C.M.D: This chapter came out pretty quickly, but I am glad to say that I love it very much. I am happy with every little thing about it. Now, back to protocol. THANK YOU: yayanolala, My Solitude, mochiusagi, MissAdorkable33501, DeMoNDYnaSTy, niceladysakura, cluelessninja65. Your reviews are greatly appreciated, and are in part due to the reason why this chapter came out so quickly. All the same, I've gone over it, so mistakes should be minimal. In either case, if there are any, I'll fix them at a later date. Anyways, enjoy everyone! I believe you're in for a delightful surprise.

xx-X A File Folder Apiece X-xx

It was dark again. Kyuubi wasn't so surprised to find himself staring up at a dark ceiling once more, his face pressed into the bedsheets. Blinking slowly, feeling for the world as if he had been drugged, the child pushed himself up, sitting upright. He wiped away the sleep from his eyes, staring dazedly around the room. The clock on the nightstand read 12:33. He had not meant to fall asleep, but he had, and his body felt leaden from over-sleeping. Ignoring the slight ache in his knees from when he had them curled against the wall, Kyuubi slid off the bed and padded to the door. Despite the heaviness of his body, his mind was sharp. It seemed his sickness had finally passed.

The door opened silently, and Kyuubi stepped out of the bedroom, immediately heading for the living room. He saw right away that the couch was not unfolded. Had Naruto been too tired to bring out the bed? But as the child rounded the corner, he saw that no figure was stretched across the couch's cushions. Not wanting to believe the first possibility that came to mind, Kyuubi turned about and headed for the kitchen. The bathroom door was opened, and inside was dark and empty as well he saw as he passed. The kitchen revealed no blonde; and a glance at the door told him that no jacket or shoes had been added to his own. Kyuubi slowly blinked, staring at the door a minute longer, before walking into the kitchen. His bowl of rice stew from breakfast was still sitting on the table, forgotten. It had become cold and started to mildew from the smell of it.

The sight of the forlorn bowl told the boy that Naruto had not come home once. A kind of suspicious-confusion settled on the Uchiha, and he began to ponder the reasons for the man's absence. But, rationality pushed those silly theories aside, reminding him firmly that without any clues, Kyuubi could not even begin to know. It was foolish to try and build truth out of thin air. Picking up his spoiled meal, Kyuubi chucked its contents into the garbage, and turning the kitchen light on, he returned to the sink. He started the water, waiting for it to be hot enough before scrubbing the bowl out. As he washed the few dishes - a task he had never done previously- Kyuubi let his mind wander; asking questions about Naruto that he knew wouldn't be answered.

"I still don't understand," Naruto said, raising his eyes from the folder. He looked at Iruka puzzled.

"Of course you don't," came Kakashi's snide comment from the side. Naruto gave the security guard a scathing look, to which the older man easily ignored. Iruka sighed, folding his hands on the table top.

"Of course you wouldn't," the teacher echoed. "You were sick too often. They gave you heavy doses of sedatives for when the pain overcame the painkillers, and so you would sleep at night. You spent many of those days in a dream-like daze. I don't even think you were taking in half of what was there, even when your eyes were opened."

Naruto looked back down at the medical files. His eyes re-read the names listed. "And so, this man helped me...?"

A quiet blonde sat on the curb outside a bar, his hands flipping through the pages in a file folder slowly. He stopped every once in a while to either press closer to the page to try and read something, or to take a swig from the bottle that he held in his free hand. The man did not notice the lone car that rolled down the street, or when the neon sign of the bar behind him turned off with a buzzing flicker. He was unaware of much around him, other than the papers in his lap that dictated the point in his life when he had almost died.

He supposed he should have been feeling a sort of fear, or even relief, as he reread the medical documents, but no such emotions came to the surface. Instead, a numbness had taken over the man's body, overridden only by the confusion that filled his mind. None of this made sense...

Aplastic Anemia (severe) stood out in bold words on the white page.

