Oh man, I wonder if anyone is still out there.
I have been kicking myself to get this chapter done, organized and what not, and I promise that it has been sitting on my lap top for some time, in bits and pieces and I was trying to find the time to get it all together and posted.
I know...I know, another whine and complain, but, I don't want anyone to think about how this is another tale that has been abandoned. It has NOT. My work is very demanding, (I work child welfare) and lately it has been insane. With understaffing, and having to cover a humongeous ( i can't spell that) caseload, I have been run off my ass. And being a mom, wife and sasunarusasu obsessed writer, and an old weeb, that is hard to keep my balance of all the fun things I wanna do with work dragging me down. Thus... my muse has been drowning and though I threw him a life preserver, I have been ignoring him while he stays afloat in the ocean of life. Poor muse, makes me feel even more bad.
Okay I've whined enough.
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The massive dark blond wolf came charging out through the trees, his body bounding through the snow and he was charged by two smaller wolves, one light brown with patches of blond throughout its fur, the other deep brown with a white belly, white tipped tail and paws. The two smaller wolves pounced on the dark blond wolf and all three fell into the snow, rolling about, yipping at each other and their tongues lapping at each other.
'NARUTO! YOU'RE HOME!' Sakura shrieked through the bond and nipped playfully at Naruto's wolf ears and pushed at him with her paws, causing Naruto to laugh and yip out playful barks.
Hinata jumped up and down, licking Naruto all over his head and head butting him as much as she could before Naruto was pushed into the snow by Sakura.
Naruto laughed through the bond, yipped out happy barks and returned the sloppy tongue kisses to his two pack members. He howled out in surprise when he felt sharp teeth bite hard on his tail. 'OOww ooww oww! Sakura! Why'd you do that!?' Naruto whined out through the bond and his wolf whimpered out in faux pain as he shuffled on the ground trying to get away from Sakura's teeth.
'You IDIOT!' Sakura growled and barked out towards the alpha wolf. 'Do you have ANY-' Sakura snapped at Naruto's tail again quickly. '-IDEA how WORRIED we all were!?' She tried to clamp down on Naruto's tail once more but growled when Naruto quickly scurried through the snow, getting away from the irate wolf. She snapped her jaws again while Naruto slipped through the snow.
'SAKURA! Please! I'm sorry! Really! SAKUR-AHHHH!' Naruto howled out when Sakura managed to bite at his tail once more.
'Sakura, do try to be nice,' Hinata yipped out. She was standing a few feet away, so as not to get in the way of Sakura's wrath. Hinata looked in through the trees to see other wolves coming. 'Kakashi-san? Is that you? Who has come with you Naruto?' Hinata called out when she began to sniff at the air.
Sakura let go over Naruto's tail immediately and turned to see Kakashi and two other wolves coming closer. She started sniffing the air with Hinata and stepped closer towards Kakashi.
Kakashi walked just in front of a silver wolf, who was walking very closely to a dark coloured wolf. The darker wolf appeared to be struggling, but was managing to walk at a slower pace, the silver wolf staying right beside him.
'Kisame and Hidan, from Uchiha pack,' Naruto called out as he jumped from the snowy ground and away from Sakura's jaws. 'Apparently Itachi sent them to see if we needed any help.' Naruto began to explain while licking at his chewed up tail. 'We came across them just at the Canadian and US border, and it was a good thing too.'
Hinata and Sakura looked over at Naruto, waiting for an explanation.
'Vampire attack,' Kakashi filled in the silence. He nodded his head at the two Uchiha wolves who came to a stop just before the Uzumaki beta wolves. Kisame was panting heavily and laid down immediately, Hidan head butted him gently before sitting beside him.
'Kisame needed some time to heal. As you can see, he's still not fully recuperated but we were able to make it back without running into anymore vampires thankfully.' Kakashi moved to headbut Sakura and Hinata before sitting in the snow. He let out a loud yawn through his muzzle.
'B-but wh-what about-' Hinata whispered.
'I'm here too,' a husky voice called out through the bond. A deep red coloured wolf stepped into the group slowly, his yellow eyes meeting with Sakura and Hinata.
'Kyuubi! You're okay!' Sakura called out before running up and pouncing on the red wolf. 'Oh my god,' Sakura licked Kyuubi, rubbing her head everywhere she touched. 'We were all so worried! When you were just g-gone and-and t-then-' Sakura choked on her words as she started crying, her wolf whimpering profusely.
'Why, why would you-' Hinata was now starting to cry as she rubbed up against Kyuubi, who was trapped beneath both beta wolves now on the ground.
'Heyyy, how come Kyuubi doesn't get bitten up like me? He was gone longer!' Naruto whined out and sat on the snow, dropping his head. His large wolf eyes looked at Hinata and Sakura widely, trying to pout.
