Code: Disclaimer! I do not own Naruto OR Busou Renkin.

Ben: Yeah, all he did was watch the anime and be hopelessly impressed by it.

Code: Don't insult, man! The story was awesome. Besides, the manga author was the one and only Watsuki, author of Rurouni Kenshin!

Ben: You're wasting your breath.

Code: On a side note, this is to answer all readers or future readers: Naruto uses an excessive amount of Katon jutsu in this chapter, because it was the least destructive and attention-grabbing. There was no water for Suiton jutsu, Doton jutsu would've alerted the police a lot earlier, and Fuuton jutsu, as you all know, is way too destructive. Raiton is Naruto's opposite, which is Sasuke, therefore Naruto can't learn Raiton and Sasuke can't learn Fuuton. Also, Jiraiya was Naruto's sensei for three years, and he specializes in Doton and Katon jutsu, but mainly Katon. Jiraiya as one of the Sannin would also have knowledge of jutsu of every element. Adding to that, Naruto needs to know a variety of Katon jutsu to perform the Gamayu Endan alongside Gamabunta. :)

Ben: Yeah, give it to them!

Code: On the side: img529(dot)imageshack(dot)us/img529/5383/minitokyocouplescansbustf1(dot)jpg - That's how Tokiko and Kazuki look. It's kind of hard to describe accurately how they look.

Ben: This one too: img78(dot)imageshack(dot)us/img78/548/minitokyocouplescansbusgf8(dot)jpg - This is how Tokiko's Busou Renkin, Valkyrie Skirt looks. It's also hard to describe, seeing as how unique it looks.

Busou Nin

Chapter 1: Realization

xxxx

"There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something." Henry Ford

xxxx

He floated around nothingness, white nothingness. It was like he'd always imagined limbo, except . . . he wasn't dead, was he? He couldn't be dead . . . He still had to become Hokage, and save Sasuke. He still had to make the village acknowledge him, he . . . he still had so much left to do. It just couldn't be true.

'Ugh, where am I?'

'You foolish meatbag! You got yourself killed!'

'Kyuubi . . . is that you?'

'Of course it is I, the almighty Kyuubi, who will lose his damned life because of your idiocy!'

'I . . . I can't remember what happened.'

'Even after the other blonde told you not to do it, you used that . . . that . . . Fuuton jutsu again! Against the unholy statue of the bijuu!'

'Yeah, I remember. I wanted to stop that humongous statue from sucking up more bijuu essences . . . what happened? How did I die?'

'Demonic artifact or not, the statue was nevertheless a nonliving object that had its limits. Its purpose is to contain the bijuu essences, but at a slow, continuous rate. You overloaded it and blew yourself to smithereens!' Kyuubi growled irritatedly. 'Now I am forced to take matters into my own hands, or as you bags of flesh call it, saving my own skin.'

'Since when could you talk to me, anyways?'

'Ever since you died and our minds were merged temporarily in death, foolish one.'

'If you're dead, and I'm dead, how will you live again, never mind the fact that you still can't get out of the cage, even with my death,' Naruto countered. 'Another question, why did I instinctively start talking telepathically with you?'

'Frail as your fleshy brain is, it has some common sense in it. Hearing a voice in one's head would satisfy one's unconscious question of whether the voice was physical or mental.'

'So, back to the original topic,' the blond jinchuuriki said loudly, 'How will you get out of both the cage and death?'

'It is quite simple, fleshy and tasty-looking one, I bring ourselves both to life as separate entities in a new world,' Kyuubi said mockingly, as if it was the most commonplace thing in the entire world, to come back to life.

'So, how will this work?'

'Yet again, this is simple. I will lend you my chakra, as we have no time left for you to recuperate, and you will follow my instructions.'

A strange humming noise broke all silence, startling Naruto.

'What was-'

'Hurry! You must begin immediately! Shinigami approaches!' Kyuubi roared frantically. 'Draw a hexagon with your blood onto the back of your right palm, and perform the seals that I will tell you . . .'

As Shinigami, God of Death and ruler of this dimension, approached the two, Naruto was desperately going through every one of the blasted kitsune's commands in the hope that he'd once again be able to live. A new life, without hatred, without glares or cold looks, without abuse. For years he had sought such a life. In the past, he'd worked to mold his future into something better, but now, it was being presented to him on a silver platter.

"Who dares to disrupt the balance?" Shinigami boomed, his voice stretching to every corner of the dimension of his own making. "Who dares to defy my will? All who die are under my jurisdiction, and none shall escape my wrath!"

With that, the floating entity threw himself at Naruto, blade drawn.

'NOW! TOUCH THE HEXAGON! ACTIVATE IT!' Kyuubi all but screamed.

Just as Shinigami's blade rose and fell, hitting the base of Naruto's neck, he disappeared in a white flash, taking Kyuubi with him.

"Kyuubi . . ." Shinigami growled, his fearsome face stretching into a large frown of disappointment. "I was hoping that you would resign yourself to your fate without much hassle, however, you have tried to cheat death. No one cheats death."

He pulled out another blade, which was red in color.

"Fear me . . . Run from me, Kyuubi, because I will stop at nothing to punish those who disobey me!"

With that, Shinigami raised the blade and brought it slashing down, opening a hole to another dimension.

"One world at a time, Kyuubi. When I finally find you, you will wish you had stayed in my realm to die a peaceful death!"

xxxx

"With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's own ability, one can build a better world." Dalai Lama

xxxx

"Whoa!" Naruto cried out as he hit the ground. "Why the hell is it so hard?" he whined aloud. He blinked stupidly at the gray-colored ground. "What's this? Pavement?"

