Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail

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By Any Means

Chapter 18

… The Heart Is

Opening: The Way Back - One OK Rock

0o0o0 Natsu's Room Akane Resort 0o0o0

Lucy sighed for the thousandth time, wishing Natsu would hurry and wake up. It was just...wrong to see the pink haired mage down and inactive for so long. He'd been unconscious ever since Sasuke had brought him back from the tower. The raven haired mage had just said he'd exhausted himself, but would simple exhaustion really lay him up for a week?

The Celestial Spirit mage looked out the window. "I wish Sakura was here… She'd have him fixed up in a jiffy."

A knock on the door caused her to turn, seeing Sasuke walk in. "How is he?" The dark haired mage asked. Lucy mentally giggled a bit. For all his tough guy exterior, Sasuke made sure to check on Natsu every day.

"He's doing okay," the blonde answered, turning back to Natsu. "The doctor said he's okay to move, so depending on how Naruto is doing, we can head back to Fairy Tail at anytime."

"Hn." Sasuke stared at the unconscious mage. "That dobe needs to wake up. He's the only one who can explain what happened in the tower," he thought, remembering the chakra construct and Natsu eating his Amaterasu.

0o0o0 Volcanic Fields 0o0o0

A massive red dragon opened his eyes as the volcanic fields he called home began to shake. Slowly, he stood up and left the cave he had been sleeping in, extending his senses to try and discover what caused such a reaction. It didn't take long at all, though, as the cause appeared right before him.

The dragon's eyes widened as a black flame sparked into existence, before flaring into a sphere roughly the size of a human. "This is - !"

Tentatively, the legendary creature reached out, just barely touching the sphere with the tip of a claw. Seeing as the flames did not react, he figured that he had permission to continue. Flaring his magic, he sent a probe into the black blaze, seeking answers that only memories could hold.

Running, sacrifice, pain, regret…

The oldest memories he could find almost overwhelmed him in their intensity. Their contents all but forgotten, all that remained were feelings and impressions. He tried to reach for more, but the orb of flames pulsed and repelled his probe.

Not wanting to push his luck, the dragon relented, lowering his claw. As he observed the black flames, his eyes narrowed. Was it just his eyes, or were the flames beginning to weaken? Gathering his magic, the red dragon exhaled, a torrent of nearly white hot flames bathing the black sphere. Instead of clashing though, the Fire Dragon's Roar was absorbed, and the black flames pulsed with renewed strength.

Shaking his head, he reached out, gently grasping the orb, and walked back into his cave. "I've picked up yet another troublesome one…" he sighed out, disappearing into the depths of the volcano.

0o0o0 Erza's Room Akane Resort 0o0o0

"Ugh…" Naruto's eyes slowly drifted open, only to squint as the sun lanced across the room into his eyes. Everything hurt, a sensation that he hadn't felt in months. The worst of it was behind his eyes, causing his head to feel like it was splitting open. He tried to raise a hand to his forehead and alleviate the pain, but a weight on his arm prevented that.

Wincing, he glanced over at his arm, only to see a mane of red hair splayed out over the sheet covering him. "Erza…" he smiled at seeing her asleep. She must have been worried sick about him. "Wait… how long have I been asleep?" The blond slowly looked around, trying to find something with the date on it. Finally, he managed to focus on a calendar hanging on the far wall of the room. "July 24th…"

…

…

Naruto's eyes widened as he finally comprehended the date. "Shit, I've been out for just over a week!" His gaze shot back to Erza, the chill running down his spine causing him to forget about his pain for a moment. He slowly began to move his arm, trying to untangle it from Erza's grasp. Unfortunately, his movements caused the redhead to grasp his hand tighter instead. "This would be adorable if I wasn't so sure she'd kick my ass when she gets up," the blond mumbled, debating whether or not to just yank his arm out and make a run for it.

His decision was made for him as Erza started moving around a bit, before blearily looking up at the now sweating blond. "...morning Naruto…" she said, still half asleep.

"Y-yo, Erza," he stammered out. "U-um, have a nice nap?" He winced as the words came out. "Really brain? Is that all you can come up with?"

Erza's eyes widened as she finally woke up and processed the situation. "Naruto! You're awake!"

"Heh, yeah, so I know-"

"Naruto." The redhead's tone immediately got him to shut up. Her hair was shadowing her eyes, and she was beginning to emit a terrifying aura. "Do you know how worried we were?"

The blond just looked away, a strange expression on his face. "...Sorry."

For a few moments, they sat together in awkward silence. Erza was the first to break it. "...I'm glad you're okay."

Naruto chuckled halfheartedly. "Me too."

This time, the silence was a little more comfortable.

"So, how're you doing?" Naruto spoke up first this time.

Erza mulled over that question a bit, before giving her answer. "I… I think I'm okay. Not fully. But I can be, now. If that makes any sense." The redhead looked uncharacteristically vulnerable at that admission.

