Chapter 8: Sometimes, Appearances Can Be Decieving.....

By: DemonClowSorceress and Red

Disclaimer: If I did own Naruto, there would be awesome stuff of win in it. Oh wait, there is already.

Red: But neither of us own it. Damn.

The little band of Hiro, Tomoya, Tsukasa, and Kaname made good headway out of River Country, covering ground faster than an out-of-control wildfire. Unlike the cadets Hiro was used to dealing with, the three boys didn't whine, complain, or lag behind after running for seven hours straight. It was refreshing, Hiro thought, not having to stop every thirty minutes to let them catch a breath. Fur-children really are better at roughing it than human children....

Kaname kept to the skies, flying point, while Tsukasa and Hiro flanked below and on either side. Tomoya brought up the rear, and despite his pudgy appearance, he could easily keep up with the slimmer bird and squirrel. But even the tanuki needed rest, so when they stopped for a brief rest, Hiro took the opportunity to ask Tsukasa why he didn't fly with Kaname, who was catching a nap in a tree (hanging upside down by his knees like a trapeze artist, arms crossed under his cape.)

Tsukasa grinned sheepishly. "Do these wings look big enough to support me?" he asked, pointing to the two white wings where his ears were supposed to be. "No, Kaname can fly, but I can't. It's just not for me."

"Haven't you ever tried?" Hiro asked, curious.

"Yes, once. I nearly got myself killed. Jumped off a cliff," he said by way of explaination. "Kaname had to dive and save me. He broke his wing pulling out of it." The boy's chocolate brown eyes looked downcast, guilty. "I haven't tried since. It's not worth it." And so Hiro dropped the subject.

Soon they came up on the neighboring country of Ame (Rain) around three in the afternoon, judging by the sun's last position. Rainclouds were starting to move in, so the boys caught shelter in a small cave just east of the border. Kaname and Tsukasa both warned strongly against entering Ame's territory. "They say the man who rules here is God, and he has an Angel who can appear anywhere," they said solemnly. "He controls the rain, and he can tell when you come into his country."

Hiro didn't bother to argue; he knew some people scary enough to inspire fear like that. Ita-nii-chan, for one. Ori-chan, for another.

The rain came pummeling down soon enough, washing out the trail and trapping the four. Hiro used one of his exploding tags wrapped around a bundle of wood to light a fire, which helped to warm them. Tomoya shook himself a good distance away, releasing a cascade of water drops and puffing up like a blow-dried cat. Hiro likewise shook himself dry, with similar results. His wings extended to their full span, Kaname first spread one, then the other over the flames, drying the thin black membranes. Tsukasa only shook out and hung his cloak to dry, revealing his outfit of white knee-shorts and a white t-shirt that had an elegant feather design on the front.*

Suddenly Tomoya's ears wiggled. "I hear something outside," he whispered. "Someone's moving. Fast."

All the boys tensed up; Hiro kicked dirt over the fire to smother the flames. Darkness descended, the only source of light being the dimness from the outside. Holding his breath, Hiro could hear the quick, light footsteps pounding over the ground outside. He could also hear trailing footsteps from larger, heavier individuals. "One prey, four predators," he whispered, lasping into before-times speak, when he had classified creatures as predator and prey. "The prey's smaller, maybe shorter than me, but four-legged. Predators sound like four tall-humans."

Kaname pointed into the darkness. His icy blue eyes seemed to glow in the ambient light. "There. It's coming this way."

Sure enough, a white blob bounded from the treeline, bolting straight for the cave where the four boys were. It zigged and zagged, scattering waves of mud and surfing along the soggy ground. Veering to the north, it went about seven feet away before spinning around, dropping on all fours, and clearing the distance between it and the cave's mouth with one flying leap.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the intruder. Hiro saw white fur, blond hair, two long ears, and a small satchel before the being bolted behind him and hunched down, quivering. He smelled fear coming from this creature and instantly crouched defensively, not to hide, but to attack. "Akki-chan," he whispered, "what do you see?"

"Kaname," Tsukasa mumbled to clarify.

