Whoo-hoo! The title says it all! =D Wow, you guys are lucky ;p
My Boy: Mating Season
It's been only a few months, Sasuke falling into a new pattern without much trouble. He stays with Itachi on the weeks, which is when he's taken back to the Uchiha compound to visit with his 'grandparents'. This is where he is right now. Mikoto and Nori like to keep Sasuke at a young age when he's in the compound, but the first weekend he visited he was hurt badly and Kakashi forbade it. Now, as he naps by the lake within the compound, the sunlight warms his porcelain skin and a group of female panthers sit a ways away to stare in longing at him. He's a fallen angel, his raven locks of long spikes streaked in silver and his icy black orbs shimmering in the moonlight at night. His body is tall and lithe, muscled nicely although he's still limited to the form of a twelve year old. One of the young panthers gets brave for the first time in two days, standing to walk over shyly and flirt with the snow leopard cub.
"Hey, Sasuke," she purrs. "Glad to see you're back home."
"I'm not home," he frowns. "I'm visiting my grandparents."
"We missed you."
"I'm sure you did. Please go away, you're blocking my sunlight."
"You're going to be of mating age soon," she smiles again. "I'd be happy to be…"
"Don't," he hisses. "I already have a female, I don't want another. Especially not a panther that's hated me from the day I was born!"
She growls, her large black ears laying flat in anger, and turns sharply enough to slap Sasuke in the face with her long tail had he not moved. Today is his last day here, Itachi will be taking him back home to his father soon… and he can't wait.
"Daddy!" Sasuke screams as he races into the large Hatake manor. "I'm home!"
"In here, cub," a familiar voice chirps cheerfully.
Sasuke skids along the linoleum floor when he tries to stop too quickly, almost falling down, and then gains his balance before backtracking into the library. Kakashi is sitting at a desk, reading some documents before scribbling on them. Sasuke leaps, arms stretched out to catch his father unaware, and lands in his lap.
"Hello, cub," Kakashi grins. "Did you have fun?"
"I miss Naruto," Sasuke whines. "Why did he have to leave, I want him to come back and play with me! All those stupid females won't leave me alone now!"
"Naruto had business to take care of with his mother," Kakashi smiles patiently. "He is her most powerful cub, you know."
"So he keeps reminding me."
"Just be patient, cub, he'll be back soon. In the meantime, maybe you should think about concentrating on your lessons."
"I'm already ahead in them all," Sasuke waves off. "They're too easy. I want to do something… awesome! Like… like a mission, or something! Like… I wanna go rescue someone!"
"… I don't think you're ready for that, cub," Kakashi chuckles lightheartedly. "However, I may have something to keep you preoccupied for a bit. If you really want to help, you'll deliver this scroll to Gaara of the Ancients in Sand Country. Can you do that for me, cub?"
"… Who's that?"
"Gaara is the youngest of the Ancients, I'm the second youngest," Kakashi smiles. "Someday, I'll pass on my title to you. It's a very important title to have, you know. It means you're the most powerful demon of your kind. Gaara is probably around your age, if not a year younger. He commands the Village of Sand in my stead… can't be everywhere at once, you know."
"Is it going to be dangerous?" Sasuke asks excitedly.
"Probably not, but it's something to do… and you never know what could happen, right?"
"I'll do it!"
Kakashi laughs at his cub's excitement, handing him the scroll and watching him dart out the door to get ready. After he's gone and the silver haired snow leopard is certain he's far enough away, he sighs and turns his attention to his shadow.
"Follow him, Wraith," he states. "Make sure he doesn't get hurt… but let him handle things himself if you feel there's no need to intervene."
A shadowy head rises from his shadow before solidifying, long locks of silver tinted with gray surrounding a calm face with gray eyes. Those eyes, so sharp and soul-searching, cast a level gaze upward toward his youngest brother. They're the only thing showing, the rest of his face covered by the tall collar of his white cloak.
"Yes, baby brother," Wraith purrs. "I shall protect him with my life."
That head sinks back into the shadows, an inky pool of black separating from the Demon Lord's shadow to streak across the floor in search of his nephew's. The older demon, born between a shadow demon and snow leopard, is the most reliable sibling Kakashi has. He's the second oldest if you count the triplets as one, and he's the most powerful next to Kakashi. He's the informant and spy when need be, his sight through the shadows unmatched. His normal place is guarding Kakashi within his own shadow, but now that Sasuke is going off on his own… he'll want to keep someone close to his only cub that won't be able to be seen. Sasuke has a hard enough time with offered help, he won't talk to Kakashi for a long while if he knows he's sent a guard to 'baby-sit' him.
