And we're back! Welcome to Twilight Key, Chapter 37!
I seriously need someone sitting next to me who is willing to whack me upside the head while I write. Either that, or eliminate all the internet available to me. I get distracted so easily…
The idea of starting a new story obviously didn't happen. It may come back again at some point in the future, but not now.
I think I'm going to stick with "in" in terms of phrasing for location. It just sounds correct to me.
I've been looking forward to this part of the story for a long time…
Kairitrion Cerulean: Eh…You're probably right. I was thinking more along the lines of how leaving the world to fight a totally different war is completely different form doing it on this world, but yeah.
megaslayer321a: That would work if Sora and them didn't appear in Birth by Sleep, which has already happened.
redlox2: Yeah, the teachers aren't my priority. The fragments referred to the End of the World. And spoilers! Spoilers! Not saying anything!
LordGhostStriker: I don't think that they ever confused a boss heart with a world heart, did they? Every time they defeated a boss, they found a keyhole for the world. Return visits to worlds didn't happen until Kingdom Hearts 2.
jonnywolf: Don't buy the cheap stuff for dinner next time. :P
keyblade master cole: They aren't traitors, I just never really had much of a use for them yet, so I almost forgot they existed while I was scrambling to wrap everything else up.
Cha0ticM3ss: Oh, I gotcha. Maybe, I guess. I still have some world openings to fill. And thanks! I really enjoyed doing that part with Sephiroth. Sorry about that! If I miss part of your review, just send me a PM and I'll eventually get around to responding. To answer your question from last time, yes…And maybe sooner than you think.
risengaku: …I can always count on you to give me the longest review of them all, can't I? Yeah, that's what I meant when I said it was a mess. It was originally meant to be part of the previous chapter, but it got cut off. Because of that, I took a break in the middle of it and had to try to get back into the flow of it. Haha, the multiverse has actually made some progress, it's just that no one has noticed. It's still a long way off until I can do it in the way that I want. And holy shit, those are some big spoilers. I'll answer just one of them. Ventus' heart in Sora? It will come up, yes. Zack is dead at this point, so it would be harder.
Yatsushiro Ryko: That's along the lines of what I was thinking, yeah.
prototype gear: Boo! You suck! I honestly don't know how much chaos I want. I know I want some, but I usually write it as I go. There are some things that I want to happen, but other than that? I dunno.
Anyways, on with the story!
I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts or anything else. I'm just a broke college student...
Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Normal Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Biju/Deity Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Biju/Deity Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Scene Change: Insert Place Here
Jutsu/Magic/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here
Last Updated: 3/29/17 (Minor grammar revisions and detail improvements)
Station of Awakening (Two Months Later)
Cerulean and violet eyes opened and looked around. "I'm in the station…" Naruto muttered.
"Yes." Turning his head, Naruto saw Hikari and Yami standing nearby. "We've called you here because there are some new developments that you need to know about." The seriousness of Hikari's tone made him frown.
"Like what?" He asked warily.
"It has…become even more important that you set out soon." Yami said.
Naruto blinked. "Why? I'm leaving the world soon, yeah, but why is it so important all of a sudden? You guys have never really expressed any sort of rush before…"
Hikari sighed. "That's because…we've learned that someone has been kidnapping the Princesses of Heart."
She just got a blank stare.
"…Did we not explain that either?" A silent shake of the head. Hikari and Yami glanced to each other.
"…Whoops?" Yami offered. "Okay, let's go back to the original discussion we had with you years ago when we first told you about light and darkness. As you know, the χ-blade was shattered into twenty pieces."
Naruto slowly nodded. "Right…Seven of light and thirteen of darkness…" He still wasn't sure how that was an even ratio.
"Yes." Hikari confirmed. "And we also said that there are some individuals out there with pure hearts of light that are free of darkness, remember?" She got another nod. "And we didn't say it back then, but the seven light pieces of the χ-blade didn't just disappear over time…"
That was new to him. "They didn't? Then what happened to them?" Naruto never really thought about it before.
"They…" Hikari seemed to struggle to find the proper words. "The seven light pieces of the χ-blade later went on to create seven hearts of pure light."
His eyes widened in realization. "And those seven hearts are the Princesses of Heart." He concluded.
"Exactly." Yami said. "Because of their special connection to the χ-blade, they have the ability to open the Door to Darkness when gathered together."
The pristine white door that once plagued his dreams came to mind. "So…That means that someone is after what lies within?" A chill ran down his spine. "Xehanort?"
"…No. We do not think it is him. Although we are not sure as to who it is, it is likely someone else…"
"Great…An unknown enemy…" Naruto muttered, but he soon scowled. "What are the chances that it is the snake?"
Yami blinked. "There's a thought…It's possible, but we don't think so…But he may be involved."
"And why not?" Trying to reach Kingdom Hearts sounded like something Orochimaru would do.
"Because there were signs of this happening starting before two months ago." Hikari explained. "While the Princesses of Heart weren't being kidnapped, or at least it wasn't noticed if they were, there has been a sudden increase in the number of worlds consumed by darkness over the last few months. We think that it is probably related."
Naruto crossed his arms. "Got it…So whoever is kidnapping the princesses could also be the person who is throwing the worlds into darkness…How many of the princesses have gone missing?"
