Gemini froze, startled, as Gaara stopped her from leaving. She wasn't scared- somehow she knew he wouldn't hurt her. His words made no sense to her. The only thing she understood was that for some reason, he didn't want her to leave. So carefully, making sure not to disturb the sand to much, she sat back down. ".....I, uh...I don't...understand...any of this..." She paused, then tried again. "Gaara-san, what have you done to me? I have never felt these emotions before, and I don't understand them. They frighten me, but also I like them...do you feel these things? Or am I the only one? Is there something wrong with me?"

((Can't think of what to say for Naruto............))

"I'm sorry...the sand acted on its own," he said quietly before commanding the sand to disengage from Gemini's arm. The sand listened since the vixen sat down on her own accord, but he was worried...what would happen if the sand didn't obey her, acted up like that again, or worse...had harmed her? As he pondered those thoughts, he also listened to the cries of the girl next to him. Once she finished, he spoke himself.

"I...I honestly have no idea what's going on Gemini-chan...but those questions are some that I want to ask myself. My sand...it's only acted on its own to protect me from harm...not to force someone to stay against their will...these feelings that you describe..." he started to say before taking a light breath, he continued. "I'm not sure of these feelings either...they scare me a little, but I'm...more curious about them. I've never felt anything like this before...but you aren't the only one. Nothing is wrong with you."

Kabuto watched from the distance, intrigued by the sights that had happened during the night. First he saw the vixen's transformation once again, confirming his facts that her story wasn't a lie. Secondly, he observed the conversation between Yugito and Naruto about the conversation of Gemini, the same vixen that apparently had the interest of the Shukaku. 'Things are getting interesting...Orochimaru-sama can get several test subjects if we just capture the fox girl...I should inform him...' he thought to himself.

Gemini took a shuddering breath, head held in her hands. "Nothing wrong. If we're both feeling it, then maybe it's natural. Should we ask someone? It's strange...I feel warm, and I just want to be here with you. I want to be close to you, and never leave your side no matter what. There's a name for that feeling, but I can't think of it. Gaara-san...I'm tired now..." Without thinking, she leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed lightly. "Can I stay here, like this?" She asked, sounding like she was already drifting off.

In a room by herself, next to the room where Naruto and Sasuke were, Sakura sat against the wall and stared out the window. She worried about Sasuke, worried about Naruto, worried about her place on the team and how to be more helpful. She wondered about the next exam, and whether she should tell Kakashi-sensei about what happened in the forest. As she fell asleep, her worries carried into her dreams.

Sasuke watched his blonde team mate sleep, and wondered just what was going on with the blonde and that other girl. Deciding to get some sleep before the next exam crept up on them, Sasuke ignored the sharp pain in his neck and laid down. His dreams were full of snakes, blood, and his brother's eyes.

((Perhaps we should skip to the next day soon?))

(that sounds like a plan)

'could this be...what Uncle was talking about? This feeling of...loving someone else?' Gaara asked himself as he felt his cheeks aflame. Still surprised that his sand didn't react to her being close to his body, he sighed lightly as she fell asleep against him. Seeing as the night wasn't all that cold, he moved her just a little so that she was comfortable before making himself comfortable as well, lightly wrapping an arm around her body.

The next morning, Naruto was awake with the sun. Usually he slept in, but that day he had something to do. Making sure Sasuke was still asleep, he crept out of their room and went off to find Yugito. Today, the two of them were going to reunite a girl with her father. Even if it is the Kyuubi, and probably the strangest thing I've ever heard of, dattebayo. It's still for Gemini-chan, so it's worth it. He thought.

Gemini felt warm. She was comfortable, which was strange. It was never comfortable under her bridge. Where was she? Blinking, she opened her eyes to see sky and trees all around, and the memories came rushing back. She blushed realizing that she was still laying on Gaara, and got up. "Gaara-san? Did you really stay there all night like that? I'm sorry." She said, feeling guilty that he'd sat there while she slept.

((Wolfie will not be online tomorrow. Going to bed now, she has somewhere to be in the morning.))

(alright. Thanks for the heads up!)

