A/N: I would like to thank everyone who added this story to their favorite and follows. I also want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

"Mom."

There had been so many titles bestowed on her when she had been Uzumaki Naru but the one that was held dear to her, besides the title Seventh Hokage, was the title that her deceased son had just uttered from his lips. It was personal and helped remind her that she hadn't been alone. That she had people to go back home to as well.

It was probably why it took all of her willpower not to allow the tears to pour out of her eyes like waterworks. With a shaky breath, she lowered her history textbook and stared at the hopeful eyes of her youngest son in her last life. The same son that she failed to make strong, the same son who had always been kind and had never said a bad word to her.

"Mom! Look at what Takashi and me made for you!"

His childish voice echoed in her ears and the tears behind her eyes burned even more as her throat began to clog up. Remembering her past was both a curse and a blessing. A curse because she would forever remember how much she failed him as a Mum and a blessing because she still had memories of the good times between them.

"I never thought I would hear your voice again, Takibi," she admitted, rubbing her eyes and staring at her shell-shocked son. He floated above her and stared at her with such wide eyes. Hope shone so brightly through his eyes and his lips curved into a childish smile. Surprise flooded her when her son tried to hug her. A shiver ran down her spine and Takibi flashed her an apologetic smile.

"You know when he smiles like that, he looks more like you then me."

The soft smile on Sasuke's lips came to her mind and the ache in her heart intensified to the point that it almost burned a mark on her chest.

"I can't believe that you actually remembered me, Mom." The happiness in his voice and the tears that glistened in his eyes made the knot in her throat tightened even more. He really did miss her. Nothing about his expression told her that he hated her for not being there for him or his brothers when they needed her.

She exhaled and lowered her shoulders before offering him a smile. "How can a Mom forget her own children?"

Tears poured out of her eyes when she finally uttered the words that had been on her mind since her son appeared beside Yusuke. The moment his voice floated through the wind was the moment that the years of regret came back to her. There had been so many regrets from the birthdays that she failed to plan to the countless arguments that she had with Takibi over his training.

"You know I never realized that you were a crybaby until I died," her son admitted, turning his head away from her. He scratched his neck and looked almost like Sasuke whenever he felt uncomfortable with someone displaying their emotions. In the past, she would have held the tears back but the tears were currently overwhelming her.

She sniffed and turned the chair away from him. If she was going to cry then she was going to sob like a baby without her own son seeing the tears coming out of her. He didn't need to know about the level of regret that she carried towards him and his brothers, not when this should have been a joyous reunion.

"You should watch that tone around me, Takibi," she finally said once the tears stopped pouring from her eyes. "I might have the body of a 15-year-old but I'm still your Mom."

Her son chuckled and floated closer to her. "I missed you too, Mom! I begged to work for the Spirit World because I wanted to see you again."

The knowledge almost made her smile but it also made her clench her hands into a fist. Her son was a grown man and it was sweet of him to stay on because of her but it worried her as well. Enma could be using him in the future, might even make her complacent because she couldn't threaten him when her own son's fate still rested in his hands.

"Your Dad always told me that you were a real Mama's boy," she mused as her eyes shifted to her right palm before looking back at her own son. Pinkness crept up the man's pale cheeks but the embarrassment in his eyes faded, replaced with grief and anger. She knew why he was furious and angry because…her own blood boiled for what Enma had decided for Sasuke.

Sasuke had made so many mistakes during his youth but the moment his hatred faded, he regretted everything and spent a lifetime trying to be a good man.

Her son turned away from her. "Dad only said that because he wanted to spend time with you! He always got annoyed whenever me and Takashi wanted to sleep with you guys."

"You need to teach them to sleep by themselves, Naru!"

"You only say that because we can't do anything when they are here!"

Yes, they couldn't do anything but having those two and then having Tamotsu and Katsuro dragged those two away from them, had been a ritual that she treasured. A ritual that Sasuke secretly enjoyed because it helped remind them that they weren't those lonely children anymore. That they had four boys that needed them.