"As far as we can tell, four of the seven have disappeared from their worlds…Whether their world was swallowed by the darkness or not."
"Four of them? Already?" Naruto asked in shock. "More than half of them have gone missing?"
Hikari sighed. "We would have told you sooner, but we were unable to confirm it until recently and there wouldn't have been much of a point to it unless you had a way off the world. The decision was also sped up by the increasing number of worlds disappearing."
"Crap…" Why did things always have to be complicated? "Okay. So, four of the seven princesses have been kidnapped. More and more worlds are getting consumed by darkness. It is probably the same person, and Orochimaru may or may not be involved in some way. The culprit wants to gain access to the Door to Darkness to reach Kingdom Hearts. Did I miss anything?"
"…No, that's it."
"Alright…I guess that provides a goal to this trip…" Naruto muttered. "This would also mean that this person is responsible for what happened to Gray, Natsu, and Happy's world…And maybe even Urahara and Yoruichi's. Stopping them should be my priority. Finding the location of the fragments left by the lost worlds would probably be easier if we go after this person…" He looked between the two of them.
"Thanks for the update."
Gummi Ship
"Alright, Naruto..." Urahara began warningly. "Think carefully, or you will die."
Naruto tried ignoring all the warning lights and klaxons he glared at the module in front of him, furiously thinking over the delicate procedure in his head. After another few seconds of thought, his eyes lit up and a triumphant grin spread across his face.
Reaching a hand over he flipped a few switches into the correct positions. The very next moment, the entire room began to shake. "Activate the entry protections..." He grasped a handle and slowly lowered it. "Begin to stop the propulsion..." He moved his hand to another handle next to the first and moved it up, causing there to be a sudden jerk, but it was subtle. "Start up the front facing thrusters..." Next, Naruto put his hand back over to the main control. "And guide is in for a smooth landing." The vibrations in the room died down.
Grin growing even more, Naruto turned to Urahara. "Well?" The man didn't answer right away, instead looking over all of the dials and gauges spread across the module. When he finished, he nodded and turned back to Naruto with a smile of his own.
"Congratulations, Naruto. I can now safely say that you are qualified enough to fly a gummi ship."
"Finally." Naruto said quietly as he slouched in his chair. "That was harder than I expected it to be..."
Urahara shook his head. "I don't know what you were expecting. In actuality, it is astounding that you've gotten this good at this in such a short amount of time." He turned back to the module and flipped a switch, making the black window in front of them change back into its transparent state. "In just two months of simulation and instruction, you have done what I'm pretty sure would take other people much longer to do."
Naruto shrugged. "Sure, but like you said, it's been two months. We're supposed to leave in a couple of days and I still didn't all the controls down."
"Well you do now, so what's the point of worrying about it?" Urahara asked. "Anyways, let's head back." Naruto nodded and got up to follow Urahara out the gummi ship. They walked in silence for a bit, but it was soon broken by Urahara. "So, are you excited to go out and see all the different kinds of worlds out there?" Grinning, he poked Naruto's cheek with his fan. "Maybe find a lady friend out there in the stars? Hm?"
Scowling, Naruto swiped at the offending item, but it was pulled away before he could grab it. "This isn't some kind of vacation. Looking for a girlfriend that's from a completely different world is definitely not a priority of mine…And two people from different worlds dating? Would that even work out?"
The candy store owner shrugged. "Who knows? You would certainly know more about that than I would." He waved a hand dismissively. "You should relax a bit. I agree with you in that there will be times in this that you need to be serious, but you shouldn't spend all of your time focusing on the end product. Enjoy the journey."
This earned him a quirked eyebrow. "Right…" Naruto said slowly. "I guess it makes sense…" Who knew how long this would take? It would be stupid of him to spend all of his time with only the objective in mind.
"Great! Then I expect you to have a girlfriend by the next time we meet!"
"I never said I would get a girlfriend-ttebayo!"
"Meh. I read in between the lines."
"You're reading the wrong story!" What the hell was wrong with this jackass?
Urahara's smile died down to a small one. "Have you already said goodbye to those that you need to?" He asked.
Although slightly surprised by the sudden change in topic, Naruto replied. "Somewhat. I've said goodbye to the genin already, but I still need to say goodbye to my teammates." It had been a very awkward conversation between him, Ikusa, and Wataru. After extensive questioning, it was confirmed that neither of them knew about Misa's treacherous intentions, but they still felt as if they were partly responsible. They said that they should have at least been better friends so that they would have noticed something. Naruto spent a great amount of time trying to dissuade them of that belief. "They know I'm leaving, but we're supposed to meet tomorrow, so I'll say goodbye then." Urahara nodded.
"Just out of curiosity, what's the story you've been using?"
Naruto shrugged. "Nothing serious. Just that I'm leaving on a long-term training trip. It works because Jiraiya has expressed interest in taking Narumi and Menma out of the village to do the same. People just assume that I'm going with them."
"You say 'expressed' as if it isn't a sure thing." Urahara said, gaining a slightly amused look from Naruto. "What?"
"It isn't a for sure thing." He explained. "Kaa-san already had trouble letting me leave, but Narumi and Menma too? She actually put Jiraiya in the hospital for a bit when it was first brought up." He didn't have a problem admitting that he enjoyed the show. "But even though she reacted like that, it probably will happen in the end…Especially if she still sees them every few months."
