~NRK~
"Heyaw! Heyaw!" Amaryllis shouted from the side, vines shooting around a set of squirrels' feet, the girl trying to trip them up. "Come back here, ya varmints!"
Naruto grinned nervously. "What have I done?"
"Unleased a girl with issues," Thyme said truthfully as she focused on a thick root on the ground, the more she raised her hand, the higher it got. "Hmm… make it sprout more, huh?"
"Y-Yeah," Naruto said as he stood up a bit away, hands hissing from burn marks on them. "Maybe… you can make your own Fairy Woods one day," he added with a determined grin as he started again.
The golden sphere began to form as Naruto began to paw at the space around it, the energy following his swipes before he held it like a ball, form trembling with effort.
The ball began to make a sound once more like every other one Naruto had made over the past 20 minutes before it throbbed and one of the blonde's eyes closed in pain.
"Come onnnn…" He hissed as he held his hands together to contain it. 'Dammit, it's such a pain in the ass!' Naruto cursed in his head as he felt fire erupt all over his body.
That curse hadn't been benign when he'd first gotten it but it was FAR worse than he ever expected when he and Hakone had been living together.
It ruined his energy network and making even a Rasengan was like he was doing it all over again!
He growled as he focused more energy into it-
Naruto's eyes widened in horror and the moment he dropped his focus, the technique exploded and sent him slamming into a tree with a hiss, sliding down it with his eyes clenched shut.
"Dammiitt!" He grimaced before covering his mouth as he heard the sound of hurrying steps. 'No! She can't-!'
"Naruto? Are you…?" Thyme blinked as Sage stood up in the background.
"Is everything alright?" The blue-haired girl asked as she made to come over before Thyme waved her off.
"He seems like he just needs to sit down, I've got it," the elf said as she kneeled by Naruto, the blonde's eyes clenched and his hand covering his mouth. "... Your eyes," Thyme said softly as his eyes snapped open, allowing her to see them again. "... Is this why you didn't want us touching you?" She asked.
Naruto's skin dropped in color and she looked around before holding out a hand.
"... Oh, uh, right, this wouldn't help," she remembered as he got up with a look towards the ground. "... I'm… no good at this…" she said.
"You don't have to mworry," he said behind his hand. "I'm… I'm fine. I'm sworry."
"You're clearly not okay," the elf said as he winced. "... Is this a big part of why you're scared of touching girls?" She asked and he sighed, removing his hands from his mouth.
Thyme saw his slightly darkened whisker birthmarks, the slit-ness of his pupils, and the red colors of his irises.
"..." Naruto turned away. "I need to steady my energy a bit, sorry."
He walked off, leaving Thyme frowning before she was flanked by Snapdragon, Parsley, and Amaryllis.
"W-What's going on?" The short girl asked, slightly ragged. "He doin' somethin'?"
"... Thyme?" Parsley asked, she and Snapdragon covered in sweat. "What happened?"
"... Naruto…" Should she say it?
Naruto hadn't said it was secret, he hadn't even freaked out about her knowing so much as his altered features showing…
"... Did it have something to do with his technique exploding?" Snapdragon asked with a long, coughing, sigh. "Kaugh! A-Ahem! Maybe he got hurt?"
"Would he hide that? He looked like the 'tell me your feelings' type," Amaryllis said and the three nodded.
"That's not wrong… Naruto's rather in-tune with his emotions and doesn't care if we express too much," Snap said with a hand rubbing the back of his head. "He doesn't really hide his emotions and tells us we shouldn't either."
"... His eyes changed colors," Thyme explained truthfully. "I think he's embarrassed about them," she lied the next possible second.
"That's it?! Don't be bitch!" Amaryllis shouted into the forest and smirked as she heard stumbling.
"Ack! Dammit, Rylls!" Naruto shouted.
"Heh."
"Well… I guess if that's all," Parsley said with a concerned look before nodding to Thyme. "Well… just keep an eye on him, we don't know if he hurt himself when he slammed into the tree and caused that."
They looked at the wood and all winced at not only its bent angle but also its cracked point that almost followed through the whole thing.
"I'll handle it," the elf said with a nod, walking to the side and then jumping into the trees. "Go back to training. I'll probably join back in, hopefully with Naruto in tow."
Naruto sighed as he meditated, that coiling mess in his back calming down.
"... You can come out, Thyme," the fox boy said solemnly as he heard her steps appear on the ground. "... I guess you'll want to talk? Thanks for covering for me, by the way," he said gratefully.
Coming over, Thyme moved a bit ahead of the blonde and sat down. "Something's wrong with you, right?" She asked outright as he chuckled.
"Straightforward as always… Can't say it's not your charm," he said with a small grin as she huffed, cheeks a bit red. "... And it's… it's a bit more complicated than that, sorry."
"To the point you can't tell us?"
"... It's not that I don't want to… or, really, there's a whole story to this I really don't want to tell," he looked embarrassed and yet mortified. "I… You weren't wrong about me not liking touching girls, so much as touching fingers… but you're wrong about one thing."
"What?" Thyme was just grateful he was open about this, to an extent. "Which part? Is it really not girls? Or is it a certain type?"
Naruto chuckled humorlessly and she flinched at it. "... No, it's certainly because of touching the opposite sex and stuff… it's not about me fearing them… it's me fearing FOR them."
Thyme was left confused. "I-I don't understand."
"... You remember when I was asking about the Demon World earlier?"
"Yeah… does it have something to do with this?"
"I'd hope it'll have a solution," Naruto admitted and she looked stumped. "I'm not… I'm not sick if you're wondering. I'm not scared of girls, I couldn't be… not the general populace of females," he clenched his hands as the elf frowned.
She scooted closer and he flinched, wearing a shaky smile as she reached out to his hand.
Thyme touched it and felt his entire body spasm from just that bit of contact.
"..." She looked immensely concerned as she stopped. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"... I would have stopped you if I didn't want you to understand," he sighed. "... Immense, soul-binding, pain," Naruto added in a whisper and Thyme's eyes shrunk as her skin paled.
"N-Naruto, you're not… P-Please don't tell that-"
"It happens no matter how little contact it is," he interrupted her. "And it gets worse depending on how much contact there is."
Thyme was left there, floored, as she saw how his whiskers darkened more, one of his eyes burned red, and his hair grew wilder as his tail began to grow orange?
"... I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Is there anything you can do about it?"
"Thankfully, this might be solved in November," Naruto said and she looked relieved but confused. "The teachers working in spells, curses, and hexes are helping figure out how to solve this."
Curses? "Are you cursed?"
"Yeah."
"?!" She flinched back at the matter-of-fact tone he'd answered her in. "..." Thyme winced before looking down. "... do you have any little things? Things that alleviate the pain?"
Naruto blinked at her before grinning, the elf scoffing a bit. "You're a lot kinder than you think, ya know?" He said with a chuckle as she blushed. "And… well, no, not really. I've tried painkillers before and they don't work. This pain isn't physical."
"... A spiritual pain binding?"
"Yeah."
"Who'd do that to you?" She asked with some heat. "That's disgusting!"
"Yeah, well, the woman who did it wasn't a shining member of her country," Naruto said before flinching as Thyme's head perked up in shock. "N-No, I'm serious, Thyme, please don't ask."
'Witch Country?' She realized in horror. 'He'd been cursed by a female witch… but why? What did he do… or did she want that she'd do that?' Thyme let out a heated sigh, calming down. "... So, you're fine, for the most part? Does being near me and Parsley hurt you?"
