Next chapter is up, yay! Hope you all like.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Magic: The Gathering.
The morning air was crisp and clean in the forest that day. Excellent training weather. All was quiet, as the nearest town was a few miles away at least, and the little clearing was generally free of wildlife. The earth was a tad muddy, the grass damp with dew, and the bark of the trees was plenty soaked, all products of the rather heavy rain that had come down the night before. The only dry object in the area was a straw target, made to roughly look something like a human. It wasn't anything particularly fancy, but it was more than suitable for the needs of the two children. With a battle cry, gout of flames rocketed through the air, slamming into the target, setting it ablaze in an instant. Chandra's eyes danced with the flickering flame, and she released a cheer of jubilation. Naruto smiled brightly back at the red-head, just as excited as she was. The small group had been wandering the small villages and towns for near a month now, moving from place to place, trying to keep their identities a secret, and to keep the Consul forces off their tails.
Naruto, for his part, had come through on his promise to Kiran, and had begun teaching the young pyromancer anything he could, be it basic Taijutsu, or letting her in on his scroll on basic magic. Unlike Naruto, who had a flair for three different colors of Mana, Chandra Nalaar was strictly a red mage. But what she lacked in variation, he found she more than made up for in raw power. Not only could she create and direct blasts of fire, but she could also control fire around her, shape it. Infuse it with her will and watch it do her bidding. Her natural affinity for fire was astounding, and he was sure back in the nations, Chandra would have been considered a born genius. Of course, on Kaladesh, only with Naruto could she let her true talent shine, and this saddened him. The Consuls so feared anything out of the ordinary, like Magic, that Chandra would be forced to spend her life denying her true self, denying her passion.
He watched as Chandra directed the flames consuming the straw figure to twirl, a torrent of fire forming a graceful funnel as it spun in a tornado-like way. Every breath she took breathing more life to the flames, every motion infusing them with energy, much like a puppet master giving a marionette the appearance of life. He watched as she pulled the flames to her, let them caress her skin without causing any harm, engulf her not to consume, but to accept her as their master. No, Naruto thought after a moment. Not a master, but an equal. In many respects, Chandra was fire. Her brashness, furious temper, and will to overcome any obstacle in her way made her much like the fiery magic she held at her disposal. Of course, while she'd never admit it, she really was a sweet girl. She had a fierce sense of right and wrong, and would never attack anyone or anything unless provoked. But get her riled up and she would make you regret it. So it was very fitting that in the end, fire was her gift.
The red-head called the flames, willing them into her offered hand, which arced across her fingertips, licking them warmly and gently. She reduced the ball of fire in her palm, closing her other hand hand over it, effectively smothering the flames. She looked to Naruto, pleased with her growing skills, and her pleasure grew upon seeing the similar look on his own face. Upon hearing the cry of a circling bird overhead, Naruto smirked, before his left hand took on a green hue. He threw his hand upward toward the bird, the mana arcing like green lightning through the air, striking its target. In an explosive manner, the creature in the air suddenly tripled in size, going from about the size of Naruto's hand to the size of the genin himself. Unfortunately, the bird, angered by the shock and change, easily picked up on Naruto's happy cheering, and circled around, looping into a dive-bomb.
Eyes widening, Naruto ducked down, trying to avoid the wrath he had spurred in the winged-beast. Chandra lit her hands once more to try and scare the enlarged bird away, but as it reached forward with its newly enhanced talons, the spell cast by Naruto wore away. It rapidly began to revert to its original size, the added mass burning away, steaming off the avian form. By the time it had reached the blonde, it had completely returned to normal. Seemingly understanding its restored status, the creature pulled up at the last minute, narrowing skimming the top of Naruto's hair.
The fire dying in her hands, Chandra nearly doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach with one hand as she pointed at Naruto with the other. The blonde grabbed at his head, as if to make sure it was still there. He stood and let loose a sigh of relief, before glaring at the red-head, who at this point was using both hands to cover her mouth to muffle her laughter. Naruto playfully shoved the girl, who in turn shoved him back. Expecting this, Naruto gripped her arm, dropping to the ground, using his legs to throw Chandra over him and onto her back. Smirking, he flipped to his feet. He smiled brightly at her flushed cheeks and narrow glare, crouching down to speak face to face. "How about we work on your Taijutsu?" he suggested. A lethal smile etched over the girl's face, and in an explosion of movement, she twisted on the ground, attempting to sweep his legs from beneath him. And had Naruto not been quicker than her, she would have succeeded in putting the blonde on his ass.
