Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 18: "Dreams and Nightmares"
(Year: X782)
"Hey, don't push me, old hag."
"Your work is terrible. Get out of the way."
"I'm not trying to heal him all the way. He'll never learn his lesson if we don't let him suffer a bit."
"Normally, I would agree with you, but Makarov won't leave me alone until his grandson is healed."
"Then ignore him. I normally do."
This what Laxus heard as he drifted back into consciousness. Needless to say, it wasn't a calm awakening. Of course, as a Fairy Tail mage, Laxus was used to loud noise and rude interruptions. It was rare, though, for this sort of thing to happen in his home.
Forcing his eyes opened, the bright white above him revealed that this definitely wasn't home. No, it was a place he was familiar with, though. It was Fairy Tail's medical room. He had awoken to this very scene many times after training himself to exhaustion.
"Gah," Laxus's groaned as his memories came back to him, "Did you carry me back here?"
"Well, I wasn't going to leave you in a field. Master Dreyar would have my ass if I tried—Get off me, hag! He's fine, see?!" Naruto tried to push the pink haired old lady back.
Porlyusica smacked him over the head with her broom, "Dumb brat, I'm the one who's going to decide if he's fine! I've been doing this since before your parents were probably born!"
"And that probably means you've gone senile and have terrible eyes," Naruto smacked the broom away.
"Why you!?"
"Baa-chan! Naruto! Stop it!" Fu jumped inbetween the two healers ans pushed them away from each other, "Come on, Gaara, help me!"
Gaara shook his head as he leaned against the far wall, "I'm not getting in between those two. Naruto's my friend, and the old lady scares me. Scares me. The guy that hasn't been hurt in years. That's an accomplishment right there."
"Jerk!" Fu turned to her adopted grandmother, "Come on, Baa-chan, Laxus was Naruto's patient first."
"Yes, and then he hurt him again."
"You do that all the time to Natsu."
"I…Good point," Porlyusica sighed, "Fine. But I better not have Makarov annoying me about this later."
"Great!" Fu quickly began to lead her adopted grandmother out of the room, "Come on, I'll walk you out."
"Now that's interesting," Laxus noted, "Not a lot of people win in arguments with the old lady."
"Not a lot of people cheat like I do," Naruto shrugged as he sat by Laxus's bedside.
"Hmm…" Laxus looked across the room to see that the other beds were empty, "Where are my friends?"
"I already healed them. Fu and Gaara hurt them a lot less than I did with you," Naruto shrugged, "Speaking of which, Gaara could you guard the door to make sure they don't come barging in?"
"Sure," Gaara nodded. Pushing off the wall, he silently made his way out of the room.
Naruto's hands lit up with Sky magic. He quickly placed his hands over Laxus's chest, right over where his Rasengan hit, "Most of the damage accumulated around your torso. I healed a lot of the damage, but left you in a little bit of pain because I'm a terrible doctor and the Hypocratic oath is for chumps."
Laxus snorted, "You know, you're definitely fit for Fairy Tail. You should think about joining. You can be the new Ace once I become Guild Master."
"Yeah, good luck with that one," Naruto snorted, "I'll probably join Fairy Tail at some time. At least before I die, but that won't be for some time. So consider my answer a solid no."
Laxus raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?"
"I don't need a ball and chain right now limiting my movements," Naruto shrugged, "There's still a lot I need to do."
"If you say so," Laxus let out a chuckle, "Ah!"
"I just said that most of the damage is around your torso," Naruto rolled his eyes, "That means it's going to hurt when you laugh."
Laxus let out a grunt, "Yeah, figured that out."
"Geeze, you Fairy Tail mages never think things through…" Naruto paused, "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what? It's pretty quiet."
"Exactly. It's the middle of the day. When is Fairy Tail ever this quiet in the middle of the day?"
Naruto and Laxus shared a look. The still healthy blonde jumped to his feet with a command for the other blonde not to move. He quickly strode to the door, but it opened before he could reach it. Gaara peered into the room with a serious expression on his face.
"You might want to head towards the guild hall. Something bad happened."
"Yeah! You bastard! Did you take my iron scrap snacks!?" A rather muscular man wearing a sleeveless black shirt yelled up at towards the ceiling of the Phantom Lorde guildhall. His long spiky dark hair dropped down to the middle of his back. Various piercings covered his face even to the point that the metal seemed to replace his eyebrows.
"Gajeel-sama, please don't pick a fight with Arashi-sama again," A blue haired woman wearing a long black dress gave Gajeel a pleading look, "It's a shame on Phantom Lorde if we have to rebuild the walls again."
"Oh, shut it, Juvia," Gajeel glared at her, "The plant bastard took my food, I know it!"
"Why would that, Gajeel-san?" A polite voice called from the rafters.
"Just to piss me off," Gajeel glared at the well dressed figure above of him. Despite being covered in a suit and tie that Gajeel wouldn't be caught dead in, the man above them was no push over. His reasonably long, blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail to reveal a face that was rather handsome. More than a few looks were sent by the women, and a few men, of the guild to his defined chin and solid cheekbones.
"It is fun to see you rage, Dragon Slayer," Arashi pulled out a small baggy filled with nuts and bolts, "It's like a little dog barking up a tree. Dragons can't compete against the gods after all."
Gajeel growled, "Oh please, nature boy, I literally eat your element for breakfast. I could take you any day."
"Really? Then why is there always a Gajeel shaped hole in the wall whenever we fight?" Arashi smiled as he jumped down from the rafters. Black roots shot out of the bottom of his dress shoes and gently lowered him to the ground.
"Because I'm being nice and holding back so I won't break the guild," Gajeel got right up in Arashi's face.
"Then maybe we should take this outside?" Arashi smirked.
"Gladly, let's do it."
"Arashi, Gajeel, stop it," Jose finally decided to speak up, "We are not like the Fairies. We don't fight each other and destroy our own guild."
"Hai, Master," Both of them instantly calmed down.
"No, go. I know both of you were planning to go on a mission."
"Hai, Master." With that said, the mages quickly made their way out of the building. As soon as they were a decent distance away, they both burst out laughing.
Arashi tossed Gajeel the bag of nuts and screws, "Did you see their faces. I thought that some of them were going to pee themselves."
