A Fox Among Tamers

by Aarik076

His past a hellish nightmare, what will he do when he finds himself in another world? Will he succumb to his hatred, or rise above it with the help of a certain vixen?

4. Training, love, and meetings

Annnnd here's chapter four! Since this one will have the majority of it typed up during the long weekend, it will most likely be longer than the 10,000 words per chapter I plan on churning out on average. Thing will start to pick up now, and you'll see the plot of Digimon Tamers coming into play here. It most certainly not be the same, it may have many of the same fights but for the most part, what happens during the fights will deviate from the show. Oh, and one more VERY important subject: I am testing out a new writing style after reading some reviews about how my story's chapters are too "block-shaped" and "painful on the eyes"...I think I get what they're trying to say. To fix this, the only "block-shaped" paragraphs are ones in which explanation or descriptions are given. A change of speaker or points of view will be denoted by a space between lines. Consider this a beta run...I will post a poll after this chapter, letting you; the reader, decide which you want: my old style or new. If you like the new, I will go back and fix prior chapters, and continue writing in such a manner. Now, enough of this college bum's banter, on with the story!

"You want me to talk into what?" – Kyuubi speaking, jutsus/digimon attacks

"Get that thing out of my face!" – Normal speaking

'What the hell was that thing?' – Thoughts/thinking

'Hello?' 'Hello?' – Thought-speak

^the line just above this denotes a scene change.^

Disclaimer : I do not own anything belonging to Naruto or Digimon. However, I DO own this story.

-Training, love, and meetings-

….He wanted to what? Apparently Naruto sensed the question, to he reiterated his previous statements.

"I'm going to train you, Rena-san. I will not allow a friend of mine to be ill-prepared for situations in which he or she could have otherwise been fine if they had the proper training." Once he was done he fell into silence, silently staring at her in a ram-rod straight position, his own training showing through.

Meanwhile, Renamon was surprised 'and a little touched' she added to herself as she went over what he said. 'He wants to train me, and for the sole reason of wanting to make sure I'm not unprepared...and he called me his friend...' She couldn't keep the warm smile off her muzzle at the thought, it would seem after all this time she finally began to chip away at the ice that surrounded Naruto's emotions. While he would show them to her from time to time, he would always seem to catch himself after a moment and school his face into an impassive mask once more...it was rather frustrating. Upon hearing his confession of his feelings of friendship towards, she was determined to find out just what had happened to make him into such a...turbulent individual. For while he did show a friendly attitude to her... it was a completely different matter for anyone else, especially humans. She could tell he was trying to be nicer when he mentioned Rika, and for that she was grateful.

Snapping out of her thoughts with a small smile still on her muzzle, she looked at Naruto and said in a warm tone, "Thank you Naruto, I accept your training...and I consider you a friend as well."

His mask of aloofness seemed to take another massive blow, for he gave her a genuine smile at that. Not his smirk or amused smile, but a grateful one...she lightly blushed upon seeing it, but concealed it well. He spoke up again, his voice sharing the warmth.

"For that I am glad...it has been a long time since I've made a friend..." he trailed off in memory and Renamon frowned at the clue he had unknowingly given about some of his past.

'He hasn't had any friends in a long time?...Well I can sympathize with that...the digital world isn't an ideal place to form friendships and regardless of how much I wish otherwise, I know Rika only views me as a tool...for now.'

"But I digress...the first thing I will teach you will be a hand-to-hand fighting style, or a taijutsu style. The one I shall teach you is most effective against bipedal opponents, and to utilize it to its greatest potential one needs to have an expansive knowledge of the general anatomical properties of a biped. Tell me Rena-san, do you know much about the anatomy of a biped? By this I mean not just how one looks, but mainly the mechanics behind movement."

"While I am fairly familiar with them from fighting the occasional biped opponent...I would not consider myself having "expansive knowledge" of the subject as you advise."

Nodding, Naruto beckoned for Renamon to follow him once more into his bedroom. Upon arriving, Naruto grabbed a scroll and unrolled it, looking at the many unfamiliar kanji upon its parchment. Just as she was about to question him on it...he bit his thumb drawing some blood and smeared it over one of the kanji. Instantly, there was a small poof of smoke before revealing a...book?

"What did you just do Naruto? Where did that book come from?"

Naruto smiled at his...it was fun getting such amusing reactions to chakra...or youki, as is the case. "What you just saw, Rena-san, was called a sealing technique, or fuuinjutsu. By drawing seals upon scrolls and focusing some...energy into them, you can create a vast array of responses. What you just saw was me deactivating a storage seal...basically this book was temporarily held in a pocket dimension of sorts."

Her eyes boggled at that...a pocket dimension? Was such a thing possible...well obviously it was, that book certainly wasn't there before...and what did he mean by energy? "Naruto, you said it took seals and energy...what kind of energy?"

Naruto mentally applauded Renamon, she was a sharp one! "Yet another secret I'm afraid, Rena-san...but don't fret, I promise that before the week is up I will tell you about this energy."

While she was a little put off by his secrecy, his promise to tell her put her at ease so she nodded in acquiesce. "Very well Naruto...but what exactly does this fighting style do, and does it have a name?"

"Eager are we? Well, the name I made up myself as I haven't seen anyone else fight with this style...and I've seen MANY people fight." Another clue...though a discomforting one. "Anyways, I call it the "Puppetmaster" style...and the style lives up to the name. You see, what this style mainly focuses on is making your opponent move the way you want them to by manipulating their own body against them. To do this, once must have an extensive knowledge on a biped's typical uncontrollable reactions. Perhaps if I actually show you an example of the style it would be easier to grasp?"

She nodded at this, because while she grasped the concept, the full impact of such a style was still lost on her.

"Very well, but for this I will need a live subject...one that is not you. Even examples of this style can be brutally painful, as most of the attacks directly attack nerve clusters. If I was serious I could kill someone in two moves without having to move my feet...this is not a style to be taken lightly, Rena-san."

Her eyes widened at his statements 'He's not joking here...this style he wants to teach me apparently is not for the faint of heart...and the way he spoke so lightly about killing someone is unnerving.'

Seeing that she was paying close attention he continued. "Are you adverse to finding a human test subject that is a criminal? One that has done atrocious deeds?" She shook her head, as long at the person was guilty she was ok...didn't mean she liked it though. "Then let us find a subject, you use your shadow-merging abilities and follow me; once I find a person pay close attention, for although I will try and prolong the confrontation it will still most likely be quick." With this last statement they went outside before Naruto went at a moderate pace, making sure Renamon could keep up as he headed towards a darker side of the city he had spotted a few days ago.

They finally arrived in an area with dilapidated building, the people below not looking much better. It did not take long to find a criminal...in fact he was in luck, for across the street in a dark alley, what seemed to be a gang was in the process of mugging a woman. He heard Renamon growl low in anger, and he shared the sentiment. While he may not have liked humans, he still did not like to see any being in distress that did not deserve such. Making sure the alley entrance was clear, he jumped onto it and walked into the alley itself, soon attracting the attention of one of the gang members.

"Well well well...what do we have here boys? Some cosplayer wannabe trying to play the hero huh? Go home kid, there's nothing to see here!" Naruto just remained silent, his posture seemingly bored. This of course made the leader of the group mad...this kid was mocking them!

"What's with that look, you think you're too good to answer me or something? I was just gonna let you get off with an empty wallet kid, but now you can join the fun! C'mon boys, lets show the hero how its done!" His proclamation was met with the whoops and laughter of his gang members as they pulled out anything from knives and nightsticks to a crowbar. They charged, looking forward to pulverizing the brat.

When the first one got close enough to swing his nightstick he fell into Naruto's range, and the decimation began. Up above perched on a pipe Renamon crouched, her eyes wide and her thoughts racing as she observed the...fight. Naruto seemed to weave through the mass of bodies, his own attacks being short, efficient and brutal. As one threw a punch at his head, he struck the inside of the man's left arm with two fingers, collapsing the man's Axillary artery in that arm while quickly thrusting three fingers of his other hand into the man's side, causing him to reflexively pitch towards that direction.

It was then that Renamon began to grasp the sheer destructive capacities of this style, as even before the man started to pitch from the jab, Naruto's other hand was already heading towards an area that while unoccupied at the time, quickly found the man's throat there. Naruto's foresight struck true as his hand jabbed the man's exposed carotid artery in his neck and thus collapsing that one as well. With two main arteries blocked off, one supplying the brain with precious oxygen, the man quickly succumbed to his injuries.

