Kitsune no Yomeiri

A/N: okay, i so did not realize i had a princess bride moment in the last chapter, and when i went back to see what y'all were talking about, i laughed when i found it. so, for the record, i don't own princess bride either.

thanks for all your well wishes, i'm feeling so much better now!

now, this chapter has got to be the longest chapter i've ever written in my life. and there was no way, at least until the very end, for it to be in naruto's pov, so i wrote it in... everyone's... pov. i hope you all enjoy it! there's so much action going on! no, not really. it's just the same sequence told in several different view points, but i still like it a whole lot. it really showed me how much this fic went from a one-shot idea to an out-of-hand monster!

reviewer responses:

a lot of you realized what the gold bracelet means for the story's plot, so kudos to you!

mike~: yeah, the glamour's still up. recall when the "being" said naruto had spells in place that he couldn't afford to dispel.

innerchild: homework, schmomework. when Nomme updates, the world stops. just kidding!

dramaelf: you found the princess bride! maybe orochimaru's snakes can be the SOUS (snakes of unusual size)!

Aidis: feel free to rant to me anytime. i've been asked that question before, though. i find my answer is usually somewhere between 'it's hot' and 'it's boys being emotional,' depending upon who i'm talking to. and you know, you being a straight male, i'm extremely glad that you're open minded. and i'm really happy you're enjoying my fic!

Too Tired To Sign In: i'm certainly glad you decided to give my fic a chance. oh, and i love a powerful naruto as well.

Dace: i'm so glad my fic made your day! and i will so find out what that german means so i can brag that i've been praised in two different languages!

LegaraLover: and Seasons Greetings to you as well! and don't worry, we *all* know sasuke isn't going to marry... her *shivers in distaste*

AreYouLonelyForMe: jason, my man! thanks for your review. don't worry. this chapter doesn't have a cliffie. maybe... *runs and hides cause she knows it's not true*

Sunset Serenity: well, then i must be crazy too cause i certainly thought it was uber fluffy as well.

Dragonboy: the smut comes in the next chapter, i'm hoping...

enjoy the chapter!

same tags apply


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Chapter 9: What the hell is going on?
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Kakashi stood at the foot of Kazahaya-sama’s bed in the hospital. The demon lord was still unconscious, but when anyone tried to come near him besides Sasuke or, to an extent, Tsunade, they would find a wall of deadly chakra between them and the demon. And every now and again, the body became animated through the other soul that was apparently sealed within the great lord.

No one had a clue to whom this other soul belonged, but Kakashi thought it felt very familiar. Neji had elaborated on his ‘old’ description to ‘very old,’ not that it helped knowing that. ‘Very old’ was Tsunade and Jiraiya.

Kakashi looked to the bedside table that held flowers from Ino, but he was more interested in the fine silk kimono that was folded next to them. From the short distance, he could make out the Uchiha crest adorning the dark blue silk, and he raised an eyebrow in questioning amazement.

A pulse wave ripped through his body suddenly, and his visible eye widened in shock. The pulse wave meant that a jutsu had been tripped somewhere outside the village, but the intensity of the pulse meant that it hadn’t just been tripped… it had been destroyed. At the window of the hospital room, Kakashi saw one of Godaime’s messenger birds, and he knew it was something very bad.

His fingers flew through the symbols for the transportation jutsu, and Kakashi soon found himself standing before Tsunade, his colleagues gathered around him.

“Hokage-sama, the jutsu around the village…”

“I’m well aware, Kakashi. The question we must ask ourselves is not ‘what the fuck is going on?’ but ‘who the fuck is attacking?’ My ANBU squads are out investigating now, but we’re pretty sure it’s Orochimaru.”

“And what makes you say this, Hokage-sama?”

“Uchiha’s curse mark, as well as Anko’s, is activating. He’s here, in person. And with Uchiha out of commission, we need every able-bodied ninja ready for attack. This includes the genin, but I want them here, at the Tower. Hunter-nin will be in the forest trying to cut off Orochimaru’s troops, while ANBU and jounin will be front line. Chuunin will be secondary defense. Jiraiya and I will be last defense, as we are nearly at the same level as Orochimaru. This time, I want that snake-bastard fried and put on a fucking platter!” Her fist came crashing down on her desk, splintering the wood and sending it flying in all directions.