Kakashi just chuckled in the background at the group.
'Um...excuse meeeee?' Kiba's irritated voice snapped out through the bond. 'Someone wanna tell me what is going on! And if I have to continue holding this stranger here!'
Kakashi, Naruto, Kyuubi, Sakura and Hinata all stopped what they were doing and looked over at Kiba, who still had a wolf held down under his body and his jaws were held solid on the scruff of the wolf.
'Oi! Kiba, let him go!' Naruto demanded.
Kiba's jaws immediately released the dark brown coloured wolf that he had between his jaws and stepped away from him, shaking his head in the process. The wolf didn't move from where he lay, as if he was too frightened to move.
Naruto trotted over to the brown wolf, giving him a nudge with his muzzle on the wolf's head. When the wolf didn't respond, Naruto whimpered out a few times and then laid down to shove his nose under the brown wolf's nose, giving several nudges.
Kakashi sat with Hidan and Kisame, while watching the others come closer to Utakata and Naruto. It was a big decision for Utakata to join the group for the remainder of the trip home, with the help of Naruto asking if he would help them in case vampires showed up again. Kakashi hoped that Utakata would come back with them, since Kisame began to heal after Utakata's strange bites, and Kakashi was wanting to find out more about Utakata's story of who he was. How was he able to surpass the vampire venom that was clearly killing Kisame's body? What did he have that others did not? Where did he come from? Kakashi snorted out and shook his wolf head slightly. He only hoped at the moment that Utakata would stay, no thanks to Kiba, Sakura and Hinata practically mauling him.
Utakata finally began to stir, his wounds healing up on his body that Kiba and Hinata had inflicted on him. He moaned out slightly as he slowly began to get up onto his paws, keeping his head lowered in the process.
Naruto jumped up, stepping backwards and wagging his tail letting out yips of excitement and encouragement. 'Everyone, this is Utakata, a friend that helped me and Kakashi first, then helped us as we headed back home. He was a big help to when the vampires were-'
'VAMPIRES! That's right, Kakashi said you guys were attacked!' Sakura barked out sounding alarmed. 'What the hell happened?' Sakura was rushing up to Kyuubi, sniffing and nudging at his fur, looking him over quickly.
'What the hell Naru? How? Why? Hell, you got a lot of explaining to do! Should we be setting up perimeter schedules? Maybe we should call the other packs in for protection…' Kiba began pacing about, his wolf growling and whining as he thought.
Hinata went and nudged Kyuubi with her head. 'Are you alright Kyuubi?' She sniffed about his body as with Sakura.
'I'm alright, they didn't get into me as bad as Kisame,' Kyuubi huffed out and turned to look at Kisame, the large wolf still lying on the ground panting heavily.
Sakura turned to walk towards Kisame, her nose low to the ground and she whimpered slightly, asking for permission to seek out the wolf. Kisame did nothing with his eyes closed. Hidan snarled in a low growl, his lips curling up to show his canines at Sakura, the warning apparent. Sakura whimpered slightly and turned away back to Kyuubi.
Hinata nudged Sakura, 'hey, it's okay. I'm sure that he's okay for now.'
Naruto stood before Utakata, nodding his head and yipping quietly at the large quiet wolf. Utakata shook his head and turned to lick at his healing wounds. Naruto then turned to the others, 'hey, we got lots to talk about so let's get back to the house.' He barked out the order and turned towards the house. 'I'll help Utakata here, Kiba, get up on the other side of him and girls, make sure Kisame is okay to walk.'
The nine wolves slowly made their way back towards the cabin, making sure to give Kisame the time he needed and not overstress him, Utakata appeared to be all healed up but he fell behind the group and kept his distance from Kiba, Sakura and Hinata, his eyes flickering to them once in awhile. Naruto and Kyuubi took the lead, Naruto nudging at Kyuubi now and then, his excitement getting the better of him.
When the lights of the cabin came into view, Naruto couldn't hold himself back any longer and sprinted for the house. He howled and bounded through the snow, stopping to look back to see where the rest of the group was, his feet prancing excitedly. His head would whip from the house in the distance to the group making their way slowly and Naruto's impatience was starting to show.
When the group finally got close enough they were practically on the front lawn, Naruto let out a loud snort and bark and bounded up to the front porch. He skidded to a halt and lowered his head. Clenching his teeth together, he concentrated quickly and found himself back in human form and rushing for the front door.
"Naruto wait…" Sakura called out quickly as she made her way to the door. Naruto turned to look at the strawberry blond who was now wading through the snow towards him in human form, her hands holding the clothing that she had shed earlier. "There's going to be some scents in there you aren't familiar with-so don't freak out." She gave him a glare as she tromped past him to the door.