When the man fell, it was as if a restriction was lifted from Naruto; the next moments would be ingrained into Renamon's memory for a long while to come. He simply flowed through the mass of humanity like a wraith, striking them as he moved past. Some strikes caused the men to reflexively hit their own comrades, but most where quick, efficient and brutal, as he finished up one of his jabs with an palm thrusting into a man's face, his nose's cartilage instantly dislodged from the attack and sent lancing into his brain, the man falling dead instantly.

As the death toll rose quickly, Renamon was now admittedly frightened. It was not the fact that he was killing...she had done such with digimon many times. No...it was the manner in which he killed which frightened her. His moves were completely fluid, his attacks precise and exercising maximum efficiency; minimizing his effort and striking with a clinical accuracy. As he struck they moved to his efforts...the style was aptly named...for he literally made them move to their deaths. It was not lost on her just how effortless this was for him...just how powerful was Naruto? But the most frightening thing was his face all this time...while he danced his dance of death his face remained stoic, his eyes having an almost bored look to them...as if such a thing was a daily occurrence for him!

It was this thought that led her onto a completely different train of thought. Just what had happened in Naruto's past for him to turn out this way...to kill with such nonchalance? Her face lost its frightened appearance at this, quickly becoming replaced with one of pity...not for the slaughtered men below, but for the young man who was forced to become such a cold killer. She silently vowed to herself that she would help him regain some of his lost innocence...or at the very least some happiness. When all was quiet she exited her thoughts, seeing the bodies of twelve men laying scattered about the alley, all having died of internal injuries.

Naruto took a glace around the alley, spotting the woman who was attacked huddled up in a corner of the alley, her eyes wide open as she looked upon her saviour...and the man who had just killed twelve others with all the effort of stepping on an ant. Naruto slowly approached her before standing in front of her, looking down upon her with no emotions. He tossed something at her, which she quickly realized was her purse. "Go home, woman. These men only have the shinigami to bother now." Not needing to be told twice, the woman exploded from her position on the wall, sprinting out of the alley like the hounds of hell were after her...not too far off, but he wasn't chasing her, now was he?

He looked ahead as he sensed Renamon appear before him. He was not enthusiastic about meeting her gaze...he knew what awaited there. He silently admitted to himself that he had lost his cool during the fight; the sight of the gang brought back very unpleasant memories from his childhood. What he had initially intended to be a group of unconscious thugs turned into a massacre. Steeling himself, he looked up into her face, ready for the revulsion and horror awaiting him.

However, upon meeting her eyes and looking at her face, Naruto was left in a state of shock. For, instead of the familiar sight of disgust etched upon her face, both her eyes and muzzle exuded an intense feeling of pity and sadness. Naruto's eyes opened wide in shock when she went even one step further, enveloping him in a hug. He just stood there for a few moments frozen in shock before he ever so slowly returned the hug, just enjoying this rare moment. In his mind, his father was watching with a warm smile on his muzzle 'She's the one, I know it now...she will be the one who will release Naruto from his isolation and loneliness.'

After a minute Renamon finally said something, her voice thick with emotion. "Just what happened to you Naruto? What kind of past did you have to force you to become the way you are?"

Naruto closed his eyes at this, a lone tear managing to trace down his face as he heard the genuine concern in her voice. 'She cares...she actually cares about me! The only ones who ever had before were father and the Kitsune Clan...she is the only one other than father that has shown such concern, knowing almost nothing about me beforehand...' Trying to gain some composure once more, Naruto answered, still in the embrace. "...Give me a few days Rena-chan...the memories are painful and I need time to cope with them...in three days time, I shall tell you what you wish to know...and thank you for this, I needed it more than I knew."

Renamon blushed at the -chan suffix affixed to her shortened name, apparently her actions were more beneficial than she realized. "Ok Naruto...in three days."

Naruto broke the hug, secretly missing her touch. "Alright...enough of the solemn mood, I'll have plenty of that later anyways...lets head back to the den, staying around would be most unwise." At this they proceeded to head back, and within 10 minutes both were sitting upon furs in the main room. "So, now do you understand just what this style does?"

She certainly did...such lethality and with such ease! "Yes I do...just as the name implies, you make their body move where you want it to go, leading them into the next strike with a guaranteed hit...and a critical one at that."

Naruto smiled; he greatly enjoyed having a smart student. "Very good, nice observations. While this style is not as effective against other body types, it is still very effective nonetheless. Now then, I want you to read that book tonight, mainly memorize the locations of the arteries and nerve clusters. While the style used more than just those two categories, they are essential to the basics of the style."

She nodded, quite curious herself as to just what he did internally to those men. The way his style worked, he didn't even need to break their skin...he could but it was not necessary most of the time. "Alright, you have your assignment for tonight, now I will teach you the basic katas, or stances, of the Puppetmaster. Mimic my moves exactly as you see them."

As they proceeded to move through the basic katas, Naruto eventually decided to both correct her stance and teach her how it felt simultaneously. By pressing his body against hers, his arms and legs up against her own, he guided her body throughout the different stances.

During this, Renamon considered it a blessing he could not see her face, for the doubted even her fur could conceal the radiant blush adorning her muzzle. While it was obvious he was in shape, it was now all to clear just HOW in shape he was. She could feel his muscles coil and stretch with hers, bulging and extending as he moved in a way that would make water envious, his smooth motions never hitching even once.

Unknown to her, Naruto was enjoying it just as much as her smooth curves pressed against his body, conforming to his perfectly. He took in a lungful of her scent...it smelt like a forest, a pine forest to be exact, mixed with the smell freshly fallen rain...quite pleasant and relaxing to him.

They continued going through the katas for another hour and a half before stopping for the day, Naruto seemingly meditating as he talked to his father, while Renamon read up on her new anatomy book.

For the next three days as this process repeated Renamon quickly finished the anatomy book, finding the intricacies of the body fascinating and the possibilities during a fight staggering. Their progress through the katas were also going well: Renamon was able to go through all the beginning stances by herself at the end of the three days, and was beginning the intermediate stances with Naruto's help. However, the most astounding process was not with training, but in their relationship. The day of the gang massacre and the following events had apparently awakened something in the both of them, and they found themselves drawn to the other, their talks becoming far more comfortable and natural. However the day had finally arrived, and not a moment too soon, for Renamon desperately wanted to know what Naruto's big secrets were.

Upon awakening in the soft embrace of the furs, Renamon gave off a content sigh before stretching and crawling out of the alcove. Upon glancing down the hall and seeing Naruto sitting in a meditative position waiting for her, she abandoned all other thoughts of food and other such trivial matters, setting herself down in front of him.

Naruto opened his eyes and Renamon could see the flood of emotions going through them...she didn't blame him, it couldn't be easy for him. "Well, today is the day I tell you what you wish to know Rena-chan...what would you want to know first?"

She though for a moment, before deciding to start off as light as she could. "Might as well start on the not-so-emotional subjects...you talked about energy before but did not specify, what was it?"

"Ahh, I had nearly forgotten that event. That energy is called chakra...at least in humans. In my species, our energy is called youki. It is a mix of both our physical and spiritual energies, and with it the possibilities are endless. However, because we are literally using our life energies, if one should use too much of it that there is not enough left over to support the body...you will die." Renamon's eyes opened wide at this. "When you see me move my hands in certain ways, what you are seeing is called hand signs. Shinobi back in my world use these to channel their chakra, and while my race does not really need such a thing, it helps to have an ace up the sleeve, and I'll admit that the human shinobi are creative when it comes to jutsus, or what you form your chakra/youki into."

Renamon noticed something VERY important with his last comment. "Wait a second...you said "my world"? What do you mean?"

Naruto signed, this would be a shocker. "Rena-chan...I mean what I said...I was transported here to this dimension through a dimension warp that was created by an enemy."

Renamon sat there stunned for a good ten minutes, trying to absorb that fact. 'He's...from another dimension? Well it would explain all of his abilities...but still!' Then something occurred to her that made her plead she was wrong. "Naruto...do you want to go back? Are you trying to go back?"

His answer was immediate. "While I did look at first, it was not a priority for me. And now? I have no intention of going back, I have nothing there, and I do here."

She smiled internally at his hidden meanings, hoping her assumptions were correct. "Ok...so chakra and youki...got it. Now for a question I've been wanting to ask ever since you gave yourself away...what are you?"

Naruto chuckled at her eagerness before responding. "You really want to know? The answer is bound to leave you speechless, that I can guarantee." Not letting this deter her, she nodded determinedly. "Very well...what I am about to show and say stay between us...I am a kitsune." Upon this declaration, he shed the majority of his apparel, leaving him in only pants, and underwent a transformation.

