Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach. I decided to change the tragedy category to Adventure until I decide what would be better(way to tired here!). And yes, I've noticed that I spell Rietsu, Zonpaktou, and A LOT OF OTHER STUFF(probably)WRONG! But if nobody's noticed, other people spell stuff wrong to. Some people spell it ritsue, and Zenpiktu AND Zenpictoe(since when does Zen pick toes?). I at least spell it close, and it gets the frickin' point across! So please, no more reviews about 'you spelled this wrong' or 'you did this wrong'! As much as I'm happy to get these pointers(I am, really), they kind of get annoying. Thanks for listening, those that have.

Word Count: 46,447 (BE HAPPY, THIS TOOK FOREVER!)

Chapter 4

Natio Nationis Pro Lux Lucis

:::Seireitei:::

The sound of wood hitting wood filled the Seireitei as an official-sounding voice announced: "Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert." nearly endlessly. In six different places, dust rose in large plumes, and heading to each of these plumes, were platoons of Soul Reapers. They ran with murderous intent in their eyes, ready to slaughter whoever would dare shatter that barrier of the Seireitei. But when they reached each plume, all they found, was four empty craters, one filled with sand, and the last with bloody paw prints leading away from it. Nobody could find the creators of the indents, leaving the Seireitei in an uproar.

:::With Naruto:::

Naruto moved silently through the shadows, blood rolling through his orange fur. Many cuts covered his body, some large gashes, which spilled blood, leaving thin, splotchy trails on the ground. This sucks…that was a hard landing… Naruto thought as he padded on. Right after he had crashed into the ground, Naruto had morphed back into his fox form, and had dashed off as a group of Soul Reapers brandishing their Zonpaktou had come around a corner, shouting orders to one another. Now there wasn't much to notice about Naruto. Alright, that's a total lie… Naruto chuckled to himself. First off, he was a orange fox the size of a lion with four tails, with one tail split in two from the tip, all the way down ¾ of the tail, before joinging again into one tail . Second, he was bleeding as if he had just gone through a blender. Next, he still had his mask fragment around his throat, and his hollow hole through his chest. His Zonpaktou was still on his back, tied awkwardly to his body. There was a lot to notice about the fox, but there was much more to notice about the intruders.

Naruto glanced around, his old, childish self coming to the surface. That's strange…I havent felt like this since I was still a kit with the others… Naruto thought, and dashed off at high speeds. The orange Vulpes ran around the Seireitei, trying to run off his urge to do something childish, but, even after everything had calmed down, Naruto's feeling of childishness hadnt left him yet. The Vulpes stopped, and looked around from his perch on a roof, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Hm…everything looks so…peaceful…so perfect…so…beautiful… Naruto thought.

Time to screw it up! Naruto cackled and morphed into his human form. He yanked a large can of paint out from behind his back (because we all know Anime Characters are magical.), a fox-like grin that would have made Ichimaru Gin pale with envy.

That entire day, no Soul Reaper could find out why buildings were, at one moment white and dull, suddenly turning vibrant colors, or why toads would suddenly appear in the female restrooms or showers, sending the women shrieking out of the showers, clutching towels to their bodies. Many pictures of foxes kicking Kuchiki Byakuya appeared on the walls, mainly around the Kuchiki Clan Residence. And that is how we find Naruto now; painting a giant, orange fox with 4¾ tails doing the middle-finger salute with a giant grin on its muzzle. The orange-haired Vulpes was cackling madly as he painted a downed Byakuya and Renji piled underneath the giant fox, their eyes X's and their tongues sticking out of their mouths. He added the fox holding a sword in its other paw; the sword looking suspiciously like the one on Naruto's back at that moment. For a final touch, he painted the collar of teeth around the fox's neck, like a dog collar.

Naruto sprang back many buildings, then framed the image with his fingers, his thumbs touching the forefinger of his opposite hand. Naruto grinned, letting his hands fall onto his hips. "Perfect!" He laughed. "Now everyone will see my creation!" Why, do you ask, would everyone see the creation, even those in the Rukongai? Because Naruto had just taken up the entire side, from ground to the top hundreds of feet above, of a giant white tower that stood next to a giant cliff. Everyone could see the image clearly. "Take that, Soul Reapers!" Naruto turned, and laughed psychotically as he walked casually through the empty streets of the Seireitei. "Man, if I could see that faces of the Soul Reapers now…" Naruto said, then froze, his ears twisting around backwards on his head. He ducked as a massive red kido flew over his head. In his backbend, Naruto glimpsed the large feet of a Soul Reaper under the red glow. Naruto spun around, and stared at the Soul Reaper. He instantly covered his eyes. "Gah! Different face, different face! I don't want to see the look of a fat ugly person!" Naruto barked, shielding his eyes. The Soul Reaper, in turn, stomped his foot angrily.

"I am not ugly, and I am not fat!" He yelled.

"When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror without your shirt on, TUBBY?" Naruto shouted in return. "Your Kimono top covers all your FLAB and MAN BOOBS!" The Vulpes shrieked, pointing. "And you are TO ugly! What's up with your face! It reminds me of a rectangle! With a toupee on top!"

"That's it, you jackass!" The man barked, and drew his Zonpaktou. "I, Marechiyo Omaeda, Vice-Captain of the 2nd Squad, shall KILL YOU!" Naruto drew his own Zonpaktou from his back.

