"Is she really…?" Lee asks the question that has been bubbling within my mind for quite some time.

"The blood test doesn't lie, she is of Hyuga and Uzumaki descent." Sakura answers oddly calm.

"Where did she come from? Children don't just pop out of the ground." Lee asks once more, asking questions that I desperately needed the answers to.

"That I don't know, which is why I was hoping to question Naruto the pervert and Hinata-san." Upon her conclusion, all eyes turned upon me, and I wondered what to say.

"I don't know actually… I-I don't even know how kids happen... Really…" I answer after a rather long moment's hesitation. All eyes then turned towards Naruto, with Sayomi upon his lap.

"I hope you have the answer for this, Naruto." Neji asked, eyes stabbing like diamonds.

As Naruto's mouth opened to speak, it felt as if time began to slow. His lips moved as if weighted down by gravity, and then stopped. I noticed the stillness almost immediately. Everyone paused in mid movement, Sakura standing menacingly, her tapping foot ceased to move in air, Lee still had his chopsticks before his face, a bit of meat waiting to enter his gaping maw. Despite the inability of others to move, I found that I could still move. As I noticed this strange occurrence, I was met by a scent.

It smelt of sweetness, an intoxication flavor that filled my mind with thoughts I shouldn't be thinking of. I suddenly realized how cute Naruto was, and I became immersed in the urge to jump upon him and kiss him passionately. I closed my eyes in an attempt to squeeze the thoughts out of my mind, but they only intensified. In my mind's eye, I saw myself embracing him, slowly removing each other's clothes.

I squeezed my eyes even tighter, and shook my head. In response, I felt something soft push against my back, and then the warmth of another body rubbing against my back, soft arms embracing me. As this happened, I felt a shiver of pleasure rush down my back, electrifying me from head to toe. Any attempts by me to gain control of my thoughts were destroyed as a number of dirty images entered my mind, involving Naruto, Sasuke, and even Sakura. Lustful urges were taking control of me, I could no loner bear it, and in desperation I threw my eyes wide open.

"Heh, I can have that kind of effect on people." Came the mocking voice of a woman, feminine seduction dripping from every word. "I can't help it, I'm a very dirty fox." She playfully whispered into my ear,

"Huh?" My head cranes around to look at who held me so closely, to have this 'effect' on me.

I'm met by red-blue eyes, similar to those held by Sayomi, no, exactly like Sayomi's. She had three scars marred along each cheek, creating whisker the illusion of whiskers, similar to Naruto, Sayomi, and to a lesser extent, me. Her hair was a vivid blend of orange and yellow. She lacked the ears of a human, but had upon her head the ears of a fox, and I looked down to see her tail tickling my chin.

"K-Kyuubi-sama?" I manage to spit out.

"On target." She whispers once more into my ear.

"W-What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing of consequence. I paused the movement of time in your mind so we might have a conversation."

"P-paused? Y-you mean t-that all this is happening in my head?"

"You catch on faster than that idiot."

"T-then w-what about that scent… A-and w-why d-did I-I-I….." I try to get out, but nothing comes from my mouth.

"You should really stop that stuttering, it's a bad habit, you know? It breeds miscommunication. As for those pretty little thoughts flashing before your eyes, I have a tendency of eliciting thoughts of… Lust... From you mortals. I am worshipped as a goddess of such things, after all." She explains calmly, not losing that seductive tone that made me wish to kiss her. "That idiot isn't affected by such things, he's been stuck to me for so long, sex appeal has almost no effect on him."

"Sex?" I question, only to be cut off.

"I'm not an idiot!" Naruto called out from across the room, getting up from his seat and approaching us.

"Of course you aren't. You're just very, very slow." Kyuubi snaps back.

"Whatever you dumb fox!" He yells in her face, inches from my own.

"H-how is Naruto here?"

"He's here because I had your minds linked for this brief split second, for I wish to speak with you both."

"Well, out with it fox, can't you see I'm still in the middle of talking?" He angrily demands, and in confusion I look behind Naruto, only to see Naruto still sitting in his seat, frozen and unflinching, mouth about to open. He acts as if this happens regularly… I wonder how often this happens to him.

"It's about Sayomi-chan over there." She pointed to the still girl, actively listening to every letter of the conversation. "Or rather, me."

"Yeah, it's always you." Naruto mumbles faintly, barely enough for me to hear.

"You're Sayomi-chan?" I ask immediately after Naruto's mumbling.

"Yup, Sayomi-chan and Kyuubi are one in the same."

"I've always felt like reliving my life as a kit, and I enjoy meddling with the two of you, but now I can do it directly." Sayomi explained as she walked over and joined the huddled mass that was Kyuubi and me.

