Part III-Flames and Flowers

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, or any Anime/Game/Manga. All rights are reserved for the author/designers of the respective manga/game.

"Brat."

Naruto felt a slight rapping upon his head, but shrugged it off, still engrossed in sleep. Had it all been a dream. The spiralling flames, the glass floors, the tests… The shadows. Dream or not, he felt exhausted.

"Brat." The voice was a little louder, the rapping increasing in strength. "That's it Thunder!"

Suddenly, a jolt of pure electricity seeped through Naruto's body, flooding through his nerves causing him to leap back into reality.

Marluxia was leaning over him, glaring slightly. "It's about time you woke up. You're the only person I've seen who's been in there for ten minutes."

"Ten Minutes?!" cried Naruto, astounded. He thought he'd been there for hours. Had time passed differently in that world?

"Have you been given an alignment? Or are you planning on making my job very very hard."

Naruto looked down at his hands, remembering the heat which seared through them, filling up his minds with thoughts of wonder and hope. At once, a flame flickered in his palm, only for a few seconds, before spiralling outwards, and taking a metal form.

Marluxia's eyes widened in faint surprise. He raised a single feathery eyebrow at the red and silver chakram which Naruto held in his hand. "I knew you were like Axel in more ways than one, but choosing his alignment." He locked eyes with Naruto. "Honestly I expected you to choose the Axe-Sword. A power-hungry brat like you seems to fit its bill."

"Hey! I was going to choose it, but the thing threatened me!" cried Naruto.

"Are you an idiot? No, you are an idiot, but that's beside the point, you chose fire over earth? Which one do you find more threatening boy?!"

The boy blushed in embarrassment. "It was an accident."

Marluxia's eye twitched. "I will not ask. Go to sleep, brat." He slowly began to disappear. "I warn you; tomorrow I train you as if I was your arch-enemy. Expect no mercy."

XXX

"Number Eight has awakened." Muttered one of the cloaked figures.

Seven figures sat in a blindingly white room, a huge emblem emblazoned on the centre of the circle in which they sat.

"Nothing, Space, Wind, Ice, Earth, Illusion, Moon…" the man who spoke grinned under his hood. "The new guardians are all but complete. We must first get Eleven and Eight to join us."

"Nine, Ten, Twelve and Thirteen must still be sleeping…" another figure wheezed. He spoke as though speaking from a respirator. "We must find their hosts…"

"All in good time…" one male figure chortled. "It's too risky to make ourselves seen yet. The Organisation must take its time to recover before revealing itself."

"Like the reconstruction of the Castle That Never Was and 'fixing' any threats?" a female voice asked.

"Precisely." The respirator sounding man wheezed.

"We all share the united goal. Resurrect our predecessors. If Eleven if alive, it can mean only one thing."

'She has been working again…'

One man laughed. "But her plans didn't go well eh? Eight didn't choose one of the chosen elements, did he!? She won't spoil our plans."

The man who sat in a high silver chair looked up at the sky. He cupped his hands, letting a blue orb appear, surrounded by a violet aura.

All the other members silenced.

"Kingdom Hearts is not pleased." He murmured, in a lazy tone. "We need the bearer of light." The orb vanished. Slowly, he slid off his chair, standing fully erect. "You know what must be done." He then vanished into a black void.

XXX

Naruto was awoken by a blast of cold water. He was snapped out of his dreaming, coughing and spluttering.

Marluxia stood over him, smiling sadistically. Graceful Dahlia was swung over one of his shoulders, the hilt held in one hand. With the other hand, his palm was pointing at Naruto, a ball of water circling harmlessly.

"What the hell was that for?!"

He suddenly became aware of his surroundings. They were in the woods, or at least some form of forest.

"Water."

His attention returned to Marluxia as a second ball of chilling water hit him in the face.

"Jeez! What the hell was that for?!"

"Do not let your attention stray from a prospective opponent. Remain vigilant. Got it memorised?" 'Oh kami, I'm beginning to sound like Axel…'

Naruto nodded, and then got to his feet, shaking his head like a sodden dog, trying to dry his hair.

Marluxia rolled his eyes. "Summon your chakram, idiot!"

Naruto cocked his head. "Um… How?"

Marluxia stared dumbly at him. "Are you trying to tell me…" he breathed. "That you went through the entire trial without learning how to summon your weapon?!"

"It's not my fault! They didn't give me a play-by-play walkthrough! I had a giant shadow thingie try to kill me!"

Marluxia sighed. "Simply imagine your weapons."

Naruto pictured the chakram's, clear and glowing in his head.

"Now simply will them to appear. Tell your heart that you want them."

Naruto was a little confused at this, but began to try his best. He imagined the bladed weapon's appearing in his hands.

At once, two flames appeared under his hand's, causing his body to jerk in alarm. The flames began to follow his movements, before turning into the circular weapon's, landing firmly in his grip.

"Good." Muttered Marluxia, without a hint of enthusiasm. "Now try to stay alive."

