Naruto looked up to the sky as he floated in the ocean, the small waves sloshing around his body. After the explosion, Naruto had been thrown far from the guild just like he expected. He'd checked the blast radius as he fell too and was relieved to see it only really encompassed the Phantom Lord Guild. It was a good thing he'd toned it down a tiny bit or else he might have taken a chunk out of the dock. Closing his eyes as he let the water support his weight, Naruto listened to the distant shouting and general noise of his friends along the cry of a few sea birds in the distance. It was nice to have a moment to himself.
"Naruto! Where are you, boy?"
Hearing an old voice, the blond lifted his soggy head from the water. "Makarov! How did you know I'd be out here? Weren't you sick?"
Sitting in a boat, the old man looked down at him in amusement. "Simple physics. I was racing over here to make sure my children were alright and saw you in the middle of throwing that devastating, ringing blue and white ball into Phantom Lord. It wouldn't take a genius to work out you'd be thrown this far away from it. It looks like you beat me to the punch in protecting my kids too. I'd just been healed and was on my way here now."
Shrugging, Naruto drew on his chakra and pushed himself up onto the water's surface. He ignored Makarov's raised eyebrow and took a few steps back. "Hold on a second. Fuuton: Fuku Ha Kansou no Jutsu (Wind Release: Clothes Drying Technique)."
Water exploded off him and Naruto looked down at himself in satisfaction. "Best thing I have ever created."
Climbing into the boat, Naruto took a seat and the old man sat back as a pair of oars started rowing by themselves. Chalking that up to the old man's magic, Naruto lent back and looked up.
"So what happened to Jose?"
Not getting a proper look at the sky, Naruto looked back down and shrugged. "I'm not sure. I toned down the attack and made sure to miss him. He was still pretty close but."
Hearing the explanation, Makarov raised his chin slightly. "Did you kill him?"
Again Naruto shrugged, but this time he had a resigned frown on his face. "I did what I had to to stop him. He threatened to slaughter everyone in the guild so I reacted as anyone would when trying to protect their friends. I guess we'll find out whether or not he survived in time."
Waving his hand gently, the boat began turning as Makarov directed. "I'd prefer to find out sooner rather than someone else find him later."
Nodding acceptingly, Naruto looked out over the water to try and spot anything. There wasn't much that remained of the guild, most of it being vaporised by the uncountable, tiny blades of the Rasenshuriken (Spiralling Shuriken). Looking over to the port side of the boat, he heard Makarov call his name and pointed out in the other direction. "What's that? I see red."
Seeing it also, Naruto jumped out and ran over to the ripped fabric. It was a corner piece of the guild Master's cape. Picking it up, Naruto looked around. Seeing something a bit more solid in the distance, he walked over slowly. His features darkened as he drew closer, the figure becoming apparent.
Former guild Master Jose was lying face down in the water, a tinge of red surrounding him. Kneeling down, Naruto rolled him over and looked away.
The mage was a deathly pale, his bloodied mouth frozen open in horror and his eyes rolled into the back of his head with only the whites of them showing. Reaching out, Naruto ran a palm over his face and closed the man's eyes. Now able to look upon him, Naruto surveyed the damage. There was no doubt that he had been severely injured by the attack as every single pore on his body seemed to be leaking a pinprick of blood once the water stopped washing it away. There was a large gash in his hair line however; signifying that something massive had struck him solidly, ripping away the flesh right down to the bone. His clothing was mostly ok, if a bit waterlogged and ratty. It was quite the contrast to his actual body.
Feeling a bump on his leg, Naruto looked over and saw the boat had lightly tapped him. "So he is dead."
The blond nodded but didn't say anything. Nothing was said for a moment before the old man behind him sighed. "Best not leave him there. Drag him in."
Complying, the boy turned and lifted the drenched corpse into the boat. Laying him down gently, he sat down beside the mage as Makarov inspected him. "Well boy, you did what you said you would. Though I do wonder if you directly killed him. This gash is enormous. If that didn't kill him, it would have knocked him out for sure and lying face down like that for even five minutes means he would have drowned."
Considering the option as possible, Naruto nodded. "Alright, what now? I doubt you'd want to take this back for everyone to see. You also seem to be taking seeing a dead body rather well."
Makarov waved his hand again and the boat began gently moving towards the dock on the far end of Magnolia Town. "I'll have to contact the magic council and let them know of this development. Having one of the Ten Wizard Saints die is no small thing. They will collect the body. And who ever said I've never seen a dead body? I merely said I've never killed anyone."
