… So this is going to be an odd situation.
The explanation is down at the end.
Enjoy my mind's madness.
Song Inspirations:
Break Me Down by Divide Music
Make It Clap by GameBoyJones
Till I Collapse by Eminem
And some more.
~NRK~
He couldn't see it coming.
That carnivore boy had lunged at him, a fox, he thinks it was.
Number Yon hadn't had a long life but he knew for a fact an end like this was sad and pathetic.
So he pressed the blade into his flesh.
~NRK~
His eyelids slowly opened as the dream fell away.
'... I should spend less time dreaming about nonsensical events,' he thought as he got up out of bed, a light brown-furred foot coming down before being followed by another.
Standing, he looked at his arm before rubbing the back of his neck as he shook his head side to side, his antlers always giving him a slight crick that was a pain to get every morning.
"Haaa," he hit it, feeling that small pop had his whole body relaxing as he surveyed his room.
He went to the large dresser by his bed and opened it up, taking out some boxers and a tank-top before heading towards the bathroom, taking his towel off the rack attached to the back of said room's door.
He cleaned up as he counted off his to-do list items.
'I have to check in all the lights again,' he thought.
The Cherryton drama club had been slacking as of late, he had to make sure they remembered to adjust the lights more when he moved wholly instead of every inch of a step he made on stage.
'Zoe needs to be more mindful. Bill has to learn to discern intent while Kai should stay less excitable.'
He thought about his fellow drama students before coming to the end of the list.
'Finally, Legoshi…' his mind stopped when it came to this particular character of an animal.
He was a wolf, which would have been worrying in more obvious ways but that wasn't the issue.
He was meek and easily intimidated. The shower-taking red deer honestly wondered if the grey wolf, Legoshi, wasn't some form of lamb with how he hid.
Not hide in the sense of his being, though it wasn't that thick of a line to begin with.
It was his manners-
There was a loud knocking ahead of him as he showered, getting a raised brow before sighing.
"Louis! Come on! We're gonna be late for school!"
"Since when did you care about class?!" the now-named Louis shouted back as he scrubbed his snout. "I'm in the shower!"
"Gotcha! I'm outside!"
The sound of leaving steps caused a form of hesitance in him.
He opened his mouth but nothing came out as the person left.
'... And, me, Louis, I need to learn to communicate more,' he thought with a sigh, turning off the water and watching any particularly loose strands of his fur drain away. 'Honestly, I've lived next to him for years and it's always like…'
Louis huffed before leaving the bathroom after some rigorous towel rubbing.
Getting his fur into a manageable state, and smoothing it out, he went to his closet and retrieved his school uniform.
A pair of gray slacks, wherein one could opt for the pinstripe version if they felt for it, which Louis did, a long-sleeved, white, dress shirt, a dark grey tie, and a blue vest.
Louis donned his outfit for the day ahead, plucking his favorite green jacket off the back of the closet door and placing that on too.
He looked himself in the mirror, brown eyes locking onto themselves.
Time to act.
"Ya know, for Louis, you'd think he'd stop taking so long to get to school," a teen boy said as his bushy tail waved back and forth over a set of stairs leading into Louis's home. "If I wasn't so good of a brother, I'd have walked!"
"And would have still been late long after I got there first," came Louis's voice as he exited his home, some brown loafers on. "Glad to see common sense wins out for you, once again, Naruto," the deer said as he looked at his brother.
… Yes, his brother, the fox-deer hybrid, and black mark, on the family name as far as their father was concerned.
Being a completely rustic orange color in fur, Naruto stood at an average height of 5'6, something Louis, thankfully, beat out at 5'8. At first glance, one wouldn't think he was a deer-fox hybrid but you'd know after spending some time with him.
His blue eyes weren't as almond-shaped like most vulpines and his face was far more square than that of a fox's. Though Louis noted that he had a thicker neck than most foxes and his shoulders were broad.
His stature as that of a fox made it harder to see the deer blood in him. His ears, though, were oddly longer than Louis knew foxes to be, with them also being more narrow.
He looked more like a mix between a hare and fox in that regard, a fortunate thing.
The fox wore the normal gray pants of the Cherryton uniform, the shirt as well but he rolled the sleeves up to his elbows.
His vest was on but his tie nowhere to be seen as he stood there in his black dress shoes.
"I see you've forgotten your tie, again."
"For what it's worth, it was choking me."
"Tie's typically do that," Louis said with a smirk and roll of the eyes as he spied the limo pulling up from the driveway. "Come, our drive is here."
"Gotcha, come along, sir," Naruto joked as he gestured with his whole body to the vehicle as Louis huffed. "Yes, yes, ma'am, we serve drinks as well," the fox grinned.
Baring teeth that Louis found oddly hard to turn away from.
For, from them, he'd felt no fear…. No fear in himself, that is.
He always wondered if that was because the two of them lived with one another. Sometimes, he figured it was just the fact that he'd known Naruto for so long that he simply couldn't.
Amusingly enough, not that he'd tell the fox, but Naruto put as 'him being built different.'
That depth of that joke would be lost on damn near everyone but Louis did get it.
He'd also made the unfortunate mistake of laughing at it, once, and the blonde never let him live it down, that literal bastard.
"Yes, yes, security, keep me safe," Louis teased back as they went into the vehicle, the pure deer-blooded one going in first as Naruto went in the other side as he closed the door behind his bro.
They had to keep up appearances, Louis told him.
"Alright, we're in, hit it!" the vulpine said as he strapped in his seat belt.
The driver, a hare man, smiled a bit, even if it was also tinted with that nervous energy as always.
"Alright, please, buckle up, Mr. Louis," the hare said as he adjusted the gear shift.
They were off ten seconds later, the world outside passing them by as it always did.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Naruto asked as he pulled something out of his backpack from under the seat. "The usual?"
Louis hated that that was the case. "Yes, we don't really share classes, first-year, so we're fine until we go home. Just be careful of the props, Bill has been rather encouraged by your words."
"Hey, I gave him motivation," Naruto said with a grin as Louis groaned. "It's not like he's been causing trouble… right?" he asked with a worried frown.
Louis forever wondered if he was supposed to feel delighted by the blond carnivore's care for him.
He was the little brother, right?
"Take him, dad!"
Louis flew through the air, eyes wide at the knife in the fox's hands as the younger boy brandished it against the crowd of groan murderers.
… Perhaps the roles weren't as secured as he thought.
"We're coming up on the Academy, sirs," the hare, Harry, said. "The travel was lighter, thankfully."
"Very well, Harry," Louis nodded as the vehicle came to a stop by the entrance of the two brothers' shared school. "Let us leave, Naruto, we're actually ahead of time today."
"Think I can still get some ramen from the cafeteria?"
