Hello loyal readers! Here's chapter two of Fox Avatar Remastered! I realize that I've been gone for some time, but life's been difficult so far. I'm working on the next Maelstrom of the Gods, and the second chapter of Kitsune Vampire. I'm not leaving FanFiction any time soon, don't you worry!
LET THE READING COMENCE!
Explosions were rampant as the horrific battle tore the earth open. Monstrous roars echoed throughout the land. Two humans were the sole witnesses to the horror of the battle between the two kitsune.
"Kushina-chan…" the blonde human said in sheer amazement. The other human, a man wearing an odd patterned mask, let out a hollow laugh.
"I never imagined the destructive power of the kitsune! Your wife has only six tails, and yet she is contesting the power of my Kyuubi!" he exclaimed. The blonde glared at the masked man.
"Shut up, Madara! Nero doesn't belong to you! He is his own person!" he exclaimed. Madara laughed at the blonde.
"Minato, you baka! You just don't get it! Kyuubi is only a stepping stone to my goal! He will lead me to the strength I desire!" he exclaimed, his insanity taking over. Another loud roar broke them both from their verbal argument to look at the battle between the two kitsune. They were easily distinguished, not only from their tails, one having nine, the other only six, but also their color. The nine tailed one's fur was reddish orange, while the six tailed one was a vibrant red. The six tailed kitsune's fur was currently matted with blood, making her red fur even darker. The Kyuubi roared once more as it launched itself at the stumbling rokubi. Before it connected, however, it froze completely. Madara's eyes widened in shock. He looked over at Minato to see that he had summoned the Shinigami.
'Damn it… I can't fight the Shinigami… Looks like I'll be forced to try plan B…' he thought to himself before teleporting away.
A brown haired man opened his eyes with a gasp, sitting up slightly in his bed. He rubbed his eyes tiredly before looking down at the woman holding tightly to his bare torso. She had him in a tight hug, keeping him from moving. He chuckled, seeing her pout when he continued to move. He laid back down and the woman nearly climbed on top of him. Her right leg went over both of his, she snuggled herself up to his side, causing his arm to become trapped between her beautiful breasts, and she snuggled her face into the crook of his neck before sighing out his name. The man smiled before moving a strand of the woman's bright red hair behind her ear. He kissed her forehead lovingly before relaxing on the bed, drifting back to sleep.
Naruto blinked as he was no longer within the Hokage's office. He was now in front of an enormous gate, ornately decorated with foxes. At the sides of the gate were two fox statues, poised to strike. Naruto marveled at the details before looking up at his guardian.
"Where are we, Nero?" he asked. Nero looked down at him for a moment before looking back up to the gate.
"We're home, Naruto." he stated cryptically before flaring his power, a red aura shining around him. Suddenly, the fox statues began to move, shifting from an attack position to sitting down, even their expressions becoming more docile. As soon as they stopped moving, Naruto heard a clicking sound before the gate's slowly opened to reveal a large castle, much like those the daimyo lived in. Nero led the amazed boy inside, the gates closing behind them. Nero walked up to the doors of the castle and effortlessly pushed them open to reveal a large foyer. A fox as big as Naruto with two tails came up to the duo and stared at Nero, who looked down at the diminutive demon.
"Kyuubi-sama?" the fox said in no small amount of fear and amazement. Nero nodded.
"Where is he?" he asked. The fox looked up the stairs. Nero nodded to the fox and began to make his way up the stairs, Naruto following after him. Naruto looked around as he followed after his godfather, marveling at the castle interior. Everything was a shade of red and gold, with decorations that made Naruto certain that royalty had to live here. Eventually they came up to a double door with two fox heads for door handles. Nero knocked twice on the door before opening it without waiting for a response. He walked inside, pulling Naruto along with him.
"You know, Nero, it's considered rude to just barge in." a deep voice stated. Naruto turned around and saw a figure even more awe inspiring than Nero. The man had short dark brown hair and blue-green eyes. His face was chiseled, making the frown on his face more intimidating. He was a bit more muscular than Nero, though still not enough to hinder his speed, having a build only slightly larger than any other ninja. His shoulders were broad, accentuating the size of his arms. He was wearing a pair of black ANBU pants and a crimson short-sleeved shirt. He was as tall as Nero was.
