A/N: Alright, TYPO. Cana is the fourth master, not the sixth. Sorry about that. Now, I've been itching to write this chapter for the longest time, and now that we know the sheer destruction that an Third Age Dragon Slayer can wreak on someone, I'm pleased to say that I've seen more than enough to know what to write. That's right. Time for the conflict to begin! Things get heavy in this chapter! Brace yourselves, friends! I own nothing...except Cornelia! Now...
...let us continue where we last left of, shall we?
"Nobody can beat my daddy! Nobody!"
~Cornelia Uzumaki.
Drive of the Dragon
"Welcome home."
Incredulous, the fourth master of Fairy Tail could only utter these words, could only press her head into his neck. She felt him nod, felt his fingers stroke the tangled curtain of her hair-gods she looked a mess this early in the morning-uncaring for the disgustingly pink bathrobe she wore. It was early, damnit! She hadn't been expecting him! She'd planned to shut herself in all day and curl up with a barrel of alchohol while Cornelia was on her playdate with Asuka. Fat chance of that now. She could feal her daughter's tears-tears of joy-as she clung to her father, her precious papa only reluctantly surrendering his child to the floor to return his attention to Cana, so that he might console his apparently distraught wife.
"Cana?" he asked, suddenly hesitant at the sight of her tears. "Are you alright?"
No, I'm not! She seethed inwardly. You stupid idiot! I missed you!
But she daren't speak this words. Instead she verbalized her grief:
"You're home." She sobbed, unable to stop the tears when they came, scrambling for words at his approach. "I mean, you're early!" Only moments ago, she'd been resigned to another three month of agonizing anxiety, forced to wait until the Grand Magic Games for a chance to see him again. It would've been another year of moments of passion, stolen when no one was looking, when they had the chance to be together. She'd forced herself to be patient, forced her raging spirt to sit by and twiddle its thumbs as she watched his guild rise to first and her own rot in fourth place. It was only the substantial wages earned by taking S-Class job that kept Fairy Tail from outright sinking to dead last. But he was here! Right here! Right now! Of course she wasn't okay! She was overjoyed!
"I-ah, I wasn't expecting you-
"Surprise." He grinned, pulling her into an embrace.
"Naruto, I'm a mess." She hurried to explain at the sight of his smile, as he placed a hand, beneath her chin. "You could've at least given me a warning before you-!" Too late. He lifted her gaze to meet his and she was lost in him again. Lost in those bright, baby blue eyes, that wide, dimpled grin and those lips, oooh those lips...
"I'm home."
As if to cement his words, he leaned forward with intent, placing a soft kiss upon her lips. Ecstasy. If Cana Alberona Uzumaki could only choose one word, one word to describe the sudden outpouring of emotion she felt when their lips touched, it would be thus. Time had done nothing to dull her feelings for him. Separation brought them only ever closer when they came together. Pregnancy...well, that had only made her even worse of an alchoholic in the long run, espiecially after all those months of hellish sobriety. Now...
...kami have mercy.
Now that he was back, now that he was here, now that his lips were touching hers, Cana couldn't help herself. All the restraint she'd been exercising over the last month all the rage and frustration she'd kept bottled up inside herself, for the last five years, all of it came pouring into that kiss. Her tongue danced against his with fervor, her lips clashing violently against his as they broke for air, as though even an instant without was too painful for her to bear. Because he was back. He'd returned, when she needed him the most.
She pressed herself against him with ardor, ripping his jacket away as though it were naught but tissue paper. He made a noise of surprise into her mouth and she responded in kind, her fingers fumbling at the clasp of his belt even as her body pressed him against the wall. She cursed herself for wearing underwear as the pink robe slipped from her shoulders, exposing a body honed by seven years of arduous effort, a form that would leave even the mightiest mage of Mermaid Heel green with envy. One that was still featured on the cover Sorceror Magazine Weekly, mind you!
She was shivering by the time his fingers unhooked the clasp of her bra, whimpering with want and need even as she dragged him back to the bed. Goddess, how long had it been? Too long. Her mind wasn't concerned by time and distance, not anymore. Only contact, her fingers frisking their way across his bare back as she ripped his vest off and tossed it toward the growing heap of clothes in the corner of the room. She wanted that damn belt off! She sat up even as he suckled her breast, leaving her fingers weak and nerveless as they strove agains the claso. So enraptured was she, that Cana almost forgot about the third member of her family. A soft cough behind them was brutally quick to remind her before they abandoned the rest of their attire.
"Mommy, why are you and Daddy getting naked?"
Ooops!
Cana's face burned with shame as she rolled off the bed, a golden glow eclipsing her skin. God, she was horny! Muttering herself she ex-quipped her old attire from before the Tenrou Island incident, pleased to find that the garmet was tight around the bust and not the waist. Being the Master of Fairy Tail had it's benefits, after all. Naruto had already secured his clothing by the time she thought to steal another glance at him, and from that glance, she inexplicably found her lips crushed against his for a second time. This time it was Cana who pulled away, reminded of their daughter by the tug upon her sleeve.
Fuck, she thought to herself as she scooped Cornelia into her arms. We really haven't changed at all, have we? Seven years and we're still going at it like rabbits!
Naruto grunted in surprise as Cornelia clamored out of Cana's arms and into his own, interrupting their heated kiss. He was about to suggest that she go find Alzack and Bisca's daughter, Asuka, when he caught sight of his wife's expression. Cana smiled and the gesture was warm as lava glow, but her eyes blazed high with fierce fire. Later, her gaze promised, to his initial relief. You're all mine later. He could feel her hand stroking his back sending silent shivers up his spine, aching for her. He hadn't had sex in nearly three weeks now. A man had his needs damnit! But the need for intimacy found itself quashed as his daughter placed her palm again upon his cheek, her expression grave.
"Daddy," her eyes blazed with excitement. "I learnded a new spell yethterday!" there was only the slightest lisp to her words, thanks to her first loose tooth. "Wanna see?"
"Oh?" Naruto eyes glittered with intrigue even as Cana's shone with concern. She was the daughter of Fairy Tail's Fourth Master after all. She'd tried teaching her daughter the art of the arcana tried to impress upon her the importance of her own magic, but Cornelia was her father's daughter; a sorceror, through and through. Why just the other day she'd nearly brought half the guild down on their heads! Silently praying for something other than an explosion this time, the young mother looked on anxiously as Cornelia scrambed out of their arms and onto the floor.
She drew in a mighty breath-as mighty as any five year old could manage-and inhaled, her lungs swelling with magical power. A violet magical seal burst into existence beneath her feet, causing Cana's eyes to bulge. It didn't matter how many time she saw that, it still gave her chills each time. She truly had inherited the depths of their magical powers. And it certainly didn't help that her father, a Wizard Saint, had taught her some of the most destructive spells he'd learned from his 'father', in addition to a handful of his own.
"Honey, maybe you should wait a bit!" Cana pushed forward, fearing for the fate of her guild. "At least until we're outside!"
"Nu-uh!" Cornelia insisted, expelling a might breath. "I'll show daddy right now! Ryu no...
"Oi!"
All that emerged was a plume of smoke.
Naruto sweatdropped.
"That was...ah...very nice!"
Cornelia coughed in disbelief, her gaze turning stormy.
"Daddy that wasn't it!" She pushed a foot into the floor, as though determined to exact her vengeance upon wooden panelling. "There was supposed to be a 'splosion! I wanted to show you so bad!"
"Oh, Cornelia." Cana reached for her child. "There's always next time."
Cornelia slapped her mother's hand away, sullen, petulant.
"B-B-But...
Her face scrunched up.
"It's not faaaaaaaair!"
Naruto calmly opened his mouth as a stream of black flames erupted from his daughter's lips and streaked toward him. Swallowing it whole, he gave a satisfying grin. Cornelia was by no means a dragon slayer. After all it was impossible for a dragon slayer to truly impart the secrets of his craft to another human, even if she was his daughter. Cornelia certainly didn't lack for effort, however. Offering her papa the perfect practice and at times a hearty meal, whenever he so desired it. And then, in instances such as these, a hearty dose of pride.
Before either could reac,t the dragon slayer swooped down upon Cornelia, enfolding his only daughter in a great big bear hug.
"That was wonderful, Cornelia!" he praised. "Absolutely wonderful!"
Soothed by her papa's words, she allowed herself to be consoled.
