Seeing as how Naruto had taken a nap earlier that day, it wasn't easy for the blonde to fall asleep. Not only that, but Naruto's anxiety was slightly elevated, considering how there was a beautiful, half-clothed woman snoozing right next to him. Despite Naruto being determined to join Ayame in Slumberland, using techniques like counting sheep and shutting out his thoughts, he knew he was entirely too energized to actually succeed.

The thought of leaving to go train until he got tired crossed his mind, and with each passing minute, he talked himself into it more and more. After about an hour of his struggle to figure out what to do, Naruto was approximately two seconds away from getting out of the bed until he heard concerning noises coming from the lady next to him.

Naruto looked over at her and noted that Ayame was twitching in her sleep. Her breathing seemed to have gone from slow and consistent to ragged and uncontrolled, slowly tossing and turning as she continued the slight whimpering in her sleep.

Ichiraku's number one customer watched the chef as she continued fidgeting, seeing how she progressively got more and more frantic. It even got to a point where he started hearing her sobbing gently, concerning Naruto to the max.

"Hey..." Naruto decided to try and wake her up, gently nudging her shoulder, "Ayame? Are you alright?"

The blond jumped when she rolled over and her eyes suddenly shot open. She was teary-eyed, and she looked as though she thought she was in danger, worriedly scanning Naruto and her surroundings.

Seeing that she was awake, Naruto tried to put her at ease, "Hey, it's okay, Ayame-chan. I think you were just having a nightmare."

Tears were in Ayame's eyes until her eyelids shut and they fell down her cheeks. A sob escaped her lips and many more followed as she buried her face in her palms. By this point, Naruto was terribly concerned for her, wondering what it was that she was dreaming about to put her in a state like this.

Doing his best to empathize, Naruto faced her and rubbed her arm comfortingly. He was unsure if he even should be physically comforting her, but his gesture seemed to have been welcomed when Ayame moved closer to him, crying into his chest. The young shinobi didn't expect this, but reciprocated it by wrapping an arm around her while she worked out her emotions, unconsciously playing with the hair of her ponytail.

The pair remained like this for a good twenty or thirty minutes, and eventually, Ayame's tear well ran dry. After a big sigh, Ayame pulled away from Naruto and wiped her face from all the tears staining it.

"...I'm sorry, Naruto." She apologized, "I... I just had a really bad nightmare."

Naruto nodded with a sad frown on his face, "Don't apologize. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up from some really bad dreams myself."

Ayame sniffled, "Did I wake you?"

"Nah. I was actually struggling to fall asleep." Naruto replied. Ayame thought to herself for a moment before muscling up her energy to get out of bed.

"I can make us some tea." Ayame proposed. It was then that Naruto remembered that Ayame wasn't wearing pants, but he did his best to keep his thoughts to himself, "I have some really potent herbal tea that'll knock us both right out. It usually helps whenever I have bad dreams like this..."

Before Naruto could respond, Ayame had left the room. In the ten minutes that she was gone, Naruto picked up on a few things that she said to him and was occupied trying to put together some missing pieces.

When the young chef-in-training returned with two tea cups in her hands, she handed one of them to Naruto, making sure to remind him that the tea was extremely hot.

"Thanks." Naruto said, and Ayame nodded. He noted that she wasn't particularly behaving the same as she normally did; seeing as Ayame was pretty upbeat and cheerful most of the time he saw her. Now, however, she seemed gloomy and almost emotionless. Obviously, it was due to her nightmare and the fact that she was probably still tired, but Naruto had a feeling that something else was amiss.

After Ayame sat down on the bed and took her first sip of the herbal tea, Naruto looked at her with concerned eyes, "Are you okay, Ayame-chan?"

Ayame turned to him and forced a smile, "I will be. It was just a dream, and things like this happen from time to time. Once I get some rest, I'll be good as new."

