A/N - Okay, decided to continue with this story for the time being. Moooostly because I've got a bad case of writer's block when it comes to my other stories. x.x It's been a bitch trying to force through that damn wall, and it's kicking my ass. Still, I'll continue trying to work on some other chapters for my other stories if I can, but until then, there's only a few fics I feel truly comfortable writing chapters for, and this happens to be one of them.
Anywho, I wanted to get to at least the beginning of the Sorceress Assassination mission, but I figured the place I ended the chapter at was the best place to end it. Hopefully you all like the chapter!
Chapter 8 - Tomb of the Unknown King
As they approached the nearby train station, which was a surprisingly short distance from Galbadia Garden, Naruto could feel a tick mark throbbing on his forehead. Ever since leaving the Garden, Irvine had been making moves on each of the female party members. It didn't seem to matter that they showed no interest in the sharpshooter, as he insisted on trying to woo them.
"C'mon, why don't we ditch these losers and have a little fun? What do you say? We can make a date of it once we reach the city." Irvine suggested.
Hinata clenched her fists tight and had to take a few deep breaths in order to calm herself down. Once she had, she looked Irvine in the eyes before hitting him with a palm thrust in the chest, sending him flying a short distance, much to his shock. "Sorry." she said all too sweetly. "You're not my type. Besides, my heart belongs to another man. If you don't leave us alone, I'll remove a certain body part of yours that you surely want to keep. Is that understood?"
Irvine slowly rose to his feet and rubbed his chest for a moment as he looked at Hinata in shock. "Damn. You've got some serious strength. I like that." he said with a sly smirk on his face.
Naruto, unwilling to take anymore of this crap, walked up to Irvine and thwacked him in the back of the head. "Enough already you stupid horndog! No. Means. NO! Leave them alone! If you ever want to get a girlfriend, you need to respect them and, just as important, listen. They aren't interested in you. Now let's hop on that damn train and get moving already. I'm tired of dealing with your crap." he said before walking up to the train station and up the stairs to board the train.
The marksman rubbed the back of his head this time and released a heavy sigh as he looked at the various women in the group. After a moment, he turned and followed after Naruto, not wanting to piss him or the women off again. Seems like he's called dibs on at least one of them. Question is: who's his type? If I can figure that one out, maybe I can win over the others.
Rinoa watched this for a moment from her place beside Squall and couldn't help but shake her head. "Not sure whether to feel sorry for him or if I want to slug him."
Squall shrugged his shoulders uncaringly. "Not my problem. So long as he proves himself when the time comes, I'm fine either way. Problem is, he's already getting on everyone's nerves with his actions. If it wasn't for the fact that he's vital to our mission, I'd say leave him behind."
Ino heard Squall's statement and nodded her head in agreement as she moved to walk beside him. "I'm in full agreement there. It reminds me of how persistent some of Sasuke's fangirls were. They wouldn't take no for an answer and constantly pestered him to go on dates with them. Sadly, I used to be one of them." Sighing, the beautiful blonde kunoichi shook her head and continued. "I grew out of that phase, but Sakura never did. I honestly don't know what I ever saw in him. He was a horrible person and did some seriously bad things. Hell, he even tried to kill Sakura when they saw each other again, simply because she was, as he put it, a 'nuisance'. He hurt shinobi from each of the nations and made an enemy out of everyone. His focus was primarily on Konoha, however, and more importantly, he wanted to fight Naruto again and most likely kill him."
"Anyways, Hinata and I needed to come here and get away from that world. There was so much corruption in that world, and people were absolutely horrible. So we studied everything we could about fuinjutsu, spied on Jiraiya when he actually did work on the seal, and brainstormed together until we figured it all out. It took us a while, but we eventually pulled it off and now we're here. We've been reunited with Naruto and we're both so happy about that. I just didn't expect there to be such a time difference between our home world and here."
Squall looked at her for a moment before offering a tiny smile. "I'm sure Naruto is happy to see you two again. Though I have to ask: what about the others he mentioned? Like this Neji guy and the others? I can't remember all their names, but surely they cared that he was gone, right?"
Hinata looked back at Squall after hearing that question before turning her gaze to Ino and nodding once. Ino, getting the message, stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the train platform and stared seriously into his eyes. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? It turns out, none of them actually cared about Naruto. Despite the beating Naruto gave Neji and Kiba in the Chunin Exams, those two still viewed Naruto as trash. They didn't learn humility. As for the others? Sakura only wants to get Naruto back so she can make him pay for Sasuke's death. After all, Naruto made a promise to her to bring Sasuke back to her, and he failed to do so. That was honestly the stupidest thing he EVER did. Then there's Tenten, who pretty much acted like Naruto didn't matter in the slightest. He was just a 'moron that got in the way'. No, none of them cared about Naruto. They were actually glad he was gone. Hinata and I just couldn't take it anymore! I'm so happy to be here with Naruto again. I missed him so much. We both did."
Rinoa looked into her eyes, searching for the truth, and, upon realizing that Ino was being completely honest with them, the raven-haired beauty scowled and shook her head in disbelief. "How horrible can people get?! Poor Naruto. People in that world sound like real assholes."
"Oh, they were. It took all the willpower we had to not attack any of them. You have no idea how much we wanted to make them all suffer for saying the things they did about him." Hinata said as she turned to face them. "I just hope they never come here. I hope Jiraiya never figures the seal out. And if he does and he brings them here, then I promise you this: we will kill them without hesitation. Naruto-kun will not be hurt by them again."
Zell walked up and threw an arm around Squall's shoulders before offering the others a thumbs up. "No worries! We're not about to let punks like that take Naruto away without a fight. I guarantee you that we'll chase them off as many times as we need to. No sweat!"
