Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by someone who isn't me.
Beta: None, so flamers beware I can quite easily ignore you.
Many millennia ago, in a far off cave within a dimension of its own lived a beast with over a thousand tails, not that she'd ever took the time to count. She lived in a desolate land, no plant or animal, other than herself, lived within her world, and so, with no need for substance and no others for companionship, she slept. Heart aching for the unknown, for she knew nothing of what she didn't have, she slept until time no longer had any meaning.
She awoke in pain. She unfurled herself, tails writhing destroying everything in its path. She howled, her mind and body at war with a need unknown, until finally, she pushed.
From her, came a white, gelatin-like sac. Within it, a conglomerate of chakra mingled like ten tiny little tails whipping around it, and at an angle one could see an eye, of sorts: four concentric circles with nine tomoe, three on each inner circle. Suddenly, the sac burst and nine little tailed beast, each with a different count, and she knew, from then on, that she would never be alone again. How wrong she was.
The Juubi was gone. Her children loved to play tricks with her, running wild, keeping themselves as a separate nine or a ten-tailed one. This time was different though. Not a long time ago a man had entered her realm. In blood, they made a contract. He would teach her new ways to fight, and she gave use of her children. But never had they all gone at once.
The power of the Juubi was something even she had difficulty with and the many tailed beast would not – could not – all it to be free. But it was gone; she had lost all sense of them and without focal point, she had no way into the other realm. It would be many more years until she does.
No matter how many times the young girl stood before him, Sabaku no Gaara had nothing to say. Then again, the Godaime Kazekage was never one for words.
"It's nice to see you again Gaara-kun. Your strength has improved greatly."
She called herself Chie. Gaara couldn't help but think this was his minds way of keeping Chiyo-baasama alive with all she did to keep him from death. She did, after all, appear with his first dream after rebirth.
A simple nod was his only reply.
She giggled. Chie twirled about, hair flying free in the wind, her tails flying free behind her.
"You mustn't be so glum. I'm not putting this much effort for you to let it go to waste," her little voice called out, "Speak to me."
Chie finally stopped moving, turning to face Gaara directly, or as directly as an eleven-year old and a sixteen-year old could only two feet apart. Gaara disliked speaking unnecessarily, especially to her, because all she seemed to want to talk about was –.
"Tell me more about Naruto-kun. I can feel him still. The chakra of he who bears the Kyuubi no Kitsune still flows through your veins." Chie stepped closer, reaching out without touching, a mischievous smirk gracing her face. "It's binding with yours, changing it, making you one. You'll belong to him soon. Then again, you've always belonged to him haven't you?"
Gaara stared out into the forces before him. The dreams he'd been having lately have become more and more vivid. It's been difficult to tell the difference right now, so new he was to dreaming, sleeping at all, that he could figure out whether Chie was truly a figment of his imagination. Like now, seeing all these ninja, both older and younger than him ready to fight, to risk and more than likely lose their lives, he could almost feel her inside him, crying in pain. Closing his eyes, he could almost see her, tails and all, although she isn't the same happy go lucky girl he'd slowly grown fond of.
Oh, how he wished Naruto was here, he would know what to do.
Naruto was the last one left. After Bee-sama fell, his protection detail increased, but somehow the whiskered boy still found his way here.
The front lines were filled with exhaustion and death. Two Kages, three Jounin, a Chuunin and a Genin were all that was left standing of the ninja alliance.
Gaara watched the statue of the beast that killed him as the last dregs of the Akatsuki tried to do the same to his best friend.
'There's a way,' Chie's voice continuously echoed through him. She has been growing stronger within him since his reunion with the last bijuu. So different then her usual self, Chie was becoming very forceful. Fighting with him, showing him techniques that he'd never use, as most need a tailed beast within him to perform. Not that it actually deterred her.
'You know there's a way,' her voice continued. 'I've shown you, Gaara-kun. Bring me here, let me fight. We must take back Ichibi, it's the only way to stop the Juubi, and Shukaku is the strongest beside the Kitsune. Don't fight it. Let it come.'
There were nearly a hundred hand signals for the summoning technique, and as fast as he was going, Gaara knew it wasn't fast enough. Despite everyone's hard work to protect him, he slipped nearly every time Naruto took a hit in his place, frustrating him and the other fighters every time he had to start again.
Finally, the most difficult technique Gaara had ever, and probably would ever, perform. The moment his hand touched ground, the battle field lit up like fireworks. They energy pulled from him felt as though Shukaku was being stolen from him once more. It took shape around him as a beast larger than the nine tails Naruto created during the Chuunin exams all those years ago.
What came out however was simply Chie.
"Gaara-kun," her lightly lilted voice came out, "Thank you."
Chie turned, hugged his kneeling, exhausted form, before turning and running straight towards a fallen Naruto.
They were stealing it from him, stealing him from him. Chie stood over the growling form of a three-tailed Naruto, and wonder how his life force was draining from him. It wasn't hard to determine where it was, the statue of the Juubi was glowing stronger by the minute.
"Naruto-kun," she whispered against him, trying to draw out the human beneath the Kitsune's anger.
"Na-Ru-To-kun," Chie giggled, move closer as if whispering a secret, "Oi, oi…" She reached into his chakra shield, separating the bijuu from his host, allowing the energy drain to focus only on the beast.
She shook minutely, feeling herself being pulled in as well. However, Chie knew she was the Juubi's creator, its mother; there was no way she would lose.
"Relax, Naruto-kun. Rest for now, let it go. This battle is mine. I won't let you die."
A battle between Bijuu is intense, but the battle between the Juubi and Chie had changed their world.
Gaara sat next to Naruto's cot with Chie cuddled in his lap as the three recovered from the 'war to end all wars'. It was odd to think how power this child-like creature held. To alter lands of nearly all five of the great nations was beyond anything of imagination. To take on the Juubi as one, then seven – as the Kyuubi had never been successfully taken, and Shukaku was forcefully return to him – beasts of unlimited chakra and then to seal them another realm was… there was truly no words for it.
"I told you," Chie mumbled as she adjusted herself, "I am their mother, they left without warning and long needed to be punished. Upon your deaths, I will take the one and nine and return. Until then I will ensure the entrapment of these two, for you will not survive without it, and I ensure they cannot be stolen from me again.
"Now then," she giggled suddenly, grabbing Naruto's hand, turn her mischievous eyes toward the Kazekage, "tell me more about Naruto-kun."