Hello, greetings, salutations, and Goodbye... My Freaky Darlings.

This was just a little whim I had after reading several Sesshoumaru/Rin stories; the thought of a demon and a young girl falling in love has moved me. Though, the girl in this story isn't as young as Rin; she's 16. She'll also be taking Naruto's place as the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Minato lives because Sarutobi used the jutsu, Kushina survived the birth of her daughter, and not many know that the Yondaime's daughter is a jinchuuriki. In short, she has a pretty good life in terms of treatment and living conditions. However, I'd be lying if I said this was all about her.

Meet our other protagonist, the demon who decided she had grown tired of her favorite land, and went on a little walkabout. Where does she end up? Fire Country, her good-old-friend's stomping ground. Is she a huge mammal, rampaging around? No. Is it pretty damn obvious she's not human? Without the cloak, yeah. Is she evil? Not even close... just lazy. Is she powerful? No one knows; she barely gets up to feed herself on the daily basis, let alone find the energy to rampage and prove her power.

Lazy demon meets shitty kunoichi. Let's see what happens.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


"Crown me, with the leaf off of the tree; on it, I see, the freedom reign.", she sang to the air as she walked.

She was an odd sight for some; if you were used to dealing with the eccentricities of most ninja, you might overlook her, but those who passed her on the road often stared.

At six feet, nine inches tall, she was far from the standard height of most women, and those who looked closely saw her clothing loosely hugging her lithe and feminine frame. She wore a tight gray mask that covered the lower portion of her face, and a large hood that covered and shadowed the rest. Still, flowing hair fell from the hood, as blue as the ocean and falling to her waist. Most of it was tucked into the space between her haori and cloak, falling slightly farther than the hair that escaped her hood.

Her clothing was somewhat normal to the casual observer, if a tiny bit eccentric; a deep blue pair of hakama with white fire at the bottom, straw sandals, a white haori with golden lines that formed waves, a large gray traveling cloak that often covered her entire form, and fingerless black gloves that went to his elbows; the left was marked with a white kanji for wind, while the other had a green kanji for Earth. Only a ninja would wonder why a woman dressed in pristine clothing would cover it with such a worn cloak, and why she would bother to cover all of her face.

Silver eyes narrowed in amusement as another group whispered about her, all but glowing in her hood's darkness. She glanced down, seeing the leaf-design brooch kept her cloak tightly around her was still in place as she walked into Konaha.

"We are falling, the light is calling; Tears inside me, calm me down.", she continued, her enchanting voice not traveling far in the din of the village. She wouldn't stay here long; just long enough to cut through the village to the mountain where they had mauled the stone by putting their previous ruler's faces up. A pity.

Her real destination was set a mile or three behind the mountain; a little grove inside another small mountain that was difficult to find unless you knew where it was. She remembered going that with her old friend, back when he could be called that. The Good old days, before he became obsessed with power.

Hikari Avaron sighed. She missed those days.

(Training Ground 13)

She didn't know what she had done wrong; what deity she had pissed off to have deserved the fate she was stuck with. Tsukiko knew she wasn't the best Kunoichi of her "class", but being constantly talked down to by that crazy Uchiha and his fangirl wasn't what she deserved. She tried, very hard she might add, to perfect her jutsu and her stealth, but she had no luck: She's snap twigs, step on dry leaves, cough when saying a jutsu, and a menagerie of other things that seemed to be random.

Unfortunately, her lousy skills had gotten her team flunked out of the Chuunin exams; Kakashi-sensei didn't seem bothered, and urged her to keep on training. Sasuke had been insulted, and had been ranting about her "Holding him back" and of course, Sakura agreed wholeheartedly. The worst part was the fact her father was the Hokage, and he was taking it well. Everyone always treated her nicely, and it really bothered her.

Maybe it was because of the fact she hadn't done anything to deserve it; maybe it was because she knew what the villagers would think if they knew she was a jinchuuriki instead of just a normal kunoichi.

She walked away after yet another training session full of mocking, a scowl marring her pretty features.

