The cave & onwards to the land of fire!

[15]

Nikko

"It's just there," Nikko pointed.

Before them, through the abyss of night and all of it's threats was the cave in the Land of Claws. Nikko had suggested they hide there for the night, far away from the Land of Tea and it's killer samurai. Both Naruto and Nikko had expended their chakra and needed a safe place to lay low and recover.

"I see it. Sweet!" Naruto quickened his pace and Nikko did her best to keep up. She was beyond numb and cold from the harsh tropical storm, and couldn't feel the rain any longer for the lack of feeling in her arms. Even with Naruto's jacket on the girl was growing hypothermic.

The smell of a dead carcass tinged the air as the two entered the darkness of the cave. Naruto helped Nikko inside, seeing as she lacked shoes and her feet were battered. They both flopped inside with fatigue. "Ha..ha...ha...damn I'm tired," Naruto complained.

"Uzu..Uzumaki-san...than....thank you."

He rolled to his side and clutched at his ribs. That's when Nikko spied blood on his person. "You were hurt!"

"No biggie. He got in one hit before my shadow clones clobbered him." The boy gave her a thumbs up then winced in pain. "Ow! Okay, maybe it hurts a little."

Niko crawled over to him and lifted his shirt to see for herself. There, on his flat abs was a gash perhaps three inches wide. She gasped. "Uzumaki-san! This needs treated!"

"Nah, really I'm fine. You'll see."

Well, that was that.

Both of them lapsed into an awkward silence.

Nikko said the first thing on her mind, "Gaara still hasn't shown..."

"Nikko-chan.." he sighed sympathetically, "I think he left back to the sand village."

"Eh?! B-But why?! I was--we were-"

"All I know is that he begged me to watch over you. And bring you back with us, to the Hidden Leaf."

"T-The Leaf Village?! I--I can't go there! I'll die for sure!" She grabbed at his dark shirt, "you can't take me there! You can't!"

Naruto blinked in puzzlement at Nikko's protest. He shakily sat up and put both hands on her shoulders. "Hey calm down. What's the big deal?"

Nikko began to cry. "I'm cursed! Everywhere I go---you saw! Idate-kun...Idate-kun, he--! He's...!"

She broke off into giant heaving sobs. Naruto sighed, touched her head then brought her to him. He smoothed down the back of her head, "Shhh...don't think about it alright? Think about something nice."

"Hic--nice--what's nice--"

"Aww jeez...uhm, the rain! Doesn't it sound peaceful like?"

Nikko looked up through her bangs at Naruto, amethyst eyes reddened from salty tears. He sighed pathetically. "Yeah maybe not the best example."

The boy began to shiver from the cold and low blood pressure. Nikko watched his teeth chatter a moment before pulling off his jacket and putting it over his blonde mop. "You need this more than I do."

"N-No, I'm fine! A little cold won't get me down. Hey, you're shivering too ya know!"

Nikko was in fact shivering so hard she couldn't sit still. She turned away so he couldn't see it, but the boy rustled around. She felt his jacket go back around her shoulders before he hauled her into his lap.

They sat silently shivering, not quite touching, as rain made a soothing backdrop. Nikko found her body slowing relaxing as their body warmth began to take effect. Naruto adjusted himself a little, allowing room for her head to droop if needed.

"It's slowing down now," he said about the rain. Nikko nodded mutely, keenly aware that she was sitting right on his manhood. Her perverted mind went wild but she reeled it back in. Her thoughts then drifted again to Idate. How he'd given his life protecting the one he loved, even though she wasn't meant to be his. How she would miss him. Nikko bit her lip to hold back a fresh sob and instead turned to Naruto: "T-Tell me something, please. I can't...stop thinking about it."

"Oh. Uh sure. Uhm...this one time, I transformed into a cat and got free food from Ichiraku. Oh, that's a ramen shop in Hidden Leaf. Wait til you try it! You're going to love it!"

She smiled and urged him on. Naruto scratched his cheek, "Uhm...I can't really think of anything else. Heh heh."

Again they fell into an awkward silence. It began to be painfully obvious that the two knew next to nothing about each other, well, aside from what Nikko knew from her previous life. She shifted on his lap and sighed. "I'm sorry Uzumaki-san. You had to save me...aren't you worried about Uchiha-san?"

"Nahh....I mean, maybe a little. He'll be okay; Sakura-chan will take good care of him believe me. Oh yeah, our boat is supposed to be here in the morning, so we'll need to head out at first light."

"Oh...that means me too, doesn't it?"

"What's so bad about the Leaf Village?"

They stared at one another before the girl caved: "I'm really cursed, Uzamaki-san...my clan, our ancestor..." she went on to tell him the tale, ending with, "If I don't find my true love then...then she'll never rest in peace. And everyone after me will also have a sad fate."

