Hi ya! I'm back and brought goodies with me. Only readable goodies though. First off I would like to thank each and every one of you who reviewed, or even signed my stories up for either some kind of favorite or one of those alerts. I really appreciate it. So thank you so very much. I'll leave now and let you read, since I KNOW that's why you are here.
Neji is walking through the streets of Konoha with Shikamaru thinking: 'How in the world did I get suckered into becoming a proctor for the Chunnin Exams?...Oh well, I'm in it now and might as well get use to it…Crap.'
"Shikamaru…Neji."Neji looks up only to see Anko and Ibiki standing at the bottom of the steps that lead up to the Hokage's Office.
"Ibiki-san…Anko-chan." Neji says politely, nodding his head, not really wanting to go up those steps.
"Good Morning." Iruka says walking up beside them.
Well, hello Iruka…Aren't you in a good mood this morning." Anko says smiling a little.
"No more than normal." He says smiling as well. Neji starts to greet his old Academy teacher when someone shouts out:
"UNCLE NEJI!"he turns around confused and sees a little girl standing behind him. She has shoulder length indigo hair that contrasts perfectly with her pale skin along with sky blue eyes. She is wearing a white knee length dress with blue sandals and the sides of her hair are pulled back in a white ribbon.
"What did you call me?" Neji asks eyeing her closely.
"Uncle Neji." She says smiling now.
"Akira you silly thing…I told you that he doesn't know who you are." The little girl, Akira (pronounced Ah-ker roll r ah) turns around then, pouting a little and says:
"Sorry Mommy." An older woman smiles and opens her arms saying:
"It's alright…I'm not getting onto you." Akira runs to the woman and she picks her up, placing her on her hip. She has long jet black hair and spiky-ended bangs that stop at the eyes holes on the fox mask she is wearing over her face. She is wearing a tight, black formfitting tank top, with black Capri's, black fingerless gloves, black ninja sandals, and a shuriken holster on her right leg.
"Vixen?...Wait MOMMY?" Neji asks staring at the girl on her hip.
"Yes…This is my daughter, Akira." Vixen says pushing the hair that the wind blew out of her face.
"Daughter?" Neji whispers.
"Mommy…Where's daddy?" Akira asks, looking towards her now.
"Well…Daddy-"
"What about me?" a man asks, jumping down beside Vixen.
"DADDY!!" the girl shrieks reaching for him almost immediately. He places his hands under her arms, taking her off Vixen's waist and lifts her above his head, sitting her on his shoulders her giggling with delight. He is wearing a black long sleeve, knee length jacket that has a hood pulled up over his head with a piece of black cloth sewed in it covering his face from right below his eyes to where it is buttoned around his neck, leaving the rest unbuttoned. On the back of the jacket, even though they can't see it they know it's there, is the word Kitsune and the kanji for fox written in red. Underneath the jacket is a black muscle shirt, outlining his well muscled torso and arms, black pants, black ninja sandals and black fingerless gloves. He also has a katana hanging on the left side of his waist and a shuriken holster on his right leg.
"How…old is she?" Anko asks while Neji just stares at them.
"Five." Vixen says smiling at her daughter.
"Five?...But you-"
"I found out I was pregnant not long after we left here…That's why we didn't come back at our normal three years. We had our hands full. She's as big a troublemaker as her father was." She reaches up, ticking her side a little making the girl giggle again.
"Pregnant?...Daddy?...What?" Neji mummers and Vixen looks back at him.
"Akira is my biological daughter. And Kitsune is the father…Who else would be?"
"Your…biological…Kitsune..."
"Neji-kun?" Vixen asks a little worried. He faints then, hitting the ground hard, making dust fly up around him.
"You didn't react like THAT when I told you and YOU'RE the father." Vixen says glancing up at Kitsune who says:
"Perhaps it was just too much change for him to take."
"Is Uncle Neji okay?" Akira asks leaning over Kitsune's head.
"I'm sure he's fine…Just a little shocked is all." Kitsune says thinking: 'I hope.'
"So…Are you going to see Lady Tsunade?" Shikamaru asks and Vixen nods her head saying:
"We don't need the ANBU black ops after us thank you very much."