His head rose, taking in all of his surroundings. Tall apartment complexes surrounded him. They were different from the ones in Konoha because they were skinnier, though they were just as tall. Just where in the hell was he? Or rather, what world did Kyuubi drop him into?

Naruto felt a small tickling in the back of his head, and he instinctively reached out to it.

'Ahou, I have no say in what dimension we fall into,' Kyuubi groused. 'By joyful that it is at least one with more of you foolish meatbags.'

"W-What?!" Naruto yelled aloud. Hearing his own outburst, Naruto sweatdropped and toned his voice down. "Where are you, Kyuubi?" he whispered.

'Where I've always been, you insufferable baka, in the cage! Whenever you wish to speak with me, you can merely feel for that connection you felt earlier. I had it created so that it would be easier for me to direct your actions when the time comes.'

'What do you mean?' the jinchuuriki asked suspiciously. 'Direct my actions?'

'On our way into this dimension, I received all basic knowledge about it and its inhabitants. There exists Renkinjutsu in this world, and by utilizing that, I can be free of this prison!'

'Like hell I'll allow that!' Naruto raged. 'It would kill me and you would kill everyone on this world! Not a chance!'

'How about a deal then, gaki?'

'No can do!' the blond thought as he turned away to walk out of the alley.

'Oh?' Kyuubi said questioningly. 'I guess you really don't want to return to Konoha.'

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening slowly.

'You . . . know how to get back there?'

'Of course, ahou. Whereas we were jumping to an unknown destination with that jutsu, I have lived in your puny world long enough to know how to get to it using the jutsu . . . However, in exchange for letting you free to your world, I want to become free . . . in this world.'

'Wouldn't I-'

'We are speaking of Renkinjutsu, not Ninjutsu. Their properties are entirely different, yet similar in ways. I know exactly how to free myself, but I will tell you when the time comes,' the kitsune growled in annoyance. 'For now, we must find someone who wields Renkinjutsu. Without their knowledge, we will accomplish nothing.'

'Alright then, what now?'

'We are currently in the city of Ginsei, in a country called Japan. Unlike your world, this one is much, much larger. Unfortunately, Renkinjutsu users are scattered all over this huge world.'

'How big is 'much, much larger'?' Naruto asked, confused.

'You and I both know our size differences, correct?'

'Uh, yeah . . .'

'Pretend that you are Japan. I am the planet, Earth. This world's surface is three-fourths water, but even counting that, Japan's size is smaller in relation to some of the larger countries. Therefore, while we were unluckily dropped here, it's also lucky for us because it is a smaller place to search.'

'Whatever.'

'How dare you-'

The link was disconnected, courtesy of Naruto. He snickered in joy, even as he could feel Kyuubi's mad rage emanating from inside of him.

'That connection sure has its uses.'

The connection tickled again, and Naruto tried to ignore it, however it got worse and worse until he was finally forced to answer the call or die laughing. If he knew that the connection could be abused like that, he wouldn't have turned it off in the first place . . .

'What? What is it, you damnable kitsune?'

'I just wanted to remind you, the technology in this world is different. Instead of walking by foot, they travel by new means of transportation called 'cars'. They are large metal monstrosities that use gasoline, a cousin of kerosene, as fuel.'

'Isn't kerosene flammable? Like oil?'

'They are both related to oil.'

'So uh, waving that aside, where do I live?'

Kyuubi was silent for a moment, which made Naruto worry.

'Hm, I had not thought of that. As a kitsune, I could sleep wherever I pleased. However, this is a different world . . . Your only option, is to use your Ninjutsu to steal some currency.'

'S-S-Steal?!' Naruto exclaimed, though not aloud.

'Do you have any other bright ideas, meatbag of integrity? It is either this or starve in the alleys.'

'Alright, alright,' he conceded, sweatdropping. 'You didn't have to be so harsh about it, baka-kitsune.'

He walked out onto the street, and momentarily cringed at the mass amounts of sunlight pouring onto his darkness-attuned eyes. Refocusing his vision, Naruto began looking around for anyone – yes, anyone who looked like they could spare some stolen money, and wouldn't be a bother to deal with. As if answering his search, he spotted a frail looking girl pass him.

She wore a school uniform – a long-sleeved white top, which had a blue sailor-collar that had a cross on it, tied with a red neckerchief, and a pleated blue skirt. Her socks were also blue, with crosses on either one, while her shoes were white penny loafers. Easy pickings, he assumed.

She had an air of . . . danger, but he chose to ignore it. As a schoolgirl, she shouldn't need a lot of money anyways. Resolved, he began tailing her, using all of his abilities as a shinobi to cloak his presence and to follow with as much stealth as possible. It was actually exhausting, he had to admit, but it was all for the greater good.

'Do not forget to disguise yourself, gaki.'

Reminded, he performed a quick Henge no Jutsu to look like any other thug. Naruto had become a little creative with the clothing, after being exposed to so many kinds in his short time out of the alley. Oh well, it's not like someone would care what their mugger wore anyways. It was all about the money, he knew. Even Konoha had to worry about money, which was needed in order to operate.

She stopped suddenly, and Naruto held his breath, wondering if he'd been found out. Her short blue hair and yellow eyes made her stand out easily from the crowd, so it was also easy for him to keep an eye on her. Her most unique characteristic was the single scar that ran horizontally across her nose. She continued to walk, which relieved him.