Ino frowned and shook her head. "It won't be as easy as that. It's almost certain that Jiraiya will be one of those sent to retrieve us. I'm not sure who else will come with him, but no matter who is sent to find us, we're going to be in for a rough fight. Just Jiraiya alone is dangerous, but if he's got people like Neji and/or Shino or perhaps somebody else we know, then it will be tough to win. Hopefully they'll listen to reason, but…"
Selphie popped up behind the group and said, "No matter what it takes, we'll fight them off. Besides, Naru-Naru is super strong! He can take that Jiraiya person no problem!"
Hinata giggled a bit at that and nodded her head in agreement. "I don't doubt it. I'm sure Naruto-kun's only gotten stronger since coming here. It helps that he's made such wonderful friends here that are willing to fight just to keep him happy. Thank you all." she said with a bow in their direction.
Selphie nodded emphatically before rushing up the stairs. "Come on! Enough of the depressing chitchat. We've gotta hop on the train before it leaves without us!"
Squall looked at Ino and Hinata before nodding once. "She's right. We should get going." he said before he led the group up the stairs and into the train.
After paying 3000 gil to board the train, the party entered and, just as he had done twice before, Squall unlocked the door that led further into the train before watching as Selphie rushed off to peer out the windows again. Shaking his head in exasperation, the team leader looked at Naruto, who was watching Selphie as she began to sing again.
Noticing his friend's gaze, Naruto quirked a brow at him for a brief moment before he joined Selphie with Ino and Hinata soon joining him. Turning to the others, Squall decided to just remain quiet for the time being and wait for the train to depart.
Soon enough, the announcement came that the train would be departing soon, so he leaned back against the wall and waited patiently with his eyes closed. However, when Irvine spoke up about something being 'fate', Squall opened his eyes and soon narrowed them as he watched the cowboy venture deeper into the train to follow after Selphie and the other beautiful women. He never learns, does he?
Zell sighed before looking at the others. "So, what do we do about HIM?"
Squall frowned and shook his head. "I honestly don't know. If he keeps harassing the girls, they're likely to cripple him, if not kill him. And that's not to mention how Naruto will react. He's become rather fond of Selphie, and Ino and Hinata are dear friends of his. He's bound to be a bit protective of them."
Quistis sighed and nodded her head in agreement. "That's what I'm afraid of." she said. More than that though, I can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy when I think about him being so protective of them. I just wish I knew how I really feel about him. I don't think I could agree to share him if it turns out I do have feelings for him. But then again...maybe it would be worth it in the end? God, I wish I knew what to do.
Naruto
Naruto's eyebrow was twitching like crazy as he saw Irvine hitting on Selphie again. "I thought I warned you, Irvine. Leave them alone or I'll start breaking body parts."
Quirking a brow at this threat, the sharpshooter turned to Naruto and shook his head. "In case you forgot, you need me. I'm vital to this mission, after all."
Staring hard into Irvine's eyes, Naruto soon let a smirk cross his face as he said, "You only need the use of your arms and hands. I can break your legs, and I can render a certain part of you absolutely useless if I felt like it. So if you don't want to see what I can do to you, you'll back off, stop acting like a dog in heat, and leave. Them. ALONE! Understand?"
Irvine shivered in fright for a moment before he turned and walked off, not willing to incite Naruto's wrath. Damn. That is one scary dude.
Once he was gone, Naruto leaned against the wall and shook his head. "Ugh. He just doesn't know how to take a hint, does he?"
Selphie gently took Naruto's hand in hers and offered him a small smile. "Thank you for looking out for us, Naruto. We really appreciate it. I just wish he understood that we aren't interested in him. I really like you Naruto. Nobody else will take such a place in my heart."
Naruto blushed at this and scratched at the tip of his nose. "I-I see. Thank you, Selphie-chan. I care for you too. Can't say it's love just yet, because I honestly don't know. It's still a little early in our relationship, and I don't want to just say it unless I know I truly mean it, you know? But still...I really like you. I think you're an amazing person and we get along so well. You're funny, you're sweet, and you tend to make me smile a lot more than I thought anyone could. So...if you want, I...well, do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Selphie giggled a bit and hugged him tight. "Silly! We're already a couple, aren't we? No denying it now! We should totally go on a date when we get the opportunity."
Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded his head. "That sounds lovely."
Hinata and Ino, not wanting to be left out, each took one of Naruto's hands and smiled sweetly at him. "What about us? Think you'd be interested in taking us on dates too?"
Naruto blushed again and looked between them for a moment before saying, "I...I suppose we can. I'm just not sure how I feel about the two of you yet. It's been so long since we saw each other, and the fact you two like me like that is such a shock. I don't know what to do or how to feel, you know? But...I guess dating you two would be a good start to see if there's a real spark between us. I do care about the both of you, and I'm very happy to see you two again. So, I'd be happy to go on dates with the both of you. I want to see how I feel about you."
Ino grinned at him and poked him on the nose. "I'm sure you'll come to love us too. No worries, Naruto-kun!"
Squall
When Irvine re-entered the compartment that Squall and the others were in, Squall crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared hard at the cowboy. "So, have you learned your lesson yet? They aren't interested in you. I'm sure you can guess who they really care for."
Irvine frowned at this, but nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, they're nuts about that pretty boy in there. Damn heartbreaker."
Zell scowled at this and said, "Leave them alone, got it? You can probably find somebody else somewhere if you're so desperate to get a girlfriend. There's no need to harass them anymore."
The brown-haired sharpshooter sighed, but didn't give any kind of response to that. Instead, he leaned back against the wall and tipped his cowboy hat down to cover his eyes. It's just not right, damn it. What's he got that I don't?
The rest of the trip to Deling City was made in silence, at least in their compartment. The peace and quiet was actually kind of relaxing, so Squall didn't mind it. He was perfectly happy to just lean against the wall and rest his eyes for a while.