"Although…I wonder how Sparky's doing."
"Kitsune…You shouldn't call him that." Vixen says unable to hide her laughter.
"ANUBs take themselves too seriously…They need to joke around every once in awhile."
"Come on…We'll let you go first. No telling how long we will be up there." Shikamaru says shaking his head a little.
"Thank you…I appreciate that." Kitsune says, placing Akira back on the ground.
"I'll take Akira around the village for a while…Until you get done." Vixen says and he nods his head.
"Uncle Neji?" Akira says, walking up to him.
"Uncle Neji?...Wake up Uncle Neji." She pats his face a few times, pushing on it. He moves his head a little and she squats down in front of him.
"Uncle Neji?" he opens his eyes, picking his head up a little and stares up at the girl squatting in front of him.
"You can't sleep in the street silly." She says smiling now and the others laugh. He picks himself up off the ground then, dusting himself off.
"Hi-Vixen…How?-When?"
"I'll explain later…Right now I think you should get upstairs before Lady Hokage starts screaming for you." he nods his head and Kitsune grabs his arm, helping him up the stairs with the other proctors following. Vixen laughs a little then looks down when Akira starts tugging on her Capri's.
"Where are we going Mommy?"
"Anywhere you want…As long as it is in the village." Akira smiles then, grabbing her hand and pulls her saying:
"Then let's go." Vixen allows Akira to pull her, pointing things out along the way. After a few minutes of walking around, Vixen points out the bridge. Akira smiles again, let's of her hand and starts running towards it head on.
"Akira…Slow down." She calls after her, laughing.
"Come on Mommy." Akira yells, looking back at her. She suddenly runs into something and falls backwards on the ground with a thud.
"Owwww…" she rubs her head a few seconds before she looks to see what she ran into. She sees a boy, a few years older than her, sitting on the ground opposite of her, rubbing his shoulder. He has black spiky hair that just barely touches his ears and bangs that are a few inches above his red eyes. He is wearing a gray open shirt over a black fishnet shirt that has black cloth behind the fishnet with black pants and blue ninja sandals.
"Hey…Why don't you watch where you are going?" He grumbles standing back up.
"Me?...Why don't YOU watch where you are going!" she challenges jumping back up on her feet.
"What?...You were the one who ran into me!"
"Un-uh…Girls ALWAYS have the right away." 'Kenza.' Vixen thinks, shaking her head while she runs up behind her daughter.
"You're crazy…Girl's don't have the right away."
"Uh-huh…Kenza said so."
"Alright…That's enough." Vixen says pulling her back and he sticks his tongue out at her.
"Asu…Stop." A woman says, slapping the back of his head.
"Oww…Mom." He complains and Akira sticks her tongue out at him.
"Akira…That goes for you too." Vixen says sternly.
"Sorry, Mommy."
"Mommy?" Vixen looks up and sees Kurenai standing behind Asu along with Kakashi and Vixen's old teammates.
"Yes…Akira is my daughter and Kitsune is her father. You're not going to pass out as Neji-kun did are you?"
"Neji passed out?" Kiba asks snickering at the thought and Vixen nods her head.
"He fell down on the ground…I got him up though." Akira says smiling hugely.
"How old is she?" Kurenai asks smiling down at her.
"Five years old…I know, that's how long I've been gone. Anko-sama started to point that out earlier."
"Can I go now?"
"No…Apologize to Akira first."
"What?!...But she ran into me!" he exclaims pointing at her.
"It's rude to point." Akira says smugly and Vixen places her hand over her mouth saying:
"It's also rude to intrude in other people's business."
"Asu…NOW." He sighs, and crosses his arms but turns towards her mumbling:
"I'm sorry that I ran into you even if it was your own fault." Kurenai pops his head again and he rubs it.
"Akira…What do you say?" Vixen asks removing her hand from her mouth.
"A lady never turns down an apology…I accept." 'I'm gonna kill Kenza.' Vixen thinks shaking her head and says:
"Alright then, Akira…You apologize to Asu."
"I'm sorry I ran into you, Asu." She says, bowing her head a little.
"Yeah, yeah…Can I go NOW?"
