AN: I know supposedly Edo Jellal/Mystogan came to EarthLand when he was twelve but for the sake of this story I make it so he came when he was nine.
BTW you guys are totally COOOOOOOOOOL, I can't believe I get 20 reviews for chapter 1! That's twice amount I get for prologue!
2nd Tale: Little Prince from Another World
It was hard to not feel envious when he saw his newest disciple, Juvia in all of her watery glory running across the lake, squealing in delight. It took him days of training and dripping wet from head to toe to get water walking right. Juvia only wobbled a little in her first step, standing right in her second and walk like she owned the place in her third.
Then again teaching Juvia water walk was like teaching a fish how to swim. He kinda figured this out already, which was why he taught Juvia water walk first before tree climbing. Since she had large reserve Naruto planned to teach her chakra (Magical Energy) control backward. Although to Juvia, walking in the water was no different from walking on the ground obviously.
He called her, "Juvia... that's enough, come over here."
The water girl obliged and quickly ran back to the shore, as eager as ever to please him. He was happy she was such an obedient disciple, but he was worried that she was too submissive to people she liked. Her problem was actually pretty simple. Juvia was a lonely girl, she was young, she needed a lot of attention, and depraved of that because of her rain. So as soon as she got it she latched on person who gave her said attention, namely him. He understood why she acted like this, because he had lonely childhood too and went through this period. He was not submissive though but overly protective, and some people back in Konoha learned that the hard way.
Literally hard for Danzo, and Naruto thoroughly enjoyed watching the crippled geezer walking funny for days after he was teleported to hot spring full of bathing kunoichi.
"Shisho...u?"
He was snapped out of his musing and turned his attention back to Juvia, his disciple and current main concern.
Juvia's submissiveness had to go sooner or later and replaced by independence. The best way to do that was to give her more confidence and became stronger in heart and body was the simplest and most traditional way to achieve that. Of course there was another way but with his militant background, he could work on this better. Juvia had to see herself as more than unwanted rain girl, she had to see her worth he saw in her. She was perhaps the most powerful water user that could given even Niidaime a run for his money, and that potential shouldn't be wasted because of self confidence issue.
He looked at her in the eye, and he saw an eager and talented disciple. "Juvia..." He began, "I will teach you how to climb tree without your hand."
She bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically, not even questioning the possibility of defying gravity. "Yes! Shishou!"
He showed her how to do it, using hand seal ram to focus energy (a general term he prefer to use) to the sole of their feet. Mages in general seemed to use botched version of hand seals, some just used ridiculous hand gesture for theatrics, although the use of it in molding magic seemed to be genuinely needed from what he had seen. Then again it was perhaps because mage usually was specialized in one type of magic, while in Shinobi even though specialization existed they used twelve hand seals universally so their use of hand seal must be more refined and standardized.
SPLAT!
Naruto facepalmed when he saw Juvia instead of landing on her feet like he taught her to, she fell face first to the ground and literally go splat on the ground. He approached her, and gave her a poke on the head. A habit of Itachi that rubbed off on him. She pouted at him cutely in response. "Juvia! Land on your feet!" He chided her sternly, and Juvia flinched but in her next try she managed to land on her feet even though she wobbled a little.
He wouldn't teach her tree walking at this point if she was a normal kid, but fortunately Juvia's water body prevented her from physically injured. He had taught her tree jumping and other standard pre-genin skill, she was still learning though. He taught her this exercise because control was main priority to get this abnormal weather phenomena that kept following her around under control. Rumbling sound of thunder echoed from the distant, and Naruto turned his attention to Juvia's expression. Thunder and Lightning sometime accompanied her rain, which might be a sign lightning was her secondary element. He was glad if that was the case since because of her water body, Naruto feared what would became of her if she faced enemy with lightning power.
But it was only when she was extremely upset and angry. She was frustrated but not upset, so it was not her doing but natural weather.
