Hey folks, here I am, ready to bestow onto you chapter 14 of this story. I would have gotten it out sooner, but I have an excu-… umm, reason why it wasn't posted until now. You see, I was out camping in the great wilderness of northern Maine, land of blueberries, lobster, and potatoes, along with apparently pottery and Russian maids. Okay, that's a lie. I was stuck in a hotel with my family, confined to a futon in the main living area before I resorted to sleeping in the backseat of the car for four days. But enough about me, onto more important things.
First off, thanks to everyone who participated last chapter. Among you are Skittlekick, Lykaos, Nasha Rei-kun, and reven228. Unfortunately, I discovered that not many of you really got it. It was about Konjyoyaki singing, not Naruto, and I really didn't feel like using Japanese songs. I probably should have stated that earlier. In the end, I decided to just pick songs that involved foreshadowing, so they may not make sense now. Regardless, thank you for the ideas, and I'll try to lay everything out better in the future.
Also, I got an anonymous review from someone calling themselves RandomName35, asking a great question. That was, if Naruto's like Hidan, why doesn't he seem to use the ritual every chance he can. I am happy to say that your questions will be answered in chapter 16, so hang tight if you're still with me. And before I forget, thanks go out to Lykaos for being my ever-so-faithful beta.
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Disclaimer: I own none of the copyrighted properties found in this fanfiction, particularly in this chapter. What that entails will not be further addressed in detail during chapter so as to not give away any information found within its confines.
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Chapter 14: Sweet SymphonyHokuto sat in his hospital bed, just staring at the ceiling, playing back his last conscious hours in his head over and over, trying to figure out why he did what he did. He had given up on his dreams, his aspirations, what he really wanted, while those who opposed him were virtually helpless to stop his scheme.
But why? Why would he forsake everything he worked years for? He knew it was because of Tsukune, him and his stupid speech, his determination, his genuine care for his friends' well being, but what made him listen to the guy? In the end he was just human, nothing without his friends to protect him. And yet, he had chosen to listen to what he said. Why?
Deep down, he knew why. It was a mixture of things, actually. He was jealous. He envied that the boy had gained what Hokuto himself had always wanted. Tsukune had the acknowledgement, the respect, the love of his friends, despite being human, despite being in the exact same situation Hokuto was. That was part of why Hokuto listened. He hoped that maybe, he would gain a true friend from that.
Glancing over to his right, Hokuto saw Kiria sitting by his bed, reading his book. Kiria had given him power to stand up for himself, to fight for what he thought he wanted. Kiria was his one true friend. That was why he had gone through with his plan, to keep his friend interested. To make sure the boy wouldn't abandon him like everyone else. Of course, he knew that had little chance of happening now. Kiria had been by his side ever since he had woken up. Hokuto let a small, genuine smile come to his face.
However, it was more than petty envy. The whole plan to destroy Youkai Academy wasn't his idea to begin with. It was that man in the cloak. He had approached Hokuto a few years ago, when he was only a first year student at the school. The man had appeared after a particularly nasty beating, one that he had emerged from on top, the dead bodies of his assailants scattered around him.
He had seemed mild-mannered at first glance, helping to treat his injuries and asking for nothing in return. He had disappeared after that, only to return shortly after he met Kiria. He had told him about a plan, one to over throw the whole world into chaos through the destruction of the barrier surrounding the school, one that could help grant him revenge, one that supposedly couldn't work without him.
Truthfully, Hokuto didn't want revenge back then. As childish as it was, he only wanted to be accepted, like he felt Kiria had accepted him and helped him grow stronger. But the man had twisted him, his beliefs, made him think Kiria would abandon him if he didn't take action against those who ostracized him. And who soon went along with it, listening to the man's whispers in his ears.
The man had him become a model student, a person above all suspicion of any heinous act, someone who could get away with anything as long as he didn't blatantly overstep any obvious boundaries. And Hokuto soon found himself fully behind the man, helping to come up and implement the plan, adjusting details as new people were factored in and taken out.
He didn't know when, but at some point along the line, he had become slightly paranoid, becoming weary of the man he knew more than nothing about. He began to take everything that was told to him with a grain of salt, even keeping Kiria at an arms length. As sad as it was, there were points in time where he found his friend almost expendable if it weren't for the fact that he was the figurehead of Anti-thesis.
Yet now, all that was behind him. Anti-thesis was pretty much gone, the plan he had helped work years on was foiled by himself, for the fact that he felt that the things Tsukune said were partially right; he didn't need to go through with plunging the world into strife. The mysterious man he still didn't know or completely trust hadn't contacted him for nearly a week and was probably gone. And Kiria was still at his side. Thinking back on everything, it wasn't such a bad way to end things, even if he was confined to a bed and waiting punishment.
His thoughts were broken at the sound of the door to his room opening. He looked towards the noise, noticing even Kiria put his book down, both expecting to see someone there to deal with them. They were surprised to see a tall crippled brunette, and recognized him immediately.
The cloaked man had given him intel on Konjyoyaki, saying that he could pose a threat to the plan, but also saying that it was highly unlikely, given his nature to see things play out. Despite that, they should be cautious around this man, no matter what. Then again, the plan was a flop, and he most likely knew that, so why was he here?
Kiria had told him about his encounter with the man earlier, about how he demanded to know his whereabouts, about where their offices were, about how he only approached him after Akashiya escaped. Yet, the man had never showed up during the battle.
Or had he? He distinctly remembered someone kicking Uzumaki across the room during that time, a shadowed figure. At the time, he wrote it off as the mysterious man making things easier for him, but that wasn't likely now that he thought about it. But why would this man, one who was deemed a threat to everything, help him by taking an opponent out of the fight, especially when reports said that the two got along rather well? It didn't make sense.
Seeming to ignore all the attention directed at him, Konjyoyaki gently closed the door behind him and proceeded deeper into the room and stuffed his hand into his pocket, the suspicious looks following him. He stopped right in front of the window, not even paying attention to the two others in the room, just staring at his reflection in the glass before it became obscured by an exhalation of smoke. Ignored by the presence of the man, Hokuto laid back and looked to the ceiling as he regarded the man.
"Is there something we can help you with? What right do you think you have to just barge in here?" Hokuto glared at the ceiling, imagining Konjyoyaki was there as his look burned a hole through him. He heard the man grunt.
"Shut up kid. Do you know how much stress you've put me through? As far as I'm concerned, you're lucky I didn't allow Naruto into that battle so he could help rip you limb from limb." There was a moment of silence after that as Hokuto looked back over. Konjyoyaki was still staring out the window as if he was oblivious to both him and Kiria. Speaking of the blonde, he had yet to pick his book back up. He found this interaction interesting.
The man's reaction was also strange. How had he put stress on the man if he had never actually met him before? And, if he was as much trouble as the cripple said, why hadn't he allowed Uzumaki to kill him? Something didn't add up. Regardless, the oppressive silence remained, right up until Konjyoyaki turned around and started to approach Hokuto in his bed, his footfalls echoing throughout the room.
He stopped at the foot of the bed and turned to face a confused Hokuto, eyes boring into the others. "As for why I'm here… I'm here to finish what I started." There was no emotion in the man's voice as he spoke, reaching into his coat. Hokuto tensed, however. What was this man going to finish? He wasn't going to kill him; otherwise he would have just let Uzumaki do it, right?
Was he talking about Kiria? Was he going to kill the blonde? Looking to his side, he saw his friend most likely had similar thoughts, a pensive look coming across his face. That was also unlikely. Why would he make his presence know if he could have killed them both before they knew what was going on? Besides, Kiria had given the man information he wanted, he hadn't lied about anything, so that was another strike for that idea. So why was he here? What was he finishing, then?
His questions were soon answered as Konjyoyaki pulled a file from the folds of his coat and tossed it on the bed. It was surprisingly thick and landed with a thump on Hokuto's covered legs. Hesitant, he grabbed the file and just looked at the manila covering. Looking back up with many questions in his head, he saw the man already at the door, his hand on the handle.
"Wait," said Hokuto, causing Konjyoyaki to stop leaving at the moment. Seeing this, he continued. "Why did you help us? Why are you letting us live? And what's with this file?" Hokuto's voice became louder as he continued on, wanting answers. For his part, Konjyoyaki was unfazed.