"No, it's not that distance is the issue, just contact," Naruto said. "Being closer just means you'll be more likely to touch me, sorry."
"No… no, it's fine, it's more than I expected. Thanks… you know, for being open."
"No problem. And, well, I don't think I need to say it but-"
"Don't tell a soul, got you."
He smiled with a nod before getting up, features finally bleeding away to leave his normal ones in their place. "Come on, let's go before the others get too worried."
She nodded, getting up before the two of them began to walk back to the others.
As they did, though, Thyme frowned as something knocked at the back of her noggin.
Wasn't there something he'd said that she was forgetting? Right?
In the trees above, a black cat's eyebrows lowered in focus.
Returning, the two barely broke the tree line before Rosemary came flying past.
"Whoa! Where's all this strength?!" She began to say as she landed on a tree's trunk before shooting back. "Coming from!?"
Cal smirked as he caught her flying lunge with the shaft of his mace, feet digging into the ground before he tossed her off.
Rosemary grinned as she landed on all-fours before sword spinning above,
Cal swung low and she hopped up like a frog before grabbing her weapon's handle and throwing it at him.
He jumped back from it and the weapon's impact cracked the ground.
"The heck?! Where's-?!" He tried to say before being tackled by Rosemary herself. "God, she's like a beast!" Cal said as he kicked her away with little feeling of accomplishment, Rosemary rolling before righting herself by her sword, a grin on her lips. "Geez, what? Did you learn to fight from animals?"
"A bit!"
Naruto chuckled as they went at it again. "She's pretty good for her own style," he said as Thyme raised a brow at Rosemary's animalistic acts.
She clawed at Cal's face, shoulder charged at his stomach from an all-fours position, attacked with all her limbs, and more animal-like behavior.
"She's like an actual animal," Thyme observed. "It's rather surprising but kind of fits."
Naruto nodded as they returned to Sage and Amaryllis, the latter gasping on the floor, covering in sweat but looking slightly accomplished.
"I caught one!" The short one said with a cheer as Naruto chuckled.
"How many squirrels are around here, anyway?" He asked and Amaryllis sat up with a tilt of the head.
"Hmm… I think there's 20," she grinned viciously as he shot back a nervous one. "Twenty TARGETS."
"I'm concerned," Naruto said with a shaky chuckle before turning to his not-so-murderous classmate. "How's it going, Sage?"
The girl opened one of her closed eyes, an orb of fire covered on six sides by magical arrays in her hands. "Well, okay. Is everything alright?" She asked and Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, I just needed to cool off."
"That makes sense," she said with her eye going back to him and then to her spell. "A-And, as you can see, I'm using a small fire spell. I-I was able to make it into a small fireball compared to its lighter-like intent!"
"That's good," Naruto said as he crouched in front of her, focusing on the energy. "... Your energy output's pretty good but you're blocked by something."
"Y-You can tell?" Sage gaped at him. "I… It's like there's a barrier to how much I can push. I can't break past it."
"It might be a mental block," Thyme said and Sage shot her a grateful look. "... when we're kids, most elves do what Naruto does, we use magic from our bodies and cast spells that have been passed down from our ancestors. It's embedded into our bodies. The thing is, there's going to be a block inside of you to keep you from pushing too far. You might not know it but it's dangerous to just throw all of yourself into any kind of magic, at least, any magic similar to ours and Old Magic. I don't know what it's like for people with Terraspheres."
"It's not that hard," Amaryllis said as she crossed her legs. "You just think and zap! It's why it's so useful," she emphasized to the chuckling Naruto and embarrassed Sage. "Look at all the work you're doing right now when you could have done that with a Terrasphere designed to use fire-element spells."
"Hmm… about that," Snapdragon asked as he rolled over to them, looking exhausted as Parsley chuckled while walking over. "C-Can a person use more than one Terrasphere? I don't know that."
"Hmm, yeah, anyone can use any number of Terraspheres," Rylls said with a tilt of her head. "The thing is, you can't use, like, an infinite amount. Like Whiskers said, it's mental commands or spiritual whatever. The thing is, you can't give separate commands to two Terraspheres you activate at the same time. You're always giving the same command unless you're an ace magician and even guys like that can only do that with two."
"Huh, I didn't know that," Parsley said as she looked at Naruto. "Everything good?" She asked and he grinned with a nod.
"Yeah, I just needed to chill for a bit, wasn't doing myself any favors, ya know?" Naruto said as the dwarf smiled.
"Glad things are good. So, how's the progress?"
Just then, Rosemary came crashing into the ground by the group, the pink-haired girl chuckling nervously as she coughed out some dust.
"Kaugh! Kaugh! T-That's my loss!" She told Cal who came over, gasping for breath.
"She's a monster," he complained before falling onto the ground. "Haa… haaa… God, since when do girls hit like that?"
"Uh, yo?" Parsley gestured to her hammer and Cal's eyebrow twitched at it.
"Without blunt weapons."
"Hey!" Rosemary sat up with a huff and pout. "What are you tryin' to say?"
"Nothing. Just girls with monster strength aren't on my 'normal' list."
"Hmph… well, you're not much better, you've got strength that I didn't expect," she said as Cal rolled his eyes.
"Yeah because I have a solid stance unlike someone," he shot back as Naruto nodded while Snapdragon blinked. "Come on, it's not that hard to figure out."
"... Right," Snapdragon remembered. "With that kind of leverage, Rosemary, it's no wonder he could handle all your blows despite how hard they are," he said, looking at the ruptured earth a good bit away. "Very heavy blows."
"O-Oh, uh, well," she looked embarrassed.
"Rosemary's mom tried teaching her normal swordswomanship," Sage said. "Rosemary kind of got it but she never liked staying still like that. Receiving with a stance isn't her forte."
"Yeah! My forte!" She said as Naruto chuckled. "Yup, yup. I mean, it feels like I'm doing nothing, why would I just wait there for someone to hit me?"
"It's not that simple, numbnuts. There's an art to blocking," Cal said as Snapdragon looked at his weapons and then Naruto's. "Hell, ask Snap and Naruto. They have shields."
"He's got a point," Naruto said as he stood up. "Of course, Rosemary could honestly just have a different style to how she views combat, can't forget that she just has a big sword and no shield."
"Hmph, I guess," Cal shrugged nonchalantly. "Still, she has no idea what it means to block. I get the feeling she's gonna get knocked the fuck out if things come down to that."
"W-Without the vulgarity, please!" Sage asked and he popped up.
"Y-Yeah, uh, sorry."
"Hmm… Alright, anyone want a go at me so I can show Rosemary?" Naruto asked and Parsley chuckled before nodding. "Oh, this is definitely gonna be a good show of it. Watch, Rosie, to block doesn't mean you're just standing still."
Snapdragon sat up as Rosemary nodded, sitting next to him along with the others as Naruto and Parsley moved a bit away.
"Have you guys seen him fight before?" Rosemary asked the others.
"H-He helps teach me stuff with ten-hit spars," Snapdragon admitted with a look of embarrassment, Amaryllis cackling as he rolled his eyes. "Stop it. Naruto's good at positioning and flexibility. It's crazy how he can pull out power from all kinds of positions."
"Pause," Cal and Rylls said in unison as Snapdragon blinked.
And then he blushed. "Y-You guys?! Come on!" He whined as they chuckled like lunatics.
"I don't get it," Rosemary said with crossed arms before looking at the blushing Sage. "Do you?"
"W-What?! No! No, no, no, no!" The non-Terrasphere-having mage shook her head rapidly as Thyme snorted, a bit of red on her own cheeks. "I-It's nothing! I'm sure!"