When the group of wolves came into the home, all of them now human, Kisame was hanging over Hidan, panting heavily, a sheen of sweat on his face. Sakura rushed to him, throwing his other arm over her shoulders. "Let's get him to a room," she stated in her strict tone, causing Hidan to just growl lightly under his breath but helped Sakura walk a clear 'depleted of energy' Kisame down a hallway. "Kiba, go get my bag, it's in the back room on the shelf with the other medical supplies," she barked out at Kiba. Kiba grunted out that he was on it and headed to another part of the house.
Hinata went up to Utakata who stood nervously near the door. "Let's get you to a room too, I'm sure Sakura will want to examine you." She smiled warmly and held out her hand.
Utakata flinched and stepped back from the beta, his eyes looking at her hand with suspicion, not accepting the gesture. Hinata gave a confused look at the wolf but didn't say anything.
Kakashi placed a hand on Utakata's shoulder gently, getting into his line of sight, and smiled at him. "Sakura is a doctor, she specializes in our species. It will be okay, she will just want to make sure you are alright inside and out." He beamed another smile at the man. "Besides, I'm sure you want to clean up a little too?" Utakata looked between Kakashi and Hinata, as if determining if they were safe but after a few moments he nodded his head and stepped towards Hinata.
Hinata gave a smile and nod of her head as she turned in the direction down the corridor towards the other rooms. "Come on sir, I'll show you where you can freshen up and relax for a bit."
Naruto beamed a smile at Hinata taking Utakata out of the room, rubbing the back of his head and then turned to look at Kyuubi. "What's wrong Kyu'bs?" he called out in concern, noticing that his pack brother was standing in the middle of the room, his body stiff and his jaw was clenched tight and his nose was sniffing about the room. Naruto walked cautiously towards him, watching as Kyuubi's wide eyes seemed to be flickering about while his nose inhaled deeply.
"Th-there's something…" Kyuubi whispered out, his hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
Naruto sniffed about as well, his brows furrowed in confusion with a frown on his face. "Yeah, there are strange scents I've never come across before...but Sakura said not to freak out, she is going to explain I'm sure!" Naruto then gave Kyuubi a wide grin.
Kyuubi suddenly collapsed to his knees, his arms fell limply to the side and his mouth hung open while his eyes widened in shock.
"Kyuubi!" Naruto shouted out and slid across the floor to Kyuubi's side, grasping his shoulders and looking at his face. "Kyuubi! What happened?! What's wrong!?" Naruto was now running his hands over Kyuubi's cheeks, his hair, trying to find what was happening with the younger alpha. Kyuubi wasn't looking at him, but through him towards the door they just came in.
The sound of the door closing snapped Naruto's attention and he turned to see Kakashi, who was only a foot away from him, staring at the front door. Naruto then followed Kakashi and Kyuubi's eyes that looked directly at the front door. "Who...wha-" Naruto whispered out, his head leaning slightly to the left, blue eyes focusing on the individual that came through the front door.
"Oh! I-I'm sorry apha, I-I mean, we-we heard the c-calls and naturally I got w-worried," the man stuttered out as he dropped to his knees and bowed before Naruto and Kakashi. "I mean no disrespect alpha, I was only looking to make sure-"
"Nah-gah…?" Kyuubi whispered out hoarsely, cutting off the stuttering man, his voice choking on his gasping breath. Raising his fingers up slowly towards the red headed elder wolf kneeling on the floor, his hand trembled in the soft light of the room, and his bottom lip quivered. A flutter of his eyelashes had a tear fall from his eye, traveling slowly down the rough lines of his cheek, "it-it's not p-possible," Kyuubi hiccuped out.
The kneeling beta slowly lifted his head, his dull purple eyes looking at the wolves that were before him, one older gray haired alpha, one yellow haired alpha and-and-
"Ky-uubi?" the beta wolf stuttered out softly, lifting his head higher.
Kyuubi scrambled across the floor on his knees, pushing Naruto to the side, his eyes not leaving the beta at the door. "Na...Nagato…" he struggled through breaths, his knees knocking against the floor, his nails digging into the wood as he pulled himself towards the beta.
Nagato rushed forward, his arms wrapping around Kyuubi swiftly, pulling the alpha in tight in a warm embrace. "Kyuubi! Kyuubi!" He laughed and cried out at the same time. "You're okay! I was so worried! Oh kami, oh kami!"
Kyuubi's body shook in the embrace, hugging the beta fiercely in response, whimpers and growls of excitement escaping from his lips. "Oh my god, I thought...I thought you were dead!" Kyuubi cried out into Nagato's shoulder, his face buried into the beta, but his agony and tears could be heard. "I thought-I thought you were dead…" Kyuubi's voice was but a whisper and bled with sorrow.
