Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.
Author Note: I know I disappoint my readers. Many of my readers still have hope in me as a writer, which I am really grateful and thankful to. I tried my best to write a good piece of literature, but I have failed so many times. I am still learning and I hope this piece would not be such a disappointment. Please enjoy.
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"Where am I?"
Naruto was surveying the unfamiliar forest with a heavy heart. There were many peculiar things about this strange world that vex the blond. The energy, for one, circulating in the air felt different. It was palpable and dense, much like nature's energy. When he looked up, he saw a stream of particles gliding across the atmosphere.
During the war, Naruto had awakened something dormant within him. The Rinne Tensei Sharingan. Anybody could easily mistake those eyes as that of the Juubi's, but on closer inspection, one would notice the azure hue that illuminated from them.
When Kaguya saw those eyes, she knew Naruto was a threat that must be annihilated at all cost, simply because he had ascended to a state beyond her imagination. Naruto couldn't blame her for being afraid. Hell, he was afraid of what he was capable of.
After Naruto was cast into this mysterious world, there was something that scared him.
He had not once heard Kurama's voice. He tried searching for him in his mindscape, screaming even till his voice was raspy, but there was no response. Just an eerie silence inside an empty sewer. It was frightening for Naruto to think that his lifelong companion who had gone through all kinds of ups and downs with him was gone. For the first time since he had graduated from the academy, Naruto felt completely and utterly alone.
Trudging through the woods with half-hearted vigour for the past hour, Naruto had finally decided to end his venture. He was no longer the buoyant child who aspired to be Hokage. Wars changed people and Naruto was no exception. He was jaded and humbled.
"I wonder what would Ero-sennin say if he found out I wasn't the saviour he thought I would be." Naruto let out a lifeless chuckle and sat down against a tree. "I guess life can't get any better than this."
Ever had the moment where you believed God had a twisted sense of humour in your plight?
Right after Naruto had bantered about the pinch he was in, an ear-piercing roar flooded the forest. Naruto saw a flock of birds from afar scooted away in fright from whatever that was coming.
Years of battles had sharpened and honed his instincts. Naruto could discern danger even before any shit hit the fan. He knew something big was coming.
He hated that he was right.
A colossal creature had swooped down from the empyreal blue sky and landed right before the startled blond. Its massive pair of wings could easily blot out the sun. Scales that were black as night and talons that could easily rip boulders apart, the monster was, for a lack of better word, terrifying. Naruto wasn't fazed per se, but he was really annoyed that the entire world seemed to be conspiring against him.
Kaguya had managed to hurl his ass to some godforsaken dimension and he didn't even know how to get back. With nobody to dispel the Infinite Tsukuyomi, his world was good as dead. He had lost everything! All he wanted to do now was to catch a breather. Was he reaching for the stars? Yes, apparently, because a dragon decided that lunch was served.
"I'm not lunch, if that's what you're thinking." Naruto crossed his arms and peered up at the condescending gaze of the dragon. The beast studied him thoughtfully, as if digesting what he had just said. One thing was for sure; the black dragon had a huge ego to boot, if its prideful sneer was anything to go by.
The titanic beast dropped his enormous jaw and let out another rumbling roar that shook the earth.
Naruto stood his ground, crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow, unperturbed by the dragon's outburst. Was the beast trying to intimidate him? The blond was fucked six ways to Sunday after all the shit he had been through, so he would be damned if he let a dragon screw him over. Squaring his shoulders, the blond furrowed his brows into an irritated scowl. "If you want to eat me, you have to work for it."
Allowing his ungodly powers to react to his ire, Naruto unleashed a tsunami of raw energy that blew everything in his vicinity away. The black dragon tensed up. Naruto knew the monster was bewildered by his temerity. Most people would shit themselves if a fifty feet tall dragon showed up from nowhere. The beast probably expected him to cower in fear like any ordinary person would.
But he wasn't ordinary.
