Hey everyone! I know things haven't been as fast as promised, but I am working on that! In the meantime, here's a new…magical…chapter of this story! Enjoy!

Gotham City

UTC 2100

November 26th

A lone manor stood in a pristine area, on the opposite border of the more well-known Wayne Manor, where a car pulled up. The delivery boy got the grocery bags out of the back seat and made his way to the front door. As he approached it, he immediately took notice of the door knocker, held by a demonic head. The delivery boy grabbed it without hesitation, knocking loudly, having already been up here several times before.

After a minute, a man stood before him, dressed nicely in a beige suit and black tie. He appeared to be in his late forties, but was in reasonably good shape. The only sign of his age was a streak of gray hair right in the middle of his otherwise dark red hair. Most strangers would take notice of his cold stare though.

"How are you, Mr. Blood?" the delivery boy asked pleasantly, not at all put off by his stoic face.

"The same as before, Jack. I'm afraid it's been a quiet week for me, though I think my attention will be needed somewhere soon." The one named Jason Blood replied, sounding rather drawl. The two weren't friends, but Blood nonetheless found the mere shopper to be a good listener. "Truth be told, for the first time in a long time, I'm quite nervous. And I feel I really shouldn't be."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure out sir. In the meantime, here's your groceries." He said, holding up his bags. "They didn't have the honey yogurt, I'm sorry to say."

"Still, a better yield than usual." Jason Blood sighed as he handed him his tip. "Enjoy your weekend."

"I certainly will, sir." Jack smiled, holding up the Ten Dollar Bill.

After Jason stored his groceries in their proper place, he made his way out of the kitchen. The entire mansion looked like a goth kid's dream come true, the shelves filled to the brim with archaic books and many other objects one would assume would be occult accessories. Only difference between that fantasy and reality, they were all the genuine article. However, Blood was not interested in anything magical at the moment. Instead, he had a rather old letter he'd read, and needed to reread just to be sure he didn't miss anything. A letter from an old friend, who he just discovered became the new Doctor Fate. Jason scowled. "For a being concerned with order, he will often throw the lives of others into chaos, no matter the cost." Still, he opened it up.

Jason,

I'm writing to you because I have a favor to ask. Though I have been successful in the Justice League, any one of us could become a casualty in the fight against evil. For all my abilities, I am still mortal, and I fear leaving my daughter all by herself. Though I trust the members of the League to look after her, she will still need a guardian and mentor, at least until she becomes of age. I have named you as her legal guardian should the worst happen to me. I know you do not think you are qualified, but despite your inner demon, I trust you more than anyone. Please, do it for me.

With many thanks,

Giovanni

Jason tossed the letter aside as he leaned against the chair, massaging his forehead. "It seems the time has come." A newspaper floated to him, as he took a look at the front page. A photographer observed Doctor Fate walking with Red Tornado and Aquaman. The headline read "Doctor Fate Returns!" Jason sighed. "My friend…"

Mount Justice, Happy Harbor, RI

Inside the sparring circle, Naruto attacked Black Canary with a flurry of punches. Canary went in for a sweep kick, but Naruto grabbed her knee and jumped up, spinning as he tried to kick her in the face. However, Canary quickly caught his foot and went with the momentum, spinning the blonde kid further off course. Naruto managed to land on his feet, but Canary caught him off guard with a front kick to the body. "Ugh!" Naruto slid across the floor on his back, having lost the match.

"Not bad." Canary complimented him. "You're taking more opportunities, becoming more adaptable to your opponent's attacks without blindly reacting." She said as she held up her hand.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"You're lasting longer." Canary simplified it for him as she helped him up. Sakura was watching, leaning against the cave wall after going through an intense training session earlier.

"He really has gotten better." She added. "He's been improving since our first mission. He really is incredible." She smiled. "When he has to be." She quipped.

Naruto pouted. "Come on, Sakura-chan!"

"It's true!" Sakura chuckled. "Most of the time you're terrible, but when we absolutely have to count on you somehow you always manage to pull through!"

