Chapter Text
Kurama spent so long alone after his tribe retreated to the Summoning World that he almost lost several important customs and habits of his people, like their amusement in human politics, the Soulmarks, or how some humans love their children unconditionally and some judge their own kits on who they mate with. It was ridiculous; mates are mates, no matter the parts they held between their legs. Kurama himself had lain with a multitude of partners and found the many differences fascinating. (Not that he'd ever admit it, however. Some egotistical foxes still thought to lord the fact that you couldn't have kits if you bed with one of your own gender. Kurama scoffed and pointed at the meaning of the word 'surrogate' in the dictionary.)
He was constantly intrigued by the humans' soulmarks, however. Some were words, letters and phrases that spelled out the meaning of your life, and others were pictures, swatches of color against a background of black lines. Some had timers adorning their wrists like thin ticking snakes, ready to click to zero at the exact moment when you met your other half. He didn't think he'd ever get one of his own; the idea didn't even cross his mind. Soulmarks were a human thing. He was a nine-tailed fox the size of several cities bunched together. Even if he had one, how would he find it? He was massive, even for his kind.
He hadn't meant to bother the humans; he'd certainly never felt the urge to go stomp a few buildings and roar maliciously. The stupid Uchiha had climbed up to his den in the mountains and Sharingan-ed him into his bloody ancestors. It was humiliating, and the only reason he stopped at all in front of the current Hokage was because something in his instincts was screaming, "He's here! He's here!" in a loud annoying voice and it completely distracted his body from its (hilarious) evil monologue ("You can't seal me! I'm Kyuubi, you ridiculous human!" And so on. It was terrific, and Kurama was rolling around laughing on the inside at the crap this Uchiha thought he'd say).
It was only later upon being sealed inside the bright child and communicating his apologies to the parents of said bright child and shifting into human form (simply to try something new, and also not to alarm the child when they happened to stumble upon him at some point) that he realized he'd gained a peculiar mark on the ridge of his collarbone, right where the bumps met; there was a pair of wings, etched in great detail and delicate-looking. He wondered about it for a few years, and then upon realizing his host had a similar-yet-different mark right at the end of his tailbone (a hawk in flight), he stared at it for a few minutes and remembered something that had been said to him once: "There's a peculiar thing about Image soulmarks. They only appear on both recipients when they've both been born. It's like the universe creates one half and then figures out how to configure the rest in a different body."
He fainted.
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Itachi was intrigued when his little brother came home blushing one day but wouldn't say why. He decided to follow his darling otouto to school the next day and find out.
He found out that Sasuke had a crush on a quiet blonde boy at the back that didn't speak unless explicitly spoken to and had shocked the adults yesterday in gym by exposing a certain bit of skin during a somersault: his soulmark. Apparently they didn't think a monster would have one, even a jinchuriki (as if the other half of your soul vanished upon sealing a demon inside you, honestly).
Sasuke had been more than a little shocked that it matched his own. Itachi laughed aloud at the way one of the teachers described the scene (he wasn't clouding the details because of the Kyuubi; refreshing): a flopped somersault that landed the boy flat on his back with his knees tucked up by his head and his lower back completely exposed. They'd all seen it: a ghostly bird (none could tell which kind, it had been too fast even for shinobi) in flight, beak open and eyes piercing. The boy had sat up and glared, eyes dark and convincingly murderous enough to prevent anyone taking pictures and having a pity party for the poor person to get stuck with the demon. Itachi shook with rage when he heard this. It wasn't right to show someone's mark to everyone; that was private and if it had been anyone else who'd fallen and shown themselves like that there would have apologies and averted eyes. As it was, all they'd done is gawk.
He decided to confront Sasuke about his crush that night, if only because of the matching bird on his own sweet brother's sea monster of a spine.
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Kurama was sad for his host. The onlookers of that little incident had seen something that should be private amongst humans, but they'd all looked shocked. The Mark was sacred, and they'd spat on it, with their laughs and whispering behind closed doors and open palms.
Naruto and he met that day, with the boy retreating to his mind-cave for a while.
It was a beautiful cave, with smooth walls and large stone tables that sprung from the floor. A lake glittered in the sun by the entrance, and a forest framed the scene in shades of leaf green and shuddering gold. Naruto was sitting on the lip of the cave, eyes blinking out into the water and a furrow shadowing his eyebrows.
