Honey, I can Explain Chapter 10
Hmmmm, this is longer than what I normally write.
"K-Kyoko?" Minato muttered still in disbelief. Life always has a funny glitch when everything seems to be going so smoothly. He watched her chest heave up and down in a terrified panic.
"Yeah…this is her," Kushina answered picking up the frightened girl. I never imagined…I thought there was something strange about this wolf but I never thought Kyoko was a little girl, Minato thought. Kyoko's ear flicked her ear as Kushina gently rubbed Kyoko's back.
"Hi Kyoko-chan," Minato cooed reaching out to touch the big blue eyed girl. She winced pressing herself against Kushina. The girl's expression was sullen and her body shook from fear.
"Minato what are we going to do?" Kushina asked worriedly bouncing the little girl. Kushina had dressed Kyoko in one of Kushina's old shirts since the child had nothing to wear.
"I think it's about time we figure out who she is," Minato answered gently patting the girl's head. "What do you say about that Kyoko-chan?" (A/N: Horrid dialogue) Her ears were perked up and alert ready for anything to hurt her.
"She doesn't speak," Kushina answered.
"How long have known about this?" Minato asked.
"Just now, I guess she tired herself out from hunting. Kyoko-chan was napping on the floor as a wolf when I initially saw her and then an hour and a half later, she was a human," Kushina answered. "I have asked Mikoto if we could borrow some of Itachi's old clothes, because she's so small."
"So what…are we going to do?" Minato asked staring at the little girl. He didn't know the first thing about raising a child, nor did they know what age she was.
"We can't ke," Kushina began before being cut off by Minato.
"Hey hey hey! Why don't we talk about this when she goes to bed?" Minato answered. "We should also contact the Third Hokage as well."
"Minato, you have to agree that this is getting out of control," Kushina sighed lying next to her husband in their bed. They were going to have their first child, yet what were they going to do with this other child? They couldn't just tell her to become a wolf again and to live out her life as one.
"Yes, but let's not worry about that right now," Minato shushed. "We're going to have a baby." He touched her belly softly trying to feel the new life growing inside her. They were going to have a baby! A gurgling, giggling, crying all night baby! It was exciting and terrifying all at the same time to the first time parents.
"But we can't just brush this issue to the side. I want to talk about it right now." They had never really taken Kyoko seriously. Who knows what else Kyoko could accomplish? Also what was she? There was no jutsu that could make Kyoko stay a wolf for that long unless she transformed into a human during the night.
"I want to talk about the baby. Kyoko-chan is still going to be here in the morning."
"And so will the baby," Kushina replied. "We need to figure out what we're going to do about Kyoko-chan."
"In the morning, you need your sleep," Minato reasoned.
"Minato, can you wake up Kyoko-chan?" Kushina called out from the kitchen. After a few hours of discussion, Minato and Kushina decided that Kyoko would be temporarily housed in their home until they met with the Third Hokage.
"She's up, but what is she going to wear?" Minato asked walking the little girl into the kitchen. She yawned tiredly, stumbling to Kushina.
"Hi honey," Kushina cooed stooping down to her level. Kushina patted the girl's head gently turning her head to Minato. "There are some clothes on our bed. I'm going to dress her, can you watch breakfast?"
"Alright," Minato answered as Kushina walked the little girl away from the kitchen. Kyoko shuffled about grasping on to Kushina's hand tightly.
"It's okay Kyoko-chan," Kushina cooed taking her to the master bedroom. Unlike the wolf's constant happy expression, the girl held a constant frown with big sad eyes. She quickly dressed the girl but Kushina frowned looking at the ears. If they walked through Konoha with her like that people would have heart attacks. "Kyoko-chan, take this and go play with it in on the couch." Handing her a ball, Kyoko quickly walked out of the room to her given destination.
"Minato…what are we going to do about her ears?" Kushina asked. There was no way that Kyoko could live exclusively inside the Hokage's mansion for the next few days without encountering someone else besides Kushina or Minato.
"How about a hat?" Minato replied as he watched the little girl play on the couch. Dropping the ball on the ground she slid off the couch to retrieve it.
"Or we could cut them off," Kushina replied playfully.
"Be serious Kushina! We have to find some way to cover her ears," Minato replied. "We'll be meeting with the Third Hokage soon."
"She could always knock her hat off with her ears. Whatever we do, she still has to have full functionality of her ears. Although this goes against what I just said, what if we pin them to her head," Kushina replied.
"I don't think she'd like that," Minato answered.
"What if I wrap her hair around her ears?" Kushina suggested. "Her hair is long enough."