He was Uzumaki Fuckin' Naruto.
"You look like you can give a biju a run for their money, so I'm not gonna go easy on you."
Naruto knitted chakra with a series of hand-seals before he spat out a sea of hot inferno at the beast. "Katon: Goka Mekkyaku!" (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)
The surging flame was akin to a famished demon, devouring and incinerating anything in its warpath. Naruto could hear the dragon's shrill cry as the relentless fire consumed its gargantuan frame. The blond wasn't naïve to think that the beast would keel over so easily. Without hesitation, he hoisted a hand up and watched as the ground cracked open.
Naruto still marvelled at what he could do. Gone were the days where he was labelled a failure. Now, he could do wonders with his newfound powers and that include creating an enormous arm made up of earthen debris and dislodged segments of a levelled forest. A proud smirk tugged at Naruto's lips as he pulled back his fist.
The gigantic arm did the same.
"Doton: Kyojin no Ikari!" (Earth Release: Wrath of the Titan)
Naruto shot his fist forward and the ginormous appendage mimicked his movement. As anticipated, the black dragon dispersed the flames with its claws, as if unfurling curtains of scorching fire. Naruto never expected the dragon to plough through the mountainous appendage with such effortless grace though. It expelled out a triumphant roar and glared with great disdain at the blond.
Well, so much for Plan A. Plan B it is, then. Channelling his limitless chakra into his feet, Naruto leaped to the sky. The blond was taken aback when the black dragon launched itself at him like a vengeful missile.
This was not how Plan B was supposed to unfold!
Naruto didn't have time to retaliate before the furious dragon smash into him. Everything after that was a string of pain, spinning stars, blue sky, and more pain. When he came to, he was buried deep in a twenty-foot wide crater with rubbles piled atop him. Naruto shook his head to rid his migraine, clambered up to his full height, and groaned in exasperation. "I think that's his version of a sucker punch."
He glanced up and squinted; the black dragon hung itself in the air and blurt out a mocking croon. Umbrage flashed across Naruto's eyes and tremendous untamed chakra seeped out from his frame. "Hachimon Tonko no Jin!" (Eight Gates Released Formation)
Unlike Maito Guy, Naruto didn't suffer the repercussion of utilising such a dangerous technique. His body was constantly regenerating any tore muscle fibres or damaged organs at an incomprehensible pace, rendering him immune to the dreadful backlash. This meant his strength could easily be enhanced a hundred folds.
In a fraction of a second, Naruto had teleported several hundred feet above the ground, right before the baffled dragon. He positioned both of his fists right in front of the dragon's massive snout and discharged a devastating shockwave that blast the beast till kingdom come. "Shio no Hoko!" (Roar of the Lion King)
The dragon sailed across the atmosphere in a streak of black and blue, before it crashed into a mountain, which incited an avalanche that sent the earth trembling in trepidation. Naruto remained afloat in the air, hollering curses at the top of his lungs as he clutched his shaking arm.
Yes, he could probably regenerate a lost limb or two, but that didn't mean he was impervious to pain. And it was searing agony that shot right up his spine. He could even feel his bones rattle from the recoil of the sheer impact. It was foolhardy of him to even tread on something he had never tried before and it took all his willpower just to keep his consciousness intact. "This better be enough to send that overgrown lizard to the gallows."
Unfortunately, it didn't.
The black dragon emerged from the thick cloud of smoke, soared to the heavens, and spew out a blood-curdling roar that thundered across the continent.
Great. Instead of killing it, Naruto had made the dragon even madder.
Dropping his shoulders, the blond dispelled the perilous technique that was sponging off his chakra like it was nothing. He actually thought he had an immeasurable pool of chakra. Well, this technique sure as hell humbled him down a few notches, because right now, he was panting like a dog.
"You know what? Fuck me sideways! I'm not gonna take your shit anymore!" Naruto winced as he felt his body repaired itself.
