Naruto woke up slowly, something he was not used to. It took him a moment to realize that not only was someone petting him, his or her hand felt strange. He decided to wait a few minutes and try to figure out where he was. Listening, he heard the boy from before and an older man talking.
"Vhy do you think he is dangerous? He's injured right now and probably won't stay after he heals." That was the boy. He sniffed. He smelled of fur, forest, and a faint scent of brimstone that seemed to cling to him.
"I recognize what he is. Those tails are a dead giveaway." The man. He had a wild musk about him, like a wild animal that was only as tame as he felt like being. There was also a metallic smell that seemed to permeate his scent, but it didn't seem to be an original part of him. He was immediately wary of the man, and he hadn't even looked at him yet. Something was telling him that this man would be a dangerous enemy.
"The tails? You said something about kitsune. Is that vhat you mean?" The boy sounded slightly defensive, but curious.
The man sighed. "Kitsune are tricksters. They like to play dangerous games." He paused for a moment. "And this one is awake."
Naruto blinked and looked around him. He had realized he was in some kind of hospital the moment he woke, but there was something strange about it. It took him a moment to realize that there were few people-scents and little noise. This was some kind of a private deal. He shook his head slightly and turned to look at the people that were there.
The boy from the forest was there. Naruto took the time to study him, since he hadn't had much chance before. He was of medium height, had blue fur, fangs, golden eyes that seemed to glow slightly, his hands only had three fingers each (which would explain why the hands petting him earlier had felt strange), a tail swished into view, and the way he stood indicated that there was something strange about his legs. He blinked, but shrugged slightly. He had seen stranger.
The man stepped forward, and Naruto's head whipped around. He didn't want that man any closer than he had to be. He growled as the man stepped forward, and backed away. The man seemed confused, but Naruto didn't care. As long as the man kept his distance, Naruto was fine. It was only when he stepped forward that Naruto stepped back. Suddenly, he ran out of room on the table he was on, and fell. He only had time for one surprised yelp as he thought about how much this would hurt, before a pair of arms caught him.
Kurt stared at the fox in his arms, watching as it went limp in relief. He had been watching as the fox backed away from Logan, and was almost too late as he realized that the fox had backed too far. He barely managed to 'port over in time to catch the fox. Suddenly, the fox wiggled around until he was facing Kurt. It stared into his eyes, and Kurt felt like he was being examined. At last, the fox broke eye contact and licked his cheek.
Kurt shook his head in confusion and set the fox down on the table once more. Logan came over cautiously once more, but instead of backing away like before, the fox pressed closer to Kurt. Kurt looked up at Logan as he came closer.
"Vhat just happened? I felt like I was being examined and now the fox seems to trust me." Kurt was getting really confused over all of this.
Logan shook his head slightly. "I think he wanted to see if he could trust you. He seems to have decided the answer is yes." He watched as the fox in Kurt's arms nodded his head slowly in agreement. Kurt followed his gaze and hissed in surprise. The fox almost seemed to smile as it rubbed its head against Kurt.
Naruto was pleased that his initial decision was a good one. This boy was trustworthy. He smiled at the shock that both felt when he confirmed the feral man's suspicions. The man seemed to realize that he might get some answers.
Logan studied the fox and shrugged slightly. As long as he stuck to yes and no questions, he might find something out. "Do you intend any harm to anyone in or connected to this Institute?" He watched as the fox considered the question for a long moment. Then it shook his head. Something told him that the answer wasn't complete. The fox extended its injured leg and put a paw lightly over it. Logan was confused, but Kurt seemed to understand.
"You von't harm anyone in or connected to the Institute unless they harm you?" The fox considered this, and then both nodded and shook his head. It placed a paw against his arm, extended its claws for a moment, put them away, and raked his paw down Kurt's arm. "Oh! You von't hurt them if they don't deliberately hurt you first." This time the answer was an unqualified nod.
Logan considered this answer for a moment. "I have no problem with those terms. Better check to make sure Chuck has no problem with it."
"Make sure I have no problem with what, Logan?"
Naruto watched in interest as a bald man in a wheelchair calmly wheeled in. He had been the one to speak. Naruto wiggled out of the boy's grip, sent a wary look Logan's way, and walked as far as he could over to the new man.
This surprised Charles, but he wheeled closer to the table the fox was on. As soon as he was close enough, the fox jumped down on his lap and turned to stare into his eyes. Charles raised an eyebrow slightly as he felt the telepathic probe, but since there seemed to be no malice in it, he didn't object. After a long moment, the fox broke eye contact and licked Charles's cheek.
Naruto smiled. There was something he liked about this man, but he wasn't sure what it was. He knew the man recognized the probe, and had not objected. Maybe the man was telepathic. With that thought, Naruto sent a tentative thought. Hello?
Charles blinked. Hello. Are you the fox? The fox gave a delighted yip and nod. "Well. It seems he is intelligent. He recognized me as a telepath."
Kurt blinked. "Really? Vhat's his name?"
Charles smiled, but before he could ask, the fox answered.
My name is Naruto. There was a pause, in which the fox—Naruto—seemed to think. Though, in this form I usually go by Kyuubi.
Charles raised an eyebrow. "He says his name is Naruto, but he usually goes by Kyuubi in this form."
Kurt was confused. "What do you mean by 'this form'? Can you change your shape?"
Naruto smiled slightly as the boy addressed him directly. Yes, I can transform. If I wasn't injured…He paused and considered his leg. It might already be healed. Can you put me on the table? He asked the bald man.
Charles smiled slightly. "He says that he can indeed transform, and added something about if he wasn't injured." As he spoke, Charles put the fox on the table once more. Naruto examined his bandages before shredding them with one paw. Kurt started to object, but Charles shook his head and Kurt subsided.
Naruto was only peripherally aware of what the three around him were doing. He knew they wouldn't harm him, and he wanted to know if his leg was still injured. A moment's inspection of the leg showed that the wound was gone and the bone also seemed to be healed. He nodded and stood, walking around on it for a moment. It wasn't completely healed, but it was close enough that he could transform.
Kurt watched as Naruto inspected his leg and walked around for a moment. Besides a slight limp, the leg seemed healed.
Naruto stretched slightly as he transformed. He winced as the mostly healed fox leg changed to a boy's leg, still only mostly healed. When he was done, he healed the leg the rest of the way and looked up to find three pairs of eyes glued to him.
Charles, Kurt, and even Logan stared at the fox as it became more human. They watched as he grew and the fur faded. When he was done, a boy with wild blond hair, fox ears, and a single foxtail lying across his lap was on the table. The tail seemed to be all that kept him decent as he let them study his form. After a long moment, he seemed to be annoyed with their stares. "What? Haven't you ever seen a fox-boy before?"
AN: Well, here's chapter 1. I have the first couple of chapters already written, so don't be too surprised if I don't update for a while. My inspiration for writing seems to come at odd times, so I might have something more written for this story soon, or I might have a whole new chapter written by tomorrow. I just never know.
Anyway, I hope you liked. If so, could you please tell me? I'm a new author, but I think I understand why some of the authors I've read described themselves as review junkies.