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Bared Naked	By : AkashaEmily Category: Naruto > General Views: 1401 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Chapter seven: Missing In Action

Sasuke
sank his fangs deep into the clone�s hand viciously, hanging on with his front
claws as his rear legs scored the arm attached to the fingers that held him. The
tabby was angry after being subjected to the humiliating experience of a
none-too-gentle bath and wanted desperately to dish out some payback. His eyes
stung from the shampoo, his ears were water-logged, he was freezing, and to top
it all off he looked like a drowned rat! Somebody had to pay for the indignity
of it all and, since he couldn�t lash out at Naruto- What had happened to him anyway?!- the clone�s arm was forfeit.
At
least until he was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and his body assumed a half
curled position as he hung suspended in midair. It didn�t hurt him, something
for which he was grateful, but it forced him to become docile as he was placed
in a blue towel and quickly covered, the clone rubbing his fur with more force
than the Uchiha thought necessary.
It
looked like the clone was going to get some revenge in while Naruto wasn�t
paying attention.
He
was placed on the floor, left to huddle in his towel and shivering as the chill
of the tile seeping into the thin covering with ease. Something was set down
next to him and he poked his head out to peer at the quaking bundle, oddly
happy that Neji and Hinata seemed to be fairing along the same lines as
himself: the cousins were wrapped together in a pink towel, shivering and
equally unhappy.
<Did
Naruto do this when he took you in?> Neji asked, teeth chattering as he
poked his head out of the towel to talk to Sasuke.��
<No.>
Sasuke said, unhappy and in pain as his mauled shoulder began to ache. <I
just slept.> He looked around the room and frowned, absently noting the
white surfaces for the first time. He hadn�t noticed it last night or this
morning but� <It�s so white�>
Neji
nodded, glancing around and sniffing the air delicately. Hinata joined them
then, peeking her head out of the towel. Their attention immediately went to
the only spot of color in the room, the towel rack. Hidden in a small recess
and sharing wall space next to the shower/bath combo unit they had just been
dunked in, it was loaded with towels in various colors ranging from sky blue to
royal purple. No color appeared more frequently than the others, implying that
Naruto had no favorite, but all of them had the same shabby look to them much
like everything else in the blonde�s apartment. In the space underneath the
towel rack was an oversized wicker hamper for dirty laundry, an edge of beige
blanket peeking out the top waiting to be cleaned.
Sasuke
frown deepened as he turned his head, his eyes wandering over the other side of
the room. There was the requisite toilette and sink, both of which were bare of
color, the porcelain chipped in places. In the wall above the little sink was a
mirrored medicine cabinet and below the basin was a small make-shift cupboard
with an empty hole where the knob should have been, presumably for bathroom
necessities.
Much
to his disgust, the kitten spotted their as yet unused litter box sitting in
the corner beside the toilette. Positioned as it was, the box was hidden from
immediate view, allowing for privacy while at the same time protected from
drafts. Naruto must have set it up when he was cleaning up his apartment after
everyone had left yesterday.
No way. The
thought was reflected on all three kittens� faces as they contemplated the pan
and its granular contents.

<Where�s
Naruto?> Hinata asked, taking a quick glance around and unable to see him.
Her nose twitched and Sasuke bet that, like him, she could smell the blonde
even if she couldn�t see him.
<His
bedroom most likely.> Neji said, stepping out from the sheltered warmth of
the towel. Wet, the male Hyuuga was not nearly as cute a kitten as he was dry,
his fur alternately plastered flat to his compact body and sticking out from it
in damp spikes. Shivering as he steeled himself, Neji took a few mincing steps
forward over the freezing tile, comically shaking each paw as it left the floor
before launching into a full body shake to rid his fur of moisture.�
Inwardly
sighing but determined to find his ailing teammate, Sasuke followed suit and
left his towel, spraying water everywhere as he tried to clear it from his
shivering body. He was hit on the head after he finished and automatically he
looked toward in the direction the attack had come from, spotting a scowling,
drenched Hinata, water dripping off her whiskers, one blue paw raised to smack
him again. The Uchiha growled at her as she closed the short distance between
them but she ignored the warning and came closer anyway, pausing only when
there was an inch between them. Without warning, she launched into a furious
body shake, stumbling after Sasuke when he tried to get away.
