The Knight Of Mahora Academy
Period 2: Even When The Heroes are Gone...
I knew it! Even after all this time, Negima is still beloved! (Falls on knees and screams triumphantly!)
Alright, so first I want to thank everyone for giving me their support for this idea. I truly want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I am still accepting any suggestions for potential love interests. But I do have a few I think I really want to do.
P.S. I got hit by a surprisingly effective emotion bomb earlier this week. I was re-reading Negima to get back into the funk when I reached chapter 297. Now even those of us that are pretty desensitized to touchy feely emotions felt happy for Negi. So what do you know, the Futurama episode 'Game of Tones' was ending at that moment and I was hit with that hammer of feels while seeing Negi with his parents. And I wept .
Now that we are done with my feel-corner of the day...
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
The small group looked over the tower from their vantage point atop the valley cliff. It was large, wide, and filled with the life of wild forest. And at the center of the valley was a mighty, ancient castle that dwarfed the towers adjacent to it.
The short boy walked to the edge of the cliff and kept one of his hands deep in his pocket while the other rested at his side. His dull, grey eyes peering out from underneath his shaggy white hair. "Are you certain that they will be coming here? I believe you told me that this location was far more remote and undetectable compared to their other bases, wasn't it?"
"Yes," the tall man covered by the long black cloak and porcelain mask said in a soothing yet low voice. "This base of operations is supposed to be undetectable by most sensors and radars available. But The Thousand Master and Ala Rubra are not to be considered standard mages... Not by a long shot, sadly." The Shadow Mage just shook his head disappointedly as he was reminded by all the damages and failures they had suffered at the hands of the heroic team.
"Not used to seeing Dynamis all down in the dumps. It's kind of weird, isn't it Septendecim?" The short, dark-skinned girl in a black dress said to the much taller woman standing besides her.
The woman with her face covered by her hair and two long horns protruding down from her head stood there quietly. "..."
"Don't ignore me." Nii said with a slightly miffed tone. She never got an answer from this lady, no matter what she did.
What a bitch.
"We only need to keep them away from the Twilight Princess long enough for the group to finish their ritual and transport to the next safe location. Then we shall return to the Graveyard and take the Twilight Princess along with us." The apprentice to the First Great Mage turned around and addressed the foremost leading puppet. "Tertium, since your...'disagreement' with Secundum, you shall be the point leader for this defense."
"Of course, Dynamis-Sama." The Averruncus bowed slightly to his handler.
"Will Rakan be there?" The little girl said as her skin started to emit some light flames. "If he is, I call dibs. Got it guys! Dibs." A small shadow emerged from behind Nii and started to smack her upside the head. The chibi Atur started to whine and try to swat the hand away but it continued to beat her head in.
"That's enough from you Nii. We must prepare ourselves for the battle." Dynamis walked down the path and towards the valley as the other members of Cosmo Entelecheia followed suit. Nii showing some expression of excitement at the aspect of finally ending the life of the man that had killed her earlier incarnation. And Septendecim showing almost zero outward change as she marched in step with them.
Tertium stayed in place as he looked out at the flashing lights coming from the castle. He knew what was going to happen today. He could tell. Even though he was supposed to be composed and ready for all new possibilities to present themselves, he already knew that he was going to meet him again.
The Thousand Master. Nagi Springfield.
It was always a challenge when he had to face that man. He always told him the true inevitability of what was going to happen. The end of days. The loss of lives. That no matter how much he fought or how many times he kept standing back up, the end result was always going to be the same.
That man's response...
He would start yelling about not underestimating what people are apparently capable of doing. And then he would punch him.
Not quite a master of the debates that man.
But something about how that man never seemed to stop his meddling in their affairs or how he always seemed to find a way to put himself in the thick of it...it was interesting.
Foolish. Stupidly moronic and unavoidable.
But interesting.
He knew he was going to face that man again. Call it intuition. Or destiny. Or... Fate
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Gateau stood at the opening to the valley forest with the luxurious, massive castle peeking out from over the tree tops. Surrounding the entire structure were hundreds upon hundreds of skilled mages and soldiers that worked alongside the cult group. Far more than that tower they attempted to infiltrate last year.
The dandy man lit the cigarette in his mouth as he surveyed the surrounding area. Knights. Mages. Fierce God Soldiers. Demons and assorted baddies. Gateau took a long drag on his tobacco baby as he figured what all this meant.
This was probably their last major base.
He let the smoke out as he smiled lightly. "Looks like they are really pulling out all the stops they can to keep us out. The others will feel very appreciated at this gesture."
"Sensei, should we be so happy that our enemies are doing everything they can to kill us? That is usually cause for concern." Takamichi said with a nervous chuckle.
"Come now Takamichi, you need to learn to appreciate the little things in life. In our line of work, take everything you find and experience as a positive matter." Vandenburg laughed as he wrapped his arm around his growing apprentice's shoulder. "But if you want a professional opinion on enjoying life as much as you can, why not ask our local destructive buddy over here...right Kyūbi-San?"
The small, two-tailed fox about a yard away from the two of them just grumbled as he tried to resume his nap on the cliff. "Can you please stay quiet? For even a minute? This is the first time I've gotten any space between the brat and those other pains in the ass and I would like a moment of rest."
"Don't you usually try to sleep most of the day anyway, Kyūbi-San?"
"There's a difference between falling asleep in peace and willingly smashing your head into the wall to drown out the sounds of multiple idiots arguing between each other." The deep voiced mini-beast said as he laid on his back and stretched himself out like a cat on the porch. The two Kankahō practitioners felt some sweat go down their backs at the state the once fearsome demon was now in.
"Well...Kyūbi-San...You need to understand that their rough-housing is their way of showing friendship and camaraderie between the group. And even after all this time, they still all consider each other one big-"
"Stuff it Kagura. You and Bakamichi here get to have the quieter side of life from this damn reject brigade. You two go to the fancy hotels, checking out sources for information on possible locations and enjoying quiet evenings by a fireplace with a smoke in hand. Do you know what I get?"
Gateau and Takamichi slowly looked between each other and then looked to the fox as they both shook their heads.
"I get to listen to the brat argue constantly with those two man-babies! Bitch about this! Bitch about that! Oh no, this is too tough! Oh no, this is too scary! For god sake, don't throw me into the pit of man-eating fish! Do you two remember when we were all together and had that poker tournament?" The two men nodded their heads shamefully, remembering the time that some of the strongest mages and fighters in history were cleaned out by a six-year old beginner. "Yeah, they're still fighting about that one. Sad part is that the kid wins the arguments sometimes. Also, that hooded-guy? Albireo? Yeah, I thought I was messed up."
"And those idiots Jack and Nagi never stop blowing shit up in a vain attempt to teach him how to use his new powers. I've heard that kid scream in horror more times than I have in killing people. And I've done my fair share of that. When we stay in the Magical World, Rakan never stops talking about how great he is and doesn't stop reminding the punk about how much this is all going to cost him when he grows up. And when we are back on Earth, I go thinking that this is a chance for some peace and quiet. When we are over in Japan, the kid is pre-occupied by those picture books that Eishun is so willing to send over. Except the loving couple always seems to be arguing about something. And by argue, I mean that the woman starts beating the man to a bloody pulp. And, of course, when the kid has finally fallen asleep, I get to stay up all night listening as those two start 'talking things out' all over the kitchen, bathroom and living room couch. So Gateau, when I say let me sleep, I mean Let. Me. Sleep. Okay?"
The normally calm and collected men looked at the twin-tailed fox in absolute shell-shocked horror. They both nodded their heads and stood up, walking away silently to the edge of the cliff as the tailed beast took this opportunity to rest his eyes, his tails mindlessly swaying in peace.
