Nue's POV

I ran as fast as I could, away from Tazuna's house. I was panting hard. "Nue, sssslow down," Kiyoshi said. I tripped over my feet and fell on my hands and knees. I began to pant until I got back up and started running again.

"You're going to overdo it, child." Kiyoshi hissed. I ignored him and kept running. I fell again, but this time, over something. I look back to see that Kiyoshi had tripped me with his tail. "What are you running ssso fassst for?" Kiyoshi asked.

I sat on my knees as I placed my hands in the dirt and stared at the ground. "Nue, talk to me. What happened back at Tazuna'ssss ?" Kiyoshi asked. I pressed my hands to my face so he wouldn't see my tears.

"Sakura said some hurtful things back at the house." I said, quietly. Kiyoshi slithered in front of me. "What did she ssssay?" He asked. "She said Maria left me on purpose because she thinks I'm freak. She says I'm creepy." I said as I wiped my eyes.

"Don't listen to her, Nue. SSSShe's probably jealoussss of you." Kiyoshi said. "Why would she be jealous of me? I don't think I did anything wrong." I said.

"Well, you almossssst broke her arm."

"Yeah, I did do that."

"And you punched her in the jaw."

"Yeah, I know."

"And you alsssso threatened to kill her if sssshe insulted Maria again."

"Okay, okay. I see your point, Kiyoshi. No need to make me feel any worse."

Kiyoshi sighed. "But Sakura is right on one thing," I said. "And what'ssss that, Nue?" Kiyoshi said. "I am a freak. A monster." I said. "I don't think you're a freak at all. You know what I ssssee when I look at you, Nue." Kiyoshi hissed.

"What?" I asked, staring down at him. "I ssssee a beautiful, sweet, rather clumsy, strong, talented young girl who'sssss jussssst missssundersssstood." He said. I smiled and petted his head. "Thanks, Kiyoshi. You're a good friend." I said.

He smiled at me and slithered up my arm. "Don't let other people get you down, Nue. You're a sssstrong ninja who isss full of potential." He hissed. "How is it that you're able to make me smile in just five minutes?" I asked, amused.

"Becausssse I'm jussst that amazing." He said, cockily. I let out a small giggle. "Yes, you are, Kiyoshi. You're the best." I said. It's good to have a friend by your side. I don't even think the team is worried about my departure.

To be honest, I think they're glad I'm gone. I don't even think they know I'm missing. I sighed and lied down on my back as Kiyoshi slithered on top of my stomach. "Don't worry, Nue. I know thingssss will get better for you. I'm ssssure of it." Kiyoshi hissed.

I smiled as I stared at the sky. "I hope so." I said before falling asleep, taking a short nap.

Naruto's POV

Nue-chan has been in her room all night. She hasn't come down at all. I'm worried about her. I went to her room and decided to go check on her. "Nue-chan?" I knocked on her door. No answer. "Nue-chan, are you okay? You've been in there all night." I called.

She didn't reply. I knocked on her door again and this time, the door creaked open a bit. "Nue-chan?" I said as I opened the door a bit wider. I looked around and saw the window wide open. On the desk, there was a note. I picked it up and began to read:

Dear Naruto or Kakashi-sensei,

I'm sorry to leave without telling you. I just don't think I'm cut out to be your teammate. Don't bother looking for me. I'll be fine, I promise. Please complete the mission without me and tell Lord Hokage that I'm sorry.

Your friend/student,

Nue

Nue-chan ran away? Why? I ran down the stairs and found sensei. "Kakashi-sensei! Nue-chan's gone!" I shouted, quickly. Everyone looked at me with confused expressions. "Mind saying that a little slower this time, Naruto?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"I said, Nue-chan ran away last night." I said as I showed him the note. He took the note and began to read it to himself. When he was finished, he looked at me. "Where did you find this?" He asked. Sakura-chan took the note from Kakashi-sensei and began to read it.

"I found it in her room. I think she left when we were all sleeping. What if something happened to her? What if she's out there, already dead?!" I said.

I don't care if I was panicking. I'm worried about Nue-chan! "We'll scout out and search around the woods for Nue. She couldn't have gotten far." Kakashi-sensei said.

"Why should we even bother looking for her? You read her note. She doesn't want us looking for her. Meaning, she knows she's a nuisance to the team. We should just leave her be." Sakura-chan sneered.

I frowned at her. "She's a comrade, Sakura, and we don't leave comrades behind. Naruto's right. For all we know, she might be hurt and could need our help." Kakashi said. Nue-chan's my best friend. I don't want to lose her.

