Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 15: "Corrupt and Ruin"
(Year: X782)
The leaves and shrubbery all trembled as massive waves of wind sporadically blasted across the area. The leaves desperately tried to hold onto their branches as two opponents of the sky faced off. One combatant used a lighter, clearer version of the air around her, while the older male of the fight used a black, storm affiliated part of the heavens. Each time the two fighter's attacks met, the air around them shimmered and bowed before their whims.
"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" A now ten year old Wendy cried out. Her now long blue hair flung around her as she concentrated a wind around her fingers and slashed her hand towards her opponent.
Naruto was forced to duck under the attack. The five thin strands of wind rushed over him and continued across the barren training ground until it slammed into a tree and cut through the bark with ease causing the tree to groan and collapse to the ground.
As this happened, Wendy didn't let up on her attack. She continued to spin around fully and then fire a spinning hooking heel kick at Naruto's body. This was quickly followed up a flurry of kicks. The legs being flung at were surrounded by a concentrated hurricane of air. Naruto quickly covered his arms in his own black wind and moved to block the blows.
The blonde pushed Wendy's legs down, but the girl was expecting that. Using the momentum of the push, she sprawled down and thrusted her hands into the dirt below her, "Sky Dragon's Updraft!"
A funnel of wind appeared below Naruto. It blasted up and pushed Naruto off the ground into the air. Quickly reacting, Naruto raised a single hand. A whirlwind of air blasted up and acted as a counter force to keep Naruto from being flung high into the air.
With surprising quickness, the upflow of air stopped. Naruto was not expecting this. His own tunnel of air then forced him to the ground at a faster pace than he would have wanted. He was forced to land in a deep crouch with not real base to support himself.
As he was standing, Wendy's' face appeared right in front of him. Her cheeks were puffed out and her chest was extended with air. With a mighty shout, she unleashed the breath she was holding, "Sky Dragon's Roar!"
The tunnel of air that blasted from Wendy's mouth quickly consumed Naruto's form. Completely hidden from any outside vision, the blonde was easily pushed back. The raw power of the wind impressed the Sky God Slayer as the torrents of wind danced past his and rushed across the empty training field. Slowly, the blast died down, revealing an unharmed Naruto.
With both arms raised, the blonde managed to redirect the air completely around him. Not even a scratch appeared the man's frame. His arms were still covered in his silver forearm covers, but now the armor extended all around his arms from the elbow to the wrist. His hands were covered by gloves that were plated on the back and the knuckles to improve the devastation of his punches.
A long sleeved navy shirt was covered by the silver chest armor. This new modified ANBU armor was now made of more flexible divided plating along with new shoulder pads. While the protection was less than the previous armor, the new armor's division allowed for a bit more secrets. This included the twelve kanji that stood over the man's abdomen. Various pouches and holsters still covered his black pants along with shin guards and dark sandals.
Naruto's red eyes gleamed as he looked towards his student. The headband he usually used to hide his eyes stood on his forehead with the only differences being his now slightly longer hair and the long, black cloth used to hold the carved plating on his forehead, "Excellent work, Wendy. Fantastic follow up. You didn't even give me a chance to counter."
The blonde moved forward to pat his student on the head, but this was stopped. Wendy's hand shot up and grasped the hand before it could get close to her head. Her eyes glared at Naruto. The look on her face had more steel resolve than the kunai that was clutched in her sensei's palm, "You didn't say break."
Naruto smiled, "Excellent. Break."
The resolved look of battle instantly faded from the girl's eyes. Joy and cheer quickly danced across her face as she rushed forward to hug her teacher. Chuckling, Naruto slid his kunai back into the secret compartment of his forearm protectors and hugged his student back, "Great work."
"You think so?" Wendy blushed as she released the hug and stepped back, "I-I mean, I didn't manage to actually get a hit on you. You blocked my last attack. And you were holding back. And my kicks should have been faster. A-and… and—"
Naruto stopped her by gently placing a hand on her head. The now eighteen year old man had grown to what was probably his full height almost two meters. As such, he towered over the young girl, "You did perfect. Most people, most mages in fact, would have been blown away. You're incredibly powerful for your age. In fact, I think you would have beaten me when I was at your age."
"But beating you at your full power is my goal," Wendy noted. This time, her stutter and lack of confidence was gone as she spoke, "How can I do that if I can't even get a real hit in while you're holding back."
