And we're back! Welcome to Twilight Key, Chapter 41!
Finals are this week, so everything has been thrown off schedule…Sorry.
It's awesome for me to see how all of you are cool with me bringing Kairi into things this way…Or at least, you're willing to trust me enough to explain before completely shitting on me. The worst of the reviews in the last two chapters were just some mild concerns over how this would throw off development in other characters.
Kairitrion Cerulean: Thanks for listening to instructions! Whether or not my idea is a good one remains to be seen, but I think it works pretty well. As for the Pokémon thing…If I do the Pokémon world, that would be a good idea.
redlox2: Interesting theories…As for your question…No spoilers!
Remzal Von Enili: I'm going to confess something to you…I've never seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I don't have a clue what happens in that movie whatsoever, so I can safely say that I won't be doing that world.
Jebest4781: Nice theory…Is it the right one though?
The Sith'ari: I'm not committing to anything, but she is my favorite pick.
Guest: Oh god, no. I'm not even going to touch upon the idea of a lemon.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Hahaha, when you told me you were behind, I didn't think that meant you were still on Chapter 15.
xYuukito: I could, but I suck at descriptions.
guest-bat: Hmm…Could be, but is that what happened? :P
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/Deity Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Biju/Deity Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Scene Change: Insert Place Here
Jutsu/Magic/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here
Gummi Ship
"How many do you think there are?"
"A bunch!"
"Do you think they're strong?"
"They have to be! I mean, look at the place!"
"This is gonna be awesome! I'm all fired up!"
Gray scowled and turned around in his seat to glare at the dragon slayer and cat duo. "That's great, now would you please stop talking about it?!" Natsu's grin immediately morphed into a scowl as he shifted his attention to the ice mage.
"Huh? Why the hell should I?"
"Because I'm sick and tired of hearing 'I'm gonna kick their asses' and 'Naruto, make the ship move faster' or something else equally as stupid!" Gray shouted. "We're almost there, so sit there and shut up!"
Natsu growled as Happy got out of his lap so the pink haired teen could get up. "And if I say no?" He asked challengingly.
Rising to the challenge, Gray also got out of his seat and took a couple of steps to meet Natsu. "Then I will make you shut up." He threatened.
"I'd like to see you try, snow cone!"
"It would be my pleasure, hot head!"
Naruto groaned at the shouting. "Honestly, I'd prefer it if you would both be quiet." He gestured to the world in front of them. "We're here, so just stow it." When he saw them look at him and open their mouths, he glared. "How about this? If you don't be quiet, then I'm going to call Kaa-san and tell her about the time that you thought it would be funny to endanger all of us because you wanted to call some of the monsters names back in «Aincrad»." Natsu and Happy paled at his words.
In contrast to this, Gray smirked. "Ha! Serves you right, you flaming idi-"
"I'll also tell her that a certain ice user has been stripping around teenage girls." Gray's mouth snapped shut. "So? What'll it be?" Gray and Natsu traded glances and slowly moved back to their seats.
"W-We'll be good…"
"Aye…"
Naruto smirked in triumph. "Good choice." Did he feel like it was a low blow to use their fear of his mother against them? Yes. Did he care enough to not do it?
Not a chance.
Kairi giggled from her seat. "Your mom sounds fun, Naruto. I'd like to meet her at some point." Naruto blinked at this and considered the option.
"Well, I don't know about face to face, but I can introduce you then next time we call my world." Naruto suggested. "It's already been a couple of days since we last did that, so we can do it once we are done with this world." Naruto grinned at her. "I'd bet she would like to meet you." This time, it was Kairi's turn so be slightly surprised.
"How come?"
"You're a redhead." Came the simple answer. "Kaa-san says that red hair is the best hair…Blond is apparently a close second though."
Happy chose that moment to fly over to Kairi and perch himself in her lap. "Aye! That, and she would like you because you make Naruto eat things other than ramen!" Naruto blushed lightly and averted his eyes. "We haven't been travelling between worlds that long and he has already eaten a bunch of the stuff."
"Shut up…" Kairi's giggling made his blush darken minutely. Clearing his throat, Naruto spoke up and attempted to change the subject. "Anyways, we're going to start entering the world now, so everyone strap in."
Later
The group pushed aside the oversized gates just enough to slip through and enter the large courtyard.
