Author's Note:
Hello, um … Well Lena told me to post this up and I am.
I'm her cousin, so um … Hi! I guess I'm going to be THE Bad Writer for a while.
Ellie told me to tell you fans out there that she's coming back! She's currently trying to finish some chapters up, so don't worry.
Hehehe, I got in touch with her, so I'm going to be pushing her to update faster, so don't worry!
Enjoy! I own nothing concerning Naruto, so don't worry!

Lullaby

Chapter 1

"Kyuubi, are you sure you want to do this? Aren't you scared?" the one named Kyuubi raised his red eyes and stared up at the other through his short unruly blonde hair; acrimony clear in his eyes.

"What, you want me to stay here and die in this cesspool known as Konoha? Maybe you want me to wither away and die in this lie of a life I have here!" Kyuubi roared, spitting every ounce of hatred he had for the place in question.

"No Kyuubi, I'm just worried that you might be … oh I don't know … MURDERED out there alone!" The one questioning him murmured, glaring at him.

"Oh shut it Shukaku! It's not like I'm going to be gone forever. Just a few months, maybe even a year. Besides, you're coming with, ya dumbass." Kyuubi said with a smirk, brushing away his infuriating hair away from his face as his red eyes moved towards the other to take in what was Sabaku no Shukaku.

Shukaku was a dirty blonde whose hair was long unlike his; it reached the small of his back. He had a small blue tribal like kanji tattoo under his left eye meaning raccoon and piercing dark hazel eyes. He was a troublemaker; someone who he, as the son of the mayor, shouldn't be hanging around. But Kyuubi couldn't help himself.

"But what will your father say? He'd probably blame me for your disappearance and order a nationwide man hunt for my head!" Shukaku spat, watching as Kyuubi finally got fed up with his hair and pulled off the wig, revealing bright red elbow length hair. He watched Kyuubi wipe off the make-up from under his left eye, revealing a similar tribal like kanji tattoo in red meaning fox.

"No he won't. You're gone, remember? You've been a "runaway" since two months ago." Kyuubi muttered, walking towards the only window in the rundown cabin Shukaku had been living in for the past two months.

"So? That won't stop him from blaming me! He'll probably say something along the lines of, "That nuisance has corrupted my son and now he's taken him away as well!" Face it Kyuu, you'll always be his little Minato Jr. and anyone who he sees as a threat will be prosecuted once he sees you're gone." Kyuubi cursed silently. As much as he didn't want to acknowledge it, Shukaku was right.

"Don't call me that! My name is not Minato, its Kyuubi! I refuse to acknowledge that name." Kyuubi bit out.

"Whatever. Just know that if you leave, there will be consequences to pay; especially since you're the son of a really powerful man." Shukaku whispered, turning Kyuubi's chin towards him and kissing his lips lightly. Kyuubi frowned but allowed it. Even if Shukaku was right, he was going to find a way to get out; somehow.

One Week Later

"Kyuubi, son, are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" a long haired redhead asked, worry etched on her face as she watched her blonde son walk towards the exit of the large hall reserved for another one of those political dinners her husband had to attend.

"Mother, it's just a trip to the bathroom. It's not like I'm going to be going on a trip to the Bermuda triangle." He said with heavy sarcasm. She forced a smile, acting like the statement didn't hurt her one bit.

"I'm just worried you might get lost. We are in another city after all." She said reluctantly, watching him walk away without so much as a word of retort towards her.

He rolled his eyes as he walked towards the restroom of the establishment. He couldn't believe that his father had dragged him all the way to Amegakure for a dinner party that he wasn't going to enjoy anyway. He walked towards the door of the restroom, making sure no one was around inside as he locked the door and walked towards the mirror.

"Fucking ticks; all of them." He spat, glaring at the mirror. He stared at his reflection, hatred and disgust etched into his eyes as he looked at the remarkable resemblance he had with his father; the only thing different was his red eyes as compared to his father's blue. There was a loud bang in one of the stalls as it opened up and out walked a blonde boy with a bucket and a mop.

"Oh sorry there, didn't know someone was in here." He said as he turned towards him and smiled. Kyuubi raised his eyes, gasping as his lava red met with ocean blue; he was his exact copy … well to a point.