Note to self: never do that painful shit again! Ever!
"Imbecile!" A grave voice thrummed.
Naruto blinked and a stilted silence followed; his pain forgotten.
The blond scratched his scalp and raised a confused brow, tilting his head in utter confusion. "Wait a sec. You talk?"
"I don't commune to inferiors, just like how humans don't put up a conversation with insects." The dragon huffed as it glowered heatedly at a bemused Naruto. "No human could possibly lay a scratch on me. But you! The way you fight and the unorthodox techniques that you used are anomalous to this world. You are not human, are you?"
"Who knows?" Naruto shrugged, allowing a coy smirk to curl at his lips. "I'm not even sure myself."
"Regardless, you have my attention! Be honoured, for I have not graced anybody with the slightest of interest for decades. I acknowledge your strength." The black dragon growled, contempt reeking from its eyes. "My name is Acnologia, the Dragon of the Apocalypse. Remember that name well and take that memory to your grave!"
In response, Naruto gave his knuckles a good crack and his haughty smile widened. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm the man who will kick that arrogant ass of yours. Violently."
The blond sauntered forward, his overwhelming chakra flared wildly, sending out seismic pulse of shockwaves that terrorised the entire forest.
Acnologia was stunned when his vision distorted, causing it to see a colossal, one-eyed monstrosity that had rose from perdition, with ten swaying tails that threatened to pierce the sky, and a wide menacing smile hung on its faceless features that would give the strongest of men nightmares.
The black dragon gritted its teeth; the sudden tightness in its chest was peeving. What was this… unnerving feeling?
Was it… fear?
"Let's end this. Monster to monster." Naruto said with unbridled enthusiasm as he thrust his hands forward, spread his palms wide open, and infused ungodly chakra into his fingertips, spawning an ominous black orb that emanate a shattering pressure, crushing anything and everything around its vicinity. Sweats were forming profusely on Naruto's forehead as he struggled to maintain the technique. "This thing packs enough power to erase even a moon. I never thought I would use it on anything, not even Kaguya, but you may just be the perfect guinea pig for this try-out."
Acnologia snapped out of its stupor. Fear? Him? What blasphemy! The black dragon was a superior being that stood above all creations! No mortals could possibly be considered a threat. Acnologia feared nobody! "Surrender, mortal. Your likes cannot hope to best me!"
"You know, for a dragon that doesn't like talking, you sure talk a lot." Naruto retorted, a cloak of divine energy enthralling him, augmenting his strength to insurmountable levels. The blond stabilised the shroud of transcendental energy, morphing it into a cape that was blazing with golden fire and draped over his shoulders. The whisker marks on his cheeks had thickened and his Rinne Tensei Sharingan radiated indomitable power.
"Know your place, vermin!" Acnologia lifted its head and opened its maw, swallowing tendrils of condensed magic particles that lingered in the atmosphere. The black dragon hissed as blue embers emerged from the side of its mouth. "Your end is now!"
"Rikudo: Ama no Habakiri!" (Six Path: Serpent Slayer of the High Heavens)
"Kokuryuo no Hoko!" (Roar of the Black Dragon King)
In an instance, the world exploded into flashes of blinding white.
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Everything escalated too quickly for Ikaruga's taste.
It was supposed to be routine for the swordswoman. She would take her regular afternoon strolls in the woods, enjoy the cool autumn breeze, and find a quiet place to mediate. Things were not supposed to blow up out of the blue.
In the midst of the chaos, Ikaruga saw everything.
The battle between the black dragon and the suicidal man was tantamount to a clash of two titans.
The forest that she was so familiar with, familiar enough to know every detail like the back of her hand, was now a hectare of flattened soil. Everything was pulverised and demolished. Nothing remained, except for a few dying flames that crackled quietly across the battlefield. Ikaruga didn't know how she survive the ordeal, but she did, and she was grateful to whatever higher beings out there looking out for her hide.
