Chapter 2: Mixed Up

Disclaimer: I own about as much as a poor college student should...*sob*

Beta'd by: TenshinG and Fan-Of-FictionX01

Author's Notes: This story is currently undergoing extensive revisions. If you are a new reader and notice that there are inconsistencies in the subsequent chapters please refer to the Author's Notes to ensure that you are not reading the outdated version. If you still have a problem with the story be sure to leave it in a review; I read them all and will address your issues to help understand the flaws of my story so that I don't make them again in the future.


-Bodhum: Guardian Corps Headquarters-

A man in his late thirties, wearing a formal dress uniform, stared long and hard at the glass before him.

"Sergeant Jenkins?" He called out, addressing the man to his right who had been standing at attention with his chest held high.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"What is this?" The Lieutenant asked.

"That would be the man who broke into the PSICOM L'cie Research Facility sir." He replied, his words gesturing to the teen seated at a table on the other side of the glass.

A heavy silence filled the room as the commanding officer continued to stare at the blond struggling to find a way to get rid of an itchy nose without using his hands. Defeat rang off the sound that left the Lieutenant's lips. He could already see the future clusterfuck forming in his mind's eye.

"...God damn it, why are my men such idiots?"

The Sergeant blinked. "Sir?"


Deep in the forest of Bodhum, a figure wearing a cap and scarf suddenly appeared within the beams of Phoenix's moonlight, making a quick survey of his surroundings. Only when he deemed the coast was clear did the figure allow himself to smooth his stance; heaving the scarf from his face as if had been lit aflame to reveal the whisker marks underneath.

Naruto inhaled sharply. Spending a whole day with that thing on his face had been absolute murder. Sure it looked cool but that quickly became offset by the way it restricted his breathing and trapped the smell of saliva into his nostrils. He held a new sense of respect for his master, Kakashi, for being able to stand wearing a mask every second of every day.

Walking over to a nearby tree, Naruto pushed the thought of his sensei away from his mind as he slumped against its trunk to relax. Lazily, he brought a hand up to his eye. Blue light converged at the center of his palm; spiraling faster and faster before eventually sputtering out of existence. He willed the technique to form once more only to be met with similar results.

What had happened in that alleyway had not been a fluke. Enough time had passed since his arrival to back up that claim. His chakra, the power that symbolized his ability to protect those he cared for, was not working.

Another hand connected with his outstretched one to form a cross shape. Eyes momentarily shut, sensing the energy within him pulling in the direction that the seal commanded.

A sigh of relief echoed throughout the clearing when he bore witness to the familiar plume of smoke erupt at his feet.

"Hey boss, you okay? You aren't looking so hot." The clone voiced in concern for its creator.

The original didn't bother to respond. The answer was rather obvious after all.

His chakra had only been the tip of the iceberg. Everything, from the people to the air itself felt...wrong; unfamiliar. Here things that he'd only ever seen in his imagination were owned by kids across the street; plain and ordinary. It was mind boggling to say the least.

A slight chuckle raised his chest as his attention turned back to the doppelganger (who at this point had grown bored and started making sand castles with the nearby sand). "At least I can still summon Kage Bushin..."

Gears began to clink together, drowning out the calls of the nocturnal fauna.

"That's it!" Naruto cried out as he leapt up in realization. The suddenness of the action startled the clone causing him to destroy the mound of sand and leaves that he had been painstakingly building.

Summoning! That was it! He made a contract with toads. A connection that allowed him to call upon them at will; a case that was true for the opposite party in the agreement as well.

Gleefully, he dispelled his clone to bring his reserves back up to their maximum capacity. The likes of which would have been overkill under most circumstances but with his chakra acting as strangely as it was he wasn't comfortable leaving such an important moment to chance.

Without any further distractions, Naruto bit his thumb. The dripping of the blood melted away into the speeding array of hand signs.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Technique)," a spider web of inky black seals birthed out of Naruto's palm. Plumes of smoke filled the clearing to reveal...

...Nothing.

Not a single thing had come from the technique that he'd learned in preparation for the Chunin Exams.

The Uzumaki brought his head down to the forest floor just in case he'd spawned something exceptionally small, but try as he might, not even something as meager as a tadpole could be found.

How strange. Even as a Genin he had been able to achieve that much.

Perhaps he just needed to try again using more chakra.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Again and again and again the young sage tried to bring out his companions. At this point he wasn't even banking on summoning anyone specifically and had instead resorted to just hoping that anyone would answer his call. Even if it was the tiniest of tadpoles then at least he'd be able to tell it to have someone reverse summon him once it got back to Mount Myoboku.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto cried out once again, streams of moisture barreling down his brow. His monumental reserves were beginning to stretch thin as he forced more and more chakra into each subsequent technique.

