And we're back! Welcome to Twilight Key, Chapter 48!
Longer chapter than normal this time. You're welcome. The preliminary version of this chapter was actually finished on Monday night, but I'm reluctant to post too many chapters at too fast of a rate. But on the other hand, this can be me trying to make up for the previous lack of chapters.
Keep an eye out for spacing errors, would you? I already proofread the thing more than I normally do (Basically a single time) while it was still in Microsoft Word, so I don't want to do it again to look for a glitch made by the site's upload system. I already caught a few while I was doing the quick scan to make sure that the upload didn't mess with any format stuff. If you spot any, quote the words so I don't need to go looking for it based off of approximate location.
I'm trying something new, so review responses are at the bottom.
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.'
Bijū/Deity Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Bijū/Deity Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Scene Change: Insert Place Here
Jutsu/Magic/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here
Play Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMIX OST: Organization XIII Extended
"Hey there, Naruto…It's been a while." Misa greeted with a small smile.
"Misa…" Naruto said quietly, somewhat caught off guard by her abrupt appearance. He stared at her for a few moments, unsure what to do. The people observing this interaction made no move to interrupt, but even if they had, Naruto wasn't sure if he would have noticed.
Blinking, he took in her appearance. Gone were the clothes she wore around Konoha, to be replaced by a new outfit.
She now wore a shoulder-less purple shirt with sleeves that ended a little after the elbow, and over that Misa had on an open black waistcoat with white trim. Complimenting this, she was also wearing black bike shorts under a green miniskirt. Finishing the outfit were black boots that went up to her mid-thigh and black fingerless gloves.
"You…" Naruto's mind flashed through several emotions upon seeing her, all within the span of a couple of seconds. Surprise, relief, worry, happiness, confusion, and excitement were all racing around in his head. But the chaotic state of his mind eventually ended, and the jumble of emotions faded, leaving only one behind.
Anger.
Scowling, Naruto summoned his Keyblade and dropped into a battle stance, surprising most of the audience by the sudden act of hostility. Only Misa and Chao didn't seem fazed by Naruto's actions. If anything, Chao's smile somehow widened even further at the sight.
"Naruto…?" Kairi asked hesitantly, glancing between the two Keyblade Wielders. Steeling herself, she got ready to support Naruto the second he needed her to.
"What are you trying to accomplish here, Misa?" Naruto asked. While he still wanted to get some answers out of her regarding her betrayal, Naruto would rather do that when there weren't so many people watching. On top of that, her working with Chao meant that Orochimaru was most likely up to something.
And that definitely took priority.
Misa's smile grew slightly at the question. "What, no questions? No demanding to know why I why I did what I did? Or if all of our time spent together was merely an act? A trick to get closer to you?" She asked him. And to Naruto's irritation, he could hear exasperation in her tone. "That's not how you treat a friend."
"Neither is stabbing a friend in the back and disrupting the balance of Light and Darkness in their heart." Naruto bit out. "And even if I asked you those questions, would you answer them?" The only response he got was a grin. "Thought so." He tightened the grip on his Keyblade. "So let's focus on a different topic…Why. Are. You. Here?" He hissed.
Shrugging, Misa nodded in the direction of the world tree. "Orochimaru-sama sent me to investigate the abnormally high readings of Light in this world. A sacred tree that can gather such power? Of course he would be interested in that. He would have come himself, but he has…other things going on that need his personal attention."
Chao hummed in agreement, bringing the attention back to her, although Naruto made sure to keep Misa within his line of sight. "When Misa-san got here, my systems were able to pick it up. Because she was actively making an effort not to be noticed, no one else realized she had arrived. I confronted her and offered my assistance in return for her services." She shook her head. "Naturally, she refused and told me to go away, but once I told her that I already compiled a great deal of research on the tree, she was more willing to listen." A soft laugh escaped her. "And when I informed her that you would be arriving soon, she became even more agreeable." Chao glanced between Naruto and Misa. "Although while I figured you two knew each other at least somewhat, I'm not aware of all the details…I'm really curious now~"
Naruto frowned. "So that's it? You're helping her for some research and because I'm here?" He clarified before scoffing. "What, is the snake freak still obsessing over me?"
Misa tilted her head. "Well, I won't deny that Orochimaru-sama's interest in you has only grown after you managed to overcome your rampaging Darkness…But that's not the biggest reason I'm still here. And to be fair, I didn't even know you would be coming here until she told me…No, I'm still here because Lingshen was kind enough to tell me some other interesting details about your impending arrival." Ever so slowly, her eyes slid over to the spot beside Naruto. "More specifically, she told me who would arrive with you." Naruto's stilled at that.
'Kairi.'
Instantly, Naruto put himself between Misa and a wide eyed Kairi. "So Orochimaru really is behind the Princesses of Heart going missing?"
"Hm, that depends on how you look at it." Misa admitted. "He only got involved in the plan to kidnap them recently. He wasn't in on the other kidnappings."
"You're not getting Kairi." Naruto declared. "Try and I will cut you down." Kairi felt reassured by Naruto's threat, allowing her to calm herself. Giving a glare of her own, she spoke up.
"And I'm not going to just sit around and let myself be kidnapped." Kairi added. "You want me? You're going to have to beat me, too." Naruto smirked at her words.
Chao giggled. "Relax, you two! We won't do anything just yet!" She gestured in the direction of the world tree. "It's only the second day of the festival. Its midpoint! Things like the big confrontation should be saved for the climax. Don't you agree~? This meeting was simply to put more of the cards on the table." Something devious entered her smile. "Save that fighting spirit for tomorrow!"
Misa smirked. "As she said, I won't do anything for now. Part of the agreement we made was to not act until tomorrow evening."
Deciding that now would be a good time to reenter the conversation, Takahata spoke up. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that we can't simply allow you to leave now, Chao-kun." He looked over to Misa. "And although I'm not sure who you are, Naruto-kun's reaction and what has been said tells me enough. You'll be coming with us as well." Taking the hint, the other teachers prepared themselves for a fight.
Letting out a soft hum, Chao took stock of the present group. "Hm, this does look bad, doesn't it?"
Rolling her eyes as she stepped closer to the self-proclaimed Martian, Misa sent back a dry retort. "Don't act like you didn't expect this."
"Ah, you've got me there-ne~" Chao smiled at the others. "If this conversation is over, then we'll just be on our way."
Naruto began pulling on a small amount of Twilight. "No, you won't be." In a blur, he rocketed towards the pair, the teachers doing the same. The moment they did so, Naruto caught sight of something in Chao's hand. Seeing what it was, his eyes widened in recognition and alarm.
Knowing that Naruto realized what she was planning to do, Chao smirked at him. "Let's all meet at the grand finale, okay?" Misa waved with a grin.
"See you then, Naruto."
'No-!'
A flash, and Chao and Misa were gone.
Halting his momentum, Naruto immediately scanned the vicinity for any sign of them. Getting the expected results, Naruto swore under his breath and dismissed his Keyblade. 'Damn it, they got away…'
End Music
"They disappeared? Teleportation?" One of the teachers said in surprise.
"I couldn't even track them." Seruhiko muttered.
Taking a moment to think as he took out a cigarette, Takahata turned to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, you apparently know more of the situation than we do. Can you please tell us if you know how they got away?"
The dark skinned teacher frowned. "And for that matter, who are you? What is your relation to that girl, Misa?"
Naruto frowned right back, not intimidated in the least. "Did you guys notice the thing Lingshen had in her hand when they disappeared?" He asked, ignoring the other questions.
While the other teachers shook their heads, Takahata nodded lightly. "It seemed to be similar to a pocket watch, but it was designed in an odd way."
Sighing, Naruto explained. "According to Negi and Chamo, Lingshen developed some sort of time machine. Their description of it matched what Lingshen was holding." He shook his head. "They didn't teleport anywhere; they went to a different period in time."
