Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Soul Eater
He was back in the shadowy room. Inside red and black tiles decorated the floor while red drapes surrounded the room. Smooth jazz was playing despite the piano standing there abandoned. In the middle was an odd red ogre dancing to an unknown music, leering at him. The ogre pointed to the piano, eagerly.
"Come Soul. You know you want to use it."
Crrrrreeeak.
"Come closer."
"Closer."
"Closer."
Soul sat at the piano and let his fingers lightly touch the keys.
"Now play and let the music run through."
He began to play G minor chord. Followed by a D augmented triad. His fingers danced across the keys as the music flowed out of him like a river. The ogre bit his hands in excitement as the music became faster and more frenzied.
"Yes."
"Yes!"
"YES!"
Maka's face flashed as she wept tears of pain. She looked at Soul once before thrashing in pain.
"SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUL!"
"MAKA!"
Soul sat up and instinctively turned his arm into a scythe blade. He panted as he realized it was the same nightmare again. He patted his chest, tracing the large scar on his chest, trying to reassure himself that it was all a dream. Soul chuckled grimly as he held his face in his hands, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.
"Soul?"
He looked up to see Maka standing at the doorway, concerned. Soul flashed her a smirk, trying to prevent Maka from having any anxieties.
"It's nothing Maka. Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep, we got school tomorrow."
Maka frowned and crossed her arms, looking at Soul sternly.
"Was it that dream again?"
Soul nodded. "Yeah. Nothing you need to worry about."
Maka shook her head and strode over to Soul's bed. Before Soul could stop her, she cradled his head into her arms and began to rub his back in soothing circles.
"What are you doing?" Soul asked.
"My mother did this whenever I had nightmares. Hopefully this'll help."
Soul tried to complain but the repeated actions of Maka rubbing his back began to make Soul drowsy. He yawned loudly and smacked his lips a couple of times.
"This feels good."
Maka giggled. "Go to sleep Soul. You need it."
"Yeah I do," Soul said sleepily, before closing his eyes. After a while, he slumped against Maka and began to snore softly. Maka smiled and laid Soul on his bed. She quickly looked around for Blair before she climbed in beside him. She held his head in his arms. Soul grunted but wrapped his arms around Maka's form. Maka looked down and saw the grouchy scowl on her weapon's face become gentler as a small smile stretched across his face. She sighed in relief before kissing his cheek and falling asleep after him.
Later on that day, Maka dragged Soul down the streets of Death City. She had enough of the nightmares and decided to go to one of the few people that had the knowledge to help Soul. Despite Soul's disagreement, Maka insisted they go for help whether Soul wanted to or not. She reasoned with him that if she doesn't get enough sleep, then she gets cranky. And if she gets cranky, she's taking it out on Soul. Soul scoffed and commented on the fact that she slept pretty well with him. Maka had turned red and gave him a chop to the head so hard that it stunned him. Maka sighed and repressed her blush as she approached the orange home of her teachers. She knocked on the door and rang the doorbell several times before the door opened to reveal a shirtless Naruto, wearing only his pajamas. Maka reddened in embarrassment and quickly averted her eyes.
"Yawn. Eh? What're you doing here Maka? Soul? I would expect you two to be going on a date now or something," Naruto said sleepily. Maka and Soul reddened.
"We're not going out!" they yelled in unison. Naruto winced and clean his ear with his pinky.
"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. Now come on in. Miyako-chan's making some breakfast. I'm sure she wouldn't mind having you two over," Naruto replied. He ushered them in and threw on a shirt. Maka and Soul followed their teacher into a modest sized kitchen where Miyako was cooking breakfast and wearing one of Naruto's shirts. She turned and smiled at her students.
"Oh, Soul! Maka! This is a surprise. Would you like some breakfast? I'm sure I can whip up a couple more pancakes for you two as well." Miyako asked. Maka and Soul nodded.
"That'd be great sensei."
"I'd like to have some."
Miyako smiled. "Chocolate chip or blueberry?"
"Chocolate chip!" Soul and Maka said. They stared at each other in surprise while Miyako giggled.