"Uh … son of a peach!" the other boy gasped out, his mouth dropping open as he stared at Kyuubi. They stared at each other, both not believing this was happening. "This is something out of the twilight zone!"

"Tch, well at least I know I haven't been cloned. I'd never say something as idiotic as that." Kyuubi mused, smirking at the cute blush of anger his counterpart gave; was he really this cute? No wonder Shukaku was crazy for him.

"Well that goes for me; I'd never be a jackass!" the other spat, making Kyuubi chuckle; he had spirit.

"What's your name?" Kyuubi asked, changing demeanor and making the other blonde raise a brow.

"Naruto," he murmured, staring at Kyuubi with narrowed eyes. Kyuubi smirked again and looked at Naruto's attire: ragged, dirty and dank.

"Is there a last name to that, Naruto?" Kyuubi asked, wondering what the boy was doing there looking like that; didn't he have a uniform?

"No. I was dumped on the steps of an orphanage with a small gold chain bracelet with the name Naruto and a birthdate on it, so that was my name. May I ask what yours is?" Naruto asked his eyes traveling over his clone's attire finding that he was a rich boy, figures.

"Minato Namikaze Junior. But please, call me Kyuubi." Kyuubi said with distaste, sighing as he sat on the counter of the sinks. Naruto nodded and stood awkwardly, his eyes staying away from his clone. Kyuubi huffed and rolled his eyes. "Well, come and sit."

Naruto nodded again and went to the sinks, jumping up and sitting on the counter, surprised that his whole body screamed in gratitude. Kyuubi smirked, watching as the blonde relaxed and sighed in gratitude.

"So, what are you doing here? I don't suppose you work here since you don't have a uniform." Kyuubi asked more out of boredom than curiosity; he wasn't about to go back out there and his clone was far more interesting than that dinner party.

"I was caught stealing some leftovers after I sneaked into the kitchen and the chef took pity on me so he said that if I cleaned the bathrooms I could have a big bowl of ramen tonight." Naruto said softly, looking down at the ground in shame as his rich boy counterpart just stared at him in contemplation.

"I see … you're homeless, aren't you?" he asked watching as Naruto just nodded and stayed silent. Kyuubi narrowed his eyes in thought, wondering how he could use this to his advantage; after all, you don't meet an exact clone of yourself every day.

"What are you here for?" Naruto suddenly asked, snapping Kyuubi from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"What are you here for?" Naruto repeated himself. He'd watched as the place was filled with many important looking men and women earlier, but he didn't know what they were doing here.

"Oh. My father is an important man in our city and he has to be at these stupid political dinner parties. He dragged me along, even though I don't enjoy these things like mother does. I swear, if I could run away I would, but he'd probably start a nationwide man hunt for me." Kyuubi said distastefully, scratching at his head as he glared at the door.

"Why would you want to run away? You have everything that I could ever want and here you are taking it for granted!" Naruto shouted; glaring at his clone with so much passion, he'd startled Kyuubi into thinking he was going to get into a fight. Kyuubi just chuckled and clicked his tongue.

"I have my reasons for wanting to run." Kyuubi said, finally fed up with the wig and pulling it off. Naruto gasped as he watched the elbow length red hair cascade down from its position within the wig. His eyes widened when Kyuubi rubbed under his left eye and a red tattoo appeared out of thin air. He stared at his clone—no, he wasn't his clone, not anymore.

"Wh-what the fudge?" Naruto stuttered out, not believing what had just happened. Kyuubi smirked at him, jumping down from his perch and standing next to him.

"My father wouldn't approve of me; of how I've changed myself. I have to keep myself a secret in my own house just because he wouldn't approve. He'd lock me up in a loony bin, get someone to turn my hair blonde again, and try to keep me on some kind of drug if he'd ever find out. That is why, I want to run away from it all …" Kyuubi murmured, his red lava eyes connecting with Naruto's ocean blue; an idea was blossoming.

"What?" Naruto asked, wondering what was going on and why Kyuubi was staring at him as if he'd found the cure to cancer.

