Chapter 27

Beginning & End

Aayla could only look on, eyes wide as she watched Naruto approach his dark half with full, confident steps, slowly gaining speed until the two of them were face to face. Naruto's punch was effortlessly intercepted, but the counter punch of his dark half was deflected in much the same way. She knew she couldn't interfere in this fight, feeling in the deepest part of her soul that if she did intervene she would be more of a hindrance than a help to him.

All she could do, for now at least, was watch this fight from the sidelines, putting her faith in Naruto to come from this victorious.

Finally one of the two opponents made a mistake, leaving him open for Naruto to take a swing. The darkness attempted to step back, and Aayla only just saw that the fist missed the cheek by mere millimetres. Then the head of the other Naruto snapped back as if he had been struck, and he went flying across the full breadth of the chamber, hitting the floor like a pebble flung across water before rolling into the far wall with a painful thud.

Aayla's eyes widened in disbelief, but also in relief. He had missed, she had seen him miss and yet his strike seemed to connect. She had felt the slightest pulses from the force once that strike landed, exactly like she had seen on Nar Shaddaa those few months before. Seeing it once made her think, but seeing it twice cemented her hypothesis. While in Sage Mode Naruto could touch the force, and he used it in a very unorthodox way from how the Jedi touch and utilise it. It was unconventional, but by the look it was also highly effective.

She looked back to his dark half just in time to see him shakily rise to his feet, a hand reaching up to wipe some blood from the corner of his mouth as he smiled darkly upon her Naruto, "Nice hit brother, looks like life hasn't slowed you down…however…"

He blurred forward with resounding speed, so fast he seemed a blur even to Aayla who augmented her eyes with the force to be able to keep up with him. Naruto's eyes widened in both surprise and alarm, seeing that within the blink of an eye his dark half had closed the gap between them. His body posture was stooped, and in his right hand was a ball of blackish crimson energy, a dark Rasengan which he slammed into Naruto's gut. Naruto seemed to double over from pain, head raised high as the air was forced from his lungs. Then he was thrown across the chamber, slamming into the far wall with enough force to create a crater.

"Living among these people has made you soft…" his dark half scoffed as he finished his sentence before looking over at Aayla and smiling darkly, "…though I can see why."

She shuddered. This one's gaze wasn't the one of her Naruto. When Naruto smiled at her she felt warm and safe, when this twisted version of Naruto smiled it made her feel like a Bantha in the presence of a Krayt Dragon, like prey before a predator. It scared her.

There was an explosion of dust and debris and Naruto was above his dark half, his own lightning-blue Rasengan aimed down. His dark half was just able to jump back, watching as Naruto drove the Rasengan into the ground with a colossal explosion which seemed to rock the superstructure of the chamber. The blast kicked up a mass of debris and dust, and once it abated there was a crater as deep as Naruto's ankle and as wide as he was in his crouch.

"Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku!"

There was a sphere of wind, swirling and violent, just in front of Naruto, compressed by chakra and being powered by the breathe being exhaled from his mouth. The sphere was as tall as he was and nearly three times as wide. His dark half was still in midair and with a final blow he sent it flying towards his dark half. The other Naruto didn't have time to get out of the way and he was encompassed by the savage sphere which seemed to explode on impact. Aayla could see the dangerous lashing winds slash and cut his skin before throwing him to the ground with bone-jarring force.

Naruto straightened himself from his crouch, watching the dust dissipate before steadily walking towards the crater. His dark half was slowly rising to his feet, covered with blood which was flowing from his several cuts and slash wounds. He looked up at his other half with anger and vile, spitting out a gob of blood. Already the wounds were closing up, leaving flawless skin and drying blood.

There was a blur as Yami moved again, flying up the side of the crater and slamming a heel palm into Naruto's chin. Naruto stumbled back, but recovered his senses quickly enough to deflect and change the course of a handful of well-timed punches and spinning kicks. When the two struck each other they struck each other at exactly the same time, both mirror images of each other as they cocked their arms back and let fly. Their fists slammed into each other's cheeks, force of their Sage Mode's sending the two of them spinning in opposite directions, slamming into the cracked concrete tiles and skidding to a halt at opposite sides of the chamber.

