Both boys had turned when they had heard a scream coming from down the street. It had sounded like a little girl was being chased. With his new found confidence, the blonde haired boy ran in the direction that the scream came from, whereas the orange haired followed in shock as he had never seen this side of the blonde before. "Naru what are you doing?"
"Helping! Like you do for me!" Naruto called back over his shoulder.
"Okay! But wait for me!" Ichigo followed since he was never going to leave his younger brother in danger. Just as Naruto wouldn't leave him in danger.
After they had ran around two corners and down a couple of streets the boys had come across a little girl being chased by a monster. "This way!" The blonde had called as he moved back towards his brother, who had stopped on the corner to look at what was chasing the girl. He froze standing there looking at the monster alongside his brother.
"Run!" Ichigo yelled as the monster started to get closer and he regained his sense of preservation. He grabbed his brother's hand and tried to grab onto the girl as well but his hand went straight through her. "Come on!"
The two boys had run back the same way had come with the girl following her this time.
"Where are we going to hide?" The girl asked as she ran beside them.
"I don't know!" Ichigo huffed out as he continued to run, At the last corner before they reached the shop, the boys saw their mother and ran straight for her. Kisuke and Tessai were standing just behind her looking at the creature that was chasing after them.
"Tessai?" Kisuke tilted his head to the man, as said man moved to restrain the hollow. "Misaki, take the children away from here. Go back into the barrier, it is safer there for them."
The mother had already already been taking the children back to the shop as he was saying this. "Thank you Kisuke."
The blonde man nodded as he watched the three people and spirit moved away quickly.
Once they were inside the barrier, the boys looked to the girl who continued to stand just outside of it. They didn't realise of course, but Masaki did. And she felt a deep sorrow at how a girl had died so young. Also at how close her sons' had come to meeting a soul reaper that would send them on to the soul society.
The blonde boy reached out to the girl, and managed to grab her arm, pulling her within the barrier, so that she could continue to play with him and his brother.
Their mother watched on in amazement, as the girl was a spirit and only a spirit should be able to touch another spirit. "Come on boys, let's head inside."
"Okay, come on Naru." Ichigo looked at the girl as well when talking to his brother so that she knew that she was included as well. Both boys had learnt that adults could not see the other people who were floating around, so it was best to keep quiet about being able to see them.
"Thank you Ichi." Naruto whispered as he latched onto his brother's arm.
The two boys had quickly set about playing with the little girl, while the adults had come back to talk in the back room. "That is definitely going to put the old man on their case."
"Is there still a way that we can pass the plan?" All three men had looked to the mother with a certain look on their face that spoke volumes to her about how that was never going to work now.
"We could certainly try but you know how the old man is now, he would exhaust all possibilities except the most obvious one first, because he is more likely to gain information about someone that way." Isshin stated. He looked in the direction of where his sons would be playing at the moment. "We are going to keep them safe though, Masaki."
"How though if the soul society will be on the lookout for them?"
"We'll find a way."
The blonde sat on the river edge with his feet in the water. He started when he heard a slight noise behind him. "Kura! You scared me!"
The fox chuckled. "Not how I used to… So what brings you here, Naruto?"
Naruto looked over the peaceful area while thinking about what he was doing there. "Can Ichi come here to?"
"If you want, I believe that you can pull him in here." Kurama rested his head on his front paws. "One must be holding onto the other, and your eyes must be connected before you can pull him in here though. At least at first."
"Okay Kura, I'll try it now." Naruto closed his eyes while focusing on his brother. When he opened them again, he was snuggled into his brother's side and it was really dark in their room. "Ichi wake up."
At hearing his brother's voice and the pokes from the blonde twin, Ichigo immediately scanned his brother's face to make sure that he was alright. Naruto a put a hand on his brother's shoulder, while Ichigo had stared into his brother's eyes in confusion.
"Now." Naruto murmured, pulling Ichigo with him to Kurama.
"Where are we?" Ichigo asked as he looked around his new surroundings. A large forest that seemed to go on forever. A fairly large clearing that he was standing in, and a river that seemed to run through where he could see his brother sitting down at. "Naru! Be careful."
The blonde laughed as he stood up and ran back to his brother. "It worked Ichi!" He yelled as he tackled him on the ground. "You can meet Kura now."
"The fox?"
Naruto nodded vigorously in response, moving off his brother so that they could sit up. "Yep! Now we just have to wait a bit. He said he was going to be here soon."
After two minutes, Ichigo stood up and started running around his brother. "Come on Naruto, let's go find him."
The younger twin smiled evilly. "Let's play a prank on him!"
"That isn't going to work Naruto." A voice said from behind the two, causing both to jump. "That was interesting."
Ichigo had managed to move in front of Naruto when they had jumped, and now stood facing what he assumed was the fox that Naruto told him about. He hadn't relaxed though until his brother had told him that it was alright. "Nice to met you. I'm Ichigo."
"And I'm Kurama." The fox smiled at the boy, "I have to thank you for taking care of Naruto out there."
"Why wouldn't I? He's my brother." Ichigo stated, staring the fox in the eyes. "Are you helping keep the nightmares away?"