"Don't you see? I need to get away from it all, and you don't have anything. What if we switched places?" Kyuubi asked with excitement, smirking as his brilliant plan began to blossom even more. He wouldn't have to come back, he wouldn't have to worry for himself or Shukaku; this was perfect.

"What the fudge? This isn't the parent trap and we're not Mary-Kate and Ashley! This won't work!" Naruto tried to dismiss the idea from his and Kyuubi's mind, but the more he thought about it, the less he wanted to say no. This would be the answer to his problems; no more worrying where he'd end up at night, no more feeling cold, no more going hungry.

"Think about it Naruto. You'd be living the life, you'd have people who will care for you and best of all you'd have a family!" Kyuubi whispered to him, his hypnotic lava red eyes making him dizzy.

"I … I have to think about it." Naruto stuttered out, hopping off the counter and taking long strides to the locked door.

"Alright, but if you make up your mind … go to Konoha and straight to the Grand Bijuu Park. Take the Jinchuuriki trail all the way down to an old cabin. Knock on the cabin and tell the guy that will be there that you are what Kyuubi was talking about." Kyuubi shouted after Naruto, watching as he fled to the kitchen and was gone.

…

Naruto's heart was racing and as he passed by all the waiters and cooking staff with ease, he couldn't help but think about Kyuubi's proposition. How could he do it? How could he take over someone else's' life like that? How could Kyuubi expect him to lie to his parents like that?

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Naruto gasped as he felt his wrist being grabbed, jerking him back to reality. He looked back to the owner of the hand that was currently holding him back and smiled at the old chef.

"Oh hey Teuchi-san! I … nothing, I'm fine." Naruto murmured, refusing to meet the eyes of the kind chef.

"Nonsense; Ayame, bring me the largest bowl of ramen we have. Naruto has some explaining to do."
Teuchi said smiling at the young boy as he was seated and Ayame brought him the largest bowl in the kitchen. Naruto smiled and picked at the ramen; he just couldn't do it.

"I … I'm not really hungry Teuchi-san, and nothing is wrong." Naruto said, standing himself up once more as he made to try to leave through the back door.

"No Naruto, you will eat something and you will tell me what is troubling you. I promised that I was going to feed you tonight and I will. Now sit down and start spilling the beans or else … you're not going to like what I will do." Teuchi said with a sparkle to his eye, making Naruto gulp and nod.

He started to talk; telling both him and Ayame about the boy in the bathroom, about how the boy drastically changed his appearance in his hatred of his father and how Kyuubi proposed to him a life altering proposal that was troubling Naruto to no end.

"Hmm," Teuchi hummed in thought, watching Naruto enjoy his food with vigor; it was almost like he could finally eat once the weight of the problem was lifted off of him.

"Look Naruto, we can't make this decision for you. Whatever you decide, we're right by your side!" Ayame answered for him making him smile at the wise words his daughter said; she was learning well.

"Ayame is right Naruto. You must make this decision on your own. If we made it for you, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I will say this though, if you need any help, we'll be willing to help anyway we can." Teuchi said with a smile, making Naruto feel better.

"Alright … I'll need a huge favor."

"Anything you need." Teuchi said.

…

Kyuubi smirked as he walked back to the dinner party once again in his disguise. His mother sighed in relief next to his father and a small ounce of annoyance rolled through his system when she rushed towards him and hugged him for dear life.

"You see Kushina, he's alright." His father, the original Minato, said with a smile as he watched his son being smothered by his wife. "Glad you're safe, Kyuubi." Minato said in amusement.

"Well I'm sorry for worrying Minato, but you know that I don't feel alright if he wanders off in an unknown place! What if he gets lost, what if he gets abducted or hurt!" Kushina fretted, looking at her son's face for any signs of a bruise.

"Tch, I'm fine mother. I'm sixteen not five." Kyuubi said with a roll of the eyes, staring at his mother as she stared at his face. His eyes widened when she pulled out a napkin and tried to wipe something away from right under his left eye. He jerked himself away from her grasp, indifferent to her hurt expression.

"Minato!" his father roared, glaring at him for treating his mother that way.

