AN: OK, SO THE SANBI IS A BIT HARD TO WRITE ABOUT. IN THIS VERSION, THE SANBI IS IN THE WILD, IN THE LAKE WHERE IT ONCE RESIDED. ALSO, SANBI WILL BE THE ONLY TAILED BEAST THAT WILL NOT HAVE TO BE UNSEALED, AND WILL PROBABLY BE PAIRED WITH THE YONBI (FOUR TAILS) TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LACK OF A HOST WHEN KYUUBI IS UNSEALED. ON TO THE STORY!
Chapter Five: Sanbi
Matatabi sat on Kyuubi's couch, twiddling her thumbs nervously. Ichibi sat beside her, staring intently at the dark hardwood floor, not once looking up. They both stiffened a bit as Kyuubi entered the room, and sat across from them.
Kyuubi was, in a word, pissed.
"So," the fox said, her tone deceptively gentle. "It seems we have an… issue here." She turned to Ichibi. "Firstly, I give you permission for ONE NIGHT, and you proceed to have sex with Naruto as much as you can. It's been four days and you two have fucked more than you've blinked."
Ichibi winced. "It wasn't that many times-"
Kyuubi shut her up with a death glare.
"And then," Kyuubi continued, "My other brilliant sister decides to also join in the fun- without permission." Sure, Kyuubi had egged Naruto on a bit, but there was no reason for Matatabi to know that.
Matatabi's face flushed and she cast her eyes downward.
"So," Kyuubi all but growled. "How do I handle such a situation?"
To her surprise, Ichibi spoke up. And she didn't sound remorseful.
"Oh, come on Kyuu," Ichibi snapped. "You really think your little boy toy would be satisfied with just one night with me?" "You seduced him!" Kyuubi shot back. "I didn't seduce him every time!" Ichibi spat. "He might seem all timid and shy, but when we're alone he can't keep his eyes off me, much less his hands."
"YOU WALK AROUND HIS HOUSE NAKED ICHIBI!" Kyuubi roared.
Then Matatabi cut in.
"Actually, I don't think Naruto-sa-," she paused before adding the honorific she used when she and Naruto had "alone time", "I don't think Naruto minds it. If anything, he enjoys it."
"He may be Naruto," Ichibi added, "But he's still a straight male with a working penis. He's bound to enjoy sex, so why deprive him of it?"
"THAT IS NOT THE POINT!" Kyuu shouted, making her sisters clamp their mouths shut. "Naruto is-".
"Yours?" Ichibi finished for her. Kyuubi blushed a little. So that's what this is about, Ichibi thought. It's pretty obvious, now that I think about it. Kyuu's never been the sharing type. Kyuubi's ears twitched in annoyance at being so easily read, and Ichibi barely hid a smile.
Kyuu's adorable when she's irritated.
"So what, would you rather Naruto chose one of us, preferably you?" Ichibi teased. "Kyuu, Naruto's a great guy with a wonderful set of skills. You can't just hog this gem if a man to yourself. Do you have any idea how long it'd been since I felt that good?! He's fucking amazing!"
"It was a heavenly experience," Mata purred. "Best I've had in a while…"
Kyuubi felt like strangling both of them.
"Umm…Kyuu-chan?"
Naruto's voice resounded from the entrance to Kyuubi's room. All three women froze at the unexpected voice, Kyuubi being the first to recover. "Hello, Naruto. What is it?" The teen strode over and sat in between Mata and Ichi, both cuddling a bit too close to Naruto, in Kyuubi's opinion.
"I woke up to a crazy headache, so I figured I'd see what all the yelling was about in here," Naruto admitted. "Is everything okay?" Kyuubi smiled. Here Naruto was hurting, and he was checking on her.
"Actually, Naruto, no, everything's not okay."
Ichibi gave Kyuubi a devilish smile. "I have a question for you Naruto," she continued. "If you had to choose between the three of us, who would it be?"
The tension in the room was nearly palpable.
Naruto rubbed his neck nervously. "Well…, honestly I can't really say. All three of you are awesome!" Ichibi smirked, her victory apparent. "See, Kyuu? Naruto doesn't even want to chose between us!" Kyuubi sighed. "Fine," she grumbled. "Naruto I have an idea you might like…"
….
Sanbi found humans disturbing.
They waged war on the same people they laughed and joked with. Some hated to be loved, others loved to be hated. They were so indecisive and afraid. It was sickening.
She could feel their presence from her roost at the bottom of her lake, her three spiked tails swishing slowly. There seemed to be only one, from what she could sense, but his energy was immense. Sanbi found it curious, but she was content to remain in her lake, as long as the little pest wouldn't bother anything.
….
"Are you three sure this is the place?" Naruto asked aloud and mentally, gazing at the smooth crystal blue surface of the lake. Immediately all three bijuu responded with a resounding "YES!"
Naruto felt his pack lighten as sand poured out of it, taking the form of Ichibi. She'd refused to traverse all the way to Kiri on foot, so had turned into sand and slid into Naruto's bag.