When he was done, Renamon was quite sure any second now her eyes were going to explode from their sockets and launch into space. There, standing before her was the most intimidating, rugged...damn handsome fox she had ever saw. He stood a little taller than her, about 7' 2" if she had to guess...not including the ears. He was covered in fur the color of fresh blood, and unlike her smooth coat, his fur stuck out wherever it could in tiny jagged spikes, giving him a dangerous presence. His feet had become paws like hers, but had four claws instead of three...and they looked razor sharp. His legs became digitigrade, enabling him to walk on all fours with little problem. His claws that he had adorned in his human form had become flexible looking paws with five razor sharp claws. Behind him, nine very long, narrow tails waved calmly, giving him a regal presence. His head, however was what really got her attention. His face now a blood red muzzle, his ears just as long, if not longer than hers. Around his eyes and leading up the middle of his ears in a stripe was black colored fur, giving his visage a fearsome, yet ruggedly handsome appearance (at least to her). His eyes had remained their glacier-blue, but encompassed the entire eye with the exception of his slit pupils.

As Renamon studied his hybrid form with a downright frightening intensity, Naruto himself was sweating bullets...well if he could at least...but he was most certainly doing so in his mind! 'Well this is it, the moment of truth...ok well that would actually be her seeing my true kitsune form...but I have a feeling I won't be changing into my several hundred yard tall kitsune form for a while.'

(Note: many people may find his full kitsune size a little ridiculous...hear me out. I looked at screenshots taken from the series itself showing Kyuubi before he was sealed. . look at the trees, and remember which trees these are...KONOHA'S trees...ya know, the redwood-esque trees? See how they barely pass his paws? Yeah...the fox was BIIIIIG.)

While Naruto was becoming a nervous wreck, Renamon was having trouble composing herself as well...something that was becoming commonplace around Naruto and was nonexistent outside of that sole scenario. But this was not due to nervousness like Naruto was experiencing, she was experiencing a very confusing mix of emotions; a strange combination of shock, relief, happiness, and a slight bit of anger. The shock was obvious enough: he was a kitsune...from another dimension. Happiness...was a bit more complex. Though she would not admit it...ever since that fateful day in the alley, her considerably impassive personality she took on with everyone became the personality she took on with everyone...except Naruto. After bearing witness to what he was forced to become, she followed through with the silent vow she made to herself that night and tried to make him as happy as she could the past three days. It was during her efforts to make him happy that she slowly started developing feelings towards him...which shocked her and disturbed her greatly. While it was true that he was not human...he was also certainly not a digimon, and though he had some bestial qualities to him...he was most certainly not anything resembling a fox like herself. It was these thoughts which disturbed and distressed her the most; it would not matter if such feelings grew...such a thing could never be pursued. Upon discovering that he looked like THIS...made her quite happy, for although she was not yet ready to pursue such a relationship yet...at least the avenue now seemed to be open a lot wider than it was before. The feelings of relief went hand in hand with this.

The feeling of anger...well that was minute, and was only there because if he had shown this sooner, she would not have been so distressed. Thankfully, she was a fox of reason and realized that he had a valid reason for hiding such...and getting angry at him now would be disastrous if his nervous expression was anything to go by.

Finding her voice, she decided to relieve Naruto of the tortuous wait. "This...this is like nothing I had expected...a kitsune of all things...so this is the true you, Naruto?"

Naruto gave a nervous chuckle at this before replying, "Ehhh...yes and no. You see, I can assume three forms: the one I have been showing you all this time was my near-human form, and the one I am least comfortable in, but am forced to use considering my surroundings. The next form is the one you see before you, called the hybrid form. Basically it is my true kitsune form, only bipedal and...much smaller...it is also the one I am most comfortable in, and considering the fact I was once human it is not surprising."

"Wait a second Naruto, what do you mean you were once human? How could you have had such a...drastic change?" Renamon asked this with genuine curiosity, not knowing the Pandora's box she was about to open.

Naruto sighed at this...this was what he wasn't looking forward to the most...but a promise was a promise. "The cause of this change coincides with what caused me to become such a...callous...individual. It would take hours upon hours of talking and explaining to tell you, so instead of doing such, I could instead actually implant the memories into your mind directly. Renamon...I ask you to think through your decision of whether you want to see these memories or not. I warn you now, they are not pretty...and some are downright horrifying; answer wisely."

As with his trust previously, Renamon made sure to think it through...even if it was a fairly quick process. She had vowed to herself to help make him happy in whatever was she could, and knowing what he had been through would enable her to dramatically increase her effectiveness. Her decision made, Renamon looked into Naruto's eyes and stately solemnly, "I will view these memories, Naruto."

Naruto nodded wearily, his large ears drooping at the statement. 'I didn't want her to have to see this...damn my kitsune honor, I have no choice but to obey; my promise to her will let me do no less!' "Then it shall be done...prepare yourself Rena-chan...it will not be a fun experience." Upon saying this, he focused a good amount of his youki into the tip of one of his tails, and with a heavy heart, placed its tip upon Renamon's forehead. Both instantly crumpled onto the furs below them, their consciousnesses having gone to the world of memories.

When Renamon came to, she sat up and was greeted to a shocking sight; four immense stone faces carved out of a mountainside, looking over what could only be described as a large village surrounded by immense trees. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was Naruto pressing one of his tails to her forehead.

"Welcome to my old life Rena-chan, and my hometown...Konoha." Naruto said this in a voice filled with conflicting emotions, startling Renamon as she swerved around and viewed him...floating above the village, still in his hybrid form. "Come up and join me, won't you? This is a memory, and we are merely observers...we are in essence ghosts here, we can hear and see everything, but not interact, while the people in the memory itself are not aware of us...it is just a memory after all."

Nodding, Renamon simply thought of wanting to float up to where Naruto was and her body responded accordingly. Having a better view, she studied the village below her, noting how many people were jumping around from rooftop to rooftop with speeds approaching or past her own while seemingly normal people moved about below on the streets. As she was observing, she asked Naruto a question. "Why are you here as well Naruto? I thought you told me I was to view your memory?"

"What, you honestly thought I would let you view such things by yourself? I may not like having to relive them, but I will most certainly NOT let you view such things alone, I would not do such to an enemy, let alone a close friend." He smiled at her as he finshed, and she found herself mimicking his smile. However, his face soon grew serious, and he once more spoke up, a tone of foreboding in his words. "However...you want to know what caused my current personality and lead to my eventual species-change. And so I have brought you to the last night I was in this village...it was the worst event, and there is no need to torture you with five years worth of nightmares."

Renamon's eyes grew huge at his last statement. "Five years of what, Naruto? Just how old were you in this memory?"

Naruto grew very quiet before answering in nary a whisper, "You shall see...and I was five. Now, come...it will begin soon." With that he floated off towards a run-down looking part of the village, slightly reminiscent of where he slaughtered those gang members.

Renamon stumbled in midair, putting some of the pieces together. 'Whatever caused his callousness had been occurring for five whole years...and he was five when it ended, meaning...by the sovereigns...' Preparing herself, she followed him.

When she caught up with Naruto, he was just floating there, gazing down at an alleyway as if waiting for something. As if summoned, Renamon saw a very small, very emaciated looking blonde-haired child dart around the corner with fear showing on every inch of his face. Upon closer inspection, she realized with a sense of foreboding that this child had three very familiar whisker marks on both sides of his cheeks. As both continued to look, a man stopped the child with a violent burst of wind before pinning the child. She watched, horrified as a mob of humans descended upon the young Naruto, first only insulting and cursing the child, but they quickly descended upon him, landing blows with every conceivable weapon she could think of.

However, upon seeing them douse the young Naruto in a liquid and lighting him on fire, she could not contain her horror. Tears streamed down her muzzle in twin rivers as she attempted a mix of gasping sobs and dry heaving as she bore witness to the young boy literally being cooked alive, yet unable to die; some unknown healing factor just barely keeping him alive and conscious as his nightmarish screams ripped into her soul like shards of razor ice. She felt and saw red furred arms wrap around her in a comforting hug, but it did little to alleviate her situation, her eyes wide open and glued to the scene before her.

After the horrific scene and the following massacre, Naruto quickly, but concisely showed her the following years of his life with a running commentary. He showed her his training, his meeting of with the kitsune clan, what he remembered of his transformation, and even showed her his incident with youki training right after as a means of breaking the mood. It worked, if only for a few minutes, but it was enough for Naruto. It was quick after that, the rest of his training and his fight with the leaf shinobi, then his days in her world before he first encountered her. After all this was shown, everything went black once more, the memory having done its job.

