Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail
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By Any Means
Chapter 12 - All Roads Lead to Rome Pt 2
Opening - No Pain, No Game by Nano
0o0o0 Era - Magic Council 0o0o0
"Knight-Captain, this council is disappointed at your lack of capability in apprehending the Shadow Heart imposter," Org scowled at the Knight-Captain.
"Councilman, the imposter has gone to ground over the last few months making it diff-"
"This Council does not wish to hear your excuses Knight-Captain. It wants to see results," Belno cut in.
"Belno, should I remind you just who this imposter is trying to impersonate? Capturing someone who has the audacity to wear that getup should come as no surprise to be difficult to capture. I'm positive the Knight-Captain and all 25 of some of our most elite Rune-Knights are doing their best to bring him to justice," Siegrain said in a mocking tone.
"This matter is not one to take lightly Siegrain. I know you were still a child when Shadow Heart was active, but the threat of even a single active member puts not just Fiore at risk, but the entirety of Ishgar," Tsunade chimed in, a scowl pointed at the aloof bluenette.
"And yet what has this imposter really done Councilwoman Tsunade? He's helped in the capture of some of the most dangerous slave traders in the past decade, brought down a dangerous dark guild, and even destroyed one of Zeref's books, Lullaby. Is this Council positive that we shouldn't be thanking him instead?" Siegrain asked the entirety of the room.
"You know the law Siegrain, if he wanted to help stop slave rings, take down dark guilds, and yes even destroy a book of Zeref he should've become a Rune-Knight, not some vigilante hero that acts outside of our laws! That was the problem with Shadow Heart from the get go!" Michello heatedly responded.
"This is a discussion for another time. We still have much on our agenda to go over. Thank you Knight-Captain for updating us on your pursuit. Should this imposter come out of hiding again we shall rely on you and your men to bring him to justice. For now return to Headquarters and await your next assignment."
0o0o0 Later - Era - Some Random Pub 0o0o0
"-and they put me on standby! Standby!" Stroid shouted, thumping his mug on the bar. "I could be out there with my men, tracking down that robe wearing menace, but no…" Downing what remained of his drink, the rugged Knight-Captain glared at his former subordinates. "So what have you two been up to? Something useful I hope?"
Doranbolt glanced sideways at Lahar, hoping his friend could satisfy their former captain. "Well captain, I myself have been promoted to the head of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit, of which you were in charge until your… promotion." Lahar readjusted his glasses, his mug untouched in front of him.
Stroid grunted, grabbing his new mug and eyeing Doranbolt. "And what about you, slacker? Still working on your "grand plan" to infiltrate Fairy Tail?"
Doranbolt chuckled weakly, mug halfway to his lips. "Something like that…" Taking a quick drink, he continued. "I'm working in Intelligence right now. Just a normal paper pusher."
"Figures," the older man mumbled, shaking his head. Just as he went to take another drink, one of the guardsmen under his command burst into the pub.
"Captain! The council is calling for you!"
"Finally! Drinks're on me, boys. I got a criminal to catch!"
0o0o0 Fairy Tail - Magnolia 0o0o0
"Leeevy..." Lucy moaned out, slumped at a table in Fairy Tail.
"What's the matter Lu-chan?" the Word Magic mage replied cheerily.
"I'm in the middle of a bad case of writer's block," Lucy said, resting her head in her hands. "I just don't know what to do!"
"Well, maybe if you let me take a peek at the manuscript I could-"
The blonde cut her off. "No! You can't read it until it's finished."
"Drat."
"Hey Lucy!" Naruto called out as he walked into the guild, dragging a pouting Natsu behind him, Happy floating along lazily next to him. "I was walking by your apartment and noticed this idiot about to break in. I think he was looking for you."
"Natsu, what the hell?!" Lucy stomped over to the now sitting Dragon Slayer.
"Oh, so you were at the guild Lucy," Happy commented. His eyes cut to Natsu for a second, a gloating smile crossing his face. "I told you."
"Shaddup you," Natsu grumbled, before turning to Lucy. "Lucy, let's go on a mission!"
The blonde Celestial Spirit mage took the rolled up magazine Naruto offered her and smacked Natsu in the head, sending him crashing to the floor.
"Idiot! Don't go breaking into people's houses!" Lucy looked like she was going to continue ranting, but suddenly deflated, drifting back to the table where Levy was. "Anyways, I can't right now. I've got to do something about this next chapter in my story."
"Oh? You're an author Lucy?" Naruto asked, intrigued.
"Yep! Lu-chan's working on her very own novel," Levy confirmed. "But she won't let me read it before it's done. Cheapskate"
"Well, what exactly are you having trouble with?"
"..."
Naruto could feel the combined stares of the Fairy Tail guild members.
"H-hey, what's with that look? Are you doubting me?" Squaring his shoulders and throwing out his chest, Naruto pointed at himself. "I'll have you know that my godfather is a world renowned author, and he used to make me read his manuscripts for him."
Lucy looked unsure, but slightly hopeful at this, while Levy was staring at the blond man with stars in her eyes.
"What's his name? What genre does he write? What's the name of some of his books?" Levy was throwing out rapid fire questions, while Naruto... blushed?
"Um, well..." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "His first book didn't sell real well, even though I think it was awesome!" He stopped for a second, an odd look coming to his eyes. "Actually, I don't even think you can buy it anymore. I think it's been banned from Fiore."
If anything, this news excited Levy even more. 'A banned book?! I've gotta get my hands on it!' She was practically vibrating in her chair from excitement.
Lucy chimed in, trying to get back on track. "You said first book. You mean he wrote others?"
"Oh yeah." Naruto paused, looking away for a second. Lucy got a bad feeling, seeing the shifty way her fellow blond was acting.
"Have you ever seen Makarov or Kakashi around with a little orange book?"
Lucy, being relatively new, hadn't really noticed. The fact that Kakashi just came back from a long term mission didn't help either. Levy, on the other hand, made a strangled squeak, blushed to the roots of her hair, and passed out with a strange smile on her face.
"L-levy! Are you okay?!" Lucy was about to start panicking when Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, sighing. "She'll be fine. She just got a little over excited is all."
"Over excited? What kind of book is that?" the blonde trembled, wondering what kind of book could hold so much power over her friend.
"If you really want to know..." Naruto reached into the light jacket he wore, stealthily unsealing a copy of the book in question. Pulling it out, he presented it hesitantly to Lucy.
Seeing the title, Lucy felt a chill run down her spine. "Icha Icha?"
0o0o0 Several Hours Later 0o0o0
The guild was rocked by a massive explosion, sending cups and bottles tumbling from the tables, their owners not faring any better.
"Goddamnit! Are you trying to kill me, prick?!" Naruto's voice could be heard from outside, calming the few who were still jumpy from Phantom's attack. It seems he'd managed to entice Sasuke into a spar, but things had gotten out of hand... again.
"Idiot. Everyone knows you don't block a fireball with wind," came the composed response as the raven haired Hatake dragged the singed and scorched blond into the guild.
"Feh, just means I didn't use enough wind..." Naruto mumbled, grunting as he was tossed onto a barstool. "...Thanks."
"Hn."
Seeing the two get along nicely, Mira giggled behind her hand. "Should I call for Sakura?" she asked, and was presented with Naruto's deadpan glare. Taking a seat next to the blond, Sasuke cuffed him hard upside the head without looking as Mira went looking for the pinkette.
"Stop glaring at my girlfriend."
"Mmrph," was Naruto's defeated reply, face squashed into the counter.
Meanwhile, some of the other guild members had gone outside and were looking at the most recent destruction left behind the guild.
"Hmph, youngsters these days," Macao said, eyes closed. "They're just a bunch of hotheaded lugs."
"That's right!" Wakaba agreed, head nodding as he also avoided looking at the massive crater left behind. "We were never like that."
Alzack just sweatdropped at how the two could so readily edit their memories.
Lucy stood stock still, eyes bugging out at the size of the crater. Eventually she turned to Levy next to her, an aura of gloom around her. "Why are the people in this guild so dangerous?! I'm gonna die!"
"Hehe, that's how it is Lu-chan," the bluenette said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. She quickly brightened up. "But hey, you're a part of the guild too! And we can be just as dangerous as the guys, right?" she cheered, trying to lift the Celestial Spirit mage's mood.