The master and student stood there in complete and awkward filled silence as they looked out over the battle-field. The younger man coughed into his hand and looked off to the side. "Well...um...he sure paints an image, huh?"
"That he does Takamichi... That he does." Gateau lifted the binoculars up and got a closer view of the castle. He saw the cult members start to lock down the door and send their army to guard the entire front section of the forest. He lowered them and looked over to his apprentice. "Show time."
Takahata nodded his head and jogged over to the dozing fox. "Kyūbi-San-"
"I swear kid, talk to me again and I shall tell you word for word Albireo's book about 69ing with yourself. Believe me, I can. That shit sticks with you."
"We need a relay...please."
The fox opened up one eye and looked at the young man. He sighed very tiredly as he lifted his head and concentrated on the connection with the kid.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
The former Queen of Calamity stood there tiredly as she shook her head in disappointment. "Do we really have to argue about this now? Right before an almost literal war?"
"Not now Arika! This is a matter that we've got to decide now!" The Thousand Master yelled with determination and anger almost dripping off his voice. "Dammit Jack! I told you that I'll let you take care of all the guards while I go grab the Lil'Princess! It's the fastest way!"
"And I told you moron! That the best choice would be that I run in, destroy everything, grab the kid and make my way out in the most dramatic fashion I can think of! Save us the media trouble and just have the cameras and the fan girls waiting outside the building!" The God of the Gladiators yelled as he bashed his forehead against The Strongest Mage in History. The two of them keeping sparks between their eyes in righteous fury.
"Hey! HEY! Listen!" The towering mercenary and shorter wizard looked down at the young boy who came up to Nagi's waist. A young blond boy with blue eyes and whiskered cheeks was looking up at them furiously as he yelled to get their attention. He was wearing a blue shirt and black pants, with the same bad spiral drawn headband he arrived with a year ago tied around his head. Around his waist was a sheathe with a short blade inside of it. "The pincer idea with a charge was my idea in the first place! I should be the one to go and save that girl!"
The two mighty rivals looked between each other, giving it a moment of serious contemplation. Before they both laughed their asses off and had to use each other as support to not fall on their butts. Naruto fumed, "I'M SERIOUS!"
"And we think that is adorable that you think that Naruto. But the grown-ups are talking." Nagi said with a laugh even as he started to ruffle the boy's hair. "So yeah anyway-"
"I don't make nearly as much noise as you two! And while you guys are blowing everything up, I'll run in and grab her! I can do it!" Naruto tried to argue before he was lifted up by his short collar and held out in front of one of his teachers.
"Haha, he thinks he's people! So cute~!" Rakan started to poke the boy's cheek as Naruto visibly started to shake, gritting his teeth in anger at this treatment.
He sent some Ki to his feet and smashed it against Rakan's chin, catching him in surprise as the attack exploded and he let the boy go and fell on his back. Naruto landed on his feet and clutched his stomach as he laughed at his mentor. "Ahahahaha, how'd you like that Raka-Ji? Blindsided, bitch!"
Eishun looked up from the cooking pot he was stirring and at the boy in worry. "Naruto-kun, you shouldn't swear like that. You'll catch that as a horrible habit."
"Shut the fuck up Eishun he's expressing himself." Nagi said as he joined in with Naruto and pointed at the downed man and bellowed loudly. The two of them were having so much fun they didn't notice the man come back up to his feet like a zombie as smoke poured out of his mouth. The blond and red-head looked at the towering titan in horror as they ran away, keeping only about a foot of space from them and Rakan's extended chokers.
"Well no surprise there. That's what we get for letting him stay with Jack and Nagi whenever we aren't all together." Al said as he closed the book in his hand and picked up his bowl to fill it with stew. Arika just sighed in defeat as she threw back her skirt and sat on the log besides Eishun.
"We leave him with Jack or when he comes with Nagi and I, we only hope that he is learning something for the best. But he still always has Kyūbi-San by his side and that's a gamble. Plus the most educated experiences he gets are when Gateau and Takamichi come to visit as well. The manga you send him are the best protection he gets against their idiocy Eishun." The swordsman chuckled lightly and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "And Al..." She and Eishun looked towards the man in the robe who was smiling patiently. "We try to keep him away from the books you send."
"That's expected. But if you ever did let him see, he'll be quite the hit when he grows up."
"Or so horribly repressed and emotionally stunted he'll never be able to function in normal society." Eishun said offhandedly as he poured stew into Arika's and Al's bowl.
"That too."
"Nagi! You have to sacrifice yourself! It's the only way!"
"Why me kid? I'm the stronger one! I should be the one to live!"
"Yes but I've got far more to live for!"
"Screw you brat!" Nagi and Naruto both looked shocked when they felt two massive hands grab the back of their shirts. Rakan lifted them off their feet and started to slowly make a deep chuckle that would have made lesser men soil themselves.
"How about if I just save you two the time and kill you both!" Naruto flailed around in an attempt to escape as Nagi decided to take an alternative route by trying to fight back. So before he was attacked, Rakan smirked and raised them far over his head.
"Rakan's Moron Go Round!" The dark-skinned man started to spin at incredible speeds, turning into a miniature brown and blond tornado with some yellow and red highlights at the edge of it. The two captured fools started to yell, their screams overlapping as they rotated dozens of times in an instant. As all the colors started to merge into one big blur, Rakan chose that moment to let go of his hold and throw them off at 100MPH towards the other half of Ala Rubra.
Arika stood up and softly caught Naruto in her arms, holding him close to make sure he didn't get hurt. The boy looked up at her with dizzy eyes and tried to thank her but couldn't find his voice and just nuzzled into her for a safe keeping. Arika looked down at him and smiled.
Nagi on the other hand went face first into the pot of stew, spilling it everywhere and covering himself and Eishun in the food stuff. Al just used a small shield of Gravity to keep himself clean.
Nagi jumped up with blood-shot eyes. "AHHHHHH! IT BURNS! THE MEATY GOODNESS BURNS!" The Thousand Master yelled as he flailed around on the floor like a dying trout. Rakan pointed at him and mocked his earlier hyena laughter.
"How's that Springfield? Ahahahahahahaha!"
"...Jack...?" The gladiator froze in shock at the drawn out and threatening tone in the voice that said his name.
The young boy, Queen of Calamity, perverted eggplant and even the severely burned Thousand Master all took a step back (in Nagi's case, rolled away in the dirt), leaving Jack Rakan in an almost direct line towards the Shinmei-Ryū swordsman covered in carrots and potato stew. "Um...Eishun...I swear I didn't-"
"Did. You. Waste. Food? AGAIN!" Rakan stormed off, running through the trees as Eishun started to swing his Yuunagi around madly. Naruto watched in sheer amazement at the feat of the supposedly-unimpressive man chasing around the narcissistic hero like a dog who soiled the bed. Or how Arika chased around Kyūbi when he decided to rip up the couches for the sake of ripping up couches.
"Is Eishun-San always this stingy about how we eat?" Naruto said as he scooped out some stew that was still in the pot and started to eat it out of a bowl. Arika and Albireo sat on the log alongside him as they watched Rakan run for his life.
"Eishun has always had this fixation with not wasting food. I believe he once told me it had something to do with the fact that when he was younger, he was always told to eat up everything on his plate. There was only one time he didn't finish his food on the count of he had a very serious stomach ache and he couldn't eat. So his oldest sister made him sit outside their house for several days, train non-stop for an entire week and finally forced him to fight an extremely powerful demon all by himself. Without letting him eat anything the whole time. Needless to say, I believe the principle of 'waste not, want not' did not pass by him."
