YaoiShadow: I know I should be working on my other fics, but…. I've been dying to do one of these! (And I've been obsessed with KyuuAra lately; there's not enough out there I tell you, not enough!)
Kyuubi: Crazy bitch…
Arashi: (Disclaimer) YaoiShadow only owns a Kyuubi cosplay and some fan art. Other than that, she owns nothing! 3
YaoiShadow: Gee, thanks. TAT And don't forget my blue prints for kidnapping Kishimoto-sensei!
Kyuubi: Like I said: Crazy bitch….
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Chapter 1: That Stormy Night
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It was a cold and stormy night, that January twenty-fifth. Rain and harsh winter winds lashed at the hospital window relentlessly, making it hard for the medics to easily hear their patient's requests and complaints.
However, the voices in the furthest room on the fourth floor, one of the labor and delivery rooms, could be heard clearly.
"Give me some back up here!" an older medic-nin roared above the chaos that raged outside. Her expression was fierce and her long purple hair was sticking out haphazardly out of the hastily bundled bun.
Several of her subordinates scurried about frantically, trying to keep up with all of the orders fired off at them.
In the center of the white-washed room lay a pale, dark-headed woman, her brow creased in pain and effort. Her legs were bent and her feet were placed firmly on the corners of a white-sheeted bed.
"Hold on, Namikaze-san!" on of the less-experienced healers urged, grasping the woman's ghostly hand.
:: She's too weak. :: the first healer thought grimly, poised to assist the oncoming baby in it's arrival into the world, :: She's not going to make it. ::
"It's almost here, Maki-sempai!" one of the girls warned, dabbing the soon-to-be mother's face with a damp towel.
Bracing herself, the experienced healer called to her patient, "Alright Namikaze-san, just one last push!"
:: And try to stay alive…::
With a labored breath, the dark-headed female grunted and urged her baby to come forth, using the last of her energy to do so.
"Got it!" Maki cried, cutting the child's umbilical cord quickly.
As she passed the newborn to an awaiting nurse, the middle-aged woman turned to her patient, not liking the condition the other female was in, "She's fading! Aoki, lend me your chakra! Get me a Jounin in here!"
"Hai, Maki-sempai!" the other replied, bustling around to do as they were told.
In the corner of the room, the younger nurse was wrapping the now bawling baby boy in a blue blanket, silently praying for the child's mother.
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-Ara-
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In two hours, Namikaze Yachiru was pronounced dead.
"Shouldn't we find the child's father?" a rookie asked, glancing through the glass of the nursery window.
"Namikaze-kun died a month ago." One of the Jounin sighed, still grief-stricken at the news of his female teammate's death.
"I'm certain Hokage-sama will see to the child's safety." Another stated encouragingly, trying to soothe everyone's fears.
The group of shinobi stole a glance at the unfortunate child, a small boy with a tuft of golden hair and brilliant blue eyes, reminding them so much of his father.
Inside the nursery, Maki was staring down at the slumbering Namikaze child, her expression stony.
"What about the child's name, Maki-sempai?" the nurse in charge of the ward asked, leaning against the sink.
The woman remained silent for a moment, listening to the raging weather outside.
Hesitantly stroking soft golden locks, she whispered softly, "Mi-
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-Kyuu-Ara-Kyuu-Ara-Kyuu-Ara-Kyuu-Ara-Kyuu-Ara-Kyuu-Ara-Kyuu-Ara-Kyuu-Ara
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"-nato!" the teacher reprimanded, swinging around the open door and glaring at the retreating blond figure.
"Sorry, Nanao-sensei!" the blond boy laughed, his little legs working to the best of their ability and his long red jacket flying around him as he fled from the academy; the child's peers were staring at him in awe through the windows.
In the student's mind, it was too good a day to spend indoors, wasting his mind away on books; all of the instructors agreed that Namikaze Minato was a wonder in training and other physical exercises, but positively hated bookwork. The boy was a genius, but was very free spirited and often ditched class before he could put it to much use.
Minato didn't lessen his hard pace until he had cleared the village gates, waving cheerily at the amused Jounin standing guard there.
All of the older Jounin were accustomed to the eight-year old skiving off class at this time of day; and each time, he would run to the gates to spend the rest of the day playing out in the forest surrounding the village.
The first time he had done this, the elite shinobi had attempted to bring him back to the academy; however, Minato struggled every inch of the way and had tried to coerce the men into letting him stay. In the end, the ninja had agreed, as long as one of them was allowed to watch him from a distance incase the youngster got into trouble. It was a mutual understanding.