Thinking back to his childhood, Naruto recalled the first instance where he legitimately used the technique to its full potential. "Hey, you stupid overgrown fur ball stop lying on your ass and give me a hand already!"

His own thoughts were the reply to his mental outburst. The fox was proving to be even more of a stingy prick than usual.

"...Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Kuchiyose no...no...no..." whilst in the middle of his incantation Naruto's outstretched palm compressed into a fist. "No!" The likes of which whipped around to strike one of the many trees outlining the clearing; wood and bark flying as the mighty symbol of nature folded underneath Naruto's rage induced might.

"Fucking no!" Strings of curses decorated the blonde's lips. A searing heat filling him as he began to lay waste to his surroundings.

He couldn't summon toads anymore.

During his earlier years as a shinobi, summoning had become one of those things he had learned to count on. That fateful day, so many years ago, he hadn't imaged that the move he'd considered lame at the time would have played such a huge role in his life. With the toads of Mount Myoboku at his side the young Uzumaki had found something more valuable than any flashy jutsu he could have been given: Companions that would fight for him for a life time.

To a boy who had grown up not knowing the meaning of lasting bonds, the contract had become more than just a powerful tool. It had been a gift. A legacy that he could truly be proud of being a part of.

Discovering that he couldn't summon anymore went beyond the despair accompanying his inability to get back home. The greatest gift his Godfather had left him with, the very thing that he had hoped he would be able to pass on to his children in the future had been rendered worthless.

To make matters worse, the toads – comrades that he had grown with for years – had now just been added to the list of people he had lost. And while they weren't dead like the others, the fact that he could not establish contact with them no matter how hard he tried might as well have been the same thing in his eyes.

A boulder several times larger than a human careened through the air at astounding speeds, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. At its source Naruto stood burdened by labored breaths. His brow drenched in sweat. The clothes he'd used to evade Bodhum's Guardian forces caked in dirt and debris.

It was then, after such a tremendous display of strength, that the blonde's legs collapsed under his own weight. Face down in the dirt, one of Naruto's hands scrapped up a handful of leaves in its steely grasp. The fist coming down with little force, and yet the earth gave way under it; leaving a small crater upon the forest floor.

What had he struggled all this time for? Building himself up from nothing, dedicating his life to becoming more than just a dead last. Only for this to happen just when he thought he could make a difference.

"...Why is this happening to me?" Naruto mumbled out, allowing exhaustion to claim him. His heart heavy with grief; blinding him to what he'd just done.


-Festival Stadium: The Next Day-

The tournament's final contestants stood at attention at the center of the arena. The crowds were howling like animals. A screen came to life over the heads of the students, a figure decorated in an elaborate headdress and gown coming into view. Immediately the mad raving fell like water through the cracks; melting away as if it were never there to begin with.

"We have gathered here on this day in celebration. Many of you have reveled in the festivities or partaken in the bounty this fine city has to offer. As you should be, for this is a joyous occasion. Nevertheless, do not forget why we are here. The Festival of New Light is not about food or drink: it is about sacrifice. The sacrifice that all men and women make in order for peace to exist within our utopia. But most of all, beyond that, today is about our future; and the future of the young people before you who have earned their position in this festival's tournament. They are here because they have dedicated their lives to the cause, to fight so that others will not have to. This day is for them."

As the screen went dark the boisterousness of the stadium attendees returned full force.

High up, above the excitement, the very same man who had just delivered the speech drifted back onto his throne.

A portly man leaned over the observation deck, surveying the reaction with a sense of awe. "An absolutely wonderful speech your eminence, you really know how to energize a crowd."

"Quite." The Primarch stated, his cheek resting on an open palm; the talons of his hand drumming away at his staff.

Seeing that the elder was making no effort to progress the conversation the portly man decided to take it upon himself to introduce a new topic of discussion. "Right, I do hope the lodgings I provided were to your liking."

The figurehead of the Sanctum hardly gave a glance toward the Mayor's direction. "Yes, the service was very suitable for someone of the likes of you."

"Yes well, while I'm sure our level of sophistication pales in comparison to anything found in the High Seat of Cocoon, I like to think that Bodhum is a cut above the rest in terms of luxury," His stance reaching a touch taller.

