Life As A Fox

Chapter 55

NSW-The Forsaken Author of the Lost Story (see my bio for explanation)

Naruto and Yume ran and just as Yume had suggested they followed trail of semi-fresh scent. Over-confidence was their enemy's downfall once more. The Chen clan thought that Naruto was gone, never to return, they thought that no one had pinned them for the kidnapping. But they were wrong, and those few mistakes would be their last.

Naruto had caught up with the small kidnapping party around sunset on the third day. He scanned the people present, none of them were the man with one eye. Naruto sighed somewhat in disappointment and somewhat in relief. Had that man been there, there was no saying what he would do, his anger for that man burned hot.

Naruto turned to Yume, she was here and Naruto knew he couldn't risk hurting her, or worse. So he was going to have to do a quiet method - an in and out, grab-and dash-rescue. He turned to Yume "We wait." he said scanning until he saw the child. She was mostly oblivious to her surroundings, she had not yet realized just how much trouble she was in.

Naruto's heart softened at the sight of her, she had Kiba's wild mass of spikes, only in the color of Hinata's gentle lavender shade. She had light skin, darker then Hinata's but not as dark as Kiba, somewhere in the middle. Her face was still somewhat chubby of baby fat, but she could see her mothers sharp jaw and her fathers smooth cheekbones.

He could see already that she had Hinata's eyes, he assumed it was because of these the child was in trouble. He waited patiantly for the men to fall asleep. One by one they did, posting no sentry or guard. Hime was secured by a rope tied around her waist and attached to the ankle of a man while he slept. They did this to make sure the child did not slip away into the night.

Naruto, favoring the stealthy approach, slipped into the thicket of men sleeping around a dying fire. When he got to Hime, he quickly placed a silencing jutsu on the child, broke the cord that attached her to the man, and then woke Hime. Hime looked up at him in confusion. She was tired and cranky; so she soon began to cry silently.

Naruto gritted his teeth and kept prodding her towards the woods, wiping away his tracks with his tail as he did so. He joined up with Yume who had waited anxiously for him. Once Hime was safe within the trees, Naruto had laid down so Yume could place Hime upon his back. Then they slowly began to creep away - Naruto being extra-careful lest Hime fall off of him.

They traveled for most of the night, trying to put as much distance between them and the men as they could. Naruto and Yume, however, had to stop because Hime began to get cranky and wanted 'off'. Naruto let her off she spoke "Foo-foo." she said. Naruto glanced to Yume "What does she want?" Yume asked. "Food, I...think." he said looking to Hime.

Naruto turned back to Yume "Watch her, I will find food." Naruto traveled out and luckily was able to catch sight of a rabbit, and quickly began to stalk it. He caught it before it could move and brought it back to them. He started a fire with a little fire-chakra then, skinned and gutted the rabbit, placing it upon a spit and began to cook it.

"WHAT...ARE...YOU DOING TO THE FOOD?!" Yume screamed. scaring Naruto.

Naruto almost dropped the rabbit into the fire, he turned to her "Humans cook their food Yume, I am cooking it." Yume stared at him in horror "You are ruining it! it cannot be eaten now!" Naruto smirked. "Just you wait." Naruto said to her. After it was cooked, he placed it in front of Hime, she stared at it. She did nothing but she must have been hungry enough because soon her hand reached out and grabbed the end of the spit; she began to eat.

She ate until she was satisfied then became disinterested with the food, which Naruto and Yume gladly ate (Yume admitted that cooked food was very good). They both then curled up around Hime. They did this both to keep her warm and also to make sure if she did tried to get away she would have to crawl over Yume or Naruto to do so - waking them up.

The man slowly awoke, it was surprising he had a one year old at home, and he would always wake up at least once a night. He got up and yawned stretching, he looked down upon his ankle to where the cord is. He followed it lazily with his eyes, it ended curling into the dust. He just stared at it, obviously it was broken and this should alarm him.

But he had just awoken from the first good sleep he got in a long while. He fuzzily began to put together two and two quickly in his head while his brain caught up to him. "Fuck! she's gone!" he exclaimed. The others snapped awake at his outburst. They ran over to him, stumbling over their blankets. He got up they all looked at the cord then looked about "Where the hell could she have gone?" They spanned out and began to look for her.

After many hours they all joined back, hoping for something. "Anything?" the one man asked, getting desperate. They shook their heads "Nothing, it's like she was picked up by the wind and carried away." They shook their heads "How the HELL could she have vanished like that?" They grew silent "We couldn't find anything in a mile radius."

They all turned to the dead fire and stared into it's ashes. "So...what do we do now?" the man asked "I don't know, I guess...we have to return to Tekeshi" With the thought all of them shuddered "But...he..he...ah crap...were dead." With an affirmative nod the others sadly agreed.

