The day had started just as any other; Minato had gone to work, Kushina was taking care of things around the house. Kurama was in the middle of his nap, having played with Naruto half the night; in the middle of his slumber is when the trouble started.

"Kurama!" Kushina threw the pillow from the chair at the sleeping biju as she headed towards the door. She continued as he his jolted up. "I have to run out. Watch Naruto."

The fox's ear twitched at the order. Despite all the time he'd been free, he still had a snarky attitude; he also wasn't much for being woken up. "You're husband's the village leader." He let out a loud, obnoxious yawn. "Call him to send a babysitter."

"Kurama," She turned to him, a hint of desperation in her gaze. "I need you to do this for me. Watch him close, I'll be back."

"Kushina..." He sat up, rubbing his eyes then rubbing a hand through the fur on his head. "Just what is going on?" Never before had he seen her so frazzled. In truth, he didn't mind watching the toddler, but the state she was leaving concerned him.

Before she could answer, or even leave, Naruto ran out of his room and to the kitchen. Kushina's expression changed to hide her dismay.

"We going out?" The young boy smiled happily, already reaching for his shoes.

"No, honey." Kushina patted his head before pulling him into a hug. Kurama could've sworn she was close to tears but kept quiet.

"Then… what-"

Kushina cut him off, pulling away and looking him in the eyes. "Stay here with Kurama. Listen to what he says. I'll be back soon."

Naruto pouted, not noticing the urgency in her voice. "I wanna go with you..."

"I'll take you out when I get back. I promise."

"You'll be back soon?"

Kushina hesitated before nodding. "Soon."

Kurama spoke up again. "Kushina… Just where are you going?"

Kushina's reply came in the form of her setting Naruto beside Kurama on the couch. "Watch him. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Before another question could be asked, she was gone.

Naruto looked up at Kurama with a questioning look, but Kurama could only watch the door. His attention was turned to Naruto when the child grabbed his muzzle.

"Something wrong?"

Kurama removed the toddler's hand then shook his head. "Everything's fine..."

"Can we go out then?"

"You're mom-"

"She said she couldn't, but you can!" Naruto grinned, already heading to get his shoes.

"We could always watch that du-..." He dropped the word dumb.

Even without mentioning a title, Naruto was already back on the couch. "Movie, movie, movie!" The youngster chanted.

Kurama shook his head and grabbed a random movie from the shelf, not knowing his lack of tact in movie choice would have later consequences.

Minato walked in looking exhausted hours later. He looked slightly bothered but simply smiled at the duo on the couch. He glanced at the television, seeing a certain movie about a deer on screen.

"You having fun?" The man asked, setting his jacket on the hanger.

"Two scenes til the good part," Kurama shrugged. He glanced beside him, seeing Naruto watching with undeterred interest despite seeing the movie at least a dozen times. Kurama had gotten bored but still praised whatever higher power allowed the child to forget the happenings of the movie enough so he was always just as enraptured by the events it held.

"Is Kushina taking a nap?" Minato had made his way to the kitchen by now. Dinner wasn't on the table, which wasn't a big deal; they could always go out to ramen, which neither Naruto nor Kushina would complain about.

"She left in a hurry early this afternoon." Kurama leaned forward to look past the doorway and at the Hokage. "I figured you gave her a mission."

"I didn't..." Minato motioned Kurama to the kitchen. Once the fox had joined him, he began. "What do you mean 'hurried?'"

Kurama explained the state Kushina was in before she had left. Minato stood, looking more and more worried as seconds ticked by. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door, breaking Minato's train of thought. He sighed and answered the door, a yell bringing Kurama to the entrance way.

"What's going on?" Kurama tried to keep his voice calm, but after the day's event, he sounded a bit demanding.

"Tell him," Minato ordered the young ninja who stood before them.

The kunoichi looked down at the fox, trembling slightly. Even though quite some time had passed since Kurama had been freed, not all the villager's trusted him. The look Minato was giving her didn't ease her stress in the least. She fumbled with her thumbs, not making eye contact as she spoke. "Mrs. Kushina came and asked some of the Anbu for assistance with a task… Only one made it back to the village… He told me.." She trailed off, but Minato and Kurama's mixed expressions forced her to continue talking. "That Mrs. Kushina had been taken… Almost as soon as they exited the gate… The ones who pursued didn't make it back… Well, you know, except the one who was found by a returning team..."

"Kushina's gone?!" Kurama's voice was louder than expected, having drawn Naruto attention.

It was just his luck the scene of the movie they had been watching had recently passed. The movie had just ended and Naruto was coming to see what the commotion was.

"Mommy's...gone…?" Naruto's voice was slowly breaking.

"Gone? Who said gone?" Kurama muttered, vainly trying to convince Naruto that his mother hadn't gone missing.

Minato knelt down and opened an arm. Naruto ran to hug his father. "She's just on a mission. She'll be back when it's over."

"She said soon..." The young boy sniffled into his father's shirt. "She promised… She wouldn't break a promise..."

"Exactly, she said she'd be back, and she will," Minato reassured him.

Naruto looked to Kurama, tears in his eyes. The fox shrugged his shoulders before glaring at the female ninja who had delivered the message; she took that as her cue to leave.

"Naruto, your mom said she'd be back, and she will," Kurama repeated what the man holding the child had said. "Til then, you've… got us, right?" Emotions still made him uneasy, despite being free for years.

Naruto looked at Kurama for a moment before nodded, transferring his hug to the biju. "Never leave..." He whimpered, clinging to the fox's fur, then looking to his father.

"We won't," they both promise.