Naruto's crimson eyes shined at her. His demonic gaze, which once caused her to collapse in fear, did nothing to faze the dragon slayer, "Having high goals is good, but don't expect to reach them so easily. I don't doubt that one day you will be able to beat me. That won't be for a while, though."
"Alright…I guess I'll just have to keep training with you," Wendy beamed up to her teacher.
"Yeah…About that. Wendy, you're at the point now—"
"Wendy! Baka blonde!" Carla's voice sounded out from above. The cat flew down and landed in front of the sky magic users. Her wings quickly receded, and she looked up towards the mages.
"What is it, pussy cat?" Naruto's eyes rolled as he looked down to the small animal.
Wendy pouted, "Can't you two get along? I mean, you're both my friends. Can't you be friends too?"
"We're civil to each other, Wendy," Naruto mentioned, "That's more than we can say for most people. Take it or leave it."
"Indeed," Carla nodded as she actually agree with her friend's torturer, err, teacher, "Especially for rude people like our visitors."
"Victors?" Naruto eyed the cat.
"Yes," Carla pointed behind her to show the approaching forms of three people, "I think they're here to speak with you."
"Rise and shine, Gaara!" Fu exclaimed as she opened the curtains to the bedroom allowing sunlight to flood into the room. This caused the person in the bed to groan and pull the covers over his head.
Turning, Fu gave the bundle of blankets an annoyed glance. Though now taller and more mature physically, Fu never really changed her style of clothing. Instead, she modified it to help her hold more weapons and bugs. A thick belt with dozens of small pouches hanging from it stood over her waist but low enough to show the guild mark on her abdomen. Eight metallic, black bands stood on her forearms, upper arms, thighs, and shins. Each band was hollow and filled with numerous amounts of explosive bugs.
Flicking some of her mint hair out of her face, she quickly hopped over to the bed and pulled the covers off of Gaara. This show the resting jinchūriki. He only wore a thin pair of black shorts, so Fu got an eye full of his pale frame. Unlike Naruto, Gaara did have massive amounts of muscle. Instead, his body was covered in a thinner, tight array of muscles. His red hair sprawled out to reveal the kanji on his forehead, but a thin layer of sand covered his eyes to shield him from the sun.
"Cheater," Fu mentioned as she pouted at the red head.
"The sunlight. It burns…" Gaara groaned.
"Only to you, mister creature of the night," Fu let out a snort, "Scoot over would you?"
With a groan, the man shifted over somewhat to allow half the bed to be free. Fu quickly plopped down beside him. The single bed was not made to hold more than one person, and to fit, they had to be right next to each other with no space in between them.
"What are you doing here, Fu?" Gaara questioned, "You just went back to Magnolia a week ago. Usually, you stay way for a few weeks at least."
"Got a mission directly from Master," Fu mentioned as she crossed her legs, placed her arms behind her head as a makeshift pillow, and stared up to the ceiling, "I wanted to ask you two for help."
This caught Gaara's attention, "You? Asking for help on a mission?"
"It's a big one. It involves the almighty grandson," Fu mentioned, "I hate dealing with him and his Thunder Legion. Besides, Master told me to ask you for help."
"Why didn't he just use the Communication Lacrima?" Gaara questioned.
"I told him I would ask myself. After all, neither of you can say no to me," Fu's face split into a grin.
"True," Gaara let out a grunt, "Did you talk to Naruto yet?"
"Nope. I knew you'd be asleep, so I thought I'd wake you up first," Fu turned to her side and pinched Gaara's cheek, "It's fun seeing you drowsy. You look cute when you yawn. Like a cat."
Gaara gently reached up and removed Fu's hand. He did not release the hand once it was away from his face, though, "Don't say that. Shukaku is going to complain all day now. Number 2's a cat, not me."
"I know. It's just fun to tease you," In a blur of motion, Fu swung her body over so that she was lying on top of Gaara. Her hand was still in contact with Gaara's hand as her face loomed over Gaara's shielded eyes, "It's my favorite pastime."
The sand slowly moved away from Gaara's eyes to allow him to adjust to the sunlight. His teal eyes met her orange orbs, "Don't tell Naruto, but I enjoy it myself."
"I know…" Fu smirked at him, "Your secret is safe with me."
"Hmm…"
"So, while I got you trapped…" Fu's face lowered until she was nose to nose with Gaara, "You want to go on a date? After the mission, of course. There's this great pasta place back in Magnolia. Their breadsticks are to die for."
