((Hm...good idea...but not "Papa"))

Gemini went about making herself a second sandwich, and a glass of milk. She ate quickly, without saying a word. Her thoughts turned inward, ranging from her birth parents to the exams to Gaara and his siblings. Once she finished, she put away what was left. "Well, might as well let everyone out there know that there's food. Can't hog it all, right?"

Naruto and Sasuke tensed, waiting for their cue. Sakura made a show of looking relieved. "Oh, thank you so much! I just need someone to help me carry my team mates back to the tower. Jenny and Mary will be so grateful, I'm sure we can repay you somehow!" She gushed, implying that her two team mates were also female. Seeing the men take the bait, she tripped a little and 'dropped' her scrolls. As she bent to pick them up, making a fuss about what a klutz she was, the boys took their cue. Sasuke shot a Phoenix Flower jutsu at the enemies, herding them all towards where Naruto waited. Sakura jumped out of the way as Naruto- several Narutos- leaped from cover, each one taking on one of the men. It was over quickly, with Sakura taking the scrolls while Sasuke and Naruto tied the men up. "Great performance, Sakura-chan! You really had 'em going, dattebayo!" Naruto said. Sasuke nodded. "It was pretty good. We got lucky- these guys weren't very smart." He said.

(something similar or to that effect then maybe?)

Kankuro didn't say anything, but he could sense something that was wrong with Gemini. However, as dumb as he acted sometimes, even he knew when it was a good idea to not ask a female what was wrong. Though just like his sister, he was surprised to see that Gaara was attracted by her...or was it the other way around? He wasn't sure. "That's probably a good idea. I'll let the others know," he said before going out of the kitchen.

Yugito shook her head lightly as she saw the plan go off without a hitch, actually surprised that their plan went off without a hitch. She remembered that when the plan was first talked about, Sakura hated the idea, but agreed to it after Yugito talked to her about it being seduction training for later. "I'm actually surprised that worked..." Yugito said as she came out of the bushes, Shotaro following right behind her. The Uchiha was right...they were lucky that the team they found were stupid. Hearing a moan coming from behind the bushes they were sitting behind just a few seconds ago, the Neko Jinchuuriki sighed lightly. 'Guess he's awake. Just wish it was for a little longer...' she thought.

((Yeah.))

Naruto grinned and put his arms behind his head. "Not all of our plans suck, dattebayo." He said sheepishly. When Yugito approached, he turned his grin on her and was about to speak when a groan from the bushes cut him short. He heard Yugito sigh, and felt a flash of annoyance that wasn't completely his own. Stupid jerk. If he wasn't around, Yugito-chan wouldn't look so upset. He thought. The thought brought on a rush of something the blonde couldn't quite describe. Chakra, red and raw, tinted with anger and...jealousy? It started as a burning somewhere in his stomach, and spread through him like wildfire, strong enough to be felt by those around him. Naruto realized that he was getting strange looks, and suddenly the feeling died down, just as quickly as it had come on. He stumbled, holding his stomach slightly. "Ugh...I guess I'm more tired than I thought. And hungry, too!" He said as a cover up.

Gemini nodded as Kankuro left the kitchen. She stood up from the chair she had been sitting in, and suddenly froze. Something inside of her seemed to unlock. She sensed something- a flow of energy, not her own. Where? She couldn't tell where it came from. Far away. She looked around, dazed. It was familiar. But how? Somewhere deep in her mind, a recognition took place. "Father...?" She muttered, unaware that she had spoken. But that didn't make sense. She didn't have a father. But it is definitely my father. She thought, confused. She fell back into her chair abruptly as the energy surge stopped, gripping her head as if she had a severe headache. "Ugh...."

(So if Kyuubi/Kurama is the father…I wonder who the mother would be. It would have to be a human since she’s a hanyou. It will also be interesting when Naruto starts training with his chakra…Though what do you think about this? Kurama making a deal with Naruto: He’ll give him youki/chakra whenever he wants as long as he finds/talks to Gemini. What do you think?)

’Naruto?’/’Kurama?' both Jinchuuriki and Bijuu thought as the blonde-haired female looked at Narurto in concern. She didn’t believe him for an instance, knowing that it was youki that he had drawn on in those few seconds and had nothing to do with him being tired or hungry. She could have also sworn that she felt anger and jealously within the youki as well and wondered what that was all about. ’Kurama wouldn’t be possessive of me because of Naruto…would he? she mentally asked. Then again, it could have something to do with Matatabi…shaking her head lightly, Yugito turned towards her teammates, as well as Naruto’s. “Now that we have both scrolls…let’s go ahead and head inside,” she said before getting a nod from everyone inside. Standing next to Naruto, she whispered. “Once we’re inside, you and I need to talk.”

