ANNOUNCEMENT!

This story and many others are a part of a mass update I myself am doing for Christmas this year.

This includes Oneshots with Gorgon/Medusa (from Fate), Penny Polendina (RWBY), Nightingale (Fate), Supergirl (Dc) and more...

Additionally some of my other stories have been updated, including: Phantom of the Underworld, Heart Under a Blade, Hail to the King!, Mockingbird, Wrecked, and a few new stories as well...

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So please leave some if you want these stories to be updated, it really helps out alot. And please check out some of my other stories.

And Merry Christmas

:)

~ RWV3N


Please leave me lots and lots of NICE reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Fate, or any other anime I use in this story. They belong to their respective owners…

12/25/23

Chapter 4

"You need to eat," Naruto said, as he handed her a plate of food, a tray the blue-haired woman didn't take.

"Must I repeat myself, I am unwilling to eat right now," Medea told him, but Naruto only continued to hold the plate close the her eye level.

"And I told you to eat," Naruto said once again, as Medea sent a harsh glare at his figure, one Naruto took in stride.

"I won't," she spat.

"You will," He stated.

Medea shook her head, "I won't," she said childishly, trying to swat him away.

Before Naruto leaned down to her level, grabbing her wrist with his other hand as he spoke to her in an utter serious tone. "You will eat now or so help me I will shove this food down your throat," he told her resolutely, surprising the witch.

Medea sent a glare straight at the man, but even then he sent one straight back at her, both of them unwavering.

That was until… Medea cowered, unable to look him in the eyes any longer. Something that surprised her, just who was this man?

"Good," Naruto nodded, "do I need to feed you or will you do it yourself?" He asked.

"N-No, I will do it myself," she told him, slightly embarrassed at the thought of it, although she fully expected him to live up to his promise if he was forced to.

Eyeing the plate, it appeared to be some sort of brown soup with vegetables within it, as well as some sort of small white seeds, of which she didn't know the name of.

She took the spoon, grabbing the food along with it. Medea promptly placed the seeds within her mouth, what she would later come to know as rice.

It tasted strange, if a bit bland, although she would later come to know that it was because her senses were playing tricks on her.

She had never had such a dish before, Naruto continued to watch her eat her meal until she had finished it.

Once she finally did, Naruto nodded, happy that she had finally eaten something. Grabbing the empty plate out of Medea's hands he placed it on the nearby table, right next to the other plates filled with uneaten food. Inwardly cringing at the sight, he realized Tsunami might get on his case for cleaning them.

He grabbed Medea's wrist once again, surprising the woman as he did so.

"What do you—" she tried to say, only for Naruto to cut her off.

"Now that you've eaten, you will come with me," he told her bluntly. Dragging her out of her bed, uncaring of her unkempt appearance as she wobbled across the floor, having not walked for some time. Even now, since the wreck she had not taken a step, her legs likely having atrophied from lack of use.

"I will do no such thing! Unhand me at once!" The blue-haired woman demanded, but her pleas fell on deaf ears, as the blonde only continued to drag her across the small home. Luckily she was able to grab her cloak as he brought her along.

"Tsunami-San we're going out!" He called as they exited out the front door.

XXX

"Where are you taking me?" Medea asked, having been dragged through the small village as Naruto pulled her through it.

"You will see," he told her cryptically.

"Fine," Medea stated, knowing that this man wouldn't tell her where he was leading her. "At least let go of my wrist," she requested, as Naruto obliged.

"Fine, but you can't run off," he told her, as the woman rubbed her slightly sore wrists.

"How crass," the princess huffed, before she looked around her, finally taking in the place before her.

This village seemed strange, as people walked about, selling goods, conversing with each other fondly, every person had a smile plastered across their face. It was nice, it almost reminded her of—

"It's amazing isn't it?" Naruto asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" Medea hummed before she finally processed his words. "Oh, yes, this place is. It almost reminds me of my own home," she said reminiscently.

Naruto hummed as well, "You seen fond of your home," he pointed out, noticing the look in her eyes, although he couldn't say that he knew it well.

Medea realized her mind was drifting of course, and she promptly put a stop to it, lest she journeyed too far.

"Yes, well…" she tried to place her thoughts into words. "Corinth was a lovely place, with beaches brighter than one could imagine. And the people smiled just as brightly, almost like this place," she commented.

