A Kitsune Story

Chapter 6

When Naruto woke, he was alone. Although in his fox form, he was wrapped with cloth. Dark blue cloth that smelled like Sasuke: Sasuke's haori. The scent of his own blood was faint; his fur had been cleaned as well as possible. He lifted his head, but that made him dizzy, so he put it back down again.

He wanted to call out, desperately afraid Sasuke had gone to Orochi after all. But he knew better. He was in no state to defend himself if his call attracted anyone else.

Uneasy, he nevertheless fell back asleep.

Naruto woke again with a start when he heard footsteps nearby. Panicking, he flung himself free of the haori and practically flew up the trunk of the nearby tree. His claws slipped and he fell into someone's arms.

Sasuke. "I'm sorry. I started you."

Relieved, Naruto nuzzled against his neck. "Sasuke... Sasuke stay-."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed softly. He carried Naruto back to the base of the tree and set him down. Rubbing behind his head and his ears, Sasuke admitted, "I couldn't leave you like that."

Naruto licked his face.

"Stop. I'm still going to Orochi-sama," he said as he pulled away. "I just didn't want to leave you to die. I didn't want it to be my fault."

"But Sasuke..."

"I've decided," he said firmly and dropped to his knees. Focused on him, Naruto hadn't noticed before; there was a pile of wood over the charred remains of a previous fire. Sasuke lit it again. He then took a freshly dead rabbit off his belt and a knife from a holster hidden in his clothes.

Naruto watched him, hoping that rabbit was for him. He was starving: his tails waved.

Eyes on his work, Sasuke snorted. "You're the same as before. A simple creature, easily snared by food."

Naruto objected with a snort of his own.

"How is it you have nine tails?" Sasuke still did not look up from preparing the rabbit. "You don't seem either old or powerful."

Rousing to sit on his hind legs, Naruto growled. "Naruto save- Sasuke."

"Yeah," Sasuke admitted but then pointed out, "Then you passed out. And just now... You're still weakened, aren't you? My chokuto is powerful but, to a tenko, shouldn't it be nothing?"

Shifting a little, Naruto looked away.

"Embarrassing, is it?" Sasuke looked at him, "But that's what I mean. If you're young, like I thought before, it shouldn't be. But, with nine tails, shouldn't you be a thousand years old? You should, at least, be able to talk properly," he scoffed.

Head still turned away, Naruto stared not at the trees or the moss or the leaf-covered ground but into the haze of the past. The past of his tails.

"Hmh." Sasuke returned his attention to the rabbit. "You do want this cooked, Naruto?" he questioned while inserting a skewer, "I suppose I should have asked that before. I know you used to like what I brought you, but what do I really know about foxes?"

Naruto gave a short nod to answer the question.

"All right." Sasuke set the rabbit to cook and then added his knife to the fire to clean it.

Things were quiet for a while. Just the crackling of the fire and the increasing smell of cooking meat wafted between them. Twice, Sasuke adjusted the position of the rabbit.

Finally, still looking away, Naruto spoke slowly, forming each word with care. "If I tell you..." The way human words left his muzzle was imperfect but now it was a foreign accent rather than an impediment. "No, you will not believe me. If I show you..."