<That
was unfair!> He said indignantly, untangling his legs after having tripped
over them during his failed escape attempt. Though he wasn�t soaked he was
still significantly wet again, courtesy of Hinata�s little revenge stunt, his
fur absorbing the water like a sponge. Annoyed, he got back to his feet and
shook himself dry, whiskers twitching when he spotted both Hyuugas near the
closed door to the room, eyeing the handle.
It
was one of those long handled ones, not a traditional circular knob and Naruto
must have replaced it out of pocket at some point since it didn�t match any of
the others found in the rest of the apartment. It was still shone, speaking
volumes about how much usage it saw and also about the blonde�s trusting
personality. From what Sasuke had seen in his short stay in his teammate�s
home, the doorknob was the newest thing in the small apartment.
Sasuke
hurried over to the pair, ignoring the clone as it cleaned up the bathtub
behind him, and joined the other felines as they peered up at the handle.
Cocking his head to one side and pawing at an ear, he wondered absently if Neji
would hold still long enough for him to jump off the Hyuuga�s shoulders; it
wouldn�t take much weight to depress the bar and Sasuke was betting one good
leap would get his tiny body up there to do the job. Before he could do so
though, the door handle swept downward to become parallel with the door frame
as the door swung inward to permit the other Naruto clone to reenter the room.
The kittens, sitting right in front of the door, got a face full of the wooden
portal.
��What�s up?� The one in the bathroom asked,
pausing as it picked up the abandoned towels sitting on the floor. Catching
sight of the heap of angry kittens and in their proximity to the now open door,
it winced in sympathy, watching as they pawed at their abused noses.
�Sorry!�
The other clone apologized to them with a grimace but quickly turned back to
its twin. �We have a problem.�
<Do
you hear something?> Hinata asked suddenly as she scanned the area, her ears
swiveling around and up. She righted herself and ran to the other side of the
door, gingerly stepping up onto the clone�s feet. Her whiskers twitching, she
began to try and nose her way through the gap between the door and the clone�s
shin and, when that didn�t work, tried to twist her way through the narrow
space between the clone�s legs.
Neji
and Sasuke joined her but the males were forced to look at the floor as she
squeezed through the narrow gap; her back legs got caught going through, making
her scissor them behind her as she wiggled her hips until she maneuvered her
way through, her tail lashing behind her. When she was safely in the hallway on
all four feet, the other two began forcing their way out as well.
�Aw,
you let them out!� Sasuke heard from inside the bathroom and deemed it best
that they make themselves scarce. With a quick nod between the three, the
kittens high-tailed it, no pun intended, down the hall and through the
bedroom�s open door.
Though
the mattress was still present, the hammock that had been above it was not and
Sasuke found himself missing the hanging bed after becoming accustomed to it.
Naruto, the real one, was on the floor and unconscious. He lay half curled on
his side facing away from them, most of his body lost to sight under the new
clean comforter that had been carefully tucked around him. The blonde was still
and for an awful second the Uchiha thought he was dead. He saw Naruto�s chest
move the moment passed.
<His
breathing is better.> Hinata noted as the trio made their way over,
carefully scaling the mini mountains of bunched fabric in their path. She was
right; the labored panting Naruto had been doing of late was non-existent, the
blonde�s ribcage expanding and contracting in a steady rhythm though Sasuke
thought he could detect a faint gurgle deep in his teammate�s lungs when he put
his ear against the blonde�s chest.
Neji,
having taken a seat beside the back of Naruto�s head, was looking down at the
blonde. The Hyuuga�s nose was twitching delicately as he leaned forward,
sniffing Naruto�s sweat soaked hair. <It doesn�t appear as if he�s had
another seizure.>
For
that Sasuke was grateful because he never, ever wanted to be forced to watch
something so disturbing again. Helpless, forced to sit there as Naruto
convulsed and beat himself against the floor� The image was going to haunt the
Uchiha for a very long time. The kittens had had to wait until the episode was
over before approaching, before they could even think about getting close
enough to help, for the simple reason that- as things were- the blonde was just
so much bigger than they were. The only reason Naruto hadn�t suffered a severe
concussion or broken anything was solely due to the fact that he had been on the
mattress when the fit occurred and the padding had sufficiently absorbed the
impact.
