The Fox, The Badger and the Vampire
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and company, Rox, Mirage and Elisa are mine, but that and a buck will get me a cup of coffee.
Chapter 9
Naruto rolled over and studied his lovers' bare shoulder. He knew she wasn't happy with what he did. He wasn't pleased with the end result either, but he did what he always had since that day, he protected the Hokage.
He sighed. "I'm sorry."
"No your not." Elisa said, her back to him still. "You would do the same thing over and over." She still didn't look at him, and he knew she was pissed. They had returned to Team Mystique's compound and their room in silence.
"Its one of your best and most frustrating qualities." Elisa continued.
"We're in the exam." Naruto said.
"I'd rather remain a Genin than have you bowing to any demands by those foolish humans."
Now she did roll over and propped herself up on an elbow looking down at him.
Naruto smiled as she looked at him. "They think they handicapped me, but I still have several tails of power to me that became permanent after the release protocols."
He saw her red eyes looking him over. "What?"
She leaned in and kissed him. "Don't make light of this." She said after she pulled back. "You are my mate and I am yours. Remember, no lies between us."
Naruto nodded as she stroked his whisker marks, his own hand cupped her cheek, his thumb ran over her lips lightly. "It became a defense mechanism over the last few years. I'm trying to break it. Sorry."
Elisa nipped his thumb. "We'll see what these do." She said touching the band on his wrist.
The two made love, Elisa needing it to be slow and tender, reassurance that her mate was fine.
XX
"I know you two are kinky, but bondage with the aid of the council is a whole new level." Rox said the next day when they showed up for training.
"Bite me."
"That's her job." Rox said in answer to Naruto's statement.
"Sensei?" Elisa asked.
"We're in. We have the same chance as any team, except that we're more skilled than the teams coming in."
she waited while that sunk in. "We've also been given a task." She said.
"And that would be?" Naruto asked, his arm around Elisa's waist.
"We are to watch over and make sure that the Uchiha makes it to…"
"No." Naruto said. "The stuck up bastard can take his chance, we're not making it easier for him."
"This is a mission from the council." Mirage said.
"And how much are they paying?" Elisa asked.
"And who on the council is asking for this? Danzo and the old man's teammates are locked up still." Naruto asked.
"Lia Haruno of the civilian council." Mirage said.
"And the price."
Mirage shook her head. "They expect our loyalty to Konoha to be payment."
Naruto laughed. "Was the old man there?"
"Nope. Which is why I recorded the meeting and passed the footage on to the Sandaime. He was not pleased."
"And what has he said."
"We'll keep an eye on the Uchiha, but we are not to help him. He must do the task with his teammates and take his chances that way." Mirage said with a grin. "You are not to engage or confront him."
Naruto snapped his fingers. "And here I thought we'd be allowed to eliminate the weak competition."
Mirage smiled. "That can happen during the second exam, it'll take place in the forest of death."
Elisa laughed. "Some call it hell, we call it home."
Rox snorted. "I'm blind and I know you've got that feral look on your face."
Naruto smirked. "So, we have to behave in the first exam, but the second one we get to cut loose."
"The Hokage prefers that you vent on the visiting teams should they prove…hostile." Mirage said.
"What aren't you telling us sensei?" Elisa asked.
"Damn vampire senses." Mirage muttered.
"The Hokage has informed me that Danzo and the others will be released for the exam, to present a united front before the visiting dignitaries."
Naruto growled.
"And he's told us to test your limits with those bands on."
Naruto nodded stepped away from Elisa. "Let's take this to the extreme." He said and moved to the training field.
Over the next hour they smiled as they found they didn't really do much to Naruto in his abilities.
"You can go up to four tails in power max." Mirage said as they sat. "Which doesn't mean much as you currently have about three tails activated. The Hokage has discovered there are things you need to know about them. They have what's called obedience seals, which when activated will cause you pain, they are like the Hyuga's caged bird seal."
"And?" Elisa asked taking Naruto's hand.
"They have a suicide seal."
"I'll kill them!" Elisa snarled rising to her feet.
"The Hokage has a gag seal on them. They can't activate it." Mirage said as Naruto pulled the vampire back and into his lap.
"This sucks." Rox said. "If it wasn't for the power the council has gathered after the death of the Yondaime, they would be disbanded by now."
"Sadly, only the successor to the Yondaime, or an elected Hokage can take the power back. The Sandaime just resumed his duties after the death of the Yondaime and thus the council used the loophole to gain the powers that were littering the wayside."
Rox sighed. "I left my perfectly quiet mountain to put up with this?"
"You were bored." Naruto reminded his friend.
The earthmover sighed. "This will teach me to whine about being bored."
"Look at it this way blinky, you've had a lot of fun since teaming with us." Elisa said.
"True." Rox admitted. "And I've managed to visit numerous lands and villages since then."
"Shame you can't see them." Elisa taunted.
"Bitch."
"Bat."
"Blood sucking fiend!"
"Blind pervert!"
"Stop!" Mirage said cutting off the insult fest that she knew would grow to something that would turn to them fighting. "We need to focus on the exams. You two can flirt later."
Naruto laughed at the look of outrage from his mate and the one on his blind friend's face.
"I would rather kiss an Uchiha." Rox muttered.
"That can be arranged." Elisa said. "And knowing the frigid bastard, he'd enjoy it." Naruto added and Rox looked sick.
"There is one more thing." Mirage said getting their attention back.
"The council lied about the seals."
"In what way?" Elisa asked.
"They are bound to the Hokage, but they are also bound to Danzo. But in order for his to work, the Hokage has to die."
"Sonovabitch!" Naruto hissed.
"And his are tied to the suicide seal. You can bet if anything happens to the Hokage, Naruto will be in pain until he bends to the will of the council."
"And we can't kill Danzo, why?" Elisa demanded.
"Because he has it set up that if he dies, the Hokage dies. He's been very careful in that regard."
Naruto growled and the amount of chakra released caused a nearby lantern to explode.
"Anything else Sensei?" Rox asked. "Naruto has a twin brother? He's betrothed to a Hyuga? His mom's an Uchiha?"
"Ew." Naruto said. "Not about the brother or the Hyuga, but god, kill me if mom was an Uchiha."
"She's not." Mirage said. "And no. we already know his parentage." She shot a look to Naruto who nodded. "Mom was from whirlpool and dad, well only a moron couldn't guess who he was."
"People in large groups are stupid, and it breeds quickly." Rox said.
"Alright, enough maudlin shit, let's get you ready for the Chunin exam." Mirage said.
XX
The day arrived for the Chunin exams and Team Mystique stood atop the Hokage monument overlooking the village as the sun rose. Elisa had her cloak about her with the hood up. Naruto stood next to her his eyes closed as he allowed the morning breeze to caress him.
Rox knelt before them, his own eyes closed as he listened to the vibrations through the earth on the activity that was taking place below them.
Behind them in the shadows, Mirage looked at her team and knew that soon the future would change all, and she prayed that they were alive to see what it had in store for them.
I do what I must. I hope they understand when the time comes. She thought as her form shifted and she became male, with silver hair and a pair of glasses were added to her nose.
Good luck my students, we're all going to need it.
Mirage slipped away in her latest guise.
AN: First exam "Who are you?"