Naruto sighed, placing his hands behind his head. "I guess I'll take compliments where I can."

"Anyway, that ends the session today." Black Canary said. Sakura looked back into the main hall, Sasuke no where to be seen. Black Canary said she would allow him to train with her IF he apologized and promised to keep his special abilities in check. Both Naruto and Sakura learned of terms like "Hell freezing over" or something about Pigs Flying to describe the odds of that. "You enjoy your thanksgiving?" Black Canary asked the two as she donned her jacket.

"It was lovely. The food was really good." Sakura answered as they walked out. "Though it was a bit much…"

"The point of Thanksgiving is to eat more than we can handle." Black Canary answered.

As they entered the main hall, they took notice of Superboy and Miss Martian. Superboy was staring at the static on the tv, while Miss Martian cooked in the open kitchen. However, they were pretending the other didn't exist. One who knew them could feel the tension. "Is…everything…okay?" Black Canary asked, choosing her words carefully.

Naruto thought back to the other night. As they helped Miss Martian prepare the meal, Superboy took off with Wolf. He said he wouldn't be long, and he wound up staying out all night. When M'gann interrogated him about it, Superboy just rebuked her. It turned into a big argument, and they weren't on speaking terms since.

Black Canary, recognizing the symptoms of a couple's fight, said "Well, you let me know if you kids need me to intervene…though I admit relationships are not my specialty." She loved Oliver, but they had to run through a gauntlet of personal issues to make their relationship work. She hoped those two weren't going through anything remotely similar to their problems in the past.

"Thanks for the training!" Naruto smiled, giving her a thumbs up as she left.

"Okay. I'll see you all in a few days." She waved back.

Black Canary stepped into a Zeta tube as it said "Black Canary. A-13. Access, granted." As Dinah disappeared, the two ninja looked to the two supers taking a break.

"You think we should talk to them?" Sakura whispered.

"You think WE'RE qualified?" Naruto asked.

Sakura sighed. "No. I guess not." Sakura then walked away. In fact, she could relate to their situation. She was currently being given the silent treatment by a certain someone as well.

In the gym, Sasuke performed his 107th push up. Upon lifting himself up, his arms curled up as they hoisted the 20 lb dumbbells with him, causing him to fall back to the floor with a thud. Sasuke repeated the process as sweat trickled down his hair. He thought back to the mission. He may have triumphed over that sniper, but he wasn't satisfied. He shouldn't have been shot; Itachi would have predicted those projectiles' trajectories, or cast genjutsu to confuse him. Sasuke needed to reach the same peak of perfection as him if he was to have a chance.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke caught Sakura through his peripherals as she looked at him nervously. "You missed the training session with Dinah-san." Sasuke turned around. "You could learn something." She muttered.

"I'm not training to 'fight'." Sasuke said. It seemed Sakura got the point. Finally, he jumped back to his feet and placed the weights back on the rack.

Sakura looked away. She loved him…and yet all he ever did was hurt her, even if he didn't mean to. "Sasuke-kun. I may not understand your pain, but you're hurting. Naruto and I just want to help you." She looked back at him. "And I don't think killing your brother will help you." She muttered.

Sasuke shot her a dangerous look as he dried his hair with a towel. "Tell me something. Hypothetically, suppose I decided to murder your parents? What would you do?"

Sakura taken aback by such a sudden and awful question. She stumbled for an answer. "I…uh…I…"

"Then what if it was some random person?" Sasuke rephrased it.

"Of course I'd avenge them then!" Sakura shouted.

"What's the difference between me and a stranger doing it?"

"You're my friend, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura protested. "Even if you did something horrible, I couldn't bring myself to take my revenge on you!"

Sasuke sighed as he finished wiping down his forehead and threw the towel into the bin. "My parents loved Itachi. He was their golden boy, their pride and joy. And when I asked him why he killed them, you know what he said? He killed them to test out a different sharingan, and he let me live not because I was his little brother, but I was just another gunie pig for him." As Sasuke walked by her, he said to her "If you want to get close to someone, do it with caution. Because once you really know them, you may not like what you find." He warned her.

