True Guardians

by Nasha Rei-Kun

Dragged from his world and being inflicted with a curse of the magical kind, Naruto had lucked out by his newly adopted father, Hakone. With the man's recommendation, the boy could get into the famous institution, High Guardian Academy, where he'd hopefully be capable of getting over the curse but with difficulty as his secret might gets out. Crossover with High Guardian Spice.

1. The Beginning

So… There's no pretense here.

One, there's a LOT that's going to be changed for the sake of giving HGS an actual story, characters, and worldbuilding. I'm not going to rehaul much, honestly. The biggest thing I'll be doing is applying logic to this world and its characters/concepts.

Though I can state a few things ahead of time that we both know and will clarify.

High Guardian Academy is a three-year institution with three paths: Blacksmith, Warrior, and Mage.

The main characters, and most supporting ones, are 15-16 when they start. We're going with MHA-age ranges for the sake of non-awkward graduating ages of 16-17 because, duh.

No one's background got really changed from the ground up save for Aster and Cal. I already know what to do for both of them, obviously, because it's easy.

I have some ideas on how to separate the 'New' and 'Old' Magic systems but people can suggest a few ways. Note: A FEW. Don't give me entire backstories and stuff. Keep it to a single sentence.

Now, about the length of this story… So, I and many others are of the mind that this show is NEVER getting a second season, I just don't see how it does. If it does, I'll be surprised but life is weird so I can't say it's an absolute.

So, for this story. The story will end with those three evil figures' defeat, well, it's FOUR in this fic so that'll basically be a four-arc-wide story.

So, with that, we're getting into it.

Welcome to A True Guardian.

~NRK~

He grimaced at his hands as he looked down in 'his room'.

That was total crap.

The door to the room opened and his body twitched as his hands curled, a bell-like chuckle coiling around his body and making him 'aware'.

His cheeks burned as he grit his teeth and shut his eyes.

She came into his personal bubble and her arms, wrapped-

A loud ringing reached his ears.

~NRK~

His eyes widened slowly as he sat up with as much energy, blue eyes cracked open and looking down at his sheets. He shook his head, spiky yellow locks shifting back and forth in his vision as peach-skin hands rubbed his face, minding his whisker-like birthmarks.

He flopped back onto his pillow, hands trembling as something crawled up to the back of them from beneath his pajama top-

He got up and marched over to the bathroom of his circular room, his blonde fox tail shifting back and forth.

Cleaning up, the boy found himself back in his room, at a desk across from his bed, still in his pajamas when the door to his room opened up to allow a man in.

"Ah, you're up," he said kindly as the boy nodded.

He was tall, black, and had dark black dreads in a high ponytail atop his head. His eyes were yellow and his face only had a few wrinkles in it.

Wearing a black wide-collared top and a pair of blue gi pants, he looked at the boy with a frown.

"Naruto?" He said softly as the boy, Naruto Uzumaki, jumped. "... Haaa."

"H-Hey, Hakone-ossan, what's going on?" Naruto asked as the man, Hakone, raised a brow with his arms crossed. "O-Oh, huh," the boy looked at the back of his hands. "... Sorry, it was just a nightmare."

"I understand that, truly I do," Hakone said with a hand rubbing his chin before he smiled. "Come, it'll only be a week before you join the Academy," he added as Naruto perked up and looked at him curiously. "There, you can explore all methods of Guardian life and perhaps learn of ways to heal yourself. For now, let's focus on getting your weapon from the blacksmith."

Naruto grinned at that before hurrying over to his closet as Hakone chuckled and left.

Within five minutes, he and the man were leaving their home near the woods.

Naruto placed his hands inside of his baggy black pants that he tied off at mid-shin as he walked in his custom-made black ninja sandals he'd asked for from Hakone.

His orange shirt shifted with each step as he had a gold cuff on his left wrist.

"Are you looking forward to this?" Hakone asked, dressed as he'd been when they were home. "Not just High Guardian Academy but getting your choice of weapons."

"Oh, well, yeah," Naruto said. "I'm looking forward to getting Evil-Counter."

"I know they'll serve you well."

The change from forests to cobblestone was helped along by a dusty road.

They nodded before jumping atop houses and taking off across rooftops.

Naruto felt free in the air above the town below.

The Town of Lyngarth.

A town of stone, dirt roads, and a series of small rivers coming and going throughout the structures and pathways.

"This will be the first time you truly reside in the town, I know your condition is difficult but I'm sure you'll find people of both genders as friends," Hakone said as Naruto made a grumpy face.

"You know I'm not… It's not like I'm 'swinging' for my own side, i-it's just," Naruto grimaced as Hakone sighed.

"I know… we'll find a way, I promise. I told you, the other instructors who could help haven't denied giving a helping hand… but they'll need to see you, to understand your affliction to solve it… and most of them are women."

Naruto's skin paled a level as they came to a stop above a small pathway.

Jumping down, they landed with little noise on his end while Hakone gestured to the short entryway before them.

"The dwarven family here runs a smithy," Hakone said as they ducked into the entrance before coming out on the other end with a curious look on Naruto's face. "Mr. Sorel! Mrs. Angelica! I'm here for my order!" He called out into the area only to be met by a single pair of steps and a small feminine voice.

Naruto's eyes went to a small figure who came up to his waist, skin itching as he saw her.

She was as he said before, short, what with being a dwarf and all, and had white skin, shining blue eyes, and chin-length messy blonde hair that enveloped her slightly pointed ears.

Wearing a white shirt, brown pants, similar colored shoes, and a black blacksmith's smock, she chuckled as she saw them.

"Sorry, my parents aren't in right now but I'm here, name's Parsley, how's it going?" She asked with a smile as Hakone chuckled. "Wait… h-hold on! Aren't you from High Guardian Academy?!" Parsley squeaked in shock as he nodded.

"Yes, I'm Hakone, I'll be handling most combat practice and territory navigation. Are you going to go in the coming week?" He asked.

"Yu-huh! I've always wanted to learn all the powerful ways to craft weapons there!" She grinned before looking at Naruto who grinned nervously. "Sup, buddy, you going, too?" Parsley asked as she walked over.

Her fellow blonde's twitch as she did had the girl raising a brow as Hakone rubbed the back of his head.

"Apologies, Naruto is… different when it comes to other people," he said vaguely as she made an understanding sound.

"Oh! Sorry there, I didn't mean to invade your space or anything," she said with a bashful grin as Naruto sighed.

"No, it's not… I'm sorry, I'm just not… good at this," Naruto said with a grimace. "Name's Naruto Uzumaki."

"No, I get it. Some people just aren't good at doing this whole social thing," she said as Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he smiled.

"Yeah, uhhh… right," he said as she hummed.

"Wait, right, you said you had an order, right?"

"Well, ossan here did but it's for me," Naruto said as she smiled.

"Ossan? Never heard that name before," Parsley said before tilting her head with a laugh. "And, uh, do you think you could be more specific? With the Academy starting soon, every Herald and Hydreinia is coming through these halls for weapons and stuff."

"It's a double-sided long sword with a fan-like tip and a shield," Hakone said with a smile and her eyes widened.

"Whoa! Right! I remember that one!" She grinned. "I helped make it! My old man wasn't too keen on unusual stuff but I love the idea that your weapon's got a little extra oomph to it!"

Naruto blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his head with a chuckle and grin. "Thanks, I once heard of a special sword that looked like that from Hakone-ossan. Oh, right, 'ossan' isn't a name, it's just me being weird."

"It's no problem, you guys are clearly close, nicknames are a thing," Parsley smiled before grinning with a fist-pumped. "And I know exactly what you're talking about! That no-named evil-destroying sword from, like, a million years ago! Right?!"

"Yeah!" Naruto said with similar energy as Hakone chuckled. "I thought it was cool! I mean, banishing evil could be like taking it all away from someone and stuff!"

"You're speaking my language!" She hurried off. "I've got it! One sec!"

Naruto nodded before blushing as Hakone smirked.

"I-I guess, you know, it won't be as hard as I thought," the boy pouted a bit as Hakone rested a hand on his shoulder. "God, am I really about to say I'm no good with girls to the extreme?"

"Only until you can handle your problem. It's not impossible that we might solve this in the coming years. It'll just take aspects of combat I'm not truly familiar with," he said as Naruto nodded.

"Got it!" Parsley said as she came back with a wrapped-up parcel in hand. "Here ya go!" She said with a grin as she held it out to Naruto who accepted it in the middle, away from her hands. "Come on! Let's see how you like my work!" She said proudly as Naruto's worried expression slipped into one of amusement.

He undid the wrapping and grinned at the pair of fighting tools.

One of them was as described, a longsword but it was wider than average and its wide fan-like tip gave it its distinct shape. The guard of the handle was the image of curling winds that swirled together by the base as its hand was wrapped in brown leather with a smooth pommel.

It was an auburn color with the guard being black.

The shield part of the boy's weapon was small and round. Being a foot-long in diameter, it was also colored auburn but had a big black dot in the middle of it and an 'X' of gold metal on the front with a golden 'I' before it.

Naruto chuckled as he fastened the shield onto his left forearm while holding the sword in his right.

He took several practice swings with it before arcing gold slipped off the fan-like tip that he ended with a shield-uppercut with his shield.

Landing, the boy chuckled. "Thanks, Parsley, I mean it," he said as he bowed to the dwarf girl who shook her hands in embarrassment.

"W-Whoa, now! I would have taken a 'thank you', man! No need for the bowing!" She said with a blush. "Seriously!"

Naruto peeked up and grinned mischievously at her as she rolled her eyes goodnaturedly.

"Alright. I guess I'll see ya when I see ya… oh, wait! You're dorming soon, ya know? I'm actually going to be going to mine tomorrow."

"... Crap!" Naruto choked as Hakone chuckled. "W-Why didn't you tell me?!" He said to the man with crocodile tears.

