Holy sh***. Someone tell me again why I chose as my main characters two people with absolutely exhausting speech patterns?! At least I believe Sesshomaru seemed authentic. I might have to reread a couple of manga chapters or rewatch an episode or two to get a better feeling for Narutos way of talking. Let me know if you find something worth criticizing.

Oh for anyone who ist pissed at the characters behavior: bear in mind that both of them are going through emotional upheaval and are coping differently. Also they are both of a twelve year old emotionally scarred mental state (and at different stages of maturity and different kinds of upbringing).

—

As the light subsided, Sesshomaru carefully peaked at the clearing from behind his raised arms. He beheld the most horrendous but the most fascinating sight he had seen in a very long time. There in blood and vomit laid a young yokai about his age wearing the most hideous garments the young heir had ever seen. They were screamingly orange. Idly he asked himself whether the stranger thought it a good diversion strategy in combat. It at least had given him pause. So maybe there was some merit to that thought.

But that wasn't what kept his sight transfixed in fascination. No, the boy was indubitably a young Daiyokai. A kitsune Daiyokai if the faint smell was anything to go by. He had rarely seen another Daiyokai than Inus, because he had previously been too young to be allowed to attend any official meetings with other clans. Diligently studying the stranger he caught sight of the same protruding fangs and claws which he himself had and three slender, bright orange whisker marks on each cheek. The latter startled him a bit. He had yet to come across a demon that bore even remotely similar markings to himself and his father. Equally intriguing was the unkept mop of golden yellow hair. It was unlike any hair color he had seen until now. He didn't recall reading about any kitsune clan with these kind of yokai marks. And he had read a lot.

A quiet, pitiful moan escaped the stranger's lips and his eye lids fluttered. After a moment startlingly blue eyes met molten gold. Both pairs having the same narrow pupils of a predator. Then the stranger cursed crudely and reached for his fallen weapon. Anticipating and bracing for an attack he reacted instinctively by disarming his opponent. Only to realize that the other boy had not aimed at Sesshomaru, but himself.

The young heir was aghast. What in the name of the four Lords was the stranger thinking? Obviously not much because following his act of insanity he started crying hard. Never having had to deal with someone about the same age as himself the Inu Daiyokai wondered, if that reaction was normal. But using himself as a criterion for young Daiyokai behavior he supposed that it was not. Still, he was out of his depth.

Cautiously he crouched down in front of the stranger and sniffed to perceive any other smell than blood and vomit. He recognized disgust and desperation, hurt and a deep feeling of longing. For what, he could not discern, but what he perceived so far had convinced him that the other yokai did not seek him harm. He was merely emotionally distraught.

Determining a course of action, because that was what Sesshomaru did best, he declared: "This Sesshomaru shall keep you." The stranger hiccuped, blinked confusedly and then sought his gaze slowly and uncomprehendingly. "You are obviously lost. So this Sesshomaru is keeping you."

A couple of blinks later the stranger still didn't believe his ears and looked around. Really looked. And for the first time he seemed to realize that he was in a completely foreign place. His gaze dropped to the floor, his head hanging and his moving hair revealing the same pointed ears that the heir to the West had. "You wouldn't want me", he whispered sadly, "no one wants me. I- I am a-a d-d-demon." He shut his eyes and another tear ran over his cheek. "I-I deserve to die", he explained nearly inaudibly.

The Inu yokai looked at him incredulously. The fair haired stranger seemed to have that effect on him repeatedly. Not an easy feat at all. Which made him all the more determined to keep this source of entertainment. "This Sesshomaru is a demon, a Daiyokai, just like you. This Sesshomaru does not think,we deserve to die."

The stranger's head stop up. Blue eyes met the golden ones in shock. Seeing that he wouldn't be forming coherent sentences anytime soon Sesshomaru explained: "This Sesshomaru makes you part of his pack. Come, you are hardly presentable."

Just as he turned to leave he caught sight of the kitsune's face. A most brilliant smile had positively usurped it. He let go of a light, happy chuckle, scratched his neck in obvious embarrassment and exclaimed full of renewed energy: "Alright, dattebayo!"

—

Naruto felt like he was dreaming. He had woken up to a massive headache and the fact that he was still alive. Everything felt a little strange and overwhelming. But he ignored it in favor of finally righting the world of his mistaken existence. When the kunai was ripped from his hand he couldn't release the building pressure in his chest by any other way. He started to cry without realizing. Too caught up in the feeling of failure and self-disgust taking up another weapon didn't even cross his mind.

