Chapter 20: Last bell

Once Naruto was cleared to leave Suna, they began their journey home with Sasuke. He never spoke a word or tried to fight the bonds that restrained him. Naruto would try and give him food but he refused it. However, it wasn't their problem anymore, for once they got to Konoha they handed him off to the ANBU squad and reported into Tsunade. Kyuubi briefly explained the ordeal, conveniently leaving out the part where she went to see the Raikage. The debriefing took only a few mintues until they both were dismissed. Despite being dismissed, Naruto seemed lost in thought. Sasuke was on his mind no doubt. Kyuubi could only stare at him, he was so deep in thought that he hadn't spoken to her almost the entire walk away from the tower. She knew this wasn't normal and could only imagine what he could be going through. Bringing Sasuke back was his biggest promise he ever made to anyone besides her. Not only that but Sasuke is…was… she didn't know what he thought of Sasuke anymore. Did he still want to be friends? She could remember all the times he nearly died from Sasuke. If it was up to her, she would have turned her back on him. Maybe that's what makes Naruto so unique. He has this almost over forgiving and trusting nature that gets him into trouble. She stopped when she finally noticed Naruto stopped and turned in front of a house. He hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. Sakura answered almost too quickly though it looked like she was about to go to the hospital.

"Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled or at least he tried.

"Sorry Naruto-kun, I don't have a lot of time to talk. I'm about to head off to work. Is something wrong?" Naruto stood there for a moment.

"I just wanted to be the one to tell you that…" He seemed to trail off for a moment. "I fulfilled my promise." Sakura tilted her head.

"What promise? What are you talking about?" Naruto just stood there with this half-assed smile on his face.

"You know which one I mean Sakura-chan… The important one…" Sakura sighed.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but I don't know what you are talking about. I really have to get going though. So we'll talk later okay?" Naruto took a step back as Sakura locked her door before beginning to walk away. Naruto bit his lip.

"I brought him back." Sakura stopped mid step. She stood frozen, as if unable to perform a simple function while processing what he just said. She finally did put both feet on the ground as her head dropped.

"You…You brought who back…Nar…" Naruto turned towards her and raised his voice.

"It's Sasuke! I brought him back…like I promised." Kyuubi could hear Naruto's pain in screaming it. Sakura didn't move.

"…" Kyuubi could tell Sakura was trying to say something. "You can't just say something like that if it's not true…"

"I'm not making it up. I promised you I would bring him back… and I did… he's..." Sakura whipped around.

"Then, where is he?" Sakura's eyes were filled with tears. Naruto stood silent. "Well?"

"He's in jail." Naruto finally spoke. Sakura stood silent. "Sakura-chan… I…" The news seemed to hit her hard as all emotions flushed across her face. Kyuubi watched her body language, it indicated she was about to sprint off.

"I can see him right?" Sakura said with very little emotion in her voice. Naruto nodded. Suddenly Sakura ran towards him and hugged him. "Thank you Naruto-kun... Thank you…" Naruto could feel her body trembling. Sakura didn't let go for a few moments.

"Sakura-chan… he…" Sakura wiped her eyes to show a smile on her face. Naruto stopped because he could tell she was happy. He could tell this was the day she was waiting for.

"He what?" Sakura repeated. It was clear to Naruto that this wasn't going to be easy. It would devastate her. He would poison her with his words.

