There's an interesting myth in Japan...
"Ah! She's disappearing! What do I do?!
"Man, I was supposed to just get there and back! Now I have to give her a blessing!" His eyes narrowed in thought. "That reminds me…how do I give a blessing, again?"
About when it rains when the sun's out.
Hinata's eyes opened and she looked around, coming face-to-face with a grinning be-whiskered boy.
"Hi! I'm Naruto! I'm so glad you're okay!"
They call it a 'fox's wedding'.
[-M-]
"Th-Then, I was in the woods."
"Yep."
"And I stepped into a Fairy Ring."
"Yep."
"And because you didn't close the door, I was brought into the S-Spirit World."
"Uh-huh…"
Hinata frowned, "That's very foolish."
The kitsune face-faulted, "Hey! It's not my fault!"
"Whose is it, then?" she asked, a small crease forming between her eyes as she looked at him, "Y-You brought me here, now take me back."
"Well…it's actually more complicated than that…"
"What do you mean?"
"You can't go back unless the veil between the worlds is thin, or something like that."
"'S-Something like that?!'" she gaped, "You don't even know how this works? You're a youkai, aren't you?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
"But what?!"
[-M-]
'Neji was right; incompetence is the worst!' Hinata thought viciously. 'Though what he'd say about this situation, I don't know…'
The young girl sighed. This wasn't good. It was really, really not good. Her disappearance wouldn't go over well, especially recently.
Oh, everything had been fine. Her meditation sessions went smoothly, her physical therapy courses, preparing her for the ninja career, were just fine. Apart from her stuttering and overabundance of humility, she might've actually had a chance of being the Hyuuga heir. Until the time to actually enter the Ninja Academy had come up. It wasn't bad enough that Sasuke Uchiha beat her in taijutsu, genjutsu, AND ninjutsu, but not only that, almost half the class did, as well!
She'd never thought her family could be so cold.
But she hadn't given up. She was a hard worker, diligent, and though as a Hyuuga the ninja arts should come naturally to her, it appeared that now, she was going to have to put some blood, sweat and tears into it. The training grounds were reserved for actual ninja, so she went further, into the dark, cool shadow of Konoha's famous forests.
She should've suspected it. It was common knowledge that all sorts of spirits and sprites resided in Konoha's forest, the most notorious being the foxes whose fire gave the Fire Country its name. But she really needed a nice, private place to practice, and hadn't really thought to use her eyes to check for them, and…well…on the bright side, you couldn't get much more out-of-the-way than the Spirit World.
'How could someone make such a mistake as to forget to close the door between worlds?' she thought to herself. Though, she supposed, she couldn't blame him, since it was only his first time. And really, how was he supposed to know that she'd be out there? And shouldn't she have checked for stirrings of chakra with her Byakugan, anyway?
She looked out the window. This world wasn't so different from hers. The palace they were in strongly resembled the Hyuuga compound, actually, only it was much bigger, and was bustling with life. The courtyard her window looked into, though neatly arranged and beautiful as any royal garden, had no less than five children running around. It seemed that all were servant children, too, as the only person she'd seen in clothes nice as the ones given to her was Naruto, though he'd been quick to find an excuse to get out of them: namely, going to look for the lady of the house, who was on a hunt.
There was one other thing, though…
Every child in the garden had a tail.
As she watched with mild horror, one completely abandoned all manners (not that they'd been using them much, anyway) and reached into the koi pond, pulled out a struggling fish, and lowered it into his mouth, shutting fanged jaws with an audible snap, and covering a wet and slightly red mouth with clawed fingers bashfully. The only girl in the group gaped and began reprimanding him right away, but he and the boys just smirked, advancing on her, ready to push her into the pond.
Enough was enough! That was not how one behaved in a noble household! Faster than she would've thought possible in her clothes, she hustled out of the room, heavy kimono almost tripping her several times, and rushed out onto the porch.
"H-Hey!" she called, "What do you think you're doing, ganging up on a girl!"
"Pretty bold words for a human," purred a voice, and Hinata turned to see who was undoubtedly the lady of the house smirking at her. Nine tails swished back and forth behind her in amusement. "You think you can come into my house and start ordering people around, insect?"
Hinata floundered for words as the five children dropped into deep bows.
The fox's attention turned to them, and annoyance laced her words, "And you! Just what do you think you're doing, you brat?! Your father's paying for that fish, you hear me?!"