"I really miss your Dad," she confessed to Takibi. Her son didn't look surprise, only offered her a guilty smile and looked at the window in front of them. He didn't say a word instead he only glanced at her before folding his legs together. "I kept hoping your Dad had been reincarnated like me. There had been a lot of men that confessed their supposed love for me but I always saw your Dad as…"

"…Your soulmate?" she flushed red and her son let out a quiet laugh. "Even after all this time, you are still kind of sappy when it comes to Dad but then again you always said that you have loved Dad since you were 12 and the same went for Dad. The both of you had a love story that no one could compete with as Aunt Ino would tell us."

She blinked. "Why did Ino tell you that?"

"Because I didn't understand why everyone in the village talked about your love for Dad," Takibi confessed, lowering his head. His hand passed through the window and he turned his head at her. "Aunt Ino said that even when everyone else was ready to give up on him, you kept on having faith that Dad was still a good man underneath. You went the distance for him and even when he had that journey, you…waited for him."

There were a few times when I considered someone else. She loves Sasuke but there had been a few times when she thought about accepting the second date of any man that asked her. But then her mind would wander back to him and she would compare every man to him. It had been frustrating when she looked back.

But it had been worth it in the end because they had a happy life together.

"You know even when we were on opposite sides, I couldn't bring myself to stop loving your Dad," she mused. Her son kept quiet and she looked up at the ceiling. For just a brief moment, black eyes came to her mind and Natsuko let out a shaky exhale. "Even now, the part of me that is solely your Mom…still loves that bastard."

Her son laughed. "You know only you and Dad could make insulting nicknames seem loving."

It was our thing. Their thing because they hadn't started out loving each other but it hadn't taken long for her to like Sasuke. That was the funny thing about being placed in a life-death situation. It made you look at a person differently, made you think of how short life could be and made you reevaluate your own purpose on this world.

"Your Dad and me spent most of our early childhood insulting each other," she laughed. "I was the dumb idiot that would challenge him to a fight and your Dad would always accept it."

That had been the time when they both felt the most alive because they knew that there was someone there that understood their pain.

Her son stiffened and looked at her with sad eyes. "Mom, I came here because I wanted to confirm that you can see us but did you really hear about…"

"—Your Dad? Yeah, I heard what that bastard did to Sasuke," she admitted with a soft tone. A knot formed in her throat once again and her blood began to boil up with irritation. Sasuke had messed up when they were teens but he made it up with helping people whenever he could. The kindness inside of him had resurfaced again after their fight.

The same original kindness that he had unintentionally taught her.

"Uncle Itachi tried to reason with King Enma, tried to remind him that it was his fault that Dad ended up doing those deeds," her son admitted. Natsuko closed her eyes and trembled just a little bit before looking down at her feet. "I tried to get him to let Dad go and be with Grams and Gramps but King Enma said that no amount of good deeds he committed, would justify what his instability nearly costed him."

He wasn't going to listen to our pleas.

Those were the unspoken words of her son and that only made the rage inside of her boil up even more.

"You know I think King Enma made sure I reincarnated before I could even see you because he knew about my rage," she let out a hollow laugh and leaned against her own chair. "He probably knew I would storm towards his home and smash my fist against his big face before kicking him in the balls."

There was a slight smile on Takibi's face and then it faded when he looked at the photo of her and Yusuke. It was one of the many photos that she had of her brother and her. It had been taken on Yusuke's first day of school. God, it hadn't been so difficult to convince Yusuke to go to school while Keiko had been a different story.

Funny, how the situation had now reversed for those two.

"Mom, I think you need to be cautious for Yusuke's sake."

Natsuko nodded.

"I know," she admitted, releasing a frustrated sigh. "I won't do anything as long as Yusuke is involved with the Spirit World. That bastard knew, probably just knew, that I won't do anything as long as my little brother's fate rests on his hand. He just knows how to make me obedient, doesn't he?"

Takibi shook his head and flickered his eyes to the window. "He doesn't know Yusuke is your brother and the same goes for Koenma."

