Path of Flowers

Part II- Guardian

0000000000000

Marluxia knelt down and examined Naruto's leg injury. "It's just a dirty cut… No trace of infection…" he touched it lightly with one finger causing Naruto to wince in pain. "Cure."

At once, the cut began to seal up, even faster than Marluxia had anticipated. This kid WAS odd…

Marluxia turned, walking towards a nearby tree, then cutting off some thick branches with his scythe.

Naruto stared, transfixed at him. Not only had Marluxia destroyed those little creatures in an instant, he had also seemed to have taken an interest in him!

Marluxia tossed the logs in front of Naruto, then widened his hand, pointing his palm directly at the logs. "Fire."

In a blaze of light, a small orange sphere shot towards the logs, igniting on contact. Naruto jumped at the sudden flare of light, his eyes glazing over. "Can you teach me how to do that?!"

Marluxia cocked his head. "Perhaps…"

"So who are you anyway? I've never seen a ninja like you before!"

Marluxia raised an eyebrow. "Ninja? You are not being serious…" a soft smile appeared on his face. "I am far greater than any common assassin…"

Naruto grinned. "Really?! Could you teach me?!"

'Protect the boy…'

Marluxia closed his eyes. "I don't believe you realise the importance of our meeting, Naruto…"

The boy cocked his head, a confused look on his face.

"… I am a Nobody, one who blends into the surroundings, holding no emotions." He laughed. "Of course, I shouldn't be a real Nobody anymore…"

"Nobody? Is that like the ANBU or something?"

Marluxia smiled. "I have never heard of this 'ANBU' you speak of, but obviously it is a custom held in your world… I am however someone who is bound to you…" he brought his gloved hand up to his lips, then bit down on his index finger, pulling the glove off. He discarded the black clothing, then again brought his hand up to his lips, and bit his thumb. Checking it to make sure the blood was flowing, he made a motion at Naruto. "Bite your thumb."

The boy jumped slightly. "What?! Why would I do that?"

Marluxia glared. "Do you want my help?"

The boy scowled, but bit his thumb anyway, letting the gory liquid flow.

Marluxia allowed himself a slight smile. "Very good…" he held out his hand, giving Naruto a motion to do the same. He pressed his thumb against Naruto's, then let the blood mix. He had wondered what this process was like, but never had desired its usage.

Heart bonding was risky, but was preformed by children on a common basis. And of course, with Marluxia's ability, the result would be rather interesting. No doubt if Vexen was alive, he'd die to see the result (No pun intended.)

A slight muscular spasm caused Marluxia to double over, his hand grabbing his chest, pain burning inside of him.

"A-are you okay?!" cried Naruto. To Marluxia's relief, he didn't remove his hand.

"G-Good…" he whispered. "It's nearly complete… Naruto, I'm sorry to tell you that you're about to go through a world of pain…"

"Wha-?" Naruto screamed. His body felt like fire. With every heartbeat his chest went through a spasm of pure unmerciful pain.

"Almost…" muttered Marluxia. He let out a gasp, then before Naruto's eyes, he disappeared.

The blonde's pain vanished. He slowly got to his feet, and looked around, wondering where the vibrant haired man had disappeared too.

"You have a strong heart…"

Naruto spun round. Marluxia was behind him, though he didn't seem like he had moments ago. His skin, clothes and even weapon had a transparent glow about them, like a stained glass window.

"That hurt more than was expected…" he cracked his shoulders, then stood erect, looking down at Naruto. "We have bonded."

"B-bonded…?"

"Established a link between hearts. The process is used in some worlds to establish love and faithfulness, and used in others as a token of brotherhood. But for us, it's simply a guardian and idiot bond…"

Naruto took a while for the insult to sink in, before his face contorted in a scowl. "Hey! I'm not an idiot!"

Marluxia gave him a dry grin. "That much is certain…" he examined his arm, then looked uncaringly at the small wound on his thumb. With a simple cure spell, the thing vanished.

"So what is this 'heart bonding' thingie…?" asked Naruto.

