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.

9. Rest Week I

I lowered the number because Parsley's dad has no idea what a 'pull out' method is and it's rather concerning how careless they made the man with fifteen fucking kids.

At least the Arcs had a cultural reason to have so many damn kids, this man is mad irresponsible for NO REASON and insists that Parsley helps out around the home because 'it's hard'? Fuck that.

We're trimming his numbers to nine with the newest child being the 'tenth' child he and Angie have.

~NRK~

Callum smirked as Mallow chuckled.

"It sounds like you already got the first taste of your future," the green-haired noble said with a grin. "I wish I could have joined you but it's not in me to fight. So, I'll live outside your life and sell you all magnificent goods!"

"Haha! Maybe, it'd be nice to have a steady supplier for goods," Cal said as they came to a stop by a large home.

It was broad and built of light gray bricks with black winders, and a red roof, the compound of his family.

The Agrostis Compound.

Going in through powerful wooden doors, they traveled past the stone-floored foyer and stepped into a set of cool 'gentler' pale-gray tiles before going down a hall and looking to the sides in the middle of it, two openings allowing them to see a pair of rooms.

A kitchen where two servants went about testing some boiling stew and a resting area where Cal grinned at the sight of a man within.

He had similar-colored skin to the young Guardian-to-be, fierce red eyes, and short dark purple locks that were longer and straighter compared to Cal's bigger mop of hair. His features were sharper as well, lacking the embarrassing amount Callum hated that he held onto even in his teenage years and had a more angular chin.

Wearing a puffy-sleeved, frilled-collar, black shirt, dark gray pants, and a pair of brown boots, he blinked as he looked up at the two before raising a brow at them.

"Callum…?" He spoke as he put down the large crossbow in his hands before getting up. "You're home? Why?"

"The school had a trabber infestation, Cail," Cal explained as the man frowned.

"I see, how long will it be?"

"The rest of the week, they said we can come back during Sunday."

"Hmph, come, you can explain your situation to mother," Cail said with a nod as he led the boys in. "Good morning, Mallow."

"Good morning, I hope things have been going well," the noble moss head said.

"Did dad say anything about the state of the kingdom as of late?" Callum asked and Cail hummed.

"He's currently serving the king as we speak. Though, there's been odd worries as of late," Callum frowned at that. "Nothing serious, father is just… having an episode, again," Cail explained with a nervous gaze. "You haven't made any… beastkin friends, have you?"

Cal froze, eyes wide. "W-Why?"

"... you know how dad is with the other races, both of you do," Cail explained as Mallow frowned. "The very fact he doesn't know Mallow is a druid is already shocking enough. I don't know if we can keep hiding it if you had more beastkin individuals over, he dislikes-"

"I know, dammit, no, I… I don't have any beastkin friends," the HGA student lied with clenched fists. "... is it really-"

"Callum… he's assaulted a beastkin servant of the king."

Cal's eyes widened.

~NRK~

Snapdragon hummed as he cooked in Amaryllis's 'family' home.

It was a rather quaint thing that he knew she enjoyed the simplicity of. The homely furnishings and light purple walls soothed her and him as they sat in her kitchen, the ginger handling some pans and utensils as he cooked something for their breakfast.

"So, how was Sunday?" Amaryllis grinned as he blushed a bit. "You were gettin' awfully chummy with Naru, ya know?"

"I-It's nothing, the spell is just that, it has its effects like you said," Snapdragon mumbled as he cut some eggs. "Besides, I don't think of Naruto any differently as I am, it's probably the spell's side-effects."

"Most likely. Honestly, you looked pretty, like always," she teased as he blushed some more but chuckled. "Honestly, the girls were surprised by 'Brunnera' and how pretty her hair was~" Amaryllis waxed poetically. "Did Cal and Naruto say anything?"

"N-No! Nothing!" Snapdragon burned bright red. 'She must never know.'

---

In the showers on Monday, Snapdragon hummed.

"Snap, you should have seen her!" Cal said as he did his 'usual lean' over the shower walls. "She was Sexy with a capital 'S'!"

"H-Huh? Who?" Snapdragon blushed but was curious. "A student?"

"I wish, no, it's some girl we met yesterday! She was beautiful!" Cal exclaimed as Snapdragon froze, forever thankful that Cal always blindfolded himself.

The red on his face would definitely be a dead giveaway.

"Hell, I bet Naru knows, what with how they were mackin' on each other."

"O-Oi! There was no such thing!" Naruto barked with a huff. "I wasn't doing a damn thing like that, Callum. We were focusing on finding good books!"

"Yeah, true, but you've gotta be honest, you liked what you saw, didn't you?"

Snapdragon blushed some more but awaited Naruto's answer.

Naruto, who was usually dense about this kind of stuff, would never-

"... h-her hair was amazing, alright? It's like Thyme's but b-brighter."

Snapdragon choked as Cal snickered.

"So, her hair, really? I thought of you as more of a chest man," he said curiously.

"... I'm always noticing bright hair colors, alright? It's just… I like powerful hair colors… I guess?" Naruto admitted as the lanky warrior grew curious.

"B-But Thyme's hair isn't that red, right?" He asked the beastkin who groaned.

"Thyme's hair is still an amazingly strong color, yeah? I notice it a lot and it's like it being a darker red makes it harder to ignore, ugh," the box's shower was turned to full power. "Haaa… so, yeah, her hair? Amazing, it's what I kept looking at."

Snapdragon blushed some more before cleaning up.

---

He shook his thoughts away as he finished cooking.

"So, your Terraspheres are supposed to come this week, right?" Snapdragon asked.

"Next week, unless something changes," Amaryllis said as he brought over their food. "Thanks."

"No problem, we both know how bad your cooking is."

"Damn right."

~NRK~

"Hmm! We're gonna see Aloe and Anise, Sage! We can tell them all about our crazy adventures!" Rosemary said as Sage nodded, Chompy, their flying treasure chest suitcase lagging only a bit behind their heads. "Oooh! We can tell them all about our friends! Class! Your Runes! And everything!"

"Everything?" Sage offered as Rosemary's grin grew a bit shaky. "... I think Mint was right. We should tell someone before… b-before something bad happens," she whispered as her childhood friend frowned.

"But Cal's right, what's gonna happen if we tell everyone and get found out by a spy?"

"We don't know if that's true, though. Our teachers? Who've taken care of us? They're not trustworthy?"

Rosemary flinched and looked down, Sage's guilt rising in an instant. "I know… I do," the rosette said. "But… I-I think we need to do this."

"... why?" Sage frowned as her friend looked away. "... Rose… I know, I miss Lavender, too, but she'd never send us into dangerous territory."

"Then why is she calling? W-Why would my mom, of all people, be asking for help?"

Sage grimaced as they arrived at her aunts' home. "... I… don't know."

"Exactly, if we find out, we might be able to save all of Scarborough and mom!" Rosemary said with fire in her eyes. "We're Guardians!"

"I'd assume so," came a voice from behind her, the two girls blinking on the steps before turning around to see a pair of women standing in the doorway. "Sup, kiddos?"

The woman who said that had milk chocolate skin, blue hair in the style of a soft mohawk, and red eyes similar to Sage's own, her body covered by a pair of dark brown boots, black pants, and a red tunic as her ears were pierced by two small black earrings on the side.

The woman beside her smiled at the two girls, chuckling as her elf ears twitched happily. Having white skin, yellow eyes, and platinum-colored hair, the elf woman wore a white dress with a baby blue sash around her waist and a pair of white sandals, her golden earring gleaming in the sunlight.

"Aloe and Anise!" Sage squealed as her eyes sparkled, she and Rosemary, lunging at her aunties. "We've missed you!" She said as she and her blood-aunt hugged, Rosemary chuckling within Aloe's arms.

"Hmm…" The elf woman blinked for a moment as she looked at Rosemary and noted something on her bicep, the girl's lack of blazer allowing her a full view of it. "Hmm," she squinted a bit and leaned forward as the rosette grinned.

"It's a scar!" Rosemary grinned as she looked surprised while Anise hummed. "We've got to tell you guys all about our adventures!" She said with a bigger grin as Anise chuckled.

"I see. I guess school life's been hard on you," she said to Sage who groaned.

"You have no idea."

Going inside the two's home, they took their shoes off at the foyer before going onto the warm wooden planks into the living room.

The girls sat on the sole long couch while Anise sat in one of two recliners with Aloe heading towards the kitchen.

"So, be real with me, how is High Guardian Academy?" Anise asked with a raised brow. "I know Sage has probably… dealt with some rough hazing," she admitted with a nervous grin as Sage whined a bit.

"I-I did think things would be… a b-bit bad," the mage student began before smiling a bit. "But we have a friend who understands the sacrality of Old Magic, h-he's a beastkin student by the name of Naruto," Anise's eyes widened.

"Naruto? The fox kid?" She asked and the two blinked. "... o-oh, crap, that is…" Anise winced as Rosemary blinked.

"I mean, yeah, Naruto's a fox beastkin but… how do you know that?" She asked as Sage's aunt sighed.

"We're helping Caraway with something," Sage's eyes widened as her aunt nodded. "Yeah, Caraway and us, we go way back," Anise chuckled as Aloe returned with some biscuits and jam on a neatly balanced plate, a platter of tea and teacups on her other hand.

