The blond sat outside as he waited for his escort to arrive. Huffing softly, he wondered what it was with women. All Mirajane had to do was take off the apron and come out, yet she still managed to make it take over fifteen minutes. Another thing that irked him was this weird presence he could sense floating around the guild. He thought he could see someone from time to time but whenever he went to search for them, he found nothing. He was almost at the point of going sage and forcefully hunting down whatever it was, but that was effort he just didn't have right now. Hearing a merry goodbye though, he turned and looked up as the girl walked from the makeshift guild.
Smiling down at him, she tilted her head to the side. "All set! Let's go!"
Pulling himself to his feet, Naruto dusted down his filthy clothes as best he could and nodded. A sudden thought occurred to Naruto though and he levelled a gaze at Mirajane. "So, about the payment I owe..."
Looking up innocently, she blinked. "Yes?"
Frowning, Naruto cupped his chin. "Well, how long has Naruko been working here? I mean, surely she must have been paying off some of my debt."
Mirajane blinked in surprise. "You know what... I didn't even think of that!"
Sweat dropping, Naruto narrowed an eye. "Uh, how couldn't you? I mean, she is me. You've even seen me create her like, how many times?"
Blushing embarrassedly, the girl giggled. "Oh, I'm so absent minded sometimes! I'll remind the Master. He's even worse than me."
Naruto sighed. He didn't think even he was that bad. Feeling an arm slip through his own, Naruto looked down and saw Mirajane now hanging from his side, beginning to pull on him towards the town. "Come on then! We don't wanna be late now."
Grumbling something about Mirajane taking forever just to get changed, the blond let himself get pulled into the lights.
XxXxXxX
Despite having been here for a while now, Naruto still hadn't ventured too deeply into the town for the sole purpose of entertainment and window shopping. He also hadn't set foot in there at night either, so everything that was going on was quite the experience.
There were a couple of road side venders that were selling various foods, most of them unhealthy if the unholy amounts of sauce they were being flooded with were any indication. The lights that were strung up between the carts also gave the streets a merry feel to it that could lift anyone's mood.
On top of that, the numerous couples that filled the street gave it a young romance feel too. Funnily enough though, for the first time Naruto didn't feel out of place. Even though they were only here on a shopping trip, having a cover girl like Mirajane hanging off his arm could let him pretend that he was out on a date.
As he walked along, the blond noticed several people along the way pointing at him and whispering, some smiling happily at him and even waving. Not quite sure what the fuss was over, Naruto awkwardly smiled and waved back. The girl by his side picked up on his confusion and poked him. "What's wrong? Don't you like the attention?"
Looking down, Naruto shook his head. "No, it's not that, I just don't actually know what I'm getting it all for."
Raising an incredulous eyebrow, Mirajane patted his chest, right over his badge. "It's because of that! What, did you think that rank was only important to mages or something?"
Naruto blinked and looked down at his chest. "Uh, yeah I didn't think civilians would care about something like that here. They never really did back at my home unless it was an exhibition."
Frowning, Mirajane retracted her hand. "That's odd. I'd have thought a jump to such a prominent position would have garnered a lot of attention."
Naruto crinkled his nose in thought. "Well, they do if a new ninja leader is elected. He's the most powerful ninja in the whole village so it's a big thing."
Mira nodded. "Well, this is something like that. You're recognised as one of the ten most powerful people in Fiore! Why wouldn't they celebrate something like that?"
Pursing his lips, Naruto crossed his arms behind his head as he looked to the sky. "Huh, I never really thought of it like that."
Rolling her eyes, Mira reached up and flicked his nose. "Well, you should have you silly thing! What am I to do with you?"
Rubbing his nose, Naruto smirked. "Love me, care for me, feed me, nurture me... you know, those kind of things."
Sighing good naturedly, Mira shook her head. "That's what I have been doing ever since you arrived here isn't it?"
Naruto nodded acceptingly after a moment. "Yeah, I guess you have! Keep up the good work!"
Slapping his arm, Mirajane chuckled. "Stop that. Oh, I also think you have a fan."
Looking down, Naruto saw a little boy of about eight years and his mother walking forward with a Sorcerer's Magazine and a marker. He paused for a moment until his mum knelt down and urged him on quietly. Sucking up all the courage he could muster, he walked forward hesitantly. "H-hey! You're the new Wizard Saint yeah?"
Naruto grinned and nodded. "Yup, sure am."
The boys eyes lit up and he pushed the book out. "Can you sign this then? I think you're really cool!"
Chuckling embarrassedly, Naruto took the book. "Uh, yeah ok. Um..."
Realising Naruto was stuck, Mirajane knelt in. "What's your name? So Naruto knows who his biggest fan is."
She winked at the boy which caused him to blush. "R-Rayne."
Looking up at Naruto, she saw him hesitate for a moment before scratching something down. Handing it back, Naruto smiled as he saw the boys face light up. The boy frowned then as something didn't seem right. Turning it over, he pointed at the squiggle. "Why didn't you sign as 'Orange Rocket'?"
Visibly blanching, Naruto shook his head. "That's someone else."
Frowning, he kid stared at Naruto for a while before nodding slowly. "I guess... you don't even have any orange on. You'd look better if you did but."
Grinning happily, Naruto ruffled his hair. "I bet I would too! Nice to see you know good colours. Take care now."
Smiling happily, the kid waved at him before turning and running back to his mum and proudly showing her the signature. The woman looked over and smiled thankfully to Naruto before leading the boy away by his hand.
