~NRK~
Para couldn't very well believe what she was seeing, the sheer magnitude of what was happening before her couldn't be put into words.
"Hmm," Naruto nodded before he floated up the body construct before him and raised both his tools. "Let's see how this goes," he said before he focused on the balanced energies inside of him.
When he allowed the energies within his body to come out and they did, the young fox's own blue and red colors slipping out before flowing against the construct.
Para froze before her arms came over her stomach. "W-What are you doing?"
"... I don't know."
The energy coiled around the stomach portion of her body and the two vulpines watched as her stomach raged crimson red while the rest of her body glowed a softer red.
"... T-The red… Does that stand for my carnivore side?"
"Yeah but you're two types of carnivores," Naruto said after some thought. "Like how Koiwa is a rhino-horse mix, you've got TWO carnivore sides."
"..." Para stared as the younger fox's energies moved to the sides of her body's… construct? "What are you going to try?"
"Anything."
He knew what the tools were for so he tried that out.
He sent his herbivore side over to the stomach and allowed it to dance just outside its range before he watched that energy reaching out towards it.
Something in him told him that allowing it to grab hold would be a bad idea and, instead, he used it like a carrot on a stick, sliding his shakkujo across and enticing her carnivorous energies.
The red was building up and Naruto's eyes narrowed before he brought his tanbo around and circled his shakkujo's energies.
The red energies of his own body coiled around his herbivore side and the energies that had been following bounced off it.
He watched Para's crimson slowly recede before his eyes widened and he moved his red weapon over and grabbed the loose wisps.
"Okay…" He nodded, holding onto her stomach's wisps as Para shivered at the feeling. "I know how it's supposed to look, so…"
He made a sort of… dividing line from the top of her head to her crotch area.
Para froze at the feeling of something warm and cool doing the same inside her own form, the fox woman holding her side with a shiver that tore itself from her belly to her head.
"T-This feels so weird!" She told him and Naruto chuckled nervously at that.
"I'm trying my best!" He responded before focusing on the currently 'split' construct before him. "I think…"
"I heard that!"
"Yeah, yeah, damn," Naruto huffed before he nodded at the line he'd made. "..."
He did what he'd done before a few more times and Para told him all the manners of annoyance her body felt.
Now, he had a thick bar of dark red in the middle of her body, her belly portion's energy fully changed in shape.
"Now, I'm gonna need to make this half and half-?" He began saying before his body thumped.
He looked down at his stomach before an idea slammed into his head.
Releasing his blue weapon, Naruto reached down and settled his claws on his belly.
"I hope this is right…" He said before he twisted the hand… Unlocking his own body construct.
Para stared as another black construct formed behind the male fox, the figure being like himself but the energies within perfectly aligned… She blinked at the eight spots of a red-filled construct.
Two at the head, one at the heart, and five running down from the neck to the crotch. From each one, she saw how lines spread out from them to the ends of each of the male's limbs, the little 'veins' glowing blue.
"...?!" Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at the familiar sight. 'The Eight Gates?' What the hell?
He always thought his body was perfectly divided… No… perfectly BALANCED.
'Is this my body's idea of being perfectly balanced?' Maybe.
It made sense considering his soul's actual 'memory' of how his body worked.
'Huh, maybe this is, like, a cure from another world, huh?' He thought with a slowly growing grin. 'If you think about it, this makes perfect sense!'
He turned back to Para's construct and raised his weapons, reclaiming his free one.
Naruto closed his eyes and focused as the 'gates' on his construct glowed brightly before shooting towards Para's construct at those points, the salmon red energy around those parts starting to pull in towards the 'herbivore' energy.
Then the 'carnivore' energy shot out from his construct and spread out the lighter-colored energy as the dark one rushed in before his blue energy dipped out.
His red energy 'let go' of the sphere-like shapes they'd 'imprinted' on her construct. The 'outer' red energy was held back by a faint ring of 'flames', allowing her dark-colored energy to rest kindly within. From out of sight, both hybrids blinked as gold took over the color of the 'flames' before flashing once.
Once these 'imprints' were filled in, his construct disappeared.
Naruto and Para blinked at the sound of something 'locking' and the former looked down at his stomach before both then looked at the spiral 'lock' on Para's stomach.
The two hybrids blinked as their forms began to fade out of the white space.
"Oh… I think we're finished," Naruto said as the two of them locked eyes. "Well, let's go and-"
~NRK~
"-See, Fouwuck!" The fox-deer hybrid finished before jumping off his seat and slamming into the wall opposite Para's now falling-to-the-floor body. "OWWWW!" He crouched and held his head with his non-bandaged arm's hand. "Freaking!" Naruto breathed in a hissing breath, knowing not to curse around children.
Para blinked at his position before Wala kneeled to her level.
"P-Para are you-" The impala blinked at the fox-lizard hybrid's eyes. "U-Um," Wala looked nervous as she removed a compact from her pocket.
"?" Para blinked at the reflection that greeted her, cupping her mouth in horror at the lavender scales that seemed to accentuate the outer corners of her eyes… before her eyes widened, a trembling hand coming up to her mask before pulling it down.
Louis tilted his head at pristine white fur around her snout, the woman's mouth open in shock and allowed him to see pretty sharp teeth.
"I-I'm?!" She placed a hand against her mouth and the tears began to fall.
Wala held the woman in a hug as Para cried tears of joy, Louis blinking as he came over and kneeled to how own hybrid.
"What's going on?" He asked Naruto who rolled his neck before grinning.
"Well, let's just say, her mouth used to look way different," the fox said with a chuckle as Louis's eyes widened.
"I see…" It was official, Naruto had to try to keep a low profile.
No offense meant against all these kids and, by proxy, all the other hybrids of the world but his brother simply meant more to him than their random lives.
"How long were we 'in there'?" Naruto asked and Louis shot him a whole raised brow. "It's a bit crazy, I'll tell you on the way home," he said as Louis helped him up.
Wala did the same for Para and the two vulpine hybrids locked eyes.
"Thank you!" Para bowed at the waist, a perfect, heartfelt, bow to him. "I… I-I'll need to still check b-but, even this," she grinned happily at him and Naruto grinned back. "Is more than enough!"