"I thought you just weren't ready. Good to know you just forgot, hm, hm," the man chuckled. "Then, you'll know that you can go there anytime. It's not until school starts that you'll be required to not leave the campus during school hours."

"Gotcha," Naruto nodded before rubbing the back of his head as he looked back at the chuckling Parsley. "I guess… we'll see one another in class."

"Yup. Did you pick a route besides Warrior?" Parsley asked. "If it's not clear, I'm going to be doing the Blacksmith course but I'll also be doing the Warrior one."

"Oh, uh, well," Naruto smiled shakily. "I'll be doing the Warrior and Mage route."

"No foolin'? I thought you'd go full-Warrior."

"I want to learn how to try and recreate the evil-destroying part of the legendary sword," he said and her eyes widened. "So, you know-"

"We should totally work on that together!" Parsley said with excitement as Naruto blushed. "I-I totally want to make swords like that and Flowering Thorn one day! I-It's just, uhh," her cheeks reddened a bit as she rubbed the back of her head. "I'm crap at magic, so…"

"... S-Sure if you don't mind my weirdness, I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"You have your own experiences, it's not your fault."

"Ehhh…" Naruto hummed at that as Hakone grinned. "I-I guess… thanks, ya know."

"No problem. See you around."

"Same."

~NRK~

They were hopping on rooftops again, Naruto with his sword on his lower back while his shield was still on his left arm.

"Hmm, you made a potential friend today," Hakone said as they landed on a pair of roofs, a pair of cat-squirrel-bat creatures squawking before obsessing over the blonde's equipment. "Hmph, might want to be careful of those Trixies."

Naruto looked down with a blush, picking up the pair by the scruffs of their necks, the animals blinking at his face while he shook his head and put them back down.

They scurried off as he looked at the large school before them.

"I want to make friends, I know I do," Naruto said. "This whole situation just left me with a mess of a position… and that's why we're here," he added as Hakone nodded. "We'll find a way to get rid of this curse."

They jumped down onto the street, ignoring the gathering of students, before jumping over them and past the archway that was the entrance into the school.

The students gaped at them while Hakone chuckled, the teacher who'd gathered them looking back at him with a smile.

She wasn't a normal human or, really, she wasn't human in the first place.

Having red skin, pink eyes, a pair of oddly-placed horns, and long black hair, the woman tilted her head as she cupped her chin, glasses staying in place while her red demon tail waved behind her lazily.

Dressed in a frilly black dress shirt, a brown skirt, and a pair of black boots, she placed a hand on her hip as she walked up to the two.

Naruto didn't face her as he just kept looking at the school… before something caught his eye out of the corner of his vision.

A pair of angular eyes looked at him and Naruto blinked before they disappeared, the presence in the tree hiding higher within it.

"So, you're the young man," he jumped at the voice from behind him, turning on a dime and stepping back as the demon woman smiled at him. "While your fear is certainly delicious, that's not why Professor Hakone brought you, correct?" She said with a kind smile as Naruto looked away. "Hmm… Alright, everyone, the tour is over. Please make sure you remember your dorm room keys and numbers! Don't get lost!"

The gathered to-be students from behind her dispersed, leaving Naruto to sigh as he and Hakone were guided by the devil woman towards the school.

"So… uhh, you're a teacher, right?" Naruto asked as they walked inside, the woman chuckling as he pouted a bit. "... I guess, what's your name? What do you teach?"

"Hmm, Wyverna Dretch, at your service," she said as Hakone nodded. "I teach an ethics class and one magical class. I believe that's the class you'll find most relevant to your situation."

His eyes widened as she nodded.

"Wyverna is a devil, Naruto," he said as they kept walking. "Most beings of a similar nature are aware and/or specialize in hexes, curses, debilitating spells, or negativity clauses."

"Huh?"

"Negativity clauses are basically the core of most hexes," Wyverna said. "Think of it like the rules of a hex. That's why I'm curious about yours. It's oddly expressed from what Professor Hakone said."

"Yeah… well," Naruto looked concerned. "What does that mean?"

"No worries, young man, it's not me saying you're impossible to treat," she said with a smile. "It's just that your situation will be more difficult to ascertain the core aspects of. Likely, sometime during the semester, you'll be getting an in-depth check-up, is that alright?"

"Y-Yeah, uh… no needles right?"

"Hm, hm, none~"

The three of them made it past pristine walls, halls, and chandelier balls, Naruto looking around with a hum before bumping into someone.

"Ow!" Came the person as they hit the ground. "Owww…"

Naruto winced before holding out his hand. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," he said to the other boy who sighed before taking it.

"No, sorry, I wasn't doing much better."

When he pulled him to his feet, Naruto tilted his head as the taller male looked at him curiously.

Well, Naruto almost got that confused because he was clearly one of those pretty boys like Sasuke had been. Having fair skin with freckles, slightly feminine features, gold eyes with white pupils, and slightly long orange hair with some 'pompfh' to it, he was dressed in a long-sleeve blue top, brown pants, and brown worker's shoes.

"Hmm, ah, yes, Snapdragon, correct?" Wyverna asked and the boy nodded, rubbing his arm.

"Y-Yeah. I was just looking around," Snapdragon said as he looked from her back to the boy he'd run into. '... He's like a cat,' he thought before seeing the fox tail wagging slowly behind him along with his weapon. "Oh, uh, a beastkin, right? And that sword looks cool."

"Hmm?" Naruto blinked before chuckling, tail coming into view. "Oh, yeah! Name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki, nice ta meetcha, Snap," he said with a grin as Snapdragon looked taken aback by him. "And these guys are named Evil-Counter," Naruto said as he pat his weapon and fistpumped to show off his shield.

"O-Oh, uh, well, nice to meet you… and your weapons."

"You're also a Freshman?"

"Yeah," Snapdragon nodded. "I moved in today," he said as Naruto nodded before Wyverna chuckled. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"It's not that something is wrong, it's just you two will be next-door neighbors," she said as she snapped her fingers and a brown book flared to life in her hand, the demon woman moving towards the back of it. "Right. You are rooming with a boy who will be coming to school later during the month, Aster."

"R-Really? Did something come up?"

"Yes, you might infer this but more than a few students' parents are Guardians," Hakone said as both boys nodded. "Aster's situation isn't uncommon. He's likely been getting trained by his father and they'll be coming back late from the Fallen Brooks."

"I've never heard of that place before," Snapdragon said as Naruto nodded.

"I'm not great at geography, myself," the fox boy agreed.

"It's fine. Just know, it's one of many places that can be an area of quests and missions," Wyverna said as the two perked up, much to her amusement. "Naruto, you will be rooming with a boy by the name of Cal. He's going to come when school starts."

"Alright, seems like we'll be neighbors, neighbor," Naruto said with a grin as Snapdragon chuckled.

"I guess so. Are you moving in today?"

"Tomorrow," Naruto said with a shaky grin. "I might have… forgotten that we dorm early."

"... It's on the leaflets."

"Yup."

"... Okay," Snapdragon sweatdropped before leaving. "I guess I'll see you around, Naruto."

"Same, later!" Naruto grinned with his hands on his hips. "Alright, I guess I'll like going here… despite everything," he admitted as Hakone nodded while Wyverna grinned.

"It's only a matter of figuring out your affliction. I don't think that'll be some years-long quest," the demoness said and Naruto nodded. "It'll be solved in time and you can live life to the fullest."

"Thanks, sensei," Naruto said as she tilted her head. "O-Oh, um!" He coughed to the side.

"Hmm, your word is different even to that of demon language," Wyverna said in interest as Hakone chuckled.

"Don't tease him too much, Naruto's literally got his own ways with words," the man chuckled as she smiled.

The boy grumbled.

~NRK~

"Hmm, so, you're the boy," came an old woman flanked by a younger one and one who was of a mature age. "The one with the weird name!"

The trio of females was dressed the same with similar features.

All three of them wore what could only have been called a white nun outfit with golden accents and a red jewel by their collars. As said before, one was old, one a young teen, and the last one an actual woman in age.

The young one had voluminous platinum blonde hair, milk chocolate skin, and blue eyes. Her hair, covered in pink lilies, was left uncontained with no nun's habit in sight.

The mature one, bearing almost all the same features but with a few wrinkles, had her habit on while wearing a gold belt.

Lastly, the old woman version if you will, had the same features but with far more wrinkles, silvery-gray hair, round spectacles, and a brown cane.

The three sat around at three separate desks in the 'principal's' office before coming up to him to observe him.

"What she means to say is, Professor Hakone has us expecting you," the mature one said with a smile as Naruto nodded. "We've heard of the 'condition' of your affliction. I hope that won't be an issue while we set up the observation arrays."

"I'm surprised you don't just use your Terraspheres," Hakone said. "Or is this just that different?"

"Sadly, Terraspheres, while powerful, can't perform all the same acts as Old Magic," the mature woman in the middle said. "While Terraspheres can offer more immediate powers with a wide range… you can't undo things with them," she explained and Naruto tilted his head along with Hakone.

"You can't?" They asked, looking at one another and then back to the trio.

"No, sadly," the youngest of the three said as Wyverna nodded.

"You may see, say, someone change a potted plant into a raging ball of light but when they turn it back to quote-unquote 'normal', it's not the same plant. They're simply putting it back to the way they remember it," the demoness said. "That's why, despite how grand New Magic is, it can't replace Old Magic."

"There's nothing wrong with the old ways, it's just a bit time-consuming," the oldest of the trio of lookalikes huffed before raising a brow at Naruto nodding. "Hmm? A youngster not dragged in by the newest fad?"

"It's just… all that power, I can't believe it's for free," Naruto admitted with a frown and crossed arms. "Everything comes with a price. Despite how people view Old Magic, I think it's better than a Terrasphere," he said as Hakone chuckled. "Effort, training, understanding what you're doing, I think there's no real point to using a Terrasphere unless you've already learned the ins and outs of the stuff you're gonna cast with it."