Naruto and Parsley stood apart, the blonde boy grinning as he held his blade down to his side and he kept his shield raised.
"It's easy to understand," Naruto said to Snap and Rosie. "For me, my shield's smaller for a reason, it's so I'm not weighed down by it and can move better with it," he said as he nodded to Parsley, the dwarf girl grinning as she hefted her hammer.
"Ready when you are!" She answered. "Thyme, do you think you could ref for us?" Parsley asked as the elf nodded.
"On the count of three?" Thyme said to both who nodded. "One… Two… THREE!"
Naruto lunged into Parsley's personal space in a single leap, shocking her and Thyme while Cal nodded.
His sword came around and the blacksmith barely brought her hammer around to lock their weapons together.
Even with the awkward swing, Parsley's strength far outstripped Naruto's own and they stalemated but the boy didn't stop, didn't hesitate.
He pressed down on their weapons before dragging their clash around, body slipping behind Parsley's.
With a better understanding of his speed, the blacksmith swung back with her left fist, slamming into his raised shield.
He was sent skidding back, weapon out of hand.
"Heh," he grinned as Parsley began to charge him.
She swung and he raised his shield.
On contact, Naruto rotated around before kicking Parsley away, the dwarf rolling before she recovered with her weapon digging into the ground.
She looked up-to see a foot?!
Parsley barely blocked it with her hammer's shaft, the force in the kick enough to send her back a few feet.
Blue eyes widened as she jumped back, Naruto's sword slamming into the ground below and carving through it.
Then he stepped in past it and dragged it forward and up from the ground.
"Crooked Blade!"
The others whistled at an angling sword slash that seemed to gleam in the air for a mere moment.
Parsley was sent flying back, too, much to their surprise.
"That was cool!" Cal grinned as Snapdragon, Rosemary, and Amaryllis nodded. "Is it magic?"
"... Nope," Rosemary blinked before shaking her head, confusing the others. "That's was pure strength! I've been around Sage's magic enough to know what it feels like!"
"R-Really? I-I mean," Snapdragon scratched his chin. "N-Naruto did lift her hammer," he reminded them as Cal shivered. "So, it's not impossible."
"Still, why's he mixed between courses?" Cal asked with a curious frown. "I mean, make the most of all of it but he could just learn it after the Academy."
"Huh. Wait, what do you mean?" Rosemary asked as Sage piped up.
"Well… I mean, why wouldn't people use magic regardless?" The small mage said as Cal and Thyme nodded. "You guys might know more than I do."
"It's mostly just common sense," Thyme said. "Of course, there are people who don't learn magic so much as get magical equipment. I think Professor Hakone is one of the few who don't use magic in any capacity."
"Hmm, no, not really," Cal said with a thoughtful hum, surprising Thyme. "He's literally one of the strongest in the world in martial combat. He's no good at magic but he does have magic items like his Thunder and Ice," he grinned viciously as Amaryllis looked excited. "They're his greatsword and gauntlet."
"Oh, I guess he's where Naruto learned his swordsmanship," Snapdragon said. "Though, Naruto's weapon isn't any bigger than a longsword."
They watched the boy's weapon swing with golden arcs that Parsley barely blocked… but she was catching up.
Naruto grinned as she swung back before he stepped down onto her weapon and her eyes widened as his weapon found itself at her neck.
"And it's over," Cal shrugged as Sage hummed.
"Well, Naruto is on the Warrior's course for a reason," she said as the two came over.
"You got my drift about shields, Rosie?" Naruto asked the rosette who nodded with a grin.
"Yeah! Well… I don't know if I'd still want to use one, though," she chuckled nervously.
"That's fine, you just need to understand how to block with your sword itself, yeah?"
"Oh, wait, right! I can do that!" She realized with a grin as she got up. "Hit me with what you got!"
Naruto smirked as he jumped back. "Then bring it!"
Rosemary didn't hesitate to lunge at him, spats flowing under her skirt.
"Dammit," Cal whispered as Snapdragon blinked at him while Amaryllis rolled her eyes.
"No remorse, huh?" She asked and her fellow grape head shrugged.
"I mean, it's a skirt."
The other girls blinked before growling or blushing at his words.
"CAL?!" He flinched.
"Whelp, said that one out loud."
Snapdragon blushed a bit. "Come on…" He facepalmed.
~NRK~
With their Everything Hours over an hour later, the group got cleaned up in their dorms before heading towards their next classes.
Naruto, Snapdragon, Cal, Rosemary, and Parsley found themselves in gym clothes if you'd believe it. A dark blue tunic, a white undershirt, blue shorts, and dark brown boots.
With his father as their instructor with a large cage next to him.
Hakone smiled at them all in a blue gi with black martial artist flats on and a black tank top beneath the loosely tied robe top.
"Welcome, all of you," he said with a smile as Naruto nodded. "I hope you all can enjoy the courses I'll be handling for you all. For a good idea of what will happen, we'll be switching every other week. Between the efforts of combat and exploration."
The group of students nodded.
"This week, we'll be focusing on the former," he asked them. "Today, we'll be handling things a bit differently from how I used to do things from my previous years as an instructor. In the weeks following this one, we'll be getting help from several of the other instructors at High Guardian Academy. They've come to like a bit of combat and seem eager to help."
They all looked excited. "So, what, we'll be learning how to apply magical fighting and stuff early?" Cal asked and Hakone nodded. "Oh, huh, didn't expect that."
"And those same ones will help during exploration weeks as well, showing you possible ways to apply different effects of combat to navigation but as I said, that begins the following week. For now, let's ask some questions. For one, does anyone have any martial art experience?"
Cal, Naruto, and a few others raised their hands.
"Good. I'm not surprised by a few of you," Hakone nodded to Cal and Naruto. "But it's good to see many of you have dabbled a bit. Now, in that case, let's see how you all fare, yes?" He said as he pulled on some rope by his feet and the group blinked as a large circular pen came out of the forest.
And in it? A large number of baby dragons?!
They were about the size of a big box, being mainly orange with cream-colored underbellies. They had small spikes along their backs down to their decently long tails. They all had two small wings, fin-like ears, two horns on their foreheads, and red marks around their eyes that reminded Naruto of Sage Mode's own markings.
"Whoa?!"
"No way!"
"They're so cute!"
"Vicious dragons!" Rosemary realized with shining eyes as Snapdragon chuckled a bit. "Hehe~ how's it feel to see some family?" She asked him slyly with elbow nudges, the ginger chuckling a bit more.
"They're certainly better looking," he said with a grin as the group laughed.
"Hmm, for today, we'll be trying to wrestle the baby dragons into this cage," Hakone said and the group of students' jaws dropped. "I told you, 'magical fighting' is a bit more than you think. It also includes fighting magical creatures. Now, who's going first? We'll give all of you five minutes. We can try with three people at the same time and give you all ten minutes or we can do one at a time for five minutes."
"I'm fine with either!" Naruto said with a grin as he stepped up along with Rosemary and Parsley.
"I wouldn't mind a bit more time," Parsley admitted.
"I'm ready to grab that dragon!" Rosemary said.
"That's what she said!" Cal shouted out and the class laughed while Snapdragon blushed.
"H-Hey! I did just say that!" Rosemary pouted as they laughed harder. "Hmph."
Naruto chuckled nervously while Parsley followed suit.