Marluxia sighed. "Are you deaf as well as dumb? It's a bond between Hearts. In this case, it was establishing an unseen like between strong a weak hearts. You heart was stronger, so it took dominance over mine. In simple terms, I'm like an imaginary friend, you can see me, but others can't. We have an unseen link. Of course, since you have a stronger heart, you can reveal the link be speaking my name."

"You mean… Like a summon?" said Naruto. He of course knew about summoning contracts such as the Snake, Slug and Toad, belonging to the three Sannin of the leaf, but he'd never heard of a contract between two humans.

"Correct. If you simply call me 'Marluxia', I will be brought into the physical world, and undoubtedly will have to kill a threat to save your life. Never summon me for typical reasons. I'll always be by your side, even if you can't see me. So call me Eleven while I'm not physical."

"Eleven? That seems pretty dumb…"

Marluxia narrowed his eyes. "Eleven bears significance towards me… So please do not make jokes about my chosen name. He knelt down so his face was level with Naruto's. "Those creatures which attacked you are known as Heartless… And if they are here, it can only mean one thing."

Naruto was unnerved by the emotionless tone Marluxia boar.

"The end of the world itself…"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Y-You can't be serious…"

"Oh, but I am, my silly little student… They eat worlds, and destroy the inhabitants… They exist for the purpose of liberating hearts and sending them back to the Abyss…" he smiled. "With my help, you'll be able to fight them. And of course complete those silly little goal's you have in that large head of yours… Hokage… Interesting, what is the Hokage exactly?"

Naruto jumped back. "A-Are you reading my mind?!"

Marluxia tapped his nose. "Bonding…"

"B-But…" Naruto began to scrape his mind for an argument. "Why can't I read yours?!"

Marluxia shrugged. "I simply closed the book in my head. You are so obvious it's more like a report than a book… It would take years to help you fix that obvious mind of yours… Truly, you are just like Axel."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Axel?"

"A former comrade." muttered Marluxia, bitterly. "He was also a layabout who liked sleeping more than working… Reading your memories you remind me of him in every way…"

Concern appeared in Naruto's face.

"But lucky for you, he was also impossibly strong…" Marluxia laughed. "He even managed to betray me without my noticing it. So if you end up like him I may even feel rather proud. I might even stop calling you an idiot…"

He flicked Naruto's forehead, causing the small boy to fall onto his backside. "Ouch!"

"So now we have a deal kid…" he slipped the black glove back onto his hand, then held it out. "I help you in every way possible. I'll teach you, guide you, and may even save you. In return you do every little thing that I say. Get it?"

Naruto scowled. "Got it…"

Marluxia grinned. "Good."

There was a long eerie silence. "So… What now…?" asked Naruto, flatly.

Marluxia winced. "This is going to be harder than I imagined… Not only do you not have the brains to run from Heartless, you do not have the manner's to invite me back to your village. Surely you do not expect me to stay in the forest all night!"

Naruto sweat dropped. "Um… Yeah, sure…"

XXX

Marluxia looked around the small, worn down flat with distaste. "You live here…?"

Naruto chuckled. "It ain't really a palace, but I suppose its home."

The black clad man placed his index finger on the wall, then drew it back, examining the heavy layer of dust no on his glove. "Disgusting… If Castle Oblivion was like this I don't know what I'd have done…"

Naruto jumped onto the couch, staring eagerly at the man in front of him, as if waiting for something.

Marluxia caught his gaze, then cocked his head. "What? Do you expect me to juggle or something?"

Naruto laughed, but shook his head. "Weeelll… Do I get a cool scythe like yours?"

At this Marluxia burst out laughing. He held out his arm, summoning the pink and green weapon. "This is my scythe, the Graceful Dahlia… You honestly expect to gain something as powerful as this like a simple gift?" he regained his calm steely posture. "No. The thirteen weapons are given by a test of mentality found only in Nobodies." He shrugged. "But then again… You did bond with a Nobody…" he looked back at the blonde, who was staring hopefully at him. "Perhaps…"

He let the scythe disappear; causing petal's to appear in the air, then strode towards Naruto, crouching down in front of him, locking eyes.

He held out the dusty index finger, then prodded Naruto on the head. The boy let out a squeal in protest, before his eyes widened. Marluxia no longer sat in front of him. In fact, Marluxia, or even his flat, was nowhere to be seen. Instead 12 weapons lay around him.

