If I owned Naruto I wouldn't be living off of cafeteria food at my college, now would I? >. All other characters are original, and mine. But you can borrow them if you e-mail me and ask politely. .

This story is the sequel to my other Naruto fanfiction Changing Times. I suggest reading that one first, to save your mind from overwhelming confusion. .

This fic takes place twelve years after Changing Times, when Setsuko is seventeen and Akira is twenty.

Return of the Lost

Chapter Seven: Examination and Explanation

Setsuko lay on the table, her eyes closed as she concentrated on not thinking about how cold it was in the small hospital room. She concentrated on not being nervous, and ignoring the sound of the whispering of the Kyuubi in the back of her mind, and how flimsy the hospital gown was, and how much she wanted a kunai.

Beyond everything else she concentrated on wanting a kunai, cursing the nurses from stripping her of weapons as they had insisted on stripping her of decent, warm clothes. They had assured her that nothing would happen, and Akira had sworn that he wouldn't leave the door come rain or apocalypse.

But, as she lay on the table, waiting for Zatoichi and the Hokage to come into the room, she concentrated on not being afraid for her baby most of all.

She was seventeen, and she had already come to the opinion that she was far too old for all of this.

"Setsuko," Zatoichi walked into the room, Naruto in tow, Akira looking in from the doorway, trying to offer support.

He was lost in this entire situation. When they had left they had been children, fighting for their lives on the road, their skills fine tuned by the blood of those who threatened or opposed them. Of those there had been many after Setsuko had turned twelve. But now, in a place of safety, he was completely out of water. His ability to wield a weapon or use his sharingan would not help her, and he knew of nothing else to do but sit on the side lines, and hope for the best.

Setsuko felt sorry for him. At least she was able to suffer through this, instead of having to just watch.

"Setsuko," Zatoichi interrupted, Naruto closing the door, "This is Naruto, the Hokage as I'm sure you remember. I felt it prudent to inform him of your condition because of his ability to access more secure information that might pertain to this case."

Setsuko nodded, standing up to bow politely to Naruto, noting the similarities in appearance. This was something she would have to ask about later. Perhaps he was an Uncle that did not approve of her existence, enough so to make a point of not admitting the lineage.

"Has the Kyuubi told you anything of the risks, or consequences," Naruto questioned, looking her over carefully. He refused to lose her to the demon as well.

"She warned me, and told me what had happened to my mother," Setsuko whispered, looking between the two, "But she said it was my father that was the container. But that couldn't be right, because the images she showed me looked more like... you," she gestured to Naruto, confused.

Naruto sighed, reminding himself that Kakashi was her father now, not him. He could never be her father, not now, not ever. He had already given her up forever, and it had to stay that way, for the sake of everyone.

"I am a distant relative of yours, the Kyuubi may be confused on the concept," Naruto smoothly replied, signaling for Zatoichi to get on with the examination.

"The Kyuubi chakra is so entwined with hers that it's nearly impossible to tell them apart," Zatoichi motioned, "And, with the child being so young, it is impossible to tell what effect it might have on the pregnancy yet. I'm more concerned about the possibilities at the moment than any actual effects that have become apparent."

"I'll look into it, but I doubt there will be anything on it in the library. This will have to be an as-we-go case," Naruto said, "But I'm sure that this will not end the same way that your mother's pregnancy did. She was not a host to begin with, and her body had not adapted to the demon by the time you were born."

Setsuko nodded, and sighed, looking toward the door, and Akira. If she was slightly worried, then he must be going insane. If this didn't kill her, then it might just certainly kill him. And most likely destroy every sparring ground within Konoha if he started training to relieve the building stress. She would have to talk to him later, or perhaps train with him herself. She wasn't a doll after all, and she needed to stay in shape.

"You're doing fine, and so is your baby," Zatoichi reassured her, "Make sure you tell Akira that too, he could use the good news."

Setsuko smiled, and nodded, motioning for them to leave. Hokage and blind man or not, she was not going to change in a room with them.

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Neji sand Shino sat on one couch, staring across the coffee table at Aoi, everyone tense. They had discussed the offer Gaara had made many, many times in the last day, but this was it. Gaara was leaving tomorrow, and this may or may not be the last day the family was together for who knew how long. Aoi was insistent on going, Shino was wary, and Neji was dead against it.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, whether you like it or not. You can't stop me," Aoi insisted, glaring her fathers down.

Shino sighed, nodding in agreement. There really was no way for them to stop her. Her sand could provide a vital argument for that.

"But it's dangerous out there! What if you get attacked or killed?" Neji demanded, his voice deepening dangerously even as Shino laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"I'm a chuunin now, Papa, I can take care of myself," Aoi snapped, glaring Neji down.

"You're still my little girl, can't I look out for your well being," Neji roared, cracking his fingers.

"And he's my real father!" Aoi growled back, a bottle of sand falling off the book case as Neji and Shino stared at her.

"How long have you known," Shino asked, looking at her, glazed eyed hidden behind darkened glasses as he remembered when Aoi had been given to them.

"When I first met him. The sand told me," Aoi whispered, looking away from the both of them, "But he confirmed it when I asked him yesterday. I have an Aunt and Uncle in Sunagakure. And two cousins. I want to meet them too."

"Then I guess we have to let you go then," Shino said, smiling as he stood up, "But promise to write us once in a while, and try to stay safe."

"And come back safe," Neji added, trying to hid the tears in his eyes.

"Of course," Aoi nodded with a smile, hugging Shino, her Daddy, tightly.

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Tsuzuku

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I know that chapter is short. There were some problems with my laptop. Now, a completely new hard drive later, most of them are fixed. Luckily I saved what I had written onto a disc before hand on a whim, so I didn't lose everything entirely.

It might be a loooong while before the next update, I'm sorry to say. I'm currently moving to a different state, and am too busy to write.

I know some people were asking, so here are the notes I currently have on the characters. In the parenthesis following the names will be their age, or the age they were when they died, followed by a note of how long ago that was.

+ means a marriage, and the children will follow after with a ;;;

I will also give them gender markers. Just in case. :P

f.Hinata (46) + m.Sasuke(46);;;

m.Musashi (28) + f.? ;;; f.Kaiyo(6, is blind), m.Kai(4),m.Kaneda(2)

m.Kenichi(27)-engaged to f.Kyoko

m.Zatoichi(25)

m.Kaneda(dec.15, 9 years ago)

m.Tetsuo(23)+f.?;;;m.Meiji(1)

m.Honda(dec. 20, two years ago)

m.Akira(20)

m.Tenchi(13)

f.Motoko(12)

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m.Naruto(46)+f.TenTen(dec. 29, 17 years ago);;; f.Setsuko(17)

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f.Sakura(dec. 31,15 years ago)+Rock Lee (dec. 32,15 years ago);;;

m. Gai(dec. 12, 10 years ago)

f. Kyoko(18) engaged to m.Kenichi

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m.Neji(47)+m.Shino(46);;;

m.Takeshi(dec. 23, 2 years ago)+f.?;;;f.Midori(5), m.Neji(2)

f.Aoi (15)

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m.Gaara (46)+f.?;;;f.Aoi(15)

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f.Ino(dec 41, five years ago)+m.Shikamaru(46);;;m.Kenji(16), f.Kikyo(12)

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Hope that satisfied everyone. Don't worry, the notes are even more confusing to me, especially when I found them in the middle of a Logic paper right before I turned it in. I think my teacher would have had a wtf reaction and then throw them out, and would have doomed this fanfic forever.

Review please, I need help with what I should do in later chapters.