They both awoke to the familiar gentle-blue hue of Naruto's den and were silent for a while, both looking at the other. After a few more moments Renamon's composure broke once again, and with tears once more streaming down her muzzle, she engulfed Naruto in a hug, silently sobbing on his shoulder. Naruto for his part just returned the hug, understanding her need for comfort.

As Renamon cried, she couldn't help but go over what she saw. She wanted to understand the reasons behind Naruto's personality...and she now knew...oh, how she knew. How someone could endure such and still be sane was beyond her. His reasons for his hatred and mistrust towards humanity was now all too clear to her. She would be one of the first to admit that life in the Digital World is, for the most part, a vicious cycle of life and death. Digimon of all types, sizes and classes continuously fight and download their defeated opponents data, as she herself had done and to an extend still does. Those that did not want to fight quickly found themselves as yet another stepping stone for others...only those of considerable power could hope to settle down and live relatively peacefully. However, while it was a vicious cycle, it was for the most part not done for any malicious reasons...it was simply done to survive. What happened to Naruto was a completely foreign concept to Renamon...for while she saw many digimon that were cruel such as Myotismon...even they had limits. Even they had a line which they would not cross...if they had to kill young ones, they simply did it quickly and painlessly, guaranteeing a painless death to the child. What those...those things did that night could only be called premeditated intent to torture a child.

After a few minutes she pulled away, her muzzle still streaked with tears and spoke up. "N-Naruto...I'm so sorry...I had no idea what you had gone through...if I had I would have never made you reliv-" She was silenced as Naruto lifted up one of his claws and gently placed it upon the tip of her muzzle, stopping her apology.

"Rena-chan, you must understand that you have nothing to be sorry for. While those memories are indeed my worst and...unpleasant to view, like you said you had no way of knowing, and I wasn't telling. Secondly, you must also understand that you did not do such things, therefore why should I blame you? Besides, I had been suppressing such memories for a while now and they needed to be affirmed once more...denial is not a wise route to take, and this has managed to make me see this, and for that I thank you." Naruto finished with a genuine smile upon his muzzle, and while there was still a bit of pain in his eyes, it had certainly diminished.

Renamon, relieved Naruto did not hold her at fault for the memory, smiled as well...Naruto's smiles, while somewhat rare even with just the two of them around, were quite infectuous. She spoke up once more, attempting to steer the conversation away from the unpleasant memory and to make sure she had understood the rest. "So let me see if I understand everything...its quite obvious why you have the personality you do, no need to go into detail there...you were trained by your father, who is...or was the leader of the Kitsune clan in your dimension. After you signed the Kitsune contract, you were considered Kyuubi's protegee by his people and were therefore crafted what you now wear and fight with. Very soon after, Kyuubi proposed to be your true father, and you accepted. By doing so, you yourself became a full-blooded kitsune with the ability to assume a close-human form, and you inherited your father's position as leader of the Kitsune clan. After this you trained for about five more years, did missions for many people eventually earning the name Genkeishitsu Kitsune, before running into some shinobi from your old village, one of which...warped you here...am I missing anything important?"

Naruto took on a thinking pose, making sure she knew everything important and found that indeed, she did. "Yes, you've covered all the major subjects, anything else you have questions about?"

Renamon thought for a second, and then realized something important. "Yes actually, for one you never showed me your father in your memories, and secondly, what does your 'true' form look like? Can I see it outside? I know its big, as you showed me the memory with the blue eight-tailed kitsune, but you could lay down and should be alright for a few moments in the park."

Naruto sighed, not really wanting to frighten Renamon any, but answered all the same. "The answer to both questions go hand in hand. For the first, if I showed you my father I would be essentially showing you my true form...and I plan on such an event being a surprise. To answer the second, you must grasp exactly what I am. As not just the leader of the Kitsune clan, the most powerful beast clan there is, but also the leader of the Tailed Beasts...one must be exceptionally...memorable. You assume that if an eight-tailed kitsune was as large as the one you saw, I must only be a little bigger. While it is a sound assumption it is quite false. I cannot show you my true form right now for one simple fact: if I were to take on my full Kitsune form at the moment...I would not only crush Shinjuku Park, but the surrounding buildings."

At this statement, Renamon did something she had never done, and will never do again if she had anything to say about it: she fainted. When she came to, the first thing she saw was Naruto's orbs peering down at her with amusement, causing her to blush heavily, both out of embarrassment and the position she found herself in; his lap. Quickly returning to her own pile of furs, she tried to wrap her mind around what he said. 'His true form would crush this entire park and the surrounding area? Such a thing is impossible, no creature can be that large...I have trusted him so far, and I still do, but I cannot truly believe such a thing until I see it with my own eyes.' "That...is a little hard to imagine, Naruto...while I trust you are telling the truth, I cannot truly believe that until I can see it myself."

Naruto gave an understanding nod; if he had not seen it himself, he would not have believed either. "Understandable Rena-chan, and I won't hold it against you. If the situation ever arises in which doing so would be both feasible and would retain my secret, I shall show you, but until then I will remain as you see me now or in my mostly human form when others are around. Any other questions you would like to ask?"

Renamon thought for a second, wondering if there was anything important she wanted to ask at the moment. Oh sure, there were plenty of little things she wanted to ask him about what they had went over today...but there had been enough questions for one day. So, Renamon shook her head in the negative, prompting Naruto to give a very fang-filled smirk as he stood up and offered her his hand, helping her up as well.

"Very well, now then Rena-chan, I have only four days left to train you and have you gain at least an intermediate level capacity of the Puppetmaster style. That being said, I believe I promised you a test before we began today's training. Tell me, if I wanted to incapacitate a person's leg mobility, where and how would I strike? There are many ways to do this, but only a few which are quick and efficient, answer carefully." He said this all with a gleam in his eyes, but he couldn't help it; she was his first pupil, and she was a damn prodigy! Now he understood what the gleam in Kyuubi's eye was whenever Naruto excelled at something; it was a sensei's pride.

'And I continue being proud of you my son...you kept your promise to Renamon, regardless of the pain it brought back to you. You comforted her in her horror after the memory passed, something which takes a great deal of valor considering your own rampant emotions at the time. And finally you are training her as your protegee, as I had trained you. I will never stop being proud of you, Naruto.'

Naruto couldn't help the single tear of happiness that streaked down his muzzle at this. 'I thank Kami above that I have my father...even though the price to gain him was steep, I would do it again in a hearbeat.' 'Thank you...and I could not have asked for a better father to raise me, I consider you my one and only true father. The Yondaime might have sired me, but that does not make him my father.' After feeling the contentment emanating from Kyuubi, he tuned back into the real world.

Renamon recognized that look in his eyes, and wanted to make sure she gave him even more reason to be proud of her. Recognizing his hidden challenge to name the best way of incapacitating, she smirked and formed her reply. "The most efficient and timely manner in which to incapacitate said person would be to..."

After their emotional rollercoaster that night, both quickly fell back into the routine of teaching and being taught, Renamon continuing to impress Naruto with her eagerness to learn...apparently actually having a sensei instead of teaching yourself was quite exciting...but he could understand, after all, he himself had done just as she had before he met Kyuubi. Other than that, Naruto would quickly dispatch any wild digimon signatures he detected before swiftly returning to continue teaching Renamon...after all, it wouldn't do to let the city be destroyed by a rampaging digimon.

As the week approached its end, signifying the time of Renamon's return to Rika, both Renamon and Naruto felt the squeeze. For Renamon, she was contemplating whether or not to finally make her move on Naruto...the past week had been amazing for her. Never before had anyone taken the time to actually train her, and the tenacity by which Naruto did both shocked and honored her. And she could honestly say it was beginning to pay off...while she had no doubt in her mind that Naruto would always remain superior in the field, she could now fight with more than just a freelance "spur-of-the-moment" style she had before. Now she knew where to strike and how hard to strike to take down opponents in which she would have spent far more energy than necessary to take down previously. It was one of the first lessons in their spars in fact; to rid Renamon of her dependency on her digimon attacks. While useful in certain situations, she did not have the massive reserves he did to be able to use such attacks so frequently and carelessly, as he demonstrated on her when sparring the first day. While she was sure that Rika would be quite surprised, she figured that she wouldn't care as long as it got the job done "to her expectations".

