Maelstrom of Cold Steel

by MercenaryGrax

Arriving in a new world with no memory of how he got there, Naruto is taken in by Rutger, the Jaeger King, & given a place to belong. Eventually he winds up in Class VII with his closest friend. With all the chaos in the country of Erebonia & the social divide & massive corruption throughout the country, Naruto will certainly have his work cut out for him in this new world.

9. Chapter 9

A/N - Aaaand here's another chapter for Maelstrom of Cold Steel. Yay! lol.

Anywho, quite a lot happens in this chapter. There IS a lemon in this chapter, which I hope you'll like. If not, then I apologize. Still, it WAS done with a purpose, and you'll understand what I mean as you read the chapter.

Naruto has quite a few talks with people in this chapter, such as Mint, Towa, and Angelica. I hope you like them.

For now, I'm exhausted. So I'm going to end this here and let you read. Please enjoy!

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Chapter 9 – Stress & Worries

Naruto hummed to himself as he sat at his desk, reading through the new issue of the Imperial Chronicle. James was right. This is kind of interesting. Shrugging, he decided to focus on five pages in particular.

'[Politics] The Imperial Provincial Council Meets'

'The Imperial Provincial Council, made up of the Four Great Houses and other key nobles, met recently in Kreuzen Province's Bareahard City. Reports suggest that the heads of each of the Four Great Houses were in attendance, and that countermeasures against the Reformist Faction were discussed.

Provincial Council Representative's Statement:

'The ones responsible for upholding the nation's traditions and for making this great country what it is today are we nobles. The so-called reformists may think they know how to govern Erebonia, but are they really thinking of the next two hundred or three hundred years? Those who lack self-respect and can only think of practical concerns rather than the heritage and culture of this nation have no business talking about how to run it.''

'[International] Riot in Crossbell?'

'Reports suggest that a riot took place in the Crossbell State to the east. The mob struck in the middle of the night, firing machine guns on the city's streets. It is believed that the riot was orchestrated by a religious cult, and the Crossbell police are continuing to investigate the matter.

Fortunately, the IBC (International Bank of Crossbell) was unaffected and resumed normal operations the next day. Those associated with the bank can rest easy.'

'[Economy] Chancellor Osborne Visits Jurai SEZ'

'Recently, Chancellor Osborne paid an unexpected visit to the western Jurai Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which has continued to show remarkable economic growth in recent years. It is believed that he met with the region's representative to discuss their respective visions for the future. Those present were said to be 'awestruck' by the chancellor's dynamism and political skill.'

'[Incident] Phantom Thief B Returns to Erebonia?'

'The infamous criminal, Phantom Thief B, who once sowed chaos across the Erebonian Empire has returned, if reports are to be believed. Does the elusive outlaw intend to cause yet more trouble here in the Empire? Having been outmaneuvered by him on countless occasions in the past, the Heimdallr Military Police aren't taking any chances, and are on increased alert.'

'[Publicity] A Revolution in Fishing Gear'

'The Lakelord Company has added a new product to its lineup: the Lakelord Star! This groundbreaking rod was created using a brand-new material, making it stronger than ever before. Those interested should contact their local dealer for availability.'

Sooo, the nobles are being pricks, as usual. Phantom Thief B is apparently back in Erebonia, whoever he is. And a riot in Crossbell, huh? I wonder what that's all about. Oh well. Shrugging, Naruto went and put the newspaper on his bookshelf before he decided to get some sleep. He and his clone had done enough studying for the night already, so he didn't want to worry too much about it. So, turning off the light in his room, he laid down on his bed and prepared to get some sleep.

Sadly, as he closed his eyes, he began to sense someone quietly creeping towards his room. Sighing softly, he opened one of his eyes to see who might be coming to disturb him. I just want to get some sleep. If it's one of the girls, I reaaaally hope all they want is to cuddle. Then again, if they want that, maybe…? Ugh. As much fun as it would be, I really am exhausted. It's been such a long day. Please, just cuddle!

When he saw his door open, he smirked a bit when he saw Laura entering his room in the cute pajamas she so enjoyed wearing. He watched as she shut the door behind her before taking a deep breath. However, what she did next caused him to begin blushing. Oh crap! Oh no! Laura, come on, sweetheart! You…you can't possibly want that, can you?!

Sure enough, Laura was disrobing, dropping her clothing to the floor. Slowly, she began making her way towards his bed. Okay Naruto, you can do this. Just turn her down gently and convince her to cuddle. Cuddling is always nice. Oh Aidios, give me strength!

Laura was blushing badly as she straddled her lover. Pressing herself against him, rubbing her bare breasts against his chest, she said, "I know you're awake, my love."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and took in the sight of Laura's naked form as she rubbed her body against him. "L-Laura? W-What are you d-doing?"

Smirking at him, she gave him a kiss before saying, "Seducing you, of course. And before you say anything, I know it has only been a month since we became a couple, but I know what I want. I desire you, my mate. So please, make love to me. Hold me in your arms. Make me a woman."

Chuckling nervously for a moment, Naruto said, "I would love to, but…"

Laura's smirk widened as she pressed her finger to his lips. "I know you're tired, Naruto. But, do you really want to deny yourself what you desire? Unless you do not find me attractive?"

"Oh, that's just not fair and you know it." He said with a chuckle. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her lips softly as he brought one of his hands to her breasts and began to gently knead it. When she began to moan, he smirked at her and said, "You can't back out of this now. You know that right?"

"I had no intention of backing out. Mmm. Yes, just like that, my love." Laura said as she felt herself getting wetter. "Take me, Naruto. Now."

Lemon Begins! (Skip if you don't want to read it.)

Removing his pajamas, Naruto held Laura against him as he began to rub the tip of his cock against her nether lips. When she began to shiver in anticipation, Naruto nipped at her ear before saying, "Your wish is my command, my dear." And with that, he began to slowly insert his hardened cock into her soaking pussy.

Once he was fully sheathed inside of her, Laura let out a quiet whimper and pressed herself against her lover again as tears began to well up in her eyes. When he kissed her again and began to slowly slide himself back and forth inside of her, she giggled a bit and said, "I love you so much, Naruto. I'm…I'm so happy right now. I feel so…so full."

Laying his beloved mate back on his bed, Naruto began to pick up the pace as he thrusted his rock-hard penis inside of her hungry snatch. Leaving one hand caressing her hip and massaging her butt, he used his other to begin massaging her left breast, loving hearing her moan his name in delight. "I love you, Laura. For as long as we both live, I'll love you and I will never hurt you. You are my wonderful mate, and you will be my bride. Nngh. You are so damn tight."

Laura writhed beneath her lover as her legs wrapped around his waist. Throwing her arms around him, she dug her nails into his back and began to let out cute whimpers and moans of pleasure. When she felt her release coming, she smashed her lips to his and rode out her orgasm, nearly screaming into their kiss. It was then that she felt his cock swelling and she realized what was about to happen. So, looking into his eyes, she said, "It's okay to release it inside. I will gladly bear your progeny if you wish it."

Looking back at his mate, Naruto saw just how serious she was. So, with a few more quick thrusts, he grunted as he began to spurt his cum inside of her. When he finally finished, he asked her, "Laura, are you sure? What about school? We're still young and…"

Pressing her lips to his to shut him up, Laura soon giggled and said, "Naruto, I love you. I know what I want. If I get pregnant, it will bring me great joy. If not, then we can simply try again later. I do not mind if I have to take some time off from school. I may simply choose to graduate early so I can focus on raising our offspring. There are options available to the both of us should this lead to my pregnancy. Now, do not keep me waiting. I want so much more. And I refuse to let you pull out even once. I want you to let it all out inside me. Do you understand me, Naruto?"

Grinning at his love, Naruto lifted her back into his lap and gripped her butt cheeks firmly in his hands. "Oh, I think I can do that. I just hope you know we're going to be at this for a while. I'm not letting you sleep until we're both quite satisfied." He said before he took one of her nipples in his mouth and began to suck and nibble on it, eliciting more squeaks and moans from his blue-haired lover.

Not liking that he was being idle, knowing he was doing it just to tease her, Laura began to lift herself up before plunging down on his cock, taking it all inside of her again and again. When he began to match her pace, she let out another pleased moan and said, "More. I…I want so much more. I don't care how tired we are in the morning. I want you so bad!"

Gripping her ass harder, he began to pound his large cock into her pussy harder and harder until all she could do was moan loudly and scream his name. When she came again, he grunted and gave one last thrust before unloading inside of her again. "So. Fucking. Tight! Oh Aidios, this feels too damn good!"

Kissing her blonde-haired lover passionately, Laura pushed him back until his head hit the pillow. Then, pressing her hands to his chest, she began to ride him hard again, loving the feel of his member hitting the entrance to her womb again and again. "More. I…I want so much more. I need more!" she said, almost as if it was some kind of mantra. Now that he got a good look at her, she seemed to be in a lust-fueled trance of sorts. Deciding not to question it or distract her, he placed his hands on her large breasts and began kneading them again, loving her quiet moans and mewls of pleasure.

As her pussy walls clamped down on his cock again, he struggled not to cum along with her. When she only began riding him even harder and faster, desperately trying to milk his cock for all he was worth, he threw his head back and moaned out her name as he came inside of her once again. Even then, she just wouldn't stop. Oh Aidios, what have I unleashed? I guess I'm not getting any sleep tonight. Oh man, I do not care! Laura, I love you!

Losing the strength in her arms, Laura collapsed against her mate, but didn't stop plunging down on his cock, smashing her hips against his as she did. "Love. Love you. My Naruto. More. Ohhh yeeeesssss."

Placing his hands on Laura's cheeks, Naruto pulled her in for another long, loving kiss as he began to match her pace, continuing to make love to her. When they parted, the two of them still making love, he said, "Laura, I love you too. You're mine. Forever and ever. Our children will be beautiful. Oh Aidios, you're beautiful. Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll continue to give you everything you want until you're satisfied. I swear, you are insatiable."

Laura simply clung to him as she reached her release again, her pussy clamping down on his cock once again. She began to giggle happily to herself as she felt his cum entering her once again. "So…so full. So tired."

