Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Familiar of Zero.

Familiars of the Void

Chapter13: A Day at the Beach

Japan: Okinawa

"I've never seen the ocean before," Tiffa squealed as the group stood atop the hill overlooking the beach below. "I've always wanted to see this."

"I've been to the beach once before but that was years ago," Naruto nodded.

"Tiffa, you've never seen the ocean?" Louise asked surprised.

"No, since I've always lived in the forest I've never been anywhere near the sea," Tiffa replied.

"The ocean's really nice," Montmorency told her. "Especially at night when it's mysterious and romantic."

"Montmorency, would you like to walk the beach with me at night to gaze at the stars?" Guichi asked with one of his sparkling smiles and a rose in his hand.

"Not with the Order of Perverts," Montmorency huffed and turned away. Guichi appeared saddened before he turned and left dejected,

"Why don't you forgive him already?" Kirche asked. "The incident with the bathhouse was like a lifetime ago."

"He'll only get full of himself if I forgave him now," Montmorency shrugged.

"I couldn't agree more," Louise nodded.

"Hey, come on now. This vacation is the perfect opportunity to fix relationships," Kirche reasoned.

"Hey guys, what are they wearing?" Malicorne spoke up and pointed down at the people on the beach. They all wore a variety of clothes but more often than not there were only bikinis and shorts showing off far more than what they would consider the norm.

"W-what?" Louise asked with reddened cheeks when she saw their state of dress.

"Is something wrong?" Saito asked confused.

"What are they wearing?" Louise demanded. "A better question would be what aren't they wearing?"

"They're wearing swimwear," Saito replied suddenly nervous. "Why?"

"This is...this is..." Agnes muttered from the side. "We are not wearing something like that!"

"Saito, I love your world," Guichi praised with a beam smile.

"I thought it was underwear," Malicorne commented stunned.

"Of course not," Saito shrugged back with a grin. "Oh this brings back such pleasant memories."

"Her Majesty will not be wearing such scandalous cloth," Agnes spoke firmly.

"I don't mind," Henrietta reasoned. "It would seem strange if I wore my civilian clothing...we are trying to blend in and not arouse suspicion after all."

"B-but your Highness-" Agnes started.

"I have spoken," Henrietta countered firmly.

"Alright then I'll go and buy some swimsuits from the shop," Naruto spoke up. He'd have to create a Henge'd clone to get the girls' swimwear too but that shouldn't be a problem.

"Where are we going to change?" Siesta asked.

"...I don't see any changing rooms," Saito mused. "We'll change here out of sight of everyone."

"The ocean...it's so big and blue," Tiffa said stunned her foot stepped into the chilling water. She was now dressed in a green one-piece that just barely managed to contain her overly large bust.

"It's salty too," Siesta commented as she licked a drop of water from her fingers. She along with the rest of the girls including Agnes and Henrietta were wearing bikinis and the guys were 'trying' to keep their eyes off of them. They were all wearing nothing but swimming shorts causing a few of the girls to keep glancing at them from the corner of their eyes.

"Siesta...aren't you full of yourself?" Louise sent a small glare not at Siesta but at the maid's bust which was considerably larger than her own. Siesta just smirked knowingly and splashed some water over at the pinkette. "Siesta!"

"We're ignoring status, right?" Siesta asked as she moved deeper into the water.

"Stop being so cheeky!" Louise shouted back as she ran after her, throwing water as she went.

"I've never been gladder to be alive than today," Gimli commented dazed.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Saito, I love your world," Guichi said with a grin.

"So what now?" Naruto asked looking over at his fellow human familiar.

"We're going to split watermelons," Saito said with a shrug. "You have to cut it in half with a stick while blindfolded."

"Sounds easy enough," Naruto commented.

"Only to those who can fight while blind," Saito nodded.

Henrietta went first but was unable to hit the watermelon while Agnes managed to cut one clean in half. Kirche ended up falling over and Siesta ended up hitting Malicorne in the side by accident. Naruto managed to cut it and so did Saito. Guichi took a little while longer but he did it in the end along with surprisingly Malicorne. Gimli was next but he couldn't hit it and finally Montmorency was able to cut it in half.

The sun was beginning to set when...

"Louise..." Saito said as he turned and stared at his wife.

"W-what?" Louise asked as she looked away. She didn't hate wearing the bikini but she hadn't felt comfortable with so many males staring at her including her husband even if he had seen her in less. Then again she herself was getting an eyeful since all Saito was wearing was some swimming shorts displaying the muscles all over his upper body. He had certainly changed over the last two years since she met him and she would be lying if she said she didn't like the physical results of his training.

"Well, ah...I thought you looked good in that swimsuit," Saito said making her blush again.

"W-what are you saying all of a sudden?" Louise stammered as she turned away from him.

Tiffa awoke with a start and sat up straight. No one had seemed to notice as she got up and took a look around at the others in the room. They had stopped at a local inn for the night before they'd start their journey to a city that Saito had called Kyoto in the morning. Since they were all in one room both boys and girls, she noticed that Naruto was absent.

Montmorency wasn't in her own futon but in Guichi's while Siesta was curled up next to Saito. Louise and Henrietta were missing and Agnes was sleeping next to the door. Kirche, Charlotte, Gimli and Malicorne appeared to be sleeping alone in their own futons but Naruto's was notably empty.

Tiffa concentrated chakra to her ears and closed her eyes to focus. Suddenly she could hear everything within a mile of her and 'heard' the soft breaths of everyone in the inn and the neighboring area. However she heard several deeper breaths of those that were awake and only one of them was coming from the beach. She quickly changed into something decent and left the room as quietly as she could, making sure not to wake anyone.