"Wha-?" before Naruto could voice his confusion, Marluxia had blurred into sight beneath him, scythe swung round, ready to cleave him in half. He was deliberately leaving obvious openings, and making his movements sluggish, but apart from that, he was showing no mercy.

Immediately, Naruto's instincts kicked in. He whirled the Chakram around in his hand, then wielded them in front of him, blocking Marluxia's deliberately sluggish blow.

Marluxia grinned. His memories appeared before him, as though pictures in a book. The thrill of fighting, of undermining the opponent, and of course crushing their will. But he couldn't do that to his student. Though he allowed himself some sadistic pleasure. "Blizzard."

Naruto had time to gasp as an ice crystal slammed into his stomach, chilling him to the bone and knocking the wind out of him. "What the hell was that for…?" he breathed.

"Keep your guard up. If this were a real fight, my attack would have punctured a hole in your chest. Keep that in mind."

Naruto grimaced. With all his might, he pushed forwards, spinning the Chakram, causing Marluxia to stumble back. Naruto saw the opening, then dived in, still spinning the blade, stopping a few inches from Marluxia's side.

"Does this mean you'll teach me something?" he asked, hopefully.

Marluxia laughed. He took a step back, then began to spin the scythe in the air, in a propeller like manner. Petals began to fall, quickly carpeting the forests floor. Naruto could only stare, amazed at the scene. This amazement was quickly turned into shock, as four thick green vines shot out the ground, wrapping around Naruto's arms and legs, rendering him helpless. "You see?" said Marluxia, lowering his scythe, causing the vines to whither. "I bear the alignment of flowers, thus can change the surroundings to my advantage. Axel was known for turning the ground to molten rock, whilst surrounding his opponents in a ring of flame. Of course, fire has a much lower affect on you."

Naruto seemed to perk up at this. "You mean I can walk on fire?!"

"No you imbecile." snapped Marluxia. "While you bare a very high resistance to flames, standing on a naked flame will undoubtedly hurt you. If, however, you pass through flames quickly, the affects will rather feel like a prickle on your body."

Naruto seemed slightly disappointed, but still rather impressed. "What about those abilities you used? Like the ball of fire! Oh, and the thorn thingie!"

"That 'Thorn Thingie,' as you have dubbed it, is known as the spell Bloom. It's a simple spell which causes seeds to fly at the opponent. The seeds then grow into various offensive plants. The most common one to use is a Spore Seed, which temporarily blinds the opponent." He conjured a ball of fire in his hand. "This spell is known as Fire. Very dull, but that is its name. All spells increase in power, but require a higher cost of energy." He pointed at a tree. "Firaga." A massive orb of pure white flame shot out his fingertip, incinerating the tree instantly.

"WOW!!!!" cried Naruto, his eyes going starry. "Will I be able to do that?!"

"You will be able to conjure even greater fires than this. Your fire potential is limitless, but the other elements are more difficult to control. Ice will be particularly hard for you." He flicked his hair back. "The three things I will teach you will be observation, fighting and magic."

Naruto cocked his head, an annoyed look on his face. "Observation?"

"Of course…" muttered Marluxia. "When I was a member of the Organisation, the two things members were mostly required to do was elimination of heartless, or recon. It is a hindrance to look and not see." He pointed at a nearby tree. "Look at it. Tell me what you see."

Naruto stared dumbly at the large oak. "Well… It's a tree."

"Fascinating." Muttered Marluxia, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "Let me give you some help." He returned his gaze to the oak. "I see claw marks on the bark, showing me that this wood contains some large predator. The tree trunk is thick, showing me the tree itself is old. Hollows can be seen in the higher branches, telling me some animals may rest in that tree." He looked back at Naruto. "With one glance I can tell this. All you could see was a tree. I see something far greater." He plucked a blade of grass fro the ground. "Even a tiny thing could hold something. Look underneath the underneath." The blade of glass burst into flames. "Every grain of dust could be an enemy."

Naruto nodded, as though storing the information in his head.

Marluxia rested his scythe o his shoulders. "Let us spar again. If you can land three blows on me, we'll call it a day."

XXX

"Ouch… Ouch… Ouch…" Naruto groaned as he trudged through the streets, his legs aching with every movement. Marluxia had shown no mercy. He had managed to land three blows… After five hours of non-stop practise. In that time, Marluxia had clobbered him with the staff of his scythe, and blasted him constantly with a variety of spells, ranging from ice to wind. He had been told that thirteen elements existed, and thus thirteen spells existed. Some other magic could be found, but it was not recognised officially among the Organisation.

As he was lost in thought, a cry brought him back to reality. "Scoop up some fresh sea-salt ice-cream!"

A merchant stood next to small cart. He was smiling happily, waving the frosty treats like some kind of miracle food. From his light complexion and narrow eyes, Naruto could tell he wasn't from the elemental countries. By the looks of him, he must have come from the Eastern Continent far past the borders of Wind.

Suddenly he caught Naruto's gaze, and grinned. He was around nineteen, and appeared new to the job. "Want to buy some? Only fifteen Ryu for a twin stick!"

