You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this chapter. I hope you guys have as much fun with it as I did.

"Please, Satsuki-sama, try to restrain yourself…"

The words, for what little affect they might have had on a normal day, didn't have enough sincerity in them to be persuasive. In truth, Inumuta was probably just as frustrated as his leader. The only way he managed to restrain his ire was through years of practice as a junior hacker, when violent reactions would have cost him equipment which was irreplaceable on a student budget.

Not that the ruined machines here were any cheaper. He had borrowed most of them from the Medical Club, and those had been gifts from REVOCS back when it was still a multi-billion-dollar empire. Seeing them so thoroughly dismantled brought a tear to his eye and a tremor in his clenched fist.

"You really shouldn't kill her… she is your sister."

She shot him a deadpan which hit him upside the head, reminding him of the circumstances in which she met said sibling.

"Well, Naruto-san is still technically a patient as well…" Like that would stop her.

"So, what you mean is that it's the perfect time to get some revenge." Sanageyama postulated, brandishing his repaired (with duct-tape) shinai and smirking evilly against the crinkling bandages on his face. "Seems fair enough to me."

The only member of the gang who looked ready to contradict the green-haired man being the Disciplinary Committee chair. Although, that was only speculation as the majority of his face was still covered in bandages as well.

"Personally, it looks like Ryῡko has done a number on him already." Lori offered his opinion offhandedly.

"Enough!"

Though it was more like she was talking to herself, Satsuki's single-word command made the entire room stiffen except for the room's two, still unconscious occupants.

"Wake them."

No one needed to be told twice, but there was a scramble as the room full of monkeys tried to figure out how to go about the task.

"Mm… oi, what's the big idea? 'M sleeping here…" Ryῡko was the first to respond as a few jabs at a safe distance from the kendo sword's blunt tip prodded her awake.

She blinked in the harsh, buzzing fluorescent lights which were hanging on by a shoestring. Quickly removing her head from where it rested on Naruto's shoulder, she stood up in a languid stretch.

"Umm…" She stalled, glancing at the newcomers and the disastrous setting she found herself in. "This isn't my fault, really."

"And I suppose you had nothing to do with the hole in the cafeteria wall, either?"

"Oh, well, that…"

"Regardless." The Student Council President's no-nonsense voice interrupted the sidelining of their conversation once again and got them back on track. "Wake the other one."

This was easier said than done. It started with the same technique used to rouse the girl and devolved from there. Escalating from cautious pokes and prods rapidly into slaps and blows strong enough to send most people back into unconsciousness. Then came more extreme measures, the band leader playing a rousing symphony, blowing brass instruments directly into his ears. Electric shocks from a vindictive computer expert had no visible effect other than to cause piezoelectric sparks to jump across the nearly-formed Kamui. Even Gamagōri's severe voice elicited no response.

"Huh. For a ninja, he sure is a deep sleeper."

None could do anything but nod dumbly as the blond continued to lay amongst the rubble and snore loudly.

"Well, I suppose we should clean things up in the mean ti- GAH!"

While sluggishly moving to begin the onerous task, they were rudely interrupted as the person in question shot to his feet without further provocation.

"Hey guys. What's up?" He asked, clearly forgetful of the damage he had caused the innocent room. "And why does my head feel like I have an icepick stuck in it?" And also unaware of their efforts to wake him.

But as the fuming women both made to reprimand him for the commotion he caused, they were preempted again as the tattoo-like cloth stitched to his skin began to glow with crimson radiance. Immediately they all shuttered down any complaints and adopted battle stances in anticipation for another cataclysmic battle which they now knew they had no chance of winning.

While Naruto's eyes were wide with intense curiosity as the living garment began to shift and morph along his body, he did not look overly afraid or confuse of what was going on. Almost like he was expecting something like this to happen.

The glowing blackness spread over his entire body like an impenetrable shadow, masking every inch of flesh and swallowing up his cautious and anticipating expression. They all waited on baited breath and pushed themselves to the edges of the small chamber for all the good it would do. But if this was the outcome the feared, there wasn't anything they could do besides.

And then the black cocoon began to crack, spilling crimson light into the cramped room which drowned out the pale electric lamps. It crackled and moaned as the fissures ran all up and down its breadth and length, and the pieces fell apart in one fell swoop.

In place of that inky, human-shaped construct stood Naruto, no worse for the wear. And proudly adorning him was something none of them knew how to qualify.

