Kitsune Legends
Okay you guys, like I promised you, this is the chapter when the real story begins. I hope you like! From now on, instead of the usual line thingy I use to separate different scenes and stuff, I will be using something else easier on the eyes. It seems that my eyes get a little sore when all the words are bunched together like they used to be. o.o. I will be using:
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
This is only temporary until I can think of a better line, xD. Any of you are free to suggest ideas, even though it's not really a major thing. I'm kind of a perfectionist, so don't mind me, lol. I'll still be using the line things to separate the actual story form my Author's notes though.
Reiko no Tori: The Naruto gang's ages will be told when my characters arrive at Konoha.
Key: "Talking"
'Thinking'
'Demons talking to their vessels in their minds'
"Demon talking/Demon language"
EDITED!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own the OCs. (Well of course, O.riginal C.haracters, duh.)
Kitsune?
Mikiko and Tsuki stood in one of the Hakumei's large basements, each wearing a pure white kimono. It was lit with many flame torches, revealing what was in this dark room. On the floor were many intricate seals made with many swirls and kanji. Surrounding the circular collection of seals were most of the other high-ranked Hakumei. The Mizukage stood behind the twins, a comforting hand on each of their shoulders.
"Let us begin the ceremony!"
Five Hakumei ninjastepped forward and went on their knees around the seal. Focusing their chakra into their hands, they pressed them into the floor. Instantly, the seal started to glow an eerie green.
Tsuki stepped forward as well, walking to the middle of the seal. Her eyes did not hold the playfulness they usually held. When she reached the middle, she stood facing the Mizukage. He also had a serious look on his face. He nodded for Tsuki to continue.
Taking out a kunai knife, she sliced across her arm and spilled the blood in a circle around her. The seal glowed red and the hum of chakra use increased. Sitting down in a meditative position, she exhaled, the cut already healing itself. Tsuki shut out all the noise from her mind as she breathed evenly. Her mind at peace, she spoke to the demon.
'Byakko-sama. It's time,' she thought, feeling another presence in her mind awaken. It growled, but seemed to nod. In the real world, the many Hakumei stared in awe as yellow chakra started to seep out of the girl's body.
It surrounded the girl, who at last opened her eyes. The purple irises had grown darker and her pupils were now mere slits, a collective gasp erupted from the small crowd. Her hands grew claws and her fangs grew larger and sharper. When the transformation was complete, a single thin yellow tail made of chakra, along with what looked like cat ears, grew. The seal glowed black. Suddenly, a burst of smoke exploded in the middle of the seal, concealing their Heir.
Mikiko visibly stiffened as her eyes sought out her sister. The Mizukage's grip on her shoulder strengthened, reminding her not to do anything rash.
The smoke started to clear, and in the middle of the circular seal lay Tsuki, unconscious, but something was different about her. The ears and tail from before had remained, and weren't made of chakra anymore. The white tiger ears had replaced her human ears, but all other traces of her inner demon had disappeared, other than the tiger ears and tiger tail.
The girl breathed calmly as their father, the clan leader, picked her up and carried her out of the room. Satomaru let go of Mikiko's shoulder as the seal reverted back to it's original green color and Tsuki's blood disappeared.
"Okay Mikiko, your turn."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A week after that secret ceremony, Riku was released from the hospital. He walked out of the double doors, stopping to breathe in the fresh air. He stretched his arms and sighed.
"Ahh...it's nice to get out of that prison," he smiled happily as he started to walk through the village's main street, "Though I could have gone without the three days of extra rest," he added, weaving through the now growing crowd.
The familiar smell of cooking bread and ramen reached his nose. He grinned, knowing exactly where to find his teammates, especially because it was lunchtime. 'I'd bet anything that Tsuki's dragged Mikiko to her favorite ramen restaurant...' he though, inwardly grinning. Already he can imagine the scowl on Mikiko's face from Tsuki's over-excitement.
Ducking under the cloth hanging over the entrance, he entered the restaurant. An explosion of cheers met him.
Sitting at one of the tables near the middle was Tsuki, who was sitting across a burly man who looked to be at least 7 feet tall if standing. There were piles of empty ramen bowls next to each of them. The two were glaring at each other, and the crowd went silent, feeling the tension in the room. The on-lookers' gazes went from girl to man and back again, trying to decipher the message that they were telling each other.
Riku blinked, finally spotting Mikiko, who was casually leaning against the wall of the room. It seemed that all the customers were now gathering around Tsuki and her "opponent". Making his way around the crowd, he stood next to Miko, who acknowledged his presence with a nod.
Riku whispered the question that had popped into the top of his head. He didn't feel the need to have all those eyes on him.
