Right, well here we are once again, with the 8th chapter now underway! First off...I'm sorry for the very long hiatus between this update and last; I will admit my muse decided to take a 'vacation' without informing me. Needless to say I was not happy, and hunted his sorry ass down. Upon finding him, I gave him a simple ultimatum; either get back to work, or I castrate him with a rusty cheese-grater slowly. Needless to say he is now working quite diligently and the story is once more in full-swing. I'm hoping to finish or at least finish a good portion of this chapter tonight...(Thursday)...but ~10,000 words in one night is pushing it, so we'll see. In addition, for those of you who are avid readers of my Harry Potter story, I can promise you I will start the next chapter of that immediately after finishing this one; let's put that lazy muse to work, ne?

"You want me to talk into what?" – Kyuubi speaking, jutsus/digimon attacks

"Get that thing out of my face!" – Normal speaking

'What the hell was that thing?' – Thoughts/thinking

'Hello?' 'Hello?' – Thought-speak

~~~Scene Change~~~ : Obviously denotes a scene change.

-(Location)- : place of current scene.

Disclaimer : I do not own anything belonging to Naruto or Digimon. However, I DO own this story.

-Emotions and new acquaintances-

All was quiet in the den with the sole exception of the gentle nuances of the running water which slowly trickled into the pool. In one room, the soothing sound had very easily put its residents to sleep, who now simply appeared to be a mass of vibrant yellow and crimson red fur tucked into an alcove within the room itself. The only movement in the room was the gentle rise and fall of the mass, hinting that it was not simply a mass of fur. However, just as the saying goes, all good things must soon come to an end.

-Thud-

The sound came from somewhere outside of the room, but nevertheless it managed to reach the mass of fur. For a moment it seemed as if the sound had no effect...that is until the mass seemed to twitch before resuming its gentle movements a moment later.

-Click-click-click-click-click-click-

The sound of something hard tapping the stone floor followed next, and it seemed to be getting closer to the room. Unlike the last time, this sound managed to draw a considerable action. Almost like a periscope, a long, crimson-furred ear with a black interior rose from the mass of furs and pivoted around for a few seconds before seeming to lock onto some unseen entity beyond the room. One it found its target it almost seemed to quiver; though why was a mystery for now. The clicking got steadily louder and louder, before it abruptly died off just outside the room itself. The appendage seemed to go stone still in apprehension, waiting for what would happen next. When it was quiet for a minute more, it slowly began to retreat back into the depths of the fur, when it finally happened.

-Knock-knock-knock!-

Instantly the ear and its twin shot up and focused on the door of the room, and finally the rest of the pile responded in kind. On the section of the fur which consisted of nine red appendages and one yellow one, two of the red appendages separated, and from within the depths of the pile two glacier-blue eyes with slits peered out into the room itself.

When Naruto initially heard the thud, he had simply put if off as a phantom noise; and he dearly hoped it was. When he heard the clicking, he immediately focused in on its origins, hoping against all hope he was wrong. However, when the door was rapped three times, he knew that his hope had been dashed, and his luck decided to abandon him. He peered out for a few seconds, glaring at the doorway in a vain attempt to make the problem go away, yet he knew it was futile. However he soon turned his attention to other matters as he felt the body his was pressed against move in the tell-tale movements of waking. He frowned at this; he was hoping that the disturbance wouldn't rouse his mate, yet it seemed his hopes were once more ignored.

With a small stretch and a sigh, his mate's eyes slowly cracked open, revealing her own piercing blue eyes. Her eyes slowly swept across the room through the opening in their cloister of fur, and upon seeing nothing of notice her eyes turned to meet Naruto's eyes. After a moment, she finally spoke up...and Naruto could easily tell just how tired she was. Of course he couldn't really blame her; he just knew it was some ungodly hour of the morning, even for him.

"Nngg...Naruto, what's going on, what was that noise?"

Her slurred words made Naruto softly chuckle, and although he most certainly enjoyed her company, he did not want her to suffer from a lack of sleep. With this in mind, he gently nuzzled her and gave her a chaste kiss on the nose before he answered her.

"Nothing you should worry about love, I'll take care of it. All I want from you is for you to go back to sleep."

He was slightly worried that she would refuse to do so and accompany him; they were damn near almost attached at the hip. As the thought crossed his mind he couldn't hold back the small perverse chuckle that escaped...sometimes they really were attached at the hip literally. Snapping his mind out of the gutter, he turned his attention back to Renamon. However he didn't need to worry; she still wasn't truly aware enough for her personality to awaken, and thus she simply stayed quiet a few moments before she gave a very short and sleepy answer.

"...mkay."

And just like that, her eyes closed once more and her breathing quickly returned to a slow and steady pace, telling that she was once more asleep. Naruto silently envied her, but he knew that it was either him or her, and although he enjoyed getting his rest just like anyone else, he enjoyed a happy Renamon far more. He had only experienced grumpy Renamon once, and he now did all in his power to make sure such an occurrence did not happen again...after a very close encounter with those ice shards of hers, his little buddies demanded it. With a silent sigh, he slowly unwound himself from her embrace, chuckling as she shivered slightly, obviously missing his warmth. Once he had successfully escaped, he trotted out into the room and slowly stood up, his bones popping in obvious protest. Glancing at his recently acquired digital clock, he saw that it was 2:36 am. Cursing slightly under his breath at the ungodly hour, Naruto blearily approached the door while rubbing his bloodshot eyes...not that someone could tell they were, but he damn well felt it. When he finally got to the door he opened it slowly with a paw, and the sight that greeted him was what he feared, yet had expected.