Naruto found his eyes kept returning to the name. This was the disease that had nearly destroyed his life; it was the cause behind this mess. With a sigh, the blonde took another drink from the bottle, the last of the beer draining into his mouth. With a sullen glare, he set the bottle down beside him, returning to the file. He could remember the hospital room he had been kept in for nearly three years... the whirring and beeping of the life-support machines all around him; the muted tones of doctors and patients beyond his room... they echoed in the back of his head, the same as they did when he had been laying in that bed long ago, in room 28, waiting to die or waiting for help.

"I never knew... you were already pale and a little weak when you came to live with me. I would have never guessed that it was because of this..."

Naruto closed his eyes, exhaling slowly and resting his head on his knees. Iruka's voice was nervous and apologetic the entire time he had talked to the blonde earlier that day, as if the brunette felt he was the one to blame for the Uzumaki being sick. Even Kakashi talked to him in gentle tones...

Terrible news, the man thought. But it wasn't like he hadn't already known about his condition before. After all, it was somewhat difficult to be in a hospital for so long a period, and not know the reason as to why.

"I already know all this. Why call me over to talk about something I already know?," came his voice next, as he let his mind slip back to the conversation of this afternoon. Behind his eyelids, Naruto recalled the round kitchen table. He sat by the corner of the wall, while Kakashi and Iruka sat across from him. His coffee cup, which he had been filled and drained three times now, was pushed away from him. On the table, his medical folder had been opened up.

"Because there's something that we still haven't told you," Kakashi answered, leaning a little closer. He turned the pages inside the folder, pausing on one of the print-outs. Following the ex-cop's finger, Naruto saw that it came to a list of names.

"They are the names of the doctors and nurses who were assigned to you, during your stay at the hospital," Iruka explained, before the blonde could even voice his question. Iruka too leaned forward, prodding at names on the list as he continued. "These are the doctors that first treated you, before anyone realized you had sever Aplastic Anemia. These are the doctors that you were transferred to after. Dr. Tsunade was the only experienced staff member who knew about this branch of rare diseases and the bone marrow transfusions that accompanied it."

He could remember that woman. Even through the patchy memories of his young teen years, the doctor posed a striking distinction from the backdrop of white, with her blonde hair and large breasts. Pulling away from the image of the doctor that had been drawn to the forefront of his mind, he returned to the topic at hand...

He recalled the way Iruka paused, the troubled furrow of his brow. But there was a small smile on his lips. "This man is the reason you are still with us today," the teacher softly said.

He read the name, and could barely make the connection. "Who is he?," Naruto asked.

Kakashi grabbed another of the folders, flipping through its contents before showing it to the blonde. Naruto recognized the black hair and dark eyes, and scowled at the other man's image. "Sasuke Uchiha... I remember that man," the blonde mumbled darkly. "He's that rude guy from Hyuuga-san's book showing. Spilled my ramen and blamed me for it, the bastard."

He almost missed the troubled look that Kakashi and Iruka shared. "What?," he asked, looking between both men. "What did I say?"

"You've had contact with Sasuke?," Kakashi questioned. Not waiting for a reply, the security guard turned to his partner. "Things may be worse than we thought," he shared quietly with Iruka. "If he's aware of-?"

"Hey, wait? Tell me what's this about!" The Uzumaki pointed at both file folders. "Are these two related or something? And what does that rich bastard have to do with my medical records?"

Iruka took a deep breath, sitting rigid in his seat. From the man's expression, you would think he was heading out for battle. His lips were flat, and there was a grim defeat in his eyes. "I remember that day when we went to the hospital. It was only a trip down the stairs... but you were bleeding so much and it wouldn't stop... everything was so red..."