"One day I'll be just as strong as you are, daddy!"
Cana and Naruto exchanged a significant glance over his shoulder. Just as strong? Unlikely. Stronger? Quite likely. At the age of five, Cornelia's magical reserves already eclipsed that of most mages in Fairy Tail, and no signs of stopping were evident. And that was without training! Kami help them all if she ever became a full-fledged sorceress. The Magic Council-paranoid, bunch of bastards, that they were-would doubtlessly look upon such a child as a threat to their power and use her as an excuse to eradicate Fairy Tail once and for all. As if the threat of her parents scandal wasn't harsh enough.
"Of course you will." Naruto placated, ignoring the harsh look of disbelief Cana hurled at him.
"You're back." she ventured softly. "For good this time?"
Naruto blinked at her in disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" Incredulity filled his every feature. "Of course I am!"
"But what about-
"Jiemma can go fuck himself if he thinks that'll keep me from you." The Wizard Saint growled, dragging his beloved into another heated kiss. Kami! Cana's knees turned to jelly and the desire to take him then and there was to powerful it nearly overwhelmed her with want and need. If not for their daughter, she might've done so anyway. The thought of her beloved; giving up his guild to stay with them, was almost too much for her to bear, let alone accept. He'd helped found Sabretooth. For him to simply cast it aside for his family...
"So where is everyone?" Naruto asked. "I didn't sense anyone earlier.
Cana reluctantly supplied her husband with the tale; where they'd gone and their plan to investigate Tenrou Island. Supposedly there was nothing out there anymore but this time she had the distinct feeling that they'd find something. And the
"So, you mean to tell me that your friends might still be alive?" His eyes glittered with interest. "That I might be able to meet them?"
"Y-Yes." she cursed herself for the stutter.
"I look forward to it." his voice was mellow and unperturbed.
Her heart fluttered.
"There's also something you should know." She took his hand and guided it lower, towards her stomach."Something else. Something...important." Cornelia followed their hands slowly, unblinking, as the blonde's cheeks began to brighten. The slow flushing of her father's face was like a forest fire, spreading from head to toe, and she couldn't help but wonder why. Was daddy angry? He didn't look angry. Was he ill? No, that couldn't, be it either. Daddy never got sick. So why was he so red? What could possibly be wrong with him?
"Mommy," she asked, "Why is daddy getting red? Does he have a fever?"
"Give daddy a second, sweetie." Cana soothed. "He's coming to terms with it."
"With what?" Cornelia pressed. She was confused! But not for much longer.
The fourth master of fairy tail chirruped happily.
"With your baby sister."
Naruto nearly fell over.
"Wait a second. You don't mean...you can't possibly be-
Cana patted her belly with all the knowing of an expectant mother.
"Its been almost two weeks now."
Cornelia raised her voice to almost a shriek.
"I'm gonna be a big sister?!"
This time Naruto really did fall over.
"Oi oi oi!" He exclaimed aghast, gawping at her flat stomach. "You mean that one quickie-
Cana nodded.
"You were the one who wanted to see me, remember?"
Naruto chuckled nervously at the memory.
He'd popped into the guild only a month or so earlier, before Jiemma assigned him another job. Their coupling had been brief, ragged and anything but intimate and he hadn't bothered to consider the consequences. He was beginning to regret that decision now. It was already difficult for Cana to explain away her daughter's parentage, but this? The cat was out of the bag. Fear and anxiety threatened to overwhelm himonce more; just as they'd done when he'd knocked her up the first time. It was happening all over again! He was doomed! He wasn't cut out to change diapers!
"Well now, I really ought to be going-
"Oooh no you don't!" She turned a hard stare on him, her fingers closing around his wrist like a vice before he could place two fingers to his head. "You put a bun in this oven once already and this time you're gonna be around to take care of her!" Brown eyes pinnioned him with a gaze, promising him much pain if he resisted. Cornelia was looking at him as well, eyes flush with sorrow at the prospect of her papa's departure. He wilted like a weed beneath their combined gaze, finally recognizing the weight of his wife's words.
"Her?"
Cana flushed, her hand falling away his wrist, caressing her stomach.
"I...think its going to be a girl."
"Another one?" Naruto exclaimed aghast. Damn. He'd hoped for a boy if he ever got her pregnant again. Her eyes shone with motherly affection as she returned his gaze, as she took his arm. Once more, she guided his hand toward her stomach, and this time, the dragon slayer found himself unable to resist. Oh, yes. There was the slightest bulge there amidst the muscle.
"I was thinking...we could name her after your mother."
Blue eyes bulged in incomprehension.
"You...You want to name her Kushina?"
Cana nodded.
Cornelia and Kushina.
It had a nice ring to it.
Hopefully she wouldn't be a redhead...
Naruto turned his head to stare at the blank wall opposite him, the source of all the commotion coming from beyond.
"What in the world?"
"Oiiiiiiiiiii!"
Macao's jerked upright as the sound of splintering wood echoed through the guild. The doors burst inward, pushed backwards by a powerful kick. Everyone rounded on the sound as a familar group of mages stormed in to the guld through the doors, a group of mages hated and loathed by all. They weren't from Fairy Tail; much to Macao's dismay. They were from Twilight Ogre.
"There are a lot fewer people here today." Teebo sneered. "Rather than a guild, what is this? Some kind of friendship club? Say, where's your master?" He stole a furtive glance around the guild. "She here? Good." That disgusting grin, anything, only grew. "I was thinking of another way for her to pay out what you guys owe us. Sounds good, right?"
Macao's heart froze with dread.
"Y-You wouldn't!"
"Our master, well you see...he said we don't have a choice." Teebo offered a nonchalant shrug, clearly enjoying himself. "It's a problem if payments are not made on schedule. If master's said it, it can't be helped...now where is the little bitch?" His hands gropped at the air evilly as his minions chuckled behind him. "Now, why don't you go find her for us, boy?"
"We don't have any money to pay to you guys." Romeo slammed his book shut and stood up from the table. "Why don't you lowlifes go away?"
"Stop it, Romeo!" Macao hissed. "Don't!" Cana had forbidden them from making trouble with the other guilds. If Twilight Ogre actually made good on their threats, then retaliation was acceptable. If not, they'd just give the magic council reason to close down their guild. And even though they were higher ranked than them, too...
"What's with that shitty attitude, you brat?" Teebo snarled.
"To threaten us while our best mages are away...you're all cowards!" Romeo summoned a fireball to the center of his palm. "I don't care if Cana and the other's aren't here right now! I'm not going to stand for it! I'll try my luck and fight back! If things continue like this, Natsu-nii will never be able to rest in peace!" He stepped forward, ready to fight, prepared to duel for his honor-
Teebo blew out a breath and the flame guttered out harmlessly. As Romeo looked on in horror, the man undshouldered his club and began spinning the deadly cudgel toward Romeo. Gulping, the boy tottered all of half a step backward, only partially succeeding in his retreat before Teebo brought his legs out from under him.
"You've got some nerve, you little shit." He grinned, bringing it to bear on the boy. "Even if you are above us, that doesn't change the fact that you borrowed our money, and now we want it back! I'll take it out of your worthless hide first! Then, once we've killed you we'll drag your master off her high horse and haul her through the streets like she deserves! And once we've had our fun with her,' he cackled lecherously. "We'll find an even better use for that shitty little gaki she's got runnning about...
Macao shivered as a sudden surge of killing intent flooded the guild.
"Stop!" he pleaded, his words directed not toward Romeo, but the foolish mage harassing him. "If you continue we won't be held responsible for what happens!"
"Responsible for what?"
"For this."
Unbeknownst to Twilight Ogre, their rucus had not gone unnoticed. So intent were they on tormenting Fairy Tail in their rare moment of weaknness that they'd also failed to notice a brooding blond had overheard their conversation, their discussion as to just what they intended for Cana. Flames roared hin in his right hand, and fury in his left as he steadily stalked closer. Closer. Closer still. By the time Teebo finally noticed the scent of flames against his back, by the time he recognized his own peril, it was already too late. Much too late. The ogre swung around, smashing his burning mace against the face of the intruder.
Naruto closed his jaws, neatly snapping the metal bludgeon in half. He chewed absently, swallowing the molten shadrs as though they were but a mere afternoon snack. They clinked harmlessly around in his mouth for a moment longer before he swallowed them, consuming the burning shards of fire and flame with a contented sigh.
