Hi again!
Here we are with chapter 3, written and edited to my satisfaction and I hope to yours as well :)!
I would like to dedicate this chapter to some OG friends of mine: TigrezzTail, Fallenlife15, and Nami152! Thank you for all of your support, help, and company! Coming back after so many years I'm SO glad you're all are still here too!
More information and a couple more thanks will be given in the end A/N!
So please enjoy!
"K-K-Kurama! What have you done?!" Daitaru screamed, his amber eyes wide as he stared at his son in shock. Kyuubi was lazing about up on the roof of the main castle, drinking some 'ci-der' after a busy morning of training with his cousins and was considering a nap, but now that his father was here, his energy level went from 'nah' to 'playful'. He had been waiting for this moment.
So he leaned over the edge to look at his father all the way on the ground and put on an expression of mock concern.
"What? Is this about the laundry? I told my little cousins if they wanted more training, they shouldn't bleach your clothes!" He shouted. He had to hold back a snicker when his father snarled at him.
"Don't you try and distract me with nonsense! Your hair! Your long, gorgeous hair! What did you do to it?!" He exclaimed, pointing at Kyuubi.
"Oh," Kyuubi muttered with a small smirk, fingering the black side bangs of his red-orange hair.
"Well you know how it is. I was training earlier." With scissors. "Accidentally burned most of it off." He shrugged. "No big deal."
He didn't think it was, relative to most. The hair on top of one's head in sealed form was considered a work of art. Long hair in particular was coveted by many and it was customary for high-ranked youkai of great strength to wear their hair long. And if you were in a clan, it was all but a written rule. Kyuubi figured the notion came from great artworks depicting great youkai of the past. Supposedly, the strongest youkai were the ones who could keep their hair from getting cut or otherwise damaged in battle. Hence the longer your hair, the stronger you were. Supposedly.
But Kyuubi thought his long hair could be more of a nuisance really. Because it did get cut and damaged when he used his power and required so much after-care when he was done training or sparring or when play-fighting stopped being 'play'. All three hobbies were daily activities and he had other things he would rather use his time for than daily detailed hair care.
The high quality of his hair, he would argue, had nothing to do with the length. In fact his ego would genuinely have you believe that its deep red-orange and black colors and soft, silky texture are the most appreciative traits. When he was little, he even found it fun to play with it ala biting it, pulling it, running it through his hands, rolling around in it, wrapping himself up in it, chasing it along with his tails, a lot to do really since it was as long as he was tall.
But the enjoyment he got from his hair dwindled as he grew older and soon it was his father who kept pushing and pushing him to keep his hair long no matter how much he complained.
So he cut his hair. The ends were now tickling his neck and the top was a little longer, but still couldn't touch his shoulders—especially since it naturally defied gravity. The only part he left alone were his bangs which still fell into his eyes. He looked in the mirror this morning and he thought he looked pretty good if he said so himself. He didn't need to wear his hair long at all; with this roguish look he felt just as powerful as always. His father has hair that's the same red-orange color but no matter how long it gets, Kyuubi will still have more tails. And due to recent events, Kyuubi decided to step up and show some real strength by managing his hair for good. Getting amusement from his father's potential reaction was really the secondary motivation. Really.
"No-No big deal?! Kurama you meet Naruto-kun tomorrow! Do you have ANY idea how much time I spent praising your strength?! How are you supposed to prove my words right with your hair looking like that?!" Daitaru sputtered.
"Hey at least it wasn't your property again amirite? I think you should calm down," Kyuubi coolly pointed out while leaning his head on his hand and taking another sip of his ci-der. He tried not to smile but inwardly he was laughing his ass off. His old man was about to have a conniption!
"How can I calm down when you have ruined your image so much!?" Daitaru shouted, with his fists clenched at his sides. Whatever anticipation Kyuubi might have felt that he might've pushed his father too far disappeared when his father adopted another one of his 'lecture' stances; eyes closed, one hand on the hip and one finger up in the air. The old coot was going to be fine even if he kept pushing this.
"Long hair represents regality, elegance, and grace! Only the top tier youkai have such locks."
"I still feel pretty, oh so pretty," Kyuubi sang under his breath, fluffing up his locks. His father didn't hear, but Kyuubi almost wished he did so he would have to admit that Kyuubi still did earn style points on a day-to-day basis.
"Short hair is for common, weaker youkai." His father practically spat the words 'short hair' as if they were poisonous. The hair on Kyuubi's skin raised a little.
