Chapter 2, In the Ruins of Baaj
"I guess standing around here won't tell me where I am, so let's get going!" Naruto said, as he made a ram seal and a blue glow formed around his feet. He stepped out onto the water and began running out into the ruins. After getting lost among the rock several times, he eventually found his way to a platform with four pillars on it. On one of the pillars was a blue circular tile with something written on it.
"Hmmm...eh dra myht frana pumdc uv mekrd emmisehyda dra pmylgacd hekrd fedr Macalania pareht dra vuindr bemmyn our cekrd muug hud uh dra mavd pid uh dra nekrd. (In the land where bolts of light illuminate the blackest night with Macalania behind the fourth pillar you sight look not on the left but on the right.)" Naruto muttered, looking at the small tile. "That makes no sense whatsoever...Hey, Kyuubi. Do you know what it means?"
"Unfortunately, no," She said, having calmed down now that Sin was gone. "It seems to be some kind of other language...we'll come back to it later. For now, we need to find some kind of civilisation."
"I hear ya. I can't wait to get a fire, a steaming bowl of ramen and a nice warm bed." He said, walking back out onto the water to find another path. After a while he found a path that led up onto a bridge over the water to a partially-destroyed building. The blonde former-shinobi got about halfway before he felt a rumble coming from below. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
"Don't say that. Bad things always happen when people say that." No more words could be said after that, as the bridge collapsed from under Naruto and sent him falling into the water, where three fish-like creatures were waiting for him.
'What are these things?' Naruto asked mentally, pulling his sword from its sheath as he kicked his legs to stay at the same level.
"Sahagins, a weak monster, shouldn't be too much trouble. One, maybe two swings of your sword'll take 'em out." Kyuubi replied, to which Naruto nodded and swam forward, rearing back his sword arm to take a swing at the nearest sahagin. The creature was not the brightest, though. Seeing the reflection of the moon above on Aoshiira's blade set it swimming quickly at Naruto, intent on getting a hold of the shiny object. Its mouth closed over the blade just as Naruto swung it at the monster, cutting it in half. The two halves of the sahagin dissolved into glowing orbs which flew off into the sky before disappearing completely. Naruto paid this no mind and focused on the other two sahagins.
'Okay, one down, two to go. Time to slice and dice.' Naruto thought as he swam towards the next one. This one was slightly smarter, and tried to bite Naruto himself. He blocked it with his blade, and the creature span around to hit him with its tail. Naruto saw this coming, and removed his sword from the fiend's mouth just in time to separate the tail from the rest of the sahagin. It screeched in pain before being silenced forever as Naruto drove the curved blade through its throat. The glowing orbs appeared around the sword as the monster disappeared, and Naruto prepared to fight for the last time. He didn't get a chance, however, as an even bigger monster appeared and ripped through the final sahagin, blood pouring from its corpse.
'Oh, you gotta be kidding me! There's no way I can beat that thing, not underwater at least!' Naruto yelled in his mind as the enormous creature turned to face him. Naruto took this time to find a weak spot. The beast was huge, with a beak-like mouth and a torso that looked very similar to a cage. It had fins on its head, one on each side, and seemingly no eyes. The entire thing was covered in thick scales which looked strong, almost impenetrable.
"This thing is called Geosgaeno. I recommend getting out of there now, you're not strong enough to beat it yet."
'I get that, but where to run to...jackpot.' Naruto thought as he spied an archway that led to an underwater tunnel. Looking back to Geosgaeno, he pulled a kunai from the holster on his leg and gripped it tight, searching for a weak point. After a few seconds searching, he found what seemed to be an eye, and launched the kunai. As soon as the bladed weapon had left his grasp, he turned and swam as fast as he could for the tunnel. The kunai impacted the beast's eye and drove itself inside, causing even more pain. Geosgaeno screeched in pain before letting out a roar so powerful it pushed Naruto further toward his destination. The scaled monster followed him, crashing into the archway as it was too large to follow. The stonework collapsed, leaving no way back. Not that he would want to, of course.
'Well, only way to go is up, I guess.' Naruto thought, swimming up for some air. Luckily, being a blitzballer, he could hold his breath for insane lengths of time. He found a makeshift set of stairs formed by fallen debris leading up to a large circular hall with water cascading down on one side of it. In the centre were the remains of a fire, and the blonde walked up to it, sitting down cross-legged on the cold stone floor. Realising how cold he was, he ran through a few quick hand seals before muttering a quiet "Katon: Hinotama no Jutsu". Fire erupted on the wood, warming him instantly. With that done, he laid back on the floor, looking up at the ceiling.
"So, where do you think we are?" Kyuubi asked, using the cam and silence to strike up a conversation with her vessel.
"I'm not sure, but wherever it is it's obviously miles away from anywhere."
"How long are you gonna stay here, then? If it's miles away, like you said, you should get going soon if you want to get anywhere before you starve to death."
"I'll head out soon, after I've warmed up a bit more."
"You know that this fire will bring more monsters, right?"
