The Other Box
Chapter 2
I am glad to see you all are enjoying this one. Thank you for your suggestions and your constructive criticism. They are highly valuable to me. And yes, her change will be gradual and this chapter will set her up on the path for that. The language thing is a mix of magic and his mental link with Kurama. AS for the huge sword, Naruto is not even close to mastering that and it shows in later chapters. Naruto's dark side was actually based off of a Persona issue. I have been playing that game and it is great. However, I will say that just because he accepted his darkness does not mean this his troubles are over. While he helps Chloe deal with her issues, he will be facing his own as well. The Corrupted Souls will haunt him and make his see reality. Trust me, you'll see when Style Queen happens. That being said, I am changing the order of season 2 as well since they are mostly self-contained stories with a few hints of plot. I am going to make this work in my favor.
Naruto will not be adopted by Marinette's parents but he will act like a brother and confidant later on. I think that would help her more.
And trust me, Naruto's hero suit and weapons will be fun. Powers too, but he won't have access to them all from the get go.
XXXX
Naruto found himself in the old man's home that doubled as a message shop. Said old man had introduced himself as Wang Fu or Master Fu. The voice that told him that he would not die, told him that it would be easier to give him the answers he would need with the old man around. He was trustworthy. So…he blindly felt that need to trust the voice and hoped for the best.
Looking around the shop, he noticed it was rather small with a bed mat in the middle of the room and a table with drawers that had an old-timey gramophone on it. The walls had a few Chinese designs and hanging scrolls for a nice design choice. He figured that the design had meaning to them but he had no idea, however, they almost seemed familiar to the designs from back home.
Sitting in a cross-legged pose on the bed mat, the old man smiled once more at the blond. "I am sure you have questions as to how I found you. It was through the connection our Kwamis' possess."
"What the hell is a Kwami?" Naruto asked as he sat down on the floor and raised an eyebrow.
"Wayzz, would you and your friend like to come out and show him?" Fu asked aloud to the room.
Naruto was not sure what he was expecting to see. Maybe a ghost of some sort, but not a small green creature that flew out the gramophone. It was a small, light green creature that was 4 inches tall. Its appearance included yellow sclerae, green eyes, and an antenna on its head. It also had a slightly darker green turtle shell on its back and a short pointed tail.
"Greets other worlder, I am glad to see he has chosen a new partner." The turtle thing said with a male voice.
"Chosen is not the word I would use." Another male voice said from on the bed mat. Looking down, Naruto saw another strange creature as it lazy laid there propped up on one arm with his fist on his cheek picking at its ears with his long figures and a bored expression. It was a 4 inches tall orange fox-like creature with nine tails twisted around each other. Its ears wear long and rabbit-like that was black on the inside and the black fur was also around its eyes. "More like forced upon when he was born."
Naruto blinked and then blinked again with no visible expression on his face. "Kyuubi? Is that really you?"
The Kitsune Kwami smirked lazily and nodded "The one and only. Glad you figured it out in one go. You really have lost that idiot mask you were projecting." He said sarcastically. That was another thing that changed; his voice. It was no longer that deep baritone it once was. It was still deep, but it was also high pitched. It was kinda funny.
"What happened to you?!" Naruto exclaimed. "You used to be huge!"
"Yes, that is the side effect of being in this world, but I have the other half of my power back, so I can deal with it." A frown crossed the fox's face. "I just miss being bigger than your village."
"I don't understand what is going on. You are out of the seal and this small Kwami creature." Naruto replied nervously.
Kyuubi gave an exaggerated sigh. "First of all, don't call me that. While I hate giving my name out, I will give it to you as you have impressed me with dealing with your darkness as you have. Call me Kurama. Now as for how I am like this, well that is easy. A very long time ago, my siblings and I crossed dimensions and landed here. The rules for powerful beings were different here and we turned into what is known as Kwamis."