Deling City
Exiting the train, the party ignored the various announcements about which trains were in service and heading to wherever they were meant to go. Instead, they proceeded to make their way to the escalator nearby and rode it up to reach the main part of the city. It was a beautiful sight to see, they had to admit. As they approached the street and began to look around, Quistis mentioned that they needed to get moving.
Squall looked around and said, "We're heading for Caraway's Mansion. It's in the government district. We're here as backup from Galbadia Garden. Try not to blow our cover." However, inside his mind, Squall couldn't help but wonder if Laguna was here in the city somewhere.
The group saw that cars were driving around, carrying passengers to and fro throughout the massive city. While they were tempted to hop on the nearest one in the hopes it would take them to Caraway's Mansion, they decided that it would be best to explore the city for a while and hopefully find someplace to upgrade their weapons in the process. Aside from that, they needed to become familiar with the layout of the city if they were to successfully complete their mission.
Even if Irvine somehow fails, I'm sure Naruto and his friends can get the job done. If even they can't, then I'm not sure what to do besides leading a direct assault on the sorceress herself… Squall thought to himself with a frown on his face.
As they explored, they stumbled across the entrance to Caraway's Mansion and Squall couldn't help but wonder, Caraway is the head of the Galbadian army. Could this be a coup d'etat, or something else? No, I doubt he's out to overthrow the president…
Rather than enter Caraway's Mansion just yet, they chose to continue their exploration of the city. It was such a large city that they were finding it rather hard not to get lost. Oh, who were they kidding? They were lost! "Okay, this is getting ridiculous. The more we explore, the more turned around I start to feel." Naruto griped.
"I know the feeling. This city is too damn big. You'd think they'd have signs telling you where to go or something!" Zell exclaimed, clearly a bit frustrated by the layout of the city.
"Deal with it you two. We need to familiarize ourselves with the city, otherwise we might very well end up failing our mission. Aside from that, I'd very much like to upgrade my weapon. The enemies we're facing are getting stronger and I'd like to ensure that we're all ready for whatever comes our way." Squall said as he resumed the exploration of the city.
After a bit of running around, they came across the busy market district and found exactly what they hoped to find: a Junk Shop. Squall upgraded his weapon to the Shear Trigger while Rinoa upgraded her weapon to the Valkyrie and Zell upgraded to the Maverick. Meanwhile, Naruto took the time to upgrade his weapons as well so he had a better sword and even better handguns. As for the others, they had yet to find any magazines detailing how to craft new weapons for them, so they would have to make do with what they currently had equipped.
After finishing up at the Junk Shop, they proceeded to the item shop and purchased whatever they could there. It was while they were shopping there that Naruto realized he should probably use his tablet to access Garden's SeeD ranking tests and take another few tests to increase his SeeD rank even further. After all, the higher one's SeeD rank, the more gil they'd earn. So, while they were busy shopping, Naruto started taking the next test. Thankfully, the questions were fairly easy this time around and didn't give him any kind of trouble.
While he waited for the others to finish shopping, Naruto started up the next test and completed that one as well after a bit of thought. While he was at it, he took the next test after that and increased his SeeD rank even further. "There, that should do it." he thought to himself as he put his tablet away. Now I'll earn more money and I can use it to help the party even more.
When they had finished exploring, the party went towards Caraway's Mansion, only to be stopped out front by the guard. "General Caraway's mansion is through this gate, but...I can't just let you walk in."
Squall decided to be patient with the man and said, "I believe he's been informed of our arrival."
"Yes, but…" Here, the guard frowned a moment before saying, "I was ordered not to let you through until your skills have been tested."
Zell looked like he was about to shout something in protest to this, so Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder and, when his boisterous friend looked at him, the shinobi shook his head. "Stay calm, Zell. I expected something like this." Turning to look at the guard, Naruto asked, "So what's this test he's got prepared for us?"
"To the northeast of town is a place called the Tomb of the Unknown King. All you have to do is go there. It's real simple, but…" Looking back at the leader of the team, the guard said, "You have to bring back proof that you were there. A code number to be specific."
"A code number?" Squall questioned a bit unsurely.
Zell, unable to hold it in anymore, questioned frustratedly, "We came all the way out here for some stupid test of courage? Who does he think we are!?"
Naruto sighed and thwacked Zell in the back of the head. "Calm yourself. This doesn't sound too difficult, though I'm sure there's more to this than retrieving a simple code number."
The guard looked around at everyone and said, "There are many students like yourself who wish to call on General Caraway. There was a student from Galbadia Garden yesterday who has yet to return from the test at the Tomb of the Unknown King. As I said before, the Tomb is located northeast of the city. Your objective is to go to the Tomb, look for traces of this lost student, and return with his ID number. You should be able to find what you're looking for shortly after you enter. The ID number should be written on it. I don't recommend going any further than you have to. You may never make it back alive. Anyway, here's a map for you. Make good use of it when you enter the Tomb of the Unknown King."
After being handed the map, Squall looked it over and saw that it was a rather simple layout, so he doubted they'd have any real trouble. However, the cryptic message the guard had delivered about the Tomb being dangerous made him wonder just how dangerous a place it could be. Looking back at Naruto, he saw the serious look in his eyes and nodded once in understanding. This place may be dangerous, but it might be a good idea to explore deeper into this Tomb and see what we can find. Who knows? We might get lucky and find something worthwhile.
After pocketing the map, Squall looked at the guard and requested that he escort them out of town. As he did, Squall walked alongside Naruto and said, "This Tomb sounds like an interesting place. What do you think, Naruto?"