"Thansk for the meal."
"W-W-W-W-What?!" Teebo sputtered furiously. "What're you doing here?!"
Clawed fingers closed around the ogre's visage.
"Thought you could threaten my family, did you? I don't think so...
Naruto growled, the mage in his grasp struggling as he registered that his grip was significantly...hotter than it should be, "...and if you don't like it, you can go...BURN!" the grip was distinctly warmer than it ought to have been, alright. Too hot. Much too hot! Scalding him. Burning him!
Naruto brought his hand down.
Hard.
Teebo flipped backwards, his skin still sizzling as the Sabretooth mage hurled him towards the ceiling. But Naruto wasn't content to merely let him fall to the floor. With a rustling of cloth he vanished , only to reappear in the man's perpipheal vision. All Teebo saw was a rush of flame, a blazing kick careening toward his face. By this time his face was so swollen he couldn't even hope to form the words, left alone scream. He could only feel the wrath of Cana's husband as the heel drop split his lip and splintered his nose; the cartilege breaking beneath the powerful blow as he careened into the floor with an earsplitting crack.
"Punk." Naruto growled, landing harshly on the man's ribs. "Serves you damned right for talking shit!" Eyes ablaze, he turned toward the remaining Ogre and cracked his knuckles. "Which one of you is next? Which one of you...wants to suffer?!"
"Teebo-san!" One of the Ogre mages squealed in fear, struggling revive his fallen comrade. "Somebody, save us!"
Before his comrades could respond they each met a similar fate. One was frozen solid. Another was thumped by an iron rod. Still another found himself missing all his teeth as a hilt shattered his face. One by one they slumped to the floor, broken battered and beaten. Macao gawped at the sudden destruction. Standing behind the fallen mages, an even larger group of wizards stood. Macao recognized them, but even so, he failed to understand his eyes; because they were telling him lies! Lies! Not only had the co-founder of Sabretooth come to their rescue but these guys behind them... they couldn't...they couldn't possibly be...
"Che, we're gone for seven years and look what happens!" Natsu Dragneel growled, pushing a hand through his pink hair, the spiky mess refusing to be tamped down despite his best efforts. "Buncha bastards! Think you can mess with Fairy Tail and get away with it, huh?!" He delivered a swift kick to Teebo's gut for good measure, sending the man hurtling across the room. "Get out! I never want to see you and your crew in our guild ever again, you bunch of bastards!"
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Naruto nodded, risking a glance back at the pinkette. He promptly performed a double-take. "Holy shit! Natsu?!"
"Huh?" Natsu whipped around, suddenly aware of the man's overwhelming confusion. "Who the hell are you?" He peered at the man's mark, the mark of Sabretooth, standing proudly upon the man's forearm. "You're not from our guild! What the hell are you doing here?!"
Naruto cocked his head, bemused.
"That's my line!"
"Teme!" The pink-haired youth scowled, butting heads with the blond. "That's my line!"
"Oho?" Naruto grinned dangerously. "And who says I have to listen to you, gaki?"
"Bastard!" The fire dragon slayer seethed. "You wanna go?"
Naruto grinned ferociously.
"Bring it!"
"Karyu no...
Naruto grinned as the rush of flame streamed toward him.
"Tairyu no...
"Oi oi oi!" A woman's voice cried. "That's enough! All of you!"
All eyes turned toward the staircase, toward the one who'd spoken. Standing there against the rail, daughter slung against her hip, was Cana Alberona Uzumaki, the fourth master of Fairy Tail. She peered down, at the Tenrou Island gang, brown eyes glinting like chips of hard and frozen amber. She stared each of them down, silently daring anyone to speak up. If she felt any confusion at the sudden and abrupt return of her nakama she did precious little to show it. Instead, she stormed down the staircase, marched right up to Naruto, and handed him their daughter. Taking his hand in her own, she turned to face the horde of unaged mages, friend and family alike, and drew a deep breath.
"Weclome home everryone!" She shouted loudly, struggling to make herself heard over their cheers. "We've missed you!"
Cheers, louder than before, greeted her.
"Now, before you start partying, I, as Fairy Tail's Fourth Master, have an announcement to make!"
The silence was deafening.
"F-Fourth Master?" Gray whispered. "Oi...when did that happen?"
"It's been seven years." Levi hissed back. "Don't act so suprised because you banged her once!"
"Eh?! You knew about that?"
"Everyone knew about that!"
"Are the two of you quite done?" Cana asked, silencing them. "I'm trying to make an announcement over here." Oooh, how she was going to enjoying the look on that icy-bastard's face when she did this! Grinning, she pulled Naruto closer to the stage, closer to her, and when all eyes fell upon the blond, she jammed her lips against his with the repressed passion of nearly a month. It was not without a supreme effort that she tore her lips away again, even as her body whined in need.
"This," she began at their questioning stares, "Is my husband!" Before their cries of surprise could overwhelm her, she pressed on. "We've been married for five years now." Holding up the diamond rock he'd bought her for utter emphasis-it was quite large, she was pleased to admit-she reveled in their attention. "And for those of you who want to know, I might as well tell you, he's a dragon slayer." Natsu, Wendy and even the usuallly stoic Gajeel, guffawed at the news. Others remained focused on her earlier admission. A certain ice-mage's, burned with shame. Cana reveled in it.
"No way!" Lucy guffawed from below the balcony. "You got married, Cana?!"
Brown eyes twitched.
"Will you let me finish?!"
"H-Hai!"
"And this is our daughter." she took Cornelia from Naruto's arms and cradled her softly. "Cornelia Uzumaki, named after my mother. That's right everybody, she's mine!"
Cornelia waved meekly, embarassed by all the attention.
...'llo."
The reaction was instantaneous. Gray fainted outright, briefly fearing that the child was his, and no one could hope to revive him. Erza, already shocked by the revelation of Alzack and Bisca's marriage and child, was as red as her infamous surname, or nearly so. The entire guild was in an uproar and any further attempt to describe it would have been futile. Suffice it to say, the overwhelming reaction sounded a great deal like:
"YOU HAD A KID?!"
Her offspring secured, she turned her attention toward the last item on her to-do list: Gildarts Clive.
"Yo, pops!" She barked. "Get your ass up here! Right now!"
Gildarts meekly pointed at his chest, indicating himself. Doubtlessly Lucy had told him the truth. Cana sighed, relief and sorrow warring with her own, inner anxiety. Lucy's admission actually made things easier, but she had wanted to be the one to tell her father the truth. The moment the S-Class mage cleared the stairwell and reached the stage, Cana thrust Cornelia at him. Gildarts gawped, both at her, and his daughter's sudden act of emotion. Abashed and ashamed, he fumbled at her, unsure of what to do with the child in his arms. Cornelia was of the same accord; she was still fussy and now frightened, uncertain as to what she should do. She'd never seen this man before.
"Surprise, surprise! I'm your daughter," Cana said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, hoping she displayed none of the inner turmoil she felt. "And she, is your grandaughter. Drop her and I'll chop off your balls and sell them, mmkay?" She finished with a sweet smile and a flourish, leaving little doubt that she'd do just that if any harm came to her offspring. Naruto shivered beside his wife; because now it was his turn and he suddenly found himself quite fearful of the woman he'd come to love.
"Well, c'mon! Say something!"
Gildarts was too shocked to even consider the ramifications of his daughter's words. He was far too busy staring down at the five-year-old in his arms, and she up at him. Cornelia risked a glance back at her mother her blue eyes thick with unshed tears. Cana nodded gently in reassurance. Little Cornelia bit her lip reluctantly stifling the whimper that threatened to tear its way past her lips and ruin everything. She was still afraid of his face; still terrified by this great big man holding her so very close, but her mommy's words were slowly clicking together in her mind. Slowly, uncertainty gave way to curiousity and curiousity to inquisitiveness. Could it be true? Did she really have a grandpa? She peered up at him gravely, stifling her tears so that she might speak.
"Grandpa?" she asked softly. "Are you really my grandpa?
Gildart's mouth worked wordlessly. It was like flicking a switch. He couldn't speak. He could barely even breathe.