Physically, she was well off for a kunoichi of 16; five feet, six inches, a lithe frame and a decently developed figure that denoted her future looks. Large C-cups and a rear that was just a little too small to be in proportion with her chest. She had long, red hair that fell straight to the middle of her back; she generally kept it in a pony tail with two bangs framing her face, much like Sasuke's much more bearable brother. Still, she didn't focus on her looks and took being a kunoichi, even if she was a poor one, seriously.

She wore a tight undershirt of mesh, with a black leather vest over it for protection, which was roughly modeled after the Konaha jounin vest. It hugged her form, there were many pockets for various items, and the leather itself was durable; more then enough to stop glancing kunai and shuriken. She wore a red belt with a kunai pouch at her left hip, holding up her blue pants. They were semi-loose, and looked flimsy, but had a mesh weave inside that gave some protection while not restricting mobility. Her feet were adorned with blue ninja sandals.

"Why can't I get this right?", she asked herself as she walked along, having been wondering it silently for years. She had always managed to just barely get by, but now she saw that it just wasn't enough. "It's not like I'm lazing around here. I'm trying!", she complained to herself, walking towards the hokage monument. Behind it, a mile or three into the forest, was her secret haven.

Minato and his wife, Kushina, technically knew where it was, but she had made them promise not to go there; she wanted it as a place to go and let off steam and just be alone when she wanted to be. They had respected her wishes, and left her clearing alone.

Her father and mother were supportive and tried to help their daughter, but their styles just never fit her; a movement felt wrong, or a strike felt off. She tried to muscle through it and adapt, but she always failed horribly. The one thing she had going for her was her stamina and chakra; she could train and, provided she knew the jutsu well enough, practice said jutsu for hours longer than anyone else. That, for some reason however, didn't seem to help her.

"Not only am I a failure, I'm a practiced failure who gets constantly reminded of her abilities.", she muttered, walking up the path to the top of the mountain. People she passed bowed, greeting her as the "Yondaime's Honorable Daughter". She couldn't help but wonder how badly they'd react if they knew about her tenant.

Part of her wanted to blame the Kyuubi inside her, but all the fox had done was quietly lay there, all but dead to her, and let off chakra that slowly expanded her own pools. She had actually tried to thank the fox once for it's "help", but it had simply shut it's eyes and muttered "Self Preservation". Her father had forbidden her to talk to it when she told him, but on those few nights when she found herself in her mindscape instead of dreaming, she almost always sat in front of the Kyuubi's cage and tried to talk to it. It never answered, but it would stare at her, like it couldn't tell what she was.

She hopped the short fence, there to let civilians know where the village technically "ended" back there, and even managed not to catch her foot and face-plant on the other side. A small achievement, but it did bring a small smile to her face. She continued through the thick forest, taking a path that only a few knew about. It was a well hidden cave that served as a tunnel to a four mile wide valley.

She sighed as her eyes rolled over the scenery; it was always beautiful in the spring. It was enclosed, more akin to a huge crater then a valley in some ways, but trees covered the sides and top of the mountain; it gave the illusion that there was nothing there but a mountain covered in trees if you were looking from the outside. She was pretty sure that it was a dormant volcano, an had been for some time considering the size of some of the trees. There were plenty of smaller trees and other foliage in the valley too though, and there was a well worn path that lead her safely through said foliage. On the other side of the trees was a large field taking up most of the crater, with most of the trees on the outside rim, and a small lake in the middle. There was a tree on a hill in front of her; it was where she liked to sit and think. The shade was divine, and the view was perfect given the slope of the hill.

"...Black night, Dark sky, The devils cry...", a divine voice sang, only becoming audible when she neared. Tsukiko froze: someone else had found her sanctuary. She put on what she hoped was a tough face and strode forward, intent on finding the intruder... and hoping she could make them leave.

Hikari heard her coming, and having finished her song, simply sat there, waiting for whoever had found her sanctuary.

Tsukiko walked past the tree and looked down the hill to find a figure sitting down, a gray cloak hiding their features. She stomped down to where they sat, intent on at least trying to scare them off.

"Hey!", she called, a few feet and closing. Hikari looked back, hood pulled back just far enough to let the girl see her face, and smiled through her mask.

"This one greets you.", she replied, knowing that it hadn't been a greeting. Still, the girl had stopped and was staring at her mask in confusion. "Does something trouble you?"

