Maelstrom of Paradis Island

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Attack on Titan. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Hajime Isayama respectively.

Normal speech: "Mikasa"
Thoughts: 'Mikasa'

Author's note: Hi again, I would like to thank everyone who favored, followed and reviewed this story. Chapter three: Purpose

About the last chapter…

Agrave: Yes, Naruto and Mikasa will be the only ones to have chakra.

A week after the fall of Shiganshina …

It had been seven days since the people of Shiganshina reached wall Rose and took refugee in a food storage area. Not surprisingly, they were not welcomed with open arms, the sudden influx of people causing a shortage of food for everyone. Since then the Garrison soldiers were assigned to distribute supplies for the refugees.

Dull purple-blue eyes stared at the sunset, the sky painted a beautiful shade of orange, a sight that could soothe anyone of their worries. But it did nothing to calm the emotions raging within him. The image of Carla's hands reaching up for him before she was crushed refused to leave his mind. Guilt and a feeling of helplessness battered his spirit relentlessly. His gaze shifted to the giant wall looming a short distance away from him, A wall which once provided a sense of security to everyone, but right now it was just a structure standing there without any purpose. He wondered how his life had turned out like this. The happy times he had spent with his family, running around hunting and pranking others without any worry felt like a distant memory now. The things he saw in Shiganshina on that fateful day made him feel something he had never felt before. Fear. Fear of the Titans. Fear for his and his friends' survival. Naruto at his core was a hunter. He had always been the predator his prey were afraid of. And for the first time in his life, he felt the roles were reversed when it came to the Titans. That simple fact left him questioning everything he had previously believed in. Doubts began to creep into his mind concerning his and humanity's strength in fighting the Titans.

The sound of bell tolling shook him out of his thoughts. He watched with dead eyes as people started gathering to receive their rations. People of all ages, children, women, elderly, stood in line to receive food for their survival.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he glanced to his right and squinted his eyes to see Mikasa standing with a loaf of bread in her hand. How she got that, he had no idea but he didn't dwell on it too much. " Naruto, you need to eat." the worried voice of his friend reached his ears.

" I'm not hungry." His tone bland, devoid of any life as he stared at some people fighting for food. He couldn't blame them since food was very scarce inside the wall.

Mikasa frowned at her oldest friend. He had isolated himself from everyone and barely ate anything. His face was pale with dark circles under his eyes due to the lack sleep. Her previous attempts to raise his spirits had only met with failure. Knowing anymore attempt on her part would only cause him to lash out, she did the only thing she could do at that moment. Walking up to him she silently sat down beside him. No words were spoken but she knew he appreciated her presence from the way his body relaxed a little.

The two stayed like that for a while before Naruto noticed that she was still holding the loaf of bread,

" You don't have to stay hungry for me." his hoarse voice shook her out of her thoughts.

"I'm not hungry," she said, not wanting to admit she was starving.

GROWL

She cursed in her mind as her stomach chose that moment to betray her. She blushed a little when Naruto looked at her with a raised eyebrow,"Really?" he asked her in a disbelieving tone as she fidgeted under his gaze.

" I'm. not. hungry." she repeated, her voice a little louder to emphasize her point.

"Oh, I believe you." Sarcasm dripped from every word he spoke causing her to huff in annoyance

" I'm serious. I'm not hungry." She turned her head away from him to hide her embarrassment.

A small smile graced his lips as he saw his friend's pitiful attempt to hide her embarrassment. But it left as soon as it came as Mikasa's next statement caught him completely off guard.

"You're afraid," she said. It was not a question but a statement as he looked at him with sharp eyes, daring him to disagree with her.

" W-what? What are you talking about?" He stuttered, as he tried to avoid the subject.

Her eyes softened a little before she spoke," You can't-fool me, Naruto. I see it in your eyes, they don't have the same confidence as they once did. And I can see you are feeling responsible for Carla-san's death." Her eyes tearing up a little as she gazed at him with worry.

" I-i …" Naruto didn't know what to say, He was shocked she could read him like an open book. The sheer amount of worry on her face shook him to the core. He clenched his fist and shut his eyes as the turmoil of emotions he had kept locked away began to surface again. Rage, terror, agony, sadness, and a feeling of utter helplessness all began to attack him at the same time. His body shook, as he said in a choked voice,

"I-i should have saved her. I was too wea-"

"Stop it! " the steel in her voice stopped him from saying anymore as he looked at her with slightly widened eyes.

Closing the distance between them she took his hand in hers,

" It was not your fault. If anything the Titans are to blame. You can't sit here wasting your life feeling afraid and guilty when there are people who depend on you, Naruto." she said in a firm tone.

