Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail.

Chapter 18: Assemble (X784)

She hissed in discomfort as she tried to rise from the bed she found herself in. The swathe of bandages that she was wrapped up in made her feel incredibly itchy all over, but there was nothing she could do about it. The door to her room then swung open, and before she could say a word, she found two helping hands righting her stiff and unresponsive upper body. A pillow was propped up against the headboard, and she was gently leaned against the soft cushion. A chastising frown was perched on the face of the person who helped her. She recognised the person as a woman, and if the wrinkles were any indication, of advanced age.

"You shouldn't be moving around so much, sweetie. You were quite badly burned by that strange forest fire. If it weren't for the old man…" the old woman nagged concernedly, brushing some of her violet locks from her forehead. "And don't even think about rushing out of this bed, young lady!"

She nodded mutely, her parched and underused throat unable to make coherent sounds. The kindly old woman noticed this immediately, and reached for a jug of water on the bedside table. Pouring a mug of water, the senior brought the clay mug to her chapped lips, slowly tilting the cup. She swallowed the cool liquid greedily, heedless of the disconcerting sloshing it made in her empty stomach. As some water dripped from the corner of her lips, the old woman made a small sound of exclamation, taking away the mug from her eager mouth. A pout of disappointment found its way on her features, but her immediate thirst was satiated, and all that was left was just a lust for the revitalising drink.

The old woman retrieved a handkerchief from her pocket, and dabbed away at the water staining her chin. She felt quite pampered at that very moment, but the emotion passed as quickly as it appeared. There were more important things for her to think about than how nice the old lady was. Said woman smiled sweetly at her, patting her bedraggled violet tresses with fondness.

"So, dearie, what is your name?" the elderly lady asked gently.

"Cu…Kinana, obaasan."

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Naruto wasn't going to let his spirits fall so easily just from the rather depressing conversation with Natsu. It made several internal demons rear their ugly heads, demons Naruto weren't quite sure he'd completely exorcised, but the blond man muzzled those distracting thoughts. It would do no good for him to lose focus and cause a calamity in the process. So, not moments after he had left Fairy Tail, he winked out of existence, materialising in the midst of confused Cait Shelter members. The ninja once more marvelled at the amazingly lifelike spiritual constructs of Roubaul, before a flying cat suddenly obscured his field of vision, hovering at head level.

There weren't many things that could intimidate Uzumaki Naruto. He had faced down demons and gods before he was even a man. Hell, he had even endured the rage of the most fearsome women in the whole world without so much as flinching, the concussions notwithstanding. So, it was more of an exercise in preventing his amusement from showing as Carla attempted to glare him into submission, than any sort of damage mitigation he only briefly considered doing. The white-furred Exceed fixed him with the fiercest glare she had, and were Naruto not made of sterner stuff, he might just have wilted under her sneer.

Maybe.

It did help him push aside the more melancholic thoughts in his head, which the Wizard Saint was quite grateful for.

"You!" she growled accusingly. "Where were you when Wendy needed you?!"

"She's safe at Fairy Tail, Carla," Naruto replied calmly. "Have you briefed Roubaul about her kidnapping?"

"Of course I have, I'm not the irresponsible mage that you are," Carla huffed, unable to completely hide her relief at news of Wendy's welfare. "Why didn't you bring her back here?"

"Like I said, she's safe at Fairy Tail. She's already been snatched from under your nose without so much of a fight, and there's only so much we can do against Oración Seis if they do attempt another go at capturing her. Fairy Tail has the best and brightest mages around, they'll keep her safe," Naruto explained patiently.

"And what do you suppose I could have done against those two monsters?" Carla scoffed. "You make it sound so easy, fighting dark mages of their calibre."

"Well, you'll find out just how easy or difficult it is. Four guilds are banding together to fight and defeat Oración Seis," the blond remarked. "Including us. You and Wendy are coming along."

"Are you insane?" the talking cat shrieked. "Wendy's a target and you want her to fight?!"

"I'll be honest with you, it is precisely because she's a target that she's going to join the battle," Naruto stated matter-of-factly. "She's going to be bait. Before you argue against her inclusion in this battle, I've already gone over things with her, and she's agreed. I have safety measures in place, and most likely, she's going to come out of this unharmed."

"Are you even listening to what you're prattling on about?" Carla screeched in disbelief. "You want a girl like her to play bait? She'll be killed in no time!"

"Not when they need her alive for her healing abilities," Naruto retorted. "I'm far more experienced in warfare than you are. I know what I'm doing."