Naruto nodded, but he admitted that he was still curious about a few things. He wisely decided to keep his thoughts to himself, as to not prod enough to make her uncomfortable.

They continued drinking the tea in silence, until Ayame spoke up again, "Thank you for comforting me."

Naruto smiled, "Not a problem. I'm here to help, even if it means letting you blow snot into my shirt."

Ayame appreciated his attempt to make her laugh and gave a light chuckle. Things were silent again until she broke the silence once more.

"Hey, Naruto?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

She hesitated, "What is it about Sakura that makes you like her?"

Naruto was surprised at this question, considering how random it was to him.

"Er... I think she's pretty. And smart. And when Sasuke was around, we made a really good team." He answered honestly.

Ayame seemingly accepted this answer, but followed up with another one, "Does she like you?"

Naruto looked down a bit, "I doubt it. We're friends, but she's too caught up on Sasuke to really pay attention to me."

The girl sitting on the bed with him nodded. She didn't give an immediate response, and Naruto took the silence as his turn to start asking questions, "What makes you ask?"

"Nothing." She replied quickly, "It's just that... I know that you like her. And I remember giving you tips to get her attention when you were younger. But if I'm speaking honestly, Naruto-kun, I think that you should think about reconsidering how to deal with someone who doesn't seem very interested in you."

Ayame saw that she may not have used the best phrasing to express her thoughts when Naruto stared at his tea for a second with a frown on his face.

Her mind scrambled for a way to undo her damage, "But that's nothing to feel down about! I'm sure that there are other women that are more worthy of your attention, ones that would gladly give you the time of day."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto asked with a small dry chuckle, "Like who?"

Ayame hesitated.

"I think that Hyuuga girl likes you! I remember her blushing around you when you both came to Ichiraku's one time before you both went on a mission."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You mean Hinata? You think she likes me?" Ayame nodded to confirm, "I don't know... She never really says much to me. And telling from how girls usually react to Sasuke, I'd think that she'd be more like them if she liked me."

"That's not always the case. Sometimes girls may like someone, but may have trouble expressing it..." Mumbled Ayame before shaking her head, "I think that she's just shy."

Naruto seemed to have let this information process, deeming it valid considering that as a woman, she was a credible source.

"Even if Hinata did like me, I don't think that anything would come from it." He said honestly, "She's always been friendly towards me, despite being a little weird, but... I don't really see Hinata in that way."

"I see." Ayame said before taking another sip of her tea, trying not to expose the smile that threatened to show on her lips. Naruto processed a quick thought for a moment.

"Is there anyone that you like, Ayame-chan?"

The question made Ayame choke on her tea.

"E-Er..." She mumbled, trying her best not to spill the hot liquid while she suffered from her coughing fit, "I'm uh... I don't really know. I haven't really thought about that kind of thing for me..."

She saw the skepticism on Naruto's face in response to her lame answer to his question. However, Naruto was never the most socially intelligent being on the planet, and simply accepted her words, as opposed to taking note of her reaction.

Ayame managed to get her coughs under control and decided to change the subject, "Do you feel the tea kicking in, Naruto?"

He stared at the cup and nodded, "Yeah, actually. I think I'm starting to feel pretty tired now."

Ayame smiled lazily, feeling a bit drowsy herself, "It's really potent stuff. This kind of tea is known to help with insomnia. So don't be surprised if you end up passing out in the next few minutes." She warned. Naruto nodded and placed his nearly finished cup of tea on the nightstand beside the bed he was sitting on and laid himself down on his back. As soon as he did so, Naruto realized how much more comfortable Ayame's bed felt to him than it did twenty minutes ago.

The woman wearing an oversized t-shirt followed suit and got into bed with him, this time facing him. They smiled at each other, and Naruto began chuckling, rubbing his head."Man... that is some potent stuff. I almost want to think that you had me drink this so you can take advantage of me or something."

"You caught me." Ayame replied with a snicker, "You fell right into my trap. I lure you here with food and then I go in for the kill."

