Caught in the Middle

Chapter 2

Why this Girl?

Disclaimer: FINALLY FREE! FIRST A SPARK! THEN A FLAME! NOW A FIRE! WE EXPLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODE!!!!!!! (I don't own Naruto or Rise Against...God I wish I did.)

Okay, Chapter two is up. I gotta say, this is easily my fastest growing story. It hasn't even been up for two days and I've already got reviews and favorites coming out my ass. Thanks you guys.

This one is much shorter than the first one, and so will most of the others. The first was just that long because I was setting up the basic story and introducing most of the main characters. I still am in this one, but there's more action this time, so that's good for you guys.

Oh, and Brilliantteazer, your question will be answer very shortly.


"Are you sure Orochimaru, its crowded here? I'll be attracting a lot of unwanted attention; the police are bound to show up."

There was a silence on the other end for only a second until the voice returned. "It doesn't matter, if Kakashi is there, then that means the boy is already under surveillance. Any incident you create will be covered up by the FBPS, and we can't afford to let the girl live. Eliminate her first, then Hatake if you can."

"What about her friends?"

"If they get in your way, kill them. Otherwise, leave them be, we don't want things going too far."

"Understood, I'll contact you again when I'm done."

"Be sure to do that," he hissed and closed the line.

With that, he flipped closed the phone and slipped it into his pocked. He moved his hands to his hoody's pockets, and fingered his Glock 18c. It was an automatic handgun, 7.3 inches long, 17 round clip, three round bursts, the gun was nothing special. It was the custom rounds that made this gun so deadly to demons.

They were the standard metal formula mixed with silver and blessed with holy water; the core was a tungsten incendiary compound with traces of white oak which would burn up inside the demons body sending it through their bloodstream. In short, it was effective against pretty much any kind of paranormal threat, and of course was still effective against humans as well.

He came up behind the redhead and slipped out the firearm. Before he could get a clear shot at the back of her head though, he heard a click from behind him and stopped dead.

"You weren't planning on doing anything less than reputable with that now were you?" he asked playfully.

Hearing the voice, the four sitting at the ramen bar turned their heads to see a hooded figure with a gun, being held at gunpoint by a man with a black suit and tie, and a mask over his lower face, along with a bandanna over his left eye, causing his silver hair to slide off to one side. He gave the four kids an eye smile and turned his attention back to their would-be assailant.

"Drop the gun, and then turn around slowly," he ordered sternly.

The figure complied, kneeling down and placing the 18c on the floor then turned around to face the silver haired man. He was holding a Walther P22, probably loaded with the same rounds he had since the man was quite a famous agent of the FBPS. Kakashi Hatake, Senior class supernatural investigator and paranormal surveillance officer, he was among the best of the best. In an up front confrontation like this, he had little chance against him.

"So, who are you with? There are so many rogue demon hunters these days I can't keep track."

He remained silent; the only action he took was keeping his hands in the air. A small crowd was gathering around the spectacle, and Kakashi quickly flashed a badge.

"Not to worry folks, I'm a federal officer! I'm just taking in a criminal here!"

While Kakashi was momentarily distracted, the man took his chance and threw himself at the FBPS agent, knocking him onto the ground. People immediately began to scatter, and Kakashi fired three rounds from his P22. He missed all three shots, the rounds colliding with the ceramic tiled wall. He pushed himself up and gave chase through the food court.

The man he was chasing knocked over chairs and tables in an attempt to impede Kakashi's movement. He was able to nimbly jump over all of them though, and fired at his target. They both rushed out of the mall, Kakashi still right behind him, and they disappeared from view.


Naruto, who'd been watching the whole thing with interest, eyed the Glock 18c on the ground. Whatever that guy was going to do, Karen was obviously his target, which made it his problem. Without any more thought, he jumped down, grabbed the automatic handgun, and ran out of the food court as well.

Karen, who was unable to be too far from him, ran after him as well, and they both exited the mall. Naruto stopped for a moment and examined the outside, then noticed the black blur of the mans suit as he chased down their almost attacker. Naruto gave chase to them, racing through the maze of cars and vans to catch up. Karen was right behind him, using her fox like agility to flip over the metal vehicles with the skill of an Olympic gymnast.

They ran to the end of the rows and looked around to see where the two had gone next. They heard a few more bangs, and Naruto looked to Karen, who nodded. They both began running towards the direction of the shots.