When the light returned to Laura's eyes, Naruto smiled at her and asked, "How do you feel, Laura?"

Laura blinked a couple of times before smiling happily at her beloved. "I feel so full. I feel wonderful. This was everything I've been dreaming of all this time. It was even more than that! I'm…I'm going to be so sore in the morning, aren't I?"

Naruto chuckled softly and gave her another sweet, tender kiss on the lips. "We both are, Sweetie. Do you want to get some sleep? Or were you still hoping for more?"

Laura quickly realized that she didn't have any strength left in her body. So, laying atop her beloved, she squirmed a bit as she felt him growing hard inside of her again. "Can…can we stay like this tonight? I like this feeling…and I'm too exhausted to move."

Smiling supportively at her, he held her close and said, "Sure, Sweetheart. Let's get some sleep. Love you."

Closing her eyes, Laura listened to her mate's heartbeat and let it slowly lull her to sleep. "Love you too, my love."

Glancing down towards their lower regions where they were still connected, he let out a quiet groan and thought, It's going to be hard to sleep like this, but fuck it. This feels too damn good. I'm just glad I put up silencing seals after moving in here, or we would've woken everyone in the dorm! Chuckling quietly at the thought, he closed his eyes and laid his head back on the pillow. "Good night."

Lemon Ends! (Safe to read again!)

The Next Morning

Naruto let out a groan as he heard knocking on his door. Looking at his clock, he saw that it was now 7:00 AM. Three hours of sleep. Better than nothing. He thought. Then, he realized his current 'problem'. He and Laura were still connected at the hip and she was slowly grinding against him in her sleep. Letting out a quiet groan, he began to rub her back before glancing at the door. "Give me a few minutes, Rean. I have something to take care of, then I'll join you downstairs."

"Roger that, Naruto. See you downstairs." Rean said before Naruto heard footsteps, signifying to him that his friend had descended the nearby stairs.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto looked into Laura's eyes as she stared at him with a sultry expression on her face. Slowly, she began to lift herself up and plunge down on his cock again. "Are you sure you don't want to stay in for a while?"

Throwing his head back against his pillow, Naruto let out a long, drawn-out moan before saying, "I'd love to enjoy a repeat of last night, but I can't. I'm sorry, Honey. Besides, you have club practice and I have tasks for Towa that I need to take care of. Then there's the Old Schoolhouse." When she began to gyrate her hips again, he groaned again before practically begging, "Laura…we can't. Aidios knows I want to, but we can't."

Pouting cutely at him, she tried to break down his resolve only to sigh when he wouldn't budge. So, slowly climbing off of him, letting out a whine of disappointment when his cock left the confines of her pussy, she walked over to her clothes and got a wicked idea. Bending over slowly, she knew her lover was watching her shapely rear and getting a good look at her vagina as she slowly went about collecting her clothes. "It's a real shame. I was looking forward to showing you a good time."

Naruto's cock sprung to attention yet again as he watched her. "Oh dammit. This is just cruel, Laura." Seeing her smirking at him, he watched as she wiggled her hips and made a come hither motion with her finger. Sighing, he created a clone and said, "Get dressed and let Rean know I'll be a while longer. Tell him to go ahead and get started without me. I'm not about to leave my girlfriend wanting."

The clone nodded and quickly did as it was told, though it couldn't help but stare at Laura for a moment. Lucky Boss!

Naruto walked up to his love and pinned her to the wall as he sheathed himself inside of her again. "You're a tease, I hope you know that."

"Oh, I know. But I was determined to get what I want. Now, give it to me, my love." Laura said as she began to grind her hips against his.

"I love you so much." He said before giving her exactly what she was asking for.

Two Hours Later

As Naruto made his way downstairs to the mailboxes, he wobbled a bit and muttered, "She's insatiable. I'm so sore. So exhausted, too. Oh well. Might as well see what Towa has in store for me today." Shrugging, he proceeded to pull out the letter of tasks and began to read them over silently to himself.

'Task – Old Schoolhouse Mystery II

Client – Principal Vandyck

I would like to ask Class VII to continue their investigation of the old schoolhouse from where they left off last month.

I hope you will be able to shed further light onto the secrets within those walls.

You may begin when you see fit, but make sure that you are completely prepared.

-Principal Vandyck'

"Huh. Simple enough. Kinda figured he'd make another formal request of us. Nooow, what else do we have here, hm?" Naruto wondered aloud as he began to read the next request, which was the first of two optional ones.

'Task – Just a Talk

Client – Angelica Rogner – Year 2/Class I

Naruto Uzumaki. I would like to have a word with you about an important matter. Meet me outside the Engineering Building at your earliest convenience.

-Angelica Rogner'

"Yeaaah, that doesn't sound ominous. I wonder what the heck the hot biker chick wants with me. Why do I get the feeling it's going to be something both awkward and annoying?" Sighing softly, he decided to read the last optional task so he could just get on with it. Am I even going to have the energy to get through the day?

'Task – Political Drama

Client – Vice Principal Heinrich

Prince Naruto, I am in need of your assistance. I hate to ask this of you, but there are two students currently…'frustrated' with one another. I have tried everything I could think of to settle this matter peacefully, but all of my efforts have ended in failure.

You are my last hope, Prince Naruto. Using your political sway, I am hoping you can settle things between them before things get too much worse.

-Vice Principal Heinrich'

Naruto blinked a couple of times and asked aloud, "Huh? What the heck makes him think a couple of feuding students would listen to me? Whatever. If he needs my help, I'll complete this request of his. Gonna be weird as hell though." Shrugging, he then realized something else about the request that his sleep-addled brain didn't catch at first. "Thought I told the guy to just call me Naruto. Whatever." Sighing softly, he decided to just get on with it and do what needed to be done. Hopefully when I see Mint today, she won't be too upset with me. I kiiinda forgot to talk with her yesterday evening. Aidios help me.

Stretching out his senses, he easily recognized Sara in her room, but she was the only person in the dormitory beside himself. Giggling nervously to himself, he thought, I wonder if she knows what Laura and I did. Knowing Sara, she probably does. Still, I might as well see how she's doing and get this over with. Sighing softly and resigning himself to his fate, he ascended the stairs all the way up to Sara's room and prepared to knock on the door.

Before he could so much as touch it, he heard Sara's voice coming from within. "I know you're there, Naruto. Come in. We need to have a talk."

Gulping nervously, Naruto opened the door and stepped inside to see Sara sitting on her bed, facing him with a stern expression on her face. "H-Hi, Sara. Umm…"

Pointing at her chair, the instructor commanded him to sit. So quickly doing so, he listened as she began to speak to him again. "Naruto. I know Laura spent the night in your room. I also saw how exhausted she was as she made her way back to her room. She also had this strange smile on her face. And, of course, she couldn't stop giggling happily to herself. And, looking at you now, it's obvious to me that you didn't get much sleep. On top of that, you are two hours late to even checking your tasks for the day. It's obvious what you two did. So I'm going to ask you this one question: did you or did you not use protection?"

Naruto chuckled nervously, but quickly stopped when Sara glared angrily at him. Raising his hands defensively, he said, "I was content to just cuddle and sleep! She's the one that snuck into my room and, umm…she refused to let me sleep until I gave her what she wanted. And, umm…she was rather, erm…'insistent' that we not let a single drop go to waste, so to speak. Aidios, she just wouldn't stop." Sighing, he hung his head dejectedly and said, "That woman isn't afraid to go after what she wants. She's a lot more impulsive than I thought she'd be. She wants to start a family with me whether we're married or not. She doesn't even care if she has to graduate early or drop out of the academy or whatever the hell else she has to do. She knows what she wants and she's determined to get it. And dear Aidios, she doesn't know how to take no as an answer to anything. I'm so…so very tired. And incredibly sore. I'd love nothing more than to just go back to my room, curl up on my bed, and sleep the day away. But, I promised Towa I'd help her today, and I told the principal that I'd continue my foray into the old schoolhouse to continue my investigation into that creepy place. I'm looking forward to tonight when I can come back here and sleep. I doubt I'll even get in any studying. I'm just so damn tired."

Sara shook her head in disbelief before giving him a look of pity. "I swear, that girl is more impulsive than I thought she'd be. She really doesn't care about the consequences of her actions, does she?" Sighing, she decided to ask him something. "Naruto? Do you need some help with your tasks today? You look so tired. And after everything that happened yesterday, I'm worried about you. Are you going to be okay today?"

Naruto offered his instructor a smile and said, "I'll be fine. I've had to go days without sleeping before, so I'm sure I'll be fine. This particular situation is all new to me, but I can't complain. So long as she's happy, then I'm glad. I just hope Fie won't be too upset with her. Anko prooobably won't care. Then again, knowing how she is…"

Sara palmed her face and let out a groan of frustration. "I swear, your mates are certainly 'different'. I've heard her and Fie discussing the various ways they'd like to 'jump your bones' so to speak. They weren't exactly quiet about it." Shaking her head again, she said, "Go and get started on your tasks. I think I'm just going to drink for a while. All of this stress is giving me a damn headache."

"Sorry, Sara. Try to relax and have a good day, okay? See you later." Patting her on the shoulder, he turned and left her room. Shutting her door behind him, he let out a frustrated sigh and thought, I'm not going to get much sleep for a while…am I? Shaking it off, he descended the stairs to the first floor and left the building.

Once outside, he grumbled as the morning rays beamed down on him from above. "Damn sun. So damn bright." Groaning, he looked across the way at the kids playing outside of Kurt's house. Well, whatever they're doing, they sure seem happy. I'll leave them and Kurt's parents alone. Sooo, let's see how ol' Micht is doing.

Walking past the children and the house, Naruto let out a yawn before entering Micht's Pawn Shop. As he approached the older man, he listened as Micht said, "Looks like you had a long night, Mr. Prince. After your actions in Celdic last month, I'd have figured you'd try to take it easy for a while. You're helping out the Student Council again today, aren't you?" Seeing Naruto nod, Micht said, "Good for you. Be careful with Rogner. I'm sure she's going to have a few…'choice words' for you." Chuckling, he waved goodbye to the stunned Naruto.

