A/N: Hey guys, my exams are over, so I might be updating more regularly now. On the down side, my grandmother has had an accident, and she's in the hospital right now, so my whole family is pretty high strung. I'm not sure if or when I can find inspiration or motivation to start writing again, but I'll try to keep to my weekly updates on Friday. Fingers crossed for my grandmother's swift recovery.

It's a cold night when Naruto finds Kurama missing.

Naruto doesn't know what to do, all he had wanted was to get up and possibly get a drink or two to quench his thirst but when he sees Sasuke curled up against a pillow and no Kurama in sight he gets a bit scared. Naruto is very, very insecure when it comes to Kurama.

And when he comes out to the house, the big four-apartment size house, a faint wind blows through and there is no Kurama.

Naruto feels his heart in his throat. Something roars in his ears and all cognitive thought is erased by the bone-chilling fear rushing through him. It's paralyzing and freezing and it makes him breathless, not in a good way. He can't get any oxygen in his lungs. Naruto's mind faintly registers that he's trembling, and a red tint covers his eyes.

He's scared. So, so scared.

He wants Kurama back.

Naruto hears the creak of the door opening and he sees the mop of black hair peek out, with Sasuke rubbing an eye and yawning. Naruto's still trembling, shuddering, shoulders shaking as he clenches his fists and try to hold down the fear from escaping from him. It seems to take the form of a deadly red aura, whispering around his veins and in his mind, but Naruto doesn't want that. Doesn't want whatever malicious power is in his veins. He doesn't even question why it's there.

"Kura-nii." He forces out, sight blurry. "He's gone, S'uke, he's gone."

He can see Sasuke stiffen immediately from the corner of his eye. Sasuke's skin seems even paler in the moonlight – Naruto is like a chocolate brown, or so Kurama claims, while Sasuke is the color of milk, milk chocolate, and now he's paler than pale and Naruto thinks that it's partially because of the fear that he is sure is wrecking through Sasuke's body as well.

They've both been abandoned before. And Kurama put them back together with careful stiches and painstaking effort and, and, and

Now he's gone.

"You sure?" Sasuke asks, voice trembling. "You're very, very sure? You checked everything?"

"Yes," Naruto whispers. "Yes, yes, yes I check everything and Kura-nii's not here."

"He-" Sasuke's voice breaks. "He wouldn't leave."

"I don't know." A tear slips down traitorously. "I don't know, S'uke."

He can feel Sasuke's grip around his arm, tight and vice-like and shuddering, and Naruto's vision clears a bit, the red hue and tingle disappearing the way the sunset does – quick, easy, comfortable but a little bit longing. Naruto doesn't bother.

"Okay," Sasuke tries, "we need to search?" Naruto thinks that Sasuke doesn't really know what to do either.

"Okay," Naruto breathes out shakily. "Search, yeah, we can do that. I'll take that end and you take the other. Search. We can do that."

They flick the lights on and start searching with a vengeance. While Naruto is ruffling through the training room, he suddenly pauses. What if jiji told the ANBU to take Kurama?

No, Naruto tells himself firmly as his eyes sting. Kura-nii is a demon, he's stronger and powerful than everyone else in the world, hasn't he said that before?

He shudders in a deep breath, before continuing to search.

They meet up in half an hour, turning up nothing. Naruto is scared and worried and he thinks Sasuke is the same, too. Maybe that's why they can't think straight, he wonders as he suddenly crashes into Kurama's room, the room they came out of, the room they forgot to search.

And right on the table is a note. In Kurama's flowery familiar writing. Naruto can't even find it in himself to shout about how Kurama's slanted pretty scrawl shouldn't be used to write kanji, as he's said countless times.

Brats, it starts, and both boys heave out a collective sigh, slightly relieved and comforted because if Kurama uses the term 'Brats', it means he's not angry or anything. The term is familiar and oft used, and it means that Kurama is coming back.