"Gahahahaha!" Gajeel gained a large grin, "They should. If we fought for real, they would all get mowed down in the process."
"Yeah…If we fought for real..." Arashi was too polite to point out that if they did fight, Gajeel wouldn't stand a chance. Only Master Jose could compare to his strength, and that gap was closing each day.
Gajeel sensed the unsaid message but decided not to argue it. There were people not even Gajeel was willing to fight against after all, "It might be a while until we can use our full strength, though. We need some strong opponents."
"We will soon. It's only a matter of time before we fight the Fairies. Then, we'll have ourselves a real challenge," Arashi's face twisted into a dark frown. Killing intent began to roll off him in waves, "And then I'll finely get my hands on Naruto Uzumaki."
Gajeel shivered under the hate that flowed off the only real friend he had in the guild, "Damn, you really hate that guy. Why is that?"
"Tell me, if you learned that there was a person responsible for taking your father away from you, what would you do?"
"I would kill that bastard."
"Exactly."
Jellal stood on top of a giant tower that reached up into the sky. Despite being mostly complete, there was still a lot of work to complete. In a few years time, the Tower of Heaven would be complete. The R-System would be ready for Zeref's resurrection. Then, the creation of the new world would be a matter of time. No more suffering. No more struggles.
There was only one real problem. The God Slayers. More specifically, Naruto Uzumaki.
That bastard would be the first one to interfere. Jellal knew it deep in his bones. If anyone would find the tower, it would be him. That was why Jellal had been as secretive as possible with the construction of the tower the past few years. If Naruto Uzumaki showed up and there was nothing to make him hesitate, then he would destroy Jellal's life's work.
At this point, Jellal wasn't worried about Uzumaki finding the Tower on his own. No, the blonde seemed content working on plans of his own. As soon as the Tower is ready and the plan is set in motion, though, he would come bursting through the door intent on bringing down the building. Yajima was the slayer's contact in the Magic Council, after all, and if given permission by the Magic Council…Uzumaki would kill everyone in the tower. Jellal needed to prepare for that.
"He's close to Fairy Tail…but there's only two members of that if in danger would make him hesitate," Jellal reasoned as he stared off into the horizon, "Even if Erza or the Salamander were here, he'd just plow ahead without pause. And the Shield and the Bug Bomb…"
They would be too difficult to capture. Their powers rivaled Uzumaki's. Not to mention how closely those two traveled with him. It would be an impossible job to pull off, even if he hired some of the best dark guilds willing to do the job, which wasn't all that many to be honest. For some reason, all three big members of the Balm Alliance had some sort of invested interest in the God Slayer. They wanted him to keep living.
So, it seems, that Naruto Uzumaki was indestructible in the field of psychological warfare.
That was what Jellal would think, if he hadn't kept a close eye on Uzumaki for the past three years.
Jellal stared at the picture in his hand. As a Magic Council member, he had full access to the records of every registered mage in the country. Even the very young ones.
"Wendy Marvell…Naruto Uzumaki's only real weakness."
Naruto stepped out into the guild hall to be met with the sound of sobs and people crying. Curiosity instantly spiked to the front of his mind. He hadn't seen Fairy Tail mages act like this in years. The last he saw any of the mages act like this was during his first visit when he told everyone that...
April had died.
"Shit," Naruto silently made his way around the room. A quick scope of the situation revealed who was at the entrance to the guild. Mirajane was kneeling on the ground with Fu hugging her close. The goth girl was crying into Fu's shoulder. Behind them, Elfman had his face in his hands and releasing deep sobs that Naruto never knew could come from such a large man.
Naruto quickly noticed that the third Strauss sibling was missing. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened. That was disheartening. Lisanna was a good person. She was innocent and pure. That was something that Naruto rarely saw in people. It was a sad loss.
He would need an appropriate time to mourn.
Okay, that was enough.
Not gaining any attention on himself, Naruto silently turned and returned to the back. Moving to Gaara's side, he gave the other jinchūriki a side glance, "Lisanna's dead."
Gaara's frown deepened, "Really? Oh, that's sad. She was actually tolerable."
"Yeah," Naruto gave a slow nod, "Fu's going to be upset. She'll need a shoulder to cry on when she's done comforting Mirajane."
Gaara sighed, "I'm not the best with these sort of things, but I'll try."
"Good," Naruto grabbed the door handle but didn't turn it, "FYI, we'll probably be forced to stay here for the next couple of days, so you need to get used to the crying."
"Right, right," Gaara nodded.
Opening the door, Naruto stepped back into the med room. Approaching the still resting Laxus, Naruto prepared for the odd combination of being the healer and the bad news bringer at the same time. He would have to handle this with tact.
"Lissanna's dead."
Or not.
The doors to the guild hall crashed open. Han's eyes drifted over to the entrance to see a women step into his domain, "You!"
"Yeah, that's right! Me!" Xion stomped to the middle of the room and glared at the giant.
Han quickly stood from his makeshift throne and took heavy strides to the tall woman. Of course, she was smaller than him. Everyone seemed to be smaller than him. Nevertheless, she was bigger than most of the fragile women that seemed to break just by being near him, "You've got a lot of nerve coming here again."
Xion grinned and shoved Han forcing him to take a step back, "Didn't you know? I'm all nerves of steel. Unlike you that has that tin over yourself so you won't feel any hits."
"Even without the armor, I wouldn't feel your pathetic hits anyway," Han countered, "You'd probably break your hand if you tried to punch me. Or worse…You'd break a nail!"
"Oh! Someone's asking to be kicked in the crotch!"
"Just try it! I'll smash that head of yours and reveal that tiny peanut you call a brain!"
Both of them continued to stare each other down. Everyone in the guild hall had stepped away to avoid falling victim to the inevitable crash. Their worries were quickly washed away when the near giant sized people burst out in laughter. They then shook hands.
"How the hell you been, Han?" Xion questioned.
"It's been an amusing couple of days," Han let out a chuckle, "The little lightning bug kept crawling back over and over again. You're lucky I managed to stop myself from crushing it."