"The answers to all of your questions and then some are in that file there. I can tell you now that the reasons are personal an das to what else is in that file… there are some DNA tests, notes, journals, general information and general evidence to help you believe what is in that file."
Hokuto was slightly shock at the answers give. Why would there be DNA tests? What did these notes and journals have to do with anything? Why was this guy giving him so much information? Before he could ask, he was cut off.
"Just read the damn files. Also, Kiria, make sure you get Hokuto out of here before it's too late; try for a time during the festival. After that, you can do whatever you want. But please, try to do the right thing you two; the future may depend on it." before either of the two could question him, he was out the door.
Kiria quickly got up and followed him, looking out into the hallway. He came back to his friend soon after, a strange look on his face Hokuto wasn't used to seeing, something he couldn't identify. "He's gone," was all he said.
Hokuto looked to his friend, then to the space Konjyoyaki previously occupied, and finally to the file. Seeing no point in putting it off any longer, he quickly undid the rubber band holding the file closed and began to go through it. The first thing he saw was a note that caused his eyes to widen quite a bit.
Kiria, seeing this, was soon by his friend's side, curious to what had affected him so. What he read was certainly a surprise. It was a simply note entitled, Too my dearest Imotou.
/
"So wait, let me get this straight," spoke Naruto, almost unbelieving of the whole thing. Everyone was currently in the hospital… again. They seemed to be spending most of their time here lately. Everyone was being treated for at least simple scrapes and bruises from their fight with Hokuto.
It was unsurprising really that Zetsu was the least injured of all; he was a trained professional after all, he had experience. More unsurprising than that, Tsukune was the most injured of all, suffering from several deep gashed and fractured ribs. He was doing fine, though, and would be up and running before the festival started.
Naruto himself was defiantly one of the more injured people when he first returned to the group. And was quickly wrapped in a hug from Mizore after the girl saw his injured state, causing both to blush a bit afterwards and the others to smile at the two of them. Thanks to Kyuubi, though, he was quickly healed up and good as new, if a little exhausted.
Soon after, a group of the chairman's helpers rushed in and quickly secured Hokuto while some escorted the others quickly to the hospital to get patched up and receive thanks from the chairman himself for practically saving the world. As to show appreciation, he gladly fixed Moka's seal, so she was now once again in her pink-haired form. All in all, things could have gone much worse, which is why Naruto wanted details on what exactly happened.
The blonde continued, intent on getting some clarity. "Hokuto was apparently a human who came here by mistake, much like Tsukune, and he was bullied day in and day out, where as Tsukune had help from you guys. Hokuto grew tired of this and somehow got monster blood injected into him and could control it better than you. In the end, he wanted to destroy the school to get back at those who wronged him here and in the human world. However, after beginning to lower the barrier, he transformed and you guys beat him and Tsukune gave a little speech, after which you all learned that to restore the barrier you needed to channel your power into the 'key' or whatever. However, you were all too weak from the fight and didn't have enough energy to get the job done. Tsukune, as stubborn as he is, didn't quit and seeing that, combined with his speech from earlier, cause Hokuto to have a change of heart and go against what he spent potentially years planning and help you guys restore the barrier. Then, due to weakness, Hokuto fell unconscious and I showed up soon after. Is that what I'm to assume happened?"
There was a brief silence where everyone in the room shared a look, then started nodding. "Yep."
"You pretty much hit the nail on the head."
"That sums everything up rather nicely."
"You got it."
"That's right."
"Uh-huh."
Naruto just stared before letting out a breath and woefully shaking his head. "That's fucked up." He was met with nods of agreement.
"So what about you?" Naruto looked up to see that it was Mizore who spoke. "We saw you get sent flying away, so what happened?"
Momentarily, the blonde thought about telling the truth, but quickly decided against it. He doubted many of the people there would believe him, and it may just cause problems down the road. That left Naruto to make something up on the spot.
"Well you see," he started off, a bit unsure of himself, "It's like this. I don't actually know what happened." At the questioning looks he received, he decided to elaborate. "Whoever attacked me stuck to the shadows and didn't ever show themselves. They just kept kicking me from random directions and stopped me from helping you guys. Apparently, after you guys defeated Hokuto, the person just stopped, like they only wanted to keep me out of the fight. I don't know, sounds weird, right?" everyone just shook their heads, but nonetheless believing the blonde's story.
"So what happens now?" everyone turned to Tsukune who was once again confined to a hospital bed. They had to admit, it was a good question. There were seemingly many loose ends yet to be tied, such as what to do about Anti-thesis, what would happen to Hokuto, what about the committee survivors? Many questions that the chairman could easily answer.
"Well, one things for sure. You guys all deserve a break. I will inform all of your teachers that you will be taking the next two days off to recover from your duty to this school. As we speak, my agents are rounding up known members of Anti-thesis that took active parts in terrorism of the student body. As for what will happen to Hokuto… well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there." The chairman just smiled, not really doing much to put the children at ease.
"Wait a minute, what about the members of the committee that survived? How are they doing?" Tsukune turned in his bed to directly face the chairman. His heart sank when he saw the man's usual grin slip. Naruto too was a bit distraught. They may have been strange, but those guys didn't deserve to die.
"Unfortunately, from the three survivors that Uzumaki-kun here brought back," The chairman waved his hand in Naruto's general direction to further get the point across, "only one is still alive, and she remains in critical condition. As we speak, it's a touch and go situation with little chance of survival. I'm sorry."
Tsukune just looked down, his hands gripping the sheets in anger at what had happened. He may not have known those people personally, but no one deserved what had happened to them. Naruto, on the other hand, could think of a few people who deserved it, none of them being the ones who got it. It was a solemn moment as everyone digested the information, sorry for those whop were lost.
It was the chairman who broke the silence. "You guys should really get some rest, you really exerted yourselves today. Tsukune-kun will stay the night so that the doctors can monitor his condition, but I'll let the nurses know that you have special permission to visit him tomarrow. Now come on, let's go." with that, everyone reluctantly left the room, leaving Tsukune alone with some beeping machines.
/
A few days passed, and it was now the day before the school festival. The whole gang was gathered in the newspaper club's room, just sort of relaxing, having all their duties for the upcoming day done. At this point, everyone was pretty much doing whatever they wanted.
Moka and Kurumu were basically talking about this and that, getting along perfectly fine. Yukari and Tsukune, who had gotten out of the hospital a few days ago and gotten rid of his crutches the day before, were currently witnessing a paper football match of epic proportions. Zetsu and Gin had been going at it for nearly an hour and a half now, both with steely determination glowing in their eyes. The current score was twenty-three wins to twenty-one in favor of Zetsu, with each game having a score cap of thirty points.
Gin stared down Zetsu, bravely staring into the bi-coloured man in disguise's yellow eyes, fighting the man's attempt to intimidate him at least a little, to make him falter. Zetsu was unsuccessful. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Gin finally flicked his finger, sending the paper triangle twirling through Zetsu's upturned fingers and straight into his forehead.
Zetsu just growled as Gin jumped up, pumping his fists in victory and sending his chair sprawling backwards. "Oh yeah!" he shouted, happy about closing the gap in the score a bit more.
"I'm still winning you know." The reality of what Zetsu said hit Gin like a wet fish to the face. He quickly sobered up, a serious expression on his face as he righted his chair and sat down, a predatory grin soon coming to his face.
"Bring it, then. I'll whup yo' ass." And so the forty-sixth game between these two titans of paper football began. So yes, all was good on this relatively relaxing day. However, there was one bit of strangeness going on in the room, drawing most attention to the individuals causing it and allowing Gin to get another point against Zetsu, much to his annoyance.
"W-what did you say?" asked Naruto, unsure of himself. There's no way he could have heard her correctly, no way that she said what he thought she said. She probably meant something else.
"I asked if you would be my temporary boyfriend for the festival tomorrow," said Mizore, her face flushing a deep red. Naruto's face did too; he had apparently heard her correctly.
"Well, may I ask why?" Naruto was feeling a whirlwind of emotions right now, some more prominent than the others. There was joy, happy that Mizore had picked him over everyone else. There was some despair, realizing that it was just a ruse and just for a day. However, chief among all was worry. Mizore was his best friend, and he would never do anything to jeopardize that relationship. This stunt could very well make things more awkward between the two, but couldn't see anything wrong with it since they didn't have booth duty until day three of the festival with Tsukune.
