Oy... My legs feel like lead... I can't move fast. Anyway, here's the next one. Many thanks to all you reviewers.

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Yume's mind was numb. His wife, and love, was standing in front of him, but...

This can't be happening... Natsumi-chan is dead... I watched her die!! The woman took a tentative step forward.

"Yume-kun...? Are you alright, koi? You look like you've seen a ghost." Yume nodded.

"I have. There's no way you could be her. She died! I WATCHED HER DIE!! SHE-" He stopped his rant mid-yell. His shoulders slumped.

"I... am such... an IDIOT!!!" The woman giggled at his outburst.

"I just went into a deathlike trance, koi. Tsunade-sama came and pulled me out of it. She saved your life too, you know." Yume walked closer.

"I know one way to make sure that you're my wife."

"Oh? What is that?"

"This." Yume grabbed her in his arms and claimed her mouth with his, flowing all of his pent-up passion into the kiss. Natsumi silently moaned and leaned into the kiss with just as much fervor and passion. After about a minute, they came up for air.

"Yeah." Yume said breathlessly. "You're Natsumi alright." He hugged her with one arm, and kept it around her shoulders.

"I never thought I could hold you again..." He set her down, and motioned Naruto over.

"Naruto, this is your mother, Kazara Natsumi." Naruto slowly walked over in a trancelike state. The woman in front of him was, in a word, stunning. Pale golden hair reached down to her ankles in shimmering waves. Her face was pure and creamy, her eyes were a pale blue, but they held an unimaginable depth of kindness and love inside them. She was dressed in a pale pink kimono with white trim. Her head only came up to the middle of Yume's chest, and her body seemed thin, almost fragile, like she would break if you hugged her too hard. Naruto's vision was suddenly blurry, and he realized that he was crying again.

"K...Kaachan?" Naruto's voice broke on the end of the word as he choked it out of hit throat. The woman nodded with tears in her eyes and opened her arms. Naruto ran into them without hesitation.

"KAACHAN!!!" Naruto wailed as he threw himself at her.

"My boy!!" She cried as he held him, tears coming down her rosy cheeks. "My brave little boy! I'm so sorry!! I wanted nothing more than to come and rescue you from that hellhole you lived in, but I couldn't! Sarutobi-san forbade me from revealing myself..." She hugged him closer. "I always sent you flowers on your birthday, remember?" Naruto gasped. It was her... She was the one... He had gotten an anonymous bundle of flowers on his birthday every year.

So it was my mother... who sent those... He hugged her harder, reflexively. She kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back.

"But now... I'm here for you, and that's never going to change." Haku watched from the other side of the room, feeling rather... alone.

Naruto-san... He has a family now... he thought sadly, but oddly happy at the same time. I guess I should find somewhere else to stay... Tsume snorted.

("What the hell do you mean cub?") He had been almost insane with happiness when the vessel of his blood brother rescued his vessel. ("What makes you think he doesn't want you around!?") Naruto finally stopped crying, and let go of his mother. He noticed Haku standing by himself.

"Hey Haku! C'mon over here and meet Kaachan!!" Haku nervously walked over and bowed to the woman. He wasn't sure what to think, how she would treat him.

"Konnichiwa, Natsumi-san." She smiled and looked down at the boy.

"Are you Naruto's friend?"

"Hai. Naruto-san rescued me when we were both younger. I have no greater wish than to make sure that he's happy and that his dreams are fulfilled." Unexpectedly, she knelt down and hugged him as well.

"You're more than welcome to stay with us, Haku." Tears stung Haku's eyes as he was enveloped in the hug. Nobody had done this before. Naruto-san had hugged him, but it wasn't the same. Here, in this woman's arms, he felt perfectly safe, like everything would be fine, like nothing bad could happen. He blinked back the tears and hugged her back. Natsumi stood after a while and smiled at the boys.

"Sarutobi-san told me you would be coming back today. I hope you boys are hungry, because I made my special dinner." Yume almost jumped through the roof.

"What the hell are we waiting for!? Come on kids!!" Yume shot into the dining room at a high rate of speed leaving a trail of dust. Natsumi laughed and followed at a normal pace, followed by the boys. They entered the room and Naruto had hearts for eyes. Haku's jaw almost hit the ground. There was an impossible amount of food laid out on the table. Yume was already seated and was trembling with anticipation. Naruto dashed to a seat next to his father, and Haku walked and sat next to Natsumi.

