Fox and Raven

A/N:: Hey kiddies! Here's the next chapter for you. ^_- Thank you so much to my raters and reviewers and even to you silent reader (Yes I see you -Yamato Face- 8[ ). You have no idea as to how much of a muse booster your responses were. I promise that I will finish this story for you and that I will not vanish again. Love you guys so much and I hope you enjoy the next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. -gives hugs all around-



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It was glorious. The red streaks that dirtied his perfect pale skin were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. There was so much of it! And all of it was for him and his mother. Grains of red tinged sand brushed against him almost lovingly, soaking up the pools of blood that coated the walls and floor around him. His mint eyes crinkled and his mouth contorted in glee. Oh how he adored having a purpose. True, it was not entirely satisfying, but for the moment, it was enough. A raspy cough caught his attention from the nearby hall and his small ears rotated toward the noise, long, thick striped tail twitching erratically.



He had taken on a more animalistic form in his mirth, his feet shifted into delicate red and cream paws and the reddish rust colored fur lined the backs of his robe covered arms and spine. His blood encrusted claws flexed and he turned toward the sound, licking his full lips hungrily. Yet another person would give him purpose and the though had him giddy with excitement. He was vaguely aware of the insistant whine in his head from the transmitter that had been fitted about his neck in the form of a collar. It was trying to get him to move on with his mission, but the Jinchuuriki ignored it. He would do as he pleased. His eyes landed upon an all but limp figure slumped against the far wall and a sinister grin tugged at his features.



"I won't let you go any further!" The annoying human yelled out, rising to shakey legs. The tanuki tilted his head curiously at the human's words. Did this man not want to give him purpose? He observed the other carefully, watching as the odd human bent and ripped off two orange colored leg guards. They crashed to the tiled floor, shattering it and sending cracks spiderwebbing along the hall from the weight. "There. Now! Show me your youth, my worthy opponent!" The tanuki snorted to himself and folded his arms over his chest, his black attire fanning out about him slightly. He was unconcerned by the loss of the weights. This man would still be far too weak to harm him. His sand rose up to weave around him placidly as he waited and the collar continued to send him impulses.



However, when the green clad human moved, it caught the nekogen offguard, his eyes widening slightly when his sand barely deflected the kick that would have surely hit him a second later. But the man did not stop in his assault, circling the stunned tanuki in a flurry of kicks and punches that he could barely follow. It was dizzying and it was beginning to annoy him. Gaara began to track the pattern in the attack. Kick, move, kick, punch, move, move, kick. It went on and on with slight variations, but he was able to anticipate each movement. The Jinchuuriki fed his sand chakra to give it more speed as he became accustomed to the other. He felt somewhat disappointed. And then out of nowhere a blinding pain errupted in his face, sending him flying backward to slam hard into the wall behind him. A grunt like growl rushed from his lips as the wind was knocked from him. The Jinchuuriki slumped to the floor, curling in on himself and craddling his injured face in his palms. He moaned softly as he rocked back and forth.



"Mother, what is this?" He rasped out, hissing lowly as pieces of hard sand dropped from his face. New sand rushed to repair the damage to his armor and with a low snarl, he rose to his feet and hands, tail bristling outward angrily. His eyes took on an unearthly glow, and the green clad human had to step back a few feet to keep himself from being impaled by a tendril of hardened sand that shot out at him. "I'll kill you slowly for that...Your blood will give me such a great purpose!" He was half mad from the pain and the rush of someone actually touching him. His fangs enlarged and peaked out from between his lips, ears lying flat against his head. Oh he would enjoy tearing this fool apart.



The crazed Jinchuuriki rushed forward, claws and fangs flashing. Lee barely managed to avoid them, surprised that the monster was able to almost match his own speed. And then he felt it. Sand. It had wound itself about his leg during the distraction and he let out a yell when it held him firmly in place. Gaara landed in a crouch a few feet away, smug smile in place on his face. His fist moved out before himself slowly and with a terrible chuckle, he tightened it in a quick moment. Lee screamed out in agony as thousands of grains of hardened sand shot clean through his leg, severing tendons and shredding muscle. The pain toppled him to the ground, his blood blossoming forth to join the rest of the guard's on the broken flooring.



Blissfully, Gaara inhaled that beautiful scent, relishing in the metallic tang laced with the man's unique scent. Almost daintily, he drug his trembling hand through the red mess, bringing his coated fingers to his lips and licking them clean. The tanuki was assaulted by the information that swamped his brain along with the glee that followed. He was aroused by it, by the sheer intensity of the entire situation. He had never been permitted to kill so many and to meet with someone whom was able to hit him and kill that person slowly was intoxicating.



