''Do you know the muffin man? ''- Demon talking

'Yes, I know the muffin man. '- Demon thoughts

''Then that makes two of us then who-'' – Human talking

'-know the muffin man.' – Human thoughts

Last Time on Elemental Guardian –

Naruto...

Nobody wanted him.

Naruto...

Why had he even tried?

NARUTO!

When the loud voice echoed through the surprisingly large room, Naruto's fearful gaze was met by a pair of huge red eyes that seemed to be narrowed in irritation. ''W-who are you?'', Naruto asked quietly, already exhausted emotionally through the day's events.

I am the Konoha's nightmare.

The large red eyes glowed ominously once and then started shrinking.

I am the destroyer of Shinigami-sama's enemies.

The shadow that had covered the whole room started compressing and forming a cage with a seal attached to the lock.

I am the collector of souls.

A fierce looking man stepped out from the shadows behind the bars. He bared elongated canines in a wicked looking grin.

I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Going on with the story….

Naruto barely managed to watch the man change, when sewer pipes started rattling extremely fast, almost exploding at some points. Turning with wide blue eyes, the small blond simply blocked out Kyuubi's appearance while inspecting the pipes. There were four different ones he could see; a rusty and blocked pipe, another that had blue liquid leaking out everywhere, the rattling pipes which were glowing a dark intensive red color and the last pipes which looked as though they had never been used. Running a finger over the rusty pipe, a sudden chill went down his back. 'What was that?'

''That was a part of your mind reacting to you touching it.''

The sudden sentence shocked Naruto out of his reverie and brought his attention back to the intimidating man with red eyes that he had tried to ignore. ''Huh?'', the blond asked while staring at Kyuubi's canines. Kyuubi only sighed and smiled softly, ''As I've already told you, I am the Kyuub-''

''Are you going to eat me, Mr. Fox? Are you here to punish me?''

The seemingly innocent questions had Kyuubi looking down at the blue-eyed Jinchuuriki in shock and sadness at the small quivering form of the four year old. Sweeping the floor with the long coat that he wore, the man crouched down as to seem less threatening to the small boy who seemed to be as skittish as a wild animal. ''No, I'm here to help you. I am the biju that attacked your home four years ago, the Kyuubi no Kitsune.'' Naruto inched closer to the man and the cage wall that separated them. ''Help? How?''Kyuubi reached out with an elegant hand, offering his friendship to the small child. ''However you want me to.'' A wide smile broke across Naruto's face, highlighting small dimples in his cheeks.

''My name's Naruto, Mr. Fox. What's your name?'', shyly asked the blue-eyed child, looking up at the Kyuubi, a terrifying creature of mass destruction, with something akin to respect and child-like adoration. The red head contemplated saying Kyuubi, but that name wouldn't make his container's life any easier. ''Just call me Hikaru.'' Naruto grasped the hand and pulled the man up with him. ''Well, Karu-san, what'd you want to do?'' He looked up at the ceiling high bars while a troubled look overcame his features. ''It must be pretty boring in there…''

The personified Kyuubi simply laughed at the child's naivety and shook his head lightly. ''No Naru-kun, I'm here to help you. It's about what YOU want.'' Naruto simply stared wide-eyed at the sentiment. ''Me? But I'm only….well, me.'' He looked down at his feet for a moment before whipping his head towards one of the pipes on the walls that seemed about ready to burst; the blue liquid was simply everywhere!

'That's what makes you special, brat.' Hikaru grinned wickedly at the child, who seemed to be staring at the wall. Raising an eye brow, the red-eyed man turned his view to the subject of Naruto's intense scrutiny. He gaped at what he believed where Naruto's chakra pathways. Coughing, Hikaru asked the most prominent question on his mind- ''How old did you say you were?'' Naruto stopped his staring and proudly showed him four fingers. ''I turned four a few days ago. But, eh, Karu-san, what are those pipes?'' With that question reminding himself of how he got here, Naruto burst out into multiple questions. ''Where is this? How did I get here? Did San leave me here? Are you going to leave me too?'' Somewhere in between his questions, the blond had started crying.