"Tea and biscuits ahoy!" The elf said with a smile as placed the items down on the coffee table in the middle of the living room, Rosemary digging right in without hesitation. "And, yes, we do know Caraway, he's an old friend from my old magic school," Aloe explained as Rosemary stopped eating to look at her, amusing the woman. "Chew, swallow, drink," she instructed, pouring out some tea for her.

The girl nodded before swallowing and sipping on her tea. "Mm… t-thanks. So, um, he told you?"

"Yeah, that Naruto kid was something he spoke about," Anise said as Sage hummed.

"Well, Naruto is special in a couple ways," she explained as her aunts shot her a look. "H-He's got an odd Vow, he's clearly the strongest of the Warriors class but he's also mixing courses and is a Mage student," Sage continued as they looked surprised.

"Huh, I'd heard about it but I didn't think someone who was mixing courses would have impressed you that much," Anise chuckled as Sage mumbled. "Hmm?"

"H-He fought off my best spell a-and told me 'that was pretty decent'! I-It was a tenth of my energy!" Sage shouted to the heavens as Rosemary snickered.

"From what she told me, they were making Rune Words in Professor Caraway's class," Aloe perked up. "Naruto made some sort of Stamina Spell while Sage made a beam attack!" She grinned. "And he helped her test it out and now she's grumping about it."

"I am not grumping!"

"See?"

"Hmm, a beam, huh? And he just took it?" Aloe asked as Sage burned in embarrassment.

"H-He used Uruz and just took it on his forearms, l-like it was nothing! A-And his energy levels are insane! That's not fair!" She said with crocodile tiles as the elf chuckled.

"Well, sometimes, different people are blessed in varying measures."

"And speaking of, I bet you didn't use your staff, huh?" Anise offered as Sage looked down with a pout.

"I didn't want to hurt our friend."

"Hehe, I get the feeling he's a bit tougher from what you two said. With a staff, your power is magnified, if you really wanted to show him how tough you are, you should have taken the chance to do this with it and see what he thinks."

"Naruto had a big bruise on his arms, though, Sage! You did great!" Rosemary cheered her friend on. "T-Though, well, I don't know anything about magic besides what I've seen Sage do."

"Hmm, actually, speaking of," Anise grinned as Aloe spun her finger into the air, causing a swirl of pink magic that confused the two students before that swirl flew into Sage's hands, a present forming within them. "We figured we'd get you both a few presents for your days ahead," she chuckled as Rosemary perked up.

"Presents?! Where?!"

"In there," Aloe said with a smile as Sage blinked. "Go on, open it. We weren't sure if you'd have preferred your hair color or your favorite color."

The girl hummed before opening up the present to see two items within.

One was a blue Terrasphere that Sage gasped at while the other was a dagger with a pink ball for a pommel.

"Whoa…" Rosemary pulled out the dagger with shining eyes. "T-This one's mine, right?!"

"Yep," Anise smirked as the girl grinned.

"YES! Oh, man… w-wait," Rosemary blinked as she shivered a bit, holding the dagger in both hands. "I-It's enchanted?" She asked as the two looked impressed.

"We didn't think you could tell," Aloe said curiously as Rosemary chuckled a bit before she and Sage raised their left hands to show their Dark Wood Rings. "... t-that's enchanted."

"Yep! Our friends Naru and Pars were fighting this giant evil wood monster and Pars helped make them!" She said before flipping the dagger in her hand. "What's it do?"

"Hmm, well, this dagger was one I helped enchant," Aloe smiled with a blink. "It's to help you with landing critical hits against your opponents. Even if you just have it on you, it should help. Now, please, I think you should explain your entire trip to us."

~NRK~

Naruto hummed as they walked into an alleyway, Parsley telling them more about her eight brothers.

"So, you're one of nine kids," Naruto said with a shaky grin as Parsley chuckled a bit, embarrassed.

"Yeah, it's kinda much but they're my precious little walnuts, can't say I don't love each and every one of their grubby little faces," she snickered as he snorted, Thyme humming a bit. "So, this is gonna be both of your first dwarven dinners! You guys excited?!"

"Hmm," Thyme shrugged as Naruto chuckled.

"What? You can tell what your mom's cookin' even from here?" He asked as she smirked.

"Mom can only really make four things but she makes them the best," the dwarf explained as they passed underneath an arch. "Now, that's the sounds of grubby little brothers," she said with a growing grin at the familiar passageway into a smithy.

Going in, the three found a room full of seven nearly identical boys of differing ages that could be easily classified by the term 'one per year'. The boys' skin, eyes, and hair all were similar to Parsley's save for the fact they were male and their hair was short.

They all seemed to wear a tunic of varying colors with a black belt securing it to their waists, boots randomly on any one of the kids' feet.

"PARSLEY IS HOME~" She declared as the boys all stopped what they were doing and had their heads snapping to the three.

"PARSLEY!" They all shouted in unison before rushing the dwarf girl who tossed her duffle bag to Naruto.

"Oh, my little walnuts-"

She was dogpiled in seconds, Naruto chuckling as he tossed her bag onto his shoulder. "A pretty warm welcome," he snickered as Thyme crossed her arms with a shrug. "... They seriously all look the same," the beastkin added nervously as she raised a brow before nodding in agreement.

"Alright, alright!" Parsley laughed as she stood up with all her little brothers on her shoulders, the young boys giggling or snickering in happiness. "I'm glad you all are happy to see me but you also need to meet my friends! Bros meet Naruto and Thyme, they're some of my friends from HGA!"

The boys were quickly put down before they turned on the two, Naruto more, much to the fox boy's chagrin.

"H-Hey, you guys-"

"FOX GUY!" One of them declared before Naruto sweatdropped and pale as he was besieged by a tidal wave of children.

"FOX GUY!"

Parsley chuckled as she held her and Naruto's bags, walking over to stand by Thyme as their male friend was bum-rushed by her siblings.

"Ah, these were the days," Parsley chuckled as Thyme raised her brow.

"He's getting mobbed," she said simply as the dwarf laughed.

"YEP!"

Naruto grunted as he shifted back onto his feet like a zombie, completely covered in blonde children. "Ya know? It's kinda rude to just tackle a guy like that," he said to all the tiny male Parsleys. "Honestly," he huffed as he plucked off child after child before standing in front of an innocently-grinning septet of blonde boys. "... I don't believe that for a second, you realize that, right?" He sweatdropped as the dwarf boys snickered. "Parsley, your brothers look like they're scheming."

"Yeah, yeah," Parsley chuckled as she came over and tossed him his bag. "Come on, you guys, let's go downstairs. I bet mom's almost done making breakfast," she said to them as they gasped.

Hurrying ahead of the three teens, Naruto chuckled. "They seem like fun," he said as Thyme smirked. "Oh, I bet you're gonna get mobbed before we leave," Naruto said with a smirk as hers fell away in horror.

"Haha! It's only a matter of time, Thyme!" Parsley rhymed and the two blondes laughed as they followed the boys. "Hmm… hmm?" She blinked as they went down an above-average dwarf-sized staircase. "Mom's singing?" The dwarf girl blinked as they entered a normal-sized hall, a door near the staircase, and a fireplace to the far right side with an ongoing fire. "This is my mom, Angelica," Parsley introduced as the dwarf woman in the room turned to face them.

Angelica was an older female dwarf with maybe half a foot on Parsley in height, bearing the same features the dwarf girl did but hers was longer and 'poofier', while her fair skin was a lighter shade and held more wrinkles, signifying her age.

Wearing a blue tunic dress with a white shirt beneath, brown boots, a brown smock, and a pair of blue earrings in her ears, Angelica the dwarf seemed like a friendly accommodating woman.

"Oh, please, call me 'Angie'," Angelica said with a smile as she noted the two with her daughter. "Still, I'm surprised you came home, Parsley, though, just in time," she grinned as the three teens blinked before she turned around and picked something up… no.

Not something but someone.

The teens balked as Angelica turned around and walked over with a small, babbling, life in her arms. "Dandelion, meet your amazing big sister," she said as the baby in her arms gurgled and babbled, big bright eyes landing on Parsley who tilted in disbelief.

"A-A new sibling?!" She shrieked as Angelica chuckled a bit with a nod. "O-Oh! U-Um," Parsley swallowed in shock as she looked at the tiny gurgling baby with a conflicted expression before it settled on acceptance and kindness, the older dwarf girl reaching out and letting the younger one grab her finger. "S-She's got quite some strength."

"Like you," Angelica smiled as her oldest blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "Come on, it is time for breakfast and your father should be finished with that mass order he received yesterday."

"R-Really? From where?"

"We only know it was by a nearby Warrior-only class in the further parts of Lyngarth. They seemed to be willing to pay an awful lot for some reason but it's good money,"

They left that room after Angelica pulled a stroller out of it to place Dandelion in, the four of them going to the dining room, as it were, in the dwarf's home before Angelica asked Parsley for some help with dinner while he and Thyme sat at the dinner table, flanked by dwarf brothers.

"Yo! Hi!" One of them said, the oldest of the lot by seemingly three or four years. "I'm Curly!" He introduced fiercely as his brothers shouted their names.

"Thistle!"

"Endive!"

"Chives!"

"Cilantro!"

"Tarragon!"

"Ashwa!"

"Nettle!" The youngest of the eight brothers declared, notably shorter than the other boys and leaning over Naruto's forearm, much to the beastkin's amusement as he ruffled the kid's head of hair. "Roar! I can be a beasty, too! Rwar! Rwar!"