"..."

"Y-You saw Idate-kun...he...t-to protect me, he...he's gone! He took my curse!" Nikko began to cry once more.

Naruto gave her a empathetic frown and pulled her head to his shoulder. "Yeah but don't feel bad for it. It's not like you told him to protect you or anything right? And he wouldn't want you to be sad..."

"He saved me once before. When I ran from Sunagakure, Idate-kun saw me drowning in the lake and saved me."

"Yeah he told me something like that. Called you a mermaid. Heh! I can see it." Naruto grinned.

Nikko hesitantly smiled back, the first gleam of happiness lighting her eyes the entire night. The boy gulped at her beauty and looked away. "W-Well, you know I'm here soo...so! You shouldn't be all sad okay? I'll totally protect you from whatever! Believe it!"

"You can't! The curse might--"

Naruto grinned cheekily. "Don't count me out! You're looking at the next Hokage!"

The girl realized that she was, in fact, looking at the next Hokage. She new his goal would happen from all the memes and such she'd saw from her past life. It would be hard not to know that much, after all. It dawned on her: plot armor. Naruto Uzumaki had lots and lots of it. An idea formed.

She wrapped her arms around him dramatically. "Uzumaki-san, you're too much! I think that I'm--I'm falling in love with you!"

"HHUHH?!" He reared away as if a bolt of lightning had struck. His blue eyes went wide as saucers, "SAY WHAT?"

Nikko nervously twirled a lock of her wet hair and flitted her lashes at him playfully. Above her, the monarch's sprinkled everything with blue glitter. "Hime-sama! You're so naughty!"

The boys cheeks grew bright red. His body began to tremble and it had nothing to do with the cold. Nikko eyed him in silent amusement, wondering what she should do next. The girl had all intentions of using him to her advantage, at least until her true love came along. Her little ruse had to work; it was the only thing she could think of to survive.

Naruto sputtered out, "Woah--ah ha ha--o-of course you are! You...you're not joking are you? I mean--"

The boy had no knowledge of a girls potentially devious nature. Even less about Nikko's knowledge of the show he originated from. She had to snag him before Hinata managed to do so!

Nikko gulped anxiety down and pulled his face towards her, stealing his lips. He made a grunt of shock and smacked his teeth against hers accidently. They both pulled away holding their mouths. "Ngn!"

Naruto covered his lips and turned away. She could see the redness of his cheeks as if radiating in the moonlight.

"Uzumaki-san, will you accept me?" She asked shyly.

"..."

His silence grew. Nikko had no idea what he could be thinking on and it worried her. What if he rejected her? What then?

She couldn't stand it any longer. Nikko grabbed his shirt and hid her shameful face.

He finally spoke: "You think I'm that easy to fool?" The boy turned, shadows under his eyes making him appear quite upset. Nikko sucked in a breath.

When she didn't answer he pushed her down to the dirt floor and towered over her. The furrow in his brows were quite deep. "Well?!" He demanded, grabbing her kimono, "Answer me!"

"N-No! I--I--I'm sorry!"

He let her go and sank back on his haunches, still poised over top her. Nikko's heart was rapidly beating, warning her of danger ahead. Her ruse had failed miserably.

Naruto sighed and shook his head, saying, "I'm...disappointed in you Nikko-chan. I thought you were better than that!"

His words lit an ire within her. She spat out, "I'm trying to survive here! I thought that you would be the best choice, okay?!"

"....I get it. So that's why you did that..." he sighed and yanked her back up. "You know Gaara-kun would be upset right?"

"Wha-? Gaara doesn't care! He's gone! He wouldn't even look at me after--after--" she broke off crying in remembrance of her virginity being taken. His lack of warmth afterwards left her scorned and feeling foolish.

Again Naruto sighed and plopped down, crossing his arms. "He told me what he did. You didn't see how much he hated what happened."

"He told you..?" She gasped. It didn't register that he would share his deed with anyone.

"Yeah. It doesn't make it okay though."

Nikko touched her chest where the [Ai] kanji rest. She sighed, "I wish he would have at least said goodbye. I don't hate him at all, you know? He can't help what he was born into. Gaara...wasn't himself."

The girl didn't realize the effect her words would have on Naruto Uzumaki, holder of the nine tails. His heart was moved by the kindness Nikko displayed.

"He's just like me," Naruto added.

"It's not fair...how the world treats people like Gaara. He's such a good person." She moved her kimono off from her shoulder, showing pale skin. Naruto covered his face before Nikko tugged him to look. What he saw shocked him.

There, on the girl's chest was the character for love.

"He...put that on you?" Naruto asked.

"I asked him to. I wanted to show Gaara that he wasn't alone in his pain..."

"..." Again the Jinchuriki was speechless. It didn't cross his mind that someone would want to do such a thing. Nobody had ever treated him like that. His chest itched a little.