Nagato began to rub Kyuubi's back soothingly, rocking Kyuubi's shaking form and releasing a soothing purr. "It's okay young alpha," he cooed out in response.
"It was all my fault, my fault-fuck, y-you, Konan and-and the fire, t-trapped, they said-Kakashi, he said…" Kyuubi hiccuped out between sobs and sniffles into Nagato's shoulder.
Kakashi and Naruto looked at each other, a look of confusion on the both of them before watching the two wolves interact. It was apparent that Kyuubi knew the beta wolf, so both patiently waited, quietly.
A few moments later, Kyuubi pulled back from Nagato's shoulder, his head down, his long red hair covering his face, he wiped away the reminisce of his tears with his arm and Nagato had both hands on his shoulders. As Kyuubi just kneeled on the floor, his head now leaning against Nagato's chest, his hiccuping sobs slowly dying down, Nagato smoothed Kyuubi's thick red hair gently, still purring out soothing sounds while kneeling before him.
"Wait," Kyuubi snapped his head up suddenly, his eyes wide with fear, looking at Nagato. He leaned forward, placing his hands on Nagato's knees, leaning his face close to the beta, "th-the others, what-" Kyuubi choked up, he was too afraid to ask, too afraid of the answer that he suspected.
Nagato's face remained still, his dull purple eyes taking in the frantic look of the young alpha. His eyebrows raised in slight concern at Kyuubi's fragile state, feeling the alpha before him raging with unstable emotions and just barely holding back. Something had happened to the young vibrant alpha he knew before, something dark had settled into its place, and Nagato shivered slightly at the feeling.
Kyuubi's eyes flickered looking at each of Nagato's eyes, waiting for his response, his emotions beginning to rise with desperation, fear, and anger at what Kyuubi figured was the answer. For a moment, there was that small glimmer of hope, and he was beginning to embrace that glimmer...cause if Nagato was alive then-then...but now, Nagato wasn't answering, the bit of hope Kyuubi had began to fall into darkness again and that could only mean-
"No--" Kyuubi's voice cracked in a bare whisper. His thoughts raging at the thought of Konan and Kimimaro dead.
"Kyuu-"
"NO!" Kyuubi yelled out in a growl, cutting off and startling Nagato who was still before him. "NO NO NO!" Kyuubi waited out in agony and pain, grabbing Nagato's legs, squeezing and slapping them with each word as he screamed.
"KYUUBI!"
The alpha's demanding authoritative voice shook through the room, vibrating through the wolves in the room, immediately quieting down Kyuubi's panicked outburst and causing Nagato to whimper and lower his head. Kakashi was the only one who didn't appear affected and just tilted his head at Naruto. Naruto took a deep breath, calming himself as he took a few steps to Kyuubi and knelt beside him, putting his hand on Kyuubi's shoulder. Kyuubi flinched at the touch.
"Hey, I'm here," Naruto spoke calmly. He glanced at the beta and frowned slightly at the beta's submissive pose. "Sorry 'bout that, but...well," he whispered softly to the beta.
The squeaking of the door opening slowly caused Naruto to snap his head up, his hackles rising, not knowing what to expect and he began to rise up from the floor, his stance rigid and ready to attack. After Kyuubi's emotional angry outburst, the alpha was gittery. A low growl escaped his lips, "hold on," he told Kyuubi and the beta. He bolted for the front door, grabbed the edge and ripped it open quickly. A frightened shriek pierced the air when Naruto pulled the door open and a body tumbled in.
"You have five seconds to explain who you are," Naruto growled out in a menacing tone as he hovered over the small body that rolled into a ball instantly. His alpha had had his fill of surprises and emotional outbreaks tonight and was a tightly coiled spring ready to explode. The small form on the floor whimpered and began to try and scramble away and Naruto growled out and grabbed the fabric of the shirt.
"STOP!" It was Kyuubi.
Naruto froze in his stance and narrowed his eyes at Kyuubi, his fist clenching the fabric tightly.
Kyuubi paid Naruto no mind, stumbling forward, his knees knocking on the floor, his body rushing forward with his arms and legs protesting the speed. He fell just before the small quivering body, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he reached out to touch the small creature. "K-Ki-Kimi?" His voice rasped out, his fingers trembling as they hovered over the form as if he was afraid the illusion would suddenly disappear. The sea green eyes that peeked out from between the strands of long white greyish hair had Kyuubi pulling the small omega up with such force, Naruto stumbled back. "Kimi - Kimi - Kimi -," Kyuubi howled and purred out over and over while running his hands over long strands of hair, over Kimimaro's face, his cheeks, his eyes, his nose. "I thought- I thought- I-I w-was told that-" Kyuubi tripped over his words, his eyes roving over every inch of Kimimaro's face, shoulders, body. "I thought-I thought you were dead," he finally whispered and pulled Kimimaro into his chest, rubbing his cheek over the omega. "I t-thought you were dead." His cheeks were shimmering with the tears that wouldn't stop falling as he hugged, touched, rubbed the smaller omega in his arms.
