Naruto, in typical Naruto fashion, took several moments to connect the dots. Once he did, however, his jaw dropped. "That's not...that's not funny. Don't mess with me like that. Those two...can't have been my parents. Not me. You better not be lying to me, dumb fox!" Clearly the blonde was having trouble accepting this news.

Gemini couldn't help but grin a little when Gaara agreed with her. Her grin melted away in seconds, however, as he caught on to the last part of her statement. She cringed a little, wishing she'd kept it to herself. Well, too late now. "Not much. And a lot. It's..." She sighed, then relayed everything that had happened in the kitchen with her father. Everything except the revelation of her feelings, that is. "It's just a lot to handle, you know? And I know that you won't get all nosy and ask questions. I just need a quiet friend to train with. And, to be perfectly honest, I feel most comfortable with you around." She admitted, glancing away.

"Why would I lie to you Kit? After you helped me reconnect with my daughter," Kurama asked. He had no reason to lie to Naruto after what he and his future mate had done for him and Gemini. "I wouldn't lie to you...not when we have to rely on you if we want to see each other again."

Gaara listened to her and nodded lightly, knowing that he wouldn't ask her any type of questions since he valued her privacy. Besides, he somehow knew that she would tell him if, or when, she wanted him to know. The only thing that confused him was what she said last. "You feel...comfortable...around me?" he asked, having a hard time understanding that, especially since that was the first time he ever heard anyone say that...

Naruto sighed, and seemed like he was about to cry. "Man, talk about an unexpected blow. I feel like I've been punched in the gut, dattebayo." He said, shaking his head.

Gemini nodded. "Yeah. It's like I can just relax and be myself with you around. I don't even have to worry about my ears and tail. We're a lot alike, and when you're around I feel...safe. Comfortable." She said, not sure how to explain it.

Kurama chuckled lightly at that. "But yes, your father was the Yondaime Hokage, and your mother was known as the Red-Hot Habanero, if I remember correctly," he said. The fox knew that he was giving Naruto a lot to think about, but he wanted the truth, and he was going to get it...even if he couldn't handle the truth.

"I...see," Gaara said as he turned around to face her. "Though if you said that in front of anyone in Suna, they'd laugh at how ironic that statement is," he replied. "But..." he started to say before shaking his head lightly. He'd have to deal with these feelings on his own. "Anyways, you said you wanted to train with me, correct?"

For a while, Naruto didn't answer. He just sat there, staring off into space. Eventually, he spoke. "Okay. My parents. Got it. Any other bombs you haven't dropped yet?" He asked.

Gemini blinked, as if she had forgotten, and then nodded. "Yes, I did. So let's go already. We're losing daylight!" She said enthusiastically, headed for the door already.

Kyuubi smirked as he heard that. "You sure you want to ask me a question like that? I could blow your mind...like for example, did you know that the man you called Jiji actually knew this, and kept it from you?" he asked. He would wait to spring the Clan Restoration Act bomb on him later...

Gaara blinked for a few seconds as he saw Gemini heading towards the door. Smirking lightly, he followed the girl that wanted him as a sparing partner. He still didn't understand why she felt the way she did around him though...'Maybe I should ask Temari?' he thought before closing the door behind him.

((Wait, it's only the prelims right now. Naruto wouldn't have met Jiraiya or Tsunade yet.))

It only took minutes for Gemini to sniff out a training field. It was perfect, a forest clearing with a sandy ground, and isolated enough that they wouldn't be interrupted. "This one's great. Okay, we're gonna spar like a real fight. Don't worry about hurting me, you've seen how quickly I heal. No holding back, and no stopping until one of us calls it quits. Good?" She asked, turning to face him with excitement and determination.

(woops, I'll edit it. I forgot we were at the prelims. Also, how are they sparring in the middle of the Forest of Death with no one interfering?)

((They're not. It's a training field within the boundaries of the tower. Wolfie forgot to mention that, didn't she? [sweat]))

(Yeah, that detail was lost in translation...no big ^_^)

Gaara stopped when she did, a light smirk on his face when he noticed the sandy landscape. It wasn't the desert, far from it, but it would greatly help his Sunaton (Sand Release) techniques. "Are you sure you want me to go all out? Some of my jutsus have been considered assassination techniques," Gaara replied.

It was not that he didn't believe she could spar with him, but he wanted to make sure she understood what she was getting into. However, as he asked her the question, he subtlely had the cork dissolve and some of his sand mix into the ground.

