Title: Cycling through Time
Rating: M
Warning: Yaoi (BoyXBoy), SasuNaru
Note(s): This story just hit me as I was trying to going to sleep. And let me tell you that was annoying. But I got a wonderful idea for a story. I really don't know if this story is worth keeping, if you like it then please review. I will not place notes at the end unless I have something that really needs to be said. So this is a dry run for this story, I will not place a second chapter unless I get enough reviews.
Summary: Naruto is one of nine royal demons but they are not all back on earth yet. So he lives his life and watches his friends grow old and die. Then he has to wait for them to be reborn and the cycle to start again.
'Denotes flashbacks and inner thoughts'
"Denotes speech"
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.
Beta: uchihasasukekun07
Chapter 1: Rebirth
-----Gaara's POV-----
As I sat looking out at the sky, I smiled. The newest cycle started about sixty years ago, but the people that we were waiting for in the cycle were born more recently. While I hated waiting alone, watching the kids who were playing gave me some solace to my loneliness. But as I watched the kids who were playing I smiled. This feeling was short lived as I thought back on the last cycle and the loss of my mate. Looking at the children I thought about when they would grow up. Soon I would be awakening Kyuubi. He was the ruler of a broken kingdom. The ruler of the demons. Thinking about the Hokage I almost laughed. They didn't like harboring a demon, what would they think if they knew they were harboring two of us!? Maybe a few more of this cycle would give birth to some new ones. I still talked to Kyuubi, not because he would respond but because I missed my friend. It also had a second effect, it kept most people away. They only guessed at my age,but they knew I was a great ninja. I was glad that they kept to themselves, they held no sway in my life. Only one person held sway in what I did and I was watching him, he was watching some smaller kids.
Neji Hyuuga, the Hyuuga prodigy and my mate. Granted right now that wasn't likely yet. Seeing as he was only fourteen, but when he grows older. Odds are that he would come to me. I thought about how I would explain time cycles to him this time. I could tell him it was like watching time start over or turning an hourglass over and watching the sand run to the bottom again, watching our friends as they played and dreamed of becoming ninja. Neji looked my way and he smiled, I knew when he was older he would be different, colder, more like me. I gave him a quick smile and looked back at the statue. He knew I was a ninja, they all did. I was an ANBU captain and I knew that they were all wondering about my age. But after three cycles even I only had a small idea about how old I truly was. I stopped counting after the second cycle.
Naruto had lived through two. When a demon chose you as a vessel you are immune to the turning of time and you are ripped from the cycle. I didn't mind too much because things I have noticed happen almost the same in every life time. But even being pulled out still has it's advantages, I have a friend and I'm no longer really alone. I cannot wait for Naruto to wake up. My siblings live in the sand village, they will know of me but they will think I was given up for adoption and seek me out when they are older. Mother still dies but it's father that kills her not me and Temari takes over the house.
One little boy stood up and walked over to me. His friends just looked at him like he was crazy.
"Would you like to play with us?" he asked.
"Sure if your friends don't mind?" I replied.
"They won't." he said taking my hand and leading me towards the sandbox, "My name's Andrew."
"Gaara." I said.
"I know. You're a ninja."
I followed him as he led me back over to the sandbox. He sat on the rim and I sat down next to him. I could see some of the parents were uncomfortable with me being here. I heard a twig snap and I turned a little and saw a shadow that didn't belong in the forest. Running through three quick hand signs a clone appeared climbing out of the sand. Andrew looked up and the parents looked around. Standing up I watched as the shadow moved. Jumping back I dodged the blade. Smiling I led him back so that he was on the sand, but his blade never touching me. Raising a hand the sand closed around his feet then coursed over his body. Raising my hand up he rose off of the ground. When he was up a ways. I flicked my other wrist and covered the kids and me with a shield of sand and then I crushed the assassin in my sands. Once the blood was done falling the sand retreated and I stood up and walked away from the kids. Andrew ran after me but I just shook my head and he stopped. I walked back to the statue and decided it was time to wake him up but I would wait until the sun had set and the kids were out of the park.
Walking away I went to inform the Hokage that I would be waking up Naruto. Jumping down from the wall I walked into the Hokage tower and I watched as some of the people backed up trying to get away from me. Smiling I walked up through the tower and I knocked on the doors to the Hokage chamber. Once I was called to enter I did, the fifth Hokage sat there and I looked at her. Tsunade stared back at me.
"I'm waking him up tonight." I said as I walked over to the window.
