***Wow it has been years since I started this. Honestly I never thought I would continue this as life has gotten in my way. I'm all better now though and happily married. Today I came across what I had started of this chapter years ago and decided to try again. My writing style might be a little different as I have really not written since the first chapter and the beginning of this one. I do have a 2 year old now so I don't know how often I will be able to update but I do want to continue this story. Thank you for all of the criticism good and bad and I hope y'all enjoy the continuation.***

It had been several weeks since Konan had been ordered to stay with Naruto at all times and she was adapting slowly to her new living conditions. Luckily he had been given a two bedroom home, at first she had thought that since he was single he would only have a one bedroom. The bedroom that he had given her, and the bathroom, were the only real forms of privacy she would have in this new place and she had begun to resent having him around her nearly twenty four seven. Konan knew better than to voice her opinion on the matter though, half a year was a long time indeed but the fruits of her labor would pay off when that time was over. Over the short course of time she couldn't help but get to know Naruto more and more for how annoying he was but also how loyal he was to his companions, he was beginning to remind her more and more of Yahiko each day… which in a small way made her somewhat nervous when she was in his company.

Konan was laid back on the couch in the living room, using her origami jutsu to keep her mind occupied. Forming several different shapes, butterflies, birds, lizards, shuriken, etc… finding comfort in the small things that kept her from losing her mind. It wasn't long before Naruto would walk out from the bathroom, having just taken a shower. The young male would lean on the wall of the hallway and watch her silently for a moment, finding her paper creations amusing. Then it hit him that she was probably creating things to help keep her mind off of everything that had happened to her. Thinking for a moment on what he could do to help her get over everything faster, a light bulb would light up in his head.

"Hey Konan." He began to say as he pushed off of the wall and made his way over to her. "I thought we could go out and do something together. It must be really boring having to sit around here all day. Let's go out and eat some barbecue and have a few drinks with some of my friends. I think you will like most everyone I associate with."

Konan continued playing around with her origami as she looked over to him, not sure if that was such a good idea. "Are you sure that your friends would be alright with you bringing me out with you to get to know them? After all… I did play a part in destroying this village." The kunoichi spoke calmly.

"Of course they won't mind Konan. I have been talking to them about you lately and they actually want to meet you." Naruto replied with a large grin as he rubbed the back of his head. "I will go out and get as many people as I can to come out with us and we'll just take it easy and have some fun."

"Fine then, I'll go with you. Perhaps I do need to make more friends here so less people will look at me as a villain and more of the comrade I am aspiring to be." Looking back to her origami she would nod. "I will wait here for you to return, it would be awkward if I were to join you going door to door."

Naruto smiled happily at her before speaking. "Great! I'll be back shortly, and then we can leave to meet everyone." Walking out of the front door he hurried along the streets desperate to get as many people as he could to come and get to know his new friend over dinner and drinks.

Watching him as he left, Konan would wait a moment before she stood up and decided that she should make herself presentable. Walking to her room she grabbed a cute outfit that she had bought a week before. Blue jean shorts that reached down mid thigh on her, a magenta colored tank top, and a pair of black sandals. Moving to the mirror in her room she would brush her hair and put on makeup the way she would normally wear it, though she paid extra attention to her eyes, a tad bit extra liner and mascara. Stepping back and taking a look at herself in the mirror she would approve of her outfit and begin to walk back into the living room.

Not much longer after Konan had sat back on the couch, Naruto walked back in and smiled. "I got a lot of people to come out with us." He exclaimed in an excited manner. Konan looked over to him, she'd hoped that he wouldn't find too many people that were able to meet them at the restaurant due to the fact that she wanted the gathering to be a bit smaller so she could get on a more personal level with fewer people there. In her mind, the bigger the gathering was, the less time she would be able to get to know everyone better.

"That didn't take you very long…" She said with a small sigh as she looked up to him from her seat.

"Of course it didn't! I AM able to make multiple clones of myself Konan. I get chores done quickly that way." He said as he rubbed the back of his head and grinned to her, while taking notice of her new look. "Ummm…. you look, well…."

Konan frowned slightly as he began to make a comment on the way she looked at the time, which made Naruto even more nervous as his tongue began tripping more and more over his words until finally he was able to get his sentence out as he looked away from her.

"You look pretty Konan." He said as he turned to walk to the door.

