Three Months since the birth of the Sixth King
Alice chewed her lips distractedly, as she stared out the window of her room. Seeing as her "condition" hadn't allowed her to be fully conscious for over two months after overexerting herself, she was quite glad to see the warm light of the sun bathe the snow covered form of England during the winter.
However recent events would not let her sleep.
Glancing down upon the red satin sheets that pooled in her lap, the drapes around her four poster bed open wide as to allow the sun to warm the room… and to consequently lighten it as so she could read the report in her lap.
A manila folder secured around the stray bits of paper paper clipped together. Inked upon the paper was the source of her worries. It was the entirety of what the witenagemot knew of the mysterious sixth campione.
It had been three-almost four-months since the sixth king had been crowned, and all they had to show for it were two measly reports along with several notes that all reiterated the fact that they knew nothing.
This wasn't much of a problem though, after all they'd already dealt with the eccentric fifth king, whose identity they still didn't know.
No what worried the greatest which among the heavens, was the second report, and newest edition to the folder.
Witenagemot Report 2nd Entry
As of today Marchy 24th 2009 we have confirmed that the First & Sixth King have fought in a battle as to confirm their pact of nonaggression. The duel resulted in a favorable draw, with each king reaffirming that they saw each other as equals.
Witnesses agree that both kings left on agreeable terms, both kings having followed the rules of the bout exactly. At least according to the witnesses as they refused to expand upon the subject.
A Request for further investigation has been sent out by the field agents, in order to ascertain the Campione's identity as the [Black Saber Association] has continued to deny any request for more information.
Alice sighed as she once again turned her attention back the snowy view of London. Hands playing with her golden locks, it was not long before Her eyelids began drooping slightly as her frustration took it's toll on her already strained body.
She however resigned herself to sleep.
She couldn't do anything at the moment anyway, her body far to strained to even attempt making a spirit body at the moment. That and a vague whisper in the back of her mind that told her she wouldn't of found anything anyway.
It was however in the depth of sleep, that she did see a vision of a king… the seventh king, the Idiot king.
Three Months earlier
Giving an explosive sigh Naruto pushed open the mahogany door, that lead into a finely furnished spare room. A four poster bed with the curtains drawn open, to reveal elegant white silk sheets. Merely shrugging at the lavish room, he shuffled over to the bed his shoes padding softly against the fluffy gray carpet.
Swiftly peeling the silky sheets apart he slipped the unconscious girl under the covers. The fact that he was only twelve, and he'd just lifted an eighteen-ninteen year old woman like it was nothing didn't even phase him as he tucked her into the cover like Aunt Chiyo had taught him to to do with Shizuka.
The brief image of his eight year old cousin, carrying around a tray of tea painted itself in his mind as he felt both the warmth of happiness, and a strange ache surface within his chest.
During his self imposed exile he'd missed quite a lot hadn't he? Far too much.
Shaking his revelry away he slipped down into the single chair present within the room. Sinking into the fairly comfortable chair, he let himself relax into his seat for a moment. He could feel a yawn bubbling up his throat, along with a burst of drowsiness before he shoved the feeling down.
Why the heck was he drowsy anyway he'd only woken up like six hours ago after all… Maybe it was all the sleeping girls he'd been carrying? Well it was only two, but still. Or maybe it was because he'd been knocked out? He remembered reading that being knocked unconscious was very different from genuine sleep.
Of course there was also the possibility that he was just being lazy.
Stretching out in his chair he let out a long yawn, before deciding that it didn't matter either way. After all Naruto wasn't going to sleep just yet. He forced himself to his feet. No he had some research to do on his moronic older siblings.
Something that's apparently going to have to wait… again.
Why? Cause Naruto felt himself unable to fight off the warm sleepy sensation that had finally pushed it's way to the front of his mind, as he crumbled into the chair. His mind overcome with the soft whispers of sleep, and his last memory being a soft giggling noise that was most familiar.
Erica Blandelli wasn't all the sure why she had followed the boy, carrying Alexandra. Just the foggy thought that it would be amusing if she did. As it turns out though, it was just about anything other than amusing… if you ignored the boy as he grumbled about carrying sleeping people that is.
Other than that however it was quite interesting, or should she say curious? To watch the boy navigate the shrine. After his comment about the northern courtyard, not being the library it should have become quite obvious that the boy was quite honestly horrible with directions.
Erica wondered how he even found himself in the Northern Courtyard considering it was on the opposite end of the Shrine from the library.
It was however watching some of the servants bow in front of the boy and answering his every question to the best of their ability, like they would treat a valued guest.
While the rest of the shrine's caretakers, simply shrugged him off like he was nothing but a bother, that gained her interest. When the Knight in training asked the servants themselves, they just smiled sadly at her. Like she was a toddler about to poke a sleeping dragon, Before saying that they couldn't tell her even if they wanted to.
