"Thank you, please come again!"

I sighed, as I gathered what was left of their meals and tipped them into the waste disposal. Glancing at the clock (well-worn, yet still kept good time) I sighed again, this time with relief, as I saw that only a few minutes remained until we finished up and closed. As I dried my hands on my apron, my eyes trailed unconsciously to the calendar beside the clock, and I remembered that person again.

It's almost been three years, I mused. Almost three years without that contagious grin and those bright blue eyes. That grin that he always had whenever he came into the shop, asking for the usual. Those bright blue eyes that always seemed to radiate kindness and a burning passion, yet with a hint of sadness hidden underneath.

I shook my head with a small smile. Yes, sadness; a loneliness that he had endured for years. I knew that, for a long, long time now, he had been trying so hard to make friends with everyone, to seek out companionship. Yet nobody seemed to bother even looking at him. Why? For within him was sealed the nine-tailed demon fox, that had once terrorized the village; wherein so many people had died. But that was it; he was merely the container for the demon and not the fox-incarnate. He was only the innocent little boy, with not a trace of evil and malevolence within him.

How many times did I hear people whispering about him as he ate, oblivious to the glares of contempt and disgust? And how many times did I 'accidentally' spill the extra-hot chili in their meals? I giggled a bit at that last thought, as I started to put away the bowls in the cupboards.

"He didn't deserve all that," I whispered sadly as I stared at the extra-large bowls that he had used countless times. That's why I tried my hardest to befriend him, to at least ease some of his pain. To at least put one name off the list of those who would always keep their distance whenever their paths crossed with him. I was a bit nervous really, of that first time that I actually talked to him; not really knowing where to start. I was glad that I decided to keep thing simple as I merely leaned over the counter ( my father was kind of training me back then) and asked for his name. The look of surprise apparent on his face was amusing and sad at the same time; did nobody ever really bother to ask for his name?

It had been some time later that one of his teachers at the academy, Iruka-sensei, approached me and asked that I try to be his friend. I just shook my head and smiled at him, saying that I already was.

The times that I spent with him surely were some of my favourite moments. The memories of him trying to teach me a dish-washing jutsu, and much to my father's dismay, the rather large pile of broken dishes that resulted from that. What was even funnier was how he escaped my dad's wrath by using his patented sexy no jutsu (which I found to be rather cute), making him nosebleed to unconsciousness. My father eventually caught up to him though, and made a deal that he use that jutsu again to attract customers for a week. It was then that I got to know him better, as he helped me in the kitchen while his clones stood outside for the customers. I was never bored that particular week, as stories of his missions always kept my mind occupied. Of how they fought and defeated a 'Devil of the Mist'. Of what he felt when he first saw a person die in front of him. Of the many hardships he and his team went through during the Chuunin exam. Of how he and that perverted teacher (who tried to grope me and got kneed between the legs instead) travelled to look for the Godaime. And finally, through much prodding from me, of his best-friend's 'betrayal'. Oh how my heart ached for him as he told me that little tale. Not really knowing what to say, I merely held his hand and squeezed.

"You'll bring him back," I whispered. "Else you'll drag him back bound and gagged."

He laughed a small laugh. "Of course I will," he whispered back, with a look of determination that will be forever etched in my memory.

Oh how many times did I look towards the entrance, expecting him to come bounding in? How many times did I prepare too much food since I forgot that he wasn't coming? How many times did I think of that smile and those eyes whenever a customer sat on his usual spot? Far, far too many times.

I sighed again as I sat on that very seat, resting my head with my arm on the table. With my other hand, I pulled out my wallet where I kept my credit cards and the few pictures that I always liked to carry around with me. Flipping it open, I smiled as I stared at the first and last picture that we had taken together; it was the day of his departure for his three year journey. I trailed my fingers over the faces of the people in the picture; there were four of us: me, my father, him, and that perverted teacher of his. I didn't really need the picture, as the image was already burned into my mind, having stared at it (or rather, at him) for so many times. He and myself holding out our hands in a 'victory' sign, as the two old men behind us looked fondly at our expressions. We must have looked like an odd, mismatched family, though how I wished that the relationship we had went beyond that of being brother and sister. I felt the heat rising up to my cheeks at that last thought and I replaced my wallet back into my pocket. I still thought about it to this day, on when that simple feeling of pity turned friendship suddenly bloomed into something much more. It was just, suddenly one day, that I looked at him and didn't see that goofy little kid that was addicted to ramen, but instead saw a young man willing to carry his burden and still fulfil his dream, a dream of being everyone's protector, their Hokage. I sighed again as I got up and went towards the entrance. I wish I am by your side when that time comes.

I was just about to close the doors as someone suddenly came in and I found myself on the floor. A young man, shinobi coming back from a mission probably, clad in a black and orange jumpsuit stood there in front of me. Orange?...

"Ah! I'm sorry about that!" the young man said as he held out his hand for me to grab onto.

"I'm alright," I said. "I was just about to close up the shop so…" I added as I dusted myself off, looking at the young man's face and suddenly staring into his eyes. Those deep pools of blue that I could drown in…

"Ayame…chan?" he said so softly I was barely able to hear.

"Naruto…kun?" I whispered as tears started to form in my eyes.

He merely nodded and smiled.

And I did what my heart had wanted to do so badly ever since he left; I locked him in a tight embrace, my face buried on his shoulder, not caring about the tears that fell down onto his chest. A few seconds later found his hands on my shoulder as they closed in on me as well. As the tears finally ground to halt, I slowly pulled my head back to look at him; not hiding the blush that I knew stained my cheeks.

"So…what will be your order?" I asked him, trying to keep a straight face.

He smiled.

"Tadaima."

I smiled back.

"Okaeri."

Naruto x Ayame

A/N:

ZOMG, I just signed up for and the first thing I submit is this sappy little piece. XD Anyway, I really have to thank Ryushi, the Dutch Ero-sennin for introducing this little pairing to me (from his story, Love is like a Bowl of Ramen, which was quite hilarious btw.). Like, I just woke up at 4am started typing this stuff OO. A really random thing for me. Also, this really is supposed to be a one-shot, but then again, I might write a little something for Naruto's POV, if I ever get a little random again. Yay for unlikely pairings XD Like Naruto x Hanabi. Wheeee.

Edit: For those who asked…er…

Tadaima I'm home/ I'm back.

Okaeri Welcome home/ welcome back.