He tried to speak, he really did, but no sound would emerge. Though dim, he could see remnants of Cornelia, the real Cornelia in his daughter's child; bits and pieces of the only woman he'd ever loved. To think he had a daughter! The knowledge had been shocking enough when Lucy revealed it to him, when she blamed him for causing Cana to miss the exam. And now, seven years later, he'd come back; to find his daughter married and with a husband! With a kid! She was such a little darling! And she was his grandaughter! Meaning...
I-I'm a grandfather?!
"Grandpa?" Cornelia asked again, her eyes still moist. "Why are you crying?"
Because Gildarts was crying. He'd been so caught up in his emotions he hadn't been able to realize it. With those words, his body reacted. He hugged Cornelia into his chest, silently revelling in the tiny chirrup of delight she gave. Through his tears he watched Cana smile watched her break down completely. He watched her sob as she moved to embrace him wrapping her daughter and himself in a tentative embrace. In relatively short order the three of them were blubbering like complete idiots. And yet her husband stood aside. He kept himself well back from their little group hug an odd emotion shining in his eyes. Content to remain forgotten while they had their moment. But not for long.
"Oh! Shit!" Cana cussed abruptly, grabbing him by the wrist and hauled him forward. "Naruto, why didn't you say something?!"
"Well, I didn't want intrude-
"Bullshit!" Cana swore, her eyes glistening. "Intrude all you want! We're family! Now, say hello!"
"But I-
"Just do it!"
With that, she thrust him toward Gildarts.
"Dad...meet my husband, Uzumaki Naruto." Pride oozed into her words. "And before you ask, yes, I met him at a bar. Best damned night of my life. Did I mention he's a Wizard Saint?"
Gildarts twitched.
A...wizard saint?!
"Nice to ah... meet you, Mr. Clive." Naruto awkwardly extended his hand in greeting, something a boy would do upon meeting a girl's father for the first time. But he hadn't met him first. He'd gone and bedded his child as though it were nothing, married her, and started a family, all within seven short years! The room swam as the realization struck Gildarts upside the head, harsher than any blow.
This little punk...
As if reading his mind, Cana's hand strayed to her stomach.
"You'll...also have another grandaughter in a few months." She added ruefully. "So don't plan on going anywhere."
So he's knocked her up...twice now?! And he belongs to another guild?!
"Dad?" Cana blinked. "Are you-
But Gildart's wasn't listening. Numbly, he returned Cornelia to Cana's arms. Then he brought the full gaze of an overprotective papa to bear upon Naruto. Something in those eyes didn't quite sit right with the blond, so he opted to take a swift step backward. It saved his life. Not a moment later the ground he'd been standing on erupted into a thousand fragments, dissasembled and laid apart to by Gildart's deadly Crash Magic. Naruto gawped, flames seeping from his skin as he proppelled himself across the room and to safety. Silence descended upon the guild.
"What the hell?!"
"Dad!" Cana gawped. "What are you doing?!"
Her words fell on deaf ears.
"You...
"Eh?"
"You little bastard!" To Cana's dismay, the S-Class mage lunged for Naruto once more, forcing the blond to throw himself back off the banister. "Hold still so I can throttle you myself!" But Naruto did not stay still. Quite the contrary. He hurtled forward, flinging himself over Gildarts and to safety even as the mighty mage eradicated another section of flooring. He landed on Natsu's shoulders, causing the pinkette to wobble unsteadily a moment before another burst of blue flames sent him screaming toward the rafters.
"Oi!" He yelped, alighting upon a beam! "What was that for?! Was it something I said?!"
"You know what you did!" Gildarts roared, leaping up after him. "I'll never forgive you! NEVER!"
Naruto blanched.
"Wait!" He exclaimed, flinging himself out the way as Gildart's hurled a crash spell at him. "What the hell did I do?!" Gildart's response was to simply fling another spell. "Please, tell me!"
"You married my daughter without asking my blessing!" Naruto nearly fell off the beam he was standing on. That's what had him in such an uproarious state? Because he hadn't asked for a blessing? Aaargh! Why did parent's always have to be like that!
"You were stuck on Tenrou Island!" he protested, hurtling a barrage of fireballs back at the mage. Gildart's simply obliterated the spell in his pursuit. Realizing that the rafters were no place to continue such a pitched battle, the blond flung himself to the floor and overturned a table to act as a shield.
"Would it help if I said I was sorry?!"
"That's no excuse!"
"Daddy, stop!" Cana pleaded, grabbing him from behind. "Don't kill my husband!"
"Let him go, Cana!" A deep, booming voice warned. "I'll stop him!"
Cana promptly complied, and not a moment too soon as a shadow fell over the enraged mage. Naruto looked up just in time for his expectations to be defied. Just in time for Gildarts, lips frothing with furious foam, to meed his end. Just in time to watch him be crushed under a giant's foot. Naruto followed the foot and found himself gawping upward a massive man towering toward the high ceiling above itself. Makarov Dreyar slowly raised his boot and scraped the dazed mage off his heel, allowing the flattened wizard to drift to the floor. Even crushed as he was, Gildarts still reached a trembling hand toward his son-in-law.
"I'll...get...you..."
"Are you alright?" Cana asked.
Macao, meanwhile, had fainted. After smelling salts were placed under his nose, he jumped up and cried, "HOW AM I GONNA TAKE CARE OF ROMEO NOW?"
Makarov walked over from his usual spot on the bar, nodded solemnly and patted Macao's back. "If you become unfit to care for Romeo, I'll take him under my wing."
The poor mage blanched. "That doesn't… make me feel much better sir…"
Makarov squashed him under his foot
Naruto sagged in relief.
"Thanks, jiji-
"Oi! Blondie bastard!"
Naruto whipped around, all pretense gone.
"What did you just call me?!"
Natsu's reply came in a geyser of fire.
"Karyu no hoko!"
Blue eyes bulged as torrent of orange flame plowed into him, lifting the blond from his feet. Pain crackled across his skin as he found himself hurtled toward the doors, but only for a moment. He opened his mouth and inhaled. With a faint gurgling sound, Natsu's flames found themselves sucked inward. Naruto drank deep, greedily devouring this sudden and unexpected source of energy. Flame scoured through his veins, leaving him feeling refreshed and whole, resurgent with energy as he found his footing once more. Sucking up the very last bit of Natsu's, he gave a hearty belch and patted his stomach.
"Heh, thanks for the meal, Dragneel!"
"Stop stealing my lines you bastard!" Natsu raged. "AND STOP EATING MY FIRE!"
"W-What the hell?"
"How the hell did you eat Salamander's flame?" Gajeel Redfox demanded to know.
"The Sun Dragon will always be stronger than the Fire Dragon." Naruto wagged a finger. "It's only natural that I be able to eat his flames, Gajeel-san."
Gajeel grinned.
"Heh, I like your style!"
"Then how about this?! Naruto's gaze snapped around just in time to see the sparks surrounding Natsu. Lightning, integrating itself within the flames. "Lightning Fire Dragon's-
"Natsu-san!" Protested a young child with blue hair; wearing a dress that was terribly familar, "Please stop fighting!" She would have continued, had not an armored woman with scarlet hair intevened and thrust them apart. Naruto blinked at her, at the Heart Kreuz symbol, emblazoned there upon her breastplate for all eyes to see; straining against a pair of overly large breasts. Holy...! They were almost as big as Cana's! Clamping a hand against his nose, he hurriedly averted his eyes
"That's enough, both of you!" She glared daggers at the pair, and when the pinkette seemed contrite, only then did the fire dim from her brown eyes. "I must apologize for his crude behavior, Naruto-dono. It is my fault entirely for not instructing him better. Please, hit me!"
Naruto flushed at the unexpected sight of her bosom.
"Hit you?"
What kind of crazy guild was this?!
Speaking of crazy...
"Fuck!" He swore aloud, his words going unheard amidst the clamor of the guild. "I almost forgot! Yukino!" He cast an earnest glance for Cana desperate to find his wife and explain that this would be the final departure from the woman he loved. Ultimately, he didn't have to look very far. A tug on his elbow alerted him to his daughter's prescence and even as he reached for her, he found himself face to face with her mother. Blue, met brown and he could see the years in her eyes. All the pain, all the suffering, now about to be ended by his actions.
"Do you have to go?" She whispered. "Do you have to do this? By yourself?"
Naruto nodded, hating himself for every second that he upset her.