Kaname's blue eyes flashed with their own kind of lightning. He opened his mouth and made a small sound, a kind of high-pitched squeak that Hiro could barely hear. Listening for a few seconds, he nodded. "There are four tall-humans out there. They're looking for that." He pointed to the white fur thing shaking behind Hiro. "But they didn't see it come in here. They're trying to follow its tracks."

"Then they'd better be part bloodhound and part tracking device," muttered Tomoya. "Or they are so SOL."

Lightning flashed; the four boys ducked and made like rocks. Kaname's glowing eyes marked the progress of the tall-humans as they scoured the forest treeline, but they came nowhere near the cave. Tomoya's fake bear tracks kept them away; as the tanuki-boy had said, not many tall-humans wish to take on what they thought was a full-grown grizzly bear in this weather. When they headed back into the storm, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Hiro turned to examine the quivering thing hiding behind him. It was maybe two-seven, wearing a one-piece dress of what seemed to be white fur that puffed around the bottom like a pair of bloomers, and white fur slippers that were covered in dark mud. A puffy white cottontail rested squarely on the being's bottom. Thick, curly, honey-blond hair fell every which way, and poking from under the blonde mess were two long white rabbit ears.

"Usagi-chan!" cried Hiro.**

The rabbit-girl looked up. Big green eyes locked on Hiro's blue ones. "Chu," she said.

And a carrot whacked Hiro over the top of his head.

Kaname, Tomoya and Tsukasa tried to hold it in, they really did. But, being small boys, they were prone to irresponsible bouts of laughter at ridiculous things. And this qualified as one such incident. So they behaved accordingly. They burst into raucous laughter, doubling over with tears in their eyes. Tomoya actually fell over, he was laughing so hard.

Hiro rubbed his head and winced. "Usagi-chan has a mean sneak attack," he complained with a grin. "It's okay, Usagi-chan. We won't hurt you."

"Chu," she replied, pulling herself up his side with her hands until she hung off his arm like a nervous girlfriend, big eyes looking at the other boys. She seemed so much younger than the boys, Hiro thought. Possibly because she was scared out of her mind. And possibly because she was -

"She's only been around for about eight months," remarked Tomoya, sniffing Usagi-chan curiously. "Maybe less." A strange smile lit his face. "Well, cutie, why don't we get to know each other better? I can - OWIE!! KANAME, DAMMIT!" he yelled, dropping to a squat once the black-haired boy's fist connected with his noggin. "I was just - !"

"Hitting on the newbie girl, I know," said Kaname shortly. "Stupid tanuki. She's scared stiff. Your offer is scaring her even more. Besides," he added, watching her bury her face in Hiro's furry shoulder, "I think she's already chosen a knight in shining armor."

Tsukasa yawned, his wings stretching along with his arms. "Well, I'm beat from this. I'm going to sleep." Stirring up the embers of the doused fire, he got a small blaze going and lay down with his back to the flames. Tomoya curled up on a flat rock, covering his face with his round tail tip and instantly fell asleep. Kaname flew up to the roof of the cave and hung upside down, wrapping his wings around his body like a blanket, arms crossed.

Hiro gave Usagi-chan his blanket, then stretched out beside the fire. "Do you have a name, Usagi-chan?" he asked sleepily, closing his eyes. "Because if you do, we can call you that instead of Usagi-chan." Sleep was coming rather quickly; the encounter, coupled with the physical exertion of the last two days, must have been more of a taxing experience than he was used to. So as he was falling asleep, he could have imagined that she scooted closer to him, wrapping the blanket tightly around her shoulders.

He could have imagined her saying, "Hanika."

********

Kiba noticed Akamaru sniffing at a patch of grass off a ways from the beaten path. "Whatcha got, Akamaru?" he asked, coming to his ninken partner's side. "Who you sniffin'?"

"Arf, arf!" barked Akamaru, pawing the earth and snuffling. "Arf!"

Kneeling down, Kiba took a handful of dirt and sniffed. His eyes widened when he caught the faint, but recognizable scent. He looked around, getting his bearings. It's possible, he thought. Hiro ran out in a general this-way direction.....if he kept on running, he could have gone past here in the last day or so......

He quickly mounted Akamaru, turning the large dog's head back to the village. "C'mon boy," he urged his partner, "we gotta hurry up. Naruto and Sasuke'll wanna know." And Akamaru, understanding the direness of the situation, poured on all speed back to Konohagakure.