Sasuke is running through the trees with a grace, a wide grin on his face at the loss of his restrictions. Sasuke is fifteen, well on his way to sixteen and his first night of mating, and he's the most beautiful creature in the demon world… well… save for his mate, who's the most beautiful Kitsune. Said mate also happens to be the meanest Kitsune, taking after his mother in attitude. Naruto is half a head shorter than Sasuke in their fifteen year old forms, his hair a shaggy halo of blonde locks, and his skin is kissed by the sun from streaking on dares. His eyes, however… those eyes are the one thing that draws Sasuke in like a moth to a flame. They're so pure a blue, they shame both the sea and sky. So hypnotic, Sasuke could look into them for hours and find it to feel mere seconds.
*I miss him so much, * Sasuke sighs inwardly.
Truthfully, he's too young to be mating. Naruto and he have kissed, but that's about it. They're too young to be interested in that stuff, yet that's slowly begun to change. Sasuke is a horrid mix of snow leopard and panther, one being naturally perverse and the other being uncontrollably lustful. Poor Naruto doesn't know what he's gotten himself into, agreeing to be Sasuke's female. He leaps down from the trees, rolling in the sands that make up the beginning of Sand Country and picks up on his run once he's on his feet without hesitation. He stops after a moment, his cool gaze searching the sands once his nose picks up an unfamiliar scent. There's a demon around here… but Sasuke can't pinpoint them. In this particular terrain, it's either a desert demon or a shadow demon.
"This is crazy," Sasuke grumbles. "Daddy better not have sent someone to watch me!"
Unbeknownst to him, the shadow demon hiding within his shadow sweat drops at the comment. Sasuke has always been unusually sensitive to his surroundings and the aura of other demons, however he's still too young to have that sensitivity honed to perfection… at least Wraith hopes he is. Their family is notorious for birthing geniuses, the most apparent being Kakashi who borders horribly on eccentric, and Sasuke's mother was also a genius of the Uchiha clan… he could very well be the most brilliant prodigy the demonic world will ever know. Through his musings, he notes that Sasuke is running again. He moves to catch up… but slams into something barring his way. Panic fills him to the brim, the invisible barrier being made of demonic chakra woven to keep out all but the target. He pushes against it further, forcing his own chakra to dispel the wall… but Sasuke is already out of his range. He can only pray his little nephew is strong enough to take care of himself until he can get some backup… or rather… a very infuriated father or two.
The demon watching Sasuke grins to himself, stalking off after the young snow leopard once he's certain the shadow snow leopard won't be following. The sands are bright beneath the sunlight, yet their eyes cut through the light without hassle to find their target. The young snow leopard is a powerful adversary, yet he's determined to win the blonde Kitsune of Kyuubi's clans as his own female. First, however… he needs to get rid of his competition.
Sasuke just gets the village of Sand in sight, digging the picture of Gaara out of his pocket, when something hits him from behind. In a sudden bout of defense and self preservation, Sasuke's powers draw in toward his core. He screams in shock at the subzero temperature that fills him, his body crystallizing as a tower of navy light shoots toward the clouds. When the light clears, Sasuke is curled into the fetal position… resting still and silent within a column of ice.
"YOU WHAT!" Kakashi snarls.
"I'm sorry, baby brother," Wraith says in his quiet and unflinching tone. "I tried to break through the barrier, but I couldn't. It was a Kitsune, that much I could discern."
"… It can't be Naruto playing a prank," Kakashi frowns. "He only just left a few hours ago with his mother. They were heading home until Sasuke and Naruto hit mating age."
"Naruto is a very tempting submissive," Wraith points out. "He's thrown any and all who've attempted to dominate him… except for Sasuke. Perhaps this is revenge, or an attempt to win him as their own."
"… We need to pay a visit to Kyuubi," Kakashi frowns. "Itachi and I will go, I need you to attempt tracing down Sasuke again, the barrier should be gone. Send word to Gaara to keep his eyes open for my cub, tell Torrent he's in charge until I get back, and for the love of all things holy! Don't let Glacier know!"
"… Yes, baby brother."
