Chapter two of Azure eyes, Crimsons sky's. The 'demon' lives on.

Yo! Bet you guys forgot about me didn't you?

Alright, this is the second installment of Azure eyes, Crimson sky's. A fellow author gave me a few ideas to work with and I'd like to give him a shout-out! bubbajack take center stage man you've earned it! We've been chatting for awhile and I've given him a few ideas and he did the same for me. I owe him more than I could possibly describe to anybody. Thanks to him I was able to improve the way my story would be interpreted and better describe it the way I wanted to. That's great isn't it? That's all thanks to him. On a side note, check out his stories when you get the chance. I'm sure you'll find them entertaining.

Next up. I've gotten quite a few positive reviews, which I'll take as I'm doing a decent job and I should keep up my current path. I noticed a few people that weren't happy with this and that, but whatever. I can't please everybody, nor will I try to. If you don't like the story, then you don't like it. Move on to the next one. If you do, great! I hope I continue to keep you entertained. I myself am enjoying this just as much as you are if not more!

Warning : This will be a harem story. I believe I mentioned this during the first chapter, but some people tend to skip over these authors notes. I know of two for certain that will be added. I'm considering a few more, but haven't decided yet. Also, lets not forget Negi. He has a certain special someone for him as well. It might just surprise you who it is too.

I'm still considering the lemon thing but nothing is guaranteed. A beta specifically for writing those is desperately needed before I truly get down to even consider it. I know what I just said contradicts what I just typed, but I'm trying to get my point across. I'm considering it, but not very heavily. Not without someone who has a talent for writing them or that could guide me through it as well. It's whatever you guys decide. Frankly, I couldn't care if I wrote one or not. Also, "if" I do write a/some lemon's' it'll be much later in the story. So if you're just sticking around for that you'll be sorely disappointed.

Now for my favorite review/reviewer so far. Well what do you know? It's bubbajack again! I enjoyed your enthusiasm as well as your general curiosity. I promise you won't be disappointed! Helluva guy isn't he? Give the man a hand.

Remember, keep the reviews coming and that'll keep me motivated enough to update faster. If I don't know that I'm doing well I won't want to continue. Know what I mean? If nobody say's anything then I have to assume that my story sucked and abandon the project all together. If you enjoy it, don't let this happen!

Due to a suggestion from a fellow reviewer, and author, there will be multiple flashbacks throughout future chapters explaining what's happened in past chapters. "A little bit of mystery never hurts ya know?" Keeps you interested and wondering.

Last thing. The first chapter flat out SUCKED compared to how the second chapter has turned out, in my opinion anyways. That leaves me to believe that with each passing chapter, it'll keep improving.

Anyway... On with the story!

I own absolutely nothing but the plot. Naruto is the sole property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Negima! / Magister Negi Magi is the sole property of Ken Akamatsu.

"Talking" (Normal)

'Thinking' (Italics)

"YELLING LOUDLY" (Capitalized, bold)

"Something that isn't human; talking" (Bold)

'Something that isn't human; thinking' (Italics, bold)

[Jutsu usage : (Katon : Gouryuuka no Jutsu)] (Bold)

(1) (2) (3) (4) Author's notes, will appear at the end of the story. (Bold)

Flashback (Italics)

Dream-scape (Italics)

My confidence hides my insecurities.

My passion comes from pain.

My past... does not define me...

Many things can define a man. Be it his ability to make his own decisions and accept whatever consequences that follow, or the way he handles said consequences. A man shows his fear but does not let it consume him. If a man hides his emotions, be it fear, anger, or contempt, it will bring about his own downfall. A man will so desperately try to conceal emotions that others would claim were weaknesses of his own character. It's only human nature to conceal what makes them feel inferior to others regardless of what it might be.

There are many kinds of shinobi and even more things that make them the ruthless warriors that they are. The average civilian views a shinobi as nothing more than a mindless tool; a person, if they could be considered as such, who walks hand in hand with death and calls the shinigami himself a friend. The common, or when it's in their presence, name for a shinobi is 'ninja'. The other they've earned is 'weapon'.

Every shinobi knew what they were to the people, but it was their job and they readily accepted it. They had the power to protect those who couldn't protect themselves from the harsh realities of the shinobi era. It was a thankless job but someone had to do it. And do it they most certainly did.

There are many things that a shinobi must be able to do; one of which, and the second most important of the two, is the ability to end a life when the situation calls for it. Many fresh ninja, generally genin, were unable to make their first kill in a true life or death situation. It would usually be a fatal mistake if they didn't have a jōnin sensei watching out for them. The second and by far the most important is the ability to suppress one's emotions. For a shinobi their greatest weakness is not a blade, nor is it a powerful jutsu. It's the inability to suppress their emotions so they will always make the correct decisions. Many shinobi are able to suppress them fairly easily. Yet, against all odds, a certain special shinobi was unable to suppress his. That's not to say it wasn't for a good reason...

It was dark.

It was cold.

It was painful.

Pain at times can bring out the best and worst of people when they least expect it. It can be helpful or it can be harmful it simply depends on the situation. Pain is like a vice. Once it sinks it's fangs into you your completely at it's mercy. It'll dictate your life if you give it the opportunity to do so. Your actions, your thoughts, your very being becomes a slave to the emotions warring within' your psyche...

'How long has it been?' The sound of chains clinking together permeated the air. 'How much longer will it be?' The distinct sound of bones grinding against each other soon followed. 'When will I finally be granted... death?' A hoarse cough wracked his body bringing forth new waves of agony. 'This pain... why?'

Mahora Academy, a massive institution created for the sole purpose of teaching girls as young as kindergarten up to the university level. It was a fine institution and they excelled at what they did.

The institution was famous for many reasons; one being the amount of graduates each year, that being one hundred percent since its founding... Not a single student that has gone to Mahora has ever failed to graduate. It has never had a single dropout either making things even more impressive. These few reasons alone made this academy world renowned. Another more... gargantuan reason would be the mountain sized tree towering over the school. It was by far the biggest known tree in the world. It's top most branches spanned out hundreds of feet in every direction, and most branches were estimated to be as thick as a large tree. It was truly mind boggling!