"It'll be ready in a couple of minutes. Take a seat at the table," Miyako said as she turned around. Soul reddened considerably when he noticed that the hem of Miyako's shirt was tucked into her panties, displaying her bright, red silk panties to the two children. Maka caught him staring and pulled out a book.
"Maka Chop!"
Soul groaned as he tenderly felt the bruise on his head.
"That's going to leave a mark."
After five minutes, Miyako set down a plate of chocolate chip pancakes near Maka and Soul. Naruto pulled out the seat for his wife before sitting himself down at the table. Naruto grinned at the food and smiled at his wife.
"Thanks for cooking breakfast Miyako-chan! You two feel free to dig in. I won't stand on ceremony," Naruto said as he began to load his plate with scrambled eggs and bacon. Miyako nodded.
"Whatever business you have can wait. Eat up."
"Hai!"
Soul and Maka both dug into the pancakes. To say that they were good was an understatement. Maka and Soul froze when they took the first bite. The texture, the taste, the smooth gooey feeling of warm chocolate on their tongues. It was so perfect that they couldn't believe it. Naruto chuckled at their expressions.
"Miyako-chan makes the best pancakes in the world. All from scratch too," Naruto said as he shoveled a forkful of pancakes in his mouth. "It's great isn't it."
Soul and Maka nodded.
"Not even my family's cooks could make something this good," Soul said.
"Could you give me the recipe, Miyako-sensei?" Maka asked. Miyako smiled.
"Of course. However more eating, less talking. We wouldn't want to waste this food."
She giggled as Naruto, Maka, and Soul nodded and began to dig into their food with gusto. Soon all of the food was eaten. there was a minor conflict as Soul and Naruto dueled over the last pancake using their forks but Miyako and Maka cuffed their heads. Naruto whined longingly as Miyako handed the pancake to Maka. Maka giggled but split it with Soul, eliciting muttered grumblings from Naruto and a stifled squeal from Miyako. Maka and Soul helped Naruto clean the dishes as Miyako enjoyed her after breakfast tea, occasionally reminding Naruto that you wash clockwise, not counter-clockwise as well that in the dishwasher, the plates go with plates, bowls with bowls, and spoons with spoons. Maka and Soul chuckled as their sensei whined like a small child but complied with Miyako's orders. With everything cleaned, Naruto led Maka and Soul into the living room while Miyako stayed in the kitchen. Naruto sat down in a neon orange, armchair and grinned as the overstuffed armchair seemed to melt around Naruto, conforming around his body while Maka and Soul sat on the couch across from Naruto.
"Ahhh, that's good," Naruto moaned. "Now that we're all fed and watered, what can I do for you two?"
Maka glanced at Soul before speaking.
"Ever since the mission from Italy, Soul's been having nightmares."
"I'm assuming that they are no normal nightmares."
Maka nodded and elbowed Soul. Soul shot Maka a glare before speaking.
"In my nightmares, I enter a black room with red drapes. The room is illuminated by lamps and has red chair, a phonograph playing music, and a piano. Within that room, there's this little red ogre in a double breasted suit always hopping and dancing about in some odd little way. During those dreams, this ogre keeps pushing me to the piano until I play. As soon as I start playing, Maka's face appears and she screams in pain before everything turns red and fading to black," Soul explained.
Naruto remained still and stared at Soul. Soul shivered as all traits of silliness or goofiness disappeared revealing the hardened look of a man who's seen many things in his life. Naruto's eyes were hard and cold like ice that bore through Soul's body like a drill. After a long moment, he stood up and looked down at Soul. Soul unconsciously gripped Maka's hand and immediately felt reassured when he felt her squeeze his hand, signaling that she was there for him.
"Come with me."
The pair followed Naruto out of the living room to a black door. Naruto laid his palm on the door and it glowed green before melting away to reveal a staircase. They followed Naruto down the staircase as it led to a huge stone basement. There were training equipment everywhere and a large ring for sparring. Soul and Maka gaped as they stared around. Items of all shapes and sizes were displayed. Maka walked towards a large blade that resembled an over sized kitchen knife. However there was a large red eye in the middle and veins that ran across it. The eye blinked and turned to focus on Maka. Maka stared at it, hypnotized at it.