A warm feeling rose in his chest and a natural smile graced his lips as he watched them leave. It was really nice to be appreciated for things every now and then. Feeling a tug on his arm, Naruto was brought back from his thoughts and looked down to see Mirajane pulling him towards a clothing store. "Here's a nice place! They've got good quality clothes and are usually pretty well priced too."
Shrugging, Naruto let himself be led inside. Once in there though, Naruto frowned. Something wasn't right.
Narrowing his eyes suspiciously as Mirajane led him into the depths, he suddenly realised the problem. He was the only male in the store. He leant down near his guide's ear as he looked around. "Hey Mira-chan, why am I the only guy here?"
The girl shrugged as she stopped near a section marked 'men'. "I'm not sure. A lot of us girls wonder as well."
Looking around one last time as Mirajane began flicking through the shirts before her, Naruto decided it must have just been something unique to Magnolia. Watching as his companion began pulling clothes from the rack, Naruto sweat dropped. Nothing she was pulling out matched his tastes. "Uh, Mira-chan, shouldn't you ask me what I like first before selecting what I'm trying on?"
Shaking her head, the girl shushed him. "No, leave that to me. I'll find you something that will suit you beautifully!"
It was then Naruto began suspecting there could be a legitimate reason he was the only man in the store.
XxXxXxX
"But Naruto! There's still more we can look at! Please, just one more!"
Growling as he carried a disappointed Mirajane out of the store over his shoulder, Naruto lifted up the several plastic bags packed with clothes, most of which weren't even his. "No! No 'one more'! We've been in there for hours!"
The blond was now in a well fitted, deep blue shirt with orange flames of varying hues rising up from the bottom hem. His long pants were also a deep blue, bordering more towards black than the actual colour though. It wasn't much of an upgrade in clothing, but atleast they were clean.
Pouting and crossing her arms in a huff, Mirajane watched as several couples giggled to themselves as they watched the blond carry her away from the clothing shop. "It wasn't hours, it was barely pushing one."
Despite being spoken softly, Naruto still heard it. "Well, it felt like hours. I wanna do something else now, I'm over searching through shirts and stuff."
Sighing unhappily, Mirajane kicked her legs gently and ruffled his hair. "There, there Naruto, it's all over then. Can you please put me down now?"
Realising he had been carrying her a fair way, Naruto lent down and dropped her to her feet. Straightening, he looked around and found himself on a walkway beside one of the rivers that snaked its way through the town. The lights here were dimmer too to allow the moonlight to reflect back brighter from the water's surface. A boat slowly floated down with the current, a pair of lovers snuggled up in the back as a man gently steered the boat along.
Hearing a dreamy sigh beside him, Naruto looked down and saw Mirajane watching the scene with lidded eyes. She also seemed to start leaning into him unconsciously, her arms gently snaking their way around his and pulling it into her chest. Chuckling, Naruto shook his head as he realised her desire. "Hey, Mira-chan, you wanna go on a boat ride?"
Blinking several times as she snapped out of her trance, the girl giggled awkwardly and stepped back, a hand behind her head. "Oh! I didn't mean to do that sorry. I just haven't been on one in such a long time that I kind of lost myself for a moment there."
Naruto shrugged and smiled. "That doesn't worry me! If you wanna go on a boat ride, then let's go! It's not like we're only out here for me."
Mirajane sighed. "I'd like to, but I don't really have enough after the clothes."
Looking over as the boat floated away, he raised an eyebrow. "How much does it cost?"
The girl shrugged. "It's been that long that I can't remember."
Rolling his eyes with a laugh, Naruto began pulling Mirajane along after him as he ran after the boat. "Well it might have dropped in price by now! Stop wishing the boat ride will happen and make it happen!"
The blonds' infectious personality made quick work of her slight hesitation and with a laugh began running beside him.
XxXxXxX
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Hugging the boat owner, Mirajane jumped in and sat up the front of the boat, excitedly looking out over the water. It turned out the fee was as steep as the barmaid had expected, but because word had gotten around of Naruto's promotion to one of the Ten Saints, the boat owner had decided to give them a ride for free. Letting Naruto settle down on the back seat, he pushed the boat off and began guiding it down the river.
"You know, I've never had a Wizard of the Ten Saints ride in my boat. I'm pretty sure no one else has either. What made you pick mine?"
Hearing the man speak, Naruto leaned back and looked at the upside down man. "Well, Mira-chan wanted to go for a boat ride and yours was the first we found. The fact you let us get on for free was a big part of it too." The blond chuckled. "We don't have too much money at the moment."
Raising his eyebrows, the boatman shook his head. "That's hard to believe. I'd expect you'd have heaps from all the high level assignments you'd have undertaken."
Hearing a happy cry from Mirajane as a fish jumped up, Naruto looked over and grinned as she reached out to try touch it. "Eh, I haven't actually taken that many. I was just in the right place at the right time."
The man nodded and guided the boat back into the middle of the river. "You're a lucky man then. If you ever need any spare cash though, be sure to look me up in the missions list in the guild. I put requests in from time to time."
Grinning, Naruto gave him thumbs up. "I'll make sure to."
Hearing another happy giggle from Mira, the two men looked over. Naruto chuckled while the boatman eyed him up. Leaning down, he lowered his voice so only Naruto could hear. "So, is Mirajane your girlfriend then young master?"
Looking up, Naruto blinked a few times. "No. We're just friends. Why'd you say that?"
Raising an eyebrow, the man looked over at the girl playing in the water. "You can't tell me you missed the way she looks at you? It's written all over her face, even if she does control herself well."
Looking back at the ivory haired girl, Naruto pursed his lips. "I just thought that was her normally. Come to think of it, Erza did say something about that though."