Nagato sat on the floor, cross legged and watched the pair reunite before him, a small smile on his face, his eyes threatening to spill tears at the sight and a tiny sniffle escaped.
Kyuubi rocked the small white haired omega closely, his inner alpha purring so loud he felt that the floor would crack open from the force. His emotions were overwhelming him to an extent that his body shook from the force, his mind happy, ecstatic, in disbelief and in fear. Fear that what he is seeing wasn't real, just like it would happen in the past,when he was alone in the wilderness, drowning in his grief, he would sometimes wake, thinking Kimimaro was right before him. How many times did he wake to Kimimaro standing before him, holding out his hand with that beautiful smile and sea green eyes looking and reaching for Kyuubi. Only to suddenly explode into flames, Kimimaro's screams of pain and terror as the flames spread over his body, melting his skin, charring everything and Kyuubi would scream. His hiccuped sobs echoed with his purrs, the tears painting the emotional reunion and he inhaled the recognizable scent of Kimimaro over and over.
"You-how? When? You're here?" Kimimaro sputtered out between his choked cries, smothered into Kyuubi's chest, his fingers running all over Kyuubi's arms, as if testing to see if he really wasn't seeing things.
Kyuubi grasped Kimimaro's head, turning his face gently to look into those green eyes. "B-but-how did...? Where did...? And...Konan?" Kyuubi tried to form sentences between his broken breaths, his body still vibrating with emotions.
Kimimaro smiled softly up at Kyuubi, taking in his thick red lashes, thick red head of hair and those shimmering emerald eyes. He lifted his fingers to touch Kyuubi's cheek, feeling the wetness that streaked across those cheeks. He frowned slightly, seeing the hollowed cheeks, dark shadows under those eyes, knowing immediately that Kyuubi wasn't at his healthiest. "What's wrong Kyu?" He ignored the alpha's questions, his soft sea green eyes expressing his concern when he focused only on Kyuubi's current condition. He trailed his fingers across Kyuubi's cheeks, across his jawline and Kyuubi just closed his eyes at the gentle caresses, sniffles escaping his nose and shaky breaths coming from his lips.
Naruto stared in shock as he took in the scene before him. His alpha was calm again, as it had just disappeared back into his hiding hole within his mind. His human mind though, was a whirlwind of questions. But with his alpha now calm, there was no threat, and Naruto scratched the back of his neck.
"Well," Kakashi broke the silence first. "Looks like a lot of things have happened in the past while. How about I make some tea?" He nodded and held a hand out to Nagato, who was wiping his tears. Nagato murmured a thank you to the gray haired man, accepting his hand to pull himself up off the floor.
Naruto went to approach Kyuubi and the small omega on the floor.
"Naruto, wait," Kakashi touched his arm, stopping the blond alpha. "Give them a moment," Kakashi glanced over at Kyuubi who was embracing the small omega who was still examining Kyuubi's face with his fingers. "It's apparent they know each other very well, so let's go talk to-Nagato was it?" Kakashi asked the purple eyed beta.
Nagato smiled and nodded firmly. "I should inform my mate of what is happening here. She heard the calls as well and was already worried when I told her I was going to investigate." Nagato smiled. "And now that Kimimaro is here, and neither of us has returned, she may be even more worried. I'll be back shortly." Nagato bowed to the two alpha's and slipped out the front door.
Kakashi pulled Naruto into the kitchen, quietly closing the door behind him, then moving to get a kettle going. Naruto flopped down at the table, hard, his mind and body just overwhelmed with questions.
"What happened while we were away? And who are those wolves? How does Kyuubi know them? Were they part of the raid that happened? How long have they been here? I wonder, does-"
"Naruto, stop." Kakashi cut off Naruto's ramblings. The blond snapped his mouth shut and glared at Kakashi. Kakashi sighed out while filling the kettle with water. "I understand, there is probably a lot to go over so just try and be patient, ne?" He put the kettle on the stove, turning it on to start heating the water. At that moment Hinata walked into the kitchen.
"Naruto-kun, the wolf you brought in, Utakata was it? He is resting, but he wouldn't talk to me." Hinata sat down beside Naruto. "He didn't seem afraid, just-cautious." She nodded slightly.
"How about you start with the strange wolves that are here?" Naruto shot back. He was slightly agitated at all the commotion that had happened as soon as he got home.
