A happy new-year to everyone.

It's been a bit, but I finally have the next chapter for you. There's not much to say about it or, at least, not much I wanted to say that I can recall, but this chapter does celebrate two years of the story- time really does fly- and brings us to just shy of 400,000 words.

Really, I can hardly believe it considering I didn't expect the story to last 100,000.

Next chapter should reach that milestone and hopefully I can at least have the chapter posted later this month.

Thanks, as always, goes to ncpfan for his help.

Pale Fingers gently cupped the chin of the Ichibi, forcing them to face him. Briefly, Naruto wondered if all the Biju took on human forms and how likely it was the form he was currently observing actually was Gaara's mother.

It was, if nothing else, quite fitting that Gaara's "Mother" was actually Gaara's mother. He didn't actually know the woman's name, he realized, and for a moment he wondered if Mito had her own name, one that she hadn't stolen with her preferred form.

Amethyst eyes locked with the Biju's own Indigo- or this form's, at any rate- and he gave a small smile.

"Come now, lying in the sand is no place for a woman of your status." Unlike Mito, the Ichibi was obviously scared of- or at the very least felt threatened by- him, but as soon as he had acknowledged her status as a Biju, one of the most mighty beings to walk the earth, her confidence seemed to return faster than the sand might greedily drink spilled water in the summer sun.

Rising to her full height- which he noted, amusedly, was only about as tall as he was; even if he was one of the tallest Genin of the recently graduated class- she lightly shook her head to rid her shoulder-length brown hair of any sand that may have found its way into it while she was prostrate.

Not that he had been able to see it. With her hair a light shade of brown and with only the moon for light it was no surprise that the sand blended in perfectly.

When she was finished she gave him a faint smile- her lips were unpainted, which gave him the theory that it was only Mito who had decided to take liberties with her form. He'd have to wait until he had met a third Biju before he could draw any real conclusions- and her eyes seemed to shine with a slight haughtiness he would almost describe as pleasant, not that it made any sense to him.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was Mito, but not Mito, which threw him off so badly. Her demeanor was similar, but the pride she showed was carefully tempered because, unlike Mito, she seemed to accept that he was in charge here.

It was a mix of comforting familiarity and alien wrong that left him momentarily hesitating at how he should proceed.

Did he treat her as he had originally treated Mito, and just expect the fact that she already seemed to accept his authority to keep her in line in the future?

Or should he treat her as if she had already done what Mito did, and keep her at a distance while ensuring she was properly cared for?

Would it be possible to do neither, and somehow treat this Biju some other way, completely unbiased by his interactions with others of its kind?

He wasn't sure how well he could pull of that last one, considering how important Mito had been to him just a couple years ago.

Regardless, she needed a proper environment and, while fitting, the barren desert wasn't really acceptable for a guest of Tsukiyomi.

"Better?" He asked once she was standing. Her smile pulled just a bit wider.

"Yes, Naruto-Sama. Thank you."

The Biju, it seemed to him, enjoyed having others care for them. From his experience, at least.

He waved off the thanks. "You are of my domain now, Ichibi, It is my desire to see you comfortable and your needs met."

She seemed to delight at the idea, if they way her eyes lit up were any indication, but she remained otherwise as noble as one could after laying prostrate in the sand at his feet.

Instead she tilted her head slightly and with the smile never wavering gave a faint nod.

"Of course, my lord."

His eyes narrowed only the barest degree, catching the change from the respectful but distant 'Naruto-Sama' to a much more personal, in his opinion, 'my lord', as if she was acknowledging his claim over her as more than the fact that he held the upper hand. Not just submitting to his authority, but embracing it.

Or so it seemed.

He wasn't so foolish as to blindly believe that, not after Mito, but if she truly was sincere than he was going to be very, very pleased at how easily she had accepted everything. He may not trust the gift, but he wasn't about to look it in the mouth, either.

Because even if it was just an act, for now, it still gave him an opportunity to take care of everything he needed to in the seal before she showed her true colors. And, then, if it came down to it, he would never have to interact with his new ward ever again.

It would be a pity, should that happen, but it couldn't honestly say it would be a huge loss. Yes, he may not be able to access her power or have a companion tied to his very soul by his father's seal, but he would have victory in the fact that he had stolen her away from Suna- those who planned to betray them.

That was something that could not change and it was enough to justify his actions. If that's all he really got out of it, he couldn't exactly complain.

