Just another day.

Naruto walked out of his chamber. The events of the previous day had left him drained. Nothing to be surprised about, but the feeling of wrongness hadn’t quite yet faded. The people in white coats— he refused to call them medics —had put him through another series of rigorous tests, injecting him with several large needles and pumping some weird serum into him. He could never tell what it was, but it always filled him with an instinctive sense of revulsion.

Back when he was little, the process stung a bit, but he was used to it by now. The prick was part and parcel of his monotonous life inside this cavernous castle that had been his entire world for as long as he could remember.

Well, almost entirely. The dungeon, a building their vaunted lord and master called his ‘laboratory’, was built upon an island surrounded by water as far as the eye could see. It was the only other sight he was familiar with apart from the dreary building.

It was his favorite view.

Every morning, before the warden arose, he’d climb his way past the facility and over the jagged rocks to stand on top of the precipice, overlooking the sparkling waters below. He had often entertained the idea of diving into the sparkling blue ream below, but he probably wouldn’t have gotten far since he didn’t know how to swim.

And even if he did, jumping in the water was a certain death— or so he was told.

“Whatcha doing up here, Nami-boy?”

He turned his head to the right, glancing at the black-haired girl standing beside him. Though ‘girl’ was a bit of a misnomer, since she was probably around twenty years old. It would have been more appropriate to call her a young woman.

Not that she acts like one.

Anko Mitarashi was a student of the Master and the most hyperactive human he had ever encountered in his, admittedly, limited life. She was a recipient of the Master’s Cursed Seal of Heaven, and the only test subject to survive the implantation thus far, if the rumors were to be believed.

His gaze flitted towards the woman’s hair. Short, spiky, an unkempt mess— just like he remembered, save for the new lilac tints. Those weren’t there the last time he saw her. He’d know. He noticed these tiny things.

It was an instinctual habit.

“My girls are down here if you really wanna stare, you know,” Anko interrupted, cupping her breasts and jiggling them for his viewing pleasure. Between her otherwise short stature and buxom figure, Anko was exactly the kind of distraction Naruto did not need.

“...Sorry?” he blinked, taken off guard by her behavior. Though, he really shouldn’t have been, considering how many times she’d tried to unnerve him in the past.

Anko merely sighed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve got a hair fetish.”

“But you do know better.”

She looked crestfallen as she touched her chest with one hand, giving the impression of someone in mourning. “Unfortunately.”

Naruto didn’t reply. There was nothing to reply to.

“So… what’s got you up here so early, Nami-boy? Planning on a nice, long swim?”

“You know I can’t swim,” he murmured softly, frowning. “And don’t call me Nami-boy.”

“Really?” She took a step forward. “Then what do I call you?”

She inched closer again.

“I have a name. Use it.”

“And if I don’t?”

Closer.

“Then there’s nothing left to say.” He turned away, gazing at the endless sea in front of him. Every morning, he’d see the warden, waist-deep in the waters, offering some sort of prayer. A neutral observer would probably call the whole ritual pious.

Naruto would have done the same, if not for the fact that said pious act was performed right after the warden finished cutting up the dead bodies of prisoners, burning them, then spreading their ashes into the sea.

It was disturbing.

“Look at you, trying to appear all cool,” Anko cooed. Sensing his lack of interest in continuing the conversation, she scrunched her face in frustration. “That’s not fair, Nami— I mean, Naruto. You can at least pretend to be caught off-guard.” She jiggled her breasts again. “Surely these girls catch your attention?”

Fun fact— Anko Mitarashi absolutely adored him, or so he was told. To the point she’d suffocate him with her attention, sometimes literally.

Naruto sighed. This particular barter of words was an old ritual between the two of them. Anko would shamelessly provoke him with her body while he continued to ignore her. The results hardly varied from day to day, but she was persistent if nothing else.

“Why don’t you try that with Mr. Yakushi, Anko?”

If nothing else, it would be interesting to watch.

