Back again! I got the second chapter done pretty fast and thought you all would like to read it, hope you enjoy.
(Marshalanime does not own Naruto or To Love-Ru)
"Is he okay?" Risa, a girl with shoulder length dirty blond hair and brown eyes, asked while she leaned over to Riko as the class came to an end. Most of the students were getting up to leave the room or get together with some friends but Naruto seemed to be in a funk, lost in his own thoughts as he sat at his desk with his head down.
"I don't know. He seemed tiered this morning but he seems to have gotten worse since we got to school. Maybe I should take him the the nurse" Riko told the girl as she kept her eye on the blond boy.
'I don't know what's worse, confessing to Lala instead of Haruna or running off like that afterwards' Naruto thought to himself as he let out a sigh. 'Makes me miss the days when the only girl I could see myself dating was Sakura. Sure, she'd always reject me but at least I new what to expect' Naruto thought as he began to wonder what he should say to Lala the next time he sees her.
With Lala - Flying above the city
"Lady Lala" Peke said, getting the pinkets attention.
"What is it Peke?" Lala asked, the boxed lunch that had fallen out of Naruto's bag when her rushed of to school in her left hand.
"Are you really going to marry that unusual earthling?" Peke asked trying to figure out the girls intentions. After a quick "Yup. why?" from the pinket Peke continued, "Lady Lala, you're the first princess of Deviluke, which rules over the galaxy. Marrying lady Lala means that the earthling called Naruto will be"
Before Peke could continue further Lala spoke up and told her "Well, Don't worry about it. Just let me do what I want". With that said the pink haired princess continued towards her destination.
'I think the universe is just fucking with me now' Naruto thought to himself as his hand was stuffed into the bottom of his bag after his third attempt at finding his lunch. Letting out a long sigh and taking his hand out of the bag the blond thought aloud "Can anything else happen to cause me trouble?".
"You can just ask to share my lunch if you forgot yours" Riko told the blond as she held up her mostly untouched lunch box for emphasis. It wouldn't be the first time she's offered to give him some of her food, though most of the time it's because he's still hungry after finishing his own.
"That's sweat of you Riko but I couldn't. Besides, I'm not even that hungry" Naruto told the girl only to have his rumbling stomach betray him.
"Stop being stubborn and eat. You know I can go longer without eating than you can" Riko told him as she placed the food back down on her desk.
Naruto was about to give into her request and join her when Saruyama yanked open the door. "Naruto! W-What's going one!? There's a really pretty girl looking for you!" Saruyama yelled out as he pointed in the direction he last saw the girl.
'D-Did she really follow me to school?' Naruto wondered to himself, already fairly confident he new who Saruyama was talking about as he, Riko, and most of the class stared at him.
"You know who he's talking about Naru-" Riko was asking when the blond bolted for the door and down the hall, easily vaulting over the desks in the process. "I'll take that as a yes" the orange haired girl said as she got up to go and follow him.
"Lala!" Naruto called out to the pinket as he ran up to her and the two boys she was talking too.
"Ah, Naruto! I found you!" Lala cheerfully said as she waved to the blond while the two boys were disappointed and annoyed that their excuse for being around the beauty was ruined now that Naruto was there. "Here it is! I brought this for you!" Lala happily told the blond as she held up the lunch box held inside an orange cloth.
"You, brought my lunch box?" Naruto questioned as he tentatively took the box into his hands.
"Of course! You dropped it this morning remember?" Lala asked the boy who simply looked between her and the box a few times before giving her a smile.
"Thanks Lala! I thought I was going to starve" the blond told her. With his lunch in hand Naruto was about to ask her about the whole marriage thing she brought up earlier but decided not too after noticing the group of guys that were sending him death glares. 'Right, we're in school right now' Naruto remembered as he stared the group down.
"The hell man!? You can't be satisfied with having the attention of the school's prettiest girls!? Now you have to go and show of this beauty to the rest of us! So not fair!" one of the teens yelled at the blond, getting a chorus of agreement from the others as they began to demand who she was and what their relationship was.