Terrified, the boy nodded, scale-dusted hands hidden behind his back.
"Go tell him! All of you!" the she-demon pointed away from the garden and the children quickly complied, leaving Hinata alone with her and Naruto, who had come in behind them sporting a big, blue bruise on his face and a bemused expression, his three golden-orange tails limp.
Hinata quickly sunk into a greeting, executing the perfect posture to display both her status and gratitude. Not a hair was out of place.
The older woman chuckled, "See that, kid? That's what it looks like, not that balancing act you call a bow."
"Well, maybe if you did it right once in a while. Stupid old lady," the blond mumbled into the air.
The Kyuubi ignored him. "So. You're the human that wandered into my lands. That face of hers is just sloppiness, Naruto. You should be able to bless her without leaving a mark."
Hinata touched her cheek in confusion, then realized that three long scars had popped up on her left side, identical to the ones on the male youkai's face.
The Nine-Tails sighed, "Look, girl, you're stuck here for another month and a half. The veil between the worlds won't thin again until Beltane, on May first."
"No way…" Hinata gaped, "W-What am I supposed to do until then?"
The fox grinned, "I like that posture. You'll…" she paused to glance at Naruto, who was looking at the koi in the pond like he might reenact the chomp the servant boy had performed, "…teach my successor his manners."
"Eh?!" his head whipped around.
"W-What do you mean?" Hinata asked.
"Look at him; the kid can't put a kimono on right to save his life. Can't dance, can't write well, can't perform a damn tea ceremony…" her smile widened, "You're a noblewoman, right? Show him how it's done."
"I'm not just a noble!" Hinata said, surprised at her own boldness, "I'm a ninja, too!"
"A ninja, huh?" the Nine-Tails rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "We can arrange that. Hey, brat," she turned to the blonde, "You teach her how to fight, she'll teach you how to act. Got it?"
"Man," whined the boy, "Why do I gotta learn how to do all that stuff? It's just a bunch of fancy-schmancy shit no-one cares about!"
"Have to," Hinata corrected quickly, earning a smirk from the she-demon.
"It's decided," the lady nodded, and disappeared, leaving several singed leaves in her wake.
With a pout, Naruto swished his tails, producing just enough wind to blow them off the porch into the courtyard. Then he turned to her and sighed, "Alright, how the heck do I tie one of those things?" he pointed at her kimono.
[-M-]
Tutoring Naruto in formalities was like pulling teeth. Training with him was like submitting yourself to the procedure.
He was not a slacking tutor. She got a new jutsu down every three days, on average, and was worked to exhaustion on the sparring field. Despite the now-constant soreness in her limbs, Hinata relished the look on his face when she met him every day looking as put-together as a Hyuuga could, which is to say, very.
And, throughout it all, she found herself becoming very fond of the fox spirit. He was bright, lovably rambunctious and honest to a fault. He didn't tolerate anyone putting themselves down, or saying 'that's enough for today' when they could go for longer. Truly, he was her exact opposite, and she found herself loving his presence. Even better than his skills as a teacher of the ninja arts were his insights into the supernatural.
"Careful, Hinata," Naruto warned, making her pause in reaching for a mushroom, "Are you sure that's the right kind?"
She pulled her hand back, "It looks like the right kind…" But everyone knew that in a home of foxes, looks were not what to focus on. Making hand seals, she activated her Byakugan, allowing her to check the underside of the fungi for the pattern they were looking for without getting too close. "It's the right kind." She plucked it and sniffed deeply, breathing in the scent of the delicious fungus. "I still find it amazing you know how to cook, Naruto. I never cook, and our house has far fewer cooks than yours."
He shrugged, taking the flavoring for tonight's meal and placing it with the rest of the things they'd found. "It's a survival thing. We live off of raw meat, mostly, but it gets boring. I think, if you were at home, you'd be doing this sort of thing at your Academy."
Hinata smiled, "Not this sort of thing." Not camping out in the Spirit World, where the fires formed images and the stars regularly flew across the sky.
The youkai grinned, "Well, that's true. This is much more awesome than the Mortal World." He checked the basket. "I think we're set. All that's left is some rabbit. You can do the honors, Hinata-chan."