Aayla couldn't believe what she was seeing, such power, and such ferocity, both opponents facing each other with the single task of eliminating each other. Was this what a fight between two battle-hardened Shinobi was like? She braved a glance at the huge steel bars, seeing a pair of huge, ferocious eyes of crimson starring back from the shadowy abyss.

Was that the Kyuubi?

There was a low growl which seemed to echo through the chamber, and both Naruto and his dark half stopped. Looking over to see the huge creature rise to its feet and take a step forward. It came into the light, and Aayla saw a huge wolf-like visage of bloody eyes, orange red fur and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, just being within its presence in Naruto's mindscape made her lightheaded.

"You look better than the last time I saw you, Kyuubi," Naruto spoke up, panting for breathe.

"That's because your anger has been a little more manageable as of late, brother," His dark half, Yami, replied with a smirk.

"Silence,"the creature hissed angrily, the decibels of his voice causing an echo to repeat itself off the walls of the chamber, "I grow tired of watching this battle between two insects."

Aayla watched as the huge monster stared down both Naruto and his dark half. But she was surprised. She had expected to see a monster teeming with the power of the dark side, one which was a manifestation of evil itself. She didn't see that. She saw a great and powerful creature, full of anger and hatred for the world around it.

Images exploded through her mind, and through the force she could see a creature held in captivity its whole life by humans, first by a man with crimson eyes, then within the bodies of people like Naruto, people forced to bear its power through no choice of their own. For its entire life it had been used as a vessel for battle and power, and sometime during this era it had lost faith in the world and became consumed by its own anger.

First it had been a part of something greater, something that seemed truly evil, defeated and imprisoned within a man of supreme power. It was torn apart just before his death, becoming nine great beasts of power and strength. The Kyuubi was one of these beasts. For a time it had lived, away from humans, then it had been placed under the spell of a man named Madara, he had used it since then as his ultimate weapon.

Then he was defeated, and with his defeat the Kyuubi was imprisoned in the body of a woman, a woman who had sacrificed herself and made herself its vessel thinking that the creature would have gone mad, when in truth all she would have needed to do was to ask him to leave. He was then placed in another human's body, this one a young girl she immediately knew was Naruto's mother. In the span of a few moments she saw her life and the strong, graceful and beautiful person she became. Even the Kyuubi appeared to see it, for it left her mostly alone.

Then Madara returned, seeking to bring the Kyuubi under his control. He kidnapped Kushina, and forced the beast out of her body, almost killing her in the process. He then once again placed it under his control and set it loose upon Konoha. Eventually Naruto's father was able to remove the curse binding it to Madara and release it from his control, but by then it was so angry that removing the curse did nothing to quell its anger. It was eventually sealed within Naruto, costing his parents their lives.

It sensed her, and with a snap of its head it brought its eyes…eyes the colour of blood…upon her. She felt power, huge and terrible, consuming its form in the force; great power…corrupted by its life and anger. She felt like an insect in the presence of a giant, so easily killed by a single swipe of its paw. Its voice assaulted her ears, threatening the split the drums.

"You dare search through my mind!"

There was a blur, and a body appeared in front of her, between her and this lonely, angry creature. No, it wasn't one body. It was two. She looked up to see both Naruto and his dark half standing over her. She had fallen to her knees at some point. Both her beloved and his darkness had their backs to her, united under a single purpose as they both stared down the creature trapped behind its bars.

"Why did you move?" Naruto asked.

His evil half smirked, "You are me and I am you."

"That's just maddeningly unhelpful," Naruto replied flatly before bringing his gaze upon the Kyuubi.

The huge creature starred down the two halves of its hosts psyche before snorting in annoyance and turning around, showing its back to them as it stalked back into the darkness of its cage and slumped down to the floor, once again seemingly uncaring of what was happening around it. Naruto looked on, remembering a time, in the middle of the war where he had thought he had gotten through to him, but it seemed so far away now and he knew that the chance had been missed.

They waited until they were sure that the Kyuubi had indeed fallen back into a mood of indifference before they flew into action again. Naruto was quicker, his fist connected with the cheek of his dark half well before Yami could bring his fist around to do the same thing. His dark half was thrown back by the impact with enough force to slam clear through the weakened stone wall. The rock and gravel exploded, shattering like glass from the impact and leaving a gaping hole.