"Hey, Mikiko-chan, what's with Tsuki and that fat guy?" She raised a brow at the fat comment before narrowing her eyes ever so slightly at the situation.
"A ramen eating contest."
Riku sweat dropped as he looked back at the two "competitors" being engulfed by the now growing crowd. A bell rang from the back and everyone's attention was directed towards the waitresses now walking out of the kitchen in an orderly line. 'Damn. There are at least 10 of them. How much ramen can a person eat?' he thought, eye now twitching as he vividly imagined the two eating like pigs.
Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at his teammate. Her purple eyes were emotionless, but he couldn't help but notice the frown etched into her face.
Another round of cheers rang out as Tsuki and the man (Riku smirked as he noted that she was small enough to hide in his shadow) picked up their chopsticks. The first waitress served the two bowls on her tray, one each. Backing away hurriedly, she scampered back into the kitchen. The two glared at each other again. One bystander stepped forward with his arm up.
"The rules are simple. First one to eat 10 bowls of ramen wins! The winner will get bragging rights as the Mist's Ramen Lover!" Mikiko sighed as Riku looked like he was about to burst with laughter. He covered his mouth with his hands. When he recovered (it took quite a while), he turned his head towards the quiet twin. She answered his question before he opened his mouth to speak.
"Tsuki is very proud of her love for ramen. She will not back down from a fight concerning it," she stated simply, as if it were completely obvious.
They both turned their attention back towards their other teammate, who had a very determined look on her face. The "judge" raised his arm yet again.
"3..." The grip on their chopsticks tightened.
"2..." They glared at each other harder.
"1..." Both looked down at their respective bowls.
"GO!"
Their chopsticks seemed to move like lightning as they plunged into the broth. 'Tsuki looks like she's inhaling the thing! Holy shit, that girl can eat fast!' thought Riku in awe as she finished her bowl and raised her hand for another. Her opponent was only a little behind, just finishing his bowl.
The waitresses served the next course, looking slightly awe-struck. The crowd exploded again into cheers. Riku's ears picked up the different chants for each ramen lover.
"GO GO LITTLE NEKO!"
"BEAT HER, TOKO KAFUKU!"
He sweat dropped. 'Endless Stomach...?'
Mikiko's emotionless mask came back on as she stared at their very different eating habits. Tsuki seemed to just slurp it all up and swallow it. Chewing didn't apply. The man, whom she identified as a man named Taro (having a ramen lover as a sister, you couldn't help but know these things), ate his ramen with no manners. Some of his soup flew out at the crowd, who shielded their eyes with their arms in exasperation.
Mikiko disapproved of this little contest, but made no comment of it. Whether or not her teammate noticed, she didn't care. Any extra attention they got at the moment could be dangerous, considering the ceremony they had been through the week before. Her face remained blank, but her eyes glazed over in deep thought.
The next thing she knew, there were screams of approval and a distinctive scent in the air. Barf. She snapped out of her thoughts, being dragged by Riku over to Tsuki, who was now standing on top of her chair. Her arms were raised in triumph. The girl grinned widely as they approached her.
"No one makes fun of my love for ramen."
Riku grinned back, slapping his hand against hers in a hi-five. Mikiko stood their emotionless, but Tsuki didn't seem to notice. 'She must be used to it,' reasoned Riku as the three walked out of the restaurant calmly. The loser had to pay for the towering bill that they both had.
The silent girl inhaled the fresh air, a big difference to the heat filled room with only the smell of ramen (and a little throw up mixed in).
"In a month we have a big mission," she said suddenly, attracting the attention of the two loud Genin. They looked at her in slight confusion, trying to decipher her emotionless face. Finding nothing, they waited for her to explain herself.
"We should train hard for it."
Tsuki seemed to accept her answer for now, but Riku was a little wary.
"What kind of mission do we need to train hard for?" he asked, now eying her with interest. For a child, she seemed to be very vague about things. Mikiko shook her head slightly. Sighing, Riku gave up on this futile pursuit.
They reached a fork in the road. Riku turned east, the girls west. All shared a look before going their separate ways.
As Riku was walking, he thought about Mikiko's odd premonitions. 'I wonder what she meant? Man, she can be so weird sometimes...'
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Later on at the Hiroshima estate, Mikiko had showered and gotten ready to go to bed. She looked around the navy blue colored room and sighed, lying down on her bed. Her inner demon seemed a little concerned at her vessel's behavior.
'Oi, pup, you okay?' It was a smooth voice, like the wind. Before long, Mikiko found herself in the demon's seal world.
However, it was not like Naruto's. Instead of the sewer-like environment, this demon's seal was more habitable. It was simply a small forest, surrounding a mirror-like lake. Every time Mikiko had "visited", it had been night with a full moon.
