Chapter 19:

It was the early hours of the morning, but everyone in the palace was wide wake. The ovens and stoves were on and the cooks were rushing around the kitchen, preparing food for their prince. The servants brought the true prince food as quickly as possible. Having been trapped in that painting for years had given Akio quite an appetite. He was given soup to start with and was told to eat slowly, but the prince was so hungry, he slurped up the soup as quickly as he could and asked for more.

He wasn't the only one given a 3:00am snack. The servant and maid who had also been under a curse were given something to eat as well. They were even allowed to sit at the prince's table with him and the ninja. The assassin was given a meal of his own and the prince ordered the lord and other assassins to be released from their cell at once. They were given a hot bath and a warm place to sleep, far away from the basement.

"So, wait a minute. You're the real prince Akio?" Neji asked, holding an ice pack to his head. He had a small bump where Naruto had struck him with the candlestick holder. He didn't seem too upset about that at the moment. He was more concerned about the prince's story. "So, all this time, we were working for an imposter?"

"Precisely." The prince finished off his third helping of soup and started to devour a loaf of bread while he waited for more. Akio looked sick compared to the image Reevo had taken on. Reevo had assumed the prince's form when he was healthy. After being trapped in that painting, the prince had grown pale and thin. He was weak from his ordeal and needed help getting around. To help keep him warm, the servants placed a blanket around his shoulders and fed him hot things to eat.

"All this time it was a fox?" Neji was stunned.

"It's true," said Sakura. "I was cursed, too. He turned me into a piece of glass and was going to shatter me. If Naruto and that other fox hadn't been there to help, I would be dead right now."

"So, you were aware of everything that was going on around you?" Sai asked Naruto's question before he had a chance to.

"Yeah. It was so strange." Sakura looked like it was an ordeal she would rather not live through again. "I couldn't move or do anything. But I could see and hear everything that was happening. It's like watching a movie, I guess. You can see what's happening on the screen but you can't interfere with anything that goes on. It was scary. And really uncomfortable."

Akio nodded. "From time to time, the fox would come by my painting and taunt me. I wanted so much to escape that hell and put an end to all this. But I couldn't. I couldn't even warn anyone what was happening in the palace. No one knew it wasn't the real me. That was the worst part. No one knew anything was amiss. They never even knew I was gone. That fox was ruining everything and everyone thought it was me. It was awful."

"How did that happen in the first place?" Neji asked.

Akio told them the story. "I was in my private garden one evening and suddenly this fox showed up and turned into me. He was using my image to fool people into thinking he was really me. He said he couldn't have two princes running around and that he knew I would tell everyone so he had to keep me quiet and out of the way. That's when he cursed me. He turned me into a painting and mounted me on the wall. Everyday people I knew passed me by and I couldn't even yell for help. I couldn't move or even make a sound. I wanted to warn them so much but there was nothing I could do."

Sakura nodded sympathetically. She knew exactly how he felt having been cursed herself.

"So, a fox was to blame." Sai nodded his head. "I see. So perhaps to prevent this from happening again, we should put an end to those foxes."

"No!" Naruto shouted. "It was just one fox that did it. Not all of them. And that fox cursed a bunch of them as well."

"Besides, one of those foxes helped defeat that fox," said Sakura. "It protected me."

"Those kitsune are my friends!" Naruto blurted out. Since he was no longer cursed, he didn't see a problem with telling them the truth. "When I was cursed, they helped me out. If it hadn't been for the work we did together, we would have never found out that Reevo was pretending to be the prince or where the real one was."

"But if the foxes are a danger..."

"No," said Akio. "The foxes aren't the issue. It was just that one. We cannot condemn all humans because of one doing something evil. Same thing goes for the kitsune. There are good ones among the bad. We can't punish them all."

Akio made a good point. Naruto was starting to like this Akio better than the other one. Plus, this one had yet to flirt with Sakura.

"It's up to you," said Neji. "You are the prince. It's your call."