Naruto watched the hole for a while, waiting until the last clank of fallen debris hit the ground and water before turning back to Aayla and come down to a knee, hand reaching out to take her by the shoulder and shake her gently, "Aayla."

She looked up at him, but not with fear or anger, which relieved him greatly. It was with a little pain, yes, but also with a great sadness.

"I saw," she almost chocked on her words, "I saw his mind, I saw his thoughts. He isn't evil, Naruto…he's just angry and alone, a prisoner for his whole life."

"I know," Naruto replied, well aware that the Kyuubi was listening. He could feel that it was listening within his very soul, but there was no other emotion, and that was rare.

"I saw his life," Aayla muttered, shaking her head to dispel his tears, "I saw your mother and your father, I saw that fight. I know now that your father didn't have a choice to do what he did…but it still seems so cruel."

Naruto kissed her on the forehead, "I know, Aayla. Thank you for accepting this."

Aayla managed a smile, "Everyone has secrets, and I know you. You are not that man. He's like your complete opposite."

"Two sides of the same coin," Naruto replied with a tired sigh, "I could become him."

"Not while I'm here," she replied, pressing her forehead against his. Just doing this one little thing reaffirmed her belief that this was Naruto, not the person he had just thrown through a wall. This was herNaruto, and while she was here she would make sure it stayed that way.

It was then that he said it, three simple words, "I love you."

That surprised her. She looked up at him, eyes wide in disbelief at what he had just said. He didn't seem to notice, head turning back towards the hole in the wall and frowning, "He has been quiet for far too long."

Aayla blinked, shaking her head to dispel her thoughts before looking back at the hole, absently allowing Naruto to take her hand and pull her to her feet, "Maybe that last shot was enough."

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "No, if it were that easy I would have beaten him years ago."

She nodded, and was about to move, but a hand grabbed her arm, making her stop and look over at her beloved who simply shook his head, "You stay here, where you'll be safe. I'll go have a look."

Under normal circumstances she would have called him over-protective, but these were not normal circumstances, so she nodded her head and let him walk by her. Naruto continued to walk, placing a hand on the rough surface of the half-destroyed rock before taking a step through to the darkness beyond. There was nothing, not even the slightest movement in the light. The more he searched the more alert he became.

Naruto slowly, carefully, walked into the darkness, eyes imbued with chakra snapping left and right as he searched for his other half. It happened so quickly. First there was a flash of light. Then he was imprisoned inside a dome of translucent energy. Naruto jumped back into the centre, eyes widened in surprise before he looked around, remembering the mass of glowing seals on the floor.

"These are-"

"Good to see you remember, brother," his dark half laughed, clapping his hands as he stepped into the illumination of the glowing runes, clapping his hands with enough pause to allow the echo to reverberate throughout the darkened chamber, "This was the exact same seal Madara trapped you in before you were transported to this place; though this time the explosive seals haven't been added in."

"How do you know this?" Naruto asked in rising alarm, "It was one of the most difficult seals I had ever seen."

"I am you and you are me, and I have been bored in this place for over nine months," his other half replied with a snarl, then a smirk, "Nine months of boredom can lead to a person beginning interesting projects to at least remain partially sane. I'll admit it took me quite a few months to read through your memories of the seal, memorise them, fill in the blanks then experiment…but I eventually got there. I do have your tenacity and determination, brother. The only difference is our outlook on the world."

Naruto didn't answer, but the glare he shot Yami could probably melt steel.

"Now if you'll excuse me I think I'll start entertaining our guest," Yami finished with a smile full of venom as he turned and walked towards the exit, "I cannot wait to hear her scream."

His eyes widened in alarm, exactly the response Yami had wanted, before they narrowed into a look of pure, unadulterated anger, "You hurt her and I will end you!"

Yami turned to him and grinned, "Love can mean different things, brother, and not all of them are healthy for the partner. You love her and wish to protect her. I love her…and wish for nothing more than to destroy her with my own two hands."