" Why haven't you ever tried doing this before?" Naruto asked, curious as to why the demon chose now.

"Because, I've a reason to." She cryptically whispers followed by Sayomi's giggles. "All I ask is that you treat me as your child, I've helped the two of you quite a great deal after all. Especially the idiot."

"B-but, what do I tell everyone else?"

"I don't know, tell them Kyuubi did it somehow, after all I did do it." Sayomi lazily told for lack of a better solution.

"Did it feel as good for you two as it did for me?" She added on, and it must've been some kind of inside joke, because Naruto ended up scowling, and Kyuubi and Sayomi burst into laughter.

"But!" I ask once more, and then they vanished, time began once more, and everyone was staring at me, wondering why I had just called out "but!" for no reason.

"But what, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked

"Oh, umm, it was nothing … It just slipped, I swear. I-I've g-gotten into this dirty habit of speaking my thoughts out loud…" I make up, blushing madly as I go.

"Well, Naruto, come up with your good reason yet?" Sasuke continued the conversation once more.

"It was the Kyuubi's fault." Naruto answered as if a matter of fact.

"Oh really? Did the Kyuubi go and force Hinata too?" Sakura angrily snapped back, and it seemed to me that he's used this excuse on more than one occasion.

"Well, not really. You remember that time when I made that doppelganger that didn't act like a doppelganger?"

"You mean that one time when it ran amok looking like a girl?" Lee questioned, validating an event I had no idea about.

"And she ended up hitting on every guy in Konoha?" Neji continued.

"And had her own fan club?" Sakura added.

"Yeah, that's the one, the one I couldn't control for like, a week. Well it's something like this, but the Kyuubi made this one in the form of a little girl."

"Then can't you just poof her away or something?" Sakura asked.

"Well, not really, she's real flesh, blood, and bone, and she's got tons of chakra from me, Hinata-chan, and the fox, and she won't disappear until she runs out of chakra."

"Then when does she run out?" Sasuke asked whilst sipping from a cup of tea.

"Hmm, let me see, one.. two…" Counting on his fingers as he went, " Well, I think she has enough chakra to live for around forty years, if she expels tons of it constantly every day. If she doesn't use high power jutsus and stuff, I think she'll go on until ninety…" He mumbled, sending looks of shock into everyone's faces, including my own. I could tell that my mouth was hanging wide open.

"You mean she'll be able to grow up, like a real girl?" Lee asked in shock

"Essentially, I guess."

"Then who's controlling her?" Sasuke asked curiously, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I'll be as the obedient child, to the letter." I hear Kyuubi whisper in my ear.

"She's an obedient child, and will follow our instruction." I announce to everyone.

"Well, I guess since she's not a product of rape, and otherwise she's a little girl in every other respect… I fine with her." Sakura finally omitted to let her trust lay in Naruto once more, much to my relief. I guess I won't need to ask her why she's so violent with him for now…

"Mama, I'm confused…" Sayomi asked in the ensuing silence.

"Oh, don't pay attention to that, Sayomi-chan, it was just boring adults talking." Naruto interjected so that I wouldn't have to explain the strange situation thankfully, for I was horrible at telling lies, absolutely horrible.

"Well, we still need to get to Konoha." Neji began immediately afterward, bringing us back to the task at hand. "It's half a day away on foot, and we've still got to worry about the prisoners…"

"Prisoners?" Naruto asked, and I remembered that he hadn't been conscious last night.

"Those three ninja that attacked us were taken captive, in exchange for their lives they're willing to tell us about their kekkai genkai. They're in the stables, being guarded by three foxes Hinata-san summoned." Lee informed Naruto.

"That's right, we still have those three foxes…" Neji began, but I slowly began to pay less and less attention.

I may have been a member of the group, but I was still just an outsider, someone new that they didn't need. They were speaking of matters that didn't concern me. I had nothing to offer them. The only words I really caught were spoken by Naruto, "We're going back to Konoha now!" Konoha…

A calmness, a rhythm in life that I had always hoped for, undaunted by the pressings and concerns that the future holds and the past chains. The warmth of the sun upon my face, the sound of a child's laugh abounds, loved and trusted ones surrounding me. Yet, this is all just an illusion, a beautiful, lovely illusion.

Only in my wildest dreams did I ride a mighty demon fox, and this would not be my first, but my third. I sat, clutched to Naruto's waist, listening to the rapid beat of his heart, my eyes closed in silent contemplation. I could not see, but I knew that there was a deep scarlet blush upon my face from being so close to him, and I felt oddly comfortable embracing him.

