Mistaken Identity

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Prologue

"What will you do when I die?" the sad, gentle voice of a young woman asked. She turned weeping eyes to her immortal lover. He was so beautiful, and time after time, she would wonder what he saw in her. He had the most gorgeous yellow eyes and the strangest silk-like orange hair. His skin was fairly tanned, and he held a surreal look. Although he was in a humanoid form, he held his demonic characteristics—fangs and claws, to name a few. She had never seen his demon form before, but she guessed that it was just as beautiful. She couldn't imagine leaving him to this world without her. "How would you cope without me?"

Her voice was beautiful, yet the grief of it wrapped around his heart in constricting pain. He would not allow her to die. Yes, the fates were cruel, making her a mortal, but he would defy the fates. Ever since she came into this world, she changed his outlook on life. She was his world.

His gaze drifted to her deep blue orbs. A tear streaked down her cheek. He hated when she cried—it pained him beyond anything that words could describe. He reached toward her face, careful of his clawed hand, and wiped her tears away. He leaned in, placing a comforting kiss on her brown hair, assuring her that everything would be alright. "You won't die, I will not allow it."

She knew what he spoke were lies. She would grow old and die, or perish early because of a disease. She hated being mortal. "You can't stop it."

He pulled her into his lap, embracing her; he didn't know what else to do. He nuzzled her hair with his chin. He didn't want to think of his life without her. He wouldn't have a reason for living. His life would be bleak, and he would be so alone. "Without you, I would be nothing. I would follow you in death so that we can be together in the afterlife."

Her tears slowed. Of course he would never allow them to be separated. Her lips twitched, the edges upturning into the slightest smile. She would not have to be without him, ever. However, she frowned. She didn't want him taking his life—not for her, not for anyone.

He was silent, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Her voice interrupted his thoughts, but he silenced her with his lips. It was full of passion—as was everything that he did for her. Her hands tangled in his hair—he loved her responses to him.

She pulled back, gasping for air. She hadn't forgotten that he didn't answer her question, and she was determined to get him to answer. She idly played with a strand of his orange hair that had escaped from his hair tie. "Can you promise me something?"

He was quick to reply. He would do anything for her. "Anything you want."

"If I were to die, as much as I would love to have you with me, can you promise me that you would live on? I don't want you to commit suicide. I would be forever guilty." She looked into his eyes, searching for the answer.

His eyes widened. For the first time since their time together, she was asking too much. How could she expect him to live without her? He couldn't bear the thought of living one second without her. "Would you condemn me to a hell without you?" He looked at her eyes; the blue pools were still spilling water. He closed his eyes to avoid the shimmery gaze. It wasn't fair—the power she had over him was insane. Her tears caused him pain, and he didn't like the fact that he had caused them. Reluctantly, he nodded his head in agreement.

"I want to hear you say it." A nod wasn't a good enough promise. It was shallow and it meant nothing. She wanted to hear the words.

"You are going to kill me one of these days." He didn't want to make a promise that he wouldn't want to keep. He tried to avoid that intense gaze. His efforts failed. He had to look at her. The sight of her tears, once again, undid him. "I promise you that if you were to ever die, I would continue my existence."

She nodded her thanks, unable to find her voice. He made her so happy, so complete. A genuine smile graced her features, and she wiped her tears with the back of her hands.

That smile—he would do anything to have the woman in his arms smiling forever. It was his sunshine, his light. And he was nothing more than putty in her hands. The irony of the situation was… amusing—him, a great demon, being the puppet to a human. If it was her, he wouldn't have it any other way, though. "I love you more than anything."

Too lost in the human, he didn't realize that there was someone watching from afar.

A malevolent chuckle caused the fox demon to tense and go on the offense. This wouldn't be the first time that the person had approached him, seeking his power.

He pushed his mate out of his lap and told her to run. She nodded and did as she was told. When she was out of sight, he turned to the unseen intruder; a growl was torn from his throat. "Show yourself, now!" His chakra flared, engulfing him in red energy.

0-0

Adrenaline raced through her blood, pumping her legs as fast as her human limits would allow. Something wasn't right, and for her love to go on the offense like that, it had to be dire. She weaved throughout the trees of the night forest. She was no ninja, yet she had a great deal of agility.

She felt uneasy—somebody was watching her. She tried to run faster, but the tiredness in her legs and the burn in her lungs prevented that. Gradually, she slowed, cursing her body for being so weak. She had to survive!

The same chuckle that she heard when she was with her lover surfaced through the trees—embracing her, mocking her. She didn't like it, but there was nothing that she could do other than to run. This was all an illusion, right? It had to be.

Exhaustion consumed her, causing her to trip over her own feet. Panic arose, and it felt like she couldn't draw enough breath. She willed her body to move, but it ignored her.

Footsteps advanced on her, cracking twigs in their wake. She shook with fear. Who was it and what did they want? She forced herself onto her hands and knees to crawl away, only to be stopped by a stomp on her back. The air rushed out of her lungs, leaving her gasping for air. A kick to the side caused her to roll onto her back. She held her side and coughed up blood. A hand grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground. It felt like her scalp was on fire!

Despite the pain that flowed through her, she opened her eyes to see her captor. Red eyes with black pupils and three black dots circling the pupil greeted her. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Her attempts of wriggling free proved to be futile.

A white hot pain shot through her throat—she knew that she was done. Her windpipe filled with blood and she could do nothing but choke as her precious vital fluid left her body at an extremely fast pace.

Her vision clouded over with black spots. Her last dying thoughts were that of her love. She smiled weakly in her last seconds, knowing that she was loved by the greatest man—demon—on earth. Her body fell limp and it was discarded on the ground as her killer walked away.

0-0

He blitzed through the forest. The imposter was just a shadow clone, so the real one was elsewhere; he had a bad feeling about this. He followed his mate's scent as it weaved through the forest. The scent was overcome by the metallic smell of blood and he stopped in his tracks.

Denial washed through him, and he resumed his trail. She couldn't be injured… or dead. He had never been afraid of anything no matter what it was. For the first time in his life, fear washed through him. His heartbeat increased in anticipation. He had to get to her, fast!

The smell of blood burned his nose; he was so close. A frail, bloody figure caught his eye and he stopped running. He held his breath and prayed that it wasn't what he thought it was. Upon further inspection, he discovered that the corpse was indeed his love. He dropped to his knees in front of her, cradling the figure to him. He didn't care that his clothes were now stained with her blood. He gave a gentle shake, hoping that she would wake up. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Love, I'm here. You're safe now. Please, wake up. Wake up." His endeavors were, however, pointless. His love was lost to him.

Pain wailed up into an unbearable ache. His world was destroyed. His vision turned red and he roared into the night, his chakra erupting. His power was so strong that an earthquake emitted from the ground.

His skin ripped and orange fur exploded out of it. Nine tails slashed angrily through the air. Sharp teeth were exposed due to his snarling. Large paws slammed down to earth, destroying nearby trees and vegetation.

Kyuubi was broken.

Chapter End

Reviews are greatly appreciated. I want to know how this chapter is accepted and if I should continue this story. I also want to know your personal thoughts about this story. Future chapters will be longer, much longer. Reviews fuel my motivation.