I Do Not Own Naruto or BlazBlue. As if I own either of them I would be rich and I would not be writing fan fictions about the two series. Duh.
Panting heavily as he pulled his hand back from a cratered boulder, Naruto growled as he heard his trainer's voice from behind. "That's still not right, Naruto. You are much closer than before but it is still not quite right."
"ARGH!" A ten year old Naruto screamed out and turned to his massive sensei. "Then what am I doing wrong! It's not like I meant to use the Azure before so I don't know what I am doing!"
Tager simply nodded while he crossed his massive arms. "I understand that, Naruto. I am simply stating that you were much closer on this last attempt than any previously. You are finally starting to get the hang of it even if you don't realize it. Your body understands it just that your mind is trying to catch up."
"Are you saying I'm stupid?!" Naruto roared at the Red Devil for possibly insinuating he was not intelligent for that was not true.
"Quite so." Rachel appeared out of a shroud of darkness on a colorful picnic cloth, sipping a cup of tea like she had been their the entire time. "While you are not quite as dumb as that repulsive idiot as Ragna was, you still have an immense gap of intelligence compared to someone like myself or even Mr. Red Devil there."
After screaming like a little girl, for Rachel appeared almost directly behind him, just off to the side from the boulder he had been beating on, Naruto rounded on her before yelling. "Freaking Rabbit! Where did you come from?!"
"Why whatever do you mean? I've been here the entire time enjoying my tea. It is not my fault that you are so unaware of your surroundings that you failed to notice me. Perhaps you need to be more observant otherwise I'm afraid that you won't make it in this harsh world of ours." Rachel nonchalantly put Naruto down as she took another sip of her tea.
"The hell you have!" Naruto barked back as there was no way in the world he wasn't going to notice a vampire sitting there with her demon parcel shading her while enjoying a picnic right beside where he was training. "I may be deficient in some things but not noticing you takes effort! I know, I've tried!"
"Why I never." Rachel responded in slightly offended tone not too different from her usual one and before Naruto knew it she slapped him with enough force to knock him off his feet. "You should feel grateful that I am in a rather generous mood for otherwise..." A dark grin crept onto her lips as she went back to sipping her tea making both Naruto and Tager shutter as she left her threat open ended.
And that was more frightening then being told what she might do. Rachel was unpredictable and cruel! Nago and Gii would attest to that before she smack them both.
"Ms. Alucard." Tager began being his usual respectful self. "May I ask what the occasion is? To be quite frank you don't appear unless something is needed or something is about to go horribly wrong."
Taking a sip of her tea, ignoring Tager for a moment for it was nothing urgent to her, and contently sighed as she looked at the beautiful scenery before her. "I am simply here for a picnic, nothing more. It is simply mere coincidence that you are training my servant here."
Getting his answer, as indirect as it was, Tager nodded in understanding. Naruto, however, did not like the word she used in that answer. "I am not your servant, rabbit! How many times do I have to tell you that I am not your little toy to play with?! I am my own person."
Rachel's lips quirked a little, both at the insult that she merely thought of him as her play toy and being impressed that he stood up for his strong self of identity, she simply gave him her regular smile. The one that let you know that you were screwed. "Oh I am quite sure you are for you see you are in debt to me. And for payment said debt you are to serve me."
"Like hell I will! You're sadistic and cruel to those that do serve you and I have no intention on joining in on that abuse." Naruto growled as he would not let this slide.
Rachel looked amused. That was until Gii decided to speak. "Yeah! You tell her... OOOWWWW!"
Gii smashed into the ground and Rachel looked as impassive as ever. Nago only sighed and would have shook his head at his partner. "Gii you never learn do you?"
Snapping her cat umbrella close, making Nago yelp in pain for speaking out of turn, Rachel's smile didn't fade. "Oh do you really have the time to converse with me while in the midst of training? Isn't that hazardous?"
"What are you getting at?" Naruto narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure out what it was Rachel was alluding to.
Rachel simply smiled when Naruto heard Tager's voice. "Naruto! It's time for our spar! Ready or not here I come!"
Naruto paled as he wasn't even facing the massive man and knew this was going to be bad as he slowly turned to see Tager coming at him.
"Blitz! Hammer!" Tager roared covered quite a bit of ground as he swung a sweeping fist at Naruto before dropping a two fist slam onto the pour boy's head.