While he was talking, Naruto noticed Makarov's little body seemed to glow for a second before fading. Ignoring it, he leant back. "So what does this mean? Will I be in trouble?"
Pulling a pen and paper from his jacket, Makarov began to write something. "I don't know. All I can tell you is after that flashy attack, you have just dumped yourself right in the limelight. There won't be a guild within twenty miles that won't know about this by tomorrow."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I just hope they don't go and get the wrong idea."
Makarov shrugged and replaced the pen back into his pocket. Folding the letter in half two or three times, he looked up at the blond. "It shouldn't matter what they think. You saved my children, so that's all that I'm concerned with."
Hearing a flutter of wings and a tiny chirp, Naruto looked up to see a little blue bird flying for them. He raised an eyebrow and smirked when he saw it also wore a tiny purple witch's hat that sagged off to one side.
"Master Makarov! Master Makarov! You called?"
Holding up his arm, the little bird landed on his finger. "Yes, I have a bit of an urgent message I need delivered. Would you mind?"
"Not at all!"
Handing the letter over, Makarov touched the bird's tiny head and it seemed to glow for a moment. The light passed soon enough, but when the bird shot off like a bullet into the main land, Naruto knew the old man must have passed on a little magic to energise it. Watching it disappear into the distance, Naruto turned back to Makarov. "So what's the plan with Jose?"
Looking down at the paling corpse, Makarov made a face. "We'll have to wait until one of the council mages comes to collect him. It shouldn't take more than thirty minutes, but I really want to get back to the guild to check on them."
Shrugging, Naruto crossed his fingers. "I'll leave a few clones with him if you want. They can take him away from anywhere the public could see."
Frowning, the old mage nodded. "That could work. The council will be able to track Jose so you won't need to worry about signals or anything. I'd stay with him, but my guild comes first, especially after an attack like this."
Reaching the dock, Naruto jumped out and roped the boat in. Creating a few clones, he helped Makarov out while his replicas lifted Jose out. Glancing back at the original, they nodded once before running off to the mountains that protected the town borders. Looking down at his companion, Naruto saw the man incline his head towards the guild and start walking.
XxXxXxX
"FIGHT ME!"
Backing away from the excited boy, Naruto looked around at the rest of the guild who were all looking at him in disbelief. "Come on Naruto! I had no idea you were that strong! Ah, I'm SO FIRED UP RIGHT NOW!"
Flames began shooting all over the place as Natsu raged enthusiastically. Unused to the stares from everyone, Naruto waved his hands at the mages. "What? That was nothing! Honest! Besides, isn't it crazy how fast old man Makarov healed?"
He heard a chuckle from the short mage. "You're not talking your way out of this one."
Cursing silently, Naruto frowned. Before he could say anything though, Erza stepped forward. "Why didn't you tell any of us you were that strong? We thought we had a general idea, but that is beyond anything we expected."
Naruto looked away from the red haired girl. "Well, no use bragging ya know? Besides, what's not to say someone helped me with that final attack?"
He looked up and saw a lot of flat looks directed at him. "... well, it wasn't that crazy."
This time, Lucy spoke up. She still had red rimmed eyes from crying after everyone had stood up for her, but was looking better in herself than she had for a while. "Why are you trying to downplay your part in this? You saved me, again! You defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints and destroyed his guild while at it! Don't you trust us enough yet to tell us everything?"
Deflating slightly under her concerned and hurt eyes, Naruto scratched the back of his neck and looked away. "It's not that, it's just... me. Understand?"
He heard a mighty snort sound out from Erza. "Not in the slightest. Please, enlighten us as to why you don't trust yourself enough to tell us everything?"
Looking down at Makarov, he saw the old man had sat down and had closed his eyes. No help there. Sighing, Naruto looked up. "I just didn't wanna get attached too much to you. I'll be leaving for home as soon as I can, so I didn't want to make things hard for everyone."
Having looked away as he spoke, Naruto wasn't ready for the slap that connected with his cheek. Looking up in surprise, he saw Erza glaring at him, arm outstretched. "That's your reason? What do you take us for? We don't care if you had to leave, you are a dear friend to a lot of us now whether you like it or not. If anything, you hurt us more by trying to sever the bonds with us that were growing naturally."
