Fox and Raven

A/N:: Okay...so I lied. Have another chapter. =P Rate and Review, and I may just toss up a third. -snugs-
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You would never imagine how difficult it was to clean up a mission with a furry little kid clinging to you and demanding all of your already thin attention. Sasuke quickly discovered this fact as the small creature refused to let go of him. He had tried EVERYTHING to get the pet to have mercy on him and stop invading his personal space with the overly cute-ness that radiated from the little bundle of sunshine. The fox had clambered up onto his shoulder, burying tiny clawed hands into his thick hair. Sasuke had attempted to remove the pet a few times only to have the little brat practically pull his forelocks off. The concern for pre-mature baldness outweighed the concern for his newly grown second head so the Uchiha had given up that tactic fairly quickly. He then tried coaxing the fox down with the ball that it had been playing with earlier. No dice. The kit didn't even pay attention to it. In fact, the pet seemed more enthralled with the Uchiha and the many fun "toys" littering his person. Sasuke had lost count of how many times he had been forced to pry an explosive tag or smoke grenade from the fox's mouth.

"Lay off, Fingers." The raven haired male had muttered before deciding on placing seals on each of his pockets. However, the little fox became even more excited when it felt Sasuke's chakra flare. It's large eyes widened impossibley further and it began babbling in some half animal, half baby language that had one of the young man's eyebrows disappearing behind his bangs.

"Yes, I have it too, Dobe." The Uchiha stated, nodding his head slightly in response to the fox's enthusiastic tugging and bouncing. When a look of awe marked the child's scarred face a deep chuckle escaped Sasuke's lips. How such a simple and annoying creature could be so cute was beyond him. That was correct, he had finally accepted the fact that yes, this little cretan was cute somewhere between raiding the computers of the lab and petting the fluffy tail that had curled about his neck.

"EE! RrrMine!" The kit squealed, letting out a happy purr like noise. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure that he had heard right and he honestly hoped that he hadn't for his own sake. The last thing that he wanted to deal with was a pet. The little fox nuzzled into the tall man's hair affectionately, his tail slapping unknowingly against the Uchiha's cheek, forcing him to hold back a sneeze. Honestly, he was beginning to wish that he would have had to fight the damn thing. Fighting was better than having the thing use him as a plushie. And then came the grooming. At first, Sasuke had been too mortified and too shocked to feel to slightly rough texture of a tiny tongue against his temple. The little fox then moved his attention to the man's oddly layered hair, licking at the glistening locks happily. The Uchiha had dropped the scanner that he had been carrying, watching with a detatched facination as it hit the floor with a clank.

"What the hell? Knock it off, Dobe!" He snapped out in annoyance. Apparently, the fox had not expected the harsh and cold tone of the other and its large ears instantly flattened against his skull. Large blue eyes teared up and a soft sniffle like hiccup broke through the silence that followed the Uchiha's remark. Sasuke felt his blood run cold at the sound and that feeling intensified with the small humanoid scurried down from his shoulder faster then even he could follow. The kit made a bee-line for the pile of blankets and dove beneath them, whining and sobbing openly the whole way. The dark haired male sighed in defeat and cursed every god he could think of before crossing the room to the trembling form in the corner. "Oy... Dobe?" His voice had taken a slightly more gentle tone that most would not have picked up on.

The Uchiha began digging through the blankets, smirking slightly when a single large ear popped up from under one.

"Dobe, come out of there." He murmured softly, but the fox only let out a whine like noise that honestly sounded more like a child having a tantrum than anything before burrowing further into the mass. Sasuke rolled his eyes in mild annoyance before lifting the little fox up and out of the pile, earning a squeal of protest. The blond struggled to free himself to no avail. Tired of the child's antics, Sasuke began tickling the kit and as expected, "Dobe" began squirming and giggling madly. The Uchiha craddled the toddler in his arms, forcing the kit to look at him. Tiny hands rubbed at tear lined eyes and large ears flattened against its skull tightly as another whine forced its way from the child.

"Dobe, no hair licking...understand?" He asked the yellow fox while raising an eyebrow. The humaniod looked up at him defiantly and stuck out his tongue before pouting. "Oy!" Sasuke chided, tapping the fox on the tip of its nose. The kit looked at him as though he had just bared his ass in public or something.