"There are youkai with short hair who are strong too," Kyuubi mumbled, again under his breath. He was suddenly really irritated with his father's tirade. It was just hair. How is he weaker because of its length?
"Long hair represents power and strength as well and so without your long hair just what kind of image do you think you're going to present?! A weak one I assure you!"
"I don't feel any weaker at all! Damn it father!" Kyuubi finally had enough. He stood up with a scowl on his face. And just to spite his parent, instead of jumping down to the ground, he hopped down to each level with the grace his high status and training installed within him. Once he was in front of his speechless father, he crossed his arms tightly.
"Do you even hear yourself right now? My hair is gone. It left in an accident during training. You lecturing me on its 'importance' won't bring it back. Oh wait, you know what? Maybe it will! Keep up the talking father, your voice does have the power to make time move slower," he sneered.
"Watch how you speak to me boy," Daitaru threatened darkly. His seven tails came out and fanned behind him threateningly. Kyuubi rolled his eyes. Father and son have had this talk plenty of times since Kyuubi had become an eight tails. The Kitsune heir was very confident his father was all bark and no bite. He made his threats and yet never attacked Kyuubi. Whether it was because Kyuubi was stronger at this point or what, he didn't know. They haven't had a battle since Kyuubi was a seven-tails and his more experienced father with waaaaaaay more control, beat him.
Nevertheless Kyuubi folded his ears back in submission. Even if he was more powerful, that didn't mean he wanted to prove it yet. To defeat his father would mean he would take over as head of the clan. No need to screw it all up for the sake of pride.
"Just keep calm okay? I'm sure my hair length won't be the end all be all deciding factor for Naruto. Besides, the Namikaze clan seems to believe otherwise and Kushina certainly thought short hair was attractive."
"I've had enough of you! Go do something other than be lazy on the roof!" Daitaru growled out, probably only one flippant comment away from gaining some bite. Kyuubi shrugged.
"Just saying," he said, before drinking the last of his ci-der and walking back into the estate.
It's all fine anyway, lest he forget that Tobi's coming over tonight with the 'idea of all ideas' apparently. His father won't be barking the same bark for long.
"Oyyyyy Naruto! Gaaaaah, where is that son of mine?" Minato asked, as he wandered around his home.
"Naruto!? Son? Where are you?! Rrrgh," He half growled, half-groaned. His ear twitched in annoyance and his tails felt even more annoyingly bushy. Naruto had to leave soon. It's always safer for foxes to travel at night. He trusted only Iruka and Kakashi to make the journey with him and he knew it would be a long journey with breaks to consider and the like. He sniffed around for the freshest trail of his child's scent but unfortunately it smelled like Naruto had been everywhere recently.
Minato sighed. He had better not be hiding. No wait, that couldn't be. They've been talking about this all week; Naruto knew what he had to do and he knew he had to do it. Besides, his son was no coward. He might try to con or fight his way out of a situation, but he never ran from it. Not to mention he gave Minato his word a week earlier that he'd try. He knew his son would never go back on a promise and not just because it was the kitsune way.
If only Minato remembered that when telling Naruto to get ready. "Promise to be ready in an hour okay Naruto?" What was he thinking not saying that?
"Naruto! Where are you?! You have to go!" He tried one more time. If his son didn't answer within the next five seconds something will have to be done.
"Will you stop shouting?! I'm right here!" Naruto poked his head out of the room to the right of Minato and glared at him. Oh, Minato smiled. There he was. He then frowned.
"Didn't you hear me calling you?"
"Yeah but I was packing so I figured you could wait a bit," Naruto replied before stepping back into the room again. Minato shook his head. Naruto is a good kid really…usually…but those emotions of his had a real tight control over his actions. And unfortunately angry emotions usually translated into 'disrespectful actions'. But this past week he has been on a whole new level and normal responses aren't slowing him down. He was constantly pushing Minato to his very limit and it seemed the more time Naruto thought about his situation, the more he acted out.
Minato tried to lessen the blow, and sort of ease Naruto into accepting this. But Naruto hated it when Minato referred to the whole thing as a 'courtship' instead of the 'tyrannical arranged shit it actually was' and since then Minato was unable to get Naruto to really come around and see it from his point of view.
To his credit, Minato had yet to retaliate and has managed to keep his cool so far, because he understood why his son was upset. But this...break from each other might have something good come out of it he had to admit. He walked into the room after Naruto to see his son had obviously done some...remodeling without letting him know...again.