Hakone chuckled. "Now, let's release three, shall we?" He said as he walked over to the pen and plucked three dragons out with ease, one resting on his shoulder while two others were underarm. "Alright, you three, you have to give them hell," Hakone said to the baby dragons as he put them on the ground, the three paying attention to him. "Alright, spread out."
The babies did, waddling over in three directions as the students followed suit.
"Are we all ready?"
"Yep!" Naruto said as he and the baby dragon locked eyes, the magical being snorted fire. "I'm gonna catch ya!"
"All ready!" Parsley said with a chuckle at the dragon. "I deal with flames like yours almost every day."
The dragon made a 'waa' sound and she chuckled.
"I'm ready to bring this baby down!" Rosemary said with a grin as she wiggled her fingers, her dragon snorting at her and turning its head. "H-Hey! Come on! Let's be friends!"
"Then the ten minutes begin… now," Hakone said with a pocketwatch button pressed in his hand.
The three students approached in their own way.
Naruto grinned before nodding to the dragon and walking over to the growling reptile. He sat down in front of it and the dragon huffed out fire.
"How ya doing?" He asked it and the dragon made another 'waa' noise. "Yeah, I get it."
Its tail wagged.
Parsley chuckled before she and the dragon circled one another. "I know what it's like, ya know? Short stack and all that," she said to her opponent whose tail raised and wagged while its wings flagged.
They lunged in unison and the small blacksmith's hands locked with its front paws, the girl grinning as she pushed back on the shocked dragon.
"I've got more than enough brothers to handle a baby like you!"
Rosemary lunged for her dragon and the two of them went rolling as fire spat out of the tumbling ball at random intervals.
"W-Whoaaaaa!" She shrieked as they slammed into a tree before separating into other trees, the two ending up upside-down. "Ow…" Rosemary said with a huff before getting back onto her feet. "Let's do this!"
She lunged again and the creature roared in its baby-like form before whipping out its rather long tail.
"Whoaaaa!" Rosemary was flung out of the forest and rolled into a kneel as her opponent came rushing out with all the speed of a slow tractor.
She then had an idea. "Oh?" Rosemary grinned.
Back with Naruto, the boy chuckled as he lifted up the baby dragon and carried the calm beast into the cage.
"Well done," Hakone said with a chuckle as the blonde nodded. "It's important to note like in all of your ethics classes, you don't need to just fight your opponent. You can talk, work out your differences, and find a path to understanding that will allow both of you to win."
Snapdragon nodded while Cal groaned.
"It's a dragon," he said as the ginger shrugged.
"Well, a baby, still. They likely don't know anything yet," the taller boy said as Cal sighed.
"Almost… Got it!" Parsley said as she wrangled hers with a grin, spinning around with the baby dragon at high speeds. "Almost… there!"
The dragon's eyes began to swirl and the dwarf grinned as she came to a stop, chuckling as she carried it over her head and gently placed it inside the cage.
"And done," she said as Naruto chuckled, his baby dragon reassuring the dizzy one that was Parsley's. "Hehe, sorry, fellow little guy, had to give ya the 'spin and win' treatment."
"Same one you use on your brothers?" Naruto asked.
"Yep."
"I-I've got-oof!" Rosemary began to say only to be hip-checked by her dragon into a roll that left her dizzy. "W-Whoa, did anyone get the hitbox on that baby? It felt kind of ridiculous… ahhhh," she hit the floor on her back.
"Can I take this as your loss?" Hakone asked as walked over and looked at her dizzy face. "... I'll take that as a 'yes'. Next!"
Parsley helped Rosemary back to their friends, the boy nodding to Cal who was getting up with Snapdragon.
"I'm gonna handle this with as much 'diplomacy' as possible," he said with a smirk and Naruto began to feel nervous.
"Don't abuse the baby dragons, please," he said.
"They're still dragons."
He didn't like that. "Snap, please be nice to the baby dragon."
Snapdragon chuckled nervously as he looked at them. "I think it should be the other way around."
Naruto pat his back with a sagely nod that made the taller boy nervous.
They and one other boy went forward… one who looked similar to…
"Wait, that kid looks like Cal," Naruto said with a tilt of the head.
He was short and looked like an actual kid here. What with his bigger eyes, and roundish cheeks.
He had dark skin like Thyme and Hakone but his eyes were pink like Cal's along with him having the same dark purple hair but his was shorter and puffier.
"Hmm? Oh, I think that kid is named Parnelle," Parsley said as they sat down, the dwarf settling Rosemary onto the floor with a chuckle. "And you're right, he and Cal do look alike."
The trio of boys was given their dragons, Snapdragon getting Rosemary's previous one.
"Start," Hakone said.
Snapdragon swallowed before raising his hands towards the rather mean-looking dragon.
"H-Hey, we can be friends, right?" He said to it, the baby dragon snorting out fire. "Oh, I think I made a mistake."
He probably should have let Cal get this one.
"... Okay, o-okay," he steeled his confidence as he looked at it. "Come on, let's go inside. Think about it, all the free food you get when you're finished," he said to it as it perked up. "Y-Yeah! I mean, you get to relax and don't have to do all this work."
The dragon seemed to be considering it, its fin ears flicking a bit.
"Exactly," Snap smiled with a gesture at the cage. "Come on, I might be able to ask the professor," he turned his head with a pleading smile at Hakone who laughed. "To give you some bit of food."
The baby waddled over to the cage and the man chuckled before passing Snapdragon a dried meat cube.
The boy smiled as the dragon's tail wagged. "See! We've got-oh my God!" He tried to say before being tackled by the baby. "AHHHHHHH!"
"A little coercion isn't a bad plan," their professor said as the baby dragon waddled into the cage, looking satisfied as Snapdragon groaned on the ground.
"Hmph," Cal said as he walked over with the dragon over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, face filled with some scratches and smoke but the boy looked victorious as he put the baby dragon inside, said dragon having a few bumps on its own head. "E-Easy."
"Y-Yeah, it was," the boy, Parnelle, said as he came over on his dragon's back, Cal groaning. "H-Hey, cuz."
"Right," the teen said as he gestured to the cage. "Just put your baby in there, baby."
Parnelle pouted as he walked the baby dragon in, Naruto coming over and throwing Snapdragon over his shoulder.
"Good work, that's six down, who's next?" Hakone asked.
~NRK~
Naruto stretched as he walked to his next class, New Magic Protocols.
He blinked as he found Sage and Amaryllis by the door.
"Sup, you two, how was Potion-Making-?"
"Horrible," they said in unison and he chuckled nervously. "She tried to poison us!"
"O-Oh?" Naruto grinned shakily. "So… uh, you survived."
"Duh," Amaryllis said with a huff before gesturing to the blushing Sage. "Thanks to Old Magic Wonder over here, unfortunately."
"You made an antidote?" He asked, impressed.
"Y-Yeah, well, I just figured out the specific components she had on the boy," Sage admitted with red cheeks. "I was just lucky she gave us textbooks."
"Hey, it's not like it's not cool."
'God, were boys supposed to be so nice?' Of course, her father was nice but he was different. "Yes, um… thanks."
"No problem," Naruto nodded before looking at their classroom. "I know I'm gonna tank here," he said as the two remembered his 'condition'. "Unless it's just knowing rules and stuff, I'll only slightly tank."
"I wanna watch you crash and burn," Amaryllis said with a growing grin as Sage sweatdropped. "Come on! I've got my energy back!"
"Great…" The blue-haired girl said as she and Naruto walked into the classroom. "... Our teacher's a centaur," Sage said in awe.
