Tsunade was surprised when they came back and told her that Naruto would need to be taken off active duty again. She was skeptical at first, but after she confirmed herself that there really was another life growing inside Naruto, she took him off active duty. She, along with the few other people they told, Shikamaru's parents, Jiraiya, Asuma and Kurenai, Hinata, Ino, and Choji, gave them congratulations, and Yoshino became just a tad more protective of him than she already was.

He had to let Kakashi, Sai and Sakura know that he wouldn't be able to go on missions with them again, and while Kakashi and Sai didn't ask questions, Sakura absolutely blew up.

"Are you kidding me?" Sakura yelled. "What is it this time? You break a fingernail or something?" Sakura yelled. "Why do you think you're so special?"

Naruto bristled at her, but before he could say anything, Kakashi stepped between them. "That's enough, Sakura," he said as he crossed his arms. "I think it's about time you told us what your problem is with Naruto."

"He's done nothing wrong," Sai added.

"Nothing wrong? He does nothing right!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto clenched his fists and stepped up to her. She didn't back off and just glared at him. "What did I do to you? Why do you hate me so much?"

"It should've been you that left, not Sasuke," she replied.

Naruto's eyes went wide and he took a step back. Sasuke? She was mad at him because Sasuke left? "I had nothing to do with him leaving."

"If that's why you're so mad, Sakura, then it should be me you're mad at, not Naruto," Kakashi said. "Sasuke defected from the village, and I was unable to stop him."

"I didn't even talk to Sasuke outside of team missions or training sessions, and even then we didn't really talk. He hated me, and I hated him," Naruto said, then looked down. "I thought that after his clan was wiped out, that maybe we could be friends. We were both alone, but he acted just like the freaking jerk he was before. He hadn't changed at all. No. Actually, he got worse."

"Sasuke was nothing like you, Naruto," Sakura said. "He was from a prestigious family. He was a somebody. You? You were a nobody, a monster, a freak, and yet, Sasuke was the one that left. He left and I was stuck with you." She spat the last word as if it was venom in her mouth.

Naruto looked up again, anger on his face. "You had no idea who I was. You never once tried to get to know me."

Sakura turned her nose in the air. "I didn't want to get to know you. You were a disease that should've been stomped out years ago. I was supposed to be with Sasuke, but then he left, and it had to be something you did."

"I didn't do anything! He left on his own!"

"Naruto, calm down," Kakashi said, placing a hand on Naruto's arm.

Sakura glared at him again. "You were always causing problems for us! Constantly making mistakes and getting in Sasuke's way! You got in my way by driving him away! It should've been my wedding people attended last week, not yours."

"So what? You're jealous? Is that it? You're mad because I'm married? I have a husband and son who love me and you don't?"

"You don't deserve love, Naruto," Sakura said as she stepped up to him again.

Naruto felt more anger bubble up inside him, but this anger was not his. Kurama growled and he could feel the fox's chakra trying to push out. He thought about letting some of it slip out, if only to scare her, but he kept it in check.

"Ok. That's enough," Kakashi said as he grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her back.

"If you want to be with Sasuke so badly, then why don't you defect too!" Naruto yelled.

"You know what, maybe I will," she bit out. "At least then I'd be away from you."

"Enough!" Kakashi shouted and pulled her away. "Sai, take Naruto home," he called out over his shoulder.

Naruto stood there, glaring at the pinkette, who just glared back. He felt Sai hesitantly put his hand on his arm. He didn't move for a few seconds, but then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned, allowing Sai to lead him away.

Naruto avoided going anywhere near Sakura the next couple days, but felt absolutely horrible when he heard that Sakura had left the village. He didn't actually mean for her to leave the village. He was just angry that she was mad at him for something that wasn't his fault.

Tsunade had sent several shinobi out to search for her, but no one could find her. Shikamaru had told him over and over that it wasn't his fault, but no matter what Shikamaru said, Naruto still felt guilty.

NNNNNNNNNN

A few months had passed, and Naruto was about three months along in his pregnancy by now. Sakura had still not been found, and she was now considered a rogue ninja like Sasuke, and while none of his friends blamed him for her disappearance, he did avoid Ino for a while since she was so close to Sakura.