"R-right." In a slightly better mood, Lucy's hand fell onto her golden keys as she eyed the proof of Sasuke and Naruto's strength. "I need to train more. I've still got to collect all the zodiac keys. And I'll show that lunkhead Natsu that he can't push me around anymore!" Speaking of Natsu, images from that book Naruto had lent her featuring said Dragon Slayer began to appear in her mind, causing her to blush heavily. "Damn it, I'm surrounded by perverts!"
"Perhaps you should try asking Anko-sensei to help you train." The two girls turned to see Tenten and Cana coming out to take a look at the destruction themselves.
"NO! I mean… er well I don't think Anko's type of training would help us very much," Levy chuckled nervously looking around for the purplenette in case the woman was within ear shot.
"Why not? Anko-sensei's training would whip the two of you into shape!" Tenten said ecstatically, raising her arm in a muscle flex to prove her point. "Just imagine what you could do with guns like these!"
Lucy took a moment to imagine herself muscular and quickly shook her head in disgust at the thought of losing her feminine figure. "I don't think that's what I need Tenten. Sure I could use some muscle but that's what my spirits are for. They help me fight in ways I never could." Lucy lovingly placed a hand on her keys and smiled. "They're my strength."
"Then maybe you simply need to learn how to run." The four turned to see Naruto standing behind them with a bowl of ramen in his hands, happily eating away at it.
Lucy hung her head as she was basically called out for not being able to fight practically at all. Levy sent a sympathetic look to her friend before sending a glare at Lucy's supposed friend while Tenten looked on, using a knife to trim her nails and Cana got right up in the blond man's face.
"Run? I know Lucy isn't that great of a fighter Naruto, like you or Sasuke, but that doesn't mean you should insult her!" Cana scowled, misunderstanding the blond man.
"*Slurp* Didn't mean it like that," Naruto said with a mouth full of noodles, spitting all over the place and causing Cana to frantically dodge. Gulping down his bite he turned back to Lucy and continued. "I meant you should learn how to marathon, and I mean serious marathoning. Not just running because you're too weak against a stronger opponent. Sometimes out pacing an enemy is a much better strategy than out powering them."
"That's bullshit!"
Everyone turned to see Natsu storming over.
Naruto cocked an eyebrow, "Oh? And why is it bullshit Natsu?"
"Instead of dragging the fight out, ya just need to beat his face in!"
Naruto looked at Natsu incredulously. "Really? That's all you need to do?"
"Yeah! One good punch and the fight's done!" Natsu yelled, flames spewing from his mouth.
"Then punch me," the blond said seriously, staring at Natsu as he put his empty ramen bowl down.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Guys there's no need to fight!" Lucy cried, concerned of what could happen to either of her friends.
Natsu shook his head and took up a stance. "No, I owe him a good one for bad mouthing you just now!"
"But Natsu he didn't-" Lucy was cut off as Natsu charged.
"Raaaagh! Fire Dragon's Fist!"
Naruto stood there as Natsu closed in on him.
Lucy gasped at the solid smack that echoed throughout the back of Fairy Tail.
Natsu smirked at the sight of his fist embedded in Naruto's face.
The onlookers were shocked that Natsu's punch had managed to connect considering how fast Naruto was.
Sasuke "Hn'd" from inside the guild where he watched with his arms crossed.
"Does he really have to take things this far?" Sakura sighed, knowing she would have to work tonight.
As the seconds ticked by, Natsu's smirk faded. He'd made a solid hit - he was sure of it. So why hadn't Naruto been thrown back like everyone else he'd punched? In fact, a quick glance showed that the blond's feet hadn't even moved.
Slowly, Naruto's head turned back straight, forcing Natsu's hand back. The blond had a bored look in his eyes. "There's your one hit. Is the fight over then, Natsu?"
Natsu's eyes widened at how unfazed Naruto was, even with the fire singing his skin. "H-how?"
"What do you do Natsu, when you meet an enemy who doesn't care? Who pushes through the pain? I'll tell you…" before Naruto could finish Natsu reeled back his arm and began to throw a barrage of punches.
"Then I'll punch him some more! I just gotta keep going until he doesn't get up!"
Deftly dodging every attack, Naruto spoke up again. "Lesson number 1: Avoid the enemy's attack while observing his attack patterns." Slowly ramping up his speed, none of Natsu's attacks even came close to hitting, his latest punch missing by more than a foot.
"Bastard! Stop moving all over the place and fight me! Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu's flaming kick shot out at a somewhat impressive speed, but in his haste to hit Naruto, he didn't notice that the blond had managed to get behind him the moment he started his attack.
"Lesson number 2: Disrupt your opponent's flow so he makes mistakes. An agitated enemy will be prone to exaggerated movements, leaving countless openings." Naruto then proceeded to stay at Natsu's back, no matter what the Dragon Slayer tried. The blond taunted him relentlessly, and everyone could tell it was getting to Natsu.
"Raaaagh! ENOUGH!" Natsu clawed his hand, a brilliant flame coming to life. Quickly Natsu wound himself up, ready to spring his attack into the now agitating blond. "Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!"
"Lesson number 3: Take advantage of the openings a careless enemy makes."
Natsu exploded forward, his arm coming around in a devastating arc leaving a trail of flames in its wake. Unbelievably, Naruto glided right past the attack, making it look as if Natsu was standing still. Then, in a motion almost too fast to follow, he landed a counter right on Natsu's face, in the exact same spot Natsu had hit him. The force behind the blow drove the Dragon Slayer back, teetering on the edge of consciousness. Calmly walking forward, the blond raised a hand and poked Natsu in the forehead knocking the mage over and ending the fight. "Maybe next time."
Turning to the girls Naruto smiled. "And that is what I meant. Learn how to observe, outthink and outlast an opponent." His piece said, Naruto walked back into the guild hall, wondering if he could get another bowl of ramen.
Lucy, Levy, Cana and Tenten looked at each other for a moment, before Tenten spoke up. "I'm not carrying him to Sakura. C'mon Cana." The two then proceeded to follow the blond back inside.
"Well, you'll help me, won't you Levy?" Lucy asked, only to get no response. Turning, she saw that Levy had been pulled away by Jet and Droy at some point.
"That's not fair!"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Sakura said, having walked over at the end of the fight. She bent down and picked up the downed mage, throwing him over her shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "So what do you think of Naruto's lesson?"
"Shouldn't you treat him better?" Lucy asked, concerned.
"Hm? He's fine. Naruto didn't punch him that hard." Sakura waved off the blonde's concern
"Didn't punch him that hard!? He's out cold!" Lucy exaggerated within her thoughts.
"Well, what did you think?" Sakura questioned once more as she began to walk toward the infirmary.
Lucy fell in beside the older pinkette while she thought about what Naruto had explained, deciding to ignore the fact Natsu had fought Naruto in her defense and the blush that came with that. "Well something is bothering me..." Sakura hummed when Lucy paused. "He said it wasn't about out powering your opponent, that it was better to out pace them. But in the end all he did was out power Natsu to win."
Sakura chuckled as the two reached the infirmary, opening the door and heading to one of the beds and tossing Natsu onto it without much care. Lucy winced slightly as Natsu's head cracked on the head board. "Perhaps that's what it looked like but have you considered that Naruto allowed his speed to carry all the power behind his punch?"
"Huh?" Lucy tilted her head at that.
"It's simple really, though I guess for someone that's never been trained in martial arts it can sound complicated. You see, all of Naruto's power doesn't come purely from the strength of the muscles in his arms. He makes use of his entire body. He twists his hips, angles his shoulders…" she trailed off as Lucy started to get confused again. "Basically, he didn't punch Natsu with his fist. He punched him with his whole body."
"His whole body!" Lucy exclaimed loudly.
"Yes, his whole body," Sakura repeated calmly whilst preparing an ice pack for Natsu's head.
"But what does any of this have to do with magic?" Lucy questioned.
"Tell me; how much energy do you think Naruto was using in that fight?"
"Umm… I don't know. A lot I guess, since Natsu flew back pretty far and was knocked out?" Lucy hesitantly answered.
Placing the ice pack in a compress and resting it on Natsu's forehead, Sakura hummed. "That's one way to look at it. But that's not quite the case this time. I'm not entirely sure, but I think he was limiting himself to the level of a civilian, strength wise."
"Eeeehhh?! But how? That doesn't make sense." Lucy was surprised at what Sakura was saying.
"Well, put it like this. If I pick up a rock and drop it, it falls to the ground and bounces away right? But, what if I took that same rock and threw it as hard as I could?"
