Gaara watched the stars and moon shine down upon the forest, having a feeling that he was the only one that was still awake. However, it wasn't by choice: if he fell asleep...he shook his head lightly. Bad things happened when he fell asleep. Seeing someone on his domain, he quietly uncorked his gourd, just in case it was someone trying to get an early drop on the competition or something. Seeing that it was Gemini, truly the vixen, he placed the cork back inside. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked softly.

"Because my idiot container is thinking of committing suicide of all things and wants his mate to help him do it" the Kyuubi said, annoyed. "You're almost as bad as your mother..."

Gemini was surprised to see Gaara there, but hid it. She smiled and sat down next to him. "Yeah, too much on my mind." She said quietly. "it's nice out. Why are you up?" She asked. Though she knew his story, they hadn't explained the effects of the demon on Gaara.

Naruto started. "What? I wasn't gonna die! And Yugito-chan's not my mate." He protested, crossing his arms. "Wait, what do you mean my mother?! How do you know who my mother was, dattebayo?!" He shouted.

(*blink* this is early for you...I'm pleasantly surprised)

"I lose control of myself whenever I sleep. There's a sealed room that I sleep in that siphons away my demon's chakra, but without anything like that here, I'd rather not take the risk," Gaara responded, secretly glad that she was up here, with him.

Yugito blushed when he heard herself being referred to as Naruto's mate, and she could even hear Matatabi's laughter in the background of her mind. Sighing lightly, she mentally asked what it would take to make her never speak of this again.

"What's in it for me? If I tell you who your mother is, what will you do with the information?" he asked. While it was honestly a slip of the tongue, Kurama knew that he could use the slip for something...and hoped that the kit would agree to help.

Gemini frowned, feeling bad. "Wow, that really sucks. I'm sorry. Is that why you've got those dark circles...?" She asked, feeling a bit insensitive. Here she was asking personal questions when he had just told her he basically never slept.

Naruto blinked. "What? What would I give you? I don't have anything that you'd want. And besides, you're sealed away. It's not like I can actually give you anything. What is it you want?" He asked, thinking that the fox was pretty demanding.

((Lol Wolfie was online early last night because she had company sleeping over, and wanted to post quickly.))

(Phoenix sees...)

"One of the reasons, yes," Gaara replied. Another reason was because they were a marker that let the world knew he was a jinchuuriki.

"You would be right, but you're actually wrong though I just have three requests. Two are things that you must do, and I'll help you out to the best of my ability without any fuss, the other one is something that you don't have to do, but I would like it if you did," the Kyuubi stated.

Gemini nodded, and bit her lip. She noticed how his answers were rather short, and wondered if he was okay. "I hope I'm not bothering you. I'll leave if you want." She said self-consciously. Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, and thought to herself how good he looked, with the moonlight shining on him that way. Her heart sped up a little, and she willed it to slow down, glad of the dark so he wouldn't see her blush.

Naruto sighed. "All right, dumb fox. What is it you want? If it means you'll cooperate, then I don't mind, dattebayo." He said. He was starting to get tired- it was a little late.

(*growls* what's the point of having an e-mail instant notification system when it doesn't work 3/4ths of the time?! Sorry...It's the reason why I took a while to respond ^^;; )

"You aren't bothering me Gemini-chan, and you can stay if you want," Gaara responded, unknown to Gemini's feelings for him just yet. Though he was curious as to why she was constantly glancing at him when she though he wasn't paying attention. He didn't exactly mind it, it was just something he wasn't use to.

"You know what? I'm gonna let that slide since you're willing to do what I want. The two things that you need to do. First, can you do something about your mindscape kit? It's completely depressing. I don't care what you turn it into, but can you please change it from this dark and dingy sewer? The second thing is this: I may not be able to completely get outside of your body without killing the both of us, but I would like to see the outside world every once in a while, using your senses to do it. The last thing is...I have a daughter. Her name is Gemini and I want to talk to her...through you," he said. It was because she was kidnapped that he went into a rage and looking through Konoha the way that he did.