"Hehe, I bet you can be. I bet you're real fearsome like Tarragon," Naruto snorted as the brother in question grinned proudly.

"Of course, I'm the ferociousest!" The young boy declared as Thyme hummed.

"That's not a word," she said as the boy blinked.

"B-But you add '-est' to everything to make it better!"

"... not in so many words," she said as Naruto laughed. "Only certain words can use that part."

"What about 'ing'?!" Chives asked as she raised a brow.

"Once again, certain words. Only words that mean you're doing something, like cutting."

"Listen to her, boys, she's one of our group's smarties!" The former shinobi declared with a cheeky grin before yelping as Thyme plucked one of his hair strands. "Yipes!" He jumped as the brothers giggled or snickered.

"Lower that sarcasm if you don't want to go bald," Thyme said with a smirk as she tucked the hair into her leather bracers, Naruto grinning nervously at the threat. "Exactly."

"Ohhhhh," Curly realized. "She's like mom with dad," he whispered to his brothers even as Thyme's eyebrows rose and her ears twitched.

She blushed with a huff, ignoring it as best she could. 'Mom with dad?' Don't put that into her head, dammit!

"Hm, hm, glad you guys are getting along," Parsley said to the two as she came over with a bow of some mashed potatoes. "Yo, walnuts! Get some firewood!" She told the boys who groaned before Naruto got up with a chuckle.

"I'll help out, don't wanna be a pain," he said as she smiled gratefully.

"Thanks. Show him to the place, alright, Curly?"

"Alright!" The oldest of the eight brothers grinned before pulling on Naruto's hand. "Come on! This way!" Curly said as the beastkin grinned while ducking under the archway of the door.

Most of the boys ran after them while one stayed behind, Nettle grinned at Thyme, smile not full of teeth but certainly emphasizing how cute the second-youngest brother was.

The elf girl huffed but ruffled his hair regardless, rewarded with a giggle she tried to let not affect her despite how much it did.

"Heh, yeah, Nettle's honestly the cutest… well, next to Dandelion, now," Parsley said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, surprising Thyme.

"You alright?" She asked her fellow student who looked down in thought before nodding.

"Yeah… I hope," she answered before heading back to the kitchen. "Oh, and, don't let him stab you with the fork," Parsley said with a shrug as Thyme's face contorted in confusion before she looked at the curious Nettle admiring a fork.

She took it away from him before something happened… like a stabbing.

Parsley, meanwhile, went back to the sink and cleaned some carrots before peeling them as her mother hummed with a smile.

"Hmm," she chuckled a bit as Parsley raised a brow. "It's nothing, just… you've been gone for only a few weeks, and yet it feels like you've been gone for so much longer," Angelica said as she looked at the side of Parsley's bicep. "You have scars now, you look a smidge tougher, too."

"O-Oh," the first of ten blushed a bit, rolling her shoulders. "... I went for a reason, mom. I'm going to go, live out my dreams, and find a better way to financially support our family," Angelica looked surprised. "I-I know, I didn't… think like that when I left… but another friend of ours, and Naruto's dad, Professor Hakone, made me aware of how much money there is in our dream."

"Your dream?"

"Naru and me? We want to make an evil-destroying sword," Parsley explained with a grin that made her eyes glow and her Vow activated moments later, getting an amused hum out of Thyme as she kept an eye on Nettle. "You remember that weird sword dad definitely wasn't a fan of?" She chuckled a bit. "That's Naruto's, he called it Evil-Counter as a base," she grinned harder as Angelica chuckled knowingly. "We went to the Demon World, mom."

Angelica's eyes widened and then she paled a bit as Parsley went on about their latest adventures.

"So, in that time, we had to speed-learn some stuff but it was cool to work with hexes that Naruto has a few of-"

"Parsley," Angelica spoke up, cutting her off, causing red to spread across her daughter's face.

"S-Sorry! I'm just being-"

"Parsley, hold on, listen," Angie said with a sigh that confused her. "... You can't let your father know that you interacted well with demons. You really mustn't."

Thyme frowned as she fed Nettle some mashed potatoes, ears raised. 'What?'

And Parsley said as much, looking as confused as she sounded. "What? What do you mean?"

"... your father doesn't like demons, Parsley," Angelica admitted, her daughter's wide eyes getting a nod out of her. "... we know about the financial possibilities of magical equipment… your father did try at one point."

"What?" Parsley choked. "W-What do you mean!? Dad hates working with magical items! He doesn't even accept them in his shop despite being awesome with weapons!"

"I know but did you not find it odd? Especially considering how large our family is?" Angelica asked. "I know you're proud, I am as well, but you mustn't around him. He'll have an attitude and it won't make your stay any better."

"C-Can you at least explain why?"

"... not now, I'm sure Sorel has heard us already."

"Hmph?!" A nearby trapdoor flipped open to allow a burly figure through it, the heat in the area going up several degrees as the sound of hissing and the smell of oil reached their ears.

"Honey, guess who's home?" Angelica said with a grin as the dwarf man who came in blinked before gasping.

"PARSNIPS!" The man said as he dropped his ax and hurried over before lifting Parsley up, the teen laughing as he did before they embraced. "Why, it feels like it's been a grog's age since we last saw you!"

Thyme raised a brow at the situation at hand.

Sorel was easily the tallest dwarf she'd ever seen, standing a foot and some inches over Parsley in height with a stocky, broad, build that was expected of a blacksmith.

His hair was short and blonde but it connected to his thick beard through his thick sideburns, his blue eyes locking onto Parsley with so much joy that Thyme was surprised could hide hate.

Wearing a white tunic, black pants, a brown smock, and a pair of leather gloves, he chuckled as he put his eldest down and looked at her arms.

"S-Scars? Parsnip, what happened?" He asked and Parsley grinned nervously, getting a narrowing of his eyes. "Parsley?"

"I-It's just, um, last week, me and my friends were doing Everything Hours but with actual exploration and stuff. We fought monsters, dad," Parsley explained as Sorel looked horrified.

"Already?!"

"Yu-huh. Me, my friend, Naruto, and a mage girl named 'Mint' went to protect a tribe of people," she chuckled. "I think we did pretty well for ourselves though he took the brunt of the damage."

"He?" Sorel noted and, right just then, Naruto came into the kitchen-dining room area with firewood and a bunch of children in his arms.

"You guys are low on firewood," Naruto said as he and the boys closed the backdoor to the family 'forest'. "... oh, hi, Mr. Sorel," he greeted the man who observed him.

And Sorel meant 'observed'. '... I see,' so was that what had happened?

Had his eldest all of a sudden brought a boy home?!

"Right, this is my friend, Naruto, he's a fox beastkin," Parsley said with a chuckle. "And my elf friend, Thyme, you remember her, right? She came with her mom, Flora, I think?"

"Oh! Yes, she's the one with the giant scissors she uses for her documents," Sorel remembered without missing a step. "So, you two are both my daughter's friends, hmm? Well, a friend of Parsley's is basically a friend of the family! Haha! Put her there!" He held his hand out to Naruto who chuckled before putting the firewood, and his sons, down before they clasped hands.

"Once again, nice to meetcha, sir," the blonde boy chuckled and Sorel hummed as they gripped one another's hands.

'Oh-ho-ho, Parsnips! He's a strong one!' The forge needed a powerful hand. "Nice to meet you, young man. How do you know my daughter?"

"We met here, actually, on Tuesday last week," Parsley explained as she finished cleaning the carrots. "You were out so I met Naruto and his dad, Hakone."

"I see, I see. Hakone was that mighty fellow who taught combat? I'm surprised, no offense, you look nothing like him."

"Adopted," Naruto shrugged with a chuckle, the unbuttoned part of his white shirt allowing the man to see his injuries. "And, yeah, we get that a lot."

"... What happened to you?" Sorel asked with a wince at the boy's bandages that peeked out of his clothes. "You look like a stampede of grogs aggressively came after you!"

"Haha, yeah, well," Naruto began to say before blinking at something. "It was a bunch of monsters me, Pars, and a girl named 'Mint' fought off. Protected a village, got some cool magic out of it, and more!" He grinned as Angelica, Thyme, and Parsley sighed in relief.

"Goodness, you children really should consider a safer line of work. This isn't even your third week and you're already coming away with scars," the man said. "With the Cave of Vinca trip in a couple months, I worry for you all."

"... I think I've heard of that," Naruto said with a nod to the man's confusion. "I've only been in Lyngarth for eight months."

"Oh, so you'd never see the annual trip," Angelica chuckled nervously. "It's a rather worrisome thing that the adults joke about but we're always sure that our babies are back in the henhouse," Parsley blushed as Naruto snickered and Thyme chuckled.

"We get you."

"Haha! Come! Eat! Angie makes a mean meal!" Sorel said as his sons came running in, picking up some of the firewood and placing it into the fire carefully.

Once they were done, the food was brought to the table, giving the blonde boy ideas for the immediate future.

Crazily enough, with the parents seated at the opposite ends of the table, Thyme, Nettle, him, Chives, and Parsley on one side with the other brothers sat across from them, already scrambling for food.

Nettle grinned as he opened his mouth super wide and held his place only to find a finger on his head.

"Hold on there, bucko, you can't just stuff your face like that," Naruto said with a smirk at the curious Nettle.

"He's right, Nettle, you need to be polite, you're among guests," Angelica chuckled while Thyme raised a brow.