Not even looking at Micht's inventory, Naruto slowly nodded before turning and leaving the store. I swear, that man knows way too much. I wonder what he knows about Angelica. Guess there's no point in dwelling on it right now. Shrugging, he walked up the nearby steps towards the park and all the shops. Suppose I might as well get some fishing in when I get to the river and the pond at the academy. Might as well. Could be relaxing. Shrugging it off, he ignored the flower shop and approached Old Man Euler.

Turning to Naruto, Euler frowned in thought for a time before saying, "I've heard talk of tax increases coming into effect across the four provinces. The Empire's nobles truly do seem keen on maintaining their reign of terror. Not that this is anything new, of course. Unreasonable behavior from ruling nobles has been a constant since the Middle Ages. Fortunately, Trista doesn't share the same fate as it's under direct control of the emperor himself, just like Heimdallr. I do feel for those who live elsewhere, however…"

Naruto nodded sadly and said, "I know what you mean, Euler. I just wish there was something I could do about it. I can't help but feel for the people."

Euler nodded and said, "I'm sure you do. If only you could use your influence as a prince to correct things, that would be wonderful. But, I'm afraid that a prince of a foreign nation doesn't have much say in the politics of the empire. Sorry, Naruto."

"It's fine. I'll just do what I can, even if it's not much. I just hope my efforts bear fruit over time. Anyways, I have a long day ahead of me. Talk to you later, Euler." Naruto said, smiling at the man.

"Of course, Naruto. Enjoy your day." Euler said before he turned and resumed his usual walk around the park.

Entering the clothing store, he was a little surprised to see Hugo and Becky together, discussing something as they usually did. Seems she's working here today. If she's trying to make a sale, I won't disturb her. She seems to have this weird friendly rivalry thing going on with Hugo, though. Kind of funny in a way.

Shrugging, he approached Julia and listened as she giggled for a moment. "Becky displays remarkable skill. Her way of interacting with customers is rather different from the norm, but I have no complaints about the results. In fact, I wouldn't mind if she became an official employee one day. The work Becky does here is impeccable. Though, I did advise her that her method of interacting with customers might be just slightly too forceful."

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "It's just how she is. She's still young, though. We are only teenagers, after all. Becky's still learning, but I think she's well on her way to becoming a skilled businesswoman. I'm looking forward to seeing how she does in the future. Take good care of her, okay, Julia?"

Smiling at Naruto, Julia said, "Of course, Naruto. Have a good day."

"You too, Julia. Take care." Turning, he left the store, not even noticing as Becky's gaze lingered on him for a moment.

Once outside again, Naruto turned and entered Brandon's General Goods. Glancing off to the side, he saw Vincent and his maid, Sariffa. It seemed he was trying to charm yet another girl. This time, it was a noble. If he wasn't mistaken, it was actually the head of the Fencing Club, Friedel. Chuckling quietly to himself, he thought, Vincent, you really have no idea what you're getting yourself into here. Friedel's kind of sadistic. Then again, you might be into that. Hell if I know. Shrugging it off, he decided to approach Brandon and talk with him as he browsed Brandon's wares.

"We shop owners got together for some drinks last night. And you kiddos were a popular topic of conversation, I'll tell ya. Everyone agrees that this year's batch of new students is an interesting one. Class VII in particular. You, especially, Mr. Prince." Brandon said, chuckling afterwards.

Naruto sighed and shook his head exasperatedly. "People are just not going to let that go, are they? Still, I suppose I'd better get used to it. Things are going to be different now that people know the truth." Shrugging, he looked into Brandon's eyes and requested to purchase a few items that might be useful.

Brandon laughed for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "Don't sweat it, Naruto. We basically do this every year. We weren't exactly bored with last year's students, either. Especially with the one and only Angelica among them. Nobody could tell she's from one of the Four Great Houses with her attitude, that's for sure. You're just as unique, but you have nothing to worry about from us shopkeeps. We're not going to hassle you about it. Anyways, here's your change. Take care, Naruto."

"Thanks, Brandon. See you later." Sealing away his items, he left the store and decided to bypass the park for the time being. Instead, he watched as Misty made her way towards the radio station. When she stretched out and said something about a beautiful morning, he chuckled to himself and muttered, "Beautiful. Right." Sighing, he listened as she talked to herself about coming up with a new topic for tonight's show. Then, when she entered the radio station, he shrugged his shoulders and decided to just leave her and the station alone. Too tired to deal with all of that right now. Might as well see if there's anyone interesting in Kirsche's Café.

Entering the café and inn, Naruto immediately spotted Rean and Crow spending some time together. Deciding to just leave them to it, he approached Dolly and said, "Hi, Dolly. How's it going?"

"Hello, Mr. Prince." She said with a giggle. Then, glancing over her shoulder, she said, "Crow looks irresponsible, but you'd be surprised at how good he is at taking care of people. He's kind of like Fred that way. Which makes sense, given how well the two of them get along. Sadly, that doesn't stop Crow from doing dumb stuff all the time."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Yeah, I can imagine it. He doesn't seem like a bad guy or anything, but he's a sly one. Kind of looking forward to getting to know the guy more as the year goes by."

Dolly smiled at him and said, "I'm sure you are. Anyways, I need to get back to work. Take care, Prince Naruto."

As Dolly walked off to continue her rounds, Naruto sighed and thought, I'm not even going to bother telling people not to call me Prince anymore. Too damn tired to worry about that right now. That, and I doubt people are going to listen to me anyways.

Shrugging, Naruto listened as Fred and the old man sitting at the counter talked about horse racing and gambling for a little while. None of it was of any interest to him. When he heard some kids come in and start chatting away with Crow, he quirked a brow, but shrugged it off as well. Deciding to leave them to it, he left the café/inn and looked at the people in the park. There weren't many of them, but he did spot Vivi standing there, looking at the flowers in the flower shop. Oh boy. Might as well say hi and see how she's doing today. I just hope she doesn't try anything.

Ignoring the old woman, who he assumed was the one waiting for Colette, Naruto approached Vivi and said, "Heya, Vivi. What's up?"

Turning to Naruto, Vivi hummed in thought for a moment before saying, "Nothing much. Just thinking about something to do with Linde. It's not important right now." Then, looking into his eyes, she frowned and said, "You look exhausted. Did you get any sleep?"

Despite knowing it would probably be a bad idea to tell her even a tiny bit, Naruto decided to say at least something to try and assuage her worries. "I'm fine. It was a looong night. I barely even got three hours of sleep. Yesterday just took a lot out of me, I guess."

Vivi stared at him skeptically for a brief moment before her eyes widened in realization. Half-whispering and half-yelling at him, she said, "You had sex! Ohhh, you have to tell me! Which of your hottie girlfriends was it? Fie? Anko? Maybe Laaauuuura? I want the details!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Vivi, I'm not giving you details about my sex life. Just…leave it alone, okay? She wouldn't let me get any sleep until I gave her what she wanted. I'm just so, so very tired. If I didn't have stuff to do today, I'd have gladly slept the rest of the day away."

Vivi pouted cutely at him, but when he didn't budge, she said, "Pooey. You sure you don't want to tell me anything? I promise I won't tell anyone. Honest. I'm just curious. Besides, it's your private life. There's no point in making things more difficult for you than they already are with the whole prince thing."

Looking into his friend's eyes curiously for a time, Naruto asked, "You're really serious, aren't you?" Seeing her nod, he said, "I see. Well, thanks, Vivi. If I tell you though, don't go bothering her about it. Then again, Instructor Sara already knows, and I didn't even have to say anything to her." Sighing, he closed his eyes and said, "It was Laura. I don't regret it, and I love her, but I really could've used the sleep."

Vivi blinked and said, "Wow. Can't say I was expecting that. I figured Anko would be the first one to snag ya. She does seem like the type."

Naruto chuckled and said, "I know what you mean. Anyways, I have stuff I need to take care of. I'll see you later, Vivi." Patting her on the head for a moment, he made to walk towards the bookstore, but he saw Rean entering it. Deciding to leave him be, he crossed the bridge, waving to Fidelio and Rex as he went, and bypassed the nearby house. Walking down to the small river, or was it a stream? Shrugging it off, Naruto cast his line and began to fish for a while. Don't want to fish for too long here. I do have stuff to do. Aaaand I don't want to fall asleep while standing up like this.

Once he had finished fishing, he proceeded to enter the church. Sensing a couple of people in the room on the left, he was tempted to open the door and greet whoever was in there. However, taking a moment to think on it, he decided to just leave them be. Instead, he walked up the stairs and approached Father Paulo. "Hi, Father."

Paulo frowned as he looked into the younger man's eyes. "You look tired, Naruto. I suppose yesterday was a trying day? I had no idea you were a prince. But, something tells me there's more to your exhaustion than simply dealing with the fallout of yesterday's events. Do you need to talk about it?"

Naruto blushed and glanced away. "I just…didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Sighing softly, he looked into the Father's eyes and said, "Last night, I was just so exhausted from everything that happened earlier in the day. It was a trying day, and all I wanted was to sleep. But…one of my girlfriends had other plans for me. I know we're still young, but I gave in and, erm…we made love. I don't regret it, but part of me wishes we could have just cuddled instead. I have so much to do today, after all. Helping the Student Council, investigating the old schoolhouse, checking up on my friends, etc. I'm honestly just exhausted from everything that has happened."

Paulo nodded in understanding. "I see. Naruto, as you said, you and your friends are young. Things like that are bound to happen from time to time. However, let me give you a word of advice." Seeing he had the prince's attention, Father Paulo smiled kindly at him and said, "Focus on maintaining your health and getting a healthy amount of sleep. If you need to, be firm and tell your girlfriends no from time to time. If they love you, and I know they do, I'm sure they will understand. Now, I do believe I have kept you long enough. Do take care, Naruto. And please, continue your prayers to Aidios. She will never guide you astray."

"Thank you, Father." Naruto said before he took a seat nearby. Closing his eyes, he raised his hands in prayer and began to pray to Aidios for guidance once again.