Now instead of a nice sitting room it was an open garage of sorts. And right in front of Minato was Naruto's carriage; one of the toughest creations in the world. Technically it was Minato's carriage. There was a mysterious group of youkai who formed Shokonin, the best craftsman group in the world. To get their services required a lot of goods, a lot of currency, a lot of status…or else be an eight tails.
If one reaches eight-tails of power, then it no longer matters who you were before…or where you came from. The first indication you might be in the presence of an eight tails is their carriage. Shokonin sends one to every youkai who makes it to eight tails.
Or who, as far as they know, made it eight tails.
Now he wasn't surprised he got one, a small but sturdy little thang with one door and two windows total, but he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to himself by riding around in it. He almost got rid of it, but Kushina argued that it was a representation of status that suited their purposes, and even just having it sit in the front yard was enough. Little Naruto went crazy over his 'big box' from day one and well, basically took it for himself.
Naruto never needed to actually travel in it until now. But he used it as an 'art project' of sorts. And now the carriage was orange. And blue. And gaudy. And an eyesore. Plants were coming out the windows. But Naruto loved it and that's what mattered...sort of. Minato noticed that his tastes have changed a little so hopefully he'll want to redesign it soon. Very soon.
"Oh! You're almost done putting everything into your carriage. Great," Minato pointed out, really trying hard not to think of what Daitaru and his son would think when they saw 'that' appear at their house. Naruto stood beside him, arms crossed watching Iruka and Kakashi throw all of his things in the carriage.
"Remember what I told you, don't let anyone in it unless you really trust them." The carriage would have to be Naruto's last line of defense and his quickest way to escape.
"Yea I know."
"Do you really need that much ramen though?" he asked after seeing Iruka and Kakashi carry three boxes of the stuff, each, into it.
"Yea. It's good food," Naruto curtly replied.
"Don't I know it. Your mother used to shovel twenty cups of ramen in her mouth a day," Minato laughed. "Do you need a bag of cherries too? Your mother always used to say that no meal is complete without a cherry on top!"
But the smaller, golden kitsune obviously wasn't in the same cheerful mood.
"How come you're not coming with me?" He asked. Minato stopped smiling. He kept up his casual stance, using centuries of practice to not let any discomfort show as he carefully considered Naruto's question. There was some weight behind it that he didn't really want to pick up, but he did. He had tried explaining it over and over to Naruto this past week. He had tried talking about the safety concerns and the comfort of being with a clan they knew. But each and every talk ended with Naruto unsatisfied and stomping off.
No matter how many times he asked, no matter how many different ways he asked, Minato was never going to give him a satisfying answer. He would have to learn it himself.
"Naruto I told you. I can't go with you, I have things to do here."
"And why do I have to go there? Why can't he come here?"
"Look don't you want to get out of the house? You love seeing new places remember?" Minato pointed out. He didn't want to tell Naruto the truth. That during his last meeting with Daitaru, the red kitsune insisted on Naruto going to their place instead of the other way around. He made it pretty clear that he didn't trust Minato or his grounds to keep Kyuubi safe.
Because he didn't keep Kushina safe.
But Naruto didn't need to know that. He already didn't trust the Kitsune Clan.
Instead of using words, Naruto responded with a low whine, surprising Minato. Naruto was a little too old to make such a noise.
"Look, I'll see you in a month okay? I promise I won't miss that part of tradition."
"…You're letting me be around these strangers, on my own, in a place they're familiar with and I'm not. Do you trust them that much?"
Minato was silent. He didn't have an answer for that. Or at least, he didn't want to tell Naruto his answer. Not about the worst case scenarios that floated through his mind each and every night, that he had to fight off just so that he would be able to reassure Naruto the next day. Fear for Naruto's safety was ingrained in his heart even when Naruto went to visit one of his other friends.
But he and Daitaru had many talks about this. And throughout all the back and forth and the word plays, one promise was made and it was made regarding little Kurama. It was a promise. Is Minato supposed to believe Daitaru was lying?
No. He can't have doubts because this is for the best and he can't expect his son to see that if Minato himself falters. Kushina would be happy that her adoptive clan and her new family were patching things up. And his wild, lovable, independent Naruto could use some companionship with other kitsune. He was already ostracized by the kitsune in the immediate area and tended to do worse with the ones that were just passing through. A change of location would be good for him. It would help him.
