The door to the Master's room swung close with a soft click. The lock rustled close with the jiggle of a key before it was slipped into Makarov's breast pocket. Humming to himself, the short mage wandered over to his chair and hopped up onto it. Raising his refilled mug of beer to Naruto in a one sided cheers, the elder took a swig, exhaled happily and leant back. "So! You might have only been gone a short while but I've already heard some odd tales involving you. I do hope you haven't been up to too much mischief."
Chuckling awkwardly, Naruto scratched his cheek. "Well… about that…"
Sighing despondently, the old man rubbed his thumb and index fingers into his eyes. "I know that look. Why can't you irritating youth ever do anything without getting into all forms of trouble?"
"Heh-heh, yeah, sorry about that. My trip wasn't too bad though collateral wise! That was all Gildarts."
This drew a groan from Makarov as his head fell backwards onto the headrest. "You're telling me there's more damage reports? Actually, what am I even saying, this is Gildarts we're talking about. The maniac has been destroying things right from when he punched his way out of the womb."
Naruto's eyes stretched in amazement as he took the statement literally. Noticing, the old man waved a hand at him dismissively. "Ignore that, Gildarts' mother was perfectly fine. The birth was fairly normal, save for the doctor losing a tooth from a stray fist. Enough about those matters though, time for you to fill me in on your travels and what you found out about your little problem."
The thought of a baby Gildarts punching a doctors' tooth out drew a snort from Naruto as he began. "Well, yeah I guess we'll start after I left. I headed for the old council tower and managed to find old Yajima-san on the way. He says hi by the way."
Makarov nodded as if accepting the greeting from the man himself. "Hello to you too. Gotta catch up with that old coot sometime."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he's got that new restaurant happening down at Hargeon. 8Island. Makes a mean feed. Anyway, so I had a chat with him about everything and yeah, he pointed me north to some strange happenings up that way. While I'm thinking about it, Lucy and all them were up there?"
"Yeah they were," came the snorted reply, "and they were really confused about what you were doing, especially being beaten nearly to death. Explanation?"
The blond bit his lip. "Ah, yeah we'll get to that. So yeah, I went off to sort out that but first I ducked in to see Ultear. I promised her that I'd come visit her. So I did see her and you have no idea the kind of conditions they were keeping her in! She was like a caged animal. I know she deserved it but I still think it was a bit harsh. Anyway –"
"You broke her out and took her sightseeing?"
Naruto's train of thought stalled as Makarov's sly comment slipped in. Blinking, the blond then shook his head vehemently. "No, no! I don't know what you were told but while I was in there the power was all shut down and this little robot girl called Meredy went off her nut and attacked me. Turns out they are a part of this dark guild called Grimoire Heart and they escaped and –"
Interrupting again, Makarov stopped the torrent of information with, "Hold up there boy, this sounds a bit more important than just a few bare details. So, this Meredy is in league with Ultear and her dark guild? We already have information on this Grimoire Heart but not too much. Can you fill me in more about that?"
Huffing, Naruto held out a hand to back up his words. "I was getting there but ok. So the leader is this real tall old guy called Hades. Know him?"
The Master hummed to himself as he looked down contemplatively. "Rumours of the name but nothing too concrete till now. Anything else?"
"Yeah sure, but promise not to interrupt till the end? Just so I don't forget anything."
An affirmative nod started Naruto's speech again. "Right, so Meredy had attacked me and she had this weird sensory link magic that Ultear used to knock me out by making her pass out. It pretty much works both ways so if you hurt yourself she gets hurt too. So anyway, I was really fortunate that they didn't try kill me while I was asleep. I put that down to the goodness still somewhere in Ultear. I lapsed though so don't worry, it didn't happen again." Naruto quickly appeased the concerned eyebrow that was raised high on the Masters' forehead.
"So, while I was trying to find them the Kyuubi's power decided to freak out again. This was a good thing though as before I left the destroyed building the guards didn't recognise me, so no ties to Fairy Tail!" His wide grin elicited a breath of relief from Makarov.
"Anyway, I put the chase on them and caught up in good time. This is where it gets interesting. While covered in the Kyuubi's cloak, I put the squeeze on them and discovered that they're trying to resurrect Zeref. They need to recover the keys to revive him though and before you worry, Gildarts took good care of that when I met him. So as I was interrogating them, their guild came to retrieve them. Their actual base is this giant airship that's powered by Hades. It's really, really impressive to be honest. I didn't find that out until after I snuck on board. So – AH!"
Naruto held up a finger and cut off Makarov who looked like he was about to explode. The little man was positively burning at the thought of one of his brats steeling away in one of the most powerful dark guilds known in current times. Remembering his promise though, he pinched his lips tight shut and crossed his arms, clearly unhappy with the proceedings. This didn't faze Naruto in the least though as he continued. "But before I snuck on board, Hades managed to teleport Ultear and Meredy up onto the ship while leaving me to fight one of their top mages. His name was Zancrow and I think from what he said, he was a God Slayer?"
Realising Naruto was looking for confirmation, Makarov nodded. "There are such mages in the world. Incredible strength usually accompanies their title. I hear he's recovering in hospital, though he's only just been kept alive from last I heard."
The blond tisked his tongue in annoyance. "Yeah, so I heard. I had to go all out on him and I swear I ended him. I guess he was a top mage for a reason."
Pausing, Naruto then considered the scroll he received. To be honest he'd kind of forgotten all about it in the hecticness of the last week. Withdrawing his sealing scroll, he placed it on the table. Makarov looked at it questioningly as Naruto elaborated. "I also got this and another note from home while I was out. They have worked out how the dimensions flow and have given me a time limit of sorts for my home trip."
"Oh, that's wonderful my boy!" The single clap from the elder complimented his smile. "So, how long did they say?"
"Well that's the thing, there is no real measurable time, it's just when our dimensions draw close enough for them to summon me home. I just have to… oh crap."
Makarov raised an eyebrow. Naruto shook his head and stuck his tongue out sheepishly. "Yeah, just forgot something I had to do for the guys back home to help them gauge how far apart we are."
"And what is that?"
"I… you know what, did you want to see?" Naruto looked sidelong at the old man, already knowing the answer.
"Most certainly! Any chance to see your incredible abilities would be a treat, especially with first class seats like this."
Standing, Naruto grinned as he stretched his fingers. "I thought you'd say that. Got any bugs around here you need to get rid of?"
"Ah…" caught off guard by the odd question, Makarov paused before pointing to a corner of the roof. "There's a spider that just will not die up there? Doesn't matter what I hit it with it just keeps coming back."
