DISCLAIMERS: Aaaalll riiggght theeeenn... since I hate repeating myself with things that are painfully obvious, this is going to be the last time I say the disclaimers! w00t! Which means, less space between you readers and the actual story! REJOICE! REJOICE, I SAY!
So, yeah, original Naruto characters like... uh, Naruto, Iruka, Kakashi, blah blah, etc, you know don't belong to me. Oo if they did, I'd be able to speak Japanese, draw better than I do now, and have lotsa yen, and wouldn't be spending time writing this, now would I? Well... just so you know, I only own Mio... and all the other new characters that you'll end up seeing like, um... well, it'll be pretty obvious.
Now, before we go on, I'd just like to thank everyone who read the prologue and reviewed and expressed interest in the story. You all rock! -hands out pocky, and green tea- Sorry, this came out later than I had planned, but that's usually how it turns out with my chapters; each chapter gets a base, then it gets revised at least 10 times (sometimes less, usually more), because I'm usually never completely satisfied with how I write it... XP but, oh well. On top of that, I've got a job now! WOOHOOOO! XDDDDD Ahhhhh… Senior year.. weeee.. hehehehehheee...
I've still gotta get used to this new, odd format fanfiction . net has put in... Oo huh... -pokes the screen- Why isn't it paragraphing?
Annyywaayysss... on to the story... We're not done yet with settling you, my darling readers, in to your seats... oh no, not at all. Buwhahahaaaaa... XDDD -cough, sputter-
Oh! ... and beware the slight OOCing... and the major ones; the minor ones aren't too twisted around.
The Kyuubi Doll
By: Sakurako YumeChapter 1: Odd Mornings
The council room was oddly cold that morning, at approximately five zero-two AM. The sun had not yet risen, but the sky was slowly changing, the darkness giving in to the pastels of morning. But, it did not bother the occupants at all... they were used to all-nighters like this, and this all-nighter was of great importance.
Around a large, round mahogany table sat five figures, all dressed in various robes of official status, while one stood off to the side. In the most elaborately decorated and quite well cushioned chair sat the Hokage, his hat lying off to the side as he flipped through a thick stack of papers. His face was expressionless, his traditional pipe sticking out of his mouth and filling the room with the smell of tobacco. On either of his side were two chairs of lesser stature but equal comfort, all four filled with members of his chosen council who were all reading similar copies of his packet. To his left sat two males, Mitokado Homura, who was rather old, and Hidoi Mizuki, the younger whose silver white hair was more of trait than age. The two to his right, in contrast, were women, the elder being one Utatane Koharu, and the younger one a rather passive Hyuuga Branch family member, Yuki.
"Very thorough, Hoshino-san." Homura stated, flipping to another page as he looked at the two standing in the shadows. The one he addressed merely took a step forward in to the light and bowed, her small hands clasped deftly in front of her.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Mitokado-sama."
Hoshino Mio, age eighteen, hailing from the Village of Hidden Moon and labeled as the Priestess of Kyuubi... only one in a long line of priestesses born for the sole duty of helping restrain the nine demons who resided in the realm of their world. Her skin was pale, as pale as pearls, as she usually spent her time in shade and out of the sunlight. Her hair was darker than midnight, in loops and trills of whispered onyx, accompanying eyes that lacked pupils yet retained a deep warmth... almost like chocolate, hidden behind thin-rimmed glasses. Dressed in black kimono, commented by a soft violet obi and feathered-designs in silver thread, she presented an image of dark elegance and calm, rather than the imposing and controlling priestess of the night before. The red fox mask, devoid of the golden symbols now, was tied securely at her small waist, its eyes closed in slumber...
'Yet, still, many fear her...' The Hokage puffed out a ring of smoke, looking at her silently over the report he held. 'And, not because she's so odd... but, because of the fact she is one of the few things standing between them and complete destruction by demon. The Doll... no, Naruto... trusts her with his life. And to them, anything the demon trusts HAS to be evil...'
His eyes rolled lightly at that. The big picture seemed to be always out of the peoples' reach. And it was a wonder they didn't start tossing accusations at him, either, but that was probably just a benefit of being the most powerful ninja in the village. A good benefit, he admitted more than once.