Again, those were thoughts were for another time, he had work to do.

"Now," Naruto declared. "Let us begin with seeing that you are provided with suitable lodging."

She blinked twice at him, not quite understanding. After all, the desert they currently stood in was already far superior to her last prison and she really didn't think she needed any more. It wasn't really suited for a noblewoman, but she wasn't exactly a human, either.

As white marble spread from beneath her lord's feet, transforming the world around her, however, she started to realize that, yes, it could become far better than it already was.

And while she wasn't some noblewoman, she certainly wouldn't turn down the chance to be treated as one.

The white stone continued quite a ways in every direction before the first walls were formed, merging perfectly with the gate Naruto had entered this desert from. Small windows were left high upon those walls, very close to the massive domed ceiling, and from those windows came soft light.

Only, that soft light was not from the moon they had left behind.

Sunlight beams of gentle gold shone through and lit up the ground to either side of the archway and left a path of shade that led from Naruto's world- that strange, flooded basement- off into the distance of her new residence. From that shadow emerged a thick rug of deep blue, decorated with patterns of golden vines and bordered with white stitching in a triangular pattern that might pass for rudimentary waves.

Tapestries- little more than colored sheets on the walls at the moment, as if they were waiting to be finished- came into being next, followed closely by delicate vases and colorful flowers of excessive fragrance supported by elaborate golden stands.

Despite being an ancient Biju, she was still having some difficulty coming to terms with just how quickly- how effortlessly- he had created this palace- for there was nothing else it could be- from the sands of the desert.

And he was doing it for her.

Having at one point spent a portion of their captivity within a tea kettle, of all things, the Ichibi couldn't help but be amazed at her current fortune.

"Come." She was startled from her observations by the firm command and the feeling of his arm slipping around her own. He began to lead her down the blue rug, his pace leisurely to provide time for her to take in the surroundings.

For the most part, nothing really seemed to change. Tapestries, flowers, blue rugs and white stone surrounded them, separated only occasionally by large hallways containing the same. If there was anything else in this place it was surly down the hallways or within rooms she had yet to see. Still, it was a beautiful palace and she was already most grateful to be allowed to stay here.

At what she could only assume was the end of the building based on how long they had been walking a large arch, much larger than the others, rose into the ceiling. Rather than the white of the palace, it was covered entirely, wall to wall and ceiling to floor, in beaten gold. Grand designs of flowers, animals, and stylized suns dominated the work, occasionally separated to show humans surrounding- were those Biju?

Yes, groups of humans- she originally thought they might be mobs of warriors come to combat them but a closer look showed she was mistaken- gathered around the great tailed animals in worship.

The Kyuubi, all nine tails splayed wide and coming to rest upon the floor, was at the bottom, the number of worshipers apparently coinciding with the number of tails- or, perhaps, simply the amount of space needed to be filled In the archway- but the size for each Biju seemed to be roughly the same, despite the difference in tails.

Kyuubi, Hachibi, Nanabi, yes, both the beetle and the ox-topus were the exact same size as the fox, each getting a slightly bigger body to accommodate for the lack of tails around them.

She continued to move her eyes upward, Naruto standing patiently beside her with his arm still around hers, over the Rokubi only to blink in surprise to see a large, one-tailed Tanuki staring back at her. At the exact center of the archway it had jumped from the Rokubi to her, the Ichibi, and then continued upwards with the Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, and Gobi as the arch flared into its second curve and more room was available on the connecting walls.

And while the entire thing seemed to be designed simply to promote some sort of balance over the artwork- for, while a wall, it was truly nothing less than art- she couldn't help but be pleased that the palace she would be staying in had her representation so easily visible, being both in the center and the largest of the depicted Biju to account for her single tail.

Her examination finished for now- did that elephant have three eyes?- she turned to her host, who rose a silent brow in question. The almost hesitant nod- she did hope that he was asking her if she was finished rather than for her opinion on the piece he had obviously done himself, considering this was his seal domain- was answered by a sharp, firm nod from him as he continued through the arch.

Without realizing it, she came to a stop just within the grand room beyond. The blue rug stopped only a few feet in and gave way to the white marble that the entire palace seemed to be made out of- and she had yet to see a single seam that would suggest the palace wasn't carved entirely out of a single, massive piece of marble – but scattered across the floor were squares of gold, inlaid with numerous sapphires and rubies and possessing, in the center, a carved flower of white marble with delicate veins of silver running over it like trails of precious rain.

