I do not own these series, nor do I make any money off of this.
"talking"
'thinking'
Chapter 72: The Start of Something Strange
Two men sat at a bar, one clearly several years older than the other. But it was clear that they were friends. "So how are things going with Will?" the man with black hair asked.
"Good," the blond said. "He's been going to school regularly. Cindy had agreed to let me help pay for his schooling. What about you and Helena?"
"We've gotten closer since the Boogie Man incident," the older man said. "The counseling has helped. We visited Tod's grave last month and plan to visit it again. That reminds me." He pulled out his wallet. "Helena won some tickets to a cruise. We'd like you, Shirley, Will, and Cindy to come with us. Sophie and Richard will be there."
"Sure," the younger man said, taking the tickets. "I'm sure they'd love to go."
"Then I'll see you there," the older man finished his drink before standing. "I should be going back. Helena doesn't like when I'm out so late. I'm guessing Shirley is the same way with you, David."
"Yeah," David scratched his head. "She's been nagging me about my drinking habits. I've already stopped smoking."
"It's probably for the better," the older man said. He and David left the bar. "Do you need a ride?"
"No," David said. "I'm actually picking Will up from cram school so I brought my own car."
"I see. Then have a good night. I'll see you next week." He waved before getting into his car. David stared after him until the car disappeared down the street. He then walked over to his own car. Glancing at his watch, David realized that he only had five minutes before he needed to pick up Will. He quickly started the car before driving off to do just that.
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The sound of seagulls crying filled the air. "Helena!" A girl with red hair ran up to a woman with long wavy brown hair. "How are you doing?"
"Sophie," Helena smiled. "I'm doing well. How about you?"
"I've been good," Sophie said. "Papa and I are really grateful that you invited us."
"I'm glad you could come," Helena said.
"Where is Mr. Keith?" Sophie asked.
"He's with David and Will," Helena said. "Shirley and Cindy are waiting for us. Richard, I think Keith wanted to talk to you."
"Alright," Richard said. "Be safe Sophie."
"Papa, you don't have to worry about me," Sophie said. "I'm already twenty-years-old."
"You will still be my little girl," Richard said. He laughed at the pout on Sophie's face before walking away.
"Shall we go?" Helena asked.
"Sure," Sophie smiled. She grabbed her bag and followed Helena.
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"Hello Keith, David," Richard said. He turned towards a blond teen. "You must be Will. I'm Richard, Sophie's father."
"It's nice to meet you," Will whispered.
"Will, you don't have to be so shy," David said.
"It's alright," Richard said. "Believe it or not, Sophie used to be shy."
"Really," Keith said. "I find that hard to believe."
"Oh yes," Richard said. "She didn't break out of her shell until she was about Will's age. I don't know what changed and made her so outspoken. She's gained a lot of attention since then. I'm just glad she hasn't started dating. She may be twenty, but I'm still worried about her bringing a man home. I'm not sure my heart is ready."
"She doesn't seem to be interested in anyone," David said. "She told Shirley that love wasn't on her mind as she hasn't felt attracted to anyone that way."
"Should I be worried?" Richard asked.
"Give her some time," Keith said. "Not everyone finds the love of their life at such a young age."
"I suppose that's true," Richard said.
"Hello honored guests," a man called. The four men turned towards him. "We will be setting sail soon. The captain asked the crew members to inform the guests that food will be available throughout the day until ten. Breakfast will start at seven."
"Thank you for letting us know," Richard said.
"You're welcome," the crew member said. "May your journey with us be a good one." He bowed before moving on to the next group.
"I think we should meet up with the others," David said.
"I agree," Keith said. The four of them headed towards where the others were.
Richard hung back a little so that he could talk to Keith. "Helena said you wanted to talk about something."
"It isn't really important," Keith said. "But it is something we should talk about in private. Maybe we can meet up later." Richard nodded.
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"So why are we here Keith?" David asked.
"It is about Brendon Dumount," Keith answered. Richard and David flinched. Both had really bad memories involving that man, ones that Keith shared. "He was found hanging in his cell a few days ago. He didn't make it."
"I see," David said.
"I'm not sure if it makes me a bad man to think so, but I'm glad he's gone," Richard said.
"If you're a bad man, then so am I," David said. "He was going to kill all of us."
"Neither of you are bad men," Keith said. "Such feelings are common in victims of such events." He grabbed his drink. "To be honest, I feel the same way." He took a sip of his drink. "It gives me a sense of peace to know he's dead."
"And we're sure he's dead this time?" David asked. "He didn't fake it again?"
"I saw the body," Keith admitted. "It was him." David and Richard let out a sigh of relief. Keith looked at his watch. "It's getting late. I think you two should get back to your rooms." Richard and David nodded. They stood up, Richard stretching a bit.
"Does Helena know," David asked.