"However, we soon learned that was not all. Kwamis were all connected to an object and had to connect with someone so the balance of power was equal. Otherwise, if we weren't connected to an object, we would just be ghosts to most people. Still, it could be construed as being proto-type Jinchuriki, but with a lot more freedom." The fox grimaced as being reminded of the past. "Plus, the Kwamis are beings of Concepts. So I choose to be the Kwami of Spirit.
"So what is your object, Kurama?" Naruto asked.
Kurama scowled pointing to his necklace. "The damn necklace that Hashirama foolishly kept around when he defeated his rival. It was the main reason Madara was even able to summon me for that fight. It's annoying how you came across it in a bet of all things."
"Speaking of your siblings, will you be summoning them to this world?" Wayzz asked hopefully.
"This world is not ready for their problems just yet, they have been corrupted." Kurama sharply replied before a thoughtful look graced his face. "I will think on it though."
"Speaking of which, I am the guardian of Wayzz's siblings." Fu got up, walking toward the gramophone. There was a click before he turned back around to the blond with a black and red box. "To answer some questions, the objects connected to the Kwamis are usually kept together in the Miraculous Boxes, but this is the last one."
"Last one!" Kurama roared in Fu's face. "What do you mean? What happened?!"
Fu saw how this affected the Kitsune Kwami and closed his eyes in pain. "A terrible accident leaving the temple in ruins. The older monks ordered for me to escape with this box, I was only a child at the time."
Kurama stared at the older man with an unreadable expression. Just because he was in a different dimension, didn't mean that he lost the ability to sense negative emotions. Among the ones that Fu was feeling, shame was the most prominent. He wouldn't pry yet, but he will get his answers. "So the Chinese Zodiac Box, how is the sugar fanatic and the stinky cat doing?"
"They are doing well, I assigned them to the perfect partners. However, if they fail in my expectations, I will not hesitate to take them back." Fu chuckled at the familiarity that therKitsune had with the others. It was comforting.
"And those would be?" The blond asked
"If they fail at helping the people of this city from Hawk Moth or reveal their civilian identities…" Fu hesitated, "Even to each other. At least for the time being."
Kurama just groaned while the blond frowned. "I am not sure I agree with that last one. How can they accurately work together as a team if their identities are a secret?"
"I wish for them to fully trust each other no matter what before the reveal. The trust between them must be at an all-time high or that information will be used against them I fear."
The shinobi shook his head; that was no way to fully build trust. That mystery would eat at them until one of them would snap. "Fine, but why have you brought me here Fu and what is the Chinese Zodiac you mentioned?"
The older man chuckled. "The Chinese Zodiac is an important cultural aspect of China's culture. Much how like it is slightly different for your culture of Japan, Naruto." This confused the blond. "Given your name, here it is of Japanese descent. It would seem the main culture off your world is the equivalent of Japanese culture. This would explain your acceptance of my culture when you came in. They are similar but still different."
"Sure, that makes sense" The non-committal shrug showed that Naruto just accepted that explanation. He didn't truly understand but he wasn't one to care about cultural differences. People were people.
"Now, as to why you are here…" Fu started as he put the box away. "I wish to help you get acclimated to this world."
"What do you get out of it?"
The old man just sighed. "I would like you to keep an eye on the Miraculous Users of Creation and Destruction until you and Kurama have decided to bring your box here. Step in where necessary and help keep their secret."
The blond frowned. "While I don't agree with your decision to keep it so secret, especially between them, I agree with your terms…for now."
"That is all I ask. I know you are not bound by my rules, but please, use your own judgment where necessary." Fu smiled. Even he knew that time would weaken that trust. He just hoped that trust would grow quickly so Naruto didn't have to tell them.
"By the way, you are taking this all very well, considering the fact that I am from another world."
"Kid, I am 186 years old, I am used to what is considered out of the norm."
"WHAT?!"
XXX
The next few weeks were challenging for them. Kurama explained to Naruto of the local languages and because of him, Naruto was able to grasp French and English when he was near. His own language, Japanese, was useful here as well. However, he could not read or write the new ones. So he tasked himself to learn them and Fu's language. Plus he used his free time to learn all about this new world. Thank god for Shadow Clones.