All the jounin assembled bowed to her and disappeared to gather their chuunin teams, except Kakashi, who didn’t have a team under the circumstances.

“Hokage-sama, is it wise to put the strongest ninja in the front instead of the back?”

“Not especially, but I won’t have the genin out there in the front lines, just asking to be killed. They will be the last line with Jiraiya and me, and we’ll do everything we can to leave them out of the fighting, if it gets that far. I only pray that Uchiha stays away from Orochimaru. There’s no telling what will happen if the two meet.”

“I agree, Hokage-sama. Where is Sasuke?”

“He was on the verge of carving the seal out with a kunai, so I had him strapped to a bed in the hospital.”

“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

Tsunade grinned devilishly. “Perhaps, but what a show it would be if the female population knew that I had Uchiha strapped and helpless on a bed! I believe it would be one of those miracle moments when the bed suddenly sprouted legs and spirited the frightened Uchiha away.”

“Is this really something to be thinking about when Orochimaru and his army are right outside our gates?”

“No, but I thought I should get one last laugh before my probable death. Anything short of the demon lord might not be enough to stop Orochimaru. Damn, I wish that stupid fox was awake.”

Kakashi nodded his silent agreement, clearly remembering the terrible power Kyuubi had possessed oh, so many years ago.

~*~

Orochimaru stood silently on Hokage Mountain, yellow eyes roaming over the village’s expanse as he watched shinobi fall into some order of defense, fearing his attack. Fools, all of them, to think that Orochimaru was still outside the gates. But he was hesitating in starting his attack. Something was different about the village, something… sinister. There was a power within the walls of Konoha that put the Uchiha’s to shame, quirking Orochimaru’s interest, yet also his fear. And that fact alone was angering him. Orochimaru feared nothing, and he sneered in distaste at the very idea.

“Orochimaru-sama, should we go ahead with the attack?”

He didn’t acknowledge Kabuto in any way, just stood staring into the village. He didn’t move, didn’t make a sound, vainly trying to figure out what was hidden in the village. He knew his old teammates were incapable of this kind of power, as was the Uchiha brat. Not even the elder Uchiha could give off this intense feeling of… evil. But it wasn’t something anyone could feel. Kabuto, standing just behind Orochimaru, couldn’t feel it. No one in the village seemed to feel its presence either. It was something only someone of his knowledge could ever pick up on. He felt the pulsing deep within his body, rocking his bones.

Whatever it was, Orochimaru wanted it.

“Order the attack.”

“Hai, Orochimaru-sama.”

Kabuto disappeared, and Orochimaru waited patiently for the agonized screams of the dying to pierce the air. His Sound ninja were fiercer than any shinobi Konoha had ever come across, and that fact left no doubt in his mind who would be victorious this day. Uchiha was more than likely writhing in pain from the curse mark and would not be able to fight for his precious village.

Suddenly, the cacophony of battle rose from the village, and Orochimaru’s vile tongue snaked out to lick his lips. He watched as a flood of his men poured in through the broken gates, hitting a wall of Konoha ANBU and jounin. He laughed in amusement when the first line of defense slowly began to retreat to the second line.

Out of the corner of his eye, the snake sannin caught movement closing in at the rear of his ranks, and his head turned to take in the sneak attack of the Hunter-nin. He frowned at the development and summoned a few of his snakes to take care of the troublesome hunters.

Deciding it was getting a little boring watching everything happen and only hearing the loudest of the screams, Orochimaru sent a little chakra to his ears to enhance his already animal-like hearing.

“The bastard sent some of his snakes to take care of the Hunter-nin at the rear!”

“We’re losing too many too fast!”

“Tell my wife that I love her.”

“Kakashi says we need to fall back even more so the Hokage and Jiraiya-sama can help us since Orochimaru hasn’t shown himself.”

“I just wish I could get my hands on that Kami-damned bastard!”