There was one specific class at Mahora that was noteworthy; that being Class 2.A of the middle school curriculum. What makes them noteworthy wasn't what most people would think it would be...

In the world there are people that are quite a bit different than others. Hell there's a completely different world set aside for these people. Normal humans are unaware of this world and of the people who are connected to it. There's a major reason for that.

Fear.

It's human nature to fear what they can't comprehend. Humans have always judged rather harshly against things or people that are different than they are. What is it that would cause such an uproar if it was found out?

Magic

A more hidden reason behind why Mahora is so famous, and not between normal humans, is the amount of magic users and magically aware students and teachers attending said school. Any other normal school would be lucky to have just a few students or staff like that. Mahora itself boasts quite a few magically aware students and staff. It's a well kept secret; always has been, and always will be. Or will it..?

Class 2.A itself has a fair amount of magically aware students, even a vampire to boot. Yet, even with the added abnormal students, that alone wasn't what truly made that class worthy of note. One special student that has more magic stored in her petite body than most people will ever have or use throughout their entire lives is completely unaware of it's existence. Speaking of said girl, Konoe Konoka lay peacefully sleeping the night away. Or, perhaps not so peacefully.

Dorm 643

The room was pretty much what you would expect from two teenage girls living together. Clothes were flung everywhere, quite literally actually. Some were even tied into knots and hanging from the rooms only ceiling fan. How they got up there would be anyone's guess. Despite the clothes being in disarray the rest of the room was fairly nice. Makeup, which never seemed to have been used, lay in a neat organized pile on the rooms study desk. A couple of full backpacks sat near the door for easy access and the days homework sat in a neat pile by the desk. A normal thing for two girls sharing a room together. Oh and the ten year old genius magician, the last part only known to one other member of said room, and his pet ermine. Speaking of said ermine, he was nowhere to be found yet the distinct sound of tiny snoring underneath a small pair of orange panties lying halfway across the room would probably explain the mess and where that little wily devil was.

The ten year old prodigy, and teacher of 2.A, lay on the rooms only couch with his glasses askew. The little tyke was clearly asleep as he had an animated snot bubble rising and falling in time with his gentle breathing. His long red hair was in complete disarray spreading out all over his face making him look hilarious to the casual observer. The distinct signs of a ponytail poking out from said mess. A long wooden staff was perched against the couch learning over his face.

A bunk bed, which the two sleeping girls occupied, was on the far side of the room. On the very top bunk an orange haired girl was sprawled out in a very un-lady-like way. Both arms were spread out almost as if to hug the world itself. The white blanket, assuming she ever used it, was a jumbled mess on the left side of the bed. That left her white polka-dotted pajama's on display to the world. One of her legs was situated way off to the left, pretty much melded with the wall, and her other leg was dangling off the side of the bed. Definitely a more provocative pose if anyone else were to see it. Her mouth was wide open and was producing the most unholy sound imaginable. How a fourteen year old girl could produce such a sound was a mystery that shouldn't be solved. Ever. Her orange hair, usually done up in twin ponytails on both sides of her head, were worn down in a long cascade of silky hair. All in all she was quite beautiful.

The third, and last occupant of the room was Konoe Konoka; she occupied the bottom bunk. Compared to the other two, it was apparent that her rest wasn't as peaceful as theirs was. In fact, if you could go by the light sheen of sweat and the rapid pace her chest was moving at, it was nowhere near peaceful. Her mid back length brown hair was all over the place. Her eyebrows were drawn tight into a deep frown. Both eyes were clenched shut so tightly there was no conceivable way that any light would have a chance in hell of penetrating them. A few wet splotches signified that whatever was bothering her was putting her on the verge of crying. Her small, delicate, and luscious lips were set in what would have normally been an adorable pout. Both of her arms were crossed tightly over her own chest, almost as if to hold onto something to ensure that it was there. Her pure white night-ware was hugging her small body in a way that bespoke of lingering sweat. Whatever she was likely dreaming of had to be truly frightening. Her covers were pushed to the very back of the bed. A light moan escaped from between her lips, then she said something she shouldn't have known.

Tears freely fell from her clenched eyes, then...

"Naruto..."

The city of Mahora is usually very beautiful at night. From the ground looking up, ironically, was like a dream. The gentle city lights mixed in with the beautiful glow of the milky way galaxy against a pitch black background was truly breath taking. It's a little well known fact that parades and celebrations are just about a nightly occurrence there. Why not? The people were happy and they damn sure didn't have a problem expressing it.

From the sky looking down was a sight few got to witness. The city was always a myriad of colors flitting to and fro. The occasional firework would light up the sky enhancing it's exotic beauty. Music of all sorts was pretty dominant at night and the occasional spec could be seen moving left to right in time with the beat. It was usually always pretty lively. That is until now anyway.

At 2:00 a.m. most people would be sleeping like the dead. Unfortunately, most people quite literally were.

The sky, from the academy, had an ethereal orange glow which illuminated everything with an almost haunting glow.

One specific face showed abject horror and confusion as the out of place light flicked with a ghostly light, which illuminated her gentle face. Though she shouldn't have been able to, she could see the city quite clearly, though she really wished she couldn't. The city was ablaze in a horrendous display. Not a single building was untouched by the ravenous inferno roaring through the streets. The screams of people slowly dying an agonizing death slowly reached her ears. With each scream an involuntary wince would tear through her body.

'W-what is this?' Another scream rent the air. 'Stop... P-please stop this...' "Somebody please stop this!" She exclaimed as her dazzling brown eyes looked to the heavens for some kind of divine intervention. When none was forthcoming she turned her brown eyes back towards the burning city helplessly. She didn't know what, but she had to do something to stop this atrocity.

She took a step towards the city, then another, until she was sprinting towards the raging inferno. She didn't know what she was going to do, but something had to be done! She made it as far as the base of the World Tree until a voice came unbidden to her mind forcing her to grind to a stop.

'Konoka. Wait for me. I promise I'll take care of this,' A face that she had never seen before this appeared in her mind, smiling softly and mouthed in time with the voice in her head. 'so please wait for me! I promise I'll come back to you just please.. stay safe for me!' As the voice faded, so too did the face.