“Pfft!” Anko wheezed, clutching her stomach. “As if that eunuch would ever be interested in these beauties.” She cupped her breasts again. “Besides, why’s he Mr. Yakushi and I’m just Anko?”

“I can call you Mitarashi,” Naruto offered.

Anko snorted.

He turned towards her and shrugged. “It works for him. Some people value power, others wealth. Mr. Yakushi values social superiority.”

“Plus that stickler-for-rules lets you come up here.”

“That too.”

Naruto looked away again. The number of people he had personally talked to in his life were less than a dozen. Of course, that was discounting the white-coat men, who referred to him as ‘Subject’ and also treated him as such.

A walking, breathing, useful, test subject.

He blinked again, breathing in deeply to prevent the feeling of revulsion from rising all over again. He really needed to gain more control over his thoughts.

His musings were interrupted by a heavy sigh. “I don’t get how you turned out so gloomy. Like, look at me!” Anko smacked her chest lightly. “I served Orochimaru for this long, and I turned out fine.”

Fine is such a subjective word…

Friendly or not, Anko was a busybody. Overwhelmingly so. She was loud, stubborn, and prone to doing things before thinking. The cursed seal on her neck gave her a lot more leeway than others at the facility, and she shamelessly took advantage of it.

“Whatever!” Anko looked miffed, taking his silence as a response of disinterest. Knowing her, she’d probably interpret it in the worst way possible.

She shifted her weight onto her left leg.

She’s troubled. But by what?

“What are you doing here, Anko?”

“You mean apart from flirting with a rock?”

Naruto rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“Well, this is kinda my last day here. So, maybe we could hang out for a bit?”

“Why?”

“Well…” Anko trailed off, looking a tad uncomfortable. “Mostly ‘cause you’re the only guy around here that hasn’t been a complete asshole to me.”

“Seven in the morning is way too early to get mushy.” Naruto looked at her suspiciously. “Are you drunk?”

“Asshole!” She nudged his shoulder angrily.

It hurt a little. She had hit him right where he had received several injections the previous night. There was no point in mentioning that, though. It would do nothing for the pain he felt.

“Where are you off to?”

“The Southern Hideout. Somewhere near Kiri. Bloody place, literally.”

“What’s it like?”

Anko shrugged. “Never been before. But that’s where your sweetheart is from. I think.”

“She’s not my sweetheart, woman.”

“Ooh, denial. I’ve seen that before. There was this kunoichi I seduced in this mission. Maybe have your little girlfriend learn a few tricks from her? There’s this thing she does with her tongue—”

Naruto cleared his throat. Loudly. “As I said,” he stressed the last word out, “she’s not my sweetheart.”

“Sure, sure. Anyway, don’t stay here for too long or that bitch will get you. Honestly, she’s got a tanto-sized stick up her ass—”

Said ‘bitch’ referred to Guren, the warden of the facility and the foremost authority on the island excluding the Master. He had never seen her use her powers before, but from the way everyone— save Mr. Yakushi —gave her a wide berth, it was obvious that her abilities were nothing short of frightening.

As far as Naruto was concerned, they had a working, if not amicable, relationship. It essentially amounted to Naruto not breaking the few rules she had placed on him, and Guren basically ignoring his existence. They’d had a few conversations over the years, but they were more out of formality than anything else.

...Come to think of it, it was probably Guren’s fault that he had ended up calling Orochimaru ‘Master’.

“—has she done and— hey, are you even listening?”

Naruto blinked. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

Anko grit her teeth ferally. It was… cute.

“Sorry,” he apologized. Apologizing was easy. It was a simple solution that avoided any senseless antagonism. “I’ll let Guren know that you think so highly of her.”

“You have a strange sense of humor, Naruto.”

“I learned from the best.”

“Prat!” She smacked his shoulder again. This time, it really hurt. Maybe he should have told her earlier.

“Do you know why you’re leaving?”