“Oh, gods, it’s Uchiha!”

That last peaked Orochimaru’s interest, and he used his keen eyesight to zero-in on his runaway pet.

‘So he’s decided to fight, even while in so much pain, ne?’ Orochimaru smiled evilly, knowing that Sasuke was too weak to fight for long with the curse mark activated. He even spared a thought for his dear Anko, wondering just where she was holed up in crippling pain.

But his eyes soon narrowed in anger as he watched the Uchiha heir kill his men, one after the other, flinging jutsu he’d learned or copied under Orochimaru’s tutelage. Those jutsu weren’t meant for Sasuke to use against Orochimaru, but rather for Orochimaru to use once he had that body. And he still had every intention of taking that body, in both senses of the word. So it was with this in mind and a smug smirk on his face that Orochimaru jumped down from Hokage Mountain to land right in front of a barely standing Uchiha.

“Ah, Sasuke-kun, how noble of you to stand and fight when you can’t even blink without pain. I find that determination… alluring.” His long tongue once again flicked out to lick his lips.

“This pain is nothing compared to the hate I have for you.”

“Maa, Itachi would be so proud, Sasuke-kun. You remember him, ne? He’s the brother you’ll never be strong enough to kill.”

He smiled in amusement as Sasuke’s fists clenched. His Sharingan was spinning madly, and a spike of jealousy shot through Orochimaru’s being. That was something he could never obtain on his own, as it was a bloodline limit. But as soon as he had the Uchiha’s body, he would show the world what the Sharingan could really do.

Just behind the Uchiha, Orochimaru could see his old teammates running to join in the battle. He smirked, thinking how much fun it would be to rip those two apart, and he turned his attention back to Sasuke.

“I’ll leave you to face Manda, Sasuke-kun. Just think, maybe this time you’ll win.” He laughed as he summoned the giant snake, and he jumped over Sasuke to meet Tsunade and Jiraiya head-on. He heard the satisfactory hiss of his summon behind him and gleefully gathered his chakra to simultaneously hurt his old teammates and Sasuke.

And then the ground shook beneath his feet as a red light engulfed the village.

~*~

At the base of Hokage Mountain, where blood had been soaked into the earth, a mist of red chakra leaked from the ground and suddenly shot into the air. A red light spread over the village as the chakra formed into a giant, ethereal fox, its nine tails flowing out from the body. All activity in the village seemed to stop as the chakra demon padded silently toward the snake.

“Who dares tread upon these sacred grounds and call forth such malignant power in the presence of sacrifice?” it spoke.

Its gaze swung back and forth between the main sources of power. A woman who looked to be highly regarded and guarded by those surrounding her stood to his left. Beside her was a man just as powerful, long white hair flowing down his back. To his right was a pale man, whose eyes shown with the glassiness and reflective quality of an animal, baleful power oozing out of every pore. Between the two parties stood a pale boy, right arm clutching at his neck, and the demon could feel a deadly poison working its way through the boy’s body from that origin.

An insistent hissing reached his ears, bringing it out of its contemplation, and its red eyes narrowed at the sight of a giant snake.

“I will not allow this to continue. Leave these protected lands, or feel the wrath of the kitsune tribe’s great lord!”

The pale man with the animal eyes merely laughed at its declaration, crying out that he could not be defeated by a mere fox demon. A sickly pale hand extended, and the demon watched in growing anger as the giant snake lunged at it.

The fox merely stood there, all four legs tensed for motion, all nine tails flattened in the heat of battle. When the snake neared enough to sink its fangs into the fox’s ghostly body, the demon smiled a toothy smile as the snake merely passed through.

The pale man looked on in confusion. Then a triumphant grin broke out across his face, long tongue flicking out to lick lips too thin to be visible from the fox’s great height. The snake charmer yelled out that a wraith could do nothing in battle, and the giant snake turned its back on the demon to concentrate on the pale boy who had not moved from his spot.

Once those greasy scales were in its sight, the fox lunged quicker than mortal eyes could see and ripped the snake in half. In the background, a woman screamed as blood rained down on the village.