"He wants to die." Naruto watched Sakura's world shatter all over again, her face reflecting her temporary happiness and her fear. Sakura's head began to fall slowly, her hair now covering her face. "I'm sure it'll be okay… He'll…" Without warning, Sakura ran in the opposite direction. Naruto was about to run after her when Kyuubi stepped in. "Kyuubi-chan let me go! She's…"

"She's fine. She just needs time to process it. Believe it or not running away from you is better for her." Naruto looked at her confused. "She probably can't resist having the thoughts that it is somehow your fault. That you didn't do a good enough job. Instead of blaming you she wanted to leave to prevent herself from saying anything she knows that later she might regret." The commenting calmed Naruto but he still looked at the direction where Sakura ran. Naruto wanted to make everything right and he was worried about this happening but even still. Naruto felt like even though he fulfilled his promise, he really failed. Kyuubi stepped aside and Naruto growled softly. He began to kick himself for this. He knew how much this meant to Sakura and yet it seems like he did it so carelessly. Here he thought he had matured past this, his mind calmer, yet sometimes he could be really stupid. Yet that wasn't what really bothered him. Kyuubi wrapped Naruto in a warm hug. Naruto just gripped his hands tight around her. Suddenly Kyuubi felt his sadness. There was a deep submerged reason that he was like this.

"Hey Kyuubi-chan…" Naruto began. She felt like this was going to be serious. It almost felt painful for him to ask. "I know it happened a long time ago but," Naruto looked up at her. "I really regret back then. When I first let you out, the first day that we began all this, I wanted to die." Kyuubi gripped him harder.

"If you have a heart, if you have a scrap of goodness in you, then you will end it for me. You won't let me live the rest of my damned life unhappy!"

Kyuubi nearly heard the venom in his voice again. She could feel the pangs as her heart pulsing in sorrow. To think that there was a time like that. A time he wanted to die.

"Do… Do you still feel like that?" Kyuubi asked worried about the answer. Naruto shook his head.

"No. However it reminds me of back when I was talking to him all the way back here. There's no purpose, no love in his life. He feels alone even when he's not. Friends are great but when you sit all alone at night, it makes you realize that you wish you had someone there. That there was no love in your life, no one to love you." Naruto trailed off in his thoughts for a moment. "That's why back then… no matter how happy I was with friends… when you asked me… all I wanted… was…" He couldn't finish his thought but Kyuubi remembered the words he spoke.

"Just once in my life I want to know how not to be alone at night! For once!"

Naruto's eyes looked down. "It's why it's so hard for me to talk to Sakura-chan about this. I felt that way before too and… just how do you explain it? Do you just say he wants to die? The more I thought about it the more I tried to remember how I dealt with it." Naruto hugged her tighter. "That's when I realized, I didn't deal with it. It was really you who did it." Naruto remembered the words.

"I don't want to be out of you. I want to be by your side!" Kyuubi screamed.

"It was you who made me realize that someone who had been close to me all along was really someone who cared that much about me." They both remember the words.

"Say that you love me again and you want me and I swear by Kami you will. Tell me you want me to keep my promise by becoming your girlfriend. Say it and I swear by Kami you will never be alone again."

"It was so hard then… I really felt like I loved you but it didn't feel real back then either. Then I just remember how I know I wanted to feel it, then I did. I finally could feel love when you said that. I still didn't know what love fully was but I tried my best." Kyuubi's heart was hurting too much and pushed away from him.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" She said, desperate for information. Naruto looked down at the ground, feeling his sorrow again.

"Because I know that Sasuke really needs all of our help, but I also know that it's not going to be enough to bring him back from that place." Naruto began to walk. "She's the only one that can help him." Naruto stopped and sighed. "Sorry, Kyuubi-chan. I just kept thinking about it and I guess it's making me a little-depressed thinking about how I used to feel." Naruto plastered a forced smile on his face. "Sorry. I'm going to need a…" Kyuubi embraced him from behind. Naruto smiled as she gripped him tighter.

"You don't need to face this alone. I'm here if you need me." Naruto chuckled lightly.

"I know Kyuubi-chan. Thank you." Naruto struggled against her grip to turn around and hug her as well. Kyuubi knew at that moment, they both shared flaws. The threads that bound them, were torn in places.

