A/N - Okay, I decided to do another chapter for this story. I'm STILL getting flak for killing off Tsukune, buuut...who cares, right? lol. Anyways, something you need to know before starting this chapter is that it takes place an entire month after the events of last chapter. It's mentioned a few times throughout the chapter, but I wanted to let you all know right now that there was a time skip between this chapter and the last one.

Anyways, somebody brought up the fact that I hadn't shown Kushina in a while, so I'd like to apologize for that. She and Naruto were still talking about things together, but I neglected showing scenes of the two of them interacting with one another. So I tried to remedy that in this chapter at points. Hopefully it turned out well.

Alright, with all of that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 5 - Destined One

"Sweetheart, how are you feeling now?" Kushina asked her son via their link. "Are you still trying to sort out your feelings?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. Sort of. I mean, how am I supposed to figure out if I have feelings for Moka-chan? She was so in love with Tsukune that I never even thought about it before Inner Moka brought it up. As you know, I've kind of been avoiding her ever since she brought it up. On top of that, Kurumu-chan and Yukari-chan have been avoiding me. Ririko-chan and Ruby-chan are the only ones I've been spending any time with.

"I understand sweetheart. But would you like to know something?"

Naruto quirked a brow and asked, What?

"You don't need to come to any answers right now. You have plenty of time to think it all through and come to a proper decision about what to do. I'll be here to help you every step of the way. But, and I'm sure you know this, you need to think about what to do about those Outcast Ayashis. You know as well as I do that they aren't finished yet. There's no telling what they're up to, exactly."

Naruto nodded in understanding of this. With a sigh, he began to massage the bridge of his nose. True. I'll just have to figure out what to do about the girls later. For now, Gaara and I need to find out what those Outcast Ayashi are up to and put a stop to it. You're absolutely right about that. But...Mom?

"Yes, sweetheart? What's on your mind?" Kushina asked.

Do you think you can give me some advice about what to do with the girls? I still like Kurumu-chan and Yukari-chan, but...well, one of them wanted to kill me, and the other is kind of avoiding me right now.

Kushina didn't reply at first, which made Naruto kind of nervous. After a while, when she did start to speak again, he felt relief wash over him. "If I were you, I'd avoid Kurumu. She wanted to murder you, after all. She was so obsessed with that Tsukune kid that she was blinded to everything that was wrong with that entire situation. My recommendation is to get over her and move on. I just can't trust a girl like that with my precious baby boy. As for Yukari-chan, just give her some time to think on things for a while. She seems like a really sweet girl, and I think she'd be good for you."

Before Naruto could reply, Kushina sensed his thoughts and shook her head before saying, "Naruto-kun, I know you care for her, but Kurumu wanted to kill you to avenge her precious Tsukune-kun. You remember how Sakura treated you, don't you? Beating you in an effort to impress her 'Sasuke-kun'. It was a volatile situation and she just wasn't right for you, sweetheart. Kurumu…" Kushina sighed and went quiet for a time before she finally said, "I just can't trust her with you, not if she was so willing to kill you for a boy that didn't even love her. It's just like what those stupid fangirls of Sasuke tried to do when you killed him. I don't want you to be with a rabid fangirl. I suppose if she changes for the better, then it's possible, but with how obsessed she was with Tsukune...I just can't see it. Sure, Gaara-kun managed to talk her down and really make her think about things, but…"

Naruto sighed and clenched his eyes shut tight. It took everything he had to fight off the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. You're right, Mom. I know you are. But I can't help it. I care about her and want her to be happy. I...I took away what made her happy.

"No, you took away the source of her suffering. It was a false happiness that she was experiencing. Inside, she knew what was going on, but she blinded herself to the truth, just as a true fangirl does. And it's okay, honey. There's nothing saying you have to get over her right this second. But if she thinks she can just hurt you for doing the right thing, she's got another thing coming. I will possess a shadow clone and kick her ass if that's what it takes!"

Her son simply chuckled a bit at that before saying, I love you Mom. I understand what you're saying perfectly. I just...I wish…

"I know sweetheart. You really fell hard for her and she hurt you. Just like Sakura in the past. Try to focus your attention on dealing with any threats to the school and its people for the time being. I don't know what those Outcast Ayashi want or what they have planned, so focus your attention on them and try to figure out what exactly they're up to." Kushina suggested, trying to divert his attention away from Kurumu and Yukari.

Naruto nodded once in acceptance before saying, Got it. I have a feeling they wanted something from Tsukune, but with him gone… Hmm…

With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto stopped meditating and stood up, walking to his door and opening it slowly. Seeing Gaara standing on the other side, he offered his best friend a smile and said, "Hey there Gaara. We need to talk about a few things."

Gaara nodded. "Yes, we do. I wanted to discuss a few things with you as well. Mind if I come in?"

