A.N. I am sorry for the long hiatus. I've had a lot of stuff going on in my life and writing took a back seat. Gonna do my best to be back and finish all of my work.

Light purple, almost white eyes appraised the office of the Hokage with a new trepidation. She caught herself before she could start fidgeting with her fingers like she used to and held her head up high before she took another step forward, nearly missing the presence of the Copy Nin behind her. "So, are you her protector, Kakashi-sensei?"

"We all protect the Hokage-sama, Hinata-san. Remember that your duty will first be to her in this position. Her attendant and the first line between her and even the village." With that, the gray haired jonin disappeared.

"Don't be intimidated by him, Hinata-san. He's just cranky I didn't take his suggestion," the object of their conversation interjected, standing suddenly before the Hyuuga.

Jumping slightly, the younger kunoichi smiled sheepishly. "Ah, I am not intimidated by him, Hokage-sama."

"Good then." Kagome beamed a bit and scratched her feline companion behind her ears as she jumped on her shoulder. "Really, your duties will be to keep me on track, weed through some of the more mundane papers to make sure there's nothing vital in the non-urgent piles and to give me your ears and your advice. So come, let's get you set up."

x~x~x

There was an itch beneath the surface of Naruto's skin, a heat, a desire. It was somewhere between the feelings he used to have for Sakura and the excitement he felt during a battle. He splashed his face with water and looked in the mirror for a long time, trying to pinpoint the source of this. His training had left him unsatiated and the more he was amongst the people of the village, the greater the sensation was.

A light tapping on his front door was enough to pull him from his thoughts and when he scented the air, he could already detect his Hokage. He walked calmly to the door and opened it without checking further. "We didn't have tea scheduled today."

Not waiting for an invitation, the dark haired beauty stepped into his apartment, looking around at the disarray, the usual mess she'd expect of a young bachelor compounded by what looked to be a feverish search for something. "No, but I thought you might like to hear that your recommended person had a lovely first day. And I received word you essentially demolished training ground number six. Dealing with some issues today?"

Scowling, the blond shut the door behind her and folded his arms before him. "I feel like having sex, killing something, maybe both at the same time. It's…. Weird."

"But not uncommon." Kagome sat on his sofa and appraised him. "I was waiting to let you settle into your own skin again, but perhaps it is time to send you off on more difficult missions again. You need an outlet."

Nostrils flaring, the young demon shook his head to dispel the effect of her aroma. "You don't make this easier, you know. You smell like…. Like desire and battle and danger…." His face became pinched, the feelings confusing to him. She set his instincts on edge with that clean smell, that way the very air was pure around her, but he wanted too…

Frowning, Kagome stood and walked towards him, feeling the waves of his youki starting to stir. "Follow me." With that, she turned and bolted out the window.

There was no other way to react but to chase, and chase he did. Running down the side of his apartment building, and then leaping through the air to the rooftops above, following the smell that set his teeth on edge, the kitsune felt a thrum of electricity pulsing through his veins. The chill of the night did nothing to deter him as the wind flitted over his slightly warmed flesh.

For her part, Kagome was having more fun than she'd anticipated. He was faster than she'd thought, but she'd had years of practice escaping more experienced trackers than him. Once she'd found her way into the trees, she let out a breath and pulled a ribbon from her hair. She tied it around a scroll and formed a few handsigns before it split into four copies of herself. They all grinned and went in separate directions. Smiling, she herself disappeared.

Perhaps two minutes later, the kitsune found himself in the spot hr scent branched off four ways and… He grinned and cloned himself, sending them off before bolting straight up a tree.

Kagome sucked in a breath, surprised as he located her despite her scent dispelling and transparency technique. She was forced to leap from her branch and keep fleeing. He's learning faster than I thought, detecting me that way…. Her sapphire eyes narrowed as she skidded to a halt, just in time to avoid him shooting up from the ground where she would have been.

Grinning broadly, Naruto was not deterred and kept moving at her, a clone appearing behind her to capture. His smile never slipped when she was suddenly a log. "I'm coming for you, Kagome-chan!" he called into the air, knowing she'd hear.

The miko-nin grinned at the challenge in his tone, already moving from his range.

By the end of the night, Naruto was flat on his back, panting from exhaustion. He'd chased his Hokage from one end of the village to the other, never catching, always being avoided. Tired as he was, he felt satisfied, the challenge curbing his fevered feelings. "Good game…." he breathed as he sensed her appear beside him.

"You almost had me once or twice," Kagome admitted, peering off into the direction of the sunrise. "You feel better?"

"Not as good as if I'd caught you," Naruto complained, but with a smile. "I needed that…."

"Well, I'm glad I helped. Go home and get a little rest. By evening I'll have a mission of some sort for you," she promised, standing and retying her hair. "Take care, Naruto-kun." She smiled down at him and leapt into the air just in time for Kirara to swoop down and carry her off.