Konan rolled her eyes when he had turned his back to her, then stood up and followed him outside as he opened the door for her. Figuring she was better off saying nothing to him for the time being, she stayed quiet as they walked to the restaurant.

As they walked through the village towards the restaurant she noticed that the looks she had gotten from people when she had first walked to his house with him were beginning to change. Many of the villagers greeted them, well mainly Naruto but they weren't giving her the evil eye anymore. This gave her a small amount of comfort, something she was grateful for. For the past six months she rarely left his house, by her own choice, and she had not been too keen on going to meet his friends. Today however, she was excited in a small way. She knew she needed the social interaction with other people and today she would come out of her shell a little and do just that.

As they came to the restaurant and walked inside, Naruto would lead her to a large table with a grill in the middle of it where three men were sitting and having a couple of drinks. One of the men was rather large with a good sized gut and long brown hair, a guy with short brown hair accompanied by a ninja hound, and the other with darker hair tied up in a ponytail leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. When the larger man saw Naruto he stood up abruptly and quickly walked over to greet the two of them.

"Hey Naruto! I figured you'd be here early. It was all I could do to get Shikamaru up from just laying around to come out here." The large male said as he laughed a bit and pointed to Shikamaru while using his other hand to pat Naruto on the back.

Shikamaru didn't even bother moving his head as he looked to the two out of the corner of his eye. "Being interrupted while you're relaxing is such a drag… but we were interested to meet this new woman." His eyes shifted to her as he unclasped his hands from behind his head, placing one hand on the table and the other on his leg as he turned to look at her. "I mainly wanted to come to see what she is all about. She WAS a member of the organization that took out Asuma sensei after all. What makes any of you think she can be trusted."

Konan was at a loss of words for a moment but when she'd collected her thoughts and opened her mouth to speak Naruto stepped ahead of her and came to her defense.

"Yes she was part of the Akatsuki, yes she did play a part in the destruction but her and Yahiko brought everyone back and redeemed themselves. She fought head on with Madara, who had been controlling the Akatsuki from the sidelines, and nearly killed him and the price was almost her life. She came here directly afterwards giving us all of the intel that she has on Madara and his plans. We have a common enemy and she will be fighting alongside us and she's very strong. Also the entire time that she has been here with me she has not shown any signs of malicious intent. If she were going to turn on us she would have done it by now." He nearly snapped at Shikamaru.

Konan was surprised, she had no idea Naruto would defend her like that, especially against one of his friends. Shikamaru seemed a little stunned as well but it was hard to tell with him as he rolled his eyes and sat back down again.

"Well see Naruto… but whatever." He commented lazily.

Naruto looked back at Konan and smiled at her. "Don't worry about him Konan. Just keep on the path you are walking now and you'll show everyone. I believe in you." He stated just before the other male and his ninja hound approached her, leaning in dangerously close to her face he didn't speak yet instead he sniffed her and looked down to his dog who was also sniffing her. Konan raised her brow a bit, leaning back slightly as he was invading her personal space before looking down to the ninja hound that was also sniffing her.

"What do you think Akamaru?" He asked the dog, who barked happily at him and sat down. Kiba set his gaze back on Konan, smiling this time. "If Akamaru thinks you're alright then I do too." He commented as he sat back down next to Shikamaru and shared some food with Akamaru.

Naruto ushered her to sit down in the booth and took his seat next to her. The next ten minutes were just spent on small talk before a girl with dark blue hair peered shyly around the corner. Konan caught sight of her immediately and could not help but notice she possessed the byakugan. Mustering up the courage to walk slowly around the corner, she smiled at Naruto and began to speak in a soft nervous tone.

"Ummm… hi.. Naruto." The girl greeted him, her cheeks flushed as she pressed her index fingers together. Naruto looked up to the Hyuga and smiled brightly to her which seemed to make the girl blush even more… it was so clear that she had a good crush on him.

"Hey Hinata! Glad you made it." He replied to her in a cheery tone. If it was even possible the girl turned even more red than before.

"I want you to meet Konan, she's been staying with me for a while now due to some recent unfortunate events. I know you two will become good friends." He stated as he gestured towards Konan.

Hinata looked to Konan, the flush from her face had disappeared in the blink of an eye as he told her about this new woman staying with him. Konan's eyes almost widened as she knew what must have gone through the girl's mind, but she managed to keep the same calm and collected look on her face.