"I can imagine such a popular tourist destination would require such extravagance to function." The Primarch droned out with a sigh; hoping his tone would illustrate his lack of interest in the conversation. Unfortunately, from the way the portly man's eyes began to twinkle in excitement the action appeared to have had the opposite effect.

"But of course!" The man chuckled. "Nowadays it seems like I can't sign away approvals for all the hotels fast enough to match the number of visitors we take in during the holidays. In fact, just this year, we nearly tied with Nautilus in the latest public poll for 'the most highly acclaimed' vacation spot."

"Fascinating."

"Isn't it?" The Mayor was about to go off on another tangent but was interrupted by the sound of automatic doors opening to his right. Yaag Rosch's slender form marching in without any heed to the "important conversation" that had been going on prior to his arrival.

"And why would a dog from PSICOM feel the need to butt their way into a non-Pulse related occasion?" The overweight man asked venomously. The officer merely stood at attention, not bothering to answer the question.

"At ease, I can personally vouch for this man's presence. He and I have very important matters to discuss."

"Well then, I suppose I can allow it just this once."

"Your blessings are most appreciated, that being said, our conversation is very sensitive so if you would-?" The man gestured in the direction of the door.

The Mayor moved as if he were about to protest the order. His words failing him the moment he realized who he was talking to. Saying anything unfavorable now would only serve to hamper the growth of the relationship that he'd been building with the elder this entire time.

"As you wish," he expressed curmudgeonly, strolling over to the door, hesitating for just a moment before bowing to the Primarch and exiting the observation deck. "If you'll excuse me, I shall...take my leave."

"I don't believe that was necessary your eminence." Rosch offered without breaking his stoic disposition. "This is his city after all. He deserves to know what is happening within it."

"Nonsense. Men of his stature are far too invested in clawing their way to the top of the political hierarchy to muster any care for issues such as these. His incessant attempt to win my favor by boasting of his city's achievements would have only served to complicate things." Galenth Dysley insisted while attention shifted over to the door to confirm that he and the PSICOM Officer were truly alone in this conversation.

"Of course, I apologize for speaking out of turn."

"Think nothing of it."

"You are too kind."

"Yes, yes now how goes our little problem?"

"As of right now the suspect is still at large your grace. Currently, our only leads are reports of a disturbance being heard from Bodhum's outlying forest. Local security is heading there to investigate as we speak."

"Excellent." Dysley stated as he hollowly surveyed the randomization process for the up and coming tournament match ups. "I would assume that you were able to procure some footage of the subject."

Rosch did not miss the elder's use of "subject" instead of "suspect" but did not bother to voice his observation. "By Sanctum procedure, to ensure the safety of soldiers and civilians alike, all interaction with potential criminal activity is captured via heads up display."

"Save the pleasantries and just hand me the tape." He said with his ever-present even tone.

"Right away sir," The PSICOM official said while slipping a hand into his pocket to reveal a data-pad with the video already prepped and ready to go.

Without any further ado the Primarch started the clip. His tired eyes were now giving their full attention to the events transpiring on film instead of the stadium below, "Interesting." The video depicted the moment that - a very much trapped blonde - suddenly disappeared before several highly trained Guardians in a flash, "Very interesting."


-Back in the Forest-

A beam of light struck our protagonist across the face, rousing an unsatisfied groan out of him. His form rolling away and beyond the range of the annoyance of the light's glare.

Naruto would have gone back to sleep right then and there but his shinobi-trained senses would not allow him to do so.

Vibrations reverberated through the earth and into the body of the Uzumaki. A metallic tang stood out amongst the overwhelming scent of wood and moisture, vegetation snapping with little regard for masking the party's presence.

All of these were very clear signs of people traveling through the brush.

Naruto immediately froze. Shielded by the irregularity of nature any normal person would be hard pressed to pin down his location when there was no motion to give away his position. At this point in time bugging out would be far too risky. For all he knew they could very well just be a couple of fair goers who had decided to take a break from the excitement.

"Hoooooolllyyyy crap, get a load of this!"

"Whoa, what happened? Looks like a tornado tore through this place."

"Can't be sure, but I'll bet that whatever caused this is the thing that lead to all those calls we got this morning." Naruto internally cursed. Well there went his hopes of it being some random civilians.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Next pay check says I'm right."

"Yeah, I'll pass on that. I've heard rumors about your record with bets and I don't feel like explaining what happened to this month's rent to my landlord."

The soldier's companion released a deep jovial laugh. A silence overcame the two as they scanned the area.

"Hey," one of them said; the elephant in the room becoming much larger than life.

"What is it?"