"You know I am not a patient man, Inari-sama." Nero reminded. The man smirked.
"Yes, I remember. I also seem to recall you being sealed inside a Hanyo, Kushi-chan's kid if I recall." Inari noted. Nero nodded and patted Naruto on the head.
"I was, but Minato put in a failsafe to protect Naruto here. It was triggered, so I'm here." Nero explained.
"And you want the boy to meet his mother." Inari stated. Naruto's eyes widened.
"My Kaa-san is here?" he blurted out in shock. Inari looked down at the blonde and smiled slightly.
"Follow me." he stated, moving to another door. He opened it and went inside, Nero and Naruto following after him. They were rewarded with the sight of him leaning over a bed, whispering something to its sole occupant. This person was female, with long bright red hair that cascaded around her and a heart shaped face with similar facial features to Naruto. She moaned slightly before opening her violet eyes. She smiled at Inari before leaning up to kiss him. When they parted, he smiled at the radiant woman. "Good morning, Kushi-chan. We have guests." he said, gesturing to the door. The woman looked towards the door and gaped when she saw Nero and Naruto.
"Nero-Nii-san? If you're here, then that means…" she said, looking down at the blonde in front of Nero. She instantly bolted out of the bed, revealing a robe the same shade as her hair covering her form, and scooped Naruto up in a hug. "Naruto-chan… Sochi…" she said through sobs. Naruto's eyes widened at what the woman called him and instantly began hugging her back.
"K-Kaa-san…" he stated, now sobbing as well. Inari smiled at the spectacle. He looked away from the reunited family and saw Nero motioning for him to follow him out of the room. He did, silently shutting the door, leaving the mother and son to themselves.
"What are you here for, Nero? I know you. You didn't come here for Naruto. He may have a role to play, but you could have brought him here at any time. Spill." Inari ordered.
"He has her." Nero responded, earning him a frown.
"I know that, Nero." Inari responded indifferently. Nero scowled as his tails began to flail about.
"You knew? Why didn't you save her?" Nero shouted at him before suddenly finding himself pinned to the wall by a frowning Inari.
"Because, unlike you, I have an entire race to maintain. I do my job well, Nero, and saving your little girlfriend is not a part of it. Now, Kushi-chan is my mate, you know that, so listen, and listen well. Feel free to go after him and save her, but keep Naruto out of it. That boy wouldn't survive, and I'm not about to let you endanger Kushi-chan's kit." Inari growled out. Nero snarled at Inari before nodding slowly. Inari released Nero, who walked away from the man before sighing.
"I'm sorry, Inari-sama, I just-"
"She's your mate. I understand, Nero. But you have to understand that Kushina would never forgive me if I let Naruto come to harm. You can go after Antevorta, but Naruto stays here." Inari explained. Nero nodded.
"It'll give him a chance to spend time with his mother. I have to go soon, Inari-sama." Nero stated.
"Your mark is burning, isn't it?" he asked, gaining a nod from the Kyuubi. "Then go. Just say goodbye to Naruto before you leave." Nero nodded as the duo walked back inside to see Naruto and Kushina sitting on the bed, smiling at their arrivals. "Did you two have a nice chat?"
"So you're my step dad?" Naruto blurted out. Inari blinked at the sudden question, looking to Kushina for information.
"I told him why I wasn't there to raise him. That led to explaining us." she stated. Inari smiled slightly before sitting down on the bed next to Naruto.
"I guess you could call me that." he replied, patting the young Hanyo on the head. Naruto smiled before hugging him, making Inari's eyes widen. He looked down at the blonde, who loosened his grip to look him in the eyes.
"Thank you for taking care of my Kaa-chan." Naruto said with a grin. Inari smiled down at the boy. Nero smiled at the spectacle and walked up to Naruto, kneeling down to his level.
"Naruto," he began, gaining the boy's attention, "I have to go." Naruto jumped off the bed, a confused frown on his face.