Iruka trailed off for a moment, burying his head in his hands as he took deep breaths. Naruto wish he could have remembered that moment more. Aside from the fact that he and the brunette had been in an argument at the time, he did not recall the fall down the stairs or the trip to the hospital that followed. He remembered the pain though, and the warm blood on his face. He bet it had been a horrifying scene for the Umino. Kakashi wrapped an arm around Iruka's shoulder, and finally the teacher emerged from his hands, releasing a heavy sigh.

"It was when they were trying to fix you up, that they realized something was wrong. A diagnosis revealed that you had Aplastic Anemia. They tried bandaging you up, to keep from losing too much blood and had us transferred to another doctor. They gave you a couple transfusions, but couldn't do any stitches. The disease made you susceptible to excessive blood-loss, and you wouldn't be able to heal the same as if you were healthy. The doctors didn't want to run the risk of infection getting in your stitches..."

"W-when your cuts from the fall finally healed," Iruka continued. "Tsunade-san immediately started your treatment. The first few attempts were failures, nothing stuck, and we had to resort to immunosuppressive therapy until you were stronger. After the really bad rejection of the growth factors... we realized the only thing left was a bone marrow transplant. But with no family... and the long waiting list... it seemed hopeless."

Tears rimmed the brunette's eyes then. In his memory, Naruto recalled the way they glistened and tore him up from the inside. "Y-you were ge-getting worse," Iruka choked. "T-the longer the pr-procedure extended, th-the more y-your body we-eakened, until we e-even had t-to stop the im-mmunosuppressive therapy, be-because it p-put you at t-too much risk..."

"Dr. Tsunade told us, that at this rate, the likelihood of you catching something stronger, or becoming gravely ill because of a common cold, was very high," Kakashi said, taking over. Iruka was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, shaking hands wiping at his tears, as he remembered those horrifying days. Naruto reluctantly turned his attention away from his teacher, focusing on the grey-haired man.

"Iruka would have lost you, if it hadn't been for this man. He paid not only for your medical bills, but he even hired extra doctors to find you matching transplants," the Hatake continued. "By now, we were approaching your third year in the hospital... you were still a fair distance from the top of the list, and none of the marrow donors matched with you. It was, in every aspect, hopeless. But he did not give up, and he even turned around and had himself tested. Naruto, I'm not religious but I can tell you it was an honest to god miracle that he was your exact type. He saved you, by paying to keep you alive, and finally, by giving you the bone marrow that turned everything around."

There was a sort of stunned silence that followed. Even now, Naruto could not believe it. There had been such a person so driven to save his life. The significance of it was overwhelming, and remembering what it was like at twelve, thinking no one in the whole world gave a damn about him... he felt his heart clench painfully with joy.

"But... what does that have to do with Uchiha Sasuke...?," he heard himself ask.

Kakashi looked at Iruka, who had grabbed one of the binders this time, and flipped it open. He pulled out an envelope from the pocket sleeve behind the cover, handing it to the stunned blonde. "The night of your release, he had wanted to come down and see you off. I'm afraid to say that you don't remember him at all, but you had grown quite attached to him. The best of friends, if I ever did see. He was attending another event with his parents, but when he received my message, they immediately left to come here," Iruka smiled, closing the binder. But as his hands folded over it, the Umino's smile fell.

"They were coming down from the mountains... a transporter broke an axle as it was rounding the corner- negligence and rust, apparently- and it crashed. Their car was caught on the outside of the turn... they were forced off the road and over the side..."

Naruto felt his stomach plummet with horror. "No...," he croaked, clenching the envelope tightly in his hands.

"He did survive, Naruto," Kakashi said. "But his parents did not." There was a tired look in the security guard's eyes. "He wasn't able to come see you after that. Dealing with his parents' funeral... and overtaking their business... they kept him so busy, he couldn't spare anymore time on anything else."

"But he never wanted you to forget him," Iruka spoke up again. He piled together the binder and folders, and pushed them toward Naruto. "He left these with us, with specific instructions to give them to you when the time was right."

Naruto reached for them, gripping them tightly. He did not mind the cutting pressure along the inside of his palms. "Why now?," he asked, looking to both men. Iruka looked at Kakashi, and the man nodded his head in return.

