A/N - Okay, first thing you should note is that this chapter is quite a bit shorter than my usual chapter length, but I found a good place to end the chapter and left it at that. *shrugs*

Anyways, a few things happen in this chapter, and some of you may be upset with me for what I chose to do in the chapter, others might like it. I dunno. Just read on and see what you think. Enjoy!

Chapter 6 - Conflicting Emotions

As the party of four entered the tavern in pursuit of Rinoa and Quistis, they heard a woman talking to Rinoa. "Rinoa! I heard your base is in serious trouble. Come over to my place until things settle down."

Rinoa offered the woman a smile and said, "I appreciate it. Thank you…"

It was at this point that Quistis noticed Squall and the gang. "What are you waiting for? Come on!" before she and Rinoa followed the kindhearted woman out of the tavern.

Naruto rubbed at the back of his head and sighed. "Might as well. Not like we've got any better options available to us."

Squall shrugged and led the group of four out of the tavern in pursuit of their comrades. As they ascended the stairs, they caught sight of Rinoa and Quistis hurrying off. Rinoa shouted back at them, "This way!" So, continuing to follow her, they watched as she entered the house right beside Timber Maniacs. "This is it." she said back to them.

Selphie looked at the building and asked, "Will we really be safe here?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Probably. Not like we need to hide out for very long."

Squall nodded and proceeded to lead the group into the house. Once inside, Squall turned to the kindhearted woman as she began to speak to them. "I'll let you know if anything changes. 'Til then, make yourself at home."

As the woman left her house, Rinoa decided to thank her. "Thanks, chief."

Naruto watched as Selphie moved to the window and began looking out of it. He stared at Zell for a moment, who had chosen to go to the corner by the stairs. Then his eyes fell on Rinoa and Quistis, who were standing near each other. Finally, he chanced a glance at Squall, who was looking at him. "Seems a little cramped in here, but at least we'll be safe for a while." Naruto said with another shrug of his shoulders.

Squall looked between Quistis and Naruto for a moment before motioning to Naruto to come closer. Once Naruto stepped up to him, Squall asked quietly, "Are you going to talk to Quistis?"

The blonde didn't even look at Quistis as he shook his head. "No. She's...made her choice and I have to respect that. It hurts enough as is without me purposely opening the wound again and again by trying to talk to her."

The scarred teen sighed and nodded his head in understanding. After a moment passed between them, however, he asked, "And what if she tries to talk to you?"

Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head. "I don't know, Squall. I honestly don't know."

"I see. If it helps any, I'm here for you, Naruto. You can always come talk to me and vent your frustrations if you want."

"Thanks Squall. You're a good friend." Naruto said, smiling at his fellow SeeD. After a moment, he walked over to the stairs and sat down on one of the steps. He decided to simply close his eyes and lose himself in his thoughts.

It was at this point that Squall turned to Rinoa and decided to ask her about what she had called the woman earlier. "So, chief?"

Rinoa smiled and nodded her head. "She's the leader of the 'Forest Fox'. Almost everyone's a resistance member in this town. But right now, we're the only ones that are really active."

Squall nodded his head in understanding, but didn't speak a word. Instead, he listened as Rinoa said, "Let's stay here for a while."

After a brief period of time passed, Selphie spoke up, "I still don't get it." Turning to face the others, she asked, "What did Seifer come here for?"

Rinoa frowned for a moment before saying, "I think...he came to help us, the 'Forest Owls'. I talked about it a lot with him. So please...don't think too badly of him."

Naruto scoffed at this, causing everyone to look in his direction. Without opening his eyes, he said, "Seifer's not exactly the greatest guy in the world, Rinoa. You may have seen a different side of him, but in truth, he's an insufferable jackass that treats most people like shit. He has no respect for authority, he's full of himself, and he's a damn bully too. So I'm sorry, but your little boyfriend? Yeah, you could do a whole lot better than him." The blonde didn't need to open his eyes to see that Rinoa was glaring at him. Shrugging it off, he simply kept his eyes closed and let himself think, choosing to ignore Rinoa's heated glare.

Before Rinoa could tear into him for what he said, they heard knocking at the door. After a few seconds, they heard a Galbadian Soldier shout out, "Anybody in here!?"

The party could hear the woman that had assisted them shouting at the soldier. "What is this!? I have 2 small children in here. Don't do anything to frighten them!"

It was at this point that a teenager girl rushed down the stairs, stopping next to Naruto. "Upstairs… Hurry!" she insisted, pointing up the stairs.

Naruto slowly stood up and moved aside so the others could ascend the stairs. He remained at the bottom of the stairs, simply staring at the door. As Rinoa walked towards the stairs, she paused and looked towards the door. "Will she be ok?"

The teenager smiled and nodded. "She'll be fine. The legend goes...that my mother took down many soldiers with her strength, cooking, and beauty."