"Hehe~" Naruto chuckled before throwing her a thumbs-up. "No problem! Though, like I told Koiwa, I'd wanna double-check at the later date."
"Sure!"
"Hmph and, for your information," Louis nodded. "You've both been stuck that way for close to three minutes."
"Three minutes?" Para blinked at the deer who nodded. "I… It felt longer than that, in there."
"In where?" Ruth asked.
"Ummm, well," Para looked at Wala and laughed nervously. "It's a bit more confusing. Like Naruto said earlier, more serious mess-ups, in your body, require a bit more work," the fox said, confusing her old friend.
"Like, lots of mental stuff?" Wala asked.
"... Basically?" The fox woman said with confusion and a sweatdrop, getting a chuckle from the other woman. "It's a bit more… different than any of us will expect, Wala."
"I see," Wala grinned. "Well, I'm glad you can live a more normal life now."
"Yes," Para smiled. "I'm glad as well," she turned to the younger vulpine. "Thanks, once again."
"I'm glad I could help!" Naruto said with a grin as the doors to the building opened. "... oh, you must be Koiwa's folks… Hehe, can I talk to you, real quick?"
~NRK~
Now sitting in the family limousine, Naruto leaned back in his seat, soft breaths coming from the close-eyed hybrid.
Louis stared at him with some shock still left over from their earlier talk.
'Mindscapes? Carnivore and herbivore 'energies'? The 'Seven Chakras' being 'Eight gates'?' Louis was left confused beyond understanding which made sense.
None of what Naruto had said, and done, made normal sense. His vulpine brethren was so… special it hurt to think too long about.
The red deer wasn't confused, though, about the herbivore parents' reactions to their son's more normal eating habits.
They'd professed the chance to pay him to keep him normal but Naruto, ever the boy scout, had denied that and said that, hopefully, this would be Koiwa's new norm. He'd informed them of the possibilities and that he'd want to do another check-up. In response, they'd given him their home address and the fox had been assaulted by children once more.
"Hmmm," Louis closed his eyes as he watched the night lamps flash by in the window, a smile on his lips. 'Hmph, your reveal has done nothing but bring good to the world,' he thought with a smile.
He knew that the world would get a whole new set of 'weird' with Naruto out in the open.
~NRK~
She cried tears of joy as the man before her smiled. He was the one who'd given her the first diagnosis of her sterility.
Now, he gave her an answer she was too excited to hear.
"I'm not sure, perhaps it had to do with your age back then," the puma doctor said as he adjusted his glasses with a smile. "But, I'm glad to say, you're capable of getting pregnant again."
Para wept so many tears of triumph and excitement.
~NRK~
They'd gone back two more times and Naruto found himself loving each and every visit.
He'd just finished helping Ruth, the leopard-croc, as the boy liked to call himself, as the last one.
The boy's second eyelids flickered over his eyes as his crocodile tail, now slightly slimmer but covered in his own spots and fur, waved happily behind him.
"Thank, Naruto-nii-san!"
The leopard woman behind him cried as her crocodile husband held her close, his own eyes clearing of water.
"Thank you."
He made sure to inform them of the possible side effects but had also told them that this was just about permanent. The fox just needed to secure the kid's system now.
Naruto said this to all the parents. Planning to not just stabilize his work but also check in on them for the following four weeks.
On the following Saturday, Wala had informed him of another person who'd usually come over being sick and Naruto nodded. This Gosha dude sounded cooler than a watermelon.
~NRK~
The week went by pretty fast, much to Naruto's surprise.
Here he sat, Sunday night, with Dr. Pyrus redoing his bandages after a quick cleaning.
"How's it feel now?"
"Well," Naruto hummed as he slowly clenched his hand into a fist. "I can still feel the needles right on the edge but I can close it by being gentle."
"Hmph, you're healing at a good rate, young man," the armadillo doctor said with a smile as Naruto grinned. "Now, all that's left is for these painkillers," Pyrus said as he handed Naruto a wide, albeit short, orange bottle made with see-through material. "Those are decently strong so one at a time if you feel any overbearing pain."
"Gotcha," Naruto said as he held up the medication. "Thanks, Dr. Pyrus. I get the feeling I'm gonna need this once I really start going back to school."
"... Hints of combat needs?"
"... I don't know," Naruto said with a long sigh. "... I told dad already, he's got the block looked after, but be careful when you go outside," the hybrid said with a frown that the doctor reciprocated. "I don't know who it is but someone's been coming by the house time and time again. They don't stay for too long and it happens at least, like, three times a day."
"I see…"
"And, yes, it's a carnivore so, please, be careful."
"I will."
~NRK~
The following morning, Naruto slowly dressed himself, slacks already on with the fox getting his dress shirt on over a black tank-top.
There was a knock on the door, the fox boy in the living room. "Come in!" He called out, the door opening to reveal Sebun in her chef's attire. "Oh, hey, Sebun!" Naruto said with a grunt as he pulled the sleeve over his bandaged arm up fully. "Sorry, just getting ready."
"I figured I'd come over, just in case," the sheep said with a smile. "I was worried that you might not count in your temporary new dressing speed," she said as she went into the kitchen. "How's an omelet?"
"Sounds good!" Naruto said as he buttoned up his top halfway before looking at the tie on the couch. "... Why'd I even bring that downstairs?" He grumbled, stuffing it into his pocket. "Now, time for the vest… Well, Doc did say to let my remaining wounds breathe so…" No vest time, baby!
He got dressed with far more ease without it, his socks a slight challenge with only one arm-side-pulling being his action.
"G-Got it!" He announced as he got the other one on before his eyes widened at the sight of his shoes. "... Oh God."
"Need some help?" Came Sebun as her head popped out the entryway of the kitchen, the sheep taking one look and snorted. "Come on, let me help you out."
She came over and, much to his gratitude, helped him tie his shoes.
"Ugh," he groaned in embarrassment as she giggled a bit. "I literally can't tie my own shoes, I feel so lazy."
"Hm, hm, hm," Sebun giggled a bit as she got up. "You're taking this too personally. You're injured, last I checked."
