The Fox and The Prince

Normally I'd keep Naruto a boy (I prefer boy love anyway), but the picture that inspired this fic is that of Naruto as a girl so... *crosses fingers* hopefully it's not too bad.

AU: After the Shinobi wars and the sealing of the Nine Tailed Fox, the Kages met and deemed it necessary to change the world they lived in. Ninja were made in secret, like private assassins trained from youth. No one except the Kages and Jonin knew the names of other ninja. Most of the time one could pass another ninja in the street, perhaps one's own team mate, and never even know it. Three stages were made to alter the way ninja were used. There was the NBU Ninja Base Unit, ANBU Advanced Ninja Base Unit, and ANBU Solid. ANBU Solid were the equivalent of the Black Ops of the mainlands. They were an army that lived in the Shadows, generally bred from the same Clans of old. All ninja now wear the masks of Anbu from the days of old, pure white animal faces for NBU, white animal faces with red accents for ANBU, and black with red masks for ANBU Solid. When everything changed the Kages followed the example of the mainland. School became a way to prepare their young for their future jobs in the modernizing world. Those who became ninja still had to attend school to maintain their anonymity. The villages slowly caught up to the modern world, though not completely, there were still more rural villages than cities. However, the villages were no longer shinobi dominated; something that has yet to prove itself as good or bad. (They are all about the same age as they would be in Shippuden in the proper timeline)

She is my prey, my goal, and my addiction. She will be mine, but I will not force her. She will come to me of her own accord when I've captured her heart. Her golden hair taunts me every time I am denied it's silken touch. Her ocean blue eyes sparkle in defiance and mischief. Uzumaki, Naruto the girl with the nine tailed fox spirit.

Sasuke slipped into class a few minutes before the bell rang, propping his guitar case against his desk, the Uchiha symbol proudly embroidered on the black casing. He took his seat carefully, rolling his shoulders softly. He still had a few aches and bruises from yesterday's mission but that was not enough to warrant skipping class. It was annoying that he had to attend school at all, he was ANBU Solid for crying out loud. He should be living on his own and working full time by now. Just until high school is over he reminded himself. Besides, it wasn't all bad he did get to keep an eye on her far more easily this way. The girl seemed to have heard his mental call for at that moment she sauntered in the door with a cocky grin and her twin pigtails fluttering around her wildly. The hair stopped just below her knees and she flashed a victory sign at the teacher proclaiming loudly.

"I made it on time!" Her laugh sounded through the air, Naruto Uzumaki grinned and stared at the teacher.

"Do you expect some sort of prize Miss Uzumaki?" He asked sarcastically. Professor Hatake, also known as ANBU captain and leader of team 7 Kakashi Sensei, had grown quite used to the loud blonde's dramatic entrances. Said blonde stuck her tongue out at the silver haired professor before taking her seat between Sasuke and Sakura. Unbeknownst to the students themselves, Kakashi had set up his students who were ninja to sit in their teams. His personal team, team 7, included Sakura Haruno (medical nin and chakra control expert), Naruto Uzumaki (Seal master and summoner), and by request of the Hokage; Sasuke Uchiha (ANBU Solid member assigned to watch over the jinchūriki war weapon Naruto undercover posing as NBU Chunnin). Sasuke sat directly in front of Kakashi sensei in the front row desk next to the window, Naruto sat to the right of him, and Sakura sat on her right. Sasuke nodded to the silver haired Jonin as they watched the class file in slowly, a moment of shared camaraderie between equals.

Sasuke watched the blue eyed girl out of the corner of his eye, his mouth twitched up in his infamous smirk. She was talking animatedly with Hinata Hyuga, a shy girl who was very quiet and kind. They were total opposites but of course the best of friends and as luck would have it, Hinata sat directly behind Naruto. Hinata's fiance and cousin Neji, who sat behind Hinata, was perched on the desk next to Hinata's watching the two girls and holding his future wife's hand, only very minimally participating in their conversation. Their marriage may have been arranged by the Hyuga elders, but the two loved each other since childhood. Sasuke doubted anything in the world could have torn them apart and was glad that they were allowed to be. Hinata spoke softly but with purpose every time the orange loving girl gave her a chance. Though they were forced to wear uniforms in school, Naruto wore almost nothing but orange outside the classroom. That is, except when performing her ninja duties when she wore the NBU uniform.

(Author's note: They basically all look like the Anbu from the show)

"Hinata I'm telling you! Red roses are soooo boring and cliche! Orange blossoms are the way to go! Believe it!" The fox girl cried aloud.

"Naruto, enough please. My fiancee wants red roses and she shall have red roses. You can have orange blossoms at your wedding." Neji finally intervened, one pleading look from Hinata enough to call her knight in shining armor to arms. Naruto pouted but Neji and Hinata simply smiled at one another. Hinata and Neji's wedding had been a topic of major discussion between them ever since Hinata asked Naruto to be her maid of honor three years ago when the girls were 12 and Neji was 13. It wasn't their only topic, but one that was certainly brought up anytime Naruto had a new idea to make it better (crazier) which was unfortunately almost every other day.