Feeling a touch indignant, Naruto held a hand to his face. "Oi! It's not like I wanted to hurt anyone! If anything, I was trying to STOP everyone getting hurt!"
Not backing down the slightest, Erza got in close to his face. "Well you obviously didn't think too hard about it did you?"
Naruto lent in until his forehead touched Erza's. "Of course I did! I wanted to save everyone the pain of goodbye, dattebayo!"
Erza then pressed her own head in, forcing Naruto back. "But you would come back wouldn't you?"
Growling, Naruto pushed her back. "Yeah, of course I'd try, DATTEBAYO!"
Snapping her head back, Erza stepped out of the way and let Naruto fall flat to the ground on his face. "So what's wrong with making bonds now? That just means you'd have even closer friends to come back to."
Pouting, Naruto sat up and rubbed his forehead. Seeing a pair of legs walk in front of him, he looked up. Gazing down at him with a frown was Levy. He also noticed that Jet and Droy were standing behind her. They all still looked pretty bashed up, what with being covered in bandages and wound gauze, but it was good to see them up. "Levy-chan! Jet, Droy, how are you guys?"
"So you didn't want to be friends with us?"
"Heh?" Not at all expecting that answer from the small girl, Naruto widened his eyes.
"You just said you were trying to distance yourself from everyone."
Not quite knowing what to say, the blond looked around as he began feeling out numbered. There were various faces looking down on him, some angry, some upset, others indifferent and yet others understanding. Crossing his legs, he pulled them in close to his hips. "Well, no, I want you all as friends, I just didn't want to hurt anyone in case I couldn't come back."
Kneeling down, Levy frowned at him. "Yeah, but what if you can't get back? What if you were stuck here?"
"I... I'd say..." Trailing off, Naruto looked off to the side. He hadn't actually considered that as a possibility. He was so focused on getting home that he hadn't even entertained the idea. Shaking his head, he looked up at Levy. "But I will, and I know I will!"
Sighing in frustration, the girl shook her head. "That is such a Natsu thing to say. Please, consider just for a second what would happen if and I say if, you couldn't get home. What then?"
Naruto began to think, but was cut off by Levy. "You'd be left with us never truly knowing who you are or being able to trust you. Yes, you have done a great deal for us, but sometimes you just gotta open all the way up."
Looking down as the girl chastised him, Naruto pouted again. Why were they being so hard when he was just trying to look out for them?
"Naruto." Hearing the old guild master's voice, the blond looked over. He was now standing and his piercing eyes were boring deep into Naruto's soul. "Sometimes, you need to stop worrying about what you think is best for people and let them do what they want. So what if you might have to go home soon? It doesn't matter if it's tomorrow or in two years. They're not asking you to stop looking for a way home, they're just asking you to let them grow close to you in the time everyone have. Seeming it's limited as it is, isn't that just more of an excuse to cherish the time with all your friends?"
As the words sunk in, Naruto's eyes flicked from friend to friend. In everyone's eyes he saw, whether it be Levy frowning in front of him, Erza standing back still scowling, Natsu smiling that annoying smile of his, Gray trying his best to look disinterested or Mirajane looking on worriedly, he saw they all were agreeing with their Master's words. Looking back down, Naruto frowned and began drawing in the dirt. "Well... fine. Sorry."
He wasn't expecting Levy to tackle him the second that word slipped from his mouth. Looking up from the ground, he saw her smiling widely at him. "That's fine. I forgive you. We all do. Right?"
Looking up at the guild, Naruto heard all the mages offer up a cry of support, most grinning down at him. Blushing lightly at the attention, Naruto coughed and sat up, Levy still attached to his shoulders. "Yeah, well, thanks for that. Can we change topics now?"
Laughing, Levy let go and ruffled his hair as she stood up. Pulling himself to his feet, Naruto dusted himself down and tried to ignore the positively evil vibes Jet and Droy were sending him. He then looked up at the guild and sweat dropped as he surveyed the damage. The guild had promptly collapsed once the iron bars were pulled out as they were the only things holding it up. Now all that remained was a whole lot of rubble and a couple of broken beams sticking up at random intervals through the stone. "So what will we do about this?"
Erza then stepped forward and took control of the situation as she usually did. "Alright everyone! Seeming it's late in the day, we will all go home. Come tomorrow, we will begin rebuilding the guild. Any complaints?"