She nodded, smiling determinedly, and removed a kunai from her pouch. Rabbits could be far faster than normal here; she would kill it with one shot, before it even knew it was a target. In a flash, Naruto was gone, the only trace of him being a few slightly smoldering leaves. Following his example, she dove for cover in the tall undergrowth, bloodline active and arm tense. Dinner would probably be small; Naruto – all the foxes, actually – devoured far more than she would've thought possible for creatures of their size at every meal. She wouldn't be surprised if Naruto was actually hunting for himself right now, rather than watching her.
A heartbeat.
Her eyes followed the rabbit as it hopped about, ears flicking for any sign of danger. 'You're not going to be so lucky today,' she smirked. Her arm pulled back, wrist loosened, fingers released, and – dead rabbit. She got up, removed the blade from its eye with a smirk, and took it by the ears to the camp she and Naruto had established. A fire pit held several crackling logs, looking like it had recently been started. In the distance, Hinata saw a three-tailed fox tearing at a small deer. It was easier, she recognized, than attempting to eat with hands or tools.
Hinata knew the basics of cleaning carcasses and walked patiently over to him to join in the carnage, though in a less beastly way. Soon, a pound-or-so of meat, painstakingly kept away from the bowels, was skewered on several sticks and roasting lazily over the smoke. Ten minutes or so later, Naruto joined her in looking at the flames wiping away water that he'd used to clean his face. They sat like that for a while, before Naruto huffed and dumped his head in her lap.
Fighting off a blush, Hinata began plucking leaves out of his hair. "Mou, Naruto, couldn't you have washed your hair with the water, too?"
"Sure," he said, "But then your lap'd be all wet." It was comfortably silent for several more moments before he spoke up, "You're really gonna go home soon, huh?"
She smiled, "It's been a month. Just a week left, and then…"
"Hey, if you ever wanna visit…" he said, "I mean, you'll be able to, you know, see everything when you get to the Mortal World, so…"
Her brow furrowed, "I'll be able to see spirits?"
He nodded, "Spirits, ghosts… You'll be able to sense things, too, and I'll always hear your prayers."
Slightly dirty fingers brushed against the whisker marks on her left cheek; she smiled. "You'll be my patron deity, huh, Naruto?"
He grinned, "Yeah! I'll be the best guardian ever! Believe it!" She did.
Slowly, under the ministrations of her hand, Naruto fell asleep. Hinata continued to watch the fire.
[-M-]
"What kind of dress is this?" Hinata questioned, her fingers moving over the odd make.
"The land where the Beltane celebration is being held has clothes like that," Naruto said, "Be happy. At least you're not stuck in this." He waved his arms wildly, trying to settle into the vest that Kurama had forced him into.
She giggled, "You look nice. I don't think I've seen you in silks before."
He scowled, "I don't see why I have to wear it. I'll ruin it there, anyway; chances are someone'll spill beer all over me again."
A laugh had both of them turning to the doorway to see Kurama leaning against it, a silk kimono draped over her figure. "If I'm right, you will. There'll be rain."
"Eh?!"
"Then why are you dressed in silks, Kurama-sama?" Hinata queried, fingering her own gown gingerly. It was satin.
"I don't mind; you shouldn't either," she tilted her head, "Ready?"
"Yeah," Naruto sighed, and lifted Hinata. She stiffened, then relaxed. His demonic strength allowed him to balance her on one arm, then present his other to the youkai for the spell. Hinata shut her eyes, held on tight, then opened them to see a field of blue sky, green grass and flowers.
"Oh-ho! I was hoping you were coming! It gets boring being here alone!" A hideous, stooped crone hobbled over to them, grin splitting her face and smelling strongly of alcohol.
"Baba Yaga," The company gave a deep bow; the witch replied with a drunken curtsy.
"Who's this?" the old woman's eyes lit up at the sight of Hinata, "Such soft skin…"
"She's not a snack!" Naruto said angrily, stepping in front of Hinata.
"I know that, brat!" the woman scowled, giving the fox a cuff over the head, "I wouldn't eat a guest!"
"Lady Kurama," came another woman's voice. The source of the sound glided over as if on wheels, a long, elaborate gown, trailing behind her, "I'm delighted you could make it." She curtsied.
"Queen Titania," Again, the foxes and Hinata bowed. "Your beauty outshines even the enchanting Maypole." The Nine-Tails grinned, "You sure you're not into women?"
The fairy queen blushed, "Oh, stop. I'm married."
Naruto brightened, "That's right! Where's Puck?"
Titania's countenance darkened, "About. You'd do well to hold your tongue in my court, foxling."
