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.

10. Chapter 10

A/N - Okey dokey, this should be the last update for this story for a little while. Maybe. I dunno. lol

Anyways, a lot of stuff happens in this chapter, and more and more stress is piled on top of Naruto and his mates. Things get kind of out of hand and nobody really knows what the hell to do. Sooo, keep that in mind as you read. Okay?

I honestly felt sorry for Naruto and his mates as I was writing this whole chapter. Buuut, things are going to be kinda hellish for them for the time being until everything can get worked out. :(

Anywho, not really sure what else to say right now. So read on and hopefully you enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 10 – Old Schoolhouse Mystery #2

When Rean approached the old schoolhouse with Alisa, Elliot, and Gaius, it was almost a full hour after Naruto and his mates had gotten there. When they saw Naruto sleeping with his head in Anko's lap and Fie napping beside him, they were a bit confused.

Looking at Anko, Alisa asked, "Are they okay?"

"I did notice that Naruto looked tired earlier." Gaius said. "Was he unable to get any rest last night?"

Anko chanced a quick glare at Laura, which made the blue-haired noble blush in embarrassment before looking away. Grumbling a bit, Anko looked at the four of them before saying, "It…was a long night for Naruto. As for Fie, she was up most of the night studying. Hence why she needed a nap. Naruto, on the other hand? Yesterday was a really long day for him, and he's been so stressed out today that I'm amazed he didn't just ignore the requests and sleep in today. Aidios knows he needed the rest."

Rean and the others easily noticed the brief interaction between Anko and Laura. At first, they were a bit confused, but when it clicked in their heads, the four of them blushed before Alisa asked, "Are you sure that was wise? I mean, were you two ready for such a step in your relationship? Did you at least use protection? And, umm…"

Gaius decided to ask the question that was on Alisa's mind, as it was running through all of their brains at the moment. "Was it necessary? Naruto had a long day yesterday, especially with everything that happened. It was already stressful enough, so I can't imagine such a, erm…'taxing' experience was good for him. I am not saying you were in the wrong, but was it truly the right time?"

Laura blushed worse and hung her head. "In order of the questions asked: I do not know if it was the wisest course of action. It was an impulsive decision on my part when…when Naruto would have preferred to simply cuddle. And…I was more than ready for that next step in our relationship. It has been something I have desired for some time now. Despite the fact he was tired, I would like to think he was ready as well. At least, I hope he was. And…I wouldn't let him use protection. I also insisted that…erm…"

Alisa palmed her face and shook her head in disbelief. "I swear, you are just…" Sighing, she looked hard into Laura's eyes and said, "I hope you don't regret this decision of yours later. It's a bit too late to back out of it now, especially if you're pregnant. And I expect you to be honest with your father when he asks about this. I swear that if he tries to hurt Naruto, I'm going to hurt you."

Laura nodded her head and said, "I will try to calm him should he be upset. Father is a reasonable man, and I cannot see him trying to harm Naruto. Especially if I inform him that Naruto was NOT the one to initiate such an action and that I was the one who insisted that, umm…"

Anko sighed and said, "We get it, Laura. If you're willing to take responsibility for everything, then I'll let it go."

"Of course. Anyways, in answer to your questions, Gaius: I do not know if it was necessary, per say. It is what I wanted at the time, as I said before. I wasn't exactly thinking about how tired my mate was at the time. I knew what I wanted and didn't stop to think about how he felt. It is shameful to admit, but I was horny." Sighing softly, Laura looked into Gaius' eyes and said, "I do not know if it was the right time for such an act. Again, that would be my fault. Naruto is not at fault for any of it. I was quite demanding. I'm afraid he had a very hard time refusing when, I, erm…seduced him. I really should have thought more about him and his needs. I do not believe either of us regrets it, but I understand that he is likely stressed due to being tired and whatever he might have dealt with throughout the day thus far. He needs some sleep, but now that you are here, it would appear the time has come to wake him."

Elliot frowned and shook his head. "Maybe we should just let the two of them sleep? I can only imagine how exhausted he is after everything that's happened these past few days. We can probably handle whatever's in there with just the six of us if we need to."

Anko shook her head and said, "No. Naruto follows a kind of credo. It was one of the only good things taught to him by Kakashi, Team 7's sensei. "Those who abandon a mission are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Besides that, Naruto was given this mission too, and he'll want to see it through to its completion. No matter how long it takes or the trials we'll face down there, he won't just let it go. If we enter without him and he wakes up, he'll rush in after us anyways." Shrugging her shoulders, she looked down at her beloved's face with a smile on her face. "Naruto would never leave us to tackle these kinds of problems on our own. He'll never abandon a comrade."

Alisa frowned in confusion before asking, "Wait. If Kakashi is the one that taught that to him, then why did he betray Naruto like that? It makes no sense!"

Anko scowled and said, "Because Kakashi is scum, that's why. The only person on Team 7 besides himself that Kakashi cared for was Sasuke Uchiha. He never cared about Naruto. Heh. Kakashi was Minato's student. You'd think that Kakashi would have wanted to be there for his sensei's only son. Tch."

Rean frowned deeply and said, "The more we learn about his past, the worse it sounds. But, I'm afraid we don't really have the time to continue chatting away like this. If we want to get this done before nightfall, we need to get in there and begin our investigation as soon as possible. As much as I'd like to just let him sleep, can you please wake Naruto up? We'll leave the decision up to the three of you if you'd like to wake Fie or not."

Laura frowned to herself in thought before looking at Anko. "I would like to let Fie sleep, but she wants to join us as well. Can I ask you to please wake her? I doubt she so much as wants me touching her right now."

Anko nodded before whispering in her lover's ear. When he opened his eyes a moment later, she helped him sit up straight before she moved to Fie's side and woke her as well. Once they were awake, she patted them both atop their heads before saying, "They're here. Once you've shaken off the cobwebs, we'll go in. Okay?"

While Fie stretched out and yawned like a cat would, Naruto stretched his arms over his head and did his best to loosen up his muscles a bit. Once he had settled, he let out a yawn before standing up and looking at the others. Realizing his vision was a bit blurry from the sleep, he reached up and rubbed his eyes for a moment until he could see clearly again. "There we go. That's better." Shrugging, he waved at Rean and the others and said, "Heya. Done with your tasks, Rean?"

Rean nodded and said, "I did. It looks like you finished yours before I did mine, though. How long were you waiting here for us?"

Naruto shrugged in response before looking at Anko. Holding up her watch, she said, "We've been here for a little over an hour now. So not too long. Still, it was enough to let these two sleep for a little while."

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Fie said before stepping up beside her boyfriend. "I'm ready whenever you guys are."

Laura stepped up on Naruto's other side and took his hand in hers. "I am ready as well. Let us begin our investigation."

Fie narrowed her eyes into a glare as she stared hard at Laura. When the blue-haired girl looked her way, her gaze was just as stony. They could practically see lightning shooting between their eyes as they glared at one another. Taking her mate's other hand in hers, she squeezed it tight and said, "I'm still pissed at you for what you've done, Laura. I'll work with you, don't worry about that, but we are NOT done."

Laura offered Fie a smile and said, "I know we aren't. You're just upset that I got to him first. You're upset because I might very well give birth to his children before you."

Twitching angrily, Fie snarled out, "I'm pissed for a lot of reasons, Laura. Unlike you, I realize the fact that I'm still too young to have children. Yet. I'm ready to make love with my darling, but getting pregnant is out of the question right now. You, on the other hand, are NOT ready for that kind of responsibility. You're far too impulsive, more than I thought you could ever be. You're clearly not mature enough to handle raising children yet. All you've thought about in this relationship is what you want. You haven't even stopped to think about Naruto at all! This…this could have waited until he was ready, too! You're just…you're so…" Growling, she gripped her boyfriend's hand tighter, not even realizing the pain she was causing him. "You're so fucking SELFISH! I can't stand you, Laura!"

Before anyone could say anything, Naruto yanked both of his hands free and winced at the pain in his left hand. Once the pain ebbed about a minute later, he turned to Fie and Laura and said, "Enough already! I get it! You're pissed at each other and that's fine. I understand. Believe me, I really do. Yes, some sleep would have been nice, but it…erm…it was a pleasurable experience and I didn't hate it. I care about all three of you and just want to see you all happy. I want this family of ours to work. I don't want anyone to say anything they'll regret later. Yes, I would've preferred to wait until we were absolutely sure we were ready to take that next step, but the girl knows what she wants. I'm not going to hold that against her."

Sighing, Naruto looked between them sadly for a time. "Fie, if Laura wants this, I think that's her decision to make. Whether we're ready for it or not doesn't really matter right now. It happened, and things are definitely going to change for all of us as a result. Dammit." Ruffling up his hair in frustration, he looked around at everyone before staring into the eyes of his mates. "I wanted to wait until we could be alone to discuss this. But I had a talk with Beryl earlier. She knows things about us that there is no possible way for her to have found out. She gave me a prediction of the future and informed me that Laura will be giving birth in nine months to two healthy boys. And after what she told me, I believe in her prediction. So if her prediction is correct, Laura is pregnant and will begin showing signs in a couple of weeks most likely. I want to support her through this pregnancy and help her however I can. I was hoping you two would support her as well."