"It is for the best in the long run," Yagura noted as he too walked into the guild, "It would be unwise to make ourselves enemies of Fairy Tail this early into the plan. Eventually, we may not have a choice in the matter. Especially when we recruit Number's One, Seven and Nine. But for now, it would be best not to have a Wizard Saint busting down our door."
"I still don't get how you'll get those three on our side," Han let out a grunt and retreated back to his throne, "Sure, they're not as uptight as those Fairies, but they can't get paid off like me, and they're not pussy whipped like the old man and you, squirt."
"Squirt!? Show some respect! I was leading village before you even knew how to throw a kunai right!" Yagura stomped his foot in outrage.
"He still can't," Roshi spoke up as he leaned against the doorframe of the entrance, "His aim sucks balls."
"And you can't even see far enough to use kunai anymore, you senile fool," Han glared at his old comrade, "Why are you all here anyway? And where's that water monster that hold your leash?"
"The answer to both of those questions are the same," Roshi lifted up his jug and took a long chug.
"Now that you proved that you can be a team player," Yagura explained, "We need to tell you the full plan. Merrisa has a way of getting Numbers One, Seven, and Nine. Two and Eight, on the other hand…"
"We'll probably need to force them into it," Xion let out a sigh, "And with Bee's power and Yugito's tactics, it will be near impossible for someone to try to capture them without one of us or them dying."
"So what are you going to do?"
"We're going to recruit some help. But you're not going to like who it is…"
Water burst all around. It crashed against her skin and caused her nerves to scream in agony as bruises were formed. Her mind was spinning in a sense of dizziness that made her feel like vomiting. She couldn't breathe. Part of her felt like she was dying.
Then, the water retreated.
Finally able to breath, Lucy sunk to her hands and knees to take giant gasps of air. Completely soaked to the bone and her muscles burning, she could hardly force herself to anything more than that.
"Again!" Lucy gasped out.
A mermaid stood in front of the blonde. With long light blue hair matching the scales of her tail, the mermaid was a stunning beauty. The deep scowl that marred her face would make most men run in terror, though, "You can't be serious."
"I am. Again."
Aquarius raised an eyebrow, "Why are you doing this all of a sudden? I've heard from Tarsus and Cancer that you've had them do this too."
"I need to get stronger," Lucy tried to not fall on her face, "I need to be able to endure pain if I want to be free. Do it again."
"Tsk!" Aquarius rolled her eyes, "You'll give up on this. You're too much of a crybaby."
"Maybe I am," Lucy admitted, "And I don't think I want to force myself to stop crying and try to force myself to feel nothing. That seems so sad to me. Instead, I need to endure in the fight and save the crying for later. When the battle is over, I can cry."
Aquarius's scowl lightened again, "I see."
"But I need to learn how to endure as much pain as possible. So…" Lucy glared at her, "Do it again. Don't hold back."
Aquarius smirked, "Very well. Let's see how committed you are to this change."
Rain poured from the heavens and fell all across Magnolia. If Naruto didn't know better, he would have thought that the downpour was more than just a coincidence. A more optimistic Naruto would claim that the sky god herself was crying over the loss of such an innocent soul. He knew the truth, though. It was just a coincidence. Even if Azura actually cared enough to control the weather on a daily basis instead of the letting the weather just react on its own accord, she wouldn't mourn the death of one girl who was insignificant in the eyes of the gods.
Nevertheless, the cloud's tears did match the mood of the funeral. It almost drowned out the tears and sobs that rang out from the mages of Fairy Tail. Still, Naruto could easily see the distress of the guild. None were more broken than Mirajane, Elfman, Natsu, and Happy, though. Those four seemed the most deeply effected. From what he understood, Lisanna had borderline wife and mother roles with the two male mages respectively. Elfman, seemed to lose a lot of spirit, understandably so. He was the one that lost control over his Takeover magic and dealt the deadly blow to his little sister after all.
Mirajane, though…She was on a whole other level. In the short few days' time between when they returned and the funeral was held, she seemed to gone through a total personality change from the loss of her beloved little sister. While once brash, outspoken, flirtatious, and rude to people just because she could be, she was now soft spoken, more subdued, and polite. Her normal revealing clothes were exchanged for long dresses that covered everything but her shoulders and ankles.
She seemed to have been completely broken and had put herself back together in a way to compensate for the loss of her sister. In the process, she lost everything that ever made her Mirajane. Now, she seemed to be a sweet innocent girl. No more demon or magical power. That seemed to be suppressed for what would be the textbook example for the ideal gentle woman.
That bored Naruto to no end.
He used to respect Mira more than most in his generation. She held no fear or restraint. Mira said what she wanted to say when she wanted to say it. Naruto knew she could back it up too. Plus, he was certain she was willing to play dirty. If there was anyone in the guild that could fight him and win through methods other than physical force, it was Mirajane, and Naruto respected the hell out of her for it. If he was being honest, he had even entertained the idea more than once of getting to know her better.
All such thoughts drained away when he saw the soft little girl breaking down in Fu's arms once again. She was just another generic girl. Just like all the others.
'A demon rising into an angel,' Kurama scoffed, 'Such a waste.'
'Couldn't agree more, partner.'
As the ceremony ended, the people began to wander off after giving Lisanna's family a few last words of condolences. Eventually, even the siblings were guided away by a Fu and Makarov leaving the new grave to the rain. Even a thoughtful looking Gaara made his way away. Naruto, however, stayed back for a bit.
"I'm suriprised," Levy noted as she walked by the blonde. Like Naruto, she was dressed in black clothing, "I didn't think that you would take this hard."
"I'm not," Naruto stated, "Lisanna's death is typical. Innocence is the first thing to die in this world. It's sad, but I've seen it enough to ignore it."
"Figured you say something like that," Levy let out a sigh, "Why are you still out here then?"
"Not like I have anywhere to go," Naruto shrugged, "And her death does remind me of Kaa-san."
"Right, April Kazen. The guild told me about that, even though my own Nii-san never answered my questions about it," Levy glared at Naruto.
Naruto didn't react, "I never gave you permission to call me that."
"Yeah, I know," Levy gave him a sad look, "But when I see you, all I can think of this ideal mage that Mama told me about before she died. I remember when she first told me about you and Gaara saving her. Then there were so many stories about you saving people and stopping dark guilds. I idolized you, and I never thought you'd be such an ass."
