It was dark. So very dark.

And cold. And though the Nine Tails would never admit it, it was lonely. He was trapped in yet another prison. The days would pass by, with no company but himself. But he was used to it. Time after time, humans were all the same. The only thing reflected in their eyes was a demon.

And lately, he had slowly started to see himself as a demon too. Hashirama, Mito, Kushina, and now, Kushina's son, Naruto. All of them had trapped him in a prison for years, never stopping to think that perhaps he was something other than a demon. Though he hadn't actually heard nor seen Naruto say anything yet, surely that boy would be the same as the others. And thus was the fate of a Bijuu.

In those dark solitary days, the demon fox had lost what was left of his determination to escape the prison. What use was it? He would only be found by another ninja, and be sealed yet again.

So he simply watched, with hateful dull eyes.

He watched in his prison through the years, as monochrome days flew. But Naruto. There was something in the brat. He had watched the boy grow, and experienced what the boy experienced. But something was different. That boy was different. The world seemed to move with him. As though he was the sun, shining bright, and the world was nothing but an sphere orbiting him. As though Kurama was only the space in between his stars.

But in the end, the boy would be the same. And the fleeting hope would die out to lead to yet another starless day.

No matter what words they used, humans all say the same thing. It was true. The Bijuu could recall many many words that had come out of human mouths, all against him. All filled with hatred. Claiming he was a demon, that he was filth.

No! He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell back at them, to tell them that he was not a demon. That he was once loved. That he too had a name of his own. The Nine Tails could vividly recall Hashirama's face, as well as the words that had pierced the fox's heart.

"Regrettably, I cannot let you run loose."

And Mito.

"Please stay quiet inside me."

And Kushina.

"I'm here to watch you."

No matter what words they use, humans all say the same thing. At least that's what he thought. But now? With determined blue eyes staring back at him and a grinning fit to match, now, he wasn't sure anymore.

"One of these days, I'm going to do something about all of the hate you carry inside you!"

It was then that for the first time the Nine Tails realized that maybe, just maybe, Naruto was different. Maybe history wouldn't repeat itself. Maybe he had a chance, a chance to escape the hatred. It was then that Naruto became the Bijuu's tiny, ever so slight sliver of hope. A small but nonetheless ray of sunshine.

The sliver of hope never disappeared. If anything, it grew. When Naruto had met the other Bijuu, when he had wanted to be friends. The sliver of hope never ceased to make the fox smile. Though, it had even so baffling, so foreign to the fox. Wanting to be friends with a Bijuu? Before, The Nine Tails would have laughed, but he wouldn't dare now.

And the sliver of hope grew and grew, until his heart felt like he would explode from it all. This boy, this blue eyed, joyful boy, had turned the Bijuu's world upside down. And it occurred to him that it wasn't only the his world that had been changed, but the countless others that the boy had met. With his unwavering feelings, the boy had forced the world to move with him.

And as he watched it all, every single event in Naruto's life, lively splashes of color rippled, and spread throughout Bijuu's eyes. He felt something warm in his… chest? The feeling was long forgotten. Not since long long ago, when his fellow Bijuu had surrounded him. Not since he had been considered something besides a demon. Not since he had a name.

And then Naruto had said those words. Those so so very special words.

"You're not the demon fox anymore. You're one of my teammates from Konoha!"

How long had he waited for those words? How long had he waited for acceptance? To just be loved? There was something wet in the fox's eyes. Something warm and wet. Tears. He was so very sad and yet so so very happy. It was hard to explain the rushing feelings.

There was absolutely no hatred in those blue eyes as the boy raised his fist to the Bijuu's.

"Naruto."

Their fists touched, both sides grinning.

"Kurama."