"You're doing good Juvia, keep going." He encouraged her. "If you get this, you can walk on the wall, ceiling, and you can try watching TV upside down." She perked up at the last one, apparently even in this world all kids were excited at the prospect of watching TV upside down. He didn't get why though, Shisui even went as far as bringing him to cinema to enjoy watching upside down and he didn't get the excitement.
She redoubled her effort and Naruto couldn't help but snicker. "Aaaah!" She got another foot down, and nineteen feet to go.
He didn't know how Mages in this world would fare in practicing Shinobi technique, but Juvia was doing pretty well for a kid her age. She was at her tenth tries and had managed to get to ten feet, it was still a far cry from thirty feet he set for her though. He was glad to see her frustration formed a frown one her eyebrow and a pout on her lips. It was a sign that Juvia was proud of herself because she could complete water walk in a blink of an eye and she was frustrated that she couldn't do the same in tree climbing. This was what he wanted from Juvia, pride in herself and desire to feel good about herself.
It was her 65th tries and Naruto thought it was the right time to give her a breather. "Juvia, take a rest!" He yelled, because thunder almost drowned his voice.
Juvia jumped towards him, muttering a timid thank you when he handed her a water canteen. When she drank her fill Naruto patted the spot where the tree bark was gouged out. "I am sure you know why here it's not your sole sticking on the wood but the other way around." Juvia nodded, "It's because you use too much energy."
"Hai!"
Naruto smiled at her, "However this mistake is something you can learn from, in fact... " Naruto dropped a kunai, focusing chakra on his feet and the kunai stuck on the sole of his foot. "We can use it like this and... use the principle of water walk to do this." Naruto kicked, pushing his chakra out and the kunai flew like a bullet towards a rock and impaled itself with great force.
She clapped in awe, even though she had seen how skilled her mentor was he never failed to impress her. "Whoaaaa..."
Naruto could see Juvia was thoroughly impressed by the display, no matter how eager she was Juvia was still a kid and to keep her attention span he had to resort to these little tricks. It was always work wonder to get kids sitting for hours to study sealing arts. Naruto than prepared the next trick, using water walk principle to push chakra out from his sole so he could propel himself with great speed. "We can also make it work like this to accelerate… since Juvia is natural in water walk, this is going to be han…"
SPLATT!
Juvia flinched when a particularly loud thundering noise startled them both. The lightning struck pretty close, Naruto thought. "Well… I guess that's a sign to call it a day now." He mumbled under his breath.
They were in the middle of forest, and shinobi or not he was not going to spend the night outside in the middle of storm with his disciple.
"Juvia is not upset!" She wailed suddenly, sniffing in frustration. "Why the storm is coming?!"
Naruto sighed, in spite of months far away from people mocking her rain Juvia was still very sensitive when it comes to her mood and the weather. "Juvia, it's not your fault… it's natural weather. Don't get worked up over what nature decides to do." Had he looked up that time Naruto would know the hole that forming on top of them in the sky was not natural.
Juvia brightened at that, "It's not Juvia's?"
"No it's not." He assured her.
"Juvia want to continue training…" She mumbled and ran back to her marked tree.
Naruto sighed, "Well… if you insist…" He had seen a clearing nearby and the moment it started raining he would unseal their house there. He was sick of camping so he built a small log house and carried it around inside a storage scroll. "Once it's start raining, you have to stop, okay?"
Juvia cheered at that, "Hai! Shishou!"
Naruto watched Juvia stumbling for a while as she ran up the tree. She also went splat on the ground a couple of times, much to his chagrin.
SPLATT!
"Shishou!" Juvia squeaked, looking up to see if the lightning was close. She blinked when she saw something unfamiliar on the gray cloud that had been constant presence in her life. As far as she remembered she had never seen a black hole on it. "Heh?" With her focus disrupted she slipped and landed unceremoniously to the ground as a puddle of water.
Naruto facepalmed, "Juvia, land on your feet." He reminded her, completely oblivious of the hole opening above them. "I guess we can continue at home, you can try it on our wall… " He trailed off before he amended, "On second thought it would be bad if the wall is wearing down because of this exercise…" He trailed off.
