Kurama
Husband. Father.
Kurama of Nine-Tails, known as the most sinister of all his siblings, watched the six tiny kit-kittens prance around the den as his wife prepared the herd of deer for dinner. At three months, each one of his children was beginning to show a unique personality. Some took more after him, enjoying wrestling with their siblings and causing trouble for their mother. In contrast, others moved with polite grace inherited from Matatabi of Two-Tails.
Matatabi of Two-Tails.
Crimson eyes watched her move through the den with amazement. Every fiber in his being cried out in joy at her mere presence. While he loved the Sage and Naruto more than mortal meat sounds could describe, the raw emotion that Matatabi elicited was unlike anything he had ever felt. He remembered Kushina and Mito looking at their husbands with a certain feeling of longing but never expected himself to look upon another similarly one day.
"Kurama," Mataabi's voice sounded like thunder. He could listen to her for hours before getting irritated. "Are you hungry?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm thinking about laying down for a nap."
The bakeneko emitted a low growl as a lightning bolt struck his behind. "You just woke up! Your children want to play with their father. Eat something and take them down to the river." She yawned slightly. "It's my turn for a nap anyways."
Three orange tails slithered across the floor of their den to entangle her two blue tails. He smirked as she stiffened. "We can always nap together. I can give you something good to dream about."
Her twin eyes of yellow and green sparkled with amusement. "Tonight," Matabai purred, allowing her tails to be dominated without a struggle. "Once the little ones go to sleep." He continued his teasing while her claws tore apart the deer into smaller pieces for their eager children. "How is Naruto?"
"Hm." Kurama blinked. It had been nearly a month since he last opened their mental link. Last he heard, the Hokage wanted Naruto to spend some time in the capital to get used to dealing with the Daimyo. The boy did not seem thrilled about having to go deal and complained relentlessly about the stuck-up nobles. He shared the boy's sentiment. However, if he was forced to go to Kobe, the temptation to eat everyone would be too strong to ignore. "Don't know. I'll talk with him later today, I think. He probably misses me."
Matabai nodded as she dragged her six children to the feast of gore. "How did his date with that Hyūga girl go?"
"Not good." He somewhat forced Naruto to take Hinata Hyūga on a date before leaving for the capital. The few memories he peeked into showed a dinner full of awkward conversations, lusty lavender eyes that scared even him, and a stiff make-out session that nearly traumatized the Sage's heir. He needed to apologize to Naruto soon for recommending the Hyūga as a potential partner. Romance, he decided, was far more complex between humans than between more advanced beings like himself. "She kind of creeped him out."
"A shame. He needs to find a nice person to settle down with." She sighed heavily and lay beside him, watching their children devour the bits of raw venison left. "Too bad my Yugito is not around. She would've been perfect for him. Imagine the double date ideas!"
Kurama chuckled at his wife's softer side. Who would have believed a Bijū could be so romantic? "We could hook him up with Chōmei." He yelped as a bolt of lightning struck his rear. "It was a joke!"
"Naruto is a good man that deserves a good partner." Matabai's face left no room for debate. "Last thing he needs is a giant bug chasing him around. Maybe we could arrange a date for him with Shukaku?"
"Absolutely not! I refuse to allow my boy around that insane tanuki!" Kurama slammed his tail against the wall but paused at the giggling coming from his wife. She always knew how to get under his skin. He groaned, resting his head between his paws. "Initially, I wanted him to go for that Mei chick."
"Because of the red hair?"
"Because of the red hair." Curse this cat for knowing him too well. "At least his crush on that Uchiha girl never amounted to anything. I'll have to thank Itachi for offing her and the rest of her ilk." Another shock to his rear earned a yelp. "What was that for?"
Matatabi rolled her eyes. "You wonder why the boy is so fearful of making connections. The first person in his life to treat him kindly ended up getting murdered by her brother. That is going to leave some scars. I am shocked he did not end up like Gaara after that."
