The Kyuubi and the Kit Chapter 3: Wanted, a naruto fanfic

YaoiShadow: Sorry for the long wait, minna-san! Stuffs happen, though. U

I really wanted to do a special birthday chapter on Minato's birthday, but I wasn't where I wanted to be in the story, and schoolwork bit me in the ass; thanks for waiting, and all the great reviews, nonetheless!

However… I will say that little comments like Hoyt-san's will be thoroughly ignored, unless it is well thought out and points out actual errors in the story; that is what I think constructive criticism truly is and I openly accept it.

To answer Hacker-san's question: In chapter 367 of the manga, it is revealed that 'Arashi's (Yondaime-Fourth Hokage-) true name is Namikaze Minato, as well as the fact that he's Naruto's father. Most people called him Arashi before this chapter's release, so some feel more comfortable calling him 'Arashi'.

Kyuubi: (Disclaimer) YaoiShadow is far too stupid to own 'Naruto'; though she does have the intelligence to know the names of the characters (-cough, cough-) I think…. U

Yaoi: T-T

Last Chapter:

/To reasons unknown to him, or perhaps he was too unwilling, he had a deep yearning in his heart. The bright image of Minato's smiling face clouded his vision, the sun-kissed spiky blond hair and the sparkling eyes making the ache even more noticeable.

: What is this feeling? What is it about him that makes me so desperate to see him, a mere human kit? :

But there was no answer, only the gentle caress of the wind upon his skin./

The morning was bright and warm with a slight cool breeze wafting through the trees, accented by soft baby blue sky. The tiny buds of hiding flowers opened, revealing the peeking faces of delicate blooms, ranging in colors from the deepest blue, to the brightest butter yellow. Small droplets of dew clung to lush blades of grass, turning what would have been an average sunrise into a sparkling, breathtaking experience.

There were few things lovelier than Konohagakure in spring.

This was the scene Minato was greeted with, one school day, as he began the familiar trek from his apartment to the academy, weighted down by a small cluster of written work and a few necessary books.

"Good morning, Minato-kun!" one of his female classmates greeted; an attempt to get him to speak, he was sure.

He had tried to be himself, but failed miserably; though he had the determination to become a great shinobi and gain respect in Kyuubi-kun's eyes, it defeated the purpose if he might never see the forest guardian again. It had been a few weeks as it was.

Inwardly, the blond heaved a great sigh, before flashing a bright smile to the girl, completely fooling her into believing all was well with him, "Good morning, Akesato-san. Did you do last night's homework?"

It was all merely small talk, a means of distraction from his actual dreary mood; yet, the diminutive brunette happily chattered away, a noise the Namikaze hardly took note of.

The same could be said for the rest of his classmates, who all acted insufferably cheery throughout the day; was his mood really that obvious? Minato thought he was a good actor!

At least his teaches could be counted on, for if they noticed his depression, they didn't show it; he still had a mountain of homework that night.

: And I have to do it!! : Minato thought encouragingly, : I promised myself that I would become worthy in Kyuubi-kun's eyes someday! :

What homework had to do with it, he wasn't sure.

And, true to his nature, the blond soon grew bored with the lesson (was it on the history of kunai?) and began to space off into a daydream; one involving he himself fighting off a pack of demons single-handedly from breaching Konoha.

/ He was a blur to his wounded comrades, who watched in awe from their defensive positions on the ground.

He appeared as a strand of lightening, striking his foes down with a single blow, a warm breeze sweeping the ties of his hitai-ate and spikes of blond hair about his head.

And, once all his enemies had been defeated, Sandaime approached, his dark eyes sparkling.

"Aa, Minato; you've grown so much since you were a child, almost as strong as myself!"

Both men exchanged amused looks, before Sarutobi continued.

"I've been thinking about retiring early; you know, see the sights; not having to worry about being assassinated." He chuckled, "And I've been considering my successors; Minato, you are the most qualified."

He grinned, but remained polite, "Surely there is someone else…?"

Sandaime shook his head, "No, no; I'd rather have you as Yondaime. Well, now that that's settled-"

To Minato's surprise, the older man whipped the hat off of his head, tearing the customary Hokage robes from his body and threw them at Minato.

Once he had removed the bunch of clothes from atop his head, the Namikaze blinked in disbelief as Sarutobi stood before him, in Bermuda shorts, bright pink Hawaiian shirt, and a pair of sunglasses.