"Never meet your heroes."
Levy shook her head, "But…but you did save me."
"Gaara and I were hunting down a dark guild," Naruto noted, "They just so happened to be attacking your town. The only reason you were saved was by coincidence."
"You say that, but you were the one that directed me to Fairy Tail," Levy argued.
Naruto snorted, "Don't act like it was anything more than pity for a crying kitten in need of a new home."
"I'd like to think it was more. That you actually do care," Levy pleaded.
Naruto reached up and pulled up his headband. Levy was met with the bright red eyes that she first witnessed many years ago. To many, they would look angry or uncaring about life. Despite everything she knew about him, every conversation she forced on him when she followed him out of Magnolia, and every time he brushed her off, she had hoped to see the same thing she saw when she was a little girl.
She was wrong, though. There was none of the sympathy she thought she saw all those years ago. There was no crying child in need of a hug. There was no hero.
"You can see it, right? This is who I am. I'm the guy that doesn't care. Everything I've done that has ever been considered good was all an act to benefit me," Naruto stated, "Lisanna's death doesn't matter to me. Your mother's death doesn't matter to me. Almost everything doesn't matter to me."
"And the guild?"
"I've said this every time anyone asked me about how I feel about Fairy Tail," Naruto lowered his headband again, "It is my Kaa-san's precious guild. Nothing more. Nothing less."
"So many people in the guild look up to. Some people even love you. Like a grandchild. Like a brother. Like Erz…Like they want to protect you," Levy noted, "Can't you just pretend to care? Pretend to be my big brother the same way you are too that Wendy girl?"
"Do you really want that? I don't know a lot about love, but I don't think pretending is real love."
Levy looked away, "You're right. It isn't."
Zeref sat alone in the middle of a now dead forest. His depression had returned in a giant wave after his last encounter with people. He had the foolish hope that the new God Slayer of the Sky would be able to kill him. Hell, he had hoped any of the newest generation of God Slayers would be able to kill him. Like always, he was filled with disappointment. Even that church dwelling God Slayer lacked the ability to kill him yet.
Sorrow overtook him once more. He felt so alone. The God Slayers were too weak. Natsu still wasn't ready. Mavis was dead. Zeref had nothing, so instead of retreating across the sea to his nation once more, he decided to come to the one place that wouldn't make him feel alone.
His beloved Mavi's resting place. Tenrou Island.
Laying on the ground, Zeref curled into a ball, "I miss you, Mavis. We could have done so much together."
Right now, Zeref felt like he was at an impasse. There was literally nothing he could do at this point to further any progress. The God Slayers needed time to grow strong. Natsu needed time to get ready. The Alvarez Empire was not in a position where they could invade just yet. Not to mention that Zeref didn't feel motivated at all.
So, he would wait. He would stay here and bask in the memory of his beloved Mavis. Hopefully, that would provide enough comfort to keep him sane until the wait was over.
Kami stood in the medical bay. A white curtain hand around the bed he stood beside giving him and the sleeping girl a bit of privacy. His fingers brushed against the sleeping girl's head allowing him to gently sweep through her memories.
"You called me, Kami-sama?"
"Yes, thank you for coming, Prophet," Kami glanced over to the armor clad warrior, "I need your input."
"Yosh! Hahahahaha! Of course, Kami-sama! I will do my absolute best! Maximum effort!" Prophet gained a determined look.
"Calm yourself, Prophet," Kami removed his hand from the girl's head, "Do you recognize this girl?"
"Hmm…Yes! That's a member of Fairy Tail," Prophet paused for a second, "But I thought she died a few days ago."
"The Edolas version did," Kami stated, "This Lisanna, though, comes from Earthland."
"Really? How did she get here?"
"I saved her of course. That's what the savior of humankind does, after all," Kami decided to explain further, "I was using the Anima to spy on Earthland again to see if they are planning an attack. I've yet to find anything hinting towards that, but I did see this girl by coincidence. So, I saved her like the righteous man that I am."
"You opened the gate wide enough to bring a person through?" Prophet was confused, "I thought you forbid that."
"I did, but I made an exception…" Kami sighed, "But that leaves a problem. I can't send her back immediately without alerting the people of Earthland to our presence. But I can't keep her asleep here for years. What do you suggest?"
"Well, you won't kill her…" Prophet ruled that out, "And you can't keep her here, or she'll become discontent knowing that you have a way to send her home. So…drop her off at Fairy Tail. She will fill the hole that was left there, and they will provide enough stability for her to adjust to her new world."
"That seems extremely deceitful."
"It is, but it's the safest option."
"Very well," Kami nodded, "We'll send her to Fairy Tail."
"Good, before we do that, though, I have a question," Prophet gave Kami a hard look, "Why did you really save her? You might love saving people, but you wouldn't risk this world for one girl."
Kami let out a laugh, "I can't fool you, my old friend. There was another reason. Earthland has a version of Fairy Tail as well. That version of the guild is very close to people of interest. Naruto Uzumaki, Sabaku no Gaara, and a girl named Fu."
Prophet's eyes widened, "No way. Those names..."
"Yes, I saw a glimpse of them through the Anima, but not enough, and I can't control the Anima enough to pinpoint people, but I did stumble across this Fairy Tail girl. She was about to die, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. Save the girl and find out more about those three."
"And…What did you find out from reading her mind?"
Kami smiled, "I discovered that we need to be prepare in case we have to deal with some jinchūriki."
Fu stood behind the guild hall. It was late now, and most of the guild members had left or fallen asleep. Mirajane had long since cried herself to sleep, and Fu needed some space after spending nearly the whole day comforting her. The clouds that had been gracing the ground with rain for most of the day were now parting to reveal enough of the shining stars and bright moon to give Fu enough light to get a sense of her surroundings.
"I get why you look at the night sky all the time," Fu commented, "It makes you think."
Gaara slowly stepped behind her. His steps were accompanied by the steady sound of the wet grass squishing beneath his feet, "That it does."
"With so much to think about, it's easy to lose track of time. No wonder you're tired all the time," Fu stated, "What do you think about normally?"