A lightbulb went off over Lucy's head. "Oh, so because it was moving faster, it made a greater impact."
Nodding, Sakura agreed. "That's the gist of it, without getting into all the complicated theories and formulas."
Taking all this in, Lucy was silent for a minute, trying to work out what this all meant in relation to Naruto's lessons.
Finally she came to a conclusion, "So if I'm moving faster but not putting too much energy into it, not only can I outlast my opponent but I'll still have the energy to fight and beat them. Which is why Naruto said I should learn to run. Not to run away but to get an advantage on stronger opponents."
"Exactly right," Sakura said from her desk. "By the way…" She held up an orange book. "Where did you get this?"
Lucy was sweating bullets as she patted herself down, just now realising Sakura had somehow managed to snag the book without her noticing. "I… uh, I mean...well…" Lucy kept stumbling over whatever she was trying to say, prompting Sakura to sigh.
"Look, I know you're at that age, and it's perfectly normal. But let's get this clear." She swiveled her chair toward the blonde and pinned her with a sharp gaze. "Natsu, despite not being blood related, is my little brother. Don't play around with him and hurt him, or I'll break you."
Lucy's face was on fire. All she managed was a weak "okay" before she passed out in embarrassment.
0o0o0 The Next Morning - Naruto's Camp - Magnolia Forest 0o0o0
Naruto watched as the head of General Hermann von Stein fell to the floor with a sickening thud and rolled a few feet as his body fell back, blood spraying and covering the room as it pumped freely into the air.
Naruto turned and laid his eyes on the frightened forms of Stein's family.
"Please!" Stein's wife pleaded shielding her children with her arms. "Please! Spare them! Spare them please! They had nothing to do with it! Not my children!"
Naruto's glowing red eyes was all the terrified mother could make out of his form. Naruto stalked forward, tightening his grip on his bloodied ninjato. He said nothing as he ignored the cries of terror from the young boy and girl as they cried into their mother's bosom and the protests of the woman trying to shield them with her body.
"Ie..."
Naruto raised his arm as he finally reached them.
"Ie!"
The arm raised as high as it would go and he brought it down with as much strength as he could muster.
"IE!"
Naruto woke with a jolt, lunging forward in a futile attempt to protect the huddled family, tumbling out of his cot and onto the dirt ground of his tent. Realizing it was just a dream Naruto screamed as he punched the ground as hard as he could. "KUSO!" He continued to strike the ground over and over again. "Kuso! Kuso! Kuso!"
When he finally stopped, he barely felt the stinging pulse through his now broken hand. He just felt numb.
"I told you didn't I? I told you that you're nothing more than a monster."
"Shut up." Naruto's reply was a harsh whisper.
"Deny it all you want, but the sin is yours Manslayer. You will never save them. No matter how hard you try, you can't save the ones you yourself damned."
Naruto clenched his teeth as his fist tightened and blood dripped down to the ground. "I'm not you."
"Whatever you say, killer."
With that the voice disappeared and Naruto was once more alone. "I'm not you," Naruto repeated in a defeated tone.
0o0o0 Fairy Tail - Guild Hall 0o0o0
After bandaging his hand, Naruto headed into town in search of Sakura to examine his hand for him. Upon reaching the guild Naruto had to duck out of the way as a barrel came flying at him.
"Try saying that again!" The angered voice of Erza Scarlet had silenced all conversations and activity throughout the guild bringing attention to her and a blond haired man in a rather large coat with a lightning bolt scar running across his right eye.
"This time I'll tell you straight out. We don't need weaklings in this guild!" Laxus Dreyar said with a cocky smirk. Turning he addressed Jet and Droy of team Shadow Gear, "You guys are pitiful. Getting humiliated by Phantom like that… and wait, I don't even know your names."
Both Jet and Droy looked down in shame from Laxus' mockery. Out of the corner of his eye, Laxus spied Lucy who was glaring at him. "And you there, the main culprit, the debutant Celestial Spirit user… it was your fault."
"Laxus!" Sakura called out in defence of Lucy. "It's all over now. No one blames Lucy for what was obviously a ploy to strike at us regardless of her joining us or not! You know just as well as anyone that Phantom has been wanting to get rid of us for some time! You have no right to say anything when you didn't even help us fight!"
"And why should I have? It had nothing to do with me! Although if I had been there, you wouldn't have had all that trouble." That struck a nerve in several members.
"Why you!" Erza was about to retort, when Natsu rushed forward. "Natsu!"
"Hold it right there!" Natsu screamed, rushing Laxus who disappeared in a flash of lightning, reappearing several feet away as Natsu stumbled forward from the thrust of his punch.
Laxus was about to laugh at how slow Natsu was when he felt cold steel against his throat, causing him to stiffen. "Who!?"
Everyone in the guild was shocked to see Naruto standing behind Laxus, an out of place serious look on his face, one that made him seem completely terrifying. In his hand was a short blade pressed against Laxus' throat, digging in just enough to cause a small cut. "You're slow," was all Naruto said as Laxus made to elbow strike Naruto, who disappeared faster than anyone could follow.
"Bastard! Who the hell are you!?" Laxus raged as Naruto reappeared near the bar where Lucy, Mira, Sakura, and Sasuke were watching.
"A man from nowhere, with no real worth to the world. I'm nobody of any particular note to someone as great as you, Laxus Dreyar," Naruto said as he glared down the other blond.
"And just what the hell do you think you're doing in my guild?" Laxus seethed not sure how someone could be faster than him.
"Thought I'd stop by and steal some beer again. Kind of fun trying to get away with it." Naruto smirked at the irritated look on Laxus' face. "Besides I'm supposed to spar with Erza in twenty minutes and I've yet to eat. Why don't you be a good host and make me a sandwich or something."
Nobody said a word at Naruto's boldness to order lunch from Laxus, possibly the strongest member of the guild. The pure rage on Laxus' face was enough to make most members cower behind something as the blond man lunged forward. "Raargh!" Lightning left a burnt trail mark of Laxus' path shooting in all directions.
Naruto dodged in time as Laxus plowed through the bar shattering numerous bottles of alcohol and sending wood and glass flying. Those close to the impact barely managed to get out of the way and avoid any serious injury.
Laxus rounded and pulled himself out of the wall only to feel a cold blade once more rest against his neck, this time however, at the back. "In my world speed is everything. It doesn't matter how strong or powerful you are. If you're slow, you're dead." Naruto's words resounded throughout the guild hall. "I knew a man like you once. He thought everyone around him was weak and simply got in his way. In his arrogance he lead an entire troop of soldiers to their deaths as cannon fodder. And in the end he died as well. Despite all his strength and power, he died alone because he didn't have faith in anyone else. Because he thought he was invincible. Sadly nobody is." No one caught the self-anger in Naruto's tone, believing it was directed at Laxus. No one but Fairy Tail's lone red-head.
"Naruto that's enough." Looking up Naruto saw Kakashi, Anko, and Makarov surrounding both blonds. "Let him go."
Naruto lifted his weapon and de-quipped it, the blade disappearing in a golden flash, and took a few steps away from Laxus.
"I don't need your help! This bastard hasn't even seen just how fast I am!" Laxus was about to attack Naruto once more when a deafening pressure froze everyone.
"Laxus! Enough!" Makarov had released control of his magical presence to keep Laxus in place.
Laxus growled at his grandfather. "Shut up! When I inherit this dump I'll be getting rid of all the weaklings! As well as anyone who stands against me! I will make the ultimate guild! The strongest guild in history that no one can look down upon!" Laxus turned to look at Naruto, "And you. Don't think I'll forget this embarrassment. You and I will settle this soon enough." In a flash of lightning Laxus disappeared.
"That we will." Naruto stared at the spot Laxus disappeared from before looking at the three adult members of Fairy Tail. "I'm not cleaning this up."
0o0o0 Makarov's Office 0o0o0
Makarov sat behind his desk, glaring at the two adults in front of him. "Mind telling me what that was all about, Kakashi?"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out how best to put this. In the end, he decided to be blunt. "Well being Minato's son, he was trained as a Shinobi."
The aging guild master sighed, resting his head in his hands. "I'd figured that much already." He began to rub his temples. "Is he going to be a danger to our family?"
"Whiskers? Dangerous? Old man, have you seen the looks he gives to the kids? Especially Red." Anko waggled her eyebrows.
