Ascension of the Kitsune by Wandering Maverick

Chapter 23: Of Rescues . . .

"Gonna have to do something for her as a 'thank you' for helping me." He thought letting a happy but small smile grace his lips, as he continued with his ministrations.

"Aw...don't I get a thank you? I WAS the one who healed you after all Naru-kun." Natsumi's voice echoed through his head, her voice sounding so childish he could almost see the pout she probably had on her lips at the moment.

"You were alone with me for almost two days Natsu-chan...I think that is enough of a reward for you. And if that wasn't, then need I remind you of all the things we did while there? I'd say 'in the river'...'against the tree'...'on the mountain peak'...and 'atop a bed of roses'...were ALL rewards enough for you ne?" He retorted huskily.

"Mmm...those certainly were VERY nice rewards my Foxy-sama...even if not using our REAL bodies. Very well I'll let this time slide..." She answered back in the same fashion. "...though you're just lucky I can't get pregnant in there mister. Some of those things you did would have gotten me 'knocked up' for sure." She finished while laughing at knowing she made him blush from the last comment.

As the two were talking, a sleeping Yugito finally roused from her slumber only to find a very pleasant feeling rush across her head, it being so relaxing she was tempted to just fall back sleep, but decided to check on Naruto before deciding. She slowly opened her eyes, and let them focus on the room before looking up towards the sleeping man in bed. Only the man wasn't sleeping...in fact was wide awake, sitting up, and was the very person that was caressing her head. Her eyes shot open at the revelation and a breath in her throat caught, her body tensed but moved not an inch, the sudden tense movement caused Naruto to look down at her.

"Ah...ohayo Yugito-chan I hope you slept well..." Naruto said with a smile, before realizing he was still caressing her head and pulled back his hand rubbing his head sheepishly. "...ah gomen I couldn't resist with the way you were sleeping." He finished chuckling in embarrassment at what she caught him doing.

Yugito herself remained silent as he talked, many thoughts about the hanyou going through her head, most of them being about what exactly happened after she decided to get a little sleep. Finally after a few moments the answers came to her, or the ones she could come up with that were plausible for the situation...two of them being the biggest ones that banged against her mind.

The first one being what he was just doing to her, which made her blush at the friendly, though slightly intimate act, and the other being...NARUTO WAS CONSCIOUS! Tears began to run across the rims of her eyes as she looked at the hanyou, before being unable to control herself and launched towards him.

NARUTO-KUN!" She cried, wrapping her arms around his neck in a death grip hug as she released her happy and relieved tears against his bandaged abdomen.

Naruto himself smiled softly at his emotional friend and embraced her while running his hands up and down her back in a comforting gesture. The two stayed like that for a good five minutes before Yugito regained her emotions and released her grip on him. She sniffled and wiped the last tears from her eyes, before looking back at him.

"BAKA!" She shouted, trying to sound angry at him but failing miserably because she was just too damn happy to see him at the moment. "T...thats the second time you did this to me. If I didn't consider you so close to me, I'd call you an inconsiderate asshole! Oh hell you ARE an inconsiderate asshole!" She finished, while chuckling in between sobs, with a small smile on her lips.

"Hai hai...that I am gomennasai Yugito-chan..." He responded. "...but in my own defense I had no idea what was going on nor that THAT would happen to me." He said in a scholarly tone with his hand raised in a fist with his pointer finger extended upwards...all in all making for a humorous scene, as Yugito chuckled again, and playfully hit the hanyou in the shoulder for his goofiness. "Ne Yugito-chan, exactly how long have I been out for?"