And we're back! Welcome to Twilight Key, Chapter 19!

Little bit of a shorter chapter this time in comparison. I finally just sat down and wrote it. I was in the mood to write it so many times this week, but it was always while I was doing something else. I was probably in the mood for it those times because I would have rather been doing that than sitting in class or working…

Oh. It's our two month anniversary…I missed uploading a chapter on the first month anniversary, but here we are. Still surprises me that I have kept this thing going for so long.

I worked super slowly on this chapter. I can normally get 1,000 words done in around 45 minutes to an hour, but this one took around an hour twenty for every 1,000 words. I kept getting distracted.

The urge to add a pairing grows stronger…but it may still die out…

Holy crap. The Kingdom Hearts Wiki was closed? That's weird. Good thing I still have the khwiki…But a lot of wikis suddenly closed. But they will probably be back soon.

Why do people keep on asking me the same questions? If you would bother to read the ANs, then you could very likely figure out the answers. But hey, you probably won't even read this, right?

And why do I keep on answering them…?

Xandarius: Ok, got it. I will stop using "s" at the end of things like "Genin."

redlox2: I remember something like that happening, but not much. I only played through Dream Drop Distance like twice. Things like drive forms and transformations/armor are still under consideration. And I would love to hear how you knew that there was a connection between this Naruto and canon Naruto. :) I don't think I have indicated anything before now.

Justaquestion12: Sorry about that. I have private messages turned off because of something that happened a while back. I'm not really looking for anything like armors or keyblades. Not now at least and probably not for a while. There is actually a chance I will never add armor. If you are still interested in the future, I will hit you up then.

Shobu556: I remember that, too. That is actually one of the main things that led me to that conclusion.

megaslayer321a: I am going to have Naruto stay on his world up to the time skip. The world hopping portion will come in then. And I am still trying to decide if I will put that under a whole different story or have it be a part of this one.

Goose Attack: Meh :P I know it isn't a jumpsuit. I just know I've read other stories where they call it that so I jumped on the bandwagon. I didn't really think it mattered enough to care. And he didn't say anything at first because it wasn't for certain that it would have an impact on the mission. Then he didn't say anything when they were attacked because it was about to come out anyways.

Bardock380: Thanks for the compliment! And to answer your question: nope :P

ice of darkness: Sorry about that. I have private messages turned off because of something that happened a while back. Unfortunately, I cannot use that because it conflicts with something I have planned in the future.

Anyways, on with the Story!

I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts or anything else, I'm just a broke college student...

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'

Biju/Diety Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Biju/Diety Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'

Scene Change: Insert Place Here

Jutsu/Magic/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here

Underground Training Ground

Boom!

"Whoa there, that's pretty dangerous!" Urahara and Naruto had been sparring for a while now. And like Urahara had requested, Naruto was using everything in his arsenal this time. He held nothing back as he threw everything he had at his opponent. And despite the fact that he had yet to land anything solid on the candy store owner, Naruto had a wide grin on his face. This was the first time that he has ever fought someone with everything he had, besides the times in the station of awakening. Both Hikari and Yami knew everything he could do, while Urahara did not. It was fun to keep throwing new techniques at him to try and catch him off guard.

"And there's more where that came from!" Naruto was panting greatly with beads of sweat rolling down his face. While he said that, he could tell that he was reaching the end of what he could do. 'I'm starting to run out of steam…I probably have enough energy to try one more thing, but it will be the end.' With his next course of action set, Naruto crouched low in preparation.

Seeing this, Urahara grinned. "Oh? Going to try something else, Naruto-kun? Are you sure that you will be able to actually hit me with it?"

Naruto smirked. "Honestly? Probably not. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try!" Before he could get a response, Naruto rushed back at Urahara.

Urahara quirked an eyebrow at the approach. 'A basic frontal assault? That can't be it, can it?' Not voicing his thoughts, Urahara prepared himself to counter whatever was sent his way.