((lol it's okay. The e-mail notifications bother Wolfie, too, since she doesn't get them until hours later >.<))

Gemini blushed and nodded. "Okay. I just wanted to make sure I was welcome." She said, trying not to stare at him. How had she not noticed him before that day? The out of village participants for the exams had been in Konoha for over a month. She knew she'd seen him before. But she had never noticed him until that moment. His eyes alone were...she shook her head to clear it. What were these thoughts she was having?

Naruto huffed, but stayed silent while the fox spoke. He nodded at the first request. "Okay, I'll try. I didn't make it that way, but I can probably change it." He said. Even as he said it, the room in his mind changed forms until it looked much like the forest of death. "How's that? It's the best I can do. I can't seem to imagine a place without a lock on it, dattebayo." He said. With the second request, he nodded again. "I guess Yugito-chan can help with that one, since I don't know how." When the third request was posed, Naruto actually jumped. "You have a what?! How did someone like you end up with a kid, dattebayo?! And, did you say Gemini? Like, my friend Gemini? I can't believe it! She never told me you were her father!" He shouted, stunned.

(I agree with you completely. Luckily, I always check before going to sleep...)

"Why would you think otherwise?" Gaara asked with curiosity laced in his voice. While he didn't know what was going through her mind at the moment, the holder of the one-tailed Tanuki was curious as to why he was so relaxed when she was around him. 'This is confusing...what are these thoughts I'm having...' he wondered lightly before mentally sighing before going back to watching the stars. Though he did glance at her every once in a while...

Kyuubi saw the changes of the mindscape from the confines of his cage and nodded, glad that it was much different than what he had to stare at before. "Yes, that's much better," he said in agreement after having his first request granted. It was a shame that he couldn't fulfill the second request right away, but he knew that what Naruto suggested was the best compromise...at least for the moment.

However, Naruto's response to his third request was humorous until he heard him say that he already knew Gemini. "She might not remember me, or know about me at all. Especially since...she was kidnapped from my caves while she was still very young," he explained, glad that he already knew her. Now all that had to be done was talk to Gemini.

Gemini shrugged. "You were talking strange. Your answers were very short, so I thought you might be annoyed with me. I'm usually pretty good at reading people, but I can't read you at all." She said lightly, as if it were no big deal. The truth was, he was a complete mystery to her. She'd never met a person she couldn't figure out. Glancing over at him, she caught him looking at her. She looked away quickly, blushing.

Recovering from shock, Naruto sat down and crossed his arms. "I can't believe it. Gemini doesn't even look like a demon, dattebayo. But the fact that she's an orphan makes sense now. Who could have kidnapped a baby from a demon? Urgh...this is all pretty confusing. But I'll go and talk to Gemini-chan for you. She'll be happy to find out who one of her parents is. And I guess you're better than that guy who adopted her, dattebayo." He said, nodding.

"I'm sorry?" he said in a questioning voice, not sure as to how he could explain the way he was acting or if he wanted to, seeing as it might have drove her away. "Why can't you read me?" he asked after a few minutes of silence passed between the two. He was completely curious as to why that was.

"Well believe it kit, Gemini is my daughter. She may not look like it because she's hanyou," he stated. The Kyuubi knew that he would gotten a look of shock from that and explained that he also had a human form as well, which was why he had a daughter in the first place. "I'm not sure who kidnapped her, but whoever did it smelled a lot like snakes. Other than that, I can't tell you who else it was. So there's two people that it might be, or at least connected to him," he stated, talking of Kabuto that he met before the exams started and Anko, the crazy lady that was hosting the second part of the exam. "Now then...who's this person that adopted my vixen, and why should I be maiming/killing him?" he asked.

Gemini shrugged. "I'm not sure. It's like your body language gives away nothing, and your expression gives away nothing, and your voice, too. I can't figure out what your thinking because there's no outward sign of your thoughts." She tried to explain. "With anyone else, I could tell if they were lying, or what they were feeling just by looking at them. But not you." She said.

