Chapter 3: Black Tar And Unwanted Protection


"What the actual fuck."

When he had walked to class this morning he had not been prepared for this.

Sure when he noticed Kagari had been missing this morning, he had thought she'd gotten into some sort of mix up with the 5 witches who transferred in yesterday, but this went beyond anything his mind had actually come to.

All the desks had been cleared and in the middle stood 4 broomsticks, brush up with various values placed on them. 100 points, 50, 25, 1; standard carnival game point value.

It made sense when paired with the fact that Kagari held a shotgun in her hand.

So shooting practice. Yeah that made sense.

Naruto nodded once in understanding before returning his attention back to the middle of the room.

What he didn't understand was why she had the quite REAL shotgun in her hand, why there were 4 of the transfer students tied up to said broomsticks, or why the hell everything was on fire.

A small fire sprite clinging to Kagari's gun gave him a devilishly cute smirk that would've sent any girl squealing due to its cuteness.

"Ah, good morning Naruto."

Said boy just blinked.

Maybe he was dreaming, or had somehow ended up in the wrong room.

Taking a step outside and looking at the room number Naruto was unamused.

"Torture Research Society, huh." Naruto deadpanned.

Stepping back in, Naruto looked again at the 4 girls on trial.

"Kagari, wanna tell me whats going on."

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently, and she truly was innocent in her inquiry, she obviously didn't see anything wrong with her actions. "Im Witch Hunting."

Naruto just gave her a long stare, which thankfully she understood and interpreted to mean "explain further".

"You said they were a pain, right."


"Please treat them nicely." The teacher said once more before turning her back on the class and writing on the board.

"Oh for fucks sake." He groaned out before dropping his head on the desk and signing out for the rest of the class period. "What a pain."


He did say that, didn't he.

Naruto sighed, he really shouldn't be surprised should he.

"I did want to join you this morning, but while I was subduing them, one escaped." She explained to the boy who only had eyes for the 4 witches burning in the room. "I figured she'd show up if I tortured these 4."

"Oh." Naruto's normal calm demeanor showed up once that had been cleared up.

He had thought she was torturing them because of an offhand comment he had made yesterday, but no she didn't take his word that seriously.

Thank God.

"MMMNNNNNNNNNGH!?" Came the muffled scream of the only girl with a ball gag in her mouth.

"Maybe we should listen to what she has to say," Turing back to Kagari, he gave her a slight frown. "And get rid of the flames too."


"Stupid witch!" Were the first words to come out of Tanpopo's mouth once the ball gag had been removed. "What's your game, you just attacked us out of nowhere. We were just trying to peacefully attend school."

"How can you say that with a straight face, you're the one who attacked us twice." Naruto said incredulously.

"You!" She screamed out, her attention fully focused on the blonde boy now. "This is your fault, all for not disciplining her properly."

"Discipline? Sounds kinky, yeah sorry no. I'm not taking advice from the one who likes chokers and ball gags."

Naruto grinned at the scream of fury she responded with.

"She's your witch, isn't she?" She bit out once she managed to get herself under control.

"Mine," Sparing a glance back at Kagari, Naruto couldn't help but think she was far off the mark, this girl did whatever she wanted. "I don't own her."

"Naruto, can I roast her, she has become annoying." Kagari finally contributed to the conversation.

An absent minded "no, that wouldn't be nice." left his mouth before he even thought about it.

"Look," Stepping forward, Naruto knew he needed to get things on track. "What's your deal, I know a little bit, but it's be best to ask the source directly. Why exactly are you after me?"

"It's nothing personal, we just want your body."

"My body?" He muttered back.

She… had a very roundabout way of doing it. Hell, she was cute enough, if she had just gone the conventional route, perhaps he would've-

"What we want, is the white stuff inside of you." She said with an air of finality.

The room went dead silent after that statement.

"We-well I mean, if that's all it is, I guess I could give that to you."

Tanpopo gaped, it had been this easy, all along she had only needed to ask.

The girl grinned in response, entirely unaware of her friends nervous gestures.

"Really, now." She tested, it wouldn't do well if he bluffed.

"Yeah, if that's all you guys want, I could go to the bathroom and get it now." As Naruto went on, Tanpopo's grin quickly fell into a look of confusion.

