Fox Hunt, a fanfic by dave-d, Chapter 2

After the sound of noisy bedsprings had continued for half of an eternity, the room was now silent.

Naruto wished he had a cigarette. No, he didn’t smoke…… and he hated the smell of tobacco…… but he remembered what Asuma said guys usually did after sex.

Looking over to his left, he felt proud. He had done it. For years, no one would look at him as anything other than a monster, or some loudmouthed useless kid. Girls had avoided him like the plague. Sakura had fallen for that traitor Sasuke, but treated him like he was trash.

Ha! She certainly changed her tune. Maybe those damn kitsune had finally gotten her to see what was in her heart.

Reaching over to pull back the cover slowly, he froze. That wasn’t Sakura! It was Ino. What was going on? Just who had crawled into his bed last night? It was his first time drinking like that with the guys.

Softly, he stroked the girl next to him, seeing if she would wake up and tell him how things went. The feel of her fur was luxurious. Huh? Fur! Looking again, he saw a fox laying next to him.

He only had a single bed. He was the only one in it. Hell, his bedroom was much smaller than the palatial suite in his dream. There had been no drinking. And, he had never been to bed with any girl, much less Sakura or Ino.

The stuff he had heard from Tsunade about the fox women had certainly knocked him for a loop. Damn! Maybe in five years he would regret his actions. Maybe in five years he would take up the kitsune on their offer…… if he hadn’t found himself a real girlfriend by that time. And, if he was still alive.

Drifting back to sleep, he toyed with a nonsensical idea. Just how powerful were kitsune? If he did what all seven had wanted, would they fight on his side against The Nine? That would be a lot of foxes…… bastard demon in his belly and a harem of fox women.

It was actually chilly, but he didn’t feel a need to pull his blanket over him. Why would he? He wasn’t in bed. And, there was plenty of warmth around him. Suddenly feeling a need to realize why, he noticed a weight upon his head. Reaching up, he took something off of his nest-like hair.

But, it was not the only one. There was a whole cluster of them curled up around him, almost like a living coat. Now that he actually focused on his surroundings, he saw young foxes everywhere: running, jumping at butterflies, rolling with each other in mock battle.

He looked down at the one that he now held in his lap. It opened wide blue eyes, yawned, and then spoke:

That had Naruto waking up again, his hand immediately going to his head. Only hair. No pup.

It had not been a great idea to eat twelve cups of instant Ramen just before bed time. But, he had been very edgy after speaking with the real Tsunade. Not only had the things that she reported to him caused him pause, he had also been very uncomfortable sitting alone in her office with her.

Noodles weren’t to blame for the dreams, though. At least not entirely. As a ninja, he was often forced into the role of hunter. It was the nature of his profession. Now he was the hunted, but in an entirely different fashion.

Part of that truth fascinated him and had him fantasizing. What young man wouldn’t like beautiful women lusting after him and him alone? He might be inexperienced in such matters, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his own urges.

On the other hand, the idea that there was a magical and legendary creature out there somewhere with only one thing on her mind had him feeling harassed. The kitsune named Kuko was not attracted to him. She just wanted the Kyuubi. In some ways, that put her on par with Akatsuki.

He could think through all that crap in the morning. He had been up late for a briefing, after Kurenai and the girls had returned from their mission. Maybe he should think about something snide to say to Sakura, just to see her squirm.

Gradually falling to sleep musing about possible one-liners, Naruto’s thoughts briefly went to Jiraiya. His former teacher had been overjoyed to hear about Naruto’s travails and tribulations. He had also been very disappointed in his one time apprentice, telling him that he had passed up the chance of a life time.

As his mind faded to black, a spectral form became more and more prevalent. He felt like he was being watched. There was a strange musty odor, and the sound of slow deep breathing.

Naruto tossed in his sleep. What was that voice? It was familiar, but he couldn’t put a name to it for some reason.

“MY PLAN IS FINALLY COMING TO FRUITION. THE PAWN IS READY TO BECOME KING. NO, NOT KING. RATHER, FATHER TO A RACE. ”

Pulling his pillow over his head, Naruto hoped to shut out the loud omnipresent voice. He couldn’t. It seemed to be inside him.