"I won't let Wendy go off and let herself get killed due to some half-assed plan from a so-called Wizard Saint who is clearly no saint," Carla hissed vehemently.

Naruto snorted amusedly at her wisecrack, before he decided to grasp the opportunity and verify something that had been bothering him for a while. "Oh, and I suppose you really do care for Wendy? Please, don't make me laugh. If you cared, you would have tried to track her whereabouts after her capture, instead of coming back to Cait Shelter. You think that others won't be able to figure out your ulterior motives for her?"

"Wh…What do you mean?" Carla's tone immediately changed, as a hint of anxiety seeped into her voice. "They threatened Wendy's life if I followed them!"

"And that would stop you doing it how?" Naruto quipped.

"I had no choice but to abide! I'm just a cat, not a fire-slinging mage!" Carla answered defensively. "If I died, who's going to relay the message that Wendy got kidnapped?!"

"It's a good excuse, but that still doesn't explain your presence around Wendy," Naruto folded his arms, glaring down at Carla imperiously.

"Wh-What are you blabbering about now?" the winged cat stuttered.

"There's another Exceed who's friendly with a dragon slayer back in Fairy Tail," Naruto drawled, carefully watching Carla's increasingly worried expression. "As an Exceed who rules over humans as a superior race back in Edolas, it seems awfully suspicious that you would ally yourselves so willingly to humans, and dragon slayers in particular. Of course, they did hatch you from when you were just eggs, so you can't possibly be part of a conspiracy. Though, it's still quite dubious when those eggs are so conveniently found by dragon slayers and not normal humans."

"Y-You can't prove anything!" Carla blurted out, before her eyes widened in horror.

"So there is a plot from the Exceed," Naruto smiled, his eyes crinkling. "I didn't expect you to fall for my bluff so quickly."

"You," Carla sighed audibly. "Are a menace."

"A pot calling the kettle black," Naruto shot back. "I've laid bare my intentions for Wendy. What do the Exceed want from dragon slayers?"

Carla opened her mouth, but the words failed to come out. Her crestfallen expression sent a wave of sympathy rushing through the blond. "You know, I've watched you deal with Wendy, and I've seen how Happy and Natsu interact. I don't know what the Exceed want with the dragon slayers, but I think growing up with them must have made it difficult for you to execute your plan. You don't want to go through with this, do you?"

"No. How can I?" Carla croaked, as she lowered her head in shame. "She's so innocent. There's no reason for us to kill the dragon slayers. They don't even know of Edolas."

"Then don't do it," Naruto shrugged. Carla's head snapped up. "You obviously care for Wendy. I only questioned that because it was a chance for me to figure out why the Exceed sent their brethren here. It's a smidgen of curiosity, that's all."

"And what do you plan on doing with this information?" Carla demanded suspiciously.

"Blackmail," Naruto replied nonchalantly. "You give Wendy your blessings to join this mission, and I won't exaggerate your schemes to the dragon slayers. There are two more of them in Fairy Tail, and they aren't the most calm and collected of individuals around."

"How did a vile serpent like you become a Wizard Saint?" Carla muttered, knowing she had lost this particular skirmish.

"Precisely because I'm a serpent who knows too much," Naruto remarked, as he walked towards the main hall. "I have some sensitive issues I need to discuss with Roubaul. I can sense your presence, so don't even try to eavesdrop on us. Stick to worrying about Wendy."

"Whatever," the Exceed sulked.

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The carriage was too small.

The journey was too long.

The road was too bumpy.

But there were far worse things for Lucy Heartfillia to be concerned about than the quality of their ride towards Cait Shelter. Things such as sitting beside a sick Natsu, who looked like he was on the verge of puking all over her clothes ever since the carriage wheels made their first revolution, or having that perverted fox Kurama staring unabashedly at her boobs from across the cramped space since the start of their journey. Erza was blissfully exempt from the leering, but even if it was quite disturbing for a canine to do that, Lucy felt rather proud that the fox would rather stare at her chest than Erza's.

"Oh, please. If I could, I would be drooling all over Erza's boobies instead," Kurama rolled his eyes, having seemingly read her mind. "Only because she's covered in armour, and she'll kill me, otherwise I wouldn't bother with you at all."

A dark cloud hovered over Lucy's head as the depressing words smacked her in the face mercilessly. She shot a surreptitious, dirty glare at Erza's specially designed Heart Kreuz chest plate, before sighing despondently as she stared at her own, less impressive boobs. Why oh why must Fairy Tail be filled with so many beautiful girls, all of them prettier than me? How am I going to find a boyfriend at this rate? I can't let Aquarius keep making fun of me like that!