(A few hours later)

She didn't understand it but she began to sleep more often. She opened her eyes to an abandoned Konoha. She began to walk the streets aimlessly as if she didn't have a purpose. She took a right to step on a corpse who had been dead a long time. He was barely a human anymore but clearly a soldier of some kind by what remained of his attire. Most of his flesh and organs had rotted but some remained in black clumps. She looked around him but only more corpses with varying degrees of decay. There was no smell oddly. Then again this was a dream. She went to move when the bony hand of the fallen soldier grabbed her. She looked down only to see his hand had moved not his body.

"Cold, isn't it?" She turned back to see an image of herself standing a short distance away. She was about to attack when the image spoke again. "Relax. You aren't here to fight. This is just a reminder of what you failed to do." Kyuubi felt her eyes narrow.

"I don't know what the hell this is but…"

"This is your failure." The image interrupted. "You were tasked with creating. A symbolic throne of life if you will. You were meant to create and allow life. Instead, you became twisted and corrupted. You allowed the humans to deter you from your path." The image lifted her hand and with a quick flick flames shot out and began to burn everything around her, including the corpse at Kyuubi's feet. "Beautiful is it not? Fire." She lit her finger on fire and began to play with it. "The power of destruction its capabilities are massive. Yet it's also the harbinger of life." The flames around her died down and nothing but ashes remained. Suddenly flowers began to bloom from the ashes, giving life to the entire street as vines and flora bloomed on the once human street and the once recognizable walls of buildings around her. "This is what you were supposed to do. Harbinger of life. You will return to your post. Or be replaced." Kyuubi scoffed. "It's a choice you have to make. Either break your ties to the humans or face what comes next. Your powers are already draining as we speak. Soon you will be mortal. Death will come for you." Before Kyuubi could respond a torrent of black flames shot out and engulfed her. Kyuubi snapped her eyes open and looked around to see it was still night. She took in a deep breath and tried to not let it rattle her. She quietly got up and jumped out the window to the top of the Hokage mountain. There she saw the lights of the city and the darkness of nature twisted into one landscape. It's almost as though human created one nature all their own. She stood there for a while watching over Konoha. She had been tasked with giving life. She had been tasked with watching over Konoha. Yet the one task she prized above them all was the one she gave herself, loving Naruto and her daughter. She sighed, wondering just what the right answer was to the question of what she should do next. Like most things, answers didn't magically appear because she wanted them. A figure approached her and dropped off instructions to meet her at a location. Instead of going home, she found herself walking to a bar, questions still lingering. Just what was the right answer? Kyuubi walked into the building that stunk of liquor and sin, her gaze grabbing ahold of the woman who was drinking alone at the bar. She sighed and walked over to her, making sure to voice her annoyance by not making eye contact or acknowledging her existence. Tsunade smiled.

"Come on… don't be like that…" Tsunade nearly fell out of her chair drunk. "Besides I have amazing news for you!" Kyuubi didn't even want to be around her when she was like this.

"Couldn't we have just met someplace else? I'm getting tired of meeting in this place." Tsunade grinned madly.

"It's a special occasion so not any place will do!" Tsunade lifted her glass in the air and swung around the chair happily. Kyuubi didn't even bother looking at her. Tsunade proudly pulled out a piece of paper and slammed it down in front of her. "I can't believe that this day has come. I'm finally handing it off!" Tsunade began to grin madly. "It wasn't easy but there it is!" Tsunade and Kyuubi finally locked eyes before Kyuubi's eyes fell to the paper.

"This is what? Your resignation?" Kyuubi joked while opening and reading the scroll.

"I wish." Tsunade pouted. Kyuubi's eyes began to go wide and her hands trembled. Kyuubi was rendered speechless, sounds couldn't describe her feelings. Tsunade sat there with a smug look on her face. "Congratulations!" She held her glass high and stood up at the bar, drawing everyone's attention to her. Kyuubi's eyes rolled to the sides to watch her. "My grandson and this woman right here…" Tsunade placed her hand on Kyuubi's shoulder. "will be getting married!" Cheers rang out throughout the bar in celebration. Tsunade finally turned her attention back to Kyuubi. "Well, how's that for…" Tsunade's brain couldn't process the sight in front of her. Kyuubi's hands were trembling and tears streaked down her face. Tsunade smiled softly and placed her hand on her shoulder. "The Kyuubi I know wouldn't let this out in public like this." Kyuubi closed her eyes and grit her teeth so hard that they were exposed to the world in their entirety.