Naruto sighed. "Okay...well, I don't know the whole story. Only what Gemini-chan told me. I guess she was found one day when she was really little, and no one could figure out where she came from. She was just two years old, and she only knew her name and nothing else. She was put in foster care, just this one guy adopted her I guess. I met her when we were about three. She never told me what was happening. I found out when we were six, when I couldn't find her anywhere. It was strange, looking back, how she never met me at her place. She always met me somewhere else. But that one day, she didn't show up where we were supposed to meet. So I went looking for her, and eventually I got to her house. No one answered when I knocked, but I could head crying, so I went inside. And that's when I saw it. He was hitting her. Gemini-chan was bleeding everywhere, and it looked like he'd hit all over her body. One of her eyes was even swollen shut. The guy was really mad that I'd seen, and he tried to attack us both. Accused her of telling on him. I got her out of there quick, and the Hokage put the guy in jail for life." The blonde finished with a frown. "I just wish I'd found out sooner. She still has scars..."

"Interesting..." Gaara said. "So you can't tell what I'm thinking, at all?" he asked. He had to admit though, it was a useful skill to have. "Can I ask you something?" Gaara asked. He wanted to see Gemini's vixen form again...and why she had scars on her arms.

Kyuubi listened in on the story, the growl in his throat getting louder and louder as the story continued. "That BASTARD! He's lucky that I'm in here otherwise there wouldn't be enough to identify the body!" he ranted. He knew that if the man was still alive in jail..."I'm just glad that she had someone to help her..." he said. "Now then, get out of here, your neko mate is waiting for you." he said

Gemini shook her head. "Not at all. The only way I could tell what you were thinking is if you told me." She said. Shrugging, she decided it wasn't a big deal. It was actually kind of nice, not constantly reading someone to tell if they wanted to hurt her. "Yeah, sure. You can ask me anything." She told him with a small smile.

Naruto found himself, for the first time ever, agreeing with the fox. It was surprising to say the least. "Yeah, well...Gemini-chan doesn't like to talk about it, so we just kind of don't." He responded, then stood up. ""Yugito-chan isn't my mate. But I will leave...maybe I can find Gemini-chan later." He said, and left. He opened his eyes and looked at Yugito. "Well, that was crazy, dattebayo. Did you hear any of it, or was it just in my head?"

"Well, it's actually two things...I was hoping that since it was just the two of us out here at the moment that I could see you in your true form," he said, something having a feeling that the next question would be more of a personal one. "And...what's with the scars on your arm?"

"I see...and she may not be your mate yet, but I have a feeling something will change that..." he said with a chuckle as he watched Naruto leave. 'It's too easy to tease him on that...then again, that's probably my fault in the first place,' he thought with a light sigh.

"Um...I heard bits and pieces of it, no thanks to Nibi," Yugito said as a light dusting of pink colored her cheeks. "After I heard his requests, I didn't hear anything else though," she added as she got her blush under control. 'though I will admit that Naruto-kun is one of the few people who sees me as me...and not as the cat,' she thought before shaking her head. Though who would have thought that Kurama had a legitimate daughter...

Gemini looked up, startled. Her true form? She blushed, and nodded. "Okay..." She said, quickly forming the Release hand seal to show her ears and tail. "The scars...? Well, I told you about the man who adopted me, how he used to beat me. Some of the beatings got pretty bad, and even my faster healing couldn't keep up. I've got scars all over my arms and back, and one nasty one on my chest...he never left a mark where people could see. I always used to wear long sleeves. Now I just tell people they're from missions." She said, looking away again.

Naruto nodded. "Okay then. At least you heard that part. I wasn't sure how I was gonna explain that if you hadn't heard! It's pretty surprising, dattebayo. To think Kyuubi could have a daughter. And that she's someone I'm friends with, too! I mean, how messed up is that? But, hey, I'd rather ask about that second request. I'll have to learn how to let the fox use me like that, so he can talk to Gemini-chan. No way I'm gonna talk for him in that conversation, dattebayo!!" He said.