Brats, you guys are probably freaking out now, and I apologise.

The two boys just read with bated breath, picturing Kurama standing in front of them saying the words with that sort of sheepish but mostly exasperated with that raised eyebrow of his.

I didn't intend to leave so abruptly. I'm coming back, of course, but I need to see someone first. It only just occurred to me that I needed to find someone. And I'm a very impulsive person, so I just went ahead and left. I'll be back by, uh, three days at the most, and all your bentos are already in the fridge, so heat 'em up when you're going to the Academy. Naruto, make sure Sasuke doesn't act too haughty or rude in class again, or train too much and have chakra exhaustion, and Sasuke, I'm entrusting you with the role of making sure Naruto studies properly and eats well. Ramen in one out of three days is fine, and only for ONE meal. Any more, and Naruto, you'll be banned from my ramen for a month. And for god's sake, don't fight all that much, will you? I'll be back before you know it, so just hold tight.

Ah, Naruto thinks as he sinks back down into the soft bed. Kurama's coming back. Thank god.

"So," Sasuke says.

"Kura-nii's coming back," Naruto finishes, and both boys nod furiously with glassy eyes.

They fall into a comfortable silence, and when Naruto checks the clock, it's already three in the morning.

"D'you want to just eat something and go to the Academy to train first?" Naruto starts. "I don't think I can fall asleep again."

Sasuke gives a "Hn" and both boys get out of the bed.

The I don't think I can ever fall asleep again without Kura-nii goes unsaid.

They change, and grab their bentos, walking to the Academy with the moonlight shining down on them. Maybe, Naruto thinks. Maybe without Kurama here, the only person I have left is Sasuke.

The old jiji is nice and all, but he's not… home. Not close. Not quite far, but not quite close either. If everyone else was thirty meters away, Iruka-sensei was probably ten meters away, the old jiji was an arm length and a bit, but Sasuke and Kurama were right there, having sort of forced their way into Naruto's own private little world.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto asks absently. "Who do you think Kura-nii's visiting? I didn't know he knew anyone."

"Hm," Sasuke hums. "Another demon maybe?"

"Another demon? Where in the world are you going to find another demon?"

Well, Kurama thinks. He's got sand in places he didn't even know existed. Cold and wind and sand and night don't mix together all that well, he muses.

And maybe he shouldn't have left in the middle of the night. Kurama's a genius at sealing, and he's put a couple of panic seals around the house that are attuned to the two brats – if they panic, he senses it. The seals almost broke his eardrums with the way they were blasting out panic signals. It slowed down after a while, but still remained pulsing in his mind. Kurama actually thinks that the brats are pretty cute when panicky, but not to this extent. He really wants to go back and cuddle with them under that ultra comfortable blanket that he is so glad he bought a few days ago.

But he has a promise to fulfill, and so here he is, like a fairy godfather, on a midsummer's night with a child's wishes to grant. Naruto's list of people to help was long and long.

And that kid sitting on the roof with the stormy emerald eyes and blood-red hair – his own hair, as Kurama likes to call it, is a soft red. Sunset red. Beautiful and sweet. Ish. But that kid's hair is startling and blinding and it reminds him of blood. – who smells of the metallic scent of blood is on the list. The fourth, Kurama thinks.

Gaara. His name is Gaara.

And, Kurama ponders as he creeps up onto a nearby roof. He looks like he needs some sleep.

"Boo," the man whispers quietly into the wind, knowing that Gaara's ears will pick it up. Sure enough, the kid jolts, looking around wildly while collecting sand around him.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a demon," Kurama grins foxily, red eyes glinting in the moonlight and the boy swallows.

"So am I."

Kurama breaks at this, dropping the slightly malicious outlook and laughs, low and steady, because really, this boy is far from a demon. He's like a… more jaded version of Naruto, as far as jaded can be. Get it, jaded, emerald, green colors… No? Kurama snickers to himself.