Naruto had apparently grown tired of waiting for an answer and said, "if he hurts me, I'm going to fight him."
"Don't do that. He's stronger than you so just run away," Minato said, automatically. Ever since Naruto learned to talk he's been making claims of kicking the butts of older and stronger youkai. Minato has said that one phrase, substituting the 'he' with a 'she' or 'they' a couple of times, a lot these past hundreds of years and every time he said it Naruto would give the same reply, "I don't run away! On my honor as Namikaze Naruto I will never run away!"
But this time, Naruto turned towards him, expression serious, and replied, "I never run away. You might as well give me your last good byes dad because you may never see me again."
Minato's eyes widened. His ears and tails stood erect as fear and fury flowed through him. The thought of Naruto being killed in this ordeal occurred to him and he was seriously about to stand up and call the whole thing off.
"Because when I kill him, ALLLLLL that comfy land's gonna be mine to live on!"
That boy was going to give him a heart attack one day. He could see it even if he wasn't a nine tails.
Naruto laughed as Minato cuffed him on the back of the head before ruffling his hair. Though the Namikaze was sorely tempted to stay angry, he let it go since Naruto was about to leave for a long time for special reasons.
"Hey! We're done here."
"Kakashi-senpai! Show a little more respect! We are done packing the carriage my lord. Naruto-sama when you're ready." Iruka bowed after elbowing Kakashi. Kakashi rolled his one eye at Iruka's display and Minato couldn't entirely blame him. Kakashi had been following Minato since the blond was a young, blathering kitsune trying to become strong, and always stayed so casual. But Iruka has always been respectful and hasn't changed a bit since the Naruto's primary communication was only yips and barks. They were both family, but so wildly different…But that was a different train of thought to be dealt with later.
"Just one more thing!" He announced, before turning back to Naruto.
"Now look, don't take this to mean ANYTHING but me caring about your safety. But I put one of my special seals in there. It's on the floor, in the corner where you have the pothos ivy hanging. You should recognize it. If even a single drop of your blood touches it I'll know and—"
"Yea I know how it works dad! Sheesh you're such a worrywart!" His son exclaimed with his signature fangy grin.
"If only you didn't give me so many reasons to worry! But alright Naruto time to go. Be good. Behave. And all that junk," he lectured pulling his first born into a tight hug. His heart warmed when Naruto returned the hug.
"I'll be myself dad!" Naruto then pulled away and headed towards his carriage. He got in and Iruka closed the door. With one last bow towards Minato, Iruka picked up one side of the carriage while Kakashi held the other side and they both started walking.
"Knock him dead son. Not literally!" Minato waved. He saw his son wave back before Iruka and Kakashi picked up the pace and disappeared. Minato kept waving.
"Stay safe..."
Kyuubi sighed in annoyance as he sat in the incredibly large, front garage alone and waited.
Wearing a beautifully embroidered red haori and brown hakama and having his hair slicked back and pulled into a small top ponytail, since it wasn't long enough for a bun, Kyuubi looked every bit like the youkai of high status he was. Which made sense considering this outfit belonged to his father. The bleaching of Kyuubi's best clothes went off without a hitch and he was all too prepared to wear one of his more casual outfits to give off an 'i-don't-care-vibe'.
At first he was looking for the plainest outfit he could find, but then he spotted a kimono jacket that had some special flowers pinned to the front.
Perfect, he thought as he got the genius idea for a prank. And he almost got away with it too. His illusion was up and he thought it was perfect and he was heading to the front garage when father appeared out of nowhere! Just landed on the ground right in front of him! He crashed into the taller Kitsune, and even then the shockwaves alone from his father's landing alone could've done the job, which startled him into dispelling the illusion and forced him to show his father what he wore.
And okay, okay he'll admit it. Making six flowers spray wet sand at his father wasn't the best thing he could do in the moment, but it was to make his point come across.
Too bad his stick-in-the-mud father hasn't found his lost sense of humor yet. He growled out his disappointment and then immediately—and painfully—grabbed his ear like he was a disobedient kit and pulled him aside. He then tried to dress Kyuubi himself as if he couldn't do it on his own! Although Kyuubi accepted the outfit grudgingly enough, he had to draw the line at the hair extensions. What was his father even doing with such things?
