A/N - Okey dokey, used the ol' RNG again and it chose this story. So yay! lol.

First thing I'd like to do is apologize. I know I teased at it at the end of the last chapter, buuut...I didn't include the lemon between Naruto, Yang, and Blake. I can always write stuff like that later, but I didn't feel like this chapter really needed it, you know? *shrugs*

Anyways, a bunch of different things happen in this chapter. The main thing is the group goes to their next world in this chapter: Spira.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 13 – Bridging the Dimensional Gap – Spira

The next day after the trio had made love, Blake and Yang were walking with goofy smiles and noticeable limps. Just the sight of it made Naruto chuckle. Of course, the other girls each understood immediately what had happened, but they didn't comment on it. Instead, they each bid their goodbyes to Taruho and the others that had shown Shion love and care throughout her life.

The return trip to Konoha was a slow one, considering Shion wasn't a trained kunoichi and couldn't move as fast as they could. Still, they didn't mind taking their time on the way back. It wasn't like they were in any big hurry.

As they walked along, the group chatted with one another about a variety of things, and Shion had even gossiped a bit with Yang and Blake, asking them how good it was when they had sex with Naruto. She had a noticeable blush on her face when she asked, and their responses only added more color to her pale cheeks.

Towa, on the other hand, was walking alongside Moebius for a change. It was their second week on the road when she suddenly stopped everyone and looked a the time goddess. "Moebius…I forgive you. I've realized that holding a grudge against you for what happened in the past is pointless. Especially when you consider the fact that you saved me from having to be with that lecherous pervert. I…still don't know if I'm comfortable sharing Naruto-kun with you…but I'm willing to give you a chance. Just promise me that you'll treat him and the rest of us well and not pull any of your old tricks? And…please help him with his powers. I don't want to see him hurt because I was too selfish to allow you into his life."

Moebius paused for a time and looked into Towa's eyes for a good, long while. When she finally spoke, it was with a smile. "Towa, I was never going to try and hog him all to myself. And I planned to teach him regardless of whether you accepted me or not. But it's like I said, he's the perfect man for me and I'm looking forward to when he becomes a new Time God, able to stand beside me as my chosen husband."

Rikku frowned in confusion at this before asking, "Wait, you can make him into some kind of god? How's that work?"

The time goddess tapped her chin in thought before she said, "Well, once he's powerful enough for my liking and he's really proven himself, all I have to do is share with him a bit of my blood and magic power and presto blammo, he's a god like me! Of course, I plan to do the same with all of you. Can't go leaving my sister wives out of the whole immortality thing, after all. Besides, can you imagine having mind-blowing sex and lots of wonderful children with this guy? 'Cause I can, and it sounds AWESOME!"

Everyone blushed at the images running through their brains. After a moment, Shion fainted, though Naruto caught her before she could hit the ground. Chuckling, he said, "She's more innocent than I thought."

"Suuure she is." Yang said with a knowing grin. "I wouldn't be surprised if she sneaks into your tent at night and tries to go for a ride. Oum knows I'd be happy to go again."

As Yang began to giggle pervertedly, Blake facepalmed and said, "Yang, please behave yourself."

"Oh hush. You know you loved it." Yang said, sticking her tongue out at her girlfriend. "Anyways, now you can carry her and we can really get a move on. This slow pace has been killing me. I want to move move move!"

Naruto chuckled a bit as he held the priestess in a bridal carry. "Sounds good to me. Let's go girls." he said before they took off at high speed, eager to get back to Konoha and see what was next on the agenda.

Konoha

It had taken another week and a half to reach Konohagakure, partly due to the fact that when Shion came to, she nearly freaked out from being so close to her destined husband. She allowed him to carry her for a while, but then she wanted to walk on her own two feet again, unable to deal with the embarrassment any longer.

Now here they were, standing in the Hokage's office staring at a rather annoyed Tsunade. "Naruto, if you had anything to do with those strange occurrences before leaving for your mission, please tell me now. People are still being terrorized by supposed ghosts and items are suddenly moving around on their own. Then other people have mentioned how things precious to them have gone missing. I don't know what the hell's going on anymore, but I want it to be stopped. I've got such a migraine right now."

Naruto and the girls all blinked in confusion at that. "Umm, I'll be honest. I did start it, just to really screw with people you know? But it was supposed to stop after a week without any real harm being done. Nothing else was supposed to happen. I think you've either got a case of actual ghosts playing pranks on people in my stead…or this is the work of another shinobi, perhaps an enemy. Want us to look into it and see what's going on?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him and his girlfriends for a moment before grumbling irritably. "So it was you that started it. I'm not even going to ask about it anymore. It seems to me that somebody else is responsible for the current state of the village. I suggest talking to Ino Yamanaka first. She's the village gossip after all, so she probably knows something. Other than that, you're free to have a look around and see what you can make of everything. If it is an enemy, then their goal probably lies elsewhere. Keep everyone distracted while they seek out their real goal. I hope it's nothing serious like that, but you can never be too careful."

