A/N: *Bows several times over again* I am so sorry it took so darn long to update. But you have to understand that the last few months have been extremely stressful. First, my lap top died... I mean blue screen of DEATH. After some minor tinkering with my lap top and a brand new OS later, I got to do my really bad impersonation of Dr. Frankenstein and I screamed to the world "IT LIVES!". However, I lost EVERYTHING. I lost my backup. I lost so much it's sad really. But no time to cry over spilled milk. Moving right along... Then I wrecked my truck. I'm fine, there were no injuries in the accident. Fighting with two different insurance companies, the body repair people and the car rental place was not fun. It took my insurance company almost three weeks to tell me they were totaling out my truck. Then I had to stress over getting a new car. I did manage to get a nice car that I am learning to love. It isn't my truck, but I'll live. THEN, I got the flu. Not H1N1, but the flu none the less. I'm still hacking up a fur ball every now and then. Now with that out of the way and life returning to somewhat normal, just in time for the holidays, I will get out of the way and get on with it.

Previously:

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. "So you planned this?"

Myra pressed as close as she could. "Sort of."

"How long have you been... You?" He stroked her cheek.

Myra chewed on her lip guiltily. "Since I woke up after the heart attack."

"You mean to tell me that you have been pretending for the last few days, avoiding me like the plague because why?" There was a twinge of hurt in his voice.

"Because I didn't want to get your hopes up if it wasn't permanent. So far, it's permanent. There may be a few odd tendencies here and there and the promise of listening to that rational voice, but for the most part, I'm me again." She smiled.

And now:

Chapter 82: Rabbits, Foxes and Snakes... Oh my.

Myra had woken up, despite her aching body and the extremely warm bodied male in bed with her. However, her stomach was complaining loudly, and she was sure it was a matter of minutes before Naruto would be awake and hungry as well. She exited the bathroom, donning her purple silk bathrobe and pulling her hair back in a pony tail.

Myra was rummaging in the fridge when she came across a small bowl of rice, veggies, and fried shrimp. Her eyes widened with the realization that there was someone very important she had forgotten. She grabbed the bowl. She stepped outside into the garden and sat on the deck. She didn't have to wait long for the sleek fox to come out from his den under the pagoda.

"In his defense he didn't know I was feeding you." She smiled.

The fox tilted his head and blinked at her, but said nothing.

"Why don't you come inside and eat like a hu... person. I'll make something a little more appetizing than left overs." She got up and walked away, but left the door open for him.

After a few minutes the human form Kyuubi walked in the kitchen looking a bit baffled. "I am..." He paused for a moment trying to choose his words carefully. "Pleased to see you are feeling better."

Myra smiled. "I'm pretty happy about it too." She set the waffle batter down on the table. "I am glad you didn't intrude last night."

The Kyuubi crossed his arms and looked away as if he didn't care one way or the other. "I was out hunting and by time I came back I was tired."

Myra let out a sigh and poured some batter on to the waffle iron. She knew he was hiding how he truly felt. The emotions were buried beneath years of anger and mistrust, but she knew the Kyuubi had a certain fondness for her. He also had respect for Naruto, even though the great Lord of the Ethereal would never admit it to anyone. "Thank you. I appreciate the time alone with him."

"Don't thank me just yet, girl, you have much explaining to do."

Myra set a plate in front of the Kyuubi. "Oh, what is there to explain?"

"Little Kit."

"I never thought I would have to explain the story of the birds and the bees to the Great Lord of the Ethereal." She giggled.

The Kyuubi rolled his eyes. "He is no ordinary child."

"No he isn't." She agreed.

"What did you do?"

Myra took the first waffle off the iron, setting it on his plate. "I trained him in the Ethereal."

Feral red eyes widened in complete astonishment. "You what?"

"I trained him in the Ethereal." She said with a knowing grin. "It's something I did when I was younger."

"How old is he?" Kyuubi narrowed his gaze.

"He is a child of three months."

"Do not play coy with me girl. You know exactly what I asked you."

"You asked me how old my son was and I answered you truthfully. I know the Laws and I must obey them. I cannot tell a lie. I may bend the truth, but I cannot speak a falsehood. Perhaps it is your question that needs revision." Myra set another waffle on his plate.