So now here Kyuubi sat; alone and frustrated. His—ugh—intended was going to be here any moment. His only hope would be a stroke of fox luck causing something to happen to the Namikaze on his way. Maybe he should've told his fellows about this whole mess. He could've had them lying in wait and ambush him. He didn't want them to kill him, but they could've scared him off at least. Of course, he thought with a scowl, there's a chance that even that plan could be foiled by goodie-goodie Hachibi, who Kyuubi swore was part pillow with the soft way he acted. And since he was a fellow eight-tails, he could easily sway the others into ignoring Kyuubi's plan. Except Ichibi, who cannot resist the urge to cause havoc; but who would mess it up if he worked alone. And maybe Nanabi, who would do it for a bribe; but a hefty bribe that he was unwilling to pay.
And there was no way he was going to call on Tobi after the disaster that was 'last night'. The neko youkai has romantic feelings for him. If he tried to argue that anymore, he would be in denial. The first thing Tobi did was ask about their own nonexistent chances of getting in a courtship, forcing Kyuubi to lie and say he brought him up as a potential suitor, but his father forced him to at least get to know Naruto first. But Kyuubi didn't think that had to be an issue. It didn't have to awkward. No one NEEDED to get hurt. But then. Stupid. Useless. Tobi proposed to him,
"I got it! Are you ready?! Let's go KILL ALL of the other clans heads and tell Daitaru he'll be next unless he let's you mate with—"
And Kyuubi about near punted the cat across the mfing desert. Oh he yelled. He raged. He went into his unsealed form briefly. And because of all that he even went to bed early. Tobi sent him a series of messages in the morning rattling off some asinine apology on the matter and said he'd be 'open for doing it peacefully too'. But no, no, no there was no peaceful solution to this. At least, none that can involve Tobi. So he forgave him, but told him to stay put and let Kyuubi handle this on his own.
That helped as it got Tobi to wish him luck and shut up. For a minute. But right before he got dressed, another letter came.
Tobi had sent him a warning list of all Naruto's potential faults and vices. But Kyuubi stopped reading after the Naruto's second potential fault. Not just because he figured Tobi was making them up out of jealousy, but also because he quite honestly didn't care what Naruto was like. They won't get together anyway. His only ally in this mess has been so surprisingly useless that he was officially on Kyuubi's ignore list for the time being.
No worries though. You don't make it to eight tails by being dumb and lucky. And you certainly can't make it to nine-tails and above without being cunning and intelligent. Kyuubi will figure a way out of this. He's always been good at making a situation turn out in his favor.
Just like his mother.
There was no more time to think however, as at that moment Naruto arrived.
And the carriage was impressive.
It really grabbed attention with its main bright warm color and acceptable accent color. The little plants poking out the windows were a nice touch. His own carriage was a nice scarlet with a black lining and spots of gold metal, his favorite style, and no plants. But it was also much bigger, since he being from an older and more prestigious clan meant he deserved it. Although this carriage certainly wouldn't be able to hide anywhere, at least it showed some style. Gotta be Naruto though as it sure as hell couldn't be Minato who designed this. That was one good thing he guessed, but not enough to make him even consider changing his plans.
The two odd kitsune who were carrying the carriage, set it down. One was brown with a scar across his face and had the scent of salt water and sweat. The other was silver with a cloth-covering over one eye and looked as bored as Kyuubi felt. They both bowed in his direction, but when they stood up straight they each said some things.
"Take care of him please." Alright Kyuubi won't. But he'll make sure he's properly fed, sheltered, and clothed during his incredibly short stay here. That was some nice threatening intent the brown kitsune was trying to hold back.
"Good luck." What? Was the silver one implying something? The tone he had indicated he wasn't talking about their relationship. But with another bow, he and the brown kitsune both sped out of the garage before Kyuubi could ask him to elaborate.
Now it was just him and Naruto in the room. Courtship rules were really weird. Typically, if it was arranged, then future mates must first meet alone and they are to meet each other before anyone else in each other's respective families. The purpose was to rid of any outside influence and all that, but Kyuubi thought that was stupid because one, if the mating was arranged then it would be far too late by the first meeting. And two, he's already met Naruto's family and its possible Naruto met his but Kyuubi didn't know or care if he did.
So it was over. When Naruto came out Kyuubi planned on being blunt and to the point. He didn't want this. It was his father. He wasn't interested in a relationship with anyone. And as long as the golden kitsune kept his distance for the next three months while Kyuubi planned how to get himself out of this mess, there would be no problems.