Now he often stopped by to chat with the guardians of Konoha, catching them up with what he was learning in school and in turn, they filled him in on their lives as shinobi and how their families were doing, as well as sharing their lunches.
Today, it was obvious the boy was eager to go exploring the forest, for he didn't even slow down at the tree-lined edge.
In a yellow blur, he had passed the first ring of trees and was hurtling over the large roots and under the low-lying branches. His goal was burning brightly in his mind as he tore through the foliage.
This was his own secret sanctuary of privacy, the forests of Konoha. He had memorized the network of forestry in a five-mile radius around the village, and he was still working at it, hoping to one day know every inch of his beloved village and the surrounding area.
Perhaps the young Namikaze went out a bit too far into the forest for the council's liking, but he couldn't help it; the scenery was too breathtaking.
Minato took his usual path, winding deeper into the green world that seemed to only include him and his thoughts and dreams.
In his fantasy world, he was a fearless shinobi, fighting off evil ninja from rival nations, protecting the village he loved, and its inhabitants who came to appreciate him.
Right now, for instance, he was an ANBU sent out into Kusagakure territory to retrieve a secret scroll before the enemy. In reality, the 'scroll' was a nearby twig, and his 'enemy' was a lone squirrel, perched on a high tree branch.
To him, he and the squirrel were racing for the twig, but in actuality, the curious squirrel was running off to investigate the strange scent of blood in the air.
Picking up his flimsy wooden branch, Minato gazed up at the retreating mammal.
"Squirrel-san? Where are you going?" it wasn't only his loneliness that called for the rodent, but also his curiosity: the way the squirrel was acting seemed odd to him.
He pulled his jacket closer to his body before following his ex-'rival', keeping an eye out for potential danger. The eight-year old followed a small shallow stream, taking note in his mind were he was so as to not get lost.
It didn't take very long for him to come across the object of interest. There, in the center of a small clearing, lay a small wounded fox.
Minato edged closer to the bleeding animal, his mind caught between helping the poor creature and risk the chance of being bitten, or leaving and dealing with the guilt; it didn't help that foxes were his favorite animals.
To help make up his mind, the blond boy carefully held his hand out, letting the weary fox sniff his hand. To his amazement, the mammal nuzzled, then licked his hand before laying its brown head down onto the soft sweet-smelling grass.
Minato swiftly whipped his favorite jacket from his body, propping it under the fox's head. He then scratched the fox lovingly behind the ears as he searched the blood-stained fur for the wound. His fingers prodded around the dense hair, finally finding a deep cut on the small thigh.
:: Looks like he was cut with a kunai. :: the boy thought icily, a deep loathing for some of the more unruly villagers flooding his senses.
The human promptly got to his feet, worming his jacket from under the fuzzy head and proceeded to the quiet stream. He ripped the cloth in his hands in half, dipping one half into the crystal clear water. After a few seconds, he brought it back out and wringed it out thoroughly.
Returning to the fox, the blond dabbed the now damp cloth on the wound (the fox flinched slightly) and the surrounding fur, trying to clean as much as he could.
Once he was done with that, he wrapped the other half of his jacket tightly around the small thigh.
"There you are kitsune-san." Minato smiled gently, laying back on the grass and closing his eyes. He basked in the warmth of the sun and the cool breeze, lulled by the harmony of the stream and rustling leaves.
Before he knew it, he had dozed off; his right hand unconsciously nestled in the fox's lush fur.
It was only when the fox's head popped up into the air, sniffing testily, that Minato awoke.
"Kitsune-san?" he asked groggily, his brilliant blue eyes fluttering open.
He groaned as he sat up, trying to stretch his aching muscles. During this process, the academy student came face to face with a large red fox, piercing golden-ruby eyes glaring at him squarely in the face.
Instead of screaming, like most stupid people would do, Minato stayed still and silent, observing the new-comer warily. This fox was obviously larger than the first, and had red and orange-ish fur with black-tipped ears and tail; speaking of, he also noticed that there were nine tails (as if the things size wasn't disturbing enough!).
Now, Minato wasn't an expert on animals (that was generally left to the Inuzuka clan), but he did know enough to deduce that the red mammal before him appeared to be an alpha male, which made the human's situation more dire. If he was in the alpha's territory, and if the smaller fox was his mate, the Namikaze could bid his short life goodbye.