Gray released a whistle as he took in their surroundings. "Wow. This place is pretty extravagant…"
They were standing at the entrance of a large courtyard outlined with golden torches and marble columns. Up ahead was a set of large doors, except these ones were at the top of a marble staircase, and they led into a building. On either side of the entrance was a huge statue of a gladiator with his sword drawn.
"I wonder where we are…" Kairi said curiously. "This entire place looks like something you'd see gladiators fighting in…"
"Hey guys! Check this out!" All eyes zeroed in on Natsu upon hearing his voice. When they weren't looking, the fire dragon slayer had taken the chance to walk off and explore. He was now standing in front of a large banner hung up on the wall, an excited grin on his face.
Letting his curiosity get the best of him, Naruto moved to join Natsu. "What'd you find?"
Natsu pointed at the banner. "This! It's a bracket for a tournament!" He spun around to face them as the other's walked up. "I was right! There are strong people here, and they're having a tournament!" Fire erupted around his body. "I'm gonna win it!"
Deciding to check it out for himself, Gray stepped around the flaming teen and hummed in interest. "Natsu's right." He said. "It looks like this is a coliseum that frequently hosts tournaments." A grin broke out across his face. "And it looks like they have one scheduled to begin later today…I have to say, I wouldn't mind getting in on that."
Naruto's eye twitched. "We don't visit worlds so we can have fun." He muttered. "Especially not so we can have fun by fighting people." Just as Naruto expected him to, Natsu waved him off.
"Aw, relax a bit. Doesn't the idea of fighting strong people get you pumped?"
"…No?"
"Well, I'm pumped!" Natsu whirled around and ran towards the doors leading into the coliseum. "So let's go!" Happy flew off after Natsu.
Gray put his hands into his pockets and followed after Natsu at a more sedate pace. "Sorry, Naruto. You might as well go with it. You know how that idiot is when he gets his mind stuck on something."
"I don't see you against it that much…" Naruto said with a sigh.
Smiling slightly, Kairi spoke up. "It looks like both Natsu and Gray are looking forward to this. Would it really be that much trouble for them to fight in the tournament?"
Naruto shrugged weakly. "I guess not…I'm mostly worried about them going overboard at some point." Kairi's grin grew at his words. "Come on, I don't trust Natsu alone with Gray and Happy." The two of them walked towards the lobby.
"Look, I'm telling you it ain't happening!" As the two of them approached, they noticed what sounded like raised voices arguing in the lobby.
"Why not?! I want to fight!" While the first voice was unfamiliar, the second one definitely belonged to Natsu. Not wanting things to escalate too far, Naruto picked up the pace, prompting Kairi to do the same.
"I don't care what you want." The unknown voice refuted. "The rules are like this: Heroes. Only! You lot ain't heroes, so you don't get to participate in the games!" It was then that Naruto and Kairi walked through the doors, getting a look at the room and its occupants.
Standing in the center of the lobby were Natsu, who had a scowl on his face, and Gray, who simply had a frown with his arms crossed. Happy was perched on Natsu's shoulder and looking between Natsu and the…goat(?) he was arguing with.
The goat(?) had the lower body of a normal goat with orange fur and the upper body of a short man. The goat(?) was bald on top of his head, except for a few strands of orange hair, while the back of his hair was about shoulder length. On his chin was a curly goatee and he looked slightly unshaven. Completing the look was a pair of goat horns on top of his head.
Natsu's scowl deepened. "We are heroes! We've helped people!"
One side of the goat(?)'s unibrow raised in disbelief. "You? Heroes?" He scoffed. "Keep dreaming, runt." He turned around and waved over his shoulder. "Sorry, but you're not entering the games."
"What's going on?" Naruto asked as he walked up to them.
Gray glanced over to him. "This guy won't let us enter. Says that only heroes get to enter." Although he controlled himself better than Natsu, it was easy to see that he was also annoyed at not being allowed to enter the games.
Naruto blinked. "A hero?" He echoed, getting a nod. "What the heck does that mean?" Stiffening for a moment, the goat(?)'s head snapped back around to Naruto, surprising the crimson blond slightly.
"What does it mean?" He asked. "What does a hero mean?" The goat(?) glared. "A hero is a hero! What's so hard to understand about that?"
Frowning, Naruto crossed his arms. "Well, it's hard to understand because what qualifies someone as a hero? Are you the judge of who is hero material?" The goat(?) blinked.
