Authoress note: Hey people how ya doin? Good I hope! Well I'm back with another chappie. I'm so glad you all like this so far. Now on to my reviewers! Konoka: I know Naruto in fox form is cute! --Huggles him-- My Naru-Kun always looks cute though --Cough-- Anyways! On to Leo! Here's one of the chapters I was telling you about. You better believe Naruto's gonna go through a lot more embarrassing stuff lol. I love doing that to him --Laughs evilly-- But we all know he likes it...right Leo? --Snickers-- I might even add some...special stuff for you. --Ahem-- Well I hope you all enjoy this chappie as much as the other ones. Please take care and R and R please!
The next day we went out and looked around the village once more. The streets were crowded and it was hard to move around. Because of this I rode on Dakota's shoulders. Neither one of us wanted me to get lost or trampled on. After a while we stopped at a jewelry store and went in. 'What's she up to?' I wondered. She went past all the displays and went straight to the counter. There an old man sat looking half asleep.
He stood quickly when he saw us approaching. "How can I help you miss?" He asked smiling.
"I was wondering if you'd be able to make a charm for me."
"What do you have in mind?" Reaching up Dakota unclasped a necklace from around her neck and showed it to the man. "Ah that's a very nice charm you've got there." He said as he looked it over.
"Can you make another?"
"Yes but let me get a quick sketch of it." He then proceeded to draw an exact replica of the charm. "Do you want it the same size?"
"Yes please."
"Alright then. Come by tomorrow and it'll be done."
She nodded and left the store. As Dakota placed the necklace around her neck once more I got a good look at the charm. It was a sun burst. I was curious about the meaning. What could it be? I had no clue and it didn't seem like she was going to tell me anytime soon. After that we went and picked up some supplies.
We were deciding on where to have lunch when I suddenly felt someone grab me. Surprised I let out a yelp and turned to see it was a big man. He was smirking.
Dakota turned and demanded "Give him back!"
Ignoring her the man said "What a nice looking fox you got girl. To bad it's mine now."
'What the hell?' I thought as I struggled to get away.
"He's not yours now give him back or else."
The man looked her up and down and said "No way girl. This here fox has got to be worth a lot of money. A lot of people would pay big to have it's pelt." Her eyes widened in horror.
'There's no way you're skinning me!' I thought as I twisted around and bit his wrist as hard as I could. He yelled in pain and dropped me.
After I hit the ground Dakota swiftly kicked the man hard on the side of his head and he slammed in to a nearby wall. "Don't you ever touch him again. If you do I'll kill you." She said as she scooped me up. She looked me over and asked "Skye are you OK?" Besides being a little spooked I was fine. She burred her face in my fur and murmured "I'm so glad. I don't know what I would have done if you'd gotten hurt."
'She cares about me that much?' I thought surprised. No one besides Iruka-sensei had cared about me that much. 'Who're you kidding Naruto. She doesn't care about you she only cares about Skye the fox.' A small voice in my head said. Well now that hurt but could it be true? After all she only knew me as Skye a fox not Naruto the human. The rest of the day went smoothly.
"Wow that looks great." Dakota said as she stood in the jewelry shop the next day looking at the charm the man had made for her.
The man smiled and said "I'm glad you like it miss."
She paid for the charm and a chain then left the shop. Once outside she knelt down and sat me on the ground. I watched as she placed the charm on the chain. Then she looked up at me and said "Skye this charm is very special to me you see it's my clan symbol . Only members of my clan can wear it. You're my friend Skye but now if you don't mind I'm going to make you my family."
I looked at her stunned. She wanted me to be part of her family? But I was a fox! She sat and watched me apparently waiting for a response. I reached out my paw and placed it on her knee.
Smiling she said "I'll take that as a yes." Then she placed the necklace around my neck. "From now on Skye you are a member of the Kano clan and a member of my family." She said scooping me up and holding me close.
This was weird but I kinda liked it. Standing up she placed me on her shoulder once more and began to walk. "If you're wondering why I didn't put the charm on a collar it's because a collar means a pet. You aren't my pet Skye you're my family so I gave you a necklace instead."
I nodded in understanding. When I realized what I had done I stiffened slightly. Dakota only smiled in response. Why wasn't she freaking out that I nodded in response? Most people would because animals don't do that. Oh well that's just one more thing that makes Dakota unique.
