I'm sorry it's been a few days. I was ill, bad fever and all the rest of it. To make it up, this is the longest chapter of 'Promise' I've written so far.
And also the most exciting.

'Promise'

Chapter 7: How to Tame a Nine-Tailed Fox.

He had been at the apartments for a week.

In that one week, he had managed to capture the hearts of four different girls without even trying. Which, in a surprising way, only served to excite a tiny bit of his brain.
The rest of his brain was taken up by the whole genjutsu scenario, realising that this whole thing was pretty much a dream, worrying about the fact that he could lose all of his memories of the past, and also realising that once he woke up from this dream, it would be back to the old life.

His ninja life. One where everything didn't involve a simple, peaceful life like he was living now.

Getting his meals cooked by beautiful Shinobu. Getting pounced on by Kyoko or Sakura every time his back was turned.
Having deep conversations with Hinata, which was something he would definitely not get back home!

He wasn't sure. Part of him wanted to go back home, back to the familiar life. Back to his friends, back to his home, where he belonged.

But part of him wanted to stay. The side of him that wanted to dream forever, escaping the harsh reality of his life back home.
The life without Shinobu's great food. The life where Sakura didn't actually love him, as far as he knew. The life where Hinata had trouble saying more than five words to him without dropping in to a crumpled heap in front of him.

And a life without Kyoko, the crimson goddess who knew him from a past he couldn't remember.

It would be back to a place where half of the population despised him. His home, the Hidden Leaf Village of Konoha.
Sure it had got a lot better recently. The people didn't stare at him like he was a monster. Well, some of them didn't anyway. Not anymore.

But some of them did. The ones that couldn't simply forget about the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Kyuubi. The ones that were convinced that, as a container of the Kyuubi and the seal that was holding back its dreadful power, he was just as much of a monster as the demon itself.
These were the ones that still looked at him with hatred in their eyes. The ones who had lost so much that was precious to them. The ones who spat at him, called him the worst names, beat him and turned their back on him.

He would have to go back home and face them again. Back to the old life of trying to prove to them he wasn't just a demon, just its container. Back to a life where he dreamed of becoming Hokage someday.

Was that what he really wanted?

He wasn't sure. But he knew that, after this mission was over, he would know the answer to that.

************

"Naruto! Get your butt out now!" There was a ferocious pounding on his door.

At eight in the morning, he really didn't want a ferocious pounding on his door. He wanted sleep, and as much of it as possible.

"Go away, its still early!"

"No Naruto! I want to play!"

"I can think of about six other people in these apartments that are probably a lot more fun to play with than me right now. Except Sasuke. Why don't you go and bother them?"

"But I want to play with you, Naruto!" The voice was very high-pitched and annoying. He stuck a pillow over his head, but it didn't really help much.

"Listen, whoever it is, Kyoko, Sakura, I just want another few minutes, is that too much to ask?"

The voice went quiet. Breathing a sigh of relief, he removed the pillow and stuck it back behind his head. "Thank god that's over..."

He slowly opened his eyes, his slowly wakening body slowly losing sync with his mind. They opened up to a pair of tanned, slim legs either side of him, a school uniform type skirt, and a pair of soft, white panties.

Closing his eyes again slowly, he groaned. "I really hope this is a dream." He said through gritted teeth. "Otherwise, this'll be the third day in a row I've woken up with a girl in my room."

"It's not a dream Naruto!" The unmistakable voice of Kaolla Su towered over him. "And I want to play!" She jumped into the air, and landed on top of him, knocking the air out of his lungs.
With him now incapacitated, she proceeded to lie on top of him, creating more pressure on his already abused torso.

Even though it had only begun, it wasn't turning out to be a good start to another day at the Hinata Apartments.

He looked up at Su's cheerfully grinning face. As cute as she was, even for a hyperactive teenager like himself, she was way too much. Somebody needed to buy this girl some tranquillizers.

"Play with me Naruto! Please!"

"ugh, Okay fine. But if you do this again tomorrow, I'm gonna kill you." He sat up, painfully aware that Su was sitting on him. He looked at Su, annoyance covering his expression.

"You gotta get off then. I can't move if your on top."