The dark skinned teacher scoffed in disbelief. "A time machine? Yeah, right. Such a thing is impossible, even with magic."
"I don't care if you believe me or not." Naruto shot back. "You wanted to know what I know, and that's it." He was extremely irritated that they managed to get away, and this teacher wasn't making his mood any better.
Takahata smiled. "Thanks for the information, Naruto-kun." He turned to the other teachers. "Can you please go without me and prepare to report what has happened here to the headmaster? I'll catch up in a bit." The others hesitated for only a moment before nodding and disappearing. Takahata took a drag of his cigarette. "Now then, about your conversation with that other girl…" Seeing the look on Naruto's face, he shook his head. "I won't ask the details, but if she's an enemy, then we need to know what her motives are. Fortunately for us, she outright said what she wanted…" His eyes moved to Kairi, who had walked to Naruto's side. "A Princess of Heart, eh?" He smiled kindly. "It's an honor to meet one."
Flushing slightly, Kairi smiled back. "There's no need for that attitude. I haven't done anything special…" This response only served to make Takahata's smile widen.
"Don't worry about Misa." Naruto interjected, tone and expression carefully blank. Despite this, Kairi was able to detect hints of anger there. "She's my problem. I'll be the one to confront her tomorrow."
For a full minute, Takahata and Naruto stared at one another in silence, Takahata's normal smile nowhere in sight. Finally, Takahata nodded. "Very well. By the sound of it, she'll be seeking you out anyways." He glanced at Kairi. "Although if you are her target and a Princess of Heart, then I would prefer if you stay somewhere safe tomorrow, Kairi-kun."
"No!" Kairi's instantaneous reply caught Takahata off guard. Blinking, he opened his mouth, but Kairi cut him off. "I'm not going to hide somewhere safe while my friends are out there fighting!" She wasn't even referring to her inability to move too far away from Naruto without falling into a coma. If anything, that only served to make her more determined. "I meant what I said before. If they want me, then they'll have to fight me!"
She was sick of the repeated reminders of how weak she was compared to the others. From the time she woke up in «Aincrad» to now, it's been nothing but amazement of what they could do. The entire reason she asked Naruto to teach her some magic was so she would be able to fight too! So that's exactly what she was going to do.
Naruto stared at Kairi for several seconds, stunned by the amount of conviction present in her voice. Eventually, a smirk formed on his face. Shrugging at Takahata, he spoke up. "You heard her. Hiding somewhere safe is out of the question. She fights with the rest of us."
Hearing this, Takahata smiled. "Apparently so. Forgive me, Kairi-kun. I shouldn't have requested such a thing of you." Kairi crossed her arms and nodded. "Although may I make a suggestion? I know of a way that will no doubt improve your abilities in battle."
Not expecting such a thing, Kairi stared at him for a few seconds. Once she processed what he said, her face brightened. "Really? What is it?"
"In this world, there is a ritual that can be performed between two people called a provisional contract, or 'pactio'." Takahata said. "Negi-kun himself has formed pactios with a few of his students. I think it would be a good idea for you and Naruto-kun to form one."
Naruto frowned slightly. "What does a pactio do? And are you sure they would work for us?" Their magic was different, so would a ritual like that work the same way?
"I'm fairly certain it would work, despite the…differences." Takahata reassured. "A pactio serves as a means of forming a bond between a 'Magister Magi' and a 'Minister Magi', or 'Ministra Magi' as in the case for a girl, like now. In other words, they become partners. Traditionally, it is the ministra's duty to support and protect the magister, but it is not uncommon for the two to fight side by side. This works by allowing the ministra to tap into the magister's power, therefore becoming stronger in the process. You've actually seen it at work." Takahata said with amusement. "Yesterday, during the fight caused by the misunderstanding, did you notice any change in Asuna-kun's abilities?"
'Yesterday?' There hadn't been a fight yesterday. They had spent the entire day in Evangeline's resort…The crimson blond's eyes widened in remembrance. 'Oh, wait. Time moves faster there. He's talking about when we first arrived in the world.' "Yeah, I did. A bit before you got there, Negi used some incantation that created a light around Asuna. She didn't get the chance to do much with it, but I definitely noticed an increase in her speed and a small one in her reaction time."
"That was the result of the pactio." Takahata informed. "It varies from person to person, and the power of the magister is also important, but a pactio has the ability to potentially multiply a person's natural ability. Speed, strength, reaction time, it does it all."
Kairi looked ecstatic at the chance of such a thing. "Seriously? There's a way to do that?"
"Yes, really." Takahata confirmed. "And to make it even better, there is a small chance to have some sort of magical artifact be synthesized from the pactio. Each artifact reflects the ministra summoning it, so if you do get one, then its use would seem almost second nature." He paused. "But again, not everyone gets an artifact. And even then, not all artifacts are combat oriented." The more he said, the more excited Kairi became.
Naruto tilted his head in thought. "Is that what that fan Asuna used against us was? Was that her artifact?" Another detail came to him. "And for that matter, were those cards she and Negi had part of the pactio?"
"That's exactly right. Asuna-kun's artifact does manifest as a fan…But that isn't normally the case. She isn't able to freely use her artifact's full potential yet due to unique circumstances." Naruto picked up small amounts of sadness in his tone, but didn't bring it up. "Those cards you saw are proof of the pactio and serve as a medium with which to activate it."
By now, Kairi was bouncing in place. "Okay, so how do we form a pactio? Can we do it right now?"
Takahata's face clearly showed his amusement with her words. "Unfortunately, a magic circle is needed to form a pactio, one which I am not able to create off of memory." Before Kairi could deflate completely, he continued. "However, Chamo-kun is very adept in forming the circle. In fact, he is the one who normally does it for Negi-kun."
"That's perfect!" Kairi declared happily. "We'll just go ask him!"
The teacher nodded. "Well, that's all I wished to say. If you do form a pactio, be sure to at least get some practice with it. This is even more important if you get an artifact out of it."
The two of them nodded in understanding. "Sure thing. Thanks for telling us about this." Naruto said. "Evangeline asked us to return to her resort later today, so we can get the practice in there." Well, saying she 'asked' would be stretching it, but the point remained.
"Ah, that's a good idea." Takahata said. Before anything more could be said, a chime went off in his pocket. Blinking, he took out his phone and checked the message. "It seems that the others have already reached the headmaster's office and are waiting for me. I'll see you two later." And with that, he left in a burst of speed.
Once he was gone, Naruto and Kairi were left standing there in silence. With the conversation finally over, Naruto allowed his mind to drift back to the encounter he just had.
'…So…Misa really is in this world…' He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Angry, yes. But besides that…? He sighed silently, but then quickly shook his head. 'Forget about it, idiot. She's an enemy now. She admitted she is working for the people who are kidnapping the princesses. If they get their way, more and more worlds will be consumed by Darkness. She and the snake freak need to go down.' But still, even knowing that…
It didn't stop him from being angry over the entire situation, just as much as he was angry at her.
Naruto blinked when a hand was suddenly waving in front of his face. Turning to the owner, Naruto saw that Kairi was giving him a look that was a mixture of irritation and concern.
"Did you hear what I said?" She asked.
Smiling apologetically, Naruto shook his head. "Not a word, sorry. I was lost in thought."
She huffed. "I saw." Abandoning the topic, she grinned. "Anyways, how about we get back to what we were doing before? I still want to go and explore more of the festival."
Hearing this, Naruto plastered a smile onto his face. "Yeah, sure. We've got nothing to do, so might as well." He began walking in the direction of the city. "Let's get going!"
Kairi remained where she was for a few moments, staring after Naruto. Shaking her thoughts off, she moved to catch up with him.
In the City (An Hour Later)
"That was a fun ride." Kairi said with a smile. "I really didn't see the part where it stops and then goes in reverse coming. It was cool of them to put it in a spot you couldn't see from the line." She giggled. "And I definitely see why it's called Full Throttle. That thing was fast."