Akio already knew what his answer was going to be. "The kitsune aren't unreasonable. My parents made deals with them in the past and they are very good about keeping their word. If it hadn't been for that one rouge fox, none of this would have happened. He was pinning everyone against each other. Now that he's gone and I am back in charge, we can get things back to proper working order. I know it will be hard work, but I'm sure everything will return to normal."

"Should we tell the people in town that you were being impersonated?" asked Sakura.

"No. I don't want them to worry," said Akio. "I think it's best if they didn't know. So far, as you said, the people in town didn't have many negative things to say about me. So, I see no reason to tell them. I don't want to start a panic."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Neji.

Akio then turned to Naruto. "I would like to thank you, Naruto. You passed by my painting several times. You seemed to know something was amiss. Thank you for uncovering the truth and helping everyone. I'm very grateful."

Naruto chuckled. "Aw, I didn't do that much. It was Ryosuke who took down Reevo and freed everyone."

"I'm grateful to both of you."

This Akio was much better than the fake one. It was still hard to believe that this young man at the table was once a painting mounted on a wall. "And if it weren't for the kitsune training me, I might have never been able to help out as much as I did. When I was a fox, I lost all of my ninja abilities. I was helpless. They showed me how to survive." Naruto looked down at the table. "And how hard their lives were."

Now that the curse was lifted, there were more kitsune than before. There was barely enough food for them as it was.

"Hey, Akio," Naruto said, his face serious. "Those foxes have had it really rough. Not only have half of them been cursed like you, but they've also been starved. When Reevo took your place, he stopped the offerings the foxes relied on every night. He did it to force them to enter the town to find food. I lived as one of them for a week. I saw how hard it was. They have so little food in the mountain and a lot of animals have left the area. Can you please make sure they get their offerings? They really, really need them. They have so little and now that a lot of them have been freed, they have even more mouths to feed. Please don't let them starve. They're only coming into town because they have to. Some humans even attacked them for going through the trash."

"I understand." Akio gave Naruto a sincere smile. "There's no need to worry. I plan on ordering everyone to leave out the offerings from now on. A promise is a promise. And if that Reevo hadn't shown up, it would have never been broken in the first place."

The real Akio was so understanding. He knew how tough things must have been for the kitsune.

Naruto was so relieved. The offerings were going to return. Things were looking up for Ryosuke and the others.

The following day, the real Prince Akio returned to his royal duties after sleeping in his own bed for most of the morning. Come afternoon, he was well rested and ready to work. The first thing he did was order the people in town to start putting out offerings at night. Because the prince requested it, the people obeyed without question. That is, except for one stubborn old man who demanded to know why they should cater to wild animals. Some people standing by waited for an answer, curious themselves. The prince simply stated that life would get worse for both parties if the offerings were not given. The foxes would continue to raid the trash at night and dig up the farm. If the offerings were laid out at the end of the day, no one, not even the old man, would have to see them in town anymore. The old man liked the sound of that. He didn't want to see the foxes at all.

Akio then told the people that the foxes were good friends of his and with their help, cased evil from the town. He also told them that as long as they were good to the foxes, the foxes would in turn be good to them. Even protect them from harm if need be. The young children were inspired by those words and begged their parents to leave the foxes good offerings that night. Some even wanted to get started right away and started filling bowls with vegetables, which the children didn't want to eat anyway.

"Thanks," Naruto told the prince.

Akio nodded his head in reply. "So, you say you were a fox for a time, Naruto? What was it like?"

"They're great," Naruto said honestly. "They're close to each other. Even when they saw I was a human, even though a lot of them were scared of humans, they still accepted me and helped me out. We became really good friends. I'm glad I met them."

Akio smiled. "Maybe one day I will get to meet them, too." He chuckled. "One who will not curse me, at least."

Naruto gave a halfhearted grin.

"My parents were fond of them, I think. Perhaps that is why they made that deal with them. I'm not certain of the details. But I doubt they only helped out of pity or to have peace. I believe there was more to it than that."

Naruto looked at the mountain, thinking about the kitsune and wondering how they were doing.

"Did you know that this land was originally theirs to begin with?" asked Akio.

