She never knew where it had come from. Nor why she took it home. All Hinata knew was that when she was five she found a little plushie fox in the middle of the clearing that the mysterious blonde boy saved her in. It was just sitting there. It seemed only natural to pick it up and hold it to her chest. To hug and pet it. It felt so right to have it in her arms.

It was like no other plushie that she had ever seen. It was shaped less like the typical fox and more like a cube. One one side of the cube were two ears, two eyebrow marks, two slanted eyes, and a small little nose marking the face. On the opposite side was a single sewed on tail to signify the back. It was so bouncy and floppy it was hard not to play with it. As a finishing touch on the bottom were sewed in patterns from the paws. It was a simple, and unique design that was just utterly adorable and huggable.

Without a second thought she hurried home with the little box-like fox. Her search for the boy that helped her momentarily forgotten. All that had mattered was taking her find to her room and setting up a place for it.

And thus began the odd relationship of Hinata and her little boxfox Kurama, as she had taken to calling it. The little thing slowly became her whole world. It had started small. When she was still young, and not quite in the academy yet, it was her confidant. Whenever she got scolded, glared at, or was forced to spar with her little sister she would hug the little fox to herself and cry. She would rant to it. Let it know all her angers and frustrations. All her fears and disgusts. It felt so good and relieving to do so. She felt lighter whenever she vented with Kurama. And sometimes she would imagine that Kurama was happy to help her vent. But that was just a silly girl's imagination.

This carried on until she was officially starting academy. Not only did she finally have a name to go with the face of the boy who she had slowly gained feelings for, but she also felt strange impulses. They were neither bad, nor sudden. She just slowly found that she didn't want to just vent. She started wanting to do something about it. She felt her fears and her desire to not hurt others diminish over time. As she would lay there in her room, stroking the twin tails of her plushie, trying to figure out what to do she slowly had small ideas.

Gentle fist was a rigid and direct fighting style. Even at her young age it felt wrong to her. She did not know why at the time, but her body just couldn't stand the stances or the forms. However when she tried to bring this up to her father, it just made him scold her more. However slowly she started to get the urge to experiment. An urge she indulged in, in secret. With her little plushie watching she slowly started to bend the style to her young will. It was like she was being guiding by a firm yet gentle hand.

Usually Gentle fist was made up of tightly weaved patterns of movements. Like a bolt of canvas fabric, it was rigid, strong, and inflexible. It had a single job, and did it well. However she found that she could loosen the patterns a small amount. Change the weave of the fabric in tiny ways that made the moves more flexible. It took her until she was nearly out of academy for her to perfect her technique. For her to turn the canvas into a spider's web.

Not that she had needed to master her own variation in order to defeat her sister. The little girl that reminded Hinata so much of her mother. She didn't like harming family. She really didn't. However, as she spent more time with her stuffed fox she felt the desire to put her sister in her place. Not cruelly. Not harshly. Just small reminders that she was older and had more experience. She started beating her sister quickly and as painlessly as possible. Her sister was good with their family's style. She seemed more built for it. However she found that she was able to dance around and through the young inexperienced strikes. This slowly raised her status in her father's eyes. But that didn't matter either. None of it mattered.

That wasn't the only strange thing either. When she started the academy, whenever she got home and sat down with Kurama, she felt lighter. Like some weight had been taken off her shoulders. Though she could never figure out what that weight was.

Several months into the academy she started Kurama around with her. The little fox would stay in her jacket, hidden and protected from the world. Something she noticed after do this was that everywhere she went, the village seemed to brighten up. The people became calmer and happier. The classroom would be more at ease. It was like wherever Kurama went, negative emotions would disappear. Not that she would tell anyone that. She was very protective of her boxfox. She didn't let anyone see it, let alone touch it. Well except for one person.

Sometime in her second year at the academy, she saw her blonde savior sitting on the swings looking depressed. Again, like with her family, she had felt her fears and self-confidence issues melt away. For the first time, she approached the boy openly instead of just watching him from a distance. When she had offered her little plushie for him to hug, the boy had hugged the poor thing tight and thanked her. That had been the beginning of her friendship with Naruto Uzumaki, and their shared secret of Kurama.

From that point on the two slowly became nearly inseparable. They started spending time together during lunches, and after class. And whenever they were alone Kurama would come out of Hinata's jacket. She could just imagine its tails wagging as it was held by Naruto, or sat as the two trained together. She remembered being told by Naruto once that he always felt better when she and her fox were nearby. It probably also helped that Hinata was very observant and help Naruto with his various forms, and control.

That was something else she noticed. Naruto's chakra control had been terrible. Which had been justified since she notice he had so much to control. Yet as time went on, and their days in the academy passed one by one, she noticed that his control improved remarkably. Yet in the back of her mind… it seemed odd. Like it wasn't his own doing. However she never thought too deeply about it. She never thought deeply about anything that involved Naruto, Kurama, or how things seemed to change. It was simply just… not important.