Looking away slightly in embarrassment, Mizore told her friend why he needed to at least pretend to be her boyfriend. "Well, during the beginning of the year, I sent my mother a picture of you to show her I was making friends. Apparently she mistook the situation and made you out to be my boyfriend. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was wrong, and now she is coming to visit tomorrow and expects to see me with you as a happy couple. Please, Naruto-kun, I need your help."
Mizore, of course, had purposely forgotten to mention that she had actually told her mother that Naruto was her boyfriend, or, at least, she wanted him to be, which her mother interpreted as her saying he was. It just would have been even more awkward if she had said that. So now she was stuck waiting for an answer, nervously chewing on he sucker and hoping beyond hope that Naruto said yes.
For the blonde, it was a choice that required no thinking. "Mizore-chan, as long as I have known you, you've always been there for me and my problems. As far as I'm concerned, this is the absolute least I can do to help you. Of course I'm gonna' say yes." Naruto gave the girl a reassuring grin, causing her to also smile. Yes, he would never do anything to injure his relationship with his closest friend. And he realized that it was time to move on from his old life and relationships, even if this new romance was technically fake.
Mizore quickly ran towards the boy before embracing him in a quick hug around the neck. Naruto was caught slightly off guard and stumbled a bit before quickly reciprocating the display of affection. Everyone else in the room was happy for the two and went back to doing their previous activities, with Moka and Kurumu going to watch the spectacle that was the paper football match of all time. Meanwhile, Naruto may not have known what the next day would entitle, but he knew it would certainly be eventful.
/
The sound of the alarm buzzing got Naruto to rise from his bed with a jolt. He quickly slammed his hand down on the contraption and silenced it. Still a bit groggy, the blonde turned to look out the window in his room to see that the sun had yet to come up above the horizon even a bit. Taking a look at the alarm, he saw it read 4:56 now. Why in Jashin's name had he set himself to wake at such an hour?
That thought in mind, Naruto was prepared to go back to sleep, when, with a jolt of realization, he remembered why he had woken up so early. He was supposed to meet Mizore at six outside the girls' dorm so they could go and see what the booths had to offer before everyone, including Mizore's mother, arrived at 8:30. Seeing that Naruto now had roughly an hour and two minutes before he was to meet his girlfriend-for-the-day, Naruto got to work getting ready.
Within twenty minutes, Naruto was completely ready and, seeing that he still had about forty minute's left, wondered again why he had set his alarm so early. He quickly came to the conclusion that he was used to doing some early morning training, but felt like just relaxing today. And really, Naruto deserved it. Anti-thesis was taken care of, no one seemed to want to kick his ass or eat his head off, and, while it was disconcerting to know that the cloaked man had been here, he was apparently gone, and he was just going to have fun with his best friend and her mother today damnit!
However, with nothing to do, the blonde was forced to just sit on the couch to pass some time. Thankfully, Kyuubi sensed the boy's plight and decided to help him out a bit. 'You know, I think that it's great you're finally moving on with your life. Good for you!'
'Thanks Kyuubi,' Naruto said with a mental sigh, 'but you know this date thing is fake and only for the sake of Mizore-chan's mother, right?'
'Granted, but you never know, it would turn real with time. Regardless, it's nice to see you getting over Haku, you know?'
'Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I still miss and love Haku-chan, but I think that I can finally accept that she is dead and that there was little I could do to actually save her.'
'Aww, isn't that cute? You're maturing. And to think, you used to be such a naïve little brat when I first talked to you. I can still remember when we first met. You were all like, 'Holy shit! You're the Kyuubi! But you're supposed to be dead! Oh shit! I'm in hell, aren't I?' Hahaha! Good times kid, good times.' Kyuubi continued to laugh as he thought back on the past while Naruto just grew a little pissed.
'Shut up! That was years ago!'
'Thirteen years ago, to be exact.' Naruto was a bit confused by that, before realization hit him like a large semi.
'Holy shit, that's right. My birthday wasn't all too long ago.'
'You got it.' Kyuubi grinned. 'I was wondering how long it would take you to remember. Hell, if I hadn't given you a hint, it would probably still be six months until you realized it. For what it's worth, happy belated seventeenth.' With that, Kyuubi conjured up a party blower and hat and let loose a blow on the thing as confetti fell fro the ceiling of the mindscape.
Naruto chuckled at the mental image. 'Hey, don't blame me, a lot was going on and I didn't exactly have the leisure time to remember.'
'I guess you're right. If I remember correctly, which I do, it was during all that shit where you were forced to help kidnap the pink-haired girl or something.'
'Yeah, that's right.' Taking a pause to look at the clock, Naruto decided that now would be a good time to start his trek to the girls' dorm, especially since now the sun was out. Getting off the couch, Naruto sent a goodbye to his mentally manifested furry friend. 'Well, it's been fun talking to you Kyuubi, but I should probably head out now.'
'Sure. But, before you go, please, allow me to part some of my infinite knowledge unto you for today's special occasion. Consider it a birthday present.'
'Sure, lay it on me,' said Naruto, curious as to what Kyuubi had to tell him.
It was silent for a moment, before Kyuubi roared at him to get his point across, virtually lighting his head on fire and causing Naruto to grasp his skull from the pain, 'DON'T FORGET THE FUCKING CONDOM!' with that, Kyuubi cut off the mental link with a snicker, leaving Naruto's ears ringing.
"Son of a fucking bitch!" Naruto swore, both from the pain and the implications of what Kyuubi said, along with the subsequent mental images that followed, causing Naruto to blush crimson. To be fair, though, he really should have seen that coming. "Bastard!" Naruto knew that the Kyuubi could hear him; he fucking knew it, and that made him feel slightly better. Regardless, Naruto grabbed his wallet off the counter and locked his dorm room before beginning his journey, hoping his blush would subside by the time he got to his destination.
/
Indeed, the blonde's blush had vanished at some point during his uneventful journey to the girl's dormitory. After all, what would happen? The dorms were, like, maybe one thousand feet apart, and that was being generous. The point is, nothing happened, much to the relief of Naruto.
When he finally got close enough, he spied Mizore standing outside in front of the building. Naruto jogged up to the girl, not wanting to keep her waiting. "Hey, Mizore-chan," the blonde spoke, waving, causing his 'girlfriend' to look up at him, a small smile coming to her face. "I didn't keep you waiting, did I?"
"No," said the girl, shaking her head slightly, "I just decided to come out here early. It's so much more calm in the morning, isn't it?" as Naruto looked around, he had to agree with the girl. It was quiet, with most animals either sleeping or being in no real hurry to do anything. Sure, there were some birds that could be heard in the distance, but that didn't detract from the sense of peace Naruto felt.
Blinking, the blonde shook his head a bit to rid himself of this feeling, even if he could stay like that for a while. The two did have things to do after all, even if they did have a bit of time. "Hey, we should probably get going."
The purple-haired girl just nodded, smile on her face. "Sure, let's get going." And with that being said, Mizore wasted no time in grabbing Naruto's hand, slightly surprising the Jashinist. The girl answered the unasked question. "We need to look like a believable couple, don't we? And I know my mother isn't here yet, but we should at least get used to it, wouldn't you say?"
Mizore had a slight blush on her face now, matching Naruto's perfectly, as she tried to convince the boy to just go with it. Naruto, really not seeing a flaw in the girl's reasoning, and not wanting to make worse of an already awkward situation, nodded. "I see your point. Okay, let's go."
And so the two walk off to where the festival was to be held, side by side and hand in hand.
/
Many would have likened the festival grounds to a terrorized town in an old western movie. The path Naruto and Mizore walked upon kicked up a bit of dust as they looked around at the booths, adding to the light early morning mist already in the air. Many of them were complete though abandoned, as not many people would be willing to be up this early in the morning if they could help it. However, a few booths were still not quite ready, the owners of them either working on them tirelessly as the two walked through the rows, or figuring they could finish it later before the alumni showed up.
As Naruto took in the sights, he noticed that most of the booths for classes were games you would find at the common carnival, even offering prizes to the winners of such games. The blonde also notice, much to his delight, that the price to play was incredibly cheap, meaning that he wouldn't blow the remaining funds he brought from his world. It brought a small smile to his face.