"Itadakimasu!!" Cheered Yume and Naruto in unison. At the first bite, Naruto knew he had died and gone to heaven. The food was the best thing he had ever tasted, and he started shoveling it in his mouth. Yume was inhaling the food.

Lord, I missed this taste. He enjoyed the savory taste and perfect flavoring.

"Eat up, you boys must be hungry from training all day." Natsumi said with a smile. She began eating at a normal speed.

"Ne, Kaachan?" Naruto asked with his mouth full of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Naruto." Both Haku and Natsumi said at the same time. Yume laughed. Naruto swallowed and gave them a good-natured glare.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" Natsumi asked with a smile on her face.

"Are you a ninja like Tousan?" She smiled sadly.

"Iie." She looked at her hands. "I wanted nothing more than to be a ninja as a little girl. I caught an illness when I was seven. I was supposed to die, or at least go blind, but I somehow survived, but not without a price. My body was too weak to be a ninja then. Too frail." She leaned her head on Yume's shoulder. "But Yume-kun came to see me in the hospital. He told me that he'd be a good enough ninja for both of us. That's when I fell in love with your father." She giggled. "He was quite the prankster." Yume smirked.

"I wouldn't say that..." She gave him a playful smack on the head.

"You painted graffiti all over the Hokage monument, you baka." Naruto laughed.

"I did that too!! About two weeks ago!" Natsumi gave her son a scolding about respecting the legacy of the Hokages, but Yume was howling with laughter, holding his sides. Dinner progressed normally after that, if you call Yume and Naruto eating their own body weight normal. Yume belched contentedly as he picked his teeth.

"'Scuse me. Ah, that was good... I'd forgotten how good of a cook you are, koi." Natsumi smiled and stood to clear the table. Naruto jumped up.

"I got it Kaachan!" He made a few Kage Bunshin and they carried all of the dishes into the kitchen. Natsumi's eyes widened.

"He knows that at his age!?"

"Yeah, and he uses it like it's an elementary Jutsu or something. Go figure, the kid can't do normal Bunshin no Jutsu or Kawarimi no Jutsu, but he can do a Jounin level Jutsu like that." Yume stood.

"NARUTO-SAN!!" Haku's angry voice carried into the dining room. Yume and Natsumi peeked into the kitchen. Naruto had apparently splashed Haku. Haku reached his hand into the sink and pulled out a ball of water, which he proceeded to hit Naruto with in his face.

"ACKPTH!!" Naruto spluttered and wiped the water out of his eyes. He pointed accusatorily at the other boy. "NO FAIR USING YOUR BLOOD LIMIT!!" Natsumi's eyes ogled again.

"He..." Yume smiled.

"Yeah, he's an orphan, but he's got a blood limit. Go figure." Yume stretched. "Okay you two, time to get ready for bed!"

"NANI!? But it's early Tousan!!" Yume grinned evilly and Natsumi chuckled while Naruto and Haku gulped.

"You'll need your rest for tomorrow, trust me. Besides! We haven't set up your rooms! Follow me." Yume walked down a hallway with Natsumi at his side. Naruto dried his face with his sleeve and the boys followed. Yume opened a door.

"This is your room, Naruto." Naruto's jaw hit the floor as he looked inside. The whole ROOM was bigger than his old apartment! There was a door leading to an adjoining bathroom, and a king-size bed sat in the corner. In another corner, there was a large desk with shelves full of scrolls, and the room had a luxurious orange carpet. Naruto walked into the bathroom and there was a large porcelain tub, an ornate sink, and a toilet, as well as other necessities. All of his stuff from the apartment was in the middle of the room on the floor.

"This... is all for me?" Yume nodded.

"What can I say, it pays to be in my family sometimes. Haku, your room's right across the hall." Haku walked across and opened the door to an almost identical room, only his had light blue carpet. Yume smiled.

"You boys should get ready for bed, because I'm going to be training you into the ground tomorrow." Both of the kids paled, and nodded. Naruto walked back over to his mother and gave her a hug. She kissed his head and shooed him into his room.

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Naruto dried himself off after a nice, hot bath.

Maaaaan... That was soooo relaxing... It felt so good...Naruto stretched his arms above his head. I can't remember the last time I took a bath like that.

("How about, never?") Kyuubi gave a silent sigh of relief. ("I must admit, kit, that was quite... enjoyable.")

You feeling okay, fox? You almost sound HAPPY. The fox growled. Naruto pulled his pajamas on and went to the huge bed. His bed, as unlikely as that seemed. As Naruto slipped under the blanket, the door opened.