But Kyuubi first had to wait. And wait. And wait. Naruto wasn't coming out. He raised an eyebrow. Strange, did Naruto slip away? Was this a trick of some sorts? His ears twitched when he heard the very faint sound of…soft snoring. Kyuubi growled. Either his intended-but-not-gonna-be-mate actually fell asleep during the trip here or he was screwing with Kyuubi. You just never know with other kitsune.
Either way, he wasn't coming out. So Kyuubi got up and headed towards the carriage but stopped right in front of it. The carriage of a youkai was considered 'sacred', likely because receiving one meant you were a real hotshot. The owner of a carriage is the only one who can decide who can enter. This carriage would have to belong to Minato technically, but since Naruto was the only one here, it was his and so he had the right to decide if Kyuubi was trustworthy enough to even enter.
It was a valid social rule, especially for giving him a place to avoid his father. This situation though, was not one he expected to find himself in. He had always danced around the rules without care before. But it was okay, because so long as he respected them in front of others, he could break them while no one was around to see. If Kyuubi walked in there, then he would be pretty much guaranteeing to Naruto, that he was going to become someone he could trust with his life.
If Naruto was truly awake that is.
No one else would be coming in until they both left…Naruto's heartbeat and breathing were too rhythmic to be anything but natural. It could be that he's really fast asleep. It could be a good idea to just peek in and get a good look at him. Kyuubi ran his tongue over his teeth as he considered the idea. Surely he could call out Naruto's name, but as he thought that idea, he was still taking steps forward in a silent manner. For there was a good reason to sneak in to see his not-intended first. Namely, he could spot or sniff out any flaws on the boy and use them to keep him away.
Because if the son was anything like his parent, he's got some yako fox in him. The faster he finds exploitable flaws the quicker he can use them to his advantage.
So Kyuubi silently opened the door and stepped in. The first thing he did was close his eyes and take a whiff. He noticed a pleasant scent. No it was an incredibly pleasant scent. It was a scent that could be described as…lemony! Like leaves on a sunny day. Must be from the plants in the carriage, but lovely nonetheless. Kyuubi's home was a semiarid desert and it was mainly hot and dry with very little natural rainfall and even less natural flora. So the woodsy scent was always his favorite scent because it always smelled new and unique.
And if he recalled correctly, the Namikaze grounds were in a foresty area. But the scent of leaves was so strong that Kyuubi figured this kitsune was someone who enjoyed the outdoors a lot. There was pureness behind the scent which could only be Naruto's natural scent and it was...it could be described as a punch of sweet like mint leaves growing out of a stream.
Funny because some yako foxes smelled as horrible as their personalities. But Kyuubi digresses…Naruto must still be—Kyuubi stopped mid thought when he opened his eyes.
He nearly forgot how to breathe.
His intended was beautiful.
That was the least he could describe him with. Naruto laid curled up right in front of him, his knees tucked under his stomach and his hands in his sleeves under his head. Soft, golden blond hair fell on his face in spiky locks, almost camouflaging his same-colored, triangular fox ears. Smooth tan skin made up his face and neck as everything else was covered by black hakama and an orange haori. He has an almost perfectly cute face, slightly round with a few mature edges with dark blond lashes lightly brushing against his whisker-marked cheeks. One long, white-tipped, golden tail wrapped around his body, but Kyuubi could tell from the moment he stepped in that, that wasn't his only one—and he could tell WITHOUT looking at his stupid hair length.
Damn…
His father didn't mention that his intended would look like this.
Fortunately, Kyuubi frowned, he was not horny in a courtship. Kitsune were above that.
And he has learned very well that in the long run, looks don't guarantee happiness in a mating and they certainly won't guarantee his happiness. Only power could do that.
Maybe if he and Naruto had met before this whole thing they could've bumped around in bed. But now Kyuubi had no interest. He's seen enough and has no desire to claim this beautiful creature as his own.
In fact, he fell back into a squat, firmly placing his hands on the floor in front of him and looked around. He had to take note of all the healthy-looking plants in pots on the floor or hanging from the ceiling. Or how there were empty noodle cartons neatly stacked in the corner. Anything to distract him from the heat in his cheeks and the heat in the center of the room that he kept glancing at.
…Staring at. This really beautiful…
He shook his head vigorously before glaring at the floor. How nice would it have been if they met in any situation other than the one they're in?