The strangers words only sluggishly entered his consciousness. He needed a couple of rapid heart beats to understand their meaning. At first he was too preoccupied by the fact that a villager was talking kindly to him. Then he blinked slowly and took in his surroundings. This wasn't Konoha anymore. In fact, he had never seen this place before, let alone that silver haired stranger. With a feeling of dread he hung his head. If the stranger knew the truth, he wouldn't be so kind. Yet Naruto felt obliged to inform him, lest he came to harm like so many before. He was dangerous and the incident by the bridge had made it obvious he had no control over himself.

"This Sesshomaru is a demon, a Daiyokai, just like you. This Sesshomaru does not think,we deserve to die."

Shock. Complete and utter shock was the only thing he could feel at that moment. There was someone else like him? And he thought him deserving to live despite their nature? But then, surely the stranger hadn't killed a huge amount of villagers including his own parents. Or didn't demons care? Maybe he was an anomaly.

Still… the demon had invited him into his pack… Naruto knew what that meant. He had heard the Inuzuka clan talk like that. It meant… it meant family. Plain and simple. For a moment he was on the edge of tears again, but then he felt a huge smile widening in his face. Never ever had anyone wanted him as family. Not even when they didn't know what he was. But this strange boy knew and he still wanted him. Suddenly he didn't care anymore that he was a demon and felt embarrassed about his earlier outburst. If being a demon meant that he was going to have a family, then maybe it wasn't so bad after all. He ignored the silent whisper in his head, that tried to remind him of all the deaths he had caused, and exclaimed in his usual cheerful manner: "Alright, dattebayo!"

He followed the other boy - was his name Sesshomaru? - with a slight spring in his step. He felt a little overwhelmed. And not only emotionally. Now that he wasn't retreating into himself anymore, he noticed just how different this place was. Everything smelled so much more, everything was brighter. His skin prickled with each tiniest amount of wind. The whole world seemed somehow more… intense.

His thoughts stopped abruptly when his gaze caught the hugest and most impressing building he had ever seen. It was a magnificent and beautiful palace, fortified with massive stone walls and heavily guarded. Suddenly he was nervous. This was obviously the other boy's home. And he was obviously loaded. The guards didn't even questioned him for bringing in a stranger. So he really must be well known. He felt a little inadequate with his dirty, ratty, old jumpsuit. But then, it was the only piece of clothing he could afford first with his meager orphan charity and then with the lousy pay of D-ranked missions. Eating as much ramen as he did, didn't help either. He had hoped to buy new ones with the increased income of doing higher ranked missions, but…

He shook his head and focused on his surroundings yet again. He saw people eying him interestedly, but not disgustedly. That was a first for him. And it felt good. And why wouldn't they? All of them seemed a little strange, stranger than usual that is. Sesshomaru had said it was a pack. That probably meant other demons. Maybe all of them were demons. He was no longer alone. A grin sneaked onto his lips.

But the people in the palace stared even more at the silver haired boy and bowed deeply in respect when he passed them. Sesshomaru didn't even seem to noticed. He confidently strode towards his chambers. A minder, who had obviously been waiting for him despairingly, jumped up as he noticed him. "Sesshomaru-sama! I am so glad that you are alright. When I-"

"This Sesshomaru needs a bath to be drawn and appropriate garment to be prepared", he declared curtly, cutting off his minder's words and making the pair of servants waiting in his rooms scurry away to oblige his orders after bowing deeply.

The minder blinked at the sight of Naruto and his hand subconsciously rested on his sword hilt. "Young lord, who ist this?", he asked cautiously.

Sesshomaru looked back over his shoulder. "He is mine", he declared simply as if it was obvious. Then a considering countenance crossed his face as he locked his gaze with Naruto's. "This Sesshomaru is Sesshomaru, Heir to the West. What does this Sesshomaru call you?"

"My name is Naruto U-" He started confidently as usual and then faltered. Did he really have a right to take his parents name? He slightly shook his head. No he did not. Not when it was he, who killed them. He effortlessly forced another smile to his lips. That he could do without fault. He had a lot of practice smiling when not feeling like it. "Just Naruto, dattebayo!"

Sesshomaru, who was only about half a hand taller than him, nodded his head gravely, as if that was the most serious discussion he had ever had in his life. But Naruto didn't mind. The other boy seemed kind enough and accepted him for what he was. He at least could do the same for him, despite his strange manner of speaking and lordy attitude. But then again, there were stranger people he knew back in the village.

He suppressed memories of his old home and followed the other boy into a marbled bathroom with a gigantic pool in the middle, unwittingly ignoring the minder, who sputtered behind them. Sesshomaru carelessly shrugged off his sumptuous and bloodied kimono and beckoned Naruto to join him in the hot water, when the latter caught sight of his bandages. "What happened?"