She's nice, she's funny, and she's always making me smile. "Don't worry, Nue-chan. We'll find you. Believe it!" I said to myself.

Nue's POV

I think I slept for about an hour. I opened my eyes and sat up. "Kiyoshi?" I called, softly, realizing he wasn't with me. "Over here, kid." He said from behind me. "What are you doing back there?" I asked, not turning around. "Take thissss off," He said.

I gasped when I felt him grab ahold of my cloak with his jaws. "Kiyoshi, what are you doing?!" I panicked. Kiyoshi yanked off my cloak, revealing my wings and tails. "I want to ssssee the real you." Kiyoshi hissed. "The real... me?" I repeated.

"Yesss. The you that hassss thessse on her back. You look really beautiful when you're not wearing the cloak." He said, smiling. I lowered my head so I was looking at the ground. "I miss Maria." I said, sadly.

"I misssss her, too, kid," Kiyoshi said. I rubbed my eyes, trying to rub the sleep off of them. "Hey, ssssince you're not going back to the housssse, what are you gonna do? Are you going to go back to the guy you mentioned to me earlier?" He asked.

"You mean Zabuza? I don't know." I answered. I was actually thinking I should go back to him because I wanted to know what he was going to say before Gato interrupted him. He said, "You're..." then, got cut off.

I wanted to know what he was going to say. I fell face first into the ground. I didn't care that my face now had dirt on it. I was just very lazy right now... and sad. "Nue, is that you?" I rose my head off the ground.

"Who's there?" I called out. A figure stepped out from behind the trees. I gasped, recognizing the figure. "O... Orochimaru-san..." I whispered in disbelief. "Hello, my dear." Orochimaru said with a smile. My hands clenched in the dirt as I fought back tears.

I ran over to him and hugged him tightly. Yes, you could say I was very happy to see him. Hell, I am happy to see him! "Nue, don't cry." Orochimaru said, softly. I hugged him tighter as the tears freely rolled down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for crying. I'm just so happy to see you." I said. I felt him gently pet my head. "Are you out here by yourself?" He asked me. I didn't answer as I kept my face buried in his chest. "Where's your mother?" Orochimaru questioned.

"Okaa-san is back at the castle. I... I did something terrible, so I had to leave my home." I explained. "What could you have done that was so terrible? You're too innocent to do something like that." Orochimaru said.

I shook my head. "No... I almost killed someone." I said. Orochimaru made me let go of him as he stared down at me. "Killed someone?" He repeated. I nodded my head. "But I didn't mean to! I just... I just snapped. It was accident." I tried to reason.

"Nue, it's okay. We're all bound to snap at some point." Orochimaru explained. "Have you ever snapped, Orochimaru-san?" I asked. "Many times." He said with a smile. I gasped, realizing I wasn't wearing my cloak. Shit, shit, shit!

I quickly turned around to get my cloak since Kiysohi yanked it off me earlier. "What's wrong?" He asked confused. "You can't look at me! Or you will... you will..." I trailed off as I shyly avoided his gaze. "You think I'm afraid of you, don't you?" Orochimaru stated.

I didn't answer as I blush out of embarrassment. "Nue, why should I have to fear you? You haven't done anything wrong. Is there something you're afraid of?" He asked. I looked at him, sadly, my eyes half open.

"I'm afraid... that everyone I meet will run away from me... because of these things," I said referring to my wings and tails. "Nobody wants to be near someone who looks like a freak; someone who is different from the rest. I'm afraid that everyone will leave me." I said as tears began to form in my eyes.

I quickly wiped my eyes before the tears could fall. "Nue, look at me." Orochimaru said. I looked up at him as he rested his hand on my cheek. "Orochimaru-san?" I asked. "I won't leave you. I promise. Even if I'm not with you in general, I'll still be here." He said.

I leaned into his hand as my eyes softened, a blush gently forming on my face. "Promise?" I asked. "I promise." Orochimaru said. He brought me to his chest, hugging me. I closed my eyes and hugged him back. "My precious, little Nue," He whispered.

I'm glad I got to see him again.

Orochimaru's POV

This is getting very interesting. This girl has the same face as the real Nue I met back then. However, this one has changed completely. But how? I smirked.

No matter. At least I have a fresh start. I'm only one step closer to gaining this girl's trust. I already knew Luna sent Nue away to live in the Leaf Village because I was the one who sent Genshi to retrieve her.

It never occurred to me that he'd chicken out. But what really concerned me was what Nue mentioned about trying to kill someone earlier. But who? Was she talking about Genshi? Is that why he abandoned the mission? Because of her power?

Even if this is a different part of Nue, she still has her killing instinct. Sounds to me that she wasn't hesitant when she was trying to kill Genshi.