The blonde frowned and said, "Ghosts aren't much better. I'm no exorcist…wait." Looking at Shion, he asked, "Can you exorcise spirits? Like, help them move on to where they belong and all that?"

The priestess nodded and said, "That is within my power, yes. So if this is indeed the work of actual spirits, I can help them move on. Still, we should learn more about the situation and see what exactly is going on before we jump to any conclusions."

Naruto nodded in understanding before he looked at Tsunade. "We'll figure this out and solve the problem, Hokage-sama. You'd better make it an official mission though, because we're not doing this for free." he said with a chuckle before he and the girls left the office.

Once they were gone, Tsunade massaged the bridge of her nose and mumbled, "Of course it couldn't be that easy. Just what the hell is going on?" Sighing softly, she went to grab her bottle of sake and pour herself a much needed cup, only to blink when her bottle was nowhere to be found. Quickly looking around in a panic, she damn near broke down into tears. "Shizune!" she roared.

The black-haired medic rushed into the room and bowed to her master. "W-What is it, Tsunade-sama? Did something happen?"

Narrowing her eyes at her assistant, the Fifth Hokage asked, "Did you get rid of my sake again? I was really, really hoping I could relax with a cup or two."

Shizune blinked a couple of times before shaking her head. "No, Tsunade-sama. With how stressed you've been lately, I figured it'd just be cruel of me to take away your sake. It should be right where you left it."

Tsunade sat down at her desk and let her head fall to the desk with an audible thud. "I'm starting to really believe that the village is haunted right now. I just want some fucking sake."

Shizune walked over and began to gently massage Tsunade's back and shoulders. "It'll be okay Tsunade-sama. I'm sure Naruto-kun and the others will figure this out and set things right again. As for your sake, maybe we could go out for a while? You could use a break."

Nodding slowly, Tsunade stood up and prepared to leave the office, only to blink when something began to manifest in the air before her. "What the hell…?"

Naruto

Naruto and his girls went straight to the Yamanaka Flowers shop and approached Ino, who was currently tending to a few rare flowers. Upon noticing them, she exclaimed, "Oh thank Kami! You guys have to do something about this mess! If this was a prank of yours, please make it stop. The flowers keep getting rearranged, price tags are being swapped, and I keep hearing giggling throughout the store. It's getting creepy!"

The whiskered teen shook his head and said, "Ino-chan, this isn't our doing this time. We think actual spirits might be involved. If you're hearing giggling, but aren't seeing anything or anyone and things are really this bad…I think we're probably dealing with a spirit that likes pranks. Or, more specifically, my pranks. What can you tell us about the state the village is in?"

Ino looked horrified by the mere thought of spirits tormenting the citizens of Konohagakure. When she looked about ready to start hyperventilating, Naruto pulled her into a hug and began to rub his hand up and down her back to try and soothe her. "Just breathe Ino-chan. Breathe. We need you to tell us everything you know if we're to put a stop to this."

Blushing, Ino found herself unconsciously leaning into his touch and breathing in his scent. It made her feel warm inside, but she quickly shook it off and said, "Well, Shikamaru said that when he's playing shogi with Asuma or his father, an unseen force starts moving the pieces, almost as if it's trying to play with him. Choji's chips keep disappearing and the bags turn up empty with the chips all scattered about some time later. Shino's sunglasses went missing, and it turns out he's got some really pretty eyes. Then there's Neji. Umm…whatever it is, it made all of Neji's clothes pink with purple hearts all over them. Poor Hinata had her pants pulled down in the middle of the street. I never knew she wore such erotic underwear. I think she's secretly planning to try and impress someone with them." Ino said teasingly.

"Hmmm, what else is there? Asuma's packets of cigarettes keep going missing. He always finds them later and they've been burned to a crisp each time. There's usually a sign nearby that says "Smoking's bad for your health." Hmm, Kurenai had all of her underwear replaced with thongs, which she was rather pissed about. Kakashi's headband went missing, so he has to wear an eyepatch for now. All over the village, people are complaining about all kinds of things. It's never hurt anyone, only embarrassed them. I just wonder why this is happening in the first place."

Naruto patted Ino's back gently before he stepped away from her. "I see. Thanks for the information, Ino-chan. It's much appreciated. I think I've got a better understanding of our ghost problem now. I think I know how to deal with it too. You're welcome to come along if you'd like?"

Ino quickly fought down the blush that had spread across her face and nodded. "Of course. I'd like to see how you deal with this particular problem. Just let me close up the shop real quick."

As they waited for Ino to close the shop, Sakura looked at her boyfriend and asked, "What do you think, Naruto-kun? Sounds to me like we're dealing with quite the prankster."