"B-but..but…"

"I don't like seeing you like this," she whispered as she looked him in the eye,

"You always told me the moment you start doubting yourself is the moment you have given up all hope. You are the one who told me to live my life with purpose. You are the one who encouraged me to keep moving forward when my parents died. You are the one who told me to live a life my parents would be proud of. You are the one who told me to never lose hope, that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, that if you tried something hard enough you could achieve it. But right now when I look at you I see none of that unwavering will or optimism. All I see is a loser who has given up all hope!" She shouted, with tears beginning to form from the corner of her eyes.

Naruto felt like he was stabbed repeatedly with a knife. Every word she spoke forced him to recall what he had been doing for the past three days. All the times she had come to comfort him and All the times he chose to ignore her flashed through his mind. Shame began to fill his being as he realized his mistake. Did he really just lose hope after facing a single Titan? He could feel the faces of Maya, Renly and even Carla looking at his current state in disgust. He felt like the most pathetic being in the world.

Seeing the look of realization on his face, Mikasa turned around and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She knew he needed this. Mikasa knew that Naruto was strong both mentally and physically but she hated his tendency to carry everyone's burden by himself. She knew he was bottling up a lot of emotions for a long period of time. Even when her parents died she didn't remember him crying. She wanted him to know it was okay to lean on his friends in time of need. She wanted him to know that she, Eren and Armin will be there to share his burden. "You don't have to hold it in, Naruto. You can cry, there is no shame in crying for the loss of a loved one," she whispered in his ears as she held him tight.

His body shook as a single tear finally escaped his eyes. He tried to hold it in but it was too much for him as the dam finally broke and hot tears of anger and pain began to flow freely. He decided he didn't have to be strong right now. Just this once he would allow himself to be weak as he cried on her shoulder. Mikasa held him tight as he poured out all his frustration, anger and sadness. He had stood by her side for a long time, helping her to move forward and not let the sadness and pain consume her, He was and still is her pillar of strength. So at this moment, in his rare moment of weakness, she would be the pillar he could lean on. It was the least she could do after all.

They stayed like that for a few minutes as Mikasa comforted her friend before he broke the hug and wiped away the tears. He turned his head away from her, a slightly embarrassed blush on his face,"Thanks." he whispered out.

It was just a single word but Mikasa knew he truly meant it and felt happy that she could help him, at least this once.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a meditative pose. Taking a deep breath in he began to compose himself. Now that he was not ravaged by a plethora of raging emotions he knew exactly what he had to do. His breathing steadied and soon his body became completely still. He could feel his chakra getting calmer and calmer until it began to flow like a gentle breeze within him, filling him with serene calmness. He slowly began to erase any remaining doubt within his mind. He would never ever doubt himself again. He vowed to himself that this would be the last time he ever came close to giving up. This would be the last time he would ever doubt himself or the strength of the human race. From here on out, no matter what hurdles he may face or how much pain life may through his way, he would continue to move forward without stopping till he reached his goal. His goal being the extermination of the Titans. With his purpose found, he slowly opened his eyes but when he did they were no longer the dull, dead eyes they were a few minutes ago. No, his eyes shone with a strength that Mikasa hadn't seen before. It was like looking at a completely different person. His facial expression, body language everything looked more focused and deadly. A shiver ran down her spine when he saw the fire in his eyes. She knew at that moment that there was no need to worry about her friend anymore, for Naruto Uzumaki is back and he was back with a purpose.

A relieved smile graced Mikasa's lips as she saw her friend regain his will. Tearing the bread into two pieces she shoved it in front of his face,"Now Eat it, you look miserable." She said in a joking voice.

"he hehe… Thanks.." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he took the bread from her hand and the two began to devour their food in comfortable silence.

The silence was soon broken when they heard shouting from a distance. Turning their heads, they saw Eren shouting at a garrison soldier with an angry expression on his face.

"I guess we should stop before he gets into any trouble."

"Hai" Mikasa replied as they went to stop the situation from getting worse.

XXX

A few minutes ago…..

"This is only making the food shortage worse." A garrison soldier said as he looked at the crowd gathered to receive their rations in disgust. As far as he was concerned these outsiders would only cause more problem for the people inside wall Rose.

"Yeah, the Titans should have eaten more of these people." Another soldier agreed with him as he looked at some people fighting over the food. He was about to spout another scathing remark before he got kicked in the shin by Eren. Wincing in pain,"What the hell brat!" he shouted in anger and threw a punch at Eren, knocking him to the ground.

Gritting his teeth in pain," You don't know what you're talking about! You didn't see it with your own eyes, how the Titans feed on people without any mercy!" Eren yelled, a bruise already forming on his cheek as he got back to his feet with Armin asking him to calm down.