Naruto motioned for Gaara to come in and went back to his bed, sitting on it and waiting for Gaara to take a seat somewhere. "First, I wanted to thank you, Gaara, for talking Kurumu-chan and Mizore down. Mizore's been avoiding you, hasn't she?"

Gaara sighed and closed his eyes. "Yes. I'm...trying to get over her. She became something of a fangirl for Tsukune, and… Well, to put it simply, it hurts. What made it worse is that she wanted to kill you for doing the right thing. I could never be to her what Tsukune was. I can't understand why those girls were so crazy about Tsukune. No matter how much I think on it, the fact that those girls fell for him is beyond me."

Naruto frowned and said, "I'm sorry man. I know how it feels, I truly do. You remember Sakura, right?"

Gaara nodded and said, "She was a true disgrace to what a kunoichi is supposed to be. What about her?"

"Well, Sakura was a diehard Sasuke fangirl. She abused me to try and make Sasuke recognize her, but it never worked out well for her. That's not the point though. I want you to take a moment to think about what makes her and the two girls we're crazy about so similar. My mom pointed it out to me, and I'm sad to say that I agree with her 100%." Naruto said, hoping his friend would figure it out for himself.

Thinking on it for a time, the redhead sighed and closed his eyes. "Kurumu and Mizore-chan were fangirls for Tsukune. And like any true fangirl, the moment their object of affection was taken out of the picture, they turned on the one that removed him. It makes sense. I hate it, but...you're right. We never stood a chance with Kurumu and Mizore-chan, did we, Naruto?"

Naruto walked over to his friend and patted him on the shoulder. "You can thank my mom for pointing it out to me. Only time will tell though, really. I honestly have no idea what to expect from them."

"It's probably best not to dwell on it, Naruto. For now, let's just leave the girls alone. We've got something else to worry about right now." Gaara said, looking his friend in the eyes again. As one, they both said, "The Outcast Ayashi."

The blonde sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. We need to look into that group and see what we can find out. If need be, we exterminate them to protect everyone."

Gaara nodded in agreement and was about to reply, but he sensed someone at the door. "Naruto, we've got a guest."

Naruto sighed and walked to his door, opening it slowly. His eyes widened when he saw who it was. "K-Kurumu? You're...not here to try and kill me, right?"

The lack of the -chan suffix at the end of her name bothered her more than she'd like to admit. Pushing that aside, she stared at his chest, unable to look him in the eyes, and said, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it. Gaara's words really got me thinking though, and...I've decided that it wouldn't be right to kill you because of what happened. I'm here because...because we need to talk."

Frowning, Naruto stepped aside and allowed Kurumu entrance into his room. Shutting the door behind her, Naruto followed her into his room and sat down beside Gaara while Kurumu sat on the bed. "What did you want to talk about, Kurumu?"

Flinching again at the lack of suffix, she soon released a heavy sigh and asked, "Why aren't you calling me -chan anymore?"

Quirking a brow at the odd question, he soon realized that he was no longer calling her by an affectionate suffix. Sighing, he looked down at his hands and said, "Kurumu...whether you know it or not, you hurt me. Someone special to me helped me realize that...that you were like Sakura Haruno. You...you were a diehard Tsukune fangirl. Please don't try to deny it either, because you really were. I cared for you a great deal, and seeing Tsukune spurn your advances like that? It bothered me. But more than that, I was reminded a great deal of the dynamic between Sasuke Uchiha and his fangirls."

Before Kurumu could ask him about Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto looked her in the eyes and said, "Tsukune was like Sasuke. Sasuke was selfish and only cared for himself and power. He had quite the ego and he believed himself to be an 'elite', better than everyone else. He had a bunch of fangirls and he lived a pretty good life compared to a lot of people. He was spoiled rotten and...well, let's just say he turned into a really lousy person."

Sighing softly, he looked back down at his hands and continued. "Like I said, Sasuke was selfish and only wanted power. He spurned the advances of all of his fangirls, no matter how attractive some of them were. And every time he did that, he hurt those girls more and more until they were practically dead inside. Sakura...was probably his most diehard fangirl. She'd beat me in an effort to impress her precious 'Sasuke-kun'. Always berated me, always put me down...it was a volatile relationship between us. I later realized that she wasn't even a friend to me, let alone a possible romantic interest. But the harder she tried to win over Sasuke, the worse she felt inside. I could see it plain as day. But if I tried to be nice to her and cheer her up, she'd hit me as hard as she possibly could for even daring to speak to her."