"I swear, I've been under way too much fucking stress these past few days. I thought you two could work past your problems and get along, but then this happens and you two are at each other's throats again. I can't deal with this right now. So y'know what? Fuck it. Stay pissed at each other. Do whatever the hell you want. I'm going to go into this weird place and get this investigation over with. I'm tired of all the bullshit. I can't stand it anymore. I love the three of you. I really do. But you need to work this out somehow. Because I have no idea what to do. I'm too tired right now to figure everything out. So tonight? You're on your own. I'm not letting any of you into my room tonight. You three need to work this out together. Until you do, no cuddles. No sex. I've fucking had it!" Naruto ranted before he turned and stormed off into the old schoolhouse, leaving seven really stunned students behind.

Laura blinked a couple of times in shock before asking, "I'm pregnant? No…no cuddling? I'm…what's going on? I don't understand…"

Fie's fists clenched and unclenched a number of times before she glared into Laura's eyes again. "Congratulations. Now he's pissed. And do I really need to spell it out for you? Because you refused to use protection of any kind, you are PREGNANT! Neither of you are ready for this! And now I don't even get to cuddle with him anymore! This is your fault!"

Anko grumbled before walking up and slapping them both across the cheek. "You're both at fault for this. I didn't even fucking do anything besides try to help mediate between the two of you, and now I'm stuck in this mess, too." Looking hard at Laura, Anko said, "You'd better hope you made the right choice, Laura. It's too late to change your mind and back out of this now." Turning her gaze on Fie, the Snake Mistress said, "You pull your head out of your ass and try to work things out between you two. I'm not even going to try and get involved in this drama anymore. Can't fucking cuddle anymore because of this bullshit." Grumbling to herself, Anko followed her boyfriend inside of the old schoolhouse.

Without a word, Rean turned and proceeded to enter the building as well. Elliot, on the other hand, looked between Laura and Fie and frowned for a time. "For what it's worth, I really hope everything works out for the best for all of you. Laura? If you really are pregnant, then you have my congratulations. I just hope you're ready for the responsibility that comes with it. You might not even be able to finish school with the rest of us. This could have serious repercussions on your future and your standing as a noble. Still, try to be happy, okay?" And with that, he turned and entered the mysterious building as well.

Gaius looked between the two of them for a time before shaking his head in disappointment. "It is not my place to lecture the two of you. But if you want to make up with Naruto, then I suggest you try to work out your differences as soon as possible. Still…"

Alisa decided to continue where Gaius left off. "I doubt Naruto is really mad at the three of you. He truly loves all three of you. I can definitely understand where he's coming from though. He's got a lot on his mind and he's tired, too. I think he might just be frustrated right now. Still, it would probably be for the best if you two could make up before things get any worse. Laura, for what it's worth, congratulations on your pregnancy." And with that, she and Gaius turned and walked inside.

Left outside, the two girls couldn't even look at each other. Laura buried her face in her hands and began to sob in a mixture of confusion, anger, frustration, sadness, and elation. It was a strange swirl of emotions and she didn't quite know how she should feel right now. Naruto…

Fie clenched her fists angrily before she said, "I can't just let this go. I'm sorry." Then, she turned and entered the old schoolhouse as well.

Once she realized that she was truly alone now, Laura fell to her knees and just continued to sob. What do I do now? I don't want my new family to break apart. I don't want Naruto to hate me. I didn't want to hurt you, my mate. I just want to be happy together. How did things go so wrong?!

It was at this point that a girl appeared behind Laura and placed a hand upon her shoulder. "I predicted this would happen. Do not worry. Everything will be fine. I have foreseen it."

Laura blinked in confusion for a time before looking up at the girl who was speaking to her. "B-Beryl?"

Beryl simply nodded before pointing towards the old schoolhouse. "Go. You do not want to be left behind. They are waiting for you, Laura. Mate of my prince. Do be well." And before Laura could say anything in response, Beryl walked back towards the main academy grounds. Oh, the things I could tell her. But now is not the time.

Frowning in confusion, Laura decided to shelve the questions for later. Rising to her feet, she made her way into the old schoolhouse. Venturing through the main entryway, she entered the room beyond, only to blink in confusion once again. "This is NOTHING like what we saw on our first day."

Naruto nodded and said, "It's different from what we saw last month, as well. I think that thing in the center is an elevator. I'm not sure how deep this place will go, but I assume that more floors are going to be added over time before we finally get to the bottom of this mystery. I assume the first floor will be the one we cleared last month. So what do you say we head on down to the second floor and begin our investigation down there?"

Rean nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a good idea to me. First though, are you sure you're all right?" he asked, looking at his friend.

Naruto glanced at him for a moment before saying, "I'll be fine. I've calmed down a bit, at least. Still a little frustrated, but maybe fighting some monsters will help me relieve some of the stress of the past few days." Shrugging, he stepped onto the platform in the middle of the room and waited for everyone to climb aboard.

It didn't take long for the others to step aboard the elevator, though Naruto noticed something that caused him to frown in disappointment. His three mates made sure to stand as far from each other as possible. Anko appeared to be angry, Fie looked rather frustrated and wasn't saying a word to anyone, and Laura was currently trying to wipe her face clean of the tears she had obviously been crying. Dammit. Knew I shouldn't have snapped at them. Things are only getting worse.

Alisa's voice snapped each of them out of their thoughts. Looking towards her, they saw that she was examining the control panel, or at least what appeared to be one. "I think you're right, Naruto. This is definitely an elevator. But it looks like only a few floors are open to us right now. From what I'm seeing, it looks like there's still a LOT left to see in here. Like you said, we're probably going to need to keep coming in here to investigate until all the floors are open to us. This could get pretty crazy."

Rean nodded before saying, "Please take us down, Alisa. We already promised the principal that we'd continue to investigate until we've solved the mystery of this building. I don't intend to let him down. Anko. Laura. Fie. Can we count on you for support? Or would you three prefer to stay out of the fighting for the time being to sort out your thoughts?"

As the elevator began to descend, Laura shook her head and said, "I'll fight. No matter how I might be feeling, it will not affect my performance in battle."

Anko chanced a glance at the love of her life before returning her attention to Rean. "I'll be fine. I usually am." Shrugging, she reached down and patted her weapons that were located on her hips. They were a pair of metal tonfa that doubled as machine guns when needed. She had requested help making a weapon for her to use, and had received the help she needed from George, Naruto, and Fie shortly after they returned from their first field study. After all, she recognized that simple kunai, shuriken, taijutsu, and her snakes would only get her so far in this world against some of the sturdier monsters and other such enemies.

Looking at her, Naruto frowned and thought, Anko. You say that, but you're really upset right now. I'm going to need to apologize to you later back at the dorm. You did nothing wrong, after all. Sighing softly, he reached up and began to massage his forehead, trying to ward off the headache that was threatening to spring up.

Fie frowned to herself, barely registering Rean's question. When she felt all eyes on her, she looked around at them before settling her gaze on Rean. "I'll be fine."

Before anyone could say anything else, the elevator came to a stop. One by one, they stepped off of the elevator, though they didn't proceed into the next room just yet. Instead, Alisa looked at Naruto and his mates and said, "Naruto, maybe you should apologize to the three of them? It might help."

Before Naruto could say anything, Anko spoke up. "Naruto shouldn't have to apologize. Yes, he got upset and it hurts, but I understand why he did it. He's suffering right now. Just as much as we are. Perhaps even worse. Naruto has a lot on his mind and he's struggling to deal with it all right now. After what happened yesterday and all the gossip about him. People calling him Prince and the damn fangirls. Then what happened last night and finding out from Miss Fortuneteller that Laura's pregnant. It's all just too much to deal with right now. He got frustrated and…well, it hurts. A lot. But I'm not mad at him or upset with him or anything. I just wish I could have helped resolve this dispute. But I failed and now I have to pay the price for it."

"No. You don't need to pay that price, Anko." Naruto said before rubbing the back of his head. "I shouldn't have snapped at you three like that. Especially not at you. I don't want to hurt any of you, especially not you three. But you're right. I'm just so frustrated and tired and upset. I can't really seem to get my thoughts in order, despite talking with a few people today about my worries and problems. I think you guys might be right. I'm not ready to be a dad yet. But I don't care. I'm going to support Laura through this pregnancy and we're going to raise our children together. I'm just nervous and worried that I'm going to fail somehow. I never had a family. I don't know what it's like to have to raise a child or how a parent should act or anything! So I'm scared. Really scared. Hell, I wasn't even ready to have sex yet! I was fine waiting until we were ready for that next step. I just didn't expect it to come so soon." Sighing softly, he closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "I stand by what I said before, though. No cuddling and no sex. At least not for you two." He said, looking pointedly at Laura and Fie. "You two need to work through your problems and try to get along like I know you can. So think of this as a punishment until you two can stop fighting and forgive each other. I know how stubborn you both can be, but I can be equally as stubborn, if not more so. I can hold out for as long as I need to. But can the two of you?"

Anko grinned before turning and glomping onto her lover and hugging him tight. "You mean it?! I can still come in and cuddle with you when I want?!"

Naruto chuckled softly and held his mate close. "Yes, Anko. If you want to cuddle, you can come visit me anytime you'd like."

Anko kissed her boyfriend passionately before pumping her fist into the air and cheering. "I'm ready to get in there and kick some ass now! Let's do this!"

Fie pouted, but couldn't find it in her to look at her boyfriend or her sister mates. "Lucky." She muttered quietly.

