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, sorry for the late update. I had to rewrite this chapter almost three times. As usual, I would like to thank everyone who favored, followed and reviewed this story. It is your reviews that keep me motivated to write more chapters.
About the previous chapter…
Ezeakel: Yes, Naruto will start learning more about chakra soon. Your suggestions are really good, but I don't want to give Naruto the ability to use chakra chains. The Naruto in this story will be strong, but not invincible. Chakra chains will make taking down titans an easy task. Nevertheless, I assure you he will be a skilled 'Uzumaki'. As for Mikasa getting the Sharingan, logically she should have awakened it when she saw her parents getting murdered, So I am not sure. But I am definitely interested in your suggestion.
Pairing: The pairing is still Naruto X Mikasa. As for Annie, realistically I don't think she would have any time for romantic thoughts as we all know the reason why she was sent to the walls.
And last but not least: Naruto and Mikasa's progress in using chakra won't be drastic. They will progress at a realistic rate.
Previously on Maelstrom of Paradis island….
"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.
Chapter four: The scrolls
It was a clear night inside Wall Rose, the second of the three great walls, the wall which provided protection to the people after Wall Maria was breached a month ago. Unsurprisingly the sudden influx of people had caused a huge food shortage within humanity's second wall. The central government had ordered the refugees to be sent to cultivate land and secure food to reduce the sudden food shortage, but when that strategy didn't work the central government launched a campaign to retake wall Maria using the refugees. It was a dark day in humanity's history as 250 thousand men, almost fifth of the total population was forced on a suicidal mission so that others could survive. They marched into the sunrise knowing their fate and in the end, only 100 survived. With their sacrifice, food shortage improved, albeit a little, for those who survived.
Amidst the whispered conversations in the shadows and drunken mumbles from a few stragglers, a single hooded figure could be seen walking into an alley. The figure already seemed to have a destination in mind as it strode forward with purpose, but if one were to look closer they could see a slight hesitation in its step. A particularly heavy breeze lifted the hood from the figure revealing a blonde haired girl no older than eleven, She had blue eyes and a heart-shaped face with Pale skin. Her face was etched with a bland expression that showed disinterest to everything around her. She was the type of person that only cared about herself and would do anything in order to survive. Some may find her mentality disgusting, but she couldn't care less about what others thought of her.
Quickly adjusting her hood to cover her head the figure continued forward, each step she took as deft as the air, her eyes sharp, as she took in every little detail she could in that moonlit alley. This was no place for an eleven-year-old girl to be, especially in the middle of the night, but she was no normal child, she was warrior, a warrior who had seen and lived through things that most grown-ups had never seen, she was a warrior from a distant place outside the wall, a place that the people inside the walls had no knowledge of, She was a warrior sent with a mission which, if succeeded, would take away the last glimmer of power that resided within the three walls.
It was a couple of minutes before she reached a particularly remote alley, isolated from the rest of the town, a place only a few in their right mind would like to be in the middle of the night.
The smell of urine and human waste reached her causing her to scrunch her nose in disgust. Looking up she could see Graffitis that could have only been written by the mentally ill on the building walls.'Why did they choose a place like this to meet?' She lamented in her mind as she walked towards a nearby wall.
Leaning against the wall, she continued to wait as the chirping of crickets and the occasional roaring of a distant titan echoed ominously throughout the alley.
Her hands twitched as her eyes kept darting to either side of her in caution, 'Where are those two?' she thought as a single drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. The place had her on edge from the moment she had entered it. From it's remote location to its general untidy state everything about this place screamed danger. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her edgy nerves down and managed to succeed, albeit partially. As seconds stretched to minutes and the usual sounds of the night echoed throughout the alley, her mind drifted to the strange events of the past month, the month she had decided to stay with a group four children her age.
For the few weeks she had been staying with them Annie had observed the entire group carefully, especially Naruto, the Red and blond haired 'Uzumaki' who seemed to be the leader of the little group, that everyone looked up to and was the one who had invited her in the first place. The name 'Uzumaki' intrigued her to no end. She was of the knowledge that the Uzumakis were extinct, wiped out to their last child, so that they may never rise again. Why they were wiped out, she had no idea, but she knew there had to be a reason, a very good one at that and she intended to find that out. Nevertheless, the Red-haired blonde seemed to be the most skilled out of the four, a fact she had learned rather painfully through a spar in which he didn't hold back. Another thing that Annie found unique about him was his ability to keep the morale and the optimism in the group high. He had this aura around him that made others feel like everything was going to be okay. But despite all that Annie knew what made him extremely dangerous was not his skills with the knife or combat but rather his unpredictability and iron will. He was the type of person who would forge ahead when all others would have long given up, moving forward towards his goals with an unwavering will.