"The name is Kyuubi and you both know that I don't like it when I get babied. I can take care of myself and I can definitely clean myself up." Kyuubi said; his eyes indifferent as he walked away towards their table. Minato sighed and he hugged his wife in comfort.

"It's alright Kushina, it's just a phase. You'll see that he'll slowly go back to being that cute little boy he always was, hugging and playing with everyone." Minato said; almost as if to reassure himself instead of her. Kushina sighed and nodded, kissing her husband as she walked towards where their stolid son sat and stared at the people around.

Kyuubi clicked his tongue as he watched the people around; soon very soon he'd be free of them, whether it is by switching places with Naruto or running away himself. He smirked towards the door to the kitchen. "No, he'll come, I know he will."

…

Shukaku sighed as he stared out the window, watching the pouring rain as it covered the earth and brought life to the earth. How long was he going to stay here in this cabin as Kyuubi's secret? How long was he going to stay and take this?

It had been a week ago when Kyuubi said he had a plan, a plan that would answer all their problems, but here he was, Kyuubi's dirty little secret, and no answer at all.

"Damn it Kyuubi! How long do you expect me to stay with you? … How long do you think I'll stay in love with you?" Shukaku whispered to no one in particular, walking towards a white sheet covering a canvas. He pulled it away and revealed an amazing scene of a small raccoon cub and a fox cub curled together taking a midday nap. He smiled and affectionately ran his finger over the fox, sighing in nostalgia.

"Knock, knock, knock." Shukaku jumped, startled by the sounds of knocking. He curiously went to the door; it couldn't be six o'clock yet, so he knew it wouldn't be Kyuubi, and no one knew he lived here or that this cabin even existed.

He opened the door and gasped; it was Kyuubi. "K-Kyuubi!" Shukaku gasped, pulling him inside and shutting the door. The poor boy was shivering and blubbering, saying something that Shukaku just couldn't understand.

He ran to the bathroom, running back with a couple of towels in hand. He slowly dried him, gasping when the wig wouldn't come off. He jumped back startled; his wide dark hazel eyes staring at the blonde Kyuubi look alike.

"I-i-I'm n-not K-K-Kyuubi. M-My n-name i-is N-N-Naruto." Naruto stuttered out, shivering and holding the soaked towel close to him in the hopes that it would still dry him and keep him warm. "I'm w-what K-Kyuubi w-was talking a-about."

Shukaku slumped down into the couch he was standing in front of, his eyes watching in amazement as Naruto stood there and shivered. He couldn't believe it; this was Kyuubi's great no-consequence plan? A boy named Naruto that looked exactly like the Kyuubi his parents knew?

Shukaku snapped out of his thoughts, walking over to the back closet and pulling out the giant towel cover thing he had and handed it to Naruto. He walked to the kitchen next and picked up his charging phone, calling the only person he thought to call.

Naruto watched as the dirty blonde walked around the cabin on automatic, his eyes conveying a sense of mental break down. He sighed in relief when he was given a full body towel he could wrap himself in.

"Kyuubi, it's Shukaku. … I got your plan, he walked in just now … Can you come over … bring some spare clothes with you." Shukaku muttered into the phone as he noticed the Naruto didn't have anything on him other than the soaked clothes he was wearing. He walked over to the living room as Naruto tried to finish drying himself before wrapping himself in the full body towel.

He sighed and motioned Naruto to the bathroom. "It's no use, just pull your clothes off and let them dry in the tub. Wrap yourself in the towel and wait for Kyuubi to come with some clothes." Shukaku said, gently pushing him inside and closing the door.

Naruto stared at the door for a few seconds before he did as Shukaku asked, walking out of the bathroom blushing a few minutes later. There was a sweet smell of chocolates and vanilla coming from the living room and Naruto smiled as Shukaku stood up and offered him some hot chocolate.

"Well, we're going to be here alone for a little while, so we might as well get to know each other. My name is Shukaku." Shukaku said, although he knew Naruto knew that already.

"Okay … um, my name is Naruto?" Naruto murmured in question with a smile, not knowing what to say. Shukaku chuckled and smiled at him, making Naruto relax back into the couch.

"Yeah, I guess we already know each other's name, huh?" Naruto nodded and took a sip from his hot chocolate making Shukaku smirk at him; he was just cute, even if he's Kyuubi's clone. "Well tell me where you're from."

