The idiot calls his power 'cool' because with it they can be able to help the ones who need it. To him, the simple solution to him feeling the backlash of all the human misery and hatred is to make as many people as they can happy so the happiness they feel will be able to subside the negative emotions that sets like a heavyweight against his being.
"Besides, you don't have to carry all of that alone. We're friends, aren't we? If it's too heavy for you then it's good that I've strong shoulders. Give me some weight, damn it! That's what friends are for, after all, believe it!"
He snorts as he keeps thinking about how that particular conversation went. Naruto saying how sage mode can carry more weight so he doesn't have to worry that'll hurt him or he will end up crushed as he can even carry his heavy furry butt on one shoulder.
Then they start bickering and a fight ensues, but it's light without any actual bite, as that's how their friendship works.
Kurama stops his thoughts as he recalls his own words and realizes how easily he now calls Naruto a friend. It's not long before he takes into account that Naruto is his first and only friend.
"Well, that's sad," he mumbles but there's a smile on the corner of his lips.
He's glad he's a good distance away from the others. He doesn't want their attention away from whatever they're planning. Better not get into all the drama that's the life of an adult human. He only hopes Naruto won't be like that when he grows because, apparently, the Donna woman has some kind of infatuation towards the other human called Tyreese and that's a big no-no that can't happen when one is with an established mate.
Humans.
Placing his head on his front paws, Kurama tries to ignore the emotions coming from the humans so they won't influence him. The floor is cold and in spite of his increasing chakra, he doesn't have enough reign to completely ignore it. He's been trying to use the nature energy around him without injuring others, but it's slow-going progress.
It's been almost two weeks since he joined this group and while constant exposure to him has made them less skittish around him… well, it's also made them think they can be 'familiar' with him. He now has to growl whenever they try to pet him. Pet Him! He hasn't even let Naruto do that! No that he would ever do; it's plain humiliating and degrading. And if the dumbass ever tries he's going to smack him hard without healing him afterward.
Is it strange that he thinks continuously in different manners about how to torture Naruto when they meet again?
Of course not; it's Naruto after all.
He probably has done several stupid things already that will make Kurama angry. Kurama scoffs as he slowly closes his eyes, his thoughts trailing again towards a certain blonde menace. He tries to ignore it most of the time, but he can't deny he's worried. So far he hasn't sensed any of his power being used and that could mean several things.
The Uchiha has some kind of shield he can use with that Susanoo of his but Naruto's cloak wouldn't make the collision softer. It would protect him, it's true, but… Kurama, the mighty and stronger of all bijus, the so-called demon fox, is worried.
"You're not a demon fox anymore, Kurama. You're one of my previous teammates now."
He shrugs Naruto's voice off as if it's not been so long since those words were uttered and they became partners, he doesn't want to think of the war. Those days before Kaguya appeared and they had to fight Madara and Obito were nerve-breaking and tiring and stressful. And yet, they were the best days he's lived. It's been so long since someone directed pure positive emotions to him.
Naruto was bothersome continuously asking about himself and his life before being inside a jinchuriki but he was honestly interested. His curiosity was real and maybe it shouldn't surprise him how readily Naruto accepted him, shrugging off the years he's suffered because of him and how he's tried to manipulate him… but it does. One thing is knowing how completely Naruto gives himself to others; his trust, loyalty, friendship. Another one is receiving all that undiluted love.
Naruto's been hurt many times because of that but he doesn't stop from continuing doing it. And even if they wouldn't have the same friendship they've now because of it, he wishes Naruto wasn't that much of a bleeding heart. And damn, it's possible that maybe, perhaps, he misses that fucking brat.
"We should take advantage of that the rain is over and leave!" Sasha hisses, frustration loud enough to interrupt his musings.
"This place is big enough for everyone. There are woods near we can obtain food from before winter completely hits us."