"I have a strong feeling that, by exploring this place, we just might find something worthwhile. We shouldn't pass up an opportunity like this. And by exploring this Tomb of the Unknown King place, the battles we're bound to have there will only make us stronger. If we work as a team, there's nothing we can't handle. I'm damn sure of it."
"Agreed." Squall said with a nod. "Now, let's get going. I'd like to see this place with my own eyes and earn some more experience fighting. If we're going to go up against this sorceress, we need to be as strong as we can get. I don't know why, but I've just got this horrible feeling that something's going to go wrong."
"You too, huh? Damn. I was hoping it was just me being paranoid, but if you're feeling like this too, then I'm sure we're in for one hell of a fight. I'll do my best to get the drop on her and assassinate her if Irvine fails. But...there's no guarantee that things will work out in our favor. We'd best be prepared for anything and everything." Naruto said.
Squall nodded in agreement with that sentiment and looked ahead at the others as they left the city and began to travel across the plains towards the Tomb of the Unknown King. "Just don't do anything reckless, got it Naruto? I know you're strong, but you have people that care for you here. We don't want you to get yourself hurt for our sakes."
Naturally, as they journeyed across the plains, they had to battle a number of monsters, stocking up on what magic they could and ensuring their GFs would learn some new abilities as well. They chose to fight around outside of the Tomb to try and prepare themselves for the battles that no doubt awaited them inside the Tomb of the Unknown King.
When they were finally ready, the party entered the Tomb and immediately upon entering, they saw two female Garden students rushing out of the tomb, shouting a single word: "Float!" Blinking at this, Naruto took a moment to think on it and looked at Squall. "I think that was a hint. Whatever's in here, perhaps we should be prepared to cast the Float spell?"
Squall nodded in agreement as he looked around at their surroundings. The outside seemed peaceful enough, and there was even a draw point nearby that they could tap into. "I think you're probably right, Naruto. Like we talked about before, we should be prepared for absolutely anything. It's a good thing we stocked up on Float spells before coming in here."
"Agreed. Ah well, time to get moving. We need to find that code and explore this place. Everybody ready?!" Naruto questioned with a grin.
Selphie cheered and exclaimed, "Heck yeah I'm ready! Let's get in there and have some fun!"
Naruto chuckled a bit and high-fived her. "That's the spirit! Let's kick some ass!"
Shortly upon entering the Tomb itself, they noticed a blue sword lying on the ground. Kneeling down to check it out, Naruto found the student ID and showed it to the others. "I think this is it. It says Student ID #1. I think that's our code number. Surprisingly simple."
Quistis nodded and said, "It would seem to be the case. Now, do we explore this place, or do we return to Deling City?"
Ino grinned and pumped her fist into the air. "We explore, of course! Might find something good in here."
Squall nodded in agreement. "I've already decided to explore with Naruto. If you don't feel like it, you're welcome to wait for us just outside where it's safe?"
Quistis shook her head and said, "I'm coming along. I think we all are. I just hope we find something worthwhile."
"Agreed. I'm sure there's something good here." Naruto said before he and Squall began leading the party through the Tomb. Naturally, as they explored, they encountered various monsters such as the Armadodo and a few Buels. Nothing too dangerous, but they knew better than to let their guard down.
After a short while, they came to a room that housed a creature that resembled a minotaur. Approaching it, they were slightly shocked when it began to move and bellowed out in a guttural voice. "GRRR! WHO'S THERE!?"
"Whoa there, big guy. We're not here to cause any harm." Naruto said in an attempt to calm the beast. However, it was for naught as the minotaur attacked them. The first thing the three ninja noticed was that it seemed to be absorbing energy from the ground, which caused them to quirk an eyebrow in curiosity. Naruto, remembering what those girls had screamed out, immediately casted Float on the beast, named Sacred, and smirked when it could no longer absorb energy from the earth beneath their feet.
Sacred screamed out in anger at this and proceeded to attack Naruto, who did his best to avoid the minotaur's attacks while opening fire with his pistols. While he did this, Selphie casted Aero, which, after Squall used his Scan spell, was found out to be the monster's weakness.
When Sacred was hit by Selphie's spell, it screamed out in rage and went to attack her, only for Naruto to land a devastating spin kick to the side of his head, sending him reeling backwards from the blow. Turning its attention back to Naruto, it swung its mighty mace at him, only for the blonde warrior to slip underneath it and land a few punches to the beast's chest.
Squall rushed in and slashed the beast, unleashing a blast from his gunblade at point blank range. The damage dealt caused Sacred to roar out in anger once again before it refocused on Naruto, who seemed to be the biggest threat so far.
After a while, Sacred realized he couldn't defeat them on his own, so he fled, leaving the party to watch as he retreated deeper into the Tomb. "Well, that was something." Ino said with a small grin on her face. "You really kicked butt, Naruto-kun!"
Naruto blushed a bit and nodded in thanks. "Thanks Ino-chan. I think we all fought great in that battle. But something feels a bit off. I think...I think that creature was a GF. We should go after it."
Selphie looked at him in shock and asked, "You're sure, Naru-Naru?" Seeing him nod in affirmation, she nodded as well and looked at the others. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go go go! Vrooooom!" she exclaimed with a giggle before taking Naruto's hand and rushing off with him.
Zell blinked a couple of times before turning to face the others. "I never thought I'd see the day. Someone just as energetic as Naruto. It's kind of scary to think about."
Squall chuckled softly before he began to follow after Naruto and Selphie. "I think she's good for him. He needs to relax and have some fun every once in a while, especially after all he's been through." The others nodded in agreement before they all set off to catch up to Naruto and Selphie.
After taking a variety of turns and straight passageways, they came across what appeared to be a floodgate of sorts with a draw point next to it. They made use of the draw point to stock up on Float spells before Squall began to examine the block in front of them. Checking on the side of it, he found a switch and activated it, watching as the block sunk into the ground and let the water start pouring in. "Well, that should have done something. Let's continue exploring and seeing what we can find."