"Yeah," said Naruto. "They mentioned it to me."

"I wasn't aware of that. My parents told me. Once they took me to the edge of the town and pointed at a small shrine beside the dirt road. It was a wooden box with a stone fox inside. They said that it was proof that this land was once theirs. They even told me that there was an old legend to go along with it."

"Really?" Naruto was interested.

"They told me that long ago, before humans came to settle here, many terrible creatures and spirits used to cause trouble on the land. They would torment the kitsune as well. They were enemies. But there were so many of them and the kitsune couldn't hold them all back for long. Once the creatures were chased off the land, they would return. So, the elder kitsune decided to sacrifice himself to keep the land safe. He used his power to banish the wicked creatures and spirits from the land, but in doing so, he used all of his power and was reduced to nothing more than a stone statue. The stone fox in that shrine is a reminder of what he had done to keep this land safe. Afterwards, humans came to this land looking for a safe place to settle. That was why the humans came here to live and one of the many reasons why the kitsune never left. This land was made safe for them by the elder fox of legend."

Naruto remembered that fox statue by the road as they came to the town. Hearing the story made Naruto's heart beat quickly. The very thought of stumbling on the legendary fox protector was...

"Of course, it is just a story," said Akio. "Even my parents weren't sure if it was real or not."

Even so, it was pretty amazing.

"So when will your ninja group be departing?" asked Akio. "I want to give you all a nice meal before you go. Nothing too extravagant, but something to show you how grateful I am and how pleased I am to have you with me. Even if I didn't personally hire you for a mission."

"Actually," said Naruto, "I asked by team if we could stay one extra night. There's something I wanted to do before leaving."

Akio smiled. "Pleased to hear it. I wish to do something as well."

That evening, as soon as the light disappeared from the sky, Naruto set out one last time to meet the kitsune. He left the palace alone and walked slowly into the town. No one followed him. He wanted it that way. He walked to the edge of town and stood in front of the forest, waiting. Tonight, he wouldn't be going in.

All was quiet. The town was still. The forest was slowly coming to life. Within a few seconds, Naruto could hear the faint buzzing of insects and saw the dim light from the fireflies. They circled the air, gleaming a dull yellow-green, slowly fading in and out of sight as they flew.

Another light from the forest caught his eye. This one was much larger and a different color. Naruto heard the crunching of leaves and the snapping of twigs as someone shuffled from the shadows.

"Hey, Ryosuke."

The two-tailed fox emerged from the forest and stood before Naruto, a faint light glowing around his tails. He smiled when he saw his friend and came forward. "I thought you would have left by now, Naruto."

Naruto shook his head. "No. I convinced my group to stay one more night. We leave in the morning." Naruto looked Ryosuke up and down feeling very proud of him. He looked stronger than he was before. "I just wanted to say good-bye. And check up on you guys."

Ryosuke smiled. "The offerings have returned. There was a lot of food tonight. We found it in the usual spot."

Naruto made sure that the offerings returned. True to his word, the prince ordered everyone to put out food that night. Naruto was a witness. Naruto also witnessed the people leaving the food where the kitsune would find it. He watched the food pile up, growing bigger and bigger with everyone's contribution. What made Naruto most pleased was that after dinner, the prince ordered that all the leftovers be taken and placed with the other offerings. A lot of their food was from the prince's table.

"The real prince gave you food from his table, too. He said that even if people in town don't want to participate, he'll do his part and lead through example. He wants to help, too."

"And help he did," said Ryosuke. "The pack has already started eating. The food amount is so large, we can have our own feast. Even if we all eat our fill, there will be leftovers. He has our thanks."

"Your group's gotten a lot bigger. I'm glad everyone has enough."

"Yes. It's wonderful."

There was so much Naruto wanted to say. This could very well be the last time they saw each other. Naruto had gotten rather fond of them so a part of him didn't want to leave. But, as with Jack, he knew they had to part.

"How is Seki doing? And his brother?"

Ryosuke smiled. "They're both well. They're catching up on lost time. They spend all their time together. I'm happy that they've reunited."

