A Helping Hand by SweetDarkSilence
Naruto
This is my second or third attempt at writing fan fiction, so I'm still getting the hang of it. I may post more.
A Great Big Thanks goes ValueMyHeart and Aria Breuer, for reading over what I had and for inspiring me to get off my duff and finish it.
I hereby denounce any ownership of Naruto and all associated characters. Although, I do claim any OOC-ness that occurs.
Chapter 1
Low rumbling was heard as a little boy made his way through the long hall, and then a great growl pierced through the hallway making the little guy jump straight up into the air.
Confused, he made his way towards the source, but as the sound began to get louder, he could feel the terror run down his spine. Suddenly, a roar of frustration echoed off the walls as he reached the room at the end of the hallway. His eyes widened in surprise when he peered through the doorway.
Across the room there was a wall made up of vertical bars that reached higher than he could hope to jump into the darkness above. Rapid motion coming from inside the cage drew his attention as he cautiously made his way closer. The noise he thought was a rumbling, sounded more like a booming thud as he stood before the gilded bars. Peering inside, he could faintly make out a large, dark shape striking the floor in time with the now determined thumping.
The boy nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a booming voice ring out: "Aaaaah! What did I do to deserve this? It's bad enough I'm stuck here, but fleas too? Aaaaaaaaaahh!"
The young boy quivered, but moved closer to the barrier.
"Um, excuse me Mister, are you ok?" His said in a whisper.
The figure froze, before slowly turning to look at the boy.
"Who are you?" The voice growled at him.
Nervously licking his lips, the boy squeaked out, "M-my name's N-Naruto."
The dark figure slowly approached the bars.
What Naruto saw next, made the boy fall helplessly back in shock and awe. Bigger than any building in Konoha and possibly the Hokage Mountain, a reddish-orange fox stepped into the light emanating from the bars. Lines of thick black surrounded his lips and eyes, making the bright red and yellow orbs even brighter. Nine slender tails lazily swayed around the creature, belying the massive power hanging in the air. Rabbit-like ears twitched as the rest of his coat shivered slightly.
"WOW! You're so cool!"
The great fox quirked its head to the side not knowing how to respond to him.
The boy jumped to his feet, his eagerness and curiosity moving him closer to the cage.
"Wow, you're the biggest fox I ever saw! Can other foxes talk? Why do you have nine tails? What's your name? How old are you? Why are you in that cage?-"
As the questions flooded out, the now confused fox briefly forgot the unbearable itching he had been suffering and focused on the chattering child. When the kid finally paused to breathe, the fox quickly cut him off.
"Look kid, get lost."
Whatever Naruto would say next died on his lips; gleaming blue eyes dimming in sorrow as the child curled protectively into himself.
"I-I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to bother you." The young boy slowly turned away, his sorrow a near visible cloud hanging above him.
No longer distracted by the new presence, he attacked the itching with a vengeance. Unfortunately, even as clumps of fur fell, there was no relief for him. In a fit of aggravation, the mammoth fox threw himself onto his back and began to wiggle across the floor, vigorously scratching his back.
At the newest sound, Naruto quickly spun back around to see the great fox roll over and over growling and whining echoing through the room. Rolling upright, a muffled giggle drew the fox's attention back to the intruder.
"I told you to leave, why are you still here?"
"I-I don't know how…"
A newly gained eye twitch joined his shaking body.
The fox turned his head away from the kid, trying to fight the urge that was slowly eating away at his body. He tried not to think about it, but failed after a few seconds, as his newfound resolve shattered to bits.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH! I can't take anymore! Make it stop!" The fox shouted, and began to bang his head against the bars. This frightened Naruto so badly that he started to cry.
"P-p-please s-stop! D-don't hurt y-yourself! No more! No more!"
The fox didn't listen to the kid and with a final bang, the fox fell over, out cold; leaving the sobbing boy to calm himself.
Wiping the tears from his eyes, Naruto tried to understand the creature in front of him.
'He didn't try to bite and claw me like the other animals do. And he talked to me…'
The blonde pondered, still confused; as he inched forward toward the great unconscious beast.
Hesitantly his hand reached forward, gently brushing the fur, feeling for the bump on his head. Questioning fingers paused in their pursuit as they took in the texture.
'Is he ok? He hit his head really hard and- wow his fur's so soft!'