Makarov sighed explosively as he leaned back, eyes closed. "I know, I know. He's got the same look most of them had when they first joined. Lost, and seeking answers. A longing for things they don't have but should." His eyes opened, and he pinned the two in front of him with a serious gaze. "But he is not a child. And I saw the look he gave Laxus."
Straightening up, Kakashi stared back at his guild master. "Based on my observations, he seems to have a few… issues, true. But then, many of us do." Anko and Kakashi shared a brief look. "And to be fair, Laxus was asking for it."
Grumbling, Makarov looked away, pouting. "Stupid grandchildren getting too big for their britches. Back in my day we knew how to respect our elders." Clearing his throat, he asked the two for confirmation. "Kakashi, Anko… Is he an active Shinobi?"
Another shared glance, before Kakashi nodded. "Yes, I've seen him training in the old ways, and he's told me a bit about his life before he turned up on your doorstep."
Makarov's eyes tightened at the edges, but that was all his expression betrayed. "Final question: do you think he'd join the guild if offered, like I did with you?"
Anko spoke up almost immediately. "Sure he would. Whiskers couldn't stand to be parted from all his little friends, now could he?" While flippant, her eyes told the truth that she didn't fully believe what she was saying.
Makarov stayed silent, looking at Kakashi who had closed his eyes and was giving the question heavy consideration.
"...No, I don't think he would," the former Shinobi spoke up, voice tinged with… longing? Regret? Even he wasn't sure.
The guild master's face seemed to age at the answer. "Then I need you to keep an eye on him for me. I'll take your word that this won't be a regular occurrence, and if need be, I'll need you to step in, for everyone's safety."
The two nodded, subdued, before leaving as Makarov waved them out. Their heads were together and they seemed to be arguing about something as the door closed behind them. Once they were gone, he opened a drawer on his desk, pulling out a faded and worn picture of another blond. 'It's happening all over again. I couldn't stop you Minato, and it seems your son is following in your footsteps.'
0o0o0o0o0o0
"And just how the hell did you break your hand like this?" Sakura asked as she examined Naruto's broken hand in the guild's infirmary.
Naruto sported several lumps on his head and bruises adorned his face from a proper lesson from not just Sakura but Erza as well for being so foolish as to make an enemy out of Laxus.
"I fell," Naruto blatantly lied.
"You fell." Sakura deadpanned.
"Yep. Fell."
Sakura applied pressure and watched in annoyed glee as the blond bit his lip to keep from screaming. "You want to tell me the truth or do I need to check how much pain you're in again?"
"I fell. That's my story and I'm sticking to it." Naruto refused to tell the truth of how he broke his hand, hoping Sakura would leave it at that and get on with setting the bones already.
"Fine. This is going to hurt, more than me just squeezing. You have two hairline fractures and a dislocated finger. Ready?"
"Yea-ow!" Naruto yelled as Sakura snapped his finger back into place and quickly began wrapping his left hand up and preparing a cast for the foolish blond.
"Naruto." Erza had been silently watching in the corner.
"Hm?" Naruto tearfully looked over at the the red-head and noticed her serious look.
"Earlier when you were talking about that man you knew. You made it seem like your anger was directed at Laxus, but it wasn't, was it?"
Naruto said nothing, eyes staring into the past.
He could just barely see Izumo and Kotetsu the way his head was laying. He felt...sad. He had gotten them killed all because he was confident in his strength. Zabuza then entered his field of vision, stopping before their bodies, Kubikiri Boucho back in his hands.
"-ruto! Naruto!"
"Huh? What?" Naruto snapped back to reality, Erza and Sakura both looking at him with concern.
"You spaced out there idiot," Sakura said annoyed as she went back to wrapping his hand up.
"Oh. Sorry." Naruto glanced at Erza and sighed. "I know full well the path Laxus is walking down. I made some bad decisions and others paid the price. At the time I didn't care. I was so fixated on what I was doing that I thought I didn't need anyone, and that everyone was weaker than me. When I finally came to my senses, it was too late. If he continues down that path, he'll end up like me; endlessly working to make up for his mistakes that he can never undo."
Not the answer she was expecting, Erza didn't know how to respond. "Naruto… just how little do we really know you? How much pain are you hiding behind those smiles and laughter?"
Sakura as well didn't know how to respond to the blond's revelation about himself. "Naruto I know you continued on with the path of a shinobi. I can't imagine the kinds of hell you've seen and just what you were like because of that path. But I can tell that you're trying to walk a different path now. Don't let the past hold you back."
"Maa, what's with this depressing atmosphere?" The three turned to see Kakashi walking in and taking up a seat. "How's the hand Naruto?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Could be worse. Thanks to Sakura though it'll be healed in no time!"
"Could be worse he says. Moron, two hairline fractures and a dislocated finger are not something to laugh about!" Sakura interjected as she finished casting his hand.
"I'm glad to hear that. Sakura, if you and Erza would leave for a moment I need to talk with Naruto." The tone in Kakashi's voice left no room for argument.
The two women looked at each other before getting up and leaving the room with Erza giving a glance back at Naruto before shutting the door.
"What do you want to ask?"
Kakashi remained quiet for a moment.
"Just now I finished talking with the Master and he's considering inviting you to join the guild."
"No." Naruto's response was immediate.
"Naruto don't be hasty about this. Think about it," Kakashi implored. "You hang out here a lot and are making friends and don't say you're not. Despite the short time Anko and I have been back both of us have noticed the look in your eyes. You want to be a part of this guild and your suicide mission is making you hesitate. Naruto, what happened all those years ago was tragic, but it's in the past. And it does not need to rule your future. You think you're the first Shinobi to feel responsible to carry out an important mission? That you need to keep sacrificing for the lives you've taken? That you must atone for your sins? You're not." Kakashi was not prepared for the killing intent that suddenly was blasted at him.
Naruto said nothing as his bangs shaded his eyes. He quietly got up and made for the door not releasing the pressure of his killing intent.
"Naruto wait!"
Naruto looked back and the look in his eyes said everything. "You have no idea what I need to atone for." He opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.
As he stormed out he saw Sakura and Erza standing there staring at him in shock and immediately dropped his killing intent.
"Naruto!" both women said at the same time. They noticed the hard look in his eyes and both stopped mid-step unsure of what was wrong.
"Sorry, I need to go." Naruto walked past them and right out of the guild, ignoring Natsu's attempts to fight him. Most guild members stared at his retreating form, surprised that Naruto was already heading out.
Kakashi, Sakura, and Erza walked to the bar where Makarov was sitting who simply looked to Kakashi for an answer on Naruto's departure.
"He needs time," was all the silver-haired man said and Makarov gave a heavy sigh.
"Needs time for what? Kakashi what did you say to him?" Erza inquired with a hard glare, upset that her friend had just angrily left. Not to mention that unusual feeling she and Sakura had felt just before Naruto had emerged from the infirmary.
Before he could answer, Anko spoke up from where she was doting on her two children at a nearby table. "Kakashi asked him to join the guild. Obviously, that was a mistake." Most conversations ceased at the serious tone Anko was using. "I told you not to. It's been thirteen years since we've seen him 'Kashi! You know damn well what most likely happened to him! And you know damn well he's not going to become a guild mage just because you asked him to!"
Kamui began to whimper at the harsh tone his mother was using while Rinka's lip quivered, "Oh my babies no, I'm not mad at you! No I'm not. I'm pissed at your father, but not you my angels," Anko cooed in an attempt to calm her frightened children.
"Anko I had to try, you know I did. He's practically my younger brother, I had to at least ask." Kakashi tried to reason but only got a glare from his wife who quickly looked back to their children to continue soothing them.
"I don't understand, why wouldn't Naruto want to join the guild?" all eyes turned to Lucy who was sitting with Grey, Natsu and Happy.
"Yeah, Fairy Tail is great! Why wouldn't he want to join?" Natsu echoed, unable to understand someone not wanting to join the guild when given the opportunity.
"Aye!" Happy voiced as well.
"Because he's a coward," Sasuke supplied from the bar where he casually sat with Mira on the otherside cleaning a beer mug.
"Sasuke!" Mira grimaced at her boyfriend as she shot him a glare from over the shoulder.
"Hn," was all Sasuke said in his defense.
"Kakashi, we still don't understand. Why would Naruto not want to join the guild?" This time Erza asked bringing focus back to the problem at hand.