Even if anyone did have any, no one stepped up to the powerful mage for fear of being flattened. Smiling happily, the woman then stretched her arm out. "Good. Now, off to bed with all of you!"
Hearing a murmur from the crowd, the mages began talking amongst themselves as people began breaking away and heading for home. Watching as they left, Naruto sighed. It had been a rather big day, so sleep was sounding good. Unfortunately though, his stomach decided to remind him he hadn't eaten anything substantial for a long while. Feeling his cheeks hollow as the overwhelming hunger sapped his strength, he heard a giggle and looked over. "Hungry, Naruto? Come on, let's see if I can't scratch together anything for you."
Smiling gratefully at Mirajane, Naruto nodded heartily. "Thank you so much. I don't think I've felt this hungry ever."
"Mirajane! Do you mind if myself, Lucy and Natsu join?"
Turning, the blond ninja and barmaid looked over to see Erza watching them with crossed arms. Natsu and Lucy were also standing beside her, looking up at Erza cautiously. Pouting his lips, Naruto considered the woman. "What would you say if we did mind..."
Laughing loudly, Erza stepped forward and grabbed Naruto's head and slammed it against her iron clad chest in a rugged form of a hug. "Ah Naruto, you do tell a good joke. Anyway, I know a lovely place to eat."
XxXxXxX
Erza and Natsu watched on with a small amount of awe at the amount of food Naruto was managing to consume. Mirajane smiled happily and nodded approvingly at the fact the boy had a healthy appetite. Lucy unfortunately had to watch on in worry, her eyes watering slightly as she saw her purse rapidly losing money to the blonde's stomach. Holding a hand out hesitantly, the girl tried to smile. "Uh, Naruto, you do know you don't have to eat everything on the menu, right?"
Naruto nodded and made some noises around a mouthful of food before swallowing and repeating the process. Naruto always knew she'd buy him another round. Happy had accompanied the group and was looking up at Lucy innocently as Naruto continued to devour inhuman amounts of food. "You know, I didn't think you'd be that dumb to feed him twice. You grumped over it for hours last time."
Moaning and dropping her head to the table, Lucy flinched as she heard another cry for more. "I know! I don't even know why I said yes! If anything, he should be treating me to dinner after my traumatic experience!"
Erza looked down at Lucy in amusement as she sipped a cup of tea. "Your cake, miss."
Looking up at the waiter, the red head sent him a lovely smile. "Thank you. It looks delicious."
Looking down at the cake with excited eyes, the mage slid a fork into the multi layered chocolate treat and her face lit up in pure delight as she took the first bite. Moaning gently to herself, she furrowed her eyebrows as the chocolate melted in her mouth before swallowing. Sighing happily, she opened an eye and looked over to Naruto who was continuing to inhale food. "So Naruto, I believe Natsu had a question for you?"
Pausing, the blond looked over. Seeing himself as now the center of attention, Natsu looked around. "Eh? Oh, yeah, that's right! Naruto! Damnit, how did you know I was off Phantom Lord before you threw that thing of yours? That could have killed me!"
Swallowing as curious eyes focused on him, Naruto nodded. "Well, I was using Senjutsu (Sage Techniques) at the time and when I'm in that state, I can feel everyone around me a lot better, so I knew Lucy and Happy had grabbed you. As for everyone else on there, I aimed for the guild itself so when it exploded, the shockwave would throw them away before the actual blast hit them."
Erza and Lucy frowned and the blond girl spoke up. "You know, that is a little reckless. What if –"
"Eh, alright! Atleast everyone is fine." Completely cutting off Lucy, the dragon slayer leant back with his fingers interlocked behind his head as he smiled at Naruto. The girl went to say something, but Mirajane butted in. "That's right! It doesn't matter what happened. So long as we are all here, that's all that matters to me."
Naruto made a muffled noise and smiled grotesquely at them as food spilled out from between his teeth. While Lucy shrieked in disgust, Erza looked over at Mirajane. "It is good that it is all over now, isn't it?"
Turning to face her friend, the white haired woman nodded happily. "Perhaps now we can have a bit of a rest. It just seems to be one thing after another lately."
XxXxXxX
Standing back at the guild, the group of friends finished up their conversations as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. Natsu and Happy didn't take long before they ran off with a shouted good bye, disappearing into the streets as they headed home. Lucy was lamenting the fact her purse was once again empty while Mirajane, Erza and Naruto spoke. The topic had turned to injuries and Mirajane was currently fussing over Erza. "So you're ok from taking that hit from Jupiter? I still can't believe you weren't hurt more."