Kyuubi rolled his eyes. "How old is Little Kit mentally?"

Myra sighed. "His Ethereal image is a human boy of eight or nine years old. When I saw him last, he was extremely upset because the control over his physical body was taking far too long. He wanted to know if there was something that could be done."

"You have altered his mental development enough. Accelerating his physical growth is possible, but not recommended. I would not want to hurt the boy." Kyuubi scratched his chin.

Myra sighed sadly. "Minato will be disappointed, but he will understand."

Kyuubi stared at his plate of waffles. "You should be warned, living humans are not allowed entry into the Ethereal."

"Except in dreams." She corrected the Kyuubi. "Children dream as early as eight weeks in the womb. I simply did what was necessary to give my son a head start in life." Myra countered. "And unless Madara is a ghost, Madara travels through the Ethereal unhindered each time he shadow walks."

"That is something that needs to be changed."

Myra raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Are you going to revoke the permission you granted him?"

An angry growl slipped past Kyuubi's lips. "He tricked me into giving him permission to walk through the veil."

"I think tricked is a harsh word. He used your mental state at the time and a lapse in judgment to take advantage of you." She placed another waffle on his plate.

"Whichever way you choose to phrase it, girl, it sounds like it is. He tricked me." Kyuubi lathered his waffles in butter and syrup angrily. "But we are getting off topic. I want to start training Little Kit."

Myra smirked as she sat down with her own plate of waffles. "I think he would like that, though I don't believe Naruto would approve."

"Let me deal with Naruto."

"You know, you could offer to train Naruto at the same time." Myra suggested.

The Kyuubi glared at her as he took a large bite of waffle. "Why should I offer him anything?"

Myra was putting a modest amount of butter and syrup on her waffles. "As limited as it may be, he has given you a piece of your freedom. You owe Naruto something in return."

Putting his elbows on the table, Kyuubi shook his fork at her. "You, girl, are infuriating. I am not obligated to do anything for the Brat."

"I hate to differ with you Lord Kyuubi, but Naruto gave you limited freedom to give you both the chance for some peace of mind. You have yet to offer anything in return."

The Kyuubi grinned. "I gave him you."

Myra quirked an eyebrow. "I am not yours to give."

"I hate to differ with you, girl, but did you forget? Your previous incarnation bound herself to me, mind, body and soul. Upon her death, I had no claim over her mind or body. I do, however still hold claim over your soul." The Kyuubi looked away from her. "I had to let you go. I don't deserve happiness."

Myra put her hand on his. "I am not her reincarnation."

The Kyuubi's eyes snapped to Myra's. "What are you talking about, girl?"

"My great grandmother was still alive after I was born. She died when I was three. Miyako only placed a part of herself into my sub-conscious to warn me and protect me. As far as I know, she has yet to reincarnate, but these are matters to which I am not privy. I would know her if I met her reincarnation." Myra smiled.

It is said, to see the Kyuubi no Kitsune smile it means one of two things. One, you are his next meal, or two you will have good fortune for the rest of your days. Myra suspected she would have good fortune for the rest of her days. Quickly, the Kyuubi replaced his goofy grin with his classic scowl. "I will train Naruto as well."

Myra inclined her head. "I thank you Lord Kyuubi."

"I still would not thank me too quickly, girl. Training Naruto will be a difficult task."

Myra chuckled. "For whom? You or him?"

The Kyuubi shook his head and sighed. "Both, I would suspect. There is a hard road ahead for all of us. You, girl, should go back to bed. I can tell you are not quite back up to par. Do not jump back into the foray without some additional training of your own. It might prove useful."

"Thank you for your words of advice. I will take them under consideration."

The Kyuubi stood in his spot and turned to walk out the door back to the garden. "Myra," He paused and Myra stared at his back. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "You are much like your great grandmother and she would be proud of you."

The kyuubi left the kitchen and she smiled with a long sigh. Then phone rang disturbing the quiet of her morning. Myra sighed again. Although she had asked for the week with Naruto, she knew she was only going to get a few days. But less than twenty four hours she was not happy about. She picked up the phone quickly so not to wake Naruto. "Someone better be dead Fucktard, if not, I will apologize to Sakura for taking yours."