Urahara smirked. "Oh, is that why she was so angry last week? I wasn't sure why." They finally exited the metallic hallway and entered the main building. After Urahara sealed the path to the hangar, they began walking to the tea room. "Are your siblings in the know yet?"
Naruto grimaced. "No…But that isn't because of a lack of trying on their part." Narumi especially was getting increasingly persistent on learning what the big 'secret' was. Her badgering even tripled after she found out Naruto would be leaving somewhere, although she didn't know any more than that.
"Are you going to tell them?"
After a moment, Naruto hesitantly nodded. "I think so, yeah." Urahara nodded in satisfaction as they entered the room.
Gray glanced up from the manual he was pouring over. "So? How'd you do?" He asked, receiving a smug smirk from the crimson blond.
"I passed, of course." He plopped down into a seat adjacent to Gray. Glancing at what Gray was reading made his smirk widen. "Last minute cramming?"
"Yeah." Gray said quietly and turned back to his manual. "I'm still a little iffy on the smaller dials that aren't used that often…" He frowned. "I've been sitting here and trying to make sure I remember them all. I've barely even registered the world around me for the last two hours."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "I can tell…"
Blinking, Gray gave him a confused look. "How?"
"You're only wearing your underwear." Naruto deadpanned.
Eyes widening in alarm, Gray looked at his current state of attire. "What?!" He looked around frantically, but his clothes were nowhere in sight. "I didn't even leave the room!" He ran off to look for them.
"Idiot…" Naruto sighed. Hearing a chuckle, he shot Urahara an annoyed look. "Glad you find the antics of the company I'm going to be putting up with so amusing."
"Hey, you have to admit that it is a little amusing."
Training Ground 12 (The Next Day)
"Alright, team! Pack it in!" Yūgao instructed.
Yakumo slumped in relief at her words. "Finally…" She muttered before glancing to her tired teammates. "Is it just me, or did she make these things harder?" She asked quietly.
Nodding, Naruto shot Yūgao a suspicious look. "I think she did. No matter how many training sessions pass, I never feel like they get any easier. So either we have not improved at all or she has been making them steadily harder as we progress."
Yūgao grinned. "That's exactly it. You didn't think I would just leave the difficulty of the training exercises alone, did you? What would the point of that be if you didn't find them challenging at all?" She received two dry looks and a blank one.
"…Right. You always know best, sensei…" Naruto finally said, although it was done in monotone.
Ignoring the obvious tone of voice, Yūgao crossed her arms and nodded sagely. "If there is one think I am proud of you for learning, that would be it." She uncrossed her arms and gave him a small smile. "So, this is it?"
Naruto gained a small smile of his own as his teammates turned to him. "Yeah. I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow."
Yakumo looked sad at this confirmation. "So you're really leaving then?" A nod. "But…what about team 12? It isn't the same unless we are all here…"
"I…" Naruto felt bad about it, but he was determined to go. "Team 12 isn't being disbanded or anything. It's just…taking a break while I'm gone." His time on this team has been something he has really enjoyed, and he wouldn't trade it for any other teams. "We'll definitely be back in business then."
Sai stared silently at his leaving teammate. Strangely, there was something pooling in his stomach, but he couldn't identify it. "You are leaving to become stronger. I do not see a reason to be apologetic for this." Although he said it, the corners of his mouth still twitched down minutely.
Hearing this, Naruto rolled his eyes. "Just a huge softy as always, huh Sai?" Sai just tilted his head at him. "…Never mind."
"So, if you're leaving tomorrow, then you know what that means?" All three of the genin gave Yūgao curious looks, not understanding what she was getting at. Seeing their looks made her grin again. "That means that team 12 is going out to eat! Right now!" Naruto and Yakumo blinked in surprise before smiling.
"Sure, but you're paying, sensei~" Yakumo said, getting a nod from Naruto.
"Yeah, it's only fair that the sensei does."
It was Yūgao's turn to roll her eyes this time. "Stupid brats, I was going to do so anyways." They grinned at her. "Now let's go!" She started walking away, the genin soon following.
Uzumaki-Namikaze Household (The Next Day)
Kushina walked into the kitchen with a wide yawn, but froze in place and stared at Naruto, who was already sitting at the table and eating a bowl of cereal. It took her a moment to get over her surprise at him being there and smiled. "Good morning."
He smiled back. "Morning." The kitchen was thrown into silence. Spending the past two months with his parents allowed him to get over the initial animosity he felt deep down, but there were still some awkward moments.
"I…I didn't think anyone would be up this early…" Kushina began hesitantly.
Naruto shrugged. "I had some trouble sleeping. After waking up a couple hours ago, I gave up." He admitted as he looked back to his cereal. Naruto didn't say it directly, but she understood what he was hinting at.
"Oh." She smiled softly and took the seat next to him. "Is it because you're nervous or excited?" She asked.
"I…" Naruto thought about it. "I don't really know. Both, I guess?" He said quietly.
"Want to talk about it?" Naruto frowned, making her quickly continue. "I-If you don't want to, that's fine." Kushina was still trying to find out where exactly their boundaries were. She wanted to have him trust her completely and feel comfortable around her, but she didn't know how to go about it after everything that has happened.
