"Don't leave me, Ane!" A scream ripped through the quiet night, startling the birds from their roost in nearby trees.
The four-year old blonde gripped the hand on an older woman, falling to his knees with a devastated look. The girl smiled at him softly, before kneeling down next to him. "Little brother, I would never leave you. Don't you remember what I told you? Don't tell me you forgot?"
Our little hero shook his head vigorously. "Never, onee-san! You'll always be with me- right next to Kyu-nii-san!"
"Ano..." The brunette vixen sighed. "I told you not to tell anyone, Naru-nee-chan. They don't know that you know." She smiled softly, and tapped the younger boys nose with a softly uttered 'beep.' "Be a good boy, when I'm in my other form, ne?" She giggled as the ground erupted in black fire around them. "And be smart for your sensie, eh nii-san!" The flames in cased the girl, swimming aroung the boy happily, making him giddy. When it was gone, a small fox was burrowed into him arms.
"... Lets go home, then, Chigatto-nee-san."
He cradled the sleeping fox in his arms, and trudged quietly home to him wrecked apartment.
Naruto blinked awake as sunlight. He sat up in his apartment. "Um... What?" He picked up his alarm clock, and peered blearily at it. Three numbers blinked back at him.
"..." Naruto sat the clock back on the floor next to his mattress. He swung his legs off, and stood up with a muffled 'hup!' He stood there, hunched, scratching his backside.
"You're late." A voice accused him, obviously angry. "I tried to wake you, but you just rolled over." Naruto blinked, before looking back at the clock. He slowly made the connections as those three arrogant numbers glowed red within the dim room.
He swore loudly, straightening up in a panic. "Five minutes until school?! Why didn't you wake me, Chigatto?" He danced around the room quickly, trying to find his clothes as fast as possible. A small albino fox watched him with obvious amusement. He ignored the sound of it saying 'I did!'
"Don't forgot your goggles." The 'fox' helpfully supplied. She looked on as her 'ward' charged out the door, shouting something about a test. She settled back down on a pillow that was tucked away into a corner she was hovering nearby during all the excitement, just as the number clicked in change. "Ano..." she stared at an orange jacket laying in the middle of the room. And, in a small mound acrost the room, brightly colored kill-me orange trousers where in a jumble. "Nani?! What did he wear?" The white fox shot to the window, and peered out percariously balancing on the window sill. A blonde boy- no, wait, that was Naruto!- was printing down the streets, wearing black jeans and a dark blue trench coat with a red spiral on the back. She didn't have to look to know that a new white shirt was showing under the open jacket. In place of his goggles was a black headband, absent of the peice of metal. He almost looked mature.
She sputtered in anger. "Naruto! That was supposed to be worn on the day of the gradu...a...tion... test..." 'I'm going to be late for my test!' Naruto's voice echoed in her mind, sending her world crashing down upon her. Since when was Naruto excited by tests?
With a yowl, she jumped out of the window, landing in a canopy below. She rebounded off of it, and landed heavily on the ground below, startling everyone below. "Naruto!" she screeched, knowing he would be the only one to understand her, "You forgot meeeeee!" She shot after the cackling blond, her black-tipped tail streaming behind her.
They got to the class in record time, bounding into the class room with seconds to spare. Naruto scooped up Chigatto, and lunged for the nearest seat available. He plopped down with a grunt next to a certain inu-boy, clutching the kit to his chest.
"Eh?!" Kiba cried, sitting up with a start. "Naruto, what are you wearing? Where's the orange? Where's Naruto, ne?!" Akamaru barked in 'obvious' agreement at his masters words.
"Yeah!" The dog cried in Kanien, "And whats with the fox in your lap?!" He snapped at it from the top of Kiba's head.
"Gah!" Chigatto cried in horror at the sight of the puppy-abomination. She scrambled onto Naruto's shoulder frantically, and positioned herself on the other side of his head. "Get away mutt!" She yowled at him in anger. Naturally, she didn't say this in any language a human could understand. "I'm Naruto's s-" she was scooped up by Naruto before she could get out another word, and his hand wrapped around her muzzle.
"Kiba," He said quietly, "my apologies. I didn't know they would fight." Kiba sucked in a shocked breath, and Chigatto fell silent. "I've had her for a long, long time, but this is the first time I brought her to the academy. I would get up and move to another seat, but the bell-"
As if on que, the bell let out a sharp shrill. Magically, Iruka was at the front of the room, shouting for silence with his Teacher Big Head Jutsu.
"Is everyone here?" He bellowed up at them in an ungodly volume. "Where's Naruto, anyway?!" Everyone looked at vacant seat next to Sakura, as if expecting to see him there, like usual.
"Maybe he's late again." Shikamaru drawled, leaning back in his seat.
"He's up here!" Kiba, Akamaru, and Chigatto all yelped at the same time, in a cascade of barks and yaps and yells, accompanied by Naruto's own "OIY! I'm not invisible, am I?" He shot up to stand, leaving Chigatto to sink her claws into his new jacket to keep from falling off. "Seriously, don't tell me your blind, Iruka-sensei!"