Chuckling, the boatman stood up. "Just wait then. See what happens."
Looking up at the man curiously, Naruto waited for him to say more. He didn't though, so the blond just turned back to watch as Mirajane now rested her head on her hands, wide eyes watching as the houses and streets lazily drifted by. As his own eyes began drifting around to look at the sights, a very pleasant noise began to drift into his consciousness. Looking around for its source, Naruto eventually trained his eyes back on Mirajane. She was trailing a finger in the water, head turned to the side and humming gently to herself.
Leaning in to listen, her voice stopped as she noticed Naruto move. As she looked over, Naruto widened his eyes. "No, don't stop! You have a really nice voice!"
Smiling gently, she nodded and looked back down into the water. Her voice picked up where it left off and Naruto smiled happily. Closing his eyes, he leant back into the seat and let the melody float over him. The beautiful tune seemed to dip and weave its way around his head, in through his ears and sinking into his mind. The waves of her soft voice seemed to match the waves of the water tapping against the boat and within minutes, Naruto could feel himself falling asleep. It certainly wasn't a prime resting spot, but anything was comfortable when listening to that voice.
Just as he was about to drift off, Mirajane stopped humming. Opening a lazy eye, Naruto looked over as the girl shifted from the front of the boat and sat beside him. Smiling down at him, she wriggled in. "You look really uncomfortable like that. Come on, sit up for a moment."
Frowning, Naruto complied. He felt Mirajane shuffle in behind him and then found a set of hands grasp his shoulders and gently coax him back down. His eyes widened when he realised his head was now positioned in the girls lap. Looking up at her uncomfortably, she shook her head. "Just relax ok?"
His brow furrowed slightly, but as she began humming again his muscles relaxed and he took a deep breath. A movement behind Mirajane caught his eye and he looked up to see the boatman smirking down at him in an 'I told you so' way. Ignoring him, Naruto then felt a set of fingers start running their way through his hair.
No one had ever done anything like that for the blond before so initially he tensed up in surprise. The rushed hushing from Mirajane however calmed him quickly enough. She looked down at him in slight concern as he stared up at her curiously. "Just relax for me alright? It'll feel nice, I promise."
Still slightly hesitant about the new development, Naruto decided to trust the girl and closed his eyes. The feeling started up again and once he let himself relax into it, he was incredibly pleased he listened to her. Nothing anyone had ever done to him before felt quite like this. She seemed to like gently running her nails along his skin and then draw her fingers back through his hair. Sighing happily as his body relaxed of its own accord, the blond could only pray nothing bad suddenly jumped up because he was so not prepared for anything right now.
Her humming then started up again and Naruto instantly found his mind wandering. Her voice seemed to carry his thoughts through different worlds, each more surreal and dreamlike than the last. He fought off the feeling of sleep though because Naruto wanted to cherish the moment. No one had ever given him attention like this and he had no idea when it would happen again, so he sure as hell didn't wanna sleep through it.
Time seemed to drag on as Mirajane hummed softly to him, never stopping her tender ministrations. It could have been hours for all the blond knew when he hazily realised the singing had stopped. Opening one eye a tiny slit, he looked up and saw Mirajane smiling down at him beautifully. Through his sleep filled mind, he unconsciously thought she looked like an angel. Her hair glowed silver in the moonlight and framed her soft face perfectly. Her lidded eyes started down at him with an expression he couldn't quite place, but his sleepy mind couldn't be bothered trying to work out what it was.
It seemed she thought he was asleep though as she had taken to running her other hand up and down his arms. A tiny smile pulled at his lips at the sensation and he noticed it elicited a small, content sigh from the girl. He closed his eye again and shifted slightly so he was closer to her warmth. His eyes then drew open when he felt something pressing down on his forehead. Looking up, he saw Mirajane had lent in and was kissing his forehead tenderly. Watching her, a very light blush rose to his cheeks as he thought of the last person to do that to him. Tsunade-baachan had all but entrusted him with becoming Hokage in that kiss, so for Mirajane to mimic that must have meant she was trusting him with something too.
Leaning back, Mirajane's eyes widened as she saw Naruto looking up at her. Blushing in the moonlight, she turned her face away bashfully. "Oh, sorry! I didn't realise you were awake."
Naruto chuckled drowsily. "I knew you didn't. I don't mind though... I wouldn't have said no anyway."
Looking back at the sleepy teen in her lap, Mirajane smiled gently and slowly leaned in again.
XxXxXxX
Naruto and Mirajane now found themselves on top of the building next to Fairy Tail, their eyes cast out over the town as it slowly drifted off to sleep. Turning his eyes skyward, Naruto looked up at the strange constellations. The stars above seemed to grow a little bit brighter with every light that was switched off, replacing the artificial light with the soft glow of their own.
A cool breeze suddenly picked up as they sat in silence, its crisp embrace encircling the two people on the roof. Shivering, Mirajane rubbed her arms as the cold bit into her. Shuffling over, she huddled up against Naruto's side and sighed. Looking down at his company, Naruto's eyes softened and he chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her. "It getting a bit too chilly for you hey?"
Shaking her head, Mirajane leaned in and rested her head on the blonds shoulder. "Not now it's not. I'm just right. You're really warm."
Naruto shrugged and looked back up at the sky. "I suppose so. I never really noticed the cold unless it was snowing."
They then fell back into silence, simply enjoying the others company. Naruto sighed as his mind began to wander, his thoughts travelling back to his home and friends. He dearly missed them and was still incredibly worried about them, but for reasons he couldn't seem to control, he was feeling his desire to return slowly shrinking. By no means did he not want to go back, that was still his number one goal. He just found other things beginning to come into his line of focus and slowly detracting from his single-minded objective.