"It's a beautiful lake, for someone who's never seen one before. A bit small, don't you think?" Kurama said gently, appearing in a flutter of leaves beside the small boy, who jumped and shrieked. Kurama just smiled genially and settled onto the stone with a soft sigh.
"Who're you?!" The boy exclaimed, wiping away tears that didn't exist in this plane.
"My name is Kurama." He held out a hand, the soft smile never leaving. This boy was lonely; he knew that, he understood that. He wouldn't let another monster be born here. He'd make sure of it. "Would you like to be friends?"
Naruto stared at the hand like it might bite him. His gaze lifted to Kurama's face, to his eyes.
"Can I call you Kuu-nii?" He asked, and Kurama beamed.
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Kurama had showed the boy how to release his energy in a harmless way, allowing Kurama to take a ghost-like form and stay with him always. The child brightened considerably. He found friends: a shy girl named Hinata (who knew she didn't have a chance, Naruto's mark wasn't hers but even so), another quiet boy named Shino (who had many bugs, and oh how they loved Naruto's chakra reserves), and a sleepy genius named Shikamaru (who sometimes acted like he could see Naruto's 'invisible friend' and sometimes didn't. But at least he made an effort). They were inseparable, and Kurama was content. His boy was happy.
And then the it came back, and Kurama almost went out of his mind at the strength of it. It was perfect.
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Itachi almost didn't believe his brother's claims of a ghost haunting his soulmate, trying to steal him away. He went to look for himself, cautious but definitely chuckling inside his head. His brother's anxiety about meeting the boy must have boiled over and become some kind of protective spirit in Sasuke's head, trying to keep him away. That was all.
He saw it. Crouched beside the swing next to the boy, long red hair in a swaying braid, eyes gleaming in pride, mouth curved in an approving smile as he watched the golden boy Sasuke was so attached to. But it was too solid; it couldn't possibly be a ghost.
Itachi was freaked. As he watched, a little girl ran right through the tall reddish man and he turned to smile at her. She stared for a moment, then shook her head and continued on. 'He' followed her with his eyes, looking sad.
Itachi resolved to be back.
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Kurama was proud of his kit, graduating so easily. There wasn't even a hitch, and though the whitehaired teacher scowled and muttered when he thought he was out of earshot, Kurama gleefully tripped him into a tree and walked off to find out about his kit's new genin team.
It was so ridiculous, he fell over laughing: the weird boy who always tried to stare but failed miserably at not being noticed; the pinkhaired girl who always fawned over Stalker Boy; and a jounin who'd been there when Kurama was sealed. Naruto looked embarrassed, his cheeks going slightly pink, when Kurama leaned over and whispered, "Dream team, eh kit?" And then began laughing boisterously again.
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The missions were a joke for a while, with the exception of that hellcat that kept escaping from the Daimyo's wife, but not for the first time Kurama basked in the knowledge he was gaining. Knowledge of the terrain from a human's-eye view, knowledge of the way neighbors treat each other (though they mostly ignored or attacked Naruto), knowledge of the food and culture and power structure and social hierarchy. Kurama was ecstatic at the things he was learning.
Naruto had gained enough control over his own energies that he was able to release Kurama into a more physical form, capable of touching and being seen. They didn't practice this in front of anyone else, though. The villagers would become frightened and angry and possibly try to hurt his bright child if they saw. He wouldn't allow that.
Sometimes Kurama solidified as a fox: arctic or red, depending on his mood. At first, Naruto had rected with confusion and alarm, but he'd gotten used to it rather quickly when Kurama explained that it was simply more comfortable that way.
And then came a C-rank mission to Wave Country.
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Itachi was out on a mission to gather data on Gato for the Hokage when he received word that the genin team his brother was on was coming to Wave on a mission. He decided he ought to check in, even just a little, and make sure they were okay for the time being.
He wasn't sure what he felt about the ghost following his otouto's crush, but it did make him more curious. Why was it following the jinchuuriki? Even as an ANBU, he didn't have high enough clearance for that kind of question to become answered by anyone with the proper authority, and yet...
Didn't Kakashi owe him a favor?
It went without saying thay Kakashi owed him a favor, he was constantly owing Itachi new favors, due to all the help Itachi was providing with Kakashi's newest exploit: his otouto's quiet little teacher who could set traps with the best of them.
Perhaps this time Kakashi would stay?
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