Naruto just nodded, an understanding look in his eyes. "Well, I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too," she replied, a glimmer of humour entering her expression.

The third silence came, and the two sat and enjoyed the presence of someone that could understand.

Finally though, Naruto spoke up. "How's everyone else doing?"

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, the redhead turned to Naruto. "Well, we all made it out alive. Natsu seems to be in the worst shape, although we're not entirely sure why." She frowned at remembering how Sasuke clammed up about it, but shook her head and continued. "Sasuke, Lucy, Gray and Happy suffered relatively minor injuries all things considered. Juvia, the blue haired mage who was following around Gray didn't look too hurt, but she did leave a few days ago without saying anything."

"What about your friends from the tower?" Naruto asked, leaning back against the headboard of the bed.

"Wally, Millianna, and Sho were really shaken up by everything, but they're slowing beginning to realize that they're no longer trapped by the past. They've been partying it up with the others for the last few days. It's really good to see them having fun." Here she trailed off. "...Simon…" Erza's shoulders drooped a bit. "...Simon didn't make it." Seeing the blond's confused look, she elaborated. "The one...who protected me from Jellal's attack right before you showed up."

Wincing, the shinobi ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry. I wasn't fast enough…"

Shaking her head, Erza placed a hand on Naruto's. "Don't. You tried your best to rescue me, just the same as he did. No one is to blame for what happened, except for Jellal. He's the one that cast Altairis not you." She gave him a heartfelt look as she squeezed his hand, "There was nothing either of us could've done to save him. Simon did what he felt he needed to. I just wish he was still here. I've missed him and the others. They can all finally move on from that place and live. And that's thanks to you. I can never repay you for that." Erza felt the sting of tears welling up.

"You don't have to repay me Erza." Naruto reached out and wiped the tears from her face. As they stared at each other, their faces slowly drew closer. Just as they were about to kiss, they heard feet stomping right outside the door before it was thrown open.

"Erza, is the dobe up...yet?" Sasuke's demand petered out into a question as he saw both the redhead and the now awake blond sitting ramrod straight, looking anywhere but at the other with flushed faces.

"...I don't want to even know. Naruto." The mage's serious tone caused the shinobi to look up. "We need to talk."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Well, okay. Talk."

Sasuke felt a vein in his forehead throb as he counted backwards from 10. "Alone. Now."

Throwing the sheets covering him to the side, Naruto slowly tested his weight on his feet before standing up. "Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a wad, Hatake," the blond mocked, tossing a smile back over his shoulder to Erza. "I'll be back in a bit," he said, closing the door behind him.

Erza just sat there, face still flushed. They were about to kiss! Her heart kept racing as she replayed it over and over again in her head. Did that mean she liked him? Did he like her? Steam shot out of her ears as her imagination went wild.

0o0o0 Hallway 0o0o0

Naruto and Sasuke were walking slowly down the hallway. Partly so they could notice if anyone was listening in, and partly because that was as fast as Naruto could currently walk.

"So now that you've got me out here, what's so important that-"

"Natsu ate the Amaterasu," Sasuke cut in, shocking Naruto into silence and causing him to stop walking.

"...What?!" the blond eventually forced out, eyebrows disappearing into his hairline.

"It was in the middle of our fight with this shinobi," Sasuke began, ignoring Naruto's unbelieving stare. "She used crystal based jutsu almost exclusively, and-"

"Wait, she used Shoton? Did she have purple-blue hair and wear a green battle tunic?" The blond cut in.

"I think so, but what does-"

"You have no idea how lucky you are, Sasuke." Naruto's tone took the dark haired mage aback. "You just fought a high A-rank opponent by the name of Guren, who probably had ties to Kyosho no Issan, considering Sasori was there."

"Hn." Sasuke allowed himself a moment of pride, before he refocused and continued walking. "During our fight, I ended up using the Amaterasu, along with another strange ability. She managed to deflect it though, and Natsu ate it thinking it was like normal fire."

"And what happened to him? Obviously he survived, seeing as how he's recovering in the other room."

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. One moment he was screaming in pain, before his magic seemed to rapidly expand. He also started using black flames in combination with his normal flames." The mage hesitated for a second, before he grudgingly continued. "After he beat Guren, he just… passed out where he was standing and he hasn't woken up since."

Naruto was silent for a moment, brow furrowed in thought. His silence prompted Sasuke to speak up. "Well?"

Eventually, the blond shrugged and shook his head. "Honestly, I have no idea what happened, or even why Natsu survived. The Amaterasu is supposed to be the ultimate fire jutsu, but for it to just be… eaten? It should be impossible, but here we are." Seeing Sasuke about to protest, Naruto held up a hand. "I'll get some people I know to check in on some things, do some research. Hopefully they can find something that'll help explain this."