Naruto leapt back as Chandra rolled over and hopped back into a standing position, putting her hands up in a basic guarded stance. As the blonde rushed her, Chandra twisted out of his fists path, ducking low as he spun and tried to smack her face with a back-hand. Dropping to a knee, she attempted a dragon-tail sweep to relieve him of his footing, but being the more experienced fighter, Naruto used the forced moment to bend back into a hand-spring, sending him flying into the air. Foot aflame, Chandra let loose a kick, sending a gout of flame Naruto's way. Eyes widening, Naruto engulfed himself in white mana, using it as a rudimentary shield as he landed right in the fire's path. He felt the raging heat, but the white mana served to protect his skin and insides from roasting from it. He was a little miffed, first that she had used her flames when he had specifically said he wanted Taijutsu, and second that she had thrown flames at him in general. He shot her a glare, and she just did her best to look completely innocent. Hands behind her back, eyes looking anywhere but the blonde, gently kicking at the grass beneath her feet. Naruto's glare softened as he looked at the face that even he had to admit was kind of, dare he think it, cute.
"Um, oops?" she semi-apologized, a heated blush adorning her cheeks. Naruto just sighed, settling back into a fighting stance.
"I pity the man who marries you," Naruto said, jokingly, causing Chandra to adopt the blonde's earlier glare.
"Isn't that supposed to be you," she shot back. It was half-true. They had been traveling over the countryside, giving false names and histories in each new city. What did not change, however, was her mother's sense of humor, always maintaining, no matter their fabricated backstory, that she and the blonde were betrothed to one-another, promised to be married. It infuriated the eleven-year old girl. She and Naruto were friends. Best friends, actually, seeing as he was probably her only friend. She didn't want to marry him, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Naruto felt the exact same way. She dropped back into her sparring stance, her guard up and bouncing slightly from foot to foot. It was a basic stance that Naruto had taught her. She loved when he taught her something from his home. Chandra, since the moment the blonde had shared with her about the Elemental Nation, about this place called Konoha, she had promised herself that she would find a way to see them, no matter what. With every bit of knowledge, useful or not, she felt a little closer to her goal, her desire. With a battle cry, the red-head rushed her friend.
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Baral held his stoic demeanor, even after sweeping the reports littering his desk for the third time. Searching for any trace of the rebel girl and her mage friend. Thopters and soldier were scattering across the countryside and the Consuls were growing impatient in his efforts to find them. They lacked the ability to foresee the consequences of leaving those two to their devices. But so far, the only information the Captain had discovered was the names of his quarry. The Nalaar family, consisting of Pia and Kiran Nalaar, and their daughter, eleven-year-old Chandra. She was apparently an only child. The blonde one was called Naruto Uzumaki, and despite his young appearance, he was a capable fighter, and skilled in magic for one so young. No family - though Uzumaki could be an alias of some sort - and until about 6 months prior, he did not even seem to exist.
The Captain was not an idiot, by any stretch of the imagination. He knew the old legends regarding the use of magic, as well as the storied 'Planeswalkers.' Beings gifted with the ability to travel at will to the various planes of the vast multiverse. Such beings, in Baral's view, were abominations. An affront to the natural order. Without limits, there is no promise of control, and without control, Chaos ruled. And Chaos was not to be tolerated. If this boy was a planeswalker, as Baral had theorized, things would only spiral out of control. If he was lucky, the young blonde wouldn't even know what he was or how to planeswalk, then the Captain still had a small window of opportunity to eliminate the issue before it grew beyond his capacity to handle. But that meant he and his men had to work faster, had to work harder.
And then there was the girl herself. According to the last reports from the thopters they had sent after the two children, young Chandra defeated a few herself, summoning fire and commanding it, bending it to her will. She was a ticking time-bomb of destruction, and if let loose upon Kaladesh she could completely undo everything the Consuls had build, everything he and his soldiers fought to uphold. Fire was useful only in its capacity to destroy, and at the command of a volatile, pubescent girl, it would only spread and consume, eradicating anything in its path. Despite her lack of combat skill, which Uzumaki seemed to have in spades, she more than made up for it in raw power. She would be the larger threat. To that end, he had numerous soldiers and artificers trying to create something which could contain or repress that power. Baral would have to deal with the boy himself.