"Uchiha Sasuke has recently lost his son. Kidnapping... I'm surprised you don't know, really," the ex-cop mumbled, before getting back on track. "People are searching, but no results so far. I get the dreadful feeling that soon innocent people are going to be pulled in, and either interrogated, or wrongly convicted before the end of this."

Naruto scowled at this. "To be expected of a rich bastard."

Kakashi shook his head. "You don't get it, Naruto. You've drawn attention to yourself, and now Sasuke is aware of your presence."

"But, why-?"

"It matters," Kakashi continued, cutting the blonde off, "because he lost his parents that night when you were released from the hospital. And he blames you and his brother."

Naruto opened his eyes, gazing blearily at the world around him. In the distance, buildings were beginning to be tinged grey with approaching dawn. Already, a few early risers were driving down the street, drinking coffee as they steered their vehicles to work. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Naruto shoved the file folder still in his lap into his bag, rising to his feet and digging out his keys. The beer bottle clinked as it toppled to the curb, and the blonde blinked at it dazedly, before deciding he had worked the couple bottles of alcohol out of his system during his sleep as he straddled his bike.

With a yawn, Naruto turned the engine on, staring at the horizon; watching a little longer as the sky continued to lighten. Feeling more than safely awake now, the Uzumaki kicked up the stand and steered out onto the street. His bag felt heavy on his back, and with a grim frown, he knew it was because of all the secrets that he had suddenly been bestowed with. He thought the past could no longer affect him, but these slights in memory promised to demolish his future, if a powerful man trapped within the pains of his own past decided to take his revenge out on the blonde. And all because Naruto happened to be associated with his brother, who Uchiha Sasuke held responsible for his parents' death all those years ago.

'Typical bastards,' Naruto thought, roaring down the road, finally heading home.

Sasuke frowned, flipping through the pages that his private investigator had handed him earlier. He had not cared about the man's personal opinion on the case, or that there was nothing of much to discredit the Uzumaki... that wasn't Sasuke's purpose to having the man searched. He wanted to know why his loathsome brother had such an attachment to the blonde nobody. Itachi wasn't the type of person to build such relationships with others.

Frowning, Sasuke grabbed his glass off of the nightstand, swallowing a mouthful of rum, setting the glass down hard. Obsidian orbs scanned over print-outs of school records, foster care records, government forms, adoption papers... Nothing stuck out much, and he still didn't see how Itachi could have come across the blonde. The Uzumaki had attended regular school, followed by community college after his graduation. His tax records were good, and other than a couple police warnings for stealing from the supermarket, he had never done any time. All of his awards and certifications of merit weren't enough to lift the blonde to high society; not even his community service was enough to get him into the newspaper. He was non-existence as far as Sasuke was concerned.

So why did Itachi know and care for the dobe?

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke re-read through the files, flipping the pages so angrily that a few tore at the corners. Suddenly, something jumped out at him, and the raven turned back to the page. It was one of the Uzumaki's medical records. Pulling the sheet closer, Sasuke squinted at the tiny print, eyes moving across the page as he took in the information. His eyes widened in surprise.

Uchiha Itachi was listed under biller, and donor.

Quickly scanning through the rest of the records, Sasuke found his frown morphing into a snarl. So, this is where all his lovely brother's time at been spent those three years... he had been wasting his time and money on a sick, simpering blonde boy. Even giving the man bone marrow...

White, hot anger surged through Sasuke as he returned to the first page, and noticed something that he hadn't the first time: the release date of the Uzumaki's hospitalization. Growling under his breath, the Uchiha threw the files away from him, lunging to his feet and stomping across the room to the bottle of rum sitting on the table. He ignored the ice, grabbing another glass and filling it to the brim with the amber liquid. He relished the burn as it went down his throat, wallowing in his anger. To Sasuke, the reasons behind Itachi's interest in the Uzumaki meant little to him anymore. They could not deterr him from hating the blonde any less. Because Itachi was so desperate to go see a snot-nosed brat that night, their parents had died. Their deaths were just as much Uzumaki Naruto's fault, as his brother's.