Then there was Mikasa Ackerman and Armin arlert. If Annie had not been surprised by finding an alive Uzumaki, she was certainly surprised to see a living, breathing Ackerman in front of her. Annie had ascertained the black-haired girl's character the moment the two had met. She was a survivor just like her, the only difference was Annie only cared about her own survival while Mikasa would throw her life away in seconds if it meant her friends could survive. She also seemed to be the only one who had a degree of control over Naruto, which was surprising since he was the type of guy who did what he wanted to do.
From the moment they had met Annie knew Mikasa would never trust her, which to her own surprise caused a slight pang in her heart. With skills second only to Naruto himself Annie knew Mikasa could become a great soldier if trained right, which brought her thoughts to her fellow blond of the group Armin Arlert. The blond-haired Arlert, who she had initially thought as the weakling of the group, had surprised her with his sharp mind. He seemed to be the voice of reason within the group and the others valued his opinion a great deal. There was no doubt in Annie's mind that he was the weakest of the group physically and would get slaughtered by the Titans the moment he stepped foot outside the walls. Mental sharpness could only get you so far when your enemy is so overwhelmingly powerful. But the thing that struck a chord with her was the way others treated him. They didn't Berate him for his weakness nor did they look down on him for his occasional cowardice. To them, he was a dear friend whose life was precious to them and would face down hell to protect him. Be it Naruto, Mikasa or Eren they would protect him at the cost of their own life. If Annie was paying attention she would have noticed a small smile forming on her face at that thought. The thought that someone like Armin who was most definitely weak and would, without a doubt be swept along with the flow being treated like a human had struck a chord with her.
Then there was Eren Yaeger, the hot-headed, short tempered and somewhat naive adopted brother of Naruto Uzumaki and the one she liked the most out of the group. His hate for titans was what seemed to be the drive for him. Despite being similar to Naruto in some aspects, he lacked the skills or the maturity that Naruto had and it was exactly for this reason that she liked him the most out of the group. There was something in his naivety that she found endearing, maybe it reminded her of what she had lost, and what she may continue to lose down the line as she continues to carry out her wretched mission.
'My mission' She thought as a frown formed on her face. That word left a bitter taste in her mouth. The events of Shiganshina flashed through her mind as she fought to keep her body still from the shiver she felt. She had seen it all, the gruesome massacre that she had played a part in instigating, the panicked cries for help from women, children and elderly going unanswered as the titans feasted on anything they could get their hands on. She had stood there and watched as the soldiers fought desperately to keep the Titans at bay till the citizens could escape through the inner gate, only for the Armoured Titan to break through the inner wall completely breaching wall Maria and dooming the people to their deaths. She could still see their horror-stricken faces as their desperate pleas and cries for help went unanswered before being devoured by the Titans. It haunted her dreams every night, eating away at her soul and conscience. The blood of thousands of innocents that were killed that day was on her hands and It was blood that she could never wash away. What she had done was something unforgivable, something disgusting that even the vilest of human beings would think twice before doing. An act so cruel and horrifying that she knew that there was no redemption for someone like her. And not for the first time she cursed her father for forcing her into a life that she knew would only end in misery.
'You know you don't have to follow his ideas, right?' Naruto's words echoed in her mind causing her to go momentarily still. That was the first time anyone had told her that she could walk her own path. But could she really do it? All her life she was trained for the single purpose of carrying out this mission, a mission which if succeeded would put an end to the cursed history of the people within the walls. A history that they don't even know. A part of her felt pity for the people of the walls and part of her felt guilty that she would be playing a role in bringing about their demise.
'I decided I have to kill them, the Titans, every last one of them' Once again Naruto's words echoed in her mind. He had said those words with such conviction that for a moment she had actually believed he could do it.
Annie sighed and shook her head to drive away the conflicting thoughts. She had to focus on the upcoming meeting with her fellow warriors. After all, she knew there could be no redemption for her, for someone who had caused the deaths of thousands of innocents there could be no forgiveness or redemption. She was too far gone to look back now. So she would stick with the plan and see it to the end. An end that she knew would only bring her more pain and misery.