Jiraiya had left once more to track down what the Akatsuki were doing, but before he left, he warned Naruto not to do anything with sage mode. He explained that while Naruto could do the perfect sage mode, the child that was now growing inside him would cause the movement that would result in the frog transformation. Naruto was a little upset by this because not only could he not use Kurama's chakra to defend himself, he couldn't use sage mode either.

Naruto unconsciously rubbed at his slightly bulging stomach over his shirt as he sat in the kitchen and watched Shikadai talk earnestly to Mirai, who was laying on a blanket on his living room floor. She smiled up at the boy and raised her arms, giggling and laughing at what the boy did.

"You ok?"

Naruto looked over and saw Kurenai looking at him, holding her cup of tea in her hands close to her lips. "Huh?"

"You're rubbing your stomach again," she said as she glanced down at his hand.

Naruto looked down, blushed a bit, then raised that hand to lay on the table. "Uh, sorry. I've been doing that a lot apparently. I do it without thinking."

Kurenai smiled and took a sip. "I get that. I did it too. Drove Asuma crazy," she said with a chuckle.

Naruto smiled and picked up his own cup to take a sip. "With me doing that, and the morning sickness, Shika's been freaking out every time I move."

"Well, he didn't get to see what it was like personally since Temari kept the pregnancy from him, and he wasn't around me all that much, plus, I'm sure it doesn't help that this is something entirely new with you being male and all. I'm sure he's just worried."

"I know. I told him I was in no danger, but..."

"I'm sure he can't help it. Asuma said Shikamaru freaks out when he can't plan ahead for things, even if he doesn't show it, and since he has no idea what could happen, he doesn't know how to plan for this."

Naruto smiled sadly and looked down into his cup. "Yeah." He rubbed his thumb up and down the side of the cup. "I hate that I'm making him worry so much." He felt the tears welling up in his eyes and he rubbed at them furiously. "Dang it."

Kurenai chuckled. "Hormones can be annoying, huh?"

Naruto looked at her and his smile became a little more genuine. "Yeah. Granny said I need to be careful. With my struggle with depression in the past, she said I could fall back into it really easily, and since Sakura left..." His smile fell and he looked back at the liquid in his cup. "Just another thing Shikamaru's been worrying about."

Kurenai reached over and placed her hand over the one he had laying on the table. "That wasn't your fault, Naruto. You can't keep blaming yourself for something she decided to do."

"That's what Shika keeps telling me, but I'm the one who told her to do it."

Kurenai frowned. "But that doesn't mean you made her leave. Ino mentioned to me that Sakura had been thinking of going to find Sasuke several times, but she managed to talk Sakura out of it every time. If Sakura was really that unhappy with everything, she would've left whether you said anything or not."

Naruto looked up. He hadn't realized that Sakura had already wanted to leave. Now he wasn't sure if hearing that made things worse or a little better. "I guess," he said as he looked away again.

Kurenai sat back and they both sat there in silence until they heard a loud wail come from the living and turned to see Shikadai running to them, panic in his eyes. "Mirai cry, mommy! Not stop," Shikadai said, tears shimmering in his eyes. "I no hurt, I promise."

Naruto forced a smile and ruffled the boy's hair. "We know you didn't do anything."

"She's probably just hungry. It has been a while since she last ate," Kurenai said, then got up and went to get her daughter while Naruto pulled Shikadai onto his lap, wrapping his arms around the boy.

Shikadai stared down at Naruto's stomach and placed his hand on it. "Mommy, when baby come out?"

Naruto smiled. Ever since they told Shikadai about the baby growing inside of him, it was a question the boy always asked. Having Mirai around must have made the boy want to play with his own sibling. He kissed the top of the boy's head. "It won't be for a while, Dai, but they'll be here sooner than you think."

Shikadai frowned. "Want to play with now."

Kurenai chuckled as she sat back down in her seat, Mirai still a little fussy as she pulled at Kurenai's shirt. "You'll just have to be content with Mirai for now," she said as she draped the blanket over her shoulder and situated Mirai under it. Soon the only sound they could hear was the stuttered breaths of Mirai as she drank.

After seeing that Mirai was getting something to eat, Shikadai insisted he was hungry too. Naruto got up and pulled some strawberries out of the fridge and placed them on the table. They had just eaten breakfast a few hours ago, and he planned on making lunch in a little bit, so he told Shikadai that he could have a snack for now. The boy didn't complain, and they all snacked on the tub of strawberries.