"Wield me and gain ultimate power!"
Maka's hand twitched and stretched towards the sword. However just as she was about to touch it, Naruto appeared and smacked Maka's hand. Maka gave a cry of pain and looked at Naruto confused. Naruto frowned at Maka.
"You almost had your soul absorbed by this blade, Soul Edge. Nasty piece of work. Devours the souls of those slain by its blade while turning the wielder mad. Made quite a mess in Europe before I managed to take down its bearer. Been locked up here ever since," Naruto said. He turned to the sword and imprudently poked it in the eye. The sword screamed in rage and visibly shook in anger.
"Bad sword. Down boy."
"I WILL KILL YOU BOY AND DEVOUR YOUR SOUL OVER THE COURSE OF AN ETERNITY!"
Naruto ignored the blade and poked it in its eye again. The sword screamed in impotent rage as without a person wielding it, it could do nothing.
Naruto motioned Soul to approach him as he set down a worn leather bag. From the bag, Naruto pulled out a piece of chalk and began to draw a perfect circle ten feet in diameter. On the outside of the circle, he made three circles and connected them creating a perfect triangle. Within the triangle, he drew another triangle rotated 180 degrees, splitting the main triangle into four equal sized triangles. He drew three elaborate characters in each of the three outlying triangles, leaving the middle one completely empty. Naruto nodded in satisfaction and began to pull more items from the bag. He pulled out three candles, a syringe, and a bone. He lit the three candles and placed them in the small circles on the circumference of the large circle. Before Soul could react, Naruto jabbed the syringe and pulled out a tablespoon of blood. Naruto ignored Soul's glare and plucked out a tuft of Soul's hair. Maka grabbed Soul before he could hit Naruto out of anger as she was confused as to what Naruto was doing. She watched as Naruto pulled out a small glass dish and placed the blood inside before setting it within the circle, outside of the large triangle. The bone and hair were also placed outside of the triangle but within the circle. Naruto sighed and turned to Soul.
"Take off your shirt."
"What for?"
"Just do it gaki. Trust me."
As Soul removed his shirt, Maka turned to Naruto.
"What are you doing sensei?"
"Soul's nightmares are not merely nightmares. They are messages sent by a foreign entity within his body seeking to possess his consciousness. The black room is where its residing and its occupant, the ogre, is the one responsible. Upstairs I could feel it within Soul, waiting for its chance. If allowed free, it would force Soul to become insane killing everything in his path, loved ones first," Naruto explained. Maka's jaw dropped while Soul was frozen with shock.
"How?" Soul whispered.
"The fight with the Dark Weapon back in Italy. A good amount of its blood was mixed inside of you when it sliced you open," Naruto said. Maka's eyes watered as she remembered that attack vividly.
"It's my fault," Maka whispered. Naruto's eye twitched and he cuffed her head.
"Baka. It's not your fault, only the weapon," Naruto said. He turned to Soul and pointed to the empty triangle in the very middle of the circle.
"Sit in there and don't touch the chalk," Naruto ordered.
Soul eagerly jumped in the triangle and sat inside it.
"What I'm doing is separating the entity from your mind and creating a one way access between you and this entity. As long as you will it, the entity cannot take over your mind. However this seal is only as strong as your will. It will fail if you wish it too," Naruto warned.
"Why? Why not exorcise it or seal it completely?" Maka asked.
"This thing may allow Soul greater power if he learns how to control it Maka like during your fight with the werewolf in London. He'll need it in the future," Naruto replied. "Now Soul, remain completely still and do not move until I say so."
Soul nodded and Naruto made several hand signs while chanting. Maka stared in wonder as the three candles burst into blue fire and circled Soul. Soul eyed the flames nervously but remained still as the flames burned the hair and blood but only scorched the bone before flying high into the air and back to Naruto. Naruto held out his right hand and clenched his pinky and ring finger, while stretching out his thumb, index, and middle finger. The flames shrunk and wrapped around the tips of his three fingers. Naruto lunged at Soul and thrust his three fingers into his chest. Soul howled in pain as the flames burned his skin, creating a blue triangle above his heart with the kanji for "Being" within the triangle.
