Well, haven't triple checked this, but it'll have to do.


"You've been awfully quiet."

Truth be to this observation, the once tailed beast turned living garment hesitated to answer for another half a beat, leaving Naruto to continue staring up at the alien constellations in solitary resignation.

"You were talking to the vixen. Part of our deal was that you would stay out of my business. It is only fair if I do the same."

This was not an answer Naruto was expecting, and he attempted to look down at the preternaturally living embroidery to see if he could glimpse another motive behind those familiar yet unaccustomed eyes.

"… of course, if you continually screw-up your attempts at procreation I may be forced to step in at some point."

Naruto balked, choking on the slow and meditative breath he was drawing in.

"Proc- what! No, no, no! You've got it all wrong! Aha! I got it! You're trying to mess with me! That's how you're planning on undoing this bargain!"

"It's far too easy to mess with you. It's no challenge." Kurama rolled his stitched eyes and sighed, an odd sensation Naruto was just getting used to again. "But it seems that you really are ignorant to your own feelings. How on earth did your species manage to survive for this long?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Your puny mind can only handle one thing at a time. Try to focus on the immediate problem."

"Right."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them once again while the two contemplated their unique sides to the situation.

Except, it wasn't quite silence, for the sounds of nightlife and mechanical workings of the living city continued well on into the night, interrupting that peaceful calm he normally looked forward to. It was its own kind of silence, though. White noise which meant nothing and shouldn't have had a bearing on him being able to enjoy the stars, but did all the same.

"So what do you think I should do, Kurama?"

It had been so long since the chakra beast had heard his name pronounced on a human's lips, he took a pause to decide whether he enjoyed it or not. He willfully admitted that he let himself be coerced into this détente (if only in private), though had yet to reach a final verdict on if he actually enjoyed the company. Or rather, if it was worth the newfound freedom. He recognized a curiosity he still held regarding the Uzumaki, wanting to see if he would be any different than all the generations which came before.

Perhaps this was the curse of immortality, constantly trying to prove oneself wrong.

"Ne, are you listening?"

"I think you should stay here."

Once again managing to surprise him, Naruto had no idea what to say to that other than the automatic denial already programed into his head.

"What?! No way, you can't be serious."

"I am. And I believe that this falls under the provision of 'trying to keep your sorry ass alive'."

His words were an allergic reaction. He wanted to assume the Kyuubi was underestimating his abilities. That, and he needed to reinforce in his own mind the importance of protecting his precious people back home. But before he could relate this in strong words that might even break the deal they had made, Kurama continued.

"Furthermore, as much as I hate to admit it, this is for the preservation of my own life as well. Do not underestimate the Rabbit Goddess. She is the mother of all Chakra, I am but a fraction of the power she possessed long ago, and she would like nothing more than to get her hands on me and my brethren. The safest and smartest thing for the both of us is to stay put, far, far away from where she might reach us."

Though shaken by his reluctant partner's humble words, Naruto was not about to accept the decision so easily.

"So what if she's your mom, or grandma, whatever? Children are supposed to surpass their parents, right? 'Sides, Senketsu and I managed to slow her down for a bit after defeating Madara, so she shouldn't be at full strength for a while. And what about your siblings? Don't you care what happens to them?"

"Don't presume to know how I feel about the other Tailed Beasts, human." Kurama growled, sending goosebumps up Naruto's legs. "We are not mortal beings. You could never hope to understand what kind of bond exists between immortals woven from the same thread."

"Hey- I might not know what it's like to be conceived of Chakra, but don't talk to me like I don't understand bonds." He said, ignoring the opportunity to snicker at the unintentional reference to the fox's new fabricated state. "You yourself claim to not understand people, and so how can you say that the connections we make aren't any less real, aren't stronger than what you guys have?"

The foxy outfit had no prepared rebuttal for this, but Naruto was also not going to let him slink out of the discussion so easily now that he didn't have the seal to hide behind.

"Also, what makes you think she can't reach us? Isn't she like some sort of dimension-hopping alien? If she's seeking to reclaim all chakra, you can bet your ass she'd find her way out here." Naruto sat up amidst the Kyuubi's silence, staring at his fist clenched so hard it started to bleed. The drops being soaked up with little sparks of light by the cloth. "And I'm not going to let her get to them. I'm not going to let her take over our planet, let alone this one."