"Erm…I'm sure Kurama-san didn't mean it. You're really pretty, Lucy-san!" Wendy squeaked, giving Lucy some words of encouragement.

The fox in her small lap snorted derisively, before he nudged the little girl into scratching behind his ears. Lucy decided to ignore the demeaning sound that came out of the fox's jaws, and smiled at the dragon slayer. "Thank you, Wendy! But really, are you sure you want to join us in this fight? It sounds re~eally scary! I'm not even sure why I'm here to be honest…"

"Mmhmm! Naruto-san told me how I can help, and I really want to do something against the bad guys, just like everyone else!" Wendy nodded fervently.

"You sure you want to trust that guy and what he says?" Gray muttered contemptuously, staring fixedly out of the window. The half-dressed man was seated beside Wendy, who was blushing and looking distinctly uncomfortable with the naked torso of Gray so close to her. "You don't know much about him, so why do you trust him at all?"

"It's true I don't know much about Naruto-san, but I think he's a good person," Wendy opined gingerly. "Roubaul-sama and Makarov-sama trust him, and they are so much stronger and older than me. I think they won't be wrong about Naruto-san."

"And he's even dating Mira! So many people can't all be wrong about him, right?" Lucy exclaimed guilelessly, before sighing dreamily. "I wish I could find a nice boyfriend too…"

"Tch. I can't believe how many people are falling for his tricks," Gray grunted in disgust.

"Snake…" Natsu moaned in agreement, before puffing his cheeks in a bid to hold back his vomit.

Wendy peered at her fellow dragon slayer worriedly, but there wasn't much she could really do. Troia only lasted for so long, and its effects weakened with each successive use. Erza wanted her to maintain her magic reserves too, for the healing she would probably end up doing later on. Natsu would recover from his motion sickness in a matter of minutes when he finally got off the carriage. People with their lives hanging in the balance would need her skills far more than a dragon slayer who couldn't hold his stomach together.

Across of her, an appalled Lucy sidled away from the pink-haired mage, before addressing Gray's comment. "I know you guys are angry about him posing as Aria or whatever, but didn't Master say that it was under his orders or something? He looked really sad when he walked out of the guild two days ago too…"

"He's a bad guy!" Happy chipped in with his opinion. "He beat up Natsu!"

"Bastard…" Natsu shook a weak fist in the air at nothing, before he slumped in his seat woozily.

Lucy shook her head, before turning to Erza, sitting on her other side. "Erza, what do you think about Ráfaga-san?"

"He's a good man," Erza replied simply.

"I don't see what's so good about him, Erza," Gray growled churlishly, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "The old man, Mira, Cana, I understand. They're practically family with that guy, so they'll be on his side even if he's a slimy crook. But you, I don't get. You clearly don't have feelings for him or anything like that. Why the hell are you supporting his case?"

"He may have made mistakes, but he's human like everyone else. I choose to forgive him because he only has good intentions, and he cares for Fairy Tail as much as all of us do," Erza replied factually. "Perhaps even more. He has been a part of the guild longer than any of us, after all."

"Even if acting as Aria was under orders, what about Lisanna then?" Gray retorted. "There's nothing that should stop him from telling us that Lisanna's not dead, and somewhere lost and alone! He doesn't even seem bothered he may have let a poor girl die somewhere away from her family. That's not the attitude of a guy who cares."

"There's more than just Lisanna's life at stake," Erza shook her head. "He told Mira and myself that she's currently at a place that if we trespass carelessly, we might cause a war that Fiore has every chance of losing. It's not for the lack of concern. He's just taking a more cautious and broader view on this issue. I believe he said as much when we were fighting Phantom as well."

"And you blindly trust what he says?" Gray shot back fiercely, leaning forwards. "How sure are you that a war will really break out? Even if there is a war, we'll just fight whoever stands in our way! That's how Fairy Tail works, Erza!"

"But not how he works," Erza smiled thinly. "I don't think he'll mind if I say this, but he's not a mage. He's a ninja."

"A ninja?!" Lucy gasped, as did Wendy. "You mean, like those guys who walk on water, and sneak around assassinating people? No wonder he wears a mask…"

"A close approximation. Master told me that he had lost everyone he loved, and arrived in Earthland by accident while trying something dangerous to save them," Erza explained. "He was raised in a different world, in a different way. He also admitted to being Maelstrom, who has been going around Fiore defeating dark guilds. Do you think that is the work of a man who doesn't care? He may have different methods of doing things, but you cannot doubt his intentions."