Kyuubi's face contorted into one of discomfort. He may have taken a liking to the four year old, but he was still the Kyuubi, one of the Shinigami's servants and NOT suited for comforting little children. ''Eh, no, I'm not going to leave you. As for where we are, we are currently in your mind. No, San did not leave you here. I called you here. As for those pipes- well, that is a long story, but I can explain some of it to you.'' Kyuubi tightened his hold on Naruto's hand. The child quickly wiped his tears away, slightly embarrassed by his blatant behavior.

''My mind? But…what'cha doing here then?''

The question left Hikaru in a difficult position. Should he explain the whole story or simply tell the child some fantasy? Would Naruto be mature enough to know when to let people know about his burden? His tanned face settled into a determined expression. The demon should know better after having seen the child personally; of course Naruto would keep it secret if Hikaru just asked him to.

''Well, Naru-kun, can you keep a secret?''

Blue eyes lit up with pleasure at the thought of someone trusting him enough to tell him a secret.

''Un! Sure, I can!'' Naruto shook his head vigorously, almost pleading with the human version of the demon king. Hikaru grinned, showing off dangerously sharp canines in a wicked way. ''The day you were born Naru-kun, I attacked your village. I was searching for a specific soul that was supposed to be sent to the afterlife, but your village started a counter-attack, believing me an immediate threat to their safety. The Yondaime then performed a jutsu of unbelievable proportions; he summoned Shinigami-sama and had him perform the task of sealing me away.''

Naruto's face was screwed up in concentration, trying to follow the elder's words closely. ''I understand somewhat.'', he admitted while lowering bright blue eyes. ''What has that got to do with me?''

''I am a being made solidly out of energy. I could not be contained in a simple item like a pot. They needed something that would have the willpower to hold me back if I wanted to escape. They needed a human baby.'' Kyuubi paused slightly.

''They needed you.''

''Me? You were sealed into… me?'' Seemingly without a care in the world, the small child fell to his knees, staring into the fox demon's intent crimson eyes. The other nodded and smiled lightly. ''I hope you don't mind Karu-san!'' The exclamation was followed by accidental puppy-eyes. ''Never.''

That single sentence brought peace to the four year olds mind, laying down an arising conflict.

''And those pipes symbolize different parts of you. You know what chakra is?'' With a nod from Naruto, Hikaru continued. ''The pipes that glowing blue and leaking are your chakra pathways and the amount of chakra you hold. The red ones are my chakra that will one day be open for your use. The rusty ones are your mind pipes- it seems as though they have been tampered with quite a bit. But as for the last pipe line, I have absolutely no idea.'' Naruto turned his head to the four pipe lines, watching as rust slowly started flaking off his mind pipes. ''They're getting better know?'' At that, the child turned his gaze towards the ancient being. Kyuubi's eyes were closed and his mouth was set in a smile of determination. ''I'll clear them up for you. Go back to San, she's probably waiting for you to wake up again!'' White hair was carded back as the human version of the demon sighed in frustration.

''Bye Karu-san! We'll talk again, right?'' Naruto watched as Hikaru nodded in acceptance and grinned slightly as he felt Naruto's insecurity.

A spinning sensation encroached upon the blonds' mind like a predator waiting for its prey and Naruto succumbed to it, falling backwards towards the floor. He braced himself for impact only to be surprised when he awoke on a soft blanket next to a fire. Naruto scrambled unto his feet, gazing around him in worry of a true predator.

''Hey Blondie.''

At the sound of the tenor voice, Naruto's head snapped skyward to see a undistinguishable from sitting in a large oak tree about 7 meters away from him. The person was almost a faceless green figure hidden in between the large green leaves typical for Fire Country. The shadow nimbly jumped down from the tree to 5 meters away from Naruto.

''I guess San already got you settled, huh? I wonder what that old fool is doing about the situation? Sending other nin?'' The identified man settled down unto his knees, drawing the four year olds attention to the man's large build with strong muscles, his deep black hair and startling amber eyes. ''Uh, who are you?'' Naruto asked with no small amount of fear. The man let out a hearty laugh. ''You may call me Yon for now.''

Blond eyebrows furrowed in thought. ''Are you by any chance related to…Kyuu?''

Yon stopped laughing and stared at Naruto with a questioning glint in his amber eyes. ''In a way.'', he admitted sheepishly, ''but sometimes I'd rather not be.''