Hiiiii! Although it says in my summary that there will be NejiNaru, there's a little KimiNaru in here as well...Don't worry, there WILL BE NEJINARU EVENTUALLY! I PROMISE! Lord strike me dead if I lie!

Neji and Sasuke, freed from the restraining bond of the bones leapt after Naruto only to be pulled back by Gaara's sand. The redhead walked up to them slowly.

"I shall return the stone to the demons, for I know the netherworld well. You two must find Naruto and bring him back safely." Emerald eyes softened visibly.

"He was the one who brought me from the darkness after all. As much as I want to go with you, I must fulfill my duty and deliver this to the demons."

Neji and Sasuke nodded determinedly. Gaara's sand rose about him and vanished, taking the boy with it. The two others readjusted their bags and leapt in the direction that Kimimaro had taken. The Kaguya was indeed fast; he was already out of range of Neji's Byakugan.

"Naruto, you'd better be okay."

Somewhere deep in the forest

"Let me go, you creepy bastard!"

Kimimaro hauled a squirming kitsune through the trees, fighting hard to keep his self-control. The brat was so damn annoying. He sped up and shot through the trees until he came to a cliff. He ran right to the edge and leapt off the incline, plunging down to the unknown beneath. Naruto squirmed and wriggled even more.

"Do you want to kill us both? Let me go!" Kimimaro smiled.

"As you wish."

Naruto, no longer feeling the support of the Kaguya's arms around him, fell even further, arms flailing wildly. He landed with a jarring thump on a nearby shrub growing out of the cliff which bent and deposited him safely on a ledge. Kimimaro soon followed and landed gracefully next to the kitsune.

"You cannot run. The only way is down, and I assure you there are no supporting bushes left to stave your fall. The wall of the cliff is coated with a chakra resistant barrier, so it will do you no use to try climbing up the cliff." Naruto sulked.

Kimimaro pulled out a rock from the cliff wall to reveal an ancient door. Making a few hand seals, he wiped some dried blood from his wrist and smeared it on the barrier. It creaked open with an ominous grating sound, and both the Kaguya and the fox-child walked in.

Once inside the door, Naruto came to a small room. It was dimly lit by a few torches, and he could make out two small beds, one on each side of the room. Kimimaro had seemingly melted into nothingness, so Naruto was left alone in the room. Completely exhausted from the battle beforehand, the kitsune sat down heavily on the bed and started to zone.

Before long, Kimimaro materialized in the room bringing a tray bearing a bowl of rice, chopsticks, some shrimp, and a drink. Naruto looked at it warily, sniffing it and turning it this way and that. The Kaguya raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Do not worry. It isn't poisoned."

Naruto looked up at Kimimaro with a searching look in his eyes. Unconsciously the Kaguya marveled at the sheer beauty of the sapphire eyes poised upon his. Looking closer, he noticed there were many different shades of cerulean in those fascinating orbs, and when the light hit just right, a whole spectrum of colors emitted from the irises. Kimimaro was startled out of his thoughts when Naruto spoke up.

"How long am I supposed to stay in this…luxurious place?" Kimimaro started, taken aback and a little impressed by the boy's sheer defiance.

"We leave for Orochimaru-sama tomorrow."

Naruto observed the stoic figure before him, eyes roving over the granite features before resting briefly on the eyes. Kimimaro's eyes…they seemed oddly familiar. Naruto could recognize the spark of loneliness they held within them, and yet they held a touch of wistfulness behind the layers of ice that glazed over the pupils. Naruto' lips curved up in the barest of smiles. Perhaps his captor wasn't as heartless as believed. He just needed that little push to soften him, similar to the push that Sasuke received.

Later that Night

Naruto slipped out of his jacket and shoes, depositing them safely on a nearby table. Sitting softly on the bed, he bounced up and down a few times, judged it not too bad, and flopped down on the surprisingly comfy pillow. Still drained from the morning's harrowing events, the kitsune snuggled under the blankets and went to sleep.