Most of the clubs, meanwhile, were doing demonstrations that would help promote themselves amongst others. For example, he knew that his own club was doing a sort of maid café thing. They would serve drinks while dressed up as maids in the girls' case, while him and the other males would be dressed as waiters. Humiliating, yes, but it would attract attention.
As he thought about it, Naruto remembered that only Zetsu and Gin would be on duty today. Not the best of ideas, he thought, considering how they had been acting lately. Naruto doubted that they would hand out many copies of the special edition paper they had made, one he was forced to edit once the whole Anti-thesis bullshit was over.
Lost in his thoughts as the blonde was, he didn't take notice of the person coming around the corner. That is, until the two bodies crashed into each other. "What the…?" the blonde said as he stumbled back a bit. The other person wasn't so fortunate, however, and fell flat on their ass. Naruto recognized him immediately. "Tsukune? What are you doing here?"
At hearing the voice, the brunette looked up, surprised. "Naruto?" within seconds of the two bumping into each other, who else but Yukari, Kurumu, and Moka should appear at the boy's side to help him up. He grinned at seeing his blonde and purple-haired friends.
Kurumu, being the perceptive person that she naturally is, also grinned, though for a different reason entirely. "Well, it seems as if you two are getting along rather well without us, aren't you?" the busty girl, of course, was indicating to Naruto and Mizore's cupped hands. "I wonder what would happen if you two were always unsupervised."
Naruto probably would have gotten annoyed with the blue-haired girl's perverted overtone and smile, but, as it was, both he and Mizore just looked away with blushes on the face, hands still grasped. "We need to act like a believable couple. Couples hold hands, don't they?" asked Naruto. By now, everyone had at least a slight grin at their friend's expense.
"Suuuure." Kurumu stretched out the word, just worsening the blush on the two friends' faces. Before either one could come up with a rebuttal, a strange sound came from near the center of the grounds, one that Naruto did not quite recognize.
"What was that?" the others were shocked as well, all except for Tsukune, who thought he recognized the sound. Before he could say what he thought it was, the others were already off to investigate, Naruto and Mizore's hands coming apart as they ran.
"Hey," suddenly asked Yukari, a question forming in her mind, "when did we become the sole protectors of this school? I mean, isn't this someone's job or something?"
"Well, ever since I accidentally killed the head of the Student Safety Commission, the rest of the group kind of… disbanded. Haven't you noticed their absence?" and it was true, for unknown reasons, the commission had parted and integrated into normal school life, though with largely mixed results from students, most holding grudges against them from past transgressions.
The rest of the trip continued in silence, and when they got to their destination, they were shocked to say the least. There in front of the group was a giant stage with all these wires and electronic equipment up on it as several people worked to get whatever they were doing set up. A few others who were awake also came to see what the commotion was, but some left soon after to continue their own work.
"Sweet, there's going to be a concert?" asked Tsukune excitedly, anticipating the prospect of something he remembered from before he came to the academy. His friends just sort of stared at him, but the brunette didn't let it affect him. Naruto had some questions of his own, however.
"How the hell did we miss something this big?" it was a good question, but it was one that was cut off by an intimately familiar voice.
"Well, look who's here. Why are you up this early?" Naruto turned his head to the voice so fast that he may as well have gotten whiplash. There, standing to the blondes left up of the stage was none other than Konjyoyaki. The eye patch wearing man regarded him with his one orange eye. The stare off between the two continued, Naruto watching the man, not trusting him as much after that stunt he pulled, until the older of the two twitched at a loud voice behind him.
"Hey guys! How's it going?" a familiar witch popped up right next to Konjyoyaki on his left, hanging off his arm as the cripple didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence. A certain little girl did take notice though.
"Ruby-san!" with that, Yukari jumped up onto the stage and hugged the older girl's leg. Ruby just patted her head, knowing that she got excited whenever she made an appearance.
"So, are you guys in the concert?" asked Tsukune, causing everyone to once again turn to him. Konjyoyaki, being his ever bright and cheery self gave his predictable answer to this question.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Come on, don't be like that! This will be fun!" Rub had a smile on her face, still at the man's side.
"Umm, not to be rude or anything, but what will you be doing? It's not like you can play an instrument or anything given your… state." Tsukune was nervous as he indicated to Konjyoyaki's distinct lack of his right arm. The man just developed a slight tick in his eye.
"Are you saying that it's impossible to play drums with only one arm?" fate seemed to smile down on the boy, however, as someone appeared to spare Tsukune from answering the question.
"Well, could play the drums if, one, I wasn't playing them, and, two, you knew how to play."
"Kotsubo-sensei?" Naruto asked, shocked at the red-haired man's appearance. He received a grin in response.
"Hey Uzumaki. Good to see you finally made some friends." The blonde ignored him, however, as another person made their presence known.
"Hello everybody! What's going on here?" the new individual was a man with straight black hair that came down close to his chin. He had a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes and a strange hat on his head. His voice was also entirely too loud and over enthusiastic. Now that Naruto thought back on it, the man sort of reminded Naruto of someone from his past. Lee or something was his name. You know, in personality, not looks.
"Um, excuse me, but who are you?" asked Moka a bit timidly. The man turned his head in the pink-haired girls direction and flashed a smile.
"Forgive my manners! I am the Excellent Maki, second year English teacher here at Youkai Academy! Also bassist and back-up vocals for this concert!" with that, Maki took a bow. He was met with blank stares on all sides, ones he didn't seem to pay attention to.
"Soooo… what about you Ruby-san? Tsukune asked, breaking the awkward silence. The girl turned to him and smiled.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm playing guitar!"
"So that means…" Tsukune put the pieces together, and smiled as he came to a conclusion, proud of himself. With that, he pointed to Konjyoyaki. "You're lead vocals, right?"
Konjyoyaki gave the boy a look, not quite a glare, but a more covert form of it, filled with the same burning hatred of a normal glare though. The boy shrank in on himself from the look. Naruto, seeing the look, and realizing that his friend was right, couldn't contain it any longer. He started to laugh a long, unbelieving laugh, the irony hitting him full force.
"Hahahahahahaha, oh… oh fuck, hahahahahaha! I'm-I'm gonna' die! Hahahahahahaha!" everyone was staring at the blonde, worried as he soon started gasping for air. Once he had finally colleted himself, he turned to Konjyoyaki, the smoking man's quasi-glare now turned to him. The blonde ignored it. "How the hell did they rope you into doing something like this?" Konjyoyaki took on a distant look as he thought back on how he got here.
:Flashback:
Konjyoyaki stood in a large meeting room along with all the other staff at the school. Everyone else was sat at a large table in the middle of the room with the newly healed chairman at the head while Konjyoyaki and a few others leaned against the wall. Seeing everyone here, the chairman spoke. "Okay, so I'm sure you're all wondering why you are here, right?"
He received some nods and a few grunts of affirmation. That same creepy grin came to his face.
"Well, I have decided that this year the faculty will be throwing a concert for this years festival." With that, he pulled out a basket with folded pieces of paper in it. "What will happen is you will all take a piece of paper from this basket. Four of them have red dots on them and if you pick that one, you will be performing in the band. And before any of you protest, I know that you all have musical talent, so don't bother denying it." with that, the basket made its way around the room.
Eventually, the basket came to Konjyoyaki, and someone was kind enough to hold it while he picked out a slip of paper. Opening it, he saw that there was a red dot right in the middle of the paper, and the man let a frown come to his face.
:EndFlashback:
"I was cheated," was all he said, obviously not too happy about this turn of events. Maki soon joined in to better explain things.
"You see, we were lucky enough to win a lottery to perform in this concert. I would have gladly sang for this event, but unfortunately, Konjyoyaki-kun's condition only allows him to be eligible for that position."
"I'm missing an arm, it's not a contagious disease," Konjyoyaki cut in, annoyed that it was implied that he was sick. He continued on, still a bit peeved. "And I can still play the piano damnit."
"Yes" Ruby said, "But we can't do all songs from the 80's of whatever. We need some variety." Konjyoyaki grumbled a bit, obviously conceding to the girl's logic.