There, looking as sheepish as he possibly could, was Guilmon. With a weary sigh, Naruto rubbed his eyes with two of his digits, being careful of his sharp claws. If he was honest he was a bit grumpy from being woken up, but he reminded himself that it was his offer that led to the current situation.

-Flashback-

It was a decently warm afternoon when a group of five very tired beings emerged from what appeared to simply be a solid boulder, quickly followed by two others who while certainly appearing tired, did not look near as worn-out as the others. Naruto and Renamon watched with barely hidden amusement as the tamers and their digimon literally dragged their feet at they walked outside of Naruto's den. But while they were greatly amused by the exhausted group, they were also exceedingly proud of them.

For the last two weeks when the tamers and digimon were not in school or fighting wild ones, they were inside Naruto's massive training cavern being put through the ringer by none other than Naruto himself. While they at first thought he was exaggerating the amount of training they would be put through, Naruto quickly alleviated them of such hopeful notions by the end of the first day. Each had lost their respective lunches, breakfasts, and last nights dinners by the time they were done, and by the time he took each of them home, they had given him the nice new moniker of "Sergeant Akuma", also known as "Sergeant Demon". That gave him a great deal of amusement, for although the name was not original by any stretch of the imagination...it was fitting. He did not pull his punches when it came to training; Naruto was dead serious when he said he was going to get them in fighting shape, or surviving shape in the case of the tamers themselves.

When he worked to build their endurance, he made them do laps around the cavern itself. To 'encourage' them to keep up a good pace, he would start slinging kunai at them if they began to falter. Of course he was not aiming at them, however he was aiming very close to them...to the point where they swore he was trying to skewer them. He saw no need to correct their assumptions. Once endurance training was done, he broke them up into two groups; human and digimon. For the digimon he taught them mainly offensive techniques with a few defensive thrown in, and due to the variation in size and structure, taught each a different way to fight. While Renamon did indeed participate, she for the most part was being trained by one of Naruto's clones, as she was far ahead of the others. For the humans, it was almost directly opposite of the digimon. For them he taught mainly defensive and evasive techniques, with dexterity exercises thrown in.

When this was done, they all got together again and then found out that he would be teaching them battle tactics and strategy...when they all breathed a sigh of relief, sans Renamon who simply gave him an annoyed look (knowing he was up to something), Naruto had a very hard time holding in a maniacal cackle. It was not even five minutes into the lesson when Naruto asked one of them a question that they had no clue how to answer. While he indeed did not talk about it directly, the lesson up to that point gave them the knowledge needed to answer; they just had to look for it. Alas, they did not know this and poor Takato answered incorrectly. To his horror, Naruto simply nodded and said with all the nonchalance in the world, "Alright...take a lap, Takato."

When Takato simply stared at him with his mouth hanging open, Naruto merely raised the area where his eyebrow would have been and 'discreetly' lowered his right paw towards one of his kunai pouches. Upon seeing just what Naruto was reaching for, Takato needed no further prompting and took off, with one of Naruto's clones trailing him just in case. Naruto had to focus very hard not to burst out laughing at the looks of utter horror on the faces of the others. However while Naruto had to hold himself back, his father had no such restrictions and was literally howling with laughter inside Naruto's mindscape at the expressions on their faces...Naruto was fun when he trained him, but never did he make such horrified expressions like the group before him did.

Because of this new-found tort...training method that Naruto introduced to them, it was not surprising that after the first week they had become very proficient at deriving hidden meanings from his teachings, which was exactly what he wanted them to do. Although he most certainly taught them all about battle tactics and ways in which they could simply survive an assault from a far more powerful adversary, he also wanted them to be able to combine his tactics with ideas of their own...after all, plans never survive the initial battle if you can't adjust according to the scenario. Before two weeks had passed, he could happily say that they all could adjust tactics in battle accordingly. They were no strategists by any stretch of the imagination, but they were leagues better than the simple "charge in guns blazing" they had been using beforehand. And to top it all off? Due to the questions becoming more difficult as time went on, Naruto could say that his students had a great deal more stamina than before, mainly due to running so many laps.

Naruto was snapped out of his memories when a pair of furry yellow arms wrapped around his midsection and an all-too familiar body pressed up against his from behind. Feeling a weight settle on his left shoulder, Naruto smiled warmly before he turned his head to the side and kissed Renamon on the nose, eliciting an adorable giggle from her. Of course it was barely audible; she didn't want to be heard giggling by any of the tamers or digimon, but Naruto heard nonetheless and smirked in satisfaction. Turning back to the slowly departing tamers and digimon, Naruto's smirk turned into a frown as his attention focused on one figure in particular.

Renamon saw this and wondered what caused the sudden shift in emotions. Following line of sight, she only became even more confused when it became apparent that he was frowning at Guilmon. From what she had been able to see from the past two weeks, Naruto and Guilmon had been getting along fine. She decided to speak up about it, and so with a gentle squeeze on his should grabbed his attention before she spoke.

"Naruto, what's wrong? Why do you look unhappy at Guilmon...did something happen between you two?"

Naruto remained silent for a moment more, wondering if the idea he had would go over well with Renamon. After a few more moments he decided to risk it; she would be impacted by this just as much as he would, after all.