'Who was that? Why do I feel like I should know him? I-I feel like I should listen to him... but,' Another glance at the razing city, 'how can I just stand here and watch this?'

A violent wind ripped through the area nearly blowing her off her feet. It was so unexpected that she literally stumbled back quite a few steps in surprise. The grass lay flat against the ground as the force of the wind bullied everything into submission. The smell of ash quickly permeated the air making her want to gag. It was a pungent waxy smell that made her eyes water and made her want to choke.

A large cathedral on the far end of the burning city had a massive tower at the top. Her eyes instantly locked onto it when a loud crack resounded making the flames around flicker a bit before returning with even more life than before. Anther loud snap resounded through the air, rattling her teeth with how loud it was, and a massive crack split the tower in half. Glass fell to the street below as the structure was held together by a few metal beams that were straining under the weight. The tips of a blaze from within' the building were licking the edges of the already strained beams.

'No... Please Kami no..' That particular cathedral held a great deal of sentimental value to Konoka as it was the last place she saw her family before they left her in the care of her grandfather. It had been years since she had seen them and she'd always remember that place, even if the reasoning was a bit selfish and unwarranted. 'Don't let it-' Crack! '...fall...'

The blaze easily burned through the metal keeping the building from collapsing, which in turn caused the whole thing to cave in on itself. Rubble was kicked up everywhere and the added air from the destroyed building made the inferno burn all the hotter and brighter.

More tears formed in the young girls eyes. 'N-Naruto... Please do something... Please stop this! I can't stand it anymo-'

"You truly are pathetic aren't you." A deep guttural voice reverberated from nowhere and everywhere all at once. It caused Konoka's eyes to widen and her breath to hitch from the intensity of it. "And you call yourself a shinobi?"

'Shinobi?'

"No 'real' shinobi would ever put themselves in front of another when it could cost them their own lives!" A deep laugh soon followed after which caused Konoka's ears to ache from how loud it was. She tried plugging both ears with her fingers but it did absolutely nothing to help. "Some jinchūriki you are!"

'Another word I've never heard before... What's a... jinch-...' Even though she was thinking of it, she couldn't pronounce it.

"You know damn well that you're a sacrifice boy! You were nothing to those people, and guess what?" She could practically feel the sneer radiating from where she was, "You mean nothing to these people as well. Do you really think they would or ever will care about you once they find out what you are? Demon!"

'...'

A new voice, one that was very familiar, filled her ears. The face of a certain blonde haired, whiskered young man came to mind. "A demon I may be," a light chuckle from the man, "but I won't let you continue with this! Taunt, hell even spit on me all you want, but I won't let you hurt them anymore! I know what I am-"

The wind kicked up once again concealing the rest of what he had to say.

Konoka put a hand against the World Tree to steady herself when an image flashed through her mind clearer than anything that she had ever seen so far in her life.

A young blonde haired man stood in front of her, clothed in a strange green vest with many pockets, black sweats with white medical taped to his right leg, and oddly enough, sandals to top it all off. It was a weird outfit, but she instantly, though didn't know how, knew who it was. 'Naruto.' He was very tall compared to her. Her eyes were level with his chest making her have to look up to properly see him. His brilliant blue eyes, not unlike the sky itself, gazed at her with an emotion she couldn't quite comprehend. A gentle smile on his lips, he held his hand out to her.

She wasn't quite sure what to do but she hesitantly reached out for his own hand. Chuckling a bit, he gently shook his head and instead pulled her towards him. She let out a squeak causing him to chuckle a bit louder. He was holding her to him in a gentle embrace. Konoka had never been hugged by a boy, or for that manner a young man, before so she didn't quite know how to respond. Her blush intensified to extreme degrees when she felt him leaning over her. 'Is he going to-'

"Konoka-chan."

"Eep!" She jumped a bit at the sound of his voice in her ear. "W-What?" Her arms were covering her chest to prevent her heart from beating out of her chest, but that didn't deter Naruto in the least.

"I don't know when I'll be back," His arms involuntarily twitched, which she felt, "but I promise I won't let it hurt you or them." She felt his strong heartbeat against her cheek and could feel his strong breaths between pauses in his speech. She felt safe... "I promise that I'll never forget what you did for me... what you and the others did for me... Thank you..." Due to his close proximity to her, she missed the single tear drop slide down his face and splash against the solid white background they were in.

"W-wait Wha-" He was gone. There wasn't a warning, just a rush of air, and her stumbling from the lack of his embrace. 'W-what?'

She abruptly snapped back to 'reality' and found herself leaning against the tree heavily while taking deep steadying breaths. Before she could truly ponder on what she had seen, a body came ricocheting across the ground right by her, leaving cracks in the ground with each impact. She watched, dumbfounded, as the body smashed heavily against a smaller tree. The tree never stood a chance and splintered under the force of its impact.

Konoka watched in a daze as the smoke from the body's impact slowly began to fade. The first thing she noticed was the large tree, which was no longer connected to the splintered bottom half that it was missing, which was lying on its side not too far from the other half. The next thing she noticed was a large pool of blood farther behind the destroyed tree. This frightened the unholy hell out of her, but one last thing stopped her from turning away from the gruesome sight. A blonde haired, whisker faced, young man lay in that pool of blood. "N-Naruto!" Against her own better judgement, hell even against her own actual thought process period, she sprinted towards his downed body.

He lay in a crumpled, bloody, heap with a copious amount of blood under him. A small groan of pain came from him indicating that he was still alive. 'Thank Kami...' He was laying face down with both arms tucked in as if to shield his chest from what he had endured. He was shirtless, which caused her to blush at seeing a guy half naked, but that was quickly quashed when she saw the many bleeding cuts and scratches he sported. She also noticed quite a few old scars but paid them little mind. 'What happened to him? What could have possibly done this to him?' Her fingers clinched tightly throughout her observation of his health. His black slacks, which she still couldn't identify the brand of, were in tatters and barely being held together by mere stitches. Blood clotted heavily around the ripped areas giving her a fairly good idea of what was underneath. He wore no shoes, yet his feet seemed to be perfectly fine.