"And I, Vulpes Naruto, will NOT let you do that." Naruto responded (Okay, I'm not sure if I've explained Naruto's Zonpaktou's appearance, so I'll just be doing that now.). Naruto's Zonpaktou was about 4 feet, 7 inches long, with a two-handed-grip hilt. The hilt was wrapped tightly in burnt-orange cloth with silver metal showing at the end of the hilt. The hand guard looked like claws made of pure silver, coming out of where the metal of the blade and the metal of the hilt melted into one; these claws ran along the entire sword, coming to about six in total, to act as the guard, with the tips of the claws facing the tip of the sword's blade, and were around three inches long. The majority of the sword was taken up by the blade, which was a shimmering silver katana blade that came to a deadly point at the end. The blade, being wider then normal, was about four inches in width. When the Zonpaktou was on Naruto's back, the blade was usually covered by a burnt-orange sheath, and the sword was held to his back with a (big surprise here) burnt-orange cloth (I'll explain the orange thing later.).

Omaeda grinned. "I don't know who or what you are…but that stick of a Zonpaktou cant defeat mine!" Omaeda called.

"Mine's a stick? If you havent noticed, mine is longer then yours by a more then a foot…and yours is only two inches in width! Mine trumps yours, Tubby!" Naruto shouted, glaring at the man with his multi-colored eyes.

"That's it, you bastard! I'm going to kill you, then burn the remains with the Head Captain's Zonpakotu!" Omaeda yelled, and vanished with Shunpo. He reappeared behind Naruto, a large smile on his face, as his Zonpaktou dripped with blood. With wide eyes, Naruto fell. But only from his stomach up did. The rest stayed standing. Blood poured from the two halves of the orange-haired Vulpes. Omaeda stood, a smirk on his face. "Sorry, kid, but you were no match for a Vice-Captain like me." Omaeda said quietly, and sheathed his sword. Suddenly, someone walked out from behind Omaeda, his eyes closed, and his face stoic.

"So…the Head Captain has a Flame-type Zonpaktou…I can beat that, no problem." Said the person. Omaeda took one look, and shrieked, jumping away from the orange-haired figure.

"I-it cant be! I cut you in two!" Omaeda shouted. The orange-haired figure opened his purple and golden eyes.

"That's the thing, Mr. Vice-Captain…we demons have a way of defying death." Naruto said, his voice a low hiss. Omaeda looked back to where the body of the Vulpes still stood, or in the top half's case, lay. Yup, it was still there, and blood was still pouring out. Yet suddenly, the skin, clothes, hair eyes, and even Zonpaktou began to get darker, until they were black. And then they just sank into the ground, turning into the long shadow of the Vulpes.

"W-wha…How is that possible?" Omaeda shouted, pointing to where the puddle of blood remained on the ground.

"It just is." Naruto hissed back, and repositioned his blade so it was in front of him, the tip pointing up. "I thought you, a Soul Reaper, of all people, would be able to understand how it is possible." Naruto crouched slightly, and then vanished with a crack of power, and when he reappeared in front of Omaeda, his forefinger and middle finger pressed against his chest. Naruto grinned widely as he flicked the man, sending him flying back into a large wall. Rubble flew everywhere as the man drilled right through the cement. Naruto's grin suddenly turned from sadistic to goofy, as he threw his fist in the air. "Strike!" He barked with triumph. Naruto's grin instantly fell when Omaeda managed to claw his way out of the wreckage. "You know…it would have been a lot easier if you would have stayed down." Naruto said in a dark voice.

"And it would have been a lot easier if you would have just been cut in half back there, but I'm not complaining!" Omaeda retorted. A grin spread across Naruto's face once again.

"I may be mistaken…but did you not just complain?" Naruto asked, and Omaeda's face fell as he spluttered, trying to form words to make a comeback. "What? Fat got your tongue?" Naruto asked.

"You bastard!" Omaeda shouted as he raced forward, brandishing his Zonpaktou. "You, a member of nameless race, have no right to talk to me, a Soul Reaper, in that fashion!" Omaeda roared. Naruto's face grew dark once again.

"I'm not nameless." Naruto said. "I already said…" Naruto vanished completely, and reappeared behind the Vice-Captain. "I'm a demon." Naruto reached forward with a dangerous clawed hand…and then ripped Omaeda's underwear over his head into a super-wedgies. Naruto grinned, and held up both his hands in double peace signs. "Hollows rule! Remember that!" Naruto cackled as he flashed away with Sonido, leaving Omaeda flailing on the ground. That day, all of Soul Society could hear Soi Fon screaming at her Vice-Captain:

"YOU DUMBASS! YOU WENT UP AGAINST AN ARRANCAR! AND YOU HAD THE DAMN NERVE TO LOOSE, AND YOU DIDN'T THINK ABOUT RELEASING YOUR SHIKAI! ARE YOU AN IDIOT? HE DEFEATED YOU BY GIVING YOU A WEDGIE! A WEDGIE!"

And everyone could hear insane cackling from an unknown figure as the yelling continued.

:::That Night:::

Naruto sighed as he sat back against the cool wall of a building. His urge to cause panic and trouble had long-since worn off. And now he was just…empty. He was out of energy from running around, pranking, and then finally, beating that Omaeda guy. He needed to rest…but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Something was blocking him from sleep; it disturbed him.