"GGAAAAHHH!" Naruto was driven into the ground and a massive crater was formed form the impact of the blow.
"Oh my. That looked like it hurt." Rachel looked rather amused as Naruto groaned in his crater, not looking like he was going to get up from that blow. "It is like I said earlier. You should be more aware of your surroundings."
Despite passing out at that very moment, two words were utter from Naruto's lips. "Damn rabbit."
"Talking about me in your sleep? My I'm not sure if I should be pleased or offended but I will air on the side of reason and say the latter." Rachel still looked rather amused at the unconscious blonde before her face steeled into her usual uncaring form. "Tager... Has Naruto had any contact with the nine tails?"
"I believe so." The Red Devil spoke, knowing he had caught Naruto off guard and he actually agreed with Rachel on the point that Naruto's awareness needed improvement. "While he did not inform Noel or myself of what was said he did mention that their small conversation was, I am using his words, like talking to a more derogatory version of Rachel if that is even possible."
Purposely stepping on Naruto's hand, ignoring the unconscious boy's automatic groan in response to protest her action, Rachel look pensive as she thought for a moment. "I see. I would like to see if you could get him to speak about it more. The nine tails in an unknown factor that I'm still not comfortable with and we need to stay more informed on it's actions. It could ruin everything if we aren't careful."
"Are you worried that he might become like the Black Beast or even the Ten Tailed Beast?" Tager spoke as his concerns were on much of the same level. "I would like to be frank... I would have rather him have learned how to use chakra instead of the Azure as it feels just like Ragna's... And that I know that Ragna had the possibility of becoming the second coming of the Black Beast makes me apprehensive about this whole situation."
"I don't blame you to be honest." Rachel responded as she picked up Gii and began to toy around with him, stretching his body beyond what it should have been possible. "However I... Trust Naruto. His will seems even greater than Ragna and he is far more intelligent than he was too. He just still so easily provoked but I can forgive him for not. He is but a child still."
"That is a rare complement coming from you." Tager stated as he lifted Naruto quite easily and hung him over his shoulder. "I should take him back to Noel now so he can get his rest. He still has a long way before he's remotely close to ready."
"Still... He will need some field action soon." Rachel commented, knowing it was most likely Noel that was keeping Naruto grounded as he was. "Training can only take one so far. He will need to test himself out in the world to see where he really stands. Only then can he actually grasp how much more he needs to go before he's ready as whether we like it or not... Only he will know when that time comes."
Tager could only nod in agreement before he slowly head back to Kaka Village for he and Noel was staying there as they trained Naruto. It was simply easier to train him there as the weather was tad bit uninhabitable where they normally stayed. And in all fairness he could just head back there when he needed repairs or to refuel his energy source.
He would thank Kokonoe for looking that far ahead for him knowing he would not expire and truly wished the best for him. She was a great friend to the end.
Rachel simply watched the fading sun as Tager walked away. Sighing she finished the last of her tea before she reopened Nago and slowly trotted away, having no where really to go.
Her castle was rather unwelcoming now without Valkenhym and no struck her fancy to be a good enough butler for her. She doubt anyone ever would be good enough for her as he set the bar and no one could match his services.
He was loyal to her to very end.
"Oh this place again?" Naruto complained as he slowly made his way to his feet, gazing at the forest that surrounded him.
The trees were planted in such a way that made rows. Now only that the rows would make sudden and sharp turns and lead him in different directions like that of a maze. Sure he could just cross through but the maze never ended. There was no escape from this place. And at the very center of it laid...
One Kyuubi no Kitsune. who was currently glaring at him as he made his approach. "Oh look at this. The little ningen thinks he worthy to stand in my presence Did I not explain things to you last time or shall I explain it this slowly and small words so that you can understand what I am saying?"
Naruto simply raised an eyebrow at the cage fox as he wasn't sure why he was here either, not really wanting to be here in the first place. They didn't really get along too well and to be honest he could care less about the bijuu. "I swear you and the rabbit are secretly related..."
"Do not every consider her and I on the same level! That bitch is beneath me!" The Kitsune roared and pulsed it's crimson chakra from it's cage.