"... Maybe," Louis said with a thought. "But you'd have to get there before the early clubs do."
"Then I am OFF!" the fox said as he ran in place, saluting his brother. "See ya at your club!" the little brother said as he took off, fast legs carrying him out of sight in less than twenty seconds.
"Hmph," Louis smirked as Harry came around, handing him his phone. "Thank you, Harry."
"It's nothing, sir," the rodent animal said before he let out a breath. "... Apologies, sir, I know he's your bodyguard but…" Harry shivered. "He's a carnivore, sir, that's all."
Louis understood. Truly, he did.
Carnivores were big, strong, and terrifying. With a simple flip of the switch, maybe one was having a bad day, they could end the lives of close-by herbivores in seconds.
Louis understood all that… and, yet, he was resolute in his answer.
It was one he'd given numerous times to the driver and some others.
"I understand, truly," he said. "We have to be careful around them."
'But not Naruto,' is what he should be saying but his throat tied itself up at the best of moments, didn't it? 'The strong protected the weak, right, Naruto?'
The fox, against all odds, hadn't seen a problem with this arrangement, even if he should have been the true heir to their family's company.
"It sucks a little bit, yeah," the ten-year-old fox said as he did his homework, reluctantly. "But, I don't think dad hates me."
"How can you be so sure?" the younger Louis asked with a frown. "You don't live in the same house as him, you address him as 'sir', and you must act like a bodyguard when you're two years younger than me. How are you so sure about all this? How do you know I don't hate you?"
"... Mmmm," the fox considered. "... Well, it's probably because you're super nice?" Louis flinched as his cheeks filled with blood. "You always seem to have my back, Louis. I didn't expect or ask for, but I am thankful!" he grinned.
"If acting like we're friends instead of brothers is all I have to do then it's fine. I'd have been happy either way. As a friend or a brother."
His eyes closed as he let out a shudder, hand coming to his heart.
Hearing that from back then had been a shock. He didn't believe it at first, not in full, but, over the years…
Watching the fox prove himself to those around him, helping him, laughing with him, being protected by him.
Naruto was an amazing animal in Louis's eyes. If only others could see that.
'But that's their nature, isn't it?' he thought as he walked towards the school, waving at the random student as he did. "Go, we'll return once the drama club finishes."
"Yes, sir," the hare left with a bow.
'Let the performance begin.'
Naruto navigated the outer edge of Cherryton Academy, a good run towards the cafeteria.
'Please! Please! Please! Please!' he skidded into a roll that allowed him to recover by the side door.
He almost pulled it off the hinges, his animal prowess surprising to this day.
'Seriously, if Kurama could see me now,' he thought with a smile as he ran inside. 'That's for later, though!'
He broke the rules of running in the halls as he skirted a cor-
The collision was imminent as he and a small, white, rabbit girl were to make contact.
Haru was a simple girl with complex reasons and needs.
Though, right then, she was simply not trying to be eaten or get slammed into by the fox boy who rounded the corner.
Everything happened in four blinks.
Both their eyes widened in horror.
She blinked.
He pressed down on the floor with his hands.
She blinked.
He now leaped overhead in a corkscrew.
She blinked one more time as he landed in a roll before coming out of it with his hands to the side.
"SAFE!" he announced to the surprised hallway before the students laughed or clapped. "Thank you! Thank you!" Naruto bowed before turning to the girl he'd almost slammed into. "Sorry! I was in a hurry and-"
"No, it's fine," Haru shook her head at him. "It's fine, I wasn't paying attention either."
"Still sorry!" he said before a familiar bell rang in the hall and he ran in place. "NamesNarutoSorryIgottagobyee!"
Naruto beat a hasty retreat, feet carrying him to the end of the hall before he jumped out an open window and ran off.
Haru blinked at the boy's rather eccentric disappearance.
"Hey, wasn't that the fox kid? Naru-something?" someone in the hall asked their friend as Haru sighed before heading back the way the boy came, making sure to check the corners of the hall as she did.
"The one who hangs around Louis?" she stopped at that, listening around the corner.
"Yeah, yeah, I think he is!" the other one spoke. "Ya know, for a first-year, I expected something… more normal than what we just got."
"Think he's trying to join a club?"
"Nah, hah!" one of them let out a bark of laughter, pretty impressive for someone who wasn't a dog. "You don't know? He's Louis's literal lap dog. He protects him from everything, dirty shoes, wet pants, and the sunny weather."
"Pfft!"
Haru frowned at that.
Louis had a bodyguard-?
"Rather loud, aren't they?" she nearly screamed as her eyes went to the person at her side, her white dress school uniform flapping as she slid her back down the wall a bit. "Ah, sorry, Haru. I didn't mean to scare you."
"L-Louis!" she whispered with a squeak, mindful of those around the corner.
"... I assume we should take this somewhere more private-Not for that!" he began to say before quickly correcting her thoughts. "To talk, nothing more for today."
"?" Haru tilted her head as her brown loafer-covered feet tapped the floor.
~NRK~
With class starting, they'd simply moved to the woods nearby, sitting by a pair of bushes.
"Louis, I didn't know you had a bodyguard," Haru said off the bat, surprising the deer for a moment. "I don't think I've ever seen you hang around with him before."
"... Well, that's because he usually doesn't interact with me during the day," Louis said as he rested an arm on his raised knee. "Naruto's a first-year, he's supposed to be on the other side of the building but his stomach got the better of him."
"His stomach?"
"He was trying to get to the cafeteria before class started."
"... That doesn't sound like a good idea."
"It's honestly not."
They chuckled a bit as the bell rang, telling them they had ten minutes before class started.
"Naruto's been on campus, before, though," Louis said. "He's two years our junior so I've been able to bring him in as a 'mentor' sort of thing. I showed him the school's primary locations. This was before you and I met, actually."
Haru tilted her head a bit. "A fox, though? Can I assume your parents did this?"
"Just 'father' and yes," Louis corrected. "... Naruto was picked up by him when I was younger. He found him one day and brought him home," he lied.
Those positions couldn't be more false.
"That's rather brave of him," Haru said as Louis chuckled. "To take in a carnivore isn't something herbivores normally do."
"It's not, isn't it?" the deer teen said. "And, in that same fashion, Naruto isn't a normal carnivore."
Haru raised a brow at Louis's tone.
Was that… Admiration?
"He's probably one of the most herbivore-friendly individuals you'll ever meet," he said. "For as long as I've known him, Naruto has been a staunch follower of preventing herbivore harm."
"Can you honestly say that?" Haru asked. "There have to be times when you can't monitor him, right?"
Louis smiled something sad, Haru staring in disbelief at its place on his face.
"Father… He had him bugged for most of his life," Louis admitted, Haru staring in disbelief. "Naruto's never so much as stepped a toe out of line to the point that father debugged him this very year."