Keith nodded. "She came with me to the station. I promised Helena that I'd never hide anything from her again." David smiled at that.
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Sophie woke up a few hours after Richard's return. She put on a coat and left the room. Making her way outside of the cabin area, Sophie took a deep breath of fresh air. She looked up at the sky and smiled. "Are you watching me even now?"
"I didn't mean to stare," a voice said. Sophie turned slightly to see a blond boy who looked to be about six. He scratched the back of his neck. "I just came out here to get some fresh air."
Sophie smiled. "It's ok. I came out here for the same thing." She brushed a piece of her hair behind an ear. She then held out a hand. "My name is Sophie Garner."
"Naruto Uzumaki," the blond said, shaking her hand. He smiled. "It's nice to meet you."
Sophie blinked before she too smiled. "So, is this your first time on a cruise?"
"Sort of," Naruto said. "I've been on several boats before. This is the biggest one though."
Sophie nodded. "Same here. The last time I was on a boat, I was headed towards a castle. But things didn't work out as planned." Naruto stayed silent. Sophie glanced at Naruto. She was grateful that Naruto hadn't asked her to elaborate. After finding out that Brendon was dead, Sophie was a bit confused as to what to feel. Over the past few years, she hadn't really thought about her time at the castle. Sure she had almost died multiple times, but her life was full of those moments. One less enemy was great though.
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Sasuke let out a scream as he broke out of his nightmare. He sat up, sweating. Once he finished catching his breath, he looked around. He sighed as he realized that Naruto was nowhere in sight. 'Should I go find him?' Sasuke asked himself. 'No.' He shook his head. 'I'm sure he'll be ok.' Sasuke looked around the cargo hold for his bag. He found it next to Naruto's. He grabbed his bag and sat back down on his sleeping bag. His hand hovered over the scroll before it moved to grab Itachi's book. He began to read it for the fourth time. Suddenly, he felt his heart rate speed up as pain began to spread through his body. He dropped the book, a hand moving towards his chest. His body felt hot, yet cold at the same time. Not wanting anyone to hear him scream, Sasuke grabbed the bottom of his shirt and bit it. It muffled his scream as pain and heat shook his body. Once it was gone, Sasuke let out a groan. He noticed that the clothes he was wearing were bigger on him than before. He grabbed the mirror and looked at himself. He was back to his seventeen-year-old self. Sasuke stood up, dropping the mirror. "Naruto."
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Sophie and Naruto enjoyed watching the stars until Naruto suddenly doubled over. Sophie called his name, asking him if he was alright. Naruto caught on to what was happening and excused himself. "I can't just watch you leave when you're hurting."
"I'm fine," Naruto said. "I just need to get back to my room." He started to walk away, but Sophie grabbed his shoulder. Naruto wasn't able to stop himself from letting out a cry. Sophie pulled back from the heat coming off of Naruto's body. Naruto fell to his knees as his body began to change. He felt something cover his body and he looked up to see Sasuke standing there. He nodded at the raven as he quickly put his organization cloak on.
When the smoke cleared, Sophie was surprised to see Sasuke standing behind a suddenly older Naruto. She looked at the blond in confusion, not sure what was going on. Naruto stood up and scratched the back of his neck. "Um… I can explain?"
Sophie closed her mouth, not knowing when she'd opened it. "Are you fairies?"
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other. Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "No, we're not fairies."
"I see," Sophie said. "Well whatever you are, as long as you don't hurt anyone I care about, it's fine." Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise. He wondered why Sophie was so nonchalant. "I think I should be going back to my room. Papa is probably worried about me." Naruto nodded. Sophie gave him a small wave as she started walking back to her room. She looked up at the sky. "If they meant any harm, you would have put them to sleep, wouldn't you?" She smiled before she continued towards her room.
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Naruto and Sasuke made their way back towards the cargo hold. "So, we're back to being our real ages again," Naruto said, breaking the silence. Sasuke said nothing as he grabbed his bag and pulled out a change of clothes. The clothes he was wearing were falling off of him as they were a few sizes too big. He motioned to Naruto's bag. Naruto nodded, taking out his own set of clothes. He dropped the cloak and quickly put on a pair of boxers before putting on a shirt. He stared at his pants before shaking his head and putting them away. He then grabbed the cloak to do the same, but he froze. A blush covered his face as he realized that the cloak wasn't his; it was Sasuke's. He turned to see Sasuke getting into his sleeping bag. 'He must be tired.' Naruto put the cloak down next to his bag. 'I'll return it to him after I wash it.' He then made his way back to his own sleeping bag. He glanced over at Sasuke who had already fallen asleep. Naruto smiled before he closed his eyes.