"No, I-"
"I would have called you an idiot if you had said yes." Naruto interrupted. "I don't think that anyone has the right to declare a person is a hero and expect it to stand universally. It's all a matter of opinion."
The goat(?) stared at Naruto. "…Huh…?"
Naruto gestured at him. "What's your definition of a hero?"
Not expecting the sudden question, the goat(?) took a moment to respond. "A hero is someone who risks their life to save others, not expecting anything in return. They're people who go into a fight to protect someone, knowing full well that they could die, and even if they do win, they might not get any thanks for what they do." The description of a hero got a nod out of Naruto.
"That's a pretty good definition, but I don't think it's completely accurate." The goat(?) appeared to actually be affronted by Naruto's words. "While I agree that a person like that can be called a hero, I don't think that's it…Do you think it's important for children to be happy?"
The goat(?) frowned in confusion. "Um, yes?"
"I'd hope so, yeah." Naruto agreed. "But what if a child wasn't happy? Not because of anything someone did, but maybe because something that happened that made them sad? It could have been anything, anything at all, but the end result is the same. You with me so far?" The goat(?) slowly nodded. "What if someone came by, and saw that the child was unhappy…This person, they could be anyone, whether it be a stranger, family member, or a friend. They don't have to be strong or fast…Heck, they don't even need to be smart, but what if they saw an unhappy child, and so they decided to act? This person approaches the child and then did everything he or she could to put a smile on that child's face." The goat(?)'s eyes widened.
"That's…"
"It's just my opinion, but you don't need to fight and put your life on the line to be considered a hero." Naruto said. "And I think it's really dumb to forget that there's more than one way to be a hero…" He paused. "…In fact, I would even say that real-life heroes are the people who you look up to, friends and family included…Anyone who helps others can be a personal hero to the person that is helped."
"I agree." All eyes turned to the entrance at the sudden voice. "It really isn't fair for any one person to declare whether or not someone is a hero, Phil…No matter who it is."
The goat(?), Phil, frowned in thought. "Herc…"
Standing there was a tall and muscular man with rust colored hair and blue eyes. He had on orange-brown armor, a brown belt with a golden emblem, and an orange-brown metal kilt. The man also wore knee-high sandals, two wristbands, and a reddish-brown headband. Attached to his shoulders was a blue cape.
The man, Herc, walked up to them. "He is absolutely right in saying that a person can be a hero in more than one way. It isn't for you to say whether or not a person is a hero."
Phil scowled slightly, but there wasn't any malice. "But I'm not the only one choosing!" He pointed toward the ceiling. "You and I both know who really gets to pick the people who are heroes."
Herc nodded. "Fair enough…" A small smile appeared on his face. "But still, you are the one who decides who is allowed to participate in the games." Phil stilled. "What's the harm in letting them join? You already let the other group who came through here to join a few days ago. And look, they proved themselves capable. They beat the Cerberus!"
"Only because you tired it out first!" Phil yelled back, but sighed in resignation. "Fine, they can enter." Gray and Natsu grinned. "But they have to prove themselves first!" The grins faded as Herc cast a suspicious look at the goat(?).
"Phil…" Phil waved him off.
"Don't you worry, I'll really let them in this time if they can pass the trial." Phil's words brought a smile to Herc.
"Good. It wasn't fair of you to break your word last time."
Muttering something under his breath, Phil started to walk towards the roped off entrance. "Whatever…Whenever you brats are ready to get tested, meet me out in the arena, capeesh?" And without waiting for an answer, he trotted out.
Herc sighed with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry about him…He can be a little abrasive when you first meet him." Natsu grinned at the man.
"No problem! Thanks for getting him to let us fight!"
Gray rolled his eyes. "He still hasn't agreed to anything yet. We still need to be tested, apparently."
"There's no way we're gonna fail!"
Natsu's excitement made Herc's smile widen. "That's the spirit. If you give it your all, I'm sure you can pass."
Naruto ignored Natsu for the moment and focused his attention on the man. "Regardless of whether or not the test ends in failure, we appreciate the support." He said. "I'm Naruto. The others are Gray, Natsu, Kairi, and Happy…" They each waved or spoke upon their names. "Your name is…Herc?"
Herc nodded. "Herc is short for Hercules, but I don't mind being called that." He gestured towards the door that Phil left through. "The person you were speaking with is Philoctetes, but it is probably easier to say Phil." Natsu and Happy sighed in relief. "So? You came here to enter the games?"
