You ignited the sparks in my heart

Chapter 1- My will alone could defeat that of the sand

It's been a few days since my encounter with Sasuke. I find my mind wandering towards him or at least my memories of him. I see him in a new light than before. Is it possible that I want to be his friend?! It's not that strange since we both have lived our childhoods in loneliness. I think I only want to be his friend because he kind of reminds me of myself. I'll think more into it later.

I don't understand. My body has been doing odd things, lately. Sometimes I do things that I don't want to. I move but not on my own will. Why can't I control myself?

I was walking without paying attention, and I bumped into someone by mistake.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to."

"It's all right. Just watch where you're going next time." A girl with 4 buns and sandy blonde hair said. She was really pretty and older. She looked to be around 15 years old.

"Hi, my name is Naruto. Are you new to the village? I've never seen you before."

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm here with my brothers because the chunin exams are coming up. We still have a few days to prep, but I'm just exploring for now." I heard her stomach growl and I offered to buy her lunch.

At Ichiraku Ramen

"Thank you for the food. I'll pay you back, I promise."

"Don't worry! I don't mind paying for lunch. It's nice just to have a meal with someone else."

"Well, thank you again."

"No problem."

"So Naruto, what's a boy like you doing here? Shouldn't you be prepping for the chunin exam like everyone else?"

"Actually, I'm not a shinobi. I'm just a regular citizen."

"Really? You're young, you have a nice build, and you look smart."

"You're being too kind. I'm not that smart, I don't really work out, and I didn't really feel like I fit in with other ninjas."

"Hmmm, that's a shame. I think you would've made a good ninja."

"Thanks. But less about me! I still haven't caught your name."

"Right, where are my manners? My name is Temari and I come from the Sand village."

"That's a nice name. Unlike mine, Naruto, it has a beautiful meaning."

"I like your name. I find it humorous. You're parents must really love kamaboko."

"Yeah, they must've."

"What's wrong? Did I say something to upset you?"

"No! Of course not, it's just I've never met my parents."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. If you don't mind, what happened to them?"

"They died the day I was born due to an attack on the village."

"How terrible, I'm so sorry for your loss."

"It's not your fault. Anyway, I thought we were talking about you?"

"Right. Well, I have two younger brothers. They're both annoying, typical. Uhm, I lost my mom when my youngest brother, Gaara, was born."

"So I guess you understand. I'm sorry that you had to lose her."

"It's okay. It was a long time ago and I was too young to have any memories of her."

Suddenly, the mood was gloomy again. An idea popped in my head as I got up from my seat.

"Hey, have you been to the best place here in Konoha?"

"I'm not sure. Where is it?"

"Just follow me, I'll lead the way."