"An interesting idea," the mature member said with a chuckle. "Yet, you're coming back around to using New Magic?"

"Hmm, well, I mean, like, using it in an emergency. If you're good enough, I don't see the point of using a Terrasphere, ma'ams."

"It's a mature way of looking at it, I'd agree," Hakone said with a one-eyed smile. "You can't really beat using your own talents and pushing your limits," he chuckled.

"Hmph, perhaps this is a man thing," the devil woman said with a smile. "So, you understand, this will require Old Magic to understand and handle Naruto's affliction. With our gathered knowledge, we've got a decent grasp of the arrays. Give us about three months, barring any distractions, and we should be ready for you."

"Alright. Thanks, everyone," Naruto said as he bowed along with Hakone. "I mean it."

"We can tell. No one should have to deal with curses in the first place but it's sadly something you can't just nip in the bud," the old lady said as Naruto nodded. "Now, is he dorming today? If not, get out!"

Naruto grinned nervously as Hakone snorted.

"He'll be coming tomorrow. I'll probably move up my schedule and start prepping for my classes the day after, Elder Triad," he said.

"Good. Honestly, your classes have been missed," the middle woman, Mature Triad, said with a pout. "While all of the teachers are Guardians… um, well, most of us don't really fight as you do," she admitted with a blush as her younger self, Young Triad, fiddled with her fingers.

Meanwhile, Wyverna and Elder Triad laughed.

"I'd say I did well for the days I helped, Mature Triad," the demoness said as the old woman grinned viciously.

"It was so easy to trip 'em up! Why I ought to get another go at that!" The old woman said with a grin as Naruto chuckled nervously.

"I welcome all who wish to join," Hakone said with a smile.

~NRK~

They traveled through Lyngarth with mild chatter, the pair of Naruto and Hakone eating some kind of green popsicle before the blonde brought them to a stop by a park.

"You can come out now," Naruto said to the area, looking down an alleyway. "You were that girl who was looking at me at the entrance of HGA, right?" He asked the dark space before popping his popsicle back into his mouth, Hakone raising a brow as a set of soft steps came towards them.

"Hmph," the person came into view and he raised a brow at her.

She was tall for her age if Naruto's words were to be believed. The teen had dark skin like Hakone did while her eyes were angular with green irises.

Her hair was voluminous and long, falling to her lower back, the red color a darker shade and coming over her long pointed ears. Wearing a black tunic with a leather girdle around her waist, brown pants that had leather on the thighs, and some simple brown sandals, she looked at the two with a curious gleam in her eyes.

"What's up?" Naruto asked her as he swallowed another bit of popsicle. "You know it's rude to just follow people around, right?"

"Hmm," the taller teen shot him a look before rubbing the back of her head. "... I'm sorry, I was just… confused by you," she admitted with a deep feminine voice with a slightly rough edge to it.

"You were confused by my boy?" Hakone asked as she looked surprised. "Adopted," he said with a smirk as Naruto grinned.

"... You feel like a person who lived in the forests," the girl said as she looked at Naruto, his blue eyes gaining her attention for a bit before she crossed her arms and looked away. "You're not an elf… though."

"... Oh," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I… communicate with nature on an energy level when I meditate," he admitted as she blinked at him, confused.

"You communicate with nature? Is that what your Terrasphere does?"

"No, uh, I don't have a Terrasphere, I just meditate."

She looked intrigued by this. "Your spirit feels like the Fairy Woods I'm from, even if not as much…" The girl observed him some more, eyes going from his whisker marks to his eyes to his tail, cupping her chin. "...?" She looked at his weapons and tilted her head. "Is that a sword?"

Naruto blinked before chuckling and nodding, lifting the weapon's handle before holding onto the shaft to hold it out to her.

The elf girl looked surprised before taking it gently and examining it. "... This is impressive, where did you get it?" She asked before raising a brow at a small thing on the base.

A small sigil that had her humming. "This is made by Parsley."

"Huh? You know that girl in the smithy?"

"A dwarf, right?" He nodded. "Yes, I know her… she's going to be my roommate at HGA."

"Sounds like you got a kickass roommate," Naruto chuckled as she smiled a bit. "Oh, uh, right, the name's Naruto Uzumaki," he introduced and she blinked at his name, handing him back his sword.

"Your name is… interesting," she said before considering something. "Thyme."

"We're gonna head home but it was cool meetin' ya, Thyme. Maybe we'll end up in the same class times and stuff."

"Sure, take care."

The three separated, Naruto holstering his weapon before folding his arms behind his head.

"It seems that this was the right thing to do," Hakone said with his hands folded behind his back. "I can tell you likely made a good amount of lifelong friends today."

Naruto blushed a bit before grinning.

"Hehe, I hope so."

~NRK~

The following morning, Naruto grinned nervously from atop one of the many roofs of the homes circling High Guardian Academy, dressed in the same clothes from yesterday, he had a large duffle bag on his back and his weapons on his waist.

"Five more days," he whispered to himself slowly as he sighed before nodding. "Three more months. Power through, you're not gonna let this beat you," Naruto said to himself with a clenched fist.

"You won't let her get to you."

~NRK~

His first decision was to find the dorms and, to do that, he'd made the executive decision of coming early in the morning and finding Snapdragon's presence.

Naruto ran about the campus with hops aplenty, form a blur over the green grass, dirt and stone pathways, and structures. As he got closer to Snapdragon's location, though, Naruto found himself catching another pair of presences.

He made one last leap before skidding to a halt at the sides of a line of students.

"Huh? What the… Oh, hey, Naruto!" Naruto heard with a shaky grin as he looked to his side to see a familiar dwarf and elf, the former waving at him. "Man, I didn't think anyone else would get up so early," Parsley said with a chuckle.

"Sup and I needed to get here early so I could hurry on over to the dorms," he said as he nodded to the both of them. "Parsley, Thyme."

"Oh, you knew Thyme?!"

"We met yesterday," Thyme said with a nod to him as he walked alongside them, a pair of feet away. '?'

"Man, seriously, talk about a small world!" Parsley said with a chuckle, a medium-sized bag over her shoulder. "So, Thyme, Naruto, you guys both chose the same paths," she said as they blinked at one another.

"Really?" The two asked and the dwarf laughed at their unity.

"I didn't think you'd want to learn magic," Thyme said as Naruto rubbed the back of his head, his cuff catching her attention. "That's some kind of fashion statement," she noted as Naruto blinked at her before sweating a bit. '?'

"Y-Yeah, uh, well, it's slightly enchanted. Really important," Naruto said as Parsley gasped.

"Really?! I-I've only seen enchanted stuff a few times in my life!" The small teen said in awe. "Can I see it?!"

"What?! No!" Naruto said immediately as she blinked before blushing and rubbing the back of her head. "U-Um, sorry, that's not… I didn't mean to shout-dattebayo."

"?" Both girls stared at him as he stopped, paled, and then blushed. "Huh?"

"It's nothing!" Naruto said in a higher octave. "D-Don't worry about it! A-And this is important so I don't like other people touching it!" He added as sweat fell like a waterfall down his face.

"... Right," Parsley said with a raised brow as they walked through the dormitory doors.

Thyme raised a brow as he facepalmed.

Curious.

They walked up some stairs and arrived on another floor before Naruto blinked as he came to a stop by Snapdragon's door only to look across to see Parsley chuckling as Thyme blinked in surprise.

"We're neighbors!" The three said in unison as Naruto grinned nervously before nodding.

"Nice ta meetcha, neighbors," he said as the dwarf grinned.

"Nice ta meetcha, neighbor!" She said with a snort as Naruto chuckled. "Oh, right, did you get your room key?"

"... Where do I-"

"Front desk downstairs but, here," Thyme said as she tossed him something that he caught, a key. "The lady up front was trying to give it to you but you kind of ran past."

"Ohh… crap, I need to go and say sorry," Naruto realized in horror as he moved to his room before entering it. "Dammit!"

He ran in, put his stuff down, and ran back out.

"Lock your door," Thyme reminded the boy already at the end of the hall.

He ran in a rewinding fashion before locking his door and bowing to her.

He then ran off.

"Hah! He's a hoot!" Parsley said with a chuckle as Thyme shrugged.

"He's humourous."

---

Ten minutes later, Snapdragon blinked as he heard a knock on his door, getting out of bed and answering it to find a pleasant surprise.

Naruto grinned with a wave. "Sup, Snap," he said as the taller boy smiled.

"I heard you all earlier. You know the girls across from us?" Snapdragon asked as he walked back to his bed and sat down, Naruto coming in and nodding.

"Yeah. Parsley and Thyme, they're a dwarf and elf, in that order," Naruto said with a grin as he dropped into the bed across from Snapdragon's. "So, what paths are you taking for classes?"

"I-I'm going the full Warrior route," the carrot top said as he rubbed the back of his head, Naruto looking to the front of his bed to see the ax. "T-That's the weapon I'm gonna wield. It was my dad's."

"That so? That's cool!" Naruto chuckled. "Parents passing stuff down is super important, I think."

"Y-You think? Isn't that man from yesterday your dad?"

"Well, adopted dad," the shorter boy said with closed eyes. "Hakone-ossan helped me out a year back and we've been tight ever since. I, uh, never really got to meet my real parents."

Snapdragon winced. "O-Oh, I'm sorry."

"Nah, man, I've learned to accept it. There are some things we don't all get but we can learn to move on and live life to the fullest," Naruto said with a closed-eyed grin that Snapdragon blinked at.

"... I kind of get it," he said, drumming his fingers against his sheets. "Haaa… I think."

Naruto blinked at him, sitting up as he saw his recent male friend's slightly sad look.