Kakashi had chased his target down the rows of cars, now behind the mall in a drop-off bay. He'd been caught by surprise and was now on his back, the hooded man holding his P22. He hammer clicked back, and he prepared to fire, when three quick bangs rang out from behind Kakashi. They missed their target, but the hooded man fell over, and he dropped the gun. The blond kid Kakashi had seen earlier rushed over, and punched the man as he tried to get up, and pointed the gun at him.

The momentary victory was just that though, momentary. The mans fist collided with Naruto's cheek, and knocked him over. The man then rolled backwards and grabbed the P22 again. They all stared as he himself realized his hood was down and his face was visible.

Kakashi recognized him immediately, Sasuke Uchiha. The black hair, the onyx eyes, the stoic expression, it was definitely him. He was an up and coming demon hunter who was making a decent name for himself. He showed a lot of potential.

"Sasuke Uchiha, criminal demon hunter," he said nonchalantly.

"Kakashi Hatake, Senior paranormal surveillance officer for the FBPS," Sasuke responded.

"I see we each know each other, how interesting."

Sasuke wasn't really listening though; he was eyeing Karen, who was next to Kakashi. He raised the gun again, aiming the gun to her head and prepared to pull the trigger.

Suddenly Naruto shot up again and punched the raven haired demon hunter and knocked them both over. The blond jumped on top of him a tried to wrench the pistol out of his grip, firing rounds off into the air. When the gun finally ran out of ammo, Sasuke was able to wrench it away and smacked Naruto upside the head with the butt of the grip. He threw the gun away, but was caught off guard as Naruto launched himself on top of him and landed three punches on his face until he thrust his palm up and knocked Naruto off him, causing him to bang his head against the metal wheel of one of the adjacent truck crates.

Sasuke picked up the Glock 18 that Naruto dropped earlier on and raised it to take the blond out, when Karen tackled him. He quickly pushed her off and made a fast escape from the narrow confinement, sliding between the wall and the front of a crate. He ran for it again, but he only got a few paces away before Kakashi tackled him to the ground again.

Still Sasuke was able to wriggle himself free. He somersaulted away and reached into his left pocket and pulled out a red feather. Kakashi's eye widened, catching onto what he was doing.

'Phoenix feather!'

He ran at Sasuke, trying to stop him from what he was about to do, but was too late.

"Althielo!" he shouted.

Suddenly he shot into the air and flew away into the distance. Kakashi cursed under his breath, he'd gotten away.


Naruto was slowly rising, shaking the daze from the blow. He felt the back of his head, and felt a liquid that could only be blood oozing out, the touch of his fingers on the wound sent a stinging sensation through his head and he groaned. He almost fell over again until he felt a hand on his back supporting him and pushing him back up.

"K-Karen?"

"Hold still," she ordered.

She placed her palm on his wound, which hurt immensely at first, but then it began to recede, and it was replaced with a warm comforting feeling. That faded to, but when it did, all the pain in his head was gone. In fact, he felt even better than before.

"What did you…?"

"Kitsune have healing abilities," she said, actually smiling.

He raised an eyebrow. "What's with the sudden good mood?"

"Nothing…it's just, that was the second time in two days you've saved my life. At this rate I'll be stuck with you forever," she laughed.

He gave her a thumbs-up. "Maybe you should start paying me."

She shook her head at his nonsense. "Don't count on it blondy."

She looked down noticed that she was still holding Naruto, and he seemed to notice as well as he cleared his throat and began to blush. He pushed himself up and stood, walking out to confront that guy in the suit.

He saw him standing in the middle of the parking lot, looking up at the sky. The black haired guy was gone, and everything had quieted down.

"Hey, who the hell are you!?" he shouted as he approached him.

He looked away from the sky and over at the blond, and waved. "Yo."

"Yo!? Is that all you have to say!?"

He put up both his hands and motioned for him to settle down. He reached into his suit and pulled out a leather holder with a gold badge on it.

"My name is agent Kakashi Hatake, Senior class paranormal surveillance officer for the FBPS; the Federal Bureau of Paranormal Surveillance. The man who attacked you was Sasuke Uchiha, he's a criminal demon hunters."

He reached into his jacket again and pulled out a small book and threw it to Naruto. He flipped through it and saw the pages with several photos, one of them of the same person who'd been shooting at them.

"We call it a Bingo book, standard for all FBPS agents" he said, snapping his fingers and somehow transporting the book back into his hand in a puff of smoke. One he squared it away, he walked up to Naruto and patted him on the shoulder and gave him an eye-smile.

"That girl you're with, you're bonded with her right?" he asked.