Laura, on the other hand, looked as if she was struggling not to cry again. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before nodding her head in understanding. "I understand, Naruto. I am sorry for what I've done to you. If you do not want these children…"

Naruto facepalmed and shook his head. "You know that's not what I'm saying, Laura. I want you to have a healthy and safe pregnancy. I want to see our babies when they're born. I want to raise them alongside you. I'm just scared. That's all. But you cannot make me change my mind. No more sneaking into my room until you and Fie can make up and get along again."

Laura looked away and cursed under her breath before saying, "Damn." Sighing, she looked back into Naruto's eyes and said, "I do love you, Naruto. I do not regret what we did. I do not regret my decision to have you, erm…"

Sighing to himself, Naruto shook his head and said, "I know. I don't regret it either. But we've already said this before. I'm not changing my mind no matter what you say to me, Laura." Looking around at everyone, he said, "I think we've wasted enough time. Let's advance and deal with this insanity already. I want to finish up in here as soon as possible. I'm looking forward to getting some damn rest tonight."

Laura muttered, "Damn." again before drawing her weapon and walking with the other members of Class VII into the next room. He's really serious about this. I need to make up with Fie soon. I don't want to go without cuddles! Or sex. Sex is good.

Rean looked between Naruto's three mates for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief. Such a dysfunctional family. One of them does something the others don't appreciate, and it devolves into this mess. I sure hope I don't have to deal with this kind of mayhem someday.

Alisa took hold of her bow and said, "Like Naruto said, we need to get this investigation underway. We've already dealt with enough stress for one day. So let's get this over with so we can all go home. Okay?"

Everyone nodded before they began their exploration of the new floor of the old schoolhouse. Here goes nothing. Naruto thought before he took notice of something off to the side. "Huh. Looks like another of those teleporters. This one's inactive, just like the ones from before. They'll probably activate later, just like the ones on the first floor did."

Off to the left of the entrance, they spotted some stairs leading up, but a wall was blocking the way forward. So, with no other path available to them, they turned to the right and began making their way forward, past the inactive teleporter.

Ignoring the stairs leading downwards, towards a large Claydoll enemy group, they walked into the big open part of the room and killed a group of Lantern Spiders. Opening the nearby chest, they obtained 150 of each kind of sepith, which they knew would help them quite a bit in the long run, especially if they wanted to open more slots in their ARCUS orbments. Walking past that, however, led them to another wall blocking the path.

"Hmm, sure are quite a few dead-ends in here." Naruto muttered. With a shrug, they turned back and descended the stairs towards the Claydoll enemies. As they fought, however, he noticed something that worried him. Laura and Fie were having a hard time keeping focus and were making some rather sloppy mistakes. This forced the others to cover for them so they wouldn't be hurt.

After the group of monsters had been defeated, Anko halted the group before looking at the two of them. "That's it. From now on, until you two can get your heads in the game, you two are benched. You're going to hang back and let the six of us deal with these monsters and whatever the hell else comes our way. You two are going to get somebody maimed or killed at this rate! I get it, you're upset. But acting like this isn't helping anyone. Especially not yourselves. Still, I get it. You want to be with Naruto at night and cuddle, and possibly something more sometimes. But it's not going to happen so long as you can't pull your heads out of your asses and settle your damn problems with each other."

Grumbling to herself, Anko said, "Naruto is NOT going to change his mind just to make you two feel better. You have to know that! So please. Before you get yourselves or somebody else hurt, work this out! But for now, we're not letting the two of you fight in any more battles." Looking at Laura, she said, "Laura, I know what you're most upset about. However, you made your choice and now you have to deal with the consequences of your actions. You hurt Fie, and you've caused our mate some suffering as well. And undue stress." Sighing, Anko shook her head before continuing. "Fie was right when she called you selfish, Laura. So just think about that before you make the problem worse."

Turning to Fie, Anko decided to tear into her this time. "Fie. I know how much you love Naruto. You've been with him far longer than we have. Yes, I've known him longer, but you got with him first. You're jealous of Laura, but you won't admit it to yourself or us. You might have said it earlier outside of this creepy place, but you can't really accept it. You've been waiting all this time until you could grow up a bit more and be with him intimately when you both were ready. However, you're a woman, Fie. You have wants and desires and, whether you realized it or not, you were ready to take that next step. You're right, though. You two are too young to be having children yet. Technically, Laura is as well, but that didn't exactly stop her from doing it." Sighing, she palmed her face before letting out a groan. "You're angry right now, and I get it. You're pissed at Laura and yourself. You're conflicted as well. You want to continue cuddling with our big teddy bear, but at the same time, you don't feel like you can mend your relationship with Laura yet. You have to make a choice, Fie. Will you continue to be stubborn? Or will you cave in and apologize to Laura? Can you make things work between the two of you again?"

Turning around, Anko shook her head in disappointment before saying. "That's all I'm going to say. Guys, let's get a move on. Laura. Fie. Make sure you keep up. You never know when more monsters might appear." Shrugging, she began leading the group deeper into the dungeon.

As they followed along, Fie and Laura lost themselves to their thoughts. Laura couldn't help but feel emotional right now, wishing she could at least hold her boyfriend's hand. Fie, on the other hand, was stewing in her thoughts. Dammit! Why am I the one that has to apologize?! Laura's the one that screwed everything up! Everything was fine before she came along and ruined everything!

Proceeding around the corner and along the path, they soon did battle with a number of cube-like creatures called Stone Stalkers. These weren't too challenging, thankfully, but Laura and Fie wished they could help fight. I feel so useless right now. It's never been this way before! The blue-haired noble thought to herself.

They took turns climbing the short ladder ahead of them before proceeding onwards into the next area. Seeing as there was a branch in the path, Naruto looked towards the left and spotted a ladder in that direction. So, turning to the right, he led the party into another open area with a group of Claydoll enemies, plus one Stone Stalker. It didn't take long for these enemies to fall to their combined might. Afterwards, they proceeded to open the nearby chest for a Floral Bottle accessory. Having Gaius equip it, they turned around and proceeded towards the ladder down the hallway ahead of them. Seeing as this ladder was longer than the previous one, Naruto glanced at the others before saying, "Rean and I will go first. Laura. Fie. You two will bring up the rear. And guys, try not to peek up any skirts if one of the girls goes ahead of you."

Elliot and Gaius blushed before the former shouted, "W-We wouldn't d-do that! You know that, Naruto!"

Naruto smirked at the two of them before saying, "I was teasing you. Relax." Turning back towards the ladder, he proceeded to climb up to the top with Rean following closely behind him. Thankfully, there were no enemies in the immediate area, so Naruto peered over the edge and said, "It's safe. You guys can come on up now."

Once everyone was on the upper floor, the whiskered teen looked down both possible directions before shrugging and saying, "Might as well go right and see what's down this way. If it's a dead-end, we'll just have to turn around and make our way down the other passage."

Upon reaching the end of the path, they saw that it was a dead-end, but there was another group of Claydoll enemies, as well as a trapped chest. So, upon defeating the Claydolls, Naruto proceeded to the chest and asked, "You guys ready?" When they all gave affirmative responses, he opened the chest. Immediately upon doing so, they were set upon by four Claydoll enemies and four Stone Stalkers. "Well, this is gonna be interesting." Naruto said before they began to do battle with all of the monsters.

Making good use of combat links, with Rean paired with Gaius, Elliot paired with Anko, and Naruto paired with Alisa, these enemies were taken down swiftly. Still, they were outnumbered, considering that two of their party members were currently incapable of battle. Thankfully, through the use of their combat links, as well as their teamwork, these enemies fell quickly and they were able to collect the contents of the treasure chest: a Reaper quartz. This particular quartz was a Time-element quartz that increased their art attack power, as well as their speed. It also granted them the use of three fairly powerful arts: Demonic Scythe, Frost Edge, and Spark Arrow. Giving it to Rean to equip, they turned and proceeded back down the passageway towards the fork they had encountered upon climbing the ladder.

After rounding a corner and proceeding along the pathway, they encountered a group of Lantern Spiders, as well as a Pom, strangely enough. Shrugging, they proceeded to demolish these monsters as well before opening the nearby chest for an EP Charge II, which would restore their mana pools a fair amount, allowing them to cast more arts before becoming too fatigued to do so anymore.

In the next 'room', they spotted a fairly large lever. Frowning for a moment in thought, Rean asked, "What do you want to do, Naruto? Should we pull it?"

Naruto took a moment to think it over before nodding his head. "Might as well. Hopefully it does something helpful."

Pulling the lever, they felt the ground rumbling a bit before hearing something happening beneath them. As they were currently unable to see what just happened from where they were standing, they proceeded along the nearby pathway and killed a couple of Claydoll enemies before turning around and peering over the edge to see what happened. "Huh. That's interesting." Naruto said.

"A new pathway has opened up!" Elliot exclaimed excitedly. "That should definitely help us. I think."

Anko chuckled a bit and said, "I'm sure it will. Though it looks like there's another lever over there." Turning, she pointed to the end of the path they were on at another large lever. So, as curious as they were, they walked over and flipped this lever as well.

The party watched as the large wall in front of them sunk into the floor below, forming a set of stairs leading downwards. "Interesting." Gaius muttered. "I wonder if this is a shortcut back to the entrance."

"Only one way to find out. Let's keep moving!" Alisa said before the party turned and proceeded back along the path. Turning left, they descended some stairs and did battle with another Stone Stalker. Once it was dead, they proceeded down the new set of stairs and smiled a bit when they saw that they were back at the entrance. "Looks like you were right, Gaius. It was a shortcut. That makes this easier then." The blonde girl said before they turned and proceeded towards the new pathway that they had opened up earlier.

