A/N: I just want to thank everyone for the great reviews that I have been getting. You guys rock. I'll try to keep updating every 2 weeks or so like I have been, but lately I haven't been able to just sit down and write. So don't be surprised if that 2 weeks turns into 3 weeks. On a side note there are 2 big changes from cannon in this chapter, a new pairing, and hints at a possible later pairing. I'm wondering what all of you think, so again please review. Now onto the show.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Text examples:

"Hello." Biju or jinchuriki using biju's powers speaking

'Hi.' Person thinking

'Hi there.' Person speaking through mental link

'Howdy.' Biju speaking through mental link

Chapter 7: The Years Continue

-Age 10-

"Where the hell is everybody?!" Naruko was annoyed. She only got to stay in Konoha for a few days every year so she liked to make the most of it by seeing her friends. She had been in the village since early that morning and she could not seem to get ahold of anyone. Hinata and Neji were attending an important clan meeting. Shikamaru was helping his dad take care of their deer. Choji was taking cooking classes. Ino was running errands for her mom. The red head could not even find Kiba, Akamura, or Sasuke anywhere. She would have at least spent some time talking to Rika, but she was sick. So Naruko had been wandering the village in the hopes of running into Ino. She could have summoned Isamu and have him go find her, but she did not want to seem desperate. She was really getting annoyed and she had no one to vent it on because it was not anyone's fault. Kurama was a bit sad for his kit. He did not like to see her so frustrated.

'Naruko, just stop for a moment and take a breath. Do as I taught you and expand your senses.' The fox girl nodded as she stopped her wandering. She closed her eyes and started to focus on her other senses. She could feel the heat from the sun. Hear the sounds of the villagers bustling around. Smell the sweet scent of a bakery nearby. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Naruko smiled a little now that she had calmed down. The fox girl opened her eyes and looked over at the Hokage Monument. Her eyes shot wide open.

"What the hell is that?!" She could not believe her eyes. There was a fifth face on the Hokage Monument. The new face depicted a man with spiky hair and scars on the right side of his face. He only had one eye open and it was that of a Sharingan. Naruko had no idea who the man was.

"Are you an idiot? That's the Hokage Monument." Naruko turned to see where the voice had come from. She saw a girl around her age with long pink hair. Naruko was getting mad. She did not like being called an idiot.

"I know what it is. I meant why are there five faces up there? The last time I was here Lord Sarutobi was the Hokage." The pink haired girl looked at Naruko curiously. She thought everyone knew about the new Hokage, but if the red head was not from the village then it made sense that she did not know.

"Lord Sarutobi retired a few months ago. He and the council members named Obito Uchiha the Fifth Hokage." Naruko had never heard of the man before. The only Uchiha clan members she knew were Sasuke and his mother and she had only met the woman once. The fox girl turned and looked at the monument again. She felt one of her dreams getting farther away from her, but somehow that only seemed to strengthen her resolve. She was looking forward to meeting the new Hokage.

"Naru!" The fox girl smiled as she turned to face the voice that called her. Only one person called her Naru. Down the street a ways she saw Hinata running towards her. The red head smiled as her friend reached her and they hugged.

"Hey Princess, how did the meeting go?" Naruko and Hinata exchanged kisses on the cheek. It had become a part of their usual greeting for each other. Hinata had a puzzled look on her face when she met eyes with Naruko.

"What meeting?" Hinata was not aware of any meeting that was supposed to have happened. Naruko had a skeptical look on her face.

"Really? Because your uncle told me that you and Neji were at a clan meeting when I came by to visit before." Hinata's eyes went wide as she realized what her uncle had done for her.

"Ah, t-the meeting. It w-wasn't really a m-meeting. Neji and I j-just w-went to talk to my f-father." Naruko was a little surprised to hear her friend stutter.

