All standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter 10
The Bad Guys Can't be THAT Stupid!
Plip.
Plip.
Plip... plip plip.
Fshhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Kurama sighed and pushed her suddenly soaked hair out of her eyes as she peered at the road ahead. She hated sudden downpours like this.
"Aw! Rain!" Naruto complained, "Why's it have to rain?"
"Because the weather gods decreed it so?" Kurama muttered under her breath. It was trickling down her back. She glanced over at Hiei to see how he was faring in this unexpected weather change.
He was steaming. Quite literally at that. Wisps of evaporated water feather up from his body and clothing, which were disgustingly dry.
"It's times like this when I really hate you Hiei," Kurama sighed. Hiei smirked.
"Do you want me to find some shelter for you two?" he asked with a hint of mockery.
"Please. Do," Kurama begged pitifully. Both she and Naruto watched pitifully as the little youkai flickered out of sight, leaving them alone on the road, in the rain.
"Should we keep going?" Naruto asked miserably.
"Might as well," Kurama sighed again, readjusted her backpack and trudged down the sodden road, wincing as her shoes got soaked through and started squelching. "I hate wet shoes," she groaned.
"Can't blame you there. That's why I wear sandals," Naruto said, lifting a sandal-clad foot for a visual aid.
"That's when you get frostbite and have to have your toes amputated," Kurama said cynically. Naruto stuck her tongue out.
"Fox," Hiei had returned, "There's a village with an inn a couple kilometers ahead,"
"Bless you Hiei," She grabbed him into a quick hug and sprinted ahead, Naruto and Hiei following. Sure enough, after a few minutes of all out running lights hove into view. Kurama had an odd feeling of déjà vu as she slowed to a more sedate pace and entered the battened down town.
"Whoa," Naruto whistled, "Déjà vu, ne Kurama?"
"Just get us to that inn," Kurama hissed, starting to shiver a little. What was it with the female body that just refused to retain heat as well?
Hiei led the two pseudo-women to the inn he had found and preceded them inside. The common room was warm and inviting, the heat a welcome thing after their soaking. Like the last time they stayed at an inn Naruto handled the renting of their room. This time Hiei was the dashing shinobi escort who had been hired to take the two lovely young ladies to the capital. Plausible, and almost possible as well. Thankfully both Kurama and Naruto looked too pathetic and helpless in their female bodies that no one could see them as anything other than ladies or leisure. The fact that both Naruto and Kurama were starting to turn a pale blue, their even paler skin whiter than normal only adding to the effect.
The innkeeper led the trio to their room and had a boy, probably his son, to light a fire for them in the hearth. Soon warmth spilled freely from the fire, heating the women's blue-tinged skin.
"That's better," Kurama mumbled, rubbing warmth back into her arms.
"Cold, Fox?" Hiei commented. Kurama shrugged.
"Guess women really do have a harder time retaining heat,"
"Yeah," Naruto sighed, "it's funny to think, but girls really do get colder easier,"
Silently, as unobtrusive as possible, Hiei expanded his power to warm the air in the room to a more regulated temperature. Kurama tossed him a grateful smile. He said nothing, just seated himself on a chair at the foot of the only bed in the room.
One bed.
Oh well, both Kurama and Naruto were both guys…well, girls. Nothing to worry about there and Hiei would not have willingly slept in the bed with Naruto in the room to save his soul.
"So what do we do now?" Naruto asked.
"Well," Kurama held her long hair in front of the fire, drying it, "last time we rented a room we relived a bookstore of its merchandise,"
"You're not planning on doing that again are you?"
Kurama shrugged, "Do you have a problem with it?"
"Well," Naruto hesitated despairingly, "Why bookstores?"
"He might not look it but Kurama is the King of Nerds," Hiei commented. Kurama frowned.
"I am not," she protested. Hiei hitched up an eyebrow.
"How many people do you know that read encyclopedias and dictionaries when they're bored?"
"That's pretty nerdy," Naruto agreed. Kurama scowled.
"That was only once,"
"Once is all it takes,"
"Bite me, Firebrat!"
"No," Hiei smirked evilly, the firelight casting eerie shadows on his face, "like Yoko you just might like that,"
Naruto blushed and started choking. Kurama just tossed a senbon-like blade of grass at the little fire youkai. Hiei dodged and the grass lodged itself in the wall behind his head. After a few seconds it faded back to its unaltered state and slipped harmlessly to the floor. All the while Kurama was muttering unflattering remarks about her friend under her breath as she tried not to burn her hair. There was a puff of steam and both Kurama's hair and Naruto's were suddenly comfortably dry.
Kurama stopped insulting Hiei under her breath. Naruto remembered their packs and started pulling things out, checking for water damage.
"I think I'd like to look around this town in the morning," Kurama decided. Hiei shrugged, since it made no difference to him, but Naruto scowled.
"Taking your time, Kurama?" he snapped, his blue eyes red.
"That's not it at all, Chitose," Kurama said, taking the change in personality in stride, "but you never know where you can turn up information,"
"Fools fail to plan and research before battle," Hiei said blandly. Chitose growled.
"This is taking too long,"
"How long would it take without us?" Kurama asked, examining a set of darkened senbon, "It's taken you more than twenty years already. At least now we are actively moving closer to your target,"
Chitose said something rather unladylike and turned control back over to her host. Naruto blinked and apologized for Chitose's behavior.
"Don't worry about it," Kurama waved it off, "If I was her I'd be scraping at the door too. Revenge has been far too long coming,"
"That's what she's been saying," Naruto grumbled and flopped down on the bed, her long hair forming a tangled halo around her head. She scratched her cheek, nails running along the whisker-like marks that were the only blemish on her perfect skin.
