Vixen

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Naruko talking to Kyuubi in bold.

Kyuubi talking to Naruko in bold italics.

Chapter Notation: Feel free to weigh in on if you want this to continue to be a light story or want just a sprinkling of drama. Warning this is also largely a very silly chapter.

Chapter 6

"You've gotten a lot better at the whole kissing thing since we were in the Academy." Naruko mumbles.

She really hoped that she wasn't blushing. That would be so humiliating. If the bastard saw her blush, Sasuke would NEVER let her live that down.

"Thanks. So are you. Though I think that it probably helps that for once we kissed on purpose. I like your hair down better by the way." He comments.

Naruko blinks. Sasuke Uchiha said thank you to her! The world must have tilted on its axis or something! Her bastard didn't say thank you. That was just one of the many reasons why he had earned his pet name.

"Well I suppose that's progress. You are referring to him rather possessively in your thoughts. So he is YOURS then?" The Nine Tails asks.

Kurama couldn't resist taunting her.

Mostly because it was very boring being locked inside someone else's head and because it was amusing to watch her flail around. He knew that she was going to deny what she had thought and that would make the whole matter all the more entertaining.

"Shut up! You're such a perverted fox! I DIDN'T mean it THAT way!" She protests.

Kurama smirks. Yes, this was definitely going to be entertaining. He had certainly been right in that prediction.

"You don't like the pigtails?" Naruko asks.

"I just prefer your hair down. Flatters you more." Sasuke tells her.

They were making real progress. He wasn't going to blow it by telling her that he thought the pigtails were childish. That would just be stupid.

"Oh. Well I'll think about leaving it down from now on. How do you get your hair to spike like that in the back? I mean you must spend hours gelling it." She asks curiously.

Sasuke blinks. He couldn't believe she had just said that! Granted, this was Naruko. It was almost impossible to tell what was going to come out of her mouth at any given time, but still. She didn't actually think that he spent hours doing his hair, did she?!

"I don't use gel. My hair is just naturally this way." He explains.

"Wait. That's NATURAL? No way." Naruko exclaims and Sasuke rolls his eyes good-naturedly.

He had no idea how she did it. One moment, they were kissing like lovers and the next, they sounded like bickering Genin. Amazing. He had never seen someone who could switch topics so quickly before.

"Yes, it's natural. I think that's enough talking about hair for one night though." He mutters.

"Oh right. Right. Sorry, but you started it." She mumbles.

"I know. I know. Come on. Let's get some sleep." He says as he curls up in a rather large sleeping bag, gesturing for her to join him.

Naruko definitely knew that she was blushing now, but she lays next to him. After all, they had already slept together once. There wasn't really a reason to protest doing so. That and Sasuke was warm.

"Uchihas really are a Fire Clan. You're so hot!" She says as she curls up against him.

"Thanks." Sasuke says with a smirk.

"BASTARD! That's not what I meant! I just meant that you're really warm. I swear you're hotter than most people. It's like you're a living electric blanket or something." The blonde ninja stammers.

Sasuke rolls his eyes playfully. He knew exactly what she meant. That didn't mean he wasn't going to tease her about it. It was fun to get under her skin and ridiculously easy to do so.

"I've never really noticed. I think I'm normal temperature, but I guess that is good. At least you won't be cold in the winter." He replies.

"Yeah. I guess so." She mumbles as she makes sure to zip up the sleeping bag around them.

"Goodnight, Naruko." He says as he closes his eyes.

"Night, Sasuke." The blue eyed ninja says.

Naruko waits for a few minutes. Once she was sure that Sasuke was actually asleep, she wraps his arms around him and snuggles against his chest more. Ah that was better. Nice and warm.

If nothing else, Sasuke was a really good kisser and surprisingly cuddly. She could work with that. It was a start.

Meanwhile back in the Leaf, Naruko's and Sasuke's parents were having another meeting. After all, they were friends and going to in-laws. They should get to know each other even better. That and they had a wedding to plan.

"Shouldn't we wait until they get back to continue with the wedding plans?" Minato asks.

"NO! When they get back, we'll have lots of options ready for them!" Kushina yells at her husband.

Really, men were absolutely clueless when it came to weddings. She couldn't believe that he had even asked that! Why should they waste time? It wasn't like they were going to finalize anything, until the kids got back!

"Minato, women become rather vicious when weddings are involved. Even sweet kittens like Mikoto, become terrifying tigresses. It's best just to humor them." Fugaku says knowledgably.

"I believe that you are right, my friend." The blonde agrees.

