Using a kit for your own gain is deplorable. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. But how much can you gain?
A/N: Number 2/4! So school has started and I'm sorta busy, but a 3 day weekend told me to finish my one-shot. :] However, I'm not too sure if I like this one-shot...
What Tenten says, "Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu", is a Japanese saying meaning "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" or "You can't do anything without risking something".
Soo...gotta do that damn disclaimer. Yes? No? Yes? Damn.
Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto.
"Yubikiri genman,
Uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu,
Yubi katta"
The young Hyuuga heiress rushed down the street of Konohagakure in a panic, a small reddish-brown bundle of fur in her arms. It was a baby fox—an injured kit. She had been in the garden early that morning, looking for healthy flowers to press for her collection when she found him wandering about in the Hyuuga compound, his left hind leg limp and bleeding. Immediately, she ran to help it. He was too young to be afraid of humans; however, he had been wary of her approach and growled agonizingly at her. Hinata's natural charm had coaxed the fox's heart after moments. Using the first aid kit, she managed to disinfect and bandage the wound. So much time had passed that Hinata didn't realize how late she was for the gathering at Sakura's apartment with the girls. By the time she had reached Sakura's door, she was panting, holding the calm kit close to her stomach. Knocking, Hinata waited for the muffled welcome before opening the door.
Tenten, Ino, and Sakura were gathered in the living room. Sakura and Ino shared the couch while Tenten occupied a beanbag chair a few feet away. They were in their typical kunoichi gear although Tenten's oversized scroll leaned against the wall near the door. Hinata swiftly took her spot in the room, feeling them eye the kit buried in her arms.
"Ano…Hinata, what is that?" Ino inquired, raising an eyebrow. As the dark-haired girl made herself comfortable on the opposite lounge chair, the little kit stretched out, releasing a yawn. His ashen front paws hung over Hinata's left thigh while his hind legs stayed parallel with her opposite thigh. His reddish-brown tail tapped against her right thigh.
"Aww! Hinata! He's so cute!" Sakura gushed, moving to get closer. The fox's ears perked and he hissed at the bubblegum-haired woman, his fur rising in aggression. Chuckling nervously, Sakura backed up. He relaxed when she was a comfortable distance away.
"Ah…how did you find him?" Tenten asked. She was openly curious, but she hadn't moved from her position. They listened closely as she spoke of her morning. The kit made odd purring noises at the sound of her voice.
"This is perfect!" Ino cheered, jumping to her feet. The fox seemed to glare at her, alert. Ino ignored it. "We can use him to get you and Naruto together!" Hinata frowned in protest. She had genuinely loved Naruto since her days at the academy, but it didn't seem right to use an innocent kit as a type of bait.
The weapons specialist noted her expression. "If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub," she murmured. Hinata heaved a sigh while petting the ball of fluff on her lap. Receiving the unspoken approval, Sakura stood, carefully picking her way through the room while under the watchful gaze of the animal. Hinata's heart pounded wildly inside her chest. Naruto-kun was coming over, and she had no idea what the blonde medical-nin had in mind.
Sakura returned to the room shortly. "He's on his way."
"What exactly are you planning, Ino-chan?" the Hyuuga asked. She simply gave a dopey smile.
"Don't worry yourself about it, Hinata. Trust us."
Before she could question what Ino meant, Naruto burst through Sakura's door, nearly ripping it off its hinges.
"Sakura! Are you alright?" Naruto panicked. He stopped short when he noticed her guests. "Oh, uh, hey…"
The group chuckled awkwardly as Sakura connected her fist to the back of his head. His tanned face quickly became intimate with the plush carpet. Naruto clutched his head in pain before his nose twitched. Looking up, his eyes locked with the kit's.
"He's why I called you," Sakura huffed, her eyes closed to suppress her anger. He looked confused, his head tilting to the side.
"Aren't you like half-fox or something? You should be able to understand him and help take care of him with Hinata," Ino claimed, keeping a hand on Sakura's shoulder. The jinchuriki glared at her crossly. Hinata knew that despite Naruto's acceptance of the Kyuubi, it was still a sensitive topic. Tenten slapped Ino's leg in warning. He opened his mouth to reject the request, but Sakura cut him off.
"Naruto, you owe me. Do it."
The two teammates had a staring contest until the broad male stood. "Fine, fine." Hinata's heart fluttered. Naruto had agreed to help her. Her face began to heat up as he made his way toward her. The moment screeched to a halt when a loud, violent gekkering clamor came from her lap. She looked down to see the kit baring his teeth at the man of her dreams. Naruto reacted with an animalistic growl, his eyes narrowed. The girls looked confused at the weird turn of events. Taking charge, Hinata stood, carefully repositioning the fox in her arms. It coughed in protest before quieting down.