'She must've been looking in a store window.'

'Take to the rooftops. You will be less conspicuous than as you are now, constantly stopping when she is stopping.'

Nodding to himself, he ran past the girl and into the next alley, using his trained skills to hop onto the roof easily, and without anybody noticing it. Unfortunately, he never noticed the eyes of the blue-haired girl slowly following him.

'She has noticed you,' Kyuubi stated after Naruto had been following her by rooftop for a while. 'She is testing your skill in concealment.'

'Shit, when did she noticed me?' Naruto cursed.

'It was most likely when she stopped at that store window. She possibly saw you in the reflection.'

'Gah! What a time for a freaking window to screw up this opportunity!'

'Do not give up. There she goes, into that alley. She must be leading you away from the general populace. Use your pathetic shinobi skills to end the confrontation quickly, so as not to garner attention.'

'I know, I know.'

From his vantage point on the rooftop, he could see that the girl had stopped. What scared him though, was the look on her face, which he translated to a 'If you even try to mug me you will face a very painful death'.

'Gather your courage, you foolish meatbag. Now is not the time to fear mere girls. Attack and retreat swiftly with the prize.'

'Roger!'

Crouching down further, the springs which were his legs let go. Jumping sky-high into the air, he fell like a bullet to her six o'clock. The girl's eyes widened, and she whirled around quickly. In her right hand was a strange, gray-colored hexagonal stone. It was about one to one-and-a-half inches in width. Why did she carry such a thing around?

"Who are you?" she said in a low, rough voice. "What do you want?"

"Y-Your money!" Henge Naruto growled, taking out a knife that was in actuality a kunai under Henge no Jutsu as well.

"Your movement and speed, the jump you just displayed, a simple mugger wouldn't have those characteristics," the girl calculated calmly.

'Shit! Have I been found out?'

"Your physical build would indicate that you are a Homunculus. Why would you need money from one such as I?"

"Huh? Homunculus?" Naruto repeated, confused.

She sweatdropped as she must've realized her mistake.

"I call people who don't need money but try to get it from people Homunculi."

'She lies,' Kyuubi warned. 'Homunculi are monsters that take human form, taking and eating humans as their food source. If she knows about Homunculi, and if that hexagon is what I suspect, then she may very well be the link that we were searching for.'

'W-What?! So soon?!'

'It seems as if luck is smiling upon us.'

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but aren't Homunculi man-eating monsters?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she gripped the hexagon tightly.

'Maybe not . . . That annoying ahou.'

'I can hear you, you know!'

"Busou Renkin! Valkyrie Skirt!" the girl yelled. The hexagon separated, and a flash of light ensued. When it dissipated, it left the same girl, however, she had two cylindrical supports attached around each of her upper legs. Each support had two scythe-like sword-arms attached to them, the final total being four altogether.

"Well, shit," Naruto cursed aloud.

"Die, monster!" she shouted as the four blades shot forward.

"W-Wait!" yelled Naruto as he fervently dodged the strikes. "I-I'm not- whoa!" He ducked under a near-miss. "I'm not a Homunculus!"

"Then what would you be?" she countered. "Who else but a Homunculus would know about the Homunculi's true nature? If you were the same as me, you'd have proven your allegiance earlier!"

"Listen, I'm new in town and- DAMN IT!"

He leaped back, nursing a shoulder wound.

Naruto winced slightly at the pain he was feeling. He had felt worse, however, those blades were 'freaking sharp', as he himself put it, and he wasn't keen on getting slashed again. There seemed to be no weakness to the weapon . . . what was it called?

'Busou Renkin, short for Busou Renkinjutsu, Arms Alchemy. She is an alchemic warrior, dedicated to the destruction of the so called Homunculi. Warriors such as her use those hexagons, called Kakugane, as the source of their strength. As powerful as she is however, your Ninjutsu should be more powerful. Perform one of your weaker jutsu, we need her alive.'

"Roger!" he shouted aloud, and went through hand seals.

'Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!'

Taking in a deep breath, he blew out a large ball of fire that was about as tall as himself and just as wide. The girl's eyes widened at the incoming attack, and made movements to dodge moments before the fireball hit the spot that she was on.

'Where did she go? Not to the left, or to the right, or even above . . . behind?! No . . . then, BELOW!'

He jumped into the air just as the blades of her Busou Renkin cut through the floor underneath.

'Damn! Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!'

A dozen basketball sized fireballs flew towards the ground, her being the target. Unfortunately for him, instead of dodging, the four swords cut off the aerial path of every single one of the fireballs. And now, he was falling into her reach. He had no more jutsu in his arsenal that would surprise her at such close a range. Even with Kage Bunshin, the high-speed movement of four dangerous limbs wouldn't make a difference.

'Shit . . .'

'Ahou. You have no tactics whatsoever. I will have to teach you one day or another. For now, I lend you, the pathetic meatbag, my chakra. Use it well, because that is all you will be getting for now.'

'Thanks, baka-kitsune.'

"Die!" she yelled from behind him.

"!"

'When did she-! Damn, release the chakra!'

"URAH!" Naruto roared as the red chakra exploded outwards in a sort of shield.

The girl was forced to fall back or risk getting caught in the offensive defense that was Kyuubi's Chakra no Tate.

'He can release that red energy into a spherical shield that can block even my Valkyrie's Skirt. What in the world is that power?'

She shifted the position of her legs and prepared to sprint for the enemy.

'Ugh, forget it you worthless shit. Retreat. The authorities are nearing.'