"Would you all calm down? She's just-" Naruto was saying while becoming annoyed with the situation before Lala spoke up.
"I'm Lala, Naruto's bride!" the pinket happily cheered as she latched onto the blonds arm.
'I never agreed to marry you!' Naruto shouted inside his head while a faint blush began to spread across his face. Lala's statement did nothing to appease the group of jealous teens how ever as they became even more enraged with the blond, too the point that one of them even launched himself at Naruto while calling him a bastard. A quick chop to the top of his head sending him to the ground though seemed to do the trick as the rest of them took a step or two back. "Anyone else want to give it a try?" the blond asked the group as Riko and Saruyama came down the set of stairs that Naruto had when he found the pinket.
"Did we miss something?" Riko asked as she looked from the oddly dressed girl holding onto Naruto's arm and the boy getting off the ground while rubbing the spot Naruto hit.
"Not much but I did get my lunch back" Naruto told Riko as he held up his lunch, or at least as much as he could considering Lala was holding onto the same arm getting a small smile and shake of her head from Riko as Saruyama stood next to her with biting down on his shirt as he tried to keep himself from getting pissed at his friends luck.
"You're, engaged?" Riko asked with a dumbfounded expression having just herd Lala and Naruto's explanation of what's been going on as her, Naruto, Saruyama, and Lala sat at the group of desks they put together while they ate lunch while the rest of their classmates ended up watching the groups.
"I never agreed to marry you" Naruto told the pinket who he ended up sharing his lunch with.
"But you said you love me" Lala said as she took another bite of Naruto's lunch.
"And I'm telling you that I was trying to say that to someone else" Naruto said as Saruyama and Riko were mostly just watching the two at this point.
"So you don't love me?" Lala asks looking at the blond sitting next to her. After hearing him say that he didn't Lala ended up responding with "That's fine! I can live with that!" in her usual cheerful self getting Naruto to slip off of this palm and slam his face into the desk.
"How can you say that!? Don't you care whether the person you marry loves you or not!?" Naruto blurts out the moment his head came off the desk, startling Lala as the blond stares into her emerald eyes.
"Lady Lala, I think I know what you're trying to do" Peke spoke up quietly so that the whole room wouldn't notice her, even if she surprised Riko and Saruyama.
"Hey! What are you saying Peke?!" Lala asked the robot.
"Yeah, what are you saying?" Naruto asked Peke only to have Lala say something.
"Don't worry about it Naruto" Lala told him with a cute expression. He was about to press the issue further when the pinket asked him a question "Since where going to get married it's okay for me to live with you, right?".
Naruto was about to object when the bell rang. Holding in his frustration Naruto begrudgingly told her "Fine, but we're going to talk about this later".
"Yey! Thanks Naruto!" Lala cheered as she wrapped her arms around the blond.
"Yeah, yeah, now get out of here already. Class is going to start soon and you're not exactly a student" Naruto told her as he sat up, pulling her out of her chair as well since she hadn't let go of him.
"Okay! I'll see you at home then!" Lala cheered as she let goof the blond and headed for the door.
Grabbing the one of the desks to move it back into place Naruto looked at Riko and Saruyama who were still sitting down staring at him "I'm not going to talk about it".
Later that night - Along the river bank
After they had gotten home Naruto ended up avoiding Lala and putting off talking to her about their situation, much to his displeasure at admitting it. As a result the sun had already set and the night sky was stretched out across the sky above them when he finally asked her to go for a walk so they could talk. It might have gotten more awkward then necessary if Riko or Mikan got involved in the conversation. Even so, they had been walking in complete silence so far and it was starting to get to him.
"You don't want to go to a bunch of meetings about marriage and future husbands, right?" Naruto asked, trying to recall what she had said to the guys sent to take her home last night the best he could.
"Huh? Oh, yeah" Lala tells him, a bit surprised by his question since they had been walking together without saying anything up until now.
"It's a bit confusing" Naruto admits getting an odd look from the Devilukeian. "You ran away from home so you wouldn't have to meet any more husband candidates but you end up saying you want to marry me after only a day. It's almost like you're just trying to find an excuse not to go home" Naruto says before the realization hit him and he stopped were he was.