"That'll do. Now watch closely." Biting his finger and drawing blood, the blond then rapidly flicked through some strange hand signs before slamming his palm to the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"
The Master then let out a gasp of delight as an intricate matrix rolled out across the floor from Naruto's hand before a sudden pop filled his room with smoke. Coughing loudly, Makarov tried to wave it away. He needn't have bothered though as it was suddenly sucked up around Naruto's arm in a tight whirlwind before dispersing. Hearing a croak on the floor, the mage then looked down and was confronted with a toad the size of a cat sitting on the floor.
"Yo! Anata wa hanasu koto wa dekimasu ka?" Looking at Naruto in confusion, Makarov's eyes were quickly drawn back down to the amphibian as it began a throaty speech.
"H-hai, sukoshi."
Fist pumping in success, Naruto grinned as he pointed at the summon. "Yes! This is the first one I've been able to summon who can talk!"
Completely boggled with the (literally) out of this world speech, Makarov just stood there as Naruto eagerly continued to converse with the toad. "Ne, ne, namae wa?"
With the bubbling voice of something trying to talk underwater, the toad replied, "Pi."
Finally gathering his senses, Makarov waved his hands in front of him and shook his head. "Hold up a second there boy, just what are you talking to it about?"
"Oh," Naruto chuckled, "I was just asking if it could even speak and what its name is. Turns out its name is Pi."
Looking down at the small animal, Makarov nodded and asked, "Would you mind letting it know my name and that it's a pleasure to meet it?"
More than happy to oblige, Naruto chirped a happy, "Sure!" before relaying the message. The old man watched on in absolute fascination as the toad nodded in understanding and turned to dip its head in his direction. "Hajimemashite."
Naruto gave it a scratch on the head as he translated, "It says it's nice to meet you!"
Makarov nodded silently in reply as the blond danced around a bit more. Eventually though the teen couldn't contain it and picked the surprised toad up and hugged it close, damp skin and all. "Ohhh, you have no idea how much I've missed talking to you guys!"
Sighing long sufferingly, Pi just let Naruto get his emotions out as the teen swung it around. Makarov's face softened as he watched the blonde's joy, a warm feeling rising in his chest. The rest of the guild probably had no idea just how much Naruto missed his home. Eventually the guild master noticed the toad beginning to look rather uncomfortable and called out to the ninja. "Naruto, do you think you should stop? I think Pi's getting motion sickness."
Pausing in his twirls, Naruto glanced down and cringed as he saw Pi's face. "Oetto, gomen."
Putting the toad down, the teen then ran over and snatched the spider out of its web before presenting it to Pi. Grinning widely as it happily snatched up the arachnid, Naruto scratched its head again and sighed in contentment, his eyes glowing with fondness as he watched the toad eat. "You know, this means that our dimensions are getting closer together."
Makarov nodded as Naruto spoke in his language. "It's still a bit of a way off, but when I first got here I could hardly summon a tadpole. Being able to summon Pi now though means things are just as they predicted." The blond turned a positively beaming smile to the Master. "I'll be able to go home soon!"
Turning back to the toad, Naruto muttered a few things to the animal before taking its front leg and shaking it. Pi croaked happily and smiled widely before a puff of smoke went up and it vanished. Naruto remained crouched for a few moments longer before standing up slowly. His eyes were glistening a bit as he turned back to the table and he chuckled as he wiped his sleeve over them. "Sorry about that, got a bit misty."
Smiling gently, Makarov just turned and hopped back onto his seat and took another mouthful of his drink. "Nothing to apologise for my boy. If anything I should be thanking you for that wonderful opportunity to see you interact with someone you clearly care so deeply for. It was a real treat."
Chuckling again, Naruto wiped his eyes once more and sniffed as he sat down. "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I suppose we should get back to the original topic then hey?"
Nodding, a much calmer guild master motioned for the blond to carry on at his leisure. Taking one last breath, Naruto continued. "So I had to summon a toad to check the distance between our dimensions… yeah so from there, I headed for the ship. It had a pretty intense invisibility spell covering it, I had to use a few clones to break it down before I could board it. Once there I scouted the main halls and underbelly of the ship. I followed Ultear to her room…" the blond took a moment to relive the wonders of her room, "and from tracking her, found the keys to Zeref. Once I got them though alarms were tripped and Hades confronted me. An interesting piece of information, Hades actually said that the ship is him, and he it. Any idea what that means?"
Clearly unimpressed with the direction the story was taking, Makarov kept his comments to himself as he pondered Hades proclamation. "I might be able to work something out with time and thought. For now though just continue."
"Yeah, sure, mind if I just grab a drink first?"
XxXxXxX
A mug of soft drink sat before the teen as he shuffled back into his seat. "Right, so where were we…"
"Hades confronting you," came the grunted reply from Makarov, still clearly unimpressed.
"Ah, ok. So while Hades is trying to catch me I distract him with a few of my tricks and manage to get to the exit. Just before I jumped out though I had a bit of a chat with Ultear… that poor girl has some serious deep seated issues." Naruto crossed his arms at this, his eyebrow ticking. "Like, she wants to reset time back to when she was a kid! Granted she's had it tough but I still think with a good talk we could win her over. The only reason she's helping with everything is because she believes Zeref can grant her her wish."
Makarov snorted. "Unlikely. That mage was the pinnacle of destruction and ruin. His cursed items still can be found about today and while far weaker than when created, still hold a tremendous amount of power. It goes to show just how strong he was. As for him actually helping someone with a goal of theirs? You'd have more chance teaching Natsu good hygiene and proper etiquette."
"I know right?" Naruto rolled his eyes as he tapped his head. "The girl has a screw loose up here but I don't think she's bad. Just misguided. I'll be getting her out of there at some point and help show her what she has before her. I promised."
The older man considered Naruto and his conviction for a moment. Eventually coming to a conclusion, he crossed his arms and nodded with finality. "If you really believe that then I will support you. Should you manage to get her away, you can bring her here for protection."
The teen's eyes widened at the completely unexpected offer of support. That quickly turned to a wide smile and an excited jiggle. "That's awesome! Thanks so much! I'll be sure to do that, dattebayo!"
Holding a smile in check, the guild master just waved a hand at him to try calm him down. "Yes, yes, that's ok. Just continue with this story of yours."
A smile still tugged on Naruto's lips as he got on with it as requested. "Well, I'll save getting into too much detail about how I escaped 'cause it drags on a bit. So skip about an hour and I get away from them to finally destroy the keys in a mountain cave I found. However, Grimoire Heart did catch up to me and blocked me in the cave. I'll give you the details of the other members now too as I saw the majority of the top guys there."
