The rays of light illuminated everything in their paths, yet the darkness he had found himself in consumed any form of clarity. He had words to say, and despite his desire to voice the incredulity, he was choking on them.
It was one of those few times when the truth decided to play hide and seek. The modern skyscrapers proudly stood tall. The beeping of speeding cars raging down the street—roaring as they did—made him think he was in the Naruto World.
It seemed this world was not as simple as it appeared.
Standing in front of him was a girl no older than they were. She had golden eyes, a mischievous but youthful light flashing across them. Her fair yet captivating face served to enchant him. Her blonde hair, held back into a bun by a red pin, made her all the more…
Cute?! Such a young girl!
A thought on Mei's irrationality made itself known, and unsurprisingly, he entertained it. If she was a prominent figure in the original canon, he could have given her the benefit of the doubt. Then why was Kaien skeptical? That was because she was a struggling ultimate-class leader in the future.
The nine-tailed fox herself. Who else, if it wasn't Yasaka?
If you knew her strength as the leader of her kind, you would wonder how she fared in her younger years.
He heard a soft voice in his mind, that of his own conscience screaming: "Is this a nightmare or reality!?"
And that was the least of his worries, because the universe wasn't done pulling his leg just yet.
"Delta thinks you're a weakling!"
"Ack!"
...
[Kaien exe. has stopped working]
Naruto, unaware of the internal crisis Kaien was experiencing, retorted with words sharpened in righteous rage.
"And you're better?! That's my senpai you're saying that to!"
---
After allowing them through the door, Kaien lifelessly led the way. For the two siblings, it did not sit well with them. He felt like a puppet that had its strings cut loose, weighed down by an oppressive aura.
His racing thoughts settled to one depressing reality. He didn't want to admit it but… he was indeed weak.
Even with his knowledge of the supernatural, he hadn't come up with a plan for surviving until now. There was possibly no Shinobi Academy here if this was truly Kuoh.
Deciding to put that dark alley on hold, he focused on another matter that was just as important—or devastating. He didn't even have to think twice about it.
The older girl is Yasaka without a doubt. The younger one must be Delta. Why do they both exist in the same reality?
After confronting that final catastrophe, he mentally screamed. Maybe, he would have done so out loud if no one was around. Quietly, he went through the kitchen entrance. Like a programmed automaton, he began a new task. Turning the knobs, blue flames burned alive on the hot plate. He threw teabags in a pot of water before standing completely still.
Shit! What kind of multiversal joke is this? What even is this world?!
"Delta wants meat!" she declared as she had followed him, but shut up soon after.
He remained composed, his eyes like the void staring down at the two with unrelenting emptiness.
Receiving a heated stare from Yasaka, the brash beastkin thought it was best she kept quiet. She tried to be the adorable "little puppy" she was.
With an exhale drawn far too long, he questioned: "Where are you from?"
With a mildly audible slurp, she smiled at the question. As she uttered, an energetic but restrained voice brought a refreshing calm in the midst of chaos:
"From Kyoto, of course. I came to Kuoh so I could have fun..."
To Kaien though, her voice seeped through the depths of hell and into his ears. Nothing he had planned catered for the new information he was learning.
Kuoh!? Fuck!
A sniff interrupted his breakdown. The female Uzumaki closed her eyes, and like a trained canine, she picked up a scent. She could describe it in one word...
Misplaced... Her smell is the same as ours?
"I wonder why she smells like a fox?" she pointed out while her blue eyes glanced at the grey head, intently waiting for a reward.
Kaien, on the other hand, became a constipated statue. Maintaining his composure wasn't getting easy.
You wanna get my mind erased?
After hearing this, the more mischievous fox scrutinized him. He felt as if he was being interrogated for some unforgivable crime. Raising an eyebrow, she placed her empty cup on the table with a dull thud.
"Are you aware of the supernatural?"
Seconds after finding the right response, pulling the wool over her eyes was no different than digging himself a grave.
"Yes, I am. Why do you think I am alive and keeping these two under my roof?"
Her mind blanked, processing his words and what she had been told. Humans were not supposed to find out about them. It was for their safety, and they were too defenseless to get involved.
But when you think about the fact that he knew the siblings' identities—living with them until this day—it was quite clear he was good at coping. Considering he could be five or six years old, that was saying something.
"Here you go." A plate of steamy, perfectly cooked tower of meat was placed on the rough wooden surface. Its tantalizing aroma led them by the nose, eliciting a curious glance from the chef.
That cookbook was worth it. I've mastered a lot of recipes, so do I still need it?
Delta, as any soldier would, began an attack on the enemy legion of protein. The first line of defense was broken, and yet the generals watched with meat-deprived expressions bordering on lust.
[A/N: Forgive me for turning food into a battlefield.]
Gesturing to Delta and the food, the act almost brought them to tears. "Too early, but dig in."
Naruto did not skip a beat, and none of the bystanders chose to just stand there and drool on the red carpet. Delta begrudgingly accepted reinforcements.
[A/N: I couldn't help it.]
Seeing Yasaka being so unladylike was within the range of expectation. He doubted her will against food was strong, even though she did offer a good fight. Then she froze, coughing up whatever was caught in her throat.
Kaien—being the weakling he was—patted her back while giving her a glass of water. With the last resistance it could offer, meat-san thought it would not go down alone.
Pearls of tears gathered in her eyes, glistening in the sheer memory of what had happened. She never thought choking was possible for her.
"Thank you..."
"Just take it slow next time," Kaien replied, with no flicker of amusement tickling his lips.
The poor steak would have lived to see another day...
[A/N: I swear that was the last time.]
"How do you keep living like this?"
At her curiosity, he could only muster a fitting response. It forced him to admit with slumping shoulders:
"I am enduring..."
Seeing the shared scene between the two, Naruko couldn't taste the steak at all. She felt as if she was robbed of her appetite but also... something else.
"Enduring how? If that's what it means to be human, I kinda wish I was one," said the now recovered kitsune as she leaned in, her golden orbs waiting intently for an answer.
He also followed her movement, further into the couch as he avoided proximity. It would be better to say he was doing the exact opposite, before the cushions thought it was time he stopped running from a sweetheart. It wasn't a matter of fearing confrontation, but rather a way to avoid it in the first place.
"Why do you wanna know?"
"It's a given fact. Humans are unlucky, while other races seem to be stronger without reason. I always thought there's something that makes them special but..." She trailed off at the end, her lips tightly sealed.
With a sigh that would have sent the very heavens to the dirt, the pressure of the room descended as if adhering to their will. Yasaka flinched visibly, feeling as if there was something boiling beneath the surface. Pent-up emotion surged, and like an overbearing storm, they swept away the light atmosphere between the two.
"So it's because of pity."
"No, you got it all wrong. I just sympathize with you since Yokai face a similar situation," she replied frantically.
Closing his eyes with nothing else betraying his feeling, he supported his chin with a palm. What exactly was there to say? With a heavy heart like Kaien's, his next response was the only answer any of his kind might give.
"Being human... is unpleasant, because there is no hope for survival. Your words hold true indeed, but I believe it has potential."
Yasaka raised an eyebrow, confusion already taking root in her mind. His grey eyes spotted the shift, and so he continued as his eyelids narrowed slowly.
"It's like this. Those who face more difficulty are most likely to emerge stronger. Not to mention, God himself cursed humans and subjected them to eternal damnation. Why do you think so?"