Itachi doesn't take the information any better than Kakashi did, immediately sending word to his children through a black fire… tacking on the extremely important tidbit about not telling their mother.
"Oi! Snowfall! Flurry!" a young panther calls.
His eyes are crimson, his hair shoulder length and coal colored, and his skin is porcelain. Beside him are twin boys, older than him by about ten years. He's a young pre-teen, the twins at his side are older pre-teens. They're not much different from him in looks, but their hair is shorter and spiky. The girls walking to them now have completely different personalities, dressed in a boyish outfit just like their brothers with wildly styled locks of pure white hair. These are Itachi's children, his pride and joy aside from Sasuke.
"What's up, Dante?" Snowfall wonders.
"Daddy sent a message," the younger of the five sighs. "Baby brother, Sasuke, is in trouble."
"Who?" Flurry asks.
"Don't be that way," Flicker snaps. "He's just as much our brother as you're our sister!"
"He's adopted! He isn't even daddy's cub!"
"It doesn't matter who conceived him!" Ash yells angrily. "He's a part of our family and we should love him just as much as we do each other! He's been with us since the day he was born, no different from us!"
"He's not one of us! He's a pathetic excuse for a demon!"
"… Then don't help," Dante hisses. "Go. We don't need you to find him!"
"What do you mean, find him?" Snowfall asks.
"… Daddy said Sasuke was attacked by a powerful Kitsune after his female," the younger sighs. "He's gone missing… There's no trace of his chakra signature."
The others are quiet at that, even Flurry is speechless. She knows that even though Sasuke isn't like them, he's still an extremely powerful demon… he just can't feel it like they can. She's tough on him and acts like she doesn't care, but she's actually felt far more overprotective of him. It's a feeling she's not used to, one she doesn't bother to feel for others, and she's distanced herself from him so it didn't make her weak. She never thought for a second that that powerful brat would be defeated.
"… Let's go," she mutters. "We'll start with the last place he was seen."
"He was on his way to see Gaara of the Ancients," Ash remarks. "Let's head that way, okay?"
Kyuubi is furious to say the least, her nine tails whipping around her body like the flames of a wild fire. Kakashi, having already taken into account her temper, is standing well away from her in case she attacks. Naruto was told to take a walk, the little blonde far more dangerous than Kyuubi where Sasuke is concerned. They may have only bee together a few months, but Naruto is fiercely possessive of his alpha and won't hesitate to kill any who attempt to harm him.
"Where was he last seen?" she growls out.
"Wraith's passage was barred in Sand Country… he was following Sasuke on an errand to deliver a scroll to Gaara," Kakashi replies.
"And you're positive it was a Kitsune."
"Yes. No one is better at reading into chakra than Wraith."
"… There are about three desert Kitsune clans in that area," she muses aloud. "There is also one clan of rogues I have never trusted. Five of the males from that clan have been after Naruto, the leader being the most aggressive."
"Do you think he would harm my cub because of his infatuation with Naruto?" Kakashi wonders.
"… I believe he would kill him."
"Whether he would or not isn't the question," Itachi frowns. "What we have to be worried more about… is if he's capable of it."
"Sasuke is a powerful little demon," Kyuubi nods in agreement. "But he's still far too young to tap into such strength. If taken off guard, I'm positive it can be managed."
Before they can say anything, a ball of black fire bursts into existence right before Itachi's crimson eyes. He jerks back in surprise, but quickly calms when the fires morph into the likeness of his younger cub, Dante.
"Dante, what have you found?" he asks.
"Uh… well… you're not gonna like this," he murmurs hesitantly.
"Please, tell me he isn't dead," Kakashi begs.
"… Um… I don't think he is… but I'm not too sure."
"Did you tell them?" another voice says.
"Back off, Flicker! You're standing right here, you know he didn't!" a snappish female yells.
"Come on, hurry up and tell them!" Ash shouts.
"I need help!" Snowfall hisses. "I can't deal with this by myself, guys!"
"Enough!" Itachi snarls. "All of you, calm down and tell me what's going on!"
There's silence, lingering for a moment before hurried whispers and hissing can be heard. After those fall silent as well, Dante returns his attention to his father and takes in a deep breath.
"We think we've found him, but… We can't exactly get to him."
"Would you like to embellish that?" Itachi sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
"… The sands are frozen for about an acre, we think he's in the middle of it all… in a tall pillar of ice from what we can see. Everything that touches the ice gets frozen, too! The girls have been trying to coax it back, but it's going pretty slow. They're still not powerful enough to cancel out this demonic chakra."