"Are you sure it would stay in place?"
"No," she sighed, "so it looks like we're back at the hat. I just think that a hat would make it too obvious; also a hat can be easily knocked off by another person."
"It will only be temporary, until we can find something that can cover her ears without making her look suspicious and so that she can have full functionality of her ears."
"Wait, I think I got an idea," Kushina replied running off to the master bedroom returning with a dress and a pair of scissors. She quickly cut the dress into ribbons before ushering Kyoko to her. Cautiously the girl approached unsure if she could trust the woman. Gently Kushina wrapped the newly cut ribbons around her ears making two bows that discreetly covered her ears. "What do you think?"
"I bought you that dress!" Minato replied astonished by her behavior. Why couldn't Kushina just tell him that she hated the dress? He stared at the tampered remains on the floor holding in a sad sigh.
"Oh, is that right? I just grabbed the first thing I saw, but this works," Kushina replied nonchalantly. Kyoko just looked at them with a blank expression before walking across the room and grabbing "her" towel.
"She really likes that thing doesn't she," Minato chuckled as the girl rubbed it against her face lovingly. He had to distract himself from the lifeless remains of the once beautiful dress he had given to his wife.
"This was the little wolf I found," Minato informed coddling the now sleeping little girl in his arms. "She also has wolf ears behind the ribbons. Kushina just hid them so we could travel."
"Don't forget about the diamonds on her head," Kushina added lovingly. Minato pushed the little girl forward holding her head up so the Third Hokage could see her added features.
"I would rule out that she was experimented on by Orochimaru because her wolf form is that of an artic wolf. Also the trap used seemed to elaborate but primitive for Orochimaru to use," Hiruzen replied.
"Well that's good," Kushina sighed, "But what is she?" She looked at the small child sleeping in her husband's arms. Kyoko looked so normal and peaceful in her pacified state, unlike the shivering girl when she was alert.
"I've heard that during the Third Shinobi World War a village of strange people was wiped out by a group of rogue Shinobi. She could be a survivor. Does she speak?" Hiruzen asked.
"No, even as a pup…she didn't even make a sound," Minato answered stroking the little girl's arm. The little girl's ear flickered as she wiped her nose in her sleep. "What should we do with her? When I found her she was alone and there has been no new sighting of wolves in the past few months that I found her."
"For now I would say house her in your home until you can make some type of housing arrangement for her to live on her own," Hiruzen replied.
"What will happen to her?" Kushina blurted out. "I mean, do you think we should try to find her parents?"
"I believe you should talk that over with Minato," Hiruzen answered. Kyoko's eyes fluttered open as she sat up on Minato's lap. She flinched rubbing her eyes trying to discover where she was.
"Hi Kyoko-chan," Minato cooed as the girl looked up at him. "This is the Third Hokage. Can you wave hi?" The girl looked blankly at the two men before raising her hand waving slightly at the older man. She then crawled on to Kushina's lap wrapping her arms around Kushina. Kushina chuckled soothingly petting the little girl's head. "Thank you for meeting with us, Lord Hokage." Minato bowed to the older man standing up to leave his presence. What is she so afraid of? Kushina thought watching Kyoko's ears twitch at every sound.
"Make sure to talk about the little girl with the council," Hiruzen ordered. Although the council was there to make fair and accurate decisions, speaking with them was one of Minato's least favorite activities. They were too militant for Minato's taste since they were always ready to kill or to jail someone who went against what was "natural."
"Yes sir," Minato replied.
"Let's walk little lady," Kushina cooed putting Kyoko on the ground. Looking back at the Third Hokage Kyoko blankly waved at the man as she was lead out of the room by Kushina.
"So what do you think we should do?" Minato asked.
"I'm not sure," Kushina sighed taking Kyoko's hand. Kyoko looked up at Kushina terrified. Kushina gave her a reassuring smile soothing the little girl.
"Yet, we have to do something. I don't want to talk to the council. They'll just want to throw Kyoko-chan out," Minato replied. Kushina gasped staring at her husband. She couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. Sure they were militant but they weren't THAT heartless.
"Maybe they might have compassion. She IS a little girl," Kushina replied looking down at the little girl.
"Kushina…we're talk about Koharu and Homura, two of the most militant people here in Konoha. The fact that Kyoko-chan is… well special…I'm almost positive they would press for testing on Kyoko-chan or to throw her out," Minato replied.
"Have faith Minato," Kushina reassured. "Also what are we going to tell people? Because you know Mikoto is going to want to know why we needed some of her son's old clothes for a few days."