Bathroom, what the hell was the kid talking about?

"Yeah, it'll probably take me ten minutes, cause I don't really have any material to work with." Naruto looked behind him at Kagari, who had come even closer, her breasts almost directly in his face. "Make that 5 minutes, I have something good to work with now."

"Wait, kid what are you talking about." She uttered.

Naruto fidgeted in place for a second, a tight frown on his face as he refused to look the girl in the eye. Kagari had placed her hand on his shoulder in what he had supposed was supposed to comfort him.

Of course, if he could've seen the glare she leveled the cat girl with, it would've been clear her real intentions.

Alas, he could not, and thus misunderstandings ran rampant within the room.

"Please don't make me embarrass myself even more." Naruto said once he had gotten his fidgeting under control, although his face made his displeasure known with the girl.

Thankfully for everyone involved, one of the other witches involved, the one with glasses, quickly explained the situation to Tanpopo, whose face progressively got redder the more she heard.

Finally.

"NO! No that's not what I meant! Not at all!" She vehemently denied.

Everyone's guard sufficiently down, the 5th member of the odd group made herself known.

Naruto was accepting the girls words one moment, and the next he found himself flipped upside down and sinking into some weird black muck that he would've mistaken for tar were it not without smell.

He couldn't see, for his eyes had already plunged through the surface, but he more or less heard the sound of ropes snapping, the rushed "Take care of the witch!" and the clipped "Naruto." before he found himself on the floor below.

"Now to get away while carrying Naruto elegantly." Naruto had been thrown over this tall blonde girls shoulders, and for the life of him could not move.

Not even his birthmark would answer his pleads.

Fuck, he hated being helpless.

Guess it was time to turn to his other talents to get out of this one.

"Hey cutie," The girl paused in her dash, she was listening this was good. "How bout we ditch this place and go somewhere more private."

Let it be known, his godfather was a terrible influence.

The blonde with the eyepatch let out a loud laugh, before turning her head towards him. Considering he had been slung over her shoulders, their faces were fairly close.

Had he been any other boy, he would have blushed at being this close, even with the eye patch the girl was still good looking. However, this was Naruto; his only reaction was staring at her with a face that he hoped conveyed utter seriousness.

"Nice try kid, but your not getting off that easily." She said with another laugh as she began sprinting down the hallway again.

Fuck, it hadn't worked.

"Although, before the extraction I'll be sure to make good on that offer."

Hmm, maybe there was a silver lining to this yet.

Then the ceiling exploded, and fire flooded the sides of the hallways.

Looking up, Naruto was treated to the sight of an unamused Kagari as well as the sprawled out defeated forms of the other 4 girls.

Needless to say the girl realized the gravity of her situation, Naruto almost wished she hadn't as now he was being used as a hostage.

"If you come one step closer," Kagari took another step anyways, after all Naruto wasn't lying when he said the girl did whatever she wanted.

"I'll bite Naruto's head off!" At that she most definitely stopped.

Naruto was unamused, to think he and this girl were getting along earlier.

"Kagari, don't listen. I'm too important to kill, she has to use restraining force, she can't injure me that much." Naruto ordered.

"See thats where you're wrong kid," Naruto listened in shock, the jaws of the dog resting on his throat becoming all that more serious. "Just because we didn't come out the gates with lethal force this time around doesn't mean we have to bring you in alive. In fact Tanpopo always went straight for the kill."

Oh shit, she was so fucking right. How could he have forgotten.

Damn, he had been banking on the fact that they couldn't go all out on him, but if that wasn't the case. . .

Real fear, the likes that sent your heart overclocking and made your skin tingle, settled through his bones.

"Naruto, don't worry, just stay still." Kagari announced calmly, resuming her slow pace and approaching the witch before her. "I'll save you, no matter what."

Dammit, here he was being protected again.

Over and over and over again! Nothing changed.

He had pride in the fact that he was strong; that he could solve his own problems. He stood above his peers, some might even call him a real man, whatever the hell that meant in this day and age.

But Naruto stood above the rest.

He did not run away from his problems, nor did he push them off for other people to take care of. He was no child, he did not have to be taken care of.

He had been proud to have that kind of strength; it was what made him so confident, so charismatic, and sometimes even arrogant.