He sat on a circular platform, of what looked to be made of stained glass. A pair of glowing blades, a sling-like weapon, a lance, a shield, a large axe-sword, a dusty tome, a claymore, circular spiked blades which resembled shuriken, a sitar, a deck of cards and some kunai. Each of the weapons was well spaced from each other, and above each was an emblem of sorts.

'You have arrived in the realm of all that was…'

Naruto spun round. "Who's there?!"

'I am here… And there… And everywhere…' the unseen figure was mocking him.

"Who are you?! Stop freaking me out!"

'Who am I…? Perhaps I am one from the past, or perhaps I am what is to come… There is so very much to learn. You understand so little. A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing…'

Naruto suddenly felt a hand touch his shoulder. Breaking from the figure's grip, he spun round. A tall cloaked man stared back at him through a large floppy hood which resembled Marluxia's gear.

'Choose a weapon. This shall decide your fate…'

Naruto stared wildly around, his gaze fixing on the axe-sword. Above it was a single rock, floating motionless in the endless darkness.

'Axe-sword: a blade of power, strength to hold a nation on its back. If a single crack appears in your will, thou shall crumble to dust.'

Immediately, he back away from the sword, instead looking at the Kunai. Above it was a lightning bolt symbol.

'Knives: sharp and quick to resemble the temper. If you hesitate for a moment, your own hate will consume you.'

"Urgh! Why is everything here so threatening?"

The figure laughed. He still hadn't moved since his appearance. 'I shall not attack until you choose a weapon. I am powerless until arms meet your grip.'

Again, Naruto looked at all the weapons, surveying them carefully. He spotted in glowing blades, which held no emblem.

'Ethereal blades: Nothing is power, while Power is Nothing. By embracing Nothing, you abandon everything.'

"Ain't you a load of sunshine?!" yelled Naruto, flailing his arms out wide. In his anger, he'd knocked against one of the giant shuriken-weapons. Above them was a flame symbol.

'You have chosen the Chakram: Flame of undying power. Courage fills your mind, but clouds your judgement. Without darkness, there can be no light. You have accepted this.'

The blades suddenly vanished from there motionless spot, and appeared in his hands.

They felt hot to the touch, like freshly baked bread, containing a warmth that filled up his whole body.

The figure laughed. 'Brilliant!' a sword appeared in his hand. It was long and thin, around the size of a regular katana. The metal was ebony black with flecks of red and violet. Above the hilt guard was a golden eye-like jewel. 'Let me see your power!'

Naruto griped the circular blades tightly. To be honest, he had no clue what he was doing. One second he was in his flat (That said he had brought a weird pink-haired guy with him) and the next second, he was on a weird circular platform.

The Chakram seemed light, as though made of paper, yet held firm in his grip like iron. When the figure rushed at him, then delivered a furious barrage of slashes, the movements seemed to simply appear in his head. Using the Chakram to block seemed simple, almost upon instinct.

The figure seemed to be enjoying it, his slashes suddenly getting more furious. 'The nature of your chosen weapon is flooding into you.'

Before Naruto could say anything, the glass platform shattered, causing him to fall back. The figure watched him fall, standing in mid-air as if on solid ground, a misty veil like substance appearing under his feet. 'Your synchronisation is 93%... You may go on to the first trial…'

Before Naruto could shout a barrage of insults at the disappearing figure, he connected with a new platform. As he landed, the Chakram instantly vanished. The platform itself showed a mural in stained glass, of a two teenage boy's standing back-to-back, one around 19 the other around 15. The older boy had spiked up red hair, and held the same Chakram's which Naruto had just used. His sea-foam green eyes were looking to his side, towards the younger blonde boy, who held a large key-shaped blade, with crown-like teeth. The boy was looking down, a solemn look on his face, his blue eyes half-closed in a lazy-like demeanour.

Around the platform were three pedestals, each holding a single floating item: A Sword, a Sceptre and a Shield.

"This is the first test…"

It wasn't a voice exactly. It seemed as though the words were being written inside Naruto's very head, imprinted like the pages of a book.

"When presented with the choice you chose the path of flame. Many are wary of such a dangerous element…"

"I didn't do it deliberately!" snapped Naruto. "I bumped into the freakin' thing!"