Ikaruga remained awfully still, hoping that if she didn't move a muscle, she would be invisible.
The black dragon had transformed into its human form after the battle. He was the victor, but he didn't come out unscathed. A good chunk of his torso, as well as his right arm were missing, yet he was standing around as if losing a body part or two was a normal occurrence.
His cold eyes drifted to Ikaruga, and she stiffened almost immediately.
Bollocks!
Ikaruga tore herself away from the man's piercing gaze, hastily taking a few steps back. This guy-dragon-thing was someone she didn't want to fuck with. Ikaruga was skilled with the sword and she prided herself for maintaining a track-record of being undefeated in a thousand battles, but she knew better than to challenge someone who could easily turn her into finger paint.
The man stared at her with apathy and jutted his chin at his opponent's unconscious form, as if gesturing her to pick him up. "Heal him. Do whatever it takes to make sure he lives. He didn't fight me at his best, but I know he can do much more. His death will only lead me to lose someone who could possibly be my equal, and I can't have that."
The swordswoman swallowed hard and shifted nervously. "W-What?"
"If he dies, I will collect your head." The man grinned, his eyes darting away from the apprehensive Ikaruga, but the murderous stench of bloodlust he gave off had amplified to unbearable degree, smothering the swordswoman and making her breathing difficult. "Don't forget. A dragon's nose can smell the faintest scent miles away. I can find you even if you're half way across this wretch planet, so don't bother running. After all, I am Acnologia, the Dragon of Apocalypse. Nothing runs away from me."
Ikaruga was fighting her urge to scramble back and backpedal to safety. She recognised that name. Acnologia. Tales of his deeds were surreal, almost fiction-like. The Black Dragon had raged upon the world like a vengeful god, destroying and burning everything that invoked his choler. No countries had dare opposed Acnologia, for fearing that their peace would meet its reign of terror.
The swordsman watched, gapping like a goldfish, as the man transformed into its dragon form, and took off in a burst of pure speed, disappearing to the sky.
X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X
Naruto hated it when he woke up with a throbbing head that felt like someone had just clobbered him with a sledgehammer. His visage was scrunched up, but he kept his eyes close as a pained groan escaped his cracked lips.
His memories were hazy.
Kaguya, infinite tsukuyomi, strange world, random dragon appears, fighting random dragon, random dragon talks, getting ass handed to-
Wait? What?
Blue eyes snapped open and Naruto jolted from his rest, but regretted it immediately when a wave of agony stung his abdomen. The blond hissed in pain and examined his bandaged chest, his peripheral vision caught sight of a pink-haired woman ducking out of the bathroom. "Oh, you're awake."
Naruto frowned, his eyes started exploring every corner of the rundown motel room frantically. "W-Who are you? What happened?"
"I'm Ikaruga." The woman enunciated her name softly and she ambled towards the blond, handing him a cup of warm liquid. "Here, drink this. It will help you speed up your recovery."
When Naruto was about to drink the beverage, the pungent aroma hit his nose and he instinctively flinched, eyeing the cup in disgust. "What the hell is in this? It smells like poison."
"My secret recipe. Don't worry though. There's no poison inside, if that's what you're thinking. Here." The swordswoman really wanted to shoot something derogatory at the blond for his crudeness, but she couldn't bother arguing. She heaved an exhausted sigh, seized the cup from Naruto's grasp, and took a delicate sip, cementing the fact that she had not laced the herbal tea with poison. "If I want to kill you, you're already dead."
"Sorry about that. It's just that drinking bitter things is not really my preference." Naruto scratched his scalp sheepishly and accepted the steaming cup back with a grateful nod.
Ikaruga waved a dismissive hand and a saccharine smile graced her lips. "No offence taken. Now quit being a baby and drink it while it's hot."
Naruto nodded dumbly and took a big swig from the cup. Ikaruga thought the enigmatic blond would be making comical faces after consuming that bitter tea she had brewed, but she was surprised when he kept a straight face after downing the cup.
