"—and while the second day was drawing to an end, Ichigo finally passed Zangetsu's challenge. Now, with the power of his Bankai, he was finally ready to save Rukia, and just in time, since the captains had already assembled at Sōkyoku Hill."
Kurama's voice rolled through the chamber like distant thunder, and Yuzu leaned forward a little more while listening to every word. She could guess what came next—Ichigo would find a way to save the girl—but the way Kurama wove the journey… he'd come up with such a strange yet fascinating bedtime story, she wanted to hear it to the end.
Naruto and Karin lay tangled among Kurama's tails, their small frames half hidden in the orange fur. Karin had curled herself around one tail like it was a giant pillow, her face pressed into the softness, and Naruto lay sprawled across another, one arm flung out in a pose that looked uncomfortable but didn't seem to bother him at all.
"…so cool…" Naruto mumbled into the fur, voice thick with sleep, and Kurama paused.
Karin nestled deeper into her orange bed, a tiny sound escaping her. "So warm…"
Yuzu's gaze flickered to the tail beside her, the soft fur tickling her arm as she shifted. Months ago, she would have never imagined sitting together like this with a tailed beast, yet here she was, listening to stories and watching her daughter sleep in his tails.
A quiet breath slipped out as she settled back in her seiza. Karin lay there, eyes closed and a small, peaceful smile on her face, fast asleep.
If only these days could last forever…
Between one heartbeat and the next, the children vanished. Yuzu's eyes flew wide and her hands twitched towards the empty space.
"They fell asleep."
Kurama's voice gave her pause. She looked up, and her hands settled back in her lap, fingers loose against the fabric of her dress. He'd lifted his head from his folded arms, a faint smile curving across his muzzle.
The tension bled from her shoulders. Of course. She had nothing to worry about.
She'd already tucked them in for the night. She'd only have to move Karin to her own bed.
Kurama's gaze met hers, and his smile widened. "Would you like to hear how this arc ends?"
She blinked at the question, lips parting with a quiet breath. "Ah, you don't have to. I can wait until tomorrow night."
He shouldn't have to tell it twice.
"Are you certain?" A light note crept in his voice. "I don't mind repeating it just for you."
…Just for her?
A sudden flash of warmth crept up her neck, and she looked away before he could see whatever expression had formed on her face. When she glanced back, Kurama was still smiling.
"You're teasing me again…"
A deep chuckle rumbled through the chamber. "It's hard to hold back. Your reactions warm my cold, shriveled heart."
The heat spread higher, prickling at her skin. Her brows furrowed, and her gaze went to her lap.
"That's not…"
A low, drawn-out hum carried through the cage. She swallowed and looked up.
"They don't know what you're truly like," she said, voice quiet. "It doesn't anger you?"
Kurama's eyes gleamed like bloodstones in the dark.
"People fear what they do not understand."
That shouldn't be a reason to…
Her fingers curled in her lap. "You could show them, like you showed me."
"I don't need their acceptance."
"You could get out of here. Don't you hate staying in this place?"
A harsh breath escaped him.
"I do." His voice carried a heavy, bitter weight. "But it won't last forever. And for now, it's much more bearable than it used to be. I don't mind waiting a while longer."
She stared at him, lips pursed.
"What do you mean?"
Kurama smirked. "This seal is comfortable enough."
Her gaze swept across the chamber, and her frown deepened. A dim, lonely place like a realm stuck in twilight. The tall bars of his cage, cold iron piercing towards a ceiling lost in shadows.
Comfortable? This?
"And the company is rather exquisite."
The words sank in a beat too late.
Then the heat came rushing back, flooding her cheeks, her neck, the tips of her ears. Her eyes found her lap and refused to move.
"You're doing it again…" she whispered. "You're taking too much pleasure teasing an old woman…"
A low chuckle reached her ears, and they burned even hotter.
"Do you dislike it?"
He'd even heard that.
"I'll stop if you want me to."
She made herself look up and met his gaze with a small shake of her head.
"It's alright, Kurama. I don't mind it."
It felt… nice.
Nobody had ever talked to her like this. Not since her late husband—
Her grip on her dress tightened, and her gaze flickered past the orange fur and tails, drifting through the deep shadows inside the cage.
If only he hadn't insisted they go to Grass… If only she'd been stronger and—
She pushed the memories down.
He'd given her Karin. That was all that mattered now.
Karin…
She could only hope everything turned out fine.
"Something troubles you?"
Kurama's voice pulled her back. She unclenched her hands with a long breath and brushed them over the wrinkled fabric in slow, repeated movements.
"I'm just worried about Karin. I know we talked about it, but I can't help but worry."
Life as a shinobi was horrible. The whole system was awful and cruel.
"A good mother will always worry about her children." Kurama's tone was soft, and it held no judgment. "It's in her nature."
She stopped her hands, and her lips pressed together. A cold weight settled above her stomach, sour and familiar.
A good mother could have done better for Karin, couldn't she?
"A good mother wouldn't have followed her husband to Grass."
"You couldn't have known."
That wasn't an excuse.
If it hadn't been for The Leaf Kurama, her little Karin would have—
She didn't finish the thought. Her throat clenched as she looked down at her lap.
"The past is there to learn from mistakes. The future carries hope," Kurama spoke, a wistful note in his voice. "But the present is a gift. We should all enjoy it."
Her vision blurred as the words sank. She blinked, and the tears cleared away. The tight knot in her chest loosened, and despite the silence pressing in around them, she felt the corners of her mouth curling upward.
"I suppose I should," she whispered to herself, but Kurama must've still heard it. She looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, Kurama."
A chuckle sounded through the chamber.
"It's good to see you're feeling better."
The weight of his gaze made her look away again. Her hands folded in her lap, fingers lacing around another.
What was wrong with her? An old woman, growing flustered like this?
"Thinking about Karin, though," Kurama spoke again, and she latched onto it like a lifeline. The heat crept away from her cheeks as she watched him tap a finger on his knee. "An ideal outcome would have her apprentice to a medic ninja from the moment she graduates. Or perhaps even a sensor. The Barrier Team would fight over someone with her ability."
She paused, eyes wide. The Barrier Team. That should be even safer than working as a medic nin.
Her teeth dragged over her bottom lip as she looked up. "Could they still put her on a genin team?"
Kurama's expression had turned stony, and her stomach dropped.
Of course they could… she was just asking silly questions. As nice as things were now, they still lived in a ninja village.
"That's always a possibility." His voice made the knot in her stomach twist tighter. "If she shows too much potential, or if she ends up awakening her chains…" He paused and his head. "I can see that old monkey placing her on a team with Naruto."
Her fingers tangled in her lap. She couldn't have a moment without worry, could she?
"I understand…"
She'd just have to hope for the best.
"Rest assured, Yuzu."
Kurama's eyes found hers, and the weight in them made her breath catch.
"If that ever happens, I'll keep her safe."
She stared at him, the words circling through her mind like a storm.
He'd keep Karin safe?
"Truly?"
He'd go that far?
"They saw me step on twigs ten years ago and feared." His mouth split wide, revealing rows of sharp fangs that gleamed in the dim light. "I pity the fools who ever truly earn my wrath."
A shiver trailed down her spine as Kurama chuckled, but despite the harsh, grinding sound of it, his chakra stayed warm as ever. A quiet breath slipped out of her, and the tension eased from her shoulders.
The Nine Tails who had everyone in the village terrified. The Nine Tails whom people thought a savage beast, a demon to fear and hate and lock away forever…
A smile tugged at her lips as her gaze rested on her lap.
"Thank you, Kurama."
They couldn't be more wrong about him.
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