"Yeah…" The distracted reply prompted a small frown to form on Kairi's face. Glancing over to her companion, she noted that he seemed to be distracted.
The two of them had gone back into the city to tour the festival for the second time. The problem was that Naruto was much more subdued than he was the previous excursion, and he kept on getting distracted. Kairi was doing her best to keep his thoughts on having a good time, but she was met with little success. But it wasn't like Kairi was completely clueless as to why Naruto was acting the way he was. In fact, Kairi knew what was on his mind.
That girl, Misa, was.
Thanks to the memory sharing, she somewhat knew about Naruto's past friendship with Misa. Based on what she saw, they had been friends for a long time, but it all ended when Misa apparently betrayed Naruto. The details of the betrayal were vague to Kairi, but she was able to put enough of the pieces together to understand that Misa joined someone really bad and hurt Naruto when she left, both physically and maybe even mentally.
'And they had been friends for years…Who knows how long she was working for that Orochimaru guy…' The frown on Kairi's face deepened at that thought. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like if she found out that Sora or Riku betrayed her in such a way. Kairi could practically feel herself breaking at the thought. Her eyes became saddened and she stole another peek at him. Kairi bit her lip slightly. But how could she help…?
Momentarily ignoring the sick feeling at the idea of the theoretical situation, she tried to put herself in his shoes. If she was betrayed by Riku or Sora and had just come out of a confrontation where they told her that they would be fighting her, then what would she do? What would she want? What would be the best way for a friend to help her?
…She had no clue.
How does someone deal with that? How can someone else help with that? If it wasn't for the fact that they couldn't separate, Kairi was sure that Naruto would have instead gone off to be alone for a while.
Kairi glanced around, hoping to find some sort of inspiration on how to approach the issue.
"Hey, which one are you going to get?" Suddenly, a childish voice pulled Kairi's attention to a nearby store. "I want to try the bubblegum one!"
"But it doesn't taste like bubblegum! The rocky road flavor is way better!" A small group of children were crowded around a window, looking at something inside the store.
Tilting her head, Kairi read the name of the store. Once she did so, her eyes lit up as a smile formed on her face. Turning to Naruto, she reached over and tapped his shoulder.
Naruto stopped walking at the sudden contact and looked to her, obviously curious about what she wanted. "Wha-"
"Wait here! I'll be right back!" Not giving him a chance to say anything, Kairi ran off. Naruto quirked an eyebrow, but didn't question it. If she wanted to go somewhere far, then she would have told him. But she asked him to stay there, so she must be going to one of the shops. Finishing this line of thought, Naruto let his mind return to its previous thinking.
What felt like a couple of minutes passed by before Naruto was pulled from his thoughts once more by something getting held out in front of his face. Blinking in surprise, Naruto glanced between the object and a grinning Kairi, and saw that she was holding a second one in her other hand. "…Ice cream?" He asked as he took it.
Kairi nodded happily. "Yep!" She quickly scanned their surroundings before noticing a secluded bench. "Come on, follow me!" Bemused, Naruto did as was instructed. Once they reached the bench, Kairi pointed her free hand to the bench. "Sit." Growing even more confused, Naruto did so. Seeing that he was listening to her, Kairi nodded approvingly before sitting down next to him.
The two sat there in silence for a minute, neither starting a conversation. But while Naruto was content with the silence because it let him think, Kairi was brainstorming what to say. Eventually, she sighed quietly and decided to simply dive right into the subject. "So…You've been thinking hard ever since we separated from Takahata-san…"
Naruto nodded absently. "…Yeah…"
The redhead stared at the ice cream in her hands for a few moments. "…It's because you saw Misa, isn't it?" Naruto's eyes became wider and snapped to her. Noticing this, Kairi smiled slightly. "We shared memories, remember?" Naruto's expression gained an understanding look to it. He leaned forward, using his knees as support for his elbows as he stared at the ground.
"I almost forgot about that…" He said quietly before sighing and closing his eyes. "…So you know, then?"
"…That you were friends with her?" Naruto nodded. "…Yeah…" She really wished she knew what to say here.
The two of them were thrown into another lapse of silence, but unlike the previous one, this one was broken with Naruto releasing a bitter chuckle. Not expecting this, Kairi stared at him with wide eyes. "You must think it's stupid, right?"
Kairi's eyes widened even further when he asked that. "What?"
Shrugging halfheartedly, Naruto elaborated. "Here I am, fixating on the motives and reasoning of an enemy. One whom betrayed me and nearly got me killed. I should be furious at her, and I am angry, but…" He shook his head. "…I'm still thinking about the 'what ifs'…The possibilities of what could have happened if I saw it coming. If I could have had the chance to convince her to not do it." His free hand balled into a fist. "…I shouldn't be worried about those. Misa made her choice, and it was to help the bad guys. Now we're standing on opposite sides of what might be the prelude to another war…" His voice grew quieter. "End of story." A somber mood encompassed the two.
"…I do think you're being stupid." Naruto allowed a humorless smirk to show. "But not for the reason you think." Frowning, Naruto opened his eyes and turned to look at Kairi. And what he saw in her eyes was sorrow.
Play Kingdom Hearts 1.5 ReMIX OST: Treasured Memories Extended
"…It only makes sense for you to think about what could have happened if things were different." Kairi continued quietly. "If it were me, I would do the same." Naruto hummed at that and began to turn away again. "But I would also do my best to fix things." And just like that, Naruto's full attention snapped back to her.
Frowning somewhat at what she was hinting at, Naruto spoke. "Kairi…Whether I like it or not, Misa is an enemy." He's definitely reminded himself of that enough times to never forget it. "There's nothing to fix."
Hearing this, Kairi slumped her shoulders. "…I won't pretend that I understand what you're feeling…" She whispered. "…But I know it must hurt."
'Ain't that the truth…'
"I just think that you deserve the chance to learn the truth." Kairi said. "…To hear it from her." Naruto rolled the thought around in his head as he stared at the ice cream he was holding. That wasn't anything he wasn't already planning on doing, but he didn't bother getting his hopes up. There was a good chance that there was no reason further than because she wanted to.
"I'm definitely going to find out why she's helping Orochimaru." Naruto replied. "…But after that? We'll have nothing left to discuss. I will treat her like any other enemy." He took a deep breath, and strangely enough, he felt better after saying that out loud. Blinking, he realized that a weight he didn't know he had was lifted from his shoulders. Acknowledging out loud that he shouldn't get his hopes up about Misa and that they will have to fight allowed his newly resurfaced doubts and turmoil to fade.
Spotting his expression, Kairi let a small smile form. "It feels better to talk about it, doesn't it? Even if you don't like what you're saying."
Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, Naruto nodded minutely. "…Yeah, it does." He admitted. Now that he thought about it, he has always had someone whom he was able to talk to. Whether it be Hikari, Yami, Urahara, or even Yoruichi when she was only a cat to him, there has always been someone that he could talk to about his problems and whatever was bothering him…No matter if it had to be pried out of him or if he spoke willingly.
But here in a new world, Naruto didn't have the ability to walk over to Urahara's store to talk to him or Yoruichi. And he still wasn't in contact with Hikari and Yami, so that was out. And while he could call Urahara or Yoruichi with the computer on the ship, Naruto didn't think it would be the same when not in person.
Realizing this, Naruto gave Kairi a small smile. "Thanks…"
She quickly returned the smile. "You're welcome. You seriously looked like you needed it."
Huffing in amusement, Naruto sat back and fully relaxed into the bench. "…How did you know I needed that?" He asked curiously.