Hinata flinched slightly at Naruto's barking tone, but didn't say anything in retort. "Hm, well okay. There were three of them, Nagato, Konan and Kimimaro who showed up here months ago." Naruto's eyes widened at that information. "And they were in awful condition. Apparently Nagato collapsed before Sakura and then Kiba and I went to see if there were others, because he said something about helping his mate." Hinata pinched her lips in a sad frown. "When Kiba and I found them, Konan was unconscious, Kimimaro was practically feral…" she trailed off, her memory of the day assaulting her mind.
Naruto smiled warmly then at the small beta. "Hey, you helped them, and that's what our pack is all about right?" Naruto laid his hand on Hinata's shoulder, giving her a supportive squeeze.
"And they have been here ever since?" Kakashi piped up as he poured the hot water into a teapot, putting the top on the pot so the tea could steep. Hinata nodded yes in response.
"But what about you?" Hinata piped up. "What happened with the vampire attack? And Kisame and Hidan were with you?"
It was Naruto's turn to nod in response, running his fingers through his hair and letting out a long breath of a sigh. "It was crazy. We were just on our way back and we heard a commotion, and there were practically a dozen vampires attacking Kisame and Hidan! And Kisame got overrun, and we thought we were going to lose him, then Utakata did this really cool thing that helped him-"
"Slow down Naruto," Kakashi interrupted Naruto once again and Naruto just frowned in response. "When Nagato comes back, we can start from there and when Sakura is finished with Kisame, Hidan and Utakata, we can let the whole pack know the story." Kakashi shook his head tiredly. "Until then, it's been a long day and night, let's have some tea."
Hinata smiled at Naruto and patted his hand. Naruto snorted out a chuckle, throwing her a grin in response. He then threw a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair, watching Kakashi place cups on the table. Blue orbs looked about the kitchen, smiling softly at finally being in a place of familiarity. A small delicate plant caught his attention, sitting on the ledge in the window that was behind the kitchen sink.
"Hey Hinata," Naruto murmured. Hinata hummed in response. "New plant?" His head nodded towards the kitchen sink window, his lips slightly pouting out in a point as well.
"Mhm, Sakura picked it up one afternoon when she was out." Hinata shrugged. "It has the most beautiful deepest darkest blue flowers I have ever seen, so dark that the petals look black, but in the sun you can see the blue. Like a blue black." She sipped at her cup now full of tea. "It has wicked little thorns though," she chuckled slightly. "Such a beautiful thing but it gives a bite!"
Naruto had walked up to the kitchen sink, taking in the long petals of the flower, each bud had 6 pedals like a lily, and Hinata was right, the flower looked black but with a deep red colour that bled from the centre into the pedal. "What's it called?" Naruto called out, his eyes not leaving the potted plant while he examined it.
"Hmm… I believe Sakura said it was a raven tooth or raven claw, something like that. It's tropical, ask Sakura, she'll know."
Naruto reached out and put his hands around the pot, picking it up off the sill and bringing it closer to himself. 'Wow, it really is beautiful...' he thought while turning the pot slightly from side to side. He brought his nose close to it and inhaled deeply. There wasn't much of a scent, very faint and subtle but the rich scent from the potted earth was stronger. Naruto inhaled once more and his alpha roared up so suddenly Naruto's body quaked uncontrollably and fumbled with the potted plant in his hands.
"Naruto!" Hinata rushed to his side. "You almost dropped it! What happened!?" Hinata grabbed the potted plant from Naruto's shaking hands. She looked up to see Naruto's eyes were wide and rimmed yellow.
Naruto whipped his head at Hinata, he snarled out, "Sasuke! Where is Sasuke!" He began to whip his head about, looking from Hinata and Kakashi. His alpha had triggered a whirlwind of desperate emotions, realizing that his mate wasn't there to greet him, that had left his inner alpha in a near panic state in his mind. Naruto was so overwhelmed with turmoil, his body wouldn't stop shaking while waves of desperation, fear, anger of not sensing Sasuke anywhere in home riddled through him. There was something-something deeper he could sense… not fear, but-but a type of desperation, a calling, for his alpha, and his inner alpha could feel it coming from his mate.
.
.
.
.
"Tell me what's wrong Kyuubi?" Kimimaro hummed out, grasping both of Kyuubi's cheeks, his sea green eyes etched with concern while staring into Kyuubi's eyes, his thumbs rubbing away the streaks of tears.
Kyuubi closed his eyes again, taking a few deep shaky breaths, his alpha ecstatic with relief, excitement, shock that he could name. "They told me, they told me they burned you in the fire. Sakon and Jirobo, they said they tied you all up in the building, and it was on fire," Kyuubi's voice quivered with the thoughts that ran through his head, remembering the night of the raid, the smoke, the fire, the words of his friends being trapped.