But it won't be long before he will find out. She pulled her bottom lip back and stared down at her textbook. King Enma was a ruler and he was probably going to realize that she had retained her memories from her first life. Either he was going to find a way to correct the mistake or he would make her his little puppet.

She had been the strongest human when she died and even though Kurama was no longer inside of her, she still had the remains of his chakra alongside the other tailed beast. I'm not someone that he would not want to use to his advantage. Yes, he would find a way to make her his dog.

The best way was Yusuke, Takibi and…Sasuke.

"So who is Koenma?" she glanced at the door and back to Takibi. "I thought King Enma deals with the judgment of the souls."

Her son sighed. "That was his duty until 550 years ago."

"What happened 550 years ago?" Natsuko asked with a curious tilt to her head. 550 years was a long time in terms of human years but considering how old Enma was, it wasn't that long for him. Maybe approximately 6 years in the eyes of the deity, which wasn't that long if she thought about it.

Takibi sighed and took a seat on her table. "Well 700 years ago, he knocked up one of his secretaries and ended up having a kid called Koenma. When Koenma was just 150 years old, he decided to give the baby the responsibility of judgment and paperwork."

And you complain when your Dad and I hounded you about your chores. Her expression must have shown her thought because her youngest son shot her an apologetic look and looked ready to apologize to her. With a tired sigh, she waved her hand at the man and looked at the window.

"So which one of them gave Yusuke his second chance?" she asked.

Takibi folded his arms against his chest and exhaled. "Koenma."

"And what does that child want from my brother when he comes back to life?" Takibi kept quiet and looked at her for the longest time before turning his head in the direction of the photo. She exhaled. "You can tell me, Takibi. Yusuke doesn't know that I can see him and I have no plans of telling him that his sister is actually a grown-ass woman who can easily kick his ass."

Her son slumped his shoulders. "He wants Yusuke to work as a Spirit Detective and well considering the last Spirit Detective, Uncle Itachi might have influenced Koenma to choose Yusuke because he has qualities that are more similar to…you."

How could he want a boy that recklessly get into fight? If she ever see her brother-in-law again, she was going to ask him if he lost his intelligence and reasoned. Someone who considered their actions would be better than Yusuke. Her little brother never thinks about his action.

"I don't know anything about your last Spirit Detective but Yusuke won't be an obedient dog to Koenma," she informed Takibi. Her son quirked his lips slightly and the teen looked down at her hands. "Do you know who Yusuke reminds me of? He reminds me of Tamotsu."

The spirit laughed and nodded. "I noticed that earlier. Tamotsu was your problem child and the one that Aunt Sakura says that acts the most like you, so Koenma is really going to have his hands full with him. I think this is Uncle Itachi's subtle revenge for Koenma acting disrespectful to him."

He should get revenge on Enma for what happened to Sasuke. She shook her head and looked at the window before glancing at the clock. The good thing about her mother was the fact that she never checked up on her, always more content with either drinking or just being a…terrible mother.

"I'm guessing that you and Itachi are working together," her son nodded and Natsuko lowered her shoulders. "Then can you not tell him that you saw me? Or that Yusuke is now my little brother? While I trust he won't care about my personal life, I don't want him to judge Yusuke as my little brother. I don't want anyone who knows me to compare us because…"

"You are two different people?" Takibi laughed. "It is difficult to be confident when you have a cool sibling."

Yes, she didn't want Yusuke to lose that endearing confidence of his.

(Two days later)

"We finally found you, Natsuko-senpai!" Kuwabara yelled, waving his hand in the air. The birds scattered and flew away as her brother's friend and his gang stood over her. There was a mixture of awe and gratitude in their eyes, which told her that they had gotten some kind of relief from Akashi-sensei. "We have got a question to ask you!"

She nibbled on her melon pan and tilted her head to the left. "Shoot."

"How did you manage to get those delinquents to confess to Akashi-sensei divulging his deal to them?" Okubo asked, lowering his head slightly. "They didn't just confess to Akashi-sensei's dirty trick but about starting the fight the other day with us! Thanks to that confession, Akashi-sensei is now under probation and our promise with him has been called off."