"No, nothing bad happened between us, I'm just worried about Guilmon. Unlike you or Terriermon, Guilmon has to live in that old abandoned shed due to Takato being unable to take him home with him. I'm honestly worried for two reasons...first and foremost is the fact that the last thing he needs is to be all alone so soon after he received Megidramon's memories. I know from experience that being alone is one of the worst tortures imaginable. Secondly, I'm worried about his safety...what if that man...Yamaki if I remember correctly, finds him? He has made it very clear that he wants to destroy any digimon here, and with his organization he just may have the resources to find Guilmon's shed. Because of these two reasons, what I want to do is simple; get him to live in our den." Renamon looked quite surprised at this, but she kept quiet, waiting until he finished to give her response. "If it were simply me by myself in my den it would not have been a big deal...but obviously I am not the only one living there. As such, you have just as much say in this as I do. However, if both you and Guilmon agree I will make an additional room for him; he will not sleep with us. Secondly, I will construct some doors; one for the den's entrance, and one for each bedroom. I will put a silencing seal on all of them so that the only sound that can come through would be a knock on the door itself...considering our late night activities, I think that is for the best, ne?" Naruto finished his argument with a large smirk; one which Renamon quickly returned.

Thinking over what Naruto had told her for a moment, she really couldn't find anything wrong with what he wanted. Sure they'll have company, but considering that the doors would be sound-proof, she didn't really have anything to worry about. Besides, now that Naruto brought it up, she really didn't like the idea of the young dinosaur being left all alone in some rundown shed. Her mind made up, Renamon smiled at Naruto and nodded as she gave her reply.

"I would have no problem with that my mate. You are right when you say he shouldn't be alone, and from what you've told me, Guilmon would be in grave danger if this 'Yamaki' found him alone. Go ahead, just be sure that those sound-proof doors work; we wouldn't want to traumatize him too much, now would we?" Renamon finished with a seductive tone, pressing her body against his even more.

Naruto chuckled at his mate's forwardness...he was in for it tonight, not that he minded. Using her own tactics against her, Naruto spun around in her embrace faster than she was able to keep track of and returned the favor, his body now flush against hers and his paws resting on her lower back. He smiled when he heard the barely audible gasp that escaped her and teased her further, running his paws along her back in a gentle caress. He leaned in closer to her until the tip of his muzzle was right next to one her ears and momentarily let his voice fall into the deeper baritone of his kitsune form, though not as loud.

"Tonight."

His voice had the intended effect of making Renamon shudder, and with that he broke from her embrace and turned to where the others were heading off to. When he spotted the red form of Guilmon and Takato's unmistakable hair, he jumped down from where he was perched on a tree and walked towards them while he called out.

"Guilmon! Takato! Can you two come here for a second? I need to talk to you about something."

Both digimon and tamer glanced at each-other in a confused manner, but still nodded and walked back over to where Naruto was waiting for them. Even though Takato had gotten used to seeing Naruto's hybrid form, he still couldn't help the small shudder that passed when those eyes fell on him...Naruto could be scary when he wanted to be. When he heard Naruto clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to the large kitsune, wondering just why they were asked to stay behind.

"Thank you. Now, you're probably wondering just why I asked you two to stay behind?" At their simultaneous nods he continued. "Right. Well I couldn't help but notice that Guilmon is the only Digimon that has to stay alone in that abandoned shed. Before you go and start feeling guilty Takato; don't. I understand that your parents would not take such a thing too well, therefore you were forced to find a place for Guilmon to stay in the meantime...considering the circumstances, you did quite well to house him in the shed; it is well hidden and seemingly forgotten."

Takato grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment; it wasn't often that Naruto gave a compliment, after all.

"However, while you did a good job in finding him a place to stay, we have a problem. I have only informed Renamon of this, but I feel it is necessary to inform you both; there is an organization of some sort whose goal is to keep digimon out of this world be any means necessary. While this may seem good at first glance, keep in mind that when I say all digimon I mean the tamers' digimon as well, to the extent that they will not hesitate to delete one if they found one."

Ignoring the blanching of the two in front of him, Naruto continued on. "With this being said, I for one am not comfortable with Guilmon being so unprotected. While the hiding place is quite good, there is always the chance that this organization could find it and attack Guilmon; this will not do. It is with this concern in mind that I came up with a possible solution to this problem, and discussed it with my mate to see if she agreed."

Here Renamon took that as her queue and jumped down beside Naruto and leaned against him from behind as he continued. "The solution is this: if you would both be agreeable to it, I would like to ask if Guilmon would want to reside in my den with me and Renamon? Rest assured I will add an additional room and provide the basic necessities needed. Takato, because you are his tamer you have a say in this as well, so what do you two think?"

To say that the two were floored would have been a severe understatement. First they learned that some organization was out for digimon blood regardless of whether the digimon was good or bad, and now to top it off, Naruto, whom had become their sensei, wanted Guilmon to live with him and Renamon because he was worried for his safety!

For Takato, he was a bit conflicted. He had been feeling bad because he had to leave Guilmon all alone when he went home, but he wasn't able to do much else. What Naruto offered would definitely make him feel a lot better knowing Guilmon was safe...he had no doubts that their sensei could protect them; according to Renamon they had only seen the very beginnings of Naruto's strength, and to be honest Takato didn't want to know just how strong he was. On the other hand, he really enjoyed the time he spent with Guilmon when they were alone at the abandoned shed. Sure, he had noticed that Guilmon had seemed to calm down a good bit the past few weeks, but he really didn't mind. If Guilmon was going to be living in the den with Naruto and Renamon, they wouldn't really have that time with Guilmon anymore. His mind had a small struggle before he settled on a surprisingly mature decision for one his age, especially him. When it all boiled down, the simple fact was that Guilmon would be much safer under Naruto's watchful eye...and that was the important thing for Takato.