The others nodded in agreement again before they set off deeper into the Tomb in search of anything that might prove useful, especially if it meant they'd find Sacred again. Having another GF in their arsenal would definitely be useful.
Of course, as they explored, they ran into a variety of monsters again, though they didn't prove much of a threat to them. After a short while, they came across a room with gears that appeared to be jammed. Walking up to the spherical object that was preventing the gears from operating as they should, Squall removed it and laid it on the ground, watching as the gears began to rotate. They could hear something happen deeper in the Tomb and decided it was worth checking out.
Proceeding towards the center of the Tomb, they found a drawbridge that had obviously been lowered by their previous actions. It didn't take much longer for them to arrive in the central chamber where they saw Sacred waiting for them.
"Y-YOU'RE BACK AGAIN!? I TOOK IT EASY ON YOU LAST TIME, BUT NOT THIS TIME! THIS TIME, MY B-BIG BRO IS WITH ME! N-NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO RUN AWAY!"
Zell frowned and placed his hands on his hips. Man, this guy's a major idiot!
Naruto sighed and looked the beast in its eyes. "Listen, we don't need to fight. Can't we just talk this out instead? I'd rather not hurt you."
Sacred looked a bit scared, so, ignoring what Naruto had just said, he called out, "BRO!"
Soon enough, a smaller minotaur, appropriately named Minotaur, appeared in front of his brother. "Yeah bro." Minotaur said casually as he eyed the party of adventurers before him.
Naruto quirked a brow as he stared at the rather tiny Minotaur. "Everyone, be careful. I know he's tiny, but I can sense the power he has at his disposal. We'd be fools to underestimate him simply because of his size."
Squall and the others nodded in understanding, but before they could say anything, Minotaur looked at Naruto with a small grin on his face. "I like you. You're interesting."
The blonde shinobi smiled at Minotaur and said, "Likewise. Pleasure to meet you and your brother."
"Likewise. However, before my brother and I agree to join you as your new GF, we will need to test you. Can't just join up with a bunch of weaklings, after all."
Sacred looked a bit panicky at this and said, "B-BRO, THESE GUYS CRASHED THE TOMB! PLUS, THEY ATTACKED ME!"
Naruto scowled at Sacred and said, "Actually, if you recall correctly, you attacked us first, despite me trying to talk things out peacefully."
Minotaur sighed at this and shook his head. "Sorry for Sacred's behavior. He tends to panic sometimes when faced with a potential threat. Still, my point stands: we're going to fight you and to the victor goes the spoils, or so they say. I do hope you're prepared."
Rinoa was unable to hold it in anymore and said, "So, the older brother is smaller? And stronger? I wasn't expecting that."
"YOU HEAR THAT BRO? NOW THEY'RE MAKIN' FUN OF US!" Sacred exclaimed, before he groaned when the blonde shinobi appeared behind him and whacked him in the back of the head. "OUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR HUMAN?!"
Naruto grumbled irritably before he whacked Sacred again for good measure. "You're acting like an idiot. Nobody's making fun of you or your brother. Stop being stupid, Sacred. I'm darn sure you're smarter than this, so act like it."
Before Sacred could reply in some way, Minotaur began to chuckle. "I really like you kid. Tell you what, you versus my brother and me. If you win, we'll gladly become your new GF and we'll junction with anyone you say so. Personally though, I'd prefer it if you became our summoner."
The blonde blinked a couple of times and pointed at himself. "You mean you want me to fight you and your brother by myself? I suppose I can do that. I just hope you're prepared to lose." he said with a grin on his face.
Sacred looked at his brother like he was insane. "B-BRO, THIS GUY'S SUPER STRONG! ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?"
"More than sure. Let's teach this human a lesson in humility." Minotaur replied before he and his brother began their assault.
Naruto grinned as both minotaurs rushed him. Quickly leaping into the air, Naruto spun around in midair before casting Float on both of them to ensure they couldn't heal themselves using their connection with the earth. Afterwards, figuring that these two earth elementals could use the Quake spell or something similar, he casted Float on himself. "Alright, now that that's taken care of, how's about we have some fun?" he said with a wicked grin on his face.
As Naruto battled the two brothers, the others watched on in astonishment. Naruto had so easily agreed to a disadvantageous battle without a second thought. Rinoa looked on worriedly before looking at Squall. "Squall, shouldn't we help him? This is reckless!"
The scarred teen shook his head and simply smiled. "I wouldn't worry too much, Rinoa. Naruto will win this, I know it."
"How can you be so sure? He's up against TWO Minotaurs here! It's insane!"
Quistis placed a gentle hand upon Rinoa's shoulder and smiled kindly at her. "Trust in Naruto. He'll be just fine."
Selphie cheered as she watched her man fight. "Go Naru! Kick their butts!"
Ino and Hinata giggled a bit at their behavior before looking at Rinoa. "We're sure Naruto has only become stronger since coming here. He was already powerful in our world, and he's got a little secret as well that would definitely help tip the battle in his favor if need be. For now though, I think he's already figured out just how to win this battle. There's no need for any of us to interfere, especially when he's negated their healing ability and their strongest attacks."
Rinoa frowned a moment before she, too, started to smile. "Have to admit, I agree with you all. I've seen him in action and I can't help but believe in him. This will be a piece of cake for him, huh?"
Zell chuckled a bit before giving her a thumbs-up. "Hell yeah! Go Naruto!"
Naruto slipped underneath Sacred's oversized mace before hitting him with a powerful uppercut, sending him crashing into the ceiling up above before falling to the ground again. However, just as before, Naruto casted Float on him again to ensure he couldn't regain any health. Afterwards, he turned his attention to the smaller brother and began a fierce taijutsu battle with him, dodging his attacks and attacking the miniscule Minotaur whenever he saw an opening.
