Disclaimer: Ideas I own, the series they stem from I do not.
Yo! So this is another challenge fic, but rest assured I haven't forgotten my other works. Next I plan on updating 'Return of the Awakened' before working on any more challenges. Now this idea is one I had recently, but the reason it has been published before any of my other, older ideas is because of how easily I was able to think of this. Within the hour the idea first appeared in my head, I was able to think of an entire plot for the story with ease. This is the type of challenge I enjoy writing the most, because it usually means I can get them done faster while still giving high quality. I hope you enjoy this idea as much as I had thinking it up. My idea is this:
A year before Zak was born; both Doc and Drew Saturday were awakened one night by a knocking on the compound's door. Seeing who it was, the couple found an abandoned baby with blond hair, blue eyes, whisker marks, and a note attached reading simply 'Take care of Naruto.' Deciding to adopt the child, they took him in. What was strange was that morning when they went to check on their newly adopted son, they found a yellow fox kit instead! That's right; in this story Naruto is a full-blooded kitsune. Years later, Naruto is like a brother to Zak, Fisk, and Komodo and has a grip on his powers now thanks to both Doc and Drew's cryptid research on kitsune and yoko legends. He can now change into a fox, a human, or a hybrid of the two (like Ame and Yuki from Wolf Children), and can generate both illusions and some fire magic like Shippo from Inuyasha.
The story goes similar to canon with the Saturday family but also including Naruto into the mix. Later though, sometime before they discover Zak was Kur, they find out about Naruto's origins. The Saturday's locate a village full of kitsunes in a separate dimension while traveling in Japan through a hidden magic veil in a shrine of Inari that Naruto sensed. However, the fox spirits act with hostility and try to capture/kill the humans and the 'son of the traitor.' They were saved though by a red kitsune, who reveals herself to be Kushina. She then tells of Naruto's origins. Kushina and her mate, Minato, were members of some of the ruling class of kitsune, who had lived for centuries side by side with humanity.
However, 12 years ago there was an uprising planned by another ruling kitsune named Madara who had grown to despise humanity, thinking kitsune were superior and that humanity was intruding more and more on what should be their sacred land (you know, that old song and dance). Minato and his family opposed this, thinking humanity deserved their current lives. They ended up fighting, with Minato barely losing (though there are hints that Madara cheated), killing him in the process. Kushina, fearing for her newborn son's safety took him to the human world and placed him with humans she sensed she could trust (having seen the Saturdays before when they were in Japan). Madara, meanwhile, had built up his forces over the years and was now days away from launching an invasion against humanity. He was also being supported by V.V. Argost, who lent them weaponry to fight against the humans in exchange for artifacts necessary on finding/controlling Kur.
Naruto, along with the other Saturdays, fight against Madara and his faction, eventually winning with Naruto fighting Madara while Zak kept his cronies at bay. The evil kitsune flees, but not before swearing vengeance on Naruto. Said kitsune is offered to become the new leader of the kitsune, but declines to live with his adopted family (though promising to visit his birth mother often). The series then progresses, though with Madara as the main antagonist for Naruto like Argost is for Zak.
Again, CHALLENGE people! While nothing would please me more than to write this entire story out, I have an obligation to the full length stories I'm currently writing, and adding more would just mean the others would get neglected. So if you want to see more of this story, either ask me to adopt it yourself or see if you have any friends interested in writing it out. And if someone does want to do this idea, please let me know either by Review or PM and I'll get back to you ASAP! Until then, enjoy!
Saturday Compound: 1 Year Before the Discovery of the Kur Stone
Doc and Drew Saturday slept peacefully in their bed, the young couple just recently returning from a successful trip to Japan after saving a kappa colony from cryptid poachers. Drew Saturday was a beautiful, pale young woman with shoulder length white hair whereas Solomon "Doc" Saturday was a tall, muscular dark skinned man with black hair and a serious face. The two were secret cryptozoologists, which means they protect and study animals that mankind either doesn't know about or see as myth in secret. And the couple, while young, was proving to be some of the best in their line of work. Little did they know that they had unknowingly brought some of their work back with them this time.
