Chapter 1
Naruto nearly dies when he is attacked one night. 'Where on earth am I? Why is there a girl crying on me? Why does this girl have fox ears and tails?' Confusion ensues.
Ryuichi Odato was a broken man. Ever since the catastrophe that devastated his life 10 years ago, his life was completely destroyed. His family, his house, his career, all of it obliterated in one terrible night.
Even now, he could still vividly remember.
A chakra so tainted, so evil engulfed him and choked him. Those enraged, scarlet eyes and the destruction that was wrought with every swing of it's tails. His gaze fell on his arm, and he felt the sorrow soak through him again.
Even now, he could still vividly remember.
He remembered lying on the ground hopelessly, his blood pooling below him from a searing cut he suffered from flying pieces of debris. Even though he suffered from severe blood loss, what happened next was forever imprinted in his memory.
Haru, the mother of his two children and the love of his life ran over, concerned and utterly worried for his safety. Despite being just a civilian and without training, she dashed over without an iota of hesitation, and without concern for her own well-being.
Even now, he could still vividly remember.
He could hear himself screaming his lungs out as he begged her not to come. He could remember the Monster and it's belittling eyes come upon them and deem them as no more than insignificant insects.
He could feel the dark, malicious power of the Monster build up in a visible orb of chakra before it was unleashed, wiping out what seemed like half the village. After he had awoke, he had realised what had happened. Her existence was completely erased. Just gone like that.
At this point, Ryuichi supposed it was more than vivid recollection. Every night of his life, whenever he closed his eyes to rest, he relived that day, that fear, and the pain of seeing his beloved cruelly taken from him again, again, and yet again. He gritted his teeth, balled his fists, broke his only arm while thrashing on a particularly terrible night, wailed and cried until he passed out from exhaustion. Eventually, he had to be sent to the hospital for a mental evaluation.
Now, he couldn't take it anymore. Not anymore. What was the point in living? There was truly nothing in it left for him. Not his love, not his children, not his career. There was just nothing. A blur in the distance broke him from his reverie. His eyes, weighed by dark bags from his insomnia glanced upward, focusing on something in the distance.
There he was. Spiky blond hair, cerulean eyes, and that orange jumpsuit. There was no mistaking him - Uzumaki Naruto. The jailor of the Monster. Ryuichi felt his fists tighten and once again, he began to question the logic of both the Hokage and the council. How could they possibly think to imprison the Kyuubi - that horrible Monster - inside that little brat? There was no doubt that the Kyuubi would one day escape from the seal, and when that occurred… Ryuichi had to suppress the shiver sent down his spine.
Yes. He would fulfill his duty to Konoha. Eyeing the orange-clad Jinchuuriki again, he reaffirmed his resolve. He reached into his pouch and withdrew a kunai. He ran his finger along the edge and inspected it closely. A quick, dazzling gleam shone from it, and a thin stream of blood ran down his finger. This would do. With the rustling of the leaves from the gentle breeze, he disappeared into the shadows.
"Ah, that was delicious! Thanks Jii-san!"
Naruto's voice rang through the air as he finished his fifth bowl of ramen. Ichiraku's was really the best, he thought, patting his bulging belly. Fishing coins out of his jumpsuit, he placed them on the table and grinned from ear to ear. Suddenly feeling his exhaustion catch up to him, he stifled a yawn and stretched his aching body. The training that day had really taken its toll.
He had recently redoubled his training, the memory of his recent failure bearing down on him. Just last week, he had failed the graduation exam for the second time in a row. Shaking his head, he snapped out of his reverie. He wouldn't let himself fail again, he resolved. He would truly one day be Hokage.
"See you later, Jii-san, Ayame Nee-san!"
"See you later, Naruto!"
Waving towards them, Naruto hopped off his seat and ran off. The sun had long set, and the moon had already taken it's place in the apex of the sky. The dim light of the moon painted the village in an unworldly, ethereal glow, and Naruto once again took the time to relish it. This was Konoha, he thought to himself. He took to the roofs and took the usual detour through the village.
The view from atop the Hokage Monument was truly a sight to behold, Naruto marvelled. Towering over the village, it was a spectacular vantage point and Naruto often found himself up here especially after the sun had set. Sitting on the Yondaime Hokage's head, he could see the academy, Ichiraku's, and even his home from here.
It seemed so long ago now, when Jii-Jii had first brought him here and told him about the Will of Fire, and about his position of Hokage. It was there and then that he had sworn to one day be Hokage.
Naruto lay onto the ground, staring into the night. Shikamaru would have loved to join him, he absently thought. The sky was a sea of glittering jewels, each with a different luster to it.
They formed abstract patterns and shapes, and Naruto mentally noted to find the book about constellations. He eventually lost track of time, and the aching of his back nagged at him to return to his bed. Just as he was about to head back however, the air whistled and his gut instinct screamed at him.
Naruto flew to the floor, rolled and got into a squatting position. It was a textbook academy evasion technique, something he had practiced relentlessly today, but the pain in his arm informed him that something was wrong. It was a deep cut, and a warm river of blood streamed from it. A kunai was buried in the ground right next to him.