"This is the last time." He cast a sorrowed glance for the sabretooth tiger upon his shoulder. "If all goes well, I'll have the Fairy Tail stamp on this shoulder today before sundown." So many years had been invested with that mark, so many memories, so many emotions. And now, he was about to forsake it, everything he had worked to build. And for what? Love? Was it worth it? Was it worth throwing away everything he ever cared for to be with the woman he loved? Yes.
Hell yes.
"And if you're not?" her lip trembled.
Naruto shrugged.
"Do what your guild does best." He cast a glance over the chaos and the partying that had resumed in earnest. "Kick some ass."
She kissed him then, crushing her body against him.
"Don't get killed, dumbass." She hissed in his ear. "When this over, I'm getting laid."
The blond laughed.
"I love you too."
Pressing two fingers to his head, he deftly dissappeared before Gildart's could pull himself up off the floor and grab him again.
Naruto knew it the moment his instant transmission carried him to the streets of his hometown. There was trouble brewing. Just as he knew Minerva awaited a few paces around the corner. Resigning himself to ignore whatever Jiemma's daughter might have to say to him, he pressed onward, resolute in his determination to ignore the obsessed woman. Easier said that done. He resisted the urge to lash out at her as she clung to his arm, seizing it one fell swoop as he passed her by. He allowed her the contact but did not slow, forcing her to move through the throng of people alongside him. She was Jiemma's daughter, after all. He'd owed the old man his everything. At the very least he'd pay the girl his respects and excuse himself.
He wanted to go back to Cana! Damn her crazy father!"
"How have you been?" she inquired, her hand slipping through his as he unwilling found himself guided through the crowd.
"Well." He grunted as she led him through a corridor.
"Then why do you look so sad?"
Naruto arched an eyebrow. Strange. Usually she greeted him with some obscure demand or another. For her to inquire as to his condition was...unusual. He hazarded a glance down her. She'd been a pretty little thing as a child. As a woman, she was beautiful especially in her revaling eastern garb. She still went a tad too heavy on the makeup in his opinion. Cana never wore makeup. Then again, until recently they couldn't afford to be seen together. All of that was about to change. He just needed to make it to the guild before the shit hit the fan. Tell the old man he was leaving and let the chips fall where they may. And if it got dicey, well, instant transmission was useful for escaping dicey situations. The thought of Minerva's expression was priceless, and it actually evoked a small smile. He took no pleasure in hurting her-hell in a different life he'd probably have married HER instead-but he knew that they simply could not be. Whatever feelings of lust she evoked in him, his love for Cana was far stronger.
He would not give in.
"I'm quite pleased, actually." he answered, giving no insight to his feelings.
"Your job went over well, then?"
Naruto nodded, but left out the details; he didn't want to piss off Minerva just yet. She was as vindictive as they came. If she found out about his plans to leave Sabertooth, she'd doubtlessly strive to complicate things for him and Yukino. If he left he was damn well taking his apprentice with him. She wouldn't be left to suffer the depravity of this guild. She'd be happier in Fairy Tail. The latching of a lock drew his attention. When the blond turned, he suddenly realized that he was no longer standing outside, just as Minerva was no longer holding his arm. A percursory glance at his surroundings confirmed his worst fears. How the hell...did he end up inside her house again!? It must have something to do with her magic.
Whenever he was with her, he invariably ended up inside her apartment. Not to take it the wrong way, but he was growing rather tired of it.
"Over here."
His gaze snapped toward the bed.
Minera lay there before him, fingers tracing a bare thigh. Golden eyes traced longingly across every inch of him, taking his exasperation in stride. Her every gesture, screaming of invitation and seducation, would've had most men rutting her the moment they laid eyes on her. Naruto wasn't most men. His heart had been stolen by long ago, and not by her. Thusly he felt only the slightest stirring of arousal when Minerva let slip a single strap, exposing the creme-colored skin of her waist and shoulder. He ruthlessly suppressed it.
Nobody has to know, a nasty little voice in his head whispered. Nobody will know...
I'll know. he rebuked himself. Besides...Cana's are bigger.
Fight perversion with perversion. A perfect tactic!
Smirking he stepped around her, and she mistaking his smile for something else, smiled in turn.
"I was sooo lonely while you were gone." she cooed.
Naruto twitched.
Ah, this again...
She grabbed his hand as he tried to brush past her and brought it to her bare breast. Carressing it, eliciting a soft moan from her lips. Naruto shuddered in surprise, his smile shattering like so much glass. He wanted to take her right then and there, and for a moment, he teetered on a knife's edge. The slightest move could send him hurtling over into oblivion. There was no going back beyond this point. With every fiber in his being he willed himself to step away from her and toward the door.
"Minerva...that's enough."
Her lips quirked into a small smile. She did not release his hand.
"You're so cold...but that's what I like about you." she pressed it tighter against her chest.
Naruto growled.
"Stop!" He ripped his hand away from her chest, taking with it-to his dismay-most of her dress. "Why do you insist on doing this?! You can have anyone else you want, you know that! Sting! Rogue! Orga! Anyone! Why the bloody hell does it have to be me?!"
"True," She affirmed, uncrossing her legs with a silken purr before standing. "I can have any man I want, whenever I want. But I want you."
Naruto stepped backward, struggling to avert his eyes.
"Why?"
"Are you that stupid?" she scoffed, anger breaking through her facade of perpetual calm. "Are you really that dense?!"
She took his head in her hands, pressed her forehead against his.
"I've loved you ever since I was a little girl." She whispered, giggling at his guffawed look. "Don't look so shocked! You were the first man to ever best my father in combat. Its only natural I have a crush on you after a beating like that, after watching you ruthlessly destroy the strongest man I'd ever known-
"It was a draw-
-not from the way I saw it." She shook her head. "As far as I'm concerned, you should be the one lading Sabretooth, not him. You defeated him back then, and you've only grown stronger since, while he's become even weaker than before." Her eyes shone with want and need, promising him all he desired. "Think of it, Naruto-kun! We can rule Sabretooth, together, just the two of us!" Her lips pushed against his on a sudden, and even his soul threatened to burst. Cana. At the memory of his wife, he became frozen beneath Minerva's fingers, dead beneath her kisses. He willed himself to turn cold, and unresponsive, like a corpse.
No.
Tenderly, he took her hands and pulled them away from his face.
"I'm sorry, but I've already told you, I just don't feel that way." He was lying. His body wanted Minerva. He ached for her. But his heart wanted Cana. It was his iron will that had kept him faithful all these years and he wasn't about to let it give out now, not when was so close to having everything he wanted.
"Please, Naruto." She begged, tugging at him. "We'd be sooo good together...
"Minerva," He shook his head. "I'm flattered, really. But I can't."
"There's someone else, isn't there?" she pressed. "That's why you can't bear to be with me, isn't it?"
"I have no idea what you're taking about."
"Then sleep with me." her eyes glistened with tears. "Am I so ugly that you can't stand me?"
"You know damn well that's not it."
"Then are you...gay?"
"HELL NO!"
"That's too bad." she sighed. "It would've made a good excuse."
His fingers closed around the brass knob.
"It really is."
"Oh, but you don't have a choice anymore." She absently pushed a raven strand behind her ear. "You have to sleep with me. You have to be with me. Forever. Or else." When he looked back at her, those amber yellow eyes were hardened, filled with fierce, unrelenting resolve. A niggling sensation of doubt nagged at him as he glared forward calmly.
"Or else what?" He scoffed at her as his hand turned the latch.
"Or they'll all know."
Naruto froze.
No...
The handle was like ice beneath his fingers.
"What did you say?"
Minerva smiled cruelly.
"Or I'll tell papa all about your secret little life." her words dropped to a venemous hiss. "Your wife, your child, everything. I'll bring it all crashing down around your ears. If I can't have you, then I'll see your world burn before I let anyone else have the chance." Dread struck him in the stomach like a frozen fist. So they knew. Or at least, she did. Clever bitch. Clever, clever little bitch. But she had another thing coming if she thought a threat like that would bring him to heel. She also had another thing coming besides...a fucking bitch slap to the face!
"Fuck you and go to hell!"
His magic splashed harmlessly against Minerva's shield even as an empty palm pushed through and cracked her across the face; smacking her across the jaw in an unrelenting open palmed slap. The blow sent her body sprawling and released the locks all at once. Naruto bolted for the door, uncaring for her shouts, nor those abrupt flarings of magical power.
"You won't get away with this!" She shouted at his back. "The lacrima's already transmitting! Everyone else already knows!"