"Adam, I agree with my sister. This place is too cold. There's no A/C or warm sheets besides Sophia's and we're too far from other houses to change locations in case of emergency. We could die if we stay here."
There's a silence before the other woman speaks, "They're right, Adam."
That sentence makes the emotions tightly contained in Adam snap. "Of course, you would agree. You would agree whatever he says, wouldn't you?"
The tension increases and while it amuses Kurama, it also gives him a headache. He's been inside a seal for so long; he now needs to get used to the emotions around him. It was easier when he was with the Alliance supplying them chakra as he had to focus on one thing: fighting. Now? Now it's a pain.
Sensors are able to detect others because they are attuned to their chakra networks and can feel that life force unlike how a Hyuuga actually sees it. Kurama is more of a sensor in the way he can't actually see the emotions, though he admits that there is something akin to an aura surrounding others he feels. He has always been able to know which 'colors' correspond to all emotions. But the headache-inducing problem about it is that the 'colors' leave an echo. Even after time passes, the emotions stay as a wavelength of energies in the air.
.
.
"There's a car outside and we've got some fuel from the ones we found on the highway. We should use that," Donna says after a tense moment, trying to reason with his husband but he's still noticeable frustrated. His emotions are almost shoved towards the others and the impotence and jealousy in there too is nauseating.
"… Okay," he finally says and Kurama rolls his eyes. He stands up and decides to wake Sophia up and start with her training regime as the conversation moves toward others topics. It won't be long before the humans will start calling the others into eating something before leaving and that'll cut her free time short.
Opening the door is easy to do when one is finally able to form a tangible chakra arm. Is not big or powerful, but solid enough to touch things and he will take whatever small progress he can.
The room has some books on the floor as he made Sophia read him some of what they found inside the house. The titles seemed interesting and now he has more knowledge about this world. He still doesn't know how to read the language even if he understands it so Sophia's been helpful in that sense. The encyclopedia holds the most useful information so he'll only take that one on their trip so she can read him while traveling as he didn't get much from that book because Sasha and Sophia were supposed to share a bed and once she entered the room for that purpose they had to stop.
Looking at her sleeping face makes him slightly guilty because it's early and it was because of him she stayed up late and didn't get a lot of sleep time.
Oh, well.
Grabbing one lonely pillow between his fangs Kurama throws it at the kid. It makes a thud sound when it meets her face but the only response he gets it's a long groan and then the pillow is being thrown lazily at him. He doesn't bother dodging as it won't even reach him.
"Come on, girl. Time to train."
There are more groans of protest before Sophia stands up five minutes later. She takes off her shirt and pants before starting with some light workout to stretch the body before slowly increasing the difficulty of them. It's not long before she starts with the tiring ones. Considering how she couldn't do a single push-up when they started and now can do seven well done without stopping, he would say she's improving. It's slow progress but progress nonetheless. He can't make her do the entire length of the regime the Academy makes the ninja hopeful do at her age yet, so he has to start with the routine designed for seven years old.
Forty-five minutes of training and fifteen minutes of cooling off later, she's sprawled on the floor, panting. He places her backpack in front of her and she opens it to retrieve a small cloth she uses to clean the sweat covering her body.
It won't do much but the house doesn't have water and they can't afford to spend the one that's inside her bottle. Though that doesn't stop her from scrunching her face when she touches her hair.
"My hair smells?"
"It stinks."
She frowns at him before sighing. "I know. But! I'm doing better, aren't I?"
"Can't deny that," he says slowly because it's not good exactly but he faintly remembers the other kids at the Academy (the civilian ones) advancing at her same pace. He's not going to judge her based on his own jinchuriki's when everyone knows biju hosts are stamina monsters. That'd be plain unfair.
"Next time we can start with light katas."
"Katas?"
"They're for you to learn some fighting forms."
Sophia instantly perks up, sitting up and ignoring her tiredness. "You'll teach me how to fight?"