At the end of the path, they saw a dark passageway ahead of them. "Well, this looks familiar." Naruto said with a chuckle. "I wonder if we're nearing the end of this floor."

"Possibly." Rean said before he began leading them through the passageway. Once in the next room, they spotted the second teleporter, as well as another orbment charging station. Meanwhile, dead ahead, up some steps, was a door. "I'd say we're at the end of this floor. Let's heal up, take a moment to catch our breath, and advance. I'm sure there's another big monster just waiting for us on the other side of that door."

"Probably." Elliot said before he walked over to the orbment charging station and activated it, healing the entire party in the process. Afterwards, they made use of its other features before they did as Rean instructed and took a short break.

Walking over to Rean and Gaius, Elliot said, "I've never seen those two act like this before. It's kind of eerie to watch. Do you think they'll be all right for the upcoming practical exam?"

Rean shook his head and said, "I'm more worried about the next field study. If they're placed in the same group, then there's going to be a problem. I just hope everyone will be okay."

"Indeed." Gaius said with a deep frown on his face. "Naruto is trying to show them some tough love, but in this case? I do not know if that is the best approach. I guess all we can do is wait and see."

Meanwhile, Alisa approached Anko and struck up a conversation with her. "How are you holding up, Anko? I know this can't be easy for you two."

Anko shook her head as she turned her gaze to Alisa. "I'll be fine. It's Naruto I'm worried about. Yes, I hate seeing my new family hurting like this, but this hurts him far worse than it does me. He doesn't want to do this to them, but they won't learn and make up if we sit and do nothing. He can't just cave and give them what they want, either. So, as much as it hurts him to see his new family, a family he's never had, mind you, behaving like this? Well, he has to do something. I just hope this gets resolved sooner rather than later. The longer this goes on, the more it's going to tear him up inside. And, as much as he'd like to take on more mates to help Kurama…he can't do that so long as we're all fighting with each other. If we can't agree to share him with each other, how can we ever share his love with other girls? I don't like seeing him hurting like this. It's not fair."

"I can imagine." Alisa said sadly. "It might not be the ideal situation, but I want to see Kurama recover. Nobody deserves to suffer like that. I'd help, but…"

Anko chuckled and shook her head. "No, girlie. I know who you're really interested in. So be happy with him, okay?"

The blonde blushed prettily, but nodded her head and said, "Thanks, Anko."

Glancing around at everyone to see how they were doing, Naruto soon shrugged his shoulders before saying, "All right guys. Time to get in there and see what's waiting for us. Hopefully this doesn't take too long. I'd like to get out of here before night comes."

Rean and the others nodded before taking up their weapons once more and proceeding into the next room. As on the first floor, they saw that it was another dead-end. However, before anyone could say anything, three large monsters known as Cherubic Gates appeared on all sides, surrounding them. Scowling at this, Naruto nodded at the others and said, "Work together and we've got this. Rean and Gaius, take the one on the left. Anko and Elliot, take the one on the right. Alisa, you and I have the one in the front. Laura and Fie, be careful. Only do what you can to protect yourselves. Otherwise, leave the fighting up to us. Now go!"

Everyone nodded and shouted out a quick, "Right!" before they each went after their foes. Meanwhile…

As Laura watched her mate and the others do battle with such deadly creatures, she clenched her fists at her side and shook her head. I want to help! But, I understand why they're doing this. Fie and I screwed up. We can't concentrate on the battles. I know they'll be just fine, but…

Fie, on the other hand, watched as the enemies began to fall one by one until there was only one left. Dammit! I feel so useless right now! I…I don't want this. I don't like this at all! Naruto…

Once each of the boss monsters were vanquished, the party put away their weapons and breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew. Those things sure put up a fight." Alisa said.

Anko nodded and said, "Whatever those things were, I assume they wanted to protect something. No idea what it could be, but I assume we'll find out as we go deeper and deeper into this weird place."

Elliot smiled and said, "I think we did really well! I think we're really getting the hang of these combat links by now." Breathing another sigh of relief, he said, "I'm ready to get out of here. I'd like to get something to eat and then head back to the dorm. I'm kind of exhausted."

"I'm in agreement." Gaius said. "However…"

As one, they all looked at Naruto and frowned for a time. "Yeah. Naruto's probably more exhausted than any of us. That's weird to say, but it's probably true." Rean said.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I'll be fine. Let's hit the teleporter and get the heck out of here. I'd like to check on a few things before going back to the dorm. I don't think I'm even going to bother studying tonight. I'd rather just climb into bed and go to sleep."

Everyone nodded before they turned and left the room. Making quick use of the orbment charging station once again, they then activated the teleporter and were quickly transported to the entrance.

"Oh…oh wow." Alisa said as she held her head and wobbled a bit. "That is the weirdest feeling."

Elliot chuckled and said, "Yeah. It takes a little getting used to, that's for sure."

Anko closed her eyes and shook her head. "That's new. Never felt something like that before."

Laura nodded in agreement. "That is a sensation I will not be forgetting for quite some time."

Fie sighed and walked towards the door before saying, "Let's just go. I don't want to stay in here any longer."

Sighing, Naruto patted Anko on the back for a moment before he led the group through the door and back to the elevator. Once everyone was on board, he activated it and took them to the top floor. I reaaally hate this. I hate having to do this to them, but I can't just let this continue.

Outside

Upon leaving the old schoolhouse, Naruto watched as Fie walked off without a word, clenching and unclenching her fists as she did. Fie…

Laura looked at her mate for a moment and frowned sadly. She wanted dearly to say something to him, but she couldn't find it in herself to speak a word. I don't want to upset him more. Sighing, she left as well without a word to anyone.

Stepping up to Naruto, Alisa placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "It'll be okay, Naruto. If…if you ever need to talk to us, we'll listen. Okay?"

Naruto nodded slowly and said, "Thank you, Alisa. I appreciate that."

"Anytime, Naruto." She said with a smile. Afterwards, she looked at the sky and said, "Looks like we were in there for quite a while."

Elliot nodded and said, "Yeah. The last time we were here, when we got out, the sun was going down. When you're down there, time passes by far quicker than you'd expect."

"Indeed." Gaius said. "The more we explore this place, the stranger it becomes."

Rean nodded and said, "Anyways, we should report to the principal and Instructor Sara. Come on." And with that, he led the way towards the main building so they could get their report over with.

Principal's Office

"So this month, there's suddenly an elevator allowing access to a floor even deeper below the surface…" Shaking his head in disbelief, Vandyck asked, "Honestly, how many more surprises does that old schoolhouse hold?"

Sara nodded and said, "There was nothing like that during my inspection last week, I can say that much! Why can't I be the one who finds all the cool stuff?!"

Naruto chuckled a bit and looked at Anko. "See why I said you'd like her?"

Anko giggled a bit and said, "She reminds me of myself. It's kind of weird, but I like it."

Rean said, "There seem to be a number of floors even deeper underground too. But only the first two were accessible."

Alisa nodded and said, "That's another mystery. When we first examined it, I tried to find some means of unlocking the elevator so we could access the other floors, but it wouldn't budge."

"If that's not the end of it, I wonder how far down it goes…" Elliot said.

Vandyck shook his head again and said, "In the decades I've been here at this academy, this is the first I've heard of any additional floors whatsoever. Up until last month, the floor we used for your orienteering exercise is all we'd ever known."

Gaius frowned in thought for a time before saying, "So what we explored today didn't even exist until this week…"

"Weirdly enough, it seems easy access to this new area made itself known via quite the convenient elevator." Anko said with a thoughtful look on her face. "Wasn't something like this mentioned in one of those textbooks I read a while back?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yep. Something about ruins from the Dark Ages holding a myriad of mysteries. But I swear, the old schoolhouse is just confusing as hell."

Rean shook his head and said, "Regardless, something must have caused the new areas to show themselves, but I don't have the slightest idea what that 'something' could be…" Looking into the principal's eyes, he asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any ideas, would you, sir?"

Vandyck frowned and said, "Hmm… Let me think…" Frowning in thought for a time, he soon said, "Perhaps it may have something to do with Emperor Dreichels."

Alisa blinked before asking, "Dreichels the Lionheart?"

The principal nodded and said, "The very same. Emperor Dreichels left strict orders regarding that building, which have been passed down from principal to principal ever since. He proclaimed that the old schoolhouse was to be preserved as is until the 'Promised Day' arrives."

Elliot tilted his head and stared curiously at the principal. "The…Promised Day? What does that mean?"

Vandyck shook his head and said, "That, I couldn't say. Though some have speculated it ties back to the War of the Lions 250 years ago and to Dreichels' companion, the brave St. Sandlot."

Once more, the members of Class VII were shocked. "St. Lianne Sandlot?!" Alisa exclaimed.

Naruto nodded and said, "The Lance Maiden. I suppose that, if Emperor Dreichels' words did concern the War of the Lions, it makes sense that she'd be connected somehow. Lianne and her Eisenritter fought pretty hard at his side throughout that whole mess. Heh, valiantly enough that she was regarded as a saint by the Septian Church, no less. I doubt there's many in Erebonia that don't know her name."

Gaius nodded and said, "Her name is celebrated even in my hometown, and I'm about as far out in the Empire as you can get."

"There's no shortage of legends and mysteries surrounding her life…and her death, for that matter." Alisa said. "But how in the world would she be connected to the old schoolhouse?"