It was Kurumu who spoke next. "I still can't see how you can sing a all. I mean, with how much you smoke, I'm surprised you don't go into a coughing fit after every sentence you speak. And I doubt you can honestly hold a note for very long."
The man in question just crouched down on the stage so that him and the blue-haired were close to eye-level. Then, grasping his cigarette in between his middle and index fingers, he removed it from his mouth while letting out several smoke rings into the girl's face.
Kurumu backed up, coughing as she waved a hand in front of her face to get rid of any residual smoke before sending a teary-eyed glare at the man. Konjyoyaki just returned his cigarette to its original place and resumed his full height before stalking back near the middle of the stage.
"You don't believe I can perform? While I do dislike my position, I won't stand for someone telling me what I can and cannot do. I think you need a demonstration. Positions everybody!" with that, everyone went to their positions and got their instruments ready that a crew had helped set up.
Meanwhile, Yukari jumped off the stage and rejoined her friends as they went to where the front row center of the crowd would be located, ready to see what these guys could do.
"Remember to keep it down guys. Some people are still sleeping." And with that being said, Konjyoyaki grasped the microphone stand as everyone gave an experimental sound off of their already tuned instruments. "Okay guys, let's do the song we practiced with." And with that, they turned to the group and the still there slackers who should have been at their stands and began.
The guitar and bass began in a low and melodious tone, continuing the rhythm for a few beats. Then came in the drum, followed shortly after by Konjyoyaki's surprisingly light voice.
:It seems like every day's the same and I'm left to discover on my own:
:It seems like everything is grey and there's no colour to behold:
:They say it's over and I'm fine again, yeah:
:Try to stay sober, feels like I'm dying here:
At this point the instruments increased in intensity as the orange-eyed man sang the refrain, his voice becoming slightly more aggressive, as everyone one started bobbing to the music, Konjyoyaki just kept staring forward, though.
:And I am aware now:
:Of how everything's gonna' be fine:
:One day, too late, I'm in hell:
:And I am prepared now:
:Seems everyone's gonna' be fine:
:One day, too late, just as well:
The song returned to its mellow pace as that part ended, but everyone was still swaying to the sound of it, showing how into it they were.
:I feel the dream in me expire, and there's no one left to blame it on:
:I hear you label me a liar, 'cause I can't seem:
:To get this through:
:You say it's over, I can sigh again, yeah:
:But why try to stay sober when I'm dying here:
The music once again intensified as everyone playing once again got hyped up, Maki going so far as to wildly bob his head.
:And I am aware now:
:Of how everything's gonna' be fine:
:One day, too late, I'm in hell:
:And I am prepared now:
:Seems everyone's gonna' be fine:
:One day, too late, just as well:
Here, the music changed, became softer, to give Konjyoyaki a vocal solo.
:And I'm not scared now:
:I must assure you:
:You're never gonna' get away:
:And I'm not scared now, no:
:And I'm not scared now, no:
The music returned, increasing in the intensity of the refrain for what seemed to be the final time, keeping up to the very end of the song.
:So, yeah, I am aware now:
:Of how everything's gonna' be fine:
:One day, too late, I'm in hell:
:And I am prepared now:
:Seems everything's gonna' be fine:
:One day, too late, just as well:
:I am prepared now:
:Seems everything's gonna' be fine:
:For me, for me for, myself:
:For me, for me, for myself:
:For me, for me, for myself:
:I am prepared now for myself:
:I am prepared now and I am fine:
Here, Konjyoyaki held the note as the guitar let out one last waning chord. With that, he held the last note.
:Again:
With that, the white-coated man jumped of the stage, landing without a sound as he ignored the applause from the stragglers, instead staring intently at the group of friends. He allowed a small grin to come to his face. "Is that enough proof for you?" the group just collectively nodded, still shocked that the man in front of them was capable of such talent, especially when his normal voice was only a vague shadow of when he sang. "Good, now leave, we still have work to do." And with that, he jumped back on stage and approached his still bowing band-mates.
Soon enough, everyone departed.
/
Soon enough, 8:00 a.m. rolled around and Mizore and Naruto made their way to where they would meet Mizore's mother. The two were once again hand-in-hand as they traveled with their friends, since they, too, were expecting to meet relatives.
Many more people had awoken by now too, some due to alarms, some due to them hearing the performance earlier due to their superior hearing, some due to just falling out of bed. The point was, many more people were now milling around, either working to get their booths ready to open or seeing what the festival had to offer.
Eventually, parents started to arrive, ready to meet their children. And through the crowd, Mizore saw the person she was waiting for. "Mother," she yelled out, attracting the attention of the person in question. She smiled and made her way towards the group.
When Naruto saw the woman, he knew there was no mistaking it; she and Mizore were defiantly related. The woman had fair skin and light-purple hair. The blonde wanted to say it was a lavender colour, maybe even periwinkle, and it was tied in a loose bun on the back of her head with several strands coming down to her shoulders. She was dressed in a simple kimono with her hands in her sleeves and to top it all off, she had a lollipop in her mouth similar to her daughters.
As she made her way over, Naruto noticed the smile on her face. "Hello, Mizore-chan."
"Hello mother." And with that, the two met in an embrace, during which, Naruto noticed that Mizore came up to the woman's chin. Since he wasn't much taller than her, Naruto imagined that he would come up to her nose. The blonde cast those thoughts away as Mizore started talking again when the hug ended. "Mother, these are my friends," and with that she swept her arm at everyone present.
The woman bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." When she looked up, she seemed to notice Naruto's distinctive blonde hair and made her way over to him. "You must be the boy my Mizore-chan told me about. Uzumaki Naruto, right?"
Naruto bowed and then stuck his hand out to shake the woman's. "Yes. It is nice to meet you Shirayuki-san." Ignoring the hand, the woman drew the boy into a hug, much to the shock of everyone but Mizore. The others just regarded the scene as awkward. 'What the fuck?' was all the blonde could think before the woman let go.
"Please, call me Tsurara-chan. After all, you should become familiar with me if you're going to become my son-in-law." Naruto just looked at the woman, then to Mizore, wondering just what was wrong with her mother.
"Right, of course, Tsurara-chan." Naruto just decided to go with it, a blush on his face, especially since he promised Mizore to help her with this.
The woman just continued to smile, especially when she saw her daughter and his 'boyfriend' grasp hands. "Right then. Let's go do something." And with that, the three were gone.
/
As the trio walked through the festival grounds, they of course had to pass by the giant concert stage, where it looked like the band was getting ready to once again perform. Seeing this, Tsurara became interested, especially in the one-armed front man, and asked to see what was going on. So they joined the crowd, figuring that this would be interesting.
Turning to the band, Konjyoyaki nodded, allowing Ruby and Maki to begin their easy going tune. Shortly after, Kotsubo joined in as well, being a show off by bouncing his drumsticks off the instrument and catching it in mid-air.
:In you life:
:You seem to have it all:
:You seem to have control:
:But deep within your soul:
:You're losing it:
:You never took the time:
Assume that you're to blame:
:You think that you're insane, won't you spare me:
Here, the music picked up only slightly, and Naruto thought he saw Konjyoyaki looking at him through the corner of his eye. Then, Maki joined him in backup.
:I know the breakdown:
:Everything is gonna' shake now someday:
:I know the breakdown:
:Tell me again, am I awake now maybe:
:You can find the reason that:
:No one else in living this way:
:Living this way:
Everything went back to normal then, along with Konjyoyaki being the only one singing after a few beats. But, even though the man was looking away, Naruto could still feel his eyes on him.
:Yeah your lies:
:The world is built around:
:Two faces of a clown:
:The voices in your head think there's four pawns down:
:Well in this unity:
:Fate has found the need:
:So you better check yourself before you check out:
It went back to the refrain, Kotsubo still being a show off and the others joining in on the action, doing windmills or playing behind their heads. Konjyoyaki ignored it.
:I know the breakdown:
:Everything is gonna' shake now someday:
:I know the breakdown:
:Tell me again, am I awake now maybe:
:You can find the reason that:
:No one else in living this way:
:Living this way:
There was a small guitar solo now before Konjyoyaki started a new part.
:If you find yourself then you might believe (if you find yourself then you might believe):
Maki's voice added an echo to the music, a nice effect if Naruto thought about it.