However, the red one of the two animals only stared at him, occasionally glancing back at the other. Minato's injured fox 'friend' was hunched low to the ground, its tail between its legs and its eyes downcast; yup, he was definitely dealing with an alpha.
It seemed the alpha male grew tired after ten minutes into their staring contest, for he slowly turned his back on the human and left to sniff at his pack mate's wound.
:: If I try to run, he'll kill me… :: Minato thought worriedly, he didn't want to stay here all night just because a fox didn't like him tending to the other fox's wounds.
:: If this is how my kindness is repaid, I probably should have just left the thing. :: But in his heart of hearts, he knew he wouldn't have changed his decision; he wasn't that cold-hearted.
After the large kitsune was done inspecting the red make-shift bandage tied around the hunched-one's thigh, he turned his attention back to the human.
To Minato's surprise, a red energy, it appeared to be chakra, began to swirl around the furred creature. In a matter of moments, a tall red-headed man knelt before him.
The figure appeared to be at least six feet tall, maybe two or more inches than that, and had red fox ears and nine tails, all tipped in black as the alpha kitsune's had been. A long open sleeve-less red jacket was draped over strong pale shoulders, collecting in a mass on the grassy floor at bare feet and the hem of long black pants, bringing Minato's attention to the now-noticeable claw-like finger and toe-nails, as well as the glistening fangs protruding from the frowning mouth. The last, and most stunning features in his opinion, were the gold and ruby eyes staring at him in some degree of interest, and the swirled pattern that was tattooed around the bare navel, red fiery symbols accenting the spiral mark.
Instantly, the mortal's mouth opened slightly in awe; there were many stories in the village about kyuubi no youko, but to actually meet one… and one so powerful and attractive…
"You. Human kit." The creature said, his deep, alluring voice sending shivers of fear and pleasure down the blond's spine, adding to the child's excitement.
"Yes?" the human shot back with a force showing more confidence than what he actually felt.
"You are responsible for this?" A clawed finger pointed at the red bandage tied around the still 'kneeling' fox.
"I am. I used my jacket to try to stop the bleeding."
Without a sound, the humanoid fox got to his feet and padded silently over to his (apparent) subordinate. Cutting the bandage effortlessly with a nail, he allowed the cloth to drop to the ground as he eyed the wound. Though it had stopped bleeding, it still needed treatment in Minato's eyes; but the fox had begun to clean the wound with his tongue, healing the small cut with his chakra.
The blond human winced at the unhygienic gesture, unable to fathom the contamination that could result.
Once the cleaning was done, the red fox pulled back, licking his chops clean. It appeared he expected the smaller mammal to leave as soon as he had completed his task for, when it didn't move, he snarled.
"Go Kaiya." He growled.
The now identified vixen whimpered, but remained where she lay, staring up at Minato with wide brown eyes.
The nine-tailed alpha growled threateningly, but soothed his subordinate's fears, "I won't harm the kit. Now leave."
Kaiya shot another look up at the Namikaze and padded off silently into the underbrush of the forest, tail between her legs.
"You're going to keep your word to her, aren't you?" Minato asked bravely, his eyes focused on the muscular form above him.
"What do you take me for, human kit?" the red-head asked lazily, waving his hand slowly in the air as he did so.
As if being commanded to, the other few animals scurried off; but perhaps, Minato thought, maybe he WAS ordering them….
"Now, to deal with you…"
"W-wait, Kitsune-sama! I didn't hurt Kaiya-san, I swear!" the child argued, his bright blue eyes glaring at the taller male.
"I know you didn't." The other stated calmly, folding his strong bare arms across his un-clothed chest, "So shut up and listen, brat."
The blond closed his mouth and drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his skinny arms around them. He should have never skipped class today, then, he would have been home by now. His lonely little apartment might be a bit dreary, but at least he would feel safe, instead of trying to stare down a demon.
"It's far too dangerous for a human brat to wander around here; unless you'd ENJOY being eaten…"
Minato blinked in surprise; was the kitsune actually concerned for him?
"You must return to your pathetic little village and never return to this place. Understood?"
The dazed blond shook his head to bring him back to reality, "Wait a minute…. Huh? Why not? I've been playing out here since I was four!"
Cold eyes descended upon him, effectively shutting him up, "The forest has grown far more hazardous these days, I-"
"It has? Do you mean the poachers who attacked Kaiya-san?"
The interruption earned him another foul look, "Not only they, but demons; those whom you have no possible chance against." As he said this, the nameless demon placed himself gracefully upon the green ground, crossing his legs and observing the human child closely.