"Shishou, there's a hole in the sky!" Juvia squeaked as she finished materializing her head solid.
Naruto paused in his lecture, "There's what in the sky?" He inquired and looked up.
"Watch out!" Someone yelled.
CRASH!
The first thing he saw however was not a hole in the sky as Juvia said, but a blue blur crashing down to his cranium. He had high pain tolerance it was painful enough to make him seeing starts for a while. "Ouch… that's hurt."
"Shishou!"
Naruto rubbed his throbbing cranium, and looked to the side to see what hit his head. Much to his shock, he saw a blue haired boy with red tribal tattoo on the right side of his face. The boy was unconscious and that was enough to jog Naruto out of his shock and approached the boy to check on his condition. He didn't give the boy a brain damage, did he?
'You have like... the hardest head in elemental continent.'
Even in another world he still heard Shisui teasing him, wonderful~
Naruto checked the boy's vital, a light concussion perhaps which mean the boy would be cranky when he wake up. Then he noticed the boy's temple was bleeding, nothing to worry about as it was just superficial wound. He gently lifted the boy of off the ground to his arms and instinctively the boy snuggled closer to him. The weather was pretty cold now in autumn and the clothes he was wearing was pretty thin. That was odd, the boy was wearing black shirt with short sleeve and long gray pants, not warm enough clothes for kid to wear in autumn. That was odd although falling from the sky was weirder.
Juvia stared in awe at the boy on his arms, "Shisou, is it normal to see a boy falling from the sky? Juvia thought only water fall from the sky."
Naruto looked at the unconscious boy on his arms and strange stick that strapped on his back,"Well... in my homeland, raining men and blood is pretty common." Juvia blinked at that, "But I am sure in Earthland, it's unusual... but he didn't fall from the sky but from a hole in the sky." Naruto corrected.
Juvia hummed at that, "Hm... but he is really lucky that you caught him when he fell Shishou."
Naruto rubbed his throbbing cranium, he was so focused in Juvia's training that he didn't watch out that someone fell on his head. "I am not sure it count as catching him if I did it with my head, he has a pretty hard head."
Few Hours Later...
Jellal woke up by delicious smell and pleasant warmth. He was confused when he felt he was lying on something fluffy, not as soft as his royal bed but soft. Could it be he was caught sneaking to use anima machine and brought back to his room, or perhaps his father threw him to the dungeon? His head was throbbing and even though he hadn't open his eyes his hand instinctively reached out to touch his head but someone grabbed his hand.
"Don't touch your wound like that." A stern voice warned him.
He slowly opened his eyes but his sight was blurry, he could feel the hand that was holding his was large and calloused. It almost like Lily's minus the furriness. "Ngh..." He groaned in response, tear started to pool on his eyes. "It's hurt..." He didn't want to but his breath became hitched and he started to cry.
He was upset, very much so. He couldn't understand why he felt so upset, and recalled he felt the same when Lily rescued him back then. Doctor said it was concussion, and normal for a child like him to be abnormally upset and cried a lot.
"Oh... the seal effect is wearing down, I see..." The voice turned gentle and caring, then he felt something warm touching his head and the pain slowly disappeared. "There, all better?"
He was still crying but slowly he could bring his emotion back to control. "Yes... thank you." A soft towel dabbed his eyes gently, wiping the tears so he could start to see more clearly.
His eyes widened when he saw a boy, who was probably just a few years older than him. His hair was the brightest yellow he had ever seen almost like the sun, and cerulean blue eyes that mirrored the sky. He was wearing a black turtleneck shirt, an orange vest, and dark blue pants. Jellal didn't expect a young teenager tending his wound, he sounded so mature and something about him felt... ancient.
"Who... are you?"
His savior seemed to be amused by his question, "Hm... shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
He tensed, flushing a deep red when he realized how rude he was. "My apologies... my name is... Je... Jellal."
"No last name?" He inquired and Jellal tensed. After a few moments the older boy shrugged and Jellal was relieved that ihe was not interested to pry further. "Naruto..."
"Eh?"