"Try stopping this one!" Naruto lunged at him. Urahara raised his blade to counter the Naruto's keyblade, but nothing ever came at him as Naruto jumped to the side and dropped some smoke bombs at the last moment. The area was quickly covered in smoke as the bombs exploded.

Using the chance, Naruto disappeared from Urahara's line of sight.

Urahara tensed as he looked around in order to find him. But there was just too much smoke to do it. 'Now then…which side is he going to come from?'

The silence stretched on for a few minutes with no developments. 'What is he waiting for? He knows there is no way that I would actually let down my guard…So what is taking so long?' Eventually, Urahara decided to be the one to make a move. 'Fine then. I guess I will have to make him show himself.'

Urahara raised his blade and tensed his body. After a moment, he slashed the air in a circle around him, creating a rush of wind in every direction. The wind he created caused the smoke to get blown away. Once he was able to get a clear look at the training ground, a frown came to Urahara's face. The reason for it was simple.

Naruto was nowhere in sight.

'What where did he go?' Urahara looked in every direction, but was unable to spot him. 'So what is it this time? Is one of his powers the ability to go invisible or something?'

Suddenly, Urahara's instincts flared! Acting on that instinct, he whirled around and raised his blade. Clang! He was just in time to block the strike to his back that Naruto had sent at him.

Urahara's eyes were wide with surprise that Naruto was actually able to sneak up on him like that. Looking behind Naruto, Urahara spotted something standing a couple feet away.

It was some kind of strange construct that had darkness rolling off of it in waves. It actually looked like an entrance to something. Urahara could only assume that Naruto had used it to not only disappear, but also get that close.

"Dammit…" Urahara looked back at Naruto when he heard the voice. Looking closer, it was obvious that whatever he just did took the rest of the fight out of him. One of the biggest reasons that Urahara was able to block that strike so easily was that there was very little strength behind it and that Naruto was moving sluggishly. Urahara watched as Naruto's eyes slowly slid closed. "…I wasn't…able to get…you with that either…" And with that, Naruto collapsed. Urahara caught him before he hit the ground. Naruto's keyblade and the thing made out of darkness soon disappeared.

"That was a cool move. I wish he hadn't passed out, I really wanted to ask him about it."

"You wanted to ask him about most of the things he just showed us." Urahara grinned at the black cat.

"Is that so wrong? Those spells he shot at me were really interesting. And then that thing at the end that he used to disappear…A method of travel? I wonder where that entrance goes…"

Yoruichi shook his head. "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but curiosity killed the cat. That thing was obviously made out of darkness. And while Naruto has built up some form of resistance to it, you have not. So be careful."

Urahara's grin got even wider. "Don't worry about it! I'm always careful!"

He got an eye roll from the cat in response. "Sure you are." Yoruichi focused on the unconscious form of Naruto. "Anyways, I suppose we will be putting him back in the guest room?"

Urahara nodded. "Yes, I think that would be best. We'll talk with him once he wakes up."

Uzumaki-Namikaze Household (Same Time)

Minato flashed into the entry way of his home. The discussion he had with his wife weighed heavily on his mind and he took the first chance he got to leave the office and head back home.

Looking around, he didn't see anyone around. Minato walked into the living room. It was there he found his wife shifting through photo albums on the couch. She looked up at him when he walked over.

"I can't find any pictures of Naruto, Minato. There's nothing. We have pictures of Narumi and Menma, but I can't find anything of him." Tears were forming in her eyes again.

Minato sat down next to her and brought her into a one armed hug. "Hey, listen to me. It's going to be alright, you'll see. We now know what we have been doing, and we're going to fix it. We'll have him join us during the next training session. I doubt it will instantly fix everything, but it is a start."

Kushina leaned into him and nodded. "We should also go out and do something as a family. Maybe go out somewhere to eat." She said. "He can pick. We'll ask him when he gets home."

Minato smiled at her. "That sounds great. I left the office early today, so I'm free."