She was relieved and pleasantly surprised when Naruto spoke up. "No, it's fine…I just…I've been working towards this for years now…It's kinda hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is finally happening."
"And you don't know how to react now that it is time, right?" She guessed.
"Right…Part of me feels like I'm ready for it. I've trained and learned what I needed to, so I should be good to go…But there's also a part of me that…"
Kushina's eyes lit up with realization. "You're doubting if you can do this, aren't you?" Naruto nodded silently. She sighed, making Naruto look at her. "You are so much smarter than I was at your age, Naruto…But you really do have your stupid moments, don't you?" Naruto's draw dropped a bit at the bluntness of her words.
'Why do people keep on saying that?'
She stared into his eyes. "I've said from the beginning that I don't like this plan…I told you all that I hated it. I don't want you to go out to different worlds to fight some grand war that you shouldn't have to fight in. That hasn't changed." Her eyes softened. "But I've come to get over myself and realize that this is something that you want to do and I should support it." She reached out and pulled him into a hug.
"I…I haven't been a good mother to you. I know that. I've done my best to make it up to you over the past few months, but there is no way to apologize for or excuse what I've done to you…During the last two months, you let me in on an aspect of your life that I didn't have any idea existed. As much as I would love if it wasn't part of your life, I know it is. You are a keyblade wielder, and I know that you are ready for what comes with that."
Leaning back a bit but not letting go of him, she looked down, letting Naruto see the tears brimming in her eyes. "I can honestly say that I'm prouder of you and who you've become than I could ever possibly describe." She pulled back completely to wipe at her tears. "I just wish I was there to help you become who you are."
"The same goes for me." Startled at the new voice, Naruto turned to the owner and saw Minato standing in the doorway. The Hokage smiled and walked over to his wife and oldest son. "Naruto, there is no amount of apologies or reasoning that could excuse us for what we've done. You may not like us, or you may even hate us, but that doesn't change the fact that both your mother and I love you from the bottom of our hearts. I'm eternally grateful that you were willing to be near us for the last two months and let us have a hand in your life. Just as your mother said, you're ready for this." He smiled softly. "So please don't doubt yourself like that."
Naruto stared at them with wide eyes for a minute, but he soon had a small smile of his own. "Right…Sorry about that." His smile turned into a full grin. "It won't happen again-ttebayo!" It was stupid of him to even think that he wasn't ready for this!
"Wh…What won't happen again." A yawn interrupted Narumi's question as she walked into the room. "…And morning, I guess…" It was too early for intelligent thought.
Gaining a smirk, Naruto responded. "I won't doubt if I'm good enough to help save all the worlds from falling into darkness again." He said.
Narumi blinked blearily at him. "Hm?" She tilted her head. "Oh, I'm still dreaming then?" She nodded and plopped down into a seat. "If that's the case, then I demand the world's best ramen!" When nothing appeared in front of her, she pouted. "Where's my ramen?"
The eldest of the triplets rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Narumi. You're not dreaming." She stared at him. "I'm leaving this world today on a ship that that candy shop owner made for me."
"…Huh?"
Kushina grinned. "It's true. Your older brother is leaving to go to other worlds to save them from darkness. He even has people who are from other worlds travelling with him."
"…What?"
Minato nodded. "Yep. He's been preparing for this for years now."
"…I…But…"
Naruto's smirk grew. "What did you think the big secret was? Or what I've been disappearing so much for the over the last two months? It was all to get ready to leave this world."
"You're leaving what?" Oh, when did Menma appear at the door?
"I'm leaving this world." Naruto answered simply with a shrug. "No big deal, really. Comes with the job."
"…WHAT-TTEBANE?!" Ah, Narumi's fully awake now.
Urahara Shop
"Pleeeeaaaassseeee~"
Kushina gave her daughter a flat look. "No."
"But why not?!"
"Because I said so."
Narumi pointed defiantly at Naruto. "But Nii-chan gets to! That's totally not fair-ttebane!"
Their mother sighed. "Narumi, you aren't going with him. Period." When Narumi opened her mouth again, Kushina cut her off with a glare. "Ask me again and you won't like what happens!" Choosing the wise option, Narumi shut her mouth. "Good choice." Kushina shifted her eyes to Menma. "And you?" He shrunk back at her gaze and rapidly shook his head. "That's what I thought."
Knowing that she had lost the argument, Narumi moved onto the next topic. "I can't believe you never told me about all that, Nii-chan!" She whined. "How could you be so mean?!"
Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. "I didn't tell you because it was supposed to be a secret, Narumi."
"But I can keep secrets!"
"And you're especially good at keeping a secret when you don't know the secret in the first place." Naruto retorted. "Just be happy that we even told you this much. The suggestion of just telling you that I was leaving on a training trip was brought up."
She glared at him. "You wouldn't have!"
"Trust me, I would have." He opened the door to the shop and was instantly greeted with two faces in front of him. Fighting down the reflexive attack, Naruto took a step back. "Is this going to become a normal thing?" Kami, he hoped not.
Natsu just grinned at him, unrepentant. "Finally! You were taking forever!"
Happy floated in the air next to him. "Aye!"
"No, I wasn't. Just like the last time you said that. And the time before that." Naruto replied. While their antics could be amusing every once in a while, certain ones like Gray's stripping habit or Natsu's impatience were questionable. "Is everything ready to go?"
