Light in the Dark

More Words of Advice..

••Akari POV••

When I opened my eyes again I actually felt a bit of relief, I was standing in front of the iron bars that held Kurama behind them. He was still there, asleep, snoring away almost scarily peacefully. I began taking step after step towards him, and finally stopped at the bars. This was fine, he was still here.

"Kurama, I'm not sure what is going on, but I am sorry," I whispered, and stared up at the massive fox.

"I don't think he can hear you right now, but I have to say I'm a little shocked you're so casual with him ya know?" I heard a female voice say softly, and I turned around slowly to see a woman with long red hair standing behind me. She smiled when she looked at me and stepped closer as she began to speak again.

"Well I have to say I am sorry that you and your brother got my face, but at least you didn't get my hair," She laughed, a loud but sweet laugh. I felt like I was paralyzed as I was looking at her. She was everything I imagined her to be, and more. No matter how many times Kakashi Sensei or Jiraiya Sensei mentioned that her hair was a bright red, I never imagined it to be so beautiful.

"Mom?" I smiled, my voice choking up a bit as I began to cry and she held her arms out for me. I ran into them as fast as my feet would carry me. Probably going a little too fast I crashed into her, noticing how we weren't too far off in height, but she was still a bit taller. She wrapped her arms back around me and held me as I tried to process everything.

"You know, I have to say I am impressed, your father instilled a bit of our chakra so that one day we could see you guys again, and had it set so that I would come out at the perfect moment, but it turns out Akari you managed to tame the Nine-Tails all on your own?" She sounded a bit surprised and pulled back from the hug to hold my face in her hands. I smiled as I took every part of her facial features and made mental notes on each one of them. She really was so much more gorgeous than I ever imagined.

"I wouldn't say that, I mean we have a deal with each other but,"

"Akari, I can feel his emotions even now, if you focus in on them you won't feel his anger anymore, in fact I feel a bit of worry almost," She smiled at me, and I listened to her advice and tried my best to focus in on his emotions too. Mom was right, there wasn't a trace or anger anymore, in fact there really was a bit of concern.

"I mean, I didn't even really try to, and besides wasn't he supposed to be the worse part I mean he is the dark side-"

"You lived up to your name though, Akari you're the embodiment of light, and even the Nine Tails recognizes that," Mom smiled and rubbed her hand on my cheek.

"Wait, does this mean that you can't stay now?" I panicked slightly, I mean there was so much I had to talk to her about. So many things that a girl talks to her mother about.

"Calm down, we have time Akari, I want you to tell me everything about you," She said excitedly and I stepped back from her and hung my head down. How could I tell her everything about me? She would hate what she sees then. After all... Her and Dad, they were good.

"Mom, I'm such a disappointment," I sobbed crossing my arms across my chest, "I've betrayed the village, I'm not as strong as Naruto, and I can't even decide which boy I like which is hardly even a major issue but for some reason I let it become one,"

"Slow down, breathe, I want you to tell me everything Akari you are my daughter, I want to know you," She stepped towards me again and picked my face up to look her in the eyes, "Akari, I've missed so much of your life, let me know who you are and I promise you it won't change my mind, I'm your mother you know?"

I looked at her a second longer before finally breaking down.

"Mom, it's been so hard," The tears kept falling down my face, as we both sat down outside of Kurama's cell, "I tried so hard to be strong for both Naruto and I, and for awhile I was, I had to be, everyone hated us and I couldn't understand why,"