Kitsune no Akuryō

A Test of Loyalty

Kon'nichiwa minna! Welcome to the next chapter of Kitsune no Akuryo. Some day I will learn how to spell that title without constantly referring back to the title...but it is not this day! Yesterday was a day of missteps, sleeping in off-limits areas, teasing the feared Kyūbi container, telling one's superior how weak one's opponent is. One can never be too certain when Kitsune is around. However, today brings is own challenges for our daring fox as he must prove that he controls the infamous Nine-Tails housed within his very body, only anticipating its own freedom.

Kitsune's P.O.V.

     I'd like to say that I rested easy that night, but I couldn't. I came back to my cabin thoroughly demoralized. I had hardly paid attention to what my fellow ANBU were saying along the road there. My mind was elsewhere worried that Kinoe might be dead or at least close enough, and I was the culprit. The one person in all of ROOT whom I could even consider to be my friend just might have died by my own hand. I wanted to claw my skin off as I waited for him, night encroaching, but I knew that wouldn't bring him back any faster.

    When I awoke the next morning, he wasn't back either. In my worry, I almost forgot to meditate. When the thought did strike me, I remembered that I had forgotten to do that yesterday as well and hoped against hope that that wasn't the reason why my fight with Kinoe had gone south. I tried to mediate, but my worry was eating at me and the Kyūbi's chakra angrily flowed beneath my own ready to surge at any moment. I couldn't focus, so I tried to concentrate on suppressing that chakra but ended up being sucked into my mindscape yet again. I looked up to see the eyes staring back at me. A grin formed in the darkness as the angry chakra bubbled to the surface. I glared back before remembering what Danzo-sama had told me and quickly attempted to right my thoughts and my expression. The fox's grin deepened. I was really annoyed with the whole situation, but I had a feeling that this would turn out for the worst.

     I yelled up at it, "You don't care whether I'm the jailer or not, right?! You don't care a bit about me, whether I die or live!"

    I knew that Danzo-sama was in full power to take the fox spirit out of me at any time. I wanted to make sure that the fox was truly against me before I attempted another confrontation with him, one that I  was sure to fail.

    The fox chuckled inside his cage, a deep cackle which told me that I was wholy on my own for the coming fight, unless I did something about it now.

     I walked up to the cage as bravely as I could so that I was standing just in front of the bars and yelled up to him in a calmer voice, "Why don't we work together?"

     "Why would I do that," it asked, "I'll be free of you once you're dead."

     I tried to think of some excuse for my existence and replied, "You will still be trapped inside someone right? Even if you get out of me you won't be free to roam anyways because Danzo-sama--"

    "Don't call that man Lord in front of me! He has no right to the title, a mere human."

    I changed my tactics after a thought, "Kyūbi-sama, Danzo...Danzo will only move you to a different person, one that may reject you."

     I paused for a moment seeing how this would affect the tailed beast which had grinned at my title for it. It only replied, "I have always hated humans. There will be no difference from one vessel to another."

     I spoke again, "But you know me, Kyūbi-sama. You know that I respect you. I could even give you control if I was so---"

     I stopped myself realizing what I was saying. I was fraternizing with the Nine-tailed Fox, the most feared being in all of Konoha, aside from me, but I had the Kyūbi inside of me. It was a given. What would I do if the Kyūbi agreed? What would I do if Danzo-sama sensed it and extracted it from me anyways? What would I do if the Kyūbi warped my mind beyond recognition? But the Nine-tailed Fox was already forming in front of me in its chakra state bubbling and surging. The deep voice resonated throughout the sewers, "You would give me control?"