"It's not like you to be so distracted Annie." A voice spoke startling her back to reality as her eyes took in the form of two figures who had just entered the alley and were looking at her with disapproval on their faces.
The first figure was a boy with short blond hair and hazel eyes. His large height and broad shoulders gave him an intimidating presence. The second one was a tall, slender looking boy with dark hair and brown eyes. They were Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover, the two other warriors who were involved in the destruction of shiganshina.
"What do you two wanted to talk about?" Annie asked, almost in a dismissive way, as she stared at the two of them with narrowed eyes.
"You know what we wanted to talk about Annie! Don't act like you don't know what we're talking about." Reiner's voice kept raising as he felt irritated at Annie's flippant attitude.
"Calm down Reiner." The dark haired boy, now named Bertoldt, tried to calm his friend down. He looked at Annie with confusion marring his face,
" Annie, why are you staying with those kids?" He kept his voice as polite as possible hoping Annie would give them a good reason for her actions.
She hesitated for a movement, contemplating whether to answer their question. This managed to rile up Reiner even more as he began to suspect that something was up with Annie.
"You better not forget why we're here Annie." His voice firm, with a hint of steel in it, reminding her of her mission. Annie had been the one who had expressed the most displeasure in carrying out the mission from the start after all.
"I am keeping an eye on them." she finally answered as she looked at them with a blank expression. They stood there for few seconds waiting for her to continue, but when that never came, It managed to confuse both Bertoldt and Reiner even more as Annie had never been this difficult to deal with.
Being the more level-headed of the two boys, Bertoldt tried to keep the conversation from getting ugly as he asked Annie in the same polite voice,
"But why though?. We have to proceed with the mission to infiltrate wall Sina soon. And you are the best in infiltration among us. You can't keep staying with them, Annie." He said as he tried to reason with his fellow warrior.
Annie held back a scoff at his statement 'Best at infiltration?…Yeah right.' She thought as she looked at the two them with hidden disgust. She had known them since she was a child and had never liked either of them much. One was a brainwashed glory seeker and the other was a coward who followed the most popular opinion.
She was about to say something when Reiner beat her to the punch and spoke with a sense of finality in his voice.
"You must infiltrate Wall Sina soon Annie."
Annie's eyes narrowed at the tone in his voice. Ever since they had reached Shiganshina he had been ordering her around and if there was one thing that she hated, It was people telling her what to do. Nevertheless, the mission was important and she had to follow his decisions as he was the team leader now, As such she would have to infiltrate wall Sina except that she can't, with Naruto and the others watching her all the time, she had barely slipped out of the camp today to meet Reiner and Bertoldt here.
"I can't." she finally answered, her blatant refusal managed to shock both Berthold and Reiner.
"What do you mean you can't? You know how important the mission is Annie." Bertold tried to reason with her while Reiner looked at her with barely hidden contempt.
"They will get suspicious if I just keep disappearing every now and then. I just can't afford that with that group." If they were not surprised by Annie before, they were certainly shocked by her statement now.
"You can't afford?. Annie, they are just ordinary children. They won't suspect a thing." Reiner spoke, his voice more confused than angry. His mind trying to understand why Annie would be cautious of a group of children.
Annie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that statement," They are not normal by any means. One of them is an Ackerman and the other an…Uzumaki." She said as she looked them in the eye with a serious expression on her face.
Bertoldt's eyes widened a little before a look of realization came across his face while Reiner remained clueless.
"Uzumaki? Ackerman? What does that have to do with anything?" He questioned as he looked at Bertold for some explanation.
"Really? There is really an Ackerman and Uzumaki inside the walls?" He asked ignoring Reiner's look for an explanation. If what Annie said was true, then the group could be worth keeping an eye on.
"Yes, that's what I said. And I am keeping an eye on them. You have to find a way to infiltrate wall Sina by yourself."
" Wait, hold on Bertold what is she saying?" Reiner finally asked, having had enough of being kept in the dark.
He was about to reply when the sound of approaching footsteps alerted them of a presence. They seized their conversation instantly,
"Reiner, I'll explain later. I think its best to leave that group to Annie." He said as all three of them prepared to leave the place.
"Fine," Reiner grumbled out, rather reluctantly as he gave Annie one final look of warning before both him and Berthold walked out of the shadowed alley and disappeared without a trace, leaving Annie behind.