"You don't think the guy who broke out of that PSICOM base was the cause of this, do you?"

"What, you think a kid did all this?"

"I know it sounds crazy but hear me out." Naruto could imagine the gestures the man was making to preserve his credibility. "Word is that he didn't just break in like they want us to believe."

"So what'd he do? Steal some 'top secret' files or something. Still doesn't explain why you think a teenager would be responsible for all this."

"You'd think that but a busted concrete wall and two full squads of soldiers in the hospital say otherwise."

A laugh burst through that tapered off just as quickly. "...You're serious."

"Does it look like I'm joking?"

Another silence, PSICOM grunts might not be the toughest guys around but they were still soldiers regardless. To hear that someone – a teenager of all things – had been able to take them out single-handedly...it was frightening to say the least.

"Whoa..." If he and the one responsible for this destruction were one and the same then all the stories he'd heard about what happened the other day were starting to sound a lot more believable.

Unbeknownst to the soldiers, the topic of their conversation had decided that he'd done enough eavesdropping. Using their immersion in their exchange to slip away from his position and into the canopy above.

Naruto moved quickly; though not overly so to ensure that he didn't attract attention from any other patrols that may be scouring the area.

Blue irises darted around in their sockets for anything out of the ordinary. Getting spotted now could spell some real trouble. Had he woken up a tad bit earlier he could have avoided all this nonsense by simply walking past in his disguise. Of all the times to oversleep, on the run from a technologically advanced military in an unfamiliar world was absolutely not one of them.

Now, despite Naruto's eyes being the primary way he was scanning for potential threats, it was actually his ears that ended up saving him that day.

Immediately, the shinobi descended from the canopy and into the undergrowth. Seconds later, an unnatural fluttering noise became audible enough to detect with normal human ears. A floating mechanical orb with a glass eye taking up the canopy space that Naruto had been occupying before.

The blond fought to contain his breath; all the while observing the sphere with a furrowed brow. He may not know what it was but if it was somehow connected to the Guardians in any way then it couldn't be good.

A cone of light came to life within the orb's robotic eye. The radius expanded until it covered a decent amount of the forest in a blue glow then proceeded to sweep the light around three-hundred and sixty degrees. Once the task was complete the machine gave off a satisfied beep, zooming away into the distance.

Naruto briefly watched it fly, releasing the breath that he hadn't even been aware that he'd been holding as he broke line of sight.

However, when he turned around, instead of empty greenery there was a set of piercing blue spotlights staring back at him. Their origin being the top of some kind of quadrupedal beast sheathed in metal.

The Genin's own orbs blinked back in confusion. He wasn't sure what to make of it. How could something be both organic and inorganic at the same time? It was truly a contradiction. Similar to that square candy that he'd tried while on the festival grounds that was solid yet also juicy like a liquid.

This philosophical conundrum, however, would have to wait as the beast appeared to be rearing back in preparation for a roar. Thinking back to the collection of times that he encountered Cocoon's strange technological marvels; Naruto decided that letting it do whatever it was going to do was probably not the best idea.

Chanting a quick prayer in apology to the animal, Naruto proceeded to forcibly shut the creature's jaws before they could let loose the call then promptly snapped its neck.

Giving the monster a quick once over; with its purple coloring and shimmering lights that flickered off of it Naruto was surprised that it managed to sneak up on anything – let alone a highly trained assassin. Though, he supposed its organic nature helped in some regards. He had been on alert for anything human in disposition. An animal, be it a weird cybernetic animal, did not fit that criteria.

But even with the strange creature dead he wasn't out of the woods just yet.

The lights decorating the creature's body began to flash a menacing red. A chorus of howls suddenly broke the serenity of the forest.

"This is bad," Naruto stated to himself nervously. Not only were there more robotic animals heading his way but he could already detect a pair of bodies coming from the direction that he had fled with several more keying into his location.

Legs flew into action, carrying him through the forest at high speeds. At this point he was less concerned about subtlety and more focused on putting as much ground between him and the body as he could. If he could get deeper inland then he might just get far enough away that they'll give up their search.

Something was wrong though. The further he went the spacing between the trees began growing more and more, salty air steadily overtaking the smell of earth and vegetation and a bright light shining ahead of him forebodingly.

"This is worse," summed up what had been happening all too well.

Back in Konohagakure, outside of the routes that he used every day, Naruto would often find himself lost while navigating his way along the village's many dirt paths. And if that happened to him back home it was only natural that such a thing would occur in a place that he knew close to nothing about.