I wanted him fired but well that is good enough for now. She kept her expression blank and looked up at the clear blue sky. Her brother floated above her alongside that Shinigami and both of them had grins on their faces. It seemed like even the spirits could be pleased about her actions and weren't as impartial as they should be.

"I just kindly asked them to confess about what happened that day and begged for them to help you guys," she lied, curving her lips into a sly smile. From above her, her little brother let out a rather loud laugh while the Shinigami giggled. "I went on my knees and everything. There was nothing else to it."

Well actually the bastard went on his knees and begged for mercy when she beat him up, but they didn't need to know she resorted to violence. If they were the nice and polite type who wouldn't get the wrong idea, then I would have fluttered my eyelashes and acted like a seductive kunoichi. Of course, they weren't like that.

They were the type of guys who would annoy her until she was actually tempted to kill them.

"Honestly I kind of wish we were girls now," the buzz-cut guy muttered, sinking to the seat beside her. "If all we had to do was to cry and beg then we would have done that for Kuwabara."

From above them, her brother let out a loud laugh. "Don't believe a word that my sister says! She beat that guy up until he became her little bitch."

Bubbles of laughter crept up her lips but she gulped down the bubbles and maintained her innocent smile. There was still no need for her to reveal she could see him. Besides, if one day he did find out that she could see him then she would forever tease him for being proud of her.

Big softie couldn't admit that he loves her.

"I really didn't picture those guys as the kind of boys that would just accept Urameshi-senpai's pleading," the blond-haired boy commented, frowning.

Kuwabara waved his hand and flashed her a goofy smile. "Of course they would have accepted! If a pretty girl like Urameshi-senpai begs and pleads for them to help us then they just have to accept it! No real man likes to see a girl cry."

"Don't you think complimenting my sister is going to get her to like you!" Yusuke screamed, floating closer to Kuwabara. He waved his fists threateningly as if the boy could honestly see what was happening between them. "My sister can do a lot better than your ugly face! She is going to date someone that can beat me!"

The Shinigami giggled. "Who knew you were the overprotective little brother?"

He can't stop me if I want to date. With a smile plastered on her face, Natsuko bobbed her head at Kuwabara and then blinked when the round boy sunk down on his knees. His head smashed against the floor and his friends only exchanged befuddled glances. Concern rose from the pits of her being when the boy began to tremble.

"T-Thank you so much for your help, Urameshi-senpai," Okubo sobbed. His wail was so loud that it wouldn't be a stretch to think that the students could hear them from below. "If you haven't intervene then I might have to worry about my job."

She sighed and stood up from her seat before bending down until they were at eye level. There were so many things that she could do now but there was only one thing that came to her mind. Not everyone gets a second chance to go to school. This was her second chance and that was why she tried harder in school because she didn't learn her mistakes until she graduated.

Of course, it would be a cold day before she admitted that Sakura and Sasuke were right about her.

"If you really want to thank me then all four of you should make sure to ace your incoming test," she informed, meeting Okubo's teary eyes. All four of them blinked and she offered them a smile. "If you guys want to get anywhere then you need to do well in school, especially you Okubo. Your parents will rest easy if they knew that you were working for a future where you can provide for them even better."

It would be stupid and wrong of her to ask them to stop fighting because she liked fighting. Being behind a desk when she had been Hokage had been a nightmare. I have always been more of a fighter then a thinker. Of course by the time she realized it, she couldn't just back down from her duty.

"I can't believe Urameshi has a sweet sister like you," Kuwabara complained, slumping his shoulders. "I wish my sister was as nice as you."

Her brother snorted and threw a look of disbelief in her direction before waving his hand like a madman. "You think she is nice because she ain't your sister! Natsu-neechan is the devil! She fucking forces me to study until I want to dig my eyes out! You get the nice speech while I get forced to study from her."

"That just shows that your sister wants the best for you," The Shinigami commented with a giggle.