"Kurumu...you and Tsukune were almost exactly like Sakura and Sasuke. He was incredibly selfish and possessive, and he only cared about one person other than himself: Moka Akashiya. Even then, he treated her like she was his possession rather than as a person. Moka's a beautiful person, inside and out, and she deserved to be treated a LOT better than how she was. Tsukune never gave you the time of day. He spurned your advances and focused almost entirely on Moka-chan. You, Mizore, and Yukari weren't even on his radar. But, as soon as I was forced to kill him, you and Mizore decided that I had to die for daring to take away your precious 'Tsukune-kun'. I was suddenly a criminal in your eyes and my sentence was execution. You and Mizore were so obsessed with Tsukune that...that…"

Gaara, seeing his friend's unease, placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder. Turning to Kurumu, the redhead said, "You two behaved irrationally. You hurt Naruto and me with your actions. Naruto is my best friend, and Mizore is my crush...or at least she was. I'll always do whatever it takes to keep my friend safe and happy. Now...I'm not sure if I can ever look at Mizore the same way again. And Naruto cared a great deal for you, Kurumu. But...your actions broke his heart. You didn't value your friendship with him at all. As soon as he took away the object of your affection, you went off the deep end. It's obvious to the both of us that your friendship with the both of us was a superficial one. You never truly cared about Naruto. He was just a nice person that you occasionally used to make yourself feel better. You were selfish and cruel. Now, your presence here is only hurting Naruto. I suggest you leave."

Kurumu looked like she had been struck. Looking to be on the verge of tears, she said, "But...Naruto…? I...I didn't realize…"

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her and said, "I said leave. You need to give Naruto some time to get over you, because right now, you're only hurting him."

It was at this point that the tears began to cascade down her cheeks. "N-Naruto...I'm sorry. I'm really...really sorry." she said, hiccuping once before she turned and fled his room.

The two friends could hear Kurumu sobbing as she made her way back to her own dorm room. Closing his eyes tight, Naruto quietly said, "Thanks...Gaara. Kami this hurts."

Gaara hugged his friend and said, "It'll be okay, Naruto. We can help each other through this. For now, let's put this behind us and focus on our mission. It might help to just take your mind off of the heartbreak and crush our foes. I know it'll make me feel better." he joked.

Wiping his tears away, Naruto nodded and hugged his friend back, patting his back a couple of times. "Thanks man. Let's go. We need to hunt down these Outcasts and crush them before they can cause any harm."

"Agreed." Gaara said before he stood up and helped his friend up. Leaving his room, they glanced around to see if anyone was watching them or something. Determining that there was no one around, they left the guys' dorm and began their walk to the school. They would first meet with Mikogami and talk with him about what they planned to do. Once they had done that, the hunt would begin. Beware Ayashi, for you have made an enemy of us demons.

Yukari

Yukari was a little surprised when Kurumu showed up at her door with tears streaming down her cheeks and looking like she had been through hell. Quietly letting her into her dorm room, she shut the door behind her and proceeded to make her way to the small kitchen in her room where she quickly made some tea for the both of them.

Sitting down opposite Kurumu once the tea was set before them, she asked, "What's wrong? Did somebody hurt you?"

The beautiful succubus shook her head before taking a calming sip of her tea. "I...I went to see Naruto-kun. I wanted to apologize. But...but…"

Yukari gently patted Kurumu's hand to show her support. "Go on. You can tell me Kurumu. What happened?"

The blue-haired girl frowned as she looked into her teacup. "It didn't exactly go as planned. Naruto-kun told me about a guy named Sasuke Uchiha and a girl named Sakura Haruno. He...compared me and my relationship with Tsukune-kun to those two. Sasuke sounded like a real selfish asshole, and Sakura...Sakura sounded like a massive bitch. But...being compared to the two of them...it hurt. I was called a diehard Tsukune fangirl and they said I acted exactly how Sasuke's rabid fangirls behaved. I think the part that hurts the worst is the fact that I couldn't deny it. He's right. And...I don't know why, but he's not calling me Kurumu-chan anymore. It's just Kurumu. And for some reason, it hurts inside. And then, when I went to apologize and say something, Gaara told me to leave. Naruto-kun looked so hurt when I left. I...I don't think he likes me anymore."

After Kurumu was done, Yukari looked at her calmly for a while before sighing and shaking her head. "I don't know much about Sasuke or Sakura, as he hasn't really talked much about them to me. From what I understand, Sasuke was a total dick and Sakura was just awful. I'm surprised Naruto would compare you and Tsukune to them."

Frowning at Kurumu at this point, the young witch said, "As for him not calling you -chan anymore? It seems like you've hurt him a lot more than you could have imagined. And maybe, just maybe, you're starting to realize something important about you and Naruto-kun. After all, he was completely immune to your charm magic, right? That right there tells me something big. And just so you know, you kind of brought this upon yourself. It's your own fault."

