Leo Vulpes: This has got to be my losngest chapter for this story so far! Or the one with most words... Now, I'm going to scream my head off in a spoiler rant here!
Sasori: Are you that much of an idiot?
Leo Vulpes: No, it just gave me a mini-heart attack and caused me to hyperventalate... as the manga often does... ahem: MG! No! Why'd Itachi have to go and die! And he didn't even rip out Sasuke's eyes (not that I want him to)! But on the upside Orochimaru really is dead this time! He was all like: "my eyes... my- eyes..." and then it was all Itachi's Forehead Poke™.
Sasori: Are you done?
Leo Vulpes: I'd like to believe so.
Sasori: Good. -walks back into room and locks door again-
Leo Vulpes: That's it, I'm getting them their own room here. It's just not right for me to have to sit here in the hall. Well, no warnings... except a very sexy Naru-chan at the end and some flirting on Karu's behalf. Enjoy!
My Other Life
0-o-0-o-0
Chapter 5
The Festival Part II
0-o-0-o-0
"So… this is what you've been hiding?" Sasuke inquired, looking to the blonde who walked close beside him, smiling brightly and humming a soft tune.
"Hai!" He yipped, suddenly dragging the Uchiha to a stall which sold a wide assortment of glittering jewelry. "You know we're going to have to return soon. We can't stay missing forever." He spoke, looking at a particular pair of necklaces.
Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can't give Tsunade a heart attack, or have the future Hokage dying." He chuckled, coming up behind his kitsune and nuzzling behind his ear affectionately. "So when do I get to see the real Naruto?"
The blonde playfully shoved him away and pointed to the two necklaces, which the clerk: a mixture of a bird, a lemur, and a human, began to gather. "Later, but as for now-" He paused as he gave the man-thing some money and took his purchase. "-we need to enjoy ourselves."
They exited the booth and continued to make their way down the main strip, Sasuke not failing to notice all the stares.
"Relax, Sasuke." Naruto spoke, setting a comforting hand on his shoulder which helped greatly, he was not used to be stared at like this. "They're just staring because I'm the grandson of the king, you're an unfamiliar face with the Uchiha fan on your back. They only know of Mikoto-chan, Itachi, Obito, Oni, and Takala. And they want to see what our relationship is because well… for one of the royal family and an Uchiha to be together… it's sort of an item. I mean, your brother, my uncle. Your uncle, my aunt."
Sasuke nodded and eased up, continuing with the blonde until they came across Neji, Gaara, Shino, and Kiba who had just bought some dango.
"Are you two having fun?" Kiba asked Naruto, who grinned widely and nodded.
The blonde turned to the others. "So-"
"Gaara!?! Gaara where are you!?!" He was cut off by the loud shouts. "Gaara!?!"
0-o-0-o-0
Karu and Kibou dragged behind the hoard of females. Why they were being forced to be here was beyond them. Kiya and Siya were at the head of the shopping spree, Usagi being second in command. Hinata, Ino, and Sakura followed with them, glad to be able to experience wonderful shopping.
"Excuse me," A girl's voice brought Karu's attention up and he turned to meet the woman's gaze. His breath hitched in his throat from the beauty. She had shocking blue-green eyes and dirty blonde hair that was tied in four pigtails. "Have you seen someone with very red hair… like blood?"
Karu chuckled and sighed. "Miss…"
"Temari."
"Miss Temari, I know about… hm… nine people with hair like that. Do you have the specific name?" He spoke.
Temari looked frantically over her shoulder to man wearing all black with wild brown hair and kabuki make-up on his face. "His name is Gaara. He's my little brother."
Karu's look took on one of surprise as he took the rubber band out of his hair, raking his hands through it – all the way down to his thighs– before tying it up with another one. He clenched it in his hands. "Yes, I believe we've met. Gaara-san appears to traveling with a Hyuuga. One question before you leave: how did you two wind up here, Subaku no Temari and Kankuro?" His eyes narrowed as he slipped the rubber band on her wrist. "They're traveling along the main strip, if you need help at all, channel chakra to this." He whispered, his face dangerously close to hers.
Temari nodded and dashed off suddenly, while the water kitsune turned back to find his companions just stepping out of the store.