"This makes me… so happy…though…" Kyuubi finally spoke. "I thought… I could never be accepted… never… be…" Kyuubi could barely finish her sentences as she held back tears. "You don't understand what this really means to me…" Kyuubi scratched at the bar, raking up wood from the counter as she tried hard to fight back her emotions. Tsunade smiled. "That no matter what anyone says… they can't call me Kyuubi no Kitsune anymore…" Tsunade lost her smile and looked at her confused.

"What do you mean?" Kyuubi clenched the paper, moving it away slightly so tears didn't stain it.

"All of human history has written me as Kyuubi no Kitsune. With this piece of paper… they can't do that anymore. They now have to address me as wife of Naruto Uzumaki …It can't be said I didn't love him. It can't be said that I'm only a monster…" Tsunade smiled softly again and wrapped her in a hug. "I should kill you for touching me…" Kyuubi placed the paper down and turned into the hug with Tsunade, something Tsunade didn't expect. "Thank you Tsunade." Tsunade's heart felt a pang as she acknowledged her. Kyuubi broke the hug, smiling brightly as she stared at the piece of paper. Tsunade smiled and took a sip of her drink, allowing the alcohol to burn her throat.

"It's not official yet you know." Kyuubi's smile faded slightly. "I still need to put down a name for you and sign it." Tsunade's eyes locked with her expression as her face was full of mixed emotions.

"Kyuubi." Tsunade was taken back by her word. "Naruto-kun has always called me that and I don't think I ever want to be called anything but that." Kyuubi smiled softly and handed it back to her. Tsunade grabbed it and smiled.

"Alright! Now we just need a ceremony to make it official!" Tsunade stood up and placed her hands on Kyuubi's shoulders. "Now we just need a date and break the news to Naruto." Kyuubi's eyes shook and her heart sank. She never really discussed it with him, if he wanted to get married. Kyuubi closed her eyes and clenched her fist. How could that not have been the first thing she did? "I'm sure he'll… he'll…" Tsunade stopped her monolog and scratched the back of her head. "You know I never did ask him if he wanted it…" Tsunade finally realized. "Oh well… we'll make him want it! Right?" Kyuubi shook her head. Tsunade had finally caught wind of Kyuubi's mood change. Kyuubi got up and turned to leave. Tsunade jumped in front of her trying to make eye contact with Kyuubi. She was about to protest when Kyuubi put her hand up.

"It was wrong of me to ask this of you without talking to him fully about it." Kyuubi lifted her head. "I'm going to ask him." Tsunade's eyes shook in disbelief.

"Wait… you're going to ask him?" Kyuubi nodded. Without another word, she smiled and began to walk out much to Tsunade's surprise. Kyuubi walked home with the piece of paper in her hands. A soft smile stroked on her face as she thought about that piece of paper being signed. She jumped in their bedroom and watched him sleep. She had the urge to wake him up right now and just ask him. Then doubts began to form in her mind. Kyuubi chuckled. Yeah, like waking him up to 'hey let's get married' was anyway to start it. Kyuubi smiled and walked over to his side of the bed and watched him for a moment. She could feel his warmth slowly come towards her with each lazy breath he took. She couldn't help but give him a small kiss on the cheek before laying back into bed herself. She laid on her side towards him, so she could watch over him. The faithful watcher watched as morning came and got up to make them breakfast. She wanted for today to be as special as possible because she wasn't going to wait. She wanted that piece of paper signed so damn badly. She grinned widely as she cooked up an idea.