Flinching, Kurumu stayed quiet for a while as she thought about everything that had happened recently. Closing her eyes, she let the tears flow as she said, "I know. I feel terrible about it, but…"

"But? Kurumu, you wanted to kill him! You and Mizore have burned that bridge with Naruto-kun and Gaara. And if Naruto-kun really is your destined one, what the hell are you going to do?! You'll be lucky if he even feels normal around you again. And poor Gaara. He liked Mizore so much, but she wanted to kill his best friend. Possibly his only friend. She's damaged that relationship almost irreparably. I don't know if Gaara will ever let her or another girl into his heart again! Face it Kurumu, you two fucked up and need to deal with it!" Yukari shouted at her, clearly frustrated with the both of them.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Kurumu opened her eyes and stared down at her lap. "What if he is my destined one? We succubi search so hard for our destined one. When we find our destined one...we need to win them over. It's so hard to find one and we succubi are suffering for it. I honestly believed Tsukune-kun was my destined one, but…"

Yukari sighed and nodded her head in understanding. "Tsukune was only interested in Moka-chan. Looking back on it, he wasn't the greatest guy. They say hindsight is 20/20, and I have to admit that whoever said that is right. Tsukune was selfish, only thinking about himself in the grand scheme of things. You would have had to go on the search for a new destined one at some point because you never had a chance at winning him over. Nobody really did. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

Nodding slowly in agreement with Yukari's sentiment, Kurumu said, "You're completely right. What do I do now? If Naruto-kun's my true destined one, what am I supposed to do?"

The witch shook her head and said, "I don't know. I do know you can't just ignore him. If you really want to test the waters a bit and see if he's truly your destined one, you have to be proactive and try to worm your way back into his heart. If you don't keep chasing him, you will lose him. Especially now that he's trying to get over you. You need to show him that you're right for him somehow."

Kurumu frowned and said, "I'm not even sure if I want to be with him like that yet. I really liked Tsukune-kun, but…" She released a sigh at this point and shook her head. "You're right. If he's my destined one, I need to win a place in his heart again. I regret ever trying to kill him. I was in the wrong and...and I feel terrible for acting like that."

"Then prove it to him. Like I said before, you don't want him to get over you. You need to keep his interest." Yukari said, trying to motivate Kurumu.

The beautiful succubus nodded slowly and wiped the tears from her eyes and face. After taking a moment to calm down, she realized something and looked straight into Yukari's eyes. "We keep talking about me screwing up and having to chase after him now, but what about you? You've been avoiding Naruto-kun ever since you spoke to him after Tsukune's death. So why aren't you following your own advice and chasing after him?"

Yukari blushed and looked away, unable to look her in the eyes. "I...I'm nervous, okay? I really liked Tsukune, but…" Sighing softly, she let a smile creep across her face. "Nobody's ever treated me as nice as Naruto-kun has. He makes me feel special. But...there's that CRA thing to think about. If I choose to get together with him, I'd have to share him. I'm scared that I'd just be pushed aside for someone prettier…"

Kurumu sighed at that and said, "Yukari, you're very pretty right now. You've got a great figure for a 15 year-old girl. On top of that, you're kind and very sweet. Do you really think Naruto would ignore you in favor of any other girl he's in a relationship with?"

The beautiful young witch blushed and said, "You're right. I think I already knew that, but I was afraid to admit it. I'm just nervous. I think it's because I'm not used to someone actually showing me such affection. I really should go and talk to him again…"

"I'd come with you if I could, but Gaara doesn't want me around right now…" Kurumu said, sighing sadly afterwards.

Yukari moved over to Kurumu and gave her a gentle hug. "You can always try again later, Kurumu. I'm going to go and talk to him. Feel free to rest here if you'd like."

Kurumu shook her head and rose to her feet, helping Yukari up as well. "I'm going to come with you. I really want to talk to him, whether Gaara likes it or not."

The witch nodded in understanding and gave her friend a smile. "Of course. Let's go!" And with that, the two of them left the witch's dorm room and began making their way to Naruto's dorm room.

A short while later, once they reached Naruto's dorm room, they knocked to try and get his attention. However, there was no answer. Looking at each other, they couldn't help but wonder where the heck Naruto and Gaara had gone off to. "Kurumu, we should go see the Headmaster. I think he'll know where they went."

"Agreed. Let's go!" Kurumu exclaimed before she and Yukari began rushing off.

Naruto & Gaara

"Seems Mikogami's information was spot on. Looks like we've found their little base of operations. And look, they've even come out to greet us!" Naruto said with a chuckle. "This should be fun."

Gaara smirked and nodded his head in agreement. "Let's teach them a lesson, shall we?"

"Lemme guess, all of you are simply sacrificial pawns in the grand scheme of things?" Naruto asked with a smirk on his face. "Too bad for you, but I really don't care if you're a simple peon or a leader. I'll just crush all of you and remove you as a threat to Yokai Academy."

"You're quite cocky for being such a weakling." someone said as he stepped forward. "You've made a mistake in choosing to cross us."