There was silence on the other side of the line for a moment while Sasuke processed her threat. "I doubt you could kill me."

"Wanna bet?" She said with a hint of mischief in her voice.

If Myra had been able to see Sasuke, she would have seen the rare sight of him actually smiling. He was glad to have her back, smart mouth and all. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but it didn't mean that when no one was looking he would allow himself to show it. "We found Karin."

Myra rolled her eyes. "And please explain to me why the Captain of the Konoha Military Police needs to call me for a simple tag and bag?"

"Because there is a problem."

"Ok, there's a problem. You still don't need me to solve it. And when did you find out I was back to being me?"

"You complained once of me being 'too loud'. I heard MANY complaints of you and Naruto being too loud last night." Sasuke smirked. "Now down to business, I need a Death Dealer's expertise in dealing with civilians and Tsunade needs your father to remain here."

Myra went silent as her eyebrows raised in shock. Slowly, a pleased smirk curled on her lips. "So it's THAT kind of problem."

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto woke to a morning of heavenly aromas. His arm contracted and he found that Myra was indeed, awake and cooking up a batch of homemade goodness. He opened his eyes and sniffed at the air. She was baking bread. He honestly didn't know what was better, waking up with her in his arms, or waking up to the smell of fresh baked anything.

Naruto got out of bed rubbing at his eyes and headed for the kitchen. He leaned against the door and just watched her. She was icing a sizable cake with a white frosting. "Who is that for?" He yawned.

"This is for a friend I haven't seen in a long time. I'm going to go get some training done this morning and I need a sparring partner. This is an offering to get that sparring partner. I need blade practice." Myra put the finishing touches on the cake. She pulled another frosting bag and piped a large orange carrot on top of the cake.

Naruto blinked and realized Myra was in her training gear. Those lovely low rider black jeans and mesh shirt under the purple halter top. The blonde glanced back towards the door. By the door was a long bladed weapon, katana he thought, still in its sheath and her all important gym bag full of tricks. "First off, I thought you were on leave for at least this week. Why the need train all of a sudden?"

Myra paused for a moment. "Something came up and as much as I wanted to do nothing but stay in bed this week, this is going to be more important. I'll make it up to you I promise."

Naruto sighed disheartened. "Um… You aren't training with Teme this morning are you?"

Myra looked up from the carrot cake. "I saw Sasuke yesterday. He isn't happy with me at the moment, but I do have to talk with him later. And the last time I checked, twenty four hours doesn't constitute a long time. Also, I don't know his feelings about carrot cake." Myra chuckled.

"Carrot cake? You can make cake out of a vegetable?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Yes, just like you can make pie out of bread dough, a few tomatoes, some cheese, and a little pepperoni. It is amazing what the Italians did with practically nothing." She finished icing the last of the smaller carrots on the cake. She put a plastic cover over the cake. "Breakfast is on the stove. I made pigs in a blanket for you." She started to pick up the cake.

"If you can wait a few minutes, I'll go with you. I'd like to meet your friend." Naruto walked over to the stove stuffing a pancake covered sausage in his mouth.

Myra had to think about that for a second. She didn't know how her "friend" was going to take to having a "fox" around. "Um... I don't know Love… Jim Bo can be… Temperamental." That was describing it politely. "He hasn't seen me in a long time and the cake is a peace offering."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "He? Is this an ex lover I should be worried about."

"Oh god, no… Well…" Myra thought about that for a second longer than Naruto liked. "No. It was… um… There might have been a time when… but now… No…" Myra stammered. She smiled very wide and with lots of teeth. "I have you." She kissed him on the nose.

0 – 0 – 0

"YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH A KITSUNE!" The rather tall, human looking rabbit yelled at Myra.

Myra took a step back from her friend. He was dressed in a black hiori and black hakama pants. His long grey and pink ears were tied on the top of his head, and he had a very long katana blade with him. He was a samurai warrior rabbit.

"Jim… I brought carrot cake." She held up the plastic cake container.

"That is beside the point. I do appreciate the cake by the way, but I cannot see past this indiscretion. He is a kitsune. Not just any kitsune, but THE kitsune." Jim took the plastic container of cake.