Anko slowly dragged a finger down his cheek, towards the tip of his chin. “Ohh? Will little Naruto miss me while I’m gone?”

“You’re more bearable than most people.”

“Harsh!” Anko exclaimed, a hand over her chest as if mortally wounded. “But I’ll take it. I knew you loved me.”

In classic Anko fashion, she then proceeded to try and hug the life out of him. While also vigorously rubbing her breasts against his chest.

Naruto took a deep breath and consciously ignored her. If she identified even the slightest reaction, the woman would take it as encouragement, and then he’d never get her to stop.

Though it did feel kind of nice.

“Do you know why you’re leaving?” he repeated.

“You’re such a spoilsport,” Anko frowned. “Would it kill you to react a little?” Sighing at his empty expression, she continued. “Anyway, Orochimaru said something about some special experiment, so he’s going to send out several people to the Southern Base. Something about very important and secret stuff.”

“You’re a shinobi. Secret and shadows are in the job description.”

Anko let out a long-suffering sigh. “I swear, Kabuto’s been a bad influence on you. Reading those history books has made you addled.”

Naruto arched an eyebrow. “You get to be a shinobi. I get to read about being one.”

“Pfft! You really obsess over weird stuff. Between the two of us, you’ve got it better.”

Does she actually believe that?

“Out there, all we’ve got is killing and killing and more killing,” Anko continued, oblivious to his thoughts. “Even your little sweetheart is happy that you get to stay here.”

She makes it sound like I have a choice.

He didn’t. For all the experimentation that he had undergone, the Master was scarily protective of him. One of the lab-workers had accidentally knocked into him during a procedure once.

Naruto never saw that man again.

“About this experiment, do you think I’ll be able to come...” he trailed off, almost afraid to say his wishes out loud.”

“Who knows? Anything’s possible, and Orochimaru’s giving a lot of importance to the mission. Even Kabuto’s going with me.”

Naruto’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, surprising ain’t it?” Anko asked. “You’d think the worm would prefer to stay with his Lord Orochimaru,” she trailed in a nasally voice, “during this great experiment.”

“You are really good at trash-talking,” he commented.

“I can fart in seven different ways too. What’s your point?”

Naruto sighed. No matter the conversation, Anko would always have the last word. Why was he even surprised?

“Anyway, I’ll be going now.” She hugged him again, this time a lot tighter, before letting go. “ See you… uhm, sometimes, I guess.” Her body flickered for a second as she waved, and then she was gone.

“Sure,” Naruto replied to the empty cliff.

Of all the people he’d known in his short life, Anko was probably the most forward. With the way she wore her heart on her sleeve and how she went traipsed along as a little ball of sunshine, it was hard to not instinctively trust her. And for all the time he’d known her, Anko had never once lied to him. Even her flirting was genuine, and she knew that he knew it.

And yet, underneath her flirtatious and exuberant behavior, he could recognize her for who she really was.

For what she really was.

She might not have known it, but he had once watched her slaughter droves of people without the slightest change in expression. There was a reason why the Master had chosen her as an apprentice and a recipient of his Cursed Seal of Heaven.

That was why despite all the moments they shared, no matter how close she tried to get to him, he had never let himself forget what she was.

A monster.

For fourteen years, the island-laboratory in the middle of the endless sea had been the center of his existence. It had been the place he had learned to walk and speak. It had been the place where he had made his first friends. Under the Master’s supervision and command, this was the place he had begun to associate with the idea of ‘home’.

But with age came wisdom, and home had slowly begun to lose its meaning as he realized what it was.

A gilded cage.

A prison.

Naruto knew he wasn’t a prisoner, because he knew exactly who the prisoners were and what happened to them. The Master’s favored shinobi captured them and brought them to this place. They were then kept underneath this vast laboratory, inside an underground colosseum of sorts. He had never seen it in person, but had heard more than enough to construct vivid images in his mind.