"So, he usually does so?" She asked as Sorel laughed.

"The boys have an appetite like a bullion! Why, they're growing so fast, sometimes, it feels like I miss a lot of it," he added with a sad chuckle as Parsley and Curly winced.

"You don't, you're awesome, dad!" They said in unison before Parsley blinked in surprise.

"I take care of my bros like it's no problem!" Curly said as Sorel blinked before laughing.

"Yes! You have, haven't you?" The man chuckled as his oldest son grinned widely.

"Mmmm," Nettle pouted a bit as Naruto chuckled before picking up his spoon and grinning.

"Your food'll be mine!"

"Ahh! No, give it back!" The small boy scrambled as the older blonde smirked.

"You sure? Ya gotta eat it super polite or I'll eat all yer dinner."

"A-All of it?!" Nettle took his spoon back before holding it with his pinky off it. "S-See! I can eat fancy!" He said as he stuffed some mashed potatoes in his mouth while Parsley laughed.

"Yup, we eat with tons of fancy kids," she chuckled. "And they eat just like you. Heck, maybe a little less fancy," Parsley grinned slyly as the boys gawked. "Yep."

Chives gasped before he ate with 'etiquette', the rest of the brothers following suit save for Curly who scratched the back of his head.

"You're kinda like Pars," the oldest boy said with a sheepish expression as Naruto chuckled.

"And you're an up-and-coming one," he said as the boy tilted his head. "Hey, you're trying, you just need to take a few more tips from ya sis," Naruto added as Parsley tilted her head.

"Tips… from me? On what?" She asked and Thyme raised a brow.

"You didn't notice?" The elf asked and the dwarf rubbed the back of her head.

"Uhh, no?"

"U-Uhhh!" Curly looked embarrassed and Naruto nodded.

"Hold-up, Thyme, no point to just saying it out loud," he said as the elf threw him a look along with Parsley. "I'm sure you'll figure it out by the end of this whole week, believe it."

"... I guess?" The dwarf girl said with a raised brow as Curly sighed in relief. '... oh, he probably doesn't want to tell me yet,' well, she was a bit embarrassed.

"Hehe~"

"Now you're a children-whisperer?" Thyme asked him and Naruto smirked. "Or is it a guy thing?"

"... a bit of both."

"Your food's getting cold," Parsley laughed as he flinched.

"Wait! My first dwarven dinner!"

The two girls smirked or chuckled at him, quickly following his example.

Sorel and Angelica's eyebrows shot into their hairlines. 'What an odd circumstance,' that wasn't what they'd expected.

The boy's solid build, bright hair, and emotionally intelligent eyes had been exciting, Parsley bringing home a boy hadn't been expected but welcomed.

She'd also brought home a girl, though, so they'd tempered their expectations, no point at 'jumping at ghosts', as they say… but then there was this.

This little microcosm of whatever the hell was going on between them.

They locked eyes and shrugged.

Maybe there was something there.

~NRK~

"I see," a woman smiled as Callum smirked shakily, the quartet of him, his mother, brother, and Mallow sitting in a recliner. "I suppose you've had quite the sudden orientation to Guardian life, Callum."

"Yeah, mom."

His mother, Poales Agrostis, was a high-class lady, Callum knew this to be true.

What with her slender frame, dark brown skin, and smooth raven locks, she cut a sharp figure with her slightly sharp chin and blazing red eyes.

Wearing a pair of slippers, a black skirt that came down to her knees, and a dark red dress that came down to her thighs, Poales mouth stayed a smile but gained a saddened edge to it.

"You've heard about your father, yes?" She asked her second child who rubbed the back of his head. "... haa, we don't know what happened to him. Usually, he'd not care, for the most part, even the king recognized his necessity and kept him away from the beastkin workers… yet that didn't happen today," Poales frowned as she tucked a bang behind her ear. "And now he's being put on a short leave and will be home for the week."

Cal and Mallow flinched as Cail frowned. "... we understand," he said with a sigh before looking at the nervous Mallow. "It seems you'll have to meet Cal at depth another time, Mallow."

"Y-Yes, I wouldn't want to possibly offend Lord Agrostis," the druid said nervously. "Or get Callum in trouble, last I heard… you two weren't…" Mallow struggled. "... on good terms."

"We're not… that's not it," Callum groaned. "I just don't I didn't care if my classmates were beastkin or not, said I'd only hang with a group of people with the stats to keep up with me… and he did not like that," he huffed. "Dammit, this again."

"... ah, yes, that boy, right?" Mallow said nervously as the rest of the Agrostis raised some brows. "... f-for the sake of simplicity, there's a boy in Callum's year who might very well be above Callum in combat prowess."

"... I didn't say all of that," Cal said.

"But it was implied."

"Thanks, you're a real help."

"I see… you know this boy… personally?" Poales asked with a sigh.

"J-Just with that, this guy, Naruto Uzumaki, he's just some powerful guy whose power is… hard to deny. He went to the Demon World with a dwarf girl I know and some random mage chick. When we finished our fight, we went out to see what the hell he was fighting and he called it some kinda giant thing called a Gnarl but it was a fusion of three, the others tell me."

"A Gnarl?" Cail blinked before getting up and grabbing a book from the shelf behind him, walking over to Cal, and opening the book. "Say so for the Bestiary, would you?"

"Gnarl," Callum said to it and the book's pages turned before landing on a page that he hummed at. "Yeah, that's what it looked like before it fused, apparently."

"Ahh… that's unfortunate," Cail grinned nervously as he looked at the beast. "And you said three of them fused? That's news I didn't expect."

"... nothing here gets said outside, right?" Cal asked the three who frowned. "I'm serious… well, maybe the teachers already told the king."

"Cal?" Poales frowned as she leaned forward. "What happened?"

"... there was a Guardian there, the thing is…" Cal went on to explain the entire situation Naruto, Parsley, and Mint had been in.

From testimonies of the three to what their teachers said to what he'd seen in those viewing portals. Come the end of it, the three grimaced.

"Them, hmm?" Poales's eyes narrowed. "That's not good if your teachers did explain it to the king-"

The sound of a door opening reached their ears, Mallow jumping to his feet.

"M-My shoes," he grimaced as he slowly walked out the second living room. "W-Welcome home, Lord Agrostis," Mallow said to someone out of view who made a curious sound.

"Young Mallow, I didn't know you were visiting. You usually don't when Callum isn't around," a powerful burly voice said.

"Y-Yes… Well, that's mostly because he's here, sir."

"WHAT!?" The sound of a bag full of effects being dropped reached their ears before Cal sighed at the sound of rushing steps.

"My son?! What happened?!" A man said as he slid into view.

Scabra Agrostis was a man of astounding height, standing at a ridiculous seven-feet-tall, and a decently broad set of shoulders that hefted the large great hammer on his back with ease.

The man's tan skin, short purple hair set into wolf's tail, and black eyes turned to Cal who held up his hands to stop his questions. His form not necessarily fitting just how deep his voice was but he knew better than many.

His father would kick the ass of any giant, dammit.

"?" The man's knight armor, a gleaming set of iron and plates with a large purple cape coming out the back, clanked as he came into the room, the black material of the tights beneath his armor covering his feet. "Callum, what happened?"

"Hold up, dad, it's not something crazy… well, it is but nothing bad," Cal said with a raised brow as the man hummed. "There was a trabber infestation at the school, apparently, from a friend of mine, there's a ton of them beneath High Guardian Academy and they might have gotten out because of a special test she took."

"... hmm, I should check with them, just in case," the man said as Cal sighed with a frown. "It's not that I don't believe you, my youngest, it's just that I can get information you can't… and that's not important," Scabra said as the group blinked.

"What do you mean, father?" Cail asked as the man sighed.

"There was an event within the Demon World," he growled. "A beastkin student of High Guardian Academy came into contact with one of the ex-Guardian members of Valiant, the ones who offended our king," Scabra hissed as Cal's cheek twitched. "And I believe you may know him, Callum, he's the student with the highest combat prowess in your class."

"How does everyone seem to know that?" The boy huffed. "Yeah, I do know him, he's Naruto Uzumaki, he's… for lack of a better word, beyond powerful, dad."

"That mangy mutt shouldn't be."

A sharp heat slammed into Cal's brain and the only reason he didn't act on it was because he knew better despite how he breathed out into a small cough and his fingers flexed.

"And now you'll bring him here," he was alarmed at the man's glare on the wall. "I've been looking for those cretins for years, to offend our king is not something I will leave to be handled by someone else. We of the Agrostis household aren't going to leave this offense standing. Callum, bring that beast here and I'll handle the rest," Scabra said as he stomped off, leaving a paling Callum reaching out for him.

"W-Whoa, hold on! I know you don't like 'em but you're not about to do this after you got sent home, dad! This isn't going to end well!" He said urgently as thought about what might happen. 'Fuck! FUCK!' If Naruto came here, without a thought, his dad was gonna murder him! 'Come on! You know this is true, too! If you let your name get tarnished, that's a long way back from the bottom!'

Scabra frowned as he stopped, much to Callum's relief.

"If you try something like this, dad, people are gonna talk. That guy was here literally this past Sunday so people know his face."

"Wait, what? WHY?!"

"Magic tomes, sir," Mallow explained as the man blinked. "Yes, that magical library down the road? The one that was bought out by my cousin's family? He seemed to be looking for remnants of Old Magic to up his skill set," he said as Cal sighed in relief. "Though, I question how far he really got since the library was already being vacated of its older wares."