Naruto withstood the barrage of power by holding his arm out and bracing himself as the shock wave hit him. Relaxing his stance afterwards he simply grinned at the fox. "You might want to start putting more into th... Oh wait you can't. The seal restricts you too much to any more than that, doesn't it?"
"Damn ningen! I'll make you suffer for this one day!" The fox growled at its vessel. "Now as I stated before, why are you here?"
"Like I know?" Naruto responded as he was just as confused as the demon was about that. "I woke up only to find myself in here so I figured you had something to do with it."
Stopping its growling, as that was an odd thing to say the least for Naruto would not appear here unless it called the kid or the kid wanted to come here, the nine tail's narrowed its massive eyes. "Strange... I did not call you here and you did come here on your own volition. That only leaves one possible reason. There is an intrusion in your mind."
Frowning as that should not be possible, for he knew he was with Tager and Rachel before he passed out so he was safe, Naruto shook his head. "What could get past Tager, who is ever so careful to scan an area before he proceeds, and Rachel, the one being that can make even Kages bend to her will if so need be?"
"My only guess would be that is a spirit of some sort. I doubt any person could get or would get by the Red Devil to try and just intrude on our mind much less the vampire bitch. A spirit is the only thing that makes sense." Kyuubi went over the options and informed its vessel as for much as it hated to admit it its life was connected to the blonde's and therefor made keeping him alive a priority.
The fox was not willing to head to the next plane of existence just yet.
Not liking that response, Naruto looked around through the forest to see if he could spot anything. Yet it seemed to be in vain for he couldn't see a thing. That was until he saw a wisp of light pass his vision. "What the hell?!"
Kyuubi caught to, however, its eyes stayed focused and tried to figure out what kind of spirit this was. However as he was identifying the soul it began to flutter away. "Dammit! Chase after it and catch the damn thing! It's just probably some weak soul passing by and was drawn in by your and my Azure! By catching it you can kick it out so that way you can back to sleep and I can get ignore this bullshit called life."
Ignoring what the kitsune spoke of for itself, Naruto did as the fox said for he would have to default to it here. It did know a lot more about the seal and souls than he did.
However Naruto soon become annoyed at this soul. It was far quicker than he had imagined and just as he thought he caught it the soul sped away. Yet as he kept chasing after him, it seemed the soul knew exactly where it was heading for it seemed to be leading him.
This bothered Naruto. This was his mind and while he wasn't quite sure on what was all in it he damn well knew that a regular soul shouldn't know where to go in his mind!
Then again he could be over thinking this and it was just a coincidence that the soul seemed like it knew where it was going. After all he was chasing it down and the soul obviously did not want to be caught.
Seeing his chance, as the soul had stopped dead ahead, Naruto was seconds from catching it when he stopped as what was before him caught his attention. He froze at the sight before him and he simply couldn't believe it.
The scenery before him was no longer a forest of properly lined trees. What stood before him know was a factory of molting steel being pumped into a massive lake of smelted steel. And in the very middle of the lake of smelted steel was a small island and on that island...
Was the sword he saw in the Kaka village elder's hut but with one difference. There was seal of a strange looking eye on the blade.
"W-what is this?" Naruto couldn't believe what he was seeing nor did he really understand what it was.
However it seemed the soul knew and spoke, though it was hardly understandable. "Azure... Your Azure."
And before he knew it the soul flew into the Azure, becoming part of it and startling Naruto. He began to tremble at the sight before him as it was simply too much for him.
This was his Azure... His power.
And that power was made up of souls.
A/N: And cut! That is chapter 3 for you. For those that have played BlazBlue they should know why picked smelted steel as the image of his power, his Azure. I was wanting to do this scene a little later actually but since where I placed it didn't really matter I felt it was appropriate to do it now. That and it kept this chapter from being so damn short and the first scene actually led up the second scene rather decently.
I think I'm staying pretty true to Rachel's character as with Tager and Noel's but if there are any key differences... Well it is fan fiction for a reason.
I want to go in on why I used soul but I really can't as for those that haven't played BB I want it to be a surprise. And well... I wing things and it seems to go rather well when I do. I just try to avoid contradictions though it happens at times when I'm writing.
Anyways I hope you are enjoying this so far and please review so I can know how I'm doing! Seriously, I like to know what everyone is thinking so I can see if correct a few things here and there.
Peace out my friends.