Kyuubi no Yoko: The Second
Chapter 2: A fox needs it's fur
AN: I've received a review hoping I wouldn't include Hinata in the harem, and ok, I can do that, I don't think the "Naruto" I'm writing would like her anyway. But I'll be listening so if there's anyone you want to see in the harem, let me know, because right now, I only have two "mates" chosen for the Kyuubi, one is an OC and the other is so OOC that she might as well be one too. Final order of business: Should Hana be a sister figure or join the harem? I can go either way, but if it's the second then they'll only get together way down the line, she's not going to sleep with a kid. Now I want to try something on this chapter, I'll have Kurama giving nicknames to most people he meets, something based on the thing he noticed the most on the person (like Neko-san), because I think that's how he would identify things inside the Forest of Death, you will see, but if you guys don't like it then let me know and I'll make him "grown out of it", I don't want to do that but I can.
Oh yeah, I forgot the disclaimer last time so: I do not own Naruto or any of it's original characters. Anything other than that can be used without asking for permission, but I would like if you let people know where you got the idea.
Well, shall we?
"So... Should we call him out, wait here or..?" Hana asked her three puppies, while they stood in front of the forest of death, a couple of minutes before 10 am.
"I say we wait" barked the first.
"We could call him, maybe his not to deep in the forest" offered the second one.
"I say we go in there and drag him out, I'm running out of patience" growled the third.
"Ok, why don't you guys decide and let me know what were going to do" said the girl while laying on a nearby bench and quickly falling asleep.
On the other side of the fence, the Kyuubi ran, and ran he fast, looking back he could barely see the tiger that was chasing him, looking forward he barely had time to jump so he wouldn't hit the fence, the tiger however, was not so lucky, head-butting the fence at full speed, luckily the fence was harder than it looked, not even budging from the impact, leaving the beast barely conscious.
"Ohhh, look at the big bad kitty! Good enough to attack a little kid but not good enough to jump a fence" taunted the second dog.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, he barely has any meat in him! Why would you hunt him?" demanded the first.
"I say we punish him!" barked the third "He's a shame to all hunters!"
And that was the scene the young Inuzuka woke up to: A tiger with a concussion, three puppies barking at him and one blond kid trying to stabilize his breathing.
"Guys, I really appreciate this but maybe you shouldn't piss him off." said the boy, while looking at the dogs.
"Wait, you can understand them?" Hana was.. Surprised? No one except the Inuzuka were supposed to be able to talk to dogs.
"The tiger as well, that's how I know he's loosing his cool" answered the boy, and now that Hana looked at him, she had an idea as too why he understood the animals. He was... Wild. His hair, which was long enough to reach his jaw, was a dark blond with some red at the end, he had small fangs on his mouth, claws on his hand and feet and whisker marks on his cheeks. His only piece of clothing were some ragged shorts and his eyes were red and slitted, he would have a nice face in a couple of years, but he was still just a kid. His body was thin and he had some muscles, but he didn't look strong, he looked like he was build for speed.
"Well it makes sense, you do look like an Inuzuka!" she said laughing, before Kurama cut in.
"Actually, the Inuzuka look like dogs or wolfs, while I look like a fox. Neko-san says we have to pay attention to all the details" the boy was obviously pleased with himself.
"Who's Neko-san?" the second dog asked, all of them disliked cats, but he hated them with passion.
"Neko-san is Neko-san, he drops by every other day" was the answer.
"A cat that can survive the Forest of Death? He might be a worthy opponent." declared the third, with far-away eyes.
"Are you the lady that's going to help me buy clothes?" the kid was already in front of Hana, it looked like he decided that the last conversation was over.
"Now, there's no need to be so polite, just call me Nee-chan! And yes, I'll be your baby sitter today!" she finished with a small smile "Oh yes, this are the Three Haimaru Brothers, the first, second and third" she explained while pointing at them.
"Nice to meet you, Kan-san (First-san), Niban-san (Second-san), Sanban-san (Third-san), Inu-nee-chan (Dog sister)" he said, bowing to each one, like Neko-san had taught him. "Let's go?" he asked, already on his away.