Naruto spat on the street, wanting nothing more than to dislodge the taste of her from his mouth. He pressed two fingers to his head, wanting nothing more than to distance himself from this place. Why the hell did the damned old man have to have those seals put up in his inner sanctum! They prevented him from transmitting directly to Jiemma and ending this once and for all. He couldn't even get a fix on his location which was odd given the fact that he hardly ever left town anymore. No matter. He'd find the old man and make this right, then he'd bug the hell out.
Rogue and Sting were waiting for him as he rounded the corner. Naruto froze. That two-timing bitch! She'd planned this all along! She'd set him up! Refusing to play to their game, to be herded into the guild, he turned in the opposite direction, forcing himself to look straight ahead as the twin dragons moved to flank him. Sting on his left, Rogue, on the right. Rounded another bend. Sting was the first to speak, hissing into his ear just as they moved into the crowded commoner district.
"You've betrayed us, senpai."
Naruto sighed, pushing a hand through his hair, willing himself to act natural.
"You're making a mistake, Sting." His eyes drifted to Rogue, and he found nothing but sorrow in the younger man's gaze. "You too, Rogue. You don't want to do this." He stepped backward as the Twin Dragons stepped forward, herding him backwards and into a corner. Blue eyes drifted lazily across the populated square, narrowing in annoyance as he realized just how many casualties there would be. Annoyance, warped into disbelief twisting into horror as he registered the resolve in their eyes.
"You'd take out all these people just to kill me?" His gaze snapped back to Sting. "You're a bigger fool than I thought!"
"The only fool I see here is you." The Dragon Slayer nudged him out of the square and away from prying eyes. Naruto resisted the urge to flee. If he tried to use instant transimission now he'd need at least ten seconds of uninterrupted concentration. He didn't trust Sting or Rogue to give him that time.
"You're making a mistake...
"Am I?" The younger slayer accused as the darkness of the alley closed in around them. "From where I stand, you're the one making a mistake!"
"Is it a mistake to fall in love?" The whiskered blond countered.
"It is when you've been consorting with the enemy this entire time!" Sting persisted. "Their master, no less! You think we'll just let that stand?!"
Naruto pushed past them. If he could just reach the mouth of the alley, he'd be able to defend himself. Here, swallowed by darkness, he was vulnerable. But their voices followed him, nipping at his heels, mocking him and all he'd accomplished in the last seven years.
"We looked up to you!"
"We respected you!"
A muscle jumped in the blonde's jaw. He lunged forward and into the daylight, the twin dragons hot on his heels. Magical power flaring, he fired a haphazard blast into the air. Everyone looked up as one, just in time for the dragonslayer to unleash a ghastly gout of fire from behind his lips. It roared high overhead singing hairs and harming hats leaving the none-mages stunned and untouched. Naruto grinned as looks of shock and cold terror overcame their awe. Silently ruing his every act, the blond opened his mouth and roared out:
"FLEE!"
Sting and Rogue balked at their senpai's sudden declaration.
"FLEE YOU FOOLS!" He cackled, belching another blast of flame, the roar swinging wide as he turned his head to aim it. "FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES! MWAHAHAHAHA!" Because that, was his intent. Even as Sting and Rogue moved to silence their fellow slayer, someone screamed. And the stampede began in earnest. Civilians shouted and children wept, only to be scooped up by their parents. Everyone fled from the three slayers, all of the non-mages wanted nothing to do with the oncoming conflict.
"Bastard." Sting hissed, realizing they'd lost the advantage. "We didn't want to fight you!"
"You didn't want to fight me on even footing, you mean." Naruto snapped back. "Coward!"
"You're right, senpai." Rogue admitted, stepping forward. "We didn't want to fight you. We wanted to resolve this peaceably."
Naruto snorted.
"Tell that to him."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then we'll go after your friends and family." Sting snarled, unthinking. "We can't have any weaklings in our guild."
Rogue's eyes flickered over to Naruto. To the untrained eye, the dragon slayer did not react at all to the information of his family's impending peril. He looked as though he hadn't even heard a thing Sting had said. But Rogue knew Naruto fairly well, and he could see the blue-eyed slayer's jaw clenching through his chiseled, whiskered cheeks.
And when he spoke, it was with a venom that silenced the entire street.
"What happened to Yukino," he asked, "Sting?"
The shadow dragon slayer immediately recognized what Naruto was getting at. Sting stood rigid as he stared in forced silence at the other slayer. Naruto glared forward calmly almost causing Rogue to wince; Sting was in serious trouble and the rest of the city wasn't about to spring to his defense. Naruto didn't care what the answer was, only that it gave him an excuse.
"That's none of your damned business, traitor."
"Meaning that you're holding her captive." the blond accused, eyes blazing. "I swear, if you've harmed a single hair on my apprentice's head-
"She's safe."
"Rogue!" Sting exclaimed aghast, gawping at his shame-faced partner. "We're not supposed to tell him that!"
"She's took another job soon after she returned." Rogue continued, intervening before his partner could attempt further deception, before he could drive the blond dragon into a frenzy from which he'd never return. "I'd tell you more, but this is all I know."
He tossed a flyer at Naruto, and the blond deftly snatched it out the air.
"Why give me this?"
"Because I feel Master Jiemma is making a mistake." Rogue elaborated, his expression pained. "But as part of this guild, I am obligated to abide by its rules. Nevertheless, I will not lie to you." His eyes narrowed with a modicum of respect. "You taught me that much yourself." Naruto read the paper over, his eyes welling with emotion. If there was anyone in Sabretooth he cared for other than Yukino it was Rogue. The boy was like his little brother, in a sense. He couldn't bear to fight him. But if it was for his family...
"Rogue, I—" Naruto began when a katana plunged deep into his chest, pinning him against the building he'd been resting against. Blood began to spill out of his parted lips as his eyes bulged in anger and disbelief. Who was it? The culprit was already standing in front of him, his hand gripping the hilt of Rogue's katana and forcing it deeper through flesh. Dobengal stared back at him in utter contempt, the ninjaesque mage's expression hidden behind his half-mask. Naruto glared up at him in defiance of his mortal wound, sneering at his former comrade through blood-bleached teeth.
"Dobengal!" Sting seethed. "We had the situation under control!"
"Master's orders." The mage answered.
Sting frowned.
"Jiemma-sama authorized this?"
The shinobi-mage's silence spoke volumes on the matter.
Rogue blanched as he saw the blood on the blade-his blade!-as he saw his friend, his mentor, bleeding out in the street, slain without want or warning. Something in him twisted at the sight. And despite this despite his mortal wound, Naruto began to speak to his supposed assassin.
"So, the old man put a kill order out on me already, eh?" He scoffed. "Shoulda known he wouldn't listen. Shoulda known he'd send you to do his dirty work." His grin grew as he reached up to grasp the blade. "Ya know, what? I never did like you, ya sonuva bitch. I don't know why I even bothered to try." He shook his head, gesturing at the growing puddle of crimson beneath him. "But, killing me like this...kinda ruins the reputation of our guild, doesn't it? We're not allowed to kill. Whaddya gonna do? Cremate me?" He chuckled. "That'd be ironic. The great "Sun-God" reduced to ashes at his own funerlal. But ya see-
"Die, traitor!"
The ninja gave the blade a final wrench and the blond collapsed-
-into smoke.
Just like that, Uzumaki Naruto was gone, leaving nothing behind but a burning log in his place. The ninja gasped, recognizing the illusion spell for what it was. Though he still held Rogue's katana in hand, the element of surprise had been lost to him. Where had he gone? Where was his target? He turned, seeking his assignment as he'd been told-
A sharp strike to the back of the head ended all his thoughts.
Dobengal crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes, his body limp and nervely from the blow. Naruto stood behind him, untouched and whole, and very, very perturbed. For a moment, Rogue felt relief. Then he'd realized the implications of what Dobengal had just done, what Jiemma had ordered him to do. Guilds were not allowed to murder their own members. Excommunicate, yes, but murder? Absolutely not. There could be only one course of action now. And if they weren't going to cover it up-
"Now I've got no choice." Naruto sighed. "I was content to just walk away from all this. I was going to leave you to your own squabbles, your own petty little feuds." He withdrew a lacrima from the folds of his jacket, a small, potable device designed for communication. "But now the old man's gone off his rocker. I can't let this stand any longer." Clearing his throat he began to speak into the device. "This is Naruto "Sun-God" Uzumaki of the Ten Wizard Saints. I would like to report an attempted murder on behalf of Sabretooh. My own. Would you kindly send Lahar and the others over as soon as possible-
The lacrima shattered in his hand.
