Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or Naruto
"There's a demon fox sealed into you, isn't there?"
Naruto stared at her in complete shock, wondering how she even knew. 'But then again, she is a fox…maybe she sense the Kyuubi or something…'He thought, feeling the Kyuubi slip back into his slumber, after all the annoying comments he had made about the female fox. "H-how do you know that…?" He mumbled, looking at the floor. His brain automatically thought that she would hate him, like the majority of Konoha did. He was surprised when she suddenly smiled.
"Do you know a lot about kitsune then?" She suddenly asked, her fluffy tail wagging even faster.
Naruto only blinked, and slowly shook his head. Despite that he had a kitsune sealed into him; he virtually knew nothing about foxes. The only thing that he knew was they could somehow gain more than one tail.
"Oh…" Kagome said, her tail coming to a halt. She only blinked, looking at him curiously. "Then…does Master Naruto want me to tell him about foxes…?" She asked hesitantly, and Naruto widened his blue eyes. Firstly, how the hell did she know his name? He never recalled telling it to her at all. And secondly, he would like to know about foxes; maybe it could help him control the Kyuubi a bit better. He knew that he lost control of himself when he used four tails, maybe she could teach him how to use more without losing control…
"Yeah…I do…" He said, his blue eyes looking towards Kagome intently. He would ignore the 'master' part for now.
Kagome smiled again, and her tail wagging presumed. She was just glad that she could help her new master. It was what she was meant to do. "Okay…I'll tell Master everything that I know. Master already knows that I am a spirit kitsune, but the fox in Naruto-sama is different from me…" She was cut off but Naruto's frown.
"What do you mean?" He questioned, weren't foxes all the same? How was the Kyuubi any different from Kagome? Other than Kagome being able to take on a human appearance…but then again, he had never really asked Kyuubi anything except for his power. He had no desire to get to know the Kyuubi in the first place.
"I am a Myoubu, a spirit fox or a celestial fox. The fox sealed in Naruto-sama is a Nogitsune, a field fox…" Kagome was cut off again by Naruto.
"What is the difference between the two?" He asked confusedly, were foxes really this complicated?
"A celestial fox are the kitsune that are the messengers of Inari-sama, and reside in Realm of Kami with Inari-sama. A field fox is a kitsune that refused to serve Inari-sama, and were banished from the heavens…" Kagome blinked as Naruto gasped again.
"Y-you mean you live in heaven?" He stuttered, he never really believed in heaven or any of that stuff.
The kitsune nodded. "Hai, sometimes I reside in heaven and sometimes I reside in the Realm of Kami, which is a dimension very similar to the human world." Kagome smiled, at Naruto-sama's funny looking face. She didn't know humans could be so amusing. She had been told by her fellow messenger foxes that human were stupid, and easily manipulated, only good for the energy that the foxes could feed off of. But Naruto didn't really look that stupid to her, he just didn't know about foxes, which wasn't that big of a deal. Most humans didn't know the Kitsune Lore.
Naruto blinked, and suddenly noticed a necklace that vaguely resembled a collar around Kagome's neck. There was a small white glowing round-shaped jewel hanging off the necklace. "What's that?" He questioned, pointing at the white jewel, and Kagome only blinked.
"Oh…that is my Hoshi no Tama, my Star Ball. This represents my service to Inari-sama, it holds a portion of my soul, so I get separated from it for too long, then I could die. Inari-sama also put eight tails of power into it, so no human would be able to kill me while I am serving Naruto-sama…" Kagome grinned widely, wagging her tail even faster.
Naruto's mouth was almost hanging open again; she would die if separated from the ball for too long? And it contained power? If she said it contained eight tails, and she already had one…then she was essentially as strong as Kyuubi…
Naruto gulped, there was no way he could reveal this…or could he? Maybe Tsunade-baa-chan would accept Kagome, she did accept him. But then again, he was only the human container of a fox, while Kagome was the fox itself. 'Should I tell Sakura-chan and the others first…?'He thought, if Kagome did get accepted by Tsunade, then she could help them try and retrieve Sasuke again. She, hopefully, would be strong enough…
'Oh crap! My training with Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou…!' He thought, frantically panicking. The training would begin in half-an-hour, and he couldn't be late. 'What about Kagome…?'He stopped, and glanced towards Kagome, who was looking at him with a curious expression. 'I'll have to bring her with me…'He sighed; there was no way that he could leave here by herself. It was obvious enough that she didn't know anything about humans; she didn't even know what clothes were!