"And what about you?" asked Naruto. "Are you...?"

Ryosuke gave him a proud smile and stood up tall. "I'm their leader. They see me as one, they recognize me as one. I've decided to be their leader. They need me."

"Is this what you want?"

Ryosuke nodded. "I wasn't sure at first. But after speaking with you and doing some hard thinking and observing my fellow kitsune, I've realized something. Being a leader isn't about ruling so much as it is protecting. I know that I have a responsibility and I know it will be difficult. But I am willing to try my best. I will look after them. All of them. My friends are that important to me." Ryosuke winked at Naruto. "All of them."

Naruto smiled back. Ryosuke considered him a friend, even if he was no longer a kitsune.

"And Reevo..." Ryosuke began. He was looking into Naruto's eyes, wanting him to finish for him.

Naruto nodded. "I asked the prince to bury Reevo's body, but only after I get your permission to do so." Reevo was the enemy but he was also one of them. The kitsune had the right to decide what to do with his remains.

Ryosuke nodded. "He may have done terrible things, he may have hated us, he may have left us... but I still consider him one of us. I consider you one of us as well, Naruto. To us, you are a part of our pack."

Naruto nodded to him. His words meant a lot. Even Naruto considered himself a part of their group.

"I want Reevo to be buried by the boarder," said Ryosuke. "He was born a kitsune and died a kitsune. But he wanted the life of a human. So, I think he should be buried on both lands."

Naruto agreed with his decision. "That sounds perfect, Ryosuke."

"Sonar suggested that he be buried close to the stone fox on the hill. It's been years since I've seen it so I didn't know it was still there. I like the idea."

"Oh, yeah!" Naruto remembered something the prince had told him earlier that day. "The prince told me that there was a story about a kitsune that made this land safe by turning himself to stone."

Ryosuke cocked his head. "I've never heard that story before."

"Well, the prince did say it was a legend. Something that happened long before humans showed up and built the town."

"If it's that old then it's no wonder," said Ryosuke. "Legends can change over time. Some are so old that no one knows for sure what had happened. The original story with all the truth and facts about what actually happened become lost. Maybe it did happen. Maybe it didn't. Maybe something did happen but not as the legend says."

Naruto nodded. It made sense. Anyone who was a live to witness what truly happened were long dead by now. Naruto had actually wondered if the statue was someone under a curse. If that were the case, then the kitsune that cured them was still alive. But that was impossible. According to Ryosuke and the other kitsune, their ancestors were all dead. If it were Reeve who cursed them, then they would have changed back like the others when he was defeated. It couldn't have been a fox curse. Maybe there was a story to go with the statue. Or maybe it was just a simple statue and there was nothing more to it than that. Someone could have made the legend up for all he knew.

Come to think of it, there was something Naruto wasn't sure about. He had a question he wanted to ask Ryosuke before they departed.

"Say, Ryosuke... I wanted to ask you something I'm not clear on."

"Yes?"

"You guys told me that if anyone found out about the curse, then they would get cursed, too. But Sakura was hiding in the ceiling and heard everything. She must have known I was the other kitsune in the room. In fact, I know she knew. But she didn't get cursed. Well, not until Reevo did something about it. Was it that she was going to get cursed but Reevo got to her before it could happen or what? I'm confused. I thought a person got cursed once they knew what was going on."

"Oh. That." Ryosuke chuckled softly. "Yeah. We lied."

Naruto stared at Ryosuke. "Eh?!"

"Yeah. A person doesn't actually get cursed from just finding out about the curse. Sorry."

Being tricked wasn't something Naruto enjoyed. "Why would you do that?!" he demanded angrily.

"To protect you."

"Huh?" He was so confused.

Ryosuke explained. "We were worried that if you told someone about what was going on, Reevo would overhear and do something about it. He could have been in the same room as you. Or even worse, be one of the people you informed. Since we didn't know who he had transformed into, it was entirely possible."

