"Hey Kurama," a boy whispered to the voice in his head, stretching out on the roof of the flowershop he happened to be on top of. "Do you think they'll acknowledge me now? Now that I have a headband, now that I'm one of them?" He gazed up at the nearly full moon, waiting for his imaginary friend to respond.
The voice was quiet for a few moments before it responded, its normally gruff and sarcastic voice soft and comforting. "Not yet, kit. Give it time, they need to see what you can do."
Naruto nodded, though it was a while before he said, "yeah. I'll prove to them that I deserve respect. Then I'll grab the hat from Jiji. He won't have to worry about anything, ever again..." He yawned, turning onto his side and curled up. "Kurama, will you still be here when I wake up? You won't leave me alone again, right?" Naruto muttered, drifting closer to the world of dreams with every passing second.
Kurama waited a few moments, by which time Naruto was already asleep. "I'll try not to, kit. You don't deserve to be alone. No one does."