Greetings to you all, my wonderful Readers.

Welcome to the first chapter of this Naruto FanFiction. In case you didn't see in the story description, this is going to be a Naruto/Naruko story; but with the little pain17ification flair that I enjoy adding.

If this bothers you, then you don't need to read. You won't hurt my feelings, you won't upset me, and I won't think poorly of you. It's all a matter of opinion and preference.

Disclaimer: The rights to the series Naruto are not mine. This story is a nonprofit piece of creative literature meant solely for entertainment.

Hikari to Yami

Chapter 1: The Birth of Darkness

Red eyes stared apathetically at the image reflected in the water before them. The image portrayed was of a blonde boy with bright blue eyes happily hugging his injured instructor, wearing the man's headband on his forehead.

Those crimson orbs rolled in annoyance at how the boy had gone from scared and tearful to joyful and bright in a matter of moments. Just minutes ago, the child had been informed of the beast he carried within himself; the same beast who possessed these red eyes.

"It's almost like he forgot about my reveal," the beast mused, unconcerned about the situation.

"The Kyohi most likely doesn't want to think about it right now," a voice that sounded both male and female spoke.(1)

"Not like I care about what he feels about the situation. It's not like he was my first container, anyway."

"True."

"Why are you here? Usually, you're deeper within his subconscious…"

"His anger called me," the voice answered simply. "He keeps pushing me further and further down, but he unconsciously brought me back out when Mizuki told him about you."

"Hmmm… How long do you believe you'll stick around?" The Bijuu turned to see a flickering shadow with dull red eyes watching the reflecting water. "I rather enjoy our discussions, after all."

"It depends on him," the shadow explained. "If he stays angry or upset, I'll be around. But, if he slips back into his denial…then I'll be sent back."

"What a pity. Knowing how he's dealt with everything over the years, I won't be surprised if you leave again."

"You know that this bothers me too, Kyuubi," the shadow commented, frustration leaking out of their dual-toned voice. "I hate being sent into the deep recesses of his mind; but I don't have any power to stop it."

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens…"

"Yes," the voice sighed out, frustration giving way to melancholy. "Yes, we will…"

And wait they did, watching as the whiskered blonde was escorted to the Hokage and had a talk with the man about his status as a Jinchūriki. Throughout the talk, the Kyuubi saw the formless shadow grow more and more agitated; the wisps twitching sporadically in its growing ire.

"Unbelievable," the shadow said in anger. "A few sweet words from that lying old bastard, and Kyohi instantly trusts him again?!"

"Your earlier title for the boy certainly is fitting," the Kyuubi mused with a chuckle. "He's in denial about anything being wrong; even when the biggest liar in his life is forced to reveal he WAS lying."

"I swear, Kyohi, you are an overly trusting fool who would forgive someone who was about to kill you." The shadow moved closer to the reflecting water, red eyes narrowed angrily. "Where's your rage; your justification?! Why do you choose to forgive and forget when he could be keeping MORE hidden from you?!" The lower part of the shadow formed into legs with bare feet, stomping furiously at the image before them. "STOP LYING TO YOURSELF, DAMMIT!"

As Naruto listened to the Hokage tell him how only the younger generation of the village was left unaware of him holding the Kyuubi, he felt a small spike of pain in his head. He only showed that it hurt by wincing slightly, but he was unaware that one of his eyes had flashed red for a brief instant.

He may have been unaware of it, but the Hokage saw it and was concerned that the fox was trying to influence the young man. "I'd like you to also speak with Inoichi Yamanaka about this."

"Ino's dad?" Naruto asked in confusion. "Why?"

"You went through a rather difficult experience tonight, Naruto. I just want to know if it affected you more than you yourself realize," the man explained, hiding his real worry.

"Oh…" He looked down at that, remembering how he almost lost a teacher and someone who treated him better than most. "I'll go talk to him, old man."

"Good. I'll have you meet him tomorrow after lunch. So, come here around then."

Nodding once, the blonde got out of his seat and left the office; his mind awhirl with the revelation he had experienced.

"You reached him," the fox noted, genuinely impressed. "You're becoming more solid, as well."

The shadow turned their red eyes to their lower body, seeing the vague legs that had been formed. They walked around the reflecting water to test their new limbs, curling their toes against the water when they stopped walking.

"So, I am… I suppose I DO have some power in this place."

"Not much, though. Perhaps you need to keep trying; treating this slight influence like a muscle."

"You mean train it to increase my power?"

"Exactly. You don't want the boy to remain a fool, and I find you more enjoyable company than he will become. Perhaps you will gain a true form at the end of it all."

The shadow with legs stood in place, a low hum of thought coming from them. "Yes… That sounds like the best option for this. If we don't intervene, who knows what Kyohi will do…" Their red eyes met the crimson orbs of the Kyuubi. "I'd like to request your help in this."