:Then within yourself you just might conceive (then within yourself you just might):
:Yeah:
The song was coming to an end as the music intensified.
:I know the breakdown:
:Everything is gonna' shake now someday:
:I know the breakdown:
:Tell me again, am I awake now maybe:
:You can find the reason that:
:No one else in living this way:
:Living this way:
:You can find the reason that (you can find the reason that):
:No one else is living this way (you can find the reason that):
:You can find the reason that (you can find the reason that):
:No one else is living this way (you can find the reason that):
:You can find the reason that (you can find the reason that):
:No one else is living this way (you can find the reason that):
And with a final strum, the song ended as the crowd erupted into cheers. Naruto still couldn't believe how good a singer Konjyoyaki was. Turning, he saw Tsurara clapping her hands politely.
"Well, wasn't that lovely?" she asked, a smile on her face. The other two just nodded their heads. "Okay, let's see what else this place has to offer." And so, the two followed the woman around the festival, stopping to play a few games and such.
It wasn't long before the hecklers made themselves apparent though. "Hey, step on up to test your strength! The name of the game is simple people; just swing the hammer and ring the bell all the way at the top of the tower to win a prize! Price of admission is low, so you can afford to lose!"
Naruto took a look at the thing and decided immediately that the thing was rigged. He could see that the tube that let the weight up to hit the bell fifty feet in the air got thinner near the top, so it wouldn't actually go all the way. Naruto started to leave as the man spoke once again, seeing no one was biting.
"Okay, how about this! Get the weight halfway to the top and win a small prize! C'mon, anyone can play!" it was then that he spotted Naruto. "How about you sir?"
Naruto turned and, seeing the man staring at him with not many others around, pointed to himself. "Me?"
"Yes, you with the blonde hair! You look like a strong man! Care to see if you can win?"
"Not really," Naruto deadpanned, causing most people to sweat drop. When he started to walk away again, the man decided on a different tactic.
"What, you afraid of losing in front of your girlfriend or something? You don't want her to see how weak you really are or something?" he saw Naruto stop and he smirked. Now to go in for the kill. "That's it right? You're just a big fucking pussy!" and with that, Naruto turned around and approached the attraction. 'Works every time,' the man thought.
Naruto paid the price to play and took up the heavy hammer, determination in his eyes. Mizore was in the crowd, watching him with slightly worried eyes, while Tsurara found the whole thing amusing. Now, normally Naruto wouldn't have really cared what the fuckhead running the attraction called him… well, okay, he would, but he would normally just throw insults back and forth before the got in a fight. This time, however, he was in front of a girl that he was technically on a date on and wasn't going to stand for such a thing.
With a grin, Naruto hefted the hammer over his shoulder and decided to take some preemptive action. 'Hey, Kyuubi, give me some chakra. You know, not enough that anyone can clearly feel it, just enough to shatter this fucking thing.' He could feel the Bijuu grin as well as his muscles began to tingle and brought the hammer down on the lever with such a force the wood of the target splintered.
The weight shot straight up as the force of the hammer swing got transferred to it. everyone watched with baited breath as the weight began to lose speed as the tube thinned. The weight passed the middle section, already gaining Naruto a prize, but that's not what he wanted. The blonde wanted to see the smug bastard's face when he rang the bell.
The smug bastard himself had a smirk on his face. There was no way the blonde could win. Or so he thought. The smirk quickly vanished as the sound of grating metal reached everyone's ears, the sound of the weight struggling to continue upwards. It didn't stop though, even as some of its metal wore away and the tube widened to allow the size of it, splitting a bit.
Everyone's heads turned up, seeing the weight slow, so close to the bell, just a few more inches. And there it was. A slight, feeble ting rang out as the weight just stopped at the bell, staying there, unable to move. Naruto turned to the bastard, a grin on his face. Everyone had heard the bell ring, they all knew he won, even if it wasn't exactly the dramatic finish he had been hoping for.
"I think you owe me a prize."
The bastard remained silent, wondering just how Naruto had managed to do that. Finally, he just raised the blonde's hand. "W-we have a w-winner."
/
"Thanks for the dolphin, Naruto-kun," said Mizore as the trio continued down through the festival grounds. Indeed, the girl now had a giant plush dolphin in her arms, measuring three feet long and a foot wide, coloured a light blue on top with a white underbelly. Naruto just grinned at her.
"No problem, Mizore-chan. But are you sure you don't want me to carry it for you?"
"No thank you, I got it." Tsurara followed behind the two, happy at the conversation. She could see why her daughter liked the boy. He was caring and strong and just seemed very friendly overall.
"Say, Mizore-chan, why don't you show me what your club did for the festival." The purple-haired girl looked at her mother and smiled.
"Okay, you can meet the rest of my friends, too." And so the group went to the newspaper clubs stand. Naruto had to wonder though, how would Mizore's mother react when she saw Zetsu?
Surprisingly, she didn't really react to him. she just kept up her smile as she greeted him and Gin. "Well, it's nice to meet you."
Zetsu just bowed. "It's nice to meet you to, ma'am. Would you like a drink?"
"My, that would be lovely. Do you have any mint tea?" she asked. Zetsu's answer was cut off by Gin.
"Hurry up Zetsu! Stop stalling and let me get back to kicking you ass!" Yes, the two were still playing paper football. It would appear that Gin was winning, too, shown clearly by the appearance of Zetsu's slightly bitter look. "Uzumaki, please tend to the lady, would you? And get me a coffee while you're at it!"
"Would you mind getting me one, too?" asked Zetsu as he sat back down at the table to try to get back in the lead. The blonde had to admit, it was strange seeing two men in suits, one with green hair and split down the middle in two colours, playing paper football. Regardless, he just sighed and turned to Mizore.
"You want anything while I'm at it?"
"A water would be nice," was all she said. Naruto nodded and disappeared into the booth. He emerged a few minutes later with a tray in his hands. He placed the coffees in front of the two who were supposed to be working as they seemed to ignore him. he then gave the tea to Tsurara, before placing a glass of water in front of Mizore and taking one for himself before sitting at the table with the girls.
Tsurara took a sip of her tea and sighed in content. With that she turned to Naruto. "I've been meaning to ask you something, Naruto-kun."
The blonde looked at her questioningly. "What is it?" he asked as he took a sip of water.
"Well, I want to know when you're planning the wedding." The full impact of those words hit Naruto full on, causing him to gasp and take water down the wrong hole.
Over at the next table, Zetsu messed up his shot and sent the paper triangle flying into the back of the blonde's head, adding insult to injury. Mizore rubbed her friend's back and Tsurara just looked on concerned. "Mother, that was kind of uncalled for."
"Well, I'm sorry dear, but I just want to make sure you've been talking about it. he has shown interest, hasn't he?" Tsurara's voice became lower and a cold chill ran through Naruto. He idly noticed that her drink had iced over, and some frozen spikes were floating in the air.
Getting some air back into his lung, Naruto hurriedly tried to fend off the woman's seemingly uncalled for wrath. "O-of course we've been talking about it! we just haven't been able to decide on a date of finalize any details!" as he said that, he was waving his hands in a placating manner, trying to get his point across.
Tsurara smiled as the ice spears fell to the ground and shattered and her tea thawed slightly. "That's good to hear. At least you're trying." Naruto just gave a slight chuckle, unnoticing as Gin retrieved the paper football behind him. he had bigger things to think about.
'What the fuck? What's wrong with her?'
'Well, she's a yuki-onna, what do you expect?'
'How's that supposed to help?' asked Naruto, not seeing how that was relevant.
Kyuubi just sighed. 'The yuki-onna are a dying race, you see. Due to genetics, there is only a small time frame in which they can have children. Many of them are married off at the age of seventeen, the age of maturity, in arranged marriages, to help strengthen the race. There are few exceptions to this rule. You can see why Tsurara-san is pushing marriage. She knows her daughter is happy with you, and doesn't want you to wait until it's too late and Mizore-san is forced to marry someone she doesn't love.'
The implications quickly set in. 'B-But, I don't even know if she actually loves me!'
'Well, do you love her?'
'I… I guess. Yes, I do love Mizore-chan.'
'Then what's the harm in telling her so? You said you were ready to move on, you said you love her, and she seems to get along with you better than anyone else.'