"Oh my god! Maelstrom? That guy is super famous!" Lucy gawked incredulously at Erza. "He's like a superhero! He's got T-shirts and action figures and everything!"

"I didn't know that Naruto-san was so amazing…" Wendy mumbled in awe.

"There isn't even any proof that he's actually Maelstrom," Gray harrumphed. "Just because he says it doesn't mean it's true."

"It is true, if you're wondering," Kurama spoke up, causing Lucy to jump in fright at the sudden interruption. "I've been on plenty of missions with him. I can't even remember how many dark guilds we wiped out together. And before you say that I'm lying on his behalf because I'm his pet, you can head over to the Era jails. Plenty of the prison birds inside should remember a giant black fox accompanying Maelstrom."

"You're a small red fox," Gray countered dryly.

"I know Transformation and Titan Magic, water boy," Kurama sniffed haughtily.

"Clearly, he did a lot of things beyond what we could see. None of us have seen any of his work first hand, so we're in no position to comment about his choices and decisions," Erza interjected before Gray could fire an angry riposte at the crimson canine. "Even if you do not wish to trust him like I do, there's no justification for any one of us to pass such casual judgement on his character. If anyone is in the position to do so, it would be Mira."

"Like I said, she's blinded by love," Gray remarked pointedly.

"Even love has its limits. Mira chose to forgive him in spite of everything. So did Cana, who was visibly more upset by Naruto-san's actions than anyone else, if you recall," Erza reminded. "There's always more than meets the eye."

"Whatever," Gray ended the conversation disparagingly.

Erza frowned at Gray's dismissive tone. "I want you to promise me not to get into a fight with Naruto-san. Your actions will reflect on Fairy Tail, and I will not tolerate anyone of you tarnishing our reputation in front of other guilds."

"Fine, it's not like we have a chance against that monster anyway," Gray grumbled bitterly.

"He's scary…" Happy shivered, recalling how Naruto had schooled Elfman, Natsu and Gray with little effort.

"Natsu?" Erza prompted.

The pink-haired dragon slayer mumbled his assent through his motion sickness. Erza finally turned to Lucy with a stern stare. The blonde raised her arms high up in the air in surrender. "I won't! I'm not crazy enough to try anyway. He's too strong! I mean, he's Maelstrom! The guy beats up entire dark guilds for fun!"

"Beat…him…" Natsu gurgled.

Suddenly, a large pothole on the road made itself known, causing the carriage to jerk violently. Kurama found himself flying head first into Erza's metallic bust. Wendy squeaked in embarrassment as her slight frame was thrown upwards, before she landed in a bemused Gray's lap. Lucy jumped into Erza's arms, trapping Kurama in a suffocating bind as Natsu's cheeks suddenly swelled. The pink-haired mage admirably held on for a bit, before he gave up and stuck his head out of the window. A series of loud retching noises were heard as the pink-haired dragon slayer emptied his stomach noisily.

Everyone wisely turned away.

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Naruto, Carla and a group of curious Cait Shelter members watched as a horse-drawn carriage pulled up at the general entrance of the guild. While the Cait Shelter apparitions focused their attentions intently on the carriage and whom it may contain, Naruto couldn't help but marvel at the horses. To haul the carriage and its occupants, along with Erza's huge load of luggage was pretty exhaustive work. Carla, her tiny wings flapping rather dementedly, looked simultaneously excited and fearful as the passengers disembarked. Wendy was the first to step off, and the girl avoided tripping clumsily over her feet as she rushed over to the white-furred Exceed, scooping Carla into a jubilant hug.

The happy reunion between Carla and Wendy was short lived, as the rest filed out of the vehicle. Gray and Natsu's grouchy moods turned the initially cheerful atmosphere sour, but Naruto had to give them credit for holding back on their usual impulse to strike first and demand answers later. Erza's intimidating aura looming behind them might have something to do with their more docile attitudes, but the blond man wasn't going to argue against a good thing. Lucy, on the other hand, affixed him with a strange gaze that the ninja couldn't decipher, her eyes flitting towards Gray and Natsu once in a while.

The inclusion of Kurama was a bit of a surprise for Naruto though. He would have thought the fox was more interested in hovering around Mira, as he was prone to with all manner of pretty women. The last of the Fairy Tail group, Happy, looked rather stunned at the existence of another Exceed. Naruto would have found the blue cat stumbling over his words as he tried to chat up an uninterested Carla quite funny, had he not been more concerned with the battle that was approaching.

Ignoring Gray and Natsu, who was getting increasingly antsy as he recovered from his usual motion sickness, Naruto crouched down to address his old partner. "What brings you along, Kurama?"