"Hmm … i-I don't know. I was abandoned in front of an orphanage with only this small bracelet with my name and birthdate on it. I don't even know my last name." Naruto said, daring to let his right hand venture out into the cold air in order to show Shukaku his gold chain bracelet. "I've spent most of my life in the orphanage; no one wanted to adopt me. I ran away from the orphanage last year on my birthday and I've been out on the streets ever since."

"How'd you come to know Kyuubi?" Shukaku asked, brushing his dirty blonde hair back as he stared out the window and the rivulets of rain water pouring down it.

"I was caught stealing the left overs at the hotel where his father's dinner party was held. The chef was kind to me and told me that if I cleaned the bathrooms, I could have a large bowl of ramen for supper. I was cleaning the bathrooms when he walked in and locked the door." Naruto said with a smile.

"Huh, well you're one lucky kid. Once you switch with Kyuu, there won't be a single day when you'll have to steal any food." Shukaku said with a sigh.

"Ano, what's Kyuubi's deal with his dad anyways? What has him so against his father?" Naruto asked, curiosity getting to him once more; he'd been pondering that on the way over.

"That? Well … in order for you to get it, I have to tell you my background." Shukaku said smirking when Naruto got himself comfortable and turned all his attention solely on him.

"Go on." He chuckled and nodded.

"Well … when I was younger, I lived with my mom and dad. I remember she was the most beautiful creature in the world and she loved me. She loved me like only a mother could, but one day, one day she left us. It was an unusually dark night, my father had to stay in the office—it's funny, I don't even know what he worked in. My mother and I decided to spend the whole day out at the zoo and the aquarium. On our way back, the car broke down.

"We were already in town and just three blocks away from my father's office. My mom never carried a phone; she said that it was a nuisance and that it would only slow us down. She and my father had an agreement that if we were to leave the city, she'd have to carry it. That day, my mother never charged it and it was dead.

"She decided that we could walk to my father's office, get him to help us or stay with him until he went home. But as we walked, we noticed that there was a group following after us. She clutched my hand hard and told me not to worry, we were almost there. And we were; we were just at the door of the office building when they grabbed us. They pulled my mother into the alley and held her down.

"All they wanted was money, but we didn't have any. I tried to help her, I tried to get them off, but I was weak. I was only five years old and I couldn't do a thing to help her. I tried to tell them that my father worked in the building and that he could give them money, but they didn't care; they saw my mother for the beautiful woman she was and they wanted that beauty.

"I tried to fight them off, tried to help, but all they did was hold me on my knees and force me to watch as they violated my mother. They only got as far as ripping off her dress before there was a flashlight shinned on them; the security guard came out to see why there were screams. They all scrambled to get away, to not get caught. I thought they would leave us alone, but they took us with them.

"When they realized that we were slowing them down, they decided to get rid of us. They stabbed both of us and left us for dead; I survived, my mother … she did not" Shukaku whispered out, the tears in his eyes blurring the sight of Naruto crying as well.

"I woke up in the hospital bed to my father having a mental break down; I'd woken up in time to hear that my mother had died. After that, my father couldn't go on. It was as if he'd died with her. He got fired, we were evicted, and I even had to get a job in order for us to survive. My father turned into an alcoholic and blamed me for my mother's death; that's when he started beating me.

"I began to hang out with the street urchins; I joined gangs and became a thug. That's when I met Kyuubi. I was ten years old when I met Kyuubi. I found him getting intimidated by some of my friends in the park. They wanted his ball, his candy and even his shoes. Kyuubi didn't know what was going on, but he refused.

"Ha, ha, ha. He was such a thick headed kid; he was even challenging them. I watched and admired him as he stood up for himself and the other kids in the park, but when my friends pulled out a small knife, I knew he was in for it. I took a spur of the moment decision and stood up for him. I pushed him out of the way and took the hit with the knife for him. I defended him and I even beat up my friends for even trying to hurt him.

