Chapter 2

Like on many other days, Naruko found herself following Sasuke on his way back home. It had become a hobby of sorts. He was the best ninja in her class, so she enjoyed practicing her hiding and tailing skills against him. Not many people were able to spot her if she really tried; one exception being that stupid old gramps, always spoiling her fun…

Some time ago, Sasuke's entire clan had disappeared. Every family member he had was now gone. He lived alone in their big mansion.

Sasuke was different, now. He had always been smart, but ever since the tragedy, he'd become even smarter. It was a little strange. Now, everyone praised him and wanted to be friends with him, but he was colder than ever.

They had been in the same class ever since they were 4 years old. Sasuke was never friendly, but he was worse now. Though, it wasn't strange that he had become so withdrawn.

However, right now she wanted to know something. How had Sasuke become so strong? Could she do the same? And if she did, would everyone want to be friends with her too?

Although, if she was being honest with herself, she was following him around for a different reason.

She felt that Sasuke had become similar to her. She had nobody to care for or who cared for her – neither did Sasuke. Well, Naruko supposed there was always the old man. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all?

She knew how hard it must be for Sasuke. Some days, it would hurt so much that she couldn't get out of bed in the morning, not unless the old man came to visit her.

She always felt bad about that… she knew how busy he was.

She felt as if she should help Sasuke somehow and hoped that… maybe they could become friends? She could feel her chest warming up at the idea of making her first friend.

However, she didn't really know how she was supposed to start talking to him! They had never really spoken before and she didn't want to seem strange. She knew people didn't like her, although she didn't really know why. Was she ugly? Nobody had hair like hers or whisker-like markings on their faces. She would have gotten rid of them if she could, but she had no idea how - they didn't come off no matter how hard she washed!

Suddenly, she noticed a problem. Sasuke had disappeared.

She was too busy thinking and wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing. Naruko had especially been building up the courage to talk to him today! She perched herself on the highest rooftop and looked everywhere she could think of, trying to spot Sasuke.

Just when she decided that she may as well give up and try again tomorrow, someone spoke from behind her.

"Why do you keep following me, Naruko?" asked an emotionless voice right beside her ear.

"Kyaaa-!" screamed Naruko, both in fright and surprise. She whipped her head around, almost headbutting the person behind her. "Sasuke…?" she asked, her blue eyes meeting the dark gaze of Sasuke Uchiha. When did he get there? Did he sneak up on her? That was impossible… He had never discovered her before! "How did you get there? How did you find me?" She asked, her voice suspicious. She was sure someone had messed with her by revealing her location to Sasuke.

Sasuke seemed unamused by her outburst. "You follow me back to my house every day, Naruko. It's getting annoying. I'll ask again: why do you keep doing it?" he questioned, his tone dry.

"You… did you really find me yourself?" Naruko asked doubtfully.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"I don't believe you - you're lying!" She said, turning her head aside with a pout.

Sasuke sighed before impatiently grabbing her head and turning it back towards him. "Look in my eyes."

"Hey, don't grab me like that – it hurts!" She shouted her displeasure while sending a hateful look his way. That's when she noticed that Sasuke's eyes had changed!

The irises of his eyes had turned crimson red and his pupils were now surrounded by a black circle with a small teardrop marking.

That… was kinda weird and creepy. But, more than anything else… it looked really cool!

"Wow, your eyes changed! How did you do that? Can you teach me?" Naruko was practically vibrating with excitement at the idea. There was no way everyone would keep ignoring her once she showed them a trick as cool as that. It would be really good for scaring people at night, too! She chuckled darkly, thinking of how she was going to get back at everyone who'd been mean to her. They would realize the error of their ways when they were screaming and peeing their pants in fear!

Sasuke leveled an even gaze at her. "This is how I found you and no, I can't teach it to you."

"So those eyes let you find stuff?" Naruko asked, intrigued at the idea. "Why won't you teach it to me?"

"You can't teach it to someone." He replied, crossing his arms while sending her an annoyed look.

"But…" Naruko started protesting.

"No more questions. Tell me what you want or I'm leaving." He stated, his last shred of patience visibly evaporating.

For a long moment Naruko, squinted at Sasuke. She did have something she wanted to ask him but how was she going to do that? Was she just supposed to tell him exactly what she wanted? She shook her head. No way, that would never work. She needed to come up with something else. She had to think!

Sasuke, seemingly having waited long enough, turned around to leave.

"Sasuke, wait!" Naruko quickly stopped him. She couldn't let him leave yet. She was so close to figuring something out! Aaargh, this was so embarrassing! What would Sasuke like? How could she get him to be friends with her?