"Mom?" Hotaru asked stumbling into the kitchen. Kyuubi smiled. "What are you doing?" Kyuubi turned off the stove and bent down to pat her on the head.

"I'm making a special breakfast for your father." She locked eyes with Hotaru and grinned evilly. "Go get dad up in any way you can." Hotaru stopped rubbing her eyes and stared at her mom.

"Anyway…?" Kyuubi saw the wheels turning in her mind. Kyuubi nodded and rubbed her head.

"Just don't hurt him okay?" Hotaru grinned devilishly and ran out of the room. Kyuubi put the plates out and heard Naruto as he shouted.

"HOTARU!" Kyuubi smiled and finished laying out breakfast for him. Sure enough, Hotaru came running around the corner with Naruto in tow. Hotaru laughed loudly as she went behind Kyuubi.

"He's coming!" Hotaru stuck out her tongue. Naruto's eye twitched walking into the kitchen before quickly switching to the table.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU…" The faint smell of ramen wafted by changing his mood. "Hey Kyuubi-chan, is that ramen?" The plate had ramen noodles but they weren't in liquid instead they were laid out like spaghetti. Adorned on top of them were two over easy eggs with seasoning and bits and pieces of various vegetables. Kyuubi enjoyed the look of wonder on his face, glad that she could still surprise him to this day.

"Yeah. I thought you would like that." A smile quickly came to his face and he sat down ready to eat.

"Really? What's the occasion?" Kyuubi smirked.

"It's a secret." She teased in a slightly seductive voice, throwing him off her real intensions. Naruto didn't seem to mind either way as he chowed down on the breakfast ramen. Hotaru and Kyuubi joined him. After the meal was thoroughly enjoyed, Naruto grabbed the plates and started to do the dishes while Hotaru and Kyuubi went outside and talked.

"Hey mom?" Hotaru started looking up at the sky. Kyuubi smiled and looked at her. "I'm not normal right?" Kyuubi had conversations like this before with her.

"No one is normal. Everyone has something about them that makes them unique or special in their own way." Hotaru put her hand up to the sky and reached as far as she could. When she failed she turned to the noises of the street and stared.

"I'm not human right?" Kyuubi nodded. "I'm also not like you either." Kyuubi nodded again. "I'm something all my own, with no one else like me." Kyuubi rubbed her head.

"And we wouldn't want it any other way." Hotaru turned and looked at her mom.

"Why?" Kyuubi kneeled down next to her and began speaking softly.

"Because you are Hotaru. You are our child and no matter what you will always be our child." Hotaru looked down, sad. Kyuubi rubbed her head again. "You could be anything you want to be. Because you are not limited to a race, you can become anything."

"Then what should I do? Who should I be?" Kyuubi shook her head.

"That is for you to decide. It's not something that your father or I can tell you. We will tell you what we think you will become." Hotaru stared at Kyuubi. "We think you will become a kind and great person who will surpass us someday." Hotaru began to pout.

"That's not really telling me who I should be." Kyuubi smiled and stood up.

"Watch us and the people around you. If you see something in someone that makes you want to be like that person, learn to do that. Find the traits that make you want to be you. Find an ideal that you want to follow and follow it." Hotaru continued to pout.

"That's still not telling me." Kyuubi began to laugh.

"It's because you will learn with time everything you want to know. Enjoy being a child and don't worry so much about the big questions like that. Besides who you are is a lifelong journey." Hotaru turned away from her.

"That's too long. I want to know now…" Kyuubi smiled and turned to watch Naruto come outside with them.

"Hey Kyuubi-chan, Hotaru-chan." Hotaru quickly smiled and ran over to Naruto.

"Dad!" Once she hit his leg she began to hug him and talk. "Mom won't tell me what I should be." Naruto smiled.

"What do you want to be?" Hotaru began to pout again.