As for Guilmon, he was almost beside himself with joy. He really didn't like staying in that old shed with no one around, but he also knew he had to keep himself hidden and Takato couldn't hide him at his home. This offer not only made sure he could remain hidden easily, but it also took away the pain of loneliness that he had been plagued with the past two weeks ever since the merge happened. He didn't want to bother anyone about it, but the memories of being shunned and basically ignored when he was Megidramon had been wreaking havoc on his psyche. He knew very well that when he was Megidramon he had no problem handling these memories, but the cold hard truth was that he was a kid, barely out of his digiegg. He may have Megidramon's memories, but his personality and a good deal of his maturity was locked away until he was able to digivolve into his higher forms. Because of this, the offer that Naruto gave seemed almost too good to be true. Guilmon was honestly a bit surprised at how well he got along with Naruto, and even more surprised by how much Naruto seemed to care for him, but he certainly didn't mind. Besides, if what he remembered Naruto telling him about his own past was true, the kitsune had been through even worse than what he himself had been through...and he desperately needed someone that could understand him at the moment. His mind made up, he turned his head to look at Takato, wondering what his tamer thought of this. As if Takato read his mind, the boy simply turned and gave him a brilliant smile and nodded; the message was all too clear. Guilmon found himself smiling back, and after he had thanked Takato for allowing it, he answered Naruto's question by simply tackling the large kitsune in a hug just like he had done in the cavern two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Naruto simply chuckled at the very emotional dinosaur and assumed that Guilmon simply wanted to take advantage of his caring; after all he had an entire lifetime of neglect to make up for. While Naruto returned the hug, albeit with a bit more care, he looked towards Takato and smiled in sincere gratitude. Takato caught the silent thank you and simply smiled and nodded, before he began to walk home once more. Naruto was a bit surprised by the sudden burst of maturity that Takato had shown, and wondered if his lessons were finally starting to sink in...a grin worked itself onto his muzzle at the thought.

As all this was happening, Renamon simply watched the interaction from her position leaning on Naruto from behind. By the end of it, she had a warm smile on her muzzle at just how well Naruto seemed to handle children. This was a good thing, it meant that he would most likely be a very good father. However upon realizing the path that her thoughts had taken, she blushed furiously under her yellow fur...but she didn't stop them. It was something she never had really thought about before, but seeing how well Naruto treated children she couldn't help but to humor the thought.

-End Flashback-

Naruto snapped out of his reverie and turned his attention back to the matter at hand; the sheepish looking dinosaur at his door. Despite the fact that he was a bit miffed being woke up at such an hour, he schooled his expression into what he hoped was a gentle smile and spoke up, his voice effectively giving hint to his fatigue.

"Guilmon...why are you still awake? Is something wrong?"

His initial answer was Guilmon looking even more sheepish than before, but he did catch the slightly haunted look in the digimon's eyes. He might have been tired, but that look in Guilmon's eyes sobered him up; he had a good idea just what Guilmon's problem was. Sure enough, when Guilmon looked back up at him he could tell the dinosaur was just barely holding back tears that threatened to spill, and when Guilmon spoke up, the wavering in his voice conveyed the message all too well for Naruto.

"...Sorry Naruto, but yeah something is wrong. I didn't really want to bother you but you were the only one who I could think of that would understand." Guilmon was about to continue, but Naruto beat him to the punch.

"I think I have a good idea of what's going on here. Let me take a guess: the memories from your past life have been haunting you, and you can't escape the feeling of loneliness...am I right?" When Guilmon simply gaped at him with wide eyes, Naruto chuckled a little, though it was quite hollow. "Right. Lets go to your room Guilmon, its high time that I nipped this issue in the tail." Said dinosaur simply nodded absently as he followed Naruto into his room. The design was practically identical to Naruto and Renamon's room, just a little smaller.

Naruto quickly crawled under the alcove and leaned against the wall, having to struggle not to succumb to the soft furs under him beckoning for him to sleep. Guilmon likewise crawled into the alcove and lied down near the entrance, waiting for Naruto to get settled in. One they were settled, Naruto moved his paws in a "go on" gesture, signaling that Guilmon could begin, which he quickly did.

"Naruto...how did you do it? How did you survive? If what you told me about your childhood was true, then it was even worse than my time as Megidramon...yet you were a child! I may be a child now, but I wasn't back then and the memories still tear me apart! Yet not only were you alone, but you were tortured! What kept you going!"

Guilmon was almost hysterical near the end, desperate to find some way of overcoming the pain he felt. As for Naruto, he was staring at Guilmon with the most haunted look anyone had seen on his muzzle as of yet. Guilmon's small rant brought up memories that he would have rather left alone...but seeing that look on Guilmon's face, he knew he would brave them if it meant it helped Guilmon recover. It was somewhat shocking but it seemed his father was right; he did see Guilmon as a child to protect, almost as if he was his own. With a weary sigh, Naruto prepared himself for what he was about to divulge to Guilmon, and hoped that his message would go through.

"You ask how...to be honest Guilmon, I asked myself the same thing every day when I was back in my village, and you know what? I didn't have an answer, at least not a real one. I kept using excuses such as "One day they'll acknowledge me" or "I still have the Old Man!"...but I wasn't fooling anyone, even myself. It wasn't until I was almost five years old that I finally got my answer...and it was in the form of sacrifice."