"W-wow..." Naruto looked at Al in horror at the idea of that story.
"Makes you think about what is going to happen to his daughter, huh?" Arika joked with her old colleague as he chuckled lightly.
Naruto looked between the two adults and smiled with a little melancholy. The entire group was never together as much as this.
Nagi and Arika-San usually lived back on Earth, moving around the world.
Raka-Ji stayed here in Mundus Magicus, living it up anyway he wanted to.
Takamichi and Gateau-San would sometimes visit him whenever he stayed over at the Springfield's house, but they always had to get going again soon after.
Eishun-San had to stay in Japan most of the time because of work and his daughter. But he still always sent him one of those cool manga from Japan, which Naruto liked the most out of all the places he went. It was the most similar to his old town and it treated Ninjas as a cultural phenomenon. Of course they were probably weaker and less impressive than the ones back home, but it was good to know they were still interesting in this world.
And Al-Jiji...he was, off. Doing something. He didn't want to know what though.
But the young boy liked these moments the most out of his whole experience. Being with these people, joking around and having more fun than he had ever had before. Hell, even Kyūbi wasn't as much of a sour puss as he was last year. He found out that when you aren't a demon beast towering over an entire nation but a normal sized fox and are able to party with people like this, even he could enjoy himself. Even though the next day he would say that it was still just a pain in the ass.
Which made Naruto worry about what was going to happen next. If they were able to save this girl and get the foreign boy to her before it was too late, then it was possible that he could would be able to return to Konoha before the day was up. And if you had asked him that question a year ago he wouldn't even need a second to respond yes.
But now...
If he and Kyūbi returned home, what was going to happen to them? They would probably capture and try to use or kill the fox before he could escape. And even with him out, Naruto would probably still be treated like a freak by those people. He wanted to see Jii-chan again, sure. But at the very idea of leaving this place...
Leaving these people that had accepted him so eagerly even when they didn't know him. His first real family.
Naruto felt a sudden pull in the back of his mind, sensing the open connection Kyūbi was setting up from his position. The whiskered boy closed his eyes and concentrated on the link.
It was a new ability that he and the Nine-tails discovered over the past few months. When one of them concentrated on the former seal they once shared, the other would feel a pull and would be able to connect with him. And when that happened, anything one of them sees or hears is instantly transmitted to the other. It only worked if they both concentrated, so if one of them didn't want the connection to work, it didn't. But when they did, like in this situation, they had a real-time, uninterrupted long-distance network system.
He opened his eyes back up and saw what Kyūbi was looking at. He saw several huge white monsters, flying mages and hundreds of knights in armor start to pour out through the forest. Kyūbi looked up and saw Gateau giving him the signal to start their advance forward.
Naruto closed his eyes and cut off the connection. He slowly opened them up and looked down at his bowl of stew in worry. This was it. He swallowed a lump before steeling his resolve and looking up at all of the present Ala Rubra members.
"It's time."
All the ruckus, chasing and laughter ended as they looked at the boy who was doing his best to appear fearless. Eishun sheathed his sword and reached down to give Rakan a hand up. Al stood and pulled his hood up, hiding his features from the world. Arika stood up and tightened the sword at her side, walking forward as Ala Rubra followed in step.
"Let's go."
And then...they were gone.
...
Rakan walked back into the scene and kneeled down. He picked Nagi up by his collar and dragged the man out of the forest. "Come on hero. It's your time to shine."
"T-the broth! I-it's seeping in."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
The mages and knights were spanned and guarding across the entire span of the valley forest. The mages were flying on wands, readying themselves for an attack from every direction. The Fierce God Soldiers made a perimeter around the castle and were standing in place. And the knights were scouring the trees and ground as they left no opening. With the orders to attack with lethal force anyone that came in the line of fire.
One of the knights looked off further into the forest and saw a shadow moving across the ground. His eyes widened from under his helmet and he grabbed his weapon, causing the other knights to fall into stance as well. "Who goes there?"
The shadow continued to scurry around through the bushes. Moving closer and closer.
"We are warning you! We will open fire if you do not show yourself!"
The bushes rattled more and more as the figure came closer to the armed men. The knights all concentrated the point of attack towards the last bush before it was open for all to see. Underneath their suits they were shaking, not prepared for a fight with the legendary Ala Rubra. Finally, from out of the bush...
A small, red fox with two wagging tails walked out slowly towards the men. It sat down on its butt and yawned tiredly before scratching its ears. The men all looked down in shock as the fox stopped its scratching and looked up at the men pointing weapons at it with a tilt of his furry head.
"Oh thank goodness." All of the knights lowered their weapons and exhaled long breathes of relief.
"I thought we were screwed."
"Could you imagine if Jack Rakan or the Thousand Master were the ones sneaking through the bushes?" Some of the knights chuckled while others cringed at the idea of battling men of that calibre right at the start.
"I believe Rakan would probably just blow everything up with a swing of his sword and start the battle."
"Y-yeah but even Jack Rakan can't handle forces as powerful and numerous as this...r-right?" One of the men said with his voice quivering and uncertain.
"Yeah but I heard that the Thousand Master knows over one hundred spells and illusions that could let him pass through here without anyone knowing it!"
"Pfft-"
The knights all looked between each other when they heard the sound of a deep voice stifling a laugh.
"Well, what should we do with this little guy?" One of the men said as he pointed down towards the fox whose tails were still wagging.
"I say we forget it. It's not worth the time."
"I think we should let him out. This is going to be a battlefield soon and he'll be killed if we don't lead him somewhere safe."
"I say we bend over and prep ourselves for the severe ass-kicking we are about to receive."
"Okay, who's the smart-ass?" All of the knights looked between each other for the owner of the gruff voice that had suggested defeat.
Before all together, they looked down towards the fox that was shooting off a wide, toothy grin with his eyebrows going up and down. Before he opened his mouth and a small black orb formed in an instant.
*Boom*
A section of the forest went up in explosive fumes as the flying mages all looked towards that quadrant in shock. Suddenly, the people on their wands felt a heavy force start to push them down towards the dirt. A man in a white robe was flying through the sky, throwing black orbs in the directions of any of his enemies. Each one of Al's orb increased the gravity it touched by several fold, completely incapacitating them.
The knights on the ground started to disperse, heading in the direction of the burning trees. When a man surrounded in a massive fluctuation of Magic and Ki fell down from out of the sky, glaring at the men in anger. Before any of them could react to attack, Gateau's Iaiken blew through them and leveled the trees around them.
Eishun ran like a bullet train close to the ground, Yuunagi out to the side as his eyes flared in a cool fire. His sword was charged with electrical power as he charged forward, "Kyokudai Raimeiken!" All the mages and knights on the ground were instantly swept up in an electrical explosion that sent them flying. Eishun flipped through the air and used a tree as a jump post, shattering it in the process as he flew towards another group of knights.
"Zantetsusen!" The armors were instantly reduced to scraps as the men fell over unconscious. Eishun and Gateau jumped around, passing each other several times as they completely decimated the army sent to stop them. They each finished off another squadron, dodging magical spells of varying power as they jumped back and pressed their backs together.
Suddenly, from out of the foliage, a red blur sped through the cloaked and armored men, making them fly back screaming with deep claw marks across their clothes. The Ala Rubra gentlemen watched as the supposedly handicapped Nine-Tails shredded through the armor and fired several quick energy blasts in a moment. Charging through the forest and defeating all that stood in front of him like a storm of blades.
"AHAHAHA! WHAT'S WRONG HUMANS? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING THIS PLACE! C'MON! PUT UP A FIGHT! MAKE THIS FUN FOR ME!" The small animal cackled with a maniacal voice as the armored men started to run away from the psychotic fox that slashed through their protective suits like hot butter.