"That doesn't mean I won't complain, Sebun."
They ate after that, the door opening to reveal Louis standing there with a hum.
"Everything ready?" He asked with a smirk as the fox chuckled nervously. "I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say… Sebun helped you put on your shoes."
"... Louis, being smart isn't everything."
"Yes but it's most things," the heir to Horns Conglomerate responded with a grin before tilting his head. "Come on, your adoring fans are waiting at school."
"Don't say that," Naruto said as Sebun, with a grin, passed him his backpack. "Thanks, Sebun, at least I know I have you on my side."
"If you're gonna be a drama queen," Louis grinned. "Do it at the club, not outside. Use that talent."
"My God."
The two left after that, Sebun chuckling as Naruto shot her one last wave out the window of the limo.
~NRK~
"You've kept me up-to-date but I'm worried I'll be mobbed on first sight," Naruto said as he felt the anxious energy build in him. "UUuuughghhh!" He shivered.
"It'll be fine," Louis said with a smirk. "I've informed the others of your return, they're lying in wait to 'welcome' you back onto school grounds."
"Oh, thank you, smartass Louis."
"Hmph."
The ride came to a sad, to Naruto, end when the gates of Cherryton Academy rested at Louis's window.
"Okay, okay, you got this."
"Are you chanting to yourself?" Louis hummed. "I didn't think this would be that agitating."
"It's… Well, after what happened at the hospital, I've been enjoying not being crowded, ya know?" Naruto said, his sibling nodding in sympathy. "... That said, you're right. Besides, facing it head-on will make things so much easier and quicker."
"Indeed," Louis said as he opened the door to the outside world. "Come on, time for you to face the music."
"Don't say it like that," Naruto said before he sighed, scooted over, and got out with his bag slung over his shoulder. "... Louis this is so much worse."
Louis didn't look around, knowing that every single pair of eyes on the sidewalk, and inside the schoolyard, was on them.
"Just smile and wave. Smile and wave," he said with a casual smile that the former blonde knew wasn't real. "Smile and wave."
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grinned with as much energy as he could, focusing on the fact that he felt the drama club members coming out of the school. "H-Hey, guys-!"
"It's him!" Came a shout from the yard and Naruto felt the stares increase in intensity.
The two were bum-rushed in seconds! Naruto and Louis were back-to-back as animals of all walks of life surrounded them.
"So much for smile and wave."
"Oh, hush."
"I-Is is it true?!" Came the question of a female donkey with hopeful eyes. "Y-You're part herbivore?"
"I-I mean, yeah-"
"Ignoring that!" A leopard girl who Naruto was sure was two years his senior spoke up, grinning at him. "Ya know, I always did-"
"Hold on, now!" Came the call of a female poodle. "No one said you just get first go, Sandra!"
"Excuse me?!"
More of such madness occurred in front of the two, Naruto looking back and forth as more girls seemed to join in on this particular discussion.
Naruto slowly gripped Louis's arm and, even so slightly, shifted them an inch out the way with every heated word passed.
Moments later, he easily slinked them out of the crowd and the two were creeping towards their friends when the girls turned their questioning on him.
"PICK ONE!" Came their unified call only for the mob to blink in unison. "WHERE'D HE GO!?"
The doors to the front of the school flapped closed.
~NRK~
"I've never been so scared of a girl in my life," Naruto said as he laid down flat atop one of the stands. "Thanks, guys, I'm sure I would have been put into a rough position."
"Hmmm," Els's eyebrow twitched as Shira coughed into her fist. "Yes, they are annoying."
Many of the others laughed a bit at that, the goat's ire for the female populace's current fixation on their little brother figure had been apparent.
"Hmph, the first-class bell starts in, like, ten minutes," Bill said with a raised brow and a snort. "Last I checked, your class is on the fourth floor in the connected building thatta way," the tiger said as he pointed up and back. "Can you run up four sets of stairs and get to the other building in under a minute?"
"I mean, I could," Naruto said with a flat expression before blinked curiously. "How far up do you guys think it is?"
"... Why?" Tem asked with a raised brow as Naruto looked at the window. "Please don't tell me you-"
"Oh but I am," Naruto said with a grin. "I'll hang here for the rest of the time before the bell rings. I'm fine with getting to class a little late."
"That's not suspicious or anything," Moro the rhino said as she cupped her chin. "Well, how's it feel? Being famous and all?"
"I hate it," the group let out a collective snort. "Can a guy just save his dad and be left alone?"
"Your dad's, like, the head of one of the biggest corporations in the world," came Kibi the anteater's words, getting a flat look from the bandaged fox. "For what it's worth, I'm sure this'll pass over in time."
"Haaa," Naruto sighed. "I guess if this was my consequence, it could be worse."
"Hmph, it'll be fine-" Louis made to say before the group blinked at a knock on the door. "Hmm?" The drama club leader frowned as Naruto blinked.
"Oh, it's him," Naruto said, confusing the group as he got up and went to the door. "Well, he's one of my friends from my year-" the fox hybrid said as he opened the door. "Sup-"
"Ah, Naruto-kun," came the smooth voice of a young herbivore as he held his hands out, a smile on his face. "I should have known that you'd find your way to casual company."
The person who was let into the drama club room was what they saw to be a white Dall sheep with two large, slightly curved to the sides, horns. His fur was so well-cleaned and beautifully arranged to make it look like slightly wild feathers.
He had baby blue eyes that seemed to lock onto Naruto's left arm, the limb in a sling that the group had done for him.
"Hmph," the sheep's eyes narrowed onto the injured limb.
"Oh, guys, this is Pina," Naruto introduced the group to the rather pretty sheep boy only for the herbivore to observe the fox hybrid's arm. "Oh, that's-"
"You're getting into trouble again," Pina stopped him with a slightly annoyed grin that Naruto coughed at. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, I keep telling you, beautiful animals do not get into trouble."
"Do you even remember the last girl you were with?"
"For your information," Pina grinned. "I still am. She's a lovely white-tailed deer whose name happens to be Sally."
"I'm guessing you've practiced getting someone's name right, this time around."
"Beauty comes in many forms and this," he tapped the back of Naruto's hand gently. "Is a curious mar on your slate."
