Disclaimer: I own only the main story line and the odd character.
Reviewers:
It was the spiked whip he had on his hip.
"I knew I'd end up regretting saving you." Whisper told the bound boy to his left. The boy growled through his gag and glared.
Naruto, Whisper and Sasuke were seated in front of the Hokage's desk while Tsunade threw a fit…and a few chairs.
Apparently, Sasuke had gone AWOL last year or something and joined an enemy village. The three were facing a full enquiry after Whisper had thrown the dark-haired boy over his shoulder and bound off to the Hokage's office, Naruto following like a lost puppy.
"Why did you save him, anyway?"
Whisper turned his now normal green-gold eyes to Naruto's deep blue ones. His answer stopped even Tsunade's rampage. Everyone stared at the boy as he stood and left the room.
No one had expected anyone who knew of the demon to have said that to Naruto, let alone a stranger.
"His death would have caused you sorrow."
(space)
"Whatcha doin'?"
The blue-haired girl squeaked and tripped when she tried to whirl around.
Whisper giggled and offered the blushing girl a hand up.
Pale blue-grey, pupil-less eyes stared at the beautiful nin before them, blushing even more, and hesitantly taking the peach-coloured hand in her own white one.
Pulling the girl up firmly, Whisper asked, "Are you alright."
The girl glanced at him, before looking down. "Y-y-yes, th-thank you. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"Don't mention it. It was my fault for distracting you, anyway."
There was a long moment of silence in which the girl shifted uncomfortably.
"So you're a nin, huh?"
The girl bobbed her head. "Hai."
"Ah. I'm Whisper by the way." He bowed.
The girl jerked straight, her blush back in full. "Oh! I'm sorry! I'm Hyuuga Hinata. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She bowed in return.
"So, Hinata, have you ever learnt to use a whip?"
The girl looked at him blankly. "A whip?"
(space)
The sun was setting when two bedraggled blue-black haired figures wandered away from the Training Area and towards the closest restaurant, staggering and leaning on one another.
The two were giddy and were quite content to joke and muck around with one another as they plopped down into a booth in Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, ordering Inari Zushi for Whisper and Beef Ramen for Hinata while chatting about how Hinata was a natural with the whip Whisper had given her lessons in all afternoon, as well as random chatting about their likes and dislikes and what it's like growing up in their respective villages.
Whisper momentarily wondered where all this random information and memories came from before Youko came forward and informed the two par-humans near the surface that it was Divine Intervention being syphoned in through the subconscious.
Whisper just kind of ignored it after that.
"Hina-chan?"
"Hai, Aniki?" Hinata had started calling Whisper this in the third hour or so of the training, but he wasn't worried, rather he was flattered, thus, he allowed the nickname to continue. She'd even lost her stutter around him, which was an all-time first (though he didn't know it).
You see, Whisper was the only person aside from her crush, Naruto, who had ever treated her like an actual person instead of the Hyuuga Heiress the villagers saw, or the stuttering, useless failure the other Hyuugas' saw. Being around Whisper made her feel comforted and safe. He was patient with her during the training and he never made her feel inept when he had to correct her stance or hold. She felt wanted and protected. She had called him 'Aniki' on a slip of the tongue, but he had just smiled at her in a rather pleasant way.
He was the kind of family she had always longed for. If he let her, she had decided, Hinata would follow him wherever he would go. Even if it meant leaving Naruto.
"Would you help me with some clothes shopping?"
Hinata was jerked out of her thoughts by her Aniki's voice. Then it processed that he, one of the greatest nin Hinata had ever met, wanted her help. It was clothing, but still, he wanted her help.
"H-hai."
"Great!" He bounced up and the blue-haired girl noted that somehow they had both finished their meal while she hadn't been paying attention. "Let's go!"
(space)
Whisper had just dropped Hinata off at her clan compound, tired, happy and content, after a four hour shopping spree which, after he had explained that the clothes weren't for him, but rather Naruto, the timid little nin had squealed and dragged him off to several shops where she claimed to have seen outfits she thought would look perfect on the blond. Whisper had to admit the girl had taste.
He was meeting her tomorrow morning at six to continue her whip training and, though she didn't know it, find her Core Class. Whisper suspected it would be either Rogue or Quest Class.
Whisper wandered towards where Naruto's apartment was according to Hinata, when he abruptly turned down a conveniently placed alley.
He stopped and tilted his head.
"Did you want something, Itachi-san?"
Said Uchiha detached himself from the shadows to Whisper's right, strangely devoid of the black coat of red clouds and his Akatsuki ring. The only hint that the Nukenin wasn't one of Konoha's Special Nin was the slashed Leaf Hitai-ate. Whisper fell in love with his outfit and swore to get one exactly like it.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
So the Weasel was here out of curiosity.
"I have been called many names, many of them rude. However, I am currently using the name my demon gave me; Whisper. As to why I am here?" Whisper shrugged. "I'm classed as a Wandering Nin. Therefore; I wander."
Itachi blinked languidly.
"So you are a demon vessel then?"
"Not in the way you mean, but, yes, I am a type of demon vessel."
"And what does that mean?"
Whisper turned fully and smiled. "The specifics are for me to know and you not to. All you need to know is that you cannot take my demon because there is no Seal there to be transferred. Youko is within me of his own free will and not bound in any way, shape or form. Now, was there anything else you wanted to ask or is this a social visit?"
Itachi stared at the younger boy for a moment, obviously confused, reminding Whisper that Itachi was only nineteen and lacking in a normal childhood. The Nukenin probably couldn't understand why Whisper wasn't afraid of him.
"For whom do you exist?"
Itachi was caught off-guard, causing him to answer without thinking. "For myself, of course."
"Why do you do what you do?"
"For power."
"Why do you want power?"
Itachi blinked, obviously stunned. He probably hadn't thought of that before. Whisper had to admit Itachi recovered quickly when he narrowed his eyes and asked:
"For whom do you exist?"
Whisper smiled and admitted, "For myself, of course."
Itachi's eyebrows drew in enough to crease his forehead. "Why do you do what you do?"
"I do what I want for my own reasons and because it is not in my nature to submit to the will of others, even if it means saving lives of unnamed innocents."
Itachi stared for a moment.
Whisper gave an ashamed half-smirk. "Despicable, aren't I?"
"Why?"
Whisper sighed and turned his gaze up to the deep blue night sky. "Three lifetimes of memories chase through my mind; The first life was ended because Youko was grieving for the loss of his friend and partner when the bounty hunter came upon him, The second was ended because Suichi believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that his friends would come and save him from that torture chamber where they never appear. It took him a week to die. And I shall not forgive them for that." Whisper lowered his gaze to look at Itachi with his sad green and gold eyes. "I will not make the same mistake as my predecessors and depend on others. I cannot. Kitsune are by nature selfish creatures; accessible to whim, quick to anger, easy to hurt. There is a reason we are social but not pack creatures. We feel too much and thus easy to harm, which is why we are so renowned."
Whisper regarded Itachi as he took everything the fox had said in and analysed it. "Power only exists for as long as you live. And when you die, you will become little more than a name on paper and all you have done will be undone. I see no point in garnering power as you do. You only live until you die, and that only happens once. I honestly don't see the point."
Whisper passed Itachi and continued on his way towards Naruto's apartment.
'I don't know wether to be insulted or sympathetic. That was harsh.' Youko sounded oddly depressed.
'But he's right.' Suichi's voice was heartbroken.
Whisper felt guilty as hell.
Quote: Life, Life cannot go by the letter. Time, Time, prozac can make it better.