While Naruto was offered a place in Fu's home, Naruto declined, not wanting to intrude. So they established Naruto's identity the hard way. Naruto used his parents' money from the scroll and the money he won from the gambling city of his old world, converted to gold before he left, to establish himself as someone of high means from Japan. Thankfully, the government didn't look too hard into WHOM his parents could have been. After all, there was a lot of old money there. When it was found out that he was basically rich, they were too busy kissing his ass anyway. That was annoying, to say the least.
Now, while of course Naruto was considered a minor in this world, he still insisted on living by himself. With his parents dead, Fu acted as his guardian in helping him get all this done. As for housing, he considered just buying his own small place, but didn't. Instead, he opted to just buy one of the luxury rooms of Le Grand Paris. The owner and Mayor of the city of all things was put off at first but soon became ecstatic. Mostly because there would be another young person in the hotel that could potentially get along with his daughter. Plus, the added notoriety of helping a rich kid could help out his business.
After that, Naruto wanted to establish another means of acquiring more money in the event something sideways stupid were to happen. So…he published Jiriaya's books that the man had given him. With the Make Out Paradise series, he used Jiriaya's name as a pen name. Despite his misgivings of Jiriaya's perverted nature, he had to admit that man went heavy on the pure romance aspect of his stories. It was mostly due to his unrequited love of Tsunade that made him a true romantic. However, the steamy side of his works was what he expected. Overboard, but expected. Jiraiya really poured the frustrations of his life into those books. It was inspiring to Naruto.
With the city of Paris being known as the city of romance, the population just ate it all up!
The other book was the Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi and it was an international hit as well, making him put serious thought into continuing it. After all, he had plenty of stories from his homeworld that he could incorporate into it. Plus, he could incorporate his life into them; somehow continue his own way as if he had a choice back then. Yeah, that was going to happen.
Plus, he could use his interactions with Ladybug and Cat Noir in the stories. After all, with his time here, he was bound to watch the battles and Akumatizations. He had to admit, they had great teamwork and Ladybug was brilliant for thinking up all her solutions when she got odd results to her lucky charms. Hell he could replace them as his teammates in his story.
That could reflect his future with them when he decided to show himself again.
XXX
There was just one thing that he could not escape, not even in this new world. Since he was a minor, it was required to for him to get the local education. That meant he had to go to school again. He decided he would attend the one Mr. Bourgeois recommended since his daughter, whom he still hadn't encountered oddly enough, attended.
So that is where he was now. A place called Francoise Dupont High School. The principle, a man called Mr. Damocles, was escorting him to his new homeroom. School here was much different. They had a homeroom followed by several other classes that they had to get up and go to. Back at the academy, all they did was stay in the same room while Iruka droned on with the occasional trip to the training ground at the back of the school. At least this place was different.
As they walked, he observed the building and the man beside him. This place was certainly bigger than the academy back home as well. Three stories tall with an open courtyard in the middle That acted as a sort of arena for sports. That was certainly interesting.
Looking at the man beside him, he chuckled because the man was the personification of an owl. Mr. Damocles was a stout man with amber eyes. He had large, bushy black eyebrows, gray sideburns, a beard, and a light gray mustache. This was in contrast to being bald on the top of his head. He had a brown dress jacket with a white button-up undershirt and a tie that is a lighter brown than his suit. His pants were a darker shade of brown than the jacket, and his shoes were brown loafers.
"Well young man, are you ready to meet your new class." There was a nervous tint to the man's voice. In reality, he was very nervous because he had another rich kid in his school that could possibly pull status. Naruto acted like a normal teenager and he was humble about his status, but he could tell with the glint in his eye that he was going to be a troublemaker.
"Sure, let's get this over with." Naruto resigned himself to his fate as the man opened the door and they walked in.