The principal shook his head again and said, "Well, I'm not certain she is. But when I think of the alterations that have begun to occur inside the building, and of Dreichels' words…I find it difficult to believe that there's no connection. It just strikes me as more than mere coincidence."

Rean shrugged and said, "I guess that's as good a theory as any." Still, what does the 'Promised Day' refer to?

After a period of silence, Sara said, "Well, with so little information, we could speculate all night and I doubt we'd be any closer to a legitimate answer. We'll just have to keep searching the ruins and see what we find."

Principal Vandyck nodded and said, "You've performed admirably, Class VII. I truly appreciate all your efforts, and I'm terribly sorry for keeping you here so long."

"N-Not at all! I'm just happy we could be of help." Elliot said.

"If we discover anything else, we'll let you know at once, sir." Rean said.

"Excellent. Feel free to prioritize other tasks as you see fit, however. You're not my personal assistants, after all!" Vandyck said with a chuckle.

"Of course, sir. We'll be going now." Naruto said. However, before he could leave…

"Naruto, I would like you to stay for a moment longer. The rest of you are free to leave." Vandyck said, looking pointedly at Naruto.

Turning to Anko and the others, the blonde said, "Go on, guys. Go do whatever you want. I'll just have a look around once I'm done here. See you back at the dorm."

Anko frowned slightly before she hugged her boyfriend tight. "See you later, sweetheart." And with that, she and the others left the office.

Motioning for Naruto to have a seat, Vandyck said, "Sara told me about your activities last night. However, you seem more stressed out and tired than I had expected. Talk to us about it. What's got you so frustrated, Naruto?"

The whiskered teen frowned and shook his head. "I've been worrying all day about if Laura was pregnant or not, if she'd have a safe pregnancy, if our children would be fine, and all kinds of other things. I've been so tired all day." Sighing, he looked into the principal's eyes and said, "That girl, Beryl? She knows things about me that nobody else could possibly know. About where I come from, the fact that I'm not entirely human anymore, the fact that I have taken the girls as my mates…hell! She even knows about Kurama! But…"

Sara frowned and said, "That's bizarre. Even we barely know anything about her. But, there's something you're not telling us about her. What else did she say to you?"

"Laura's going to give birth nine months from now. She's having two boys and they're going to be just fine." Naruto said with a serious gaze. "And I believe her prediction. She also informed me that there's someone strong enough in this world to challenge even me. I don't know when he'll show himself, but I'm not looking forward to it. Still, if it happens, I'll just have to take him seriously and kick his ass. I WILL protect those dear to me."

Vandyck frowned deeply and said, "That's worrying. I know you've hidden your true strength from all of us, even Sara, but to think someone is strong enough to challenge you is a worrying thought. As for your mate…"

Naruto nodded and said, "I know it's what Laura wanted…but I'm not exactly ready to be a father yet. Still, I'm not upset. I'm going to be there for her, we will be wed, and I'll help raise our children. I won't just abandon my mate and the family we're building together. I've just been so stressed out today."

Sara frowned deeply and said, "Fie and Laura aren't getting along anymore, are they?" Seeing her friend shaking his head negatively, she grumbled and said, "That's just wonderful. I assume you're trying a tough love approach to the situation?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. But I feel terrible about it. I don't know what else to do, though. I'm cutting them off from cuddling and sex. Until they can work out their differences with one another, I'm not backing down from my decision. But…"

"What if they don't make up? Right?" Sara asked, frowning deeper. Seeing him nod, she said, "Stay strong, Naruto. They're going to be upset for a while, and it might take some time for them to get over what's happened, but you can't give in and give them what they want. If you're going to take this approach, then you need to stay strong and see it through to the end. But…"

Vandyck frowned and said, "Sara told me about what you told her earlier in the month. About Kurama and your need to take multiple mates to help your friend recover. She told me in all confidence that I would keep your secret, and I shall. Naruto, if this continues for too long, what are you going to do? You can't just let your friend suffer. Besides that, it's obvious you care for a number of the girls here. You are rather fond of them, but at the same time…"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. I promised that the three of them would have full say in who else joins our family. But if this keeps up…what the hell am I supposed to do? I don't want to hurt anyone. I really don't."

Vandyck shook his head and said, "I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that, Naruto." Looking at Sara at this point, he said, "However, Sara has confessed her desire to help you, as well. Take some time to think it over, Naruto. You will come to the right decision in time, I'm sure."

Naruto blinked a couple of times before looking into Sara's eyes. When she simply smiled at him, he said, "Thanks, Sara."

"Of course, Naruto." She said in response. Looking at the principal at this point, she asked, "Is that all, Principal?"

The principal nodded and said, "Yes. Naruto, you are free to go. Pay a visit to your friends if you'd like. Then I expect you to go home and get some sleep. Give your current situation some serious thought."

Naruto nodded and stood up. Bowing to the principal, he said, "Thank you, Principal Vandyck." And with that, he bade goodbye to the two of them before leaving the office. Afterwards, he rubbed the back of his head and said, "Can't say I was expecting that. Weird."

Walking down the hallway a bit, he saw Instructor Makarov talking to his niece, Mint. Waving at her, Naruto entered the faculty office and approached Instructor Mary. When she saw him, she smiled at him and said, "Instructor Makarov and Mint were just having the most charming conversation." Giggling a bit, she said, "It was quite the heartwarming sight. While he may attempt to deny it, the two of them are rather close for an uncle and niece."

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "Agreed. He may complain about her a lot, and she may be a bit doting, but they love each other."

"Of course." Mary said. Then, looking into his eyes, she asked, "Are you okay, Naruto?"

The whiskered teen shrugged and said, "I'll be fine. It's just been a VERY stressful day. I'm looking forward to getting some sleep tonight. I'm exhausted."

"I can imagine. Well, don't let me keep you. Finish your rounds and then get some sleep, okay, Naruto? See you again tomorrow." Mary said before returning to her work.

Waving to Heinrich and Neithardt, Naruto turned and left the office. Walking past the nurse's office and the reception desk, Naruto proceeded down the opposite hallway and waved to Margarita when she turned his way. Approaching her, he asked, "How's the husband search going, Margarita? Having any luck yet?"

Margarita nodded and said, "Just a moment ago, I happened upon the most delectable second year! He strode by gallantly with his maid at his side, fully aware that he was the most handsome man on campus. I was mesmerized!" Giggling happily, she said, "I think he might just be the one! But just what is his name, I wonder? The investigation begins tomorrow. I can't wait to learn all of his secrets!"

Naruto chuckled a bit and patted his friend atop the head. "Good for you, Margarita. If it's who I'm thinking of, then his name is Vincent Florald. Good guy, but a bit weird sometimes. I think you'll like him."

"Oooh! Thank you, Prince Naruto! I'll look into his history a bit and see what I can learn about him. You have given me more than enough to work with. Though, you look a bit tired. Maybe you should go back to the dorm and get some rest?" Margarita said.

"I've got a few more things to take care of before I head back. Thanks though, Margarita. Have a good night." Naruto said.

"You as well, dear prince. Sleep well." The noble girl said before watching as Naruto walked off to continue his rounds.

After ascending the stairs at the end of the hallway, Naruto only sensed a couple of people in the art room. So, walking all the way around to the other side of the building, he entered the room and smiled at Linde and Clara. Deciding to let the latter be, he turned to Linde and asked, "What's up, Linde?"

Linde smiled at her friend and said, "I think I'm almost done with this painting. I'd probably have gone home already, but I got entered into a student art contest out of nowhere. So I'm doing my best to finish this painting before the deadline." Then, realization seemed to strike, and she said, "Oh, no! Umm, I hate to ask this of you, Naruto, but I need a favor. I ordered some flowers to use as a reference for my sketches…buuut I completely forgot to pick them up today. Could you, umm…?"

Naruto smiled at her and said, "I'll go get them for you really quick. I just need to mention your name and the flowers you ordered, right?"

The pink-haired girl nodded and said, "Yes. I've already paid for them, so that should be enough. When you get there, just let her know you're picking up for Linde from the Art Club. You'll be picking up some snow lilies."

Patting her gently atop the head, he said, "Sure thing. Be back soon, Linde!" Turning, he left the room before walking towards the front of the main building. Rather than descend the stairs, he opened one of the windows and hopped down to the ground below. I'll take care of this real quick and then continue my rounds. Not quite done talking to people yet.

Proceeding towards the academy gate, he prepared to enter town, only to hear someone calling out to him from behind. Turning, he immediately recognized the person as Vivi, though she had changed her appearance somewhat to look identical to her sister, Linde. Oh Vivi, what are you up to now?

When the girl stopped in front of him, she bent over and did her best to catch her breath. "You…you move so fast, Naruto. I'm so glad I made it in time! I'm really sorry to bother you, but there's something I forgot to ask you earlier."

Inwardly, Naruto was smirking as he realized where this was going. Outside, he remained calm and simply offered her a smile. "Must be pretty important if you chased me all the way out here. What do you need?"

Vivi smiled at Naruto and said, "There's another flower I wanted to order. It's called a 'grand rose.' It's bright red, so you'll know it when you see it. I only need one, but this should cover it."

As the pinkette handed him enough mira to cover the cost of the grand rose, Naruto smiled kindly at her and said, "Sure. I'll be sure to pick one up for you. See you back at the art room, Linde!"

"Thank you so much, Naruto! Remember, I'll be waiting in the art room! See you soon!" Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and hurried back inside the main school building.