Naruto nodded and said, "This didn't start until after we left. And this particular spirit is doing things based on pranks I've done in the past. I think whoever this spirit is, he or she admires my pranks and wanted to try them out for him/herself. Of course, it's only a theory at this point, but that's what my gut's telling me. So I'm going to try and talk to this ghost and see what we can do to put a stop to all these pranks."

Rikku frowned at him and asked, "Are you sure that's wise? What if it's a malevolent spirit or something that'll try and possess you or make you do naughty things? Ooooooh."

When Rikku began making ghost noises and wiggling her fingers around, Naruto chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "It'll be fine. I promise."

It was at this point that Ino joined them outside, flipping the sign to Closed. Afterwards, Naruto led them to the Third Training Ground where the memorial stone was located. Stopping some distance from the stone, he looked to the side and said, "I know you're there. Show yourself. I won't try to harm you in any way. I just want to talk."

After waiting for a moment, everyone watched as something began to materialize before them. When it finally took shape, they saw that it was the spirit of a young boy with spiky hair, wearing a Konoha headband. Looking into his eyes, Naruto smiled at him and said, "It's nice to meet you. Mind telling me your name? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, but you already knew that, didn't you?"

The spirit chuckled a bit before nodding its head. "You already know who I am, Naruto Uzumaki. I'm Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki. I've been watching you for a loooong time. Your pranks are some of the funniest I've ever seen! And, with your most recent prank, we kind of decided it was the perfect time to reveal ourselves. We've just been having a bit of fun until you came back."

Sakura raised a brow in curiosity and asked, "We?"

Nawaki nodded and said, "Yeah, me and…"

Tsunade

"Dan? How? Why? W-What are you doing here? I thought you had passed on!" Tsunade exclaimed, tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

"U-Uncle Dan? But…but…" Shizune said quietly, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Dan smiled softly at the both of them and said, "Nawaki and I couldn't pass on until we were sure you were going to be all right, Tsunade-hime. You took our losses hard and have never quite been the same since. Seeing the state you were in, we couldn't pass on. Naruto-kun has done a wonderful job of healing your heart, but you still hold a piece of us in your heart and soul, afraid to truly let us go. When Naruto-kun played that prank last month, Nawaki and I took the opportunity to make ourselves known. We simply had to wait for him to return from his mission to talk to the both of you."

Sighing softly, Dan walked up to Tsunade and put a ghostly hand to her cheek, wishing he could wipe away her tears. "Stop giving in to your vices. No more reckless gambling. You were never any good at it. And only drink in moderation if you really have to drink some sake. Small cups, only one or two at a time. Never enough to do yourself harm, even if you can cure yourself of the negative side effects. I'm tired of seeing you punish yourself for our deaths. You need to move on and be happy with your life. Find someone new to love. Find a way to be happy without us. Right now, Nawaki is talking with Naruto-kun. Did you know he actually looks up to Naruto? It's cute, really."

Tsunade giggled a bit and wiped away her tears. "I figured he would. Naruto-kun's a good person, even if he is a prankster. I'm proud of him, and I can't wait to pass the hat to him someday."

Placing a ghostly kiss on Tsunade's forehead, Dan said, "Come with me. I'll lead you to the others. You deserve a chance to truly say goodbye to Nawaki as well, after all."

Frowning slightly, Shizune asked, "But…Uncle Dan? How can we just let you go? It's not that easy!"

Dan simply smiled at her and said, "You have to. You need to accept the fact that we're gone and nothing can bring us back. Not truly. I have to admit, I'm a little ashamed that you would consider helping Orochimaru in an effort to get us back, Tsunade. I'm glad Naruto-kun managed to help you see the light in time. For now, let us go to Nawaki."

Tsunade grimaced as she remembered that moment. "I'm sorry…" she said, only for Dan to smile at her and walk away. Quickly, she and Shizune followed after him, making sure to keep him in sight.

Naruto

"So you two have been keeping an eye on Tsunade-sama this entire time, huh? She's really been hurting ever since you two died. With the shape she was in, I'm kind of amazed I even managed to get her to come back here." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Nawaki smiled gratefully at Naruto and said, "Thank you for that, Naruto Uzumaki. Yes, we've been watching Tsunade, doing whatever we could to try and help her through her darkest times, even if she couldn't see us at the time." Sighing softly, Nawaki looked deep into Naruto's eyes and said, "You know, Tsunade really loves you, Naruto. You're the most important person in her life right now. Please don't hurt her."

Naruto blinked in confusion and said, "I never want to hurt Tsunade-sama. She's dear to me too. As far as I'm concerned, she's family. If she's hurting, I want to be there for her, just like Shizune-chan is."