Kurenai and Mirai stayed at the Nara home for a few more hours before they headed back home, leaving Naruto and Shikadai by themselves. Naruto smiled as he watched his son play with a few cars that he had gotten for his birthday on the floor. He sighed, closed his eyes, and laid his head back on the couch, his hand unconsciously rubbing over his stomach again.

He opened his eyes again when he heard a loud knock coming from the front door. He looked down and saw that there was a blanket over one of his legs, and Shikadai's head resting on his leg sleeping. A smile spread over his face and he carefully lifted the boy's head off his leg and settled it on the couch after he got up, then headed to the door.

"Hey, Naruto," Hinata said with a smile after Naruto opened the door.

"Hey, Hinata. What's up?" Naruto said, smiling back at the woman.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd want to go out to lunch with me tomorrow," she asked. She seemed a little nervous.

"You do remember I'm married now, right?" he teased.

Hinata's eyes went wide and she put her hands up. "No! I mean, yes I remember. I... I was just... It's not..."

Naruto laughed. "I'm only kidding. Lunch sounds good. I can drop Shikadai off with Yoshino and meet up with you."

Hinata put her hands down and smiled. "Great. Come by the dango tea shop around noon."

"Ok."

"Well, I have to get home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye," Hinata said, raising her hand, then turned and walked away.

Naruto closed the door and stood there for a second. Why was she so nervous about asking him to lunch? It's not like they hadn't gone out to eat with each other before. He shook his head and went back into the living room. Shikadai was still sleeping, and he looked up at the clock. "Well, guess I'll make dinner. Kurama, want me to summon you for a little while so you can eat with us?"

'Closer to when you actually sit down to eat.'

Naruto smiled and walked to the kitchen. With Shikamaru out on a mission until sometime tomorrow night, he didn't need to make anything big, so he went with a simple stir fry. Yoshino had given him a new one to try and he figured this would be the best time to try it.

NNNNNNNNNN

Around 11:30 the next day, Naruto headed towards the main house on the compound so that he could leave Shikadai with Yoshino for a few hours.

"Yoshino? You home?" he called out as the two walked in.

Yoshino came around the corner, a smile on her face. "Naruto, what can I do for you?" she asked, but her eyes were on Shikadai.

"I was hoping you could watch Shikadai for a few hours. Hinata invited me to eat lunch with her, and the way she was acting made me think that was sent to ask me for Ino or someone. I don't know what they're planning."

Yoshino knelt down and opened her arms, which Shikadai quickly ran into, and she wrapped her arms tightly around the boy. "Of course I'll watch him. You never have to ask."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks. I won't be gone too long."

"Stay out as long as you want," Yoshino said as she stood up, Shikadai in her arms.

Naruto nodded and walked out the door.

'Naruto, something didn't feel right about her.'

"What are you talking about? She was probably just happy she got to watch Shikadai again. He has been staying with me since I haven't been doing missions," he replied as he walked toward the shopping district of the village.

Kurama didn't say anything more, but Naruto did give a quick glance back as he walked.

When he made it to the dango shop, he saw Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Kurenai, Iruka, and a couple other people there. "Glad you could make it, Naruto," Ino said as she walked up to him and pulled him inside.

"What's going on?"

Ino's smile widened. "We wanted to give you a small baby shower. Yoshino said she was going to do a bigger one closer to when you're due and know the gender, but we wanted to do something."

"We know you've been kind of down since Sakura left," Tenten said. "We thought maybe this would help."

A twinge of pain hit Naruto at the mention of the pinkette, but he forced a smile. "Thanks, guys. Though I'm surprised Yoshino didn't want to be here."

"I stopped by her house after I left yours and asked her, but since you were hoping she would watch Shikadai, she said she would stay home," Hinata said.

"That's when Hinata heard she wanted to do a bigger one when you got further along," Kurenai said.

Iruka walked up to them as Naruto sat down at one of the tables and handed him a small wrapped gift. "Congratulations, Naruto. I'm really proud of how far you've come."

Naruto beamed as he took the gift. "Thanks, Iruka Sensei."

For the next couple hours, Naruto felt like the most important person in the world, and everyone's words definitely helped him feel better about Sakura's defection. They ate, played a couple games, and unwrapped the few gifts that people brought, and just overall had a great time.