"..." He looked back to the taller boy's ax before nodding. "Hey, Snap?" The carrot top blinked as looked at the grinning Naruto. "Wanna spar?"

~NRK~

Naruto tilted his head as Snapdragon held his weapon in both hands, the act looking like he was already struggling as is.

"... Uh, Snap, you sure you want to try and use that thing?" Naruto asked with a sweatdrop as Snapdragon nodded.

"Y-Yeah, why?" He asked, concerned.

"Well, you sure you don't want to use a lighter weapon, first?"

"N-No! Well, that is," Snap fumbled. "I-It was my dad's weapon, like you said, I want to wield it like him."

"... Alright," Naruto nodded as he held his shield at the ready while his hand rested on his weapon's handle. "How do you want to do this?" He asked as the taller boy blinked.

"Um, what do you mean?"

"What's the spar's win con, ya know?"

"... Oh!" Snapdragon blushed at that. "U-Um… the first one to fall down… f-five times?"

"Sure!" Naruto grinned as he bounced back and forth, Snap looking nervous all of sudden. "... How about this? Each time we knock each other down, we explain how the other person could have stopped it?"

"Y-Yeah, that sounds good, actually," he said with a smile.

"Alright. On three. One… Two… Three!"

Snapdragon's eyes narrowed before he ran at Naruto with as much speed as he could, his weapon pulling on his arms as he did. He swung when he got close enough only for the blonde to step in, lift his shield to catch the blow, and then throw Snapdragon's ax off point before shoulder charging him, the orange-haired boy hitting the floor with a groan, weapon a meter away.

"Oooohh… t-that didn't last at all," he grimaced before finding a hand in front of him.

"Come on, up and at 'em," Naruto said with a smile as his fellow student sighed but took the offered hand. "So, I can tell you that you shouldn't have run at me like that."

"R-Right…"

"I'm not saying it's not something you should do, charging I mean, but you left yourself open almost immediately. You can't let that happen, Snap, you'll be open for anything that wants to cut your torso."

The ginger froze and paled, covering his chest. "Y-Yeah, that sounds bad."

"Heh, that's why you train, man. For you, I'm confused, have you not picked up a weapon before this thing?" Naruto asked as Snapdragon blushed. "No, it's fine. Sometimes, you have to start somewhere. So, if you really want to get better with that thing, you have to work your way up to it."

"... And how do I do that?" Snapdragon asked nervously before the blonde grinned as he got his ax and handed it back to him.

"Well, for now, focus on learning everything you can right now and whenever you actually get into a fight. Now, let's go at this again."

Snapdragon looked down at his ax before nodding, assuming that stance from before.

"Also, focus on your stance, too. If you're defending, you need a more solid stance. Going to attack? You'll need to put your weight wherever it needs to be."

Snapdragon blinked before looking down at his feet. 'Attacking…'

He widened his feet before leaning down a bit with his weapon held down.

"Better," Naruto said as he raised his shield. "Until you can get a good hit on me, I'll be using only my shield. Your goal, right now, is to push through! Let's get it!" He declared as Snapdragon rushed him.

Naruto's shield blocked his downward swing before he stepped in again only to be pleasantly surprised as Snapdragon had already stepped back albeit roughly.

He'd still stepped back.

But this wouldn't be a spar if he just stopped, so…

Snapdragon coughed as Naruto's shield found his stomach and he hit the floor for the second time

"Better, you changed up your stance and focused on dodging, too," Naruto chuckled. "But… Well, you're not thinking ahead enough. I can tell you're smart, Snap, you'd not be here if you weren't one of the smartest in the country. Right now, ya need to put that to the grindstone and plan for my possible moves."

He held out his hand and Snapdragon nodded slowly, again.

"R-Right. Pointers?"

The next ten minutes showed more improvement, Naruto thinks.

With no actual combat experience, making Snap use his mind had actually been a bit easier since he was working from ground zero.

The two of them were resting on the grass, Naruto with his arms folded behind his head and Snapdragon groaning as he held his hands together above his chest, form dirtied by dirt and grass.

Their weapons rested beneath them, the two boys were chilling.

"So, how'd you like that training session?" Naruto asked Snapdragon who groaned.

"I'm in a bit of pain," Snapdragon said as he held his stomach. "Why did you keep hitting my stomach?"

"Because it's the core of almost all your attacks, Snap. You have a ton of vital areas, yeah, but your stomach is basically the 'OFF' switch to your body."

"..." Snapdragon considered that with a sigh. "Y-Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about, you're learning, that's fine."

Snapdragon was surprised the similar-aged boy could say that. Didn't he find him embarrassing?

"... Naruto, I'm just… uhh, don't you think I'm kind of… weak?" Snapdragon asked as Naruto blinked at him.

"I mean, yeah, you are," he said honestly as the taller boy groaned, eyes closing. "But I'm not going to ream you for it. You're here to be a rather amazing thing, you wanting to become better isn't something to be ashamed of."

The orange-haired boy looked surprised at that, looking slightly embarrassed. "... Thanks."

"No problem. Now, come on, let's do some exercises!" Naruto said with a grin as Snapdragon's stomach flared.

"Ooohhh, noooo."

~NRK~

Naruto chuckled as he helped his fellow student to his room, the two of them a bit sweaty.

… Okay, he was a bit sweaty, Snapdragon, meanwhile, was drenched and looked ready to pass out.

"Sorry, seriously," Naruto said with an apologetic smile. "I probably should have gone a bit easy."

"N-Noo… haa," Snapdragon gasped for air, body in pain. "I-I just… wanted to… see what it's like… Aaaaaaaahhhhhh."

"Yeah, uh, you need to lay down, stat."

"Hmm? What's up?" Came a voice from ahead of the two, Parsley waving at them in a white tunic and brown shorts. "... And, uhh, what happened to him?" Parsley asked with concern.

"I might have pushed Snap too hard," Naruto admitted as she shot him a look.

"Oh, right, we saw you two outside. I'm surprised, Thyme said she was gonna join you guys."

"Oh, she did."

"I'm back," Thyme said as she entered through a window, clothes covered in green marks, grass, and some dirt. "Ugh, he's got way too much stamina," she complained as Parsley chuckled.

"Man, I probably should have joined."

"Well, while Snap might not be able to, I work out five days a week," Naruto said as she grinned.

"Sounds like a perfect replacement for working at home! Why I might go back stronger than I left!" Parsley grinned. "Well, I'm gonna go and grab lunch. You all coming with?"

~NRK~

The group, now clean and dressed again, were walking into the main school building.

Thyme in a regular green shirt and brown pants, Snapdragon in a blue tunic and white shorts, and Naruto in a black shirt and orange pants.

As they walked down the dirt path, Snapdragon hummed.

"Naruto?" He spoke, Naruto looking at him. "Do you think I should… get a different weapon?"

"Hmm? Don't like your current one?" Parsley asked as Snapdragon looked down.

"I… I know I don't hate it. My dad was a Guardian, he went on all kinds of adventures and even said his ax helped him meet mom, it's just… I'm not built for it."

"You're a stick," Thyme said without tact as Snap whined, Naruto chuckling nervously. "... you just need to either train or pick a new weapon."

"Or pick a weapon to use until you can use your dad's," Naruto offered as Snap looked at him. "You clearly respect your dad and his weapon but, right now, you're not strong enough to make the most of it. So, why not get a normal handaxe and use that to fight?"

"Can I really do that?" The tall boy asked. "Isn't it important?"

"I mean, you already know you want to wield it one day," Parsley said as Snapdragon rubbed his arm. "It's a goal to work towards, there's nothing wrong with that."

They made it inside the school before looking at one another in confusion.

"U-Um," Parsley blinked before blushing a bit. "D-Does anyone know where the cafeteria is?"

"Follow me," Thyme said as she took the lead, the group falling behind her. "Hmph," she looked out the large windows they passed, the trees outside causing her eyes to soften.

Naruto grinned softly as he looked where she was looking. "Hey, Thyme, what are the Fairy Woods like?" He asked as the elf blinked before smiling.

"It's an amazing place."

~NRK~

The days leading up to the start of school basically ended up like this.

Training with Snapdragon and Naruto, resting in the woods a bit with Thyme, or looking at history about magical swords with Parsley.

With each activity, Naruto became a bit more comfortable around them and Parsley was glad… but she always seemed to notice… something.

Little things.

He was always mindful of touching them, at least, her and Thyme. The boy's reaction to girls in the hall would cause him to shift his walking pattern or leave him nervous and a bit sweaty.

She was sure maybe she and Thyme noticed, the elf's typically sharp eyes, as they'd learned, good at picking up on things.

Likely the only one who didn't notice was Snapdragon and not due to him being not being as observative, that was quite the opposite.

The boy was just too focused on workout pains.

So, at night, the last night before school started, the four had convened in Naruto's room for a little get-together.

At present, the blonde had gone out to grab them all some food as the three sat in his room.

Thyme in a purple shirt and cream-colored pants, Snapdragon in teal pajamas, and Parsley in a white shirt and yellow pajama pants.

"So… there's something I've been noticing," Snapdragon said out of nowhere, surprising the two.

"What, is something off about the weapon I made?" Parsley asked and he shook his head.

"What? No! I'm forever grateful for it and it's perfect. I'm not talking about that, it's… it's Naruto."

"What about him?" Thyme asked as she closed her book, drink being lowered.

"Have you guys noticed how he acts around girls?"

"... So, you also saw it," Parsley said as she leaned back on Naruto's bed. "Yeah, we weren't sure if you did due to workout pains."

"Y-Yeah, um, those certainly aren't helping me focus on other things but I try to watch Naruto to just… figure him out, you know? He's so weird," Snapdragon said with some red on his cheeks as Parsley laughed while Thyme nodded.

"He is but that's not the 'weird' you're talking about, is it?"