She looked like an aristocrat, what with her long, high-collar, light blue coat, vest, and ribbon tie. Her hair was long, pale-yellow, and set into a neat ponytail while framing her face.
Her skin was white while her lower horse-half was a muted yellow with a similar colored tail to her hair… mane?
The board behind her was clean as they all walked in, the three sitting beside one another.
This time, Naruto sat at the end to give himself more legroom by the stairs in this amphitheater-like room.
"Welcome, welcome," even her voice seemed posh! "I welcome you all to our class, New Magic Protocols. I'm Professor Bay Laurel. My class is not one to slack in. Do not let me catch you sleeping, daydreaming, or so much as drawing on your work items or there will be a harsh punishment!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"Yes, professor."
"Yes, PROFESSOR!"
"Good," she said as she surveyed them all, eyes landing on Naruto with interest. "... In this course, you're going to learn the ins and outs of using magic within specific percentages of areas. You all should know by now but for the sake of clarification. New Magic, meaning Terraspheres, are quickly applicable to most any individual. A random peasant could overthrow a magician with a Terrasphere if given the right time of day or ambush. Let me ask a question. All of you, have you ever noticed there seems to be a difference in the strength of all New Magic?"
"Hmm?" Amaryllis perked up. "Um, yeah?" She said. "I mean, my Terraspheres don't really do too much," she added, allowing the silver wand to form out of it, a curling silver cord with a tip that surrounded her forearm and ended in her hand with a long wand-like end. "Plus, this isn't what all Terraspheres do."
"Good. A good example and showing of a weaker Terrasphere," the group blinked.
"Wait, I mean, it makes sense," Naruto said. "Not all forms of magic are the same level as is, yeah? So, it'd make sense for New Magic to be the same."
"Applying Old Magic logic isn't wrong but it's not the same. There aren't nearly as many limitations to using Terraspheres and that's why you won't see them in normal stores. The only places where one can get a Terrasphere are in higher-quality areas. You need to purchase them from all known vendors and, despite our rocky relationship, Witch Country doesn't offer the recipe for them to anyone outside of the country. As xenophobic as it sounds, it actually makes our lives easier in that we'll know few individuals, not in the purchasing registry aren't from here."
"Huh, turn their selfishness against themselves?" Sage asked.
The professor smirked. "Exactly. Though, to be fair, it's not wrong to want to keep a special resource to one's self. Now, with that knowledge, do you understand why not everyone has a Terrasphere despite its ease of use?"
The class nodded.
"Alright, let's talk about the laws of Lyngarth and our lands of Scarborough, at large," she said. "From here on out, understand, these laws are ironclad. Anyone caught breaking them isn't going to get off easily, no matter what title they bear."
Naruto rested his chin on his crossed arms while Amaryllis rested her cheek on her fist and Sage brought out a notebook.
An hour later, their teacher nodded to them. "There's a big deterrent to using most Old Magic, nowadays. Sadly, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make a law surrounding it meanwhile, using Terraspheres are easier to account for. In the future, we might very well never need Old Magic anymore."
Sage and Naruto frowned at that while Amaryllis shrugged.
"You two need to get with the times," the purple-haired girl said as they packed up. "Naruto, you're different but Pebble child over there needs to realize, everyone doesn't care."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head as Sage sighed, Amaryllis rubbing the back of her head.
"... I-I know, I do," Sage said as the other girl didn't look at her. "... Even in most villages… I think Pebble's probably one of the few with Old Magic as the biggest expertise there."
"Y-Yeah, well…" Amaryllis looked away as they walked out.
Naruto's eyes softened. "Come on, you guys already made your vows, right?" He said with a grin as they blinked… before paling and he sweatdropped. "Y-You guys?!"
"We need to hurry!" Sage screeched.
~NRK~
As it turns out, most of their friends hadn't remembered.
Thyme went last to say her Guardian Vows as the other Freshmen came into the room along with the Triad.
"Just in time," Sage said with a hand to her chest in relief. "I'd not been thinking about it for a long time," she added as Rosemary chuckled. "I'm surprised you had the time."
"It was while we were passing by to get to our Maintenance class," she said with a grin.
"We lucked out," Snapdragon said with a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad to see everyone got to do their Vows in time," Mature Triad said with a smile as the three of them came down towards the well. "You showed great promise, all of you did."
"Some of 'em could have used work but, well, that's why they're here," Elder Triad said. "Open minds, young ones. That's what you need."
"The road ahead isn't a straight path, there's no easy shortcut for any part of it," Young Triad said as the three of them stood by the well. "But I know you all can do it, you've shown great variety among you."
"A willingness to learn, to fight, to protect," Mature Triad finished for them with a smile. "All parts are important. Just like your vows," she said as the well began to glow.
"... W-Wait! She's not showing it, is she?!" Rosemary wilted with glowing red cheeks as Sage blushed along with her. "No! No, no, no, no!"
The three raised their hands and three lights in the ceiling glowed brightly before triangulating beams shot out to meet in the middle between them.
The well's glow increased before it shot up blue energy that met the lights' own.
"We'd like you all to view some of the most interesting Vows we've had since the beginning," Mature Triad said with a smile as many students blushed or paled.
What appeared in the clashing powers was a face of a familiar boy.
Cal snorted.
"As a Guardian, I swear to uphold my family name. To protect my kingdom and land like many before I have, to take tradition to heart, to bring my enemies to kneel, and to protect my bloodline."
"You're really proud of your family," Naruto said with his arms folded behind his head with a grin. "Hehe, must be cool."
Cal smirked before he glowed purple, much to the group's confusion.
Then they saw a familiar whiskered individual, Sage and Thyme wondering what'd come of Naruto's Vow, his body glowing gold and red?
"I vow to protect the balance of the world itself. I seek to make sure balance is maintained, to see peace in the world that I've lived in. I won't let my past ruin my future and whether it's any person, any country, anything, I'll seek a true resolution to it all."
Naruto smiled sadly at that, Sage looking confused.
'I won't let my past ruin my future?' What did that mean?
What had happened to him?
Then they saw Rosemary, the girl blushing as Snapdragon chuckled.
"I promise to uphold what's right and wrong like my mother used to. I vow to seek all forms of adventure! Maybe I'll find a super-special sword like my mom's! I don't know! But I think that there's always something great out in the world and I'll find it! Loyalty, bravery, courage, and heart! I'm gonna learn it all"
"Hmm, it's not the worst vow," Thyme said as Rosemary pulled on her pigtails to hide from her smirk. "Oh, they are shields."
"Mmmmmm!" Rosie shouted into her hair as she glowed bright pink.
"Direct and diplomatic in the toughest situations, my vow is to push for the truth of the world at large and rid it of lies."
"Hmm?" Naruto raised a brow at the glowing red girl a bit away. "Is that someone we know?"
They looked and then looked at Cal.
"... What?" He said before blinking. "Oh, well, I don't think I know her… Actually, no, her father's a judge in the high court! That's right, her name is… Mint."
Mint was a girl with tan skin, red eyes, well-combed black hair, and glasses. She was a bit tall, around Cal and Naruto's height while looking like a thin girl.
"Oh, wait, isn't she from our last class?" Amaryllis said as the girl crossed her arms and adjusted her glasses. "Total nerd look but she's got a bit of fire in her, look at that small mullet."
Several others played before it reached Parsley, the girl herself glowing yellow with a grin.
"As a Guardian, I want to travel the world and find the greatest of magical items and weapons. To protect those sacred items and learn the ins and outs of the world's best items and equipment. I vow to protect families and the connections within them lest I fall into despair!"