"Where are you?" Kakashi asks immediately.
"On the path between Konoha and Sand, just in sight of Gaara's village. From his village, all you can see of this is a bright light reflecting off the ice column."
"… I'll be right there, don't move."
"I'll keep a lookout for our suspected rogue," Kyuubi frowns. "I suggest you not tell this to Naruto… or you'll have a massacre on your hands."
The Kitsune rogue was lucky, as the back draft of the strange spell missed him thanks to his control over the sands. He was even luckier to have extracted the portion of ice containing the snow leopard cub, not wanting anything to find him before he claims what's rightfully his. The cave systems of the rogue clans are vast and labyrinthine, ensuring no one can locate the small portion of ice locked away in its depths but one of his own. He knows Itachi would have sent out his cubs to locate their missing sibling, knows Kakashi will have gone straight to the one person that could identify him as the culprit… but he also knows he's one of five, and he's not the most aggressive toward the young blonde Kitsune. If he can figure out a way to destroy the cub within the ice, he can let slip a bit of 'rumor' and get the suspicion off himself while making way for a new leader and gaining the confidence of the fox demon he so wants… not a bad deal, if you ask him.
"Raze, what's that? Is that a demon in there?"
"Yep! The demon lord's brat. I'm gonna keep him here and go after his female."
"I don't think that's a good idea," the other murmurs.
"Come on, Grain, this is a great idea! The kid's totally out of it, there's no waking him… he might as well be dead."
"… Fine, but… I'm not gonna lie for you. Not this time," the female says quietly. "If they ask… I'll have to tell them where to locate the boy. I mean… it's the heir to throne! We could be in execution-type trouble!"
"Look, just stay in the caves, okay?" he offers. "That way, they can't get the opportunity to ask you, you won't have the chance to betray me… and I won't have to kill you."
"Kill? What do you mean? I'm your best friend, I've been your lover for two years! How could even threaten that?"
"I'm not," he waves off. "I'm telling you two stay here so I won't have to… you know the rules pertaining to the clan. I don't want to kill you, but should you betray me… someone will have to."
"… Fine, I won't go anywhere," she sighs.
"That's a good girl," he grins patting her sandy colored hair.
He walks out of the room, never noticing when the ice from the column starts to slowly spread on the walls and floor in a webbing of crystal. Grain, however, does notice this and knows they're in serious trouble. The only thing she can do now, however, is tell the clan leader so they can be ready for any trouble that may ensue. After all, the wellbeing of the pack comes before that of an individual member. It's not betrayal if she's just informing the leader.
"Finally!" Snowfall cries in happiness. "It's gone! Thanks, Lord Hatake!"
"Please don't call me that, it makes me feel old," Kakashi grumbles.
"Uh… sorry, Kakashi," she giggles.
"Where is he?" Flurry asks angrily. "I thought he was here! Where is he!"
"What?"
All eyes turn to the column of ice they now stand before, worry rising anew at the realization that Sasuke isn't there. In the column, however, is a hole about the size of a teen curled in on themselves. Kakashi's eyes narrow in anger, those mismatched orbs of fiery crimson and icy black turning to Itachi.
"Summon Gaara of the Ancients," he hisses. "I'm done playing games."
The redheaded Ancient, just a toddler in the eyes of the demon world, is the most vicious and merciless of them all. When faced with an enemy, he is ruthless and will kill without a second thought. He's one of the most powerful demons in the world, hence his current title at such a young age, and Kakashi trusts him on levels he would never spar another. He's one of Naruto's closest friends, though he's never gotten the chance to meet Sasuke. Now, as he's caught up to speed on current events, he can slowly feel his rage surface with a mental howl of bloodlust.
"Why was I not told earlier?" he asks.
"We didn't think it was this bad," Kakashi sighs. "I wanted to deal with this quickly and cleanly. It's gone on too long now, though. Naruto has returned and he's awaiting Sasuke to come see him. If he's kept waiting any longer, Kyuubi won't be able to keep him from getting suspicious."
"You'll have to tell him anyway," Gaara points out. "No one knows the cave systems where the rogues hang out as well as Naruto does… he makes a game of stealing from them to pass the time."
"There has to be a way to do this without telling him."
"No, none."
"Um… guys, I was thinking," Snowfall sighs. "If Sasuke's power spread like this here… won't it do the same in the place he's been taken?"