Looking down as the girl beneath his arm wriggled in closer, a melancholy smile slipped onto his face. It was people like her that were going to make it hard to go home. They had shown him such kindness in the short time he had been here that he had to find a way to return after fixing up the Elemental Nations.
Feeling his gaze upon her, Mirajane looked up at her protector from the cold. She quickly noticed the regretful smile on his face, the look so out of place to his usual bright grin that he wore. Frowning worriedly, she sat up. "What's wrong?"
Naruto shook his head and laughed as he was caught out. "Oh sorry, personal thoughts."
Mirajane shook her head. "Tell me anyway."
Taking a breath, Naruto looked out over the town. "I'm just thinking about having to go home. I know I have to, but I'll miss you guys!"
Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat, Mirajane shook her head again. "But... you'll be able to come back yeah?"
Naruto's usual determined grin quickly came back at this, reliving the girl somewhat. "Hell yeah! I wouldn't wanna never be able to see you again." He chuckled and looked down at her. "Besides, you got a promise to keep!"
Remembering her wish for him to never be lonely again, Mirajane felt a sudden urge rise up in her chest and she didn't fight it. Completely catching the blond off guard, his eyes widened in surprise as the girl leant up and pressed her lips against his own. His shocked gaze rested on her closed eyes, not even breathing for fear of ruining something. She looked so fragile, so vulnerable, so delicate that it felt like if he even blinked he would break her.
After what felt like an eternity, Mirajane pulled away, a beautiful blush adorning her nose in the starlight. Smiling up at the blond, she reached out and cupped his cheek carefully. "I did make a promise and I plan to stick with it. No matter where you are, you'll never leave my thoughts."
Dropping her hand, Mirajane pulled Naruto's arm back around her shoulders and snuggled down into his chest. Watching the girl with wide eyes, Naruto didn't even notice his other arm come around to offer further warmth to the girl. The emotions that now swirled around his head were unlike anything he had ever felt.
What was this? What did it mean? Was that right? He seemed to be stuck looping over those questions and more for what felt like hours before he regained some form of consciousness. Finally taking a shaky breath, Naruto closed his eyes and felt a smile twitch his lips.
Damn the questions. For now, he'd just accept what happened, happened and bask in the afterglow of the kiss.
XxXxXxX
Finding himself waking up in the spare bed at Cana's house, Naruto yawned, stretched and then scratched his head as he tried to remember last night. He remembered the boat ride, the rooftop, the kiss, but then after that it got hazy.
He did remember walking Mirajane back to her place and getting a hug goodnight, but most other details were a bit blurry. Yawning again, Naruto held his head as he sat up, a bit of a headache struggling to make itself known before the regenerative strength gifted him by the Kyuubi killed it.
Stretching again, the blond shivered as he felt his back pop. Dropping his arms, he wandered out into the kitchen and found Cana sitting at the table, hunched over a cup of coffee. Looking up, she raised an eyebrow and whistled. "My, my Naruto! I was not expecting to see you up so early. Feeling ok?"
Naruto nodded and dropped into the chair opposite. "Yeah, I feel great! By the way, what time did I get in last night?"
Chuckling, Cana pushed him over a cooling cup of tea. He didn't really like the bitter flavour of the stuff Cana was drinking. "Not too late. Do you remember what happened last night at all though?"
Looking up in remembrance, a light blush rose to his cheeks and he smiled like a dork. "Yeah... me 'n' Mirajane had a good night."
Laughing, Cana reached out and slapped his shoulder. "That you did! I saw you two on the roof."
She winked at the blond and laughed when he looked down in surprise. "What did you see?"
She sat up happily, looking like she had just found something she could use to blackmail him with. "Oh, enough I'd say."
Grinning, Naruto's eyes thinned. "Yeah, you definitely know I had a good night then. I can't wait to see her again!"
Laughing, the girl leaned in. "Awww have you got a crush now?"
Biting his lip, Naruto frowned in thought. "Well, I dunno what you'd call it but it feels pretty good."
Raising her mug in his direction, Cana nodded her head. "Indeed it would. That was our reason for the celebratory drinks last night!"
Naruto blinked. "Is that what happened after I got home?"
The brunette nodded. "Yup and after the amount you drank, I'm surprised you didn't wake up tomorrow."
Naruto chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "Yeah, well I kinda have a good metabolism. Flushes my system pretty well."
Pouting, Cana took another sip of her drink. "I hate you. Do you have any idea how long it took me to build up my resistance to alcohol?"
Laughing, Naruto swallowed the rest of his. "Nope, but I'm guessing a while. So, what's for breakfast?"
Leaning back in her chair, Cana looked at the kitchen. "I dunno. You making me breakfast?"
The blond rolled his eyes. "I thought that was when you were in bed?"
Hearing a chair scrape, Naruto looked down just as he heard the squeak from her mattress as a body landed on it. "What are you talking about? I am in bed!"
Chuckling, Naruto resigned himself to kitchen duties and pulled himself to his feet.
XxXxXxX
After a hearty breakfast, Naruto and Cana had come in early to the guild to meet up with Erza. The woman usually arrived early as it was, but today was a special occasion. Naruto was especially eager for more reasons than one. Stepping in, they saw Erza pacing around nervously.
Raising a hand, Naruto called out happily. "Erza! Keen for today?"
Startling slightly, the redhead looked over and swallowed. "Naruto! Cana. Yes, I suppose I am. Where will be headed to today?"