"T-That's not fair!" Louis stared at her in disbelief. "Even if he's a carnivore… I know how I sounded earlier but I didn't think he was being literally monitored every waking moment."
"... I'm sure he'd appreciate it," Louis said as he sighed. "When father showed me those tapes… I know not what I thought back then other than, 'this isn't fair'. Mind you, I know on a basic level that, sadly, it's needed in this society. But doing it to a child… I simply couldn't agree."
"That's good!" Haru said as Louis chuckled. "Sometimes, I can't imagine how I'd feel if I knew that was happening to me."
Louise did, actually. His first three years in his household were spent either insanely cautious of his younger sibling or trying to escape.
Those hadn't been his greatest years.
The bell rang once more and Louis got up, holding out a hand to Haru to help her up.
"Come along now, we should get to class before people worry."
They walked towards the school with companionable silence until they reached the side entrance.
"Louis," the deer stopped at Haru's call. "I think it's right to be cautious but I think you're a better person than you think."
"..." Louis processed that. "Perhaps, perhaps not. Seriously, though, we should be getting to class."
Being a good person, in his eyes, meant living his life to the fullest and freely.
Louis wasn't so sure if he was doing either of those things.
The day passed by quickly, leaving Naruto to roam the halls of the school, heading towards his brother's club.
This second life of his could be summed up in one word, 'Ironic'.
He was born an animal, a deer-fox mix at that, and had thought, in a world where he was the same as everyone else, he'd have a better time.
Turns out that was wrong! He was a literal impossible bastard. His conception simply shouldn't have been possible but it had been on a one-night stand his deer father had had at some point.
It'd been a bumpy road from there, living in a small room for his first two years of living before his mother had gotten this weird idea to have him meet his father.
They'd traveled to an amazing neighborhood where she'd been shanked.
Naruto had never felt true helplessness until he saw his own mother bleeding out on the floor from the random bastard with a bone to pick.
His father had found them moments later and taken them to an ICU.
His mother hadn't made it out but she'd told Oguma who he was. The deer man, overtaken with some form of guilt, had taken him in.
Meeting Louis after that had been a horrible situation that he did his best to turn around.
Living up to today had been full of difficult acceptance but he found where he belonged, being himself.
Something he knew Louis appreciated more than anything.
So, as he walked the halls of Cherryton, towards the drama club, he looked forward to speaking to his brother, even if only as a friend.
When he did, though, he found an odd sight.
"Havin' a problem?" the fox teen asked, seemingly surprising the large polar bear before him. "...? Dude, you alright?"
The former blonde could feel it.
Hunger. Unbearable hunger and self-hatred.
As soon as it hit him, it fell away, leaving the blonde staring at the larger carnivore for a moment before he shook his head and walked up to him.
Blue eyes locked onto black, beady, ones.
"Word to the wise," the hybrid began as the bear's eyebrows shot up. "Don't do something you'll regret. You hear me? You have to control it or else it'll become a situation you can't come back from."
"Riz!" came a call from the drama club door as an alpaca teen looked at the polar bear.
He wore the gym uniform of a white shirt and blue gym pants. His fur was white and his face, with no fur, a peach color as his grey eyes went back and forth before 'Riz' and Naruto.
"Naruto?" the alpaca blinked before grinning. "Suuuuppp!"
"Suuuupppp!" the fox reciprocated as they laughed, Riz blinking at the interaction.
"Oh, that's right, you don't know him," the alpaca said. "Riz here is a member of the club. He doesn't come every time but he's a valuable member with his stature and help!"
"That so, Tem?" Naruto said as he and Riz locked eyes once more. "Then, nice to meet you, name's Naruto."
Riz blinked at the extended hand before he gripped it back, shaking twice. "Riz."
"Nice!" Tem the alpaca said with a grin and two thumbs-ups. "Come on in, you two. Guys, Riz and Naru are here!"
Naruto grinned as he came in with Riz right behind him, Tem closing the door to the club room behind them. "Sup, drama kids!"
"Don't you dare!" A tiger teen said, wearing the same clothes as Tem. "I won't have you trying to usurp me again, fox!"
"Then try harder!"
"Ooooooh-"
"Bill, stop before you end up popping a blood vessel," came the voice of a girl goat who welcomed the two with a smile. "Welcome back, Naru. Good to see you again, Riz."
"Sup, Els-neechan," the fox said as the older teen giggled a bit. "How's the practice going?"
"Well," she began as she looked to the side as Louis made it over. "You can ask Louis, he typically knows our 'progress bar', so to speak."
"What's all the hubbub, bub?" Naruto asked, getting snickers from those around him.
"Glad to see you've still got that comedian energy," Louis commented as more snickers emerged. "I'm guessing the extra lessons ended early."
"Nah, you guys are just here later than usual," Naruto said, getting a blink from his deer brother. "Louis, it's seven pm."
The room went silent as they looked at the clock.
"Holy shit!"
"It's that late?!"
"Since when?!"
Many more of such cries came out, though none were more surprised than Louis.
"I thought it was six!" he said as he pulled out his phone. "It says so on my… Dammit," he cursed. "Daylight savings passed, didn't it?"
"Yup," Tem said as he looked at his phone. "I wasn't sure if I should have stopped you or not, you seemed pretty into it this time 'round."
"Hmmm," Louis kissed his teeth before cupping his chin. "Well, we did get the progress I wanted," he said as he observed all the props and costumes. "Alright, everyone, clear out! Put everything away and leave, the day's done!"
"Sure thing!" came the collective call of the others as they began cleaning up.
"I guess I'm late," Riz said with a wince as he looked at his phone. "Goodness."
"It's fine, just make sure to come Monday," Louis said as he changed his phone's time. "Naruto, is Harry…?"
"He called me a couple minutes ago," the fox said. "He sounded worried before I reminded him that it's daylights' time."
"Thank goodness," Louis nodded as he went to the wall by the door and picked up his effects. "Come along, Naruto, Harry gets antsy when we leave him alone for too long."
"Don't I know it!" the fox said before following after his brother.
"... They're weird," Riz said as he saw the two speak back and forth. "Louis has always been rather fearless but he and Naruto speak like they've known one another for their entire lives."
"From what I know," Els began. "Naruto was picked up by Louis's father. He's been assigned Louis's bodyguard since he was young," she tapped her chin. "It's a little sad but Naruto never seems too down about it."
"That's cuz he's a weirdo," Bill said as he folded some curtains. "That guy's all over the school, he seems to hang with whoever feels like dealing with him at the time. Herbivore or carnivore, Naruto just doesn't care."
"?" Riz's confusion was apparent. "Aren't they scared of him?"