Annie stared at the place where her fellow warriors stood before she decided to leave as well. She hoped nobody in the camp had woken up to find her missing, as such an event could cause her lots of trouble. She stepped out of the alley and disappeared as if she was never there.
It didn't take too long for her to reach the camp. Deftly, without a single noise, she made her way through the entrance to find Naruto, Armin, Mikasa and Eren sleeping peacefully without a trace of worry on their face. She let out a relieved sigh at that. A part of her felt jealous that they could still sleep like that after everything they had gone through. To be able to sleep without the guilt of murder eating away at your soul was something she could never have. Shaking her head to drive away the depressing thoughts, she took her place among the group and tried to get some much-needed sleep.
XXX
The next day morning…
Purple-blue eyes drifted open to the sound of bell tolling in the distance. Sitting up, Naruto blinked his eyes to gain focus as he looked around the camp to see Armin, Mikasa, and Eren waking up. He was glad to see that Armin was doing well after his grandpa died on the campaign to recapture wall Maria. He once again found himself cursing the accursed Titans for bringing so much pain and destruction in their lives. He frowned when he saw Annie trying to wake up, albeit with great difficulty. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked like she had not slept for weeks when in reality It was only one night.
"Morning!" he greeted everyone as he stood up and stretched his back to get rid of the kinks.
"Morning." Everyone droned out, still feeling sleepy, especially Mikasa who was not a morning person.
" Do we really have to wake up this early?" Eren asked as he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the sleep. Armin and Mikasa nodded their head with their eyes still closed agreeing with Eren as Annie finally managed to sit up.
"Yes, and you will continue to do so this entire year."
"Huh? But why?" Eren whined, not understanding why he must keep waking up this early.
Naruto folded his arms as he looked at them in a thinking posture," Hmmm…How about preparing for the military training. Does that sound like a good reason." He asked with a smile knowing this would instantly grab Eren's interest as Mikasa and Armin's eyes snapped open.
Eren perked up instantly, his face lighting up with excitement," Really?! You're gonna teach me some of your moves." he asked as he stood up from his place, his sleep completely forgotten.
" Yes, Eren. Now go get ready to leave for our usual training place." He replied with a sinister smile which sent shivers down the spine of all three of them.
'Why do I feel like I am going to regret this' Was the unanimous thoughts of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin as they went to get ready for whatever it was that Naruto had planned for them.
"Preparing them for Military training? Really? You couldn't come up with a better excuse." Annie asked as she looked at Naruto with a knowing look.
"Oh, And what makes Ms. Know-it-all think I lied to them?"
Her eyes twitched at his slight jibe," You know I am right."
"No, you're not. It's about time we started preparing for the military… You can join us if you want." He offered her. Even though It had been few weeks since she started staying with them, Naruto felt like she hadn't really meshed with the group yet. He was hoping that this training exercise could integrate her more into the group.
"Sure, why not?" Annie shrugged, she didn't lose anything by joining them in training besides she was curious to see what Naruto had planned for them.
Naruto smiled as he began to put his plan into motion.
XXX
A random clearing, few hours later….
The sound of labored breathing could be heard from the middle of the clearing as Eren and Armin were down on the ground, drenched in sweat, their eyes closed, chest hitching and heaving desperately for air as they had just completed what Naruto had labeled as a warm-up.
"C-come on Naruto, That's enough for today, don't you think?." Eren pleaded from the ground as he looked to his right to see Mikasa and Annie still standing but completely exhausted as well.
'That was just a warm-up' Both Mikasa and Annie thought in disbelief as they fought to keep standing.
"T-too m-much exercise could be detrimental to development Naruto." Armin gasped out as he tried to support his friend and find a way to end this torture session.
Naruto looked at the completely exhausted group and contemplated Amin's words. Truth be told he was completely exhausted as well and the part about this being only a warm-up was a lie he had said to set the bar really high for them.
"Okay, that is enough for today. But before that," He turned around to look at Annie with a grin,
"Oi Annie lets see if can hit me this time." Naruto challenged her with a 'come get me' gesture with his hand.
Blue eyes narrowed at his obvious disrespect. She may not show it but she was extremely proud of her skills in combat. And for someone to mock her skills, they were asking for trouble.
"..Huh? Careful. I might hit you where the sun doesn't shine." Her voice was soft, uncaring even, but even an idiot could see the hidden challenge in her words, daring him to beat her this time, as she strode forward into the sparring circle and brought both her hands in front of her face and settled in a fighting stance, as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin watched from the sidelines.