"What are you doing here? This is my sanctuary; I found it first.", Tsukiko said firmly, though she was surprised to see the mask resembling Kakashi's; judging be the part of her face she could see, she was quite beautiful. Why hide it with a mask?

"How old are you?", Hikari asked, giving an eye smile as well. Tsukiko blinked, losing her angry expression at the seemingly random question.

"Sixteen and a half.", she said cautiously. She was surprised by the ethereal laugh that came from the other girl.

"Forgive this one's laughter; she found this place far before you were even born. But there is surely enough room for both you and this one; take a seat.", She replied politely, motioning to the hill in general.

Tsukiko was slightly confused by her speech pattern, but cautiously sat down several feet to her left.

"So what's your name?", Tsukiko asked, not sure of what to make of this woman.

"Hikari Avaron is the name of this one. What is your name, M'lady?", she asked in return, laying down in the grass. Her hood stayed in place because of her enchantment on it, and she kept her eyes skyward as she laced her fingers behind her head.

Tsukiko flushed at being called "M'lady" by another woman, but slowly laid down as well, lacing her fingers on top of her stomach instead.

"Tsukiko Namikaze.", she replied, glancing over to see the other woman's eyes now locked onto her. Hikari propped herself up on her elbow and looked over at Tsukiko intensely, searching for something in her eyes. It unnerved the girl. "W-what are you doing?"

"...", she didn't answer at first, continuing to look in her eyes before sighing and flopping back down unto her back. "This one was wrong; you aren't the Kyuubi reincarnated. Truly, you father is a Master of Seals to have trapped this one's friend.",she said, almost lamenting.

"H-how did you...?", She asked, suddenly very uncomfortable.

"Namikaze. The Yondaime's daughter was the one the Sandaime sealed a Kyuubi no Kitsune in; I wondered if such power as a Kyuubi's could have broken through human arts. This one was wrong.", Hikari explained, looking upward.

Tsukiko suddenly felt a little alone out here. She knew about some ninja who held grudges against her, and being so far from Konaha with a person who was obviously bigger and possibly stronger, who thought she might have been the Kyuubi... it scared her a little.

"That's not public information. Tell me how you learned about me.", Tsukiko demanded, sitting up with a kunai. She was trying to put on a tough and strong facade, hoping to deter any conflict. Or something like that.

"This one is better informed about the Fire Lands then most. Be calm Tsukiko, this one means you no harm.", Hikari said, opening her cloak to show a lack of weapons. She closed it quickly though, once she was sure that the girl had gotten a good look.

There was silence as Tsukiko lowered her kunai, and even let her gaze turn to the lake. Hikari kept staring at the sky, wondering how long she would stay. Days, weeks, months, years? It's not like she was on a tight schedule...or any schedule for that manner.

Tsukiko took a moment to find her voice to apologize, but only found her thoughts stuck in her own inability to defend herself. Even if this woman was a civilian, her chances were good against Tsukiko.

"I'm sorry. Not like you were in any danger though; it's not like I'm some super jounin.", she muttered, bringing her knees up to her chest and folding her arms over them. "I barely qualify for genin."

"This one is old, and has listened to many things; Speak to her if you wish.", Hikari offered. Tsukiko looked over with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't sound old... and you don't look old.", she muttered, looking at her long blue hair. When she looked into her silver-blue eyes though, she saw that sort of knowing look that Jiraiya and Tsunade always had when she was afraid to tell them something. It was weird, seeing those eyes on such a sharp face, if the mask was anything to go by, but she felt a little more comfortable after seeing them. "(Sigh) I have lots of Chakra and stamina, but I absolutely suck at being a ninja. Quite frankly, I'd be doing better if I put on an orange jumpsuit and shouted "Here I am, Kill me!". Every style I try won't work for me, and every jutsu I try gets messed up by my huge chakra pools."

Hikari smiled, remembering that Kenji had the same problem when they were kits. Then again, it was by choice that he abandoned the clan's style and went with his own style of wanton destruction. Hikari, through the few fights she had fought over the years, stuck with the style she had been taught from birth; it was effective, and you didn't have to waste energy killing people.

