And we're back! Welcome to Twilight Key, Chapter 6! Shorter chapter this time. Chapter 5 was longer than I expected it to be.
You know something both cool and slightly surprising? It took about 3 and a half days to get over 1,000. And then we cap off yesterday with 2,483…caught me off guard. I guess more people read on the weekend or something? Or maybe the story is catching on that much? Whatever, I'm not complaining.
You know the sucky part about college? Needing to pay for it. I have to get a job…Damn it all…
Does anybody even read these? Am I just talking to myself?
TheNinjaTurtle00: Chill out, I got this. I am not committing to any pairing yet, if I even put one. Just keeping my options open. Look up Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: Blank Points. It's the secret ending of BBS that shows Aqua talking to Ansem the Wise. She hasn't aged, and he gets there right before the conclusion of Kingdom Hearts 2. Since she hasn't aged and is still a teenager, she is fair game. Even if she had aged, I've read NarutoxTsume fanfiction on this site…NarutoxAqua isn't as bad, age wise.
Also, I do not plan on stealing Sora's spotlight. But that is a ways off…
amarsh55: I have another reason I chose this outfit…If I use it remains to be seen, though.
Darkjaden: Now there's an idea…We shall see!
Anyways, on with the story!
I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts or anything else, I'm just a broke college student...
Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Normal Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Biju/Diety Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Biju/Diety Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Scene Change: Insert Place Here
Random Training Ground
A pair of blue and violet eyes cracked open. The owner of the eyes sat up and yawned. Looking around, they took in their surroundings blearily. A pair of shoulders shrugged. 'Whatever…' And the head laid back down to catch some more sleep…
If it wasn't for the fact that the blue and violet pair of eyes were now looking into a yellow feline pair. "Gah!" Rolling out of the way, the owner of the eyes fell down from where they were laying down. Unfortunately for the owner, it happened to be a tree.
Landing in a bush, the owner cursed. "Damn it…" He looked back up. "You know, if it wasn't for the fact you are a cat…I would say you are laughing at me in your head, Kuro…" And indeed, the black cat looked like it was smirking, mirth dancing in those yellow eyes.
He shook his head. "*sigh* First that weird dream, and now this…" After a moment passed, he froze. Kuro just watched curiously as the blond and crimson haired boy jumped out of the bush and to his feet.
The boy started to pat himself down. Not feeling anything out of the ordinary, he chanced a look. He was relieved with what he saw. "Black pants with an orange stripe on each side, white t-shirt with the Uzumaki swirl, and blue open-toed sandals. Yeah, this is the trademark outfit of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze-ttebayo!" He made a pose with his finger in the air and the other hand on his hip.
Naruto then looked around. "And no shadow ant-things, keys, doors or platforms in sight. Just the training ground I fell asleep in." He crossed his arms and nodded his head. "Yep, I'm back-ttebayo!" He heard a cat's meow behind him.
Turning, he saw that Kuro had vacated the tree and made it over to him. "Hey, Kuro. You will not believe the dream I just had…" Another meow was the response that he got. "Well, you remember how I told you that when I was younger, I dreamt all this weird stuff? About these three people and giant keys?"
He paused. It was hard to describe what he wanted to say. "Well, I had a dream about them again. It has been forever seen I had the last one, but I had them again." He looked back down at the cat. "This one was probably the weirdest part, though. I actually had to fight shadows!"
He stopped talking for a moment, thinking back on the dream. "There were so many of them, too. They just kept on coming…" He was now gesturing with his hands. "And there were these voices too."
He frowned at remembering the voices. "They were super annoying too. They kept on talking about light and dark, along with the balance between them-ttebayo! But that wasn't all! There were these shields, and magic rods, and I got a sword! That's what I used to fight the monsters."
"Meow…"
"I know, cool right? Earth, Water and Wind were also there. Like, I talked to them this time…sort of. They asked me these questions, and I had to answer all three of them before I moved on. The questions were things like, what is important to me, what am I afraid of, and if I would rather walk with the light or dark…"
He scratched his head in confusion. "The voices came back after that…They told me things like 'your journey will begin at twilight' and 'the day you will open the door is both far off and very near…'" He hung his head and made a face. "What is the world coming to if I am confused about my own dreams-ttebayo?"
