Nozomiiii!" he groaned. "Why the fox features again?!"

"You know the rules," the tired cat girl gave a sleepy eyed grin, "If I'm gonna marry you, you gotta have those...otherwise you have to call off the engagement."

"Oh..." Naruto paused as these words sunk in. "OHHHHHHH!" His eyes grew wide with excitement. "You mean, you-me-we're--?!"

"Yes." Nozomi laughed despite how annoyed she felt at having her sleep disturbed again. "Now please, go to sleep.."

"Ah, ok!" Naruto grinned and kissed her on the cheek. "Good night, Nozo-hime...you know...you really are my heart....you make me feel I can do anything...I'm so glad to have you back!" The blond grinned his trademark fox grin then closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep, snoring softly.

Nozomi just stared at the boy, a grin playing on her lips. What a goof ball...calling HER his heart...it barely made any sense...The cat girl's grin widened. But it sure was sweet...just like he himself was...She was so grateful to be with him again...

"Good night, my sweet Naruto-kou." Nozomi beamed at the boy, who was grinning in his sleep, undoubtedly at a dream, and closed her eyes, finally being overcome by sleep, and drifted in deep, nightmare less oblivion.