"No," the words left his lips as a whisper, shocked and suddenly very afraid before he slammed his fist against his invisible prison, simply watching as his fist connected, feeling the pain, but was rewarded with a ripple as the imprisonment seal absorbed the impact. He slammed his other fist against the barrier, feeling the same effect but unwilling to give up. As he fought with all his might to break from his invisible prison he started shouting, screaming.

"Run, Aayla! Run!"

Aayla heard Naruto's voice, and felt fear course through her veins. Fear not for herself, but for the man she considered her beloved. She knew that the man who stepped through that hole was not the Naruto she knew, and with a quick movement honed by years of training she leaped back, grabbing her lightsaber hilt in midair and igniting it just as she hit the ground, skidding to a halt, the sapphire light of her blade humming in the light as she fell into a basic stance.

The darkness of her beloved smirked, "You know I am not the man you know?"

She nodded.

"You are quite a woman to be able to see past the appearance," Yami applauded lowly, before pulling out a scroll, biting off the seal and allowing it to unroll around him. There was a puff of smoke, and when it cleared there was a huge sword stabbed into the ground in front of him, easily as large as he was tall, looking like a butchers knife with a circular hole in the top half of the blade and a half circular hole along the serrated edge near the hilt. Yami grabbed the long hilt and effortlessly pulled it from the stone tiled floor, resting it on his shoulders as he looked at her and smirked. "This sword is known in the Shinobi world as Kubikiribōchō, also known as the butcher's knife. No matter how many times it is damaged it can be repaired by the iron within the blood of the enemies it kills."

He flew at her in a blur, and Aayla was just able to bring up her lightsaber to block the huge blade. The pure weight of both the weapon and Yami was enough to force her back, skidding across the floor because she refused to be thrown from her feet. She watched as her lightsaber slowly cut through the blade, but was also aware that the serrated edge was moving closer to her skin. She couldn't move because of the weight, so she kicked Yami in the shin, watching him flinch before she darted away. She didn't get away without injury, for the blade managed to graze the skin of her left arm. She flinched before watching with horror as her spilled blood seemed to move as if it had a life of its own, tracing it's way along the cut of the blade, seemingly repairing it.

"You're movements are pretty good," Yami said with a smirk, "And you're technique isn't bad either, I love a woman who isn't afraid to use something as unconventional as a kick to the shin in order to get herself out of a bad situation."

He was toying with her; Aayla could see that as clearly as day. If he was as strong as Naruto then he could kill her with a single shot, but he wasn't. He was truly the opposite of the Naruto she knew, Naruto usually abhorred the idea of killing while this one seemed to revel in the kill. Yet another difference in the growing list of differences between this opposite and her Naruto.

"Still willing to fight, I see," Yami grinned sinisterly before sprinting right towards her, striking at her with long, wide swings from his huge sword. Aayla knew that she wouldn't be able to block such strikes, so instead she opted to use her speed to her advantage, using her bodies dexterity to duck, jump and sidestep most of the strikes. It didn't take her long to notice that the wide swings left him wide open to an attack.

She waited until he attempted a wide swing, ducked the blade and surged forward, lightsaber ready to ignite. He saw it coming, and she cursed herself when he simply dropped the huge sword and sidestepped her thrust just as she ignited her weapon. The blade burned through thin air as he spun around behind her, grabbing her wrist roughly and twisting it behind her back, forcing Aayla to drop her weapon as he slammed her against the broken tiled floor.

"Nice try, blue girl," he whispered into her ear, tracing a finger delicately along the spine of her back and smirking when he felt her shiver from the contact, "You've got some moves on you, I'll give you that. Nice reflexes too, I can see why he likes you."

Aayla looked into his eyes, not flinching for a moment as she starred into those blood red orbs. She was prepared for whatever he threw at her, but not for what he actually did. He winked at her with his right eye, before removing his weight from her. Aayla was so surprised by what he was doing that she was unable to move even when he grabbed her by her right wrist and pulled her to her feet.

Naruto's dark half turned his back to her, walked a few steps and then raised his hand, snapping his fingers. The snap reverberated through the chamber. A table and chairs seemed to flash into existence, and on the table were two cups of some sort of food: noodles, she saw, with meat and vegetables she was unfamiliar with.