"- I'm off to work on my tan! Toodles!"

In a swirl of smoke, the former village leader had vanished; and, most mysteriously, so had his injured comrades. The scenery had also changed; no longer was he standing before the gates of Konohagakure, instead, he was atop a cliff, overlooking a vast, lush forest.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist, drawing him against a firm body.

"Minato…" a husky voice whispered in his ear, enveloping the appendage in heavy, warm breath.

Most un-Hokage-like, Minato 'eeped', twisting in the stranger's grasp.

However, the identity of the person made his eyes sparkle in happiness.

"Kyuubi-kun!"

The youko smirked - most sensually, Minato thought - running a clawed hand through soft blond locks.

"The forest is safe now Minato, thanks to you."

Minato blushed slightly, bowing his head in embarrassment.

Kyuubi gently placed a hand on the blond's waist, slipping the other behind his head, forcing the human to look up at him.

"Minato…"

Slowly, the two drew closer, their eyes clouded with affection.

Minato rose on his toes; their lips were mere centimeters away.

"Kyuubi-kun…"

Their breathes began to mingle, as their lips softly began to touch-

"-to! Minato!"

At that moment, Minato's head slipped off of the hand that was supporting it, letting his face to hit the hard, wooden table with a loud 'thunk'.

"Ow! Aa, what? Whaddid I miss? Is it time to leave?"

Beside him, Kuoryuu snickered, motioning to the front of their shared table. There stood Nanao-sensei, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.

"Mi. Na. Tooo!"

The Namikaze's bright blue eyes widened in horror as his teacher descended upon him.

"Umm, Minato-kun? Are you alright?"

"Yuh, are you gonna make it home, Namikaze?"

Groggily, Minato stared up at the blue sky, and the blurred images that were his classmates' faces.

"Uhh… Kouryuu, why didn't you wake me up?"

The figure to the left of him grinned; that much he could tell, as his vision was starting to clear.

"It looked like you were having a nice dream; you were smiling, and I could've sworn you were gonna kiss your book."

Minato flushed angrily and got to his feet; by the looks of it, school was over.

: Augh, what happened to me, anyway…? :

All he could remember was saving the village from evil demons, seeing Sandaime in pink (o.k, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to forget that part), being made Hokage, and…..

His face turned beet red; it seems the female half of the class really had rubbed off on him.

Saya and Kouryuu leaned in closer to him, interested in the redness staining the blond's cheeks.

"So," Saya continued, "You'll be fine, won't you?"

Minato nodded, rubbing the back of his head roughly; once he got home, he'd eat a cup of instant ramen and take a nice, long nap. He'd learned a lesson today: daydreams were dangerous… but not as much as teachers.

Hesitantly, the siblings before him headed toward the opposite path (they lived at the other end of town), waving to him as they left.

Minato was touched, truly, but he could handle himself; why, he folded his own laundry! Heh, top that!

Feeling slightly better, the awakened blond took off towards his apartment.

: This… isn't working… : Kyuubi grumbled to himself.

For nearly a week, the youko had done everything he could think of in order to drive the thought of a certain blond human child out of his head: he'd cleaned his cave twice, inspected every inch of his territory three times every day, filed his finger nails (don't ask), and so much more… And it still didn't work; every night, he was haunted be the memory of the sweet, cheery little human child he had met only weeks before.

And he didn't know why.

Suddenly, a firm, fuzzy object nudged his elbow. Thrown out of his reverie, the red-headed youkai looked straight down to see his niece, sitting on her haunches and staring at him owlishly.

A few moments after his silence, she bumped against him again, encouraging him to continue his healing of a lightning struck maple tree.

"Kaiya," he began, "What should I do? I can't get that pathetic human brat out of my mind."

As he conversed with the female, his strong hands ghosted over the charred bark of the plant life, issuing a steady stream of red chakra as he did.

The vixen whined and plopped the entire length of her body upon the ground, crossing her paws and resting her head on them; deep golden eyes sparkling far too innocently up at him. Kyuubi had asked her this many times before, and, every time, she gave the same reply.

A vein at Kyuubi's temple throbbed angrily, conveying the guardian's disgust at his kin's utter uselessness.

"Why must you always look at me that way? Surely you cannot be suggesting that I stroll right in to that damned human village, risking my life, just to see a worthless child?"