"No. It's weird… i-it might be kind of stupid to say but does Naruto… fear girls?" He asked them and two looked alarmed.

"F-Fear us?! Why?!" Parsley choked.

"I don't know, it's just one of the things I could come up with."

"... Snap is probably right," Thyme said with a sigh. "Naruto… he's normally the most confident, right up there with Pars," she added as Parsley frowned, crossing her arms in the process. "He's calmed down a lot around us, I'm not sure if you noticed."

"...?!" Parsley's eyes widened. "U-Uh, well, um… when we first met, he was really weird about something… his dad said… oh, shit," she flinched. "I-I guess he wasn't sure what to do and I thought he was weird, that's not cool!"

"Well, it's not like he says anything about it," Thyme said as Snapdragon nodded. "Despite it, Naruto doesn't hate women, it's clear, he interacts with our teachers just fine, with us just fine, I'm pretty sure…" her eyes narrowed, sharp eyes becoming eagle-like. "... I don't want to say anything… not yet," she said, ears twitching. "Look alive," she whispered.

"Thyme?"

"No, I'm serious, I… I'll confront him about this thought during school. For now, we can't let him realize we know something's up. He didn't tell us, he might be trying to fix it already, you know? Exposing himself to a lot of females at once? It'd be for the best that we just let it be until I can find the time to ask him an important question."

Snapdragon nodded while Parsley sighed, looking downtrodden.

"I'm back!" Naruto said as he slipped into the doorway, a bunch of bags full of warm-smelling food in his arms. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing beside us wondering if you know what Professor Hakone teaches," Thyme lied as easily as she breathed while Snapdragon nodded, growing more nervous as he thought about the lie.

"Uh… h-he's not going to run us into the ground, right?" The carrot top asked. "Oh, I bet Amaryllis will love that."

"Hmm? O-Oh, right, your, uh, female acquaintance," Parsley said with a strained grin that Thyme sighed at while Snapdragon nodded with a gulp. "H-Heyyyy! What do you think, Naruto?!" She asked in an octave not befitting her normally cheery attitude.

Naruto's grin was on in seconds but, now that they were paying attention, they could see the slight worry in his eyes that disappeared in seconds.

"Oh! Uhh, well, we'll welcome her like anyone else," Naruto said after some minor stuttering. "What's she like, Snap?" He asked as he sat down next to him, above Parsley, but they noted the foot away from the edge of the bed.

When he passed around food, he gave Thyme's to Snap and held Parsley's in a dainty dual-finger pinch.

She took it with a frown and winced as Naruto noticed with a frown.

"Something wrong?"

"... Well, no, not really," she lied. "Just thinking about… class! Y-You know?! I don't know if I'll like the work or if it'll be too hard!" Parsley mentally choked.

Naruto blinked before chuckling. "I think you'll do fine. My weapons are some of the best I've ever had," he said, jabbing his thumb behind him to said equipment being held up on the wall. "I think you'll do great," he said with a grin.

Parsley tilted her head before shrugging. "Yeah, I guess… I guess you would say that," she said with a chuckle, rubbing her hair in thought as she nodded. "Alright, I don't know what'll happen but I'll figure things out as we go."

"That's the spirit!"

Snapdragon chuckled while Thyme hummed.

Parsley, meanwhile, blinked as she rubbed her cheeks. 'Huh, a bit warmer than usual,' it wasn't the worst heat she'd ever dealt with, not by a long shot, but it felt kind of bothersome. "Hmph," she bit into her food.

They had a big day ahead of them.

~NRK~

Naruto awoke early in the morning to the sound of the door opening.

He sat up and saw his roommate.

"Cal, right?" He said to the other boy who blinked at him.

"Oh, right, I was supposed to have a roomie here already," the guy said.

The other boy was about the same height as Naruto himself but sported light brown skin, medium-length messy purple hair. His pink eyes observed Naruto in equal measure as he was already dressed in the male school uniform.

Said uniform being composed of a blue blazer, a white shirt, a gold cloth vest, a red tie, a pair of tan slacks, and brown dress shoes.

He put his large suitcase down by the second bed. "So, who are you?"

"Name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said with a stretch. "What time is it?"

"About six. I figured I'd get some Zs before school started."

"Gotcha, take it easy."

The boy dropped into the bed opposite him and the two went to sleep.

An hour later, Cal awoke to noises in the bathroom and yawned as he sat up.

"You in there?"

"Yup just finished putting on pants! Give me a second!"

And, thirty seconds later, Naruto came out in the school uniform minus his tie and shoes.

"All yours."

Cal took the offer and Naruto nodded as he grabbed his weapons and placed them on his waist holsters.

"Alright, time to go to class," he said to himself as Cal came out ten minutes later, looking refreshed. "Ready to go? We could probably grab something to eat before the first bell."

The grape head looked very interested in that. "Sure, let's go."

He pulled his own weapon out of one compartment of his suitcase and the two were off.

Well, almost, as they saw a familiar carrot top waiting outside their door.

"Hmm? Oh, you must be Naruto's roommate," Snapdragon said as Naruto grinned and Cal observed him.

"... Wait, aren't you The Dragon's son?" Cal asked in shock as Snapdragon balked.

"T-The Dragon? Um, I mean, my dad was a Guardian but I don't think he's that famous."

"He's not but I can get behind a manly guy like that. You look kind of scrawny to be his kid, though," he said with a smirk as Snapdragon blushed.

"T-That is, I focused more on smarts before coming here. Naruto and our friends are helping me get up to snuff," he said as he gestured to his weapon. "I'm going to pick up my dad's weapon… eventually."

The weapons on the boy's waist and back were easily viewable, what with them both having a slight yellow tint to them.

They were a medium-sized shield and small ax. The shield had a small Snapdragon in its center while the ax was more like a lumberjack's ax in looks but had a dark handle.

"I see, adding a shield. I guess it'd be better," Cal said with a shrug as Snapdragon nodded, another boy coming out of Snapdragon's dorm room.

"Ahhh, what a beautiful way to face the day," he said in some fluffy-looking white bathrobes. "... Hmm, you're our neighbors, aren't you?" The guy asked with a hair flicking his bright yellow, currently slightly wet, hair. "Aster's the name, the son of the great-"

"Chrys? Right?" Cal said in disbelief as Aster looked proud.

As stated before, Aster had smooth-looking blonde hair. He also sported fair skin and blue eyes. Naruto noted he also had a pretty boy aesthetic. Or, really, he would were he not a see-through projection of the boy in question.

"What's with every guy either looking like a bad boy or pretty boy?" He asked in disbelief as the three looked at him. "Have you seen the other male students? I know this is supposed to be the best of the best but they're all good-looking?" Naruto tapped his noggin. "The world is weird. Also, why are you blue?"

"Wait, which one am I?" Cal asked.

"Do you really need to ask?"

"... Hmph," the grape head rolled his neck. "Come on, food, now. No eat dinner last night."

"Alright, well, Aster, we're going to the cafeteria," Snapdragon said to his roommate who nodded. "When are you supposed to be here, again?" He asked.

"Take your time, these looks take time," the bathrobe-wearing boy said with a chuckle. "And in a month or so. We just got to a nice town and I'm loving my life here. They had Vision Crystals, it's clear that this place we've got to enjoy."

His form fizzled away, leaving Snapdragon to lock it while Cal's eyebrow twitched.

"He's a fruit," he snorted as Naruto tilted his head.

"I think he's just really flamboyant," the blonde said. "Come on," Naruto urged them forward before knocking on Parsley and Thyme's door. "Yo, we're heading to the cafeteria before class!"

"Gotcha!" Came Parsley's voice as Naruto nodded.

"Huh? Who's that?"

"Another friend and our other friend is in there, too. We all met around a week ago," Naruto said as they walked off, leaving the dormitories. "... You know, I never thought about it but is having a co-ed dorm a good idea?" He sweatdropped.

"... O-Oh, that's what you…" Snapdragon blushed before realizing the implication. "Y-Yeah, well… I guess people have control here?" He said unsurely as Cal laughed.

"You virgins, what the hell are you asking stupid questions for?" Cal snorted as the two blushed. "Knew it. You guys need to take this chance. Co-ed dorms, girls literally across the hall, and no real dorm mother, this is prime time for you two to try and lose something."

"Dammit, Cal, can you not be a perv?" Naruto grunted with a facepalm. "Besides, we're supposed to be learning NOT getting our rocks off in the dormitories," he said as Snapdragon blushed harder. "... Crap, Snap, I'm just saying stuff."

"Geez, you two need serious work."

The three bantered as they made it to the main building and got into the cafeteria where Snapdragon blinked before finding a girl running up to him with a big grin that he received with a chuckle.

"God, I thought I'd never find you here!" She said as she looked at the trio. "Oh, made some buds?"

Naruto raised a brow at the short girl in front of him.

As he said before, she was short. Sporting white skin, purple eyes, and a purple chin-length hairstyle that flared out at the back of her head like a cobra, she grinned at the trio in the girl's school uniform.

It was basically like the boy's uniform save for the skirt which was light blue in color and she had on silver bracelet cuffs while having her sleeves rolled up.

"Hmm… hahahahha, the students are such prime pickings," she cackled maniacally as Cal smirked.

"At least someone's thinking properly," he said as Naruto and Snapdragon's eyebrows twitched horribly. "Name's Cal, you this stick and bones' friend?"

"As a matter of fact, I am!" She said with a smug smirk. "Name's Amaryllis."

"... Hmm, I feel like your family is high-spec."

She snorted. "My dad, maybe, my whore of a mom? Hell no."

Naruto gaped as Snapdragon's hand found his face.

'They became friends,' the two of them thought exasperatedly.

With the two finding common ground, the four got their early snack and walked to class.

"So, uh, what's our first set of classes?" Naruto asked as Snapdragon pulled a folded bit of paper out of his pocket.