"However..." Yuki spoke up this time, drawing the attention to herself as she pointed to a paragraph. Her pale eyes were eerie and nerved everyone in the room a bit, barely seeming to shift in the priestess' direction. "This bit here concerns me: 'The child seemed to falter in his concentration and there was a surge of strength that seemed to empower the Kyuubi'... tell me, Mio. What of this 'surge'?"
"Yes, Hyuuga-san. It only occurred for a brief while, though... like a dam cracking ever so slightly..." She spoke calmly, nodding slightly as if this were an everyday thing they talked about. Which, in truth, it almost is. "It was not enough to disrupt the whole containing process, though... it only distracted me enough to throw that unlucky jounin off. You see that the problem was handled most efficiently, and there were no casualties or any serious injuries."
"Of course..." Mizuki put his set down, looking at the priestess with an almost smug look. "But, still, dear girl... what could have been the distraction?"
"Well... the Jinchuuriki' Demons are notorious for having... ONE major thing that would trigger such a sudden burst of energy..." Her head tilted slightly, and one could have sworn she smirked at the Hokage's answer to the question.
"Blood."
"...blood?"
The two younger of the four members echoed in slight confusion. No one spoke for a few moments, all five members of the table turning to face the youngest with expectant and anxious expressions. There was no movement, no sound as she turned her head to look outside the window, her eyes become hazy with the rising sun. The morning star's light seemed to climb over the surrounding treetops, her arms of warmth embracing the slowly waking village of Konohagure in hues of rose and peach. Mio remained silent for a moment, never blinking, before her voice broke the quiet in a chilling tone:
"... is it not odd that the entire Uchiha Complex has not awaken yet?"
"Six A.M..."A sigh as the scarred brunette ran a hand over his head, careful not to mess up the tight ponytail his mass of hair had been put up in. "It's going to be one of those rare days I wish I didn't have to get up this early..."
...well, it wasn't quite six, yet, but in ten minutes, it was going to be... and things were deadly silent. Which was odd. Normally, the mourning doves would be cooing, squirrels would be out scampering for nuts and berries, and there would be noise everywhere, especially from the far section of the village. But, not this morning... everything was deathly still.
Well... except for the children, of course. The children were always noisy.
He sidestepped quickly as he opened the door to his class, cleanly avoiding getting run over by a group of eight-year olds playing till the bell rang. A few steps in, he lifted his coffee-wielding arm up to prevent the scalding liquid from spilling as Ino made her merry little way around him, chasing the rather impressively building- up Chouji for stealing her chips. After three circles, they zipped off in the direction of their seats again, and Iruka merely completed the journey to his desk, plopping the papers down and drained the last of the precious energizer just as the bell rang. There was a flurry of running as the children all halted their activity and landed in their seats, waiting for attendance and instructions with uncanny attentiveness. Today, they were going to be studying the Kage Bunshin; it was something many of them had been waiting for.
His rather sleep-glazed look ran over the goggle of students, taking note of who was there and who wasn't, surprised to find the normally so prompt Uchiha Sasuke not in his usual spot up-front center. Very odd. But, like the Hokage used to tell him about odd happenings, 'Once is ironic, twice is a coincidence' (1).
'Next thing you know, the council and the village representatives will be allowing Naruto to attend the school.'
He smiled sadly at the thought of the little kit, finishing up marking his attendance book as the images of the night before flicked across his mind. He was a Calmer last night, keeping an eye on the child, flocked on either side by his fellow sensei, Kurenai and Anko whilst the boy's normal guardian remained in a separate room, resting from her ump-teeth trial of strength and battle with the beast. The Hokage remained near, watching quietly as Naruto fell in to a sniffling sleep, listening to the kunoichi sing gentle lullabies to him in order to quell his mind, and re-strengthen the seal on his stomach for the month.
Ritualistic, almost inhumanly robotic, this whole damned thing was... To the point that, even while the priestess rested, his extremely-off colleague, Mizuki, had the nerve to demand her report as soon as possible. They had to send in a recorder for her to get it done in time for the meeting two hours later, barely giving anyone a freaking rest.
But, now is not the time to dwell on such things (on top of that, he felt his own calm demeanor giving way to his easily irritated one)... he would visit the kit later during lunch.
"Ok, class! Take out your scrolls, please." He picked up the chalk sitting near-by, letters forming as he wrote down the title of the lesson across the board. "We'll begin going over the Kage Bunshin today, along with execution technique and hand symbols. I hope you all have learned to channel properly channel your chakra without causing any major damage. Last I recall, Mr. Inuzaki, yo-"
"Iruka-sensei!"