"You wish," he whispered with a grin as he settled into a loose form.
They both stayed like that for a second, their gaze reading their opponents movements before Naruto took the initiative and dashed forward towards her and delivered a lightning fast right, only to hit air as Annie moved her head to the side, 'she's faster now' He thought in slight surprise before he saw a fast left coming from Annie. He waited until the last possible second to dodge her, His sudden movement caused her to overextend just a little, which was all he needed. He was about to step forward into her guard when Annie surprised him again with her lightning-fast movements. Quickly regaining her balance, her hand whipped out to knock his attempted punch away before she delivered a sickening kick to his shin…..only to miss as he jumped above her leg and landed on his feet, before in a motion too fast to follow, spun around with a lightning fast leg sweep, which he would have connected if it were not for Annie jumping back to avoid his legs and creating some distance between the them. All of this happened in seconds as they left the spectators stunned.
" Woah .. that was intense." Eren marveled, as he saw the two stare down each other. Armin was in the same boat as him, while Mikasa just watched with narrowed eyes.
" Huh?…Did I make you speechless." Annie questioned as she stared at the surprised face of Naruto.
"Y-you… You're smiling." He said with a bright grin began to form on his face.
"Huh?" she blinked. Now that she was paying attention, she could see she was indeed smiling. A genuine, carefree smile. Something she had forgotten how to do over the years. For some reason, her chest felt heavy at that moment, but she chose to ignore it.
" What?… you think I don't smile."
"Actually, I honestly thought you were incapable of smiling.." He said with a completely serious expression on his face.
"Asshole" she whispered before she dashed forward without warning, catching him off guard, as her leg whipped out to deliver a vicious kick to his shin, dropping him to the ground in pain.
"Itai! That hurt Annie!" he grunted out, as he held his leg in pain.
"Now you know I can get a hit on you." Her voice was leveled but everyone could feel the barely hidden triumph in her voice.
" Are you okay?" Mikasa asked as she helped Naruto to his feet while Annie kept walking away from the group.
"Oh, I am good." He assured her as he noticed Eren chasing after Annie. A small smile began forming on his face which put Mikasa instantly on edge, She knew that smile very well. It was a smile he wore when he was plotting something.
"Don't," she said causing him to look at her in confusion,
"Huh?"
"Whatever it is you are planning, don't do it."
"Ahh, what are you talking about Mikasa-chan?….. come on let's go back to the camp!" He replied quickly as he began dragging both Armin and Mikasa out the clearing before they could protest. He turned his head to have one last look at Eren before he continued on his way back to the camp.
XXX
"Oi! Annie wait up!" Eren's panting voice caused her to stop in her track as she turned around to look at him
"….Eren? What do you want?" Her disinterested tone might have driven anyone away but not Eren.
" That was some technique you got there Annie! You even got the drop on Naruto!" He praised her on her victory. It was strange, but he actually felt happy that Naruto actually lost for once.
"…Thanks…But I simply caught him off guard." She stated the obvious, but Eren was not convinced.
"Huh? It doesn't matter. He was foolish enough to drop his guard and you took advantage of it. It was a fair fight if you ask me."
Annie raised a delicate eyebrow at that, " You're right I guess." She droned out as she sat atop a boulder and looked at him with intense blue eyes.
"So, what do you really want Eren?" she said finally getting to the point of the conversation.
Eren faltered a little as he squirmed under her intense azure gaze," Uhmm…. You see .. Annie… can you teach me how to fight like you?"
" No, forget it."
" What!? You didn't even hesitate." Disbelief was Clear in his voice. He had expected her to decline, but to be turned down without a single shred of hesitation, that was just brutal.
"I didn't need to," she said in the same dismissive tone.
"Come on, Annie! At least give me a reason." he pleaded. He was not going to give up just because she said no once.
"… Because It's pointless. You don't fight Titans with hand to hand combat. Besides, why don't you ask Naruto or Mikasa?" She was genuinely confused why he wouldn't ask them. After all, Naruto was better than her and Mikasa was on par with her.
Eren blinked, " Funny how I said the same thing to Naruto?" He mumbled loud out enough for Annie to hear who was instantly curious to know his response.
" … And what did he tell you?"
"What do you think he told me?"