The girl wasn't wrong and her brother was right to complain about her attitude towards him, but he wasn't going to get a decent job if he didn't study. Of course, if he became Spirit Detective then I might need to look into having my clones copy down his notes and noting down his test dates. It would be a cold day in hell when she allowed him to not have an education.

Besides, she could ask her son to remind Koenma that Yusuke also had other obligation in the living world.

She shook her head and offered the boy a smile. "Well I'm his sister and don't let Yusuke fool ya but underneath all of that toughness, is a real softie that needs some tender, love and care."

The boys snorted while Yusuke spluttered and reddened. He threw a dirty look at her before glaring at the laughing Shinigami. It isn't a lie and this is payback for calling me the devil when I'm his caring, loving sister. Honestly with all the crap that she had been through, you would think that her brother would appreciate her more.

"I'm not a softie! And I don't need that bullshit!"

Oh, it was going to be so much more fun when her brother find out that she had been listening in on his opinion the whole time.

It really does seem like we are always running into each other.

Kurama could only hold back a sigh as he took in the pink apron that signified the fact that Urameshi Natsuko was a cashier in a bakery. In the months that he had been coming to this bakery, not once had he ever run into the teen and yet in some kind of twist of fate, he seemed to be always running into her.

"Someone really wants us to run into each other," Natsuko observed with a weary smile. He offered a wordless nod and stared at the dark circles that seemed to be highlighting the fact that the teen hadn't gotten any sleep. "You know at this point, we should just introduce ourselves because I can't keep calling you Girly Boy in my head."

His eyebrows twitched. "Don't call me that."

"Sorry but you do look more like a girl then some of my classmates," she explained, holding her hands up in the air. He offered her a curt nod and the blond-haired teen smiled just a little bit wider. "And it isn't an insult because you are really confident to keep your hair that long. I'm probably not the first girl to mistake you as a girl."

No, you aren't the first. He darted his eyes to the other female working in the bakery and then shifted his gaze to the various cakes on display. There were many cakes on display and while he could see his mother's favorite cake, he probably shouldn't buy that cake. It wasn't healthy enough for his mother.

"You aren't wrong," he agreed. "And I'm…Minamino Shuichi."

Natsuko quirked her lips into a smile, inspected him before bobbing her head. "Shuichi huh? With a name like that, you must be a real brainiac."

Studious first son. That was just one of the possible meanings of the human name that his mother gifted him. In a sense, his human name did suit him. He did study as necessary and achieved the grades that would make any human mother proud. However, it wasn't the name that he was truly comfortable with.

He cleared his throat and offered her a polite smile. "I believe that you should give me your name."

"Urameshi Natsuko but you should call me Natsuko," she replied, leaning her body a little bit closer. She was now close enough that he could see the brightness of her blue eyes and close enough to see that the whisker marks on her cheeks were birthmarks. That they were smooth lines and not rough like a bump.

Suspicion stirred inside of him as a memory crept into his mind.

"That brat on my painting? The idea that you would think Naru was my wife makes me want to puke! Those whisker marks doesn't mean she was a demon like you. No, Naru was human…even if those cruel villagers failed to see that until she saved their asses."

That had been one of the few times that his teacher would make that claim and while he did not understand why his teacher claimed not to be a demon like him, he did know that Uzumaki Naru had been special. More special than him. Although, his teacher claimed that he was special to him as well.

"I don't just take anyone as a student but your wit…is rather amusing and I don't like dealing with idiots, even if I had been living with two idiots for more than a century."

Amused red eyes came into his mind and Kurama shook his head.

"So what do you want to order?" Natsuko asked, clearing her throat. He blinked and the blonde chuckled before gesturing to the rows of cakes on display. "You did come here to order, didn't you? Or did you see my pretty face and declare your undying love for me?"

He inspected her. "You have a lot of faith in your appearance and what it does to men."

"Well actually I just know that I'm pretty but it got you to stop looking at me like I'm some kind of puzzle," she explained with a shrug. This girl has absolute no care about how her attitude could be seen by certain people. It was rather odd when he considered how girls did not prefer to show that they know their attractiveness level. "So what does your Mom like to eat?"

