"Sasuke, hold still!" Mikoto demanded as the four year old struggled to not have to put on the kimono.

"Nooo, I hate it." He complained as she pulled his arms through the sleeves.

"Well you have to, we're all going to this party and we need to be well dressed for it. Naruto put on his kimono without any issue, are you going to let him out do you like that?" Sasuke looked at the younger boy who was sitting on Sasuke's bed with his stuffed fox in his arms with a small smile. Sasuke pouted but allowed for his mother to put the clothes on him.

"There, now was that so hard?" Sasuke just pouted some more while Naruto got off the bed and moved to be beside the other boy. Mikoto smiled at seeing her two boys looking so nice as she stood up. "Alright then, let's make sure everyone else is ready." The two boys nodded as they followed her out of the room. Coming to the living room Fugaku and Itachi were both waiting for the other three. Mikoto walked up to Fugaku as she began to mess with his kimono.

"Any problems?" He asked.

"Sasuke didn't want to wear his. Naruto did very well though." Fugaku smiled as he looked at the small blond. "Did he now?" Naruto blushed as he looked to the ground. The rest of the family smiled at seeing the blond in such a good mood, something all of them wished happened more often. Even Sasuke was happy to let him have the spotlight given how much the blond seems to feel left out when he's around them.

"There, you need to start fixing this on your own too. Itachi can do it better than you." Mikoto teased Fugaku who took it in stride as the kids giggled. "Alright then, let's get going." He said as he went out the door with Itachi and Sasuke in tow. Mikoto began to move before noticing that Naruto hadn't moved an inch.

"Naruto?" The boy stayed still, fear showing throughout his body. Mikoto knelt down beside him as he looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Do I have to leave foxy?" He asked, showing her his plush fox which he hadn't put down since that morning. Mikoto nodded sadly. "Yes, it's a very fancy party. I'm sorry." Naruto frowned as he walked to the couch and sat the fox down. Walking back to Mikoto he held her hand as they left to catch up with the others. "I'll be there with you so you don't have to worry, ok." She said to him as he nodded and began to stay close to her. His thoughts wandered as the family began to walk away to the party.

XXX

He laid in the bed, fever still high but not as bad as it had been the previous couple of days. He'd gotten used to this place since she brought him here. When he first met her she had told him he could call her Mrs Mikoto. He didn't know if he could trust her at first given that anyone he met would hurt him but she was always gentle and never raised her voice to him. She was something he didn't know the word for but knew he liked.

Suddenly the door opened as he panicked and got to the end of the bed away from said door, rolling up into a ball and shaking. He whimpered and began to have tears roll down his cheeks but when he heard her voice he began to calm down a bit, but still prepared for anything.

"Hey, it's ok sweetie. It's just me." He turned just enough to check. It was her. She slowly approached him and kneeled down at the edge of the bed. He stayed away but did watch her as she brought something out from behind her. He had a hard time seeing what it was but when he saw a bit of orange his curiosity took hold as he turned to see what it could be.

In her hands was a small fox plushie with orange fur on its body, white fur on its belly, and black fur on the tip of its tail. He rose up and looked at the toy. Looking to Mikoto she had on a smile that he couldn't tell if it was real or not. "Go ahead. It's for you." He slowly moved closer. This trick had worked on him before but for whatever reason he felt like he could trust her with this. Reaching out he closed his eyes for the moment she struck at him, but it never came as he touched the fur. It was soft as he pulled away his hand and looked at her for her reaction. She just continued to smile as she kept the toy out for him to grab. Slowly he reached again and grasped at it with his hand before slowly bringing it to him.

He looked into its button eyes and brushed its fur. It was so soft. He looked up to her as she stayed at her spot at the edge of the bed and smiled. He began to tear up as he crawled to her. She didn't push him away as she opened her arms to him. "Ank uw Mis Mikto." He said as he felt her warm embrace and put his face into her chest. She gently placed him on her lap as she let him cry into her shirt, these tears ones that had happiness instead of sadness in them. "You're welcome, Naruto."

XXX

He was removed from his memories as he felt Mikoto stop. Looking up he noticed they were all waiting in front of a door. He began to get close to her to make it harder for anyone to see him, something she noticed as she waited for the door to open. After hearing the sound of footsteps from inside the door opened as a woman with dark brown hair and dark eyes greets them. "Oh good you've finally made it. Come in, we've already started." She ushered them in with a warm smile. Naruto stayed hidden behind Mikoto as they entered the home, something the woman noticed as she let them in.

They all walked through the halls until they made it to a large room, filled with many other people. Naruto took a quick glance around the room as many looked over to their group. He hid once more, not wanting to know if they were staring at him.

"Well the food is over there if you want any. And if you want you can bring the little ones over there with the others." The woman said as she talked to Mikoto.

"Thank you Yoshino." Mikoto thanked the woman as she walked with Naruto and Sasuke to where the other kids their age currently were. She stopped with the two as she looked down to Naruto who had a death grip on her dress. Bending down, she put a hand to his cheek and rubbed it. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at her, fear flowing with a small amount of tears.

"It's going to be ok. Can you go with Sasuke and be with the other kids your age while me and Fugaku talk to the adults. If you need us we'll be right over there." She pointed to where Fugaku currently was, talking to the Yushino woman along with another man beside her with scars across his face. Naruto glanced to where she had pointed before looking back at her, tears still flowing gently. He nodded and went to Sasuke, holding his hand as a lifeline.

"Sasuke, you'll do what I asked, right?" She asked as the boy nodded and led Naruto to the other children, remembering what his mother had told him to do if Naruto started to freak out. Sighing, Mikoto made her way over to her husband.

"He ok?" The scared man asked.