"After that, my friends left saying I was out and to watch my back. They left the knife on the floor next to me; I thought Kyuubi was gone, but then he was there. He helped me up and tried to stop the bleeding; that's when his father found us. He saw the blood, the knife, and he saw me. He threatened me and even hit me.

"Kyuubi began to hate him after that, but he always managed to find me. The tip of the iceberg finally came when his father found me in his bedroom last year, when he was fifteen and I was sixteen. He threw me in jail, had someone hired to beat me to an inch of my life, and threatened to send me to prison. After that, Kyuubi began to despise him, and we both decided that it was time we did something." Shukaku said with a sad smile.

"Well, what did you do?" Naruto asked with a small voice, too involved in the story to fix it and say it like a man.

"Two months ago me and Kyuubi acted out a huge fight and I made it look like I ran away from this city. I've been living here since then, but Kyuubi wants to run away now. That's why you're here. His father isn't letting him live, and we're both afraid of what he'd do if Kyuubi ran away now." Shukaku said, standing up and walking over to the canvas.

"So … if I do this, I'd be saving both your lives?" Naruto asked incredulously, finally getting his senses back.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"But what about me?"

"What about you?" Both Shukaku and Naruto turned to see a smirking redhead, umbrella in one hand and two duffle bags—a red and blue one—full of clothes in another.

"Well if your father is like he says, what about my sanity?" Naruto asked, blushing when Kyuubi raised an eyebrow to his attire.

"Don't worry about it. You're not the one who's in love with Shukaku. When he sees that you're not pinning after Shukaku, he'll leave you alone. They'll treat you like a son; they'll smother you, but it's alright, I think you'll like that." Kyuubi said with a smirk as he threw the blue duffle bag at him and kept the red one.

"What's this for?" Naruto asked, opening the bag and gasping in gratefulness.

"You'll need some clothes in order to go back." Kyuubi said with sarcasm as he pulled Naruto to the bathroom and shut the door, a rough difference to Shukaku's gentleness. Naruto sighed as he pulled out an outfit that Kyuubi packed for him. He gasped as he pulled out new pair of U.S. Polo Assassin shoes in dark blue. He set them down and pulled out an Aero Postal dark blue T-shirt and a plaid shirt to go over it in –guess—blue. The pants given to him were surprisingly black jeans and under those were—thankfully—a pair of black boxer briefs. He smiled, at least he won't be dressing like a stuck up rich boy.

Kyuubi smirked outside the bathroom, hearing Naruto's gasps of amazement. Shukaku smirked at him and pulled him into his arms, kissing his neck as they waited patiently for Naruto to walk out. "Are you sure you want to give it all up and give it to him?"

"Oh Shukaku, I'm not conceited. I have no desire to fuck my look alike." Kyuubi said with a smirk, receiving a glare from Shukaku; he knew what he meant. "Shuu … I love you and if my father won't let us be together, then we'll just have to run away. No one is going to stop me from loving you."

Shukaku smirked, turning Kyuubi's chin towards him as he met his lips with the redhead's soft ones. There was a sound of a door opening then a soft cough as Naruto walked out and smiled shyly at them. Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, noticing that this plan was much easier said than done.

"You're going to need some help. I'm not shy, I don't blush, and I definitely don't have whisker marks on my face. You're going to have to learn how to have confidence and dress appropriately." Kyuubi said, ripping himself from Shukaku in order to get to work. Shukaku sighed and just rolled with it; it's better to accept rather than complain.

"What do you mean? I am confident and I do dress appropriately! I think this is a rather nice outfit, but I like a little more orange in my outfits thank you very much." Naruto retorted, a fire in his ocean blue eyes. Kyuubi sighed and sat him down as he paced in front of him.

"What I mean is that you can't go around blushing and acting like a virgin every time you see something as petty as kissing. Especially since you'll be me now! And by dressing appropriately I mean … once you take over being me, you're going to have to dress to impress, get it? Dress in sexy outfits and be everyone's wet dream." Kyuubi said his lava red eyes peering into Naruto's ocean blues.

"Um …." Naruto blushed; this was not something he was expecting when he decided to do it.

"That's another thing … what to do about the blue eyes and those damn whiskers! My make-up won't help since it only covers the smallest things and that isn't small … and contacts aren't easy for just anyone." Kyuubi said pacing a little more and leaving Naruto to begin a freak out session.