"LEE!" The shout has the tanuki jerking back into an offensive stance, a deep, angry growl rumbling through his chest. His fur rose on end and he watched with slitted eyes as a man that looked strikingly similar to his current plaything rushed to the fallen human. Gaara was pissed at the inturruption and he voiced his thoughts with a loud hiss-like snarl. The older human glared up at him warily as he scooped up the nearly unconcious Lee. "Luck is on your side, demon, if Lee wasn't in need of help, I would be your opponent." Without another word the two of them vanished into nothing, leaving a very unhappy tanuki in a deserted hallway in the depths of the NPS headquarters. His enraged yell resonated through the building and he slammed his clenched fist into the floor. He would kill the both of them, no! He would kill everyone! No one would escape him! And then he would bathe in their wonderful blood and his life would have meaning.



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" I want a fucking status report right now!" Was Tsunade's bellow as she surveyed the mess of the main control center. The room was ablaze with activity, uniformed humans and nekogen alike moving about to complete their orders. The computer monitors flickered violently from floor to floor in a dizzying manner that only specially trained nekogen could understand and comprehend.



"Tsunade-sama, we've been given word that the entire first three floors have been cleared and contained. So far the body count is above twenty. We are trying ot isolate the Jinchuuriki as best we can." Came a response from one of her subordinants. She slammed her open palm onto the thick desk before her, shattering the unfortunate thing in a crash.



"Damnit! What about the Hokage?" She snapped out, amber eyes angry and intense. Shizune wrapped a small, clawed hand about the larger woman's wrist gently, her long dark tail moving to encircle the blond in an act of comfort. Tsunade forced herself to calm, taking deep breathes and letting the dark haired cat set her at ease.



"He is still atop the main complex with Orochimaru," The subordinate reported," We are making little progress against the other enemies within the main complex, but the only worry we have in this one is the Jinchuuriki." At least there was that. Of course, it would only be a matter of time before the damn raccoon made it through the rest of the building. She was running out of options. Though she wanted to keep her best fighters in the main complex to assist the Hokage and the district soldiers, she knew that the tanuki was not going down without a hell of a fight. With a deep sigh, she picked up the headset that had been flung to the floor in her act of rage.



"Uchiha! Abort your current mission. I have a new one for you," The busty woman commanded.



"Go ahead." He responded through the reciever over the sounds of fighting and explosions.



"Grab the fox and Haruno and get back to the base. We have a pest problem for you to deal with," She began, leaning into the nekogen at her side slightly as she folded her arms under her chest. " There is a Jinchuuriki here and I can't spare anyone else. It's somewhere on the third floor. Find it and eliminate it. Now!" With that, she tossed the headset to the side and rubbed her temple with her forefingers. " I am going to assist the Hokage. No one is to leave this room unless absolutely nescisary. Keep monitoring the situation and get word to me through the other units if I am needed. And for god's sake keep the damn thing from getting into the armory!"



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Sasuke cursed softly under his breath as he ran through the halls of the main complex, Naruto and Sakura close behind. His sharigan was going wild and the mark on his shoulder burned terribly. But he did not let it slow him down. Things had been wonderful only a few hours ago. He had been blissfully unconcious to the world, a soft, affectionate fox in his arms, and he hadn't been afflicted with the horror of his reality. And then BOOM! In a single dramatic instant, the hanger of the building had ignited into nothing, leaving behind a gapping hole. The building had sprung to life then, teams moving into position to defend the headquarters and the Hokage located just next door. He along with his team and Naruto had been sent along with seven other teams to the Hokage tower to protect the old man. Tsunade had been right about them trying for the head of Konoha district.



The bomb at headquarters had been meant as a distraction. Naruto cast a concerned glance at the black haired male, biting his lower lip. He could smell that something wasn't quite right with his Teme and it had worry coiling within his gut. Even Sakura seemed to sense that something was off. But they pressed on without comment. They had a mission to complete, afterall. The fox found himself excited about encountering another of his kind and the thought of having to kill it had his insides tying themselves into knots. Hopefully there would be another way. Sasuke threw an explosive tag at the wall before them, shielding his face as it exploded to give way to the night air. The trio leapt from the gapping hole, both Sakura and Sasuke using their chakra to ease up their fall. The sixty odd foot drop barely fazed Naruto who rolled into a landing at the bottom, three tails twitching from the rush. They took off once again across the open yard toward the base. It took them mere minutes to reach the front entrance, and with a quick command from the Uchiha, the thick chakra laced doors slid open for them. Just as quickly, he ordered them to close, locking the three of them within the structure.