I could hear Naruto and Sayomi conversing, playing word games and singing songs. Her appearance, a mystery, one that I gladly embraced, the infusion of young life, the exuberance of youth gave energy to me, despite my youth. I knew not the mysteries surrounding children, birth, in general, and I didn't care. Naruto would know, and I would have to speak with him soon.

For the moment, I sat there and sucked deep from the marrow of life. I've never felt so alive, this peaceful pace, yet varying gaze. I needn't see any of it, I could feel the ebb and flow around me, the scratching of paws against the ground, the step falls of my companions, the mumbling of my prisoners. Granted, the last was not in the least wanted, but their restraint was for our own safety.

I finally decided to open my eyes to see the world around me. The endless fields of rice paddies greeted my eyes, the thump of Naruto's heart met my ears, the feeling of his body against mine, the smell of him mixed with my own scent, the taste of the ramen I had recently eaten still lingering upon my tongue. It was now that I realized how close I was to Naruto, which I could not complain about, and this prompted me to sit up straight and cease holding on to him.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, you're awake." He greeted me with a smile and a scarlet blush, his body twisted to give him and Sayomi view of me.

"Hey mommy, isn't this fox cute!? I wish I had my own little fox." She commented in her innocent fashion.

"I'm not cute, I'm scary, be afraid, be very afraid!" The demonic fox muttered back in self defense.

"Fine them Fox-san, you're very, very scary then, but really fluffy too." She teased the demon, playing with his ears. He paid her no heed.

As they talked amongst one another, I took this moment to look amongst our little convoy. We were up front, while the two male assassins, their names Zabuza and Haku, I think, rode the second fox, tied securely, guarded by Neji and Sasuke, and still very unconscious.

At their sight, I was reminded of what I had done, what I had become less than a day ago. It sent a chill down my spine, that I was willing to torture out of pleasure, to kill and maim and enjoy every moment of it. I did not deserve this peaceful reprieve, but it was given to me regardless.

All the way in back rode Lee and the ninja known as Raharu riding upon the last fox, Sakura walking along side to ensure Lee stayed relatively stable and keep Raharu from anything devious, but I doubted she would attempt to escape. She seemed to be almost glad to take the life of a prisoner treated fairly rather than an assassin treated as a killer and feared amongst all.

"Want to play with a fox your size, Sayomi-chan?" Naruto's voice snaps me back into what was happening in front of me.

"Really? A little fox my size?" She asked in earnest, it reminded me of when I was a child and given the rarity of a gift.

"Then say pretty please."

"Pweaty please"

"Say pretty please with sugar on top"

"Pweaty please with suga on top"

"Say pre-"

"Stop that papa!" She yelled in frustration with his unending, lengthening chain of pleases, which prompted a giggle from me.

"Alright, here we go!" He yells, and bites his thumb. In a blink of an eye he signs several katas which I knew by feeling, but not consciously.

He ends by placing his hand upon the head of the fox, receiving a grunt of annoyance, and a puff of smoke appears.

"Heya!" A small, recognizable voice appears.

"Meiji-kun, say hello to Sayomi-chan" Naruto orders as the smoke fades away to reveal a little, hyperactive fox.

"Hello Sayomi-chan!" The little fox exclaims

"Hello Meji-kun!" The little girl exclaims in return.

"Alright, you two play nice while your mother and I talk for a little bit, okay?" Naruto then proceeds to dismount and then walk aside us.

"You want to talk Naruto-kun?" I ask quizzically, unsure of what to make of this.

"Yeah, here, give me your hand."

I hold out my right hand to him, and he takes it firmly, then grabs me by the waist and sweeps me off of the horse sized fox, only for me to be carried by him bridal style. He smiles at me, as if to explain to me his sudden impulsive act, and I smile back.

"We'll be a little bit behind if you need us, alright?" He tells the little girl and the little fox, and they nod in understanding.

Naruto then slows his pace a little bit, ending with us trailing right behind the fox.

"Hinata-san, I never got the chance to ask you, but what do you think of Sayomi-san…" Naruto blushed as he asked me, still in his arms. My face was practically a tomato, and I had no idea what to say.

"I-I like her Naruto-kun. I would enjoy her company…" I manage to say.

"I kinda meant how she's like our daughter… The fox made her from my blood and your hair…"

"Oh… I kind of like the idea of having a daughter. But, it feels odd… Because I don't really know how kids happen, and she's a lot like a bastard child…"

"That's right, you don't know where babies come from!"

"I heard that a stork brings them, but I don't think that that's the case." I joke a bit, bringing a laugh to our lips.

"Well, I think you should talk to Sakura about that, it'll make more sense. She's the professional after all."