After regaining her composure she bolted after the kid, when she reached a few minutes of awkward silence followed, well awkward for her, the only person he talked to was Itachi, and the ANBU wasn't exactly talkative. Not being able to take it anymore, Hana asked "So.. Why are you buying clothes anyway? You look pretty comfortable in your boxers" trying to get the boy to blush.
"Oh, I am, but the Kemuri-jii-san (Smoke Old Man) said I need at least a shirt to be able to attend to the Academy" the boy answered, looking a bit crossed.
"Kemuri-jii-san? Who's that?" the girl asked, a little suspicious.
"Neko-san calls him 'Hokage-sama', but I don't know why" he said, with a hand on his chin, trying to figure out, not for the first time, why Neko-san though the old man was so important
"The Hokage! Naruto-kun his the one you need to respect! He's.." but the boy interrupted her.
"Why should I respect him? I don't even trust him! He's always smiling and treating me well, but I've never done anything to earn it, he's up to something." he said narrowing his eyes.
"But, you do realize that his the one who sent me, right?" what kind of life did this boy live, where being kind meant plotting.
"Yes, but Neko-san said I could trust you" the boy answered simply
'Again with the Neko-san..' the girl was now sure he wasn't just a cat, maybe a shinobi that looked like one? Like she looked like a dog? "But you know Hokage-sama is the one that keeps you safe from the villagers.
"Then why did I have to move to a forest?" he asked quietly.
"Why did you go there? Weren't you safe at the orphanage?" she asked just as quietly
"I was at first, but I think it's just because the villagers didn't have the stomach to hurt a little kid, but as I got older I didn't look as fragile, so they started bumping on me on the street, dropping whatever they were carrying on my head, and the glares just got worse. I could tell I wasn't safe for much longer, I had to get away." he finished, almost whispering.
Hana was about to ask what he meant by "glares" but they reached the main shopping district, and she understood, some people would stare at the boy with such hate that she was surprised he didn't run away crying, others would smirk evilly at him and then see her and look away, muttering curses. Others would, like he said, go out of their way to drop things on him, or just bump him, fortunately living in the forest made his instincts sharp, so he still had not being hit by anything.
Needless to say she was getting angry, so she decided to ask something that was bugging her since they met "How come you don't stink? I mean, you leave in a forest, do you bath in a river?"
Kurama was caught completely of guard by the question but he managed to answer "Uh, yeah, Neko-san said I'll get sick if I didn't clean myself" while he was distracted a middle-aged man managed to "bump" him, actually kneeing the almost-eight year-old in the stomach. "Hey! Watch where you're going freak! You hurt my knee, and I'm gonna have to punish you.." he trailed off reaching for the kid.
But he never managed to reach him, when his wrist was grabbed by the Hana "What the hell, ya bastard! Ya think I'm just gonna stand here and let you hurt a kid!".
"That's not just a 'kid' and you know it..." but she interrupted him.
"Oh, he's just a kid old timer, and if a kid can hurt your knee then just imagine what a kunochi can do to ya." she finished with a evil grin, making the man try to back away, but she didn't let go at first, so when she did he was pulling with such strength that he rolled twice before landing on his ass."
"Thank you, Inu-nee-chan!" the blond said, after the man was long gone.
"You're welcome, Naruto-kun." she answered with a smile "Come on, I know a good clothing store around here" she took his hand and dragged him away.
"Welcome to.." the cashier trailed off when she saw who had walked in to the store, her smile disappeared and eyes narrowed at the blond kid.
"Yeah, it's great ta be here, don't ya think so Naruto-kun! Come on, let's make you look cool!" Hana said, calming down at the end and dragging Naruto to the kid's section.
After a while they had chosen a couple of outfits (all missing shoes, Kurama refused to even try them on) and approached the cashier, who glared at them, scanned the clothes without a single comment and smirked "That will be: 32,600 yen (little less then 400 dollars)".
"What the hell are ya talking about, ya bitch! That shouldn't even be 8,100 (little less then a 100)!" Hana growled.
"Sorry, Inuzuka-san, but we have a monster tax" sure, she would have to drop the price or risk angering the entire Inuzuka clan, or at least the ones who where stupid enough to associate themselves with demons, but she would let the beast know he was not welcomed here.