Nodding, Naruto back flipped onto the rooftop behind him just as the sound of sirens came into range.

"Damn! Just wait till I find you again!" the girl hissed in annoyance, using the four blades as legs to leap onto a different rooftop and away from the police. It just wouldn't do to get them involved in this big mess, especially some big mugger breathing fire around as if it were nothing.

xxxx

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." Franklin D. Roosevelt

xxxx

She slammed the door to her apartment as she stomped in angrily. She had let an enemy escape, and even worse, she hadn't been able to defeat him. For someone so large, that man was able to move flexibly and quickly in any given situation, and he was even able to dodge her underground ambush. That just wasn't normal.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself, she began counting to ten in her head. It had been two days, enough time to blow it off, right? Besides, perhaps it was just a fluke, maybe a guy with an oil barrel in his stomach and had flint teeth to blow out fire . . . Oh, who was she kidding. That guy was breathing fire as if it were natural, and the first fireball . . . it's size was humongous! And to let such a big guy get away, it would surely ruin her reputation.

Sighing, she began sipping at the tea that she had just brewed.

A series of loud crashing noises startled her, causing the hot liquid to fall onto her shirt.

"DAMN!" she cursed as her skin burned.

Slamming open the door, she marched over to the next door apartment and rapped on it repeatedly. The multitude of cursing and scuffling inside stopped immediately, and the door opened to reveal a cautious young face. He was slightly tan, and his blond hair seemed to defy gravity. The boy's blue eyes seemed to be locked in a widened state.

"Uh, hello," he greeted weakly.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING MAKING ALL THAT NOISE?!" she roared.

The blond boy shrunk into the corner opposite the door, shivering and muttering about scary girls, crying anime tears all the while. She noticed all of the boxes, but she'd sworn she had heard more than just him inside.

"Just . . . don't make so much noise from now on," she said, this time more gently. "It's not nice to any of the neighbors."

With that, she closed the door, leaving Naruto to ponder.

xxxx

"The distance is great from the firm belief to the realization stemming from concrete experience." Isabella I of Spain

xxxx

That girl was scary, and believe it or not, Kyuubi had even mentioned that he'd never seen such an angry female. Beating both Sakura and Tsunade in one blow, this girl just took the cake with scariness. To add to that, she could slice and dice him to pieces if he wasn't careful. Scary.

She was about his height, but had the air of someone older . . . and more temperamental. Yesterday, she'd been wearing a long-sleeved green turtleneck and white short-shorts, toped off with slippers on her feet. Naruto couldn't help but notice how skinny she was, but she looked good like that . . .

He shook his head furiously. Where'd that thought come from? She was as dangerous as females came, and yet he was thinking such thoughts. If she ever found out, well . . . the apartment manager just might find his remains pasted onto the wall. Ouch.

Over the course of two days, he'd been able to steal money surreptitiously without anyone noticing his actions. For the first day, he'd been out buying necessities while he lived in a temporary cardboard box. Now though, he had moved all of his meager belongings into the apartment. He had withdrawn everything inside of his container scrolls, so as to test the girl's reaction when he made a lot of noise.

She had scared him, and if she'd pulled out one of those blades at that time, he just might have peed in his pants in fright. Still, she was his neighbor now, something that he and Kyuubi hadn't counted on. It was the cheapest apartment complex in the city, and it had small bedrooms with a single bathroom. While he could steal some more money, Kyuubi had decided that Naruto would go to school. To school. Because the girl was wearing a school uniform of sorts, Kyuubi had deduced that she was going to a nearby school. Of course, looking through the school roster of Ginsei High didn't help as the uniforms were completely different. Sometimes, stealthily sneaking into a building and taking a look at classified - well, classified to students – files without being found out. As much as he despised Kyuubi, the kitsune was helping him out a lot lately, and Naruto knew that he should be grateful.

Back to the girl, he'd noticed her haircut. It was quite unlike any others he'd seen. Rock Lee's and Maito Gai's bowl-cuts had just freaked him out. Sakura's looked fine. Ino had tried to make herself look sexier with her haircut, but it didn't really work. This girl's hair fell straight down at the back, ending just a bit above her chin, going lower down to chin-level steadily. In the front, her bangs were longer than the rest of her hair, going down to about the collarbone, and the rest of the hair in front hung around haphazardly at around eye-level. Quite unlike the others.

Perhaps it was the introduction of a new environment . . . but he wanted ramen. Lots and lots of ramen. Sadly, he knew of no ramen stands in the city. Fortunately, that just gave him another reason to talk to the enigma that was the girl, who was also his next door neighbor.

Naruto stood in front of the door, unsure of what to do. Should he knock softly or loudly? Would she hear? What if she was asleep and didn't want to be awakened? What would she do with him?

Knock. Knock.

No answer came from within.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Naruto was sweating now. Dare he knock louder? Faster? Or should he run away and try another day?

'Wuss.'

That did it. Nobody called Uzumaki Naruto a wuss!

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KN-

"What are you trying to do, break down my door?" a voice came from behind him.

"GYAH!" he screamed, whirling around and clutching the door frame for support. "Don't scare me like that," Naruto wheezed out, trying to breathe.

"What do you want?" She had groceries in one arm while she fished around for her keys with the other.

"Uh well," he began, "I'm new in town so I wanted to know . . . ARE THERE ANY RAMEN STANDS?" Naruto had practically screamed out the last part in his desperation. "Please, please let there be a ramen stand! PLEASE! Tell me there is one, err . . ."