Yugito yawned lightly as she took back control of her body. 'Thanks Mata-chan,' Yugito thought to the queen of the cats, glad that she was willing to do this much for her. And since never used any of the demonic chakra while Yugito slept, no one caught on...at least not yet. 'This is going to be interesting...I'm still curious as to how Kurama was able to get a human pregnant and have a hanyou,' Matatabi shrugged at this. 'The only thing I can tell you kitten is that we all have a human form. Other than that, I'm going to assume that something happened to the female to cause her to either abandon Gemini or cast her out...I just hope it was unwillingly.' she said...

"Why are you apologizing? I didn't mind sitting here like this," he said before stretching lightly after she got up. "I was going to see if my siblings were up, no doubt we're going to get teased by the two of them, what about you?" he asked, quite curious. They still had another two days before the deadline for the second portion of the exam after all.

Gemini blushed again and stood up. "I just thought, you must have been uncomfortable. But if you don't mind..." She trailed off, then stretched and cleared her throat. "I was going to get some breakfast, and then get some training in. I'm sure a place like this has a training facility, and I want to brush up before the next exam." She said.

Naruto found Yugito rather quickly. "Hey, Yugito-chan! Did you sleep okay?" He asked, waving as he approached. "Are you ready to look for Gemini-chan? I think I figured out where she'll be, dattebayo." He said confidently, putting his hands in his pockets. He had thought about it over the night, and he realized that there were two places Gemini might be.

(Now that's an interesting idea...Gemini stopping Gaara from crippling Lee. Debating on if she'll accidentally confess during that time or not though. Also I have a question: do you, or someone you know, know about the indie game: Dust: An Elysian Tale? I'm gonna be writing a Naruto/Dust:AET crossover for NaNoWriMo and wanted someone to bounce ideas off of. If you don't, it's okay.)

"I was not uncomfortable though I thank you for the...concern? I think that's the word I'm looking for," Gaara said, a little confused and unsure as his stomach rumbled lightly once more. Blushing lightly out of embarrassment, he commented, "breakfast sounds good actually..." he said, hoping that Gemini wouldn't laugh at that. Furthermore, he knew that he needed to work on his Taijutsu some more. He had surprised Baki and the others back in Suna when he said that he wanted to improve...

"I did, thank you," Yugito said. Granted it was more because of Matatabi pretending to be her as she watched the night sky, but Naruto didn't need to know that, not yet anyways. Though the neko jinchuuriki felt bad for hiding some of the details. "I am, and you have, have you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "And where would Gemini-chan be, hm?" she asked, curious as to what Naruto came up with.

((Hm...Wolfie doesn't really want to interfere with the storyline that much. Some things just have to happen, and it would be a little too out of character for Gaara to be persuaded that easily. Wolfie feels kind of bad for saying this, since she always feels bad for Lee, but... and no, sorry, Wolfie hasn't heard of that game.))

Gemini grinned a little."You, um...you're welcome. Yeah, I think it's concern." She said, a little unsure. She was more used to emotions than him, but some of them were still pretty foreign. "Okay, then let's go get some breakfast." She said, heading towards the stairway that would lead down into the tower.

Naruto grinned proudly. "I was thinking about it, and I remembered that Gemini-chan likes watching the sky at night. It's her favorite thing, besides training. At this time of morning, she would be either on the roof, or in a training area." He said, clearly happy with himself for having figured this out.

(I see your point. And sadness. Oh well, I'll do the NaNo story to the best of my ability then, but you should really check out the game, it's pretty good (despite having cheesy moments). Tally ho! *is shot*)

"Breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea," Gaara said as they headed down the stairs. Seeing his siblings walking out of their rooms and waved, hoping that Gemini would wait for the pair.

"Well then Foxy-kun, lead the way," Yugito said with a slight smirk.

Gemini stopped when she saw the other two sand siblings. She raised a hand to wave, and smiled. "Good morning, you two. We were just headed to get some breakfast. Why don't you join us?" She asked cheerfully, as if nothing at all had happened before that moment. One could see how easy it was for her to put on a mask and act.