Turning around, Naruto smirked dastardly to himself and thought, Trying to prank me and Linde, huh? This should be fun. Sorry Linde, but I can't pass up this opportunity. And with that, he ventured into town to go and pick up the flowers he had been asked to pick up.

Walking past the dorms and over the bridge, Naruto blinked when he saw Rean talking with a very familiar cat. Huh. That's the cat I've seen watching us from time to time. Interesting. Then, when Rean made the mistake of asking the cat what gender it was, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle a bit when it scratched him. Looks like little Miss Kitty's a bit sensitive.

When the cat went away, Naruto walked up to Rean and patted him gently on the shoulder. "Tough luck there, pal. Might want to get that looked at soon before it becomes infected or something."

Rean sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah. How about you, Naruto? You doing okay? What did the principal want with you?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "He was just concerned about me. We talked a bit about my problems and a few other things."

"I see. Well, I think I'm going to take a quick look around town before heading back to the dorm. You're right, I don't want to let this get infected. See you later, Naruto." Rean said before walking off.

Chuckling a bit, Naruto decided to ignore Rean's plight for the moment before approaching Jane. "Hi there."

Turning to look at her customer, Jane smiled and said, "Hello again, Naruto. How can I help you this evening?"

"Well, someone asked me to pick up an order for her. Her name's Linde and she asked me to pick up her order of snow lilies for her. I was also asked to pick up a grand rose." Naruto explained.

Jane blinked in confusion for a moment before quickly shaking it off. "All right. Just a moment, please. I'll go get those for you."

As Jane walked off to get the requested orders, Naruto thought, Linde, I really am sorry, but I'm going to have some fun at your expense. I wonder how you'll react.

Jane came back a moment later with the order and said, "Here you go."

"Thank you very much, Jane. I appreciate it. I'm sure Linde is going to be grateful as well."

The woman giggled a bit and said, "I'm sure she will be. Good luck, Naruto."

Naruto chuckled a bit and winked at Jane. "We'll see how it goes. Heck, maybe she'll even say yes, hm?"

Jane giggled and said, "Maybe. See you later, Naruto. Good night."

"Of course. Good night, Jane." Naruto said before making his way towards the academy once again.

Art Room

Approaching Linde, Naruto offered her a disarming smile and said, "Here's those snow lilies you asked for."

Linde smiled beautifully at him and said, "Oh, thank you so much, Naruto! I really appreciate this!"

"Of course. I also picked up a little something extra, just for you, Linde." Presenting to Linde the grand rose, he grinned at her flustered expression.

A deep blush spread across Linde's cheeks as she exclaimed, "Th-This is a grand rose…! W-What are you t-thinking, Naruto?! You can't j-just give this to me! Oh goodness!"

Taking a knee, Naruto took hold of Linde's hand and looked deep into her eyes. "Linde, from the moment I first laid eyes on you, I thought you were one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. I've thought long and hard about this moment, and I realized that I couldn't hide my feelings for you any longer. My passion for you burns as hot as the sun. I want you, Linde. Be mine and make me the happiest man alive."

It was at this moment that Linde's entire body went red as she tried to stammer out some kind of response. When she could finally speak again, she asked, "W-W-What's going on?! I'm n-n-not ready for this! I…I…I…"

It was at this point that they both heard someone out in the hallway shout, "Kiss me already, my prince!"

Eyes widening in realization, Linde looked into Naruto's eyes and said, "Now I see what's going on. My sister decided to play another prank on me, and you just went along with it. Didn't you? B-But…why, Naruto?"

Seeing tears welling up in Linde's eyes, he stood up and hugged her close. "Sorry, Linde. I wasn't lying, though. You really are one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen. And I really do like you a lot. Still, I kind of wanted to tease you a bit. I knew your reaction would be cute, and I was right." Poking her nose, he smiled kindly at her and said, "You're dear to me, Linde. I just want you to know that."

The blush returned at this point and Linde nodded her head meekly. "T-Thank you, Naruto. You're v-very sweet. Umm, but…"

"What about my girlfriends? I know. I won't do anything without their approval. I'll talk to them, but Laura and Fie aren't really getting along right now. So I doubt they'll be able to come to an agreement on this anytime soon. Still…" Naruto said, hoping Linde would get the message.

The pinkette nodded slowly and said, "I-I like you too, Naruto. I just didn't want to say anything because…because…"

Before Linde could say anything more, Naruto pressed his lips to hers, claiming her first kiss. When she began to kiss him back and even wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, he couldn't help but smile inside. When they parted a moment later, she nestled her head against his chest and said, "You're wonderful, Naruto. I, erm…I hope they say yes, soon."

"Me too, Linde." Naruto said.

It was at this point that Vivi stormed into the room and pointed at them. "No fair, Linde! I wanted to do that!"

Linde, deciding to be a bit bold, smirked at her sister and said, "Then maybe you shouldn't have tried to prank us. Now he's mine and you can't have him."

Vivi's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and horror as her sister stuck her tongue out at her and hugged Naruto tighter. "N-No. You mean I missed my chance?!"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on what you choose to do next, dear Vivi. For now, I'll leave you two to talk in private. Farewell, you two. Have a good night." Then, releasing Linde, he walked towards Vivi and trailed his fingers along her arm before whispering to her, "Shame on you, trying to play on your sister's feelings like that. Naughty, naughty Vivi." Then, blowing in her ear, he turned and left the room, giggling all the while. Well, that was fun! Let's see what else there is to do today.

Upon shutting the door behind him, Naruto listened for a moment as the sisters began to argue. I feel sorry for them, but they need to sort out their feelings. Shrugging, he proceeded down to the first floor and exited the building.

Looking around, he decided to stop by the library first. Once inside, he approached Karol, but before he could say anything, she said, "That blond boy really is handsome…" Giggling a bit, she said, "He seems to be rather popular amongst the girls, and I can't say I blame them. If he were here more often, perhaps the library would see more visitors. Maybe I should try talking to him myself. Then again, while he's attractive, he doesn't seem like the kind of boy who makes friends easily. What a shame. I'm sure if he were here more often, the library would see a distinct jump in female visitors."

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "Maybe, but I doubt they'd be interested in reading books or studying."

Karol sighed and hung her head. "You have a good point, Naruto." Looking into his eyes, she said, "You know, you're pretty handsome, too. And, considering you're such a popular topic amongst the girls, maybe you should visit more often too, hmm?"

Naruto chuckled again and said, "'Fraid not, Karol. I do most of my studying back in my room. You know I come here to check out books and to return them, but otherwise? I kind of try to avoid spending too much time where my fangirls can corner me."

Giggling a bit, Karol nodded and said, "I know. Oh well. Have a good night, Naruto."

"You as well, Karol." Naruto said before he waved to Jusis. When he nodded his head in greeting, Naruto smiled before turning to leave the library. However, he heard a couple of girls up the stairs giggling giddily before talking to each other about Jusis. Sighing, he palmed his face and muttered, "Oh goodie. Fangirls."

Then he heard it. "Do you think he's friends with Prince Naruto, too? The two of them would make a powerful pair."

"I agree. A prince and the son of one of the Four Great Houses. Oooh! I'm so excited just thinking about it!" Then, they noticed Naruto at the doors of the library.

Ah, shit. Naruto thought to himself. Chancing another glance at Jusis, he saw that the noble was doing his best to ignore the situation playing out before him. Oh, you bastard.

"Prince Narutoooooo!" one of the girls shouted as they hurried to his side, completely forgetting about Jusis in the process. "Ahhh, you're so dashing!"

"I know I'm not much, but will you go on at least one date with me, Prince Naruto?! Pretty please!" the other girl exclaimed giddily.

Naruto smiled awkwardly at the girls and shook his head. "Uhh, sorry, girls. I'm usually pretty busy, and I have three wonderful girlfriends already. Besides, they need to sign off on any new girls that want to be with me, sooo…"

The girls both pouted before they looked at each other and nodded. Turning back to the prince, the first girl said, "Then we'll just have to convince them to let us date you! Come on, let's get to it!"

"Right! See you later, Prince Naruto!" the second girl exclaimed before they rushed out of the library.

Blinking in stupefaction for a moment, Naruto palmed his face hard and muttered, "Shit. Sooo not what we needed right now. They're going to be persistent, aren't they?"

Feeling a hand clap his shoulder firmly, Naruto looked at who it was, only to see a smirking Jusis looking at him. "The horror that is fangirls. You've just consigned yourself and your girlfriends to a time of misery. You have my sincerest pity."

Naruto gave a dry chuckle before saying, "I'm so tired I guess I wasn't thinking too well. I guess we'll just have to deal with it until they go away. My mates won't let fangirls get to me, I know that. Still, they can be kiiind of scary sometimes."

Jusis chuckled a bit and said, "Indeed. I'll be going now. See you back at the dorm, Naruto." And with that, he left the library, leaving Naruto to sulk for a moment back in the library.

Sighing exhaustedly, Naruto turned to wave at Karol before leaving the library as well. Sorry girls. Hopefully you three can deal with any annoying fangirls that come your way. I'm waaay too tired to deal with this shit right now.

Shaking his head free of such thoughts, Naruto proceeded next door to the Student Union building and stepped inside. Waving at James, he chanced a glance towards the cafeteria and saw a couple of students in green uniforms chatting with each other. Off to his right were Theresia and Emily from the Lacrosse Club. Smiling at them, he waved to the two of them before proceeding upstairs to the second floor.