"Eh? Naruto?" Lala asked as she stopped a few steps ahead of him and turned around to face him.
"You're using me as an excuse, aren't you?" Naruto asks the pinket feeling like an idiot. It wasn't that he was mad at the girl, especially since he didn't know if he wouldn't have just agreed to play along with her plan had she just asked him to help, it was more to do with her trying to use him without him finding out.
Making a cute, apologetic face at being found out, Lala was about to apologize and hope he didn't get angry with her when a voice very familiar to the young princess called out to her, "Lady Lala!"
"Zastin!" Lala called out in surprise once she and Naruto turned to see the man with shoulder length white hair, skeletal plate like armor, and a blue cape attached to the large spiked shoulder guards.
"Fufu, I went through a lot of trouble to get here. I got arrested, a dog chased me down, and I got lost. That's why I really dislike underdeveloped worlds" the man said with a confident smirk. "But! This is it! Lady Lala, come back to planet Deviluke with me!" Zastin ordered the young girl.
To which Lala responded by pulling her eyelid down, sticking out her tongue, and telling him "Nyheeeeh! I wont go back. I have a reason not to!".
'She's still going with this excuse!?' Naruto questioned as his head quickly turned from Zastin to Lala.
"What is your reason?" Zastin asks, slightly taken aback by her statement.
"I, I fell in love with this guy here, Naruto! So Ill marry Naruto and live on Earth with him!" Lala declares as she points at the blond standing a few steps behind her.
"I see, so that's how it is" Zastin said as he took on a thinking pose with his eyes closed and his chin resting in the palm of his hand.
'Is it really that easy for him to believe her?' Naruto wondered as he questioned the man who so easily bought her excuse.
"I was wondering about it when I heard the report from my men. They said that an earthling tried to rescue Lady Lala" Zastin told the two of them as Naruto resigned himself to just seeing how this'll turn out.
"Now that you know, go back and tell daddy! I'll never go back, nor will I meet any future husband candidates!" Lala told the man confident in her plan.
"No. It's not that simple" Zastin told her, his face showing nothing but absolute seriousness. "I, Zastin, have received orders from the king of Deviluke to take you back. I wont be able to face the king if I go home after approving the marriage of a suspicious earthling and Lady Lala" the man explains.
"Then what can we do?" Lala asks as she stares the man down.
"Please stay back Lady Lala" Zastin said as he reached behind himself to draw his blade and rushed at the blond with the intent of cutting him down surprising both Lala and Naruto. "Let me make sure whether or not he's suitable for you, Lady Lala" Zastin said as he held out his blade formed of pure energy.
'You've got to be kidding me' Naruto thought from where he landed as he glanced down at the gash Zastin's sword had left in the Earth. 'Though I guess I've been complaining about things getting boring around here' Naruto thought with a smirk as he readied himself for a fight, and wishing he had some of his equipment with him.
"Show me your true skills in a real fight! Are you ready!?" Zastin let out as he charged the blond once more. As his blade drew near to Naruto the boy brought his hands together and the two of them were shrouded in smoke.
With his arm and blade outstretched, and his mind taking in the new situation as quickly as it could Zastin found himself unprepared for the right hood that slammed into his right cheek sending his flying out of the cloud of smoke. As he was skidding along the ground the man reacted largely on instinct as he thrust his sword upwards, impaling Naruto before he could slam the heel of his foot into his gut.
Cursing at himself for inflicting such an injury to the boy Lala professed to love both him and said pinket were surprised when that Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. Looking back to where the cloud of smoke he'd been sent flying from once was Zastin was surprised to see three more blonds.
"Phew, that was a close one. I hadn't even noticed Naruto forming his clones" Peke commented as both her and Lala were relieved to see the blond unharmed.
"I must say I'm impressed" Zastin told the blond as he stood up and rubbing his cheek. "I had not expected an earthling to hit so hard or to have such an ability" Zastin admitted as he scanned the group of identical blonds.