Myra rolled her eyes. "Come on Jim. The fur ball is sealed INSIDE of Naruto, most of the time. Naruto isn't the Kyuubi."

"He still smells like a kitsune. YOU smell like a kitsune. Father is NOT going to be happy about this." Jim regarded Myra through narrowed eyes.

Naruto was still laughing hysterically. Myra, so named "Rabbit" because of her speed and agility, had rabbits as her summon animal that just so happened to be her totem animal as well. Myra twitched her nose in annoyance. "Jim… I fell for the person, not his demon."

Jim had opened the plastic container and pulled out a large slice of cake. "If he ever tries to eat you, don't call me to get you out of that mess. I will simply point, laugh, and watch him devour you."

Myra quirked an eyebrow. "I could take that several ways. I will assume you mean literally and promise to never call should he try to eat me."

"Very well." Jim said through a mouth full of carrot cake. "Your cooking skills are improving. Now let's see if your skills with a blade have improved."

Naruto sat on the side lines watching Jim the rabbit take on Myra the human. It wasn't much of a fight. Jim was the much better swordsman. It wasn't long before Sasuke entered the training field and Jim halted the practice. "I smell a snake." He whispered to Myra.

Myra let out a large sigh. "That would be Sasuke."

"You are involved with a snake as well? Father is definitely NOT going to be pleased with you."

"Yeah, yeah… Jack is going to be pissed off. What else is new? And when has Jack ever been afraid of a snake or a fox?" Myra pushed Jim to one side.

"The snake, I believe father could handle quite easily. The Kyuubi, on the other hand, is the Lord of the Ethereal and King of all Demons. Even father would have issues with him." Jim hung his head.

"Don't worry about it Sensei, Jack will do as Jack likes. Besides, I would like to see the battle of wits between the great Jackalope and the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Myra smirked.

"Indeed that would a battle to see." Jim nodded.

0 – 0 – 0

"What is Myra doing?" Sasuke crossed his arms and watched her practice with the oddly dressed man?

"So when did you figure it out?" Naruto looked over to Sasuke.

"I had an idea at the hospital. I didn't know for sure until late last night. You two are extremely loud."

The blonde smiled broadly. "Sorry… Wait… No I'm not…" Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke let out a sigh. "Well, what is she doing?"

"She's practicing with a friend of hers. His name is Jim. And if you're wondering… Yes… He's a rabbit." Naruto tried to reign in his laughter.

"What?" Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"He's a rabbit." Naruto snorted. "I still can't get that one out of my head."

Sasuke sat down next to Naruto. "What is so funny about a rabbit with a sword?"

Naruto cracked up. "Did you hear yourself? A rabbit with a sword is funny."

"Hn." Sasuke shook his head. He didn't find it humorous at all. Myra and her friend approached Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke looked up at Myra. "I thought you and I were going to discuss…"

Myra interrupted him. "We are. I am just trying to get back into the swing of things. Pick up some training I never finished and most of all, to think. This is my first sword instructor." She gestured towards Jim. "Sasuke Uchiha, Jim Bo. Jim Bo, my cousin, Sasuke Uchiha."

Jim hardly inclined his head towards Sasuke. The Uchiha looked over the large rabbit and finally understood what Naruto was talking about. Rabbits were fairly docile creatures. How could a rabbit strike fear into anyone. A wide smirk came over Sasuke's face. "How are you supposed to learn anything from a rodent?"

"I will remind the snake in the grass that a mongoose is a rodent, and most deadly when provoked by a cobra." Jim grinned.

Myra sheathed her sword. "Please do not start a pissing match."

"I have no intention of pissing anywhere near a snake, or a fox for that matter." Jim sneered as he sheathed his sword as well.

"Hey… I'm on your side, remember." Naruto groused.

Jim rolled his eyes and turned to Myra. "I will take my leave now. I shall inform Father of your… choice." He picked up the left over cake. "If you should need us…"

Myra smiled. "I'll call…" There was a puff of smoke and the anthropomorphic rabbit disappeared.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. "You can summon rabbits. Why am I not surprised?"

"Because I'm faster than you are and I can out think you and I'm much prettier than you are… Should I go on?" Myra smiled.

