AN: Okay, had to try and set the mood before I jumped RIGHT into the lemon, so that part of this chapter lasted a little longer than I thought it would. Don't want to go from my shortest chapter to a 15-20 page chapter, which this one would be if I added the fight scene to this chapter, so I'm added this chapter AND the next for the fight at the same time to keep my promise(mostly).

"Speech" -Demon speech
"Speech" -Human speech
'Thought' -Demon thought
'Thought' -Human thought

* * *

Chapter 7: Acceptance

Naruto opened the door to his hotel room, carefully holding Sakura so she would not get jostled around. She had been lightly dosing ever since they made it back to Konoha. The pheromones from Naruto had been purged on the trip, allowing Sakura to relax without worrying about doing something foolish.

Naruto sniffed the room, but he could not smell Misuni. 'Where is that kit?' he pondered, then shoved the thoughts aside. 'Bah, she hates me butting in anyway, she can take care of herself within Konoha.' He focused his attention back on the girl in his arms, carrying her like one would a child, she seemed so light. His eyes focused on the clawed hand from the arm supporting her back, the memories of his human years coming back.

Naruto growled softly, forcefully suppressing the old memories. They would do him no more good, except as a reminder of the ongoing change within him. At first Naruto and Kyuubi had been completely different personalities, but as time drug on Naruto had noticed the changes. Kyuubi seemed to be losing his influence, their memories merging more and more with every day. Sooner rather than later, Naruto knew there would no longer be even the small split between them as now.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Naruto shuffled inside the room. After pondering for a moment, he moved over toward the couch to lay Sakura down. Once he had her in a reasonably comfortable position, he threw a blanket over her and moved over toward the recliner facing the couch. With a plop, Naruto fell into the seat, making it rock back and forth. The motion eventually let his mind drift, as he watched the girl he'd always loved sleep. Maybe he hadn't always LIKED her, but his love… THAT had never changed.

* * *

Naruto slowly woke, groggily trying to remember where he was. Something warm and soft was rubbing his cheek, making him unwilling to open his eyes. Such a feeling shouldn't be ignored, after all. He allowed his mind to wonder, trying to remember what he had done before falling asleep. About a minute later, Naruto's eyes shot open, meeting the bright green of Sakura's own eyes.

"Hey, and to think I thought you were gonna just sit here and take it." She rubbed his cheek once more, causing Naruto to shudder. She grinned down at him, pleased that she could still get a reaction like that out of him. "Naruto-kun?" Her voice almost broke, mostly because of her concern about his answer to her next question.

Naruto starred at her, waiting.

"Will you ever forgive me?" The confused look that spread across his face would have been funny at any other time, except this one. Sakura pressed on. "Will you ever forgive me for… forcing this on you?" She grabbed one of his free hands with hers, pulling it into better view, the claws gleaming in the diffused sunlight.

Naruto looked down at his hand, flexing the hand into a fist before relaxing it once more. He looked back up at Sakura, her eyes displaying her sadness, but acceptance of the outcome soon to be. It took Naruto a minute to process what he was seeing in her, but it eventually worked its way into his head. 'She's serious? She still blames herself for this?' he thought to himself. "Sakura, YOU didn't do this to me. I'll admit, you helped it along, but…" He noticed her eyes watering up. "Stop, right now. Don't you even cry over something that would have probably happened eventually anyway."

He wrapped one of his tails around her waist, pulling her almost forcefully toward him. She had started moving back, away from him, which he had decided to put a stop to. "Listen to me, and listen well Sakura. Kyuubi WOULD have eventually made his attempt. I WOULD have beaten him when he did, and he WOULD have done this to me anyway. You incited it to happen earlier than it would have maybe, but it WOULD have happened." He reached his hand up, cupping her face with his palm. "I can't say I would have PREFERRED this happening, but it's given me what I wanted… in a round-about kinda way."

Sakura looked at him, flabbergasted that he would say such a thing. Before she could voice her opinion on Naruto's sanity, he continued.

"Joining with Kyuubi gave me the power I needed, truly NEEDED, to protect my loved ones. I found out you really love me, late but better than never. I have a daughter, maybe not a HUMAN one, but a daughter nonetheless. I care for her like ANY parent would for their child. I have the memories and experience of a being EONS older than me, but my human memories and experiences allow me to act like the kid I still AM. I didn't see it as a blessing when it happened, just a curse. Now, I CAN see the blessing it was, a mixed blessing sure, but still a BLESSING."

By this point Naruto had pulled Sakura onto the couch beside him, a pair of tails rubbing up and down her back to relax her. It had worked so far, making her sink further into the cushions. Absent-mindedly, she asked, "So you forgive me?" She looked over at him, their eyes locking.