"Not really, no." Naruto shrugged. "We're just sort of passing through when we found out about it." He pointed over to Natsu. "Natsu said he wanted to enter the moment he found out."
"I'm so going to win this!" Natsu declared and spun around to face the direction Phil left in. "Let's go finish this test so we can enter!" It was then that Herc saw the mark on his shoulder, causing his eyes to widen.
"That mark…" He began, gaining their attention. "Are you…members of Fairy Tail?" He asked. The moment he heard that question, Natsu abandoned his course of action and whirled around to face Herc, Happy and Gray doing the same.
"You know about Fairy Tail?!" Natsu shouted. "Then that means you've met one of our friends!" He ran up to the man. "Who?! Who was it?!"
Gray reached forward and grabbed Natsu to pull him back. "Give him a chance to answer!" He instructed before looking to Herc. "But he's right. The fact that you recognized the mark means that you know someone else with it."
Although slightly surprised by Natsu's outburst, Herc quickly recovered and smiled. "That's right. Someone else with the mark showed up near the entrance of the Underworld a couple of months ago. I was able to stop her before she wandered in, but…" He sweat dropped. "She probably would have been alright…" Herc cupped his chin in thought. "She is taking care of something in the Underworld for me, but she should be returning here any moment now."
"Who was it?!"
Herc tilted his head. "Oh, I still haven't told you? Her name is-"
"I'm back." All eyes turned to the main entrance, and all but Kairi and Herc's widened. "Hercules, I have spoken to…" The young woman stopped cold and blinked. "Natsu? Gray? Happy?" Realizing it really was them, she smiled. "It is you! It's wonderful to see you again!" Not giving them a chance to react, she strode forward and grabbed the paralyzed Natsu and Gray's heads. Naruto and Kairi's eyes widened in shock when the newcomer slammed their heads into her armor with a smile. "I am glad to see that you are alright."
"Is that a hug?" Kairi whispered.
"Erza!" Happy shouted, his voice a strange mixture of joy and fear. "You're here!"
The young woman had long, scarlet hair and brown eyes. For some reason, she wore armor over her top, complete with gauntlets. Contrasting this, she also had on a normal blue skirt and black boots.
Erza smiled at the flying cat. "Yes I am, Happy." She let go of Gray's head, allowing the unconscious ice mage to slump to the ground, and reached towards the cat. "Now come here, I have a hug for you as well."
"No thanks! I'm good!" Happy declined.
The moment she heard that, something about Erza shifted. A dark aura covered her body as her expression darkened, but it wasn't like the normal darkness. This darkness was…scarier. Naruto shuddered when the image of another terrifying redhead blended in with Erza's.
"What was that?"
Happy shook in place for a moment. "N-Nothing…I would l-love a hug…" Whimpering, Happy tentatively glided over to Erza, who instantly returned to normal.
"That's what I thought." If it wasn't for the fact that they were standing there, neither Naruto nor Kairi would have believed that she was so terrifying just a second ago. The two of them winced as Happy was grabbed out of the air and slammed into her armored chest. "I have missed the three of you." Erza said gently, getting three groans in return. "What are you doing here?"
Hesitantly, Herc cleared his throat. "Um…They are here to participate in the tournament, Erza…"
Erza's eyebrows rose in surprise, but a smile spread across her face. "I suppose that isn't a shock, given who we are talking about." It was then that she seemed to remember what she was saying a minute ago. "Oh, I almost forgot…" She released Natsu and Happy, and they both crumpled to the floor. Stepping over the bodies, Erza walked up to Herc and fished something out of her pocket. "I've done as you asked. Here's the stone." She took out a stone with a lightning bolt on it and handed it to him.
Herc smiled in thanks and accepted the stone. "Then he's learned his lesson?" A nod. "How did you do it? You can't hurt him while he's in the Underworld, and I doubt he would just listen…"
The question made Erza smirk. "I can be very…convincing when I need to be. No need to say more than that." Gray, Natsu, and Happy all shivered from their spots on the ground. Turning around, Erza blinked when she saw the three of them. Naruto, Herc, and Kairi all watched as a frown appeared on her face. "What do the three of you think you're doing lying around like that? That isn't the place for a nap."
"She's the one who did that!" Kairi whispered in shock.
When Erza got no response, the dark aura from before returned. "That means…Get up!"
"Aye!" The three of them snapped to attention with salutes. Erza nodded in approval with a smile while the darkness disappeared.