"Though admittedly, you'd make a nice slave if that mouthy side of yours were to be beaten out of you."
At this, the student shivered.
Seeing his reaction, the red head smirked, ruffling the blond locks, "You have a reason to be frightened, but I won't allow them to touch you."
Pink flushed the eight-year olds cheeks; his small hand clasping the fox's clawed one.
"I'm Namikaze Minato, eight-years old."
The fox's previous harshness instantly melted before the sudden sweet shyness of the blond, "I'm –"
Suddenly, a rather large animal leapt from the bushes, grabbing the younger of the two in the clearing.
"Well, well Kyuubi, who would've thought that YOU of all people would be seen with a human brat? Very entertaining."
Though Minato was hanging dangerously by the collar of his shirt in the jaws of the animal, he could 'feel' that it was a coyote.
:: But it'd have to be at least five feet tall…! And since when do coyotes talk::
The demon fox, Kyuubi, got to his feet, red chakra swirling around him in his anger, "Release him, Taki."
:: How the hell could I have missed his chakra signature::
The grey coyote cackled, "What's this? You have FEELINGS for this runt? You're more pathetic than I thought!" the sleazy-sounding canine knelt down on his haunches, and pounced up onto a tree limb, "Well, if you want him, come and get him!"
Kyuubi growled fiercely, already in hot pursuit of Minato's captor.
:: It's not every day a human kit tends to a wild animal. :: Kyuubi thought as he darted above, around, and under the many twists of tree roots and limbs in his path.
The fact that Minato had also rescued his niece only increased his desire to retrieve the blond,
:: Not that I would let ANY creature fall victim to this scum. :: he concluded, raising his chakra level.
The humanoid's long red hair whipped around him wildly as he flew across the forest opposite the coyote, slowly edging closer to his prey.
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"Let. Me. GO!" the blonde cried, thrashing wildly against the muscular arms of the youkai; being carried like a sack of potatoes wasn't exactly on his wish list.
"Can it brat, I never pass up on a dinner opportunity." Taki growled, digging his claws deeper into the human's skin, drawing blood.
Minato hissed in pain and bit his tongue; as he did so, a plan of escape came to him. Without hesitation, the Namikaze opened his mouth as wide as he could, and bit down on the rough, dirty skin of the hand grasping his waist with all his might.
Taki let out a yelp of pain, halting to a stop on a tree branch, swinging his arm; Minato was sent flying.
They had to be about fifteen feet or more above the ground, and the human child was too weak to make a decent landing. The ground came in ever clearer to him, as he fell headfirst towards the earth, eyes shut tight in desperation. Below him, a queue of coyotes was glaring at him with obvious hunger.
:: Think Minato, think:: he urged himself.
Loud squeals cut through his line of thinking, becoming ever clearer to him as his plummet toward the ground neared to the end.
Trying to calm himself, Minato braced himself for the impact that was sure to come.
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Kyuubi kept up a steady rhythm through the foliage, dashing at a hard pace towards the kidnapped human kit.
As protectorate of the forest of Konohagakure, it was Kyuubi's responsibility to see to the welfare of all who dwelled in his territory, whether they be a student or even the Hokage himself. The fact that it was a child that was kidnapped by the ruthless coyote tribe was what made this all the more dire; Taki alone had the power of several ANBU ops members, and if he made it to his clans territory, that power would be backed by over fifty other youkai; a position that he REALLY didn't want to be in.
A scream, followed shortly by a deep yell, alerted him to the scenario ahead. Quickening his pace, fierce red eyes scanned the oncoming horizon for the cause of the disturbance, preparing for the worst.
Upon his arrival at the scene, a blurry yellow and black object was falling like a stone towards a pack of coyotes; Taki was feet above the figure, grasping his left arm tightly and watching the blond thing with great amusement.
:: Damn… ::
Summoning a level of strength he didn't know he possessed, Kyuubi rushed for the site Minato would hit, a fiery chakra glowing around his body.
:: Hold on, Little One…::
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Instead of being torn to bits as he had expected to be, Minato was pleasantly surprised when he instead fell into strong arms, wrapping themselves protectively around his form.
He felt content with the new warmth surrounding him, putting him at ease from all of his previous worries.
His eyes fluttered open and closed a few moments before finally concealing bright sapphire orbs.
"K-Kyuubi-kun…"
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:: Where the hell am I..:: was the first thing Minato thought when he woke up, seemingly hours later. He immediately tried to sit up, hissing as he did so; his upper arms, where Taki's claws had cut into him, were now bandaged.