A subterranean fortress made of metal and stone, keeping all kinds of deadly entities— some human, others not so much. All of them had but a single thing in common.

They were not ordinary.

Some of them had special abilities, others an affinity for rare elements. Several were prisoners of war, captured from distant lands, and a select few were given power through the master’s experiments.

And even among this group, there was a section of prisoners that were deemed special.

Those with bloodlines, also known as Kekkei-Genkai in the Old Word.

Members of clans and large families that were either separated or had survived an extinction or war. The Master’s private personnel were dedicated to bringing these people in, imprisoning them, and then forcing them to battle one other. The ones that showed potential were extracted and trained to become a part of the Master’s forces.

That was unless said prisoner proved to be stubborn, in which case the warden would tear the prisoner apart and then the medics used the remains for research.

This applied to all the prisoners, except for Naruto himself.

For as long as he could remember, he had never been mistreated. Not even by the Master himself. He had a tiny, spartan room for himself, with a single rock bed and a pillow for comfort. On average, the medics would call for him twice a week, then attach him to a giant contraption that drained a lot of blood from him. Sometimes, they would also inject different drugs into his body and then keep him under observation.

In the meantime, Mr. Yakushi would come in to talk about a variety of topics and give him books to read. Sometimes it would be about folk tales, at times Elementalism, but mostly History. The older boy was a fountain of knowledge, though he preferred to maintain a certain distance from loud, boisterous people.

It was more than likely that his personal distaste for Anko’s behavior had been a result of Mr. Yakushi’s influence.

But that was the extent of his treatment.

No deathmatches. No training. Nothing about being instructed in the ways of the shinobi.

Because of some stupid seal on his stomach.

One that prevented him from using chakra.

He had requested Mr. Yakushi, once before, to remove the Seal off his person. Whether the man could or not was irrelevant. The correct question was whether he was allowed to.

The answer, predictably, had been no.

It was like living in a gilded cage. And inside of it, Naruto would be a prisoner. For life.

Just like it always was.

That was, unless— and he really hoped so —today, he’d get to leave this base and go to the Southern Hideout. He didn’t really know where it was, or even what it was, but at least it would introduce some variety to his monotonous life.

“Ah, Namikaze. How good to see you this morning.”

Naruto spun around, only to meet the Master’s sharp gaze. Lord Orochimaru, or the Master, as Guren once taught him, was a rare presence on the island. On the off-chance he was present, the man was either talking to the men-in-coats or busy with all sorts of calculations involving some pretty odd-looking symbols. Probably a different language, but the Master seemed to use them to solve complex problems— mathematical equations of sorts.

Naruto didn’t really understand them, per se, but he did feel a strange sense of familiarity towards the symbols, as if he had seen them in some half-forgotten dream.

“Have I caught you at a bad time, Namikaze? You seem unusually reflective.”

Mentally, Naruto let out a sigh. For some reason, the Master had always called him Namikaze. He had looked into various texts from Mr. Yakushi’s library, but had gotten no matches among the ancient warring clans. Then again, he didn’t have a bloodline either, so it was probably not a clan’s name.

As far as he could tell, it was as good a surname as any.

Naruto Namikaze.

Now if only he could get Anko to stop making a hideous nickname out of it.

“I met Anko a while ago.”

“Ah.” The man smiled knowingly.

“And I was wondering….”

“If you’re going to be leaving as well?”

Naruto waited for what seemed like an acceptable interval to denote considerable thoughtfulness, before slowly nodding his head.

“...Yes.”

Orochimaru smiled. There was nothing alarming about it. Just a genial, relaxed smile, albeit one that told Naruto that he was missing something. A hidden joke that he wasn’t yet privy to.

“Yes, you will. After today, you won’t be seeing this lab ever again.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “So I’ll be… joining Anko?”

“She’ll be joining you. In time, I presume. I assume you’re more fond of Kabuto than her.”

“He gives me books to read.”

“Reading edifies the mind,” Orochimaru confirmed. “A rather healthy habit. It’s nice to see you making good choices, Namikaze.”

“So what about the others….” Naruto started, before pausing. It wouldn't do to push his luck with the Master. The warden had warned him about it several times.

“The others?”

“My friend…”

“Ah, Tayuya, my valiant shinobi. I’m told she’s back.”

“She is?” His expression brightened. The last time he had seen her was over three weeks ago. She, along with the rest of the Sound Four, had left on a mission in Iwa. If she was back, she was probably looking for him by now.

“To my knowledge, yes,” Orochimaru replied airily. “But unfortunately, I’m afraid you won’t be seeing her for a while.”

“Oh.”

Naruto felt a sharp pang in his chest. There weren’t many people he could associate with on this island. Anko was an almost welcome respite from the day-to-day testings on his body. Mr. Yakushi was another reprieve, even though he mostly only gave him books to study. It wasn’t much, but at least the influx of knowledge made him feel like he was doing something different.

He’d probably never see the world outside this island, beyond the horizon, but it cost nothing to dream. But if there was one person he could genuinely consider his friend, it would be Tayuya.

And now, he’d be taken away from her. Possibly for a long, long time.

His friend. His only friend in this place.

“Is there something you would like to say?”

Orochimaru’s voice broke him out of his reverie. Realizing that he had an angry expression on his face, Naruto immediately tried to force it into a mask of composure. Anger never solved matters. Logic and rationality were paramount.

Accepting a compromise was always better than death. The story of the war between Iwa and Kumo during the reign of the Second Raikage had taught him that.

And yet...

“I— I was just wondering—”

“Yes?” The Master’s smile widened.

“Can Tayuya come with me? Wherever I’m being sent?”

Orochimaru seemed to consider the matter. “She synergizes well with the rest of her team, so breaking up the Sound Four will be rather detrimental to my forces.”

He paused for a moment.

“In fact, I’m quite sure that pulling her out would upset Kimimaro, and you know how quick he is to anger.”

It took all of Naruto’s willpower not to contradict him. Kimimaro was the leader of the Sound Four, and from what Tayuya had told him, Kimimaro never got angry. From his books, he had learned that anger was a potent weapon in the hands of a shinobi. Make an opponent enraged and he’d start to make mistakes.

Kimimaro was the antithesis of that. The more you tried to stoke his rage, the more placid and focused he became.

“Perhaps if you would…” he began, before clamping his mouth shut. Had he really lost his mind? For all the man’s honeyed words, Naruto held no false suspicions about what sort of a man Orochimaru really was.

“Yes?”

“...Never mind. I’m sorry. Could I spend the day with Tayuya then, if I’m not going to see her for a long time?”

Orochimaru seemed to consider that for a moment. “Alright. Also, Namikaze?”

“...Yes?”

“Come to the top floor tonight. Kabuto tells me you’re quite the history-lover. Perhaps it's time you got to know a little bit about your own past. Who knows when you might get another opportunity like this. Best not waste it, right?”

“Top… floor?” Naruto swallowed. Guren had warned him to never wander into that part. It was out of bounds for everyone, save Mr. Yakushi. Even the esteemed warden wasn’t allowed in. “Of course. Thank you, Master.”

“Now off you go,” the Master waved him off. “Spend the day with your friend. Both of you deserve it.”

Naruto had a strange suspicion that he was still missing something, but he knew better than to press the Master about it.

“I will.”

The Snake Sannin’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “And I’ll say this once, and only once. Take all the time you need.”

The gargantuan fortress on the island was home to many secrets. The castle was infinitely old and infinitely horrible, full of dark passages and high ceilings and cobwebs and shadows. Between the crumbling stones that made up the walls and the rotting smell of corpses from the dungeons below, this was precisely the kind of place where all sorts of gothic nightmares came to life.

And I get to call this shithole home.

Tayuya rushed up the steep stairwell and found herself on the first floor, directly opposite to a large room on the other side.

Our room.