Another groan brought her out of her observations.

He laboriously rolled himself over onto his back and slowly propped himself up against the broken tree. When he opened his eyes Konoka was stricken immediately by them. She had seen them earlier but it was more of a passing glance as she had an innumerable amount of thoughts rushing through her head. Now he had her full undivided attention. His azure eyes were an amazing shade of blue; a shade that she had never before seen from any other persons eyes. It was like gazing into the depths of a vast ocean with no end or bottom. It felt like he was looking through instead of at her. Those eyes held all the power in the world in them to her. Her entire essence was lay bare for him to see; she felt naked, and it took everything for her to stop from covering herself. As it was she already had a major blush staining her cheeks. These eyes were both beautiful and fierce, yet they held a gentleness to them that brought a feeling like no other to the pit of her stomach. So enrapt was her attention to his eyes that she failed to notice him waving a hand in front of her face.

"-noka?"

She blinked.

"Are you with me now?" He replied mirthfully as he chuckled lightly.

She blinked once more then replied smartly, "What?"

This time he blinked then started laughing. "Silly girl," His laughter died to a light chuckle as she puffed out her cheeks cutely, "You always know how to make me laugh."

"I do?" 'Since when, and how does he know me?' She pondered silently. So far as she knew she had only seen him twice; once being her strange vision of him by the tree, and the second being now. 'Why does he know me?'

"Of course you do!" He grinned, causing her to blush again.

She took note of the blood surrounding him and the still bleeding wounds on his chest. "A-are you going to be okay? What did that to you?" She asked quietly. She was stunned due to the amount of blood he had lost and was still losing. 'If I don't do something to help him he might..." She didn't want to think about it.

His expression softened as though he could sense what she was thinking. "Don't worry too much about it Konoka-chan-" She blushed at the nickname, "Everything will be fine. I promised that I'd protect you and the others no matter what and I never go back on my word! You saved me once Konoka and I can never forget that. I owe you more than I could possibly describe for what you saved me from..." He muttered softly near the end. He wrapped his arms around his chest tightly as he hissed from the pain.

"Are you going to be okay Naruto-san?"

He gave her an odd look. "None of that Naruto-san stuff with me Konoka-chan you know I don't like any of that formality crap with my precious people!"

'I'm precious to him?' That threw her for a loop. Her brilliant brown eyes had widened slightly as she gazed at him in a stupor. She quickly shook herself out of it and replied, "A-Alright Naruto-" A raised eyebrow from Naruto, "Who did this to you? What happened that caused you to come skipping like a rock across the ground? How are you still alive? What's going on in the city? Why is it burning? How're you going to stop it? What are yo-" She fired off each question in rapid succession until he stopped her.

"Konoka!" He interrupted her while chuckling, "Take it easy so I can answer you! The -" His voice blurred out from whatever he was saying making her wonder what had happened, "Is much stronger than I had originally expected it'd be. As for what he did to send me over here is-" He was looking beyond her when he suddenly cut off and immediately jumped to his feet before stumbling. He immediately caught himself and shouted, "Konoka! Look out!" Even as he was telling her to move, he was pushing himself towards her.

'Why?'

He was upon her within' moments and tackled her to the ground, holding her in a tight embrace and taking the jarring impact for himself, trying to lesson any discomfort she may have had from it. She felt every rippling muscle of his body as he tensed up tighter than an alligator preparing to take a bite out of a bird lingering in the water for too long. It was slightly uncomfortable to be jostled around like she was but for the most part she was fine. "Dammit!" She heard him curse as they finally rolled to a halt. No sooner had the words left his mouth an earsplitting roar thundered from behind them and an explosion of rubble hammered against Naruto's back as he lay over Konoka, shielding her with his own body.

Her eyes snapped open.

Fear is a basic human emotion; it can turn even the bravest person into a sniveling mess, in correct doses. Fear derives from a humans baser instincts. A persons' first instinct is to turn tail and get the hell out of dodge, or to fight their way out so they can get the hell out, when something scares them. It goes double for something they can't comprehend. For example, the supernatural.

She slowly tilted her head up; long brown tresses billowing from the whiplash of wind only to settle above her head in a strange halo.

The mind can conceive nearly everything imaginable, supernatural, or otherwise, when they're afraid. The human psyche is a fragile thing. It's dictated by the simplest of whims. Their minds, during a state of shock, will completely shut down rendering them incapable of rational thought.

She paid no heed to the blood, which wasn't hers, that seeped into her clothes leaving a permanent crimson stain in its fabric. She didn't breath; she couldn't.

Fear often alters what a person will feel with all five of their senses. That which is unknown will often times cause a person to have enhanced senses due to the heightened adrenaline rush and the sense of imminent harm.

Konoka could feel the hairs on her neck stand on end as trepidation filled her very being. Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest with each rapid beat it took. It was almost painful to breath due to the rapid 'ba-dump, ba-dump' of her racing heart. Her chest felt like it was constricted; a python squeezing the life out of her while taking the air from her very lung. Each individual blade of grass tickled the exposed skin that was showing, namely her arms, and the upper part of her neck. It was oddly prickly as well giving it a tingly sensation in places that weren't ticklish. A more pronounced rumble could be felt throughout her entire body that most definitely wasn't her heartbeat. At first she could smell the ash with more than a small tinge of smoke in the air which made it difficult to breath. With each inhale and exhale, that she finally managed to get out, it felt like someone was taking sandpaper and grinding it against her already sensitive throat. It was scratchy and it was painful. Then an awful, gut wrenching, smell invaded her senses. The air around her was warm; much warmer than it originally was, and it left her eyes watering. The air seemed to vacuum outwards for a few seconds and then come rushing back with a vengeance. The smell was so putrid the second time around that she had to suppress the bile that threatened to expel itself from her mouth. It was beyond anything she could ever remember being unfortunate enough to smell; like when her grandfather forgot to flush, for one. The stench was bad enough to make her eyes water worse than they originally were, and it had the added effect of making her mouth dry up, thankfully, to prevent anything unsavory from coming out of it. A tangy coppery taste lingered on her tongue; her bottom lip hurt. A thunderous vibration shook the ground; causing her teeth to rattle and loose rubble to fly up a few inches into the air before landing in a jumbled heap not far from where it originated. Another roar rent the air causing more than just a little discomfort to her ears; birds, unseen, clearing the area instantly. A red haze blanketed her vision giving everything a surreal, an unearthly, feel to it. As she continued to slowly tilt her head backwards, away from Naruto's own frantic blue orbs, an uncontrollable tremor wracked through her body.