'Don't ignore it. It'll probably tell you something important.' Said a voice in the back of Naruto's mind.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto muttered out loud.

"What do you know?" Asked a voice. Naruto jumped slightly, and looked over to his left. Yoruichi sat there, her tail waving behind her.

"Nothing." Naruto sighed, looking at the moon. "Do you know where any of the others are yet?"

"No…I went to look for them, and couldn't find them. I felt Ichigo's rietsu earlier today along with another's rietsu…but before I could get there, it disappeared. It's hard to chase a target without a lead." Yoruichi responded.

"Cats should have better senses of smell…" Naruto commented to himself. Yoruichi head-butted the Vulpes' arm.

"And you Vulpes' should get smaller. It'd help a lot." She responded. "So…" Yoruichi looked around at the painted buildings, and the masterpiece far off on the white tower. "…are you having fun yet?"

"Not really. Call that over there a 'childish streak'." Naruto responded. Yoruichi sighed heavily, wilting.

"You know, sometimes I think that you grew up a little to fast. You're 7,999 and you're already acting like you're 40,000." Yoruichi said. Naruto raised an eyebrow, and then nodded in understanding.

"Oh, so you think I act like an 80 year old? And what's your excuse? You're old to." Naruto said.

"Yeah, but it doesn't count since I'm dead." Yoruichi grinned, causing Naruto to sigh in slight annoyance and look away. Yoruichi stopped grinning, and looked out over the quiet Seireitei, until the tall walls stopped her from looking further.

"…there's strong Reapers here…" Naruto muttered, and Yoruichi nodded.

"Who you fought today is through to be a complete idiot…he only became a Soul Reaper, and a Vice-Captain, because he bought his way in. Mainly, anyway. His family's rich; almost like a noble." Yoruichi said. Naruto clenched his fists, his claws digging small, narrow trenches in the cement that he sat on. He grit his fangs and bared them.

"I hate nobles…hate them." Naruto hissed in a low voice.

"I think that not many people do…but by your tone, I'm guessing there's something underneath that hate." Yoruichi said.

"Nobles and I…have never gotten along well." Naruto growled. "They were always the one that would always hunt us for our fur and tails…" Yoruichi nodded sympathetically.

"But still…in Soul Society, there are Thirteen Squads, and within these Thirteen Squads, there is one Captain, and one Vice-Captain that controls their respective squad. And underneath the Captains and Vice-Captains, there are different seats, from 3rd to 30th (or somewhere around there.). All of these Seated Soul Reapers are a force to be reckoned with; you were lucky to meet who you did. If you met Omaeda's Captain, Soi Fon, then you might not have walked away, or at least not as well as you are now." Yoruichi said. Naruto nodded thoughtfully, then blinked rapidly. He turned to Yoruichi.

"Wait a minute, how do you know who I was fighting?" Naruto asked. Yoruichi grinned slyly. "…you little stalker…" Naruto muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey, it was totally random; I was looking for people, and who could ignore some big-ass fox that beat up Kuchiki-taicho and Abarai-fukutaicho while grinning, holding a sword, and flipping off all of Soul Society? I figured it was you, so I went in that direction." Yoruichi said, her smile still on her face. Naruto smiled briefly and rolled his eyes.

"You should still go find Ichigo. I learned how to fight fast; I can handle myself. But I'm starting to worry that Ichigo may get hurt. Trust me when I say that he's important to me." Naruto said. Yoruichi's eyes widened, and she looked to Naruto.

"YOU'RE GAY?" She screeched.

"What? Where'd you get that idea? No, that's not why he's important!" Naruto said, and began to drag his claw hurriedly through the dust on the roof next to him. He drew a rough sketch of the lightning-star mark that was on Ichigo's and his forearm. "Ichigo has that mark on his forearm, and Urahara told me about a legend. Whoever wears that mark is supposed to save the world from some giant disaster. It cant be a coincidence that Ichigo has a birth mark like that!" Naruto explained in a rush. Yoruichi stared at the mark, then froze. She slowly looked to Naruto.

"But…you have that mark too." She said. Naruto nodded and looked away.

"I fear that I may be part of that prophecy as well." Naruto muttered.

"But that mark…it's not on your forearm like Ichigo has his! Cant it just be a mistake or something? Not that I don't think you would make a good World-Saver…but…a demon?" Yoruihi asked. Naruto chuckled quietly.

"I agree completely. A demon shouldn't be charged with that…" Naruto agreed, and pulled his shirt up to reveal half the mark. But in human form, since my arms are to foxish, the mark takes its place on my chest." Suddenly, Naruto's look took on a more foxish look.

His bones cracked loudly as they shrank and then grew, replacing themselves with the correct bones. His skull morphed, pushing a muzzle of out from his face. His eyes grew more animalistic, and his arms grew longer and thicker, before the fingers shortened into paws. His neck grew and thickened, and his head grew larger. As his body covered itself in orange fur, 4¾ tails sprouted from his tailbone and grew out. When the morphing stopped, he was the size of a normal full-grown fox. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow; she hadnt actually paid attention when Naruto had morphed before. It looked much more painful then her transformation was.