Selphie, who had stopped next to Naruto, spoke up at this point. "That 'beauty' part sure makes it sound like a legend." she said, causing Naruto to snort as he tried to contain his laughter.

Snickering, he looked at Selphie and said, "Way to be blunt about it, Selphie-chan. I could barely keep myself from barking out a laugh. It would have given us all away for sure."

Selphie blushed in embarrassment, but decided to simply run up the stairs to get away from Naruto and his teasing, even if just for a moment. The others soon followed after her, though Rinoa couldn't help but glare at Naruto for a time.

Once they were all upstairs, Squall approached Selphie and watched as she laid back on the bed. "So tired…"

Deciding to just leave her alone, he approached Rinoa at this point, who mumbled a question to herself, "...Wonder if he's alright…?"

Figuring that she was talking about Seifer, he decided to simply leave her be as well. He wanted nothing to do with the whole Seifer/Rinoa business, after all. It was their problem, not his. Looking at Zell, he was surprised to find him being absolutely silent. Leaving him be as well, he walked up to Naruto and patted him on the shoulder. "You okay Naruto?"

Naruto looked at his friend and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. I guess I'm just a bit frustrated with everything. Like I said before, this mission was just one giant clusterfuck. I know it shouldn't have been a surprise, but I really didn't expect Seifer to just show up and do what he did. Then with Zell talking about Garden in front of the president and painting a gigantic target on all our backs…" Sighing to himself, he looked out the window and shook his head. "I just don't know man. I know there's that saying that I've heard a few times: "Life sucks and then you die." Well…"

Squall nodded in understanding as he patted Naruto gently on the shoulder. "I know Naruto. You've had a rough life, and things haven't exactly improved for you since coming here. Sure, you seem happier than you used to be at first, but then you have to take in account your unrequited love for Quistis among other things and…"

The whiskered eighteen year-old sighed and nodded his head. "Yep. Oh well, let's just drop the subject. I don't want to think about it anymore."

Squall nodded and left Naruto alone, instead walking up to Quistis, who was looking at Naruto with an unreadable expression on her face. Tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention, Quistis looked at him for a moment before sighing. "He was so angry when he found out it was only the 4 of you dispatched to Timber. 'What!? They might end up fightin' the whole Galbadian force! And all they dispatch are 4 rookie SeeD members!? Dammit! I'm going to Timber!' I never would have guessed he was serious about it."

Squall sighed and shook his head. That guy's always serious. You should know that by now… he thought silently to himself.

Approaching her again, Quistis asked, "What's going to happen to Seifer?"

The scarred teen shrugged and said, "He may already be dead."

Rinoa turned to him and asked, "How can you be so casual? I feel...sorry for him."

Squall raised a brow at her for a moment before turning away and thinking to himself, ...Feel sorry? Seifer would hate to hear that.

Rinoa, catching the smirk he was wearing before he turned away from her, stood up and asked, "What's so funny!? You're terrible!"

Naruto quirked a brow at her and said, "Trust me, if you knew Seifer as well as we do, you'd understand why what you said's so amusing. Seifer would hate to have somebody feeling sorry for him. It's just how he is."

Before Rinoa could reply to him, Selphie asked, "So...why do you think Seifer may already be dead?"

Turning to her, Squall thought quietly to himself, Because… Sighing, he closed his eyes and said, "The president of Galbadia and the sorceress joined forces. Seifer attacked the president. It's no surprise that Seifer may have been killed because of it."

Rinoa, not liking this, shouted, "Even so! I still hope he's alive."

Turning away from her with a sigh, Squall thought, Think what you want. ...Reality isn't so kind. Everything doesn't work out the way you want it to. That's why… Opening his eyes, he said, "As long as you don't get your hopes up, you can take anything… You feel less pain. Anyway, whatever wish you have is none of my business." he said as he turned back around to face her once again.

Rinoa quietly said, "...You're mean. Both of you." Walking closer to the bed Selphie was on, she shouted, "MEANIES!"

Quirking a brow, Squall thought, What's with her…? Sighing, he said, "...Sorry."

Naruto sighed and scratched at the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm sorry too. I know you like Seifer and all, but we've got kind of a jaded opinion of him after knowing him for as long as we have. Like I said before, you've only seen that one side of him, so you don't know him like we do. Still, I may have been a little…'harsh', I suppose. So I'm sorry."

Rinoa looked at Naruto for a moment, seeing that he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Frowning for a moment as she debated on whether or not to forgive him, she eventually sighed and nodded her head in thanks. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto simply shrugged his shoulders and resumed looking out the window. If only you knew the real Seifer, you'd realize why I just don't give a fuck.

It was at this point that the 'Chief' entered the room and said, "The Galbadian forces are withdrawing. Only the soldiers normally stationed here will stick around. If you're gonna leave town, now's your chance! You know how persistent those soldiers can be!"

