All standard disclaimers apply
Blood and Circumstance
Sessha-chan
Chapter 1
A Whole New World (remix edition)
Kurama looked around in bewilderment. This was not Tokyo, not even close. Nowhere in Japan had he seen trees this large and healthy. Which begged the question: where was he?
With a fantastical leap, he flew upwards into the branches of the giant trees that towered together. Leaves rustled their greeting to the Plantmaster and Kurama ran a loving hand down the bark of the branch he perched on.
"Hello," he cooed, "Can you tell me if there is a human settlement nearby?" the leaves rustled some more in affirmation. Apparently there was a village not too far off, close enough that the trees remembered many passages of humans through their forest.
"There is," said a deep voice behind and above him. Kurama glanced up in surprise. How had someone managed to slip past his senses like that? The man was tall with silver hair and a hidden alertness to him. Kurama judged politeness the best way to begin relations with whoever lived here.
"Hello," he smiled, brushing back his crimson hair. "Can you tell me where I am? I seem to be lost,"
The man jumped from his branch to the one Kurama was settled on. "You're near Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves," the silver haired man answered. "Now for my question: who are you?"
"Me?" Kurama considered, "You can call me Kurama. Am I in Japan?"
"Where?" The man looked confused, like he had never heard of Japan before. Kurama sighed and ran a hand nervously through his hair.
"I'll take that as a no. Well, it's your turn," he smiled brightly. The man narrowed his one visible eye.
"Where are you from and what is your business here?"
"Ah, ah, ah," The former kitsune avatar chided, "That was two questions. But just for you I'll answer them. I am both from Tokyo, Japan and Makai. It's a strange and convoluted story, and my business at the moment is to find a way back home. Now for my questions. One: do you know of, or of anyone else who knows of dimensional travel and other worlds? Since I'm obviously nowhere near home. And two: why are there three kids spying on us?"
The man paused, showing little emotion outwardly, but Kurama caught the surprise in his scent. "I don't know anything of dimensional travel and those kids are my students," he waved his hand beckoning them to show themselves. Two boys and a girl that looked to be the age of his human form slipped into sight around their sensei.
"Hey, hey! Kakashi-sensei! Who's this?" the blond one demanded excitedly. Kurama watched him with interest, feeling a flickering of youki around him.
"My name is Kurama," He introduced himself, "And you are?"
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! And I'm going to be the best shinobi in the world!" he declared proudly.
"Oh shut up Naruto," said the girl, a pink haired bit just taller than Naruto. She smelled fully human. Nothing to worry about there. She looked to her sensei and, gaining his nod, she stepped forward and introduced herself, "My name is Haruno Sakura and this is Uchiha Sasuke-kun," she motioned to the tallest of the three, a pale-skinned boy with pitch-black hair and a surly expression.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Sakura, Sasuke," he nodded to each in turn, ignoring the scowl Sasuke threw both him and Sakura.
"Now for my question," the silver haired man – Kakashi – interrupted.
"Yes?" Kurama turned his attention back to the leader.
"You claim not to know where you are. How did you arrive here?"
"I don't remember," he shrugged.
"What! How can you not remember?" Naruto demanded.
"Just that. I don't remember. I was out training with some of my companions when all of a sudden I woke up here, in this forest. Not the most pleasant experience, although I'm not complaining just yet because the plant life here seems unusually healthy and vibrant," he ran a hand down the bark of the tree trunk smiling a little when the leaves rustled in response to his power.
This set the natives on edge as there had been no breeze to move the leaves.
"What was that?" Naruto asked, eyes wide. Kurama cocked his head to one side.
"What was what?" he returned.
"That thing you just did,"
That drew the attention of his companions. "Naruto," Sakura began, "He didn't do anything," she said as if she was talking to a small child.
"Yes he did! It happened when he touched the tree!" Naruto insisted.
"Naruto, he didn't do anything," Sasuke snapped.
"Well," Kurama scratched the back of his head nervously. "I did but I didn't mean to. The plants here respond so much more quickly than I'm used to,"
"So, what did you do?" Naruto pressed.