"Mira and Cana wanted to come along, but the old man convinced them otherwise," Kurama answered, as he sat on his haunches. "Something about you getting distracted in battle trying to save the damsels in distress. They nailed him good for that one. Apparently, Mira doesn't trust you enough to keep your promise to her, whatever that means. So I had to come along to play bodyguard."

"Just like old times then? Or are you going to enjoy the sights?" Naruto quipped. "I hear there's a cute girl in Lamia Scale that's joining us."

"You had me at 'cute'," Kurama replied quickly, his ears twitching. The fox then sighed dejectedly, flicking his head towards Lucy. "I wish I never showed off my magic to others. Now the girls who know about my sentience are so uptight about me licking their cleavage, when they thought it was absolutely adorable last time. It's not fair."

"Life's never fair," the shinobi grinned behind his mask, patting Kurama on the head. "Maybe you should grow up and find a nice vixen in the woods?"

He received a withering glare in return. "Don't patronise me. I'm the natural enemy of Midnight. You totally need me to fight him."

"Naruto-san," Erza greeted cordially, to which Naruto stood up, leaving Kurama to slink off back to the carriage. "Shall we head to the meeting place then? I presume haste is necessary given the severity of the situation we're facing."

"Don't worry, Erza, it's not. There's no rush for us," Naruto shook his head. "Taking our time might even be more beneficial. It will be good if I had the time to pass on pertinent information about Oración Seis members, and devise ways of fighting them with our combined strength."

"I would have expected Naruto-san to have worked out counters for all their members already," Erza smirked faintly.

"I wouldn't have requested for an alliance if I had the capabilities to take down all of Oración Seis with my own strength," the blond man replied reticently, his shrewd eyes darting between the carriage and the other Fairy Tail members. "I suppose there will be a rather tense mood if I were to board that carriage with everyone else."

"I can keep them in check," Erza stated confidently.

Naruto laughed mirthlessly. "No need to strain things. I'll ride on the roof. The skies are peaceful today."

Erza glanced upwards at the Cait Shelter man's words, watching as a smattering of fluffy white clouds floated gently across a bright cerulean sky. "It is a beautiful view indeed. But I am not so superstitious as to believe that nature's beauty is a harbinger for victory."

"I wish there were truly omens to be read in the skies," Naruto murmured poignantly. "Do you believe in destiny, Erza?"

Mildly startled by the question, Erza nevertheless answered it to the best of her ability. "Sometimes…when I feel helpless, I can't help but think that our lives have been mapped out for us, and that we're trapped by a fate we cannot escape. But generally, I believe that our destiny is what we make of it."

"The gods never cared enough to plot our fates. Only their pretenders do," Naruto said enigmatically, before striding towards the carriage. "Let's go."

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The short journey from Cait Shelter to the meeting location was spent rather awkwardly. Both Lucy and Wendy wore looks of utmost relief as they clambered out of the carriage, glad to be away from the claustrophobic vehicle and its other passengers. Despite Naruto's initial worries, the journey was made uncomfortable not because of Gray's glaring at the roof where said blond ninja was riding, or Natsu's futile attempts at fighting motion sickness. Instead, it was the rather depressing sight of Happy trying his desperate best to woo Carla, and failing at every turn. The white cat seemed preoccupied with other thoughts, and Happy wasn't exactly a charmer himself.

After Lucy and Wendy, the rest of the Fairy Tail group trooped out of the carriage, Natsu needing a big nudge from Gray to flop out of the vehicle like a dead fish. Naruto slid off the roof of the carriage with great poise, his near soundless landing causing Natsu to stir slightly beside the Wizard Saint's feet. Without waiting for anyone else, Naruto marched towards Bob's mansion purposefully, leaving his fellow mages to catch up.

The mansion was huge, almost as large as the entire guild hall of Fairy Tail, and far bigger than what Cait Shelter had to offer. Wendy openly gawked at the mansion's extravagance, the little girl unused to such lavishness. The large oak doors opened to reveal a hallway replete with beautiful furnishings and a red carpet that stretched from door to a grand staircase across the hall. Even Lucy, having grown up in the large estate that her father owned, was quite impressed with the grandiosity of the place. As they tried to find their bearings in the humongous hallway, the surroundings were suddenly dimmed. Before anyone could question how the sun was turned off, a spotlight was shone upon three immaculately dressed men, drawing the Fairy Tail and Cait Shelter delegations' attention.

"The Trimens," Naruto sighed tiredly, interrupting them before they could introduce themselves. "We're here on business, not pleasure. Save your flirting for after."