That all lead to today. The day of graduation. The happiest day of her life. Both her and Naruto had passed with flying colors. Not only that, but they both had been declared the top students. All those years of working closely together had truly paid off. Her father had been most pleased with her announcement when she had arrived home after having some celebratory ramen with her best friend. Of course now that she was a legal adult… she wondered if perhaps they could be a bit more.

she giggled to herself dreamily as she lay in bed. her hands were gently stroking and playing with Kurama's nine tails. Playing with them had always calmed her. With a quiet yawn she snuggled deeper under the covers then kissed Kurama on the nose. She could not recall how long she had kept up this ritual. Months? Years? It wasn't important. No matter how much she subconsciously wondered about it. "Good night Kurama. I love you."

"I know my vixen. I love you too." the fox's words brought a smile to her lips as she closed her eyes. The gentle smile on her boxfox's face bringing peace to her… wait. Kurama didn't have a mouth. And since when could he talk? Her eyes snapped open as she looked down at the smiling fox laying on her chest. It was neither a plushie, box shaped, nor was it anywhere near as small. The living breathing fox was nearly as big as she was. Its tails lazily wagged back and forth. The soft fur stroked the skin of her thighs, sending pleasurable tingles through her.

Strangely enough Hinata found that she did not dislike the weight that was now upon her. She actually quite enjoyed the sensation of fur on skin. A small pat of her that she only now realized had been shrinking all these years, cried out in terror. But it was ignored by the even larger part of herself that welcomed this creature into her bed. She wrapped her arms around its neck as it rubbed its muzzle against her cheek and neck.

"Mmmm thats a good vixen. Already recognizing me as your mate." It whispered affectionately into her ear. "Spending so much time in my presence and absorbing my chakra will do that."

"Kurama, please tell me. What is going on? I thought you were little." She asked. Despite all that was happening, despite the fact ath this should terrify her, all she felt was affection and curiosity.

"That is quite simple, Hinata. I was but a small fraction of the Kyuubi's yang half. A part of its youkai."

"But the fourth killed the Kyuubi. Didn't he?"

The creature chuckled warmly. "No, no sweet one. He merely defeated me. And sealed half of me into a small child. His child. For he could not kill me. However the seal he used summoned the death god himself to eat the sealer and the one to be sealed. Of course sometimes when you eat, crumbs fall. I was one such crumb."

"You grew since then?" She asked as the fingers of one hand began to scratch the fox behind its ear. The fox gave a pleased purr.

"Yes, all thanks to you. I knew you were the right choice when I appeared before you that day. So much hidden sadness and anger. I started growing by first feeding on that and slowly guiding you on your path. Then I started on the ambient chakra and negative emotions of the village. My Youkai was everywhere. But then you brought me to the source. The holder of the ying half. Mmmm and how pleased I was when you started stay by his side."

"So Naruto holds you in himself? But didn't you say that… Oh. But he never mentioned it."

"It is because he does not know. Very few do infact. I do not know why they keep it secret, but they do."

"How do you know all this?"

"Because i've been slowly absorbing the youkai from him as well. Well that and the consciousness of my ying half. I am nearly complete. Just one or two more times and my two halfs will be whole again."

"Does that mean Naruto won't hold any part of you anymore?"

"Not exactly. He won't hold my consciousness. He will still have a good portion of my youkai, which will continue to grow and mingle with his chakra. Just like it has with yours." It added nuzzling into the side of her neck, its hot breath bathing her skin.

She bit back a moan as her fingers glided through her soon to be mates fur. "You are the reason I have become so strong?" a gentle nod was the answer. "Thank you." she whispered feeling touched and happy.

"You're welcome sweet one."

"What is your plan now?"

"Now I will mark you officially as my mate. Tomorrow, during your day-off before team assignments we will let Naruto know about this and mark him as well. Than we will start taking steps to turn Konoha into our ideal den. Slowly trim away the fat and set ourselves a the top. Then… then we will have our own happy family." Kurama replied with passion in its voice. Teeth gently scraped skin causing Hinata to shudder in pleasure.

"That sounds perfect. I can't wait to begin." She said with just as much passion. That little annoying part in the back of her head that told her that this wasn't right continued to shrink. Getting quieter and quieter. "When do we start?"

"Right now. Brace yourself. This will be a bit painful. But it will mark you as mine for all time." it explained and she smiled and nodded before exposing her neck further.

Not even a second later she winced as Kurama bit into where her neck met her shoulder. Then she winced further as liquid fire flowed into her veins. She wanted to scream, but held it in. It hurt so much but at the same time she was happy. She was becoming one with someone who cared about her. Who loved her. And soon, soon she would be one with Naruto as well. In her mind the part that represented the old Hinata was burned away by the fires of Kurama's passion. And she became his.

As darkness overtook her, she smiled widely. "Thank you Kurama. I love you." he whispered as her body started to shut down into unconsciousness.

"I love you too Hinata, rest well. Tomorrow it all begins." Then she knew nothing more, and couldn't have been happier. Today had been the best day of her life so far, and was only looking to get better from here.