"It's an ability I have. Plants tend to like me very much," he hedged, unsure how much to tell these people. Oddly enough none of them seemed to be overly surprised.
"Oh. Like a Bloodlimit?" Naruto nodded.
"A what? What is a 'bloodlimit'?"
Before any of the students could answer Kakashi interrupted. "I think you should come with us to see Hokage-sama,"
"Who?" the question just slipped out.
"She's the leader of the Village and the strongest shinobi alive!" yet another exuberant answer from Naruto.
"Oh. Alright then," he smiled disarmingly.
"Hokage-sama, Kakashi and his students are here to see you. They seem to have found someone of interest," reported a masked ANBU. Tsunade sighed and pushed her papers to the side. Blasted things can wait. Curse Jiraiya for getting her into this position!
"Let them in,"
"Hey Baa-chan!" Naruto greeted in his usual happy-go-lucky disrespectful manner.
"Naruto!" She snapped, narrowing her eyes in a mock threat. She scanned her visitors for the 'someone of interest.' He was hard to miss.
The boy had a couple of inches on Uchiha with long, flaming red hair and emerald eyes. His face looked like that of a china doll, but he held his body with the same confidence that any other shinobi had drilled into them. She could not determine much else with his loose, foreign clothing and polite smile.
"I take it you are this 'someone of interest' that I've been notified of?" She addressed him directly.
"That would make sense, ma'am, as I am probably the only one you haven't met before," he stepped forward and bowed in respect, shocking her to her toes. A male teenager was showing respect? It was surely a sign of the apocalypse. "My name is Kurama and I seem to have wandered into your lands by mistake. Please forgive my intrusion, but I have no idea how I got here or how to get back to my own world,"
"Your...own world?" she sat back in her chair. One nice thing about ruling over the Fire Country was she got a really, really comfortable chair. "I don't think I understand,"
Kurama ran his hand through his hair again. "Well ma'am, as I told these kind people, I'm from Tokyo, Japan and the Makai. I don't suppose you recognize either of those places?"
Tsunade shook her head, thinking. "No, I don't believe that I know either,"
"It was worth a try," he sighed. "What is it you need to know about me?"
"Age?"
Kurama hesitated before answering, "Just past twenty,"
"Ah. Can you fight? Don't bother lying,"
"Yes, when necessary. I would prefer not to but my skills have only been matched or surpassed by two others that are still among the living," he answered truthfully. Hiei matched him, and Yuusuke surpassed. He would not bother to mention Yoko, Kagome and her youkai family. They did not count.
"You think you're that good, eh?" She sounded doubtful but she could not feel any cockiness in his attitude.
"No ma'am, I know I am that skilled,"
"Fine. You fight. Primary skills and weapons?"
"Armed combat, preferably long distance. My main weapons are my Rose Whip and, uh, my seeds,"
Tsunade's eyebrow lifted. "Your seeds?"
"Yes ma'am, I grow things," he smiled again but this time with a bit of a blush.
"You grow things..."
"Yes ma'am,"
"And..."
Kurama looked confused. "And what?"
"And what do you do with what you've grown?" she asked patiently. Kurama grinned, showing off fox-like canines.
"When it comes to that I generally make my opponent wish he had never dared challenge me,"
Tsunade, being the only one facing Kurama was the only one who caught the glimpse of gold that flashed in his eyes. It reminded her of the red eyes of the Kyuubi. But she couldn't sense a seal on the boy so how...?
"I see," she jotted down notes, "Any other skills?"
Kurama considered. "Well, I am a proficient herbalist and a decent field medic. Good enough to make sure my comrades don't die on me before we finish the fight, that is," he paused, "I also tend to pick things up quickly, by normal standards,"
"I see," she hesitated. "Kakashi, could you take Sasuke and Sakura out? Leave Naruto with us,"
"What?" Naruto said intelligently.
"You got it, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi bustled out with Sasuke and Sakura in tow.
"Why do I have to stay?" Naruto asked.
"Be quiet for now Naruto," Tsunade chided. "You, Kurama, why do you have the same feel as Naruto?"