"What?" she asked turning from her desk to face me, she knew all about me but like the others she didn't know about Naruto. "Who are you waking up?"
"His name is Naruto, he is the Nine-Tailed beast, my boss so to speak. He has been resting for the last while."
"Where? I think we would know about this if it was in the leaf."
"It is a secret that the first took to the grave with him, at our request. A lot of people actually know where he is." I said not looking away from the window.
"I want to be there. I feel like I am supposed to know about someone named Naruto." she said.
"Oh, you do know him, or you did before he was pulled out of the cycles." I said.
"What?"
"Before Naruto was pulled out of the cycles, he was like a grandson to you."
"I don't understand."
"He was pulled out of the cycles, which means that he is not reborn in the next cycle, but he is already born. So where as he was a relative of yours in the last cycle, now he still is, but he was already born, not waiting to be born."
"Okay so we're related but by a cycle ago?"
"That's one way to look at it." I said. "I'm waiting until sundown to awaken him."
"Why are you waiting until sundown?"
"So that the park will be unoccupied."
"The park? You mean he's buried in the park?"
"Kind of." I said with a smile.
"I can have the park cleared out and we can take care of this right now."
"If you think that that is best." I said.
"Shizune, were heading to the park." Tsunade said.
Turning I saw that Shizune had walked into the room. I followed Tsunade and Shizune out of the room. As we walked to the park Tsunade turned to look at me.
"So how many are there?"
"I'm sorry what?"
"How may are there like you?"
"You mean demons?"
"Yes."
"Well there are nine royal demons and then the little demon families."
"How many are on earth?"
"Well right now there are two, that I know of and then the demon families. But they are sealed with in families. Passed on like bloodlines. They are not removed from the cycles or not until they have a royal demon to serve. When that happens they become like us and pass through the cycles."
"Could you do that?"
"Normally yes, but Naruto the head demon needs to agree to it."
"So what are the names of the nine royal demons?"
"Shukaku, Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, Gobi, Shichibi, Hachibi and Kyuubi." I said looking at her, "And if you follow the names, you can also tell how many tails each of us has. Because each of the royal demons have different amounts of power. The more tails the more power."
"Which one are you?"
"I'm Shukaku, the one tailed raccoon. Master of sand and the lowest on the royal."
"And this Naruto, which is he?"
"He's Kyuubi, the nine-Tailed fox. Master of fire and the highest of the royal demons."
"And we are waking him up because?
"Because he is my friend and I am already sixty years late. I decided to wait until the mates came around again."
"Mates?"
"Yes, me and Naruto are mated and we didn't find the way to keep our mates alive. So we both had to watch as they grew old and eventually died." I said, my face going blank as I remembered when Neji died.
After a minute I looked around and saw that we were already at the statue. Looking at the statue, I saw just how much time had passed. The stone was still as perfect as the day it was made, but there were some vines and moss on it. Frowning I waved my hand at the sandbox. Then using the sand I scrubbed the statue off. Placing the sand back in the box. I noticed that the children and their parents were still there.
"I thought you said you could clear the park."
"I tried, but some people refused to leave."
"Then could we wait until later. I would rather do this with a smaller group of people or by myself."
"No we do this now, if for no other reason than we have accommodated you with anything you needed."
"Fine but stand back, I don't know what he will be like. He might attack me and I would rather not have anyone getting hurt." I said.
I watched as they all stood back. Turning back to the statue, I waved my hand and I watched as the stone started to turn red. The fur rippled as the wind ran through it. One of the tails twitched and slid down the statue onto the ground. I could hear a child scream but I couldn't allow that to distract me, I needed to bring him back. After a few minutes, all of the stone was gone and I watched as the body took in a large breath. The large head lifted off of the pedestal and looked at me. His eyes were red and I smiled. This was going to be fun. As he leaned back onto his haunches his eyes became blue and he settled down. He cocked his head to the side and even in his form it was too cute. At that point I knew that I needed to have my mate want me.
"Gaara, how long have I been asleep?" Kyuubi asked.
"For about a cycle and a half's worth of time." I said.
"Oh, so long?" he said.
I watched as he stood up on his hind legs and the body shrank. Followed by the fur covering his body. But he used his tails to cover his lower half. Walking closer I grabbed a bag from behind the pedestal and handed it to him. Waving my hand, Naruto was covered in a sand shield. He would knock when he was done. Turning I could see that some people were in shock and Tsunade had her hand covering her mouth. He looks just like his father. I could almost see the thought running through her mind.