For one, it showed a bit more skin than most male clothing normally did, or ought to. The teen's seal displayed prominently on his stomach only hedged in by a bit of fabric on any one side. Though the baggy black and orange hakama left everything to the imagination, they had a concession to the trend with deep V's on either side which would normally be covered up by the tunic which was missing. Like air, the higher the sight went the thinner the amount of material. Completing the Kamishimo ensemble was the matching vest which did little to cover his stalwart physique and more to enhance it with near-garishly pointed shoulder pads tapering down into fang-like strips which tucked into the trousers.

But the burlesque show was common hat to the crew of Honnouji Academy, and they were far more concerned with the two crimson eyes emblazoned on the shoulders where the crest ought to go, and which followed their every twitch with nerve-wracking precision. It also did not go unnoticed that the knotted belt had multiple extra strands which trailed behind him like tails.

"A Kamui."

No one dared speak a word after that declaration, the startling knowledge enough to send them all into an alert muteness, waiting to see what would happen next. All of the guests were watching Naruto's unwavering expression as much as they were watching the newborn lifeform's intense scrutiny, but he had yet to depart from his usual doughty demeanor.

"Well… this was unexpected."

"I'll say." Naruto laughed, dispelling most, if not all of the tension.

"Naruto?"

"The one and only."

"And, the Kamui…. Is that-?"

"The Kyuubi."

Though they had mostly been expecting as much, it was still a shock to hear it pronounced so casually. And it was not unreasonable that they all felt somewhat betrayed by the easy acceptance, though they avoided these detrimental emotions and were quick to readopt battle stances. A calm and resolute hand stayed their preemptive strike, but did not assuage their fears.

"Don't worry."

"How in the hell can you tell us not to worry, Uzumaki?!" Satsuki leveled the longer of her two blades at his throat, and he made no move to stop her. "You're telling us the Kyuubi either escaped," She narrowed her eyes and prodded the point further into his neck, enough that there should have been blood but wasn't. "…or you let him loose."

Ryῡko found herself the most invested in an answer, and thus the most apprehensive as Naruto remained collected and silent, staring at her sister with the barest smile of confidence on his face.

"We've come to an understanding."

Again, the simple answer was something they were all expecting and wanting to hear. But they also had to hold in that relief if they didn't want to let it get the better of them and make them sitting ducks to the beast's treachery.

"And what proof do you have of this?"

Naruto's confidence was by blindsided and he widened his eyes in panic, scratching his cheek in chagrin when he realized he might not have through everything through.

"Umm…."

"Never mind." Ryῡko sighed, lowering a scissor blade to her side. "That's the idiot alright."

But despite the nodding heads in the background, Satsuki had yet to look convinced.

"Senketsu." She spoke without taking weapon or eyes off the blond Kamui-wearer. "Is there some way you can confirm this? You were with Uzumaki for a long time, is there something you can tell us about the truth of his claim?"

The others looked hesitant at this non-negotiable suggestion, for if there was any way of doing so, it would require Ryῡko to get up close and personal with the potential threat.

"Perhaps." The synthetic Kamui said stoically, and his partner nodded her head to relay the message. "Ryῡko." Just saying her name was enough, he didn't need to tell her what to do.

"Right."

Naruto finally turned to the two with an apologetic smile as they approached.

"Don't worry, Ryῡko. Senketsu." He eyed the garment which flicked its attention from the crimson eyes to the blue. "He won't bite."

"Not for lack of trying, human."

The partners froze within arm's reach of the blond, hearing a familiar and demonic voice echoing throughout the small room.

"Was that-?"

"Behold and bask in the glory of divinity! It is I, the illustrious Kyuubi no Kitsune! Living calamity, the greatest of all the Tailed Beasts! Who else could possibly possess such an awe-inspiring presence?!"

"Oi, enough with the dramatics." Naruto pinched the cloth, causing one of the crimson eyes to twitch.

"Whelp! I have been stuck in that cage for the better part of the last sixteen years! This is hardly the comeback I anticipated, and I reserve the right to pontificate a little." The garment huffed and the emblazoned eyes swept the room haughtily. "It's bad enough that I don't think they can hear me, I will not be restricted to talking only to you for the duration of this humiliating bargain."