Deciding to ignore the door in front of him, which led into the Literature Clubroom, he turned and proceeded down the hallway. As he made to walk past the Lower-Class Chess Clubroom, he frowned as he heard a small argument coming from inside the room. Listening in for a moment, he shook his head when he realized it was a couple of nobles trying to harass Stefan and Machias. If anyone can put those assholes in their place, it'd be you, Machias. Good luck.

Walking down the hallway a little more, he considered popping in to see Beryl, but decided against it. I've bothered her enough for one day. I'm curious about her, but we can talk another time. So, with a shrug, he entered the Student Council room and smiled at Angelica and Towa. "Hey, girls."

Towa smiled at him and said, "Hi, Naruto!"

Angelica turned and grinned at him and said, "Hey there, Mr. Prince. You look like hell. What, did the journey into the old schoolhouse wear you out that much?"

Naruto shook his head and took a seat nearby. "Sort of. Today has just been a really long day. After talking with you two, I had a few more things to take care of before heading into the old schoolhouse. Sadly…"

Towa frowned and said, "Your mates aren't exactly happy right now…are they? You had to do something, didn't you?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. Anko's frustrated with Fie and Laura, but she's at least trying to get them to see eye to eye again. But I told Fie and Laura that there won't be anymore cuddling, and I won't even humor their thoughts of something more. Not until they work this out. I don't know what else to do to get through to them. It hurts to see them like this. It hurts to have to do this to them. I love the three of them dearly. I really do. But I want this family of ours to work. I want us to be happy. I just don't know what else to do."

Sighing heavily, the blonde looked into Towa's eyes and said, "There's something I didn't tell you about earlier, Towa. Beryl, of the Occult Research Society? She knows pretty much everything about me. I have no idea how. But she told me that…that…"

Angelica and Towa frowned in confusion for a time before the violet-haired girl's eyes widened. "Oh shit. Laura's pregnant?!" Seeing Naruto nod, unable to look them in the eyes, she brought a hand to her face and shook her head. "Naruto, are you even ready for this? You really don't look so well."

Naruto shook his head and said, "It's as I told the others. I have no idea. But I don't have much of a choice now. I'm going to have to man up and be there for her and for our kids. I never planned on leaving her or anything, no worries there. I'm just scared. I really am. I have no idea how to deal with any of this. I don't know how to fix the problem. I just want them to work out their problems with each other and work together again. I don't know what to do."

Towa frowned and sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him gently. "I wish I knew what to tell you, Naruto. Just do what you have to do, okay? Do what you think is right."

Angelica patted Naruto's back gently and said, "If you need me to, I can try and talk some sense into the girls. It might work, it might not. Still, maybe it's worth a shot?"

"Thank you. Both of you." Sighing again, he said, "Anko has already said quite a bit to them. She tried to explain how they're both in the wrong and that they should apologize to each other and so on. But I don't think it worked. I'm really worried about them. They couldn't even focus when we were in the old schoolhouse. They could've gotten themselves seriously hurt. Laura seems so depressed, and Fie just seems so angry right now. I think they're blaming each other for what's going on right now. I don't know what to do. I don't know if anything will help at this point. But, if you think you can help somehow, I'm willing to let you try, Angelica. It might have to wait until we come back from our field study, though. I really hope they'll both be okay…"

Towa and Angelica looked at one another for a moment before returning their gazes to Naruto. "That's not good. If they're having such a hard time, there's no telling how rough the field study is going to be for the members of Class VII. Are you sure you don't want me to try and talk to them now?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "It's a little late in the day to be worrying about that, unfortunately. It'll be curfew in a few hours, so there's just not enough time to deal with it right now. You'll probably need a while to talk some sense into them. I really hope you can."

Towa nodded and said, "All we can do is give Angie a chance. If Angie can't do it, then I'll give it a try. I'm sure they'll listen to at least one of us!"

"I sure hope so." Naruto said. Then, releasing another soft sigh, he said, "I should probably get going. I want to finish looking around before heading on back to the dorm. I really just need some sleep. These past few days have been exhausting."

Angelica nodded and said, "I bet. Take care, Naruto. I hope you can get a good night's rest tonight."

Naruto nodded in thanks before he stood up and left the room. Once he was gone, Towa looked at her best friend and said, "I don't know what to do for him, Angie. I'm worried about him."

"I know, Towa. All we can do is try to help them through this. If they're too stubborn to even listen to the two of us, then I don't know what else to do. If Laura really is pregnant, then she's going to need to be careful. Too much stress isn't good for a pregnant woman. Right now, I'm sure she's fine. But if this keeps up…" Angelica said, sounding genuinely concerned.

Towa nodded. "I know. Then there's Fie. Fie and Anko have loved Naruto for years now. Laura's still so new to their relationship. I don't know the full details about their circumstances or why Fie and Anko feel the need to share him with other girls, but…"

"I know. Whatever's going on, it has to be huge. Anko may be fine with it, but Fie? This really isn't good." Angelica said with a deep frown on her face. "Dammit. Naruto really doesn't need all this stress in his life. Not after all the poor guy's been through."

Towa nodded again in agreement. "You're right. None of this is fair to him at all. He's such a nice guy, Angie."

Angelica nodded in agreement with her friend's statement. "I know. Let's just hope he can get some actual sleep tonight. Tomorrow, we'll do what we can for him and his girlfriends. Okay?"

"Of course." Towa said, smiling thankfully at her friend.

Naruto

Once outside, Naruto sighed sadly and found he couldn't even raise his gaze from the ground. "Dammit. I love my mates, but this whole situation fucking sucks." Shaking his head, he lifted his head and proceeded along the path again.

As he passed by the Engineering building, he chanced a glance at the door, easily sensing two people inside. Probably Crow and George. I'm not going to bother them. Shrugging, he proceeded towards the back of the school towards the garden and gymnasium.

Spotting Fie helping Edel in the garden, Naruto couldn't even bring himself to look at her. I'm sorry, Fie. I really am. So, with another sigh, he proceeded towards the gymnasium, only to pause when he spotted Alan and Bridget talking with one another. Smiling at them, he gave them a nod in greeting, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to interrupt their time together, after all.

Looking towards the gym, he considered going inside, but he could sense Laura and one other person in there. Figuring it was probably one of their friends, he turned and continued along the path towards the other side of the main building. Sorry, Laura. I hope that whoever you're with that they can help you. I just don't know what else to do right now.

As he walked by the field, he chanced a glance towards the stable and spotted Paula by herself. At first, he considered talking to her. However, with how he was currently feeling, he decided against it. Instead, he proceeded towards the front entrance of the school and left the academy grounds. I hope you'll all be okay…

Once back in Trista, Naruto passed by the two dormitories and turned, prepared to head into the church. However, spotting Rosine outside in her habit, he chuckled a bit and said, "Seems kind of appropriate for you to be wearing that, Rosine. Looks like a natural fit for you."

Rosine giggled a bit and smiled at her friend. "Thank you, Naruto. I'm enjoying my time here. It's a fruitful experience, and everyone has been wonderful to me. I'm just happy I can help somehow." Then, getting a better look at the prince, she said, "You look troubled, Naruto. Do you need to talk about it?"

Frowning for a moment, Naruto said, "That would be nice, Rosine." Sitting down against the stone nearby, he looked up at his friend and said, "Today has been a very, very long day. As you know, I have three wonderful girlfriends. Well, last night, I just wanted to sleep. I was so, so tired after everything that happened earlier in the day. Sadly, it seemed one of my mates had other plans." Sighing softly, he stared down at the ground and said, "Laura wanted…more from our relationship. So, we made love."

"I…I see. But there's more to this story, isn't there?" Rosine asked before setting her broom against the stone planter and sitting down beside her friend. "Today has been stressful on you, hasn't it?"

"Yes." Naruto said. "I spent most of the day stressing out over the possibility that Laura might have gotten pregnant. I was worried how Fie would react. I was worried about what the heck I'd do if Laura was pregnant. I just…I didn't know what to do, Rosine." Closing his eyes, he shrugged and said, "I didn't get much sleep, so that didn't help matters any. Still, I helped out the Student Council again today, and I had some nice talks with Towa, Angelica, and a few others. But Beryl? Beryl seems to know all about me. She knows things I've never told anyone besides my mates. Then…she told me that Laura is going to give birth in nine months. Rosine, I'll admit it. I'm not ready to be a dad. We're still young and I don't know if I'll be a good father or not. I didn't have parents growing up. I never got to see any healthy parent/children relationships. All I knew growing up was abuse and poverty. Nobody besides Anko ever cared about me. I don't know what fathers are supposed to do. I'm really scared, Rosine. I'm not about to abandon her, because I love her and I plan to be there throughout her pregnancy and to help raise our children. But…I'm scared."

Sighing again, Naruto shook his head and said, "Then Laura and Fie got into a fight and…I didn't know what else to do. I told them that, until they could work out their problems with each other and learn to work together again…" Looking into Rosine's eyes, he said, "I told them that there would be no cuddling and definitely no sex. Anko's been trying to get them to realize that how they've been behaving and the things they've been saying are wrong, but I don't think her words had any effect. And I don't know if my tough love approach is going to work, either. I want this family of ours to work. I want us to all be happy together. I keep saying that to people today, I swear. I'm just…I have no idea what to do. I can't just cave in and let them do whatever they want. Until they can get along with each other and behave like sisters in this weird family of ours, then I'll continue with their punishment. But…what if it's not the right approach? What if I'm just making things worse?"