Tilting her head, Kairi hummed. "Because that's what I would have wanted if I was bothered by something." She revealed. Her smile softened as a memory came to mind. "…You know how I don't remember most of my life before winding up on Destiny Islands?" They had never spoken about it, but she guessed that he would know from her memories.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah…"
"Well, it hasn't happened in a while, but I used to get really depressed about that." She confided. "It was the obvious questions like, 'Who am I?' 'How did I get here?'" Her expression became sadder. "'Do I have any family…or am I alone?' 'Did they abandon me?'" Naruto's eyes widened at that last one.
"You thought that…"
Kairi nodded. "Yeah…I did. It really got to me sometimes, you know? I would think about it constantly, both wanting to know the truth and scared of what it would be. I didn't start getting flashes of my memories until not too long ago."
"I see…"
Shaking her head, Kairi continued. "On the island, there was this cave that no one really ever went to. It was the perfect place for me to just be alone for a while. I would sit there and think for hours at a time…And when it really got to me, I would start crying." Her voice wavered at the memories. Noticing this, Naruto hesitantly reached an arm out and pulled her into a one-armed hug from the side. Kairi's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pull away, instead smiling softly at him in thanks. After a moment, she continued. "It was during one of those times I was hiding there that I heard two voices calling my name."
Naruto smirked, having a feeling that he knew who those voices probably belonged to. "Riku and Sora?"
A small hint of exasperation entered Kairi's face as she nodded. "I wanted to ignore them until they went away, but they came into cave and found me." Her smile became even warmer. "They had apparently been searching for me for a while. The moment they found me, Riku sighed in relief while Sora cheered ran over to me."
"But you wanted to be alone?"
Kairi released an agreeing hum. "Yeah…But they wouldn't let me…" She lifted up the ice cream in her hand. "Instead they handed me some ice cream they brought and sat down with me. Not leaving when I told them to, and not letting me go anywhere. They kept trying to get me to talk to them." She shook her head. "I was so…annoyed with them that I got angry." She actually seemed to be slightly embarrassed by that. "Before I knew what had happened, I was panting after shouting and screaming at them about how I wanted to be alone, and that it was only when I was alone that I could think about how much it hurts being alone." Naruto understood that perfectly, despite the somewhat confusing wording.
After all, he's gone through something similar.
"When I finally calmed down, I was given a grinning Sora -even though he was shaking in fear- and a smirking Riku." She told him. "Seeing that I wasn't shouting anymore, Riku's smirk widened and he only asked me if I was done." She giggled at the memory. "When I didn't reply, he nodded to himself and said, 'Good, because the ice cream is melting.'"
Naruto snickered quietly at that. "Sounds like a smartass."
"He can be." Kairi laughed. "But it was after he said that when I realized that I felt better. From then on, it sort of became a thing. I would occasionally get depressed, and then they would come find me with ice cream so we could talk. Eventually, I stopped having those thoughts." She smiled at Naruto. "So when I saw that you were depressed about what was going on, it reminded me a bit of those times, so I decided to do the same to you." She grinned proudly. "And I think it worked beautifully, if I do say so myself."
The crimson blond nodded. He couldn't deny the results. Suddenly, he was startled when he realized that he still had his arm around Kairi. Blushing lightly, he retracted his arm. "…Thanks." He said quietly, trying to convey just how grateful he was.
Understanding the appreciation, Kairi grinned again. "No problem. I couldn't not do something. I was able to help you, so I did."
Naruto smirked at this, but then his attention was pulled away when something cold touching his finger. Looking down, his smirk widened. "There's another part of your story that mirrors right now."
Kairi became curious at this. "Really? What?"
Holding up his hand, Naruto showed her the ice cream. "Both then and now, the ice cream began melting before we started eating it." Naruto grinned as Kairi giggled.
Despite her obvious amusement, Kairi put a mock angry expression on her face. "Then you better hurry up and eat it! I paid for that, so don't let it go to waste!"
A chuckle escaped Naruto upon hearing this. "What do you mean you paid for it? Everything in this festival is free for us."
Kairi's response was to stick her tongue out at him. "It's the thought that counts!"
Even more amused, Naruto didn't bother to argue about it, instead opting to taste the ice cream. He blinked when the flavor hit him. "Salty…?" He frowned a second later. "No…Sweet?" He glanced at Kairi in question, and got a smile.
"I wasn't sure what to pick, so I asked for the cashier's favorite." She said. "He gave me this." She licked her own ice cream. "I've never had it before, but it's good!"
Naruto nodded in agreement. "What's the flavor called?" He would definitely remember it. Kairi tilted her head and thought back to what the cashier called it. Noticing her hesitation, Naruto smirked. "You weren't paying attention?"
Kairi glared playfully at him. "No, I was! I know the flavor! It's called, um…" She thought hard back to what it was. After a moment, she grinned in triumph.
"It's called Sea-Salt Ice Cream!"
End Music
Rooftop of Mahora Student Dorms (That Evening)
Naruto had a thoughtful frown on his face as he and Kairi watched the party going on a few dozen feet away. The party itself wasn't a problem. But the people participating confused Naruto somewhat.
"…Um…" Naruto glanced over to Kairi, noticing that she had a nervous smile on her face. "…Are we sure that's okay?" She asked while pointing at the party.
Looking back to the noisy group, Naruto sighed. "Negi said not to worry about it…And she did say that she wouldn't do anything until tomorrow." He stared at the students of 3-A. "To most of them, this is a farewell party for a friend, so I'm also hesitant to interfere…" Around half an hour ago, Naruto and Kairi had received a message from Negi saying that his class was going to throw a farewell party. Normally, that wouldn't have had anything to do with them.
But the fact that the party was for Chao caught their attention.
It was only thanks to Negi's assurance that everything would be fine that they didn't do anything about it. Naruto was reluctant to come at all, but he also wouldn't mind the chance to speak with Chao when it was improbable of a fight breaking out. It also helped that he noticed at least three of Negi's students on guard and ready for a fight if Chao pulled something.
So here they were. Watching what had to be the noisiest students in any of the worlds party the night away.
The students of 3-A had attempted to pull them into the fun, but both had declined, saying that they were content where they were and were tired from the day. Naruto said this because he didn't want to risk letting his guard down around Chao, and Kairi because she felt slightly nervous being around someone she knew worked with people who wanted to kidnap her.
Eventually, the party shifted gears as most of the well-wishes for Chao were given and attention shifted elsewhere. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed Negi use this chance to speak to Chao privately. Deciding to do the same, Naruto waited for their conversation to end.
To his surprise, instead of having to go to Chao, Naruto found himself being approached by the self-proclaimed Martian once she was done talking with Negi. Frowning slightly, Naruto stepped between her and Kairi. But this only served to serve to amuse Chao to the point of laughter.
"Relax-ne! I already told you that I won't do anything until tomorrow." She said with a grin. Shaking her head in mock exasperation, she continued. "You shinobi sure are paranoid, aren't you?"
Naruto didn't even allow himself to twitch at the casual mention. "…I guess Misa told you that?"
Chao hummed. "Who knows? She might have, or maybe she didn't~!" The more she spoke, the more confused Naruto became. Something must have shown on her face, because Chao's grin widened. "What's wrong? You seem to be troubled."
"…I don't understand you." Naruto said after a moment. Whatever Chao was expecting, that wasn't it.
"Eh? What's hard to understand?" She asked.
"You acknowledge us as people fighting against you, but you still act like that. You're either confident or arrogant."
A pleased laugh escaped Chao. "Well, what does that say about you then? As you said, I'm an enemy, and I'm allied with people who threaten the balance of the worlds. People who you have a personal history with. And yet here you are, talking with me-ne!"
Naruto couldn't refute that point. Even now, he wasn't sure what his opinion of Chao was. "Do you really know what you're messing with?" He asked her. "This is bigger than just this world. You're working with people who might plunge all the worlds into Darkness. Do you know how many lives they have already ruined? How many friends and families have been torn apart?" That definitely got a reaction out of her. The crimson blond watched as for the first time, Chao's composure slipped. And what he saw behind her mask made his eyes widen.
Anguish. Nothing but pure anguish.