"Kid," Kurama says. "You're not a demon. Far from it."

The boy turns away, the sand swirling at his feet but not primed for action, and stares at the full moon. "The people say I am. My father says so. My siblings say so."

"Nah," Kurama laughs. "You're not a demon. The thing inside of you is, but you aren't. You're a boy with red hair and green eyes and super bad eye bags, that's what you are."

The boy snorts out a laugh, before freezing and staring at the man with something akin to awe. "Then," the boy says cautiously. "How are you a demon, if you're a man with red hair and black braid and red eyes?"

"Nice description," Kurama says, twirling a lock of hair around his index finger. "But I'm not a real man. I'm a demon, in human form." He grins, all teeth.

Gaara believes.

"What," he tries. "What is your name?"

"Kurama." Something deep inside of Gaara rolls and purrs and croons at that name, and he's surprised that the demon inside of him is so delighted and content. All he's ever felt from the demon is malicious intent and an addictive blood thirst, but it's strangely docile now.

"Come here kid," Kurama motions towards him, and the boy slowly stumbles to his side. "How long has it been since you've slept?"

"I don't remember," Gaara whispers, eyes wide. "The demon- I've never been able to fall asleep. The demon takes over. And if I do-

"I get nightmares."

Nightmares? Kurama frowns and furrows his brows at this. Naruto never mentioned anything about Gaara's nightmares. "Okay kid, get some sleep then. Kids are supposed to sleep for what, eight hours a day, not turn vampire-ish like you. Eight hours, not nil."

"I can't," Gaara says, low and soft and under his breath. "I told you, the demon comes out. I can't."

"With me," Kurama says back, comforting and warm and the voice wraps around Gaara like a blanket. "With me, you can sleep as long as you want." He puts a hand in Gaara's hair and the boy sinks to his knees, curling up at Kurama's feet.

Kurama crosses his legs, and puts the boy's head in his lap.

"Shukaku," he whispers as he strokes the red head with green eyes. "Shukaku, honestly why would you do something like this to a child?"

Mm, the sand whispers in his ear as it swirls around Gaara, taking a human shape. Shukaku scratches the back of his head, looking down. 'M s'ry Kura. The seal sort of amplified my negative emotions, and I was a bit lost without you. Rather volatile too. The seal is a shit piece of work.

Kurama knows that Shukaku would never have willingly done this to a child, and he believes. He knows his friend like the back of his hand, sand has always complemented fire and they used to be joined at the hip. All of the demons were together. One huge gigantic family. The family fights could level countries. The cold shoulders could last for centuries. The gatherings and play fights could destroy villages.

Fun. And even if they were demons, they had morals. Sure, they could be blinded by rage once or twice (like how Kurama was when he had been sealed in Naruto – first he gets summoned out of nowhere. Then he gets possessed by some low-life peasant. Afterwards, he gets shoved into some boy in the heat of the moment. Who wouldn't be angry? And to be honest, Kurama's sense of time was a little screwed up too, so the sixteen odd years that he spent at odds with Naruto was really like sixteen minutes in his mind) and wreck havoc, but they knew when to stop. Like how children were off limits. Even Kurama didn't play around with Naruto's sleeping schedule. Or raged in the village whenever he felt like it. Kids were different, dammit. If they were some old geezer then all rules were off, but they would have usually formed a casual camaraderie with them already, so no big deal.

"How bad is the seal?"

Bad, Shukaku says. Really bad. Worse than my first attempts at sealing, and those were bad.

Kurama winces. He's right, those really were bad. If the seal on Gaara – that was supposed to be powerful and strong enough to contain a demon, not some slipshod work – was worse than that… The kid was worse off than he thought. And including something to amplify negative emotions? Shit.

First thing in the morning, Kurama was going to change the seal.

