Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto only Nina.


Little Guardian

Nina.

That was her name. Her mother said she had looked through many textbooks and searched many lands to find a name for the baby she was going to birth. Nevermind that it was a filthy, little hanyou. It was her baby and she would give it a name, a special name.

And she had come up with Nina. Mother said it was supposed to mean 'little guardian'. Maybe her name was meant to be symbolic? Because even for her status as a hanyou, she was small and she was weak, or so they told her. Many, many times.

But if she were weak, why would she be the guardian of the Kyuubi. Was it because he was family? Or was it because she had that dirty human blood in her? She was leaning more on the latter.

But her name fit her.

Little guardian.

She chuckled, it really did fit her.

"What are you giggling about girl?"

She looked up from where she sat, into the darkened gaze of the Kyuubi. Nina tilted her head to side, a smile on her lips as she looked up at the old kitsune.

"Nothing that would interest you," she said, blinking owlishly as after she had answered the Kyuubi lowered its head down to her level.

"Now why would I not be interested in what my little mei is giggling about?" questioned the giant fox in a growl. Really the girl could be quite dense at times, but she was still family and his only companion at the time, she should really learn to open up.

"Just thinking of my namesake, ojisan. I remember mama would tell me that my name means little guardian, and seeing as what I am doing now," she chuckled here, "I think I have a very suitable name for myself, don't you think?"

When the great kitsune next spoke, it wasn't in his deep, growling tone, it was more of a deep, yet caring voice, and when she looked up she understood why. He wasn't in his kitsune form, he was in his human form.

"And of course it suits you my little mei," said the young man that stood in the Kyuubi's place, his hand reached out and was on her head, messing up her hair. "Though why you're my little Nina, I still have no idea."

Nina looked at her scarlet haired uncle, her face of one that seemed to face 'okay-that-was-cheesy'. But she smiled none the less, the corners of her eyes crinkled as she did so.

"Ojisan that was cheesy!" she giggled out as she reached out to his wrist and lifted his hand away from her head. "But really, I think those stupid elders are just trying to bully us two! I mean you don't need a guardian and I'm pretty sure if that even if you did, they could have found someone much stronger and better than me."

The tone of her voice seemed to change towards the end and it made the Kyuubi's eyes slightly narrow. So like any good uncle giving advice to his niece, he knelt down, lifted her chin up so that he would meet his eyes and questioned her,

"Now why would you say that?"

"The elders say its because I'ma nasty hanyou," she mumbled, her eyes refusing to meet his as she glanced down. "I've heard them tell mama that she should have abandoned me."

"Don't believe or trust in what those fools say," murmured the Kyuubi as he let his hand fall from Nina's chin. "They have no idea of what they speak, they should honestly know better. But I suppose being put as the head of the clan and being let to make decisions does make on grow a bit egotistical. And lets not forget about their age!" he chuckled merrily at the end, hoping to lighten or at least make the black haired girl crack a smile.

The ends of mouth seemed to twitch up, but the sad pout was still there.

"Plus its not like those fools could stand to do what you're doing. They don't have the youth, the adorableness, nor do they have the attentiveness to deal with me. But you do Nina and you know what? That makes you already much better than those elders," the Kyuubi said, his tone warm and almost fatherly. "Don't let what those old crones have said get to you, they have a few hundred years left in them, while you perhaps have a much, much longer time. And if you end up as great as me, you're granted youth and immortality."

That seemed to perk up the dark haired girl, her gray-blue eyes lightening up with the prospect of being just as great and awesome as him.

"Just like ojisan!" she repeated, child-like enthusiasm taking over her. Though a thought occurred to her that quickly quieted her happy thoughts, "But ojisan, unlike you, can I also be like papa?"

To be like a human as well.

Yet live as a demon.

"You can be however you wish to be, my little mei."

She was still young, give her a few more decades and she'll come to understand that she can't be like a human as well. Even if her father was one of the most renowned humans around the time, he could only be around for so long. And she, well she would be around for a long, long while. She will come to know humans more closely than that silly race knows itself.

Nina.

The little guardian.

Kyuubi's little guardian.

'She really did live up to her namesake.'


mei: niece

ojisan: uncle


Author Notes:

Sorry for the OC, I just had to write something with someone and Kyuubi and I really didn't want to use any of the canon characters. I thought about using Mito, but eh, I wanted to use someone along the same lines as Kyuubi.

AU to an extent. Seeing as Kyuubi is more than just a 'look-at-me-now-I'm-a-chakra-monster-with-nine-tails-muahaha'. He's actually a demon. And yuuu hehe. Also about the name, Nina, I actually tried looked up a Japanese name, but I kinda sorta gave up and yeah. Hopefully the name really stands for that if not, well, Nina is pretty name either way!

Hopefully you guys liked this!

Review please? :)

I can use the lovin'.

Sorugao-Bandgeek