Nodding, the mage gently pushed her away. "Yes, Mirajane I am fine. Maybe a couple of bruises and perhaps a light sprain from the fall, but nothing that won't heal in a day or two. How about you though?"
Shrugging, the girl smiled gently as her eyes dipped to the side as she remembered something. "No, I'm fine. Elfman came to my rescue before anything bad could happen."
She then turned the conversation to Naruto and looked him over. "But what about you? You fought the hardest out of us all!"
Rolling his eyes, Naruto shook his head. "I heal fast enough that anything that did injure me is all better. You already saw that. You should be more worried about Lucy."
Instantly remembering the blond girl, Mirajane turned to her. "That's right! Lucy, are you feeling ok now?"
Sighing as she endured the gentle pat down, Lucy smiled as she reached out and grabbed her friend's hands. "Yes Mira, I'm still perfectly ok. Nothing has changed from the last ten or so times you have asked me. So stop worrying ok? It can't be healthy!"
Nodding, Mirajane pulled back with a blush. "Well, I can't help it. I just can't stand the thought of my friends being hurt."
Smiling as he watched the girls chat, Naruto took a step back. They seemed to be enjoying themselves so why interrupt. Waving a hand, Naruto turned and began walking.
"WAIT A MINUTE!"
Hearing a shout, Naruto turned to see Mirajane running at him. "You haven't done your diary entry in like, three days!"
Crying out in surprise, Naruto dodged the girl as she tried to grab him. Laughing, he then began to dance around her efforts to grab him, taunting her as she gradually became more frustrated. Finally coming to a stop, she pouted and held her arms straight down by her sides with her fists turned out. "Hold still you little grasshopper!"
Laughing, Naruto stuck his tongue out at her. It only lasted a moment before he was suddenly flipped upside down and suspended mid air by Erza holding onto his leg. "Oi! Let me go!"
"What was this I hear about a diary?"
Naruto froze as Erza's amused voice reached his ears. Squirming in her grip, Naruto growled defensively. "Mira-chan talked me into it! She's the one who's doing it anyway, not me!"
Mira's upside down face then came before his eyes. "Oh Naruto, don't be silly. I know you secretly enjoy it. Why else would you have stolen it from my top?"
Seeing him pause, Mirajane tapped her nose and winked at him. "Don't think I didn't notice you slip your hand down there and snatch it when you pulled your jacket over my head. Any girl instantly knows when something touches her there."
Naruto pouted and looked away. "Whatever, I didn't even touch you! I grabbed the book, not you."
The barmaid sighed when she heard this. "Oh, that's disappointing. I was thinking about your touch the whole day afterwards."
Flicking his eyes over to the girl, Naruto could swear he felt something begin pooling in his nose. "...really?"
Laughing, Mirajane flicked his forehead and stood up. "Ah Naruto, you're such a little pervert."
Sulking at the flick, Naruto shot her a glance. "Well, you're no worse than me, thinking about me grabbing your boobs for a whole day!"
Smiling, Mira didn't answer and looked to Erza. "Would you be a dear and put him down? I must find where he put his diary."
The red head had been chuckling to herself the whole conversation and nodded. Dropping the boy in a heap at Mirajane's feet, she dusted her hands off. "Well, if that's all, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone to sort things out. See you both tomorrow! Lucy, I can walk you home."
"Bye!" Waving a hand at the departing mages, Mirajane then turned her gaze down to Naruto, a glint of some sort visible in her eye. "Alright mister, where did you put the book?"
Rolling onto his back, Naruto looked up at the woman bent over him. "I left it at Cana's house. What, you gonna follow me there now?"
She sent him a happy smile and pulled him to his feet. "Yup!" Sliding her arm through Naruto's, she then rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. "Now, walk me there like a true gentleman."
Not used to this kind of physical contact, Naruto looked down at her unsurely before settling for just nodding and walking.
Cana raised an amused eyebrow at the sight before her. Naruto was currently looking very uncomfortable while Mirajane was attached firmly to his arm, smiling happily at the tall brunette. "Cana! How are you? I just came over with Naruto to make sure he was doing his diary entry. You don't mind if I intrude?"
Shaking her head, the woman stood back. "Not at all. In fact, you'll be pleased to know that I caught him writing in it the other night."