"Yeah." Gray chose that moment to walk into the room. "Everything has been checked three times over. The only thing we were waiting on is you." He smirked. "Are you ready to go?" Naruto smirked back and nodded. "Good. Then let's head on back." He turned back towards the back rooms and walked off, the others following behind him. As they walked he glanced back. "I'm guessing by how your siblings are here that they know?"
Narumi pouted and crossed her arms. "Yeah, but we only just found out!" She blinked before looking him, Natsu, and Happy over again. "Wait. Are you the people from a different world?" This question drew Menma's curiosity as well.
Happy flew in front of her and raised a paw in greeting. "Aye! The three of us are wound up here a few months ago!"
"Really?" Menma asked with some surprise. "I really couldn't tell a difference between us."
Gray snorted. "What did you think we would look like?" Menma blushed and stayed silent. They reached the hallway leading to the hangar, which was already open. "I guess it's understandable. When people think of something from another world, they normally don't think of something that looks the same…"
The dragon slayer placed his hands behind his head with a thoughtful expression. "Hm…I wonder; do you think that fire from other worlds tastes different?" A bit of drool escaped the corner of his mouth.
"The fire?" Menma muttered.
"And the fish!"
"Idiots. You've already eaten both on this world and there wasn't a difference. Why would it be any difference somewhere else?" Natsu glared at Gray.
"I was just wondering! Just because you have no imagination doesn't mean the rest of us don't!"
"What was that?!"
"Having trouble hearing me? You should clear out the ice clogging your ears!"
"I'll get on it right after I put out the flame that makes you think you're hot stuff!"
"Bastard!" Naruto groaned as the others watched in interest.
Narumi glanced over to him. "Um…I've changed my mind. I don't mind not going." She didn't want to be around these people for extended periods of time.
"Fighting again?" Yoruichi announced her presence with an amused tone in her question. "Try not to break anything on the ship, okay?"
"Only thing that will be breaking is this lizard breath dumbass!"
"But seriously…" A wave of spiritual pressure silenced them. "Knock it off." Natsu and Gray shuddered.
"A-Aye, sir…" Why were there so many scary females around here?
"Good." She looked to the rest of the group. "Kisuke is running some final tests…again. Come on." She led them over to Urahara, who was engrossed on the information that console was giving him. "They're here, Kisuke."
The man glanced up and smiled. "Ah, good! Everything is set and ready to go! There isn't a thing out of place and we made sure that the kitchen was fully stocked." His eyes drifted over to the two younger siblings. "Hello, we haven't met yet, have we?"
They shook their heads. "No, but we've heard Aniki talk about you." Menma answered.
"Oh?" Urahara's smile widened. "And what did my loyal minion say about me?" He ignored the glare he got from Naruto.
Narumi smirked. "Sorry, but we can't repeat a bunch of what he said because our parents are here, but it can be summed up to the 'stupid, idiotic, insane, annoying, wiseacre, and smug' candy shop owner." Urahara had deflated by the time she was halfway with the second adjective. While everyone else had amused looks, Naruto's was the most prominent.
"…Right." He whirled around to Naruto and wrapped him in a tearful hug. "Why are you always so cruel to me, Naru-chan?!"
"Get off-ttebayo! And who the hell are you calling 'Naru-chan'?!" Menma and Narumi stared in disbelief at the man who apparently taught their brother.
When Urahara finally had his fun -and Naruto had threatened to sic his mother on him- he relented. "But back on to the important matters. The gummi ship is ready to depart whenever you are. I assume you've already wrapped up everything you need to?" Naruto nodded. "Then just give me the word and I'll start the initial launch protocols." He grew quiet and the smile slipped off of his face.
Seeing this, Naruto grew slightly worried. "What's wrong?" When Urahara looked like that, it was usually because of something important…Unless he was being an ass.
"I have known you since you were six, Naruto." Urahara began. "I've trained many people in my life and there are only two that I can think of that truly surprised me at every turn by not only meeting my expectations, but completely shattering them. It has been an honor to be your teacher and I thank you for putting up with me all this time. I know you do well." The smile was back, but more subdued.
Naruto stared at him in shock, but he soon recovered with a small smile of his own. "You're an idiot and insane, but I can't imagine having anyone else teaching me what you have, so thanks for being my teacher." Urahara nodded. Naruto turned to speak to Yoruichi, but he didn't get the chance to when the woman pulled him into a hug.
"Be sure to kick some butt out there, alright?" She requested. "I won't forgive you if you die on us. You're a part of the family now, so that isn't allowed." She released him. "If you are stupid enough to lose, then Kisuke and I will find the way to this world's afterlife and kick your ass ourselves. But I know there is no way you will fail." Naruto grinned and nodded.
Once she was done, his parents gave him their last hugs. "We've already talked your ear off about the dangers and how we believe in you, so we will spare you of that." Minato said. "But let us say this one last time; be careful out there."
Kushina was tearing up again. "You better stay in contact or I will kick Kisuke-san's ass until he makes me a ship of my own so I can find you teach you the importance of staying in contact with your mother!" Urahara shot her a wary look.
Laughing quietly, Naruto nodded. "You got it." He wasn't even free of them for a second before Narumi tackled him to the ground. "Gah! What the heck was that for?!"