Matatabi had taken on her feline form, so the walk was easier on her feet. She wisely chose to take on a size smaller than normal, about the size of a tiger, and had hidden herself well along the way, as to not attract attention to Naruto. Who knows what would happen if Naruto was seem being followed by a large spectral cat?
Naruto took in the serene surroundings. The lake was as smooth as glass, and the various plants and vegetation flourished happily. Birds chirped and sang a beautiful symphony. Frogs joined in the harmony with deep croaks and light ribbits, and the occasional insect rasped out a cord or two.
It was… nice.
"Naruto-sama, remember we haven't contacted Sanbi in a long time now," Matatabi purred, stretching and returning to her human form.
"Right," Kyuubi added in Naruto's head. "We don't know how she will react to seeing you."
As if on cue, a deep rumble emanated from the water.
"Well, good luck stud!" Ichibi laughed, kissing Naruto on the forehead, turning to sand, and disappearing.
"Wait, you're leaving me?" Naruto asked incredulously. "I'll need your help! Ichibi!"
"I'd also prefer not getting wet in this sense," Matatabi said, disappearing rather effectively for a flaming cat.
"Mata-chan!"
Naruto sighed. "Well, guess it's just you and me again, huh Kyuu?"
No answer.
"Kyuu?"
Still no answer.
"Oh come on!" Naruto shouted. He stiffened as another rumble sounded, but quickly composed himself. He cleared his throat. "Sanbi?" he called out, "Sanbi-san?" The bijuu remained unresponsive; the lake unmoving. Naruto sighed and sat cross-legged near the edge of the lake, shrugging off his pack.
"If you can hear me, I know you probably don't trust me. I know all about Yagura and the whole Akatsuki incident. Thankfully, they'd failed to capture you back then, but you'd lost Yagura and returned to the wild."
Another rumble, but this time it wasn't as loud.
Shakily, Naruto continued. "So I get it if you have a bit of…" What was the word Kyuu used? "…animosity towards humans. Just know I am here only to ask for your help. Nothing more."
The lake was silent.
Then, slowly, a very large gray armored head surfaced above the water, one eye shut. The other gazed upon Naruto, seeming to look into his very soul. Naruto stared back, transfixed by the odd red eye, but also by the look of pure loneliness that resided within it.
Slowly, the head retreated back into the water, along with Naruto's hope.
The teen sighed. He figured the Sanbi wouldn't listen to him-
The lake bubbled not far from Naruto, catching his attention. A tall, regal woman emerged, standing perfectly on the surface of the water.
She wore heavy armor, with spiked shoulder pads and metal bracers much like Sasuke's. Her hair was a light blonde, nearly white, but was still shiny and youthful. A bracer held this flowing mane in check in the form of a loose ponytail that widened almost into a fan shape across her back.
Her breastplate wasn't really a full breastplate; rather, it sported a v-cut that offered a look at her wealth of cleavage. A large square shield, the same almost black color as her armor, was in her left hand, and a very powerful greatsword was sheathed across her back.
Sanbi looked scary.
Naruto gulped as Sanbi walked across the water and approached him, offering him a hand to help him stand. She scrutinized him with guarded eyes, but the gray orbs had a gleam of curiosity in them. Naruto cleared his throat, frantically trying to think of what to say. "So, you're Sanbi, right?"
Her eyes narrowed. Not good.
Naruto stuck out a hand. "My name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." Sanbi looked at his hand before grasping it. Upon touch she could feel the demonic chakra within him; Naruto practically reeked of it. Sanbi looked deep into Naruto's eyes. He was nervous, that was obvious, but she didn't see any signs of deceit or malicious intent in those cerulean pools.
"You hold one of my sisters."
Naruto jumped as Sanbi spoke. Her voice was strong, yet still feminine, and she said the few words more as a statement than a question. Naruto nodded. "I hold Kyuubi no Yoko." Sanbi's demeanor visibly relaxed a bit, and her gray eyes softened. "You said earlier that you needed my help. What for?"
Naruto fidgeted. "I need your help to unseal Kyuubi."
Sanbi's stoic face revealed a bit of shock. "You wish to free my sister? You do know that can be fatal for you, right?" "Nope," Naruto said confidently. "Not with the method I use!" Sanbi raised one pale blonde eyebrow. "You are an odd one," she muttered, but in all honesty…
Naruto didn't seem half bad.
The sand swirled behind Naruto, and Sanbi almost instantly had a hand on the hilt of her blade. Ichibi quickly jumped into Sanbi's arms, laughing elatedly. Matatabi emerged from the brush and joined in. Sanbi was very shocked, but hugged her sisters tightly.
It felt good to be together again.
….
AN: SOORRYYY! I KNOW ITS BEEN A WHILE AND IM DISAPPOINTING YOU GUYS WITH A NON-LEMON CHAPTER, BUT LOOK! FUZZINESS AND WARM FEELINGS! ALSO THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE SANBI WARMING UP TO NARUTO A BIT (A LOT). DO NOT BASH ME IF YOU DON'T LIKE SANBI'S APPEARANCE, BUT IT SERVES A PURPOSE. TRUST ME :D. ALSO SIMPLE JOBS WILL UPDATE NEXT! SKRILL OUT!