The club watched with curiosity as the two spoke, the actually rather pretty sheep's closeness with their friendly neighborhood hybrid was… a curious thing.
"And this is?" Louis asked as he came up to the two with a raised brow.
"And you, the legendary Louis," Pina's head turned to grin at his fellow horned herbivore. "Naruto speaks highly of the drama club but most of you. Nowadays, that makes more sense."
Louis smiled. "For how much he hangs around, he's basically an honorary club member," Naruto grinned. "That said, Naruto, you've not introduced us."
"Oh, right," Naruto chuckled as he bumped shoulders with Pina. "This, guys, is Pina. He's the first Freshman friend I made while I attended. Took about a month but I wore him down!"
Many snorted at the wording, Bill chuckling as he crossed his arms.
"Yes, my friend here," Pina leaned on Naruto's shoulder with a grin. "Has a sort of crazy energy that finds ways to become beautiful… When worn down."
"Yups," Naruto snickered. "He's a pretty smart dude, we typically team up for projects and stuff. Thankfully, when he's not out dealing with the girlfriends I've completely lost track of in numbers," Pina smiled with his chest. "He's probably the number one smartest Freshman! Outside of Juno, I think."
"Ah, yes, her," Pina held his chest with faux pain. "The grey wolf beauty of our year," Legoshi perked up, much to Pina's interest. "Interested? I've never really spoken to her as Naruto has so he'd probably be the best person to get her number from."
"Ignore him, please, or, really, this is progress?" Naruto shook his head. "Whatever, isn't class about to start? Shouldn't you be getting there?"
"I'd ask the same thing to you," Pina said with a hum. "Class is three stories up. When do you plan to go?"
"Like, right now," Naruto said with a nervous chuckle, rushing to the window with his things being slung overarm. "So, hurry up!"
He then proceeded to flip up out the window with the hand gripping the bit of wall by the sill.
The club room was silent as the sounds of feet on the roof traveled away.
"... Hmph, his beauty finds itself showing in the most amazing of ways," Pina said with a grin as he, too, took off with a wave. "But, alas, expectations are upon me. Can't very well let him down."
He left after that, leaving the room bereft of Freshmen.
"... So, like, was he hitting on Naruto or?" Bill asked the question they were all wondering, Louis's brows lowering just a smidge. "I don't think I've met such a self-centered sheep."
"He's certainly got presence," Saru said with a considering grin, Bill balking at him. "Calm down, it's only an idea, Bill."
"Y-You want that guy in the club!?"
"As I said, only an idea."
"He has the right voice for a dramatic character," Tem said with a nervous chuckle as he returned his gaze to the window. "Naruto literally just flipped onto the roof with one arm."
"I guess he's more comfortable with his skill," Els said with a hand cupping her chin. "Naruto's always been the open type, maybe, with everything all out, he's just… happy to show off everything he is?"
"Hmph, he's certainly more upbeat than usual," Aoba the seagull said with a chuckle. "I don't think he knows but he's really happy."
Louis looked back at the window with a hum, slowing nodding.
"He is, isn't he?"
Perhaps Naruto's body really did show more emotion than the fox knew.
~NRK~
It was three hours later that Naruto found himself at the cafeteria, across from Pina, with a twitching brow as every available set of eyes turned his way.
He breathed in through his nose before eating some more of his omelet. "This is seriously getting annoying."
"What? Did you not enjoy the girl's attention in class?" Pina asked with a raised brow and Naruto hated how sincere his tone was. "Naruto-kun, I'm starting to get worried."
"Okay, one, we both know how ridiculous that sounds," Naruto shot back with a huff. "I've liked girls before, Pina. This, on the other hand, is not my jam right now."
"... Hmm, you continue to remain odd."
"Heh."
"Oh, hey, Naruto-kun!" Came a call from the fox's side and he smiled as the voice, leaning back to grin at his fellow canine. "How's the arm?"
"Sup, Jack-senpai, Legoshi-senpai, sup," Naruto said to the two newcomers to his, and Pina's, table. "You met him earlier, Pina, but this is Legoshi-senpai and Jack-senpai."
Legoshi, yes, the Dall sheep remembered, but the golden labrador at his side was new.
Jack seemed to be a kind, friendly, animal with an average build and hazel eyes. Wearing the entire school uniform minus the blazer, he smiled as the two took the next seats at the four-seater table.
"Pleased to meet you, Jack-senpai," Pina greeted graciously as he cut up a salad with a bar of seasoned tofu in it. "Legoshi-senpai, good afternoon."
"Ah, hello," Legoshi said as Jack gave off a more welcoming aura.
"Hi!" The dog boy said with a grin that Naruto chuckled and reciprocated. "It's been a while since Naruto came over and this is how I find you?"
"For what it's worth, I was doing good in the world."
"I know, we saw the news," Jack said with some worry as he looked at Naruto's bandaged-up arm. "Is it… permanent?"
Pina's eyes narrowed at that as he too focused on Naruto's limb.
The fox shook his head with a grin. "Nope, turns out, I have a killer immune system," he said with a shrug at their confusion. "The way it was say was that my body's getting used to it, even though it hurts like someone's stabbing me if I clench my fist too hard," Naruto shrugged. "For lack of a better word, I'm gonna be slightly immune if I got that right."
"That's amazing," Jack looked shocked along with Pina and Legoshi, the latter blinking rapidly.
"Immune… To Komodo venom?" He whispered that last part and Naruto nodded. "I mean… I might not have been paying attention but I thought it was just you healing."
"The family doc told me how it is," Naruto said. "Louis knows as well-"
"Hmph," a seat was pulled out from the table behind the fox, Naruto grinning as Louis turned it around and crossed his legs with a raised brow as well as his arms crossed. "I do, don't I?"
"Yup," Naruto chuckled. "So, yeah, I'll get my arm back to full use, at a minimum, by the end of the year. For now, I'm down an arm."
"Hmm… Can I sign it?" Jack asked with a smile and Naruto grinned.
"Sure."
The labrador boy brought out a small orange sharpie. "I figured you'd like orange."
Jack signed on the blonde's bicep with a smile before handing it to Louis who blinked before chuckling.