By now they have gained the attention of the surrounding people who were whispering among themselves as they looked at the scene with interest.

"What did you just say!?" The soldier shouted, his anger raising at the audacity of this loud-mouthed brat.'Ungrateful little runt!' he thought as his hand cocked back to throw another punch at Eren, and he would have succeeded if it were not for Naruto who appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip before sweeping his legs from under him in seconds. 'What!?' He thought as his mind processed what just happened as he was left staring at the sky in shock. His shocked expression soon turned into one of anger as his slow mind processed what had happened as he sat up on the ground in anger,

"Who the fuc- " His voice died in his throat when he met Naruto's eyes. Those cold purple orbs seemed to pierce his very soul, watching his every move like a hawk. The fact that Naruto was releasing a concentrated dose of killing intent at him didn't help his case as well.

"You were about to say something?" Naruto's cold voice sent shivers down his spine.'W-what is he!?' he thought as he tried to regain his composure.

Seeing as the soldier was ready to piss his pants Naruto cut off his Killing intent to allow the man to recover.

Quickly regaining his composure the soldier stood up," Y-you lot must be grateful!. You would all be dead without us." He said, his voice shaking a little as he stared the blond and red-haired teen with contempt.

"And we are grateful for that, but that doesn't mean we would watch silently as you go around treating us like trash," Naruto said with the same cold look on his face as he fixed the soldier with a glare.

Getting fed up with the arrogance of the blond brat he stepped forward to beat him up only for Armin to step in between him and Naruto,"We're sorry!" he shouted and bowed to the soldier with the most sincere sorry expression he could produce on his face.

" He is just ticked off because he is hungry. Please, we don't want any trouble," he said with his head still lowered in a bow.

Looking at the boy in front of him, he decided to let this incident slide, "Whatever …" He said as he walked away but not before directing one last warning glare at both Naruto and Eren.

Naruto watched him leave for a while before turning around to see Eren, Mikasa, and Armin returning back to the camp. He began walking in their direction but stopped when he felt someone watching him. Quickly turning around he saw a Blonde haired girl looking at him with an uninterested expression on her face. Their eyes met for a moment before she turned around and began walking towards one of the refuge building.

Naruto shrugged and was about to leave when he saw a middle-aged man who began following the blonde girl. He had a creepy expression on his face which set Naruto's danger senses off instantly.'This guy could not be good news' He thought when he saw the guy follow her into an alley. Fearing for the girl's safety, he quickly rushed towards the alley. Turning the corner he saw the man getting ready to grab her from behind. He rocketed towards him without a second thought, hoping to prevent him from inflicting any harm, But was shocked and caught completely off guard when the girl, in a motion too quick to follow spun around and delivered a sickening roundhouse kick to the guy's face cracking his skull and knocking him out in an instant. In seconds her eyes saw the image of Naruto running towards her. Thinking he was about to attack her she drew a knife from her hip pouch and dashed towards Naruto with intent to kill. Naruto cursed as he narrowly dodged a strike to his head, but had no time to think as he had to dodge another strike from the girl.

"W-wait..I was trying to help you.." He tried to explain while dodging super fast horizontal and vertical slashes. The girl was good, he had to admit. But this was getting out of hand as she was getting dangerously close to striking him with each failed slash. Deciding he had to end this quick, He jumped back to create separation before he let loose a single throwing knife at her. Her eyes widened as she rolled to the side to avoid getting impaled, but that was all the time Naruto needed. Pumping chakra to his feet, he reached her side in seconds. Quickly grabbing hold of her hand, he disarmed her and knocked the knife away from them before dropping her to the ground, courtesy of a leg sweep. She tried to get back up but was unable to do as Naruto grabbed both her arms and straddled her from above.

"Calm Down!" he shouted, as he looked her in the eye. She struggled for a moment before she stopped resisting when she realized that there was nothing she could do right now.

Naruto loosened the grip on her hand," Okay, I'll release you but only if you promise me to stay quiet and listen. Okay?" As he gave her a smile to reassure her that he means no harm.

She was still not sure what to think of the boy, but nodded her head nonetheless."Okay, But I'll appreciate If you quit being a pervert and stop straddling a helpless fragile girl like me." She said in a bland tone.

"Let me guess, This is the part where I get all shy and embarrassed and step away from you only for the so-called helpless and fragile girl to get the drop on me. Nope! Not gonna happen!." He said with a smirk on his face.

Despite the position she was in, she couldn't help but smirk a little," Well, That usually works on everyone. Apparently, you're not everyone."