Kurama shrugged. "I would not have allowed him to slaughter everyone. That would've put my own life in jeopardy. Anyways, that is far from a good excuse. I sealed his memory of her away next to the memory of his first kiss."
"You're all heart, foxy. Memories are different than emotions." She closed her eyes and rested against him. Their children, bellies full of meat, gathered around them. "Looks like you might get that nap after all. Come, little ones." She wrapped one of her tails around them. "Mother is here."
Kurama closed his eyes before sighing. He needed to check in on Naruto. He wanted to check in on Naruto. "I'm going to talk to my boy."
"Ask him if he wants that game unit for his birthday. It is coming up, remember?"
"How could I forget the day of my most embarrassing defeat?"
"It is my favorite day of the year." She opened her green eye to stare at him. "You finally talked to me on his seventeenth birthday."
His features softened slightly at that revelation. He rarely kept track of most things, preferring to move through life only looking forward. "Hmph. Maybe the day isn't so bad. Sleep well, my spark."
He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to expand beyond the physical world. The new seal that linked him to Naruto allowed far greater freedom than the original but drained more of his own chakra. His ability to take physical form separate from his host was worth the price of being slightly weaker. If he still dominated the other tailed-beasts, Kurama would not complain.
Naruto did not respond to the initial request for communication. He reached out again but still received nothing but a dull whine. His boy seemed to be distracted by something. Typically, this wouldn't cause concern, given Naruto's hyperactive mind. However, something else lingered within the boy's mind. It took him a moment to realize what it was.
Crimson eyes snapped open. Fear. Naruto felt fear.
He reached out again to his boy in search of answers. Memories of the past month flowed into the fox's mind, but nothing seemed interesting. Meetings with the Daimyo, nights spent with the other ninja, and a handful of duels with some local samurai. More recent memories arrived last.
Her.
Without a doubt, she was there. Kurama felt confusion at the sudden appearance of a living, grown Saika. Of course, his boy felt attracted to the Uchiha girl. A small part of him felt glad for the marriage contract, hoping that these two souls could find each other after all these years. A larger fragment of his mind groaned about dealing with another Uchiha. He promised pain on Itachi's soul for not doing a better job during the massacre.
The visions of the dog boy confused him. He cared little for the laws of man. If a dog boy killed someone in Kobe, let him hang in Kobe. Seemed pretty simple to him. As the most recent memory entered his mind, Kurama froze in place.
They wanted to take Saika away from Naruto.
He wanted to feel joy at having avoided his boy mingling with the Uchiha. Yet, something within him hurt at the thought of such a fate for both. Kurama wanted his boy to have a happy ending no matter who gave it to him.
They wanted to break his heart. They tried to break his dream.
How long had it been since he tasted battle? Far too long, in his opinion. He held little love for any of the Hidden Villages, but Naruto loved Konoha more than anything. They repaid his dedication with treachery.
"Love?" Matatabi stared at him with a confused expression.
Kurama felt himself sinking into the depths of rage. He welcomed the emotion and smiled as the need to spill blood consumed his mind. However, this time would be different. This was not about satisfying his own desires. This was about protecting something precious to him.
"Seal the den," he commanded, not as her husband but as the Lord of the Bijū. His kit-kittens watched him with growing excitement. They felt his thirst for battle and desired to make war upon the cruel alongside him. "Not yet, little ones. Your time will come. Come, my sweet kitty…We are going to Kobe."
This is the end to the first part of the entire story. We have our major players on the board and conflict is unavoidable. Thank you (all of you) for your kind words as I got the ball rolling on this story. The following chapters will take place outside of Kobe as things heat up. Writing Kurama and Matatabi is a lot of fun. Each of them will play a very large role in this story. Naruto has a deep bond with Kurama...and Matatabi is a sucker for polite young women. On a special note...Naruto is growing a beard soon.
As for the shorter stories, I see most people are craving stuff with the Uzumaki. Keep an eye out for that in the near future. Along with that, I have begun the first stages of a Naruto x Kaguya story that will feature more Chinese influence that most stories. Time to use my love of the Four Great Classics!