'But I don't want to rush her into something!' that was it, Naruto's final plea, the fact that he didn't want to make his move too soon and ruin everything. Kyuubi supposed that he could sympathize, but that didn't change anything.
'I'm sorry to say it, but if you don't rush just a bit, you'll miss your chance at happiness.' And with that, Kyuubi was gone, leaving Naruto something to think about. Luckily, he had a plan.
/
the group approached the concert stage once again, and it seemed that the band was ready to do another song. It was late in the afternoon by now and there were many more people on the grounds, resulting in a bigger crowd than before. Through it all, though, Konjyoyaki still managed to somehow notice them and send a smirk Naruto's way. One that confused Naruto somewhat.
Then, the music started, slow and creepy, each player seemingly doing their own thing as the music played on. But, at the same time, they seemed to be harmonizing. They then all came together as Konjyoyaki let out his voice, heavy with emotion, like he meant what he said.
:My friends are all hurting:
:From moments and regrets:
:And charity laced with a lie:
:And still we keep hoping"
"To fix all the defects:
:And strengthen these seminal ties:
:We go on together:
:For better or worse:
:Our history is too real to hate:
:Now and forever:
:We stay until morning:
:And promise to fight for our fate:
And now the music turned creepy again, increasing in volume and intensity a bit. Chief among them all was Ruby, her guitar sounding high pitched and strained almost.
:Till we die:
:Till we die:
The music mellowed back down to normal again as that part ended.
:The start of the journey:
:Is every bit worth it:
:I can't let you down anymore:
:The sky is still clearing:
:We're never afraid:
:And the consequence opens the door:
:I've never stopped trying:
:I've never stopped feeling:
:Like family is much more than blood:
:Don't go on without me:
:The piece that I represent:
:Compliments each and everyone:
The music once again increased itself as the refrain was sung.
:Till we die:
:Till we die:
Konjyoyaki's voice continued on to be intense along with the music.
:We won't be forgotten:
:We'll never give in:
:This war we've achieved has allowed us to win:
:Till we die:
:Till we die:
Once again the music toned it down. It was a good effect, sort if resonating in one's soul if they let it, the music speaking to them. But to Naruto, it was more. It was as if Konjyoyaki was actually trying to tell him something. The fact that he wouldn't just do it to his face sort of pissed him off. Then again, none of this sounded familiar. What was he talking about?
:My last true confession:
:Will open your eyes:
:I've never known trust like the nine:
Okay, now that could have just been a coincidence, but the nine? Naruto had to wonder if the man meant the Kyuubi, or, in essence, him. he trusted him? now he was sure that there was a hidden message in the song for him.
:Let it be spoken:
:Let it be screamed:
:They'll never ever take us alive:
The music once again brought out the guitar heavily.
:Till we die:
:Till we die:
:We won't be forgotten:
:We'll never give in:
:This war we've achieved has allowed us to win:
:Carry on:
:Carry on:
:We'll never be broken, we won't be denied:
:Our war is our pressure we need to survive:
:We'll never be broken, we won't be denied:
:Our war is our pressure we need to survive:
:Till we die:
:Till we die:
:We won't be forgotten:
:We'll never give in:
:The war we've achieved has allowed us to win:
:Carry on:
:Carry on:
Konjyoyaki almost seemed to mumble out the next lines slowly, the words still ringing clear, though.
:We'll never be broken, we won't be denied:
:Our war is our pressure we need to survive:
The music came back as Konjyoyaki began to sing passionately, Maki filling in backup.
:(Till we die) We won't be forgotten:
:We'll never give in:
:(Till we die) This war we've achieved has allowed us to win:
:(Till we die) We'll never be broken:
:We won't be denied:
:(Till we die) Our war is our pressure we need to survive:
The music tapered down as only the instruments played. They, to, soon left, leaving only Ruby to behind to play her original, creepy tune. When it finally ended, the crowd broke out into applause. Everyone took a bow, before returning into the small enclosure they had on the back of the stage to take a break.
Seeing this, Naruto quickly left. "Excuse me, I need go do something. I'll be back." And with that, Naruto used his superior ninja sneaking skills to slip into the enclosure unnoticed. "Konjyoyaki," he said, catching everyone's attention. He had many questions for the man, especially about that song, but something else needed to be addressed first. "Can I ask you something?"
/
"I see," was all the man said. Everyone had just listened to the request, and they were all amused by it. turning to his band-mates, Konjyoyaki asked them about it. "What do you think?" he was met with nods all around. Turning back to Naruto, he said, "We'll see what we can do."
Naruto smiled. "Thanks." And with that, he left, leaving everyone silent. A few seconds later, another familiar face appeared.
Konjyoyaki smirked. "And what can we do for you?"
/
When Naruto got back to the spot he left the rest of his group at, he noticed someone missing. "Hey, where's Mizore-chan?" he asked. Tsurara just turned to him and gave him a smile. He noticed that she was holding the dolphin he had won.
"She said that she had to do something as well and left shortly after you did. In fact, there she is right now." And, sure enough, Mizore soon came running up to the two.
"Hey, Naruto-kun, can I talk to you?" the blonde looked at her curiously, but nodded either way.
"Sure, lead on."
And with that, the two of them left, Mizore's mother calling after them. "I'll be here waiting when you're done." And with that, the woman turned back to the stage, slightly cheering as the band came back out.
/
Naruto's curiosity continued to grow, especially when he and Mizore emerged on the roof of the school, overlooking the festival grounds. From here, they had a good view of the concert and could hear it pretty clearly.
Looking at the sky, he saw that the sun was setting. He let a small smile form on his face, and quickly let it drop when he heard Mizore speaking to him.
"Naruto-kun, I'm sorry."
"About what?" Naruto asked, not expecting the apology.
"For not telling you about my mother. I should have warned you about how she was."
"Listen," Naruto said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "It's fine. You asked me for help, and I was glad to do it. even if I had known, I still would have agreed. And… I know why she's like that. I know that you'll be forced into an arranged marriage if you don't find someone soon."
"Y-… you do?" she asked, surprised.
Naruto just nodded. "Kyuubi told me about it, and I just wanted to say, you know, being your boyfriend today was great, and, if you want, I would still like to be your boyfriend, you know?" this was kind of awkward for all parties involved, but Mizore found it sweet nonetheless.
An unexpecting Naruto soon found himself embraced in a hug, with he quickly returned. The two just stood there, not moving, just holding each other. Before either one could say anything, a loud voce washed over them, and they both turned to look over the balcony.
Konjyoyaki stood on stage, looking around the audience a bit before spotting the two on the roof. He grinned a bit as he spoke. "Okay folks, we've had a lot of fun tonight, but unfortunately it's almost time for today's festivities to come to an end." His statement was met with displeasure and even a few 'boo's. undeterred, the man continued onwards. "Before that time comes, however, I think we have time for one more song." In return, he was met with cheers as his band-mates nodded. "So this song is for two people, both friends of mine, who asked for something special for the other one. Crazy, huh? Let's hit it!"
Naruto and Mizore looked at each other, both knowing that the other had requested a song for them. They both smiled at that and tightened the hug, not wanting to let go. then, the music started.
Apparently, Konjyoyaki could play the piano, as there was now a keyboard in front of him, his fingers dancing across the keys and the bass giving occasional strums, matching the soft sound Konjyoyaki created. His voice only added to the experience.
:I can't fight this feeling any longer:
:And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow:
:What started out as friendship has grown stronger:
:I only wish I had the strength to let it flow:
One by one, member in the audience started holding up lighters to the sky, making a sea of orange come into being as they swayed with the music. Naruto and Mizore began to rock back and forth as they continued to hold each other, looking into their eyes, smiles on their faces.
:I tell myself that I can't hold out forever:
:I said there is no reason for my fear:
:'Cause I feel so secure when we're together:
:You give my life direction, you make everything so clear:
:And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight:
:You're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night:
:And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might:
Konjyoyaki held the last note as the drums and guitar came in, giving the song a more rock n' roll feeling.
:And I can't fight this feeling anymore:
:I've forgotten what I started fighting for:
:It's time to bring this ship into the shore:
:And throw away the oars, forever:
:'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore:
:I've forgotten what I started fighting for:
:And if I have to crawl upon the floor, come crashing through your door:
:Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore:
The guitar played a small solo before it faded out for a bit and Konjyoyaki's voice came back.