After a while of this, Naruto figured he'd stop playing around and began to cast the Aero spell on both brothers. Due to their weakness to wind magic, they took severe damage as a result of this spell and, after a while of this, they submitted to Naruto, having no energy left with which to fight him. "You...you fought well, human. Very well done." Minotaur said, panting a bit after such a hard fight.
Naruto grinned at them and walked up to the both of them, holding out his fists to the both of them. Getting the message, Minotaur and Sacred bumped fists with him before they gave him their cards and then joined him as a new GF.
Sighing softly, Naruto looked at Irvine and said, "I'm going to let you junction with them for the time being. You could use the help. But I expect you to return them once we have a few more GFs with us. Understand?"
The cowboy gave him a salute and thanked the ninja for the gift. Junctioning the Brothers to himself, he and the others watched as the sarcophagus opened and a spirit rose from within. Looking at it, they weren't sure what to expect when it began to speak. "You are quite powerful to have defeated the 2 brothers. Thanks to you, I am now free from this cramped stone coffin. However, there's something I've been thinking of for a very long time. Is it really necessary to entomb those traveling to the other world after such a long and tiring journey through life?"
After he had finished speaking, the spirit disappeared, leaving them with more questions than answers. "Other world? I wonder if...if people that die here are reborn in the Elemental Nations or something? Do you think it's possible?" Naruto questioned as he looked at Ino and Hinata.
Hinata shook her head and said, "I'm not sure. It might be true, it might not be. It's best not to dwell on it too much. For now, we should return to Deling City and meet with General Caraway. We really shouldn't keep him waiting too much longer."
Quistis nodded in agreement and said, "Hinata is right. We need to get moving, especially if we're to catch the sorceress before it's too late."
As they ventured out of the Tomb, they allowed Irvine to stock up on whatever magic he could whenever they encountered a monster or two. They continued with this trend as they made the journey across the plains back towards Deling City. By the time they had arrived, the Brothers had learned the Boost ability and were well on their way to earning their next ability as well.
After a short trek back, they entered the city and decided to make their way to the Galbadia Hotel to get some rest first. They were each a bit exhausted from the journey to and from the Tomb of the Unknown King, as well as from the trials of the Tomb itself. The group hopped in one of the carriages and let it ferry them to the hotel so they could at least rest their weary legs for a little while.
Upon arriving at the hotel, they disembarked and went inside, asking for a couple of rooms so they could rest and relax for a while until they needed to go see Caraway at his mansion. After entering their rooms, letting the women of the group have their own room while the four guys entered their own. After taking a seat on one of the beds in the room, Naruto released a heavy sigh before collapsing backwards on the bed. Groaning a bit, he chose to simply stare at the ceiling and try to relax. However, as he lay there, trying to rest his weary body, Zell decided to ask a question.
"Naruto, I've been wondering something. You've got this clan thing, right? Are you really planning to revive it here in this world?" Zell asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
Naruto chose to sit up and look around at the three other male party members. After a while, he released a sigh and shook his head. "Honestly? I don't really care about reviving my clan here. I'm not in the Elemental Nations anymore, so being a member of a clan and reviving it aren't really necessary. If I wanted, I could just be with a single woman, marry her and settle down together and have a nice, big family together. However, at the same time...there are multiple girls here that like me. I don't want to hurt any of them, and they've already agreed to share me if need be. I know it's probably not looked favorably upon by the majority of people here, but at the same time…"
Irvine quirked a brow at this and asked, "You're interested in more than one girl and can't decide exactly what you should do, huh? Meanwhile, here I am, unable to get a second date from a girl. They go on one date with me, then seem to decide that they'd prefer to just be friends or not talk to me again period."
The whiskered blonde quirked a brow at Irvine and simply chuckled a bit. "Maybe it's your personality?" he asked with a shrug. "Seriously, like I said before, try listening to a girl you're with and respond appropriately. Be nice to them, show them you're a good guy, and things'll work out in the long run, I'm sure of it. You seem like a good person to me, Irvine, so I don't see why you can't get a girlfriend if you just put a bit of effort into forming a relationship with them."
Before Irvine could reply, Zell looked at the cowboy and smiled at him. "Trust me, Naruto knows what he's talking about. You should see all the fangirls this guy has back at Garden. They love the guy."
Irvine nodded slowly and looked in Naruto's eyes. "You know, I think I'll take that advice to heart. Though first, I've gotta ask: which of those girls are you with exactly?"
Naruto looked as if he was pondering the question for a bit before he looked into Irvine's eyes and shrugged. "Selphie. Ino and Hinata seem to have feelings for me, but I haven't entered a relationship with either of them just yet. And...I'm not sure about Quistis. I...I've had strong feelings for her for months now. But…" Here Naruto looked at Squall. "She had...maybe still has feelings for Squall. Then, after being turned down, she kissed me and then...I don't know. She seems to be just as confused about her feelings as I am. I don't know how she feels about me, but I don't want to be hurt by her again. So until she's figured out how she feels, I can't enter a relationship with her."
Irvine nodded slowly in understanding. "Makes sense. Sorry for pissing you off before. You seem like a pretty nice guy."
Naruto shook his head and smiled at the sharpshooter. "No harm done. Though you should probably apologize to the girls, not me."
"I'll keep that in mind." Irvine said. Afterwards, the four of them began to have a fairly normal conversation.
Meanwhile, in the girls' room, Ino and Hinata decided to confront Quistis about her feelings for their blonde love interest. "So, you were interested in Squall, right? What exactly happened there? And why are you suddenly showing interest in Naruto-kun?"