He was about to speak up, but Chao beat him to it. "…I do." She whispered with an agonized tone. Her head tilted down, making it so her bangs blocked her eyes. "Trust me…I know what will happen if they get their way."
When he heard this, Naruto froze. Swallowing, he glanced to Kairi and saw that she definitely heard the tone as well. Returning his chance to Chao, he spoke up. "Lingshen…How far into the future are you from…?" He asked slowly. Up until now, he had never put much thought into it. But now…
Instead of answering, Chao shook her head. "If there is anyone that knows what's at stake here, it's me…"
Uncomfortable with his current line of thought, Naruto turned his head away and watched the world tree glow softly for a minute. "…If you know what's going to happen if they win, then why are you on their side?" The next thing Naruto knew, he was on the receiving end of a livid glare.
"I am not on their side." She hissed. Naruto tensed while Kairi gasped, but they didn't react any further than that, instead choosing to stay silent as Chao got control of her anger. "…I would never do that…"
"…Then why did you ally yourself with Misa?" Naruto asked quietly. "Do you know who she works for?" She nodded. "Then why?"
Chao looked away. "…While I would never willingly approach Orochimaru himself for something like this, his subordinates are another matter. I have the situation under control." She said. "Misa-san agreed to my terms, so I'm prepared to push aside my disgust for her master to complete my goal in this world."
Naruto grew frustrated when she told him that. "But by helping her, you're helping him!" He growled. "And on top of that, she wants to kidnap Kairi! That's going to happen if you win!" Chao spent several long seconds not saying anything.
"…You may not trust me, but I do have a plan." Chao said quietly before giving Kairi an apologetic look. "Necessary evil." She explained. "I really am sorry, Kairi-san, but it is needed."
That made Naruto even angrier. "Necessary evil?" He repeated. "You think it's needed for Kairi to get kidnapped? For her to get captured? For the other princesses get captured as well?" When Chao didn't say anything, Naruto felt his anger rise. "What the hell makes you think that?!"
Slowly, Chao shifted her sad eyes to meet Naruto's furious ones. "I know that because of my knowledge from the future." She said. "It's unfortunate, but in the end, it's for the best if Kairi-san gets captured by them…I'm sorry, but I can't say any more than that."
"Don't screw with me!" Naruto barked, catching the attention of a few students. It was only thanks to Negi's quick interference that none of them came over to investigate. But even then, the child teacher couldn't help but throw some worried frowns their way. "Either tell us the reason, or don't even say that! I won't let some secret tell me how to act! Especially when it puts a friend at risk! I will protect the people I care about! Even if it kills me!"
Chao smiled sadly at his declaration. "…I admire that attitude, I truly do…But it was also what allowed Xehanort to defeat you."
Naruto felt as if all the blood in his body turned to ice. Reeling back in shock, all of his anger and frustration left him. "Wh…What?"
"You don't get how important you are, do you?" Chao questioned. "Beyond being a Keyblade wielder, there are other reasons why your survival is more important than that of other people…But that doesn't stop you from risking yourself for what you see as the right reason."
"…What are you saying?" Naruto asked, somewhat fearful of the answer.
"You've already figured out that I'm from far enough into the future that the forces of Darkness have gained power." Chao began. "…Don't you think that people would have tried to stop them before they became so powerful?" Her voice lowered. "That you would have tried to stop them?"
A numbness was beginning to spread across Naruto's mind. "I…"
"If they were becoming so powerful in my time…If Xehanort did make his return…Then what do you think you would have done?" She asked.
"…I…I would have fought against them…Against him." Naruto realized. "I would have joined the fight immediately." That has always been the plan. When Xehanort returns, Naruto was going to help fight him. That's what he's been training for.
"But in my time, Darkness has nearly extinguished the Light completely." Chao's voice hitched. "One by one, the Keyblade wielders fell. The resistance is slowly losing momentum…It's only a matter of time before they win."
"That's why you came back." Naruto concluded. "You're back to change things." He shook his head. "But…How does revealing magic to this world help? How does working with Orochimaru's people benefit you?"
Chao sighed. "Revealing magic is only the first step. After that, I will reveal the existence of other worlds." She paused. "No single world can stand a chance against them. And this world has a large population of people who can fight, but are hidden due to the magical community remaining secret."
It all clicked in Naruto's mind. "You don't want to reveal the existence of other worlds just in this world…You want to do it in every world. You want them all to work together."
"But that's…The worlds are separated for a reason." Kairi said, speaking for the first time. "They were separated because there would be too much conflict otherwise. And to prevent people with bad intentions making things worse for other worlds. It nearly threw everything into Darkness in the past."
Something broken returned to Chao's smile. "But that's the thing…If things continue as they are, then that's what will happen anyways."
Not wanting to believe it, Naruto shook his head. "You can't be serious…"
"I have yet to tell a single lie." Chao replied. "Everything I have said to you has been the truth. I may not tell you the entire truth, but I won't give you false information. The things I do keep from you, I keep because if I told you now, then they will have negative long lasting results." She held out a hand. "…I know I haven't given you much reason to…But will you please trust me on this? Will you help me?"
Naruto stared at the hand for a full minute in silence, thinking about everything he was just told. Next to him, Kairi remained quiet, knowing that this was something he needed to decide for himself. Eventually, his expression hardened and he met Chao's gaze.
"I can't do that, Lingshen. What you are working toward may have good intentions, but you're going about it the wrong way."
"If it's Misa-san keeping you from doing so, I will sever all contact with her right here and now." Chao offered. "I promise. I would much rather work with you than with them."
Shaking his head, Naruto replied. "It isn't just that. It's the entire plan. You want to reveal the existence of other worlds to all the worlds, and I can't support that. Kairi was right when she said it will only lead to turmoil."
"But if we don't, then things will only get worse! Them staying separated will lead to Darkness consuming everything!" She pleaded.
"One case can't counter the war that waged ever since Light and Darkness were born!" Naruto countered. "When the worlds interacted freely with one another, Darkness nearly consumed everything, you know that. The only reason that the worlds were saved was because some Light survived in the hearts of children. We can't risk that happening again."
"It will though! What you fear and what I fear are the same thing! Only I'm working to prevent it!"
Naruto scowled. "And I'm not? What do you think I'm here for? Why do you think I'm traveling from world to world? It's to stop them!"
"But you'll fail! You'll be defeated, and so will the other Keyblade wielders! You need the support of all the worlds!" Chao insisted.
A thought came to Naruto then, making his scowl darken. "And how does Kairi getting captured play into that?" Chao flinched. "How does allowing them gather the seven princesses help prevent their victory?!"
Kairi and Naruto watched as Chao silently waged a war with herself. "It's…It's because…" She swallowed. "…Because that's how Kairi-san will regain her heart." She finally said, shocking them both. "If Kairi-san gets captured, then it will be the set up needed for her regaining her heart." Her attention moved over to the wide eyed redhead. "…I'm sorry, but it's true."
"…You know about that?" Naruto asked, getting a nod. Regaining his composure, Naruto's eyes narrowed. "How does that work? How will her capture end up with her regaining her heart?"
Chao had another silent debate with herself before hesitantly speaking again. "I can't tell you that." Seeing their expressions, she hastily continued. "I can't because if I do so, then it runs the risk of altering the course of events so that she doesn't regain her heart! And she absolutely has to!"
Naruto crossed his arms and stared at her for a few moments. "…Sorry, but that's not good enough. I'm not going to agree to a plan with that amount of danger without being told the entire thing." He glanced at Kairi. "Especially not when it is a friend at risk. And I don't think that Kairi would agree to it, either."
"Y-Yeah…" Kairi agreed shakily. "I would rather not do that…"
Disheartened, Chao looked between them. "I understand…" A reluctant smile made its way onto her face. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't be you otherwise…" She conceded. "It's unfortunate, but I guess we'll be on opposite sides in the final battle tomorrow."