"Umm… excuse me," Attention flicked over to the littlest member of the Elite Four who was busily trying to make herself look smaller even while speaking. ", Uh, Kyuubi-sama, sir. But… we can hear you…"

"You can?"

"That's unexpected."

"By now, shouldn't at least one of use be expecting the unexpected with him?"

"Muwahaha! This is excellent!"

"That's not fair…"

As Senketsu lamented the injustice which caused him to be unintelligible while the newest incarnation of the Life-Fibers seemingly got everything he could ever want, the others paled at the dire implications. Not the least of which involved having to listen to an officious demon outfit for the foreseeable future.

"This does not lend confidence to the integrity of your seal, Uzumaki." Satsuki spoke, addressing once again the prime concern facing them.

"The seal is still holding. You can check it yourself."

"You know that would do little good. We have only your word to go by, if we are to trust that." Her tone suggested that she did not.

"Calm yourself Harinezumi*." Realizing he could address the plebeians in person, the Kyuubi asserted himself in front of the razor-sharp blade. "My jailor may be an idiot, but even he is not stupid enough to give me full reign in this form."

"That still doesn't make me feel any better." The woman ground out, feeling vaguely like she had been insulted. (Which couldn't have been further from the truth because the Fox considered all lifeforms superior to humanity).

"I know you have had your people analyzing the gaki's seal for weeks now. You've seen what happens when I try to take over his body. If I were in control right now, do you really think he would be able to resist killing you all just for the whiff of blood?"

This thought also didn't provide any comfort for the room at large. But Satsuki eventually relented, acknowledge that the Fox had a point.

"That still doesn't tell me the nature of this bargain Uzumaki has brokered without our consent." Though he was tempted to argue that it was his body and his tenant, one sideways glance from the woman was enough to snap his mouth shut with a light click. "Furthermore, I'd like to know how you even got to this place of impasse. Last I was aware of, you, Kyuubi, wanted to take over Kamui Senketsu and exterminate all life on this planet."

"Well… I might have been a little overzealous at the opportunity of freedom." Proving that even immortal demons were capable of exaggerating and even making mistakes. The triangular shoulders with black insides (making them look suspiciously like ears) shrugged in apathy.

Satsuki just pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering if there was a mark forming there with how often she did that gesture these days.

"Just…explain. Uzumaki. Go."

"Er-right."

Naruto had no idea what to say at the unexpected introduction. He supposed it wasn't all that shocking considering the Kyuubi was sentient, it made sense he named himself or was given a name by the Sage who created him. The Fox just always just struck him as the type of person to revel in their arrogance and refer to themselves in third person just to hear the sound of their title (although, he had to admit the chakra beast wasn't that bad, most of the time, at least).

"Hajimemashite, Kurma." (though he edited the demon's name in his storytelling).

"Enough with the pleasantries. You wanted to talk. I don't have all day."

"Seriously…?" Naruto whispered to himself, conscious that he didn't want to call the Fox out so soon after coming to speaking terms. 'He's go nothing but time!'. Pushing on, he knew that he himself was in fact limited in this resource.

"I guess… I should start by apologizing."

"If you're going through the whole list, we'll be here all day." Kurama growled.

"I ain't apologizing for the things I said." Naruto clarified with eye twitching as an outlet for the mouth which could not. "I want to say I regret taking your chakra."

"Hmph. Of course you do." the Fox huffed, one step from being incensed. "Once you learned how incompetent you are at controlling it. What being doesn't lament its actions while drunk?"

"No, what I mean is-"

"Just be glad that you never tried to steal more from me. Or that my only emotion transferred to you was anger. I'd hate think of what you'd have done to that pink-haired girl if my lust had slipped in-"

"Would you just let me apologize?!" Embarrassed and starting to get outraged with where the conversation was going, Naruto was losing resolve in the form of patience. "I am sorry that I demanded your chakra not because of all the shit I did while under its influence or the fact that it burns worse than Lee's curry every time I do. I ask you to forgive me for taking it as payment, when you really had no choice to take up residence in my gut."

The Fox didn't seem like he was going to mouth off any time soon, and yet Naruto suddenly felt uncomfortable being the center of attention in the following silence.

"Heh, or if you did, I'd seriously suggest getting a better real-estate agent."

Kurama did not seem particularly amused at this attempt to diffuse the tension. But that was mainly because that apprehension was one-sided. The demon fox was more interested in figuring out this latest puzzle presented to him by the human Uzumaki.