Waving her closer, Naruto lowered his voice so the few sleepy mages that were turning up couldn't hear. "I wanna head out a bit further from where I normally train. There's some good mountains out there that will provide cover."
Nodding in relief, Erza visibly relaxed. Cana however was growing suspicious and narrowed her eyes. "What exactly is this then? You still haven't told me."
Naruto looked over. "I don't really wanna reveal it here and neither does Erza. If you want to find out, come with us. It's not like you have to participate if you don't want to."
Relieved that they weren't going to force her into something painful, Cana sighed happily and placed a hand on her hip. "Alrighty then, how about we get a move on then?"
Grinning oh so happily, Naruto nodded. "Indeed, let's!"
XxXxXxX
The trio now found themselves in a nice secluded place amongst a number of tall rocks that provided plentiful amounts of protection from wandering eyes. Cana and Erza stood before Naruto, one wondering about what was going on and the other wondering if they'd be able to handle it. Naruto meanwhile just stood before them silently. He let the tension build up a bit before starting off things.
"Alright! Now Cana, what I will be teaching Erza today, and hopefully you, is the fine art of physical distraction."
The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Explanation please for those of us that don't know what you mean?"
Holding it together well, Naruto raised a finger. "My pleasure! When I was younger, I happened across a technique that seemed to be the ultimate ability for buying you some time to escape, attack or interrogate. Do you know what that is?"
Cana sighed at the roundabout explanation. "No, please enlighten me."
Naruto smirked and crossed his fingers. He went up in an explosion of smoke and suddenly Naruto was now his female counterpart, a few whisps of smoke covering her modesty. Cana instantly snorted in surprise while Erza looked on, a blush spreading across her cheeks but keenly hanging onto every word. Laughing, Naruto continued in a higher, womanly voice. "It is the female body! Even you were instantly effected, and don't try deny it."
Blushing slightly, Cana turned away in a huff. Erza just nodded and motioned for him to continue. "There is the classic, jump em while you're naked routine. That's good for shock factor, but to really milk it, you gotta 'accentuate' parts."
As he spoke, he brought his finger up to his lip, squeezing the new amounts of flesh between his arms and widening his eyes exponentially. He also let out a little innocent squeak to compliment the look. He couldn't hold it for long though as Erza's face lit up bright red and Cana's single watching eye nearly filled her face in shock. Bursting out laughing, he held his stomach and struggled to bring him mirth under control. He was the teacher after all.
Wiping away a tear, Naruto sighed. "You see? Just doing that can distract even other women. So just think about what it could do to the men in Fairy Tail."
Both women instantly thought back to the guild. They weren't too sure how well it'd work on someone like Natsu, but on someone like the guild Master...
Instantly alert, Erza stepped forward. "Please let me know if I am doing it right."
Fireworks instantly went off inside Naruto's head as the blond nodded sagely. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Schooling his features the way his old master had explained, Naruto crossed his arms over his sizeable chest and waited. Cana also looked over, curious to see what the resident swordswoman could come up with. She seemed to take a few breaths and fidget about a bit as she slowly grew redder. After a minute or two, Naruto could swear he could almost see steam shooting from her ears.
Finally though, Erza crossed her arms and looked away. "I-I can't do it."
'NO!' Instantly panicking, Naruto tried to salvage what he could. "I don't understand why though? I'm currently a girl and there's no one else around. Besides, back before you defended the guild from that Jupiter blast, you dropped that towel and ran up naked in front of everyone."
The woman's eyebrow twitched slightly as she remembered. She didn't say anything though. Not one to be discouraged though, Naruto held his hands out. "That's alright though! Not every woman is able to do something like this. It takes many hard years of killing your modesty. You could however, try the other use. You'll probably find it a little more like what you're used to."
Raising his hands, Naruto crossed his fingers and went up in a cloud of smoke. Erza looked over and frowned in thought when she saw the latest change. Naruto was now clothed, if barely by a purple, two piece outfit. Long, bicep length gloves and thigh length boots covered his limbs. His bust was concealed just behind a tight, three pronged bikini top, the points of each facing inward and only just preventing from anything being shown. Tiny shorts covered his lowers with a devil's tail poking out from the back. To compliment the look, Naruto had a hair band on with two little black horns poking out from the top.
Grinning as he saw Erza's interest, he placed his hands on his hips successfully. "This is the second type of distraction! Sometimes more is less, if you know what I mean. A naked attack is all well and good, but something like this will make a guy obsess over what is beneath, right up until he can't even think straight."
He then pointed at the horns. "This also gives the bad girl look a bit of a kick as it makes me look like I'm easy. Men get pretty loose tongues when presented with something like this."
Studying Naruto's state of dress, Erza raised her hand to cup her chin in thought. "Yes... I understand you're reasoning. It is also... more acceptable to me. Perhaps I could try that."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah! So do you have anything you could try in your requip warehouse?"
Nodding, Erza began to glow. "I believe so."
Starts began shining in Naruto's eyes as he eagerly awaited the transformation. It only lasted a moment before the light was replaced by a simple, black two piece bikini. Drawing her hands down her body, Erza looked over at Naruto. "How is this?"
Naruto nibbled his lip and narrowed an eye. "Hmmm... not bad, but we can make it better. Firstly! Underboob. Underboob works amazingly, so pull the top up a bit to reveal a bit more of the bottom."
The blond then pointed at the generous amounts of flesh that was visible from the bottom of his top. Finding herself blushing yet again, Erza gripped the top and hesitated slightly. Suddenly thinking of something to help with the discomfort, she spun around to look at Cana. "Cana! Won't you try this with me? You're much more used to displaying large parts of your body."