"Damn. You're good." Naruto mumbled with a low laugh. It was becoming hard for him to keep his eyes open at this point, "I thought I... could trust you."

Ayame was struggling to keep awake herself, "That was... your first mistake."

The only sounds in the room were the sound of very low chuckling, and lazy giggling. Then, almost five minutes later, those sounds were replaced with deep breathing and a light snore. Both of the remaining cups of tea began to go cold, forgotten about as Ayame and Naruto drifted off into slumberland together.

Dawn loomed over the village a few hours later, and Ayame's alarm disrupted both Naruto and Ayame out of their sleep. Ayame grumpily slammed her hand on her snooze button as if she were angry at the small machine.

"Ugh." The woman with a messy ponytail grunted, rubbing the crust out of her eyes. Naruto followed suit with a similar response. After wiping the crust out of her eyes, Ayame leaned forward and looked at the boy currently yawning and stretching his arms.

"Good morning, Naruto..." Ayame yawned herself.

"Morning, Ayame." Naruto replied, placing his feet onto the hardwood floors, "As a confession, I'm really not much of a morning person."

"Neither am I." Ayame mumbled, "But since my dad owns Ichiraku's, I'm used to waking up this early to open up the shop. I couldn't sleep in if I wanted to."

Naruto nodded and stretched one more time before standing up, "Yeah, I have to meet up with Kakashi-sensei for some training anyway. May I use your bathroom?" He asked.

"Sure. That'll be five bucks though."

"I'll make an I.O.U." Naruto said with a short laugh, heading into the bathroom. With a smile, Ayame watched as the boy entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. As she patiently waited for her turn, she began thinking of Naruto's actions last night. The way he was so understanding and comfortable when she wasn't at her best emotionally... it made her feel butterflies thinking about it. Symbolically, it was like taking a dip into a steaming hot springs after a stressful day. Even his touch aided in the silencing of her anxiety.

After Naruto emerged from the bathroom, Ayame tried her best not to ogle the young shinobi wearing nothing but a t-shirt and boxers. He had grown quite nicely, in Ayame's eyes. He was fit like most shinobi should be, and was muscular enough for her to see him as visually appealing. She had thought he'd grow up scrawny, seeing as he was a scrawny kid and his diet consisted of more than seventy-five percent ramen. But Naruto had a physique that was slim, but chiseled.

"Are you going to be closing Ichiraku's again tonight?" Asked Naruto, snapping the brunette out of her thoughts.

Ayame shook her head, "After last night, I'm going to convince my dad to let me take a few days off. He mentioned how he hired two new guys to help him around the shop, so at least he wouldn't be without help while I'm not there."

"Perfect!" Said Naruto, walking up to the foot of the bed she sat on, "I'm glad you said that, because I have a proposition for you."

The young woman raised her eyebrows with intruige, "What kind of proposition?"

Naruto looked at her seriously, "I want to teach you a few things that can help you defend yourself."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. As much as I can try to stick around and be around when you close the shop, I know that it won't be possible for me to do it every day, especially when I'm on missions. So I figured if I can teach you a few things, you'd have a better chance at defending yourself if a situation like last night presents itself again." Naruto explained.

Ayame let the proposal sink in for a few seconds before responding, "Naruto... that would mean a lot to me." She then grinned, "Are you trying to make a kunoichi out of me or something?"

"You'd probably make a great one, honestly." Naruto said with a shrug, "But all I want to teach you is some basic techniques that can help you fend off guys like the one you dealt with yesterday. You won't have to learn much about chakra or anything, just some basic taijutsu moves. I'll even give you a kunai that you can hold onto, in case things get escalated enough."

Ayame gave him the warmest smile she could muster, "I'd love that, Naruto-kun. Thank you."

Naruto gave her his signature wide grin, "I just want to help! Do you want me to show you a few things tonight once I finish my training?"