"Thanks for saving me." Naruto offered a weak smile and his wistful eyes drifted to the empty cup he was cradling between his hands. "I'm Naruto."
Ikaruga plopped down beside the blond, crossing her slender legs with bewitching grace, and rested her elbow on her knee, studying his comely features with piqued curiosity. "So, Naruto, what are you?"
His eyes met hers, blatant confusion was written all over his expression. "I don't quite understand-"
"It's not every day a man would be foolish enough to challenge a dragon to a duel." The swordswoman drawled. "Especially not Acnologia. That dragon was evil incarnate. He never misses his targets. If he wanted to lay siege on a town, he makes sure everything dies. But here you are, breathing and kicking. You may possibly be the only one who survived a fight with that monster."
Naruto cocked a brow. "So… is that a good thing?"
"I wouldn't say there is anything bad about it." Ikaruga narrowed her eyes. "But that does beg the question. What magic did you use in your fight?"
The blond gave the swordswoman an odd glance. "Magic?"
"Yeah," Ikaruga said tightly, impatience colouring her every so subtle movement.
"I'm not sure if I follow."
The swordswoman sighed. "I understand. You don't want me to know-"
"No, you're getting it wrong. If you're asking me what techniques I used to fight that overgrown lizard, I'm happy to tell you. There's nothing secretive about it. But I sure as hell did not use magic. They ain't real."
Ikaruga faltered. "W-What? Wait, are you listening to yourself? Magic isn't real? Did you hit your head too hard when you fought the dragon? Or is there, I'm just guessing here, some kind of medication that you maybe need a lot of and have taken none of?"
Naruto glanced at the swordswoman with amusement glinting in his eyes. "Yeah, about that. Now it all makes sense. Well, truth is, I'm not from this world."
Ikaruga blinked, slowly. "Okay… Where are you from? Bosco? Fiore?"
He told her everything and he was glad she had kept quiet listening. It was a rather lengthy explanation, one moment he was talking fondly about his godfather, and next his face would turn sour upon mentioning Sasuke.
"…so, I did what I have to do. Sasuke tried to help me. They all did, but it was just too much for them. I did land the killing blow on Kaguya. Well, at least I think I did. It's just too confusing for me. She saw me as her son, and something inside me wanted to be that, but she tried to kill me. I have to put her down. I'm not saying what I did was justifiable, and at that moment, I didn't believe a discourse would deter her away from enslaving the world, but I feel that I have no choice. She took away everything from me, and even threw me here, so why should I feel guilty killing her? I just… I just don't think I deserve all this shit. I want an end. You understand it, right?"
No. Ikaruga didn't understand one bit of what he said, but she also couldn't interrupt. Not when Naruto was sombre and sad. His mind was worlds away and she just didn't have the heart to take that moment away from him.
Ikaruga knew Naruto was a broken man.
There was a silence that followed, neither one made any effort to comment on anything else.
Naruto's eyes jerked up and down, giving Ikaruga an appraising look that was subtle enough for her not to notice. Her pink hair really reminded him of Sakura. If Sakura was cute and brawls personified, then Ikaruga would certainly be the embodiment of beauty and elegance. She held herself with the regal grace of an aristocrat, yet she didn't reek of arrogance. Ikaruga had that innate charisma that made people opened up to her.
"We all want a way out." Ikaruga said softly, breaking up the tension. It occurred to her that she should ease off the pressure and offered her side of the story. "My biological parents dump me in front of a monastery when I was a baby. They didn't even bother giving me a blanket, and it was raining very heavily that night, so I've heard. The abbot in the temple was a practitioner of an ancient sword technique. It was coincidence, really, that I could understand the underlying principles of his kenjutsu style, while the others fail to do so. My last training involves surpassing the master and that means killing him."