He signed on the former blonde's forearm before throwing it to Legoshi who barely caught it.
"Come on, Legoshi," Naruto grinned at the hesitant wolf. "Everyone's doing it."
"Hmmm," Pina plucked the marker out of the wolf's hands and laid a beautiful signature across the back of the hybrid's hand. "There, the closest to your beauty."
"You're seriously gonna give people the wrong idea."
"What idea?"
The older boys laughed nervously as even Jack had begun to raise eyebrows at Pina's… everything.
"Hmph, here you are, wolfy-senpai," the pretty boy said as he capped the marker before handing it to Legoshi. "Remember, you've gotta own a part before the room gets here."
"What?" Legoshi uttered before the sound of many screeching seats hit his ears, his eyes widening as he turned his head… "... I-I'll go right here," he said as he got the other side of Naruto's bicep.
Then the crowd descended.
"Oh my GOD!" Naruto screamed as the tidal waves rushed towards him!
As the five were mobbed, a bit away, a person at the entrance to the lunch hall, one at the windows, and a bird sitting on a high-rise seat by the windows looked at the main attraction.
Naruto.
~NRK~
Principal Gon sat at his desk before the door to his office creaked open, a rather famous, as of late, head peeking in.
"What's going on, Principal Gon?" Naruto asked as he came in and sat down on one of the three chairs in front of his desk.
The Siberian tiger smiled as he looked up, blinked, and then chuckled at the mish-mash of color, names, and signatures on the hybrid's arm.
"Oh, yeah, this?" Naruto gestured the principal chuckled. "Turns out getting mobbed in the cafeteria is a special thing."
Gon grinned. "The students have certainly taken well to your presence," the man said with a smile. "Perhaps too much if what I saw at the gates is something to worry about," he said with a sweatdrop.
Naruto nervously laughed. "Yeah… They're a bit more… testy than I remember."
The principal snorted. "Isn't that the truth?" The man said as he leaned back in his seat. "The world's focused on you. How do you feel?"
"Right now? It's pretty weird," Naruto said with a shrug. "Louis and me have already realized just how weird things will probably get once I start going out more obviously."
"I'm glad to see you two getting along. I was kind of worried about a divide between you two because of this."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Why? I mean, Louis is not only one of the smartest students in the school but he's also the heir to Horns Conglomerate. Add on that he's clearly Beastar material and I doubt he'd even get upset at this happening in his face."
"Oh?" Gon raised a brow. "Is it only because of these titles he has?"
"... nope," Naruto said, catching onto what the tiger meant. "Okay, I'm making him look bad. So let me speak from my place as his little brother," he said and Gon smiled. "Louis is probably one of a kind when it comes to caring for people and wanting them to succeed," the fox said with a snicker. "He'll say all this stuff, he might tease you on occasion, hell, he'll do what's needed but he's also caring for people's progress. It might seem weird but he really cares for the drama club. More than I think even he understands. It's his favorite place, after all."
"I see…" Gon's smile became somber, the tiger letting out a breath through his nose. "You've got a true understanding of his emotions."
"Well… Not all of them," Naruto said with a sad chuckle. "I… I wonder if he realizes how much good he does, sometimes. Louis is smart but, emotionally, he's… Well, a little bit stupid."
"?"
"Louis sees things the way he sees them, most of the time. I can break through, usually, but he's easily able to snap back to his own way of thinking pretty easily. He needs to… well, relax."
"Interesting perspective," Gon nodded slowly. "I can see how you'd see that. He's both the future leader of one of the biggest herbivore-run businesses known to every species while also the leader of the drama club. Maybe it's your influence but he's never really gotten into trouble with them. Perhaps all that builds up to a view where things should go the way he thinks they do."
"Probably."
"Hmph, I called you here just to check in on you," Gon admitted with a smile. "I'm glad you seem to be going strong and thinking stronger."
"My grades beg to differ."
"Hmph, not necessarily book smarts but maturity-wise. You seem to have wisdom that many your age need, Naruto-kun. I just wanted to see the start of it."
"... I'm gonna help people, most likely, for most of my life," the fox said after a bit with a smile. "Because that's what I think is right for me. I'm gonna choose my path in life but I know, no matter what, I'm gonna be helping people somehow."
"An amazing answer," Gon nodded. "You may leave. It's been enlightening talking to you, Naruto-kun. Truly mind-opening."
"Heh~ Dattebayo," the boy said as he chuckled before heading off.
Once the door closed, the principal snorted.
A verbal tick? That was bound to be popular with the masses.
~NRK~
Naruto hummed as he and Pina walked to their last classes, this one being one of the few they had together.
"How is the pain, though?" the sheep asked as he adjusted a piece of his fur in a little compact mirror to the side as they walked up a staircase. "You said as if you were being stabbed?"
"Oh, well," Naruto hummed. "It's like if I clench my hand too hard. I can close it, and the needles are just on the edge, but if I go too far it'll hurt."
Pina nodded as he closed his mirror, the two reaching the third floor of Cherryto-
"O-Oh! It's you, Naruto-kun!" Came a voice from the duo's side, both turning to see a carnivore girl waving at them.
"Juno-chan?" Came the male Freshmen's twin calls.
Juno, their fellow Freshman and also noted as a beautiful grey wolf, even though she was a bit redder than Naruto expected.
Bearing a grey coat with a reddish tinge to it, her eyes were wide and blue while her ears seemed to dip to the sides a bit.
Wearing the girl uniform of Cherryton Academy, and having a rather athletic build by Naruto's standards, Juno held the title of Most Beautiful Female in the Freshman years like Pina was the Most Beautiful Male.
"I heard the news," she said before she looked at the… colorful bandage around his arm. "I know you like bright colors, Naruto-kun, but isn't that a bit much?"
"... W-Wait," Naruto snorted as Pina grinned. "No, you see, these are all names. I got mobbed in the cafeteria and they all wanted to sign it, hehe… I'd offer you a space but you'd have to find it."
Juno raised a brow at that, coming over and looking at all the names.
"I-It is all names!" She realized in shock as the boys chuckled.