But that's not how it is so…Kyuubi crouched down. Now what? Should he wake him up? Or should he just scoot out slowly and then try and push the carriage back to where it came from himself-
Kyuubi nearly yelped when he was suddenly soaring through the air, outside the carriage and slammed on the ground. He felt a hand around his neck and blade right above it! He's fast! He's armed! He seems angry!
Those thoughts were forgotten once he took one look up into Naruto's frosty blue eyes. They were as gorgeous as the rest of him...
Naruto was glaring at him but not straight at him. No his gaze darted across his face and down his body, as if he was analyzing Kyuubi. Eventually it must've dawned on him just who he was sitting on because he put his dagger away and let go of Kyuubi's neck. He smirked.
"Sorry, I thought you were an intruder. Good thing I hesitated or else I would've just scratched your handsome face off with my claws."
Normally, Kyuubi would say something cutthroat in reply. Perhaps telling Naruto that no, no he wouldn't have scratched Kyuubi's face off. And then in great detail why his four-tailed ass would be too weak to. But he forgot how to talk. It could have something to do with the fact that his focus was on Naruto sitting on top of his stomach, both hands pressed against his chest. And that was definitely his tail that was rubbing slowly down Kyuubi's thigh. The ability to talk was even harder to remember as Naruto tilted his head in a way that golden blond strands were catching the light above.
"I'm Naruto," he purred, lowering himself down so they were practically nose to nose. "You must be Kurama. And what were you doing in my carriage? You tryin to piss me off? I didn't give you permission to enter."
His eyes were half-lidded. That pleasant scent. The feel of his warm breath against his lips. His fingers curled against his chest and Kyuubi just about felt the claws scratching against him. Was Naruto seducing him or scolding him?
…Was there a difference?
Thoughts ran through his head. Thoughts about closing the space between them and letting it go from there. And counter thoughts about why that would be a very, very, very bad idea. But the only outward sign of this struggle was his hanging jaw and dry swallow. He couldn't say a word.
Naruto pulled back and tilted his head up with a slight pout but his eyes were filled with a teasing spark when he asked, "aww cat got your tongue? Or is my Kurama shy?"
Kyuubi twitched.
My...Kurama...? A line has been crossed.
With the challenge to his dominance, Kyuubi realized what was happening and he had to act. He braced his hands against the floor and pushed so he could slip out from under Naruto.
"Whoa!" Naruto gasped out, as he tried to regain his balance. By the time he did, Kyuubi was already standing up.
"No…You're just…not what I expected. And I was in there because you wouldn't come out," Kyuubi answered, placing his hands on his hips.
"You in a rush to see me? That's forgivable, I guess."
This fox was giving himself a lot more credit than he deserved! Kyuubi was only in a rush to have this disaster-in-the-making fail! Who did he think he was?! Tackling him, making a claim, acting like he's in charge?!
That position's already taken.
He opened his mouth to tell him that, because nothing else would give him greater joy in this moment.
And done! Some thoughts:
1) Kurama grew up thank God. You should've seen him in his younger days. He could be a sexist little creep. But now he only judges based on power (*cough*) and he understands what consent is.
2) HAHA Minato is no longer PASSIVE PARENT letting his son DO WHATEVER AND BE SO DISRESPECTFUL without a care... But i hope you notice he's a) insecure and b) very good at showing people what he wants them to see...
3) So I wanted to give a better sense of time and place in this story. This is a world COMPLETELY separate from the human world. A majority of the youkai don't even know what a human is and the few that do is the reason why there are man-made terms like 'ci-der'. Okay so obviously with somethings I'm going to ask you to take it as is (like month names and stuff) lol, but for the most part I've taken out anything referring to humans because again, most of the world does not know what humans are. It's something I'm thinking about for later...
4) If any of you have looked up kitsune you'll likely know what a 'zenko' and a 'yako' is, but I WILL include their lore/meanings in the next chapter...could have some impact y'know...
Some THANKS: Every1sBeta, thank you for the support and for giving me a Ao3 link :D! Mistress-Otaku-Uzumaki-Fox for getting the gears really turning with this chapter and of course the support :)! And thank you thank you THANK YOU everyone who reviewed, favorited, subscribed, and heck just read the dang story! I really appreciate that people give this a click!
So for the next update, for SURE there will be one in the first week of December. I'm not sure yet if it'll be chapter 4 or chapter 5. But I assure you something will be up that week.
Anyways that's all I got! Please let me know what you think :)!