Naruto blinked back at Sting, slightly perturbed by the boy's actions. He dusted his hand off, rubbed the numbness from his arm.
"That won't do you any good." he sighed. "They'll be here within the hour."
"Are you insane?!" Sting exclaimed. "You helped build this guild! Why would you want to tear it down?!"
"I don't intend to tear it down." Naruto frowned. "I intend to get rid of all the asshats and become the new master, if the council allows it. Barring that, I'll just join Fairy Tail. Kami knows they've treated me better than you lot have." He moved to brush past them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with the old man-
Sting struck out as his face.
Naruto staggered backward, rubbing at his jaw.
"You can't be serious." A scowl wormed its way through his expression. "After all this, you still want to fight? Do you really hate me that much?"
"You," Sting seethed, "This is all your fault! We're going to be ruined because of you!"
"You had it coming." Naruto growled. "This is no longer the guild I founded. Excommunicating those who are weak, exiling those who fail...this guild was never the same the day the five of you joined! Now, stand aside or so help me, I'm going through you!"
"I can't let you!" Sting screamed! "I won't!"
"Rogue, make him listen!"
"C'mon!"
Rogue wrested his hand away. Damnit, he just couldn't bring himself to turn against Sting after all. Not after all they'd been through. Naruto looked at him for a long moment, hurt flickering across his features. Then his gaze hardened, his resolve roaring high, higher than the flames burning off his body.
"Alright youngsters," Naruto growled, "Allow me to refresh your memories. Let me remind you why the first generation came first, and yours came third!" The air itself seemed to darken around him, as he drew breath, the light itself growing dim, turning to dusk as they looked on. "Let me show you why my power is almighty and everlasting! Ominpotent, when compared to yours, the like of light and shadow!" He drew in a great and mighty sigh, eyes flaring an obscene, unholy red.
"Let me show you...why the sun is eternal."
His coat and cape shredded themselves away, flayed to pieces by the sheer output of magical energy. He was drawing energy from the sun, soaking up the warmth afforded him by his native element. Sting swore back at himself. They'd tried to herd him back to the guild for this very reason. Out here in the open with the sun shining down upon him and not so much as a single cloud to obscure it, Naruto was nearly invincible. Even if they managed to defeat him, he had but to breath and he would be restored.
"Sting...
"I know." The White Dragon Slayer braced himself for the hell was to come. Their base forms weren't on par to such an onslaught. Damnit, this was going to hurt! He dredged up the magic within him, forced it, to bend to his will as he had when he'd killed his first dragon. Just a little more...there!"
"White Drive." his body burst into light.
"Shadow Drive." Rogue announced, shadows flaring about his body as well.
"Is that it?" Naruto scoffed at the sudden surge in their magic. "You think you can copy my technique, just like that? Ha!"
Sting and Rogue exchanged a glance. It was the former who dared venture the question.
"What?"
Naruto's grin grew.
"Who do you think it was that invented your precious little drive technique?"
An overpowering sensation of pressure bore down upon them like an invisible hand. They sensed something enormous nearby, silent in the dark, like a giant passing within arms reach. A great, gravid deadly prescence too huge to grant them notice. Sting glanced to Naruto and saw him grin, grin as his magical power spiked, as Rogue's fingertips pressed against his temples. A droplet of blood fell from his brother's nose to join that of Sting's own. He was suddenly grateful for Lector's abscence. This magical pressure, it could only mean one thing...
"Rogue!"
Too late, he realized the horror of what they faced.
"My turn." The blond snarled. "Sun drive."
Whatever restraint Naruto had exercised vanished with these words. Any form of limit he'd imposed upon himself was subsuquently eradicated in the resulting surge; forcing the dragon brothers back, as a tidal wave of stygian darkness enveloped their senpai. When he emerged from the blackness, he was a dragon incarnate. Shimmering scales lined the length of either arm, flames licking at the edges of hardened skin. Clawed hands clenched in anticipation, he beckoned them forward, and the air itself seemed to warp with his words.
"Come young ones!" Naruto roared; it as a deep, throaty, ear shattering crack. "I'll show you the difference between us!"
"He shouldn't have been able to do that." Rogue muttered sullenly, petulant as they gazed upon the heat-glazed form. "We should be the only ones able to activate dragonforce at will."
"Tell that to him." Sting spat back. So much for taking down the infamous Naruto "Sun-God" Uzumaki without a fight. As much as he was loathe to admit it, any chance of any easy victory went out the window the very instant they'd threatened his wife and child; the moment they'd forced their senpai to choose between love and pride. Clearly the former had won out. It was there lurking in his eyes. Anger. Any mercy Naruto might've shown them was now a thing of the past. He'd be coming at them full force, from the very beginning.
"It's not too late, senpai!" Rogue pleaded. "Kneel before Master Jiemma and beg forgiveness! We can still make this right!"
The first generation slayer hissed out a reply.
"Forgiveness?"
All the air grew thick and muggy around them as the temperature spiked; even the atmosphere itself would rather evaporate than face the dragon slayer's wrath.
"It was too late for forgiveness the moment Sabretooth threatened my family! Prepare yourselves!"
Seeing no point in further banter, they lunged, hurtling powerful blows at the dragon slayer's head. They'd smashed countless opponents this way before with such flawless teamwork and they saw no reason why such tactics would fail them now that he had the advantage in numbers. Naruo fought back smartly, less recklessly than one would've expected. He ducked and weaved, evading the worst of Sting's bolt and blows, brushing aside Rogue's deadly strikes, all the while maintaining a careful distance between the two of them. At first. Then he closed the distance. It was slow; a riposte here, a parry there, but it was inexorable. Each move was flawlessly correographed, each step brought him onestep closer to the twin dragons; each footfall forcing the young slayers to change their tactics until even that became a feat in-and-of itself.
But they were holding their own, somehow. Impossibly, they were able to avoid the worst of his attacks, just enough so he couldn't immediately end them. And then he dissappeared. Sting surged forth, half expecting the sun dragon to reappear at his flank and blocked, guarding against an invisible strike from empty air.
The attack came from behind.
His hip exploded with blood as Naruto's claw sliced through his back. Sting gasped and stumbled forward, his eyes looking forward in disbelief as he struggled to keep himself upright. Naruto snarled as he moved to end the battle, only for a well-placed shadow strike from Rogue to force him away. He blurred backwards, arms crossed, eyes narrowe with contempt. Rogue pursued in earnest, buying his comrade precious seconds, to find his footing. To recover. Sting forced himself back to his feet, placed his fingers against his hip, wiping the blood away. Damn but he was good.
One moment he stood across from him, arms folded and eyes narrowed, blazing with hate. The next, red orbs the color of blood filled the entirery of his vision. Fingers clenched into a claw, passed through empty air as the Sting flung himself backward and to safety. He touched a hand to his cheek, alarmed to find a series of bloody streaks there not unlike the blonde's own whiskers. Naruto made no effort to pursue. Instead he turned his wrath upon the unprotected Sting.
"Tairyu no...
Sinister scales burst into flame, coating the limb in a sea of heat and fire. The sun's wrath rolled up his sleeve, revealing the claws and the sinister scales lining the length of his arm, blackening the limb in eerie hues of stark white and crimson. Sting balked at the sight of them, the flames erupting from the blonde's elbow, acting as a booster for the coming blow. Even he, young as he was, knew what would happen if he connected the dots in such a manner. If that blow collided with his face-
...ENJU!"
Without hesitation he launched himself toward his enemy. Tattered cloak spreading out behind him, he swooped at Sting, drawing his fist back to deliver a knockout blow. His clenched knuckles flew at the white dragon slayer, who caught it easily with his bare hand, squeezing until the bones ground together.
"Not bad...senpai." Naruto eyes bulged as white scales scrawled across the young dragon's face, marring the flush of his tan body. "You had us on the ropes for awhile there." Grunting, Naruto attempted a gut punch to the ribs with his other fist but the third generation slayer effortlessly blocked the blow as well. Sting's grin grew as a shadow erupted behind him and vaulted over his shoulders.
"But not anymore."