As he paused to take a breath, he noticed that Guilmon was no longer hysteric, instead listening with rapt attention. With a sigh he continued, not really wanting to remember but doing so for the sake of Guilmon. "It was just a normal evening, nothing special was happening and I was running from yet another mob of villagers that were hellbent on "finishing what the Yondaime started", also known as killing me. However unlike the nights before, I decided to try my luck at evading them outside of the village's walls. If it was any other child trying to get outside the village at night the gate guards would have quickly stopped them. However because it was me and the guards saw the mob, they simply let me pass with smirks on their faces; they knew what was going to happen. Just as they predicted, I was eventually caught when one of them managed to spear my left calve with a kunai. I won't go into detail, but the beating I went through that night was the worst, sans the one the night I left. When I was barely recognizable, the apparently got bored and decided to finish me off, and as I watched a civilian raise the butcher knife he held to stab me, I honestly thought my time had come."

Here Naruto gathered himself for what he was about to say, while Guilmon was now fully immersed in the story, though Naruto could see he was horrified by what he had been told so far. "Just before the civilian was about to plunge the knife into my chest, I and everyone else there heard a vicious snarl just before I made out something orange and furry that proceeded to tackle the civilian. A good bit of the mob cried out in fright before they realized what it was, and when they did their cries of fear soon turned into shouts of anger. I was barely conscious, but I could make out that whatever helped me was some kind of canine from what I could hear. Its appearance caused the mob's attention to momentarily shift from me to it, and in doing so undoubtedly saved my life. However, such a noble deed exacted a heavy price; the mob turned its full wrath upon the poor creature and proceeded to beat it until I no longer heard its pained yelps. After that, they were quick to turn their attention back to me, but the time the creature bought me was enough so that the Hokage and his ANBU escort were quickly approaching. With a few more icy glares sent my way, the mob quickly dispersed and I was momentarily left alone with the creature that had saved me. With all the strength I could muster I dragged myself over to where I could see the orange mass of fur, though I was horrified by the amount of blood around it. When I was finally next to it I was able to identify what it was; a fox. I was completely devastated; this was the first time that someone had ever tried to save me, and I was witnessing what the price of doing so was. With muffled sobs I dragged myself over to the fox's side and drew its head to my chest when I saw that it was still breathing, albeit very weakly. I looked to see if it was awake and froze; it was looking at me with the most serene expression I had ever seen, as if what just happened to it never happened. Even more shocking was the fact that those eyes held a caring that I did not understand at the time...but do now. Confused, I could only mumble "Why?" over and over again, and as if in response, the fox simply moved its head closer to mine and gently licked my cheek. After that, I watched as it seemed to shudder for a moment before its eyes slowly closed and its breathing stopped, still with the most serene expression on its face as it passed on, knowing that I would live."

At this Naruto couldn't hold the tears back and let them fall...it was one of his worst memories, but also one which changed his life forever. Guilmon didn't even try to stop them, the poor dinosaur looked like someone just told him Takato died. Naruto saw this and decided to get to the point of the story, not wanting to make Guilmon suffer longer than needed.

"Even when the Hokage arrived I didn't let go of the fox, not until it was buried. Afterwords as I sat in my apartment I kept asking that same question "Why?". It was as I remembered the serene look on its face that I came upon an epiphany. As I was asking "Why?" the fox was giving me an answer of its own with its eyes..."Why not?". You see Guilmon, that foxed saved my life simply because it was the right thing to do. It saw someone that had done nothing wrong being beaten, and acted for me when I could not. It was then that I found my answer...how I survived in the village that entire time. I wanted to live so that when the time came, I could do just as that fox had done; protect those who could not protect themselves from those that would do them unjust harm. To this day, this has been my motto and the methods by which I now lead my people. I will protect the innocent from those that would harm them, regardless of their views, loyalties, or species...even humans. I will tell you now Guilmon, that I will never trust humans that I do not personally know; too much has been done and too many wounds have been dealt that will never heal. However, that will not stop me from protecting innocent ones; I may not be friendly to them, but I will protect them. That is what kept me going until I finally met my father for the first time, after which I had another goal; to gain a family and protect them with my very soul."

Here Naruto fixed Guilmon with an intense look that made the dinosaur sit up straighter. "I want you to listen to me very carefully Guilmon, and never forget these words. Find someone to protect; to love and cherish, to care for to the point that you would gladly lay your life down if it meant preserving theirs. It can be many people or even just one, but when you find them...if you haven't already...latch onto them and never let go; it is only then that you will find solace from your woes. No matter the obstacle that you find yourself faced with; if you are fighting to protect the ones you love, nothing is out of your reach. The earth itself will bow to you in submission, should your cause be just and your resolve absolute." Naruto ended with a calm smile on his face...it had been some time since he had reaffirmed his code.

For Guilmon, he listed with an intensity that would have shocked anyone who knew his childish facade. By the time Naruto finished, Guilmon was gazing at him with open awe...it was undeniable now, Guilmon had just found his role model. What Naruto had told him made sense, and already he was listing some people that he would "latch on to"...one of which was laying in the same pile of furs. However, he was curious about one thing and decided to voice it.

"Naruto...I know that Renamon is one of your loved ones, but are there any more?"

Naruto smiled softly at Guilmon's question...there was indeed. "Oh yes, there are a few more. My first loved one is my father, who dragged me out of my own personal hell and taught me what love was. Obviously my mate, Renamon is another. Though there is still a ways to go, Rika is quickly approaching as yet another. And finally there is one more, and he is already a loved one, though he does not know it yet." Here Naruto gifted him with a warm smile on his muzzle. "The last one is none other than you, Guilmon."