He continued to stare in detached fascination at his bodily essence being absorbed by the fine threads while Kurama pondered this newest development mutely, not admitting that he had neglected to take some of those facts into account.

"Hey, what're you doing out here?"

Both were broken from their separate but intertwining thoughts by a third recognizable voice breaking the nighttime monotony.

"Hey." Naruto greeted back, relaxing his fist and quickly wiping the dark stain on the hakama. "Could ask you the same thing. Figured you'd want to say hi to the others before they went to bed. You disappeared awfully quick when I got snatched up."

"I had things to do." She clucked dismissively, not willing to admit that she had been bored out of her mind wandering the streets waiting for them to settle down. "Besides, I've bunked with the Mankanshoku's for the last year now, don't always need to be so needy of them."

"I see." Naruto said, even though he didn't. "I guess… I just thought…"

"What?"

"I dunno."

Ryῡko frowned, not used to having to be the one to pry out the true thoughts of others. Mako was always spouting whatever was on her mind, and her sister and the others were pretty straight forward. She'd beaten the answers out of everyone else, including herself. But for once, it just didn't feel like the right option here.

"I suppose I just though that you'd want to spend all the time you could with them." After gaining confidence with his regathered thoughts, Naruto continued while Ryῡko listened. "If I had a family, or even something like It, I'd want to spend ever chance I could with them, ya know?"

He finished the thought staring up once more at the stars, perhaps looking for his own family out there.

This notion was not a surprise to Ryῡko, and had been once of the reasons she'd had the instinct to leave him alone with the crazy family. Though she'd likely never admit it, she felt somewhat indebted to the blond and wanted to make what promised to be his last days on the planet at least a little bit better than his first.

But what did surprise her was that she could sympathize with the statement as an outsider. There'd been a time when she'd been in a similar position, a vagabond and a wanderer, perpetual transfer student without even a school who would take her. She'd born the title with pride, and didn't think she needed anyone else to make her whole.

And here Naruto was, cast aside and scorned by everyone he ever knew and yet stopping at nothing to belong. She'd long since accepted her own deficits. She might even admit that he had a leg up on her in maturity. It'd taken her years to get where she was now, and only through Mako's indominable efforts had her shell been cracked. Watching him interact with the- with her family as shadow puppets from outside the humble home just helped cement her thirst and her need for that human contact she'd avoided for so long.

"I do." She admitted to herself. "I want to spend time with them. Every day. Every hour that I can." Naruto turned to her with a painful question waiting to be asked written all over his face. Ryῡko sighed because she knew what that question was. "But I know that someday I'm going to have to leave here. It's the end of school, the end of the line. I can't just hang around here the rest of my life. I thought I'd be okay with taking off on the road. I'd always done it before and never looked back. But now… but now…"

She struggled with the words as she had for some time now. She wanted to look down at Senketsu for support but knew that doing so was part of the problem. Naruto's intent and compassionate stare didn't help either, because she somehow realized that if he knew her fears he'd try to take them all on himself. This was something she had to confront on her own. She took a deep breath, and took the plunge.

"After I thought I lost Senketsu, I realized that nothing is forever. I'd become strong, but I'd also become dependent on others to help me. I thought: 'What would happen when they aren't there?' 'What if a choice I make drags them down?' 'What would I do if I lost them?' I didn't want that guilt on my mind.

"I'd always been okay on my own before, but now I know I'm not, and it scares me. I tried moving on from Senketsu, I leaned heavy in Satsuki and Mako because of it. Of course, they never ever complained.

"But I just don't want that! For me or them! I don't want to be burdened by this fear of losing them! I don't want to be a burden!"

Her voice had escalated as she went on, to the point where cats leapt scared from fence boards and nosy neighbors leaned out to peek and ogle at the latest gossip. But Ryῡko didn't care. She'd wanted to voice these passions for some time, the impending deadline of graduation had always been there, just hanging like a guillotine.