"Can you hide your…ears and tail? I want to bring you somewhere, and humans don't know about…kitsune…" He said hesitantly, not really wanting offend Kagome with his question. Though, he was sure that Kagome would not hurt him, apparently, he was her new 'master.'
Kagome blinked at the question, and nodded slowly. "I'll try…" She said, and suddenly a large puff of smoke completely covered her, the smoke clearing away in a moment. The large fox ears were gone, but the fluffy tail still remained.
Naruto sweat-dropped, this would be a big problem if she couldn't hide her tail.
"I'm sorry…kits have a really hard time hiding their tails when shape shifting…" Kagome said, looking like she was about to cry. She really wanted to go out with Naruto-sama and explore the human world. It was her first time in the human world.
Naruto instantly panicked, not wanted her to cry at all. He grinned as an idea hit him. "You still can turn into a fox, right?" He asked, smiling widely to get her spirits up.
Kagome nodded, and smiled as well. "You'll take me outside if I turn back into a fox?" Her tail wagged crazily, her face growing excited.
Naruto smiled and nodded, before a serious expression fell into his face. "Yeah…but you have to stay hidden until I say so, most of the people here…don't like foxes…" He said, not wanting explain more.
Kagome shifted excitedly, before another puff of smoke covered her, the small black fox appearing as the smoke dissipated. She shuffled up to Naruto, barking excitedly.
He grinned, and petted her on the head. "Just wait here for a minute; I have to shower quickly…" He stated, and grabbed his clothes, running to the bathroom. Kagome only tilted her head, not knowing what a 'shower' was. She laid down on his bed, and only ten minutes later, Naruto came into the
room, his blond hair sopping wet. He was dressed in his usual clothes of orange and black, complete with his Konoha head-band.
"Okay, let's go…" He said, and picked Kagome up, carefully putting her into his pouch on his waist. The pouch was large enough for Kagome to fit in comfortable enough. He quickly walked out the door, wanting to get to the training as fast as he could. He wanted to become stronger to rescue Sasuke from Orochimaru's desire for the Uchiha's body.
"Naruto!"
Naruto stopped short as he heard Sakura's voice calling to him. He raised a brow as he noticed that Sakura was with Sai, but it really wasn't an uncommon occurrence anymore. Both Naruto and Sakura had decided to hang out with Sai almost constantly, to teach him what it was like to have bonds with others. It did seem to be working, but very slowly. Sai still did say things that could piss them off, but they forgave him anyway.
"Hey Sakura-chan, Sai…" He grinned widely, shoving his arms behind his head. He had decided to tell them about Kagome first, but only about her fox-form for now. He would tell them all later about her being a spirit fox, and only if she was alright with it.
"Naruto, where are you going?" Sakura questioned, looking at him with her green eyes.
"Oh, I'm just going to train with Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou…" Naruto answered, and a serious expression fell into his face. "Hey, Sakura-chan, Sai…there's something that I want to tell you…but you have to swear that you won't tell anyone else…" Naruto lowered his voice, already knowing that Sakura wouldn't resist, she was the kind of girl that loved secrets.
Sakura blinked, and even Sai looked interested. "…Alright…" Sakura said, wanting to know what could be so secretive with Naruto. Sai only nodded, agreeing with Naruto's terms.
Naruto looked around suspiciously; the place that they were in was too public. They would have to go to the training grounds; he knew that no one would be likely around. "Okay…follow me…" He said, leading them to the training ground where he was supposed to meet Kakashi and Yamato. He almost sighed in relief as he noticed that they were not there yet. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell them just yet.