When she walked back downstairs, Selphie and Zell quickly ran down the stairs after her. Rinoa paused to look at both Squall and Naruto for a moment before she, too, ran down the stairs. Squall looked at Quistis and Naruto for a moment before he decided to just leave them alone to sort things out. So, he too went downstairs, leaving the ex-instructor and his best friend alone.

Once she was alone with Naruto, Quistis approached him and shuffled awkwardly for a moment. "N-Naruto...I…"

Naruto sighed and turned to face her, a dejected frown on his face. "Quistis-chan, you don't need to say anything. Believe me, I understand why you feel the way you do about Squall. I have no intention of causing you any unneeded stress." he said before moving to walk past her.

Quistis, refusing to let the conversation end on a sour note, grasped Naruto's arm and said, "Please...just listen."

Sighing again, Naruto looked into Quistis' eyes and motioned for her to speak. "I'm...sorry I never noticed your feelings for me, Naruto. W-Why didn't you just come out and tell me you feel that way?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "A few reasons, I suppose. I've told you before about my past luck with girls. One girl always hit me for the stupidest of reasons, another seemed to admire me from afar, but never bothered to so much as say hello to me to show me that she cared. Others always put me down and made me feel horrible. I...I tried to show you how I feel numerous times, but…"

Sighing again, Naruto turned and stepped back over to the window, looking out at the alley below. "You were always so focused on Squall. I...knew how you felt about him, but I still hoped you would notice me and reciprocate my feelings for you. You were the first person I ever...well, loved. I didn't know how to act around you. I didn't know what to say to you. I didn't want to come off as another one of your groupies. But, without knowing how to act or what to say...I could just feel you slipping further and further away from me. And now? After the party back at Garden...I decided I'd try to move on from you. I want to be happy as much as I want you to be happy, Quistis-chan. So I won't chase after an unrequited love."

As Naruto moved to walk past her again, Quistis grabbed his arm once more and looked up into his eyes. Looking into his eyes as if she were searching for something, she quietly said, "Naruto...I like you. I really do. I just...I don't know how to show that I care for you. You've been through so much, and...and I just...I don't…"

As tears began to trickle down her cheeks, Naruto sighed softly and gently brushed them away with his fingers. "Don't cry, Quistis-chan. A smile suits that pretty face of yours so much better." he said with a warm smile on his face.

Looking into his eyes, she found herself losing herself in how beautiful they were. Slowly, ever so slowly, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his in a soft, chaste kiss. When she stepped back, she giggled at seeing his flabbergasted look. "Thank you, Naruto. I swear that I'll try to do better by you from now on." she said before she moved to the stairs, only to see Selphie had been spying on them. "Selphie? What are you doing?"

Selphie pouted at her before saying, "No fair! I like him! Why did you take his first kiss when all you've done is hurt him?!"

Quistis went wide-eyed at this declaration, and watched in shock as Selphie walked up to Naruto and placed her hands on his cheeks before pulling him into a fierce kiss. When she parted from him, Selphie looked at Quistis and pointed at her. "I won't let you just take him away from me, Quistis! He's going to be my boyfriend and that's that!" she exclaimed before going downstairs properly this time.

The ex-instructor was wide-eyed as she looked between Naruto and Selphie as she was making her way down the stairs. Turning her gaze back to Naruto, she saw him looking as if he were in pain. "N-Naruto? What's wrong?"

Clutching at his heart, he felt tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "I...I don't know. I'm just so confused. I don't know what to do and I don't know what to think."

"Oh, enough of this you stupid brat. Why not just be with both of them? You're the last of the Uzumaki clan and would have likely been allowed multiple lovers if the council back in Konoha realized that one small fact about you. They were a bunch of morons, though, that only saw you as me." Kyuubi said from within his mind.

Kyuubi? Wait, what do you mean I'm the last of my clan?! There was an Uzumaki clan?! How come nobody ever told me that before?!

"Probably because they didn't want you to realize how special you were. That, and they didn't want you to have access to your parents' things. But yes, the Uzumaki clan was famous throughout the Elemental Nations for a variety of reasons that I just don't feel like delving into today. Maybe another time. For now, what you need to know is that, as the last of your clan, even in this world, you have the right and the duty to rebuild your clan. Taking on multiple lovers is a common practice back in the Elemental Nations when a clan is in danger of being extinguished. And since you're truly the only member of your clan in this world, it falls on you to revive it here. Sooo…"

But, that was back in the Elemental Nations. This is an entirely different world. Pretty sure the rules work differently here, Kyuubi. Naruto thought back to the beast.

"Details, details. It's the best way to ensure everybody's happy in the end. Talk to the two of them about what I've told you and see if they're willing to cooperate with each other to make you happy. Who knows? It might just work out."

I see. But...I don't think they're going to go for it. We'll see though… Naruto thought back with a heavy sigh.

