Here's a chapter that will set up the arc better than the last three chapters. Chapter twenty will be the true start of the Hogwarts/ Elden Ring Crossover.
Some slight changes have been made, and will be discussed in the bottom, where the author's notes are. Anyways, please enjoy reading this chapter!
Pacing around the phone, appearing to be a nervous wreck as he anxiously kept looking back-and-forth at the whimsical cartoon-cat wall clock that they had mounted in their living room, Kaneki was beginning to worry that Sen Takatsuki, his childhood friend, wasn't ever going to call. "What if… What if he doesn't remember me, Haise? Or worse… What if he does remember me, and just doesn't want anything to do with me?"
Although Sen wasn't as important to him as he was to his younger brother, Haise knew how much Kaneki valued the green-haired 'boy', which is why he was sitting on the living room couch to give his brother emotional support. Or at least was trying to.
Shrugging while keeping his eyes focused on the paragraph he was reading about Jiraiya's hot take on 'Garfield the Cat', which was included in the famous ninja's autobiography, 'Cartoons and Comics that I like'. "Umm… I don't know? You'll probably be pretty bummed out about it, but then hopefully move on within a week or so?" Haise said nonchalantly, while chuckling as he read the part of the chapter where Jiraiya wrote about how much he both loved and despised Garfield at the same time.
'Ah, Garfield the Cat… Such a classic comic strip. I remember reading it back when I was on my research trip to Amagakure. Garfield has a very interesting personality, and who can't relate to hating mondays?' Haise read to himself, while trying to listen to Kaneki whining about Sen at the same time. 'I have a complicated relationship with the orange furball. His crippling addiction to lasagna has led him down a path of debauchery, in order to find his next fix from his pathetic excuse of an owner. Yet, despite being a fat-ass whose selfishness and laziness gets in the way of helping Jon Arbuckle, I must admit that… Actually nevermind, I hate Garfield. He's stupid, lazy, and narcissistic. He does nothing for anyone, and only cares about his own comfor-'
"-Oop, the phone's ringing— you oughta answer that," Haise said aloud, the moment the landline phone began to ring loudly. Putting a bookmark between the pages of the book before closing it, Haise sat the piece of literature down on the coffee table and sat with a curious smile on his face as he watched Kaneki pick up the phone in record time— intriguing not only his older brother, but Tamamo as well, who immediately manifested herself beside Haise, just so she could try to eavesdrop.
Bringing the phone speaker up to his ear, Kaneki felt his heart pounding in his chest, the young man swallowed back the lump in his throat as his trembling lips struggled to form a coherent sentence. "Uhh… K-Kaneki and Sasaki residence, this is Ken Kaneki speaking, h-how can I help you?" Kaneki asked nervously, while glancing over toward Haise and Tamamo, he did their best to silently reassure him by smiling at him, and giving him their thumbs up of approval.
"… Hello Ken, it's… Is that really how you sound now?" A charming-feminine voice asked from the other line, which was recognizable to Kaneki.
"S-Sen? Sen, y-yeah! Yeah, it's me… Hehe, uh… Yeah, yeah this is how my voice sounds like now— you know, puberty and all that," Kaneki replied back with blushing cheeks, as he felt metaphorical butterflies swarming wilding inside his stomach.
"Huh… I like it— it suits you very well," Sen replied back over the phone, while sounding just as nervous and excited to speak to Kaneki as he was to talk to him. "I… I've missed you, uh… I-I am deeply sorry that I'm being awkward right now, it's just… I never thought you'd actually read out to me, not after… Not after I left without ever telling you where I was going," Sen admitted with a surreal feeling that was reflective in the way he spoke to him.
Shaking his head while keeping the phone pressed to his ear and mouth, Kaneki let out a quiet scoff beneath his breath. "That's ridiculous, Sen— I never stopped thinking about you, and I've always wanted to rekindle that flame between us, it's just… I too was under the assumption that you didn't want to talk to me either— I figured back then that you left without saying goodbye for a reason," Kaneki explained, which elicited a moment of thoughtful silence from the other line.
Breaking the tension by chuckling humorlessly, Sen let out a sigh before gathering his composure. "… It would appear as though we've been living under the fear of possible rejection. I want to let you know Ken that I… I still love you, just as much as I did back then— I've wanted to tell you that for so long now, but… But the circumstances of my complicated upbringing made me convince myself to keep that truth away from you, and everyone else— including myself for the longest time…"
Feeling beyond joyful upon hearing how his childhood beloved had always had deeper meaning behind their acts of what he thought were passionless sex, Kaneki couldn't help but to feel ashamed of himself for being just as guilty for not rekindling his relationship with Sen any sooner than he did. "Sen, I… I've always loved you too, and I haven't stopped since the night we spent out under the stars…"
"… When you, Haise and I went out on that mission, to deliver that package to Iwagakure… It was one of our first missions together as genin," Sen reminisced with a nostalgic tone in his extremely feminine and alluring voice, as both he and Kaneki thought about the night that they set up in the mountainous terrain just outside the village's outer walls. "… I'd say that I'm surprised that you remember that night, but knowing you Ken… A part of me has always known that you knew how I felt, even when I told you afterward that we were just 'teammates with benefits', and nothing else."
Smiling fondly of that moment in his head, while reliving the memory of feeling confused when Sen told him all those years ago that the kiss they shared meant nothing romantically to him, Kaneki chuckled softly before sighing. "I might have believed in it, but then you kept trying to get me alone to kiss me more, and then… And then, well… Haise and Tamamo are in the room with me, and I really don't want them knowing the details of what we did together," Kaneki said with a playful smirk directed at the two on the couch, who immediately tried looking unsuspecting and innocent the moment he caught them leaning in to listen.
From there on, Kaneki and Sen talked for hours on the phone— catching up about what they did after the ninja academy. When it came time for the discussion of when they could meet in person, that's when Sen asked if Kaneki would be available tomorrow morning to have breakfast at the 'Monochrome Rainbow' bookstore— stating that he had an important thing he wanted to show him, and made to stress just how much he wanted to see Kaneki.
Having eavesdropped along with his servant, Haise knew prior to Kaneki answering Sen's call that he had already made plans to come with Naruto's friends to accompany them on their mission to Hokage Rock. Before Kaneki could reluctantly explain to Sen that he couldn't go, Haise had Tamamo use her telekinesis to pull the phone out Kaneki's hands, before taking the black communication-device from her.
"Hey Sen, it's Haise! Ken will be free tomorrow, so expect to see him," Haise quickly said into the microphone of the phone, before having Tamamo telekinetically levitate the black handle of the device back to the bewildered young man standing just a couple meters from the couch.
"Oh hey Haise, uh… That's good, that's good! But, uh… I was talking to your brother, so if you could put him back on-"
"-Hello Sen, it's me again. Haise, just… Wanted to answer that question on my behalf, it would seem, haha, heh," Kaneki explained while pretending to laugh it off, all while simultaneously narrowing his eyes at Haise while mouthing the words 'What the fuck?'
Getting up off the couch, Haise walked over to Kaneki before leaning in to whisper in his free ear, "Don't worry about it, I'll go instead… You go on ahead, and catch up with your 'butt buddy'~!" Haise said teasingly with a chuckle, which immediately opened him up for his younger brother's rebuttal.
Holding his palm over the microphone of the phone to prevent Sen from hearing what he had to say, Kaneki smiled confidently at Haise before asking, "Is that what you called Juuzou, Haise? Did you call him your 'butt buddy', or did you call him something else during all the times you two had sex? Because I know what he called you. It was 'Daddy', wasn't it-"
"-Okay, okay, shut up, I'll be quiet now— teh, heh heh, heh…" Haise interrupted with an embarrassed chuckle, while Tamamo silently laughed at the two brothers with an amused look on her face.
Breaking his playful composure by laughing alongside his brother and Tamamo, Kaneki closed his eyelids and smiled brightly while uncovering his palm from the bottom receiver of the phone. "Hahaha, ah… S-Sorry about that Sen, Haise and I were just screwing around," Kaneki said apologetically while still smiling, which must have been infectious because he could tell by the way Sen spoke that he too was grinning on the other line.
"Pffttt…! You guys were always fun to be around— even if everyone else thought you two were weirdos," Sen mused, and let out another chuckle before sighing happily. "But that's okay, I'm a weirdo too— that's probably why I like you guys so much. Us black sheep gotta stick together, right?"
"Hehe, y-yeah— my thoughts exactly," Kaneki replied back, while whole-heartily agreeing with what Sen had said about their little group of misfits. "But, uh… Y-Yes, uh… Tomorrow morning works for me. What time did you want me to be there?" Kaneki asked, while Haise gave him a signal with his hands to motion to him that he was going to go upstairs to start backing for tomorrow morning's mission.
"Eight o'clock, if you don't mind— I've always been a morning person, and the shop keeper's assistant manager will be there too to open up the bookstore for us… I-I alrighty got the approval by her to do so— her and I are, uh… Very close," Sen said with a slight bit of anxiety in his voice, which Kaneki could be slightly odd but didn't think to question him about it.
"That would be ideal, Sen… I should probably let you go now— I've got to take a shower still, and I'll be needing to get ready for bed soon if I'm going to be well rested for our breakfast together," Kaneki explained, and felt nervous about needing to end their conversation with the person who he had always considered to be his soulmate.
Sounding just as anxious to hang out as he was, Sen murmured something inaudible beneath his breathing before sighing. "… It is late, isn't it? It probably is best that I let you go— I myself should be following your example, and get myself in bed as well," Sen said reluctantly, while sounding bummed that their first conversation in over seven years was coming to an end.
"Alright, then… Goodnight, SenI… I-I love you," Kaneki said with a warm feeling growing in his chest, as just saying those words to him made the black-haired young man feel euphoric. "I'll… I'll see you in the morning, okay? I'll bring breakfast tomorrow, if you bring the coffee, okay?" Kaneki asked, and patiently waited for Sen to respond, only to be met with what sounded like silence on their end. "… S-Sen? Sen, did you catch any of that?"
"… W-What? Oh! Y-Yeah, yeah… I'll, uh… I'll use my mom's recipe, and make sure to bring enough for you to take home to your brother," Sen said with a seemingly distracted voice, before taking a few more silent moments to recompose himself before speaking. "I-I'm sorry Ken, I… I think hearing that coming so naturally out of your mouth, it… It actually kinda made me tear up a bit… I… I never thought I'd hear that from you, and actually still mean it," Sen admitted, while sniffling over the phone before blowing her nose while softly laughing.
Completely understanding what Sen meant, since he was familiar with the way that he always had a difficult time with understanding his own feelings, Kaneki gave his childhood love some slack by giving him the reassurance that he deserved. "You don't have to apologize, Sen… I'm happy that I met you, and that we can continue where we last left off… That is, if that's something that you're still interested in."
"Y-Yes, yes— I'm really, really excited to be a part of your life again, Ken! Thank you, thank you for giving me a second chance, I… I won't jeopardize the love that we have for each other ever again, I promise," Sen declared with a determined tone behind his words, before letting out an apologetic chuckle. "Alright, alright, alright— I gotta let you go now, otherwise we're going to be on the phone all nightI… I love you Ken. I'll talk to you in the morning; have a great night," Sen said thoughtfully with a heartfelt genuine tone in her voice, which instantly made Kaneki feel smitten.
"Hehe, haha, ah… I-I love you too, Sen… You're right, it does feel a bit overwhelming to hear your loved one say 'I love you' like that… I-In a good 'overwhelming' way, of course!" Kaneki stammered out, while trying not to offend Sen before even getting to see how he looked now.
"Pffftt, hehe… Go to bed, Ken— that's an order from your 'Team Leader'," Sen said playfully, before kissing Kaneki over the phone.
Playing along with Sen's affection, Kaneki audibly made a kissing sound over the phone as well, before finally hanging up after having spoken to Sen for nearly three-and-half hours straight. Left with a smile on his face, Kaneki found himself feeling like a kid again as he exceedingly ran up the flight of stairs, so he could thank Haise for giving him the opportunity to meet Sen tomorrow morning, rather than having to reschedule altogether.
Meanwhile, within the cave system hidden amongst the rocky terrain of Hokage Rock's peak, Kira Namikaze led the expedition of his assigned group down into the depths of Konoha's iconic mountain. Illuminating the way beside Kira using a 'starlight' spell to create a brilliant floating ball of white-light above her head, Melina walked alongside him, as the three White Suit elites behind them followed from a distance.
"… Your alliance with these men is confusing, Kira; I sense that your morals exceed those of Yamoori," Melina mused aloud while the group ventured deeper into the heart of the mountain— her calm voice echoing through the rocky halls of the cavern. "Yet, even so, you and Yamoori both justify the means to an end. I'm getting the notion that you don't value life either, but yet you hold a reverence for it…"
"I… I want the best for everyone, even if that means I must play the role of the villian," Kira replied, while trying to hide his true intentions from the gangsters— all three of them being none the wiser that Kira had already turned their servants against them.
"Even if it means causing so much death to those who don't deserve to have their lives taken away unjustly?" Melina questioned, while hearing two of the gangsters behind her snickering at the way she spoke. Since she had gifted only Kira and Yamoori with the knowledge to understand her language, the unsuspecting White Suits were just assuming that she was talking nonsense to Kira.
"In the end, life and death are two sides of the same coin. What truly matters is the potential behind a soul— the way we need to sacrifice those to achieve our goals is unfortunate, but the hardest goals require the strongest willpower to achieve… I take no pleasure in what we're about to do," Kira said with a solemn look in his blue eyes, as the group finally reached the bottom chamber of where their universe would be able to connect to where they would need to travel, in order to obtain the Deathly Hallows. "What about you? If you hate Yamoori so much, why are you helping us? What's stopping you from betraying us?"
Thinking about her own reasons for not trying to turn on those who summoned her, Melina furrowed her brows as they moved into the stone-brick laden walls of the sacrifice chamber, which had been constructed before Konoha had come into existence. "… I am but a maiden, I serve only to turn fragments of runes into power. When I existed in the Land Between, my purpose was to be used and kindle fire, to be sacrificed and used to further the prophecy of someone above me who claimed to be my benevolent superior… Guiding and serving those who I've made an accord with is all I've ever known."
Remaining silent while growing even more wary of the strand one-eyed woman beside him, Kira couldn't help but to make the assumption that the only reason behind Melina not betraying them was merely because she herself having any other reason to exist, except to be used in someone else's grand scheme. 'Yet… All you need is a catalyst to make you find worth in yourself, and then that servile attitude of yours will be yesterday's news,' Kira thought suspiciously about Melina, as they approached the other 'woman' from her home universe that he didn't trust either.
Standing tall, wearing a white frilly dress that was outdated like the clothes beneath the black robe that Melina wore, stood a puppet with a robust-porcelain chest, and curvy hips. Having existed without a body of her own when she too was summoned by Kira, Ranni had to had her soul outfitted with a voluptuous four-armed puppet of a stark-white skinned woman with long-wavy cyan hair, while the top of her head was covered in an enormous cottage-core-like witch's hat, which looked far too big for her artificial body.
With a glowing blue rune etched into her cheek and underneath her closed eyelid, extremely similar to the way Melina's eye was as well, Ranni stared expectantly at Kira as she stood before the twelve captive-ninjas that they took from the search-and-rescue mission. "Greetings Melina, and greetings to you as well, Fallen Priest… I see that the chess-pieces have been set; on your mark, I will create the rune with the blood of those native to this world… The rest I'll leave to Melina," Ranni said with a slightly amused tone in her cold-cold voice, as she herself was curious to see what the universe of sorcery could do for her.
Taking a moment to take a look at the starved and hopeless expressions on all the captives, including the seismologists that they had to use as sacrifices, due to their team meddling in their affairs after they were sent to investigate the shockwave created from their first test run of the ritual, Kira went out of his way to read each man and woman their final rights— praying over them and promising each of them that their sacrifice would be rewarded, and that they would all have their own slice of 'Heaven' in the end.
With a heavy heart, Kira walked out of the area that Ranni would need to draw the rune on the stone-floor beneath their feet, and turned around to stare her in the eye before saying, "… On your mark."
"It's about time that we begin— the constant waiting around was beginning to bother me," Ranni said with a sigh, as she extended her two right arms out before summoning her nearly seven-foot long claymore in her hands: the 'Dark Moon Greatsword', which was a large two-sided blade that was potent with concentrated chakra that exceeded the potential that the 'Truth Seeking Orbs' themselves had.
Without bothering to speak to the men and women she would be needing to kill, Ranni proved her dexterity and skills with the blade— revealing that she possessed the physical and agile prowess of a skillful and immortal servant. Within less than a fraction of a microsecond, Ranni had decapitated her captives, and eagerly began dipping her hands into the open wounds of her sacrifices— collecting as much of their warm blood as her four hands could gather, before kneeling down to begin painting an ancient rune on the floor that she never thought she'd ever have the chance to make before.
Being the knowledgeable witch that she was, it didn't take Ranni more than five minutes before completing the extremely complicated rune on the floor. "I've done my part, it's your turn to cast an invocation spell on the rune, Melina. According to my calculations, this rift will create a safe enough wormhole for us to travel though the outskirts of this universe with, and all without risking cutting the link between this dimension and the 'Throne'," Ranni explained to both Melina and Kira.
Having read all about Nagato's theory of the universe, along with Madara's findings that served as evidence for the claims made by the Akatsuki's leader, Kira seemed genuinely surprised that Ranni knew what she was talking about, and how it actually made sense to him. "Huh, impressive… I assumed that you were oblivious to fundamentals of the multiverse, seeing how Melina was oblivious to the mere concept of it when she first came here," Kira pointed out, which boosted Ranni's ego while making Melina feel inferior to the spirit controlling the porcelain puppet.
"You forget that astronomy and physics work hand-in-hand with witchcraft, Kira. Why, you wouldn't know it, but science and math are both extremely important for a witch to be knowledgeable of, otherwise you merely have second-rate spellcasters who aren't capable of creating— just mimicking the work of those greater than themselves," Ranni said proudly, while being sure to give a shadful glance over at Melina. "Besides, I've spoken with Madara and Gilgamesh while in the 'Throne', Kira. I know what to expect. The real question here is if YOU know what you're doing."
"Hmph… I suppose there's only one sure-fire-way of finding that out, isn't there?" Kira mused back, responding to the 'Moon Witch' herself, before taking a step back while patting Melina on her shoulder. "Make it happen," Kira ordered, before motioning for the rest of them to stay back to give the maiden enough space to work her magic.
Pulling her hood back, Melina walked over to the edge of the blood-painted rune to place her hand over the rune. Getting in tune with the chakra in which ran deep in the dark-crimson stain in the middle of the chamber, Melina closed her eyelids and concentrated on adjusting her magicka to ignite the rune in a way that tear open a hole in their fabric of reality just enough to not completely annihilate it, like the world she saw Yamoori trying to claim lordship over.
Once she felt her soul becoming connected to the 'Throne' through the chakra-laced rune beneath her, the earth shook violently and the air around them tasted like cooper— giving everyone not only in the cave, but the entire universe the same sensation that one would feel from watching lightning crackling in the sky during a midnight storm.
Opening her scarred eye to reveal a blinding white-light shining from her socket, Melina's body seized up and started to convulse violently as the rest of them watched as a three-meter long tear began to form in the center of the chamber, in which they could see oak trees and other forest floral through the thin window they could see through the tear of reality— similar to the one that they used to travel to-and-from the universe occupied by Yamoori.
"It… It actually worked," Kira muttered with an awed look in his eyes, as he himself had doubts about the success of their first actual attempt of safely creating an inter dimensional wormhole outside the fabrics of their cluster of sister universes.
Chuckling smugly at Kira's surprise, Ranni moved past where Melina was laying flat on her face against the bloody remains of her rune, all while saying, "As if there were any doubts, Fallen Priest."