�What
do you mean �a call went out?�
Reacting
instinctively, the kittens dove for cover, crawling beneath gaps in the comforter
to huddle against the blonde out of sight just as the two Naruto clones entered
the room. Sasuke cuddled as close to the blonde�s chest as he could while
simultaneously flattening himself to the floor, one of his wedge shaped ear
aimed upward at the continuing conversation while the other monitored Naruto�s
heartbeat inches away.
�Huh.�
One said, and Sasuke could hear feet shuffle. �I thought I saw the fur balls
come in here.� It made an annoyed sound before continuing. �I mean that a call went out.�
�They
wouldn�t do it if it wasn�t something major.� A clone- presumably the other
one- sighed. �But we can�t wake him. He�s too sick and snowballing quicker than
normal. This year it�s really bad.�
��How can you
say that? The seal�s breaking- I can feel it so I know you can too. There�s no
guarantee I�ll be alive next week.� Sasuke
flashed back to Naruto in the kitchen, the blonde�s words echoing loudly in the
Uchiha�s ears. Naruto had looked so depressed as he had clutched the stuffed
fox against his chest that it really hadn�t been surprising when he had begun
to cry.
�God, I hate my birthday.�
Sasuke
stared at nothing, filled with questions as one thought in particular surfaced
above the rest. Did this happen every year?!
�There�s
another problem.� One of the clones said, jerking the tabby from his startled
confusion. �We�ve got incoming. Three chakra signatures at high speed.�
�Fuck.�
The other one said softly but with feeling. �We can�t let anyone see him. We�ll
have to keep them busy until his caretaker shows up.�
His caretaker?
Sasuke�s eyebrows knitted together. Outside of his loved ones here, who would a
desperately ill Naruto trust to look after him?
Sasuke
heard a grunt of agreement and then the sound of footsteps retreating as one of
the clones left. A soft thump and a dip in the mattress indicated that the
remaining clone had taken a seat on the makeshift bed nearby and as discretely
as possible, Sasuke followed the slight curve of Naruto�s upper chest until he
found the small gap between his teammate�s body, the comforter and the
mattress. Cautious of the clone close by, the tabby crept slowly forward until
he was directly in front of his friend�s nose.
He looks awful.
The Uchiha looked at his teammate and reached up to place a paw on the blonde�s
forehead, unsurprised as he felt heat radiate into the soft pads. Naruto�s face
was flushed and pinched from fever and pain even as he slept, hair dark from
sweat and plastered flat to his skull. A damp washcloth had been placed over
the blonde�s eyes to help cool him down and Sasuke adjusted its placement,
moving it higher so that it wasn�t in danger of falling off.
The
tabby could feel eyes on him and glanced up to find Neji scrutinizing him
across the blonde�s head but Sasuke ignored the other male and kept his eyes on
Naruto as he tried to beat back the anxiety that was quickly tying his stomach
into knots.
Naruto
was sick, was really sick, and could possibly die.
And
Sasuke could do nothing to stop it.
<Go
to the hospital.> He said, giving in to the urge to butt his head against
Naruto�s cheek. He stopped soon after and simply rested the top of his head
against the blonde�s warm skin. <If you�re so sick, go to the hospital where
they can help you.>
�There
you are!� The clone whispered triumphantly as a hand descended upon the
Uchiha�s shoulders and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before lifting him
into the air. The only reason why Sasuke refrained from yowling his ire to the
world was that he would wake Naruto. As it was he lashed the air with his tail,
the fur fluffed out to twice its size as it moved.
�I
knew you were in here!� The clone grinned at him happily, blue eyes screwing
shut as a grin threatened to split its face in two.
The
tabby hissed as it dangled inches from the clone�s face, swiping a clawed paw
out in frustrated fury as it attempted to retaliate. Just you wait! The moment you set me down, I�ll claw you so badly
you�ll poof out of existence!
�It was as he continued to plot various means
of vengeance that his ears detected the sound of someone knocking on the front
door. He stilled, as did the clone though it didn�t release him, and the pair
listened intently as three sharp raps sounded on the distant portal. Silence
reigned for several seconds before the visitor appeared to loose patience and
then loud thumps filled the air as the wood was punished.
