Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Steam Train part two

Sunday (Present time)

Taking a deep breath to relieve himself of nervousness, Naruto gazed at the towering mansion which belonged to the family of his fiancée. As a nobleman, to refuse a marriage of convenience, where he had nothing to lose and everything to gain was a taboo. He should know better than to end the engagement. So why was he doing this?

He pulled a photo from the pocket of his coat. The smiling face of a beautiful woman with pink hair reminded him why he was here. They had parted ways a few days ago but even now, he could still recall her vividly as if she was just a few feet away-the laughter in her voice, the glow in her eyes and the softness of her pink hair. Everything about her just made him weak. He returned the photo back into his pocket careful so as not to crumple or fold it.

He took a few steps forward. A servant of the family welcomed him and opened the gate. She led him past the backyard, which was wide enough to accommodate a large number of people, to the main door. The house looked intimidating than it was from afar. The triangular roof was a mixture of blue and green hues while the outer walls were painted white.

There was no turning back now. His resolve was clear. Forget the conventions. He would end this once and for all for he had fallen in love and was willing to search even the farthest recesses of the earth just to see her again.

His lips curved into a smile. He would never forget their first meeting for he had replayed it lots of times in his mind.

SUNDAY (a week ago)

He first saw her at the train station after running away from home with a trunk of clothes and a few coins.

Bored, he sat on his trunk and observed everything and everyone in sight. A few hours passed and the loud whistle of the train reverberated all throughout the place, informing every one of its arrival. After it came to a screeching halt, he stood up and carried his trunk of clothes to join the crowd of people that gathered near the rail. That was when he heard her call for help.

He followed the sound of her voice and was greeted by the sight of a woman surrounded by mean-looking men who planned to abduct her. Even at the face of the looming danger, she never showed weakness-only defiance. In an attempt to escape, she had kicked one of them on the shin. It didn't help much for she was restrained by two sets of hands, preventing her from moving.

Barging in to help, he beat the men, took her hand and dashed towards the train, which was seconds away from its departure. Inside, she thanked him for his help. It was supposed to be a one-time encounter.

But, by an unpleasant turn of events, he lost the pouch that contained his money. He had been so adamant, so aggressive to catch the train that he failed to hear the soft clink of the pouch when it fell on the cold station grounds. The situation left him no choice but to do something he never dreamt of doing in his entire life. Swallowing his pride, he followed her, like a shadow, the moment she stepped out of the train with the intent to borrow money.

Naruto had a free hand in his pocket while he carry his trunk with the other. He had started following her as soon as she went out of the train. Sakura sensed it right away. Thinking they were just going in the same direction, she ignored him.

But when she was a few feet away and he was still there, she stopped in her tracks and faced him. With her hands on her hips and bag dangling from her shoulders, she said, "Okay spill,"

He scrunched his brows "Eh? What do you mean?"

"Tell me. Are you one of those people my father sent to bring me back? Are you with those men?"

He frowned in confusion. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about,"

"Then why are you following me?"

Once again, embarrassment kicked in. A gentleman borrowing money from a lady-that was unthinkable and he never imagined he would do it in his lifetime. He didn't even have any idea how to bring it up without wounding his pride or embarrassing himself.

"Please don't hate me. I kind of dropped my pouch in the train station and I don't really have any money with me now so…" That didn't sound right to him so he stopped and tried again. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way I saved you for free! If I didn't lose my money I wouldn't really think of doing this…"

There was another pause.

Impatient, she turned and continued on her way.

"Hey wait," he shouted.

She turned and glared at him. "Cut to the chase will you!"

He removed the hand from his pocket and raised it, palm facing her in a defensive stance as if afraid. "I dropped my pouch so I needed to borrow money." He said quickly.

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head, not quite believing his story. "You dropped your pouch?"

He nodded.

She scrutinized his clothes. They were expensive. It could be that he was saying the truth. She raised a brow. "Suppose your story is true and suppose I lend you money. How will you pay it?"