Guilmon gaped at him for a moment before he stuttered out in a shaky voice, "M-Me? W-Why me?"

His response was a chuckle and an affectionate rub on Guilmon's skull before Naruto responded verbally. "There are a few reasons why. First of all, your past is shockingly similar to my own; while it may not have been as abusive it was nonetheless hellish, and as such we understand each-other very well. Secondly, your personality is so damn close to my own when I was a kit its scary...its like I'm looking at a red, scaly version of me as a child. The last reason is due to a combination of the previous two; I see you as my son in a way. While it is not a true father-son feeling, it is the closest thing I can compare it to; I want to protect you and watch over you, I want to watch you grow into the digimon I know you can be...like I said, very similar to a father."

Guilmon didn't even bother to respond to his words verbally, he just (once again) slammed into Naruto with what would have been bone-crushing force to a human. Naruto returned it readily, laughing at how touchy Guilmon was, but he really didn't mind. They remained that way for a few minutes more before Naruto got Guilmon's attention again.

"Now then, did that help?" When he received a nod in reply, Naruto smiled before he spoke again. "Good. Now then, you are going to go back to sleep, and I will make sure of it. To make sure you sleep well, I will stay here with you for tonight...morning. Don't expect this to happen often, but its a special case right now." Guilmon didn't even have time to voice his opinion on the matter before Naruto got on all fours and did something that shocked and embarrassed the hell out of him. Naruto gently clamped his jaws on the loose skin located on the upper back of Guilmon and lifted him into the air by it. Immediately, Guilmon instinctively tucked in his limbs before he realized what he was doing and was blushing furiously in embarrassment by the time Naruto set him down in the center of the furs. With a small grumble Guilmon got comfortable and once he was well-situated, Naruto curled around his body protectively before encasing Guilmon is his nine long tails. After that it did not take long for both to find sleep once more; which Naruto was all too happy to return to.

Unbeknownst to Naruto and Guilmon, Kyuubi had been awake for the entire interaction, having been awoken by the turbulent emotions of his son. He had the proudest grin on his muzzle that should have split his face in two as he watched his son comfort Guilmon, and give him very good advice. When they both were finally asleep, Kyuubi couldn't have been more proud of his son. 'My kit's all grown up...he may not have realized it, but his code is exactly what defines a great leader; one that will be loved by the people he serves. On top of that, he truly cares for Guilmon as a father would. Naruto, you will shake the heavens themselves with the deeds you will perform, and I can't wait to be there with you when it happens. Rest well my kit, and know that today you proved yourself a worthy leader of our people.'

Back with Renamon, after unconsciously trying and failing to find the warm body that should have been pressed against her own, she finally woke up with a huff. 'Where in the world is Naruto? I remember him getting up to take care of something...Guilmon probably, but he should have been back by now!' Grumbling under her breath about stupid cold floors and stupid doors, Renamon made her way to Guilmon's room, where she could only assume Naruto was still helping Guilmon with whatever was bothering him. However when she quietly opened the door to the room, the sight that greeted her was enough to banish any any further grumblings. Naruto was there alright; asleep and curled protectively around Guilmon, who had his snout buried in Naruto's chestfur..it was the only thing visible of the dinosaur, as the rest of him was covered by Naruto's tails. She smiled warmly at the sight and once more, thoughts of how Naruto would make a good father rose up within her mind but she didn't become embarrassed by them this time...if it was possible, she was really beginning to consider it. Without further ado, she promptly got on all fours and trotted over to the bed of furs before she too joined them, wrapped around Guilmon from the other direction with the tip of her muzzle no more than an inch away from Naruto's. Just like with Naruto and Guilmon, Renamon quickly found herself asleep once more.

~~Scene Change~~

Naruto awoke a mere three hours later, and was greeted to the sight of his mate's muzzle a mere inch from his own. He smiled, figuring she probably got cold and decided to join them upon finding them. Quietly and carefully, Naruto slipped out from Guilmon's unconscious embrace and replaced his tails with Renamon's far bushier single tail to warm Guilmon. He quickly made his way back to his and Renamon's room, where he noticed it was only a few minutes until 6:00 am...the sun would be rising soon and he decided he wanted to see it, it always soothed him. He quickly and quietly ate a rabbit and washed before he changed back to his 'human' form and donned his armor and weapons once more. With a smile on his face he opened the entrance to the den and entered the surrounding forest, searching for a good spot to view the sunrise.

However he was surprised when he picked up the unmistakable energy signature of a digimon, and one he did not recognize. To further add to his confusion, he felt no emergence...if it was a wild one, he would have easily sensed the emergence, yet this time he did not. Now curious, Naruto trailed the signature until he came upon what appeared to be a human couple with the same idea as him, sitting on a bench and waiting for the sunrise. Making himself well hidden, Naruto kept his eyes focused and his body ready to react; he had no idea of the digimon's intentions, but he would be damned before he let this couple be hurt, even if they were humans. He could sense the digimon sneaking up behind the couple, and he tensed even further, ready to stop this digimon if he needed to. However when the digimon finally stepped into his view, Naruto stopped in his tracks, staring at the...odd little digimon behind the couple.