"I'm just saying goodbye!"
"By attempting to kill me?!"
"Whatever!"
Rolling his eyes, Menma pulled his sister off of Naruto. "Try not to damage his head. He kind of needs that to fly that ship…" Narumi pouted, but nodded. "Good. Be sure to stay in contact, Aniki. I want to hear what the other worlds are like."
Narumi gasped at the reminder. "I didn't think of that! You've gotta tell us about them-ttebane!"
"Sure, sure…"
"And the people!"
"Right…"
"And the adventures!"
'Ugh, here we go…'
Naruto, Gray, Natsu, and Happy were finally seated in the cockpit of the gummi ship after Narumi delayed them by her babbling. Glancing to the others, Naruto smirked. "Ready for launch?"
Play Kingdom Heats OST: Blast Away! ~ Gummi Ship 1
Gray supplied his answer with a smirk of his own. "Ready."
Natsu grinned. "Ready!"
Happy nodded from the seat he insisted on having. "Aye, sir!"
"Good. Then let's get going. You hear that, Urahara?"
"Loud and clear. Lighting up the tunnel." Urahara's voice said over the com. Immediately after, the large tunnel on the far wall lit up. "Because the hangar is under the village, you will need to use the tunnel to reach an exit point nearby. Once you leave this world, you will be able to set a destination to the next one…You are clear to leave. Good luck."
"Understood." Naruto replied. "Starting up the ship."
The control console of the ship came to life, prompting Naruto to glance over everything. Not seeing anything out of place, he continued. "Starting up the engines." A small vibration reached them, but it died down soon after.
Suddenly, Natsu gained a look of fear. "Uh…"
"Releasing safeties."
Natsu swallowed nervously. "G-Guys…" Happy gave him a questioning look.
Not hearing Natsu, Gray continued the next part of the procedure. "All lights are green and nothing is obstructed."
"Hold on…" Realizing the problem, Happy smiled innocently.
"Awesome." Naruto grinned. "Starting up propulsion. We're a go!" The gummi ship lifted off the hangar's platform. Unnoticed to all but Happy, Natsu turned green. "Take off in three. Two. One!" Naruto pushed up on the controls for the thrusters of the ship. Responding to the command, the gummi ship began to fly into the tunnel, picking up speed as it went.
Natsu's cheeks swelled comically as he covered his mouth with a hand. "W-Wait!" He shouted, finally gaining the attention of Naruto and Gray.
"What's the problem? Is something going wrong?" Naruto asked back.
"T-This is…" Natsu turned a darker shade of green. "Transportation!" Gray's head snapped around at that and stared at Natsu in incredulous disbelief.
Not getting the problem, Naruto responded. "Yeah, so?" They were nearing the end of the tunnel now and it was starting to slope upwards. Natsu tried to answer, but didn't get the chance to when another wave of nausea hit him.
Seeing that Natsu couldn't speak, Happy did. "Natsu gets motion sickness just by the thought of being on a vehicle!"
Naruto was dumbfounded by this information. "Then why the hell didn't you say anything sooner?!"
"I-Urg…I forgot!"
"How did you forget something like that, you flaming moron?!" Gray shouted. "Well, it's too late to do anything now! We've already began leaving!" Just as he said this, the ship exited the tunnel in a mountainous area. "Leaving the world in three! Two! One!"
The area around them distorted and warped. Soon, they found themselves flying through and endless expanse of stars.
"Whoa…This is…amazing." Naruto whispered. Equally stunned, Gray nodded without talking. They were so caught up in the view that they didn't notice Natsu falling out of his chair. Finally catching up to himself, Naruto flicked the necessary switches and turned around to face the dragon slayer on the ground. "So you're telling me that you get crippling motion sickness all the time?"
Gray sighed. "Yeah, he does. While I admit I probably should have remembered that before now, there's no way he could have forgotten." He said with a glare.
"Ugh…Help…"
"Freakin' idiot…"
Naruto shook his head. "That's something that can cause problems…Give me a second." He walked over to Natsu and raised a hand over him. "I haven't tried this spell before, so I'm not sure how well it will work…Esuna."
A golden glow shrouded Natsu, and when it died down, the dragon slayer stared at Naruto with wide eyes. Registering that the paralyzing feeling was gone, Natsu grinned and jumped to his feet. "I'm alive!"
"You're alive!" And of course Happy couldn't help but join in…
Natsu spun around to Naruto and engulfed him in a hug. "You're a life saver!"
"Get off of me!"
"I'm eternally in your debt!"
"Get off of me and consider your debt repaid!"
"Done!" Natsu released him. "Now we're even." He declared proudly. Not giving Naruto the chance to say anything, he gained a suspicious look and leaned in to examine Naruto closely.
Unsettled by the proximity and look, Naruto leaned back. "What?"
"Hm…Are you a sky dragon slayer?" Naruto just stared at him. "What do you think, Happy?"
"He must be! That was a sky dragon slayer spell!" Happy insisted.
Groaning, Gray turned away in his seat. "No, he isn't a sky dragon slayer. He just has a similar spell to the one Wendy has…" Natsu blinked and stopped leaning towards Naruto.