Officially the room was Naruto’s, but ever since she’d met him, she started spending more and more time here instead of at her own room, which was all the way on the other side of the fortress. That was where the rest of the Sound Four lived. And since they transformed their rooms into some training ground, Tayuya didn’t think it could even be called a room anymore.

She scoffed. As far as she was concerned, Naruto’s room was her room.

Thankfully, Lord Orochimaru was cool with it. Even if the rest of the shinobi world had a gigantic stick up their ass about things like male-female relationships and proper behavior and all that shit, he was refreshingly open-minded about it.

And unlike that cocksucker Kabuto, she didn’t have to kiss Orochimaru’s ass twenty-four-seven. As long as she did her job well, the man didn’t give a damn about how she spent her days.

Or nights, for that matter.

Not that she gave two fucks about what anyone else thought.

She pushed the door open and stepped in.

Empty.

Immediately, Tayuya leapt onto the bed. It smelled of him. It always did.

Tanya inhaled the aroma. It made her feel a little better.

She looked around.

If Naruto wasn’t here, he was probably at the cliff, doing his daily thing. Staring at the rising sun every morning was pretty dull if you asked her, but he seemed to find meaning in the ritual. Maybe if she was a little more human, she’d have found some meaning in it too.

She fidgeted.

What the fuck’s wrong—

All by herself, the room felt larger. Emptier. Stranger. The walls around her kept hundreds of souls imprisoned for decades. Given how sensitive she was to such things, it was like walking through a murder scene. While said murder was being committed.

Tayuya shuddered. No matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise, the idea was arousing.

No. Not again. Not now.

She got off the bed, and scurried out into the corridor.

For fuck’s sake, I need to go find him.

Her footsteps hastened in frequency.

This— this aggression, this insanity, this was why she fucking hated being alone. The faggots she called her comrades shared her taste for violence, so she could ignore the whispers in their presence. With Naruto, she could close herself off from the rest of the world.

But when she was alone?

That was when the real horrors began.

Tayuya knew she was a warmonger. Aggression pumped through her veins. The sounds of kunai slicing through flesh made her heart skip a beat. Mindless carnage and delirium enthralled her. It was as if her only purpose was—

Was—

I HAVE SEEN THIS WORLD’S DEMISE—

Tayuya gnashed her teeth.

No. Not again. Not again!

Her legs moved faster and faster.

Naruto…

She was running now, the delirium slowly clawing away at her. She shouldn’t have stepped into the castle so soon after their mission. It was too early. She should have stayed back and trained with her team until her body adapted to the castle’s spiritual stench.

But she hadn’t. She had rushed in to see Naruto. She chose to meet him instead of playing it safe.

And now, she was paying the price.

The bells were ringing in her ears. Those that lay waiting in the darkness would start moving, and they would bring in death and destruction. The bells would not be unrung. The bells would—

Naruto. I need him. NOW.

Her footsteps faltered and wobbled, falling into disarray. Her heart was beginning to beat faster and faster. Her lips quivered as a strange mix of pain and ecstasy began to brim inside her like molten magma.

Naru—

“Oh, hey— WAIT!”

CRASH!

Any sane person would have tried to stand up and backed away after knocking into someone. Instead, Tayuya grabbed the person below and hugged him. Hard. The sounds of the temple bell, the alien booming noise which only seemed to reverberate louder and louder with each passing second— it all softened, slowly retreating back into the inky darkness it came from.

It was maddening.

Tayuya, now hanging onto her companion for dear life, only hugged him harder. He was probably babbling about something, he always did, but it didn’t matter. She had found him. He had found her. And she would be safe now.

They would be safe now.

The last of the bells had ceased ringing, and Tayuya finally managed to push her head up. Several dozen curses reflexively flitted through her mind in rapid succession.

How dare the idiot go loitering into the castle?

Didn’t the ass know how dangerous it could be?

How could he have been so fucking—

Her eyes met his gaze—

And everything melted away.