"Are you okay Hinata? I haven't heard you stutter like that in a long time, at least not when you're talking to me." Hinata blushed a little realizing it was true. She usually felt very comfortable around Naruko so she never stuttered anymore. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'm fine Naru, really. I'm just glad to see you again." Hinata leaned forward a bit to kiss the red head on the nose. Naruko lost all train of thought and went as red as her hair. Her nose was sensitive. Hinata giggled when she saw Naruko blush. They heard a cough come from nearby and they looked to see the pink haired girl. She looked a little annoyed.

"Look, I have no problem with those kinds of relationships, but there is a time and place for everything and in front of the Hokage Monument is not one of them." Naruko and Hinata blinked a few times before they realized what the girl was talking about. They both got very red. Naruko spoke up in their defense.

"It's not like that. I mean we're not like that. I mean…" Naruko trailed off as she caught the look of disappointment in Hinata's eyes. It broke Naruko's heart a little so she leaned in and kissed her friend on the cheek. Her voice was a whisper in Hinata's ear. "When we're a bit older, okay?" They were both blushing again and Hinata could only nod. Naruko took a moment to compose herself before she turned to the pink haired girl again. "Well thanks for the explanation, but we need to get going. It was nice to meet you." Naruko waved as she took Hinata's hand and walked back towards the center of the village. The two walked together for a few minutes before Hinata took the lead.

-Ichiraku Ramen-

Naruko was grinning ear to ear. Hinata was the best. The blue haired girl must have realized how down Naruko was before because she lead the red head straight to the one place that always made her feel better. That was what Naruko thought at least. As they got closer she noticed that the lights were not on and a sign out front said closed. Naruko got a bit upset when she realized that she would not be getting any ramen that night. Hinata saw the disappointment on Naruko's face and just smiled to herself. She squeezed the red head's hand and started walking around back. Naruko was curious as to what was going on. She heard rustling coming from behind the shop and she had a strange feeling telling her that something was up. When she heard a clang nearby her she instantly went on the defensive. She dropped her transformation and took her stance as she put herself between Hinata and the noise. She was blinded briefly as colorful lights went on and she heard some popping noises.

"SURPRISE!" And Naruko was indeed surprised. In front of her, in various kneeling and standing positions, were all of her friends. Standing in the back was Teuchi, Jiraiya, Hiashi, and Hizashi. In front of them were Sasuke, Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba. Kneeling down in front was Ino and Ayame with Akamaru in between them. All their faces turned serious as they noticed the fighting stance and fox features Naruko was sporting. The red head dropped her stance and looked around.

"What is all this?" That one statement got the entire gathering laughing, including Hinata. The blue haired girl walked up to her friend and took Naruko's hand giving it a little squeeze.

"Naru, it's your birthday." A smile appeared on Naruko's face as realization dawned on her. It was her birthday! She did a little hop in excitement and almost tackled Hinata to the ground as she hugged the Hyuga girl.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! This is awesome!" Hinata did not get a chance to reply as Naruko stepped away from her and went to talk to everyone. After a few minutes the guests all had food in their hands and they were clustered in little groups talking to each other. Hinata had a warm smile on her face as looked over the party. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, especially Naruko. The red head was all over the place, talking to every person there. Hinata felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Ino standing behind her. The blond smiled at her.

"Hey Hinata. Great party." The blue haired girl smiled at her friend. It was a great party.

"Thanks Ino. I'm just sad that Rika couldn't make it. She's sick, though she did send over a present." The blond nodded. She had heard of Rika before, but never met the girl. She noticed that Hinata was looking off to the side so the blond turned her head to follow Hinata's gaze. She smiled at what she saw.

"I have to say Hinata, you always seem the most radiant when Naruko is around." Hinata blushed and looked at the ground to try and hide it. Ino did enjoy teasing her friend, but she knew that there was more to the two old friends then there seemed to be. They were always very clingy around each other, they held hands all the time, and kissed each other in public. Even if it was only on the cheek it was still a pretty big deal. No other pair of girls Ino knew was as close as Naruko and Hinata were. The blond had a bet going with Shikamaru and Choji on when they would finally end up dating. Choji had his money on when they were thirteen and Naruko became the head of her clan. Shikamaru claimed that they would never actually date, just go on as they already were, and maybe get married someday. Ino was betting that they had already gone on their first date and just did not tell anyone. Ino's thoughts were halted as she heard a bell ring. Jiraiya had just come out from the shop holding a platter.