The two walked in silence for a moment, before Naruto brought up the other thing that was bothering him. "During your fight with Guren, you said that you used another strange power?"

The Uchiha nodded, thinking back to what happened. "It was during one of Guren's attacks. I couldn't find a way to dodge in time with my Sharingan, and Natsu was right behind me. Right before the attack hit, my Sharingan did… something." He gestured helplessly. "I've never seen anything like it before. It was like pure chakra formed into some kind of shield or defense that fully encompassed us."

"Impossible. He already managed a partial activation of the Susanoo? He can't even freely access his Mangekyo yet…" Naruto mentally smirked. "Heh, guess he's even more talented than Sensei."

Outwardly though, the blond put on a thoughtful face, choosing not to play all his cards at once. "Hmm, that does sound interesting. I don't think I've heard anything like that before. Maybe try asking Kakashi about it?"

Sasuke snorted. "Kakashi wouldn't tell me even if he knew anything about it. He'd say something like it's too dangerous to rely on the Sharingan, especially with how shinobi are viewed right now." Thinking of the guild reminded Sasuke of Mira. Oh, was she going to be pissed when they finally got back. Stopping in front of his door, Sasuke placed a hand on the handle before casually leaving Naruto with a simple sentence. "By the way, you get to explain to Mira why I wasn't at the guild for my birthday." The mage entered his room to the sweet sound of Naruto's silence. As the door clicked closed, the blond threw himself against it.

"You can't do this to me!"

0o0o0 The Next Day 0o0o0

"GYAAAGH!"

Lucy jumped in fright, the book she was reading clattering to the floor as Natsu sat bolt upright in bed, screaming.

"Natsu, what the hell!" the blond yelled as she whacked him in the face with a paper fan, snapping him out of his screaming fit.

"Huh? Lucy? What was that for?" the mage wondered, cocking his head to the side.

The blonde just turned around, discreetly wiping the tears from her eyes. Despite what the doctor had said, she was secretly worried he wasn't going to wake up.

"Ne, Lucy, are you okay?"

Spinning around, the girl planted her hands on her hips. "Listen mister, do you have any idea the kind of trouble you put us through? Staying behind in the tower and getting into some kind of crazy fight, then making Sasuke have to carry you out, and-"

She was cut off as the door slammed open, a furry blue missile ramming into Natsu and knocking him back down.

Grabbing Happy and holding him at arm's length, the Dragon Slayer spoke up. "Happy, what the hell?"

"Natsu…!" the flying cat sobbed, tears dripping onto the blankets. "You're awake! Thank you, fish-god, for hearing my prayer!"

"Fish-god?" both mages wondered absently, before another presence made itself known.

"Natsu!" Erza called out as she invited herself in. "I'm glad to see you awake. There's plenty of work to be done."

The pink haired mage frowned at the redhead. "Work? Aw man, I just woke up! That's not...fair?" He trailed off as Erza's hair began to float and her eyes began to glint. "Aye! Right away!"

"Good." Now back to normal, Erza looked around for a moment. "By the way, have either of you seen Naruto or Sasuke today?"

Lucy placed a hand under her chin in thought, before a light bulb went off. "Ah, I remember Sasuke said he had to talk to Gray about something. Haven't seen Naruto though."

Nodding, the redhead turned around and began walking. "Alright, I had to go talk to Gray myself, anyways. Natsu, Lucy, meet me downstairs in an hour."

"Okay/Aye!"

0o0o0 That Night 0o0o0

Naruto and Sasuke looked on from the background as Erza donned her ceremonial farewell armor while Natsu, Gray, and Lucy launched fireworks in the air.

"This must be difficult for her…" the blond mumbled, seeing the tears streaming down the mages' faces despite the distance. Sasuke nodded in agreement, knowing how much Erza's old friends meant to her.

After a moment of silence, Sasuke cut his eyes back to Naruto. "So why are we all the way over here anyway? I know Erza was looking for us, probably to help out with this little 'going away' party."

The shinobi didn't answer verbally, just turning and walking into the trees, motioning for the Fairy Tail mage to follow. Once he heard Sasuke's footsteps falling in behind him, he began to speak.

"Sasuke. I want to hear from you - honestly - what do you think of shinobi?"

The raven haired mage pondered Naruto's question, content to let his feet follow the blond while he thought. After wrestling with his thoughts for a minute, he stopped walking, the other man following suit and turning to face him.

"Shinobi…" he paused, gathering his thoughts. "My father used to say that the world only ran as smoothly as it did because they were there. The silent threat that kept the nations in line." He shook his head. "But when… when Shadow Heart was destroyed, and the majority of shinobi were killed or fleeing… The nations didn't collapse. Life continued and everyone just… moved on."