Instead of heading away from Bodhum like he had planned he had in fact done the complete opposite.

Ducking into cover, Naruto was able to make out the forms of even more officers loitering around the edge of the forest. Instinctively, Naruto's hands flashed into the sequence for a Henge (Transformation), a reflex that would have normally served well during a covert operation. That being said, with his energy being as unstable as it currently was such a thing would only be a liability.

"What was that?" One of the Guardians called as he spotted a plume of smoke burst from behind a tree. The entire group was instantly on high alert, closing in on the plant.

"Damn it!" Was the phrase that answered the man's question, a streak of orange and yellow shooting past towards the direction of the structure floating in the harbor.

The troops stood there in confusion before the correlation between the colors they had just seen and who they were on the lookout for clicked.

"...Uh~ was that-?"

"I think it was."

"Don't just stand there you idiots! He's heading straight for the stadium! After him!" The commanding officer finally ordered, the soldiers scrambling to fall in line behind their target.


-Back at Guardian Corps Headquarters-

Snow yawned in his seat. Judging by the clock on the wall he'd been strapped to this chair for at least four hours. His bladder had been full for about three hours and fifty-nine minutes of that. The bothersome itch on his face had surfaced five minutes after. His surroundings were pristine yet somehow stank like a concoction of dirt, piss and BO. Needless to say he was miserable. And also bored; really, really bored.

The singular entrance to the room opened up to reveal a middle aged gentleman being flanked by a man several years his junior. Sensing his discomfort, the older of the two new arrivals flicked his head in the teen's direction. The other man gave a look at his superior as if to ask whether or not he was serious. A simple nod was his response. Not one to disobey orders, the lower ranking of the two began removing the hand cuffs strapping the blond to his chair.

No sooner than the metal left his wrist the hand connected to the limb shot up to soothe it's owner's irritated face.

"Snow Villiers: age fifteen, no family, currently working as a delivery man. All of that sound about right son?" The Lieutenant read off from the tablet in his hands.

"Everything except for the part about no family I guess. My buddies Yuj, Gadot, and Maqui are pretty much family." Snow answered.

"I see. Do you know why you're here?"

The teen gave a thoughtful look. "Not really. I was just hanging out and enjoying the festival when some goons decided I wasn't allowed to do that and jumped me." By the way his jaw locked up, the Sergeant didn't seem to appreciate that sentiment.

"Really? It says here that there is a request out for your arrest." The elder informed.

Snow shot up in his seat. "No way that's true! I don't care what you guys say! I didn't do anything!"

Unperturbed by the blonde's outburst, the man continued to speak. "The system doesn't lie. Someone wants you behind bars."

"This is stupid!" In his anger, Snow slammed a fist into the table.

"Calm yourself. Now what Sergeant Jenkins here seems to have forgotten while carrying out the request is to check who filed it. The likes of which just so happens to be a man with a history of calling for the arrest of those who don't deserve it."

"Damn right I didn't deserve it. The guy can't even take a little joke."

He allowed a laugh to slip through. "Yes, well I'm sure anyone would feel peeved if their property was covered in spray paint." The older man emphasized, shooting a glare at his subordinate. Who was just beginning to understand why his commander had been so comfortable allowing a fugitive to go about unbound.

"The asshole is just lucky I was kind enough to use washable paint. With how badly he treated me I could have done much worse." Snow boasted, his arms crossed over his chest proudly.

"Considering how many phony requests we get from the guy, I'd actually encourage it." The Guardian Lieutenant met Snow's grin with one of his own. "Hey kid, just between you and me, how did you do it?"

"Ha, it was easy. Just wait around until lunch. The jerk always leaves his stall unguarded for thirty minutes at the same time every day. Leaves plenty of time to mess around with his stuff for a bit."

"And when is that?"

"Around twelve in the afternoon." Off to the side Jenkins began to sweat buckets. He was a perfectionist at heart. Every order he got was memorized to the letter. Meaning he remembered the time that PSICOM had reported their base coming under attack.

The Lieutenant shot a glare his way. 1200 hours...that was when the announcement had been patched through to their division.

"Well we can't really hold anybody over a harmless prank so you're free to go kid."

"Really?" The blond said in disbelief. It was rather rare for him to get away with these kinds of things (even minor ones) unpunished.

"Absolutely, it was our fault in the first place for going through with an arrest without doing the necessary research first." He offered his hand for a shake, Snow willingly returned the gesture. "The door's open. I apologize again for the inconvenience."