" You're damn right I am not anyone!" He said as he stood up and offered a hand to help her stand up.

She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand to stand up.

" Soo.. You were not trying to attack me?" she asked as she leaned on the side of a building. She looked much more relaxed since she figured out he meant her no harm.

Also, there was something about him that made her feel more comfortable than she probably would when meeting other strangers.

"No, I saw this creep following you and I followed him into this alley," he replied as he looked at the still knocked out creep.

"By the way, the way you took him out, was scary!. Fast, precise and deadly. Best way to take out someone if you ask me. " He said with a grin as he looked at the blonde girl standing across him.

"Oh, I am sure you could have done better. You did make that soldier look like a fool." She said with a matching grin on her face.

Naruto blinked, This was the first genuine emotion she had shown since he had met her, which was actually not too long ago.' So she is proud of her skills.' Naruto thought as he studied the girl in front him. Naruto had to admit she was pretty. She wore a hooded sweatshirt and dark grey pants. she had moderate short blonde hair that was tied at the back with her right fringe draping over the right side of her face. She had an oval-shaped face and pale complexion. But it was her eyes that caught Naruto's attention. They had a sullen vibe to them like they were tired of seeing the cruelty this world could unleash.

Shaking his head, he extended his hand towards her," Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." he introduced himself.

Her eyes widened a little, but she concealed her surprise well,'What!?…Uzumaki?' she thought as she looked at the boy in front of her,

"Annie Leonhardt," she replied as she shook his hand.

" We should leave before the creep gets back up," he said as he saw the man beginning to stir.

Nodding her head in agreement she began walking towards her camp with Naruto walking beside her.

"Soo, where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked, trying to strike a conversation with her.

"My father trained me in combat." her voice had a bitter tone to it, although she concealed it well, It was enough for Naruto to pick up.

"Not much love for your father huh?" He asked as he glanced at her with a curious expression on his face.

Annie turned her head to look at him, fully expecting him to have a mocking or a sympathetic expression on his face but was surprised when he gave her a look of curiosity and….understanding?

"Yeah, I hate being forced to do anything," she said as she shook her head to clear depressing thoughts entering her mind.

Although it was a vague answer, Naruto understood its meaning instantly. Her father had forced her into a lifestyle that she didn't want.

"You know you don't have to follow his ideas right?" His words causing her to stop dead in her track.

"W-what?" she looked at him in confusion.

Seeing her confused expression he decided to elaborate," I mean, why to follow something you don't believe in. You said it yourself. You don't like being forced to do anything. So why follow something you were forced to do in the first place?"

"Did I tell you I was forced to do anything?" she asked with narrowed eyes. Now starting to get annoyed at Naruto.

"No you didn't, But I can tell. Call it instincts or anything you want. I can tell you have conflicting thoughts. And I am not telling you or advising you to do anything. I am just saying you don't have to be bound by someone else's Ideals and ideas. You can choose your own path to walk."

For the second time in their short conversation, she found herself completely stumped at his words. Follow her own path? That thought had never crossed her mind before. She believed she would always be bound to the ideals of her father and…them. The mere thought of them caused her anger to spike. She was broken out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"h-huh?" she blinked as she saw Naruto looking at her with concern.

"Hey, Are you okay? You spaced out for a bit there?" There was genuine concern in his voice that surprised her. I mean who would feel concerned about someone they just met. Certainly, she wouldn't.

"y-yeah, yeah I'm fine," she replied as she took a few steps away from him to regain her composure.

Realising he had touched a sensitive subject, Naruto decided to change the topic," so do you have any dreams and goals for the future?"

Annie looked at him with a raised eyebrow,"Why do you want to know?" She asked in a curious tone. To her own surprise, she was starting to like this conversation. It felt good to have a normal conversation with someone for once.

"Just because," he replied with a nonchalant shrug

Sighing at him she decided to answer him," I don't have a dream, I just want to survive and lead a normal life." she replied with honesty.

"That's a great dream you have there, Annie." He said with a huge smile on his face. The honesty in his voice surprised her again.

"What? You look surprised. Believe me, It's a good dream. I mean I wanted the same thing until a few years ago." His smile faltered a bit as the memories of recent years flashed through his mind.

Now Annie was really interested,"So, What's your dream now?" she asked with a curious expression on her face.

Naruto looked at the sky as a gentle breeze ruffled his hair," I decided I have to kill them, the Titans, every single one of them." His arctic tone sent chills up her spine

Annie stood frozen as his cold gaze landed on her,"There is no place safe inside the walls anymore. I am gonna join the military training next year and join the scouting regimen to kill off every single Titan." He said with such conviction that Annie was instantly drawn believe his every word.