"He's still not used to this kind of thing. We have been taking him to far smaller gatherings but he starts freaking out after a while." Fugaku explained.

"I just don't want him to now." Mikoto said in a low voice, exhaustion evident in her voice.

"Kid shouldn't have had this happen in the first place. Those damn men." Yushino growled out as she took a drink from a glass she had grabbed.

"Agreed." The scared man added as he looked at Fugaku. "Are you both still planning to do it?"

"Yes. But if you ask me Shikaku, I fear he may not want us."

"Why do you say that?" Shikaku asked, very curious as to why the man would think that.

"While he's been improving as of recently he seems so distant. Honestly I wonder if he even feels at home with us. I don't want him to think we don't care for him but he only really seems to be close to Mikoto. Even then he still seems distant at times."

Yushino and Shikaku were shocked to hear this as they looked to Mikoto who nodded in agreement. "It's true. He's become attached to me but sometimes I fear we could lose him. I

don't know what I'd do if that happened." She looked to the floor, hating to think they failed the boy.

"That's nonsense." Shikaku said as the two looked at him.

"What makes you say that?" Fugaku asked.

"Because I have eyes, Fugaku. He clearly cares deeply for you both. I mean he was using Mikoto as a safety raft since all of you entered. Honestly I think you're both just being too hard on yourselves. I know it must be hard with him but don't lose hope, either of you." The Nara demanded as he stared at the two. They were shocked to see him have so much emotion coming out of him, his wife clearly agreeing.

"And besides, we'll all always be…" She stopped talking as she looked to the entrance of the room. She looked mortified as the others looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Shikaku asked before looking in the direction she was staring before he went stiff. Mikoto and Fugaku were very confused as they turned to see what would frighten the two. At that moment they both went cold at what they saw.

At the entrance to the room stood two men. One was tall with long white hair, the other much shorter and older with white robes that had flames at the ends of its extremities.

The four stood there as the men entered and walked around the room, clearly looking for something. The people in the room watched them both and stayed clear of them.

"Get Naruto. Don't let him see them." Fugaku whispered to Mikoto as he and Shikaku started to walk to the men. Mikoto began to go find her boys while Yushino followed.

The two women went to the children as they looked for their own. Mikoto found Sasuke and Naruto talking to Yushino's boy, Shikamaru, all clearly having fun. Oh why did this have to happen now?

"Naruto, Sasuke. Can you come with me outside for a second? We need to do something." She said to the boys, too much in a hurry to care for any other excuse.

"You too Shika." Yushino added as all the boys became very confused. Mikoto grabbed Sasuke's hand and brought Naruto close to her as Yushino grabbed her son's hand and they both ushered the children away. Yushino led them to a door to the compound's garden as Mikoto followed, Naruto now becoming worried as he looked at the woman. "Mrs Mikoto, what's going on?" He asked as she got ready to speak, but never got to answer.

"Ah, Mikoto. It's good to see you again." The small group stopped as Naruto froze, he knew that voice.

Mikoto turned, keeping Naruto and the man from seeing each other. "Lord Hiruzen, what brings you here this evening." She asked the old man, using all her skills as a shinobi, not to panic.

The old man smiled at her as he looked down before looking back up to the woman. "Oh I just wanted to see how my clan heads were all doing on such a fine evening. I'm glad to see all of you so much closer, it truly brings a tear to this old man's eyes." He turned to leave as he spoke once again. "Oh but next time I do hope you say hello. After all, it has been a long time since we last met, Naruto." With that he left, the white haired man following him as they left the room.

Mikoto couldn't move for a moment, being too shocked to register anything around her. However she was soon snapped out of it when she heard the sound of a whimper. Looking down at Naruto she saw tears falling as he was shaking with much force. Taking action, Mikoto picked up the boy and looked to Sasuke. "Follow, now!" She demanded as she and Yushino started to move at a quickened pace. Sasuke and Shikamaru were shocked and didn't move for a moment before running to catch up with their mothers.

Mikoto glanced down at the boy in her arms. He was frozen. It almost looked like he'd seen a ghost as he didn't move and just had a blank stare. Soon they all arrived at the garden as Mikoto sat at a bench and started to rock the boy in her arms. After a few moments Naruto began to move, before he began to scream in fear. His cries were almost haunting as Mikoto brought his face into her chest and tried her best to just calm the boy down.

"Shh, Shh, I know. It's ok baby mama won't let them hurt you, it's ok." She cooed as he only howled in terror. His sobs were so violent he began to cough and hiccup as he stayed in her arms. All she could do was rub circles in his back and just try to quiet him down.

She didn't know when Fugaku arrived, nor when they had left with a now crying Sasuke. Nor did she know when they had made it home with both boys in their arms while Itachi looked increasingly worried. What she did remember was awaking in the middle of the night, Naruto in her arms as Sasuke was in a now sleeping Fugaku's. She didn't dare move as she just looked at the boy. Soon her memories started to drift to that night. The tiny baby in her arms crying as they took him from her, promising that he would be fine.

That baby. She'd missed so much. His first steps, his first word. His bright smile as she told him a story before bed. His crying face as he would ask her to make the bobo go away. Tears started to run down her face as she brought him closer to her. She'd failed him. She wept as she held her baby in her arms. How could she have done this? What sort of mother would let their child suffer like this? What was wrong with her?

"Mama." She stopped as she looked down at the boy. He was half awake and looking at her. "No cry mama. No cry." He said. Her tears flowed as she realized he was talking to her. "I'm sorry baby. I'm so sorry." She brought him close as she wept. "I love you so much. I love you

more than life itself. Please never forget that." Naruto nodded as his eyes began to shut and he fell back to sleep. "OK mama. Love you."

She closed her eyes, keeping him close. "I love you too, my baby boy."