In an unwavering tone, Naruto said, "Yes. I no longer believe it was even a bad thing, just poorly timed I guess. I no longer regret merging with Kyuubi, in fact I welcome it. I have accepted it." 'It is time.'

Naruto didn't hear the thought, but felt the sudden shift within him. He looked around suddenly, weary of the building pressure within his body. "Sukura, something's… happening!" White chakra started beading on his chest, seeping through his clothes to permeate his clothes and body. It didn't burn like Kyuubi's chakra had when he was human, but it felt decidedly different now. It felt like… HIM! 'We're complete!' it seemed to think.

Naruto stood up, putting distance between him and Sakura. He didn't understand WHAT was happening, but didn't feel threatened by the event. A sudden DELUGE of shear POWER hit him, driving him to his knees. He growled in discomfort, but felt no true pain, just the feeling of the change. 'What's going on?' 'The change.' 'What change?' Naruto asked himself. 'Us, kit. Soon, we will no longer be us, we will only be.' 'What the hell does that mean?' 'Two are finally becoming one.'

Before Naruto could respond to that, a BACK BREAKING surge of power hit him. Naruto felt as if he were under a mountains' worth of weight. Again, he felt no real pain, although the pressure building up inside his body was getting much worse, stronger. The room around him felt small, TOO small. He had to get out, get to open ground. He took off, running THROUGH the door as it splintered into a hundred or more pieces.

Naruto looked around, searching for a more wide open area, but could find none. Damn hotel had to be in the MIDDLE of the village. Another pressure spike hit, forcing the air around him away in a gust strong enough to blow shingles off houses. 'No time!' He yelled in his head. In an instinct, he crouched low, gathering his full strength before leaping into the sky. He wasn't high enough, so he created a pair of clones that grabbed him, throwing him even further up and toward the wooded training grounds. Just as he reached the pinnacle of his flight, one last pressure spike hit him, the white chakra surrounding him erupting into a solid ball of power over two hundred feet across.

The ball hung there, shining brighter than the sun could ever have. The people of Konoha stood there, gapping at the ball simply hanging there. After nearly five minutes, suddenly the ball vanished, leaving behind a truly MASSIVE snow white fox, one even larger than Kyuubi at it's prime, with ten gleaming bleach white tails waving behind it. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the fox shrank down, before suddenly vanishing.

* * *

An eight-headed snake turned toward the pulse, it's eyes starring unblinkingly at where the surge of power had come from, a seemingly endless power it had never felt before in it's eons of existence. It put on a thoughtful expression, it's many faces contorting this way and that as random thoughts hit it. 'Such power would be a boon.' 'Could we convince him to aid us?' 'How do we bend such a being to our will?' 'Are WE insane enough to try?' A myriad of other thoughts flashed through it's mind, but all revolved around the being who had just been thrust into the center of a fight which had lasted since before time was time. 'I hope that fox is ready for this.'

* * *

Anima shot up, unease running through it's thoughts. He summoned his strongest manipulating demon and three of his strongest fighting thralls. Once they all arrived, Anima spoke in tense worded concentration, tracking the immensely powerful fox with his various senses. He looked at the manipulator, a human-ish looking demon with an exceptionally over-proportioned head to the rest of its body. "Take my pet here, and use it to draw Kyuubi out of hiding. Do NOT lose control of it, or it will be your death, if not from HIM, then from ME!"

He turned toward the other three demons. The first was exceptionally thin, almost unhealthily so, despite it's being only barely weaker than Anima himself. It's largest drawback was it's weak mental defenses, which had allowed Anima his control. If not for it's inability to think ahead more, it would have been even stronger than most demon kings/queens. As it was now, it was still the physically strongest demon Anima had ever come across.

The next, the smartest of the demons, and most powerful of the three overall, had been a pain since Anima had tricked it into slavery. It had nearly won it's freedom from Anima through it's sheer intelligence. It was a master strategist, known for outthinking it's opponent, or leading it's prey into a trap the prey would create for themselves, before attacking from an unexpected angle and decisively overwhelming it's opponent. It was also the most human-like of the trio, allowing it to mingle with the humans it had preyed on before it's capture.

The final demon, the most inhuman of the trio, was an almost polar opposite of the first, a truly MASSIVE bulk sustained by it's diet of mostly rock and earth minerals. Despite it's sheer size, it was the absolute fastest demon Anima had managed to capture. It's power came, not through power, but by it's truly insane speed and body made of a rocky substance, diamond-like crystal protrusions sprouting from it's body at random areas which it could use to slice it's enemies apart. It's body also allowed it to fuse with the earth and travel through the ground unimpeded.