Gaara smiled as he looked at the teen across from them. "You look important. Are you the leader of the Outcast Ayashi, by any chance?"

The young man shook his head and said, "No, that honor goes to someone else. My name is Kiria Yoshii. And you two are the so-called Guardians of Yokai Academy, are you not?"

Naruto grinned and said, "You're definitely the one in charge of these goons. I can't help but wonder what the one you serve is like. Tell me, would he miss you should you die here?"

The Monstrel frowned deeply and waved the goon squad forward. "Kill them. You know what will happen should you fail."

Naruto looked at Gaara and smiled cruelly. "Why don't you have a little bit of fun? I can wait for the main course."

Kiria scowled at this and said, "You're awfully cocky, aren't you Uzumaki? Very well, if your friend wins this fight, I'll fight you as you wish."

Naruto quirked a brow and shook his head. "Sounds like you're the cocky one. Who said you were the main course? You're just another nameless peon. No, I'm going to kill your leader and make it painful as hell."

Kiria snarled at the blatant disrespect Naruto was showing him. Preparing to go on the attack, he wasn't ready for a wave of sand to wash over him. When he realized what was happening, he turned his head to look at Gaara, only to see him in his monster form, killing everyone caught in his sand.

The Monstrel struggled as much as he could against the sand, but he couldn't free himself in time. Gaara smirked wickedly as he crushed Kiria's body in his sand, letting the blood soak his sand.

Dropping the dead bodies, Gaara recalled all of his sand and smiled at his friend. "After you. You did claim the leader as your target, after all."

"Such a gentleman. Thank you, Gaara." Naruto said before he began leading Gaara in search of the leader of this group of Outcast Ayashi.

Yukari & Kurumu

"What do you mean you can't tell us?!" Kurumu shouted, clearly not liking what she had just heard.

Mikogami sighed and leaned forward in his chair. Looking both girls in the eyes, he said, "It's exactly as I said. Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun are busy dealing with a threat to the academy and everyone living here. They decided to hunt down the Outcast Ayashi that threatened Tsukune and Moka-chan before and deal with them."

Kurumu looked genuinely worried for them and asked, "Isn't that dangerous though?! Going by themselves…"

Yukari frowned and shook her head. "No, not for them. Naruto-kun's a powerful S-class monster. I'm pretty sure Gaara is too. Their enemies won't be able to win against them, especially if they're working together."

Mikogami smiled and nodded his head. "Precisely. I see you already know what Naruto-kun is, Yukari-chan. Thank you for keeping his secret." Looking at Kurumu at this point, he said, "I'm sure you're wondering exactly what they are. I can tell you, but you must promise to keep their secret."

Kurumu nodded immediately and said, "I promise I won't tell anyone! I just want to know that they're okay."

Yukari smirked slightly and thought, More like you want to know Naruto-kun's safe.

The headmaster chuckled and said, "Gaara-kun is an Ichibi, an S-class monster. Naruto is more powerful however. He's a Kyuubi."

Kurumu's eyes widened in shock and her jaw practically dropped. "N-No way. You're...you're kidding...right?" Seeing Mikogami looking at her seriously, Kurumu nodded slowly before collapsing on her butt. "I was prepared to attack a Kyuubi…"

Yukari nodded and giggled nervously. "Yeah, that's not the smartest thing you've ever done. He's really sweet though!"

"Y-Yeah, you're right Yukari." Rising to her feet again, Kurumu asked, "Headmaster...do you think you can get him to, um, t-talk to me? I really want to apologize to him. And...I want to test something."

Mikogami offered her a kind smile and said, "Of course. Would you like to wait here for him? He'll be returning shortly, I'm sure."

Kurumu blushed a bit and nodded her head. "Yes, please. What about you, Yukari?"

"Yes, I'd like to wait here as well. I really want to talk to him and tell him something important." the beautiful young witch said before she and Kurumu took a seat to wait for Naruto to return.

Later

After waiting for quite some time, they saw Naruto and Gaara appear in Mikogami's office as if from thin air. Ignoring Kurumu and Yukari for the moment, they approached the headmaster and bowed politely to him. "It is done, Headmaster. The Outcast Ayashi have been exterminated." Gaara said.

Mikogami gave them both a small smile and said, "Well done. I'm sorry you two had to do that, but I would rather not risk any harm coming to my students and faculty. If you need to vent to me later, I'll be more than happy to listen."

"Thank you, Headmaster." Naruto said. "I may just take you up on that later. I will never enjoy killing people. And...it never gets easier."

Gaara sighed and nodded his head in agreement. "I...am ashamed to admit that I once enjoyed it. I felt that killing was the only way to prove my existence. But after Naruto helped set me straight, I've realized that killing for the sake of killing is wrong. I only want to kill to protect those dear to me. I don't want to go back to that dark part of my life."

