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Chapter 5: New Friends and Old Feelings

Kroqgar and Whisper stood there, jaws hanging wide. It was Naruto.

Orange jumpsuit, whisker marks, it was all there.

"Though I suppose if you replace someone's pillows with nindogs and rig their place with an alarm jutsu, they might get a little mad at you."

Naruto stood there, trying to grin off their stares, but they just kept staring. "I've never even seen these two before," he thought, "but they must really hate me." His grin fell into a despondent frown as he stood there thinking. He was used to the taunts, monster, murderer, and more recently demon or demon fox. Two more people who hated him was not a big issue.

Kroqgar and Whisper were both understandably stunned when they saw Naruto, but their jaws simultaneously snapped shut when he turned from them with a resigned expression and began opening the door to his apartment. "Wait!" called out Kroqgar, aware that their window of opportunity to become his friend was shrinking.

Naruto turned, and gave them a hard look. "Yeah?"

Like the boy standing before him, Kroqgar was quite good at thinking on his feet. "Please, we're new to this village. We want to make as many friends as possible, and it looks like we've started off on the wrong foot." He smiled in a friendly manner, wanting desperately to be Naruto's friend. "I'm Kroqgar, and this is Whisper." He gestured to Whisper beside him, who grinned and gave a small wave.

But Naruto had supposedly been fooled like this before, and his guard didn't in the least drop. "Oh yeah? New huh?" His gaze slid between them. "Then why were you staring at me just now?"

The pained expression anyone gets when desperately trying to come up with a plausible lie began to show on Kroqgar's face, before Whisper came to the rescue. "Your clothes!" she blurted.

Despite his misgivings about the pair before them, Naruto couldn't help but think "She has a pretty voice." "My clothes? What about 'em?"

"It's just....well, your clearly a shinobi," said the vixen in disguise, gesturing to his forehead protector, "but we have never seen any other ninja dressed as...brightly as you."

They noticed Naruto's stance relax very slightly. Despite it being the only clothing he could get, he had come to like his jumpsuit, and appreciated what he took to be a compliment from the two.

"Yeah, well..." said the younger ninja, lowering his hand from the doorknob and turning back to face them. A hint of his former grin returned. "Not many other ninjas are as bright as me."

Kroqgar and Whisper laughed easily at his joke. That was a big thing they had always liked about Naruto, his sense of humour.

Most of the tension drained out of Naruto. These two really seemed alright. On an inexplicable but understandable urge to impress the two before him (not realizing that they basically revered him already) he said "Hey, I'll prove it! Check out what I learned!" He held out his hand, palm up in front of him, and a focused look came over his face as his other hand started making cupping motions all around his opposite palm. Distortions, like ripples in the air, materialized quickly around his outstretched hand, becoming blue even as the two watched, and then focused into the familiar spherical swirling vortex of the Rasengan. He lifted his gaze, features highlighted by the blue glow emanating from his hand, to see that the pair were now standing much closer, and were both bending over to observe the sphere in his hands.

"Pretty cool huh?"

"Yeah..." said the pair in unison, eyes glued to the miniature maelstrom before them. It had taken a considerable force of will from both not to blurt out "Rasengan!" as they had seen Naruto forming it, and that same force of will alerted them to the fact that to keep up their charade, they needed to feign curiosity about the fascinating but (to the two of them) well known jutsu before them.

Both bent at the waist, Whisper raised her head to look at Naruto, while Kroqgar continued to gaze in awe at the small ball of chakra. "What's the jutsu called?" she asked.

A brief look of worry came across Naruto's face, and the blue glow disappeared as (to Kroqgars great disappointment) the Rasengan dissolved. All three straightened as Naruto said "Actually, I probably shouldn't tell you. I probably shouldn't even've showed you that." As he spoke a grin spread across his face, and he scratched at the back of his head.

"Well, can you show us what it can do sometime?" asked Kroqgar, desperately wishing to see the Rasengan in action.

Naruto seemed to think for a moment, then said "Well, I'll ask the guy who taught it to me if I can show you two, and if he says yes, then sure."

"Great! Thank you...?" said Whisper, ending in a question. Realisation dawned on Naruto's face as it occurred to him that he had never told them his name.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be Hokage someday!"

Both smiling wide at hearing for the first time Naruto's dream, Kroqgar and Whisper stpped forward and shook the hand of a slightly confused Naruto, who had never seen this as a greeting before (Kroqgar and Whisper couldn't quite shake some habits). Kroqgar said with a smile "With a jutsu like that, I do believe that you will be Hokage someday Naruto."

Beyond almost anything else, they had just said the thing that guaranteed them as a friend of Narutos.

"Listen Naruto," said Whisper, still getting a slight buzz as she said his name, "Since we're new to the village would you mind showing us a good place for dinner? Our treat."

Naruto's eyes widened, and they could swear they saw unshed tears in them. "I know a place you'll love!" he said, already heading to the stairs. Only when they followed him to the bottom of the stairs (closing and locking their door behind them) did they realize how far away he'd gotten, and how fast he was moving. They saw an orange shape in the distance jump into the air and heard him shout "WOOHOO! FREE RAMEN, HERE I COME!"

Though laughing along with Whisper at Naruto's (albeit predictable) antics, Kroqgar was slightly worried. "Are you sure this is a good idea? You know how much he eats. He could almost be Saiyan," he said softly to her, referring to the race of bottomless-stomached warriors from the Dragon Ball series.

"I know we probably shouldn't," she said equally as quietly, "But can you think of a better way to become his friends? And besides," she added, barely restrained joy coursing through every syllable, "How many people can say they've eaten ramen at Ichiraku's with Naruto!"