Just like that, a wave of something rushed through her. Or rather, out of her. Calming her, composing her, lowering her inhibitions...

I should say something.

“Uh… hey.”

Ugh, that was so stupid. Of all the things she could’ve said, why the hell did she say that?

“You’re back!” Naruto grinned.

The infectious expression shattered through all of Tayuya’s carefully constructed barriers, who started to mimic his grin without even realizing it. This— this was her salvation. This was what had kept her sane all these years. This was—

“Why were you running? You could’ve hurt yourself.”

Tayuya looked away. She had never told Naruto about the whole… whatever she was. Even thinking about it was dangerous. Not even in the deepest, darkest depths of her mind would she ever voluntarily call it by its Name. Or else it would descend and then MOR—

Tayuya shut her eyes and clenched her teeth. Her palms felt moist. And stingy.

Breathe.

She inhaled more of his scent. Just being with him made it go away. Let her sleep soundly.

Kept her from becoming a nightmare over the years..

There were a few times when she wanted to come clean and blurt out the truth. Kinda like now. But… no. She wasn’t the type to get all mushy like that.

“Tayuya—”

I should tell him. Tell him about—

“What’s wrong? Why are you—”

Tell him! But… but what if— what if he hates me and— the fuck is—

The rest of her thoughts vanished as she felt herself shaking. Or rather, being bodily shaken by an apprehensive Naruto.

“What the— are you doing?” she asked, as he kept trying to shake her like she was some kind of toy.

“You weren’t responding. I was trying to wake you up.”

“I— I’m awake.”

“Good. Want to get up? My back’s hurting.”

“Huh— oh,” Tayuya’s cheeks pinked slightly as she pushed herself off. She had been sitting on him, her entire form on his midsection. “...Sorry.”

Naruto chuckled. “What’s with you today? Master told me that you arrived, but why were you running?”

“Because— well, because I wanted to meet you, and tell you that I’m back.”

“...Right.”

Tayuya scowled. Where was her naturally abrasive personality when she needed it? She really needed to pull herself together. It felt like every time Naruto talked to her, she turned into a pile of pudding. Meek, shy, weak.

“And you,” Naruto sniffed at her, doing his best impression of a fox. “You’re smelly. Go take a bath.”

Tayuya punched him on the shoulder with a scowl, doing her best not to flinch when he did. She really needed to stop being so reactive.

“My shoulder’s fulfilled its quota of hits for the day,” he dryly stated, rubbing his shoulder. “You done?”

“Damn right I am,” she retorted. “I’ll go meet my f— my teammates first, and—”

“No, you won’t,” Naruto pressed, looping his hand into hers and pulling her towards his room.

Their room.

“You’re gonna take a bath first. Everything else can wait.”

Tayuya allowed herself to get dragged away, easily falling in pace with her friend. It was moments like this that made all her suffering worth it. It had been three years since she had first encountered a terrified Naruto, shaking with horror in the dungeons. She had found him, gotten him back to safety, watched over him as he was plagued by nightmares day in and day out. She had allowed him to hold her for comfort.

In general, Tayuya hated any kind of physical contact that didn’t involve her maiming someone else. But for some reason, it was different with Naruto. It was something she couldn’t explain and didn’t really want to think about, but it just felt right.

Like she found a piece of herself that she had long forgotten.

Looking at him reminded her of when she was just like him. Before the horror that had descended upon her village. A time of innocence, smiles, and brightness. Maybe that’s what she saw in him.

A fragmented memory of what she could have been.

An innocent Tayuya.

She hated the thought, but a stupid, trusting, naive part of her couldn’t bear to let go of it. Perhaps through preserving Naruto’s innocence, her own demons would fade away with time.

It was a dream.

A stupid, selfless, hopelessly impossible dream. A lie in the truest sense of the word.

And yet, it was beautiful.

Tayuya latched onto it with everything she had.

For in that lie, she too could be saved.