I sensed Nue's chakra and smirked. No doubt about it. This is the same Nue Houjuu from many years ago. I can tell she's getting stronger. She's already activated her Kekkei Genkai twice. Soon... she will be mine!

I noticed one of her blue tails twitched. "Oh no," Nue whispered. "Nue-chan!" I heard an obnoxious voice. "Naruto," I heard Nue mutter. "A friend of yours?" I assumed. "Yes. They must be looking for me." She said.

"Looking for you?" I asked.

"I ran away and told them not to come looking for me. I just... had to get away for a bit, you know?"

"I understand." I said to her. I can't be seen with her. I have to leave before I'm caught. "Nue, I'm afraid I must leave now." I informed her. "Why?" Nue asked me. "No one must see me." I explained.

"Are you in some kind of trouble with the village?" Nue asked. I chuckled. "No, nothing like that. It's just complicated," I said to her. "Oh, okay." She smiled. "Nue, promise me you won't tell anyone about our little arrangement." I said.

"Um..." Nue looked down, thinking about the decision. "You trust me, don't you, Nue?" I asked her. "Of course, I trust you! You're my friend!" Nue said, thinking she was offending me. I petted her head.

"Then, you'll promise me that you won't tell anyone. Can I trust you to do that?" I asked her with a smile. Nue nodded her head.

"Yes, you can trust me. Don't worry, Orochimaru-san. Your secret is safe with me." She said, saluting me. I smiled at her, then looked at Kiyoshi as he was resting on top of her head. "Kiyoshi, I trust you will continue to watch over Nue?" I asked him.

"Yessss, sssir. My mission is abssssolute." He hissed. "Good," I looked back at Nue. "Be safe, Nue." I said with a smirk. I petted her head before running off.

Nue's POV

I stared at the spot where Orochimaru-san stood before looking up at Kiyoshi. ""Hey, Kiyoshi. How did Orochimaru-san know I was here?" I told him as I put my cloak back on. "Maybe he wasss taking walk and he ssssensed your chakra nearby." He hissed.

"Maybe." I said. I made sure my cloak covered my wings and tails as I wiped my face, making sure there weren't any tears stains. "Nue-chan!" I heard Naruto call. I turned around and was engulfed in a bear hug by him.

"We were so worried about you!" He said, loudly. "You don't have to shout, Naruto." I told him, rubbing my ear. "Don't kill her hearing, you dobe." I heard a certain duck say. "Nue, what were thinking, running off like that?" Kakashi-sensei said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." I apologized. I didn't want to tell them the reason I ran away. I didn't want to be a snitch. "It's good to see that you're alright." Kakashi-sensei said. "Aren't you going to tell them the truth?" Kiyoshi asked.

"No. It's not worth it." I whispered to him. "Really? Why not?" He asked. "Because nobody likes a snitch, Kiyoshi." I stated. "Okay, okay. I ssssee your point." He said, giving up on the argument.

"Let's head back. Sakura, protect the bridge builder when he goes into town today." Kakashi-sensei said. "Hai, Sensei." She said. "Now that the situation is cleared up, let's head back to Tazuna's." Kakashi-sensei said. "Hai!" Naruto and I said in sync.

I began to walk back with Naruto until Sasuke grabbed my shoulder from behind. "What?" I demanded. "I wanna talk to you." Sasuke said. "We'll talk when we get back to the house." I said. "No. I need to talk to you now. Alone." He said, sternly.

I didn't like the sound of that one bit. What does he want to talk to me about? Actually, what is there to talk about? Does he want a rematch? "Hey, Naruto. You guys go on ahead. I have to stay here for a bit." I said. "Okay, Nue-chan." He said, smiling.

He walked with the others, leaving me alone with Sasuke. When they were gone, I frowned and turned my attention towards the Uchiha. "I don't know about thisss, Nue. What if he makesssss a move on you?" Kiyoshi asked as he slithered around my waist.

"A move?" I repeated. "You know. A move?" He repeated. "I don't get what you're talking about." I said. "Orochimaru issss right. You are too innocccent." Kiyoshi hissed with a sigh. I wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or as an insult.

I looked at Sasuke as he stared at me. 'Oh, jeez. This can't be good' I thought, bitterly. I really hated this guy. Why, you ask me? Because he gets on my nerves. But a part of me was a little scared of what he might do. 

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Wassup, Everyone. Chapter 18 complete. What does the Uchiha have to say? Find out in the next chapter. I apologize if the story gets a little complicated throughout this book. Please forgive me and bear with me. Vote and Comment. Until next time. Sayonara!!

Kureiji out~