And, Shukaku frowns, how did you get your own form back again? Aren't you sealed in that yellow chibi? Gaara's the son of the Kazekage, you hear things. How did you get out? You didn't claw your way out of his stomach like you did with that one crazy jinchuuriki, did you?

Kurama feels that he is very justified in shooting Shukaku the sandman a deadpan look with a very exaggerated raise of an eyebrow.

"Honestly," Kurama starts, hand still stroking the hair of the boy in his lap, a soft nostalgic smile on his face. "I'll tell you what happened."

Gaara really, really likes this man a whole lot. He doesn't understand why, he just does. The man is funny and nice and warm, and he's genuine to Gaara. This relationship thing that they have is built on truths and trust and is something tangible, something that glides through his veins with whispers and purrs and makes both the boy and the demon inside very, very pleased. It's not like the relationships with his uncle – lies and faux smiles and more lies – or his father – maybe it was obliviousness, maybe it was forgetfulness, maybe it was just Gaara coming up with weak excuses for his father – or his siblings – fear of death, fear of the demon, fear of Gaara.

Kurama is a nice man. And he helped with that 'shitty seal' (as said by Kurama) on Gaara, which helped make the demon inside much nicer. The demon inside – Shukaku, Kurama called him – didn't rage about, whispering empty promises and vile beliefs into his mind, weaving his threads of mind games and blood thirst. Shukaku is like a sort of mentor now, one that has lived for centuries, is practically one with the sand, and knows everything and anything about the glorious particles that swirl around Gaara when he commands it. The sand is so much more responsive now, coming the moment he calls for it, and the sand in his gourd seems unending. Instantly replenished. Maybe it's a Shukaku thing.

And even though Kurama insists on not appearing in Suna, not being seen around with Gaara, he still spends ages around Gaara, hidden in the sand dunes, teaching Gaara about the countries and the villages and two boys that are as broken as he is, but put back together by Kurama. Kurama describes them as the sun and the moon with hues of yellow and black littering the sky, clashing together and forever but blending and melding perfectly at the same time. Kurama says that they are forever and never molded together, and that they are capable of far greater things than anyone has ever done before.

Gaara rather likes the sound of them.

And Kurama describes him as red and black and green, like the sky when it's turning from day to night, that one moment when red merges with black and light shades of emerald dot the sky as the sun goes down and the stars appear. Gaara is flattered, immensely.

And maybe, Gaara thinks, this might be the beginning of something along the lines of hero worship, but he doesn't care, and he can readily believe that Kurama hangs the sun and the stars and the moon in the sky.

It's sad that the man has to leave in three days. Two, now.

"Kid," Kurama says, and Gaara turns, walking towards him. "How about you learn something other than your sand?"

"Why? I have sand. I have Shukaku. What else do I need?" Kurama thinks that it says something when all he thinks after hearing those words is Gaara you poor child. Because Kurama hears it as I have sand. I have Shukaku. I don't need anyone else because no one else wants me.

"Well, one day Shukaku might not be with you anymore. Y'know, sometimes when you're in old age and stuff, they switch containers. So you might need to learn other stuff. And it's fun, anyways."

"I'll never grow old," Gaara says firmly. "I'll keep Shukaku forever." He hears a deep chuckle in his mind. Shukaku?

Kiddo, the demon replies. Listen to Kura. He knows what he's talking about.

Of course. I'll listen to him more than you.

"Sometimes," Kurama says, voice suddenly low and soft, and Gaara has to strain his ears to hear. "Sometimes you don't have a choice when something is about to be taken from you."

Kurama sounds like he knows.

Shukaku? You aren't going to leave anytime soon, right? You have nine years of hate to make up for.

The demon is silent. Gaara feels cold. Colder than when he found out his uncle had attempted to kill him. Colder than when he killed his uncle in return.

"Oh," Gaara replies softly. "Oh. Okay."

Kurama gives him a small smile, and something inside Gaara brightens up. "What weapons do you know?"