"Alright, calm down the both of you!" Shukaku said loudly, making both of them turn towards him. He smirked and let a finger caress his redhead's cheek as he walked to the window.

"You stopped us just to caress my cheek?" Kyuubi seethed with a raised eyebrow, unsure of his love's mental state.

"Nope; I have a plan." Shukaku said with a smirk as he grabbed both their hands and walked out the door—only to return for some umbrellas a few seconds later.

…

"Are you nuts? This will never work! Besides it's too soon, I just got here! Don't you have to say goodbye, shouldn't I have a few days to get everything together, and shouldn't you be sad! Why the hell are you smiling like a lunatic who's just won the lottery?" Naruto asked in alarm as both Kyuubi and Shukaku pushed him up the bricked steps to a Hacienda style house hidden within some beautiful plants. ((Look it up, they're beautiful!))

"These people want me to grow up to be like my father and marry some twat! I don't have to be an ounce of sad! I already said goodbye to my only friend and filled him in on you. You can get everything together in my room just as well. If you have any questions, look for my journal under Kyuubi." Kyuubi said as he thrust a small Lens Crafters bag into Naruto's hand and Shukaku finished applying the blood to the bandages on each of Naruto's cheeks.

"Don't worry Naruto. Everything will go smoothly just as long as you follow directions and stay into character as much as you can." Shukaku said as he patted his head.

"Don't worry; just refuse to be touched by either of them; that's what I would do. Talk without emotion and don't look them in the eye." Kyuubi said as he held Naruto in place and looked him in the eye. "And Naruto … thank you." Kyuubi said as he hugged Naruto closely and let out a soft sob.

"Come on, let's go." Shukaku said as he looked at them, giving up and joining in on the hug. "You're saving our lives."

"Thank you so much … you don't know how grateful I am." Kyuubi said with a sniffle, giving Naruto another tight embrace before he let go and disappeared behind some bushes. Naruto stood there staring off after them, a small tear slipping down his face and into one of the bandages on his cheeks; he'll never forget them.

With a sigh and steeled nerves, Naruto walked up the bricked stairs and down the cobblestone path until he reached the cherry oak door, pulling out the keys that Kyuubi handed to him and opening the doors. Silence greeted him as he stepped inside, his eyes widening at the sheer size of the front foyer.

Following Kyuubi's instructions he left off his amazement for another time and stared at the floor, closing the door and taking off his shoes in the closet beside it.

"Mina—Kyuubi? What are you—what happened?" Naruto let out a soft gasp when his face was jerked up to meet the red eyes of a woman that looked sort of like Kyuubi in female form. He stared at her concerned face slowly realizing that this was Kushina Namikaze, mother of Kyuubi. Slowly it clicked and he ripped himself from her grasp, feigning a wince in order to save her feelings. "Y-Your eyes! Wh-what happened?"

"Nothing mother, I decided that a change was in order and so I left to go buy some contacts. The doctor said blue suited me fine, so I took them." Naruto deadpanned, giving himself a pat on the back for pulling it off.

"And your face? What happened to my beautiful boy?" Kushina sobbed out, trying to reach for him but succeeding in only grasping air.

"I am sixteen mother, why must we go over this once more? I just fell and scraped my face on that old fence near the forest. I went to see a nurse and she addressed my wounds. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way to my room." Naruto's heart broke when he saw her teary-eyed expression but kept walking.

He climbed the intricately designed winding stairs, his eyes running over each tile as he made it to the second floor. He remembered what Kyuubi told him and kept walking down the hall until he made it to the end. He turned and gasped as he walked down another hallway; Kyuubi's door was open and the inside was amazing.

He reached the room and let himself in, closing the door behind him silently as his eyes roved over the entire room, his eyes trying to connect the glow in the dark stars painted on the wall. He walked around, turning on the light switch and gasping in awe. Instead of turning on a light, he turned on a curtain of twinkling lights in the middle of the room, dividing the other half from the one seen.

Naruto crossed the room, moving the curtain of twinkling lights away to again gasp in awe as he entered a world of more glowing lights lighting his way around the room.

