This is intended to be a series of InuNaru crossover drabbles. Some will be related, some not. I'm not guaranteeing speedy or lengthy updates. Just updates in general. Lol

A Fox, Huh?

Aiko trotted through the slum-sided of Konoha. She bored easily when her mother kept her cooped up in their house. It didn't matter that it was large, well hidden and had lots of woods to play in, it all became boring after a while. The large, grey dog sidestepped a puddle, nose to the ground as she sniffed all the semi-interesting scents that came her way. Her head came up, ears alert and tail high as she caught a scent that she hadn't smelled in a long time.

What's a fox doing in the middle of Konoha's slums? the inuyoukai thought. Further inspection of the new scent only served to confuse her even more. And why is it hanging around a human kid? With a huff, she darted off, following the scent to its source. What she found amazed her. The human kid that carried the fox scent couldn't have been more than about six years old. He was digging through a garbage can, searching for something to eat. Her ears tipped forward again when she heard his stomach rumble in discontent.

The young female stepped forward, her delicate, black nose quivering as she took in everything. The scent of blood—fresh and old—wafted off the child. She could see his clothing in tatters and scratches, bruises and even a deep gash or two littered his skin. She knew her mother would be pissed if she could see the little boy. The dog froze when the little boy turned around, wide blue eyes set off by whisker marks and blonde hair staring at her from a cute face.

The boy didn't scream, but he didn't make any sort of move either. Aiko knew she must look fearsome to him. To the average adult, she stood with her head even with their chest. To the little boy, she towered over him. She crouched down, letting her belly touch the ground and grimacing in her mind slightly when she felt the slimy streets coat her fur in muck. A soft whine issued from her throat and she wagged her tail invitingly. Her mother would take care of the boy, since no one else obviously did. Plus, it would give her something to do around the house.

"Naruto." The inuyoukai blinked when the little boy spoke. "My name's Naruto." The dog opened her jaw and let her tongue fall out in a friendly hassle—her way of smiling in this limited form. The little boy giggled and she crept forward, sniffing the proffered hand.

Cute kid, although he seems to be undernourished. Aiko stood just a little and ducked her head between the child's legs. Slowly, she lifted up, letting him slide down and settle against her shoulders. He giggled and fisted his grubby hands in her fur and she winced. Great, more sludge to wash out. With a huff, she stood and began to make her way back home. She wove through the streets of her hometown, avoiding the main streets and keeping away from too many humans. Unfortunately, the female and her human charge ran into a group of snot-nosed boys that thought they were tough.

"Oi, kid, I thought we told you to get lost?" one of the boys sneered. The others, they couldn't have been more than thirteen, fanned out around them. Aiko cursed in her head.

Stupid humans! She snarled, whirling to snap at a foolish boy who got too close. Shit! I can't keep them off and protect the kid at the same time like this. She backed them into a corner before letting the kid off her shoulders.

"Haha," another boy jeered. "Even your stupid mutt knows to leave when it has the chance!"

Oh no you didn't! Aiko's eye twitched as she put the little boy behind her. A flood of her yoki created a whirlwind and, before the eyes of the humans who had just insulted her and her heritage, her form began to shift. She may not know her father personally, but the stories her mother often told her let her know he was an honorable yoki lord. Her body grew taller, leaner and she stood on two feet. Her front legs turned into human arms and hands, with fingers that were tipped with lethal-looking claws. Her muzzle retracted into a pretty face with a single maroon stripe on each cheek. Golden eyes gleamed from beneath dark brows and silvery bangs. With a huff, she shook herself from head to toe, all dog-hair disappearing.

The boys just gaped at the teenage girl before them. She was gorgeous but, somehow, scary. She smiled and fangs glinted in the fading afternoon light. The boys backed away and, when she took a step forward and snarled at them, turned and ran as if their lives depended on it. And in some ways, it did.

Aiko turned and knelt down to Naruto's level, hand outstretched and a soft smile on her face. "It's okay, Naruto-kun. I'm not going to hurt you."

Naruto stood with wide, blue eyes, staring intently at the person before him. Hadn't she just been his new doggy friend? But then, how had she become the girl standing in front of him. He wasn't too sure of her. All the other people in the town—except Iruka-sensei—didn't like him. They'd yell at him, throw things at him and beat him up. But…this girl had run off the boys who had hurt him. He took a step forward and slowly put his little hand in her larger one.

The young woman grinned, scooping up the little boy into her arms. He was so light for what a kid his age should be and she frowned again. She quickly reversed the facial expression, though, when she noticed Naruto shying away. Her mouth tilted back up into grin and she dipped her forehead to connect with his.

"My name is Aiko." She chuckled when the boy's eyes lit up. "Do you have a home?" She rolled her citrine eyes when he shook his head. "Well you do now. My mom and I will take care of you."

"Who's your mom?" the little boy asked as Aiko straightened and once again headed back home.

"Her name's Kagome and she's real pretty." She winked down at the boy.

"Ka-go-me," he sounded out and his new guardian laughed. He sounded like her mom when someone called her something other than her name. "Can she transform like you?"

The inuyoukai female shook her head. "Nope, she's human." She checked the wider street for any signs of life before heading down it for a few blocks. When someone turned onto their street and sent the little boy a glare, she glared back full force. The human blinked and cowered, slinking off about his business without bothering them again.

"Then how come you can transform?" the little boy asked, genuine curiosity filling his eyes. He bounced on her hip, eager to hear more.