"You can't learn enough to fight those walkers with the little time we have, it takes months if not years to learn a fighting style. However, I can teach you how to dodge to avoid scratches and bites so you can get an opening I guess."
"Really? Thanks, Nine."
She smiles at him before looking down and making an excited noise. Fist bump and all. However, she stops her languid eager movements to look at him with furrowed brows. "Wait. How are you going to teach me? You're a fox."
Huh. It seems he didn't think that far. Not that he's going to let her know that. He's stablished a kind of an admiration relationship with her and he kind of likes her awe at his knowledge and power. It's nice to not be called fuzzbutt and similar and be treated with respect for a chance.
"I'm a being made of chakra; I can alter my form to look human."
That's… true. He was born a fox but that doesn't mean he cannot change his form. It's difficult, actually. Not because it wastes chakra but the quantity of concentration he needs. However, he's been inside some humans and he's familiarized enough with some forms for it to not be so taxing.
With a deep, unnecessary breath, Kurama lessens his physical form. His defined features become bubbly and it's hard to not entirely let go and become one with the Nature energy and rest until he's strong enough but he manages. He forces himself to take another familiar form. He hears a small gasp and realizes he's closed his eyes. He opens them and sees Sophia looking at him in awe. This time he's taller and she has to look up.
"You look weird."
Kurama raises an eyebrow as he's used Naruto's form and he's not that odd-looking. Glancing to his left, he surveys his work, using the reflection of the window in the room to look at himself.
"Huh. Didn't see that one coming," he says touching his somewhat orange hair. It is blonde but there's a faint orange like his fur that seems to have bled through. His skin is probably a shade darker than Naruto's but he does look like him. A slightly older Naruto. And that's mostly because his features are sharper than the original. Though his face is more similar to the Fourth Hokage than Naruto, actually, and that kind of bothers him. Well, at least he doesn't look entirely like Minato. His eyes are red, and his fangs are larger. Naruto's whiskers are more notorious, too.
.
.
In short, his looks are akin to Naruto's in those times he's used one tail's worth of his power.
Also, unfortunately, he's wearing that horrible jumpsuit. It's not orange, which he's thankful for but golden and black don't make it look better either. He closes his eyes again to concentrate on other clothes. He only has the ones his jinchuriki wore as a reference and that doesn't really help as ninjas in general when they choose some outfit, they always wear it. And how they're mostly on duty, they don't bother buying anything else.
Naruto is that kind of ninja. Kushina was too, though she's had a couple of extra dresses.
The only one he can think of whose clothes wouldn't look too bad is Mito's. So kimono it is. The less formal he can think of because those things are uncomfortable and Mito, being from nobility, wore those the most.
"Now you look pretty."
Kurama opens his eyes and glares at her. He catches a glance of his form and at least he doesn't look as ridiculous as he did with Naruto's clothes. It's simple but maybe with some more concentration, he can add some embroidery of his nine-tailed fox self.
He lets a breath and returns to his original form. His mind relaxes at being without the strain of maintaining an unfamiliar body. He returns his eyes to meet Sophia's. "Just put your clothes on. We'll be leaving this place soon."
"Really? Using the car outside?" When he nods, she adds, "It's big but you'll have to sit on our laps to get inside."
Kurama is halfway outside the room when he stops to consider her words as that's another thing he hasn't thought about it. He tries to picture himself inside that car with those humans, emotions smacking on his face with each meaningful look they send to each other. A shiver wants to make itself known. He stops it but it's a close call. He's going to have to think this through.
With a look over his shoulder, he sends a dirty look to the girl. She shrugs and they go downstairs.
-
In the end, everything is easily resolved. They try to make him go inside the big vehicle but once he jumps on the roof box, or whatever it's called, no one can stop him. The devise's purpose is to hold luggage and the kind but the top is broken and useless. It's easy to take it off with a kick and make a seat of the other part. It's dirty and he'll need another bath again, but it's better than being inside the car.