The brunette had until then been watching the scene with varying degrees of amusement. Initially she had been shocked that Naruto would have even suggested something like that, but Erza's discomfort as she tried to learn this 'technique' was just too good to miss. Now that she was the center of attention though, she was beginning to regret her choice to stay. "Well, I'd rather watch the master help you out, ya know? I mean, we came out here for you!"
The air seemed to darken around Erza. "Please Cana, won't you assist me with this?"
Shrinking into herself, Cana internally began crying. She didn't wanna! Her desire to not get beaten up by an emotionally unstable teen however was significantly greater. Looking over at Naruto, she narrowed her eyes as she scrutinised the temporarily blond girl. She didn't seem to look like she cared, hell, she was picking her nails in disinterest. Sighing, Cana nodded unhappily. "Fine, but you owe me a drink."
The aura around Erza seemed to fade and the girl smiled. "Just this once for helping me out."
Meanwhile, Naruto's heart was racing a thousand miles a minute. Erza had actually ordered Cana to help her out with fixing up her top. It couldn't get much better than this! When they actually started picking at the fabric that covered their modesty, it was all Naruto could do to continue looking indifferent and not fly away via a blood cannon. Experiences with Jiraiya had shown him that letting the creepy, perve face show was the fastest way to a slap and shattered dreams.
So, once his nails were suitably buffed, he looked up. Erza was now standing with her hands on her waist, feet slightly apart and a confident aura surrounding her. Cana was looking a little more ruffled, the girl grumbling to herself about something. Each had their bikini top pulled up ever so slightly and revealed just enough skin for it to be considered taunting.
Nodding, Naruto pointed at them. "Good start. You could always pull the top up more as more skin without actually showing anything equals a more flustered male. Tighter tops help this."
He then focused on Erza. "Erza, a question to you. How would you negotiate a situation where you needed information from a target?"
A long sword materialised in her hand and she pointed it at Naruto. "I would make them tell me what I needed to know!"
Naruto nodded. "Ok, that's one way. How about in a crowded area?"
The redhead cocked an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me the first scenario wasn't?"
Resisting the urge to slap his face, Naruto took a breath. "Ok then, Erza we gotta work on your feminine charms."
The girl huffed indignantly. "Are you calling me manly?"
Cana began backing away slowly as Erza growled at Naruto. Holding his hands up, the blond shook his head. "No, not at all! You just need to use them better. Currently you look scary. What you want is to look innocent, gentle, maybe a little bit teasing, but not scary."
Naruto began shrinking in on himself, widening his eyes and letting a little moisture wash over them. "You see the effect this has? It makes me look like I'm nervous and scared. You do that and your target thinks they have the dominance."
Frowning, Erza looked herself over. "Ok, so what else could help?"
Naruto had a quick think. "Brush a fair amount of hair over one eye. Yep, just like that. Now, face the ground and look up through your fringe. Widen your eyes a touch... lovely. Now hunch your shoulders forward, accentuate your cleavage... and look at you now!"
The whole demeanour of the fiery woman had changed from a strong, imposing warrior to a shy, unsure girl just looking for attention. Remembering to control his drool, Naruto nodded. "Perfect. If you tried that on any male, even me, I'd have trouble remembering to keep my mouth shut."
Frowning, Cana then decided to speak up. "That actually makes me wonder, why isn't it affecting you the way you said it should? You haven't so much as flinched!"
Naruto placed his hands on his hips proudly. "Cana-chan, I have been forced into strip clubs with my perverted old teacher more times than I care to count. This is nothing I can't handle."
Suddenly a fire seemed to light in Erza's eyes. "So, you say that you are more resilient than the average male?"
Looking over, Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Yup, I'd say so."
Walking forward, the redhead began crossing her steps, also slowly starting to sway her hips while levelling him with a predatory gaze. Naruto froze and swallowed, the blond suddenly finding himself held captive by the woman. "If that is the case, then if I can successfully extract information from you, in theory I should be able to accomplish this with any male."
Walking up, she poked a finger into his sternum. "Isn't that right?"
Breaking his gaze, Naruto looked over to Cana. The brunette was just grinning at him. "She's right you know."
Turning back to the redhead, Naruto steeled himself. It looked like he had to get his hands dirty. "Fine! If you can successfully charm some information of my home out of me, you can consider yourself passed."
Erza nodded confidently, but then backed off slightly. "Before I start though, please return to your male form. It is... awkward interrogating a female like this."
Hearing a bark of laughter from Cana, Naruto shrugged. "Whatever's easiest."
Returning to normal Naruto, the blond crossed his arms and stared down at the alluring woman. "Do your worst."
XxXxXxX
Ten minutes in and Erza was growling. Nothing she could seem to think of could budge him! She'd tried sexy whispers, body contact, promises... anything she could think of that didn't involve violence simply because Naruto strictly prohibited it after she pulled a sword on him within the first few seconds.
She looked at the blond in frustration. "I don't get it! Here you say all males have their weakness, yet I do everything I can think of and yet you don't give me anything! Have you been lying to me?"
Naruto chuckled. "I never said this would be easy. Go try it on the Master. If anything, he'd be a level one if there were grades for something like that. Gray and Elfman would be harder and Natsu would be harder again, if only for the reason he wouldn't understand what was happening."
Frowning, Erza pointed at him. "So you didn't just have me parading around in my bikini for no reason?"
Naruto shrugged. "I wouldn't say I didn't like it, but if you don't believe me, go try it on one of them."
Huffing, Erza crossed her arms. Looking over at Cana, she frowned. "What would you do in such a situation? This is quite out of my normal depth."