The automatic doors swished open for him as he stepped out. Sakura just looked at the floor, sighing. "Sasuke-kun, what am I going to do with you?"

Naruto sighed as he walked down the hall. He figured Sakura was going to talk to Sasuke again; it drove him crazy that she was into him, but Naruto couldn't make himself interfere with what she wanted. Still, Sasuke was a good enough guy, at least around her. Usually. "I got to think about something else." He told himself; this line of thinking was ruining the good mood he had earlier.

As he walked by Zatanna's room, he couldn't help but hear some loud rock and roll music. He quirked an eyebrow; Zatanna seemed more like a "proper" girl. Perfect student, polite, all that sort of thing. This…whatever it was…didn't sound like her kind of thing. At least he wouldn't think so. Cautiously, he knocked.

Zatanna opened the door, and seemed surprised to see him there. "Oh, Naruto! Sorry; was I too loud?"

"Uh, no, not really." He hastily replied. Scratching his head, he said "I was…just curious, I guess. I never took you as a fan for this kind of music."

Zatanna slowly smiled. "Want to listen to a few tracks?"

"It's called what again!?" Naruto asked as he made himself comfortable in Zatanna's room.

"They're called 'Mucous Membrane'." Zatanna explained as she held up the cover art on her phone. "They're a band from the UK."

"That's…that's quite a name." Naruto said dumbfounded. "Wouldn't expect you to be that type of girl."

"Well, I'd say you mostly have me pegged right." Zatanna said as she put the smartphone away. "I certainly had certain tastes in things that…" Zatanna paused. After a moment, she finished. "Well, things dad would disapprove of."

"Sorry." Naruto said, scratching his head sheepishly. "I know it's still fresh and everything."

Zatanna then hugged her knees. "I usually listen to this stuff when I had a rotten day, or am just in a bad mood in general." Naruto nodded in understanding. "And what about your parents?" Zatanna asked. "You've been in our world for a while; they must be so worried about you."

Naruto shrugged. "Never knew them. Been alone as far as I can remember."

Zatanna covered up her gasp. "I'm so sorry! That was so insensitive of me!"

"It's no big deal." Naruto assured her. "I'm used to it."

"But you don't wish you had someone to look after you?" Zatanna asked.

Naruto's eyes looked a bit downcast. "To be honest, all the time." He then looked away, clearly getting uncomfortable. "I used to just hang out on a swing while I watched the other kids get picked up by their parents." Naruto chuckled. "Then again, with my lousy grades, it was probably for the best." He smiled sadly.

"Well, I think I can sympathize nowadays." Zatanna said. "My dad used to drive me crazy with how overprotective he was." Zatanna felt a tear drop. "Now, I never felt more alone…"

Naruto frowned; he came in intending to make her feel better. It seemed they needed a change of scenery. Standing up, he gently gripped her wrist as he stood up. "Hey, wanna get out of here?"

TOWER OF FATE

SALEM, OREGON

UTC 2200

The Tower of Fate was a large sprawling manor that seemed to defy the laws of physics at any given turn. The rooms would invert upside down at any given point in time, others should not have been able to exist inside based on the tower's outside structure and would lead to other realms. It was here the new Doctor Fate was meditating by a fireplace. As a lord of order, it was his task to account for all the variables in the world and made sure everything would continue on its current course of progress. He was indeed mighty, but not invincible. With several evil mystics acting out at once, he had to maintain constant vigilance. And a constant hold on his host.

Within the limbo of his helmet, Zatara sat cross-legged, taking in the same information as his current avatar. "You miss her." Nabu said.

It wasn't a question. "Apologies, Nabu. I am only human." He said.

"Indeed." Nabu sighed. "If you focus your consciousness with mine, we can accomplish more together. Protecting order will in turn protect your daughter."

Zatara sighed. At times like these, remembering why he made the sacrifice gave him strength. Remembering what could have been, he resigned himself and focused with Nabu.