"The man who put me in this cage is long gone."

Naruto started at the sudden and calm words which echoed around the room, taking his attention away from the sound of Life-Fibers growing at a glacial pace.

"My previous cage, your mother, is gone. As is the one who transferred me into her from the cage before that, and likewise that one has been gone for so long as to be forgotten by most of you apes." Naruto listened with more attention than he thought possible as the Kyuubi went on with the successions of containers, never having given it a thought before. This night was truly one for a lot of firsts.

"The one who broke my seal, just so he could control me is also gone." Kurama growled, and Naruto couldn't tell if he was glad of this, or upset because he would never get revenge. "And the one who created me, also human, is gone. I no longer have a list of the good and the bad humans with which to compare. In truth, I should be ambivalent to your existence." He pontificated, sounding more like a god and less like an angry demon.

"Hagoromo, the Sage of the Six Paths, as you know him, was the only human I ever respected. Was it wrong that I should compare the rest of your pathetic species to his pinnacle of achievement? You didn't even have to do anything that hard, he gave you all the tools to improve your societies. So what did you do with that gift? You use it to fight amongst one another, kill each other. And yet you complain about me exterminating a few of your kind? I do so for my survival, as is my right. Humans kill for power, prestige, any number of base reasons, sabotaging your own existence in the process."

Naruto was somber as he listened to the Fox's monologue. He had come to much the same conclusion after listening to Jiraya's confess his desires. He didn't want people to fight anymore. He didn't want to pervert the Sage's teachings any more than they already had been, using chakra in anger to kill and destroy. In this respect, maybe he was sorry for his own reasons. For the Kyuubi's malevolent Chakra was just that: in the hands of humans, a force only for evil.

"When I first met you, Uzumaki, I thought you were like everyone else and you vindicated my response with your behavior." Naruto looked abashed but was adamant about living up to his mistake.

"But… I suppose if you wish to try again… it is my duty as the superior being to give you that chance."

"Thank you, Kurama." Naruto bowed his head, nearly touching the floor to the Kyuubi's obvious surprise. He came up with a cheek-splitting grin. "I promise, I'll prove to you we humans are capable of change for the better."

"For your sake, you better hope so." Though there might have been a slight twitch in the beast's black gums. "Now that we are on the same page, what is it that you come to discuss with me?"

Naruto briefly paled, realizing he hadn't though much on what the deal was going to consist of, and had hung up on the first part of simply getting the Fox to speak with him. But he was known as the number one most unpredictable ninja, and was always most ingenious at coming up with things on the fly.

"Well… what do you want to talk about?" This was outside of battle, and thus outside of those skills.

"How about letting me out of my cage?" Kurama asked him, unamused but patient to his word.

"Sorry, but you and I both know that's not going to happen." Before the beast could get upset with him, however, Naruto continued. "Even if I took you at your word that you'd give humanity on all planets a second chance, I would die in the process. Barring the fact that I'd kind of like to live too, there are still things I have to do to get humanity up to your standards."

"True enough." Kurama barked a laugh and settled down in his cage, at the very least preparing himself for a leisurely talk. "Then what is it you propose? What else do you have to offer me?"

Naruto screwed his face up in deep concentration. In truth, he had actually given it some thought in the scant few hours from his last visit. But he was still wary of giving the Fox that much leniency and freedom to do what he wanted. Still, it wasn't like he had a better option, and though immortal, the Fox's patience would not last forever.

"What if I gave you a new body?"

"Not yours I hope. I still find you apes disgusting." Kurama qualified after a pause where he digested the offer.

"Erm, not my body, no. Well, actually… kind of."

Intrigued, but not wishing to show it, the fox leaned in ever so slightly.

"I mean, why reinvent the wheel?" Naruto gestured to the tangle of Life-Fibers still spread out all around the room, lazing about like engorged leaches. "You were going to create a body from them, right? So, let's make that happen."

"Oh?" The massive eyebrow arched in curiosity or amusement, Naruto couldn't tell. "And what's the catch? Surely you haven't forgotten the last time I took control of these threads. I am not so foolish as to think you'd give me free reign without a way to stop me."

"Well, I do still have the key to the seal." Naruto offered offhandedly as Kurama twitched in burgeoning upset. "-But I'd like to not have to use that, either as a last resort or a threat." He reached up to scratch the back of his head, knowing of what people back home would say if they knew what he would propose. "To be honest, I'd like to take you at your word. I'd give you as much freedom as I can, but keep enough in the seal to keep it from breaking."