"Naruto-kun has grown rather popular, Juno-chan," Pina said with a charming smirk as the fox groaned. "Why, all the attention from the girls in class, and he doesn't feel a thing. It's rather amazing."
"Naruto-kun isn't like you, Pina-kun," Juno rolled her eyes before gesturing forward. "Come on, we have class."
They walked and chatted, Naruto in the middle of the two Most Beautiful of his year.
How had this happened? Well, it wasn't really all that surprising.
They were a special sort of lonely like he used to be in his previous life. He seemed to gravitate to these two and they just… opened their hearts to him.
The Super Trio, they'd been called. The Guarded Celebs had been another title for the trio.
They just seemed to… fit.
~NRK~
School ended an hour later, the three heading to the Drama Club.
"So you two wanted to join the club?" Naruto asked in shock. "Guys, we're halfway through the year!"
"Well, technically, I was still adjusting," Juno said. "I did transfer in three months after school started… It took some time."
"I was simply enjoying the romance of my beginning high school life," Pina said with a raised hand, a hand at his chest, and a smile on his lips. "Yes. I remember my third girlfriend when I'd just become a Freshman!"
"Third?" Both canidae balked at him. "Hold on, third?"
"Oh, yes, I'd been in two relationships before coming to Cherryton."
"... Pina, I don't want to ask but… what number are you on right now?"
"... Hmm," Naruto and Juno began sweating at the fact that he had to think about it. "... I'd say number 6."
"Pina, you've been here, what, six months?" Naruto didn't believe such an airhead could exist.
"Hmph, Pina's a playboy but this," Juno's mouth dropped as her eyebrows twitched. "I'm pretty sure this goes past being just a playboy."
"For what it's worth, I did have two of their permissions," he said proudly, getting a dropped jaw from both 'carnivores'. "... Of course, I may have gotten their names mixed up… once… A few times."
"Pina you are just…" Naruto breathed in before shaking his head and turning around. "Nope, we are not doing this today!" He announced as they rounded a corner.
"I'll have you know-" Pina began to say before he bumped into Juno who bumped into a still Naruto. "... Naruto?" The Dall sheep raised a brow at his friend's still back before looking up-
Hungry.
Both wolf and sheep froze at the sight of a statue of a bear that was Riz, the brown bear teen just standing outside the club room.
"Oh, Naruto," the bear said with a wave that the fox's neutral stare went soft at. "Can we talk?"
"... Yeah, su-" Naruto began to say before two hands held his shoulders. "?" He turned to see the alarmed eyes of Juno and Pina.
"N-Naruto-kun!" The gray wolf said a bit too loudly but the fox turned. "Y-You know how we were going to apply tomorrow, right?"
"... M-Mmm, yes, she's right," Pina said with a smile that likely only Juno and Naruto could tell was fake. "We can visit lat-"
"Guys," Naruto smiled at the two horrified teens. "It's fine, I promise," he said with a nod before walking over at a brisk pace. "Come on, big guy, let's talk."
Riz's head came down and up but, for a moment, his gaze shifted to the two other Freshmen-
"Riz."
The pale-brown bear's head snapped in Naruto's direction, the fox stopping mid-walk towards the corner with his head turned.
Beady black eyes looked at how the lowering sun played with some of the shadows around him, covering some of his feet while slightly shading his face.
"Come on."
Riz the brown bear's hands clenched and unclenched before he smiled and nodded.
"Coming."
The two slipped out of sight, leaving two horrified Freshmen.
"... W-What should we do?" Juno asked with a stammer as the large build of Riz disappeared after Naruto. "W-We need to… D-Do something, right?"
"... Let's follow from a safe distance," Pina said coolly, running his hands through his neck fur with an easy smile on his face. "Naruto can typically handle himself well."
Juno saw the way his hands drummed against his thighs at his sides, nodding as they followed with ease.
Up above the ceiling tiles, a pair of slitted-pupils dilated in interest.
They made it to the roof in quick order, the former blonde feeling Riz's hungry gaze.
"What's going on, Riz?" Naruto asked as they stopped on the railing overlooking the yard below.
The top of the drama club area was covered by a large hemisphere of stone with a railing around it along with a walkway.
"... You look so delicious," Riz said, the height they were at would make them hard to make out. "It's maddening."
"I'm sure it is," Naruto said with a sigh as he leaned against the railing. "But you need to find a way."
"There you go again," the bear said with a smile as his hands… his claws clenched and unclenched. "We don't all get the special mix-breed cure for our instincts, Naruto-kun."
"Maybe. You're right, I'm lucky to not have to fight this urge to tear flesh apart," the fox hybrid said. "That said, that doesn't mean that I don't need protein. Riz, there's bug meal, fish, and fake meat to help guys like us. Why are you like this?"
"Because it's not that easy," the bear said, moving to stand by the blonde before leaning on the railing. "I'm a carnivore, a big one at that. I'm over two meters tall, Naruto. I'm a bear. I'm full of energy-hungry stuff that makes the casual stuff not work anymore," he frowned, the bars creaking under his grip. "... I can't taste anything anymore."
"Huh? What?" Naruto looked alarmed. "Riz, that sounds less like a carnivore thing and more like-"
"I'm clinically depressed?" the fox blinked. "Of course I've gone to see a doctor, it's not exactly like I knew what was happening at first," the brown bear said with a frown. "I was told I had depression of some sort brought about by the strength-restraint medication given to animals who breach a certain height, a kind that affects how my tongue works. I was advised to find foods that can fit my palette and try to incorporate them into most of my life… But the things I want… Naruto. I try honey but that's not healthy and I've gotten sick from that before."
"..." Naruto grimaced as he was reminded of a certain rhino-horse hybrid, closing his eyes and dragging his hand down his face. "... There's something I don't want to ever say. The idea of it makes me sick to my stomach and I'd wish for nothing more than to make that place obsolete… But, Riz," the bear blinked at the fox's grimace. "Do you know of a place called the Black Market?"
"?"
"... Haaa," Naruto slowly ran his hands through his neck fur. "When I was a kid, my mom tried to ween me with meat and stuff. I didn't know any better," incorrect, he'd done nothing but live in a small apartment.