<It
sounds like someone is kicking the door in.> Hinata commented worriedly, her
head poking out from under comforter, ears aimed at the open bedroom door.
Or trying to at any rate. Sasuke added silently, able to only rotate his ears
around since he couldn�t move his head. Whoever was outside was incredibly
angry over something and seemed intent on taking it out on Naruto.
The
clone set him down on the bed and stood, silently moving up to stand beside the
doorway, using the wall to hide its form from the open doorway. From anyone
coming from the hall the room would appear unguarded, that Naruto was asleep
and defenseless, and as the clone unsheathed two kunai, the kitten realized that
that was exactly the point.
�Uzumaki
open this door!� A familiar voice roared angrily, followed by more pounding on
the apartment door.
<Kiba?>
Hinata questioned and Sasuke looked at her sharply, frowning as her teammate
continued to demand entrance. The Uchiha inwardly sneered at the Hyuuga; Sakura
would never�
�Naruto!� Damn it, Sakura! �Naruto, if you�re
here open up or we�ll break the door down.�
Not
too far away a long suffering sigh sounded and Neji glided over to the tabby,
shooting both his cousin and Sasuke a superior look that said plainly, their
teammates were annoying and nothing like his own.
When
Lee spoke up suddenly, Sasuke took great pleasure in rolling his eyes at the
condescending brown feline.
�Friend
Naruto!� Lee called. �We have urgent news and need your help!�
Sasuke
had a very bad feeling. It was an awful, overpowering sense of foreboding that
made his fur stand on end. He didn�t understand it but knew- knew in his very
core- that something monumental was about to be set into motion and that life
as he knew it was going to change.
The
sensation was overwhelming and though he wanted to run and hide, the panic that
suddenly flared into being kept his feet locked in place and unable to move.
It was
like standing on the tracks of a steam-train, watching as thousands of tons of
metal hurtled toward you and knowing that there was no where to go to escape
being crushed.
<Sasuke?>
Hinata asked, her pale eyes suddenly filling his vision as she thrust her face
into his. <Sasuke are you alright?>
He
realized he was shaking, trembling, that his breathing was just a little too
fast. With a concentrated effort, he swallowed the fear, forced it down and
locked it away as he concentrated and made his paws form tiny fists before
launching his body into motion. The Uchiha jumped over the other feline and
sped out of the room down the hall, not noticing the click as the door was
closed quietly behind him.
<Don�t
open the door!> He yelled at the other clone just as its hand began to twist
the knob. <Don�t, you idiot!>
It
was too late. The clone glanced down at him briefly as he ran up to it but
didn�t stop opening the door. It nudged Sasuke clear of the two foot gap with
its foot, sweeping the Uchiha�s small form behind it as greeted the three
people and dog gathered in the doorway.
�Hi
guys!� The faux Naruto said, puzzlement evident. �What�s up?�
�Took
you long enough to open the damn door!� The brunette growled and tried to shove
the door open fully to gain entry. Smile dimming, the Naruto clone just held it
firm, the wood not moving an inch despite the force being exerted on it.
�Did
you have something interesting to say or did you just come to abuse my door?�
The clone let its irritation show by tone of voice and by also tapping his
sandaled foot against the floor.
Sasuke
hastily moved away, taking extra care not to get his tail caught as he took a
seat beside the copy of his friend. Now that the feeling of impeding doom had
lifted, the Uchiha was incredibly irritated with himself and his previous
behavior. What on earth had he been thinking? Yes it was annoying having
everyone turn up just when Naruto was trying to�
And I always call Naruto a dobe. He thought, feeling incredibly stupid as the
obviousness of this new situation hit him. He�d just been telling Naruto to go
to the hospital and now help for the blonde was here, had just turned up on the
doorstep! All he had to do was get his kunoichi teammate to see the real Naruto
and she would insure that the blonde got treatment for whatever sickness was
slowly consuming him.
<Sakura!>
Swallowing his pride, he began trying to get his other teammate�s attention
while maintaining a wary distance from Akamaru standing nearby.