"Okay…what you have to drag us out here for…?" Sakura demanded, her hands on her hips, tapping her booted foot against the ground. Sai only watched Naruto intently, wondering what was so special that they had to go all the way out for here for.
Naruto looked around suspiciously again, noticing that no one was around. "Okay…you promise not to tell any one else?" He asked again just to make sure.
"Yes…just tell us already!" Sakura sighed impatiently, an annoyed look on her face.
Naruto nodded, and opened his pouch on his waist, carefully bringing out Kagome.
Sakura gasped, and even Sai's eyes widened a bit. Kagome tilted her head, looking at the two new humans curiously. Naruto was the only human she had ever seen; she was surprised that they all looked so different. Most spirit foxes resembled each other, even in human form. Kagome was an exception, she was a rare black coloured kitsune, and she was considered a very good omen. Thus, she was granted a human form by Inari-sama that didn't resemble all the other kitsune.
"Where did you find it?" Sakura gasped, she knew that most foxes found around Konoha immediately were killed by the shinobi. Konoha was very cautious when it came to kitsune's and did not take any risks. The Leaf Village did not want another incident like the Kyuubi attack.
"I found her wondering around the gate, and took her to my apartment. I didn't want her to be killed by the guards…" Naruto half-lied, he wasn't going to tell them that he was the one who had summoned her. He hesitantly handed Kagome over to Sakura as she gestured.
"Aww…it's so cute!" Sakura almost squealed, holding the kitsune up to her face. She giggled as the fox licked her face softly. Kagome wagged her tail, now knowing that these weren't bad humans. Some spirit foxes were hunted down ruthlessly by human hunters for their fur. But these humans seemed to be okay, and they were friends of her new master.
Sakura handed the fox over to Sai, who surprisingly, took her gently. He slowly petted her head, as she licked his arm.
Both Naruto and Sakura looked at him surprised. Maybe he was an animal lover, or something? They had never seen him like this…
Everyone jumped up in surprise when a voice interrupted them.
"Now what do you have there?" Kakashi asked, as he appeared with Yamato beside him. They looked at the sudden guilty looks that appeared on Naruto's and Sakura's face.
"Ahh…n-nothing…" Naruto stuttered, standing in front of Sai, who was still holding the small fox, to hide them from view. He did not expect for Kakashi and Yamato to appear so suddenly.
Kakashi raised his brow, already have seen the fox that Naruto was lamely trying to hide. He glanced up as Yamato walked past them, and grabbed the fox from Sai's hands.
"N-no, wait…!" Naruto started, thinking that Yamato might kill Kagome, or something horrible. He was surprised when Yamato only held Kagome, and petted her gently.
Naruto blanched, and watched as Kagome also licked Yamato on the face. "W-what…?" He mumbled, he didn't know Yamato liked animals…
He looked up as Kakashi glanced at him. "Naruto, what are you planning to do with that fox exactly…?" Kakashi asked, he didn't want his student to get too attached to the animal; there was a large chance that it would be killed by a Konoha-nin.
"Nothing…she's just a pet…" Naruto muttered, looking away. He couldn't exactly tell his team that she was actually his…servant, or whatever she said she was to him.
Kakashi only nodded slowly, before staring at Naruto with hard eyes. "Are you ready for your training then?" He questioned, as Yamato looked up from the fox, also glancing at Naruto.
Naruto blinked, he had forgotten about the training. "Yeah!" He said, determined. He wanted to become stronger. He remembered that Kakashi said he would tell him about elements, and what his main element was. He carefully took Kagome as Yamato handed her back, and smiled down at her. She barked happily, and wagged her tail. He sighed, before handing her over to Sakura. "Ne…Sakura-chan, can you take care of her for awhile?" He asked, and smiled as Sakura nodded.
Naruto turned back to Kakashi and Yamato, a determined look on his face.
He would get stronger, no matter what it took.