"Perhaps this one can help you. Would you like to see my style?", Hikari offered, standing up. This human did show some signs of potential; she doubted Kaze Mai would be the key to unlock it, but it would be fun to watch regardless.

"What good will that do? I'll screw up a swing, and then I'll get my ass kicked.", she muttered. She was, of course, somewhat curious as to why a stranger would offer to teach her a fighting style.

"This one wonders what trying will harm? It won't hurt at all.", she said, offering a hand to Tsukiko. The girl sighed and took it, surprised by the softness of the woman's fingers, but even more surprised when she was easily pulled to her feet with a single fluid motion. Tsukiko looked at the hand as it left her own, somewhat shocked by how much strength she had felt stored up in. "Follow me."

Tsukiko followed, sudden curiosity replaced by depression as she got ready to get her ass kicked. For some reason, despite the fact that any ninja with a brain would be a little distrustful of such circumstances, she couldn't help but trust the odd woman. Hikari led her to the flatter part of the field, which Tsukiko used for training anyway.

"Stand here while this one instructs.", she said, moving about five feet away. "All you must do is throw a punch at this one. Any kind will do."

"You...want me to punch you?", Tsukiko asked, blinking. It's not like Hikari was in a stance or anything. Still, she walked forward and threw a quick right jab that was horribly executed.

Hikari just took a step back and the punch missed completely.

"A kick now."

Tsukiko groaned but stepped forward threw a roundhouse kick at Hikari's legs. Hikari, in response, jumped back, the jump making the kick whoosh right under her.

"Do you see?", she asked, smiling. This was amusing at least; it was fun to finally be doing something.

"No.", Tsukiko replied, confused. Hikari's smile widened through the mask.

"What did this one do when you punched?", she asked. She knew the girl would think it stupid or overly simple, but it were the simple things that were the most effective.

"You stepped back."

"And what did you have to do to kick at this One?".

"Step forward."

Hikari smiled and stepped back again.

"Thus, by doing naught but stepping back and out of the way, you must expend energy moving towards this one to strike. Are you capable of what the shinobi call "kawarimi"?", Hikari asked, seeing the realization in Tsukiko's eyes; the potential was running through her mind, but Hikari saw something else start to cloud over it.

"It's just about the only jutsu I can do right...", She lamented. Hikari stepped forward and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"When your back is near to a wall or tree, use kawarimi on anything far from your target. Then they must turn and chase you.", Hikari explained, smiling. "Tire them out; with your stamina and chakra, you could do it for hours. Then when they're tired and used to the pattern of dodging, one quick strike is all you need. If you move suddenly, their mind won't be able to react in time due to being lured into a trance of sorts."

"...So... nothing but dodging?", Tsukiko asked, still down. "Every time I try, I get hit. I-"

"Do or do not; there is no try. Now let us try this again. This time, however, you shall dodge while this one attacks. Ready?", She asked taking a few steps back. She had to remind herself not to swing hard or fast; this girl was definitely breakable.

"I... I am.", Tsukiko said, ready to give it her all. She could bear the thought of giving up without at least trying.

"Relax. Think of it like a game of tag; you don't want to be "It", do you?", Hikari smiled, taking a lazy stance.

She moved forward, throwing a punch at Tsukiko's midsection. Fighting the urge to move to the side, she stepped back, proceeding to jump over a low kick while moving backwards.

She had to admit that Hikari was throwing some pretty fast punches and kicks, but she found herself dodging them all and making Hikari chase her. Still, judging by the lake's position in her vision, she didn't have much room left.

"Kawarimi!", she called, leaving Hikari's fist to hit a leaf. The woman turned and smile at the young kunoichi; neither was winded and they were both starting to have fun.

Hikari closed the gap quicker then Tsukiko expected, but she smiled and kept dodging, thrilled to have found a style that worked for her. It was so simple anyone could do it, but it was effective as hell. It was also sort of a rush to be able to dodge the attacks.

"Perhaps I should say that, despite my attack speed, I don't tire very quickly. You'll get tire long before I will, and then we'll stop.", Hikari said, the dialect getting Tsukiko's attention.

"Hey, you're saying I instead of this one...", she trailed off, dodging a kick.

"It had been a very long time since this one... since I have spoken to people. Returning to the proper dialect may take a few days. Do you come here often?", she replied, throwing a jab.