"I have to change his dressings, so I'll be leaving." Her nervous gaze never left the floor as she walked out of the apartment.
"Naruto will be at the compound tomorrow morning!" Sakura called after her.
A soft whine awoke Hinata from her sleep. Opening her beautiful lilac eyes, she was greeted by vibrant amber orbs. She cajoled him to curl back into a ball, his stiff leg sticking out from under his brushy tail. She elegantly slid out of bed and dressed. Hinata had researched the little red fox hours ago, memorizing what they ate as kits and what was beneficial to their development. After feeding him and rewrapping his wound, she carried him into the garden. Placing him near the flowerbed, Hinata searched for healthy blooming flowers to be pressed.
"Yo, Hinata," a deep, chipper voice greeted.
The Hyuuga heiress jumped slightly, swirling on her heel to face the greeter. Her eyes lit up as she gazed at the whisker-cheeked man. With a soft smile gracing her features, she separated her lips to greet him, however, her fox began gekkering angrily as he had yesterday—cutting the dark-haired woman off. He couldn't stand properly, but he did his best to look terrifying from the ground. His thick reddish-brown fur fluffed around his body.
"Shut up, you stupid kit!" Naruto snapped, throwing a fist in the air. Hinata's kit yipped at him savagely, his tawny eyes bright with defiance. Hinata figured no harm would come from allowing it to continue, which it did. Naruto shouted at the kit as if they were having a regular conversation. Can he really understand him? Hinata asked silently, resuming her task of identifying flowers.
It had become routine after a few days. Naruto would pop-up in the garden every morning, much to Kitsune-kun's displeasure. The pair would shout back and forth, a gekker occasionally replaced with a yip or growl. Around lunchtime, Hinata allowed her little kit on her lap as he ate. Her conversations with Naruto made her stutter with nerves although she had developed a stronger voice from when she was a pre-teen. A week later and Kitsune-kun had started to move around more. His hind leg was still stiff and sore, so he would suddenly plop onto his side and whine for his surrogate mother. Whenever this happened, the blond Uzumaki's actions would become frantic and he would do something ridiculous like fall out of a tree. This time was no different.
"No one asked you, you damn kit!" Naruto snapped, glaring murderously at Kitsune-kun's little burgundy head. The kit's ears twitched in annoyance as he yipped at him. He quickly lifted his limp leg and, before Naruto knew what he was doing, dropped it against the grassy plain. Kitsune-kun yowled in pain.
Hinata was by his side in an instant, her lovely eyes thick with worry. "Kitsune-kun, what happened? Is the medicine wearing off already?" She piled him into her arms, giving his leg a relaxing, light-touch massage. "There. That's better, isn't it?" the Hyuuga heiress soothed, lowering the kit to the ground. Using her knees for support, Hinata stood and dusted off her pants.
Naruto gritted his teeth, watching the whole scene. Kitsune-kun gave him a haughty side-glance and Naruto went over the edge. In a flash of yellow, he grabbed Hinata's arm, forcing her body against his broad chest.
"Naru—" His lips were on hers in an impassioned kiss. Stretching her eyes wide, Hinata stiffened. Five different shades of red swelled on her face like wildfire, each one darker than it predecessor. She didn't know how to respond when he swept his tongue across her pulp bottom lip. Naruto pressed harder before flashing his eyes open in surprise and wrenched his body away from her. A light blush dusted his cheeks. Kitsune-kun's immediate growl snapped Hinata out of her stupor. The oblivious girl missed the swift glint of victory in Naruto's eyes. It disappeared once she looked at him.
"I have to go. See ya, Hinata." He vanished faster than she could blink.
Four days later and Hinata's kit was back to perfect health.
Hinata was miserable. She had become so accustomed to being awakened by his amber orbs; the thought of not seeing them made her heart break. Kitsune-kun had become her baby—her child. The young Hyuuga sighed as she sat under the tree. Kitsune-kun was leaping in the air, his once limp leg now powerful and taunt with renewed strength. Naruto encouraged him by tossing thin branches into the dark sky for the kit to catch. Hinata tilted her head. Naruto had begun to act…weird, something Hyuuga Hinata had never associated with him. He would stay at the compound longer than expected, even show up on days Hinata allowed him a break. During Kitsune-kun's better days, Naruto would stick close to Hinata's side. The jinchuriki would ask about what she looked for in the flowers and offered ones he thought were right.
