Nosy Pig

"Well, well," came a voice from behind Sakura. She turned to see Ino, arms folded, looking at her extremely smugly. "My eyes must be playing tricks on me, because it looked to me like you just kissed that brat, Naruto. Being all sweet with your new boy toy? What would Sasuke-kun think?"

Sakura gritted her teeth. She couldn't care less about the Sasuke tease, but she wouldn't stand her mocking her Master. Naruto had become her everything now. I'll teach her to insult my Master, Sakura thought to herself. But suddenly a lightbulb went off...Or maybe I should teach her something about submitting to him. A sly grin spread across her face at the idea.

Ino noticed it but continued with her insincere concern, "I just worry for you, billboard brow- just wanting to make sure you hadn't hit your head."

"Hey Ino," Sakura interjected with a cheerful tone, "there is something I want to talk to you about."

"Uhh, yeah. What's up?" the Yamanaka girl asked, caught off guard, not just by the redirection, but by the lack of hostilities for her teasing.

"Actually, it's something I'd rather talk in a little more private place, follow me."

Without warning, Sakura grabbed Ino's hand, and took off at a decent pace.

"Hey!" Ino objected at being yanked. She tried to break free but found Sakura's grip surprisingly strong. "Slow down! Where are we even going?"

Ino noticed Sakura seem to mull the question over as she continued to pull her along, as if she was picking her destination on the fly.

"To the training grounds."

"You know, you're acting kinda weird," Ino commented. "Is everything alright?"

This time, Sakura stopped before answering. She turned back to face her rival. Even after all their fighting, nasty words, and now her transformation, Ino was still her best friend. Sakura cared for her and had already forgiven her for mocking Naruto. And now she was going to help open her friend's eyes. But Sakura couldn't say that or explain any of it, and certainly not out here in public. And Ino wouldn't even understand any of it at the moment. There were so many things she wanted to say but she couldn't. Not here, not quite yet. For now, Sakura held her tongue.

"I just found a new outlook on life is all," Sakura replied with a slight blush.

"And it's because of Naruto?" Ino asked in a cheeky voice. She couldn't help but prod on that front.

"Well, kind of. It's what I wanted to talk to you about." And with that she took the lead again.

"Oh... alright."

Ino was perplexed by Sakura seeming completely indifferent to her bait. She also noticed the way Sakura was carrying herself now, there was a bounce in the Haruno girl's step that hadn't been there for weeks. It was the first time since Sasuke had left the village that she'd seen Sakura truly up beat. Ino was happy for her friend but she couldn't shake this feeling that something was a off about her. It probably had to do whatever she planned to tell her. The more she contemplated it, the more intrigued she became by what this secret might be. It clearly involved Naruto. But beyond that, she had no clue.

Ino continued to silently speculate till they reached the training grounds. Sakura finally let go of Ino's hand as she stopped. She glanced around the clearing, making sure no one else was around. Ino casually leaned against a tree, awaiting some sort of reveal.

"So, what's this big secret?"

Sakura stepped in close, like she was about to whisper something. Ino's eyes widened with anticipation. But, before she knew what was happening, Sakura had swiftly pinned her to the tree with one arm and had covered her mouth with her free hand. Not that Sakura needed to hush her, the poor girl was stunned into silence. This can't be Sakura, was all that raced through Ino's mind before her thoughts were interrupted by Sakura biting her neck. Ino tried to scream but was muffled by Sakura's hand.

"Don't worry, I just marked you is all" Sakura calmly explained, as if she hadn't just assaulted her.

Ino was now reeling in pain and confusion, and continued to scream into the hand covering her mouth. Sakura gazed at her sympathetically.

"I know it hurts, but it'll all make sense soon."

"What the fuck are you talking about?!?" Ino shrieked back, or rather tried to. All that came out where a series of bewildered "mmhhmmphhs". Sakura still seemed to get the gist.

"I guess there's no harm in showing you now."

Ino watched in anguished fascination as Sakura's pupils morphed into slits. Her fingers seemed to lengthen and her nails became claw like. She started to grow, both in height and in form. And lastly her typical outfit melted into crimson robes. Finally she noticed a tailed popped into sight over Sakura's shoulder.

"This, was my secret," the revealed Sakura said as she pulled her hand away from Ino's mouth. "I have been blessed by Nine-tailed Fox in the most wonderful way, and now I've prepared you to join me at his side."

"What?" Ino snapped back. "You-you...uhhhh..."

Her speech began to slur. She tried to form a cohesive thought, but her mind felt sluggish and tired. Everything was simultaneously happening both too fast and too slow. Her heart was beating so fast, her clothes were strangling her, it felt like she was having a hot flash. But suddenly, she heard it. Soft, deep murmurs in her head. She couldn't understand what it was saying but she felt a need to listen. She must listen. She would listen. The whispers kept coming, creeping into her thoughts. The more she listened, the more she had to focus on them, the less she thought. Her eyes began to gloss over and her shoulders slumped.

"There we go," Sakura cooed as she stroked Ino's cheek with the back of her hand. "You can hear his words ringing through your mind, can't you? Our Master's-you belong to him now. You know it's true, no need to fight it."

Something about what Sakura said felt wrong, yet...

"I...belong?" the bitten girl sighed.

Her whole body tingled at what she uttered.

"That's right. You belong to our Master," the kitsune asserted. " You are now bound to him, as am I. Do you understand?"

"Yes..." Ino answered with a slow nod.

It felt so good, so right, to agree.

The whispers had grown louder, becoming a deafening chorus in her brain, echoing what Sakura was telling her. Declaring to her that she belonged to the Kyuubi. Branding her as the fox's ****. Ino couldn't deny it. She didn't want to. This is what she was meant to be. Knowledge flooded into her and she eagerly absorbed it. She was marked as a vixen of the Kyuubi. Serving the Nine-Tailed Fox was now her purpose and greatest pleasure. Sakura, being a kitsune, was directly linked to the Fox and thus, her Mistress. Her entire ambition was to be serve her superiors well enough that she might be blessed into becoming a kitsune too and be directly linked to her Master. That was all she wanted anymore.

Meanwhile, Sakura watched attentively as Ino processed these truths. Staring into her blue eyes, now dull and glazed over. Enjoying her chanting the mantras the Fox's magic was telling her in a whisper.

"I am a vixen... I belong to the Kyuubi.... I serve the Kyuubi and his Kitsunes.... I am a vixen..."

After several minutes, Ino closed her eyes as she fell silent. The mental sculpting had exhausted the poor girl, but she seemed to have fully embraced it. A dreamy smile formed on her lips. Sakura released her, but Ino was out cold and would've collapsed to the ground had the pinkette not caught her and gently rested her against the base of the tree.

"Welcome to the family."