Going to the Black Market had been a shock to his system the first time through and he'd… He'd eaten without a thought.
"The crazy thing is? Mom kind of, maybe, also had a sort of conscience. There's a place there that sells the meat of passed away animals," Riz's eyes widened in shock. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," Naruto grit his teeth as he held his head. "Some of them were donated, others were from idiots who got themselves killed in the street… but. Oh, sickeningly, but their bodies are there to try and help people who've reached the very deepest ends of your rope."
"... Why are you telling me this?" Riz asked after a moment, even as excitement danced in his eyes. "You'd let me eat meat?"
"I'm not letting you do anything," Naruto snapped back with a growl before cursed under his breath. "I hate that place. If it'd just been the… remains of people who simply died, it'd be… something, I don't know, but it's not," he said through grit teeth. "There are some sick bastards down there, Riz. People who have no morals and would even sell your meat if it was to their benefit. It's dangerous in all the wrong ways."
"..."
"Riz, I'm telling you this as someone who's trying to protect everyone in this school. Not just guys in the drama club, not just Louis, I want to protect even you," the brown bear looked shocked. "Protect you from yourself, especially. That said, there are still a few things I want to try to stop you from going that far."
"... What?" Riz was curious.
Was there another method? To be honest… he didn't want to eat anyone. Of course, he didn't.
The idea of blood on his hands filled his blood with ice and left him feeling ashamed… but that was a grip on his sanity that was slowly losing its claws.
"Kneel real quick, alright?" Naruto asked as he got off the railing and turned to face him. "You don't know me well but, know this, I don't go back on my promises. I will find a way to help you, no matter what."
Riz was left confused and a little bit… touched. He didn't understand why this little idiot cared.
He'd come here prepared to offer his ultimatum in the form of a fight but… perhaps this was the right way for things to go?
Naruto laid a hand on his chest and closed his eyes before taking in a long breath.
Riz wasn't sure what his underclassman was doing before his body froze at the feeling of something… warm spreading from his chest to his neck to his snout.
'W-What is he…?' What the hell was the hybrid doing?
Was this a fox thing? He'd looked up that some of them had something to do with magnetism. Was this it? What was he trying to do?
Naruto, meanwhile, tried to see if he couldn't stave off this side effect of bear's strength medication.
'Doing this with a pure carnivore is different,' he thought as he rolled his herbivore and carnivorous sides into Riz's mouth. '...?'
It was like the energy within his mouth was all super bunched together and becoming super condensed… "Riz?" He spoke up, getting the bear's attention. "As of late, while taking your medication, has your mouth changed in any other way?"
"... I don't think so… Oh, well," the bear blinked before realizing. "I've had some tooth pain after clenching down too hard sometimes."
"I see, that makes sense," Naruto said, confusing the Sophomore. "Your mouth was basically nothing but carnivore energy. It's all bunched up there from all the other parts of your body."
"Energy?" Now the bear wondered if he shouldn't take the hybrid to the infirmary.
"... Just know that the world's a bit more complicated," Naruto said before he breathed in a deep breath. "Alright, this might feel weird."
He pulled in a large amount of Natural Energy before spreading it around the bear's chest, Riz's eyes dilating as he felt warmth explode throughout his body.
The air was cleaner, the tastes on his tongue… there, and his ears felt like he got a real good cleaning in!
Naruto pooled all the energies around Riz's head before pulling on the excess energy.
Riz began to feel lightheaded as the fox let out a cool breath, pulling that ball of carnivore energy to the bear's chest before spreading it throughout his body.
"Haaaa," Naruto removed his hand and Riz blinked away the fog in his head, eyes blinking once more before they widened. "I don't know how that will work but, for now, just try and live a normal life, please."
Riz placed his hands against his chest, rapidly moving them throughout his sternum before blinking.
"... What did you do?"
"Try to fix that side effect," Naruto said with a shrug and a swing of his bag over his shoulder. "Like I said, I want to help you get through this. Let's just see if this works before anything crazy, alright?"
"..." Riz frowned a bit. "What if it doesn't?"
"We'll try something else," Naruto said with finality, getting a blink from the bear. "I told you, we will find something."
"... Alright," the brown bear said after a moment of consideration. "... I'll try a bit harder."
"That's all I'm asking for," Naruto said as he rolled his shoulders. "Alright, I think we're gonna worry the club if we take too long," he said, walking past Riz with nary a care in the world, an attitude that surprised the bear. "Come on, Riz-senpai."
The hybrid opened the door and chuckled at the sight of Pina and Juno standing at the sides of it.
"Come on, you two wanted to apply, right?" Naruto asked with a smile as he walked down the steps.
Pina and Juno balked at him before realizing that Riz was coming.
They ran after him, heads peeking back to see the large upperclassman coming through the rooftop door.
"Naruto-kun…" Pina spoke up first, wearing a neutral expression but Naruto could feel the worry in his presence. "... Was everything you said up there true?"
"Yeah, unfortunately, it is," Naruto said with a sigh and a frown. "I've had to realize a lot of things to become the guy I am today, Pina, Juno-chan, but I'm also going to handle everything that comes my way."
Juno looked conflicted. "... E-Even… senpai?" She asked quietly.
"Yes," Naruto said resolutely. "Because he's not a monster. I've seen some monsters, guys, Riz-senpai just needs help."
The two stared at the resolute hybrid with disbelief.
"... You really are something else, aren't you?" Pina said after a moment of thought, a shiver, and roll of the shoulders, and a cross of his arms. "I don't think I could do as you do," he said with a hum.
Juno considered her fellow canidae. "... Sometimes, Naruto-kun, I worry that you're going to end up with everyone's problem on your shoulders. You need to worry about yourself, more."
"I get that," Naruto said with a nod.
"I wonder if you do, sometimes," she said with a sigh and a groan as Pina chuckled. "At least, your way of getting into trouble is probably the best way to do it."
"I'm a natural troublemaker."
"Noted."
The three snickered at that and, from the top of the stairs, Riz looked at their backs with… slight shame.
He looked at his hands for a moment.
"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."
He had to? Riz wasn't sure how well that could go.