Hinata walked him home, helping him carry the gifts, then walked with him to go pick up Shikadai. "Yoshino? I'm back?"

Silence.

Naruto frowned and he looked toward Hinata, panic slightly rising in him as he remembered Kurama's warning. "Yoshino? Shikadai?" he asked as they walked toward the living room.

"Maybe she took him to the park?" Hinata offered.

They heard a soft thump come from down the hall. Naruto looked over at Hinata, who already had her byakugan activated, veins popping out around her eyes. Fear rose up when she gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. "What? What's wrong?"

"Yoshino. She's tied up in a closet in one of the rooms," she replied as she pointed toward the bedrooms.

Naruto ran down the hall and into the room Hinata called out and flung the closet door open to see Yoshino struggling and looking up at him with fear in her eyes. She had tape over her mouth, a few bruises that were starting to appear on her face, her feet were tied together with rope, and her hands were behind her back, which he assumed were also tied with rope. "What happened?" he asked as he knelt down and took the tape off her mouth before reaching around and untying her hands.

"It was Temari," she said once the tape was off. "She jumped me while I was in the kitchen. I tried to fight her off, but she was too strong."

Naruto's heart fell into his stomach at Temari's name. "W-when?"

Yoshino shook her head as she rubbed at her wrists. "I'm not sure. Maybe around 11?"

Naruto fell back on his butt, and all the blood drained from his face. "I-I dropped Shikadai off with you around 11:30."

Yoshino looked at him with a worried expression. "That wasn't me. She must have transformed into me after she tied me up and put me in here."

"I'll go let Lady Tsunade know," Hinata said, then ran out of the room.

Yoshino pulled the rope from her ankles and scooted over to wrap her arms around Naruto, who was now crying.

"I-I should've listened. Kurama said there was something off, but..." he couldn't finish as a sob escaped from his throat. Yoshino pulled him into her and he buried his face in her shoulder. "I-I let her take him. I...I..."

"Shhh," Yoshino tried to sooth him as she rubbed her hands up and down his back. He could feel something wet drop on his head. "We'll find him."

"Shika will never forgive me. I... I should've felt it. I should've listened to Kurama. He... he's gone because of me."

Yoshino tried to shush him again, rocking him slightly while continuing to rub his back. They sat there for several more minutes before Yoshino finally convinced him to go to the kitchen with her.

Naruto sat at the table, a blank look on his face as he stared at the table. First Sakura, now Shikadai... He curled his arms on the table and buried his face in them, a few more tears falling. Why couldn't he do anything right?

'Will you stop that? None of this was your fault.'

'Yes it was. I ignored your warning. I should've listened to you, and because I didn't, that witch has Shikadai.'

'I'm to blame as well. I should have pressed the matter more, but I didn't.'

Naruto appreciated what Kurama was trying to do, but nothing the fox said would help him. He knew the truth. It was his fault, and no one could convince him otherwise.

It was about an hour later when Shikaku, who had been working with Tsunade that morning, walked in. Naruto hadn't really moved since they moved into the kitchen, and he sat up. "Did they find him?"

Shikaku looked at him sadly. "No. There were no signs of Temari anywhere. We're thinking she used a transportation jutsu to get out of the village so that we couldn't track her. Tsunade sent anbu to the sand village, but it'll be a few days before they get there. Hopefully they can catch up to her and get him back before they reach the village."

"What happens if she makes it back before the anbu catch up to her?" Yoshino asked.

Shikaku took a seat at the table and sighed. "A lot of trouble. While yes, he belongs here in the leaf with us, he is technically Temari's son too, even if we don't acknowledge it. A simple DNA test would prove that and they would have every right to claim he belongs with her. We've prevented an all out war so far, but this might just push us to it."

Naruto looked down and could feel the tears welling up again. "So he's gone," he said quietly.

"No. We will get him back," Shikaku said, a bit of anger in his voice.

Naruto curled his arms on the table again and buried his face in them. This was just getting worse and worse.

"Dad?"

Naruto tensed when he heard Shikamaru's voice and he raised his head. His eyes met Shikamaru's and the tears fell. "Shika, I..."

Shikamaru made his way over to Naruto, dropped to his knees, and pulled the blonde into a hug.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said as he clung to his husband, face buried in the man's chest. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," the dark haired man said.