Squealing happily, Mira hugged Naruto's arm. "I knew it! You do like it!"
Letting go, the excitable girl then walked past Cana while Naruto trailed behind, grumbling to himself. Closing the door, Cana turned and chuckled. "So, what were you going to do tonight then? Did you want to stay?"
Turning, Mirajane smiled at the mage. "Oh, I couldn't, I'd be intruding."
Rolling her eyes, Cana just snorted and wandered over to the kitchen bench and picked up a flask of some strong liquor. She took a gulp and wiped her mouth before answering. "Come on Mira, you know I couldn't care about that stuff. The only problem is I don't have a second spare bed."
Naruto dropped into a chair and leaned back. No need to interrupt them sorting out something like that.
Mira, being the care free girl she was, just shrugged at the problem. "Well, I don't mind either way. I'm happy sleeping with either of you, or I'll sleep on the floor if that's too uncomfortable for you."
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto couldn't help but say, "Mira-chan, I'd sleep on the floor if it came to that. Nothing against you, but you seem way too girly to last a night on the floor."
Pouting, she stuck her tongue out at the boy. "Hush you. I'll have you know that I have slept quite well on the floor before."
Naruto shrugged and leant back again. "Could have fooled me."
He got a glare but ignored it easily enough. The girls then went back to talking as they discussed the two options over and over. Time seemed to drag on and before long Naruto yawned as his eyes began to feel gritty. Standing, he looked over as the girls stopped talking. They had since changed topics to dress designs. "We'll, that's nice 'n' all but I gotta sleep. Big day and all that. I'll sleep on the floor. Night."
Turning, he found a hand on his shoulder and moaned as Mira's chirpy voice reached him. "Ah - ah! You still need to do your diary!"
"Are you serious? It's late and I'm tired!"
The girl shook her head. "Nope! Tell you what but, you can have the bed if you do. I'll sort out sleeping arrangements with Cana."
Groaning, Naruto sighed and walked into his bedroom as he tried to ignore both girls laughing at him. Grabbing the book, he walked out and waved it at Mirajane. "Ok, book."
He opened it and wrote down a couple of things. "Entry, done."
He then snapped it closed. "Now, nap time."
Walking back into the room, he resisted the urge to sigh again as he heard both girls call out goodnight in overly sweet tones.
XxXxXxX
Naruto stood in front of the guild with a highly unimpressed look on his face. Fairy Tail mages surrounded him, most looking out in horror. Slapping a palm to his face and dragging it down, Naruto looked up at the council's army of Rune Knights they had sent out. After the fight, Makarov told them they would probably get a visit from them. What he didn't expect was the large number of them all demanding they all remain silent and follow their orders.
Naruto wasn't really in the mood to deal with these guys either after the large amount of teasing he copped from Cana and Mirajane after he blacked out from a nose bleed in front of them. The cause of that was because Naruto (in all his generosity) had decided to fix them breakfast, seeming Cana had commented on it so nicely the day before. He had knocked and heard the call to enter only to find them snuggled up in the same bed. When he came to, the pair explained that it was normal for girls to do girly things like that. He had shaken his head saying, "Ero-Sennin never told me that", only to become the object of their humour for the rest of the morning. As such, something like what was happening now was something the blond really didn't want to endure now.
Makarov had promptly burst into tears upon seeing all the knights and guards, declaring he didn't want to get arrested as Erza stood beside him, calling out encouragement to the Master. True to form, Natsu and Happy tried to make a break for it but were promptly caught by the large number of soldiers. Most everyone else complied however as they saw this was the fastest way to deal with everything.
Watching as groups of ten were led away, Naruto then looked over as five high ranking soldiers came forward to him. "Are you Fairy Tail's Orange Rocket?"
Sweat dropping severely, Naruto gave them an incredulous look. "No, I'm not. I'm not even a part of the guild."
Looking down at a piece of paper in their hands, the leader looked up at him and nodded. "According to eye witnesses and several descriptions, you seem to be the 'Orange Rocket' we're looking for."
'Orange Rocket? The hell kind of lame ass name is that?' Snorting, Naruto rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Well, I'm actually more partial towards purple so I have no idea where you got that idea."
Looking down, the knights observed over his orange and black jacket and looked at him questioningly. "Perhaps it is your outfit then."