"Seems like it." Naruto said. And despite everything, he was somewhat sad about it. He knew that Chao was fighting for the right reasons, but he couldn't agree with how she was doing it.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry it has to be this way." Kairi added with a small smile. She also felt slightly sad to see that Chao -who was obviously a nice person, despite everything- was an enemy.
The self-proclaimed Martian took another moment to look between the two of them again. Eventually, her gaze settled on Naruto. "But you know…I keep things from you because if I don't, then things will get out of control. I even tell you how and why they will get out of control…"
Naruto frowned slightly. "…Where are you going with this?"
Chao bit her lip as she thought about something. Opening her mouth, she made to speak, but stopped herself at the last second. After taking another minute to think, she tried again. "…I'm talking about Hikari-sama and Yami-sama." Naruto and Kairi tensed, prompting Chao to quickly raise her hands in a placating manner. "Don't worry! I haven't told anyone! I would never tell anyone working for the other side about you and your connection to them!"
Scowl returning, Naruto prepared himself to summon his Keyblade. "How much do you know?"
"I…I know who they really are and that they chose you as a guardian…" Chao began. "I also know that you will eventually be able to wield that blade…Along with some other stuff…"
"And? How do you know about all that? I really doubt it's common knowledge in the future." Naruto hissed. He's always been careful about who he said that around. Saying as much as he did in front of Erza was pushing it for him, but he was still startled at the time from Kairi's passing out and learning about her condition at the time.
"I wouldn't say it's common knowledge, but it isn't as much of a secret as it is now." Chao explained.
Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself. "Why did you bring them up?" His eyes widened before narrowing. "…You know why I can't contact them, don't you?"
Hesitantly, Chao nodded. "I do." Seeing that he was about to speak, she cut him off. "I am really sorry, but I can't tell you the details. Doing so will also run the risk of changing things for the worse."
"You've already said a lot, how much can a little more hurt?" Kairi asked her.
"It can hurt more than you'd expect, Kairi-san." Chao said. "Everything I've done has been with careful planning. It would be risking too much to tell you specifics…And it wouldn't be good for you to find out from me."
Hands balling in anger, Naruto spoke. "So what can you say, then? Why even bring it up if you can't tell me what's going on?"
Taking another second to think, Chao hesitantly responded. "They haven't been entirely forthcoming with you. And while I'm basically doing the same, they are doing it for different reasons…I can say that you should be careful with them."
Immediately, Naruto's scowl returned. "You're saying that they can't be trusted?! The two of them have been there for me since the beginning! They've done nothing but help me! Why should I take your word over theirs?!"
"Please, Naruto-kun…Think about it." Chao pleaded. "Why would they help you? Why would they put so much effort into making you stronger?"
"Because they chose me as a guardian of Kingdom Hearts! Because they care!" Naruto couldn't believe what she was suggesting!
Something miserable entered Chao's eyes again, but this one was different than the previous time. With a start, Naruto realized it was sadness for him.
"Can you truly say that they care for you? That they have your best interests in mind?" Chao whispered. "Maybe they care for you to an extent, but think about what they are keeping from you." Not giving either of them a chance to reply, she took a step back. "Sorry, but I think I've said enough…"
Noticing that Naruto wasn't going to say anything, Kairi spoke. "You're leaving? Even though we're still arguing?"
Chao smiled at them, but it seemed to be somewhat hollow. "Shall we agree to disagree-ne? Let's leave any further fighting for tomorrow!" And with that, she took out the strange pocket watch again, but she paused before activating it. "…You know…I really wish that it didn't have to be this way…But some things can't be changed." As she said this, her eyes locked with Naruto's again. "…No matter how far into the past you go…See you tomorrow."
Naruto and Kairi watched silently as Chao disappeared. Thinking over what she said, Naruto's scowl shifted into a frown.
He hated to admit it, but her words were alarmingly possible. Was there something that Hikari and Yami weren't telling him? His frowned deepened when he recalled the conversation they had immediately after his fight with Kuro.
Flashback (Chapter 35)
Raising a hand, Naruto summoned his Keyblade, making it appear in a flash of Twilight. "Do the two of you know what happened to my Keyblade during my fight with Sephiroth? And at the end of my fight with Kuro?" He asked.
Like before, Hikari and Yami traded looks. "…You already have a good idea what happened." Yami eventually said. "Do you really need us to say it?"
"…It turned into the χ-blade…" He breathed, getting two nods in confirmation. "But…how? Why?"
"You've always had the power to form it, it's only been a matter of doing it." Hikari told him. "During your fight with Sephiroth, you momentarily achieved it, but not completely. That happened because you stopped thinking. All that you had in mind was staying alive and keeping your promise. No worrying about your Darkness corrupting you, no holding back, only that. At the end of your fight with Kuro, you accepted your Darkness and merged it together with your Light. And Light mixing harmoniously with Darkness is the very core of the χ-blade, so it happened again."
"So I can form it at will now?" Naruto didn't even bother attempting to hold back the excitement creeping into his voice and face.
"Not a chance." Yami shot him down immediately and with a grin.
Naruto deflated. "But…why not?" They said he needed to accept his Darkness, and he has! So why couldn't he wield it?!
Once again, Hikari and Yami traded a look, but unlike the others, they held this one for several long moments, as if debating something. When they finally turned back to him, Yami spoke up. "You can't form the χ-blade yet because you are still missing a vital piece of information." Naruto opened his mouth. "No, we won't tell you what, so don't ask. That's something that will come later. You don't need the χ-blade now, so please don't ask."
The denial brought a frown to his face. "You're sure?" They nodded. "…Fine. I'll trust you on this."
"Thank you." Hikari said.
Flashback End
Yes, there were things they weren't telling him. He already knew that. But while he wanted to trust them on this, something about the way Chao looked at him unnerved him. And her words only made it worse.
"Can you truly say that they care for you? That they have your best interests in mind? Maybe they care for you to an extent, but think about what they are keeping from you."
Did the information they were keeping from him have something to do with why he was able to use his Light as a pseudo-heart for Kairi? Was it the reason they had shared some memories when they first met? Did Chao know what the secret was?
Naruto shook his head. Chao was an enemy, plain and simple. He shouldn't heed her words over Hikari and Yami's. She didn't know him, unlike them. And he didn't know her, unlike them. Hikari and Yami have been with him since he was six. They have been constant companions, just like Yoruichi and Urahara.
'Then where are they now? Why haven't I been able to contact them?' Naruto growled quietly in frustration and rubbed his temples upon thinking that. There must be some reason he couldn't contact them. He would eventually work around it, so getting mad about it was stupid.
A gentle hand on his shoulder shifted his attention. Glancing over, Naruto wasn't surprised to see that Kairi was giving him a look of concern. "You okay?" She asked quietly.
Sighing, Naruto shrugged. "I'm not going to lie…Lingshen's words are bothering me. You saw Hikari and Yami, right? In my memories?"
Kairi bit her lip slightly and removed her hand, but nodded. "You know I didn't see all of your memories of them, but I did see enough to know who they are…And a small glimpse of what they taught you, but not much besides that…"
Naruto began walking over to the railing of the roof and away from the party, Kairi a step behind him. Coming to a stop, he rested his hands on the railing and stared at the world tree. "Then you at least know that they're the ones who helped me manifest my Keyblade and taught me about Light and Darkness." She gave an agreeing hum. "It's annoying, but what Lingshen said is a real possibility."
A frown made its way onto Kairi's face. "You shouldn't think like that." She said softly. "They're your friends and they care about you. You should trust them."
"But do they?" Naruto muttered. "Are they my friends? How do I know that they haven't been using me this entire time? That they won't eventually prove that they have hidden motives for helping me?" His gaze turned downcast. "…That they won't eventually show that I'm only a pawn in some bigger game?" He whispered. 'It's happened before…' The two of them stood in silence for several long moments, Naruto unwilling to look at her.