He stared at the map of the country, small pins placed in the location of any potential lead. His light flickered with the flames of the candles as the door to his office was opened. He didn't look, but knew his subordinate was giving him a respectful salute. "Thopters have sighted the Nalaars, and Uzumaki," the messenger stated, prompting the captain to turn and look at the young woman who wore the soldier's uniform. "Your men are prepped and await your orders." Baral nodded, adopting a thoughtful, if not dour look.
"Tell the men to stand down," he responded. "Keep tabs on the targets from a distance, track them. I'm not going to risk losing a battalion until we have a way to suppress the girl's pyromancy." Looking confused, the messenger nodded, but felt the need to voice her concerns.
"Captain, why must they be taken alive? We could take them by surprise before the children could respond with their magic, and it would be much more humane, and potentially painless" she questioned. She knew there was no way that they would escape death, but she never signed up for killing kids. For a split second, she thought she saw the Captain smile, but then it was gone.
"Those children represent the antithesis of everything we and the Consuls stand for. Destruction, disobedience, chaos...And in their illegal activities, they have become beacons of inspiration to the masses they have smuggled contraband to. Uzumaki especially. If our reports are correct, he managed to, single-handed, increase the size of their operation by five-hundred percent. They are no longer mere children. They represent something, and their punishment must be both public, and severe...And we only need take the children alive. Kiran and Pia Nalaar are traitors, yes, and the leaders of their operation, but it's the children who inspire, the children who will ultimately draw support for their cause. The parents are inconsequential." Baral spoke in his hoarse whisper, his raspy voice only made colder by the subject matter. He eyed his subordinate, seeing her shiver a bit at his declaration. Perhaps she was not fit for duty under him. He would see about finding her a nice administrative role. "Is that a problem, Lieutenant?"
"...no, Sir. Forgive my boldness, Captain," she replied, bowing her head apologetically, but Baral held up his hand to signal her to listen.
"Good. Relay my orders, and then find out where we are in terms of that flame suppression." A simple salute was his reply, as the Soldier slipped out of his office, and he went back to his map. The moment that he and his men had a way to contain the ancient and archaic power those two were undoubtedly were growing more proficient in by the day, they would be taken down swiftly, and brought to justice before the whole of Ghirapur. And when it was done, never again would mages, the barbaric remnants of ages past, interfere with the progression into the future, to order. In this, Kaladesh's glorious enlightened age, there was no room for the chaos of old. And like ants, rising from the dirt, Baral made it his great mission in life to stamp them all out.
He sat at his desk, absently flipping through a few reports, mostly on the artificers' ideas and attempts to create a suppression system. The most promising idea was a re-purposed device known as a vent pack. Used as a way to vent surplus energy in Æther collectors, they could potential be modified to prevent the build-up of mana - the energy used by mages to use their magic - and thus render the two powerless. It was just one of many avenues they were exploring, and they would then still need to find a way to get the devices on the two safely. But as long as the devices worked, they would be able to hold the children until their public punishment.
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Naruto dipped his feet in the small stream, the cool water feeling good between his toes. Chandra knelt down next to the flowing water, taking some of the clear, fresh liquid in her cupped hands. She let the water moisten her mouth and throat, which was dry from their morning of training. Rather than take a second handful, the girl proceeded next to dunk her entire head beneath the surface, soaking her sweat-covered face and hair. Throwing herself back above the water, she breathed in deeply, and her now soaked hair was matted against her face. Naruto chuckled at Chandra's drenched look, prompting the red-head to stick out her tongue, before shoving the blonde into the water with a great splash. As he popped back up, completely and totally drenched himself. The Pyromancer just smirked, her form beginning to steam as she heated herself, instantly drying. Naruto had to cover his mouth, and her cocky grin turned into a look of confusion as he began to laugh, wheezing uncontrollably.