Resisting the urge to fall flat on his face, Naruto just started laughing in their faces. Not quite understanding what the blond found so funny, the head knight stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Regardless, you must come with us. We have already collected Guild Master Makarov, so if you would please comply, it will make everything easier for everyone involved."
"Why should I?"
Not at all expecting that question, the head knight looked around for a moment. "Well... because we must talk with you about a highly important matter."
Unimpressed, Naruto raised his hands behind his head. "Sorry, no can do. I'm not a part of any guild, and I'm not even a mage. You should be investigating the remains of Phantom Lord anyway, they're the ones that started it."
Frowning, the guard stepped forward. "We need both sides of the story. Now will you come, or will we be forced to make you?"
Grinning, Naruto dropped his hands. "Yeah, you'll have to force me. It's more fun that way."
"Fine."
Reaching out to grab Naruto, the knight recoiled in surprise when Naruto exploded in a puff of smoke.
"NARUTO! Don't leave me here to deal with this alone!" Turning, the rune knights looked at the small guild master as he looked up at the roof, tears in his eyes. Following his line of sight, they saw the blond jumping away over the roofs, cackling gleefully as he escaped.
Growing red in the face, the head rune knight pointed at the shrinking boy. "FOLLOW HIM! Catch him at any cost; he has vital information regarding the situation!"
Crying out, the lower knights took chase. They had no idea what they got themselves into.
Naruto sat in one of the tents the rune knights had set up just outside of town for all the questioning. He was tied up and sitting cross legged on the ground, a pout on his face but an unmissable twinkle of satisfaction in his eyes. The reason for his amusement was every guard that came to chase him (which was pretty much the entire regiment) had some form of a prank pulled on them. Paint splashes covered some, others had glue and feathers covering them in inappropriate places and yet others were still being cut down from trees. There were other such pranks and Naruto was proud of all of them.
The head knight that was interviewing him and Makarov personally had little bat wings firmly attached to either side of his helmet and wasn't looking pleased. Luckily for Naruto however, professionalism took over and he cleared his throat.
"Well, now that we are finally all here, we can begin this." He looked pointedly at Naruto. "Now, would you mind telling me things from your perspective?"
Sighing loudly as Makarov began talking, Naruto looked to the exit. His line of sight was quickly blocked by several angry guards. Sighing again, he fell onto his back and closed his eyes. It seemed like this was going to take forever so now was as good a time as any to take a nap.
XxXxXxX
A foot connected with Naruto's side and jolted him awake. Snorting and blinking rapidly, he looked around. "Finally awake aye? It's your turn to give your recount."
Yawning as the ropes were cut from him, Naruto scratched his head and looked at the chair Makarov once occupied. "Where's the old man?"
The knight in charge raised an eyebrow. "Not that it concerns you, but he went to the toilet. Now, sit."
Yawning again, Naruto plopped down. "So, what do you wanna know?"
Leaning in, the knight rested his arms on the table. "We want to hear about how you defeated Guild Master Jose and managed to destroy the entire Phantom Lord guild."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Didn't the old man tell you that?"
The knight shook his head. "He saw it from a distance as he came back from being treated or so he says. We want a record of the first hand experience."
The blond just shrugged. "Not much to tell. I fought him, threw a little attack into the guild and bamph, I broke it."
Standing up, the knight loomed over him. "There's clearly more to it than that. We have a dead Wizard from the Ten Saints who was killed by you!"
Naruto stared up defiantly. "What evidence you got?"
Sitting back down, the knight crossed his arms. "We have a first hand recount from Master Makarov."
Grumbling, Naruto looked off to the side. "Damn it old man... yeah, perhaps I did. It might not have even been my fault though, he was lying face down in the water with a large gash in his hair. He easily could have drowned. Did the old man tell you that?
The knight nodded. "Indeed, he told me all possibilities."
Looking back at the man challengingly, Naruto narrowed one eye. "So you gonna arrest me now?"
Chuckling, the knight shook his head. "No. Normally, most definitely we would. However, a great deal of evidence in support of your guild's defence has been put forward, so what you did can be put down as self defence."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto slapped his hands on the table. "For the last time, I haven't joined the guild yet! Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Raising his eyebrows, the knight looked at Naruto for a moment. Turning to a guard, he clicked his fingers a few times. "Bring me the latest edition of the Sorcerer Magazine."