Gaara looked up to the partially revealed moon, "My life before I met Naruto. Why we jinchūriki must suffer. What I want out of life."
"And what do you want out of life?" Fu questioned.
"I…I don't know," Gaara admitted, "When I was a kid, all I wanted was to be accepted. Then I wanted to prove my own existence. Then I wanted to follow Naruto and help him achieve his goals. Now, though? I have no idea. I'll probably help Naruto for as long as we're both alive, but…I've yet to find out what my dream is."
"Hmm…"
"And you?" Gaara looked at Fu, "What do you want?"
Fu gave him a small smile, "What I want is what I always wanted. Family."
Gaara nodded, "Like with Fairy Tail."
Fu lowered her head, "No, that's not what I meant. I love my guild, but that's not what I always dreamed of when I was in the Elemental Nations. Back then, no one would even touch me without having this disgusted look on their face. It was like I was trash. I always heard how no one wanted me…how my parents abandoned me out of disgust. That I was unloved."
Gaara closed his eyes as his heart ached in pain, "I…I know how that feels."
"Of course you do. I saw it from the first moment I saw you," Fu closed her eyes as well at the memory, "Naruto dragged you inside the guild hall. You only stayed for a few seconds, but I saw it. We have the same eyes. Not that Naruto doesn't have a similar look, but his pain was always different from us."
"He's never cared about being accepted or loved," Gaara agreed.
"Yeah. Me, though, I was always just so lonely. I was unwanted and unnecessary," Fu took a shuddered breath to stop herself from crying, "That's why I always wanted a family. Unlike my parents that left me in the dirt alone, I always wanted to have a husband and children. Not that I could be loved, but so that I could give them love."
Gaara's eyes snapped open to stare at Fu, "What?"
Fu slowly opened her eyes as well, "It might sound a bit cliché, but I always wanted to be a mama who would look at her children every day and tell them how much I loved them and that they deserved to exist. Just like I wanted people to tell me when I was a kid. And I wanted a husband that I could hold without him feeling disgusted about some bug girl holding him. In fact…he would hug me back and whisper sweet nothings to me every night."
"That's…a rather simple dream for someone like you," Gaara stated.
"It is," Fu shrugged, "I never really wanted to be the strongest or famous or any crap like that. I just want to have what everyone has…or should have at least."
Gaara shifted uncomfortably, "And…you want…me…"
"Yes," Fu stared at him, "I do. I've never hidden that from you."
"But why me? Just because we are both jinchūriki?" Gaara questioned.
"No, because I love you."
Gaara took a deep breath and tried to keep himself from shaking.
"You are so guarded, yet you never hide how you feel," Fu stated, "You're blunt to a fault, but you've never told me an outright lie. You can crush anything beneath your power, but you can pick up a small flower without hurting it. You're a mess of contradictions, flaws, and just awesomeness, and I love you for that."
"Fu…"
"I'm not asking you to marry me. Or to get engaged. Or even some long term commitment," Fu explained, "All I want is for you to take the first step. Say you love me and kiss me."
"I…I don't know if that's in me," Gaara admitted, "You're the second person to ever say that you love me. The first tried to kill me, and Naruto isn't someone to say stuff like that. I…I don't know if I can give you what you want out of life. At least not right now."
Fu's face fell, "Well…I can…No, I'm sorry. I can't do that anymore, Gaara. Lisanna just died. The sweetest person I ever met died in the blink of an eye. We saw them right before it happened to. And part of me wants to think that we could have done something. If we did, though, Laxus and the Thunder Legion would have died. Life is so fragile, Gaara, and with what I happened, I can't wait anymore."
"I…We're strong," Gaara argued, "We won't die."
"You don't know that!" Fu grabbed Gaara's shoulders, "We have so many strong enemies! We came face to face with Zeref for Kami's sake! For all we know, we could die tomorrow, and I don't want to die wondering what could have been. So I need an answer right now. Please."
"Fu, I-I'm such a broken person."
"So am I."
"I've never known love like what you want."
"Yes you do. I'm giving it to you right now."
"I…I…" Tears began to pour down Gaara's face, "I want to say it! I really do! But it hurts so much! All I can think of is Yashimaru killing himself to avenge my mother! After everything that's happened to me, how can I just say it so easily?"
"It's simple," Fu gently took one of his hands in hers. She then reached up to wipe away Gaara's tears, "I place my heart in your hand knowing that you could crush it. Then when you guard it with your life, the words just flow out. Just like this."
Fu cupped Gaara's cheek. He leaned into her touch almost desperately. She slowly pulled him down and kissed the kanji scar that he had branded on his forehead, "I love you."
She then moved her lips down to Gaara's nose. She gently brushed her lips over the tip of his nose, "I love you."
Fu's lips then moved down just a little more. She hovered right in front of Gaara's face. This time, though, she did not move forward. It was Gaara's turn.
Gently holding her hand, Gaara whispered back to the woman in front of him, "I love you too, Fu."
Then, he moved forward. His lips gently brushed against hers. Fu would have none of that. She pushed forward and threw as much passion and love as she could into that one kiss. Gaara quickly returned the affection.
After a full minute, the two of them pulled away. Each of them had a small smile on their face. Gaara was the only one to speak, though, "I think I know what I want now."
He then leaned forward to kiss her again. And again. And again until a few kisses became many. Holding each other close, the new lovers expressed their relationship without caring that they were out in the open and anyone could see them. Instead, they focused on each other's lips and practicing on mastering the art of kissing. It was an unspoken agreement that they would be practicing a lot.
Kyôka smiled as she walked down the halls of Tartarus's base. Things were going very well for her, although Mard Geer was more than a little angry about being proved wrong. Lord Zeref had gone himself to see Naruto Uzumaki, and the blonde lived. Such a thing was unheard of in all of Kyôka's memory. No human lived after facing their creator. That meant only one thing.
Naruto Uzumaki was no human. She had been proven right, and that made her happier than she felt in a long time. Since she first reunited with her fellow demons in Tartarus really.
Surely now, it was only a matter of time now until he would join their ranks as one of the elite demons. After all, Mard Geer had already let someone who just a reanimated corpse join their ranks. Granted, he had a powerful magic that was useful to their goal, but Kyôka knew that Naruto Uzumaki would help improve them even more.
