The Angel's Ambivalence [Naruto]

The New Minxie

"So while Ryuu and Hayato are interrogating Scarlett... Who's going to keep track of Minxie?" Tenten inquired.

"Naruto just went after her, so we'll see how that plays out," Ryuu answered. He turned to Kylie. "You should join him. If anyone has a chance at getting through to Minxie, it's you and Naruto." He leaned up off of the pillar, Mitchell following him. "The rest of you, keep an eye out for both Minxie and Scarlett. I'm not sure what to expect from either of them right now, so it's best to keep your eyes open. We meet back here in an hour to talk about what we find."

Meanwhile::

"Minxie! Hey!" Naruto called, running after his brunette best friend. "Wait up! Minx!" He maneuvered himself through the crowd of villagers, placing himself right in front of her. "Finally caught up to you."

"Did you want something?" Minxie asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

It was an enormous change from her usual cheerful tone, and it made Naruto blink at her surprise. Was this really Minxie he was talking to?

He shook his head, deciding to brush off her monotone voice. "Yeah, actually... I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with me to Ichiraku's. I mean, it doesn't have to be a date or anything, but-"

"No," She replied, cutting him off.

The blonde didn't even bother to hide his shock. "... No?" 

Sure, he had always known that there was no way Minxie would actually want to go on a date with him. He always told himself that it was impossible for a girl like her to even think about a guy like him as anything other than a best friend. But he never thought Minxie would reject him so coldly, not when she was his best friend.

"No," Minxie said again, her tone as blank and blunt as ever. "I have something to do right now. You can join me, if you want. I don't care." She began walking forward once again without so much as a single glance in the blonde's direction.

Naruto watched with wide blue eyes as the brunette walked by him. Since when did Minxie not care? What the hell was going on?

By some miracle, his legs managed to lead him forward. He followed after her, wondering if there really was something wrong with Minxie. When he had spoken to his friends, he had assured them that nothing was wrong. He knew Minxie, and he knew that no matter what, she would never stop being Minxie. Now... Now, he wasn't so sure.

He raised an eyebrow when they reached her tent. Minxie didn't even look back as she entered her current residence. Naruto followed her inside carefully.

Minxie walked over to the corner of the tent, pulling out a medium-sized box. It wasn't heavy, and it had a thin base. She picked it up and exited the tent. She kept walking, Naruto following closely behind her, until she stopped at a small clearing near the edge of their village. 

She placed the box on the ground and made a few hand signs. Wood sprung out of the ground, forming two medium-sized logs. She made her next hand signs with as much precision as she used for the first set.

Naruto gasped when he saw Minxie spew fire out of her mouth. The flames landed directly onto the logs, setting them ablaze.

"Minxie, no!" He exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing her arm to pull her back.

Minxie quirked an eyebrow at him, barely even flinching, "What?"

"But... Minxie..." Naruto could hardly gather words. "Minx, you hate fire. You're terrified of it. How can you... I thought-"

"That I'd need you to jump in and save me?" She finished for him. "Typical, but I'm not the scared little girl I used to be. They're just flames." She looked down at his arm, then back at his blue eyes. "Now, are you going to let me go?"