"That's… a difficult question to answer. As I'm sure most of you have guessed by now, Anko and I knew Naruto when he was a young boy. In fact, I've known Naruto since the day he was born and to see him all these years later… I can't express the relief I feel knowing he's alive." Kakashi paused for a moment. "Naruto's father was my mentor. He taught me everything I know about magic and how to be a caring and decent man." Kakashi spared a look at his family and couldn't stop the twinge in his heart of how different his life could be, "I can't give the specific reason why Naruto won't join the guild. But I can tell you it's because he's still grieving over the loss of the guild he was born into and the horror he witnessed so long ago."
Silence fell over the guild at the revelation about the blond goofball who kept showing up to steal their booze.
"What happened? Kakashi what happened to his guild, your guild?" Erza broke the silence.
"It, and all of it's members, were destroyed. Killed down to the last man, woman and child. Save for a few unlucky survivors who disappeared without a trace."
It wasn't Kakashi who answered.
Nor Anko.
It was Tenten who answered.
"Mira, Sasuke is right. Naruto is nothing more than a coward. Too afraid to let the damn past die and move on with his life." With that she stormed off with Cana trailing after her, shocking many guild members at the angry tears running down her face.
An uneasy gloom fell over the guild as the day slowly passed and turned into night.
0o0o0 Naruto's Camp 0o0o0
"You think you're the first Shinobi to feel responsible to carry out an important mission? That you need to keep sacrificing for the lives you've taken? That you must atone for your sins? You're not."
Kakashi's words rang through Naruto's head.
He couldn't get the older man's words out.
"You hang out here a lot and are making friends and don't say you're not. Despite the short time Anko and I have been back both of us have noticed the look in your eyes."
He shook his head violently. "A look in my eyes? What crap is that?" Naruto sat on his cot and laid down.
"But is he wrong?" Naruto closed his eyes and tried to think about a time without the guild. The last time he smiled without them or when he laughed a true genuine laugh.
He couldn't think of anything. It had been years since he last really laughed. Years since he just simply had fun. Of course he had been in a war for the last 8 years of his life, 5 of which he had no control of himself. And before that, he would laugh and smile but it was just a cover for all the anger and pain inside.
"Please! Spare them! Spare them please! They had nothing to do with it! Not my children!"
Naruto's eyes snapped open as he quickly sat up shaking uncontrollably. "Kuso! I can't even rest my eyes anymore. I need to get out of here, train. Yeah, maybe it's all this waiting around that's bugging me. I just need to go train." Naruto stood from the cot and began preparing a pack.
Finishing his packing Naruto walked out into the blackness of night and disappeared.
0o0o0 One Week Later 0o0o0
"A spirit!?" Natsu shouted in surprise.
"You're a spirit Loke?" Happy specified as the Lion spirit rubbed the back of his head.
Over the last several days Lucy had been helping Loke return to the Spirit World who had been barred re-entry due to killing his key owner, Karen, who had been abusing the spirits she had contracted with.
In defiance to their mistreatment Loke had blocked Karen's ability to summon any spirits but him and the ability to send him back to the spirit world. With no way to effectively use her magic, Karen had lost the capability to pick up any work and became financially troubled. She had pleaded with Loke for months to forgive her, but he had refused not seeing a true apology for her behavior. In the end Karen went on a job and died unable to call any spirits to defend her. As mandated in Spirit law, Loke was unable to return to the Spirit World and would eventually die from being unable to replenish his magic, disappearing from the world forever.
In an attempt to ease the pain of his passing from his friends Loke had stopped coming to the guild and went to Karen's grave so that he could die in front of her as his atonement for killing her.
After noticing his absence from the guild, Lucy had gone in search of him not wanting another friend to stop coming to the guild like Naruto had. When she finally found him slowly dissolving, Loke confessed his sin to her.
She refused to accept Loke's hidden truth. After hearing what happened, she couldn't let her friend disappear because of another's arrogance. It wasn't Loke's fault Karen had refused to apologize and be kinder to her spirits. It wasn't Loke's fault she had foolishly taken a job when she couldn't call any spirits to aid her. Karen's death was her own fault, and hers alone. Loke shouldn't have to pay for a crime he didn't commit.
With conviction Lucy began to try to force the spirit gate open and return Loke to the spirit world, declaring she would change the Spirit World's laws if it was so flawed as to punish an innocent. However; for all her ability as a Celestial Mage she could not open the gate.
That was when time itself froze, and the stars spun rapidly.
There before both Celestial Mage and Spirit was the Spirit King. Lucy argued with him, pleading to let Loke back. But the King refused. Loke had gotten his Key Owner killed and had to pay the price. The law would not be changed.
"I won't accept anything but his complete innocence! I won't accept it!" Lucy released a great amount of magical energy and summoned all of her Key summons at once to show not just the Spirit King that he was wrong, but also Loke, that he was wrong about his crime and the guilt he felt.
After considering Lucy's words, and the feelings of the other Spirits, the Spirit King expunged Loke's crime and permitted him entry back to the Spirit World.
"Yup, that's the deal." Loke smiled in embarrassment at the sudden worship Happy was showing him.
"Wow a grown-up cat!" Happy shouted in amazement at the revelation of Loke's status as being Leo, the Lion Spirit.
"That's right," all Loke could do was allow the small cat to admire him.
"That's not exactly right," Lucy chimed in, knowing Loke didn't necessarily resemble an actual Lion.
"But are you feeling okay?" Grey asked, not sure if Loke could handle being back in the Human World so soon.
"I'm not 100% yet but I figured I'd come say hi to everyone and let the Master know I'll no longer be a Fairy Tail mage anymore."
"Feh, just because you're a Spirit doesn't make you any less of a mage of Fairy Tail. You'll always be a member so long as you wish to be," Makarov spoke up from the bar.
"Heh, way to take all the drama out of it Master!" Loke smirked, "Not only that but I also wanted to see Lucy again as soon as possible."
Lucy's cheeks flared in embarrassment.
Loke was about to begin wooing Lucy when the guild doors slammed open and Naruto came stumbling in. His clothes were muddied and torn, his steps unsteady before he paused, looking around confused.
"...Naruto?" Lucy called out, concerned over his tattered appearance.
"..."
Loke and Lucy looked at each other, the Celestial Spirit's ear twitching slightly. Brows furrowed, Loke concentrated, trying to pick up what the blond was saying.
"...n..."
"So that's what it was," he thought, expression easing. "Don't worry about him Lucy, he'll be fine. Now where were we…"
Suddenly, Naruto stood ramrod straight, eyes locked on the bar, where Mira had just walked out coincidentally holding a bowl of ramen.
"RAMEN!" he shouted, eyes wild. He charged forward, mind focused only on the food of the gods that he had been fasting from for the last week.
Right before the bar though, he was brought to a dead stop, an armored arm appearing out of nowhere and clotheslining him. Momentum was arrested and reversed, Naruto meeting the floor of the guild with loud crunch.
"Ugh, my ramen…" he whined piteously, tears falling from his eyes.
"Oho... You disappear for a week, miss our sparring match, and the first thing you do when you return is demand food like a barbarian?"
Freezing, the blond was suddenly nailed to the floor in terror, sweat popping out of his skin. Erza stood there, eyes closed, smiling at him. It was the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen.
"E-e-erza. I didn't see you there," he started, mouth snapping shut as her eyebrow gave a single twitch. Backtracking, he tried to come up with an excuse.
"I-I mean… Sorry, something came up suddenly and I had to head to Hargeon, I didn't mean to skip out on the spar without saying anything…" He tentatively glanced up, only to wince in abject fear as he saw the edges of some kind of mask slowly appearing behind the redhead.
Seeing as nothing was working, Naruto went with Plan B. Throwing himself onto his knees, forehead pressed to floor, he apologized with all his might.
"This one terribly regrets his mistakes, Erza-sama! To make up for this disgrace, I put myself at your mercy for the next week!"
An eyebrow raised at Naruto's formal apology, Erza grabbed him by the back of his traveling cloak and began to drag him outside. "Well, we can discuss that later. Right now, we have a spar to make-up for."
The two disappeared outside, leaving the rest of the guild frozen in terror, before a yelp of pain and a series of explosions shocked everyone back into motion.
"T-t-t-that was…" Gray began.
"...Scary," Natsu whimpered, pale as a ghost while Happy hid behind his leg.
Even the former shinobi children were all looking at bit worse for the wear.
"I can't believe she almost pulled out the mask," Sakura said, reaching for her drink unsteadily.
Tenten was clinging to Cana, shivering.
The only one who seemed unaffected was Mira, who stood behind the bar, giggling, "He seems to be in better spirits."