"This is horrible..." Came the soft whisper from the pink haired female who covered her mouth with a hand, the reek of blood and death overwhelming them all. Naruto's ears twitched forward, listening for movement as he tried to isolate the unfamiliar scent of a nekogen amidst the hundreds of other smells. "What kind of person could do this?"



"Not a person...a demon." Was Sasuke's soft response. Naruto flinched beneath those words, blue eyes filling with saddness before returning to the task at hand. Getting angry at the teme wasn't going to get him anywhere. He'd deal with that bastard later. The fox moved forward and dropped into a low crouch, his nose a few inches from the ground. Inhaling lightly he picked up the faint scent of mildew, fur, and salt. His tails twitched erratically as he sensed a strange chakra, much like his own and he felt excitement coil low in him, like some sort of balloon swelling inside. A soft growl left his throat and he moved a hand to pick up a small grain of something tiny with two claws, bringing it to eye level.



"Sand..." He mumbled absently, examining the small reddish grain. "Smells like blood, old blood." He added before tucking the grain into the pocket of his orange pants. He hadn't really had much time to throw on the rest of his clothing, getting his tails through the holes on his pants took long enough, so he was bare from the waist up as well as his fur covered feet. Sasuke observed the fox curiously, noting that the blue eyes wonder seemed almost, hopeful? Of course he would be. This demon could very well be considered family to the blond and Sasuke couldn't really blame the kit. Then again, seeing the gore that lined the walls and floor, he wasn't sure if Naruto were truely the same.



"Let's go." He stated, striding forward. Naruto blinked comically after the dark haired male and Sakura as she followed along.



"O-oy! Wait for me!" He yelped, scrambling after them. After several long moments of searching and four floors of nothing, Naruto had, had enough. He stopped in the center of the hallway with a frustrated growl, his fur rising on end. "This is getting us no where! Didn't they block the fuckin halls?!"



"Naruto! Watch your mouth!" Sakura snapped, her own nerves fried from the adrenaline and stress of the situation. Sasuke turned to regard his fox for a moment, agreeing silently that they were no closer to finding the damn creature than they had been a long time ago. If they had bait or something, things would have gone a lot faster. His eyes narrowed when he felt Naruto's chakra flare. That was exactly what the blond was thinking. The blond focused inwardly, letting his annoyance and need to see the other Jinchuuriki summon forth the mass of angry chakra that lay within his body. Sakura flinched when the red glow first started and shifted back a bit, warily casting a glance at Sasuke who seemed intent to simply watch. The black haired man folded his arms over his chest casually and leaned against the wall nearest him, content to wait.



The glow darkened and grew more intense as it wrapped about the blond's body, snaking outward in hot tendrils. He snarled lowly as his animal features became more prominent. Fur crawled over his body quickly, his fangs enlarged, and his eyes became more slitted. Naruto dropped down onto his hands and feet as his tails thrashed in the air behind him. Sasuke inhaled deeply, his senses going crazy with the scent of the fox and the feel of that aura. It caressed him tenderly even as it raged outward to seek out their prey. The scars on Naruto's cheeks deepened as his face contorted until he looked more fox than human. He grew in size, standing a bit larger than a small car. Sasuke was a bit startled by the transformation. Just months ago the little creature had been small enough to ride on his shoulder and now it was big enough for him to ride! Oh they grow up so fast. He thought sarcastically. He regretted not being around to see the change. A new chakra signal broke the Uchiha from his musing and he felt the hair on the back of his neck rose on end and his gaze flitted to the other end of the hall where a wide eyed, blood ridden, nekogen stood. The dark eyed man glared intensely at the newcomer, and pushed off from the wall to move in front of Sakura.



"So you do have a brain somewhere in there, Dobe," He remarked without a change in his intonation, however his lips had curled into a smirk. He had to admit that he was proud of the little idiot. Somewhat. The snort he recieved from the fox was the only acknowlagement he was going to get. Naruto slunk forward, chakra receeding as he examined the Jinchuuriki. Sasuke made no move to stop him,but all the same, he watched the red haired creature carefully. If it made one wrong move, it was as good as dead.