"Everyday. How often are you going to come?", Tsukiko asked, backpedaling.

"I'll be here for a year or so, depending. But I'll be spending that time here, not in Konaha.", she replied, enjoying the mid-fight conversation. "Tell me, how is it doing?"

They carried on like this for an hour, talking while Hikari got Tsukiko used to the dodging style. Eventually though, Tsukiko found herself on her back, having tripped on a rock. Hikari smiled and helped her up, letting out a quiet, yet ethereal laugh.

"It seems that you're tired, Tsukiko-chan. Go home and rest, tomorrow... do whatever you kunoichi do, and then come back here if you have the time.", she said, still smiling behind the mask.

Tsukiko flushed a little at the praising tone; sure, nothing she had said actually commended her efforts, but she could just sort of tell the this strange woman that she had met just over and hour ago was proud of her.

"I should go home; my mother might be getting worried. Ja Ne, Hikari-chan.", she said, jogging off and realizing after a few feet that they had been talking like best friends after during the fight; she had just called her Hikari-chan. She continued jogging though, only pausing to turn around when a question popped into her mind that she couldn't ignore. "Hey Hikari-chan!", she shouted, turning around, blushing at the second unintentional chan.

"Yeah?", she shouted back, sitting down at the tree on the hill.

"Where did you learn that style?"

Hikari smiled, though she couldn't see it, and let out a divine laugh.

"I learned it when I was a kit. Now go home and rest. Don't be afraid to use it in a real fight, it works!", she called, laying back down afterwards. Tsukiko paused, not sure she had understood her properly, but turned and left, figuring the distance altered the words a little.

She heard Tsukiko leave, chuckling as she looked to the sky and the fading light. Kenji was far from having any influence on the girl, save for her chakra and stamina; it was simply coincidental she had met with Hikari this day. Still, the Bijou couldn't help but wonder how Kenji, the supposedly unstoppable Kyuubi no Kitsune, was dealing with his confinement. She wouldn't try to free him if it would hurt the girl; it was rare that a human would speak with her. Instincts generally stopped people from going near people like her, but Kenji might have inadvertently blocked some of her instincts regarding demons.

"Tsu-ki-ko-chan...",Hikari whispered, liking the sound of the name. Perhaps this trip would provide a little less relaxation then she had planned, with needing to train Tsukiko, but that still left a long time for sleeping and rolling in the grass...

"And all I want is to go home, just for a bit... but these padded rooms are the shit!"

And singing. Hikari liked to sing.

(With Tsukiko)

She ran as fast as she could home, suddenly feeling really happy. Like she had just made up for the years of poor ability in that one hour sparring match. A wide smile now spread across her lips in stark contrast to the frown that had marred her features earlier.

She jumped clear over the small fence, surprising herself. It was a five foot fence; that was a hell of a jump, considering her usual trouble with just climbing it. She just smiled and let a little more pride fill her up, dashing off to the Namikaze mansion.

She ignore the people who bowed to her, wanting to get home and tall her parents about her new friend. That made her slow to a walk though...

Hikari had known about the Kyuubi... but she never really said how. If her mother or father learned about her, they might have to take her in for questioning, regardless of the benefits of her training. She didn't really want to lie to her parents, but she decided to say nothing unless they asked. She usually stayed at the sanctuary for an hour and a half anyway; she doubted they would be suspicious.

"Father probably isn't even home. So it's just mom and me. Great, she'll believe me if I say I fell asleep or something.",Tsukiko thought to herself. It wouldn't be the first time she had told a little white lie to her parents; besides, it's not like Hikari was mean or anything, or like keeping their meeting secret would hurt anyone. Still, she had to wonder if actually lying would be a good idea. If she started to go off and repeatedly train with Hikari, and then she suddenly comes into Konaha looking for Tsukiko and finds her with her parents...

She found herself at the door to her own house a little sooner than she wanted, but she sighed and got ready. She opened the door and put on her best "Average day" face.

"Mom! I'm home!", she called happily. Kushina Uzumaki walked around the corner of the hall that lead to the kitchen and dining room, smiling at her daughter.