"Kakashi saved me from the destruction, and we met up with Anko and Tenten on the way to Fairy Tail. Kakashi and Anko… they tried so hard to protect us, to hide what we were. We were shinobi - strong enough to influence nations with a mere threat. But I was naive. I didn't understand, then. Kakashi tried showing me that there were other ways to strength, that being a shinobi wasn't the only path available."

Sasuke paused again before looking at Naruto, Sharingan spinning to life. "Things changed though, when you appeared. Here was someone, undeniably strong, yet unbound to the same rules as the rest of us. You were a mystery. What had you done with your life, I'd wondered, that made you so strong." The mage's fists clenched, nails imprinting on his palms. "First it was experience: finding out you were a part of the Hagoromo meant that you had seen real life and death combat, not the farces that the guilds engage in." Unconsciously, he took a step forward. "And second, was finding out that you had continued on the path of our childhood, the path of the shinobi. Everything I've seen since then has only confirmed what I thought then. To be a shinobi is to seek and attain true strength, strength enough to accomplish any goal, no matter the cost."

The two men stood, whirling scarlet staring into lidded blue. Finally, Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, what do you think?" he seemingly asked the trees around them.

A voice behind Sasuke spoke up, causing him to leap forward while spinning around. "Meh, I'd give it 5 out of 10." Standing where Sasuke once was Shikamaru.

The brown haired shinobi slouched in place, giving the blond a lackadaisical look. "He's not wrong, but he's not really right either. Then again, it's all opinion anyhow." Shika shrugged. "I say, if he wants in, let him in. It's not like I have to deal with the fallout or anything."

Walking up to the slowly relaxing mage, Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder. "And with that glowing recommendation, welcome to our little club." His grip tightened, and Sasuke fought back a wince. "Tell no one, not even Kakashi. And you'd better be prepared to face Hell, because I'm not going to slow down for you." Naruto released Sasuke and stepped back.

"So Shika, what do you have for me?"

"...Who says I have anything for you?" the lazy shinobi asked.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Fine." Fishing around in his pouch, Shikamaru pulled out a communication lacrima. "From Tayuya," he supplied, as he activated the small sphere.

"Tayuya?" Sasuke asked, unprepared for the sheer volume of the message.

"UZUMAKI! You misbegotten son of a whore! Since when was my place a fucking bed and breakfast?!" The redhead's shrill voice caused all three men to flinch, and Sasuke to take a step away from the blond. Unfortunately, the movement caught the brothel owner's attention.

"And who the fuck is this shitstain?! Sage damnit Naruto, what the fuck happened to secrecy!"

"Tayuya, I guess this means that Zabuza arrived with… the… others?" He slowly trailed off as the demoness from hell turned its glowing red eyes upon him.

"Your ass. My office. NOW!"

Hand behind him, Naruto was discreetly signalling Shikamaru to turn off the lacrima, but the other shinobi was pointedly ignoring him. Giving up any pretense, the blond sent a strained smile to the redhead. "I'll get there when I can and I'll have the rent, later!" He yelled out in a single breath as he chucked a kunai at the lacrima, Shika yelping and letting go just in time to avoid being impaled.

As the lacrima's shattered pieces dropped to the ground, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder, "What have I gotten myself into?"

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Ending - God Knows - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

0o0o0o0o0o0

...So we're not dead… yet… Long story short, life happened.

Yeah, life. Moving 2000 miles and multiple jobs tends to take up your time, especially when one of those jobs has an 8 week training course that you're still going through.

Welcome to the adult world!

You don't have a job for 1 year and they never let it go.

Damn straight.

Sadly, but hey I got to do lots of nothing while being paid nothing, and not having to pay a rent. It was kind of nice thinking back on it.

…bum.

I had a… job during that time. Kinda. Unofficially. SILENCE!

I rest my case. Anywho, we're finally getting back on track with this chapter.

We did plan for it to be a bit longer but we wanted to get one more chapter out before the end of 2016, and end it on a good note.

Yeah, wanted to end the year on a high note, sure.

I was typing while he was lol.

ANYWAYS, read, review, let us know what you think.

We just wanted to let you all know that we're back to writing and will hopefully get back onto our once a month posts and be active again in 2017. We, more I, had a huge transition and it took a while to get into the groove of things. This place is no California. Its weird. They don't wear flipflops in November or December and this white shit falls from the sky. Send help.

If you think this is bad, you should've seen what it was like when I lived in New York.

Seriously what is that white shit falling from the sky?

Have a happy holiday season everyone, and we'll see you in 2017!

Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

...

What? You gave the generic seasons greeting. Someone has to take a stand damnit.

Just end this already damnit.

I'm not holding you hostage. You can leave at anytime.

Fine. Later!

He actually left…

WOOOOOOOOO!

But seriously he wrote the majority this time so make sure to thank Lord in your reviews for all his hard work. He deserves it. Now back to my normally programmed asshole self!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!