"That's right!" Flurry states. "The ice spread after the tower was made, it was newer! If he's still encased in ice like this, it'll do the same there."
"The longer it takes us to find him, the further away we'll be pushed," Dante frowns. "This isn't good!"
"We're not even positive he was taken by the rogues, either," Itachi sighs. "He could be anywhere."
"… We should check in with Kyuubi," Kakashi sighs. "See if any suitors have presented themselves yet."
Kyuubi is watching Naruto carefully, her sharp crimson eyes glaring daggers into the alpha near her kittling. Arashi is curled up at her side in his fox form, eight tails wrapping languidly around her legs as he tries to soothe her. Kakashi was his student when he was younger, the two having always been close, and he knows how badly the snow leopard is taking the loss of his only cub. The strange thing with Kakashi, however, is that his emotions are highly contagious to others when he's distressed and unguarded. His chakra touching that of another demon, will invariably send his own emotion coursing through them as though it were their own. That's what makes him such a powerful demon in his opinion, as he can understand the emotions of all those around him in a way no one else can.
"Raze, I've told you a thousand times," Naruto growls. "I already have an alpha, I don't want… nor need… anyone else! Please stop pressing the subject."
"I didn't mean to," the crafty Kitsune replies. "It's just… I heard your alpha was killed by a rogue in Sand the other day."
"… You what?" Naruto whispers in shock.
"Yeah, the other rogues were talking about it," he offers. "Said the clan leader wanted you to himself, so… he killed your alpha so you'd be available."
"Th-that's a lie," Naruto stammers with tears in his eyes. "You're lying!"
"No, I'm not," Raze frowns in hurt. "I thought you already knew, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Naruto."
"He's not dead, I'd know if he were!"
"I said I was sorry, please don't cry. We… we can find him together, okay? I'll help you."
"I… need to be alone for a bit," Naruto sniffs sadly. "I need to think."
"Take your time, Naruto, I'll always be here if you need me."
The blonde walks away, head hung low as he cries silently to himself. His alpha is gone, but he knows he's not dead. He was curious as to why Sasuke hadn't raced over to see him when he got back from Sand… it's not that long a run for the fleet of foot demon. Kyuubi and Arashi watch Naruto head into his den, frowns on their faces as they look back to see a small smirk of triumph on the desert Kitsune's lips.
"Send word to Kakashi," Arashi purrs. "I'll subdue this one."
Kyuubi nods, the blonde fox standing and sauntering forward. Unfortunately, before he can pin the other, the desert Kitsune is gone and he's left snarling in anger. On the bright side, however, they now know who to blame for Sasuke's disappearance.
Deep in the caves on the desert, the ice has spread to an acre… through walls and halls and rooms. The column of ice, still containing Sasuke's body, has grown to touch the ceiling and floor. The body within the ice twitches, the features twisting in a cringe… and a long crack split's the surface as it slowly spreads. Mating season is here and nothing will stop the young snow leopard from claiming his mate.
The day is quiet when Gaara finally leads the group to the caves, Kakashi's chakra sending waves of anxiety and fear through those present. The redheaded raccoon demon glares his way, his emerald eyes warning him of his lost control before Kakashi slams his mental barrier down to keep his emotions from infecting others.
"Sorry," he says sheepishly.
"That's the entrance to the caves," Gaara points out.
"We're picking up serious ice activity," the twin girls remark.
"Sasuke must be inside," Itachi sighs in relief. "Let's get going."
"Wait… There's something else," Dante murmurs. "His aura is missing… like… it's dead. You don't suppose he really could've died and they just wanted to be certain… do you?"
"No. If that were the case, his ice wouldn't have chakra to feed off of in order to spread," Flurry states positively. "He has to be alive, he just has…"
A scream piercing the air stops her cold, all of them turning their gaze to the entrance to the caves. A huge blast of icy cold slush erupts from the opening in the rocks, people running from it's touch as those that aren't fortunate enough to outrun it are turned to ice. From the midst of the ice, so cold steam rises from it, steps a tall figure with silver streaked midnight locks.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi grins. "He's alive!"
"He's seriously pissed," Itachi adds nervously. "I've never seen him this angry before… it's almost… panther."
"That's not a good sign," the twin boys grumble.