Anima smirked to himself. 'Even Kyuubi can't beat these three working together, not with HER attacking him at the same time as a distraction.' He grinned to himself, knowing that fox would finally fall to him. "I have a mission for you. That one," he said, pointing at the diminutive manipulator, "is going to use that fox to distract the Kyuubi no Kitsune. While that is happening, you are to BRING THAT DEMON DOWN! I don't care if you have to beat him to within an inch of his life, you WILL subdue him, then bring him here before me to face my wrath. Long have I owed that demon for breaking my control, and I WILL have my judgment! Fail me… and you will beg for my torture, for what I do to your souls will be far worse should you fail me… now GO!"

The four demons ran, unwilling to remain in the presence of Anima in one of his rages. That was a fate not even demons wished to experience.

* * *

Just as suddenly as Naruto had disappeared, he quickly reappeared, nearly startling Sakura out of her skin.

Sakura was awed by his changes, especially his eyes. Before he left, his eyes had been their more recent red/blue configuration. Now, they were blue, completely ice blue. His fur, tails, and ears had been a reddish orange, but now were completely white, just like the chakra he had emitted earlier. He had left before with nine tails, but now Sakura counted ten, whenever she could get them still long enough to count anyway. Lastly, before he left Sakura had only felt one thing, Naruto. THIS Naruro, had a presence around him, a sense of sheer POWER Sakura had never felt before, even remotely.

"Na... Naruto?" Sakura walked up to him cautiously. When she stood in front of him, she saw that his whisker marks had become even more pronounced. The only time she had seen them do that was when his demonic anger had taken over. She took an involuntary step back, but then caught herself and approached him once more, a hand reaching out to him. "Are you okay, Naruto-kun?"

A grin split his face, looking even more silly than his grins had as a full human. "I'm fine Sakura-chan, I'm better than fine in fact." He scratched the back of his head bashfully. "It's just me again!" he exclaimed. He rushed forward, taking Sakura completely by surprise as he wrapped his arms around her, a tail molding to her back to hold her closer.

Sakura shuddered, feeling the power in his arms, tail, body, even his breath as it caressed her neck. She felt her face warm, a blush covering her face as her mind wandered. "Naruto-kun, what… HAPPENED to you?" she finally asked, still shocked by his presence.

"Me and Kyuubi, we finally… well I guess I should say *I* now, anyway, we were slowly merging together after Kyuubi merged his power with my soul. We were slowly adapting, I guess you could say, to the merge between our power and personalities. I knew we were close to completing that change, I just didn't think it was going to be so… complete when it happened." Naruto pulled back, making Sakura miss the tactile contact already. "There IS no more Kyuubi personality in me now. Now it's just me. I guess I could change my name to fit me better, but I'm partial to Naruto still."

Naruto bent low until his mouth was beside Sakura's left ear. "You smell delightful Sakura." He pulled back, Sakura seeing the grin plastered on his face as he pulled back.

For a moment she didn't understand why he had pointed that out. Should she smell bad or something? The comment made no real sense. As she contemplated the statement, a barely detectable musk hit her. Her face lit up with a blush that would have done Hinata proud. 'Had he really smelled THAT? Please God tell me it's not what he meant?!' She looked up at his face once more, catching the twinkle in his eyes. Once more her eyes fell, embarrassment forcing her to hide her face in his chest.

'I can't believe he said that!' "Naruto?" She pulled back, eyes meeting his. Without a word, she reached up to grab him by the back of his head, grabbing a fist full of light blond hair and white fur, before pulling his lips down to hers. Electric! That was the only word she could think of to describe the sensation afterward. As it happened, her mind had completely shut down all direct thought, running solely on an instinct she hadn't known she possessed.

His hands reached down to her lower back, roughly pulling her body into contact with his as their kiss deepened, their mouths opening to allow tongues to come out and play. They dueled almost violently, neither willing to submit to the other as their passion mounted. After a minute, or maybe five, Naruto broke away from Sakuras' mouth long enough to latch his lips on the side of her neck, kissing and sucking on the tender flesh, occasionally nipping her lightly with his sharper than normal teeth.

Sakura groaned in the back of her throat, her hands reaching between them long enough to find the buttons of the shirt he wore, only then realizing it was torn apart and only just managing to hang onto his chest. Without thought, she grabbed the scraps of the ruined garment before tearing them apart, ripping what little fabric had survived until it fell from his chest. His muscles stood in relief, appearing slightly more defined than the last time she had seen him shirtless, a month before he had run away.