Mikogami nodded in understanding before motioning towards Kurumu and Yukari, who were looking rather anxious. "Naruto-kun, you have friends here that want to speak with you."

Naruto looked at the both of them and sighed quietly to himself. "Alright, I'll stay and listen. What did you two want to talk to me about?"

Yukari looked at Kurumu and nodded. "You go first Kurumu."

Kurumu stood up and walked up to Naruto. Upon reaching him, she hugged him tight and said, "I'm so sorry. I should never have said the things I did and I shouldn't have acted in such a horrible manner. I've been really thinking about it, and...I want to be absolutely sure about something."

Before he could even ask what she was talking about, Kurumu tried to use her charm magic on him again. Looking calmly into her eyes, he said, "You know that won't work on me, Kurumu. Why are you trying it again?"

The blue-haired succubus smiled at this and said, "You really are the one, aren't you?"

Naruto blinked in confusion before saying, "I assume you mean your destined one?"

Kurumu nodded and said, "Naruto-kun, it's been weeks since Tsukune's death, and...and I want to make things better between us. I don't want to be angry anymore, and I don't want to hurt you. I...I want us both to be happy. And after taking some time to really think about it, I realized something important. You are my destined one. So, will you please spend time with me again? Even...even if you don't want me anymore, I want to be near you."

The blonde sighed and rubbed the back of his head. After a moment, he held up a finger and said, "Give me a moment Kurumu-chan." And with that, he closed his eyes and began speaking to his mother. Mom? What do you think I should do?

Kushina hummed in thought for a while before saying, "I stand by what I said before. I don't trust her. But I trust your judgment, honey. Do what you feel is right."

Naruto frowned and said, Alright. I know I probably shouldn't, but I trust her. I don't want to be suspicious of everyone and their motives. I...I care about her, Mom. Something tells me that she's serious about this.

Kushina could be heard sighing, but she relented and said, "As you wish sweetie. Just be careful, okay? If she breaks your heart…" She left the threat hanging and Naruto easily got the message.

Of course. Looking into Kurumu's eyes, he said, "I trust you, Kurumu-chan. I still care about you, and I still want you to be happy. I just want to see you smile."

The succubus blushed and nodded slowly, looking pretty shy. After a moment however, she looked into his eyes and said, "P-Please close your eyes, Naruto-kun." When he did as she requested, Kurumu leaned in close, pressing her sizeable breasts against his chest, and captured his lips with her own. After a short while, she deepened the kiss and moaned slightly at how good it felt to be doing this. When she finally pulled back a minute later, she was flushed and breathing heavily. "Wow."

Naruto was blushing fiercely and said, "Yeah. Wow. I...I wasn't expecting that."

Kurumu smiled sweetly at him and said, "You are my destined one, Naruto-kun. I want to give a relationship between us a real chance. I'm dead serious about this. It's...it's what I want. So please, don't spurn my advances like he did. Don't hurt me…"

Naruto hugged Kurumu close to him and leaned in, kissing her again, causing her to moan again. When they separated this time, she practically whimpered at the loss of contact. "I will never hurt you. I love you, Kurumu-chan. Very, very much. I want you to be happy, no matter what."

Before Kurumu could say anything in response, Yukari walked up, grabbed Naruto by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. When they separated, Yukari smirked at him and said, "I've decided that I'm going to share you with Kagome-sensei and anyone else that wants to be with you. You've been wonderful to me and I feel safe when I'm with you. I'm sorry I avoided you for so long, I was just afraid that you might…"

Naruto sighed and hugged her and Kurumu closer. "You were afraid I'd neglect you in favor of the others. I understand. It's okay Yukari-chan. I won't neglect you like that. Just like Kurumu-chan, you mean the world to me. I want you both to be happy."

Yukari nodded and rested her head against his chest. Kurumu on the other hand was whimpering at the loss of a certain kind of contact. Hearing this, Naruto kissed her lips again before pulling back and smirking at her. "You're too cute Kurumu-chan."

Blushing fiercely, Kurumu simply nodded and rested against him. "My destined one…" she mumbled as she closed her eyes and just listened to his heartbeat.

Naruto was blushing deeply and looked to Gaara for help. "Gaara, they've fallen asleep on their feet. Help?"

Gaara simply smirked at his friend and waved goodbye to him before vanishing, leaving Naruto to 'suffer'. As soon as he was gone, Naruto sighed and looked at the headmaster. "Any suggestions Headmaster?"

"Take them back to your room and let them rest. Use your shadow clones if you must." Mikogami said. He sounded awfully amused by the situation and Naruto grumbled a bit at the man.

"Thanks. I guess I'll be going then." Naruto said before vanishing with Kurumu and Yukari still clinging to him in their sleep.

