Pardon me for any typos and grammar mistakes.

~

Airi had been wandering aimlessly for what seemed like forever. In an endless white void that felt vaguely familiar. It was a much needed change from her usual nightmares. Blood, destruction. The Fourth Great Ninja War. Minato and Kushina dying. The Uchiha Massacre. All of it.

A flash of pain ran through her chest, she clenched the fabric of her white Yukata. Her heart rate hastened and her breathing became shallow. She had so much to do, the fate of everyone was on her shoulders. She realized what this was. A panic attack. "Shit... how am I..." she couldn't finish her sentence as she attempted to draw in air.

"Airi... Airi... Airi!" A voice cut through her thoughts, snapping her from her panicked state. Peering up, she saw the little dog from before. Yato the dimension god. "It's okay. You're okay. You're not alone, Airi. Remember, you can always call on me for help."

The girl heaved in some deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. After a few minutes she was breathing normally. "Where am I?" She asked.

"This is where your soul went after you died. You don't remember but this is where you agreed to save the Naruto World, as you called it."

"I did?"

"Yes, I didn't just awaken your memories without consulting you first. I know the kind of pressure that it can put on someone. But you were all too willing to meet Minato."

A blush rose to her cheeks, realizing she agreed to this so she could meet her tv crush. The things she gets herself into for handsome men. Well, at least she got to meet him.

"Is there anything you need help with? Have your current body's memories come back at all?" Asked the dimension god.

"Um, no. Not really. I still don't remember anything. How am I supposed to do this ninja thing?"

"Well, your muscle memory should help you out. All you need to do is relearn everything and then the rest will come naturally."

"I see. Well, do you know anything about Airi's parents? What do they know about Airi?"

"Your parents are kind people. They had you when they were young but they have loved you nonetheless. They have been very supportive of you becoming a ninja and they dote on you quite often. You like to cook for them. Their favorite dish is katsudon. Your favorite is gyudon."

Well, that would be very helpful going forward. She didn't want them to feel like their daughter was a stranger to them. It wouldn't be fair to them.

"Thank you, Yato. I've felt so..."

"Alone? I know. I wish I could help you more but if you ever feel that way again or need guidance don't hesitate to call."

"Okay. Thank- oh he's gone."

~

Airi's eyes fluttered open, immediately being met with the soft glow of the sunrise shining through the window. The window... Didn't I fall asleep on the bench? Her hands brushed the smooth surface of bedsheets and her breath hitched in her throat. Where was she?

Her head whipped to the side, where she was met with Minato Namikaze, fast asleep in bed next to her. Asleep... in bed...next to her. A blush rose to her cheeks as she let out a shriek of surprise, rolling off the edge of the bed. Forehead colliding with the edge of the nightstand, she fell flat on her back.

"What the... Airi?" Minato's head peeked over the edge of the bed. Confusion danced in his pretty blue eyes as he saw the blood oozing from her head wound. "Are you okay?"

"Am I... Am I okay?! What were you doing in bed next to me?! We barely know each other!" She shouted at him, unsure of what to think of the situation. "Are you secretly a pervert?!"

Minato's face became beet red at the accusation. While he did have a perverted sensei, he himself was not a pervert in the slightest. He didn't let the accusation get to him since she was probably just startled and confused by the situation.

"N-no Airi, I was just-"

"I'm leaving!" She proclaimed, standing up to leave when she tripped over her own foot and fell face first on the floor. "Maybe not." Whimpered the girl. Obviously he wasn't a pervert, she knew that. She just didn't want him to see her cry again. A memory popped into her head and that's all she remembered, crying in front of him because he left her.

This time she'd be crying because he didn't know her yet he cared enough to help her. Maybe he'd just think they were because she hit her head...

"I didn't want to wake your parents up at two in the morning, so I brought you back here. You asked me to stay with you, don't you remember?" Asked the blonde, he had pulled himself to the floor, kneeling before her. His voice was soft and calm, making her wonder how he could even be real. He was so perfect.

"N-no. Maybe... I don't know." She grumbled, refusing to get up just yet. The moment was embarrassing enough as it was, she didn't want him to see the wound on her head.