"Why, Nero? You said you'd protect me!" Naruto shouted. Nero looked down at the upset blonde.
"I know, Naruto, but my mate is being held captive. I need to help her before something happens to her. Please understand, Naruto, I don't have any choice, I can't leave her where she is." Nero stated. Naruto looked sad, but nodded, hugging the Kyuubi. "Besides, Naruto, you'll get to spend some more time with your mother and Inari-sama." Nero reminded, making Naruto smile. "I'll be back soon. Have fun, Naruto." he said, standing up.
"Bye, Nero-Nii!" Naruto shouted, making Nero smile before he vanished. Naruto's smile faded slightly before he was scooped up by his mother, Inari standing next to her.
"So, Naruto, how would you like to see the castle?" Kushina asked. Naruto smiled and nodded.
With Nero
Nero reappeared in a vast forest. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. The trees were massive, far too large for him to see the top, allowing little to no light through. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'Where is she?' he thought, drawing upon the mark that showed that she was taken as it glowed. He opened his eyes, a determined look coming across them. 'There! Don't worry, Shay, I'm coming!' he took off into the forest with the speed of a man possessed. He was going to get his mate back, and no man, demon, or otherwise was going to stop him!
Elsewhere…
"Milord, he's coming." a woman stated to a rather tall man with light blonde hair. He turned to her, his deep blue eyes shining with anger.
"I know that! Is she still secure?" he responded harshly.
"For the moment, my lord, but she senses him. She's begun trying to break out." the woman responded.
"Ensure that she doesn't. I will deal with Nero myself." he stated, a dark grin forming on his face. The woman nodded before taking off to carry out her master's orders. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. That damned mate mark kept me from claiming Shay, but with you dead, I can fix that…" he said to himself before vanishing in a gust of wind.
With Nero…
Nero growled as he pulled his Odachi out of another of Antevorta's minions. He was about to continue his massacre until he felt the wind begin to pick up. Nero growled darkly before swinging his blade around him, firing off an arc of blood red energy from it. It ripped apart the ground from the force, but harmlessly dissipated when it reached its target. Said target was a giant of a man, dwarfing Nero by at least a head. He had short blonde hair that seemed to have just grown and cold blue eyes. His jaw was defined, contrasting his rather plain features. He was clad in navy blue armor similar to Nero's, only considerably less covering. It also appeared scorched, as if someone had lit it on fire. Attached to his back was a long black bo staff. Behind him were 8 flowing navy blue tails.
"Antevorta…" Nero growled, his tails wildly flailing about.
"Hello, Nero. Is there a reason you've seen fit to invade my kingdom?" Antevorta asked kindly.
"Still having delusions of adequacy?" Nero fired back. Antevorta scowled at him.
"You robbed me of my right!" he roared, his own tails flailing wildly.
"I never stole Shay from you! She was never yours to begin with! She was well aware of both our feelings. She chose me, not you. You have no right to kidnap her!" Nero shouted angrily.
"You think all this is about a woman? It has never just been about Shay. I was supposed to be the next Kyuubi, not you. I was supposed to be the strongest kitsune, not you. I was supposed to be Inari-sama's second, NOT YOU!"
"So all of this is just because things haven't turned out the way you wanted them to?" Nero said in disbelief before shaking his head. "You never change, Antevorta. You're still just an angry kid, crying because someone else is playing with your toy." Antevorta's eyes glowed with rage.
"Shut up!" he roared, ripping his staff off of his back and launching forward. Nero quickly brought up his odachi, blocking the blow.
"You've always had a problem with anyone who's better than you. I was just the prime target!" Nero continued.
"I said SHUT UP!" Antevorta shouted, continuing his assault, only for Nero to block each blow.
"Even back when Shay, me, you, and Karontes were in training, you always got so pissed off whenever any of us did something better than you. You could never handle it when we beat you at something. That's why you never made it to Kyuubi. You're too proud. Remember what Inari-sama said? 'To become the Kyuubi, the most important thing to do is to kill your ego. Such awesome power cannot be abused.' It's why you weren't chosen. You would have abused the power."
"And you haven't?"