Dear Aidios, I know I have asked a lot of you before, but I have one request this time. I'd ask you to please ensure Laura isn't pregnant with my child, but I feel that would be wrong of me to do. So, I will ask this instead. If she IS pregnant, please let her have a safe pregnancy, and please let our children be born strong and healthy. I do not want anything to happen to our future children…nor my bride-to-be. I love Laura as I do Fie and Anko. Please, look after her, Aidios. Thank you for hearing my prayer.

Once he had finished, Naruto stood up, bowed politely to the Father, and then left the church. Deciding to ignore the two dormitories, Naruto proceeded to make his way to the academy, deciding to simply get things over with and deal with whatever came his way. I just hope those requests aren't too challenging. Angelica may simply want to 'talk', but something tells me that conversation is going to be a long one. Then there's Heinrich. Sighing, he shook his head and said, "As Shikamaru would have said: troublesome."

As he walked onto the campus grounds, he glanced at the main building for a time before shaking his head. I'll worry about Heinrich's request later. Let's check the library first and then make my way around. Question is: do I wait to talk to Towa or not? I get the feeling Angelica wants to talk to me about her, so it might be a good idea to talk to her first. Guess we'll see. Shrugging, he made his way to the library and stepped inside.

Walking up to Karol, he listened as she said, "It appears that Emma has joined the Literature Club. This could go very, very badly. I hope that Dorothee doesn't end up corrupting Emma with her…unique proclivities. Perhaps I should intervene before it's too late." Sighing, she shook her head and said, "Dorothee recommends books to me from time to time, and yes, I've read one or two…" Chuckling awkwardly, she said, "It goes without saying that we cannot let her get to our pure-hearted first years."

Naruto chuckled in response. "Have to agree with you there. Though, I doubt Emma will be corrupted by Dorothee. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. Only time will tell, though." Shrugging, he said goodbye to Karol and turned and headed up the stairs. Spotting Anko, he walked over to her and asked, "Heya, Anko. Doing some more studying today?"

Anko shook her head and said, "Not really. I'm just trying to see if there's any good books to read. I've studied enough for the time being. I just want to relax and…" Getting a good look at her mate, she frowned in confusion and said, "You look practically dead on your feet. Didn't get enough sleep or something?"

Naruto slumped over and said, "You could say that. Laura snuck into my room last night and…well…let's just say she knows what she wants. And when she wants it, it's hard to say no to her. I only got about three hours of sleep, and then she wanted even more this morning." Lightly banging his head against the nearby bookshelf, he said, "I wish I could just go back to my room and sleeeeep. I tried to tell her that I needed sleep and we should just cuddle, but Aidios she…well…"

Sighing, Anko reached up and massaged the bridge of her nose. "That girl is so impulsive, I swear. You wouldn't think a noblewoman could be so impulsive and open with her desires. But, the girl clearly knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go for it. Let me guess, though. You didn't use protection, did you?"

Banging his head a few more times, Naruto said, "Didn't even get a condom on. I just gave her what she wanted. And, she admitted that she doesn't care if she ends up pregnant or not, so long as they're my children. We're going to be married, she wants to start a family with me, and she doesn't seem to care if she graduates or not. If need be, she'll graduate early, but damn. I just finished saying a prayer at the church, pretty much begging Aidios to take care of her, just in case."

Anko shook her head in disbelief. "That girl, I fucking swear." Sighing aggravatedly, she said, "I'll talk to Fie for you. She was honestly hoping that either me or her would get to you first. I doubt she'll be too happy with Laura for taking your first time like this. Don't worry, Fie will be fine, and so will Laura. You just let me handle that. I assume you have those tasks from the Student Council to take care of?"

Naruto nodded before hugging his girlfriend tight. "Thank you, Anko. I love you. You know that, right?"

Anko giggled a bit and held her mate close. "I love you, as well. You go and do what you need to. I'm going to check out a few books and then go find Fie. Be safe. And do be sure to let the two of us know when you're heading into the old schoolhouse! We'll help you guys out today."

"Of course. See you later, Anko." Giving her a quick kiss on the lips, he left the library and took a deep breath. "Okay, time to go see Angelica. Let's see how this goes. Please don't harass me for something I haven't done."

Passing by the Student Union building for the time being, he took another breath before proceeding around the corner and turning his gaze on Angelica. When she turned to look at him, he waved at her and said, "Yo. I got your request, Lady Angelica. You wanted to talk?"

"First, don't call me that. Just Angelica is fine. Second, I do want to talk with you, yes. Follow me." Angelica said before walking past him and leading him to the benches outside of the old schoolhouse. "Nobody will bother us here. So let's talk."

Taking a seat beside her, he asked, "What did you want to talk about, Angelica? I assume you've got something on your mind you'd like to discuss with me?"

Angelica nodded before looking into his eyes. "I want to know more about you, Naruto Uzumaki. Towa has nothing but good things to say about you, and she seems to want to take care of you and look after you. She has taken a special interest in you, Uzumaki. And before you say anything, I doubt it's a crush or anything…yet. But she cares about you. That much is obvious to me. So, I need to ask: what are your intentions with her? If you plan to lead her on and hurt her, I will hurt you, prince or not."

Naruto sighed and nodded his head. "I kinda figured that's what this was about. Angelica, Towa is a dear friend and I really do care about her. Hell, she's adorable and oh so cute!" Seeing the look she was giving him, Naruto chuckled before saying, "Angelica, she doesn't treat me like I'm different. Honestly? She makes me feel safe. It's rare for me to feel that way around people. Especially after all I've been through."

When she went to ask him what he meant, the blonde smiled sadly at her and said, "Angelica, you've heard about the prince thing by now. Thing is, I wasn't raised as one. Hell, I wasn't raised by anyone. I grew up alone and hated by everyone in the village I lived in. I was abused, mistreated, insulted, etc. pretty much every day of my life growing up. I had NOTHING. The only friend I ever had was Anko."

Sighing softly, Naruto stared down at the ground for a time before he resumed speaking. "Anko was the only one who really cared about me. If not for her…I don't know, Angelica. One good person is all it took to keep me from trying to kill myself." Hearing her gasp, he nodded and said, "Yeah. My parents would have gladly raised me, but they were killed on the night of my birth. And nobody told me about my heritage or where I really came from or anything. It was all kept from me. I didn't find out the truth until I was 16 years old. That was three years ago."

"Angelica, I'm the prince of a dead nation. There's nobody left. I'm the last surviving member of the royal family…and I'm all that remains of my people. I literally have nothing. I'm a prince in title and name only. I'm really not all that important." Looking into her eyes, he said, "As far as I'm concerned, Aidios brought me here for a reason. I met Fie, I was reunited with Anko, and hell, a noble even fell in love with me and insists on bearing my children someday. I…when I came here, I had nothing but the clothes on my back. Fie and her family took me in and taught me everything they could about this side of the world. Then…we lost our adoptive father…and our family split apart. Sara found us and gave us a home here in Trista as part of Class VII. I was reunited with Anko here last month, as well. I'm finally someplace I can let myself be happy. And…some of the people I know here make me feel safe, as I said before. It's a completely new feeling for me, and I want to cherish these bonds I'm making. Again, I care about Towa a great deal. She's someone I feel comfortable with."

Sighing softly again, he rubbed the back of his head and said, "I get the feeling you really care about Towa, Angelica. She's very dear to you, and you don't want some mystery guy to show up and sweep her off her feet. I get it if you don't trust me right now, and that's okay. Still, I wanted to open up to you a bit and try to be friends. So, what do you say?"

Angelica frowned sadly at him for a time before hanging her head and saying, "Dammit. With a story like that, I can't be mad at you. I think I can see why Towa's so interested in you now. You're right, I care about Towa. A LOT. She's so sweet and adorable. I just want to keep her safe from everybody and everything." Sighing, she reached down and took one of Naruto's hands in hers. Giving it a gentle squeeze, she said, "Naruto, since you shared so much with me, let me share something with you. I like women. A LOT. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm interested in a cute guy as much as the next girl, but girls are more my type. I am VERY protective of Towa, Naruto. I'm going to trust you to be good to her. If she chooses to be with you at some point, then I'll support her decision. But…"

Naruto gave Angelica's hand a squeeze and said, "I get it, Angelica. You love her. She means the world to you and you'd do anything for her, I'm sure. Hell, if you want to win her heart, you've got my support. I don't want to take Towa away from you, Angelica. Not when you feel so strongly for her. Does…does she know how you feel? Or is she…?"

Angelica giggled and said, "Towa can be a little…naïve. She knows I love her, but I don't think she realizes just how much. It doesn't help that I hit on pretty much every girl I meet. Like that Alisa girl? Rawr!" Giggling a bit more, the noble smiled at Naruto and said, "Thank you, Naruto. For trusting me with some of your secrets. Have you talked to Towa about any of this? You know she'd listen to you no matter what you have to say to her."

Naruto smiled sadly and shook his head. "I haven't told her much about my past yet. She knows a little, but not quite as much as I just told you. I kind of didn't want to burden her with my troubles. She is already so busy and I…"

Sighing, Angelica said, "Naruto, Towa can handle a lot. I told you already that she wants to take care of you. So talk to her about your past soon. Even if you don't reveal a lot all at once, just confide in her whatever you feel comfortable sharing with her. Okay?"

Before Naruto could say anything in reply, he blushed when he felt Angelica's lips on his cheek. When she stood up and smiled down at him, he asked, "What was that for?"

"Because I felt like it. Now, I've kept you quite long enough. I'm going to go for a ride on my bike. Be sure to say hi to Towa for me, okay? And remember what I said. Don't be afraid to tell her more about yourself." Waving goodbye to him, she turned and walked off, whistling a tune to herself as she did.

Once she was out of sight, Naruto raised a hand to his cheek and chuckled a bit. Okay, hot biker chick kissed my cheek. Not bad, Naruto! Standing up, he chanced a glance at the old schoolhouse before he left and made his way to the Engineering Clubhouse.

Entering the building, Naruto smiled when he saw George. Walking up to him, he asked, "How's it going, George? Got anything new in stock for me to check out?"