"And what will you give me if we succeed?"

"I'll think of something. Right now, I need to focus on getting him to stop suppressing what he truly feels."

"…I expect compensation at the end of this. I'm only helping you because there's nothing better to do in this seal."

"Thank you."

The next afternoon, Naruto was seen laying on a comfortable chaise longue with Inoichi standing close to the boy's head. The man's hands were resting against his temples, chakra exuding from them so that he held a better connection with the Uzumaki's subconscious.

"Just relax," the man informed Naruto. "I'm going to enter your mind now, and it will feel odd; which is normal."

"Right," the younger blonde replied, easing himself into a more relaxed position and letting his thoughts calm.

When the Yamanaka Clan Head opened his eyes, he saw himself standing at a four-way intersection of what looked like a boiler room basement. Water reached up to his upper ankles while pipes carrying blue and red energy were seen attached to the "ceiling" overhead; the red ones dripping into the water he stood in.

He took a moment to locate where the boy kept his memories, having done this procedure enough times to know how latent memories felt. When he got a lock on them, he began walking down one of the intersections; unaware of a certain shadow stepping out of the intersection opposite the one he took.

The shadow followed the man, their legs silent as death compared to the sloshing water the man created with every step. While they would've removed him from Naruto's mind, they lacked upper limbs to grab him with. So, they settled on following the Yamanaka as he entered the space where Naruto's memories were kept.

The space looked to be endless, pitch black save for the doors that floated around aimlessly. Some doors were made of damaged wood, some were average looking, and some looked ornate; like one found inside a high-society home. The ornate doors were unlocked, the average doors held common turn locks, and the damaged ones were chained closed with a thick padlock holding them shut.

"This looks normal," the man mused to himself, used to seeing how stored memories looked to outsiders. "He has more locked memories than I consider healthy; but I can't really blame him for it."

"And you shouldn't," he heard a strange voice state, making him turn and lock his blue-green eyes with dull red ones. "I know you… You're the man who walked around with that Yamanaka girl and runs the flower shop."

"You have me at a disadvantage here."

"It will stay that way, also," assured the shadow. "Why are you here, Trespasser?"

"I'm here to determine Naruto's mental state. Lord Hokage was concerned that him finding out about the Kyuubi would cause some mental stress."

"Yes, I suppose the Lord of Liars would feel that way about the boy."

"Lord of Liars…?" pressed the man.

"Don't think you can just have me tell you everything, Trespasser. I don't know you other than passing glances from Naruto; so, I don't trust you. I don't trust anyone in your village except for a select few."

The man felt the rage from the shadow like a toxic miasma, making his skin crawl. "Why do you feel this way?"

"I don't need to answer you," the shadow answered defiantly, their red eyes glowing for a moment before thin arms were shaped together from the midsection of its wispy form. Raising the right arm, they pointed their opened hand at the man and locked him in place. Seeing him struggle to move his body made their eyes narrow dangerously. "You are not welcome here… NO ONE IS WELCOME HERE! NOT IN THIS PLACE!"

They clenched their hand, and the man felt his mental projection get crushed by an unseen force, shattering him into dust that dissolved in the water below.

"Not where Kyohi is most vulnerable…" the shadow finished, their voice carrying a deceptive calm that belied their cold fury.

Inoichi jerked back in surprise, clutching his head with a groan as he fell to a knee.

"What happened?" the Hokage asked immediately, concerned for one of his ninja.

"Ugh… Uzumaki," the Yamanaka groaned as he tried to stave off the splitting headache that was quickly growing stronger. "He has…some sort of defense…against mental intrusions."

"A defense? What did it look like?" pressed the older ninja.

"It was…some sort of shadow…" Inoichi's vision began to swim, the headache growing into the starting phases of a migraine. "It had…red eyes…"

That was all he was able to say before he was forced to lie down, the migraine becoming too much for him. Sarutobi cursed under his breath before he had two of his ANBU take the man to the hospital. The remaining two ANBU waited for their orders, hidden like they had trained their lives to do.

"Cat," the man began, making the female ANBU appear in a crouch, "I want you to keep an eye on Naruto. With what's happened, I can't help but think the Kyuubi is responsible."

"Sir, not that I don't trust your judgement, but wouldn't Tenzo be better suited for this?" she questioned.

"Normally, yes. But he's on another assignment and won't return for a few weeks at the very least. Besides, Naruto's seen you before; so, it'd be better to have someone he's familiar with watching over him."

"Understood," she replied, turning to the unconscious boy. "I'll take him home and explain what happened when he wakes."

"No," the man immediately halted, making her turn to him once more. "I don't want to worry him about the Kyuubi any further. Just tell him that he's fine, and that Inoichi used too much chakra to help him. He'll connect his own dots."