Moving to the water's edge, she looked at her reflection and blushed. Her hair was no longer wet. However, it had frizzed from the heat, sticking out in all directions, unkempt and mangled. She tentatively ran her fingers over the messy strands, trying to bring it back under control. She looked to her the blonde, than back to her reflection, than once more to Naruto, before she too began to shake with laughter, kicking water at the blonde, who splashed water back in response. Chandra never saw Naruto's clone sneak around and come up from behind her. Smirking, it grabbed her, pulling her down into the stream as well. She popped up next to the real blonde, his clone dispersing upon reaching the water. Gasping for air, she just glared at the shinobi, who just replied with that infectiously stupid grin of his. It wasn't long before she couldn't fight it anymore and once again engaged in raucous laughter, the blonde joining in.
Chandra reached out and pulled the blonde ninja into a hug, clinging to her best friend, laughing as she rested her head on his shoulder. Naruto blushed a bit, but returned the embrace. It wasn't the first hug the two had shared, but Naruto found the display of affection, despite there being no romantic element within, to be somewhat awkward seeing that they were pretending to be engaged. But in spite of that, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as well. Their water-logged clothes caused their movement to slow even further beneath the water's surface. Just the same, Naruto gently stroked the girl's back, and brushed some wet hair from her face.
Ever since learning about the Kyuubi, the ancient Nine-Tailed Fox demon sealed inside of him, Naruto had had to come to grips with a lot of things. Like the idea that his family, disgusted, had abandoned him. The Old Man had assured him this was not the case, and even the Pervy Sage had been rather adamant that his parents, whoever they were, had died during the Kyuubi's attack on the Hidden Leaf. Another thing he had realized, was that any chance of a romantic relationship, with anyone, would be impossible. Sooner or later, the girl would realize what he was and come to fear and hate him. But as Naruto lay in the stream with Chandra, a thought occurred to him. He wasn't in Konoha. He wasn't even in the Elemental Nations. Chandra was not simply unaware that he was the Kyuubi's jinchuriki, she was unaware what the Kyuubi or a jinchuriki were. It would never need to come up. She would never need to know. A strange feeling washed over the blonde, as he realized that while he might not be able to be a Hokage here, he could be literally anything else he wanted. He was unrelentingly free of the jinchuriki's fate. Free of the fear and the hateful stares. Free from a life as a living weapon. And in a moment of impulsiveness, Naruto leaned in and kissed the top of Chandra's head.
Chandra froze for a moment, and looked up to see the blonde - now thoroughly embarrassed - looking literally anywhere else. Blushing, she lightly smiled, before playfully punching Naruto in the shoulder. "You're an idiot, you know that?" she teased, the Blonde just shooting her that cheshire grin of his as he rubbed the back of his still-soaked hair. Chandra began to make her way out of the water. "Come one, dear. We'll be late to dinner with your future in-laws." She giggled a bit at Naruto's blush as he too exited the water, rubbing his arms a bit to warm them.
"Think you can do that instant-dry on the both of us?" he questioned, Chandra just reflected his ear-to-ear grin with one of her own.
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After a solid five minutes of eating dinner in silence, Kiran finally broke it by asking the question. "So what exactly happened to your hair?" Now, Kiran admired his daughter's free spirit, and very much allowed her to make her own decisions unless he thought doing so would threaten her safety. But when she and Naruto arrived home from training all day in the forest, both of them eschewing their usual looks for near identical-looking frizzled afros, it had certainly caught his attention. The two just looked at each other, grinning, and Pia found it rather infectious, laughing with them.
"I rather like it," she announced, lightly touching her daughter's hair. "It's kind of cute. And besides, change is a good thing. And it's even more adorable that they have matching haircuts." Naruto blushed at Pia's gushing, while Chandra's eye began to twitch.
"Mother dear, please don't get used to it. We simply fell into the stream during training, and when I attempted to dry us...this happened." Pia pouted for a moment, but regained her mischievous smile when the stream was brought up. She decided to save that tidbit for later to tease her daughter with, and instead turned to the blonde.
"How is training going?" she asked, and Kiran turned to look at Naruto as well. For good reason, as it was he who requested that Naruto teach his daughter to fight. Naruto, whose mouth was full, held up his finger to request a moment, and then swallowed his food in one gulp.