"No. I've done the Kyuubi's job. I've kept the human race in check. I've watched over the weaker members of our race. Above all, I've gotten rid of threats like you. I know what sort of threat you are, Antevorta. This wasn't just about you taking Shay. You want the Kyuubi's power. You want the ninth tail. With it, you could beat even me." Nero said. Antevorta grinned sinisterly.
"You really underestimate the Kyuubi power. It holds untold possibilities. I could overcome Inari with it!" at Antevorta's exclamation, Nero let out a howling laugh.
"You stupid fool! You think the Kyuubi can beat Inari-sama? I've fought Inari-sama before. I know his power. He could flatten me with little effort. You're a deluded fool, Antevorta."
"If Inari is so strong, then why didn't he come to face me himself?" Antevorta asked. Nero simply continued his laughter. "Answer me, damnit!"
"Inari has to look after our entire race, the entire realm of kitsune. He has too many things to watch after to take time off to get rid of a weak little insect like you."
"Weak? I'm one of the strongest kitsune ever!" Antevorta boasted. Nero laughed again before delivering a bone shattering kick to Antevorta's chest, sending him careening into a tree.
"Wrong. Even as a hachibi kitsune, you are far from the strongest kitsune ever. I would know. I've sparred with him often. You cannot compare to him, or even me. Even without the Kyuubi's power, I can still crush you, and I will." Nero decreed before letting loose a violent torrent of Youki. The crimson aura spiraled around him in a maelstrom of energy that ripped apart the area around him.
"Is this supposed to scare me?" Antevorta asked as debris clattered against his armor. Nero smirked.
"It's just to show you the gulf between us." Nero said before vanishing. Antevorta instantly brought up his staff, barely making it in time to block the slash from Nero's odachi. The sheer force of the blow was enough to send his feet into the ground. Nero lifted his foot, sending a crushing blow to Antevorta's abdomen that shattered his torso armor. Nero pulled back on his blade and slammed the hilt against Antevorta's nose, crushing it with ease. He quickly spun around and slammed his elbow into his foe's chest, sending him to the ground. "This is the difference between us, Antevorta. Not that I'm the Kyuubi. You drown yourself in the belief that you are already unbeatable. I, for all intents and purposes, already am, but that isn't enough for me. I train relentlessly. Not because I need to be the best, but so that I can be strong enough to protect the people I love. You fight for yourself, I fight for others. Even now, I'm not fighting you for the title of Kyuubi. I'm not fighting you because of some past grudge."
"Then why?"
"You took my mate from me. I swore to her that I would fight the Shinigami himself if it meant getting her back. You took Shay. For that, you will perish." Nero said, hefting his odachi high into the air. "Goodbye, friend." he swung down, intent on ending his former ally's life.
"Nero-kun! Stop!" a velvety voice screamed. Nero stopped the blade a mere inch from Antevorta's head. Nero looked up at the source of the voice. It was a beautiful young woman with long pale blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. Her hair framed her heart shaped face. She was currently clad in a sky blue kimono.
"Shay…" Nero said, relief showing clearly on his face. Shay ran over to the red haired kitsune and embraced him, not caring about the blood on his armor. Nero placed his hand on her head, still holding his odachi over Antevorta's head.
"Nero-kun, I knew you'd come for me."
"How did you get loose?" Nero asked.
"As soon as I sensed you, I started trying to break my cage. I broke out and ran to where I sensed you were." she explained.
"I missed you, Shay…" Nero sighed into her hair. He had his mate back.
"You're too easily distracted, Nero!" Antevorta said, grabbing his staff and moving to attack. Unfortunately for him, Nero was too fast for him. His staff was cut in two, and he quickly found Nero's foot on his throat.
"I shouldn't spare you, Antevorta, not after what you've done." Nero stated, bringing the tip of his odachi to Antevorta's chest. Shay put her hand atop Nero's, staying his blade for the moment.
"Nero-kun, don't."
"You want me to spare him? After he kidnapped you and tried to kill me?"
"Please, Nero-kun. I don't want you to kill him." Nero sighed.