The blond then took a moment to sketch out each character, their name and abilities on a pad Makarov pulled out for him. His drawing skills weren't anything to be applauded but if it came down to it, Naruto could always just use Henge (Transform) to make up for the sloppy details.
The pencil soon clattered to the table as Naruto continued. "So these guys are all pretty damn tough but I caught them by surprise and knocked them off the mountain. Reason for this was I had a clone sitting in there to vaporise the entire thing with my Rasenshuriken (Spiralling Shuriken) once I got away. They –"
"Yes I promised to not interrupt but what was that thing you hit it with?" Makarov had a fair point, the old man had never actually connected the name to the attack.
"You remember that bright ball I shot at Phantom Lord?" Makarov nodded. "That."
The statement drew a whistle from the old man as he sat back. "Wasn't that a bit of overkill? You would have knocked a good chunk of the peak away wouldn't have you?"
Wincing, Naruto nodded at the memory. "Yeah I thought the same thing. And I kinda, maybe made the whole mountain implode…"
He quickly held his hands up as the Master began puffing up in shock. "But, but, but! Let me finish!" Once confident Makarov wasn't going to explode, Naruto carried on. "This is sort of a good and bad thing in that once everyone was out and the keys were destroyed, Hades was super pissed and launched an all-out assault on me. As for the mountain, well Ultear has a freaking crazy, scary ability. She actually managed to rebuild both the mountain and they keys, even after they were destroyed on an atomic level. It was during that time that I met Natsu and Lucy. There was this small blue haired girl there too who was healing me, along with this real grumpy white cat."
Makarov let out a snort. "Yes, Wendy and Charla, her cat. They actually belong to this guild now. Details about the other mission that wouldn't interest you. Now, care to explain why your introduction to them was you impacting like a missile at their feet?"
"Heh, yeah about that." Naruto scratched his head. "The big fat one has that Voodoo ability right? Well he managed to stall me long enough so they could hit me with this massive cannon sticking out the front of it. Honestly, it was really similar to that Jupiter Cannon Phantom Lord had."
Hearing a sorry sigh from Makarov, the teen looked at him questioningly. The old man was using both hands to rub his temples as he desperately tried to maintain his cool. "You tell me you got hit point blank with a Jupiter Cannon… and survived?"
"Oh! I wasn't quite alone. My Kyuubi Cloak had gone haywire again and helped me out. I might have gotten hit but that took a large chunk of the impact." The Master wasn't looking impressed again so Naruto just got on with it. "With Wendy having helped me out though, I went back to try steal back the reconstructed keys. I did get parts of one, but that's when things really went downhill." He ignored the slap of Makarov's palm meeting his face. "Hades got a hold of me and to be honest, kicked the living crap out of me. I'd have given him a right run for his money if I'd been at full strength but the dirty bastard cheated."
Huffing, the teen crossed his arms as his mood darkened and grumped to himself. "He knew he couldn't beat me so he had to wait till I was weak before laying on the pounding. Cheap."
"Back on topic please?"
Looking up at the Master, Naruto nodded and put his arms on the table. "So Hades was about to finish me when this dirty great boulder smacked into him and sent him to the other side of the forest. Enter Gildarts and the guy managed to get me out of there safely. He then got rid of the keys by throwing them away… and then that brings us to now."
Leaning back as his story finished, Naruto gave the old man time to absorb all the information. Eventually he nodded and sighed. "Well, despite your absolutely reckless dive into possibly the most dangerous thing since Gildarts took on his One Hundred Year quest, you've come out with a great deal of good information in regards to Grimoire Heart. I'll be sure to forward the information on. Did you want to be recognised in the note?"
The blond didn't think twice. "Oh hell yes. I ain't doing all this work just so some other nibbler can take the glory. Besides, Ultear is my catch… mind leaving out the part about how she got the drop on me?"
What he got as answer was a firm shake of the head. "Nope. It's full details with name either attached or not."
Huffing slightly, Naruto wrinkled his nose but conceded. "Fine, but don't make it sound too bad ok?"
Chuckling at the youngsters' pride, the old man shrugged. "I'll see what I can do." Makarov then changed topics and leant in. "Now, about the original reason you went gallivanting off on your own. What did you find out about your problem?"
Nodding, Naruto pursed his lips contemplatively. "Well, I didn't find out what was wrong with me to set that straight. However, I did find out some interesting things that are pointing me in a rather favourable direction."
"Do tell?"
The teen picked his neglected drink up and took a mouthful before continuing. "Well, for starters it's not affecting my thoughts so much anymore. Last time it kicked in I hardly noticed it was even active. The most apparent change though is the colour."
This raised an eyebrow on Naruto's superior. "It's colour you say?"
"Mmm, have a look." Drawing upon a minimal amount of the darker energy swirling around in his middle, Naruto began softly glowing gold, the flickering light casting small shadows across the walls that danced about happily. Not wanting to draw any undesired attention though, Naruto quickly shut it off and nodded at the wide eyed expression of the mage before him. "Quite something, huh?"
"Indeed…" Stroking his chin, Makarov sat back in thought. "And when exactly did this start happening?"
Naruto shrugged. "To be honest I couldn't give you an exact date. The cloak itself abruptly changed a few days ago, but the fox itself has been slowly turning yellow for a while now."
Makarov's eyebrows jumped up his forehead in surprise. "The fox is changing colour?"
"Yeah, and that I have an answer for." As the Master leant in in anticipation, Naruto motioned to the air. "It's actually the Ethernano in the air. From what I understand it was actually absorbing into it and gradually changing its colour. The potency of its chakra hasn't changed, that's still as powerful as ever, but whatever it's doing is what is causing the unexplained cloak appearances. The question now is how exactly is it drawing out the Kyuubi's power and why is the malevolence of it not impacting my thoughts so heavily? As a human not of this world I thought that I wouldn't be able to control it and produce magic. I already tried once with Mira-chan and nothing happened."
"Of all the things," whispered Makarov. "Ethernano. Who would have guessed?"
Naruto let out a breath as he considered the glowing light within him. "It really is something else, this Ethernano."
The old man nodded respectfully. "Indeed it is. For all we don't know about it, it still permeates everything in this world and gives us our way of life. Without it, we'd be lost."
Naruto raised a finger. "Or, have worked out how to use chakra."
Makarov snorted. "If we even have the capacity to do so my boy." Leaning back, the old man then crossed his arms behind his head and kicked his feet up onto the table. "So what now?"
Pondering his next move, Naruto nodded slowly. "Well, since the changes are actually helping me with the fox's abilities this means I can breathe much easier now and not worry that I'll go on a rampage around town. I still want to know why it's causing the cloak to flare up randomly and how it's bypassing the seal that's holding the fox's chakra at bay, because technically nothing should be able to get in or out of that place without it being opened."