He thought for a moment. "You could give me an address and I could visit there and pay you after a few days or months" He wanted to sound more reasonable but that was the best he could come up with.

"I don't think so," There was no way she would ever give her address to a stranger even if it was a stranger that saved her. She turned her back to him and quickened her pace, her steps now a cross between a walk and a run which means Naruto had to think of something to say to convince her and fast.

There was already a great deal of distance between them. "Hey Listen. You are alone with no escort. Don't you think I'll come in handy," He shouted. That made her halt. Sighing, she turned once again. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know exactly what I mean. A woman walking alone? Travelling alone? That's like inviting people to do something bad to you," He was not belittling her. He was talking about the conventions. Society dictated women should never walk alone-that they should have an escort on the lookout for people who could take advantage of them in different ways.

"I can fend them off," clearly, she didn't care about society rules or maybe she just had no choice because, just like what she said earlier, she ran away from home which means no one knows where she is right now.

"Suppose you can fend them off. What if they come in numbers just like what happened at the station?"

That made sense and got her interest. If she had any choice in the matter, she preferred to be alone but it was always wise to take precautions and this man might just be able to provide added safety. However, this was not to say she completely trusted him. He saved her but they were still basically strangers.

"Okay so what's the deal?"

"I ran away from home. I have no money in my pocket and I have nowhere to go. I could accompany you wherever you go and could give me a salary" the new-found courage to talk about the problem openly was brought by despair and something else-concern. It was true. He didn't have anything aside from the clothes in his trunk but in case she didn't let him borrow money, there were still other ways and means to acquire it without troubling her. It helped that her dress and bag hinted that she came from a rich family-at least he that made him less guilty when he mentioned the word 'salary'

He noticed the absence of the trunk of clothes. Perhaps it was because she was in a rush that she forgot to bring it or that she really wanted to keep running away a secret she didn't want to bring anything that would slow her pace.

The flow of the conversation made them realize they needed each other. Soon, they came to an agreement beneficial to both sides: He would be her escort for a couple of days and she would compensate with money. All that Naruto was allowed to know was her name and the fact that she was being followed. It was the same for him. He didn't reveal much information about himself. To her, he was just Naruto-a man who ran away from home.

They sealed the agreement by a bond of trust. It was enough for fate had lodged them in a situation where each was a necessity to the other.

Later that day, they spent their first night in a hotel found at the heart of the city, specifically requesting for two adjacent rooms.

MONDAY

It was their second day together when she requested that he accompany her to buy a new set of dress.

Naruto crossed his arms in front his chest and paced back and forth her in front her door. A few moments later, his 'employer' emerged, wearing a simple long red dress-a striking contrast to the one she wore yesterday. The black hat she wore was large enough to conceal her entire face if used to cover it.

He stared at her, heartbeat quickening and feeling a little breathless. The simple dress did nothing to diminish her attractiveness.

"Shall we go?"

He was released from stupor. "Yes, let's go,"

She consumed three hours for shopping. He followed her like a loyal puppy would. When contemplating whether to buy an item or not, she would put her fingers on her chin and furrowed her brows in deep concentration. Her eyes lit up whenever she found something to her fancy. Watching her from afar, Naruto wondered if she was single. At the back of his mind, he, himself, knew he was not just thinking but actually hoping she still was.

He didn't mind the five boxes she asked him to carry. Instead, he dutifully piled them on top of each other and carried them with both hands as if they weigh nothing.

They walked abreast. She watched him from her periphery and noticed that smile. "You're grinning,"

"I am?"

"Yes…like an idiot. What are you thinking about?

"Are you sure you're born in this era?" he said, referring to how her temper and language contrast from the women he met who were mostly shy and submissive.

"Is it weird?"

"Not really. I find it quite intriguing,"

She laughed, "Intriguing? I don't think I am but still...You haven't answered my question. Why are you smiling?"

"Because I'm happy,"

"That doesn't answer it at all." She shrugged, dropped the subject and walked ahead. A few steps later, he bumped into her back after she came to an abrupt halt.