The door slid open with a frantically loud 'thump', the panting form of an office aid standing there in the doorway. His eyes were wide and blood-shot, sweat forming on his brow underneath his hitai-ite. Iruka lifted an eyebrow at the look on his face; something was very wrong.
"I'm sorry to interrupt... but..." The man bit his bottom lip, nervously looking around at the students before returning his gaze to the teacher. "You are needed at the office. It's urgent."
'Oh yeah... I REALLY... wish I didn't get up this morning.'
'What time is it...?'
A quiet whimper echoed softly in the room as the child blinked his eyes open, clearing his vision, and trying to recall himself despite his splitting headache...
Who was he? Uzumaki Naruto, known as the Vessel of Kyuubi, the Kyuubi Doll. Age? Eight. Gender? Boy. Status? Alone... no family to speak of, only a guardian from another Village and... others. Where was he? A bed... a very familiar bed, in a closed room with candles. Black candles, specifically, smelling of blackberries and lilac and dancing with white flames. Why was he here? And so exhausted...
'The full moon...'
The night before, to him, was nothing but a blur of red and blank faces, and of a searing pain that was centered at his stomach, but he knew well of his own curse. The Containing, a process developed for a Demon Vessel to hold down the powers of their tenants when they threatened to escape, always left tell-tale marks upon his skin. He was not naïve to it. But, last night had been different... there was a stronger lust for blood from the fox inside, much stronger that it almost over-came the poor boy's common sense. And the moon... its hue of crimson did little to calm the demonic being... why? What was so special about that day that the Kyuubi had rendered his host so... so... helpless and nearly to the point of death...?
"Naruto-kun?"
The little boy turned at the soft voice, eyes droopy and apprehensive but filled with relief when he saw whom it was that walked in, carrying a tray of items that wafted even stronger, sweeter smells in to the room. He recognized scent as special incense from her village that she always brought with her, decorated with hints of vanilla, lilac, and cinnamon to sooth him; the other was lavender bubble tea, chilled to perfection. They were items every Jinchuuriki no Miko seemed to be equipped with. "Mio-neesama..."
"My little one..."
Her voice was soft and gentle as she moved over to sit next to him on the bed, carefully placing her burden on the table next to the bed. That done, she turned and sat on a her side of the mattress, running a hand through his soft mane. Worry etched itself in her gaze at his state, taking in his sweating form adorned in a loose, thin, white yukata.
"Your skin is such a sickly color, and your chakra is still so diminished..." A hand to his forehead, and Mio's brow crinkled slightly. "And you have a fever... you should be asleep, my little one."
Dulled sapphires merely stared up at her.
"I almost died that time, didn't I, Mio-neesama. Kyuubi was stronger... I... I smelt blood."
Her lips pursed slightly, unable to respond. Yes, last night, she too could smell it amongst the havoc, and if there was anything that could give that nine-tailed demon a boost, it was the scent of blood. It had been confirmed that morning after her briefing with the council; All the way from the other side of their village... a whole massacre. Several generations of credit to Konohagure were gone.
Only one innocent had survived, and he was found unconscious in the street, barely alive. The other survivor was a suspect, as the bodies that remained were divided and diced in his handy work, and had been banned from the village... not that he was really around to hear the proclamation. Nor did she have reason to believe he'd care. But, it still made a lot of people feel better.
Ahhh... but, right now, that was not her main concern, as Naruto tilted his head slightly, giving her a curious look. She only gave him a reassuring smile and helped him sit up, picking up the cup of bubble tea from the tray and helping him take slow sips as she spoke.
"Ano, never mind about that, little one. The night has passed, the sun has risen, and you are safe. For now... we must focus on your current health and recovery before the next full moon rising. We can't be caught off-guard again."
"Hai, Mio-neesama." His tone was depressed. That's all he had to look forward to; recovery, waiting, full moon, exhaustion, recovery, et cetera. Her lips pursed and her eyelids fell halfway down, a thought crossing her mind, but the look vanished as soon as it appeared.
"Ah, Naruto-kun, that reminds me. Kurenai-san, Anko-san, and Iruka-sensei, and I all got something for you. A present."