"Well, at first, most likely," Els started as she picked up some tubes. "But Naruto doesn't give off the presence of a carnivore if that makes sense."
"?"
"It's weird," Tem said. "The very first time Louis brought him over, I thought we'd have to get used to him. Most of us had to for most of the carnivores in the club," he scratched his cheek. "It's not that way with Naruto, for some reason. He just feels like another person in the room."
"Hmph, an annoying one," Bill said with a scoff. "That guy, we'll settle it in the gym one of these days!"
"And the dramatics kicked in," Tem said with a laugh. "Haha, come on, you can help us put up some of the heavier items."
Riz followed his friend but his mind went back to Naruto.
Not feeling like a carnivore? That sounded ridiculous.
Riz's eyes narrowed before he closed them, not looking at any of the herbivores in his club.
Completely ridiculous.
~NRK~
That evening, Naruto found himself in the 'main' house, so to speak.
Wearing some brown sandals, a pair of orange shorts that was tightened around the middle of his shins with the rope ties on them, and a black shirt, he walked in with a hand rubbing the back of his head.
'Let's see how dad's doing, I guess?' he thought as he entered the doors to the large home.
Looking around the foyer to the large home, Naruto felt so out of place.
He shook off his feelings of oddness and entered past the foyer, leaving his shoes at the door before walking onto the home's wooden panels, the feel of it beneath his feet calming him down.
'They're both in the kitchen,' he learned as he sensed, and smelled, them from his position.
He traversed the home, ignoring the living room, stairs to the second story of the home, and the cleaning staff that watched him walk past. A sheep, ox, and lamb.
You'd think they'd be used to him by this point, what with him having lived here before.
He walked into the kitchen to find his family sitting at the table.
Oguma sat there in some dark grey slacks, white socks, and a grey dress shirt with a black tie. He held a tablet in his hands, scrolling down the screen with his finger.
Louis, on the other hand, was in a white shirt and some grey sweatpants, hands folded in front of him on the tabletop.
The two turned as their ears twitched, seeing him.
"Welcome," Oguma said as he placed his tablet down to fold his hands on the table. "It's been some time, Naruto."
"Yeah, it's been close to a week," Naruto responded as he rubbed the back of his head with a nervous chuckle before shrugging. "I guess with everything happening, the time just kind of flew by."
"I can imagine, you've started higher-level schooling," Oguma asked as a glass was placed in front of him by a server. "Come, take a seat, dinner will be served."
The fox nodded as he came forward, sitting down in between the two pure-blooded deers.
Oguma clapped his hands and Naruto saw two cooks come forward, in stereotypical chef outfits, plates in their hands.
"Here you are, sir," the one with two plates said as he placed them down in front of Oguma and Louis, another deer, actually. "I tried something new this time around. It's a stir-fry with a hint of clam powder. You've told me of your bodyguard and I was able to try this new style."
Naruto blinked as a pair of shaky hands placed his plate down in front of him.
Blue eyes looked up toward bright green, the female sheep in front of him quickly looking away.
"Ah, apologies," the white-tailed deer coughed into his fist, causing the female next to the fox to straighten out. "This is our newest addition. Her name is Sebun, she's one of our cooks."
"P-Please to make your acquaintance, sirs!" she saluted the three at the table, getting odd looks from Louis and Naruto. "Y-Yes?"
How had she ended up here?!
Sebun wasn't sure. She'd been applying for jobs, mostly those of a shoe-orient, but came up with zilch.
She'd already left college with her business degree, she'd been trying to get into the shoe market ever since but that hadn't worked out yet.
So she applied to other places with good pay and this just so happened to be one of them.
With student debt on her horizon, there wasn't much else she could choose to do. This job paid so well for what was basically housework and she got a free place to stay in.
That had all been well and good until she'd been informed that the family had a live-in bodyguard. Worse yet? He was a carnivore.
She'd not know what to expect, she'd literally been hired today, but she'd lied and said she had no issue with that.
She'd been hired on the spot and Sebun, for the first time since applying for jobs in the world, wondered if this was unfair to someone who'd done nothing to deserve her ire so far.
… Then again, no offense to the person she'd not met yet, she simply couldn't take those chances and be so trusting.
Sorry, bodyguard!
So she'd agreed with false pretenses, acting as a cook and maid for the decently large home.
When she'd been informed that the family was coming back, she'd been nervous.
When she'd been told the bodyguard was eating with them, she'd been scared stiff.
So, she'd been helping prepare the food, she was pretty good at cooking actually, when the family had come home.
Greeting them had been delayed as she was cooking, a small mercy but then she'd heard the telltale sounds of another set of feet on the floor.
And, of course, the food decided to be done right then. Her mentor had been impressed with her quick pick-up knowledge but Sebun hadn't been too cool with it.
So she'd mentally prepared herself as much as she could before she came out of the cooking area with her mentor, carrying the plate for the carnivore.
Sebun had a bad feeling that she was going to be relegated to doing that a lot.
So she'd been prepared for almost anything. Too bad 'anything' didn't include a young fox teen.
'... Is he the bodyguard?!' she thought in disbelief. 'I-In what world does anyone think he should be a bodyguard?!'
Okay, yeah, sure, carnivores were strong and fast but, typically, wouldn't you want a bodyguard to be imposing?
And he wasn't. Honestly? He looked out of place and not in a bad way!
He looked far more informal if she was reading him right. This fox dressed casually, like actual casual. Master Louis was as well but he, somehow, carried a form of 'this is expensive' energy about him.
So, yeah, he stood out as a carnivore in a home full of herbivores… and he seemed like the lowest threat in the home?
"I see, I'd been wondering when we'd get a replacement," Oguma said as he considered the sheep before nodding. "Let us test her skills, shall we?" he said to his sons as he picked up a fork and swirled it in the stir-fry.
Louis and Naruto looked at one another before following his example, a pair of chopsticks placed by Naruto's plate that he thanked Sebun for.
"Thanks," he said with a nod before focusing on his food, not seeing her look of confusion.
'It's like I don't feel threatened by him at all,' and that was a feeling she didn't understand.
Carnivores, young and old, male and female, always set off her fight-or-flight on some level.
This young fox didn't, not on an instinctual level. Mentally, she knew that he was a possible threat but her body didn't react negatively to his presence on first go.
How odd.
Naruto, meanwhile, tried out the plant-y dish before him.
"Hm?" he blinked at the taste. 'Fish?'
He'd long since learned that speaking of the foods that carnivores would eat in the past would get him in trouble. This fact causing him to learn to not speak of these things.
Pork, beef, chicken, and so on were words he'd banned in his head.
"The taste is kind of cool," Naruto said as he ate more. "... There's more than clam in here, right?"
The head chef looked surprised. "Perhaps it's your carnivore tongue but, yes, for yours we also added some of the bug meal from your typical diet."