When Naruto appeared in his room moments later, he gently pried the two of them off of him before laying them down in his bed and on his couch. Sighing softly, he went into the small kitchen in his room and proceeded to brew some tea. My life is so strange, I swear.

An hour later

Naruto was a bit startled when he heard knocking on his door. Rising to his feet, he went to the door and opened it to see who was on the other side. Seeing the familiar pink hair and green eyes, Naruto smiled and said, "Hi Moka-chan. What's up?"

Moka followed Naruto into his dorm room, prepared to speak with him about something that she deemed to be important. However, when she saw Kurumu and Yukari sleeping on the bed and couch respectively, she blinked a couple of times before turning to Naruto. "What are they doing here?"

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Honestly? They both fell asleep hugging me. I kind of just brought them here so they can get the rest they need. It's been a long day."

"That doesn't really answer my question. What exactly happened between you three?" Moka asked curiously.

"I've found my destined one." Kurumu said as she sat up and stretched. Yawning for a moment, she got up and walked over to Naruto. Looking at him with a smirk, she sat down in his lap and got herself comfortable before leaning her back against his chest. "Much better."

Naruto and Moka both blushed a deep shade of red. "I...see. What about your feelings for Tsukune-kun?"

Kurumu shook her head and said, "It's been weeks, an entire month actually, since Tsukune died. I've had some time to really think about everything, especially after Gaara-kun opened my eyes. Naru-kun's my destined one. I...I feel so good with him. His kisses are like magic."

Naruto noticed as Moka's eye twitched. It happened so fast that he wasn't sure he saw that right at first. Looking deep into her eyes, he could tell she wasn't happy with what she had just heard. I wonder why…

Moka, deciding to change the subject, looked at Naruto and said, "Anyways, I came by to check on a few things. Naruto-kun, have you finished your article for the week? And, um, d-do you need any help with your homework? I'm more than willing to help you if you want."

Naruto smiled at her and said, "Yep! I'm all finished with my article. I just need to deliver it to Gin. And I don't have much homework left, but I would definitely love the help if you're offering. Thank you."

The pink-haired vampire smiled sweetly at him and said, "Of course Naruto-kun! And, um...if you're busy after this, I can take your article to Gin. You're...not going to do homework with her on your lap, are you?"

Chuckling softly, Naruto kissed Kurumu's neck before whispering in her ear. "Kurumu-chan, please get off. If you want, we can cuddle later, but I do need to get this homework out of the way."

Kurumu pouted at him before she grinded on his lap a bit, causing a certain reaction from him. Smirking back at him, she got off his lap and sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'll be holding you to that Naru-kun."

Naruto started blushing again and said quietly to Kurumu, "I love you, Kuru-chan."

Nuzzling against him, Kurumu simply smiled and closed her eyes, basking in his warmth. She listened as her destined one created a shadow clone and had it gather his unfinished homework. My destined one… This feels so wonderful. I've never felt this way before, not even with Tsukune. I can't get enough of this warm feeling.

Seeing this, Moka's eye twitched a couple more times and she began to smile sweetly at her. "Kurumu, can you please let Naruto-kun focus on his homework rather than rubbing up against him like that?"

Kurumu simply stuck her tongue out at Moka, who narrowed her eyes at the girl. Before either of them could say anything, Naruto began looking through his homework. After a short while of this, he found what he wanted and laid it on the table for Moka to see. "I've been having trouble with this. English is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Then there's math. I've never been good at math."

Moka smiled at him and said, "I'll gladly help you in any way I can Naruto-kun. Now, let's see…"

And so, Naruto and Moka began going over his homework while Kurumu could feel her brain practically melting into a pile of goop. I have no idea what the heck they're talking about here…

A couple hours later

Yukari yawned as she woke up and stretched out on the couch. Upon realizing where she was, she looked at Naruto to see Kurumu sleeping against him while he and Moka went over his homework. Slipping next to Naruto, she placed a kiss on his cheek before looking at the homework he and Moka were working on. "Would you two like some help?"

Moka let a scowl briefly appear on her face before she smiled sweetly and said, "We're fine. Naruto-kun's a fast learner and is picking up on everything pretty quickly. We're actually almost done now."

Yukari frowned in thought for a moment as she looked at Moka. After a little while, she asked, "Moka-chan? Are you jealous?"

The pink-haired vampire narrowed her eyes at Yukari before shooting a glare at Kurumu. Afterwards, she sighed and closed her eyes. "I loved Tsukune-kun. I know it's been a month since his death...but I just can't move on that easily."

Kurumu mumbled out, "Liar. You've totally got feelings for Naruto-kun. But if you want to deny it, that's your loss."

Moka frowned at this before looking at the two of them. "You two were always bickering with each other before. What makes this relationship so different? You two aren't arguing, you aren't attacking each other, it's all so strange to me. And isn't Naruto-kun already in a relationship? Have you agreed to share him or something?"