"It wasn't always this way," Naruto told her, surprising the woman.

"Really?" Medea asked, not quite understanding what he meant.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded before he went to explain. "About a year ago, this place was ruled by a cruel man. Gato, was his name," he stated, Medea watched intently, listening to his story.

"He ruled over this land's water, not allowing anyone he didn't approve of to come in or out of this country." Medea knew where this story was going. "It wasn't long before he alone controlled Wave's economy, forcing heavy taxes upon this land just because he could."

Naruto took another deep breath, "This man was a tyrant, and when I came to this place there wasn't a smile in sight." He told her.

"And what happened to him?"

Naruto smiled slightly, "Tazuna happened, that burly old drunk brought hope back to wave. He built a bridge straight across the water, connecting wave and the mainland so its economy could recover." He said, his fondness for the old man leaking through his words.

"And what happened to this gato?" Medea asked, noticing Naruto's omission of the man.

Naruto gained a fairway look, hesitating to answer her question, until he finally didn't speak. "The people don't know," he stated, motioning to the many passersby as they walked. "They say he just disappeared… leaving all his wealth behind as he did so. Tazuna was able to then complete his bridge in peace and save the people," he finished his story.

"I see…" Medea stated, although she could tell there were a few gaps in the man's story as if he were hiding something. Although she didn't interrogate him on it.

"Oh, looks like we're here," Naruto stated, as he stopped in his movements.

It was that Medea observed her surroundings. It appeared that they were just outside the village, as the neighboring forests were around them. She saw that they were outside a large building, one made of stone and bricks.

Naruto moved to stand by a nearby park bench, one that she only now noticed.

"Come, sit," he told her, as she gave him a flat look. "Don't look at me like that, you will listen, or I'll drag you over here," Naruto stated, as Medea remembered that he would do exactly as he said.

She sat down, as Naruto paused her class with a drink in it. Where he got the drink she didn't know.

"Drink," he told her, as she eyed the glass. "Drink," he told her once again, and this time she did so. Pouring the intoxicating liquid down her mouth she felt the familiar burning sensation that flowed down her mouth.

"Good," Naruto said with a smile.

"Why are you making me do this?" She asked, wiping a bit of the excess drink from her lips.

"Drinks help loosen people's lips," Naruto told her bluntly.

"Well I—" Medea tried to say, but she was cutoff, as Naruto gained a drink of his own.

"Tell me, Medea-San, why are you here?" He asked aloud, as the woman blinked, not understanding what he meant.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked again.

"I don't know what you mean," she told him. "Isn't it obvious, you know I was shipwrecked," Medea stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Naruto shook his head, "You might have been shipwrecked, but even so. You've been here for a long time, if you had a reason to leave you would have done so by now." He told her in a cold tone.

Medea tried to speak, but her voice clamored. If she remembered it has probably been about 2 weeks since she came. Had she been here too long? Had she been a burden? Perhaps.

That thought made her angry, but also a little sad. She should've guessed she was a burden here as well.

The blue-haired woman looked down, her cloak shadowing her eyes.

Naruto brought a new topic to light, as he gained a faraway look. "Tell me, what are your reasons to be here?" He asked as the woman furrowed her brows, getting slightly more frustrated.

"I already told you—" Medea was cut off.

"No, that's now what I meant," he said, as he then rephrased his words. "What is your purpose?" The blonde asked something that was slightly stunned.

"We all have a reason for being here, I want to understand yours," Naruto told her.

The woman thought about it. Did she have a purpose? Had she been back in Corinth, she would have said to serve her country. And after that, it would be to help Jason, but now? She didn't know…

As if Naruto seemed to read her thoughts, he told her something, "I think I understand now." He said, looking her in her eyes.

"You don't have one, you haven't for a while," he told her. "Your home, that was your purpose, but you lost it, unable to return by either banishment or lack of means to return. And without what you once had, you disillusioned yourself. You clung to the only thing you had left and found some semblance of purpose within it. And once you lost it, well… you broke down, your body gave out," he stated his hypothesis.

Medea's eyes widened in shock, "I-I… Y-you—" she stuttered out in surprise. "N-no, I don't know what you're talking about." She told him, but the blonde only gave her a flat look, not believing her for a second.

That only hurt even more, how could this man see that? How could he know so much about her?