"Who are you to tell us what to do?" the dirty blond scoffed disdainfully, using a hand to brush his fringe artfully. "We are all strong mages here. Do you think you can just waltz in and take command? And look at you. Dressed in such an uncouth and garish manner. It's clear that we are superior both in terms of looks and strength. Do have some respect for your betters, blondie."

Naruto rolled his eyes, declining to defend his reputation. His debonair counterpart smirked triumphantly, before the trio turned their collective attentions to Erza, Wendy and Lucy, who were quickly given a dazzling introduction. Naruto eyed the sakura petals scattered on the carpet with exasperation as the female mages were served tea at a table and couch the exuberant Trimens brought out. As the triumvirate tried to charm Erza into doing something more than just tasting their tea and offering a polite smile, Lucy could only wonder how the guys in their own guild could be so lame.

Maybe I can finally net myself a cool boyfriend…Lucy moaned in bliss, the tea tasting absolutely divine to her. Eyeing Gray who had lost his clothes once more, and Natsu who was leaning against a pillar and moaning piteously, Lucy could only wish she joined Blue Pegasus instead, and met up with that tanned, dark-skinned Ren earlier. He looks absolutely delectable…Aquarius, I'll show you yet!

Wendy looked a little overwhelmed by Hibiki's over the top flirting, and cast a pleading glance at Naruto for help. Carla was too busy fending off Happy's advances to keep the man off the Sky Dragon Slayer, while Wendy was clearly not as comfortable with Gray or Natsu to ask them for aid. Both of them were indisposed with their own issues in any case; the former with finding his clothes, the man now down to only his boxers, while the latter was still a tad green around the gills.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in frustration as he prepared to step in. Before he could move towards the raven-haired girl however, a saccharine voice drifted over to their ears, making even Lucy cringe from how sickeningly sweet it sounded. All eyes turned to the stairway, where the voice originated. There stood a short and unattractive man, standing in a gaudy pose. His white suit was a sharp contrast to the black ones the Trimens wore, but it was clear they were all cut from the same cloth.

"Oh, I knew I smelt the beautiful perfume of my darling Erza!" the man called out. "Everyone, allow yourselves to behold the perfume of manliness that is Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki!"

With that declaration, the man hopped on the golden banisters of the stairs, and slid down the rails in what might be a cool manner were he actually as good looking as he thought he was. As he reached the end of the banisters, he jumped off, doing a twirl in the air before landing unsteadily on his feet. He shot a quick look at Naruto, his nose twitching minutely, before he swiftly returned his attention to Erza. The crimson-haired woman's face was contorted in a rictus of horror as Ichiya pranced towards her, pirouetting with a small measure of grace despite his stocky frame. As he reached the table where the female mages were seated, he produced a flower from an inner pocket on his jacket, offering it to Erza with flourish.

"My honey, it's been too long since we've had an intimate encounter," Ichiya murmured huskily.

"That's our Ichiya-sama!" Hibiki exclaimed breathlessly, in what could only be construed as the voice of an ardent worshipper. "To think he managed to win the heart of Titania Erza…"

"We are not in any relationship," Erza denied vigorously, her complexion turning pasty.

Ren harrumphed, shaking his head slowly. "It is expected for a strong woman like Erza-san to be unwilling to show her softer side, but we are amongst family here…"

"Aniki is so cool!" Eve cheered boisterously. "No wonder Erza-san isn't interested in us!"

"Family? Aniki?" Lucy squeaked in shock. "Erza is married to this man?!"

"NO!" Erza shouted, before scowling balefully at Lucy who cringed. "We've…met on missions before. He's a…strong mage, even if he doesn't look that way."

"I thank you for your compliments," Ichiya bowed deeply, before squeezing his body onto the couch between Wendy and Erza, sniffing the armoured woman brazenly. "My oh my, your perfume remains as exquisite as ever…and your blonde friend here looks and smells just as lovely, like a flower in full bloom…"

Erza recoiled, and vanished from her seat, causing Ichiya to fall into her spot, his head landing in Lucy's lap. The blonde screamed in terror as Ichiya turned his head upwards to gaze at her, a salacious grin spreading across his face and a bit of snot drooping out of his nose. His large olfactory organ twitched as he inhaled sharply, taking a deep whiff of Lucy's scent. Lucy let out another scream and slapped the man across the hall, Naruto taking a step aside to dodge the human missile as Ichiya crashed against the wall on the other side of the hallway.

"Aniki!" the Trimens cried out in concert, as Eve shot a teary, soul-rending glare at Lucy. "What a brutish girl!"