Naruto suddenly sat back on his hind legs, and his front legs began to twist, losing their fur and becoming shorter, until his front legs were replaced by human arms. "When in my fox form, I can make my human arms appear for a short amount of time…and on my forearm…" Naruto turned over his right arm, showing off the red mark. "…is the mark." Naruto fell back onto his paws as his arms turned back into the front legs of a fox. He didn't morph back into human form.

"So then…where is it now?" Yoruichi asked. Naruto shrugged his narrow shoulders.

"I don't know. I don't think it's visible when in fox form. Maybe it will be later on, maybe it wont. It all depends." Naruto yawned. "But ever since the day Ichigo and I met, the Mark has been growing from a light red to a deep maroon, and has been getting bigger when it's on my chest in human form. I don't know why, but I think it means that somethings going to be coming. The 'something' that the Mark is for."

"…yeah…I'm confused." Yoruichi sighed. Naruto wilted, and breathed out heavily.

"Of course you are."

:::The Next Day:::

Naruto had hardly gotten any sleep the night before, as usual. He and Yoruichi had stayed up talking and watching the stars while searching for signs of the others. So in the other words, the Vulpes-Arrancar hadn't had time to sleep. At all. I really need sleep…that was about two or three hours of sleep that I got…like, TWO DAYS AGO. Naruto thought, almost already sleeping while he walked in his fox form through the shadows. Of course, since he was a orange fox, that was kind of hard in the secretive department. More then once, he had been chased by screaming Soul Reapers. Naruto had theorized that if he looked like an animal, everybody would leave him alone, thinking that he was just that; an animal. But alas, this was not the case. When he tried walking in the light, a Soul Reaper had shouted "HOLLOW!" and had chased after him for two hours, waving their swords around. It probably didn't help Naruto keep up the image of a regular animal with the fact that he had a Hollow Hole…or the Hollow Fragment…or, come to think of it, more then one tail and a sword on his back. Everything about his appearance was just…unnatural. Not like others appeared natural, though. Soul Reapers, for one! And then there was Uryuu, Chad, Orihime…and Yoruichi.

But in their defense, they didn't come there often, if at all.

Naruto hadnt had a fight since Omaeda's little episode, and he had only felt Ichigo's rietsu rise a few minutes ago. He hadnt felt the others, so once he felt Ichigo, he raced off in that direction, his paws barely touching the ground at all. When he finally reached the battlefield, he was astounded. Ichigo and Renji were battling, one on one, and were exchanging powerful blows, both in Shikai, and both with their rietsu soaring. Naruto spotted Ganju and another Soul Reaper, and padded over to them. Ganju blinked, and stared at the fox, then palmed is forehead. "Sis warned me you might be able to do that. Hi, Vulpes-guy. Looks like we found you." Ganju said. The Soul Reaper looked around the tall man, and stared with wide eyes at the fox. Naruto stood up onto his hind paws, and stormed forward awkwardly, before jamming Ganju in the chest with his paw.

"First off, it's Naruto, not Vulpes-guy. And second, I found you." Naruto said. The Reaper shrieked and nearly fell over in shock. "And who's the kid?"

"H-Hanataro, um, fox, um, sir." The boy stuttered. Naruto raised an eyebrow, and looked down at his body.

"Oh, right, fox form." Naruto muttered, and with painful, loud cracks, he morphed into human form, and stumbled slightly, as if almost falling over. "Is that better?" Hanataro nodded, glancing quickly at Naruto's arms, his outfit, and his body's strange Hollow features. Naruto looked off to the fight as Ichigo was thrown into a wall, deep gashes on both his shoulders, and blood rolling from his forehead. "Well…it looks like Ichigo's doing well." Naruto commented lazily.

"Better? He's getting the crap beaten out of him!" Ganju protested.

"Uh, no, not really." Naruto said, and pointed. "Look at Abarai. He's just as injured as Ichigo, if not more. I wouldn't be surprised if Ichigo won…he'll be tired and injured, yes, but at least he'll have won." The Vulpes looked back to Ganju. "I'm surprised that you're not shocked I survived that fall."

"…well…Ichigo and I thought you died…until we saw the giant paintings everywhere…then we kind of figured either you were alive…" Ganju paused "…or someone was doing a horrible job impersonating you."

"…well, I don't usually do the entire 'pranking' thing, but I felt like it. Oooo, that one looks like it hurt." Naruto winced slightly as Ichigo was cut along his right forearm. The ground was already torn up, and it look like the fight was beginning to quickly wind down. Both were breathing heavily and were bleeding violently. Suddenly, Renji collapsed, and Ichigo soon followed. Naruto blinked, and pointed. "You might want to move him." Naruto said.

"W-why?" Hanataro stuttered.

"I can hear more Soul Reapers approaching. Not that I don't mind fighting…but we don't want to have to protect an injured person as well." Naruto responded. He lifted Ichigo into his arms carefully. "Someone carry his Zonpaktou." Naruto called as he began to stumble off, trying to support Ichigo's weight without falling over onto his face. Hanataro picked up Zangetsu, and with Ganju leading the way into the underground sewers, the four escaped with only seconds to spare.

"Can you place Ichigo down right here, please? I'll start working on him right now. I might be able to save him if I do." Hanataro said, trying to keep his voice steady. Naruto shrugged, and crouched quickly, letting Ichigo roll softly out of his grasp and onto the ground.