"Time for cake!" There were several cheers from the party guests. The loudest were Naruko and Choji. Everyone gathered around the cake and sang as Naruko blew out her candles. The cake was cut and the fox girl got the biggest piece. After everyone finished eating it was time for presents. Naruko was stunned by the large pile of gifts that was set down in front of her. She looked at her Gramps for the go ahead and at his nod she tore into the first present. Most of the gifts were pretty standard fair. She received coupons to Ichiraku's, a book about restaurants, a kunai sharping kit, a shogi set, a voucher for a spa treatment at Konoha Hotel, some hair care products, a book about animal care, and a signed copy of Jiraiya's latest novel. That last one she threw at her Gramp's head. She could guess who gave her what gift and did not even need to look at the tags. The fox girl was puzzled though, it seemed like there was one gift missing. As if on cue Hinata got up and handed a card to the red head. Naruko opened the cared and read it to herself. All it said was 'You'll get your gift later.' She looked up at her best friend and smiled. She had done basically the same thing to Hinata on the blue haired girl's birthday. The fox girl smiled and nodded at Hinata. Things started to wind down after the presents were opened. People began to leave one by one as she said their goodbyes to Naruko. As always Naruko was invited to sleep over at the Hyuga Compound and she wholeheartedly accepted.

-Hinata's Room-

Naruko had just finished changing when Hinata came back into the room from her closet. The two locked eyes and smiled at each other. The Hyuga girl walked over to her bed and sat down as she patted the spot next to her. Naruko sat down next to her friend and rested her head on her shoulder as she wrapped her tails around the two of them. The two stayed like that for a moment before Hinata shifted and pulled a small box from her pocket. She handed it to Naruko. The fox girl smiled and kissed Hinata on the cheek.

"Thanks Princess." Naruko looked down at the little gift and took the lid off. She let out a small gasp. Inside the box was a beautiful silver chain link bracelet with three charms on it. One was a little red fox that seemed to be smiling, one was a princess tiara, and in between the two was a pair of hands that were holding a heart that had a crown on it. She did not recognize what the hands were so she looked at Hinata questioningly. The Hyuga girl smiled.

"The fox is you and the tiara is me. The hands represent friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart love. It's everything that we hold for each other." Naruko was almost in tears. Now she knew how Hinata felt when she gave the girl the blue crystal necklace on her birthday. Naruko even realized that she could see the chain going down under Hinata's night shirt. She took the bracelet and put it on her left wrist. Once it was secured she tackled Hinata and hugged the girl tight while she rubbed their cheeks together.

"I love it Princess! Thank you so much." Hinata giggled as she hugged her friend back. The two girls stayed like this and fell asleep in each other's arms. Hiashi came in a few hours later wondering why the light was still on and found Naruko and his daughter holding each other as they slept. Hinata was on her back and Naruko was slightly on top of her. The red head's tails were wrapped around them to keep them warm. Hiashi sighed as he shook his head good naturedly and smiled a little. He saw how the girls acted around each other. He would be surprised if anyone did not see it. He knew that they cared for each other as more than just friends even if they did not yet realize it themselves. In the past he would have forbidden such a thing, but after his wife's death he had been trying to be a better father. He wanted his daughter to be happy and if that meant letting her date a half-demon he would allow it. Hiashi would deal with the back lash form the elders when the time came. For now he would let his daughter be happy. He smiled to himself as he shut off the light and left the room.

-Kurama's Forest-

Naruko stretched herself out on the soft grass and enjoyed the warmth from the spiritual sun. She was in the forest again. It had been quite a while since she had last entered the place where her soul was connected to her Dad. The red head got up and followed the familiar chakra signature to her Dad. Kurama had been resting by the side of a lake when he sensed Naruko approach.

"Hello Kit." Naruko plopped herself down in front of her Dad and scratched his nose in greeting.

