Chapter 3:

Neji was this close to fuming. Breakfast was half an hour ago and Naruto was nowhere to be found. They had agreed to meet for breakfast to discuss the mission. Neji stomped down the hall, marched straight up to Naruto's door and, without knocking, let himself in.

"Naruto!" The door opened with a clunk.

Naruto lay in his bed, back to the door. The blanket was covering his body except for his right arm and his head. Naruto was sleeping with his mouth wide open. Drool was soaking the pillow under his head. He didn't answer when his name was called. Neji knew he was alive because he could hear him snoring.

"Naruto!" Neji marched over to his bed and stood over him. Naruto wasn't budging. Neji's eye twitched. His temper was mounting. "Naruto!" He kicked Naruto's leg. "Wake up!"

"Nugh…!" Naruto grabbed the corner of the blanket and covered his head, curling into a ball.

"I said, wake up!" Neji grabbed the blanket and yanked it off Naruto's body. Naruto curled into a tighter ball, moaning. "And I mean now!"

Naruto's hand wandered for the blanket. It was so cold. Neji resisted the urge to stomp on his hand. Finally, Naruto responded. He opened his eyes and squinted up at Neji. "What?"

"I told you to get up some time ago."

Naruto turned over and stretched. "Uh-huh," he yawned.

"I'm not going to tell you again. Now get up."

Naruto flopped onto the bed, sprawled out like a starfish. "Why are you so grumpy?"

"Because you missed breakfast and the further details of our mission."

Naruto sat up. "I slept in? What time is it?"

"It's 10:30."

"Crap! I overslept!" Now Naruto was fully awake. "Why didn't you get me up?"

"I tried. You wouldn't leave your bed. No matter how many times I asked. You're lucky Sakura didn't come up here to get you. She was looking to deck you good." Neji dropped the blanket on the floor. "I opted to do it because I had a feeling if she was the one, she would put you to sleep for good."

Naruto shuddered at the thought. "Is there any food left?"

"No. Consider that your punishment."

Naruto was about to say something then stopped. He looked around the room and then down at his torso. He frowned in confusion.

"What is it?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nothing. It was a dream I had last night. That's all."

Neji turned away. "Hurry up. We're meeting downstairs. The prince is going to give us a tour of his palace."

Naruto scowled. "Did Sakura not come up here because you told her to or because she was too busy with the prince?"

Neji didn't answer. "Just hurry up." He closed the door as he left.

This was not going to be a good day. Naruto could see that already. He still harbored negative feelings toward the prince after seeing him take an interest in Sakura. He hoped she wouldn't fall for it. Then again, the guy was a prince. He had charm, good looks, he was rich and had so much power. If she would get involved with him, and they were to marry, that would make her a queen. How could she turn that down?

What did he have to offer? His hyperactivity? His constant saying things without thinking? His ramen collection? Naruto couldn't compare to a prince.

His thoughts then turned to the dream he had last night. It was so vivid. He truly believed he had run with foxes just last night. He could remember every detail so clearly. And those foxes. Ryosuke seemed so real. Everything seemed so real. He could swear it actually happened. Looking down at his human body and no fox tail made him realize that it was just a very vivid dream. But a good one at that. Maybe that was why he hadn't gotten up when Neji told him to. Maybe he was still stuck in a dream.

Naruto started to get undressed and into his regular clothes when something stopped him. It was his feet. They were covered in dirt. He even had flakes of dirt in his bed. Even dirty footprints on the white sheets. No, those were hand-prints. Naruto looked down at his hands. They, too, were covered in dirt.

Why was there dirt in his bed? Why were his hands and feet covered in dirt?

Unless...

"It wasn't a dream."

Naruto gasped. It really happened. He had turned into a fox that night. He really did run with foxes to the waterfall and down the mountain. It all happened.

He was so excited. He wanted to tell the others. Then he stopped, remembering what Ryosuke had said. If he spoke about the curse, if he told it to anyone, they would get cursed as well. He couldn't do that to his friends. He had to keep this to himself. Even though he didn't think being a fox was that bad, they might not appreciate it as much as he did. This would have to be his little secret.

It was time for a tour of the palace. The prince took them up and down the halls, showing them every room. He showed them a lounge area with many cushioned chairs and love seats. More paintings hung in there. The library was even bigger than the lounge. Books were packed into shelves reaching the ceiling, which was rather large considering the library had two floors. A spiral metal staircase was in the corner which took them to the next level, complete with loft. There were polished wooden tables in the middle of the room and couches along the walls. Naruto wasn't very interested in this room very much. There was something called a morning room which the prince took them to next. It looked like a greenhouse in Naruto's opinion. There were plants lining the walls and the room was domed with an elaborate skylight. The room itself was round and there was only one window but it wrapped around the entire room so they would see the garden and the landscape just beyond the white walls. It really was beautiful. A single table sat in the center of the room with two chairs. The prince said he often came up here alone to eat his morning meals or have his tea. As he said that, he gave Sakura a longing look and Naruto just about threw a fit.