"What's wrong, kaachan?" Naruto asked as Natsumi walked into the room.

"I thought you might want to be tucked in." she said with a smile. Naruto's heart did a backflip. He blinked back tears as he nodded. Natsumi smiled and walked over to the bed, tucked him in comfortably, and kissed his forehead. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him.

"Kaachan?"

"Nani?"

"Would you... would you sing me a lullaby?" Naruto asked with a trembling voice. She smiled, and began singing. Her voice was beautiful, and it sounded like an angel was singing.

Think of me every day

Hold tight to what I say

And I'll be close to you

Even from far away.

Know that wherever you are

It is never too far

When you think of me

I'll be with you.

She kept singing, and there was something magical about the song. Even though he fought to stay awake, Naruto eventually succumbed to the magical song and fell into sleep.

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Natsumi closed the door to her son's room. Yume was standing in the hallway, and he walked up to her.

"I feel so badly, Yume-kun. All this time I was alive, and he never knew..." Yume put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close.

"It's not your fault, koi. You were forbidden, although I still don't understand why..."

"Right after you had sealed, Sarutobi-sama called for Tsunade-san. She came as fast as she could when she heard you were involved. She arrived just in time to make sure I could pull out of the deathlike state. She said I almost didn't make it..." Yume hugged her closer, and she relished the feeling of being encircled by his loving arms again.

"You were even closer to dying. Tsunade-san was the one who came up with the plan to give energy to the demon so there was a chance of its soul being taken instead. Looks like it worked." She smiled up at her lover, and he smiled tenderly back.

"We can never undo the past, Natsumi-chan. What's done is done. But, we can make sure that their future is happier." Natsumi raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did you get so wise?" Yume shrugged.

"It comes and goes, I think. Now..." Yume raised his eyebrows with a smirk on his face.

"I think we have a whole lot of catching up to do!!" Yume swept her up in his arms, and she yipped in surprise.

"Yume-kun!!" Yume just laughed an carried his wife into their bedroom. "Are you SURE you're not a pervert!?!"

"Just because Jiraiya-san is doesn't mean I am. Now... where were we?" With that, he kicked the door shut as he claimed her lips once again.

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Yeah. I seem to be putting more fluff in lately Oo Oh, Dragon Man 180-san made a good point in their review. Yes, the demons do have human forms, and that will be explained in greater detail in later chapters.

Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl – Yeah, I'll find a way to make it work

element4life – Yes, that could work... Thanks for your input.

Magicians of the Yami – Arigato!

Metanaito-san – Indeed.

Mori Kita – Nice try, but your opinion has been duly noted. (I think so too.)

Skuld's Sentaro – Yes, Natsumi is Naruto's mom if nobody figured that out ;;;

Place-your-name-here – You read the chapter, in theory, so I'm not going to explain it.

GreatMarta-sama – Once again, I am still honored.

Lady-Frisselle – Thank you, and I appreciate your input.

Gopu-san – Arigato!

Sephynarutocloud – NEW PLOT!?! Have faith, my friend! The plot shall accelerate soon!

Dragon Man 180-san – Yes, she will have a little more of a spine, and that llittle will eventually grow. Thanks for noticing the plot hole (smacks head against desk)

Night-Owl123 – Sorry it took so long!!

HinatasBiggestFanBoy – Yeah, I surprised a lot of people with that!! (evil laugh) Thanks for reading!

Ah-choo – Thank you, and I will announce the result in the next chapter.

nonengel – Yes, Yume has a slightly sadistic sense of humor.

Scorpio V1.2 – Thank you. I didn't steal stuff and/or other people's ideas, I've had this fic in my head for about six months, but I'm just now getting it out...

Toki Mirage-san – Um, yah. Sorry I didn't update sooner!! Here you go. Oyasuminasai yourself, friend.

X-Mirai-X – I wasn't intending for a HakuTenten pairing, but thanks anyway! I'm leaning towards a HakuIno or maybe a HakuTemari. Thanks!

All Anonymous Reviewers – ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!! I can't express my gratitude enough, and if I zcknowledged you all... Weeeell, let's just say my attention span isn't that long!!

Wow. So long... XP

NEXT CHAPTER: We find out what kind of torture- er, I mean training, Yume has in mind for the kids. And, drumroll please... the kids actually sign the contracts to summon!! Kept ya waiting long enough, eh?