"Hey Dad. So why did you call me in here." Naruko knew that she was till sleeping next to Hinata in the outside world, but currently her mind was in the forest. Kurama turned serious before he replied.

"It's time Naruko." The red head was surprised as she realized what Kurama meant. It seemed too soon still.

"Already?" Kurama nodded. "Can Hinata come?" Kurama chuckled. He should have known that his kit would want the Hyuga girl there with her.

"Of course. It's about time she met your Dad and Momma." Naruko smiled up at her Dad. Having Hinata there would make things easier for her. "Now go back to sleep. We will wait until tomorrow night." The red head nodded as she drifted back to sleep.

-Outside Konoha-

Hinata was curious as to what was going on. Naruko had woken up that morning with a fake smile on her face and when she asked the girl what was wrong she just kissed Hinata on the cheek and told her that she would find out that night. The day had passed slowly and Naruko seemed to be out of it the entire time. When evening came the fox girl took Hinata's hand and they picked up Jiraiya before leaving the village. The white haired man had a serious look on his face. Hinata was starting to get worried.

"Naruko? What's going on?" The red head stopped and let out a sigh as she turned towards Hinata.

"We're going to release Dad from the seal tonight." Hinata gasped. The Kyubi, Naruko's demonic father was going to be released? The Hyuga girl knew the Kurama was not evil like everyone made him out to be. That he was actually very much Naruko's father in every aspect except blood, but it still shocked her that he was going to be released. She did not even know such a thing could be done. But most of all she was worried about her friend.

"Are you going to be alright?" The red head just nodded, she did not trust her voice at the moment. Naruko was not exactly sure how this was supposed to work. The last time Kurama was removed from a seal it almost killed her mother.

'Alright Dad. What first?' Naruko readied herself for whatever was to come.

'Well kit. First you need to summon Aika and then we can get things started.' Naruko nodded and preformed the hand signs to summon Aika. There was a large cloud of smoke as the jutsu was completed. Hinata went wide eyed. Standing before her was a giant brown fox, a little smaller than the Kyubi had been depicted to be, with seven tails. Hinata hide behind Naruko. The red head turned and took the other girl's hand and squeezed it tight.

"It's okay Hinata." Naruko faced back towards Aika. "Momma can you transform? You're scaring Hinata." The large fox nodded her head and disappeared in another puff of smoke. In her place was a lovely woman with brown hair done up in a bun with fox ears and tails. She had on a formal light blue kimono with a white flower pattern and a white sash around her waist. The woman walked over to the girls as Hinata peeked out from behind Naruko.

"I'm sorry for scaring you Hinata. I didn't mean to. I've actually been really looking forward to meeting you. You've done so much more for my little kit than you realize and I'm really grateful to you. My name is Aika and it's very nice to meet you." Aika crouched down so she was eye level with the Hyuga girl and put her hand out. Hinata hesitated, but after getting a look of reassurance from Naruko the shy girl took the woman's hand and they shook.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Aika." Hinata smiled at the woman as they shook hands. Aika stood up after they finished. Naruko was pleased that her Momma and Hinata were getting along, but it was time to get things going.

"Okay so what's next?" Naruko looked between Jiraiya and Aika. Jiraiya opened his mouth first.

"Well next we remove the seal that is keeping Kurama inside you and then Aika will remove him with a summoning jutsu." Naruko was shocked and a scared from what she just heard.

"How is that any different than what happened to my mother? Are you trying to kill me?" Hinata quickly became fearful from the words. She moved closer to the red head and hugged her possessively from behind. Tears were running down her face.

"You can't die. You promised to always come back to me." Naruko's heart nearly shattered when she heard the soft whisper. She turned around in the crying girls arms and hugged her tightly. Jiraiya let out a sigh. He was afraid something like this could happen.

"Hey no water works okay? We made sure a long time ago that that wouldn't happen." Naruko looked over at her Gramps while still holding onto Hinata tightly.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya let out another sigh as he prepared to answer the girl.