Urahara Shop (Later)

Naruto groaned as he returned to awareness. He looked around and sighed when he saw where he was. He didn't have to think hard to remember how he got there. "Damn it. I still couldn't land a hit on him." He pushed himself up to his feet and walked out of the room.

He walked straight to the tea room and entered it. "Ah, Naruto-kun! Did you have a good nap?"

Naruto's response was led with an annoyed huff. "Passing out from exhaustion isn't my idea of a good nap." Naruto replied as he sat down across from the candy shop owner.

"Yes, that does sound like a less than ideal way to fall asleep." Yoruichi said as he walked up to Naruto. "And you're fine now?"

Naruto nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Urahara grinned. "Good." He seemed to practically bounce with excitement from his seat. "Then can we talk about those moves you used?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure." He then smirked. "But I don't feel like sitting here for hours to answer all of your questions. So you can ask me about any one thing."

Yoruichi soon gained a smirk as well at the sight of the annoyed frown on Urahara's face. "Only one? Come on, Naruto-kun. Don't do that to me. I'm really curious about a lot of the things you showed back there."

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. Only one." He waved a dismissive hand. "It's not like you won't ever figure them out, I just don't want to be sitting here going over each one of them all at once."

Urahara sighed and nodded. "Very well." He brought a hand to cup his chin as he thought. "I want to know about that thing you did in the end. That thing made out of darkness."

Naruto smirked slightly. "I knew you would want to know about that the most." He leaned back as he thought about how to respond. "That was a Corridor of Darkness. It is basically and entrance to a separate world that I can use to travel. I enter the corridor, think of where I want to go, and then exit where I wanted. But it takes a lot out of me."

Urahara fanned himself as he thought. "Hmm, that sounds pretty convenient. Well, it would be even better without that issue of getting tired whenever you use it."

Naruto nodded with a smirk. "Yeah. It's pretty cool. I've really improved with it from when I started, but I'm still not where I want to be."

"And where do you want to be?"

"I want to be able use it repeatedly. And swiftly enough to be effective in battle. I had to use the smoke as cover so I would have enough time to create one back there. I don't want to rely on that. I want to get to the point where I can form one instantly from a thought and use it to either get closer or retreat."

Yoruichi nodded. "Yes, that does sound like something that would be extremely useful if you managed to master it to that degree."

"What about other worlds?" The two of them looked over to Urahara. He had a serious look in his eyes. "Could you use the corridor to travel to another world?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not at that level yet. I won't be for a while. I can travel from one side of the village to the other, but not too many times. Going to a whole other world is still too much for me to do."

Urahara leaned back in thought. "That is interesting. And I assume that a resistance to darkness is needed to use it?" A nod. "Of course, of course."

Naruto spoke up before Urahara could get too lost in his thoughts. "You mind if I crash here?" He gave a wide yawn. "I'm tired and I now have a place that I can practice my twilight abilities and magic that isn't the Station of Awakening. So I want to stay here."

Urahara looked at him quizzically. "Sure, I don't mind. But what about your family?"

Naruto shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It will be fine. Plus, it's not like this will be the first time I've stayed here without saying anything."

"Fair enough."

Naruto smiled. "Awesome. Thank you."

Konoha Streets (The Next Day)

Naruto was now walking over to training ground 12 to meet his team. Regulation stated that any shinobi that received a mission that was A-rank or above get a day or two without having to take out another mission. While Naruto was looking forward to the short break in missions, he still had to meet his team for their normal training.

He stopped walking as he felt someone tap his shoulder to get his attention. He turned to face the person and smiled when he saw who it was.

"Hey, Misa. What's up?"

Misa smiled in return as she shook her head. "Nothing much with me. But I heard you had a pretty serious mission."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "You heard about that?"

Misa smirked in response. "A lot of people have. It is just a rumor right now, but apparently your team and team 11 had a run in with one of the seven swordsmen on a mission that got bumped all the way to A-rank." She leaned closer. "So? Is it true then?"