"Oh…"
Naruto shook his head. "If you're done, then we can start figuring out where exactly we are heading." Seeing no objections, Naruto moved back to his seat. After quickly looking over the controls, he found what he was looking for and pressed the desired button. "There…" A map of the Ocean Between appeared in front of them.
Seeing it for the first time, Gray frowned. "Are those all the worlds? Shouldn't there be more?"
"No, this is right…" Naruto answered, gaining all attention on him. "Urahara said that the navigation gummi we have only has the information for these worlds. If we want to go to more, then we will need to find another one at some point."
"Oh…" Gray muttered. "So where to first?"
"Oh! Oh!" Happy exclaimed excitedly while pointing. "That one!"
Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Why that one?"
"Because it looks interesting!" Naruto and Gray sighed.
"No, that one!" Great, now Natsu was joining in. "That looks like a place where some strong people would be!"
Ignoring the two, Gray turned to Naruto. "So? What do you think?" Naruto considered the options. When he made a decision, he enlarged a world on the screen.
"We're going here first." Naruto declared to the disappointment of Natsu and Happy.
Looking at the world, Gray nodded. "Any reason?"
"Proximity, for one." Naruto explained. "Another is because of the fact that Urahara made a note that there is a lot of motion going in and out of the world. So if we want some sort of information, a world where there could be people who actually know about other worlds would be a good place to start."
"Good idea. You ready to go?"
"Yep. Let me just set the course into the system…" A moment later and he had done so. Naruto was about to continue, but he paused when a thought came to him. "Um…Exactly how many heartless do you think we are going to come across before we get there?"
Gray shrugged. "Can't say."
"Ha! Bring it on! We'll take them all on!" Naruto closed his eyes at Natsu's shout.
Maybe it would have been better to leave him sick?
End Music
Later
Naruto scowled as they entered through the large doors of the town. "Why the heck would you tempt fate like that? 'Bring it on'? Really?"
"Hey! How was I supposed to know that they would have ships of their own that can shoot us!" Natsu defended.
"By actually listening when Urahara and Naruto speak? How about that?" Gray asked. When Natsu looked away, he growled. "We were under constant fire out there!"
"I shot them down, didn't I?!"
"After they shot at us!" Naruto replied before shaking his head. "Whatever. We know in the future what it will be like." Calming down, he took the chance to look around. "Now, where are we?"
They seemed to be in the middle of some kind of Victorian age plaza with various shops and restaurants. Despite it being it being the middle of a starry night, there was still activity present. People were bustling through the plaza and talking to one another as they headed to the brightly lit shops. Subconsciously, Naruto's posture relaxed some more, and a small smile pulled at his lips.
"What're you smiling about?" Naruto turned to the speaker, only to see Happy hovering in the air with a curious expression on his face.
Naruto blinked. "Huh?" Was he smiling? "I didn't even realize I started to smile." Looking around again, Naruto shrugged. "I dunno. There's just…something about this place. I feel…comfortable here."
Gray quirked an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
Considering the question, Naruto shook his head. "Not a clue. I just do."
Hearing this, Happy titled his head. "…You're weird." He determined, making Naruto twitch.
"…I'm done with this conversation." Naruto muttered. Deciding they wouldn't figure it out by staring, Naruto walked up to a woman who was standing nearby. "Um, excuse me, ma'am?"
Blinking, she turned to him and smiled. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"Sorry, but I have a stupid question. Can you please tell me where we are?"
The woman frowned minutely. "Sure…" She wasn't going to ask why he didn't know. "You're currently standing in the middle of the First District of Traverse Town." Her eyes widened. "Are you new to this world?" At his shocked look, she smiled gently. "Don't worry, everyone here is someone who lost their original world. We're all refugees." Digesting the information, Naruto nodded. "Then let me help you out." She pointed off to the side towards a staircase. "You see that shop over there at the top of the stairs? The man who owns that shop is named Cid. He and his friends can help you get settled in. They know the most about what is going on."
Rolling with the misunderstanding, Naruto smiled at her. "Thank you."
"It's not a problem. Happy to help."
Turning around, Naruto walked back over to his companions. "We're in a world called Traverse Town." He informed them. "Everyone here is a refugee that has lost their original world." Seeing their looks, he smiled. "Which of course means we may find some people you know here."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Natsu shouted. "Let's get looking!" He rushed off with Happy flying after him.
"Wait!" Naruto cursed and looked to Gray. "We have to follow them. I don't trust them on their own and that woman told me that there was this group that we can talk to that might be able to answer some questions."
Gray groaned. "Damn it…Let's get going." They rushed off after Natsu and Happy.
As they turned a corner after running through the doors that led into another district, Naruto nearly bumped into someone, only barely avoiding them by some quick reflexes. Taking a quick glance to see that they were alright, the only things Naruto noticed about the person were the spiky brown hair and bright yellow shoes. "Sorry about that!" He yelled as he rushed off.
The boy rubbed the back of his head and opened his mouth to call after him, but froze when he saw where they were going. "Hey, wait! There are these heartless things over there!"
Naruto frowned at the warning, but didn't look back. "Thanks for the heads up! We'll be fine!" He and Gray continued after Natsu.
"But…" The boy shook his head. "He said he'll be fine…I should focus on finding that leader!" The boy turned and ran off.