"Yeah? Well I hope you're ready because I'm going to beat some sense into that dense head of yours" the Naruto in front said as the one on his right stepped up beside him and started pooling chakra into his palm. 'I wouldn't be in this mess If it wasn't form these guys' the blond thought to himself as the second clone ran past the other two blonds heading for Zastin.
"It's far too early for such confident words!" Zastin called out to the blond as he ran towards the clone to take it head on. Ducking under his swing Naruto went to land a punch on the man's chin only to have the man's blade run through his back. Barely loosing any speed from his encounter with the clone Zastin mad his way to the remaining blonds with his sword once more raised.
With the destructive typhoon of chakra fully formed in his hand Naruto ran forward to meet the swordsman. As both rasengan and sword collide Zastin found himself surprised by the powerful sphere that was beginning to warp his blade. With neither combatants backing down from the clash the end result was a small explosion of energy that sent both of them back.
"Um, Lady Lala, don't you think this is starting to get out of hand?" Peke asks the pinket as Zastin and Naruto continue to clash.
"Yeah, I guess your right" Lala agreed as she leaned down to pick up a pebble. Leaning back up Lala tossed the small rock at the back of Zastin's head, nearly knocking the man face first into the ground.
"What are you doing Lady Lala?!" Zastin questioned the pinket as he spun around on his feet to face her.
"Isn't this enough!? How much fighting does Naruto have to do to prove himself!?" Lala questioned as she strode over to the man.
"Lady Lala! Marrying you, the heir of the Deviluke royal family, means he'll rule over countless planets that are right now under king Deviluke's care! A spineless man wont be able to do it! That's why the king gathered possible candidates from all over the galaxy to meet you, Lady Lala" Zastin told the princess.
"And I told you that's exactly what I don't like! I'm sure daddy cares more about the succession then me!" Lala yelled at Zastin now that the two of them were inches apart.
"That's not true!" Zastin yelled back.
"Cut it out already!" Naruto yelled at the two of them seeing as the fight probably wasn't going to continue. "Who cares if she's the hair of some planet? She's still a normal girl that deserves a normal live and trying to set her up in a loveless marriage obviously isn't going to work! Can't you at least give her the freedom to fall in love!?" Naruto yelled out. 'Hee, hopefully I got through to this guy. Lala wont need to use me as an excuse if she doesn't have to go to those damn marriage meetings' Naruto thought as he kept his eyes on Zastin to see how if it'd sink in.
"Naruto" Lala said, drawing the blonds attention to her. This resulted in him being a bit confused as she looked at him with a small blush on her cheeks. "I'm happy" Lala said as she held her hands over her heart. "You said you didn't like me, but you understand my feelings very well" the pinket began to say.
'Wait, oh no! Nonononono!' Naruto began to think as the girl continued.
"Like Naruto said I, just want to live a live on my own. There are a lot of things I want to do, and I want to decide on my future husband on my own, as well. That's what I was thinking" Lala said as she closed her eyes. "It's true, I used our marriage as an excuse so I wouldn't have to go back, but now I know. I think I really can marry you Naruto. I mean, I want to marry you!" Lala joyfully declared as she opened her eyes to look at Naruto.
'Damn it! I just made it worse!' Naruto mentally shouts as he turns to Zastin. "Eh, yeah, we were in the middle of a fight, right? Hahahaha" Naruto asks with a nervous smile and laugh. It may seem unfair given what she just told him but maybe he can still get out of this if he losses.
"That's no longer needed. I've lost earthling" Zastin says, crushing the boys hope of getting out of this. "It is my duty to follow the king's orders. Thus I was oblivious to how Lady Lala feels, or rather, I knew but I tried to not think about it. But now that you pointed that out I admit my loss" the man said with a clenched fist as tears rolled down his face. "I don't know if the countless husband candidates from planets all over the universe will agree with it" Zatsin began as he started to walk away, "but I will report to king Deviluke myself that we can entrust Lady Lala to you! You, who can truly understand Lady Lala's feelings".
'What the hell am I suppose to do now!?' Naruto asked himself as he was left with a happy Lala clinging to him.
