AN: So, since last chapter was a sweet and short one, and I haven't posted in so long I am giving you another.

FYI – I hope I did this right, but all previous chapters came down and I re-placed them so that you could see clean bets versions…

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, and almost glad I don't since writing it seems to have driven Kishimoto insane based on all the plot twist lately…

Conversations: CH19: Random Thoughts III

'Self Esteem'

(1) Everyone has self-image issues….

Naruto walked through the mindscape to see Kyuubi; currently he was bored and with no one available to hang out, Naruto decided to visit the old fox. As he entered the room with the seal he saw the Kyuubi sleeping on the floor. He stopped for a moment to admire the great beast. His fur was a deep red with small hints of black highlighting, which could also be found in large patches on his paws, tips of his ears and tails, and his face, all in all a beautiful fox. Naruto couldn't help thinking that is Sai saw the Kyuubi like this he would be inspired to draw. In fact seeing him sleeping as he was, Kyuubi looked simply like a large version of a fox, with nine tails.

In fact staring at him allowed Naruto to see how some of his features that were not usually noticed on the fox but his teammates had said he had in his 'Kyuubi-state'. Sai, when he had asked in curiosity, had drawn a several pictures for him. He had seen himself with only slight changes on his face, the whisker marks had darken and become ragged, much like Kyuubi's were now. His teeth and nails had shifted into claws that mimicked Kyuubi's own. He also noticed that dark black lining that Kyuubi had around his eyes and mouth was reminiscent of the lining Sai had drawn on the pictures of him from their first ill-fated mission together. The way a tail occasional flickered made him think on his 'four-tailed' stage and he had to admit, he was slowly becoming a fox as each tail formed. He moved his head back to Kyuubi's face, his eyes settling on the flickering ears, never noticing the frown that formed on his face.

"Brat, didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to stare, especially when the object in question is sleeping?" Kyuubi opened one red eye to stare at the boy.

"Your ears." Naruto muttered.

"My ears… what?" Kyuubi asked back, his head lifting from his paws to look at the boy.

"They look like a normal fox's ears right now." Naruto finally responded.

"Normal compared to what?" Kyuubi growled back, his tails starting to swish in agitation.

"Well, the pictures of you in battle show you as having giant bunny like ears. Sai and Sakura have even said that when the chakra cloak forms around me, I develop bunny like long ears. Also, the portrait of you attacking the Shodai at the Valley of the End and Konoha all show you standing in an odd position with large floppy ears. In fact," Naruto paused and stared at the Kyuubi in confusion. "you often look more like some psycho bunny rather than a fox. Why is that?"

Kyuubi growled, his teeth grinding together. "My chakra causes that." he finally muttered.

"What?"

"Look when I am in battle and using my chakra in rage it tends to… extend parts of my body. I can't help it that it contorts my form to resemble a rabbit more than a fox." Kyuubi looked almost ashamed and enraged as he answered.

"That makes no sense, I mean why would you when enraged morph into a giant bunny? Don't foxes eat rabbits?" Naruto asked while scratching his head.

The fox suddenly took on a defensive position, and growled out, "How the hell should I know, it's what my chakra does." Kyuubi growled out, leaking killing intent at the boy.

Naruto stared at the fox and turned to leave. "Your chakra, yeah that's it…" He snorted as he walked away.

(2) Nobody likes being reminded they are getting old….

"Oi, Fox-Teme!" Naruto called out.

"What do you want, brat?" Kyuubi growled back.

"You remember when Itachi did that freaking 'eat a raven' genjutsu?" Silence greeted his questions. "Well?

"Vaguely," Kyuubi responded after a while.

"Vaguely? A friggin Uchiha puts me in a genjutsu and tells me that Sasuke is going to attack Konoha. He makes me swallow a friggin raven and tells me he is giving me a piece of his power so I can stop Sasuke, and you vaguely remember that?" Grumbling could be heard. "So did you ever figure out what the power he gave us is? You said you would figure it out, you know."

"Alright, I remember. What of it?" the growl was full of annoyance.

"Well, did you ever figure out what he did to us? Seeing as we are our way to the Kage meeting, Sasuke has joined Akatsuki, which means he might actually be planning to attack Konoha, or at least really try and kill me this time," Naruto said.

"No..." Kyuubi muttered.

