"Alright," Yugito responded as she saw him heading back into the bedroom, a light blush starting to form on her cheeks as Mata-chan suggested that she go in after the fox. She ignored the hellcat and waited for her boyfriend. She just hoped that everything would be okay.

Kankuro chuckled lightly at that, not realizing that his younger brother was mentally laughing as well.

"Sorry we can't be of much help Gem-chan, but since we were born here in Sunagakure, we didn't need to take any tests to become citizens. However, kunoichi testing on the other hand...they take you in the middle of the night and transport you somewhere in the desert with a canteen of water, a knife, an insulated sleeping bag and some writing that will take you to your first challenge. You basically have to navigate the desert and stay alive. Temari said. The fact that Gaara helped them ace that test was left unsaid obviously.

(Question: Are we going to do anything with the Akatsuki?)

((Wolfie thought so, just to follow the canon storyline. Unless you don't want to? They really only show up once before the shippuden, though.))

Naruto emerged a few minutes later, dressed all in black and looking more sober than usual.

Gemini nodded, taking this information in. "I see. Well, I suppose that makes sense. I'll just have to be ready. It's a good thing I already learned basic survival at the academy...and I guess it's probably a blessing in disguise that I've spent most of my life living on the bare minimum. I might actually have a chance at this." She said, her mood brightening as she said the last bit.

(I was just curious is all)

While Yugito didn't know the Third Hokage as well as Naruto did, she, too, was wearing black and would do anything and everything in her power to help Naruto cope with the loss.

"Then after you pass your test, we'll have to make sure you don't have to live on the bare minimum again," Temari said with a grin.

Naruto led her to the building where the service was to be held. He stayed quiet most of the time, but managed to avoid crying.

Gemini smiled. "Thank you. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I still have to take the test." She said. Now that she had an idea of what was coming, she was kind of excited.

((The Hokage's funeral was so damned sad! Wolfie tries to avoid remembering it when she can. ))

(Have you ever seen Chrno Crusade? The last episode...now that is sad)

Yugito followed Naruto towards the building that had the funeral for the Sandaime, her hand finding his almost instantly. Interlocking her fingers with his, she squeezed his hand lightly, letting him know that she was here for him.

"True. But no matter what happens, you'll have a home here with us," Kankuro replied as he received additional nods from Temari and Gaara.

((No. There is only one anime that has ever succeeded in making Wolfie cry. It's called Air. Have you seen it? You should It's a-freaking-mazing.))

By the time the funeral was over, Naruto was ready to go back home. People had seemed willing enough to accept his new appearance, but there were still looks and he was getting tired of it. "Wanna go get something to eat?" He offered instead, thinking of how they hadn't had breakfast yet.

Gemini beamed at him. It was the first truly kind, non-sleazy thing he had said to her so far. "Thanks, really. I don't know what I would do without you guys." She said.

(Can't say that I have off the top of my head)

"I would like that, Nya~" Yugito said, purposely using the verbal tic so as to get him to crack a light smile. She just hoped that it would work after all of the depressing stuff that they had in the last couple of hours.

"Probably the same place you were or worse off, no offense" Kankuro answered truthfully. "But then again, we'd still be afraid of Gaara and Gaara would still be an emotionless killing machine."

Naruto managed a slight grin, which was not even close to his usual smile but better than nothing. "Great. What do you want? My treat."

Gemini frowned slightly, then reached across the table and flicked Kankuro on the forehead. "There is a fine line between honesty and cruelty. You really are tactless." She said, shaking her head. It didn't matter how true the statement was, it was still harsh.

Yugito was glad to see a smile on Naruto's face. "I wouldn't mind getting some ramen actually," she admitted.

"Sadly you get use to it," Temari replied as she watched her brother rub the spot where he got flicked.

Naruto actually managed to perk up at that. "Well, that I can definitely do!" He said, grabbing her hand and starting towards his favorite restaurant.

Gemini sighed. "Men. Insensitive jerks, the lot of them. With the exception of a precious few." She said, glancing over at Gaara with a smile.

Yugito laughed at that, knowing he could definitely deal with that.

Temari giggled lightly at that, especially when Gemini looked at Gaara.

By the time they sat down and ordered, Naruto was back to his old self. It was hard for him to be sad for long.

Gemini finished her breakfast and took her dishes to the sink. "Well, unless anyone needs me for anything, I'm going to get some training done today." She said.

