Za Josei no Kitsune
As a small child my father had always said there was no such thing as monsters. That the only things in this world that could possibly hold any resemblance to such things, were evil and dangerous people, or the vicious deeds or actions that they did... It wasn't long before he was proven wrong...and how wrong he was...
CHAPTER ONE- THE DREAM
Byakko Chieko: After what seemed an eternity, I found myself emerging from beneath the thin veil of sleep, that had en-loped me in its thick, warm grasp. Glancing around amongst the darkness and the shadowy silhouettes my hands outstretched. I tried to reach for anything that would hold a clue to where I was at this very moment...however all I seemed to grasp in my fingers was cold, empty air. Squinting, trying hard to make out all the dark formations surrounding me, while at the same time trying to retain some sort of a balance as I stood on the unsettled rocky earth. I suddenly contemplated on whether moving any further into darkness would be a sensible idea, especially considering the hard true fact that I could not see. However I quickly dismissed the suggestion thinking I was far better off keeping up my pace, All the while trying not to think about the possibility of, someone or something lurking amongst the mist and the shadows.
Trudging my way through the darkness, my hands still out stretched in front of me my eyes started to see light in the distance. Looking up I was relieved to see the face of the ghostly moon peaking through the grey mist that en-loped me and my surroundings. Searching with my eyes trying to find my way towards the light, I came to find myself surrounded by an eerie forest of skeletal trees, which had seemed to have caught the grey mist that hung in the air in their ever-twining branches.
My heart suddenly skipped a beat as the sudden realisation of where I was dawned on me...I was here again!...no..no...no!.
Panic filled me as I felt the sudden urge to run, however through sheer terror I found myself unable to move. Closing my eyes I tried to will my trembling legs to move...Move!...move...move dam you!..
Pathetic child...
My head started to spin, as I started to feel faint at the sound of her bone chilling voice...It was her!...I didn't want to open my eyes for I knew the image well that would stand before me...
Open your eyes and look and me you insignificant piece of shit! Bow down to your mistress and acknowledge the power that stands before you!
Shaking my head as I felt the wet tears trickle down my honey brown skin, I tried to will the voice away...I couldn't...no I wouldn't...open my eyes...no...
If you do not acknowledge me...I will kill you!
I opened my eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by her murderous intent, but only to be greeted by the eyes of a monster...staring out from within the dark circle of skeletal trees...a creature so terrifying that its very image burned into your very soul...from just one glance it haunted you
...those eyes...those green eyes!...
They were like mine, exactly like mine, down to the very detail of the black and gold flecks that covered the emerald iris that were my eyes...
The creature chuckled as I felt my breath catch in my throat...I tried to close my eyes again and will the creature away, but I held her gaze, unable to move...trembling...
You cannot ignore my existence any-longer child..you cannot escape me! With every moment passing, I can feel my power growing...you feel it to...
Quickly and without warning I clutched my belly as I was suddenly overwhelmed by a burning sensation erupting through me, almost like someone had run through me with a red hot poker-knife.
There will come a time where you will succumb...your inner animal unleashed..your inner desires...your instincts...your true nature revealing itself... the she-beast chuckled again as she exposed some very sharp canines that seemed to glint in the moonlight
...Give in... she purred you know you thirst for it, you know you crave...for it!...
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! Beeeeeeeeeep! Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
I lunged out of bed throwing off the thin sheet that had been my only covering, jumping for the open window and gasping into the warm morning air...I hated those dreams they seemed so real, and what was worse I couldn't remember a night since my thirteenth birthday that they did not plague my dreams...
knock knock...knock knock
"Chieko-san! Cheiko-san" a voice called through the wall next to my bed "turn that dammed alarm clock off before you wake up the whole household!"
I sighed, leaning over towards the ringing alarm clock, almost forgetting it was even there, it's constant noise almost seeming distant. With a small grunt of annoyance I pressed the top of the machine gently..The ringing stopped...7 am the digits flashed.
I chuckled at the thought of my eldest brother in the next room who hated early mornings trying to sleep in..He thought mornings were much better spent under the covers.