:My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you:
:I've been running round in circles in my mind:
:And it always seems that I'm following you, girl:
:'Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find:
:And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight:
:You're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night:
:And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might:
Ruby and Kotsubo once again came on strong, eliciting cheers from the audience, louder than they were before.
:And I can't fight this feeling anymore:
:I've forgotten what I started fighting for:
:It's time to bring this ship into the shore:
:And throw away the oars, forever:
:'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore:
:I've forgotten what I started fighting for:
:And if I have to crawl upon the floor, come crashing through your door:
:Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore:
The music began to soften as the last line was held for a bit. As the music ran out, Naruto removed the lollipop from Mizore's mouth and they both closed the gap in between their lips, instincts overcoming them. Fireworks went off in the background as the day ended and the sun disappeared behind the horizon among the many cheers of fans.
They held the kiss, soft, chaste, as Naruto mused on the taste of Mizore's lips. She tasted of crisp mint, quite obviously, but it masked something else. Peach, maybe? Naruto didn't know, but he knew that he liked it. Mizore was enjoying herself, too. She didn't know what he tasted like, but knew that she loved it, just like she loved him. she broke the kiss to tell him.
"I love you, Naruto-kun." The blonde looked into her eyes, and knew that she was telling the truth.
"I love you, too." With that, they shared a peck on the lips before Mizore buried her head in her boyfriend's chest, Naruto running his fingers through her purple locks. "We should probably go back to your mother."
"What you don't like this?" she asked teasingly. The two shared a laugh and reluctantly returned to where everyone else was.
/
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Youkai Academy, Hokuto looked back as the fireworks went off, sparing one last look at the place before he left for good. Kiria noticed and stopped pushing the wheelchair they had… 'burrowed' from the hospital, looking at his friend in it, still holding the file given to him in his lap.
"You don't want to say goodbye?" asked the blonde, already knowing his friend's response.
"Why? If we go back now, we run the risk of being caught. Besides, just because a piece of paper says something, it doesn't make it true. DNA tests can be faked. It is easy enough for us to get a sample from me and run it against them, but from him, that would be difficult, so we can't be sure what he says is true. But what was in the journals… that is interesting, and we can see if some of it's true easily enough. Maybe we can trust him afterwards; he's been pretty forthcoming thus far."
"So you don't believe what the first note told you?"
"Until we get some more concrete evidence, I can't believe that that Konjyoyaki is my… nii-san." There was a silence for a moment, and it was obvious that Hokuto had trouble imagining he had siblings of any sort, before Kiria began pushing the wheelchair again. Hokuto spared one last glance at the academy, and knew that he and Konjyoyaki would meet again. And who knew, maybe he could even repay Tsukune for helping him find himself one day. Time only knew.
/
And that's a wrap… sort of. Fuck. They just keep getting longer, damnit! And if that's not enough, now I have to deal with a fucking omake! Shit!
/
Omake:
Konjyoyaki stood on stage, sweating a bit from being up on stage and singing all day. The crowd cheered, delighted with the bands performance, ignorant of the man's hatred of the situation. To make matters worse for him, he wasn't going to choose the next song.
Grumbling in annoyance, the man made the announcement that would likely hype up the already excited crowd. "So, throughout this event, we've been asking you guys to put in your votes for songs you want us to play. Well, the time has come for us to pick a winner."
As expected, the crowd cheered louder as a stagehand rolled out a metal cage like one seen at bingo events to choose the balls. Saying his final prayers, Konjyoyaki turned the handle on the cage to mix up the pieces of paper found inside. After a few moments, he stopped turning, opened the hatch, and retrieved a piece of paper. As he read it, his stomach dropped as his face remained unreadable.
Eventually, his eyebrow twitched after making sure he wasn't misreading the slip. "Excuse us for a moment," and with that, he disappeared into the enclosure with his band mates. The audience looked on, confused, as they soon heard muffled laughter and the sounds of heated argument. Before long the band returned.
However, this time they were carting in several mix tables and a tank of helium was now located next to Konjyoyaki. The man's facial tick was now prevalent, allowing everyone to see that he was pissed. However, he steadied himself and soon spoke.
"Sorry about that, we promise that there will be no more delays like that, but we needed materials for this next bit. Now without further ado…" with that, the man turned on the tank and took a few deep breathes of the gas from the mask attached to it.
Soon, a techno-pop beat began to play from the mix tables, and Konjyoyaki began to sing, his voice high and extremely light.
:Do-do-do:
:Yeah-eah-eah yeah:
the music picked up and the crowd began to bounce around, much to the singer's annoyance. He didn't enjoy people reveling in his misery. Nonetheless, he began to sing… in Swedish.
:Vi undrarar ni redo alt vera med:
:Armarna upp nu ska ni fa se:
:Kom igen:
:Hven som helst kan vara med:
:Vara med:
:So ror pa era fotter:
:Oa-a-a:
:Och vicka era hofter:
:O-la-la-la:
:Gor som vi:
:Til denna melodi:
:Oa-oa-a:
:Dansa med oss:
:Klappa era hofter:
:Gor som vi gor:
:Ta nagra steg at vanster:
:Lyssna och lar:
:Missa inte chansen:
:Nu ar vi har med:
:Caramelldansen:
:O-o-oa-oa:
:O-o-oa-oa-a:
:O-o-oa-oa:
:O-o-oa-oa-a:
:Det blir en sensation over alt forstas:
:Pa fester kommer alla att slappa loss:
:Kom igen:
:Nu tar vi stegen omigen:
:Oa-oa:
:Sa ror pa era fotter:
:Oa-a-a:
:Och vicka era hofter:
:O-la-la-la:
:Gor som vi:
:Til denna melodi:
:Sa kom och:
:Dansa med oss:
:Klappa era hander:
:Gor so vi gor:
:Ta nagra steg at vanster:
:Lyssna och lar:
:Missa inte chansen:
:Nu ar vi har med:
:Caramelldansen:
Here, the music sort of faded out, leaving Konjyoyaki's high voice unobstructed among the crowd, much to the man's displeasure.
:Dans med oss:
:Klappa era hander:
:Gor so vi gor:
:Ta nagra steg at vanster:
:Lyssna och lar:
:Missa inte chansen:
:Nu ar vi har med:
:Caramelldansen:
The music returned, and the scarred man took some pleasure in knowing that the song was almost over.
:O-o-oa-oa:
:O-o-oa-oa-a:
:O-o-oa-oa:
:O-o-oa-oa-a:
:Sa kom och:
:Dansa med oss:
:Klappa era hander:
:Gor so vi gor:
:Ta nagra steg at vanster:
:Lyssna och lar:
:Missa inte chansen:
:Nu ar vi har med:
:Caramelldansen:
:Dans med oss:
:Klappa era hander:
:Gor so vi gor:
:Ta nagra steg at vanster:
:Lyssna och lar:
:Missa inte chansen:
:Nu ar vi har med:
:Caramelldansen:
And with that, the song ended. The crowd continued bouncing around anyway. Sure, they may have had no fucking clue as to what was said, but they got a good vibe from it. Konjyoyaki just continued to glare. That was, until he spied the spiky blonde hair of a familiar person. Grinning a bit, the man thought of the next song to sing as his blood returned to its normal thickened and his voice returned to normal. The mix tables were gone, the instruments were back, it was time to rock.
/
Damn. You know, the chapter alone was over 13,000 words, and the author's notes and omake just lengthened it. I can understand it can be tedious to sit at your computer screen all day, and so does my beta, Lykaos. That's why I have decided to take his advice and limit my chapters to 10,000 words at the most… starting at chapter 16. I have a plan, and I would be awkward to break up next chapter if it goes longer than that, you know. So, the omake was a suggestion by Skittlekick, and I hope you liked it.
What's this? Is Konjyoyaki really Hokuto's brother, or was it just a ruse like Hokuto said? What will be the repercussions of this dimension-bending question? Well, I know, but you'll have to wait and see. I don't know, I have mixed feelings about this chapter. Some parts feel good to me while others feel rushed. Tell me what you think, please, and if enough of you agree with me, I'll redo it to make it flow better. Anyway this has been a 14,151 word chapter by your fellow author, Acolyte of Truth!