The squares were not alone in the floor, either, for connecting them all were long branches of elegantly curved gold, sapphires following the trail evenly spaced. It took her a minute of gazing at the floor to realize that it came together to make a large geometric flower- much like the one in each square- that covered the entirety of the room.

She had no doubt that it shone most spectacularly when touched by the light of the sun.

Speaking of which, the gentle golden light of the afternoon sun she had seen on the way here and given into the burning gold of late evening. And while this didn't make the flower shine, it seemed to melt the gold in the floor and the entire room was bathed in a warm glow that seemed to contradict the cool breeze she could feel from the open wall in front of her.

In fact, she couldn't exactly call it a wall. The room was circular and an entire third of it was supported only by elaborately carved pillars of marble that were covered generously with beaten gold and the sapphires and rubies that had been inlaid into the floor. There was so little of the original pillar left to be seen that it looked like bands of white breaking up the artwork that covered them.

What lay beyond those pillars, however, really caught her attention. Rather than the sand she expected to see, a massive garden sprawled out from this room filled with flowers of all colors and, she was willing to bet, fragrances.

Earlier she had felt new sands for the first time in a great many years. She couldn't even remember the last time she had seen so many flowers. She had been able to catch glimpses of some while walking down the palace halls, but that was not nearly the same thing as a proper garden. With a pleading look to her host, who offered an indulgent smile and nod of his head, she scurried out into the gardens, paying no attention to the large throne that sat in the middle of the open wall.

Naruto followed behind her at a far more sedate place- he was the one creating this world and it made being surprised by the palace rather difficult- but paused long enough to run one hand gently over the arm of the throne, pleased by the cold stone it had been carved from. He looked, briefly, to the purple cushions that were arranged comfortably upon the throne but managed to drag himself away from the temptation to take his place upon them.

The air in the throne room had begun to cool but there was a noticeable difference as soon as he had stepped down- for the floor of said throneroom was slightly elevated compared to the garden it opened to- under the evening sky. While there were walls surrounding the gardens, the roof had been removed despite the fact that this was all in his seal and worked however he decided it should.

Besides, who was going to try to break into a palace in here? This was his seal and he had provided the palace for the only other occupant. If, by some chance, someone did succeed in entering the seal, keeping them out of his palace was probably the least of his worries.

His footsteps clicked softly over the floor as he made his way to his wide-eyed guest, smiling softly as he observed the overwhelmed Biju try to take in all the colors and scents in at once after at least a decade of imprisonment in an unsuitable sealscape. He knew it was probably longer for the poor thing, but he could really only say it was a decade with certainty. They had to place the seal on the host early, after all, and Gaara was probably only a year or so younger than himself.

Stopping a few steps from her, he waited unhurried as she continued to experience his garden- or was it hers, now? He supposed it really didn't matter all that much; it was for her enjoyment in the end, anyway. He eyed the lattice of red wood that curved along the circular wall, vines flowering all across it, and to the small box of latticework in the exact middle, opposite the back of the throne. It too was covered in plants, but in a far sparser amount, and possessed a door of a similar red wood. It was far more important than it looked.

Eventually, he broke the silence himself.

"Tell me, Ichibi." He commanded softly. "Gaara- what is he to you?"

The Biju paused, one hand having just plucked a delicate lily from amongst its siblings. She brought it to her nose, enjoying the scent for a moment while she gathered her thoughts, and with a soft sigh she began to answer.

"He is my vessel, of course, but, perhaps, he is more. A servant, sometimes," came her admission. "And others a son of my own. An unwilling prison, a life I've shaped from the beginning into the monster he is becoming."

That earned a raised brow. "Becoming?"

"I was sure he was a monster until he encountered you. You were more than him, more than me, more than the two of us put together. The monster I had molded would have simply lashed out, but you made him pause, think, and scheme. There was still intelligence to tamper the bloodlust." She hesitated with the next part, worried that it might, in some way, insult him, but proceeded rather than be accused of holding back on her new host- her new lord.

For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to think of Gaara as her previous lord or Naruto as anything less than one.

"I wonder, though, if he has hesitated on this path, or simply become a new sort of monster because of it."

Rather than be insulted at the insinuation that he was turning Gaara into a monster of any sort Naruto simply nodded in understanding. "A fair question." But he offered no more on the subject of her previous host's humanity. He did, however, continue on a related subject. "Would you like to meet with him?"