Slapping the table, Makarov grabbed his mug and drained the rest of its contents. "Very good, I like that you have some form of a plan in place. What I do like more though is that you're not in any immediate danger." Hopping off his chair, he walked around to Naruto and placed a hand on his leg. "Keep up the good work brat. You're doing well."
Naruto's chest swelled with pride as Makarov walked over to the door and unlocked it. Pulling it open, the small man turned back. "Well, with that good news I think I'll go get another drink to celebrate."
"Yeah meet you down there old man." Chuckling to himself as Makarov grumbled about being labelled old, Naruto took a moment longer to himself. It looked like things really were starting to look up for now. Grinning, the teen slapped his palms to the armrests and vaulted to his feet. He was feeling really good right now so it was time to go see everyone!
Walking through the door, Naruto made it all of three steps when an almighty shriek of "KITTY!" nearly blew his eardrums and a body slammed into him broad side and sent the two of them tumbling down the stairs. Bouncing to a stop, Naruto groaned lowly and raised a hand to his head as he looked down at the now firmly attached body. "Milli? Can't you greet me like a normal person for a change?"
She shook her face into his chest and purred soothingly. "Nooo you're my Kitty. I'd never let anyone else have you, you're mine and mine alone. My Kitty."
"Oh Naruto! Dandy to see you my boy, how's things been?" Looking up the stairs, the square visage of Wally tipped his hat at Naruto and smirked. "I see our resident cat lover has found her favourite person?"
Sighing, Naruto pulled himself up awkwardly with the girl still strapped to his chest. "Yeah, she has a way with greetings. What's been happening?"
Crossing his arms, Wally sighed. "Well as far as how things have been going I'd say just peachy. However, and I speak for my two comrades here, we've been getting restless."
Eyebrows bunching, the blond tilted his head in confusion. "How do you mean? I can't imagine a more vibrant place than this joint."
"It's not that…" Sho's blond hair rose from above Wally's shoulder, his meek eyes meeting Naruto's. "It's that, well we'd been trapped in that wretched tower our whole lives. Granted it's been a fair while since then but compared to the time spent there…"
"You need to get out and explore the world." Naruto finished for him. A small nod was his answer. Naruto's grin wasn't what Sho expected though as the teen began climbing the stairs. "Good! Go out and see what else is out there. I can't imagine what it'd be like to spend your whole life trapped in a cage." He pointedly ignored the deep growl within the recesses of his mind.
That brightened the duo with his understanding. Smiles widening, Wally tipped his hat with thanks. "That's mighty dandy of you to be so reasonable. We were wondering how best to tell you."
The blond teen chuckled as he shuffled Millianna into a more comfortable position. "That's fine. When were you thinking of leaving?"
"Well, now that everyone is here, tomorrow. That at least doesn't drag it all out too long and still gives us enough of a chance to say goodbye."
Naruto then pointed at the girl wrapped around his middle. "And this one?"
Wally chuckled. "You'll have to do a mighty fine job of convincing her you're not coming."
At that her head popped up questioningly. "You're not?"
The teen just pushed her head back into his chest. "Nothing, go back to sleep." He blinked when he got a strange look from the two men. "What? Save that problem for later. For now, let's go give you a proper going away party!"
XxXxXxX
It was in the middle of all the partying and rumpus going on's of the guild that Naruto finally was introduced to the girl who helped save him earlier. He was trying to move Millianna into a more comfortable position when a soft tapping on his shoulder drew his attention. Twisting around, he came face to face with a rosy cheeked Lucy. She smelt like she'd already had a mug or two from the bar. "Naruto! It's about time, I've been trying to catch up with you since you got back. How have you been?"
Settling for the cat-girl clamping herself to his back, Naruto grinned, raised an arm and clenched his biceps. "Good as ever! I gotta say though, it was a surprise seeing you all out in the forest like that. What were you doing out there?"
Giggling, the platinum blond girl smiled at his exuberance. "We were up there on a mission involving an ancient magic called Nirvana." Her smile faded as she remembered the turmoil of it. "It was this crazy thing that swapped the personality of anyone it affected making good evil and evil good."
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto thought back to that weird sense he got while up running away from Hades. "So that's what that feeling was? It felt so yuck."
"Try being right near it!" Exclaimed the girl. "It was horrid! Even with Natsu there, along with the best mages of a couple of other guilds, it was still far too much stress." Mock tears began running down her cheeks. "I don't know why they send me on these kind of missions. I'm more suited to photo shoots and modelling! All this rolling in the dirt with the strongest mages in the world is so not my cup of tea."
She sobbed for a moment before composing herself. "So what were you doing up there? And looking so badly beaten up at that? I thought you were dead when you crash landed!" She then punched his shoulder. "And that's for nearly crashing into me!"
Ignoring the tap, the teen chuckled and scratched his head. "Well, let's just say I had a run in with some super powerful and persistent mages. If I hadn't been lucky enough to bump into you guys up there I doubt things would have turned out as well as they did. Come to think of it, where's the girl who saved me? I need to say thanks."
Smiling brightly, Lucy stepped out of the way and motioned to a shock of blue hair behind her. "Oh?"
The head tipped up to reveal a set of worried eyes and a nervously pinched mouth. "H-hello…"
Her outfit had changed from what he remembered. The only things on her arms were thin yellow clasps around her biceps. Her dress was a sleeveless piece held up around her neck by a small gold clasp. The fabric cascaded down her chest with various blue, green and yellow stripes dipping away diagonally from the clasp. From that the rest of her dress was checked green fabric that somewhat matched the pattern of Natsu's scarf. It finished at her knees, revealing a set of leather anklets sitting above a pair of simple sandals.
"It's a p-pleasure to meet you, my name is Wendy Marvell. I… I actually asked Lucy to introduce me as I wanted to know if you were OK. Please excuse the intrusion!" She dipped her head again, confidence all used up in her introduction.
She then squeaked as Naruto's broad palm landed on her hair and ruffled it. "Hey, it's fine! I have to thank you for that anyway, I'd have been toast otherwise. That's a really nifty trick you have there."
Blushing, the girl began poking her index fingers together and looked anywhere that wasn't Naruto's face. "T-thank you. That's my magic, I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer. I'm not much use in battle, but I can help out from the sidelines!"
That drew a whistle from the taller teen. "Wow, another one? What's that, 3 Dragon Slayers now? We're growing our collection." He sent her a wink. "Though you're easily the cutest."
That sent the girl into overdrive and her beet red face began overheating as steam whistled from her ears. Laughing at her embarrassment, Naruto hefted Millianna around before extending a hand. "In any case, it is a pleasure to meet you. Uzumaki Naruto, at your service."