Sebun stared in disbelief at what she'd just heard. 'He had what meal in his food?!'
"The dried crickets, right?"
"The very same," the deer said with a smile. "It's the first time I've tried such a thing with stir-fry but it worked as a good thickener."
Naruto nodded, noting that his stir-fry was a bit chewier than he expected. "Mm! Thanks, Gaston!" he said as he ate.
Louis raised a brow as the blonde ate with barely-there restraint, he could see how much his sibling liked the food.
He ate and noted the taste. 'It's mostly salty but I can taste something sweet in it.
"I see you've noticed, Master Louis," the mentor said. "Yes, to balance out most of the salty flavors, I used a thin raspberry glaze. It sounds odd but it mixed together rather well."
Oguma nodded as he ate. "My thanks, this is rather amazing," Gaston preened. "You have big shoes to fill, Ms. Sebun."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Naruto snickered a bit as Louis smirked while rolling his eyes.
They ate in companionable silence as the cooks returned to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
As he finished, Naruto let out a content sigh as he smiled, placing his chopsticks neatly on the plate.
"I wonder what else he could come up with."
"Gaston is a highly-rated chef," Oguma said. "I personally picked him because I require more protein in my diet. He's good with mixing and matching."
"And it shows," Louis said. "That was an odd, if not pleasant, dish. He's good at what he does."
"I'm glad you both agree," Oguma said as he picked up his tablet, raising a brow at something on the screen. "Tell me, Louis, Naruto, are you excelling?"
The two looked at one another and Naruto gestured for his deer brother to go first.
"Yes, the subjects at school have been easy enough to learn," Louis said as he tapped his plate once with his utensil. "The drama club is also coming along. Though we had a few missteps, they've all been rather focused. I'm impressed with them."
"You know, if you told them that, they'd be totally happy, right?" Naruto teased as Louis smirked a bit.
"They have to be proud with themselves, not with me," he insisted. "For example, Legoshi, the wolf one, he's far too timid for his size and species."
"I think Legoshi got picked on a lot as a kid," Naruto surmised. "He's got all the looks of it."
"He hunches," Louis said.
"He's always cautious," Naruto said back.
"He always cuts his nails."
"And his tail is always down."
"Seriously," both said in unison, shaking their heads in sequence.
Oguma raised a brow at the two. '... I guess, even with the situation as it is, they are siblings.'
Ever since he'd adopted Louis, and Naruto to an extent, he'd always been worried.
Growing up, even as a child, Naruto was strong.
The boy had proven so numerous times as a child. So the thought of him and Louis coming to a head in conflict always caused him some form of worry and stress.
So he had him monitored. In one of the rarest cases of his life, it wasn't because the boy was a carnivore, an odd thought for sure, but because Naruto was simply too strong.
He was half of both worlds, Oguma had researched it, cross-breeds like Naruto always had some sort of defect about them.
He'd worried that it'd been something not physical, what with how normal-looking, to the unaware, Naruto was.
Oguma had feared that it'd been a sensory or, worst of all, mental issues.
He might not have been able to feel, taste, see or hear. Or he might not have pain receptors, the ability to love, or even lacking empathy.
These had been things he'd feared from the offset, having taken the blonde to the home's personal doctor but the armadillo had said that the boy was completely fine. Frighteningly so.
Naruto never demonstrated any odd qualities, attitudes, or habits. He was just a boy. A rather empathetic boy who was wiser than Oguma felt he had any right being.
So, Oguma had been both shocked and not when Naruto acted in the past around Louis.
The boy's initial impression probably helped sow a good connection between the two.
So, watching them interact as much as real brothers could, he was far more content to watch them grow together.
Sebun, on the other hand, stared in complete, and total, shock, and confusion. Nothing before her made sense as the two boys, a carnivore and herbivore, spoke cordially.
They chuckled, they debated a bit, that seemed to be Naruto's weak point, and praised, that seemed to be Louis's weak point.
She didn't understand how they could seemingly complement one another, and she didn't mean verbally.
Why had her life gone down this odd path all of a sudden?!
"Hm, I see," Oguma said with a nod before turning to his blood son. "What of you, Naruto?"
"Well, I'm a solid 'B' student so far!" Sebun wondered if he was an idiot or not. "With Louis helping me figure stuff out sometimes, I've kind of got it down. Though I have an 'A' in gym and literature."
"Literature… Yes, you've always been one who had a way with words," Oguma said with a raised brow as Louis nodded. "I always assumed you were one for only physical goals. That doesn't seem to be the case."
"Well, science, math, and history are kind of beyond me," Naruto said as he chuckled a bit. "Social studies is actually pretty doable, though. Language is too. And I already told you about Gym and Literature."
"Language, literature, and physical aptitudes," Oguma considered the three skills. "Hmm, perhaps you're good at philosophical speeches? Your experiences could lead to inspiring others."
"Oh, he does, in his own unique ways," Louis said as Naruto grinned. "Yes, quite a few of my club members seemed riled up by him."
"I'll have you know, Bill has been doing better than before."
"... Surprisingly, he's telling the truth."
Oguma seemed amused. "Starting on your future, early?"
"Well, not really," Naruto chuckled a bit. "Bill just needs another person to bounce off of, I think. He's got Louis but he doesn't even notice."
"I notice," his deer brethren said with a huff. "Bill is just hard to go through to. It's why I treat him like I do, that tiger reacts to it but he's a better person than most believe."
Sebun blinked at the heir to the Horns Conglomerate.
What kind of world had she ended up in?!
The night passed with more of such a conversation before all the family returned to their quarters to rest.
This was his life now and, honestly, Naruto had no issues with it.
Things were going fine. Even if he wasn't recognized, publicly, as his dad's son, if this was what that felt like. He'd live with it for as long as this lasted.
It was a shame he couldn't plan for what'd happen tomorrow.
~NRK~
Sebun stood outside the manor in some of her casual clothes.
Wearing a pair of tight-fitting blue jeans, a black hoodie version of a crop top with the shoulders bare, and some brown heels.
She was to accompany Master Oguma and his son along with their bodyguard and her mentor.
Her mentor, the white-tailed deer, Kuuzo, dressed in a simple blue dress shirt and black slacks, some black loafers on his feet.
Oguma dressed not unlike his business attire with the difference being that it was a three-piece tan suit and vest, his shoes being soft-looking, brown, loafers.
Louis stood next to his father in his favored green jacket, a white shirt, and some maroon slacks on. His feet were covered in some white and brown tennis shoes.
Finally, running up from his own location at the side of the main home, was the bodyguard, Naruto. Sebun observed the teen's outfit of a pair of black cargo shorts that he tied at the shins.