Her eyes, which had remained on the flower in her hands, shot up to his in surprise.

She had been able to speak with Gaara and had some awareness of the outside world thanks to his sand and whatever his birth mother had managed to do to it, but she had never actually met the boy face to face.

But did she really want to?

Biting her bottom lip in thought, she tried to, first, think of any reasons not to meet with the boy who had called her "mother" for most of his life. Other than the possibility that he may reject her- which, honestly, seemed such a small thing now that she resided within this desert palace of her new lord- she couldn't think of any legitimate reasons not to.

And she really did want to see what she had made, even if it was a monster.

Actually, especially if it was a monster. She could not deny how proud he had made her spilling blood in her name. She may have been slightly crazed by both a horrid seal and abysmal sealscape but the desert was violent by nature and so was she.

"I- I would like that, Naruto-Sama."

She may have been queen of the desert previously – changing from a genderless entity assumed male to identifying as female had been surprisingly easy, she realized idly- but everyone in the desert knew that even the sands bowed and bent as the wind commanded. And as that sand to the wind, she had easily identified and accepted who the lord here was.

"Then shall we go say hello?" It was spoken like a question, but it was obviously expected of her to accept the arm he offered and so she complied without comment.

His steps, while not rushed, were not as leisurely as before, now filled with more purpose than a relaxing tour of her newest prison- if it could really be called that. Some had commented before that a gilded cage was still a cage but they failed to realize that sometimes a cage was the better option. Most certainly for a Biju like herself, who would just be attacked and sealed again in something inferior, a gilded cage was the best they could ever ask for.

She was, of course, above humans, but that didn't mean they couldn't hurt her. Just as a human could be injured by the smallest of pests.

And while the Kyuubi or some of her other siblings might say they should simply kill off any who dared attack them she knew it would only incite more humans to try and should all humans be wiped out she would go back to being the lesser Biju, the first step between animals and the mighty Biju. She didn't like that idea at all, for she quite enjoyed being superior to sentient beings.

Well, sentient beings who weren't summons. She would readily admit she had no idea what those animals really were or what their place in this world was, if they were even supposed to have one.

He led her to the wooden door surrounded by green vines. Pausing, as if considering something, he proceeded for the handle.

It was locked.

With a scornful look at the handle he gave a sharp twist which had it turning anyway. The Ichibi blinked in confusion at the cracks that appeared through the wooden lattice that created the small building, almost as if Naruto forcing his entry to the door had caused it.

But that didn't make any sense, as the door didn't have a single crack through it. Before her eyes the damage repaired itself, leaving wooden scars where it had been previously damaged. How curious.

The opening of the door drew away her attention from the building and into the darkness beyond. Without waiting for her to be ready he stepped in, his arm still around hers.

Within a heartbeat, there was no more palace. Darkness gave way to moonlight and the marble they stood upon became a dull, flat roof.

She stared out in disbelief at Sunagakure no Sato, which she had seen with her own eyes only twice. From what she knew, he hadn't even been there once. The palace had been amazing, but this should be impossible. There was no way for him to have created the home of her previous host so quickly without having ever visited it.

Unless- he hadn't?

The thought was odd, almost nonsensical, but something about it kept her from being able to dismiss it. He was the lord of her sealscape, but where they even there still?

She turned to look at him, only to find him gazing about curiously. It only confirmed what she had thought before, they were no longer in his domain.

That, she found, was even stranger.

He was her lord, the bearer of her seal, but was that true here, in the center of Suna? Did she still owe him her allegiance when she was no longer his guest?

Almost as if sensing her thoughts, he turned to her, purple eyes staring deep into her soul- assuming Biju possessed anything of the like- and in that moment her question was most clearly answered.

Yes.

Yes, he is my lord.

She was surprised by how relieved that knowledge made her feel.

But it didn't tell her where they were or what was going on.

"You wanted to see him, didn't you?" His voice broke her from her thoughts and seemed to address her unvoiced questions.

"Go on, then." He prompted with a negligent wave of his hand. "Call for him."

Gaara, she was supposed to call Gaara.

But what would that do, really? Naruto held her seal, he had taken her from Gaara to keep her safe both from the world and, more importantly, himself. She was his now, and he would protect her, but did she really hold any claim over Gaara anymore?

Except, she did. She was the one to raise him, mold him, she was his mother and his goddess and she knew he would do anything she asked of him.

She might be Naruto's, but Gaara belonged to her.