Suddenly, he was pulled from his thoughts when a pair of arms pulled him into a hug from behind. Eyes widening in surprise, Naruto looked over his shoulder at the redhead, and he was greeted with an expression that clearly conveyed her sadness over his thoughts. "You're thinking of what happened with Misa again, aren't you?" This quiet question made Naruto's eyes widen even more. That reaction was all Kairi needed to confirm her suspicions. "Naruto, listen to me…You can't keep everyone at a distance because of one person's actions. Hikari and Yami have been there for you the longest out of everyone…Well, besides Yoruichi, I think, but you know what I mean. You should trust them more."
Naruto took a deep breath, but didn't move away. "…And if it turns out that Lingshen was telling the truth? That they're only using me?"
Kairi's expression became even sadder, knowing that he wouldn't let that possibility go, but then she immediately gained the determined glint in her eyes that Naruto had spotted when she was especially passionate about something. "Then if that happens, know that I'm never going to betray you." Naruto blinked several times at that, making her grin. "And that's a promise. One that I won't ever break. I'll always be there for you." Despite the small pang he felt upon the word 'promise', Naruto still felt himself smiling.
"…You know, this almost seems like a love confession." And just like that, the moment ended by the sudden comment from the side. Both Kairi and Naruto's heads snapped around to see who had spoken, and they were met with the sight of Chamo sitting on a nearby rail with a cigarette in his paw and a disturbing grin. "So…I've been meaning to ask, but are you two…?" He giggled.
Faces burning, Naruto and Kairi leapt apart. Naruto glared at the ermine while Kairi did her best to not let her face be seen. "How much of that did you hear?" He hissed.
Chamo waved lazily. "Oh, nothing much. I only heard the last bit or so. I don't know what you were talking about to warrant that promise, but I definitely heard the promise itself." His grin widened. "Now don't avoid the question~"
"No!"
"Is that so~" Chamo giggled again. "Well, from the bystander's point of view, that isn't very convincing! Ehehehe…"
"Shut up, you stupid rat." Naruto muttered. Closing his eyes for a moment, he changed the subject. "Moving on…I'm glad you're here. We've been meaning to ask you something. Well, we were actually hoping you be able to help us with something."
This served as enough to catch Chamo's attention. "Oh, and what's that?"
Naruto gestured to Kairi. "Kairi wants to help fight tomorrow, but her capture is one of the enemy's goals. She knows a couple of spells, and she will be with me the entire time, but any advantage would be welcome. Takahata-san gave us a suggestion and said that you would be able to help us with it."
Having a feeling that he knew where this was going, Chamo's disturbing grin returned. The fact that it did bothered Naruto slightly, but he wasn't deterred. "You want to form a pactio, don't you?" The ermine asked. "You want me to draw up the magic circle." He giggled.
Kari nodded. "Yes, we do. It would really be appreciated if you did."
Chamo laughed gleefully. "Don't worry about it! It'll be my pleasure! I actually get paid for forming pactios." He took out a piece of chalk -from where, Naruto didn't have a clue- and leapt onto the floor. "Give me a second, I'll have the circle done in no time!"
"Ah, wait a second." Naruto interrupted. Blinking, Chamo halted his movement and looked up at him. "You mind if we do this in Evangeline's resort? We were planning on going there now anyways. And that way, we will be better equipped to handle anything that may go wrong. You have to remember that we're not from this world, so we don't know what will happen if we try to use your magic."
Frowning slightly, Chamo slowly nodded. "Hm, I guess you're right…Alright, at the resort it is. I'll just tell Aniki I'm going with you guys and he'll meet me there later. He and a few of the others are planning on heading there early in the morning." And with that, he scampered off to talk to Negi.
Evangeline's Resort (A Little Later)
"A pactio?" Evangeline repeated. "There's an interesting thought…" She glanced between Naruto and Kairi, but her gaze lingered on Kairi. "Although I am curious if your condition will have any impact on the outcome."
A worried expression formed on Kairi's face. "Do you think it will prevent it from working?" Chamo looked from Kairi to Evangeline in curiosity, but didn't say anything.
Shrugging, Evangeline turned and began to walk away to give them some space. "No clue. It might, or it might not. Only one way to find out." Deciding that she was far enough away, she stopped and gave them an expectant look. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get on with it, rodent."
Muttering under his breath, Chamo jumped off of Naruto's shoulder and faced him and Kairi. "Hold on a second. If we're gonna do this, then we're gonna do it right. I'm going to explain what a pactio grants them." Evangeline rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. "Now then, do you know what happens as a result of a pactio? Beyond getting a cool card?"
Kairi's brow scrunched up in thought. "Takahata-san told us that this will let me tap into Naruto's power a bit. When Naruto activates the contract, I'll have increased speed, strength, and even reaction time." Her eyes lit up. "And if I'm lucky, then I'll get some kind of magic artifact that reflects me and will be somewhat instinctual for me to use…right?"
Grinning, Chamo nodded. "Except for one small detail, you're one hundred percent correct! You don't need bro to activate the contract for the boost, but it's recommended. You can do it yourself with a different incantation, but that one requires practice on your part. Get it?"
"I think so…What else?"
"There are other uses that a pactio has. The ones we've covered are only the combat oriented ones." He told them. "Besides those, there are two things you should know. The first is that by holding the cards to your heads, you can communicate telepathically." That caught their interest. "You both need to hold them to your heads to have a conversation like that, but if only one person does it, then the other can still hear. They just won't be able to communicate back. Also, the cards need to at least be on the person for the one-way communication to work. With me so far?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah…What's the last thing?" These pactios were starting to sound better and better.
"The last ability given by a pactio is for the magister to summon the ministra to their location." Both Naruto and Kairi blinked at this. "Only the magister can do it though, not the ministra. The limit is around ten kilometers, same with the telepathy. Also, keep in mind that both the summoning and the telepathy are fairly easy to block. It doesn't take that strong of a barrier to do so. And unlike the telepathy, the cards do need to be held to the heads of both partners for the summoning to work." Chamo said.
The crimson blond grinned. "Still, that sounds perfect. Having those abilities might come in handy in the future." Or at least, they might when he and Kairi could be in two different places to actually have need of them. "That it?"
"That's it! Now that the impromptu lesson is over, onto the pactio!" Chamo materialized his chalk again and -in a surprising display of speed- darted around the floor, drawing lines as he went. Within a minute, a magic circle was glowing on the ground and Chamo was smirking with pride. "Here you go! One pactio circle, ready to go! Just step on in and finish the contract! In a second, you two are gonna officially be partners!" He ran over to Evangeline's side, grinning all the while.
Only hesitating long enough to make eye contact and nod, Naruto and Kairi stepped into the circle. Once they reached the center, they stood facing one another…But became confused when nothing happened.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Chamo called out. "Finalize the contract!" He said gleefully.
Tilting his head in confusion, Naruto spoke up. "Uh…How do we do that?" He asked. "Takahata-san never told us." Immediately, Evangeline's bored expression morphed into a grin that she only ever got when other people were suffering. Perhaps even more worrying than that, Chamo's grin widened and he released the same giggle Naruto heard right before Urahara said something that would either piss him off or embarrass him.
"Whaaaat~? You don't know~?" He sang, sending chills down Naruto and Kairi's spines. "You were all set and ready to form a pactio, and yet you don't know how to do it~?"
Naruto scowled. He was getting an increasingly bad feeling about this by the second. It was nearly to the point that he was considering this to be a mistake. "Would you just tell us what to do already?"
"Sure, no problem! To finalize a pactio, you only need to do one thing!" He whipped out a pair of fans, both of them decorated with designs of hearts and lips. "It's a smooch! A snog! A peck! A buss! You know, a kiss!" He waved his fans enthusiastically, either not noticing or not caring about the way that Naruto and Kairi froze in place. "So pucker up and lock those lips!"