Yugito was glad to see Naruto back to his old self, seeing that depressed form on his face really didn't sit well with the young neko at all which was one of the reasons why she wanted to come here. Seeing Ayame coming with two bowls, she was surprised when Ayame placed the bowl of beef ramen and seafood ramen in front of the two hanyous. "It's on the house, but just those first bowls," she quickly explained.

"Have anything particular in mind? Temari asked.

Naruto smiled brightly. "Hey, thanks a lot, Ayame-chan!" He said, breaking apart his chopsticks to dig in.

"I was thinking endurance training. That and I want to practice transforming, so I can get the hang of it. I think, if I can live as a fox for a while during my test, I should have a better shot at passing." Gemini said.

"Don't mention it Naru-nii." Ayame said with a light smile, knowing that free bowl, as well as Yugito's company, would help lift his spirits up. Ayame also heard Yugito's word of thanks as she made her way back towards the kitchen since no one else was currently there.

"I can help with endurance training if you want, wind storms can come up out of nowhere out there," Temari said as she offered her help.

Naruto was mostly quiet as he ate, though it would have been hard for him to talk with a mouth full of ramen. He made it through five bowls before deciding he was finished. "Ah, that was great! Hey, Kitty-chan, what do you want to do next?"

Gemini smiled. "That would help a lot, thanks. I'll need to train for any possible situation." She said, already thinking of things that might help. Temari's wind could prepare her for wind storms. Gaara's sand could help her be ready for sandstorms. As for Kankuro, he could manipulate his puppets to immitate animals that might try to attack her at night.

Yugito ate three bowls of ramen herself. While it was alright, it had nothing on sushi. "I didn't have anything in mind," she admitted.

"We could all help actually, if you want"Gaara added after a few seconds.

Naruto thought for a minute. "Hmm...well, we could take a walk." He suggested, unsure of what else to do.

Gemini nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. I would really appreciate it!" She told him with a grateful smile.

"Sounds like a plan Foxy-kun," she said with a grin on her face.

Kankuro could use his puppets to be like animals while Gaara could help with sand storms. With all of us helping, there's no way you can't pass this test," she said with a smirk.

"Great!" Naruto paid the bill for both of them and stood up, ready to go. "We can walk by the training grounds where I had my first test with my team mates. There's a great story in that."

Gemini nodded. "I agree. I couldn't ask for better teachers than you guys!" She said. Even being from Konoha, she knew very well that the sand siblings were the best shinobi in Suna.

"Now I'm curious..."Yugito replied as she wanted to hear the story now.

"T-thanks," Temari said, blushing lightly in embarrassment. She didn't think they were good teachers, knowing that there were others more qualified than them.

Naruto chuckled. "I'll tell it when we get there. It'll be easier with the scenery to show you how it happened." He said.

"No problem. It's the truth, after all. Now, what are we waiting for? Can we start now?" Gemini asked excitedly.

"If you say so. Now I want to get there quicker just to hear and see what you're talking about, Nya~" Yugito replied with a light blush, just knowing her boyfriend would laugh at her actions..

"Then thanks, and yes training can begin right now Gemini-chan. I think we should work on one thing at a time first before combining them together," Kankuro said thoughtfully. He still smarted from the flick earlier, but wasn't going to let it darken his thoughts. "Out of curiosity, and I swear I won't use them, but do poisons effect you?"

Naruto chuckled and led her towards the training grounds. It didn't take long to get there. "Ah, that old post in the center...the first thing you should know is that the test my team went through was the very same that our teacher went through, and his before him and his before him. It's called the bell test, and it started with the Third Hokage." He said, then started explaining what happened the day of the bell test.

Gemini's ear twitched. "You know, I don't know. I don't think anyone's ever tried to poison me before. And even if they did, I wouldn't know it because it didn't work. If I had to guess, I'd say the effect me, but less that a normal human. Naruto-san isn't effected as much as most people because of my father's chakra, so it should be the same for me." She said thoughtfully.

(*sighs* and of course I would piss you off in our other RP to just end this pisspoor day with a cheery on the fuckstorm)

Yugito listened to Naruto speak about the Bell test, giggling lightly as he told her about how ignorant he was back then. She had to admit though that the test was pretty good for what it was suppose to teach and said as such after the explanation was over.

"I see," Kankuro said, seeing as it made sense."Some of the creatures in the desert are poisonous...you'll be at a big advantage due to being immune to them," he said as Temari quickly added on something. "However...your fur might cause a problem of it's own by trapping more heat than a normal human would"