Guardian Angel

Disclaimer: Thank you Kishimoto-san and Ms. Garwood for their wonderful inspiration…for without which this story would not exist!

Warning: MAJOR YAOI ALERT! Don't like…don't read…don't complain:)

Background Info: Scratch the beginning of the anime! In my world, Orochimaru hadn't revolted and Itachi didn't kill off the entire Uchiha clan.

Note: 'blah blah blah' - Thoughs

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Chapter One: The Hunter

He waited for his prey.

In the tavern situated in the shady districts of the Hidden Village of Water, Uchiha Sasuke (the sole heir of the prestigious Uchiha clan) sat brooding at the far back corner. It was a strategic point in which he can observe everything subtly and unobtrusively.

If it had been a lesser man, they would've given up by now. But, Sasuke isn't just any man. Known intimately among the ANBU as “The Hunter,” he had never failed at completing any of his missions, and he wasn't about to start now. Though patience was a virtue, he had perfected it down to an art. Knowing he would eventually get what he want, Sasuke willed his muscles to relax as he mentally prepared himself for the long hours ahead.

His target: The famed Kyubi.

Just thinking about him brought a scowl onto Sasuke's face. Previously, he was always able to obtain the information needed to complete his missions…so long as he asked the right people. Unfortunately, he couldn't make head or tail out of this one. The villagers are surprisingly tight-lipped when it came to the subject and what little he could coerce out was common knowledge: more than fifteen years ago a nine-tailed demon fox had attacked the Hidden Village of Konoha. As a last resort, the Fourth Hokage was forced to use the legendary sword, The Light of Heaven, and managed to seal the demon inside a newborn baby. Unfortunately, during the course of the night the baby, along with the sword, had simply vanished into thin air. This left the village in an uproar as countless ninjas were sent to retrieve the lost sword and Kyubi's vessel. One by one they came home defeated with no lead to the whereabouts of either. Years passed, this incident became only a distant memory that occasionally popped up in conversations, only to have it be hushed up immediately as nervous eyes darted about searching for eavesdroppers. This uneasiness was due to the heavily enforced law which forbid anyone from mentioning the events that had occurred that fateful night.

However, recent events had set Konoha on edge. An elusive thief had been pillaging all the hidden villages. But unlike other thieves, this one specifically targets the rich and the titled, especially those that take advantage of the poor to increase their own wealth. Miraculously, the stolen good would wound up on someone's front step, mainly those who are poor and in desperate need of help. Many ninjas were hired by the rich to capture this thief but none succeeded. As cunning as he is elusive, the thief had expertly dodged any traps that were set in his path. After months of pursuit, none had been able to see his face, much less discover his true identity. The only hard evidence they have was the penned note addressed to each victim.

These notes were promptly delivered twenty-four hours before each theft and the all-too-familiar scrawl of “Kyubi” graced the end of each notice. This was enough to send a grown man into a dead faint as he realized he may be turned from a Prince of pauper overnight.

And Kyubi never disappoints.

Regardless of whether he is actually related to the nine-tailed demon fox, rumors spread like wildfire throughout the lands. Some claimed to have seen what looked suspiciously like a large fox prowling through the still night and then vanish without a trace. Others swear on their lives that they had glimpsed a cloaked figure casting a sinister fox shadow as he darted through the alleys.

But Sasuke knew better than to believe the rumors that had been grossly exaggerated and embellished. Like the fool he was, Sasuke had applauded Kyubi's valiant efforts to help the needy. But all that had changed as of two weeks ago.

His older brother, Uchiha Itachi, and several ANBUs were sent to hunt down the Kyubi. Unfortunately, Kyubi got to them first. To Kyubi, the ANBUs were probably like mosquitoes, bothersome and easily squashed. After he had his fun, the bodies were dumped and the bloody headbands were sent back to Konoha as souvenirs. At the thought of his brother's untimely death, Sasuke's hand tightened around the cup he was holding, wishing it were Kyubi's neck instead.

For the past two weeks he had been trying to pinpoint Kyubi's location, but to no avail. Thus, he tripled the award money in hopes of luring the Judas into divulging his location. Many men would sacrifice their own mothers to earn this much money, but surprisingly no one was willing to come forward. To most people, he was like a modern day Robin Hood, a savior that aids the poor

'Foolish ignorant bastards!' Sasuke mentally cursed as the cup shattered into a million pieces. With no new information, Sasuke had been forced to resort to plan B: flush Kyubi out.

A couple days ago, Sasuke sauntered into this tavern bearing the characteristic scowl that seemed to be permanently etched onto his aristocratic features. Rather than being frightened by his intimidating look, the customers were frozen to the spot by what they saw behind him. In place of a normal shadow, one can see the outlines of nine swishing tails. In that instant, there was no doubt in anyone's mind as to the identity of this newcomer.

'Kyubi.'

Since then, his nightly visits fueled the rumor mill and many speculated about this new development. Is he the Kyubi? If so, what is his purpose for coming here every night? If not, then the real Kyubi would not sit idly by as the imposter used Kyubi's name for his own purposes.

This is what Sasuke is counting on and why has been coming to the tavern diligently every night. He doubt Kyubi's pride would let him leave Sasuke unscathed. Sooner or later, he will have to show himself in front of Sasuke. Hopefully sooner than later, for he cannot wait to avenge his brother's death. Despite his woolgathering, he hardly blinked as a figure melted from the shadows behind him.

“Are you going to sit down, Kiba? Or are you planning to stand there all night?” Sasuke asked wirily as he gestured to the empty seat beside him.

“Tch! I was masking my chakra all this time…” Kiba sighed and obligingly slid into the empty seat.

“No chakra can mask that odor. You smell.” Sasuke stated blandly.

