Chapter 2

"What? Haven't you ever seen a fox-boy before?"

All three of them jerked at the question, realizing that they had been staring. Charles was the first to recover, while Logan grunted in annoyance at being caught staring and Kurt blushed almost to the tips of his ears in embarrassment.

"Sorry, but no we haven't. You are the first person I have seen that seems to be a melding of fox and human," Charles replied gracefully.

There was a flash of sadness in Naruto's eyes, but it was quickly hidden. "Well, that's okay. People usually stare for a bit. You're taking it better than some have anyway." He smirked. "Most follow the feral guy's view and are incredibly wary of me at first sight." He looked over at Logan, who was watching him. "At least you have honor. Some tried to drive me out whether I'm injured or not."

Logan blinked in surprise. "Did you just call me 'feral guy'?"

Naruto shrugged. "All I know of your names is that the bald guy called you Logan, you called him Chuck, and I have no clue what Blue's name might be. Beyond that, you smell a bit like a wild animal, Blue smells like a forest and fur, and Baldy is a telepath."

Three people blinked as they processed all of this. Charles was once more the spokesperson. "Our apologies. With all of the surprises, we had forgotten to introduce ourselves. My name is Charles Xavier. I run the school here in this mansion. It is a place where mutants can learn to control their powers."

Naruto interrupted before the other two could introduce themselves. "Mutants? Explains a few things, but there's something you should know. I'm no mutant, and I don't think he is either." He indicated Logan.

"Why do you say that, Fox?" Logan asked curiously.

Naruto got up off the table and began to circle Logan. He didn't seem to care that only a foxtail stood between him and complete nakedness. Logan watched as Naruto finished circling and stopped in front of him. Logan could smell the wariness coming from the blond fox, so did not move. He idly noticed that Naruto had a light covering of fur that was currently standing almost on end.

Naruto leaned forward very carefully and stared into Logan's eyes, inhaling his scent in the process. Logan stared back, not twitching at all, feeling that this was some kind of test. Both stood absolutely still, not moving except to breathe. Both Kurt and Charles watched a little warily, not understanding what was going on.

At last, both looked away at the same time, as if at a hidden signal. Naruto very deliberately turned his back on Logan and walked over to the table, sitting down as if nothing had happened.

After a long moment, Kurt finally spoke. "Vat just happened?"

Naruto smiled at the boy. "Haven't you ever seen two dominant animals? They have to decide which will submit to the other. Sometimes, they decide that they are equal. This was the same thing, just with no fighting or bloodshed."

Logan shifted. "Neither of us is willing to submit to the other's will. I won't submit to a newcomer in my own territory, and he won't submit just because he happens to be here for a while. When he turned his back, it was a sign of trust."

Kurt nodded. "Oh." He considered this for a long moment, before nodding once more and turning to Naruto. "By the way, my name is Kurt Vagner. I hope you like it here."

Logan grunted when Naruto looked at him expectantly. "Logan." He felt no need to be overly courteous. They had established equality and Logan would trust the fox to guard his back. He'd see if he was trustworthy beyond that.

Naruto grinned happily, but decided to mention one more thing. "Could I have some pants or something? It's rather breezy in here."

Logan grunted, Kurt purpled ever so slightly, and Charles looked amused. "Of course. It shouldn't take too long to find something suitable." He turned slightly. "Kurt?"

The blue teenager disappeared in a puff of smoke and came back a moment later with a pair of pants. "Here you go."

Naruto smiled happily. "Thanks. Do you mind if I widen the hole slightly? My tail takes more room than yours."

Kurt shrugged. "I don't mind. They are a little too short for me anyvay."

Naruto snorted in amusement. "And since I am shorter than you, they'll probably fit me better. Fair enough." He widened the hole in the back of the jeans with his claws and calmly put them on, not caring that the others were there. Once they were on, he found that they were too long by several inches. He snorted in annoyance but didn't say anything. He did glare at Logan somewhat when he smirked though.

Charles decided that now was a good time to find out what Naruto had spoken of before. "What did you mean when you said that Logan is not a mutant?"

Naruto shrugged. "I wasn't quite right when I said that. He isn't entirely human, but the part of him that is human is definitely a mutant. Does that make sense?" He seemed to consider it for a long moment.

Logan snorted. "So what do you think I am if I'm not human?"

Naruto smiled slightly. "I said you're not completely human. Part of you is something else."

Logan snorted and rolled his eyes. "Then what is the part that's not human, Fox?"

Naruto shrugged calmly. "Ookami."

Logan stared at him, while Kurt just stood off to the side, looking confused. Finally, Logan spoke. "Wolf?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Wolf youkai to be precise. It's somewhere in your ancestry. I think your mutant abilities may have boosted some of the advantages you would have had even if the part that is human wasn't a mutant."

Logan glared ever so slightly while Charles spoke up. "Do you mean that Logan would have had all his abilities even if he wasn't a mutant?"

Naruto nodded. "Youkai typically have stronger senses and a much faster healing rate. The more powerful full-blooded youkai can even transform." He looked slightly pained as he said this, but didn't elaborate.

Charles calmly studied the fox-boy as he looked around the Infirmary. " Logan?"

Logan considered it for a long moment and then took a step forward. Naruto's head whipped around at the motion. He may have decided that he would trust Logan at his back, but that didn't mean he liked having the slightly feral man come too close. Logan stopped far enough away that Naruto was able to relax marginally, but he was still quite alert.

"Relax, fox. There's something I wanted to show you." Naruto nodded, but kept a wary eye on Logan. Logan calmly let his claws out, startling the jumpy fox even more. Naruto studied him for a long moment, wondering what the point was. "Just watch." Naruto watched as Logan retracted his claws again and was startled to realize that the skin that had split to let them out was healing.

Naruto considered the demonstration for a long moment. "Yes, your healing is definitely much faster than that of any youkai I know of."

Charles nodded. "So this means that Logan's mutant abilities merely boost some of the abilities he would have already had?"

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yes, quite a bit." He turned slightly to speak to Logan. "By observation, I'd say that your senses are about as good as mine, and your healing is slightly faster. Your mutant ability probably accounts for both, but even with that, I wouldn't think your healing would be quite that fast." He considered it for a long moment, not looking away from Logan, who simply met his gaze. "Did something particularly traumatic happen to you? Your body might have sped up your healing even more than it was in defense."

Logan thought about it and nodded. "Probably when I got adamantium grafted to my skeleton."

Naruto considered that for a long moment before nodding in agreement. "Well, you had your questions answered, we established that I won't attack someone—" pain flashed in his eyes for a moment, "—and Kurt gave me something to put on. Is there any reason I can't get some sleep?"

Charles raised an eyebrow at that. "If you are tired, we could have easily delayed having our questions answered. All you would have had to do was say something."

Naruto shrugged. "I thought it was easier to take care of it all now instead of later. It makes everything simpler." He yawned widely, showing off sharp teeth. "Well, goodnight. I'll talk to you later." Without another word, he calmly curled into a ball and fell asleep.

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AN: I won't update this nearly as often as 'Neko', but I honestly like this story. I won't abandon it, I just won't get new chapters out for it nearly as often.