Aiko pursed her lips, wondering just how much she could say to the little boy without him asking questions that were better left for an adult to answer. "You know what youkai are, right?" At his nod she continued. "My daddy and I are both pure inuyoukai. When an inuyoukai, ah, takes a mate—" She blushed a little at his questioning look. "—actually mates them, they're children are always inuyoukai. Momma says Daddy was a very proud male. He loved Momma very much."

"What happened?" the little boy prompted. He rested his head on the girl's shoulder, content to listen for now.

"Before I was born, Momma was headed home but somehow got sent here." Aiko shrugged a bit indifferently. "I came along a few months after Momma arrived so I never knew my dad but mom's working on a way to get us back." She glanced up past the buildings, to the clear blue sky above them. But I dunno know if I want to go there. If it's not like here—forests everywhere outside of hidden villages—then I don't want to. The young female couldn't explain it, but there was a connection to the nature around her.

When no comment came from the peanut gallery on her hip, the sixteen year old female looked down and chuckled. The little boy was sound asleep. Probably exhaustion from too much excitement and too little energy. She planted a quick kiss on the child's dirty forehead. Mine. My little brother. Youkai were possessive by nature, inu among the most. The moment Aiko laid eyes on the scrawny, dirty little boy, she had claimed him as part of her pack.

The pair made it the rest of the way home with no more incidents—aside from several mean glares and vicious growls directed to sneering passersby—and Aiko's mother ran out to greet her. The woman didn't look much older than her daughter and most people would have pegged her as being in her early twenties. Kagome could thank the Jewel for that. After the final battle against Naraku, it had reformed inside her body, keeping her eternally young as a requirement for guarding it. Her long black hair shone with natural, deep blue highlights in the sun. The mother's concerned, cerulean eyes focused first on her daughter, then the child in her arms.

"Aiko?" Kagome questioned when her daughter stepped onto veranda. "Who is this?"

Her daughter smiled with puppy eyes up to her mother, although she had a feeling that wouldn't be necessary. "Momma, this is Naruto. I was thinking he could stay with us for a while."

The former priestess blinked and frowned, placing a hand on the little boy's forehead before peeling open a dirty eyelid. "He's not sick so why did you bring him? I'm sure his parents are worried."

Aiko shook her head. "I don't think he has any parents. I found him wondering around in the slums. And look at him! He's so skinny and dirty and covered in scratches and bruises! I don't think anyone's been taking care of him." She let out a little whine and nuzzled the boy's head.

Kagome sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Fine," she grumbled, cursing the nurturing instincts of her mate's species, although it wasn't like she didn't have any of her own. She called over to one of the shinobi that had been hired to guard their home. The man appeared in a puff of smoke before her and took a knee, ready to serve. "Do you know who this boy is? Or where his parents are?"

The shinobi looked up, about to answer his current employer's question when his brown eyes widened. The horizontal scar across his face tipped up just a bit with his soft smile. "Yes, Kagome-san. His name is Naruto. He's the hero of the village."

Both Kagome and her daughter gave the man an askance look at his statement. "Somehow I doubt that because everyone I passed on the way back looked like they were about ready to tear him to pieces," Aiko snipped in reply.

"And if he were the hero of the village, why would he be running the streets alone and covered in muck?" Kagome asked. She was beginning to like the beautiful village they had spent the last sixteen years in. How could anyone treat an innocent child so poorly?

"Let me explain." Iruka stood to his feet, his hand fondly rubbing the little boy's head. "He is the hero of our village, although most people don't see him that way. His father was our Yondaime. Naruto is his son. The day Naruto was born the Kyuubi was attacking our village. The shinobi had tried and failed countless times to bring him down but were unsuccessful. Finally, Minato-sama found a way to seal the beast. But he had to give up his own life to do so." A heavy silence reigned for a moment as the group just watched the little boy in Aiko's arms. "Naruto was the baby that the Kyuubi no Youko no Kitsune was sealed in. I am sure Minato-sama meant for the boy to be a hero, but people only see the demon within the child."

Kagome blinked and smiled tenderly at the little boy. "A fox, huh?" She traced the seal hidden beneath the boy's clothing. "They aren't so bad. I wonder who ticked him off." The young woman ignored the looks she was receiving from Iruka and her daughter. Iruka didn't know her real past and Aiko had yet to hear Shippou's story. "How can I say no to such a face?" She chuckled and her eyes burned a little bit as memories flowed her in mind. She could already see the little blonde boy stuffing pocky in his face, going through her things in search of a toy, teasing his idol relentlessly and generally annoying all of them to no end with pranks, schemes and other childish ways.

Aiko handed the child over to her mother and watched as the priestess healed the bruises and cuts, taking extra care to clean out any lingering infection in the two deep gashes. Kagome hummed an old song under her breath as she took the little boy into the house to clean him up and put him in fresh clothes.

Iruka smiled, relieved that Naruto was going to be taken care of now. He had tried a few times before to get the little boy to come home with him but the child would always disappear whenever the chuunin was assigned a mission. Now, however, he knew the Higurashis would make sure the boy was properly clothed, fed and spoiled. With the look on Kagome-san's face as she left, he knew that last one was a definite possibility. Turning, he bowed deeply to a shocked Aiko.

"Thank you very much, Aiko-san. I am indebted to you for finding him."

Aiko just nodded. "Uh, yeah, it's not a big deal…" She edged around the shinobi and chased after her mother into the house.

Iruka chuckled. He could relax because Naruto was finally home.

And there you have it! The first chapter. Let me know what you think! :D