Naruto looked at her with an amused expression. "Yeah, it's true. We ran into Zabuza Momichi, a traitor, and three bloodline users on our last mission."

Misa whistled. "Wow. That sounds pretty serious." She shook her head from side to side. "And here I am, a genin like you that has been an active shinobi for a year longer and the highest mission I've taken is a single B-rank the other week. And I was only there to stay out of the way and keep track of the supplies."

Naruto shrugged. "It wasn't supposed to go like that. We were meant to get a normal C-rank mission, but it escalated."

"I bet. I found it really weird that you and the other team would get a mission like that after only graduating a little over a month ago." She tilted her head. "I don't know if I should be jealous or not."

Naruto snorted. "What would you be jealous for? I wasn't excited about finding out that we had one of the seven swordsmen as an enemy on that mission."

Misa shrugged. "True enough. But hey, you still completed the mission. They have to let you take the exams now."

Naruto frowned in confusion. "Exams? You mean the chūnin exams?"

The response Misa gave was an enthusiastic nod with a grin. "Yep."

"Is it coming up soon?"

"It is in like a month or two. We're even the ones hosting it."

Naruto looked at her quizzically. "And you really think they will let anyone from my graduating class join? Really?"

Misa rolled her eyes at him. "You should be more optimistic! You never know, it could happen! You guys actually managed to complete that mission. That proves that you can handle it."

Naruto gave her a conflicted look. "Maybe…But I still doubt they will let us enter. People die in those exams. The competition is pretty up there, too."

"How can a bunch of chūnin hopefuls be worse than Zabuza Momichi?" When she said it like that, it sounded like a stupid thing to be worried about.

"Good point. Are you and your team entering?"

"Yep! Well, at least, I hope so. We haven't entered an exam so far, so I'm hoping this will be the first one."

Naruto smirked at her. "So is this less about how you think I'm ready for the exam and more about how you are hoping to have a friendly team in there with you for an alliance?"

Misa stuck her tongue out at him with a smile. "Whatever! I don't have to answer that, you already know the answer!" She shook her head. "But really, while that is a bonus, I actually do think you and your team is ready for this."

"Well, it is nice to know that you think that. But you haven't even met the rest of my team."

Misa shook her head at that. "You're right, I haven't. But I bet they will be fine."

Naruto gave her an amused look again. "Do you normally place your bets blind?"

"Only when I have a good feeling about it." Wow. There are really people like this in the world…

"Whatever." He turned back towards the direction he was walking in. "I gotta go or I'll be late. But you're right, the chūnin exams do sound a bit interesting…" And with that, he walked off.

"You bet they do! And hey, if we meet in there and have to fight, I'll be sure to beat your ass lightly!" Naruto snorted and kept walking towards his destination.

Training Ground 12

Naruto walked into the training ground and was greeted with the sight of both his teammates already there waiting for him and Yūgao. He raised a hand in greeting. "Hey there."

Yakumo looked up at him and smiled while Sai just stared blankly back. "Hello, Naruto." Yakumo greeted.

Naruto walked up to them and plopped down on the ground next to them. "You guys got any idea what we are going to be doing today?"

Yakumo shook her head. "No idea."

Sai spoke up. "The most likely conclusion is that we will be devoting the entire time we ae together today to training as opposed to only the first half like normal."

"That's exactly right!" They looked over to Yūgao when she appeared in a swirl of leaves nearby. "As I'm sure you three already know, we won't be taking a mission today." She grinned at them. "Instead, I get to have you three spend the day training!" She got two groans in response. "Oh, don't be like that. My training is extremely effective."

Naruto grimaced at that, but he couldn't dispute the claim because it was true. No matter how tiring or annoying the training was, it always helped him. Whether it increased his stamina or speed, it was effective in the long run.

If only he was able to stand after doing it for an extended period, then he wouldn't have any complaints.