"None," Gaara says honestly, and furrows his brows when Kurama chuckles. "But Temari uses a fan. Thingy. Kankuro uses puppets."

"Okay, do you want to learn anything special?"

"… A sword?"

Kurama gives him a slightly incredulous look. "With that gourd on your back? Why a sword, anyways?"

"Swords are cool," Gaara mumbles to himself. "Kinda."

Kurama smiles and ruffles his hair. "Okay kid. I'm pretty okay at the sword, but it's a long term kind of thing, so you might want to learn it from Baki. This guy in your village, called Baki. He's a jounin, and he ain't half bad at the sword. Doesn't use it often in fights, but eh. He can wield it well enough."

"Baki," Gaara tries out the name. "Baki."

"Baki-sensei, Gaara," Kurama stresses. "He's going to be your teacher, address him with the right honorific."

"Baki-sensei," Gaara repeats. "Why do I have to address him with the right honorific? Honorifics are about respect. I don't respect him."

"Respect has to be earned, Gaara. To have someone respect you, you must respect him first. Same thing about your siblings. If you keep calling them by their names, and not Nee-san or Nii-san, it doesn't make them feel like they're your siblings. Think of it as calling your father by his name. It's just strange." Kurama explains.

"So," Gaara starts, trying to process the information. "Kurama-nii?"

He's a bit startled when Kurama barks out a laugh. "That is the right honorific, right? Or do you prefer for me to use –san?"

"No, no," Kurama laughs. "Kurama-nii is fine. Just… Well, I'd like to see how the brats take to your nickname for me."

"Oh." Gaara says, horrified. "Should I call you Kurama-san?"

"It's okay," Kurama grins. "Kurama-nii is good."

"So I should call Temari Nee-san and Kankuro Nii-san?" Gaara ponders this. "But Kankuro seems less mature than me. I wouldn't mind calling Temari Nee-san, but Kankuro… He wears makeup. That says a lot. Wears more makeup than Nee-san."

He frowns a bit when Kurama doubles over in laughter. "I really don't want to call him Nii-san. He's more girl than boy."

"Gaara," Kurama chokes out. "I'm pretty sure Kankuro is a boy, through and through, makeup or not."

"Hn."

"We should get you to learn a few ninjutsu and genjutsu. You can train with Temari and Kankuro for taijutsu. Don't assume that no one will be able to break through your sand barrier. Nothing is indestructible, so when that time comes, I want you to be proficient enough in taijutsu to be able to attack and defend."

See, Gaara idly thinks to Shukaku as he listens to Kurama. This is why I prefer Kurama-nii. He's far nicer than you.

Kiddo, Shukaku replies. Kurama is far nicer than everybody. But when he gets mad, get your ass out of the vicinity. Evacuate to the furthest country, even.

Yes, Gaara thinks. Kurama is powerful and beautiful.

He's very, very glad that sand and fire go well together.

Kurama finds it very, very funny, that the first thing Temari does when Gaara calls her "Nee-san" in passing is freeze, before jumping back a few miles and hiding behind a stall. He's laughing his guts out, and Gaara is pursuing his lips in an attempt to get Kurama to stop, but Temari is just really, really confused and hiding behind a stall.

"Nee-san," Gaara clears his throat. "I was wondering, if you could help me with my taijutsu."

Temari has her weapons out. Her hand is shaking. Kurama thinks that nothing is funnier.

"Nee-san," Gaara repeats, a bit exasperated. "I was wondering if you would help me with my taijutsu."

"Gaara?" Temari asks. "Gaara?"

"Yes, Nee-san, I was wondering if you would help me with me taijutsu."

"Oh," Temari says, shaking her head as she tentatively lowers her weapons. "Oh. Er, I'm not sure if I'm the right person for it… ?"

"It's either you or Nii-san," Gaara says very seriously. "And I really don't think Nii-san is all that good at taijutsu."