The raw emotion coursing through her veins had reached far beyond simple fear or terror. It was a nightmarish hell which wrapped her in its cold harsh embrace. It was like an inescapable phantom, unseen but always there. The cold grips of the unknown clawing at her heart in a way, not unlike a vice, constricting everything about her. The man, who's arms she still occupied, tried desperately to prevent her from viewing what was behind them, but he was failing miserably. His attempts at calming her fell on deaf ears; her head finally reached it's climax.

What she saw would change her life forever.

A red haze clouded her vision giving everything a bloody hue; a crimson sea of color giving the world an even more surreal feel to it. Her brown eyes finally halted on a positively massive... thing. Her brain abruptly rebooted. A terrible scream erupted from her mouth. What she saw was horrible, it was horrendous, and it was fear incarnate.

It was-

She awoke abrupty, quickly sitting up while suppressing a groan, and rubbed her eyes thoroughly and furiously. Her breathing was harsh and erratic; it bordered on hyperventilation. Her eyes were wide in terror and her hands were clutched tightly to her chest in a self-comforting manner. Her brain was was still in a semi-boot-up state; comprehension of reality still hadn't set in for the poor girl. A change of scenery meant absolutely nothing to her as her brain-rattled mind was still trying to digest what she had seen.

The two other occupants of the room hadn't stirred a bit.

After a few moments she was lucid enough to understand where she was, and more importantly where she wasn't. There was no sigh of relief, nor were there any other signs of solace from being out of that hellish-nightmare. Instead her thoughts turned inward and she began to reflect.

Konoka was no stranger to bad dreams. If she were lucky she would have a few a week. If she were unlucky she'd have one nearly every-night. She didn't think it was normal but she kept it to herself. Not even her second best friend Asuna knew about what ailed her almost nightly. It's not that she didn't want help with it, or some form of comfort, she just didn't know how to broach the topic with anyone she knew.

It wasn't general knowledge amongst her peers but she was a very insecure and shy person. She hid it rather well behind a mask of bravado and childish innocence that nearly anybody would be hard pressed to see through. Since she was young she was picked on for being different. She grew up with very few friends when she still lived with her parents and went to a different school. When she moved to Mahora to be around her Grandpa she basically changed herself overnight and only ever showed her true self when she was alone or on her occasional late night excursions to the World Tree. For reasons she still doesn't understand, she felt a calm peace, or serenity, when she was in the gargantuan trees presence. It was almost like it had an aura of understanding and acceptance about it, which always gave her the comfort she needed.

Her first true coherent thought was to be sure she was truly awake. She gently, but firmly, pinched her inner arm hard enough to leave a slight pain in the now reddened area. She glanced around the room to see if her terror afflicted sleep had woken the other two people in the room. She saw that Negi was still very much asleep; a snot bubble rising and falling in tune with his breathing. It almost brought a smile to her face. It was rather obvious that Asuna was asleep due to the obnoxiously loud snoring. At this she couldn't stop a small smile from gracing her face.

She was awake, and she was still feeling the after effects of her dream. This 'Naruto" person was trying to protect her. Why?

Why did he seem to know her? With all things considered, anything is possible in a dream but... something about this... 'dream'... just didn't feel right. It was unlike any other dream she had ever had.

In dreams, so far as she knew, you didn't actually feel anything that happened. A dream is simply a figment of the imagination... right?

She felt everything. His firm grip, the way his breath brushed through her hair with each exhale, and the soft grass that had been clutched tightly in her hands; she felt it all. The smell of the burning burning city was but a phantom in her olfactory receptors, but it still lingered when it shouldn't have.

She felt a tremor wrack her body as she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly to calm herself.

This just wasn't making any sense to her whatsoever... She knew that going back to sleep wasn't option; having that particular... 'dream'... didn't entice her in the least. What she needed was a place to clear her mind and gather her thoughts. The same place that she had first 'seen' Naruto.

The World Tree.

A great hulking sentinel, one that persisted to remain standing through all odds, towered over everyone and everything. This tree, throughout recorded history, had never come close to being toppled. Be it a hurricane, a tornado, or a maelstrom of nature the tree would not bow to the elements. These were key reasons for why Konoka sought the tree out when she needed comfort. It persevered and it never gave an inch despite what was thrown at it. In an odd way she wanted that for herself, to be able to be herself and take whatever comes from it no matter the consequences.

The tree was her rock and her savior. It was everything she wasn't, barring being a human. It was her everything.

She glanced around the room one last time then slowly brought her legs over the edge of the bed. She noticed, with a mild amount of surprise, that her sleep sleepwear was a wrinkled, crumpled, mess. A grimace marred her delicate features. She'd need a bath later to wash off the perspiration and some time to wash her clothes to remove the various odors it may have accumulated over night.

Ignoring that for a moment, she carefully stepped around the clutter on the floor, already guessing who the culprit was, and made her way towards the rooms only accessible exit.

Ever so carefully, she eased open the door and slipped out into the cool hallway. A light breeze wafted throughout the building giving her goosebumps and making her shiver. It was a cool night.

Ignoring it as best she could, she began the short trek from her dorm room to the main exit of the building. It was a fairly uneventful trip, not including the few times she had to hide from patrolling staff. It was nearly second nature for her when it came to sneaking out and avoiding any potential hazards to her main goal.

Opening the door, she quickly slipped outside into the cool night.

It was quite a bit colder than she was expecting it'd be so she had to force down the instinct to quiver to maintain body heat. That form of comfort mattered not to her. She only wanted what the prodigious tree could give her; a peaceful state of mind.