"You know…you could be a little nicer! I DID say-" Vixen slips her hand back over her mouth then, whispering:
"Alright, Naruto junior." Akira crosses her arms with a 'humph' and the others laugh.
"Mom." Asu whines.
"Fine...Go." He grins and takes off running then.
"He's trying to look like Shikamaru-kun, huh?" Vixen asks, removing her hand from her daughter's mouth.
"Yes…He looks up to him so much. But I'm afraid that Shikamaru will turn him against women forever."
"There's still some hope…Shikamaru-kun found someone."
"Yes…There is that." Kurenai says laughing a little.
"Mommy…I want to go to the bridge." Akira says, tugging in her Capri's again.
"Alright, but I'll be watching understand?" she nods her head and takes off running towards it.
"So…Anymore twins?"Vixen asks, and they start walking over towards it slowly.
"Yes…Just one more. Tiko and Kiko are four years old and boys, thankfully."
"Are any of them like Shikamaru-kun?" Vixen asks, a little curious about the thankfully part.
"Well all of them are degrees of their mother I suppose and are the same except for one set. Shika and Tikiya who are eight now…Shika has a teasing personality like Temari, and also speaks her mind with no regards of who hears it. Unfortunately she shares her temper. However, Tikiya is like Shikamaru. She is very lazy and hates anything physical. She is also very intelligent for her age, but also shares Temari's temper, if you ever get her mad enough. Fuji and Conji, six now, are more rambunctious. Fuji is always into something, but she never backs down from a challenge while Conji has bit of a wild streak in her. She just can't seem to stay out of dangerous situations. And then the newest additions Tiko and Kiko. They are also, exactly like their mother, very outgoing, loud Shikamaru calls it, and follow Fuji and Conji everywhere, which isn't a good thing."
"Poor, Shikamaru. He only has one child that leaves him alone…How many look like him?" Vixen asks, laughing.
"Well…Shika has her father's hair, but her mother's eyes, while Tikiya has her mother's hair and her father's eyes…Fuji and Conji both have their mother's hair, however, Fuji has her mother's eyes, while Conji has one gray eye and one brown eye. Tiko and Kiko also have their father's hair and their mother's eyes."
"Conji has two different colored eyes?...How strange." Vixen mummers watching Akiru peek through the railing of the bridge at the water.
"What about Tenten-chan and Kazekage-sama?"
"They have a son, Kenjia. He has his mother's hair and his father's eyes. He is also very much like his father, laid back, never showing any kind of emotion however, he does seem to have Tenten's sense of humor. Although you only see that when he knows you very well."
"Sounds like Kazekage-sama."
"But what about your little one?...What is she like?" Kurenai asks.
"Ha…She is every bit like her father. Stubborn as a mule, hard-headed, a little ball of energy. She never let's up, always going somewhere, doing something…He certainly is getting a taste of his own medicine, we both are. He actually feels sorry for making the rest of you put up with him…But she's an angel. A spoiled little angel." Vixen says watching her skip down the bridge.
"Aren't they all." Kurenai says laughing.
"Some more than others…I blame Kenza of course."
"Who is that?" Kakashi asks.
"He is the man who found Kitsune outside of the village…He took him back to the Rainfall Village in order to tend to his wounds."
"Rainfall Village?...Why was he near Konoha?" Shino asks.
"He makes and delivers furniture. He just happened to be returning home from a deliver and saw Kitsune. He was pretty beat up and, by the looks of him, he would have died if had just left him. So he took home with him and helped him recover."
"Sounds like a nice man." Kiba mummers.
"He is…He helped us with Akira. We had no land or house, so he allowed us to stay with him while I was pregnant and then afterwards, until she was able to travel around…Of course we NEVER took her on a mission. We differentiated between ourselves, in shifts I guess you could call them. We always made sure that one of her parents was with her. I would leave for a week or so and then Kitsune would leave, but it wasn't every week or anything. Just when we needed the money…I suppose we never will take her with us on a mission, unless she wishes to pursue this career, which we hope she won't…But that is many years from now. MANY years."
"Sounds like you guys did a pretty good job." Kurenai says and Vixen looks up at her saying:
"We did the best we knew how…I just hope it was enough."