Tentatively taking his hand, she shook it once and let go.
"Oi! Don't think a ruffian like you can so casually shake Wendy's hand! Have you even washed yourself today?"
Blinking at the accusation that assaulted him, Naruto looked around for the voice.
"Down here, moron."
Turning his gaze down, he finally spotted the source of the insults. Wendy's proper little friend came stomping in as best a cat her size could, paws on her hips and a highly disapproving look on her face. "Oh, sorry about that. The only thing as small as you around here is Happy and he's always in the air."
The cat grunted indignantly and crossed her paws. "Don't compare me to that dirty thing. I know for certain he hasn't had a bath in weeks."
She then opened an eye and looked up at Naruto expectantly. "So, who are you? You insulted me before you even asked me my name last time we met."
Naruto clicked his fingers. "Oh yeah, that's right I called you Snaggletooth!" Instantly the soft downy white fur all over the cat bristled. Ignoring that, Naruto knelt down and extended his hand. "Uzumaki Naruto. And you are?"
He got a scratched hand for that attempt. "Charla. That is how you will refer to me from now on and you will maintain a distance of three feet from myself and Wendy at all times. Understood?"
"Sure thing Toothy!" And Naruto promptly stepped in to ruffle Wendy's hair as she began fretting over Charla's tirade.
"Don't stress it Wendy, she's cool! Right?"
The cat magically produced a set of wings and promptly flew up to slap Naruto's hand off Wendy's head. "I most certainly am not 'cool' as you barbarians say! I swear, you are testing my patience like no one I have ever met! If you do once more thing to violate us, so help me I'll…"
Threat hanging potent in the air, Naruto backed up slightly. Charla smiled as her demand was obeyed, eyes narrowing in satisfaction. Naruto meanwhile just tapped Millianna on the head. "Meow?"
Looking up questioningly, Naruto just pointed at the new cat.
Time seemed to slow down as Millianna looked around and locked eyes with Charla. The small cat tilted her head questioningly as Naruto began to feel the girl attached to him build up a massive breath of air. Before anyone could move, the brunette unleashed a mighty scream of "KITTY!' and rainbows and stars and sparks and fireworks went off as she kicked clean off Naruto's chest to crash tackle the mortified cat out of the air.
"WHAT IS THIS? UNHAND ME YOU BRUTE!"
Charla's shrieking complaints were completely ignored by the cat-freak as her face was rubbed deep into the softness of Charla's cheek. Squeals of bliss permeated the air as equally loud shouts of complaint joined them to increase the already impressive noise of the guild.
"Charla!" Standing there worriedly, Wendy looked on in concern as her best friend was molested, wondering just what to do to save her. Naruto fixed that problem by coming up behind both her and Lucy and wrapping an arm around both their shoulders. "Come on, let's go enjoy the festivities. These two seem like they have a lot going on here."
"But –"
"Ah-ah, no buts! Leave them be. We'll come back later." Having cut Wendy off abruptly, Naruto then turned them around and guided the girls towards the bar, Wendy staring back over her shoulder in worry.
"I will severely scratch you when I get my paws on you next time, Uzumaki! Mark my words!"
Naruto laughed at the furious promise and disappeared into the crowd with a merry, "Have fun with that, Snaggletooth!"
Charla's frantic shriek of rage only served to draw more laughter from the maddening blond wretch as he guided her ward away.
XxXxXxX
The tree seemed to sing soft nothings to the blond reclining in the bough of one of its thick branches. His hair rustled along with the rest of the mammoth tree as a gentle breeze blew through the now quiet town. Closing his eyes as the murmur of people in the distance, Naruto sighed contentedly as one leg swung lazily over the edge of his perch. It had been quite a wonderful day, seeing everyone again and that mighty party afterwards to bid Erza's old friends farewell. It had really been something to remember and those three definitely felt the Fairy Tail love in the way of so much booze they bloated up like balloons and more spot fights than you can poke a stick at. Even now Cana was still in there refusing to let the party die, sinking barrel after barrel of liquor by herself and chanting loud war cries. Most had crept back to their respective caves though as it was still the middle of the week. All in all, it had turned into a very pleasant night.
Mirajane had offered him a place to stay but the teen could see that after the hearty party she was absolutely exhausted. He had declined and internally grinned when he saw through her fake pout, a measure of relief hiding behind it. It had been a smart move. There were many other options available but something within the teen had called him to the big old tree in the middle of the town. So after a quiet walk by himself he found himself sitting high above the streets by himself, one arm used as a pillow, the other gently fingering his headband and saints badge alternatively. Home time was certainly drawing closer as the days passed and butterflies were brewing within his stomach. Grinning widely, Naruto clenched his eyes shut and stretched all four limbs to the sky in excitement.
"I'm coming home guys, just you wait!"
Hearing a scratching from the trunk of the tree, Naruto paused mid-stretch and looked over. Millianna had been scaling the branches and her eyes were now positively glowing as she caught Naruto in a cat-playing-with-yarn pose. The blond couldn't even sigh before she hurtled into him squealing in adoration as she rubbed her head into his chest. Rolling his eyes, Naruto made sure to fasten himself to the tree so they both didn't plummet to the ground. "Milli-chan, you're gonna have to leave me room for my lungs to work you know?"
The girl didn't seem to answer as she just rubbed her face into his jacket. Trying to breathe was a bit of a challenge so tapping the girl on her head, Naruto asked her again. What he didn't expect was the soft sob that choked out when he tapped her.
"Oi, oi, oi, what's wrong?" Pulling himself upright, Naruto pulled the girl away and looked into her moist eyes. "What's gone and gotten you all wound up?"
The catlike girl sniffed and looked away. "I know we are going tomorrow and that you can't come… but… but I'm just gonna miss you so much!"
Her eyes turned away as she wiped them with her palm, her sensitive nose twitching irritably.
"That's OK, but what about Erza though? Don't you want to spend the last night with her? You have known her longer after all." Naruto's question was as soft as possible to not aggravate the female. Her head shaking though answered that question.
"I spent a while with Erza while you were gone. However I didn't even know if I'd have a chance to see you before we left! Tonight she said go and find you because of that." She tucked herself back into Naruto's chest and shivered. "So let me stay the night?"
Looking down at the poor thing, Naruto let a smile tug his lips. To be needed and wanted so much was something he could easily get used to. Having this little toaster offer to be his blanket wasn't something he could pass up either. So shuffling himself down, his arm became his pillow again as the other now began running fingers through the girls' hair. Hearing her breathing even out, Naruto chuckled and closed his eyes. It truly was a pleasant night.