She could imagine it now. Uzumaki would become a full demon. They would resurrect Master E.N.D. The two of them together would be completely unstoppable. Their fire and wind together would burn everything in its path. The thought made her shiver.
A Demonic God Slayer.
Surely, such a power could easily bring a god to his knees. Nothing…No one could stand in the way of such a force. There wouldn't be any doubt that their mission would be complete. They would finally be able to kill their creator like he always wanted.
Then…Then…
She didn't know what would happen then. Their very lives were tied to Zeref after all, but they could fix that. They had the technology to find a way to survive through his death. Perhaps they would continue their path of destruction until nothing was left on this planet. Maybe they would just be content to play with the humans. Or maybe…they could find something more.
Kyôka remembered when Naruto held her book. It was not a gentle grasp or a kind one. But that was the one time she had ever been held in her life like that. Even Lord Zeref was forced to release her book from the pain of holding it. That was her curse. She caused unimaginable pain, yet the blonde hadn't even flinched when he held her book between her hands.
She would like nothing more than to be held like that again. Maybe this time, it could be in a loving way.
"Gah! You can't be for real!" Zancrow rolled his eyes as he glanced, "One guy owns all this land? That's insane."
"Indeed," A rather muscular man with brown hair that stood up like long strands of confetti. His skin held a deep tan, and a dark line running over his left eye, "One man can indeed have too much. At the very least, this land has remained untouched."
"Untouched? Really, Azuma?" Zancrow snorted as he looked at the completely dead area they stood in, "I don't think so."
"This was done by an outside mage," Azuma argued, "And if Master Hades and our magic radars are right…"
"Zeref became active to track down my rival," Zancrow threw his head back and let out a loud laugh.
"Yes, that rival of yours," Azuma gave a small hum, "He has really lit a fire under you."
"Of course! Hell, you go on about wanting to fight strong people all the damn time! You should know how it feels," Zancrow grinned at the other dark mage.
"Fair enough," Azuma nodded in acknowledgment, "But at this rate, you may never face the Sword again with all the different threats after his head."
"Maybe, maybe not," Zancrow shrugged, "But he wouldn't be a worthy rival if he just died from a few problems. Besides, the way Master Hades talks, he might not be the enemy the next time I see him."
"And what about the others? The ones that follow him?" Azuma questioned.
"Well, that sand guy's followed him around for years. The girl, though, comes from Fairy Tail," Zancrow snorted, "Considering our goals, we'll probably have to face her at some point."
"The Bug Bomb?" Azuma gained a small smiled. The dirt below him began to shift as his explosive plants began to grow, "Now that would be an excellent battle."
Naruto leaned against the now open window that revealed the area behind the guild hall. From beneath his headband, he silently watched as his best friends embraced and comforted each other. He had stumbled onto this sight a few seconds ago. Part of him wanted to give them their privacy, but the other part was determined to get as much dirt as possible to tease them later.
Not that Fu would react to the teasing…So it was mostly for Gaara.
"That's sweet, don't you think?"
Naruto didn't even have to turn to know who it was, "More like relieving. Those two have been on the brink for months, and I was getting sick of the sexual tension between them."
"Yes," Erza nodded as she stepped by the blonde, "Fu and I often talked about her and Gaara's relationship."
Naruto grimaced, "It didn't have to do with those books Levy lends you two, right?"
Erza's face instantly flushed, "W-Wha? I-I don't…"
"You're a terrible liar," Naruto mentioned, "Fu openly reads them in public and told me that you read them all the time. The girl really has no shame. With her and Gaara together, I think it's only a matter of time before they start having sex in public."
Erza looked embarrassed beyond words.
Naruto took notice, "Sexual desire isn't something to be ashamed of. It's as natural as being hungry for food. The only real difference is that sex has larger consequences, as such it needs to be taken more seriously."
"H-how can you be so nonchalant about a…private topic?" Erza tried to force the blush from her face.
Naruto shrugged, "It's just the way I was raised. I, um…"
Was taught how to resist foreign seduction.
Was trained so hard that his sense of touch had dulled to the point that pain and pleasure weren't too much of an issue.
Was never told when he was little that sex meant anything more than a way to feel pleasure and reproduce.
"I never thought it was something people should be ashamed of," Naruto sighed.
"I see…Well, Fu thinks that as well," Erza admitted, "Let's hope you're theory doesn't come true."
Naruto snorted, "Maybe Gaara will even that out for her, but you never know. He might make exceptions for her. He cares about her a lot."
"They both have a strong bond with each other," Erza gave Naruto a side glance, "I'm actually a little jealous."
"Really?" Naruto frowned.
"Yes," Erza fidgeted shyly.
Sighing, Naruto rubbed the top of his head, "You know…people wear armor for different reasons. Just because they appear similar, it doesn't mean they're alike behind the armor."
"…"
"Erza?" Naruto looked over expecting to see an emotionally hurt Erza. Instead, he saw her leaning against the wall asleep. To testify to her unconsciousness, she slid down until she was lying on the floor.
Naruto blinked as he felt drowsy himself. He knew what this was. Sleep magic. A strong amount of it at that. There was only one person in Fairy Tail that regularly used that. Naruto never met him personally, but the blonde was well aware of the S-class mage.
"Mystogan," Naruto looked to the mage who looked as close to a shinobi as any mage he ever saw. Almost all of the man's skin was covered in a blue cloak. Bandages were wrapped all around his arm and legs. A navy scarf covered his face, and a bandana hitai-ate hid his hair.
"Naruto Uzumaki," A familiar voice drawled from behind the mask, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I just wish it was under better circumstances."
"The same. I'm guessing that you came because Master Dreyar told you about Lisanna?"
"Indeed."
Naruto glanced to the sleeping Erza, "Do you make it a habit of putting your guild mates to sleep?"
"I like my privacy."
"So does Gaara. That's why he likes to stay away instead of putting everyone to sleep," Naruto mentioned, "Although, I bet he would if he had the option, so that argument's kind of pointless. Still a dick move, though."
"Are you really one to talk about such moves?" Mystogan questioned, "After all, you have done many things that are quite rude."