"Ethics," he said as Amaryllis groaned. "Though, I don't know if it's the same for you."

"Boring~" Cal nodded. "And, no, us magicky kids go to Sacred Alphabets first thing today."

"Ethics? I don't see the point," the grape head said. "We're here to be warriors, we talk with our weapons or fists."

"You can't think like that all the time," Naruto said as he stayed away from Amaryllis in a diagonal. "You realize peace is WAY better than fighting all the time, right?"

"Interesting thing for someone to say with a weapon that stabs," the girl said as Cal nodded. "How is that for your philosophy?"

"Sadly, peace isn't easy. There are going to be so many ups and downs. Sometimes, you really can't understand someone without fighting them. Other times, you can just NOT. I'm prepared to protect people but that doesn't mean I won't find the less painful way out."

"Sounds like coward talk," Cal said. "If a witch from Witch Country finds you, what are you going to do?" The way Naruto's shoulders flinched got a smirk out of him. "Exactly."

Naruto, meanwhile, grimaced. 'That's not the point,' dammit. "And what if the person you're fighting has lost the will to fight? What are you going to do?"

"Whatever I need to. My family's served our kingdom for decades, I don't have time to grow weak."

"Is that what you think he means?" Snapdragon frowned. "This isn't about being weak. If the man, woman, or child you're fighting gives up, what's the point in doing more damage?"

"It may seem that way but it's not that easy," Amaryllis said as they stopped. "Not everyone's open to talking, Snap, Whiskers."

"That's not wrong," Naruto said. "But if no one is, that's what leads to wars, unnecessary fighting, needless bloodshed. I'm not here for that."

"Hmm?" Came a familiar tone from one Wyverna Dretch. "What are you all doing here?" The ethics teacher asked.

"Um, for class?" Snapdragon said.

"What about disorientation?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... the what?" Naruto asked.

~NRK~

They were teleported into the area where they needed to be, finding a familiar pair of friends and two others with them they didn't know.

"Geez, I thought you guys forgot!" Parsley said with a grin as Naruto chuckled nervously. "... You forgot, didn't you?"

"I didn't even know this was a thing," he admitted. "So, uh, these are my new roommate and Snap's friend, Cal, and Amaryllis, in that order," Naruto said as the two purple-haired teens shot the group a look.

"Nice ta meetcha, I guess you both finally got here," Parsley said with a smile as Thyme raised a brow. "Oh, these two are some girls I met when I went back during the pre-move-in. Rosemary and Sage, pink and blue, respectively."

Naruto raised a brow at the two newcomers, the pink one waving at him.

"Sup," she said with a big grin.

Rosemary, as you'd have it, had fluffy pink hair set in big round pigtails that looked soft to the touch. Her skin was fair and her eyes were a nice baby blue.

Sage, meanwhile, was a shorter girl who had light brown skin, pinkish-red eyes, and blue hair that ended in a long braided ponytail, atop the girl's head sat a dark purple witch's hat.

"P-Pleasure to meet you," Sage said as she saw them. 'Three boys and a girl? She must feel lonely,' she knew she'd feel lonely like that.

"Nice to meet you," Snapdragon said as Amaryllis smirked.

"Nice hat," she saw sarcastically as Sage nodded.

"Thanks."

"... Oh, this egg's gonna be fun to crack."

"Chill," Naruto said.

"Sup, beautiful," Cal said with a suavest grin he could muster as Naruto's head slowly turned to his fellow male student. "Sage, huh? Nice name," he complimented as Sage blinked before pointing to herself. "No one else is as beautiful in this room."

Naruto's mouth fell as the girl blushed a bit, Sage fiddling with her braid.

Rosemary's eyebrow rose before she leaned towards him. "Umm, this is the first time I've ever seen Sage blush like this, is this normal?"

"Why are you asking me? She's your friend."

"I mean this Cal guy."

"... I only just met him this morning, sorry."

"Students! Pipe down!" Came a familiar voice from above, the group turning around to see a pair of staircases with the teachers going up them before facing the group. "This isn't just time for ya all to dilly-dally!"

Naruto grinned nervously before Rosemary whispered to him.

"Who are these guys?" She asked as she tilted her head.

"They're the Triad," Naruto, Snapdragon, Thyme, and Sage said in unison, surprising one another. "Right, they run the school. Okay, that's enough."

"What, we sharing brain cells already?" Cal asked with interest.

"No, it's just weird," the four said, again, before groaning. "Dammit."

"It seems we're already in sync," Parsley said with a chuckle as Amaryllis raised a brow at them.

"Weird."

"Welcome, first-year students," the Mature Triad member said with a soothing tone as the teachers bowed to them.

"Seeing as this is your first day of class," the Young Triad said.

"Of school, if ya forgot," the Elder Triad added.

"Yes, you all have been gathered and chosen amongst the best in the country," the mature one said. "Where some might have great intelligence."

Snapdragon and Sage perked up.

"Hmph and some of you just might have been rowdy little twits! Hah!" The Elder Triad said.

Naruto, Cal, Rosemary, and Amaryllis chuckled nervously or grinned.

"O-Or, you may excel in more than one field, those that help others or allow for great change," the Young Triad continued.

Thyme and Parsley raised their brows.

"You all will hone those powerful gifts of yours in these halls for the next three years," the Mature One said.

"That'll depend!" The elder said. "I know none of you want to repeat your years! Why, there was one boy who messed up so bad, we use him as a failing word! Don't be a 'Doyle'!"

"Doyle?" Naruto raised a brow at that. "Geez, I feel for you, Doyle."

"Hah! He sucks!" Cal said as Snapdragon barely held in his laughter.

"One minute more of business," the Mature Triad said. "Before class takes place."

Sage squeaked. "What?!" She whispered hotly as Parsley raised a brow. "W-What about orientation?"

"Hmph, we don't do that here, girlie!" The Elder Triad said with a grin. "Life ain't so proper! You came here because ya don't need no stinkin' normal orientation! That's the basis of Disorientation!"

"The heck does that even mean?!" Sage hissed in disbelief. 'You old crone!'

"Hmm, as crass as she says so, that's the truth," the Mature Triad said with a nod. "As Guardians, you'll learn, in time, that the world isn't as 'clean' as the walls of Lyngarth might make you believe."

The Young Triad raised her hand, the appendage glowing blue before a spiritual map appeared above them.

"Many of you come from notable families, others from the countryside, and many from Lyngarth itself. History isn't taught fully in normal schools and lessons. That's for a reason," the young one said with a sad smile. "The era of peace we currently maintain isn't necessarily a facade but it's tightly held together thanks to Guardians that are spread throughout Lyngarth, the countries, the world."

"Monsters, evil witches, bandits, crazy people, and the taxman!" The Elder Triad counted off. "Why, you'd be surprised by how messy our lives can be!"

"Messy?" Snapdragon frowned. "What could she mean by that?" He asked the others who all shrugged… save for Naruto, Thyme, and Cal.

"What? Did you guys think you just got to go on princess-y adventures? Saving the day and all that shit?" Cal said vulgarly. "The peace is only kept by bloody hands."

Rosemary, Snapdragon, Parsley, and Sage flinched at his words.

"... It's not right to say that's what 'messy' means," Thyme said as Cal scoffed. "But he's not wrong in concept. The world is always full of dastardly individuals who need to be taken down… places and homes might get destroyed if we're not there to protect them."

"W-What?" Sage whispered in horror as Parsley looked at Naruto with a frown.

The normally positive blonde's eyes gained a concerned gleam that he shook away.

"Naruto? Do you also believe in that?" The dwarf asked.

"Yes and no, unfortunately," he admitted. "Life without bloodshed is possible, I know it can be, it's just hard. Sometimes, you have to make the hard decisions if you can't solve a problem quickly enough."

Cal and Thyme nodded while Amaryllis cupped her chin and Snapdragon winced.

"It only makes sense. Bad guys are a thing," the purple-haired girl said as Rosemary frowned. "We're around to make sure everyone, no matter how much of a whore they are, gets a 'happy ending'," she twitched her fingers as Snapdragon rubbed the back of his head.

"... Maybe but that doesn't mean… I think Narto's got a point," Rosemary said as Amaryllis snickered.

"Na-Ru-To, dweeb."

"S-Sorry!" She said as Naruto chuckled.

"It's not like you butchered it, it's close enough," he said.

"You all will learn, over the years, that these words hold an unfortunate truth in them," the Mature Triad said, dispelling the chatter. "But, despite all of that being said," she smiled. "Despite the darkness, the messes, the evils of the world, and those who fight against the light, we're here. We're Guardians of the world at large, every big, insignificant, or even seemingly meaningly part of it is worth protecting because that's what those words stand for."

"Hmph," the old woman looked out at them with a gaze that was unbefitting of her usual bluster. "The world isn't some big thing that you belong in… no, if anything, it's you yourself who makes the waves, the changes, the influence that alters its path. Every Guardian to this day has given themselves to the world and that ritual is resolved in one, special, way I'm sure most of you know of."

The Young Triad grinned as the three of them raised their hands, their limbs burning blue as a well constructed itself on the marble floor.

"A Guardian's Vow is sacred," she explained. "To you all, it'll seem odd at first but, let me assure you, a Guardian's Vow should truly be considered."

"Unless you get 'em wrong," the Elder cackled. "Then it's back to the drawing board!"

"Perhaps," the Mature Triad said patiently. "Some of you will evolve your Vows over time while others may stick to them through and through. There's no wrong answer."

"Except when it's wrong."

"Yes, well… in that regard, it means for the sake of selfish needs and wants."

"So, yell into the hole! Don't be a Doyle! And welcome your butts to High Guardian Academy!" The old woman said as her cane clacked against the marble floor.

"Your Vows should be declared by dinner time," the Mature Triad said. "You can declare your vow at any point in time, don't worry about taking some time to yourselves. Now, off to your first classes."