To have that seemingly crushed in the span of three days now…

He was naught more than a child at this point and that would not do.

And right then and there, it was decided, he'd have to take up the sword again. Put Jiraiya's training to good use. Hell he could even carry it around school if he made the sheath appear wooden like a boken. No one would be suspicious, and he would always be able to protect himself.

He'd also train more with the black flames that marked his skin.

His face in a grim mask of determination, Naruto left his thoughts in order to meet Kagari's eyes again. To give her confirmation that he would obey, but what he saw made is face fall.

Kagari looked absolutely furious, she looked ready to kill the girl in front of her. Her face had darkened and she leveled a murderous glare ahead while fire had almost completely taken over her person. Jumping erratically, and almost feeling evil, even when he knew that fire alone was not inherently evil.

The fire surrounded them burned darker shades of red compared to the warm orange he had come to familiarize himself with; casting long shadows along the walls that made him sweat the more he paid them attention.

"Now how should I cook her?" He hadn't heard what she had mumbled before, but now it was loud and clear, a voice of malicious intent and feeling he had not expected the girl was capable of. "I think I'll start by burning off that wavy hair. Might be fun."

That made the blonde witch take a step back.

"I- I figured you were just protecting what he held inside, but to think you actually care for Naruto here like that, that he himself is what's important to you."

"So that's your mission, huh?" Her voice had started off low, but as she realized the situation her voice gained more and more traction until she had regained her earlier confidence.

"But right now he's in my hands, how are you going to save him now?" A teasing grin lit up her face as she playfully stroked the helpless Naruto's cheek, a suicidal move if ever there was one. "Dont worry too much, I'll make sure to take good care of him."

Kagari's frame shook slightly and her lip actually curled into a snarl. Naruto watched in a mix of horror and fascination as the wallpaper started to peel and melt off the walls.

Kagari took one more step forward.

"What did you think I was bluffing!" The fangs bit deep into Naruto's flesh.

The boy felt pain for the briefest of seconds before everything went black.


'Five.' Naruto counted the blades of the ceiling fan in silence.

He was back on the couch of Kagaris studio. All was calm and the battle was over.

Naruto hadn't even reacted upon waking up; his eyes had opened and he knew of the events that took place earlier just like all past events.

It didn't take him anytime to recall, it was like his name. It was something he was aware of and didn't need to acknowledge upon waking up.

He had lied there and tried to understand why there wasn't any pain in his neck, but this proved fruitless. Besides he could sense the girls presence some odd 10 feet away, no need to senselessly rack his mind when the answers were right there.

He had been prepared to ask about this development when he stood up, but by then he had already see the scarf around her neck.

He didn't know how she did it, but there was only one solution that made sense.

She had taken the blow for him.

It was logically sound, she was made of fire afterall, she wouldn't die from mortal wounds in the same way he might. But it still left him feeling responsible.

Responsible for the girl he had put in so many fights in the past three days that it truly wasn't even funny.

Closing her book upon seeing him standing there staring at her, she incorrectly guessed what he was thinking.

She was anxious, but it was better to get this over with now; she would not keep anything from her princess, even if he despised her for it later.

"I never wanted you to see me like that, that was why I had you close your eyes yesterday."

Naruto was confused for but a moment before he realized what she was saying, however in that second it took for him to realize, she had already followed up.

She felt all sorts of bad emotions that she couldn't identify brewing in her chest, and soon started to blurt out everything. She truly felt as if she had let the boy down in some manner, and so words came spilling out of her mouth with no pause.

"I saw how scared you were of me back there, but instead of stopping I merely became angrier. I had blamed the witch that had taken you hostage and turned her into a target for my ire. If it hadnt been for her doing, the whole situation wouldn't have happened, you would have never seen me making such frightening expressions, and for that it was her fault. And then she dared to touch you like that, to treat you like a hostage, and she even had the gall to try and kill you before me. I can't tell you exactly what I was feeling, because not even I can remember it exactly, but I do know I scared you. For that I'm sorry, and while I doubt you'll accept my apology-"

"Stop." He ordered, his expression showing his uncomfortableness with the conversation.

"Please." he pleaded softly; Kagari dropped her head unable to meet his gaze in what she had interpreted as disappointment.