"Tokiko."

"Alright. PLEASE! Tell me there is one, Tokiko-chan!"

The atmosphere around him suddenly dropped, and he looked up shakily to see her glaring at him with under her bangs. Oh gods, her eyes were glowing red! The surefire sign of a girl about to explode into violence!

'Run gaki, run!' Kyuubi laughed.

The blond scrambled to his feet and made a break for his apartment, but she caught the collar of his shirt and pulled him back to her.

"What. Did. You. Call. Me?" Tokiko grit out, her expression fuming. "Neighbor or not, I allow no one, and I mean no one, to call me that. Is that clear?!" she hissed in a low tone.

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Naruto squeaked. "Uh, about that . . ."

"No, there are none," she said shortly.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" he screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Tokiko roared, her eyes glowing red again with anger. "God, what did I do to deserve such a neighbor," she muttered under her breath. "I was joking. There's a stand near Ginsei High, down the street for about five minutes, now please leave me alone."

"T-Thank you!" Naruto yelled, before taking off through the hall, screaming gleefully all the while.

'Jeez, sure, get on the bad side of the girl that you need to befriend.' complained Kyuubi.

'Oh, that reminds me.'

He backtracked down the hall and to the corner.

"Hey Tokiko-chan, want to come with me?"

Her door blasted open, and she stood panting in the rubble, her eyes glowing red yet again under her bangs.

'Uh oh . . .'

'You ahou. You never learn, do you?'

'Time to run!'

He fled down the stairs and through the streets, Tokiko in hot pursuit. Her promises to tear him apart didn't help his fear at all.

While he ran, she chased. Normally, she was quiet and serious, however, the boy was proving to be a constant annoyance. The first time, when she had spilled tea, that was just an accident. However, she not been able to go to sleep that night. In the morning, she had been woken up by the blond's screaming. All throughout the afternoon, she could hear him through the paper-thin walls. Not even one day after his moving in, her patience had been at wit's end, until he had added the -chan suffix yet again.

Tokiko didn't know what about the boy constantly annoyed her, just that she had to put and end to it, one way or another, whether it was killing the bothersome blond or suffocating him in a choke hold and forcing him to be quiet.

And now, she was chasing him through the streets.

xxxx

"Man has the possibility of existence after death, but possibility is one thing and the realization of possibility is quite a different thing." Bret Harte

xxxx

Tokiko had no idea how she ended up having her dinner with him. One moment, she was chasing him, and the next . . . the two were sitting in the ramen stand eating ramen. Strange . . . She should surely be angry at him for disobeying her, yet Tokiko felt a bit of herself in him. While she still couldn't remember much of her own past, she could at least remember feeling the same naivety that he possessed with such vigor. Perhaps that was why she had calmed down. Perhaps it was another reason. Perhaps it was simply the friendly aura that emanated from the blond. Perhaps she was getting too soft.

'Too many 'perhaps',' Tokiko growled mentally, 'and not enough straight answers. First course of action, get him to stop being so annoying.'

"So," Naruto began, trying to start some small talk, "my name's Naruto, sorry that I haven't introduced myself earlier."

She glared at the spiral-shaped piece of fishcake in her ramen, trying to glare it to death. If all else failed, maybe voodoo would work. Would the fishcake really work as the voodoo doll though?

"Hey," he said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"What is it?" she asked, her calmness all but regenerated.

"I was wondering if you'd tell me a bit about your past, just to get to know you."

"Alright."

'Is she serious?' Naruto thought.

'I think not, gaki.'

"In the past, I was a quiet and serious girl, who did not like being bothered and annoyed every hour of the day, whether directly or indirectly."

'I think she is hinting at something very, very obvious.'

'Huh?'

'Never mind. You are just an ahou.'

'I resent that!'

"And at present, I am still a quiet and serious girl who does not like being bothered every day. Is that clear?"

"Uh . . ."

"Is. That. Clear?" she repeated.

"Y-Yes, ma-am!"

'I guess that means no more pillow-fighting with my Kage Bunshin . . .' he sighed.

'It annoyed me, a demon with almost infinite patience. Think of how much more it annoys her, foolish one,' Kyuubi reprimanded. 'We demons are patient because we are so old. We know how much waiting hurts, how boring it gets when you're doing nothing. Regarding you though, it is a, to tell the truth, nightmare'

"So, uh, where'd you get that scar?"

Tokiko sent a glare at him, and he knew then that it was something she preferred not to answer. That was fine with him. For all his years as a shinobi, he had told no one of his relation with Kyuubi and Yondaime. It was a secret that he'd been keen not to tell to anyone. Naruto understood perfectly if Tokiko didn't want to share that bit of information with him.

He was on his fourth bowl right now, and regardless of how calm a person Tokiko was, she was staring at him as if he'd grown another head. That happened all the time, it was quite natural to the blond. After a lot of research, it had come to his knowledge that jinchuuriki, no matter how much chakra they used, didn't eat this much. He had deduced that it came from genetics, which Jiraiya confirmed. Unfortunately, the pervert never had told him who his parents were.

"Naruto."

"Hm? What is it, Tokiko-chan?"

A vein throbbed on her forehead, but she chose to ignore it. She was calm, she was calm, everything was fine.

"You keep missing your mouth."

"Huh?"

Naruto turned his neck to see that all the noodles were on the table.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed.

xxxx

"Happiness is the highest good, being a realization and perfect practice of virtue, which some can attain, while others have little or none of it." Aristotle

xxxx

Three days. Three days since that night. She'd been apprehensive about it from the start, and it got worse when he'd asked about her scar. It was a private matter, and he must've understood. He withdrew from that conversation quite swiftly.

