Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I am not making any profit from this fanfic.

A/N: It's KyuubiYondaime without being in an Alternate Universe!! Mwahahahahaha! I've been itching to do this for forever!

Full Summary: A tale of tragedy and woe about the life of one Kyuubi no Kitsune, and how he came to love the man who would become his death. Ever wondered how a fearsome demon was caught by a mere human? Or why the Yondaime did not kill the demon outright, but instead sealed him instead his only son? The answers are here. KyuubiYondaime, not AU

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Prologue

Kyuubi no Kitsune was born on a cold winter night, the runt of a litter of five kits. His mother had no time to worry about him as her four other newly-born kits fought each other to reach her side and her milk, and his father remained impassive as he watched Kyuubi struggle hopelessly to push past the other kits. When Kyuubi finally did reach his mother, most of the milk was gone, and the other kits were going to sleep. Kyuubi only gave a small mewl when he found, on that first day, that he would have almost nothing to eat. Then he went to sleep, but not in a huddle with his brothers and sisters, who were all by the warmth of their mother. Kyuubi tottered over to his father's side and collapsed there, asleep within a second.

His mother and father exchanged worried glances over him, both thinking that by morning he would most likely be dead, as runts were wont to die early – a sad fact, but a fact nevertheless. And, because he believed this would be his son's last night alive, Kyuubi's father did not push him away, but instead cuddled closer to his kit and shared his warmth a little more. It was a very cold night, after all. There had been a blizzard earlier in the night, and even now the wind was sending chills throughout the cave. So Kyuubi's father took pity on his kit, and hoped to make the night a warm one for his runt-without-a-name. Maybe his passing would be more comfortable then.

But in the morning, Kyuubi was not dead. He was very much alive, and had woken up early in order to get his share of the milk. Before even one of his siblings (before even his mother!) had awoken, Kyuubi had pushed to his mother's side, and was sucking happily when the rest of his family finally woke up. His mother and father were surprised, to say the least. His siblings were indignant, and immediately tried to move him. But he didn't budge.

Kyuubi clung on to his spot and his milk until he was done with his breakfast, and only then moved away, feeling a bit smug at his success. Then Kyuubi looked up and his crimson eyes caught the equally crimson eyes of his father. They stared at each other for a while, the father thinking that maybe he had underestimated this runt, the son thinking that his father was rather tall and intimidating, and then Kyuubi smirked, barring his teeth.

His father smirked back, barring his own, much bigger and pointier teeth, and they both gained some more respect for the other. But then Kyuubi burped, looking indeed very cute, and ran to his father's side, cuddling a bit more, for the morning was also cold. His father laughed at his kit, and as he laughed, he pushed Kyuubi away. For he had changed his opinion of this runt. This runt would live, and therefore, he couldn't be coddled anymore. Because the rule in life for the demon world was the strong survive, and the weak die. Kyuubi's father wanted to make sure his kit would survive.

And Kyuubi did survive. Although two of his siblings died in that cruel winter, one from the cold and one from hunger, Kyuubi just grew bigger and stronger with each passing day. In fact, Kyuubi's mother and father were afraid that he would starve out the rest of his siblings, because he drank so much milk and ate so much of the food that his parents provided that usually there wasn't enough to go around for the two remaining kits. But thankfully, at the end of the year that demon kits spent with their parents, all three remaining kits were still alive.

At this time, the demon kits had been taught everything they needed to survive in the world, and would be able to start living their own lives, without the guidance of their parents. But before this could happen, the kits needed to go through one more ritual with the help of their parents. On the first anniversary of their births, the three kits followed their parents as they trekked through a snowstorm for quite a few hours, arriving at their destination in the early afternoon.

The snow had stopped by then, and all the kits could see they were beside a lake, the surface of which had all frozen into ice, all except one patch of water in the middle. They all stopped there, and Kyuubi's father stepped forward and called his kits to him.

"This lake is not just what it seems. It was where the first fox demon took its nourishment from on the day of his birth. He drank the water and caught the fish, and so lived on, to create his mate and our whole race. And when he was about to die, he sealed his spirit in here eternally, so that he could live on. Therefore, this place is special to us fox demons." He now turned to face the lake. "Do you see the water in the middle of the ice?"

The kits all nodded.

"That is where you will go. One by one you will look into that water, and you will then come to know of two things. One: your rightful name. You all realize that neither your mother nor I have named you ourselves, and all of you have asked about the reason, and it is this. It is not our privilege to give you your names. It is the privilege of the first fox demon, Kyuubi no Kitsune, to name each and every one of his offspring, and when you look into the water that contains his spirit, your name will be imprinted into your mind. That is the first thing.

"As for the second, when you look into the water, you will see an image. It will be different for each one of you, and whoever you see will be very important to your whole life. I will…" The elder demon paused and swallowed before going on. "After you all complete this ritual, I will tell you what the image you see means. But let us get this done." He pushed one of Kyuubi's siblings onto the ice, and the four fox demons left on the shore watched as the kit scrambled along the ice, crawling towards the water.