Going like they were with this training, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if they would be able to complete the chūnin exam on their first attempt. Speaking of which…

"Yūgao-sensei…Are we going to enter the chūnin exams?"

This question gained a raised eyebrow from his teacher. "The chūnin exams? You think you can pass it after being active shinobi for only a month?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not sure. A friend asked me if we would be entering. That's what got the idea in my head. She said we would be able to handle it after completing an A-ranked mission like we did back in Wave."

Yūgao tilted her head in thought. "Well…I would be lying if I said that I think you guys would instantly fail it, but I am still hesitant to enter you due to how soon it is after you three graduated. There is always the chance though." She looked back at him. "Basically, anything could happen." Naruto nodded. "Anything else?" Nobody spoke up. "Good, then onto the training!"

Urahara Shop (Later that Day)

Naruto trudged through the entrance of the Urahara shop. The training that day hadn't been the hardest they have ever done under Yūgao's instruction, but it was definitely up there as one of the harder ones.

Naruto glanced around once and spotted Yoruichi napping on the counter. Deciding to leave the talking cat alone, he continued towards the back.

He soon entered the tea room and spotted Urahara there again. He gave the bucket hat wearing man a questionable look. "Why are you always back here? Shouldn't you be manning the register or something?"

Urahara grinned from behind his fan. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Naruto-kun! The register is in good hands."

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but closed it with a sigh. If he wanted to leave a talking cat to take of business, that was his problem.

"Anyways, what brings you back to my shop, Naruto-kun? You don't normally come here two days in a row…"

Naruto grunted as he turned towards the door. "I want to use your training ground. Now that you know about my twilight abilities, I can practice them there. After that, I will probably sleep here again." He glanced back at Urahara. "Is that alright?"

"It's perfectly okay! I get that you're too much of a tsundere to just admit you like being arou-" Wham!

Naruto was suddenly able to find enough energy to swiftly rush over and kick Urahara in the face.

Unknown Location

"The chūnin exams?"

"Yes. He showed an interest in them."

"Hmm. Interesting. We may be able to finally move in. Dismissed."

Training Ground 12 (The Next Day)

Naruto was woken up early that day by the sound of an explosion coming from Urahara's lab. After beating the moron for somehow managing to bypass the sound insulation and waking him up, Naruto grabbed some breakfast and headed back to the training grounds.

Because he was earlier than normal today, Naruto was the first to arrive. Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto thought about how to pass the time.

'Might as well play the guitar for a bit…'

Naruto walked over to a nearby tree and sat on the ground with his back against it. He unsealed his guitar and got in a comfortable position.

He didn't really play anything in particular, just allowed his mind to wander as his hands moved on auto pilot and he closed his eyes.

'Although nothing much has changed…It really does feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders now that I have told someone else about my twilight abilities.' A small smile soon came to his face as well. 'And that spar with Urahara was a lot of fun. I don't even care that I lost again, I had a blast shooting fire, lightning, and ice at him.'

Naruto continued to play as his mind wandered. He was so lost in thought that he never even noticed when one of his teammates arrived. Or the other one.

Eventually, Naruto realized that he had been sitting there for a while and he stopped playing and opened his eyes. He was surprised to see both Sai and Yakumo sitting nearby and facing him with their sketchpads in their laps.

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, I never even noticed that the two of you had arrived." He admitted.

Yakumo smiled at him. "That would probably be because you were so lost in what you were doing." She raised her sketchpad a bit. "But that worked out well, it let us get a good picture."

His curiosity peaked, Naruto sealed his guitar back into the scroll. He got up and walked over to the two of them. He smiled at what he saw.

The two of them had made similar drawings of him playing his guitar. They both managed to catch the scene perfectly. Right down to the smile that he had on his face as he played.

Naruto whistled in appreciation. "Wow. Those are really good." He shook his head. "I could never manage to draw something like these."