"Fu…" Gaara sighed, "You know that we can't."
"Why not?" Fu's other hand grabbed Gaara's free arm. She quickly brought his arms up above his head and held them there, "I know you want to."
"Fu…You know why…" Gaara whispered. His breath trickled against Fu's lips, "There's so many reasons. Naruto and I travel wherever the wind blows. You'll always return to Fairy Tail."
"Then just join Fairy Tail," Fu suggested as she placed her forehead on his.
"That's Naruto's decision," Gaara noted, "I won't join without him. He needs me with him. You know that."
"Then a long distance relationship?" Fu smirked, "I can work with that. We can meet up every couple of weeks and spend a few days together. Just like now."
"You deserve better than that," Gaara stated, "You're a good person, Fu. Far better than me. You actually care about people. Out of all the jinchūriki, you're the purest. The one with the most passion and life in you. You're the one with the best chance of a normal life. You should have a good man…the best. Not me."
"Normal is overrated. Besides, even if I'm the nicest jinchūriki, I'm still a jinchūriki. I don't delude myself into thinking otherwise anymore," Fu noted, "I know pain. I know hate just as well as the others. I don't think I could be with someone that wouldn't understand what it truly means to be alone and hated. They just wouldn't understand me. Not like you do."
"Fu…I don't…I never experienced love. Not more than friendship at least. How can I give something I never had?" Gaara questioned.
"I can teach you," Fu placed her lips mere centimeters from Gaara's mouth, "I don't care how long it would take."
Gaara paused in thought.
Fu grinned and went in for the kill, "If you say yes, I'll kiss you."
Gaara stared at her in want.
"Say yes…please…" Fu tilted her head and closed her eyes…
Only to open them again when Gaara turned away.
"I'm sorry," Gaara whispered.
"Tsk," Fu rolled her eyes. The mint haired girl released Gaara's hands and moved back. She placed the side of her head on his chest and listened to his rapid heartbeat, "So close."
"Fu…"
"I'll get you next time," Fu noted.
"…It was a good try," Gaara mentioned, "You made sure I couldn't just walk away like usual."
"You could have just used my sand to push me away," Fu suggested.
"I would never use my sand on you like that," Gaara gently placed a hand on her head.
"Yeah, I know," Fu clenched her eyes shut to and let out a shuddered breath, "And that's why I'll keep trying."
"I still have no idea why you would want to be with me. I'm a broken man. Being with me would be a hard life," Gaara mentioned.
"If life was easy, it wouldn't be any fun," Fu giggled.
"Of course, you'd say that," Gaara slowly stroked her hair.
"What you said before…that you don't know love, you're wrong," Fu closed her eyes and enjoyed his warmth, "I do love you, you know."
Gaara was silent. His heart ached at hearing that. Memories on the only other person that said to that him popped into his mind. Yashamaru once said that he love Gaara as his sister's legacy. He said that to lower Gaara's guard. He used Gaara's mother as a weapon for revenge. He hurt the jinchūriki in ways that no bomb or assassination attempt ever could.
Both of the jinchūrikis' heads shot up as the ground suddenly shook. The small room trembled as the sound of earth shattering blasted out.
As the shaking stopped, Fu sat up so that she was startling Gaara, "That's not the normal morning explosions."
"Something's happening," Gaara noted, "Naruto and Wendy might need our help."
"Right," Fu got off of Gaara. She rushed towards the closet and began to throw Gaara his clothes, "Get dressed quick. Wouldn't want to get in a fight while in your boxers, right?"
Naruto stood protectively in front of Wendy. His uncovered crimson orbs stared at the man in front of him. Standing a height greater than Naruto, the dark skinned man seemed to be one hundred percent pure muscle, "I understand that you're upset but could you please calm down?"
Killer Bee glared at Naruto. The ground in front of him was a smoking crater from the force of his electrified punch, "Dude, Killer Bee is calm. He just wants to get you to sing a psalm. You made such a big choice, and didn't wait to hear our voice! Yo~"
Naruto blinked, "What?"
Yugito rolled her eyes, "Bee, we talked about how this was going to go. One, you don't do a show of force. Two, you don't do stupid raps. Three, you don't do ANY STUPID RAPS!"
"You sat that one twice, dawg," Killer Bee noted.