With Natsu
Natsu came to a stop in a back alley next to drainage vein and looked around. "You see anyone, Happy?" The cat joined him in looking around.
"No!"
"Damn. Then let's keep looking!" He made to run off again.
"Hold up!" Natsu and Happy turned to see Gray and Naruto running up to them. Glaring, Naruto shouted.
"Where have you two been?! We need to look around!"
Gray glared back. "We've been chasing after you in a world that all of us are new to! Why would you just run off like that?!"
"You heard what Naruto said!" Natsu answered. "People from other worlds wind up here when their original one is swallowed by darkness! That means our friends can be here!"
Naruto sighed. "Yes, Natsu, that's true, but there is no guarantee. And what I was about to say when you ran off was that the woman told me about some people who could give us some information. They apparently help out new people get settled in. If there is anyone that would be able to tell you if one of your friends is here, it's them."
"Oh…" Natsu deflated with a frown. "Sorry about that…"
"It's not a problem." Naruto turned around. "Let's just get out of here before the heartless we were warned about show up." He took a step forward, but stopped when a soldier heartless appeared in front of him. "…Damn it."
Happy grinned. "You're the one who jinxed it that time! You're an idiot!"
Kami, he hated that cat sometimes…
Naruto ducked under the swipe of a soldier heartless' claw and retaliated with a stab of his keyblade. "We're almost done! How are you guys holding up?!"
"Fine over here!" Gray shouted. "Ice Make: Lance!" A group of heartless were killed off by the shirtless male.
"Ha! This is nothing!" Natsu proclaimed.
"Good job, guys! Keep it up!" Happy cheered from the safety of the air. "Be sure to watch out for their claws!"
'Thanks, I didn't realize they were dangerous!' Naruto said in his head. Suddenly, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. "Happy, move!" A new type of heartless was floating behind the flying cat.
It had a smooth, conical, red boy with a heartless emblem on its chest. Glowing yellow eyes peeked out from beneath what almost looked like a wizard's hat.
Knowing that it had been caught, the heartless began to quickly charge up a fireball. Happy was caught so off guard at a new enemy that could reach him that he wasn't able to react to the threat.
"Happy!" Natsu moved to save Happy, but he was too far away. Naruto shot up a hand, but he knew that he was also too far away for a spell to make it in time.
"Blizzard!" Out of nowhere, a blast of ice impacted the side of the heartless, killing it. "Well…That was close." A male voice said. Gaping for half a second, Naruto spun around to see where it had come from. "You know, just because you can fly doesn't mean you are out of danger."
Standing on one of the balconies above them was a boy who looked to be around Naruto's age. He had spiky red hair, blue eyes, and wore a short sleeve green shirt underneath a light blue tunic. He also had on a black belt, yellow pants, brown boots and bracers, a white headband, and an orange ascot around his neck. Completing his outfit was an armor pauldron on his left shoulder.
The boy smiled at them. "You guys are really strong. They didn't stand a chance."
Tilting his head, Naruto nodded and stood up from his battle stance. "Thanks for the assist. It was stupid of us to let our guards down because we were almost done..." There was something about this boy...
Happy flew into Natsu's chest with a fit of tears. "Natsuuu! I almost died!"
Natsu comforted him with a hug. "But you didn't, buddy. You're fine!" Happy let out another sob. "There's no way that you'd be done in by something like that."
Gray relaxed from his stance, but sent the newcomer a wary look. "That was ice magic?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty decent at magic, so I use a lot of spells. I've kinda been forced to practice it a bunch…Stupid geezer." That last part was said under his breath.
Quirking an eyebrow, Gray accepted the answer. "Right…Thanks again for the help."
"I'm in your debt!" Happy cried.
"We're in your debt!" Natsu corrected with a grin. "The name's Natsu! This is Happy," The cat waved. "Naruto," Said crimson blond raised a hand, "And the ice stripper."
"The name's Gray, flame brain!"
The boy laughed at their interaction. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nox." His eyes moved to Naruto. "Your name is Naruto?" The amount of interest in his tone made Naruto frown.
"Yeah…?"
Nox's grin widened. "Alright then, Naruto…I challenge you to a fight!" Eyes all around widened.
"Wha-" Naruto was cut off by an excited Natsu.
"Wait! If you wanna fight someone, I'm game!" He deflated when Nox shook his head in denial. "Aww, but why not?!"
"Because…" Nox began. "He has a keyblade." Naruto's eyes widened even further. Before he could say anything, Nox jumped down from the balcony and into the space in front them. They watched as Nox raised his hand. In a flash, a keyblade appeared, shocking them.
The guard was designed to be two shooting stars, the blade was blue and decorated with more stars, and the teeth were a crescent moon and a star. The keychain of the keyblade was a crescent moon.
Nox pointed the keyblade at him. "I want to see how I compare against you."
There we go! All done with Chapter 37!
I'm not sure if I learned how and I forgot or I never figured it out, but I don't get how 7 pieces of light is the equivalent to 13 pieces of darkness.
Other worlds! Finally! The first one is Traverse Town, but it diverges from there.
And yes, that was totally Sora.
Nox is designed after Crono from Chrono Trigger. His keyblade is Star Seeker.
Yeah, yeah. I remember that there were only a certain amount of keyblade wielders.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!
Until next time,
Kog6943