"Hm. You realize that your word as a human still means nothing to me, and being a demon you should be skeptical of my designs."

"Probably should, yeah." Naruto conceded with lopsided smile. "But this is mostly new territory for me. I don't really know how to make the seal do that, beyond what I can do with the key. And I know that if you take over the Life-Fibers, you'd be doing me a favor and I'd like to repay that with what I can."

He wasn't able to interpret what went on behind the Kyuubi's clinical stare bearing down on him. The Fox gave up nothing as it regarded his genuflecting offer, looking for any deceit with those perfectly clear red gems. It wouldn't be able to find any, and maybe that's what was taking it so long.

"Mm. You are truly ignorant to the way things work. You expose your lack of knowledge to your enemy. And you wish to trade with the only thing you don't want to give up, trusting me to not abuse that power I laud over you." The more Kurama enumerated the flaws in his logic, the more he wondered if it was truly a good decision. But in sooth, what choice did he have? In some ways, it was actually comforting to have such council given to him, even if it was not by something that could be considered an ally just yet.

"Although," He heaved a grand sigh causing a small dust devil to kick up on the prison floor. "I suppose that to expect something to change, we must try something new. The Key should be enough. Just give it a 1/9th turn clockwise when I tell you too. I'll take care of the rest."

"Wait!" Naruto shouted and shot to his feet, suddenly nervous about how fast things were progressing. "Uh-I mean shouldn't we hammer out the deal and shake on it?"

"Very well." Kurama acquiesced without too much twisting of the arm. "What are the terms?"

"No harming me or my friends. You will do whatever it takes to keep us all alive and safe. And that includes you in the 'we'." Naruto held up a single finger, waiting for a yea or nay.

"Acceptable." He nodded, quickly consenting to that condition. "Like I have said, all beings desire to stay alive. Having already agreed to provisions which guarantee your survival, it only makes sense that you'd want to have comrades and capable mates in the future."

"Wow, really? Okay, uh- I mean wait! What?! That's not-" He shook his head, preventing him from taking that spur from the conversation. "Never mind. Let's just move on."

"I want your word that you will not try to restrain me in any way, unless my actions come into conflict with the first condition resulting in harm to those persons falling into the aforementioned categories." Kurama spewed forth, showing that he had done more than merely sleep all the time in his cage. "If we come into disagreement on something, no action will be taken until we parlay and reach a consensus."

"Uhh…"

"We talk and reach a decision."

"Oh, okay." The Fox stared at him expectantly. "I mean, yeah, sounds fine. I give you my word." He put up another finger on the tally. "Alright, and if you go behind my back to try and escape- or conspire with anyone who has bad intentions for anyone I care about, the deal is off."

Kurama smirked, amused that his otherwise dullard container seemed to be thinking things through as they went.

"Accepted. I will not allow you to reseal me into another container without my permission. This includes both living and non-living vessels, as well as deities and magical beings."

"Umm.. okay." Naruto offered dumbly, once again taken aback by the comprehensiveness of the Fox. "Number five: you're not going to try to and permanently attach yourself. If it turns out we can't be separated, well, I guess we'll both try our best to give each other our privacy."

"Believe me, human, I have no reason to be closer to you than necessary." Kurama rolled his eyes. "And I have no desire to witness any of your.. bodily functions." Naruto thought he saw the Fox shiver at that. Not that he could really blame him. "I accept."

Naruto held up the score, one hand filled up and waited in anticipation on the Kyuubi.

"What?" He asked when noticing the blond staring at him.

"It's your turn. That's three and two. I think I'm done, so you get one more."

Having covered the most officious things he could think of, Kurama honestly didn't have much else to bitch about. But he was admiring how the puny human adhered to fairness, and in that vein wanted to give him something for his efforts.

"Organic fabric softener."

"Ooookay." He smirked at the blond's perplexed visage.

"You can never be too careful."

"Well… that's that?" He dropped the full hand which only held a thumb and extended the other one to the fox in its cage. "Shake on it, then?"

The Kyuubi smiled, and in Naruto's eyes it looked menacing. For a second he considered that what he was doing might be incredibly stupid, but then the Fox extended its paw, and it was too late.

"Don't go back on your word, Naruto."