"And we are grateful for that, Naruto Uzumaki-kun." Dan said as he walked up with Tsunade and Shizune hot on his heels. It was obvious that the three of them had been listening for a short while, as Tsunade could be seen with a blush on her face. This confused Naruto, but he quickly shook it off and listened as the spirit of Dan continued to speak. "Naruto-kun, I have but one favor to ask of you. Be there for Tsunade always. Make her happy where the two of us could not. And Naruto-kun, do try to keep Jiraiya away from Tsunade. I don't want to have to beat the snot out of him in the afterlife for touching her inappropriately or something."

As Tsunade blushed worse, Naruto eyed her curiously for a time before he returned his gaze to Dan and Nawaki. "I don't know how, but I'll do whatever it takes to make Tsunade-sama smile. You have my word."

Nawaki and Dan both smirked at one another before the younger of the two asked, "Do you promise?"

Before Sakura and the other girls could stop him, Naruto nodded his head and said, "I promise to make Tsunade-sama happy, no matter what it takes."

Towa facepalmed and mumbled, "Idiot." underneath her breath. He doesn't realize what he just promised them!

Dan glanced at Tsunade's red face and began to chuckle. "Thank you Naruto-kun. We leave Tsunade in your capable hands. Make sure to treat her well. She can be a bit feisty sometimes, but she means well."

Nawaki snickered to himself and said, "Looking forward to hearing stories about the nieces and nephews you give me!"

Naruto blinked a couple of times in confusion as the spirits disappeared into the afterlife. Looking at the Hokage, his face started turning red and he exclaimed, "WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Sakura sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "Naruto-kun, you can be so stupid sometimes. What did you think they meant?"

"I…I dunno. But I certainly wasn't expecting this! I mean, does Tsunade-sama even fe—" Naruto started to say, only for Tsunade to walk up to him, grab his face, and smash her lips against his.

When they parted, she mumbled, "You are such an idiot sometimes, Naruto-kun. Now that you've made that promise, you'd better take real good care of me. Understand?"

Blushing badly from what just happened, Naruto's eyes soon rolled up into the back of his head and he fainted, unable to take the mental overload this whole situation had caused.

Seeing this caused the girls to giggle. Kneeling down beside him, the busty Hokage lifted Naruto's head up and placed it gently on her lap. Smirking to herself, she said, "I've always wanted to try this." Slowly, she began to trace her fingers over his whisker marks. When he started to purr, she giggled and said, "I am never going to let him live this down."

The other girls grinned as well before they each took turns tracing his whiskers, giggling all the while. Even Ino got in on the fun, finding it just too cute to pass up on. Life had certainly taken an interesting turn for Naruto.

Two Days Later

After Naruto had woken up, he ended up blushing again when he realized what was going on. The girls teased him for a while, but they let up after seeing how uncomfortable he was. Naruto had talked with Tsunade for a while about her feelings and had even promised her that he'd look into creating a seal that would reverse her age so she could have the children she had always wanted.

The following day, Naruto had taken Tsunade out on a date, though it was a bit awkward to be going out with the Hokage of all people. Still, she was happy and that's all that mattered to him in the long run. Now, however, Naruto and his team (minus Yamato) stood before the Hokage once more, awaiting their current orders.

"Naruto-kun, I think it's time for you to visit another world. This time, I want to see you open a portal to Spira, Rikku's home. You made a promise to her, after all, and I think it's time that she gets reunited with her cousin and her friends." Tsunade said, glancing between Naruto and Rikku.

Naruto nodded in understanding before saying, "I'll create and anchor the portal near the other one on my property. Hopefully now it won't take so much out of me."

Tsunade smiled at him and said, "You'll be fine, Naruto-kun. You didn't go through all that trouble before for nothing. If nothing else, I believe in you."

"Thanks Tsunade-sama." he said with a smile. When she frowned at him, he blushed and said, "Tsunade-chan."

"Better. Now get going. I expect to hear good things upon your return. I just hope your trip to Spira isn't as eventful as your foray into Towa's world."

Naruto simply smiled at the Hokage before he turned and led the party out of the office and towards his home. Once they had arrived, he walked to the portal to Kamza and smiled softly as he thought about Toki and little Towa. He hoped they were doing well. Shaking those thoughts off, he moved to the side and picked a spot nearby to create the portal to Spira.

Focusing for a time to get a clear image of where he wanted to go, he soon opened his eyes again summoned forth his magic, creating a rip in space and time. Focusing on his magic, he stabilized the portal before anchoring it in place. Smiling to himself, he motioned to the others and said, "Let's go. I want to see what Spira's like. It should be fun!" With that, they each stepped through the portal, one by one. Well, all except for Shion, who had actually gone to Kamza to meet Toki and her daughter Towa. After all, Shion wasn't a kunoichi and so she couldn't follow her loved ones on their missions. Still, she would wait for her beloved to return so they could spend more time together.