Eishun and Gateau looked at the scene with a nervous chuckle and a bead of sweat down their necks. "E-ehehe, and he says that he isn't even close to as bad as he was back home?"
"Makes you worry about what will happen when Naruto-kun grows up, huh?" Both men nodded before continuing in their battle across the valley.
Several immense explosions battered the woods as two figures started to sail through the air. One of them was jumping up into the clouds, creating a sword as large as the castle as he threw it into the ground eagerly. "Zan-Kan-Ken!" Rakan threw the sword through the trees, sending dozens of people flying through the air from the shockwave.
Haha. The Dynamic Entrance #36 was perfect for this situation.
Rakan dispersed the massive blade and in his hands appeared a large double-sided sword and a huge cleaver. He fell back towards the forest as his impact made a huge trench in the ground. As he did, the double-edged blade swung over his head like a propeller and the cleaver slashed through anything in his way, Jack flying around like a spinning top as he left no opening. "Come on Nagi! Join the party!"
The Fierce God Soldiers started to stomp towards the Hellian man as he jumped up them like a stepping stone.
Nagi flew down from the clouds, sailing on his staff like a board as he closed in on the towering white soldiers. He jumped back and kicked the staff into his hand, collecting an enormous amount of Lightning Magic into its tip and spun it around, aiming at the Fierce God.
"Man Man Terro Terro! Κενότητος ἀστράπσατω δὲ τεμέτω! Δίος τύκος!" A wide spread axe of electricity emitted from Nagi's staff and blasted through the chest of the white creature. It fell backwards as he turned in the air and aimed his hand towards another soldier coming his way.
"Septingenti Septuaginta Trium Spiritus Lucis! Sagitta Magica Series Lucis!" An immense flurry of arrows of light shined through the setting sky like the sun as they all impacted and exploded against the soldier's chest, downing him in one shot. The immature expert Mage fist pumped and headed to the next enemy.
Rakan, Nagi, Eishun and Gateau jumped through the air, attacking every flying enemy and fighter they saw. Albireo flew in the sky, stopping the movements of his enemies as Kyūbi ran through the forest attacking anyone he saw.
And running around the castle and heading towards another entrance to the building; Naruto, Arika and Takamichi were fighting their way through numerous fighters.
Arika easily lead the three man team. Effortlessly, she used her Royal Magic to swat every evil doer with such amazing grace and elegance you couldn't tell she was of royal stature.
Takamichi tensed up at the sheer volume of soldiers surrounding the three of them. And the young adult thought that at the moment, he might as well try. He turned in place and put his hands in his pockets.
He adjusted himself so that he was slightly slouched over and aimed for the helmets of the charging soldiers.
"Iaiken!"
He pulled out his hands and punched faster than any of the charging assailants could react to. His fists' pressure soared out and impacted against the armored plates, knocking the knights out and sending them falling into the dirt. Takamichi kept this up against several groups of them as his face continued to become more and more distorted in pain.
As the last of them fell down, he pulled out his bruised, bloody knuckled hands and attempted to soothe them. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. That hurts way worse than I thought it was going to. Note to self: learn the Kankahō already!"
"Michi! That was so cool!" Naruto said as he was jumping back and dodging the swipes of the the swords around him. "You have to teach me that! I want to join you when Gateau-San gives his next lesson!"
"Not! The! Time! Naruto-kun!" Takamichi said as he dodged more attacks and punched with impossibly fast punches. Naruto ducked under a wide arc swing and ran up the spear that had imbedded itself in the ground near his chest. He jumped off the end and started to jump between the branches and trees to bring him up high. And after he passed the top, he careened back down towards a knight that was looking up at him.
He pulled back and covered his fist in Ki that burst into flame. "Exploding Pulse Strike!" He punched the knight in the face and a large explosion erupted from the impact. Naruto jumped out of the smoke and concentrated his magic on the ring that he had received as a birthday present from Arika and Nagi.
"Irtar Peseir Matre Akqur! Unus Fulgor Concidens Noctem, in Mea Manu Ens Inimicum Edat! Fulguratio Albicans!" A stream of white lightning emitted from his palm and blew a dozen flying mages off of their brooms.
Naruto pulled out his short sword and parried several attacks as he followed Arika and Takamichi around the castle. The heterochromic beauty looked back to the younger men following her, "We need to get in their as soon as possible! The others will hold them off long enough for us to grab her and make an escape."
"Let's go then!" Naruto made a dash for the castle but was cut off by a blast of Takamichi's fist against the ground near his feet.
"We need a plan to make our way up!" Takamichi yelled as he continued to use Iaiken. "There are bound to be tougher guards protecting the ritual space."
"Why can't we just get in there and save her! We're strong enough!"
"We can't just charge forward at everything that stands in our way Naruto-kun!"
"Well we can't just argue and complain about this until the sun sets!"
"Boys-" Arika failed to interject.
"You're not strong enough to do this alone!"
"I bet I'm stronger than you! I can do this!
"Boys-"
"I won't let you!"
"Dammit let me-"
"BOYS!" Takamichi and Naruto looked away from each other and towards Arika who was standing still. She was looking around the area worryingly as she noticed something different. "Takamichi, you said that you and Gateau saw over three thousand members of the army spread around the forest right?"
Takamichi and Naruto looked between each other with a raised eyebrow before looking back to the former queen. "Yes? Why?"
"Because I know we are strong. And that these idiots would probably run through numbers like that with a simple wave of their hands. But," she turned around and looked to them with a stern and worried face. "We are nowhere close to beating even a thousand of them. So...where did they all go?"
Naruto's and Takamichi's eyes widened in surprise as they suddenly looked around them. As she said, even the men that they had already knocked unconscious, there was no one else in sight. And there was not a sound on the battlefield.
Everything was silent.
Takamichi slowly turned around as Naruto gripped his short blade even tighter. Arika furrowed her eyes as the other members of Ala Rubra noticed that something was off. "We're being watched."
"Aquari Eterna Dead Sea... Veniant Spiritus Glaciales Obscurantes! Cum Obscuratione Flet Tempestas Nivalis. Nivis Tempestas Obscurans." Arika and Takamichi looked up in shock as a spiraling tornado of black wind and ice was descending upon them.
Before Naruto could turn around to see the attack, Takamichi dipped down and grabbed the boy. They all jumped back as the Ice and Darkness spell destroyed the ground and sent up a shockwave of freezing cold air. The Rubra team skidded on the ground as they took a breath of cold air.
A figure slowly started to settle on the top of one of the trees. Arika looked up and mashed her teeth. Naruto and Takamichi looked up as well to see a woman in a long skirt and open-chested attire look down at them, her long green hair covering her face completely. Naruto gulped in unexplained fear. Feeling a sense of complete overwhelming power coming from this new woman.
Arika took a deep breath. "Damn."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Gateau, Eishun, Al and Kyūbi were surrounded at all ends by more and more legions of black creatures emerging from the shadows. Kyūbi clicked his teeth together as he looked around at the new enemies. "What the hell happened? Where did all the guys in suits go?"
"They were transported away from here. And now we have to deal we these things again." Eishun said as he gripped his sword with both hands.
"Again? What, you know these things?"
"We've tangled with them before, on some occasions." Gateau said with a little chuckle.
"About everyday during the war to be more precise." Al interjected as he looked around for the summoner. And on the top of the cliff was the man himself, chanting a long incantation as a large magical circle appeared behind him.