A sudden wetness on her cheek snapped her out of her reverie. "Ne? Is there something you need, Kitsune-kun?" she asked. He yipped and turned his head to growl at Naruto's direction. Wiping the saliva off her cheek with her lavender sleeve, she looked up to see Naruto's embarrassed cerulean spheres.
"Don't listen to him, Hinata!" Naruto shouted and grabbed the kit by his gruff. She blinked, not quite understanding. The two males glared at each other, a growl deep in their throats. Kitsune-kun lifted his paw to swipe at the tall blonde's whiskered cheek; a long cry erupted into the atmosphere, freezing the kit in his tracks. Naruto dropped the little kit and he landed gracefully onto his paws. Hinata immediately stood and stepped close to the older shinobi.
"It's his mother," he confirmed, staring at the myriad of treetops peaking over the compound walls. Hinata's eyes widened with too many emotions. He's going away. Kitsune-kun yipped elatedly towards his surrogate mother before scampering into the vibrant flowers of the garden. Within seconds, his reddish fur vanished from the garden and his urgent yips were heard on the opposite side of the wall. Naruto jumped the wall after him, understanding the kit's faraway cries.
No…he's going home. Hinata corrected herself and shook her head to clear the negative thoughts. With a silent leap, she flipped over the wall. Three yards away, a fire-furred female fox stood at the entrance of the forest. Her paws and ears were splashed with obsidian. The color of night consumed the tip of her tail as well as her underbelly. An almost star-shaped ginger mark graced part of her cheek and ran down her slender neck. Her jade eyes were bright with acknowledgement. A rosy blush powdered across Hinata's nose as she bowed deeply to the mother and smiled. In turn, the fox dipped her head. The gleam of respect passed over the mother and surrogate mother. Truly, it was time to say goodbye.
Hinata's smile seemed pained as she kneeled onto the gassy terrain, opening her arms for the whining kit. Kitsune-kun was in her embrace in seconds with licks to give.
"Kitsune-kun, behave!" Hinata laughed. Leaning forward, she tapped her nose against his. "Now, be good to your mother." Kitsune-kun yipped once and she rubbed the top his head between the ears, the odd purring rumbled in his throat once again. When he jumped off her lap, he stood arrogantly in front of Naruto.
"What now?" Naruto growled, crossing his arms. Kitsune-kun fluffed his fur and gekkered at him. Hinata expected the blond shinobi to yell at him; however, he surprised her. He gave a serene smile and held up a thumb. "I will. I promise."
Kitsune-kun nodded and ran to join his birthmother. They briefly touched noses. His mother gave a bark of goodbye before disappearing in the dark forest. Kitsune-kun sprinted to follow her, but he stopped. Looking back, Kitsune-kun gave Hinata one last look before evaporating into the darkness. She understood perfectly, a single tear dropping to kiss the soil.
"I'll miss you, Mama."
Slowly, she stood and turned towards her long-time love. "A-Ano, Naruto-kun, w-what did you promise Kitsune-kun?" Her innocently curious mauve orbs made him grin foxishly.
"I promised to take care of you." Her mouth fell open in a gasp; her visage a deep crimson. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her curvaceous body. Swooping in, he gave her a chaste kiss. "You are my girlfriend, after all," he barked before kissing her again.
A laughing bark could be heard in the distance.
Final Thoughts: O.o I wonder how people will react to this. OH, by the way, when he said "You are my girlfriend," it wasn't like they've been together the whole time. I just wanted Naruto to be Naruto and be blunt. Hopefully it works...The next one-shot is NejiTen then, finally, SasuSaku.
And outlines really, really work! Writing has gotten so much more flow-y. And I hope this one-shot makes sense. O.o It didn't exactly turn out the way I thought it would. I didn't want Hinata to faint, so she didn't. :D R&R!
To Claire, My Faithful Anon: This is the link to the KaiTomo one-shot: s/3653560/1/Looking_Through_Glass
Update: Don't forget the one-shots are in order! The prequel to this is the ShikaIno one-shot Pinky Swear and the sequel to this is the NejiTen one-shot Control, while the final installment is a SasuSaku one-shot Causing Rain. And they are all out! Enjoy the finished set!
And to the NaruHina fans: I want to thank you guys so much for liking this story! And as a symbol of my gratitude, The Kit in Us All is going to have a special released! It's my current project, so I hope to publish it soon!