�� Hinata�s missing.� Kiba growled angrily. �Neji is too.�
�� Sasuke as well.� Sakura added, worry for the object of
her affection evident in that small sentence. Her eyes drifted downward and
caught sight of the kitten, watching in amusement as it waved a paw at her. She
waved her hand at the animal vaguely before dismissing it and returning her
attention to the blonde.
�� Sakura mentioned that she had sent them here after
encountering them at the festival.� Lee told the blonde, effectively explaining
their presence on his doorstep. �We thought perhaps, that, due to the late
hour, they may have stayed in your apartment last night.�
�� Abandoning subtlety, Sasuke�s grey and black furred body
scaled the clone�s body until he could crawl over the clone�s shoulder, the
tabby balancing on its perch and meowing loudly. �Naruto� put a hand on the
kitten, petting it absently as he focused his eyes on the ceiling and thought.
�� The blonde shook his head, expression worried as he
looked at the pink haired kunoichi. �You sent them here? At night?�
�� I didn�t send
them here!� Sakura snapped at him waspishly, fist raised to hit him. �They
asked if I had seen you and I told them about your stupid training trips! I
don�t know why they were coming here,� She added when he opened his mouth. �But
now they are missing!�
�� Then let�s go find them!� The clone said determinedly,
taking hold of the kitten on his shoulder and ignoring the animal�s odd
flailing. After checking it for injury (because why else would it be waving
both arms for attention?) the clone set the tabby on the floor and opened the
door wider. Unfortunately that meant opening the portal wide enough to let
Akamaru through and as soon as the canine could do so, he squeezed past the
clone into the apartment.
�� And padded right over to Sasuke.
�� Instantly the Uchiha�s feline body swelled to twice his
size and began backing away, hissing and yowling threateningly. He slashed with
his claws keeping the dog in view as it began to circle him, sniffing at him,
uttering little yips that made the kitten jump in surprise. Akamaru was smart
enough to keep his body parts out of the kitten�s range and seemed to take
great pleasure in taunting the apparently high strung tabby despite the humans
grousing in the background over the animals� antics.�
�� Akamaru!� Kiba called the dog with barely contained
anger. �Stop tormenting the little weakling.�
�� I�ll show you weak,
dog-breath! Sasuke thought furiously, the claws of his right paw springing
out in readiness. He took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart. Wait.
Watch. Strike. He was still a ninja, damn it, even if he was currently a
kitten, and, changed form or not, he was still Sasuke Uchiha.
�� A very angry Sasuke Uchiha.
�� Hearing his master�s voice gave the dog pause and the
tabby seized his chance, launching his tiny body at the much larger canine�s
muzzle. Though he was angry, he did not want to permanently injure Akamaru; the
dog had been mean to tease him, true, but that did not warrant crippling
payback. So- magnanimously, as he saw it- Sasuke restricted the use of his
claws to leaving lingering reminders in the form of scratches all over the top
of Akamaru�s head. For good measure, the Uchiha chewed on the dog�s ear, too,
not stopping until Naruto�s clone pulled him off.
�� Bad kitty!� The clone scolded loudly as Kiba comforted
his canine companion. Out of sight of the brunette though, the blonde winked at
the feline, mouth twitching to suppress a grin as Akamaru whined pitifully in
the background. �Bad kitty, very bad!�
�� Sasuke preened as the clone�s fingers tickled behind his
ears and under his chin.
�� Your cat attacked my dog.� Kiba stated, disbelief and
outrage evident.
�� Akamaru shouldn�t have teased him then.� The clone said
sagely. �That�s what you get when you underestimate an opponent.�
�� Kiba just never
learns. Sasuke sighed and shook his head. The dog lover had made the same
mistake during the prelims of the chunin exams and had paid dearly for it. You
would think that Naruto�s reputation for being Konoha�s number one prankster
would make people more wary around him but that just simply wasn�t the case.
�� Your words are very wise, Naruto.� Lee interrupted. �But
we must save this youthful energy for another time as our teammates are still
missing and feared to be in danger.�
�� Right, so stop fighting you idiot!� Sakura raged, fist
twitching with the desire to strike.
�� Sasuke frowned as the kunoichi continued to glare daggers
at the blonde. Naruto wasn�t really at fault for the fiasco- if anything Kiba
was the responsible party- so why was she blaming their teammate?