Naruto nodded.

"Hm. Well, for now, try and keep her out of trouble, she's more important than you know," he explained.

"Here," he said, handing him a silver and blue earpiece that looked like a wireless Bluetooth headset, "keep that with you and stay safe, I'll be watching."

He gave them a small salute and another eye smile. "Later."

He snapped his fingers again, then he just poofed into a cloud of smoke and disappeared; Naruto meanwhile just stood there with a confused look on his face.

"Who the hell was that kook!?"

"Beats me, but that was definitely unnerving, I think that Sasuke guy was the one who attacked me last night to," said Karen.

"Think so? Why would he want to kill you though, you didn't do anything?"

She shrugged. "Who knows, you humans don't make any sense to me."

"I'm not sure if I should feel offended or complimented," he laughed.

"Oh well, lets get back inside, I'm sure everyone's worried sick."

She nodded and followed him back to the front of the mall. There were people coming in and out of the food court, all in suits like Kakashi's. As they walked past, the few agents that did stop to examine them shrugged or nodded and let them pass. Inside, the court looked like nothing had ever happened, everyone was eating and laughing. Naruto looked around and saw Kiba, Sakura, and now Haku all seated back at Ichiraku's.

He ran up to them and gave them all an incredulous look. Sakura was the first one to turn around and see him.

"Oh, hey Naruto, where'd you go?"

He just stood there with a gaping mouth.

"How did you…we were just…didn't you…argh! We were just shot at, you know, the guy in the hoody, the government agent, you don't remember that!?"

She laughed and shook her head. "That's one crazy imagination you've got."

Karen put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "It's a Memory Reconstruction charm, they don't remember a thing. None of them do."

"Are you kidding me!?" he exclaimed, pressing his palms against his face.

He sighed and calmed himself down. He looked back at his friends, who were simply eating and making idol conversation,

"Oh well, either way I think we should get back to my house. If there are more of those freaks out here, I don't want to stick around."

Karen nodded. "I'd have to agree."

"Hey guys, I'm heading home! I got stuff I gotta do!" he called.

"Alright, bye Naruto!" waved Sakura.

"Later man!" yelled Kiba.

Haku didn't say anything, but waved him goodbye as well. Naruto and Karen exited the food court again and walked down the rows of cars until they came up on Naruto's car. As the blond unlocked the driver side door, he was a black plastic box sitting on his seat. He reached in and picked it up, there was a note attached.

Mr. Uzumaki,

In light of your current situation, we at the FBPS feel that you should keep this on your person at all times. Please be careful with it.

Inside is a copy of the latest and most up to date Bingo book; to help you identify any potential threats.

We remind you, this is to be used for protection only. Above all else, keep the kitsune girl safe, she is extremely important.

-Agent Kakashi Hatake

Federal Bureau of Paranormal Surveillance

Naruto eyed the box questionably, but decided to open it anyway. Inside was a gun just like the one Kakashi had been using, a Walther P22 (The standard 3.4 inch barrel version). Next to it were five clips of pre-loaded ammo and a small book. Also, there was a laser sight attachment and a sound suppressor lay next to the gun. Naruto's eyes widened and quickly closed the box.

"What's the hold up over there?" asked Karen.

"I got a box from those suit wearing weirdo's," he said as he unlocked the doors.

He sat down in the seat, as did Karen, and he set the box down between them. Karen eyed the box as well, and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"It's a gun. Apparently I'm your bodyguard or something now."

She sighed and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms.

"Hm, I was expecting at least a little complaining," he said while turning the keys in the ignition.

"I would be more upset if I weren't already stuck with you. I guess I'm alright with it for now, you seem to have a knack for saving my life as it is."

"Yeah, I guess," he said he backed his car out of the parking space and drove out onto the street, "Of course I wasn't expecting a demon hunter and a crazy government agency when I found you in that ally."

"You're regretting you decision then?" she asked, actually sounding a little hurt.

"Hell no; even with all this crap that's happened I'm still glad I picked you up. I couldn't just leave you in the rain to fend for yourself, what kind of bastard would do that?"

She huffed and turned to her side.

"What's your problem? What did I say this time?"

"It's nothing," she grumbled.

Naruto didn't buy any of it.

"Hey, if there's something going on here that I'm not getting, I think I have the right to know. I'm part of this whole mess now."

"I've already told you everything you need to know, nothing more, nothing less."

"Alright, jeez."

Naruto continued his drive home, but still couldn't shake the feeling there was way more to her than she was letting on.