"Just remind her that we're getting closer than she's ever gotten before with only your help, like the Fox said," Hiei advised.
"Which fox, Hiei? Technically you could say that there are three foxes in this room," Kurama smiled.
"Well I'm not talking about the brat or Yoko's ex, so which do you think?" he scowled at her.
"Just checking," she smiled impishly.
"Go to sleep," Hiei's scowl deepened, "Both of you. We can scout out the town in the morning when the rain lets up,"
"Yes Hiei," the two pseudo-women chimed in tandem, grinning from ear to ear.
The morning dawned gray and dim. A wonderful beginning indeed. Hiei had stayed up all night, not feeling the need to relax enough to sleep. Kurama and Naruto had had to share the bed and both of them woke up wrapped to the nines in their own blankets. A promising beginning.
"Do we have anything for breakfast?" Kurama asked, warily eyeing Naruto's loudly growling stomach.
"Not a thing," Hiei said blandly. Kurama started edging away from Naruto who just stared at them with half asleep eyes so vacant it was disturbing.
"I want ramen," she muttered, wresting with the blankets wrapped around her.
"So we're going out for breakfast, eh?" Kurama asked as she pulled her pack towards her and extracted a fresh change of clothing, something not as wrinkled and dirty.
"Only if you want to eat,"
Kurama paused in getting dressed and blinked at her long-time friend, "Is it just me Hiei, or are you more open over here than you are on the Ningenkai or the Makai?"
"It's your imagination," Hiei said, looking out the window at the waking world. Kurama smiled and finished changing. When she was done she poked Naruto in the side, making her fall off the bed into a heap of tangled blankets and limbs. Hiei snorted, trying to cover a laugh and Kurama grinning outright.
"Naru-chan," Kurama cooed, "Time to get up, or the ramen is going to be eaten by the giant salamander-monster,"
"NO!" Naruto shot to her feet, "Not the ramen! Take me! Leave the ramen!"
She paused, blinking. An embarrassed blush stained her cheeks and she coughed. "Good morning,"
"Morning, Naru-chan," Kurama teased. Naruto's blush darkened.
"Oh, shuddup," she growled at her sensei. Kurama wrinkled her nose playfully at the blonde and left the room with an ultimatum that if she was not down on the street in three minutes she and Hiei were leaving for breakfast without her. Sure enough, one minute and thirty-three seconds later Naruto barreled through the inn and into the street.
Neither Kurama nor Hiei said anything, but Kurama's grin spoke volumes on what she thought of Naruto's love for ramen. But she didn't say anything because, well, she had the same addiction, just under a tighter leash.
Breakfast was found, ordered, eaten – much to the amazement of the other patrons as they watched the rare sight of two young women inhaling bowl after bowl of noodles – and paid for within half an hour. Hiei did not eat. Kurama did not worry. He was like that.
They were wandering the streets, Kurama and Hiei looking for any likely prospects, when Naruto spotted someone she had not expected to see so soon.
"Naruto?" Kurama asked when she noticed that her student had frozen, "What is it?"
"Kabuto."
"Really?" Kurama glanced inconspicuously in the direction Naruto was looking. Sure enough, there was the pleasant-faced, white-haired man Naruto had described at the Number One Henchman of Ultimate Evil. "Hiei?"
"On it," Hiei's jagan started glowing faintly against the warding headband that covered it. He scowled. "Pathetic,"
"What?"
"Let's start heading back to Konohagakure,"
"Konoha? Why?" Naruto asked.
"So it's going down?" Kurama asked. Hiei nodded. "Konohagakure it is then,"
They did not bother to explain what was going to Naruto until they were well out of town and both Hiei and Kurama were sure that no one was close enough to overhear.
"That fool you call a villain," Hiei rolled his eyes in abject disgust, "is heading straight for your village,"
"WHAT?"
"What an idiot," Kurama shook her head, red hair glittering unnaturally in the sunlight, "Does he really think that a frontal assault will do him any more good than the last time he tried to attack?"
"He's planning to attack Konoha?"
"That's what I said," Hiei snapped, irritated.
"That's…" Naruto grimaced, "That's just stupid! He's planning a frontal assault on a village of shinobi? What kind of an idiot is he? Has old age rotted his brain or something?"
"Hence why he's a fool," Hiei muttered underneath his breath.
"That can't be all that he has up his sleeve," Kurama protested, "He's a seasoned fighter and tactician, for Inari-sama's sake!"
"It's not," Hiei agreed, "But the rest can be discussed while we run. They're a two day journey away at a human's pace,"
"So we have to hurry if we're going to beat them there," Kurama agreed.
"And that means that you need all the ki you have to put into speed," he looked over their female bodies pointedly.
"But!" Naruto protested, but was cut off by a crimson glare.
"This is no time to be worried about contests, Naruto," Kurama said placating. "Show me how to undo this,"
Naruto scowled, the dark frown looking sinfully adorable on her pouty lips, and demonstrated the basic release jutsu. In a cloud of smoke and kicked up dust Naruto was returned to his natural body. And his original clothing as well, much to the relief of his companions. Kurama mimicked Naruto's jutsu and heaved a sigh of relief when she was male once more.
"We can pick this up later," Kurama grinned, "Right now we have a lot of ground to cover.
AN: It's one thing that I've noticed is that guys can stay much warmer than girls in the cold. Why is that? It's almost unfair. This chapter is the result of me running out of ideas to inflict these poor characters with and deciding that it's time to wrap this fic up. Just a couple more chapters to go. I want to reach the 100 page mark. That'll be a first for me! Wish me luck!