"I'll keep him under control, Your Majesty," the Kyuubi assured her, giving the boy a stern glance. "This is Hinata," she continued, "A human spirited away by Naruto recently. She'll be using tonight's energy to return. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all!" the queen's sunny smile returned, "A human at the festivities! How lovely!"
"Come on," Naruto whispered to her, pulling her away from the women who were granting complements back and forth. "Stay away from everyone, okay? Even I'm not sure who's friendly and who's not, and I've been coming for centuries."
"Right," Hinata nodded. "Who…were they?"
"Titania's the queen of the Fae Court," Naruto said, "It's her party. Baba Yaga is a witch."
"Okay."
Naruto grinned, "Besides that, have fun! C'mon – Maypole first!"
The Maypole was exactly what it sounded like: a pole. As Hinata watched, though, other beings grabbed onto the ribbons trailing down from the top of the thing and all at once rose into the air as the pole grew higher and began spinning, all giggling, whooping and grabbing the hands of friends flying beside them.
She and Naruto went around three times - the pole always seemed to have another free ribbon, and even swings for those unable to hold on - and then proceeded to run to one of the tables and eat as many cakes as they could at once, Naruto stuffing three in his mouth, and then loading up plates with more food and taking an entire jug of iced and sparkling apple cider away to a nook the fox demon swore was the most beautiful place she'd ever see.
He was right. The small, hidden spot Naruto had told her about was nestled in the roots of two giant, twisted trees, less than two meters away from both a brook with many sleek fish swimming around in the crystal-clear water, and a neat fire pit that Naruto explained wouldn't let the fire get out of control, no matter what. After setting down their plates and each taking a swig of the cider, the two explored the area - wading knee-deep into the water and splashing each other, swinging themselves onto the lower branches of the trees and playing I Spy with their limited view of the festival.
"This is amazing," Hinata reclined into the smooth bark of the tree, and Naruto joined her.
"Yeah," he agreed, then pointed to what looked like a teepee on the festival grounds, adjacent to the Maypole, "At sunset, they'll light the bonfire, and that's when we have to be back to send you home."
Hinata smiled and took his hand, "I'll miss you."
He mirrored her, "Just promise you won't forget me."
"Not my patron deity," she said solemnly, and they both laughed.
"Hinata." Naruto pounded his chest with surprising force, making her look at him. "I promise, on this Beltane, that I will never forget you for as long as my vessel draws breath! You will always be important to me, Hinata!"
And though she'd gotten used to hearing such things from Naruto, something about this moment seemed different. Sacred. Like magic was saturating every breath of air she was breathing in; making her dizzy and giddy and completely empowered.
"That's a spell, isn't it?" she asked.
Naruto paused, then shrugged, "On Beltane, I guess it is. But that doesn't matter! I'll see it through, Beltane or not!"
She smiled back, "Then I swear, on this Beltane, to be from this day forward a follower of Naruto, the fox god! If his will be in my power to do, then I - "
"Woah, woah, woah!" Naruto covered her mouth frantically, "Hinata! Don't say things like that! On days of power, oaths are taken really seriously. Only the current Nine-Tails' say would set you free from something like that."
She smiled at him, pulling his hand away, "And I trust both of you. I put my spirit in your hands, Naruto-sama."
The boy gaped at her, even as he felt power flood his being. Before her eyes, a fourth tail joined the three that had been lying sedately behind him, "Hinata…"
"Pacts like that need to be sealed, don't they?" she asked. Her knowledge of magic didn't extend that far, but she knew enough.
"Y-Yeah…" Naruto said, gaping at her, then shaking his head furiously, "Yeah, sometimes by blood or pain, or an offering."
"Well, you're the god here," Hinata said. "What sort of offering should I make?"
His eyes landed on her scarred cheek and he thought back to his botched blessing, "A kiss can usually stand for anything significant you need in spellwork."
"Okay," Hinata said nervously, inching closer to him. "R-ready?"
Naruto scrunched his eyes shut. "Y-yeah."
Their lips touched.
[-M-]
"Oh, dear," Titania said, blinking at the sudden drizzle of rain that swept over the field. "How…? The weather gods swore up and down that today would be…"
"Ah, it makes no matter," Kurama said, putting a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "The sun's still out, and a little rain never hurt anybody. Besides, there's an interesting myth in Japan about when it rains while the sun's out."
"Hm?"
"They call it a 'fox's wedding.'"
…
…
A/N: This has been sitting on my computer for too long not to post.