Naruto bit his lip, then pulled out the small Gama-chan from his pocket, beginning to search through the small copper coins. "Erm… Fifteen ryu… Here you go!" he handed over the money, claiming his small sugary treat.

"Thanks kid!" said the merchant. "Remember to be on the lookout for 'WINNER' sticks. Come back with one to claim a fabulous prize!"

Naruto mumbled a faint thanks, then began to walk away.

Unseen, the ice-scream salesman grinned. "Found him."

Naruto broke apart the two ice-cream's, then began to suck on one, staring down at the other with mild disinterest. "Maybe I should just eat it later?" he mumbled to nobody.

Suddenly, his eye caught a lone boy, sitting out on a wooden gangplank overlooking the lake. A sorrowful look adorned his calm face.

Naruto tried to ignore him, but that pouting face acted like a magnet. Groaning, he skidded down the small grass hill, and walked out onto the gangplank, mumbling to himself.

The boy didn't notice him till Naruto sat down right beside him. He cast a coal black eye in his direction, then returned to gazing at the sunset.

His attention returned to Naruto, when he held out a blue stick of ice-cream, which was dripping slightly in the evening heat. Naruto himself was eating one, smiling lightly.

"Is that… For me…?" asked Sasuke, cautiously.

"No, it's for the air." Muttered Naruto. He grinned at the boy. "I'm Naruto."

Slowly, the boy of equal age snatched the stick, then popped it in his mouth. A small scowl appeared on his face. "It's salty." Then his face relaxed. "But sweet too…"

Naruto grinned, then promptly bit a large chunk out of his own. "So what's your name?"

The boy scowled. "Like it's your business."

"Just trying to be friendly!" said Naruto, lazily.

The boy kept scowling, allowing them to sit in silence for a few moments. "Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto grinned. "Nice to meet ya Sasuke!"

No more words were said after that. Both eight-year olds simply sat their in silence, watching the sun set.

XXX

Naruto began to pant. He hadn't remembered when he'd come into this world, or how long he'd been running. All he knew was, stopping meant death.

Before he could make a sharp turn, a figure wearing a long black coat with a large hood appeared in front of him. The figure chuckled, pulling down the hood, revealing him to be the Eastern man from earlier.

His long dark hair was tied up in a pony-tail, and his narrow eyes were so tightly shut, it looked like they were closed. "Hello, Eight-kun." He said, brightly.

Naruto took a step back. "E-Eight? What are you talking about?! My name is Naruto!"

The man chuckled, then held out his arm. A book appeared in his hands. The pages were greatly worn, as though hundreds of years old, but the man seemed to understand it perfectly. "My name is Xhat. Most of my letters have been discarded due to complication." He opened one of his eyes slightly, revealing a dark red pupil. "So Naruto… You aren't a Nobody… Yet you are one of the chosen… How interesting."

Naruto took a step back. Instantly, the chakram appeared in his hands.

"Ohoho! So you are a chosen! I knew it! Xigai owes me some munny!" he snapped the book shut, then folded it under his arm. "I will see you again Naruto. Expect me." A dark void appeared behind him, which he stepped back too. He opened his eyes slightly, revealing the red irises. They began to glow in the inky black darkness, before vanishing along with the void.

At once, Naruto woke up. He was in his flat.

Marluxia was sitting cross-legged on the couch, his eyes closed, and a meditative look about him.

Naruto sighed, then collapsed back onto the bed. As he did so, the rough springs dug into his back. "Ouch…" he groaned, anime tears falling from his face.

Unknown to him, the man from his dream, Xhat, was sitting on the roof of his flat block, staring at the moon silently, his red eyes open fully.

A dark cylinder appeared beside him, and another hooded figure walked out.

"Yo, Nexim." He muttered, without looking round.

The new figure lowered the hood, revealing a lightly tanned face. Snow white hair draped down to his shoulders, and his eyes were purest topaz. "You came into contact with Number Eight?" he asked, a steely calm in his voice.

"Yeah. Do you expect any less of me?" he summoned the dusty lexicon, then began to flip through the pages, examining the undecipherable runes. "He isn't a Nobody."

Nexim raised a clear eyebrow in interest. "He isn't a Nobody? This is unexpected. What of Eleven?"

"Ah… That is where we enter a grey area."

Nexim closed his eyes. "Please do not fail us, Xhat. Uxato is becoming frustrated by all the changes we've had to make in our schedule."

Xhat shrugged. "Have the Corridors of Darkness been extended?"

Nexim gave himself a rare smile. "The Dusks are constructing the tunnels as we speak. It would be far easier and faster to get hold of a Gummi ship, but they are too expensive and rare."

Xhat shrugged. "I'll wait here then. Don't bother making a corridor for me yet. Just come and get me when it's ready."

The tanned man shrugged, then walked back into the Corridor. "Goodbye, Xhat."

Yay! Chapter, OVER-AND-OUT! Should I go straight ahead with the time-skip, or put a little more detail into Naruto's childhood? I dunno… Oh, I need a Beta, so let me know if you're interested! Thanks!