Every day was the normal routine. She'd be awoken by his incessant yelling. Afterwards, she'd eat breakfast and go hunting for Homunculi. She always took a bento with her to eat at lunch, particularly because she didn't want to go through Naruto's annoyances three times a day. In the evening, she'd either come home with the groceries for that day or take-out. Then she'd try to go to sleep over the blond's loud snoring. What a world she lived in.

That's not to say the two hadn't talked at all during this time period. Tokiko had gotten to know the blond slightly better. An orphan since birth, he'd had to raise himself from seven up. In the village he'd grown up in, he'd always been hated for some reason or another, and vowed to change their thoughts. That is, until serious circumstances had forced him to move out of the rural village into the urban city. Personally, she admired the spunk that he had, being able to go on with life so cheerily even after such a bad childhood.

She wondered how he could always keep up a smile, no matter the situation. Whether it was immediately after being chased by her all the way to the ramen stand, or if he had just come home after a bad day, he could always be counted on to brighten up someone else's day.

'He must be rubbing off on me,' she realized. 'I've been thinking about him and his life story again.'

Tokiko looked up at the clock to already find it ten in the morning.

'I'm late,' she sighed. 'It won't matter if I'm late for just a little longer, would it?'

A moment's silence and a torrent of bad memories assaulted her, testing her resolve. Tokiko stood up abruptly, a cold look on her face. Elementary school . . . slaughter . . . survivor . . .

'Yes, it would matter. My mission is clear, kill all Homunculi.'

She walked out of the apartment quickly and headed for the final Homunculi hunting ground. The supposed haunted factory which was behind Ginsei High. She had searched everywhere else, but found nothing except for human remains. It seemed as if the Homunculi were planning something, and she was fully intent on finding out what.

She would've been more worried about the consequences had she known that Naruto was tailing her, again. What she hadn't known for the past three days was that he'd been following her, getting a grasp of her job and why she was performing her duties. Then again, he was a shinobi. She wasn't supposed to know that he had been there.

"A good shinobi will do his duty, but a great shinobi will do his duty without anyone knowing."

He whispered the wise proverb of his sensei, Jiraiya. Out of all his eccentricities, the one Naruto feared the most was when Jiraiya became serious. When he became so, the white-haired Sennin's eyes became devoid of emotion save for deadly anger. It was during one of these times that Jiraiya had told him of that proverb. Then, there was Kakashi.

"A good shinobi will finish his mission, but a great shinobi will finish his mission without casualties."

Naruto knew that it was just a version of Jiraiya's, but both were true nevertheless, and he'd taken them to heart. Whenever he'd gone to battle seriously, Naruto became cold and calculating, aiming for the quickest and most efficient kill while taking the least amount of damage. He was a genius of on-the-go strategies. When angered and serious, Uzumaki Naruto, like Jiraiya or Kakashi, was a force to behold. Naruto had always believed he'd seen Kakashi's serious side, that is, until he'd seen his former sensei go one-on-one against Kakuzu, a member of Akatsuki, while at the same time protecting Ino and Chouji. It was impressive, he knew, even from the firsthand memories that Kakashi had shared through a Genjutsu using the Sharingan.

"There are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander."

The final saying was Yondaime's, passed onto himself by Kakashi, one of the few who truly believed that Naruto would surpass and succeed Yondaime. Naruto had always taken strength from his faith, and it had always served him well. Whether it was learning or . . .

That was when Naruto realized it. He was going to be late for . . . SCHOOL!

'You insufferable baka!' Kyuubi raged. 'How could you forget about something so important?! How do you expect to survive in this world with no knowledge save for what I passed onto you, you ungrateful gaki?!'

'Can you please shut up?' Naruto growled as he ran at top speed towards Ginsei High. He passed Tokiko, who looked at him in surprise and bewilderment.

'Wear your god damned uniform, you baka!'

He pulled his pants on as he ran, practically hopping on one foot as he did so. What a lucky day. Tokiko had already been on her way to a spot near Ginsei High, so it wasn't long before he made it through the gates.

"You there!" a darkish gray-haired teacher called out. "You're already late for homeroom. Get to class to get your schedule!"

"Yes sir!"

He sprinted through the doors and hallways, looking for the right classroom.

'2-E . . . 2-D . . . 2-C . . . 2-B!'

"Sorry!" he announced as he stumbled into the room. "Eheh, I woke up late."

"Oh?" the homeroom teacher asked. "Name, please."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Let's see . . . Ah, here we are. Uzumaki Naruto, age sixteen, transferring from . . .?"

"Ah, I was home-schooled!"

"I see, I see. Hm, let's see, there's a seat empty right behind Mutou Kazuki over there, brown hair and red eyes."

"Red eyes?" Naruto exclaimed. "That is so cool!"

xxxx

"You have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandest dreams. Imagination plus innovation equals realization." Dennis Waitley

xxxx

"Hey, Kazuki," Naruto groused as they walked down the hall.

"What is it?"

"School is boring."

The brunette laughed goodnaturedly, which Naruto soon joined in on.

"It was just for today. All they really did was go over all of the rules and pass out schedules. When school actually starts, you'll be too busy to think of how boring it is or not."

"You know, it's always nice to make new friends," Naruto commented after a while. "Friends that can be there for you when you need it, you know?"