"Y-you mean," Temari swallows. "Kankuro?"

"Yes," Gaara replies in all seriousness. "I don't think Nii-san is the right boy for the job."

"Oh." Temari isn't sure to freak out about the fact that Gaara isn't threatening her, or about the fact that he's calling her Nee-san, or about the fact that he's calling Kankuro Nii-san, or about the fact that he's dissing Kankuro in front of her. "Oh, ah, I might need to ask father. I'll… get back to you?"

"Nee-san," Gaara presses. "It is a simple yes or no question. Do you really require father's permission?"

Temari is still hiding behind the stall, but her weapons are down. "I'm not very sure…"

"Nee-san." Gaara repeats. Kurama has told him that using that honorific multiple times can very well turn the tide in one's favor. And the way it rolls off his tongue is sort of nice. Unfamiliar, but nice. "Nee-san, please?" He attempts to employ the famous 'puppy eyes' that Kurama swears by.

Huh, he thinks, as he watches Temari crumble and nod hesitantly. The puppy eyes work.

"Oh," Gaara mutters absently as his eyes flick over to where Kurama is hiding in the shadows. "Have you seen Baki-sensei anywhere?"

"Baki." Temari feels faint. "Baki… sen-sei?"

It's too much shock for a day, and she faints clean away.

Gaara furrows his brows when Kurama starts laughing again. It's not funny dammit.

Kid, Shukaku mumbles from his mind, amusement trickling through the seal. This is goddamn hilarious. I want dango to go with this.

No, Gaara thinks back. No dango. I need to find Baki-sensei. And uh, probably need to bring Nee-san home, too.

Good to know your priorities are set straight, kid.

Naruto is panicking. Again. It's been three days and an hour, and Kurama's not back.

He's trying to convince himself that he's not hyperventilating, but it's a losing battle.

But hey, on the not so bright side, Sasuke is doing the same.

"Sasuke," Naruto breathes out heavily. "Stop panicking."

"You stop," Sasuke pants out as his breaths get faster. "Dobe, you're panicking more than I am. You're ten, stop being such a baby."

There's a short silence, punctuated by deep and fast breaths as both boys try to get their breathing under control. It's like a mini panic attack.

"You're ten too."

"Shut up."

They stare at the door, waiting, wishing, wanting for a certain red head man with the prettiest red eyes in the world to stroll through that one door. It's a long and painful wait.

"Teme," Naruto asks softly, voice trembling. "He's coming back, right?"

"Of course he is," Sasuke snaps. He pauses, inhaling sharply. "He's coming back right? He is. Right?"

"Yeah," Naruto swallows thickly. "Course he is."

It's just the two of them, relying heavily on one another as they sit cross legged in front of the door. They sit with their backs ramrod straight, hands curled up into fists at their knees, eyes trained on the door. But their minds are leaning against each other, running and falling and crashing into each other with their shared panic and slight fear. It's how they fall asleep for the past two nights, tangled up in bed sheets and pillows and each other (sort of, it's more of the blanket trapping both of them in it's cruel hold and the boys can't unravel themselves) as they wait for Kurama.

It's been three days, an hour and fifteen minutes. In other words, Kurama is late.

So when Kurama sneaks up on them (probably through the window. Looking back, Sasuke guesses that he should have expected him to enter through the window as well, Kurama is after all, a ninja, even if he is a rogue one.) and wraps his arms around the two of them together, both boys find themselves extremely justified in screaming bloody murder as they attempt to stab the "kidnapper" with their shuriken and kunai.

It really isn't ninja behavior, but the boys are already high strung, and they really can't think clearly right now. So instead of using the Substitution Jutsu or anything, they just jab randomly with their shuriken and kunai while shrieking in a very manly manner.

When it finally registers in Sasuke's mind that this warm chakra is Kurama, that Kurama is back, he just drops everything and forcibly turns around in the grip that he is in to sort of strangle Kurama around the ribs. Naruto immediately notices that it is Kurama after this, and struggles to do the same.