Naruto perked up at that, and looked at her, shocked and excited. She smiled at him, reaching in to her left sleeve, fishing around for a moment before there was a light metallic 'clink'. With a secretive glance, she brought out a glittering strand of some thick white gold-esque material, sparkling like sunlight under the lavender glow of the flames. Attached to it was a lovely translucent-white stone, strings of light blue, green, and pink sheen dancing along its surface. She placed it in his palm, and he noted it was cool and smooth, calming his turmoil.
"What is it?"
"A special type of crystal from my village, aptly called a 'Moonstone', sent to me from my sister priestesses. It's said to be a good chakra-healing stone, representing meditation and sooths anxiety and stress. Anko and Kurenai picked the chain because of its magnetic properties... and the engraving in it is Iruka's work..." She ran a finger lightly along the chiseled character for 'ai' upon it. "It's suppose to help you recover faster."
Mio lifted his right hand up, wrapping the dainty, yet strong stands twice around his slim wrist and tying it tight enough so it would not slip. She pulled back, allowing him to examine the object himself, chewing on the last of the tapioca pearls, and jingling his arm. He was pleased; he rarely got any presents! A small smile made it way to his face and he turned up to her with it, his adorable eight-year old face once more seeming young.
A knock on the door interrupted and he stopped smiling, followed by a muffled voice that called through with an extremely polite, and nervous, tone. "Mio-sama, you are needed at the hospital right away! It's the Uchi-"
"Yes, yes, I know, thank you. I'll be out in a moment. Go ahead with out me." She rolled her eyes lightly as the messenger skittered off, muttering under his breath, before she turned back to smile at the blonde. "I must go, my little one, but I'll be back."
She leaned down to place a light peck on his forehead, hugging him to her. Violet chakra gently cocooned around him, singing a song to his, and his eyes began to droop. With her other hand, she gently plucked the cup from his loosening grip and returned it to the dresser's surface.
"Sleep for now...And keep this with you." She murmured, gently laying him back down to his pillows. In one sweeping motion, she sat up and pulled the covers around him, never wavering in her chakra song. "The day you get out of here, I promise you will meet someone who will give you the love that we here who protect you cannot... our destinies are unavoidable; this is the least we can do for you after so many years of pain."
He sat, staring off in to the distance of the town, face calm, but his thoughts a chaotic ramble of organization.
He hated this place. He'd always hated it.
But, for one night... one night, he loved it. Loved being here so very much... a tasty place, really. The blood ran bright and red, brighter than he thought it originally would. That crimson heaven... that huge surge of adrenaline; there were times even HE thought he was the Doll...
But, that's not why he did it; no... not at all. His reasons were better than that.
Then, he stood, his ponytail blowing with the sudden wind that blew in, whipping it around violently. His eyes reddened, and he pinpointed a group of ninjas in white rushing towards the hospital, a bundle in blue and black amongst them.
Yes, soon... soon his prodigy will awaken and rise to meet his challenge...
"I can't wait, little brother..."
And he smiled.
Whatcha think? I hope you don't mind Mio's presence; I tried very hard to make her some-what likeable. You won't find out much about her, though, until later, when... ahhh, well, if I TOLD you, that'd ruin all the fun surprises I'm planning, now wouldn't? -grins- You'll just have to hold tight and see...
Chapter 2 is currently underway! I'll get it up after the dozens of revisions I put it through! Buwhahahaa... and this chapter seriously made me crave bubble tea... ever had it? It's GOOD! The tapioca pearls are fun to straw-shoot at your friends outside. XDDD
Ahhhhhh, well, it's late now, and I've gotta go. Sleep calls, and I've got some homework to finish before Sunday night, so I can spend a few hours playing Xenosaga II and Galerians. And, a random note: I love Advent Children. Rufus rocks my socks with his sweet wheelchair, sweet outfit, and deceit techniques. Way to sport the band-aid look, ShinRa! WWOOOOOOOO! XDDD Ok, sorry, done being a fangirl for the night, now.
Lots of love and luck, everyone! I'll start doing some more art for this story ASAP, kie kie? Until next chapter!
Sakurako Yume
(1) - This is something my Junior-year English teacher taught us for our essays when finding proof and support for our topic sentence. XDD For some reason, it stuck, and it's become one of my favorite sayings. The whole thing goes: "Once is ironic, twice is a coincidence, three times is proof." ... or something like that... -giggles-