Naruto pushed his face even more into the man's chest, and the tears fell harder. He wished people would stop saying that. It was his fault. Why wouldn't they just say so? Why didn't they just yell at him?

'Because it's the truth. It's not anyone's fault. That woman managed to get past the village sensors and trick us. If it's anyone's fault, it's the sensing unit.'

Naruto thought about that for a moment, and it did make him feel a little better, but not completely.

"What have you figured out?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto pulled away a bit and saw that Shikamaru was looking at Shikaku.

"The anbu are trying to track her down. They're heading to the sand now, but it takes a few days to get there. We're hopeful they'll get to her before she reaches the village," Shikaku said.

"What are the chances of that?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well, if we assume she left right after Naruto did around 11:30, then she had a good two or so hours on our men, not to mention the fact that she had to have used a transportation to get out of the village since there were no traces of her outside the village walls. The transportation could've given her another half an hour or so."

"So we're looking at about a three hour lead," Shikamaru surmised.

Shikaku just nodded. "We both know what will happen if she makes it to Suna before we can catch up to her."

Shikamaru nodded and tightened his arms around Naruto.

Naruto closed his eyes and tightened his fists around Shikamaru's vest. 'Please let them get to him in time.'

NNNNNNNNNN

On the fourth day after Shikadai's kidnapping, they finally got a report from the anbu team. According to them, there was no sign of Temari or Shikadai in Suna. One anbu even eavesdropped on a conversation with the Kazekage and learned that Temari had disobeyed orders and never returned to the village. Not even her own village knew where she was.

The anbu retreated from Suna before they could be discovered and were now on their way back, and Tsunade ordered several teams to go out and search the surrounding area for any sign of where she might have gone.

Naruto had pretty much locked himself in their room after Shikamaru brought him home that day, and after that, he was mostly in Shikadai's room, clinging to the stuffed deer that the boy loved so much and laying on the boy's small bed.

"Naruto?"

Naruto opened his eyes slowly. They burned from all the crying he had been doing. He looked up at Shikamaru who was walking toward him, but immediately turned his head back towards the plush. He hadn't been able to look at Shikamaru at all without feeling completely guilty. He wasn't even sure why Shikamaru was being so understanding. He had let the woman that hurt him steal his son.

Shikamaru knelt down next to Shikadai's bed, which Naruto had taken to fall asleep on more than their own bed. "Naruto, please. Come and eat something."

Naruto just pulled the plush it closer to his face and tightened his arms more.

"Naruto, you've hardly eaten anything in the last three days. You need to eat something."

"Why?" the blonde choked out.

'For your kid, you brat! My chakra can only keep it healthy for so long.'

"You have to eat, Naruto. You're not just taking care of yourself anymore, remember?" Shikamaru said with an almost begging tone.

Naruto peeked back out and saw the worried look on Shikamaru's face, then slowly sat up. "I don't know if I can," he answered honestly. Everytime he did eat, his stomach twisted and he felt like he would puke.

"Please at least try?" Shikamaru begged. "Mom brought something over, so you don't have to endure my cooking."

A small smile crossed Naruto's face, which made Shikamaru smile too. The man stood up and held his hand out. Naruto looked at the hand a second before he grabbed it and allowed Shikamaru to pull him off the small bed. He lost his balance and fell into Shikamaru, but the man just held him tightly. Maybe he had been lying around too much.

Shikamaru helped Naruto downstairs, into the kitchen, and onto one of the chairs, then grabbed a few plates and piled on some food before bringing them over to the table, sitting the smaller amount in front of Naruto before sitting down next to the blonde.

Naruto took a deep breath and the scent of the food made his mouth water and his stomach growl. It looked to be some kind of casserole, but couldn't quite figure out which one. "It smells good," he said, no longer able to stand the silence.

Shikamaru smiled around his own food. "Yeah. This is one of mom's best dishes, at least in my opinion."

Naruto looked over at him. "Are you saying you'd like me to make it more?" he asked. He wasn't completely back to normal, so his voice was a little raspy and quiet.

"If you want. I'm sure mom gave you the recipe with all the others she gave you."

"I'll have to look," he replied as he looked back at the plate and took a bite. He took several small bites before his mind went back to Shikadai, and his stomach twisted again. "Have they found him yet?" His voice was barely above a whisper, quivering as the tears threatened to fall again.

Shikamaru sat his cup down. "No. Tsunade's had several teams out looking, but no one has been able to find anything yet."