"Hey Tsuki-chan, how did training go?", she asked. Kushina knew her daughter struggled with being a kunoichi, though she was confident that it was just a lack of a proper style.

Tsukiko took her sandals off and walked forward, giving her mother a hug.

"Okay; still couldn't beat Sasuke-teme in a spar.", she spat, still angry about that. Minato was a little touchy about his "Little girl" calling people teme and swearing, but Kushina didn't mind so long as she made sense when she swore. Or at least used proper Japanese when swearing instead of gibberish.

"Did you try the nutshot?", Kushina offered, raising an eyebrow.

"Kakashi-sensei said that it was a move best left for fights against "non-allies".", Tsukiko groaned. In all truth, a running start to help add some momentum and power before she kicked Sasuke in the dice so hard that they'd bounce off his stomach... sounded like a good way to start a day. "So no."

"Pity. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll go home and Itachi-kun will throw him around a bit. I swear, there are days I think the boy has a crush on you.", Kushina joked, knowing it was a sore spot for the girl.

"For the last time, Itachi-kun is interested in Ayame-chan. Since I'm her friend, he sticks up for me to impress her.", she groaned. "I swear to Kami I'll bring a girl home and screw her in front of you if it'll stop those jokes."

She was an accomplished kunoichi, retired mind you, and not much freaked Kushina out; she was a little homophobic though. She didn't have a problem being friends with them, or with her daughter being friends with them, but she didn't want her daughter to be gay.

"Promise not to make that kind of joke again?", Kushina asked, sighing.

"Only if you stop with the Itachi thing; the guy is head over heels for Ayame.", Tsukiko deadpanned. She didn't like any of the guys from her generation, and she sure as hell didn't like any from and older generation; same went for the women. Kushina's fear for her daughter's sexuality was a mystery to the girl; she didn't know if it was just a bad experience or some other happenstance that made her touchy about the subject.

She also couldn't understand why the memory of Hikari's soft skin came to mind at that moment, but she shook it off.

Kushina walked with her daughter into the dining room.

"Hey mom... has anything ever happened that seems really random, maybe even made you mad at first, but it turns out to be a good thing?", Tsukiko asked as they sat down.

"Well...", Kushina started, slightly caught off guard by the question. Normally Tsukiko only asked training questions or ones pertaining to daily happenstance; forays into her mother's opinion of her past was rare.. "...Your father ran face first into my breasts when we first met... actually that's how we met. Does that count?"

Tsukiko almost facevaulted, but settled for sweatdropping.

"Yeah...",she said, looking out the window. Kushina's brow furrowed; her daughter rarely got so... spaced out.

"Honey, is everything alright? If you want to talk to me about something...", she offered. She knew that, on top of her kunoichi worries, 16 was a hectic time for most girls.

"It's nothing.", Tsukiko said, realizing she was actually a very bad liar.

"What's wrong honey?", Kushina asked, looking her daughter in the eye.

"Nothing. I'm just tired.", she replied, looking back out the window.

"You've come home tired before, and you didn't act like this. Just tell me what happened and I'll leave you alone.", Kushina offered, deciding to go with the "Last Resort". "I won't tell your father if that's what you're worried about."

"Look...", Tsukiko, knowing damn well she wouldn't get any piece until she said something. "I... met someone at my sanctuary. I think she was a retired Kunoichi, and I don't know how she got there, but she said she had found it before I was born; I couldn't make her leave anyway. We talked for a little, since neither one of us really wanted to fight for it, and one thing lead to another...", the said, wondering how much to tell her. Kushina was starting to freak out a little, as Tsukiko had trailed off at a very... imaginative place. "... She showed me a style that sort of works for me. Look, don't tell dad. I just have a bad feeling about him knowing right now."

Kushina let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, this will stay between us. You had me worried for a minute there.", Kushina admitted, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"...You are really homophobic... you know that, right?.", Tsukiko deadpanned. Kushina huffed, and crossed her arms over her sizable chest.

"I'm aware.", she muttered, looking away childishly.

"What would you do if I fell in love with another woman? I haven't, but... what if I did?", Tsukiko asked, serious. She had never asked this question before.

"...Love, and not some fling to rebel?", Kushina asked, getting a nod. She unfolded her arms an sighed, putting an elbow on the table and leaning on it. "Then I'll learn to live with it, if it's Love. I might not like it, but if my baby will be happy with another woman, I'll deal with it."