...

They sat and talked at Ichiraku's for hours, as night truly fell around them. The operators of the stand Teuchi and Ayame seemed polite, but Kroqgar and Whisper could both detect a hint of caution and alertness lurking behind their smiling faces. Clearly the father and daughter did not trust them around Naruto, but they did not say anything to the contrary, and as the night went on and they saw how the trio eating before them interacted they seemed to relax, seeing that the pair were treating Naruto with respect, and truly wished to be his friends.

Though they had read about it for years, both Kroqgar and Whisper were still amazed by the sheer volume of ramen that the boy beside them could devour. He just kept eating...and eating... What was possibly more amazing was his ability to keep up an almost constant stream of chatter at the same time. This made the whole process perhaps a bit messier than it could've been, which surprised both of the new shinobi (they had both thought for sure that Naruto would consider it blasphemy to spill or drop in any way the tiniest amount of ramen), but it did not bother them in the least, neither of them ever having a care or need for manners.

He told them non-stop about himself, talking unashamedly of the prejudice he had suffered as a child, his trials to become a ninja, and the missions he had gone on afterwards. Though both knew it all, it was fascinating to hear it from his perspective, hear his spin on how events transpired, and to get to know him as a person better. Even with prior knowledge, his tales of his childhood almost brought Whisper to tears. They also both noticed he left out a few key details here and there, obviously having been told (most likely over and over again) to keep that particular information a secret.

He didn't ask a thing about them, which both Kroqgar and Whisper did not take in the least as an insult. They both knew he just hadn't been taught by anyone to do it, and besides they had nothing to tell him anyway, their past still being an S-Rank secret. When they failed to reveal anything about their previous lives both Teuchi and Ayame's caution levels seemed to rise again, and stay that way.

"Looks like Tsunade will probably have an extra visitor tomorrow", thought Whisper, as she caught Ayame glancing suspiciously at them. For the fourth time. At first she had just assumed she was checking out Kroqgar, which she couldn't fault the young woman for.

Finally (and much earlier than Konoha's two newest citizens would have liked) they had to call it a night. Whisper paid the (admittedly impressive) bill and they said their goodbyes to Ayame and Teuchi. They started walking back home, Naruto moving much slower on a full stomach, and chatting amiably about nothing.

"So I guess, going on those forehead protectors, you two are ninjas huh?" asked the genin, fingers interlaced behind his head. Kroqgar swore very quietly as Whisper smiled widely. They had a bet going on as to whether he'd notice it or not, and Kroqgar had just lost.

Kroqgar still nursing his wounded pride, Whisper replied "Yes, as of today, we are."

Naruto stopped dead and gaped at them. "You only became ninjas today?!" Whisper nodded in reply and Kroqgar responded "Yep."

"Wow! Which team are you guys on?"

"We're being assigned tomorrow morning, that's why we have to get home so early tonight. We don't wanna be late for Lady Hokage," said Kroqgar, a slightly scared look gracing his features at the prospect.

"Ahhh, Granny Tsunade's not so bad, once you get to know her. Trust me, just distract Shizune for her once when she's drinking sake, and she will be your friend forever," said Naruto sagely, nodding his head. "So if, you two just became ninjas today," he continued, a grin beginning to spread across his face," I guess that makes me higher ranked than y-." He was cut off by a clattering sound near to them.

They all turned to see a brightly blushing Sakura Haruno standing there, the last of the shuriken she was carrying clattering to the ground as she stepped out of the doorway of one of Konoha's weapon shops. Her eyes were fixed on Kroqgar.

Predicting Naruto's next actions, Whisper leaned down and said quietly "We'll see you tomorrow Naruto." Before she even finished talking, without so much as a word of goodbye Naruto had sprinted over to Sakura. He started picking up the shuriken for her, and doing his best to seem like boyfriend material.

Kroqgar smiled at Sakura as a greeting, and her resemblance to a pink-haired tomato increased. He decided to break eye contact with her before the rush of blood to her head made her pass out. When he saw in his peripheral vision that she had still not looked away he decided to put a stop to this once and for all (and even though he knew it was not to be he couldn't help but attempt to help Naruto out), and he laid his arm across Whisper's shoulders, and drew her close. Sakura seemed to pale a shade or two, but the blush yet lingered. Both gave a small wave of goodbye, and continued on home, Whisper moving closer into Kroqgar's embrace as they walked. Only after they had gone a block or so did they hear anything.

"NEVERMIND ABOUT A STUPID DATE NARUTO, WHO WAS THAT BOY YOU WERE WITH!?!"

Though both knowing what physical pain Sakura was likely putting Naruto through at the moment, Kroqgar and Whisper burst into laughter. As they laughed, both minutely tightened their grip on the other

...

Closing and locking the door behind her, Whisper turned to see Kroqgar flop down onto the couch in their living room, a frazzled expression on his face. She well understood the feeling, she was looking forward to a good nights sleep, after the events of the day.

With a puff of smoke, Kroqgar dismissed his transformation. Almost as if reading her thoughts, he ran a hand through the fur on the top of his head and said, "I'm sure looking forward to a good long sleep."

"Yeah," agreed Whisper, also dismissing her disguise. She raised both hands above her head, and stretched as high as she could, leaning backwards slightly. She groaned in pleasure as she felt several cracks and pops reverberate through her back, the result of the luxurious stretch. A wave of lassitude swept over her as she lowered her arms. She did not fail to notice Kroqgar's badly hidden yet appreciative smile, nor the red tinge of his ears.