Over that was an orange, long-sleeved, v-neck top with a small blue, short-sleeved, jacket on top of it. His feet were covered by some black sandals while on his thigh was a box fastened with straps and, finishing it all off, Sebun noted the corded necklace around his neck.
On it was a gold locket that she wondered about the contents of.
She noticed movement out of her peripheral and swallowed at the sight of a black limousine.
"Come, let us depart," Oguma said as he led the way, Harry coming out of the car to come around and open the door for the group.
Getting in, Oguma, Louis, and Kuuzo do so first, Sebun coming after with Naruto after her.
Harry closed the door behind them and Sebun found herself in a, though spacious, enclosed space with a carnivore.
Her eyes slowly moved to Naruto, the boy sitting across from her, messing with something.
'Is he writing?' she thought curiously. 'What could it be about?'
If the conversation from the night before was to be believed, he was good at literature and language.
Perhaps it was a workbook? No, it was too small. Notes then?
It seems like she wasn't the only one who noticed him. "I see, you're still writing, then?"
"?" Naruto looked up at his father before chuckling as he wrote some more. "I just… I guess I want to write an adventure story. Those kinds of books always get my attention. It'd be one about a gallant ninja by the name of Jiraiya, the Toad Sage," he said with such excitement and conviction, the group was surprised.
Louis raised a brow. "Hmph, prove to be any good and I might be able to have one of them presented on stage," he said sarcastically with a smirk.
Sebun almost felt bad about how untactful her new employer was before Naruto chuckled.
"I'll hold you to it," the fox said. "Actually, I was entering a competition next week. The prize is a position on the Farm Times!"
Sebun's eyes widened. "Isn't that the biggest newspaper print in the city?"
"Yu-huh!" Naruto grinned. "The competition is open to all who want to enter. I'm actually working on a manuscript with Tem."
"... Hm?" Louis sat up straighter. "Wait… Is that why he seemed more attuned to my script?"
"Hehehe~"
"It seems that Naruto inspires more people in your club than you know, Louis," Oguma said with a smile as he looked over his tablet. "It seems his presence is pretty widespread."
"So it seems," Louis observed. "Aren't you just a little ninja yourself, huh?"
"Oh, if I had to be, I'd definitely be one," the fox said. "Imagine, the foxiest ninja, staying in the shadows, protecting the heads of the Horns Conglomerate by night and an average citizen by day."
Sebun, despite her reservations, giggled a bit at Louis's odd look.
"Right…"
"Duh."
The time in the limousine passed far faster than the merino sheep had thought. She'd been expecting the ride to be far more awkward but Naruto seemed like an easy talker while keeping the conversation alive.
Sebun was surprised to find him a fine young man. It was odd to think she'd not recognized his carnivorous nature even when he grinned, laughed, or did anything to show his teeth.
The vehicle stopped by a bank, confusing her a bit.
"I need to make a few transactions, first," Oguma said as he was let out first by the roadside by Harry. "You all should stretch your legs, I'll be only a moment," he said as he went into the large bank.
Seeing him go, Naruto was the first one out, opening the door for the others to do the same.
"Hmph, I guess he's getting our weekly payments," Louis contemplated. "He should just tell us, honestly."
"One, they're called 'allowances', dude," Naruto said with a roll of the eyes. "And, two, that's literally rich coming from you."
"I've no idea what you mean."
"Of course, you don't."
"I'm going in," Sebun told her cooking mentor. "I need to actually deposit some money, myself."
He nodded as she walked into the bank after their employer, eyes going to the animated Naruto and the, eyebrow-raised but staunch in his side, Louis.
Kuuzo smiled a bit as they bickered, chuckling as they did.
"They're truly like brothers," he said. "O-Oh, not like really, just metaphorically, hahaha," Kuuzo said with a laugh that didn't sound convincing to those around him but he was thankful that they weren't listening.
Naruto was in the middle of describing how allowances allowed children to enter stocks when he caught sight of a large pack of darkly-dressed animals.
He looked at the group before his eyes narrowed at particular bulges he saw in their trench coats as they stood in front of the bank.
He raised an arm to Louis's shoulder and slowly pushed him towards the others.
"You guys get in the car, I get the feeling I have to deal with this," the vulpine one said as he took a step towards the group before being stopped by Louis's hand on his forearm.
"Now, hold on," the deer said as his eyes went to the group now moving into the bank. "... Shit," he cursed under his breath. "No being a hero, you go in, check things out, and get father out if it comes down to it."
"I'll do my best to make sure everyone makes it out okay," he said as he ran off, Louis's hand grasping air and his mouth open.
"T-That's not what I said!"
Going into the financial dwelling, Naruto spotted that group of oddly-dressed individuals over by a teller.
And, about three lines away from them, were his dad and Sebun.
He ran for them but it was too late.
There was a gunshot before he was by their sides.
"No time, come on!" Naruto shouted to them as he grabbed both herbivores and brought them down. "Come!" he whispered as they stared at him, shock taking their awareness.
'Fuck,' this wasn't good.
Naruto was at least thankful there was a cro-
The rest of the bank's occupants seemed to pick right then and there to scream and run, leaving Naruto to try and protect both Oguma and Sebun from the stampede of frenzied animals.
'Just my luck!' he thought as he felt a rather harsh stomp on his tail. "DAMMIT!" he shouted as it came to an end, leaving him, his father, and their new cook in the sight of the darkly-dressed group.
"Hold on now," one of the nine said, an average-height individual. "Isn't that the Oguma? Head of Horns Conglomerate?"
Another one of them, one of the two large individuals of the group, nodded as he hefted his rifle. "Well fuck me, it is."
'Oh screw me,' the fox realized. 'This ain't good.'
The first speaker chuckled. "Then we've got something worth more than a bank, don't we?" he said as he walked towards Naruto as he got off his father. "Come on, foxy, get off my pr-"
Naruto had made the executive decision to fight before the man had even crossed half the distance between them.
A flying drop kick sent him sailing back into his comrades, the fox flipping up above them as he did.
He righted himself in the air before he brought his fist down on one of their backs, sending the individual into the floor with a crack as he cratered the carpet.
He spun low, their panic in his favor as he, in an act of flexibility and speed that would have left a trapeze artist jealous, navigated up the large individual's body before his legs locked around what the fox thought was his neck.
He wasn't done as he reached for the animal's gun arm and gripped the forearm.
"Fire!" he shouted into the bastard's ear, causing him to do as he was told, letting rip a series of bullets into his fellow thieves' guns.
"SHIT!"
"Fuck!"
"DAMMIT!"
The fox's hold on the robber's neck tightened, choking him out good before Naruto disappeared behind him.
"Ha-ACK!" there was a loud smack as the animal fell forward, unconscious.