Back in the suburbs, Sarutobi was reading a newspaper in his kitchen, frustrated with his grandson's sudden disappearance. That boy had no idea what he was getting himself into.

He turned his head when he heard a knock on the door, and rose from his seat. He walked into his living room and swung open the door and saw a familiar face. The silver haired FBPS agent that was Kakashi Hatake stood at his doorstep with his usual lazy expression, calmly reading a book.

"You're still reading that filth I see," Sarutobi chuckled.

"With all due respect sir, what you call filth, I call romantic intrigue," he countered.

He shook his head with a grin. "Well, please come in Kakashi. My door is always open for a friend."

He stepped aside as Kakashi walked into his home, squaring his book away back in his jacket. He hadn't changed much since the last time he had come to visit. He was still lazy, indifferent for the most part, and a bit of a pervert.

"Please, have a seat," Sarutobi said, taking a seat on his couch.

"Thank you," he nodded, taking a seat on a chair across from the couch.

Sarutobi wasted no time in getting to the bottom of his old friends appearance. "So, what is it that you want Kakashi? It isn't everyday I get a visit from you."

He crossed his legs and sighed. "Well sir, I…"

"You don't need to call me sir anymore Kakashi. I retired from the Directors seat twenty years ago; Tsunade is the only one you need to answer to now."

"While it's true I was only fifteen and still a Junior surveillance officer when you retired, I still respected you the most as an FBPS Director," said Kakashi.

Sarutobi smiled. "Thank you, and I do enjoy your occasional visits, but on to more important matters."

"Very well; I ran into Naruto at the mall only a few minutes ago. It seems that he's been bonded to a kitsune."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, he brought the girl home last night. I had hoped that the bonding hadn't been completed, but by the time he'd gotten her home, it was too far along for me to stop. It seems he's done a good job of healing her."

"Yes well…it seems they've been targeted by one Sasuke Uchiha. I don't know his motives or if he's working alone or not, but he made an attempt on her life today in plain sight, which makes me think he has some sort of back-up."

"Really…you intervened didn't you?" he asked, a hint of fear behind his stern voice.

"Naturally, though Naruto was a large help. He took on Sasuke with mostly just his bare fists."

Sarutobi smiled and nodded. "Yes, he's a bit too brave for his own good. A trait he inherited from both his parents."

"Anyway, the kitsune he's bonded to, the FBPS has been looking for her for quite some time."

Sarutobi raised an eye in curiosity. "Why is that?"

He paused for a moment before answering. "She's the daughter of the previous Kyuubi no Kitsune, the previous nine tailed fox, who as you know, is the leader of the kitsune people."

Sarutobi looked down and shook his head. "I don't know how I could have missed it. She's demon royalty; I should have known."

"She needs to be protected, not only from demon hunters, but her own people," explained Kakashi.

Sarutobi stroked his beard in surprise. "Her own people you say?"

Kakashi nodded. "Apparently you've been out of the loop longer than I thought."

"Well, there's been a coup against the royal kitsune family recently. No one knows how or why this even started, but the Kyuubi no Kitsune and her husband were…brutally murdered to say the least. Their daughter was lucky enough to escape."

"I see," Sarutobi muttered, "that is a problem."

Kakashi nodded again. "As she's the last remaining heir, no one else can take the throne; a charm put in place millennia ago prevents it. Everyone is, literally, gunning for her."

"What an unfortunate turn of events. We've been on such good terms with the kitsune since the peace accords, but all that is in jeopardy if she's killed."

"Exactly, and Naruto is the perfect person to protect her."

Sarutobi shook his head. "No, I won't let him get sucked into this like his parents did."

"Sir, he's already sucked into this. He knows she's a kitsune, he knows about the FBPS, and he knows about the demon hunters. His life is in danger, and the more he knows, the better," he argued.

"I'd even be willing to instruct him myself. It would be the least I could do; after all, his father was the one who trained me."

Sarutobi sighed and folded his arms. "I'm against this, but I suppose it's too late. His and the girls fates are intertwined now, he needs to be able to defend himself."

"I've already given him some supplies to help keep her safe, and I'll be keeping an eye on him for a while until I can get clearance to train him."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. "You didn't give him a gun did you?"

"Goodbye sir," he smiled as he snapped his fingers, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sarutobi sighed and sank deeper into his seat. Why did raising Naruto always have to be so hard?


"Argh…damn it," grunted Sasuke.

"Honestly Sasuke, you call this 'treating a wound'?"