Naruto blushed. "F-foxy...uh...r-right..." He stammered, caught off guard by the nickname. Clearing his throat, he turned and started walking towards the stairs. "We'll check the roof first, since it's so early. She might have just woken up, dattebayo." He said quickly, trying to cover his embarrassment.

Temari saw the two and instantly knew that something was amidst, though she couldn't put her finger on it...not yet anyways. "Morning Gem-chan, Gaara-nii" Temari said with a light grin on her face, hoping that he didn't mind the nickname, knowing that he would have in the past. "Sounds like a plan. We were about to head there ourselves," she said. "But before we do, Gem-chan and I have something to discuss. Girl talk and all that. We'll be there in a few seconds," she said before grabbing Gemini's hand and leading her into an empty room. It was quite lucky how often they found these...

Yugito smirked lightly, amused at how caught off guard he was just by the nickname alone. "Sounds like a good idea," she said with a light grin. "After we check the roof, do you think we can get some breakfast?" she asked.

Gemini blinked as Temari led her into yet another empty room. Just how many rooms were in that place? "Uh, Temari-san? What's going on? Is there something wrong?" She asked, thinking that the other girl was acting strangely.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty hungry myself, and if I'm wrong about where Gemini-chan is then we'll want to eat before looking for her dattebayo." He agreed happily.

"There's nothing wrong per say Gem-chan, though...I see what you and my brother are becoming, and I'm okay with it, especially since he's improved ever since meeting you. But as the oldest, I'm just warning you that if you are leading my brother on...or do anything that reverts him back to the old Gaara...you won't like the consequences." Temari stated.

"Well then, lead the way Naruto," Yugito said with a light grin. 'It's almost as if it's a date...' Matatabi said teasingly, causing Yugito to blush. 'You shush' Yugito thought as she followed Naruto to the roof.

Gemini held out her hands. "Whoa, whoa, back up! Temari-san, what in hell's bathroom are you talking about? What do you mean,"what we're becoming?" And why would I hurt Gaara-san? And what does leading someone on mean?" She asked, completely confused.

Naruto led the way to the roof, where they found that no one was there. In true Naruto fashion, he didn't seem phased or put out at all. "Right, so she's not up here. That leaves the training area. But first, breakfast, dattebayo!" He said confidently. Putting his arms behind his head, he started back down the stairs.

(lol, nice phrase "Hell's bathroom")

"You mean...you don't realize it?" Temari asked, surprised. For some reason or another, she could already see the changes that Gemini brought to her brother and everything else that was going on.

'You notice how he doesn't acknowledge his own failings...' Matatabi said though she was ignored by Yugito. "Right, breakfast," she said with a light grin on her face. Her cheeks were tinged red from embarrassment when her stomach growled with hunger and quickly followed him back down the stairs.

((Thanks, heard it on T.V. somewhere.lol))

"Realize what?! Will you please speak plain English?" Gemini said, going from confused to exasperated. What the hell was the woman talking about?

Naruto laughed when he heard Yugito's stomach growl. "Sounds like you're pretty hungry, huh?" He teased as the entered the kitchen. "I wonder if there's any ramen here."

(lol kk)

Temari giggled lightly. "Sorry Gem-chan, I didn't mean to confuse or annoy you. Though I thought you would have realized how cute you and my brother as a couple were, as well as how good you are from him. Ever since he's met you, he's been changing...for the better. I'd just hate to see him close back up and that will happen if you hurt him. That's all I meant," Temari explained.

"Yes yes, laugh all you want Foxy-kun," she said with a light giggle as her cheeks stopped burning. Luckily they were close to the kitchen and quickly followed her friend in, conveniently ignoring her tenant as she did so. "Ramen? I hope they have sushi actually..."

Gemini's jaw dropped. "Cute? C-c-couple?! I can't... I don't...a couple? We're friends! I don't even...I don't know what a couple's supposed to mean...I-I mean, I've seen them before, b-but I don't know what they do or how to be part of one..." She was blushing a deeper red then her hair. She hadn't even had "the talk" yet- since no one was around to give it to her. "B-but, as far as Gaara-san goes, I wouldn't hurt him. I couldn't."

