NEW STORY!

So this is another one of the stories I have been working on that I mentioned in my profile. Inspired by the story Must Be Dreaming by aloukou101. Unfortunately that story hasn't been updated in 2 years and I doubt it's gonna get updated again soon :/. Still both chapters are a good read.

However do note I said inspired by. SO I assure you my story will be different :)!

NOTE: Like I said in my profile this is a sneak peek. I will focus most of my efforts on Technically I Never Lied and the From A to Z story. So this is my lowest priority. Although I will work on it don't expect any updates until Technically I Never Lied is close to completion.

EDIT: I forgot a warning! I'm sorry! I need to say that concerning the gender of the tailed beasts, although I think they are all guys, I am making their gender match their jinchuuriki. Meaning Nanabi and Nibi will both be girls. Every other tailed beast is a guy. Sorry for not putting a warning before hand.

With that said please enjoy!

"And so Kurama, that is why you need a mate!" The head of the Kitsune Clan rattled on to his barely listening son. Kyuubi rolled his eyes. He had heard this lecture a million times. Because Kyuubi was next in line to becoming the head of the Kitsune Clan, his father being the current one, he needed to continue the line. His father had been trying to find suitable mates but Kyuubi didn't like any of them. Now he could see his father reaching the end of his patience.

"I don't get it Kurama. Why can't you choose someone? Can't you at least tell me what's wrong with all of your potential mates? I mean they were from good clans, seem powerful or at least potentially powerful. So what is it? What personally turned you off?"

Kyuubi sighed. There was plenty wrong with his father's 'choices'. Too much to say in the short time they were allowed to sit together. Kyuubi thought about trying to condense it but eventually gave up and met his father's stare with an irritated one of his own.

"Does all of this have to matter right now? Honestly I've barely reached maturity as is and I would like to enjoy the rest of my childhood without worrying about-"

"Don't you understand?" Kyuubi's father roared interrupting Kyuubi. Kyuubi tensed at the sight of his father's blazing yellow eyes. "I don't know how many times we have to go through this Kurama before it finally gets stuck in your thick head! You NEED to find a mate early. You CANNOT just wait until the last minute for these kinds of things. The duties the head of the Kitsune Clan have are NOT lightweight and cannot be pushed aside! Just ask your mother," for a brief second, Kyuubi saw a flicker of sadness in his father's eyes before it disappeared and all he saw was anger again.

"I know you want to enjoy the time you have left as prince. I know we all have long lives with plenty of time compared to other living beings. But you know what? That's just it! We ALL have long lives and plenty of time. Plenty of time to cause mischief and chaos! Plenty of time to make mistakes that we could be spending the rest of our lives fixing! As head of the clan you need to dedicate of lot of your time to ruling Kurama so that you can avoid these mistakes. The Kitsune Clan has been ruling these dry parts for centuries now and one wrong move could undo all of it. You won't have time to search for a mate once you takeover. WHY CAN'T YOU JUST UNDERSTAND THAT?"

Kyuubi said nothing. He only bowed his head. His father sighed through his nose in an attempt to calm down.

"Look, I went through the same thing at your age. I understand what you're going through. But you cannot do anything about this. I needed to find a mate early and so do you. Now I have contacted an old friend of mine with a son that is of similar age to you. Only a few millennia younger. You will meet this boy next week. You will court him and you will take him as your mate. Unless you can find someone else between now and the next red moon, you will have no choice in this. Do I make myself clear Kurama?"

"Yes sir," Kyuubi mumbled still not looking up. Kyuubi's father nodded. "Good. Now go do something. You are dismissed."

Kyuubi did a short, almost mocking bow, and quickly left the room. He nearly slammed the door shut but managed to hold himself back. He didn't however stop himself from running full speed to the training grounds. He needed let off some steam.

It was late at night and Kyuubi was still awake. He sat on a bench on the third floor balcony, staring at the full moon above him. He hasn't seen his father since their little meeting earlier, but that could be because the demon was too busy dealing with the aftermath of Kyuubi's 'temper tantrum'. He was probably having a tough time getting Kitsune servants to restore the training grounds(all 79 of them) to their former glory and at the same time rebuild some of the bathhouses. That 'training' he did earlier did serve its purpose in letting him blow off some of the anger that was birthed within him at the beginning of his father's lecture. But it didn't rid him of all of it.

He still found it hard to believe that his father did this. It was preposterous. Maddening. Completely unbelievable. He was nearly a nine-tailed fox for God's sake; how is it that he must let his seven-tailed father control his life like this?

Kyuubi let out a heavy sigh. In a week he would meet his future mate. In the next three months they would be practically attached to the hip for the courtship period. And then finally, on the second Monday in October(the 10th he believed), they would be bound together for the rest of their very long lives.

Damn. It. All.

Kyuubi didn't desire a lifelong partner. He didn't want kids. He didn't want anything to do with his clan. All he cared about was his power. He wanted to get stronger. To be as strong as he could possibly be. No wait! Even stronger. Kurama may be his birth name, but he was also called 'Kyuubi' for a reason. At eight-tails he was that close to finally fulfilling his namesake. It was his destiny to do so.

It was the one thing he and his father could agree on.

But even then, Kyuubi never told the head of the Kitsune clan how his ambitions went even further. For one day, Kyuubi planned on changing his nickname when he reached the ultimate power.

Kyuubi planned on becoming the legendary Juubi.

According to the stories there had only been one. It was a being so powerful, that it could bring total despair and destruction to the world. Multiple rumors sprung up around the nearly mythical beast. About how it could destroy mountains and raise tsunamis with the flick of its claw. A being of such power that it was respected and feared by all.

So it was such a shame that it disappeared centuries ago.