"... I see…" The man sighed. "Very well, Callum, in after the Festival, during the end of October," Scabra's eyes narrowed as Cal froze. "Bring your friends and that boy."

He left after that, leaving his children grimacing along with his youngest's friend as his wife sighed.

"That's not going to end well," Poales said.

~NRK~

"Hmm?" Amaryllis blinked as she and Snapdragon sat in her home's living room, reading on the couch when the Vision Crystal above the fireplace glowed. "... Pick-Up," she commanded.

The orb-like object glowed brightly before shooting out a scanning-like beam that projected a person.

Amaryllis scrambled off the couch in shock and excitement. "Uncle?!" She squealed as Snapdragon chuckled, closing his book to look up.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Spinel," he said as the man before them in 'vision form' chuckled.

Spinel, Amaryllis's uncle, was an average-height man with light-colored skin, lavender eyes, and long hair that was tied at the bottom. Dressed in a light purple three-piece suit with a red ascot, he chuckled as he stroked his beard.

"Good afternoon, both of you," Spinel chuckled as Amaryllis grinned. "It's been quite some time, Small Flower," he smirked as she crossed her arms without a change in expression.

"Hiya, Average Gem," she shot back.

"Hahahah! You really haven't lost that fire in you! It'll be nice to see it in person when I get there."

"H-Huh? W-Wait, you're coming here?" The short mage nearly jumped for joy. "Is dad coming?!"

"Hmm, sadly, not until the end of the month, at the festival, My Flower. These Terraspheres are still odd to us but I was able to slip yours out and will have them with me when I get here in, say, a couple days?"

"AWESOME!" Her dad was coming?! This was great! 'And no bitch in sight,' Amaryllis grinned like she was on top of the world.

Never noticing how her uncle shot Snapdragon a shaky grin and the boy blinked.

'Why is he… oh no,' the boy's mouth fell and his eyes widened as Spinel nodded, Amaryllis too caught up in her own thoughts to notice. 'Oh crap! Oh shit! OH FUCK!' Snapdragon quickly shook his head with a look of horror but Spinel could only smile sadly, writing out the words quickly before Amaryllis noticed.

I can't stop her, she's coming.

Sweet unholy hell, they were fucked.

~NRK~

"Damn!" Anise blinked in disbelief as Rosemary and Sage nodded, now in their more comfortable pajamas.

"Yep! It was insane! I didn't think Naruto could just throw a giant sword slash like that!" Rosemary hummed. "It was super cool but the way things went after… well," she shrugged.

"Naruto's ever used that skill before," Sage said as she combed her fingers through her hair. "It was so different and fearsome."

"It was insane! He seemed like a super beast or something!"

Aloe kept her frown off her face even as her wife placated the two with curious, if not strained, questions. 'I'll need to call Caraway, he didn't say anything about this,'' then again, it's not like it was a week ago.

Ignoring the man's penchant for studying numerous things at once, even if this caught his attention, the professor was likely to keep stewing over this until he could really give an explanation. Aloe would either have to wait or call to see if could give her something to work with.

"Hmph, I guess things were different for you guys than it was for me," Anise said with a shrug. 'This and Rosemary's awoken some kinda Spirit Vision?' She knew of the skill, of course, she did.

Lavender was known to have it in Pebble, the skill was not only rare, though, but it wasn't some inheritable thing. If one saw it, they had special traits within them to allow it.

'So, it passed down to Rose,' the woman thought as the two girls chattered. '... I might need to see this Naruto kid in person,' just hearing about him constantly simply didn't help her form a solid opinion, Rosemary and Sage seemed to have a high opinion of him, seemingly more than most of their other friends. "So, where'd he go during the infestation?"

"Oh, Parsley offered her home to him and Thyme. His dad is gonna be staying back to help with the infestation, after all," Sage explained. "They're actually a bit away from here."

"Huh, we should visit sometime during the week," she chuckled as Rosemary gasped.

"We totally should! Naruto said it himself, no slacking!" She declared with a grin as Aloe hummed.

"Hmm, so, Rosemary, who in your Warrior class stands as the top fighter?" She asked as the rosette blinked.

"Actually, there was a change," Sage said as the two blinked. "Apparently, the year that Professor Hakone was away, adopting Naruto, they changed things up. We're going to have our first mixed combat class… well, it was supposed to be this week but this all happened."

"Huh, I'll go and call Cara, he's seemingly not said a lot of things," the elf woman pouted a bit as Anise smirked.

"Don't let him get under your skin, he is a teacher, ya know," she said.

"I am as well," the woman huffed a bit more before hurrying off. "He has a lot to explain."

"Huh… you know, he did say you guys were friends but I didn't know," Rosemary said as Sage nodded. "I mean, well, he's never around when we visit."

"That's just a coincidence, honestly. It's not like we're hiding him or something, you guys just don't visit when he's around, he is a teacher," she grinned before shouting into the home. "LIKE I KEEP TELLING SOMEONE!"

"NOT LISTENING!" Aloe shouted back as Rosemary and Sage giggled or smiled. "HELLO, CARAWAY!"

"She's gonna be like that for a while," Anise shrugged. "So, with that plan for the future set, what are you guys gonna do today? It's still the afternoon."

"Hmm, w-well, do you think we could spar?" Rosemary asked with a grin as Anise grinned.

"I'd love to. The both of you can get some of this," she chuckled, pulling a Terrasphere out of her pocket. "Actually, Sage, how do you like the one we got you?" Anise considered as the blue-haired teen hummed, holding the item in her palms. "I don't know how it compares to your special one," she teased as Sage tilted her head with a curious hum.

"I don't know," Sage said as she stood up and held out her hand.

The blue Terrasphere expanded into blue light before forming a golden scepter frame to hold it within the tip.

"What's this one…" The girl glowed blue and her eyes flashed before she blinked. "O-Oh! This one specializes in Water Magic?!" She realized in awe as Anise blinked.

"Oh, snap, your Vow's related to Terraspheres?" She asked in awe as Sage blushed.

"U-Um, well, not just Terraspheres… my Vow allows me to mix Old and New Magic," she explained as her aunty blinked again.

"... that's a bit… yeah?"

"I know."

"Hehe, I wonder what your mom would say," Rosemary said with a chuckle as Sage blinked… and paled. "I mean, she's all about Old Magic-"

"OH MY GOD, I'M GONNA DIE!"

"H-Huh?!"

Anise sweatdropped. "Rosemary, I worry about your love life."

"W-Why?! I don't have a crush on anyone!"

"Well, not in that direction but it's not important. Sage, your mom's not gonna kill you," Anise said with a grin. "Sure, she'll probably wax poetic about Old Magic, sure, she'll definitely be buying every book on 'proper parenting' the first chance she gets," Sage paled more. "Sure, she'll definitely come to the school and probably embarrass you-"

"NO! I DON'T WANT THAT!" The girl squealed as her aunty chuckled.

"Alright, chill, chill, I'll be honest. Your mom's been through this whole thing before, you know," the girls looked confused. "Oh, yeah, your mom was a total New Magic nerd when she came to Lyngarth. She'd go to all the magic schools and learn stuff before she got a sort of scholarship to go to one of the inner Witch Country cities… but she just stopped one day," Anise said with a hum, leaning back in her seat. "I don't know why, she's one of the reasons I love New Magic, but she just… didn't do it anymore. This was almost two years before you were born."

"R-Really? I don't get it, why'd she stop?" Rosemary asked. "... I mean, she does talk about 'balance' a lot."

"She did, didn't she?" Anise said with a sigh. "Like I said, I don't why, she used to be so gung-ho about it when I was a kid but now it's like she hates the very idea of unnatural Terraspheres."

"W-What about natural ones?" Sage asked.

"Don't know, all I know is, she's never seen one before."

Sage felt her Terra Earring, her newest name for it, with a frown. "... I-I get it, I do, I think Old Magic is amazing. N-Naruto and Amaryllis, despite the latter's utter hate of it, really make me want to learn more and more about it," Sage explained as Anise nodded. "But I… I don't know what to feel about New Magic… my Vow makes me more and more curious about them, what we learn in class does as well, but everyone outside of my friend group keeps insulting it," she hissed as her aunt frowned. "I-I hate that! They don't know a lick of Old Magic, they just see how hard it is and they complain like they've ever put in a hint of eff-!"

"Sage, chill," Rosemary said as her friend let out ragged breaths, her grip on her new Terrasphere getting a sigh out of the warrior. "You shouldn't listen to those guys, you've got one of us in every one of your classes who don't hate you for using Old Magic, it's obvious Amaryllis doesn't despite how much she doesn't like the stuff herself, she doesn't hate you."

"... I-I know," Sage wiped her eye as Anise frowned further.

"Do I need to go in there and set some kids straight?" She asked with a glare. "Seriously, Sage, if you're being bullied, let us know. We can help."

"I-I know, I mean it… I'm sorry I'm worrying you."

Rosemary grinned. "We don't care if do! We're friends! Why, I bet even Cal would say something and he clearly has the hots for ya!" She said as Sage froze and blushed as Anise's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "Yep! He's kind of a pervert but he seems to have a thing for-"

"STOP!" Sage tackled her pink-haired friend and they scrambled. "Stop making things worse!" She whined with swirls in her eyes as she began to choke Rosemary.

