Tender Sea

Chapter 8

"Welcome back you two!" Minato quickly ushered in his student and his newest charge. "Kakashi you'll be staying for dinner today~" Once again his student was unable to decline and thus found himself sitting comfortably on the couch. Miyu was idly twirling her long hair, wondering why Kurama still hadn't returned. Contrary to popular belief, neither of the ramen loving blondes exclusively ate the delicious noodles. After all, it was important for a ninja to get enough nutrition in their diet. That's why today, Minato was standing over the stove in an apron, making a curry of some sort. "So did you have fun Miyu?"

"Mmhm, I made a very youthful friend and he's going to help me with taijutsu... as soon as he finishes his laps!" Of course Gai had lost the mentally 'challenging' game, and apparently the score was 51-49 in Kakashi's favour.

"Kakashi, you didn't..." The blonde jounin uttered in disbelief. His student put his hands up defensively,

"It's not like I was expecting him to be looking for me, and no matter what you can't really avoid him..." He curled up depressingly.

"I like him!" Miyu decided to add, "He seems like a good person,"

"Gai is a good boy," Minato agreed, "But he is slightly eccentric." Both males were surprised that she didn't mind the spandex-wearing teen where most would be running in fear.

"But he's interesting! And very... youthful!" She smiled brightly. Even if this wasn't her correct time, and even if nobody knew her, it was always nice to see a familiar face. A soft thumping sounded at the door, jolting her from her thoughts while Kakashi got up to answer it.

"Gah!"

"What is it?!" Minato wondered what could have frightened the stoic teen. He walked around Kakashi and opened the door only to come face to face with a tiger's maw.

"Ahhh!"

"Kurama!" Miyu ran to the door and by now Kakashi and Minato realised that the tiger wasn't even alive anymore. Looking closer Minato saw it had been eaten rather neatly and carried back by the fox.

''I brought back a gift kit'' He was in a good mood after a very successful hunt.

"Since when could foxes take down tigers? Especially one as big as this, it looks like one of the overgrown animals in the Forest of Death." Kakashi mused.

''That's because it is.'' The fix yipped back. Through the carcass was several times his own size he had no trouble lugging it through the village, unnoticed as well.

"Kurama is strong." Miyu commented.

"Strong? In what way?" Minato asked curiously.

"He can fight." The girl said proudly.

"Ah," Kakashi uttered, "But still, to take down this tiger..."

"Ku likes eating other carnivores," Miyu as if it clarified things, "they taste better and he likes the thrill of battle."

"Really now?" Minato wondered, "Well come on in, we can't have the neighbours notice and start worrying." He helped to drag the ridiculously large remains onto his kitchen floor where it just stayed for lack of anywhere better to go. "Until this is clean we are definitely not placing it anywhere near the carpet." He waved a ladle around threateningly, and both Miyu and Kurama nodded in reply, ever so slightly afraid of the blond in the frilly pink apron though they would never freely admit it.

After dinner, Kakashi left for his own apartment and Miyu went to bed exhausted. Today was just too tiring for her younger, untrained body. She would probably have to do monstrous amounts of training if she hoped to protect anyone. Goodnight kit, Kurama conveyed.