Gaara let out a light grin and even though it was hidden by the night, he couldn't help but have it on his face...even if it did feel weird to smile for something other than bloodshed. "Thank you. I think the real you suits you the best actually, not the genjutsu that you have to hide behind," he responded lightly before looking down. He had forgotten that she already told him and his siblings about the scars... "I'm sorry...with everything that's happened today, I'd forgotten," he said while looking down. Though now he was curious and decided to ask the question that was on his mind. "What has happened to him?" he asked calmly. He knew that if the man was still alive then he knew the perfect way to murder him...especially since no one could escape from sand...

"I can help you with that, no problem" Yugito responded. "Or you could let Kyuubi take partial control over you when it happens, and then we can work on establishing the second request. You'll probably have to work on some compromises as well though," she said with a light giggle, completely understanding where he was coming from. It would be like her finding out she was the daughter of one of the Raikages or something.

Gemini blushed deeply at the compliment. she had never thought anyone would like her true form. "th-thank you...you're the first person to ever say that to me." She said quietly. Her ear twitched as he asked the next question, and she sighed. "He went to jail. There was a trial, and even a call for execution, but by that time Konoha had done away with execution as a punishment. He was sentenced to life in a high security prison. I've never been to visit him, but maybe I should..." She said, a bit of anger showing in her voice. Clearly, she wanted the man to suffer more than he was.

Naruto nodded, arms crossed. "Okay, I guess. I'm not sure I like giving him any control over my body, but if it helps then I'll do it. Plus, I want to help Gemini-chan talk to her father. She deserves it, dattebayo." He said, nodding to himself. Then he yawned. "Man, it's late! I'm gonna go get some sleep. Will you meet me in the morning and help me try to find Gemini-chan? She's in the exams, so I'll bet she's here somewhere."

"Really?" Gaara asked, surprised. Then again, she had hid her true form for so long...shaking his head lightly, he smirked when he heard Gemini speak and in anger, having a feeling that she would want to do something to the man that had hurt her in the past.

"The seal you have is far too complex for the Kyuubi to easily break free, I think," Yugito said before yawning lightly. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten while she was talking to Naruto. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep myself, but I'll definitely help you find Gemini-san in the morning. Someone like her definitely needs to meet her father," she replied, remembering the story that he told the fox about his daughter.

Gemini sighed, and fell backwards to lay on her back, looking up at the sky. "I heard somewhere that keeping anger bottled up inside is bad for you. Most people have no idea, but I'm a very angry person. I have to be careful with my temper, in case I hurt someone. What I really need is closure. A way to let go of that old anger that I've kept inside for so long." She paused for a moment, just staring at the stars. "I want to know that that man has suffered. I want to see him suffer, to see him feel the pain he put me through. I want to stand over him while he begs for the mercy of death. I want him to die, but I want it to be painful. These are things I can't tell anyone else, or they would think I'm nuts. But I want revenge. I need it" She said, her voice sounding more ominous than before.

Naruto stretched and yawned again. "Yeah, definitely. I know how she feels, a little. Having no parents is rough. If I got the chance to speak with my parents, I'd be really happy. That's why I want to help Gemini-chan. Well, I'll see you in the morning. First thing, dattebayo!" He said, ending on a lighter note. He waved back at her as he walked away, going to find his team mates.

"I think...that's why I am the way I am. I've held so much anger in and didn't have a conduit for it until I had the epiphany I did after accidentally killing my uncle, which led to this tattoo on my head. Though I'm sure that I could help you with your request, if you really want to make that man pay..." he said nonchalantly, as if he were talking about the next portion of the exam or the weather. Then again, after hearing what he heard, he also wanted to make the man's death as painful as possible. He had a feeling that his sand would love to be dyed in the color of his blood...

"First thing, tomorrow morning" she responded with a light grin on her face as she left the room, looking for something to eat first. After that, she would find a room to sleep in. 'Aw how cute, my kitten is growing up,' Matatabi teased, causing the light blush she had on her face to go into full blown mode.