Raising an eyebrow from her seat on a rock, Cana placed a finger on her chin. "Well, I'd first drink them under the table, then get what I wanted out of them with a couple of sly comments and a wink and be on my way."
Naruto nodded appraisingly. "Good! Fine idea, alcohol is a brilliant tongue relaxant."
Erza quickly decided it was worth trying and looked over at Cana. "How much alcohol do you have on you? And don't say none because I know you are lying. I want to see what I can do with a bit of that."
Cana laughed and pointed at the blond. "Erza, you can't handle a glass of the stuff. Naruto however can keep up with me. If anything, two shots into the night and you'd be spilling all your dirty little secrets to him!"
Blushing as some of those dirty secrets came to mind, Erza shook her head. That was reason enough to abandon the idea. Sighing in defeat for the moment, Erza stepped back. "Well, for now I am out of ideas. Do you wish to have a go Cana?"
Looking at the stubborn teen, Cana narrowed her eyes slightly. While she was never really into anything like that, she was curious to see how well she went against the resilient boy. Nodding slowly, she stood up and dusted her pants down. "Yeah... I'll give it a crack."
Taking the redheads place, Cana looked into Naruto's eager eyes. Rolling hers, she could clearly tell he was enjoying this a lot more than he let on. She couldn't blame him though. What male wouldn't be happy after having someone like Erza performing all sorts of promiscuous acts to them?
Still, Cana wasn't about to go and do something like that. She didn't have the boldness required. No, her trick was a little something she learnt on her travels; a certain spot called the sweet spot. Everyone had one where if you tickled them just right, they'd sing. Looking Naruto over, she tried to find a possible spot. "You don't mind if I touch your face or anything like that?"
Naruto shrugged. "Nup. Go for it."
Smirking, the brunette reached out and ran a finger down the outside of his ear. All she got out of that was a raised eyebrow. Moving her hand down his spine, she tried a soft rub at the base of his neck. Still nothing. Frowning, the teen tried a few more places.
After a couple of attempts at the usual 'hot spots', Cana had her hand to her mouth as she frowned in thought. The boy didn't seem to have any nerve endings because he didn't even flinch when she tickled him. Looking curiously at his cheeks though, she moved in to see them better. They were legitimate marks in his skin, the darkened marks sinking maybe half a millimetre into his flesh. Reaching out, she traced a nail down them. Her eyes widened then as she actually felt something twitch beneath them.
Grinning, she turned to Erza. "I think I may have just got something!"
The redhead quickly ran up and watched on. Cupping Naruto's cheeks, Cana let her hands slide down them and along the scars. A shiver instantly coursed Naruto's body and his eyes lidded somewhat. "Awww that feels nice..."
Eyes twinkling at the prospect, Cana began drawing her fingers down Naruto's cheeks. "So, you like that huh?"
Naruto nodded as a strange noise rumbled around in his chest. Raising her fingers so the nails were gently dragging, she repeated the process. "So what's home like huh? I don't think I've even heard you talk of it."
Naruto sighed into the fingers. "Not telling."
Frowning, Cana began stroking his cheeks with her open palm. "You sure about that?"
Instead of an answer, the rumble in Naruto's chest churned about for a second before being breathed through his nose. Naruto instantly froze in horror as Cana suddenly bit off a laugh. Erza seemed like she was chuckling too. Furrowing her eyebrows, Cana struggled to stop laughing. "Did... did you just... purr?"
Naruto's face lit up like a lantern as Cana instantly burst out laughing, her loud barks being complimented by Erza's own softer one. Growling in embarrassment, Naruto shook his head. "Nah, it wasn't! What are you talking about, that was a growl, dattebayo!"
Squealing, Cana reached out and wrapped Naruto up in a hug as she continued to laugh out loud. "And now even that adorable little catchphrase! You are just too cute!"
Quickly finding things backfiring, Naruto stomped his foot. "I am not! Let me go!"
Pushing Cana off him, the brunette just continued to laugh, now using Erza as a support to hold herself up. "Awww the little Orange Rocket all cranky now?"
Growling in frustration, Naruto shook his head. "Don't call me that! It has to be the crappest nickname ever!"
Falling over, Cana now lay on the grass as she held her stomach, fits of laughter wracking her body. Now positively glowing, Naruto quickly created a clone which picked up Cana and took off running towards the town. Turning to look back at Erza, Naruto sighed. What a way to ruin a perfect moment. Who would have guessed he could purr though, of all things? Stupid fox traits. Foxes don't even purr!
Crossing his arms in a huff, he looked away as Erza wiped away a tear and smiled. "Ah Naruto, you are such a funny character sometimes. I think that has effectively brought out training to an end though, so I guess it is time we began yours."
Glowing, Erza quickly replaced the bikini with her usual torso armour and blue pleat skirt. Reaching out, she ruffled Naruto's hair and began walking back towards Magnolia. "Some now, we agreed to try and work out a way to increase your requip speed did we not?"
Grumbling to himself, Naruto kicked a rock into the distance and sighed. "Yeah, we did. Might as well get onto it now."
XxXxXxX
Walking back to the guild, Naruto found the place fairly normal. His clone had taken Cana back to her place and locked her in her room so no one could find out about the 'incident'. Childish, yes, but you can't deny the effectiveness.
Wandering in, they saw most mages collected around a board, all of them studying it intently. It seemed like the job board was open again after its temporarily closure. Seeing Mirajane at the counter, Naruto grinned and ran over. "Mira-chan! Good to see you!"