"You," Naruto says in a muffled voice as he presses his face into Kurama's clothes. "Are covered in sand."

"Such an astute observation Naruto, highly intelligent of you," Kurama states as he strides off into the room, both boys attached to his chest.

"Sasuke," Naruto stage whispers to the black haired boy. "Was that an insult?"

"Yes," Sasuke whispers back to him. "It was a pretty good insult."

"Kuramaaaaaa, the first thing you do when you come back is insult me? Why?!"

"At least I'm not the one who just stabbed his guardian inconsiderately after a tiring three day journey."

It is now that the two boys register the blood trickling out in slow rivulets from different cuts on Kurama's skin. They panic.

Sasuke forces Kurama onto the futon, and sits on him as Naruto dashes around the house, searching desperately for the band aids (that they are always in stock of, seeing as fights and spars and god knows what are something like a daily activity for the family) that he knows are somewhere… around the house.

"Will band aids help in cuts?" Naruto asks hysterically as he fumbles with the boxes of band aids in his arms. "Does Kurama need to go to the hospital? Oh no what if he bleeds to death?"

"He won't bleed to death," Sasuke scoffs, grabbing the boxes of band aids. "Give that here."

"Does Kurama have a specific pattern choice that he wants? Oh my god, what if I give him this fox band aid and he doesn't like it? Oh no we're out of frog band aids, maybe he prefers frog band aids oh no, Sasuke!"

Kurama laughs, rumbling and deep, and it faintly registers in his mind just how much he has missed his boys. Gaara is cute and all, but his brats are cuter, no matter what Shukaku says. Sasuke shakes while sitting on his vibrating chest, and the black haired boy shoots an annoyed look at the grinning man beneath him.

"Stop laughing," Sasuke orders as he picks out a grinning fox band aid. "I'm going to put this on you, so stop laughing."

"I don't need one," Kurama says, gesturing at the pink skin closing over his cut wounds on his arms.

"But you were bleeding just now!" Naruto says desperately. "What if you suddenly bleed again in the middle of the night?" He insists as he sticks band aids randomly over the pink skin.

Kurama raises an eyebrow at the blonde, and the smaller boy explodes into an indignant blush. "You might!"

"Well," Kurama sighs as he sits up, and Sasuke slides to sit in the older man's lap. "Guess I'll have to teach you a little basics on first aid. Honestly Naruto, if I stop bleeding now, I'll probably stop bleeding forever, until I get cut again. Minor wounds like these don't just suddenly open in the middle of the night. And anyways, it is the middle of the night right now."

"Don't act smart," Sasuke scolds as he hits Kurama's chest. "Just shut up and take it like a man."

"Okay," Kurama grins, holding up his hands in a sign of defeat, and just waits patiently until Naruto has stuck around fifty band aids on his body. Naruto looks over his masterpiece, and nods in a very satisfied manner.

Kurama gets up, swinging Sasuke and dumping him on the bed, before striding out of his bedroom (but he would impale himself on a kunai if the two brats hadn't taken over his bed, Kurama knew these sort of things. And anyways, he was practically immortal and could heal impossibly fast, so impaling himself on a kunai wasn't that big of a threat) to take a shower. Lingering the doorway, he looked back at his two brats, and grinned.

"I'm back."

Their eyes widen, before they are suddenly scrambling towards him, hands out to grab him. Naruto clambers onto his back as Sasuke grips him around the waist, and both boys say in whispering voices, "Welcome home."

OMAKE (I was busting a gut at this. I'm not funny, I know.)

"But I'm not a real man. I'm a... WOMAN."

"If you're a woman, you're not a man at all."

"Ah, but you see, woMAN. So I am a man, but not a REAL MAN."

"... you suck Kurama."

"Ah, but Gaara, I've had millennia to practice, unlike you low-life mortals."