The first and foremost detail he noticed was that the majority of its body seemed to be a deep purple color and gleamed as it it was rubber. Second, the little guy had two very long protrusions coming out of his head, and although they really didn't look like it, he assumed they were his ears. On the digimon's stomach a...smiley face was displayed for the world to see. From behind he could see a barbed tail sway lightly, the same color as the rest of his body. Around its neck a red scarf resided, and it donned two red gloves as well. Its face was highlighted in white, and it had large, green irises. But what Naruto notices most of all was the expression on the digimon's face; that was the look of a prankster. That put him somewhat at ease, but he was still ready to react.

Sure enough, with a huge smirk on his face, the little guy held up his fingers and a tiny fireball formed on the tips of each one. With a cackle, the digimon launched them at the feet of the couple, yelling out, "Badda-Boom!" as he did so. It was very obvious to Naruto that the attack had very little attack power behind it, but it served its purpose. With a flash and the sound of a loud cherry-bomb going off, the tiny fireballs exploded at the feet of the couple, causing both to jump up screaming in fright. Just as quickly, the couple bolted, not even bothering to look at whatever caused the explosion. Naruto's attention was quickly brought back to the little digimon when he heard its laughter, and found that the little guy was laughing his ass off in the middle of the sidewalk at the couple's misfortune.

"HA-HA! That's what I thought, run you weak little humans! Badda-Boom! That'll teach ya to get all schmoozy when I'm around!"

Now thoroughly amused and reassured that the little guy was practically harmless, Naruto decided it was high-time to get some answers. He quietly made a few hands signs before he sank into the bark of the tree he occupied, only to emerge from a tree a few meters behind the digimon. One he was positioned, he decided to make his presence known.

"Well now...just what exactly are you? You don't act like a wild one, and yet I don't see a tamer around here anywhere."

At the sound of his voice, the little digimon damn near jumped out of his skin before spinning around to view who snuck up on him. However, when he did the admittedly fearsome appearance of a fully armored Naruto caused him to take a step back. Just as quickly, the little guy seemed to gather his courage once more and took two steps forward before scowling and pointing an accusing finger at Naruto.

"Hey! Just who do ya think you are punk, sneaking up on people like that, huh? And what's with the getup, Halloween won't be around for a long time buddy!"

Underneath his mask Naruto smirked...he had to give it to the little guy, he had spunk. To not only stand up to him but insult his armor in the same sentence, just moments after meeting him...his respect for the digimon went up a few notches. However, he was asked a question and decided to play along for now.

"That's funny, for one who complains about people sneaking up on him, you obviously had no qualms about doing such to that couple. That reminds me...just why did you do that?"

The digimon blushed slightly at being caught at his own game, but quickly crossed his arms and smirked proudly as he answered the question.

"Whaddya mean why? I did it because I wanted to, because it was fun! I didn't hurt em, and still the weak humans ran away like little kids! Now that I think about it, how do you know what I am? I don't see one of those devices on ya, and as far as I know you humans shouldn't know much about us digimon. And for the record, I'm not one of those stupid wild ones!"

Naruto sighed as once again, people mistook him for a human...I mean really, was the slitted eyes that hard to notice? However, he was now curious about the little guy.

"Well, I suppose I can understand wanting to have a little fun, and no harm came of it anyways. As for being human...why is it that no-one notices the slitted eyes until I point them out?" Impmon's eyes immediately snapped to his at his statement and widened as he finally noticed that indeed, Naruto's eyes were slitted. "As to why I know about digimon...lets just say I have a few as...acquaintances. Now then, what do I call you purple one?"

The little digimon growled at what he thought was a barb directed at him, but decided to answer before he showed the guy who he was messing with.

"The name's Impmon, and don't you forget it! Oh and for calling me purple one, I got a little present for ya!" Naruto merely watched curiously as the newly named Impmon summoned two rings of fire that surrounded him and then summoned a fireball the size of a soccer ball that floated in front of the now smirking Impmon. With a cry of "Infernal Funnel!", Impmon launched the decently sized fireball at Naruto, but was surprised when the guy didn't even attempt to move out of the way.

However, his surprise soon turned into shock when Naruto calmly held out his right hand and some type of red energy leaked from it and caught his attack with practiced ease before he began to study it.

Naruto observed the fireball in his hands as he turned it to look at it from all sides, a little impressed that a rookie digimon of Impmon's size had managed to dredge up a fireball of this size.

"Hmm...a decent size, good solid sphere, could be a bit hotter, but overall not bad for a rookie digimon. If I had been a human I would have been feeling a little crispy, I'd imagine. And since you gave me your name I will give you mine: it is nice to meet you Impmon, my name is Naruto." As he finished, he simply crushed the fireball in-between his hands, while small wisps of smoke drifted out of where it used to be.

Impmon was highly unnerved by the ease with which this "Naruto" character snuffed out his most powerful attack; he had always listened to his instincts, and right now they were telling them it was time to leave. Of course, that didn't mean he would run; he had an image to uphold after all!

"Ok...Naruto. I suppose it was nice to meet ya as well, but I gotta jet. You know; places to be, people to scare and all that. Badda-Boom!" And with that, Impon made what he considered a tactical retreat...he needed to find out more about this Naruto guy before he did anything else.

As for Naruto, he just watched as Impmon quickly jumped back into the woods around him. He could tell he unnerved the little guy, but he had to give credit when credit was due; Impmon had guts to stand up to him like that, and he wouldn't mind meeting the little guy again. Once Impmon was out of sight Naruto looked over at the now vacant bench and smiled, it was a perfect spot to watch the sunrise. With a sigh Naruto sat down and spread out his senses, making sure that no-one was around to see him. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the black sky soon give way to shades of deep velvet, which in turn gave way to lighter colors until it looked like the entire sky was lit in a vibrant flame. Finally at the climax of the flame-like sunrise the sun itself broke the horizon, throwing its rays across the waking world and bathing Naruto's face in morning's first warm rays of sunshine. He stayed that was a few more minutes before he stood up and began to walk back towards the den at a leisurely pace; the occupants should be waking up soon.