No, he didn't know her! And that sparked a new emotion in her.

Anger.

Anger seeped through her veins. How could this man think he knew her? He didn't know a thing about her.

"I don't know what you think you know, but you're wrong," she glared.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Oh, don't I?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

The blue-haired woman balled her fists, she didn't know why, but she told him about her life as if she were trying to prove her wrong.

"You don't know what it's like," Medea argued, although it wasn't an argument at all.

Naruto kept silent, allowing her to speak, as Medea hid herself within her cloak's hood. "I can't return there, can't return to my home ever again. The only thing I had was him… and now he's gone, never coming back. I have nothing." She told him, as a few stray tears left her eyes.

"You don't know what it's like," she said once again, wiping the tears with the corners of her sleeve.

"Here," Naruto told her, as he handed her a freshly poured glass of whisky.

"Thank you," Medea muttered as she took the cup, unceremoniously pouring it down her throat, uncaring of how he saw her. She had been taught manners all her life, but now? She wasn't a princess anymore.

"I may not know what it's like," Naruto stated. "But I have an idea," he told her, as Medea's head shot up, as she gazed into his eyes, similar eyes to his own.

"You were a princess weren't you?" He asked as the woman nodded, confirming his suspicions. He had seen her royal-looking clothing as well as her refined mannerisms. Judging from that she held at least some royal position, and princess was the only thing that came to mind.

"You must have loved your home country," he guessed, as the woman nodded once again. And for some reason, she was enraptured by his words, and she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"I grew up in a village not far from here," he started. "I was raised to believe my home was the best place in the entire world, and to me it was," Naruto revealed,

"I lived, breathed, and would have died for more country, to me it was my life. I loved my village." He sighed, some of that reminiscent love seeping through his voice even then, but then he looked down.

"But then I realized I only clung to the village because it was what I was taught, I never chose to do so. The only purpose I had was forced upon me. Someone made me realize that even in his last breath, made me realize that I should search for what I want," That struck an accord with her, but she let him continue.

As the man ran a hand through his golden blond locks, "So I moved here, helped Tazuna and his family let me stay with them," Naruto explained. "But even still, even if it's ironic, I do love my country, even with all it's done to me."

He turned towards her, finished with his ramblings, "That's why I ask you… What is it you want? What is your purpose?" Naruto asked once again.

Medea tried to speak, but her mouth was sealed shut. What was it she wanted?

Did she have a purpose in life? She was a mage, but why did she train in her magecraft? To better her country. But she couldn't go back there anymore. Not since…

'What did she want?' She asked herself once again.

"I…" Medea spoke up, even as her mind was clamoring for answers. "I don't know." She admitted.

"I thought as much," Naruto nodded, but the blue-haired woman continued. She looked down, as she held the empty glass in her hands.

"I studied and trained all my life to prepare myself for my country, I loved it. That was my purpose," Medea told him. "But I know I can never go back, because I'm a tr—" The witch halted her words, she couldn't tell him that, even with all that she's already told him:

"But then I met a man, Jason," she said with a small smile before she remembered just how she had met him, and where he was now. "He was the only thing I had left, I…" he was her purpose until he was gone…

"I have nothing," she stated, remembering everything,

Crack.

The glass within her hands broke, as spider web-like cracks formed along it.

"Sorry," she apologized, realizing she broke his glass with her hands.

"Don't be," he told her, grabbing the broken cup with his hands, grateful she hadn't broken it enough to cut herself.

"That usually happens when I remember my past as well," he stated, as Medea quieted a small smile.

But it was then that Medea noticed something, something she had to ask upon.

"Naruto?" She spoke up.

"Hmmm?" The blonde hummed in confusion.

"Why are we here?" She asked, not understanding why he had brought her to this specific place.

From her perspective, he could have talked to her anywhere, so why did he bring her here?

"Well isn't it obvious?" Naruto asked as if it were the most crystal clear thing in the world. "… I had errands to run," he told her, as Medea sweat-dropped.

"Now if you'll excuse me I have to go do something," he told her, as he headed off, leaving her alone.

Medea thought about what he had said, and in truth, she could feel a kinship with the blonde, although she felt that he hadn't told her all he had to say.

She couldn't blame him, she too, had things she'd rather not talk about.

Memories of a red-haired goddess flooded her mind…

End chapter.