Her mind was but a blank slate as she traversed the lightly forested area that separated her from her goal. Any and all thoughts were put on the back burner in favor of focusing on her destination. She could see it a ways ahead of her and she wanted to get there as quickly as her average sized legs could get her there.

Trees were nothing but inconsequential obstructions, or obstacles, since she paid them no heed and passed each by with nary a single glance.

After approximately ten minutes of power walking, she arrived at her destination; The base of the World Tree.

She instantly felt her warring thoughts, that were threatening to emerge from the depths of her subconscious, dissipate.

It was always like this. Whatever it was that had bothered her ended up seeming insignificant compared to the splendors that could only be experienced at night and at the base of the World Tree.

She sat in her usual spot, leaning her back against the trees base in a familiar manner, and closed her eyes. She listened carefully, and intently for the subtle sounds that she knew would start up soon.

At first there was dead silence. A pen could have dropped miles away from where she sat and it would have sounded like a gunshot. Then a faint chirping sound resounded through her ears, bringing a small smile to her face. The sounds of crickets 'chirping' came soon after. The entire clearing was a symphony of noises as various critters scampered to and fro; doing whatever little animals do. Owls hooted, little songbirds took after their namesakes, and various rodents scampered through the grass.

Opening her eyes, she was rewarded with a breath taking sight.

The clearing seemed to sparkle with vitality as various forms of life made themselves known. Male rabbits chased their counterparts, hummingbirds flitted from flower to flower, and butterfly's of assorted colors gave life to the once bland clearing. It was beautiful and it was amazing.

Closing her eyes once more, she leaned completely back against the tree and got comfortable, or as comfortable as a mountain sized tree could possibly be. She let the ruckus die down to a dull roar within' her mind until she could finally focus on her next objective, comprehension of what she experienced that night. It was the perfect place for her to gather her thoughts and come to terms with whatever had caused her usual excursions.

She took several calming breaths to ease her nerves. Then her soft alto voice echoed through the wide expanse of land that surrounded her and the tree.

"K-Kami-sama," She paused as a particularly rowdy squirrel jumped over her leg. Smiling, then, "It's me, Konoka! I don't know if you know this yet... but," Her right palm lightly thudded off of her forehead. "What am I saying? Of course you know! You're Kami-sama!" She chuckled sheepishly, eyes still closed, as she prayed.

"I-I had another scary dream Kami-sama... and this one was the worst one I've ever had! It felt so... real..." By this point all signs of life had vanished, leaving the distraught girl by herself as she prayed. "That couldn't have been a normal dream... could it? Have I- have I done something to upset you Kami-sama?"

Konoka opened her eyes and gazed sky-ward. She didn't understand why it was always her. She had the bad dreams. She had to hide behind a mask. She was always alone. For once she just wanted to be comforted...

She never noticed the faint white aura exuding from her body, and in turn being absorbed by the tree.

Though someone else did...

Konoe Konoemon was an elderly man who had both seen and done much in his lifetime.

He wore a plain grey Yukata Kimono with a white sash that held it closed. He only wore this at night. The man had some eyebrows that could turn Might Guy of Konoha green with envy! His hair was pure white, or the hair he had anyway, and was done up in a long flowing ponytail, belying his age. His wizened face held more wrinkled than a year old raisin left out in the sun from sprint till fall. Faded brown eyes lurked beneath his eyebrows.

He was old; incredibly so for that matter, which would bring people to wonder just why he was still awake and what he was still doing in his office at Kami-knows what time in the morning.

A sigh escaped his age old lips. He was sitting behind his desk while staring off into space. His thoughts were a whirlwind of activity the likes of which his body would never be able to keep up with.

A few minutes ago he had felt a medium sized pulse of magic from somewhere on campus. That alone wasn't what had his attention so enrapt. It was who it came from.

Several years ago Konoka's father Konoemon Eishun had contacted Konoemon with earnest urgency.

Flashback

Konoe Konoemon was a busy person. Being the headmaster of such a prestigious school like Mahora Academy would do that to any man.

To a more secret degree, his dabbling in magical affairs took up the majority of his time.

Konoemon was rather famous within' the magical world, so all sorts of magical contracts were sent to him daily. It was a major hassle for the poor old man but it served to help him keep his school safe from both normal and magical threats. Debts were a powerful asset for one such as he.

He was sitting at his desk going over one-such contract when his phone rang. Frowning slightly, he picked it up and inquired on who it was.

The person that greeted him surprised him greatly.

"Konoemon is that you?"

A few moments of blankly staring at a wall, then, "Eishun?"

"Yeah it's me old man. Listen I have a huge favor to ask of you."

'Of course...' Konoemon thought dryly. Standing and walking to a random window, he sighed softly. 'The only time the brat ever calls me is if he needs something. For that matter, how did he get this number?' After wiping nonexistent perspiration from his brow, he replied carefully, "Now what might that be?"

Eishun's response was slow coming; something that was quite unlike the man, Ever since the Great Magical War ended, Eishun had undergone a major personality change. He became brash, outspoken. There was never any hesitation about speaking his mind. Konoemon didn't know what brought about the change, but it was certainly welcomed. The hesitation he was showing now was way out of character; frankly it made Konoemon nervous.

He soon became aware of his right foot tapping against the linoleum floor in an irregular pattern. Forcing his foot to stop, he asked again. "Eishun... What's going on?"

A sigh from the other end of the line, "It's... Konoka."

Those two words, and the way they were said, set the man on edge. He instantly tensed up, brows furrowed, and barely kept his mouth closed. It was no big secret that the man loved his Granddaughter unconditionally. She was his moonlight on an otherwise unseeable night. Anything that revolved around her, he wanted to know about. An angel in a world full of demons... She truly was something special.

Biting his tongue once more, he waited, quite impatiently, for the man to continue.

He didn't disappoint.

"It's..." There was that incessant hesitation again. "She's shown magical potential."

The older man was floored. Eishun was getting him all hyped up over nothing? 'The nerve!' He groused in his head, before another realization struck him.