Yugito groaned and placed her face in her palm, "Cat, Bee. Not a dog…"
The third visitor quickly stepped forward. He was a teenager a few years older than Wendy. His long green hair spiked out wildly as his simple black headband kept it out of his face. He was rather muscular for his age, and this was shone by his lack of shirt, "I think Bee-sensei was going to ask about why you decided to drag the jinchūriki into Earthland without asking them first. Of course, if you didn't, then I wouldn't have such a cool teacher, so…"
"Orga speaks the truth, Number 9!" Killer Bee crossed his arms and frowned at the younger jinchūriki, "I heard from Number 4 that you did everything thinking that it would be fine~ But I never got to say what I wanted in my special rhythms~."
"I see. Well, I'll admit that I made a selfish choice," Naruto admitted, "But I was a lonely child with no hope. I didn't particularly care what my decision caused. I just wanted to be happy. And so far, the other jinchūriki have thanked me. What about you, Number 2? What do you think about my decision?"
Yugito gave Bee an apologetic look, "I'm happier now. I can't deny that. I just came with Bee to stop him from being…too much of himself."
"See? Hell, I'd say eight of nine being happy is pretty good," Naruto shrugged.
"I'm happy, man! My guild respects my raps like true fans! But don't you see? You left our world no bathroom when they have to pee!" Bee struck a pose.
Orga translated again, "He's worried about his village. Mostly his brother and friends."
"Truth be told, I needed a vacation," Killer Bee swung his arms around as he rapped, "But my being gone so long might mean total eradication~"
Naruto nodded, "Yes. It is highly possible that our world is in ruin. I can't change that."
"Doesn't it bother you?" Yugito spoke up and gave the blonde a worried glance, "Because…despite everything, I do feel a little bad for leaving my home with no protection. It was my duty to serve the village."
"That's the brainwashing talking. I know, they tried it with me," Naruto shook his head, "We were just children, some of us were even babies. Yet, it was decided for us that we would be weapons to defend a place that hates us. I decided to be something else. I feel no shame or regret for what I did."
"Even if you started a war?" Yugito questioned.
"Even if I started a war," Naruto nodded. He felt Wendy grab onto his arm. The blonde gently pulled her into a hug. He wasn't sorry for the way he felt, but he knew that Wendy was probably concerned about so many people being hurt.
"…Is there any way back?" Bee asked in a surprisingly serious voice.
Naruto shrugged, "I never looked into it. All I know is that we would all have to go together. The nine of us are connected. One of us leaving would leave a connected tear in the barrier between the two worlds. Best case scenario, you get dragged back. Worst case scenario, reality collapses in on itself."
"So, not really," Orga summarized.
Naruto nodded.
"I thought so, yo," Bee let out a sigh, "That's too bad. I thought hanging with you would be rad."
"What are you—" Naruto was thankful that he didn't blink. Pushing Wendy away, he brought his other arm up and blocked the blow that was aimed for his head. Despite his reaction, the power behind the blow was too much for a single arm to block. His arm was knocked away with ease. Bee's fist then continued forward and slammed into Naruto's unprotected face.
The next thing Naruto knew, he was skipping away. The blonde quickly channeled his magic to his face to heal the swelling and bruises that quickly appeared from the attack. Flipping over, Naruto landed and slid into a deep dance, ready to defend himself, "That was unexpected."
"Bee is so fast, and with the die cast, you'll be a bloody pulp before you can say sulp!" Bee cheered.
Before anyone could question if sulp was even a word, Bee was attacked. In fury at seeing her sensei attacked, Wendy had jumped up and flung herself at Bee. A wind enhanced kick smashed into the side of his head. Surprising, the man just stood there and allowed her to hit him. Not that he needed to block. Wendy was shocked to see the kick that could destroy a tree do absolutely no damage to Bee's head.
With speed that Wendy could not follow yet, Bee grabbed Wendy's leg and flung her back towards his allies. Orga quickly caught the girl before she could do anything, he then held her to keep her from rushing forward again.
"Please calm down, Bee is just trying to—OW!" Orga was shocked when Wendy's knee rushed up and landed in his gut. The power behind the blow knocked the wind out of him and forced him to let go of the girl. Wendy then swung her legs up, wrapped them around Orga's neck, and swung Orga into the ground.
Jumping up, Wendy was just about to rush towards Bee again, but she was stopped when Yugito flung her arm our and allowed her fingernails to grow out to the point that they were the length and sharpness of machete blades.