~*~

Tsunade stared in horror as the giant fox wraith snapped Manda in two like the snake was a brittle twig. One of her chuunin, whose memory was more than likely filled with images of Kyuubi destroying the village, screamed behind her. Drops of blood sprayed out from the snake halves, drenching people and buildings in the sickening red liquid.

She continued to stare at the fox as it sat back on its haunches, mouth hanging open, and blood dripping from sword-like fangs.

“Kami’s balls…” breathed Jiraiya. “If I hadn’t seen it myself…”

Behind her, she heard Kakashi talking to a distressed ninja; they were soft, soothing sounds one would usually keep for a lover. She chanced a quick glance at them, to see Iruka in Kakashi’s arms staring up at the fox, frightened.

All around her, her ninja stood in fear of the beast that had just defeated Orochimaru’s most powerful pet as if it weren’t a giant, evil snake.

‘No, not evil… Commanded by evil…’

She spared a glance at Orochimaru, but dared not keep her eyes away from the fox as it spoke again.

“Leave, pathetic mortal, before I rip you in half as well.”

“Fine. I will take Sasuke-kun and be on my way.”

‘Over my dead body!’ Tsunade made a move to stop Orochimaru from getting anywhere near Sasuke, when a booming voice shattered the silence again.

“You will not touch the Uchiha!”

She watched as Sasuke’s head shot up at his name rolling off the demon’s tongue. It surprised her as well. Who the hell was this demon, and how did it know Sasuke?

“Sasuke-kun is mine! It’s proven by the mark he bares on his neck.”

“That curse mark is a stolen technique from the creatures older than time. It means that he is faced with peril and sadness in his life yet lived. It is not a mark of ownership. Humans twist things to fit their own needs, never once thinking about the origins and consequences of their actions. Now, you have ignored my command far too many times. Your soul is forfeit!”

Tsunade watched in fascination as the fox lunged at Orochimaru, the snake sannin’s face a mask of terror.

From somewhere behind her, a voice rang out through the snarling and screams. “Enough!”

The demon stopped and looked around, its red eyes falling on something behind all of them. Tsunade, as well as the rest of her shinobi, turned to see a form walking towards them, pale red hair blowing in the slight breeze, red eyes glowing dangerously. A slim body was dressed in a dark blue, formal kimono, the hem and sleeves decorated with the Uchiha crest.

“That one is mine. Well,” an eerie, sharp-toothed grin lit up the demonic face, “he is for now.”

~*~

Sakura looked out the window of Kazahaya-sama’s hospital room. Before the fighting had started, the Hokage had given her orders to protect the demon lord should anyone come looking for him. She saw the many flares of jutsu through the window, and she turned to contemplate the prone form on the bed.

She had to admit the great lord was rather handsome, but he couldn’t compare to her Sasuke-kun. Her fiancé. She giggled to herself, holding her left hand out to look at her ring finger, only to suddenly remember that nothing was there. Sasuke hadn’t given her a ring. He hadn’t wanted to marry, actually. She’d said she wouldn’t bear his children out of wedlock, but that wasn’t exactly true.

“No, I would eagerly bear his children whether he married me or not. But I’ve loved him for so long… I really can’t imagine not being able to claim him after all these years. I won’t let him leave me.”

Her eyes filled with tears. She wasn’t stupid. She knew Sasuke didn’t love her, would never love her. His love was for a six-year-old idiot who had died fifteen years ago.

“Damn you, Naruto, wherever you are. I’m glad you’re dead.”

A sudden red light enveloped the room, only glowing brighter as it started to shine from the body on the bed. She closed her eyes against the agonizing light, opening them only slightly when she felt that it was safe.

There before her, clothing himself in a silk kimono, was the great lord Kazahaya. She watched as each layer of the formal kimono went on, and when he was done, watched as he fingered the pattern along the sleeve. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was, and they locked with deep, gray eyes that she swore flashed blue for a second.

“I wonder what it means when one is clothed with the family crest of another? In the kitsune tribe, it means the branded one belongs to the brander.”

Sakura swallowed hard as those gray eyes narrowed.