On top of his training her, he had treated her with a respect that once again, no other had before. He understood her limits while training her, and when he found them he did not berate her as Rika had done, but instead gave her tips on how to push and break those limits, then helped her do just that. When it was time for meals, while there was not much diversity, he always asked her what she wanted, yet again a new idea for her. When it was time to sleep, he gave up his bed of furs and insisted that she sleep upon them instead, and formed a makeshift bed on the other side of the room for himself, respecting her personal space. After that horrific memory, he lent a shoulder to cry on and helped her cope with what she had saw, when she knew damn well it shook his mental well-being just as much to view it once more. To top it all off, he was handsome, fair, inconceivably strong, and protected what was his with a ferocity that sent shivers down her spine. After reviewing all of this, she decided to take a chance and try it, for he had certainly impressed her.

Back with Naruto, he was going through somewhat similar but nevertheless different circumstances. He, as her sensei, was desperately trying to prepare her as best he could for when she implemented the style in a true combat situation. While he would readily admit that she absorbed the style like a sponge, he was still weary of her going back into combat after the last two near-death situations. Especially now with all these weird feeling floating around in his head. This bothered him almost more than her fighting once more, as the feelings were somewhat similar to those he felt toward his father...but yet they were at the same time completely different. While Naruto had gained a sharper mind and far greater combat skills after he met his father, what did not change much was his cluelessness towards romantic feelings aimed at another. Sure he recognized when he was physically attracted to someone, but he was quite new to feelings of non-platonic love. As the deadline drew closer and closer the strange feelings grew more urgent...it was beginning to bother him.

It was on the day before Renamon returned to Rika that she decided to make her move...it was now or never. She waited until they were done for the day...which was early afternoon; it was their last day of training after all...at least uninterrupted training, as Naruto had extended the offer to continue whenever they both had time, and she had accepted graciously. As they both sat down to rest before eating, Renamon was quite nervous but kept it hidden well...this was the very first time she had done such a thing after all. After staying up almost the entire night thinking on the matter, she was certain that the feeling she held for Naruto were indeed those of love. Deciding on what to say, she softly spoke up.

"Naruto...there's something I want to talk to you about, something I'm not really sure how to even express."

Upon hearing the nervousness in her voice and the uncertainty with which she spoke, Naruto snapped out of his own thoughts and gave her his undivided attention. "What is it Rena-chan? Whatever you're worried about, you know I'll help however I can; you're a friend, and a close one at that." He finished with a warm smile on his muzzle; he had not reverted back to human form since the day he explained everything, except to quickly fight off the occasional wild digimon.

She thought through her response carefully, not wanting to word it wrong and mess things up. "Tell me Naruto, before I continue...have you enjoyed this week we've been training? We've become good friends over the past months and especially this last week, what are your feelings on me going back tomorrow to Rika?" She watched as Naruto paused at this, apparently thinking hard about his response...she was glad he was taking this seriously.

As for Naruto, he carefully considered how he should respond. He would give her the unguarded truth, that much he knew for certain. However, if he expressed his illogical rising panic at the thought of her going back, he might distress her, and he didn't want that. Perhaps he should instead tell her of these odd feelings he'd been having, after all his father would only chuckle when he asked him...maybe her input would help out. "Well Rena-chan, I can honestly say this past week has been one of the best of my life...and being your sensei has been an amazing experience, you may not realize it but you're a prodigy, I don't think even I absorbed knowledge the rate at which you have."

Renamon beamed at this, when Naruto gave a compliment he meant it. But she decided to hold her tongue, as he was ready to continue his answer.

"As for my feeling on you going back to Rika? ...To be honest, those are quite complicated and confusing to me...I don't know what they are and its frustrating me greatly. The feelings are very similar to the way I feel about my father...yet at the same time they're completely different, and I just can't figure it out!" He ended his sentence with a frustrated growl, his claws gripping the sides of his head in frustrated confusion.

Meanwhile, Renamon was going over what exactly he described his feeling as. 'The feeling are very similar to those he feels towards his father. Well its obvious he loves him a great deal...but in a way a son would love a father. He also said that it was completely different at the same time...a son's love, yet different...a platonic love, yet different...but there's only one other kind of...!' At this her heartbeat skyrocketed, the sheer chance of her theory being right sent her reeling. 'Could it be? I'm not surprised he doesn't recognize it, no one has ever told him of such before, and it would seem his father wanted him to find out on his own...but there's only one way to find out.'

Gathering up all the courage she could muster, Renamon responded in a small voice. "Naruto...are these feelings you just described...directed at me?" At Naruto's slow nod, she continued, "I think I know what the feelings are that you have towards me Naruto...but I'm not sure how you'll take the answer...Naruto, the feelings you have just described to me sound exactly like love; and not the platonic kind." There, now she just had to see his reaction to this information.

Naruto felt his mind come to a jarring halt at Renamon's last sentence reached his ears. Then, just as fast it jump-started, feverishly connecting the pieces to the puzzle that was his feelings. 'Love? Is that what I am feeling? I've never experienced this before, but what she said makes sense...' Glancing at Renamon, he felt the feeling intensify in his chest and looked away quickly. 'Well damn...that proves it. …..And now she knows I love her! SHIT! I don't want this to ruin our friendship! I may love her, but I'll be damned if I lose her friendship trying to gain her love!'

After a tense five minutes in which Renamon waited for Naruto and Naruto thought, he finally spoke up. "I...I think you're right Rena-chan, I do love you. But don't worry! I won't let this affect our friendship, everything can stil-" He was abruptly cut off mid-sentence as Renamon laid one of her claws upon the tip of his muzzle as he had done to her days ago, but the look in her eyes was most certainly not there before!

"Shhh...you don't have to explain Naruto-kun." His eyes widened comically at this. "You see, the reason I had even asked in the first place was to ascertain your feelings before telling you of my own. You are not the only one to have had strange feelings this past week Naruto-kun, I too have had them, but unlike you I was able to identify them beforehand. Naruto...I love you as well, and if you'd like it I want to try having a relationship with you." If his eyes were wide before, they were now doing a fine job of imitating blue dinner plates.

"A-A relationship? As in becoming a couple? ….I'd love to! I mean, we'll take things slowly, I don't want to rush you into anything after all, and I'm not sure if we should inform your partner of it just yet, but if you want to we can after all you'd be a part of this relationsh-" He was cut off mid-rant as he felt something make contact with the front of his muzzle. As he came out of rant-mode, his eyes focused on what did such and he abruptly froze. There, in front of him with eyes closed and a serene expression upon her muzzle, was Renamon; her own muzzle touching his in the closest thing to a kiss she could manage. For a few moments he simply remained as stiff as a board...that lasted until Renamon got impatient at his deer-in-headlights personification and gave him an impatient flick with her tail.

He snapped out of his daze and decided to return her gesture with gusto, wrapping his tails gently behind her back and pulling her body to his, while he took his claws and gently held her head with them, deepening the kiss.

Meanwhile, Renamon was in bliss. 'He loves me too! He said yes! And for his first kiss he's doing pretty damned good! Of course its my first as well, but it's woman's intuition!' (I do believe in such a thing even though I'm a guy...I've seen this mythical phenomenon occur too many times to dismiss it! Plus, after enough life experience...a guy just eventually knows not to question some things, and this is one of those things) After a few seconds of reveling in the feeling of his tails wrapped around her body and his body pressed against hers, she took it a step further, her tongue probing the front of his muzzle, silently asking for entry. It took a few seconds, but Naruto finally got it and opened his jaw a little, letting her tongue dart in and proceed to wrestle with his own. Both were careful to avoid the sharp fangs, but this did not stop them from becoming more engaged in their activities. It was not long before both found themselves on the floor, their claws running exploration missions over the other's body whilst they themselves attempted to each the other's muzzle.

Their impromptu make-out session lasted a good hour before the two finally calmed down. After that they spent the next few hours cuddling on a pile of furs in the entry-room, just basking in their new-found love. Eventually they both got hungry and decided to eat, feasting on a deer in a manner any other carnivore would. When the time to sleep rolled around, Renamon refused to let Naruto sleep on his little makeshift bed, instead dragging him to his real bed. Halfway there Naruto recognized an effort in futility and stopped struggling, got on all fours and padded towards his bed of furs. Renamon quickly followed, glad he had given in. Upon entering his little alcove, he waited for Renamon to get comfortable, curling up in a ball with her nose next to her tail, and he proceeded to curl around her, his body conforming to hers perfectly as he finally lay his head gently atop her own, his nine tails both mixing with her one and blanketing her form. While both were a mass of hormones and emotion, they still had enough state-of-mind to realize that taking it any further was not an option until they solidified their relationship more and were absolutely sure of their feeling towards each-other. As they slowly drifted off to sleep, both had serene smiles upon their muzzles, truly feeling at peace and whole for the first time.