The sentries were surprised to find their scout coming back in a whirlwind of dust and white fur. They were even more surprised when they watched Akamaru break all speed records, barrelling down the road like a Triple Crown Thoroughbred with Kiba egging him on like a jockey. People jumped out of the way as boy and dog raced through town, heading for Sasuke's house with all speed.

Naruto and Sasuke came outside when they heard the familiar barking. Kiba drew up outside the house and yelled, "I picked up Hiro's scent! He passed my patrol spot about a day ago, heading for River Country's borders! I think he could be heading for Suna!"

Naruto looked at his boyfriend, surprised. "You think he could be going to see Gaara? We've talked about him enough to Hiro...."

"Maybe," Sasuke admitted, shrugging. "I dunno. But I'm not sure. Would he know to go to Suna? It's an awfully long way, and he's never been farther from home than the cave Itachi left him at." The memory still made his voice grow barbed. "Suna is three days away. I don't think he'd know how to go straight there."

"But it is worth a try," insisted Naruto, looking from Sasuke to Kiba and back. "It's a shot. We can send a message to Gaara, ask him to scour the desert for Hiro. It can't be hard finding a little squirrel-boy in miles of sand, right?"

"I can take you to where I picked up the scent trail and we can follow it," a forgotten Kiba interjected.

Sasuke deliberated for all of twelve seconds, then nodded. "Okay. Let's tell the Hokage, then we'll move out. Get ready, Naruto."

By the time the three boys reached the Hokage's house, the rest of the Konoha Thirteen were gathered, having heard the news. Tsunade was releasing a messenger hawk when Naruto and Sasuke were coming up. "Gaara will get this within the next three hours," she said.

"Then let's go!" Naruto cried, punching the air.

"Yeah!" said the others, mimicking his action. Hiro was their own. He was lost. And they were going to get him back by any means necessary.

********

"So, the name's Hanika?" asked Tomoya, more to Hiro than to the rabbit-girl.

Kaname stretched his arms and wings, still hanging from the cieling. "So what? We got another tag-along, that's all I know. Can we afford to bring her along?"

"We can't leave her out here," said Tsukasa, the voice of kind reason. He sat next to Hanika, folding her blanket and putting it back in Hiro's school satchel. "Besides, we might find others like us. What kind of kids would we be if we didn't let them come along with us?"

Hiro blinked, then took the thought process of least complication. "We should let Usa - Hanika come with us," he said. "She's all alone out here, and it's obvious she can't protect herself very well." He gestured vaguely outside. "We're going to Konoha. Maybe she can get a family there."

"With tall-humans?" Kaname sounded skeptical. "I think that carrot nailed your head a little too hard last night. Tall-humans think we're too different. They think we're - evil." He said the last word with a combination of disgust and resignation. He'd heard it so many times and hated it, but he'd come to expect it.

But Hiro, shaking his head, disagreed. "No, no! Papa and Tou-chan are loving parents! They love me, and so do all my nii-chans and nee-chans! And I'm sure they'll love Hanika too!"

"You have two fathers?" asked Tomoya, cocking his head. "Really?"

"They adopted me," Hiro explained. "But enough of that. Shouldn't we get moving?"

The group moved out as the mist began to dissipate, making the most use of the cover they had. Tsukasa and Tomoya only had vague ideas of area above Ame, but Kaname proved very insightful as to what lay beyond. "Kusa no Kuni (Grass Country) is between Konoha and Iwa (Stone). As long as we head in a northeastern direction, we should just skirt the country and remain in Konoha. It'll get sunny after we get farther away from Ame, too."

"It's wet here," said Hanika, shaking her sodden slippers with every step. "And it's very quiet." Her long white ears twitched this way and that like furry antennae. "I can't hear anything for at least two leagues."

"At least we won't be ambushed," said Tomoya awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood. He failed miserably.

But as they approached Kusa, a completely non-Ame-related storm was just moving through. So while the landscape became plains and tall grass, the humidity never changed.

Kaname shivered, scowling at the dampness. "I hate this wet air. It makes my wings feel heavy." He extended his full wingspan and shook out one, then the other. The black membranes shed water droplets like shaken umbrellas, then wrapped around his shoulders in their short-cloak camoflogue. "I can't fly in this. Blech."