Instantly brightening, the girl reached out an arm and gave the blond a hug. "It's good to see you too! What have you been doing all morning?"
Naruto seemed to phase out a little at this as he remembered the first half of the day. "Training..."
Giggling, Mira closed an eye and looked up at him. "Is that so? And why wasn't I invited?"
Instantly a tiny amount of drool slipped from his lips at which he quickly sucked up. "Well, I can organise a catch up lesson if you want?"
Mirajane giggled again and shook her head. "No, no need for that. I would however, take another date..."
Coming back, Naruto blinked several times. "Another...?"
Rolling her eyes, she flicked the teen with her towel. "Yes, dah! Last night was perfect and I'd love to do it again."
A small smile slipped onto Naruto's face. Yeah... yeah, it had been a date! It mightn't have started out like one, but it sure ended like the ones he had seen. Nodding happily at the revelation, Naruto grinned broadly. "Yeah, sure! I'm super keen to go out again!"
Suddenly, Erza slipped up beside them, a serious look on her face. "What's this I hear about dates?"
Startling, Naruto went to say something but was cut off by Mirajane. "Oh, just a little thing we did last night. I really liked it so I asked if he'd like to do it again!"
Frowning, Erza nodded. "Indeed. That is a very good idea. Naruto! Would you want to go out with me then!"
The blond's brain melted. Looking over at Mirajane for help, he saw the girl glowing a soft black. He wasn't quite sure if it was his imagination or not, but whatever it was, he could feel it was pulling at something within him.
The barmaid kept a happy face, but her words seemed to have a bit more bite to them than usual. "Oh, I'm sure that's ok with Naruto! I do believe we were just organising something for the next week or so, so I'm sorry but you'll have to wait your turn."
Naruto could swear he just felt his brain run out his ears. Mirajane was actually allowing this? Didn't girls usually fight tooth and nail over something like this? That's what Ero-Sennin always said!
While usually pretty good at knowing what to do in a situation with women due to the nature of his teacher, this time around though Naruto had absolutely no idea so wisely decided to stay quiet.
Erza seemed mostly oblivious to the strange aura being directed at her, and turned to look at Naruto with a smile. "Fine then! We shall organise something in a week. For now though, let us see what we can do about your training."
Finding something he understood, Naruto grabbed at the opportunity and nodded vigorously. "Uh, yeah! Sorry Mira-chan, Erza was helping me out with a faster sealing method. We'll just be at one of the tables though so if you wanna come have a look we'll be right there."
Instantly all sunshine and lollipops again, Mirajane gave Naruto a beautiful smile. "No problem! I hope you work something out!"
Grinning, Naruto raised a hand and waved. Turning around, he then came nose to nose with a certain striking blond he didn't really like all that much. Frowning, Naruto crinkled his upper lip like he smelt something bad. "Get out of my face, Laxus."
Smirking, the strangely dressed man stood up straight. "Oh, that cut me deep noob. Not even a hello? Surely you must have more respect for your superiors."
Naruto growled and tried to push past him. Laxus just shifted so he was standing in his way again. Clenching a fist, Naruto looked up. "Move."
Laughing, Laxus shook his head. "Why don't you try make me, oh great wizard."
So that's why he was here. Erza instantly picked up on this and placed a hand on each males arm. "Let's not talk about this. Come Naruto, we have things to do."
A sudden spark shot out from Laxus's arm and Erza recoiled with a sharp squeal. Holding her hand she glared at him. "That was unnecessary."
Laughing, he cast a gaze over the woman. "Keep your nose out of our business. Men are talking."
Looking down, Laxus's grin dropped when he saw Naruto walking over to Erza and pulling her away. Growling, a sudden crack echoed through the room as Laxus transformed himself into pure electricity and jumped in front of the two. The noise had been enough to instantly hush the guild and everyone was now watching the three powerful humans as they faced off.
Keeping his eyes down, Naruto managed to grate out, "Move Laxus. I'm not interested."
Growling at being ignored, the tall man whipped out a hand and roughly grabbed Naruto's chin, pulling his burning eyes up to meet his own. "You might want to look at me when you're speaking to me, boy."
Having had enough, Naruto's hand flashed up faster than most could see and smacked away the hand. Even Laxus's eyes widened when everyone realised he had actually managed to make contact with the resident lighting mage. "One last time for you who can't understand simple instructions. Get. Out. Of. My. Way."
Laughing nastily, Laxus poked Naruto in the chest, right where he had his badge pinned. "Ha! You trying to order me around, sir?"
Naruto just continued glaring at the taller man. It quickly infuriated him and he suddenly lashed out, grabbing Naruto's shirt and pulling him easily off the ground. "You don't deserve that title! I DO!"
Spinning around, Laxus threw Naruto high into the sky and way out of Magnolia's borders. Hearing a horrified cry behind him, he turned to see Mirajane running for him. "No, don't do it Laxus!"
Laughing, Laxus watched as she neared him. "I'm just out to prove a point. Be back with your darling boyfriend soon."
And just as she reached out to grab him, he dematerialised and shot off in a bolt of energy in Naruto's direction.
XxXxXxX
A/N – ok, you will all hate me for where I stopped, but I got a point to prove. I got a couple of 'Oh nos the cliffy!1!' last chapter, so I just wanted to show I could do a hundred times worse mwahahaha.
Bow before the cliffy.
Anyway, I hope you liked the fluff. I think that's the first serious fluff section I've written so hopefully it will be well received. Let me know if you liked it or not! And also any constructive criticism to help me improve my fluffiness.
So yeah, Naruto vs Laxus next chapter. I wonder who will win?
Chat then.
Lanky Nathan