"It's nice to meet you Hinata." She said in a polite manner. "The hokage was nice enough to let me stay here in the village but not without a probationary period… and that ended up being staying with Naruto for an extended amount of time until they feel I can be fully trusted."

Her words seemed to put Hinata at ease somewhat as she smiled once more. "It's nice to meet you too Konan." She said as she slowly took a seat on the other side of Naruto.

In only fifteen more minutes almost everyone else invited had shown up for the occasion. The side of the restaurant they were on had nearly filled all the way up. Konan was slightly surprised that Naruto, being the nine tails Jinchuuriki, had managed to influence so many people and make friends with them as well. The similarities between Naruto and Yahiko were becoming even more similar. Her head turned to look at him as he carried on with his friends and she felt as though she were sitting next to her lost would-be lover.

Midway through dinner a pink haired girl came running around the corner, panting a bit she waved to Naruto and the others.

"Sorry I am late! Lady Tsunade had me working a bit later than usual today." She said before her green eyes moved to Konan, noticing how close Naruto was sitting to her. Konan seemed to be the only one that noticed the pinkettes' eye twitch at the sight. Though Sakura was a long way away from admitting it, like Hinata she was interested in Naruto as well.

"SAKURA!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood up and smiled at her. "I was wondering if you were gonna show up." He said as he rubbed the back of his head, which made it painfully obvious how he felt about her. Konan glanced over to Hinata, who had slumped down in the seat a bit… and scooted herself a little closer to Naruto as he sat back down. Konan tried not to crack a smile as she knew what was going on in her head.

"So this is Konan, the girl who has been living with you. Bet you two have really been getting to know one another huh? Especially since this is the first time she's been anywhere but your place." Sakura said as she eyed Konan a bit.

Konan kept her mouth shut as she looked at Naruto, feeling sure he would clear the situation up quickly since he was obviously head over heels for this abrasive young girl. Everyone in the area snickered a little bit as evidently all of them had thought the same thing at least one point during the meal. Hinata had a look of worry in her eyes almost like she wanted to cry as she pictured Naruto and Konan in a heated kiss. Her face turned red as she began to quietly panic. Naruto seemed oblivious for a few moments before his eyes widened and he waved his hands spastically in front of him before pleading his case with Sakura.

"WHAT!?" He almost screamed. "NO! Sakura it's not like that at all!" The young shinobi exclaimed frantically as he nearly turned blue with the accusation. Then it seemed everyone's eyes were on Konan. She sat there stoic as ever before sipping on some of the sake in front of her.

"I know what all of you are thinking. It's true I haven't been able to leave Naruto's house since I got here. I can assure you I'm not very happy with the arrangement but Tsunade insisted this was the way it had to be until she feels she can fully trust me. Sometimes I wish she would have just put me in a cell instead. Naruto is a sweet boy but he can be so annoying since we are polar opposites. While I am grateful for Naruto's hospitality, I look forward to moving out as soon as I am allowed to." The kunoichi spoke before eating some of the food on her plate and acted as though the remark didn't bother her at all.

Her words seemed to put everyone's suspicions to rest far better than what Naruto's had. Even so she couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with any of them as the accusation had made her a bit angry. She understood why they would think that something was going on with them, but at the same time she was disgusted that they would all think of her that way.

The evening carried on until the restaurant was about to close. Some of the guests had already left due to prior arrangements but still there were a lot of people still there. Konan had never known so many friendly people in her life and it seemed everyone had accepted her, even enjoyed her company. She could see herself making a good life here in The Hidden Leaf but her mind wandered off to the past. She only wished things could have been different, that Yahiko and Nagato could have been with her now. The kunoichi missed them right now, especially Yahiko. Her mind drifted off to the night they had first embraced, there had been a sense of uncertainty between them at first but that had been quickly laid to rest. She was still undoubtedly in love with Yahiko and her heart still was shattered by his untimely death so many years ago.