Sasuke seemed equal parts annoyed and amused when he noticed the constipated expression on the strawberry blonde's face.

Naruko thinked. She thinked harder than she had ever thinked before. Undoubtedly, steam would have risen from her head had the weather been a bit colder.

Finally, through either luck or sheer brute force, she seemed to find.. inspiration! That… that might work! Indeed, if it was her standing across from herself, there was no way she would be able to resist! Naruko couldn't help but let out a self-satisfied chuckle at her own brilliance.

With a sly look in her eye, she spoke to Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke. You never eat anything at school, right? So, you must be really hungry right now! I know a place that makes the best ramen you'll ever eat in your life. I was planning to go there by myself until I saw you on my way home. Wanna come with me?"

For a moment, Sasuke didn't say anything. He simply looked at Naruko, who had her hands on her hips and a confident smile on her face. Then, without any change in tone or expression, he replied.

"Ok."

"Whaaat-?!" Naruko was gobsmacked. She knew her plan was foolproof, of course, but she didn't expect him to agree so easily! She was even planning on offering to treat him for free, if he declined. Phew, luckily it didn't come to that. She was almost broke!

"What are you standing around for? I still have things to do today." Sasuke said and started making his way down from the roof.

Naruko stood for a moment longer, still stunned. Then, a brilliant smile lit her face. "Hehe, don't worry about it, Sasuke. Just let me lead the way!"

Those who knew Naruko best would have marveled at how her smile wasn't even the tiniest bit forced.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ayame was sweeping the floor when she heard a familiar voice.

"This is the place I told you about - Ramen Ichiraku. They make the best ramen in the Hidden Leaf! You can thank me later."

Ayame could hear a pair of light footsteps approach the counter. That voice definitely belonged to Naruko, but who was she talking to? Was it perhaps… a friend of hers? She would be incredibly happy for Naruko if that was the case.

Ayame came out from the back, wiping her wet hands on her apron. Sitting next to Naruko was a serious looking boy. His skin was white as jade, with noble facial features and dark hair. He was very pretty, Ayame thought. She would have to tease Naruko about her little boyfriend later.

"Wow - I see you brought a friend today, Naruko! I'm Ayame, my dad owns this place. What's your name?" She introduced herself, trying to appear as friendly as possible.

Naruko seemed a little anxious, Ayame noticed, when she addressed Sasuke as her friend. She didn't miss how Naruko glanced at him from the corner of her eye, anticipating his reaction.

"It's Sasuke." He replied shortly, taking no qualms with the way he had been addressed.

Ayame couldn't help but feel pity at the sight of Naruko's happy and relieved expression.

Wait, wasn't Sasuke the name of the last remaining Uchiha? If she remembered correctly, he was indeed around Naruko's age.

Ayame's gaze softened, shifting between the two children. She supposed it was rather appropriate for them to become friends. "Naruko, I'm assuming you'll be eating the same thing you always do? How about you, Sasuke? If you want, I can give you some time to decide."

Sasuke didn't need to think about it. "Anything spicy is fine."

He liked spicy foods? Ramen Ichiraku did have a rather popular spicy ramen dish she could recommend. She was confident he would enjoy it. "It'll take some time. Why don't I bring you guys some milk while you chat for a bit?" Without waiting for a response, Ayame headed over to the kitchen.

Truthfully, she was a little bit interested in what the two were going to talk about. She'd gotten somewhat good at evesdropping since working at the store. It wasn't exactly respectful of her customers' privacy, but she had to keep herself entertained somehow. She set the ingredients to cook before pouring two glasses of milk.

Naruko was the one to break the silence. "So, Sasuke. I heard people say you beat a genin recently. What's up with that?" Her voice sounded doubtful.

If that was the truth, then Sasuke was a talented ninja, Ayame thought. It wasn't exactly unheard of, but a seven-year-old child beating someone twice their age was impressive nonetheless.

"What about it?" asked Sasuke, his voice sounding somewhat bored.

"I won't believe you really beat them if you don't prove it to me." Naruko said with a huff.

Condescension practically dripped from Sasuke's reply. "Why should I care what you believe, Naruko?"

"Because I think you're a liar!" Spoke Naruko, indignantly.

Sasuke did not seem willing to grace that with a reply.

The two were still sitting in silence when Ayame returned from the kitchen with two glasses of milk.

Ayame noticed how Naruko squirmed in her seat, seemingly wanting to say something. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer. "If you're so strong, then I want you to show me!"

Sasuke seemed to consider that for a moment. However, in the end he declined. "No."

"Why not?" Naruko asked, unhappily.

"Just because." explained Sasuke.

Ayame noticed that he truly had a way with words.