"Yeah, I'm used to it" sighted Kurama, while putting the money on the counter and waiting for the girl to move "What? I don't even get change anymore?"
"Like we're going to accept your money! It's obvious you stole it!" she declared smirking.
"I did not, Neko-san brings me my allowance every week, since I have no use for money, I just save it!" he defended himself.
"Neko? You expect me to believe that a cat brings you money? You must be insane, freak.." but before she could say anymore Hana cut in, finally realizing who Neko-san was.
"Neko-san is the ANBU with the cat mask, ya moron! He's the one that protects the kid from idiots like ya, and the allowance is sent by the Hokage, so you're going to take his money and give him the real price for his clothes, 'cause we both know how many Inuzuka shop here and that I can make this dump go broke with a snap of my fingers"
"Well,..." she almost started before.
"You're gonna shut the fuck up, 'cause if I hear another sound from your general direction I'm gonna burn this place down!" Hana was fuming right now, even Kurama, who she was defending, was a little scared, but a lot more grateful.
After leaving the store Hana dragged the Kyuubi by his hands down the street, she didn't seem to be going anywhere but the demon decided that it was best to wait until she calmed down, he paid attention to the street around him, he didn't really want to see the glares but he knew that rocks and knifes could fly from anywhere so you either pay attention or pay with blood. Then he saw two man approaching his group, one had eyes only for Inu-nee-chan and the other was Neko-san, but he wasn't wearing his mask, not like it made a difference, same built, same smell and same way of walking.
"Hana-chan!" yelled the younger boy "How did the mission Hokage-sama gave you go?"
"Huh, horrible, the people of this village are ten times more stupid then I though they were" answered the exasperated Inuzuka.
"Are you sure Hana? I mean if everyone agrees with something and you're the only one that thinks differently aren't you the one that's wrong?" asked the Uchiha with a smile. He still had not seen the kid.
"What is right and wrong is not decided by the amount of people who agree, but by proof, right Neko-san?" asked the boy, smiling at Itachi.
'How dare he correct me? An Uchiha! He's nothing but a demon! And how dare he refer to Itachi-sama like that! Like they were friends, equals' He moved so fast Hana didn't even see the kick flying toward the smiling blond, but Itachi did, catching it with one arm.
"That's right Naruto-kun, you must always strive for the truth, because there is never a situation where it's better not to know, truth and knowledge are weapons just as important to a shinobi as a kunai or a smoke bomb" he finished with a smile "I'm sorry Naruto-kun but I am busy, so I must go." he said, while bowing slightly and walking away stopping only to stare at the younger Uchiha until he started following again.
"You know Uchiha Itachi!" gasped Hana
"If that's how you call Neko-san, then eyes" he answered, before adding "Inu-nee-chan, I'm hungry and I can't hunt here..."
Hana then decided to treat Naruto to lunch, so after giving a dozen of waiters black eyes and swelling lips (and even more ankle bites, from the Haimaru Brothers), they found themselves in a ramen stand called "Ichiraku's", run by an middle-aged man and a girl about Hana's age, Teuchi and Ayame. They didn't mind Naruto, who was beaming at that discovery, but it was clear that Hana was even happier than the boy, that is until he tried ramen, that stuff was delicious! He wondered if it was because a real cook made it or just because it was awesome, he would have to find a way to try other foods and compare.
After a smiling goodbye, Hana lead Naruto to the Forest of Death, a few feet from the fence.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay at the compound Naruto-kun? I can get you a nice room, with a comfortable bed..." she paused trying to tempt Naruto, again.
"I don't need it Inu-nee-chan" he said with a smile, but then grew serious "besides, it's not like I trust the Inuzuka clan, I just trust you."
She immediately pulled the boy in a tight hug, squishing him against her chest, there wasn't much there, but she was still growing, and there was already something so the end result was a flustered biju, that was hugging her back nevertheless. Hugging is nice, he decided.
"Ok, but if you change your mind you let me know Naruto-kun." she insisted "and I'll be visiting you as often as I can so try to stay near the entrance so you can hear the brother's barking, and be careful of snakes and that tiger, and don't forget to wear one of your new jackets to sleep, or you will catch a cold, and..." she continued, apparently oblivious to the fact that Kurama had lived in this forest for the past two years.
