She had been walking alongside a narrow path that followed a shallow creek. "Kesaarah, let's take a little break, okay?" She looked at her little, black companion, Kesaarah. The three-tailed fox yipped at her in response.
Kitsune stopped to remove her pack and cloak. It was almost midday and the two companions had been travelling since early morning. It had been chilly earlier but it was rapidly increasing in temperature. She was actually starting to sweat now. She took off her shoes and wraps and stuck her feet into the cool water as Kesaarah was jumping around in the creek. She cupped a handful of water and splashed Kesaarah, giggling. The little fox yipped at her and shook off the water, getting Kitsune wet as well.
She stood up still having fits of giggles, wringing out her black, long sleeve crop top and shorts. She had not laughed like that in a long time.
"Let's see if we can catch some lunch." Kitsune smiled as Kesaarah yipped in agreement.
Later that day Kitsune stopped in the middle of the road when she saw the small village on the outskirts of the land of fire come into view. She had not been this close to home in a very long time. Looking up at the night sky she found the moon was bright and full, bringing a longing twinkle in her eyes. She smiled as she remembered the moon that night; it had been just as full as it was now.
"Kitsune, do you remember when we first met?" He stopped walking, his silver hair blowing in the light breeze. He was only wearing his black, sleeveless Anbu shirt and pants. He had left his forehead protector and mask at home as he always did with her. Kitsune loved seeing his handsome face. He kept his hands in his pockets as he now looked at her, keeping his usual lazy stance. Sharingan eye still closed.
She looked away from the moon to give him a sideways glance. It was deep into the night and they had been walking along the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village. She crossed her arms over her chest, kicking a small pebble on the ground.
She remembered it well. "Yeah, It was when I was first assigned to Anbu. We had our first mission together and I remember you scolded me for not following the rules even though I did save your life. You were so arrogant back then, Kakashi."
"You were not always so easy to get along with either, Kitsune." Kakashi chuckled as he reached forward to tuck a long strand of raven black hair behind Kitsune's ear. Kitsune's cheeks turned a light crimson color. As her face flushed with heat, she turned her gaze downward from the man's onyx eyes.
Before she knew it he had suddenly pinned her against a tree along the path in one swift movement; the moon was shinning bright behind them. One hand resting against the trunk of the tree next to her head, he reached up with his other hand to grab her chin and make her eyes meet his with a strong but gentle grip.
"Are you embarrassed, Kitsune?" His velvety voice was always so intoxicating, as was the gaze he gave her now. She met his eyes again. This was the look only reserved for her and only when they were alone like this. He was always so good at keeping his cool in front of other people; something she was still trying so hard to work on, even now. She did not like that he could make her melt so easily with just a light touch of his fingers.
She blushed again, "What makes you think that I am embarrassed?" Her hands crossed behind her back as she leaned against the tree.
"Oh.. I don't know." He was teasing her now. "Maybe it's the way you blush when I touch you like this." He said as he placed another strand of hair behind her ear. Trailing his fingertips along her jaw, he touched her lips with his thumb and gripped her face with both of his hands now. He leaned in ever so slightly, brushing his lips against hers.
"Kitsune.." He whispered her name against her lips. "I think.. I think I love you."
"I love you too." She sighed into the kiss as she closed the small gap that had been between them. She reached her hands up to wrap around his neck and pulled him in closer to deepen the kiss. He let go of her face with his hands but their lips never parted as he reached down to grip behind her thighs, lifting her up into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his hips as he pushed her against the tree trunk more.
"This will always be my favorite spot now." He said between kisses. His lips started to trail down her jawline to her neck. Her fingers intertwining into to his soft silver hair.
Kitsune reached up to touch her now hot cheeks. She sighed and looked at her faithful companion when she yipped at her. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, coming out of the depths of the special memory. Her hair always seemed to have a mind of its own. "Don't look at me like that."
her right before her last Anbu mission. Kitsune smiled sadly like she did every time she remembered his gravity defying silver hair. He didn't even know that she was alive but it was better this way.
"Why thank you." The innkeeper said. Her voice wKesaarah yipped at her again, sounding rather frustrated this time. Her three black tails twitching in anticipation.
"Alright we'll find somewhere to rest for the night."
As they came closer to the village she could see that there was a lot of farm land around but was not surprised because that was all they had seen the last few days on the road. She noticed it was quite busy for this time of night as they wandered around. People were putting up string lights, lanterns, and banners.
Kitsune looked at Kesaarah; the fox trotting along. "Looks like they are preparing for a festival. It might become very troublesome to find a place to sleep tonight. And it smells like it might rain." Kesaarah yipped in agreement.