"Meow."
"Yeah, thanks…" He shook his head in order to clear his thoughts. "Anyways, at that point I was on another one of those platforms, but instead of one person being the focus of it, all three of them were. Earth, Water, and Wind. Each of them had their own spot, and the stars I drew were there too. At that point, more of those shadow things attacked me…" He rubbed his arm. He could still remember the feeling of pain despite him waking up…
"I was getting more and more confused. The dream just kept going! And it kept feeling so real, too! After I got rid of these guys, I had to get to the next platform. But here's the kicker, I had to go over this floating bridge to get there! And the entire place was in this abyss, remember? I couldn't see the bottom-ttebayo!"
He shivered. That was a long fall! "But when I got there I had to fight again…but this time I had to fight a really big one." He stood up. "You see how tall I am? I only came up to this thing's foot-ttebayo!" He sat back down. "This one was so strong too, I kept hitting it over and over again…but it never went down. It didn't help when it started to summon a bunch of the smaller shadow things to help it…"
Naruto frowned as he remembered what happened next. "Then it got even weirder. If that was possible…My sword just vanished. One second I'm holding it, then the next I'm holding air. I had no way to fight back without it, so I had no dodge."
"Meow."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it did suck. Eventually, I fell down." He shivered again. "I was scared at this point, I wouldn't wake up and the monster was about to finish me off…And then it got worse. The darkness started to spread across the ground where I was. It was sucking me into it! I tried to fight it, but I couldn't!"
He paused, seemingly distressed.
"Meow…" The cat head-butted his hand.
Naruto smiled and pet Kuro. "Thank you Kuro…Anyways, then the voices were back. They said something about there being a shadow for every light…It turned out that was a hint-ttebayo! They were telling me I needed to calm down and accept the darkness. I had been fighting against the dark the entire time. This time, I needed to learn how to accept it. And that's exactly what I did! I just calmed down, and waited."
A grin form on his face at the memory. Before a confused frown replaced it. "There was a flash of light, again, and when it died down, I was left standing on the platform. There weren't any enemies in sight. After that, the annoying voices were back." He gained an irritated expression.
"They were so irritating-ttebayo! At first, it was fine. But as it went on, and all they would do was tell me what to do, give me riddles, and add the occasional snide comment…I just got tired of them!"
"Meow."
"Exactly!" He sighed in frustration at the next part. "They told me I had 'passed the test and gained the power of twilight…'" He sighed in exasperation. "I then got irritated at them. Like I said, they were annoying-ttebayo! When I told them to come out and talk to me, and asked what they meant by power of twilight, they just said I wasn't very observant and to look down."
"Meow."
"I do too pay attention! Who's side are you on-ttebayo?! But anyways, I did what they said and looked down. I was on fire!" He paused. "Well, not hot fire, but aura fire…if that makes any sense. It was so badass-ttebayo! It was kind of like when a shinobi pushes out a large amount of chakra at once, it becomes visible. But this one wasn't normal, or chakra…It was changing colors. It went from silvery-white, to purplish-black. Then it would change back again."
"Meow."
"I know, weird-ttebayo. It went away after a little bit. When I asked what it was, they said that was the power of twilight. It was then they told me that it was time to go home…But I asked them a question first. I asked them if any of that was real or if it all happened in my head.
A scowl formed. "They told me it was all in my head, but that it could still be real! What the heck is that-ttebayo?!"
"Meow."
Naruto shook his head and sighed. "Well whatever, it was just a dream…The weirdest one yet, but still a dream. But you know, it made me realize something…" He looked up at the sky, lost in thought. "It made me realize, that the training I have been doing…isn't good enough. I mean, I already knew that, after all, how far could a near six year old doing pushups and running laps go? But I wasn't strong enough to beat that giant shadow…"
He sighed yet again. "I wonder, Kuro…Why won't they train me…like they do Narumi and Menma? Kaa-chan, tou-chan, Kakashi-nii, Ero-sennin, and Tsunade-baa. It has been like this for a while now…" Kuro looked up as the voice got quieter and quieter. The cat actually seemed surprised at the sight of tears.