"If Naruto comes here while he is sleeping then I can." Kurama smiled. "But the good thing now, is that I can talk to you both."
"How?"
"You and Naruto are very close, and because of that I am able to open a mental connection. Should I need to talk to you without us coming here, then it will be possible." The fox explained while slowly lowering himself to the ground to lay on his stomach, resting his head on his paws. "Also, it will become easier for you to come here as well from now on."
Ichigo tilted his head to the side with a confused look on his face.
"The mental connection will help." was all Kurama muttered, all nine tails now splayed behind him. "Now why don't the two of you play for a little bit. For the moment, I would like to have a rest."
"Okay Kura." Naruto started tugging his twin to the river. "Come on Ichi, the river is the best. You can also see little fishies in there."
It was the next morning, and Masaki was worried about her two boys who were usually up by now. She looked at the clock again, reading 10:20 before deciding that she should go see what was going on.
"You two need to go back now." Kurama stated as he moved next to the two boys who had ended back up by the river. "Your mother is worried that the two of you have not woken yet."
"Okay. So how does Ichi go back?" Naruto asked while holding onto his brothers hand.
"The same way that you do." Kurama moved closer to the two boys. "But you are going to need to wait for Ichigo to leave first."
"Alright Ichi, close your eyes, and you go back." Naruto said, watch as his brother attempted that.
After a minute, he opened his eyes and looked back at his brother. "Why didn't it work?"
"Alright, Naruto, you go back first and I'll keep Ichigo safe. When you get back place a hand on Ichigo."
Naruto closed his eyes, doing as Kurama wished. When he opened them, he saw his mother just walking into their room. Instead of running over to her he just looked her in the eye before placing his hand back on his brother. "Okay Kura, now what?"
'I want you to imagine Ichigo moving from your body back into his own. While Ichigo is going to once again try to go back to his own body.'
"Are you okay in there Ichi?"
"For now Naru."
"Here we go." Naruto closed his eyes again, seeing his brother leaving his body, and going back into his own.
In the blonde's inner world, Ichigo was doing the same as before. Imagining himself going back into his own body. This time, Kurama watched as he faded in front of him.
Meanwhile Masaki had watched - shocked- as her youngest twin had looked at her with one brown eye and one blue eye, before turning to her eldest, and placing a hand on his arm. Moments later, there was a slight glow surrounding the two. She ran forward when she saw Ichigo start waking up.
"Are you alright Ichi?"
"I'm fine." The orange haired boy smiled at his mother, showing her his one brown eye and one cerulean blue eye. "But I got to meet Kura! He's a really nice fox who is helping Naru."
"Really? How many tails did he have?" Masaki asked, once again starting to think about the legend that she had been told before.
Not wondering about the weird question, Ichigo replied. "He had nine when I saw him lie down."
'So he even has the Kyuubi.' Masaki thought, now holding both of her sons to her. She felt a little hand on her stomach and looked at her youngest son, who just like his brother now had one brown eye and one cerulean blue eye. "Naru?"
"Something in there. It feels nice." Naruto muttered to his mother. "Are we getting babies?"
Masaki laughed, but shook her head. "I don't think we are just yet Naru. Because I have you and Ichi."
Naruto started at his brother for a long while after their mother left. "Your eye's changed."
"Yours too." Ichigo replied to his brother. Staring at his one brown eye and one blue eye. "Is it your eye?"
"Think so." Naruto smiled at this though. "Now we'll always be together."
'Be careful though boys, not to crash into anything.'
"Why Kura?" Ichi asked, looking at his brother.
'Since now you might be able to see what the other can.'
"I can see what's going on one way while looking the other way?" Naruto asked as he looked back at his brother.
'I believe so.' Kurama had curled back up inside Naruto's mind. 'Now I wish to go back to sleep.'
"Okay." Naruto said to the fox. "Ichi let's ask Mum to go to the park."
Ichigo nodded at that.
Both boys ran down the stairs, side by side. "Hey Ichi," The blonde shut his left brown eye. The orange haired boy stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked back up at his brother. "I can see you down there and myself up here."
'You both will be able to see through your other eye without having to close the eye that has moved.'
"Meaning what?" Ichigo asked the fox.
'Meaning that you will be able to filter the images between what you can see from your brother and what you can see in front of you. Also, you could both wear an eye patch in the meantime.'
"Eye patch!" Naruto called out, moving down the stairs quickly. "We can be Pirates!"
On the last step the little blonde managed to trip, falling into his brother.
'Sorry. I should also have said to be careful not to trip as well.' Kurama murmured before staying silent no matter how much the boys tried to talk to him. Masaki though had also come to see Ichigo underneath Naruto. As quickly as she had seen them, she had moved to help Naruto up. As she looked between the two boy, and their pleading eyes, she knew she was not going to be saying no to their next request.
Sorry about such a late update. I do believe that life and no motivation go in the way :)
Anyway, chapters will be posted when completed, so there may also be long or longer waiting in the future or even tomorrow, but no promises can be made ⊥ please don't hate me ⊥
Let me know what you think...