They went outside next to another part of the garden which no one could see or get to except from a single door located inside the mansion. It took them to a garden which was surrounded by a koi pond. The large fish jumped from the water the moment they arrived, splashing them as if in welcome. A pavilion sat on the pond perched on its own grassy island. Its warm polished wood shone as if it had just been dipped in honey and the light blue roof looked as if it were a piece of the sky. The trees that grew here were smaller and thinner than the ones growing on the rest of the property, which gave more focus on the flowers and the pond. Everything in this garden was growing strong and healthy.

"It's beautiful," said Sakura. She was staring wide-eyed at the garden in awe.

"It's my private garden," said the prince. He seemed to be quite proud of it. "There's only one way into this area and it's through the door I just showed you. It's one of my favorite places to go." Akio moved closer to Sakura. "I thought it was the most beautiful thing I ever laid eyes on until I saw you."

Sakura turned to the prince, blushing. She was so flattered she was speechless.

Naruto did the talking for her. He forced himself between them and shoved them apart. "Break it up, you two! Stop saying those things, you pervert!"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped. "Don't speak to him like that!"

"He's was practically mauling you!"

"He was not!"

"He got closer! If I didn't step in, he could have-"

"I was just being friendly," said Akio. "I'm sorry if I offended her in any way."

Naruto snarled. "Why is it always about her? You're pissing me off, too, you know!"

Akio ignored him and gave Sakura a sad look. "I've very sorry if I upset you. Please forgive me."

"No, no!" she shook her head. "I'm not offended at all. Don't worry about it. You don't have to be sorry for anything."

"Yes, he does!"

Neji slapped Naruto in the back of the head.

The door opened behind them and a servant bowed. "Prince Akio. We need you, my lord. There is a matter you must see to at once."

"I'm on my way." Akio turned back to the ninja. "If you'll please excuse me." He hurried inside and went with the servant. The door was left open as a hint for the ninja to leave the garden as soon as possible.

Sakura punched Naruto in the back of his head. "You idiot! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me? It was the prince who-"

"Where do you get off speaking to him like that? He's a prince! You don't talk to a prince like that!"

"But he was trying to put the moves on you!"

"He was not!"

"I saw the whole thing!" Naruto folded his arms, convinced he had done nothing wrong. Every action he took was justified. "He would have kiss you, too, if I hadn't come along to save you."

Sakura punched him again. "What makes you think I need to be saved?!"

Sai titled his head, trying to read the situation. "I got it." Sai snapped his fingers. "So, I was right. Naruto is jealous of the prince."

"I am not!"

"You're not? Your actions say you are. Either you're denying it or I'm misinterpreting."

"He's denying it," said Neji.

"I am not jealous! The guy's a perv!"

"He is not! He's a prince!" Sakura shoved Naruto out of her way. "Really! At least he knows how to be a gentleman!"

Naruto folded his arms again. "I'm not jealous."

Evening was approaching quickly. The shinobi were treated to a lovely dinner before sunset in the dining hall. For the entire afternoon, they saw very little of the prince as he busied himself with his royal duties. He barely had time for the tour of his palace. Now he was able to share a meal with them and chat. At least until he had to retire for the night.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more of a host to you. I'm very busy."

"It's alright. We took a look around the grounds and the servants answered a few of our questions. After that we went into town and took a look around there."

It was true. Neji said they should interview the people in town to see if anyone had any ill will toward the prince. So far that was not the case. As a matter of fact, everyone loved the prince and thought he was doing a great job. He made sure they had enough food, taxes were down and he always seemed like such a kind young man. In fact, every year, the prince allowed the common folk into his mansion for a party. It was a grand celebration with plenty of music and dancing and more food than they knew what to do with. No one in town seemed to have any problem with him at all and couldn't understand why he would receive threats from anyone. He was a kind man beloved by all who knew him.

The servants had very little negative things to say about him. For many of the servants, it was his family who took them in when they had nowhere else to go. They were given a permanent home in the palace and got to live there for free. They were even allowed to eat all their meals for free. They were given a salary but because so much was provided for them, they didn't know what to spend it on. They were given time off when needed and physical punishment was never used. They loved the royal family. Everyone was devastated when the king and queen passed away a few years back. Luckily, they had raised the prince up right and he carried on the family duties and treated the servants just as his parents had before him. Nothing had really changed. The prince was very kind and understanding. They could find very little fault with him and how he ran things.

"Do you have any enemies outside the area? Someone who would want to do harm to you or your people?"

"No. I've never been out of the area. As long as I've lived, I've never been off this land."

One of the servants nodded. "It's true. Prince Akio has never left. He does not travel. He is always here."

"Did the king and queen travel? Maybe they made some enemies."

"Doubtful. The king and queen got along very well with almost everyone. I don't see how anyone would want to hurt them or the family."

Naruto poked at his green chives. "Yeah..." he mumbled bitterly. "Don't see that happening..."

"I'm sorry for saying this," said Neji, "but there doesn't seem to be any urgency. We were called here to do a mission and so far, everything seems fine. I'm a bit confused."

"So far no one has acted against the prince," said a servant. "However, these threats left us feeling concerned. And some of the people in town said they were seeing some strange things happening and we thought it could be related."