Kimimaro entered the lair sometime before midnight, two rabbits in hand. Finding the fox-child asleep, he put aside the rabbits for later and sat with his hands folded in a nearby chair, thinking about past events. Long periods of time passed by, disturbed only by the blonde's placid breathing.

The Kaguya opened his mint-hued eyes and stared intently at the sleeping form of the blonde. He silently glided over and perched himself on the edge of the bed, curiously observing the fox-child's features. This boy looked so innocent; it was a shame Orochimaru-sama wished to defile so naïve a figure.

Kimimaro's thoughts turned to the sight of those eyes he had encountered earlier. The boy's eyes haunted his thought, eerily familiar to the look he once possessed. It was no surprise, seeing that the boy had a demon within him, but the Kaguya was confused. During the battle the boy had seemed so focused, every emotion plain to the world. This was something Kimimaro had never experienced before; he only fought for the sake of carrying out a duty, not for skill or for fun. This boy had seemed to enjoy the fight.

Naruto whimpered slightly and rolled over on his back. Kimimaro smiled in spite of himself; the boy really did look innocent. Tentatively, and with a few doubts, Kimimaro reached out and lightly stroked the whiskers on the blonde's sun-kissed cheek. Naruto paid no heed and continued to sleep peacefully, unaware of Kimimaro's ginger experiments. Still curious, Kimimaro's slender fingers found their way to Naruto's hairline, stroking it gently. The blonde had almost unearthly hair; it slipped and slid far more than any hair Kimimaro had ever experienced. Orochimaru-sama's couldn't even rival it, oily as it was, while his own was simply straight plain white hair. Although this boy had soft feathery locks, and was pleasant to the touch.

Naruto's fingers twitched slightly and the blonde shifted again, accidentally ensnaring a thread of Kimimaro's sleeve in his fingernails. The Kaguya cautiously tried to unsnarl the knot, which only led to Naruto clutching the whole sleeve altogether. Kimimaro edged away slightly, unused to the feeling. Naruto's fingers wandered up the sleeve, pulling more of the material down to tease in his hands. Consequently Kimimaro ended up on one elbow, leaning awkwardly over the blonde as Naruto continued playing with the gray fabric.

Nose twitching, Naruto inhaled some of the scent that was uniquely Kimimaro's, a mixture of soap and lemon. Muttering something incomprehensible, Naruto pulled even more material of the Kaguya's shirt down to feel, wrenching Kimimaro towards him even more. Kimimaro swallowed nervously, but went along with the treatment; it wasn't unpleasant and the Kaguya sort of enjoyed it. It felt good to be wanted by someone, be it unknowingly or not.

When the blonde didn't move for more than a minute, Kimimaro slowly began to pry off the slight fingers that kept him trapped. Extracting himself with painstaking precision, Kimimaro carefully worked the boy's fingers from his sleeve and was about to depart when he was stopped by a hand on his fingers. Turning around, he noticed that the kitsune's eyes were fully open, albeit a little sleepily. So the blonde was awake. The Kaguya spoke in a low whisper.

"Did I disturb your rest?" Naruto shook his head. Kimimaro nodded and turned to go but was restrained by a slight pressure of Naruto's hand upon his.

"What is it that you wish?" Naruto sat up and yawned, stifling a sigh. He motioned Kimimaro to sit, which he did, a little stiffly.

"You have my eyes." Kimimaro tilted his head to the side, curiously scrutinizing the blonde, a little confused.

"When you were young, you weren't needed, were you? You were born wanting to know why you existed and unable to find a reason. You had no one precious to you, no one to love. You were used as a tool, weren't you? Just a tool to follow someone's orders, and you followed them because you knew you were needed. You wanted more than anything to find someone to love and for them to love you back, am I not right?"