"Really? And how do you know that?" Naruto seemed amused.
"I have been following your exploits. In fact, one of the reasons I joined Fairy Tail was because of you," Mystogan stated, "I did this because of one simple reason. You come from a different world."
Naruto clenched his fists, "And you know this how?"
"It's because you're different. Not natural to this world. No one from this world would be able to tell, but I can. Because I'm not from this world either," Mystogan reached up to remove his mask. Naruto's mouth created a small oh in shock.
"Siegrain?"
Mystogan shoock his head, "I apologize, but no. I am not the Magic Council member. I come from a planet…an alternate reality where, to my understanding, everyone has a complete double who's personality is the complete opposite of the others."
"Well, that would explain why you actually seem genuinely polite," Naruto reasoned, "Hmm…an alternate version of me…I'm picturing someone that would actually indulge in my love of orange and go all out in it."
"You like orange?"
"Of course I do. It's my favorite color," Naruto gained a sad look, "But it's not very stealthy, so I never wear it. That's one of the many reasons I respect Master Dreyar. He has such an excellent sense of style."
Mystogan couldn't hide his smile, "Regardless, I don't think my world has an alternate version of you. After all, you don't come from either of these two worlds."
"And you know this how?"
"The reason I came to Earthland from Edolas was to close the passages between the two worlds. My world is abusing this world's magic, and I need to put a stop to it. In my journeys, though, I tracked down tears that were not made by our Anima. There were nine of them that were stitched shut, but filled with a strange energy. An energy that you and your friends contain."
"I see…You did your research," Naruto gave him a respectful nod, "Why? What do you want?"
"How did you travel across the dimensional plane?"
"Would you believe through the will of a god?"
"No."
"Then there's no point in trying to explain it to you," Naruto let out a chuckle, "It's a complicated thing. I'll just say that a few people that suffered a lot got a random chance to get away from a terrible situation and took it. I doubt that the tears will open again."
"Yes…The wall is extremely sturdy. Unbelievably so, but…" Mystogan took a deep breath, "Weird things have been happening. For the last few years, the Anima has been used far less for fewer bursts. Not nearly enough to drain any magic. Something is happening, and I don't know what. My...the ruler of Edolas wouldn't just stop the draining process. The only thing I can figure out based on you is that there is a third world involved."
"Well, that's reasonable, but I can assure that none of my group is involved," Naruto shrugged, "As for your world…Edolas was it? I don't see how any people from my world would get there. There is a connection between the Earthland and the Elemental Nations. That much is obvious from what I've learned, but Edolas…That's new to me. I'd say that there's a greater threat of my people coming here than to your dimension."
"I see…" Mystogan sighed, "I thought as much. Maybe there's something more to it. Something I can't see from this world."
"Then go back."
"I can't. Not yet. There's still more work for me to do here. If I go back, I might get trapped and won't be able to save both worlds," Mystogan pulled his mask back up.
"How noble of you to care about your home dimension," Naruto muttered dryly.
"You sound like you don't care about your home," Mystogan noted.
Naruto shook his head, "I never thought of it as home. I have no real home, just places I stay. My old world can rot for all I care."
"That's…cold. What if your original world needed your help?"
"You don't know me or my situation. So don't judge," Naruto stated, "Just know this. I have a dream, and I'll fulfill it no matter what."
"Even if that means turning other people's dreams into nightmares?" Mystogan gestured out the window, "What about them? Will you ruin the new dream they just created? What about Wendy?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed, "How do you know about Wendy?"
"I know her because I saved her," Mystogan explained, "Surely after all the time you spent at Cait Shelter, she told you about Jellal?"
"Oh…" Naruto's eyes softened, "You're Jellal? You're the one that took her to her guild?"
"Yes," Mystogan nodded.
"…Thank you for that," Naruto bowed his head, "Wendy means a lot to me."
"But would you crush her dreams for yours?"
"No. She's one of my precious people like Gaara and Fu. They are the exception. They are the only things above my dream."
"But you would doom everyone else? Your world? My world? What about Fairy Tail?"
"I don't think you want to know the answer to that question."
"Perhaps not," Mystogan sighed, "Please, Naruto Uzumaki, be careful in how you handle what is to come. With your power, you can do great things. Perhaps nightmarish things, but they will be great nonetheless."
"If you say, so," Naruto shrugged, "But let's forget this unpleasantness. I owe you for saving my student."
"I didn't do it for a reward," Mystogan argued.
"And that's why you deserve one," Naruto retorted as he walked to by the Edolas mage, "Come on. I'll buy you a drink."
"Okay, but you're going—"
"AAAAAHHHH!"
"...Towards the window..." Mystogan looked out the open window to see the blonde sprawled out on the ground outside.
"I'm okay," Naruto pushed himself up, "I apologize for that. Perhaps you should speak up faster next time."
Mystogan rolled his eyes, "I really don't see how that was my fault."
Marissa smiled before her audience. Despite the terrible lighting and atmosphere, Marissa didn't look affected in the slightest, "Hello. My name is Marissa Shepard. How are all of you?"
She was met with stares and silence.
"Oh, that's rude," Marissa didn't seem deterred in the slightest, though, "Isn't it polite to introduce yourself? But never mind that. I know about you. After all, you've been shouting at my world's door for years now."
Pain's eyes narrowed, "So you are indeed from the other world."
"Did you doubt your leader?" Marissa's voice was laced with a teasing tone.
"You should understand our skepticism," Sasori's droll voice sounded out through the darkness, "It has been years since we first started trying to get into your world."
"Yes, it was a bit deflating to the pride in my abilities," Tobi added.
"Don't take it so hard," Marissa covered her mouth to hide a small giggle, "No one could get through the walls between our worlds without the say of the gods."
"Gods?!" Kisame burst out into laughter, "Oh great! The first success we actually get turns out to be a nutcase like Hidan."
"Hey! Shut up, shithead! I'll gut you and sacrifice you to Lord Jashin!"
"See what I mean?"
"Oh, I am quite sane," Marissa noted, "Gods do exist on my planet. I know this because I'm a God Slayer."
"God Slayer?" Konan's eyes narrowed.