Meanwhile, a certain father fox had a smile upon his face that would have made the Cheshire Cat

envious as he viewed the touching scene. 'That's my boy!Ha, I knew he would find a good mate one day, but he found the jackpot in this one! -sniff- He's made me so proud, and now my boy's growing up! Before you know it he'll be mated and have little kits running around, and I'll be a grandfather! Who would have thought, me; the great and fearsome Kyuubi-no-kitsune a grandfather, its almost comical...but I'm not complaining. Sleep well son...you deserve it.' With that he trailed off and drifted into the realm of Morpheus, dreaming of tiny little yellow-orange fur-balls running around him.

As Naruto slowly drifted awake from his slumber, he felt more comfortable than he ever had in his life. The furs were warm, the body pressed against his own was...body pressed against his own? Naruto snapped his eyes open, but thankfully before he could panic he remembered what happened last night and calmed down, a serene smile on his muzzle as he settled his head back down on Renamon's gently, trying his best not to disturb Renamon's slumber. He knew they had to return her today, but he wanted her to wake up on her own...and he greatly enjoyed the feelings which shot through him at the thought of them together.

'It almost seems surreal...here I thought I never have such a relationship, and now I find myself curled around the most beautiful vixen I've ever, and will ever lay eyes on.' His thoughts, complete, he prepared to wait her out.

It was a good hour before the steady breathing of Renamon increased in pace and lost its pattern, signifying that she was waking. Ever so gently, Naruto lifted his head from her own and nuzzled the side of her head gently, saying in a soft voice, "Good morning, Rena-chan."

As for Renamon, she had the most comfortable sleep yet...the bed of furs was most certainly comfortable, but the presence of Naruto made it unbelievable. She couldn't help the pleased smile that stretched across her muzzle at his greeting, both verbally and physically. "Mmmm...good morning to you as well, Naruto-kun."

At this both slowly unwound and crawled out of the alcove, stretching on all fours before getting up and going through the morning routine. After they both ate, they went to the water-room, where they bathed in the pool that had filled up 5 days into the week; if it overflowed Naruto simply evaporated it. Upon finishing their washing, Naruto dried both of them off by using a powered down Fuuton: Daitoppa (Great Breakthrough), which turned them both into seven-foot fluff-balls for a good half hour, much to their amusement. After this they quieted down some as they returned to Naruto's room.

As Naruto put on his equipment after changing back into 'human' form, Renamon decided to break the silence. "So...the time has come, hasn't it? How exactly are we going to do this?"

Naruto paused mid-way through putting on his left gauntlet before giving his answer. "Well, for one I am going to come as well; and will be the one to initially confront her." Seeing Renamon about to protest, he continued quickly. "Before you protest hear me out. My intentions are not bad, I simply want to make sure the lesson has been learned. If it has not, I will attempt to teach it as best I am able. Regardless, when I give the signal come down and join us. From there we will just go with the flow of things. Does this sound agreeable?"

While Renamon wasn't too comfortable with the thought of Naruto 'confronting' Rika given his animosity towards humans, she knew he would hold himself back, if only for the sole reason that she cared about Rika. So, she nodded her consent, and both started heading towards the Nonaka household.

Upon arriving on a building overlooking the household, Naruto motioned for Renamon to stay there and await his signal. After this he activated a camouflage jutsu and jumped down onto the street next to it before silently jumping once more onto the roof, where he proceeded to let out his youki to see where the people were inside. He sensed two people inside the household itself in the bedrooms, while one was surprisingly out in the backyard. Because of his training Naruto always woke early, and the same had been drilled into Renamon as well of the past week, because of this it was still very early, the sun's rays just beginning to show on the horizon.

Curious, he silently moved towards the person, wanting to see just who was up at this unusual hour. Upon seeing who it was he was slightly surprised at seeing it was his target. Her back was turned to him, and her head tilted slightly up supposedly looking at the moon. His hopes were lifted at noticing she did not hold her body posture with the same self-assured air he had observed prior...perhaps the message got through after all. After navigating to see her face, he was once more disappointed and angry to see her face not sad or contemplating, but with a frown upon her features and her eyes showing anger. He sighed silently to himself...it would seem he had to do things the hard way. Upon deciding how to approach her, he silently jumped into the tree residing in the back yard and positioned himself the deep shadows it cast on the yard next to its trunk. With this he began his 'confrontation'.

Rika gazed up at the moon for the fifth time this past week, just going over what had happened during the last fight. Time and time again she denied what she had seen, that Renamon did not get deleted...but she saw the attack hit her dead on, and nothing remained afterward. Her frown increased at the thought of defeat...'Then again...that Devimon was deleted as well, at least Renamon managed to make it a tie.' Still, this did not reassure her at all...how was she supposed to show everyone she was the Digimon Queen if she didn't have a digimon? Lost in her thoughts, she was quite startled when a voice drifted from the direction of the tree in the backyard.

"Child, what has caused you to be so angry, and at this hour no less?"

Rika whipped around in the direction of the voice, staring in the general vicinity of the tree and snapped back. "Who are you! What are you doing in my backyard?" 'Someone has been spying on me? How dare they, they have no right!'

The voice answered back, this time in a chilly tone that sent instinctual warning signs blaring in her head. "Calm yourself child, I was merely inquiring as to the reasons behind your anger. There is no need to hurl accusations."

This did nothing to alleviate Rika's anger. "Why should I tell you! Not only do you have no business knowing, but you're a complete stranger!" After this statement silenced reigned for a moment and Rika smirked, thinking she had shut up the stranger. However, when he spoke next his words make her freeze in shock.

"It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain fox, now would it?"

There was no mistaking the humor in his tone, and this caused her to grow even more furious. "How do you know about that? Were you there when it happened? I demand that you answer me!" Her tone held no room for argument, she was beyond livid that this man was mocking her, the Digmon Queen!

His voice once more broke through her thoughts with a chilly monotone voice. "You are in no position to demand such of me child, and I warn you that continued demands will not be appreciated. However, the information you desire I was going to tell you anyways. To answer your questions, yes I was there when you lost your partner, and as for who I am...I am one who has been...or had been observing you and your partner approximately the past four months."

This information threw Rika for a loop...someone had been spying on them for four months and Renamon hadn't sensed them? And he was there the night Renamon was deleted? "Why have you been following me for the past four months? And just how have you followed me without Renamon detecting you? And exactly why do you hide in the shadows, are you too scared to face the Digimon Queen?" She ended with a smirk on her face, thinking she had shut the man up.

At hearing her last barb, a disturbingly...confident chuckle met her ears. "Scared of you, child? While an amusing thought, you couldn't not be farther away from the truth. But that is besides the point, I have been following your partner for reasons that are my own. As for how I have been following..." Here he let out another chuckle before stepping out of the shadows; the still-risen moon gleaming off of his intimidating armored visage. "Well...it is quite the trifle achievement for one such as myself, Rika Nonaka."

As Naruto stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself, Rika took a step back in fear, eyes wide with fright. While she prided herself on her cold attitude and calm in dangerous situations, the being in front of her struck fear into her heart. His spiky gleaming armor accentuated the various ways with which he could kill her, from the spikes jutting out of damn near every inch of it, to the clawed gauntlets and oddly fox-like boots. What was the most frightening however was his head. The helm was a cruel looking thing, and the black fabric that surrounded everything else made it seem as if the helm floated upon a void. And the eyes...they somehow glowed and ice blue faintly from within the helm, and were, much to her horror, slitted.

However, it was this last fact which enabled Rika to regain some of her courage. She knew damn well that no human had slitted eyes, and that left one other option; one which made the things he said make sense. She spoke up, her voice filled with anger once more at being deceived in such a way. "What do you want digimon? Come to gloat over my draw with that Devimon? Or maybe now that Renamon has been deleted, you want to become the Digimon Queen's new partner?" She finished off with a smirk, thinking he might have done all this to impress her. She admitted silently that it wasn't bad, and his appearance would certainly increase her reputation. She was shocked once more when instead of answering immediately, the digimon broke out in laughter, nearly doubling over from the amount.

While he was angered at the haste by which she sought another partner, Naruto could not help but laugh at the thought that she not only thought he was a digimon, but that he wanted to be her partner! After a few more seconds of laughter, Naruto calmed down and responded. "First thing you should know child is that I am no digimon, and most certainly do not want you as a 'partner'. Secondly, I have not come here to gloat over your draw with the Devimon, I have come to ask you some questions. But before that, I have to know; why do you call yourself the "Digimon Queen"?