'Three down,' the fox thought as he re-entered everyone's vision, leg lowering from its kick into the burglar's back of the head. 'Six to go!' he thought as a clawed, scaled, hand swung at his head.
He was already bending backward, watching it sail over his head, before he kicked up, slamming his foot into the wrist of the offending limb.
"Ah!" the offender in question got out a yell before Naruto was already snaked up around his body, choking him. "Kaaak!GHEK!"
Naruto frowned as he leaned back, placing his chokee's head in the way of a swing of the butt of a handgun.
He let go of what he thought was a lizard person before going into a split as a leg entered the space above him.
The fox teen kicked out and knocked the kicker off balance before swinging his legs around to trip up the handgun holder along with the kicker off their feet.
He flipped up before landing in a crouch and then lunging forward slamming his palms into the chins of both offenders.
They flew a good distance before slamming into the wall of the bank.
There was silence as he stood behind the other four of the group.
"Five down," he said as he turned to look at them. "Won't be long now, will it?"
Sebun balked at the fox's words, his quick dispatching of over half the group of burglars taking her breath away a bare second after she regained her composure.
Oguma blinked thrice before grabbing her shoulder and pulling her over a teller's booth window, breaking the glass.
Louis felt some ice in his heart as he watched a large number of animals rush out of the bank doors.
"Call the police!" he told Harry and Kuuzo as he ran forth. "Dammit! Don't die!" the deer shouted to those in the bank as he rushed towards the doors.
'Naruto, don't you dare die on me!'
Naruto could only imagine what Louis was thinking of all this.
Facing the four standing individuals, a gun in one of their hands.
"... Fuck!" one of them, the one with the gun said, a tall, lanky, individual whose hands were covered in scales. "This wasn't in the plans!" he shouted to the sole short member in their group.
"Shut it!" her voice came out. "We just gotta get out of here."
"Oh you guys aren't going anywhere," Naruto said with a glare. "Unless it's a police station."
"..." the sole large animal of their group grunted, gray, wrinkled-skinned hands coming up to reach towards his hood before he threw it off. "Playing hero isn't exactly a good idea, boy."
A rhino, Naruto noted. That could be bad. The large animal man made to reach for something on his back but chose not to. Instead, getting into a sprinter's position, eyes on the former blonde.
He didn't have chakra in this place. So he couldn't toss the man like he wanted to with Sage Mode.
Think time. "It is when I can deal with you all, no sweat."
"Hmph, a sneak attack is one thing," the last member of the group, a tall individual with a sultry voice. "Hmmm~" she cupped her chin in her hood, pristine white-furred hands revealed. "Not bad, boyo. Perhaps working for us isn't a bad idea?"
Looking some more, Naruto noted the mask on the woman's face.
Well, ain't that annoying. "Yeah, sure, I'll send you an application in jail," the fox said as he slammed his fist into his palm. "...!" He let a moment pass before his hand reached for his holster, blurring something out of the box.
The scaly one found his gun flying from his hands as a knife slammed into it. "Wha-gurk!" he exclaimed before being folded by the fox teen's fist in his gut.
'He's fast!' the rhino man said as his thick hands came out towards Naruto.
The teen flipped back and over before landing-
Naruto turned his landing into backward flips as he dodged the tall woman's lashing out foot. "What the-?!" he exclaimed as he landed in a crouch, a bit of blood falling down from his forehead. 'How'd she sneak up on me?!'
That shouldn't have been possible by some random criminals! At least, he didn't think so.
Never mind how fast she was. Naruto even knew about the hidden person at the academy as they seemed to slip in and out of his senses! How had this long-legged individual been able to almost hit him like that!
"...?" She lowered a black tights-covered leg. "... Well that seems improbable," she said with a frowning tone.
"He's an exception among many," the rhinoceros said as he charged. "Don't give him room!"
Naruto lunged at the rhino man before sliding past him.
"I'm not stupid, boy!" the animal turned on a dime! "I've fought more battles than you've been alive!"
Naruto grit his teeth before performing a split and then dodge roll, moving away from a gunshot and the charging rhino man.
'He got his gun back,' the former blonde noted sourly at the lizard person's raised firearm. 'They don't seem all that coordinated.'
Yet. He knew groups like this were either dysfunctional or a perfect machine. Obito's memories had been a rather lucky thing to have seen a bit of.
'But that doesn't help me right now.'
What did he know so far? The lizard dude had good aim while the tall mask woman had fast moves and long legs.
Meanwhile, rhino man was a good charger, knowing how to immediately turn around and come back at full speed.
… Wait. His eyes widened as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Where was the last one?!
"Oh, buddy~" came the call of a familiar voice that Naruto dreaded as he turned his head-
"Get your hands off him, you tiny bastard!" he roared at her as the rhino man scoffed before getting into a sprinter's position.
There, at the door, that tiny animal had Louis's neck in her grip, a knife at the young deer's tender flesh.
Oguma looked over the teller's booth to see- "No!" he shouted, standing up.
"And there he is," the hostage-holder said as she pressed the knife further against Louis's throat. "Ya know, you should keep a better eye on ya family, CEO."
Naruto had little time to think of a way out of this.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck.'
'Fuck, fuck, fuck! What the hell, you dumb bastard?! How'd you allow yourself to be tricked like this?!' Louis thought with no one to blame but himself.
He'd told Naruto to not be a hero and look at himself now! Why'd he rush in?!
"Now, stand down, kid, and he won't end up with a sliced throat."
Naruto didn't have the time to listen as he was slammed into by the rhino man.
"Urf!" he spat out spittle as the man carried him to the wall before slamming the fox into it. "Puef!?"
Blood fell from his lips as the small female chuckled.
Louise froze at the sight of the fox's blood.
He watched with the larger deer, Oguma, he'd said his name was.
Inside a room with a glass window, for the two to see through, a small fox boy was being patched up.
Yon hadn't seen such blood spilled for him before. At least, no more than twice by his fellow friends from back then.
Kyu and San.
He let out rapid, shuddering, breaths before gritting his teeth as the small woman's knife pressed further into his neck.
"Now, now, heir, can't have you doing something we'll all regret," she said. "Rhino! Deal with 'em already! We don't know how far the cops are from here!"
"Hmph," said rhino huffed as he looked at the boy who'd slid down from his impact crater. "You should learn to drop all forms of weakness, boy. It'll get you killed," he said as he lifted the fox by his collar.
Naruto looked down, face bloody, as his eyes showed his defiance.
"... Well done!" the rhino threw him up before stepping back and down. "Death shall be swift!"
Falling from his thrown-up height, Naruto grimaced before grabbing his holster.
The man's charge started prematurely as he threw it into his eyes before projecting his voice below.
"Dumb bastard!"
The man slammed into the wall before Naruto fell to his height.