Within the tower, the mystics Doctor Fate captured on Roanoke Island rotted in their cells. While they were all desperate to escape, the cells themselves dampened their magic. However, one of them refused to give up. Wotan 7, an old enemy of Nabu from centuries ago, scrapped against the floor, drawing glyphs and chanting at the same time. He had been at this for hours at a time, only stopping to rest. But he refused to give up: all spells had a counter-spell. It was just a matter of understanding the spell and applying the correct counter-agent.

After the last spell faded with no success, he once more drew a different set of glyphs as he tried another spell. "O gamle guds gjerninger, jeg ringer etter deg, set meg frii. O gamle krigsgudene, gi meg stryken til a ta min hevn." He continued on, when suddenly the floor below him began to glow. "Yes!" he clenched his fist.

Upon noticing this, the other mystics grabbed the bars of their cells. "Wotan, take us with you!" Faust pleaded as he reached behind the bars.

"Sorry!" Wotan said, sneering. "Only room for one, and I never liked any of you much anyway!" In an instant, the floor swallowed him up, and he was gone.

Doctor Fate's eyes opened up, sensing the disturbance. "No…" he gasped.

HAPPY HARBOR, RI

UTC 10:30

Back at Happy Harbor, Naruto and Zatanna toured the streets. As they stopped for ice cream, they shared some of their stories together. Zatanna, being new to the team, didn't have much to tell, she felt. But Naruto sure had some stories back from his world. Right now, he was telling her about his battle with Garaa. "Sounds intense!" Zatanna exclaimed. "So, what happened after the headbutt?"

"Well, we both fell to the ground, and none of us could move our limbs. I wasn't so sure I beat him yet, so I used my chin to crawl to him. Judging by the look in his eyes, he never experienced defeat before."

"So, what did you use to finish him off?" Zatanna asked.

Naruto chuckled. "I didn't. Sasuke came by and let me know Sakura was fine. After that, I just passed out. The guy's siblings came by and picked him up, and once we recovered, we just went back into our routine. As much as we could, anyway; the Third died that day."

"The two of you sounded close." Zatanna noted as she remembered some of his earlier stories. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Naruto shrugged. "Close isn't the word I would describe." He said. "He was kind of like a distant relative, role model maybe. But…but he was a good man." Naruto sighed. "I didn't realize it until he was gone."

"Sorry again." Zatanna said. "I know you brought me here to cheer me up. I didn't want to bring you down."

"No, don't worry. It's okay!" Naruto insisted. "In fact, it feels…uh…"

"Therapeutic?" Zatanna asked. He could be an idiot at times, but only at the best of times.

"I've a feeling we're actually looking for different words, but what I'm hearing sounds about right." Naruto chuckled as they began to walk into the marina park.

"I bet Sakura was impressed." Zatanna smirked.

Naruto shrugged as he blushed and scratched his head, looking away. "Well…"

"You didn't tell her?" Zatanna asked. "I figured you would be all over that."

"Well, I can't say I wasn't tempted." Naruto conceded as he scratched his cheek. "But what really mattered was that she was safe."

Zatanna grinned. "Spoken like a true hero."

Naruto couldn't deny that he really liked Zatanna. But he didn't get the same feeling he did from Sakura. She just didn't have that spark, the one that you could tell was meant for you. "So, what you wanna do now?" Naruto asked.

Zatanna thought for a moment. "Well, we could just sit by the bench…"

"I'm afraid that will have to wait."

Naruto and Zatanna stopped cold as a middle-aged man stood in front of him. Naruto got in front of her defensively. "Stand back, Z!"

"I have no interest in you, boy." The man warned. "I only wish to speak with Miss Zatanna. It is a matter regarding her father."

At first, Naruto did not budge, but Zatanna gently laid his arm down. "It's okay." She assured him. "I want to hear this."

The man adjusted his tie. Truth be told, he looked quite nervous. "Miss Zatanna, allow me to introduce myself. I am Jason Blood; I am a friend of your father's." he said.