Walking barefoot towards the bed with the intention of making it, my hand coming to a rest on my mattress, instantly feeling the dampness in the sheets and tutted realizing that I had once again spoiled yet another set, with my night sweats... Lieko-san is not going to like this I thought, the old housekeeper's angry face flashing through my mind as I pulled the lavender sheets off the bed...Another set of spoiled sheets meant another talk with my Father..Another day wasted trying to come up with lies to hide the nightmares..it' wasn't that I didn't want him to know, he knew, he just didn't know the exact extent of how badly they effected me...It was getting to the point that I was trying to avoid sleep every-night. Which I found was completely impossible..Going to my room with the same intention TO STAY AWAKE!. However I always found myself in the place were only darkness and nightmares dwell every night no matter how hard I tried.
I shivered, despite the heat drifting through the curtains, the memory of the first night the beast had revealed itself to me, filling my mind with dreaded memories...
FLASH BACK
Glancing around at all the enormous skeleton trees that held nothing more than the grey misty- mist in their dead branches, I gasped at the thought of my location...I didn't know where I was. Feeling the soft warm tears prickle in my eyes, I tried to comprehend the past few hours..I remembered going to my room and laying down in my bed..then...I concentrated...And then?...and then?...trying to remember-Nothing!...Where the hell am I?
I'll never forget the feeling I felt when I heard her voice for the first time..it was almost like ice water running down the length of your spine...all the hairs on your body standing on end all at once and the continuously thumping of my heart in my chest.
Finally the little shit becomes a woman...I can already feel my inner fire burning once more...
"Who...Who are you..." I stammered, my eyes searching...trying to find the source of the voice. The sound of demonic laughter erupting over the trees, causing them to shake and tremble...
Such a brave little brat..I would have thought most mortals your age would curl up in a foetal position, crying like an infant....The voice cackled once more...Ill give you a reason to fear me! And with that a huge roar erupted over the trees, once more making the earth around me shake and quiver... As I glanced around, my ears still ringing from the she-beasts tremendous voice, I began to faintly see a large shadow emerging from within the trees that surrounded me...but this was no shadow..Shadows did not move! And they certainly didn't have teeth!...I heard a scream escape my lips as I fell backwards near the roots of the dead trees...A huge green eye staring back at me along with a row of huge Canines grinning.
...I feel your terror! You fear me now Child! You should be, I'm a part of you! Especially now! Your body has become...mature...your inner animal...is going to take over...I will take over...
END OF FLASH BACK
I had only just turned thirteen, the same day that I became a woman...I thought I had soiled my bed when I finally awoke from my nightmare, I could have even handled it better if it had been sweat like now... however, it was blood that my small bottom was perched upon...The question now was whether or not there any connection with my monthly flow and the first encounter with the she-best. I had even suspected myself of changing that night somehow, my senses becoming more heightened and I even felt like I was more intuned with the world around like a dormant animalistic urge awakening from the deepest part of my soul...and threatening to spill out into the rest of my being.
...
Uzumaki Naruto: It had been over three years since he had been home, the familiar and yet unfamiliar woods of the only place he found acceptance and yet at the same time, rejection, Kohona.
Three whole years of travelling and vigerous training with his master, Jiraiya... three whole years since that fateful day at Valley's End.
Sasuke...
Jiraiya looked over towards the blonde young man walking next to him. He was no longer the noisy ninja, that some people had affectionately called him in the past. He was now a man of seventeen, and at least a foot taller than he was and possessed a huge chest that was home to a pack or rippling muscle that moved and flexed with every movement Naruto made..The Orange track suit set he had left in were now a pile of rags in his satchel, some cleaning rags to clean his ninja gear. They had totally desiderated with all the training and of course the growing he had been doing..Now he stood tall in a pair of orange and black tracksuit pants, it's matching black jacket resting upon his back, but open, exposing his massive chest that was coved by a tight white T-shirt...
Jiraiya tutted, watching Naruto pull his arms up, over and behind his head...a gesture usually done when he was in some serious thought...
"What's going on in that mind of yours Naruto? You seem more quiet now your back...I would have thought you would be jumping out of your skin, running around and showing off by now..." Jiraiya laughed but then paused this is not like him at all? He thought looking at the young Genin. Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed.. " sorry Ero-sennin, I must be beat from all the training and travelling that we have been doing" He replied, crouching down a little and clenching his fists "But I'm not to tired to show everyone how bad-ass I am now!"