Nikko fixed her kimono back and faced him. "But he's gone now...and I don't know when I'll ever see him again. He left me here...and...I have to break this curse..."

Naruto snapped out of it. He mulled over what to do, how to help her. Eventually he merged his desires with that of her best interests. "Hm hm. I think I understand you a little more now Nikko-chan. Sorry about what I said earlier. It just kinda took me by surprise! But uh, well, if it's okay with you and all...that is, until Gaara comes back or you find your true love.." He coughed nervously before straightening his spine rod straight, "I-I'll be your replacement! Just until you find your man and all." He nodded like it was a decided fact.

The girl flushed. "You...pity me don't you Uzumaki-san."

"EH? N-No! It isn't like that!" Naruto chuckled and rubbed his blonde head. "O-kay you caught me Nikko-chan. I wouldn't mind having a nice girlfriend like you around. Even better if I turn out to be your mystery man!"

Nikko squeaked and knew her face had to be blood red. "Y-You want to d-d-date me?"

"Well yeah! Wasn't that what you wanted anyways?"

He had a point. Despite not falling for her epic failure of a love trap, Naruto Uzamaki would be the best and most logical choice for a partner. His plot armor would surely come in handy. Unless...

A horrid thought occurred. What if I get killed off to make him stronger?! That would be terrible! Urgh! Just thinking that pisses me off! I don't want to be some lame character who's only use is dying! What should I do?!

Nikko thought it over and came to the conclusion that she would have to become an integral part of his life. It was the only way for her to have a starring role and avoid being killed off. She bowed her head politely and told the boy, "Please take care of me!"

And just like that, Nikko Utsuri became Uzumaki Naruto's girlfriend.

***

The next morning's light entered Nikko's closed lids and brought with it an intense headache. She groaned and tucked herself into her warm space, trying to get comfortable again. But her warm space kept wiggling. She grunted in annoyance before smacking at it. "Ow!"

Nikko opened her eyes and saw that her bed was in fact Naruto. He rubbed a spot on his chest and grinned cheekily, "Heh, good morning to you too!"

Oh! That's right--we're dating!

She frowned. "You move too much Uzumaki-san."

"Sorry about that. I'll be right back, gotta take a leak!" He left the cave.

"Pfft..." Nikko laughed before recalling all that had happened. Idate was dead, she'd killed a man, and Gaara had left her. As her thoughts lingered on the last of the list she fantasized that it was he she'd awoken too instead of Naruto. She imagined his tanuki gaze being the first thing she saw. If only--if only he were her true love, she thought sadly.

"Back!" Naruto patted his stomach. "Man am I starved! Heh, looks like we're in the clear for now Nikko-chan. Oh! By the way, you can call me Naruto. Since we're dating and all."

He said the last bit proudly like he was reassuring himself of that as well. Nikko gave him a shy smile and together they made their way from the cave and onto the limbs just outside of it. She hovered by Naruto, hoping his plot armor would rub off her way. It wouldn't do well to run into the last two baddies before even making it to the Leaf Village.

Much to her gratitude, they made it safe and sound back to Jirocho's mansion. It seemed that her assassins hadn't been able to find their rare location in such heavy rain.

"We made it! Phew!" Naruto shouted.

Nikko glanced around the cobblestone streets, seeing her tea stall still broken and in a disarray. Her heart sank. "My tea stall...I guess it doesn't matter now that I'm leaving, but I hate that Shizuka-sans things were broken..."

They paused to give her time to collect her thoughts. Nikko dreaded telling Jirocho about Idate's death. She procrastinated: "I-I need to get my things from my room, N-Naruto. And get changed."

The both of them looked like they'd played in mud all night long, and Nikko's kimono was still stained with darkened blood.

"Sure. Let's do it."

He followed her silently until reaching the sakura gardens. As they walked, Nikko reminisced about her life in the Land of Tea. She'd made a living here, found a wonderful boss, and of course found love in Idate Morino. She paused walking and looked up at the bright sunny sky above. "Idate-kun..."

Naruto watched as Nikko teared up. He could see she was doing her best to stay positive, but her smile was forced. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "C'mon."

"Sorry Naruto. I keep crying..." she swiped away tears.

"Don't be sorry. It's only right to be sad, Nikko-chan. But let's do what we have to. That boat won't be far off."

"Mhm."

**

Nikko turned to the fox boy in her hotel room. "I--I need to get changed now."

"Oh! Yeah!"

He left the room and she quickly undressed, listening to Aponi blabber on about everything. She pulled on the usual purple kimono and brown obi as well as fresh lilac tights. It would have been better to bathe but she didn't have the time for that. As such, she applied perfumed oil in the scent of lavender and patchouli and hoped for the best.