And from that spell, a gargantuan monster emerged from the earth. Hundreds of black tentacles flailing around with almost no control, with an open rib-cage and four horns protruding around the face. Everyone still in the canyon looked up at the monster in shock. And then it screamed with such power and ferocity that the shrill, ear-piercing screech could be heard from miles around. Everyone covered their ears as to protect themselves from the sonic voice breaking their eardrums.
"What the fuck is that?!"
Rakan looked up at the monster with a nervous and slightly uneasy chuckle. "Damn. Didn't think they would come all the way out here for this." Rakan extended his hand and his pactio dislodged itself from the ground and reformed into a large broadsword he hefted over his shoulder. "Guess I'll try and take this big fella whil-"
"Scatentibus Fauillae!" The gladiator felt a warm air over his head as he lunged to the side and dodged a dozen white hot balls of fire exploding the area he once stood in. He looked up to see a little dark-skinned girl flying at him with her limbs covered in flames. "Rakan! It ends today!" She screamed with an almost maniacal shriek.
"Dammit not you again! Do you ever learn?" The two started to trade blows as the pressure and flames from their shared attacks blew apart their surroundings.
Naruto watched from a distance as a swarm of black monsters made their way around the trees and towards anyone they could find. Which in this case, were the team of three that was currently confronting the fur cladded woman that had thrown a powerful ice attack at their faces.
"W-who are these guys?" Naruto said as he protected himself against a clawed strike from one of the demons. He struggled to hold his own against the beast before he made a single arrow of fire and it blew up in its face. As the demon evaporated into black dust, several more were coming out of the fog and towards him.
But they were all destroyed by a barrage of quick punches that Takamichi sent before they could grab him. He jumped in front of the boy and blocked him out of sight. "Naruto-kun! You need to run and hide! Find one of us and stay clear of any of these things! Go!"
Naruto looked at the back of the older man. "T-Takamichi, I-I can't just leave-"
"NARUTO RUN!" Arika shouted as she jumped and started to engage Septendecim in combat while Takamichi charged forward with bloody hands. The stunned boy could do nothing but grunt in anger and follow the order he got from the closest thing he had to a mother.
As Naruto sprinted through the trees, he could see and hear the war rage on around him. Rakan screaming out another improvised attack name while the black behemoth roared and a little girl chanted a powerful fire spell. Eishun and Kyūbi were fighting against hundreds of demons while Gateau and Albireo charged towards the man dressed in black standing on top of the valley cliff.
The blond boy couldn't help but see that whoever these people were, they were strong enough to fight Ala Rubra on almost even terms. And they were stopping them from making it to the princess at the top of the castle. Which means that he was by himself on this.
Which was perfect...right?
He could find that girl again, open the way back and make his way home.
But then he would be abandoning the people he considered family to this fight, just so that he could run away. And that just left a bad taste in his mouth.
But he knew that he wasn't going to be able to fight this battle. He knew he was the weakest in the bunch. Even Takamichi couldn't use incantations but he fought with so much will and guts that it could be overlooked. And just looking at those other mages made him realize something almost instantly. If he fought, he would die. And that terrified him.
Naruto screamed in his head, trying to figure out what to do. If he fought, he could die. If he ran, then that girl would be lost forever. He kept repeating these ideas in his head over and over, trying to find something that would tip the scales in this panic.
"And just like me, you will have to protect them with everything you can. So when you find them, never give them up, okay?" Naruto's eyes widened before he slowed down and stopped where he stood. He ignored the sounds of explosions and fighting as his eyes were shadowed out of sight.
That's right. Jii-chan told him that when he found people he could cherish, he will have to fight tooth and nail to stay by them. And here he was, on the battlefield by the side of people that he truly cared about. And he had a duty to rescue a girl he promised he would protect.
Why?
Naruto lifted his head and narrowed his eyes with a resolved decision. Because he was a part of Ala Rubra now. Because he made a promise to help the people he loved any way he could. And because when you are faced with a fight like this, no man can just run away dammit!
The young boy looked up and saw Nagi floating down close to the castle as he took his wand out from under his feet, a blinding white light shooting out of the windows similar to what had happened to him a year before. Naruto nodded to himself and sprinted towards the Thousand Master's location.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Nagi stumbled slightly on the dirt as he twirled the staff in his hand. "This just went to shit in an instant." He wiped his chin and started marching towards the castle doors, the lights fluctuating periodically. "I gotta grab the kid before-"
"Ο Μονολιθος Κιων Του Αιδου." Five huge pillars of black stone appeared over the red-headed Welshman as they dropped on him. Nagi looked up in surprise for an instant before he started a series of Shundō to desperately avoid the crashing weights. He skidded against the ground and gathered his Lightning into his hand.
He punched towards the figure overhead and a bolt of lightning flew out. But the powerful blast only dispersed as it hit an extremely durable shield of magic that completely guarded the boy inside.
"I see that you are just as excitable as ever, Nagi Springfield-San." The young boy with the white hair and full-bodied, faded purple suit descended towards the ground. With no change in his outward expression, he slowly made his way in front of the powerful Mage. "It is a pleasure to see you once again."
Nagi kept the confident smile on his face, even if he was hiding his surprise and worry that the extremely powerful doll came into the battle at such a desperate time. "Yeah, sure. Great to see you too kid." Nagi looked behind the Averruncus of the Earth anxiously as the sounds of war filled his ears. He didn't have any more time to waste. "Hey, if we can postpone this for a minute I need to-"
"Go take back the Twilight Princess, correct?" Nagi looked at the puppet mildly surprised before he started to glare at him in annoyance. "Why must you continue to make such wasted efforts for that thing?"
"She is not! A! Thing!" Nagi said through gritted teeth. "And I'll keep making those 'wasted efforts' until we get her out of here."
Fate kept a calm, leveled look at the powerful Mage as he looked out towards where the entirety of Ala Rubra was fighting against the rest of Cosmo Entelecheia. He didn't change any of his outward features, "I'll never understand how you can be so blind."
"What?" Nagi said with a hiss in his voice and a throbbing temple.
"You have such prowess, power and skill. You can defend yourself against many of the strongest of beings in this world. You even defeated my master, be it temporarily. And yet," Tertium turned his head to look at the man. "You waste your time trying to save the empty existence of this world. They may shower you with words of endearment or shun you like a pariah, but at the end of the day their existence is still just fleeting. But you still waste your time with these falsities? So why cant you understand that what we are doing is saving these people before it is too late? Even when you know the truth?"
Nagi narrowed his eyes and gripped the shaft of his staff even tighter. "Do you think that matters to me? I don't care about that 'truth' or any other you guys are trying to keep. What you are doing, and how you are doing it just don't sit right with me." Nagi clenched his fist and aimed it at the third line of leading puppet mages. "And I won't just sit down scratching my ass while I know you guys are using her for this."
Tertium lowered his head and shook in disappointment. "You do understand though, correct? That we won't just let her be taken. We will defend our Twilight until we cannot stand anymore. And even if you do succeed in taking her, we shall never stop." He flared his magical power out for emphasis on his seriousness. "Be it a year or a century, we shall always come to take her back to her rightful spot. And even you won't be able to protect her forever."
Nagi continued to glare at the Averruncus before he scoffed, causing the living marionette to look at him quizzically. "Kid you really need to understand a serious rule about shit like this." He lifted up his head and gave him another one of his trademark grins.
"There will always be someone to stop you from winning. If we can't stop you, which we will, then another bunch of guys will come and take our place. And then another and another if needed. As long as the bad guys keep trying to hurt people, there will be a group of us to stop you." Tertium had no outward change besides an almost minuscule change in the speed he was blinking, which to normal people equated to a snarl and murderous glare. "Granted, they won't be as amazing as some certain Red-Headed, lady killing heroes but they'll be pretty good."