Naruto closed his eyes and exhaled. She was incredible…. Not even out of breath and she'd outrun him all night…. All night she could go… And thankfully he passed out before that thought could ignite the craving all over again.

x~x~x

Shizune frowned as she looked down at her Hokage. "You want to assign Naruto to my team? Isn't he still-?"

"Cooping him up will only aggravate the issue. You need a powerhouse on your team anyway and your mission isn't something too covert. Besides, I trust you. You can reel him back if need be," Kagome explained, resting her chin on her folded hands in a way that mimicked her late mentor. "The parameters of the mission are the same. Deter the bandits in any way you deem necessary to restore peace to the trading outpost. Naruto will be an asset. Brief him and start out as planned."

Sighing, Shizune pinched the bridge of her nose. "You think he'll listen to me? He barely listened to-"

"He's a different person now," Kagome cut her off. "Still Naruto, but…. He understands restraint more now." Their game of chase had shown her that-He could have gotten to her through use of more destructive abilities, but he hadn't. He'd kept himself in check despite his desire for blood.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shizune finally agreed, bowing and vanishing from sight.

Hinata peered up from her spot in the corner of the room. "What issue does Naruto-kun have?" she asked after a long moment.

Smiling, Kagome had nearly forgotten about her new attendant's presence. "Ah, something to ask him about if he desires to share with you."

"If I'm to advise you, I should know about the shinobi of the village, to recommend them and understand their motivations…. To be the line between you and the rest." Hinata hiked up her chin.

"Yes, that's true. But it remains to be something Naruto must tell you. I'll take my tea and snack in about thirty minutes. I'll be working through so you'll not need to disturb me otherwise. Thank you, Hinata-chan." Pulling the next file before her, she went on with her stamping and signing.

Lips downturning in a thoughtful frown, the Hyuuga heiress simply nodded and exited the office to do as bid. She's so full of secrets….

x~x~x

It was three weeks before Naruto returned, the only member of his team unscathed. All were alive and not seriously hurt, but the kitsune was the one that made the report with pride. "The outpost is secure and the bandit gang has been eradicated or scattered," he finished, bowing to her formally.

"Kid did good," Genma piped up, scratching his bandaged arm a minute.

Shizune nodded, her lip split. "He turned them back practically alone. Without him, I don't know how things would have turned out."

Cheeks tinging at their praise, Naruto looked down at his feet. "But yeah, it was successful and all…."

Shino wordlessly nodded his agreement.

"Glad to hear it," Kagome chimed with a smile. "All of you get your injuries looked at and rest up. I have another mission of a similar sort you all will leave for tomorrow. Dismissed."

All disappeared but for Naruto. The blond was hesitating. "Can I ask you something?" he finally murmured.

"Of course, Naruto-kun." Appraising him, she wondered if he'd had more trouble than he'd let on.

"Will I ever be normal again? Like…. I enjoyed it. The smell of the blood, the fighting, the…." He flushed a bit. "After I felt irresistible and I went into a tavern and I…"

"You used your charm," Kagome finished, sighing. "I should have thought of that. It's okay to seek out lovers Naruto, it would be natural for anyone. But you can't use your youki to manipulate people into your bed."

"I didn't even realize I'd done it until… How do I stop it?" His pride was gone, shame in his features.

"The same way you control any of it, through accepting what you are and working with yourself. This person was alright, correct?" Kagome peered at him with a tinge of worry.

"Oh yeah, just… Tired." Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It was hard to stop…."

"That can happen. You will learn. Now, go on and get some rest," she repeated, her eyes gentle and full of understanding. "Stamina or not, you need to regroup, for your mental faculties as well as physical."

"Yeah." Naruto bowed and disappeared.

x~x~x

Breathless, Kagome slumped against a tree trunk, looking up at the stars. Her body ached from her training session with Tsunade, but she could already feel herself recuperating. The unnatural way the bruises were fading, the cracks in her bones mending. "I think I'll be ready to go at it again in a few minutes."

Scoffing, the blond bombshell plopped down on a log across from her. "If I wanted to keep going, I wouldn't be giving you healing time. When are you going to tell me what happened to you?"

"When you tell me what happened to you, Tsunade-sama," Kagome replied simply, taking a sip of her water.

Scowling, the older woman stared at her with a certain weight to her gaze. "You were lecturing Shizune about power the other night."

"Yes…. Seeking it is dangerous," Kagome sighed, eyes becoming distant.

"Then why train under me?" Tsunade demanded hotly.

"To be strong enough to protect something…." Kagome smiled a tinge bitterly. "As I said, you share and then so will I."

Kagome snapped from her reverie as she looked to the Hokage rock where her mentor's face stood out and where her own face was supposed to go at some point. "We're still sharing, aren't we Sensei?"