"Naruto?" Quistis questioned as she waved her hand in front of his face. "Are you in there?"

Naruto blinked a couple of times as he looked at Quistis. "I'm alright. I was just speaking with Kyuubi. He...well, he said that I'm the last of the Uzumaki clan, and since I'm here in this world now, I'm truly the only member of my clan in this world. He said that, according to some laws back in the Elemental Nations, I'm allowed to take on multiple wives in order to restore my clan. But...you and Selphie would never go for such a thing, I know that. Besides, it would be frowned upon and…"

Quistis blinked a couple of times in shock at hearing this. Then, thinking on it, she sighed and shook her head. "I'm still not entirely sure how I feel, Naruto. I know I feel something for you, but I don't know if it's strong enough, if I'm strong enough, to handle sharing you like that. I don't even pretend to know how Selphie thinks, nor will I pretend to know how she'd react to such news."

Naruto sighed and scratched at the back of his head. "Yeah, I kinda figured. Oh well, let's just get going." he said before walking down the stairs with a heavy sigh.

Once he was out of sight, Quistis frowned to herself and thought, Could I really share him with someone else…? It's not right...but…

Sighing quietly to herself, Quistis followed Naruto downstairs where the others were waiting. Once down there, she saw Naruto standing by Selphie over by the window. Taking a seat at the table, Quistis folded her arms atop the table and rested her head on them. Sighing again, she closed her eyes and tried to think about what she should do.

Squall, now that everyone was downstairs, tried to decide what they should do. As he thought, he noticed that Zell was still being silent, which was starting to worry him. Walking over to Selphie, he heard her say, "I wanna go home!"

Chuckling to himself, Squall said, "I'd love that as well, Selphie." Selphie turned to him and nodded, glad that someone felt the same way she did about this mess.

Turning to Naruto, Squall asked, "Naruto? You alright? You were up there with Quistis for quite a while."

Naruto didn't seem to hear Squall or something, as he was perfectly quiet. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, though he could see his friend twitching at points as if he was having some kind of internal debate with himself. It was then that Squall realized that he might be talking to the Kyuubi. I thought they didn't get along? If he's really talking to the Kyuubi, I wonder what they're saying to each other?

"I'm telling you, you need to talk to Selphie about it and see what she has to say! Don't feed me that same old bullcrap about how it 'isn't right' or whatever! Yeah, I may not have liked my previous containers, and I certainly didn't like you at first, but you've kinda grown on me, Kit. I'd like to see you be happy here, away from the hell that is the Elemental Nations. So talk. To. HER!"

Wait, previous containers? You mean I'm not your first?

"Focus Kit! Stop trying to change the subject and do as I say. You might be pleasantly surprised by her answer." Kyuubi said before cutting the connection between them.

Naruto sighed and looked at Selphie, who, upon noticing that Naruto was looking at her, turned and beamed at him. "Hiya Naru-Naru! What's up with that strange look on your face?"

The whiskered teen frowned and scratched at the back of his head at this point. "I told you about the Kyuubi before, remember?" Seeing her nod, he said, "Well, after you and Quistis-chan both kissed me...we kinda got to talking. Apparently, I'm the last of my clan, and because I came to this world, I'm truly the only Uzumaki anywhere. Because of this, I fall under some old clan laws or something that say I need to take multiple wives to help restore my clan. But, as I've tried to tell the Kyuubi, neither you or Quistis would be willing to accept such a thing. I mean, would any girl be comfortable is they had to share their man with somebody else?"

Hearing this caused Selphie's eyes to go wide before a small grin formed on her face. "I see. So, even if I'm not your first choice...you'd still be with me?"

Naruto blinked a couple of times and intelligently asked, "Huh?"

Selphie blushed and timidly poked her fingers together. "Well, I, um...I really like you Naru. I just want to be with you. If...if it means I have to share you with somebody else, then...um...I can try to get used to the idea. But...since Quistis stole your first kiss...can I ask for...for your first t-time? I don't want her to beat me to all your firsts!"

Naruto blushed badly and, when he tried to formulate some kind of response to what she had just said, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dropped to the floor in a dead faint. Seeing this, Selphie quickly knelt down at his side and began to shake him. "Naru-Naru! Wake up! Are you okay?!"

Quistis rushed over and knelt down on his other side, checking to see if he was alright. Looking at Selphie, she asked, "What the hell just happened?"

Selphie blushed a bit and said, "W-We are t-talking...about what the Kyuubi said to him. I...I kinda, sorta told him that so long as his first 't-time' is with me, then...I'd share him. And then he fainted."

Quistis blushed at this and said, "You...you really like him that much?"

The yellow-clad brunette nodded and smiled softly as she looked down at Naruto. "Yes. We have so much fun together and he understands me and plays along whenever I act goofy. I...I want to be with him. Badly enough, even, that I'll share him if I have to. Just so long as I get to be with him."