And now he knew.

He could tell the difference the moment he woke up. Stretching the kinks out of his neck, Kyuubi slipped out of bed, exiting the room. He quietly tip-toed to the living room, and breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed that Naruto was actually asleep on the couch. Sunlight streamed through the narrow openings in the curtains that had jerkingly been pulled shut, patches of it falling on the blonde's unconscious form. He could tell easily from the man's appearance that Naruto had just recently come home and collapsed on the couch. A sharp smell caught Kyuubi's attention, and the pre-teen spotted three empty sake bottles on the end table. Apparently, Naruto had been able to drink a little before falling asleep.

Deciding he should just let the Uzumaki sleep, Kyuubi turned back around and headed to the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal, and stared in the fridge when he went to get the milk. He was tempted by the thought of having a nice meal prepared for Naruto; the blonde smiling at him with gratitude and surprise at the thoughtful gesture. But then the red-head realized that he didn't really know how to use the stove or cook eggs, though he had watched Naruto do it many times, and with a scowl, shut the fridge door. Sad, the child thought. That's all his life was: one pathetic realization after the next. One would wonder why he even bothered, but then he remembered he was an Uchiha, and Uchiha always tried. Licking the last of the milk off his spoon as he finished his breakfast, Kyuubi cocked his head at the stove.

Several minutes later, nursing an angry red mark on his wrist, Kyuubi gratefully scooped his charcoaled egg onto a plate, setting beside it two slices of toast, both covered in butter and jam just like how Naruto liked. The preteen dropped the frying pan in the sink, turning on the water; turning it off only after the pan had stopped hissing. He left the meal sitting on the table, returning to the bedroom for a second to grab some of his homework, before heading to the living room. Naruto was still asleep, drooling onto the seat cushion. Kyuubi smiled. It was when he was walking toward the man that he noticed the bag on the floor, its open zipper spilling its contents to the floor. Curious, Kyuubi crouched down, reaching over and pulling a file folder out of the mess.

Was this the reason why Naruto had not come home until morning? The preteen's heart was racing as he set the file folder in front of him, fingers slipping under the side, slowly lifting the cover-

Naruto grunted. Kyuubi jumped as if he had been shocked, scooping the file folder up and shuffling it between his calculus work. He took several deep breaths, watching as Naruto grunted again, rolling around on the couch before wearily opening his eyes. "Wazzup?," Naruto asked, voice thick with sleep. Kyuubi swallowed, schooling his features into indifference.

"Nothing," he replied. He kept a sharp eye on Naruto as the blonde first sat up and then staggered off the couch. The man scratched behind one ear and at his stomach simultaneously, yawning widely. When his eyes opened again, they landed on the bag sitting on the floor, glancing over to the child before returning to the bag. Stiffly, Naruto bent down and scooped everything back inside, zipping the bag shut and slinging it over one shoulder.

"Time?," he croaked.

"Much too early for you to be awake," Kyuubi answered, reaching forward with one hand and taking hold of Naruto's elbow. He thought distantly about his hard-worked breakfast, but one look at the Uzumaki's blood-shot eyes and swaying figure told him that Naruto wouldn't be able to enjoy his meal, let alone eat it. The blonde would sooner poke his eye out, then get the fork in his mouth. "C'mon," the preteen said softly, leading the man to the bedroom.

Naruto did not protest, and he fell onto the bed without any prompting. Feeling a smile tug at his lips, Kyuubi set his papers down, before reaching around and pulling the blanket over the blonde's form. Naruto mumbled something incoherent, snuggling deeper into the sheets before dropping off altogether. "Foolish...," Kyuubi whispered. He brushed a few of the gold strands out of Naruto's face, before grabbing his papers and bolting out of the room.