Yami sat on the farthest chair, smirking over at her shocked form before speaking, "So, how was I?"

It took Aayla a moment to respond, "I'm sorry?"

His smirk grew into a grin which almost mirrored Naruto, "Did I come off as the true big evil persona? I'm just curious…"

Aayla could only stare at him, disbelieving to what she was hearing. This was a trick. It had to be a trick.

Yami's grin softened into a small smile at her silence, "I'll take your silence as a yes."

"What?" Aayla began, before forcing herself to swallow a lump in her throat. She found herself unable to speak, unable to believe what she was seeing. This dark half of Naruto, who had been nothing but the true personification of evil and corruption, had just released her when he could have killed her, snapped a table and chairs into existence, and asked her if he pulled it off like he was an actor trying to get to grips with a part.

"Tell me," Yami's voice was conversational as he picked up a pair of wooden sticks, "Have you ever tried Ramen before?"

Aayla was hesitant, but eventually shook her head dumbly.

"Then you're in for a treat," Yami replied as he positioned the two sticks in his fingers before stabbing them into the bowl of steaming noodles and broth. "It'll probably take him a while to get out of the seal and I'm sure you're probably hungry, so dig in."

She didn't move, and Yami sighed after a moment of tense silence, "Look, lady: if I wanted to hurt you I could have done that and more by now. Just let it sink into your skull that maybe all is not what it seems."

"But…" Aayla managed, before mustering her courage and taking a tentative step forward, "…but…well…what the hell is going on!"

Yami grinned as he slurped up a mass of noodles and broth, "It took you a little longer to ask that question than I thought it would."

"Don't change the subject," Aayla spat back sharply, "Barely a minute ago you were the reincarnation of the bloody dark side, and now you suddenly do a one-eighty and make all of this appear and offer me a late dinner? What the hell is going on!"

"You are a feisty one," Yami chuckled before looking into her eyes, "Allow me to explain."

"Please…" Aayla replied curtly, folding her arms across her chest and fixing him with a glare, "…do."

"You are so sexy when you're angry," Yami grinned, but seeing that his jibe wasn't getting the response he wanted the other half of Naruto sighed, placing his chopsticks beside his bowl and slammed his hands together, "Thanks for the meal."

"What. Is. Going. On!" Aayla said with little patience.

"A test," Yami replied, rising from his place and circling around the table. Aayla found her confidence fading, but she stood her guard against him regardless, "My brother has had doubts for many years…about everything that has happened to him since the fall of our village. He has been weak and indecisive since that time, and through that I came back into being. The incident with Celeste Morne and the talisman brought me back to full strength."

"Then what is your purpose?" Aayla asked. They were barely half a meter from each other now, another step would bring them nose to nose, "Why do you linger here?"

"I linger here to return this mind to what it once was," Yami replied, unblinking, with determination she had not seen, "I want to return this mind to what it was after the events that transpired at the waterfall of truth."

"But…" Aayla began, regaining her resolve with each moment, "…but he defeated you at the waterfall of truth."

"No, he didn't. It's not that simple," Yami replied, looking straight into her eyes with a great fire brewing in his own, "You and your Order are so naïve, girl. You cannot destroy the darkness; you must learn to control it, to harness it, to embrace it and not allow it to corrupt you. I did not die at the waterfall. I was simply absorbed by my brother. We melded; we became one, and through our combined strength we were able to subdue Kurama, take his power for our own and it was our combined hope in swaying him to our cause, to remove all the hate within him."

"Kurama?" Aayla asked.

"That is the real name of the Kyuubi no Yoko," Yami answered, "That is his true name."

"His true name…" Aayla replied dumbly, looking over to the cage.

"You have a big mouth, Yami,"Kurama's voice reverberated through the chamber, this time lacking the hatred Aayla remembered when he glared right at her, "Just like that fool of a monkey Son Goku."

"Maybe I do, my old friend," Yami replied, gently pushing Aayla aside as he took a few steps towards the cage, "But…it is your wish as well as mine, isn't it? To bring the Naruto you had forged a bargain with back to this world?"

Kurama did not reply. He simply snorted, and seemed to return to his rest.

Yami snorted in reply, "Cheap old fart."