The blond stopped a yard or so from the tanuki, inhaling the other's scent with a wince. The boy was bathed in blood, drowning out his natural scent. Naruto tilted his large ears forward inquisitively as he shifted back into his more humanoid state, earning a gasp like weeze from the other. Gaara was in shock. Never had he encountered another like himself before. His throat constricted into a painful tightness that was unfamiliar, his chakra flared up uncontrollabley and for the first time in his short existance, he showed genuine surprise.



How was there another? Why hadn't he seen others in the past? Were they identical? Did the fox have a purpose? A soft growl, sort of a greeting came from Naruto's parted lips, those black tipped tails swaying slightly in hope that the Jinchuuriki was not evil and was not a demon. So badly did he want those things to be true that his brilliant blue stare reflected it. Gaara forced back his shock in favor of his typical emotionless stare as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that there was another one of them in the world and potentially more. He found himself entranced by the fox's eyes, their emotion and their color. So unusually blue. The now naked fox bit his lower lip as he studied the other Jinchuuriki. Naruto was overwhelmed by the saddness, the hopelessness, and the hate that filled those mint green eyes.



"Why are you doing this?" He asked, almost in a demand. The redhead shrugged slightly.



"Because it makes me feel alive." The statement was spoken with such conviction and so little regret that Naruto was stunned into silence. His jaw dropped open slightly, fists clenching at his sides, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He could feel his body shaking slightly from the feelings that swelled within him. How could someone end up in such a mindset? What sort of hell could the tanuki have suffered through to become such a thing? And with horror, Naruto realized that he could have very well ended up the same way had it not been for Sasuke. Gaara on the other hand was busy sizing up the three tailed fox. He could sense the power that radiated from the small, lithe body and the fox had a pleasing scent. The other two individuals didn't even register with him. They were just wastes of time anyway. However, Gaara was not entirely sure how to proceed. He was curious but unaware of how to learn more, other than to attack. And then he smelled fear, not just from the pathetic human female, but from the blond. Gaara's eyes narrowed fractionally. "You are pathetic."



Naruto ducked his head to escape the gaze of the other Jinchuuriki, feeling his chest tighten and his eyes tear up. How lucky had he been? If Sasuke had not taken him in, protected him; if Sakura had not become a sister to him; and if the adopted family he had gained while in the NPS hadn't existed, he would have been identical to this tanuki. He was jolted from his internal battle when a large, comforting hand came to rest on his shoulder.



"Naruto, go protect Sakura." Sasuke's deep murmur, his mouth brushing slightly against the mark on the fox's neck. It had chills shooting through the blond's body, forcing his mind far far away from anything to do with being a monster. He nodded dumbly, dazed from the faint touch of the Uchiha's tongue against that mark. Naruto could feel the older male's smirk as he pulled away, placing a hand on the blond's head before moving to step between the two Jinchuuriki. Gaara's eyes had been rivetted to the interaction between the two, confusion and intrigue running rampent within his mind. He had never seen such acts of affection, as small as they were. And he was startled by the rage that seemed to coil within him at the sight. The human did not deserve to touch the blond, even if the fox was pathetic. And then the black haired man was moving toward the tanuki, emotionless aside from the faint, condesending smirk. Gaara knew in that moment that he hated this tall man. "Jinchuuriki, ka?"



The words had the tanuki bristling with unheeded animosity.He would kill this man for his arrogance, would kill him for touching the pretty fox, and would kill him for having the nerve to stand between the tanuki and said fox. Gaara folded his arms over his chest, tail flicking much like a preditor's as he observed the human carefully. This man was different. Something was wrong with him. What? The Jinchuuriki was unsure. He watched unconcerned as the pale skinned human wrapped his glove covered hand about the hilt of an unusual sword, drawing it and holding it horizontally from the ground. However, when the man turned to return his glare upon the Jinchuuriki, Gaara felt an indescribable excitement bubble up through him. Red and black eyes, spiraling violently with such a powerful intensity that promised pain and dare Gaara say, blood? His body shuddered in anticipation and he ran his tongue over his lips. He could already taste the older male's chakra. It was dark, cold enough to rival his own. How, interesting.



Sakura moved to pull the fox back, resting her hands atop the small boy's shoulders to act as comfort for him. She had noticed the sorrow that seemed to have overcome Naruto and like she had on several occassions in the past, the pink haired female acted out the role of serrogate sister. Her green eyes then turned to the two opponents, her brow creasing in worry. Sure, Sasuke was amazing, but he hadn't fought in so long due to Tsunade's orders. And his opponent was a creature that had easily killed off dozens of soldiers with barely any effort. She blinked in surprise when three soft tails coiled about her legs and the small fox turned to hug her tightly. A small smile curved her lips as she returned the boy's hug. Even in his distress, the fox was trying to ease her worry. She was grateful.