Dismissing his subtle perving with a giggle and the word "Jiraiya" badly hidden in a cough, she stretched her tail out behind her, flexing it and arching it. It was easier for Kroqgar, he only had the relatively much shorter tail of a wolf, but as a fox hiding her tail with a jutsu and having to keep it still was almost torture.

"So", said Whisper, walking over to the small table in front of the couch. She leant down and picked up the scroll containing their clothing. "What do you reckon we should do with these?"

"Bring 'em out, let's look at them all again."

With a nod, Whisper placed the scroll back down on the table, and pumped a small amount of chakra into it. With an explosion of smoke, shopping bags appeared all around the room. On the table, on the couch (nearly burying Kroqgar), on the floor, one even swinging from the ceiling fan. Both started hacking and wheezing, and rushed around the apartment, opening all the doors and windows.

After a minute or so enough of the smoke had cleared to make opening one's eyes and mouth a possibility again.

"So," rasped Whisper, "No more jutsus inside. Agreed?" Kroqgar managed a nod of assent.

They surveyed the daunting amount of clothing in front of them. It honestly had seemed like a lot less amid the full-to-bursting racks and shelves of The Iron Kimono.

Eyes wide, Kroqgar turned to Whisper and said "So it's agreed, we'll do this tomorrow?"

Whisper nodded in relief. "Where are we gonna put 'em? Is there a cupboard or wardrobe somewhere?" She laughed for a moment. "We are gonna live here for how long? And we haven't even looked around!"

Kroqgar gave a chuckle of his own, and they both began to explore their new home. The front door opened into the main living area, with a couch and a coffee table facing to the right. A small table just inside the door had a small fern-looking plant upon it. Against the far wall, a larger table with a few chairs arrayed around it was situated underneath a pair of windows. A door on the far side of the couch led to a small bedroom with a single bed and a bedside table.

To the right of the doorway, where the couch was facing, was a small kitchen, complete with cupboards, cooktop and sink. A corridor with two doors branched off into the right side of the house. The right door led into a bathroom, with a sink right inside the doorway, a shower and bath across from it, and a toilet to it's left. A small door leading out of the bathroom solved their clothes problem: a walk-in wardrobe. Shelves, drawers and spaces galore. They followed this through, jaws slack at the oddly luxurious appointments, until they passed through another door and stopped dead.

Obviously this was the master bedroom.

A large window on the far wall bathed the room in the moonlight. To the left of the window was a small bookcase, facing a dresser situated at the bottom of the bed. As Kroqgar and Whisper registered this, their eyes went wide. The bed. Singular. Not plural.

Always before whenever they had slept together it had either been out of necessity, such as huddling for warmth, or had just... happened. One had rolled over onto the other's bed in the night, or some such reason. Obviously Tsunade had assumed their relationship was more advanced than it was.

Neither wishing to appear hesitant (and both wanting the incredibly awkward moment and spiraling silence to end) they both stepped quickly through the bedroom, barely noticing the bedside tables on either side of the bed, and opened the last door, emerging in the hallway.

Voicing something that had been nagging at him through the tour (and also ending the silence between them) Kroqgar asked "Is it just me, or does this apartment look pretty top-notch? Naruto's is way worse than this."

"I noticed that as well," replied Whisper, gazing around the room. "I can think of two reasons: A, this is designed for two people to live in, whereas Naruto's is only for one, and B, Naruto never lived here, so it was kept in a much better condition than his. Cleaned, and never raided."

"Yeah, I spose that would explain it," said the much larger shinobi, approaching the coffee table. With a yawn, he stretched his arms out behind his head and said "I think I'm gonna go to bed, I'm exhau-." He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Whisper's eyes met his. With a thought and a handsign, they both changed back into their human guises. Though they both trusted Tsunade's word on the seal, this early in their new lives they didn't want to take risks.

Whisper opened the door. A female ANBU was standing there.

"Good evening," she said, with a slight bow. "I was instructed to deliver this package to you by Lady Hokage."

"Oh, thank you!" said Whisper, accepting the proffered parcel with a smile. The ANBU nodded to both of them, then disappeared in the characteristic cloud of smoke.

Whisper swiftly closed the door, and waved her hand in front of her face, thinking "The mangas make the smoke a lot less irritating." She walked over to Kroqgar, who moved a couple of bags off the coffee table, and laid the parcel down upon it. It was a largish box, red and tied with yellow string. Whisper struggled with the knot for a moment, before simply dismissing her transformation jutsu, and cutting through the thread with one of her claws. Kroqgar also dismissed his jutsu, and emerged, coughing, from the smoke. He made a mental note, "First on my to-do list: Buy a bloody fan."

Inside the box, resting on top of some wrapped tissue paper was a small note. Picking it up, Kroqgar read aloud, "Kroqgar and Whisper, I hope you are settling in to Konoha well. Inside you'll find a few things that I think you two will need from now on, as well as a couple of things that Lady Tsunade insisted on to make sure you are on time tomorrow. Don't tell her I said this, but... she's not really a morning person. If I were you, I wouldn't be late.

Anyway, consider this Konoha's welcoming gift to its newest shinobi. See you tomorrow morning! Shizune."

As Kroqgar finished the note, a smile spread across his muzzle. He caught eyes with Whisper for a moment, and saw reflected there the same affection he felt for the Hokage's assistant. She really was a very nice person.

Setting the note aside, they unfurled the tissue paper and gazed in wonder at the bounty within.

Sitting there was all the little things one forgets in the rush of falling into a cartoon world and starting a new life as a ninja. There was cutlery and crockery, some towels and bed sheets, even an alarm clock and some food (in it's own special box). In fact, the parcel was very deceiving in that it seemed to be bigger on the inside.

"One of the perks of being Hokage I suppose," said a smiling Whisper.