"Then your purpose here was not to take his body for your own," Aayla murmured.

"That's right," Yami replied with a grin. "My purpose was to return him back to what he once was before the destruction of Konoha, to make him into the man who could shape the future of a continent. I want to return my brother to who he should be."

"Then why did you do what you did?" Aayla asked.

"To test him," Yami replied, "I want my brother to be able to meld with me and remain the stronger personality. Of the two of us, he has always been the strongest; the one most able to change the fate of those around him. I want it to be him who goes out into this broad universe, not me."

Before Aayla could even begin to reply there was an explosion which shattered the wall separating them and the other Naruto. The dust hadn't even settled before he walked through it, moving towards them with long steps full of purpose. His eyes were not fixed on her, though she felt through their bond that he was relieved at her safety. His attention was completely focused on his alternate personality.

Yami smirked, "I hope you heard all of that, brother."

"We need to have a chat, you and I."

Laughter reverberated through the halls, and the two of them were gone in a flash of motion. The last thing Aayla heard was Yami's voice.

"Finally!"

They both appeared in the centre of a sweeping meadow of green fields and fluttering grass, a soft wind flowed through the area and a tall oak tree stood at the top of the rolling hill. Yami was given only a moment to marvel at the peace and tranquillity before him before he received a fist straight to his exposed face.

"You are an asshole!" Naruto shouted, following up on his punch with a knee to the midsection and then by another punch to his dark half's face.

Yami laughed before bringing up his hand, diverting an open handed strike to his face and diverting it to the side before countering with his other hand, slamming it into his light half's solar plexus with enough force to make him gag, "Don't blame me brother, I left you clues!"

"What clues?" Naruto shouted in anger, sidestepping a high jump kick and countering by grabbing the outstretched lag and slamming him to the ground with a reverse toss, "Besides making me believe you would destroy everything I held dear, everything which brought me back from the aby-"

His rant was stopped by an open-palmed hand, slapping him across his right cheek and making him stagger ever so slightly, giving Yami enough time to jump back to his feet and renew his attack, "Stop being so negative, my brother. That is supposed to be my job!"

An open-palmed hand slammed into Yami's solar plexus, almost collapsing his windpipe and allowing Naruto the opening he needed to regain the upper hand. He grabbed Yami by the shoulders and slammed him into the earth with a Judo toss, placing his weight on top of him and following up with a punch to his face.

Yami countered quickly, wrapping his legs around Naruto's diaphragm and using the momentum of a missed punch to roll them over so that he was once again in the better position. He slammed his palm into the side of Naruto's neck in a Judo chop, immobilising him for that one important moment he needed to flip them over.

"Did you really believe I wanted you to destroy what was bringing you back from the abyss?" Yami asked, dodging a fist thrown at him and grabbing it used both the momentum and the weight of his own form to morph their positions into an arm lock. "We fought, my brother, back in the waterfall of truth, and what happened there, what important event happened there?"

"I thought I defeated you!" Naruto shot back.

"You did," Yami shot back, "you defeated me, and you also defeated Kurama. You gained the power of Kurama and me. Do you remember what you succeeded in doing my brother, during the middle of that war!"

Naruto did not answer, for he honestly could not remember.

"You gained his trust, my brother," Yami roared, watching as Naruto continued to struggle in vein, "he had been imprisoned for most of his life, if not by the eyes of Madara Uchiha then through the body of an Uzumaki, first the wife of the first Hokage, then our mother, then you. Don't you remember!"

Naruto suddenly went limp, mind flowing through his memories of the war, every moment, every second, every battle and every revelation. He remembered standing before the form of the four-tailed monkey, convincing him that he would help…Son Goku, yes that was his name. He remembered freeing him from the chains, receiving his unconscious Jinchūriki, being granted the power of the Kyuubi and freeing the others, off defeating Madara at his strongest.

He had moved with an iron will, promising each beast their freedom and being given their former Jinchūriki in return. He remembered then. The Jinchūriki had not died in that war, through their beasts they had survived, and because of him he had freed the tailed beasts with the promise that they would not wreak havoc again. The Kyuubi, Kurama, had decided to stay with him and aid him on his own quest to become Hokage.