On the bed lay the girl's Otafuku mask, as well as the missing heart box filled with the ninja equipment she'd taken from the storage facility back in Sunagakure. She guessed that was Gaara's doing, and felt a pang of longing for the Jinchuriki. "Gaara...why...did you go and leave me? I would've...went back with you."

As she rummaged through her things Nikko took stock of everything. Her makeup was there, as well as oils and wooden comb. She checked her coin purse and a picture flooded out from it.

Nikko looked down and spied that it was of her and Idate. They'd celebrated the first day of her job at Fukashima Tea shop. The girl recalled that evening vividly, eating until her stomach felt bursting. Idate had then taken her to the falls by post district 1, and they'd gotten a local to photograph them together.

Her tears fell anew.

*knock knock*

"Hey, you about done in there?" Naruto asked, peeking in. He saw that she was crying again and quietly walked over, also peering at the photo. "You two look pretty happy."

"Yes..Idate-kun took me out to celebrate my first day at Shizuka-sans shop. We...had a lot of fun."

Naruto tucked the sobbing girl to him. He didn't like that she couldn't stop crying. To him, she appeared fragile like a flower. He breathed in the scent of her perfumed oil and found that he liked whatever it was. He petted her head until she quieted.

***

After a stop at Shizuka's to tell her goodbyes, Nikko was ready to part from the Land of Tea. Of course her boss had been understanding of everything and didn't make her pay for the ruined goods, claiming that it wasn't her but the bad men who did it and as such she was lucky to be alive. Nikko was further grateful that Shizuka gave her the remaining payment that was due for manning the stall. Her coin purse filled out nicely.

Jirocho's mansion on the hill was the same as ever as they went up to it and checked in with Sakura. Nikko was saddened to see the lifeless gaze the girl had, her worry for the Uchiha boy apparent. The medics were working around the clock to keep him stable, and voiced their fatigue.

"Sakura-chan, why don't you go rest? Naruto and I will take watch." Nikko offered.

The girl lifted her eyes a little and quietly nodded. "Yeah. Thanks." She left the room.

Sasuke was as pale as a ghost on the hospital bed. His face was sweating with fever, and Nikko could see easily that he was in bad shape. She watched him a moment before noticing how Naruto's hand trembled. She knew that the fox holder was attached to the boy, and had to be suffering like Sakura. Her hand covered his.

Naruto turned to her and saw a bright smile on Nikko's face. She squeezed his hand and said, "Naruto, don't worry! Uchiha-san will recover. You'll see. He won't be taken down so easily. He has a lot to accomplish yet."

The boy smirked in agreement. "Yeah. You're right."

Afterwards, Jirocho came in and Nikko tearfully told him what happened. He was deeply saddened by the news and ordered his men to recover the boys corpse. It wasn't long and the team had returned with Idate's lifeless form. Jirocho and Nikko cried over it before the former took Idate's knife and handed it over to the girl. She tried to refute the offer but the man insisted that she take it. With much anguish Nikko placed her precious Idate's knife into her bosom and thanked Jirocho for everything.

The boat arrived a little later. Of course the first to board was Sasuke, kept stable by the power of medical ninja's who'd came to assist from Konohagakure. Among the passengers was Ibiki Morino, whom Nikko had to relay what happened to as well. He spoke of his younger brother and said that he was happy the boy had found his nerve and did what any shinobi should have done and was proud of him. Nikko was moved once more by those words and told him about how Idate had rescued her and kept her safe, always regretting what he'd done to the Leaf Village as well as to his brother. Ibiki patted Nikko's head and thanked her for taking care of him.

Finally, after everyone else had boarded and the team who'd came as backup for Team 7 came back and said they couldn't find any traces of the remaining two samurai, Naruto and Nikko stood alone on the docks.

Nikko gazed out across the waters and clenched her hand to her chest, wishing that things were different and Idate had survived, even though they weren't meant to be.

"C'mon, they're waiting on us." Naruto urged.

She nodded and turned towards the vessel that would take them via trade route to Konohagakure. "Okay." Her thoughts remained on what had taken place in the Land of Tea. Her heart ached, knowing that it wouldn't be the end of her woes.

Naruto took both of Nikko's hands and held them fast. He leaned towards her and exclaimed: "I'll be with you the whole way, believe it! I won't let anything happen to you, okay? I gave Gaara-kun my word."

Nikko nodded. Then thought of the far off future. What if she didn't find her true love, ever? "Naruto...what if I never find who I should be with?"

His brows lowered and a bright glint of assurance shown on the boy's face. "If that happens, I'll make sure you aren't alone! Got it? As long as I'm around, Nikko-chan won't even need a true love."

The girl was moved by Naruto's declaration. Her chest tingled, and a shy smile she gave to him. "Thank you Naruto."

***