"Don't believe me?" Merissa raised a hand. Black water danced above her fingertips and began to revolve around her hands like the planets around the sun, "I could give you a demonstration."
"That won't be necessary. What your abilities are called is not important," Pain stated, "You already showed that you control water. But there's something strange about it."
"It might because I use magic instead of your chakra," Marissa gave a smile.
"Magic?" Kakuzu sounded skeptical.
"It's a rough comparison, but think of it like nature chakra, except far easier to absorb and use," Marissa stated, "I can go into the full details later, but for now, I think we should establish the ground rules of our alliance."
"Alliance?" Itachi decided to voice his opinion, "I didn't agree to that."
"She was the one that contacted me," Tobi explained, "She said she was willing to speak with us if we were to listen to her terms of agreement, and we aren't exatly in a position to disagree to something somewhat reasonable."
"Exactly," Marissa's eyes swept all across the room, "You see, I've heard your voices through the rift as you tried to open a portal between our worlds. You spoke of these jinchūriki, the danger they pose, and the distress of your planet. I grew deeply worried and looked into these human weapons. The nine of them are spread throughout my world causing chaos."
"That sounds about right," Zetsu noted.
"I was going to confront them myself, but I would just end up killing them. To my understanding, the monsters inside of them would just reform later, right?" Marissa gained a worried look, "If that happens, then hundreds if not thousands of people will die. So, I decided that I needed help from the only people that seem to know what they're doing."
"I take it back. This woman's a goddamn genius," Kisame laughed.
"I have no idea what type of people you are, but I don't have any real options," Marissa let out a sigh, "As a God Slayer, I can open a portal between our worlds temporarily, but it closes extremely quickly. As such, not all of you can come through at once. In fact, it will have to be one at for some time until I get everything right for me to open the gate for longer bursts."
"And how long will that take?" Tobi questioned.
"I estimate around two years," Marissa gave them a pleading look and began to lie through her teeth, "Please, my sole desire is to bring peace to my world, and I cannot do that while the jinchūriki are on my world. My suggestion is simple. I will open the portal, but you will need to work with me to move discretely and with as little destruction as possible. The people of my world cannot know of the jinchūriki or it may lead to war between our planets."
"And that's definitely something none of us need, yeah?" Deidara mentioned.
"Exactly. So when you capture the demons, bring them back here, and I'll close the portal permanently. This way, we all get what we want," Marissa finished her explanation and looked around the cavern.
There was a silence for a short time, but it was swiftly broken. Pain nodded, "We cannot completely trust you yet, but we are willing to work with you for now. Maybe in two years time, we will be able to trust each other enough for this plan to work."
"Oh, thank you. I swear, I'll do my best to earn your trust."
"Excuse me," Itachi caught everyone's attention, "I have a question."
"Oh right! I do apologize! I'm sure you want to know as much as you can," Marissa beamed at him, "What is it you need to know?"
Itachi's eyes gleamed. Finally, he was about to get his answer, "You said that 'gods' and 'God Slayers' are the only ones that can open portals, correct? Does this mean that one of these such beings opened the portal?"
"Well, me oh my, I believe that would have to be the case," Marissa noted. Using ever bit of body control and use of her magic to control the water inside of her, she made it appear as if she was telling the complete truth even before the Sharingan eyes, "But our gods are notoriously off hand. They would never do such a thing like this. It must have been a God Slayer. But there are only seven God Slayers at a time, and my generation is far to young for…Oh, no…"
"What is it?"
"There is a notorious God Slayer that has existed for centuries. He's a foul creature that is despised all across my planet," Marissa looked troubled, "He's infamous for creating demons. In one of his mad experiments, he must have brought jinchūriki to my world."
Itachi's eyes narrowed, "What is his name?"
"Zeref."
People once called her beautiful. Men used to stare at her, and women used to gush about her pure skin with unhidden jealously. Of course, that was often combined with comments and even more stares at her figure. All the changed, though, when she was thrown into the middle of the war. Only the most charitable of people call her beautiful now, even if her figure hadn't changed.
Running her hands across the scars that mared her face, the lavender haired woman knelt before a small grave. Her normal shinobi gear was replaced a simple kimono she wore on her time away from the front line. Pale, pupilless eyes drifted over the grave's words.
Hanabi Hyūga
Hinata forced herself not to cry. Her sister had grown into a very hard and harsh woman after she had been named the heir of their clan. If Hinata was being completely honest, Hanabi had grown arrogant too. That was probably why she died so quickly in the war, and with their father gone, now it fell on Hinata to lead her clan.
That wasn't something she was prepared for or wanted. She knew she was never meant to lead her clan into a new tomorrow. In fact, she never really knew what she was meant for in this world. Hinata never fit in with her family. The shinobi lifestyle never appealed to her particularly. The girls in her age group acted really strange. There just didn't seem to be anything that really inspired her.
Still, she would fight on to the future. Her clan was relying on her. She was the only heir left, so she was now the head. It didn't matter what she wanted. It didn't matter that she felt lost. All that mattered was that she kept up a strong appearance and lead her clan through these dark times. So, she would harden her heart, put on a mask, and do what needed to be done.
Bowing her head to the grave one last time, Hinata stood and turned away from grave. She didn't have time to mourn. It was time to return to the front lines once more. There were enemies to be kill. It really didn't matter who at this point. Everyone that wasn't from Konoha was the enemy at this point, and Hinata would kill them all if she had to for her clan.
Because that was all that was left to do in this world. Killing was the only chance they had for hope had long since left the Elemental Nations.
The pieces lie where they fell
Everything is set for the story to tell
Consequences shine for all to see
Setting things in motion like the turning of a key
True natures shall rise to the surface
Caused by the meeting of every purpose
All leading to the return of the great mother's care
And her want to control every dream and nightmare
One year and three months. That's how long it took to finally get to this point. Everything is established, and the path is set. Things will not go the way you think they will.
Oh, and I know I'm going to get comments on this. No, the Akatsuki is not blindly trusting Marissa. They don't trust her at all, but sometimes people are forced to do business with people they can't really trust. Especially when they have no other options. But this doesn't mean that they won't always be keeping an eye, or several, on her.
Thank you all for reading and please remember to...
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