"Very big on family," Snapdragon said as his hand rubbed his neck, Parsley chuckling.
"I've got a big one, I don't want to see any one of them hurt," the dwarf said with a grin as Naruto threw her a thumbs-up before the ginger began to glow orange.
"I… I want to live my own life. With fortitude and honor, to protect those who live in my home, my village, and my country. I-It's not something I think I'm great at, yet, but I want to live up to those expectations."
"And you will," Parsley said as Snapdragon blushed while Amaryllis grinned wildly, form glowing purple.
"Hmph, I vow to leave a legacy beyond legacies! To own the world through my image and make all who look upon me quiver with awe and fear! I vow to never become some useless hag!"
"That's… certainly you," Cal said with a shaky grin as Rylls grinned smugly.
Then Sage lit up in blue and blushed bright enough to look part red like a popsicle.
"I believe that we all have some form of greatness within us… a-and it's right to say that I want to protect the old ways. The prominent traditions, the powerful spells, and those ways that lead to happy lives. I vow to protect the world of those traditions and reach for greater heights of power to do so!"
"Hehehe, well said, Sage," Rosemary said as she opened up her 'fluff fortress' to show her grin, Sage blushing some more before nodding. "And the last is-"
"I vow to live in honor and to be self-reliant. I won't allow myself weakness that I can't solve and see through to the end. I vow to protect my home, the people I meet, the places I travel, all in the name of keeping the world as healthy as possible."
Thyme huffed with a small blush as she glowed green, the others chuckling.
"You've all come forth and shown your truest selves," Mature Triad said with a chuckle. "Beautiful, mostly pure, souls with big wishes and goals that all return to the world at large."
"Hmph, I guess you all aren't so bad," Elder Triad said with a smirk. "You'll learn much within these walls."
"And grow to become grand Guardians," Young Triad said as Mature Triad nodded, the three of them standing on three sides of the well. "But let's show you what a full Guardian's Vow will entail."
"I swear by the power of the sky, the earth, the sea, and stars, to protect these lands from within," Mature Triad started as the well pulsed.
"I promise balance, to keep history alive, and to never be restrained by its past grudges, wars, pain, and destruction," Young Triad added as another pulse joined the first.
"I vow to remain curious and engaged. To look at the world with a questioning eye. I shall use my agility to protect what is precious even if it brings about my own end."
"To honor all that came before and those who come after, adding my name to the legacy of courage that my title imparts."
"I honor my name, my family, and my one true self, my multitudes."
"If I break this oath, my cowardice, greed, sloth, or willful ignorance, may I be cast upon the stones, my sword broken, and my name erased."
"This, I Vow."
The well flowed into nothingness, the Triad nodding to it as their bodies glowed white before everyone's glow slipped away from them and swirled in the air above, forming a ball of white before dispersing.
"What… was that?" Snapdragon asked and Cal answered with crossed arms.
"You guys don't really understand what a Vow is, do you?" He asked and the group shook their heads save for Naruto and Rosemary.
"A Vow is basically how you call upon your greatest power," the foxy blonde said. "It's the connection between you, your abilities, the world, and your soul itself."
"Mom always called Vows the living focus of your powers," Rosemary said with a look up at the ceiling. "She said that breaking your Vow to the world is almost as bad as… well, not being a Guardian. Like it's stripped from you but worse."
"Vows are powerful, especially when you enact them," Cal said with a grin. "And those who live up to their Vows to the utmost become the most powerful of Guardians."
"So, no matter what, you should follow your dreams and ideals," Naruto added. "To follow that road, protect the world, and fight off evil."
"Yeah!" Rosemary grinned. "We're a team, now!"
"Huh? Team?" Cal looked hesitant on that. "Don't know about that, my family only formed teams with the top scorers."
"I-I mean, well, you won't know until we get our first grades, right?" Snapdragon said as the other boy looked down in thought before sighing.
"Okay, fine, you all better keep your grades at least decent."
"That's some kind of motivation," Thyme said. "Hmph, come on, we all have the same last class."
"Vow Learning," the group said in unison.
~NRK~
This time, the classroom was like Naruto's previous class, an amphitheater-like classroom.
The group sat on two rows near the front, Sage, Snapdragon, Amaryllis, and Cal at the lower one while Rosemary, Naruto, Parsley, and Thyme sat above them.
Walking into the room, the group blinked at the Triad within.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Wait, you guys are teaching this class?" He asked.
"Well, mostly two of us at a time," Mature Triad said with a smile. "Vow Learning is an important class for your development and we're the ones who handle the Vows best in High Guardian Academy."
"So, we're gonna learn how to power-up with Vows, right?" Cal asked and the class looked confused. "It's not just a saying, ya know."
"Correct, plum boy," Elder Triad said with a laugh as Cal choked while the others laughed. "You all will be learning how to apply your Vows. These are important things so shut up and listen!"
"Y-Yes, well, for today, we're going to practice using them. Vows, as a whole, do increase one's capabilities but that's not as cut and dry as it sounds," Mature Triad said.
"It's true," Young Triad said. "Some will raise your strength, others your defenses, others your intelligence, and so on, though, usually, it relies on someone's personal affinities."
"So, we'll gain an appropriate increase?" Thyme asked.
"Hehe, maybe, maybe not. The thing with Vows is that you can't just call on them all of a sudden. And, even then, as we said, you'll probably get one for your personal affinities… and you might not know it!" Elder Triad said with a grin as the group blinked.
"Wait, what?" Snapdragon looked confused. "I-I don't understand!"
"... Oh," Naruto spoke up, gaining the class's attention. "So, it'd be like, say, Snap learning he might be good at magic?" The Triad grinned.
"Yep!"
"Yes, though your thinking is a bit too narrow," Mature Triad said with a chuckle as Naruto blinked. "You can find out you have an affinity for magic, you could find you have an affinity for thrusting weapons, you could find out that you might have an affinity for the arts, and so on. There aren't many who come into these walls and remain with the same Vows they came in with during their first days."
"Wait, so you're saying we could end up with no fighting?!" Cal said in horror as Amaryllis cackled.
"I'd still go for my wand!" She declared. "Destruction is for everyone!"
"She's got spirit!" Elder Triad said with a grin as her fellow versions chuckled nervously. "So, for now, we'll be testing your Vows strength and possible effects," she added as she stamped her cane twice.
In front of the class, four large ballet-like voting booths appeared, the group blinking at the oddness.
"For now, your Vows and their effects will be private," Young Triad said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes as she looked in Naruto's general direction. "Let's start, alright?"
Naruto grinned a bit nervously, Thyme looking at him out of the corner of her eye before focusing back on the boxes.
The eight's 'front row' friends went first, Cal, Sage, Snapdragon, and Amaryllis.
They were inside there for a couple minutes before coming out with differing expressions.
Cal didn't look bothered in the least, Amaryllis looked stoic, Snapdragon looked relieved, and Sage… Sage looked like she'd zoned out.
With the four coming back, Naruto's four-person row went up next, the fox boy leading the way with Rosemary, the girl looking back at Sage with a look of concern.
Naruto nodded to her. "She'll be fine. Besides, you can ask her after class, right?" He said and she smiled at him with a nod.
"Alright, take it easy in there," she said as the four went inside their boxes.
Naruto frowned as he saw the crystal ball inside and saw the hand imprint within it, taking a deep breath before reaching out to place his hand into it.
The orb glowed gold before it bore a single dark red dot in the middle of it, getting a grimace from the boy.
His Vow appeared in the air… along with another's.