"Well, you said you were gonna figure out what Itachi did. Don't you think, seeing as his predictions are coming true, we should figure out what this 'power' he gave us is?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"Alright, I admit I forgot I was supposed to be checking into that," Kyuubi finally snapped back.

Dead silence was Naruto's response, at least for a whole minute, right before the sound of mad laughter filled the room.

"You forgot? What the hell? How could you forget? I mean you have had months to figure it out!" Naruto gasped out between laughter.

"I just did, okay?"

"Crap you getting old or something? I mean that's the same excuse Baa-chan and Ero-sennin use to make when they forgot something. They at least had a reason, they were old!" Silence again. "Oh crap, is that it? Hahahaha… Kyuubi is getting old."

"Oh, shut up, focus on the upcoming meeting, I'll figure it out."

"Sure old man… you do that." Naruto faded away still laughing.

"I'm not old." Kyuubi spat out into the silent room. Only silence greeted him.

(3) Nobody likes to be told they looked like a fool…

Naruto sat staring at the wall opposite the Kyuubi cage. His face was frozen in a blank look, and the giant fox behind him was beginning to worry. Finally sick of the silence, Kyuubi softly and started to speak.

"So, I guess we were right, he was your father." the beast rumbled out.

"Yeah," Naruto muttered back.

"Makes sense, it explains why he used you, why you look so much like him and why the old pervert used to call you Minato sometimes when he was drunk. Now we just need to figure out who your mom was..." silence met his remarks. "So, what happened when he took you from this room?"

"Went to this area were it was just white space. He talked and explained why the third probably kept my parentage a secret. I sucker punched him, yelled. He said he was sorry but that he believed in me, that all parents believe in their children. That he was proud of me." Naruto spoke monotonously, as if afraid to express any emotion. "Afterwards he mentioned that the guy Akatsuki, the one with the orange mask, he was there that night you attack Konoha. Guess that means you were summoned, huh?"

Kyuubi remained silent, he still wasn't sure if it was wise to tell Naruto that another Uchiha was still alive. Worse that he might be able to control Naruto, since he, Kyuubi was sealed inside him. That might not go well.

"Hey Kyuubi?" Naruto finally said.

"Yeah?" He turned his head to look at the boy.

"Did you really try to escape?"

"Naruto, you were enraged, I was enraged." He looked away. "Besides based on some stuff I did, you will survive me leaving your body. Wouldn't you want freedom? I may have been in the wrong, but could you say you wouldn't have taken the chance had you been in my place?"

Naruto was silent. "Guess not. Why was your chakra so easy to use when I was in sage mode?"

Seeing Naruto's need to not think about his father. "Simple, what is your chakra made up of?"

"Spiritual and physical energy." Naruto answered automatically.

"So if Chakra is the mixture of two energies, what do you think is the opposite of Natural Energy?" Seeing the blank look on the boys face, Kyuubi sighed. "Demonic Energy. You managed to merge my chakra to the sage chakra just like you combine physical and spiritual. It made my chakra easier to use, fed your sage chakra without running it low."

Kyuubi was silent for a moment. "You know what it also prevented any damage to you while using my chakra. We should look into that, it might be a safe way for you to use my chakra without any of the negatives."

"Hn." Watching the boy he was shocked when the next question came. "So you must really hate the fourth, huh?"

"Yes, but not as much as I used to, I blame the one who summoned me more, why?"

"Well your reaction to him. I mean you kept egging him on, it was kinda like how Kiba use to taunt people back in the academy or even at the first chunin exams. Actually you looked a bit like an idiot when you did that." Naruto giggles a bit.

Kyuubi stared at Naruto, and had he been human his jaw might have been dropped in shock. "Oi, I did not look like an idiot, I look scary and mean. Terrifying even."

Naruto giggled again, before starting to speak in a rough grumble. "Grrrrr," He said making a face. "4th Hokage come here!! I'll rip you top shreds!! Ggggrrrroooowwww – 4th!!!" he laughed loudly. "You sound like a little kid yelling at another kid who was walking away from you."

Kyuubi snorted and turned away, making sure one of his tails slapped Naruto in the head. "I did not!"

TBC… Hope you all enjoyed… I am off to hopefully find someone to beta for me to clean up old chapters and fix them on the site than I will sit down and figure out how to ends DREAMS III, strangely I have the end written and the beginning it's the middle that is killing me…

Edited by Beta D. Mind 10/2/09