Naruto sighed and decided to explain everything to Moka. By the time he was finished, Moka was blushing slightly and said, "Wow. I definitely wasn't expecting that. And you two are okay with sharing him? Why weren't you like that with Tsukune-kun?"

Yukari frowned in thought for a time before she eventually said, "I think it's because we were jealous of each other. We were rivals for Tsukune's love...but at the same time, whenever he spurned our advances, it hurt and we took it out on each other. But, despite our rivalry, we still cared about one another. We're friends. And with Naruto-kun, it's like we feel…safe. If that makes sense."

Moka thought it over for a time before she nodded in understanding. "Yes, that makes sense. Naruto-kun's shown both of you the affection you both missed when Tsukune neglected you. It must be nice…"

Kurumu smirked at Moka and said, "You can be happy with him too, if you truly wanted to. I know you were in love with Tsukune, but…"

Naruto sighed and shook his head before smiling at Moka. "Don't mind them, Moka-chan. And don't mind what that other you said before. I'm happy with our friendship the way it is, and I had no plans to make any advances on you. You're still hurting after what happened with Tsukune and I don't want to take advantage of you like that."

Moka found herself frowning as she heard this. Looking down at her lap, she found herself asking something before she could contain herself. "Does that mean you really have no interest in me romantically?" When she realized what she just asked, she blushed and covered her face with her hands, unable to face him.

Kurumu smirked, but she remained quiet as she waited for Naruto to reply to her pink-haired friend. Finally starting to be a little more honest with yourself, Moka?

Naruto looked flabbergasted for a while before he eventually said, "Moka-chan? I do care about you a great deal. But because you had Tsukune, I never really thought about it. I wanted you to be happy. And I figured you were still grieving your loss. You need the time to get over your lost love. And like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about you. I think...I think I like you as more than a friend, but I had no intention of pursuing you. I was the one who killed your boyfriend, after all."

Moka lowered her hands and placed them neatly in her lap. Looking away from him, she said quietly, "I...I miss Tsukune-kun a great deal. You're absolutely right about that. But…"

Gaara

Gaara chuckled quietly to himself as he watched the proceedings through his friend's dorm room window. You never cease to amuse me, Naruto. Now, what do I do about my little follower? He wondered to himself as he glanced in the direction of his stalker. "You can come out now."

Mizore slowly stepped out into the open and looked into Gaara's eyes. "H-Hi Gaara-kun." she said timidly.

The redhead looked at her for a moment before turning away from her. "What do you want Mizore?"

The lack of any affectionate suffix bothered Mizore, but she decided to steel her nerves and approach him. When she reached him, she slowly reached out and touched his shoulder tentatively. "G-Gaara-kun, please...look at me."

Gaara didn't comply at first and was silent for a good, long while. When Mizore was ready to run away crying, the redhead sighed and turned around to face her. "Mizore, why are you following me?"

The usually timid Yuki-onna looked him square in the eyes and reached a hand up, placing it gently upon his cheek. Gaara initially flinched at her touch, but calmed down a couple seconds later. "Your hand is cold to the touch." Gaara said, smirking a bit.

"Gaara-kun, do you still want me?" Mizore asked.

The Ichibi closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "I do. But...you wanted to kill my best friend. How am I supposed to trust that you're sincere? That you won't betray me like you did my friend?"

"I never meant to hurt you, Gaara-kun. I...all that I felt for Tsukune was a stupid crush. I...I'm so sorry. Gaara-kun, I...I want to be with you. You're the sweetest person I've ever met. You've always treated me kindly, and you've been respectful of me and my feelings. I promise I'll never try to hurt Naruto again. Just please...please give me a chance."

Gaara sighed and closed his eyes, taking the time to truly think about his answer. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked Mizore in the eyes, almost as if he were searching for something within them. After a period of silence, he said, "I…"

A/N - I know, I know. Evil place to end the chapter, right? I honestly couldn't resist leaving those two scenes open-ended like that so you are left wondering what will happen, what they'll say, etc. Cliffhanger Technique! *twirls*

*coughs* Um...okay, sorry. I'm a little hyper. Been frustrated as hell too. x.x Was trying to work on this dang chapter, but dear God, my sister just would not shut the hell up and leave me alone. Just talk talk talk talk talk talk talk. It can be kiiiinda hard to concentrate and work on writing a chapter when somebody won't leave you the fuck alone. x.x

Anyways, as you can see, a bunch of different things happened in this chapter. I would have shown more with ANTI-THESIS, buuut...I wanted to focus more on other stuff. *shrugs* That and when they're compared to Naruto and Gaara as they are now, they were kinda fucked regardless. You have to admit, they're kinda OP now. lol

Anywho, yeah. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I dunno what I'll work on next.