He stood before her, his breathing harsh and his ears laid straight back as he growled.

To most creatures, this would be pretty impressive, and would frighten away any sensible person; but Kaiya was use to this (combined with her natural stubbornness as a woman) and had grown accustomed to this reaction every time her uncle even thought about Minato-chan. Which was pretty often (and somewhat amusing).

Ever slowly, Kyuubi's steely exterior began to crumble, and his once fierce expression had melted into one of uncertainty.

With weary golden eyes, Kyuubi turned once more to the female.

"Do you… think I should?"

Kaiya yipped once, bounding into the air; it was obvious how she felt.

"Hmph, fool." Though his words were harsh, there was a smirk playing at his lips.

He was a nine-tailed youko; surely infiltrating a human village for a day wouldn't be very hard. He could shadow Minato for a while, just to check up on him and see if he was doing well, and then return home… But no, he had far too much to do today.

As if she could sense where his thoughts were straying, Kaiya growled, bared her tiny fangs, and bit her uncle harshly on the hand.

The wound was nothing to him, he was accustomed to far worse, but it was still quite shocking when his usually docile niece actually bit him; he, the lord of the forest.

"Kaiya." He said sharply, glaring at her fiercely.

The young vixen didn't release her hold on him, however; in fact, she tugged a little on the flesh in her mouth.

By now, a small trickle of blood began to stream from the bite, running down his long, nimble fingers; it was apparent that she wasn't going to let up.

Under normal circumstances, Kyuubi would remain firm in his decision to remain in the forest; but, due to Kaiya's annoying persistence (and, perhaps, the throb deep within his heart that he got whenever he thought of Minato), he decided to reconsider.

But only this once.

He huffed, trying to jerk his hand out of the kitsune's mouth, "Fine, you win… for now. But this is the only time I'll relent to you."

Releasing her hold on the male, Kaiya sniffed, obviously pleased with her work, and stalked off in an air of smugness, twitching her tail as she went.

The guardian massaged his now-red hand, and glanced down the path Kaiya had taken.

He snorted, "Damned female."

But, despite the blow to his masculine pride, he was rather satisfied with his final decision.

Needless to say, it would be quite the learning experience.

He struck at midday, at the changing of the gate guards.

After performing a few quick katas, he appeared to be an ordinary redheaded citizen; dressed in loose-fitting black pants, form fitting fishnet shirt with a long, sleeveless vest, and a Konoha hitai-ate tied at his upper arm.

He had managed to make his hair appear slightly shorter and managable, his nails at a normal, human-male length, and to make his tails and fox ears disappear, but the jagged, red, whisker-like tattoos on his face remained.

Oh well, it was better than nothing; the only one who would recognize him would be Minato. And, if he had his way, the human child wouldn't even know he was there.

Pleased with his disguise, the youko proceeded his journey into the human village, unaware of the adventure that awaited him.

Only a small group of women spotted him, as he began to jump to the rooftops in order to prevent a confrontation, but that was bad enough; apparently, the queue of ladies found him attractive, as they flushed and giggled, batting their eyelashes at him in a most unappealing way.

: No, I won't fall for mere human females, : Kyuubi grumbled to himself, beginning to feel very foolish as he pelted across the shingles of the rooftops, :Because I'm the one risking his neck just to see a human kit…! :

But it soon became extremely difficult to ignore his admirers, as they began to stalk him, following his steps on the streets.

Slowly, he picked up the pace, until he was merely a red blur atop the shingles of brown; below him, he was shadowed by a mass of colors, from pink to yellow and blue.

: Damn you, kunoichi! : he grumbled in exasperation; really, he should have chosen a less conspicuous disguise.

Meanwhile, on his way home, Minato decided to stop by the grocery store and pick up a few things for dinner (he was thinking noodles).

As he perused through the rows upon rows of vegetables, he missed the flash of crimson from behind him, though his fellow shoppers gaped and pointed, then hurried out of the way as a stampede of women charged passed.

"Um, excuse me, Ojii-san? How much is this daikon?"

To his concern, the clerk was staring behind him open-mouthed and glossy-eyed.

Carefully, the blond peered over his own shoulder, but saw nothing.

: What in the world? :

He shrugged, then continued his browsing.

In the end, Kyuubi decided to revert to a smaller version of his fox form to hide himself from the masses.

: Hmm, I'd like to see them trail me now…! : he thought smugly, while he padded down an alleyway, searching for Minato's light scent.