Mikoto and Kushina give their husbands dirty looks. How dare they imply that they were crazy?! Really, what was wrong with wanting to ensure that their children had the best wedding possible?!

"Mikoto, don't give me that look." Fugaku says with a sigh.

He absolutely loathed it when his wife was upset, particularly when she was upset with him. He was only teasing. The Uchiha Patriarch certainly hadn't meant anything malicious by it.

"Hmpf!" She grumbles.

"Kitten, don't be that way. You know that I was only jesting." He says and Mikoto turns her back on him.

Kushina does the same to Minato. That would teach them a lesson. Honestly, you would think that they would understand the importance of their babies' wedding!

"Kushina, I think that you both know that we were just joking. Please don't take it to heart." The Fourth Hokage pleads with his fiery wife.

"I hope you two know that you are the ones who are going to do the bulk of the heavy lifting." Kushina informs him.

Minato raises an eyebrow. Sometimes he didn't understand his wife. What was she even talking about?

"I'm sorry, dear. You lost me. What are we lifting exactly?" He asks.

"The chairs and tables for the wedding." Kushina clarifies with a smirk.

Fugaku and Minato sigh. Damn. They had walked right into that one. Their wives were just as sneaky as they were beautiful.

"That's fair enough. I hope that their mission will be successful." Fugaku says.

"It should be. I made sure that they only had one sleeping bag." Mikoto says with a giggle.

The Uchiha Patriarch raises an eyebrow. Really? Even he wasn't that devious. Sometimes, his wife really scared him.

"Let the world be thankful that you decided you preferred being a housewife instead of going into interrogation. You frighten me." He mutters.

"Mmm. I would never use my powers for evil." She tells him and kisses his forehead with a smile.

Kushina tilts her head. She really didn't get it. What was with the Uchiha obsession with foreheads. It didn't make any sense.

"Something wrong?" Minato asks in confusion.

"Not really. I just don't get why they all kiss or poke foreheads. It's a little strange." The red head whispers.

"I've never understood it either. I suppose every family has their own eccentricities." He offers and Kushina nods.

It must be an Uchiha thing. Yes, that had to be it. She couldn't help but wonder, if Naruko would ever adopt the strange habit.

Elsewhere in the Cloud Village, A frowns. He had just finished reading Minato's leader and to say the least. He was not amused.

Dear Lord Raikage.

I am writing to inform you that I have dispatched a two person team to escort Lord Ayaki to your village. This team consists of my daughter and Sasuke Uchiha. They should be arriving before the month is out.

Hoping that you are well, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage.

"He's sending his daughter out with an Uchiha? Surely, that is a sign that something is amiss." He mutters.

"I don't see what the big deal is. He probably just wanted to be sure that she would be safe on the mission. After all, you know what their eyes can do. The Hokage was probably being cautious." Killer B says.

A raises an eyebrow. He wondered if his brother was actually that foolish. Did he really think that that was all there was to it? No, the Fourth Raikage was certain that there was more going on than meets the eye.

"Do you actually believe that?" He demands.

"Sounds more likely than not. If he's thinking of trying something, he'll soon be taught a lesson. What would the benefit of sending his daughter and an Uchiha out here alone? If it's a siege attempt, they are going to need more than two people." B reasons.

"Don't be a fool. That girl is a Jinchuuriki! Don't underestimate her! That and the boy is an Uchiha. You know what their eyes are capable of as well as I do." He lightly scolds his brother.

Killer B sighs. That was a good point. If the Nine Tails got loose, that might be the end of them all. Though he did have the Eight Tails. That combined with their village's other strengths, might be enough to save them.

"The Leaf knows that we have the Eight Tails. Why would they risk an attack like that?" He asks.

"You're right. Maybe, I'm just being paranoid. Still it wouldn't hurt to be careful. We'll know soon enough. They are on their way here." He mutters.

The next day, Sasuke wakes up before Naruko. Hmm. That was weird. He didn't remember the sleeping bag coming with any pillow, but his head was definitely on a rather nice set of pillows.

Warm, soft, and squishy. Hmm. Since when were pillows that squishy and warm. Whatever. It was quite comfortable and the half awake Uchiha wasn't in the mood to analyze the situation further at the moment.

"Good morning. I was wondering when we would be heading out?" Ayaki asks as he pokes his head in.

That's when he saw that Naruko was still asleep, but Sasuke wasn't. The Uchiha's head was currently resting on top of where Naruko's breasts likely were. Maybe he should have knocked first.

"Forgive me! Forgive me! I had no idea! We can leave whenever you are ready. I didn't mean to interrupt anything!" He exclaims.