"You missed it Karu-chan!" Kibou said, wiping tears away from his face as Ino followed. "She upset a water demon and drenched!"
Ino grumbled, wringing out her hair, though just noticing how long Karu's was compared to hers… barely longer. "Gah, I feel like a wet dog."
Karu smirked. "Now you know the consequences if you mess with me." He playfully threatened.
Siya giggled. "You flirt too much. So what were you doing out here?"
"I talked to someone, she was missing her little bother and I'd seen him, so I told him where I saw him last." It was the honest truth, with no lies whatsoever
"Mhm." Kiya hummed. "And it took you so long why?"
Karu huffed and turned away from his elder sister –only by adoption he would point out. "None of your business."
0-o-0-o-0
"Shit!" Yoko slammed his hands on the desk and stood up rather abruptly, causing Mikoto to flinch a little, squeak and drop a book.
Mikoto picked up the book and dusted it off, checking the spine. "Please Yoko-san, be quiet, this is a library." She walked over to the distressed man and leaned over to see what he was looking at. "Now what has you all in a fuss?"
Yoko shook his head and grabbed his crimson locks with his seemingly clawed hands. "I know where I've seen Gaara before and someone from his past. When I was helping him get ready this morning, I saw a memory from his past that he treasured the least, like he was dumping it out. That face-" He jumped up and grabbed a book from a shelf in the back, returning and finding a specific page. "- That face belongs to his uncle, and his mother…" He trailed off pointing to a picture. "There's a full moon later tonight. He'd better be near his life-mate or this could spell trouble all over, and we best find his siblings."
Mikoto was shocked, suddenly dashing out as a wolf and onto the streets to find Gaara to tell him.
What she saw, she did not expect.
0-o-0-o-0
Temari spotted the mop of red hair from the crowds and ran over to it, Kankuro trailing right behind her. The affirmation of who he was traveling with, a Hyuuga, told them he was the real one.
She run up and tugged the sleeve of his shirt and twirling him around to catch him in a bone crushing hug. "Gaara!" She squealed, happy to have her little brother back.
Gaara's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered why he had been so scared about what others would think. He took his arm and tucked them on his head, and moved his tail away from his sister and brother's view. "Temari, what are you doing here?" He asked, not failing to notice the large black wolf that everyone stepped away in fear from as t crouched dangerously. He recognized he size to be female, as it was smaller than the wolf he had seen Sasuke as, and so knew it was none other than Mikoto.
Temari grinned. "Come on, we're taking you ho-"
"You'll take him no where Miss Temari."
The two sand nin looked behind them to see and overgrown wolf crouched and snaring its teeth. "You belong here."
"No," Kankuro stepped between the creature and his sister. "We will take him to our home in Suna. Where he has fami-"
"He has family here!" The wolf snapped, growling even more as Gaara slinked out of his sister's grip and back to the group of boys. "You two weren't born in Suna, were you? Your father let you know that on a daily basis, didn't he? You knew what Gaara really was, didn't you? And you try to protect him, but the only thing that can do that is his life mate! You won't dare take him away, or I'll kill you." The raven coated wolf threatened.
Temari glared challengingly at the wolf and the growled and glared back.
Just as it look like the wolf was about to lunge and attack the girl, Sasuke called it. "Kaasan, stop it right now."
Sasuke's voice calmed Mikoto down, bringing her back. "You cannot take him, your mother would not like it."
"Our mother is dead. And what do you know of her?" Kankuro gritted out, obviously not pleased with this.
"She was my daughter's best friend. And Miko-chan's best friend as well while they were in Konoha for a little or Suna. I would love to stay and explain things more thoroughly, but we have a festival to attend to." Yoko spoke sauntering up to the group with a look of pride on his face as he took a hold of Gaara and led all eight of the boys to where they were supposed to go. "Miko-chan, before you come please lead those two to the reserved seats in the audience."
The wolf growled once again, changing form to a woman with long black hair and deep onyx eyes. "Come on."
0-o-0-o-0
The crowd roared in appreciation as the panther-girl stepped up on the platform and grabbed the microphone from the stand. "Okay! I'm here to introduce the king, the one we all know and love, the one, the only, Kyuubi no Yoko!"