"Naruto Uzumaki, that's my name..." The blond boy said in amused voice, "Hm... it seems you really have a concussion considering your lack of focus, no wonder since your head collide with mine pretty hard."
It took Jellal a few second to process what Naruto just said, "I... what?"
"Never mind..." He shrugged and looked to the side.
That was when Jellal noticed in this small log house they were not the only occupant, there was another child. She was sitting on a chair near the kitchen. She was a little younger than Jellal with blue hair in different shade than his tied in ponytail and eyes in darker shade. She was wearing a simple dark blue one piece with furred collar. She looked at him curiously before she joined the older boy near his bed.
"My name is Juvia, nice to meet you." She said timidly before she hide herself behind Naruto.
They looked nothing alike so she couldn't be Naruto's little sister, perhaps there was someone else who was older in this house. "Nice to meet you too, I am Jellal." He let his eyes wander around the house, and noticed it was pretty small with all rooms adjoined together, two beds in the corner, a small kitchen, a shelves full of books and scrolls, a couch and a dining table.
Sound of bubbling startled him a little, and he realized on the stove something was cooked. From the sweet scent, it was corn soup.
Growl~
Jellal flushed a deep red when he realized the rumbling sound was coming from his stomach, and Naruto and Juvia's smile didn't help. His embarrassing growling stomach seemed to make Juvia less shy as she didn't hide behind Naruto anymore and go as far as fetching a bowl of corn soup for him. There was a small bedside table and Juvia put the bowl and a glass of water there.
"Don't move around for now." Naruto warned him, "You are still not well enough to move too much."
Jellal nodded, and once again he thought Naruto behaved so adult like it was almost weird. Juvia also called Naruto as Shishou, which meant Naruto was her mentor. He didn't ask why but he couldn't help but feel curious. "Uhm..."
Naruto noticed Jellal was not normal, as if falling from a hole in the sky wasn't already abnormal even by his standard. Another thing he noticed was how Jellal was looking at the warm bowl of soup with childish wonder.
"Warm..." The blue haired boy murmured as his hands touched the wooden bowl.
"It's hot." He pointed out when Jellal almost ate a spoonful of soup without blowing it first. "You will burn your tongue."
Jellal nervously blow his soup, looking very awkward when doing it.
It was not hard for Naruto to put two and two together, and he thought. 'Oh shit, not this complicated crap again.'
One week later...
Jellal was recovering well, and Naruto knew the boy was anxious that neither he nor Juvia ever asked where he came from. Naruto told Juvia to not ask Jellal a thing, and Juvia didn't question him. If Shishou said so, that was enough reason for Juvia. Naruto thought he should confront Jellal once the boy recovered and he was well enough today. He even joined Juvia in her morning stretch. So Naruto sent Juvia away to practice in nearby lake under supervision of a kage bunshin and called Jellal to come with him inside the house.
Jellal was visibly nervous, and Naruto was sure the boy had a number of scenarios running through his mind. Too bad Naruto had no intention to listen to a make up story, and went for the kill.
He cleared his throat once they sat comfortably on the two separate bed, face to face with each other."Jellal... it's been a week since you join us." Jellal tensed, "So I want to know, what do you want to do next?"
The younger boy fidgeted, he had dreaded Naruto to ask that question. He would be lying if he say he didn't want to stay with them. He had been so determined to come to Earthland and he knew he would travel alone but that resolve was crumbling as he spent time with Naruto and Juvia. He was used to be so lonely in his palace but he had never been completely alone and in unfamiliar world.
A sigh from Naruto snapped him out of his thought. "Jellal, I am not telling you to leave... I just want to know if you want to stay with us. As you know, Juvia and I are nomads so we won't stay in the same place for long... are you fine with that?"
He nodded, "I am fine..." Was Naruto implying he could stay with them if he want to?
Naruto took that as a sign Jellal wanted to stay, so he pushed on. "Jellal... there's a couple of issue I would like to address with you if you want to stay with us." He informed Jellal and the boy tensed again. "How a royalty like you fell from a hole in the sky?"