Sakura couldn’t believe the pressure that came from Naruto and wondered what it was all about. Even if she had been a pain and nuisance to Naruto in the past, she knew how he acted. While she didn’t stalk him like Hinata did, she did keep track of him, as well as an eye. She noticed his shoulder twitch unconsciously right before speaking. ’He’s lying...’ she thought before sighing. She’d have to talk to him and get answers it seemed.

Gaara was about to leave as well. Once reaching the door, he turned around and was about to ask Gemini if she was following them once again or if she was going to separate and find her own rooms for the night. Seeing her freeze in place, he was about to ask if she was okay before hearing her say something. What exactly it was he wasn’t able to catch since she said it so low, but he knew that whatever it was, had him concerned about the girl. “Gemini…-chan…” he whispered softly, unsure as to what was going on, or what to do.

Baki had just exited taking with the Kazekage, not realizing that it was actually Orochimaru in disguise, especially since he wasn’t using a henge to act like the old man but yet wearing his skin like a suit. ’Interesting…kukuku. Perhaps I can use this Gemini in a few of my experiments…’ he thought to himself with an evil smile on his face. Making a clone to look like a Jounin from the village he had created, he headed out into the forest to talk to his contact Kabuto. There would be many plans to create and think up…

((Wolfie has been thinking about the mother thing, too. Naturally, for it to work, Gemini would have to be at least nine months older than Naruto, to allow for Kurama's capture. We could figure that out as we come to it, though. And yes, that plan sounds good to Wolfie ^-^))

Oblivious, Naruto smiled, believing that everyone bought his lie. Of course, he didn't even know what had happened, so it could have been exhaustion. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. Until Yugito walked next to him and said they had to talk. He blinked and looked at her, confused. He had completely forgotten about their earlier conversation. "Uh, sure. What do you wanna talk about, 'tebayo?" He asked as they all walked into the tower.

Shaking her head, Gemini took a deep breath and looked up to see Gaara, looking almost concerned. She heard him say her name, and she smiled weakly. "I'm fine. Really, I'm okay. I must have stood up too fast or something and gotten dizzy." She assured him. She felt guilty, making him worry like that. She never wanted to make anyone worry about her, although she wished she could tell him what really happened. She was so tired of keeping everything to herself, having no one to talk to. Still, she didn't let it show.

(Right, she would have to be and alright, we'll work on it as we get there. And good to hear that the idea works ^_^. )

"Whatever you two lovebirds want to talk about has to wait. Apparently we're told to open the scrolls here first before being able to take an empty room to rest and recuperate," Sasuke said while ignoring Yugito's growl, which strangely sounded like a hiss, before taking a set of scrolls and opening them. Seeing smoke, he quickly realized it was a summoning jutsu before throwing them on the ground. Soon after, Kakashi appeared in the spot where the two scrolls were.

Yugito hissed at the Uchiha when they called them lovebirds, not liking the term coming from his mouth. Seeing the same thing happen out the corner of her eye, she shrugged lightly and went to join her teammates. However, it wasn't before she told Naruto "Later, in private," before heading off to see what their sensei, Killer Bee, had to say about all of this.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her for a few minutes before slowly nodding, and letting it go. He had a feeling that she was hiding something, but what exactly it was, he couldn't tell. "If you are sure, but if there is something else...you can talk to me," he said before heading out the door. 'What exactly happened to her? No way that was a dizzy spell... he thought before trying to find two rooms for them, if his older sister hadn't already.

Naruto nodded and went over to where his team was. Iruka-sensei had appeared from the scrolls, and he was talking to them. Once that was done and Iruka-sensei had disappeared, Naruto stretched and yawned. He told his team that he was going to look around. Sakura looked suspicious, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He thinks we don't know that he's going to see his girlfriend." Sasuke said. Sakura shook her head. "Just leave him be. You know how Naruto-kun gets." She said, smoothing the waters. Meanwhile, Naruto found Yugito. "Hey, Yugito-chan. So what was it you wanted to talk about?" He asked.