XXX
Mrs. Bustier smiled at her class. She was extremely happy that she was getting another person to her slowly growing classroom. She was truly passionate about molding the minds of the young and helping them set a path for life. While she was warned that he was another rich kid, she was not worried. If she could handle Chloe Bourgeois, she could handle anyone. That girl was a personal project of hers anyway.
Mrs. Bustier was tall and light-skinned with reddish-orangish hair, which she put back in a high bun, teal eyes, thin light pink lips and freckles. She had on a light blue jacket with a teal collared shirt and a white undershirt beneath, along with a pair of white earrings and a small gold necklace. She also wore light blue pants and white dress shoes.
Like the Owl, she was the definition of professionalism.
"Class. Today we are treated to a new student." She said when she noticed that two people were outside the door to her classroom. "Please be welcoming."
Chloe Bourgeois merely rolled her eyes at the mention of a new student. Normally, she wouldn't care if some plebe off the street would enter her school, but she nearly had to do a double-take when she saw who walked through the door.
IT WAS HIM!
There was no doubt in her mind that it was the boy she had run into. The boy that fought his own Akuma. The boy who resisted Hawk moth's control. The boy who showed her that it was possible to try and change! Oh sure, he was not wearing that raggedy cloak anymore and wearing something more casual, but she still recognized his face. One look at Sabrina confirmed her suspicions.
But damn, this boy cleaned up. Naruto's new clothes consisted of some designer clothes. She recognized Agreste's work anywhere. He had on a pair of black sneakers, a pair of sleek black jeans, an orange shirt, and over that was a black jacket with silver streaks on the side. Finally, there was that crystal necklace he had worm before.
"Would you please introduce yourself a little for us?" Mrs. Bustier asked with a kind smile.
"Sure." Naruto felt himself go into his relaxed posed, one foot leaning back as if to almost steady himself as he leaned back a bit while his hands went behind his head. It was a small world after all. He saw a few people he immediately recognized and just smiled serenely. This made his job so much easier. "Name's Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, writing stories, learning new things to do, pranks, parkour, and getting to know new people. I dislike the three minutes it takes for ramen to cook, unnecessary hate, and the concept of looking down on others…especially if it is just because of a perceived outlook on someone's stage of their life. My hobbies include learning different fighting styles, parkour, writing, swordplay, pranks, and observing your local heroes' fights from a safe distance. That's pretty entertaining. As for my dreams for the future…" He trailed of a second. His old dream was not possible, especially since he left his village and world behind. He just smiled as he looked out the window and saw a bird fly by. "Haven't figure that part out yet, but I would like to live my life my way."
There was a murmuring of the classroom. That was quite the introduction. Not many people are usually that open with their introductions. Most of the time it is just a name and that is it. Due to this information though, a few students picked up on a few things. Adrian Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng grew a little worried that someone…other than Alya would willingly go see the battles they partook in. They just hoped he would be ok.
Speaking of the girl sitting next to Marinette, she was the girl that spoke next. "Wait, Naruto Uzumaki? As in THE Naruto that released the Tales of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja?"
Naruto's eyes traveled to the girl that spoke and nodded with a smile. This girl, she was an almond skinned girl like the boy in front of her. Something he learned while here was the fact that many cultures lived here. The cook at the hotel was a prime example of that. In fact, they looked similar. Maybe they were related? What did she say they were again? Oh yeah, Martiniquan Creole-French, which he didn't really care or know much about but was nice to know. The girl was around 5'5" and had a curvaceous body. She had heart-shaped lips, hazel eyes, and a mole above her forehead. Her hair was wavy and reddish-brown ombre, which grew slightly past her shoulders and had light copper-red tips.
She had on black horn-rimmed glasses, with a white spot on each side. Her outfit consisted of a white tank top underneath a short-sleeved plaid shirt with white, orange, and purple stripes; light blue jeans, and white sneakers with black tops. She had on light red-colored lipstick.
"Say, are you related to Cook Lady back at the hotel?"
Alya blinked, "Wait, you're the guy my mom was talking about that wanted to cook his own meals and help out some of the time? I am Alya by the way."