The boy's face grew neutral if not a bit saddened before he blinked at the sight of Elder Triad passing through the back of his booth in front of him.
"H-Huh?" She pressed her fingers to her lips and looked at the results of his checking with a frown.
"So, even this was affected?" She asked him softly and the fox boy's eyes went downward. "Now, none of that, the fact that you have both only means it's affecting you not taking over anything."
Then the boy and old woman saw a series of words passing below the Vows, constantly coming in and out of existence like faded memories.
-Peace-Bringer-
-Beast of Lust-
Naruto's eyes widened as his tail bristled before Elder Triad sighed and shot him a look.
Another phrase, surprisingly, shot up.
-Cursed Child-
Naruto's eyes darkened a bit and the old member of the Triad slipped back out, her fellow Triad members looking concerned as she frowned.
A mental link formed and she conveyed it all.
'That's horrible!' Young Triad said with a grimace before blushing. 'W-Wait, what does that second title mean?!' She thought in horror.
'Sadly… things I don't want to consider,' Mature Triad said with a dark frown. 'Things that shouldn't be happening to a child.'
'We've seen it, all the clues are there,' Elder Triad said with a face of neutrality. 'Young One, you can figure out what's going on with this one.'
The Young member of the three looked worried. 'W-What's that supposed to mean?'
Neither of the other two said anything, simply looking back at the booths and not answering her question.
Naruto, meanwhile, sighed as he looked at his titles some more before removing his hand and walking out, wincing as he found himself last.
He hurried back to his seat with a look of concentration that concerned the others.
"Everything alright?" Parsley asked him and the boy sighed.
"Not really, just didn't expect what I saw," he admitted before resting his head in his arms. "I'll figure it out."
Cal, Amaryllis, Sage, and Parsley nodded while Thyme, Snapdragon, and Rosemary looked at him in concern.
"We can tell each other ours if you want," the ginger suggested and Naruto's tail was all that flinched, only in Parsley's vision, at his words.
"S-Sure, I don't mind. Back in the dorms, I guess," the blonde boy grinned.
Rosemary's eyes went to his tail and the blonde's expression. 'Why is he lying?' Well, not lying in the way many understood.
He didn't want to speak about their Vows' effects, or really, just his. Rosemary was confused on why he'd not say it upfront.
The rest of the class went up and in thirty minutes in total, they were all done.
Two clicks of a cane had the boxes disappearing, leaving the Triad smiling there. Fake smiles that none of the students could really pick up on save for one male blonde.
"For this class, we'll meet every Monday and Friday. Mondays in the evening like now and Fridays in the morning, on your short days," Elder Triad said. "Right now, we'll be cutting class early. Focus on what your Vows revealed to yourselves but don't become too engrossed in them."
"Vow effects can change," Young Triad said, cheek twitching. "T-That is, as you mature, you'll become better versions of yourselves, Vows can ascertain that fact."
"Hmph, get out, go away. You all can tour the campus again if you want. Just know, no running off-campus without permission!" Elder Triad said.
As the groups of students began to leave, Naruto sighed, getting up and following the others with dark thoughts.
"A shining soul like yours needs to be tended to, extensively."
His fists jammed themselves into his pockets and clenched and the group shivered as he walked ahead of them.
"Is something wrong?" Sage asked Rosemary who frowned.
"I don't know… Naruto hasn't said anything but he's all grumpy," the rosette said. "I-I don't think he's ever felt so 'cold' before. He's usually really sunny."
"He seems to be focused on the result of what happened," Snapdragon said as Parsley and Thyme nodded. "Do you think he… wants to tell us his results?" He asked nervously.
"He might not want to," Thyme said. "It's not like we have to. I don't care about saying mine."
"I don't really want to say mine," Amaryllis said and the group looked surprised, the girl's face remaining stoic. "I'm serious, do not bother me, pours," she threw in before walking off.
"... I'll go and handle her," Snapdragon said before taking one more look at Naruto, the boy didn't even look like he'd noticed Amaryllis leaving. "I think he needs some help, seriously."
He hurried after Amaryllis, catching up and not saying anything to her, simply walking by her side.
Thyme and Parsley nodded. "We'll handle Naruto, then. I think Sage needs your help, as well," the elf said as Sage flinched.
"N-No, no, no! It's nothing!" The small mage said in horror. "I-I get it, I do, I'm not freaking out… j-just a bit confused."
"Hmm?" Naruto turned around and the five sweatdropped at his look of confusion. "W-Wait, when did Snap and Rylls leave?!" He choked as Thyme sighed before walking past him.
"Come on," she said, grabbing his collar as he froze like a scruff-grabbed kitten. "Don't be a baby," Thyme said, minding his skin. "Pars."
"We'll get him back to normal, promise," the dwarf said to the others with a nod. "Coming!"
"That's what she-" Cal made to say but Rosemary elbowed him. "Huff! Got it."
~NRK~
Naruto grunted with a flinch as Thyme deposited him by some bushes, the boy sighing.
"I'm-"
"Not fine," Parsley said with crossed arms as he winced. "... I don't know what you and Thyme talked about but I get the feeling this is connected to it and some other things," she sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "I know you're probably gonna say 'no' but are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
"You guys have a good enough idea as is," Naruto winced at his own words while the two frowned, Thyme wearing a dark look that he looked away from. "... It's not… it's a big secret, I can't just tell you."
"I'm not asking you to tell me the whole truth or anything, promise," Parsley said softly as she and Thyme sat next to him, the three looking out at the lowering sun. "It's just… you were far different today than you've ever been since we've known you. Which isn't a long time but you make a big impression."
"... I'm sorry, I mean it," Naruto pulled up his knees and rested his arms on them. "It's… I'm not going to say what it said, I really can't. Ignoring that one of the three things I was shown wasn't… great," he blushed a bit. "But I can tell you, they're not… I know the reason for all of them and I hate the last two."
"Three? I got three, too," Parsley said as he shot her a weird look. "Yup, yup. Magical Miner, Grandiose Blacksmith, and Family-Unity. It was weird," she looked embarrassed. "A-And I love my family, no question, it's a bit complicated."
"No problem, I get complicated."
"Hehe, what about you, Thyme? Wanna share?"
"... I only had three," Thyme said as she crossed her arms, a bit embarrassed. "... Lover of Family is… one of them," she admitted with red cheeks as the two blinked before grinning.
"Sounds awesome."
She rolled her eyes. "Forest Protector and Worldly Woman are the others," Thyme finished. "They're curious titles, I guess exploring is in my soul."
"Sounds like you have a ton of adventures ahead of you," Parsley said.
"I think all of us do, at least the three of us, though I'm sure Rosie, Sage, and Snap will end up adventurers, too."
"Cal and Rylls do seem like they have goals that don't need them to adventure a lot," Parsley said with a hum. "A protector of Lyngarth and someone who wants to leave a legacy, basically have a good family? I can see they likely won't stay on the road like most of us probably will."
"To be honest, being on the road all the time would likely get tiring," Thyme said as the wind picked up. "I know I wouldn't hate it but it'll probably get tiring."
"And lonely," Naruto said as Parsley nodded while Thyme tucked in on herself. "... I'm willing to say, one of the titles I got is Peace-Bringer," he admitted and the two blinked. "I mean, it certainly matches up with my Vow."
"And you as a person," Parsley chuckled as he chuckled in embarrassment. "Still, that's a way big order, no offense, I don't see that going well for quite a bit."