They rifled through the contents of the parcel for a time before the events of the day truly caught up to them, and Whisper yawned widely. Kroqgar found it infectious.

"I think," he said, rising with a groan, "That it is time for bed."

Whisper hid her answering "Yes" in another yawn as she too rose, and began rifling through one of the clothing bags. Kroqgar chalked it up to one of the few things his life had taught him about the stereotypical female: clothes.

Reaching down into the nigh bottomless box before him, he withdrew from the depths a toothbrush and toothpaste, and headed for the bathroom.

...

Whisper opened the door to the master bedroom, just as she heard the wardrobe door opening. Both Kroqgar and Whisper glanced at each other, before quickly looking away in mild embarrassment, and heading to the bed. Each of the shinobis had stripped down to their sleep clothing, Kroqgar in a simple pair of boxer shorts, and Whisper in a similar pair, as well as a singlet. Their state of undress bothered each more than it normally would.

Kroqgar headed around the far side of the bed, and clicked on the lamp on his bedside table, as Whisper turned off the overhead light for the room. She headed toward her side of the bed, appreciative of his choice. He knew that although she was by no means scared of it, she hated sleeping anywhere near where something could climb in. More as a matter of paranoia than anything else. A soft smile crept across her face. "He always remembers the little things."

Whisper set the electronic alarm clock she had grabbed on the way in down on her bedside table, flicking on her own lamp as she did so. As Kroqgar noticed her plugging it in he said "Good thinking." She looked at him with a smile, before fiddling with the alarm clock for a moment.

"You think 8 o'clock is early enough?"

After a brief moment of consideration, Kroqgar replied "Yeah, I can't see it taking us more than an hour to get there."

Finally configuring the alarm to the settings desired, Whisper lay down on the bed. She noticed that Kroqgar was already lying down, his back towards her. She did not blame him, he was clearly embarrassed about the situation, and she mirrored his sentiment, and a moment later his method of rest as well.

Their lamps clicked off, and they both lay there in the darkness for a time, their minds awhirl with the events of the day. Their luck and futures had taken incredible leaps and bounds, and tired as they were, they were hard-pressed to achieve sleep. Finally, their minds both came to the same conclusion: I am tired, I am sleepy, I can't sleep if I'm thinking, and therefore I must stop thinking.

After a few minutes, when Whisper's eyes were finally beginning to slide closed, she heard Kroqgar say, "It's funny..."

Though wanting to sleep, her curiosity overwhelmed her fatigue. "Mmmmm?"

"For years I've wondered about Jiraiya's fascination with Tsunade... I mean, she's attractive, but I never thought she was irresistible. Now I know otherwise..."

Turning to face him, she asked "What do you mean?"

"Well," he said, rolling over to face her. A sly grin crept across his muzzle. "Masashi Kishimoto is probably the guy who can draw the best Tsunade, but even he never did her justice. Seeing her chest in real life is just something else entirely."

Mere expression could not express Whisper's shock, followed by absolute amusement. Trying but not completely succeeding to stifle a laugh, she launched at him with her pillow, yelling "You big PERV! Maybe YOU should go train with Jiraiya for three years! YOU BIG PERV!"

He responded in kind, having at her with his own pillow, laughing all the time. A furious pillowfight (punctuated with giggles) ensued, with both lamps nearly being broken more than once.

Finally, after many minutes of spring-creaking fun, Kroqgar managed to pin Whisper to his chest with one arm, whilst whacking her repeatedly with the pillow in his other hand. She struggled and squirmed for almost a minute, trying desperately to break his hold, but in the end had to surrender.

"All right! I give up! You win!"

A triumphant (and still laughing) Kroqgar released his pillow. "I knew you'd come to your senses eventually! None can stand against the pillow lord!" He melodramatically threw his arm out as he mentioned his new title, then just lay there, alternating between panting and laughing, still holding her to him.

As the their heart rates slowed and their laughter died down, Whisper looked up to meet his gaze, then raised herself with her arms, until she hovered above Kroqgar's smiling face. She saw resting in those deep, reflective pools the same love she felt for him. In that happy moment, she leaned forwards and kissed him.

He was not at all surprised by her actions, and when she lowered herself he slid his arms across her back and held her close.

"My God," he thought, "Now I know why I always saw so many people doing this! This is magnificent!" The feel of her resting atop him, of her arms wrapped around his neck, and perhaps most fantastic of all, the feel of her lips pressed against his! Her warmth, her softness, her incredible feel...

On the flipside of the coin, Whisper was experiencing almost the same sensations as Kroqgar, if reflected. It felt so right to just rest in his arms, like absolutely nothing bad could happen when he held her. More than almost anything else, it was his solidarity that he loved. He was there, he always would be, she could grab him and hold him. Had she any idea how she would've tried to express these emotions through their kiss, but at this stage it was still just a soft embrace, not thought or strategy, just living in the moment.

It didn't last for several minutes, it didn't seem to last an eternity, it felt like she had just kissed Kroqgar for maybe twenty seconds at most. And she couldn't have been even remotely happier.

She raised herself above him again, and her gaze met his. Her shining emerald eyes sparkled with unshed tears of joy, and she saw herself, a big, almost goofy grin on her face, reflected in his yellow eyes, eyes that seemed to shine like the moon. She didn't say anything, afraid that it would shatter the quiet magic of the moment, merely lowered herself onto his chest, his head resting atop hers, and felt his arms wrap around her. Never before had she felt so secure, so happy, so loved.

