The Dragon Queen // (Under Revision)

Kaocheoeum

The side entry door squeaked open, dragging Tsuyoi out of her thoughts. She looked up. Naruto and the others were filing out of the door, fully dressed in straw caps and hats and with packs on their backs.

"Tsuyoi? Is Chizu out here?" Fukuo sang, radiating excitement. "I brought the mirror!"

Tsuyoi stood to meet them. "She went back inside. Can I see the mirror?" She said, smiling weakly.

Fukuo halted in front of her. "Why are you so polite all of a sudden?" She asked suspiciously, raising a brow. "Tomoe, I do believe our yeo eonni has mellowed out! Finally! Do you think it was from meeting this shinobi boy?" She said obnoxiously.

Tsuyoi met Naruto's eyes over Fukuo's shoulder. They both flushed.

"What is this thing for?" Sakura asked, standing near the palanquin. "It's so pretty."

Tsuyoi, Tomoe, and Fukuo all exchanged glances. "You should tell, Tsuyoi," Tomoe said gently.

Tsuyoi sighed. "It's for me."

Sai took a step closer towards the palanquin, eyes squinting. He was beginning to put the pieces together.

"I get to ride in it when we get to Muranomachi...but I have to carry it there first."

"How far is Muranomachi from here, Tsu-chan?" Sakura asked.

"About three hours," Tsuyoi muttered, casting her eyes to the dirt.

"You have to carry that huge thing all by yourself?" Sakura gasped.

"No, she isn't," Naruto inserted, stepping next to her to get in Tsuyoi's face. "I'm not going to let you."

Tsuyoi's head snapped up to glare at him. "What?"

He crossed his arms. "I'm not letting you carry that. You look all nice and I don't want you to mess it up."

"Who are you again? When did you start deciding what I do?" She crossed her arms and glared harder.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! And I know you don't want to, so why argue?" Naruto quipped, leaned closer.

"Because it's a Queen tradition! We already broke half of them when you came here and I started talking to all of you! And when we went to the roof eariler, you..." Tsuyoi paused, suddenly aware of her patrons' and Sai and Kura-chan's curious stares. Her face got warm with the memory of his lips against her forehead. It felt like it had happened ages ago, instead of just this afternoon. She looked back at Naruto; he had a smug look in his eye.

He's just toying with me! She fumed.

Hey, you don't have to get so angry, Kashii butted in.

What are you doing, you idiot? That's not how you get girls! Do I have to spell everything out? Kurama joined in, fussing.

What do you know about girls, doggy boy? Kashii picked at him.

The two of them started bickering, while Tsuyoi's face grew warmer and warmer. "Can I just see the damn mirror?!" She exploded. "I don't get what's so damn serious about dressing up!" She turned to Fukuo who held out a small dual mirror. Tsuyoi snatched it, flicking it open so hard the bottom mirror cracked in the corner.

She froze. She gasped. She looked closer. Her hair was pulled away from her face and twisted in a thick braid that trailed around her shoulder. It was so wavy. And her face looked so clear. She blinked. Her eyes were such a pretty color...why had she never noticed it before? They look just like Mom's...

She felt a rush of nostalgia and happiness. She relished it for a moment, then swallowed it. She cleared her throat. She closed the mirror and looked at Naruto. "How are you gonna carry this thing?"

Naruto grinned wide. "I thought you'd never ask!" He held his middle and index fingers together on both hands and crossed them. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Four clouds of smoke came up from the ground around him - and four identical copies of Naruto appeared. Tsuyoi's heart came up out of her throat.

Tomoe and Fukuo squealed and clung to one another.

"Why are there five of you? I can barely handle one! Demon! Witchcraft!" Tsuyoi yelped, walking backward until she bumped against the palanquin. Naruto followed her, leaning his face closer until their noses were a breath away from each other.

"You're pretty," he said, looking her dead in the eye. "Stop comparing yourself to Sakura."

Tsuyoi shifted her gaze away from his, embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Um, it's time to go!" Tomoe said, clapping her hands. Naruto blinked and straightened, backing away. He looked sheepishly. "Your...clones...they will carry the palanquin?"

"Yes, sir!" One of them said, saluting

"Yes ma'am," another said, nudging the first.

"You're both stupid!" A third exclaimed.

The fourth one came and knocked the second and third clone's heads together. "Cut it out and let's carry this thing, okay?"

The doppelgangers obeyed, shuffling. They hefted the poles on their shoulders and began to walk towards the gate entrance.

"That's...that's creepy." Tsuyoi shivered. "That's...wrong."

"I've been waiting to show you since I got here!" Naruto said, oblivious. "Cool, huh?" He beamed like a little kid showing off his favorite toy.

Tsuyoi laughed, shaking her uneasiness off. "The irony. Let's go, everyone."

Tsuyoi and Fukuo met each other's eyes. The look in them confirmed it. Chizu was staying here.

Tsuyoi looked up at the window where she knew Chizu's room was. There was no light in it.

She bowed her head once and turned, walking through the outside gate. She did not look back. She was beginning the journey towards a new chapter in her destiny. In her language, this was called kaocheoeum. It felt scary.

But it felt pretty damn good, too.