"But you let all the other girls on top." Even though she said it so simply, the statement hit him hard. She made him sound like a womaniser.

"That's not true, and it wasn't all the girls." He growled. "It was only a few of them..." He added, mumbling.

Kaolla looked at him, a mischievous smile on her face. Pushing his torso onto the ground again, she leaned in close to his face.

"Kyoko, Sakura, Hinata, Shinobu..." She listed off the girls, her eyes becoming more suggestive with each syllable. "That's four girls already, another girl won't hurt, right?" She leaned in closer, her eyes closing softly.
The Naruto underneath her grinned. With a loud pop and a cloud of smoke, the clone Su was lying on vanished.

The real Naruto came out from a closet in his room, still wearing the same grin. Su looked up at him with a pout. "That was mean, Naruto." Her expression looked angry, although there seemed to be something playful in her eyes.

"I know..." His grin slowly faded away. "Su, that makes you girl number five." He groaned, putting a hand on his forehead. This was turning into some sort of crazy, harem love-fest. And he was the bait.

"So? The others girls don't matter, it can be just me and you Naruto!" Su leaped up from the floor and flung her arms around his neck. Almost losing his balanced, he leaned on his bedroom door for balance.

"That's it." He heaved. He opened his bedroom door and struggled outside, with Su hanging off his neck. "Someone help!" He wailed. "Preferably a male!"

Sasuke had taken up residence in an empty room next to Shinobu. He opened his door, yawning. "What's with all the noise, dobe?"

"Sasuke! Perfect, I need your help." Naruto pointed to the girl hanging off his neck. "Get her off me!"

"You're kidding, right?"

"No I'm not kidding! Before any of the other girls find out and kill me... or each other."

"But that's just effort, dobe..."

Naruto was becoming more and more annoyed. He just wanted to sleep, it was too early for this.

************

"So, I hear there's another girl added to your roster, Naruto." Naru was gently sipping a cup of tea while Naruto trembled in fear opposite her. He really felt that Keitaro needed his head checked. What the hell did he see in this girl?

"There's another one?" Motoko said, looking at him in surprise.

"Yeah, that's gotta be the fifth one, right?"

"This is getting out of hand..." Both girls shook their heads while sipping their tea. All he could do was sit there and pray that he survived breakfast.

The kitchen door opened. Shinobu came out holding two plates, putting them in front of Naru and Motoko. She looked up at Naruto. "I'll be out with yours in a sec Naruto." She smiled at him. She disappeared back into the kitchen.
She hadn't acted any differently to him ever since he found out the news. Which was a relief to him in a way. But strangely unnerving.

The door to the dining room opened. Hinata walked in stretching her arms, her hair all tousled. Pulling out a chair next to Naruto, she collapsed into it and buried her head into her arms.

"What's the matter with you?" Naruto asked. He had never seen her like this before.

She looked up at him, with bloodshot eyes and an annoyed expression. "Su kept me up all night. I'm going to kill her when I get my hands on her." She buried herself into her arms again and he nodded in agreement. He shouldn't even be awake yet, but thanks to the hyperactive girl, he was up early for a change.

"Oh Hinata's up too." Shinobu smiled. She put down Naruto's breakfast in front of him. "I hope you enjoy it." She turned to Hinata and prodded her shoulder. "Are you going to be okay? Do you want some coffee?"

A vague groan came from Hinata, with a slight nod of her head. Shinobu smiled and went back into the kitchen.
He sighed and looked down at his plate. Bacon, eggs, a small bowl of ramen on the side and toast shaped as his face. He picked it up and looked at it. "I sure didn't expect that I'd be eating my own face when I woke up this morning, but whatever..." He took a bite out of it. It tasted good.

As he began eating the rest of his breakfast, Sasuke walked through the door, taking a chair next to Hinata. As usual, his trademark scowl was in place, complimenting his tousled hair and sleepy eyes.

"Morning Sasuke!" Naruto grinned. "You look like you've been dragged through the Forest of Death."

"Morning dobe, and its better than looking stupid like you always do."

"Jeez, you're more grumpy than usual this morning." Naruto scowled, chewing his head off of a piece of Naruto-shaped toast. Sasuke just shrugged his shoulders and began digging into his breakfast.