His granddaughter had the potential to use magic. That was wonderful news! A wide grin stretched across his face a mile wide. That is until Eishun decided to bring him back down to earth.

"We've gauged how much magical energy she has dad,"

'Dad?!' Now that's something he hadn't heard in awhile. Granted, he was Eishun's father in law, it just wasn't everyday that the man ever called him 'Dad' or 'Father'.

"-And just at the age of six, the readings we got from her were off the charts!"

'A-lot of energy from one so young is a great thing, isn't it? What's he so upset about?'

"Off the charts as in just as much, if not more than Nagi!"

'More than Nagi?!' Scratch that, that was bad; not just bad, horrible! 'That much power within' one as young as she is could easily be manipulated!' A sinking feeling filled the pit of his gut.

There were only a few reasons that Eishun would be panicking.

"Someone else happened to have figured this out as well... Dad... She was almost kidnapped!"

"WHAT?!" Konoemon roared; all semblance of composure was lost and his rage came forth in earnest. His jaw clenching, teeth grinding together, arms glued to his side, hands curled so tight that all color was leeched completely from them, and his eyes focused into two, hard and focused, angry slits. He growled into the phone with urgency, "Is she okay? Where is she? Did they hurt her? How's she holding up? Dammit Eishun tell me how my Granddaughter's doing!" He all but shouted into the phone, trying to ascertain how his granddaughter was doing.

"Dad calm down! She's okay! Konoka's perfectly fine, I assure you! But," Nothing good ever came after 'but'. "-but- I had to erase her memory of the incident-"

Konoemon was beyond livid. Tampering with one's memories was a dangerous affair. His mind drifted to an orange haired individual, "You fool." He whispered through clenched teeth. That branch of magic was both imprecise and highly unstable. He had already witnessed said arcane art nearly turning out incredibly disastrous consequences before. It wasn't very often that Konoemon got angry, but when he did... you'd know about it. "I hope you realize what you've done and what this may entail for that poor girl."

With a solemn voice, "I know dad... but I feel this is for the best, which brings me to the favor I need of you."

The old man had honestly forgotten that Eishun had originally asked for a favor. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he replied, "I'm listening." The older man's agitation wasn't lost on Eishun, yet he probably chose to ignore it.

"I need you to watch over Konoka for-"

"Now hold on ju-" Konoemon interrupted only to be interrupted himself.

"Wait." Through clenched teeth, the old man did as he was asked. "I need you to watch over her for me. You know how much she loves you, and besides... 'He' contacted me recently... He said it was dire and that I needed to go with him. Like... real soon." Konoemon's brow raised in surprise. It wasn't often that 'He" contacted anyone. It must've been something big.

He had nothing against taking care of Konoka, but why bring this up after they possibly ruined her childhood with 'that' arcane art? Sighing, he made his decision. He was getting far too old for this. "Fine. When are you bringing her over?"

"Right now." Konoemon could practically feel the grin, which caused him to scowl. "Oh and don't tell her about... her gifts. If she were to learn about it then her magic would fluctuate uncontrollably, alerting every magically aware being within' a hundred mile radius. We don't need that. Not until she can defend herself."

'He's doing this to protect his daughter, but...' His eyes gained a far away look as he gazed upon the World Tree. "I don't like it Eishun. I really don't."

"Tha-"

"But," Konoemon interrupted, "I won't withhold the truth from her if she uncovers what your trying to hide from her on her own."

"But-"

"No buts." Konoemon interrupted firmly. "She needs to know if she figures it out by herself. I will teach her how to defend herself, and if I can't then I'll find someone more suitable for the task."

Eishun took his time before answering, Konoemon let him. Then, "Fine."

End flashback

That had been years ago and the old dean had carried out his promise to both protect the young girl, and to refrain from mentioning the ever growing power brimming below the surface of her being. He had even kept a close eye on her for a few years to ensure that there weren't any drawbacks to the memory spell that was cast upon her. So far as he could tell, there was nothing out of the ordinary, but that wouldn't stop him from worrying about her.

The energy exuding from her had been constant for a full minute by now and it greatly worried him. The few times he had felt any magical energy coming from her had been brief and instantaneous. It always occured late at night... much like tonight. It had never been for this long, nor had it ever been that notable up until this point either.

Something had to be going on; she might need him.

Pressing a dial on his office phone, he waited for the line to pick up.

What was one supposed to think when they felt that a divine entity was, in some way, agitated with them? These dreams had been going on for the past several years and it was slowly whittling away at the walls that kept her sanity in tact. It was maddening and it was disheartening. It left her feeling exposed before the world.

She had asked herself many times before if she had ever done anything to deserve what she was enduring each night, but she could never recall having done anything so wrong as to warrant making her life so miserable for so long. It just wasn't fair to single her out from billions of other people to pick on her and to make her life as difficult as humanly possible, which brought her to that same question again.

"Why?"

A brief spark of agitation flared itself in the form of her fists tightening only to be ruthlessly quashed back down. Quickly calming herself, she opened her eyes. Upon her eyes opening, she glanced skyward. Her gaze focused far beyond the huge branches of the World Tree, even beyond the bright twinkling stars in the sky, and zoned in on something unknown and unable to be seen to all but her. Bright brown eyes twinkled just as brilliantly as any star in the night sky. The dim white glow originating from her chest had increased in intensity, still unnoticed, and was being vacuumed greedily by the mammoth she was leaning against.

Seeing, but not seeing, she began praying again in earnest.

"What have I done? If I've done something so wrong, why can't I remember doing it?" The distraught girl was doing her utmost to keep the agitation out of her voice, but was failing rather miserably. "Why me..?" A pause, almost as if to wait for a response. When none were forth coming, she began once more. "Why can't I just be left alone..?" She whispered.

The energy had grown to encompass most of her body by now and was emitting a soft hum. It was a wonder how she still hadn't noticed anything amiss.

A cool, almost surreal, feeling flooded her body, her veins, her being, and caused her to shiver. It was pleasant yet out of place.

She shoved it to the back of her mind.

Tears leaked from her eyes and landed silently on the grassy surface. Soft sobbing escaped from her gentle, quivering, lips. Her shoulders shook with each small 'hic' that escaped her mouth. (1) She was on the verge of a full breakdown.