XxXxXxX
The next morning drew only the close friends Wally, Sho and Millianna had made at Fairy Tail to the outskirts of the village. Naruto was hanging out the back with Natsu, the downtrodden boy pouting heavily after being thumped into place by Erza for acting up. The large bump on his head pulsed painfully as a reminder not to slip up again.
The dominant female of the guild meanwhile was standing with her childhood friends, exchanging last minute hugs and words. Naruto's own goodbye with Millianna this morning had taken so long that they nearly wound up late. That girl had an impossibly powerful grip when she wanted. There were a few wet eyes here and there as she finally stepped back. "Well, I'm so glad you could stay with us for the time you have but the time has come for you to go out and find your own ways, your own adventures."
The soft murmuring stilled as Erza's powerful voice took command. "Keep your will strong and never waver in your goals, no matter the opposition. You will always be a valued member of our family, but for people leaving the guild I have three critical rules I'm obliged to relate."
As she said this, the mage glowed her usual brilliant gold as her outfit changed. Her form swelled as her mass increased with the new armour. The light then cut off and the girl now stood tall in a massively imposing suit.
An enormous velvet red cape fluttered in the breeze, the edges hemmed with a soft white fur, the base dragging around gold tassels that danced slowly in the wind. A large wreath sat strikingly upon her head, strong wings standing up proudly to the heavens as she stared them down. A cheek high collar rose up around her neck, its brilliant white and trimmed blue gleaming in the sunrise.
Symmetrical shoulder pads covered her upper arms, the enormous things clasped to her breastplate and decorated with lavish golden designs that spiralled and swirled all over the solid metal plates. Another pair of wings rose up regally from the joints, the impressive things standing two or three feet tall. Hiding under them were shining gauntlets, they similarly having intricate decorations dancing down their length.
Her chest plate was tightly form fitting, the metal hugging her bust tightly with the winged designs etched in such a way they almost looked 3D. A royal blue banner draped down from her midriff, bird like emblems standing tall either side of the piece, looking up to a stylised butterfly that ran dead center down it. Large hip plates hung down, the heavy pieces reaching the girl's knees so long were they. Again, more golden engravings adorned them and they rustled softly as Erza's weight shifted around.
Finally topping off the noble appearance was a mighty lance clasped tightly in her left hand. The thing had to be eight feet tall, emerald green and topped off with a blood red flag almost the same colour as her hair. It flapped in the wind, the Fairy Tail emblem smack bang in the middle as a laurel wreath wound its way around the bottom two thirds of the logo.
Stamping the point of the lance, Erza called out even louder as she announced the terms to all who could hear. "ONE! You must never reveal any sensitive information about Fairy Tail for as long as you live."
She stamped the lance again. "TWO! You must never use the clients you met through the guild for personal gain."
Stamping the lance even harder, Erza's voice cracked a little under the strain of her final command. "THREE! Though our paths may differ, you must always live out your lives with all of your might! Never consider your own lives to be insignificant! Never forget the friends in your life you hold dear!"
She then raised the lance high and cried out, "Let the Fairy Tail send-off party begin!"
At her order, several dozen powerful spells shot into the air, fire, ice, water and light all exploding above them in brilliant fashion, the glorious red of the morning sun casting dancing shadows across the fields as the celebrations went on. Naruto's mouth was dropped open in a wide smile as he watched the spectacle. It really was an incredibly unique way to send someone off. A small voice in the back of his head reasoned a Rasenshuriken would look good up there, but the chance of there being a casualty was too great to risk it.
Looking back down, the blond then raised an arm in the air and waved as the three mages began walking off, cries of goodbyes and well wishes filling the air. It didn't take too long for them to drift out of sight but the small crowd remained, their callings still audible for a few minutes longer. Eventually though, the voices ceased and Erza let out a soft sigh. A gold light wrapped up her form and before long she was back to her usual white blouse and navy blue pleat skirt. Wiping a single tear from her eye, she turned and smiled at her friends.
"Well, that's that I guess. Since you all got up so early with me to send them off, I will buy everyone breakfast at any restaurant they choose." There was a loud whoop of excitement as the redhead walked through them back towards the town. Naruto lagged a bit, grinning to himself and ticking off all the things he wanted to eat. After running out of fingers and toes, the blond nodded and jogged after the retreating group, his tummy gurgling in anticipation.
XxXxXxX
The rest of that week passed fairly quietly which Naruto was immensely thankful for. It had been a long time since he'd had a proper chance to just unwind and relax. The old sailor Mr. Donathan had called in his services again to repair the wharf and had paid him quite a substantial amount after the blond and his doppelgängers finished the job in half the predicted time. Naruto had offered to leave the reward and watch the old man eat his boots like previously promised, but he received a light hearted clip around the ear for that remark and an envelope stuffed into his chest with a bit more force than necessary. Still, the promise of more work was given and the men left on good terms.
After that job though, the weather took a turn for the worse and over the course of a day and a half, blackened skies laden with rain and thunder moved in to drop their heavy loads all over Magnolia. It wasn't showing any sign of easing up either as the days rolled on, the rain only ever intensifying and the sky rumbling more and more ominously.
Inside the guild, the members had begun to go a bit stir crazy with cabin fever since when there was rain covering the kingdom like this, jobs rapidly dried up leaving everyone scratching around for something to do.
"Awww man I'm so bored! What I'd give for something interesting to happen!" Lucy dropped her head onto her arms while lamenting the rain, her tolerance levels for two certain serial brawlers reaching new lows. Even now Natsu and Gray were scrapping on the other side of the guild.
"Want a game of strip poker?" Cana pulled her usual deck of cards out from her back pocket, temporarily leaving her barrel of drink to itself. "I promise it'll be fun~!"
The platinum blond shuddered and crossed her arms over her chest protectively. "No thank you. I've had enough mishaps with my clothing to last me a lifetime. I don't need you adding to that."
The taller brunette snickered and slid the cards away, a sly wink making Lucy shudder again. "Well, the offer is always there."
Turning her head away from her laughing antagoniser, Lucy spied Naruto wandering around aimlessly and raised an arm to hail him over. "Oi! Naruto! What are you doing?"
Turning a lazy eye towards her, the blond sighed and ambled over sluggishly. Flopping into the chair beside her, he dropped his feet onto the table, ignoring the rebuke from the old guild master. "About as much as you it looks like. I could go train, but I've had enough of washing out all my clothes. Honestly, the mud in this place must have a magic property allowing it to get everywhere." He looked down at his fellow blond. "Yes, even there."
"Ew!" Wrinkling her nose, Lucy recoiled slightly at the mental image. "I did not need to know that. Why would you even tell me?"