"A-Ack! S-See! She's… embarrassed!"

"Heheh, I guess, for you two, that would be a kinda big deal," Anise said with a chuckle as they stopped pulling on one another's hair. "Honestly, you say he's a pervert and a friend?"

"Yup!" Rosemary sat up and Sage tumbled off without a hint of effort. "The thing is, he's pretty strong, has good morals, for the most part, and is kinda levelheaded like Sage."

"Hmph," Sage sat up with a huff, earring glowing as her other Terrasphere stayed standing with a small white glow. "W-Well, I'm pretty sure he still goes after other girls, just ask Thyme."

"Hmm, he might be playing hard to get."

"How?"

"Seems like this guy might not be as serious about you as Rosie thinks," Anise said with a hum before looking at Rosemary's grinning expression. "And what about you, Lady Rosemary?" She smirked as the girl blinked before blushing a bit. "No crush of the year yet? Not another Dole incident, is it?"

"W-What?! No! Never again!" Rosemary blushed as she mumbled a bit. "Naruto's definitely better than Dole."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing!" Rosemary admitted before Aloe peeked into the room with a smile.

"She said 'Naruto's definitely better than Dole'," the elf chimed in with a helpful smile as Rosemary's face went neon red.

"W-What?! N-No I didn't!"

"Hmm, these ears don't lie," was all Aloe said before slipping back out of view. "Now, explain to me, Cary, why didn't you tell us anything?!"

Anise chuckled as Rosemary steamed while Sage looked a bit smug. "Well, you could definitely do a lot worse than Naruto from what you're both telling me," she chuckled as the girl pulled her 'poofy' pigtails around to cover her face.

She screamed.

~NRK~

It jangled harshly as the hit cracked the air, the dwarf boys jumping as it did, again, for maybe the 40th time since they'd come out here.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he brought his kicking leg down, cracking the stone floor beneath his feet.

The follow-up kick from his back leg sent another ripple through the air as the large metal plate hanging off the decently thick chain went up again before his eyes glowed, along with his fist, with a golden energy.

He launched at it before kicking it up once more, the heavy metal going up again as he landed on the large metal pole it was on. The blonde gave chase without slipping, rushing up the thick beam before kicking the metal up again.

The group just kept watching as he went after it again and again before he stood atop the tiptop of the pole with one foot on the beam.

'Focus, just like when you were training for Sage Mode,' Naruto's eyes narrowed as he scrunched in on himself a bit. 'No space so only go for jabs.'

His arms blurred ahead of him and the metal slab was hit time over and over by blows that could barely be seen.

He brought it back by grabbing the chain and pulling the dented metal towards him.

"Flash Chop!" He breathed in, coiling energy into his body before bringing it into, and down with, his chopping hand.

The floor rumbled as the metal slammed into it, the chain barely holding it back up only for Naruto to come feet-down onto it, crushing the area beneath it and straining the chain again.

Hammer-like punches continued to ram into it as the dwarf family, and Thyme, just stared.

"W-Well! He's quite the strong lad!" Sorel said with a shaky grin. "He's rather fast, too!"

"Y-Yeah, well, Naruto's always been strong, he can lift my hammer," Parsley said as a bead of sweat fell down the side of her face at the metal slab being knocked into the pole behind it time and time again by fists from her fellow blonde student, the weight clanging against the ground before immediately being sent back into the support pole. "... a-and, well, there was this one time in class where he and his dad fought and destroyed the entire floor… so this probably shouldn't be as surprising."

Thyme shot her a flat look that her dwarf friend shrugged at. "Parsley, that thing is half a foot thick and he's beating it around like a regular sandbag."

Thunderous blows didn't stop as Naruto hissed out a breath. 'Physically, I'm top-notch, right?' His eyes narrowed as, on one particular punch, he stepped in powerfully. 'But this still isn't enough!'

The punch sent another huge dent into the slab but this time, its support pole's foundation cracked.

'She's a High Witch, she could throw out magic that Terraspheres can't compare to,' he thought as stopped, wiping off his sweat with one arm as leaned onto his knees. "Dammit, I have to get past it," Naruto said with another ragged breath before gritting his teeth and getting into a solid stance again. "One more-"

"Nope," Thyme said as she and Parsley stood in front of him, Naruto blinking in confusion. "You look like shit," she muttered, out of earshot from the children. "You've been at this for almost an hour and we stopped working out half an hour ago because you look like you're about to bring this entire damn place down."

"H-Huh? What? No, I'm-"

"Don't try that 'I'm fine' nonsense here, buster, it's time for a rest," Parsley said with a look that brokered no argument.

"... I-I'm not-" Naruto tried to say.

"Not gonna win, no," Thyme said with a raised brow as he sighed before plopping down on his rear. "... you're likely right, we have to fight something strong, again, in a month. Never mind that we might end up doing that, again, next week," she huffed as he tilted his head.

"... oh, duh, of course," he said as Parsley nodded.

"We're going to that Vulcan Mines place," she explained as her father gasped. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you," Parsley said with a sheepish grin. "My blacksmithing professor wants me and Thyme to go there so we can increase the potential of our Vows. Naru and the others decided to come to act as bodyguards."

"T-The Vulcan Mines, honey! That place is dangerous!" Angelica said with a nervous swallow as Parsley nodded.

"It's all a part of my curriculum, mom, this is special and I get the chance to do something not everyone can do!"

"... Parsnips, we…" Sorel rubbed the back of his head as Thyme helped Naruto up. "... Naruto, Thyme, could take the boys somewhere? We need to have a talk."

Naruto blinked before nodding as Thyme looked confused but his insistence was all it took for her to just follow.

"We'll talk later, Pars," he said as Thyme nodded.

"Good luck," she added as they ushered the boys away and took them as far from the 'play' area as they could.

Parsley blinked as she watched them go before turning to her parents. "What's going on? Why'd you tell them to leave? D… Did something happen?" She asked nervously while her parents sighed.

"Honey, it's not that, it's… look, we know you're enjoying your time at school. You've already had a big adventure, you're notable, of course, you are," Sorel began slowly as she crossed her arms. "You're young and in the prime of your life, I get that, I was also that way when I was your age… but some things are more important than one's wants."

"We know you wanted to go," Angelica said. "High Guardian Academy, all the kids your age want to go and live their dreams but they're not as amazing as you," Parsley blushed a bit. "They're not as strong nor as understanding… and we want you to know that but… things around here are getting tough."

"More and more orders are coming through," Sorel explained as Parsley frowned. "I didn't think it was anything but good luck but… these muscles of mine may go strong but I need help," he said as she looked down. "The family needs support, I know you got to taste this life of yours so I thought you'd finally have it out of your system."

'Out of my system?' Parsley blinked. "Y-You guys don't-"

"We believe in you, of course, we do," Angelica stopped her before she said those horrid words. "But… you were so gung-ho about this out of nowhere two years ago. We were surprised, sure, but then you passed and we got worried," she sighed as Dandelion. "So… we need you here now that you've gotten a taste of this thrill you sought."

Thrill? Out of nowhere? Stay here?

Parsley grimaced before her head fell as that 'sound' rang once more.

The sound of responsibility.

"I… I'm gonna go and hang out on the roof," Parsley said with a frown as she powerwalked out of the area.

"Par-Par, please, I know this doesn't seem fair to you-" Angelica winced as the girl stopped by an entryway.

"It's fine, mom," the girl chuckled humorlessly as her father looked down. "I've done this for most of my life, after all," she left after that, leaving the two full of guilt.

---

Naruto frowned as he sat up from the bed he was borrowing, Chives, Curly, and Tarragon sitting on his stomach as he read more of his book, the three dwarves rolling down into his lap off his stomach.

"Huh?" They all looked at him as Thyme perked up from the bed across from him, Nettle looking at a picture book in her own lap.

"Something wrong?" She asked him and Naruto hummed.

Something pinged off his senses, something… dark? Like a faint darkness, like a 'scent' to 'food'... His eyes widened as he hummed.

"I think Pars is done with her parents… and she's not happy," he said as Thyme frowned while the four brothers tilted their heads.

"Why's Parsy not happy?" Curly asked Naruto who wore a soft smile.

"I don't know but we'll probably find out," he said before looking at Thyme. "You want to go or should I?"

Thyme considered the options before waving him off. "Go, I believe you'll have the wisdom needed by weird teens."

"Like us?"

"Did I stutter?"

---

Parsley sighed from atop the room of her home, now in some black shorts and a brown tunic when she thought she heard something before feeling a presence at her back.

Turning around, she found a smiling Naruto in some orange pants and a white shirt, the boy throwing her a look of concern.

"You alright?" Naruto asked as he sat down behind her, legs parallel with the slope of the roof. "I could feel you weren't too happy."

"That so?" Parsley answered with a mirthless smile he sighed at. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a grump right now."

"I could tell, I thought the only people who went up to watch the sunset were drama queens," she snorted. "But I guess we are kinda drama queens."

"Oh, including yourself?" She asked.

"Obviously, I've had more than enough 'mirror waters' situations to last a literal lifetime."

The dwarf nodded, looking back towards the lowering sun. "... they want me to stay here, Naru," she said as he nodded.

"They're really worried, huh?"

"They think I did all of this on a whim. And… I-I get it, you don't know this, Naruto, but I only decided to go to HGA two years ago," he looked curious.