"Good. I know we aren't exactly in Magnolia, but I still expect you to conduct yourselves as members of Fairy Tail should." She glared. "And that means no fighting." Natsu and Gray broke out into a cold sweat, still not relaxing from their salutes. "Have you been fighting?"
"Ma'am, no ma'am!" They shouted in unison.
"Naruto has been good at keeping them in line, ma'am!" Happy added, prompting Erza to tilt her head in thought.
"Naruto?" She repeated. Looking around the lobby, her eyes landed on the frozen Naruto and Kairi, as if noticing them for the first time. "I assume you're Naruto?"
Naruto swallowed, not wanting to wind up on the ground. "Yes, I am…" He said shakily.
Smiling again, Erza walked up to Naruto and offered him a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Naruto. I'm Erza Scarlet." Nervously, Naruto accepted the hand, and he immediately wished he hadn't when her hand gripped his.
'Kami, that freakin' hurts!' How strong was she?!
Letting go of his hand, much to the relief of Naruto, Erza spoke up. "So you have been keeping Natsu and Gray from fighting each other too much? You have my thanks for that." She eyed them. "I know they can be a handful…" The two mages shook in place under her gaze.
Seeing this, Naruto shook his head. "N-No, they're fine…They do bicker occasionally, but it isn't too bad…" He stood his ground when Erza's eyes moved back to him.
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Her lips formed a frown. "I don't like it when I'm lied to…" Naruto shivered again.
"O-Of course not! I would never lie to you, Kaa-san!" Naruto's hand shot up to cover his mouth as Erza's eyes widened in shock.
"K-Kaa-san…" She repeated.
Naruto shook his head. "Wait, sorry! That just slipped out-ttebayo!"
A blush formed in Erza's cheeks while armored hands came up to cup them. "W-We just met and we hardly know e-each other…" She muttered. "B-But I suppose…I don't really mind…" Her blush deepened. "I am alright with being your K-Kaa san…" Her hand lashed out and grabbed Naruto's head. Not giving him a chance to say anything, she slammed his head into her chest in the same manner that she did to Natsu, Gray, and Happy. "I swear to do my best as your mother!" Naruto groaned.
Witnessing this, Gray broke out of his salute and spoke up. "Wait, Erza!"
"Hm?"
Gulping, Gray nervously spoke up. "N-Naruto didn't mean to call you that…You really remind him of his mother, is all…" He told her. "It was an accident."
Erza stared at him with wide eyes. "It was an accident…?" Slowly, her eyes trailed back to Naruto. "Oh…" She released Naruto, allowing him to crumple to the floor. Coughing into her fist, Erza attempted to control her blush. "My apologies."
Naruto pushed himself back to his feet with a dazed expression. "I-It's fine…Let's just forget about it." Erza nodded in agreement.
"Very well."
Now that the commotion was over, Kairi stepped forward with a nervous smile. "You know all of them, but I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you." Erza smiled back.
"It's nice to meet you as well, Kairi."
Finally returning to his usual self, Natsu interjected. "Erza, what are you doing here?!"
Erza glanced over to him. "I've been here since we all got separated a few months ago. I woke up near the entrance of what is apparently the Underworld, but Hercules here prevented me from actually entering it. Since then, I've simply been honing my skills in the games held in the coliseum and waiting for news of the others." Her smile widened. "I was starting to fear the worst when a boy claiming to know you came through here a few days ago. He said he was keeping an eye out for Fairy Tail members." Naruto's eyebrows shot up.
"A boy who came through here said that?" He grinned when he realized who she was talking about. "You mean Sora was here?" Kairi perked up at the name.
"He was?" She asked excitedly. "How was he? Do you know where he is now?"
Herc and Erza shared a look. "Sorry, we don't know where he is now." Herc said sadly. "He was only here for a little while and competed in the preliminaries for one of the games. However, there was an…interruption that caused us to call of the games for a bit." He smirked. "But we took care of it easily enough." Erza nodded in agreement.
"Unfortunately, the arena was destroyed. But we were able to fix it quickly over the last few days." She smirked. "Today is the first time the coliseum is opening back up."
Kairi sighed. "So you don't know where he is…" Erza gained an apologetic look.
"Sorry, we don't." Taking notice of Kairi's downtrodden expression, she continued. "But I'm sure that it's only a matter of time until you find him." She tried. "Don't lose heart just because you haven't done so yet."
