Alright, I realize I made a mistake last chapter. Nothing really big, just some nitpicky things. I wrote that the funeral was held the next day. It was supposed to be that the funeral was held one week later, the time that the scene transition cuts it. Whoops. Of course, chances are not many people noticed this (I've gotten no messages about it, as of the time I'm writing this), and if you read chapter 7 after this has been submitted, then you won't see the problem (since I'm fixing it). Just a heads up incase you thought something was weird, since it was. Also, for anyone wondering, the almost full 360-degree change Naruto had at the end of last chapter isn't entirely unlikely. I know from experience that a small joy can often offset a much larger one, sometimes even drive it out of your mind, such as when I was supposed to be getting a PSP last Christmas and I didn't, I was initially really pissed at my parents, but then forgot all about it when they ungrounded me from my online games. Anyway, enjoy the story!

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Chapter 8:

Wait a Sec, He's Got What Inside of Him!

Sakura hummed slightly as she dressed the next day. Instead of the colors of mourning most people wore after a funeral, she dressed in her normal outfit. In fact, no one was wearing colors of mourning, with the exception of the Hokage. Pretty much everyone, even those who had seemed shaken by Sasuke's death, agreed that Sasuke deserved what had happened to him, and no one was willing to shed a tear over someone they had only heard of by reputation first, then as a missing nin second.

As she walked down the stairs to eat a little breakfast before she went out, her mother greeted her. "Good morning, dear. Any particular reason you're so happy this morning?" Sakura nodded as she grabbed an apple and bit into it. After swallowing her bite, she spoke. "Yup. I've got a date later today." Her father had just come into the room in time to hear this, and chuckled. "Really? Who's the lucky gentleman?" "Naruto-kun." At this her parents froze. Sakura didn't notice this, however, because she busy fussing with her hair, which had come undone. "Naruto? I thought he was going out with that Ino friend of yours." Sakura's mother's voice had the note of barely retained anger. Sakura nodded, frowning slightly at her mother's tone. "Well, sort of. We're kinda sharing him now."

Sakura's father could take it no more. Slamming his hand down on the table, he looked straight at Sakura. "You're forbidden to see that boy, you understand? He is nothing but trouble, and nothing but trouble will come from being around him. It's bad enough that you're on the same team as him, but I will not have you be around him any more than you have to!" Sakura slowly rose from her chair, keeping her cool as best as she could, and stared right back at her father. "What do you mean by all of that? 'Nothing but trouble'? Father, he's saved this village from danger on many occasions! He's a nice boy who will do anything in his power to protect those he cares about. And do you know what? He cares about everyone in Konoha, even the ones who call him a demon." With that, she strode purposefully past her father. On the stairs, she managed to catch what her parents said before she disappeared into her room. "But he is a demon!" "Shh, dear! We're not supposed to talk about that."

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1 hour later, Naruto and Ino's apartment

Ino rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she opened the door, revealing Sakura, carrying a number of bags. "Huh? Sakura-chan, what're all these bags for?" Sakura sighed and looked at the bags she was carrying before speaking. "Let's just say I had the same conversation with my parents that you did with yours." It took a moment for this comment to sink in. Once it did, Ino was instantly awake. "What! Not your parents, too! Sheesh, what is wrong with this village? Anyway, I'm afraid you can't stay here. Things're already cramped as it is, with two people." Sakura nodded and grinned. "I know, which is why I came to tell you that you and Naruto-kun are moving out." Ino was completely lost at this point. "Wait, say that again." Sakura sighed as she repeated herself. "You and Naruto-kun are moving out. With the money I got from the Hokage for helping to rescue Naruto, which as you know counted as an "A" rank mission, and a bit of help from you and Naruto, we can afford to get our own place somewhere. It'll be perfect! All of us living together, and without being cramped into an apartment designed for single occupancy."

Ino thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, but when we go looking for a place, we'd better not mention that Naruto-kun will be living with us." This time it was Sakura's turn to be confused. "Wait, why would we better not to mention Naruto-kun?" Ino glanced back to make sure Naruto was still asleep before answering. "I was talking with Naruto-kun the other night. Apparently he definitely has enough money to get a better place than this, it was just that the owner of this apartment complex was the only one willing to rent a room to Naruto-kun. No clue why, though." Sakura frowned. "You know, I want to know what's wrong with this village, too. Anyway, wake Naruto-kun up. We might not mention him, but we'll still need his opinion."

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That evening

Naruto grinned as they finished moving everything they had into their new house. When he had heard about Sakura's proposal, he had been expecting them to look at bigger apartments, not small houses. But the pay for an "A" rank mission was better than Naruto had expected, and they had actually had enough, when combined with all of Ino's savings and most of Naruto's, to buy the place, instead of just renting it out like Sakura had planned. The cheapness probably came from the fact that it was actually pressed against the outer wall of the village. That, and the fact that there were only three rooms total, not counting the bathroom or kitchen. There were two bedrooms and one room that was obviously meant for whatever you currently needed (it had nothing at all in it). He and Ino would share one room, since they were already used to it, and Sakura would have the other. Eventually they planned on moving into one room, then using the other for visitors (what visitors, though, Naruto couldn't guess), but not immediately.

It had taken most of the day to find a suitable place that they could afford. Suitable meant one that all three could agree on. As for getting all their stuff their, not only did they not have much stuff, but, thanks to Naruto's specialty, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, he could easily take everything in one trip. Sakura and Ino, of course, insisted that they be allowed to help, so now they were both lying on the floor of the empty room, tired. "Ugh, who knew that ramen noodles were actually heavy?" Moaned Sakura. Ino raised her hand half-heartedly before letting it fall. "I did. That's why I told you to let Naruto-kun carry it. I don't know why I decided to carry the ninja gear, though. Now that stuff is heavy. And bulky." Sakura giggled slightly and nodded, though Ino couldn't see.