Quistis frowned at this and shook her head. "I...care about Squall. But, when I tried to confess my feelings to him, he turned me down, and rather harshly at that. When he told me how Naruto felt about me, I guess I latched onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd forgive me for being so blind to his feelings and...and…"
Ino frowned at this and shook her head. "You were using him to make yourself feel better. Do you at least know how you feel now, or…?"
The SeeD instructor, or rather former instructor, shook her head and sighed sadly. "What I want is to give a relationship with him a chance. But at the same time...I worry that I might not feel anything besides a platonic friendship with him. I...I think I like him. But...I'm scared. After Squall turned me down, I feel like I've lost the confidence I once had, especially when it comes to myself. What if he decides he doesn't like me that way? I...I can't bear the thought of that happening."
Selphie sighed at this and shook her head. "Quistis, Naruto loves you. He would never hurt you like that. I know you're worried, but you really shouldn't be. If you truly like him and really care for him, why not give a relationship with him a shot? And I know you're worried about having to share him, buuut…" Walking over to Quistis, Selphie leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "Think about how much fun it would be to be with another woman. Maybe even having a threesome with our blonde hunk?"
Quistis blushed a deep red and tried to stammer out a response, but no coherent words were coming from her mouth. Instead, she looked down at her lap and began to fidget a bit. "I...I see. I, erm...never thought about such a thing before. But…"
Before the ex-instructor could say another word, Selphie pressed her lips to Quistis' and kissed her passionately. Afterwards, she winked at Quistis and said, "That's just a sample. You'll get far more if you become one of Naru-Naru's girlfriends."
Quistis was blushing up a storm at this point and, once again, could not come up with a suitable response to such an action. Instead, her fidgeting became worse and she began to giggle nervously. "I-I see…"
Hinata smiled at Quistis and said, "Perhaps, after our mission is complete, you should talk to Naruto and see what he thinks? If you really do like him and don't plan to use him, then I think you definitely should."
Nodding slowly, Quistis released a sigh before curling up on one of the beds. "Right. For right now, let's just get some rest for a few hours. I'd like to rest for a longer period of time, but we need to see General Caraway and get this mission started." Everyone nodded in agreement before they all claimed a spot in the room and dozed off for the time being.
A few hours later - Caraway's Mansion
After getting the rest they very much needed, the party was now outside Caraway's Mansion, speaking with the guard once again. Squall, being the leader of the group, gave the password to him and waited for his response. The guard nodded and smiled at them. "That's correct! Please, right this way."
As they approached the mansion, Squall paused just outside the door and began to think seriously about what was happening. Both Balamb and Galbadia Garden are joining forces with the general from the Galbadian Army. Why? I guess there isn't really a point in thinking about it now.
Squall was broken out of his musings when Rinoa approached him and said, "Umm…" Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she asked, "Is my contract, erm...still in effect?"
Turning to face Rinoa, Squall couldn't help but wonder why she was asking such a thing. "Yes, I believe it is. Why do you ask?"
The raven-haired beauty shook her head and practically pleaded with him, "Don't leave me in this house, ok? Do you want me to explain why?"
Squall frowned at this strange request and was about to ask her why when Naruto spoke up. "He's your father, isn't he Rinoa? Don't worry, we won't leave you here. If you have a strained relationship with your father, there's no way I'd leave you here alone with him."
Rinoa beamed at Naruto and quickly threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "Thank you! I knew you'd understand!"
Naruto blushed a bit at the close proximity, but nodded all the same and gently patted her back. "No problem. Now, we shouldn't delay this any longer. Let's get in there and meet this guy. Hopefully we can figure out why he wants to go through with this."
"Agreed." Squall said before he pushed open the door and stepped inside with his team following him.
Once inside, they were escorted to a room where they were instructed to wait for the general. Then, without another word, the guard left and they were alone in the room. However, the longer they had to wait, the more annoyed they became. "Where the hell is this guy?!" Zell exclaimed, clearly frustrated by the long wait.
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "No idea. But I think he's making us wait on purpose. No telling what this guy has planned, after all."
Rinoa grumbled angrily to herself before exclaiming, "He always does this! It's so discourteous, making people wait like this." Standing up from the chair she was sitting in, she looked at Squall and Naruto and said, "I'm gonna go complain." Afterwards, she walked to the door and said, "Everyone, just wait here." When she opened the door and prepared to walk out, she looked at the others and said, "And just so everyone that hasn't figured it out, this is my house." Afterwards, she left the room to go in search of her father.
Squall sighed at this and shook his head. "I really hope that this doesn't lead to any trouble. What do you think, Naruto?"
Naruto frowned and shook his head. "We're probably gonna need to rescue her from here. I highly doubt her father is just going to sit back and let her go on this suicide mission. Aside from that, something just smells fishy about this whole thing. I don't like it one bit."
Quistis nodded in agreement and said, "I have the same feeling. I hope Caraway isn't planning to betray us in some way, but we'll see."
"Hey! This isn't the time to be all mopey! We're about to start a super big mission and we can't afford to screw it up just because of some bad feelings. Let's just do our best and make sure we succeed!" Selphie exclaimed with a grin as she pumped her fist into the air.
Zell, unable to take the wait any longer, exclaimed, "Seriously here, what the hell's going on?!"
Shortly after Zell yelled this, General Caraway entered the room, but Rinoa was nowhere in sight. Frowning at this, Naruto eyed the general with suspicion, as did Ino, Hinata, and Squall. I don't like this… Naruto thought to himself silently.
Squall looked the general in the eyes and asked, "Where's Rinoa?"
Caraway looked Squall in the eyes before glancing around at the others. "She has not received the type of training all of you have, and would likely just be a burden during this mission. It's for the best that she stays out of this operation."