"I...I see. I wish I was as confident in my feelings for him. I care for him, I really do, but...can I accept the fact that I'd have to share him?"

The green-eyed beauty looked at Quistis and said, "If your feelings for him are strong enough, you'd take him however you could get him. I will be with him, so if you decide that you can't share him...then leave him alone."

The ex-instructor frowned at this before looking back down at Naruto, who was starting to regain consciousness. "I see. Can I have some time to think on it?"

Selphie frowned, but nodded her head. "I suppose. But you aren't going to hog him all to yourself, got it? Naru-Naru's my boyfriend, even if he hasn't exactly started dating me yet…"

Before Quistis could respond, Naruto groaned and shook his head. "Must've been dreaming…"

The brunette looked into Naruto's eyes and smirked at him. "Nope! I said I'd share you if I have to, and share you I shall. It's Quistis here that I'm worried about." she said, glaring at the blue-eyed blonde.

The whiskered teen blushed a bit and said, "Oh. So, not a dream then. And...did you call me your boyfriend?"

Selphie blushed, but nodded in affirmation. "Yes. Because I refuse to just give you up to anyone else without a fight first. I enjoy spending time with you and you genuinely make me happy. You make me smile all the time and you play along with my silly antics. You're definitely the guy for me, Naru."

Naruto blushed more before turning to face Quistis. "And what do you think about all of this?"

Quistis frowned and glanced away as she began to rub at her left arm. "I...I don't know what to think. I'm still trying to sort out my own feelings…"

The whiskered blonde sighed, but nodded his head in understanding. "I see. Well then...I'll just have to give you the time you need to decide. For now, I'd be glad to take you on a date when we get the opportunity, Selphie-chan."

Quistis was wide-eyed at this and raised her hand slightly as if to protest this decision, only to slowly lower it again and cast her gaze downwards to the floor. I see...so that's how it is. What should I do…?

Meanwhile, Squall noticed that Rinoa was being as silent as Zell was being. He had stopped to watch Naruto and his little girlfriends (he figured he might as well just call them that after what he had just seen) for a time before deciding to just get on with it.

Looking at Quistis, he considered trying to talk to her, but at the moment she looked to be feeling pretty down. If what I heard Naruto say is true, then you can either agree to share him, or lose him for good. What will you do, Quistis? He wondered to himself for a time.

After a few more moments, allowing Naruto to talk with Selphie for a time, Squall clapped his hands to get their attention. "Alright, it's time to go. Come on everybody."

Quistis looked up at the scarred teen at this point and asked, "Any thoughts on where to go?"

Squall paused and thought, We have to get out of here first…

As if she had read his mind, Quistis said, "Getting out of here is only the first step."

Thinking on it for a time, Squall decided he'd better just ask. "What do you mean?"

"Garden Code, Article 8, line 7." Quistis replied.

8:7… In the event that returning to the assigned Garden is not possible, report to the nearest Garden… Squall recalled before he turned back to Quistis. "Head for the nearest Garden…"

Quistis nodded and gave him a smile. "Very good! From here, that would be Galbadia Garden."

Rinoa piped up at this point, saying, "We can take the train from here and get off at a station called East Academy."

"From there, we have to go through the forest west of the station to get to Galbadia Garden." Quistis said. "I've been there several times. We should be ok."

Squall nodded in understanding and said, "...Ok then… We'll escape from Timber and head to Galbadia Garden. Let's go!"

As the majority of people left the room, leaving Naruto, Quistis, and Squall inside the house, the chief looked at them and said, "You be careful, now. Take this with you." And with that the woman handed over a Potion, a Phoenix Down, a Soft, an Antidote, and a Remedy.

Thanking the chief, the three of them left the house to rejoin the others outside. They saw a Galbadian Soldier in blue armor approaching and Quistis exclaimed, "Bad timing!"

The soldier looked at them and waved his hands. "It's me, sir! It's me!"

After taking a moment, they realized it was Watts. He continued by saying, "Got some info, sir. Timber station will be shut down temporarily."

Selphie pouted at this and exclaimed, "Mega-bummer!" Naruto couldn't help but nod in agreement with that statement.

"Not necessarily. It's not completely shutdown yet. The last train out of here is bound for East Academy." Watts explained.

Squall nodded and said, "We're getting on that train."

Watts looked at Rinoa and asked, "You're going too, right Rinoa?"

Rinoa nodded and said, "Yeah. What about you, Watts?"

"No need to worry 'bout me. I'll go gather more info!"

Rinoa stepped closer to Watts and smiled at him. "I promise I'll be back. You take care, ok?"

Watts looked at Squall and said, "Squall, please take care of Rinoa."

Squall nodded and said, "Yeah, don't worry. Client's orders. What about you? Will you be safe here?"