Gemini couldn't meet his gaze. He knew she was lying. He let it go, but he knew. When he said that she could talk to him, her head snapped up. She opened her mouth to speak, but he was already gone. "Dammit...you're an idiot, Gemini." She muttered to herself, then got up and went after him. She caught up to him before he found his siblings, thankfully. "Gaara-san, wait. You're right, there was something else. I don't understand it, and it kind of scares me, but...can we talk in private?" She asked, wondering what kind of spell he'd put on her to make her open up like this.

Yugito felt the back of her neck heating up, having a feeling that the Uchiha was talking about her again, shrugging lightly, she was about to find a room for herself when she saw Naruto. Grinning lightly, she pulled him into the first empty room that she found and closed the door, not caring as to what the rumors would be because of this. “First…you remember what we talked about before those idiot shinobi came towards our traps and fell for the oldest page in the book?” she asked, bringing up their earlier conversation.

Gaara was actually, for once, ignoring the voice inside his head as he went to look for his siblings. He was…annoyed that Gemini didn’t trust him enough in order to tell her what exactly was going on. He was also worried. Turning around when he heard his name called, he saw the vixen running towards him. After hearing her tell him the truth and that there was something that scared her, he mentally smiled at that. While he didn’t understand exactly what she was doing to him, the jinchuuriki of sand nodded his head at her question. “Sure, follow me,” he said as he led her to an unused room.

Once inside the room, Naruto took a minute to collect himself. He hadn't expected her to pull him into a room like that. After her question, he thought for a second, scratching his head. "Hmm...oh, yeah! I remember, dattebayo! We were talking about my..." He trailed off and cleared his throat. "And you said there was a reason you didn't mind that much." He said.

Gemini bit her lip and followed the redhead into the room he led her to. Once inside, she turned to face him. "I'm sorry. I'm so used to keeping things to myself, it's kind of hard to share something like this. I don't get scared often, so this is kind of a big deal." She started, staring at her feet. "What happened was...I felt this...wave? Or, more like a pulse, I think. It's hard to describe. But it was this energy that felt really familiar, even though I'm sure I've never felt it before. When I was looking for the source of it, a tiny part of me felt so sure...and I didn't realize I'd even said it at first...I said "father." But that doesn't make sense, because I don't have a father. I can't figure out what it was I felt, and it scares me. There's some energy out there that resonates with my own, or it's at least similar, but...I don't understand it!" She said, clearly distressed. She looked up at him, hoping he didn't think she was crazy. Why had she gone on like that? It was like, once she'd started talking, she couldn't stop. "I don't understand..."

Yugito nodded, feeling a little bit nervous about telling him this, but knew that she had to. Especially after he told her about the fox out of his own free will. Trust that she knew about it thanks to Matatabi, but it was still the thought that counted. "As I said earlier, I don't care about you holding the fox at bay. The reason I say that is because there are 9 Bijuu. I hold number two...the nibi no nekomata," she replied. She looked down lightly, past versions of this telling to friends she trusted haunting her.

Gaara closed the door behind her with some of his sand, knowing that this was going to most likely be a private conversation...and boy was he right. After hearing her confess everything to him, he had a feeling that she thought he thought she was crazy, but he wasn't thinking like that whatsoever, and with the way he treated others, he should know. Doing something he would never do in the past, he moved towards her and pulled Gemini into a light hug. "I don't think you're crazy...and I should know. Most people call me crazy after all," he said in an attempt to create a joke. After that, he added, "And if you want...I'll help you find your father."

Naruto paused. One could almost see her words sinking in. "So...you're also...I mean, you have a..." He paused, collected himself, tried again. "You have a demon, too. That means...I'm not the only one. I...Yugito-chan, I've never met anyone like me before. And you decided to tell me about it, even when you didn't have to. That means a lot, dattebayo." The blonde looked up and caught her gaze, and smiled at her. "This will be our secret. The two of us, we can be outcasts together."

Gemini gasped softly as Gaara pulled her into a hug. She blushed, then after a moment, hugged him back. She smiled at his attempt at humor, then finally let the tears fall. "Th-thank you...I'm sorry, I'm usually not like this..." She said, trying not to cry all over him. "Would you really...help me? It would mean everything to me, if I could find even one of my parents...a-and I'll pay you back. Anything you want, just name it." She offered gratefully.