" Uhmm…. Probably beat you up for being a smart ass and forced you to do it anyway." She guessed, a playful tone found its way into her voice, surprising even her.
She cocked an eyebrow when he saw Eren's stunned visage, His expression positively stupid,
"What? Don't tell me he actually did that," she asked in disbelief, her surprise only increased when Eren nodded his head confirming what she had said.
The image of an irate Naruto, beating up Eren for being a smart ass was too comical in her mind that she let out a small involuntary giggle. It was soft, beautiful even, as it managed to capture Eren's attention completely. He stared at her smile, her eyes displaying a rare glow in them, her usual bored and sullen look disappeared for a second, exposing to the world, her true self.
'Wow..' Even as he marveled at the rare occurrence, her face returned to its usual bland self, her eyes losing that beautiful glow, forcing Eren to wonder if what he had seen just seconds before was just his imagination.
"So…. You won't stop asking until I teach you?" Annie knew Eren won't take no for an answer besides she was in an unusually good mood today.
"Yeah, You could say that." He nodded his head confirming her suspicion.
She contemplated for a few more minutes before finally giving in,
"….Fine." she finally said with a small smile as she saw Eren's face light up with excitement.
XXX
"what are you planning, Naruto?." Mikasa finally asked. Armin had gone ahead to the camp to get them food leaving them all alone in the middle of the forest.
"I told you I am not planning anything, didn't I?"
"I don't trust her." she whispered gaining his attention,"And you just left Eren all alone with her."
"whao..whao.. calm down Mikasa-chan. He can take care of himself. And you will have to start trusting others in the future, why not start with her?"
"I don't care about others." she insisted prompting Naruto to sigh at her attitude.
" Stop fretting over Eren okay?! It's because of your constant nagging that he keeps getting irritated at you!" His voice came harsher than he had intended to, as she took a step back in slight shock. It was just a slight rise in his voice, but it hurt as small drops of tears began to form on the corner of her eyes.'What is wrong with me?' she thought as she desperately fought back the tears. she couldn't understand why his words affected her that much. It was not the first time someone had yelled at her. So why? Why did her chest feel so heavy? 'Nagging?' The way he had used that word was what hurt her most. She was not nagging, was she?. She was only worried about their safety. Was this how he really felt?. An unknown fear began to seep into her heart.
"Do I annoy you as well?" she asked, her voice meek, almost afraid to hear his answer.
Naruto cursed as he saw state Mikasa was reduced to. If he was not thinking about possible ways to console her, he would have found the current scene funny. The cold, stoic, and strong Mikasa reduced to tears by a few harsh words. Even he found that hard to believe. But right now he had a girl to console and that took priority over everything.
"Mikasa, look at me." He said as he grabbed her shoulders in a firm grip, His voice soft and tender, almost a whisper, complete opposite to the tone he had previously used.
"Look at me." He repeated as Mikasa finally looked at his soft eyes, eyes that held care and love that filled her with warmth.
"You don't annoy me. You never can. You just need to stop worrying so much about us. Okay?" He used the most honest voice he could use as he tried to erase her fear and from the slight smile that graced her face he knew he had succeeded.
He let out a relieved sigh as he gave himself a mental pat. It was a good thing he knew how to console her.
"N-naruto…" His friend's voice brought him back to reality only to be enveloped in a tight hug from her.
'Huh!?' He stood frozen for a moment. Did his words affect her that much? Now he felt like the biggest jerk in the world. If there was one thing he hated more than the Titans, It was seeing her unhappy. She was his first friend, maybe more than a friend, he didn't know, but the fact remained she was the one who understood him the most and she was the one he considered most precious in this world. There was not a thing he would not do to keep her happy.
He hugged her back as he felt her body melt into his embrace, her head rested in the crook of his neck. "Thanks," she whispered out as she shifted her head to look at his face.
Naruto's breathe caught in his throat as he gazed at her face just inches away from him. Now that he was paying attention he finally noticed how beautiful she looked. Her perfect blemishless skin, her soft pink lips, her shining black eyes and finally her black hair with a tint of blue in them that fluttered in the morning breeze, they seem to hypnotize him, drawing him towards her.
"Beautiful…" he whispered out before he could realize what he was doing.
Mikasa's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushed as a strange heat began to form in her chest,'Did he really just say that' She desperately wished her mind was not playing games with her and he truly did say those words.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked as he snapped out of his daze before his eyes widened in realization.