Throughout her entire speech she had locked eyes with Naruto, in what he could only assume was her way of showing her utter honesty with him, before breaking contact as the shame she felt for herself grew to be too much and she felt she couldn't look at him any longer.

She had poured out her heart, and while she had kept her face and voice even, Naruto could see the pain and resignation in her eyes.

"Kagari I'm not mad at you, nor scared." Naruto's statement drew an instant response from her; as much as she tried to keep a neutral expression, Naruto could see the hope and disbelief warring within her within the tremble of her shoulders. "and i don't know why you think i would be."

"Ill admit I was afraid at the time." Kagari's eyes spoke leagues more than she ever had to him, and right now they threatened to swallow him up with the emotional roller coaster that was this girl right now.

It made it clear to him just how much he meant to her, that this normally stoic and expressionless girl would be on the verge of tears due to the way he perceived her.

"But I wasn't afraid of you," He clarified, he did not want this girl thinking that he didn't want to be around her any longer, because he did. "I was afraid of what you might do."

Understanding flashed in the girls eyes and suddenly a weight had lifted from her shoulders. A small smile graced her features before she looked down in the hopes of composing herself.

To think that she had been so scared of him rejecting her; she should have known that wouldn't be the case.

Now with that obstacle out of the way she was able to return to the neutral, almost indifferent gaze that she stuck to most often.

"So whatever happened to the witch from before."

"I let her go."

"You let her leave, just like that." Naruto was surprised, Kagari had been downright furious with the girl, to think that she just let her off the hook.

"When she had dropped you, I took you away immediately." She responded. "They were no longer my concern."

"So, you let them run off." Again, not too big a deal, he didn't want them dead; they were just doing their job, however Naruto had a hard time understanding her motivations.

"Your my princess, your well being is my biggest concern." She said as if that one sentence explained everything, and in a sense it did.

"That still leaves one thing though." He breathed out as her scarf caught his attention once more.

Walking until he stood directly in front of her, Naruto reached out for the cloth covering her neck.

"Naruto." she said as a warning, although the strength of her voiced waned at the end, and her eyes pleaded with him.

He didn't want to put her through anything more, but he had to see, and Kagari would let him do as he pleased as long as it didn't harm him.

Stripping away the fabric with one motion, the boy stared at the bitemarks with an unreadable expression.

Kagari refused to meet his gaze when he had finally turned to her, she knew he would be hurt if he found out, and yet she had put on such a poor disguise. She should have known better than to think he would take her explanations at face value.

With a sigh, the boy slumped down to her left, leaning over and looking down at the carpet beneath their feet.

After taking a moment to compose his thoughts, Naruto spoke once more.

"It's probably rude of me, and I doubt you want this for me, but I can't accept the way things are going right now." Now lifting his head to look at her again, he made his request. "Will you teach me magic,or better yet, take me as an apprentice."

He was right, she didn't want that for him, but this wasn't something she could avoid anylonger.

Turning in her seat so that she was now fully facing him, Kagari cupped his chin and leaned till their noses almost touched.

She was staring into his eyes, and Naruto almost forgot what was going on as he studied the peculiar yet alluring color of her eyes. Then he remembered where he was, and tried to convey the seriousness he had at following this through.

Apparently finding what she needed, Kagari stood up and faced him again.

For a moment he was afraid that she would reject his request, but then she opened her mouth.

"Will you follow everything I say and put your trust in me?"

Naruto didn't even have to answer, his smile was enough.


I know Kagaris a lot more expressive in my story, and while those weren't my original intentions, I thought it came out to be pretty nice. The relationship between Kagari and Takamiya in the manga was always nice and I enjoyed it, but it felt like something was missing. Not necessarily romance, but they needed some sort of deeper connection. Sure Kagari was seen as attached to Takimiya, but it was really easy to forget the extent of her feelings. There's something good about the simplicity of the manga, but I guess in my eyes it needs a bit more. And I guess that's where this story is going, the bond between Naruto and Kagari will be explored quite a bit in this story.

Again this doesn't mean romance, I don't know if it'll ever actually get to that point. This is the only story on my profile that I don't have a solid synopsis/plotline for. '

So yeah, things are still a little undecided at the moment, but either way, Naruto still wants to get stronger and face all the bad guys after him, so I'll be busy enough that I have the time to decide later on.