Hiro spied a small caramel-colored bolt shooting through the long grasses. "Kaname, look out!" he cried before being pounced on by the caramel thing. "Ouch!"

"The heck - Omph!" Tsukasa yelled as his face was slammed into the mud. Hanika squealed and bounded alongside a running Tomoya, following the tanuki boy up the closest tree. Together they yelled their words simultaneously, sounding something like this: "Chu on the Shiny!"

A deluge of carrots came down so fast they impaled the ground like stakes, narrowly missing the fast caramel attacker as it slid mud to avoid the projectile. The statue also missed, but caught a piece of clothing, pinning the creature for a minute. Kaname, having taken wing when Hiro shouted, saw the individual from above.

It was childlike in size and proportion, and definitely humanish. Caramel hair bristled out from under a red bandanna, tied in back to cover most of the child's head. A tan vest covered a black t-shirt, and khaki shorts completed the outfit. Torn black high socks and tan sandals were on the child's feet.

But it wasn't a human child. Kaname saw the bushy caramel-colored tail sticking from a hole in the khaki shorts, as well as the two fox ears slightly darker than the child's hair. Another one, he sighed, touching down in front of the kid. Gods, we're just picking them up one after another.....

"Oy, fur-child," he said. "Relax, we ain't gonna hurt you. Just stop wriggling already."

The fox child looked up, and Kaname's pale blue eyes widened. At the time he had thought he was dealing with a boy. But the face screamed girl just as loudly as the fact that her shirt was sticking to her -

"Let me go, you damn raccoon!" snarled the girl, breaking Kaname's shocked revelation. "Get this damned statue off of me so I can slap you silly!" And her tail lashed to back up her threat.

"Um, how about no?" Tomoya yelled from atop the tree.

Kaname tucked in his wings and dropped down in front of the girl's trapped form. "Oy, you. Person over there. What's your name?"

Those dark caramel ears flicked in annoyance. "Daisuke."

He frowned. "That's a boy's name."

"Congratulations, you've passed kindergarten." The fox girl tugged her shirt, but the corner remained firmly pinned under Tomoya's statue. "Let me go, now!"

Hiro came over, a little wary of her, brushing mud from his cheeks. "Why do you have a boy's name, Kitsune-chan?" (A.N. - if I have to translate kitsune then you're not a Naruto fan)

She scowled at him with bright green eyes. "I don't like my real name."

"What is it?" Hiro couldn't let it be. "Tell us, and we'll let you go."

Daisuke glanced from him, to Kaname, then Tsukasa who was still trying to scrub mud from his face. Sparing another glance to Tomoya and Hanika still up their tree, she grumbled, "Daisunekenn....."

"We don't speak mumble," snapped Kaname, crossing his arms. "Translation, please?"

She looked at the ground like she wanted to disappear, then looked at Kaname like he ought to burst into flames. "I'm known.....to......Daisukininaru."

The bat boy's blue eyes widened again in shock. "Say what now!?"***

"It's my name, dumbass!" she yelled. "But it's Daisuke to you! Now let me go!"

Tomoya, thinking everything was okay (he couldn't hear what they were saying very well) clapped his hands. The statue disappeared, letting Daisuke stand up straight. Unlike Hiro, Tomoya, and Hanika, she had no visible animal fur on her body, aside from her ears and tail. She was also a little taller than Hiro, but not as tall as Kaname and Tsukasa.

She was also jangling. Or, to be precise, the purse at her hip was. Hiro reached for it and got a slap across his knuckles. "No touching!"

"You're a thief!" the squirrel-boy cried, leveling the finger of accusation at her. "Stealing is bad!"

"It's either that or go hungry for me," Daisuke replied, pulling a piece of bread from the pouch and cramming it in her mouth. "So what're you people doing on Kusa borders? Don't you know there are raiders coming this way?"

"We can fend for ourselves, kitsune," snapped Kaname, still kinda red from the earlier misunderstanding. "You, on the other hand, can clear out."

"What for?!" Daisuke balled her fists and stood her ground. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"She hasn't," agreed Hanika as she came down the tree cautiously. "Not to us, anyway."