Zatanna's eyes widened. "I've heard of you. He didn't speak much of you at home though."

"I'm sure there's not much about me that would intrest a teenage girl." Jason reluctantly agreed. "Anyway, I know of his ascension to the title of Doctor Fate."

"Imprisonment is more like it." Zatanna snarled.

"I suppose that is quite accurate, sadly." Jason sighed. "Though Giovanni planned on this in the event of his death, I feel this counts as well. His will dictates that I am to be your guardian, at least for the foreseeable future." He said.

Zatanna's eyes widened. "G-Guardian?"

"Hey, you can't just take her!" Naruto protested. "She…she…" he began.

"Though I can tell your concern is genuine, you have no say in this. No parent would dare let their teenage offspring alone, and I intend to honor my friend's request!"

Naruto's eyes widened. It stung, as it reminded him of the times he wondered where his parents were, what happened…and if they even wanted him.

Jason looked back to Zatanna. "I am sure this comes as a shock, my dear. I have to admit, I am feeling overwhelmed with the prospect myself. Here, my card." Jason handed her an elaborate contact card. "When you are ready, we-"Jason's eyes suddenly widened. "Get down!" He suddenly tackled the two teens as lighting bolts rained down on them.

"What the-!?" Naruto exclaimed.

The three looked up as the sorcerer Wotan 7 hovered above them. "Wotan." Blood replied, calmly getting up to adjust his suit. "If you were literally anyone else…I'd be a little bit nervous."

Wotan sneered. "Agitate me all you want, mortal. You are of no consequence. I am here for Fate's current flesh and blood!"

It took her a moment to register, but Zatanna realized he was referring to her! Naruto got up and made a couple of bushins. Blood, though he remained stoic, took notice of this. "Interesting. Magic? But I don't sense any magical energy from him…"

"I expected a fight." Wotan said. "But I have a much more suitable venue for you all." Waving his hands, he began a chant. "Styrker av kaos og ondskap, vær vert for dine gjester i ditt rike!" An energy formed between his hands, crackling with energy. He then spread his arms, and the light ball encapsulated him and the other three. The sphere imploded, and they were gone.

The three found themselves in a completely different place; the two magic experts weren't sure they were even in the same planet or realm. The ground was bare, yet several jagged mountains formed around them, bending at angles that surely violated the mortal laws of geology. Large planets also dotted the dark sky. Overall, it seemed to be a realm that the physical world shouldn't have allowed. "Where are we?" Zatanna asked.

"I don't know." Blood answered, adjusting his suit. "It's not of the earthly plane. I suspect this is the world where Wotan originated…or one he created."

"He can do that?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Under normal circumstances, the magical energy required would take the power of a god." Blood answered. "But there are ways of circumventing that; by nature, NOTHING is impossible with magic."

"Uh…guys?" Zatanna said nervously. "I think we got bigger problems at the moment!" Zatanna pointed to the edge; a horde of demons of all shapes and sizes was running towards them.

Naruto, despite himself, could not stop himself from shaking. "What now!?"

Blood stood in front of the two, unfazed. "Stand back." He commanded them. "I shall handle this."

"How!?" Naruto asked.

"I am a friend of Zatara." He replied. "Do you think a magician such as him would regularly associate with ordinary men?" As the horde got closer, he simply walked towards them as he began a chant. "Gone, gone, the form of man…" Suddenly, flames surrounded him. Within the flames, Naruto and Zatanna could see his body begin to change shape to a hulking figure. Out of the flames, a pale, yellow-skinned monster stepped out. His face sported a spiked forehead, webbed ears and red eyes. He wore a red tunic and blue cape as well, and he finished the chant with his terrifying voice "…LONG LIVE THE DEMON ETRIGAN!"

This is as good a place as any to leave you. Expect more magical adventures coming your way!

As for Wotan's spells, here are the translations in order from Norwegian:

O ancient deities of deception, I call upon thee, set me free. O ancient deities of war, give me the strength to enact my revenge."

"Forces of Chaos and Evil, host thy guests in your realm!"