The young heir carelessly lifted a shoulder. "It is of no consequence."

Naruto gaped. "But you are hurt! That is pretty important to me." After all Sesshomaru had said, they were to become family, and family cared for one another, right? He wasn't perfectly sure. But he assumed, family was automatically precious people. And at least he had lernt, that one had to protect their precious people. Even though it seemed he only had the other demon boy left and the rest of them couldn't even stand his presence anymore.

Taken aback by the vehemence of that exclamation Sesshomaru blinked two times then added: "An assassin tried to kill this Sesshomaru. Now they are dead." Then he averted his gaze again and it looked like he studies something far away. "Come in. Your reek offends this Sesshomaru's nose."

Torn between sorrow - for he could see clearly that the kill weighted on his soul after having experienced that feeling recently, if differently - and indignation over the insult though it was true, he chose to approach the pool silently for once. When he shrugged off his baggy overall, he noticed faintly he had a fluffy, red tail attached to his backside. He blinked, and took another look. Then he screamed high pitched like a little girl, even though he would later deny that with all his might.

Sesshomaru, his minder and his two servants watched in disbelief as Naruto was running around stark naked in a circle, trying to get a good look on his tail. The shinobi in training couldn't believe his eyes. Since when had that been there? Was that the kyuubis fault? Suddenly he paused and looked at his stomach. He knew, one could not normally see the seal. But a feeling in his gut told him, that it wasn't there anymore. As well as the kyuubi. He couldn't explain, how he knew it. It was like, there had been a humming in the back of his mind his whole life that he never even noticed. Not until it was gone. And suddenly everything was silent.

He looked at his hands and noticed, they rather resembled the claws he had had when overcome by the kyuubis power. Along his shoulders, elbows, waist and knees double orange stripes marked his body. His feet, too, seemed to be morphed into something looking like a crossbreed between normal feet and a predators elongated paws. He cautiously lifted his clawed fingers to his face and felt his smooth, slightly broader than usual whisker marks. If he could, he'd bet they were orange as well. At least it was a color he liked.

"Naruto?" His ear twitched slightly and he subconsciously moved his hands to his still human but pointy tipped feeling ears. He bit his lip. A canine drew blood. He would not panic. He would not panic. He would n- "Naruto, are you well?"

He screamed anew. "I have pointy ears! And claws! And strange marks! And a bloody tail! How the hell do you think I feel?!"

Sesshomaru, completely unimpressed by his outburst, calmly inquired: "You do realize, you are Daiyokai, do you not? This Sesshomaru does not understand how you could have missed your birthmarks for a century and a half. Are you suffering from memory loss?"

The blond haired boy giggled at him incredulously. "What the hell do ya mean 'a century and a half'?! I am just over twelve years old! I didn't even know, I was a demon until a couple of months ago. And how the bloody hell do ya call this things birthmarks?!"

Sesshomaru's ears twitched on account of the other boy's volume. By the Lords, he had one strong pair of lungs. "Calm down. You are murdering this Sesshomaru's ears. Hatsuo take your hand off your blade. This Sesshomaru is in no danger. Now, sit down." Numbly Naruto let himself fall into the pool. The hot water soothing his agitated body. "Now explain yourself to this Sesshomaru."

Naruto hesitated just for a moment, then sighed. This boy was willing to be his family. He supposed, one of them had to take the first step to build up the necessary trust between precious people. "I used to be human." At that the golden eyes slightly widened, but the silver haired boy stayed silent, so he could speak freely. "But on the day of my birth a powerful demon attacked and killed many people. They couldn't stop him, so the hokage, the village leader I mean, sealed him inside me."

Sesshomaru snarled quietly. Not knowing whether this was a good or bad sight, Naruto hurriedly pointed on his stomach and further explained: "There used to be a seal. I couldn't see it. But now that it is gone I feel that it isn't there anymore. Does that make sense?" He didn't wait for a response and rambled on: "And then the seal was weak or damaged or I don't know. But then I had the demons power and could feel it and use it and-" He faltered slightly. "Everyone hates me", he whispered, but then picked up quickly, "but then there was this strange light. And I don't know what happened. You were there and said we were family. And now we're here and my body changed and I don't feel the demon anymore. But I still feel his power. And it is all just very confusing!"

For a moment everything was quiet. Then the Heir to the West approached him and sniffed. Afterwards he leaned back again, contemplating, and said: "This Sesshomaru believes, you and that demon merged. While he and his power made you Daiyokai, you retained your consciousness and control over that body."