"The seal on you is different from those normally put on jinchuriki. Those seals keep the Biju restrained, unable to escape from the jinchuriki's body but also let the jinchuriki siphon off the Biju's power for their own use. The jinchuriki becomes dependent on the Biju's chakra to the point where it is fatal for them to be removed. It's kind of like if someone lost a lung. They could survive for a little while, but eventually their body would give out. Your seal is different though. I designed it to keep Kurama's chakra separate from yours so your body wouldn't become dependent on it. All I have to do is remove the seal that is keeping him inside you and Aika can summon him no problem. After that I can undo the seal that separates your chakras. There won't be a need for it after Kurama is removed." Naruko and Hinata had both calmed down after hearing the explanation.

'What he said it true kit. Did you really think I would want to do this if it would mean hurting you in any way?' Naruko regretted how quickly she had jumped the gun without even thinking things through. She knew no one present would hurt her, let alone her Dad.

'I'm sorry Dad. I didn't think things through. I know you would never hurt me.' Kurama was glad they had cleared things up. He did not want his kit thinking that he would hurt her. Naruko looked at Hinata and kissed the girl on the cheek.

"Everything is going to be alright Hinata. All this will work out and I promise I'll still be here when it's all over, okay?" Hinata nodded and kissed Naruko on the cheek as well, earning a giggle from the red head. "Okay let's get this thing going!" Naruko separated herself from Hinata as Jiraiya walked over to her as he performed hand signs. Aika began preforming hand signs shortly after Jiraiya did. When Jiraiya reached his goddaughter he lifted up Naruko's shirt to expose her stomach and slammed his hand onto the seal. Naruko doubled over from the impact and felt the seal being released followed by a surge of her Dad's demonic chakra. Not a split-second later Aika finished her hand signs and slapped both hands to the ground. The red head instantly felt the chakra disappear as quickly as it had appeared. Naruko looked up to see a large cloud of smoke blowing away in the wind and Kurama standing on all fours looking down at her. The fox girl smiled at her Dad.

"Hi Dad!" Kurama smiled at his kit and then let out a yelp of pain as he felt something hit his left front paw. He looked down and saw Aika with an annoyed look on her face.

"Would you hurry up and get down here." Aika was annoyed with her old friend. He should have transformed the second he was released. Hinata had already been scared enough for one night. A cloud of smoke suddenly appeared around Kurama as he changed into his human form. The man appeared to be in his thirties and stood at about six feet tall, not including the long ears on either side of his head. His nine tails were sticking into the air. He had short red-orange hair just like his fur and wore a red kimono with a black sash. He walked over to Aika with a small smile on his face. The fox woman looked Kurama up and down. "That's better." The woman threw her arms around the tall man's neck and kissed him soundly. Everyone's eyes went wide at the action. Even Kurama was surprised at first before he wrapped his arms around the woman and returned the kiss with passion. Eventually the two parted and Aika looked at the over at the others. "What? I haven't been able to do that for almost fifty years. I missed him." Naruko's jaw dropped for a moment before she found her voice.

"Dad? Momma? You two are together?" Naruko had never even thought of the possibility that her surrogate parents might actually be a couple. Kurama smiled at his kit as he lightly nodded his head.

"Yes we are. We had been engaged before I agreed to let the First Hokage seal me in a tree. It was a show of good faith between Konoha and the Fox clan." Kurama looked a bit amused but Aika looked pissed as she turned towards her tall fiancé.

"And look how great that turned out to be. What was supposed to be an imprisonment of five years became fifty when the First died and forgot to tell anyone to let you go. I was stuck in the demon realm not being able to do anything. The only thing that kept me going was that damn ring you gave that you said would turn black if anything ever happened to you." Aika was crying by the end and Kurama took her into his arms. Naruko was touched by the scene and wondered if she could ever have something like that when she was older. Thoughts of Hinata ran through her head. The red head refocused as something occurred to her.

"Wait. Hold on a second. Why were you even sealed inside me if I wasn't getting any of your power? Couldn't you have just gone back to Momma after you were forced out of my mother?" Kurama had a sad smile on his face as he looked at his kit.