Naruto burst into laughter and Sasuke just scowled at Myra. "What are you going to do about Karin?"

Myra was packing her things. "I'm going to do what any good Death Dealer would do, I'm going to do some recon and have a nice little vacation in the process."

Naruto stopped laughing. "Hold a second, what the hell?"

Myra looked up at Naruto. "Oh, I forgot to mention that you and I are going on a little vacation to Matsuri Town. There might be a slight chance that we meet Karin along the way. We're supposed to bring her back for questioning."

It was Naruto's turn to scowl at Myra. "I thought we weren't doing anything for the next week."

Myra zipped her bag. "Well you don't have to go. Sasuke didn't want to go because, well he doesn't like Karin to begin with, and he wants to spend time with Sakura and Saiyuki, which is very understandable. I said I would help because of the crowd that Karin has aligned herself with. It just happens to be my area of expertise."

Naruto looked over to Sasuke. "Okay Teme, spill it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Karin is the head promoter for an underground fight club run by the Yakuza. She's in fairly deep from the intelligence I've received from Myra's father. The problems we are running into are mostly political ones. The attacks on the borders of Sound have increased. Several of the other villages are becoming suspicious of Sound and would certainly like someone like Karin for her information value alone. Currently, she is under the radar of the other villages. Karin is relatively unknown and not everyone knows what she was before she became a fight promoter. The Yakuza don't even know she was a Sound Ninja and one of Orochimaru's most loyal and trusted lieutenants. She has the protection of the Yakuza which is technically out of Konoha jurisdiction."

Myra smirked. "But Yakuza is under the direct jurisdiction of Ravenheart Industries."

"So let me get this straight." Naruto narrowed his eyes at Myra. "We, you and I, are going to Matsuri on vacation."

"Yes." Myra nodded.

"And if we happen to find this underground fight club, then what?" Naruto crossed his arms.

Myra stood up and smiled at Naruto. "We find Karin, grab her and discretely leave Matsuri. Once she's told us everything we need to know, and the labs of Sound are a pile of rubble, we'll let her go back to her fight promoting."

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "You're someone she listens too, talk her out of this."

"Grow a pair of balls Dobe and tell her no." Sasuke jabbed back at Naruto.

Naruto grumbled under his breath and turned back to Myra looking as serious as he possibly could. "You are staying where I can keep an eye on you. You just died. That isn't something you recover from in a few days. You ARE going to take it easy."

Myra chuckled heartily. "Death is usually something you never recover from period." She could feel that he was worried about her. She was a bit worried herself. There was a lot to do in a very short time. The week to play catch up was something she needed as much as he did, but there were more important things at stake. She placed a chased kiss on his lips and let out a sigh. "Seriously though, this should be a walk in the park compared to most other missions your used too."

Naruto glared at her. "No."

Myra raised a thin eyebrow defiantly. "And who's going to stop me?"

0 – 0 – 0

"No." Tsunade scowled at Rai. "What are you thinking? Myra is no condition to be on any mission, even something as easy as this one should be."

"I assure you Lady Tsunade, I am not exactly happy with this situation myself." Rai stood in front of the Hokage's desk.

"Then please tell me why you are requesting this."

Rai sighed. "I am in a very precarious place Tusnade. As her father, I know that Myra is in no condition to do anything until she has regained her strength. I've seen her medical charts. I know her chakra pathways are constricted due to none use over the last year. It will take several weeks of intense training to get her back to the level she was at before the trial.

"As Commander in Chief of Ravenheart Industries, I know how important and invaluable the information this Karin woman possesses could be to the impending invasion of Sound. As you are aware, Sound has annexed a portion of the unclaimed lands between Sound and Waterfall. The Waterfall village has sent a request to Suna and to Konoha for reinforcements to deter a possible attack by Sound."

Tsunade looked slightly shocked. "Where did you get that information?"

"I am well connected Lady Tsunade. Master Jaraiya stressed the importance of having informants. There are R.I. Operatives all over the world. I have received intelligence from our operative inside the Waterfall village as well as our operative in Suna. I overheard the conversation between you and Shizune about the request you received from Waterfall." Rai kept his stoic face.