He was right. They didn't know who Reevo was. No one knew. If Naruto had told his friends about the curse, they may have told the prince, who was really Reevo. If they had done that...

"You're right. Since we had no idea he was the prince, we would have told him and then everyone would have gotten cursed," said Naruto. "So that's why you lied? So, there was no risk of me telling anyone who might have been Reevo or someone who might have told Reevo?"

"Yes. It was to keep you and your friends safe."

"Even though we had just met and you didn't know my friends? You still wanted to protect them?"

Ryosuke nodded. "We're not vindictive. Most of us are caring. Sure, a lot of us fear humans and try to avoid them, but that doesn't mean we wish harm on you. And though I do not personally know your friends, you do. They are as important to you as my kitsune are to me." Ryosuke grinned a foxy grin. "Besides, we look out for each other. You helped us so it's only right that I return the favor."

"Yeah, but that the time you told me, I hadn't done anyone for you yet."

"Does it matter?"

Naruto smiled. "I guess not."

"And you were the first person we saw who wasn't an object. You could actually speak. You were turning into one of us. Since you could speak, we couldn't risk it. We had to tell you that lie. Besides, even if just knowing about the curse wasn't going to give someone else a curse, the danger was there and it could have led to more curses through events. So even if there wasn't a curse initially, it could have led to one."

"I see what you mean." Naruto wasn't angry that they lied to him. Even if they did tell him the real reasons for not talking about the curse, he knew he would and told his friends anyway if they badgered him about it. Even if he made them swear to keep it a secret, they may not have believed him and talk about it. They might have told the prince, trying to keep him safe and not know who he really was. Ryosuke was right to lie to him. "Thanks."

Ryosuke nodded his head.

"The prince said he would like to meet you one day."

"Really?" said Ryosuke, sounding amused. "I would think after everything that's happened that he would want to avoid kitsune. Even have a strong disliking of them."

"No. He knows it was just one kitsune and that he shouldn't represent the whole population. He knows that you guys were hurt just as much by him. And that you and I helped rescue him from his curse. He wanted to make things right with you. And to thank you. He said that if you guys ever have a problem or a comment, to come see him and he'll do his best to take care of it."

"But last night was my first time going into the palace. I never go near it. I followed you there and tracked your scent and saw the open door in the yard. If it hadn't been under those circumstances, I don't think I would have ever gone there."

"The prince sees this land as much yours as it is his. You share it. So, he wants to make sure everyone lives here in peace."

Ryosuke seemed to be thinking it over. "Ok, I'll consider it. If he's offering."

"He does like you guys." Akio was an animal lover, alright. After speaking with him, Naruto knew the land and the kitsune were in good hands. Akio was going to make sure of that.

The sky was a deep blue and there were thousands of stars sprinkled over their heads. It was getting later by the minute.

"I guess this is good-bye, Naruto."

Naruto looked into the eyes of his mentor and friend. Out of all the kitsune, Ryosuke was the first he made friends with. He was the first one to trust Naruto and vouch for him. He urged the other kitsune to not fear him. Ryosuke called him a friend. He offered to train him. It was because of his training that Naruto learned so much. Not just how to use fox magic but how to be a kitsune living in the mountains. He owed Ryosuke so much. They had become good friends. Ryosuke had matured so much during this week, even though it was Naruto who was supposed to grow.

In truth, they both had. They each grew before the other's eyes.

"Oh, I have something for you." Naruto reached into his pocket and took out a peach and held it out for Ryosuke to take. "Here. This is a part of my contribution. I put some food in the offerings, too, but I wanted you to have this piece."

Ryosuke stepped forward and took the peach from Naruto's hand. He dropped it on the ground so that he could speak. "Thanks."

"Sure thing."

A long silence passed.

"We'll be gone in the morning."

Ryosuke nodded. "You said so."

Naruto looked into the forest behind Ryosuke. "I didn't want to leave without saying good-bye to you. To all of you."

Ryosuke looked back at the forest then faced Naruto. "They will not be coming. I will give them the message."

Naruto frowned. "Can't I see them? I wanted to do it in person."