Watts saluted and exclaimed, "I'll be fine, sir! I'll put up the fight of my life!" When everyone saluted him back, Watts said, "I'm happy, sir!" before he ran off.

Once Watts was gone, Naruto said, "He'll be just fine, I'm sure of it. We should probably get going ourselves."

Squall nodded in agreement and led them towards the train station. As they entered the next area with the stairs leading down to the tavern, they spotted a strange man nearby that shouted out to them, "Rinoa, Squall! It's me!"

Realizing who it was, Rinoa shouted, "Zone!"

Zone nodded and asked, "You need to go to East Academy, right? There's no more tickets left."

Selphie pouted and exclaimed, "Super-Duper-Mega-Bummer!"

Naruto chuckled a bit and wrapped an arm around Selphie's shoulder, hugging her close to himself. "I swear, you're just about the cutest thing I've ever seen."

The brunette blushed prettily at this before she turned and kissed Naruto sweetly on the lips. "Damn right I am."

Chuckling at this, Naruto nodded his head before listening as Squall said, "We'll do whatever it takes to get on that train."

Zone shook his head and said, "You won't have to do that. Looky here! I have everyone's ticket right here!" Walking up to Rinoa, he handed her a ticket and said, "One for you."

Walking up to Squall, Zone said, "4 for you SeeD people. Here, I'll give them to the leader." Stepping away from the party at this point, he said, "And the last one is for me…" Looking at Quistis for a moment and then back at the train station, he sighed and walked up to her, handing her his ticket. "Go on. Take it."

Quistis frowned and said, "I can't take that. It's yours!"

Taking a moment to think on it, Zone sighed softly before shouting out, "Ouch!" Quickly placing the ticket in Quistis' hands, he hurried over into a corner and crouched down clutching at his stomach. "OuuuuuuucH! My stomach hurts! Ouch! Just get going! The train's leaving."

The blonde beauty smiled at Zone and said, "Thank you."

Rinoa hurried over to Zone and looked at him with a sad smile. "Zone… We're gonna see each other again, ok? No matter what, you have to survive. We have to liberate Timber together, remember?"

Zone nodded his head in understanding. "I know, I know. I'll go hide in a bathroom or something. Now get going." And with that, the party rushed into the train station so they could hop on the train towards East Academy station.

As they approached the train, they heard an announcement overhead. "This train is bound for Dollet, stopping at East Academy. This is the last train for today. Please hurry on board."

Squall said, "The last train…" before nodding and turning to his team. "Let me double check… Get off at East Academy and go through the forest, west of the station. Galbadia Garden is located up ahead… Is that correct?"

Quistis nodded and said, "Indeed. Glad we have a leader with a good memory." And with that, the group boarded the train.

Once inside, they heard another announcement. "This train, bound for East Academy, will depart shortly."

As the train set off down the tracks, Squall tried to say, "We'll…" only to be interrupted by Selphie chanting, "Open. Open. OPEN!"

Sighing to himself, Squall finished his sentence, "...make it."

"Please…" Selphie pleaded. Turning to Squall, she shouted, "Open up!"

Squall sighed as he turned to face her. ...Better let her have her way. Walking over to the nearby machine, he scanned the tickets and listened as the machine said, "Confirming… Access granted…"

As soon as the door opened, Selphie giggled and said, "Thanks!" before rushing off deeper into the train.

Looking at Quistis, he listened as she said, "We should get there shortly, so we'll be alright out here."

Nodding in acceptance of that, Squall approached Zell and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Zell, noticing Squall, slumped over and said, "...Oh man…"

Seeing as he wasn't getting anything else out of his friend, Squall approached Rinoa. Turning to him, she asked, "Weren't you just saying something?"

Squall frowned and nodded slowly. "It's nothing important, but… Well… We made it."

Quistis nodded and said, "I have to thank Zone for that."

Rinoa smirked at her and said, "He's into naughty magazines."

Sighing to herself, Quistis nodded her head and said, "I'll keep that in mind…"

Naruto chuckled a bit as he remembered something they had picked up in the Timber Maniacs building. "Could always just give him that Girl Next Door magazine we found. I think I remember that old woman saying something about how Zone was looking for it, but couldn't find a copy."

Quistis nodded in understanding and said, "I'll try to remember that for the next time we see him, then."

Squall approached Naruto at this point and patted him on the shoulder gently. "How are you holding up, Naruto? I assume that you were speaking with the Kyuubi earlier?"

Naruto looked into his friend's eyes and nodded. "Yeah, we were just having a chat about a few things. My love life being chief among them. Seems that because I'm the last of my clan, I'm expected to take multiple wives. So that's a thing."

The scarred brunette quirked a brow at this and chuckled softly. "Then it seems your problem is solved, isn't it?"