Wendy's eyes instantly snapped to Yugito in anger. The jinchūriki was shocked by the change she saw. This was not the little girl that was just clutching Number 9's arm. No, this was the eyes of a dangerous predator ready to attack. If Yugito wasn't the experienced veteran that she was, she would have flinched under such an intense gaze, "Just wait. This isn't what you think. Besides, you won't be able to keep up in their fight."
Wendy frowned, but she knew the older woman was right. While her kick had floored Orga, Bee didn't even flinch. He seemed to be made of steel, and Wendy knew that she would only get in the way during a fight with him, even with her support magic and teamwork with Naruto. So, she just turned to look back towards the battlefield.
Killer Bee had coated himself in electricity. The chakra based energy covered him in an empowering halo. He had pulled out what looked like seven separate blades with simple red hilts. Each sword was held in an odd place such as in between joints and in his mouth. In a flurry of motion, Bee flung himself forward. He swipe his blades at all angles towards the blonde jinchūriki.
Naruto had actually activated his own support spells to increase his power and speed. He flipped, turned, and twisted to barely avoid each slash. Even then, some of the cuts managed to nick him. These wounds were quickly closed, though. The biggest problems for the blonde occurred when Bee flung some of his swords at his enemy. Naruto was force to desperately sprawl back to avoid the stabbing swords.
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!" Bee exclaimed as he flung three of his swords at Naruto's torso. The large man expected the swords to impale the blonde man, but Naruto managed to work up a defense. Two kunai appeared in the blonde's hands. He channeled magic into his weapons. The edges extended out and sharpened until the knives had a half meter of black wind at the end.
"Sky God's Tantō," Naruto announced as he used his wind blades to swipe the electrified swords away. The blonde then flung one of the magically enhanced kunai towards the older jinchūriki. Bee was forced to roll out of the way. As he moved, he picked up a couple of his swords. When he popped back up, Bee used these swords to block Naruto's next attack.
The blonde had pulled out another kunai from his regular holster and pumped it with sky magic too. Wind blades met electric blades in a clash of energy. Naruto was surprised that his wind didn't automatically overpower the electricity. It showed Bee's power and control that the Sky God Tantō didn't carve through Bee's electricity.
After several blows, the two fighters met in a power struggle. Bee had more raw power, but Naruto's Sky God magic even the odds elementally. For a few seconds, the two pushed against each other. Then, in a blast of energy, the two of them were both pushed back. Their weapons were sent flying away from each other.
Landing in a crouch, the two jinchūriki glared at each other. They then rushed forward. Neither pulled out a weapon. Instead, they fought hand to hand. The two of them traded blows at a speed that would seem impossible to follow by normal people.
For a while the two of them were at a standstill. Bee was stronger. Naruto was faster. Both had taijustu ingrained into them since early childhood. Neither could gain an edge. They both managed to get a few blows in to each other. Bee took a hook punch to the face. Naruto took a kick to the stomach. Punch. Kick. Knee. Punch. Punch.
"Raw!" Bee finally let out a roar. He used his bigger muscle mass to push forward and hooked Naruto in a giant lariat. Naruto was sent crashing back. His bones cracked and began to knit themselves back together again as he skid across the Earth leaving a trail of broken ground. Not giving himself even a second of reprieve, Naruto pushed himself up and prepared to defend himself from the follow-up attack that he was sure would happen.
Bee had indeed rushed forward. He even extended a punch forward, but it never made contact. Carefully, Naruto lowered his arm a bit to see Bee extending a fist towards him.
"You got a mean right hook, Naru-bro!" Bee grinned down at the blonde, "I'll have a bruise on my face for sure~"
Naruto eyed the fist for a moment. Then, he brought his own fist up and bumped it against Bee's hand. It seems that the fight is over.
"What the hell was that?" Fu questioned as she saw Naruto fist bump Bee. They had arrived at the field while the sword battle had been going on. Both of them instantly wanted to rush into help, but Yugito stopped them.
"Men, are weird, dear," Yugito noted, "Often times, a good fight will calm down hostilities. Bee needed to get some aggression out for what Naruto did, especially because it took so long to track him down. You guys are good at hiding, aren't you?"
Gaara nodded, "Often times, we don't even know where we're going. Only consistent places we go are Fairy Tail, Trafalgar, and here. And even then, we've mostly been here training."
Yugito hummed to herself, "Well, I'm just glad we found you. Bee was really getting on edge. He needed some release."
"Plus, he also wanted to get a good idea of the Sword's character," Orga mentioned, "Best way to get to know someone is to fight them."