Lucy cried a little in the inside. I'm…brutish? I'll never find a boyfriend now…

"Tch, keep your hands to yourselves," Gray muttered, finally dressed again. "We're not here for games, you playboys."

The Trimens and their leader stared at the Ice Make mage as he approached, sharing the same looks of confusion. Ichiya tilted his head, his eyes scrunched up as he studied Gray. "You're a man, right?"

"Of course!" Gray growled defensively. "What of it?"

"We don't care about men. You can go home now," Ichiya waved his hand dismissively, as the rest of the Trimens bowed. "Thank you for your patronage, we won't see you out!"

As Gray and the Trimens started a bout of posturing, trying to assert themselves as the superior specimen of masculinity, Naruto found himself retreating to the side of the hallway. He leaned against the wall and folded his arms, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. When a paw tapped him on his shoe, the blond mage opened his eyes and looked downwards at Kurama. The fox pointed his snout at the growing mayhem before them. "You're not going to do anything about this?"

Naruto shrugged helplessly. "I would like to, but I only really have one idea for shutting them up, and it's not a very pleasant solution."

"Since when did you care about being nice to others?" Kurama snorted. "Especially when we're going into a dangerous situation?"

"I don't see the need for me to do it anyway. I'm sure the man about to walk through the doors soon can settle things down without too much trouble," Naruto remarked nonchalantly, his azure orbs flicking over to the open doorway of the mansion. "After all, he's been established as a Wizard Saint for longer than me."

On cue, the last of the guilds in the alliance made their appearance. Gray and Lucy were thoroughly surprised at the appearance of Lyon Vastia and Sherry Blendy, but before any hostilities could arise from another boost to the testosterone levels in the area, they were all silenced by the loud booming voice of the final Lamia Scale member. Iron Rock Jura, dressed in tribal garb and a piece of headdress derived from the head of a reptilian creature, berated the group without preamble, sounding quite imperious as he did so.

Jura's reputation preceded him, as everyone but Natsu recognised the imposing man instantly. His words were thus heeded without much complaint, but the momentary truce borne from Jura's reprimand quickly ended as Lucy compared the numbers sent by each guild, which turned into a flaunting contest over who had the stronger mages.

Disgruntled, Jura was about to intervene once more, before his sharp eyes caught sight of Naruto standing apart from the group. Stepping away from the budding quarrel, Jura walked over to the blond mage, the action inadvertently interrupting the squabble that was developing. Jura nodded respectfully at his fellow Wizard Saint. "It's an honour to finally meet you, Uzumaki-dono."

"Likewise, Jura-dono," Naruto returned the greeting.

"I see why Cait Shelter sent only two mages. There is simply no need for more," Jura complimented. "With you on our side, we have a markedly greater chance of victory."

"I'm flattered, Jura-dono, but I'm nowhere near as strong as you imply I am," Naruto shook his head. "Oración Seis members are no pushovers. My presence is only one cog in our entire machine."

"You are far too humble, Uzumaki-dono," Jura smiled congenially. "Tales of your prior feats are spread far and wide. And to have survived two brushes with Oración Seis is quite the accomplishment. Personally, I am quite relieved that you are the mage to lead us into this battle."

"What?" the Trimens chorused in puzzlement.

Hibiki looked particularly flummoxed as the famous Wizard Saint deferred himself to Naruto. "Who is that guy?"

Seeing a golden opportunity to put down the Trimens, Gray took Naruto's side for once. "He's Maelstrom. You know, the guy that goes around beating up dark guilds for fun, and puts dark mages in jail? And guess what, you just insulted him earlier…ooh, I wonder if he's the type to want revenge?"

Hibiki's face paled dramatically, while Gray resisted the urge to cackle. Carla decided to chip in too. She didn't appreciate the Trimens' flirting with Wendy. "He's also a Wizard Saint."

"That guy's on the same level as Jura-san?!" Lyon muttered sceptically. "He doesn't look like much to me…"

Overhearing the conversation happening behind him, Jura turned around to address his guild member. "Heavens no. I'm only the tenth strongest Wizard Saint, or the weakest I should say. Uzumaki-dono is stronger than I by magnitudes. In fact, he's the strongest mage here, and given he's the one to call for this alliance in light of his discoveries on Oración Seis' movements, I propose that we follow his lead in this fight."

"There's no need for that," Naruto protested. "I'm just another participant."

"No, Jura-san is right. Naruto-san, as the only mage here who has had direct clashes with Oración Seis, you are the man most suited to devise our overall strategy and direct us in this battle," Erza stated firmly.