Jiraiya chuckled at the blonde haired ninja before him...That's more like the Naruto I know.
As the Gates of the great Kohona came into view a strange feeling washed over Naruto, he clutched his stomach as the tugging feeling started to make him feel queasy.
Awwww..I thought it was because I was hungry...what is this feeling?...it's burning now...better not be you, you dammed fox!...
"-Naruto"
"Huh?" Naruto looked up into the suddenly serious face of his sensai..."What is it?"
Jiraiya studied the face of his pad-one and thought about saying something but then decided against it"...er..it's nothing" and turned away from him..he couldn't bring himself to say it. They had only just arrived home, so he knew Naruto would be tired and lethargic from his travels. It was just that he had made a face as soon as Jiraiya thought he had sensed something ...something different...something that shouldn't be...
"Hey you perverted Hermit!" a voice rang out, disturbing Jiraiya's thoughts and bringing him back to the present... "Huh?"
"You felt it to huh?
That remark made Jiraiya glance down at his feet with chuckle "You never cease to amaze me Naruto" but the look dissolved from his face into seriousness as he looked up into the blue eyes of his companion "We must stay on guard...Three years is along time for things..."he hesitated as he glanced around, then once again resting his eyes on the young man before him "for things to change-"
"-Ero-senin! Do you think that-"
Jiraiya's hand at his face stopped Naruto from finishing his sentence "You are still a noisy kid no?"
Naruto grumbled as his sensai dropped the hand that silenced him "Naruto, three years is a long time for enemies to infiltrate our gates without being noticed...but this is..." he turned and looked at the large green gates of Kohona.. "This is different...like nothing I have felt before..." And by the way Naruto acted it wasn't just meer feeling,it made his whole body react...that is not good..."
"I'm fine you perverted sannin, I'm sure I'm just hungry" Naruto grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head
If I know Naruto, that was no mealy a feeling of hunger..he felt the presence...Jiraiya thought wanting to continue with the conversation, but then, he was sure Naruto was in no form or mood for that matter to ramble, especially about a small insignificant feeling they both had...it unexpectedly started to make Jiraiya feel perverted.
The sound of Laughter filled the air...
They both glanced up, surprised that they had both not sensed the presence that was surely there...
"Hey look Amaree, it's that noisy Ninja of Kohona!"
"-Yeah Riku-san that's defiantly him, he's grown but that's defiantly him...ohh I even see that perverted sannin Jiraiya..."
Jiraiya chuckled as two ninjas jumped down from the top of the tall gates.
"Amaree it's been a long time" the sannin smiled.
The female ninja in front of them, sneered, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder "Not long enough if you asked me".
It didn't take Naruto long for him to realise as he stared at the female ninja then at his master, that these two had a history..And by the way that Amaree was reacting, it hadn't ended well...Perverted Ninja she looks old enough to be your daughter! She was at least a few years older than Naruto and looked to be a Jonin, and judging by the huge Katanna strapped to her back, she was a master at the sword arts...something that Naruto had been wanting to take up, just for something different, and because he thought it was so dam cool!..However Jiraiya believed that weapons were for the foolish. He believed that a shinobi should learn to fight with ones hands and not to rely on a weapon that will cause nothing but grief if one was to depend on it...What if you were to become separated from it in battle? The perverted sannin had a point, so Naruto had dropped the subject...but it's was still so dam cool!
"The Hokage said that we should be expecting you to arrive here soon, howver i hadn't exspected it would be just after she had told us..." Riku exclaimed shaking his head.
Naruto grinned "So the old lady Tsunade is still the Hokage?"
"Hei" Amaree and Riku replied before they both turned towards the green Kohonan gates and shouted "open the gates!"
Almost instantly the gates opened and immediately the great Kohonan Mountain came into view, complete with the four Hokage's faces in-graved into the aging rock. However on closer inspection Naruto came to the sudden realisation that there wasn't four faces any-more, there were now five...
"Aiiiiiiii!" Naruto shouted making the ninjas jump, all except the old Toad Sannin, who was now very much accustomed to the young man's sudden outbursts "the Old Lady Hokage!"