Naruto thought hard and nodded slowly. "I think, I understand." Suddenly he looked at the it her boy with widened, clear blue eyes. "Does that mean, you don't want me anymore? I mean, now that ya know I'm not a real demon and only became a demon, ya know." Near the end his mumbling grew nearly incoherent.

The gaze that Sesshomaru regarded him with was cold and he grazed himself for yet another rejection because of what he was. He simply fitted nowhere. Neither real human, nor born demon. Maybe it was better after all if he- "This Sesshomaru has claimed you as his own. You are pack. You will honor this claim. To this Sesshomaru you smell like kitsune Daiyokai. That means you are. You simply need to learn our customs. Now wash and sleep. This Sesshomaru will announce you to the court tomorrow." He paused and looked at his attendants. "And you will keep this story to yourselves."

It was a very happy Naruto with his trademark grin that spent the rest of the bath in exhausted relief and unbelief. He still hadn't wrapped his head around the fact that he finally had someone that genuinely wanted him to be around.

—

"Lord Toga, your son has taken in a Kitsune Daiyokai about the same age as himself."

The Inu no Taisho twinkled lightly. "Is that so? I suppose I will have a look at the pup tomorrow." He absentmindedly stroked his lovers still flat stomach and inhaled her unique scent.

"That is not all, Mylord." The Lord of the West drew his brows together. The art of the elevated brow would forever be denied to him. He let that particular skill gracefully for his wife and their child. "The kit claims to have been fully human before merging with and ultimately becoming a yokai."

Toga drew in a sharp breath. "How extraordinary. Keep this story out of anyone's reach. And if Sesshomaru is willing to accept a former human, then maybe there is hope for him after all. Perhaps he will desist from following his mother's footsteps."

Hatsuo regarded his Lord curiously. "Will you then, finally, at least speak with your son? You do realize, that this is all he ever wants."

A long suffering sigh echoed through the chamber. "I honestly don't know. I don't want to repeat my mistakes once again. He is so much like his mother, not only in looks, but in mannerism, speech and thoughts."

"Yet he chose to be here", reinforced Hatsuo his position in the matter firmly.

"I suppose so."

—

"Fate."

She smiled sweetly as She turned around to regard Her visitor. "Hello, my dear. You have finally been selfless, I see. Just like the Sage-"

"That has nothing to do with the old man, woman", he interrupted Her harshly, "you didn't exactly give me a choice."

Her smile widened. "Ah, but that is not exactly true, as you very well know, my dear. You could have continued on your path. I did not move your string apart from his. I simply put his onto a new path, one of his own choosing. You on the other hand had more choices than anyone before. You could have stayed on my predestined pattern. It has already repaired itself from my ripping his string out. Or you could have easily followed your vessel in his without paying the prize. Yet you chose to create your own. I let the three of you free. While all that came before got two choices, you had three. And yet you accuse me of not giving you a choice?"

He snorted gruffly and stepped up to stand next to Her and regard Her intricate weavings. It had a multitude of colors and twists. Though a couple of times he saw strings of pure gold. Most of them dull and still in finished patterns, a few shining and moving seemingly on their own accord, their story not yet finished. "Yeah, well, who in their right mind would have wanted to continue being imprisoned or enslaved for another couple of eons. Free will is a fine thing, no matter the cost."

She turned to him, surprised. "You have changed more than anticipated. I honestly hadn't thought you would choose this path. But then, maybe I was influenced by those that came before." As he raised a reddish eyebrow, She explained: "I have given all of your siblings the same choice in the past."

Taken aback his red mane flung around, as he sharply tuned to face the goddess. She merely raised an elegant brow at the outburst, decidedly amused. "What, did you believe, in all that time, I hadn't at one point or another given them a way out? You were merely the last one to choose. All of them declined and chose, not to break free of my patterns. They thought the price too steep. It seems like you are the bravest of your siblings."

She smiled freely at him and moved closer, a light hand on his bicep. Her full lips caressed his ear softly as She whispered: "Either the wisest or the most foolish of them all." Her hot breath burned on his ear and not a pleasurable way. It was literally burning his essence away. Yet he could not move.

"I hope, you are prepared for the future, my dear Kurama. Because even I cannot anticipate your path anymore."

Suddenly She was gone and he knew, She wouldn't let him find

Her again. Fate would choose the next time they spoke again. Kurama found, he did not like this. At all.

And he also knew, he hadn't yet paid the full prize and neither had Naruto. Not that he cared for the boy.