Kimimaro smiled softly. "It's true, they did come, but I escaped, and managed to get Nagato and Konan free and we ran with what we could."
Kyuubi felt his heart thump with relief, knowing that they all escaped, pulling Kimimaro in for another hug, his nose inhaling the crown of the small omega's head. His alpha roared with a fierce howl of possessiveness, his body quivering as he grasped the small omega tight, causing Kimimaro to squeak out in surprise. Through every breath his body released a long deep purring growl and Kyuubi rubbed his cheek against Kimimaro's head, hard. He couldn't get enough of Kimimaro's scent, his essence, his body in his arms, and his desire to protect only enhanced.
A loud growling shout from the other side of the kitchen door had Kyuubi's instincts suddenly grasp Kimimaro tightly and behind him while he gave a scowl towards the noise. He flinched and released a growl when Naruto came banging through the closed kitchen door.
The two alphas eyed each other momentarily, as if sizing each other up. Naruto's eyes were rimmed yellow, his nostrils were flaring as he took in the scent and he whipped his eyes around the room. Kyuubi narrowed his eyes at the other alpha, his eyes flashing amber, determining if the other was a threat and he grumbled a low growl. Naruto snorted out loudly and ran towards the staircase, stomping his way up quickly, two or three steps at a time. Kyuubi just watched Naruto leave the area with his eyes, his hands flexing around Kimimaro, as if making sure the small omega was still in his grasp.
"Kyuubi! What are you doing!" A higher shrill voice shot through the room.
Kyuubi snorted then blinked, his eyes turning back to his emerald green to find the strawberry blond beta woman glaring back at him with her hands on her hips. She tapped her foot at him, waiting for a response. He turned away from the beta and looked over at Kimimaro who was looking completely confused at the whole situation that had just happened.
Hinata came rushing from the kitchen, looking about, nearly crashing into Sakura who was still glaring down at Kyuubi who was still sitting on the floor. "Sakura!" Hinata exclaimed. "Naruto! He-he...his alpha, Sasuke-"
"Calm down Hinata, take a breath, what's the issue?"
Hinata took several breaths all the while there was the unmistakable sounds of Naruto stomping through the upstairs, a door banged open and she looked up the flight of stairs. "Naruto realized Sasuke wasn't here and went into an intense state! I think his alpha is crazed," she panted out, flinching when she heard the heavy steps moving at a fast pace above their heads.
Sakura looked up at the ceiling when the noises continued to bang about upstairs. "Get Naruto's phone up and running, I'll get him to text the Uchiha's when I get that bumblehead to settle his ass down," Sakura spit through her clenched teeth. She turned on her heel and began walking up the stairs, "baka...idiot, can't control his-" she mumbled out during her climb up the stairwell, her fists clenched tight.
Kakashi smirked while he watched the pack run in different directions, listening to Naruto stomp about upstairs, and chuckled when he heard the unmistakable surprised shriek from the blond alpha. 'Sounds like Sakura knocked some sense into him.' He glanced over at Kyuubi who continued to run his fingers through the small omega's hair, scent him gently and he smiled. 'Looks like Kyuubi has some explaining to do, can't wait for this!' He stretched his arms up over his head, suppressed a yawn and made his way down the corridor to check on their guest.
In the other room Utakata listened carefully to all the sounds that were happening all around him in the Uzumaki's pack household. The interesting scents were one thing, but the sudden scents that went from surprised, to defensive, to relief then protectiveness had him questioning the behaviours.
"Looks like you got some questions," Kakashi voiced out while leaning against the door frame. His eyes were squinted in a smile and the bottom of his face was covered in a medical mask.
Utakata had seen Kakashi's full face before coming here, so why was he wearing that on his face now? He decided that he didn't want to now.
"Ah, I know that look," Kakashi chuckled out. "Gives the aura of mystery for the ladies." Kakashi winked at Utakata when he pointed to his mask. "May I come in?"
"Isn't this your home? Why would you ask? If anything, I am the intruder here, you should not need to ask for permission." Utakata brows rose.
"Tsk, it's polite of one to ask others permission, no matter where they are." Kakashi stepped into the room and took a seat at one of the arm chairs. "And this isn't my home, this is the Uzumaki pack home." He scratched at his neck slightly and looked about the room. "Naruto and his pack live here. Kyuubi, you know, the other's are Sakura, Hinata and Kiba." Kakashi chuckled, "which...uh, you kinda got to know earlier as well." Kakashi smiled sheepishly, his cheeks blushing slightly red when he recalled how Utakata got to know the rest of the pack just a while ago in the forest.