Kroqgar, his smile set on high beam, felt the steady heart beat of the vixen atop him, and knew for a fact that he had attained Nirvana, a state of supreme bliss and peace. This was real. She was in his arms, and he wouldn't let go for anything. Nothing. Nothing in existence could make him want to end this.

He just sincerely and fervently hoped she fell asleep before she felt the growing bulge in his boxers...

...

The sun rose over Konoha, chasing away the shadow and bathing The Village Hidden in the Leaves in brilliant light. The light revealed people slowly moving about, blearily blinking sleep from their eyes and trying to shake the fatigue from their joints. To the interested observer, the light also revealed several other intriguing sights. Firstly, a man with silver hair in serious need of a brush, with his forehead protector pulled down over his left eye and wearing the vest that denoted rank in the shinobi world, was standing in front of a large polished stone in a clearing within a small forest. Just as the light passed over his face, it sparkled off something rolling down his cheek, before losing its shine as the mask the man wore over the bottom half of his face stopped the sparkling object's path. He seemed to bow his head to the obelisk before him, before putting his hands in his pockets and walking off.

Not too far away, an orange shape with a mass of blond hair was bouncing around a training field, pursued by several identical blurs. The orange shape with a mass of blond hair, otherwise known as Naruto, grinned widely to himself, even as he was running for all he was worth, up and down trees, hiding in shadows, doing everything he could to escape his pursuers. Shadow Clone tag was actually quite fun.

Eventually the light finished its illuminating journey, finally embracing every part of the village, and starting to climb up the Hokage monument behind it. As the light had passed over the Hokage mansion at the base of the monument, it had revealed a very nervous looking Shizune, her arms crowded with full sake bottles. Although she didn't show it, she was at this point probably doing the scariest thing she'd ever done in her life. She had to be dead silent, but she also had to hurry, because any second sh-.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

Shizune jumped a good six feet as the air trebled around her with the yell of her mentor, the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade. Although she loved her like a sister and a mother all rolled into one, Shizune had no doubt the Tsunade would kill her for getting rid of her sake.

Slowly.

She broke into a sprint.

...

As the light cascaded through the open windows of a small apartment in the shinobi residential district of Konoha, it revealed a familiar figure rising out of bed.

Whisper, a big smile plastered over her muzzle, laced her fingers above her head and reached as high as she could, bending backwards as she did, her tail arching behind her. Unlike the last time she had woken up in this world, the moment her eyes had opened she had known exactly where she was and what was happening. Ever since that moment, she couldn't stop smiling. For the first time in a long, long time, she was looking forward to her day.

A spring in her step, she headed to the living room. A brief sniff of the moisture-laden air told her that somebody had already had a shower that morning, and she was willing to bet it was Kroqgar. The smile on her face got a bit wider as she recalled the exact events of the previous night, and only the slightest red tinge coloured her ears.

The thought of having a shower made her mind turn towards the time. She glanced at the alarm clock, still sitting on her bedside table, and was surprised to see it read 6:30 AM. She stepped back over to it, and switched off the alarm, seeing no need to keep it running. Considering how excited she was, Whisper just supposed that she just wanted to make the most of her day, so her body had woken her up early.

All these happy thoughts, running through her head, she stepped into the living room. She saw Kroqgar bending over the coffee table, rummaging through one of the shopping bags filled with clothing. Belatedly, she noticed, as her hands flew to her mouth, that he was naked.

...

Hearing the click of a door behind him, Kroqgar swiftly turned on the spot and beheld Whisper. She was simply staring at him, eyes wide, and hands clasped over her mouth. Suddenly, her gaze flashed downwards, and her ears turned as red as the setting sun.

...

In a blurred movement, Whisper turned her back on Kroqgar, and in the space of a second blurted out "Oh-my-God-Kroqgar-I'm-so-sorry!!!" Her heart pounded in her chest.

Kroqgar, surprised that his ears hadn't caught on fire with his blush, fumbled to slip on a pair of underwear and some pants he had fished out, whilst saying "It's alright Whisper, it's alright! I know you didn't mean to!"

Whisper sprinted back into the bedroom, and quickly closed the door behind her, saying, "I'm sorry!" once more. Kroqgar stood there looking at the door for a moment, his blush steadily fading, before heaving a sigh and turning back to continue looking for the remainder of his outfit.

...

Whisper sat down on the bed, eyes still wide, blush not receding an inch. Gingerly she moved her hands away from her face, and with a start noticed there was blood on them. It took her a moment to process that she had a nosebleed. At that moment she realized two things. One; that now that they were in an anime world, they would be bound to the anime laws of nosebleeds and compulsive falling down, and two; she could never, ever, reveal to Kroqgar that he'd given her a nosebleed.

She went through the wardrobe and into the bathroom, finding it mercifully empty. She washed her hands, and splashed some water on her face, before simply standing over the basin and staring into the mirror for a moment, zoned out. As she stood there, enjoying a few moments of the absence of thought, she became more attuned to her body, and noticed a warmth coming from her lower regions. Snapping out of her reverie, she held onto the sensation, and investigated it. Staring down into her pants, she suddenly became acutely aware of just what exactly she was feeling, and let out a Hinata-ish "Eep!" at the realization.

She stood there for a moment, simply gazing down into the dark confines of her lower garments, before she suddenly looked over at the shower. As she gazed at the metal showerhead, a single drop of water fell from it to burst on the porcelain tub beneath, and a tiny, miniaturized and underdeveloped voice who went by the name of "libido" looked though her eyes and said to the shower, "Looks like I don't need you to get wet anymore."

...

Kroqgar, now fully dressed, walked into the bedroom, just as Whisper came in from the bathroom. He blushed slightly upon seeing her, but noticed that she went redder than Naruto's demon chakra. He decided to settle this now.