Hovering over the circular lake was a large white wolf with nine tails, at least 30 feet tall. Everything about it was white; one might mistake her for the Hyuuga version of a demon. The she-demon glowed with a pale white color, like she was ready to fade away at any moment. The aura surrounding it was that of darkness, squeezing Mikiko's heart until it felt ready to burst. This strange aura screamed of hatred, but held no blood lust. Strange.
"You called me, Yurei-sama?" uttered the girl, gazing into the colorless eyes. The demon wolf just barked out a laugh. It grinned down at the young Hakumei,revealing razor-sharp fangs.
"You seem out of it today. That ceremony bothering you?"
Mikiko grimaced, remembering how she woke up the next day with pure white ears and a bushy wolf tail. It wasn't something you'd expect to see when you look in a mirror.
"It'll get some getting used to. At least for now, can you keep this genjutsu up?" she asked politely. One should never disrespect this kind of demon. After all, she was in charge of all spirits. Or at least that's all she knew of her. Yurei was a secretive demon.
The ivory furred wolf nodded her massive head. Mikiko can feel the power that this one being had in the air around it. The way it held itself reminded her of a wise person who has seen and knows much.
"Today you will begin your training as a kitsune, pup. I will be doing this every night while you sleep unless I feel that you shouldn't be training that day. You will call me Yurei-sensei or just sensei from now on. Is that clear?" Her sleek voice held no room for back talk. Miko merely nodded, imagining herself in her training kimono. After all, it was her mind. Why shouldn't she be able to control things in it? Her outfit instantly changed to her liking.
The grand wolf demon shrunk herself until her head reached Mikiko's. Her tails fanned out behind her.
"Are you ready, pup?" With a nod from the girl, she charged.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A month later, after much D-class missions and complaints, they were called to the Mizukage's office. Needless to say, Riku was a little freaked out. Mikiko's odd statement the month before might come true. With a nod from Satomaru, the three sat down in the chairs in front of his desk. The not-so-young leader folded his hands together and placed them on his deck, looking very official.
"Team 11; Hoshigaki Katsu, Takamoto Riku, Hakumei Tsuki, and Hakumei Mikiko. Today I will be giving you a very important mission."
Riku mentally slapped himself. 'What is she, some kind of psychic?' The Mizukage continued on.
"In separate groups, you will be delivering a message to the village of Konoha , located in the Fire Country. You must give the message to their Rokudaime Hokage," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I think that the information in this scrolls will greatly interest him...especially now that their alliance with the Sand has been confirmed," he grinned a little, and the students instantly saw the similarity between father and son; Katsu and him.
Tsuki raised her hand, as if asking permission to speak. The kage nodded.
"Ano...well, what does this have to do with us?" she asked. He smiled.
"This has a lot to do with both you and Mikiko. I trust that Riku has been informed...?" Katsu nodded.
"You will be sharing this ceremony with the Rokudaime. You wouldn't be surprised to know that he is a jinchuuriki as well; that is, if you've paid attention in history." At this he eyed Tsuki, who laughed sheepishly.
The Mizukage distinctly remembered being told that the heir to the great Hakumei clan had been spacing out in class every week or so, completely ignoring anything their teachers have said. The only thing that can snap her out of her so called daydreaming was a pinch to her cheek. He found it a little amusing that the one kid who was supposed to be behaved wasn't, but her sister was.
"When asked about the mission, only tell them that you have to deliver a scroll to the Hokage from the Mizukage, and that it's important." The team nodded in understanding, absorbing the mission facts like a sponge. They would not let their Mizukage down.
"The first groupwill leave the village tomorrow at dawn. It will take approximately four fays to reach it. The next group will leave after the first returns. Mikiko and Riku will go first with two ANBU. Then, Katsu and Tsuki with one ANBU. I wish you all the best of luck. You're dismissed."
"Hai! Mizukage-sama!" They said in unison, saluting their leader.
When the door shut behind them, Satomaru twirled in his chair and looked out at the village through the window behind him. He sighed.
"I hope I'm making the right decision..."
End Chapter
Okay, thanks you for reading people. . I couldn't help but put that one ramen segment...I just wanted you guys to know Tsuki a little more since I covered Riku and Mikiko's personalities a little better. I hope you guys don't mind. Anyways, from now on I'll try and make my chapters as long as this one. So far the known jinchuriki are:
Naruto – Kyuubi
Gaara – Shukaku
Mikiko – Yurei
Tsuki – Byakko
By the way, I know that kitsune usually means fox, or fox demon. I kind of changed the meaning to better suit this fanfiction. I'm making it mean half demon or animal demon. No honorable wolf or cat would like to be called a fox, right?
Okay, gotta go you guys. Ja ne!