Naruto followed up after her. "She's right. This is the first place we've come to, Kairi. It's actually amazing we were this close to meeting Sora so soon, so try to relax a bit." He suggested. Kairi smiled slightly.
"I guess you're right…"
"Hey! Are you coming or not?!" Phil's voice was heard from the direction of the arena.
"Was that Phil?" Erza asked.
"Yeah, it was." Herc told her while gesturing to the group. "As I said, they wanted to enter today's tournament, so Phil is going to test them to see if they are ready for it."
Erza smirked. "I'm not going to stop you guys from testing them, but I don't think that they will have any problems." Natsu puffed up his chest in pride while Gray smirked. "You guys should get going…Phil is not a patient person."
"Right!" Grinning widely, Natsu ran towards the door that led to the arena. "Let's go!"
Sighing, Gray followed after him. "Slow down a bit, moron…"
Naruto rolled his eyes at their behavior. "Good luck, you guys." Natsu and Gray stopped and turned around to stare at him.
"What?" Natsu asked in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" The others also appeared to not know what Naruto meant.
Seeing their looks, Naruto tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"You aren't coming with us?" Gray asked.
Comprehending what was going on, Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm not. I wasn't the one who wanted to enter, you two were." He shrugged. "I'll hang out in the stands with Kairi and Happy."
"But…But…" Natsu couldn't understand why Naruto didn't want to enter. "It'll be fun!"
"Meh. Maybe next time…"
Erza was quiet for a moment, but she soon spoke up. "If he does not wish to enter, then that is his decision." She declared. "You can't make him, Natsu." Frowning, Natsu nodded.
"Fine…" His grin returned. "I can do this on my own, anyways!" He sprinted out of the lobby.
Scowling, Gray exited as well. "You won't be doing anything if I beat you to it!"
Kairi giggled at them. "They're always eager, huh?" Naruto snorted.
"Yeah, I guess…" He motioned towards the exit. "Let's go find a spot in the stands."
Stands (A Little Later)
Naruto, Kairi, Happy, and Erza sat in the stands and watched as Natsu and Gray ran around the arena, destroying barrels within the specified time.
"That's a test?" Happy asked skeptically. "What's the hard part?"
Erza shook her head. "It isn't our place to decide how people should be tested, Happy. Phil has been doing this for a long time, so I'm sure that he knows what to look for when testing people." The aforementioned goat(?) was standing next to the arena and watching the duo with a critical eye.
Kairi was looking down into the arena, but she wasn't really watching it because something else was plaguing her thoughts. Her eyes moved from the arena to the boy who was relaxing next to her with his eyes closed and his arms behind his head. "Hey, Naruto?"
Cracking an eye open, Naruto looked at her. "Yeah?"
"Why don't you want to participate?" She asked, gaining the attention of the others. "I mean, Natsu and Gray seemed to be really looking forward to it, but not you…" Kairi tilted her head. "I'm just wondering how come."
Naruto frowned slightly at the question. "Why I don't want to participate…" He mused. "I suppose…I don't want to participate because I don't see a reason to." He said simply.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Happy asked curiously.
"Natsu enjoys a challenge, which he gets in fights." Naruto replied. "Gray is the same way, but not to the same extent. Basically, the both of them love a good fight." He said, gaining a smile out of Erza.
"That's true." The older redhead confirmed. "For as long as I've known him, Natsu has never passed up the chance for a fight. And as you said, Gray is somewhat the same."
"Oh…" Kairi slowly nodded. "That makes sense…" She blinked when a thought came to her. "But wait, does that mean you don't like a fight? A challenge?" That was a weird concept to her. Sora and Riku have always jumped at the chance to challenge themselves and each other in some manner, so it was slightly unusual to find a boy that didn't like that.
Naruto grinned slightly. "I never said I don't like a challenge or a fight." He denied. "I just don't go out of my way to fight someone." Naruto closed his eyes again. "I've always enjoyed relaxing and taking naps, so I'd rather use this chance to do that…Instead of tiring myself out for some tournament." He waved towards the arena. "But hey, if they enjoy that kind of thing, then good for them."
Kairi giggled at his words. 'Well, I guess he is a little like Sora, after all…They both like relaxing!'
"Oh, I get it! You're lazy!" Naruto's eyes snapped back open so he could glare at the blue cat.
"No, I'm not lazy." Naruto growled. "I know I don't need to join in on every fight, so I don't. That's all."