"What do we do to stop him?" Dante wonders. "I've seen Ash and Flicker like this during mating season, when they were challenged for their females? It was impossible to stop them from tearing everything in their path down!"
"… Sasuke just turned of mating age not long ago," Kakashi murmurs. "He's probably going to head straight for Naruto."
"At least we know where he's heading," Itachi states. "But can one of us outrun him? Because I doubt Kyuubi will look kindly on half her mountain clan being flash frozen."
Sasuke darts forward, running his hand clean through a rogue's chest before leaping away from the oncoming attack from his right. His chakra reaches out, freezing the other through in only a matter of seconds. His pace is fast as he hurries toward the mountain clans of Kyuubi, the back of his mind flaring in warning of an incoming challenge.
Naruto is walking beside Raze, his mind still far away with the thought of Sasuke being gone for good. When he first met Sasuke, he couldn't even bring himself to fight the other. Something about the power the other possessed pushed him into submission without the faintest hint of threat from the snow leopard cub. There's no way Sasuke could be killed with such a beast sleeping within him, which is something Naruto would know more about than anyone. Raze watches Naruto closely, a grin tugging at his lips as he leads him further from anyone that could help him. He managed to convince the blonde Kitsune that letting anyone know where he was would only make it easier for them to stop him from locating his alpha, so Naruto told no one about what he was up to. Just a little further away from it all… and Naruto will be his.
"Are you sure we can find him out here?" Naruto sighs. "This doesn't even look close to Sand. Isn't that where he was going?"
"Yes, but the rogues wouldn't have taken him back to their place, that would be too obvious," he waves off.
"… I guess so."
"It shouldn't be much further," Raze assures. "Just over that way. The entrance to the mountain caves is just past a meadow there."
"I live here, remember?" Naruto frowns. "I know where the mountain caves are. Which also makes me wonder why they would toss him here when I'm his female and I could scent him out without troubles in caves I know like the back of my hand."
"I think they wanted you to find him," raze answers quickly. "You know… so you wouldn't hold on to the belief he was still alive when they came to claim you."
"This just doesn't feel right."
Raze frowns, reaching to knock Naruto out, and gasps when an icy coldness seeps into his body. His eyes turn to see the tall figure of the young Hatake snow leopard, normally black eyes now of bloody ice. Naruto notices the change as well, turning quickly and grinning widely at the sight of his alpha… before letting that grin fall to a look of worry and nervousness at the smell of heat mingled within Sasuke's chakra.
"Mine," Sasuke hisses before leaping.
"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto cries out.
He manages to get between them, never too keen on others getting hurt because of him. Sasuke veers off, yet rebounds far too quickly for Naruto to keep up with and changes his direction to take out Raze. The two change to their demon forms, fur flying and blood seeping from claw and fang wounds. Naruto stumbles backward, eyes wide as Sasuke freezes the clearing with black ice. The black ice takes out everything, yet makes a wide circle around him to keep him safe. Footsteps from behind him sound, turning his attention to the group that's joined him.
"Gaara!" Naruto calls in joy. "Sasuke's gone nuts!"
"He turned of mating age while he was missing," Kakashi explains quickly. "He's been drawn to your scent ever since."
"We had a heck of a time keeping up," Dante gasps for air.
"I never knew he was so fit," Ash whines.
"We really need to work out more," Flicker agrees.
"You guys are babies, I kept up just fine," Snowfall huffs.
"Me, too," her twin scoffs. "I swear, grow a pair, will you?"
"We already have, what's your excuse?" the twin boys snap.
"Uh… I was talking breasts," Flurry grins meanly. "Obviously females are way better than males if you can't even keep up with a Toddler."
Itachi rolls his eyes, trying to step out to stop Sasuke. Kakashi's hand is on his shoulder in no time, warning him away from the black ice. Unbeknownst to Itachi, black ice is very dangerous even to those who wield it. It's a cursed ice used only by those with a dead aura, those too powerful to die. It's so very rare that a demon be born with the power to command the dead, that it was thought to be a myth by all but the snow leopard clans… who are normally the ones to birth them.
"I'll handle him," Kakashi says quietly. "I've gotten fairly good at long distance age limiting jutsu."
The long haired panther nods, backing away from keep his other children from getting caught up in the fight. Naruto huffs, glaring daggers at the alphas fighting over him. Sasuke snarls viciously, biting at Raze's throat before slinking away to stand between Naruto and his abductor.
*Mine! * Sasuke hisses furiously.