“WHY DO YOU THINK I ALLOWED THE HUMAN TO DEFEAT ME, TO SEAL ME IN A MALE CHILD? HOW COULD HUMANS BE SO FOOLISH TO THINK I COULD BE SO EASILY VANQUISHED? YOUR PRECIOUS YONDAIME SOWED THE SEEDS TO YOUR KIND’S DESTRUCTION.”

Naruto was trembling. He started off by whispering ‘no.’ Then, he spoke it louder. Soon, he was shouting his denial.

“YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE THE NEW RULERS OF THE EARTH. WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT, I WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO RELEASE ME. I WILL LEAD THE WAY TO A NEW DESTINY.”

His heart pounding, Naruto woke yet again. That dream had been truly disturbing. For a while, he wasn’t even certain it had been a dream.

This was getting ridiculous. At this rate, it would be sun up before he knew it. He needed to get some sleep. Whatever the next dream, he would just weather the brief storm then sail smoothly after that. Wrapping himself in his blanket, he felt sleep overtake him once more.

This time, the beautiful woman in his dream was someone he didn’t know. She was rather shapely, with long legs and curves that never stopped. Her long indigo hair covered parts of her naked body, tantalizing him with the bits he could see.

“This is like a dream come true,” the woman said with a subtle irony. She reached out and touched him. It felt so real. “I hope you never wake up.” She began rubbing her hands over him in ways he hoped to experience for real some day. “It’s your dream, so you can be as good as you want to be. Show me what kind of man you wish to be. Touch me!”

Naruto found himself doing things he had only read about in the Frog Hermit’s book. If he were awake, and with a real girl, he probably would have been sweating, unable to move a muscle.

If only real life could be like this. An eager…… beautiful…… receptive…… indigo-haired….

Why was that tugging at his memory now. Tsunade’s office. The briefing. The Hokage had mentioned seven kitsune…… their names…… and their appearances.

He sat up again, rubbing his eyes. This time, the girl from his dreams did not disappear.

The woman wrapped her arms around Naruto and tried to drag him down on top of her.

Naruto jerked away, then rolled off of the bed and on to the floor. Backing up against the back wall, he realized that the only thing he was wearing was his old night cap. Swallowing hard, he took it off of his head and used it to cover his privates.

“Hmmmm. That is kind of cute,” the woman said. “I like it better the way it was before, though.” She slid out of the bed, her nakedness drawing Naruto’s eyes like a magnet attracts steel. She ran her fingers over her erect nipples. “Oooooh. I should have remembered to slide the door closed.

A chill evening air blew in off of Naruto’s balcony, the curtains covering the open door blowing in the night breeze.

Naruto dove behind his couch, grabbing his discarded jumpsuit and dressing in no time flat.

“Mmmmm hmmmm.” Kuko licked her lips, then frowned when her human form suddenly sprouted four lovely golden tails. “I sometimes lose control when I’m excited,” she purred. “If you know what I mean….”

Naruto shook his head, as if trying to exorcize a vision. It certainly was not a dream, even the things he saw now were far beyond any book he had ever read.

He put his hand to his head. It was that feeling again. He felt his legs moving against his will, before coming back under his control.

“So close,” Kuko said, pouting. “If you begin to desire me just a little bit more, I’ll have you.” She winked. “I probably only have a week or so left before my cravings subside. So, you can expect to see me every night.” She began waking over to him, her hips swaying in hypnotic fashion. The movement of her tails almost had Naruto bewitched. “Unless you want to get started tonight….”

Naruto took up a fighting stance. Working his hands quickly, he began forming Rasengan.

“I’m going to end this problem right now,” he said. He was sorely tempted. There was no way to be certain if it was part of her attempt at a seduction spell, or whether his own secret desires were making themselves heard.

“Ohhh? Are you?” Kuko said, hiding her face behind her hands. “You would do that to a woman. Is that the kind of thing a Hokage would do?” She shivered. “Killing an innocent woman….”

Naruto grimaced. He couldn’t maintain his jutsu, even though he knew that the fox woman was manipulating his feelings.

“You…… I doubt you are innocent….” He pushed a chair between him and the kitsune.

“Mmmmm,” Kuko said with a sultry noise. “Innocence is over-rated.” She laughed softly. “Some girls are determined to hold onto it until they meet the right guy.” She changed form, suddenly. Now she looked like Sakura, the girl she had tricked at the clearing. “But, most males seem to be in a rush to get rid of it….”