Kairi and Naruto stared at the ermine. Both of their brains attempting to process what they were just told to do.
"Come on, get to it! Where did all that enthusiasm for the pactio go?!" And then at the same time, a shade of red that made Kushina's hair seem dull bloomed on their faces.
"W-What the hell are you saying, you damn rat?!"
"We need to w-w-WHAT?!"
"What's with the hold up?! You were all for it a second ago!" Chamo shouted back.
"THAT WAS BEFORE WE WERE TOLD WE HAD TO KISS-TTEBAYO!"
"Y-Yeah!"
Chamo's grin only grew at their protests. "So? It's just a kiss! I don't see a problem with it~"
"You're not the one doing it!" Naruto snarled, face still crimson.
"Eh, what's the big deal?" Chamo asked. "I mean, it's obvious that you two have the hots for each other anyways! Just see this as helping to speed up the process!"
Kairi buried her face in her hands, unable to believe this was happening. On the other hand, Naruto didn't let himself be back down due to embarrassment. Instead, the crimson blond summoned his Keyblade and practically teleported to Chamo. The ermine stilled and broke out into a cold sweat when the Keyblade was suddenly pressing against his throat.
Swallowing nervously and trembling like crazy, Chamo shakily spoke up. "H-Hold on…Let's not do anything d-drastic, bro…Okay…?"
Naruto applied more pressure with the Keyblade. "You had better be joking about the kiss." He said dangerously.
Trembling even more, Chamo shook his head. "W-Wait! I'm sorry, okay! I didn't tell you the entire truth!" Relief flooded his small body when the pressure lessened.
"Talk. Quickly."
"A kiss is how people finalize the contract-!" The Keyblade was suddenly pressing against him even harder than before. "B-But that's only because of how easy it is! There are other methods! I swear!"
"And they are?"
"We don't have the resources for most of them, b-but we can complete the contract with a blood oath!" Naruto grimaced. While he didn't have a problem with this method, he wasn't sure that Kairi was the same way. "We would only need a bit! And then we could heal the cut right after! So please don't hurt me!" Chamo pleaded.
Evangeline hadn't felt this amused in ages.
After staring at the little rat for several long seconds, Naruto turned his head around to look at Kairi, not moving his Keyblade away even as he did so. "That sound okay to you?"
Doing her best to fight her blush back, Kairi removed her face from her hands and nodded. "Yeah…I'm fine with that." Hearing this, Naruto dismissed his Keyblade and walked back to the circle, much to Chamo's relief. He had experience with negative reactions to the kissing thing, but thatwas the closest he has ever been to actually getting turned into a pelt.
Play Negima OST: Pactio!
When the two of them were standing in their original positions, Chamo called out to them. "All you need to do is create a slice on the inside of your hands and then shake hands. After that, the contract will be complete."
Humming in understanding, Naruto took off one of his gloves, took out a kunai, and then quickly made a cut deep enough to draw blood. Once that was done, he looked up from his hand to see Kairi with a slightly unsettled expression. Smiling apologetically, Naruto spoke. "I guess that you aren't used to willingly drawing blood, huh?" She shook her head. "Do you want me to do it for you…?"
Steeling herself, Kairi held her hand out. "I'll do it myself." Naruto nodded and handed her the kunai. Kairi pressed it against her palm and held it there for a few seconds. Right when Naruto was about to say something, she glared at her hands and did the job. Wincing, Kairi watched for a moment as blood flowed from her hand. She then shook her head and returned her attention to Naruto. "Alright…Here we go." She held her hand out and grinned. "Let's do this." Returning the grin, Naruto reached out and grabbed her hand.
Immediately, the magic circle lit up, forcing their eyes shut from the brightness.
"Pactio!" Chamo declared. "The provisional contract is complete!" After a few seconds, the light died down again, allowing Naruto and Kairi to hesitantly open their eyes back up. Both of their vision problems were forgotten when they caught sight of the object that was floating in front of their faces. Kairi stared at it in disbelief, having a little trouble believing that the process was already over.
"Cure." She was snapped out of the trance by a warm feeling flooding her hand. Looking down, she saw that her and Naruto's hands were now covered in a green light. Turning her eyes to meet Naruto's, she saw that he was smiling at her. "Well…I guess we're partners now."
There we go! All done with Chapter 48!
A big thank you to Krystal Lily Potter for letting me use her outfit design! Misa's outfit was something she made. You wanna check it out? (You should. I suck at descriptions) Here's a link! (Replace "dot" with "." and remove spaces)
krystal - lily - potter "dot" deviantart "dot" com / art / Xion - 170842873
She also has other cool designs! Check out her profile to see them! There are a couple that I'm thinking of asking for permission to use in the future.
krystal - lily - potter "dot" deviantart "dot" com /
I am not saying that I will have Naruto forgive Misa (Or basically act like canon Naruto when it comes to Sasuke), but it also makes sense for me to make him angry about the need to fight someone that used to be a friend. They were friends for a long time, so it hurts. That's all I was trying to convey in this chapter. Don't get mad and say that I'm dumbing him down or making him too willing to forgive.
Ah, plot development here. Relationship development there. Some suspicions and revelations right there. Oh, and a power up right after! Wow, this chapter lacked action, but it had a lot of progression anyways! I told you a lot would be going on in this world…And holy crap, I can't even imagine what would have happened if I incorporated as much Negima plot as I was planning to at first. For example, the tournament would have taken two chapters or something.
I said there would probably be a date. Not that there would definitely be one.
Full Throttle is one of my favorite rides over at Magic Mountain. Props to the people who were actually able to recognize the ride.
Think about it. I can have Naruto teach Kairi spells as much as I want, but it wouldn't be enough. To keep it logical, I wouldn't be able to make her suddenly become a master at a wide range of spells, especially not since I had Naruto start learning from the age of six. A pactio was my solution to get her up to the level of fighting on relative par with the others. Or at least, to allow her (As someone with no training, whether it be physical or magical) to keep up. That Sora progression level is bullshit when not in a video game. And remember, Naruto is definitely stronger than Sora.
Review Responses!
redlox2: Due to chapter length and the desire to not prolong things any further, I didn't do the date…Sorry. If I had, then this chapter would have definitely been cut in two. I'm thinking of maybe putting it as a one-shot or even an omake, but for now, nope. And a big part of the reason that this world is still going is because I need to explain things to people who never read it, so I'm glad it's making sense! As for Misa's resistance to Darkness, that's pretty much it…Among other things that I haven't set in stone yet.
Guest: I already know how I will make Naruto meet Kurama, it's just a matter of when. I have a tentative point in time, but it's not for a while.
rinsegaku: They are usually OP, aren't they? Wait and see! And I'm tying in Negima as much as I am because I plan on using a lot of things from it, as you read in this chapter.
animecollector: I was eager to continue.
Kairitrion Cerulean: Meh. It's justified, so no worries. While the Kingdom Hearts story is pushed by bonds and friendship, I wanted to at least try to do this. If it works, it works, if it doesn't…Then I need to rethink things. And shuddap! You didn't know squat!
NatNicole: In the manga, there were a few participants that couldn't have possibly possessed any legitimate identification. Also, I'm not spoiling anything, and agreeing or disagreeing about the possibility of canon happening would do that.
Prototype Gear: An old challenger appears! Welcome! Wendy/Naruto has its merits, but it isn't as easy to do here.
Drakon45: Did the chapter answer your question?
keyblade master cole: Pretty much.
Draxien Oblivion: Ah, I basically knew what you were saying, I just meant that I didn't get the reference because I never played the game.
Gamingswordsman: I dunno.
I recently read a bio where the person mentioned that it was annoying when writers put responses to reviews before a chapter. I could see the merit in her argument, so I decided to try putting them here. What do you think? Is it better this way, or does it not matter?
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!
Until next time,
Kog6943