Ignoring the question, Naruto sagged back over the chair's rest with a moan. "This sucks! Even baiting you isn't fun anymore!"
Truth be told Naruto had been dropping gross/sleazy/inappropriate comments around the easily riled girl since the rain had set in and the amusement had well and truly worn out. Growling, the teen heard a loud crash and tilted his head back further. Watching the upside down world, Naruto snatched a hand out and caught an incoming body with ease. It turned out to be Natsu, torn clothes and all. "Oi, let me go! That frigid ice bastard over there needs his ass kicked! Again!"
Finally snapping, Naruto vaulted over the chair to land upright in front of the noisy mage. "Argh, I'm so bored! I've had enough of this! You, me, outside, now!"
Not giving the boy a chance to reply, Naruto grabbed the scruff of his neck and began dragging him away, his frustrated cries slowly growing quieter as Naruto stomped off into the rain.
Blinking in surprise, both Lucy and Cana watched them leave, an abnormal amount of quiet settling over the guild as one half of the noise making duo was hauled away to meet what was most probably a grisly beating. Not to say he wasn't going to give his all before getting that way though.
"Well… that was abrupt."Cana nodded as she turned back to her drink, not giving it any more thought. "Hey, they're both young and Naruto really hasn't been doing much these last few days. I wouldn't be surprised if once done with that kid, he comes back for round two with his bum buddy."
Lucy ignored the distant "Rival in love!" growl from one obsessed navy haired girl and sighed. "Well, they can do what they like so long as it doesn't involve me. That's just asking for trouble otherwise."
XxXxXxX
It may have been pouring rain but Naruto and Natsu were squared off just outside the town gates, eyes blazing and tempers flaring. "You ready for this, mage? You and Gray have been blowing of steam the last few days, so if you want me to go easy on you I will."
The mage ignited as the words dug home deep, coils of fire rising to the sky and evaporating any rain within ten feet of him. "You go anything less than full power and I'll drag you back to the guild in a body bag! Besides, you wanted this so no half-assing it!"
"Good." Naruto stilled himself and let the power of the natural energy surrounding the two begin to spill into his being. This time though…
Naruto's closed eyes twitched. Something wasn't right. As his reserves began filling more and more, his senses rapidly began to understand. The air felt empty. But not in the way of nothing there, more like the Ethernano was being dragged away and Naruto was trying to drag his piece back. It was a relatively tiny amount, but it was gaining strength every second.
Opening his orange eyes, Naruto held out a hand to the impatient teen opposite. "Hang on a second there, something is wrong."
Eyes shining and lips pulled back in a toothy grin, Natsu held out a fire coated hand. "What, you chicken now? Don't worry, I can hold back if you really need."
Ignoring him, Naruto looked around. The Ethernano was swirling in the air more and more rapidly, around the whole town even. He had felt this before actually, now that he thought about it. He just couldn't put a finger on where though…
Both he and Natsu's ears pricked as an impossibly faint cry reached their sensitive ears and they looked off towards the guild. The power of the rain had picked up even more and even to two of the most acute hearers in the guild it was still difficult to make out.
"Was that Wendy?" The mage's cocked head rocked back and forward, trying to catch more sound.
Naruto nodded and began feeling out her signature through the city. It didn't take long to lock onto her position and he found her face down in the rain, not far from Fairy Tail. Eyes widening, he then vanished from sight as he took off running, leaving Natsu to scream indignantly and put on the chase. This awkward sensation in the air coupled by Wendy's untimely cry was hard to write off as a coincidence.
Dashing through the rain, it didn't take long to be at the girls' side. Helping her to her feet, Naruto looked around. "Wendy, what's happening? Where's Charla?"
Blinking in surprise at Naruto's new look, the girl shook off the moment and clenched her fists in fear. "The sky, the sky is going to suck everyone up! We have to tell the guild!"
"The sky?" Turning his eyes up, Naruto's mouth dropped as he saw a familiar ominous swirl forming overhead. "Anima?"
Looking back down at Wendy, Naruto gripped her shoulders. "I know this is unlikely, but have you seen someone in a big coat around anywhere? Has a whole bunch of staffs with him? Maybe even goes by the name Mystogan?"
Taking the fact Naruto knew this in her stride, Wendy shook her head violently. "He's no use at the moment, he's too weak! We have to save the guild!"
Though surprised she did indeed know him, the experienced ninja didn't let it show. Pausing a moment, Naruto considered the options. Quickly scanning the city, Naruto indeed found Mystogan collapsed back the way Wendy came, exhausted from using too much energy. Charla was also trotting along, though she seemed a bit unsure of herself for some reason with how slowly she was moving. There were too many questions to answer at the moment so for now, helping Wendy was the first priority.
Picking her up, he took off in a flash towards the guild. Her little voice rang clear as he carried her, her continual fear filled cry for Fairy Tail remaining true, "Watch out everyone! The sky, look up at the sky!"
Flashes of blue lightning began illuminating the streets as they ran, the frequency of their blasts increasing in number until the whole town was bathed in an unearthly strobe light. Nearing the guild, Naruto raced forwards, holding Wendy out to hopefully help her screams reach them.
Earth and tiles began rising up around the duo as the swirl in the sky drew in more and more energy. The rapid flow of Ethernano upwards indicated whatever was about to happen would be here any second so with a final push, Naruto jumped through the gates of Fairy Tail… and into nothingness.
Both their eyes widened in disbelief as the whole building began warping in an almost dreamlike way, its colours being sucked right out of it as the whole thing began to glow a bright white. Looking around, Naruto saw that the rest of the town was being drawn up in a similar way, the tops of the houses and trees glowing brightly before they began breaking down into shining gold partials that were rapidly drawn up and into the Anima above. Indeed, the whole town around them was being converted into pure magic and sucked skywards, off to a completely different dimension.
"Oof! Naruto, what are you… Naruto?"
Having been dropped, the small girl looked up at her guild mate and her eyes widened in surprise as the blond stared at his hands in disbelief. They too had begun to discolour, glow brightly and break down. To Naruto's eyes though he could see every single atom of his being snapping apart and joining the upward flow of energy.
Fear filled his being as his body disappeared, Wendy's faint scream of horror only just reaching his vanishing ears. His eyes turned to hers in complete confusion, their gazes meeting only for a moment longer before what was left of the blond ninja exploded into light and vanished into the sky.
XxXxXxX
"OOF!"
Something extremely firm suddenly slammed into Naruto, that being the first anything he felt since that strange dream of being sucked away into nothingness.
"Ohhh… what happened?"
Testing out his fingers, the blond found soft grass underhand. Breathing a thankful sigh of relief, he slowly opened his eyes.