Jellal expected the falling from the sky part but he didn't expect the royalty part, "Ha... how?"
Had Jellal been older Naruto would point out that he shouldn't ask back and confirm Naruto's suspicion in the same time, a royal family member shouldn't be this easy to interrogate. Then again he was a kid, so Naruto let it slide. "Jellal... a normal eight year old kid won't use 'My apologies' like you do, your reaction when I point out you're being rude is also telling that you're raised in strict environment." He pointed out in lofty tone. "But the biggest tell is your reaction to warm meals."
He blinked at that, the first two he understand but the last one?
"You act as if it's unusual to serve warm meal." Naruto explained with a sigh, "This would only happen to royal family member who in daily basis have their meal poison tested, so by the time their food reach their table it's already cold."
Jellal stared at Naruto in shock, he could tell Jellal was a royalty because he acted odd when eating warm food? Naruto was right though, that in Edolas his meal was always tested for poison before served so he never had warm meal in his table and it was a novel experience when he had it for the first time.
"Jellal... you haven't answered my question." Naruto reminded him, and even though Naruto didn't voice it Naruto had answered his question and wanted him to return the favor.
If there was one thing he learned first about the enigma named Naruto, the older boy was a very attentive person. All thing considered it was not odd at all Naruto figured him out already. "I am... a prince... that's true... " He admitted hesitantly. That was easy to admit, but the other world part or why he came to Earthland?
Naruto sighed wearily when he saw the boy hesitated. "Jellal... I am asking not because I want to send you back to your family or anything, but look at this situation... I have a prince in my care I don't know where he come from, or why he is here."
"I... I assure you Naruto-san, no one is going to after me here so... you don't have to worry..."
Naruto cut him off sharply, "How could you be so sure of that Jellal?" The prince tensed, Naruto had been stern with him and Juvia but never scathing like this. "Listen, I can't take your word about no one is going to after you without you explaining why... and even so, from what I see you run away from your kingdom on your own will."
Looking at Jellal's behavior it was clear he was at ease to be away from his homeland, which meant the boy had ran away from home and not expecting anyone to go after him. It was not like he was a physic to make this wild guess, it was just he knew noble and one of his closest friend was a prince who will do anything to get away from his stuffy palace even for the stupidest reason like picking Tora the demon cat up from Konoha. So yeah, he had loads of experience with runaway prince.
However unlike his friend, Jellal was nine years old boy and Naruto had no idea where this boy came from and why he ran away.
Jellal keeping his lips shut tightly was not helping.
"Look, since you don't want to talk I will make my guess..." Or rather listing his old friend's reason to run away from his palace, "You have a fight with your father?" Jellal's closed lips slowly hung open, the boy was too easy to read. "I guess that one right?" Jellal covered his mouth with his hands, "Is it because you don't like how your father run the country?" Jellal averted his eyes, "Jellal, you're not doing a very good job in hiding your expression... " He pointed out coolly.
Jellal put his hands back to his side, his face set in stubborn expression. He was clearly unhappy Naruto made a fool of him. "Hmph." Then he slowly turned his face back to Naruto. "How?"
"Well... Jellal, let's say I happen to have an old friend with similar problem with you." Jellal's eyes widened, "Yes, I am a friend of a prince and when I say he likes to run away he do it legally so he won't be dragged back to his palace and he is twenty three and not nine years old." Jellal shrank on his seat, "I doubt it very much that you come here with permission."
"Doesn't matter." Jellal gritted out. "My father disown me... there's no official banishment or anything but... father don't care where I am or if I am alive or not. So..."
Naruto run his fingers through his golden locks. "Jellal... you are a royalty, please don't assume just because your father don't care about you everything is just fine." The prince was surprised Naruto suddenly opened the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out a board game, unlike chest the board was plain wood and not painted, and the pieces were wedge shaped. "I could have stay quiet and let you be if I want to." Naruto informed him sternly as arranging the wedge shaped pieces on the board. "However... you still care about your country, don't you?"