“A marriage built on deception will meet rough times in the future, but a marriage built on a selfish need will crumble completely. When the Uchiha loses his temper, I’m hard pressed to imagine his wrath will steer clear of the guilty party, even if she is female.”

Sakura found her voice in her rising anger. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I am his promised bride! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a thing or two to teach a certain snake about stolen techniques.”

Sakura watched Kazahaya-sama walk from the hospital room and quickly moved to follow him. She might not like him, but Tsunade had told her to protect him, and protect him she would, even though from the red chakra and sharp claws, she figured he could probably protect himself.

As she followed behind him, she thought over his words about him being her Sasuke-kun’s promised bride, and a cold dread filled her insides the longer she mulled it over.

Sasuke didn’t love her, and now he’d… branded Kazahaya-sama. She frowned more at the thought, something thick welling up in her throat. She was a fair distance behind the fast demon lord, and when she finally caught up, she almost wished she hadn’t.

A giant red fox was in the process of attacking Orochimaru, all of Konoha’s finest standing by motionlessly. A sharp command pierced the eerie stillness.

“Enough!” The giant fox turned to look at them, as she was close behind Kazahaya in her fear. “That one is mine. Well, he is for now.” And she could hear the evil grin in his voice.

~*~

‘I can’t believe the Hokage strapped me to this bed!’

Sasuke couldn’t think anything more as a wave of pain consumed him. Orochimaru had just used his chakra, and the curse mark was reacting to it. Judging by the amount of chakra used, the bastard had just summoned some of his snakes.

The pain receded enough for him to think, and he went back to analyzing the straps that held him down. They were buckles that were pulled tight so he couldn’t pull his wrist through. The same buckle straps secured his legs, and Sasuke was losing hope that he’d get free before Orochimaru took control of Konoha… and him.

A noise at the door caused him to look up, and he saw Anko, who seemed to be in as much pain as him. But her curse mark was several times older than his, and Sasuke wondered if that meant it hurt more, or if it hurt less. Her arm was at her neck, much as his always was during his time with Orochimaru.

“Sasuke, I’m going to let you… go. Help them… I know you can… bear the pain… better than I… Just don’t… confront Orochimaru…”

Her breathing was ragged and harsh, and Sasuke wondered how much energy she had exerted to get to where he was. She limped over to his bed and released him. His pain was minimal at the moment, and he hopped up from the bed, making the signs to transport himself to the battleground.

“I won’t tell Tsunade what you’ve done.” And he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

All around him was chaos, dead and dying lay in the streets, some Sound ninja, but most Leaf. He straightened and began to kill every Sound enemy he came across. He used the jutsu Orochimaru taught him just in case it confused the enemy long enough to give him an extra advantage; he already had the advantage of being more powerful than them.

His eyes were to his right, watching as some Leaf ninja looked upon him in fear. He scoffed at them. He’d been loyal to Konoha for six years after he returned from his defection, and they still didn’t trust him. That was at least something that Kazahaya had been correct about. Actually, Kazahaya had been correct about almost everything he’d spoken of to Sasuke.

And then, right in front of him, was him, Orochimaru.

“Ah, Sasuke-kun, how noble of you to stand and fight when you can’t even blink without pain. I find that determination… alluring.”

Sasuke bristled and held back the bile that came up his throat. “This pain is nothing compared to the hate I have for you.”

“Maa, Itachi would be so proud, Sasuke-kun. You remember him, ne? He’s the brother you’ll never be strong enough to kill.”

Sasuke clenched his fists. He saw Orochimaru glance behind him, and he guessed Tsunade and Jiraiya were coming to join them.

“I’ll leave you to face Manda, Sasuke-kun. Just think, maybe this time you’ll win.” He summoned the giant snake and jumped over Sasuke’s head to face the other sannin. He felt a wave of pain engulf him as Orochimaru gathered some chakra, and then a red light fell over the village.

He looked toward the source, Hokage Mountain, to see a giant, red fox padding toward them. His hand clenched over the curse mark in both pain and fear. The demon’s eyes were red as blood, and Sasuke suddenly remembered an eerie sight of blood soaking into the earth at Hokage Mountain.