"I was sealed in you to keep you alive kit. You weren't born a half-demon under normal circumstances, meaning that neither of your parents were demons. You became a half-demon through the influence of my chakra. As such your body was at war with itself and saw your demonic traits as something harmful. You were literally killing yourself from the inside out. I had Jiraiya seal me inside you to help you stabilize and it has taken these last ten years to do so, which is why I finally had the seal removed. You don't need me anymore." Naruko was crying and Hinata held her hand tightly. The red head looked at Kurama with big eyes. He was the one who raised her. He taught her just about everything she knew. He saved her from her lonely nights when no one else would hear her cry. Naruko had owed her Dad far more than she had ever realized. She raised her free hand to her face to wipe away her tears.

"But Dad I still need you. You're my daddy and I love you. I'll always need you. Please don't go?" Hinata hugged her red head to try to comfort the girl and gently kissed her on the cheek. Kurama smiled at the scene and walked up to the two girls. He kneeled down on one leg and wrapped both of his arms around them in a big bear hug. He kissed the top of Naruko's head.

"Shh, I know little one. You'll always be my little kit and I'll always be your Dad. Just like Aika will always be Momma and Jiraiya will be Gramps. We're your family Naruko and we will always be there for you when you need us. And I'm sure that Hinata here will be there for you too." Naruko was still crying but she nodded her head as she clutched on to Hinata and her dad. Hinata kissed Naruko on the cheek again.

"Naruko, I made you promise me to always come back to me and you've kept that promise. Now I'm going to promise you that I'll always be here when you need me. I will never leave you alone. I promise." Aika walked up to the hugging group and joined in.

"I promise too kit. None of us are really going anywhere. We are all connected through our love for each other and that will always keep us tied together." Love was a powerful thing, Aika knew this. Love was what kept her going after forty years in the dark. Only to be summoned by a new born one day and find out that her love was sealed away until the child could live without him. She could not blame him. She would have done the same thing in his position. Jiraiya finally walked over and put a hand on Naruko's head and ruffled her hair. Naruko calmed down a bit and looked up at everyone. These people were her family. She loved each and every one of them even if she was not related to a single one of them by blood. She smiled through her tears.

"Thank you." Everyone around the girl had a smile on their face. They got up after a few minutes. Kurama and Aika said their goodbyes before they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruko and Hinata were still holding hands as they followed Jiraiya back to the village. They were both smiling softly, happy that everything had worked out and that Kurama and Aika could be together again. The fact that they were engaged put some ideas in the two girls' heads that they would have to talk about someday, until then though they would just enjoy being there for each other. By the time they made it back to the village it was already dark so Jiraiya got them a room at the hotel and sent them off to bed. The two girls fell asleep the second their heads hit the pillows.

-Age 11-

It was Christmas Eve and Naruko had made it to the village just in time to celebrate the holidays. She and Jiraiya were invited to stay at the Hyuga Compound for a few days so they could all celebrate together. The fox girl was ecstatic. This was the first time that she would get to spend Christmas with Hinata and she would not waste a second of it. There were so many things to do that she did not know where to start, luckily the Hyuga girl had some ideas of her own.

"Let's go make snowmen." Hinata grabbed Naruko's hand and lead the red head outside to one of the gardens. The sight was breathtaking. There was snow all over the ground and icicles were hanging from tree branches. Naruko took in the view with wonder before she let out a cheer of excitement and began to help Hinata pile up snow for their snowmen. The two girls worked for quite some time before they had two complete snowmen. One vaguely looked like Hinata and the other looked kind of like Naruko. Their stick arms were connected to make it look like they were holding hands. The girls were proud of their work and smiled at each other as they hugged. They took a moment to enjoy each other's warmth and the peace that surrounded them. That peace was shattered as they were both pegged with snowballs. Naruko got angry quickly and turned to see Jiraiya looking smug with another snowball in his hand.

"What the hell Gramps?" Jiraiya just chuckled to himself as he tossed another snowball at the girls. Naruko was prepared this time and knocked the snowball out of the air. Her teeth were bared and she was growling. Then her features shifted to an evil smile that made Jiraiya gulp. He did not like that look.