She came back shivering with cold, her whiskers coated with frost, but she had achieved her goal. Her name was Rina, she said, and in the water she had seen a fearsome cat demon with only one attached ear and knife-like teeth. Kyuubi frowned with annoyance when his father motioned his brother to go next, but settled down to wait and watch as the other kit slipped and slid on the ice.

His brother came back a little faster than his sister, announcing that his name was Takiya and that he had seen a demon too, a raccoon demon with sand colored fur, black rings around its eyes, and a wicked smirk.

Then it was Kyuubi's turn (although, as you know, he didn't know his name yet). He stepped onto the ice gently, but then slipped and tumbled onto his stomach. Behind him, he heard his siblings giggle, and Kyuubi frowned in frustration and tried to stand up. He balanced on his paws and then unsheathed his claws, sinking them into the ice and holding himself up. He then started to walk, claws still out. The giggling had stopped, and if Kyuubi had turned to look back, he would have seen a look of pride on his parents' faces.

But he didn't look back. Kyuubi kept moving forward across the ice and got to the center of the lake effortlessly (and a lot faster than his siblings). He stopped in front of the patch of water and looked down into it, taking care not to fall in. As he looked in, the water started swirling, whipping itself into a frenzy, and Kyuubi stepped back. This was new. The water hadn't done this for his siblings.

'That's because you're special, little kitsune, and I want to get a good look at you.' Kyuubi's eyes widened in shock and a little bit of fear at the deep voice that resounded within his mind. Was this…

'Yes it is, and I hope I don't scare you too much.' The voice cackled. 'After all, you're the first company I've talked to in a thousand years.'

"So…you are Kyuubi no Kitsune? And you've been sealed into this water?"

'Yeah. Did it to prevent myself from dying at this really vicious wound that the raccoon clan gave me. Let me tell you, that Shukaku is a bastard.' The water had stopped moving after taking on the shape of a giant fox with nine fantastic tails.

"Was Shukaku…the first raccoon demon?"

'Yeah.' The giant fox grinned. 'That means the last raccoon demon will be named Shukaku also.'

"What do you mean? It's guaranteed?"

'Yup. Tsk, tsk, I'm sad your parents haven't already taught you that. It seems my children have forgotten some things over the years. But yes, the last of a demon race is always named after the first of a race. And your name, little kit, is going to be Kyuubi no Kitsune.'

Kyuubi was struck speechless. "That means…the name…"

'Yes. You will outlive your parents, your siblings, and every other fox demon. There will be a time when you will become the last of your race.'

"But what about you?! I won't outlive you, right? Your spirit is in this lake, so you can't die!"

The first fox demon laughed. 'I'm not exactly alive either, you know. My spirit's in this lake, but really it's tied to our race. So when you, as the last fox demon, die, I'll die too. I guess neither of us is going to be outliving the other.'

"Oh." The newly-named Kyuubi blinked, not knowing what to say.

The other Kyuubi laughed. 'Don't worry about it. Now, are you ready to see your death?'

Kyuubi blinked. "My death? Is that what my siblings also saw in the pool?"

The first fox nodded as he disappeared back into the water, turning shapeless once more. 'Yeah. You can make many choices in life and change many things, but your death will remain the same. It is like being born. You cannot choose the way you come into the world, nor can you choose the way you go out. Or, at least' And there was a last laugh, 'not with us demons. Now watch.'

Kyuubi did, tiptoeing closer to the pool of water in the center of the vast ice-covered lake. He was fully prepared to see an awesome demon in the water, just like his siblings had done. There were many demons in the world, he knew, and every one of them wanted to survive. So it wouldn't have been surprising for the last of the fox demons to be killed by another demon, because survival of the fittest was what it was about in this world.

But when he looked into the water, Kyuubi did not see a demon. Instead, he saw…a human, yes, that was what the race was called. A male human, he thought, and a beautiful one. Beautiful because the human had golden hair and bright blue eyes, a dazzling combination. And he had pale skin too, and a stubborn chin, and his face was almost entirely symmetrical, lending a simple perfection to his features. For one moment, Kyuubi was so entranced by the human's beauty that he did not mind the thought of being killed by him.

Then the moment passed, and his disgust surfaced. "The last fox demon is killed by that? How pitiful."

The deep voice that was his ancestor laughed. 'You never know, Kyuubi. Perhaps that human holds a strength unrivaled by any demon. You'll never know until you meet him.' And then the first fox demon sobered up. 'But now, my son, now you know your death. So live your life knowing nothing will strike you down until that fateful day, until that particular human. Live your life with strength and courage, and make your namesake proud.'

Kyuubi nodded. "I will." He answered simply, then turned to go. He had a life to live.

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The first chapter should come quite soon. Review if you would like, it would make me very happy.