'Stop teasing me 'Tabi-chan' Yugito said, quickly finding the kitchen as she ignored the queen of cat's laughter. Grabbing a few items, she quickly made a sandwich and ate it, helping it dissolve with the glass of milk she poured for herself. What? She housed the cat demon, of course she was going to like milk.

Hearing a knock on the door, Sasuke went to open it, a smirk appearing on his face as he saw Naruto coming back. "Enjoy your date dobe?" he asked.

Gemini sat back up and turned to look at him. "I think I would like that very much. We could work as a team. I torture the bastard, you kill him." She said with a bright smile. Then the smile faded, and she looked serious again. She shifted so that she was sitting on her knees facing him. "Gaara-san..." She whispered, then leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, right on the tattoo. She then pulled away, and looked anywhere but at him, embarrassed.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at his rival. "Shut up, baka, it wasn't a date. Yugito-chan helped me with something important, dattebayo." He retorted, crossing the room to go lay down. "I'm gonna meet her in the morning, too. She's helping me find someone." He added, falling back and crossing his arms behind his head. He didn't feel like arguing with Sasuke, not after everything that had happened. He had a lot to think about, especially when it came to Yugito. Why did he always feel like blushing when she was around? And how come it embarrassed him that much when someone called her his girlfriend? Come to think of it, why did the Kyuubi just assume that she was my mate? Not that I mind, but it's confusing... He thought, turning to face the wall.

"I wouldn't mind that...and I could help with the torture if you want. I hear that sand is extremely painful against open wounds, just like salt..." he muttered. Hearing his name being called from the vixen next to him he turned towards her with a questioning glance. As he was about to ask what she wanted, she felt his lips upon his skin, not only surprised by the action but by the fact that his automatic defense let her in. 'just what the hell is going on?' he thought, confused. Sure it felt nice, but he was confused about everything that was happening. Feeling his cheeks heating up, he was glad for the night sky.

"Whatever you say Dobe, whatever you say," Sasuke said with a light smirk. He had to admit that it was fun messing with the blone that had begrudingly become as close to Itachi was...before that event happened. However, he knew that to beat Itachi, he would have to get on the same level as him...and that meant unlocking his own Mangekyou sharingan. He just didn't know if he could kill Naruto in order to gain said power...it seemed as if only time would tell.

'It seems as if he doesn't realize it yet...' the Kyuubi thought to himself as he rested his head on his paws. He couldn't believe that Gemini was still alive...he thought that the man who took him had killed her all those years ago...the man that smelled like snakes.

After a long moment of silence, Gemini felt uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and shifted slightly. "I, um...I'm s-sorry...I probably shouldn't have...or, I should have asked you....m-maybe I should go..." She said, positive that he could hear her heart pounding. Even in the dark her blush was noticeable. Why wasn't he saying anything? Had she made him angry? Uncomfortable? Oh, why did I do that?! Now everything is going to be weird and awkward! Baka, baka, stupid girl! She thought.

Naruto grunted but ignored his friend. Even though he thought he'd never sleep, it wasn't long before his eyes were closing. Soon he was completely asleep, and dreaming about that day long ago when he'd found Gemini being beaten. The dream soon changed to one of him and Yugito eating ramen together, holding hands, kissing...

Gaara heard her starting to get up and looked down lightly. He didn't want her to leave, but he had no idea where that kiss came from either. His feelings in disarray, the sand around his body latched onto the girl lightly. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to get her attention. "I won't force you to stay here, but...that was my first kiss. I believe other people say at this time that you have to take responsibility for it," he said, hoping that his attempt at a joke was able to lighten the mood. For whatever reason...his sand knew that she wouldn't hurt him...and it also knew that he wanted her to stay...

Matatabi sighed lightly as she took control of Yugito's body so that the girl could sleep. After being rudely awakened by Rai, she knew that the boy would continuously harass Yugito if she tried to sleep, just like everyone else in the cursed village...except for a few people that treated her as the young woman that she was, and not for her. 'Perhaps...I could ask that Rai-jiji of hers for a transfer? she does seem to enjoy Naruto's presence...' she thought to herself as she kept watch over the forest on top of the tower, wondering just who else was still out there.