'Perhaps… But there are no accidents in this universe. Nothing is black and white; only shades of grey. Believe in a simple mistake, or look to fate. That is your own choice. But these three items will not only affect fate, but destiny. Many who have reached this stage are driven mad with grief. The wrong decision will result in-"

"Death, right…" muttered Naruto, dryly.

"That is correct. The weapons before you belong to the chosen. Be you a Chosen, A Heartless, or a Nobody, these three weapons reflect your desires. The sword…"

The silver blade began to glow upon its pedestal, the red hilt with the mouse-like emblem glowing eerily. "The symbol of a warrior. A weapon of great destruction. The Sceptre…"

The rod began to glow, the blue gem, similar to the emblem upon the sword glowing a pale green. "The symbol of a Mystic. Wisdom of untold leagues."

And finally the shield began to glow, this time with palest red. The ebony black emblem, again the same as the previous two weapons, was splashed right in the centre of the shield. "The Shield. The symbol of a guardian. Defence to brace against any attack. Choose."

Naruto stared at the three arms. Before he could eagerly grab the sword, a nagging in the back of his mind suddenly held him back. –The wrong decision will result in death…-

Slowly, he withdrew his hand, then moved it towards the shield instead. "I choose this…" he muttered.

'You have chosen the path of the Guardian. You have synchronised with the Path of Fire. Now for your final test."

Again the platform broke, like a mirror being splintered. As Naruto fell, he landed on a third platform, this time with three figures emblazoned in the glass. A raven haired man with a long pony-tail and narrow eyes, six lances surrounding him at uneven angles. A blonde man with short hair a small beard and a slight moustache, a grin on his young face, cards falling from his gloves hand. The final figure was very young, looking to be in his late teens, with a goofy grin on his face, a blue sitar strapped to his back. All of them wore the same cloak.

"Run."

As the word appeared in Naruto's head, black creatures began to crawl out of the abyss, their yellow eyes staring at him, wide and excited, the thrill of killing evident in their tiny minds.

Naruto needed no second warning. At once he bolted, not stopping for breath. As he ran, glass tiles appeared at the side of the platform, leading upwards.

The shadows began to creep after him, gliding gracefully through the ground like large spiders.

Naruto skidded to a halt on fourth platform. Before he could turn back, the glass path disintegrated, leaving him again stranded. Again, three figures were on this platform. A blue haired man, with an X shaped scar across his face, yellow eyes staring coldly up at the sky, a pale blue claymore type blade held in one hand. Opposite him was a raven haired man with streaks of grey, and eye patch covering one of his cruel amber eyes. In both hands he held a weird bow like weapon, with small arrows sticking out the heads. Between both of them lay a silver haired man, whose eyes were closed, his hands held high as if in prayer, glowing blades strapped to his belt.

'The closer you get to the light… The longer your shadow grows…'

Naruto froze. Slowly, he turned, his eyes wide in expectation. His own shadow had doubled in size, and was writhing violently like an angered snake.

'…If you stop your journey, the darkness shall consume you.'

Naruto stepped back, falling to the ground, his jaw wide, fear filling up his cerulean blue eyes.

A gigantic black creature towered over him, a veil like substance covering its huge body, sun-coloured pupil-less eyes staring down blankly at him.

'But do not be afraid.'

The creature raised a large fist.

'You carry a light within you.'

A fire burned around Naruto, revolving until forming a circular shape. The two red chakrams landed beside Naruto. Panicking, he grabbed them, then scurried to the edge of the platform, only to look down towards the bottomless chasm.

'And do not forget…'

Naruto turned to confront the creature. Darkness was seeping out its oversized body, flooding the glass platform.

'… You have a part to play in this story.'

000000000000

I may get through this yet! HOO-RAH! Please review! I'll wait till I get 10 reviews till I post the next chapter, just so I know ya'll are thinking bout' me. Teehee!

Oh, and Marluxia's scythe wasn't their for a reason. Also, I'm going to base Naruto's character off Axel in this story, so expect some lines like 'Got it memorised?' and 'Bet cha' don't know why the sun set's red.' Love Axel's character, he's awesome!! REVIEW!!