A/N: Ok this is the sequel to my Fox in a Desert story. I hope you enjoy it! This takes place about five years after Fox in a Desert and two years before the start of the Naruto story line. No flames please!

Fox in a Forest

Chapter 1 New students, new year

It was a dark night… Nicky could see that much, two figures sat next to a blazing fire. One was a little girl the other was a man with silver hair, who looked to be around 24. The girl spoke up, "How long till we reach the village?"

"I will reach the village in a day or so. You aren't going to the village."

"Wha-what do you mean?" said the girl.

"I mean that I will reach the village alone and that you will be going somewhere else." The silver-haired man said, advancing on the now terrified child.

She started to back away, but hit a tree. She looked behind her, then back at the man. He lifted up the band that was over his right eye and did something that caused the girl to slump down. Nicky screamed and started to run over to the strange girl, but something hit her in the back of the head…

"No, stop!" Nicky screamed. Jerking herself up, she looked wildly around herself breathing heavily, her heart racing. It wasn't the first time she'd had that dream. It had been happening over the last two months, and every time she'd wake up screaming.

Nicky glanced at the digital clock beside her bed. 10:30. "Might as well get out of bed," she thought. Once again she glanced around her overly large bedroom, not quite over her dream. "Sometimes I wish it wasn't so big… but I guess it's just because the house is." She snorted, "But I guess 'house' isn't the right word, it's more like a manor than a house."

Sitting up Nicky stretched and got dressed. "And of course, this house is old and has its share of secret passages, doors, and rooms… I wonder who built this house anyway." Still silently pondering, Nicky made her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

Her mother, who was reading the mail, looked up as her daughter entered and said, "You have a letter."

"From who?" she asked.

"The school," her mother answered in an uninterested tone.

Picking up the letter, Nicky opened it and read it out loud,

Dear Nicky Fox,

We would like to congratulate you on entering your first year of middle school and hope that you'll enjoy it. We would also like to inform you that an exchange program will be going on during the 1st semester and that you will be housing the Subaku siblings. Lastly, the school year begins in a week.

Happy summer!

Jacky Nugent, Principle

"An exchange program? Cool." Nicky's mother said as she finished the letter.

"Wonder where they're from." Nicky said absently.

"Who knows."

"I'm gonna go ask Amber and Kat if they got letters too."

Back in her room Nicky turned her computer on and signed onto the Chatroom that she and her friends had found the previous year.

Desertfox: Hey Kat, Amber you there?

Dragonmaster: Hey Nicky what's up?

Desertfox: Did you get a letter from the school today?

Yukkiichigo: Yeah, we were just talking about it.

Desertfox: Did yours say you were going to house any of the exchange students?

Dragonmaster: Yeah I'm housing… Hinata Hyuga.

Yukkiichigo: And I'm housing… Sakura Haruno.

Desertfox: Mine said I was housing the Subaku siblings.

Dragonmaster: Maybe it's because you have such a big house. XD

Desertfox: Most likely.

Yukkiichigo: Hey can I come over? I'm tired of just sitting in my room.

Desertfox: Sure. What about you Amber?

Dragonmaster: I'm game.

Desertfox: Cool. See you later.

Nicky signed off and went to the bathroom the brush her hair and teeth.

*****Later*****

"Wait, what are we doing again?"

"You know what forget it. I give up."

Nicky face palmed. Sometimes her friends did the weirdest stuff. She was one to talk though. She had auburn hair that was steadily getting redder and dark blue eyes. But she wasn't the only one with weird colored eyes. Amber's were violet, and Kat's were sky blue. Not to mention all three of them had weird shaped birthmarks on their palms. In fact they had started wearing gloves to cover them because the other kids thought they drew on them.

"I wonder what the exchange students will look like…" Nicky said out loud. She was sitting on her bed and staring at the ceiling, which was a dark blue color.

"Who knows," Amber said, who was sitting in a chair next to Kat, and reading a book.

"Mmmm…"

Just then Nicky got an idea. She knew about all the secret passageways in the house, but Amber and Kat didn't.

"Hey. You know they say this house is haunted." Nicky said.

"Yeah right," Kat snorted, "There's no such thing as ghosts."

"You never know Kat. Many people believe that ghosts exist." Amber told her.

"You two are just trying to scare me."

In a flash Nicky pulled out some smoke bombs and threw them on the floor. Immediately she disappeared through a concealed door in the wall.

After the smoke had cleared Amber looked around for Nicky and Kat. Kat was there but Nicky was nowhere to be found. "What happened to Nicky?"

"The ghost! It must have taken her!" Kat said in a panicky tone.

Amber sweatdropped "I doubt that," she said.

Then a low voice echoed around the room. "Get out!" Amber went pale.

"Holy shit!" Kat yelled. Then the sound of hysterical laugher came from the other side of Nicky's bedroom door. Nicky walked in clutching her side from laughing so hard.

"How did you do that?" Kat demanded.

"A magician never reveals her secrets," Nicky said after she stopped laughing.

"Interesting…" Amber said.

"I'm planning on doing that at the annual Halloween party this year. What do you think?"

"Brilliant." Amber said, a grin starting to spread across her face.

"Kat?"