"Hn."

Sasuke had just returned to Orochimaru's base outside Konoha city. It was in the middle of the woods, well hidden in a mountainside. Sasuke was currently getting his wounds treated by their 'doctor' Kabuto. He wasn't as much a doctor though, as he was perhaps a butcher or a mad scientist. He took after Orochimaru regarding his love of experiments on live subjects that would make most normal humans toss their lunches and send them to mental institutions.

In reality Sasuke was sickened by them both, but then again, they were his only option. Beggars can't be choosers.

He felt a small chill run up his spine as he heard Orochimaru enter the medical room. He was an abnormally pale man, even more so than himself, with crazy eyes and long black hair. He wore a long tan overcoat that was neatly buttoned up and expensive black shoes.

"How goes the hunt my young friend?" he asked in his slithering voice.

"Not good. Hatake was good, and the blond kid the kitsune was with was no stranger to hand-to-hand combat either. Not to mention my reflexes were dulled thanks to the bullet wound I received the previous night," he said, hopping off the patient bed after Kabuto finished dressing the wound.

"I would have come back for medical attention earlier, but I didn't want to lose her trail."

"Your dedication is admirable my boy. You may have failed, but at least we now know who we're dealing with and the proper amount of force to take. I suppose I can let this little infraction slide by."

"You're so very generous," Sasuke mocked in his monotone voice.

Orochimaru scowled for a moment, but let his anger subside. It was a satisfying change of pace to have an accomplice who didn't quiver in fear of him. The boy was exactly what he was looking for.

"We won't make another move on the girl for a few days, the FBPS is involved now. We need to rework our strategy. Who knows, her own people may even do our work for us. If that is the case though, I would appreciate it if you, Kabuto, could retrieve her body for me. Provided they don't completely obliterate it," he laughed.

The silver haired doctor bowed. "Of course Orochimaru, it would be a pleasure."

With that, Orochimaru walked toward the exit of the room.

"What an interesting turn of events this last day has been," he mused to himself as he rounded the corner out of the room.


All the way back in the suburbs, Naruto and Karen were both relaxing in Naruto's room. After a lengthy explanation to Sarutobi pertaining to their sneaking out of the house, he agreed to let Karen stay with them for the time being. Naruto believed it was because of their made up story about her having temporary amnesia and not remembering where she was from, but Naruto didn't know about his grandfather's conversation with Kakashi earlier that day.

Luckily he didn't ask about the gun he'd gotten from that Kakashi freak, which was now safely stashed under his bed. He prayed he didn't actually ever have to use it, but kept it with him none the less.

Karen lay on Naruto's bed, and the blond himself sat at his desk playing more Rise Against at Karen's request. She bopped her head to the beat as Naruto did some weekend homework. He was amazed he could even concentrate on anything after all the things that had happened that day.

It was late at night and he couldn't see much of anything past the veil of darkness outside his window. However, he could have sworn he saw a semblance of movement across the street. He leaned closer to the window, but saw nothing and shrugged. It must have been some stray leaves.

What Naruto didn't see however, was the figure standing in the darkness of the night atop the house across from his. He stared into the lit room, eyeing the boy, but also glancing at the real prize, the red haired kitsune.

His black hair and onyx eyes blended with the night perfectly, as did his cloak, which was black with red cloud decals. He fingered the pistol strapped to his upper right leg, considering just breaking in and capturing the girl right then and there. He remembered his mission though; for now it was strictly reconnaissance.

His objective was too keep the girl alive until that annoyance Orochimaru could be eliminated and they could get the FBPS to temporarily turn a blind eye. Still, her being bonded with the boy could complicate things a bit. It wasn't their objective or intention to kill humans, only demons. After all, who would miss them?

In this particular situation however, it wasn't even their objective to kill the girl. Rather to capture her, to gain an upper hand on the kitsune. The beasts would give anything to finally be rid of the girl and appoint a new leader, and that was why they needed her so badly; leverage.

Itachi sighed before sitting down and settling in for an overnight stakeout; he never got the pleasant assignments.


OOOOOOOOOOH! Ominous ending! So, all these people are trying to kill/capture poor Karen. Ain't that just a bitch, huh?

How's Naruto gonna handle all the pressure? Will Kakashi be able to keep them both safe? Is there more to this kistune coup than we know? Does Karen have more secrets than she's letting on? Are you going to hit me if I ask one more rhetorical question that I'll obviously answer eventually?

...Okay then.

Go on and review some more. Go on, let em rip!