That had put her off balance briefly, before she just continued to trail after the boy as he continued to haul around Alexandra, for what must have been almost an hour before he simply put her in a guest room.
After tucking Alexandra into bed like a four year old, he shuffled over to the spare chair, present in the room. After a few minutes of Idle thought the boy stood up, before he yawned flopping back into his seat like a blob of jelly, as he entered the realm of unconsciousness.
Erica was unable to fight of the urge to facepalm. A cringe inducing smacking sound echoed throughout the room as the red devil soon rubbed her equally red face, in muffled irritation.
'Note to Self: Do not use full strength to facepalm' Disregarding that thought Erica took moment to actually look at the person she had been stalking for the good part of two hours.
He wasn't anything, special. Just a somewhat tall eleven-twelve year old boy, with a strange emerald hat going over his spiky golden blonde hair. His skin holding onto a sun kissed tan that meant he was probably foreign, considering the usual pale complexion of the Swedish. His clothes a brilliant emerald thigh length coat, over a common, unremarkable white t-shirt, and a pair of black pants. A strange necklace glinting in the light, as it dangled around his neck.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She could feel it a malevolent presence hanging over her shoulders as it slinked down her form-
Then it was gone, disappearing like a shadow in a dark room. Fading from the room as soon as it came. Erica Blandelli, blinked as she glanced around the room in confusion.
What had she been thinking about?
Scratching her head in confusion, she shrugged mentally. It probably wasn't all that important, either way nothing interesting was happening right now, so she might as well finish her other assignment.
Sighing internally Erica Blandelli set out to see if any of the survivors, had any magical potential, turning around she marched out of the room.
Unaware as the strange necklace around Naruto's neck, glimmered an unsettling shade of red as she left the room.
When Naruto fell into the realm of sleep, he was expecting a dream of some sort. Maybe it would be a typical dream, one those unremarkable ones that faded into the back of his skull, never to be remembered again.
Maybe it would b, the dream of when he, Shizuka, and Godou were trying to cook a surprise cake for aunt Chiyo… at midnight. Well it was mainly just him and Godou cooking, since Shizuka was far too young to cook. She was four in this dream after all, so she just stood behind them and Supervised.
Of course they screwed up eventually, and set the cake on fire in the oven, so Gramps had to rush down the stairs. Barely dressed, as he hurried to put out the fire. Then the old man would try and scold them, but before they new it they'd all started laughing.
It was a strange dream but, and an even stranger memory, but it never failed to warm Naruto's heart.
But he didn't get either of those.
He didn't even get a nightmare.
No as soon as he fell asleep, Naruto Kusanagi "Woke up" in a strange room. It was a fairly big room shelves on every wall, and a single record player in the center of the room. The strange thing was that even though every shelf was full of old dusty vinyl records, still in their original sleeves, he couldn't play a single one.
None of them worked, and Naruto had tried. He'd picked entire shelves clean, slipping each and every record into place, and setting the stylus into the right spot only for the record to go poof as soon as he turned the phonograph on. If time in the dream world had any effect on reality then Naruto would be a hundred years old, from the amount of time he spent clearing shelves, upon shelves of records.
No matter what he did, as soon as he flipped the phonograph on, the record went poof. He was being literal too, as each record would turn into smoke with an actual poofing sound and everything.
Running a hand through his hair, Naruto finally decided to take a break and sit down on the couch in front of the phonograph. Naruto was really beginning to hate this dream.
Sighing the blond decided to simply sit here until, he woke up. Leaning back into a the couch, he basked in the warmth of the fireplace (that he was pretty sure wasn't here a few minutes ago) in front of him. Reaching out beside him, Naruto was honestly surprised to feel his hand hitting, an end table.
Taking a bit more interest in his surroundings, only to find the room had shifted around him. A fresh mahogany coffee, table with the record player sitting innocently on top. All of the records that had disappeared previously were now once again sitting undisturbed on their shelves. However propped up against the phonograph, were six records… and they seemed familiar to Naruto.
Reaching out for the one of the records, he gasped and almost dropped it. He was expecting, the sensation of cardboard against his fingers only to feel, the texture of worn leather brush against his fingers. Pulling the record closer, he looked over it, only to find the sleeve was made of a familiar green substance.
A green substance, he'd stabbed several times with a spear, barely a few days ago.
That was nothing however as he realized exactly what the record was.
Naruto's voice barely above a whisper, as he spoke "My authorities…" silence enveloping the room... the dream... whatever the hell it was.
His moment of silence was ruined when a bright purple rocket smashed into his side. Groaning in pain, despite the fact it was a dream and well he couldn't really feel pain at the moment. Holding back a few choice words, he glanced down at the pink bullet that had slammed into his side, only to find the witch of Knowledge, Pandora looking up gleefully into his face.
"Did you like my present? Did You? Did You?" The goddess asked like a particularly annoying four year old, her hands waving about in an ecstatic gesture. Naruto did the smart thing.
He facepalmed.