�� Hinata, Neji and Sasuke.� The clone said, nodding as the
others headed through the doorway. �We�re coming to find you!�
�� Too bad that all three were literally right under
everyone�s noses.
�� Though touched at the gesture, the Uchiha rolled his eyes
and sighed at the irony of it all. He was set gently on the floor and then,
with one last wink and a quick grin that only the kitten saw, the clone left,
closing the door behind it. Sasuke heard the tumblers move into place as the
lock was engaged and waited until the footsteps faded away into silence before
heading back to the bed room, for the first time noticing that the door was
shut. Voices caught his attention as he neared and the Uchiha began pawing
anxiously at the wood when he realized that one of those voices belonged to the
real Naruto.
�� it has to be checked out.� Naruto was saying, his voice
dragging and strangely rough. �There�s something in the air� Something is
wrong� in the city. The forest is screaming.�
�� The WHAT?!
Obviously, Naruto needed to go back to sleep because he simply wasn�t making
any sense.
�� Let them handle it.� The clone was saying and though
Sasuke could hear movement in the room, he couldn�t get a sense of what was
happening. He scratched impatiently at the door and meowed pointedly until the
door opened to admit him.
�� The clone was helping Naruto maintain his balance as he
tottered on shaky toward the closet. �They�re trained warriors- ones you trained, by the way- and they�ll
handle what ever it is. Those stupid councils they set up are probably just
trying to pull you into their bickering like last time.�
�� No,� Naruto said, reaching out to yank a clean white
long-sleeved shirt off a hanger. He dropped it shortly after touching it,
clapping the now empty hand over his mouth as he launched into a coughing fit
that drone him to his knees. Getting back to his feet and stumbling the whole
way, Sasuke watched the blond hurry to the bathroom.
�� Soon after, they could all hear him emptying his stomach,
the painful retches making them wince.
�� Heart being wrenched painfully by every sound, Sasuke
hoped sincerely that his friend had made it to the toilette in time.

�� The feel of Kitsune magic as it brushed against the seal
of her cage woke the Nine Tails up. She blinked, opening her gold eyes wearily
as the spell took affect. Several bars of her cage began to dissolve, hissing
angrily as if someone had poured acid over them. The seal over the lock of her
cage crackled, retaliating against the assault by summoning Naruto�s chakra,
making it arch like lightning from bar to bar until both cage doors were
entirely consumed by blue light. For one blinding instant the seal held, but
then the light began to gutter. It finally dimmed to a pale phosphorescence,
spent, and right after it winked out the hissing noise resumed until there was
a gap large enough for the fox to squeeze through.
�� ~So, it has come to
this.~ The fox rose, moving slowly, carefully.
�� Painfully.
�� She approached the newly made doorway, turning her head
as she spied a familiar shade of blonde laying face down in the shallow water
outside her enclosure. Immediately she navigated the opening, being mindful of
the jagged edges as she crouched low and slipped through, hurrying over to
investigate her fallen kit�s still form.
�� ~Kit.~ She
called softly, using a paw to turn him onto his back. ~Kit, answer me. Kit!~
�� He didn�t respond, just laid limply in her grasp, small
and fragile. Already his mental self was showing signs of damage from the
seal�s fail-safes, already his form was beginning to wither and fade. Such
injuries should only have appeared on the day of Naruto�s birth as the hours
counting down to his death but here they were, days ahead of schedule.
�� Stifling a sob, she pulled him close against her crimson
furred body, heart heavy with the knowledge that the first time she was ever
able to hold him� would probably be her
last since the spell granting her freedom was temporary at best. She wrapped
her tails around him, the extra supports helping to pull him completely above the
water that perpetually filled the dank sewer-like maze around them, her tongue
flashing out to lick Naruto�s face clean. She had hoped that he would rouse but
such a thing didn�t happen and he continued to dangle in her grip as she began
carefully navigating the hallways.
�� A call had gone out.
There
was only one possible reason why another Kitsune had would try to free her
during such a dangerous time and the very thought chilled the fox spirit to her
core. The Family that lived in the forest surrounding Konoha knew how risky
such a stunt could be- knew very well not to try and contact her or Naruto
unless it was an extreme emergency- and would not knowingly risk alerting the
village to their respective presences unless something catastrophic was brewing.