Naruto blushed at the nickname, but didn't get tripped up this time. He started looking around the kitchen, snooping through cabinets. "Sushi? I don't think I've ever tried it, dattebayo. But I guess fish makes sense for you to like, Kitty-chan." He said, teasing her with his own nickname for her.

(Spirit Wolf, that you?)

Temari could see her flustered Gemini was, especially with how quickly she came to tell her about not knowing what to do as a couple or how to even be one. The wind mistress of Suna felt bad now for putting Gemini on the spot like that. "I'm sorry Gemini-chan...I didn't mean to embarrass you or cause any problems between you and the three of us..." she said looking down lightly. She hoped that Gemini would understand that she was only looking out for her brother in one of the few ways she knew how.

Yugito grinned lightly, which almost turned into a smirk. "You're catching on pretty quick Foxy, and yes, fish does make sense for me," she replied with a light blush. She had a feeling that sooner or later he'd call her something related to a cat.

((The very same. I'm using my main for the duration of the events, because they said you can't use a mule.))

Gemini nodded. "No, I understand. Really, I know why you did that. I probably would have done the same if I were in your place. Don't worry, nothing will change. You're still my friends." She said with a smile. "Now, why don't we go get some breakfast? I'm starving."

Naruto chuckled, then cheered as he found a large packet of instant ramen. "Yes! My favorite kind, too! Have you found anything yet?" He asked, turning to find a pot where he could heat up the water for his breakfast.

(I see. I really don't bother with events tbh...)

Temari was glad to hear that she understood and didn't fault her for what she did. Though she still thought that the two would make a cute couple, which pleasantly surprised the blonde. She wouldn't play matchmaker and let events happen as they did, but she did mean what she said. If Gemini intentionally hurt her brother...shaking her head lightly to get rid of the thoughts, she caught up with Gemini. "Breakfast does sound like a good idea," she said as they headed towards the kitchens, where Gaara and Kankuro were waiting for them, along with two other blondes, one male and one female.

Yugito was about to say something when she noticed two trays and a note on them. "For you Yugito, your favorite...for passing the second exams. -Rai" 'Jiji...thank you,' she thought before grinning lightly. "Found something!" she exclaimed with a chesire like grin before noticing four other people in the kitchen, two males and two females.

((Really? I usually have fun with them ^.^))

When they walked into the kitchen, the first thing Gemini noticed was Gaara and Kankuro waiting for them. As she headed for them, she noticed the other two people. She also noticed an overwhelmingly familiar presence that she had never noticed before. "N-Naruto-kun? I...that's you, right?" She asked, confused by the swirl of chakra coming from the blonde. "And who's your friend?"

Naruto turned to say something but stopped short at the sight of the four people in the kitchen with them. He recognized the three sand siblings from their encounter before the exams, and then he noticed that Gemini was with them. She seemed confused, which was unusual for her. "Gemini-chan? Yeah it's me. This is Yugito-san. We've been looking for you. How have you been? Did you get through the forest okay? Why are you with those guys, dattebayo?" He asked rapidly.

(right. Also...I love your avatar. Especially the phoenix and aura of fire)

The three sand siblings stayed silent, not sure as to how to respond to the situation at hand. Though if something went out of hand, Temari had a feeling that they would interfere, but that was only if. Though she had no idea what the amount of swirling chakra was...

"Calm down Naruto-kun, Gemini-san can't answer everything at once if you ask her like that," Yugito said, though she was curious as well. She also had one other question for Gemini...how was she still alive after being so close to the Shukaku?

((Thanks =D ))

Gemini shook her head and smiled. "One at a time, Naruto-kun. Let's see...in order, the answers are: I've been okay, though I've been better. I got through the forest perfectly. And I'm with these three because we are friends, and they helped me through the forest." She said. Same old Naruto, babbling like that. "Nice to meet you, Yugito-san. Are you Naruto-kun's girlfriend?" She asked teasingly.

Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I got carried away. So, Gemini-chan, we were looking for you because we have something really important to tell you." He said, turning serious. He didn't even notice Gemini's comment about Yugito being his girlfriend. He looked at the sand siblings, not sure if he could talk in front of them. "Yugito-chan...should we tell her now?" he asked.