Despite being slightly scared at his statement a small smile graced her lips as she looked at the boy in front of her in a completely different light. Annie always respected people who had an unwavering will and dedication to follow the path they believed in.

"I know you can do it, Naruto." There was no deadpan or sarcasm in her voice. Just her honest and genuine opinion on his dream.

Naruto blinked, He was surprised at how genuine her answer was, Usually people laughed at Eren for saying the same thing," Thanks" he replied with a smile on his face.

With that, they walked in comfortable silence till they saw the camp Annie stayed in. They were nearing the camp when Naruto decided to ask something,

"You know, why don't you come stay with me and my friends?" He asked out of the blue, causing Annie to stop in her track and look at him with a surprised expression on her face

"You should really stop getting surprised by everything I say." He said in a playful tone causing her to blush a little in embarrassment.

"B-ut, but why?" She had seen his friends when he confronted that garrison soldier earlier this day, But she couldn't understand why he would want her to stay with him and his friends.

"Because we're friends now. That's why! " He said with a huge smile on his face.

"No, we're not." Her bland reply caused him to face fault into the ground.

"Sooo… mean," he whined in a pitiful tone as he got back up.

"I'm just honest," she replied with a small grin. Annie found herself getting more and more comfortable expressing herself to him. And it felt surprisingly good. He had a very inviting aura around him which made it easy for her to speak to him. Annie always had difficulty socializing with others. Even though she seemed callous on the outside, she did feel lonely sometimes. She was still Just an eleven-year-old girl after all.

"Oh, come on Annie, don't be shy, you know you like me." his teasing tone caused her eyebrows to twitch as she resisted the urge to smack him in his face.

"Besides you seem to have no one around your age here. We children should stick together you know?" he suggested to her.

Annie had to admit It was nice to be around the blond and red-haired boy. And she was intrigued by his last name 'Uzumaki.'

"Come on, Why don't you give it a try? If you don't like it you can always return here." He suggested, trying to convince her to stay with them. He didn't know why but he felt the need to help this girl and his instincts had always been right.

Annie contemplated for a few minutes, she was conflicted but decided to give it a try," Okay, I'll stay for a few days to see how I like your little group of friends."

"Alright!" Naruto said in an enthusiastic voice as he began leading her towards his camp.

They walked for some distance in silence before Naruto decided to open his mouth,

"Annie, If you are the type to feel shy around boys don't worry, we have a girl in our group."He said with a serious expression on his face, causing her eyebrows to twitch.

"I am. not. shy. around. boys" she said in an annoyed tone

"Really?"

"Yes! Really!"

"Are we friends now?"

"No. We're not."

"Sooo… mean."

As the two walked away from the camp they failed to notice the two figures watching them with narrowed eyes.

XXX

"Where the hell is Naruto?" Eren said in an annoyed voice as he paced back and forth in front of a small campfire surrounded by Mikasa and Armin. Two hours had passed since their confrontation with the garrison soldier and Mikasa was starting to get worried.

"I'm sure he will be back soon, Eren," Armin assured his best friend while Mikasa kept glancing at the entrance every now and then.

"Armin, do you think that Naruto went after that blonde haired girl?" He asked out of the blue. The moment those words left his mouth, Mikasa's head whipped around so fast he thought her neck was gonna break. "What girl?" Though her voice was calm, both Eren and Armin could feel the underlying threat in her voice.

"Uhm… I don't know I just saw him looking at her while we were returning to the camp."
He said in a nervous voice as he looked at Mikasa with caution. Both him and Armin knew Mikasa was very possessive when it comes to Naruto.

"Come on Eren, you think too much. There is no reason for him to go after her." Armin replied as he tried to reassure Mikasa and save his friend from getting pummelled.

Eren was about to say something when they heard footsteps approaching them from the entrance. Eren stopped pacing while Mikasa stood up from her place. A relieved smile graced her features when Naruto stepped into the light of the campfire.

"Naruto-" she began but her voice died in her throat when Annie made herself known by stepping into the light beside Naruto, her eyes staring at the three of them with an uninterested look on her face.

Armin's jaw hit the floor while Eren facepalmed at the situation.

Naruto was either oblivious or chose to ignore the tension as he gave everyone a blinding smile.

"Mikasa, meet the newest member to join our little group. Annie Leonhardt," he said as sparks flew between the two girls.

Armin sighed at the scene. He may not know what the future held in place for them but he did know one thing for sure. The next year is going to be an interesting one.

To be continued…..

Author's note:

Not a lot of action this chapter, But I do hope you find the conversations interesting. Also, I wanted our group to meet Annie before the training camp. Hope you guys liked that.