"Now you sound like her…" Hotaru sighed and pulled away from his leg. "I don't know what I want to be. Anytime I think about it I can't think of what I want to be. That's why you have to tell me!" Naruto kneeled down and pulled her in close.

"Hotaru-chan…" Naruto wrapped his arms tightly around her small body. "It's not a question of what you should be but who you should be." Hotaru tried to interrupt him but he continued. "You will want to find a job that suits your personality. So start thinking of what kind of person you want to be and then decide what you should be." Hotaru looked down for a moment before looking up.

"Did you become a dad because you wanted to be?" The question caught Naruto a little off-guard but children had a way of doing that.

"Yes and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me." Hotaru thought about it for a moment and looked at Kyuubi.

"You too?" Kyuubi nodded. "Then do you guys love each other?" Both Kyuubi and Naruto looked at Hotaru with confusion.

"Of course Hotaru-chan! What makes you say all this?" Hotaru looked sad for a moment, trying to explain herself.

"The kids I play with tell me that my parents don't love me because we aren't a real family. Since you never married means that I was all that was keeping you two together. I tried to ignore it, but all the families I've seen the mom and dad are married. They say that you know moms and dads love each other if they get married but…" Naruto eyes widened for a moment, filling with his own eyes with sadness as they rested upon Hotaru. Naruto held her tight, letting his eyes roll back to Kyuubi who looked surprised.

"Hotaru-chan… it's… not that simple." Naruto tried to start explaining. Hotaru stared up at him.

"Don't you love mom?" Naruto nodded. "You always told me that you guys love me and that you love each other. Then why aren't you married? What isn't simple about it? Don't you want to marry mom?" Kyuubi felt her heart ready to explode from both her surprise for today and the tearing of her heart from hearing that Hotaru gets picked on because of this. Kyuubi gripped her side and tried to put on a smile.

"It's okay Hotaru-chan. Your father…" Kyuubi tried to pick up Hotaru to take her inside but Naruto held firm. Kyuubi looked at Naruto and saw tears run down his face. Kyuubi's heart stopped as she watched Naruto bury his face into Hotaru's cloths. Hotaru began to feel bad about what she caused.

"Dad… don't cry… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you…" Naruto gently put his hand over her mouth.

"You didn't say anything wrong Hotaru-chan." He turned her around and made her face him as he wiped off his tears. "To think… I needed my own daughter to remember something so important to me. I feel like such an idiot." Kyuubi felt her heart stop for a moment. "I'm sorry I never married Kyuubi-chan but…" Kyuubi felt herself take a step back. This couldn't be happening… Naruto stood up and locked eyes with Kyuubi. "Kyuubi-chan… I'm sorry I never asked you before…" Naruto walked towards her and just before reaching her, took a knee. "I know I'm an idiot sometimes but would you be my…"

"DON'T!" Kyuubi's word fractured Naruto's expression and heart as she looked down on him with tears nearly filling her eyes. "I was planning on asking you today…" Kyuubi fell to her knees and closed her eyes as she reached into her kimono and pulled out a piece of paper. Kyuubi felt her trembling hand reflecting her heart as she probably ruined the moment but…"Stand up." Naruto felt his knees shaking as he slowly got up. "Naruto-kun, I've never wanted to leave your side the day we met. I've always tried to learn from you and be the person you could always rely on. I know I fail sometimes and I've done stupid and horrible things to you… but I can't imagine the rest of my existence without you anymore. A while ago, I asked Tsunde-chan to look into us getting married and it wasn't impossible."

"Kyuubi-chan I…" Naruto began and Kyuubi interrupted him.