"Yeah, it's always refreshing to meet someone new," Kazuki agreed. His hair was spiky and seemed to defy gravity, just like Naruto's, however . . . Naruto's had more spikes in them, whereas Kazuki's had larger spikes.

"I bet that my hair will get the best comments," the blond said out of the blue.

"You wish!" the brunette countered. "Come on, let's settle this right now! To the rest of the school!"

Thus, the two spent hours running around the school, asking anyone they came upon whose hair they preferred. It was sundown when the two new friends stumbled out of school, dead-tired and still tied. Tied. Naruto had been so sure he'd win, what with his blond and spiky hair, but it seemed as if some people thought Kazuki's looked slightly cooler.

"Alright, it's a tie. None of us win," Naruto grumbled. "Jeez, I was so sure I'd win."

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Are you going to sleep in the dormitories?" Kazuki asked questioningly.

"D-Dormitories?" Naruto repeated. "I just moved into an apartment and now I have to move into the dormitories?!"

"N-No!" his brunette friend reassured. "It's just recommended because it's closer to school than anywhere else."

"Phew," Naruto sighed in relief. "That sure makes me feel better, somehow or another . . ."

"What's that light?" started Kazuki, pointing to the hillside. "It looks like it's coming from the haunted factory. Come on, let's check it out."

Naruto's skin felt as if it were going to freeze right then and there. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked Kazuki in the eye. "I'm very superstitious, Kazuki, and I'd rather not go up there. You shouldn't either."

"Hm? Why not?"

"You wouldn't want to get killed by spirits, would you?" the blond questioned. "Would you? Would you?" he repeated.

"Well, no, but the haunted building stuff always turns out to be rumors. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow. See you later, Naruto!" he called as he ran off towards the factory, his goofy grin on.

'That baka, he doesn't know when to take a hint.'

'I can say the same to you, meatbag' Kyuubi growled. 'Go after him. We do not need any unnecessary deaths.'

'Right.'

He followed Kazuki silently up the winding trail. His new friend began to tire, slowly and steadily, as he made his way to the top. He wouldn't be able to run from Homunculi in such a state, unless it moved at a snail's pace. If he didn't rest and think before barging into the factory, Kazuki would very well get himself killed. Naruto wasn't willing to sacrifice anyone's life in the crossfire that he and Tokiko would eventually become involved in. Without making a single noise, he as a shadow entered the factory before Kazuki did, ensuring his safety from the point.

"Who's there?" Tokiko's voice echoed when he accidentally splashed some water.

"I-It's me, Naruto," he called out. "I saw the light so I came to see what was wrong."

She turned to him, her eyes dangerously glinting in the dim light.

"Leave now, Naruto. I'm in here for personal reasons, and you have no right to intrude." They continued to walk, with Tokiko trying to convince her neighbor to leave. Fortunately, both of them sensed the large presence behind them. It wasn't well hidden, and any amateur would be able to feel it coming from a mile away. Sadly for the two, that was when Kazuki showed up and saw the large snake following them.

'Naruto!' he realized. 'He told me that he's a superstitious person, and that he wouldn't want to come here . . . Could it be that he went on ahead of me because he didn't want me killed by ghosts? Well, he's about to get eaten! And that girl, what's she doing here? This has got to be a dream, right? This has got to be a dream!'

The large, white snake's tail reached back, and then thrust itself towards Tokiko.

"Get out of the way!" Kazuki yelled, surprising both of them. He pushed Tokiko away, but not before the tail impaled him, puncturing his heart.

Naruto stared in disbelief at the sight, while Tokiko glared at him, as if to say, 'You brought a friend?'. The snake lifted up the brunette and threw him away to the side. As Kazuki's life trickled away in those last seconds, Naruto could feel a burning rage consuming him. The rage to kill, to slaughter whoever had done this, to an innocent high-schooler.

'Yes, awaken your primal instincts, gaki. Awaken your strength, your infinite chakra supply and unstoppable anger. Only then will you become a worthy container.'

"You . . . Kazuki . . . YOU BASTARD!" Naruto roared, going through hand seals. He could see Tokiko's shocked expression by using his peripheral vision, and he silently apologized to her for tricking her for the entire time that he'd known her.

'Katon: Karyuu Endan!'

Fire bloomed out of his mouth and outwards, the flamethrower shaped like a dragon shooting forward. With heats of four-hundred to five-hundred degrees Celsius, the flames practically melted a small path in the floor as it traveled over it. The white snake's eyes widened as the flames impacted. It roared in pain and withdrew immediately, but not before suffering several severe burns.

"COME BACK HERE, HEBI-TEME!" Naruto roared. As he was about to run deeper, Tokiko caught his arm and pulled him back.

"YOU!" she all but yelled at him.

"Me, what?" he asked emotionlessly. "You mean me? The guy who tried to take money from you on that first day? Yeah, it was me."

Her mouth opened and closed for several seconds, no response coming out. She hadn't been expecting an outright confession.

"Y-You! You've been leading me on all this time?!"

"I'm sorry," he said, closing his eyes. "I needed money, a place to stay . . . food, necessities. I was told to steal money in as unnoticeable a way as possible. How did you ever guess?"

"Well, you breathing fire from your mouth, for one," she growled, folding her arms over her chest. "The only other one who I've met was that big thug, and considering those techniques, I concluded that you have more than just fire techniques." She stared at him apprehensively, waiting for the answer that she knew would come, the confirmation of her hypothesis.

'Henge no Jutsu.'