Until that point, she had yet to find someone who could possibly understand where she was coming from. And so, she bottled them up for fear of having them wasted, or worse, saddle someone else with her heavy guilt.

Because she knew her family would take it on without question. Mako would blindly listen to her, letting half the words pass over her head and nine times out of ten come back with a half-baked rant which would make some kind of juvenile sense, lifting her spirits but not helping her to resolve anything. Though drastically improved, she didn't suppose her sister would share the same outlook, or even know what she was bitching about. And Senketsu… she supposed she had tried to keep it hidden from him most of all. If she confessed to him her insecurities, it would undo all the good bringing him back had done.

So Naruto ended up being the target of her unvarnished sentiments yet again. And though remorseful of that fact, she knew he had invited it upon himself by being so damned accepting. She told herself it was better because after a short while she'd never see him again. Then again, maybe somewhere she knew that too was a lie. She could only hope if he understood her like she thought, he'd understand that as well.

"Ryῡko…"

Naruto shushed Senketsu with but a look. Not an admonishing or fierce one, just something that spoke of his duty and resolution.

"Ryῡko-chan, listen to me." She turned to him with eyes inflamed by raw emotion, passionate sorrow for what she had just said, or anger with him for daring to be so familiar. He neither knew nor cared. "Please, listen to me. You can't think like that. There's no shame in wanting-no, in needing other people. It's part of being human. Hell, I think it's part of being any living being." He shot an apologetic look at the Kamui who was dutifully allowing him his say. At the same time, he also snuck a peak to see if the Kyuubi was paying attention despite his earlier statement.

He was.

"Even solitary animals need companionship now and then. Friendship doesn't make you weaker, and it doesn't drag other people down because part of being friends is supporting one another. You don't think that Mako needs you just as much as you do her? You don't think that Satsuki is happier knowing that you are her sister?"

She conceded his point with a stiff nod towards her feet. But its imposition was still felt as her knees came to her chest and she curled in on herself defensively. Seeing that she was looking away for the moment, he shot another surreptitious glance to his own woven partner. Kurama met his gaze with impudence, annoyed at the silent implication that he was no different in this regard. Naruto just smiled.

"Personally…" His smile broadened when she deigned look back up at him. "Personally, I think any person would be lucky to have you as a friend."

"That…"

Even after everything she'd said and done to him, she knew that she should have expected such an answer. In fact, she probably knew the answer all along and just wanted to hear it from someone else, as if her own words would sully it. Whereas his would give it new meaning. And it wasn't just that he was wiser, or kinder or any flavor of better than she. Just that he was someone else, like her, who had longed for acceptance but never knew when they found it. Both had their own version of a guilty conscience and could only offer one another absolution.

"… that's the corniest thing I've ever heard."

Naruto just laughed and gave her an ear-splitting grin. And for the first time she found no irritation or desire to punch the silly expression off his face, and instead discovered a modicum of warmth not unlike the sensation she had when synchronizing with the Kamui.

"Yeah, I suppose it is." He squinted and mussed the back of his hair. "I'm just glad I held off on the full 'nice-guy' pose." He parodied the stance with an overemoted smirk and a thumb jerked to the sky.

Ryῡko snorted. "Me too. I'd hate to have to go and take back all the points you've earned."

"Oh?" Naruto asked with a sly look. "And just what's the score? Could it be that we're friends now?"

"Don't push it, bud. I ought to penalize you just for asking." But there was an equal smirk on her face which lent no animosity to the words. "You're just lucky you earned some bonus with that little speech of yours. Who knew a bonehead like you could be so philosophical?"

"Thanks." Naruto flopped on his back. "I have my ups and downs." Just like they all did. "Ne, Ryῡko-chan, speaking of, I never really got a chance to thank you for what you said to me back in the infirmary."

"What? Oh, right. Nah, you don't owe me anything for that. 'Sides, I'm pretty sure you did mumble out something of the sort." She waved off, mimicking his move and laying fully on the tile roof.

"Really? I don't really remember."

"No surprise. It was just after I knocked you straight and you were talking all stupid and depressed again."