"Anyways… Lucy," Loke called out to the blonde causing the girl to turn her attention back to the lion spirit.
"Hmm?"
Without warning Loke picked her up in a bridal carry and began walking away with her, "Let's talk, you and I, about the future!"
"Hey now!" Lucy frantically wailed her legs and arms in a fruitless attempt to get out of the spirit's arms.
"Man I'm jealous! I wish I had a spirit," Natsu complained watching as Loke walked away with his teammate.
"What kind of spirit?" Happy inquired.
"A dragon, duh! Then I could test out my Dragon Slayer magic for real!" Natsu imagined a fiery dragon standing before him as he prepared to slay it.
"Spirits are not for testing your strength! SHANNARO!" Sakura's fist came wailing down and Natsu's head slamming him into the ground.
Loke stopped and turned to address the two pinkettes, Lucy still struggling in his arms, "That's right. Spirits are for spinning tales of love," he said smoothly whilst looking at Lucy.
"You know Loke, I don't think you're fully healed yet. As your doctor, allow me to escort your broken body to the infirmary," Sakura said with a blank yet dangerous face, not liking the lion spirit putting the moves on her brother's future caretaker... wife. She meant wife.
"But my body isn't broken…" Loke looked into the eyes of a devil and regretted every second of it.
"Not yet it isn't." Sakura cracked her knuckles.
"Ah! Loke, have you given the others their tickets yet?" Erza had returned, dragging a bloody and unconscious Naruto behind her and her huge luggage cart, dressed in beach attire.
"Oh! Right!" Seeing his chance to get out of a beating, Loke lowered Lucy and dug out four tickets from his pocket and handed them off to Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Gray.
"What are these?" Lucy questioned as she took the ticket and read Akane Resort printed on it.
"Tickets to a resort hotel in Akane. You guys really helped me out."
The four mages all cried out at the same time. "I've never stayed at a hotel as fancy as that!"
"Hey guys! What are you standing around for? Want me to leave you behind?" Erza gave a questioning gaze to her fellow teammates, who did their best to ignore the sight of the bleeding blond at her feet.
Looking to each other, the four grinned. "Screw it! I'll just head off like this!" Natsu shouted as Sakura scolded him.
"Oh no! You mister are going to bathe and pack properly! Not only is it for your personal hygiene but my… I mean the guild's reputation!" as Sakura began to scold the dragon slayer Lucy couldn't help but smile at everyone's excitement, even at the sight of Naruto, who had been changed into beach attire as well at some point, bleeding out and being ignored.
"Lucy..." She turned to Loke who had called out to her, "It's not like my sins have completely disappeared, but you've given me the confidence now to move on. Where once I was a member of Fairy Tail, now I am your spirit, Lucy. I'll show up whenever my owner's in trouble. Think of me as your prince on a white horse."
"I'm not your owner. I'm your friend, right?" Lucy thumbs up'd, showing off her Fairy Tail mark on her right hand, winking.
Loke blinked, dumbfounded for a moment before smiling gratefully, "That's right. From now on, let's count on each other, Lucy." His piece said, Loke returned to the Spirit world in a glimmer of light.
"Same to you, Loke!" Lucy continued to smile as she looked to her friends and couldn't help but wish for everyday to be like this, all the time. Everyone smiling and happy.
Off in a darkened corner, Kakashi stood watching the hub of excitement with a mask of genuine happiness for everyone as he addressed Sasuke seriously. "It seems Naruto will be going with them. I want you to go as well and report anything out of the ordinary. Immediately."
"Just what is this all about? And don't play the fool, brother. Why is Naruto really here? Just what has he been doing all these years?" Sasuke scowled at his adoptive brother, not liking being ordered around as if he were a child.
"Just do as you're told. If anything happens, contact me immediately. Do not interfere. Am I understood?"
Sasuke ignored him as he turned his attention to the seemingly unconscious blond. "You're a shinobi alright dobe. Letting Erza win all the time is getting annoying to watch. If Kakashi is nervous about you, just how dangerous are you? What are you hiding behind that pathetic smile? Just who are you, Uzumaki Naruto?"
0o0o0 Fiorella's Famous Hot Springs 0o0o0
"So why are we stopping here?" Gray asked as he, Natsu, and Lucy stared at the sign for the famous hotspring resort. "I thought we were going to the Akane Resort?"
Erza turned toward the ice mage, eyes all starry. "Of course we must stop here on our way. I've planned it all out in my schedule." She reached into her bag and pulled out a list so long it hit the ground and created a small pile. Everyone sweatdropped as Erza began going through their itinerary with enthusiasm.
Halfway through her list, Sasuke and Naruto finally caught up, the blond huffing and puffing as he pulled Erza's luggage around. "What...do...you...have...in...here?" he questioned in between pants.
Ignoring his question, Erza ushered everyone inside, easily taking her luggage as she and Lucy went to their own room.
The boys followed a rather attractive brunette to their room, where she explained that the men's bath was down the hall to the left, back past the entrance, and to call if they needed anything.
"Alright! Let's go!" Natsu cried out as dumped his pack and turned to sprint to the hotspring. A hand clamping onto his scarf pulled him up short though. "Gagh?!"
"Are you an idiot charcoal breath? You need to change first before we go," Grey said as he released the scarf.
Sasuke eyes closed, spoke up. "You might want to get dressed yourself, Gray."
Looking down, the Ice Magic user noticed he was already down to just his underwear. "Gah! My clothes!"
The three were silenced as Naruto, already fully changed into the provided clothes, threw their own respective outfits at them. "Come on, move it people! We got places to be, and I can't wait to finally relax."
The four men - finally changed - began walking to the men's bath, Natsu and Gray bickering while Happy floated next to them with Naruto and Sasuke bringing up the rear. After a brief pitstop in the changing room, Natsu opened the door to the baths and ran inside with a shout. "Wahoo!"
"Keep it down flamebrain, we're probably not the only customers here," Gray scolded. Looking around though, he noticed that indeed, they were the only ones in the bath.
Having quickly rinsed himself off, Naruto had just lowered himself into the steaming water with a contented sigh when Natsu decided to cannon ball in right next to him, throwing up large waves.
"Damn it kid, why the hell are you so hyper? This's a bath for God's sake!" the blond chided.
"Hn. You sound like an old man, dobe," Sasuke jabbed as he slipped into the water several feet away with nary a ripple.
Natsu surfaced with cackle as Gray finally joined them. While the Dragon Slayer began swimming slowly around the spacious spring with Happy on his head, the other three were relaxing, enjoying the relative peace and quiet.
Taking the opportunity, Gray turned toward the blond. "Hey Naruto," he began, "...Do you mind if I ask you a question?"
Sighing, the shinobi nodded, eyes closed. He'd figured that sooner or later someone would start asking about him about when he stormed out of the guild. "Go ahead Gray. But I reserve the right to decline if I feel like it."
Gray understood. Sometimes there were things one didn't want to talk about. Like Ul's death. He shook his head, getting back on track. "A week ago, when you… left. Kakashi had mentioned about your previous guild being destroyed." He paused for a moment, trying to gauge how the blond was taking the question, but his face remained unchanged.
"Yeah, what about?" Naruto prompted, opening his eyes when Gray didn't continue right away.
"Well… is that your guild mark?" He pointed at the relatively simple looking tattoo adorning the blond's upper left shoulder. It was a small circle surrounded by a "u" shape, with two waves coming off it heading down.
Tracing the symbol, Naruto's eyes were distant. "This? No, this isn't from back then…" He leaned back placing his towel over his face. "Do you have time for a little story?"
0o0o0 Fiorella's Famous Hot Springs - Women's Side 0o0o0
Lucy had followed Erza into the baths, content in the knowledge that none of the boys were stupid enough to try and peek on them with the Titania around. After a quick rinse, they had both eased into the steaming waters, releasing twin sighs of contentment.
Lucy stretched, enjoying the way her fatigue from the daily antics of the guild was washed away. "Ahh, this is the life," she mumbled, Erza nodding in agreement.
"Yes, once I saw that this place was on the way to the resort, I knew we had to stop here." Erza looked up, the starry sky wide and clear above them. "Though the last time I was here, there were quite a few more people." The redhead looked around a bit, before relaxing. "Well, that's one less thing to worry about."
Confused, Lucy looked at Erza a second, before it clicked. "Oh, because you're so famous, going out to places like this means you must get mobbed with people wanting to shake your hand and get your autograph, right?"