Naruto was so concentrated on detecting any human signatures in the area that he did not detect the almost unnoticeable trace of digital energy quickly approaching him. However this problem was quickly remedied when something white and round latched itself onto his face. Naruto nearly stabbed whatever it was in reflex before he managed to stop himself, and thought rationally; if it had meant him harm it would have done more than hug his face. He slowly reached up with both of his hands and pried the giggling mass of his face with a gentle tug. When he got a look at what it was he had to fight not to face-fault...this little digimon looked like some type of plushie! Before he could even ask a question, the digimon giggled once more before the now identified male spoke up.

"Hi! I'm Calumon, want to play a game with me?"

Ending Notes: There you have it, chapter 8 complete! I know there wasn't much action at all in this one, but its main purpose was to further develop the character of Guilmon and the relationship he will share with Naruto and by association, Renamon. As you can see, more of the cast is slowly being introduced, and it won't be long before some familiar faces are introduced. As promised, since I am now finished with this chapter I will be working diligently on the new chapter in my Harry Potter story for those of you that are interested. Now then, onto review answers!

CajinAsian: Don't worry, Naruto won't be dissected by those beams, lol.

Ninja bat master: Yes Guilmon will, but I can't really tell any more without possibly spoiling the ploy for later on. Naruto's not a demon, therefore cannot give a "demon mating bite". There will be some changes that will happen eventually, but they will not be my accident nor easy to achieve. No, Naruto won't alter the cards any, he trains the tamers and digimon in battle tactics, fighting styles and survival. Nope, I didn't plan on her signing the contract, but she will meet them eventually. As for the story plead...sorry man, I already told you guys I'm running two stories at the same time maximum. On top of that, I have to many plot-bunnies floating around inside my head for Naruto and Harry Potter crossovers is not even funny. Thank you for your consistent reviews, and I enjoy your stories as well.

Trife: The parents will indeed take notice of their children's changes soon enough, and Naruto will eventually have to confront them...but that is for another time. Thank you for your reviews, and I'm glad you enjoy the story.

Solitare: Hmm...rankings you say? I would have to say his human form could take on an ultimate adequately, and would be very hard pressed to defeat a weak mega. His hybrid form would be capable of taking out virtually any mega without too much effort, but would have a very hard time taking on a sovereign, mainly due to sheer size difference. As for his true kitsune form...the difference in power between that and his hybrid form is like comparing a civilian to Pein...the difference is nigh infinite. Rest assured, there is a reason the Kyuubi was chosen as the leader of the Tailed Beasts.

Magician Girl Mirani: Hey there, nice to hear from you again! If you like the interaction between Naruto and Guilmon in chapter 7, then you probably loved this one lol. As for Renamon's relationship to Guilmon, such will soon reveal itself in the following chapters.

Fan of Fanfics: Good job paying attention to the details! I had forgot about that episode...but worry not, such things will eventually be explained. Oh and sorry for the long wait, but as I said above my muse decided to take a hike and not tell me...he's paying for it now though :D

Vandenbz: Don't worry, Takato and Guilmon will still be able to bio when the time comes, though into what will be a secret.

Drakean: Yes, Naruto will most certainly have a showdown with a sovereign. I have a feeling that a lot of people are looking forward to that, lol.

Gallantmon228: Hey there, good to hear from you again! I've already answered your question about my Harry Potter story in a private message, so I'll just move onto your last one. No, this story will not have lemons in it, though Naruto and Renamon will get pretty damn close to it. The main reason for the rating in this story is for the blood, gore, and language. The fight scenes with the gang members and Yamaki are one the tip of the iceberg.

Narudevilfan: As stated before, I won't be writing any lemons in any of my stories. Sorry to all those out there that were hoping for it, but I write relationships, not smut. I'm not putting down authors who write such, I'm just saying its not my style. However worry not, there will be plenty of...heated encounters and sexual innuendos.

Light Lord Cybergate: Not to worry, I'll take my time when I write the fight scene between Naruto and a sovereign when the time comes, as it seems everyone is itching for it lol.

DIGI-MASTER-FAN: Nope, no lemons. As for Gallantmon or the equivalent...you'll see :P

thegoldensneak: Naruto's armor does conform to his kitsune form. The only form it doesn't conform to is his true form, due to the sheer size difference. As for why he doesn't act like he's a digimon, its mainly due to what he is. Kitsune are extemely prideful of what they are, and to deny such would be insulting for them. Deceit is one thing, denying one's race is another. As for him interacting in the human world, do not worry, I will eventually write a "filler" chapter of sorts that will include such...the chapter will mainly be used for humorous situations.

Yomikage Kazuma: Thanks for reviewing once more! Now as for your questions: I plan on taking this story well past the D-Reaper, and quite possibly up to or beyond Yggdrasil. So yeah...the way things are going, this just may very well be 300k+ long, if not more. And don't even get me started on my Harry Potter story...guh, it'll probably make the the Lord of the Rings book series look short...dunno, but I have lots of plans for that one. As for Naruto going to the digital world soon...probably not. Remember, he still has to go through all of devas. Didn't plan on any other pairings at the moment.