His heart was racing again. Swallowing sharply, the boy hurried to kitchen, pulling the file folder he had nipped out from the rest of his work. There must be something important inside, or else Naruto wouldn't have gone to the trouble of stuffing everything back into his bag and carrying it to bed with him. And that sparked the preteen's curiosity, because he wondered, what could Naruto possibly have to hide from him? Nearly overwhelmed by the his nerves, Kyuubi ripped the file folder open, blood-black eyes hungrily devouring the words that appeared before him.

Three sentences in, the preteen turned whiter than he already was. His hands were clenched painfully tight on the table top, unwinding enough only to turn the pages and read on. A crushing hand took hold of his heart, and Kyuubi thought he was going to die. He continued to read, hypnotized, unable to stop despite the devastating news he was reading. Something warm coated his eyes, and with shock, Kyuubi raised a hand to his eyes and realized that the heat was tears. His hands were shaking now... Kyuubi forced them to stay still, turning the last couple pages in what was evidently Naruto's medical records. There was no need for him to be afraid, he chastised himself. Naruto was fine and healthy now; there was no way that he could still have this Aplastic Anemia.

Reaching the end, Kyuubi was more than greatly relieved to find that the report finished with a summary explaining the Uzumaki's rapid recovery and increasing health. A choked whimper slipped from his throat, and the child had to close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they landed on the list of doctors and other people that had been involved with the blonde's case. His eyes widened again, for an entirely different reason this time.

"U-uncle Itachi...?," Kyuubi whispered, pulling the paper closer to him. He blinked, re-read the name, uncertain that it was there. But he saw it again, under the list of donors, and he even recognized it in the doctor's summary. He couldn't believe it. Commanding the beating of his heart to subside, the preteen turned back and scanned through the files again. Each time, he saw his uncle mentioned. A bubble of happiness blossomed in the Uchiha's stomach, and he felt tempted to laugh out loud. Instead he settled for a satisfactory smirk.

An idea struck him, and slipping back into the bedroom where Naruto slept blissfully unaware, Kyuubi grabbed his clothes, sneaking the file folder into the blonde's bag. He jangled his keys as he slipped into his shoes, pulling the hoodie over his head and tossing the hood up. He grabbed a handful of change out Naruto's jacket pocket, and before he could begin to doubt, the child threw himself out the front door; shutting it quietly behind him and locking the door. He had to run six blocks before he came to the nearest plaza, boasting a convenience store and a gas station. On the convenience store's side, next to the dumpster, was one forlorn telephone.

Kyuubi jogged up to the booth, stepping inside. He pushed the change into the slot, picking up the reciever and quickly dialing a number. His heart raced as he waited for someone to pick up the other line...

Itachi wondered if he had acted right. He sat at his desk, with his head in his hands, recalling that day a week ago. He had only wanted to confront Sasuke about his missing nephew... he had not meant to bring Naruto into conversation. But that letter... surely it couldn't be good? His little brother never had any need for individuals below the high-class society. Many would think of it as a business man's mind, but Itachi knew that it was only arrogance. Sasuke, taught only in that manner, would not trouble himself with people lower than him. So, the younger Uchiha had no valid, innocent reason to be contacting Naruto.

And what if it had been mere coincidence...?

This doubt was what was eating at the man. Had he, in mentioning Naruto, condemned the blonde to his brother's evil machinations? But of course, if Sasuke didn't know before, he would certainly realize soon the connection between him and the Uzumaki. And with his temper, this could only result in disaster. "First me, then your son... and now Naruto...," Itachi mumbled into his palms. "Sasuke... just how many more people are you going to push out of your life, torment, until you finally feel that you're at peace?"