They continued walking along and had entered several inns before finding one that was not fully booked for the night. The inn was small and old but had a cozy feel. There were white flowers of different shapes and sizes everywhere. However, the smell was quite potent and sweet; it itched her sensitive nose.
"These are lovely." She said as she touched one of the flower petals. She recalled that they were tulips. It had been the flower that Kakashi had given
as just as soft and sweet as the flowers around them. "My boyfriend is a florist so he is constantly bringing them to me. At first I didn't know what to do with them all. But I think it brings some life to this old place."
"I think you are quite right." Kitsune turned her head and smiled at the girl standing in front of her. A smile never left her face. The girls frame was small and petite. She was also almost a half a foot shorter than Kitsune was. Her hair was short, black and framed her face, putting emphasis on her large eyes and small mouth.
Kitsune slapped her hands together in a pleading way and bowed her head slightly. "Please tell me you have a room available for me and Kesaarah here."
As if on cue the small, black fox jumped on the counter and yipped at the women.
The women's smile dropped. "Oh.. I don't have any more rooms available because of the festival going on but.." She paused, "we do have a loft in the barn, if you don't mind sleeping in hay. I believe there is still a cot of some sort up there."
At least we'd have a roof over our heads, Kitsune thought.
"I don't mind at all. That would be absolutely perfect. Thank you so very much." Kesaarah yipped too flicking her tails back and forth with a happy expression on her face.
"Alright then, just follow me but let me grab some fresh linens first." The women resumed her bright smile as she came out from behind the counter and Kitsune followed close behind.
"What kind of festival is it?" Kitsune asked.
"It is a festival that is said to bring good fortune to the farmers. It will last a month leading up to the harvest." She commented energetically. "Ah, here we are."
They walked into the barn and the women handed her the linens, "there is a small sink in the corner over there if you want to wash up a little." She pointed to the left. "but if you want to use the bathroom you'll have to come inside the inn. There is one right inside the lobby to the right."
Kitsune smiled at the young women, "Thank you so much for your hospitality." She said bowing.
"You are very welcome. Have a good night." The women waved as she walked out of the barn.
Kitsune climbed up the ladder and looked at the small cot. "This will have to do for now." She set the linens on the cot and slide off her pack and pulled out her bed roll to put on top of the cot for extra comfort. Kitsune headed back down the ladder with a few toiletries to try to freshen up before bed.
She started to fill the sink with warm water and begun pulling her long, messy braid down. Running her fingers through her black hair, she looked at her reflection in the full sink.
"All this nonstop travelling is starting to make me look a little pale. Maybe we should stay here for a few weeks until the end of the festival."
She splashed water on her face, arms, and legs, patting them dry with her towel. She brushed out her hair and pulled it up into a high bun.
"well that is much better." She climbed back up the ladder and spread the blanket over her as she laid down on the cot. Kesaarah jumped up and curled up with her. "Goodnight." Kesaarah purred in response and both were soon fast asleep.
Several days passed lazily. Life in this village seemed very serene and peaceful and the two companions were starting to enjoy there time here immensely. The food was delicious from the good crops and the people were very friendly.
On one peaceful night, Kitsune had felt like she was being followed. She was a very skilled shinobi but could find no one else around that looked suspicious. Though her paranoia started to increase as the day went on. She felt a hand reach out and grab her shoulder. She pulled her kunai out of her pocket so fast, no one around her had time to react as she brought to the person's throat. Kitsune pulled away quickly when she realized it was a harmless old man, spinning the kunai in her fingers and sheathing it in her pouch hidden under her cloak. The man was trembling.
"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," she said bowing and turning away from the scene before anyone else noticed what had happened. Kitsune decided it was time to retire for the night before anyone got hurt because of her paranoia.
She walked briskly back to the barn and put her head in her hands, leaning forward on the cot. "What am I doing? I can't keep running like this. I have to go back."
She popped her head up swiftly and rolled off the other side of the cot as a kunai went flying past her head and into the opposite wall.
Someone was already at her side and pulling her off of the ground by her throat. "Fast reflexes. I would expect nothing less from a member of the Uchiha clan." She could not place the voice as she winced from the pain of his strong grip. His hair was white and pulled back into a low ponytail. He looked at her with hateful eyes through round glasses. "Let's hope this Uchiha is not as troublesome as the last. Lord Orochimaru needs a better vessel." The young man said before she lost consciousness.
The clouds that had been filling up with water for several days suddenly began to downpour as the young man threw Kitsune over his shoulder and jumped out of the window in the loft.