"You're so cute!!" Sakura smiled happily at the fox, walking down the many streets of Konoha with Sai. They had decided to leave Naruto to train in peace. Sakura didn't even bother to hide the small fox; she knew that she could go to Tsunade if anyone had a problem with the fox. She was sure that Tsunade would not let anyone actually kill the little animal. It was obviously only a baby fox, and it could not harm anyone. She glared at the passing people as they openly stared at the fox, pointing and whispering.
Couldn't these people get over the Kyuubi attack? It happened over fifteen years, and didn't even mean that all foxes were evil. This one was particularly sweet.
She gripped the fox tighter as it struggled; obviously it wanted to get back to Naruto. "No, you can't go back to Naruto, he's busy training. You might get hurt if you go back there…" Sakura explained, though she thought it was rather useless. It was only an animal; it shouldn't be able to understand her. Sakura was sure it was not a ninja-summoned animal. She winced a bit as the fox's claws scratched her arm, and she roughly squeezed the fox to make it stop.
The fox gave a small yelp, and Sakura sighed. She didn't want to hurt the animal. She glanced up as Sai chose this minute to speak.
"You shouldn't treat animals so roughly…" Sai stated with his quiet voice, glancing over at his female team-mate.
Sakura only frowned at him, before huffing in annoyance. "You take it then…" Sakura said impatiently, she wanted to see Sai get scratched as well. She handed the fox over to Sai, who took it surprisingly quickly.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as the kitsune calmed down after a few minutes of gentle petting from Sai. The fox wagged its tail again, and licked Sai's arm. "How did you do that?' She questioned, slightly amazed that her team-mate who claimed to have no emotions could easily calm down a wild animal.
Sai glanced up, his black eyes staring into Sakura'a green ones. He had no real desire to tell her, but he knew it was the way to make bonds with others. He glanced back down at the fox kit. "My Onii-san liked animals a lot, and used to bring back small animals to me all the time. I had learned much about wild animals, and how to treat them…" Sai explained, glancing forward. He was sure Sakura would make a big deal over this, he almost told no one about his brother from when he was enlisted in ANBU Root.
"Oh…" Was Sakura's lame response, She knew it was a slightly painful subject for Sai, even though he didn't show it externally. She sighed quietly, she really did want to get to know her newest team-mate, and ask him all about his brother, but it was private information. If Sai wanted her to know, then he would tell her himself.
Kagome blinked, purring under the soft petting. She didn't know why these two humans were taking her away from Naruto-sama, but she trusted them. She couldn't smell any malice from the two, and they were Naruto-sama's close friends. She relaxed, looking at Naruto-sama's home village curiously. It wasn't exactly the nicest smelling place; she could only really smell what she assumed what was human. There was a lot of it, and she crinkled her sensitive nose. At least, the two humans nearest her smelled decent.
The female had a scent of flowers, a nice floral scent that reminded Kagome of the wild fields that the kitsune loved to roam around in the Realm of Kami. The male had a scent of nice-smelling wood that Kagome had no clue of what is called, but didn't really care; it was a nice scent all the same. It was too bad that his scent was also tainted by a heavy strong-smelling ink. Kagome didn't like ink all too much, if the scent was too strong, then she could pass out, her nose was very sensitive.
Her ears twitched as she listened to the incoherent ramblings of the humans passing, and she blinked in curiosity as the passing humans seemed to shoot her heated glares, their scent filled with malice. She shivered slightly, and curled into Sai's arms more tightly. 'Naruto-sama was right when he said almost everyone didn't like foxes…' She thought, as her tail twitched at the thought of her new master. She had listened to the conversation between Naruto-sama and the silver-haired human.
He had said something about training as she remembered. 'Can Naruto-sama use his kitsune's tails…?' She wondered, knowing that a fox's powers came from its tails. She blinked, and her head shot up as she scented a certain smell…
"Hey, Sakura…!"
Sakura and Sai looked up, watching as Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata walked up to them, Kiba's ninken, Akamaru, ambling slowly behind them. "Kiba, Hinata…" Sakura nodded to them, smiling at the shy Hyuuga.
"Where's Naruto?" Kiba asked, looking around curiously. Naruto was usually never far from his team, or else he was at the ramen stand.