Ryosuke shook his head. "It is just you and me. Tonight, as their leader, I represent the whole group."

If Naruto had known that would have been the last time he would see all the kitsune, he would have said his good-byes at the gate rather than watch them run off. At least Seki got to thank him before leaving.

Those kitsune meant so much to him. He had so much he wanted to thank them for. He wanted to say good-bye to all of them. He wanted to see them one last time and have a proper farewell.

Naruto dropped to his knees and put his arms around Ryosuke in a heartfelt embrace. Ryosuke rested his chin on Naruto's shoulder and put his paw around his waist, returning the hug.

Naruto said his good-bye to all the kitsune through Ryosuke.

"Thanks for the training. And for the help. And for believing in me and for being my friends. Thanks for the trust and for helping me out and taking such good care of me. Thanks for letting me be a part of your world and for showing me the way. Thanks for protecting me and my friends. I'm going to miss you all."

"And I will miss you." Ryosuke licked Naruto's cheek and nuzzled his face.

They separated.

"Thanks for everything, Ryosuke."

Ryosuke grinned but it looked more melancholy than it did happy. He grinned as if his thanks was misplaced, or that it was foolish to think that he needed to thank him for anything.

"It is I who should be thanking you, Naruto," he said.

Naruto had done just as much if not more for Ryosuke and the kitsune than they had for him.

"Good-bye, you friend."

With that, Ryosuke picked up the peach in his teeth and turned away, running into the forest and out of sight.

Naruto listened to the brush and the snapping to twigs as Ryosuke left. He stood there quietly, listening until there was nothing left to hear. He watched the forest for several minutes before sighing and turned away.

He felt so alone. A part of him hoped the kitsune would come rushing out of the forest but they never did. Naruto looked at the dark homes in the town and up at the palace on the hill fenced in by the large gate. From this distance it seemed so small. Almost lonely. Yet comforting. Though the dark, quiet town did nothing to ease his loneliness. He always hated saying good-bye to friends. He hated watching them leave. It always left him feeling alone and wondering what he should do now.

As he took his first step back towards the palace through the town, he stopped, hearing something. It wasn't the rustling to leaves or the snapping of twigs. It wasn't footsteps. It was like a breeze. A very faint noise was carried with it.

It wasn't a breeze at all. It was a call.

"Narutooooooo..."

He slowly turned around. There was nothing in the forest.

"Narutooooooo...!"

Very slowly, Naruto lifted his head and faced the mountain.

From up on the cliff was Ryosuke, howling his name by the top of the waterfall. He was joined by the dozens of other kitsune, all calling out his name as loudly as they could.

"Narutooooooo!" He could hear them more clearly now. They were all shouting at once from the mountain. "Narutooooo!"

Naruto had howled his name like that his very first night as a kitsune. They confessed that foxes can howl though they don't do it very often. Naruto had a feeling this was their salute to him. This was their way of saying farewell. This was their good-bye.

"Thanks for everything!" he could hear them shout from the cliff. It was faint, but he heard it. "We'll miss you! Don't forget us! We're glad we met you! Bye, Naruto!"

Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up to them as loud as he could. "Bye, you guys! I'll miss you!"

They cheered for him. They shouted more things down to hit but it was lost in all the chatter.

"Bye!" Naruto yelled up to the cliff. "Good-bye, everyone! Bye!"

From behind him, a window opened and a frying pan hit him in the back of the head. "Shut up with all that damn racket!" yelled the old man and slammed his window shut angrily.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and aimed the frying pan at the closed window. Then he thought better of it and left it on the ground. He was screaming up to a mountain in the middle of the night. He sort of deserved it.

When he looked back at the mountain, the kitsune were gone from sight.

Naruto didn't mind. He got to say good-bye to all of them. He was satisfied with this. He didn't feel lonely anymore, either. They were with him even when he couldn't see them. They were there, watching him. Calling to him. Letting him know how much he meant to them, how grateful they were to him and how happy they were to be his friends. He accepted their good-bye.

No matter what, he would always remember them.

One chapter left to go.

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