Jiraiya followed Naruto's pointed finger, with his aging eyes, only for them to come to rest on a familiar face carved into the stone. He chuckled "Hmm. How about that! Now I can look at her all the time!" Jiraiya's world suddenly came crashing to the ground as he felt Naruto slam a fist down on the top of his silver-haired head. An occurrence that the Toad sannin had become rather used to.
"You pervert Sannin!" Naruto wondered if this man ever stopped.
…...
Byakko Chieko: Sitting quietly outside our family home, under the massive weeping willow trees I dipped my feet daintily into the clear, cool water of the fish pond, letting the brightly coloured Koi fish nibble lightly at my toes as I waited patiently for my brothers. As I stared up into the mnay intertwining and shifting clouds, locating the sun, I grumbled, judging by it's position it was surely about 10 am by now, which meant we were late. But for what I surely didn't know...
"Chieko-Chan" a familiar voice called from behind me. I turned to see my father, who was smartly dressed in a long purple kimono. I smiled taking in what I saw in front of me "looking very nice father" hoping my father hadn't spoken to our housekeeper Lieko-san, as I wasn't able to sneak the sheets into the morning's washing without being noticed. "I spoke to Lieko this morning" my father began, brushing his long black from his shoulder, my heart sunk for I knew what was coming. "Those dreams again huh?"
I thought for a moment, trying to think of something to say Should I lie? I thought What could I say now, that I haven't already said before?
"Chieko-Chan" my father whispered "It's going to be alright"
I was startled I hadn't said anything, what did he mean, everything was going to be alright "-Father-"
Father's hand covered my mouth before I could say any more
"Let me speak first Chieko-Chan, before anything else is said for I need to tell you something, I need to tell you the real reason we came to Kohona"
"I thought we came because Kohona needed your help?..." I said moving my fathers hand away from my mouth. "-That is what you told me before you uped and moved us from the city.."
My father looked at me with his blue eyes, which were almost hidden away from the black curls that hung around his ears. "Well I have to admit I have been dishonest with you Chieko-We came here because of you"
"Me...Why?" I asked
"Chieko, I know you still are being plagued by those dreams again, and I know the extent they are taking on you, so that's why I'm going to see the Hokage"
"-The Hokage!" I exclaimed stunned "Father no one else needs to know about this, it's nothing really, the dreams ARE going away!" I insisted, obviously lying.
Father shook his dark head "The Hokage is the mighty sannin Tsunade, the Healer! If she cannot help us I do not know who can..Even if she can't take away the nightmares she could at least give you a way to help you sleep, wouldn't that be enough?"
I knew there was no point with arguing with my Father. He was right, I did want to rid myself of the dreams forever, however if I was to going to see the Hokage, it meant that I had to tell her everything, not just about the dreams, but the beast within them , the feelings she was making me feel, and the power that I felt everyday that was growing stronger and more powerful with every fleeting moment...
"Chieko-san! Father!" voices called as my Father and I turned to see three figures running towards us from within the family home. I laughed trying to lighten the mood and maybe make my Father change the subject as my brothers ran towards us, falling into a messy heap of scrolls, kinnies and shrunkins.
Father sighed as I laughed at my brother's clumsiness... "That's one way to lighten the mood" I chuckled to myself. My brothers Chio, Ladi, and Kiko, who were all older than me by a few years were all Chunin unlike me who was still a Genin stood to there feet and dusted off the brown sandy dirt that clung to their uniforms.
"No! Not today Sensai is going to kill me!" Chio cringed trying to rid himself and his uniform of the stubborn brown dirt.
"Well I thought with all the sleep you boys are getting lately, you'd think you would be steadier on your feet!-and maybe alittle more organised?" Father scolded as the boys hung their heads with shame and embarrassment "Sorry Father" they chorused.
"Well I think it's about time you, my son's were off to your exams? No?" Father exclaimed which made the boys start to panic, "we are going to be late!" they all sang as they all started running together, catching up the brown sandy dirt in their path and leaving a dusty cloud in their wake. Father chuckled, shaking his head "Now my Chieko-san, we have an appointment too, that we are now going to be late for"
I looked up into the deep blue eyes of my father "And what appointment would that be Father?" I asked even though I knew what the answer would be
"To see the Hokage"