"Naruto's training right now with Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura explained, blinking as she glanced at the frantically struggling fox in Sai's arms.
Both Kiba and Hinata also looked at the fox, who now was yelping in fright, scratching Sai's arms with its sharp claws. Sai was struggling to keep his grip on the fox, knowing that Naruto would get angry at him if he released her. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the fox's current anxiety. It was obviously that dog-nin who was growling quietly at the fox, looking like he would spring at any given moment.
"Akamaru! That's enough!" Kiba shouted towards his canine partner, also noticing that it was growling at the terrified fox. Akamaru stopped immediately, and whimpered towards his human partner, but Kiba kept on glaring at him. Kiba sighed; he knew that foxes and dogs did not get along in the least. Foxes were afraid of dogs because they used to be hunted down by dogs. "Akamaru, go on home…" He ordered, but glancing at Akamaru with a sorry look. Akamaru only seemed to snort, but went on anyway.
As soon as Akamaru went away, the fox immediately calmed down, and stopped scratching Sai. The kitsune looked at the two new humans curiously, instantly not liking the new male. He had the scent of dog all over him.
"What's that?" Kiba asked, glancing at the fox, interested. Hinata also looked at the fox, slightly inquisitive at the animal. She had thought foxes were banned from Konoha.
"This is Naruto's new pet…" Sakura explained, taking the fox from Sai, and quickly shoving it into a shocked Hinata's arms. "It is a really sweet thing…" Sakura stated, and smiled at the Hyuuga.
Hinata only awkwardly held the fox; she had never really held an animal in her life. The Hyuuga clan was not that big on pets, the only animal she had ever held was Akamaru when he was a puppy. A small smile appeared on her face as the kitsune glanced up at her with an inspecting look. She almost dropped the fox in shock as it barked loudly at her, its tail swishing quickly. Hinata blinked, as the fox suddenly grazed her arm with its small tongue. She smiled again, holding the fox closer to her.
'Naruto-kun has also held her…'Hinata thought with a light blush, thinking of her infatuation with Naruto. It had not gone away, even over the two years Naruto had been out of the village.
Sakura beamed, happy to see the shy Hyuuga act this way. She had always thought Hinata had been too self-conscious for her own good. She took the fox back as Hinata handed it to her, quietly explaining that they were due to meet their Jounin leader, Kurenai.
Sakura waved good-bye, and sighed. "So what do you want to do Sai?" She asked, and Sai only shrugged, not having anything on mind. Sakura huffed, a frown appearing on her face. Sai could participate a little more, she thought that he was also too quiet for his own good. 'But I can't really blame him…' Sakura thought, as she led Sai to a nearby civilian park to relax. 'Being raised in 'Root' wouldn't exactly be the warmest place…' She thought sarcastically, sitting down at the base of a tree.
Sai sat beside her, and brought out his scrolls and ink, obviously intending to draw something.
Sakura smiled; at least there was something that Sai was passionate about. She let the fox go, letting it sniff and explore the surrounding area. She simply leaned back against the tree, and relaxed for the first time in awhile.
"…There you are…" Naruto said tiredly, almost stumbling over to Sakura's and Sai's spot in the deserted civilian park. He panted tiredly, resting his hands on his knees. He was dead tired, and all he wanted to do was go home and lie in his comfy bed, but he had to collect Kagome first.
Sakura glanced up, just waking up from her light doze. "Oh Naruto…" She mumbled, blinking as she noticed it was already getting to be dark. "So…how was your training?" Sakura questioned, standing up and stretching her arms.
Naruto sighed, it was hell, he had ended up losing control again, three tails appearing of the Kyuubi's chakra. But he ended up using his new improved Rasengan successfully, and was proud of himself for it. "It was…fine…" He vaguely answered, glancing at Sai in surprise as he noticed that Kagome was curled in a tight ball in Sai's lap.
Sakura hid her smile with her hand; she had noticed that Sai actually seemed to be getting attached to Naruto's pet fox. She turned as a thought occurred to her. "What's its name? You did name it, right?" Sakura seemed to demand, and Naruto panicked for a moment.
