Somewhere not too far away, a little girl is crying for her mother, unable to find her way home. Who is this mysterious fox that comes to her aid? Will she be able to return the favor?

Disclaimer

The Naruto Cast does not belong to me. They belong to Kishimoto Mashashi.

Anyone who does not belong in Naruto belongs to me, unless said otherwise.

Key

"Word" Talking

'Thought' Thinking

Somewhere along the banks of the Kaden River, a white, soggy fox pulled itself up from the waters.

Painstakingly it lifted each paw up out of the water and mud, taking another step forward until it flopped onto the cool grass, exhausted and tired.

Amia

Amia looked around her, confused and lost. She could have sworn her mother was right behind her, but now there was no one.

"Mommy?" She asked in a high, trembling voice in hopes her mother would appear and take her home.

"Mommy?" She asked again, a little louder. Still, nothing.

Terrified Amia started to run, eyes darting back and forth, looking for something familiar, soothing she could recognize.

Water. The water, she knew the river! Maybe her mother had gone to the river!

Filled with hope, Amia's legs carried her to the river, where she was disappointed to find that her mother was not there.

That all quickly disappeared as she spotted a wet bundle of white fur not too far down the bank.

"Eh?" The young girl toddled down to the motionless form and knelt down.

The fox blinked his eyes open wearily. Someone…who was petting him? He also heard a voice.

"You must be lost, just like me!" It was high pitched and feminine, telling him it was a young girl, who was just getting the hang of talking.

"My mommy will find us soon though, and then we won't be lost anymore!" The voice carried on. "I always wanted a dog. Oh, but maybe your someone else's! My mommy said that stealing from other people is bad!"

The fox shifted his head and looked up, finally seeing the speaker. AS he had thought, it was a young girl. Her mouse brown hair was in pig-tails, and she had large, chocolate brown eyes set on a round, chubby face.

"Look! You're awake! Hi! My name is Amia!" The little girl said. "What's yours?"

The fox blinked and gave a questioning whine.

Amia giggled. "That's right, you're a dog! Dogs don't talk, so I'll just call you Junsui! That means 'pure' you know."

The fox blinked again and struggled to his feet. Junsui? Pure? He didn't understand what the girl was talking about. He slowly started to walk away.

"Oh, wait, don't go!" Amia pleaded, tears pooling in her eyes. Junsui paused. Something in the girl's voice made him hesitate. He turned his head to face her, brilliant blue eyes flashing in the warm sunlight.

"Please, won't you help me find my mom!" Amia continued. "I don't know where I am. I want to go home." The change in her attitude was sudden, but Junsui did not pause to think about that.

Cautiously Junsui padded back to her and gave a careful sniff. She smelled like the earth, and a bit of sugar. There was also a faint hint of smelly diapers. Underneath it all, he could detect another scent, one that was not hers, but similar. It smelled like cleaners, of milk, and there was a trace of cinnamon. Her mother, perhaps?

He whined and gently grabbed her arm with his mouth, pulling her along. He

Amia followed without hesitation, and was even more delighted when he knelt down to let her ride him.

As soon as she was on, Junsui put his nose to work and started to trace the scent. As the scent became stronger, he started to hear a voice.

"Amia! Amia, where are you?" There was a frantic tone in the voice.

"Mommy!" Amia cried from his back. "Mommy!"

"Amia!" There was the sound of some one crashing through the undergrowth, and moments later a tall, thin woman appeared. "Amia, darling!"

Amia slipped off Junsui and toddled towards her mother. "Mommy! Mommy! I found you!"

The mother happily scooped up her daughter. "Amia, darling! I was so worried!" She kissed the girl on the cheek.

"Mommy! That doggie helped me! See the doggie?" Amia pointed frantically to the fox, who froze, eyes locking with the mother.

The mother blinked. "Uh…That's an...interesting dog." Junsui watched her eyes narrow as she struggled to figure out what he was. Too big for a fox, but the build of it's body did not resemble any kind of dog she knew.

"His name is Junsui, mommy!" Amia continued. "I might have been lost forever if he didn't find me! Can we keep him?"

The woman pursed her lips. "I don't know dear, it might be feral." She set her daughter down and carefully approached the fox.

"There, there…I won't hurt you…" She murmured quietly. Junsui's heart was pounding in his ears, the sound reverberating throughout his entire body.

He flinched as her hand made contact with his fur. When no pain came, he inched open his eyes to find that the woman was smiling and petting him.

Slowly he relaxed under her touch and lifted his chin up.

"So can we keep him? Please oh please oh please?" Amia begged. "I'll take care of him and everything."

The woman, now easier going now that she knew he would not attack, paused to think. "Owning a pet is a big responsibility dear. And he might belong to someone else. This is a most interesting dog…"

"I will! I promise! I'll play with him, and feed him, and love him and…" Amia babbled.

Her mother laughed. "Alright, alright. I suppose we can keep him. If someone claims him though, we have to give him back."

Amia nodded so fast that her face became a blur. "Don't worry! Mommy!"

The older mother chuckled. "All right." She stood up and motioned for Junsui to follow. "Come on…let's go home."

Junsui waited for a moment before trotting after them. He paused to admire himself in a puddle of water though.

He was rather large, probably as big as greyhound, with white fur. His ears were long and pointed, with light caramel tips. His tail was long and bushy as well, also with a caramel tip. His eyes were a sparkling blue, and his form was thin and sleek. He looked a bit battered, with mud splashed over his back, stomach, and legs, but otherwise he was very handsome.

Not wanting to be left behind, he scrambled to catch up with the girl and mother.

Some time Later….

Junsui sat patiently as his fur was combed out by the mother. He had met the man of the house, Kato.

The mother's name was Maisa, and Aima was their only daughter. They lived in a peaceful village known as Nura, a village so small that it was not displayed on the map. Despite that, what few villagers that lived there were friendly and worked hard.

The moment they had set foot into the village, they had been swarmed, and almost immediately the town fell in love with him. (Some of it was over monetary worth of his coat.)

They quickly headed home, and in moments he found himself being bathed.

He closed his eyes in contentment as Kato scratched under the chin.

Suddenly he felt something snap around his neck. Panicked, he leaped up alarm and whirled around. What shocked him even more was the strange jingling noise that followed him around.

Maisa laughed and grasped his shoulders, forcing him to stand still. The jingling stopped, and he calmed down.

He started to move again, but the jingling returned, forcing him to freeze again. Just where was it coming from?

Kato raised his eyebrows and gestured to the large mirror. Getting the idea quickly, he glanced at it.

Now that the mud, twigs, and whatnot had been cleared from his fur, he really did look beautiful. There was also something new.

A thin, but sturdy band was around his neck. The color was almost the exact shade of his eyes, with a small golden bell attached to it. When he moved, the bell seemed to move and make the noise.

As Junsui came to realize this, he became excited over it. He ran in circles, making the bell jingle and the adults laugh.

As he came to a stop, Amia ran up to him and warpped her arms around him. "I love you Junsui!"

And somewhere in that amount of time, he became the family pet.

Another short chapter, but they will start to get longer and longer.

Constructive Criticism and Compliments welcome. Flames and Spams will be laughed at.

Tropi