Filled now with the resolve to try, but not having fully banished the uncertainty at what the result would be, her first attempt was nevertheless rather weak.

"G-gaara?" More question than command, it was pitiful. A quick, hesitant glance over to Naruto, who had still not let go of their entwined arms, had her wincing with deep shame. If the scowl on his face was anything to go by, he thought it had been pathetic too. In fact, he had almost seemed disappointed, something the Ichibi found to make her feel absolutely terrible.

She was the Ichibi, the great Biju of the desert. She was a goddess that should have the sand-dwellers bowing before her in worship and she couldn't bring herself to call for her son, her greatest servant?

She couldn't trust in her lord, and do his bidding as Gaara did hers?

It was the last thought that bothered her the most.

Drawing herself to her full height and straitening her back proudly, she spared another secretive glance over to her lord, to find him watching in silent approval that filled her with warm confidence and steely resolve.

He had been the warden of the Kyuubi, she could still taste her sibling upon him, but not once did he mention the other Biju even though the seal should have allowed them all to meet. That she wasn't present seemed to indicate that she was no longer with him and brought a feeling of indignant rage to the Ichibi's bosom.

And that rage further strengthened her resolve.

Unlike the Kyuubi, who obviously had, she would not let her lord down.

And if she ever met the Kyuubi again, nine tails or not, she would make sure they knew their place at the feet of their lord.

One last breath and his will was fulfilled by his newest servant.

"Gaara!"

It was probably a good thing Temari had already drifted off into the land of slumber, secure in the arms of Tsukiyomi, for the panic she would have experienced when her youngest brother fell asleep for the first time she could remember would have had the entirety of Konohagakure believing the invasion had started early.

Naruto would not have been pleased.

Sitting on a bed doing nothing was certainly not new to Gaara, he had spent almost every night of his life doing so simply because there was nothing Gaara actually did when not killing people and the villagers of Sunagakure learned very quickly not to go out at night.

This time, however, was different.

Before, he simply waited until morning, but now he actually had something to look forward too. Naruto-Sama had said he was going to be setting up the seal so that mother could talk to him again and Gaara couldn't wait.

He had never been alone, not truly, for the Ichibi's presence had been felt by the young Shinobi even when it wasn't speaking with him. Mindless laughter, rantings, ravings, mutterings and even the occasional song had filled his head for his entire life.

And now, in a room with two others, he had never felt so utterly alone.

He did not like it.

So, anxiously, he waited for Naruto to finish his task and that in itself was a strange experience. Anxiety was new to him. He had felt excitement before, giddy anticipation of bloodshed, but when you were able to crush every problem you ever experienced, why would you ever be anxious?

The problem now was that he couldn't crush this problem and the silence was starting to bother him more than the words of his mother ever could.

Even Gaara was aware that his mother had her own problems, issues he could not help her with and that she could not crush with her power, the power he had been granted to prove his existence.

But she was still his mother and he, in his own way, cared for her more than anyone else. It was one of the reasons he had been so willing to trust her to Naruto, who was even more powerful than he was. She would be safest with him, and maybe he could give her what her former host could not.

Gaara really hoped he could, mother's ramblings seemed to become less coherent as the years went on, which he had only noticed within these past few months.

Judging by Naruto-Sama's words earlier, though, his seal had been pretty shoddy. Perhaps the seal had been hurting mother? In that case, Naruto-Sama's work in changing the seal completely- from what he understood- should have helped her tremendously.

The thought of which pleased Gaara greatly.

That pleasant feeling, however, did not make time move any faster. Which, really, was most unfortunate for Gaara was never a patient person and had never before wanted something as desperately as he did now.

All he really needed was to hear her voice, a single word would do, and he would be satisfied.

So, when he heard that word, and it was his own name, no less, he wasted no time in reaching out for her comforting presence, feelings of familiarity washing over him as he answered her call.

Vaguely, he was aware that his body seemed to collapse upon the bed, deep in unnatural slumber, as he was whisked far off into a world he had never known.

A world that had been with him for his entire life, but forever out of reach.

Until now.

Naruto barely suppressed a chuckle at the surprise that crossed the Ichibi's face when calling for Gaara had actually succeeded. That quickly turned to raising a single eyebrow, half amused and half impressed, when she managed to school her features almost immediately and give off an air of absolute authority.