"I do!" Jellal exclaimed, for a moment his eyes were drawn to structure made of shogi pieces Naruto built. It looked like an upside down triangle, and the whole thing was suported by one piece with Ou kanji on it. How Naruto made the structure stand, he didn't know but Naruto had a very excellent sense of balance.
"Oh?"
Jellal growled, "But I don't want to stay there any longer... I hate his policy! He don't care of anything but magic power! He sacrifice people to get what he wants!"
He smelt trouble from this, that the reason Jellal left was more complicated than early teenage rebellion. "Nothing new, there no kingdom in this world that built only with stone without some blood mixed in to harden the foundation."
"What my father has done is wrong!" Jellal was furious.
"And..." Naruto drawled, "How is running away from your kingdom solve this wrong doing?" Naruto taunted, his forefinger tapped the king piece on he board and said. "In monarchy almost everything revolves with their royalty, and picking a fight with your father when you are a kid with no real authority is not helping your country if anything it will end like this..." Naruto flicked his finger at the king pieces and the structure crumbled. "Your people can be at peace all they want, your army could share wine every night but once royal family members are at odd with each other, that's it...everyone will have to take side... civil war, the worse thing that can happen to a kingdom."
"I am not going to make anyone take side!"
Naruto rolled his eyes inwardly, wondering how this conversation escalated to hell. He expected the runaway prince case, but he didn't expect the prince was confused little boy who run away without thinking the consequences. "You're here, aren't you? If you don't like how your father run your country and you left, I can't believe you're just going to stay away and do nothing... so pray tell me how you're going to do something that oppose your father but not incite a civil war in the same time?"
Jellal's patience was thinning and the next thing he knew he spilled everything about Edolas, Anima and his father to Naruto. How his kingdom was in crisis for magical energy while all of their technology was so heavily relied on it, and how they solved the said problem with exploiting Earthland's magical energy. He wanted to help and stopped this madness so he ran away to Earthland and stopped Anima project. When he realized he had told Naruto everything, Jellal was horrified. He might be young but he was a royalty and not that naive to not realized Naruto had taunted and manipulated him to spill his secret. He had been dancing on Naruto's palm all along.
"It's all good you want to help Earthland, Jellal. However... you're but one person and a child, you can help people but in the end you solve nothing." Naruto pointed out in solemn tone. "Edolas will keep making anima, your father will keep sacrificing Earthland for power and to keep his people happy... and your people is still reliant on magical energy their world can't provide."
Something inside him snapped and he felt the same anger and frustration he felt when he decided to leave Edolas. Naruto was still looking at him with unwavering eyes, Jellal was not hiding that he was angry at Naruto and the older boy was still as cool as cucumber after the whole ordeal. He thought Naruto was an admirable person, it seemed he judged the blond wrong. Naruto was manipulative and arrogant person, just like his father.
"I am leaving." He announced, not as calm as he liked as he was trembling with fury.
Naruto's blue eyes didn't leave his, and Jellal felt Naruto was judging whether he was serious or just throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child. So Jellal walked away, snatching his backpack and staff from nearby shelf. He was about to open the door when he heard Naruto's sigh and turned to look at the blond. Naruto sighed again, resting his forehead against his palm and mouthed one word that sent his temper sky high.
"Brat." Naruto mouthed out exasperatedly.
Jellal walked out of the house, fuming in anger and shame.
Few hours later...
Jellal was regretting his decision to leave already, because after a few hours of walk he realized while Naruto had been a manipulative bastard the older boy didn't do it with ill intention. Naruto was right that what he was trying to do was just delaying his father's plan a little, it was like trying to extinguish forest on fire with a bucket of water. Naruto was also right that in the end he solved nothing. Naruto had been hard on him, but Jellal was also not helping with losing control of his temper like that. Naruto was still an ass but he was an ass who had told him nothing but truth.
"I am really a brat." He muttered exasperatedly, crouching as holding his head.