"S-so Naru-chan.. H-how was your date with Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked after a moment of silence.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched at the mutt-face's name. It pissed him off to no end that the mongrel had had the gall to ask her out, and right in front of him no less! What made it worse was that she accepted! She still didn't understand that she belonged to Sasuke and no one else.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Sasuke unintentionally smirked at that.

"W-why?"

"It started off okay.. but it was just so weird. Every time he tried to hold my hand or hug me, one of us ended up getting hurt, usually him but I got hit a few times too see," She displayed her arms and Sasuke now noted the small bruises that dotted her arms. "Oh well, we both agreed it was for the best to cut our losses and just go home."

Sasuke grinned at this new development, excited for the prospect it brought. Before he had hung back, uncertain of the strange feelings he felt toward his charge. As her protector and watcher, it was his duty to ensure she never lost control or fell into the wrong hands... but... now it was more than just duty. It had taken that mutt Kiba asking her out for him to realize exactly what it was. Now all that was left for him to do was to make Naruto his, something that Sasuke was confident would become a reality shortly.

Naruto waved goodbye to her friends before setting off on her long trek home, she lived comfortably by herself in a small apartment; she'd been living there since she was ten after the orphanage had realized she could never live in peace with the other children. Usually this was a time of calm for Naruto, and not that she'd ever admit it but it was rather a lonely one too, that is until she was stopped by a very familiar velvety voice.

"Hey, dobe. Wait up." Sasuke called, his demeanor and entire being radiating cool and composure. Sakura, Ino, and the rest of the youngest Uchiha's fan club gaped as their idol called to the village screw up.

"What do you want Teme?" She crossed her arms, other than Hinata, Neji, Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru, Naruto didn't have any friends and so she was always suspicious of others outside her group. Even then the guys were really only friends with her because of Hinata, otherwise they might never have spoken to the fox girl, though now they were inseparable.

"I missed the lecture in 6th period AP Phys yesterday, you have pretty good grades in that class and I've heard your notes are impeccable. Do you mind helping me out?" He asked as he walked down the sidewalk, Naruto herself had started walking to keep pace with him but stopped dead in her tracks at his words.

"You want me to help you?" The question was simple, but it's implication was clear.

"Yes."

"I guess I could.." She answered warily Uchiha had always been nice to her after all, perhaps a bit distant but he was like that with everyone. Maybe this was a chance to make a new friend?

"Great, I have until 10 and that should be plenty of time to get everything done."

"Wait.. you're staying till 10 pm?"

"Is that a problem," He poked her forehead teasingly, "dobe?"

Naruto half glared and humphed "I hope you're comfortable in that uniform cuz I got nothing for you to wear at my house."

"That's okay, I always have a spare change with me. Just in case I get called away to a gig unexpectedly." Sasuke said nonchalantly.

The Uchiha fan club foamed at their collective mouths watching the fox girl and the Uchiha prince walk away together.

Finally Naruto and Sasuke reached her small apartment, it was a single bedroom, single bath, living room with only a counter top separating the kitchen sort of thing. It was cozy in a way, small but packed with warm memories and not so warm memories.

Naruto flitted about the kitchen, making a couple of simple sandwiches to snack on as they studied.

Sasuke looked around the room with keen interest. He'd been here before; watching over her as she slept after a particularly hard mission, to ensure she didn't lose control in her sleep, but it was entirely different in the daylight. This time he was a guest, not the shadow in her bedroom clenching his fists to keep himself from caressing her cheek or brushing away the hair from her forehead. He was not the warden holding her prisoner, forced to treat her like a weapon of mass destruction. He was a friend, and soon, he would be so much more. He was able to see the photos in the sunlight now, he could make out and recognize people. Naruto and Hinata as young girls with Neji between them, Naruto and Gaara on her last trip to the sand village, Naruto and Shikamaru as kids at the summer festival, but the ones which Sasuke's attention was drawn to were of Naruto and himself at his last birthday party. Sasuke had grabbed her hand in a rare moment of reckless abandon, dragged her over to the photo-booth and made her take several photos with him. Each of them was silly and showed a rare side of Sasuke, his relaxed side. They made silly faces at the camera and struck dumb poses in most of them, but the one in the center was Sasuke's favorite. It was them just smiling like old friends, his arm draped carelessly around her shoulders and her cocky grin replaced with a genuine smile. He remembered getting two sets framed and handing her one at the end of the night. She'd said thanks and kissed his cheek before running off to catch up with Hinata.

"That night was lots of fun huh?" A soft voice broke through his musings. Naruto had walked up behind him, her matching orange tank top and bohemian skirt covered by a pale orange cream colored apron, Sasuke smirked. Naruto made a rather good looking housewife, and the orange only served to offer a nice contrast to her pale snowy skin.

"Yeah, it was nice to relax on my birthday." He got close to her, closer than he normally did, his face inches from hers staring down at her bright blue eyes.

"You weren't such a teme that day, you should think about relaxing more often. You'd be more tolerable." She smirked and swatted his chest. He caught her hand and held her wrist, bringing her a tiny bit closer.

"I remember you weren't such a dobe that day, you were quiet for once!" He couldn't resist teasing her back. Lifting his hand, he moved to run it through her hair.

Naruto growled, ready to make scathing retort, when the doorbell rang. She shoved Sasuke and went to answer the door. The young Uchiha frowned deeply, he'd been denied once more to touch his charge's silky hair.