Yakumo's smile got even bigger. "Thanks. But even if you can't draw that well, you really are amazing with your guitar. I could never do that…"

Sai nodded with one of his smiles. "It is not that surprising. While you may be good with a guitar, it would be unlikely that someone like you would be able to draw a halfway decent picture." That book said that good friends often insult one another…

Naruto's eyebrow began to twitch. 'This bastard…'

They were interrupted by Yūgao appearing in a Body Flicker. She clapped her hands. "Okay, team! I hope you're ready for today!"

Yakumo looked at her curiously. "What are we doing today, Yūgao-sensei?"

That grin on the purple haired woman's expression was unsettling. "Well, more training, of course." That glint in her eyes gave off the same feeling as her expression.

'Damn it all…'

Uzumaki-Namikaze Household (Later that Day)

Naruto stumbled through the door later that day. 'I'm sure of it now. Yūgao-sensei is a closet sadist. There's no other explanation. She has to be. No normal person would make someone do that with a smile on their face.' Naruto was grumbling to himself as he stumbled towards the stairs. The sooner he got a quick shower and changed, the sooner he could sleep.

"Aniki!" Naruto nearly groaned. He turned to see his siblings rushing up to him.

"What's up?" Why did other people always find the need to stop him from sleeping? Was it some sort of massive inside joke he want aware of?

"What did you do?" Narumi hissed at him.

Naruto gave her a confused look. "What? What do you mean? I just came from training with my team."

Menma shook his head. "That doesn't explain why kaa-chan and tou-chan have been looking for you."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "They have been looking for me?" Nods were given in response. "What for?"

Menma rolled his eyes. "How should we know? We came to you to find out!" He smirked at Naruto. "You get caught doing something you shouldn't have been?"

Naruto huffed. "No way." He smirked back. "Unlike you, I can cover my tracks."

Menma's smirk fell off his face as he opened his mouth to respond, but was stopped by Narumi. "Shut up, both of you!" When she was sure that they wouldn't continue fighting, she turned to Naruto. "But really, you don't know what's going on, Nii-chan?"

Naruto crossed his arms as his face regained a thoughtful look. After a minute, he shook his head. "I have no idea. I don't think I've done anything wrong. I have no idea why they would have been looking for-"

"Naruto!" He was cut off by the sound of someone calling his name.

The three of them turned to see Kushina standing there with surprised eyes. She soon rushed up to him and frantically began to check him over. "Where have you been, young man! We have been worried sick about you! You didn't come home yesterday or the day before and we didn't know where you were!" She looked him over for a few more moments. "I don't see any non-training injuries, thank kami." She then glared at him. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself-ttebane?"

Naruto just stood there with wide eyes. He was extremely confused by what was happening. He slowly turned towards his siblings who had eyes that were just as wide as his. He mechanically turned back to Kushina and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Before anything else could happen, a yellow flash appeared nearby. They looked over to see Minato standing there tiredly. He blinked when he saw the rest of his family standing nearby. He blinked again when he saw Naruto there as well.

Soon, his brain caught up with what he was seeing. "Naruto!" He too came over. He glanced at his wife. "You found him?"

She gave him an annoyed look. "I just got here. He was just standing here talking to Narumi and Menma without a care in the world!"

Minato raised an eyebrow at that. He turned to Naruto. "Naruto, would you please tell us where you have been?"

Naruto's brain finally caught up enough to respond. "I was training with my team…" Was there something wrong with that?

Kushina shook her head. "Not that. Where have you been the last two nights?"

Naruto's eyes widened. 'They actually noticed I wasn't here?' A small frown came to his face. 'But why are they even bothering to ask?' "I was staying over at a friend's house. He lets me sleep there when I'm too tired after training." He wasn't about to tell them that he got trained by this friend and that he had his own training ground under his shop. Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "I've done it before, what's the problem this time?"

Both Kushina and Minato internally winced at that. Minato shifted a bit. "We just need to know where you are. You don't come home for two days and didn't bother to tell us. What were we supposed to think?"