"Hn," Utakata looked down at his hands, scrunching up the light blanket between his fingers.
Utakata didn't voice out anything more and didn't make eye contact with Kakashi. Kakashi watched the brunette for several minutes until it was apparent that the dark haired wolf wasn't going to say anything more. "Hungry?" Kakashi stretched out when he stood. "I can get something brought to you or if you want you can join us in the kitchen." Kakashi nodded his head towards the door. "It's just down the hall, just follow your nose," he chuckled at his joke before leaving. Utakata remained silent, his eyes watching the elder alpha leave.
==intermission==
Itachi continued to sit with Deidara in his lap in the library, the omega had fallen asleep against his chest after his emotional release and Itachi's mind whirled so much he felt the intense pressure between his eyes. The last 24 hour have been such an emotional rollercoaster, Itachi wished he could just vomit and get off the ride. He scoffed at himself for thinking such a way, so juvenile. But what better way to explain it?
His alpha was content at the moment, having lulled the distress in his mate, which gave him time to think about the current events that were happening in the Uchiha household. The information that was slammed into his parents of Sasuke's hardships, learning his otouto was expecting, the information that comes with a pregnant omega, and discovering the truth behind his parents knowledge of Sasuke's true status. He let a long quivering sign and dropped his nose into the crown of Deidara's hair, inhaling deeply and sensing the exhausted inner omega. The omega was flourishing in Itachi's presence and Itachi felt his head clear a little. He needed more time to process all the information to determine his next step.
Taking into consideration what his mother had informed him about Sasuke's condition, he needed to consider her words on what she knew his otouto was going through and trust her knowledge. He shuddered at that word, considering trusting his parents after learning what he knew today, after years of Sasuke's turmoil, this was a difficult decision. Not to mention, after what he himself and Deidara had gone through mentally, physically and emotionally when Sasuke was at a constant battle with himself, when he ran from the pack, the condition they found him-the months of healing...Itachi sighed once again.
He lifted his hand to stroke through the long silky blond locks and smiled when Deidara released a comforting sigh in his sleep. Itachi moved carefully, his mind suddenly clear that he needed to ensure his mate was secure and felt safe. After all, wasn't it always his mate that came to him to ease his own fears, when his alpha was near a state of frenzy it was Deidara that quelled the wrath, when Itachi would nearly fall from his own despair, it was his mate that picked him up. Sliding his arms in a more solid position, Itachi clutched the sleeping omega towards his body and lifted both of them from the chair. He moved quickly and easily through the library, Deidara not moving nor waking while he swiftly left the library and headed up to their room. He would make certain that Deidara was tucked into their nest of a bed, before Itachi would start the search for answers. He owed his mate so much and he could at least start with that.
Slipping out of the bedroom, after double checking once more to ensure Deidara was asleep, he quietly closed the bedroom door before he heard an argument at the front entrance of the manor. Moving promptly when he overheard Obito's voice giving a threatening warning to someone who was in the home. Obito's tone indicated that he did not know whoever was at the door, and Itachi could sense his cousin's defensive demere beginning to rise.
"I don't have to tell you shit!"
It was Obito's voice and Itachi could hear the rising growls coming up through the hallway. Itachi reached the top of the stairwell and cleared his throat.
Obito turned and glanced quickly up at Itachi while holding his arm up at the other individual, before looking back, making sure that this stranger didn't charge into the house. With Itachi behind him, his protective urge surged through him, and he moved to step between Itachi and the stranger that barged into the Uchiha home. Obito growled out loudly, "you got five seconds to talk or else…"
Itachi flicked his eyes at the other individual, who's yellow eyes glared at Obito and white canines flashed out in irritation. Fists were clenched and his body was taunt, ready for the challenge that Obito was prepared to give him. Itachi could clearly see that this would not end well should he allow it to continue, he continued down the steps while speaking, "Obito, there is no need for alarm." His voice boomed deeply with authority. "I assure you that it is quite alright," he added in a quieter tone. His cousin snapped his head back at him, narrowing his eyes in response but said nothing more. He remained standing poised for an attack, just in case. Itachi scoffed out a snort at the display but he couldn't blame his alpha cousin for defending his home.
Itachi reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped up beside Obito, sensing the fury emanating from the other alpha wolf. He caught the eyes of his guest and gave a welcoming nod of his head, a peaceful gesture towards the other to show he meant no harm.
Yellow orbs moved from Obito to Itachi, looking over the Uchiha alpha from head to toe before releasing a breathy growl at Itachi. Lips curled up over his canines, a subtle indication that this alpha wolf was demanding answers and with each word slowly spoken, a deep chested growl breathed out,
" Where..Is..Sasuke!?"
==x00x00x00x00x00x==
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