Let's get on with it. I'm watching anime at the same time as typing, so it makes my hatred lessen somewhat.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and so on.

Chapter 10 – Goodbye, my friend

'Please don't leave me Kyuubi!' Naruto screamed. He quickly swung open the cage door to Kyuubi's home, completely ripping off the talisman sealing it closed.

'Kyuubi!' he shouted, searching the vast cage, but his guardian was nowhere to be found. Suddenly a small yip caught his attention. A small fox, smaller than a kitten, stood before him. It had familiar sad eyes.

'Kyuubi?' Naruto asked. The fox nodded.

'I had to take a smaller form to conserve the rest of my chakra. Never tell this to anyone. It would hurt my pride,' Kyuubi stated. Naruto let out a small laugh and nodded.

'Please don't leave my friend. I still need you,' Naruto begged.

'I'm sorry, but I have no choice in this matter. I only wanted to come back one last time to see you," he said. Naruto picked up the small fox into his arms and held it close.

'What do you mean?' Naruto said.

'I'm here to say goodbye… Goodbye my dear friend,' Kyuubi said as he completely disappeared out of view. Naruto dropped his knees and sobbed.

'Kyuubi!' he shouted.

"Kyuubi!"

Fuyu jumped to her feet. All signs of pain had left Naruto's face, but he was still crying. His whisker marks had darkened and his other features had become more detailed. His pupils were now slits and a darker shade of blue. He even had fangs and claws.

"Naruto… Are you alright?" she questioned. No answer came. Fuyu knew that her brother was hurting on the inside because the same thing had happened to her. Fuyu sighed and untied the ropes. Naruto still didn't move.

Fuyu began to bandage the wounds on Naruto's body that had been caused by the ropes holding him down. When she was done, Fuyu put away the bandages and returned to her brother's side. He was still breathing, but no movement came except for his constant flow of tears.

"Is he okay?" Natsu questioned. Fuyu gave him a sad look.

"I don't know," she answered. Suddenly the door opened to reveal Tsunade, and Gaara. Sasuke came into the room a few seconds later. Tsunade went to Naruto's side and quickly examined him. She sighed and turned to Fuyu.

"He's clearly upset over something, but it's not from any type of illness. He's perfectly fine, though there are some differences in his chakra signature," she explained. Suddenly the blank look in his eyes disappeared somewhat.

"Sasuke…Fuyu…Gaara," he mumbled. All three people mentioned stepped forwards and Naruto somewhat tilted his head to see them. He was still crying freely.

"Kyuubi…he's gone. My friend has disappeared," he whispered silently. Fuyu let out a sob and rushed forward to hug him.

"It's okay to cry," she murmured as she rubbed his back calmly. Naruto began to cry louder, letting out the pain that had been growing deep in his heart. Everyone decided to leave the room except for Sasuke, who sat down on the bed beside Fuyu.

"Naruto…everything is going to be just fine," he whispered. Naruto sniffed and hugged both of them.

"Thank you so much," he repeated over and over. It seems that Naruto had calmed down and cheered up a bit.

"Everything's going to be alright now," Fuyu whispered.

A few days later, Naruto had completely regained his cheerful expression, but whenever he thought that no one was looking he put on a melancholy look and stared at the sky. At the moment, he was sitting in one of the trees near his apartment, sleeping peacefully, but a presence beside him awoke him from his deep slumber. It was Lee and Neji.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked with a yawn.

"Where is your sister? Neji wishes to have a rematch against her," Lee stated. Naruto gave them a bored look.

"She's not in the mood to fight. Besides she's at work at the moment," he answered. Neji frowned and jumped out of the tree. Lee followed him. Naruto sighed and decided to tag along.

'They're going to cause some trouble for Fuyu,' he thought. When they reached the small shop, Fuyu was already working hard. Aki, Hiru, Haru and Natsu were helping her to repay her for freeloading off of her.

"Naruto!" Fuyu shouted as she waved at him. Suddenly Neji lunged at Fuyu, but she easily dodged the assault and backed away.

"I challenge you to a fight," Neji announced. Fuyu rolled her eyes unhappily.

'Why can't men ever except the fact when they've been defeated?' she thought in annoyance.

"No, I'm not in the mood to fight," she answered. Neji frowned and charged forwards.

"You will fight me even if you don't want to," he exclaimed. Fuyu scowled and let Neji get close to her. Once he was close enough, Fuyu pressed a pressure point in his neck and he dropped to the ground unconscious. Fuyu smiled in triumph.

"That's why I think men are so complicated. They just never learn their lesson," she said. Natsu let out a small giggle, but she quickly quieted down when Haru glared at her.

"That wasn't very nice," Aki said. Haru huffed and began to work again. Fuyu watched Lee step into the shop and collect his unconscious friend.

"This is why I came along. Sometimes Neji is too hot headed for his own good," he stated. Fuyu watched them leave. Naruto went to stand beside her.

"So how are things going?" he questioned.

"Very well. I don't have to do that mach anymore. My guests are doing most of the work. They wanted to help and refused to take no for an answer," she explained. Naruto glanced at her.

"Do you want to take a break?" he asked. Fuyu shook her head.

"Sorry, but even though I'm not working I have to supervise them to make sure they don't make any mistakes," she said. Naruto nodded and left the shop. He wandered aimlessly throughout the village. He could hear the villagers whispering behind his back, but didn't think much about it. He never did.

I'm tired so going to be all for today. Please review.

Ja ne