"Well, I just finished the orbal bike report that I plan to send off to the Roer Institute of Technology soon. Kind of a shame I can't just send it their way over the orbal net, though. Actually, now that I think on it, Rean mentioned that you were having some trouble getting the hang of that. Did you want me to offer you some of my assistance?" George asked as he looked into Naruto's eyes.

"I'd appreciate that. I have the feeling you'd probably explain it in a way that would make sense to me. Tutoring would probably have to wait until I get back from this month's field study, though. That okay?" Naruto responded, smiling at the portly teen.

"That works for me just fine, Naruto. I'd be glad to help. Anyways, you asked about my stock. I happen to have a new Master Quartz in stock, if you're interested in purchasing it. Other than that, I'm afraid I don't have much besides a few parts for building machines and such." George explained.

Nodding in understanding, Naruto purchased the Wing master quartz from George before shaking his hand. "Thanks, George. See you later. Take care of yourself!" And with that, he turned and left the clubhouse. Afterwards, he proceeded to the Student Union building and stepped inside.

Walking up to James, he blinked when the man asked him, "I hear you met Angelica. I'm warning you now, she's something of a troublemaker. The vice principal has no interest in lecturing Angelica since she's from one of the Four Great Houses. Still, she's a good person. I think you'll like her. Though, I wouldn't go looking to her as a potential role model."

Naruto sweatdropped, but nodded his head in understanding. "I'll keep that in mind. I did just have an interesting talk with her about a few things. Namely Towa."

James chuckled and nodded his head in understanding. "She doesn't want you making the moves on Towa then, I take it?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said, "Yeaaah, that's part of it. But, we had a nice, long conversation and got to know each other better. Angelica's a good person. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better before she graduates."

"Heh, I bet. Take care of yourself, Naruto. Have a good day, and be careful in the old schoolhouse!" James said.

"Sure thing. Talk to you later, James." The blonde said before he turned and waved to Samantha and her husband before making his way upstairs. Stopping outside of the Literature Club, he frowned for a moment before deciding to just bite the bullet, so to speak. So, entering the room, he looked at Dorothee and asked, "Umm, hi? How's it going, Dorothee?"

Slipping a bookmark into her book, the second year student put it down before looking into Naruto's eyes. "Sooo, you're a prince, huh? It's a shame. With your status and your looks…" At this point, she started giggling pervertedly to herself. "If you weren't so set in your ways, the lust you'd feel when looking at your fellow classmates, the male ones, mind you, could be unleashed! Just imagining you bending Gaius over and making him beg for more…"

Naruto sweatdropped as the girl got a literal nosebleed from what she was imagining. "Umm…Dorothee? I have three wonderful girlfriends. I'm very happy with them. I will NEVER do what you're imagining right now. Aidios, where do you get these ideas from?" Palming his face, the prince shook his head in mild disbelief before saying, "I'm going to leave you alone for the time being. Take care, Dorothee." And with that, he left the room.

As he walked down the hall, Naruto couldn't help but shake his head. Good lord. The things that girl thinks up in that head of hers. Aidios, please don't let Dorothee corrupt Emma somehow. That poor girl is too innocent to suffer such a fate.

Seeing as he sensed two people in the Lower-Class Chess Clubroom, he figured one of them had to be Machias. So, deciding it best to leave the two of them alone, he proceeded to enter the next door on his right. Looking around the room, he said, "Looks like a real fortuneteller's room in here. Nice setup you've got here, Beryl."

Beryl giggled to herself and said, "Thank you, Mr. Prince. I am glad you like my…accommodations. I was so hoping you would pay me a visit. Normally, I would discuss the old schoolhouse and the mystery revolving around it with you, but I think I'll do something special for you today, Mr. Prince."

Naruto looked curiously at Beryl and asked, "What do you mean 'special'?"

"You and your mate made love, did you not?" Seeing his eyes widen, she smirked at him and said, "You are worried she may be pregnant. On the one hand, you're more than eager to start a true family with her. On the other, you want what's best for Laura, and this could very well impact her school life and the future she has ahead of her. Well, just for you, I'll let you know if she's pregnant or not."

Before Beryl could say anything further, Naruto nervously asked, "How? How do you know all of that?"

"I see all the mysteries of this world unfolding before me, Mr. Prince. It is hard to keep any secrets from my mind's eye. You do not need to worry. I have no intention of revealing your secrets, as many as they are. Instead, I'll tell you this: Laura will give birth nine months from now. She will give you two healthy baby boys. But! Something big is coming that will test you and your loved ones. I suggest you remain strong, Mr. Prince. One that's strong enough to challenge you is coming. Not for many months yet, but you will see him in time. I suggest you take the man of blazing fire seriously, Mr. Prince. Now, I do believe you were about to speak with dear Towa about something, were you not? Good day, Mr. Prince. I do hope to see you again soon." Beryl said, smirking at the resident enigma before her.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he simply stared at Beryl in astonishment. After a time, he smiled at her and said, "Thank you for your warning, Beryl. I'll take your words to heart. And…thank you for confirming that our children will be healthy. I was worried that…that something might happen."

Slowly standing up, the mysterious girl approached Naruto and hugged him against her. Slowly rubbing circles on his back, she did what she could to soothe him. "Do not worry, Naruto. You and your mates will be happy. Nothing can ever tear you apart. Now, be strong, my prince. Put on that smile of yours and go talk with your friend. Should you ever need me, I will be here for you. After all, you are as important to me as you are to your friends." When he went to ask her what she meant, she simply smiled kindly at him and said, "You will understand in time. Farewell for now, my prince."

Wiping his tears, Naruto looked into Beryl's eyes for a time before nodding his head. "Thank you, Beryl. Have a good day." And with that, as puzzled as he was, he left the room and proceeded to enter the Student Council office.

Once inside, the blonde shut the door behind him before taking a seat on the couch. When Towa turned to him, he gave her a wave and said, "Hi, Towa."

Smiling at Naruto, Towa finished what she was doing before she went and took a seat beside him. "Hello to you as well, Naruto. I hear you've met Angie. She didn't bother you too much, did she?"

"No. Angelica was simply worried about you and wanted to discuss some things with me. She was just trying to look out for you. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. We talked for a while and seemed to come to a mutual understanding of one another. Heck, she even gave me a kiss on the cheek." He said, smirking at the Student Council president.

Giggling a bit, Towa said, "So that's what her request was all about. I should have known. Still, I'm glad the two of you are getting along so well. Be nice to her, okay, Naruto?"

"Heh, she told me to be good to you, too. You two really care for each other, huh?" Naruto said, smiling at his shorter friend.

Towa smiled brightly and nodded her head excitedly. "Yep! We really do! We're best friends and I really love her. She's always been so nice to me and we get along really well. She even takes me for rides on her orbal bike sometimes!"

Naruto smirked at her and said, "Careful there, Towa. You're being atowable again."

Towa blinked and asked, "Atowable? What's that?"

"Welll, because you're so adorable, I decided to combine the word adorable with your name. So, you are now atowable. Every time you decide to start being cute and adorable, that's what I'll call you. Sooo, if you don't want me to tease you a bit, might want to do something about the weaponized cuteness." Naruto teased.

A deep blush spread across Towa's face before she punched Naruto in the arm. "Meanie! Why are you always teasing me like this?"

Chuckling a bit, Naruto said, "It's the truth, though. You really are very cute, Towa. And…I feel comfortable with you. It's just like I told Angelica earlier. I feel safe when I'm with you. And…" Sighing softly, he looked into her eyes and said, "I want to start opening up to you a little more about my past. I want you to know that I trust you."

Taking one of Naruto's hands in her own, Towa smiled kindly at him and said, "I know you do, Naruto. I knew you'd talk to me eventually, which is why I chose not to pressure you about it. But, I can tell something has happened. You have something really big on your mind. What happened, Naruto?"

Naruto closed his eyes and took some time to really think it over. After a time, he looked into her eyes and said, "Towa, Laura snuck into my room last night. She made it REALLY obvious what she wanted. I tried to convince her that we should just cuddle and go to sleep together, but…"

"O-Oh. I see. And…?" Towa asked, a deep blush staining her cheeks again.

"Towa, there's a good chance she's pregnant." Naruto said, not revealing what Beryl told him earlier. "I'm just…tired. And stressed. And so confused. Yesterday was just ridiculous. I was looking forward to getting some sleep, and then that happened, and…" Gently removing his hand from Towa's grip, he buried his face in his hands and struggled to contain his emotions. "I don't know what the hell to do, Towa. Laura…" Taking a breath, he lowered his hands again and stared at the table before him. "She wants to bear my children. She doesn't seem to care about the consequences. What…what if this ruins her life? I want her to be happy, and I want our children to grow up strong and healthy, and I want her to have a safe pregnancy, and…and…" Looking into Towa's eyes, she could see tears welling up in them again. "I'm scared, Towa. I've never had a true family before. Nobody raised me. Nobody in my village cared about me. The only friend I ever had was Anko. I…I didn't know what it was like to be loved by someone until I came to this world."

Sighing, Naruto simply allowed the tears to flow as he looked into Towa's eyes. "Towa, I'm not even from this world. The people of my village…they tried to kill me. Aidios saved my life and brought me here to Zemuria. I AM a prince, but not one of this world. I had nothing in that world. Then I was brought here…and everything changed. I met Fie and the other members of Zephyr. They gave me a home with them. My time with them is how I came to be known as the Silent Shadow. Then the boss died and everyone left. Sara found Fie and me and invited us to come here to Trista and become members of Class VII. Then…Aidios brought Anko back to me. Anko's here with me now, after two years without her! And then Laura…"

"Towa. I'm scared. I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do now. I love all three of them, and I want them to be happy. But…what do I do now?" Naruto asked somewhat pleadingly.

Towa's eyes were wide as she stared at the prince. After taking the time to let everything register in her brain, the Student Council president wrapped her arms around Naruto and nestled his head in the crook of her neck. When he wrapped his arms around her and clung to her, she said, "Naruto. Everything will be okay. Those people can't hurt you anymore. You're here in Zemuria now. Nobody will EVER hurt you again. And Laura loves you. If she's willing to take things so far, I think that's pretty obvious. Please, don't…don't hurt so much anymore, Naruto." Feeling tears welling up in her eyes, the short girl rested her chin atop his head and said, "I promise that Angie, Crow, George, and I will always be here for you. Even if you don't want to tell them everything, that's fine. But we'll take care of you. Okay? You are safe here. I get that you're scared right now. I don't blame you for feeling that way. But…try to be happy, okay?"