When she reached the beach she saw a human silhouette sitting on the sand and staring out at the ocean with the moon reflecting off of it. As she approached she saw that it was indeed Naruto sitting there with one leg stretched out on the sand and the other pulled in. She wordlessly sat down beside him with her knees pulled into to her chest and the two just sat their gazing out as the calm waves splashed a few feet in front of them.

"Did you have fun?" Naruto asked after a long silence.

"Yes," Tiffa nodded. "I've never been to the beach before and I've always wanted to see new places."

"...Today made me think about what I'm going to do with my life now," Naruto said with a sigh.

"And?" Tiffa asked him curious.

"When we get back and after everything is settled I'm going to found my own shinobi village and teach people how to use chakra without a wand. They'll probably be mostly commoners wanting to learn magic," Naruto replied.

"You're talking about a revolution," Tiffa commented.

"Yes I am," Naruto nodded.

"And what if the Queen tries to stop you?" she asked.

"She won't," Naruto said clearly.

"You seem sure about that," Tiffa muttered.

"She may look like a real princess but I've met my share of princesses and I know that look in her eyes, when there's a crisis. She'll do what she has to do even if others think it's a bad idea," Naruto explained. "She knows that the situation in Tristain needs to change, especially with the war against Gallia coming."

"And I'll be right there by your side, right?" Tiffa asked hesitantly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Naruto smiled as he draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her in closer to him.

They didn't return to the inn that night...

On the roof of the hotel Louise and Henrietta sat staring up at the stars and the only moon in the night sky. Louise still remembered back when she first met Saito and the memory of not originally believing that he came from another world that was not her own. Now here she was staring up at solid proof that she was not on her homeworld anymore.

And then there was the issue with the Queen...

"You love him, don't you?" Louise asked as she stared up at the moon.

"...Yes, I love Saito," Henrietta admitted.

"What happened to us Your Highness? Where did it all go wrong?" Louise asked as her mind drifted back to simpler times. Times when they were children playing in a field of flowers with not a care in the world. It was so much easier back then with no wars, no worries, no anger, no hatred and no death.

"I don't know," Henrietta replied sadly. "Louise...as Saito's wife and second successor to the throne I need to ask something of great value to you."

"...What is it?" Louise asked as she finally turned her gaze on her childhood friend.

"I ask that you allow Saito to grant me an heir to the throne," Henrietta said clearly.

"W-what?" Louise recoiled at the request.

"There was another reason I came with you all to this strange world," Henrietta explained. "After you returned from Gallia my council started suggesting that I find a suitor to produce an heir. Now that I have reached the age of womanhood they have started hosting dances and introducing me to their sons."

"So you want Saito too..." Louise trailed off.

"Saito would make an excellent king," Henrietta said honestly. "But he is also your husband and therein lies the problem. According to the old laws a nobleman is allowed to take on more than one spouse if he is the last of his line."

"Of which he is," Louise muttered and turned away. "Do you realize what you are asking of me?"

"Yes," Henrietta replied softly.

"...I can't do it," Louise said with her back to the Queen.

"Louise...please..." Henrietta pleaded.

"No," Louise turned back with tears streaming down her face. "I love Saito...you can't just ask this of me after everything we've been through. Prince Wales's death...the fight with Wardes and the war with Albion have changed us so much. I've sacrificed a lot for you and Tristain but...what you ask for is too much."

"...Will you at least consider it?" Henrietta asked quietly.

"...Maybe," Louise whispered back as she turned away and headed back inside the hotel.

"Thank you for everything you've done Louise," Henrietta said sadly as she watched her friend go.

Japan: Kyoto / Temple

"Are you sure you want me here for this Naruto?" Tiffa asked as she followed the blond Jinchuuriki into the quiet and clearly empty temple.

"You are my partner so yes I want you here by my side during this," Naruto nodded as they walked silently deeper into the temple.

As they approached the doors to the main hall the doors slowly opened up revealing what looked like a meditation room with candles and plants littering the room. At the far end of the hall was an old man with a long gray beard sitting on his legs with his hands resting on his knees and his eyes closed. Naruto continued walking towards the old man with Tiffa following his lead and the doors closed behind them of their own accord. Finally the two blonds stopped in front of the old man and waited as he let out a deep sigh.

"I must say it is rather unusual for two such as yourselves to come to this temple," the old man said with a frown. "A sage suppressing a terribly dark spirit and touched by death itself along a young princess of noble and foreign blood maintaining balance. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

"I wish to tame my demons," Naruto declared.

"...Interesting," the old man mused. "You wish to cast away your hatred, your anger...your darkness. It's a fool's errand that you seek; to cast away your darkness would destroy half of everything you are. That is not the correct answer that you seek...no, what you desire is not that but something far greater."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked confused.

"I think he means that you are made of both light and darkness. Both of them together make you whole," Tiffa replied. "Maybe you should try accepting your darkness and balance it with the light."

"And how do I do that?" Naruto asked.

"You already have for the most part," the old man spoke up again. "You've already accepted your darkness however it still tries to consume you...you will have to face your 'demons' yourself for control."

The old man slowly got up from the floor and turned towards the wall behind him. He pushed against the wall slightly and a click was heard before the 'wall' swung open to reveal an empty white room beyond with a yin-yang symbol engraved in the center. The old man stood to the side and nodded to them as they passed.

"This is..." Naruto muttered.

"Rely on each other and you will both survive the challenges ahead. I wish you luck young sage," the old man concluded and exited the room, closing the 'wall' behind him.

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked as he sat down on the yin side of the symbol.

"Yes," Tiffa nodded as she sat down on the yang symbol.

"Then let's get the party started," Naruto grinned as the symbol lit up, enveloping them in light.

Author's Notes:

There's not really much to say here other than I hope you the chapter.

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