In fact, his father said that it disappeared shortly before Kyuubi was conceived.

Aside from the horrible mental image that gave him, Kyuubi was greatly upset when he found out he may never get to meet the greatest demon that ever lived. But he comforted himself with the knowledge that he will one day be able to do all that he did. He was almost to the point where he will be able to destroy mountains and raise tsunamis with one of his tails. He always comforted himself with that knowledge and his father used to too.

Until that whole mess with his mother. Now it's nothing but 'find a mate! Have kits! Prepare for your duty as head of the clan!' drivel day in and day out.

Kyuubi scowled. Damn it all.

"You know, you shouldn't frown so much. Saw the mess you made by the way," a smooth voice said from behind him. Kyuubi wasn't surprised when Itachi Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan walked up and stood beside him. He smelled his friend the moment he entered the Kitsune estate.

"I believe I have every reason to frown. You would too if you were in my situation," Kyuubi almost sounded like he was sulking. But that would be beneath him. The black cat demon beside him chuckled. His cat ears and cat tail flicked in amusement.

"Is your father giving you grief about finding a mate again?"

"He's at the end of his rope now."

"Really? What's he done?" Itachi sounded too amused for Kyuubi's liking. That's why it gave him a tiny bit of pleasure to tell him these next words.

"My father has finally taken the situation out of my hands and into his own. He went to speak to 'an old friend of his' and in one week I will meet my future mate," Kyuubi explained.

"What?" Kyuubi was pleased to see Itachi's shocked(and slightly angry face). That's what he got for laughing at his problem. Itachi used to have the funniest reactions to news about Kyuubi's love life(or lack thereof). He always got so angry and at the same time tried so hard to hide it, that it ended up being incredibly obvious. But as Kyuubi rejected more and more suitors he calmed down more and more. The return of the not-so-stoic Itachi was incredibly satisfying to watch.

"Are you sure that you and-" Itachi started but Kyuubi interrupted him.

"Yep! Father left no room for argument. The one who I'm meeting has to be the one and there is no 'or else'."

"Oh," Itachi's voice sounded strangely strained to Kyuubi. As if this situation caused him a lot more grief than it was supposed to. Kyuubi had his suspicions but he wasn't about to bring them up.

"So…do you know anything about this…future mate of yours?" Itachi asked. Kyuubi ignored the angerjealousy brimming in Itachi's voice and looked up at the stars.

"Not much. He's a boy. Several millennia younger than me. Annnnd that's all I know," Kyuubi answered with a shrug.

"I see," Itachi seethed. "A male huh?"

"I just hope he's of the submissive type like you Itachi. I refused to allow myself to be dominated," The red-haired Kitsune said. Normally Itachi would argue against Kyuubi labeling him as 'a submissive type', but this time he just looked aghast that Kyuubi actually sounded like he would go through with this.

"You-You're actually going to accept this? What happened to controlling your own life?"

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow. He thought about telling Itachi that there wasn't a chance in hell that he would allow this courtship to go all the way through and that for now he will pretend to go along with it until he can come up with a fool-proof plan; but he hadn't seen Itachi this freaked out since his little brother Sasuke got lost in the ravines.

"There must be some way you can get out of this," Itachi said hurriedly, already trying to think. Kyuubi let out a breath of air.

"Father did say that if I find someone else I am truly happy with he'll drop the whole thing. But the problem is finding someone else I'm truly happy with."

"It shouldn't be that hard…" the Uchiha said in a surprisingly quiet voice.

"Yeah. Right," Kyuubi snorted. "If I hadn't found someone in all this time then what makes you think I can find someone in just three months?"

Itachi remained silent.

"I don't even want a mate," Kyuubi said. He missed the look of hurt and rejection that appeared in Itachi's eyes before the black-haired demon finally sighed.

"For what it's worth, I do believe you are capable of falling in love with someone Kyuubi. You just need to spend a little more time with that someone. And since you really don't want to meet with this demon or fall in love with anyone else then maybe…a companion you've had for a while could work?"

"What are you getting at Itachi?" Kyuubi growled out.

"I'm saying…my father as well wants me to find a mate. And while he hasn't been as pushy as your father I assume he will at some point. So perhaps…maybe…to appease them both…we could…you know…" At Kyuubi's look Itachi added, "It's just a suggestion."

Kyuubi looked away in thought. He had always suspected Itachi felt more for him than he said; that the cat demon's feelings exceeded that of friendship. They had been friends for the past one hundred years and Kyuubi could admit he enjoyed Itachi's company.

But…

He had never, not once, thought of Itachi in that way. He had always been more of 'the calm friend' to Kyuubi when compared to his crazy group of friends. The quiet voice of reason that was dependable in any kind of situation. It was for that reason why Kyuubi went to Itachi to complain about his father. While his other friends would be of no help, at least Itachi could provide a good distraction for his father while Kyuubi figured a solution out. He was always ready to help in whatever way Kyuubi needed him and never deviated from Kyuubi's plans.

But it looked like Kyuubi underestimated Itachi's feelings.

"I'll have to talk to my father about it," he finally said and he could feel the excitement coming off of Itachi.

"Okay then. Let me know how it goes okay?" Itachi smiled and put his hand on Kyuubi's shoulder. Kyuubi didn't return the smile or even look at Itachi. All he could do was tense slightly under the hand that was on his shoulder for a couple of seconds longer than it should've been. Finally Itachi left leaving Kyuubi alone on the balcony.

He sighed, fox ears and tails lowering. He was really beginning to get a headache from all of this.

And there's the first chapter introducing Kyuubi and people who will be important either throughout the story or much later on! Don't go away just yet! Next is Naruto's side. Please tell me what you think :)!

EDIT: Changed it so that Daitaru calls Kyuubi Kurama.