"Oh, yeah…"

They lost themselves in the brief moment of amusement derived from that memory. Ryῡko, though, wondered what kind of life he'd had before if he could just laugh off such a thing.

She would never know, but for him, it could mean more than she could possibly ever understand. He was no stranger to being a punching bag for the frustrations of his female companions. But even when she was actively wailing on him he realized that it was not solely for her satisfaction. Well, maybe it was, but only if because her satisfaction included him no longer being so melancholy. It might have been screwed up, but it was the closest thing to caring he'd got outside of the sterilized hugs from his sister figure and the 'tough love' from her master.

The oncoming sobriety when his thoughts drifted towards Tsunade and Shizune was redirected with an unintelligible mumble coming from his star-gazing companion.

"I'm sorry, what?"

She sighed in defeat. "I said, thank you."

"Umm… for wha-"

"For bringing back Senketsu, you idiot! For putting up with my bitchiness, and my frustration, and my loud mouth! For doing shit you didn't have to and probably never should have!"

He looked over at her in owlish surprise as she crossed her arms and turned as far away from him as possible while still lying on her back, so he couldn't see the blush on her cheeks or when it spread to the vast expanses of exposed skin.

"No problem." He said at last with a small smile, laying back on the cool tile and relaxing against the scalloped arches. "It's just what friends do. They help each other out."

She resisted the urge to become vexed with his continued magnanimity which was hard in her already irked state, and instead resolved to just accept it as his nature to be so altruistic. Maybe she was a little bit jealous of his forgiving attitude, but maybe too she just wanted to see him think about himself every once in a while.

And so they continued to look at the stars for a little while longer. Marveling in their brilliance even with the pollution from all the city lights creeping into their vision, and occasionally wondering at how quiet and considerate both their outfits were being.

"Are you two done talking yet? It's hard enough listening to this idiot blab to himself all the time, now I have to hear him stumble around a social conversation. Some of us would like to get so well-deserved rest. Hmph! At least when I was in the seal I didn't have to put up with all this yammering."

Well, so much for that.

"Why you little-!"

"Please, Kyuubi-san, I know this is new for you but try to show a little bit of courtesy."

"Courtesy?! I am a great and powerful demon! I don't have to do anything I do not wish to! It is purely out of my benevolence that you monkeys continue to breath! Just hurry up and mate and quit with all the extraneous gum-flapping!"

"That's it! I'm going to tear this thing a new set of arm and leg holes!"

"No- wait, please Ryῡko-chan! I'm still wearing him!"

"Well, you should try and keep better control of clothes! Now listen to me for once and hold still!"

"Ryῡko, you really should try to learn and control your temper. I can already tell this is giving you high blood pressure."

"Quit nagging and start helping, Senketsu! Besides, don't think I'm letting you off the hook, the Kyuubi's bad behavior is a reflection on all Kamui!"

"What?! But-but that's not fair…"

"See! What did I tell you?! Humans care nothing for fairness. Equality and the like are just tools for them to- wait, no! Don't pull there! That's a sensitive area- no, not there either! Ahh! You're tearing my seams! I wasn't stitched to stretch that far!"

"Eep! Please, I beg of you Ryῡko-chan-!"

"Ryῡko-chan?"

There was a momentary pause on the darkened rooftop as all shadowed movement came to a screeching, clattering halt. The young daughter of the residence squinted her eyes, adjusting them from the yellow attic light spilling forth and to the starlit night.

"Naruto-kun? What are you two doing up here making so much noise?"

"Ummm…."

Though Ryῡko knew the clock was ticking as soon as Mako poked her head out of the small trap-door for them to come up with some sort of plausible excuse to explain why she was in the process of undressing him, her brain couldn't fit the words to her mouth which was flapping like a windsock.

"Ryῡko-chan was helping me train my Kamui!"

"Yes! That's it!"

She quickly whipped him up to a standing position and started brushing off an irate Kyuubi who was growling at her for both the contact and the insinuation that he was some sort of mongrel to be house broken. Though she was scared the garment may in fact bite, she was far more afraid of the consequences if Mako were to get the wrong idea. Once that girl got a thought in her head, there was little one could do to talk her out of it.