Naruto furrowed his brow, pushing the food around on his plate. "I know you want to go out and help."

"Yeah, I do, but I know you need me here."

Naruto wrapped both arms around himself. "I'll be fine."

Shikamaru reached over and turned Naruto's head around to look at him. "Naruto, you're not fine. I can see that, and I'm not going to leave you like this. You're scaring me, and I don't want to go out and look for our son if it means I may come back to find you did something I couldn't live with."

"I'm nothing but a problem for you. I let Shikadai get taken the first time, and now this time too, I'm constantly making you worry..."

Shikamaru leaned forward and cut him off with a kiss. "I don't care about any of that. I love you, Naruto, and that will never change. I will remind you of that over and over if I have to. Yeah, I worry, but that's only natural for a husband to do, especially since I know what your past was like. I don't ever want you to go through that again. As for the kidnappings, they could've easily happened when he was with me. You cannot keep blaming yourself for things beyond anyone's control."

Naruto tried to turn his head away, but Shikamaru's hand on his chin kept it firmly in place. "But..."

"No buts, Naruto. Please. I hate seeing you like this. Tell me what I need to do to help you get back to normal."

Naruto could see the pleading in his eyes. "Find him," he said quietly as tears fell from his eyes.

Shikamaru pulled Naruto into a hug and held him tightly. "I will. I promise, but you have to promise me that you'll try and get past this. I know it's not easy, but please stop drowning yourself in this darkness you let envelope your heart."

Naruto let out a choked chuckle. "You would see that."

Shikamaru pulled away to place his forehead on Naruto's. "I will pull you from the shadows, Naruto." He then placed another gentle kiss on Naruto's lips.

When they pulled away from each other, Naruto took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "I'll stay with your mom while you go search."

Shikamaru stood up, held out his hand so Naruto could take it, and pulled the blonde out of his seat. "I will find him."

Naruto gave him a small smile. "I know."

They headed over to the main house on the compound and explained what they were doing. Yoshino told Shikamaru where Shikaku and his team was sent to search and that he should meet up with him. Shikamaru agreed, gave Naruto another kiss, then headed out.

Kurama growled. 'We should be out there too. I want to find that woman and tear her limbs off.'

Naruto chuckled as he sat down on the couch. 'Yeah, I wish we could too, but you know why we can't.'

'You should've told Shikamaru to tell you where he finds her so that we could watch him kill her.'

Naruto frowned. 'As much as I wouldn't mind seeing that, I really don't know if I could handle that right now.' He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was so tired.

Instead of darkness, a bright light enveloped him and when he blinked his eyes open, he was in a gold clouded space, no floor, no ceiling, no walls, just golden clouds everywhere.

"Naruto."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he turned around. A woman with long red hair, a small beret keeping her bangs out of her face, with a long, green, sleeveless dress and a white, short-sleeved blouse under it, smiled gently at him. His eyes filled with tears. "M-mom?"

Kushina smiled and held out her arms, and Naruto rushed to her, burying his face in her neck as he cried. "It's been a while," she said as she wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde.

Naruto couldn't get his voice to work, all he could do was sob. He felt his legs go weak and start to buckle, but Kushina lowered them both to the ground before he fell. He wrapped his arms even tighter around her waist as he tried to push himself as close as he could.

"It's ok, Naruto. Just let it out."

He did just that. They sat there for a while, Naruto sobbing and Kushina just running her fingers through his hair. "I... I was afraid I'd never get to see you," Naruto finally said.

Kushina pushed him away enough to look at him, a smile on her face. "I know. I'm sorry. I wish that your father and I weren't killed after you were born."

Naruto sat up and shook his head. "No. I meant, I was afraid you'd never show up here. Dad said that your chakra was in my seal, but that you would only appear when I tried to control Kurama's chakra. I didn't have to struggle to control it since we became friends, so..."

Kushina placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm so proud of how far you've come, Naruto. You've managed to make friends with Kurama in a way that I never could."

Naruto sniffed again and wiped at his eyes. "But why are you here now?"

"You needed me," was all she said.

Naruto looked down sadly. "I... How can I forgive myself for this? I left Shikadai in the hands of Temari, all so I could go to a secret party my friends threw me. Kurama even tried to warn me, but I brushed him off."