"Mmm. What's going on?" Naruko asks as she wakes up and looks around in confusion.

Sasuke gives Ayaki a dirty look. Now he realized why he had pillows. Damn it. This was embarrassing!

"Nothing. Go back to sleep. It's still early yet." Sasuke tells her.

"What's Lord Ayaki yelling his head off about? Were we under attack or something?" The blonde asks in confusion.

Sasuke shakes his head. No, they weren't under attack. Though in all honesty, he was seriously considering having a go at the Nobleman. How on Earth was he supposed to explain this?

"We aren't under attack. He's just easily startled." Sasuke says.

It wasn't a complete lie. The Nobleman was easily started. The idiot had just walked in on an engaged couple and was surprised that they were laying with each other in an intimate fashion?!

The raven haired ninja didn't think that it mattered much that they weren't a normal engaged couple. It wasn't like Ayaki knew that! That idiot could have walked in on them together for all he knew.

"Oh alright. Ayaki, you alright?" Naruko asks innocently.

"Yes, Lady Uzumaki. I didn't mean to wake you. I suppose it was a little early. I'm sorry, if I disturbed your quality time with your fiancé. Forgive me." He pleads.

"Yeah. It is pretty early. Wait. What are you apologize for. All we were doing was sleeping?" The Jinchuuriki inquires in an utterly baffled fashion.

That's when the Uchiha gives Ayaki a Death Glare. He had better not say anything. If he did, Sasuke might kill him long before they ever got to the Cloud Village.

That would be a shame. He did want his first mission with Naruko to be successful. Still it would be for the greater good. If the Nobleman said anything about where his head was resting, clearly he was too stupid to pollute the gene pool later on.

"Nothing. Nothing. I'll see you soon. You should get some sleep." He says as he darts off.

Once he was out of the Uchiha's sight, the Nobleman gulps. That was a close one. Sasuke certainly didn't appreciate having his private time with his fiancée interrupted. Then again, who could blame him? Any man would want to be alone with a beautiful woman like that!

"Bastard, I know you're hiding something from me and I want to know what it is. Don't make me ask Ayaki!" Naruko warns him.

"Naruko, just forget it. It's not a big deal!" Sasuke mutters.

His Vixen was apparently not in the mood to forget it though. She climbs out of the sleeping bag and pins him to it. The blonde was suddenly straddling his waist.

"No! I want to know what the big deal is! Why did Ayaki blush like an Academy Student?" The blue eyed ninja demands.

"Naruko, it isn't important. Just let it go. Come on. Let's get some breakfast or something. It's early. If we leave now, we can get a few more hours of traveling in." Her fiancé suggests.

"Sasuke, tell me right now. If you don't, I'm going to march out there and let Ayaki know that you just love cuddling and it is an Uchiha thing." The blonde threatens.

Her future husband blinks. Damn. He didn't know that she was that vicious. That was more than a little scary actually. He couldn't believe that she would fight that dirty.

"That was evil." He mutters.

"I know, but did it work? Because I so totally mean it. I will do it. I'm not joking!" The Leaf Ninja assures him.

Sasuke sighs. This wouldn't end well. Either Ayaki was going to think that his Clan was a Clan of Cuddlers or Naruko was going to Rasengan him for being a pervert!

He hadn't even done it on purpose! Sasuke was sleeping and at some point, the Uchiha must have ended up in that position. It was innocent!

"Alright. I'm not really sure how or when it happened, but somehow my head ended up laying on your breasts. Ayaki came in and saw. That's what happened." He admits.

"You are such a pervert! I can't believe that you did that while I was sleeping!" She yells at him.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" He snaps at her.

Naruko rolls her eyes. She didn't believe that for a minute. This from the man who made the orange comment and kissed her last night. Yes, it was all innocent. Sure.

"And don't roll your eyes at me! I'm telling the truth!" Sasuke growls.

"Whatever you say. Hmpf!" She says as she gets off of him and heads out of the tent.

"He is actually telling the truth. Though I am not certain why it would upset you so much, if he wasn't. You certainly didn't mind being in his arms last night. I expect that you will be expecting your first litter before the year is out at this rate." Kurama tells her.

Naruko blushes beat red. Damn it. Sasuke had actually been telling the truth?! Why didn't Kyuubi tell her that before she stormed off?!

"You know, you could have told me that sooner!" She snarls at him.

"I could have, but this was much more amusing." Kurama replies.

The blonde grumbles. She was going to have to apologize to Sasuke. This was so embarrassing.