"I mean, Lyngarth's a pretty cool way of seeing things," Naruto said as the two hummed. "All the races, all kinds of people, all sorts of shops, trades, skills, and protectors, we've got a bit of everything. A utopia isn't the goal, I'd think… Yeah, I think going around the world and helping people, that's all I'd really need to stay true to my path."
He glowed a soft gold and the two girls blinked at that. "Huh… I guess that's one way of reaffirming it," Thyme said as she closed her eyes. "Likely, believing with all of your heart… that's what makes a Vow important," she said softly as she glowed a bit as well, Parsley chuckling as she followed suit. "Honestly, though, it's kind of gaudy."
The blondes laughed while a cat watched from above, her eyes narrowing slowly in on the blonde boy.
~NRK~
Resting in a pair of orange shorts and a white shirt with a wide collar, Naruto chuckled as the others played cards in his and Cal's room, on their beds, the fox boy sitting on the windowsill by Thyme.
"YES!" Amaryllis grinned viciously in her purple sweatpants and white bare-shoulder shirt while Sage scrambled to find a card to win, her dark magenta nightgown shuffling as her head fell. "I remain victorious!" She declared as the blue mage cried crocodile tears.
"I-I lost?!"
"Hmph, I thought that thing didn't need maintenance," Cal said as he, Rosemary, Parsley, and Snapdragon cleaned their weapons. "I mean, it's literally supposed to be unbreakable."
"Yeah but that doesn't mean I want to just keep throwing it into things," Rosemary said as his face went flat, the girl giggling nervously in her pink pajama top and shorts while Cal shook his head, gray muscle shirt, and purple pajama pants held away from his cleaning supplies. "H-Hey, that's why I gotta keep this baby clean!"
"Right."
"It's not like her style isn't effective, right?" Snapdragon asked, wearing red pajamas, ax edge being cleaned carefully. "I-It's not like it doesn't deserve to get clean, either," he said with a small hiss, washing the edge of his weapon carefully.
"Snap's right, Cal," Parsley said as she looked at her hammer before cleaning the ginger's shield with practiced hands. "It's not just because it's unbreakable that you let it get dirty," the dwarf remarked, wearing a white tank top and orange pajama pants with gray socks.
"Eh," the purple-haired boy shrugged, eyes on the females. 'Honestly, geez, she is kind of stacked,' he thought pervertedly but kept his expression neutral.
In a room with girls willingly being around wasn't really new to him, he wasn't like the two virgin wonders over there but he knew how to appreciate the opportunity when he could.
'Still, it's pretty obvious, someone has hots for certain types,' Cal thought as his eyes went to Naruto. 'He's always around those two, it's almost like he's got 'em both into it,' he wasn't an idiot.
Thyme, dressed in a green tunic with black spats, showing her nice long legs, was even checking him out!
The elf did it discreetly, of course, but Cal could sense sexual frustration from a mile away… well, that and attraction, he'd tell you.
The tall girl kept looking at the blonde's clavicle like it was the most interesting part. And with what the boy knew about the clavicle, he knew that looking at it made you think about the torso beneath.
So, she was checking out the blonde's pecs, of course.
'Geez, it's like he doesn't even try,' the mace-user thought as he finished up. 'Still better than Snappy over here.'
It wasn't like he disliked the other boy, it's just that he didn't like him either. Snapdragon's features confused Cal on a primal level but his voice, his slight mannerisms, and thin limbs made it worse.
The guy's mindset helped offset that, along with Naruto's willful assistance to help him, but Cal just felt like there was something off about him.
Well, for now, he had some girls to view!
Thyme grunted softly as Naruto read that adventure book she'd lent him. 'He's so defenseless,' she thought even as her cheeks reddened, the elf hiding her face behind her book some more as she leaned back more. 'God, calm down!' She wasn't some lech like Cal was.
She was not ogling some boy's clavicle like it had the answers to the universe! Of course not! Okay, sure, Naruto, Parsley, and Amaryllis had nice-looking clavicles, it didn't mean she was hyper-focused on them!
She groaned a bit and Naruto looked up at her with those shining eyes that made him look like the innocent animal she had a horrifying feeling he, sadly, wasn't.
Not because of him, mind you… but because of what might have happened to him. Thyme was certainly not an idiot, the others even went on to call her, Sage, and Snapdragon the 'Smarties', so when she put things together, despite how horrifying that 'image' was… she knew it held a hint of truth in it.
Naruto had likely been… assaulted by a female witch, she was sadly sure of. And that witch was likely still alive.
She frowned at her book.
"You alright?" He asked her and Thyme sighed.
"Just annoyed by this character," she said and he nodded.
"I can get that, sometimes, you just don't know what they're thinking," he grunted with an annoyed face. "Like, I read a horror book once on accident and I was more bothered by how stupid some of those characters were than scared."
Thyme raised a brow at that. "... Let me take a shot, the Horror of Molt Bush?"
"How'd you know?!" He looked shocked as she smirked.
"I've read the book, I heard it was supposed to be funny despite it being a horror book. It was funny, I won't lie, but I can say it wasn't trying to be funny."
Naruto laughed at that. "God, I don't think people realize what real people act like in those kinds of situations."
She was curious about that, too.
After all, Naruto seemed far too 'strong' to be some normal victim.
~NRK~
Night came and Naruto found himself in a light sleep, the others having left two hours ago back to their own rooms.
'... They noticed without me noticing,' he said mentally. 'I… should I just tell them?' From what he knew, they hadn't freaked the hell out or anything.
No crazy theories, shark-jumping ideas, or even spilling of his secret.
Thyme, Parsley, and Snapdragon seemed like true-blue comrades and they'd only met last week.
His face relaxed and he turned in his bed, snoring softly, smiling as he held his warm, furry, pillow.
The black cat nuzzled in and went to sleep.
~NRK~
I hope everyone got something interesting out of this.
So, Naruto's affliction becomes clearer this chapter but it seems he's not the only one who's got issues.
Amaryllis's side-plot in this fic is going to be… interesting. By banding together all the little bits of herself, her seemingly murderous attitude, her care for Snap, her wanting to leave a 'legacy', her clearly fucked up family tree, she seems to get along well with the men in her family, and little other things. All that makes a good image of the path she'll run down.
Sage is also a little zoned out and we won't know why for a bit.
Naruto, meanwhile… well, you all can read and take guesses at why his Vows align him to those values.
Speaking of, Vows will be what I give HGS as its thing. Like RWBY has Semblances, Bleach have Zanpaktou, Naruto has chakra/bijuu, and One Piece has devil fruits. Guardian Vows are its thing.
Does anyone know what the Centaur teacher's name is? I just went with Bay Laurel because it sounded sophisticated enough.
And I added a little extra character, for the future. That's the girl whose Vow I found very interesting, honestly. That said, she's for a future arc, not the current one, not for a while. Ms. Mint.
And the crew is getting a bit closer while Thyme doesn't necessarily grill Naruto but she's insistent and relies on his open nature to try to understand him, Parsley, meanwhile, is more likely to just give him space.
Oh and we have a bit better of an idea of why Naruto does what he does when it comes to females, it's not fear or anything, it's pain.
Pairings: Cal x Amaryllis is one. Aster x Rosemary. Snapdragon x Sage will happen on better grounds, it might still be love at first sight but it'll make more sense.
Naruto x Thyme x Parsley x Olive is guaranteed.
Might throw a curveball into the mix, that was originally the plan but then I wrote Snapdragon as the character I expected and things went the way they did. Maybe it'll still be 'interesting', we'll see.
Words: 12.4k+
~NRK Out~