"Denial is such an ugly thing, Naruto…" The crimson blond grit his teeth at Happy's words while Kairi giggled.
"I'm not in denia-" Naruto cut himself off and took a deep breath. "You know what? I'm not doing this." Quickly standing up, Naruto began to move in the direction of the lobby. "I'm going to the restroom."
"Even if you run, the truth won't change!" Happy shouted after him.
"Happy." The exceed froze and broke out into a nervous sweat at the soft voice. "I think you've teased him enough, don't you?"
Shakily, Happy saluted. "A-Aye! I'm sorry, Erza!"
Nodding in approval, Erza shifted her attention off of Happy and onto Kairi, allowing the feline to relax. "So, Kairi…How did you meet the others?" Although slightly caught off guard at the sudden question, Kairi answered after a moment.
"I met them a couple of days ago in the last w-" Kairi stopped talking abruptly, unsure of how much she can reveal. "Um, I mean…" She frowned minutely. "If you're from the same place Natsu, Happy, and Gray are from…then that means you're from another world, right?"
Understanding her hesitation, Erza smiled. "Yes, I am." Returning the smile, Kairi sighed in relief.
"Good…Then it's alright for me to tell you that I met them a couple of days ago in the last world that they went to." Her expression turned somewhat sheepish. "They actually rescued me after I wound up there when my own world was consumed by the darkness." She paused. "Do you know about light and darkness?"
Erza appeared surprised by this, but she quickly recovered. "Somewhat, yes. I've learned enough about it during my time here…They rescued you? How did that happen?"
Kairi was a little unsure of what to say. "Um…Something happened to me when my world was consumed, and I was protected from the darkness…None of us know what it was, but apparently I was shielded by the light. It formed some kind of barrier that protected me until the others were able to get to me."
Happy chose then to speak up. "Aye, it's true! We didn't even know Kairi was there, but Naruto told us we needed to go to where you were." Kairi and Erza turned to him in unison.
"Naruto said you needed to go to where I was?" She repeated. "How did he know?"
"No clue. Naruto doesn't know either." Happy said easily. "When we approached the world, he suddenly started to act even weirder than normal. He told us that he could faintly hear a voice calling out to him and that something was resonating with his heart. I wanted to call him out for being crazy, but I kept quiet. We followed his directions and eventually found you! At first, it looked like you were asleep, but there was this bright light when Naruto touched you and you woke up!"
Kairi had some trouble understanding that. "What do you mean by that?"
Happy frowned in thought. "Well, you were stuck inside this big sphere of light, but Naruto got you out of it pretty fast…After that, you started to float towards the ground. When Naruto caught you, he started screaming in pain out of nowhere and you both started to shine." Happy shivered at the memory and clutched at his head. "It was scary…"
Seeing his condition, Kairi reached over and plucked Happy off of the stands and placed him in her lap. "It's alright now, Happy…Everyone is fine…" She said gently while petting him.
Relaxing, Happy continued speaking. "We couldn't even touch you or Naruto…Some light wouldn't let us do it. Because of that, we had no choice but watch him scream…" He shook his head. "After a minute or two, the light eventually went away and the screaming stopped…Naruto was still awake and told us he was alright…" He looked up and met her eyes. "That's when you woke up."
Kairi bit her lip. "I…Is that really what happened?"
"Aye…"
Erza placed a hand on her shoulder, prompting Kairi to meet her gaze. "Whatever it was, it's over now. Naruto is perfectly fine." She consoled.
"R-Right…" Kairi agreed. "I'll just ask Naruto about it when…he gets…back…" Kairi trailed off as a sudden sense of dizziness hit her. "Wha…?" Kairi's vision blurred, and she distantly heard people calling her name. 'What's…happening?'
Her world turned black.
With Naruto
Naruto approached the lobby, gazing at the arena as he did, allowing him to see that Natsu and Gray were still running around to reach the barrels. After watching for a moment, he turned back in the direction of the lobby, but he stopped himself from moving when he saw that he was about to run into another person. "Ah, sorry…" Naruto said quietly and walked around the person.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Naruto's attention was pulled back to the arena at that shout, where Natsu had obliterated a stack of barrels with his attack.
"I can't believe he used that…" Naruto said quietly. "And what is Phil looking for here? Is that really a challenge?" He sighed. "It's not like destroying a bunch of barrels will tell me if I'm good enough to fight someone like Sephiroth…" He took a step, but a hand latching onto his shoulder stopped him. "Hmm…?" Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto was surprised to see the person he nearly bumped into a moment ago staring at him intently. "Can I help you?" Even as he asked this, Naruto was prepping himself for a fight.