Erza hummed in agreement, before her head quickly turned back towards the door into the bath house. A moment later, it opened to reveal one of the inn's workers, a brunette around their age. "Is everything alright in here, dear customers?"
"Yes, the bath is most satisfactory," Erza replied with a smile.
"I'm glad." The brunette looked around for a moment before posing a question to the two mages. "Say, do you mind if I join you? It's been really slow here today and it's always better to bathe in a group."
Lucy and Erza looked at each other for a moment, before Lucy shrugged. Nodding, the redhead turned back to the brunette. "Of course, that's fine with us."
"Arigatou," the woman bowed, getting a look from Lucy.
"Oh! You're an Elemental," she daftly pointed out.
"Lucy!" Erza shot a quick scowl at the blonde, causing the girl to "eep" in fear. "You shouldn't be so straightforward like that. It's impolite."
"I'm sorry!" Lucy was quick to apologize to the other woman who had by now joined them in the bath.
"Don't worry, I wasn't offended. In fact I'm just glad you called me Elemental, rather than Arakitashian." The woman smiled as she let the steaming water seep into her sore body. "It's such an awkward name."
"It is isn't it?" Erza agreed. "Once more I apologize for Lucy, she wasn't thinking." Lucy sulked at the jab.
"It's no big deal, as I said I wasn't offended." The brunette smiled brilliantly.
"I really am sorry," Lucy once more confirmed to make sure she truly hadn't offended the other woman. "It's just… well I don't know what I was thinking."
"It's ok, really. Do you not see many Elementals? I remember two of your companions are Elemental, yes?" the woman asked tapping a finger to her forehead in thought.
"Two? Oh yeah! Naruto is Elemental as well isn't he... I forget sometimes," Lucy confirmed. "He really doesn't show it much."
"No he doesn't. Though I'm surprised you could tell. It took us several weeks to learn that about him when we first met him," Erza pointed out.
"It's his eyes. It's slight but if you know what you're looking for, you can spot it." the hostess elaborated.
"I see," Erza said trying to compare Naruto's eyes to the likes of Sasuke or Kakashi. Her imagination began outlining Naruto's full physique and she suddenly wasn't sure if the hot water was the only thing warming her. "So what is your name? I'm Erza Scarlet and this is Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail." Lucy waved in embarrassment at the mention of her family name.
"Oh my, I thought you looked familiar. Then the men you are traveling with must be other members of Fairy Tail as well I can assume?" the hostess questioned. Receiving nods she gave her name, "You may call me Yuki-san."
"It's nice to meet you Yuki-san." Erza nodded politely.
"Mm," Lucy also nodded. "Have you worked here long Yuki-san?"
"For about a year now, maybe a little more. It seems so long since then." Yuki smiled as distant memories splashed across her mind. "But the reality is that it's just been a short time."
"I hope I didn't make you remember anything bad!" Lucy panicked, afraid she may have been rude again.
"No, nothing like that. It's just incredible how fast, yet so long, a year can go by without you realizing it." Yuki replied. "Time is funny like that. The present always seems to take forever and that the future will never come, but once it does, it seems like only a moment has passed."
"I know how that can be," Erza mumbled quietly, dark thoughts and times long ago dredged to the forefront of her mind. "But it passes none the less. So what did you do before this Yuki-san?" Erza seemed to regain her usual composure.
"I was a servant to a young master that freed me to do as I saw fit with my life," Yuki answered. "And before that I was a servant to a powerful mercenary in a far off land."
"You were a slave," Lucy said quietly, getting the underlying message. Erza shot her a glare but said nothing.
"You could say that, yes I was a slave in layman's terms. But the men I served did not treat me as one, usually. My first "master" was a harsh but kind man and the second…" Yuki paused for a moment in memory with a soft chuckle, "He didn't even want a "servant" in the first place."
"He didn't?" Lucy questioned.
"No. In truth I followed him because I was ordered to by my first master. My second master would always try to ditch me in some town while we were travelling but I always managed to find him, much to his grief." Yuki smiled at the memory of her secondary master grumbling and complaining.
"You were ordered too? Why?" Erza questioned next, not sure what to make of the story being told.
"Because he impressed my first master, and because he needed guidance. And well… serving for lack of a better word. My second master didn't know how to take care of himself well. Not to say that he didn't take care of his hygiene of course!" Yuki suddenly shouted, giving Erza a weird look that neither Fairy Tail girl could decipher. "He just… he didn't have much purpose in life. That was when my first master and I met him. If not for us, he would have killed himself."
This shocked the two women opposite, getting a gasp from Lucy. "He was going to commit suicide?"
"Yes. Which is why I'm glad I served him. I don't think he had the strength to keep living. He was so young, but had seen so much." Yuki suddenly looked up. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to unload so much like that. I hope I did not ruin your night."
"No, sometimes it is good to let the heart cry, even in the presence of strangers." Erza smiled warmly at the other woman.
"Thank you." Yuki smiled at the kindness in Erza's heart.
Smiling deviously, Yuki matter-of-factly looked to Erza, "So Erza-san which one do you like?"
"Eh?" Both Erza and Lucy gave a blank stare to Yuki.
"Which one of your companions has captured your heart, or is it someone back home?"
0o0o0 Fiorella's Famous Hot Springs - Men's Side 0o0o0
"Why would you tell us that!?" Gray yelled as Naruto full on laughed at the pale white faces of Natsu, Gray, Sasuke, and even Happy, "That had nothing to do with your tattoo!"
"I never said it would!" Naruto laughed uncontrollably, "Oh man this is priceless, but you're definitely never gonna peek, that's for sure!"
"Hn, dobe," Sasuke growled, the only one of the four that managed to somewhat remain neutral in the retelling of what happened to Naruto's godfather when he peeked in on councilwoman Tsunade eons ago. In graphic detail.
"Gah!" Natsu cried as images of the councilwoman tearing off his manhood plagued his mind.
"Oh man, that was great!" Naruto chuckled, "I needed that."
"We didn't!" All four yelled.
"Yare, yare!" Naruto waved them off, suddenly producing some sake. "Here, drinks to kill the memories!" Naruto happily poured them all drinks which they took, if only to actually kill their newly obtained memories. "Mmm, that's the stuff."
"So are you going to tell us about that tattoo or not?" Natsu asked confused about why Naruto told them a much, much, different story.
"It's just a tattoo Natsu. Nothing special about it," Naruto assured.
"A tattoo from the Hagoromo rebellion in Bosco." Sasuke interjected, immediately causing Naruto to look at him. "Some of us actually read the paper dobe."
Naruto sighed, not in the mood for a fight with the Uchiha, "It's just a tattoo Sasuke. Leave it at that."
"Hn," Sasuke relented.
Gray got the hint and didn't bring up the tattoo again.
"So!" Naruto clapped his hands, changing the subject to try and improve the mood. "I know Sasuke has Mira, but what about you two?" He waggled his eyebrows at Natsu and Gray. "Who're you sweet on?"
As Gray opened his mouth to deny liking anyone that way, Naruto cut him off. "Alright, we'll start with you. Don't tell me, I got this." He placed his hands on his temples and pretended to meditate. "You have a blue haired stalker who goes off into wild fantasies and blushes whenever she's around you, and may occasionally faint." He cocked one eye open at Gray. "Did I get it right?"
Gray just stared at the blond, incredulously. "...Are you serious?" he said after a moment. "That's a bunch of bullcrap. Are you sure you're not projecting or something?"
Wincing, Naruto conceded the point. "Ya got me there. Nice girl that Hinata. Nice, but weird." "Too bad she didn't make it," he finished, not wanting to put a damper on things again.
Natsu popped up right in front of Naruto's face, waving his hands excitedly. "Do me next!"
Shoving the Dragon Slayer away by the face, Naruto began to take his meditating pose again, but stopped halfway. "Wait, hasn't Sakura basically been trying to pawn you off on Lucy?"
Natsu's head cocked to the side. "Eh, whaddya mean? Lucy's my teammate, of course sis would ask her to look out for me."
Uncharacteristically, Sasuke snorted, drawing the others' attention. "Pot, meet kettle," he explained, staring straight at the blond.
Naruto turned a deadpan look from Sasuke to Natsu and back to Sasuke. "Really?"
"Hn."
"I don't get it," Happy chimed in, resting on Gray's head now.
Rolling his eyes, the blond threw an arm around the Dragon Slayer's shoulders. "Natsu, I'm going to have to explain some stuff to you, and ruin that innocent little worldview of yours."