"We'll have to do more investigating tomorrow. Today we just asked if anyone would want to hurt the royal family. We didn't ask anything further. I think we should do that in the morning."

Prince Akio smiled sympathetically from the head of the table. "This must be a very boring mission for you. My servants convinced me to call for your help thinking my life was in danger."

"But it might be. What if something happens to you when the ninja aren't here?"

"I'm sure they have better things to do than protect me."

"Our mission is to protect you," said Sakura. "Nothing is more important to us than that at the moment."

The prince gave Sakura a smile. "You are very kind. I can tell you must have a very kind and generous heart. But I'm sure people tell you that all the time."

Naruto slurped his soup nosily, glaring daggers at the prince.

"Is something the matter, Naruto?" asked the prince.

Naruto's response bubbled in the broth. He lowered the bowl and continued to glare at the prince. Sakura glared back at him, as if daring him to give her a reason to punch him. He looked away. Sakura must have still been in a bad mood.

"If the food is not to your liking, I can ask the cooks to prepare something else for tomorrow's dinner. Do you have any requests?"

Naruto didn't answer. He was keeping an eye on the prince's hand, which was mere inches from Sakura's. Unable to stand it anymore, Naruto stood up from the table. "I have to use the bathroom."

Naruto felt everyone's eyes upon him as he left the dining hall. His footsteps echoed off the shining walls and the large doors groaned shut behind him. The prince was right about one thing. This mission was very boring. He almost wished for enemies to attack right now just so he could unleash this pent-up rage boiling inside of him.

He went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water in hopes of getting his blood to cool down. "Who does that prince think he is? He's hitting on her. Can't she see that? What a jerk!"

Naruto marched back and forth on the tiled floor, fuming. He was so pissed off he wanted to punch the prince right in the face. He didn't like the way he looked at Sakura. He hated how he was flirting with her.

"She's eating it up, isn't she? Sakura's loving this! How could she like the guy? Take away the fact that he's a prince with more money than he knows what to do with, the palace and power, and what does he have? Just his good looks and his charm..." Naruto sighed. "Maybe I am jealous... What if she actually likes the guy?"

He stopped pacing the floor. Maybe he was over-thinking this. There was no way Sakura would be interested. Even if she was, it would never work.

"What am I getting so worked up about? I've got to put it out of my mind."

Suddenly, Naruto lost his balance and dropped to his knees. He was on all fours. He looked down and saw paws. His paws. He spun around and saw a bushy fox tail. He was covered in fur! He was a fox!

"It wasn't a dream!"

How? Why was this happening to him? He was human a moment ago. The change was so quick he didn't even notice it. Now he was a fox. Naruto looked from side to side. He couldn't stay here. What if someone found him?

He went over to the door and tried to open it. He was much smaller now and couldn't reach the knob. He jumped and tried to turn it with both paws. It worked on his second try and the door opened. He pushed his way out with his nose and went into the hall. There were no servants around. He could sneak out. He crept down the deserted hallway, moving passed the paintings on the wall which seemed to stare at him as if he wasn't welcome. Even the prince's portrait stared at him with warning eyes, telling him to leave. Naruto made it to the main staircase and took it one step at a time. The carpet felt soft on his paws and allowed him to travel without making a sound.

The next challenge was going to be the door. These doors were big and heavy. He couldn't open them with his paws. No matter how many times he tried, it wasn't happening. Maybe there was a window he could use. He walked down another hallway. There were plenty of windows but none of them were open. They were so tall, they reached from floor to ceiling. As he passed one of the rooms, he noticed that there was an open window by a desk. What luck! He hurried inside and scampered onto the table. He was just small enough to squeeze through. He climbed onto the windowsill and escaped into open air.

It was twilight. The sun had set and the first of the stars were beginning to appear. Naruto made a break for it. He ran to the front gate and squeezed through the metal bars and into town. He had to find the foxes. He had to get answers. He knew this wasn't a dream now. Everything that happened that night was for real. It truly happened. Which meant the foxes were real as well. They could help him. They had to.

He went straight into the forest to where he had first met them. They weren't there. Naruto waited a few minutes hoping they would show up. When they didn't, he started searching. He didn't have to look far. The foxes were just starting to arrive.

"Hello, Naruto. Welcome back."

Naruto went up to the small group. Only four had shown up so far. The green-eyed fox was among them. "Ryosuke, I have some questions."

"Sure thing. What is it? Race tips?"

"No, not that. I was wondering..." Naruto gestured to himself with his paw. "This morning I was back to being human. And just a few minutes ago, I changed and now I'm a fox again."

"Yeah."

"Why is that?"

"Oh, you'll turn into a fox every night at sunset. You'll turn back to a human when it comes up."

Naruto cocked his head. "So... I'm a were-fox?"

Ryosuke laughed uneasily. "Well, the curse is different for everyone."

"Come on!" whined Ishi. "Let's go! I'm starving!"

Ryosuke nodded. "We'll talk later. We have all night. Let's get some food now."

We're going to find things out very soon. There must be a reason why they didn't explain everything to Naruto right away.

Something must be going on...

Please review! ^-^