"What did I do, Kuro? I mean…they just come home one day and tell us that Narumi and Menma needed to start training once they turn five. And when I ask when I will start, they tell me that they need it more because of the Kyūbi chakra." He snuffled a little. "I can get that, I could start training in a couple weeks when we start at the academy…but why have they slowly started to avoid me?" Tears were starting to leak out now. "It has been going on like this for over a year and a half now…"
"Meow…" Kuro licked his hand.
Naruto smiled at this. "Thank you, Kuro…" He rubbed at his eyes. "You know, it really is nice how you always are here to listen when I talk…People always tell me I act mature for my age…but I don't feel like that when I am alone with you Kuro…"
He relaxed, propping himself up with his arms behind him, feet splayed out in front of him. "I can really relax and act more childishly. I wonder why…"
"Meow."
"Well…whatever." He looked at the darkening sky. "Well, Kuro. I have to go home, now." He seemed sad at the thought of home, and who was waiting for him there. "Maybe it will be different this time? How it used to be?" Sighing, he stood up.
"Well Kuro, I'll see you around?"
"Meow." Waving with a smile, Naruto walked out of the training ground.
"…That boy has the strangest dreams…" A voice muttered.
Streets of Konoha
On the way home, Naruto reflected on the last year and a half. 'They really did suddenly come home one day saying that Narumi and Menma needed to start training once they turned five…'
He turned onto the next street. 'That made some sense…but then it was like they were trying to distance themselves from me…but why would they do that?'
"Hey Naruto-kun!" Called out a vendor he was on friendly terms with. He waved in response.
'I wonder if they really will start training me too when I start the academy…Most clan kids begin before…but I know that isn't going to happen. And the academy is only three weeks away…'
He was coming upon the Uzumaki-Namikaze household now. 'I can only get so far without any form of instruction…'
All three of the youngest Uzumaki-Namikazes had their chakra entered into the security seal matrix once they unlocked it after they turned five. That was actually the only form of formal training that Naruto had received so far.
"*sigh* Home sweet home…" Looking around, he determines that his dad hasn't made it home yet and his mother was in the living room. 'I don't know where Narumi and Menma are…'
Walking into the living room, he sees his mother going over some papers. "I'm home."
She didn't even glance up at him. "Hm? Oh, that's nice…" She went back to what she was doing.
Naruto sighed again. "Well…I'll just be in my room, then…"
"Ok…stay out of trouble…"
'How would I even do that once I get home?'
Shaking off the thought, Naruto walked up to the stairs and went to his room. But before he could enter, he heard the front door open again.
"We're home!" Walking back over to the top of the stairs, Naruto had a view of the front door. He saw his little brother and sister walk in and his mother rush up to greet them.
"Welcome home! How was your day with your friends?"
"Fun-ttebane!" Narumi chirped.
"Good-ttebasa." Added Menma.
Kushina frowned a bit. "I wish you two didn't inherit that stupid quirk…I have nearly given up on growing out of my own…but I had wished it would never take hold in you…"
Naruto frowned at this. 'I say "ttebayo" too. It isn't just them two…'
Narumi giggled while Menma laughed. Kushina smiled at hearing this. "Well, I need to finish some dinner preparations, so just spend the time how you like."
Seeing their nods, Kushina walked off to clean up her things in the living room and then go to the kitchen.
The two smaller redheads walked further into the house. While Menma was wearing much the same style outfit as when he was younger, Narumi had changed her outfit to be more suitable for running around. It was a bark brown pair of pants and a light blue t-shirt that had the Uzumaki swirl on the back. They noticed him at the top of the stairs.
Narumi instantly brightened. "Nii-chan!" She called and ran over to him. Menma was following behind her.
Naruto smiled slightly. While he was a little jealous of all the attention they got from their parents and the others, he still loved them both. However, he hoped that this differential treatment would end soon. He wasn't stupid. Even at the age of almost six, he knew that chances were he would eventually grow to treat them differently. He could try to not do that, but it would be the small things he didn't notice at first. And then it would work its way into more direct manners.