The same feel? Kurama turned to Naruto and studied the blonde. He sniffed the air and tasted a slight odor of youki. It felt familiar but there was not enough to identify.
"I don't think I understand," he hedged, turning back.
"Naruto, loosen your hold on Kyuubi," She directed. Naruto was shocked but did as he was commanded. Red chakra burned around his body. His eyes turned crimson.
Kurama was shocked. Now he recognized that energy.
"Chitose-san?" he gasped. The red-eyed Naruto turned to face him.
"Yoko Kurama, it's been years. What are you doing in this world and looking like that?"
"To tell the truth I got lost. Not a clue as to how I got here or how to get back," Kurama smiled. "But I think you should know that Yoko Kurama is no longer in this body. I'm the human side, the avatar, Minamino Shuuichi, but only my mother and the people at school call me that. Everyone else calls me Kurama. What about you? Yoko hasn't heard from you since you mated. How do you like that life?"
"I did like it. Until some fool shinobi decided to kill off my kits," Chitose growled through Naruto. Kurama hissed, eyes wide.
"Where was your Mate?" he demanded.
"Dead,"
"I see,"
"Shall I take it that you two know each other?" Tsunade interrupted. "And shall I ask how?"
"Haven't told her everything, eh Kurama? And what's with this you say that Yoko was in your body? Did that fool rogue manage to get himself sealed as well?"
Kurama sighed and sank into a chair. Chitose/Naruto settled for the window ledge. "Well, that's a story I try not to get into. Kinda embarrassing, really. Let's see. To start off, I wasn't completely honest with you, Hokage-sama. My name is Kurama, yes. I see you know of Chitose-chan here, a red kitsune. Yoko Kurama is a silver yoko-kitsune and I was his Avatar, and as such I have inherited the memories and abilities of an unsurpassed Thief and Plantmaster. For over a thousand years Yoko lived in a plane called the Makai, or the World of the Youkai until he was mortally wounded by a bounty hunter,"
"You mean someone got in a lucky shot?" Chitose snorted.
"Very lucky," Kurama said peevishly, unconsciously reflecting Yoko's ire at the situation. "Stupid bounty hunter tagged him on a job and so he fled to the ningenkai before the ferrygirls of the Dead could come to collect his soul. There he slipped into the fetus of an expecting human woman. My unborn body. And since then he has been living mostly as a human such as myself,"
"Mostly?" Tsunade pressed.
"Well, I did have to revert to his youkai form and turn control over to him for a fight or two," he shrugged it off. "And the only reason he isn't still with me is because he Mated a miko who was strong enough, and well connected enough, to get him out of my body and into his own,"
"Hold on," Chitose held up a hand, "Yoko mated a miko?" Kurama nodded. "How did that happen?"
"Well, they met, he pursued, she fled, and she caught him. Exorcized him from my body, got her Taiyoukai of an adopted brother to restore his own. They've settled down at her family shrine since she cannot stay in the Makai for long periods of time, and now I think they're expecting their first child," he shrugged. "The whole courtship thing was pretty awkward seeing as how they could never get a private moment thanks to me being there in the back of Yoko's head whenever he had control,"
"Okay, okay, okay, hold on. Let me see if I have this straight. You, Kurama, were a vessel-" Tsunade was interrupted by Kurama.
"Avatar. There is a marked difference," he corrected.
"Avatar. Whatever. For this Yoko, a kitsune, right? He is no longer residing in your body, yet you still possess his powers,"
"Correct,"
"And he controlled plants?"
"Controls, present tense, yes,"
"What kind of plants?"
"All kinds of plants,"
"I see," she frowned down at her notes.
"Is there anything else you need to know?" he asked politely.
"How is it that you know Kyuubi?"
Kurama smiled, blushing a little, "Chitose-san and Yoko were, ahem, 'Playmates' before she Mated. I have most of the memories of Yoko's past life seeing as there were few, if any, barriers between our minds,"
"Oh yeah, you're human," Chitose smirked, "Yoko would never blush over the thought of one of his playmates,"
"Maybe not, but you should see him blush over Kagome-chan," Kurama laughed.