*You don't deserve him! * Raze snaps. *You know nothing about Kitsune! *
*I don't care! He chose me! *
"I'm about ready to kick both your asses!" Naruto growls. "Stop this!"
The two send him angry glares, the blonde rolling his eyes as he sits impatiently to see the end of the fight. Sasuke leaps, Kakashi throws out the jutsu… and a tiny little snow leopard cub bounces off Raze's head. Sasuke sits on the ground, glances around in confusion, and then starts mewling for his parent. The ice around them cracks and crumbles, melting into puddles that muddy up the ground. Raze jumps for the crying cub, Flurry leaping and transforming in mid-air. Her teeth grip the Kitsune's throat, threatening to crush it mercilessly.
*That's my baby brother, * she snarls. *Touch him again and I'll kill you! *
"Flurry, please be a dear and escort our little prisoner to Wraith," Kakashi smiles happily as he lifts his cub into his arms. "I'm certain my older brother would simply love exacting whatever punishment he deems worthy of kidnapping his precious nephew. As for the rest of you, I suggest we all go back home and relax. Sasuke's had a long day and it proves to get only longer. Naruto, if you would join us?"
"Of course," the blonde grins. "I've been waiting months for this day!"
Sasuke wakes to eyes watching him, his body jolting when he opens his own to see so many only a few inches from his face. He has a feeling he should know these people, but he doesn't recall ever seeing them before. He knows Itachi is in the room and so is Kakashi, but these other five… he's at a loss.
"Hey, pipsqueak!" a white haired female grins. "Nice to see you back to your cherubic self."
"… Who are you?"
"I know we moved out before you were three, but come on!" Flurry teases. "Don't tell me you can't recognize your own siblings when you see them!"
"… Siblings?"
"I'm Flurry and this is Snowfall," she says pointing to her twin. "We're your sisters! We're the second oldest."
"I'm Ash and this is my twin Flicker. We're the oldest."
"I'm Dante… I was born before you were," the younger smiles. "I was with you longest."
"But… I'm Kakashi's cub."
"You were our brother first, so he can just push over!" Flurry snaps.
"Sasuke, Naruto is waiting for you in the other room," Kakashi interrupts. "You can talk to your siblings later, okay?"
Sasuke nods eagerly, crawling from bed to locate his soon-to-be mate. Naruto is sitting in his bedroom just down the hall from the hospital wing Sasuke was in, waiting patiently enough for his alpha to wake. After they returned with Sasuke, Kakashi allowed him his older form. Before, he had locked down Sasuke age to about two just in case. On the walk there, he had turned back into his humanoid form and had fallen asleep.
"Naruto?" Sasuke asks as he opens the door.
"It's about time," Naruto smirks. "Come here and mark me."
Sasuke grins and closes the door behind him before locking it. He strolls over to the blonde Kitsune and locks lips with him, wrapping him in a hug and pulling him close. Naruto pulls him backward onto the bed, purring as Sasuke lays atop him.
Kakashi and the others are in the library, trying to keep themselves occupied while Sasuke is busy with Naruto. Itachi is quite happy to have his cubs altogether again, yet he's just a tad nervous about telling Glacier what's been going on. The cubs are all ready to start up a relationship with their baby brother, talking excitedly about what to do first once he rejoins them. They don't have to wait long, Sasuke strolling downstairs happily with some seriously bad battle wounds.
"… What happened to you?" Dante wonders.
"Naruto doesn't go down without a fight," Sasuke grins. "I won."
Laughter fills the room, the young snow leopard grinning in self satisfaction. He sits on Kakashi's lap after his age is brought back down to five, always easier to heal for the older demon than the twelve year old form, and pulls a book closer to himself to read while he's being patched up. Life will be much more interesting with Sasuke and Naruto around, as the Kitsune won't leave the young snow leopard's side now that they're officially mates. Kakashi briefly wonders what surprises will be in store for them, though he's glad there won't be anything too outrageous… he hopes. He looks down at his small cub with pride, kissing the top of his head lightly before grinning at the whine he receives in answer. All in all, he's proud to call this cub his… and he'll be even more proud to call Naruto a part of his family as well.
You go Sasuke! Show that little fox who's boss! Uh... sorry ^^; Got into there for a minute! ;p Hope you enjoyed it, hope it didn't follow the typical sequel rule and sucked more than the first... that would be horrible 0.0 Laters! d^^