"Yeah? Why? Realized the normal life wasn't your deal?" Naruto asked jokingly only to blink as she rubbed the back of her head.

"... I think so," she admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well… I think you really need to make sure your parents get that."

"Y-Yeah, I know, but I can't face them right now," she said. "I'm angry… no I'm pissed!" Parsley hissed as Naruto balked. "I-I finally decide to do something, to make the most of myself, and the moment I come home, even for a moment, I'm told I'm going through a phase? FUCK that," the dwarf cursed for the second time he'd known her, Naruto really sure that this might very well have been the one of the few times Parsley ever cursed outside of her head.

"W-Whoa… you're not okay with this in the least, that's true and it's not fair for them to tell you to stay here when you have dreams, Pars, that's the complete and total truth no matter what they say," he said as she let out a shuddering breath that had him resting a hand on her shoulder. "You're strong, I know you are, but you're just as kind as that. You're not sure what to do, aren't you?"

"What happens if they can't handle the burden of me being gone? Dad said it, he can't handle all the orders, Naru, what happens if I'm not here and something happens to ANY of them?" Parsley turned to him with a desperate look that begged for answers, for a solution. "I don't want to let them down, I don't want my family to suffer… b-but I also want to follow my dreams. To adventure with you, Thyme, and the others. To be a Guardian. To make an amazing sword with you but this is… my life has been ruled by me needing to help my family… w-why can't I get something?"

Naruto's closed eyes opened.

Parsley cursed herself, rubbing her eyes before they widened at the feeling of a from-behind embrace that sent her skin color into the red.

"N-Naruto?!"

"You deserve to be happy, that's the truth," he admitted as her eyes widened and her head dipped again. "You're not happy, Pars, even with wanting to help your family and wanting to make our dream sword, I always thought it was weird, ya know? It always seemed like, between the protection and studying, you had something else in mind. I now know it's your family and how you can really help them."

"... I can't leave them alone, I-I wanted some space, to live my life, but I don't want them out of it. I couldn't live with myself if I let that happen."

"Hmm, true," Naruto rested his chin atop her head as she gripped his forearms. 'Still, this isn't a simple situation,' there wasn't a lot he could say, was there?

Her family needed help and financial security, right? Her father couldn't handle all the orders on his own and needed help that would not dip too much into their funds. He had work and Parsley did want to help but wanted to still go to their school.

"Hmph, I guess asking to just come here on occasion to help wouldn't work," Parsley sighed as she leaned into his embrace, eyes somber. "That's not workable-"

"Wait… that's it!" Naruto said with a grin as she blinked at him, looking up to see his grin. "I think there is something you can do, Pars! It's gonna be extra work, it might even suck a bit until you can really get magical crafting underway, but there is a path for us."

"F-For us?" Parsley was confused as he nodded, determination burning in his eyes as he glowed a soft gold. '... creating balance?' Was that another part of his Vow?

How was this helping, though?

"Of course, for us, I can't just leave you to handle all this on your own, I couldn't live with myself if I did," Naruto chuckled as she blushed. "Now, here's my idea," he said as they got comfy.

Enjoying every second of this embrace, Parsley was curious about what could be made of her situation… and, when she heard Naruto's idea… well?

She found some hope, that's for damn sure.

~NRK~

Night fell and Naruto, Thyme, and Parsley laid down in the girl's room, Naruto resting on the floor on a futon while his friends took the beds.

"Did you guys figure something out? Everything alright?" The elf girl asked the two blondes. "Everything go well?"

"Well, we've got ideas," Parsley said with a small chuckle as Naruto stretched. "It's definitely not a perfect plan but it's more than I had before," she admitted with a blush. "Thanks, Naru, I'm dead serious."

"No problem, I'd do anything for the group," he chuckled. "It's a part of the ol' Uzumaki charm."

"Yeah… it is," Parsley said softly as she stuffed her face into her pillows some more. 'Yep, I've got a crush on him,' or was it a bit more than that. 'I really like Naruto,' saying it, even if only mentally, to herself somehow made it more embarrassing, believe it or not.

"Hmph, get some rest, we've got a whole week of things to figure out," Thyme said.

"Yep," Parsley agreed.

"Definitely," Naruto added.

~NRK~

The following morning, Naruto, Sorel, and Curly walked out of Lyngarth, the three wearing shorts, a shirt, and some boots, the tallest blonde in a black shirt and orange shorts, the second-tallest blonde in some brown shorts and green pants, and, finally, the shortest in all-red, all three males' boots brown.

Over their shoulders were some axes… over Naruto and Sorel's shoulders were axes, Curly being left to hold onto a large basket, for his size.

"I usually come out here while Angelic helps clean the kids," Sorel explained as they reached a forest and went in. "Hm, hm, hm, teamwork makes the dream work, you know?"

"Of course!" Naruto chuckled. "I'm all about teamwork at HGA."

"... OH! High Guardian Academy, hmph, you kids always abbreviated big words."

"Hehehe, it's a mouthful, HGA flows off the tongue better. Now, how far in are we headin', sir?"

"Not much further, the thing, I don't want to just attack these big strong trees full of life. No, what we need is an old one that can give," Sorel said kindly as Naruto nodded, running his hands over tree trunks as they passed them.

"Hm! Hm! Hm!" Curly grunted with each big skip he took, the young boy grinning as he looked around. "Dad, are we going to visit Ms. Apple?"

"Ms. Apple?" Naruto asked as the dwarf man chuckled.

"She's a fairy, they live in these forests," he explained as Naruto perked up. "Why, Thyme's home, the Fairy Woods is full of them. The ones there having some of the most unique kinds."

He hadn't known, cool.

They came to a stop maybe five minutes later, a series of broken trees and groaning animals gaining their attention.

The reason? A cart-sized boar huffed… w-well, 'boar' in the sense of it was mainly a boar while sporting the head of a ram with horns that curled back wickedly.

"A Ramor," Sorel said with a frown as Naruto blinked at the size of the thing. "That's odd… usually they wouldn't be here. The ranch for them isn't anywhere near this side of Lyngarth," he said to Naruto who frowned as he looked at the creature.

'... what is that?' He blinked at the energy he felt coming off of the creature. "Crazy question, are these animals usually that big?"

"No, they're usually half this size."

"Gotcha, so there's someone behind this. This thing reeks of magic and I don't think that it usually has it," he said before stalking forward with his ax raised at his side. "Let's bring this thing back, yeah?"

The Ramor scuffed its hooves against the ground before turning to face him with narrowing brown eyes, its black fur bristling as he frowned at it-

The back of his ax slammed between its eyes, the creature flinching as he landed from his jump.

"Alright, let's go and find its owner," he said as the Ramor collapsed with stars in its eyes.

"... T-That's some strength!" Sorel said in disbelief, rubbing the back of his head. 'Goodness, Parsnips! He's an absolute catch!' Why, if Parsley had a family with such a man, Sorel was sure their children would be physical marvels!

"Whoa! You beat it so easily!" Curly said with a big grin as Naruto chuckled nervously before showing the broken ax.

"So, uh, I'll pay you back for this," he said with a shaky grin. "Alright, where's the farmer? I'll carry this thing back to it, yeah?" Naruto offered as he added the ax handle to his waist belt.

"Well, we can make a quick cart," Sorel said as Naruto hummed. "Still, I don't want to take so much. We can call the man here."

"Eh, no, it's fine. I'll carry it," Naruto said as he walked over to the large ram-boar while removing some rope off of his belt.

Tying its limbs together, Naruto nodded before coiling his magical energy into his core.

Then Sorel's eyes bugged out of their sockets as his son gasped in awe.

"THAT'S AWESOME!" He shouted in excitement as the floor rumbled with measured steps.

"Alright, let's put this thing back."

~NRK~

Rosemary, Anise, Sage, and Aloe walked the streets of Mid-Layer Lyngarth with smiles aplenty.

Dressed as they were yesterday, Rosemary and Sage now in their 'combat gear', they looked about.

"We'll just get some breakfast and I'll take you both on, alright? Sorry about yesterday, didn't expect to be hurrying to HGA WITHOUT MY CONSENT," she said before emphasizing her words, Aloe smiling kindly.

"He finally learned to send things ahead of time, you just needed to go on a bit of a run," the elf spouse said as her wife's eyebrow twitched. "Oh, come now, it was probably nice to see him again, no?"

"We meet eight times a month."

"So?"

"Hehe, she's got you beat," Rosemary said with a giggle as Sage held her blue Terrasphere in its staff form. "And we get to fight you bright and early! That's perfect!" The rosette said as they passed some tracks in the road, minding the trolley that was coming down the street. "Hmm… hmph?" She blinked, sniffing the air as her group stopped to look at her.

"Rose? What's wrong?" Sage asked curiously.

"No, it's not something wrong but I think I smell really fresh meat!"

"... She's like an animal sometimes."

"Well, she did spend most of her children in forests, yeah?" Anise said as Aloe hummed before the four, and those on the street, blinked at the slight rumble beneath their feet. "Huh? What's that?" She wondered before Rosemary turned her head at the 'feeling' of 'something' coming their way.

Something appeared over the horizon, confusing the four females for a bit before the 'figure' came closer… much to their disbelief.

"T-That's huge!" Rosemary declared in disbelief and then hunger as she saw the large sack of meat being carried by… a familiar friend. "Wait… NARUTO?!" She shrieked in disbelief as Sage balked while their aunties stared.