"I hope you're right, Hanataro. If Ichigo dies…let's just say the world will be screwed." Naruto mumbled the end to himself so only he could hear. He sighed, and sat down with his back against the wall as Ganju took watch near the entrance to the tunnel. After ten minutes. Hanataro was still working on trying to close the wounds. Twenty minutes then passed…then thirty…then forty, then the time climbed to fifty, sixty, and even further. Naruto lost his track of time after an hour passed, and stopped trying. The wounds still werent closed. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked, crawling over to Hanataro's side.

"I-I don't know. I think he l-lost t-to much blood…I don't kn-know if I-I can heal him!" Hanataro stuttered. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"He lost to much blood?" Naruto asked, and Hanataro nodded. Suddenly, Naruto whipped a Wakizashi from his outfit, and placed the tip on his left forearm. With a quick slash and a yelp of pain, Naruto slashed the middle of his forearm to the bone. Hanataro shrieked and jumped away from the orange-haired Vulpes as he created another cut on his arm. Ganju leapt forward, and grabbed Naruto's right wrist, preventing him from mutilating his arm further.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ganju yelled. Naruto simply sprouted a tail, and lashed out with it. He wrapped it around Ganju's waist, and hoisted him into the air. Another tail sprouted from his spine, and this one lifted Hanataro. The two struggled against the surprisingly powerful appendages.

"Do you want him to survive or not?" Naruto barked as he picked up Ichigo's right arm, and held the end of the Wakizashi to his skin. "Sorry, Ichigo." Naruto muttered, wincing, then dragged the blade down Ichigo's arm, creating a deep cut in his flesh. Ichigo screamed in pain and thrashed, but Naruto continued to cut until the cut was the same size as his. When he stopped, Ichigo stopped thrashing, and, breathing heavily, calmed down. Naruto, sighing in relief at the other boy's calmness, pressed his cut against Ichigo's, and all fell silent.

"What're you doing?" Hanataro asked, slightly frightened.

"You said he lost blood, and I'm giving him some." Naruto deadpanned. "My blood has special healing properties in it. If Ichigo has my blood in his body, he should be able to heal faster then before."

"How long will this special effect last?" Hanataro questioned. Naruto shrugged.

"Depends. If his body decides that my blood isnt doing any harm…then it'll last long enough for his wounds to heal. But if his body doesn't like my blood, then he wont heal at all. But at that point down the road, his first wounds would have killed him by then. It wont matter then." Naruto muttered, and pulled his arm away from Ichigo's own. He set Hanataro down, but kept Ganju in the air. "Hanataro. Wrap up his wound. We don't need my blood to run out of his arm before it can take its course." Naruto ordered. Hanataro hurriedly did as he was instructed, and once he was finished, Naruto roughly returned Ganju to the cement ground. "All you can do is wait now. If you try and heal him, my blood will lose it's abilities, and he'll die. If you cover up his wounds, we wont know if they're closing or not. Just wait." Naruto said. The three sat in antagonizing silence as the orange-haired Soul Reaper struggled for air. And then suddenly…steam began to rise from Ichigo's man wounds, and they began to slowly drift closed. Naruto breathed out heavily in relief. "Well thank god that worked." He muttered. He walked over to the shadows, and morphed into fox form as he did. "Wake me up when he's all healed; giving him that much blood mixed with my own power is really draining." Naruto said, yawning. He curled up in a corner, using his tails as a pillow and a form of a blanket as he did, making himself look like just a giant mound of orange fur.

:::Naruto's Mindscape:::

Naruto's eyes opened slowly, and he looked around at the painfully-familiar field. The grass was burning with the very flames of Hell, and demons raged around, slaughtering Soul Reapers, humans, and any other creature that opposed them. Heading them was the same orange, flaming nine-tailed demon fox, and Karakura was still burning loudly. Cries of pain still could be heard from the giant city. Naruto walked through the carnage like he always did, and paused as he saw the familiar area that always held Urahara with Benihime ready to pierce his body. Even though he didn't walk any farther, the silver blade still sliced through his chest. Naruto looked down, his eyes wide; seeing the first human you trusted stab you with such anger and sadness on his face wasn't something you wanted to see every time you fell asleep.

"I cant believe this…we sheltered you, protected you, trusted you, even though you were a demon…and this is how you repay us…you get your demonic legions to attack the earth to destroy it! You were supposed to be one of the saviors working with the God of Heaven to prevent this war! Not be the one who brought it about! Well, I'm glad at least I was able to you…damn you, Kyuubi!" Urahara spat, glaring up into Naruto's eyes. Naruto waited for Urahara to die and for the dream to end, yet it didn't. Urahara still glared, and the fires still burned. Naruto found himself talking without being the one to think the words; yet they made perfect sense in that situation.

"I never betrayed you, Kisuke! I did everything to stop it…I did all I could! This wasn't supposed to happen; I'm not the Kyuubi!" Naruto's voice said.

"Oh please!" Gasped a voice off from the side. It was Yoruichi. "We were all there…when you gained your final tail…and we were there when we heard the second prophecy! If only we could have seen it sooner…your true nature…you do have demon's blood after all." Yoruichi managed to gasp out, blood spilling from the corners of her mouth.