"No harm done." Snow reassured with a grin. "You know, its real nice meeting a member of the Sanctum who isn't a straight up jerk." The underlying venom in his voice spraying at the Guardian in the room who still had yet to contribute to the conversation.

"Haha, glad that you don't think of me as one kid." The Guardian Lieutenant replied with a smile of his own.

"Wouldn't imagine it old man." Snow said boisterously. "Now if you'll excuse me...I~ really have to use the bathroom."

Automatic doors sealed behind the teen's back, its locks choking the room in an uneasy silence. Neither of the remaining occupants dared to speak until they were sure that the blond was out of ear shot.

"...Oops." Jenkins finally decided to break the stillness.

"Oops?" The Lieutenant repeated while rising out of his seat to cross his underling's field of view.

"..."

"Oops?" Heat swelling into the commander's breath, as he continued to pace the room. "You just arrested an innocent boy and all you have to say for yourself is oops!"

The Sergeant raised his hand as if he were in class. "In my defense Lieutenant Palmer, the boy did match the description that PSICOM provided us with."

Palmer pinched his brow. The man was obviously referring to the target description of blond hair and dressed in orange. Those things were only meant to narrow down the population not warrant an "arrest on sight" notice for all who fit the criteria. "You're a Guardian. This is unbelievable. People actually pay taxes for morons like you to protect them."

"Uh...sir." He uttered meekly. "What do we do now?" Regardless of how badly he screwed up, the reality of the situation was that a potential terrorist was free and among the public.

"Nothing." Palmer sighed out.

"Nothing, sir?"

"That's right, nothing. We can't allow word to get out. Proceed with business as usual."

"But sir you know what he's capable of. We can't allow someone that dangerous to roam Bodhum's streets."

"And what do you expect us to do about it?" The Lieutenant inquired. Jenkins, despite his insistence, found himself at a loss for words.

"We are Guardians. Our job is to protect, not hunt down terrorists." Lieutenant Palmer preached as he cupped the insignia on his chest. "If we, of all people, begin mobilizing for battle all we'll do is spread panic."

"You're just going to let him go?"

"No, I'm just making sure that we put our duties first. From what was reported he doesn't seem intent on hurting anyone. If we're lucky he won't do anything drastic while the festival is underway and the public will write him off as just another no-good thief."

Just then the doors to the holding chamber opened up. A recruit in brand, spanking new armor rushed in; flashing his superiors their much deserved respect. "Sir! We've just received word that Delta Squadron has made contact with the perpetrator and is currently in pursuit toward the harbor, sir!"

"The harbor?" Sergeant Jenkins echoed. "You're saying that he's heading to the stadium?!"

"Sir! That would be correct, sir!"

The leader of the group remained deadpan. Choosing instead to reach into his coat to procure a flask and, without any fanfare, begin downing its contents.


-Festival Stadium-

Serah watched the match with laser focus; her soft aquatic orbs wide to ensure that they could pick up every little detail, her heart fluttering in her chest with every passing second.

Back when Lightning had first been announced as one of the select few who would represent Bodhum she had thought she been as ecstatic as she could be. At that point, Serah couldn't have cared less about whether or not her sister won or lost. To her, just qualifying for that opportunity was more than enough.

But now, with the Festival of New Light Tournament already well within its second bracket of matches and Lightning's current score dwarfing her opponent's by a landslide Serah could hardly imagine why she had ever doubted her sister in the first place.

If...correction when Lightning wins this match it would mark the first time in years that a student from Bodhum had made it this far into the Grand Finals. To think that the meek older sister from her childhood was the same person dancing around her adversary with ease, the comparison was like night and day.

Words couldn't possibly quantify just how proud she felt in this moment.

"AHHHH!"

Out of the blue a woman's cry nearly took her out of the immersion of the fight. Normally these sorts of noises weren't uncommon in this kind of environment; hell she'd be more surprised if in such a momentous event it was the opposite. What made this one so out of place was the nature of the scream itself; panicked and fearful, as if she were under attack.

Regardless of the nameless woman's reasoning for sounding such a way, Serah had deemed witnessing the fruits of her older sister's labor far too important to split her attention. A good idea too, since if she had turned away for even a second she would have missed the opponent her sister was fighting, slipping in a kick that paused Lightning's assault just long enough to put some distance between her and the Bodhum first year.

Seeing that the rosette was a demon up close, the girl booked it in the opposite direction. Her goal being the collection of raised platforms meant to simulate buildings.

