3A Lovely Lullaby Duet
Characters: Iruka, Kyuubi, Naruto, Mizuki
Pairing: Iruka/Fem! Kyuubi
Parental Iruka! Protective and smitten Kyuubi!
Oneshot.
Song: Mordred's lullaby by Heather Dale
Disclamer: I Do not own Naruto or Mordred's lullaby as they are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Heather Dale respectively.
Edit: due to potential removal of the story from copying the lyrics of the song, I have removed the Lyrics in order to keep this story up on the site. Better safe then sorry, I always say. Please review!
It was a cold night as Iruka walked home from the academy. The constant noise from the children, requiring him to use his big-headed jutsu on them more than once, had exhausted him, as shown by the staggered steps in his stride home. Though he always had enjoyed teaching children, this latest batch had really started pushing his limits and testing his patience. The only other past class that was even remotely close in rowdiness as this one was Naruto's graduating class. Naruto…it had been awhile since he last saw his favorite student and, if he was perfectly honest, his honorific little brother and son. Not since said student had lost his sensei and erstwhile godfather, Jiraiya.
'It's been some time since that incident - I wonder how he's holding up?' Following his current train of thought, Iruka wandered about the residential district, only to find himself at the door of Naruto's apartment about to knock on the door. 'What am I doing here? I shouldn't disturb him right now….but then again…' Iruka's mind trailed off as he knocked on the door and softly asked: "Naruto, are you alright in there?" No sound came forth at first, but just as he was about to turn away, a low sob was heard right behind the door. Worried about his little brother, Iruka quickly picked the lock of Naruto's apartment and rushed inside only to find said shinobi curled up in his bed, quietly crying in his sleep.
Iruka's heart ached at the sight, so to calm his little brother down, he placed Naruto's head upon his lap while he sang to the boy and old lullaby that his mother would sing when he had nightmares after a bad incident. (play Mordred's lullaby from here) He began humming the chorus background music to the song when he heard a dark and beautiful female voice sing the first stanza with eerie, yet oddly enchanting voices bringing up the chorus and music.
Looking down to Naruto's body, Iruka began to see a red miasma cover the boy's form, and he knew that the voice was that of Kyuubi's, yet he felt nothing but a decisive compulsion to keep singing, he suddenly began to remember his old friend Mizuki, and how he backstabbed Naruto, Iruka, and worst of all, his beloved wife Tsubaki, who died of grief after the traitor was put down a second time.
As the chorus ended the second time, Iruka felt the presence of another in the room. He looked up, and there, standing right in front of him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Clothed in a simple but stunning Royal Blue kimono, with waist-length blood-red hair, an hour-glass figure, scarlet vulpine eyes that seemed to pierce through his soul, deep whisker marks on well-rounded cheeks that complimented her regular-sized nose and dark red lips; yet the most stunning features on her were the pair of long orange fox ears on top of her head and the nine bright orange tails fanned out behind her, confirming for Iruka that this was indeed the nine-tailed fox standing before him.
Frightened by the prospect of the fox that had killed his parents escaping and finishing the job with him and Naruto, Iruka began to move to defend the both of them when the Kyuubi shot forward and held him still. About to yell for help, Iruka was silenced by Kyuubi placing one of her tails over his mouth making signs to keep quiet. At the questioning look she received by the academy sensei, another tail motioned for him to look down, which revealed to Iruka a still-trembling Naruto sleeping on his lap. Sensing that the shinobi would calm down, the fox released him and after putting up a hand to forestall further questions, gave him one single, quiet command: "Keep singing." Taking this as an order, Iruka started the song once again, with the nine-tailed vixen joining in to create a striking harmony.
Despite his fear of the Kyuubi, Iruka poured every bit of passion that he had into his singing, from his love of Naruto, to his utter hatred for the ones that corrupted his once-best friend and continued to hurt his precious person with their existence, Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Looking over to the fox, he saw things in her eyes that he had never seen before in the eyes of any other woman looking at him: Guilt, nervousness, hopefulness, adoration, and most surprising of all – love. That last one confused Iruka greatly, yet he singing did not falter.
(End Song.)
As the last refrain of the song ended, Iruka and the fox were looking directly at each other. For several long, tense minutes, the only sound was of Naruto's quiet breathing, creating an awkward silence that was only broken when Iruka asked stiffly: "Why did you not kill me and Naruto, why not finish the job?" Kyuubi looked away with her ears lowered, tails wrapped around her, and her eyes shifting around while biting her lip before she replied with a heavy sigh.
"….I don't hate you."
Iruka blinked. "What did you say?"
"I said that I don't hate you!" Kyuubi cried out, beginning a massive rant: "I don't hate Naruto either, he's too kind and compassionate for me to hate. The rest of the village I could care less, but that's because they're a village full of pompous, hypocritical douche-bags who judge a person before they even really know him! I attacked the village because those bastards struck my den first, killing my mate and my kits!" Iruka blanched at this, the attack on Konoha was simply revenge for an un-justified murder?! This revelation would have made Iruka fall over in shock if the Kyuubi stopped there. "Then they seal me into the boy and persecute him for supposedly being me! They were the ones at fault, not him! And eventually, after seeing nothing but misery and grief being caused for my kit by the entire population, he finds the one person that acknowledges him, his teacher, who I find worthy of being my mate, BUT CAN'T TALK TO FOR FEAR OF REJECTION THANKS TO…..oops."
Iruka's face was beet-red from blushing: "….You see me as your mate?"
Kyuubi's blush was just as bad: "I saw you heart-broken and lonely after Mizuki and Tsubaki. You were hurting, yet you guided and comforted Naruto when he needed it most; you're kind, loyal, charming, good with kids, an excellent cook, and very handsome. Any woman who claimed you as hers would be a lucky woman indeed."
"No way," said a depressed Iruka looking down to Naruto's peaceful face on his lap; "would there ever be a woman who would want to be with me."
A clawed hand gently grabbed his chin and lifted Iruka's face to level with Kyuubi's emotional face, a single tear that he shed was wiped away by the fox's thumb, as she smiled and said: "I would." Shocking the teacher by kissing him on the lips, she stepped back, went down onto one knee, brought out a small black box, and said as she opened the box: "Iruka, I have watched you for a long time; ever since you first started watching over Naruto, I wanted to be near you, and when you defended Naruto from Mizuki, I fell head over heels for you. I know you hurt from Mizuki and Tsubaki's deaths, but please - let me heal you, let me love you….let me be with you. Iruka, will you be my mate?"
In the box was a simple golden ring with the Kanji for dolphin, love, and fox. Iruka was agape, what could he say? On one hand the fox was the one, who killed his parents and ruined his childhood, but on the other…she was lonely like him, she was in love with him, and she cared for Naruto as well. Taking all these things into account, he made his decision.
"Kyuubi…"
"Kurama."
"Huh?"
"My name is Kurama."
"Kurama…it's a beautiful name."
"Thank you."
"Kurama, I will be your mate, I will love you forever and swear to never abandon you."
Smiling gently with tears of joy sparkling in the moonlight, Kurama stood up, walked up to Iruka, kissing him deeply on the lips, and action which he reciprocated with gusto. Taking a breath for air, they smiled, kissed once more, and departed – promising to see each other as soon as possible. As Kurama settled back into the seal and Iruka crept silently out of the apartment, neither of them noticed the blonde Jinchurikki crack open an eye and smirk as he mentally whooped: 'About damn time!'
The End