"Five to one odds say she's the reason the raiders are coming this way." The fox girl squirmed a little. "See? Cut out, kitsune. We don't want your trouble."

"Make me," snarled Daisuke.

Kaname spread his wings (which made her eyes go wide) and he hovered above her head. "Okay," he said. "Pon!"

A poof of smoke later, a spiky pineapple dropped from the sky and nailed Daisuke on the head. The force made her hit the dirt, cursing all the way. Kaname crossed his arms and laughed out loud. "HA! What now?!"

Tsukasa and Hiro did a face-palm simultaneously. "Pineapple? Really?"

But Daisuke got right back up and, chucking the pineapple into the bushes, snarled, "Kyuu!"

And Kaname felt a sticky weight hit the top of his head. Reaching up, he picked up the object. And smirked. "A rice ball? Really?" he scoffed.

And then the rice ball exploded in his hand. Black soot streaked his face and set parts of his hair on fire. Needless to say, he was royally pissed off.

Hiro and Tsukasa face-palmed again. "Exploding rice balls? Really?"

"You little - " What followed was a word Hiro had never heard before, but sounded very rude and rhymed with 'witch'.

Daisuke reacted accordingly; screeching, she leaped at Kaname and latched onto him like a barnacle, clawing ferociously. Kaname shook and bobbed, gaining altitude in an attempt to shake her off. Higher and higher they went, getting smaller and smaller until finally, he shoved her off.

"Have a nice trip, see you next fall!" he yelled.

But what happened next completely surprised everyone. From out of nowhere another caramel-colored fox tail appeared, both spinning like helicoptor blades. Daisuke's descent slowed, then halted as she hovered ten feet from the ground. Tails spinning faster, she regained altitude and tackled a surprised Kaname, yelling "Kyuu!" and throwing exploding rice balls at him. He retaliated, yelling "Pon!" and chucking pineapples. The air was soon full of fruit and explosions.

Hiro watched the aerial battle with fascination and a twinge of deja vu. This looks like something I saw on the Internet a few weeks ago. A fox that flies with helicopter tails.......with a blue hedgehog, I think.....what was it called? Something and Tails......blue hedgehog that runs really fast......

"Sonic and Tails!" he cried, pointing at them. Tomoya and Hanika came over, curious, as Hiro had an ADHD moment, whipped out his Nindendo DS and began playing Sonic Rush Adventure. Attracted by the shiny object, the tanuki boy and rabbit girl came closer and watched as Hiro battled pirates at supersonic speeds. Above their heads, Daisuke and Kaname kept engaged in their own battle.

A forgotten Tsukasa, his little wings trembling, glared first at the battling fox and bat, then the three woodland creatures. "Flying foxes, exploding rice balls vs. pineapples, DS games, and raiders on the way. What's next?" he asked rhetorically, lifting his palms up and shrugging his shoulders. "Flying cats or something?"

And then he was nailed on the head. Again. For the second time in ten minutes his face was mashed into the dirt by a pair of feet that used him for a personal springboard.

Hiro, Tomoya, and Hanika squeaked in surprise as two new children backflipped and somersaulted into the clearing. A boy with ginger hair and a girl with black and white streaked hair, both wearing sleeveless shirts, shorts, and fingerless gloves. The boy had ginger ears poking from his mussed hair, while the girl's ears were dual-colored, white with black tips. Their tails were similarly colored.

"Cat children!" yelled Tomoya.

"Twin Neko-chans!" Hiro said in the same breath.

The cat twins kept on going. "Run!" they yelled in unison. "Hurry!"

The rest of the children on the ground bugged out after them, but Kaname and Daisuke, still engrossed in their battle above the earth, didn't hear them. But they eventually came down, exhausted from their constant summoning. Looking around at the empty clearing, Daisuke frowned and knelt on the ground, examining the tracks. "They ran for it. Really fast."

"Why?" asked Kaname.

The sudden flurry of kunai dotting the ground gave them their answer. Hearing the cries of the raiders, Kaname and Daisuke ran, respectively, like a bat out of hell and a fox from the hounds.

A.N.

* - imagine the feather logo from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles.

** - Usagi is rabbit.

*** - little pun here. Her name means 'to fall in love' and Kaname's thinking she's saying the literal meaning to him.