"What makes you believe I'm here for my mother?" he inquired.

She was a 100% correct in her assumption but it was a curiosity to know how she deduced about his order. Natsuko did not give off the impression that she was incredibly bright, although she could be very cunning. The bluff she made on those nurses did indicate that she was somewhat cunning in her attitude.

"Well you don't strike me as a man that enjoys cake," she explained. "The hospital is also nearby and if you wanted to eat cake then you would have gone to a bakery near your home…hence your Mom."

He chuckled. "My Mom likes to eat cakes but considering her health, would you possibly give her the healthiest cake that you have?"

"Then I'll go and get you the angel food cake," she smiled and turned away from him. "You would think the carrot cake will be healthy for her, but there's a lot of fat and sugar in the cake! And considering how you brought fruits for your Mom that day, this cake goes well with fruit."

He hadn't known about that but then again he hadn't done much research when it came to cakes. Studying the possible ways to break into the Spirit World and steal the mirror had been more of a priority then figuring out which cake would go with his fruit. Perhaps, it was not wrong to get to know her. She seemed to have some more clues on what would help his mother.

Ah, but if he wanted to figure her out and have her look after his mother when he was gone then he would need to express an interest in her own life.

"How is your brother?" he asked, tilting his head. "Has he woken up from his coma?"

The blonde shook her head and was cutting a slice of angel cake when she answered. "No but I know that idiot and I know he is going to wake up as soon as possible."

Fondness colored her tone but there was also a tiny hint of sadness in her tone. It was almost as if she wasn't pleased about her brother waking up from his coma. That was odd. Very odd. Most humans in her circumstances would be bouncing and screaming out of joy at the possibility that their brother would wake up soon.

"If you don't mind me saying this but you don't seem to be pleased about your brother's situation," Kurama observed as Natsuko slid the box that contained his mother's cake.

The blonde darted her eyes around the empty bakery and relaxed her shoulders before she protested, "I'm happy! How many people can claim that their supposed dead brother is actually in a coma and could wake up any day? How the fuck could anyone not be happy but…"

She trailed off and a dark shadow crept up on her face. For a brief moment, Natsuko didn't look like a sunny teenager but a dangerous woman. The fact that her energy was tightly wounded up and seemed ready to lash out made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was definitely dangerous about her.

"But what?" he repeated, picking up the box.

"But I can't help but worry about the future that idiot is going to have," she answered, looking away from him. She is lying. He knew the tell-signs of someone lying to him. Averting their eyes was a definite sign that the girl wasn't being honest. If they truly knew each other then he would call her out, however it was none of his business. "Coming out of a…coma will change him."

For the sake of whatever this was, he would not call her out on the tiny lie that she gave him.

"It could change him in a good way," he suggested. "And will you love your brother any less if he changed?"

She shook her head and pressed on a button on the cashier. A loud ring echoed and Kurama stared at the screen. It is healthier and almost cheaper than the usual cake I get for Mother. He pulled out his wallet, placed the money on the counter and then glanced at the jar which had the word tips plastered on it.

Considering how difficult things were for this human, he would put some more money for her.

"Nothing good comes when Spirit World decides to bend the rules for a human, even if my brother-in-law has faith in my brother," Natsuko whispered when he was near to the door. Kurama wrapped his hand on the handle and kept a blank expression as his eyes focused on the teen's reflection.

Those words were probably not meant to be said out loud and he probably wouldn't have heard it if he had been an oridinary human. But, he still retained his heightened senses and he heard every quiet word that came out of Natsuko's mouth. Every single word. The fox inside of him stirred with curiosity and the desire to figure out the puzzle that was Urameshi Natsuko grew even more.

But no matter how curious he was of the blond-haired girl, he wouldn't try and figure out her puzzle.

There was just no time for him to crack her mystery.

A/N: So what do you think of the interactions between Kurama and Natsuko? And the tiniest hints of the bond between Yusuke and Natsuko?