Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
I liked the ideas that were suggested on who would be Kaen's destined mate, but I will give no hints! I hope everyone's surprised by my choice, since my husband gave me the idea just as a joke!
Two years passed before her litter was strong enough to go out on their own, then they no longer needed her. She headed back to the village that she'd been rekindled in and searched out Jiraiya, only to find him soaking in an onsen. She leapt lightly over the fence and dropped her dress to the ground, kneeling behind him before she began to rub his shoulders. He hummed as he rolled his shoulders, and he murmured, "Well, well, it took you long enough."
She purred and her tail waved as she put her arms around him. "It takes time for demon kits to mature and grow. Now they'll go out into the world, hidden but ever searching for their destinies. I've been searching for mine longer than most, but I feel I'm closer now than ever..."
"Should we have some fun in the meantime?"
She smirked and slid into the water beside him.
The two became intense lovers afterwards and his new book came out, which was an instant hit. She joined as Naruto and his half-brother Kinatsu embarked on a training trip. As they trained, Naruto demanded, "Why did you have to bring your girlfriend, Ero-sennin?"
Jiraiya looked on the scene down the waterfall with an interested grin on his face. "I'm examining some of her finer properties. It's for my next book, since the last one was so popular before this trip."
"For your next book, my butt," Kinatsu muttered as he opened one eye. "You just like it that she'll throw off her clothes at your beck and call."
"Haven't you noticed something familiar about her? It's been bothering me ever since I first encountered her, I thought you two could help me as we trained out here. Are there any other women around her age with such features? I can't name any, but that last name..."
Kinatsu watched Kaen for a moment and just as she twirled around, his eyes widened and he shot up, face disbelieving. "It can't be...she died almost four-and-a-half years ago..."
"Who's that, Kinatsu?" Naruto asked, surprised that the other blonde had made such a quick connection.
"My mom, Hatake Tenchū."
"You mean Kakashi-sensei's wife?! What?!"
Jiraiya snapped his fingers. "I knew I'd seen her somewhere before, but how can this be? She has no memories of anything before she met me, but she did say something about being a 'sainen hineko'."
"A rekindled fire cat? My mom was half fire cat! What's Kaen-san's last name?" Kinatsu demanded.
"Hm? She said it was Akakaze."
"It's not just a coincidence. Is 'rekindled' a demon's version of reincarnation?"
"But you said your mom was only half!" Naruto pointed out.
"Yeah, but that might've been enough," the seven-tailed boy guessed, before he grinned in joy. "Chichi-ue's gonna be over the moon that we've found Haha-ue again."
Jiraiya shook his head. "I don't think you should tell him."
"Why?! He's been so withdrawn since her death!"
"You're too young to see, but Kakashi's made his closure with his wife's death. He's spending all his energy to make sure Ren-chan is a healthy, happy girl and have you ever been over there lately? Raising a three-year-old is difficult for a single man, even if he's a ninja. She runs him ragged, and you usually visit him in the evenings, right?"
Kinatsu and Naruto's eyes widened in unison as it clicked. "So he's been exhausted every time we visit, and he hides it when he's on a mission," the slightly older boy murmured.
"That and the recent defection of his favorite student and the separation of Team Seven, it's just been one thing after another for the poor man. It's all he can do to keep it together, but I'm sure if you asked Ren-chan about it, she'd say quite a bit about the subject. She's become quite talkative lately and her bright and energetic personality reminds me of someone."
Kinatsu grinned and nodded. "Yeah, now that I think about it."
Jiraiya turned his eyes on Kaen again and watched in interest as water splashed over her ears and tail, yet they didn't even fizzle or decrease in vividness. They seemed to burn despite everything, when he'd touched them one time he'd gotten third degree burns, and even now they smarted if he stretched the skin too much. It reminded him of what had happened when the Kyubi's chakra had touched him when Naruto had gained the fourth tail, save Kaen had taken the burns away quickly after that, so he wouldn't suffer beyond the loss of blood, crushed ribcage and internal injuries. It had taken him a good amount time to even sit upright after that, but now he was managing just fine. The scar alone was horrendous, but Kaen had told him that it didn't bother her, men such as him got scars and him messing with demons had been an almost-fatal mistake. If he didn't do it again, she wouldn't doubt he would live much longer.
"Perfect through and through. No human woman could compare."
Naruto moaned, "Not still making perverse fantasies up, Ero-sennin? If you start chuckling again, I'm going home right now!"
Jiraiya snorted. "You're still far too young to understand how long I've searched for such a woman amongst my own kind, yet she drops right into my lap without any effort at all! It's no wonder your old mentor married her!"
Kinatsu shook his head. "You're such a twisted romantic, Jiraiya-sensei."
"I'm no romantic, I'm a SUPER PERVERT!"
"At this rate, I'm sure the next generation of perverts will be coming along within the time we're done with this training trip," the mixed-blood teenager deadpanned.
Naruto's face hit the dirt. "Oh man, I can't even begin to imagine Ero-sennin as a parent."
Jiraiya smirked. "I'm sure it'll come along sooner than you think. Kaen's told me she has a bun in the oven, but won't reveal when it'll be born. For all I know, human-demon hybrids take much longer to grow."
Kinatsu revealed, "Haha-ue told me that it takes the same amount of time as a normal human, but if the mother is human, the birth is too hard for her and she dies. I'm sure Kaen-san will be just fine, since her body is built for such difficulties."
Unknown to them, a red-haired figure watched Kaen from the edge of the trees, red eyes intent on her every move. She blatantly ignored the presence of the entity, even if it sent out feelings of affection and longing to meet. When it persisted, she sent an emotion that unabashedly stated "leave me alone and don't bother me again". The other red-haired figure relented and turned away, nine tails swishing as it vanished.
Kaen was soaking in the bathtub of an inn on the way back to Konohagakure no Sato when she felt an intrusion on her mind again and growled, "Enough already! What do you want?"
A set of nine figures appeared before her and she frowned, looking absolutely incensed at their presence.
"Haha, forgive us, but my siblings and I want to know where Chichi is. If you tell us, we'll leave you alone."
Her fire tail whipped to and fro as she bit out, "He's not in a form like I am, so you cannot meet him. I told you that very soon after your birth."
"How so?"
"He's been sealed inside a human, and that human is still a youth, so he won't be released anytime soon. He's been like that for almost a century before your birth, so there's nothing we can do about it. I won't waste human life, for I thrive to take away their illnesses and infirmities, especially those who're near death. You should have some of that instinct, so leave me be. Go find your destinies and let me live my life the way I want."
"Have you found yours, Haha?"
"Yes, although he does not believe our bond will last. Even if I have to follow him for the rest of his life, I will show him."
"We've had a glimpse into the future, and it's been shown that he will not live much longer if he stays on his current path."
"That's why I said I would follow him. I will intervene with his fate and save him when he's at death's door. I won't let a death affect my offspring again."
With that, the nine Kyubi children left as swift as they'd come. She rubbed her stomach and sighed. "This is making my figure too round, like I've devoured too much sickly energy. When this is done with, I'm sure I'll be happier than Jiraiya."
So Kaen doesn't want to pursue her destiny any further because she's too attached to Jiraiya...hmmm...this might lead to complications later, don't you think?
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