"She's a quick learner, though she can only go so far without chakra. But she's been making up for that by combining her magic with her taijutsu-" Chandra blushed a little at this, remembering earlier when she had kicked a fireball at Naruto. "-and her control over her pyromancy has increased a lot, thanks to some help from my scroll. She still has a way to go, but I'd say nobody is getting at her without a pretty wicked fight." The parents each nodded, an easy smile overtaking their faces. While they put on brave faces, they couldn't deny they were constantly worried for Chandra's safety. Worried the Consul forces would track them down and take her away, or worse. It greatly eased their fears that Naruto was teaching her, that he was protecting her.
"Good," Kiran replied, speaking between bites of his meal. "Keep at it. Within the next week we'll be moving on to the next town." Chandra eyed her father, simply poking at her food, and the Nalaar family patriarch took note. "You have something you wish to say, Chandra?"
"It's just..." she began, looking down and away from Kiran, but quickly regained her composure and looked her father directly in the eyes. "How much longer are we to keep running, Father? What is the use of teaching me to use my gift, of teaching me to fight, if we are to keep fleeing from the Consuls and their soldiers?" Kiran sighed, reaching over to place his hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Chandra, you and Naruto are perhaps the strongest people that I have ever met," he replied, trying to explain the reality to his daughter. "But the two of you cannot fight the entire army of the consuls. Even Naruto, with his warrior skills and clones, would not last. The Consuls employ more than men and women. But also massive machines, designed solely to bring death to those that would challenge their authority. You can outsmart a few soldiers, overpower a few devices. But in the end, they would overwhelm you. It's how they have maintained their rule for generations."
"I still believe we should have gone with my plan," Naruto announced, drawing the attention to himself. "I could have turned myself in, with a clone to look like Chandra. And then-"
"-And then the Consuls would have come for us whether you surrendered or not. Regardless of your plan Naruto, we would be running either way," Pia assured him. "Besides, do you really think we could have lived with ourselves if you turned yourself in, to very likely be executed?" She stood and moved behind Naruto, embracing him from behind and resting her chin on his head. "As far as we're concerned, you're as much a member of our family as any of us. And we're in this as a family." Her words struck a chord in Naruto for the second time that day. That feeling of freedom and belonging washing through him, a warm euphoria that he wished to cling on to as long as possible. "We'll figure something out, but for now, keeping on the move is our best option."
The rest of dinner was finished in silence, after which the children decided to get some sleep, each moving to their rooms in the old shack they were calling home for the time being. While Naruto fell asleep almost immediately, Chandra took the time to brush her hair, bringing it back to its original state. While she brushed the red locks, her mind drifted to what her father had said. About the Consul forces. That they were relentless and numerous. That they would not rest until she and her family was stamped out. She thought back to that day in the market. Had she been a bit smarter, a bit quicker, all of this could have been avoided. They would still be back home, they would not be hunted.
Everything that had transpired since then was her fault. It was her fault for not being strong enough to traverse the rooftops instead of taking the streets. It was her decision to play the late school-girl, sharing her face with the soldiers and the thopters. And saving her had only revealed Naruto's existence to the Soldiers and the Consuls. Because of her, her best friend put himself on the line, going so far as to suggest surrendering to them just to keep her safe. And even with her powerful gift, and the training Naruto was giving her, she had no way to make it all right. Her parents had spend a great deal of time attempting to explain that it wasn't her fault, but Chandra was unconvinced. Was it her destiny to constantly screw up?
Chapter End
So, not a whole lot happening in this chapter, it's essentially building up to something far greater. As I pointed out before, there will be other Planeswalkers appearing later on, but for right now, I think it's more important that we establish Naruto and Chandra as characters a bit more before the story branches out to other points of the Multiverse. I may NOT have pointed out before that this story is only the first of at least two different fics, and will be rather short. But it will be long enough to establish and build up the plot points in the next story.
Also, just curious, and this has nothing to do with the story, but to any players of MTG, what is your favorite format to play, and what kind of deck do you prefer. I prefer Commander/EDH format, playing with decks varying from Zombies commanded by Grimgrin, Corpse-Born, to Colorless Eldrazi, to a Bant Exalted deck, commanded by Rafiq of the Many, and Yes, that is where the title of this fic comes from. Leave you answers in the review box, or shoot me a PM. I'd love to hear about your decks and play styles.
Peace to all my Fans
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