A loud ringing noise echoed through the compound. Doc rolled over with a groan while Drew covered her head with a pillow. The couple were about to go back to sleep when another loud ring drove those thoughts from their minds. With an irritated grunt, Drew pushed herself off the bed. "Well someone had better be dying," the irritated scientist grumbled while Doc got up into a sitting position to look at the clock and utter a curse.
"Who on Earth would come at 3 in the morning?!" the large man asked in exasperation. With that, the couple went together towards the main door of the compound. Due to their home's large size, it took an additional three minutes to reach the front door in which time the bell rang twice more. The duo reached the door but before Doc opened it, Drew pulled out the fire sword she received from Himalayan monks. Can't be too careful, especially since the two had made enemies over the years. But once the door was open, what greeted them was not a late night visitor nor a possible assassin, but a small bundle of cloth wrapped around the crying form of a baby, lying on their doorstep. The Saturdays looked at the crying bundle, then at themselves, and then at the surrounding area to see if they could determine who had left a baby of all things. There was only the quiet calm of the night surrounding their home to greet them, however.
Hesitantly, Drew crouched down and scooped the crying bundle up off the ground and held it gently in her arms. Brushing back the fabric, they could see the baby inside was a boy, only a few weeks old at most. A blond patch of hair grew from the top of his head, and three whisker shaped birthmarks were on each cheek. Once the baby felt the gentle rocking of the woman's arms, he stopped crying and his little eyes opened, showing crystal blue orbs. The baby then reached out with his chubby little arms a bit as he crooned. Instantly, the couple's hearts melted.
Taking the baby back inside with them, Doc asked the question that was on both of their minds, "Who do you think left him all the way out here?" It was a good question, seeing as the location of their compound was a well-kept secret among the secret scientists and it wasn't easy to get to seeing as there were dense jungles surrounding the area.
"I don't know," Drew stated but then noticed the corner of a piece of paper sticking out from under the blanket wrapped around the baby, "but it looks like they left us a clue." With that, she pulled the piece of paper out and read it. The language was Japanese, but fortunately both scientists knew a bit of the language. Unfortunately, the message was fairly short and didn't give many clues. It read:
'Please look after Naruto. Keep him safe.'
"So your name is Naruto, huh little guy?" Drew asked the baby as she gently rocked him in her arms. Naruto giggled at that before giving a yawn, his eyes drooping slightly.
"Looks like someone's tired," Doc said with a laugh.
"He's not the only one," Drew agreed, trying her hardest not to yawn.
"We should put him to bed in the baby room we've been working on. Then we can worry more on who left him and what to do in the morning," Doc concluded to which Drew agreed with. The couple took the blond baby to the room just across from theirs and laid him in the crib they had just bought a week ago in preparation for when they were ready to have kids of their own. Who knew they'd get one so early in such an…interesting…way. Naruto fell asleep almost instantly, hugging the blanket he was wrapped in to his tiny form. The secret scientists couldn't help but stare in awe at the cute site for about a half an hour before they both went off to bed, wondering what the future would bring from this development.
Next Morning
Doc awoke to see Drew staring at the video monitor that covered the front entrance. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Doc asked, "Drew? What are you doing?"
Drew, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands, turned towards her husband and said, "I was checking the video footage from last night to see who left us Naruto. He's still asleep, by the way. Haven't heard a peep from him on the baby monitor. Little guy must still be tuckered out from last night."
Doc nodded as he got up and stood behind his wife and asked, "So, find anything?"
A frown on her face, Drew murmured, "No, and that's the strangest thing. Check out this clip from before to when Naruto was placed on our doorstep."