Not that she was, but there really wasn't any benefit to having Gaara know that at the moment so Naruto simply remained at her side, their arms still entwined. He thought that fact alone might be enough to halt any plans Gaara may have had for offing him in their tracks. If there was one person in the entire world Gaara would answer to it was her and having their arms linked like this was sure to give the impression that any move made against him would displease his mother greatly.

If nothing else, it should make him more receptive to any suggestion- or orders- Naruto had, even if it didn't stop any future assassination attempts the former Jinchuriki might believe necessary.

It only took a moment for the newest occupant to orient themselves and aside from being caught slightly off-guard at the representation of his village around him, Gaara took everything pretty well.

Until his eyes landed on the Ichibi, that is.

"M-mother?"

Some part of Naruto realized that this was probably the first time Gaara had seen his mother-either of them, really- in the flesh. The young man couldn't seem to decide what he should be doing, half ready to either drop to his knees where he stood or rush to make sure what he was seeing was real.

The Ichibi made that decision for him and Naruto realized he really needed to learn what Gaara's mother was named. Ichibi wasn't cutting it and he really didn't like 'Shukaku'.

"Come to me, Gaara." She commanded firmly, but there was warmth in her voice and a smile in her eyes. She was pleased to be able to meet with him in person and even if the seal was still addling her mind she had always held him in an affectionate light. He had, after all, been very good about making sure she received blood when she demanded it and had the most excellent habit of ensuring it was provided even when she didn't.

It was hard for someone like her not to be appreciative of such devotion.

The fact that she was free of the previous seal helped immensely, too.

Gaara wasted no time rushing over to her but the strength seemed to have abandoned him as he fell to his knees at her feet. She offered a soft smile and placed one hand atop his crimson hair, ruffling slightly as one might an obedient pet.

Which, really, wasn't too far off as far as the Biju was concerned- or, so Naruto thought.

He reached up hesitantly and grasped her delicate hand within both of his, rubbing his thumb over her flesh as if making sure she wasn't a mirage or some fading dream.

"Kaa-Sama." The relief in his voice was plain enough, but his eyes seemed close to tears of joy. Not only was he able to hear his voice again but he was able to touch her, feel her, and gaze upon the face of his mother- his only precious person despite all his claims to only love himself.

For a long time, she had been a part of him, but having her separate like this only confirmed the fact that he had never been alone and would never really would be.

He had never, in the entirety of his life, felt such great happiness.

As his eyes continued to drink in the form of his mother, he noticed an arm that wasn't hers. Curiously, he followed the tattooed arm until he reached a body just as tall as his mother and with deep red hair. Purples eyes that he knew could see through him gazed down from beside his mother and he knew at once who this was.

Naruto-Sama had kept his word and brought his mother back more than ever before and for that Gaara was grateful. But there was more here, far more. Mother had been scared of him when they first met, for good reason, but now she stood next to him comfortably- relaxed as much as her formal posture would allow- with his arm entwined with hers.

Gazing up at the man he had allowed himself to hate and fear since they first met, the man he owed this moment to and had been instrumental to his current happiness, he realized that as intimidated as he had been, Naruto-Sama had never actually done anything against him or mother.

In fact, everything he had done was to ensure mother- and through association Gaara- was kept out of harm's way. He had even taken her into a seal upon himself, becoming her new host, to make sure she was taken care of.

Gaara came to the only conclusion he could.

"Tou-Sama."

Naruto may have enjoyed the pretty blush that covered the Ichibi's cheeks if he hadn't found himself caught so completely off-guard.

"Well," He began after a minute of stunned silence, trying to ignore the way the Ichibi giggled at his surprise. "I suppose we'll need to talk about this soon. In the meantime, I think you and your mother should probably spend some time getting reacquainted…son."

He wasn't even going to pretend it wasn't strange as hell to be saying any of this.

Though, he supposed, his experience with the Wolves had, in some small way, prepared him for something like this. As he had just been shown, however, being slightly prepared was vastly different from being ready for a former Jinchuriki and current foreign Shinobi of a village planning on betraying yours to look at you like a father.

As Gaara and the Ichibi moved to a nearby bench to spend their first face to face time in over a decade together, Naruto softly mused to himself;

"A Biju, her keeper, and their homicidal son." He shook his head. "What a family we'll make."

Obviously he hadn't been quite as quiet in his musings as he had thought, for the Ichibi heard and practically beamed in joy at his words.

Though he would never admit it, that smile from her made him more nervous than the thought of Gaara as a son.

Kukukukukuku. See you all next chapter.