"Whisp, can you sit down for a second?"

She silently nodded, and sat down on the bed. He came and crouched in front of her, and took one of her hands.

"It wasn't your fault that you saw me... like that. It was stupid of me to do it, I thought you were still asleep but I must've woken you up."

"But...y'know...I saw your...y'know..."

"So you did. So what? I don't care. Does it change how you feel about me?"

Whisper looked sideways for a moment, examining her thoughts. She realized that no, she didn't feel any different. Her feelings were still the same, if a little bit more... charged.

Kroqgar could read her like a book. "See?" he said, smiling. "Doesn't change a thing."

His smile was infectious. She soon found herself grinning wanly back at him, and that steadily changed into a full-blown beam. Then she started giggling.

Kroqgar started laughing as well. "I knew that one day we'd laugh about this", he said, "I just didn't think it would be so soon."

Their eyes met, and the laughter died down. Kroqgar leaned in and kissed her. Whisper was not surprised in the least, and leaned into the kiss, placing her hands on either side of his head. After a moment Kroqgar leaned back, and broke the kiss. They just sat there looking into each other's eyes and smiling for a few seconds, before Kroqgar rose to his feet, and helped whisper off the bed. She let out a sound of surprise as he kept pulling her, into his arms. He held her for a moment, and she just enjoyed the feel of being held.

Whisper broke the simple embrace saying "Much as I want to, we can't just stay here all day (her eyes flashed at the implications that suggestion entailed), and I want to do a bit of exploring before we go see Tsunade."

"Yeah, same here", said Kroqgar. "You go hop in the shower, and I'll go make us something for breakfast."

"Wait, before you do..." Whisper said, turning him back around to face her, "I just wanna ask something."

"Go for it."

"Why," she said frankly, "were you naked?"

"Oh," he said, a slight tinge of red colouring his ears, "I'd just gotten out of the shower."

"Well, why didn't you have a towel?"

He looked at her confused for a moment, before a massive grin spread across his muzzle. "A ridiculously awesome reason. Come with me!" And with that, he proceeded to drag her into the bathroom.

"What is it?" Whisper asked curiously. She grinned. "Your not gonna strip are you?" she joked, though the steadily growing voice in her head couldn't help but hope.

He chuckled, before shaking his head. He led her over to the basin, and turned on the cold water.

"Put your arm under there," he instructed. Curious, but trusting, Whisper complied, wetting her forearm from the elbow down.

"Ok," said Kroqgar, turning off the faucet. "Now, transform into a human." Again, Whisper couldn't fathom his reasoning, but still complied, intrigued as to where he was heading.

With a puff of smoke, Whisper transformed into her human guise, pink hair and all.

"Check your arm", said Kroqgar, smiling. Whisper raised her arm, and looked at it for a moment, before her jaw dropped faster than the Sharingan could track.

"No way", she said, awestruck.

"It's true."

"Holy shit, that's awesome! It's dry!" Whisper laughed, waving her arm around, relishing in the feel of not being damp. One of the curses of being coated in fur, it took either of them some time to completely dry off, leaving that lingering and unpleasant damp feeling, and, if not dealt with, leaving a smell akin to the classic "wet dog". But now that was no longer a problem! They could dry instantaneously!

Kroqgar laughed his agreement, pleased with his incredible discovery of the instant dryer. "Just transform in the shower, then when you come out transform back. You'll be completely dry."

She turned around and hugged him, an odd feeling as it was the first time they had embraced when one of them was human but the other was not.

A thought occurred to Whisper. "Wait, this isn't just appearance is it? Will I still be wet if I turn back, just not wet in this form?"

Grinning, Kroqgar said, "One way to find out!" With a thought, Whisper dismissed her transformation.

Touching the vibrant orange fur on her arm, and finding it to be quite dry, Whisper let loose a cheer, ecstatic to have that lifelong annoyance solved.

"Now," said Kroqgar sagely, "You know why I didn't have a towel."

"So I do," she said softly, before breaking into a huge smile and saying, "Alright, time for my shower! Better get out of here Kroq, I'm about to get nekkid!"

With a laugh, he retreated from the bathroom, closing the door behind him and heading for the kitchen. Like a thunderbolt, a thought suddenly struck him. Without a second thought, he made a clone, and sent it off to do its task, as he ran back to the bathroom door.

"Whisper! Are you undressed yet?"

"No, come in."

Opening the door, Kroqgar saw Whisper standing next to the shower, thankfully still clothed, with her hand under the running water.

"Thank God!" he said, relieved.

"What is it?"

Kroqgar smiled, and reached out a hand to accept the proffered bundle from his clone. As soon as it handed it over, the clone transformed into a human, before jumping out the window and poofing out of existence, so it didn't get the apartment smoky.

"I didn't want you to make the same mistake I did," said Kroqgar, hanging Whisper's clothes on the towel rack. "Besides," he added, throwing her a lopsided grin, "If you walked out there naked I think I'd have a heart attack."

Whisper's laughter followed Kroqgar out of the bathroom, as he closed the door behind him. As he was walking to the bottomless box Shizune had sent them to find them something for breakfast, he staggered a little, and a hand flew to his head.

"Whoa," he said, as he gained the memories of his clone. "Intense." Though the feeling was oddly overwhelming, Kroqgar got the distinct impression that after a couple more tries at it, gaining the memories of many clones at a time wouldn't be too much of an issue, probably due to the flashes of insight and knowledge that he and Whisper kept getting.

...

Whisper was still chuckling as she warmed up the shower, thinking of Kroqgar's idea of her walking out naked. Of course she wasn't going to do it, but as she undressed and caught sight of herself in the mirror above the basin the idea appealed to her more than it would have once.