Just when he thought he had it, his ears picked up a high-pitched squeal from the end of the shadowed tunnel of buildings.

: It can't be…! :

Horror-struck, his narrowed golden orbs scanned the area, to meet a teenaged girl, a Genin by the looks of it; behind her stood a gang of her peers, their eyes all bright and glossy.

"KAWAII!"

: Shit…! :

And, once again, he streaked off, dodging random villagers as he went.

: This was one of the most foolish notions…! :

But he had no more time to contemplate things; the evil ones were gaining on him.

It was sunset by the time Minato reached his street, after his shopping trip.

To the Namikaze child, this was one of the greatest parts of the day; the setting sun reminded him a lot of Kyuubi-kun, with the melding of reds, oranges and yellows, into a seamless form, appearing a bright glowing red, like the youko's hair and fur. And, also like Kyuubi, it brought Minato peace and reassurance; like everything will turn out for the better.

: I really need to get a hobby! : Minato chuckled, already fishing in his pockets for his house key.

He prepared to jump up to his floor (taking the stairs was too boring!), when something caught his eye; a furry mass in the dirt street, it's dark silhouette stretched in front of it from the smoldering sun.

Without a second thought, he turned his leap into a slight hop, toward the fallen mammal, closing the remaining distance with a few strides.

"Poor thing," he cooed, carefully picking up the limp form, cradling the creature to his chest protectively.

It was a fox.

Minato grinned, : But of course. :

The minute animal was severely ruffled and dust-covered, leaving only small patches of the actual reddish color to be seen in the waning light.

It looked like it had been through hell.

"Hey! There he is!"

Startled, both Minato and the kitsune turned to see a small queue of girls, who were staring avidly at the fox. The exhausted creature tried to run away, but could only manage a few half-hearted twitches.

Minato glanced down into the pleading golden eyes and smiled, returning his gaze to the approaching females.

"Aa, thank you so much for finding him! I've been looking all day! Right, Miso-chan?"

The fox glared at him, : Miso-chan?! :

The girls looked at him doubtfully, sizing him up; he was puny, obviously an academy student, but he was so cute…!

The leader of the group, a slender, severe-looking brunette with long hair paused, deep in thought.

"I suppose you're telling the truth…" she muttered, gazing at him critically; the fox seemed to be quite at home in the kids arms, as if they've known each other for quite some time.

The Genin motioned to the others, and they all turned on their heels, giving one last, long stare at the smiling blond, who was happily rubbing the fox's soft, fuzzy stomach.

Like a swarm, they set off into the sunset, reminding Minato vaguely of an old western movie.

: Or something… :

After a small yip from his new-rescued friend, he tore himself from his thoughts, and got to his feet, cradling the animal.

"C'mon, I can feed you at least."

The fox wiggled a tail slightly in response.

The inside of Minato's apartment wasn't anything spectacular, as could be expected from a solitary academy student; but it was… welcoming.

It was small in size, with only one other room separated by a door -the bathroom-. Along with a tiny, low bed with red and white comforter -the pattern was in the form of the kanji for 'fire'-, there was a medium-sized kitchen table, and a wooden bookshelf, crammed with dozens of scrolls from simple jutsu's, to maps, scrolls on plants, and also kitsune. To fill the void of the nearly empty dwelling, there were numerous potted plants, filling the air with the aroma of living things and greenery.

On the practically bare countertop, there was a small rice cooker and coffee pot, as well as a cluster of instant cup ramen.

"Here you are, then!" the cheery blond sang, gently setting the fuzzy animal onto his pillow.

The ruffled fox stared at him curiously as he bustled around the kitchen, putting away groceries and starting what appeared to be dinner.

"So, Kyuubi-kun, what brings you here?"

The fox sputtered, becoming engulfed in white fog, soon revealing the lean, impressive form of the forest guardian, who immediately began to comb through his messy hair with his fingers.

"I'll give you credit, kit; you can pay attention when you want to."

Minato grinned toothily and moved to sit on the edge of his bed, which, he noted, was hardly big enough to occupy the tall figure of Kyuubi.

"But really, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be taking care of….?"

The powerful youkai stretched, the light greatly accenting his well-toned muscles; leisurely, he fell against the pillows, Minato resting against him thoughtlessly.

Kyuubi took it his stride, and stroked the fine, spiky hair of the child calmly.