Her voice shook and came out a bit higher than before. Her thoughts turned back to the man she had 'seen' in her dream.

"I will protect you Konoka. Now, and forever."

There was that voice and face again. Those haunting eyes that gave her the chills in a pleasant sort of way. The firm jawline, with his gentle smile, gave him an enticingly masculine look. The strange little whisker marks on his face, a brief smile from her, made him all the more exotic.

"I will protect you..."

"Protect me..."

With those two words the ethereal energy around Konoka exploded outwards in an impressive display of brilliance. It was both beautiful and frightening. The landscape was bathed in the hauntingly white light that extended far beyond her own body. The shadows that danced in the darkness before were wiped away as though they were never there in the first place. The place was laid bare of darkness of any form. A teeth rattling rumble reverberated throughout the area, as well as her body, yet she noticed none of this...

The tree she was leaning against had a rippling distortion, about six by six feet, contorting the area she was previously leaning against. The ripples originated from the middle of the distortion and traveled outwards in a circular ring of bark. Bark wasn't flexible... yet the normal laws of the world seemed to hold no jurisdiction here.

At first the ripples were calm and traveled slowly. Almost as though a small pebble, no bigger than a penny, were dropped into a small pond. The intensity constantly rose until it was violently rippling up and down, or was that right and left, in a hypnotic array.

Konoka saw all of this but grasped none of it. None of it made any sense to her at all. The only thing she could do was sit and gawk.

Then the most bizarre anomaly occurred. The whitish energy around Konoka was once more being forced into the tree, this time coalescing in the center of the disturbance. The whitish substance seemed to be trying to pull something out...

A hole appeared right in the middle of the substance. It was gradually getting bigger and bigger, revealing more and more darkness within'. It was like a gaping maw opening up to devour any and everything before it.

Was it just her or did it look as though something were moving in there?

By this point she was able to comprehend a bit a bit of what she was seeing, but nowhere near enough to fully grasp, or come to terms with, the otherworldly phenomenon occurring before her eyes.

A few moments later, her brain completely kick-started and that's when things truly got freaky. It was at that very moment that a withered, ashen-grey, hand weakly clutched the bottom-most part of the tree that wasn't affected by the magical energy.

Ba-dum

Ever so slowly, an arm, so thin that every bone within' it's frail appendage stood out with startling clarity, inched itself out and downwards towards the canopy. It was shaking even worse the farther it came forward. It was like a great weight was trying to force it back towards the ground. It appeared to be a losing battle.

Ba-dum

A clinking noise made her take note of a rust colored chain wrapped around the wrist of the arm protruding from the darkness. The chain itself lead from his arm back into said darkness.

Ba-dum

A second arm emerged, in much the same predicament as the first, and brought about the sound of clinking once more. The arms strained heavily as a small lock of whitish-blonde hair signifying a head emerging.

Ba-dum

More and more of these strange colored locks were slowly emerging, lacking any luster that it used to have, which gave this person an elderly appearance from just their hair color alone. Long strands began billowing out over the edge as the top of this persons head began to poke out.

Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba-dum

The persons struggling seemed to instantly halt; so too did Konoka's breathing. The person's head slowly ascended, as though sensing someone nearby, and stopped when their faces were level. Long whitish-gold bangs blocked her view of this persons face. Suddenly, they shifted. Brown eyes met unseeing blue orbs. Whisker like marks stood out plainly.

...

Her heart skipped a beat. Then another... and another... and another... then...

"Naruto..."

Here was the very same person from her dream. She'd recognize those blue, albight faded in color,orbs from anywhere! They were so unlike anybody else's that it was simply impossible to forget something so unique! The six whisker's, which she still couldn't tell if they were real or not, on both cheeks probably weren't helping matters much. The main problem was he was real. So if he was real... was her dream real too? His face was sheet white and every bone stood out in stark contrast in the black background.

He seemed to be mouthing something but she couldn't make heads or tails of it. He shuddered for a moment, then fell forward, weakly, against the edge of the gaping abyss. He made no sound; he merely slumped forward limply and bonelessly.

He was still for a few moments, then he began inching forward again; a horrible scratchy noise accompanying his movement. It sounded like something metal was grinding against an object that refused to yield, or give way. It produced a haunting sort of melody in the otherwise silent night. It was enough to give her the chills if anything else wasn't yet.

His neck had a collar inscribed with strange symbols on it. The symbols seemed to pulse a reddish color every few moments and his right arm would twitch violently each time it pulsed. It was almost as though it were causing him pain... Konoka never noticed that with each spasm of his, her own head would jerk as though sharing his pain.

When the area just below his collarbone became visible, he abruptly lurched forward. The rattling of chains accompanied the motion, but that wasn't what the petrified girl noticed. It was brief, but a bright glimmer illuminated the darkness for an instant. It was dazzling against the black abyss surrounding it. But, just as quickly as it was there it was gone.

Righting himself in a way that was far from normal, head pushed downwards, his upper body swaying in a left to right motion, and lifting his own body in a way not unlike a puppet having it's strings pulled, his chest was exposed. Or, more accurately, something that definitely shouldn't have been there became exposed.

Her heart stopped.

(1) Sadly I can't remember why I put it there. If you have a question about something in that area, ask.

Guys I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry. For the past few months I've been working, gotta put food on the table you know, and I haven't had enough time for much of anything. Anyway this second chapter hasn't been gone over since the last time I was on and I decided to put this out there now instead of waiting later and losing a chance to do it at all.

Please take note : I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON THIS STORY! Just give me some time to get up on my feet with this job and the rest of the stuff going on in my life right now and I'll be updating regularly. Expect slow updates for now.

Expect some major AU later on in the story.

Constructive criticism is welcome. I won't get better unless I know what I'm doing wrong. Knowing what I'm doing write doesn't hurt either, hint hint.

[Very important] If there are some serious errors, please pm me and put them out and the next time I get a chance to get on I'll go back over it and edit what needs to be changed. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed the story.

[Published on 4:13 a.m. Monday, November 25, 2013]