As she stepped into the flow of water, feeling the hot liquid course over her naked form, she breathed a sigh of relief, and felt the rest of her body begin to match the warmth of her lower regions. She began to rub herself down, and let her mind wander. A thought came, unbidden, across the landscape of her mind, and it was amongst the first of such thoughts that no doubt came from the part of her brain firmly under the sway of her libido, that the rest of her brain was able to agree with.

"I like", she thought, a predatory grin more suited to her fox form gracing her features as she thought of her earlier encounter with a disrobed Kroqgar, "what I saw..."

...

Anko Mitarashi strolled down the Konoha high street, her trench coat flapping in the morning breeze. She didn't like to be up this early, but once a week her favourite dango shop, Bishoku's Dango Bistro, got fresh ingredients, and she simply couldn't resist fresh dango. One hand held in her trenchcoat, the other holding the skewer on which the delicious dumplings were impaled, Anko was in heaven.

She never enjoyed the sensation of dragging herself out of bed this early, few people do, if any, but whenever she did find herself awake this early, she was always glad she did. There was so much more time left in the day, so much more opportunity to train, work or relax. She looked around as she walked, drinking in the sights of her village. She cast an irritated glance at the flesh-coloured bra she wore. If it was up to her, she wouldn't be wearing it at all, but society demanded that underneath her trench coat and the essentially transparent fishnet shirt she wore underneath it she cover herself up. The new Hokage, Tsunade, especially vehemently pursued this restriction. She'd even gone as far as to offer her assistance in getting a bra on Anko whether she liked it or not after a young boy, fourteen years old tops, had been shown into her office with a small, purple snake clamped over an especially sensitive part of his anatomy for, in Anko's words, "Looking where he fucking shouldn't."

Suddenly, a voice behind her said, "Um...Excuse me, Miss?"

Good mood and all, Anko wasn't known as Konoha's "Crazy Snake Lady" for nothing, and she had a rep to keep up. So she turned towards the voice, a retort hot on her tongue...

...only to come face to face with one of the most sexy people she had ever seen.

Oh my God, he was gorgeous! He towered over her, easily six feet tell, and he looked like he could fold her in half with two fingers. "Then again," thought Anko, as her gaze roamed up and down the man before her, "That's not a half bad idea."

Noticing that she was simply staring into his odd green-blue eyes, and that a slight blush was marching across her cheeks, she cleared her throat and said with a touch of her old fire "Yeah? What is it?"

"Sorry to disturb you, but I'm new here. Could you tell me how to get to the Memorial Stone?"

Anko half-lidded her eyes and with an incredibly lustful grin stepped forward, getting into the personal space of the person before her (and safely stowing her dango away). She could tell that she was probably more than five years his senior, but she honestly didn't care. "I can tell you how to get to all sorts of places, big guy."

...

Kroqgar used every ounce of willpower in his possession to stop his jaw from dropping, but even that was not enough to hold back the slightest blush. Here was Anko Mitarashi, the Anko Mitarashi, and if he allowed it (and maybe if he didn't) she would do anything she wanted with him. Or to him, depending on how she felt.

Kroqgar had always had a soft spot, that steadily became a hard spot, for Anko. He didn't know what it was about her, though he speculated it was her hairstyle for some reason, but he had always found her to be almost irresistibly sexy. Whisper frequently teased him about it, though it was always good-natured. She knew that he was simply attracted to Anko, but that he cared for her.

So, when they were ambling around the village, hand-in-hand, merely taking in the atmosphere, and Whisper had spotted Anko, she couldn't resist pointing her out to Kroqgar. Things escalated quickly, as she dared him to talk to her, one of the scariest kunoichi in existence. And off he had gone to do it.

Now her plan was blowing up in her face spectacularly, as she watched Anko step close to Kroqgar, and saw the look on Anko's face. She decided to step in when Anko started running her hand up and down Kroqgar's arm.

"Kroq!" she called out, waving her hand in the air and walking over to him. Kroqgar whipped his head around, a look of intense relief on his face. Anko simply looked mildly annoyed.

"Hey", Whisper said to Kroqgar with a smile, taking his hand in hers and just for good measure reaching up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Whatcha doin' Kroqy?" He winced at her improvised nickname.

"Oh, hey Whisper! I'm just talking to my new friend Anko here. Whisper, this is Anko, Anko, this is Whisper."

"Hey Anko", said Whisper brightly, "Nice to meet you!" She offered out her hand, which Anko reluctantly shook.

"Is this your girlfriend?" she asked Kroqgar.

"Uhh..." he replied, not expecting this. He really hadn't thought along that line, and a quick glance at Whisper revealed that she'd never thought about that either. Still, it took barely a moment's thought for him to come to a decision.

"Yes," he said, smiling, "She is."

Whisper's grip on his hand tightened almost impereceptibly. His smile widened.

But then Anko said something that neither of them expected. She stepped in close to Whisper, much like she had to Kroqgar, and smiled the same smile, whilst running her finger underneath Whisper's chin. "I'm sure she won't mind sharing."

Kroqgar's jaw dropped like an anvil, and even Whisper looked mildly surprised. But it wasn't over yet. Anko stepped even closer to Whisper, so close that Whisper felt their breasts meet, and leaned over, so that her breath ran over Whisper's ear. Whisper suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that Anko's nipples were hard. "In fact," breathed the Special Jounin, whilst giving Kroqgar a look that clearly said "All this and more could be yours", "Your not too bad yourself missy."

Whisper's jaw replaced Kroqgar's in biting the dust, but Kroqgar himself had to bring both hands to his face to stifle his nosebleed.