Back at the room we were staying in Dakota proceeded to pack everything up. She packed her bag but some of it wouldn't fit. This is where the sealing scroll came in. She sealed her bag and the rest of the items that wouldn't fit in her bag inside it. "Now that's better." She said placing the scroll in her pocket. "Come on Skye it's time to leave this village."
We left the village half an hour latter. Since Dakota didn't have her backpack to slow her down anymore she was able to move more quickly through the forest. By the time night fell we were pretty far away. While she fixed dinner I laid curled up next to the warm fire.
Twitching a fly off of my ear I sighed and thought 'Can things possibly get worse than being stuck as a fox?' You ever hear people say you shouldn't think like that cause something will happen? Well it's true. Seconds after I thought this a huge clap of thunder sounded and a big bolt of lightning shot across the sky. I jumped in surprise and looked to the sky but it was to dark to see much of anything. Then the rain began to pour down.
"Ack! No why did it have to rain?" Dakota cried as she ran around gathering her belongings. Scooping me up she made a mad dash in to the forest to try and find a dry place for us to set up camp. It took a few minutes but we soon found a dense clump of trees where the ground underneath was dry. Grumbling to herself Dakota pulled out her sleeping bag and some dry clothes. As I watched I noticed she was shivering pretty badly. Then she began stripping off her wet clothes and I quickly shut my eyes. When I opened them she was changed in to dry clothes and was wrapping her sleeping bag around herself. I sneezed quite loudly and she looked over to me. "Come on Sky (Sky is short for Skye) or you'll catch a cold." She said as she opened her sleeping bag a little.
I climbed in thanking her for being so kind and laid down next to her. She stroked my fur and I slowly fell asleep. That night wasn't very kind to me. First the storm then I had nightmares. Angry people were chasing me. They cursed and threw things at me as well. Unknown to me I was whimpering and shaking in my sleep.
Dakota woke up and saw me like this. Worried she shook me awake. With a yelp I woke up and looked around my surroundings quickly. When I spotted Dakota I remembered where I was and calmed down. "Are you OK Sky?" She asked as she gently stroked my fur. Actually I didn't feel to good. My head hurt and so did the rest of my body. Groaning I laid my head down and wrapped my tail around me. A worried look crossed Dakota's face as she watched me. Looking at my eyes she saw they looked duller than they normally were. "Sky…you're sick." She murmured softly. In response I closed my eyes. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was "Don't worry Sky I'll take care of you."
For the next two days I drifted in to and out of sleep constantly. My dreams at that time were…..odd to say the least. Dakota stayed by my side the whole time. She only left when it was necessary but wasn't gone for to long. She fed me broth and kept me cool to help fight off my fever. On the third day I awoke feeling a lot better. Looking around I saw that Dakota was gone. She must have gone to get some more water or something. Moving to sit up I fell flat on my face. "What the heck?" I said confused. Then I froze. 'Did I just speak?' I thought. I tried once more and sure enough I could speak. "How did this happen?" I asked out loud.
Shivering I looked down at myself and let out a cry of surprise. I was no longer a fox….but something was wrong. I still had my tail. Reaching up I felt my ears and found out they were still those of a fox. Hearing movement I looked up and saw Dakota coming in to the clump of trees that was our camp. When she spotted me she froze. I watched her as her eyes widened in shock.
"W-who are you?" She stammered. I blinked and cocked my head to the side. She looked to my tail then to my ears and asked "Skye?"
"Yes." I said softly.
She stumbled over to me and dropped to her knees. "How……when…..what…?" She stammered out confused.
"I'm not sure." I said truthfully.
"T-this is….so strange."
Sighing I said "You have no idea."
"Are you a fox or a human?"
Shifting positions I said "Well….um….I guess I'm sorta both."
Nodding she said "I see…" Then we stared at each other silently for a few minutes. "So…er…what now?"
"Well…do you mind if I stick with you?" I asked hesitantly.
Nodding she said "That would be a good idea. A half fox half human chibi wouldn't last long on their own."
My eyes widened and I cried "Chibi!"
"Yeah. Stand up and you'll see."
We both stood and I quickly discovered she was right. I barely went past he knee. Groaning I plopped down on to my butt. It was then I finally realized something. I was completely and utterly butt naked. I quickly wrapped my tail around my….lower half and felt my face flush. How could I of not noticed I was naked!