Besaid Island – Spira

The people of Besaid Village were in a panic. A strange portal had appeared in front of the old temple where the people once worshipped Yevon and the High Summoners. When strangely dressed people stepped through, they began to scream in fright. After the last person had stepped through, the portal closed behind them and they were left to look around at their current surroundings.

Rikku, seeing where they were and how panicked the poor people of Besaid Village were, looked into her fiance's eyes and asked, "You couldn't resist a good prank on these poor people, could you?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Guilty as charged." Turning to face the people of Besaid Village, he waved in greeting. "Good day to you fine folk! My friends and I are here…to eat your brains! Muwahahahahahahahahahaaa!"

As the people screamed in fright, Sakura sighed and was sorely tempted to smack her beloved in the back of the head for scaring these poor people. Stepping forward, she looked around at everyone and bowed apologetically. "I'm so sorry we scared all of you. We actually came here to meet Yuna. Is she around, by any chance?"

A lone man stepped forward and narrowed his blue eyes at them. Brandishing his sword, he asked, "And what do you want with Yuna? If you're planning to kidnap her or something, you'll have to do it over my dead body!"

Rikku stepped forward and stared into his eyes, a mixture of emotions swirling through her at the moment. "Hello again Tidus. You look well."

The now-named Tidus' eyes widened as he stared at the beautiful thief. She looked slightly older than the last time he had seen her, and she had certainly filled out nicely. But he wasn't paying much attention to that. No, he was just so shocked to see her again that he rushed up to her and threw his arms around her, hugging her tight. "Where the hell have you been for all this time? You've been gone for three years! We thought something terrible happened to you!"

Naruto felt a bit of jealousy as he looked at Tidus. This was the man that Rikku had been in love with before she came to the Elemental Nations. While he knew she loved him now, he also couldn't help but worry that her old feelings for Tidus might surge up again and cause problems between the three of them. It didn't help, seeing his fiancé being held by another man like this. Even still, he suppressed his jealousy and put on a forced smile, refusing to upset his fiancés.

Sakura and Temari both noticed Naruto's problem right away and sidled up next to him. "Are you going to be okay, Naruto-kun?" Temari asked as she looked him in the eyes.

Naruto clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Yes. I'll be fine. I just…I can't help but worry, you know?"

They both nodded in understanding and chose to hug him to show their support. "It'll be okay sweetheart. I'm sure of it."

"I know. At least, I hope so. I guess we'll just have to wait and see." he said, unsure of exactly how he should be feeling.

Rikku hugged Tidus back for a moment before she looked him over. "You've grown taller since we last met. What are you, 20 now?" Seeing him nod, she smirked and bumped her fist against his chest. "I'm 19. Don't I look just fabulous now?" she asked, striking a pose and giggling.

Tidus chuckled and said, "You look more grown-up for sure. You look like you've been doing well. Who are all your friends? And what was with that weird light show? Just what the heck's going on, Rikku?"

Rikku giggled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. "Um, yeah…can we kinda, y'know, get everyone together? It's kind of a long story and I'd like to hear how all of you have been too."

Tidus nodded in understanding before chancing a glance at the others. "Well, before anything, allow me to welcome all of you to Besaid Village and, if my assumption is correct, then I welcome you to the world of Spira. Umm…" Looking at Rikku, the blonde frowned sadly and shook his head. "You might be a bit upset at some of the things you'll learn. We'll explain everything, I promise, but some things have changed."

Rikku didn't like the sound of that, and neither did the others. Following Tidus to a large house that had obviously been built after Rikku left, they followed him inside. Leading them into another room, he smiled at his wife, Yuna, and said, "Yuna, look who came back."

Yuna, who had been quietly relaxing before her husband entered the room, looked up at hearing his voice and was about to ask who when she laid eyes on her cousin. Slowly rising to her feet, she carefully made her way over to Rikku and, upon reaching her, hugged her close. "Oh Rikku! We looked absolutely EVERYWHERE for you! We even checked the Farplane. I…" Here, the very much pregnant woman started to sob. "I thought you had died. I didn't know what to do. I missed you so much."

Rikku smiled at her cousin and poked her forehead lightly. "Silly. You shouldn't be moving around so much if you're this far along in your pregnancy. Speaking of which, you're freaking pregnant?! Do you know the details? Like is it a boy or a girl? How many are you having? Is this your first pregnancy? Tell me, tell me!" she questioned excitedly.

The brunette giggled and led Rikku over to the couch. "Yes, this is my first pregnancy. Tidus-kun and I…umm…"

Tidus sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I was kind of nervous to take our relationship to the next step. Yuna and I only got married about half a year ago and…well…"

Yuna sighed and shook her head exasperatedly. "Tidus took up blitzball again and earned himself a number of fangirls. They've tried to seduce him a number of times and they've made being together…difficult."