"What the hell?" Naruto shouted.
A flash of light entered his vision, and Naruto dodged again. Rolling onto the ground, he dug into his back pouch to draw a kunai, but found it missing. Looking behind him, he realised that the pouch was pinned to a tree on the other end of the clearing by a kunai.
'The second kunai!' He realised.
There was no time to think. His thoughts were racing, but they were a hinderance now.
Who was the attacker? Why was he being attacked?
There was no time for that. The night robbed his vision, and the attacker had already disarmed him. Panic set in, and he was frozen to the spot. He was just relying on his pure instinct and reflexes to dodge and evade. Another flash.
This time however, Naruto caught a glimpse of something in the distance and twisted out of the way. He quickly took cover behind a few rocks, but managed to catch sight of him in the dim moonlight. His eyes widened, and he felt a pang of betrayal stab him. How could it be? Why was a - a Konoha shinobi be attacking him? Jii-Jii had said… Jii-Jii had said…
The rustling of grass caught Naruto's attention. His assailant came from the shadows, slowly approaching with a kunai in his hand. He wore the standard Chunin attire, but one of the sleeves of his shirt was fluttering with the wind. His hair was wild and untamed, his facial hair long and untrimmed. A jovial, joking part of Naruto brought up the resemblance to a lion. The resemblance was made even clearer, looking at his eyes. They were sharp, jaded with hatred. He was a predator, wanting nothing more than to kill the one before him.
"Wha- who are you, and why are you attacking me?" Naruto yelled in indignation. The man stared at him, his footsteps slow and relentless in their pace. His lips didn't so much as part. Instead, his answer came in the form of a kunai straight to the forehead. This time, it was thrown with much greater speed, and across such a short distance- Naruto couldn't evade in time.
"A-ahh." Naruto's whole body shook. Blood trickled down his face. The kunai, which would have plowed right through him had stopped just short of doing so. The goggles, which were a present from Jii-Jii, had saved him. The glass had been shattered, and the kunai had dug into his skin. Tears had formed in his eyes, and he had barely avoided wetting his pants on the spot.
Naruto took a step back, as fear struck his heart. He had just seen Death. There was no way to defeat this man. His breathing was ragged and erratic, and he was hyperventilating. He turned and ran as fast as his legs would. His tears too, ran without repose.
"No, p-please, don't kill me! No, no, no, please…"
The village, it was safe. Jii-Jii would protect him. This nightmare would end soon. He had just fallen asleep whilst looking up at the stars. He was going to be late for the academy again and...
The excruciating pain had tore him from his delusion. He was sent tumbling into the ground. His heels felt like molten iron had been poured on them.
"Ahh… Please…"
He clawed at the ground. Blue, frenzied eyes darted around, searching for hope. Where was rescue? Where was home? He only knew where the ground was. Footsteps froze his desperate efforts. Looking up, he saw the shinobi standing before him.
The fear struck anew in Naruto again. The shinobi stood with his back to the moon, obstructing his features. All Naruto could see was the features of the man, contorted with hatred. His mouth twisted into a scowl, his eyes piercingly sharp. He smashed his foot into Naruto, sending him rolling. Naruto coughed out blood and teeth.
"W-why?" He managed to say.
The man walked closer again. He grabbed Naruto's collar, pulling him up and staring him in the eye. His eyes and cheeks were red, his teeth an ugly yellow and stained black and his breath was horrid. How long had he not brushed his teeth? From here, Naruto thought, the man really seemed like a monster.
"It's all your fault." The man seethed.
"Everything is your fault. Let me ask you, why did you have to take everything away from me?"
Momentarily, the horrible pain Naruto had been feeling had been replaced with confusion, before the man smashed his forehead into his nose. With an excruciating crunch, his world turned black, before it faded back into the nightmare.
"Do you remember? Do you remember that night? You destroyed everything that day." He spat, smashing his head against him again. Another crunch.
"You took my wife, my home, my children, my arm, my friends. You took everything." He continued.
"Do you remember? Well? Do you remember?."
Naruto was in far too much agony to even comprehend his words, and it was all he could do to try and muster a response.
"I-I didn't-"
The man released his hold on Naruto, before his foot smashed Naruto into the ground and formed a crater. Naruto couldn't even cry out in pain. Had something broken? He couldn't even tell if his ribs were intact.
"This is for the greater good. This is for Konoha."
He forced his eyelids open, and he wished that it would all just end. The pain, it surged again and again, and Naruto couldn't even scream. The man whipped out another kunai. He inspected it, twirled it, playing with it. It was as if he could hear Naruto's plea and was doing everything he could to reject him. Finally, he gripped it in his hand, eying the jinchuuriki again. He took aim, and released it.
"Die."
The world faded to black.
What had just happened?