Not keen on allowing her fellow student to set up a sniper position, Lightning pursued her. Serah almost yelled out a warning when she noticed the round object that the opposing contender dropped on the way to the tower. Thankfully, she didn't have to as Lightning spotted the trap, twisting away from the dummy mine just in time to avoid the explosion.

The rosette had only wavered for a split second but that was all her opponent needed to hunker down. Hoping to make up for her blunder with pure speed she rushed across no-man's land only to-

"FUCKING HELL!"

–Fucking hell...wait, no, that's not right. Lightning was met with a barrage of fire. Serah cursed under her breath as she saw the screen floating above the battle showing Lightning's "health" drain away. The first year was forced to double back behind a pillar lest she risk throwing away her lead.

"It appears that after taking some significant damage, Janine from Palumpolum has finally managed to turn the tables on Lightning."

"This could be really bad for our rising star, Tom. How will she get herself out of this mess?"

Serah frowned at the commentary. They were acting like her sister would have a hard time figuring something out. "Show them what you're made of sis."

Lightning peeked out of cover to get a visual on her opponent. She spotted more mines scattered around the tower; counting at least five of them before she was forced to break sight due to a hail of lead heading her way.

Realizing that she had to adapt her strategy, Lightning reached into the battle suit given to them to keep track of the proxy damage, pulling out a –

"JESUS CHRIST!" Serah blinked in confusion. Who even was that and why would someone scream it out with the same connotation as a swear?

–Small metallic device. A manadrive to be exact: an instrument that used AMP (Antimatter Manipulation Principle) technology to grant the wielder a limited form of the power more commonly associated with L'cie. Lightning charged the pseudo-magic - arching a ball of light in the general direction that she assumed her target would be.

The sound of an explosion followed soon after. Much closer than she had anticipated.

"What is this? I don't believe it folks but it appears Janine actually managed to shoot Lightning's magic out of the sky."

"Truly an excellent display of marksmanship. You can tell she's been putting in a lot of practice to pull that off."

While Lightning hadn't expected her shot in the dark to pay off, hearing that it had been shot out of the sky was a real surprise. Her fellow student was a good shot. With that level of skill there was no way Lightning could bypass her mines and weave around her bullets at the same time.

She'd have to get creative for this one.

Lightning let loose another bolt of magic. This time paying attention to one of the two giant side monitors used to display sides of the arena that certain sections of the stadium might not be able to see. As the commentators claimed Janine took aim and fired, dispersing the ball into a cloud of sparkling dust with pin point accuracy,

Lightning once more tossed her AMP powered attack at her enemy. Only this time two spells flew out of her cover instead of one.

Lightning began to count the time it took for the sound of gunfire to ring through the arena. One...two. There was a significant delay between the first and second.

Perhaps she could use that.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

"Okay that's enough." Serah growled to herself after she'd been taken out of the action for a fourth time. Now she had to know what was going on. Maybe if she was able to sort it out herself fast enough she could get back to the match without missing anything.

So when she got up to face the source of the distraction she thought she would be met with a drunkard or some rowdy fans that had gotten out of hand. A barrage of bullets heading straight for her was the last thing on that list.

Her blood instantly ran cold. Her legs locked up.

From their speed and the distance from her alone she could tell that there was no way she would be able to get out of their way in time.

An eternity passing within milliseconds, the sound of metal peppering flesh reverberated throughout her eardrums. The air in her throat became heavy and dry. Everything went black.

Oddly enough though, the sickening cold that she'd always heard accompanied death didn't invade her body. Nor did her painfully short life flash before her eyes. There were no angels or higher power beckoning her into the afterlife.

"Hey, you okay?" A gruff voice called to her in concern.

Slowly, the embrace of death faded away as she turned upward to meet the voice. When she opened her eyes she was nearly blinded by her home's sentient sun. Her savior's features masked in a shining halo of light. A goofy, ear splitting grin being the only thing she could accurately identify.

Serah just then realized that she had been asked a question. She briefly made sure that she was alright. After coming up empty in the injury department Serah sheepishly gave a nod of affirmation.

"That's good to hear." A growl rumbled in his throat. She could faintly spot the armor clad forms of Guardians racing toward them. Once they were within hearing range the man roared out. "You idiots!" The pair stopped as if to ask if he was talking to them. "Yes, you! Don't you guys know not to use ranged weapons when innocent people are around! You could have really hurt someone!"

Once the weight of their actions dawned on them the soldiers were quick to stow away their weapons, pulling out their own respective batons as replacements.

Serah wanted to question what was going on but her words weren't fast enough. The man who had just saved her on a whim was already sprinting away from the scene with Guardians in tow.