"Hey kid, come on. I was just having a little fun messing with you two." The white haired man held his hands up and backed away as he made his plea, hoping to avoid any retribution. Naruko let go of Hinata and moved the girl slightly behind her.

"And I'm just going to have a little fun too." The words sounded harmless but Jiraiya could tell that they were anything but. Naruko jumped to the side and rolled on the snow. As she stood Jiraiya noticed that each of Naruko's four tails had a snowball cradled in it. The man visibly paled as the onslaught of snowballs began. Naruko's tails dived into the snow and made more ammo to then be launched at her Gramps. Jiraiya was dodging everything that was being thrown at him and that only served to increase Naruko's anger. It was not long before there was an all-out snow war going on between the two. Hinata was enjoying the show that the two put on. She could see that both had developed slight smiles and were enjoying the snow battle. The Hyuga girl smiled to herself as she decided to join in. It was soon a three way battle and all parties were getting pelted by snow as they threw their projectiles at each other and dodged incoming threats. The whole thing lasted about an hour before they all finally grew tired and headed inside. Hinata was the clear victor as she was not even hit once after the first sneak attack. The rest of the evening the girls were huddled up together in Hinata's room covered in blankets as they tried to shake off the cold that seemed to cling to them from the outdoors. Hinata fell asleep to the slight forest smell that Naruko gave off and the red head was carried to dreams by the scent of lilacs.

The next morning the girls awoke in each other's arms and had excited smiles on their faces. It was still dark out which meant that no one else would be awake yet. That fact meant little to the two friends as they got out of bed and hurried to the room where the tree had been set up. Naruko arrived a little before Hinata and threw the door open. Peering inside she saw the tree standing tall with its beautiful decorations and twinkling lights. The red head turned to her Hyuga girl and took her hand. Hinata turned to look at Naruko and the two smiled at each other. Naruko glanced up at the entryway and grinned at what she saw. The fox girl pointed up and Hinata looked to see green mistletoe hanging from the door frame. The girl blushed a bit as she realized what Naruko was implying and looked into the red head's eyes. She saw warmth and happiness in those blue eyes. Naruko had to smile at the blush that Hinata was sporting and she could not help herself when she leaned in and kissed Hinata on the lips. It was nothing more than a peck, like so many others that they placed on each other's cheeks, but this kiss was vastly different. Though it was quick it was lingering and held promises of more to come. It was the first real kiss that both girls had experienced and they were both very glad that they got to share it with one another. The two parted and looked away from each other hoping their blushes were not too visible. Naruko was the first to recover and squeezed Hinata's hand to get her attention.

"Merry Christmas Princess." The Hyuga girl beamed at her fox girl.

"Merry Christmas Naru." They walked into the room holding hands and took a seat on the floor by the tree as they waited for everyone else to wake up.

-Age 12-

The Konoha Summer Festival was in full swing as the two longtime friends made their way through the festival grounds. Naruko was walking a little in front of her best friend with food in each hand. She was enjoying the sweets and fried foods of the festival. Hinata walked close to her red head with her hands behind her back, one of Naruko's tails was lightly resting by her hands. The fox girl no longer saw the need to use the transformation technique in the village. She was old enough now to realize that some people were going to just not like her no matter if she was a half-demon of not, so she decided she would rather be true to herself then hide who she was. Hinata was proud of the girl. They had both come a long way since they first met. Naruko was a bit more level headed than she used to be and Hinata had gained some confidence. She could even speak to strangers now without stuttering. It was a warm night with a gentle breeze and neither girl could imagine a more perfect night. They made their way through festival playing games and looking at all the items for sale. Naruko ran off at one point and came back with a pair of masks. One was a red fox the other was a blue lion. She handed the lion mask to Hinata. The blue haired girl looked quizzically at the lion mask.

"Why a lion?" Naruko had her mask on one side of her head, covering her left ear. She smiled at her blue haired friend.