She didn't even know where to begin. He was probably really angry that she didn't' believe him when he was telling the truth. This was about more than him accidentally using her breasts as pillows. This was about trust.

"Ayaki, we are heading out." Sasuke says simply as he begins to pack up the camp.

"Already? It's alright, if you two would like a bit more time. I really don't mind waiting." He says.

"We're good." Sasuke snaps at him.

He couldn't believe this. Naruko was mad at him for something that he hadn't even done on purpose. If Itachi ever found out about this, he would never let him live it down.

Damn it and things had been going so well last night too. Sasuke had thought that they were making real progress. It was one step forward and two steps back, apparently.

"Alright, if you're sure." The Nobleman says.

"We're sure." Naruko says as they mount the horses and head off.

That was the nice thing about this mission. They didn't have to walk. That was always a bonus, she muses to herself.

Not long into their ride, Naruko notices a change in Sasuke's body language. He wasn't just annoyed anymore about earlier. He was tense. It was like he expected them to be attacked or something.

"Sasuke?" She calls out uncertainly.

"We're not in the Rice Nation, but we're fairly close. Close enough that it's possible that Sound Ninjas might be around." Sasuke warns her.

Oh. So that's why he was so tense. The Sound was definitely bad news. Orochimaru had actually been crazy enough to attack the Chunin Exams. Thankfully, it hadn't been successful.

The creep had got away though. He had also killed the Third Hokage, before her father had managed to defeat him. Then the snake had done what snakes do best. He had slithered off.

"Do you really think that they'd be this far out here?" Naruko asks.

"It's a possibility. After all, we are pretty far away from the Leaf." He mutters.

Ayaki tilts his head to the side. He had never heard of this Sound Village, but his guides certainly sounded nervous. It must have been for a very good reason. He didn't imagine that much frightened them.

"Is everything alright?" He inquires nervously.

"For now it is. It's possible that there could be enemy ninjas around here. That's possible everywhere, but I don't like the fact that we are this close to the Sound Village. Come on. Let's try to put as much distance between them and us as we can before nightfall." Sasuke says as he guides his horse to a faster gallop and soon enough his traveling companions follow suit.

Naruko bites her lower lip as she follows him. The countryside was certainly beautiful and any other time, she would have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, Sasuke was right.

There was a chance that they could be attacked. They had to protect Ayaki. This was an important mission. If they screwed this up, her father probably wouldn't ever give them a long-term mission again.

"Naruko, stop. You're shivering. It is a little cold, but it's mostly because of the wind. You're going to get sick at this rate though. Even Ayaki is wearing a traveler's cloak." Sasuke mutters as he guides his horse to a stop.

Ayaki does the same. Naruko sighs and stops her horse. She knew that Sasuke was still probably annoyed at her for not believing him. This might not be pretty.

"Yeah. I guess so." She mumbles.

"Ayaki, if you need to rest or relieve yourself, now is time. We should probably take a short break anyway. We've been riding for a few hours now." Sasuke mutters.

"Very well." Ayaki says as he climbs off his horse and rests on a rather large tree stump.

Sasuke wraps a spare cloak around Naruko. It completely dwarfed her. The Hokage's daughter was by no means small, but Sasuke was significantly larger than her. That was made rather apparent, when she was covered by his cloak.

"Thanks. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you earlier. Kurama told me what happened." She whispers.

"It's fine. It did look bad. Though it was annoying that you didn't believe me. Don't do that again." He tells her firmly.

"I'll try not to." She promises.

"Good." Sasuke says with a smile and he kisses her forehead.

This was going to take some getting used to. Before the engagement, they mostly knew each other as classmates and rivals. He was realistic enough to know that they lacked the foundation that most other engaged couples had before they entered in their marriage.

Well at least the physical attraction was there, he muses. That was something. He had no idea why he found the sight of her wrapped in his cloak so alluring. He just did.

"When Ayaki isn't watching us, do you want to kiss and make up for real?" She asks.

Sasuke smirks. Well at least he must have done SOMETHING right last night. He hadn't been entirely sure what he was doing. The Uchiha knew that he was going into this marriage woefully inexperienced in the carnal arts. Thankfully, so was Naruko. That made it a little less embarrassing.

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. We should probably get going though. I wasn't kidding about those ninjas." Sasuke says.

"I know you weren't. AYAKI! WE ARE HEADING OUT!" Naruko cries out.

With that, the three of them mounted their horses. It didn't take long for them to set off again. Naruko could only hope that they were able to get far away from the Rice Nation before any Sound Ninjas ran into them. She'd rather not have to fight while escorting Ayaki and she still wanted her makeup kisses.