Tertium closed his eyes and considered what he had said. "Very well. It appears that reasoning with you is truly a fool's errand. So if I must," the white-haired boy lifted up his fingers and gathered his magic together. Nagi clicked his teeth at the delayed rescue that was about to happen and prepared for a lengthy battle. "висю тал ли сютал вангэит. Τό τεῖχος-"
"Iovis Tempestas Fulguriens!"
Before either Tertium or Nagi could respond, a figure jumped out of the trees and threw a spiraling tornado of lightning at the boy casting his stone spell. Nagi was actually surprised and looked at the scene with pinhole black eyes and an open jaw as the figure landed in the smoke and dust.
A rug of blond hair held up by a spiral drawn headband jumped out as the whiskered young boy yelled at the Thousand Master. "Nagi! Go! I'll hold him off!"
Nagi just blinked in disbelief. "W-Wha- Naruto! The hell do ya think yer doing! Get the hell out of-"
"There's no time!" Naruto swiped his hand towards the castle with a desperate look in his eyes. "I'm not the one who's supposed to save her Nagi! You are! You're the only one strong enough to help her before she is hurt anymore! Please!"
"You can't fight someone like this kid! You ain't strong enough!" Nagi argued with a yell, trying to save the boy from hurting himself.
"Then hurry up and come back down here! I can at least hold him off!" Naruto ran towards the trench mark he had made that led to the intruding white boy. Before he could leave, he heard Nagi scream his name.
"Naruto!" The whiskered boy stopped his run and stood there silently. "If you go, you won't be able to go home?" Naruto and Nagi stood there silently for a moment, the red head looking at the blond's shoulders as his hands were shaking before they made the tightest fists he had ever seen the boy make before.
"How the hell can I live with myself," he turned around and gave his guardian a small but reassuring smile. "If I choose my happiness over a poor kid? Isn't that what you guys taught me?" Before he got an answer, the blond boy continued to run off as Nagi contemplated his next move.
Naruto ran through the overturned dirt as he felt his magic reserves start to wane. The thunderstorm was currently the strongest and most power consuming spell he had learned to date. Plus fighting all of those knights, mages and shadow thingies was putting a heavy toll on his physical state.
He just had to hope that the blindsided sneak attack did some damage against the boy who had gone out of his way to challenge the Thousand Master.
Naruto saw that the boy in the purple outfit was slowly walking down the crevice with his hand in his pocket, not a single scratch or dirt mark to ruin his perfect image.
Figures.
Naruto leapt forward with a Ki induced fist and swung at the older looking boy. But before he could even registered what had happened, the boy had grabbed his arm, twisted it in the air and threw him overhead and smashed him into the ground. As he gasped for air, Tertium continued to stroll forward calmly, "That was actually quite a clever move to attack me while I am concentrating on Nagi-San. I must make sure I keep a layer of defense up even when I-"
"HA!" Naruto tried to punch him from behind but the puppet only mindlessly turned, grabbed him and threw him several meters away, the young boy crashing against a tree.
"-am concentrating on an incantation."
Naruto grabbed his ribs and aching spine as he coughed up spit and tried to take in even a shallow breath. He lifted his shaky head towards the retreating back of the white boy. He wasn't even registering him like a threat. Just swatting his best attempts away on reflex. Like he was nothing more than a bug buzzing around his head.
Naruto pulled himself up to his knees as he raised his hands towards his enemy. "Irtar Peseir Matre Akqur! Evocatio Valcyriarum Contubernalia Gladiaria! Age Capiant!" Several silvery spirits flew through the air, prepared to catch and capture the form of the retreating man. But before they could even reach him, they were blown apart by an invisible shield over a foot away from him.
Tertium actually stopped his walk back towards the glowing castle and looked back to the boy who was weakly raising himself to his wobbling feet, sweat dripping down his face. The Averruncus calmly walked back towards the boy and stood in front of him, his hand still in its place within his pocket. The whiskered boy with the headband looked up at him as the puppet looked down. "What are you doing?"
Naruto tried to use that moment of questioning to surprise him with a haymaker to the chin. But the collected pre-teen easily blocked the fist before it reached over his waist and then back-handed the boy across the face. He stumbled back with a swollen cheek as he felt a ringing in his ears, unable to fully believe the immense gap in skill between the two of them. He looked down at the bleary eyed, heaving boy as he tried to stay on his feet. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Naruto looked up through the corner of his eyes as he spit out a little blood from his lip. "My name...is Naruto Uzumaki..." He said as he wiped his mouth and stood up as much as he could, reaching about the height of the other boy's chest. "And I'm here," he concentrated as much of the Ki he had gathered over the year of training into his fists and feet as he could, "TO KICK YOUR ASS!"
Naruto started to throw every kick, punch, feint, combination and trick he had learned from his combat experiences with Ala Rubra. But the other Mage was pushing away all of his attacks with a single hand. Even with his enhanced speed and power, Tertium was using his advanced martial arts to swat the attacks away with the back of his hand.
Naruto fell back and tried to kick his opponent in the chin, but Tertium only leaned back to dodge the attack. Naruto pushed off on his hands and spun in the air, landing in a crouch as he pulled out his short blade and charged forward. As the blond closed in, the white-haired boy summoned a sword made of black volcanic glass to parry his sword.
Tertium was looking at the attempts the boy was making to cut him as his short blade and the obsidian sword made sparks between each clash. "I don't wish to fight you. It would appear domineering of me to face a child with my powers." Naruto was completely ignoring his monologue as he only concentrated on the attack. "I do not wish to face a child that does not have an involvement in this dispute. So if you will-"
*puff*
Tertium felt a small weight land on his head before he could finish his sentence. He grabbed what had landed on him and looked at it oddly.
It was a little black shoe. The same one the boy was wearing when he tried to kick him. In fact, the boy was missing a shoe right now.
Naruto saw a chance from his earlier plan of distraction as he dodged the volcanic rock sword and aimed to stab the older boy in the side. But while looking at the shoe, Tertium mindlessly swung out his arm and shattered the short blade with the back of his fist.
As the white-haired boy spun on his feet and moved toward Naruto, the blond boy jumped back with a fright. "Deflex-"
Tertium struck the boy in the center of his chest with an almost strong palm strike. But to Naruto, his eyes went white as he spat up blood and was thrown back several feet before bouncing on the dirt and impacting against another tree. Naruto groaned painfully before he slowly slumped down to his butt, unable to stand up or move.
*Swish*
"Ahhhhhh!" Naruto screamed out as the obsidian sword's tip pierced through his shoulder and pinned him to the tree. He slowly grabbed the blade of the sword, trying to at least make it budge as some painful sobs slipped out. The sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears as he looked up to see Tertium looking down at him, still no change in expression.
"I'm sorry but I needed to stop your attempts of fighting by some means. You have a lot of heart for someone of such young age and skill, but this is not a matter that involves children like you. So if you'll excuse me-"
"D-don't run, you bastard!" Tertium heard over his shoulder as Naruto tried to continue on, even as blood dripped down his hand and made a murky puddle. He tried to keep his voice strong, even with the teeth mashing pain in his shoulder.
"You were brought here with the members of Ala Rubra, correct, Naruto-kun?" Tertium said as he turned to look over his shoulder at the pinned boy. "But do you really think you are anything more than a pet to them? A mascot that runs around, yelling out their names like a herald before battle? Do you truly believe you are capable of bearing the weight that they bear? Do you even understand the truth?"
Naruto didn't respond, his eye shadowed out by his hair as he was looking down. Tertium closed his eyes and decided to leave him like that. Hopefully, he wouldn't force himself into anymore of their affairs with the realization that he wasn't strong enough. "Goodbye, Naruto Uzumaki-k-"
"Pfft."