"I know that I'm going to regret this… but if it's what you want, Shay, then fine. I'll spare him this time. Just this time." he said, placing his blade on his back. Shay smiled at him, placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you, Nero-kun." Nero led Shay away from Antevorta. He turned back at the last second.
"I'm warning you, Antevorta. If I ever see you again, if I so much as smell you, I swear, Shay's feelings aside, you will perish. I will kill you next time. Got it?" he finished with a glare. Antevorta glared back. "Come on, Shay. Let's go home."
Chamber of Inari
"This place is so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, looking around excitedly. Inari and Kushina had been showing Naruto around the castle. Naruto had been amazed at all of the rooms in it. He had also given Kushina and Inari some insight as to his life before Nero took him from the village. At the end of his tale, Kushina had been ready to tear down the village, with Inari not much better.
"Glad you like it, kit." Inari said. Naruto smiled at the benevolent ruler. He had been very nice to Naruto since he came here, and Naruto could see that he truly loved Naruto's mother. It made Naruto happy to know that he had a family that loved him.
"Naruto-kun," Kushina said, drawing his attention, "How would you like to stay here with me and Inari-kun?" she offered. "We could teach you a lot about being a kitsune, and I can teach you some really strong Jutsu." Naruto now had an awed expression on his face.
"Can I?" he asked, looking at Inari, who smiled down at the boy.
"Of course you can, kit. There will always be a place for you here." he replied. Naruto hugged the fox god before moving over to hug his mother.
"Then I want to stay with my Kaa-chan! I just found out that I have a family, and I don't want to be away from that again!" he declared. Kushina smiled, tightly embracing her son.
"I don't want to be away from you either, Sochi." Inari looked up suddenly. "What is it, Inari-kun?"
"Nero's back. Shay's with him." he stated. Kushina smiled.
"Naruto-kun, do you want to meet your godmother?" Naruto nodded, excitedly taking Kushina's hand and following Inari out of the room.
With Nero
"It's good to know that Inari-sama hasn't changed much…" Shay commented, looking around the foyer of the castle. Nero chuckled.
"He's a creature of habit, Shay. Not likely to change." she nodded to the statement.
"Old habits die hard, Nero." they heard from the top of the stairs. Nero smiled, seeing Naruto with Kushina. The new family made their way down the stairs Kushina hugged Shay.
"It's good to see you, Nee-chan." Kushina said. Shay smiled at the redhead. She knelt down to Naruto's level.
"And who's this?"
"This is my son, Naruto. Say hello, Naruto-chan." Naruto grinned at the blonde woman.
"Hi! I'm Naruto! Are you my godmother?" Shay looked up at Kushina, who nodded. She smiled at the boy.
"Yep." she was caught slightly off guard when Naruto hugged her.
"I'm glad that I have a family." Naruto stated, looking at Nero, Shay, Kushina, and Inari. " I thought I didn't have a family. I thought no one would ever love me. Then Nero came, and now I have a mother and father who love me." Inari looked down at Naruto, surprised he already considered him his father. Naruto looked over at Nero and Shay. "I have my godparents, my aunt and uncle." he said. Nero smiled at the boy, who grinned at him.
"What are you going to do, Naruto?" Inari asked, drawing the blonde's attention to him. "Are you going to go back to Konoha? Or are you going to stay here and embrace your kitsune heritage?"
"I… I think I can do both." he responded. "Kaa-chan and Nero-Nii can teach me about being a shinobi, and Inari-san can teach me more about being a kitsune. There are good people in Konoha, and I want to protect them. I can always come back here later."
"I'm impressed, kit." Inari stated. "If that's what you want to do, we'll do it. I just hope you're ready for the training. It won't be easy."
"If it were, there wouldn't be a point in doing it." Naruto replied. Inari grinned.
"I like you, kit. Alright. Let's get started!"
And DONE! Okay, I realize it isn't as long as my chapters usually are, but I've been struggling with writer's block for all of my stories. I'm also looking at colleges, so I'm starting to get a pretty full plate. I will never abandon my stories, however, so don't think I have.
Forever in the Sky,
The Red Star