"This is way cool." Naruto murmured, sitting down in a plush chair painted with glow in the dark paint to show an intricate image of a rose. He sighed as he scratched his head. This was all his and already he was in love. This was just what he imagined his room would be when he got adopted as a child.

He got up and walked to the bed smirking when he realized that it had its own curtains to keep the world out and him in. He let his hand wander over the soft curtains, his eyes moving towards the bathroom and closet. He smiled once more and walked to the closet opening it up and gasping at the sheer amount of space and clothes stuffed inside.

"Kyuubi, it's your father. Open up." Naruto gasped and began to panic on the inside; what would he say; how would he act; what would he do? He took a big breath and steeled his nerves, opening the door to stare at a broad muscular chest. He raised his eyes slowly, inwardly gasping at the likeness the man had with him; this was Kyuubi's father.

"God, Kyuubi. What happened to you?" He asked, walking into the room and sitting on the black sofas that Naruto hadn't explored on the door's side of the twinkling curtains.

"I fell through the old gates near the forest after I bought my lenses. What more is there to that?" Naruto asked; surprising himself by how easily he adopted the roll of Kyuubi, but it still had its toll on him.

"I know that. I just spent the last two minutes listening to your mother cry about it. I'm asking what's gotten into you. Why are you trying to change your appearance? Why get blue contact lenses? You made your mother think that you hate her." Minato said with a frustrated sigh.

"I … I'm sorry, I don't mean it like that. I just want … change. I want to change." Naruto said, deciding to wing it; Kyuubi never told him what to say if his mother thought he hated her.

Minato's head sprang up. He expected silence, he expected a grunt, hell he even expected Kyuubi to tell him to mind his business but … sorry? There is something definitely wrong with his son. "Uh … are you okay Kyuu?" Minato asked, expecting him to yell about the name.

"I'm fine. Get out, I need some rest; the nurse ordered me to." Naruto said, returning to indifference as he opened the door to let his father out. Minato nodded numbly, walking out and standing in the hallway in amazement.

"It must have been the fall … he must have bumped his head." Minato muttered, deciding that his son wasn't a real problem, but his emotionally distressed wife was.

Naruto sighed as he walked to the bathroom and straight to the mirror, peeling off the fake bandages to get a good look at his face; what had he gotten into? "God, what the hell is wrong with me? Why the hell did I accept to do this?"

He walked over to the twinkling lights curtain and crossed to the other side, walking straight to the desk and the wooden letters spelling Kyuubi. "Alright, Kyuubi said to go to Kyuubi, I'm here … now what?" Naruto asked himself, sighing and sitting down at the desk.

He peered up at the letters, trying to decipher the hidden meaning of Kyuubi's message. Suddenly he spotted a small indentation, so small you wouldn't notice it unless you stare at it and knew what you were looking for. He stood up and reached for it, gasping when the wall actually gave way and a rectangle portion of the wall containing the letters sprang up and revealed a hidden hole in the wall; clever.

"What the hell is this? He isn't James Bond!" Naruto whispered harshly, looking inside to spot two small journals; one labeled For Naruto and the other labeled Journal: Touch upon Pain of Death. Naruto sighed and guessed that the threat didn't apply to him since he was now the new Kyuubi.

He opened the journal labeled for him and gasped for the millionth time that day. Inside was a note for him from Kyuubi that read:

Naruto,
I'm writing this tonight, the night we met, because I know you'll take the proposition. I made this journal just for you. If you have any questions, just read this. Congratulations, you've taken my life! I can't thank you enough; I just hope you'll be happy now. I'm doing this not only for me, but for you as well. You deserve to live the good life, so enjoy!

-Kyuubi

Naruto sighed once more as he closed the journal; not only was he going to have to stay, he was just guilt tripped into never leaving; great. He closed the journal and placed the other one back in the hole; no need for that one just yet. He carried the journal with him as he climbed into the curtained bed and laid down, staring in awe at the ceiling of the bed which was covered in glow in the dark paint in sync with the constellations of the night sky.

"Kami please help me live through this." Naruto said as he closed his eyes; he was going to need all the rest he could get for tomorrow.

Chapter End

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