Making Naruto look into her eyes, Towa smiled serenely at him and said, "Think about it this way. You and Laura are bringing new life into this world. Children you can call your own. Children that you will love and cherish. Children you can hold and sing to. Naruto, it's a beautiful thing. I know you're both still young, but let yourself be happy, Naruto. I can't pretend to know all that you've been through up until now. But, I know you deserve this happiness that awaits you. I promise that, no matter what, everything will be just fine. So please, can you give me a smile?"

Wiping his tears, Naruto chuckled quietly before he gave Towa the best smile he could. "There we go. Thank you, Naruto. Thank you for confiding in me. Would you like to stay and talk for a while? I can prepare some tea and snacks if you'd like?"

Chuckling softly, Naruto shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, I do still have Heinrich's request to take care of, and then Rean and I have to get a group together and delve into the old schoolhouse again. But…I'm feeling a lot better now. Thank you, Towa. Thank you so much."

Towa smiled brightly at him before she decided to be a bit bold. So, leaning up, she placed a kiss upon his forehead. Afterwards, she petted his hair for a moment and said, "You're very welcome, Naruto. Good luck with your requests! I'll be rooting for you!"

Naruto blushed, but quickly shook it off. Standing up, he gave Towa another hug before he left the office. Once he was gone, Towa couldn't help it as tears began to flow down her cheeks. Poor Naruto…

Leaving the building, Naruto proceeded to the back of the main building and noticed the janitor sweeping up the area outside. Smiling at the man, the blonde waved to him before turning and making his way to the small pond past the garden. Casting a line, he began to fish for a while as he allowed his mind to wander. Angelica and Towa. You're both really good people. Thank you both.

Once he was finished, he patted Kenneth on the shoulder before walking over to Edel. "Hi there, Edel. Where's Fie? I figured she'd be with you."

Edel smiled up at him and shook her head. "I think she went to take a nap somewhere. It seems she was up most of the night studying and it took a lot out of her. I get the feeling she might be trying a bit too hard, but I think she wants to make you proud of her. If you see her, make sure to take care of her, okay?"

Smiling at Edel, he said, "Sure thing. Thank you, Edel. Talk to you later, okay?"

"Of course, Naruto." Edel said before returning to what she was doing.

Entering the gymnasium, Naruto found himself smiling as he wondered how Laura was doing right now. Heh, she's probably just as sore as I've been. But, I'm sure she's still in a good mood. We shall see. Ignoring the Fencing Club, primarily because he didn't want to deal with Patrick Hyarms, he proceeded to enter the pool and took a look around. Casper appeared to be doing some stretches to warm up, while Monica was currently wading in the pool right in front of him. Meanwhile, Laura appeared to be attempting to coach her, though the frequent giggling and the rubbing of her thighs together seemed to be interfering a great deal with that.

Sighing softly, he walked over to the edge of the pool and kneeled down to speak with Monica. "Hiya, Monica. You doing okay?"

Monica looked up into the prince's eyes and said, "I'm…fine. But swimming is sooo much harder than I ever imagined. I, erm…I tried asking Laura for some advice, but she seems…different today. I've been watching her and it's almost as if…" Eyes widening, she blushed deeply as she looked up into Naruto's eyes. "Y-Y-You had s-s-sex, didn't you?"

Naruto sighed softly again and patted Monica on the head. "Believe me, Monica, I was more than content to just cuddle together and get some sleep. Laura had something else in mind, however. I don't know how long she'll be like this, but try not to let it bother you, okay? I want you to keep practicing until you really feel comfortable in the water. Don't push yourself too hard, and don't try to swim a full 50 arge right away. Gradually build yourself up to it at your own pace. Laura will be of more help sometime soon, I'm sure. If not today, then tomorrow. Hopefully."

Monica nodded, a deep blush still on her face. "T-Thank you, Naruto. I'll do my best. You, umm…" Looking at Laura, she watched as the blue-haired noble squirmed a bit and continued to giggle happily. "You might want to have a talk with her."

Naruto nodded and said, "Indeed. Be well, Monica." Standing up, Naruto walked over to Laura and took her by the hand. Leading her over to one of the benches, he sat down with her and began to gently run his thumb over the back of her hand. "Laura? Sweetie? You're worrying Monica. And me. Snap out of it, okay?"

Laura blinked a few times as her mind came into focus. Looking around herself, she noticed Monica and Casper were busying themselves, while her mate was currently sitting beside her, holding her hand. "W-What? What's going on?"

Hugging his girlfriend close to him, Naruto kissed the top of her head and said, "You've been in a bit of a daze for a while now, it seems. Monica's relying on you to help her, Laura. And I'm going to need your help in the old schoolhouse too, okay? Unless you're, erm…too sore?"

Laura giggled pervertedly and said, "Oh, I'm not too sore. I can go for another round or two."

Naruto facepalmed and said, "So not what I meant. Laura, focus. Old schoolhouse. You promised to help us explore it some more. Remember?"

The blue-haired noble blinked again and slowly nodded her head. "I remember that. I'm okay, Naruto. I'll help you in your investigation. Ummm…" Blushing, she looked into her mate's eyes and asked, "C-Can we do it again?"

"Right now?" Seeing her nod, Naruto facepalmed again and shook his head. "Laura, we are both busy right now. Yes, it was wonderful and I would LOVE to do it again, but now is not the time. I still have some requests to take care of, and you have to help Monica. Okay?"

Pouting cutely at her beloved, Laura huffed when he wouldn't budge. "Okay. I understand. When can we do it again?"

Sighing softly, Naruto idly ran his fingers through her long blue hair. "Not tonight. We both need to get some rest. Besides, you, Fie, and Anko need to have a long talk about everything that has happened. Then, I need to talk to you three about something I learned today. Trust me, it's serious. If I don't get to tell you girls tonight, then ask me about it in the morning, okay?"

Laura instantly became serious as she noticed how serious her boyfriend was being. Nodding in understanding, she said, "Of course, Naruto. I assume Fie and Anko will be coming to find me later?"

Naruto nodded and said, "They'll probably be here soon. Hopefully you three can work things out between you. I love you three very, very much." Kissing her sweetly on the lips, he smiled at her and said, "I need to go for now. I still have a few things to take care of. I'll see you again soon, I'm sure."

"Of course, my love. Be safe." Laura said before kissing him again. Afterwards, she went to go help Monica while her husband-to-be left the gymnasium. I wonder what's going on. Does it have anything to do with what we did? Does he know something about my being pregnant or not? Just what is going on? Shaking her head free of her thoughts, Laura focused back on Monica and began to give her some advice.

Meanwhile, Naruto made his way down onto the field and glanced towards the stable out of curiosity. Jusis was nowhere to be seen, but Lambert and Paula seemed to be deep in conversation. So, leaving them to it, he proceeded towards the lacrosse field and smirked a bit when Ferris noticed him. When she waved excitedly at him, he chuckled softly and waved back at her.

The other three girls easily noticed how excited Ferris was, so they turned to look at Naruto as well. So, with a shrug, he walked up to them and smiled at the girls. "Sorry for disturbing you. That wasn't my intention. But, now that I'm here, what's on your mind, Ferris? Did you need something from me?"

Ferris blushed a bit, but quickly shook it off. "N-Not necessarily, Naruto. I just saw you and got a little excited. Umm, did you want to watch our practice? I wouldn't mind."

Naruto frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't today, Ferris. I still need to help Vice Principal Heinrich with something, and then I'm delving into the old schoolhouse again to see what's going on down there this time. Sorry."

Ferris pouted for a moment before nodding her head in understanding. "Of course, Naruto. Please, be safe. There's no telling what could be down there. And good luck." Leaning in, she gave Naruto a quick kiss on the cheek before she returned to practice, leaving Naruto to wander off with a slight blush on his cheeks.

Once he reached the main school building again, he shook his head and thought, What is it with girls kissing me today? I'm not complaining, but damn. Shrugging, he proceeded to enter the main school building through the front entrance.

Waving to Bianca in greeting, Naruto proceeded to round the corner towards the nurse's office, only to feel a cold shiver shoot up and down his spine. I get the feeling Fie and Anko are talking to Laura now. I can feel Fie's anger from here. She is PISSED.

Deciding to shelve that particular problem for later, he bypassed the nurse's office and entered the faculty office. Once inside, he nodded in greeting to Neithardt. Afterwards, he walked over to the vice principal and got his attention. "I got your request, Vice Principal. What exactly is the problem?"

Heinrich stood up and looked Naruto in the eyes. "Thank you for coming, Prince Naruto. Two students, a boy named Patrick Hyarms from Year 1/Class I, and a commoner from Year 2/Class IV by the name of Loggins, have been at each other's throats since Patrick first joined the Fencing Club. Normally, I would have immediately sided with the members of Classes I/II, as I'm sure you're more than aware. However, the principal has advised me that trying to mediate things and help both sides come to an understanding is more preferable than giving one side preferential treatment. However, try as I might, I cannot get those two to see eye to eye."

Sighing softly, Heinrich reached up and massaged his forehead. "Patrick challenged Loggins on the very first day, claiming it was his right as a noble and member of the Hyarms family that he lead the club as its second-in-command. However, Loggins is highly skilled and has more than earned his position. Then Alan joined the club and tensions between the two of them have risen even more. Patrick seems to enjoy belittling Alan, and it is only angering Loggins more. If they could only recognize each other's skill and work together instead of constantly butting heads, things would run so much more smoothly. But, again, I have not succeeded."

Looking into Naruto's eyes, Heinrich said, "Prince Naruto, this is where you come in. You may not be the prince of Erebonia, but you DO have influence beyond the borders of your home. People here respect you. You have managed to build a stellar reputation here thus far, and it is my hope that, if those two will listen to anyone, it will be you. So please, Prince Naruto, will you help me?"