They're doubtful at first, though considering Sophia doesn't put a fuss about it, even with all the reasoning they try to fill her with, they eventually sober and accept.
A slight application of chakra is all he needs to not fall off.
It's nice to feel the wind against his fur.
-
"It's Nine still alive?" Ben asks. Adam is the one next to the window so he slowly opens it and puts half of his body out to take a look at what the fox is doing. He comes down rather quickly.
"This is weird but he's sleeping. I think."
"I've seen him sleeping most of the time. He does that often, doesn't he, Sophia?"
Sophia looks up to meet Donna's eyes, stopping her reading momentarily. "He says it helps him to regain his strength. So he tries to sleep as much as he can."
"… You do know he's a fox, right? Foxes don't—Ouch!"
Adam lowers his knuckles from the noogie he gave Ben to close the window. "He's pretty smart," it's the only thing he offers.
"He does know a lot of things. And likes to run the most."
Sasha makes a noise of agreement. "Maybe we could follow your example and go run with you two. Besides, no matter how much help Nine can offer, it's better to be more in case you need to fight."
"Though we've to admit he's a great help. He's saved Sasha that time we went for fuel so that fox has gained my respects."
Sasha punches lightly at his brother's arm. "He's a good asset, alright. Still, we now have a car to travel and enough fuel to last for two weeks, maybe. We need to do some exercise so as to not lose shape."
"Well, we've enough water bottles but the map says there's a river near we should boil some more to fill the empty bottles." Donna nods to herself before smiling. "So it's decided we run together from tomorrow on?"
"Nine also makes me do other exercises, we can do that together, too!"
"Sure. In these times whatever advantages we can obtain are better in a long way."
-
Traveling in a car loses its fascination pretty quickly. But he can finally rest so that's a plus. He's also used to being in small, confined places so he doesn't have the urge to move as the humans in the group do. That means he spends most of the time in the car, even when the group stop to go out and stretch. He only touches the ground when he needs to train Sophia. Though by now she already knows which exercises she has to do, it's better if there's someone to check on her. Humans are fragile and a wrong movement can pull a muscle.
The others have started to follow her example, too. They've decided to do some of her training so as to not get rusty now that they've to stay long hours without moving.
"Don't you want to come and run with us?"
Kurama looks down and gives Sasha a look. Lately, the humans have taken a liking to talk to him. They don't know he can understand them but still do. Perhaps this apocalypse has affected them more than what he estimated. When Sophia asked them, they just shrugged and said that, strangely enough, it doesn't feel weird to speak to him.
"You're going to go fat, you know," she chuckles, though there's a sad tone in her voice. She knows there isn't a lot of food and though they haven't seen Kurama eat food, they've seen the animals he sometimes brings.
Kurama huffs and closes his eyes, choosing to ignore her and search for a better position to meditate. He's getting stronger because of that and the chakra arm he can manifest now is more visible and solid than in his first attempts. The downside is that it's hard to meditate while moving and there are few times the group chooses to stop the car and camp. This is one of them so he's been trying to take advantage of what little time he has.
Sashes sighs and leaves after she takes what she came for from the car.
.
.
It's hard to gauge the time that passes when he's in a meditation state so he doesn't know how long it has been since Sasha tried to talk to him. It could be minutes or hours. His mind is blank and emotions don't longer bother him. However, it's hard to ignore when the feeling is strong and directed at him.
Kurama opens his eyes and the first thing he notices is that its midday; they came at night. The second is the odor of putrid flesh and death. There are walkers near but he can't see them. Nor he can see the group he's been with for a couple of weeks. However, he can hear the sounds of fighting and sense the worry Sophia is directing at him.
With a jump, he's touching the ground and running. They chose to stop in a small town, hoping to find some food inside the houses and stores. They offered him to accompany them but Kurama needs to get stronger and for that, he needs to rest so he didn't follow them. The walkers aren't that strong and are easy to deal with, they don't need him. Though perhaps he should have sniffed the place first so he could've known if there were walkers around just in case.