“Teme, are you picking a fight UCHIHA?” Kiba slammed his fist down on the table angrily. Conversations halted as all heads turned toward the noise.

So much for being inconspicuous.

“Sit down. You're drawing too much attention.” A third voice commanded in a low tone. Noting their surrounding, Kiba complied and sat down with a huff. Another figure stepped out from the shadows and took the last available spot at the table.

“I know you're itching for a fight, but no need to take it out on ME!” Kiba retorted. "Ne, Akamaru?”

“Arf, Arf.”

“Everything has been quiet…TOO quiet.” The third occupant of the table drawled as he scratched his head absentmindedly. If one does not look close enough, they would have missed the sharp eyes that continuously scanned the room.

“We've been at this village for almost a week and NOTHING!” Kiba complained. “Not even a glimpse of him despite the continued robberies.” He sighed dejectedly. “Maybe he really is a demon.” Sasuke snorted and turned to acknowledge the third occupant of the table.

“Shikamaru.”

“Yo.” Shikamaru yawned and glanced at his comrades through half-closed eyelids. “Data collecting is too troublesome, so listen up because I'm only going to say this once. It's highly probable that `Kyubi' is actually a two-man team: the thief and the mastermind.”

“Say, what!” Kiba exclaimed in surprise.

“Don't you think it's strange that no matter what kind of trap was set, Kyubi was able to avoid them all without a scratch? Someone must have infiltrated each target's household and learned of its secrets beforehand. After careful planning, the theft was executed in a situation that is most favorable to them. To my understanding, some sort of a diversion tactic was used each time. Simple, but effective and only plausible is there are at least two people.” Shikamaru explained patiently.

“Then what are we waiting here for?” Kiba asked exasperatedly and quickly stood up. “Lets go get them!”

“Sit.” Sasuke ordered. “We're not going anywhere.” His voice left no room for arguments.

“But…”

“Don't be hasty.” Shikamaru yawned into his hand. “There's no point in wasting time out there. They'll come to us.”

”You seem very sure of yourself.” Kiba stated and grudgingly sat back down.

“Of course.” Shikamaru replied nonchalantly. “ Kyubi takes pride in what he does, hence the penned notes he sent before each theft. He does what he did because he wants acknowledgment and this is his way of getting noticed. He's definitely not going to let Sasuke get away with taking all the `glory' from him.”

“But…” Whatever Kiba was about to say died on his lips as he stared open-jawed towards the doorway. Following his gaze, both Shikamaru and Sasuke turned and raised their eyebrows in surprise. A youth had just arrived at the tavern and lingered by the doorway, looking decidedly unsure of himself. With hair the color of spun gold and eyes as bright as sapphire, the youth stuck out like a sore thumb among this rough crowd.

“Speak of the devil.” Shikamaru murmured and subtly placed his foot on top of Sasuke's shadow. Placing his hands together while making a couple seals, he concentrated his chakra and poured it into his foot. Slowly, the outline of nine tails was visible against the whitewashed walls as the youth hesitantly approached their table. He shuffled his feet back and forth nervously.

“Ano…Kyubi…-san?” Clear blue eyes widened at the sight of the moving shadows on the wall as he stared in fascination. Sasuke merely arched one elegant eyebrow as he regarded the youth coolly. Seeing this as a confirmation, he eagerly took out his money pouch and pooled all its contents onto the table. Kiba whistled at the amount of money that fell out of the pouch.

“What's a pretty little thing like you carrying all that money for?” Kiba asked curiously.

“I'm NOT little.” Internally bristling at the word “pretty,” the blond pouted in annoyance.

“Fine…petite.” Kiba corrected in afterthought.

“What do you want?” Sasuke cut in rudely before the youth had a chance to respond.

“I need a favor.” The blond answered promptly.

“I don't do favors.” Sasuke replied coolly and poured himself a drink.

“Don't be so mean Sasuke.” Kiba admonished. “Where's your sense of chivalry? “

“My sense of chivalry only applies to girls.” Sasuke retorted.

“But…”

“And that is NOT a girl.” Shikamaru added.

“But…” Confusion was plainly written all over Kiba's face as he paused to digest this disturbing piece of information. “WHAT?” Invading the blonde's personal space, he did a quick once over and asked hopefully: “Not a flat chested girl?”

“When did I ever say I was a girl?” The blonde fumed and pushed Kiba away from him. Shikamaru chuckled at Kiba's dejected look.

“Are you done?” Sasuke asked in annoyance. “You can leave anytime.”

“I wanted to ask you to kill-.” The blond started.

“I refuse.” Sasuke said dismissively before the boy had a chance to finish.

“But I'm willing to pay…” The blonde whined.

“Who do you want him to kill?” Shikamaru asked in curiosity, “a family member?” At the blonde's shake of head, Shikamaru tried again, "backstabbing friend?”

“Uh-uh.” Shake of head.

After a brief pause, Shikamaru made another attempt, “cheating girlfriend?”

“Nope.” Another shake of head.

“Cheating boyfriend?” Kiba interjected as a dull red flushed across the blonde's face, who proceeded to shake his head side to side at an alarming speed.

“Then, who?” Shikamaru asked in exasperation.

“Me…who else?”

tbc…

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Peak Preview of Chapter Two:

“Take your clothes off.” Sasuke commanded as he advanced slowly.

“EHHHHHH?” Naruto flushed in mortification. “Uh-Uh! NO WAY!”

“Either you strip or I do it for you. Decide now.” Sasuke threatened as he approached closer.

“You…YOU HENTAI!” Naruto hastily moved away from Sasuke, only to find himself backed into a tree. “I…I...” He tensed as Sasuke drew closer and closer and-.

-and onto the NEXT chapter:)