Naruto grinned down at them as he stepped into the room, sitting down next to both of their heads. "You do know that I was perfectly willing to carry everything myself, right?" Both girls nodded, and Ino spoke up. "But we wanted to help." Naruto chuckled and looked up at the ceiling as he spoke. "Yeah, but now you're both too tired for our date tonight." Ino frowned as she realized that this was true. "Damn. I guess we'll have to go another time."

Sakura, though, was thinking of something else. "Hey, Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked down at her as he responded. "Yeah?" "I was wondering. Why do people call you a demon?" At this the color drained from Naruto's face and he looked away. "What?" Sighing, he spoke. "I'm not really supposed to talk about that. The Third forbid talking about it. Technically, people aren't even supposed to call me a demon for the same reason." Sakura looked up at him, and was shocked to see how pale he had become. Ino would have as well, but she had her eyes closed. "Since when have you cared for rules?" Naruto laughed at this and nodded. "You have a point, Sakura-chan. Alright, I'll tell you both, though you have to promise not to tell anyone else." Both Sakura and Ino said "Promise" at the exact same time.

"Alright, it all started on the day of my birth. No, I'm not pretending to remember what happened when I was less than a day old. I found all of this out from Mizuki and Iruka-sensei the day I stole the forbidden scroll from the Third and beat the shit out of Mizuki. Anyway, the village was under attack from the demon fox, the kyuubi." Ino felt her heart sink as she remembered what her parents had said, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to hear what Naruto had to say. Sakura, on the other hand, had to interrupt. "You mean the demon that the Fourth died fighting? The one that he destroyed?" Naruto shook his head. "The Fourth didn't kill the kyuubi, it was too strong for that. He merely sealed it away inside of an infant's body, forever cursing that child to be the container that housed the evil that was, and is, the kyuubi. That child's name was Uzumaki Naruto. So, technically, they should call me 'demon container', not 'demon', though most of them think that I am really the kyuubi." Ino and Sakura were both speechless, though for different reasons. Ino was speechless because Naruto was not the kyuubi, as her parents had said, but merely housed the great beast. Sakura was speechless because what Sasuke had said before the fight suddenly made sense.

Naruto decided to break the silence as he glanced around the room at the bare walls. "So, do you two want to hate me now, like everyone else who knows the truth? Well, not everyone, exactly, since Tsunade-sama, Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei knew the truth, and they don't hate me. Neither did the Third, for that matter." Ino and Sakura both shook their heads and pulled themselves into sitting positions before hugging Naruto. "Of course not. You're still the Naruto we love. Nothing has changed. Besides, I have a feeling that the kyuubi was what helped save us on a number of occasions. I mean, that's why the chakra around you in the fight had those tails, right?" Naruto looked down at Ino, then at Sakura as she spoke. "Wait, you saw the chakra?" She nodded, frowning. "Of course. It was plain as day." "Wow, I had no idea that the kyuubi was manifesting that much chakra outside my body when we do that. But, yeah, he helps. We have an agreement going, sort of." "What sort of agreement?" Ino was the one who spoke up this time. "Well, since if I die, he dies, he lends me his strength when I need it."

After several more hours of discussion about the kyuubi and other related matters, both girls leaned up against Naruto as the conversation slowly ended. It probably would've kept going, but Ino had fallen asleep, and Sakura had run out of things to say to just Naruto. After a moment, Naruto stood up, picking up Ino as he did so. "I'm going to go tuck Ino-chan into bed, then be right back." Sakura just nodded as she looked out of the window. She couldn't see anything, of course. It was pitch black outside, and the electric lights lighting the room made it completely impossible to see anything dimmer than it.

Soon Naruto was back and sat against the wall. Sakura grinned and crawled over to him before sitting in his lap and gently touching his cheek. Naruto grinned down at her and held her close to him, kissing her cheek as he did so. "Hey, Sakura-chan. You know, I used to have dreams about this sort of thing." Sakura raised her eyebrow at this and looked Naruto in the eye. "Oh really? You said used to. When did you stop?" Naruto thought for a moment before answering. "I think I stopped having dreams about you when you refused to leave Sasuke's side for anything after I brought him back." "Oh." Sakura's reply was meek and sorrowful. How she wished she hadn't stayed by Sasuke at that time. Not only would she had saved herself a lot of pain, she probably would've had a shot at Naruto before Ino. Though, then they might not all be living under the same roof, so things evened out. "Hey, it's okay. I realize that he meant a lot to you. I'm not angry, or anything." Sakura smiled at this and kissed his cheek. "Emphasis on meant. You mean more to me now than he ever did. And thanks."

Naruto blushed at this, then lowered his face so that it was less than an inch from Sakura's. He would have moved even closer on his own, but Sakura decided things were taking too long and moved her face upwards, pressing their lips together in a passionate kiss. A minute later when they parted, Naruto smiled and slowly stood up, helping Sakura to her feet. "Well, I'm heading to bed now, and you probably should too." "I think I will. G'night, Naruto-kun." "G'night, Sakura-chan."

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And there you go. A bit more romantic a chapter than the last couple, most likely much more romantic than the next one but probably won't be as romantic as the ones after that. But, we'll see. Oh, and as a heads up, the next chapter's title is just the name of a song. They aren't exactly lovers in this fiction yet. They probably will at some point, depending on how long I continue this (at the moment I have no definite plans, but home to include the next several years of their life in one way or another).

Coming Up in Chapter 9: Lovers In a Dangerous Time

Enraged by the "demon" bewitching Sakura and Ino, some of the rougher of Konoha's citizens decide that Naruto has outstayed his welcome. Or rather, outlived his welcome. Plenty of violence in this chapter (I think).