The teen snatched the large dagger on the large animal's back mid-air, the item this guy had been reaching for earlier, before twisting painfully to throw the blade through the air in the same breath.
It flew true as the tiny animal holding Louis was thrown back by the steel slamming into the wall, her cloak's sleeve coming with it.
Landing painfully on the floor, Naruto grimaced as he saw the lizard's raised gun, pushing off to the side as the dumbass shot into the back of his comrade.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Naruto's eyes widened at the lack of wincing, off-kilter pain, or anything. "You idiot lizard!"
Okay, so maybe his information was lacking but were rhino's supposed to take bullets like champions?!
He grunted as he kipped up, a kick at his head's former position his motivator.
Naruto jumped back from a charging rhino. 'This is bad!'
His body was aching, damn that guy could hit hard as hell! Thankfully, his limbs were the least damaged since that charge from before aimed mostly for his body, the bastard's horn dodged by a hair's length.
That tall woman and the rhino grouped up in front of him as he heard the clack of a gun's hammer pulling back at his back.
Then there was a gunshot that had him jumping to the side falsely as he looked back to see the lizard man cursing up a storm as he fell, Oguma's standing pose with his gun out revealed.
The fox grinned as he turned back to the taller offenders. "You're all that's left."
"Maybe~," the woman said. "After all, we can't leave without something to show for it."
Naruto was already moving.
Oguma frowned as the woman spoke before his blood son ran towards him with a look of worry.
Oguma was pushed to the floor by a darkly-dressed individual, eyes wide as he looked up at a raised claw whose talons were tinted purple.
'Poison?!'
"DAD!" the fox shouted.
Oguma's eyes focused on his death before the figure was tackled to the side by Sebun, the small woman's form barely enough to toss aside the average-height male.
That didn't mean much when she was thrown towards Oguma who caught her involuntarily, eyes on the lunging lizardman.
An orange blur slammed into him, the two wrestling as they slammed into the teller's booth, breaking it and causing a rain of glass and woods over the two.
Naruto's grimaced as those tainted claws glanced off his left arm before he brought his raised fist down on the assailant's chest.
The floor beneath him cratered as the fox finished their bout.
He got off the unconscious lizard man before wobbling back to his father and faceplanting.
Sebun reached a hand out towards the now groaning Naruto, the teen's eyes opening to look at her.
His hand raised before he gave her a thumbs-up.
Oguma got onto his knees before checking over his fox offspring, the sound of sirens outside relieving his worry only a tad.
"Father!" Louis was by them in moments, kneeling towards his brother. "What…" he looked pale as he reached out to touch Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto?"
"Mmmmmm," the fox groaned as he turned his head towards his adopted brother. "D-Don't feel so good…" he said slowly as he let out slight huffs of breath.
The two burglars looked at one another before the female partner nodded.
"We'll find you."
"Go."
She nodded before running off towards the back door of the bank, head taking one last look at the downed fox as her own bushy tail waved curled around her waist. 'That boy…'
If the Inarigumi got ahold of such a fox…
She'd have to find a way to deal with the boy later, it was apparent that he was, indeed, stronger than she was.
Such powerful youth.
Oguma glowered at the rhinoceros standing by the wall, their eyes meeting.
That said, he also knew that if the large man decided to charge them.
The man had seemingly thought of the same thing, getting down into his position.
Oguma nearly shat himself as he did, praying to whatever god out there to help them.
And then ice filled his veins as the area became intense.
The rhino man also stopped, eyes wide as sweat fell down the sides of his face.
Louis found his eyes widening as his body screamed at him but he could not move.
Sebun's eyes landed on the fox whose head had turned towards the rhino burglar before this all happened.
Her instincts were screaming at her now. He was dangerous. Naruto was a monster who'd eat her given the first chance he got.
Her hands trembled as she reached out to touch the back of his neck.
And the area's pressure fell away in an instant, leaving her huffing along with her employer and his son.
… Son. Or was it sons?
Naruto had yelled something that couldn't be taken back, she realized. And she, also, now realized why this whole situation had come to pass as the doors to the bank shattered as cops charged in, black and blue coming to surround the rhino man who'd fallen to his knees.
A monster. A monster was in the room and these fools didn't know it.
The rhinoceros' eyes narrowed as he was placed in cuffs, gaze never leaving Naruto's unconscious one.
The boy's eyes relaxed from their angered glare that had stolen his heartbeat moments before at the touch of the sheep behind him.
That boy needed to die.
~NRK~
All around the city watched the live feeds of the event.
Many from Cherryton doing the same in their dorms before the sight of their classmates shook them.
"That's Louis and Naruto!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief. "W-What happened to Naruto?!" he yelped as a stretcher was brought out with the fox on it.
Legoshi stared at his injured fellow student. "... I don't know," he said as they watched the news before something came after it.
Interviews with the bank's occupants whose testimonies made them all curious as they spoke of the fox's martial feats.
"Ya know, Naruto does go around the other martial arts clubs," Collot said as he moved his long bangs out the way to better view the TV. "He's been around them before with Louis."
"Really?" Voss asked. "I mean, I guess that makes sense but since when could he take on armed robbers?"
None of them could answer that, this was all new information, after all.
So they listened to more interviews before one person came on and said something that caused shock to spread across the entirety of the dorm.
"He call-"
~NRK~
Bill's mouth dropped.
"-ed him-"
~NRK~
Els's mouth hit the floor.
"-Father!"
~NRK~
"I repeat, this is urgent news!" the TV reporter said with wide but hungry eyes as she eyed her report. "The victim, Naruto, a young fox teenager of 16 years of age, the supposed bodyguard of the heir of the Horns Conglomerate, has been heard calling the CEO of the company 'father'!"
The groups of foxes stopped and stared in silence at the reporter's words.
"WHAT?!"
~NRK~
The city learned in less than two hours that Naruto, bodyguard of Oguma and Louis, was actually his son.
A fox-deer hybrid.
~NRK~
… I know this seems weird but, trust me, I've already finished the latest chapter of Kamui Candy. I just won't release it until tomorrow.
So, uh, this is going to be the start of a trend of mine. Whenever I finish a chapter of my main stories early, I'll probably do little chapters… Okay, not little, but you guys know what I mean.
I've had ideas like this for YEARS. I literally have a whole file with all my fanfic ideas and potential crossovers. I've been itching to write some more but don't want to overload myself.
So I'll do it like this. Any fics that pop up like this one will be updated sparsely. Let me say that again.
This fic isn't something you should expect normal updates for. Just so we're clear.
Alright, I finished this today, I could probably finish another chapter in the next few days before focusing back on my main stories.
Also, anyone notice that my writing's getting better? I've never been able to write such a condensed hook so easily.
That's experience for ya!
Words: 11.6k+.
~NRK Out~