'But…they'd be the wrong dots,' Cat thought to herself, concern growing for the blonde Uzumaki. Still, she said nothing and only nodded to her leader. Placing her hand on the boy, both disappeared in a flurry of leaves, arriving in his apartment with Naruto landing on his couch. "Ugh… I forgot how badly he lived…"

Her masked eyes looked around his apartment, feeling a stab of pity for the resting Jinchūriki. Truly, Yugao didn't feel Naruto deserved any of the treatment he had suffered in the village. He was keeping the Leaf and its people safe everyday just by staying alive; something that should've been stressed to the masses when his status was revealed many years ago.

With a sigh, she decided to clean up the place; if nothing else than to repay him for the service he continuously did for the Hidden Leaf.

"It seems that enraged stress gives you clearer form," the Kyuubi mused. "You're only missing a midsection and head, now."

"Yes, I suppose so… But what will give me the final triggers that will solidify me?" the shadow asked, concern in their dual-toned voice.

"Hmm… Perhaps I could assist with that."

"Why?" There was now suspicion in their voice.

"I've told you already; multiple times. I prefer your company, and there's nothing better to do. Besides, what I plan to tell you should definitely be enough."

"Oh? What makes you so sure, Kyuubi?"

Blackened lips curled back into a cruel, fanged grin as the fox's crimson eyes gleamed behind its prison bars. "The identity of the boy's parents…and how they died the night he was born."

The dull red eyes of the shadow widened at that, prompting the Bijuu to reveal the hidden truth.

Yugao nodded to herself as her clones finished cleaning up the apartment. It was still in poor shape; but that was mainly because of where it resided in the village. Naruto's neighborhood didn't get much financial help from the higher-ups; another thing they controlled with their disgusting greed.

She was broken from her thoughts when she heard mumbles from the teen, and she turned to see him shifting in his sleep. His eyes were clenched tight, and his arms gripped the couch like a lifeline. The mumbles themselves were unintelligible to her, so she couldn't tell what kind of nightmare he was having.

She almost reached out to rouse him, hoping to save him from the dream; but, he became deathly still as her fingers were inches from him. From his clenched eyes, she saw two tears roll down and heard him give out a whimper that made her heart stop.

Because from that whimper, she heard him say, "Dad… Mom…"

Within the seal, the Kyuubi had its eyes narrowed as its chakra was siphoned into the shadow. The shadow itself was gripping where its formless head was meant to be, the wisps of its body thrashing recklessly as their dual-toned voice screamed in anguish and rage.

The truth had been revealed. The shadow that resided in Naruto's mind was now aware that the Fourth Hokage and the only Uzumaki in the Hidden Leaf were his parents. It was also made aware of Kushina holding the Kyuubi before Naruto, and how a masked man had been the main cause of her death.

But the real kicker to the shadow was how Naruto's father was the one who sealed the Kyuubi into him, and how the fox itself was the one who dealt the finishing blow to both of the boy's parents.

The thrashing wisps gathered the siphoning Bijuu chakra, pulling it in and making the shadow pulse with deep thrums that sounded like heavy drumbeats. The wisps then swirled around the shadow, obscuring its form from the fox for a few moments before their new form was revealed.

Their skin was white as death, but flawless in complexion. Their limbs were lithe and limber, and their figure capable of making hourglasses envious. On their naval was the same seal Naruto held, but in a reverse rotation and crimson red in color. Their cheeks held whisker markings like the boy's, but they looked rougher than his natural ones. Eyes as bloody as rubies stared at the fox while their equally red hair spilled down their bare back, fraying viciously at the ends while two thick strands of it rested on their shoulders and covered their nipples.

Those ruby orbs stared into the crimson ones of the beast for what seemed like eternity before the new form took a breath. Following their exhale, they spoke in a voice that was deathly calm, and deceivingly soft.

"I live…"

1~ Kyohi means "Denial". It is how Dark Naruko sees Naruto and how he lives his life; denying how things aren't "as bad" as they really are

A short opening chapter, but this will give you guys an idea of the twist I plan to do for this Naruto/Naruko story. The title also explains things.

Hikari to Yami/Light and Darkness

Naruto is the Hikari (Light) while Naruko will be the Yami (Darkness). Yami will also be her name in future chapters; since calling her Naruko will just be confusing (in my opinion, anyway).

So, Yami now knows the truth of Naruto's parentage, and how they died. She also is VERY protective of Naruto's emotional integrity; as seen by her vicious removal of Inoichi's astral projection into Naruto's mind.

What else will Yami do to protect Naruto? And what will be the catalyst that gives her form outside of his subconscious?

Hmmm… Perhaps a certain beast will be of further use?

Until next time!

~pain17ification~