"Now there's only two more people we're waiting for." He thought as he slowly chewed his food. "The two girls of the apartments I'm worried about the most."

Kyoko and Kaolla.

************

Ever since the magic of the abandoned Annex went out of control, the Annex has been a ruin. The magical explosion that brought together Naru and Keitaro left behind smoking ruins of a once proud building. A building that was once known as the Matchmaking Lodge.

Closed down, for fear of it's magical power being used for politically-arranged marriages, it was re-opened. Keitaro, Kanako and Naru fought to break the spell of the Annex. And they succeeded.

Two years later, the building is still destroyed. But that doesn't necessarily mean the magic has disappeared.

Standing on top of the rubble, silhouetted by the morning sun, was a lone figure. The rubble began to shake, slowly lifting off the ground around the figure. Rising high into the sky, the broken wood and destroyed beams began to connect, the building reconstructing itself from the tip of the roof.

After a few moments, the reconstruction was finished. The Annex stood tall once again.
The hands of the old clock reflected the sunlight, displaying on its old face that the time had stopped at forty minutes past seven.

The figure that had been standing on the ruins of a previously destroyed building, now came out of the buildings entrance. Turning back to face her handiwork, she smiled with pleasure.

"It's finished. Finally, we can begin." Kyoko bowed her head at the building. "Come nightfall, you will be mine." She opened her eyes, which glowed with a red chakra.

"You will be mine, Naruto Uzumaki."

************

The sun was beginning to set. Sitting in his room, Sasuke was busy with a notepad, scribbling down a note.

Naruto

I need to talk to you. Danger lurks around every corner, keep your eyes open
and your mind sharp.

Meet me on the rooftop at sundown.

Sasuke

Folding the note in half, he quietly slipped out of his room and into Naruto's. The occupant of the room was currently out, which left him plenty of time to leave the note.
Before he left the room, his eyes picked up another note left for Naruto.

He assumed it would have been from one of the girls in the apartments. He was right.

Naruto

I need to talk to you. It's time I revealed a secret I've been hiding.
Meet me at the ruins of the abandoned Annex.

Kyoko

He realised that this might be a good opportunity to find out some more information. Slipping his note back into his pocket, he left Naruto's room.

"Let's see what Kyoko's hiding." Sasuke muttered.

As he left the room, he didn't notice he was being watched.
Hinata deactivated the Byakugan, trying to process what she had just learned.

" 'The ruins of the abandoned Annex'..." She frowned. "I'd better tell Sakura about this."

She sprinted fast. As fast as she would if she was still in the Leaf Village.
Reaching Sakura's room, she knocked on the door. "Sakura, its me."

The door slid open, revealing the pink-haired girl behind it. "What's the matter?"

Hinata nodded. "It's time."

************

Night had fallen. The trees rustled in the wind, whilst the air became colder.
A storm was coming.

Naruto was standing outside of what was supposed to be the ruins of the abandoned Annex. He was a little bit confused as to where the building had magically reappeared from.
"Ruins? This place is the furthest thing from a ruin right now." He muttered, pocketing the note Kyoko had left for him.

Pushing open the big wooden doors, he entered into the Annex. The inside was completely dark, he couldn't see a thing.

"Kyoko? Where are you?" He squinted through the dark, but he could just about make out a door at the other end of the room. Walking towards it, he realised that he could see a light coming from underneath it. The way the light moved, he guess it must have been a candle, or a lantern.

"Here goes..." He pushed open the next set of doors. His ninja senses were tingling. He didn't like this one bit. Something was niggling at the back of his mind, but he couldn't figure out what.
As he opened the door, he found out he had guessed right. The walls were lined with lanterns. They produced just about enough light to faintly illuminate the room, giving it a slight orange glow. It wasn't enough light to see the figure at the end of the room clearly.

"Is that...?"

************

"He's entered. Let's go in."

"All at the same time. Go." Three shadows jumped in front of the entrance to the Annex. Swiftly entering through the entrance door, they crept in the shadows, making no sound.
Reaching the second set of doors, the shadow in the lead signalled for the others to stop.

The two other shadows positioned themselves either side of the door. "Now we wait." It was very faint, barely recognisable as Sasuke Uchiha. The two shadows nodded as Sasuke drew his long sword, keeping it ready.