"What prophecy? There was only one; the one you told me about Kisuke, about how that Mark is supposed to symbolize how I'm supposed to work with Ichigo to save the world!" Naruto protested. Urahara looked over to a heap on the ground.

"And how are you going to do that? Control Ichigo like a puppet?" Urahara screamed, looking to the boy that was cut in half and bled out a few feet away. Naruto limped over to the orange-haired boy, his eyes opened wide, yet glazed over and blank.

"No…this wasn't supposed to…NO!" Naruto yelled, his fur bristling. "DAMN YOU, FATHER!"

:::Outside Mindscape:::

Naruto snorted as he was prodded awake. He bat the offending finger away before it could poke the side of his head again. He turned a tired glare to Ichigo, who had a giant grin plastered on his face. "You're lazy, you know that?" Ichigo asked, his grin widening. Naruto sighed, and climbed to his paws.

"I've barely slept in around 22 days, Ichigo. I need my sleep to, you know." Naruto muttered in annoyance. A sly grin suddenly spread across his own maw, and he turned half-closed eyes to the orange-hared Reaper. "And I'm not the one who was just sleeping for half a day because he got little paper cuts!" Ichigo's draw dropped as he sputtered, trying to find words.

"They weren't paper cuts! Any deeper and I could have lost both my arms!" Ichigo protested.

"So? I've lost a paw before; you don't hear ME complaining!" Naruto barked, turning his head away, his sly grin slightly faltering.

"Yeah, but we Humans cant regenerate parts of our bodies!"

"Neither can we demons!" Naruto yelled back.

"Then why is your paw conveniently still attached to your body?"

"Because I'm awesome!" Hanataro and Ganju blinked as they watched the strange exchange.

"Is he really a demon?" Hanataro asked, staring at the currently-short nearly-five-tailed fox that was deeply engrossed in his shouting match with Ichigo.

"That's what he claims, and what my sis says; but I don't know if I should believe that. The way he acts doesn't point to demon at all; it points more to a bipolar person." Ganju muttered in reply, and flinched when Ichigo delivered a kick to Naruto's stomach, sending him soaring into the water near them. Naruto's head resurfaced, and he glared at Ichigo.

"What the hell? Do you know how dangerous that is for a Fire-type (heh heh…pokemon XD) like me to go into water? If that water I swallowed had gone into my other stomach…I'D FRICKIN' KILL YOU!" Naruto shouted before pulling himself up onto the cement walkway.

"How would you kill me? Your fire power would be gone, wouldn't it?" Ichigo responded slyly.

"Not. My. Ice." Naruto growled, his fur standing on end. He slashed one of his tails through the water, sending a tidal wave onto Ichigo, before he barked a high, shrill sound. Ichigo, consequentially, froze solid as frost covered his entire drenched body. Naruto grinned triumphantly, and sat down with a nod of approval. "My control over my Ice is not the best, but it still gets the job done, you jackass."

"Ummm…" Hanataro sounded, causing Naruto to turn his head to the boy, and use his tails to spin the frozen Ichigo to face the same direction. "Don't you think we should be moving on, instead of arguing with one another?" He asked. Naruto blinked, and looked up to Ichigo, who turned is eyes down to the Vulpes.

"The kid's got a point." Naruto sighed as the ice melted from Ichigo's body, leaving him shivering and drenched. "We don't have time to be arguing like this; Rukia's execution date is drawing closer and closer. We need to focus on that…then argue the crap out of each other." Ichigo nodded, his teeth chattering.

"Y-y-yeah…y-y-your right." He stuttered.

:::Above Ground, Three Minutes Later:::

Naruto's ears twitched as he thought deeply. I don't know why the hell I keep getting that dream…and what I screamed at then…I've never met my father, so I don't know why I should be screaming that while dreaming. Naruto thought, his legs carrying him forward without even registering what was going on. But when the voices of Ichigo, Ganju, and Hanataro faded, Naruto broke away from his thoughts, and look up. A sweat drop formed on the back of his head. "Great. I'm lost." Naruto growled, his ears flattening to his head. "Because that's what all Vulpes do! We go and get ourselves lost! This dream is getting me pissed off! First it doesn't let me sleep, then it makes me so focused I lose track of the only person willing to bring me around Soul Society! Damn it, this is just my luck." Naruto snarled as he stormed off, trying to pick up the scent of Ichigo and the others. But because his ears were so acute to everything, he theorized that he had actually wandered off from the ground long before, and just backtracking would be to much of a hassle. And he couldn't follow Ichigo through his spiritual pressure; ever since he had given Ichigo that tip on how to create a Spirit Sphere, he had learned more and more about how to conceal his spiritual pressure, and now he was near Captain Level with hiding his rietsu.

Naruto sighed heavily, drooping his head in defeat and closing his eyes. Looks like I'm alone on this one again… He thought.

:Oh come now! You're never alone, little kitty!: Laughed a voice in Naruto's mind. The Vulpes glared off into empty space.

Stop calling me kitty, or I'll come in there and the 'kitty cats' will claw the crap out of your scaly hide! Naruto snapped through his thoughts.

:Ow, come on, that's a little…wait a minute…what're you guys doing? Naruto, Naruto, say something! Tell them to stop, anything! Come on, I was only kidding!: The voice said. Naruto rolled his eyes but didn't say nor think anything.

~Kitty cats, are we? We'll show you who's a little kitten, you bastard!~ Shouted a second voice. Naruto's eye twitched.