It took him a few more tries, but he was soon moving about, inspecting his new surroundings.
It was safe to say that he was no longer in the forest; instead of tall, lush trees, there was cool grey stone, forming a sort of den in a mountainside. Beneath him, there were several warm, thick animal furs, forming a sort of pallet. The entrance of the cave revealed nothing, except an inky, star-dotted sky; it was a slap in the face for him.
:: It's already nighttime; I have to get home..::
A recognizable figure, a light brown fox, loped in from the cavern's opening, flanked by two larger greys.
"Kaiya-san!" the human greeted cheerfully, allowing his kitsune friend to bound up and nuzzle him; the Namikaze returned the favor with a few pats.
The two grey males cast Minato curious looks and, with a little encouragement from the latter, they had approached him and were sniffing his hair in interest.
All three froze however at the arrival of a new figure; hastily, they dropped to the ground in submission.
Before them stood Kyuubi, hands wrapped loosely across his sculpted chest, and an indescribable expression on his face; one fuzzy red ear was tipped skyward, while the other lay close to the side of his head.
"Kyuubi-kun…" Minato breathed, his body growing still; the attractive youkai's mere presence seemed to command total respect from all those around him, human or not.
"So, you're finally awake."
His steps were slow and fluid, coming ever closer to the child. He slid into a cross-legged position on the pallet of animal skins, casually waving his subordinates away; they complied.
"How long have I been out?" the blond asked, there wasn't a shred of fear in his voice.
"Only an hour; it was mainly exhaustion, seemingly prior to that little 'incident' in the forest." Kyuubi drawled, supporting himself by leaning back on his hands.
He did the calculations quickly in his head; by now, it had to be around 7:00 pm. Not only was he too late to prepare dinner, but at this rate, it would be nine before he could get home. If he left now.
"Kyuubi-kun, thank you for rescuing me, and tending to my arms, but…"
As if anticipating this, the youkai cut him off, "You're not going home, you're too worn out."
Minato gaped, then attempted to get to his feet, "I can't stay, I have school tomorrow-"
With hardly any effort at all, Kyuubi had picked him up by the scruff of his shirt, dangling the small form before his glowing eyes, "And I'm telling you you're not, foolish kit. Rest, regain your strength. I'll see that you're not bothered."
That said, the red-head plopped the human down upon the furs; then slowly brought himself to his feet.
As Minato nestled in the pallet, his blue eyes followed the smooth tailed form of the forest guardian as the being made his way towards the cave den entrance, leaning against the hard stone casually. The warmth surrounding the eight year old was full of a familiar chakra, and it took only a moment for him to recognize it; the red energy was wild and inhuman, yet comforting and protective.
:: Kyuubi-kun; he's letting me sleep on his bed::
The human wiggled further into the soft plushy blankets, slowly breathing in the scent of fox before sliding into a deep, undisturbed sleep.
From his post by the entryway, Kyuubi cast a protective eye over his subordinates as they burrowed into their dens, preparing for their rest; he also kept a close eye on the small fragile human child curled up in his furs.
He had to admit, Namikaze Minato was a cute boy with much spirit; his kind heart was also something to be noted. Even though he WAS human; however….
Kyuubi spent the next two hours of his watch dissecting his confusing maelstrom of emotions for the blond, nodding to the pair of kitsune who emerged to take their posts for the night.
Upon re-emerging into his place of rest, the youkai took a last glance at his slumbering guest, fighting off the urge to grin at the sight presented before him.
Minato apparently moved in his sleep, for he had managed to push away all of the furs covering his small form, leaving him vulnerable to the cool night air.
Smirking slightly, the elder of the two grabbed a spare blanket, piling it on top of the smaller male with the others. As a final means of warmth, he himself transformed into his fox form; laying down beside the child, wrapping a few of his many tails around Minato.
:: There's something special about this kit; Something I can't quite explain… He's a human, yet I don't want to push him away… ::
With this last thought, the strong, proud youkai guardian rested his head upon his paws, waiting for the darkness of sleep to claim him.
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KyuuAraKyuuAraKyuuAra
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-peeks through fingers- Was it decent? I assure you, we'll start calling him Arashi soon enough!
This fic will try to stick to some happenings in the manga, but some of my own twists will be added here and there.
Kyuubi: God… just let it end…! TAT
YaoiShadow: (Shut it!) Read and review, kudasai! XD
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