"What is it? Why did…" he wasn't given a chance to continue for she had already yanked him into the nearest alleyway. He almost dropped the boxes he was holding at the sudden action.

Arranging the boxes in perfect piles again, he asked. "Why? What happened?"

She placed a finger on his lips, preventing him to utter another word. Her eyes were directed to that place where they stood a while ago.

He craned his neck, following her line of vision. His eyes widened upon seeing the same men from yesterday with five more. Their eyes were all over place-on the people, shops, and anything suspicious connected to their search. She pulled him a little further into the alley when one of them looked in their direction. They couldn't risk being seen for this time, they doubled in number.

A few minutes later, the men left the place. Once they were out of sight, she breathed a sigh of relief and went out of the alleyway with Naruto following suit, still with the five boxes on hand.

"I should at least know why they were chasing you." He stated.

She gave him a look as if to say he should stop meddling in her personal affairs. "Just do your job,"

Unfazed, asked a set of questions mostly about her connection with the men in question. She didn't answer of any of them. Instead, she opened her bag and pulled out many pieces of coins. Not bothering to check how many there were, she extended her hand "This is your salary for two days. Go!" She waited for him to take them.

His eyes widened at the sudden decision. "You're just annoyed that's why you're doing this, I wouldn't take them. If I take them, that means I have to go and leave you alone and I wouldn't do that,"

"And why is that?"

"You still need me,"

"I don't,"

She returned the money back into her bag and glared at him.

Unbeknownst to them, while they were having the discussion, the men had retuned and spotted them from afar. "There she is,"

Both turned their heads at the voice. There were ten of them but she didn't look afraid for she knew quite a bit at fighting. But still, she had enough sense to know that if she did it alone, she would clearly lose because of the number. She turned to him. "Help me here, will you?"

"Hey! I thought you don't need me. I was about to get my pay but you kept them." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I take back what I said. I need you," This time, he grinned. It was refreshing to see such a strong-headed woman like her say that. He wanted to hear it again.

"Sorry I didn't hear that. What did you just say again?" he said in a singsong voice.

"I need you,"

He put the boxes down, readying himself to fight the enemies. "I still couldn't hear you,"

"I NEED YOU OK SO STOP IT!" She suppressed the powerful urge to beat him up right at this moment.

"I didn't know you were that aggressive,"

"tch, annoying,"

"Hey that doesn't sound like a lady at all,"

Annoyed, she raised her fist.

He stepped a bit and raise his hands defensively. "I was kidding,"

People all over the place gave them curious looks. Whispers among the people around filled the surroundings about the loudness of the bickering pair.

The men charged.

The walk to the hotel was quiet. Sakura watched his back, stray thoughts about what just happened filling her head. Earlier, his confidence and ability to smile at the face of the enemies puzzled her but now, she already knew the reason. To say that he was good in fighting was an understatement. In a matter of minutes, he fought alongside her and rendered them unconscious. It was something she expected but still caught her by surprise.

The hotel came into view. Eager to take a rest, they quickened their paced and did not stop until both of them reached the door of their respective rooms. Naruto went into her room and placed the packages containing her newly-purchased dresses on the floor while Sakura stayed outside.

She confronted him once he was out. "I shouldn't have called you annoying. That was rude of me and.." she lifted her head, her green eyes meeting his. "Thank you," she made sure he heard the sincerity in her voice.

Taken aback, he didn't know how to reply. His mother was right. He was clueless when it came to women. In her case, she had gone from angry, annoyed, to regretful in just a few hours. Feeling lost, he stared blankly. Bad move

Once again, he was made aware of how strikingly beautiful she was. His gaze fell on her forehead which he noticed was wider than average. Oddly enough, he found it endearing. Heart pounding erratically, He wondered how she would react if he suddenly kissed it. He raised his hand, intending to run his fingers over it.

It was a good thing his brain made itself useful at the last minute. Instead of her forehead, the hand landed on her shoulder. Surprised, she stared.

"Good night," He gave her shoulder an awkward squeeze and made sure she made it inside the room before going in his own.

AN: Finally done. There will be part 3.