The memory returning, she calmed down enough to try to speak, however Naruto wouldn't have that. He attacked her neck once more, driving the thought from her mind as a soft moan escaped her lips. Her hands reached around his back, nails driving into his back nearly hard enough to draw blood as she clawed at his back. "Naruto!" she gasped. His tails had wrapped around her body, the furry appendages strong upon her well muscled frame.

Sakura wanted more, NEEDED more. Her clothes were beginning to feel stifling, so her hands started running from top to bottom, popping buttons as they traveled. Once they were undone, she pulled the front of her shirt apart, tossing it behind her as she pressed her bra-covered breasts against his well-muscled chest and stomach. The extra sensory contact between their skin sent a thrill up their spines once more, Sakura grabbing his head to once more try to duel his tongue.

Their breathing was labored, coming in deep, ragged gasps. Sakura jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist even as his hands and a tail moved to hold her up. Neither realized nor cared as Naruto stumbled toward his room, shutting the door behind him before walking toward the bed. Once there, Sakura slid back to her feet before turning them around, pushing Naruto back until his knees hit the side of the bed. Having no where to go, his legs gave out, sending him crashing to the bed.

Naruto looked up at her, eyes smoldering as she stood before the bed posing in such a way Naruto found INCREDIBLY sexy. Her hips cocked to the side as a fist rested on her out-thrust hip, her other arm rested limply next to her, eyes blazing down at him filled with both love and lust. Not to be outdone, Naruto wrapped a pair of tails around her upper legs before lifting her up off the ground and dropping her on top of him. Just after catching her, he flipped over, ending with her below him and he slammed his lips into hers.

Sakura tried to flip them back over, but he weighed too much, so she conceded this round to him and enjoyed the kiss. A minute or so after Sakura gave in, Naruto broke their kiss then trailed a line of wet kisses down her chin, neck, and onto her upper chest. Her breath hitched in her throat, hoping he was going further south. He seemingly read her mind, although instead of removing her bra he kissed down between the valley of her chest and continued south.

Naruto's mouth on her sensitive stomach muscles caused her lower body to twitch slightly, but she held still as well as she could as she waited for him to do more. Once his mouth reached the hem of her pants, he brought his hands in to unbuckle her belt and pop the buttons holding the offending garment onto her shapely body. The offending belt and buttons taken care of, he SLOWLY pulled her pants down.

The pace was agonizing, for both of them, however neither wished to rush their first experience by rushing. Once Naruto had her pants removed, he looked up her body, stopping for a moment to admire her light blue half-thong panties. 'I always thought she'd be wearing pink down there.' he thought, then shrugged it aside. He looked further up, coming up short as he starred at her breasts, previously hidden from view by her bra, but no more.

Naruto DROOLED, his eyes becoming heavy-lidded as he took in the beauty of the girl he had loved all his life. "Sakura…" Before he could say another word she had sat up, a finger over his lips.

When she pulled her finger away from his mouth, a wide grin crossed her lips as she sunk to her knees before him, hands finding and deftly undoing his belt buckle and pants. Her task completed, she pulled his pants down until they pooled at his ankles. Her eyes had not gone further south than just below his waist, firmly glued to the prominent bulge in his underwear. For a full minute, she remained there, staring unseeingly at her objective.

Naruto looked down at her as she stared at his barely covered erection. A blush filled his face, but he pushed it aside with contemptuous ease. He reached down, a hand cupping her face until she looked up at him, their eyes once more meeting. There they stayed, neither seeming to know where to go from there. Finally Sakura moved, standing up to wrap an arm around Naruto, pulling their chests' together. The pair moaned in unison at the contact, Sakura feeling the bulge of Naruto's cock pressing into her lower stomach, only two very thin pieces of cloth separating them.

Intending to repay Sakura for her first assault on him in the bed, Naruto picked her up without even trying, tossing her lightly onto her back in the bed. She landed with a shriek, before laughing softly. "Feisty now, are we?" she asked, watching as he climbed onto the bed on all fours, tails flashing behind him. He growled softly as he approached, making Sakura laugh even more. She could see the laughter in his eyes.

As his head became level with her waist, his head bent down until his lips came into contact with her covered sex. Her eyes clamped shut, a ragged gasp escaping her lips. In her addled mind, she never felt his hands pulling on the blue fabric keeping her hidden from his eyes. Once the sensations died down Sakura opened her eyes to find Naruto's head a foot away from her hips, looking right at her most private of places. She had to resist the urge to cover the exposed area, letting him look at her body all he wanted.