"So, does anyone even have their vows already?" Parsley asked the group only for two of them to step forward. "Huh, I didn't think the both of you would be so gungho already."

"Please, my family's passed down our Vows for years," Cal said.

"I don't really need to think for mine," Naruto said with a grin. "I can only speak from the heart, what I believe in protecting deep-down."

The two went forward and the group watched curiously as their breaths were taken by glowing blue energy, Cal finishing up before Naruto went next.

The boy's Vow wasn't long like Cal's had been but he grinned as he stepped back from the well.

"Alright, I'm ready to go to my first class… Sacred Alphabets, right?" Naruto immediately asked Amaryllis who snorted.

"Yes, Whiskers, you, me, and whoever has a magic mix will go there first," she said.

"Huh? Wait, we don't all have the same schedule?" Rosemary asked in horror as Sage flinched. "W-What?!"

The two pulled out their schedules before whining in unison.

"T-The only things we have together are Everything Hours? What the heck even is that?!"

"That, young Guardian, is the time for most if not all students to spend how they desire," Hakone said as he walked up to them. "And, you'll be happy to know, all the Freshmen will be around in the same class and time as well. So, that should assuage your fears."

Rosemary looked back at her schedule before peeking at Sage's and deflating in relief.

"Thank you, sir."

"Hm, hm, no problem," the instructor said before looking at Naruto. "You all should get to your classes. I'll see you in four hours anyway. Take care, Naruto, don't cause too much trouble."

"No promises, ossan," Naruto grinned before walking off. "Now, where's-"

"What's that word mean?" Sage asked with a tilt of the head as Naruto froze mid-step before grinning nervously.

"From what I know, it's what he calls his dad," Parsley added supportively.

"Y-Yeah, it's, uh, an old language," Naruto said vaguely. "Just some old stuff."

"Really? I didn't know there was a language with a word like that," Sage said as he shrugged.

"Sorry, don't know the name for it, I just know it."

She found that weird but didn't push for now.

~NRK~

"Welcome, welcome," came the teacher at the front of the classroom as Naruto, Sage, Amaryllis, and Thyme got there on time. "Ah, welcome. I'm glad you all could make it."

The teacher was a man of above-average height, fair skin, and slightly curly black hair that came down past his ears, one of which had an earring within it.

Dressed in black slacks and dress shoes, a white dress shirt with a blue ribbon tie, a blue cloth vest, and a dark blue peacoat with gold accents, his sandy-brown eyes watched them all come into the room.

Naruto, Sage, Thyme, and Amaryllis sat in a square-like formation at the two-person desks near the front, Naruto and Thyme being situated near the windows.

"Okay… we're all here," the man said with a smile, clap, and nod. "For starters, let me introduce myself, I'm Professor Caraway, I'll be your Sacred Alphabets teacher along with having a small bit of magical combat with Professor Hakone."

Naruto perked up. "Really? I'd heard things were different before this year."

"Oh, you'd know but for the sake of clarity, with his previous one year of absence, many of the teachers got to see what it was like to teach a combat-oriented class," Caraway said with a smile. "It was fun for a good few of us and we decided to pitch in when we could."

"Sounds cool. So, tell us when we get to beam our classmates!" Amaryllis said with excitement as Sage's eyes shrunk.

"N-No! Magic isn't to be used for that!" She squeaked.

"Come on, chipmunk! Think of it! Using that hat for a good reason!"

"M-My hat has nothing to do with this!"

"Hm, hm, hm, I'm glad we're so lively in the mornings," the professor said. "Now, I'm curious. Is anyone here familiar with a Sacred Language? Runes? Elvish Speak? Sea Talk?"

Three students raised their hands, Naruto, Thyme, and Sage, hesitantly.

"Really? Do you practice them often, young man?"

"Uh, the name's Naruto and, not really," he admitted. "I've looked over a lot of books on them for the past year but me and my pops couldn't make heads or tails of it."

"That's fine, Hakone has never really been a magic-adept so his son taking the lead towards the path is how life works, sometimes. Now, yes, you? Thyme, yes?" Caraway pointed at Thyme who nodded.

"Well… my ears," Thyme said as she pointed at them. "I'm an Elf. I know a good bit of Elvish Speak. It's good for communicating with nature."

"Sounds fun," Amaryllis said as Naruto nodded. "Can you receive a willing sacrifice?!"

"What?" Thyme's eyebrow lowered in disbelief as Naruto choked. "No!? You don't do that! Respecting nature is important!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm… uh," Naruto realized he'd made a fatal error. "As Thyme said, don't go messing with nature. It'll bite back eventually."

He'd willingly sat next to her, crap.

"Exactly," Caraway said with a chuckle. "There are different aspects of magic and the Sacred Alphabets are ones that exhibit that trait the most. Now, the last one of you, Sage, right?"

"Y-Yeah, um, uhhhh," Sage floundered, wrapping her arms around her head. "The thing is… my family has a ton of books and we read them sometimes."

Amaryllis made to comment but Naruto's pencil prodding her side got her to stop lest she squeak in class.

Her head snapped back to him only to see a completely innocent Naruto sitting there, head facing the window as he sweat buckets.

'I gotchu, bitch,' she'd not let this slide.

"My mother is someone who specializes in Old Magic," Sage explained further. "She likes all forms of the old ways and Runes were some of her favorite things," she admitted as the class chuckled or snickered. "Mmmm," she steamed.

"Hey, nothing's wrong with using the old ways," Naruto said as he leaned back in his seat, Thyme's pencil pushing him back forward onto his chair's legs. "Hm. All things considered, I don't really see the point to Terraspheres outside of emergencies."

"Huh?! How can you say that?!" Amaryllis squawked as Naruto fumbled in his seat. "Explain, plebeian!"

"Oi!" Naruto huffed before rolling his eyes. "Does anyone honestly think Terraspheres are all that great?" He asked.

"YES!" The class responded and he grumbled as Caraway chuckled.

"You think otherwise?" He asked as Naruto nodded.

"Yeah," he said as Sage looked at him in surprise. "Because you can't fix things with Terraspheres, for one, that I learned a week back from the Triad. Two, I just don't see the point unless it's an emergency, like I said earlier."

"You don't want unlimited power?" Amaryllis asked ominously as he rolled his eyes, leaning away from her in his seat.

"I don't need power that I don't need. If you plan on doing a specific task and stuff for the future, you should specialize in that way and be the best you can be, right? Old Magic provides more powerful effects than New Magic. It'll take a bit but there are quicker casting skills like using Runes… right?" He asked Caraway who nodded.

"He's not wrong. New Magic is grand, it provides powerful additions to one's skill set but it's not limitless and it's not perfect as Naruto explained. Outside of that, you can't have New Magic without Old Magic, they're like parent and child."

"Ugghhhh," Amaryllis groaned as Naruto grinned shakily at her. "This is your fault," she huffed as he shrugged.

"Guilty as charged?"

Thyme smirked a bit at that before blinking as something caught her eye.

Her green orbs went to the left and she raised a brow at a black cat.

A black cat with a snaggletooth, bendy whiskers, black eyes, and… a big scar on its stomach area down to its right hip.

The feline's eyes watched the blonde fox boy with a sort of lazy interest but interest that didn't leave it like normal cats would have.

'The hell?' Thyme raised a brow as it looked at her.

"Wrong edition," she jumped and her gaze snapped to her side to see Sage handing her a book from Professor Caraway. "You've got the wrong book," Sage said, looking confused as Thyme blinked in surprise.

"Oh, uh… thanks," she said as she accepted it, eyes going back to the window to find no cat there. 'That wasn't weird or anything.'

~NRK~

Every Monday, it seemed like they all had Everything Hours after their first class.

Naruto reached the rotunda alongside the others, the gathered students staring at Ms. Dretch in confusion.

"Hmm, that should be everyone," she said with a hum before rolling her finger into the air.

A portal appeared above them before Naruto jumped and barely caught the boy who fell through a portal.

"Now we're all here," the demoness said with a smirk as the boy in question waved.

"Sup, everyone~" he said in a slow fashion as Naruto sweatdropped, putting him down. "Nice save, maannn~"

The blonde looked at the odd individual with a nervous chuckle. The boy's lazily half-lidded eyes closed as he smiled, his fair skin and mop of green hair forming a calming image.

Or the image of someone on some calming stuff.

"Right."

"Now, as you all know, you're now doing Everything Hours," Wyverna said as Naruto and the random boy found his friends. "Every day, at this time, you all will find yourselves with two free hours to do as you please but you'd be wise to use it to polish your special skills."

Cal smirked and Snapdragon rolled his eyes.

"Martial arts, drawing, swimming, magic, you name it, you can practice it during your Everything Hours. It's going to be affecting your futures, though, it's not a teacher's responsibility to tell you what to do… but you can come to us for ideas and tutelage if that's how you want to spend the time given to you."

"So, we just work out, huh?" Cal asked and she shrugged. "Yeah, that's helpful."

"You do as you please for those two hours but things won't always remain that way," Wyverna's hands burned with a dark power before she flung her appendage about to show four different portals. "In a week's time, you all will soon be allowed, and told, to go to different locations and locales. Perhaps it'll be to a cursed tomb?" She pointed to a portal. "Or to a tainted forest. Perhaps the nest of Ice Dragons… or, my personal favorite," she grinned, sharp teeth on display. "The Demon World."

"Wait, what?" Amaryllis balked along with many others. "What do you mean?! You're sending us to hell?!"

"Hm, hm, hm, well, it'd be hard to not see where you're coming from but, no, there's no hell here. You'll learn how the different realms separate in time but, for now, know that demons can come from two separate planes of existence. Hell itself and the Demon World."

"That sounds worrying," Snapdragon said as Sage nodded. "Who'd go to the Demon World? What would they gain?"