"T-That's that Naruto kid?!" Anise choked as the boy came into view, eyes blinking from beneath a large wrapped pack of Ramor meat, Sorel at his side as Curly sat atop the haul of food. "T-That's certainly a kill buddy," she said with a nervous chuckle. 'Wasn't he only a bit strong?' She might need to double-check with Rosemary and Sage as the three males came to a stop by them.

Naruto chuckled from beneath the meat. "Top of the morning to ya," he said as Rosemary began to drool in hunger as she saw his haul up close. "Yeah, this thing was making a mess in the forests near South Lyngarth, had to knock him out to take him back to the ranch on the left side."

"T-That's not a short distance young man!" Aloe said as she saw the grinning boy.

"Not wrong, I do want to rest my arms a bit," he said as he crouched before placing the cleanly-wrapped parcel onto the floor, wiping his chin with the bottom of his shirt.

The bandages that showed were telling but Rosemary blushed a bit, and looked away while scratching her cheek, as smooth abs peeked out at her.

Sage huffed with a slight blush herself while Aloe raised a brow at the rosette.

"Oh?" She turned to Anise who chuckled with a shrug. "Hmm."

"Ah, you must be more of Parsley's friends," Sorel said with a chuckle as Rosemary looked at him while Naruto caught Curly as he bounced off the food. "Sorel, nice to meet you."

She grinned as they shook hands. "Nice ta meetcha, sir! I didn't think I'd meet Pars's pops so quickly! Why I thought we would have had to find you!" Rosemary chuckled heartily as Sorel followed suit, Naruto shaking his head with an amused look as he set down Curly.

"So, what are you guys doing out and about?" He asked Sage who rubbed the back of her head.

"We were looking for some breakfast," she explained. "We're going to be sparring w-with Aunty Anise afterward," Sage groaned as he chuckled.

"Hey now, it's a whole new thing for you. You've never sparred before, right?"

"I do that mandatory gym class."

"Sage, that's barely sparring. We're literally supposed to spar this coming week with pops," she whined some more at his words. "Come on! Don't you want to get better? Combat's a great way to do that!"

"To you," she pouted as he grinned some more.

"Exactly!"

Aloe giggled a bit. "Hmm, so you're the weird young man that Caraway told me about," she said as Naruto blinked.

"Prof did? W-Well, you are an elf so you'd… know," he said vaguely as Sage raised a brow.

"What's that mean?" She asked.

"It's just magic stuff, Sage… no, wait, I know how that sounds!" He said immediately at her growing-miserable face. "W-What I mean to say is, you know? I'm more similar to an elf than a normal mage," he reminded her and Sage blinked away her funk.

"O-Oh, right, that's true," she said as Anise raised a brow.

"Oh, she knows that much?" She asked as Naruto nodded.

"I mean, it'd be hard to not know after two weeks," he said as he raised his hands and formed an incomplete Rasengan. "See, pure magic energy for the world to see."

Aloe was intrigued almost immediately. "Hmm," she crouched by him and observed the magic energy on display. "Pure magical energy, you're right, that's rather curious. Never mind that your control over it is rather impressive."

"Naruto does all kinds of super-hard meditation things, it's crazy!" Rosemary said as she punched the grinning blonde's bicep. "He's more of a monk than a magic warrior."

"I can tell, you must train rather extensively for things to be like this," Aloe said but, internally, she was rather saddened. 'It's hard to believe he can work through his curse's effects to this extent,' she could only imagine what kind of control he'd have if he wasn't cursed.

She wondered if she could teach the boy Elvish Speak? While not usually accessible to other races, Naruto's body wasn't normal, his biology conducted itself more like an elf's so, possibly, he'd be capable of utilizing the spell language.

"So, you've got the catch of the day and now heading back?" Anise asked as Curly showed her his backpack full of three him-sized logs. "W-Whoa, yeah, dwarf baby," she said as she crouched to his level, chuckling as the boy grinned.

"Hmph, I'm glad we all got the chance to meet but we really should get this firewood and meat home so we can put most of it away," Sorel chuckled as Naruto nodded. "I'd offer you some pieces but I'm not sure if we could cut it here and now."

"Oh, man, I left my sword at home!" Rosemary whined as Naruto cupped his chin.

"Well… I could take a crack at it," he offered the man as Rosemary perked back up while Sage tilted her head.

"You have a cutting spell?" She asked curiously as he chuckled nervously.

"No but I've got pretty decent energy control," Naruto said as he ushered them all back before holding out his right hand. 'Push it for only the claws,' he told himself as his form began to glow gold before it focused only on his right arm.

The hand clawed up… before sprouting blonde fur, grew bigger along with his arm, and had actual claws instead of the sharp nails he had always called 'claws'.

"H-Huh?!" He choked at the sight of his flexing hand, Rosemary and Sage rushing over. "The heck is this?!" He said as he looked at his palm and saw a paw pad? "The… wait," Naruto cupped his chin with his transformed arm before it was wretched away by Rosemary who poked at it constantly before finding his pads.

She poked them and felt her awe double.

"This is awesome!" She squealed before constantly poking them.

"Um, I believe we've more pressing matters," Sage said as Naruto nodded rapidly. "... how'd you do it?" She asked helplessly as he hummed.

"I think… this is what happens when I focus my Vow into one area of my body. So, instead of it being all over me, it's just around this one arm," he said, the golden glow rather telling as Aloe blinked at him.

"You… manipulated your Vow only around your arm? T-That's ridiculous," she said as Anise nodded.

"I didn't even know you could do that. You can shape it and try to get better effects… oh!" She realized what had happened as Naruto nodded while Sage and Rosemary blinked.

"Wait, you can do that?" They asked in unison as the two nodded.

"I learned it from Old Lady Triad and Professor Caraway," Naruto said and Sage felt a sharp spike of happiness fill her being at the nickname for Elder Triad. "You can force your Vow to be more effective and stuff."

"He's right," Anise said with a chuckle as she poked his paw pad.

She stared at her finger and kept poking it as Rosemary joined in.

"Y-You guys, come on! This is serious!" Sage said with a huff before Naruto chuckled.

"Well, it's not like it's permanent, none of my add-ons have been," he explained as he looked at his arm again. "... more power… so that'd mean this is stronger," the beastkin said with a look of determination. '... how far can I push this?'

He held onto his bicep before focusing, the golden glow around it becoming brighter but more condensed.

"Whatcha doing?" Rosemary asked the now excited Naruto before blushing a bit. "A-Ahehe, that's not an answer but it's nice."

Anise, Aloe, Sorel, Curly, and Sage stared at the 'clearly interested' rosette.

"I'm seeing how far I can push this," he said as his eyes glowed.

The glow slowly began to die down, Naruto grinning as he held out his limb to see what he had changed and came away with a more him-sized appendage with a few changes.

A thick black line shot down the back of his arm and formed a circle on the back of his hand. The fur, formerly fluffy and wild, was now streamlined and merely a light layer that colored it gold. The elbow on a jutting-out protrusion that looked like bone but was also black in color, impossible to be his, he hoped.

"Whoa, that's new," Anise said as Aloe touched Naruto's hand and blinked as the world fell away.

Darkness filled her vision before the golden glow of his arm shined away that nothingness, leaving it centerstage.

When she removed her hand, she blinked as the world returned to normal, Anise shooting her a concerned look.

"I-It's interesting, the sheer amount of power in his arm is rather ludicrous," the elf explained as her partner blinked.

"Geez."

"Hmm, well, let's get this show on the road, my boy! We've breakfast waiting!" Sorel said with crossed arms as Naruto nodded before ushering everyone back again.

"Alright, focus and… swipe-!" Naruto said to himself as he raised his arm across his chest before slashing across while pulling back.

The large crack that formed in the road was shocking along with the fact that it was the length of the meat itself, still.

"... oh," he said before chuckling nervously as he stepped to the side of the meat and took off a slab. "Uhhh… you guys don't have a way to carry this, do you?"

Aloe tilted her head before holding out her hands, a swirling green energy portal forming between them.

"Right here, please."

Stuffing the rather firm meat inside had been a bit difficult due to her arm constraints but that was done and the groups were soon to be on their way.

Naruto hummed before he used his transformed arm to heft the meat over his shoulder with a laugh.

"Hell yes! I'm abusing this!" He said as the others laughed. "Alright, guys, Sage, Rosie, we'll head off. Don't do something I'd regret."

"You'd regret?" Rosemary asked slyly as he snorted.

"Of course, I know for damn sure I'd end up helping somehow, it's inevitable."

"Yep! Team… working on it!" She declared as he rolled his eyes with Sage. "The team that works together, helps together, studies together, eats together, plays cards together-"

"We get it," they said in unison as she grinned widely. "You're doing this on purpose now."

"Maybe~"

With that, they went their own ways, Rosemary grinning as Sage shot her a raised brow along with her aunts.

"Man, someone's in a good mood," Anise chuckled as Rosemary blushed.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, sure," Aloe smiled. "But that nice boy you like chatting with certainly brings your mood up."

She froze as Sage huffed.

"Ugh, I have to blame you here," she said as her childhood friend blushed harder.

And the day had only just started.

~NRK~

That's another, not sure what I'll work on next. Maybe Grimm Light, maybe something else.

Though, I'm working on Uzumafia Chapter three in the background. On and off, you all get it.

Ciao

Words: 15.4k+

~NRK Out~