"Talking"
'Thinking'
Biju talk/think/Jutsu
Flashback
"Sage Tongue"
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Warning: Gay Coupling, Timetravel, Alternate Universe
Hiroka's eyes narrowed as she locked her gaze onto the foolish little deer that dared to think it could evade her carefully laid traps. Oh, it had come close, she'd grant it that. She might not possess her elder sister Karimi's innate genius for intricate snares, but she was still a proud Ōkami vixen, a skilled huntress in her own right.
"Now, little deer, here's a lesson about my clan," she teased, echoing his earlier remark about lessons on facing a Nara.
Nara Shikato simply swallowed, a strange mix of apprehension and primal eagerness churning within him.
Shikato stared up at the Ōkami and the true Kitsune who had entered the birthing cave. "Troublesome," he grumbled, his tone a curious blend of annoyance and underlying excitement.
Ryōka met the dark eyes of the deliciously scented, yet clearly exhausted and handsome man. She had been on a hunt for missing children, successfully rescuing them and sending them ahead with her summons. Hearing the sounds of ongoing fighting, she had come across this captivating man surrounded by swirling ice. Well, her grin was wide and probably a little bloodied from the last throat she had torn out.
"Oh! I'm gonna keep you!" She lunged forward, easily dodging his icy senbon, and then pressed her lips firmly against his. Her sister had never described it like this!
Kanade Yuki felt those surprisingly warm lips on his and was completely stunned. When those jewel-like eyes met his once more, his exhausted mind decided that succumbing to a blush was a far better fate than dying from his mortal wounds.
"Pretty," he mumbled, slightly dazed from the kiss.
"Thank you!" Ryōka cheered. "I'm Ōkami Ryōka."
"Kanade Yuki," he murmured in return.
"Oh! You have the Hyōton Bloodline! That's so cool! I only have wind, but I'm the best with it..." She then glanced down at where their bodies were pressed together. "You aren't really up for a mate hunt right now. That would be unfair. So, we'll have to wait. Best get you to Mother. She's the best healer of all of us."
In a swift blur of wind and speed, Kanade lost consciousness in the arms of a woman whose snowy hair seemed more fitting for his clan than his own raven locks.
Namikaze Masato stared, utterly stunned, at the fox-masked woman who had just effortlessly pinned him to the ground while he was trying to refill his canteen at the watering hole.
"Uh... hello," he managed to stammer.
Blood-red lips curved into a knowing smirk. "Hello, mate."
Something primal and instinctive stirred within the stunned shinobi's chakra. He swallowed against his desert-dry throat as his brilliant mind raced.
"Mate?" he repeated, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"Hm." Ruby eyes twinkled mischievously behind the vixen mask. "Ōkami Arisa."
"Namikaze Masato," he replied, still somewhat bewildered, even as his mind latched onto her last name. The Ōkami were practically legendary throughout the nations, seen but never heard. Only a handful of Clans from Fire and Water had ever encountered them, often with dire consequences. Then it dawned on him. "Oh... OH!" he exclaimed, understanding flashing in his eyes.
"Hm," Arisa practically purred, her weight pressing down on him.
Now, Masato wasn't a Clan heir, but he was still one of his small Clan's brightest minds. A scholar and an inventor, he was far from ignorant of the legends and certain traditions prevalent in other clans across the nations. He possessed an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
"Well?" Arisa prompted, her voice a low murmur.
Despite his scholarly pursuits, Masato was still a highly skilled shinobi. With a sudden burst of speed, a trait his clan was renowned for, he bolted. Their exceptional swiftness was another reason why they were among the few who knew the locations of all the watering holes in the vast Wind Nation. They were the only ones with the necessary sense of direction and agility to navigate the treacherous terrain between each one.
Masato watched, fascinated, as the Ōkami and the true Kitsune bestowed their blessings upon his daughter. He waited until it was no longer impolite before practically pulling the wolf and the fox away, eager to learn more about the ancient and original gods. Of course, he also made sure to spend plenty of time cuddling his newborn daughter, Ōkami Miharu.
Arisa reviewed her notes on her children's and grandchildren's findings. There had been no sightings of the dark pest since just before Miharu's birth.
Two centuries later, and still nothing. To have finally located the pest when Indra and Ashura reincarnated, only to lose it during the battle where the Ōkami and Bijuu joined forces to seal it away. But the creature was elusive.
"You'll find it," Masato murmured from his bed. Arisa looked up at her mate, a pang of sorrow echoing in her soul.
"Let me call them back," she pleaded once more. His once sky-blue eyes, now dulled and sightless from nearly two centuries of life, turned in her direction.
"They still grieve for their own mates who left only a few decades ago," he whispered so softly that, without her enhanced hearing, she would have missed his words. "Let them be."
"Even Miha-chan?" she asked, her voice tinged with sadness.
"She and I talked before she went on her own journey," Masato said, smiling at Arisa with deep affection. "She knew my time was getting close and understood as best she could. You and her skulk will be there for her."
Arisa sighed, put down her brush, and went to lie beside her mate, feeling the immense effort it took for him to stay awake. She knew his eternal rest was near.
"I've lived a much richer life than I ever thought I would," he whispered. "I can't wait to meet Amaterasu-sama and thank her for blessing me with you as my mate."
"I love you, Masato-mate," Arisa whispered, tears tracing paths down her face as she felt his heartbeat slow against her ear and palm, and sensed his chakra fading away.
"I love you too, Arisa. Until we're meant to meet again."
"Hm," Arisa rumbled softly, closing her eyes as she heard his final breath leave his body. A gentle light filled the cavern, and like all the other mates blessed to the Ōkami, Masato's essence joined the Island, causing another part of it to flourish so that he would live eternally with the Ōkami.