"Uhmm…. Ermm… Mikasa…. you see…" He stuttered as he tried to come up with an excuse for his slip up.
"W-we… should probably go back to the camp," Mikasa suggested as she saw his flustered state. Naruto thanked her in his mind as he let out a relieved sigh.
"Y-yeah lets go," he replied in a hurry as he began walking towards the camp, with Mikasa right beside him.
They went like that for some time before Mikasa broke the silence.
"Naruto, about Annie…" she began but was immediately interrupted by him.
"Do you trust me?" his voice serious, demanding her to answer.
"I do." she replied almost instantly.
"Then trust me, when It comes to her okay?"
"B-but.."
"Just give her a chance. You won't regret it...I promise" He assured her. He could see she was close to giving in, she just needed a little more push.
"Won't you do it for me?" he asked, instantly shutting down another reply she might have given.
"Fine." she relented. She would give her a chance. If Naruto trusts her the least She could do was give her a chance.
XXX
Night time, refugee camp….
Purple-blue eyes stared at the ceiling in deep thought. Naruto shifted in his place as he was unable to sleep tonight, which was surprising since everything went as he had wanted them to, today. He had successfully convinced Mikasa to give Annie a chance and if what he guessed was right, a beautiful friendship could be forming between Eren and Annie. Which left Armin as the odd one out. Naruto had to admit he had been unnecessarily harsh on the blond haired boy in the past. He had thought his weakness could cause Eren and Mikasa trouble in the future. But overtime Armin had managed to change his view of him. There was no denying he was physically the weakest one among them, but he made up for that with a sharp brain. If only he could improve his physique he would be a force to be reckoned with. Thinking about Armin, made his mind drift to the events of that day, The day the refugees were sent on a campaign to recapture wall Maria. The day Armin's grandfather said his final goodbye to them. As someone who was raised by a grandfather, Naruto knew what Armin would have felt at that time And It was the way in which he dealt with his loss that finally gained him Naruto's respect.
Seeing all those people being forced to go on a suicidal mission and later finding out that only 100 among them survived had lit a new fire in Naruto's heart. The unimaginable loss of human life confirmed the overwhelming advantage that the titans possessed. Humanity needed something to shift the odds in their favor if they ever plan to recapture Wall Maria.
A single thought entered his mind.
'Chakra' It was an answer he already knew, but right now he had no Idea how to use it. If only he could open those scrolls. He had certainly tried, each and every day, without fail, But the result was always the same. It just wouldn't open.
Sighing in frustration, he got up from the floor and proceeded to exit through the entrance of the camp. The rays of the moon provided him with light as he made his way towards the nearby forest and soon reached the clearing they were using this morning. He sat down beneath a tree and took the three scrolls from his hip pouch.
He stared at them, trying to find any clue on how to open them, But as usual nothing could be found.
Placing a scroll on the ground, he channeled chakra into it. The scroll glowed a light blue, but it didn't open, gritting his teeth in frustration he continued pumping more and more chakra into it, hoping that by some miracle it would open. But it never did.
"Dammit!" He shouted and punched a nearby tree, the hard surface scrapped against his fist, causing him to bleed.
'Itai!' He cursed as he held his bleeding hand in pain. 'stupid fucking tree'
He grabbed the scroll as his blood stained it a little. He was about to gather the remaining two when his senses screamed at him as he heard a disturbance from the nearby bushes.
"Who is it!? come out!" he shouted, his body already settled into a fitting stance. Ready to strike at a moments notice.
"It's just me," Mikasa said she stepped into the clearing with confusion marring her face.
Her expression soon turned into realization when she noticed the scroll in his hand.
"It didn't open, did it?" She already knew the answer but wanted him to confirm it.
He pumped chakra into it one more time, fully expecting the same result," Yeah, It was the same as alway-"
POOF
Shock and confusion filled them as smoke erupted from the scroll, momentarily startling both of them before their eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates.
Mikasa gasped, momentarily loosing her ability to think as she stood there frozen in disbelief.
'No way...' Naruto thought as his hand trembled a little. His mind unable to comprehend what had just happened, As he prayed to every deity that what he was staring at was not some sort of sick illusion.
There in his hand, with all the secrets of chakra waiting to be read, was the opened Uzumaki scroll.
To be continued…
Author's note:
I know the story may seem a bit slow paced right now, but I assure you it will get better in the following chapters. Be sure to review and share your thoughts.
Jane!