Finally rising from his hands, Itachi turned to his phone. He should call somebody... Naruto, maybe... But he had been out of the blonde's life for so long, it would be awkward if the only greeting he could offer after such a period time was a warning. Than, perhaps he should call his brother? No, the raven thought, shaking his head. Sasuke would not answer his call. He never did. And frankly, Itachi didn't feel like talking to Sakura either. He had not protested it, but he didn't care for the marriage between the Haruno and his little brother. The relationship seemed tainted from the very beginning... as if it were more so for convenience and business, than for actual like of the other person. A terrible decision, considering Sasuke's temperament.

His hand hovered over the receiver, as Itachi weighed out his options, when suddenly its shrill ringing cut through the silence. Quirking an eyebrow, the Uchiha slowly closed the distance, and picked up the phone. "Hello?," he said, pressing the reciever to his ear.

There was no answer on the otherside. Itachi remained silent, straining to pick up any noise over the stretch of static, but he could hear nothing. "Hello?," he asked again, when a few moments had passed. Frowning, he sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "I don't have time for this...," he mumbled to himself. As he was pulling away the phone, a sound carried over the other line.

"For everything you've done... for Naruto... Thank you..."

"Madara!," Itachi said, quickly pressing the phone back to his ear. "Madara, is that you?"

But there was only a click on the other line, the continuous beep that signaled an ended connection echoing in his ear. Confused, Itachi pulled the phone away, setting it back into its cradle. He rested his chin in his hands, staring at the phone, thinking... Had that really been Madara, his nephew? It sounded like the boy. ...He sounded well... Smiling, Itachi closed his eyes for a moment. Calm peace flowed through him. Madara was alive. His voice was proof. That was the best phone call he had gotten these past few months.

But... what did that have to do with Naruto?

When Naruto had finally woken, it was to find that nearly the entire day had passed. In the kitchen, he found an abandoned plate of toast and egg. Without knowing how, he knew that it was for him. He touched the cold food, smiling sadly. It was no good to eat now, but he wished he could all the same. It was obvious that Kyuubi had put his best efforts toward this. Tossing the food out, Naruto headed to the living room. Knocked out on the couch was Kyuubi. The preteen had been working on his math before falling asleep; his calculus work had spilled to the floor when he had dozed off. Smiling, the man tidied up the papers, putting them on the end table just as the redhead began to stir. Opening his eyes, Kyuubi stared up at Naruto, blinking a couple times before finally sitting up.

"Hey...," Naruto said softly. "Hungry?"

Slowly, Kyuubi nodded his head. And when the blonde held out a hand for the child to take, Kyuubi did, smiling.

C.M.D: So, there you have it! A piece of the puzzle is revealed! Satisfied? I hope so. It took quite a lot of sudden inspiration to come up with this little plot twist. Well, there's still a lot more to come, so I doubt that I'm any where near the end of this fanfic... though I think I can safely say I'm about the halfway point now. Alright, so that's all for this time. Remember to REVIEW everyone! And I'll see you guys next update! Ja ne!
Aplastic Anemia is like Leukemia in a sense, as it originates from the bone marrow, but it affects not only white blood cells, but the red ones and platelets by lowering them to a dangerous amount. In patients, it shows itself through tired or weakness, shortness of breath, paleness, frequent or severe infections, easy bruising, along with easy bleeding or bleeding that is hard to stop. It can be inherited or be received through large doses of radiation, chemicals or viruses. It's fairly rare, and only affects about 1000 out of a million people in a year. You can do one of several treatments. Growth factors: drug that makes the body make more blood cells. Usually doesn't work, until after immunosuppressive therapy. Blood transfusions: are good for managing the disease's symptoms. Doctors don't use it often though, because the risk of infection is high. Immunosuppressive therapy: lowering the body's immune system to get the body to balance out the diseased bone marrow, and have it create more blood cells. Works quite well, but needs to be done every so often, and is treated more like a temporary solution. Bone marrow transplant: bringing in matching bone marrow to replace the diseased. Chemo is needed before hand, and the patient needs to be of a healthy enough condition to proceed. A more permanent solution. Growth factors can be added to increase the recovery process.