"Of course...wait, what?" Naruto asked, but froze as he heard a series of loud clicks behind him, as if some kind of insect was tapping its jaws together. He turned around, simultaneously standing up and drawing Aoshiira. The creature was a light brown, with a large spine protruding from its scaled back, and four claws for legs. A long tail swayed in the air while a flame-like crest stood upon its head. Its mouth clicked as it bounced from side to side on its pointed feet.
"Dammit, can't these things ever leave me alone?" Naruto said as the creature jumped at him, its mouth open wide, ready to sink its teeth into the former shinobi. Naruto stopped it in its tracks by hitting it with the butt of Aoshiira's hilt, disorienting it. Naruto took this opportunity to swing the blade at the creature's side, leaving a deep gash. The thing's clicks became faster and more erratic after that, and its movements became more frenzied. It swung at him with its claws and attempted to bite him, but all of its attacks were blocked or dodged.
"By the way, kit, this thing is called Klikk. Not too much to worry about, but what you ought to think about are the presences I feel on the other side of the door over there." Kyuubi advised, just before a loud explosion rocked the ruined building. Smoke filled the chamber as the doors were blown to the other side of it. The smoke cleared to reveal several people wearing goggles and baggy, usually yellow clothing. One stood out from the rest, however, as she was the only female among the group. She wore a tight leather bodysuit that looked out of place everywhere but underwater. She too was wearing goggles, and wore a large spiked glove on her right arm while several round metal objects hung on her belt.
"Gemm dra veaht xielgmo, drah lybdina dra puo. Fa crymm drah pnehk res pylg du dra creb. (Kill the fiend quickly, then capture the boy. We shall then bring him back to the ship.)" The girl said, gesturing to Klikk and then to him. Naruto looked confused as he couldn't understand a word of it, before realising it was the same language he had found on that pillar. That didn't help him understand it any, though.
"Ec ed cyva du dyga res fedr ic? Ra syo pa y veaht vun ymm fa ghuf. Pacetac, ra'c hud bynd uv uin secceuh. (Is it safe to take him with us? He could be a fiend for all we know. Besides, he's not part of our mission.) Another of the people said, eyeing Naruto suspiciously.
"Hu suna xiacdeuhc! E cyet fa dyga res fedr ic, cu fa tu ed! Un tu oui fyhd du dyga ed ib fedr so vydran, Cid? (No more questions! I said we take him with us, so we do it! Or do you want to take it up with my father, Cid?) The girl said, her gloved hands resting on her hips. Everyone went quiet at that, and the girl gave a small smirk. Klikk drew its attention away from Naruto and charged at the girl, to which she responded by sending her spiked fist into its skull and into the ground, making cracks spread out from the point of impact. Needless to say, Klikk wasn't getting up any time soon. It's head was destroyed, and its injuries made Naruto wonder if this girl was somehow related to Tsunade.
"Rao, frecganc! Yna oui ymnekrd? Oui caasat du pa rumtehk ouin ufh bnaddo kuut pylg drana, frana't oui maynh du vekrd? (Hey, whiskers! Are you alright? You seemed to be holding your own pretty good back there, where'd you learn to fight?)" The girl called out to him, but she shook her head at his bewildered expression. "Oui lyh'd ihtancdyht y funt E's cyoehk, lyh oui? Ur famm, kuut drehk E lyh cbayg Yevonite. (You can't understand a word I'm saying, can you? Oh well, Good thing I can speak Yevonite.)
"Who are you people?" Naruto asked, gripping his sword tighter at the thought of the possibility of their being enemies.
"We're Al Bhed, can't you tell?" The girl said, removing her goggles to reveal bright green eyes with a swirling pupil that Naruto found pretty cool.
"What in Kami's name is an Al Bhed?"
"Uhh...you're not from around here, are you?"
"It's that obvious?"
"Kinda. Anyway, come with me. We'll give you something to eat, if you're hungry." She said, then looked slightly shocked as Naruto didn't seem to be there. She jumped a foot in the air as he spoke from behind her.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's roll!" Naruto said cheerfully, having sped right to the girl's side when she mentioned food.
"Do you ever stop eating?" The girl asked as she stared, horrified at the sight of Naruto devouring everything in sight when they returned to the Al Bhed ship. The boy finished a bowl and laid it down, stopping for air.
"I haven't really eaten in a while, so I'm pretty hungry. Sorry if I'm being rude or anything."
"No, no, it's okay. I just wondered. So, why were you out here?" She asked, hoping to get some answers about the strange blonde boy before her who could have taken down Klikk by himself. The only blondes in Spira were Al Bhed, and his eyes were blue.
"Hmm, I don't really know what to tell you. I just woke up there. So I don't know where I am."
"Well, you're in the ocean, just of the ruins of some old temple in Spira."
"Spira? What's that?"
"Well...It's the world!"
"Really, never heard of Spira when I was back in Zanarkand."
"Zanarkand?" She asked, before chuckling lightly. "You're kidding, right? Everyone knows Zanarkand was destroyed by Sin a thousand years ago."