"Huh, small world." Ok, that was odd. More coincidences. "Nice to meet ya."
Mrs. Bustier decided that then was a good time to interject. "We are glad you have you Naruto, but we really need to get out lessons on track. Would you kindly take a seat next to Nathanial? He is the young man with red hair in the back."
"Sure thing." Naruto walked to his seat in the back. On his way to the back, he heard murmurings about him but he really didn't care. He just observed his new classmates. In a way, they were just as colorful as the people back home. So much so that for some of them, he couldn't help but make comparisons. He just hoped they wouldn't judge him too quickly.
Sitting down next to the redhead, he saw that the boy was drawing, not really paying attention. "Nice to meet you Red." No, his hair wasn't that red. It was like that Sabrina girl's hair, reddish-orange and it was grown in a way that covered one of his turquoise eyes on his left side. He had on a red t-shirt with a black design on the front. Over his shirt, he wore a gray dress jacket with a folded collar, folded sleeves, and side pockets. He wore purple jeans that were rolled up at the bottom, and his shoes were gray with white lace and a white section where his toes would be.
"Oh uh…Hi, I am Nathanial." He said quietly. Oh? Another shy type. He would get along with him.
XXX
"Girl, this is just another scoop to me. Plus, since he is a writer, he could help me write better articles for my Ladyblog." Alya was pacing back and forth with an excited look on her face as they ate their lunch on the school steps.
"Aren't you blowing this out of proportion?" Her best friend, Marinette, asked with a giggle, leaning on the railing of the front steps of their school. "We don't want to scare off the new guy on his first day."
"Maybe, but just think of the possibilities!"
"Careful Alya, or Nino might get jealous."
Alya caught the teasing smirk and shook her head as a smirk of her own developed on her features and nodded her head in the direction behind her. "I don't think I have to worry about that. The boys already seem chummy enough as it is."
That was when Marinette's anxiety rose to its usual levels at the sight of the model coming her way.
"So then," Naruto took a bite out of his oversized pretzel that he bought for his lunch. "I snuck my way into my village's police building and coated all their uniforms with itching powder, dog pheromones, and catnip. They were all too busy running away from the animals for days to go after me. Not to mention dealing with the rashes."
Nino, who had already been laughing, started laughing so hard he was nearly in tears. Nino was a tall slender teenager, with short dark brown hair, tan skin, and amber eyes. He wore a plain red cap, black-rimmed glasses, and a pair of dark gray, blue, and orange headphones hung around his neck. He had on a short-sleeved blue shirt with an eye design on the front and a pair of blue jeans that had a born belt that was partially cover by his shirt. Additionally, he had on lime green, pink, red, blue, and yellow wristbands around his right wrist and red and white high collar shoes with a white knight design on the tongues.
Adrian wasn't far off but as soon as Alya and Marinette came into his sights, that smile became brighter as he calmed down. "Oh man, Marinette, Alya, you have to hear some of Naruto's prank stories. I am not going to be on his bad side to be on the receiving end of those."
"Oh dude, you were horrible as a kid." Nino laughed.
"You have no idea Nino, I was a little hellion growing up and I would always get some sort of punishment…after my grandfather nearly died of laughter. I have noticed that I have calmed down significantly since then, especially after traveling a bit." Naruto turned his head to Marinette and smiled. "Thanks again Marinette for the help in science glass, who knew I could have blown my face off with that stuff. Oh and with understanding some of that stuff."
"OH! It was no problem; I am just glad I was able to help you in time before Ms. Mendeleiev saw and had a heart attack herself." Marinette smiled with a hint of nervousness. "I was just doing what anyone else would have done."
Naruto gave her a lopsided smile. "Not all people, but I appreciate it. Plus, you have some really good reflexes to catch that in time."
"I guess so, but I am also madly clumsy." That made Adrian raise an eyebrow but then shook his head with a smirk.