While she did not believe that this being in front of her was not a digimon and was curious as to what he wanted to know, she was glad to first answer his last question. "I am the Digimon Queen because I am the best Digimon TCG player in the world, the title gained by defeating the best players around at a tournament. Now if you aren't here to be my partner, then why are you here? What questions do you want to ask?"

Naruto blinked as he processed what she just told him, before responding in a deadpan voice laced heavily with disbelief, "So...you are named the "Digimon Queen" because you won a "Digimon TCG" tournament? You claim the title of ruler over all Digimon...because you won a card game?"

Rika's face turned red in both embarrassment and anger at his answer. "S-Shut up! I am the best there is when it comes to digimon battles, and besides you never answered my other questions!"

Naruto got serious at this...the time for amusement was over, it was time to get some answers. "Very well child, the reason I have come tonight is to ask you a few personal questions. First of which is this: why do you appear angry over your partner's death? Most would feel remorse over the loss, and yet all I can see is your anger over the situation."

Rika's face once more turned angry before responding heatedly, "Don't play games with me, digimon! I know that digimon are nothing but data, stop trying to act as if you were actually alive and have feelings! Why should I be sad over some lost data?"

'So that's what she thinks, huh? Time to make her see the light, but not before setting something straight.' "Before I answer, once more I remind you that I am not a digimon. If you need further proof, use that device of yours, I've seen you use it before to identify digimon." He waited until she did just that, her eyes going wide when the scan indicated he was not digital at all. Before she could ask anything he continued. "Now that we have that cleared up, let me ask you something, Rika Nonaka. If digimon are as you say and are just data, then why, exactly, did Renamon shed silent tears when you weren't looking every time you said as much around her? Think carefully before you respond child...if you could not see her do such things and she was unaware of my presence, then why would she have such a face of sorrow and shed tears of grief? There would be absolutely no point...the only other option would be that she was indeed alive, and had feeling just as any human does."

His words made Rika take a step back before ungracefully falling onto her rear. She went over what he had told her, her mind working on overdrive. 'He said Renamon cried. Renamon...shed tears whenever I said digimon had no feelings? Why would she do that, what purpose would it serve if she hid it from me? The only other possible reason would be...' Her eyes widened as tears appeared at the corners of them, her mind going over how she had treated Renamon...the meager meals, making her find her own place to sleep, the constant expectations, her callous words, thinking all the while she was just talking to some mindless machine. The possibility that Renamon actually was alive and had feelings made her shudder in remorse.

She looked up into the unwavering gaze of Naruto and responded in barely a whisper, "B-But that would mean that Renamon was alive this whole time...that she..." she trailed off, desperately trying to deny it, but Naruto would have none of that, this lesson needed to be learned.

"That's right, Rika Nonaka. This whole time, Renamon was alive and had feelings; feelings which you crushed every time you denied them. Every scathing word, every cold demand, every time you never cared hurt her in ways you may never know. And now she is dead, child; and she went thinking you thought nothing of her death...yet she still sacrificed her own life for you...because unlike you, Rika Nonaka...she cared for you deeply." As he finished, he pushed down the small amount of guild at his deception. While his words may have been brutal, harsh and cruel, he was testing her. He was giving her a chance to redeem herself in not only his eyes but in Renamon's...her next reaction would give him his answers.

At his harsh words, the mental dam which had formed from her own mother's inattentive and seemingly uncaring attitude towards her during her youth (before she built her cold exterior) cracked, and then shattered all at once with a mind-wracking intensity. To think that she had been acting just like her mother...no...worse towards another being with feelings, especially one that saved her life on many occasions was too much for her. Horrified beyond words, she collapsed onto the ground; tears streaming down her face and gasping sobs coming from her mouth as she curled into a ball and expressed her agony in the only way she could now.

As Naruto observed her reaction and her genuine horror and sorrow at realizing just what she had done, his eyes lost their cruel gleamed and gained a softer hue. 'It would appear you are right father...not all humans are like the ones I have encountered. Don't think that I'll lose my animosity towards them, and I will never trust them as a whole...but I will at least give those whom deserve it a chance to prove themselves.'

Inside Naruto, Kyuubi smiled proudly at his son. 'That is all I ask for son, I would not ask more of you. Now that she has proven herself, why don't you go and help her? She is in a very critical emotional state right now...not doing anything could be disastrous.'

Naruto sighed quietly but acknowledged that his father was right...something needed to be done. And so, for the first time in his life Naruto decided to show kindness towards a human...but she had proven her worth. He quietly moved over to her, sat down on a root of the tree and picked her small frame up before setting Rika in his lap. At first he did nothing, but upon seeing nothing changing he slowly and gently ran his claws carefully through her hair, which had come undone when she fell, all the while whispering soothing words into her ear.

Rika didn't even notice when he picked her up and set her in his lap, so distraught was she. It was only after a few minutes of his gentle digits running through her hair and his soft words that she began to calm down and take note of her surroundings. When she did, she tried to get out of his lap and he let her, not wanting to panic the girl. She was confused at his seemingly bipolar actions: one minute he was verbally tearing her to pieces, and the next he was whispering soothing words in her ears and comforting her?

Seeing her apparent confusion Naruto spoke up; the menace gone from his voice and into a voice that, while still having a monotonous tone to it, carried along a hint of warmth. "I see you are confused at my actions, so let me explain them. You see child, what just happened was a test. That does not mean that what I have told you was false, everything I had said was true except for one thing, and that needed to be false in order to properly test you. I came here tonight to see whether or not you were conscious of the way you had been acting towards Renamon. I now see you simply did not realize that she was a living being...after observing the way people use machines here I suppose I can understand to some extent...but make sure to not repeat this mistake, Rika Nonaka. After seeing your genuine grief upon understanding and realizing the consequences of your actions, I deem you worthy of your position of tamer, and it will now be returned to you."

At this Rika looked confused, saying, "What do you mean? You aren't a digimon so you can't be my partner."

Naruto smiled behind his mask before responding. "It all has to do with the one fact I had to falsify. You shall see in a second." With that he glanced over his shoulder at a building across the street and raised his left arm, and something vaulted from the top of the building before landing next to Naruto. When it stopped, Rika was greeted by the all to familiar appearance of Renamon, who was giving her a warm smile; she had heard everything that was said.

All was quiet for a moment, before Rika launched herself at Renamon and tackled her midsection in a hug, her face buried in Renamon's chest fur as she cried apology after apology to Renamon.

For Renamon, she had a hard time staying put as she both saw and heard Naruto verbally rip Rika apart under the assumption that she was dead. At first she thought he did not keep his word, but those thoughts were quickly negated as she saw Naruto show surprising gentleness with his actions next, picking her up and soothing her. After he explained himself, she admitted it was a very good test, and it lifted a great burden off her own shoulders knowing that Rika did not harbor any animosity towards her; she just thought she was a mindless machine, and Naruto quickly corrected her of such assumptions. She returned Rika's hug gently and smiled at Naruto, silently laying a kiss upon his lips as she whispered to him quietly, "Thank you Naruto-kun...you have no idea how much this means to me."

Naruto smiled at that before returning the kiss and whispering back, "Perhaps not...but your face and voice tell me all I need to know...you are most welcome Rena-chan." At this he pulled back, letting both Renamon and Rika have their moment. He walked back over to the tree and rested against it, waiting for the two of them to finish.

It was five minutes until both broke apart one more, and Rika needed some things clarified. "But...but how? I saw you get deleted with my own eyes! How is it that you are still alive?"

Surprisingly, it was not Naruto who answered but Renamon. "You can thank Naruto here for that, he is the one who saved me and deleted that Devimon. What you saw got hit was one of Naruto's special techniques." At this Rika's eyes grew wide once more before looking over to where Naruto rested against the trunk of the tree, the sun's rays now just barely making out his form.

Naruto just stepped away from the tree and walked halfway to them before stopping. His eyes showed great amusement as he created a shadow-clone right next to him before he henged it into an exact replica of Renamon. After a few seconds he dispelled it with a puff of smoke.

Rika for her part was openly gawking at what she just saw. The man was not a digimon, but he was also not a human. And that technique! How in the world did he make a clone of himself and them make it into a copy of Renamon, and then have it disappear? "Thank you for saving Renamon sir...but just what exactly are you? My d-power said you had no digital energy, but your slitted eyes make you not human either."