"Meh, you should know me better. Uzumaki Naruto never goes back on his word." Brave or stupid, it was who he was.

"I know. That's the one thing I like about you, ningen."

"…and, here we are?"

Naruto declared with a less than enthusiastic presentation, slowly scanning the room full of incredulous and vexed looks.

Satsuki was either totally serene, or had else become so riled up that she had broken and was merely in the calm before the storm. Either way, her eyes were closed and her expression unreadable as she listened to the strange tale. When she snapped up she made both the Kyuubi and Naruto (along with everyone else in the room) leap back in fear (not that the demon would ever admit to this emotion).

Her chest was puffed out and there was a crushing pressure radiating above her head from where she glowered down at them. Her hand was raised in admonishment and she looked like she was about to say something and/or strike them down with lightning.

But then to everyone's total surprise, she backed down and immediately turned on her heel, clicking purposefully out of the room. Stopping at the transept, she looked back just enough to see the room staring back at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Clean up this mess."

As she walked out everyone in the room was scrambling to comply.

"So, I guess this is it, huh?"

"Mm? What do you mean?"

She could have meant the end of another day. Because after another plethora of tests and samples where they learned nothing more than the obvious, the sun was setting over the endless bay and bathing everything in a beautiful orange hue. Shops were winding down their services, and the night life had yet to gear up for another round.

She could have meant this was her stop, as the tram they were riding noisily clacked to a crawl and prepared to stop at a nondescript platform.

She could have meant that this was it, her world in total on that small island, and she didn't know if anything existed for her outside of it.

But as Ryῡko glared at him with half-hearted annoyance for having to spell it out, he realized with a relative certainty that it wasn't any of these things.

"I mean that this ties everything up in a nice little bow, at least as far as we're concerned, right?" By we, he knew she meant not just her and Senketsu, but essentially everyone he met thus far on that new world. She was washing her hands of him and his problems.

"You'll probably want to get back home as soon as you can and take care of the bitch-goddess."

"Yeah."

He did want to, and admittedly needed too. But that didn't stop a certain amount of melancholy from entering his voice.

"I still need to form some kind of plan. I can't very well go charging in blindly to face a god."

"Bah, where's the fun in that?"

He wanted to laugh, if only to show his gratefulness for those words he knew she didn't say for his benefit. But the feeling was just so nostalgic that he found he couldn't find the humor in it. When he didn't stir after a few seconds, she took it upon herself to fill the silence.

"So I guess that means you'll stick around for a few more days then, huh?" He tried listening to her inflection and couldn't tell if she was annoyed at that, or sad.

"S'ppose so."

In all honesty he didn't want to think about any of that right then. He had spent his entire teenage life jumping form one disaster to another, and just when things were starting to go his way he wanted to pause and enjoy this brief victory. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get another chance. He wasn't sure if he'd ever see this foreign sky again, ever see the unflappably happy face of Mako, or the oddly caring sternness of Satsuki, the determination of Sanageyama, the sagacity of Inumuta, the charming arrogance of Jakuzure, or the integrity of Gamagōri.

True, he'd left many other faces behind on his home world. People both whom had touched his life for a fleeting moment, and people who were by his side every day were waiting for him to come back and save them. But somehow, either the distance or the fact that he'd met others made the matter so much less urgent to him.

No, not less urgent, just obsolete. Replaceable.

That was a scary thought, but one he'd have to own up to. That attitude wasn't who he was and as long as he entertained it, he was doomed to fail.

He could do that. He could remember all his friends back in Konoha and abroad and remember the determination he derived from them. It wasn't so much that he was afraid of facing them again. He was simply reluctant to leave behind people who had come to mean so much to him in so short a time.

"Oi, quit it with the long face." He was stirred by a friendly check on his shoulder, very different than the skull-crushing blows he was used to from her, but at the same time carrying the same intent. "You know, when you first showed up I thought we were gonna get another joker around to lighten up the place."

"Sorry about that." He gave her another small smile to her exasperated rolling eyes. She stuck her tongue out and leered at him with an inverted eyelid.

He just looked at the raven-haired woman with bemusement. Was this really the same person who had threatened to maim him, kill him, and who had actually beaten him into a pulp? Then again, he seemed to have pretty strange relationships with women.

If only this one could work out, though.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Hm? What's up?"