"It's ok if you don't. I'm sorry if I scared you, I just didn't want to leave you alone since you were upset. It was late I shouldn't have stayed in the bed-"

"No! Don't say sorry! You were doing something nice for me. I'm sorry for accusing you. I was just startled is all!" Airi cut him off, finally sitting up. She felt the blood start to trickle down the side of her face. Oops.

This morning couldn't get any worse.

"Are you okay?" Asked the boy before her, his eyes sympathetic.

"Yeah, I think so." She sighed, touching her fingers to the wound. When she pulled away where the was blood and she groaned.

"Let me get you patched up." Minato got up and went into his bathroom. A minute later he reemerged with a first aid kit in his hands. He knelt back down before her, close enough so that he was only inches away.

"I'm sorry for making such a commotion. You must be really tired."

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to not getting much sleep."

She immediately felt bad. He was probably always out on missions so it was probably rare for him to get a good night of sleep. If only she hadn't been so easily startled.

The girl bit her lip as be put the sterilization solution on her wound. "Did that hurt?"

"No." She groaned slightly and he smiled.

"I'm sorry. It should be over soon, though."

Airi saw his smile and her heart pumped faster. He was so nice, and gentle, and caring and handsome.... The list could go on forever. Maybe... maybe if she stole him away from Kushina it wouldn't be so bad. Her heart sank. But then Naruto wouldn't be born.

Minato noticed the small frown on her lips, but he didn't say anything. She seemed like she was thinking about something. This morning was chaotic, yes, but he couldn't help but be a little amused. Airi was definitely something else. He wondered why it took so long for him to find her. He had met her before but he's just now seeing her. But why now?

A knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts. "I'll be right back." He said apologetically, placing her hand over the gauze on her wound to hold it there until he came back.

"I'll be here," she supplied, sighing as he exited the room.

"God, I'm such an idiot." Murmured the girl. She'd be lucky if he didn't ditch her after all of this. If he did, it would make her job in this world that much harder.

"Minato, why haven't you been coming to see me?" A feminine voice carried up the stairs, a voice that sounded very much like Kushina. The mother of the protagonist! Airi just wanted one glimpse. The girl crept over to the doorway, peeking out slightly to see if she could see from where she was.

She saw shoes and she waited for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Kushina. I've just been busy." Minato's voice was soft but it was laced with guilt.

"Minato..." Kushina stepped forward and she finally saw the woman's face. She was so beautiful, her hair was so vibrant and her eyes were a deep violet color. Airi hid before the woman could see her, but she listened at the doorway.

"Do you think I don't know when you're lying?" Asked the woman, making Airi's mouth hang open. Were they already together at this point? Was she the other woman?

"Kushina, we're not even together why is it your business?" Minato was frustrated, to say the least. He liked Kushina. He truly did. But Airi... it felt like Kushina wasn't where he belonged. And he felt guilty for not wanting to give Kushina more of a chance, and for suddenly stopping their relationship before it had the chance to go further. But he didn't want to string her along.

"Why are you saying these things?"

Airi could tell that it pained Minato to say all this. And she didn't understand why he would say all this. Didn't he love Kushina? If not love, she could tell that Kushina meant something to him. It made her wonder if she could even succeed in making him fall for her. Especially if Kushina was in the picture.

She crept away from the door, tuning out their voices. It wasn't okay to spy on him, she would have to let everything play out on its own.

Airi preoccupied herself by pacing around his room, making sure her footsteps were light so that Kushina wouldn't hear. His room was pretty plain. There was never much backstory for Minato in the series. Did he have family? Was he an orphan? Did he have a clan? There was a lot of unknowns in this part of history in this world for her. She would have to do some investigating.

There was the slam of the door and Airi rushed over to her original spot where they had been, trying to make it seem as if she wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation. Minato entered the room and she turned, noticing the somber look on his features. When he saw her peering over at him, he quickly masked his hurt and gave her a small smile.

"Sorry for that, let's get you fixed up."

"No it's okay. I can take care of it on my own. I seem to have overstepped." She stood up and she bowed in thanks to him.

"You've done a lot for me. And I can't thank you enough for that but maybe it's time for you to focus on something-or rather, someone else for now."

"Hold on-"

"No, it's ok. I'll see you around."

"Airi-"