"He fought Oración Seis?" Sherry gasped. "And he's still alive?"

"That's amazing…although I bet he just ran when he met one of them or something," Ren commented, trying to recover some pride for Blue Pegasus. "Ichiya-sama won't retreat, right?"

"Of course not! Unless it's tactically appropriate!" Ichiya grunted in a manly manner, before winking shamelessly at Erza.

Scooting further away from the man, she thought it would be remiss for everyone to disregard Naruto's ability. "Master Makarov was at the scene when Naruto-san fought Oración Seis. According to him, Naruto-san rescued Master Goldmine from the one known as Angel, before taking on four of the six members of Oración Seis."

"F-F-Four?!" Lucy shivered, eyes bulging. She stared at the impassive Naruto with trepidation, finding it hard to believe Erza's words. Everyone in the alliance felt similar sentiments, although Natsu with his typical bravado was not too impressed.

"So what? I'll fight them all myself!"

"W-We brought our airship Christina to bomb Oración Seis from range, so they can't retaliate…and this guy fought four of them on his own?" Eve trembled. "Is he some sort of monster?"

"Be that as it may, I'm nowhere near that powerful. In fact, I lost miserably. All that encounter did was to prove that we need to work together if we wish to take down Oración Seis and prevent them from getting their hands on Nirvana," Naruto said, playing down his skills deftly. "I'm not going to sugarcoat things. This is a life and death conflict, and if we aren't careful, we might not all make it back in one piece. So pay attention, keep your eyes peeled, and don't go gung-ho trying to prove yourself against them."

"Don't give me that bullshit, you bastard!" Natsu shook his fist at Naruto. "You don't give a crap about any of us!"

"Hey, hey, cool it!" Gray hissed, pressing a restraining hand against the pink-haired mage's chest. "We can deal with him later. Focus on what's important. Or do you want to end up burying Lucy or Happy? As much as I dislike him, you've got to admit he's got a point."

"Fine," Natsu huffed, before pointing at Naruto. "I won't fight you now. But once this is over, you and me will settle our differences like real men!"

"You sound too much like Elfman…" Lucy shuddered. "You shouldn't pick fights with crazy strong guys like him…"

"What? I can totally take him!" the dragon slayer fumed, leaving Lucy to bemoan her luck at befriending the temperamental and prideful mage. Who am I kidding…the stronger the guy, the more Natsu will want to fight him…

"Is…is there going to be a problem?" Jura queried, gazing at the commotion that Natsu was making.

"No," Naruto replied taciturnly.

"Very well. Will you be briefing us about what you know then, Uzumaki-dono?" Jura suggested.

Before Naruto could reply, all the windows of the mansion suddenly shattered inwards, showering the alliance with shards of broken glass. The mages all utilized their various abilities to protect themselves from the harmful rain of glass, some with more success than others. Everyone's gazes flew to the second storey where the windows were, desperately seeking a fleeting sight or silhouette of their enemy.

Then the wall behind Naruto exploded, and all hell broke loose.

Author's Notes: Wanted to name the chapter 'Avengers Assemble!', but my story isn't meant to be humorous, so I couldn't :S

Unfortunately, this set up chapter is unavoidable. I want to get on with the violence too, but I've learnt that for a fuller story, you can't just jump straight into action. It's not my best chapter either; I struggled to make it meaningful somehow. But hey, at least the fighting for the next two chapters ought to be good (I hope!). As for Cubellios/Kinana...let's just say she's not her canon counterpart. I bet you guys forgot about her :D

She shouldn't be turning up again until after the Tenrō arc though. I just felt that this was the best moment to mention that she's still alive.

Before anyone asks, no, Naruto doesn't think the dragon slayers will believe his words over Carla's. He's still bluffing her, who has no clue what his relationship with Fairy Tail members is like. Even if Carla knows of Naruto's currently terrible reputation in Fairy Tail, she'll still be afraid of that information reaching Wendy's ears. That's how blackmail works, no?

Of course, a big THANK YOU to my readers for your great support. At first I was writing for myself; now I'm writing for all my lovely readers. I'm so thankful for all your reviews. It's really encouraging to see people liking my work. College is going to start soon, but I'm not going to stop, just slow down. I have too much in store to abandon the story. I'm excited to write those future arcs, and even more excited to hear your responses.

I'll finish this story, come hell or high water.

That's a promise of a lifetime, dattebayo.

P.S. I'm not Naruto, so don't expect my promises to be totally binding :P

P.P.S. When a fanfiction author feels the need to update his rant on his favourite weekly manga, you know that things are going downhill...