For disclaimer, please refer to the previous chapter.
Summary: Naruto meets a mysterious redhead in the Dark Forest. Just who he is?
Natsu no Mori
Chapter II: Toki no Nagare --The Flow of Time--
"Here you are. I cannot believe you really came back. (And with ramen too.)" The redhead greeted me as I approached the entrance of the forest.
"Wa... You... You've been waiting for me to come back?" I asked happily as I tried to glomp him.
A loud "Ite!!" resonated in the forest.
"You're really ignorant, gaki!" The branch-wielding older boy admonished.
I laughed and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Ahaha... sorry, sorry! I was just too excited!"
"Hmm... it's too hot here. Let's go somewhere cooler. Don't worry. I'll take you back here." He held out the branch for me. "Come on."
We walked in the shade as we chatted and enjoyed the serenity of the forest. Suddenly, I felt a chill and the cold weight of eyes on me. Out of the corner of my vision, a shadow zoomed past the tress. Frightened, I hid behind Kyuubi, careful not to touch him in the process. The dark form stopped behind a tree in front of us and suddenly a frail, ghost-like voice drifted in the still air.
"Kyuubi... Is that a human child? ... Can I eat it?"
"No. He's my friend." The redhead stood over me in a protective stance.
The dark form grumbled a little before spitting out a 'fine.' Then it continued in its scary voice, "Oi, gaki! If you touch Kyuubi, I'll really eat your flesh and drink your blood and..."
A sudden sneeze from Kyuubi rang out among the trees and the dark form spontaneously burst into a cloud and into the form of a small, dark raccoon before bounding away.
I forgot all about my fear of the monster's threat and exclaimed, "Wow! It's a raccoon spirit!!"
"That's a monster. Shukaku, the desert raccoon. He used to be very bloodthirsty and he still likes to trick people but he is generally nice. His only weakness is loud noises." The older boy sniffed a bit before muttering something about 'damn pollen'.
"Wow! Monsters do exist!!" I squealed, throwing my hands in the air. It felt as if I just discovered a world-revolutionary fact.
Kyuubi snorted at my obvious excitement and lazily said, "Of course! What do you think I am?"
I looked at Kyuubi's porcelain fox mask and voiced my query. "Ne Kyuubi, are you a faceless monster? Why are you wearing a mask?"
"... It doesn't matter... Tell me more about yourself, Naruto." The elder boy spoke as he walked ahead of me.
Grinning cheekily, I ran up to him and playfully threw my shoe at him. "Hehe... Could it be that... you are interested in me?!" I asked and fluttered my lashes.
The reply that came warmed my heart so much that I felt like crying. "Hn. That's why I waited."
I came to visit him everyday. I spent my entire summer playing in the forest. Even though it seemed a bit lonely for me since I was the only one who knew about Kyuubi, the days I spent with him were filled with utmost happiness. Never have I felt so at peace with a person. But then again, maybe that's why Kyuubi was different; he was no human.
It was a cloudy day when I saw, for the first time, how Kyuubi looked like.
"Ne Kyuubi, you asleep?" I bent over his prone form on the grass. He did not reply. I stared at the white mask modeled after a fox.
'... ... It should be okay to touch a mask right?'
And so I reached out and plucked the entity from my friend's face. Soulful topaz orbs gazed back at me as I held the mask. Stunned and embarrassed, I slammed the mask back onto his face.
"I'm sorry!" I yelled and scrambled a few steps back, hands over my head just in case a branch comes flying towards my face.
"Hey! Ouch!!" He sat up abruptly and rubbed his face gingerly, the mask resting on the crown of his fiery mane. "Kozo! Attacked me while I was asleep... Che..."
Seeing no branch, I stuck out my tongue and muttered an indignant 'you were pretending to sleep!' But Kyuubi didn't appear to hear it. Instead he just stared at me with those piercing, clear eyes and said softly, "...So? My face wasn't a big deal right?"
"... Why are you wearing a mask?"
"If I don't, I ... won't look like a monster."
A tense silence enveloped us. Thinking about what he said, I thought it was kind of funny and laughed, "That's weird. Hahaha..."
He joined in the laughter seconds later.
"Na, Kyuubi, from tomorrow, I can't come here for a while... I told you before right? This is a summer visit to ero-sennin's so I got to return home tomorrow." I lowered my head so that the boy in front of me would not see the tears that were threatening to burst. I don't want him to think of me as weak but I secretly hoped that he would not be immunized to tears so that I can use my 'puppy-eye' attack; I want to see him again next year.
He merely took a yawn and emitted a nonchalant 'huh...' and we just stood there at the entrance of the forest. Me, with immense disappointment and sadness and him with his apathetic attitude. He broke the awkwardness between us first. "Naruto, are you able to visit next year?"
Stunned at his question, I looked up to see that he was looking anywhere but me. 'Could it be that he is embarrassed?' When I did not respond, he finally looked back at me. "...Well?" Through a teary smile, I whispered 'yes'.
Since then, I was excited about summer.
The next summer, Kyuubi waited for me to come.
The same summer arrived, again and again.
Though we were happy, there were times when I felt lonely even with Kyuubi. The other monsters respected him and were always careful around him. When they saw us, they would say the say thing --- "Kyuu, that's a human child! Be careful." Then they will turn to me and say, "Human child, do not touch him. Or else!" Though they sounded threatening, they were not mean. More importantly, they could touch Kyuubi. Sometimes, I wondered what it would be like to be able to touch Kyuubi. Would he be warm like the summer's breeze, or cool to the touch?
It was the summer when I was twelve. Kyuubi had promised that he would take off his mask when we were together (after much persuasion and the infamous 'puppy-eyes' attack; it turned out he wasn't immune to my tears afterall) and I wanted to see that handsome face when its owner was shocked. Thinking about Kyuubi's features always made me blush and I wondered if it was normal. But anyone would blush when they see that well-toned body and slightly copperish tan, clear golden eyes, sharp and straight nose and those full lips. Then again, thinking about Sasuke, that quite good-looking bastard didn't exactly make me blush. Anyway, I was too young to ponder on things like these.
Besides all that I wanted to do then was just to carry out my prank. It had worked out well and been really fun especially when he shrieked sharply when the upper half of my body swooped down directly above him and dangled on the branch of his favorite old oak tree. But my mirth was short-lived when the branch gave a warning groan before it snapped.
"Kyaa--!!"
"Naruto!!"
It all happened in such a slow manner. Those sturdy arms reaching out for me; Kyuubi's warning 'I'll disappear if you touch me...'; and my backward flip so that I won't even graze his fingers.
"That... was close." Kyuubi remarked as he held out the branch for me. "Naruto! Are you okay? Does anywhere hurt?"
"..." I remain crouched on the heap of fallen leaves that lessened the damage of my fall.
"Naruto...?"
"Ano sa, Kyuubi... promise me..."
"Nani? Daijoubu?" He stepped closer towards me.
"Don't come any closer!" I quickly shrank back away from his touch... away from his inquiring and worried eyes... and away from that warm presence.
"Promise me! Promise that ... you won't ever... won't ever... touch me... Please... please..." I buried my face in my small hands so that he can't see me crying.
'Kyuubi... ...'
A/N:
Hi again. First thing, thanks to WaterBookLover for that one and only review. ::weeps:: And yes, it's from a manga called "Hotaru (no Mori)" I think. The ending will... well... You'll see soon. But it won't be... pleasant. The next update will be very swift. Oh, and comments are very much appreciated. :)