"Because of how brave and strong you are." Hinata laughed a little when she registered what Naruko had said. The red head thought that she was brave. It was an incredible thought that made Hinata smile brightly at her companion. She put the mask on top of her head so it covered her forehead. The two continued on down the alley enjoying the music that was playing in the distance as they passed by a pair of women that looked to be in their mid-twenties. One was slightly taller with black unruly hair and red eyes while the other had light brown eyes with bluish black hair. The shorter of the two turned and stared at the fox girl as she passed. The woman moved as fast as lightning.

"You're so adorable!" The bluish black haired woman had pounced on the unsuspecting red head and began to pet the girl's head. Hinata looked at the woman and the redness of her fox girl's cheeks and immediately took action. She activated her Byakugan.

"Let go of her!" The woman quickly backed off when she felt the rage roll off of the Hyuga girl. Naruko had never seen her friend angry before and was incredibly surprised. She had no idea why the girl would get that angry at the strange woman. The fox girl had not been hurt in anyway so that could not be it. She was not insulted or berated either. The only thing that had happened was that the woman had rubbed her head, something that Hinata had never done before. Then something clicked in Naruko's mind.

"Hinata? Are you jealous?" The blue haired girl turned red. She realized that she had been. Naruko saw the blush and took Hinata into her arms. The red head nuzzled her face against Hinata's.

"Aww! They're so cute! Kurenai, can I keep them?" The taller woman looked at her friend with annoyance before she slapped the back of the younger woman's head.

"They're people Anko, not pets!" Kurenai turned to the two girls. "I'm sorry about my friend she gets excited easily." The younger woman let out a noise of disappointment and seemed to sulk a bit. Kurenai let out a sigh and began to rub Anko's back. "I'll buy you some dango later." The younger woman visibly brightened and smiled at her friend before she almost tackled the older woman to the ground in a hug.

"Thanks Kurenai! You're the best!" The two girls watched the whole interaction between the two women and smiled warmly at them. Naruko hoped that she and Hinata could be like that when they were older, but without jumping random people. The fox girl smiled up at the two women.

"It's okay. It was more of a surprise than anything. By the way my name is Naruko and this is Hinata. You two are Kurenai and Anko right?" The two older women nodded. Kurenai walked up to the girls and crouched down a little.

"How about I treat you girls to some dango too? Think of it as a peace offering." The two girls looked at each other before the turned back to Kurenai and nodded.

-The Dango Dango Shop-

The shop was close to the festival grounds so it was getting a lot of business that night. It was crowded, but not cramped. The place had a nice atmosphere and many cheerful voices could be heard. Kurenai ordered three dango sticks for each of them and Anko ordered some sake. It was not long before the food arrived and all four were enjoying their food while engaged in light conversation. Naruko found that she liked the older women. They were both very nice and friendly, though it seemed Anko tended to drink too much. Despite that, the younger woman did not seem to get drunk. She just developed a slight red hue to her face and a smile that never seemed to leave her. The way the two women interacted made Naruko think that there was more to their relationship than there seemed to be.

"This is kind of forward, but how long have you two been together?" The table fell silent after the question was asked. Kurenai broke the silence with a pleasant laugh.

"We're not a couple if that's what you mean, though we do get that all the time. We've know each other since about your age and we're practically sisters, right Anko?" The black haired woman turned towards her longtime friend and failed to realize that for the briefest of moments Anko had a pained look on her face, a look that the younger girls did not fail to catch. Anko took a chug of sake and pulled the bottle away from her lips with a loud belch.

"Yeah, just like sisters." There was a smile on the young woman's face that did not quite reach her eyes. The rest of the night passed in laughter and smiles. The two groups said their goodbyes to each other as they parted ways. Naruko and Hinata were heading to the Hyuga Compound and they both silently hoped that the two older women would eventually realize what they had.

A/N: When I first came up with Aika I did not plan for her to end up with Kurama. It just kind of happened. The more I wrote about her and developed her character in my head the more it just felt right that she should be with Kurama and before I knew it I reached this chapter and I found out that they had been engaged. I did not plan that either. I wrote that line and stopped and read it again. I seemed right so I left it. I really don't have control of this story anymore.