"I noticed." Naruto deadpanned, making the others chuckle and the girl to pout. "But that doesn't take away from the fact that you are a good and helpful person. Besides, it is very entertaining to see you flittering about to right yourself like a little bug."
Again the group burst out in laughter, making the girl pout again, especially when Alya called her out as well. Adrian saw the girl pouting and decided to step in, partially because he felt like he was still trying to get on her good side. "He is right; you are a great person Marinette. You are like the everyday Ladybug with all the good deeds you do."
"Ah…" Marinette's mind seemed to short circuit for a second before what he said caught up with her, making her loose her balance a bit that Alya had to keep her up as the girl waved her arms. "Zoh shats great. NO! You are sreat! Wait, i mean-thank you, that's sweet!"
"You're welcome," Adrian said with his usual calm and understanding smile he usually used around Marinette. It would seem he made her nervous again.
After Marinette calmed down, she just smiled nervously to both boys while Alya and Nino had smirks on their faces. Naruto had a thoughtful look on his face as the metaphorical light bulb went off over his head. "I got it. I have the perfect nickname for you." Naruto said as he went into his relaxed pose and a had knowing smile. "Little Bug." Adrian's look froze for a moment before he slowly nodded that he liked it as well.
Alya snorted. "That is actually a good one, but I gotta ask, what is with all the nicknames?"
Naruto shrugged. "Well, it is just something I have always done, especially to my friends…something I hope we are."
"Yup, but what does mine mean?" Adrian asked. "It sounds Japanese and familiar, but I don't remember."
"Bishonen? It is just Japanese for pretty boy thanks to your looks and the all the girls you seem to attract." Naruto said, poking the other blond in the side, making him laugh while winking at Marinette. That made her pale, but when she saw that Adrian hadn't noticed, so she calmed down.
The Agreste was vibrating with excitement, completely ignoring the attraction part. "Ooooh, like Tamaki from one of my favorite anime!"
"Calm down you weeb." Alya laughed, sneaking a glance at her best friend to judge how she reacted. She just seems more nervous. "But I am not sure if I should be flattered or annoyed at the nickname you gave me."
Naruto just waved her off. "Gossip Girl and Bard aren't that bad for you and Nino. Besides, I could have just given you my old classmate's name. Now Ino knew the whole village's business…somehow."
After another round of laughs, Marinette smirked at the spiky-haired blond. "I have to say, you are not what I expected, Naruto." At his questioning look, she continued. "Being a rich kid, I kind of thought you were going to be a snob like Chloe. I mean, I misjudged Adrian a bit too quickly when I first met him…so you know. You are just so easy to talk to."
"Wanna know my secret," Naruto asked with a smirk, getting them all to nod. "I wasn't born with money, in fact, I was an orphan until my grandfather took me in. Even then, I didn't have the money; I only got it a bit after he passed."
That admission seemed to create an uncomfortable air around them as they widened their eyes. Naruto rolled his eyes as he polished off his pretzel. "Besides, after dealing with a stick up the ass classmate of mine back home, I know what not to do."
That seemed to bring their spirits up. "You know, speaking of Chloe, I haven't heard much from her today. I saw her sneaking glances at you. Like she looked like she had something to say but couldn't. There something there, huh spiky?" Alya teased while wiggling her eyebrows.
Naruto shrugged, trying to avoid the question. "Beats me. Maybe it is because I look like the long lost brother of Bishonen over here, but more rugged."
"I have heard those comparisons." Marinette rolled her eyes bitterly. "But if that really were the case for her, she would be literally throwing herself at you. Hasn't stopped her before."
Adrian sighed in exaggeration. "That is true, but she wasn't always like that. She used to be kind when we were kids, so I am not sure what happened. I miss my old friend." He looked at Naruto for a moment and smiled. "I bet not even your easy to talk to attitude would get on her good side and bring my sister back."
"Are you serious with that bet?" Naruto asked with his eyes closed and a smirk on his face.
There was a stillness in the air between them all as they all stared at him in shock. Was he taking that seriously?
"What?" Adrian probed while one of Naruto's eyes snapped up to stare playfully but seriously at the model.