The blonde shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. If I do choose to be with more than one woman, they'd have to agree to share me and I'd like it if they could get along too. Selphie-chan...seems rather, erm...open. Quistis-chan on the other hand? She's admitted that she's still not sure how she feels about me. Sooo...I'm not sure what'll happen or what the future holds for me."

Squall nodded in understanding. "Makes sense." he said quietly before he bid Naruto farewell and approached Rinoa again. When he did, she asked, "What? What's the matter?"

The scarred teen shook his head and said, "Nothing." before leaving her to her own devices and venturing deeper into the train to speak with Selphie.

When he approached her, Selphie turned to him with a grin and said, "I love trains." It was at this point that she began to sing. "Train Train, Take us Away. Take us Away, Far Away. To the Future we will go! Where it Leads, No one Knows."

Squall sighed and palmed his face before he walked away, reentering the part of the train the others were at. Looking at Naruto, he shook his head and chuckled softly. I swear, she and Naruto were just made for each other.

Approaching Quistis again, he listened as she said, "No time even to rest, really."

Nodding his head in understanding, Squall looked at Zell for a time before sighing and shaking his head. It seemed that what had happened back at the broadcasting station had really affected him in a negative way.

As he tried to think of something to say to him, they came to a stop at East Academy Station and proceeded to exit the train at this point. Now that they were out in the open field, it was time to head for Galbadia Garden. Seeing as how the forest was just on the other side of a ravine, they crossed the road to the other side and made for the forest. As they did, Quistis couldn't help but look at the back of Naruto's head as she tried to gather her thoughts together. Naruto…

Soon enough they entered the forest. Once they had, Quistis diverted her gaze from Naruto and walked over to stand in the shade of a tree. "We're not too far from Galbadia Garden now!" she said.

Selphie tapped a finger against her chin and said, "Heeey, I was just thinking… There might be some bad news from the Galbadian government. What if we get caught and then get broadcast to the whole world…!?"

Zell, seeming to snap out of his funk, shouted, "Whatever happens, happens! Now come on! Let's just keep going! I...I'm worried about Balamb Garden. If anything happens to Garden, it's all my fault. I'm the one who said we were all from Garden… You think the president will retaliate on Garden?"

Squall sighed and looked away. "Maybe."

Naruto frowned and shook his head. "There's a high probability that yes, he will try to do so. Will it work in his favor? Doubtful. Still, we'd best be prepared for such an inevitability."

Zell slumped over again and said, "...Figures… B-B-But, we have a whole bunch of SeeDs at Balamb Garden! They wouldn't lose to the Galbadian army, would they?" he asked, grabbing onto Squall and shaking him a bit.

Squall shrugged and said, "Depends how strong the army is."

"I know, but…" Zell started to say, but stopped himself from saying anything more.

Naruto sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "The truth of the matter is that we have no way of knowing just what will happen. I'm sorry, Zell, but that's the truth."

Before anyone could say anything more, Rinoa turned to Squall and scoffed. "Oh, you're just a great leader, aren't you…? Do you actually have fun acting so callous towards your comrades?"

Squall sighed and shook his head ...Not again.

Naruto frowned at her and said, "So you defend Seifer when he's pretty much just a rotten scumbag, then you get the wrong impression about Squall? Damn, that's 0 for 2. I'm sorry Rinoa, but you don't know Squall very well. He cares. He really, truly does care. However, he has a bit of a hard time showing it. When I first met him, he was a loner type that didn't really want to deal with other people. But he's really improved over time and become a truly good person that has everyone's best interests at heart. However, he's also a realist that understands how things work pretty well. Right now, he's just trying to tell Zell how it is and help him through this in his own way. I know it may seem harsh, but sometimes...whether we like it or not, the truth can hurt. It's not that Squall doesn't care, I promise you that."

Rinoa scowled at Naruto for the cold comments he made at first, but soon released a sigh and nodded her head. "If you say so. But you could be a bit nicer as well, you know?"

Naruto shrugged at this and said, "I just tell it how it is. I'm not afraid to speak my mind, like a lot of people are. And if what I say offends someone, well it's not my intention, but it's bound to happen. Not everybody is going to like me, and I accept that. But...I've had a bit of a jaded past and I tend to see things in a different light than most people do. Before I appeared outside Balamb Garden, my life sucked. I hated it, and so I left and came here. And if you're wondering where I'm from that things could be so bad...well, here's the truth: I'm from a different world. I used a type of 'magic', I suppose you could call it, to escape that world and come to this one. It's as simple as that."

The raven-haired beauty blinked in astonishment at that before looking around at the others with an incredulous look on her face When she saw each of them giving her a serious look and nodding their heads, she turned back to Naruto with wide eyes. "Wow. Can't say I expected that. And...your life back in your world was...bad?"