"You didn't have to tell me about yours either Naruto-kun, but you did anyways, so you don't have to thank me on that," Yugito quickly replied after she silently giggled at how he looked when her words settled in to the blonde haired male. She had to admit, at least to herself, that he looked cute when he was flustered like that. She also blushed lightly when he said that the could be outcasts together. "I would like that...the both of us as outcasts," she said softly.

"I figured as much...and to tell you the truth, neither am I. Actually before I came here I was so antisocial that only my siblings put up and got along with me," he admitted. Yet somehow it was because of her that he was acting like this...even his 'mother' approved of her...which was somewhat shocking actually. "Yes I would really help you find your father Gemini-chan..." he replied, ignoring the rest of what she said. He didn't really need anything since he was the son of the Kazekage, but he wondered...would it be possible for her to come home with them?

Naruto grinned shyly and nodded. "That's great, then. You're pretty cool, Yugito-chan. Dattebayo." He said sincerely. He held his hand out for her to shake. "Let's shake on it. When you're with friends, you're not really an outcast, 'tebayo."

Gemini looked up at him and giggled. "Oh, is that so? I never would have guessed." She joked sarcastically. She sniffled and pulled away slightly. She didn't want to- a part of her wanted to stay in his arms forever, which made her blush, but she knew she had to let go eventually. "Thank you, Gaara-san. Really, I appreciate it." She said with a tiny smile.

Yugito blushed lightly at the compliments "Thanks..." she said, not really use to being complimented like that. Giggling lightly at what Naruto said, she nodded before shaking his hand.

"You don't have to thank me," Gaara replied, having a feeling that she was teasing him with his first comment before letting her go. Now the question was on to how they would find Gemini's father...

Gemini leaned up against the wall. "The good news in all this is that the energy I felt came from nearby. I'm convinced it was connected to my father somehow, which means that our lead is in the village. Possibly even in the building." She said thoughtfully.

Naruto crossed his arms. "Hey, Yugito-chan? I gotta ask you something. Remember earlier when I said I was tired and hungry? I think it was something else. I think the fox is reacting to something. And now that I know about you, I think...I think it's reacting to you. Or at least, your demon. I can't talk to the kyuubi, and I was wondering...do you talk to the cat?" He asked.

"Well if you're a vixen...could it be possible that your father is the Kyuubi?" Gaara asked as he remembered the history of the nine bijuu. He knew that while it was possible, it could also be highly unlikely. Then again, at the moment he was just grasping at straws.

"I do talk to her, or more correctly, she talks to me. She's like an older embarrassing sister at times..." Yugito admitted, mentally ignoring Matatabi saying that she wasn't that bad. "So...you think the Kyuubi was reacting to the Nibi? But why?" she asked, unsure as to why the strongest of the demons would want something to do with the Nibi...

Gemini nearly tripped over. She had honestly never made that connection before, and she couldn't believe she'd missed it. "I...I never thought of that...but, that's impossible, isn't it? Or at least, really, really unlikely." She said, collecting herself. "I'd always assumed that my mother was the demon...I don't know why. Maybe because I'm a girl? Either way...I suppose it is possible. If you look at the time frame...but the Kyuubi was sealed around the same year that I was born. I would have to check the age of the person it was sealed inside. If I'm older than that person, then it becomes more likely. And perhaps that person would be able to ask the fox himself." She said thoughtfully. Gemini still had no idea that the person she had to talk to was Naruto.

Naruto scratched his head. "That's the thing, I don't know why. That's why I asked if you could talk to the Nibi. If you can do that, then maybe you could help me talk to the Kyuubi, and we could find out why, dattebayo." He said, showing a level of intelligence that was somewhat unusual for him. "Plus if I could talk to him, I could ask for chakra when I'm fighting." He muttered, effectively ruining the intelligence moment.

Gaara saw Gemini trip over herself. "You alright?" he asked before hearing her speak. Replaying what he said, he chuc...smirked lightly. Who would have thought that Gaara of all people could easily see something like that? "It's possible, but I'm just saying it could be the Kyuubi that is your father," he said, hopefully not getting her hopes up and then finding out that it wasn't the Kyuubi at all. "So now the question is...who holds Kyuubi?" he muttered, having a feeling that his siblings were either wondering where they were, or about to tease them for being alone together for so long.