Then Madara came with a resurrected Akatsuki. Naruto lost everything, and in his pain and sorrow he forgot about his oath and his friendship with Kurama. He had reverted back to what had happened before the waterfall of truth, once again thinking of his tenant as a bloodthirsty prisoner instead of the ally he had come to trust and rely on. He saw the pain and betrayal in those red eyes and felt his own heart tug painfully in his chest.

"You forgot everything, my brother," Yami said as he rolled off Naruto and stood up, looking down upon his other half, "you seemed to forget about the waterfall of truth, your battle with me and your alliance with Kurama. You become nothing more than a behemoth of destruction and revenge."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"But I did," Yami replied as he sat cross-legged before his alter ego, "I told you time and time and time again. These exact same words; do you know what those words were…my brother?"

It took Naruto a moment, a long moment to remember what Yami meant, but when he did he snorted and chuckled, "You are me and I am you."

"Exactly," Yami replied with a sparkle in his blood red eyes.

Naruto shook his head, looking down at his hands, "What a fool I am, not to see that simple warning."

"What is your decision, my brother?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto replied, holding out a hand, all of his memories, all of his will believing in what he was hearing. "Let's start again, Yami."

"About…bloody…time!" Yami laughed as he shook hands with his alter ego. The light that followed blinded everything, but when it ended, there was only one Naruto standing on the rolling hill. When his eyes opened, they were neither the eyes of Yami nor Naruto. They were eyes that knew what they wanted and were willing to do everything in their power to attain it, "It's time to begin again."

He vanished in a flash, reappearing in the chamber where Kurama and Aayla were left behind. He flashed Aayla a small smile, "I'm back."

"It's you, isn't it?" she asked a little worriedly.

"It is," Naruto began, before shaking his head in a mixture of bemusement and amusement, "But then it isn't."

At her worried look his smiled widened ever so slightly, "The two of you merged?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel?"

"Pretty good," Naruto replied, cracking his neck, "Don't worry. I'm not any different than the man you remember. I just sorted a few things out is all, okay?"

Aayla managed a sigh, "You're going to have to explain this to me."

"Sure thing…" Naruto answered before looking past her towards the cage, "…but first, there's something I need to take care of."

Aayla nodded in understanding, "Do you want me to go?"

"Yes," Naruto replied as he walked to her side, placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek, "Thank you for being here. Just your presence gave me the strength to face this."

She smiled and nodded, "You can send me back then. I have a feeling that I won't be much help in this conversation."

"Thank you," He replied before releasing her connection with his mind, Aayla vanished in a flash of light, returning to the real dimension, leaving Naruto alone with the creature he needed to speak to, "Kurama?"

No answer.

"Come on, you stupid fox. I know you can hear me!"

In response Kurama turned, ever so slowly, just enough so that his glowing red eyes could be seen beyond the darkened gloom which hid all but his silhouette. The fox studied him for a moment, eyes widened slightly, then returned to their normal size, "It's good to see you back, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, "I apologise for my actions of late. There is much to discuss."

"Indeed there is, you little runt."

Author's Note 1: That is not the full ending to the one shot I had planned. The rest will be posted in the one-shot, which will put all of this up with an addition of the epilogue then we'll be getting back to the proper story. I hope you all liked my little version of Naruto having a rematch with his dark half. I actually had something bigger and grander planned, involving people from Naruto's past returning as internal guardians, but I sort of got hit with a block near the end and decided to scrap the idea for something a little less Bleach, and I honestly like this way better, but who knows I might post it separately if anyone wants to read it for a laugh.

I got quite a few people unsure with the last chapter, and their thoughts were quite valid to me because I kind of had that same worry myself. A few others expressed concern that running with a chapter to end the training then having these two chapters after it was kind of annoying. I apologise for that, however I felt that this duo of chapters were too important for the plot for me to just not post them, that and when I finally made the decision I had already uploaded that particular chapter, so if I had the chance to do it differently, then yeah, I would have put these two up first and then upload the other one; blame myself for that one but I don't think it destroys the pacing too much, now if I pulled something like the Bleach anime and went to a completely different story in the middle of an epic cliffhanger... that would destroy the pace.