He turned into the same thug that had attacked her. She grimaced at the unsavory, disgusting appearance that the thug presented in contrast to the bright blond that she'd known for almost a week.

'Kai.'

Naruto returned to his blond self. Casting a sad glance at Kazuki's body, he made to pick up the body when Tokiko stopped him yet again. In her hand was a Kakugane, except that it had a different number than the one she'd used against him in the first day. Tokiko glanced at him sideways, silently asking if he was going to interfere with what she was about to do. He had no idea what she could do, but decided that it wouldn't hurt to take a chance, least of all with someone who was already dead. She took his body and left for the school, with Naruto following. Tokiko stopped at the water tank on the rooftop, and laid Kazuki down into a sitting position.

"He tried to save you and me, what an interesting guy," she muttered. "Can you hear me? You're dead, because you jumped in without considering the consequences, without analyzing the situation, without thinking. However, you tried to save me and your friend. You've managed to make me interested . . . somewhat." Tokiko placed the Kakugane sideways onto the wound, and it slowly slid in, integrating itself with Kazuki's body. "Kakugane, the ultimate alloy, created from the essence of alchemy. It will activate according to your instincts, within the deepest depths of the human mind."

'The instinct to live, which thrives in all living beings . . .'

"By using this as a replacement for your heart, the Kakugane will awaken your survival instincts, allowing you to once more grasp life firmly within your hand. At the same time, you will gain a new power, activating upon the human instinct of combat, this will give you strength to continue fighting."

'The instinct to fight, to preserve one's own life, inherent in all beings.'

"Live. This Kakugane is the second life which I bestow upon you."

xxxx

"At such moments, you realize that you and the others are, in fact, one. It's a big realization. Survival is the second law of life. The first is that we are all one." Joseph Campbell

xxxx

"Explain."

"I'm really sorry, Tokiko-chan!" Naruto said yet again, trying to get her to remove Valkyrie Skirt's blades from under his neck. "But I can't tell you. Not right now."

"You've already said that," she growled, a vein pulsing in her forehead. "And don't call me that."

"I promise, that when the time comes, I will tell you. Right now though, isn't the time. I'm not ready to give out my past, not yet. Please," he begged. "Give me the time to explain myself. All I need is time."

'It is something we need desperately, ahou. Homunculi will never let witnesses escape alive, that is what I remember upon the entrance into this world. They will chase you and that girl down across the planet.'

'Then,' the blond resolved, 'We'll have to kill them, so that none shall know that there were witnesses.'

'That is my container for you,' Kyuubi laughed, which still sounded evil. 'You have awoken your primal desire for revenge, to do back what harm has been done to you, physically, emotionally, or mentally. Revel in the feeling of satisfaction once you have had your revenge, because you will never want to feel anything else again.'

"No."

'What?!'

"Hm? What is it?" Tokiko asked, though still a little miffed that she had learned nothing of Naruto. "Whatever, it's not my problem if you start talking to yourself out of grief." She removed the blades that were threatening to chop his head off and dismissed her Busou Renkin.

He nodded his stiff head, but was surprised to see a cup held out in front of him.

"Here. It's tea."

Naruto took it gladly and sipped at it while looking around her apartment. It was simple, yet he supposed she was that type of person. A desk with a lamp, a bed, a closet and the tea-table that they were sitting next to . . . Anyone who came in wouldn't suspect that she was doing anything out of the ordinary. Then again, perhaps that was her goal. In the world of shinobi, if you were found out your mission was failed. It must be the same in here, to be discovered was to fail the mission. She was an alchemistic warrior after all.

"Let me ask just one question. Did you really move here from a village?" she asked. "Was it the truth or more lies?"

"It . . . It was the truth," Naruto bit out. "What little I've told you about my past is true. Everything I told you about the me that is here were all lies, though."

"I see."

"Where did you go with Kazuki?"

"I dropped him off in his dormitory room," Tokiko said shortly. "It would be suspicious if he were to be found on the roof of the school, and I had to make it look like he was dreaming. With luck, I'll kill that Homunculus from earlier and this friend of yours won't have to suffer any more than he should. However, should I fail to locate it before it attacks Kazuki again, then he will be dragged into this entire mess."

"I'll watch over him," Naruto volunteered. "I lied to you, and got him into that situation, pretty much. He'll become my responsibility."

He realized it now. Whether or not she thought the same of him, Tokiko was a friend. She was a friend that he'd protect, just as he'd protected his friends in Konoha. He would protect her and Kazuki from harm, and even though he knew that she could protect herself, he vowed it. On his nindo, he would never again fail.

"Very well," she said after sipping her tea again. "For now, just enjoy the peace and tea, because both are prone to run out in times like these."

And for the first time since she'd met him, she saw a genuine smile on Uzumaki Naruto's face, not one forced on as an act.

Seeing this, for the first time since she'd met him, Tsumura Tokiko closed her eyes and gave a small smile.

xxxx

"To accept the truth of who you really are takes nothing short of realization. You have to see the diamond for yourself." Ken Wilber

xxxx

On a side note, I translated some swearing into Japanese, and left some English. This was to make it sound smoother. "Well, kuso" doesn't sound as good as "Well, shit", does it? Teme and Kusotare both mean 'bastard', but teme is commonly used in anime and as a suffix at the end of a word to indicate their bastardy-ness.

Vocabulary

Ahou – Fool, simpleton

Baka – Idiot

Busou Renkin(jutsu) – Arms Alchemy

Gaki – Brat

Hebi – Snake

Teme – Bastard