"I am asking if you serious with that bet?"
Adrian steeled his nerves, nodding. "Yes."
"I'll ask again, are you sure?" Naruto asked again, coming out of his relaxed stance, a sense of tension seeping into the air. "I'll warn you now. Lady Luck loves me when it comes to people betting against me….and gambling. The rest of my life, eh, not so much."
"Yes, but what do you want out of the bet?" The two blond's hand meeting a shake, Adrian's eyebrow twitching at the Lady Luck comment. There was only one Lady Luck and that was Ladybug.
"Challenge accepted, but please know the change will not be an instant thing," Naruto said, a bit of his old determination shining through. "And when I win, hmm, just one simple favor. And if you win?"
"Same and I never thought it would be."
RING!
The lunch bell rang, signifying that lunch was over and just like that, the tension was gone. The two blonds were back to being their smiling selves as they walked back to class. That just left Nino, Alya, and Marinette behind.
"What just happened?" Marinette asked with big eyes.
"Naruto has a highly competitive nature, that's what happened." Nino said, shell shocked.
"Just like you get girl, I like him." Alya had a giant smirk on her face while her eyes shined mischievously. "I am going to have to set up a new blog just for this. Now I really need his help!"
XXX
Adrian sat down in his seat first, waiting on Nino with a focused look. The boy came in shortly after along a few other classmates. He had noticed that Nathanial had never left the room. No one else really came back on time after lunch, some of them coming from places outside their school after all.
"You ok dude?"
"Yeah, but I am a little jealous of Naruto."
"What for dude?"
"The fact that he can get along so easily with people. It is awesome, but I can't help but to be a bit jealous. I have no idea how he does it." Adrian sighed, silently cursing his sheltered life.
"Dude, what is this really about?" Nino asked while leaning back and cocking his head to the side.
Adrian smiled wryly. "Even with Naruto, she is not nervous, but when talking to me…"
"Ah, that is where it comes from."
"What am I doing wrong Nino?"
Nino smiled knowingly at his best friend, shaking his head. "There is not one thing I can really pinpoint. Marinette has always been like this, but you should have seen her when Chloe first started her crap. My advice is to keep doing what you are doing, let her get used to your presence so she can form a sentence around you. She is just nervous is all."
"Ok, I just hope I can get her to like me." Adrian weakly replied, Nino giving him a strained smirk.
Oh dude, you really are clueless.
Naruto walked up to his desk when he entered. As he sat down, he made his chair lean back and propped his feet on his desk. Looking over to his deskmate, the redhead did what he did best, and drew in his own little world. Naruto saw one page in particular that interested him. It was a drawing of Marinette in her transformation to Ladybug. "So you figured it out." He said in a low voice so none else would hear.
His voice broke Nathanial out of his world, his eyes widening in fear as he quickly snatched up the paper, tucking it away as he looked around them nervously. When he saw that barely anyone was watching or even in the room, he sighed, saying quietly, "Yes I did sorry, but I am usually by myself here. I used to draw her because I have a crush on her, but then Ladybug saved me and drawing her came way easier than it should have been. It was easy to connect the dots."
"Good to see that not everyone here is blind as a bat."
Nathanial gained a melancholy smile. "That is true. Makes it easier to keep their secret." Naruto caught that admission. "But it just makes it harder on myself because I know I have no chance with her when she likes Agreste."
"I know that feeling, but you have to admit…" Naruto cracked a goofy smile. "The run around between them is hilarious."
"Heh, and your future inclusion with them just complicates things…Cloud." Nathanial snarked. The two boys stared at one another for a moment before Naruto's face cracked in a smirk and he started to chuckle. It was so infectious that Nathanial joined in before they were both laughing as the rest of the class piled in. Some of them looking on it shock that Naruto got the quiet boy to laugh so loud.