Tsukiko groaned at the name.

"I'm not a little girl anymore; I'm a kunoichi.", she complained. Kushina chuckled and patted her daughter on the head.

"I don't care if you're the Godaime; you'll always be my daughter, and that means I can call you whatever embarrassing name I want. Now, seriously, is there a girl you like, or was it just a random question after living with me for this long?", Kushina asked. Luckily, Tsukiko didn't have to lie.

"Random question.", she replied, unsure of why Hikari's silver eyes suddenly popped into her mind.

(Next day, training field Seven.)

"Good Morning Kakashi-sensei.", Tsukiko greeted, surprised to see the normally late jounin here before her.

"Morning Tsukiko. You're a little late; you did move your clock ahead an hour last night, right?", he asked, giving her an eye smile that made her thoughts shoot to Hikari. She realized what he said and groaned.

"You've got to be kidding me; I forgot to do that?", Tsukiko complained. Kakashi shrugged.

"At least you have a legit excuse; I'm usually bullshitting when I say that.", he chuckled. "We're just doing some sparring today, and then you guys can go home; I have a mission later and I couldn't get a substitute on short notice. Sorry. We've been training pretty hard anyway, so a "half-day" won't kill us, right?", he asked, walking over to the other two. "Alright, Tsukiko has arrived, so let's start. Sasuke, you'll spar with her first."

"Great, setting me up with the loser who decided to be late.", he murmured, taking his place on his side of the field. Tsukiko stood opposite him, though at the memory of Hikari's training, she took the same relaxed pose that the style needed. "What the hell are you doing loser?"

"Tsukiko, take your stance; I'm starting the spar in a moment.", Kakashi warned.

"New style, just learned it yesterday.", she admitted, calming her mind. Do or do not; there is no try. Dodge, she picked dodge. She pictured the field and the woman who had taught her, opening her eyes almost reluctantly.

"Ha, this will be even quicker than usual.", Sasuke scoffed, taking the Interceptor style stance.

"Go Sasuke-kun!", Sakura cheered.'

"And... go!", Kakashi shouted, keeping an eye on Tsukiko; the girl was full of surprises. Still, one day did not a master make.

She exhaled as Sasuke neared her; it was nothing more than a game of tag, like Hikari-chan said. She flushed at the suffix but focused on Sasuke. He seemed... slower...

A punch came at her and she gracefully stepped back, taking another step back as an elbow came at her as a follow up.

"Dammit, Hold still!", Sasuke shouted, seeing her dodge with as much ease as his brother.

The flurry of blows that he unleashed was dodged, forcing him to step forward with each blow, though he smirked as she neared a tree. Her back bumped the wood and he closed in.

"Kawarimi."

His fist went through the smoke cloud and struck the wood with a fair bit of force, making him grunt in pain. He whirled around, seeing her on the other side of the field.

Kakashi had to admit, he was impressed. Normally, Sasuke would have landed most of those strikes, but none touched her and he had to waste energy chasing after her. It was a fairly predictable pattern; he would chase her to one end, then she would Kawarimi to another point, forcing him to run after her. He had throw shuriken once, but she just turned and they went right by her. Even the pattern of dodging was decently simple, but it was still effective so long as she was a touch faster than Sasuke. Speaking of which, when had she become faster than Sasuke?

If she could dodge jutsu as well as taijutsu, then fights would be much easier for the girl. Opponents suffering from chakra exhaustion tended to go down easy, after all.

"Dammit!", he shouted, running forward. For every attack, a dodge. Soon enough, Sasuke was panting in exhaustion while Tsukiko still looked like she hadn't been training at all; a tiny bit of her hair had been freed from her ponytail, but other than that she was fine.

He charged at her again, still moving much slower to Tsukiko's eyes. She backpedaled and smirked as Sasuke was thrown off-balance by a punch. Seeing her chance, she used kawarimi on a leaf that was floating down behind Sasuke. She preformed a neck chop, almost gasping when he went down.

That had been easy.