Iruka sputtered as a blonde boy stood up from his seat in the last row, a small white fox wrapped around his shoulders and neck like a shawl, it's tail trailing down lazily. Everyone turned in his or her seat, craning necks to see what was the reason dead-last was in the back instead of by his number-one crush. Gasps rang out in the room from almost everyone, and the room dripped with silence afterwords.
Ino shot up from in front of him, and held her hands in the symbol of the ram. "Release!" She cried out strongly. She paused, expecting Naruto to burst into smoke and be revealed as an impostor. As it was, Naruto was looking at her with a hurt look. "Just because I'm not wearing my usual clothes doesn't mean I'm not here, guys."
He plopped down with a huff, crossing his arms. "Everyone is here, sensie." He ground out. Everyone relaxed, and went back to what ever they where doing, now sure it was indeed Naruto- everyone, that is, besides Kiba and Hinata. Sasuke, however, didn't even bother to look up, so had no idea what was going on. Another reason to sulk, he guessed.
Hinata stared at Naruto with a worried look, unsure what had happened to the usual snark and orange-clad boy she usually saw, while Kiba and Akamaru turned to look at the vixen laying of Naruto's shoulders. 'Mutt?' They both mouthed, confused by the fox, who was ignoring them. She wasn't very happy with them for some reason, they could tell.
After a few minutes, even these two had to turn their attention away as the tests where passed out. Hinata tucked in, and Kiba sighed, and hunched over it in annoyance. He did, however, notice when Naruto sat there quietly, not writing. He glanced over as the white tail brushed against the booklet, and the words on the questions seemed to melt into others.
He turned his head to watch as Naruto calmly picked up his pencil, and started scratching away on the paper. Glancing at it, Kiba saw with a lead gut that the questions where, now, the same as his. He turned back to his own test, his mind heavy with thoughts, mostly about the 'companion next to him. 'Who sabotaged Naruto's test? And how did that fox dispel it? Where did that fox come from? Why is it white?! What's with the smells!'
Naruto swiped through the test quick enough, now that the questions made more sense. It was easier than ever, because somehow nee-san had talked the deep voice in his head to help out- and it was always right! It hadn't led him astray yet.
Chigatto's eyed closed at the scratching filled her ears. "Wrong." She sighed into his ear as Naruto's writing pattern told her he answered incorrectly.
"How do you know, your eyes are closed." Naruto grumbled, but erased the answer anyway, to replace it with one that was at least mostly correct.
"Trick I picked up from Kyu-sama." Chigatto murmured. She uncoiled from his shoulder, and slipped down to the 'desk' he was writing on. She sat next to his paper, looking on as the teacher up front glanced at the movement. Naruto automatically slid a hand out to pet her as he concentrated on his test.
Iruka watched as his student mindlessly pet the snowy fox next to him. He stared blankly back at it as it turned to look at him. The canine's eyes pierced his own sharply, glaring into his vision. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as the kitsune's eyes narrowed. He shivered, swearing it was peering into his soul. He doubted they would stay out of his nightmares
Finally, it relaxed, and waved its slick tail at him happily. It looked at him lazily, it's eyes no longer horrible, but seemingly calm and placid, the dark clouds swept away.
Turning to stare at his assistant teacher, Mizuki. He rolled his eyes to see the man stiffen as the fox peered at him curiously. It suddenly bristled, and bared it's teeth in a silent threat, causing a drop of cold sweat to bead on his forehead. Iruka watched in amazement as Naruto seemed to subconsciously feel it's anger. His student's hand reached out to pet his companion, even as his eyes and pencil continued over the test. The kitsune thankfully diverted it's attention to his hand.
Iruka turned to Mizuki, quietly wondering why the kitsune seemed so very frightening when it saw his fellow teacher. "Scary, isn't it?" Iruka croaked. "That fox Naruto brought. Osoroshii."
Misuki excused himself to go to the bathroom, and left in a hurry. Something told Iruka that he already had gone to the bathroom... just in here. He sweat dropped as Misuki practically scrambled to get out the door. 'What got into him? It's almost like he's running from something.' Iruka thought. He dismissed this as an after effect of the angry glare of the kitsune, and was once again glad it had not been brought down on him.
Misuki slammed the door shut, and leaned against it with a relieved sigh. He didn't relax very long. He shuddered, sure he was still being watched by that dam Demon's fox. It must be a summon - or maybe even another demon in disguise! "I'll get you, and that stupid fox. I shouldn't be this scared- I'm a-!" He took another step forwards, only to feel something wrap around his ankle, pulling him up upside-down. He dangled there, and Orange paint and feathers poured down from above.
Resembling a orange chicken, he stumbled away from the now de-armed trap, and small note clutched in his hand. He glared at those words, those four little words that made him more sure than ever the blond boy sittign in the back row was actually a Fox Demon in disguise, and the white kit a demon fiend. Four little words that drove his hate to new reaches.
'Never mess with Kitsune.'