Naruto frowned in thought for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure if I can get Patrick to listen to me, but it's worth a try. Friedel seems perfectly content to let them stew in their aggression. She seems to find it humorous, in a way. So, if she will not step in and put a stop to this behavior, then I'll give it a shot. I just hope I don't let you down, Vice Principal."

"Thank you, dear boy. I do believe they're currently in the Fencing Clubroom in the gymnasium. Good luck." Heinrich said before he sat down again to resume his work.

Stepping outside of the faculty office, Naruto was tempted to go have a chat with Principal Vandyck. However, he decided against it. Instead, he left through the side doors and proceeded to make his way to the gymnasium. Stopping outside the doors, he shivered again as he thought, Please don't come after me, Fie. Work this out between yourselves first. We'll talk later.

Entering the gym, Naruto proceeded into the Fencing Clubroom and frowned at what he saw. On his knees in the middle of the room was Alan. He was panting as he tried to catch his breath. Patrick currently stood over him, rapier in hand and a cocky smirk on his face as he talked down to his opponent. Loggins, on the other hand, was watching all of this with a scowl on his face.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he took another deep breath before he approached the three of them. "All right, I think that's enough for today." He said, getting their attention.

When the three of them looked his way, Alan's eyes widened and he quickly bowed his head. "P-Prince Naruto! I'm, umm, I'm sorry for this unsightly display!"

Loggins, on the other hand, quirked a brow as he looked at Naruto. What's the prince want with us? Why the heck is he disturbing us?

Patrick looked calmly into the prince's eyes and said, "How good to see you again, Prince Naruto. Do tell us: what brings you here?"

Naruto didn't say anything at first. Instead, he helped Alan to his feet and asked, "Can I borrow your weapon for a moment? I have an idea."

Alan blinked in confusion, but nodded as he handed over his rapier to Naruto. "Thank you, Alan." Naruto said as he tested the weight and balance of the weapon. Shrugging, he gripped it firmly and took up a basic stance. "I received a request from a concerned party about the two of you." He said, looking pointedly at Loggins and Patrick. "I have been asked to use my supposed influence to make you overcome your differences and start working together. However, as I am not a prince of Erebonia, I doubt I have much political influence in the empire. Still, I would like to try."

Looking at Patrick, Naruto decided to begin with him. "Patrick, before I say anything, I want you to know that I do not hate you. But, you need to understand that you have your flaws. You are arrogant, rude, and kind of snobbish to those you deem beneath you or not worth your time. You demean those very people, especially commoners, and seem to think far too highly of yourself. Yes, you are a member of one of the Four Great Houses, but you are NOT infallible."

Sighing aggravatedly, Naruto pointed his weapon at Loggins and said, "Loggins. You have a bit of an ego on you, and it prevents you from recognizing certain things about your fellow students. Patrick is skilled in the art of fencing, and, whether you like it or not, his performance in this club is laudable. Friedel should have done what was needed to help you two see eye to eye, but she's a bit…sadistic."

Looking between the two of them, Naruto said, "I know you may not recognize my political clout, but I am hoping you will heed my words. Please, try to see past your differences and work together. Try to understand one another and where you're both coming from. Patrick, you are skilled. Loggins, you are talented as well. The two of you together can really make the Fencing Club something special. Hell, I'm hoping that the both of you can help teach Alan here instead of trying to bring him down. So, will you please at least try to get along?"

Patrick frowned deeply at having all of his flaws thrust in his face in such a manner. However, he had to admit that Naruto had a point. Still, being as stubborn as he was, he decided to speak up in defiance. "You are right, Prince. You have no political clout in Erebonia. You have no say in our politics or the way we do things in the empire. You are simply a foreign prince from an unknown kingdom. Nobody even knows where you hail from. As far as I'm concerned, you're just another lowborn fool trying to play in the big leagues."

Without speaking a word, Naruto pointed his rapier at Loggins and awaited his response. The vice-captain of the Fencing Club shook his head and said, "I hate to admit it, but Patrick has a point. You really don't have any say in the empire. Besides, I just cannot get along with this arrogant sack of shit. You can't really expect us to just get past our differences so easily?"

Sighing softly, Naruto motioned for Alan to step away. Taking his place across from Loggins and Patrick, he said, "Very well then. I had hoped that you both would listen to reason. It's a shame that I will have to resort to this. I challenge the both of you to a match. The two of you against me in a 2-on-1 duel. One way or another, you two will learn to overcome your differences and work together. Now en garde!"

Loggins frowned in confusion, but when he went to ask Naruto a question, the prince began to advance on them. "Shit. He's really serious about this. I may not like you Patrick, but…"

Patrick scoffed and stepped forward, ignoring Loggins. Thrusting his rapier towards Naruto, he was shocked to see it parried aside so easily. He could barely see it when Naruto made his counterattack, three quick strikes nailing him in the chest, left arm, and his thigh. "What in the hell?!"

Loggins' eyes went wide as he noticed another attack aimed at Patrick. Quickly dashing forward, he parried Naruto's strike, only to suddenly feel three quick strikes to his sword arm. Wincing from the sheer power of these attacks, he shot a quick glare at Patrick and said, "We need to work together here, Patrick! Neither of us stands a chance on our own!"

Off to the side, Alan was watching in amazement as Naruto landed strike after strike upon the vice-captain and his frequent abuser/bully. He's incredible! I didn't think this was possible!

A quiet giggle could be heard as a girl stepped up beside Alan. "I see my intuition was right. Something interesting was going on here in the club." Friedel said as she watched the duel. "Prince Naruto. He really is quite the interesting one, isn't he?"

Alan blinked as he looked at the captain of the Fencing Club. "I thought you were busy in town today?"

Friedel smiled pleasantly at him and said, "A certain nuisance was bothering me, so I simply placed my order and left. Besides, I had a feeling something interesting was about to happen and I grew curious. Now hush, Alan. Let us watch. I'm curious to see if the prince can get through to the two of them."

Loggins grunted as he received another harsh blow to the chest. Stumbling backwards, he winced in pain as he watched Patrick getting absolutely decimated by their supremely powerful opponent. This is insane! How can one person be so powerful?!

Patrick fell backwards on his butt, gasping for breath. "This can't be real! Just what are you?!"

"At the moment? I am the obstacle you two must overcome. However, you two have only let me down so far. I have given you both plenty of chances to cooperate with one another, but you continue to work against each other, rather than with each other. If you cannot overcome your differences, you have no chance of besting me." Naruto said, staring coldly into their eyes.

Friedel giggled to herself and said, "Oooh. I LIKE him! Too bad he's taken. He's just my type, too."

Alan sweatdropped and decided it was probably best to just ignore the crazy club captain for the time being. I'm beginning to question why I even joined this club to begin with.

As Loggins and Patrick appeared to start working together, whether they realized it or not, Naruto grinned and made a show of losing ground. Come on. Show me that you two can overcome this trial!

Patrick and Loggins were confused at the fact that they were suddenly gaining ground. Then, they came to the same realization. Naruto was right! The two of us working together is actually working!

As the two of them began to work more and more in sync with one another, Naruto grinned and thought, Excellent. Just a little more and then…there! Smirking dastardly, he waited until the two of them made one final attack before he moved at a speed they couldn't possibly follow. Appearing behind the two of them, he flourished his rapier before turning and watching as Loggins and Patrick collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain. "And that's the duel, gentlemen. You two worked rather well together. Congratulations!"

Friedel walked over to her downed club members and helped them up. Turning to look at Naruto afterwards, she watched as he handed Alan's weapon back to him and thanked him. Smiling at the man, Friedel said, "Now that was an impressive show of skill. However, this was your first time using a rapier, wasn't it?"

Everyone's eyes widened as Naruto gave a bow and said, "Indeed it was. It was easy enough to pick up on, however. I've seen enough practices, so I figured I'd give it a try." Shrugging, he turned to Loggins and Patrick. "So, do you think the two of you can get along? You worked quite well together."

Before they could respond, Friedel giggled a bit before saying, "Indeed they did. It may not be an immediate fix to the problem, but I can handle it from here, I assure you. Go and inform the vice principal about your success. Do be sure he gives you a reward befitting your performance here today. Good day, Mr. Prince."

"Glad to hear it, Lady Friedel. Do be well." Naruto said before turning and leaving the room.

Patrick groaned as he clutched at his rapidly bruising chest. "You've got to be kidding me. How can someone who has never wielded a rapier have handled it so well? He soundly defeated the both of us when we were working together. That kind of power…it's inhuman!"

Loggins nodded in agreement and said, "We never stood a chance, no matter what the hell we did. The entire time we thought we were finally winning…he was just toying with us! If he truly is the prince of a faraway nation, then I can only imagine how powerful his people must have been."

Friedel smiled in response to this and said, "Mr. Prince is just full of mysteries. I'm looking forward to unravelling them."

Faculty Office

"You really did it?! Oh thank you, Prince Naruto! Here, please take this! I know it may not be much, but it's all I could scrounge together on such short notice." Heinrich said before he handed over a large bag of mira.

Blinking, Naruto said, "Wow. Thank you, Vice Principal. I really appreciate this."

"Think nothing of it. Thank you, Prince. I hear you are delving into the old schoolhouse once again. Do be careful down there." Heinrich said before bidding Naruto goodbye.

Smiling at the man, Naruto left the office and sealed away the bag of mira into one of his inner pockets. Afterwards, he ascended the stairs and proceeded to the art room. Might as well see how Linde and Gaius are doing.

Upon entering the room, he could immediately tell that something was seriously bothering Clara. So, figuring it best to just avoid her for the time being, he waved to Linde before walking over to Gaius. "Hey there, big guy. How's it going?"

Gaius looked up at his friend and said, "Hello, Naruto. Clara instructed me to do some dessins, so I've been spending the day working on those. I felt a bit tired after finishing a couple of them, though, so I'm just taking a break for now. You look tired, as well. Are you well, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "It was a long night, Gaius. I got about three hours of sleep total, but I can't really complain. My talk with Towa actually helped me out a lot, so I'm grateful for that. Aaaanywho, what kinds of things were you drawing? Landscape paintings? Portraits of people? Plants? Animals? I'm pretty curious about you and your tastes, Gaius."