Gaara nodded at that, "True."
Wendy watches as Bee helped Naruto up, "But Bee-san seemed pretty upset. Will he just let it go?"
Yugito smiled, "Bee may be a bit weird, but he's a good guy. He doesn't focus on the past. Let it out and move on. That's who he was. He won't hold anything against Number 9. Though, I'm sure he's still going to look for a way to check up on how Kumo is doing."
"So…" Fu eyed the approaching men, "We're good?"
"We're good."
"I had some fun, but now have to go. If you ever want another run, you'll find me easy cause my greatness just glows!" Bee cheered.
Yugito slapped her forehead as Orga took notes, "Bee-sensei is such an inspiration. His raps really inspire my singing."
This caused Yugito to use her other hand to slap her forehead, "Oh no, not another one…"
Naruto nodded, "That was a good fight. It was a good test of my skill. Thanks, Number 8."
"Dumb men destroyed the training grounds, though," Carla huffed.
"We can rebuild, Carla. It's not that big of a deal," Wendy mentioned.
"Tell Bob and Ooba I said hi," Roubaul noted to his guests, "I'll see them during the next master's meeting."
"Very well, Roubaul-sama," Yugito bowed respectfully, "I promise Master Babasaama will receive you message."
"Take a chill pill, girl! You should just relax and chill like a pear!" Bee struck a pose.
Yugito slapped her forehead and began to walk away, "Okay, I'm leaving before I get a permanent red mark on my forehead…"
"We should go too, Bee-sensei," Orga noted.
"Yeah, you go ahead," Bee waved him off, "Before I go, I have to make the bed."
"Alright," Orga nodded and followed after Yugito.
With his student gone, Bee looked to Naruto, "Yo! There's one more thing I have to say before I go!"
Naruto blinked, "And that is."
Bee leaned in and whispered at a voice that only Naruto could hear, "Your eyes and your actions are full of hate and anger, dawg. We jinchūriki cannot live like that. Trust me, I've learned from the previous hosts. Jinchūriki need love and forgiveness, because if we focus on the negative, we fall into darkness. If that happens to you…If you continue down this path without care, then you will corrupt and ruin everything you care about. So be careful, Naru-bro."
Naruto's eyes swept over to the three people that stood beside him. They were the three people that he cared about the most, "I will. I won't let anything happen to them."
"Alrighty then! Bee has be off to his men!" Bee suddenly stood straight up and turned on his heel. With a wave, he also began his retreat, "We will see each other again! Until then!"
"That is one strange man," Fu noted.
"Yeah…But he's pretty wise in his own right," Naruto mentioned.
"Wooooooooooooooooooord!" Bee cheered as he walked down the path away from Cait Shelter.
"Or he's just insane," Gaara suggested, "We'll never know for sure."
"What do you mean you're not coming back?!" Wendy looked close to tears as she stared up at Naruto.
"I'm sorry, Wendy," Naruto knelt down to Wendy's eye level, "But you're done with my training."
"B-but I have so much more to learn!" Wendy objected.
"About yourself. About your style of magic," Naruto argued, "I taught you how to fight. How to ignore pain. How to be the predator. Now, all that's left is for you to develop into your own."
"Then why don't I travel with you?" Wendy suggested.
Naruto shook his head, "If you do that, then you'll just be following in my shadow. Find your own path, little dragon."
Wendy looked like she was about to object, but she stopped herself. Instead, she just looked down in sadness.
Chuckling at his student, Naruto gently placed a hand on her head, "Don't worry. I'll come to visit, imōto. So you better keep up your training. And if you ever need me, call me on my Communication Lacrima. I'll come running."
Wendy sniffed and rubbed her eyes, "Okay…I'll miss you, sensei."
"And I'll miss you," Naruto pulled Wendy into a hug. As he did this, he looked to Carla, "Look after her?"
Carla nodded. She may not like the blonde, but she respected him. That's more than she could say for most people, "Always."
Releasing the hug, Naruto turned to Roubaul, "Thanks for putting up with us for so long."
"It was a pleasure, Naruto-kun," Roubaul grinned, "Come back whenever you want. You'll always be welcomed."
"I know. Thank you."
"So, you never said," Gaara eyed Fu as their group walked away from Cait Shelter, "What exactly did Makarov want us to do about Laxus?"