************

"I see you've finally come." He could hear Kyoko's voice. Soft, and it sounded like she was enjoying herself.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Naruto began walking towards her, trying to focus on her figure.

Kyoko nodded and looked up at him, her red eyes very faintly glowing with traces of red chakra. "It's time I told you a little secret I've been hiding." Red chakra began forming around her body. Naruto could see it building up, surprising him.

"Red chakra!?" He stopped. Only he could use red chakra. Being a jinchuuriki host, it came as part of the job description.

"That's right Naruto. Red chakra." Kyoko's pupils in her eyes had turned into slits. The three whisker-shaped scars on her cheeks began darkening.

"But that's not possible. How can that be possible!" He staggered backwards, overwhelmed by what he was seeing.

"It is possible Naruto. It's very possible. And because of one simple reason." Kyoko's eyes narrowed. "In this world, we're the same. I am you, and you are me. Jinchuuriki hosts for a pair of terrible demons. Just as you have the powers of the Nine-tailed Fox sealed inside of you, I too also have the power of the almighty Kyuubi sealed inside of me." She grinned, a freakishly devilish grin.

"How the hell can there be two Nine-tailed Foxes!" Naruto yelled. He was beginning to seriously freak out.

Kyoko was still grinning madly, almost as if she was possessed. "It a link to our past Naruto. Don't you remember? I've been a part of you ever since you were a small child. We grew up together, we shared so many memories together." Her face softened. "We were together every day. Until the day we got separated."

"Sent as far away as I could, into a deep, dark place that nobody knew existed. Locked in confinement, with only distant memories to cling on to." She looked at Naruto, still smiling, but with tears in her eyes. "That was two years ago."

The tears began rolling down her face, patting on the soft wood of the floor.

"Two years of darkness!" She screamed. "Two years locked up in a cage, shut off from everything. Alone, cold and nothing was around for comfort."

"Except you."

Naruto was so confused, he had no idea what was going on. "Except me?"

"With a part of the Kyuubi inside of me, I could feel your presence. When I fell asleep at nights, I could watch your memories, watch how you lived, fought and almost died for the Hidden Leaf Village. It was the only solace I had."

She choked. "It's like watching your best friend go through hell. Desperately wanting to help them, but only being able to sit back and watch."

"Kyoko..." Naruto began walking towards her, wanting to comfort her.

As soon as he was about three steps away from her, the door behind him burst open.

"Don't Naruto, stay away from her!" Sasuke's voice ripped through the still air. Behind him stood Hinata and Sakura, kunai drawn. Hinata had an activated Byakugan, whilst Sakura had chakra glowing around her feet and hands.
And as for Sasuke, his sword was drawn. He was pointing it at Kyoko.

"What are you doing!?" Naruto yelled. They were going to attack Kyoko.

Suddenly, he felt himself lifted into the air. He could hear Kyoko behind him squeal. Purple light surrounded him, making an electric crackling noise around Kyoko and him.

"We're too late Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.

Sasuke face was contorted in anger. "What have you done, Kyoko!" Brandishing his sword against the purple light, it failed to have any effect. The light just conducted through his sword and electrocuted him. He was thrown onto the floor, slightly singed.

"Sasuke!" Sakura knelt next to him. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke nodded. He turned back to the purple light. "Naruto!"

Kyoko began to laugh. "Naruto's mine now. The magic power of the Annex has locked him and me together, forever." And with that, the purple light dragged the two away through another set of wooden doors. The doors slammed behind them, and they all heard a distinct locking noise, followed by the grinding of gears.

"Naruto!" Sasuke, Sakura and Hinata screamed after him. But it was too late. He was already gone.

************

"What are we going to do, Sasuke?" Sakura asked her leader worriedly. Sasuke wore an expression of determination. "We're going to gather everyone from the Hinata Apartments. And we're going to go and rescue Naruto." He looked at them both. Hinata was staring back into his Sharingan-activated eye with equal determination.

"That was the mission given to us, wasn't it?"

As some of you are probably thinking, the story is drawing to a close.

But it still has a ways to go yet. This chapter marks the beginning of the end.