Leaning over, Doc watched the video. It showed the empty porch for several seconds, then a sudden shadow passed over the area in the blink of an eye. The next thing he knew, Doc saw the familiar bundle by their doorway. Surprised, Doc turned to Drew. "What was that shadow?" he wondered.
The white haired woman gave an irritated grunt. "No idea. And no matter how much I slow the video down, and no matter how much I change the focus, I still can't get a clear view. Also, it doesn't explain how we heard the doorbell going off several times last night since there is clearly nobody there. I even checked with the infrared and still, nothing!" she stated in frustration.
Blinking and wondering how that could possibly be, Doc said, "Well, there has to be a logical explanation for it. Come on, we'll figure it out later. Right now we should probably check up on our little guest and see if he's hungry. It really is fortunate we got all those baby supplies just in case, huh?" he finished with a laugh, despite his brain working a mile a minute trying to piece together the mystery of how the baby got here.
Drew smiled and nodded. "Yeah, bet it's only a matter of time before he wakes up wailing enough to raise the dead, if those stories on parenthood are to be believed. So what do you think we should do with him?" she questioned as she got up with a stretch.
Doc tilted his head in thought before stating, "Well, it is clear from the letter last night that whoever left Naruto with us expects us to take care of him. I think the best course of action for now would be to at least watch over him for a few days and see if we hear of any missing babies on the news or if his family comes looking for him."
"And if we hear nothing?" Drew asked with an underlying tone in her voice that Doc was able to identify immediately. It was no secret that the couple was wanting a child of their own; they just didn't expect to get one in such an unorthodox manner.
The larger of the two smiled and said, "Well, once we get the necessary paperwork filled out, I see no reason why he can't stay with us. We have the room for it, after all."
Drew smiled at her husband and leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek. It was this kind of understanding between the two that forged such a strong bond between them. And Drew was never the kind to say no to an orphan, especially after she herself was orphaned as a little girl. Just dropping off Naruto into the adoption or foster care system just left a bad taste in her mouth, one that had nothing to do with the coffee she was drinking. When the couple left their room and went into Naruto's however, they were met by a shocking sight. Instead of the small human baby they left in the crib last night; instead lay a small fox kit with yellow fur sound asleep!
"What the-?!" Doc exclaimed while Drew looked around frantically (1). The shout woke the fox kit up as it yawned before stretching and opening crystal blue eyes. The couple didn't notice this however, as they were still looking for the missing human occupant. "Where did Naruto go?! And where the heck did this fox kit come from!?" he shouted to his wife as they checked every nook and cranny of the room.
"I don't know, keep looking!" Drew barked as she searched the other side of the room. After several minutes of this, the couple met back in front of the crib with the baby fox just looking between them in confusion, its long pointed ears lying flat against its skull. "Do you think he was able to crawl out of the room?" Drew asked frantically, looking nearly ready to tear the compound apart looking for the missing baby.
Doc shook his head and stated, "Couldn't be. The handle to the door is way too far for a baby to reach, and I know for a fact we closed it last night."
The duo were about to continue their search when a noise from the kit brought their attention back to the crib. They looked in and saw the baby fox playing around with its long bushy tail, trying to catch it with its jaw. Despite the adorable sight, the Saturday's couldn't really focus on that for the moment, trying to figure out both were their human baby went and why a fox baby was in his place. Both questions were answered, however, in the most spectacular and mind blowing ways. The kit had finally caught its tail, but whenever it let go of the appendage the bushy fur on the tail tickled its small black nose. The fox blinked before it drew its head back and went, "Ah-aaah-ACHOO!"
When the fox sneezed, in a poof of smoke there no longer sat a fox kit but little baby Naruto, trying to rub his nose. The two secret scientists could only stare in wide eyed, open mouthed shock at what just occurred. Doc stammered weakly, "B-b-baby…f-fox…h-how?"