"Gomen..." He muttered under his breath. Sasuke Uchiha did NOT apologize. EVER. It just was not done. And yet here he was, feeling bad over a PET. That sealed it. That world was ending. He scratched one of the pet's ears with his forefinger and after a few more moments of pouting, the kit closed its eyes in contentment, purring beneath the attention. In a bit of a chain reaction, the blond fox grabbed Sasuke's large hand in both of its small ones, licking the finger that had been scratching him and thus causing Sasuke's jaw to drop open and a faint pink hue lined his cheeks. The young man rarely interacted with others, so how was he to know that his hands were HIGHLY sensitive. He very quickly broke out of his stupor and lifted the kit back up to his shoulder in an effort to keep the fox from his hands. "Dobe" seemed delighted and once again clung to the other. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to deal with the runt for much longer. Sasuke was very puzzled by how much chakra seemed to resonate from within the little creature. It was frightening. If this was how powerful the pet was now, how strong would it be fully grown? The possibilities were troubling. WHo in their right mind had created this thing?! He honestly was worried about the situation. Pets NEVER were given more then the bare minimum chakra for a very good reason. Yeah sure, the kit was pretty cute and innocent now, but once it matured, it was going to be dangerous.

Sasuke grabbed his scanner and pocketed it quickly. He would need to check on the progress of the others soon. The dark haired man had issued orders to commence detaining those within the building for questioning while he finished up collecting the data that the thieves had on their target and eliminating evidence. Descression on a mission like this was a must. The Uchiha settled the kitsune firmly in place on his shoulders, holding onto the small child's legs as a precaution to keep it from running off. Honestly, it looked perfectly content to nuzzle into Sasuke's hair and enjoy the ride.

"Purple, I am on my way up. How is the situation up there?" He asked into his communicator as he opened the hatch for the door.

"Everything is under control. We should be finished soon Raven." Came Shikamaru's response. Instantly, warning bells went off in his mind. Despite Skikamaru's lax tone, the wording was wrong. Trap. The moment that the hatch opened entirely, several guns cocked in unison. Sasuke sighed softly and removed his ear piece and eye screen, the seals on his pockets breaking as he placed them inside.

"Give us back the Kyuubi and maybe we won't have to shoot you."

A cocky smirk curved his generous lips. These fools never came up with new lines. It was always the same dramatic demands when they knew damn well that he wasn't going to give them the pet. An angry hiss from his furry companion signaled that the blond had no intention of letting go of Sasuke anytime soon. A chuckle escaped the Uchiha and he once again activated his Sharigan, the black spots spiralling wildly as his chakra flared outward dangerously in waves of blue. The little fox held tight to him as it bared its fangs.

"Katon! Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" He yelled while bringing his right hand up to his lips, a massive ball of flame bursting from him just as the men fired. Sasuke raised his arms up to hold onto the fox as he leapt vertically, avoiding the bullets and focusing his chakra into his feet in order for him to stick to the ceiling. The little pet squealed in delight, despite the destruction and screaming of the men who attempted to escape the blaze. The black haired male pulled free his blade, mindful of the child on his shoulders.

"Oi, hold on, ne?" He warned the kit who merely giggled. Sasuke dropped from the ceiling and landed momentarily on the floor before pivoting and dashing through the weakening flames that parted for him. There were several burnt bodies lying across the floor that he paid no mind to. Petty thieves were just pointless wastes anyway. The pet held on to him, blue eyes glinting with excitement as the Uchiha sprinted through the halls. Sasuke needed to get to the rest of his team. First were Sakura and Lee. He only hoped that they hadn't been killed. The last thing he needed was to have to file more death warrents for careless idiots. Yes, he was a bastard. Yes he was proud of that fact. Sasuke rounded another corner only to run straight into a brick wall of chakra, sending he and his adorable passenger flying backward. A sharp grunt left his scowling lips and the air was knocked from his lungs. Instantly, his eyes shot to the flailing yellow fox that was headed toward the corner of a very solid looking wall. Without thinking, the Uchiha moved, twisting his body awkwardly so that he could grab the kit and sheild it before slamming forcefully into the wall. Had he been a lesser man, the impact would have shattered his spine. Of course, the wall was now in pretty bad shape. He groaned lightly, looking down at the toddler in his arms with may have been mistaken for worry. Large blue eyes looked up at him adoringly and with a yip like sound, the pet nuzzled him gently as if sensing that Sasuke could have died. The black haired human leapt to his feet, his free arm craddling the fox as he narrowed his eyes on what had stopped him.

A very large, very burly man clad in some unusual outfit of leather, bandages and armor stood in his path. A wicked grin lit the obnoxiously muscled freak's lips and the Uchiha forced back a cringe. The man's smile was terrible, his teeth rotting and yellowed and even the fox seemed a bit put off by it. Wow, now that was saying something. Discusted that he had walked right into the attack, the Uchiha shot forward far faster than the other man could follow, his blade humming with heat as he fed it chakra. It sliced through the attacker like a hot knife through butter, plastering the wall and floor with boiling blood as the shocked man split at the waist. Sasuke did not bother to slow and ran on, intent upon finding the others. He knew that Neji would be fine. The rookies were what had him worried. His eyes narrowed dramatically when the sounds of explosions ripped through the halls leading to B-1 and he put on another burst of speed. If there was one thing that the Uchiha was known for, it was his speed. He slide to a hault, barely stopping himself from falling through a gaping hole in the floor that stretched on for several feet , ending at the coiled form of a familiar pink haired female, whose fist was still partially buried in tile.