He was lying in a grass field, though the texture of it was about all that was familiar to him. The grass was an off purple with golden weeds springing up in all different places. Blinking in confusion, the blond slowly sat up and looked around in wonder.
Sprawling great plants rose to the sky, some twisted in impossibly strange designs that under normal circumstances gravity wouldn't have allowed. There were others that seemed to be giant spore pods, the massive structures the size of a small house bunched together in clumps of cases like massively oversized fruit. Other trees looked to almost be growing upside down, all the foliage of the plants being bushed around the base of the organism while roots stretched high into the pale pink sky.
That wasn't even the weirdest part as Naruto looked upward, his mouth dropping open in shock surprise at what was hanging in the sky.
To be honest it almost looked like Pein had come to the world and gone to town on the entire dimension. Thousands of asteroid sized chunks of rock near and far hung suspended in the middle of the air, glistening waterfalls tumbling away to nothingness over their ridged edges. Each one was a slightly different colour to the next and none looked like they had the same plant life as any others. Each was a mini ecosystem in its own right with no apparent connection to anything else in this impossible world.
Between them ran a river of suspended water, running through the air like the very currents it must have been supported on. Here and there fish leapt out of it only to come crashing back down into its waters by some strange gravitational pull that apparently effected only itself and its inhabitants.
And again beyond that, far, far into the distant sky hung the great circular shapes of immense planets, their imposing figures dominating the back drop with colours Naruto had never even dreamed of.
Time almost seemed to stop as the awestruck ninja gaped openly at the mind-altering scenery around him. Strange animal cries, foreign smells, awkward sights and alien energies filled his head and threatened to overwhelm the teen as his eyes continued to grow. He wasn't allowed that though as from deep within the recesses of his mind, a furiously loud voice began dominating his thoughts and drew him inward.
"Brat! Are you listening? Hell, are you even in one piece yet?"
Confused and very much shaken, Naruto swallowed as he allowed himself to be dragged to stand before his monstrous gold captive. "Y-yo, Kyuubi. I'm here."
"About damn time brat, I've been trying to contact you for hours to see if you had been killed."
Nodding slowly, Naruto stared through the giant fox as he tried to come to terms with what he'd seen. "Kyuubi, what happened? Where are we? Is this that 'Edolas' Mystogan mentioned?"
Growling deeply, the living natural disaster crossed its arms. "I imagine so. I tried contacting you before you so foolishly dove headfirst into the middle of that swirling maelstrom but you were too focused on that mouse of a human. You're in my debt, I saved you from potential death." The fox leaned in. "I'd recommend you removing my seal now then as way of payment."
Ignoring that last statement, Naruto shook his head and pushed a palm into his forehead. "But what happened? How did you save me? Just… just… WHAT?"
Absolutely overcome with questions, Naruto looked up at the fox with wide eyes that struggled to comprehend everything. Sighing long-sufferingly, the Kyuubi pinched the bridge of its snout with its right hand as it muttered obscenities to itself. Finally collecting its thoughts, the massive animal leaned in. "I don't know much more than you, this accursed place your teacher sent us is just as strange to me as it is to you. However, as for what happened when you disappeared back in front of that slaughterhouse you called a guild, that was due to the Ethernano." The mighty fox growled deeply at the memory. "This will be the first and last time I say this, but I felt whatever it was splitting you up pulling at me and the accursed seal your father put to lock me here thankfully held it back from taking me. I don't know what for, but I do know it would have caused me to lose myself, if only for a time. And I will not have people controlling me like that!" The Kyuubi snarled that last sentence with particular vehemence. "You, having been feeble enough to be ensnared by its calling, were about to be sucked into oblivion but being doubly enslaved is something I could not stand for. I pushed out all of that natural energy from your system as best I could and it seems like you're back in one piece mostly, though your brain is still depressingly lacking."
Slowly acknowledging the words, Naruto began to piece everything together and looked up into the fox's eyes. "I guess I really do owe you. Thank you. Though how did you get the natural energy out of me?"
The Kyuubi snorted indignantly. "You forget that I kicked that old toad off your shoulder while you were training with them. You believe forcing natural energy from your body is impossible for me?"
Blinking, the blond held his hands out in surprise. "So why haven't you done that earlier?"
The fox looked away haughtily. "Whether you use my power or another's is of no concern to me, so long as you stay alive. Had I forced the energy from you in crucial moments you would be dead, and though it doesn't worry me one way or the other what happens to you, your being alive is much more beneficial to me."
"Ah. I guess that makes sense." Naruto couldn't fault the words, though he now felt a certain amount of dis-ease at the knowledge. "So what happens now?"
"I don't actually care." The Kyuubi relaxed and leaned back, resting its head on its paws. "My goal remains unchanged. What you do though won't trouble me one bit. Go, rampage on this worlds citizens and destroy their homes. Give me some entertainment while you wallow in the depths of your pathetic humanity."
Naruto glared at the hardhearted animal. "Or maybe I'll go get absorbed by the Anima, just to see how you like being doubly trapped."
"Like you'd give yourself up just to spite me. Now away with you, I only needed to make sure you hadn't been killed before your time." A large paw shooed him flippantly as the animal rolled over brazenly. Rolling his eyes, Naruto didn't even bother replying as he left the confines of his mind.
Coming back to reality, the teen opened his eyes. Despite being its usual unpleasant self, the Kyuubi was Naruto's one firm consistent and its lack of caring managed to drag his mind back down to earth. Pushing himself to his feet, Naruto looked around his new world. He had no idea what he was doing, where he was or anything else, but that all didn't matter so long as he found the rest of Fairy Tail. Together they could come up with a way to return everyone home. The world was a huge place though so after a quick stretch, the out of place ninja took off in search of his guild.
XxXxXxX
A/N – Aaaaand that's a wrap. Again. For now. I got a bit stuck towards the middle there but now that we've moved onto the next part of the story I'm feeling really confident with what I have planned. Something very different from what I've ever seen before too so hopefully it'll keep you guys guessing ;)
On another note, I've been hit up by this new group called "Dreamers". It's a help and support group created by this guy called Dreaming of the Moon. Check out his profile to see what it takes to become a member if you're interested in bettering your own skills with the help of other long-time authors.
One part of this is shouting out other authors. In that case I'd like to give Noodlehammer a hoy. He has four stories and all of them are over the 1000+ review mark. Impressive enough for me I think. So check out his stuff to see what you think.
As always, please do leave a review to let me know how you liked it. I love hearing all your feedback, even if it's just a quick "Good job!" After all that's the only way I'll grow as an author!
From there, I'll take my leave and hopefully get you all your next fix of A Lost Shinobi before too long!
Lanky Nathan