Edging into the cage, little hands smoothed over the fur on his face. A twitch of whiskers drew his attention to the moving bit of fur.
'What is that?'
Curious, he carefully parted the fur, seeing movement dart between the hairs.
Little hands darting forward, he caught a moving creature, bringing it closer to his face for inspection.
Bigger than his hand, the insect moved its legs wildly about, trying to escape. In a wild attempt, it bit a finger too close to its head, prompting Naruto to drop the flea which made a mad dash for the bars behind the boy. Blue light pulsed in his injured hand before he spun, reaching out to grab the insect once more.
However, when the blue light made contact with the flea, it twitched violently before growing still. Surprised, Naruto fell backwards smacking the fox, or more specifically, a patch of sparsely furred, deeply reddened skin. Worried he might have hurt or woke the sleeping giant, he sprang to his feet in time to see the once flushed skin fade into a healthy cream color.
Glancing between his hand and the fox, he attention was drawn to new movement in the fur nearby.
Determined, he set to work.
For the first time in five years, Kyuubi woke up with his body completely relaxed and rested. No, that's not entirely right, there was a faint scratching feeling coming from his lower back. 'Scratching? But not itching? When did I fall asleep?'
Opening his eyes, he took stock in his surroundings.
'Okay let's see: indestructible bars in front of me, hard unnatural floor beneath me, a general lack of itching, that's odd, a scratching sensation with a sight weight on my back…'
Head lifting from his paws, he turned to find the intruder from earlier was the source of the scratching.
The little blond boy with now glowing hands.
"Hey kid, you can use your chakra?" The sudden voice of the mammoth fox filled the air, making poor Naruto jump a foot in the air and gasp from the shock.
Taking some deep breaths, he tilted his head to the side before asking, "What is ch-chak-chakra?" stumbling over the unfamiliar word. The fox felt his jaw drop.
"You mean to tell me, you don't know what chakra is? No one has ever told you?"
Naruto shook his head, but then looked worried. "Is that bad, did I do something wrong?"
The fox sighed deeply but kept his gaze on the kid who had given him such relief from the constant torture he was force to endure. He chose to change the subject.
"What are you doing here…Naruto was it?" He questioned the kid, and then Naruto looked up at the fox.
"I don't know; the last thing I remember is hiding in a big tree so no one could find me."
"Were there people looking for you?" The Fox asked.
"Yea! They always chase me so I have to run really fast."
"Why?"
His face dropped, "Well...if they catch me, they hurt me..."
The fox found himself confused by the behavior; in a pack the young were treasured because they were vulnerable and so few survived. As the Father of Foxkind, he watched over all and had witnessed this behavior among pack members. And while he had never had a mate to actually father kits, he felt a surprising surge of latent protective instincts towards the young boy.
'Have humans fallen so far as to harm the young for sport? Is there no one who will protect the youth?'
"Tell me, does everyone seek to do you harm?" At the boy's confused look, he reworded his inquiry. "Do all the people hurt you?"
"Old man Hokage tries to make'em stop, but they wait 'til he's gone and keep going. And a man named Iruka who helps the Hokage's nice; sometimes he even takes me for Ramen! Oh! The people at the Ramen stand are really nice too!"
From Naruto's response, the fox breathed a sigh of relief, "At least he has people willing to care for him."
The issue of the villagers and the few questions he asked kept him occupied until Naruto finished.
"Thank you Naruto." The fox quietly murmured. "Now I shouldn't itch for three days!" He happily said, before becoming somber. 'Three days, then its back to itching hell. Hmm, I wonder…'
"Hey Naruto," The boy looked up. "What do you say to assisting me again in three days, and…I'll teach you something?" Naruto screwed up his face in concentration before it relaxed into a small smile.
"Y-you mean you want me t-to c-come back?" He said, trying not to look too hopeful.
"Sure, but you're going to need to rest for a whole day when you get back, and eat something other than your beloved Ramen."
At this, the boy pouted but nodded his head at his new teacher.
"And make sure you don't use too much chakra the day before you come back. Now go on, you need your rest."
With that, the fox curled up on the floor, falling into a peaceful sleep for the first time in years.
Naruto quietly made his way to the outside of the cage. Looking back, he murmured a soft, "Good night." Before leaving the room.
The End