Naruto knew that he really couldn't use 'Kagome' for a name, it wasn't really a pet name, and Sakura might think him weird if he used an uncommon name such as that, it wasn't even really a name to his knowledge. He knew it was a popular children's game, but he liked it as a name all the same. "Ano…her name…is…Chibi…" Naruto stuttered, naming Kagome the first word he could think of. She was very small when in her fox-form, so it kinda fit.
"…Chibi…?" Sakura muttered under her breath, looking like she was debating in her mind if she liked the name or not. She finally nodded contently, obviously approving of the name.
They both glanced up as Sai got up, and handed 'Chibi' over to Naruto. "Thanks Sai…" Naruto mumbled, clutching Kagome closer to himself. His eyes lit up slightly as Kagome wagged her tail furiously at the sight of him.
"…Well…I'll see you tomorrow…" He said hesitantly, he really did want to socialize with his friends a bit more, but was simply too tired to. He quietly sighed in relief as Sakura and Sai nodded, letting him go without any fuss. "Thanks…" He muttered, and started off to his apartment building, Kagome held tightly in his arms.
He sighed tiredly as he finally reached his apartment building, and fished out his key. As soon as he entered his suite he kicked off his sandals, and he fell back into his bed. Kagome leapt out of his arms, and a puff of smoke immediately covered her. The smoke cleared in an instant, and Kagome's human form appeared.
His eyes opened, and he was relieved that she wasn't without clothes this time. She was still wearing his black shirt and his boxers. He looked up as her fox ears popped out of her hair, and watched as she grinned widely at him, wagging her fluffy tail.
He was too tired to even make a sound when Kagome leapt into his bed beside him, her upper body leaning over him. "Your friends are really nice, Naruto-sama!" She excitedly told him, glancing down at him curiously as he didn't answer, but only nodded his head. She immediately started to help him as he tried to shrug off his orange and black coat, and threw it on the floor. She cocked her head to the side, as he slipped his pants off, also throwing them to the floor.
Naruto really didn't care if she saw him in his underwear; she had already seen him the night before, and besides, she really didn't seem to understand human behaviour anyway. She probably wouldn't blink twice if he stripped all the way down.
He snickered at the thought, before sighing almost sadly. She probably wouldn't understand…that. He did remember that she said she was only a kit, which essentially meant that she was only a baby fox, even if her human body was the same age as his own…
'Stop thinking like that…!' Naruto scolded himself, shifting in his bed as Kagome curled up to his side. He glanced over to her, and he almost smirked darkly. He already knew that she would do anything he would ask her to…
He sighed, and shook his head. He knew that he shouldn't take advantage of Kagome and her obvious lack of knowledge on humans.
He glanced over at Kagome again, and grinned, noticing that she was already asleep. He turned his head back, and closed his eyes, quickly drifting off into a slumber.
Naruto slowly awoke from his sleep, instantly noticing the lack of warmth from his side. His eyes opened, and he looked over to his side. He blinked as he noticed Kagome was not there. He sat up quickly, sighing in relief as he noticed that she was sitting by his window, and staring at it intently.
"…Kagome…?" He asked, concerned, not knowing what was wrong. His concern grew when she turned her head to look at him, instantly noticing the dark lines under her eyes. She didn't look all that cheerful.
"What's wrong?' He questioned again, leaning up even more, shoving the blanket down his legs. He was completely caught off guard as she yelped, and jumped right into him, shoving him face down with the force.
"It hurts and I feel hot!" She wailed, her ears twitching wildly. She hugged him tightly around the waist.
"What hurts?" He asked quickly, growing even more concerned.
He frowned as she pointed her lower stomach; maybe she ate something bad when she was in her fox-form? "Why does it hurt?" He asked quietly, maybe she would know the reason herself.
Kagome glanced up, her eyes all watery. "Inari-sama visited me yesterday night…" And Naruto immediately stiffened and gulped nervously at her next sentence.
"He said I was in heat!"