"Sure! I'll be available." She said.

Naruto nodded and was soon fully dressed. Ayame walked him to the door to let him out, despite how much she didn't want to.

"I'll come back sometime after sundown, okay?" Said Naruto on her doorstep.

"Sounds good." She said. Naruto smiled and began to walk off. However, before he got too far, she called his name.

"Thank you for everything, Naruto. Really." She said to him once he turned around, with a face that matched the seriousness of her tone. Naruto gave her that huge smile of his, not without a small blush on his cheeks.

"Hehe, it's the least I can do for you." He then turned back around, giving her a goodbye wave, "I gotta go, Ayame! I'll see you in a bit!"

Ayame watched as Naruto jogged to his destination, looking away and turning around only when he was no longer in view. Many riveting thoughts began to swarm the young woman's mind, and it was then that she decided to shower to get her mind off of them.

After her therapeutic shower, she dressed herself in casual clothing consisting of a light t-shirt and dark cotton pants. A knock was heard from her front door while she dried her hair. She walked over to the door and opened it, revealing her father on the other side.

"Ayame-chan, are you alright?!" The tall chef asked his precious daughter before pulling her in for a full embrace, "I heard what happened last night."

Ayame sighed and hugged Teuchi back. She was always thankful she had a loving father that cared about her, "I'm fine, Dad. Naruto showed up just in time and saved me."

He pulled away as he heard this and closed the door behind him, "Naruto, huh? He always did give me a good feeling about him, even when he was a kid. I'll be sure he'll be getting free ramen for the next month."

Ayame smiled, "I told him I'd convince you to give him free ramen for two weeks, but I'm sure he'll like that better."

The restaurant owner smiled with her, but frowned the next second after, "Hey, I know I asked you to start closing more, but I can do it if it's going to get this problematic for you."

"No need, Dad." Ayame responded, "I can keep closing. Naruto offered to teach me a few things to defend myself in case anymore creeps show up. He even offered to stay at the shop till closing whenever he can so I won't be alone."

"Naruto offered to do that?" Teuchi asked incredulously. Ayame nodded, "That boy... I know he's grown since his training trip, but he's really shaping into a fantastic young man."

Ayame spaced off. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't frowning. She was simply lost in thought. Thinking. Wondering. Imagining.

Teuchi noted this, and knew the reasoning as to why she drifted off. He was no fool. Ayame was a beautiful young woman, just hitting the age of twenty. She was fiery, yet modest. Friendly, yet a bit of a lone wolf. She never had a boyfriend, nor did she even talk much about boys/men in her teen years like most did. But every girl wonders; what it'd be like to have a companion. To have someone as their knight in shining armor.

He grinned. If anyone was worthy of courting his one and only princess, it'd be the person they'd been talking about for the past few minutes.

"I've often thought about what it'd be like to have Naruto as a son-in-law." Teuchi said, still holding his grin, "If anybody could fit that criteria for you, I think he'd be well qualified for it."

Ayame blushed and crossed her arms, "Dad."

He laughed, "I'm just saying! He's a good kid. Or should I say young man."

"Don't you have to open up the shop?" Asked Ayame with a roll of her eyes, attempting to change the subject.

"I wanted to check on you first." He answered, still grinning, "But I suppose you're right. I hired those two guys Nishi and Matsu to help me around the shop temporarily. Even if they aren't the most competent guys around..." He stated with an eyeroll, "So take the next few days off. I know you need it, especially considering what happened last ti—"

"Thanks, Dad." She interrupted as politely as possible. She didn't even want to bring that up, "I love you."

"I love you too, kiddo." He said with a small sad smile, "I'll check on you later tonight, alright?"

"Okay." She nodded. With one last hug, Teuchi exited her home, leaving her to her thoughts. Now having the day to herself, Ayame decided to stroll around the village and do some sightseeing, or perhaps a bit of window shopping.