Naruto wasn't sure how to respond to that. He has been staying over at the Urahara shop semi-frequently for the last six years. Why would they only just now start to question him about it? Naruto could feel a small spark of annoyance growing within him, but he did his best to squash it. "I apologize for any worrying I may have caused."

Minato smiled and nodded. "It's alright. But in the future, try not to do that again, please. At least send us some sort of message."

Naruto nodded. "Fine." He looked between his parents. "Is that all? I was going to take a shower." This entire thing has been a weird experience…

They glanced at each other again. "Actually…" Kushina started. "We were planning to go out as a family for dinner. Is there a place you want to go?"

Naruto blinked at her. They were actually asking him? 'Am I having another weird dream?' He shook his head. "No thanks. I'm tired and want to go to sleep." And before they could say anything else, he walked up the stairs. His siblings glanced at each other and soon left as well.

Kushina just watched him go as she bit her lip. She turned to her husband. "That could have gone better. All we wound up doing is reprimanding him."

Minato brought an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. He was just tired from training. We did catch him right as he came back from it. We should try again some other time."

Kushina sighed and nodded her head. "I guess…"

Naruto's Room (Later that Night)

Naruto sighed in content as he plopped down on the bed. He was so tired from all of that crap that Yūgao made them do.

Naruto frowned minutely as he thought back on the conversation he had with his parents. 'Why would they only just now notice that I don't always sleep here? I have been staying at Urahara's semi-frequently for years now. They never noticed before.'

He rolled over. 'And then they tell me I need to tell them when I do that? Why do they only just now care? Where were they when I wanted them to?' The frown on his face was getting bigger. Naruto sighed in a frustrated manner and shook his head. 'Whatever…I just want to sleep. I hope Hikari and Yami don't pull me into the station tonight…'

And with that last thought, Naruto closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Station of Awakening

Naruto opened his eyes and groaned at what he saw. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I jinxed it. I know I did."

"What did you jinx?" Naruto looked over to see Hikari standing nearby with a curious expression on her face. Yami was standing next to her with an amused smirk.

She probably knew what he meant.

Naruto shook his head from side to side. "Don't worry about it." A thought then came to him. "Come to think of it, I never got a chance to thank you two." They both blinked at him.

"What are you referring to?" Hikari asked him.

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "You two were right about telling Urahara. It worked out pretty well."

Yami's smirk grew wider. "I bet. Especially judging by how you asked us to provide you with a little protection from the darkness so you could get the jump on him in that fight."

Naruto shrugged with his own smirk. "Well, I really wanted to get a hit in on him." He shook his head. "But it still wasn't enough. He was able to block the strike." A thought came to him and he sent an annoyed look at them. "But anyways, you two knew that he was from another world and never told me."

Hikari shrugged with a smile. "That wasn't our secret to tell. It wouldn't be right for us to just tell you that. The most we could do was simply point you in the right direction to find out."

Naruto thought about what she said. After a moment passed, he sighed and nodded his head. "You're right." He blinked as another thought struck him. He looked at them suspiciously. "Wait. What about Yoruichi? Did you know he could talk?" The amused looks he got in response were the only responses he needed to figure out the answer to his question.

Yami snickered. "Yeah, we knew about that. Yoruichi is a…special cat isn't…he?"

Naruto just glared at her.

There we go! All done with Chapter 19!

Progress!

…I think…Can this be called that? This was partly just a filler chapter so I wouldn't have to put back to back main arcs.

Next arc is the chūnin exams! I plan to introduce an idea or seven I had.

I had one of those Sai moments again where I asked myself "Am I doing this right?"

I often find myself mirroring the facial expressions I type for some reason. -_- When I type that someone is frowning, I frown for half a second before I stop myself. I think it's because I'm trying to get a better picture of the scene in my head, but I still feel silly for doing it. I'm just going to keep on telling myself that it is normal…

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!

Until next time,

Kog6943