"Three Point Human Gateway Seal: FUIN!"
The seal shone brightly before turning to black. Soul panted and slumped, his hand clenching his chest. Naruto nodded to Maka and she rushed over to his side, holding him. She looked up at Naruto gratefully as she cradled Soul. Soul returned Maka's hug with as much fervor, relief spreading through his body. Naruto grinned and patted Soul's head.
"You alright kiddo?"
"Yeah. Thanks Naruto-sensei."
Naruto chuckled. "No problem kiddo. Maka get Soul back home. He'll need some rest but he should be fine for tonight's party."
Maka smiled widely. "Hai sensei. Let's go home Soul."
Soul nodded and tried to stand. However he wobbled and was about to fall but Maka caught him. She pulled his arm around he shoulder, acting like his crutch. Soul chuckled embarrassed.
"This doesn't look cool."
Naruto laughed and looked at Soul in the eye.
"No it doesn't. But being able to stand the temptations of power for the sake of your partner. That's really cool."
That evening Maka and Soul arrived at Shibusen in the formal wear for the big anniversary party celebrating the school's 800th anniversary since its founding. Maka smiled at Soul in her short black dress with her hair let down. Soul blushed and turned his head, hiding his blush with a scowl. Waiting for them were Black Star and Tsubaki.
"Hurry up or we'll be late!" Maka said to Soul.
"You're the one who took so long to get ready," Soul replied.
"Hey Soul! I'm going to eat so much food!" Black Star declared happily, while a line of drool appeared from the side of his mouth. Tsubaki sweat dropped embarrassed at her meister's appearance as his shirt was messily buttoned, tie sloppily placed in a knot, suit drooping, and shirt was not tucked.
"He's like a slob," Tsubaki thought as her own white dress was completely immaculate of any stain.
"Over here!"
They turned to see Patty, Liz, and Kid all dressed in suits. Kid sweat dropped at Black Star's appearance.
"W-what a slob," he thought. He cleared his throat and smiled. "Thanks for coming inside. You're just in time. Chichue will be making his opening speech soon. Please come in."
Kid gestured to the group. Inside the building, the main hall was cleared out for the use as a huge ballroom. Every student and faculty were inside mingling and chatting excitedly about the party or greeting old and new friends alike. Maka looked around and saw Miyako talking with Stein. She grabbed Soul and led him to her. Black Star noticed this and followed Maka while Tsubaki followed Black Star.
"Miyako-sensei!"
Miyako turned to see Maka waving excitedly at her. She smiled at them.
"Hello Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki. Soul, are you feeling better now?" Miyako asked. Soul nodded and rubbed the area where his seal was.
"Yeah, I want to thank Naruto-sensei for helping me. Where is he?" Soul asked.
"He'll be arriving with Shinigami," Miyako said. "I must say though, you two make a cute couple."
Maka and Soul blushed and turned away.
"We're not a couple," Soul muttered. Maka nodded in agreement.
Miyako giggled and spotted Black Star. Her smile turned into a thin line as she fixed Black Star with a stern look. Black Star wilted under Miyako's stare.
"Black Star, I know that being in a suit can be uncomfortable but please sort yourself out. Tsubaki-chan prepared those clothes for you and look how sloppy you dressed yourself. I'm surprised Tsubaki let you out of the house," Miyako scolded. Tsubaki shuffled nervously. Miyako saw her and grinned apologetically. "I'm not blaming you dear. It's just that some men have no sense of fashion. Why I remember shopping for some suits once and he bought a completely orange tuxedo that was bright enough to blind people."
The students giggled as they could imagine their sensei walking around in an orange suit. Miyako giggled as well before turning to Black Star.
"Black Star, if not for your sake, please sort yourself out for Tsubaki. She takes care of you so that you can train as hard as you can. The least you can do is respect her efforts," Miyako admonished gently.
Black Star nodded and smiled guiltily at Tsubaki. "Sorry about this Tsubaki."
"It's alright Black Star. Here, let me fix your tie."