She had skipped ahead of him a little while he was lost in thought and dragging his feet on the dirty street. Now she looked at him over her shoulder almost coquettishly, hands clasped behind her back and head cocked back at a slight angle. He admitted she looked pretty in that tawny light when she wasn't trying to castrate him. Hardly angelic, satirically innocent, and yet beautiful all the same.

"If you're staying in town for a bit, why'd you leave the Academy?"

He blinked and the painted image was gone.

"I was just following you…" Though for the life of him he didn't know why or how.

Ryῡko just slapped both palms onto her face and shook her head, he couldn't tell if she was laughing, but guessed not.

"You moron! Oh well, I guess we should get you a hotel seeing how the grounds are probably closed up for the night-"

"RYŪKO-CHAN!"

Naruto was about to point out that he was a ninja, and now that he had most of his chakra use back sneaking back in would be a synch. But before he could voice this opinion the two were assaulted by a chibi-projectile flying at them from left field.

Though Ryῡko was used to Mako's airborne assaults and had by then moved out of the way, Naruto was not, and as such did not have the presence of mind to get out the way himself when the human flying squirrel missed her intended target and glommed on to him instead.

She was lucky her grip was so strong, because when she knocked him over she would have gone tumbling down the incredibly steep hill otherwise.

"Oh! Hello Naruto-kun! What are you doing here?"

"Hello Mako-chan…" The cheery grin was slurred by the stars spinning above his head. "…and frankly, I'd like to know the same thing."

"Idiot-boy here was following me like a lost puppy so now we have to find him a dog house willing to put him up." Ryῡko's borderline abusive teasing rained down on him and he remembered why he'd been so at odds with her at first.

"A lost puppy? Ooh! Can we bring him home?! Can we?! Can we?! Can we, huh?! I'm sure he'd get along fine with Guts and Mom's always saying how she is looking for another man around the house who will actually do work and not sit on his bottom all day picking pockets or killing customers!"

"H-hey, now wait a minute, don't you think you should ask your pa-"

"MOM! LOOK WHAT I FOUND LAYING OUT HERE ON THE SIDEWALK!"

Even as she began to come up with some sort of persuasive argument to the contrary, Ryῡko found herself alone outside as Mako had up and disappeared with her newest toy in her clutches. The sounds of farcical commotion were already spilling out of the wide-open door and echoing in the confines of the darkened ally.

"Oh my! What a cute little fox! I do hope he's house trained, though."

"Nii-san, does he have a name? Hey! He looks kind of like a samurai in that getup. I think I'll call him Kenshin!"

"Insolent humans! I already have a name, I am the Great Kyuubi-no- hey! Quit drooling on me you mangy mutt!"

"Mako dear, I think he might have rabies…"

"Rabies? Don't worry! I have a cure which works 50% of the time!"

"Gaah! Stay away from me you weirdos! Help me, Ryῡko!"

Part of her didn't want to. To use this as entertainment for now, and blackmail for a later date should she need it. But at the same time, part of her wanted to extract Naruto from the oddly familial scene, if only because she was once again feeling slightly jealous of how quickly he usurped her role in that crazy family. But she recognized this feeling and shook it from her as best she could. She was a big girl. She could learn to share.

"Are you going to go inside, Ryῡko?" The carefully concerned voice of Senketsu filled her ears, head and heart.

"Mm. In a little bit. I think I'll let him have this for a little bit."

With that she adjusted the guitar case on her back, turned on her heel and strutted off into the warm night.

OMAKE: Later that night…

"Devilish harpy! Unhand me at once! Don't pretend like you cannot hear my commands, I know behind that false-smile you are quivering in fear of my awesome- AAAAH! What are you doing?! NOOO! Not there! It's too hot! It burns! It- It- It-It's-

"…not bad, actually."

Ms. Mankanshoku continued on with her ironing, ignoring the rather odd noises coming from the newest member to their family wardrobe in favor of whistling a heady tune.

"Yes, yes, that's the spot. Aaahhh, years of being stuck in that cage did a number on my silky-soft hide. Wench! Don't forget to properly fold my pleats! Ooh yeah, that's the ticket…"

His compatriot garment chuckled from where he was hanging on a fancy wooden hanger, already fully relaxed after his own premium treatment.

"I know, right? Ms. Mankanshoku sure knows how to take care of clothing."

"Soo good…"

Maybe this deal wouldn't be so bad after all.