A couple of minutes later and he's outside a big building. It looks like those schools Sophia's told him about and he feels dread when the smell becomes stronger. The sound of wood and metal hitting flesh is louder and Kurama follows it.
He really should have scouted the place first. He doesn't know how he hasn't noticed these larger numbers of walkers. Mostly kids but there are a couple of adults mixed in there. They're small and it should be easier to deal with them, but he can see their reluctance and somehow knows that dealing with them is harder than if they were older. He catches the sight of an open door and immediately knows where they came from.
"Nine!" Sophia shouts when she sees him. There's relief in her voice but the sound has attracted a couple of walkers. He makes a mental note to tell her what one doesn't do when fighting when all this is over.
He opens a path toward the others by killing the walkers near. In seconds, he's with them and helping. It's slow but they do manage to move away, trying to escape. It's hard; the number that surrounds them is large, after all. More than fifty, perhaps. He's just a fox to them so his abilities are reduced to what a fox can only do.
It's bothersome though. He always needs to restrain his strength, whatever little he regained, but it still takes a lot of concentration to not let his temper flare. He's lucky these walkers were previously kids and that they're small enough for him to reach their necks with ease.
"Shit!" Sophia hisses behind him and his lips tilt upwards because he knows her cursing is because of his influence. She's probably scowling at him because she knows that too. He turns to look over his shoulder, ready to send her a smirk if she's blushing, when he senses a familiar feeling. His body stops, it becomes tense and motionless. Like a statue, he's immobile, ignoring the movement going on around him. He can't bring himself to care when a walker bites him. Or the second that follows.
"Naruto?" he whispers. The feeling increases. It's a tug inside him that points in the direction the feeling is coming from. It's captivating and entrances him to follow. He turns his head to the left, thrilled by the sudden appearance of his own familiar chakra mixed with a warmth in it that's pure Naruto's.
He hears the echo of Sophia's voice and he blinks to see himself surrounded, four walkers biting him while the others are trying to get a piece of him. His hackles rise and he growls, rage manifesting outside of him in his chakra. Whatever walker that touches him hiss as it dissolves the parts where it met his fur and they move away, some primal instinct telling them to escape, too ingrained for them to completely ignore. Chakra arms form to push them away as he prepares to bolt and follow his chakra.
"Nine!"
Kurama stops for a second time and glances at Sophia. He growls in frustration, his body wanting to follow. He stops it and runs towards her. He grows with what chakra he's saved, making him just a tad smaller than a horse, and moves next to her. "Mount," he says, pointing at his back with his nose.
The walkers are giving them a wide berth and she takes that advantage to hesitate, her hands gripping the weapon she obtained from one house. "What about the others?"
He doesn't completely hear her as the sensation he's got from Naruto using bijuu mode is waning. A distressed sound escapes his throat. "It's disappearing."
"What's disappearing?"
"Naruto. Naruto is that way. I need to go there."
He wants to just run in the direction he knows Naruto is but he can't leave Sophia. He hasn't exactly promised her something but he can't leave her. However much he really, really wants to.
The walkers become bold and start surrounding them again. And they're now obstructing his view of the path he wants to follow. He opens his mouth. A small ball of energy forms, darker than whatever color humans can create. A void of energy whose only purpose is to destroy.
It's a stupid move that surprises him he's doing, but at the moment he doesn't care. Though, on the other hand, is not so surprising considering who his current jinchuriki is.
The feeling he's got vanishes at the same time he lets out the bijuudama. It's much smaller than what a normal one is. Barely a sixteenth of its strength, but it decimates everything and creates a linear path.
There's a moment of silence until he takes a step forward and falls on his face.
"Well, that was stupid," he mumbles and his voice seems to have shaken Sophia from her shock as she moves to his side. He has a flashback of the first day he came into this world as his body slowly loses its form.