Drew, being the more knowledgeable of the mystic, was able to come to her senses faster and her mind rushed through all the possible explanations. The mysterious baby that could change into a fox and back, the strange shadow that left him, and the letter written in Japanese. These facts helped Drew form a theory, which she wasted no time in checking on the computer terminal that was present in most of the rooms. Typing up a quick search, the woman was able to find exactly what she was looking for. "Doc, come over here!" she called to her nearly comatose husband.
Shaking his head, Doc managed to pull himself away from a sight that his logical brain refused to comprehend. "What did you find?" he managed to ask as he looked at the information his wife pulled up. On the computer was a painting of a fox with Japanese themes surrounding it. What was strange about this fox was that it had three tails growing from its spine and blue flames seemed to be coming from its mouth. The title of the page read: Kitsune – or Spirit Foxes.
The information below read this: Japanese kitsune are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. They are a type of yōkai, or spiritual entity, and the word kitsune is often translated as fox spirit. However, this does not mean that kitsune are ghosts, nor that they are fundamentally different from regular foxes. Because the word spirit is used to reflect a state of knowledge or enlightenment, all long-lived foxes gain supernatural abilities. Said abilities are vague, but the most common examples are shapeshifting to a human form, creating illusions, and casting a brilliant blue flame known as foxfire. The strongest of these foxes are said to have numerous tails, going up to 9 at their peak. They are known tricksters, and…
It went on to describe certain myths and legends regarding the kitsune. Doc looked over at Drew with a raised eyebrow and asked in an incredulous tone, "And you think Naruto is a kitsune?"
Drew nodded and said, "A young one, yes," seeing her husband's skeptical look, she elaborated, "It's the only thing that really fits, Doc. What with the Japanese background, the mysterious shadow that left him, and changing between fox and human."
Slowly, Doc nodded his head. While a part of him still remained skeptical, he knew by now that Drew was usually correct about this sort of thing. Plus, he dealt with strange creatures every day as a cryptozoologist. Though he had to admit, he'd never seen one that could take human form before. That had to make it one of the strangest and rarest cryptids out there! "So…what do we do?"
Drew seemed to pause for a moment before going back to the crib and took the baby kitsune into her arms, rocking him gently. "Nothing has changed," she stated in a tone of finality, "This just means we'll have to be careful in raising him. I'll have to consort all the Japanese folklore I can to see if there are any stories on how to raise a kitsune, and we'll have to teach him the best we can but…" she turned to Doc with a smile, "Who better to raise a cryptid in secret than two secret scientists?"
With that, Drew went to the kitchen to get her new son some food, Doc following shortly afterwards.
Time Skip: One Year Later
A one year old blond child heard the front door open at the Saturday compound and a wide, foxlike grin grew on his face. Putting down the toys he was playing with, the child darted through the compound until he reached the door. Jumping up, he crashed into a man's chest who let out a whoosh of air from the tackle. "Daddy, you're home!" the child cheered as he pulled his head away from the hug, revealing a slightly older Naruto Saturday. The man smiled and it was revealed to be Doc Saturday.
"Hey there squirt, you miss us?" the scientist laughed as he scooped the little bundle of energy up into his large arms. While only a year old, Naruto's vocabulary was fairly impressive, and he even had a basic understanding of most things. Whether this was because of his kitsune heritage or because of him having two top scientists as adopted parents, no one could tell. Doc gained a mischievous look on his face and said in a teasing tone, "Hey Naruto, guess what we brought back for you?"
"Oh~! What? Tell me, tell me!" Naruto cried, practically bouncing in Doc's arms. In his excitement, Naruto lost some control over his human form causing a long yellow fox tail to wave behind him happily while his ears perked up into pointed fox ears that nearly blended in with his spiky blond hair.
Drew came into the compound holding a bundle to her chest and, seeing Naruto's appearance said in a playful tone, "Naruto, the tail and ears?"
Naruto got the hint of one of the first things he was taught in the past year. Giving his head a shake, the ears retreated back down and his tail disappeared back up his spine. Noticing the bundle, Naruto asked in excited curiosity, "Wha' you got, momma? Is it a present?"