Tsunade grimaced. "I supposed Gaara doesn't know Persephone is feeding R.I. information."

"I would never ask Sephie to compromise her relationship with Gaara. The information from Suna came from another source. And I resent the implication."

Tsunade sighed. "Fair enough. I apologize."

"What are you going to do about Waterfall's request?"

Tusnade looked at the scroll still sitting on her desk. "What I am going to do is still up for discussion. I am concerned about Waterfall's request, yes, but I am more concerned about Myra's health and well being. You want me to allow her to take on a mission with Naruto as back up."

"Honestly, Lady Tsunade, if Myra takes this mission as a Death Dealer, you have no say if she goes or not. She would not be a representative of Konoha. She will carry no badge of identification as a Leaf ninja. You were the one that came to me for help with this delicate situation. Konoha has their political hands tied behind their back. ANBU could walk into Matsuri and demand to take Karin into custody. The Yakuza could do one of two things, hand her over, or take her deeper into hiding. At which point they would sell her off to the highest bidder. They wouldn't care which village it was as long as they get paid an obscene amount of money.

"Yakuza don't particularly care to get into the middle of a ninja war, but they do like to make money where money is to be made. The sale of information to one side or another is a highly lucrative business and the Yakuza will cash in when they can. I could go on and on for hours about what may or may not happen. The probabilities are endless. The path of least resistance is a R.I. lead undercover operation to infiltrate the Yakuza organization to extract Karin. Once R.I. has her in custody, we can transport her to Konoha safely, quickly and quietly without tipping off the other villages." He took a deep breath.

Tsuande stood up and gazed out the window to the Hokage monument. "I see this was planned before you came to my office."

"The background information, identities, and cover story are already in place, yes. Myra and I discussed the particulars of the mission earlier this morning."

Tsunade turned to glare at Rai. "I am not happy about this arrangement, but as you said, my hands are tied. Naruto will have to leave the village of his own volition, and will be branded a traitor should they be caught by any other village."

"Agreed." Rai nodded and turned to leave her office.

Just before he got out the door, Tsunade stopped him. "And one more thing Rai, it's something I don't like to have to tell you, or ask you, but should they get caught, I can't have Naruto falling into the hands of another village."

Rai smiled. "I would give them a little more credence than that. Where I can't say it won't happen, because it very well could, I don't think they would be captured for very long, and I don't think it would come to that. But just in case, there is a backup plan."

Tsunade let out a sigh. "Good. Then you have a go." The door closed behind the tall man that had become her friend. The Hokage turned back to look to the monument that guarded the village. She could feel something dark hanging over the village, like an omen of bad things to come. She closed her eyes and thought of Jaraiya. You taught Rai well. You taught Naruto too. Please protect them, for I cannot. A warm and gentle breeze wrapped around the blonde Hokage in answer to her plea for help. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and she could smell the distinct scent of cologne, sake and oil. Her eyes widened and she turned to see the faint image of white hair and a red over hiori. She blinked and he was gone.

"Jaraiya…" she whispered. Suddenly she felt better about the situation. They were going to be okay.

0 - 0 - 0

Next time:

Chapter 83: The Truth behind the lies.

The human form Kyuubi burst through the bedroom door and pulled Naruto away from Myra. He then placed himself between Myra and Naruto. He growled at Naruto menacingly. "What the HELL are you thinking?"

Naruto stood straight. "I'm stopping this shit now! I will not have her lying to me just to get her way."

"Listen Brat, because I am only going to tell you this once. SHE CAN'T LIE TO YOU. Myra is incapable of lying. The first Law of the Ethereal, 'Speak from the heart, for it knows no lie.' She can bend the truth or leave out certain details, but flat out lie to your face is impossible."

"Why can't she trust me with the truth?!" Naruto snarled feral blue slits boring into the Kyuubi's red ones.

Myra gazed at the pattern of drops from her tears on the floor. "Stop it both of you." She hiccupped. "Please just stop. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted to protect you. I thought if you knew the truth, you would do something that would put you at risk, something that could very well get you killed. I don't think I could handle you getting hurt."

*** UPDATE ***

A/N: So things changed just a little... It will all make sense I promise...