Naruto seemed to have lots of experience in politic if his speech and confidence when talking with Jellal were anything to go by. It was no wonder if he saw Jellal and his impulsive decision to run away to Earthland to close anima as a brat. When he was a prince in Edolas, he could look for a chance to undermine his father but as an disowned prince he had no way to do anything that could be meaningful impact to anima project. He also couldn't travel around Earthland forever to close Anima, and his world was still reliant on magical energy.
Should I apologize to Naruto-san?
Would Naruto forgive him? Jellal was sure someone like Naruto would brush off one childish tantrum as nothing, but he couldn't bear the thought of imposing on Naruto again after what happened just now. But... he didn't want to be alone, and he was already attached to Naruto and Juvia. He wanted to go back but he couldn't and shouldn't...
Jellal stopped walking, leaning back against a tree. He was so wrapped by his thought that he didn't notice a pair of feline eyes watching him from above. Jellal heaved a sigh and looked up, right when a tiger was jumping off of the tree to lunge at him. Jellal froze in fear, as the tiger closed in and there's no way he could reach out for his staff in time. However a strong gush of wind slammed the tiger hard, the beast was blown away and rolled on the ground fifteen feet away from Jellal.
The tiger snarled, and Jellal stepped back until he felt his back pressed against something warm. The next thing he knew Naruto had stepped forward, standing right in front of him. Jellal didn't know what made him grabbed Naruto's hand, or why he was trembling. He was not scared of the tiger, he could put it to sleep if he wanted. However all he did was standing behind Naruto and held his hand as if his dear life depend on it. Had Jellal looked up to Naruto's face he would see the older boy's face was perfectly blank, and his blue eyes narrowed at the beast.
Jellal watched the tiger's ferocious eyes changed to one with fear, it stepped back before turned around and ran like the devil itself was chasing it. Jellal's mind was puzzling over the strange behavior but stopped abruptly when Naruto's free hand patted his head. Then the older boy crouched down so he was face to face with Jellal. "In face of danger, don't freeze, don't stare at it, but move and observe." Naruto said in lecturing tone Jellal heard he used when training Juvia.
The blue haired boy just nodded numbly.
"So." Naruto started, and Jellal began to sweat nervously of what the blond was going to say next. His eyes widened when Naruto without warning poked him in forehead, making him stumbled backward a little. "Have you calmed down enough?" Jellal blinked in confusion, and Naruto elaborated. "I am asking whether you're not angry anymore at me so we can go home" Another poke on his forehead and Jellal's brain started to reboot. it's almost lunch time and Juvia will get worried if we don't go back soon."
"I..." Jellal's mind almost went haywire at the implication, "I can stay?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at Jellal, and then he gave him another forehead poking. The gesture confused Jellal but he didn't protest. "If you want to, and even if you want to leave I will insist to accompany you to nearest village first."
Jellal shook his head frantically, "No! I want to stay with you and Juvia!" Jellal froze and flushed brilliant red at his outburst. He expected Naruto to grin, or teased him for his outburst but he didn't expect the hug and the words Naruto uttered next.
"I am glad to hear that... really glad..." Naruto said as he slowly let go of Jellal. "I am sorry I have been hard on you Jellal... "
"It's fine." Jellal murmured. "I need it." He added somberly. "I have been a brat and a stupid one at that. You're right I have been so impulsive in my decision... I... I am sorry I snapped at you when all you did is pointing out truths I refuse to acknowledge."
Naruto sighed in relieve, it seemed Jellal was not angry anymore. "Well... I still think I have to apologize, I should have worded it... well... in kinder way. You're a prince and a royalty but first of all you're a child." Jellal didn't say anything in response, so Naruto continued. "Then again with my militant background, I have a hard time to treat kids like kids when all my life I treat them as comrades and student." He murmured softly.
"Naruto-san?"
Naruto shrugged. "Well Jellal... since I pretty much goaded you to spill your guts, it's far if I spill mine too..." Naruto said, laughing softly. "I am not from this world either."
Jellal's eyes widened in shock, "What?"