"Please let me finish first…" Naruto nodded and watched her as she nervously extended the paper towards him. "If you agree to this paper, I will no longer be the Kyuubi no Kitsune anymore. I will cease to be recorded as a monster of immense power. Instead I will be known at Kyuubi Uzumaki, wife of Naruto Uzumaki and mother of Hotaru Uzumaki! So please…" Kyuubi grabbed his hands feeling their sweaty texture as both their hearts pounded so loudly that Kyuubi had to scream to hear herself anymore. "WILL YOU MARRY ME? WILL YOU…" Kyuubi's hand began to shake. "BE MINE FOREVER AND NEVER LEAVE ME? I LOVE YOU NARUTO-KUN!" Kyuubi's hand began to shake harder as a blush came to her face. It took a moment for it to sink in for Hotaru and Naruto.

"Kyuubi…chan…" Naruto kneeled down and wrapped her in a hard hug which Kyuubi happily gave him back. "I've loved you this entire time. I'm forgetful sometimes and I'm not always sure what to do…" He grabbed her harder pushing her into his chest. "but I'll never stop loving you. I'll never stop being by your side! I'm an idiot for not bringing this up sooner… I'm sorry." Kyuubi nuzzled into his chest, still waiting for an answer. It took a moment until Hotaru nudged Naruto's head. Naruto looked up at Hotaru who had a confused look on her face.

"Is that a yes dad?" Naruto gasped and pulled Kyuubi back and cleared his throat.

"Kyuubi… I…" A smile softly formed on his face as he stared into her awaiting eyes. "I will marry you." Kyuubi threw herself on top of him in a kiss as she was thrown into another world of happiness.

"YAY! Mom and dad are getting married!" Hotaru exclaimed loudly. Both Naruto and Kyuubi looked softly at Hotaru who danced around them chanting 'married' over and over again. Both of them couldn't help but stare at each other and laugh. A wedding would take time, it wouldn't happen overnight, but Kyuubi had started these plans out with Tsunade and she'll continue to plan them. Kyuubi growled at the number of 'chores' they had to do for their wedding. The selections were limited due to clearance but there was always another choice to make.

What color are the clothes?

What theme?

How big is the cake?

The color of the invitations?

The size of the invitations?

Live band or DJ?

What kind of music will be played?

Buffet or serve?

How long in-between meals/food change?

The list went on and on and consisted of the most nitpicky questions Kyuubi could ever conceive. She was reaching her limits to just how much details the ceremony would actually need. Naruto smiled and told her that it would be alright and tried to help her but didn't know much himself. That is where Tsunade came in. She had been through enough of these to give advice and gladly helped with most of the annoying tasks. Kyuubi smiled brightly when the big day finally came. She stared at herself in the mirror.

"It's…strange…" She reached out and touched the mirror delicately. "Kyuubi Uzumaki…" She began to chuckle at the thought. "I've dreamed of this day for awhile now but…" Staring up at her reflection and into her own eyes made her wonder. "just what does this really mean for me? Can I really pretend like I don't know this will have consequences? That I'm spitting in the face of Kami?" She, of course, was reflecting on her nightmares. Corpses and plants. Limbs and Vines. Images that revealed the truth of her duty as a life aspect and yet, longed now for something simple. Had she been dreaming too much? A smile emerged. Naruto never gave up on his dreams and fought with everything he had to always try and accomplish them. She thrusted forward and stared deep into her own eyes in the mirror. "This is one dream, my only dream, that I will not give up on. No matter what!" She stuck out her fist and tapped the mirror, fist bumping herself. "For that is my nindo, my ninja way…" She began to immediately laugh. Naruto was adorable and inspired her in so many ways that it was contagious. She couldn't help but wonder if a few hundred years ago if she saw what she was doing now, what she would think? The question lingered. "Strange… I can't even remember what I was like back then. Have I really changed that much?" Kyuubi closed her eyes and let a small smile rest upon her lips. "Who cares… all that matters today, is when the last bell rings…" Fist clenched she drew her hand back and pushed forward shattering the glass. As the shards fell, reflecting bits and pieces of her, she proudly announced. "I will never regret what I have done. I won't go back." The shards quickly scattered and bounced around, finding their resting place until they were disturbed.