"Eh?"
The other three mages laughed at the pink-haired mage's expense.
"Really ruin that worldview of yours," Naruto repeated as he poured them all more to drink.
Naruto couldn't remember what happened after that, but for some reason he hurt all over and bed sounded like a good idea.
0o0o0 Masterful Melodies 0o0o0
Amidst the drone of rain pelting the roof, the door to Masterful Melodies slammed open in time with a crack of thunder, startling the girl behind the desk. Shikamaru stumped into the room, soaking wet with a glare set on his normally passive face.
Hand over her heart, the receptionist began to scold the man. "N-Nara-san, you scared me-"
He cut her off. "Is Shino still here?"
Affronted, the girl still managed to answer promptly. "I think so. What's going on? Why are you dripping water over Mistress Tayuya's floor?"
In the process of making his way to the staircase, Shikamaru paused to pin the pretty brunette with a pointed glance. "Above your pay grade." Turning, he started climbing the stairs, calling back down after a few seconds. "And send your troublesome boss to our room as well..."
Huffing, the girl pushed the buzzer for Tayuya's room. "Honestly, why the Mistress let's those ruffians hang around all the time," she mumbled. 'Though that blond one is a hunk, and when I caught that glimpse of Shino-san without his glasses...' The brunette giggled like an old man, blushing.
Thankfully Shino was indeed still there, and Tayuya joined the two Shinobi quickly.
"Shithead, this had better be important," she groused, hair still mussed from sleep. Rolling his eyes at the redhead, Shikamaru quickly threw open his trunk, digging around for a second before pulling out a communication lacrima; specifically the one for Naruto. Seeing this, Tayuya stiffened while Shino looked on, glasses glinting.
Activating the lacrima, the Nara waited for Naruto to pick up. Seeing Tayuya about to speak up again, he quickly headed her off.
"I'm only going to say this once, so can it until Naruto's here."
"*Yawn*, I'm here Shika. What's up that you'd call in the middle of the night?" Naruto appeared in the lacrima, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Without preamble, Shikamaru dropped it on them. "I've managed to track down one of the leads for their funding here in Fiore."
Dead silence for a moment as everyone focused intently on the shadow user.
"Report," Naruto commanded, in full mission mode.
"Using several of the leads gotten from your acquaintance, Shino and I have been tracking down possible avenues for moving large sums of money discretely."
Shino spoke up next, seeing as how he did the bulk of this part of the work. "Most of the leads were dead ends, whether through age, limited usage, and a preponderance of dead-drops. I stretched my kikaichu thin investigating all of them."
Naruto nodded at the Aburame, aware of how defenseless that must have left him feeling.
Shikamaru picked up the explanation when Shino trailed off. "Those few that did have more to them, I spent my every waking moment tracking down. And I finally found it...Gato Corporation."
Pulling out a slightly damp sealing scroll, Shikamaru quickly unfurled it and applied his chakra, a pile of papers appearing in a small poof of smoke. Picking up a few of the pages, he began to list various things.
"Increases in abductions in areas near Gato Corp. branches, weird price spikes and goods shortages, shipping manifests that are scheduled outside of standard operating areas, multiple undisclosed VIP trips..."
Tayuya frowned as the Nara put the papers down. "And? How does this link that to them? Looks like you just found a shitty list of crimes from a bunch of corrupt corporate fuckers."
"I have to agree with Tayuya here. I'm not hearing anything about them being connected to any evil shinobi organization."
Shikamaru shrugged. "Of course, taken by itself, the list of crimes and shady business Gato Corp is engaged in has nothing to do with Shinobi. But there is one more piece to the puzzle." Raising a finger, he elaborated. "Part of a conversation I overheard between Gato flunkies at one of their branches in the north. The name Kyosho no Issan was mentioned several times." The soaked Nara snorted. "Idiots."
"Heh… hehehe," Naruto chuckled, a manic energy seeming to possess him. "Finally. Something concrete." The blond rubbed his hands together, looking at the assembled people in the room. "Shikamaru, Shino. I want you to find out where the main location is for Gato Corp. Once that's done, if you find the opportunity, raid it and gather anything you think could be useful. Otherwise just keep a close eye on them and let me know their every move."
Tayuya cleared her throat, the boys turning toward her. "Incidentally," she began, "One of my clients the other day let slip something interesting in a massage with one of my girls. He mentioned being offered a job at Gato Corp for twice his current salary, and was told to meet at some location east of Hargeon along the coast."
Naruto blinked slowly. "Interesting. I'll actually be in that area for the next few days myself." Turning back to his subordinates, he gave out his new orders. "Alright you two, you heard the lady. Head to Hargeon and from there pinpoint Gato Corp's location, then proceed as previously mentioned. If you need reinforcements or extraction, send me a signal. You still have that Hiraishin kunai, right?"
Shino's eyes widened behind his glasses at the mention of the Yondaime Hokage's technique. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You completed it?"
Shaking his head, Naruto explained. "No, not yet. I still have much work to do before I can use it. However, I am at the level that I can sense when the sealing formula is activated."
Shikamaru nodded. "Alright, we'll head out right away." Both he and Shino saluted Naruto, fist over heart, before cutting the connection.
The trio sat in silence for a moment, before the redhead's snort caused Shikamaru to sigh. "At least you'll stop traipsing water all over my business, dumbass."
"Troublesome woman."
0o0o0 With Naruto Outside Fiorella 0o0o0
Naruto pocketed the lacrima and turned back to camp only to sigh in annoyance and pinch the bridge of his nose. "Damn it teme, why'd you have to be so good at stealth..."
Sasuke stepped out from behind a tree, shrugging. "Kakashi's a good teacher." He walked toward Naruto, stopping a few paces from the blond. "What was that about, dobe? What's going on?" he demanded.
Naruto looked away, rubbing his face with his hand. "No wonder Shika keeps saying troublesome," he mumbled under his breath, before focusing on the adopted Hatake. "It's none of your business, and way above your paygrade, Hatake," he snarked hoping the other would drop it.
"What is Kyosho no Issan?" Sasuke countered, eyes morphing into the spinning tomoe of the Sharingan. Immediately, Naruto lowered his gaze, focusing on the raven's chest.
"Drop it," the shinobi warned, body tensing as he could almost see the stubbornness radiating off Sasuke. "This is shinobi business. Don't stick your squeaky clean nose in it, mage."
"...Fine," Sasuke sneered. "Don't give me an answer. I'm sure Kakashi would just love to hear about this," he threatened, pulling a communication lacrima from his pocket.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really, Sasuke? Tattling on me to Kakashi?" He shook his head, his tone mocking, calling Sasuke's bluff. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen."
Because he'd been looking for it, Naruto's block was in position to catch Sasuke's fist. "Enough. I'll just beat it out of you."
Naruto just looked at the other man confused. "What? You think you can…?" Shoving Sasuke back, the blond dusted himself off, mirth dancing across his features. He settled down into a stance, before waving the Uchiha forward. "Fine, then, let's see what you've got. Taijustu only though, I don't want to wake the others."
Up in the trees, a shadowed figure smiled and settled back to watch the fight. 'I wonder if you're prepared or not? I hope you're ready for what's to come."
00000000000
Ending - Black Board - Nano
0o0o0o0o0o0
Holy shit guys. Three years. Three freaking years. That's crazy. God how many of you want so much more. Lol.
I know, more content could be put out, and more frequently but life is a cruel mistress and I don't get paid enough for this… I don't get paid for this. Can't really. Lol. (Also really tired, so you get crazy tired Ronin atm) Just me for this recap and look back at three years of build-up and the plot only continues to thicken!
So much happened this chapter and we just typed. Scenes went longer than they were supposed too. And some weren't long enough. Don't worry, everything will be revealed as far as this chapter is concerned in the coming chapters and you'll all understand.
And much like the great Oda-sensei the end is written. We're just taking our time getting there. And trust me, it's worth the wait.
So whether you're new or been here since the beginning I thank you for reading and an amazing three years of "By Any Means." I especially want to thank Lord of The Morning and putting up with me and helping this story become what it is today. Couldn't have done it without you man.
Seriously. This story and the plot I thought up was just so huge and big one man could not handle it on his own. So much research that's been done and still needs to be done. We have a long way to go, but we'll reach the end before we know it. These last three years prove it.
Arigatou mina. Ja na!
TheRevolutionaryRonin