"Oh? Do you want to see?" Wyverna offered as the group felt a chill run down their spines. "Hm, hm, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Though, I'm not lying, the Demon World isn't what you believe it is. And, for your information, people might go to the Demon World to learn about certain magics and languages you can't possibly gain here on Earth."

"Wait, really?" Naruto asked as she nodded to him specifically. "So, that choice, what is it?"

"For now, just relax and focus on your talents. You'll be presented with your 'choices' come next week. Dismissed, enjoy your Everything Hours."

The group looked at one another before walking out into the yard.

"So, what's everyone gonna do for the next two hours?" Parsley asked as the group hummed.

"... I'm gonna be practicing a technique. It's dangerous but I need to get it down," Naruto said.

"A fighting technique?" Snapdragon asked and Naruto hummed.

"Well, it's basically meant for combat but it's no good until I've completed it," he said as Sage blinked. "So, uh, you guys might not know this but I can't use Terraspheres."

"Huh?" Amaryllis blinked at him. "The hell's that mean? Anyone can use a Terrasphere! That's like the whole point!"

"Hehe, yea but I can't," Naruto said as the group blinked in confusion. "I'm not physically able to use them, they don't work with me. You know how it works, right? You use a little bit of your spiritual energy and activate it. People call them mental commands but that's just a simple way of looking at it."

"Hmph, that's the first time someone's said it that way," Cal said. "So, what? You chose the Mage course because…?"

"Runes, basically," he explained as Thyme raised a brow. "I told you, I can't use Terraspheres… but that doesn't mean I can't use magic."

"You mean Old Magic?" Rosemary said. "I mean, yeah, buddy, do what you can-"

The group as a whole stopped as Naruto raised a finger and a ball of golden light formed at the tip.

"I don't just mean Old Magic," he clarified as he kept walking. "I don't need to use a magical method to use magic, I can do it all on my own."

The group balked before catching up. "W-Wait, what?! That doesn't make sense!" Snapdragon hissed in disbelief as Naruto nodded, holding a finger to his lips. "Are you an elf?" Thyme looked alarmed more than before.

"Nope, fully not-elf and that's an issue, actually," the blonde admitted as Parsley frowned.

"Why? Isn't this, like, some super-awesome special trait?" She asked and he grinned nervously.

"It's not natural," Naruto admitted as they reached the courtyard, confusing the others. "Sorry, I honestly don't want to say much more," he said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Just know, it's super-secret for a good reason. So, I've gotta go and improve my control and stuff."

"You never did say what you were going to do," Sage said.

"Well, I can use magic in just an energy form, so," Naruto began as he held his hand in front of them. "I can't just use magic. I have to train it, I have to improve my control to even learn how to use actual spells. So, I came up with a technique to use."

Gold swirled together at the center of his palm before his hand clawed up and a ball began to form only for it to burst out, throwing all of their hair back.

"This isn't good enough, it needs to be a perfect sphere of energy that has all kinds of directions. If I can get this down to my standard, I can truly learn a ton of magic," the blonde said as they saw his hissing hand.

"Dude, that looks brutal," Parsley said with a winced at his hissing hand.

"Yeah, I have more than enough marks from that," Naruto said as he walked off. "I'll be in the woods if you need me."

"W-Wait, hold on! Teach me that!" Sage pleaded as Naruto heard the others hurry after him. "You said it improves control?"

"Yeah but it requires you to know how to use magic as just energy, Sage."

"I can find a rune for that!" She said in defiance as he raised a brow. "... I-I think the same thing like you, at least, that's how I was brought up. Old Magic is powerful and I think it'd be a good thing to know how to improve my magical control… right?"

"Well…" Naruto considered something. "Maybe you should actually focus on trying to pull out more power from a spell with your spiritual energy, actually. For me, that's basically what I'm doing but I have to train to get to that level. So, say, use a weak spell and see how far you can push it."

"It sounds practical," Thyme said with crossed arms. "If you can turn a weak spell into a powerful one, that'd be good, too."

"Hmm, but can't ya just keep smashing together Runes?" Cal asked.

"No, at least, it's not wrong to say that but to get into more powerful spells, you need to be able to handle them still," Sage explained. "Naruto's approach isn't wrong. When people considered witches and wizards as… N-Nerds, they don't realize that magic takes a LOT of reading to gain the right intelligence. But if Naruto's method works, I can get past a good bit of that."

"Fine, teach me, too," Amaryllis said with a groan as Naruto sweatdropped.

"Don't sound so eager, Rylls."

"So, I guess I should just keep exercising?" Snapdragon asked and Naruto nodded.

"Now that you're getting into the groove, Snap, you should probably also add in a set of sword swings," he said. "Maybe try for fifty in total."

"Oh! I can do that!" Rosemary said with a grin as Sage chuckled nervously. "I've got my own style, ya see."

"Um, what? What kind?" Snapdragon asked.

"Just know, it's one that's based off of one my mom used," she clarified.

"Rosemary is mostly self-taught," Sage explained as Parsley whistled.

"They accepted her on self-taught skills? That's pretty impressive," the dwarf said. "In my case, I don't really have a style. I just use what I think works."

"Same!" Rosemary grinned.

"Hmph, that's so? Then how about a match?" Cal offered with a grin, mace in hand, a generic-looking thing with powerful spikes on it. "Let's see how your so-called 'self-taught' skills hold up."

"You're on! This is gonna be good, Snap!"

"I-Is it?" Snapdragon asked.

"We don't know how she fights, what if she's a barbarian?" Amaryllis asked as Sage began to sweat. "She might just tackle him and bite down and rip out his-"

"Rylls, chill!" The ginger choked.

"Y-Yeah, uhh, let's not do that," Cal said nervously as Parsley chuckled.

"I'm probably gonna need to grab some big rocks, watch this for me," she said to Naruto as she placed her hammer down next to him. "Be back!"

The male blonde was curious as he grabbed the handle of the hammer and lifted it with one arm, tightening his grip.

"Damn, Pars is really strong," he said as held the weapon in two hands, sighing in relief. "Much better… honestly, a training weapon this heavy would be kind of rad."

"How heavy can it be?" Cal rolled his eyes as Naruto grinned slyly and passed on the weapon. "It's not-Fuckin'!" He struggled on one leg before gripping the weapon with both hands and lifting it in front of his chest with effort. "H-How the hell do you lift this thing?!"

"Lots of muscle training," Naruto said as Snapdragon paled. "Yeah, Snap, that thing would snap you in half."

The lanky boy nodded rapidly.

Hell to the 'fuck' no.

With everyone going into their own things, Naruto sat down with Sage, Amaryllis, and Thyme.

"So, the name of the technique is called Spiralling Orb," Naruto said with a shaky grin as he tucked his legs in close. "The basics of the skill are one, rotation. Two, power. And the last part is to condense it while doing the first two," he added as he raised his hand again.

He demonstrated the first part and Sage tilted her head at the faded golden energy swirling around.

"Next part," Naruto said as he stopped the multi-directional power and pushed tons of energy into a single point.

The difference was clear, the space above his hand distorted with a throbbing point in it.

"I can feel it," Thyme said with a shiver. "All that energy at one point feels dangerous."

"It's not a weak technique," Naruto said. "With that incomplete one from earlier, I could probably punch through three whole trees before it went away. It's meant to be a fight-ender. Anything getting hit with it ain't getting back up for a bit."

"It's really elf-like," Sage said as Thyme nodded.

"To call on magic itself isn't some easy feat, you said this isn't natural?" The actual elf asked and Naruto grinned nervously.

"I-It's a situation I'm dealing with."

'I'd bet,' he was probably killing himself by being near them. "So, I just do those two things and condense them at the end?"

"Basically," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "If I knew I'd be showing this off, I'd have bought a ton of small balloons. That'd help big time doing this."

"A balloon?" Amaryllis said in disbelief.

"Yup. Using a small balloon, you'll know how big it's supposed to be. How to use your energy in different directions and pop it like that and then how to use pure power to burst a balloon. Some training can look weird but it works out in a lot of ways."

"In a way, it's practical… I guess," Sage said as she pulled a book out from her backpack. "Runes on using pure energy. I already know some weak spells for forming shapes, finding one that I can use to raise my energy output would be nice."

"Guh, give me something that won't work in nerd speak," Amaryllis said to Naruto who chuckled nervously.

"Well, what kind of spells do you like the most?" He asked and the way her mouth widened into a horrid grin made him realize he'd made a mistake. "Non-deadly!"

"... Hmph," she pouted at that as Thyme rolled her eyes. "Well, for your information, I like trap magic, vines, and stuff."

"Why is that so on-brand?" Thyme muttered.

"Alright, well, for you, why don't you try and catch some of the animals around here? No, do NOT hurt them, just try to catch them."

"... fine," she pouted some more. "I'm gonna hit you with some of these vines eventually."

Naruto cleared his throat loudly as Thyme smirked.

"Kinky," she whispered.

"Can we not?!"

"Oh, but we can!" Amaryllis said with a big, perverted, grin. "We definitely can!"

"Go and train already!"

~NRK~

Nothing to say, it's a go at making HGS into something better than it is.

Now, you'll notice that Cal and Aster's personas have been dialed back and yet to the side. Aster is, from what's been written so far, just a flamboyant… no, he's just PINA from Beastars.

Cal, meanwhile, is a gruff, vulgar, and rather perverted individual who's still got a mean streak in him. We've just not seen it yet.

So, right now, I'm sure everyone's noticing Sage's thinking and its pathways. She's far ruder in her mind than she is out loud and she's full of slightly sexist thoughts as is. This is running with the idea that Sage's little outburst in Ep 6 isn't just a one-time thing but something she's always thinking, obviously, and so we see a bit of that here. We'll see more of it as the fic goes on.

Ciao.

Words: 16.1k+

~NRK Out~