XXX
When the class finally let out for the day, Naruto walked by Chloe's desk and she asked him to meet her in the library. That was where he was now, sitting at one of the reading tables across from the Chloe and her shadow, Sabrina. "What a day, school here is more entertaining than back home." Naruto gave them a carefree smile.
Sabrina smiled back, but Chloe crossed her arms. She didn't show it, but she was a bit nervous. No, she was incredibly nervous. She was about to go with Mrs. Bustier's advice and take that leap of faith after all.
Flashback
Mrs. Buster sat at her desk as the rest of her class ran out of her classroom from lunch, with the usual suspects staying in the classroom to eat and do their own thing. What caught her attention, however, was the fact that Chloe was still at her desk, deep in thought. Sabrina was also there, trying to figure out something to say to her friend.
The girls had been this way ever since this morning when Naruto joined their classroom. She knew that Chloe must know to the boy somewhat, but there was something stopping the girl from approaching him.
"Chloe." She called
"Yes, Mrs. Bustier?" Yep, she was defiantly out of it if she wasn't being her snarky self.
"Do you want to tell me what is wrong?"
Chloe sighed. Of course, her teacher would ask that. "I am trying to think of a way to talk to Naruto again."
"Oh, so you used to know him as well? I thought I recognized the familiarity in your eyes. Did you know him well?"
That was the problem. She couldn't just tell her teacher that Naruto was that super hobo that was famous for a day on TV. That would lead to questions he didn't have answers to. "I knew him once, but I don't think he remembers me."
Mrs. Bustier smiled kindly at the girl. "Well, the best way to know that is to just take the plunge and talk to him, ask him questions that causing the smoke to come out of your ears. Especially if you want to be friends to him again."
Flashback end
"Enough with the games you super hobo, I know it is you. What are you doing here?" Chloe inwardly grimaced at that, berating herself. There was no way now that he would want to deal with her now. But her teacher's words did resonate with her. Did she want him as a friend?
"Simple, living my life in this world," Naruto said, deciding to be truthful with them. If they caught on, then they didn't show it.
"How did you get your powers?" Sabrina asked curiously.
"Would you believe me if I said I was born with them?"
Chloe rolled her eye before sitting down and sighing. "I hate what I am about to do, but I am in need of your help."
"Hmm? With what?"
"After seeing you battle yourself and the ending conclusion, it moved me. I thought that maybe I can change too. I don't want to admit it, but I am not the nicest person around and I can be difficult to deal with. Please…help." By the end of her plea, she had her face facing the desk in shame, mostly on account of having to use please while asking for help. It was a bit much for her, but that was all she could think of. She wanted this. Maybe Adrian would like her if she changed. Maybe she would have more friends.
Naruto blinked owlishly at her request. Turning his head to Sabrina to see that she was mouthing the please and shaking her hands together with a huge smile. He turned back to Chloe and smiled. "Yeah, we can work together to better ourselves." He then held out his hand for her to shake. "We can start right now, with me becoming your friend."
While she didn't know what that Japanese word even meant, she was happy nonetheless. The fact that he wanted to be a friend of hers brought her some happiness. She raised her head and smiled brightly with an almost arrogant look as they shook hands. Oddly enough, his hand felt just as warm as the smile he was giving off. It was nice. "Thank you." The sincerity of her words shining through.
Looks like Lady Luck was smiling upon him once more, but he knew this was not going to be easy.
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I do have a question regarding Chloe's mom. She really only accepted her daughter because she found out she was mean as well, right? What is everyone's opinion of her? I really doubt that she loves her husband and daughter that much. I read a comic that Chloe's mom was into Gabriel. Wonder if I can twist that a bit. Still, their relationship just seems complicated, like she couldn't care less about them if they weren't mean. Hell, Audrey seemed to have an issue just saying she loved her daughter. Maybe I should go the Beautiful Creatures route on that.
Still, a few songs gave me ideas for future chapters.
Also, naruto will find out that Kurama's tastes include salty foods...so you could say that Naruto loves ramen because of his mother and the fox.
Anyway, stay safe everyone and if you have suggestions or opinions, please review and let me know