"Well it's getting late and we should get back home." Naruto's voice brought her back to reality as her eyes focused on her surroundings. Since she had become quiet everyone had turned their attention away from her it seemed. Suddenly her cheek felt a little cool, she realized that she had shed a tear or two. She stood up and turned around, thankful that she had been sitting next to the edge of the booth for a while now. "I will be right back." Konan said as she felt eyes on her back. She felt eyes on her back as she walked to the restroom. The kunoichi stood in front of the sink and turned the water on, splashing her face as more tears began to fall. "Why now?" She thought to herself as her hands made fists on the counter. Konan was trying to pull herself together when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She had been so consumed with grief while she thought she was alone that she had forgotten to check the bathroom for any other occupants. Konan almost jumped but kept calm and frozen. There was no reason to be afraid as she could sense that no one meant her harm. Her eyes opened and she looked in the mirror to see a woman around her age with almost wild hair just past her shoulders and kind red eyes. Those eyes gave her a sympathetic look before she spoke softly.

"My apologies Konan. I didn't mean to seem hidden in here." The woman said as she gave Konan a small smile. Whoever this woman was she knew who she was, but Konan hadn't a clue who she was.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked as she slowly removed her hand from Konan's shoulder. Konan sighed and forced her composure as she took a paper towel and wiped her face.

"Yes.. I'm not hurt." The kunoichi replied as she took a deep breath.

The woman's eyes seemed to soften even more as she shook her head. "I can see you are not physically injured, however you don't seem like you are mentally well at the moment. Care to talk about what is bothering you?

Konan turned around to face this new acquaintance and immediately couldn't help but notice that she was very pregnant.

"My name is Kurenai." She said as she gave her a very friendly smile. There was something about this Kurenai, Konan could see a deep pain hiding behind her eyes which was where she should have kept her own pain… hidden.

"I will be alright. I don't have much time before someone will come looking for me in here so I don't think I should bother you with my troubles." Konan replied with a sigh as she took in a deep breath and smiled at her. Kurenai nodded her head, her hand rubbing her swollen stomach.

"I understand. I will not try to pry. I will only say that sometimes talking about things makes them a little better somehow."

Konan thought about that for a moment and nodded. "I wish I had the time honestly, I just don't want anyone I came here with to see me like this."

Kurenai nodded and began to turn away. Konan somewhat wished that she did have the time. She found herself wanting a friend around her age that she could talk to. She was just about to say something as Kurenai was headed for the door but as her hand was about to push on the door she stopped and looked over her shoulder to Konan. "If you like I could come by Naruto's place and run him off sometime so we can speak." Kurenai said with almost a chuckle. Konan smiled slightly and nodded her head. "If you really want to talk to me, I wouldn't be opposed to that." She replied with a shrug. Kurenai laughed a little and gave her own nod before walking out. Konan turned to look at her face in the mirror, seeing that her eyes were not red anymore she waited a moment and then headed back.

When she approached she saw Kurenai talking with the others who all seemed happy to see her, especially Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. Konan stopped a few feet away from Naruto and he turned to smile at her. "Konan this is Kurenai. She is a Jonin here in the Leaf." Kurenai looked over to her and smiled. Konan could feel her stomach twisting, was she going to tell them what she had seen in the bathroom? "It's nice to meet you Konan, we are glad to have you in our village." She said as she extended her hand. Konan shook her hand feeling relieved, maybe she could really trust her. "It's nice to meet you too. Thank you for being so welcoming." She replied.

Soon everyone had gone their own ways and Naruto was walking home with Konan. "So did you enjoy yourself tonight? I'm really glad everyone seemed to like you. Maybe that can help speed up the process of you getting your own place and becoming a true member of our village." Konan smiled slightly. "It was definitely nice getting out of the house. You sure have a lot of friends here, it must be really nice." She said with a shrug. He looked at her and sighed as they continued walking. "It wasn't always like this. Believe it or not I had no friends when I was younger. Everyone in the village seemed to hate me because I am the Nine Tails Jinchuriki…" As they walked he continued talking about his past to her and carried on even after they got back to his home. She knew that the Jinchurikis had it hard but his full story somewhat touched her. He had worked so hard to be where he is now and have all of the bonds that he did. Soon it was time for sleep and they parted ways into their own rooms. Konan laid in her bed staring up at the ceiling while blindly making origami. This evening had given her hope as well as a better understanding of Naruto, she was beginning to really admire him for all he had been through and for him to turn out like he did. In a way he continued to remind her of Yahiko which brought a smile to her face as she slipped off into dreams.