"Heh, that's a bit of an understatement. I was hated by practically everyone, people attempted to kill me, I had to fight a giant sand monster known as a bijuu, I was beat on by a girl I thought I liked…" Sighing, he shook his head and said, "Let's just say I've been through a lot. I might tell you more later if I feel like it. Quistis-chan, Zell, and Squall know pretty much everything already. I've told Selphie-chan quite a lot since I met her as well. Now, I guess it's your turn to know the truth about me and where I'm from."

Rinoa smiled softly and said, "Well...thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about this, Naruto. I hope to learn more about you later." Looking at Squall and Naruto, she frowned again and said, "But, as I was trying to say before, Zell wants your support. Okay?"

Squall shook his head and thought, I knew it was gonna be something like that…

"Any kind of encouragement will make…" Rinoa started to say, only for Squall to ignore her and think, That's just to ease your mind. Am I the only one who thinks that? No, I'm sure Seifer…

Rinoa sighed and said, "It's okay to show that you worry about your comrades sometimes, and to show that you think about their well-being."

Squall sighed and rubbed the back of his head, continuing to think to himself, Used to be, I felt I couldn't rely on others. Naruto though, he helped me see the importance of teamwork and in trusting others. She might have a point though, the others might feel better if I try to show I care a bit more often… Ugh. Hell if I know.

"Do you understand?" Rinoa asked, sounding as if she was unaware that Squall wasn't paying her even a bit of attention.

...Whatever. Squall thought.

"Are you listening, Squall?"

Squall went to reply, only for a sudden ringing to sound in his head. He began to feel sleepy again, just like when they were heading for Timber via the train. ...What the!? ...This sensation… Not...Not again! He thought before collapsing to the ground, falling unconscious.

Quistis groaned and clutched at her head as well, "Uhh…" she groaned out before collapsing to the ground unconscious as well.

"M-Me too…" Selphie said before she collapsed as well, quickly falling unconscious.

Zell was in a panic as he ran around checking on them. Rinoa, afraid of what might be happening, shouted, "What's going on!?"

The tattooed blonde looked at Rinoa and shook his head. "I think...they went to the 'dream world'."

"This isn't the first time this has happened. When we were on the train to Timber, Squall, Selphie, and Zell all fell unconscious without any warning. As they dreamed about what I assume to be the past, they muttered names like Laguna, Kiros, Ward, and Julia. I don't know who any of those people are, but if it's even affecting Quistis now, then something weird is going on." Naruto explained as he folded his arms and leaned against the nearby tree.

Rinoa looked at him with wide eyes before she looked back down at Squall. Julia? That's my mother's name…

Elemental Nations - Konoha

Ino and Hinata were spying on Jiraiya, doing their best to evade his senses and avoid detection. They had come up with a plan together to observe him while he worked on the seal, only to frown as it looked like he would rather peep on women in the hot springs than work on trying to get Naruto back.

However, at the moment, he was poring over the seal, trying to figure out how Naruto had made the damn thing work in the first place! As they watched, Ino drew the incomplete seal down on a piece of parchment so she and Hinata could study it later.

Unknown to everyone else in Konoha, their closest friends included, the two of them had taken it upon themselves to study fuinjutsu. While it was hard at first, they worked together until they had come to understand most seals fairly easily. Just looking at the incomplete seal, they could see where certain symbols should be drawn to fill it in, as well as which parts Jiraiya had screwed up on.

Once they were sure they had enough information, the two clan heiresses disappeared and quickly made their way to Ino's home where they proceeded to Ino's room where they could be alone. Looking over the seal, Ino quickly pulled out another piece of paper and began to make adjustments to Jiraiya's seal where they needed to be made. Afterwards, she looked at the blank part of the seal in the center. "Any thoughts, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded and drew a few symbols here and there to add on to the changes Ino had already made. Afterwards, she looked at how the outlying parts of the seal were showing hints of what needed to be in the center. Slowly piecing it all together, she finished off the seal and smiled to herself. "I think that's it. If we've got this right, this seal will take us right to Naruto-kun!"

Ino grinned and high-fived her best friend. "We'll have to find a good place to use it. Somewhere where we can be alone. Maybe the Forest of Death would be a good place to do this?"

Hinata nodded in agreement and said, "That seems like the best place to use it. I'm sure we've got it right. Took us years of studying for it, but I think we've finally got everything we need."

Ino hugged Hinata tight and said, "I can't wait to see Naruto-kun again!"

"Same here Ino-chan. Same here."

A/N - And that's the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't, then oh well. *shrugs*

As you can see, a number of things happened in this chapter. Quistis is struggling to determine how she feels when it comes to our favorite blonde ninja-dude! Selphie's staked a claim on him as well. Then you've got Ino and Hinata back in the Elemental Nations who are determined to see him. Did they get the seal right? Or will it transport them somewhere else? Who knows?! We'll see in a future chapter. *nod nod*

Anyways, not sure what else to say. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to more. If not? Oh well.

And as usual, I have no idea what I'll be working on next. It'll be something though! lol