Tertium froze, hearing a failure at stifling a chuckle leave from the boy's lips. He turned around to see the boy's shoulders heave as he tried to hold back a chuckle. "What? What is so amusing?"
"Oh, just everything you said right now. It's kind of funny."
"Do you not fully comprehend the futility of your work and attempts?"
Naruto coughed but let out one last laugh before looking up at the older boy with a damaged smile.
"It's just that you kept calling me weak, simple, and just an annoyance that was dead weight to Nagi and the others, right?" Naruto settled down calmly, no longer trying to fight back as he looked up to the older-looking boy with a kind smile. "So where is all the fighting?"
Tertium slowly, for the first in a long time, felt his eyes slightly widen in surprise. He slowly turned around in a full circle, noticing that the explosion, yells of battle and flares in magical power and Ki had completely died down. Even the light from the castle windows had already died down, signifying that the ritual was either complete or interrupted.
"I guess it's over then huh?" Naruto said with a thoughtful smile as he tilted his head with closed eyes. "And the Ala Rubra pet made you waste your precious time talking to him. So I guess you lost, huh, White Haired Bad Guy-San?"
Tertium didn't say anything, just looking up at the castle silently. The black blade faded out of Naruto's shoulder, making the boy hiss in pain as more blood started to spill out down his hand. The Averruncus turned around and looked at the boy, his eyes calm but filled to the brim with a pseudo-anger.
Tertium pointed his finger at the boy, "You were a very interesting boy, Naruto-kun. Farewell." His powerful Stone affinity magic started to build up into his fingers. висю тал ли сютал вангэит. Βασιλισκὲ γαλεώτε μετά κᾦκτὼ ποδῶν καί-"
Tertium was completely blindsided as Nagi Flash Stepped into his spot, landing a powerful, lightning covered elbow into the Averruncus' side. Naruto looked up with bleary, glazed over eyes as the Red-Head now stood where the white-haired boy once was. He turned around, his cloak flapping around to reveal that he was carrying something underneath his right arm. But Naruto didn't see it. All he could see was the calm, proud smile that Nagi was giving while looking down at him.
"You did great, Naruto."
And then, the blond boy passed out.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
He slowly opened up his eyes, feeling depleted and tired as he laid on the rolled out sleeping bag. He was looking up at the black, starry sky as a shooting star flew though the sky. He turned his head to the side, seeing his dirty, bloodied shirt and worn out headband folded neatly by the flickering fire.
Naruto tried to push himself up but cringed when he felt a spike of pain run through his bandaged shoulder and chest. He hissed before he felt a cool palm on his back and looked over his shoulder to see Arika with a towel in her hand. She smiled at him as she lowered him back on his bed, "How are you feeling?"
Naruto smiled up at her as he rested down on the pillow. "I think I'm alright."
"Good." She swiftly karate-chopped his head.
"Ow! Ow!" He said as he sprung up grabbing his head, inadvertently straining his ribs and back as well. As he held onto all of the painful parts, he looked up at her with pleading, watery eyes. "Why Arika-San?"
"How could you go and challenge an Averruncus like that you foolish boy?" She almost screamed out with a protective tone, like a mother punishing her child for misbehaving. "You could have died! Do you have a death wish! Do you?"
"Make sure you think and answer her carefully kid! We are still dealing with the collateral from Nagi's confession about leaving you to fight." Naruto looked passed Arika and felt his eyes shrink in horror. Most of the visible forest was broken down into twigs and stumps. And the members of the group that he could see were all huddled around Nagi, fixing up his beaten ass as Rakan waved to them.
Naruto looked back up at the blond woman as sweat poured down his face. "N-no, ma'am." Arika frowned and raised a hand over her head. Naruto closed his eyes and readied himself for the slap that would send him flying.
But instead, he felt a warm embrace cover his whole body. He looked over to his side to see the side of Arika's head buried into his good shoulder. She squeezed him tightly to make sure that he was okay. "Don't ever do that again, okay? I don't ever want to see you get hurt like that agin. Okay?"
It was warm. It was safe in her arms.
Naruto was silent for a moment before he closed his eyes and hugged her back, trying to hide the hot water building up in the edges of his eyes.
She let go and Naruto wiped out the corners of his eyes before anyone else could laugh at him. Then he heard the sounds of charging footsteps and loud laughter as he looked up to see many of the older men from Ala Rubra come to crowd the injured blond.
"Hey kiddo! Heard you challenged that little dirt kid with a stick up his butt! Stupid move! Purely idiotic!" Naruto looked up at the gladiator and frowned at him for his jeering. Before Rakan palmed the boy's scalp and started to ruffle his hair proudly. "That's our boy!"
The whiskered youngster looked up at the large man to see him smiling a cheesy grin and giving him a thumbs up.
Takamichi dropped to his knees and grabbed Naruto's shoulders, looking relieved about the boy seeming okay. "Naruto-Kun! Thank god you're okay!"
"Y-yeah Takamichi. I'm fine."
Takamichi sighed out a breath of relief and held his racing heart. "I thought that you had been hurt because I sent you off like that. I'm so sorry Naruto-kun. I didn't want to argue with you but-"
Naruto grasped Takamichi's injured hand with a smile on his face. "It's okay. Thank you Michi." The older man smiled and nodded at the young boy.
Nagi popped back up out of the dirt, livelier than you'd expect from someone who was literally beaten into the dirt just a few moments ago. "Man! You guys should have seen it. Naruto jumped out of the trees and tried to surprise the kid! And then he said some things about, 'How can I live with myself if I choose myself over a poor kid' or something. It was actually pretty cool."
Naruto laughed and gave a big grin. Before a beat passed and he looked up to the Thousand Master as he told his battle story. "Hey, Nagi?" The welsh man looked over at Naruto as he fidgeted in his sleeping bag. "Were...did you-"
"AH! Dammit you insufferable little wench! I'll tell you again! If you dare to touch me I shall-w-wait, I-OW MY TAIL!" The adults looked back towards the deep and gruff voice that was yelling in anguish as his mistreatment.
Nagi sighed, "Come on Lil'Princess...I told you not to play with weird things like that." Naruto looked past them to see what was causing the ruckus.
Holding onto the base of Kyūbi's tails as he thrashed around wildly, he saw a girl with orange twin-tails that already reached her feet. She was wearing the same strange outfit he had seen her wear in that place when he arrived in this world. Naruto stood up, ignoring the faint pains running through his body and walked over to the girl.
He tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She dropped Kyūbi on his head ("ow."). She looked over and saw the boy standing in front of her, a small but happy smile on his face as he looked into her blue and green eyes. "See. I told you I'd bring you home. Remember-"
He looked up to see that the girl was no longer there. Instead, she had completely ignored him and walked past him and up to Nagi. "Nagi, there's something wrong with my middle part. There is a monster screaming in it." She said as she mindlessly pointed to her stomach, letting them hear her stomach grumble from hunger.
As Nagi chuckled at her cluelessness, some of the other members were looking over to where Naruto was standing there frozen, completely blank-faced at being so easily ignored from the girl he had been waiting to meet. Some of the Rubra members stood there silently, feeling the awkward atmosphere radiating from around the child.
Arika slapped her hand over Rakan's mouth before he could make a remark that was on the edge of his tongue.
Naruto lowered his head and his shoulders were trembling, some noise coming out. They thought that he might be silently sobbing. Feeling unappreciated despite all the work he had done. Arika had slowly walked over to him and was about to comfort him. "Naruto-"
Before she noticed that they were sobbing noises, but very low growls of anger as his eyebrow was twitching and grinding his teeth. The boy turned around and saw the princess was still not paying any attention to him. He marched up over to her. "Hey!"