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Naruto woke up and headed out towards the nearest bathroom. He locked the stall behind himself before doing his business. He washed his hands and then went back into a stall. He lifted his bracelet and pressed the black button. Watanuki appeared in the mirror. The man knew what Naruto wanted and he held out a bowl. Naruto used a sharpened nail to cut his hand. He let the blood drip through the mirror. Once down, Watanuki disappeared and a picture of Konoha appeared. Naruto watched as his friends appeared in the mirror. He really wished he could talk to them, but Watanuki said that sending a mirror to Konoha would cost something Naruto didn't have. After a few minutes, the mirror turned black. Naruto sighed. It was never enough time.
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Watanuki placed his mirror on the table. He looked over at a boy with blond hair and brown eyes who was talking to a girl with black hair and greenish-blue eyes. It didn't seem like they cared about the exchange between Watanuki and Naruto. Naruto had made his wish to see his friends almost everyday since he'd gotten the new bracelet. That wasn't when it started though. Watanuki heard about how Sasuke had made a similar wish to see someone in one of the previous worlds they'd gone to. Naruto had started contacting her to make his wish. Watanuki knew that Naruto's healing ability allowed him to keep cutting his hand, but it still made him wonder just how many times Naruto will be able to keep doing this.
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Naruto made sure there was no blood on his clothes before he returned to the cargo hold. He found Sasuke getting dressed. The raven looked over his shoulder at Naruto with a look of annoyance. Naruto wondered if he had woken the other up when he'd gotten up. Sasuke finished getting dressed before he walked past Naruto, not saying a word. Naruto quickly changed before running after Sasuke. Sasuke kept walking, ignoring Naruto. Naruto didn't understand why Sasuke was acting like this. Sasuke stepped into the dinning area. It was filled with well over a hundred people. Sasuke got in line. Naruto followed the other, getting food for himself. He then sat down across from Sasuke. He was really glad that they'd learnt how to use a fork and a knife. They ate in silence.
"Hi Naruto," Sophie said. She walked up to their table and sat down. Richard did the same. "Papa, this is Naruto. I met him when I went out last night to get some fresh air."
"I see," Richard said. He held out a hand. "I'm Richard Garner."
"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said. "And this is Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke just nodded.
"It is nice to meet you," Richard said. "Where are your parents?"
"Oh, ah… we don't have parents," Naruto said.
"Oh!" Richard exclaimed. "I'm so sorry."
"It's alright," Naruto said. "Anyway, the food here is really good."
"Indeed," Richard said.
"Making more friends Sophie?" Kieth asked. He was holding two trays.
"So what if I am Mr. Keith?" Sophie asked.
"It is always good to make more friends," David said. Shirley, Will, and Cindy were behind him. The five of them sat down.
"Where is Helena?" Sophie asked.
"She's in the bathroom," Keith said. "I got her some food. I'm glad they had a vegetarian section."
Sophie chuckled. "You're always so caring, Mr. Keith."
"Helena is a lucky woman," Cindy said.
"I don't know," Shirley said. "I still think the lucky one is Keith."
"Shirley," David whined.
Keith grinned. "She isn't wrong. Helena is too good to me."
"Now Keith, you should say that," Helena said. She took the seat between Naruto and Keith. She turned to Naruto. "Hello."
"Hello," Naruto grinned. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and this is Sasuke Uchiha."
"I'm Helena Baring," Helena said. "You've already met my husband." Keith nodded.
"I'm David Hoover," David said. "And this is my wife, Shirley."
"I'm Cindy Morton," Cindy said. "This is my son Will."
"It is nice to meet all of you," Naruto said. Sasuke grunted. Naruto glared at Sasuke for his rudeness, but the others didn't seem to care. What Naruto didn't know was that the others were used to people like Sasuke. Will himself was a very quiet person and Keith sometimes came off as standoffish. "Anyway, what are your plans for the day?"
"I'm thinking of going swimming," Sophie said. "Helena, Shirley, Cindy, want to join me?"
"I'm going to look around a bit more," Cindy said. "The deadline for the next chapter of my book is coming up. I want to get some pictures of the various rooms as well." She held up her camera.
"I was gonna go to the game room with Helena," Shirley said.
Sophie pouted. "Swimming sounds like fun," Naruto said. "I'll go with you."
Sophie turned towards Naruto and smiled. "Thanks Naruto." Helena looked at Keith and smiled while Richard didn't know what to do. He was going to join David and Keith in the golfing room. He bit his lip before he sighed. Sophie was an adult. She could take care of herself.
"Can I join you?" Will asked.
"Sure," Sophie smiled. "The more the better." She turned towards Sasuke. "Will you be joining us?" Sasuke thought for a moment, wondering what he wanted to do. He wasn't really in the mood to be around a lot of people. He had seen the brochure along with the map of the ship. There were so many places for people to be and Sasuke knew each of them would be full of people. He simply shook his head. Naruto looked at Sasuke, but he didn't say anything. Naruto was going to have fun with Sophie and Will. He didn't need to be with Sasuke all of the time.