Ryuichi looked around, utterly confused by the turn of events. Just moments before, the jinchuuriki had lay on the floor, utterly pummeled and knocking on death's door. He had made sure of that. His rage was unleashed violently and with every hit he landed, he felt a gratification. That the boy actually managed to evade his first kunai was surprising. It was a testament to his rusty skills and the boy's instincts, he supposed. He had made sure to prevent grabbing any attention. Wearing the Chunin attire he was so used to and making sure not to use any ninjutsu techniques. They weren't necessary to dispose of a single brat anyway.
Just as he was about to land the killing blow however, the boy had simply vanished from sight. It wasn't as if he had blinked - he wanted to see the end of the Monster with his very eyes. He had simply vanished. The only trace of the events that had just happened were the crater in the ground and the kunai buried in the soil. Was it a kawarimi? Or perhaps a genjutsu? Ryuichi Odato stared blankly at the ground as he fell into a brown study.
The rustling of leaves caught his attention. His head snapped around, thinking to have found his prey. An unfamiliar silhouette approached in the distance. Ryuichi immediately formulated the excuses he had planned beforehand. He squinted, struggling to see in the darkness. It was strange. The silhouette was wearing something baggy, like a yukata and a kimono, and was quite slim.
His eyes widened, and his jaws fell agape. His immediate instinct was that he had fallen to a genjutsu, but even as he disrupted his own chakra again and again, nothing had changed.
His body shivered and he felt his eyes water. Inside, his shinobi instincts screamed and warned him, but he didn't move. He couldn't move. He saw the figure pause in surprise and smile, and he felt his soul purified and liberated a million times over. Unable to hold back his overflowing emotion, the tears fell like a torrent.
"Haru."
His thoughts were an absolute mess. Wasn't he supposed to be killing the boy? Wasn't he supposed to be fulfilling his duty? Wasn't he supposed to be… Ryuichi let the kunai fall to the ground as he grabbed his head. The shinobi instincts, his mindset, so deeply engraved in him just fell apart before her. Why was he fighting again? Why did he want to kill him again? But even those thoughts melted away.
His legs failed him. He wanted no more than to hug her, to feel her warmth and be greeted by her embrace again, but his legs failed him.
"Haru, Haru." He said again and again.
Haru smiled, reaching down to grasp his outstretched hand. She knelt before him, her other hand gently wiping the tears from his face.
"Ryuichi. I missed you." She replied gently.
His heart nearly leapt out of his chest. He reached in for an embrace, and she complied.
Ahh, how long had it been since he felt this warmth, he wondered. It was exactly the same.
He ran his fingers down her hair, twirling it and buried his face into her shoulder.
Yes, it was like this. Everything was perfect. He was living in a dream.
"Ryuichi."
But it was not to be. His dream ended as quickly as his nightmare had started. Pain exploded in his chest like fire, his vision distorted and blurred, and he felt his legs give way. He fell back first onto the floor, and blood came up his throat forcing him to cough raspily.
What the hell? What had just happened? Recovering from the shock, the pain throbbed mercilessly in his chest again. Blood, warm and red and irreplaceably precious, soaked his vest and shirt and seeped into the ground.
Who was it? Was it - was it the boy? Is this a genjutsu? Where was the enemy?
Her footsteps recaptured his attention. She stood silently, basking in the moonlight. Even as she looked down at his figure, even as her hands were soaked in his blood, she looked as beautiful as ever. She raised her hand, her blood-stained hand to brush her hair to the side. In her other hand, she held a knife, a kunai of some sort.
"Ryuichi."
The realisation of the cruel, agonizing truth and the confusion of the situation was like a stinging, painful kick to the head. The betrayal hurt even more than the hole in his chest.
Haru… Haru stabbed me?
No. He concluded. She is not Haru. Haru is gone.
But how? She is definitely not an illusion. It is not Henge either. Her voice is exactly the same.
"Ryuichi, How does it feel?" She abruptly asked.
"To be stabbed by the one you love. How does it feel?" Her smile was no longer the angelic one he knew. It was an evil one, sadistic and cold.
A kick rocketed into his chest, sending spasms of pain through him.
"Ne, isn't it ironic?"
Another kick, delivered to his cranium.
"To be hunted like prey, like you hunted just now." She said.
"You- You're a monster. You're not human." He spat. He felt his fury rage through his veins.
Haru's - no, the imposter's eyes widened, and the sadistic smile twisted into an angry snarl.
"Exactly." She spat back, composure lost.
"I'd rather die than be human." Her words were like venom, laced with such hatred and bitterness.
Her kick this time broke his nose.
He flailed around and screamed terribly into the night.
When he opened his eyes again, he stared straight into eyes.
But it was not Haru who he awoke to.
Instead, silver hair and blue eyes greeted him. A cold beauty, regal and majestic and so ethereal and unreal. It was as if…
It was then he noticed the vulpine ears, and the swishing tails behind her, and everything clicked.
A kitsune. A youkai.
"But you hurt Kyuko,"
"And for that you will pay."
Hey, this is the first fanfiction I've ever written. It took me quite a bit of time, despite having all the ideas in my head, and I feel quite uneasy about posting this. Please review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.