The students mingled about for a few more minutes. However all activity stopped as the all the lights dimmed except the ones illuminating the stage. A pillar of smoke appeared and spun about for a moment before dispelling to reveal Naruto. Naruto smiled and pulled out a microphone as he stared out to the crowd.
"Hello students and faculty of Shibusen! My name's Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, one of the co-founders of this school along with my wife and a certain carefree Headmaster that we all know, love, and respect dearly. Shibusen was created 800 years ago during our wars with the witches, Shinigami-sama dreamed of a world of peace and happiness. After out his victory of the first Kishin, he with a little help from my wife and I, created this Academy for the sole purpose of training generation after generation of meisters and weapons alike so as to keep the world in relative peace and prevent the rise of Kishin. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce the person of the hour! I give you Lord Death!"
Everyone applauded as Naruto gestured grandiosely to a shadowed area. However the applause gave way to confusion as it simply illuminated curtains. Naruto cleared his throat and gestured again.
"Lord Death!"
Again applause was given but soon died out as nothing happened. Naruto sighed and stomped over to where the curtains were and pulled them open. Behind the curtains, Shinigami was happily snacking on some yakitori, oblivious to the stares he was receiving. He did notice Naruto glaring at him and waved casually at Naruto.
"Ah Naruto! Have you tried these! these are delicious!" he said light-heartedly. Naruto groaned and pointed at the crowd. Shinigami turned and spotted the crowd. Without missing a beat, he raised his large, flat hands in greeting and waved at the students and faculty.
"Hello! Good to see you! Hiya! Welcome! How're you doing?" Shinigami said.
This time there was a round of applause as everyone laughed and waved off their leader's habit. The applause faded after a while as the audience waited for Shinigami to say his piece.
"Ah, that concludes my greetings. Now shoo."
Soul and Kid sweat dropped. "It really was a greeting."
Naruto palmed his face before shrugging in resignation.
"Anyways, this is a party and we have a live band so celebrate how you like. Okay?" Shinigami said.
"Hai!"
The band began playing music as the party started. Couples started dancing while some of the guests began to eat the food catered by Shibusen's very capable staff. While they served a multitude of different fare, the centerpiece was not the steaks or roasts but a build-your-own ramen stall complete with several types of broth, fresh noodles waiting to be cooked, ingredients, and two pressure cookers with timers to ensure maximum quality. Naruto wept tears of joy and began bowing repeatedly as he saw that a separate cart was made just for him.
"THERE IS A GOD!" Naruto proclaimed happily. Near him, Miyako sighed in resignation as Naruto was trying to decided what to eat. So many different combination, so many different types. What to choose? What to eat?
Near the buffet, Black Star was rapidly going through several plates of food like an animal. Tsubaki laughed in embarrassment at her meister but was happy that he was enjoying himself. Out on the dance floor, Maka laughed as Kid directed Patty and Liz in what appeared to be an attempt of synchronized dancing. She noticed that Soul was nowhere to be found. She looked around to see him standing on the balcony, staring at the moon. Maka frowned slightly and she walked over to the balcony. She leaned on the railing and looked at Soul.
"Something wrong?" Maka asked. Soul shook his head.
"It's nothing. I'm not good with crowds. Reminds me too much of home," Soul muttered. Maka sighed.
"Well it's different here as everyone sees you as you and not your brother Wes," Maka replied.
Soul chuckled. "Yeah. It is better."
Maka giggled and held out a hand. Soul looked at it in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"Let's dance Soul. I know you're good at it," Maka said. "We don't have to do it out on the dance floor. Here will be fine."
Soul stared at Maka's hand for a little longer and took it. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck while he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. The two danced slowly, not noticing that the music changed to one of a slow dance, merely responding to the rhythm of the music. The whole time, Maka and Soul stared into each other's eyes not really thinking of anything except how comfortable and happy they were with each other, even with all of its ups and downs.
With the moon shining on a clear night, out on the balcony, with barely anyone around, it was perfect.
Too perfect.
