Kitsune Rising

Chapter 4: Changes?!

Please no flames!! This was the only way I could get the story to work how I wanted to. If you've ever read the book PEEPS then you'll know kinda what I'm getting at. If you haven't read that book, you should. It's good. 8D

Kitsu ran as fast as his short legs could carry him, fleeing desperately from the angry village woman. She had been chucking stones at him ever since she caught him on her property. He couldn't understand why. He hadn't done anything. He knew there was a shortcut to Naruto's house through that yard. Never before had Kitsu been caught taking it.

"Naruto!" barked Kitsu in fear, searching for his blonde master.

Lucky for Kitsu, Naruto and Naren had been looking for him. Natsu was sniffing for him and had just told the twins that Kitsu was close by. Naruto was furious when he saw the woman chasing his familiar, throwing stones at the kit. What really made him mad, though, is when one of those stones finally hit its mark.

"What the h*** do you think you're doing!?"

"That fox of yours was trying to get in my chickens!" yelled the furious villager. She aimed another stone at Kitsu, but Naruto caught it before it reached its target and crushed it to dust in his fist. Naren growled at the woman.

"For your information, you're yard happens to be a short way to Aniki's and my home! And Kitsu doesn't even like chicken!" she barked, holding the woman up by her collar. "You better be lucky you didn't hurt Kitsu badly or I would have taught you the true meaning of pain!"

"Let her down Imouto!" said Naruto, picking Kitsu up off the ground. Naren glared at the woman and dropped her. Kitsu was way to big now to ride on Naruto's head anymore so Naruto just held him. Natsu snorted at the woman, turned tail, and pranced off behind Naren.

"That fox will be more trouble than it's worth, but then again, you are that fox brat, aren't you!?" yelled the woman after them. Naruto scowled but ignored her.

"Don't take that shortcut ever again Kitsu," he growled, setting Kitsu on the fence beside them to walk.

"I only wanted to get home," said Kitsu in his little gravely high-pitched voice (imagine Naruto's genin voice except not nearly as annoying). Ever since Kitsu had started training with Natsu, Kitsu had slowly acquired the ability to talk and, to Naruto's increasing relief, did not talk in the third person like Natsu. Naruto rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"Just don't go that way anymore, ok?" he said, petting Kitsu's head. He was careful not to hit the headband tied around Kitsu's head to hide the kit's mutated eye. Naruto had long since replaced the bandages with an old, genin standard headband he had gotten from the academy, marking the kit as an official Konoha Nin familiar.

"Hai," pouted Kitsu. The kit didn't understand what he had done wrong, but his master knew best. "No more shortcut."

"Now that that's cleared up," said Naruto. "It's…" Naruto suddenly stopped walking and clutched his stomach. Out of nowhere it had begun to hurt and Naruto gritted his teeth in agony.

"Naruto?" asked Kitsu, running up to him. Naruto's breathing was becoming irregular and he was sweating. Naren ran over to him.

"Aniki!? Aniki what's wrong?!" Naruto collapsed and Naren dropped down and gathered him up in her lap, holding his head. His breathing was ragged and he winced, gritting his teeth.

"Aniki!" cried Naren. Naruto cracked open his eyes.

"Imouto…g…get…Tsunade…baachan…" he gasped. "S…something's wrong…"

"Natsu! Kitsu! Go get Tsunade!" Naren barked, holding a shivering Naruto close. She watched as the two familiars ran as fast as lightening to Hokage tower, which thankfully wasn't that far away.

Naren looked around her, searching for someone, anyone, who could help her. She narrowed her eyes when she realized that absolutely no one was around, not even the cranky chicken lady. Naruto shivered harder than ever in her arms, and she held him closer, trying to warm him up as best as she can. It wasn't until his breathing became slower, but no less ragged, until she realized he had fallen unconscious.

"SAKURA-NEECHAN!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping Sakura or anyone else would hear her call.

……………………

The all too familiar sewer mindscape irritated Naruto. Very few times had he been here, and at no time did he want to be here. He walked the familiar path with a scowl stretched across his face. It wasn't long before the gate that held the fox was in front of him and the dark, glowing, blood-red eyes were staring down at him. Naruto gave the fox the most annoyed look he could muster.

"What do you want?" asked Naruto in an irritated voice.

"THAT FOX KIT YOU BROUGHT HOME WITH YOU IS MAKING YOU SICK," said the fox simply.

"Kitsu? How could he be making me sick?" asked Naruto, bored. How could that adorable little fox be making him sick? Was Kyuubi trying to trick him?

"KITSU IS ONE OF MY DESCENDENTS,"said the fox, growling. "HE BEING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH YOU MAKES HIM IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO ME, WHICH IN TURN, CHANGES YOU."

"What are you talking about, you stupid fox?" growled Naruto. "Are you trying to psyche me out or something?

"I AM ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SERIOUS BRAT!" yelled the fox, his breath blowing Naruto's hair back. "WHEN YOU WAKE UP, YOU'RE GOING TO NOTICE SOME NEW THINGS AND YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU HAD LISTENED TO ME!"

"Fine, I'm listening," said Naruto, secretly curious. "What kind of things am I gonna notice?"

"YOU'LL FIGURE IT OUT WHEN YOU WAKE UP!" barked the fox. And to Naruto's dismay, the fox gave no further explanation and instantly, the entire mindscape turned black.

………………………………

Kiba heard her yelling. He ran as fast as he could to get to her, Akamaru. Something was wrong for her to yell that loud. The last he heard her say was "Sakura-neechan" and that was when he was absolutely sure something was up.

It was when he turned the corner around the fence he saw two small animals running extremely fast toward Hokage Mansion and one of them was the baby fox that Naruto had brought home with him. Kiba went in the direction they had come from and it wasn't long till he saw Naren sitting on the ground facing away from him. He ran to her and found that she was holding a shivering, unconscious Naruto in her arms. She was crying and hadn't noticed him come up.

"Naren-chan," he said gently yet firmly, trying to get her calm down so she could explain what happened. "What's happened? What's wrong with Naruto?"

"I-I don't k-know!" she sobbed. Kiba had never seen her this way. Usually she was pretty intimidating. Never did he expect her to show weakness, even in this situation. It made him admire even more because it proved not even Naruto's twin was made out of iron. "H-he just doubled over, his b-breathing became r-ragged and he p-passed out! I-I don't know why!" She hugged him closer and Kiba soon feared that Naruto's ragged breathing would soon become non-existent breathing.

"Naren-chan, calm down and loosen your hold a bit," said Kiba, grabbing her arms. Naren loosened her hold but didn't let go. Naren sobbed silently in his hair, waiting for Kitsu and Natsu to come back with Jiraiya or Tsunade or both. And speak of the devil…

"Naren!" Naren and Kiba turned to see both Jiraiya and Tsunade coming toward them with Natsu and Kitsu running behind them. Jiraiya immediately lifted Naruto out of Naren's arms and ran off toward the hospital, Tsunade, Naren, Kiba, and the familiars coming behind him.

"What happened Naren?" asked Tsunade sharply. Naren told the story she had told Kiba. While they talked, Jiraiya listened intently, trying to figure something out. But a weak voice caught his attention.

"E-ero-sennin…t-the…K-kyuubi…" stuttered Naruto weakly.

"Save your breath brat," said Jiraiya kindly yet firmly. "We've got ya." Naruto winced and passed out again and the odd looking group made their way to the hospital.