Sasuke moved in a testing strike, his muscles tensed and in a set of motions that he could have never lost regardless of his inactivity. But he could feel his own weakness crouching in the back of his mind and the mark on his shoulder flared to life angrily. Gaara's sand reacted instantly to deflect the strike of the weapon, stopping it mere inches from his face. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he calculated the situation quickly. His weapons would be powerless if he couldn't get through the barrier. A surge of sand moved to lash out at him and the Uchiha spun, blade singing as it blocked the tendrils that branched off to adapt to his movements. Sasuke twisted, slicing through the tendrils that tried to trap him with a burst of blue chakra through his sword and flipped backward into an offensive stance before Naruto and Sakura. The sand returned to its master, shifting about the Jinchuuriki's feet restlessly.



"Hn." Was the single sylable that left the Uchiha's smirking mouth before he sheathed his sword in a fluid movement. Gaara watched the other skeptically. This human was far too confidant for his own liking. And the man was smart. He knew it was pointless to continue an assault upon his barrier for it would only drain his energy. But, Gaara was absolutely sure that this human would not be strong enough to defeat him, even if he had figured it out. Sasuke clutched at his right arm, eyes never leaving the tanuki as the crackling of blue and white lightning began to lick up his dominant appendage. Naruto's ears flattened against the high pitched sound tat intensified as the Uchiha gathered more and more chakra.



The lightning grew more intense and Sasuke's hand contorted into a tense, clawed appearance from the slight strain on his body. The mark on his neck pulsed, turning hot and a firey orange hue. But he ignored it. He would worry about his body later on. Gaara's eyes widened slightly and he began compacting his sand around him, forcing chakra into the shell like case as it grew thick. The standard defense would have little to no effect against such a large amount of chakra. After mere seconds, the ball of hardened sand had formed completely and a small eye of sorts poofed into existance to observe his playthings. With a scoff, Sasuke clenched his hand into a fist and darted forward almost faster than Naruto could track, that crackling chakra screaming out its battle cries. The impact had the foundation of the building shaking. Lightening danced across the charred and cracking surface of the shell as the Uchiha's fist traveled clean through it. A Gaara shaped impression stood out against the back of the shield, from the force of the punch that had sliced through his defense with little difficulty at all and shattered the sand armor like thin glass.



The physical pain pulled a groan from the tanuki before as a last resort he forced out sharp spines of sand to stab at the human. Sasuke barely avoided them, getting nicked on his arm multiple times as he pulled out and leapt back, loosing an explosive tag attatched to a kunai into the hole he had created before it closed. The blast ripped through the halls, toppling walls and crumpling sections of floor. Gaara screamed over the concussion of noise as he was encased in fire and sulfur, burning his clothing, his fur, and charring his porcelin skin. His sand fell to the floor in chunks and the tanuki wobbled unsteadily on his feet. He was so unused to people bringing him physical pain. The tanuki's armor dropped from his body steadily in flakes and his reddened skin burned and tingled. He would kill this man for sure!



The hit had been excellent, however, the reprocussions of using so much energy hit Sasuke head on, dropping the black haired man to his knees. He panted hard as it seemed as though all of his energy were being syphoned through that damn mark on his shoulder. Sweat rolled freely into his eyes, blood from the shallow scratches the tanuki had given him twining about his flexing arm. His face flushed from fevor and the mark grew larger, several small black markings of varying shapes skittering out to cover his entire left side. Sasuke couldn't think straight, couldn't see properly due to the headache that had all but exploded within his skull.



Naruto instantly rushed to the Uchiha, all of his instincts demanding that he comfort his injured mate. He dropped to lap at the wounds on the other male's arm, ingnoring the fact that a great deal of violent sand was surging forth to kill him. However, a sharp yell and a heavy thud had the sand stopping and the unfortunate Jinchuukiki slamming forward. Sakura had moved to take up the place of the tanuki's opponent, her green eyes determined and fierce. She would defend them as long as she could and with another yell followed through her assault to toss a kick and another chakra powered punch into the Jinchuuriki's side. Gaara's face twisted into a pleasure filled smile that reeked of his bloody nature. He would use her as bait.