"Nii-chan, why didn't you come with us to play? You never do-ttebane!" Narumi pouted.
"Ah, well…I just didn't feel like it."
"But Aniki…if you didn't feel like playing, what did you do all day? You were gone the entire time!" Menma questioned.
"Well, I just relaxed for a bit. I fell asleep." He rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner, a slight smile stretching across his face as he did so.
Narumi and Menma both frowned. A nap? That sounded like a boring way to spend the day! Menma voiced this. "You can sleep when it is night time! Day time is for playing-ttebasa!"
Naruto just laughed slightly. "Sorry." He recalled the dream again. "But I had this really weird dream. Like those ones I told you I used to have."
Narumi instantly grew interested. "Oh! I liked hearing those! They are like stories-ttebane!"
Menma on the other hand, deflated a bit. "I don't want to hear them…They are just dreams-ttebasa." With that remark he walked off.
Narumi frowned and stuck out her tongue. "Well I wanna!" She turned to her older brother expectantly.
Naruto smiled and walked back to his room with Narumi. They walked in and sat on the bed. Both of them were sitting with their legs crossed and facing one another. "Well, it started like this-ttebayo…" And he went on to recount the strange dream he had. Again.
One Dream Retelling Later
Narumi was frowning at him. "That dream wasn't like the ones you told me about before…"
"Don't I know it?" Naruto muttered in a sarcastic manner.
Narumi quickly grew excited once more. "But you sounded so cool, nii-chan! Fighting monsters with a sword, getting super powers!" She stood on his bed and made a pose as if she was pointing a sword into the air. "I bet you were like 'Ha! Hyah!" She made the motions of swinging the sword, slaying invisible enemies.
Naruto sweat dropped. "I don't think that it was quite like that…"
Narumi wasn't to be deterred though. "But it sounded so cool! Especially when you were on fire-ttebane!"
"You like the fact that I was on fire?"
"Well, when you say it like that…"
Naruto smiled. Although it dimmed after a bit. "But it made me realize something…" He began, getting her attention. "…I am not strong enough yet. I could have died in that dream…I didn't because it was apparently all a test…but what if it wasn't-ttebayo?"
This caused her smile to dim as well. "Well…Our birthday is next week," She began. "Maybe…kaa-chan, tou-chan and the others will begin to train you as well soon…and if not then…maybe when the academy starts in three weeks?"
Naruto looked like he wanted to agree, but wasn't too hopeful. "Maybe…Hey Narumi, are you sure you don't know why they have been distancing themselves with me? Maybe they have mentioned it during one of your training sessions?" He looked at her pleadingly.
Narumi just shook her head sadly. "No, sorry nii-chan. I don't know why-ttebane…"
Naruto just sighed hearing this. "That's ok…Who knows maybe they will allow me to join in next week…"
Unknown Location
"He wishes for training?"
"Yes, sir."
"Those were his words?"
"Yes. He was talking to the cat again when the agent arrived. The beginning of the conversation was not heard, but it appears he had some sort of dream that caused him to desire training."
"Interesting…We will approach him soon."
Uzumaki-Namikaze Training Grounds. October 10th (One Week Later)
'It really was too much to hope for...' It was a week later, and there had been no invitation from his parents or anybody else for him to join in on the training.
Currently, the other four members of the family were in the center of the training ground. As it was their birthday, their parents had decided to teach both Narumi and Menma a new chakra control exercise. The four of them were standing in the center of the training ground.
Off to the side, under the shade of a tree, was Naruto. He wasn't allowed to join when he had asked. They said he did not need it yet. He had a depressed look in his face as he looked at them. They seemed happy.
'Maybe I could do this on my own later…' He was about to let his mind wander on the training possibilities.
"GRAAHH!" Naruto's head snapped around when he heard his sister's scream. At least, he thought it was his sister. It sounded so demonic, it was hard to tell.
'What was that?!' He froze at what he saw. In the middle of the training ground was his sister. But that wasn't what caused him to freeze. It was what was surrounding her.