"She seems like a happy little girl." Kakashi says and they make it to the end of the bridge.
"She seems that way doesn't she?"
"You don't think she is?"
"No it's not that it's just…She's not old enough to understand about death and killing yet. I wonder how she will react when she finds out that her parents kill people for a living."
"But you only kill people who harm others, who kill innocent people." Kurenai says and Vixen nods her head saying:
"True…But will she really stick around to hear the rest?" The others glance towards each other, not sure how to answer that.
"MOMMY!"
"Yes, baby?" Vixen looks back towards Akira who is running back towards her a flower in hand. Vixen squats down and she runs right up to her saying:
"Look what I found."
"It's pretty."
"Here you go, Mommy."
"Thank you very much." She hugs Akira, then takes it from her, tucking it behind her right ear saying:
"So that I won't lose it." Akira nods her head then takes off running back down the bridge.
"We did something right…She's the sweetest little girl I know. Takes after her mother in that department." She looks up and sees Kitsune leaning up against the railing as if he has been standing there the entire time. She stands back up, facing him and he reaches out, flicking the flower.
"Pretty."
"What did Lady Tsunade say?"
"Well…She was a little disappointed that I didn't want any missions, and even tried to talk me into doing a few like she did last time. But I explained how this was a vacation and that my DAUGHTER wouldn't like her parents running around, not spending time with her. She understood then and also made me promise that she would meet her later, AFTER she laughed and teased me about our experience with her…They all seemed to enjoy that WAY too much of you ask me." Vixen laughs and Akira turns at the end of the bridge then spots him.
"DADDY!" He looks up and sees her running back towards him at full speed. He leans down and scoops her up as soon as she gets close enough.
"There's my girl…What have you been up to?"
"Picking flowers." She says, holding out the one in her hand proudly.
"Ah…Pretty."
"She also ran into Asu earlier…Literally. That's why I'm with them."
"Really?...So you met good ol' Asu did you?"
"He's mean…He told me to watch where I was going when it was his fault."
"Akira…Be sweet."
"Yes, Daddy." She yawns then, blinking her eyes a few times.
"Looks like someone is tired." Kurenai says smiling.
"Nap time." Vixen says nodding her head.
"Finally…Talking to Lady Hokage really wore me out."
"I was talking about Akira."
"I know that." Vixen starts laughing then, shaking her head.
"Come on…I've already picked out a place for us to stay." He says nodding hiw head to the side laughing as well.
"You did?...Where?"
"You'll see…Excuse us." He says nodding his head towards them.
"We'll see you later?" Kurenai asks and Vixen nods her head walking after her husband and daughter. On the way, she fills him in on what she was told.
"Poor Shikamaru-kun…Only one child out of six who gives him a break." He says shaking his head, climbing up the stairs to the apartment he rented for them.
"Wait a minute…Did you get the one we stayed in the last time we stayed here?" he glances at her, then opens the door to the apartment and walks in, her following him.
"It is…It's the one we stayed in last time." She mummers closing the door behind her and glancing around. Kitsune takes their now sleeping daughter into the bedroom, and tucks her under the covers.
"So…What do you think?" he asks, pulling the bedroom door behind him, leaving it open a crack.
"Why did you get it?" she asks, placing her mask on the table.
"Well…In a way, this is our apartment. Why?...Don't you like it?" He takes his jacket off, hanging it on the back of the couch.
"Yes…I love it." She throws her arms around his neck and leans up kissing him.
"I've missed you."
"That little girl of ours keeps us running doesn't she?" He asks laughing and she nods her head. He reaches up, grabbing her arms, and pulls them back down then pulls her over to the couch. He leans up in the corner, stretching out and she lies down on top of him.
"Running around from one village to another we can handle, but a five year old little girl runs us to the ground…Why do you think that is?"
"I don't know…Perhaps because she always keeps us on our toes." He says playing with her hair a little.
"But we aren't that old…Just twenty-six."
"But we aren't as young as we once were either."
"True…But still." She says yawning, laying her head on his chest.
"But still." He kisses her head and leans it against hers, his eyes closing.
Well, that's it. Ch. 1. What do you think? Let me know plz......Next Ch. A surprising request!