"We can just say that we found an orphan outside the Hokage mansion. She's already small and slightly malnourished," Minato replied.
"And because of the good of your heart, you took her in," Kushina added.
"Sounds good. What is it Kyoko-chan?" Minato asked feeling Kyoko tug on his pants. She looked up at him with her sad eyes pointing at her neck. Crouching down, Minato examined her neck seeing the same black band that had been under her wolf coat. "I'll look at it more when we get home, okay?" The girl stared back blankly as Minato picked up the little girl.
"Not here, not yet," Kushina whispered ushering him to put her down.
"It'll be okay Kushina. They'll see us together eventually," Minato replied. He frowned immediately regretting his choice of words. Kushina lips grew into a sly smile staring at her now worried husband.
"Pedophile," Kushina teased. "Didn't know you liked younger girls."
"Kushina," Minato scolded.
"You said it," Kushina replied poking the blank faced Kyoko. The girl smiled gently before hiding her face bashfully in Minato's shoulder.
"Kushina come look at this," Minato called out from the living room. Kyoko had continued to point at this black band all the way home and yet when Minato tried to take it off Kyoko jerked away and acted as if she was in pain.
"What is it?" Kushina asked coming to Minato and Kyoko's position.
"When you found her sleeping…Was this black band on her?" Minato asked holding Kyoko's head up. Kyoko looked back and forth heaving worriedly.
"I'm not sure, but I think it was. I know when I bathed her, it was on her," Kushina replied.
"Have you ever tried to take it off," Minato asked.
"A few times, but she always jerks away. I ask her if it hurts her but she just stares at me blankly," Kushina replied.
"Maybe she doesn't really understand us," Minato replied releasing her chin. Lightly Kyoko tossed her hair about trying to hide her face.
"I'll get her washed and dressed for bed. Could you put her to bed?" Kushina asked picking up the little girl.
"Alright," Minato replied waving to the little girl. She stared at him before hesitantly waving at the man, her face an unchanging stare. Taking her to the bathroom, Kushina started the water for the bath undressing the little girl. Playfully, Kushina tickled the nude little girl's belly getting a silent laugh out of the girl.
"Let's get you washed up," Kushina cooed placing the girl in the tub. The girl looked up at Kushina in a confused manner as Kushina began to wash the little girl. "You have beautiful hair, Kyoko-chan." Kushina laughed as Kyoko stared back dumbfounded. Gently Kushina splashed the little girl only surprising Kyoko more. Scooping up some of the bubbles Kyoko placed them on top of Kushina's hand. Kushina laughed as Kyoko continued to pile bubbles on top of her hand. Kyoko smiled at her caretaker as the woman continued to laugh.
"What's so funny Kushina?" Minato asked from the doorway.
"She's adorable," Kushina replied pulling Kyoko out of the tub. Blushing Minato moved away from the door. "You're not being bashful around a little girl."
"But she is a little girl," Minato replied.
"And we're taking care of her," Kushina replied dressing the child in some loose clothing.
"She's a little girl," Minato replied.
"Come get her, she's ready for bed, AND she's dressed. Tomorrow you're going to wash her," Kushina replied patting him on the shoulder as she walked by him.
"Isn't it a little inappropriate for me to be touching a little girl?" Minato asked ushering the child to him from the doorway. She shuffled to him wrapping her arms around his leg.
"What do you mean inappropriate? You're a pedophile," Kushina teased as Minato picked up the little child.
"Very funny. Say good night to Kushina, Kyoko-chan," Minato replied sarcasticly waving to his wife. Kyoko stared at Minato before raising her hand in a shy wave.
"It's not funny being a pedophile," Kushina replied seriously before breaking out in a laugh. Kyoko yawned resting her head on Minato's shoulder. She wiped her nose slowly shutting her tired eyes. Taking her to the spare bedroom Minato placed her in the bed.
"Go to bed Kyoko-chan," Minato told the little girl. Kyoko stared at him blankly. "Sleep?" Kyoko blinked. "Lie down?" She blinked again cocking her head slowly to the right. "Rest?" Kyoko looked away becoming distracted with her hair.
"Minato, just leave her alone, she'll go to sleep," Kushina called from the other room.
"Alright," Minato sighed patting the little girl's head. "Lie down and sleep now little lady." Standing up Minato left the room only to be followed by the little girl. He chuckled feeling the little girl grasp his pants with her small hands. "Come on Kyoko-chan, you need to go to bed." Picking her up Minato brought her back into the room, placing her in the bed. She looked up at him confused and frightened. "It'll be okay, stay here."