"Kaiya insisted. And I must say I now understand why none of my ancestors attempted to journey into human villages; you mortals are ridiculous. Especially the females." His shudder almost went unnoticed.

: The squealing…! That infernal squealing…! :

He'd be lucky to regain his proper hearing in a week.

Minato giggled and curled up to the larger male, "Sorry, I tried my best!"

Kyuubi snorted, but gazed at the top of the blond head in slight interest.

"By the way, how did you know it was me…?" It felt like a foolish question to ask, but what the hell.

Minato looked up at him, sparkling blue eyes connecting with those of gold, "It was simple, really! There aren't many foxes with the same coloring as you, and you both have the same scowl; you know, like you're mad at the world."

Temporarily caught off guard, the older one looked away, directing his attention to the small corner that was the kitchen. He sniffed the air testily.

"Need I ask what you're cooking?"

The human's eyes shone, "Do you want to try some? It's called Kitsune-udon! I've been practicing how to make it! It has- … Kyuubi-kun?"

The all-powerful youko had fallen back against the pillows, his face being one contorted in intense displeasure.

: Of all things…! :

"I mean, I heard that kitsune liked it, so…" the child gasped, "But if you don't, I can make something else!" he brightened, "Like ramen!"

Kyuubi mentally gagged himself, "No, kitsune-udon tastes just fine."

: A little too fine… :

"Then I'll get you a bowl! It should be done now anyway!" hastily, the young shinobi rolled off the bed, landing on his knees, stood, and padded over to the stove, browsing through the surrounding cabinets for tableware.

Meanwhile, Kyuubi grunted and followed suit; however, he went straight to the table.

"Is green tea o.k?"

The brilliant red head bobbed shortly; the owner of the blood-red locks stared at his host intently, taking note of his every move.

It was apparent that the Namikaze didn't get visitors often; the kit was too pleased to retrieve two teacups, bowls, and sets of chopsticks, some of which he had to rinse off to rid of the dust.

"Sorry." The blue-eyed blond grinned sheepishly, aware that he had been caught.

With that comment said, he turned back to his task, picking up where he left off.

Slyly, Kyuubi took this time to inspect the human's home.

There weren't any pictures sitting out, or papers strewn everywhere; actually, it was pretty tidy; especially for someone at so young an age.

"Tadaa!"

The handsome youko snapped out of his musings at the arrival of food, which was placed right before him, along with a steaming teacup.

To put it simply, it looked delicious; but, perhaps this sudden interest in the meal was merely because he, as a youko, enjoyed kitsune-udon.

Without haste, he muttered a quick prayer under his breath, then dug in.

To his astonishment, the meal tasted as good as it appeared, and he reveled in the taste, particularly that of the tofu.

Grinning from ear to ear, Minato watched in amusement; who knew Kyuubi could appear so… relaxed?

"You like noodles as much as I do!" he laughed good-naturedly, helping himself to his own bowl.

Kyuubi grumbled angrily, but blushed all the same.

"Foolish kit."

Kitsune-udon: basically, udon with tofu.

YaoiShadow: I've never tried kitsune-udon or Inarizushi (pockets of rice with fried tofu in it), but I'd really like to. X3

This chapter was written for the sole purpose of making the flow between the last and next chapter easier; so in other words, this one's pretty much pointless. XDU

Just a heads up: I was going to post two new chapters this week, but my sister and I need to get stuff ready for Momo con this weekend. XD So if you see a Shippu Sasuke (chap. 365+)/kimono Sasuke and Hokage Naruto/ kimono Naruto… that's us. U (just please don't hit me XDU)

Kyuubi: Thank god you're not embarrassing me this time (though I actually feel a little sympathetic for the Uchiha brat…).

Yaoi: TAT Gee, thanks.

Anyway, read and review, kudasai! : 3

Preview of next chapter (I'm so proud of myself for being so ahead X3):

/ She had thick, waist-length red hair, which was actually a seamless mix of red, orange and yellow upon closer inspection, and brilliant green eyes, a color that rivaled the forestry of Konoha itself. Her skin was fair and smooth, but did nothing to draw him into the thinking that she was helpless and weak. On the contrary, she gave off an air that showed she was able, and willing, to take on every student in the classroom. And win.

She smirked slightly at his comment and then focused her attention back on the front of the class.

: She seems familiar to me…. But I can't put my finger on it. : /