"You know...for a moment there I thought you were being smart...and then you have to kill the moment," Yugito teased, smiling lightly to show Naruto that she meant no harm by her comment. Though it was odd that Kurama didn't speak to Naruto...maybe it was because he was such a prideful person and got severely humiliated before being sealed? Resolving to help Naruto, Yugito first asked "what do you know about meditating?"

Gemini frowned. "Well, that is a bit of a problem. I know one thing: the jinchuurichi of the Kyuubi lives in this village. The fourth Hokage sealed the beast, saved the village, and died in the process. It's a legend around here." She said thoughtfully. She had completely forgotten about the other two, so caught up had she gotten in the conversation.

Naruto chuckled, knowing that she was teasing. When she asked about meditation, he thought hard for a moment. "Um...not much. You're supposed to sit for a long time, right?" He asked. Naruto wasn't the type to meditate, and indeed, he had never even tried before. But if it would help, then he'd give it a try.

"Oh come on Temari, let the two lovebirds enjoy their time together for once. Besides, she's good for Gaara. He's mellowed out because of her," Kankuro said, for once not being perverted about it. "And then I can talk to him about the bird and the bees..." and that thought was spoken too soon. Sighing lightly, Temari resisted the urge to smack him just this once.

"You know...I wonder what will happen if I tell Gem-chan about your Icha Icha collection..." she said, causing him to pale and shut up.

"That's the most popular way, yes. Though I have heard of other ways to connect with your Bijuu/tenant/whatever you want to call him, but those are also a little more dangerous," Yugito said in agreement. She had a feeling that her friend, or boyfriend if you believed the crazy cat demon stuck in you, was going to ask more about the dangerous ones.

Gemini sighed. "Well, I suppose we can figure it out as we go along. For now, I'm tired, and your siblings are probably wondering where we are." She said, suddenly remembering that there were other people in the world. What was it, she wondered, that was making her act so strangely around this guy?

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded. "Well, I'm not really into sitting around. What are the other ways?" He asked, in true Naruto fashion. He wanted to do things fast, and if that meant dangerous, well, bonus. He wondered what it was like to have someone talking to you in your head.

"Probably a good idea," He said. Even though he knew it would be a bad idea for him to sleep. But he wouldn't mind watching the moon and the stars...perhaps it could help him think as to why this girl out of so many others weren't afraid of him, or why he didn't feel so homicidal around her and led her back to their rooms.

"You know of any place that's high? A fall to certain death is one method to bring yourself into contact with the beast inside. There's also a hidden island, but you'll need special permission from Rai-jiji in order to get there...those are the only two I can think of off the top of my head," she replied.

Gemini followed, lost in thought. When they got to their rooms, she turned to him. "Gaara-san...thank you for listening to me. You're a good friend." She said shyly. She was blushing just a little, though she didn't know why. She would have trouble sleeping that night, she thought. Too much to think about.

Naruto thought for a moment, then grinned. "There's lots of high places in Konoha. The Hokage Rock is pretty high up, but I can't wait that long. I could jump off the roof of this tower, that's pretty high. And falling into the Forest of Death is sure to do it, dattebayo!" He said cheerfully, as if the idea of certain death was fun.

"Thanks?" He said, not quite sure as to how to take a compliment since this was the first time that he had received one, if any, if he were honest with himself. Heading to the room that he shared with his brother, he hoped that Temari was already sleeping.

"So...how was it little brother?" Kankuro asked with a perverse grin.

"Brother...shut up before I kill you," he said in an eerily calm voice, causing Kankuro to wonder if he was joking or not, especially now that Gemini and them had helped mellow him out. He swore that it was because of the girl...

"...You sound way too cheerful in going to your own demise Naruto..." Yugito deadpanned as she sighed lightly.

"For once, I agree with your neko mate" a voice said as it boomed through Naruto's head. "What do you want oh faithful container of mine?" a male voice asked, it's tone dripping with sarcasm.

Gemini went into her room to lay down, and as predicted, couldn't sleep. After about an hour of tossing ant turning, she sighed and sat up. "...This is useless. Maybe I'll sleep better if I can lay under the stars." She said to herself. With that, she made her way up to the roof of the tower, where the night sky was clear and bright.

Naruto grinned. "It's not like I'll actually die-" He started, but stopped when he heard a voice in his head that wasn't his own. "W-what? What was that? Yugito-chan, there's a voice, dattebayo!" he said, seeming a little freaked out. "Oh, wait...the fox! Hey, why are you talking to me now, all of a sudden?"