Naruto, for his part, sat there in a trance. It was the first time he had ever seen a fully nude female outside of nude magazines, and even then it had been tasteful nudes. This was blatantly sexual, and with a girl he deeply cared for, making it that much more exciting for him. Sakura gazed down at him, love and a LOT of lust smoldering in her eyes. "I want you Naruto. I want you in me, where you belong!"

Who was he to argue with that? Naruto stood up off the bed, pulling his boxers down his legs as Sakura watched. When his cock sprung free, her eyes locked onto it unwaveringly. Completely naked, Naruto climbed once again on all fours up the bed until he hovered over Sakura's body. Their breathing was heavy and labored from the tension of the situation, but neither would wish it differently. "I'll be gentle." Naruto said. He knew it was probably her first time, so he might hurt her otherwise. He might be an idiot sometimes, but he wasn't THAT dense!

She nodded her head before pulling his lips down to hers, her other hand reaching down to grasp his cock in her hand. He moaned his approval of that into her mouth, feeling her guide him into position. A second, or maybe an hour later, he felt his cock slip into a narrow hole and he pushed lightly. It sunk further in, to which Sakura groaned heavily into his kiss. After another couple inches, he felt resistance. He gave her a few more strokes, making sure she was okay before he forced his way through. When he guessed, and hoped, she was ready he thrust forward as hard and deep as he could, feeling the resistance tearing under his assault.

Sakura tried to suck the air out of his lungs, the sudden urge to scream as the sharp sting inside her brought tears to her eyes. Naruto froze in place, breaking their kiss to look down into her watering eyes. "I'm sorry Sakura." he said, leaning down to kiss her tears away.

It took a minute or two, but Sakura felt the pain ease away into the pleasant sensation it should. "Naruto, you can try moving now." He did as asked, gently pulling back before slowly inching back into her. 'Oh yea, the pain is gone now!' she thought. During his next stroke, she rolled her hips into him, inciting a groan from Sakura. Fuck did that feel good! Naruto picked up his pace as he pistoned in and out of the girl below him, leaning his face down to kiss her savagely.

Sakura grabbed his back in her hands, claws once more sinking into his back as she fought to remain conscious of the sensations flowing through her pussy. Faster, she wanted him to go faster! When she voiced the opinion, Naruto picked up his pace, but not enough for Sakura's taste. Giving a growl, Sakura clamped her legs around his lower body, holding him inside her before pushing them over. Naruto landed on his back, driving him that much more into Sakura as she started bucking and rolling her hips. Finding an angle she liked, Sakura started bouncing up and down on his cock.

Naruto growled at his loss of control, but the sensations drown out any argument he may have voiced. Instead, he reached up to grab a hand full of her breast, sitting up to wrap his lips around the others' nipple. The extra sensations made Sakura growl deep in her throat, making her bounce even more erratically than before as the sensations started overwhelming her. "Naruto! Oh fuck!"

Naruto stopped his breast play to wrap his arms around Sakura, pulling out of her only long enough to flip her around onto her hands and knees. A second later, Naruto was behind her, his cock lined up with her pussy before plunging back into her. Naruto bent over her and nipped at her neck as he thrust deeply into her. That did it. Sakura's arms collapsed, her head falling into the pillow on the bed as the sensation hit her. Her breathing was beyond labored, coming in short gasps as Naruto made love to her. She turned to look back at him, seeing his straining muscles as he tried to hold back his orgasm.

She was close, so VERY close. She flexed her muscles inside her stomach, rolling her hips one last time. That seemed to do it. Her eyes remained locked on Naruto's face as she watched him lose control, feeling him spasm inside her. A sudden warm, wet splash hit the back of her pussy, and that was all she needed.

Sakura explode. No other word could do it justice. Her insides clamped down, locking Naruto in place almost painfully as waves of muscle contractions tried to milk every drop Naruto had to give from his body. A wave of pleasure, the likes of which neither had experienced before, crashed into them. Try as he might, Naruto could not move inside Sakura anymore, so he did the next best thing and bent down to her face, locking his lips over hers. Their tongues dueled, prolonging the experience as they rode the wave of pleasure.

They both relaxed, Naruto softened inside her until he slipped out, trailing a mess of their bodily fluids as they both settled into the bed, Sakura's back to Naruto's chest in a spoon. His arms draped across her stomach, pulling her into firm contact with his chest. "I love you, Sakura-chan."

She pulled the arm draped over her body upward, kissing his palm before holding it firmly to her breast. "I love you too, Naruto-kun." The pair fell asleep in each others' arms, dreams of a happy life meeting them in the night.