The person stared at him in silence for a minute, but he eventually spoke. "That name…" He said quietly. "How do you know it?" The man asked.
Naruto frowned slightly and rotated his body to face the man fully. "…How do you know Sephiroth?" Naruto asked back while crossing his arms. "In fact, who are you?"
"…Cloud."
The man, Cloud, was of average height with spiky blond hair, and blue eyes that actually seemed to glow. He wore indigo pants with a sleeveless shirt, brown boots, and a pauldron on his left shoulder. In addition to this, Cloud had on a metal claw on his left hand and a flowing red cape, which also acted like a scarf that concealed the lower half of his face. On his back was a large sword that was partially wrapped in bandages.
"Well, Cloud…I'm Naruto…" Naruto began. "Is there a reason that you want to know?"
Cloud seemed to frown under his scarf. "I have…been searching for Sephiroth for a long time."
"I had…previously believed that there was only one person out there who was capable of eliminating me."
"You remind me a great deal of him. You both prefer the light, but still have inescapable ties to the dark."
Sephiroth's parting words returned to Naruto. "You're him…" Naruto said quietly. "You're the one Sephiroth told me about after we fought…"
Naruto's words made Cloud's eyes widen in shock. "You…You fought him?" He asked, disbelief seeping into his tone. "And you're still alive?" Naruto grimaced.
"It was close, but I survived, yeah…" Naruto sighed. "If Sephiroth was serious about it, then I wouldn't be alive."
Cloud slowly nodded. "I see…But why?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow.
"Why what?"
"Why did he let you go?" Cloud clarified. "In fact, why did he even bother fighting you in the first place? Sephiroth isn't the type to fight needless battles…"
When he heard the question, Naruto looked away. "I guess I caught his attention…And he only let me live because he is interested in seeing how I grow…" Cloud frowned again.
"He said that?" Naruto tilted his head at him. "Sephiroth said that he wanted to see how you grow?" A nod. "That's…" Cloud couldn't understand it. 'Sephiroth has never shown interest in someone else before…Why now?' Glowing blue eyes took in Naruto's appearance. 'Is he even a teenager yet?'
Slightly unnerved by the gaze, Naruto cleared his throat. "If that's all, I'm going to head back now…"
"Are you going to fight in the tournament?" Cloud's abrupt question caught Naruto off guard.
"I'm sorry?"
"The tournament held later today." Cloud reiterated. "Are you participating?"
Naruto frowned. "I wasn't planning on it, no." Nodding, Cloud continued.
"Would you consider it?" Naruto blinked at the request.
"You want me to fight in the tournament?" Cloud remained silent. "How come?"
Cloud sighed. "…If Sephiroth has taken the time to fight you, and yet he let you live, I would like to see how strong you are. Especially if he actually told you that he looks forward to seeing how you improve." He tilted his head. "So? Will you do it?" Naruto grimaced slightly.
He wasn't against fighting in the tournament, but he didn't see a reason to. Naruto opened his mouth to shoot down the request, but he paused. "Until the next time that our fates cross." A chill ran down Naruto's spine.
'I will eventually run across Sephiroth again…But will I be ready?' Naruto asked himself. 'As I am now…I wouldn't stand a chance…' Cerulean and violet eyes met glowing blue. 'But him…This is someone else that Sephiroth believes can beat him…If there was ever a way to see my progress and test myself, this would be it.' Coming to a decision, Naruto nodded. "Fine. I'll fight in the tournament…I look forward to facing you." He smirked, and although he couldn't see it, Naruto felt as if Cloud was doing the same.
Nodding, Cloud spoke up. "I look forward to meeting you in the arena as well, Naruto."
"Kairi!" Both of their heads snapped around to face the direction of the startled shout.
"Kairi?" Dread pooling in his stomach, Naruto dashed off toward the stands.
There we go! All done with Chapter 41!
Yes, I chose Olympus Coliseum. I put this in because I wanted Naruto to meet Cloud, and this is the world where he is. I'll let you know right now, there is a second world that I've chosen that Sora visits in the game.
Following the trend of underestimating how long each chapter is, I realized that I shouldn't do Olympus in a single chapter.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!
Until next time,
Kog6943