Naruko seemed incensed at his statement. She stood from her seat, almost knocking it over in the process. "Sasuke Uchiha, I challenge you to a fight! If you're a man, you'll accept."

Before he could a reply, an interrupting whistle sounded from the kitchen.

"Oh, the noodles are done! Just hold on for a moment, guys. I'll have your Ramen here in a jiffy!" said Ayame, walking back to the kitchen. The store kept most of their ingredients prepared and heated up, otherwise their service would simply be too slow. However, some things had to be prepared fresh - noodles being one of them.

Naruko seemed to pause at that. "Okay, we'll eat first, then I'll kick your butt!" Ayame could practically hear her salivating at the idea of food.

Sasuke remained silent, neither accepting nor declining her challenge.

Naruko was evidently not happy at being ignored, as the sound of teeth gritting could be heard from her direction, as well as a whispered voice. "…This bastard thinks he's so cool. I'll wipe that smug look off his face!"

The sound of quibbling and mono-syllabic grunts finally ceased when Ayame brought two fragrant, steaming bowls of ramen back from the kitchen. With a small flourish, she set them down before the two children. "Please enjoy!"

"Hoho, now let me show you my true power Sasuke-teme… Having excellent taste in ramen!" Naruko picked up her chopsticks and started swirling noodles with them. "Don't start crying when you take your first bite of this ultimate delicacy." Right after she finished speaking, she buried her face in her bowl. From it, loud slurping noises could immediately be heard.

Ayame marvelled at how quickly Naruko was able to devour the dish while completely ignoring its boiling hot temperature.

Sasuke was more subdued. He picked up his ramen soup spoon and politely sipped from the broth, his chopsticks still next to him on the table.

Both Ayame and Naruko were curious how the stoic boy would react, the little fox having stopped her slurping to observe.

Unfortunately, they were to be disappointed as Sasuke displayed no outward reaction. They were undeterred, however - he still had to taste the rest of the dish.

Next, Sasuke scooped some of the meat and vegetables floating in his bowl and started chewing on the ingredients. After that, he took a second helping. Then a third. Finally, he picked up his chopsticks and ate the noodles, his speed increasing as he did so.

His expression remained completely dull all throughout. However, neither Ayame nor Naruko missed the red haze that had risen to cover his features.

Naruko opened her mouth, no doubt planning on delivering a snarky comment, but Ayame interrupted her. "Be careful, Naruko. It'll spill if you keep tilting your bowl that way."

Naruko's expression turned vaguely horrified when she saw how close she had come to pouring her precious ramen on the floor. Realizing that she had more important things to do than mock Sasuke, she returned her attention to the meal in front of her.

For a while, nothing could be heard from the two children besides the sounds of slurping and chewing. Meanwhile, Ayame had gone to help some newly arrived customers. Her father was out shopping for necessities, but rush-hour was rapidly approaching, so he would be back soon.

Unsurprisingly, Naruko was the first to empty their bowl. "Aaah-! That was as amazing as ever." She stated, her expression the picture of satisfaction. She then started sipping from her glass, watching as Sasuke finished the last few bites of his food.

After tilting back the bowl to reach the last few morsels, Sasuke finished eating. He then downed the rest of his milk in a way that somehow managed to look dignified. Next, he turned to look at Naruko, but said nothing.

He was annoying her on purpose, wasn't he?

"What are you looking at, bastard? Don't act like you didn't enjoy it: I saw you sucking down those noodles like a starving person!" This kid was really starting to get on her nerves. Why did she ever think it was a good idea to make friends with him? That's when she remembered, she still had a commitment to honor.

"And don't think I forgot about what I said earlier! You and me are going to fight today and I won't take no for an answer, but before that…" Naruko placed the cost of her meal down on the table before shouting in Ayame's direction: "We're leaving now, Ayame! The money's on the table." Her heart hurt a little bit when she felt how light her wallet had become, but it was worth it for her favourite food. "Pay up teme, then meet me outside!" Naruto stormed out of Ramen Ichiraku, her little tirade drawing amused glances from the surrounding customers.

Ayame glanced over at Sasuke placing his money on the table before sending him a friendly wave. "Please come again!"

It seemed Naruko had finally found someone who was willing to tolerate her little peculiarities. Well, perhaps tolerate wasn't exactly the right word – more like ignore.

Ayame prayed that the two would become the best of friends, for both their sakes.

I'll be releasing one chapter per week on a sunday. They're currently sitting around 2.5k words but I'm hoping to bump that up by another 500-1000 words as I get more comfortable writing.

Advance chapters are available on my Pa tre on from $1.

https://www.pa tre on.com/user?u=59309466