The spiky-haired blitzball player shook his head and slumped over somewhat comically. "That and I'm technically younger than Yuna-chan now by two years. She wanted to wait before we did anything like that. And then we had to wait to get married, considering virtually EVERYONE in Spira wanted to be there for the event. It was a liiittle embarrassing. And before that…we had to hold a funeral for one of Yuna's old guardians…"

Rikku's eyes widened as she looked between the two of them. "Who? Who was it that died?"

"My husband, Wakka." Lulu said as she stepped into the room carrying a tray of tea and sweets for everyone.

As the beautiful black mage sat down beside Yuna, Rikku asked, "H-How did he die? What happened?"

Lulu sighed and shook her head. "He was careless. Fiends are still around, Rikku. Despite everything you and Yuna went through, fiends still run rampant throughout the lands of Spira. In fact, they seem to be appearing more and more frequently of late. Fiends have retaken Zanarkand and we've had to label it off limits for everyone."

Yuna frowned sadly at this and said, "Wakka went on patrol around the island about nine months ago and fell under attack by a rather large fiend. We don't know what it was, only that Wakka barely managed to kill it. Wakka died from his injuries before we could reach him."

"What about Vidina? And you too, Lulu? Are you two doing okay? And did you have anymore babies together that I should know about?" Rikku questioned, clearly shocked by Wakka's demise.

Lulu smiled sadly and said, "Vidina is fine. He's growing to be a strong, healthy child. He takes after his father. And no, we never had another child. As for how I'm doing? I'm coping. I miss him, but I've come to accept his passing. It can be a bit lonely sometimes though, despite Yuna and Tidus being here for me."

Rikku nodded sadly, but didn't say anything more. So instead, Yuna looked at her other guests and asked, "So who are all of your friends, Rikku? There sure are a lot of them."

Naruto and his girls bowed politely to Yuna and her loved ones for a moment before standing straight again. "Yuna, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last. Rikku-chan's said so many good things about you and your friends. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. With me are Meru, Towa, Moebius, Yang Xiao-Long, Blake Belladonna, Gaige, Sakura Haruno, and Temari." Naruto said, motioning to each of the girls with him when he said their name.

Tidus looked between them and Yuna before saying, "They came out of a portal right in front of the old temple. I don't think they're from this world."

Rikku giggled a bit and said, "Yeah, Naruto-kun wanted to prank everyone. Sorry about that. Anyways, you're right. We came from a world called Earth from a land known as the Elemental Nations. Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, and Temari-chan are each from there. The others, like me, for instance, are all from different worlds, perhaps even universes."

Yuna and the others blinked a couple of times in confusion. "Wait, other worlds? How did you even end up in the Elemental Nations to begin with, Rikku? Where did you even go after we got Tidus-kun back?" she asked.

The normally perky blonde looked away from her cousin and Tidus. She couldn't even look Naruto in the eyes right now, which put him on edge. Sighing, she stared down at her lap and said, "Yuna…I was in love with Tidus too. I pushed aside my feelings for him so you could be happy together. But when we finished that whole thing with Vegnagun and Shuyin, and mending the relations between the people of Spira…and then when Tidus came back to life…I couldn't take it anymore. I went to Baaj Temple, to where Tidus and I first met. I cried for a while…and then I was sucked into a portal, like the one used to bring us back here to Spira."

"Naruto-kun had unlocked some new powers, his own magical abilities, and had accidentally pulled Meru and me from our worlds into his. Actually, that's how most of us ended up in the Elemental Nations with Naruto-kun. He's still trying to get the hang of his powers, and when he gets super emotional…things tend to happen. This is the second world he's managed to connect us to so we could come see you guys and see how you've been doing!" Rikku explained.

After a few moments, she closed her eyes and said, "And seeing Tidus again…brought those old feelings to the surface again. I thought for sure they were gone. I thought I had actually moved on by now so I could be truly happy with Naruto-kun. Don't worry, either of you, I have no intentions of acting upon such feelings, but they're there. I need to deal with them so I can truly move on…"

Naruto could only stare with wide eyes for a time before he looked down, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes. Without a word, he walked outside, leaving his loved ones behind. The blonde wasn't sure how to feel right now, and he didn't want to accidentally lash out at anyone close to him. So without a sound, he quickly disappeared, leaving them behind.

Rikku could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she reached out for her beloved fiancé right before he left. Once he was gone, she started to cry. "N-Naru-kun…I'm so sorry."

Meru scowled at Rikku and said, "You'd better resolve these feelings of yours soon, Rikku. Naruto-kun's been through enough without having to deal with a betrayal like that." Everyone watched as Meru left the house as well, most likely to go in search of Naruto.

Yuna looked shocked at everything that had been said, as well as the reactions to Rikku's big reveal. "Rikku…? Why didn't you tell me? Or any of us?"