A chuckle was her only response for a second before Naruto answered her. "That is a secret I'm afraid child, but perhaps one day you shall know it. Now before you even ask, Renamon has been housed in my home for the past week, and I have been giving her personal training. While she had come leaps and bounds in what I have taught her she still has a long ways to go before she can call herself a master of the style I have been teaching her. That being said, both Renamon and I would like to ask your permission for her continued lessons under my tutelage. I assure you this will not bring danger to this place, as any wild digimon that have come through the past week I have dealt with quickly before resuming the training.

Rika couldn't keep quiet at this remark. "Hold up a second! You're saying that you are the one who has been defeating the wild digimon the past week?" Her incredulous gaze told everyone there just how much she believed what he had told her.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders slightly before answering. "That is indeed what I am saying, Renamon can verify my claims, but whether you believe it or not matters little to me, I was simply stating a fact. Besides, you will see soon enough, for I plan to continue my rendezvous with you and Renamon. Should she need help during a fight, then you shall see. Now then, your family will be up soon and I do not wish to alarm them. That being said, I bid you farewell for now, Rika-san." Turning to Renamon, his mouth stretched into a warm smile behind his mask. "And I will be seeing you as well, both during battle and training, Rena-chan."

Renamon smiled back just as warmly to Naruto before giving her farewell too. "Then I will look forward to our meetings, but for now goodbye as well, Naruto-kun." Both she and Naruto were both purposely ignoring the disbelieving looks they were getting from Rika at their familiarity.

With that Naruto a bow before backing up into the trunk of the tree, which he entered as if it was water, the tree seeming to ripple a bit before becoming still once more. Rika could only gape even wider, while Renamon just muttered a soft "Showoff." under her breath, but her whisper held a great deal of amusement in it.

The next week went by in a blur for Naruto and Renamon, as they met and trained every night with Renamon sleeping at his den most of the time. She could detect when Rika needed her or was in trouble, and with Naruto's techniques she could be at her side instantly. For Rika, Naruto's claims were quickly proven in the battles they had that week against the wild digimon. She couldn't even track his speed when he decided to move, and what made it even more disturbing was that according to Renamon he was holding back. She also quickly found out his sword was most certainly not for show...he had no qualms about dicing up a wild digimon if the need arose, which it did for a poor BlackGreymon. However, after she had gotten used to surprises from Naruto, the week quickly passed for her as well.

However, the Monday night after this week would prove to be the catalyst for a dramatic change in routine, and the start of a destiny that none of them would have ever seen coming.

Naruto and Renamon were training in Naruto's den said Monday night when Renamon paused in her katas. Curious but knowing she had a reason, Naruto just patiently waited for her to finish. After a few more seconds she looked up and answered his silent question.

"It seems we have another wild one, but according to Rika its signature is odd, she wants to check it out."

Naruto hummed in thought for a second before replying. "I thought I had felt an odd signature today...well grab on, might as well get going." Renamon did just that and the both disappeared in a flash of flame.

Upon arriving in an alley adjacent to Rika's house, Renamon caught up to Rika and stayed in the shadows following her, while Naruto did as well with his camouflage jutsu. After a few minutes of following Rika, Naruto pinpointed where the signal was coming from, and so informed Renamon he was going on ahead to scout it out. As she nodded he pumped youki into his legs and literally launched past the both of them and across the rooftops before disappearing altogether.

When Naruto arrived, he found the signal originated from a parking garage. 'Odd place for a wild one to be, they usually prefer out in the open.' Walking along the ceiling into the garage, he was quite surprised to find a familiar overgrown lizard stalking around sniffing everything he could. Not long after, he heard, and then saw Takato come darting around the corner yelling for Guilmon to wait up.

'Well.' Naruto thought to himself. 'My night just got a bit more interesting...the upcoming confrontation should be quite amusing.' At the thought of the two polar-opposite children and digimon meeting eachother, Naruto let out a quiet chuckle and sat down on the ceiling, looking forward to the upcoming meeting.

Ending Notes: And there you have it! My longer Memorial Day weekend chapter is done...if a day late...but hey, it was a lot of words! Anyways, the real plot of the story takes off next chapter with the tamers finally meeting each other and the ever-so-mysterious Naruto. As you can see I tried a different type of writing format on this one. Right after submitting this I will put up a poll on my page which lets you choose if you like this style better or the one I used in the previous chapters. Please do take the time to vote on it so I can get an accurate idea of what my readers want most. Now with that done, on to review responses!

Kyuubi's Vixen: -laughs- Don't worry, little Pablo is indeed fictional, no animals were harmed in the making of this story. And since you asked so nicely...here's the next chapter! :D

Hakkyou no Yami: Don't worry, she learned her lesson alright...as for the Sakuyamon interaction...as this last chapter shows, if anything Naruto will eventually view Rika as a little sister, therefore any...intimate actions with Sakuyamon would be quite disturbing for everyone involved, sorry. :(

Dark Raven 19: Thanks for the compliments! As for any more Naruto world people coming, I do not plan on it, at least not in this story.

cmcwiki: Thanks for the support...and people are all torn up over Pablo! XD

Bahumat knight: Thank you for the support once again! And nope, Naruto will not be a tamer, nor will he gain any digimon like abilities...he's already the nine tailed fox, he doesn't need anymore power lol!

deadw8: Thank you for the offer of letting me use your ideas/characters, but I must respectfully decline. I try to be as original as possible, so I'm going to stick to my human/hybrid/full kitsune setup, no spirit fox digimon. But thank you for offering! :)

Raizen Lord of Twilight: Aye, I agree with you there; not long after I said that I was considering it I realized just how wrong it would be considering he will see her as a little sister. And thank you for the compliment!

Hades45: Thanks!...twice! ^^

aquamewblast: Thanks for the comp! And he's not really a hanyou, the second chapter set that straight, for this story Kyuubi was not a demon, he was a Beast Lord, and a part of the beast races.

Salamander Hanzo: Awwww shucks!

Sefirot: Thanks, and here's the chapter!

Nulled Lucied: -laughs- Thanks for your enthusiasm! And yes, I agree that relationships which are quick to be formed tend to crumble just as quick. As for the torture, I had a hard time writing that...or anything to do with the brow beasts. As for dodging the thermite...well if I let it hit me I most likely wouldn't be able to use my hands, and therefore write...that would suck! :D

Exorcismus: Thank you for the compliment, and I will strive to continue updating at least once a week.

Scrotie' McFagballs: Aye, you're the first to mention this but not the last. That being said, your complaints have been heard, and I have responded! Behold the might of the slightly-more-spaced-than-before format! -strikes a pose- ….ahem, anyways, there ya go!

Ensoa: Sorry bud, but she does stay with Rika as her tamer. However, Rika improves her attitude towards digimon quite a bit this chapter. She will still be nearly identical in public, but she will now treat Renamon with the respect she is due. And no worries, Naruto is not paired with Rika, just Renamon.

Dark kitsune king: Heh, it seems you had the same idea I had!

Gallantmon228: Aye, I agree with you there. And she will get a good bit stronger over time, her training will indeed pay off, and in ways people will probably not expect. Now as for the techniques Naruto will use in his fights, If you want I will start posting descriptions of the techniques that he uses during the chapter at the end of it.

Magician Girl Mirani: Aye, I agree with you on the relationship part. However, while he is wary of anyone new he meets, it is mainly humans to which he focuses his mistrust. They were the only ones to betray and torture him, therefore he judges them harsher. As for the armor idea...that's...not a bad idea! If I decide to implement it into the story, you will get full credit for the idea, thanks! Yes, I most certainly agree, those suits can make the most hardened of beings cry out in horror! As for seeing his hybrid form...there ya go! You had pretty similar thoughts to mine on the whole cuddle part! Oh, and I must say this...I've got a Scottish fan! That's freaking awesome! And apparently one with a firecracker personality...sweet! Yes I read your profile, I figure its only fair since you put your time into reading my story, the least I can do is read your profile! Now that I mention it...you have three stories I have not read yet...seems I need to get on that! Thanks again for the review!

Forward-Always forward: Heh, I don't mind your questions, people often have very valid points. Now then, the main reason he was caught was this: a mixture of underestimation and the fact he was preoccupied with the other shinobi all attacking him. Remember, Naruto may have been freakishly powerful, but he made the mistake of underestimating his opponents...his lesson has been learned.

Xutzy: Thanks, I'm glad you've been enjoying it! :D

Asa: Ummm...I'll be blunt with ya here...that'd be kind of hard to mesh with the story.