“Who dares tread upon these sacred grounds and call forth such malignant power in the presence of sacrifice?”

Its steely gaze swung back and forth between Orochimaru and Tsunade, and then it settled on him. Sasuke stared mesmerized into the eyes, eyes vaguely reminding the Uchiha of rage filled eyes in a hallway of Hokage Tower. The hissing of Manda brought him out of his daze, and he watched the fox grow angrier.

“I will not allow this to continue. Leave these protected lands, or feel the wrath of the kitsune tribe’s great lord!”

“Ha, no mere fox demon can defeat me. Manda, destroy it!”

The snake lunged, but the fox didn’t move. As Manda went to sink fangs into the great beast, it completely passed through. Sasuke was growing more confused as time went by.

“You’re a wraith! You can do nothing!”

Manda turned from the beast, and Sasuke watched as the fox lunged and ripped the snake in half. Being so close, Sasuke was bathed in blood.

He heard Jiraiya exclaim something to his right, and to his left, Orochimaru stood in shocked silence.

“Leave, pathetic mortal, before I rip you in half as well.”

“Fine. I will take Sasuke-kun and be on my way.” He wasn’t sure, but he thought Orochimaru sounded a bit frightened.

“You will not touch the Uchiha!”

Sasuke shot a look at the beast, suddenly knowing that it was indeed Kazahaya… or a beast created by Kazahaya. How else would it know his name?

“Sasuke-kun is mine! It’s proven by the mark he bares on his neck.” Sasuke fingered his curse mark.

“That curse mark is a stolen technique from the creatures older than time. It means that he is faced with peril and sadness in his life yet lived. It is not a mark of ownership. Humans twist things to fit their own needs, never once thinking about the origins and consequences of their actions. Now, you have ignored my command far too many times. Your soul is forfeit!”

The kitsune are an ancient and wise race, Uchiha-san. We possess vast amounts of knowledge that humans can only dream of achieving. We are most known as pranksters and illusionists, but we are also magical and vindictive. Curses are not from mankind, but techniques drawn from the ancient magicks of the forest creatures. Believe me when I say I can rid you of your curse, for a human jutsu is no match against the pure power of a demon. Why do you think Yondaime could only seal Kyuubi and not kill him?

‘So Kazahaya can really get rid of it?’

The fox prepared to attack Orochimaru, the snake sannin’s face filled with fear, when a loud voice pierced the air.

“Enough!”

Sasuke turned his head to see Kazahaya walking up to them, dressed in his family kimono. He felt something tighten in his chest to see the beautiful demon that claimed to love him decorated with the Uchiha crest.

“That one is mine. Well, he is for now.”

~*~

Naruto walked calmly past Kakashi and another ninja in his arms, but he stopped. He turned back to them to stare at the other ninja.

‘Iruka-sensei…’

The chuunin finally saw that the demon lord was staring at him, and he stared back confusedly, with a small amount of fear.

“Don’t worry, Iruka, I won’t allow anyone to hurt you.”

He began to walk again, past Tsunade and Jiraiya who looked at him in suspicion. He walked to Sasuke and stopped.

“Thank you for the kimono. I’ll treasure it for as long as I have it in my possession.”

He watched as the Uchiha’s eyes glazed over, and the boy unconsciously answered, “It’s yours.”

Naruto smiled and turned his attention to Orochimaru. His fox guardian was standing by silently, waiting for his command.

“Orochimaru-sama, it is an honor to meet you. Unfortunately for everyone involved, I cannot kill you just yet, but I would like to give you further lessons on techniques that humans stole from nature and ceaselessly use incorrectly.”

Naruto walked calmly to an immobile snake sannin, idly wondering why the man wasn’t moving. He caught sight of an elongated shadow and followed it to the one he remembered as Shikamaru. He then looked into the man’s yellow eyes, an evil grin once again on his face.

“I believe some call this one Tsukiyomi.” And Orochimaru’s screams filled the still air.


TBC


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how did ya like them apples? ^.~ until next time, thanks for reading!