The princess turned around and was greeted with a semi-serious chop to the head from the blond boy she had met earlier.
The young girl was bent down, cradling her bumped head. Naruto was bent down, cradling his strained ribs. The adults were all looking at the two kids, eyes white and jaws slacked.
Naruto was the first to recover as he grabbed the girl by her collar and started to shake her back and forth, her blank look never fading. "What's with you kid? I try to help you and you completely blow me off! I don't even get a second glance! A thank you? Do you have any idea what I had to do to save you?!"
Rakan walked over to him and started to add things on like a footnote. "Actually Naruto, all you did was play the diversion as Nagi swooped in to save her. So in all-"
Without missing a single beat Naruto grabbed a tired Kyūbi, jumped up, pulled back Rakan's pants, dropped the protesting fox in there and closed them. "A-ah! W-wow! Kyuu-Gi-give me a sec to-pfft s-st-stop, I-it tickles! Wai-wait, no no no, not there! Less tickle! Less tickle! Ow! Ow! OOOOOWWWWWWWW!"
As Rakan ran around screaming in agony, Naruto grabbed the girl's cheeks and childishly started to pull them. "Do you even remember me? Huh? Did my existence drop out of that empty head of yours while you were sleeping?" He said as he gave her an evil grin.
There was absolutely no change in her facial expression even as Naruto was deforming her face.
"Fine! Let me remind you! It's Naruto! Na-Ru-To!" He said as he moved her mouth in synch with his words. He let go and stood there with his arms crossed, looking commanding and glaring at her. "Say it!"
The princess was massaging her sore cheeks and looking up at him with a confused face. Before looking down straight and seeming to concentrate on what he had said. After a minute of silence...
"N...Na-Ru-To..." She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side. "Naruto."
The injured boy smiled and nodded his head. "And your name?"
"Asuna...Asuna Vesperina Theotanasia Entheofushia..." She said like it was as simple as counting to five.
Naruto just continued to look at her, completely hiding his incapability to say what he thought sounded like thirty different words with a conjunction in the middle. Naruto kept his confident composure, "Okay...Asuna it is." He offered her his hand to help her up. "Nice to finally meet you, Asuna" he said with a big grin plastered across his face.
And this time, she took his hand and he pulled her up. He smiled happily while she didn't not completely understand the new situation. And to him, this moment was worth all of the training and fighting until now.
It was even worth the muscle splitting marathon he ran trying to escape the claws of Kyūbi and Rakan as they chased him through the woods.
[[[[[[[[Omake:...Evil Will Lurk About]]]]]]]]
It was the morning after. The evidence that there was a battle in the forest last afternoon was only found from the uprooted trees and scorched earth that littered the valley.
Leisurely walking through the destroyed land, a small figure shrouded in a long black robe that slowly flapped in the breeze looked over the damages. His reserved armies were decimated. His bases were destroyed. His cult, all but humiliated. And the clincher...they had taken his precious descendent with them.
Needless to say, Fillus Zect was not amused.
"Dynamis?" Forming out from only a shadow, the towering apprentice appeared and kneeled behind the smaller looking boy. "It appears that we were not able to successfully stop Nagi Springfield and Ala Rubra from acquiring the Princess of the Twilight, were we?"
Dynamis dipped his head even further in disappointment at his own failure. "I am sorry my Master. Even with our prior preparations, we still were unable to stop them from their attack." Dynamis said with a defeated and apologetic tone. "We have lost both Nii and Septendecim in the battle. I have no right to ask for forgiveness Master."
The Mage of Beginning turned back to look forward through the valley. "Tertium?"
The Averruncus appeared out of thin air and kneeled alongside Dynamis. "Yes my Master?"
The Mage hummed an approving note. "I am glad to see that you are still functioning. How come you were not able to stall the Thousand Master long enough for the ritual to travel out again?"
"My apologies Master. I was..." Tertium was quiet for a moment as he thought through how he was so easily distracted by a child. "I was preoccupied with a matter that I should have taken care of sooner. If you wish to issue a punishment, I shall willingly take it."
"No matter. It is of little concern at this point. Were you able to erase all evidence of our influence here?"
"Yes Master. I sent all of the members of the cult to the Paradise Realm. None of them escaped. But what shall we tell the Fading City when we must send back the civilians we borrowed from them? Even if they worship you, they will not take kindly to the idea that they lost members of their Pure existence."
"We shall deal with that matter when the time comes. Perhaps give them something of even greater value for them?" He turned around and started to head back to their base of operations. "For now we need to-"
...
"Master?" Tertium asked as he saw his creator stop in place. The Mage of Beginning looked back towards the bushes and concentrated on a single spot.
The bush disappeared and the small figure behind it tried to dash out of their line of sight. The agile body jumped off the surrounding tree branches and looked at the three men in contempt. With a swift chop of his hand, he broke of a sharp twig, grabbed it in midair and threw it at the one in the center.
But the one in the purple outfit effortlessly broke the twig before it could even come close to his master. Then Dynamis raised his hand and pinned the young, dark-haired boy into the ground with a hand of shadow. The young boy thrashed around uselessly in the dirt and yelled out at them to let him go. "Where am I?! What did you do to me?! Where did you go! I'll kill you coward! I'll kill you, you bastard!"
The three remaining members of Cosmo Entelecheia looked down at the young boy in the blood stained white shorts and black shirt, a strange red and white fan insignia on the back. They could sense a strange signature of energy being emitted from his body. Tertium looked to his Master, "What shall we do with him?"
Fillus Zect looked down at the boy with the black hair calmly. Before, from underneath his hood, a small smile started to grow. So even despite his best efforts, Nagi Springfield had arrived at the ritual after it was finished. And this was the result. Another child from a far off land.
The Mage of Beginning looks down at the boy thrashing around in the dirt. "Boy...what is your name?"
The boy did not answer. He did not say another word after being acknowledged by this strange man. He only kept his mouth shut and glared up at him with all the anger, contempt and hate he could muster. Which, because of what had happened only a few hours ago, he had plenty of.
He just glared at the most powerful Mage in existence. With his crimson red eyes, a single tomoe resting around the pupil in each one.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Done
Now the next chapter is going to be in the canon. But I need to decide between starting in the Eva Arc or Kyoto Arc. If i do Eva arc, I don't think I'll be having Naruto much besides interacting with certain members of the class and watching Negi start his real journey. If I do Kyoto Arc, I can get straight into the story. But every fic I've read starts at the Kyoto Arc and does the same thing right away.
Personally, I'm leaning towards an Eva Start. (Because I'm really stuck up on the idea of a new Student/Teacher starting at the beginning of the new year instead of before the class trip.) But I'll happily take your thoughts on it.
Finally, about the issue with honorifics and suffixes in these crossovers. They are used an unbelievable amount of time in the manga, so we've got to bring those mindsets into the fics. In the original anime and manga, Naruto never used that stuff for anyone other than Sakura and those close to him. But if Naruto was raised by both respectful and laid back people, than I think his take on honorifics should be the same. Treat the people he is familiar with and respects with informal tones. And treat the people he just met with some form of respect and formality instead of going straight into it calling them -chan when he doesn't even know them.
I know two sets of people who do that. The elders who wish to treat their younger friends and acquaintances humbly. Or Misogi Kumagawa. And Naruto is neither of those. But hell, even Kumagawa used -San with new females he met.
But I'll see how that works itself out later through the chapters. Maybe I'm making sense or maybe I'm just being way too anal about it.
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Thanks and bye.