:Oh for Kami's sake, I was JOKING! I didn't mean it literally! Come on, no fighting in here, or you'll break the Xbox!:

You guys have an Xbox in there? Why the hell am I still out here, then? Naruto thought in exasperation; if they got an Xbox while he had to be fighting and sneaking through the shadows, then the world was one messed-up little place.

'Come now, don't hurt that snake.' Said a third voice, this one tired and slightly rasped, as if it didn't talk often.

:Oh, thank you, thank-:

'Kill him instead. Then we wont need to listen to his Kitty comments, and we wont have to hear him complain about how we injured him.' The third voice cut off.

:Oh COME ON!:

Yeah, no killing or hurting, guys. I was gonna hurt him because I don't have to live with him, but you guys do; it'll only get under your fur later. Naruto thought as he ducked out of sight of a group of patrolling Soul Reapers. As the three voices argued, a fourth broke through, this one a roar.

! The fourth voice howled.

:Oh crap! The Giant Kitty's mad! Wait, no, I didn't mean-:

That's it. You guys can kill him.

:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!: Naruto smirked as the voices battled it out, with the fourth roaring angrily for silence. And if that wasn't enough…a fifth broke through.

-Your mind's a pretty crowded place, you know that?- The fifth asked. -If I was you, I would have gone insane by now.-

I am insane, remember. We all are. You're one of the more insane ones I know. Naruto responded, blocking out the other conversations from the current one the Vulpes was engrossed in.

-Oh, thank you!- The fifth responded proudly. -I mean, it's not like I really like you, since I'm stuck with you and you're a weak idiot, but at least you know how to compliment someone!-

I don't know if I should be honored or offended by that. Naruto thought. And the feeling's mutual. I hate you, you know. Without you, I could be just like Frostbite and Callen and the others(…don't ask, it'll be revealed later on.).

-Ooo! Did I strike a nerve with you?-

Not really.

-Damn! Well, just don't get any more people locked up here in your mind. I cant deal with any more of this crap when I'm trying to sleep, and I don't need any more people hogging my Game Systems!- The voice said.

Yeah, well I don't want any more either. Naruto thought, and shut out all the voices until they were silent once again. Naruto sighed in relief at the voice-assault ending. But before he could refocus, something triggered in his mind. Blood. Bloodlust seeped into his mind and throat, and his paws began to knead the ground as he tried to keep in place. His fangs ached and his throat itched horribly. His fur stood on end, and his tails stood out straight and froze. Blood. Naruto thought again, before shaking his head to clear it. No, that's not me…

-I thought you said you wanted to be more like Frostbite and Callen. Well, denying it wont help that.- The voice sighed. -At the very least, go an investigate.- Naruto sighed, and began to trot in the direction the scent of blood was coming from. His paws soon took from trotting to full-on running as the scent of blood began to grow stronger and stronger. It wasn't one of his friends; he would have been able to tell from the smell. No…from the smell of it, it was a Soul Reaper. And it was one that had been moving around a lot lately, mainly by one giant building with giant doors that were guarded by swords that came out of the walls to block the door. Something about it was disturbing, but it also made Naruto's adrenaline pump through his veins, and make his fur stand on end. He slid to a stop on smooth wood, though, when he felt the ground shake beneath his paws. He slowly stuck his head around a corner, and watched with wide eyes as a Vice-Captain attempted to cut down a Captain, only for said Captain's Vice-Captain to parry the blow for him. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Soul Society is one screwed up place if they're attacking each other. No wonder Rukia wished to stay in the Human World. Naruto thought absentmindedly, then looked in the exact direction the scent of blood came from. His eyes widened, and he stumbled backwards slightly, shock crossing his face. What the hell? He gasped. Vomit rose involuntarily in his throat as he stared at the river of blood then came from the body that was pinned fifty feet up. It was a tall, middle-aged man with brown hair, glasses, and kind eyes; at least, they appeared kind. They werent blinking, they werent moving. He wore a Shihakusho of a Soul Reaper, and the Haori of a Captain. Running him through, was a plain Katana. His own Zonpaktou! Naruto gasped in his thoughts, noting that the sheath that was at his side, secured to his body by his white obi belt. Who the hell could have- Naruto cut himself off, then narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right with this. That sword…was emanating a strange aura. He narrowed his eyes further, so they were almost closed, right before his eyes shot open wide. "That's no impaled Captain!" Naruto gasped as he stared at the long sword that was piercing the side of the wall harmlessly. Not even blood caked the walls anymore, and there sure wasn't a corpse pinned so high up! Naruto sniffed the air carefully, instantly picking up, not the scent of Blood, but the scent that had been coming off the man when he had still been there; his own, personal scent. Okay guys…this is going to sound totally cliché…but that guy's scent smells evil. Naruto thought. There was a pause, before the Third Voice from before spoke.

'I agree. His scent doesn't smell right. Don't get involved, though. This might not have anything to do with you.' The voice said. Naruto blinked, and bobbed his head in understanding.

Alright. I understand. Naruto thought, and turned carefully on his paws, before tearing off, back in the direction he had come from. Yet, he instantly stopped, his claws tearing up the ground as he forced his small body to come to a complete halt. "I…cant believe I didn't feel that before!" Naruto gasped. "I must have been so wrapped up with breaking that strange illusion, that I didn't notice! Ichigo's fighting someone!" The Vulpes said, his eyes wide with shock.