As the redhead walked out the crowd went wild, screams, yelps, and declarations of love came streaming out from them. He grinned goofily and waved politely, lud fangirl-like-screams and even more declarations of love sounding around. "How is everyone?" The reply of a collective great and good made his grin widen. "Well, first I'd like to introduce the new family, seeing as you haven't seen us in oh… fifteen years give or take a few years and months. We have my two daughters and son: Uzumaki Kushina, Uchiha Yoru, and Uchiha Kyuubi. We have my grand children from my first born daughter and her husband Minato: Uzumaki Kiya, Kibou, Siya, Leo, Akita, Tsuki, Kitsune-" As he was calling their names, said people were coming up and standing behind him or sitting in chairs. "- and the last one is a surprise. From my second born daughter and her husband Obito: Oni. And from my son and his husband, Uchiha Itachi: Takala. Then we have my great-grandchild from Oni and his mate: Riritsuku."
Gasps of all sorts sounded throughout the area, they barely knew less than half of these people existed. But then when even more came it was a wonder what they'd been up to.
"Now, I would be pleased to introduce my acquaintance, who will explain some things as well as introduce people better than I have, and my bestest friend in the whole wide universe: Uchiha Mikoto-chan!" He clapped as she stepped up on the stage, her face flushed red and her black tail wagging back and forth happily.
She took the mic from the energetic fox who had given her a ruffling hug and then went to play with his family. Sometimes it was a wonder how their leader was so much like a child.
Mikoto coughed, brushing her hair back behind her ears. "Well, in the recent times that we've been away a great many of things have happened. Uchiha Itachi, is my first born son, and Sasuke my second. Akayume no Oni is my nephew, and his child, Riritsuku, is my great-niece. My grandchild is Takala.
"Now we've made some discovery to some famous lines of blood which had been lost over the many previous Makai wars that had broken out, and I would like to introduce their descendants. From the Akayume clan is Kage and Kumori, and Kage's daughter Riritsuku. From the Mizu clan we have Usagi and Karu. From the Forest Neko Territory is Chibi. From the Forest Wolf Territory is Koi. From the Yamanaka clan we have Ino. From the Nara clan is Shikamaru. From the Hyuuga clan we have Neji and his cousin Hinata. From the Inuzuka clan we have Kiba. The last of the Tora clan has returned, Shino. The heir to the Haruno throne, Sakura. And we all know my brother's consort, Nakaro, the oracle? We have her three children, Subaku Temari and Kankuro who aren't here right now, and Subaku no Gaara."
The crowd gasped and cowered in fear as the green eyed boy stepped up, confused as to why people would be so afraid of him, and how was his mother alive? How were his brother and sister sitting out there in the crowd, the only ones not trying to get away.
"Now I'll let you know, he's not what the stories claim, he is a Sand Spirit of a Raccoon Demon. He's harmless unless provoked, so now, I shall let Lord Yusuke handle the rest." She yipped, taking Gaara's wrist and dragging him to take a seat.
Yusuke came out and bowed respectively to Mikoto and Yoko before turning to the crowd. "I bet you're all wondering about the competition to see who will rule these lands next? The rules state as such, for the next four months, you are able to train and sign up if you wish. You must have a group of seven plus a back-up. More rules will be revealed over time, and now Yoko-sama will step back up and announce the surprise."
Yoko blushed and waved off the title. "Ma, Yusuke, don't call me 'Sama.' It makes me feel… higher than I am, I don't like that. I want to be down on the ground with my friends and family!" He pouted. "But for the surprise, my grandson who was raised in the Ningenkai, the reason for our bad blood with that realm, may I introduce Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto stepped on the stage, and everyone, even his family stared in shock at the look of the kitsune. His blue eye's were more intense than before, his whiskers more defined. His blonde hair seemed shaggier, and his moves seemed more liquid like and elegant. He had blonde fox ears that matched his bright sunny hair, and his nine tails that swayed gently were the same blonde as well. "Konichiwa-" He was cut off form his greeting by two people – Mikoto and Yoko- growling loudly.
Something wasn't right.
Leo Vulpes: I know, let's play a game, if you can guess some of the parinings besides the obvious ones already, that I plan to put in here, I'll dedicate a chapter to you! How's that sound! So you know the drill and it has to do with the purple button down there. Ja ne!