"I'm gonna say that you're going to scare the shit out of some people."

Both Nicky and Amber started to laugh. "So how did you do it?" Amber asked, getting control of herself.

"Secret door," Nicky told her, "This house is full of them."

"Ahh." Kat muttered.

"You'll have to tell us more about it, but it's late and I have to go home." Amber said.

"Yeah, me too."

"Ok. I'll see you guys at school?"

"You got it." Kat said.

*****A week later*****

"I'm off!" Nicky called to her mom, before opening the door.

"Hang on Nicky," her mom said before her daughter could walk out the door. "I'm working late tonight, so I wont be back till 8:00."

"Ok mom!" Nicky said, running out to catch the bus.

*****Later*****

"How long has he been talking?" Nicky asked, looking up from her book. She was in the schools auditorium, sitting between Amber and Kat and listening to the assistant principal's annual beginning of the year speech.

"About 30 minutes." Amber said, looking at her watch.

"I hate just sitting here." Kat complained.

"That's why I brought a book."

"Shut up Nicky."

"What are you reading anyway?" Amber asked before Nicky could retaliate.

"Dracula."

"Awesome!"

Suddenly everyone in the auditorium started clapping, which Kat Amber and Nicky quickly joined in.

"And now Mrs. Nugent will go over the school rules."

"Oh joy." Nicky muttered.

"Dose anyone see the exchange students?" Amber asked, looking about the auditorium.

"Nope."

"Not a thing."

"Shouldn't they be here?"

"Maybe they're gonna introduce themselves later," Nicky said.

"Maybe…" Amber muttered.

It was another 20 minutes before Mrs. Nugent finished explaining the rules and said, "As you all know we will be having some exchange students with us for the first semester. I hope that everyone will show courtesy and respect to them, it I hear that anyone has mistreated them there will be severe consequences." Everyone was silent, and noone doubted a single word Mrs. Nugent had said.

"Those exchange students must be important or dangerous people." Nicky heard someone mutter behind her.

"Yeah," his neighbor responded, "Or both."

"So everyone give a warm welcome to our exchange students."

Just then a group of about 15 people walked out and stood in a line going across the stage.

"There's so many…" Nicky said.

"Most of them look our age," Amber observed. "Five of them look older by at least a year or so."

"Now, could you all please introduce yourselves?" Mrs. Nugent asked.

"My names Naruto Uzumaki! Dattebayo!" a boy with whisker-like marks on his cheeks shouted.

"What-?" Kat was speechless.

"Loudmouth." Amber muttered.

"I think he's funny." Nicky said.

"Sasuke Uchiha." a guy with raven hair muttered.

"He has duck butt hair."

"He looks like a total ass hole."

"I bet he has fangirls." Nicky's comment was them confirmed when a group of girls that were sitting a few feet away started giggling like over obsessed fangirls.

"Sakura Haruno." a pink haired girl said.

"Why is her hair pink?"

"Fangirl."

"I think there's more to her than we see."

"What makes you say that?" Amber asked.

"I don't know," Nicky shrugged. "I just feel that she is more than she seems."

"Shikamaru Nara." drawled a boy who looked incredibly bored.

"Lazy ass."

"No motivation what so ever."

"I bet he's great at chess." Amber and Kat stared at Nicky in a weird way. "What?"

"Nothing," they both said.

"Ino Yamanaka." said a girl with long blonde hair.

"She's an even bigger fangirl than Sakura!"

"Pig."

"And full of herself."

"Choji Akimichi." a boy stuffing his face with potato chips said.

"No comment."

"…"

"I wouldn't call him fat."

"Kiba Inuzuka! And this is Akamaru." said a boy with a small white dog on his head. "Arf, arf!"

"Dog boy."

"What you don't like him?" Amber said.

"No! I hate dogs!"

"Ooo kitty got claws." Nicky teased. "You two are destined for each other."

"… Bite me."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Shino Aburame." muttered a boy with sunglasses.

"He's creepy."

"Yeah." Amber and Nicky agreed.

"I-I'm H-Hinata Hy-Hyuga." a blue haired girl with pale eyes said.

All three girls looked at each other a said "Shy."

"Neji Hyuga." said a boy with pale eyes.

"Prick."

"Ass hole."

"He has a superiority complex."

"Tenten."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"My name is Rock Lee!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"What's with-"

"His EYEBROWS!"

"Kankuro Subaku." said a boy wearing a hoodie.

"Subaku? Nicky isn't that-?" Kat began before getting shushed by Nicky.

"Temari Subaku." said a girl with four pigtails.

"She looks dangerous." Amber muttered.

"Gaara Subaku." came a low monotone voice.

"He's scary." Kat muttered.

"He is so hot!" Amber said.

"I think I've seen him before…"

"What?"

"I don't know… I feel like I know him." Nicky told her friends. As she looked down at Gaara and the other exchange students Gaara's gaze locked on to her's for a split second before he turned and walked away with the other exchange students.

"You may all pick up your schedules before going to class. Have a good year!" Mrs. Nugent said.

"This is going to be an interesting year…" Nicky thought as she went to get her schedule with the other students.

A/N: Hey peoples! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the sequel for Fox in a Desert. Please read and review and no flames!