"Yeah! Just thought I'd run him through the basics a little before I settled down for the night!" She leaned over to Naruto's plank-stiff form and whispered in his ear. "Thanks, I owe you one."

The younger girl seemed to ponder for an inordinately long period of time wherein the two wearing Kamui sweated it out, much to the continued annoyance of the outfits they were wearing.

"Okay!" All four let out a breath at least two didn't know they were holding. "Just make sure you don't keep Naruto up too late! I'm sure he's got a big day ahead of him tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Naruto muttered, slightly dejected at the reminder.

"Yes ma'am!" Ryῡko saluted glibly. "I'll be down in a sec, and I'll make sure blondie doesn't push himself."

"Great! Oh, and Naruto, Mom says that she dug up some of Pop's old nightwear you can borrow. And Mataro 'found' another futon you can use. It smells a little funny, but then again everything inside does. Anyway, don't wear yourself out and hurry on down when you're ready! I'm going to go brush my teeth and hit the hay because I am pooped!"

Both of them found that distinctly hard to believe with the way she rattled off the pronouncement without breaks. Nonetheless they did the wise thing and just smiled and nodded their heads in tacit acceptance, the totality which they were agreeing to was lost somewhere in translation.

As the rude little door slammed shut, leaving the two once more in quasi-silence, Naruto had time to process some of what the girl had spewed forth in his moment of relief after getting away without a lashing, verbal or otherwise.

"Wait… did she say what I think she did?"

Ryῡko shrugged wearily. "I have no idea, what do you think she said?"

"Um, I missed most of it, but I'm pretty sure I heard something about clothes and… a futon for me maybe?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I-I don't know. Doesn't that just seem kind of…?"

"Yeah." She just laughed and shook her head. "That's Mako. Well, really all the Mankanshoku's are crazy like that. But you get used to it."

"But, won't I be… intruding?"

Ryῡko paused as she opened the small hatch, one foot on the pencil-thin ladder which by some miracle hadn't given out already. She looked back at her bemused and disturbingly frightened companion, realizing not for the first time just how unaccustomed he was to being accepted, and not just the Mankanshoku's brand of indiscriminate goodwill.

"What? Nah." She assured with a cocky smile and a hand beckoning him to follow. "I'm sure you've already been doted on and prodded, and more than likely stuffed full of Ms. Mankanshoku's croquettes."

His stomach gave a drunkenly satisfied grumble, border-lining on sick.

"Yes." He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

"Well then, what's the matter? It might be a bit cramped, but the floor's comfortable enough and you get used to the snoring. Plus, hardly ever gets chilly in there with all the bodies."

Though it was not even spring yet, the mild night was warm enough to be pleasant with the oddly cozy form of the Kyuubi wrapped around him. He had slept on enough hard floors and ground to last him a lifetime. Living by himself he never had to deal with snoring roommate, and most of the complex itself was vacated except for him so there were no noisy neighbors, either. All in all, the spiel didn't sound all that appealing…

Except that it was a gift from the heart. Something small, yes, a place to rest his head and his feet, hang his hat (or in this case ornery Kimono). But it was something he never had before, an offer of not being alone. Even if it was just for a night.

"Okay. Are-are you sure you don't mind?"

She gave him a deadpan look as she stopped halfway through the portal once again.

"You wouldn't ask me that if you knew just how many times the men of the household tried to peep on me." Naruto briefly sweated the knowledge that he had once been guilty of just such a crime. "So as long as you keep your hands to yourself, it's all good." She might still try and sleep on the opposite side of the room, but he didn't need to know that.

With that frank remark tossed out there, Naruto shrugged and moved himself to the small portal rather than leap off the roof and come in through the tiny window like he'd seen a sweat-shirt wearing dog do moments earlier. Despite their own eccentricities, he wanted to make a good impression.

"Ne, Ryῡko-chan."

"Yeah, what's up now?"

"Thanks."

She just shook her head with a small smile as she descended the ladder.

"Don't thank me, thank Mako."

"Don't worry, I will."

"And besides," She said under her breath. Mainly to herself, but then again, with Naruto's superhuman hearing maybe she was hoping he heard it.

"What are friends for?"