What Maka and Soul did not see was Miyako struggling to keep Spirit from ruining the mood as he frantically scrabbled to get between his daughter and "that scruffy no good apathetic lout of a man". Spirit gave a titanic effort to escape Miyako's grip but was thwarted when she hit his nerve cortex with a super-powered flick, stunning him temporarily. Miyako sighed in relief as she laid Spirit's prone body against the wall and left him in search for Naruto. Seeing Maka and Soul dance made her want to dance with Naruto as well.
She made her way to Naruto who was happily slurping up another bowl of ramen. Her eye twitched when she saw a stack of ramen bowls as tall as Black Star. Naruto glanced up at her irritated face and shuddered.
"Anything wrong honey?" Naruto asked cautiously. Miyako nodded.
"We're dancing, now," Miyako ordered. Naruto nodded and took Miyako's hand. He led her to the dance floor and immediately began to dance with the music. The two had been around so long that they instinctively knew what the other was going to do. This resulted in a perfect unity between partners. There was no specific pattern, no real steps, just two people dancing in a perfect manner and synchronization. The people around them noticed and allowed the couple to have the dance floor, content in watching the two talented teachers dance. Among those watching was Kid who was crying tears at how beautifully symmetrical they were together.
"STEIN!"
Everything stopped and everyone turned to see the source of the scream. Sid was kneeling on the ground, bloodied and wounded. Naruto and Miyako hurried to his side as he explained what had happened to him. From the corner of his eye, Naruto spotted Medusa running and made a hand seal. He disappeared and reappeared right in front of her. Her eyes widened when she saw him raise a fist and quickly pointed her hand at the ground in front of her.
"Vector Arrow!"
Naruto flew above the arrow and was thrown to the side, crashing against the wall. Naruto cursed and pulled himself out of the wreckage just in time to see Medusa jumped off the balcony. Naruto ran to the balcony and looked around to see a figure holding out his hands, crackling with energy. On the other two spires, the Medusa and another witch was helping the first figure in casting a spell. Naruto searched for Miyako and saw her helping Sid as he was frantically summoning enough energy for to help several meisters escape. He looked around and saw Ox, Harvar, Kim, Jacqueline, Kirikou, and the twins standing in a group.
"KIM! OX! KIRIKOU! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW!" Naruto roared. He made several hand seals and inhaled deeply.
"Katon: Dragon Fang!"
A large gout of fire shaped like a dragon roared towards the figure. Naruto channeled his chakra through his hand, automatically converting it into wind.
"Fuuton: Wind Wall!"
Naruto sent his palm forward creating a large wall of wind soaring to the figure. The wind collided with the flames and ignited creating an enormous wall of flames bearing down on the three figures. They jumped and had to stop their spell for a moment. That moment was all that was needed for the three meisters and their weapons to jump off the balcony.
"PROTECT THE CITY AT ALL COSTS, KIRIKOU!" Naruto roared. Naruto saw that the witches were continuing on their chanting as the whole room began to shake. Naruto knew he had a limited amount of time before the barrier closed. He made one last series of hand seals as a green box began to materialize.
"Summoning: Toad!"
A black toad the size of a large dog appeared beside Naruto. Before it could say anything, Naruto threw it out the window.
"Kurogama! Find Maka!"
The toad gave a ribbit as it plummeted away. Naruto sighed as he heard a loud clank as the witches finished their spells, signaling that they were now outside time and space. He slumped to the ground as the adrenaline began to wore off. He chuckled and palmed his face, as his chuckling gave way to grim laughter. Shinigami and Miyako strode over to him, slightly worried for him. Miyako laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder while Shinigami chuckled as he realized what Naruto was laughing about.
"On the anniversary of Shibusen, witches come to free the very person that we seek to seal," Shinigami sighed.
Naruto chuckled. "It looks like things will start to become very interesting, eh."
"Only if Asura is not freed," Shinigami said. Naruto laughed loud and long, chilling both Miyako and Shinigami.
"Who said I was worried about Asura?"
Yo! I hope you guys are enjoying the story as much as I am. Now we're getting to the good part. Will the meisters succeed in stopping the witches? Who's fears will be realized? Shinigami's or Naruto's? What will happen next?
As always, PLEASE REVIEW!
Peace! Oso1991