Selphie looked at him curiously before asking, "So you're Rinoa's father?"
The man shook his head and released a heavy sigh. "I can't remember the last time she actually called me that."
"So the father's a top military officer, and the daughter's a member of an anti-government faction!?" Zell exclaimed in disbelief. It all sounded so farfetched to him and none of it made any sense! "That's bad. Like REALLY bad!"
Caraway frowned momentarily before saying, "Indeed. It's a serious problem." Walking over to the nearby window, he peered out of it and said, "But it doesn't concern you. It's our problem, not yours."
That's not true… Squall thought to himself silently. Rinoa and her happiness are our problem. And she's one of us now. I refuse to just leave her behind, especially after she pleaded with us NOT to leave her here. No matter what, I'm going to keep my promise to her.
"Besides, we have far more important things to worry about." Caraway continued, oblivious to Squall's thoughts.
Garden's directive and Rinoa's orders have the same value to us. I won't let this go! Squall thought to himself, narrowing his eyes as he stared at Caraway's back. "Once our mission is accomplished here, we're back to working for Rinoa, as per our contract. I don't know what your situation is, but please don't interfere when the time comes."
Caraway turned to look into Squall's eyes and quirked a brow at him. "And if I do?"
"If you try to get in our way, I'll be the one to break you apart until Rinoa's back with us." Naruto said. "I don't care if you're our client right now, Rinoa's more important to us and we'll always have her back."
Before Caraway could reply in any way, Squall spoke up. "We're all SeeDs here. We'll act accordingly."
The general looked at Squall for a moment and nodded before turning his gaze back to Naruto. "You've got guts kid. But I'm afraid Rinoa is my daughter and I will decide what's best for her."
Naruto narrowed his eyes and was prepared to say something else, but Irvine spoke up, distracting him from his thoughts. "Hey, hey, hey! Fellas, calm down! We're here to knock off the sorceress, right? Sooo, let's get down to business!"
Caraway shot one last look at Naruto, but didn't say anything. Instead, he returned his attention to the appointed leader of the group and began to speak again. "Let me explain the plan." And with that, he led the party outside and said, "I'm sure you know that the Galbadian government has reached an accord with Sorceress Edea."
Squall and the others all shared a single thought, So the sorceress' name is Edea.
"There is going to be a ceremony tonight to commemorate the event. It'll be held at the Presidential Residence." he said, as he continued to lead them towards their destination. "During the ceremony, you will split up into two teams and get in position. The gateway team will enter the gateway and stand by. The sniper team will stand by at the front of the Presidential Residence until the ceremony is over. This is where the sniper team will wait, right here, where I am standing." Caraway explained as he showed them the exact spot he wanted the sniper team to wait.
So, we're going to be dividing into two teams: the sniper team and the gateway team. Squall thought as he went over the plan so far in his head. Joining Caraway and the others, they all turned to stare at the Presidential Residence.
"That's the Presidential Residence. Once the ceremony ends, a parade for the sorceress will begin. That's when the gate will open. Lay low until then. The parade may be canceled if there is any commotion. We must avoid that at all costs. Once the gate opens, the sniper team will move out. With the parade drawing the crowd and the guards' attention, it should be rather easy to move about." Caraway explained as he stared at the Presidential Residence.
"The sniper team will head for the roof of the residence. In the corridor by the sorceress' room, there is a hatch that leads to the clock tower. There's a clock tower there housing a carousel clock. You'll find the sniper rifle there. Stand by in the clock tower until exactly 20:00. The parade will begin by the gate. The sorceress will be riding on the parade vehicle. After it leaves the gate, the vehicle will turn left. Like this, this way." he explained as he ran in the direction the parade vehicle would be going.
"The parade will circle once around the city along the outer road and return to this space. It will return on this side." he explained as he rushed to the location the parade vehicle would be reappearing from. "Then it will turn right and head this way." he explained further as he showed them the direction it would be moving in.
"Here's where the gateway team comes into play. At exactly 20:00, the parade will pass under the gateway. At this point, the gateway team will operate the console to drop the gates. The sorceress will be trapped inside the gateway. At 20:00, the carousel clock will rise out of the roof, carrying the sniper team up as well. There will be no obstruction between the sniper team and the sorceress. Take the shot. That's all. Now we wait. You're free to go anywhere. Go check out the city if you wish. Just one thing: stay out of trouble."
Naruto frowned and thought quietly to himself, You're the one causing trouble here. I think I'm going to need to free Rinoa soon. I won't let you trap her when she's officially one of us now.
Caraway, either not noticing Naruto's gaze or just ignoring it, said, "Report to my residence when you're ready. We'll hold a final meeting then. After that, we'll proceed with the operation."
Once he was gone, Naruto scowled and shook his head. "Guys, you go ahead and explore a bit if you need to. I'm sneaking in to free Rinoa. I refuse to leave her trapped there when we made a promise to her not to leave her in that mansion." Naruto said.
Squall shook his head and said, "We've explored enough. But I get what you're saying. We should stock up on supplies for this mission, just in case. You be careful though, you hear me, Naruto? We don't need you getting into trouble because of this."
Naruto smirked back at him before saying, "I'll be extra careful this time, I promise. I just hope Rinoa's alright." And with that, Naruto took off towards Caraway's Mansion to free Rinoa. This mission is going to be one big clusterfuck, I can tell already.
A/N - And that's the chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed it! If not, then oh well. *shrugs*
Anywho, as you can see, a bunch of different things happened in this chapter and things are getting interesting. And just so you know, I'm not planning to include Rinoa in Naruto's little harem. I'm planning to have a relationship blossom between her and Squall, just like in the game. :P So there ya go! lol
Okay, not sure what to say about this chapter, sooo...hope you enjoyed it!