(Later, Sanctuary)

"Hikari-chan! Hikari-chan!", Tsukiko called, running towards the tree where she had met the woman. She got to the top of the hill and almost laughed; Hikari was asleep, hood pulled down to cover her eyes. She walked down to her, and sat down beside her. "Time to wake up, Hikari-chan!", she said loudly, trying to wake the woman up.

"Good...(Yawn)... good morning, Tsukiko-chan. What can I do for you?", Hikari said, yawning again. She sat up slowly, stretching.

"Thanks to that style you showed me, I beat Sasuke-teme in a spar! Thank you so much!", she said, smiling and bowing her head to the older girl. "Where did you say you learned it? When you were a kid, right?", she asked, smiling.

"Kit, not kid.", Hikari corrected, giving an eye smile. "Kitsune, not human.", she added, still smiling.

"You're... joking. Right?", Tsukiko asked, chuckling. Hikari shook her head.

"I'm what most humans call a demon; a Bijou, more specifically.", she said, a little sadly. "No one ever wants to talk to me though after I say that though... Are you going to run now?", she asked, silver eyes sad.

Tsukiko flushed, enchanted by those silver orbs.

"No.", she felt herself saying before she could think. Hikari blinked, and something under her hood twitched. "You're my friend."

"Even though I'm a Bijou and a Demoness?", she asked, leaning towards Tsukiko.

"It doesn't matter to me; you helped me out more than you can imagine yesterday. You might have saved my entire ninja career.", she added, smiling. A Bijou... what the hell? She knew, of course, what a bijou was, but why the hell would she say she was a demon? "You're too nice to be a demon."

Hikari laughed, though it wasn't quite the divine laugh that she had yesterday.

"I'm a lazy demoness who ignores her instincts, but a demoness nonetheless.", she said, looking into Tsukiko's sapphire eyes. "Are you sure you aren't scared?"

Something twitched under her hood, and Tsukiko furrowed her brow. Tentatively, though Hikari made no move to stop her, she reached forward with both hands and slid the hood back, gasping at the beauty of her long hair. Then she saw the two fox ears that rested on her head in place of normal ears.

"You really are a demon...", Tsukiko whispered, staring at the ears. They were covered in blue fur, the same color as her hair, but had white tips, interiors, and small white tufts of hair in front of them. "But I'm still not leaving.", she finished confidently.

Hikari looked stunned for a moment before she lurched forward and hugged the girl, causing her to blush again. She was suddenly very aware of Hikari's large breasts pressed against her.

"This one thanks you! It's been centuries since a human would talk to me after they learned who I was!", she said happily, letting go and sitting back.

She laid back down with a content smile while Tsukiko fought her blush. Though, the hug had been nice... "No, bad thoughts, bad thoughts."

Once she calmed down, she laid down as well.

"So... a bijou, huh? I thought there were only supposed to be nine.", Tsukiko asked. Hikari shook her head.

"There are multiple Bijou for each rank; Ichibi, Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, and so on up to Kyuubi.", she explained.

"So... what are you?"

Hikari smiled, though Tsukiko didn't see it.

"... I have Nine tails.", she remarked casually.

She liked Tsukiko; she had Kenji's energy with none of his attitude. The best part was, the fox had almost nothing to do with either.

"A Kyuubi...no Kitsune?", she asked, looking at her ears and remembering her words.

"I have nine tails, but I was too lazy to hold the Official Kyuubi rank. Kenji, the Kyuubi you have within you, always said I spent too much time rolling in the grass. Personally I don't care; I like being lazy."

"You didn't seem too lazy yesterday."

"Yes, but I was asleep from the time you left to the time you woke me up. You give me energy; some people just do."

The two laid there though, both smiling at the sky.

"You know...", Tsukiko began, an awkward look on her face. "I should be scared; I should be running. But I'm not.", she admitted.

"I'm glad."


And there's chapter one. Not bad, right? Not perfect of course, but not bad. This will be my first Yuri story, and the pairing should be pretty damn obvious at this point. Yes, they're both technically Ocs, though I don't think anyone else is.

About Itachi, It was proved that it wasn't Itachi who killed the clan, so he stayed with his Mother(who lived) and Sasuke.

This is really sort of a fluff story instead of a action story; let's see how it goes.

Ja Ne, my Freaky Darlings!