�� There was only one event that could drive them to do so,
only one thing that counted under that category, and it made her fear for
Naruto�s safety. Naruto was her kit now, a baby given to her after the loss of
her own little ones had been murdered. Kyuubi would not risk his body lightly,
refused to make him suffer any more than this miserable village already made
him endure. For the few scant days he had left she would protect him and sooth
him, vowed to let no one hurt him. Anyone- be they a human from this village or
a Kitsune attempting to curry favor- anyone who tried to harm Naruto was in for
a very awful time indeed.
Kyuubi
had spent many, many years thinking of ways to best communicate her displeasure
about being sealed away. At first she had tried to figure out how best to take
her revenge on the city and also upon her living vessel, fighting against the
seal with every breath, happy when she made her vessel cry in pain. She had
hated them all, had hated every last village for killing her babies and driving
her mad with grief.
She
had blamed them all- every man, woman, and child in Konoha- for the murder of
her babies. They were all equally responsible in her eyes but soon after the
demon�s imprisonment her rage and hatred had mutated into something both less
and more once she was forced to bare silent witness to the atrocities being
committed against her vessel. The two fires had banked enough to make an
exception for the small boy within whom the fox had been forcibly sealed,
realizing the exact impact her presence was going to have on this boy�s life.
It was then that she had been forced to admit that Naruto, her vessel, had done
nothing to deserve her animosity and was truly a victim just like her poor dead
kits.
Within
the Kitsune social structure, children were precious, nearly sacred in their
innocence. The birth of a child, despite its parentage, was a cause for
celebration for the entire community just as the death of one was a pain shared
by all. Children were to be protected until they became adults and no child
should ever be forced to endure the types of torture Naruto had been forced to
endure. One did not harm a kit under any circumstances; the very idea was
revolting to all Kitsune Families across the globe, a common link between all
groups despite whatever other differences there may be.
But
humans were different. Apparently no one was safe, not even a child and from
that time onward, Kyuubi had become more�creative when envisioning potential
torments for the village�s populace. She had had nearly sixteen years to come
up with such ideas, several of which she was particularly proud of and she
almost wished that someone would try something while she was free because then
she�d be able to try some of her favorites out.
The
fox shook her head hard in an attempt to clear such thoughts; Kyuubi would get
to the bottom of this, oh yes she would, and no one would stand in her way
while she did.
~I am sorry Kit.~ She murmured, finding an alcove in one of the walls and laying Naruto
gently inside the deep recess. ~Duty
calls.~�
With
a final nuzzle to the unresponsive form, the nine tails raised her head high
and walked determinedly and purposefully out of her prison.

More�s Moment:
�� Finally! I�m so proud of myself that I got another
chapter out. This chapter for some reason was like pulling teeth and I couldn�t
seem to write more than a few paragraphs at a time though I suspect it was
because my mind was already on the next chapter. At long last I can start
writing the scene I�ve been thinking about for months, which sounds silly but I
have found the hard way that if I don�t devote myself to the chapter at hand,
the quality suffers.
�� You all are worth delaying my pleasure for so I try my
utmost to deliver good chapters to everyone who reads my stories so let me know
if I�ve done a good job.
�� As some of you may know from reading the latest chapter
of Styx, I have a family member in the
hospital that everyone fears is on her way out. Because of this, updates will
be a bit delayed in coming which I am sorry about but there�s nothing I can do
about it.
�� I am thinking of posting another story which is something
of the reverse of this plot line (though not completely because I think it
would be boring that way) but I am having trouble writing Neji. I dunno what it
is about the guy but I have a difficult time writing in his perspective.
�� Does anyone know of any stories out there that give a
good, clear characterization of Neji?�
�� Teaser:
The
search party heads out to find the Hyuugas and Sasuke as the festival continues
to gather momentum. Back at the apartment, Kyuubi heads off to investigate this
mysterious �call� everyone is talking about and takes our favorite feline trio
with her on the outing. A battle erupts, a tower is destroyed with extreme
Kitsune prejudice, and a missing Uchiha is found unexpectedly amidst it all.
Konoha�s sordid past begins to come to light as they run into another Kitsune.
Anyone
ever heard of the saying, �Some secrets are best left buried?�
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Bared Naked