Naruto and Yume awoke the next day, and once again convinced Hime to ride upon Naruto's back which she enjoyed greatly. She happily called out loudly and squealed with glee: "Fwuff-Fwuff!" Naruto had stopped and stared at Yume "What is it?" she asked "She...she has her mother's ability...at naming things." he said then sighed in defeat. Yume chuckled and licked his muzzle "Come, we are two days time from the village".

Naruto nodded and they continued, their pace slow because they had to stop and hunt for Hime and hunt for themselves, then find a place to sleep and convince Hime to do such things. Naruto and Yume would drop to the ground dead tired each day, who knew a child could be such a handful? Yume spoke one time "Naruto...I think I would like to wait on having pups." Naruto turned to her "Agreed."

Yume then asked suddenly "What are you doing with her...leavings?" Naruto sighed "Well...I um...I can mostly tell when she needs to go, then I take her and find a stump or dig a hole, then set her down in it, and wait for the business to be done then...clean her with leaves." Yume stared at him "Ah...wait they need to be cleaned?" Naruto nodded "They can't...well...wipe themselves like we do sometimes."

Yume shook her head "Human pups are very high-maintenance." Naruto nodded "I know...now let us sleep...Yu-Yu" he said using the pet name Hime had given her, Yume snapped at him playfully.

In darkness they stood, looking over Konoha, Hime slept easily in a pile of bedded-down leaves and moss. Yume laid next to her, keeping her warm. Naruto turned to her "I must do it this way. Await for me my love." Yume and him licked each other good-bye then Naruto crept into the village.

In the dead of night he stole himself away into a old familiar place, his father's house. He found the store of ink and paper that was hidden there, then painstakingly began to write a note for Hinata. After that he snuck over to another familiar place: Hinata and Kiba's. They were sleeping he knew by the sound of their breathing. Naruto shivered, it was weird being back in this place after so long.

So much had changed but also stayed the same - his pictures were there. They were just pushed aside and to the back as other pictures of Hinata, Kiba and Hime were placed there. Naruto sighed and gently laid the note on the table. Akamaru had awoken, and started to growl; but Naruto silenced him. Akamaru hopped up and began to lick him, he had missed his old friend.

Naruto calmed him down and told him to go back to sleep, Akamaru whined "just do it" he said, Akamaru huffed and did so, curling his large mass onto his pillow. Naruto then left, returning back to Yume's side.

Hinata had awoken, she was still lost at what to do, but she had to somehow get through this, they had to have hope. She went into the kitchen, wanting tea to soothe her nerves. A note was laid on the table. "K- Kiba!" she yelled. Kiba was up and running down the hall to her "What? what is it?!" he asked, she nodded to the note.

He glanced at it, then picked it up and opened it slowly "It's...for you" he said then handed it to her. Hinata wiped her hands and grabbed the note lightly. She then read the following:

Dear Hinata,

Your child is safe, she is awaiting for you three miles North of Konoha front gates. There is a large hill there with a very old fir tree next to an outcrop of rocks, she will be waiting for you there. Please bring only yourselves and closest friends, no one of notable status or rank should attend, it would make things...difficult for explanation.

I will be waiting with her, you have nothing to fear, she has not come to harm. However, she is quite hungry. (We have fed her to the best of our ability, but she is a bottomless pit.) She also needs new clothes, and a bath, but most importantly her mother and father, please come quickly.

From,

A friend.

Hinata had read the note and clutched it to her chest, happiness overwhelming her. "We need to go!" she said to Kiba. "Pack a bag, get food, and clothes for Hime! Then go get everyone!" Kiba stared at her "What...are we doing?! Whats going on?!" Hinata hugged him, glowing. "Hime is safe, we have a friend waiting with her!" Kiba was excited, the thought of his child safe once again in his arms, outranked the thought of possibility this could be a trap.

Kiba and Hinata quickly got together the gear then raced to the friends they trusted most. Shikamaru and Neji joined just because of the fact they wanted to make sure it wasn't a trap. Sakura and Lee came along as well, both a medic and another ninja to protect them if it was a trap. Hinata and Kiba raced ahead at the lead, those three miles seemed to be the longest ever.

Holy crap I did it, I got that down, wouldn't you know the first time I wrote this, my computer didn't save it so I had to re-do it. It took awhile but I did. Now I haven't eaten and I am tired please read, and PLEASE REVIEW? I FEEL LIKE NO ONE IS READING, I NEED MORE IMPUT, I DON'T CARE IF IT'S A BAD ONE, JUST ONE...PLEASE?

NSW