Gemini smiled, her eyes gleaming. "Trust me, I'm sure. I saw a bit of what you could do back in the forest, but you haven't seen my skills yet." She said, her tail swishing back and forth. Her chakra was flaring, and she was clearly ready to go. "Your move, sand prince. Give it a good shot."

Naruto looked up at the fox. "Well...that's not much of a surprise, really. The old man is the Hokage, and he would have known something like that, dattebayo." He said, displaying a rare bit of common sense. "Still, the whole thing is pretty amazing. It's like the biggest, wildest dream I ever could have had come true."

"True...Vixen-hime," he said with a smirk on his face that unknowingly rivaled that of Naruto's. "But I've already begun..." he stated as sand quickly flew out from around Gemini. Using shape manipulation, he maneuvered the sand columns that sprung up around the fox princess and quickly made them into spears.

"Wow, I'm impressed. You thought things through for once," the fox teased, curious as to why he thought this was like a dream come true.

Gemini raised an eyebrow, but took it as a compliment. Her ear twitched slightly as columns of sand shot up and formed into spears. Quick as thought, she jumped out of the way and tossed several kunai, testing the waters so to speak. Using the knives as a distraction, she started making hand signs that would set up her first real attack.

Naruto blushed. "I'm not that stupid, ya know." He muttered, embarrassed. "So...am I like them? My parents, I mean. Am I like either of them?" He asked hesitantly.

Gaara let his automated defense take care of the kunai before throwing several Suna shuriken at the vixen, hoping to catch her off guard and unable to finish whatever jutsu she was trying to accomplish.

"And I'm the Easter Bunny," Kyuubi replied sarcastically. Joking aside, to answer your question...yes. You get your looks and leadership skills from your father, while you get your hard work and determination from your mother. It wouldn't surprise me if you had wind and water elemental aligned chakra actually..." he muttered.

Too late- Gemini had already finished her jutsu. With a puff of smoke, the girl transformed into a miniature, crimson red version of her father. She had also created a clone, so that now Gaara was facing two full demon Gemini's, each the size of a horse. Both rushed at him, one from either side, ready to strike.

Naruto perked up. So he took after both of his parents, at least a little. Somehow, this was comforting to him. "Wind...and water, huh? Is there a way to test that kind of thing?" He asked curiously. He hadn't known that chakra could be divided into elements.

Gaara scowled lightly. He knew that he was going to need some speed, and while he didn't want to show anyone his trump cards, he willed the sand armor that he usually surrounded himself into the ground, creating a modified Suna Clone, something that would be stronger than his normal clones. Creating a dome of sand, he tried catching either one of the two, as he jumped away.

"I'm surprised that the scarecrow didn't tell you about it. There's a paper that can determine what type of element your chakra is aligned to, making some jutsus easier to use and learn, while others would be harder. For example, if you were wind and water, then those two would be extremely easy for you to use, and by abusing the Shadow Clones, you could theoretically learn how to use Hyoton, or Ice Release, like that Haku woman used. There's also an easier way that you and any other jinchuuriki can find out when it comes to finding your elements. By asking me," Kyuubi said.

Both foxes were caught, though the impact was great. However, the moment they hit, both foxes disappeared in a puff of smoke. They had both been clones. Gemini, in her regular form, appeared behind Gaara then, holding her hands together as if praying. "Get ready. Nightmare Syndrome!!" She shouted. Suddenly, the field descended into blackness. It was a genjutsu, and a powerful one. "I don't want to unleash the full genjutsu on you. I have no desire to see such a terrible thing happen. So you have one chance- if you want to, I'll show you my special skill. If not, I'll release it and we can continue as if this never happened." Gemini's voice sounded throughout the area, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Naruto frowned. His first reaction, of course, was to the most insignificant part of what he was being told. "Haku was a boy." He said, then seemed to realize that actual point of what the fox was telling him. "Oh...so you know my chakra element? What is it?" He asked, now seeming to become excited at the thought of learning new techniques.

((A little background: Gemini's most powerful move is a genjutsu called nightmare syndrome. The victim is cast first into blinding blackness, and then forced to witness their deepest, darkest fears. If she really lets loose, the victim will actually experience their worst nightmare, with all five senses, as if it were actually happening. Gemini only uses this technique as a last resort, because previous victims have gone mad, and even died from it.))

(So when she's talking about her special skill, she's talking about the nightmare syndrome at full power or something else altogether?)

((Nightmare Syndrome at full power. Basically she's saying that right now, she's only using the first stage- total blackness- and that she doesn't want to use the actual nightmare part on him.))