Rosine frowned in confusion for a moment before she thought, So Beryl knows things nobody else could know. I should talk to Father Thomas about this. With precognitive abilities like hers, I can't help but wonder if she's a witch. Then again… Shaking her head free of such thoughts, she looked back at her friend and said, "Naruto, I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you that would help. I think you should stay the course and show them how serious you are about this. It sounds to me like Laura forced her desires onto you without stopping to think about your needs, your fears, and all the consequences that might come with such a decision. I know you don't regret it, and I know you were likely happy to give her what she wanted. But she wasn't thinking about you, Naruto."

"As for Fie, I can't even pretend to know how she thinks or what she's feeling. However, I know that she truly loves you, and this is hurting her a great deal. I assume that she must feel like Laura forced her way into this relationship of yours and then took something precious to the both of you without even a bit of forethought. However, it would seem that Fie has let her anger consume her and she is taking it out on Laura. It may take a bit of convincing from your friends, but I'm certain that they will at least come to understand one another in time. However, I know there's something you aren't telling me. Naruto, why do you need to take multiple spouses? What has happened?" Rosine questioned.

Frowning to himself as he thought it over, Naruto soon held his fist up and said, "Press your fist to mine. I'll show you what's going on."

Rosine blinked in confusion, but nodded and pressed her closed fist to his. When she felt a strange pulling sensation, she wasn't sure what to expect. Then, when she got a look at her new surroundings, she marveled at the sheer beauty of such a landscape. However, what she saw next caused her to gasp. "Oh. Oh my."

Naruto walked up to his big, furry friend and placed a hand on his head. "Rosine, this is Kurama. We've been together since I was born. On the night of my birth, my parents sealed the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko inside of me. I am the third jinchuriki of Kurama. This is why I was hated and abused growing up. This is why I had no family and no one to love me. It is a long story that I'll have to share another time." Reaching up, he rubbed the back of his head for a moment before he revealed his hanyou features to Rosine. "Rosine, this is the true me. I'm no longer fully human. I'm a hanyou now. A half-demon. When Aidios first brought me to this world, Kurama had to save my life by pouring almost all of his energy into me. As a result, I became like this…and he lost all but one of his tails. He was barely even alive anymore."

Looking at his furry friend, Naruto smiled sadly and said, "Kurama isn't out of the woods yet. But, I have learned that, if I take multiple mates, I can save my friend's life. So far, one mate has equaled one tail. As you can see, he has four tails now. However, I was warned by my friend here that there is a good chance it may require more than eight mates to fully restore my friend. Chances are high that it might require two or more girls to restore some of his tails. We have no way to know for sure."

Sighing softly yet again, he turned and looked into Rosine's eyes. "Rosine, I love Kurama. He's my very best friend and he's like a big, furry brother to me. It hurts me to see him like this. But at the same time…"

Rosine frowned as she walked up and began to pet the Kyuubi's fur. "You don't want to hurt the ones you love, either. Your mates, as you called them. You want to give them a say in who joins your family and who is worthy to be your mate…but now, you're conflicted. Right?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Correct. I don't want to hurt them. I love the three of them dearly. But at the same time, I have feelings for some of the girls I've met here at Thors. I was hoping that we could discuss some of them and figure out what we should do. I wanted them to get to know these girls and see if they felt they would be a good fit for our family. But now? Now I can't get them to cooperate with each other, and I can't talk to them about anything, let alone any girls that might be interested in me. I know that Linde and Vivi both really like me, but until I can talk to my mates about it…"

Rosine nodded in understanding. "I see. Naruto." Looking into his eyes, she said, "If there's ever anything I can do to help you with anything, please let me know. If you need me to talk with your mates, then I shall do so. I believe Aidios brought you to us for a reason. And, as we have come to know each other as friends, I have realized that you are a wonderful person worthy of love and Aidios' guidance. I do not know why, but it seems Aidios has taken a special interest in you, Naruto Uzumaki. What I do know is that I care about you and I do not like seeing you hurting like this."

Without warning, Naruto snapped his fingers and ejected Rosine from his mindscape. Back in the outside world, she startled a bit before she turned and hugged her friend. "You should have warned me you were going to do that. But, I stand by what I said. You need help, Naruto. I will do whatever I can for you. Just let me know if you'd like me to talk with your girlfriends, okay? I'll do what I can."

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "Sorry. I figured that if we were going to hug each other, it'd be better to do it out here. Hugging in my mindscape would've been kind of weird." When she giggled in response, he hugged her back and said, "Thank you, Rosine. For listening to me and keeping an open mind. And for offering to help. We'll be leaving on our field study next weekend, so if Angelica and Towa don't have any luck before then, I might just ask you for some help when we come back. I just hope everything will get better soon."

"As do I, Naruto. It is getting late, though. We don't want to miss curfew. So please, finish your errands, pray to Aidios for guidance if you need to, and then go back to the dorm and get some sleep, okay? Try and rest easy tonight. After everything you've been through, I think you've earned it." Rosine said, smiling kindly at him.

"Thanks, Rosine." Naruto said before he stood up and helped her up as well. Afterwards, he entered the church and chuckled softly. She's a nice girl. But there's definitely something strange about her. I wonder what she's hiding. Shrugging it off, he decided to let the sister and the father be. Instead, he climbed the stairs and took a seat. Closing his eyes and bowing his head, he sent out his thoughts to Aidios once again. Aidios, I'm truly sorry for asking so much all the time, but I have no idea what to do. I am lost right now. I need Laura and Fie to be safe. I need my family to be happy again. I won't ask for some kind of magical remedy to this situation, but if you can offer some kind of guidance and help me in any way, I would be incredibly grateful to you, once again. I don't want my family to be torn apart by this. Am I even ready to be a father? I'm scared, Aidios. I need help…

Burying his face in his hands, Naruto couldn't even finish his prayer for guidance. Instead, he just quietly sobbed while Father Paulo watched on. Naruto. Whatever has you so troubled, I hope Aidios can guide you through these tough times. Maybe… Stepping around the podium, Paulo approached Naruto and placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "Naruto, what troubles ail you today? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Naruto looked up into Paulo's eyes and wiped his eyes with the backs of his fingers. "It feels like my family is breaking apart. I have no idea what to do, Father Paulo. I came to pray for Aidios' help, but…" Sighing, he lowered his gaze again and shook his head. "I'll tell you more about it later, Father. I should get back to the dorm before curfew hits. I'm sorry." And with that, he stood up and left the church without another word.

Naruto, I shall pray for you. Paulo thought silently to himself before he went to go and talk with Sister Ornella.

Once outside, Naruto offered Rosine a tiny smile before he walked across the bridge towards the many shops of Trista. As much as he wanted to enter the various shops, as well as the inn and Micht's Pawn Shop, he found that he just didn't have it in him anymore to do much of anything. Shame. So many people I'd love to chat with, but I just can't right now. I'm just so tired of it all. And with that, he proceeded towards the Class VII dormitory and closed his eyes as he stopped outside. I feel like I've done nothing but fuck up lately. Please, don't let things get any worse. Then, taking a deep breath, he pushed open the doors and stepped inside of the dorm. When he saw Anko waiting for him, he let out a groan and hung his head. Here we go.

Anko stared sternly at him and said, "I had an interesting meeting with two girls who made quite the claim. They said you told them to talk to your three mates if they wanted to join this relationship of ours. I assume they were just full of bullshit?"

Naruto sighed and palmed his face. "They didn't even finish listening to me. I was trying to tell them as politely as I could that I wasn't interested, I'm happy with you girls, and that, even if I was interested, you three would have to sign off on it first. They got a tad too excited and rushed off before I could even finish talking."

"I figured as much." Anko said with a heavy sigh. "You look like shit, Naruto. Come on, let's get you back to your room."

"Thanks, Anko." Naruto said as he allowed Anko to take his hand and guide him upstairs to his room. Aidios…please help me. I don't know what else to do.

---

A/N - And that's the chapter! Yaaay!

As you can see, a LOT happened in this chapter. Naruto and his mates are really struggling and it looks like things are just going to keep getting worse and more complicated before they get better. Not fun, huh?

I'm not 100% sure if Linde and Vivi are in the pairing yet, but we shall see. They both really like him, and he likes the two of them, as well. However, until things can get sorted with his mates...can anything come of such feelings? We shall have to wait and see.

Again, I have a poll up on my profile for this story. I'm hoping to see more of you vote so I know who you'd like to see in the harem. So far, Vivi and Towa seem to be REALLY popular choices. lol. Sooo...yay? XD

Also, feel free to suggest harem choices that aren't part of the poll. However, keep in mind that Alisa and Emma are NOT available choices! I haven't said anything yet, but I have received some suggestions for the two of them, so I'm afraid I have to turn you folksies down. Sorry!

Anywho, I can't decide if I want to continue working on this story some more or if I should work on the next chapter of Konoha's l'Cie. Like I said in the author's notes at the end of that chapter, I do have plans for the next chapter of that story. I also have some ideas for the next chapter of When you Wish Upon a Star. But again, I'm really enjoying working on this story. So I really just don't know. Lemme know what you guys want to see more of.

Aaaaand I think I'm done for the time being. I need to relax for a while and just chill or something. These past few days have been stressful as hell for me. Buuut, there is a new update at the top of my profile! If you're interested in knowing how I'm doing right now, that update has some more information for ya. Definitely has not been a fun past few days. x.x