"Alright…"

"But about Sayomi-chan being a bastard child… I don't want to think of her as one." What could Naruto mean by that? I could see his scarlet blush turn as dark as mine… I hope it's what I think it is… "I mean to say, I like you a lot Hinata-chan…"

"I-I like you a lot as well, Naruto-kun." I respond back, this felt like a dream….

"A-and I hope that one day Sayomi-chan, you and I will be a family…" Did he just say he wanted to one day marry me? Dear Gods… This is out of a fairy tale, the brave Samurai saving the princess and proclaiming his love to her… "I want to say it…But I…" He stumbles off, and in a rare moment of courage, I interrupt him.

"I'll say it then Naruto-kun. I love you. I know how you once loved Catherine, and I think you still do. I'll wait for you, forever if need be, until you've put her behind you." I couldn't believe I said that in its entirety, without stuttering once. My hands, they moved without my order, and they wrapped themselves around his neck, and I leaned in and kissed him.

He was shocked for a moment, but, I felt him melt into my kiss, and after we broke contact for air, he returned my kiss. I couldn't believe this, what was happening. It felt as if it had all happened according to the will of some romance writer, each and every moment planned out in near perfection.

" Mama! Papa! Look!" We heard Sayomi, and looked to her with Meiji atop her head, pointing farther ahead.

I saw the great looming gates of Konoha, forged from massive logs of wood, rising high into the sky. The setting orange sun basked the gate in a hopeful glow, the gateway to the future.

"Welcome home, Hinata-chan." Said Naruto

What a mad few days it's been. I've run from my father, had a daughter, and fallen in love. Quite mad indeed.

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My God! People still read this story? I haven't really looked at it for quite some time because for one, I've been busy, and two, I thought it was a wreck. Oh well, now that I look at it a good few months later, I've got some more ideas about how to continue the story. Should've never included Sayomi so soon….

I'll answer a few questions to make the story make a little more sense, since hell, I haven't really had that much of a chance to develop the world, and to do so would bore y'all

First off, the distances of the good ol' cave and the river. I suppose it was just the lack of sleep, I didn't have a lot of that back when I was writing the first good half of the story. It appears that I did screw up that little detail, but then again, maybe Naruto's just walking very fast. After all, time and miles are relative, aren't they?

As for the cheese factor, that's the entire reason you're reading this, right? The pure cheese of it as it flows off and burns your skin into lovely bleeding blisters.

As for the world itself, the Hyuga clan is a powerful clan, economically and ninja wise, publicly known and dominating a small portion of the world, just as Konoha herself dominates part of the world, albeit much more than Hyuga.

This world works on this premise. The general public is superstitious, and the capacity to talk to demons and the dead, and channel them is not a very attractive ability. No one really wants their descendants to talk to their long dead grandfathers, even more so for nobles in the countryside that probably killed off their fathers to inherit their fortune all the faster.

Marriage works like this. One of the partners adopts the name of the other, most commonly it is the woman that takes the man's name, but those that want to move up in life will take the name of the more powerful individual, and essentially become the wife and the stronger will wear the pants. Thus, a member of the Hyuga clan, a female in mind, could marry with a powerful baron, but to ensure that this baron inherits part of the Hyuga estate, he would take on his wife's name. The name that gets left behind also leaves the family behind, and usually that's the case. But with property and such, when two heirs get married, their status becomes intertwined, the family head, IE name originator, takes power over both houses, while the second head IE name adopter still maintains some control over both estates, and his status in life becomes all the higher, but in return he actually loses some power. But, in doing so, his family becomes permanently tethered to the Hyuga clan, and his clan is enriched by such a proposition.

Bit confusing, huh?

So let's take Hinata for example. She is undesirable as a head, for one, she is weak willed, and would not hold the Hyuga household's best interests, so even if she is made family head in the marriage, she would probably fold in to demands from her new husband, and two, she carries her little curse that makes her universally hated by the peasantry, which results in bad press.

Hanabi on the other hand, is much stronger in will, and thus when she is married, she will totally and completely exert all of her control and power over the husband, making her the de facto leader of both houses, without the husband interfering in any way.

Now, the other reason no one really wants to marry into the Hyugas is that those with Kekkai Gekkai are seen as brutal killing machines, and not as humans. Thus, they are universally feared, with stupid little rumors and such popping up here and there.

"Oh, that Hyuga clan, the reason they're so powerful is that they married into a clan of ogres! They eat a first born child every night!" Blah blah blah.

The only thing that tempers the fires of power is the icy sting of fear.

By the way, this story's getting too cute. Time to get back to the melancholy effect. Maybe a bit of hate too. Oh yes, and please review. Maybe it'll make me write faster.