Surrounding her form was some strange orange aura. It was bubbling as it grew more and more. Eventually, her entire body was covered in it. It formed into a shape that resembled a fox. But that wasn't all, her whisker marks had thickened and elongated. Somehow, Narumi's nails had grown into claws. Her eyes had gone from violet to a crimson color. Her pupils have even turned into slits.
It did not take long at all for Naruto to figure out what was going on. "The Kyūbi…" He said fearfully. That was when he noticed. Some of her skin was starting peel off.
'It's hurting her!' He could see that his parents were trying to get close, but she wasn't letting them. Eventually, they tried to jump in with force, but it didn't work. Naruto could only assume that in her current state, her senses were enhanced.
When Minato and Kushina lunged at her, she was easily able to dodge, winding up between them and where Naruto was. Minato and Kushina seemed surprised at her speed. It was probably because this has never happened before. In all of the training sessions so far, Narumi and Menma have always had control. This was the first time either have lost control. And it was pretty scary.
Naruto shook his head. 'Now isn't the time for those thoughts, Naruto! You have to help her!' This thought in mind, Naruto ran forwards.
"Narumi!" He yelled. Instantly, her feral eyes turned to him. He stopped about fifteen feet away from her.
"Naruto! Stay back!" He heard his mother, but he ignored her and kept his eyes on his sister.
Raising his hands out in front of him to show he was unarmed, Naruto slowly approached. "It's me, Naruto. You know, your older brother." He took a slow step forward. "You can hear me in there, can't you?" Another step. "You need to calm down, Narumi." One last step. He was now five feet away.
Suddenly, her body seemed to relax. Naruto smiled seeing this. "Good, you're calming down…We were worr-" BAM!
Naruto was cut off as Narumi swiped her claw. Slashing diagonally down his chest. From the left shoulder to the right hip. Naruto went flying back as blood sprayed everywhere.
Right before the darkness completely consumed him, Naruto noticed two things. The first was there were three people crying out his name.
The second was that he was looking into the shocked violet eyes of his sister.
The world turned black.
A muffled groan rang out across the platform standing in the abyss. Blue and violet eyes slowly cracked open to take in their surroundings. When he saw where he was, he let out another groan.
"Damn it all…I'm back here again." That was when Naruto realized that he was still on the ground. Pushing himself up, he looked around. "The black abyss from my dreams…So I'm dreaming…again."
Looking down, he took in the platform he was on. It was the one with the white door and all the keys. "Well, this is the first time there has been a repeat in the platforms-ttebayo."
Taking another look around, he noticed that there wasn't anything nearby. No enemies, no swords, no doors…not even Earth, Water or Wind. Deciding his best bet was hoping that the voices would respond, his next course of action was decided.
"Hello?! Annoying voices?! Are you there-ttebayo?!" He called out.
"Are you referring to us?"
Naruto jumped, only halfheartedly expecting a response. Rubbing his head sheepishly, he answered. "Sorry about that." Looking around, he still failed to spot anyone nearby.
"It is fine. While we are glad you have returned, we did not expect it to be in such a manner."
Naruto was confused. What did they mean by that? It was then he remembered the events leading up to coming back here. "Oh yeah! Narumi!" He looked around. Hoping for some form of exit to appear. "Can you let me out now-ttebayo?! I need to go check on Narumi!"
"Your body is in no condition for you to be active right now. It is actually beneficial for you to be here as that allows us to talk."
"Talk?!" He did not have time for this!
"Yes, talk." This time the voice was easily located. It was right behind him. Not only that, it had sounded like only one voice. He spun around to see who had spoken.
There we go! All done with chapter 6. Like I said above, this was meant to be part of chapter 5, but I had underestimated how long they were. Everything is smaller in my head.
In case you hadn't noticed, the neglect started! There is a reason for this. It will be shown. Maybe next chapter, maybe the one after. Or maybe in a few. Or maybe later than that. I haven't worked out all the details yet.
No detailed descriptions were needed this time. I am extremely thankful for this.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!
Until next time,
Kog6943.