The dragon slayer of the sun had already flung himself backward, even before Rogue's fist cracked across his jaw. Even then, even with the might of dragonforce burgeoning his already considerable magic prowess, the sheer force of the assault was almost enough to drive him under. The blonde's head snapped back with the blow, his body reeling, struggling, to comprehend what had just happened. He landed in a crouch, eyes aflame with fury and disbelief, opened his mouth to speak-
"Hakuryū no Yokugeki!
"Eiryū no Zangeki."
A flash of motion to Naruto's right drew his attention. He saw rather than felt what came next as the pair approached and lashed out in a perfectly executed, flawlessly timed, combination attack. Rogue's gloved claw snaked in just beneath his chest, Sting's just above his jaw. Even over the tumult of his own hammering heart he heard the crack that had to be a rib and or his nose breaking. Probably both. Blood leaked forth from his lips, pooled in his lungs, threatening to choke him.
Shit...
The pair stayed balanced on either planted foot, cocked their respective limbs again, lashed out once more, this time connecting with his stomach as he turned to look at them. The sun dragon slayer staggered under their combined assault, his body bruising beneath a series of bone-jarring blows. But it did not break. He drew another breath, pushing all of his power outward even as they surged forward to end him.
"Tairyu no...
...HOKO!"
White hot flame, azure fire, erupted from his lips, forcing his attackers backward, just for a mere moment.
It was enough.
He drew back, half a pace, nothing more. Scarlet eyes gleamed brightly in the afternoon, narrowing till they were little more than twin pinpricks of crimson. Abruptly, the blond drew himself and inhaled. They suddenly changed again, those eyes, the sickening shade of scarlet melding with the soft blue of the opposite irses, fusing into an eerie, ephermal violet. He stood woodenly not taking enough care. Wiping a thin trickle of blood from his mouth, the reinvigorated blond pinnioned his opponents with a baleful glare.
"I really didn't want to do this." He muttered, softly, reluctant. "It puts too much of a strain on my body." He winced, wobbling on his bad leg. "Aaah...but you're not leaving me much choice, are you?" A bead of sweat sluiced down his cheek, joining the blood trickling from his wounds. "Watch closely now." The blond crossed his arms before him in an X-formation, planted his feet. "And don't blame me if you die."
"What's he talking about?" Sting hissed. Dragonforce was the ultimate level of power. A dragon slayer couldn't take it any higher that. Unless...Fuck! Shock and horror flitted across his visage.
By the looks on their faces, Naruto knew.
"I'm afraid this is where the asskicking starts, my friends."
With that, Naruto threw his head back and screamed. He drank deep of the sun's light, allowing its energy to swell through his soul, to burgeon his reserves to inhumane heights. But Naruto, had never been human to begin with now, had he? Their was a tale about Sabretooth's so-called "Sun-God" passed down through the years by Master Jiemma himself. There was good reason for that name of his. Naruto's power was tied to the sun itself. The higher it hovered in the sky, the greater his power grew. But this was something else, something not tied to his Dragon Slayer abilities.
This was something more.
Tattered and mattered, his formerly spiky hair grew long and jagged, spreading out behind him even as lightning surrounded his body. The earth quivered in fear, the air shook from the simple sight of the energy rising off his back and shoulders. It rose like a shroud around his body and engulfed him, coating the screaming slayer in an eerie, golden aura. Eyebrows vanished banished by the sinister series of scales scrawling across his skin. Erupting out of his back and body they clamored forth from his form like an infestation, churning and burning across his burnished body, leaving singed skin beneath.
"Not...enough!" Naruto grunted, his body bursting into brilliance. "Higher...HIGHER!"
Azure bled from his body, the flames roaring high with intensity. They couldn't even approach him such was the blaze, couldn't hope to intervene and halt his transformation. And then, it was done. With a final, guttural scream of red-hot agony, sweat pouring down his brow, and out of every pore, the blonde's body burst shining with light as he transcended his mortal coil. It was like watching the rebirth of a phoenix. When the smoke finally deigned to clear, Uzumaki Naruto was gone.
Something else stood in his place.
His body shone with otherwordly radiance, bright as the sun, rippling with heat and energy. Hair the color of pure gold glittered down his back leaving whiskered cheeks and an eyebrowless face exposed. His attire was, miracuously, intact despite the blue and black flames roaring over his shoulders and chest. He shifted, an almost imperceptible movement, and the earth eroded at his feet, cratering inward, in its haste to escape those blazing violet eyes, the unholy wrath held within them. Lightning crackled around his form, the air spitting and sizzling, from the friction his mere prescence induced. Though humanoid in appearance, this creature could no longer be called human. Nor could the magical pressure rolling off his form.
Rogue shivered.
"Sting," He whispered.
"Yeah?"
"We were fools."
The White Dragon managed a numb nod.
This truly was the Sun-God, Sting realized, standing here before them. This was the only man in Sabretooth, who'd ever fought Master Jiema to a draw. And he was about to tear them apart for the crime of threatening his family, in recompense for their temerity. Jiemma honestly expected them to fight something like this? They couldn't even get close to him!
Regret as thick as the muggy atmosphere subsuming them seized his heart as he caught sight of their senpai's true from. Damnit they'd had him! They had him! He'd been at death's door! And now he'd ascended even higher than before! This great god that'd once been a mere mortal turned, bringing wrathful violet eyes to bear upon the young dragon slayers, pinnioning them with a gaze.
"You should be proud of yourselves." He remarked, glowing eyes hot as hell, voice black as pitch, "Only Master Jiemma has pushed me this far in battle before."
"Wha-
"It's over, Sting."
Sting didn't even have time to blink. All he felt was the breaking of bones and the cracking of ribs; his body screaming in agony as he sank down to his knees. Naruto stood over him, sparks arcing off his body, lending his form a sinister aura. Sting felt his jaw drop open, mouthing hanging in a small, round O. The Sun Dragon calmly withdrew his clenched knuckles and, before the White Dragon could ever hope counter, dropped him with a brutal right hook to the face. Cartilege broke beneath his fist, shattering Sting's nose, but by then-thankfully-the third generation dragon was already unconcsious.
"Sorry...Lector...
His body slumped to the street, toppled by the Sun God. Naruto stepped over his broken body and checked for a pulse. Finding one he nodded, straightened, the flames of his ultimate technique slowly smoldering away from his body, leaving him alone in the streets. Alone with Rogue.
Naruto glared bloody red daggers at the shadow Dragon Slayer. He no longer needed the form of the Sun God to fight, and maintaining it for more than a few minutes placed a tremendous strain upon his body. To hold onto such power, power beyond the realm of mortals, was difficult. To be consumed by it was easy. his life. Every second counted. He stepped forward, the temperature spiking once more. He would end this quickly but he had to be certain that he faced an opponent, and not a friend.
"Are you going to stand in my way as well, Rogue?" he challenged.
The dragon slayer stared him down a moment longer, shook his head. He backed down.
"No." He relented. "I know when I'm beaten, senpai."
Naruto nodded.
"Thanks. I really didn't want to use this form on you."
"What are you going to do?" Rogue asked as he stalked past him, toward the guild building. "When you find Master Jiemma?" The blond didn't bother to look back as he ascended the steps.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Naruto growled and cracked his knuckles.
"I'm going to kick his fucking ass."
A/N: BWAHAHAH! This is rated M for a reason! So much to read and discuss! Poor Cornelia! They nearly scarred her for life! And Cana's pregnant AGAIN?! Kushina sounds like a fine name. Gildarts is a grandfather! And will the mighty Sabretooth fall or will Jiema sweep the murder conspiracy under the rug? And what will the Magic Council have to say about this now that the secret is out, now that Naruto's brought all of their wrath down upon Sabretooth?! Can he possibly survive his battle with Jiemma?! Things are coming to a head! But gah, I can't believe I have to write a Naru x Minerva oneshot after this...that woman is seriously a bitch no matter how I portray her. Unless I somehow figure out a way to brainwash or give her amnesia. Any ideas in that aspect for the one shot? I'll gladly accept them! Anywho, I worked extremely hard on this chapter in the hopes to please all you NarutoxCana fans on nearly every front, and it is now midnight over here, so...
...REVIEW, WOULD YOU KINDLY?
We'll see Naruto's cat next chapter! Who oh who could he/she be?! Be sure to guess and vote!
R&R! =D