Giving a chuckle at her adopted son's enthusiasm, Drew pulled back the blankets to reveal the face of a newborn baby boy. The few locks of hair on his head showed he inherited both his parents' hair colors: black in the back, white in the front. He also had tan-looking skin and his wide open eyes were shown to be brown. With a proud smile, Drew announced, "Naruto, meet your new baby brother Zak Saturday."
Eyes going as round as tennis balls, Naruto stared at the baby for a good minute before Zak giggled and held up his arms to the slightly older boy. Gaining a warm smile, Naruto reached out and gently grasped Zak's small hand in his own. "Pleased ta meet yah Zak! I'm Naruto!" he chirped happily.
Doc and Drew smiled at each other, enjoying the brotherly bonding moment going on before them. They couldn't picture a happier moment when their lives became complete. Little did they know of the trouble coming their way that would not only affect their family, but the entire world.
11 Years Later (2)
A young boy leapt through a patch of dense jungle, chasing after a strange looking frog with white skin, a horned nose, and red eyes. The boy was around 11 years old and had healthy tanned skin, black hair with a white section in the front, and had playful brown eyes. He wore an orange and black shirt that had a large S on the front, yellow pants, and black shoes. This was Zak Saturday. As he chased after the unusual frog, he met up with a large green lizard. This was Komodo, a genetically altered komodo dragon who was capable of camouflaging himself. As the two gave chase, Zak nearly fell off a large ravine. Fortunately, he was saved by a large furry creature that had the body structure of a gorilla, but the head of a feline with large red eyes. This was Fisk, a Fiskerton Phantom. The two started chasing after the frog again, but accidently ran into an invisible Komodo. The trio went tumbling down a large incline, getting tangled in vines in the process. As they continued their roll, the vines knocked loose a large boulder atop a stone pillar, causing it to roll after the trio.
They kept falling until they reached the end of the hill, right into a big mud puddle. Struggling, the odd group could only watch as the boulder came closer and closer to crushing them. Before it reached them, however, they were yanked out of the boulder's path easily, despite their combined weight. Wondering what saved them, the boys looked down to see a long furry blond tail wrapped around their waists. The tail retracted back to its source, which was shown to be a 12 year old Naruto Saturday. Standing at about an inch taller than Zak, Naruto had a spiky mop of blond hair on his head while his blue eyes and whisker marks stayed the same as ever. He wore similar clothes to Zak, though he had a darker shade of orange in place of the black in Zak's outfit. He also wore a foxlike grin on his face at the state his three brothers were in.
"Well, well, well. And what do you three think you're doing?" the young kitsune asked in a playful tone.
"Um…science?" Zak responded weakly.
With a roll of his eyes, Naruto chuckled and said, "Nice try. Anyway, let's get you three dried up before mom and dad wonder why you're all wet." With that, a small orb of blue fire formed in Naruto's outstretched hand and the young cryptid sent said ball towards the other three Saturdays. The fire, while warm enough to dry them off, wasn't hot enough to burn them. This was the results of Naruto's training over the years in his kitsune abilities. He could now summon foxfire and control it with ease, changing its shape and heat with little more than a thought. Once the trio was sufficiently dry, Naruto gestured for them to follow him. "Come on, mom and dad are waiting," he stated as he left the clearing into the jungle.
"Hey, wait up!" Zak called as he, Fisk, and Komodo went hurrying after the blond Saturday.
Everybody has secrets, the Saturday family just has bigger ones.
1. While the evidence was staring them in the face, keep in mind that Doc and Drew (mainly Doc) are scientists and look for the logical conclusion before going for the least likely scenario. What would you think if a baby was no longer in its crib and instead a fox kit took its place? You'd probably ignore the fox and try to find where the baby could have gone, like any worried parent.
2. This picks up during the first episode.