.
.
"Nine, are you—are you okay?"
She tries to place her hand on his body but it only manages to go through his skin. She gasps and her arm goes away in surprise. Kurama tries to get a grip on his form. It's hard so he reduces his height, making it more compact. His head turns towards the path he made. He really needs to rest and it seems this time he won't be able to ignore the urge. He tries to stand anyways.
"My friend is there. I need… I need to go there."
"Where?"
His consciousness is slipping off and he falls again even as Sophia tries to catch him. This wasn't his best idea but it always seems to work with Naruto, the no thinking things through. Why it doesn't work for him?
A hollow chuckle escapes him because he's not Naruto and doesn't want to be. It's obvious it wouldn't work for him. It barely works for Naruto. "Just—That way. South. Take me there."
"What about—Are you going to—"
He swallows and looks directly at her. She's not crying but her arms are trembling. "I need to rest. Just for a while."
"Nine? What's... Nine?!"
Fuck, he really shouldn't have thrown that bijudama. Perhaps he's more worried than he thought.
"I miss him," he croaks, eyes slowly skidding shut.
-
-
"Hey, Kurama, what do you want to do once the war is over?"
The fox opens one eye, not wanting to disturb his rest entirely. "Sleep before I knock you out, brat. That old Hokage of yours told you to do it, didn't she?"
Naruto huffs, arms crossing as he takes that same stubborn expression, though Kurama can read the slight anxiousness clearly on him. "I can't sleep."
"Nervous? Heh. That doesn't sound like the act-first-think-later Naruto I know."
"Yeah, I kno—Oi! Stop mocking me! I'm just… I just keep thinking in Madara and Obito and…"
Kurama lets out a breath that makes Naruto's hair and clothes flutter. He knows where this is going. "We couldn't follow them."
"I know, but isn't it weird they retreated? I mean—"
"Don't overthink it. Madara just obtained his body. He needs to acclimate first to his body."
"See! He was weak, we should have taken the opportunity to—"
Flicking the tip of his tail gently against his chest making him fall on his ass, Kurama stops him from continuing. "This so-called Alliance needs rest, they can't keep going after those two maniacs without stopping. You too. You can't continue giving chakra as if it were candy."
Naruto looks up and his hand reaches the tail that's still in front of him. "You look tired, too. I'm sorry for—"
Another flick of a tail. "Don't get all mushy with me, brat. We need all the help we can get. If they didn't have my chakra then they won't be more than cannon fodder."
"Yeah, yeah. What would we do without the Mighty Nine Tails, huh?" Naruto chuckles.
"Exactly."
There's a lapse of silence in which no one speaks and Kurama thinks it's over. He closes his eyes, trying to recover as much energy as he can.
"Hey, Kurama."
Kurama sighs and doesn't bother opening his eyes or acknowledging the words. Not even when he feels a weight leaning against his tail, faint breathing against his fur that's warm and comforting. He really wants to smack Naruto across the seal. His tail is already preparing to use all its force in removing the leech on his tail.
"Let's show everyone how awesome we are tomorrow and end this war, okay? When they realize the hero you are, we can go to Konoha and we're going to have ramen together! The old man Teuchi will cook so much and… let's make that the first thing to do when all this is over, okay?"
Opening slightly his eyes to peer at the being lying on top of his tail, Kurama attempts to dissuade all the emotions coming from Naruto and the ones he feels inside him with, "Is ramen all you can think of, brat?"
He expects Naruto to shout and start ranting about ramen but he gives him a small smile, not like the big, toothy ones he uses when happy, but somehow it's brighter and warmer than those broader ones.
"I just really want to eat some ramen with you," he says, his face going to rest against the orange fur.
Kurama closes his eyes, enjoying the pleasant sensation of Naruto's emotions close for one long breath before he smacks Naruto towards the end of the seal with a flick of his tail.
He would like to try to eat with him, too.