"Oh, the honorable grandson has been more of an ass than usual. He hasn't been back or contacted home in while, and Master is worried," Fu shrugged, "The lighting idiot lost a fight and has been in a bad mood for a month. Master thinks he's going to do something stupid and it might get him killed cause he's going against a dark guild."
"Which one?" Gaara questioned.
"I forget the name, but I do know who Laxus lost to," Fu bit her lip, "The Steam Bull."
"No way," Gaara's eyes widened.
"Yep," Fu nodded, "So, we're going to kick Laxus and his groupies' asses then drag them back. I think that's why he wanted you two to come. With Gildarts gone on that Hundred Year Mission thing and Mystogan gone so often, no one in the guild can really match up completely. Erza and Mirajane would definitely give him a good fight, but…well, I think he wants you two to take him down."
"Alright," Gaara nodded, "That ought to be fun."
"But there is a snag," Fu noted, "I need to make a bit of detour. I accepted a mission before Master told me to find to go after Laxus. It won't take too long. I just had to snag it, cause its pretty high paying for such an easy job."
"Hmm…" Gaara was about to ask for her to continue when he realized something, "You okay, Naruto? You've been quiet for a while."
Naruto's head snapped up, "Huh?"
"I was asking if you're okay. You seem kind of out of it," Gaara mentioned.
"Oh, I was just thinking about my fight with Bee," Naruto lied. The truth was that he was thinking about Bee's last words.
"If you continue down this path without care, then you will corrupt and ruin everything you care about."
Naruto didn't know if that was true, but it was something to think about, "What were you talking about?"
"What we're going to do. I need to finish a small mission before going after Laxus," Fu explained, "It's a pretty cushy job. Just have to take care of some wild animals that wandered onto some rich family's estate. Heartfilia or something."
Night had fallen. The youngsters had left a while ago. Yet, Roubaul refused to go inside. Even when Wendy and Carla went to bed, he remained outside, guarding the guild from what was coming.
Roubaul peered into the darkness, "I know you're there. Come out, Dark Mage."
Zeref calmly stepped out of the darkness of the woods. As he walked by the foliage, the plants began to die and decay around him, "Hello, Roubaul."
Roubaul gritted his teeth at his enemy, "Why are you here, Zeref?"
"I heard that a Naruto Uzumaki was here," Zeref smiled gently at the old man, "May I please speak to him."
"Ha! Jokes on you, you bastard," Roubaul hissed, "Naruto just left earlier today. He's not here anymore."
"Oh, that's too bad. Could you please tell me where he went?" Zeref's polite tone didn't drop at all.
"Like hell," Roubaul snapped, "I won't let you kill the poor boy. And nothing you can do will make me tell you. You cannot hurt me."
"Not physically," Zeref's eyes drifted to the building behind Roubaul, "That's an excellent illusion you have going on, but I doubt that you would create it just for yourself. Knowing you, you'd make yourself suffer in solitude for your mistake. That must mean there's a reason you created such trickery."
Roubaul paled.
"Perhaps I should go over there and see what you care so much about?" Zeref suggested.
Roubaul trembled in rage. He could lie about where Naruto went, but Zeref would eventually figure that out and come back. Wendy and Carla wouldn't survive being around him. Lowering his head in defeat, Roubaul spoke, "The girl traveling with him told me about what where's she's going this morning. Head down this path, towards the estate belonging to the Heartfilias. They'll be there for a day or so."
"Very well. Thank you, old friend," Zeref continued to smile as he followed the direction Roubaul told him.
"I was never your friend, Zeref. We just had a common enemy in that crazy rabbit woman," As he watched Zeref leave, Roubaul decided to give Naruto a chance, "Wait! He has the potential to kill you, but he's not there yet. If you kill him now, then you'll never get what you want."
Zeref paused for a brief second before continuing his walk, "Forgive me if I don't take your word on it. I have to see him for myself."
I know that I said I would be on hiatus for this story until 2016, but I decided to make an exception. Recently this story reached the 1000 favs mark, and I wanted to show my appreciation with a surprise update. Thank you all for your continued support. The story will continue after the holiday season.
If any of you are wondering when this story will get to the canon mark, it won't be long now. I have about 3 chapters left, or 4 depending on how one of them works out. That's when things will get really interesting.
Oh, and a bit of advertisement. I recently did a "Anohana" one-shot called In Another Life. If you're interested, or even know about that anime, it's available from my profile. If you're not aware of the anime, I would suggest watching it. It's only 11 episodes long and full of emotional moments.
Thank you all for reading and please remember to...
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