He nodded, "I won't elaborate how I got here as it's just going to give you a headache but in my original world I was a child soldier, I was trained to be a killer since I was five years old." Jellal's lip clamped shut as he listened, his mind had difficulty to process that the blond in front of him was a killer. "I am a little special among my peers and it give me a lot of trouble and a little blessing, and my life was not exactly peachy."
"..." He knew Naruto glossed over his life story but he didn't think he had right to demand more, and Naruto must have an incredibly good reason to hold back.
"When I see you I see myself, a kid with heavy burden in his shoulders and it as if you will be crushed by the said burden because you want to shoulder it alone..." Naruto murmured, looking at him in the eye. "Don't."
"Eh?" He blinked owlishly.
"Don't. Do. It. Alone." Naruto intoned each word with grim expression on his face. "I was angry..." Jellal tensed, frightened to hear Naruto honestly admitted that the blond had been angry at him. "That you came to this world alone... you shouldn't have." Naruto murmured softly. "Those who think they can do anything alone is bound to fail... So don't shoulder your burden alone... Just don't... it will break you apart, and even though you are trying to help people in the end you can't even help yourself, and end up regretting a lot of things..." So many regrets he had to learn to accept and live with.
He spoke from his personal experience, Jellal thought. "I won't..." He murmured, "Not anymore..." He said in the sincerest voice he could mister. Please, please, please believe me. He chanted mentally as looking at Naruto in the eye.
Naruto smiled at that and for the first time Jellal felt Naruto's expression was unguarded and no longer controlled, a genuine smile and it was because he was relieved Jellal was not going to shoulder his burden alone. "I am glad to hear that... "
"Uhm..."
Without warning Naruto poked his forehead again and Jellal yelped in surprise. Jellal was going to ask what's with the forehead poking, but quieted down when he saw Naruto had stood up with a hand outstretched for him. "Let's go home Jellal, and welcome to my family."
Home, family... I like how those words sounds, he thought as he followed Naruto back to where Juvia was waiting.
He believed he had found his place in Earthland and he was no longer alone...
The reason EdoJellal/Mystogan's chapter is longer is because the guy have bigger issue than Juvia, with Juvia the issue is solved with Naruto adopting her and train her to build self-confidence. With our prince however... LOOOOONG list of issue I have a big headache over where to start. Only EarthLand Jellal will be able to top him LOL and it's still him.
To be honest I find conclusion of Edolas arc while not bad is lacking... somehow. I also write my thought on Jellal wandering around the world to close anima in this chapter, because well... he is a twelve years old kid traveling around the world to put a damper on his father's grand plan. If Edolas arc, Magnolia sucked to Anima never happen the guy will continue his routine... from what I see he has no intention or rather no solution to end the whole ordeal. His plan to reverse anima is extreme and undoubtedly something last minute. He even almost appoint Lily to be the king when Exceed would be expelled out of Edolas too. So all his plans are reckless and botched, so please excuse my Naruto knocking some sense to his head.
I decide to plan 7 chapters pre-canon before going for time-skip~ just to fit 7 thingie FT so fond of LOL so 3 more to go!
Next in Foxtails to FairyTail
Chapter 3: Brushing with Darkness.
"I believe it's a common courtesy to introduce yourself first." Naruto answered in clipped tone.
"My apologies then…" The older man said hastily. "My name is Hades."
Okay… the way this man behaved was really unnerving; he didn't expect this stranger to apologize just for that.
"Wait! Zeref! Wait!" Hades called out frantically.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock beneath his mask, "What did you just call me?"
Hades was startled for a moment by his question before the mage started to rub his long beard as if he understood Naruto's question. "You're still asleep, I see… but it's fine, I am still looking for keys for your resurrection Zeref… and I swear you will be back to power."
"What?" This man seriously thought he was Zeref?! "I am not Zeref, in case you live under a rock you should know he is dead for four hundred years."
"But you're him!"
"I'm not." He was so glad he left Jellal and Juvia somewhere else with his clones, he seriously didn't want this mad man anywhere near his disciples.
Naaah... the newest chapter is awesome, finally some redemption for Aquarius... I don't hate her but I wonder the wisdom of leaving your owner too many times that could cause her death.