"There you are-Oh?" Came the voice of Tem as he saw Naruto's group and then Riz. "Riz! I was worried something happened!"
The brown bear stared at the smiling alpaca as Naruto grinned.
"Nah, I was just talking to senpai about some stuff on the roof," the hybrid said before smirking. "Though I've also brought two new members for the club!"
Tem's head snapped to him before he looked at Juno and Pina. "Amazing!"
The two Most Beautiful Freshmen chuckled a bit at that.
… Perhaps he'd try a bit harder.
~NRK~
Playing a little fast and loose here with the background for the medication Riz and other tall, powerful, animals take. I don't remember if the fact that this side effect was something he knew about beforehand or not.
Yeah, Naruto's been to the Black Market and eaten meat before. Mostly ignorant to the truth about it. He never truly realized it until he was given time to process the fact that there are animal people.
That said, no matter how much he doesn't like it, he does know that some of the meat there is donated from dead places. It's not exactly calming but it helps his mind to think of it like the herbivore community trying to truly make peace with their carnivore counterparts.
Yeah, boy! We got Pina and Juno! Along with Naruto, the three of them are the Freshmen Trio. The youngest members in the drama club while also being the most special cases alongside Louis, Riz, and Bill. It's kind of hard trying to write Pina but I think I'm starting to get ahold of his character.
Pina is laidback, a playboy, smart and wise to the streets, haughty, not willing to show his true emotions unless they're forced out of him, and, yes, caring, easily attached when the connections are real, and protective more than he knows.
It's why, I believe, he protects Legoshi. He's not a bad person but Pina also doesn't want people to know how much he cares… Even then, he's also willing to keep Riz up-to-date, in the end. Pina's pretty fascinating.
Then we have Juno, the other hard-to-write character, for me. If I have a good hold on her character, it's confidence, arrogance in her status among the student body, smart, willingness to show her true feelings, wants others to do the same, emotionally immature, and possessive. Ironically, not bashing, Pina has more good points throughout the story than she does but I feel like that's because her story begins with her possessive nature and trying to claim Legoshi. I'm sure to expand on her in the future.
Also, ya know… The moment I wrote him into this, I always wondered what a Fem!Pina would be like-
Too late, did it.
~NRK~
~Omake: Beautiful ft. Naruto x Fem!Pina~
He introduced the club room to his female friend.
"Guys, meet Pina," Naruto said as the group looked at the beautiful herbivore whose long eyelashes batted as she came around the blonde's back only to hold his arm curiously. "?"
"Naruto-kun… What happened?" Came the Dall sheep's voice as she featured a lowering brow. "... What kind of trouble did you get into?"
Naruto's smiling face froze as he began to nervously laugh, turning to his friend with a pale complexion. "W-Well, you see, I was protecting family. You know? I'm sure you saw the news… Right?"
"I was aware but not of how badly," she said with a twitch of the brow that got an amused smile out of Louis. "Oh, yes, the Great Louis, Naruto speaks… well of you."
The red deer teen's expression slipped into one of confusion.
What the hell kind of tone was that-
"P-Pina-chan, h-hold on-"
"I hope you didn't cause my friend here trouble, sir," the drama club was left staring. "I'd suggest you get your act together."
"Whoa now!" Naruto was between the two in seconds. "Hold on, Pina-chan, that's not fair."
Pina looked appalled, tearing up, much to his horror.
"N-N-Now hold on! I'm not mad!" Naruto tried to assuage the teary-eyed girl. "L-Look, I know, okay?! I'm glad you're angry for me, seriously!"
"... Snff, really?"
"Y-Yeah!"
"... Then prove it," she said with clear eyes, and the group, sans Naruto, gaped at how obvious this ruse of hers was. "There was this new thing in the cafeteria… but I can't finish it on my own."
"R-Really? J-Just that?" Naruto asked and Pina nodded. "... A-Alright, guys, I'll be… back."
Pina smiled and wrapped her arms around his harmed arm, leading him off.
The hybrid was able to close the door behind him before they disappeared from sight.
"..."
"..."
"... What the fuck just happened?" Bill asked and, despite the vulgarity, they were all thinking the same thing. "L-Like, come on! That was so obvious, he makes me look like a genius!"
"... She's done this before," Els said after some thought before a growl left her lips. "I'll be right back," she said ominously, powerwalking to the door and leaving immediately.
"I…" Louis looked so unsure right then and there, the group was shocked to think he was their same leader. "... I'll be right back."
He followed after Els with a look of determination. "I just need to… speak with my little brother's friend."
Disappearing from sight, Tem chuckled.
"So Naruto-kun has a girlfriend?" He asked the room and the group blinked.
"It seemed more like she's dropping tons of hints," Shira observed as Dom the peafowl chuckled. "Like, damn, that's one of the few times I've ever seen someone that possessive and openly passive-aggressive."
"Yeah, like, how do you miss that?"
Dom chuckled. "Well, what do you all think about this 'Pina'?"
"... She's certainly beautiful," Moro said after some thought, many nodding. "The fact that it's Naruto being pined after is both confusing and not. You'd usually think it was the reverse."
"Well, I'm glad Naruto has someone who likes him," Tem said before nervously chuckling. "Her personality, though, on the other hand, seems… yeah…"
Many agreed. Pina's outright distaste for Louis's, and Naruto's, situation had been… very forward which could be a good thing but, then, she seemed rather headstrong, unironically.
"She seems like someone who tries and controls people, just a hunch," Shira said with a flat expression as Bill scratched his cheek.
"So what should we do?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"After them!"
~NRK~
He sat there and blushed a bit as he was fed once more.
"I-I thought this was me making things up to you."
"It is," Pina said with a smile as he took the food with more embarrassment, eyes alight with passion. "As I said, you can't eat like that."
"P-Pina-chan?!" Naruto was getting odd vibes from his friend. "H-How about we-"
"Naruto-kun?!" Came a call from his back and the former wanted to just sink into the floor.
Why the hell did Els-neechan feel so annoyed? Oh, wait, there was Louis.
What the hell had he brought upon himself?
~NRK~
That's a WRAP on the chapter as a whole. I needed to write that Omake.
Words:10.2k+
~NRK Out~