A lone deer grazed leisurely on the grass in the chilly tundra like hill that slanted at an angle, located a ways up a mountain. A snow covered rock shifted slightly before a growl startled the deer.
It's head snapped up and she stare at the rock for a long moment before stepping closer, sniffing the ground curiously, tail sticking straight in the air as a warning that if she sensed anything wrong, she would run.
(You can just image Toshiro Musada's Naruto main theme playing right now. All the grunts and flutes.. -cough-) The silver haired being revealed itself, straightening to growl at the doe.
Seemingly entranced, the deer's brown eyes met slitted red and froze, unable to move a limb to flee.
"Stupid creature." Naruto rasped menacingly, baring his fangs.
A large orange fox, almost the size of a horse, shook its fur and straightened from where it had lain underneath the snow on a ledge above.
The deer shook with terror, letting out a low whine. Naruto snorted and ran a hand through his short silver hair, eyeing his prey."Well, aren't you going to get it?"
Two pairs of red eyes clashed in a battle of wills before Kyubi snorted in disgust and leapt, neatly standing over the deer and in a quick twist, snapping the helpless mammals neck. A sickening crunch echoed around the mountain before the sounds of wet chewing and torn flesh followed.
Naruto brushed the snow off of his long black sleeves that dragged along the ground as he crouched beside the Kyubi, watching emotionlessly as the deer was savagely devoured by the demon.
"Save some for me, baka."
'You were the one who was hungry in the first place, kit. You should have killed it yourself..weakling.'
Red eyes slowly faded to a dark blue, almost black and pupiless. The Kyubi's companion stretched his clawed fingers before he plunged them into the carcass, hand curling around the deer's heart before he ripped it out to bite off a chunk, chewing thoughtfully.
"Its almost winter,"He commented, stating the obvious.
'Its ALWAYS winter up here.'Kyubi growled, rolling her eyes before running a long red tongue along her bloodstained snout to clean it.
The silver-haired shinobi raised an eyebrow,"Yeah, but you ever notice how we get a shitload of snowstorms when its winter? And its just mildly cold in the summer and spring?"He blinked rapidly before turning to the fox,"Just how long have we been living up here?"
Kyubi tilted her head, ear twitching in the bitter air as she narrowed his eyes thoughfully.'Three..four years.'
"Time sure does pass quickly.."Naruto murmured with an air of regret before he took another chunk out of the heart.Blood splattered across his face as his fangs hit a vein. Wincing, Naruto wiped it off the side of his face and paused to grab a lock of bloodstained hair.
'You should have kept your blonde hair..' Kyubi rumbled, laying in the snow and crossing her paws before resting her massive head on them.
"Its better camoflauge..besides..why would I want fucking black hair?..ugly hair color.."Blue eyes narrowed at the memory of Sasuke's silken black locks. He chucked the heart to the ground in anger and stood, forcing a tight smile on his face as he stretched."How long has it been since we went down the mountain? Its cold up here, let's take a break."
The orange fox regarded him curiously before standing and shaking again,'have you gotten so lazy you need help getting down?'
A blur of black and silver was his only reply. Laughing as he ran down the sheer cliff of the mountain, using chakra to make sure he didn't fall, the sojourn spread his arms, allowing his black sleeves to flutter out behind him as the many layers hiding the lithe, lean body underneath billowed with them. The black outfit was almost like a kimono(think inuyasha, only much longer and wider sleeves that he uses like a pillow when he sleeps-shifty eyes-) with a white shirt underneath, and beneath that various layers of different patched shirts that helped keep out the cold. Naruto yelped with indignation as Kyubi grabbed him by the back of his shirt and leapt off the cliff, using chakra to slow the fall and increase the wind resistance as they plummeted towards the lush green treetops below.
With a loud thud they landed in dirt and grass, Kyubi immediately rolling in it.
Naruto, on the other hand, twitched, expression sour as he rubbed the back of his aching head. "What are you doing, idiot!"
'Grasssss'the fox demon exhaled before relaxing on her side, eyes closed in bliss as her nose twitched to take in all the scents.
"Stupid fox.." Naruto muttered affectionately before plopping down beside her. "So, where to?"
One red eye opened a slit,'what do you mean?'
"Well..we're not just gunna.." The silver-haired shinobi motioned vaguely."Wander. Where'll we go? What country?"
'Hmm..where there's no villages. Where there's lots of forest and warm weather. And grass..grasss...'
Blue eyes rolled skyward in exasperation before he relaxed back against the soft orange fur of the fox's belly."Maybe the Hidden Grass?"
A snort resounded in his mind,'and how long do you think before we run into those pompous beings that call themselves ninja?'
Naruto winced and shrugged,"it's better than going to Konoha.."
A dark ear lay flat against the soft orange head and a sigh made Naruto's body rock back and forth. He glanced curiously at his friend and blinked, expression hardening as he turned away.
In the years they had spent together, demon and demon holder had steadily grown closer. Killing, eating, sleeping, doing everything possible together. They were their only companions, their only friends. They only had eachother and Naruto was at ease, knowing his friend could not leave him because even though he had released a great amount of chakra and let her become a single entity again, he still had the seal, and that bound her to him. They would be 'stuck' with eachother forever. Kyubi had once told him, when asked, that the reason she was so adamant about destroying Konoha was that Konoha was her home. Smirking at the blonde's curious stare, she had explained that before the nins had decided to make a village there, it had been her territory, her forest.
"But..there's so much! Couldn't you just share?" The blonde had questioned accusingly.
'How much do you suppose, would a giant demon fox be willing to share with hundreds of tiny little humans that just made theirselves at home without considering about whatever else lived there! They didn't initiate the fight..no..Im proud to say that I was the first. All's they wanted to do was kill, kill whatever they feared or did not understand. Or whatever was more powerful than them. I couldn't let them change my home, make it their own and slowly drive me out. It was either fight or die.'
Naruto had been left to silently contemplate the Kyubi's admission.
Later, Naruto had changed his hair to silver with his chakra, using a seal to take away the color, and leave it snowy white. He didn't like it though, so he tinted it slightly, giving it a silver sheen. He had taken the clothes from random travelers that thought it a necessity to kill the rumoured 'hermit and his pet demon' that lived in the mountains. So far no ninjas had come, probably thinking the villagers were just spreading stupid stories and fairytales.
Kyubi and Naruto had made quick work of them all, and had ultimately benefited from the entertainment and supplies.
"Kyubi...do you think we'd get caught.."He said slowly, all the while hating himself.
She sat up slightly,"no."
He muttered angrily to himself, knowing that she had been putting on the whole angst act just to make him cave in.
'I'll put up chakra barriers, no one will even sense us. We'll keep in the most remote sections of the forest to prevent the anbu from running into us. And just to be safe..I'd cover your face. The whisker marks still show.'She replied cheerfully.
The silver-haired outcast sighed moodily and closed his eyes."Fine."
69696969696969696969696969696969
DUN DUN DUNNNNn..
shifty eyes-
I got a review literally ordering me to update. lmao. So of course I have to update.
Here it is, another chapter to Help Me Breathe.Review with suggestions, please. Do you think Sasuke should catch him in the woods? Kakashi?..Iruka?..Your wish is my command.-sweatdrop-