Kushina placed her hand on Naruto's cheek, which made the boy look up. "I understand that you feel like you failed him. I felt the exact same way when I realized that I would be leaving you to grow up alone. It felt like the most unforgivable sin a mother could make, but it is different for you. You're still alive, and so is he. Once he comes home, you'll be able to hold him in your arms again."

"B-but what if he doesn't want me?"

Kushina frowned and slammed her fist down on Naruto's head. "What kind of question is that? Don't talk like that, ya know?"

Naruto cringed at the pain and rubbed his sore head. He heard Kurama laugh. 'It's about time someone knocked some sense into you. If I didn't need you to summon me, I would've done it days ago.'

"But..." Naruto tried, but Kushina cut him off.

"No buts," Kushina said sternly, placing her fists on her hips. "You're his mother, Naruto. No matter what happens, he will always want you. You never once did anything to hurt him, and I know he will never blame you for this. Do you blame me for not being there for you? Do you want me to stay away from you?"

"No, of course not," Naruto said quickly.

Kushina placed her hand on his cheek again and smiled. "Shikamaru's right, you have so much darkness surrounding your heart right now, but things will get better. You have a husband, son, and daughter to take care of after all."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "Daughter? My baby is..."

"You're gonna have a little girl, ya know?" Kushina said, her smile widening. "I'm gonna be a grandma by blood now." She chuckled.

Naruto smiled and placed his hand on his stomach as tears fell down his face again. A daughter. He was going to have a daughter. He suddenly looked up at her confused. "Wait. How do you know it's a girl?"

Kushina smiled and tapped her temple. "A grandmother knows these things."

"That doesn't make any sense. Yoshino doesn't know," Naruto said, even more confused now.

Kushina laughed, and Naruto smiled. Her laughter spread through him and warmed him, circling his heart, lifting a bit of the shadows that lingered there. "Let's just say, I have a little more insight than Yoshino does."

Naruto leaned forward and hugged her again, this time closing his eyes and relishing in his mother's embrace. He felt like he could fall asleep right then and there. He felt so warm, so safe.

"Naruto. I can't stay here forever, ya know? As much as it pains me, my chakra will run out."

Naruto tightened his arms around her just a little more. He didn't want his mother to leave. He understood what she meant now. It gave him so much hope that Shikadai will feel the exact same way with him when he was back. "Mom?"

"Hmm?" she asked as she ran her fingers through his hair again.

Naruto sat up again. "There's something that I've always wanted to ask you."

"What's that?" Kushina asked, a little worry showing on her face.

A smile crossed Naruto's face, and he felt excitement build up. He was finally going to learn more about his parents. "How did you and dad meet?"

Kushina blushed, but smiled back. She told him all about how she struggled to fit in because she was an outsider, how his father saved her, and how they got together, and what happened when he was born. In turn, he told her about his life, the struggles he had, the challenges he faced, how Shikamaru saved him and changed his life for the better, and how happy he was. He could tell she felt guilty about leaving him after everything she heard, but he tried to reassure her that he was ok now.

She smiled. "Hold on to those memories, Naruto. Don't ever forget them and you'll be able to keep those shadows at bay."

Naruto gave her his famous closed-eyed and wide smile. "I'll definitely get better, ya know?"

Kushina chuckled. "You take care of my grandbabies."

"I will," he replied, his smile lessening just a bit. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that she was fading. "No." Panic flooded him, and he grabbed her hand. "I'm not ready for you to go yet."

Kushina smiled at him sadly. "I have to go. My time is up. I'm really glad I was able to meet the man you are today, Naruto. Keep living your life, and stay weary of Jiraiya."

Naruto wanted to laugh at that last statement, but he just couldn't get it out. "Please, don't go." He squeezed her hand a little tighter.

Kushina raised her free hand and placed it on his cheek, a single tear falling down her face. "I love you, Naruto. Minato and I both do. Don't ever forget that."

Tears fell down Naruto's face as she faded more and more. "Mom," he said softly, then she was gone. He sat there for a moment, letting the tears continue to fall.

Another warmth spread through him when he felt a small shift in his stomach. His eyes went wide and he looked down as he placed his hand on his stomach. He didn't think he'd be able to feel her yet. Kurenai said she didn't feel Mirai until her fourth or fifth month. He felt the shift again, and a smile spread over his lips. Everything's going to be ok. He had to remember that.