The green-eyed thief curled up into herself and said, "Because I knew nothing would come of such feelings. You were happy and I couldn't take that away from you. I wasn't even going to try. Naru-kun helped me and…and I love him dearly. But…"

Sakura scowled at her and shouted, "But?! But nothing, Rikku! I understand, believe me I do, but the mere fact that you still have feelings for Tidus and openly admitted to such must hurt him on a deep level. Naruto-kun loves you to death, Rikku. This must feel like such a betrayal to him. I'm going to go find him. I don't care where he's gone, I'll find him and help him deal with this. Dammit!"

As Sakura hurried out of the house in search of Naruto, Temari shot a quick glare at Rikku and Tidus before she left without a word to aid her future sister wife find their hubby-to-be. Soon enough, the only ones of their group to remain behind were Moebius, Gaige, and Towa.

"So…this is the guy you loved for a time, huh?" Moebius questioned as she looked the blitzball ace up and down. Shrugging, she said, "I don't see the appeal. But to each their own, I suppose." Taking a seat on a nearby cushion, she poured herself some tea and had a sip. "This is good. Thank you, Lulu." Returning her gaze to Tidus, the time goddess said, "Rikku, I'm not going to question you or judge you. Hell, if you choose to stay here and try to build a three-way relationship between you, your cousin, and this guy, I'll understand. But you'd better find some way to make it up to Naruto-kun. Seeing him so upset is…irritating. If you can't decide between them and you forsake your current relationship with Naruto-kun for even a chance at being with this guy, we'll leave you here and never return. You can stay and be happy here and we'll close the portal for good. In the end, the choice comes down to what you three decide to do. Well, four if you include Naruto-kun. Minor details."

As the time goddess shrugged her shoulders, Towa sighed and shook her head. "Rikku…if I were you, I'd leave Naruto-kun alone for the time being. Do what you need to do here. We'll find somewhere else to sleep so we don't get in the way. Come on Gaige, Moebius, let's leave them to have a much-needed talk." Moebius pouted, but nodded her head in understanding. Finishing her tea, she set the cup back on the tray before grabbing a handful of treats and skipping her way out of the house.

Once they were gone, Yuna looked at her cousin with a confused frown on her face. "Rikku? Do…do you really have feelings for Tidus-kun too? And what was all that about? What exactly is going on here?"

Rikku wiped away her tears and smiled sadly at her cousin. "Yes, I loved Tidus too. I was jealous of you for having his love and attention. I love you too much to try anything though. I thought I had moved on. I wanted to be happy with Naruto-kun. I still do. But I'm so confused right now and I hate it! Seeing Tidus brought all these stupid feelings to the surface again when I thought they were gone! It…it just couldn't be easy to get over him, could it? And now Naru-kun's upset. He'll…he'll probably never trust me again. I never wanted to hurt him like this. We…we were supposed to be getting married. Everything was supposed to be absolutely perfect between us. And now this! Maybe I should've just stayed away from Spira. Even if it meant never seeing you guys again…if it meant Naruto-kun didn't have to get hurt…"

Tidus frowned at this and shook his head. "Rikku, we were worried sick about you. We didn't stop looking, even after all these years. You're important to all of us. It's a good thing you came back. Don't doubt that. As for your feelings…I don't know what to tell you. I really don't."

Rikku chuckled dryly and said, "All the girls we came here with? We all love Naruto-kun in our own ways. Almost all of us are in a relationship with him. It may sound strange to you…and it might be awkward to think about…but…"

Lulu nodded in understanding. "If you girls can make a relationship like that work between all of you, who's to say that the same couldn't be done with you, Yuna, and Tidus? Right?"

The blonde thief nodded once in confirmation. "Yes. Yunie would never go for such a relationship, however. That, and isn't it kind of frowned upon here in Spira to be in such a relationship?"

Lulu shook her head and said, "Not really. It's just not a common practice. However, if you each genuinely love one another, there's no law stating that you can't be in a polyamorous relationship like that. The only thing that would stop such a thing from happening is if one or more people in the relationship don't feel like they can share. In this case, it would be up to Yuna and Tidus to decide if they wanted such a relationship with you."

"I…I see. In that case, I…"

Naruto

Naruto sat on the small pier on the sandy beach of Besaid Island. He had a large pile of small rocks and seashells sitting next to him. Every now and then he'd pick up one of the rocks and send it skipping along the water, seeing how far he could skip it before it eventually sank beneath the water. The seashells he'd simply look at and admire for a time before tossing them into the water as well.

At the moment, he was frustrated, hurt, confused, angry…in fact, it was a combination of all those feelings and more mixed into one volatile package. Staring down into the water at his reflection, Naruto sighed and wiped away his tears. Dammit. I should never have bothered coming here! I didn't think she still loved him! Then again, having to share me probably hasn't helped her any. Fuck! Picking up another stone, he skipped it along the water, trying to distract himself from his thoughts.