For once in his life, Kimimaro was absolutely speechless. This boy…this mere boy had known all that he felt and all that he desired just by looking at his eyes? How could one so young decipher the feelings he had felt when he knew so little about him? This boy was not just any vessel for a demon. This boy possessed immense wisdom far from his years. The Kaguya spoke hesitantly.

"How…how did you know?" Naruto smiled sadly.

"I have met many people who have gone through that pain, and I have experienced it myself." Kimimaro nodded.

"It is to be expected from the vessel of a demon."

Naruto turned away, blue orbs downcast. He remained like that for a period of time before looking up and crawling towards Kimimaro. The Kaguya sat and watched the boy curiously.

Naruto reached up and wound his arms around Kimimaro's chest. The Kaguya recoiled, confused. Naruto held on stubbornly and buried his head into Kimimaro's chest.

"What…what are you doing?" Naruto curled into the warmth radiating from Kimimaro.

"Everyone needs a hug. And I think…you need one more than anyone I know." Hesitantly, Kimimaro placed his arms around the kitsune, at a loss as to what to do next.

"Now squeeze."

"What?"

"Squeeze." Kimimaro did so, and Naruto snuggled even deeper into his chest.

"You must know…you are never alone, and never will be again. If anything happens, know that you can rely on me always." Kimimaro softened.

"Thank you." The two stayed intertwined for the remainder of the night, content to know that they were precious to one another.

The Next Morning

Mint-hued eyes graced the room with their intense gaze. Kimimaro stretched, rearranging some of his bones that had grown stiff over the night. He looked down at Naruto, a small smile altering his features. He had to admit, the fox-child radiated cuteness when he slept. Stroking his cheek slightly, Kimimaro deposited Naruto on the bed and melted out of the room.

Naruto later found the Kaguya standing at the double doors of the cliff. The Kaguya turned and addressed the kitsune.

"My original mission was to bring you to Orochimaru-sama, but I am not so sure now. He plans to kill you and extract the power of the Kyuubi sealed inside of you, but I don't think you deserve to be tortured like that. I will let you go as you please. You deserve much more than to be killed and used for power." Naruto smiled.

"Thank you." Kimimaro shook his head slowly.

"No, thank you. Now I finally have someone I can depend on." Kimimaro opened the doors and together the two walked out to the bright sunshine that greeted them. Kimimaro picked up the blonde and gave a mighty bound that sent them skyrocketing up to the edge of the cliff. Just as they landed, Neji and Sasuke came running up.

"Let go of Naruto, you bastard!" Sasuke threw some shuriken at Kimimaro only to be stopped by Naruto. The Uchiha started, shocked by the kitsune's interference.

"Naruto! Why are you defending him?" Naruto smiled.

"He has changed, Sasuke. We can rely on him now." Kimimaro stepped forward.

"I am greatly indebted to this boy. You may rely on me from now on, just as I rely on him." Sasuke, sensing sincerity in his words, stepped back.

"Very well, but if you do anything to harm him, I will not hesitate to kill you." The Kaguya smiled wistfully.

"You need not to, for I would have killed myself before." And with a last parting glance at the blonde, Kimimaro disappeared. Neji turned to Naruto.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Naruto squirmed and reassured Neji's worries.

"I'm fine, Neji. C'mon, let's go find Gaara." Naruto looked back, smiling in the direction in which Kimimaro had disappeared.

"We'll see him again." And the three disappeared, off to rejoin their redheaded teammate.

Sorry this chap is kinda short...oh well. I got the funniest flame EVER! Some girl named sama said she could write a better story with her butt...I was rolling on the floor laughing... SO DARN FUNNY!It's on myreviewspage for The Scentof Rain (the story shereviewed on)...for thoseof you who readThe Scent ofRain (also a NejiNaru) don't worry, the sequelwill come out soon. I do have a busy schedule outside the fanfic community.I do think a fair amount of my future stories will have NejiNaru, SasuNaru, GaaraNaru, and KimiNaru for you shonen ai fans...I'll write a few humorous ones too...thinking of an Anko parody rite now...haha...

Also, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS!