A/N - Okay, I know you all were probably hoping for something else, but I'm still trying to get back into the hang of things and I figured this would be a fairly easy chapter to work on.
Anyways, as I mentioned before, my laptop is on the fritz and has become absolutely USELESS to me. I don't have the money to get it repaired, and I can't really afford a new one, so I'm stuck using my Chromebook and my mom's computer. I lost a LOT of data when my laptop screwed up. Thankfully most of it was backed up onto a flash drive, sooo...that's something at least.
Anywho, this chapter deals with a lot of different things, and they're beginning their final mission for the rebels in this chapter. Hopefully you're all looking forward to seeing how that goes!
Without further adieu, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 15 - Saving the Princess
When the party reached the Valley of Corrupted Gravity and approached the site of the Virage battle, they were a bit shocked to see Ao standing there, as if he was waiting for them. "Ah, good of you to show. I had a feeling you'd be back before too long."
Naruto stepped forward and looked into Ao's eye. "Ao? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"
The blue-haired man looked at Naruto and shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. I just came to inform you that we're going to be making a move on Kirigakure soon. We'd very much appreciate your help in taking down Yagura, the Mizukage. Of course, I'm sure you all are very busy, so there's no rush. Mei-sama is willing to wait for your party as long as it takes. She feels that you all are the key to winning the coming battles."
Hinata frowned and said, "We're kind of busy right now. We need to get back to Fletz as soon as possible and save Princess Emille. So I'm sorry, but we can't help you just yet."
Ao frowned, but nodded his head in understanding. "Understandable. Go and deal with that impostor then. After you're finished though, might I ask for your assistance then?"
Dart walked up to the man and patted him gently on the shoulder. "We'd be glad to help in any way we can. Just make sure someone waits for us in Fletz. When we're finished there, we'll gladly come to your aid."
The one-eyed man nodded and said, "Of course. I'll make sure one of our men waits for you in Fletz's tavern. When you're finished in Fletz, go there. He will approach you when you enter. If you are ready, go with him. He will show you to where we are. Farewell and good fortune to all of you." Ao said before vanishing in a Body Flicker.
Rose sighed and shook her head. "You agreed to assist him without asking any of us for advice on the matter. We are trying to find Lloyd. We've got our own problems to worry about without getting involved further in theirs."
Meru frowned and said, "What's the big problem? They need help, so we should help them out. Right?"
Haschel shook his head and decided to add in his two cents. "I'm afraid Rose is right. We've got a lot on our plates already without needing to add more on top of everything. Unfortunately, we've already gotten involved in this country's civil war, and chances are that we won't have any peace until the Mizukage is overthrown. So if we want to have any chance of catching up to Lloyd and whatever else we might have to deal with, we'll need to help deal with their enemies."
Naruto frowned as well and said, "Unfortunately for us, the Kage of any village is naturally incredibly strong. It's not going to be an easy fight. However, if we work together with Mei, we should be able to take him down as a team. I just hope everything will be alright…"
"Regardless, we've wasted enough time as it is just standing here and discussing this. We need to escort Lynn back to the village of Donau, and then we need to make our way to Fletz so we can rescue Princess Emille. We should hurry." Albert said, sounding very insistent.
"Right. Let's get going everyone!" Dart exclaimed before he began to lead the way back towards the Barrens entrance of the Valley of Corrupted Gravity.
The Barrens
Upon entering the Barrens, Lynn walked a few steps in the direction of Donau before turning to look at his saviors. He looked unsure about what to say to them.
Meru smiled at Lynn and said, "Hey! We'll be in Donau soon! Go home quick to her, you handsome man! Kate's worried about you!"
Lynn nodded before looking around at everyone. "Dart, everyone, I cannot thank you enough. But I have to say it, thank you. Now Donau is saved."
Naruto frowned and shook his head. "Not just yet. There's still one threat looming over every city and town in this country: the Kirigakure loyalists. If they aren't stopped, who knows what kind of trouble they could cause you and your city."
Dart nodded his head in agreement with that assessment. "Unfortunately, Naruto is right. This is just the beginning. The Mayor must be taking action now, in response to your courage, Lynn. I just hope it's enough."
"Finally that Mayor is taking action." Meru said, sounding a bit annoyed at the mere mention of the man.
Dart turned to Meru and said with a smile on his face, "Thank you for your guidance, Meru."
Meru folded her arms across her chest and quirked a brow at him. "What are you talking about? It's not over yet."
"What?" the red-clad mercenary questioned, not quite understanding what she was saying.
"Your journey won't be easy. What you guys do is not normal. Monsters like Virage appear, Dragoons, Gigantos, Ninjas, a huge war...I thought they only existed in fairy tales. I can't explain it, but I think there'll be a lot of things I can help you with. So, why don't we go to Fletz now? We can't procrastinate like this, right!?" Meru argued as she paced around a bit before turning to face the party.
Dart sighed and said, "It'll continue to be like a traveling three-ring circus."
"Hey, it isn't so bad. Meru-chan's awesome and I think she'll make a great addition to our party!" Naruto said, offering Meru a bright smile.
"Thank you, Naruto. That means a lot to me." Meru said, a small, but sincere smile stretching her lips.
Lynn chose this moment to interrupt the group. "I'm going." he said simply.
Dart waved and said, "Say hello to Kate for us."
"Please come to our wedding! I'm having it tomorrow if it's possible! Bon voyage!" Lynn exclaimed before turning and taking off in the direction of Donau.
With that, everyone regrouped and prepared to set out on their way back towards Fletz. However, before they could even take a step, Naruto piped up. "Y'know, I want to make sure Lynn makes it back safely. Can we head to Donau first? I know we need to help Princess Emille, but…"
"Yeah! Pleaaaase? It's dangerous for him to be going off on his own like that with all these monsters around. C'mon Dart, let's go make sure he made it back to Donau safely." Meru pleaded.
Rose frowned at this and shook her head. "I'd rather we not make any unnecessary detours, but…"
Dart offered her a smile and said, "There's no harm in sidetracking a bit. Alright Naruto, Meru, we'll head to Donau. C'mon everybody, let's get going!" And with that, they were on their way to Donau, putting their quest to save Princess Emille on hold for a bit.
Donau
Upon entering the city of Donau, they saw a large crowd gathered ahead of them, all of them watching something taking place. Hinata activated her Byakugan and shouted out, "Wow he works fast. They're holding the wedding ceremony already!"
Naruto whistled before he began to chuckle a bit. "He works FAST. Let's get up there and cheer 'em on!" he exclaimed, rushing forward to mingle with the crowd with Meru quickly following him.
Meanwhile, Dart and company stepped up to the back of the crowd and got the attention of a young woman who turned around to look at them. "You must be the people who Lynn invited?" When Dart nodded, she turned back to face the ceremony taking place before them. "The ceremony is reaching a crescendo right now! It's getting fun!"
As the group waited for Lynn and Kate to make an appearance, Naruto turned to Meru and grinned. "I'm gonna be the one to catch that bouquet, just watch!"
Meru smirked at him and shook her head. "Nope! It's gonna be me, hot stuff. I'm catching it!"
Naruto blushed a bit and looked back towards the chapel. "If you say so."
The same young woman from before said, "It's time for the couple to come out." And sure enough, Lynn and Kate emerged from the chapel mere seconds later. As Kate prepared to throw the bouquet, the girl shouted, "Look! She is throwing the bouquet!"
As the bouquet went flying through the air, Dart quickly guided Shana back a few steps and watched as she caught the bouquet herself. Shana smiled at her long-time friend and said, "Thank you." Looking from Dart to Naruto, she waved the bouquet in the air. "Look Naruto! I caught it!"
Dart frowned slightly as that familiar pain in his chest started again. It didn't help when Naruto walked up to Shana and kissed her. "Congratulations honey. Dart, thanks for helping her like that."
"S-Sure...no problem." Dart said quietly in response.
Rose frowned as she looked at Dart. You had your chance and you blew it. Don't go feeling guilty now. She thought to herself in perfect silence as she folded her arms across her chest.
A short time later - Mayor's House
"Thanks to you, the city reclaimed its peace. I cannot explain in words how much I appreciate it." the Mayor said as he shook each of their hands thankfully.
Dart smiled and shook his head. "We just went to get something important back. It is due to you and your people's effort that brought the city back to normal."
The Mayor shook his head no. "No. It was you and your friends who imparted in us the courage to do it. We are wondering if you and your friends would like to settle here now that peace has returned."
"Thank you. But we have something we have to take care of." Dart said as he walked towards the door.
"I understand. It is a shame, but you have to do what you have to do. We don't know what you have to take care of, but we know that you can complete anything you want. Good luck."
Kate smiled at this point and rubbed her belly before saying, "I'll be praying here along with the baby I'm expecting."
"Good luck!" her husband exclaimed brightly.
With that, the party left the Mayor's house and began descending the stairs ahead of them. As they headed towards the entrance/exit of the city, they descended into conversation. "Any idea how we're going to go about rescuing Princess Emille? Do you think she's locked up in her room or something?" Hinata questioned.
Naruto shook his head. "No. I didn't sense anyone in the princess' room the last time we were there. I have no idea where she could have been hidden. But it would be a good idea to search the princess' room for any clues as to where they might have taken her or what might have happened to her."
Hikari sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Even after we've rescued her, we still need to deal with the fake somehow. Most likely we're in for a fight."
Albert frowned and paused for a moment. "Princess Emille is alright. I'm sure of it. At least...she'd better be okay."
Dart placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled at him. "I'm sure she's okay. We're going to head to Fletz now and rescue her, wherever she might be."
Fletz
When they finally arrived in Fletz, they could hear the celebration going on. "That sound; it can't be." Dart said, sounding quite worried.
"It seems the ceremony for Princess Emille's coming of age celebration has already started." Albert said, not at all happy about this.
"We just found out that Princess Emille is a fake." Meru said.
"Actually, we kinda already knew that." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. "But it doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that we have to stop this before the Moon Dagger is passed on to the fake Princess Emille."
Shana stepped forward and shook her head. "It doesn't necessarily mean that the Moon Dagger has already been passed on."
"Precisely. We should hurry." Rose said.
"Let's go!" Dart exclaimed, sounding a bit impatient.
Before venturing to the castle, they quickly stopped off at the bar and gave some Stardust to Martel, who rewarded them with the Wargod's Sash. Afterwards, they rushed towards the castle, prepared to deal with whatever problems might come their way in their quest to stop the fake Emille and rescue the real one.
As they entered the castle grounds, the giant gate keeper appeared behind them and said, "Bad people! Coming in without permission." Naruto and the others turned around, preparing to fight if need be, but the giant gate keeper smiled and said, "Just kidding. I excuse you, because today is such a happy day."
Dart frowned and asked, "When did it start?"
"A moment ago. But just asking doesn't mean you have an invitation. It's so packed you couldn't fit a penny in. Look." Pointing upwards, Dart and company looked up to see a bunch of unfamiliar guards roaming about. "She suddenly got a lot of hanger-ons. There are so many new faces that I have never seen before, and according to rumor, they used to be bandits. See, bad attitude, right?" he continued saying. "They cannot call themselves knights, but nobody can say anything because it's Princess Emille." It was at this point that the giant panicked a bit and said, "Oh! Don't tell anybody about this and I'll let you in!"
Naruto frowned and looked at the others as the giant gate keeper stepped away to continue guarding the front gate. "Come on guys. We need to hurry and find the real Princess Emille."
"Naruto's right! We need to hurry!" Meru exclaimed.
"We should get to her room. Search for clues there." Hikari said before everyone nodded and they rushed off towards the western tower. However, as they ascended the stairs, the bandit guard closest to them stopped them.
"Who the hell are you? They're busy with an important ceremony. Don't even think about bothering them." he said somewhat angrily.
Dart frowned and looked back at the others. "They are not decent knights…" he muttered to them.
The bandit appeared to have heard him though as he said, "Can't you see our armor!? We are the authentic great Knights of Tiberoa!"
"Is Princess Emille in there?" Dart questioned, ignoring the guard's outburst.
"Whoa! You can't go in there. It's not a place for commoners like you. Cuz it's the birthday of our princess!" the same bandit guard exclaimed as he blocked their way to the Chamber of the Sun, a.k.a. The throne room.
Dart prepared to draw his sword, but the bandit shouted out, "Do you really think you can get away with making a scene like that!?"
The red-clad warrior said, "It's special today."
The second bandit approached and said, "Are...are you gonna...make an enemy of all of Tiberoa!?"
Albert stepped up to Dart and whispered in his ear, "Seems like bluffing is not working."
Shana stepped closer and asked, "Can you send a message to Princess Lisa?"
The first bandit said, "She's not here! And it's the birthday of her own sis! I guess she is keeping herself cooped up in her room!"
Dart stepped a few feet away before turning to face the bandit knights again. "I'll be back. Then I'm going to get past you."
Afterwards, they ventured out towards the eastern tower, where they spotted more of the bandit guards patrolling the area. Frowning at this, the group decided that stealth would be the preferred option here, rather than attacking and getting themselves thrown out. So they followed Naruto one at a time as he slipped by unnoticed.
As they reached the top of the tower, they were relieved to see one of the normal guards standing just outside Princess Lisa's room. When he saw them, he let them in immediately.
Once they were inside the room, Princess Lisa turned and said, "I have been waiting for you, everyone. I am ready. Please tell me the truth…"
Dart nodded and began to explain what they had learned. "The Princess Emille attending the ceremony is a fake. A woman who is helping the bandits made the switch a half year ago."
"The star of Princess Lisa has shown the truth." Albert said, smiling at the younger princess.
"Oh thank god… It is impossible for my sister Emille to have such an attitude." Stepping closer to Albert, she looked into his eyes and pleadingly said, "Now, where is my true sister, Emille!?"
"It seems she is confined somewhere in this castle." Albert explained.
"Confined...somewhere in here?" Lisa questioned uncertainly.
Haschel spoke up at this point. "It was the last words of a dying man…. We can trust him."
"It all started out at the time of a horseback ride a half year ago… By taking advantage of the confusion, the mysterious woman switched herself with Princess Emille, and took over Tiberoa with the cooperation of bandits…" Dart said.
"It's an amazing plot." Albert said.
"Heh, that's one way to put it." Naruto said with a slight chuckle. "Personally, I think they're a bunch of bastards for pulling this kinda crap."
"The finale was to be the Coming of Age ceremony when the Moon Dagger would be passed down…" Rose said.
"Princess Lisa! We have to find Princess Emille or we cannot stop the ceremony!" Dart exclaimed, trying to stress how little time they had to solve this mystery.
Shana stepped closer to Lisa and asked, "Is it possible to use astrology to find Princess Emille!?"
"Let me try." Lisa said after a moment. She then raised her arms, holding something shiny between them.. "...All the stars are refusing to tell their story… As if a mist is covering the night sky."
"Then we just have to search every nook and cranny…" Dart said, sounding a bit disappointed at the lack of results.
"Let me come with you. When I am with you, you may be able to avoid some trouble." Lisa said before she and the party left her chambers. Descending back to the ground level, they began making their way stealthily towards the western tower, preparing to ascend the stairs so they could search Princess Emille's room at the top of the tower.
Upon reaching the top of the tower, they approached a couple of the bandit knights, who turned to face them. The first of the two bandits spoke up, "If you wanna talk to Princess Emille, go to the Chamber of the Sun!"
It was at this point that Lisa stepped forward, revealing her presence to the two impostors. "Oh, Pr-Princess Lisa…!? How are you feeling…?" the bandit asked nervously.
"I feel much better. I have to go into my sister Emille's room. Can I come in?"
Shana peered over the edge of the tower and smirked to herself. "It's far away from the bottom of the tower."
Rose saw where she was going with this and said, "Screams won't be heard down there… Why don't we settle this here?"
"Damn it!" the bandit knights shouted as they fled down the stairs, scared out of their minds.
Once they were out of sight, Lisa stepped up to the entrance of her sister's room. "Shall we go? If the real sister Emille is in this castle, she must be somewhere in this room."
Hinata activated her Byakugan while Naruto tried to feel for any presence inside the room. "I don't see her in there anywhere. How about you, Naru-kun?"
Naruto shook his head and said, "Nope. Still don't feel anything. Might as well head in and look for any clues that would point us in the right direction."
With that, they entered the room and looked around in horror. The room was a complete mess! "It is awful…" Lisa said, sounding quite upset.
"Somebody looted the place…" Dart said.
"That makes this room even more suspicious. We might find something here to help us find Princess Emille…." Albert said, sounding hopeful that they'd find something, anything to help them find the real Princess Emille.
"Kongol go outside, watch." the Giganto said before he ventured back outside to keep watch.
"Kongol is too big for this room." Meru said. "I feel sorry for him. I'm gonna wait with Kongol!"
"I'm going too. There are too many people in this room." Haschel said before he, too, left the room.
After he was gone, Dart turned to look at the remaining party members. "Let's split up and search."
As everyone began to look around for any clues, Dart walked up to Shana. "Again, it's something to do with the moon." she said before he could say anything. "The words of Emperor Doel. I might be able to better understand the words "find the girl by the time the Moon That Never Sets waxes…"
Leaving her alone, Dart stepped up to Albert and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Looking up towards his friend, the king said, "What a mess…. There should be some trace in here."
Dart nodded before turning his attention to Hinata, who was looking around with her Byakugan activated. "What do you see, Hinata?"
Deactivating her Byakugan, Hinata said, "Nothing. I don't see any trace of her, and I'm not seeing anything that would help us locate her either. Maybe Naruto's had better luck?"
"He might have. Keep looking Hinata." Dart said before he walked up to Hikari. "Anything yet?"
The redhead turned to face Dart and shook her head. "Besides some scattered food and a messy carpet, I'm not seeing much of anything. I have no idea where she could be."
"Damn. I'll go check with the others. Keep searching Hikari." Dart said before he walked over to Tayuya. "What do you think Tayuya?"
Turning to look at Dart, the redhead shrugged. "Nothing. Though I'm getting some strange vibes from that painting over there. It's so lifelike."
"True. It does seem a bit out of place…" Dart said before he left Tayuya to go and check with Lisa.
"We have to hurry up or a national treasure of Tiberoa will be lost!" she exclaimed in something of a panic.
Dart patted her on the shoulder and told her that everything would be alright before he walked over to Rose, who looked him in the eyes and shook her head. "I feel something in this room." she said, not quite liking what she was feeling.
Leaving her on her own, Dart looked at Naruto who was staring intently at the painting of Princess Emille. "What's up Naruto?"
The blonde looked at his friend for a moment before returning his attention to the painting. "I'm feeling something from this painting. Besides that, doesn't it feel a bit...out of place? Why would she have such an enormous, priceless painting of herself in her own room? This thing doesn't feel right…"
Dart nodded and stepped up to the painting with Naruto at his side. "You're right. This is pretty odd, isn't it?" Reaching a hand towards the painting, he was caught off guard when a brilliant flash of light blinded them. When they all disappeared from the room, Haschel and Meru rushed into the room.
"What was that noise!?" Haschel questioned, sounding quite worried.
"There's nobody here!" Meru exclaimed as she looked around the room for any sign of her friends.
Inside the Painting
When the group appeared inside the world of the painting, they felt a bit disoriented. Turning to look at his friends, Dart asked, "Where are we…? What on earth has happened!?"
Rose looked over the edge of the platform they were on and shook her head. "It seems a Magical space was created in the painting. It seems peculiar…"
"Is this "magic"!?" Dart exclaimed in shock.
Naruto deadpanned as he looked at Dart. "I would assume so, considering Rose-chan just said that this was a Magical space."
Before anyone could say anything more, they heard a voice shouting out, "Dart! Everyone! Where are you!?"
"We are in the painting!" Dart exclaimed as he looked towards the exit.
They soon heard Meru's voice. "Haschel! They must be talking about this!"
Albert stepped closer to their exit and shouted out, "Don't touch the painting! It seems to be linked to the world over here!"
"I got it!" Meru shouted as she and Haschel decided to wait and see what would happen with their friends.
Dart and the others began to look around before Dart pointed across the gap at something, or rather someone. "Look!"
Lisa rushed towards the edge of the platform and called out, "Emille! Sister Emille!"
The mercenary shook his head as he held Lisa back from trying to get to her sister. "It is too dangerous to go any further!"
"Oh… She is Princess Emille…" Albert said as he stared at the princess across from them. He seemed to be awestruck from seeing her beauty.
Rose knelt down at the edge of the platform and looked down. "It is linked with a different dimension… It is too dangerous to jump over."
Albert frowned deeply at this and shook his head. "She is right in front of us…. How can we reach her?"
As the others began to look for any way they could possibly get across the gap, Dart approached Rose. "We have no time to waste or the Moon Dagger will be handed over." she said, sounding quite displeased with their current situation. "If we cannot do anything, the Moon Dagger will be handed over…"
Approaching Shana, Dart was a bit surprised when she shouted out, "I got it! We can help her if we turn ourselves into Dragoons!"
Shana quickly tried to transform, only to fail and collapse to her knees. Naruto and Dart were immediately at her side. "Are you alright!?" Dart questioned worriedly.
Rose spoke up before Shana or Naruto could say anything. "It's hard to transform myself into a Dragoon unless it is during battle. Besides… This magic is rejecting the Dragoons…"
Dart frowned and asked, "What should we do!?"
Shana reached out and tugged on his arm a bit, trying to calm him down. "Calm down… There must be something we can do…"
Approaching Lisa at this point, Dart listened as she began to speak. "Oh, Emille… Why don't you wake up…? Sister Emille…"
Frowning at this, Dart didn't say a word before turning to Albert, who shouted out to the princess across the way. "Princess Emille! Please wake up!" Shaking his head from the frustration, he said, "We are so close to rescuing her… Oh…Princess Emille! Please wake up!"
Approaching Tayuya and Hikari, Dart asked, "Any ideas you two?"
"Well…" Tayuya began, turning to face him while Hikari continued to peer over the edge of the platform they were on. "We ninja could jump across, but I'd rather not risk it. We're not really sure what the hell we can do to get to her at this point."
"Damn. Well…" it was at this point that he noticed Hinata and Naruto staring at a bunch of lights nearby. "Hinata? Naruto? What do you see?"
Turning to look at his friend, Naruto said, "Something's peculiar about these lights. I feel a strange kind of energy flowing through them."
Hinata nodded and said, "Maybe we should try interacting with the lights in some way? It's worth a shot if it gets us any closer to Princess Emille."
Dart nodded and reached out to touch the light. When he did, he said, "Look…" Touching it, he was a bit surprised to see a ball of light travel to the middle of the gap and suddenly transform into a bridge. "We can cross now!"
Albert and Lisa led the party across. When they reached her, Albert shouted, "Princess Emille!"
"Sister!" Lisa exclaimed as she hugged her sister tight, while trying to wake her up at the same time. "Sister! Sister Emille! Please wake up!" When she didn't wake up, Lisa felt like crying. "I cannot wake her!"
"Let me do it!" Albert insisted. When Lisa stepped back, he walked up to Princess Emille and shouted, "Princess Emille! Wake up! Wake up at once or something irrevocable will happen to Tiberoa!"
When the princess began to stir, they were all happy that she was finally showing some signs of life. "Ah… Ahh…"
Lisa smiled brightly and shouted out, "Oh Emille!"
A bright flash emanated from Princess Emille's body, almost as if a spell was breaking. When she finally came to a moment later, she looked between her sister and King Albert. "Lisa… And you…? Where...am I?"
"You have been sleeping for the past six months since we went for a horseback ride, sister." Lisa explained.
"A half year?" Emille asked, sounding quite shocked by this information. "I was sleeping...the half year since the horseback ride…" Standing up, her eyes wide, she looked around at the party. "What about the Coming of Age ceremony!? Yes...what about the Moon Dagger!?"
"It is about to be passed over to another person!" Dart exclaimed.
Stepping forward, Emille looked into Dart's eyes and asked, "Can you explain that to me? About this other person and you?"
Dart nodded and began to explain everything that they knew. When he had finished, Princess Emille frowned and said, "It seems I've troubled you a lot due to my absence. Let us go to the Chamber of the Sun. We have to let people know the truth." And with that, the party left the world of the painting and quickly exited the princess' room.
Descending the tower's spiral staircase, they were soon stopped by a nearby bandit knight. When he approached with a buddy of his, Emille showed herself and she looked quite displeased. "Pr-Princess Emille!? Wh-why are you here!?"
"Thank you for your work. My Coming of Age ceremony is still being held in the Chamber of the Sun, isn't it?"
"Ye-Yes your highness!" the bandit exclaimed, sounding quite nervous and afraid.
When Emille and the party left, descending the staircase, the bandit muttered, "How graceful…"
The second bandit nodded in agreement and said, "There is no comparison with the fake one…"
The first one shouted out, "Hey! There is no time for this! Our plan is not working anymore!"
"We gotta run!" the second one exclaimed before he, and the rest of the bandits, quickly fled the castle.
Meanwhile, the party approached the bandit that had blocked their way to the Chamber of the Sun earlier and, once Emille showed herself, he shouted, "Oops! It's Princess E-Emille…!?"
Emille offered a polite smile as she asked, "Did I make it in time for the ceremony?"
"Ye-Yes!" he exclaimed before he and the last few bandits fled in terror.
Turning around to face the others, Emille asked, "Shall we go?"
Chamber of the Sun
King Zior smiled as he stood up from his throne and took a few steps forward, holding out his arms grandiosely. "You've been filled with 20 years of experience since you came into this world. You have reached the age that deserves the succession of the Moon Dagger as an heir to the throne of Tiberoa. Never forget the blessings of the Sun, Moon, and Stars." Looking around the room, he asked, "Anybody! Are there any objections!?" When nobody said anything, he grinned and said, "I assume this silence to be the approval of the succession."
It was at this point that the real Princess Emille shouted out, "Wait!" as she and the others made their approach. "I have an objection to the succession!"
Zior looked absolutely shocked and stupidly shouted out, "Oh my god!? There are two Emilles!"
The fake quickly rushed up the stairs and snatched the treasured Moon Dagger from Zior's hands before jumping to the balcony. Zior, in his shock and outrage, shouted, "The Moon Dagger! What is going on!?"
"King Zior! That girl is a fake!" Dart exclaimed as he pointed at the fake Emille.
Emille looked away from the fake towards her father for a moment before returning her attention to the fake. "I was put into a sleep for the last half year. During that time, it seems this person was making a variety of social missteps."
Lisa stepped up to her father and said, "Father! That woman was going to take over Tiberoa by forming a conspiracy with the Gehrich Gang!"
"Oh my god!?" Zior shouted again, clearly stunned by these sudden revelations.
The fake Princess Emille chuckled a bit before saying, "Huh! I guess you found out about everything! Don't ya think it's too late? I got this in my hand."
Dart stepped closer to the fake and said, "Look around yourself."
Albert, Rose, and the others surrounded her, but instead of looking scared, she simply smirked. "You think I'm cornered, huh?"
"Who are you?" Dart asked.
"I guess I cannot run in this stuffy dress." the fake said, ignoring Dart's inquiry. "This will be a treat! Let me show ya my true self!" After a brilliant flash of light, a rather voluptuous woman stood there in some punkish clothes, a hand on her hip as she smirked cockily at them. "Surprised, huh? This is the true self of Miss Lenus!"
Dart quickly turned to the real Princess Emille and shouted, "Princess Emille! Please leave the room with the King and Princess Lisa!"
After they left, Dart looked back at the now identified Lenus and said, "The Gehrich Gang has fallen apart! Give us the Moon Dagger!"
Albert brandished his lance and said, "The only chance you have is to give up."
Naruto and the other ninja in the group frowned and shook their heads. "No, she's got something up her sleeves. She's acting far too confident for someone who's apparently cornered."
Lenus grinned and pointed at Naruto. "The kid's got the right of it. A girl in love doesn't know the meaning of the words "give up"! I have managed to get this for my love. I won't give this up so easily."
Rose pointed her rapier towards the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have time to be in love anymore. Because you will die here."
"Interesting! Why don't you try!?" Lenus shouted, sounding somewhat maniacal. Then, the battle was on.
When the fight began, they saw wings appear on Lenus' back and Dart shouted out, "What the heck is on her back!?"
Rose scowled and said, "She's a Wingly!"
"Oh, that can't be good." Naruto muttered. "We've gotta pin her down and kick her ass, or she'll just escape with the Moon Dagger! C'mon everybody, let's give this battle all we've got!"
Unfortunately, as the battle began, they soon saw just how agile and flexible this woman was as she seemed to dance around their attacks and land some devastating kicks and punches to the various party members she attacked. On top of that, she had dual daggers that she liked to link together to turn it into one vicious chakram that she used to really tear into her foes.
As the battle raged on and they dealt as much damage as they could to her, she eventually got fed up with them and began to use the magic she knew as a Wingly. She hit Dart with a very powerful ice spell and collapsed to his knees in agony. Shana quickly went to work healing him while the others continued fighting Lenus to the best of their ability.
So far, she had proven to be an insanely powerful combatant, and with the ability to fly and the power of her attacks, she was making it incredibly hard to pin her down and deal a substantial amount of damage.
Hinata, growing fed up with the bitch, slipped in close and unleashed an Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven technique upon her, sending Lenus crashing into the stairs where she coughed up a glob of blood.
Hikari, taking full advantage of this situation, let loose with a fireball technique, pelting Lenus and causing the woman to scream out in agony. Shortly afterwards, Naruto went flipping through the air before landing a devastating heel drop kick into her stomach, causing the Wingly to spit up more blood.
Lenus, seeing that she was losing the fight against what she thought were a bunch of pushovers, quickly stood up and winced, clutching at her stomach. Slipping around another attack, she stabbed Naruto in the back with one of her daggers before dashing back out onto the balcony overlooking the sea. Turning back to her foes, she said, "You are not bad, I guess…."
As Hinata and Shana began to tend to Naruto, Albert and the others kept Lenus pinned in place, cornering her to the best of their ability. "Give us the Moon Dagger. Don't waste your time on this meaningless battle." Albert said, sounding quite angry.
"Gehrich is already dead." Haschel told her.
Lenus frowned as she looked at the old martial artist. "Gehrich!? I didn't care about the man from the beginning! I told ya! I need the Moon Dagger for my love!"
"Admit your defeat. There is no way to escape." Dart said, pointing his blade at Lenus.
Hikari scoffed at this and said, "Have you forgotten? She's a Wingly! She can still get away! We should kill her while we have this chance!"
"No way to escape, huh!? Hey, you over there! What do you think of that!?" Lenus questioned, pointing straight at Meru. Meru, however, remained silent. The scantily clad Wingly Lenus scoffed and said, "Whatever! See for yourself! Is there no way to escape?!" she exclaimed right before jumping over the railing, falling towards the sea below. When she floated up using her wings, she gave the party a mock salute before saying, "Bye now!" and then took off in a seemingly random direction.
"Wait!" Dart exclaimed, trying to make her stop.
"Oh no… She is a Wingly!?" Albert exclaimed in shock.
Naruto scoffed at this and sat up, staring at his friends. "That's what we've been saying from the beginning when we started fighting her. Weren't you all paying attention? The wings on her back were kind of a dead giveaway."
Rose sighed and said, "The species that dominated the bygone world… She's a survivor."
It was at this moment that King Zior stepped up next to Rose and said, ""People of magic who run across the sky with wings"... Was she here to take it back from Humans?" Nobody knew how to respond to that.
Later
The King and his daughters, Princess Lisa and Princess Emille, were all seated in their thrones, staring down at the party of heroes. "You are the King of Serdio, Albert. Why did you take such a risk?"
Albert shrugged. "It might be self-gratification. However, I would like to settle my friend's score, with my own hands. We are pursuing a man who manipulated the war with Serdio from behind the scenes. My friend was killed by that man. At the same time, the Moon Gem, which belonged to Serdio, was taken away." Turning to look at Dart, Naruto, and the others, Albert continued saying, "We have different reasons, however we are all linked to that man, and here we are."
"You said the Moon Gem. It is a legacy of the Winglies, isn't it?" King Zior questioned.
Dart stepped forward at this point and asked, "Could you please tell us about the Moon Dagger, Your Majesty?"
Zior stood from his throne and looked down on Dart and his friends. "It was after the Dragon Campaign. Humans defeated the Winglies and built Serdio, Tiberoa, and Mille Seseau. They say the few surviving Winglies sent a divine object of the moon as a proof of peace to the three countries. That's all I know about the legend."
"We have the same legend in my country. What is dangerous is that we Humans don't know what the divine moon object is for." Albert stated.
Dart frowned and asked, "You mean the Winglies know everything and formed this entire conspiracy?"
Naruto looked at Meru, seeing how uncomfortable she looked at all of this talk about the Winglies. Walking up to her, he took her hand in his and whispered, "I know you're a Wingly, Meru-chan. I won't tell anyone, as it's your secret to reveal, but I do think you should come clean sooner rather than later. Trust, once shattered, can be hard to earn again a second time. They won't judge you for being a Wingly, I promise. But...I can see how uncomfortable this is making you. Do you want to go for a walk or something?"
Meru looked at Naruto with wide eyes before looking down at their linked hands. Shaking a bit, she offered him a small smile and said, "T-That sounds wonderful, Naruto. But we should wait a bit and hear what they have to say. I want you to explain how you found out what I am, though."
The whiskered blonde chuckled a bit and said, "I'm a sensor. It was really easy to tell. Plus you have the same hair color as Lloyd, and it wasn't all that hard to connect the dots, based on how you were acting when Lenus called you out and based on how uncomfortable you looked just a moment ago."
The dancer giggled a bit and said, "You're just too smart for your own good sometimes, aren't you Naru?"
Before Naruto could respond, they heard Emille's voice saying, "Father. We have to take the Moon Dagger back. Before the stars that have beheld Tiberoa are lost in a shadow."
Zior nodded before looking to the group once more. "It seems that girl of the Winglies got away to Illisa Bay. Now, it's time for an appearance by Commodore Puler. I will send the most powerful warship that Tiberoa has, the Queen Fury. Have Commodore Puler pursue her. Of course, you are more than welcome to be on the boat."
"We appreciate it, Your Majesty." Dart said with a smile on his face.
"It was the first time I've seen a Wingly. But they seem to be beyond our power...so that...we might need your help." the King said somewhat nervously.
Emille stepped down the stairs and looked right into Albert's eyes. "Please take care of yourselves." Then she and Albert lost themselves in conversation for a while.
Meanwhile, Naruto looked at Meru and, without a word to anyone else, took her hand and left the room. He smiled at her and said, "C'mon, let's go have some fun in the city."
"Thank you, Naru." Meru said, blushing a bit as she ran along with Naruto back towards the city proper.
When the others finally noticed that the two of them were gone, Rose scowled and folded her arms across her chest. "Damn it Naruto, what the hell are you playing at, running off with her?"
Hinata giggled a bit and said, "Don't worry too much Rose. It'll be fine. Just let them have their fun."
Shana pouted and said, "Damn. I wanted to run away with him and have another date!"
Hikari giggled as well. "Oh well. Guess we'll just have to wait then."
"I hope they aren't away for too long. We could all use some time to rest at the inn. Then we need to meet the rebel at the tavern and get going. We've still got to take down Yagura after all." Dart said with a frown on his face.
"True. But there's no real rush on that, is there? Let them have their fun." Haschel said.
Naruto & Meru
Naruto smiled to himself as he watched Meru try on various jeweled rings and necklaces, and even a few bracelets. "You know, I was serious about my offer. Whatever you want, I can buy for you. Have you found anything you like?"
Meru turned to smile at her friend as she held up a few bracelets. "I think these are super cute. But, I don't really need anything. I'm just happy to spend some time with you, away from the others. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being around them, but…"
"I understand Meru-chan. They don't understand you yet, and hiding a secret for so long can be so hard. Believe me, I know the feeling all too well. You see...the night I was born, I had a beast known as the Kyuubi sealed inside of me after it went on a rampage in my village. Ever since then, people have treated me like I was the Kyuubi itself. It...wasn't a good life. It doesn't help matters any that I've had to hide the fact that I'm the Kyuubi jinchuriki from the younger generation and ninja from other villages."
Sighing softly, Naruto looked into her eyes and said, "The bigger secret I've had to keep is the fact that I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage and a woman by the name of Kushina Uzumaki. They married in secret and had me. They died on the night of my birth. I know that if it ever got out that I'm their son, one of two things would have happened. One, everyone would claim I was lying and would likely try to hurt me for daring to slander the Fourth in such a way. Or two, they'd start kissing up to me and act like they'd never hurt me in any way. Either way, it would only make things worse for me."
Meru frowned and reached out, gently taking Naruto's hand in hers. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with everything they've obviously put you through. If it helps any, you don't have to hide anything from me. Just like you're being there for me and trying to make me feel better, I want to be there for you too. So if you ever need to talk to somebody, I'll always be here for you Naru."
Naruto smiled and gave her a gentle hug. "Thanks Meru-chan. Now, let's buy you those bracelets and be on our way. Personally, I'm feeling rather famished. I could use something to eat, what about you?"
The platinum-haired dancer smiled and nodded. "Agreed. I bet the tavern has some good food available."
"Probably." Naruto said simply before he stepped up to the counter and paid for the bracelets. Afterwards, he and Meru stepped outside and, linking their hands together again, they began heading towards the tavern. However, as they passed by the house of their friend, Fester, the two of them paused. Ahead of them, apparently waiting on them, was the rest of their group. It was at this point that Naruto remembered what they had to do and he chuckled somewhat nervously. "Uh...sorry guys. Kinda needed to get out of there and do something else. Shall we get something to eat?"
Rose sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, let's get some food and then get some rest at the inn. That fight took a lot out of us."
Heading inside the tavern, they quickly noticed the man that looked quite out of place. When he began to approach them, Naruto's first instinct was to draw a kunai and stick it through this man's throat, but he took the more rational course of action and waited to see if he was the man they were meant to meet here.
"Are you Dart and company?" he questioned upon reaching them. When they nodded, he continued. "Good. I'm here to take you to where we've set up camp. Are you ready to leave, or do you need some time to prepare yourselves?"
Hinata spoke up for the group. "We've just been through a rough battle. We need to eat some dinner and get some rest for the night to recover. We'll return in the morning. Is that alright?"
The man offered them a smile and nodded his head. "Of course. I saw that woman flying off earlier. I'm not at all surprised that you've had to deal with such a foe. Go ahead and get something to eat and then head to the inn. I'll be here when you're ready to go."
"Thank you." Shana said before she and the others all took a seat at the circular table and waited for Kaffi to come take their orders.
While they waited, Rose looked between Naruto and Meru and frowned as she saw them holding hands. "So, what did you two do after ditching us?"
Meru simply smiled as she said, "Naru and I just needed to get out of there for a while. It was stifling in that big old castle. All we did was go around and have some fun. It's not like we were doing anything naughty."
Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded in agreement. "Meru-chan was looking a bit uncomfortable being in such an environment. I figured I'd take her out of there and do something to take her mind off of everything. I hope that's not a problem?"
Hinata spoke up before Rose could. "Of course not Naru-kun. That was very considerate of you." However, her eyes conveyed another message that Naruto easily picked up on. I know what she is. I also know why you really took her out of there. That was very nice of you Naruto-kun.
The blonde blushed a bit and nodded once to signify he understood her unspoken message. For the time being, he would just continue to be there for Meru and do what he could to make sure she was happy.
The Next Morning
"Good morning to all of you. I hope you're ready to go, because I'd rather not keep Mei-sama waiting for much longer." the same shinobi from yesterday said when Dart and company entered the tavern early the next morning.
"We're ready. It's time to put an end to Yagura's reign and put someone new in charge of Kirigakure." Dart said, a serious look on his face.
"Good. Follow me."
As they followed the man out of the city of Fletz, they couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved. They all had a bad feeling that things were going to get ugly real fast, real soon. If only they knew how right they were…
Rebel Camp
Upon arriving at the camp where the majority of the rebels were waiting for them, they seemed to immediately become the center of attention. All the looks they were receiving had them feeling a little unnerved, but they chose to follow the man that had led them here and do their best to ignore the looks sent their way.
As they entered the largest tent, they weren't surprised to see Mei, Ao, and Chojuro, along with a handful of other people, going over maps and strategies for their upcoming battle. Upon noticing them, Mei smiled brightly and said, "Welcome! I'm so happy you decided to aid us. We're finally ready to take the fight to Yagura. Please tell me you're here to help?"
Naruto nodded. "Yes, we've come to offer you our assistance. We have something very important we need to do, and we can't have Yagura and his loyalists getting in our way anymore. Since you're taking the fight straight to him, we're more than happy to get in the mix and kick his ass. Is there anything you can tell us about him, so we know what to expect?"
The auburn-haired woman frowned and lowered her gaze. "Yagura is the Sanbi jinchuriki. He's incredibly powerful and a hard foe to fight, let alone kill. He's deadly with his club and skilled in Water and Wind techniques. It won't be an easy fight."
"We didn't expect it to be. But it sounds like Kongol and I are going to need to watch out for his attacks, as we're vulnerable to water and wind attacks respectively." Dart said.
"Then perhaps you two would be more comfortable fighting his men?" Mei questioned, sounding a bit unsure.
Kongol shook his head and looked at Dart, who smiled. "No, we'll fight Yagura alongside the rest of you. We're not afraid, and we won't back down from this fight. Just tell us the plan and we'll take the fight to him."
Mei smiled and nodded her head. "Of course. Now, here's what we were thinking…"
Later that Day - Near Kirigakure
"Alright, are we all ready?" Dart questioned his party. "Because we move on Mei's signal."
Rose sighed and nodded her head once. "We're ready. I wish we didn't have to involve ourselves in their war, but Yagura is just going to keep getting in our way if we try to chase after Lenus and Lloyd. More importantly, however, is the possibility of Lloyd being near Yagura. He has sided with him, after all. If we see him, we take him down. Is that understood?"
Naruto frowned at this and shook his head. "As much as I want to pay that bastard back for what he did to Lavitz, our primary target this time is Yagura. He's more of a danger to us than Lloyd is right now, so we need to focus on him first and foremost."
Before Rose could protest, Albert spoke up. "He's right, Rose. I, probably more than anyone, would love to put an end to Lloyd right now. However, we can't risk dividing our attention between him and Yagura. If it comes down to making a decision about who to go after...I'll be picking Yagura."
Rose sighed and nodded her head in understanding. "Very well. Yagura will die today. That is a certainty. However, if Lloyd decides to interfere in our affairs, he will be dealt with."
"Agreed." Dart said before he noticed something nearby. "That's the signal! Come on everyone, it's time!"
Rushing from their hiding place, the party of heroes rushed towards the village of Kirigakure, each of them ready to end this war as soon as possible with the death of Yagura. Here we come you son-of-a-bitch. You're going to pay for your crimes!
A/N - And that's the end of the chapter! It's a bit shorter than my usual chapter, but I really felt that was the best place to end the chapter.
As you can see, Princess Emille was rescued, the Moon Dagger was stolen, Naruto and Meru have had a bonding moment, and they're getting ready to kill Yagura! All kinds of fun, huh?
Anyways, I'm not sure what I'll work on next. I can get back to working on chapter 2 of The Love of a Saiyan, but I've been stuck on that for a while now. x.x I've made very little progress on that chapter and it's quite honestly frustrating as hell. So I might continue to work on other chapters until I get the mojo needed to work on that chapter. Who knows?
I'm tired, stayed up all night working on this chapter. So yeaaaah...you guys and girls take care and I'll just go and get some rest. Ta ta!