...

Almost two hours later, Kroqgar and Whisper were hurtling along Konoha's rooftops, the world blurring around them. Trapped in Kroqgar's lie, they were both personally led to the Memorial Stone by Anko, all chatting along the way. The tension of Anko's initial wiles on the both of them had faded somewhat, but her continued flirtatious ways, plus the dropping of several thinly veiled invitations extended to each of them and sometimes both had left both of the genin somewhat uncomfortable. Though both knew exactly what she was talking about, not having lived sheltered lives at all, they were not yet ready to think about a sexual relationship, let alone throwing someone else in, especially someone as... well, as horny as Anko. She seemed to show no end to her lustful smiles and smouldering glances, or preference to either Kroqgar or Whisper, leading them to believe that she was a very open-minded kunoichi. This belief made the both of them secretly consider her proposals, though Whisper's considerations were limited to her libido's mind. Kroqgar though was almost drooling at the prospect, though he knew that several steps would have to be taken between him and Whisper before they were ready for anything like that.

However, in the spaces between the overtly sexual comments, they actually saw glimpses of the real Anko, as she let her guard down a little around them. The Special Jounin would never reveal it to anyone, but aside from being physically attracted to the both of them, they somehow put her at ease. They were easy to talk to. So even after they had gotten to the Memorial Stone, they continued to talk about things, steadily learning more about each other, and Kroqgar and Whisper learning more about their new world. (Both the younger shinobi were surprised when Anko lapsed into respectful silence when confronted with the tragically long list displayed on the Memorial Stone. As they were walking away from it, Anko even seemed to bow to the end of the list, where there was a name carved out particularly skillfully, before hurrying after them.)

They had lost track of the time, and, slightly worried, Whisper had grabbed the nearest village and asked him what the time was. With a glance at his watch, the old man had said "8:59, youngin'."

Kroqgar and Whisper, panicked beyond almost all belief, said incredibly rushed goodbyes to Anko, and left the somewhat confused Special Jounin far behind them in their rush to get to their meeting with Tsunade on time. Had they known that just that very morning, some unknown thief had snuck into the Hokage's house and stolen her sake, no doubt their pace would double.

As they leaped from rooftop to rooftop, a pair of shapes materialized before each of them, forcing them to use chakra to stick to the roof they were standing on, lest they crash into the two. Immediately they saw that the pair before them were ANBU.

"Excuse us," said one of the ANBU, "But did you know you were exceeding the speed limit?"

Kroqgar and Whisper deadpanned. "Sp-speed limit?", asked Whisper. "Seriously?"

"I'm afraid so", said the other ANBU. "We are going to have to fine you."

"But... But we are new to Konoha!" said Kroqgar, aware that a speeding fine would probably reflect badly on them, after less than 24 hours in the village. "We didn't even know there was a speed limit!"

"I'm sorry," said the first ANBU, pulling out a notebook and a pencil, "But ignorance to the rules is no excuse not to follow them." Seeing the dismayed look on the faces of the two shinobi, the ANBU stalled in writing their ticket. "Look," she said, deciding to give these two a break (and causing the other ANBU to sigh heavily), "Unless you can give me a really good reason why you were speeding, I have to fine you."

"We are going to be late to a meeting with Tsunade!!" Kroqgar and Whisper yelled simultaneously.

The ANBUs immediately looked at each other and nodded. The second ANBU turned to them and said, "Let's go, we'll escort you! Hurry!!" Konoha's newest shinobi stood there stunned for a moment before taking off after the two ANBU.

Along the way several other ANBU materialized near them, obviously about to fine them but noticing that they were being escorted. Just as a clock began to strike nine, the Hokage Mansion came into view. Kroqgar and Whisper groaned audibly. They were never going to make it at this pace!

Suddenly, the two ANBU reached back and grabbed each of them. There was a whirl of leaves and smoke all around them, and their feet slammed into something solid. When the smoke cleared a split second later, they saw that they were in the waiting room just outside of the Hokage's office, with an amused Shizune looking at them.

The clock finished striking just as one of the ANBU said "Good luck", and the two elite ninja disappeared again. Kroqgar and Whisper simply stood there, dazed, for a moment, before turning to each other with big grins and saying "Teleportation Jutsu!"

Shizune let out a laugh before saying "That's the one! Though everyone just calls it Shunshin."

From the other side of the door came Tsunade's voice, "Shizune, you can send them in now."

With a smile, Shizune rose and pushed open the door for them. As they passed her and walked into Tsunade's brightly lit office, she whispered to them "Just in time..."

Whew! Chapter 5 done! It's extra long, too make up for the 4 or so months I've left you hanging (sarcasm). I just wanna say, that not matter how long it takes, I've made this story my personal goal, and will complete it. To all who are wondering when, if ever, our two young heroes are going to "get together", please be patient. It will come, but not for a while. I want to keep ramping up the sexual tension until it gets unbearable, and then let it explode in a suitably sexual metaphor. It will happen though, make no doubt. If only for the fact that due to that I'll get so much more traffic (evil laugh). Also, Anko is a personal favourite of mine, and in my opinion the sexiest character in the show, so she will definitely be playing a major role. And yes, almost certainly she will be involved in Kroqgar and Whisper's eventual bedroom adventures.

Also, just want to say that the spelling is a little odd. I'm Australian, but my spell checker is American, and it autocorrects some of my stuff to American, but leaves other stuff Australian. I noticed both "color" and "colour" in the same paragraph before. So, just roll with it.

Lastly, please review and comment! I don't know how I'm doing, or whether anyone's bothering to read it, if I don't hear from you guys!