Naruto gasped. "You-"
"Yes. I killed him. I killed the man who saved me when I was abandoned, raised me up when there was no one to do so, fed me when I was hungry, clothed me when I was cold, gave me a roof over my head, and most of all, treated me as if I was his own daughter. I killed him in cold blood, Naruto." Ikaruga smiled weakly at the blond with haunted eyes. "And not one day did I sleep without waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweats and crying."
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not, and you don't-"
Naruto grabbed Ikaruga's hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "I do. I understand how it felt when you lose someone you cherish and respect. That pain will always be there, and it won't go away, but we can do well to numb it."
Ikaruga choked up herself a little, but she mustered the courage to stifle it and managed a weak smile. "Thank you."
"No, thank you." Naruto straightened; Ikaruga had not belaboured much about his past and accepted it without any hassle. "If it wasn't for you, I would have killed myself."
The blond wasn't joking; he had every intention to die in the battle with Acnologia, but Ikaruga's intrusion into his rather chaotic life was really godsend. Perhaps his life had a new purpose? Hopefully, fingers-crossed, nothing dramatic this time. When a yawn escaped his mouth, Naruto noticed something perturbing; the room only had one queen-size bed. "So… what's the plan for the night?"
The swordswoman blinked, registering what the blond meant before realisation struck her. An impish grin played about her lips as she peered closely at him, all traces of sorrow had vanished from her beautiful features. "What do you suggest?"
Naruto was feeling nervous all of a sudden and he dithered. "W-Well, I can sleep on the couch-"
"You're injured. You must sleep on the bed." Ikaruga's smirk widened. "With me."
"W-What?"
"Oh, come on. You never slept with a fine woman like me before?"
"Well…"
Ikaruga blinked, before she threw her head back and let out a wholehearted guffaw. "W-Wait, are you telling me that you're a virgin?"
Naruto's cheek was flushing red and he averted his gaze.
The swordswoman ceased her laughter and leaned even closer to the blond, startling him; he could even feel her warm breath brushing across his neck. She liked it when he was all fidgety and anxious. "There is nothing embarrassing about that. I am too."
Naruto's blush only deepened.
Ikaruga giggled and crawled her way underneath the blanket, adding sways to her hip while she was at it. Naruto had caught the innuendo shot at him, he wasn't that oblivious, but he tried not to overreact. When Ikaruga had tucked herself to bed, she patted the vacant space beside her with a playful smile. "What are you waiting for? Time for bed."
Naruto hesitated; it didn't help when her choice of attire happened to be a white negligee that revealed all of her womanly curves, and it really embellished her exotic beauty and made her look ravishing. The blond shook that thought away and reluctantly nestled himself beside the swordswoman.
"I won't bite, my dear." Ikaruga caressed Naruto's cheek and traced small circles on his whisker marks. "It still doesn't change the fact that I will cut your hand off if you try something funny. We clear?"
"Crystal," Naruto responded tightly.
The swordswoman smiled before she closed her eyes.
Naruto didn't quite understand the uneasiness in his chest. Talking to Ikaruga made him nausea. In Konoha, Naruto never had any problems talking to girls. It was not like the blond was oblivious to the notion of sex; he just didn't have the time to care. When the war dragged on, he became an instant sensation to the female population and he still kept his cool despite the attention he received. The girls thought he was suave, but he was really just being himself.
Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed softly. His battle with Acnologia had probably jumbled up his mind real good. He just needed some time to rest, recuperate and re-organize his thoughts.
He still had a long day tomorrow.
I hope you can post a review and let me know how did this story go.
Pairings for this story
1.) NarutoXIkaruga
2.) NarutoXErza
3.) NarutoXLucy
4.) NarutoXKyouka
5.) NarutoXCana
6.) NarutoXMirajane
7.) NarutoXUltear
8.) NarutoXBrandish
9.) NarutoXPrincess Hisui
10.) NarutoXHarem
We'll see how this story turns out.
Please review.