"A thousand years? That's not possible, I was there yesterday!"
"Well, all Zanarkand is today is ruins. You can see for yourself." The girl said as she leant against the steel railing of the boat. Naruto stood up from his position on the deck and walked over to the railing, looking out onto the stormy ocean.
"Ruins...could it really be true? Everything I knew, everyone I knew...gone. All because of that damn Sin. I swear, I'm gonna kill Auron when I find him." Naruto muttered under his breath. The girl placed a hand on his arm in comfort, but was surprised at the muscle she found there, a light blush on her face. She pulled her hand back before asking another question.
"I forgot, I don't even know your name! I'm Rikku, who are you?"
"Uzumaki Naruto, at your service." Naruto said in a bored tone as he stared out at the waves. Rikku opened her mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted by the opening of the door leading to the cabin and the shout of another Al Bhed.
"Rikku! Drana'c cusadrehk uh dra nytyn, cusadrehk pek! Ed'c lusehk drec fyo! kad dra get ehceta, huf! (Rikku! There's something on the radar, something big! It's coming this way! Get the kid inside, now!) He shouted, but before they could do so, a wave crashed against the side of the ship, throwing everyone on deck around. A huge grey-scaled fin appeared from the depths and crashed into the ship's steel hull, and threw Naruto straight off the boat and into the water. Once the blonde shinobi fell into the water, the attack seemed to stop. Rikku ran to the side, looking for Naruto.
"Dammit...I thought I'd finally found a friend who wasn't Al Bhed."
Naruto lay in the waters of his sewer mindscape staring at the stone ceiling, currently deep in a wonderful little thing called denial.
"It's not true, Zanarkand can't be destroyed, I was only there yesterday...What happened to Auron, and the kids, and the girls...what the hell happened?" Naruto yelled into the air. Kyuubi looked at him in pity from the bars of her cage before walking in between them, the ripples formed in the water by her bare feet not affecting Naruto at all. She knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his forehead while giving him a sympathetic smile.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun...but I couldn't sense any lies in what Rikku said. Zanarkand is gone." She said, taking hold of Naruto's hand. She felt his hand clench before he spoke again.
"Why is it always me? Why is it always my home that gets destroyed? First Madara, now Sin...my list of people to annihilate is steadily growing."
"And I'll help you when the time comes, Naruto-kun. You know I'd help you with anything. But for now, you need to calm down, okay?" Kyuubi said in a soft voice, and she felt the grip on her hand lessen. "Now, I suppose we're in Spira now."
"Right now, I don't care where we are."
"And why's that?"
"'Cause right now, I really don't care about anything except you." Naruto said with a small grin, making Kyuubi blush and look away.
"Sheesh, when did you become such a smooth talker, huh? You were never this good with Sakura."
"I didn't like Sakura as much as I like you, Kyuubi-chan."
"Then why did you spend so much time out there with her when you could've spent time in here?"
"Not my fault, you never let on you were a girl." Naruto said, making Kyuubi chuckle. She then looked off to the side as a loud thud sounded throughout the tunnels followed by a shout.
"Hey! You okay?"
"It's time to wake up, Naruto-kun. Promise me you'll visit later?"
"I promise. See ya later, Kyuubi-chan!" Naruto said, before disappearing into a cloud of youki once more, leaving the realm of unconsciousness. After the blonde was gone, Kyuubi continued to kneel in the water, a smile still on her face as she thought of her vessel. Soon her thoughts began to turn a little darker, however, and a huge blush appeared on her face as she fell backwards into the water, giggling and muttering "Naruto-kun" over and over. This was one very happy bijuu.
Fin. So far we have one member of the Spira Savers (as I'm calling them, or SS for short) introduced: Rikku. Next we go to Besaid, to meet the next four. I've been thinking about the future of this story a lot recently, I've even made up a special fiend that a lot of you will recognise for use later on. But before I end, I'm gonna go over a few reviews.
You will fear my laser face: I realise your reasoning for disliking the Hanyou situation, but honestly, how else do you expect him to survive a full-body Kamui? You saw what it did to Deidara's arm, I assume, so imagine if your entire body did that. He would need an immense amount of youki to heal that, and a human body wouldn't survive the youki, so he would need to...stop being human, if you understand me. Oh and by the way, your username is epic. R.I.P. Leonard Church.
SkittleKick: Naruto will be called Naruto, of course, since I stated in the first chapter that Tidus was the miscarriage and is therefore dead. The only reason no-one from FFX said his name yet is because the person he's really met is Auron, and the only person's name Auron ever says out of the SS in FFX is Yuna.
nim istar: I hadn't thought about this at all, and you raise a very good question. I suppose Naruto's old world would have to be a dream in order for him to go to Zanarkand. Although when you think about it, the Narutoverse could easily be a dream. Where outside of a dream could things like that happen?
Garrett42000: Simply because he was turned into a hanyou using kitsune youki, so that would turn him into a kitsune hanyou.
Remember to review please!