"You lie!" Chitose accused, jumping off the window ledge, "That jaded rogue would never blush!"
"That rogue has met his match,"
"I'll believe it when I see it," she pouted, an expression which looked quite cute on Naruto's face.
"Well," Kurama amended, "It is true that he does more leering than blushing, especially now that she is expecting their first kit,"
"That's better,"
"I have to admit, Chitose-san, that given my shared memories with Yoko it is very strange to talk to you in a male body," he shook his head. Tsunade laughed, sympathizing with his feelings.
"Maybe so," Chitose shrugged, "But this kit is mine now and I'll gladly help him kill anyone who threatens his existence,"
"Admirable,"
"Just so long as it's strictly self-defense I can handle the mess that that would cause," Tsunade sighed, "It's bad enough that Naruto-kun has to deal with the hatred left over from your attack he doesn't need the deaths of innocents on his hands,"
"True," Kurama nodded. Chitose growled, her crimson eyes contrasting vividly with Naruto's sunny yellow hair.
"If that slimy snake-summoner hadn't been hiding out in the village I wouldn't have attacked. I almost got him at the Chuunin Exams but he managed to get the slip on me," she started pacing, "Just thinking about that creepy piece of lowclass oni refuse makes my bloodlust call,"
"Wait," Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "Snake-summoner? Orochimaru? Was he the one who killed your kits?"
"And the human can add," Chitose drawled sarcastically.
"Now, now," Kurama stepped in between the glaring women. "So, Hokage-sama, you know this Orochimaru?"
"He and I were students together. But he got too power hungry and became a missing nin. He's the reason I'm Hokage now. It was him that killed the last Hokage, our sensei," she sighed. Kurama could tell from her scent that she was suppressing her sorrow at the death of her sensei in order to appear strong.
"She speaks the truth," Chitose verified needlessly. Kurama frowned, Yoko-like thinking tickling his mind.
"Yet he is permitted to live?"
"Hey!" Tsunade protested, "We're doing the best we can in tracking him down but he has made some very powerful allies and I cannot afford to just throw my best fights at him in a hope that he'll slip up and get killed,"
"And how good are your best fighters?"
"Exceptional," Tsunade boasted. Kurama leveled her with a deadpan stare.
"That's not what I asked,"
"For humans they're pretty skilled. They have a unique way to mould ki that can give you quite a few nasty surprises but it took most of the village to take me down," Chitose supplied, knowing what Kurama was going for.
"So," he said slowly, "They're a danger to another human but a nuisance to a fully trained nine-tail in his prime?" he simplified. Tsunade stiffened at the jab but Chitose grinned.
"That's about it,"
"Sounds like it could be interesting," he turned to face Tsunade, "How much would you pay me if I took care of him for you?"
Silence.
"Are you hiring yourself out as a mercenary?" Chitose asked, incredulous.
"You and Naruto-kun can help out if you want," he smiled, "I have no qualms with splitting the bounty. Besides, it's more honest than robbing a bank, although I could do that if I really wanted to…"
Tsunade coughed. "I can't just send you out after Orochimaru like that. You say that you're powerful and skilled and Kyuubi vouches for the Kitsune you had in you but I can't trust either of you without conducting an examination,"
Kurama cocked his head to one side, "Examination? How?"
"Armed combat," Chitose purred.
Tsunade sighed, "Yes. Armed combat,"
"Against who?"
AN: Yo! Book three has begun! Starting off with poor Kurama getting dragged headlong into another world. You know, it's probably a really good thing that I don't own these poor characters. Just LOOK at what I'm going to put Kurama through. Well, you'll have to wait a couple chapters for the full effect but even I have to pity the guy. That's what he gets for being such a great guy, you know. I take notice and do terrible things to him.
But just wait! This book is fraught with many of my twisted imaginings and ideas. If you are uncomfortable with the notion of Ranma ½ then please keep your scathing comments to yourself. If you have anything constructive to say to me, by all means please, PLEASE talk to me! I love advice and I try to use it whenever offered. I also love random compliments! They are the bread and butter of my existence. Arigato minna!