Naruto paused mid-dash for just a moment to pry off the collection of barbed projectiles that were jutting out of his chest. The grunt of discomfort following the removal of said projectiles was the only sign that the blond had been in any pain at all.

He couldn't believe the lack of discipline Cocoon's armed forces possessed and this was coming from someone who'd made a name for himself as an unpredictable knucklehead. To him it just didn't make any sense. In Konoha, if a shinobi threw out a fireball into the public they'd be court marshaled on the spot. What type of world did these people live in, that law enforcement wasn't consciously aware of basic public safety?

The sound of stomping metal feet forced Naruto to file away the thought for later. However, right as he was about to resume his escape a foreign sensation crashed into his head like a ton of bricks. Blue eyes blinking rapidly to ward off the black encroaching on the far reaches of his vision, it was only through sheer determination alone that the Uzumaki had kick started his legs back into motion.

"What's going on?" Naruto thought as his mind steered itself toward one of the projectiles he had taken for that girl, the droplets of clear liquid dribbling out of their needle-like tips becoming super-imposed in his mind's eye.

"A tranquilizer dart?" That couldn't be right. The fox's chakra healed wounds and filtered out harmful substances from his body. It was one of the first things he'd learned about himself after becoming aware of his jinchuuriki heritage. Hell, the stupid thing even prevented him from getting sick when there was a flu epidemic in the Academy.

Why would that be any different from now?

It was there, at the cusp of thought that another overwhelming wave of relaxation chose to wash over him, the second time around being so bad that he had to physically slap himself to regain his focus.

When the world came back to him he almost wished that he had allowed effects of the dart to take hold. Left, right and forward, there were Guardians closing in on his position.

The blond momentarily thought of engaging one of the groups in combat but swiftly scrapped the idea once the safety of the innocent bystanders around him came into play.

There was only one choice for him left.

Spinning around, the teen came face to face with a sheer drop and the water surrounding the raised platform of the arena. With enough chakra he should be able to clear the entire gap and land on to the other side. It was going to be a stretch though given his previous lack of success. Naruto gave one last look over his shoulder, his pursuers closer than ever before. In this situation it was the only real option he had.

Without any more doubts in his mind Naruto hopped onto the railing, routing as much chakra as he could down into his lower extremities.

However, just as he kicked off his ascent, another feeling of comfort welled within him; this one too intense to shake off. The tranquilizers taking hold of him before he could expel all the energy he'd gathered up for his leap.


Checking her manadrive, Lightning frowned at the remaining capacity. There were only a handful of charges left at most. If what she had in mind didn't pay off she'd be at a real disadvantage. But it was the only shot she had to turn this all around.

"Nothing ventured..." She muttered to herself as she put everything she had into her next attack. The result was an insane amount of magical bolts clogging the air space of the arena. The first year could feel the shock on her adversary's face as they struggled to take in the amount of spells heading their way.

Once the gunfire began Lightning sprang into action; sprinting out of her cover at great speeds. With her fellow contestant occupied by the magical barrage she would have ample time to navigate the field of mines safely.

The crowd erupted into a tornado of sound. No doubt due to her plan coming together.

"Is that kid flying across the stadium?!" One of the announcers cried out, his high octane bravado replaced by plain disbelief.

"Wait, what?" Lightning lapsed in her advance for just a second to see if what the announcer said was true. A curiosity that was satiated by the sight of a blond, missile heading her way at mach speed.

Her mind didn't even have a chance to quantify what was going on before her body reacted for her; rolling out of the way just in time to avoid impact. As the boy landed Lightning watched as he skipped like a stone upon the water across the arena floor, coming to a stop a the very edge in a rather unflattering position; his face glued to floor with his rear pointed high.

Z's began to lift from his prone form steadily. "Is he sleeping?" Lightning questioned in astonishment. How the hell does a someone like that literally fall out of the sky?

A question that had to be reserved for another time as a storm of hype pitched whining began hounding at her senses. The first years eyes widened in shock as she was brought back to the present.

She was in a the middle of a mine field. A mine field that the blond idiot had just set off.

Lightning pushed her body to retreat but it was already too late.

[BOOM!]

The combined force of the explosion blasting her over the blond and off the edge into the waters below. A look of dread etching across her features as she fell; her "health" evaporating in an instant.


Author's Notes: (IMPORTANT READER MESSAGE) This story is currently undergoing revisions. If you do not see a similar message in the author's note of the next chapter then it is an unrevised version and should not be read to avoid inconsistencies.