Gaius chuckled a bit and said, "I'm actually self-taught. I'd like to think I'm improving by being here and drawing a variety of different things. Back home, I painted mostly landscapes. Lots and lots of landscape paintings. Buuut, when I joined the Art Club, Clara wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that was all I had painted."

Naruto chuckled and said, "I'm sure. Did she give you any advice?"

Gaius nodded and said, "According to her, I draw purely by feel, without even the most basic artistic techniques. She told me to take what I see and make it my own. So I've been doing rough sketches like this since last month. In fact, I just finished my hundredth sketch."

Naruto whistled in appreciation and said, "That's impressive. I've been drawing whenever I have the time, and I'll leave some clones to see what they decide to draw as well, but I'm not quite that level yet. I'd like to think I'm improving, but you're putting me to shame, Gaius. I'm impressed."

Gaius chuckled and said, "You're getting there, Naruto. I've seen some of the things you and your clones have painted and I think you have real talent. Just give it some time. And…" Looking at Clara for a moment, he returned his gaze to Naruto and said, "Clara's words really resonated with me. That's what I'm doing with my time in the Empire, after all. I'm taking what I see and making it my own."

Naruto nodded in understanding and said, "Makes sense. And thanks, Gaius. Still, I have to ask: are you from the Nord Highlands, by any chance? I've never asked before, but you've certainly got that kind of feel to you. I'm still trying to get used to this world, but I'd like to think I'm doing a pretty good job of coming to grips with everything so far. I've never really had the chance to visit the Highlands, though. If I do get the chance, think you'd give me a tour of the land?"

Gaius nodded and said, "You are correct. I've called the Nord Highlands my home all my life. I did plan to tell the rest of the class at some point, but I did not think it was urgent to do so. In a way, it is not dissimilar to the secrets you keep." Smiling at the older teen, Gaius said, "And, if we get to visit soon, I will gladly show you around. I have people I would be glad to introduce you to, Naruto. For now, I think I'm going to get back to work. I'm currently thinking up a theme to base a future painting on. I'm not sure what exactly it'll be, though. Don't have too much set yet, I'm afraid."

Smiling at his friend, Naruto patted him on the shoulder and said, "I wish you the best of luck with that, Gaius. I'll see you later." Giving Linde a smile, he said, "See you later, Linde. Have fun." And with that, he left the room to resume his tour of the main building.

Passing the Cooking Club, he entered the Wind Orchestra clubroom and chuckled nervously to himself as he saw Mint standing by one of the windows. I sure hope she's not too upset with me for forgetting about her yesterday.

Waving to Mary and the other members of the Wind Orchestra, Naruto walked over to Mint and said, "Hi, Mint. How are you today?"

Turning, she looked into Naruto's eyes and said, "I'm mad at you. You forgot about me yesterday! I thought we were going to talk!"

Naruto sighed and said, "I'm really sorry, Mint. It was just such a long day and after everything that happened, it slipped my mind. When I got back to the dorm, I realized that I had forgotten to stay and talk to you again. So, I wanted to see you today and apologize. You have every right to be upset with me. Still, you're my friend and I would rather we not have any hard feelings between us. So…if you have anything you want to say to me about the whole prince thing, I'm all ears."

Mint simply smiled at him and shook her head. "Not really. Just because you're a prince doesn't mean we aren't still friends, right? Yeah, I'm a little upset that you didn't tell me anything, but I still like you, Naruto. You've been really nice to me, and you don't treat me like I'm a ditz or just some stupid girl. I know I'm a klutz, and I know I make a lot of mistakes, but…"

Hugging Mint close, Naruto said, "It's okay, Mint. I like you how you are. You're not stupid, and you're very cute. Just because other people might make fun of you, or your uncle might say some harsh things, doesn't mean that you aren't a special person. You're one of my best friends here, Mint. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I honestly didn't think it was anything important, so I didn't say anything about it. Besides, the kingdom I'm from? It's all gone now. I'm the last one left. I'm the prince of a dead kingdom, Mint. So it didn't really matter to me."

Mint blushed as she snuggled against him. "Thank you, Naruto. And I understand. Thank you for being honest with me. I'm sure you have lots of other secrets, too, but I know you'll tell me about them when you're ready. I trust you, Naruto. You're my bestest friend! But, I kind of need to get back to practice now. We have a concert coming up and I really want to be ready for it. Sooo, can we talk again later, maybe? Although, you look pretty tired. After you're all done today, do you want to just go back to the dorm and get some sleep? I won't bother you if you're that tired."

"Thank you, Mint. It was a really long night and I didn't get much sleep. So when I'm done today, I'd love to get some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow though, okay? Who knows? I might even share another secret with you." He said with a wink.

Giggling, Mint nodded before she released him and patted him on the chest. "Get going, Buster! See you tomorrow!"

Smiling at her, Naruto kissed her on the forehead before he turned and left the room. Seeing as there was nobody else on this floor besides Jusis, he decided to head to the rooftop to see who was up there. She's such a sweetheart. I'm glad I met her.

Seeing Instructor Makarov, Naruto smiled at the man and said, "Hiya, Instructor Makarov. How's the day treating you so far?"

Looking at Naruto, the instructor shrugged and said, "Can't complain. The weather's nice, at least. And I'm more than happy to take a break up here, away from all the work." Looking the blonde over, he asked, "Doing more work for the Student Council? You're a busy guy. You look exhausted, though. Sure you shouldn't just go home and sleep?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "I'll be fine. I just have a few more things to take care of and then I'll probably head on back to my room and call it a night. But yeah, I'm pretty exhausted. It was a really long night and I barely got any sleep. I just had waaaay too much to do when all I wanted was to get some damn sleep. Yesterday was such a long day, after all."

Makarov chuckled and looked at Naruto knowingly. "I'll just bet. Do try to get some actual rest tonight, Naruto. Now, you should get back to work. Have a good day, Naruto."

"Sure thing, Instructor. See you later." Naruto said before he hopped over the railing to the ground below, leaving a chuckling Makarov behind. Afterwards, he figured it was time to go and get the others. Time for our foray into the old schoolhouse. I just hope the girls aren't too mad at me.

Later – Old Schoolhouse

Naruto sighed and hung his head as he sat on one of the benches with Anko and Fie sitting on either side of him. Aaaaand there's tension between Fie and Laura again. I knew this was coming, but damn. Hopefully they can work past this before things can get too out of hand. I don't want them to become like Jusis and Machias. That would just be a damn nightmare.

Fie reached down and took one of her boyfriend's hands into her own. Looking at him, she said, "I'm not mad at you, Naruto. I love you. I'm just upset with her. Can you blame me, though?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Not really. I just hope you two can work past this and be friends again. I want the three of you to be happy, not at each other's throats like this. I love you girls. Aidios I'm tired today." Reaching up, he rubbed his forehead for a time and closed his eyes. "I sure hope Rean and the others get here soon. I'd like to get in there and get this investigation over with."

Anko smirked at her mate and said, "They'll be here soon, I'm sure. For now, why don't you lean against me and rest your eyes? It might help."

"Thank you." Naruto said as he rested his head on her shoulder and mumbled, "Love you, Anko."

Anko giggled a bit when she realized Naruto had fallen asleep. Looking at Fie, she said, "According to Laura, Naruto's got something big he needs to tell us later. But, maybe we should just let him sleep tonight, huh? We'll get him to tell us what's on his mind tomorrow morning."

Fie nodded and said, "Of course. I just hope he's actually allowed to get some sleep tonight." Narrowing her eyes at Laura, the silver-haired girl shook her head after a time before saying, "Naruto means more to me than anything. He's been through so much already, and now this. I can only imagine how stressed he must be. For now, we'll let him sleep."

"Of course." Anko said before turning her gaze to Laura. "You might as well have a seat, as well. It might be a while before Rean and the others get here. We might as well get comfortable."

Laura nodded and took a seat on the other bench. Looking at her beloved, she smiled sadly at him before saying, "I'm sorry. I'll let you sleep tonight, Naruto."

"You'd better." Fie grumbled out. Afterwards, she gave her mate's hand a little squeeze before she let out a yawn and closed her eyes as well. "Wake us when they get here, okay? For now, a short nap sounds nice."

"Sure, Fie." Anko said before she reached up and began to gently pet her mate's hair. "I love you, Naruto. Just rest for now." They would start their investigation once Rean and the others got there. For now, they were more than content to wait and get some rest. I just hope this doesn't take too long.

---

A/N - And that's the chapter! Yay! lol

Anyways, as you no doubt saw, a LOT happened in this chapter. Not only was there a lemon between Naruto and Laura, but Naruto confessed his worries to Towa and even told her and Angelica quite a bit about himself. Then there's his conversation with Beryl. She's such an interesting character, and I really like her. I figured I'd make her have a special connection with Naruto in this story, but that shall be revealed later in the story. :P

Also, there is a poll up on my profile that I would like you all to check out. It has to do with this story, as I mentioned in the previous chapter. If you don't see a girl on the poll that you'd really like to see in Naruto's harem, please let me know. I'll gladly take your suggestions under consideration. I can't guarantee anything, but we shall see.

Anyways, I finally have my gastroenterology appointment later today. In just a few hours, actually. I'll be getting a microscopic camera shoved down my throat to get a look at the Hiatal hernia in my chest from the inside. The hernia in my chest is large and we need to determine the best way to treat it. There's a good possibility that it will require surgery, which means they'll have to open up my chest to deal with it somehow. Needless to say, it has me nervous and even a little scared. But I need to get this thing taken care of. It's been causing me so much pain and so many other problems. I can't just keep living with the damn thing.

Okay, with all of that out of the way, I wanted to inform you that I'll be working on yet another chapter for this story next. I REALLY want to get to the prank Vivi has planned, so hopefully I can tackle that in the next chapter. I probably will. Then it'll be time for the practical exam and then the field study! Yaaay! lol. So, hope you're all looking forward to those events.

And with that, I hope you all have an excellent day and a very happy New Year. Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. :)