Sensing an unfamiliar presence behind him, Naruto stood up slowly and turned around, staring at a man with blue hair done up in a rather peculiar fashion. He was tall, standing at least a few inches taller than Naruto himself. The robe that he was wearing exposed part of his chest and his eyes set off all kinds of warning bells in his mind. This man's a killer. Best tread carefully here… Preparing to attack if needed, Naruto asked, "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

The man chuckled darkly and shook his head. "I have no real business with you. I was simply…curious. I felt such strong, negative emotions coming from here that I simply had to investigate. You actually remind me a bit of that boy, Tidus. To think, he was once such a thorn in my side." Seeing Naruto scowl at the mention of Tidus, the man chuckled once more. "I see. You don't like Tidus, do you? What if I could help you be rid of him once and for all? Whatever crimes he has committed against you can all be washed away."

Naruto scowled at the man and said, "I asked you a question. But, I suppose it was rude of me to ask without first giving my name. I am Naruto Uzumaki. You are? And what the hell do you want with me?"

Once more, the blue-haired man chuckled. "Forgive me, my manners seem to be lacking somewhat these days. I am Seymour Guado, former Maester of Yevon and enemy of Yuna and her guardians. Pleasure to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki."

The blonde's eyes widened in recognition and he asked, "How the hell are you still around? I thought Yuna and the others got rid of you?"

Seymour simply chuckled again and shrugged. "When one has a strong enough will, they can endure the toughest of hardships. They may have defeated me and even sent me to the Farplane to 'rest', but it's not so easy to be rid of me. As I'm sure you can surmise, I desire revenge against those that wronged me. I was to become the new Sin. I was to become a god. But…plans have a funny way of changing. I do not mind removing Tidus from the picture if it gets you what you want. But in exchange, I'd like for you to help me with something. Or, you can turn down my proposition and we can both be on our way, acting as if this meeting never happened."

"I'm not saying I'll agree to help you, but I'm curious. What exactly would you want in exchange?" Naruto asked, sounding quite skeptical.

The former Maester took a few steps towards Naruto and said, "What I require is simple. I wish to broaden my horizons and see new sights. Revenge is but a paltry dish compared to the wonders other worlds could bring me. You could grant me such a gift. Therefore, it is only natural for me to seek your aid. However, should you refuse me, I shall bear you no grudge. After all, I'm hardly what you'd call trustworthy. Still, a little civility can't hurt."

Naruto frowned deeply at Seymour before saying, "I won't help you. Rikku told me all about you. You're evil, perhaps as evil as they come. And, as much as I hate the guy right now, I won't help you kill Tidus or Yuna. They deserve their happiness too."

"Hmm. A pity then. Can't say I didn't give it a try. I suppose then I shall simply be on my way. May we meet again, Naruto Uzumaki. Perhaps on friendlier terms, hm?" Seymour suggested before he suddenly disappeared, leaving Naruto standing there with a scowl on his face.

This isn't good. If he's back, does that mean he's the one controlling the fiends? Is he the one causing such chaos? The one responsible for killing Wakka? Dammit! This is all so confusing! I…I should tell Rikku, but… Sighing sadly to himself, Naruto was about to just leave when Sakura and Temari appeared, quickly hugging him tight.

"Naruto-kun? Are you all right?" Sakura asked, genuinely concerned for him.

Naruto shook his head and said, "No. Far from it. I didn't think she still loved him. It hurts. It hurts BAD. But more than that, I just had a conversation with a certain someone that bodes ill for all of Spira."

Temari frowned as she looked into his eyes. "What's going on, Naruto-kun? What happened?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "I'll tell you once we're back with the others. But…not with Rikku, Tidus, and Yuna. I…can't face them right now."

Sakura nodded in understanding and said, "We understand sweetheart. Take all the time you need. I'm sure the others will find us here soon enough. Then you can tell us what happened, okay?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Thanks Sakura-chan. You too Temari-chan." I just hope Seymour's the only thing that came back from the dead. If that Sin thing is back too, then this world's in deep shit. But then again, I would have sensed it by now. That, and Seymour wouldn't have bothered to reveal himself to me if he was still aiming to become the new Sin. Kami I hope things don't get worse before they get better…

A/N - And that's the chapter! Yay! lol.

As you can see, there's conflict between Naruto, Rikku, Tidus, and Yuna right now. I decided to leave that particular problem open-ended for the moment.

And yes, Seymour is back. The reason I decided to bring Seymour into the story is because, in X-2's Creature Creator, one of the monsters you can recruit is special. At the end of its fiend tale, it reveals that its old master was Seymour Guado. And this particular fiend mentions that it can still sense its master out there in the world somewhere. So the idea came to me as I was writing this chapter to introduce Seymour into the story.

Anywho, I'm still feeling rather ill and today's been frustrating as hell. So I'm going to end this here and play a game for a while. I just need a break. .