-And someone powerful, too! You better get there fast, Vinco, or your friend's gonna die!- Cackled the fifth voice. Naruto growled, and shoved a mental muzzle onto the creature in the depths of his mind.

I don't need you making comments on thi- Naruto stopped in mid-thought, when Ichigo's spiritual pressure, and that of the one he was fighting, dropped down drastically. The scent of fresh, true blood rushed past him. "Ichigo! Damn it…!" Naruto growled as he tore off at unimaginable speeds, his paws hardly even touching the ground as he raced towards the source of the blood scent. "Damn it! Damn it damn it damn it!" Naruto growled, almost like a short mantra, as he whipped around corners, ran on walls as if they were ground, and knocked down Soul Reapers as he basically flew past them. But once he reached a giant clearing, with crumbled buildings around it, he had to slam his front paws into the ground just to stop him; sadly, with his momentum at that moment, his face and muzzle also helped him stop.

Naruto slowly managed to get himself up off the ground, rubbing his muzzle with a paw, muttering curses under his breath. He suddenly whipped his head around to where Ichigo lay, bleeding profusely, in a crater. And sitting next to him, with wide eyes, was a glowing black cat. Naruto blinked, and then trotted forward. "Is he okay?" Naruto asked, gently prodding Ichigo with a paw in his arm. The carrot-top didn't move, but continued to breathe evenly.

"Does he look okay to you?" Yoruichi asked, the glow not faltering from around her body.

"Look, the amount of damage a Demon can take and a Human can take has a wide girth between them. I cant tell if this is fatal or just downright painful for him." Naruto responded, poking Ichigo in the arm again. Yoruichi sighed.

"I don't think it's fatal, but I also know that it's not good. I wont know the full extent until I remove his kimono top." Yoruichi said. A small smirk spread across Naruto's face, and he grinned at the cat slyly. "What?" She snapped.

"Nothing. It's just that…well, you sound stalkerish right now. And kinda like a pedophile." Naruto responded, the sly grin still on his face. Yoruichi's black fur bristled.

"Would you shut up? How am I supposed to treat wounds through two layers of clothing, idiot?" Yoruichi yelled. Naruto just looked away, the grin still present, and waved his paw in dismissal.

"Whatever you say, Pedocat." Naruto said. The glow around the black cat increased, and in a sudden burst of smoke, in the black cat's place, stood a tall woman with long purple hair, yellow eyes, dark skin…and no clothes to speak of. Naruto flew shot backwards, his paws propelling him backwards by instinct and surprise. "HOLY SHIT!" He yelled, and jumped up. He pointed an accusing paw at the woman. "I KNEW YOU WERE A WOMAN, DAMN IT! I KNEW IT!" Naruto shrieked. Yoruichi frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's your response? I transform from black cat to naked woman, and all you have to say is that you knew I was female? Are you gay or something?" Yoruichi asked.

"I am not attracted to males!" Naruto yelled heatedly, stamping a paw. "But when every Vulpes transforms into a human for the first time, do you think they're wearing clothes? No, they're not! And some choose to not wear clothes when transforming back to fox form anyway, so its nothing new to me! The only difference is that it was a Pedo-cat transforming into a Pedo-woman!" Yoruichi rolled her eyes, and slung an unconscious Ichigo over her shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever, Fluffy-puff. I'm going to go heal Ichigo, and I suggest you move out of the area before Soul Reapers get here. We still have a mission to complete, you know." She said, and vanished. Naruto's angered expression slowly fell back to neutral, before he smiled faintly.

"Yeah, whatever." Naruto stood, turned, and walked towards the other end of the manmade clearing. He looked over his shoulder. "You'd better heal him, Yoruichi." He muttered into the wind. "We cant afford him to die on us…" And with a crack of static sound, the Vulpes was gone.

Whoo! I'm done! Okay, now the important stuff…um…you already know what Vinco means. At least, you should, so I don't need to go into that…oh! That little part about Naruto kicking the crap out of Omaeda, and then giving him a wedgie and then flashing peace signs and screaming "Hollows Rule!" …yeah…I didn't come up with that. It was actually a request by a Fanfictioner named omally-dood. Omally-dood actually wanted me to put this in here, and I just found the mental image SO FRICKIN' HILARIOUS that I decided, "What the hell" and put it in here. That covers that…hm…what else…OH!

Some of you may have noticed that I put up a first chapter to a story called Demon's Shadow. Yes, that's a new Fanfiction, and NO, I'm not discontinuing this or putting it on hiatus. But Demon's Shadow was something that I came up with a long time before Kitsune Shinigami or Vulpes Alveus, but I was to busy with other things(mainly writing an actual BOOK called Demon's Shadow) to worry about it. But now that it's summer, and the only thing I do mainly is sit on my ass and type all day, I thought, why not start it now? So, after this chapter, I'm going to be working on primarily DEMON'S SHADOW until I get to CHAPTER FOUR, and then I'm going to be TYPING CHAPTERS FOR BOTH STORIES and then UPDATING THEM AT THE SAME TIME. Did the big letters and bold catch your attention? I thought they did! I think that's it…so…adios!

~Kitsune-242