Standing by while waiting for Ranni and the three White Suit gang members to enter through the portal, after the brave witch made it clear to them that it was safe to travel through, Kira waited until he was left alone with Melina before finally addressing her, now that she was in such a vulnerable state. "… You mentioned that you live to serve, yes? Or rather, you live to die for a purpose higher than your own existence, yes?" Kira asked ominously, while kneeling down to extend his hand out for Melina to stare at.
"Y-You're… You're not going to dispose of me…? Even when you were transparent with how much you viewed me as an unknown variable…?" Melina questioned with a confused look on her face, as she tried to comprehend why someone like Kira wasn't taking the opportunity to kill her when her body had been zapped of all its magicka. "Why…? What do you gain from helping me…? I've served my purpose, haven't I?"
Remaining stoic while Melina cautiously took his hand, Kira helped her up to her feet before taking a white handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe the blood that had accidentally gotten smeared on her face from when she collapsed onto the floor. "What use is becoming a martyr if there's no reward for such service? Yamoori might have seen you as a tool, but I see a woman who has given herself to others her entire existence… What if I told you that I can give you the ultimate reward for all the lifetime's worth of service that you've given to others?"
And there we have it, Kira is trying to get Melina to become loyal to him, so he can get more use out of her rather than just killing her off and being done with it. Apologies if there was too many references of pseudoscience in this chapter, just wanting to cement the theme that this is a massive multi-franchise crossover, and I wanted to show the reader how they open portals, where as Kaguya could only transport herself to alternate dimensions, Melina and Rinna were able to create a safe wormhole through two different and vastly separated universes, all without destroying anything major, like Madara and Gilgamesh.
Oh, and of course, gotta love the fact that Jiraiya wrote a book about which cartoons and comics he recommends, and which ones he doesn't like at all.
Okay, gotta speedrun these reviews.
Overall, thank you to everyone who enjoyed the Sakura and Mebuki lemon, I'm just out here trying to do the Lord's work by giving Naruto the treatment he deserves. Next lemon might be Naruto x Tenten, or Kaneki x Eto. Oh, and I chose Haise to take Kaneki's place in the mission, because I for one want to be able to write about both of them instead of just one. Kaneki can have his slice of life, and Haise can accompany Naruto while in Hogwarts. Kaneki can go there some other time. Plus, Haise has Tamamo, who is an extremely powerful caster, so she's more suited for Hogwarts than even Kurama.
The only reason why Melina hasn't turned on the White Suits yet is simply because she doesn't have any other options available to her. If she kills Yamoori, then what? She has nowhere to go, so she's just going along with it for now, and she'll start to trust Kira, only to experience what true friendship and love is like once she meets Harry Potter.
Won't include Elizabeth yet, but she'll come after the Hogwarts Arc, once she realizes that the White Suits are messing with the entire multiverse by creating their own links between universes. Ranni isn't necessarily evil in this, she just wanted to go to Hogwarts, she could give two shits about the White Suits, but she is interested in getting the Holy Grail for herself. So yeah, she's planning on stabbing Kira in the back once she's able to get the Holy Grail for herself, but she settles with creating a life for herself at Hogwarts like Melina and Malenia, and even Miquella.
But lol, I love the idea of Ranni getting turned into a toy and getting fucked with by bratty kids.
And again, thank you for suggestions on how Kaneki and Eto can smash, it all helps. And yeah, so far, Haise will be getting Ryouko as his main waifu, and then the rest of his harem will be femboys. Ryouko can be the soft-sweet mommy dom for his harem, while Haise is getting femboy bussi. Hell, might have Miquella trying to get Haise's attention.
And having Kurotsuchi being into rough sex and BDSM is delicious, especially if we take into account that Konan can be the mommy dom of Naruto's harem, and could punish his other wives and girls during sex— binding them, whipping them, spanking them, and touching them while Naruto pounds them. And good idea for Koyuki getting included too, I'll have her along with other women be married to Naruto through marriage proposals too in the future.
That way, we can take a trip to the Land of Springs in the future too, and other places. Naruto will have a wife from each village at this point, lol.
Anyways, that's all for now. Oh, and Melina doesn't have Torrent, just because Torrent is still in the Land Between. Okay, bye bye!