Naruto shook his head, eyes narrowing. He didn’t like to see his teammate’s form hijacked without her consent.

“I can look like any girl you want,” Kuko said.. “Many men seem to enjoy variety.” She fluffed her long hair. “If you prefer the older woman, I can look like her too.” She took on Tsunade’s image. “Tenko almost had you.”

“Hey! I call her Granny! I don’t really want to…… I don’t actually…… well I….” Nartuto ran down. He had to admit to himself that he fantasized about Tsunade now and again.

“Granny?” Kuko chuckled. “A young thing like her? I’m five hundred years old.” She smiled when Naruto’s eyes showed disbelief. “And, a woman can learn a lot in that amount of time. I can teach you how to have any woman you want.”

“True,” Kuko. “And I like that word you used.” She stretched, then turned to give Naruto a good profile view. “To grow the family, we females usually need to mate with males of our own kind. But, they are rather boring and perfunctory.” Her face looked like she had bitten something sour. “Mating with humans is fun, but usually results in human children.” Kuko shook her head. She had no desire to be tied down with a human family. “But you would be the best of both worlds. The Kyuubi is in you. He is far beyond any kitsune.” Her eyes were very intense now. “That wouldn’t matter with human women; but we kitsune mate with more than just the body….”

Naruto put his leg up on the chair and set his jaw. He scratched his head, then sneered.

“Wrong things to say. You want to grow a family. Some day I want to have a family. I never knew my parents. If I have a kid, I want to see him.”

“Her,” Kuko corrected. “Our child will be a female.” She spoke as if it were a foregone conclusion.

“Her. Him. Whatever.” Naruto looked ready to spit. “I want to teach my kids. I want to grow older with them. I…… I might be unable to resist if…… uhhh…… you know….” He was blushing. That was not helpful. He needed to sound and look forceful. “I might give in if there weren’t children involved. But, I will not have any child of mine taken from me.”

“That dedication……. you would make a wonderful sire. I could almost think of staying in human form for a great many years if….” She shook her head. The smile she put on was even more seductive than before. “I’m afraid you’ve only increased my desire to have a child by you.”

“I will never let anyone take my precious ones away from me. Not while I’m still alive and able to put up a fight. Woman or not, you had better leave. I’m beginning to get pissed off. Big time!”

Rather than feel defeated, Kuko raised one eyebrow. In the blink of an eye, she appeared to be fully clothed. It was time to play her trump card. He had given her just the angle she needed, considering she had briefly skimmed his thoughts while laying next to him.

“Your precious ones. You truly care about your friends. You want to do your best for this village, despite the fact that many despise you for the very thing that draws me to you.” She pulled the chair away from Naruto, then sat in it. “Would you sacrifice yourself on their behalf?”

“Yes!” Naruto said with a growl. “Why?” He suspected some kind of trick.

“There are those that want you for Nine Tails. Nine in number, coincidentally.” Her words had Naruto swallowing hard. “They are rather ruthless, even more than most humans. Who knows how many will die when they make their move.”

“There are four temples across the lands that are dedicated to the Shi Tenno, heavenly kings who act as guardians against the attack of demons. Zocho is known as the Guardian of the South. His temple is not too far from here, even though no humans are aware of that fact. Without the aid of kami or those like them, no man will ever find such a temple, much less step inside one.” Kuko paused to let that sink in. “The temple of Jikoku is far to the east, while the temples to Komoku and Tamon are a fair distance to the west and north.”

“As one who contains Kyuubi, you are in effect making the guardians’ jobs easier. No doubt one of them aided the brave human who trapped the great youma within you. There is a chance that you and anyone with you could gain entrance to that temple if you are with me. I myself can gain entry due to my very nature.” Kuko had a calculating look in her eyes. “The shaman who live in those temples are wiser than humans. They know many things. It is likely they could tell you how to defeat your enemies.”

If he could get his hand on information that could lead to the destruction of Akatsuki….

“I think it would be a real coup. Quite a bargain.” Kuko was minus her clothing again, just long enough to run over and give Naruto a quick kiss. “Think about it. I’ll be back tomorrow night.” With that, she ran out onto the balcony and vanished.