"AH! Sugoi, Sakura-San! Amazing strength to match youthful beauty!!"

Sasuke knew that obnoxious voice anywhere. And sure enough, as the dust settled the thickly eyebrowed taijutsu master came into view behind the female.

"Eee! Sasuke-Kun! You are alright!" She beamed, completely forgetting the now pouting Lee. Sasuke did not bother acknowlaging the female, he merely leapt the hole and started for the elevator shaft, the blond fox peering at the two newcommers curiously while ducking into the curve of the Uchiha's neck. The other two humans moved to follow, but it was Lee who first noticed the large pair of yellow and black ears poking up over their leader's shoulder.

"Raven, is that the new type?" He asked curiously, craning his neck to get a better look at the shy little thing that flattened its ears to conceal them.

"Yes. Right now that isn't important. We need to locate White and Purple. Damage report." He commanded. Sakura flinched at the cold tone of her crush/obsession. He was not in a good mood.

" Fine, Raven. We only sustained a few injuries that Saku-I mean, Pink was able to heal. Also, we eliminated three chakra users and several armed guards. We intercepted them before they could reach you and the new Type." Lee reported as Sasuke forced open the doors to the elevator once again. He nodded slightly in acknowlagement before gathering chakra in his feet and bounding upward quickly, leaping from wall to wall. The other two followed close behind as the kit in his arms squealed gleefully. This was all like some sort of rollercoaster for the little Dobe. Rather then head into the main lobby as before, the Uchiha merely continued upward, wanting a more direct route. Of course, it wasn't until the churning of the elevator's engine alerted him of danger that he remembered why he hadn't used this route before. Well, the time for sublties was over anyway. He sheathed his blade quickly and fished within in pockets for a beam kunai, attatching several explosive tags to it before tossing it straight up with all of his might.

"Brace yourselves!" He warned the other two before landing on the thin indentation that marked a floor opening and turning his back to the shaft, keeping the small fox between himself and the wall as he tried to force open the doors. The other two scrambled to help the Uchiha, slowly prying apart the thick doors. A large explosion sounded several floors up, flame bursting into the elevator shaft and rushing toward them with a deafening roar. The three tumbled out of the shaft with the fox mere seconds before the back draft rushed past. They panted heavily as they lay sprawled out on the floor. This definately was not a rookie mission. Sasuke moved to his feet quickly, the kit clinging to his vest tightly. "Let's move. Hopefully they will investigate the explosion and move away from the stairwells." He commanded as Lee helped Sakura to her feet.

The trio ran on, heading to the stairs and bounding quickly up the many flights. They maintained radio silence, not wanting to alert any enemies if Purple and White had been captured. It was on the eight floor that Sasuke felt Neji's chakra flare and he stopped, motioning for the others to follow him down another hall toward the flare up. The Uchiha tensed when he felt the small fox dig its claws into him a dark hiss of warning flying from its snarling mouth. That wasn't a good sign. Instantly, weapons were drawn. Of course the moment that they rounded the corner, the group lowered their weapons almost comically. Negi, the white eyed wonder stood calmly in the middle of the hall, several very unconcious people lying in a perfect circle that was four feet from his person. The tile at his feet were chared black. He smirked slightly at Sasuke.

"They ambushed us. Purple is taking a bit of a nap right now thanks to them, but other then that we are fine." The long haired man reported. Sasuke did not move. The kit had not stopped its soft growling.

"White, Green, retrieve Purple. Do it quickly and head to the roof and call in the team. Pink take this and follow them. SOmething is off." He murmured softly while prying the kit from his vest and depositing the struggling bundle in Sakura's arms. She looked down at the blond fox with a mixture of curiosity and fan-girlish awe due to its adorable features. "Dobe" fought against her strong grip, whining and wailing the loss of Sasuke. It reached out for him pathetically, blue eyes tearing up once again.

"Oi, Dobe, knock it off. You are fine. Pink will take good care of you and I'll be right up." The black haired man sighed, forcing back the urge to grab the little thing and comfort it. However, this did nothing to prevent the child from sobbing and wailing out in protest. Its eyes went impossibley wide as Sakura and the others began to speed off, leaving the Uchiha in the hallway. A blood curdling scream freed itself from its strong vocal chords. The fox clawed at the pink haired girl almost violently, desperation clear on its tear streaked face as they disappeared around the corner. Sasuke knew one thing. If he ened up getting through this mess, he would never want to hear that sound again.