(gotcha)

Gaara was surprised that he fell for such a trick before utter blackness filled his vision. He wasn't alarmed by this, especially since he enjoyed the darkness, for it was there that it was the most peaceful and extremely quiet. Though he was curious as to what she meant by saying about her 'special skill' though from the name of the genjutsu, he had an idea. However, he was no coward. "Show me. Show me my nightmare Vixen-hime!" he shouted.

"She hid her true gender. What do you think would have happened to her if she was caught with Zabuza, hm? That's why she hid herself under those clothes. Anyways, that's beside the point. To answer your question, yes I do know your chakra elements. Just like your father, you have a primary of wind and a secondary of lightning. And from me, you have a secondary primary of fire. Though I'm surprised you don't have all five elements under your control. Oh well, can't win them all," Kyuubi said.

"As you wish..." Gemini's voice sounded sad, regretful, but the darkness didn't recede. Instead, it took shape, coalescing into recognizable shapes. Gaara would be faced not with a nightmare, but with a memory- the same memory that he had spoken to Gemini only the day before. He would stand by and watch himself, as a child, being betrayed in the most ultimate way. But the genjutsu went farther, much farther. "I promised not to hold back. You asked..." Gemini's voice sounded again as Gaara felt his current self fuse with his childhood self, forcing him to relive the memory in every detail. Every sight, sound, feeling...everything would be as it had been that night. As the memory played out, the genjutsu seemed to decide that it hadn't done quite enough damage. This is not your greatest fear... the very wind seemed to speak the words- Gemini's voice was nowhere to be found. The memory dissolved then, leaving Gaara, back in his present body, floating somewhere bathed in blinding light. There was pain, the like of which he never could have known, and with that pain came the absolute, inescapable knowledge that he was dead. Somehow, some way, his very existence had been erased. And this...is you greatest nightmare...

Naruto seemed to turn this piece of knowledge over in his mind for a moment. "Wind, lightening...and fire? But fire only because of you. Huh. Well, I'm not sure exactly what it means, but it sounds cool!"

((Wolfie might have taken it a bit far on that one, but she got carried away...feel free to interrupt it at any time.))

Gaara felt the genjutsu take hold and felt himself fuse with his greatest nightmare: The fact that he was alone and that his existence meant nothing. This was, indeed, his greatest fear...or it was. He now had a new fear: harming Gemini or his siblings while in his Bijuu 2nd cloak. Flaring his youki in anger, he broke out of the genjutsu while glaring at Gemini. Even though he had asked for that, he didn't realize how terrifying it could be. In his anger, he started using several high level Sunaton techniques in rapid succession as he reverted back to his old personality.

"Exactly. And I'm going to let you find out what type of secondary elements you could use from those three on your own. I'm not giving you all the answers," the Kyuubi said. 'I'll wait until after he realizes the secondary elements before telling him about the seals...and the CRA' the fox thought, keeping those to himself.

Gemini was slightly stunned when her genjutsu was broken. No one had ever done that before. As a result of her surprise, she got hit a few times before she managed to dodge his attacks. Swearing colorfully, she brought up a shield of fire. It was slightly weak due to the amount of chakra her genjutsu had used, but for the moment it did the trick. "I really didn't want to do that. I can't control what you see in there." She said, trying to reason with him. "If it helps, I didn't see anything."

Naruto crossed his arms and thought for a while. "Wind and lightening together would make...a storm? Lightening and fire could be explosive...wind and fire would just make more fire..." He muttered, trying to figure it out.

Gaara was still in his berserk-like status, only calming down when his sand was turned into glass. 'okay...I need to think how to counteract that...' he thought, knowing that the Uchiha would be using several Katon jutsus that would be doing the same thing. Calming down with that thought, he stood there for a few seconds. "You... you really didn't see anything?" he asked.

(lol Lesson learned: Never use that genjutsu on a Jinchuuriki ever again)

Kyuubi chuckled at Naruto's mutterings, knowing what he was trying to do. He already knew which sub elements Naruto could use with the aid of his Kage Bunshin, but he wanted the boy to figure out that he could use Plasma, Scorch and Magnet.

Gemini lowered her guard for a moment and shook her head. "No. I never look. Inflicting that kind of torture on someone is bad enough, it would be just wrong to look into their most private thoughts." She said, looking extremely apologetic. "I almost never use that technique. It's a last resort only, which is why I didn't want to go farther than the first stage. I probably should have used some common sense and stopped it, instead of asking. I really am sorry."

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't know of any of these elements, so he couldn't figure it out. "Well, I guess I can just learn as I go..." He said at last, making a mental note to ask someone about chakra natures.