The guard disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a little purple book. Grabbing it off him, the head knight opened it and flicked through a few pages. Finding what he was looking for, he spun the book around and pushed it in front of the blond. Looking at the knight suspiciously for a moment, Naruto then looked down and frowned when he saw a picture of himself.
"What the..."
It was a snap shot of him looking in through a window, eyes wide and looking like something had just startled him. Realisation hit him as the picture brought back memories. "I remember that! That was when I was heading for Hargeon Town! The bastard blinded me with the camera flash."
Looking down, Naruto then saw a couple of paragraphs written beneath it.
"Hello again readers! It is I, the ever loyal Fairy Tail fan, Jason! This issue, I have a supremely interesting piece of news for all you incredible fans out there! Anyway, let me begin my story back in Magnolia town.
I had just finished a weekend away and was heading back to Hargeon Town via the local railway. It was about halfway into the trip when I heard a loud commotion from the last few carriages. Hearing the noise, I couldn't help but be drawn to it. A number of people were rushing into my own carriage all the while looking out the window. Wondering what could possibly be going on, I took a look out the window and to my disbelief, this teen pictured above was running, yes my good readers, RUNNING alongside the train! Never have I ever seen such a display of awesome speed!
I was gobsmacked like most everyone else with me that this boy no older than maybe sixteen or seventeen had the ability to run at such a phenomenal speed! So I thought to myself I thought, I must capture this COOL mage in action! I had never seen any pictures of him before, so it is a mystery to anyone where he came from.
I took the photo, but wouldn't you know it, the boy is camera shy because he disappeared the second after I took it! Isn't that just too funny?"
Naruto growled when he read that last bit. It was this retards fault he 'disappeared'.
"Anyway, later on I was walking around the lookout overlooking Hargeon Town when I overheard some of the locals talking about this dashing, if a bit dirty blond man dressed in an orange jacket and pants. I listened in good readers and found that he was from Fairy Tail! I couldn't believe my luck that the COOLEST guild in the whole world had taken on this amazing mage!
Resisting the urge to rip the page out with his teeth, Naruto settled for stomping his foot. "This guy has no idea! I ain't a mage and I haven't joined!"
"So my faithful readers, I felt it my duty to report back to you with this breaking news as quickly as I could. I have no idea what this mysterious mage's name is so for now, I dub him the 'Orange Rocket'! This is all I have for the moment, but do look forward to hearing plenty more in the near future!
Jason"
Sitting back with a huff, Naruto glared at the magazine before succumbing to his inner urge and shredded the book. Ignoring the upset cry of, "Oi, that was my edition!", Naruto saw back in his chair with a huff and crossed his arms. "That's the biggest load of crap I have ever read, and I had a teacher that specialised in written porn."
"NARUTO!" Hearing his name shouted out from behind him, the boy turned just in time to catch a whack across the back of the head from Makarov. Hissing in pain, Naruto held his head and turned to face the old man, fiery anger burning in his eyes. "THE HELL WAS THAT FOR OLD MAN?"
Growling, Makarov pointed an agitated finger at the blond. "You! Running around and being all like, 'Oh, I'm totally a part of Fairy Tail'! Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to keep up with my own children destroying things, let alone dealing with the paper work from a boy who hasn't even officially joined yet?"
Stomping his foot, Naruto crossed his arms and looked away. "It's not my fault this guy decided to lable me as in the guild."
Watching the bickering duo in amusement, the head knight cleared his throat for attention. "Well... despite whatever did or didn't happen, you are now directly involved with Fairy Tail due to the Phantom Lord attack whether you like it or not."
Listening to the knight, Naruto winced as Makarov stuck an elbow into his thigh. "Good going brat."
Glaring down at him, Naruto poked his tongue out. "As if you wouldn't do the same."
"Quiet!"
Falling silent, both males had the decency to look a little sheepish. Sighing to himself, the head knight rubbed her forehead and looked up at the two. The sooner this was over, the better for all of them. "Anyway, for the moment you are free to go. The council though does have a rather unorthodox proposal for you, Mister Orange Rocket."
Growling, the blond stomped his foot. "It's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."
Shrugging, the knight continued. "Seeming you managed to take out a rogue Wizard of the Ten Saints, that leaves the powers a little unbalanced at the moment. I don't believe there has been a death of one of the Ten Wizard Saints in my time as a Rune Knight, so this seems like an acceptable proposal to me. Until they can find a suitable replacement, they wish for you, Uzumaki Naruto, to become a stand in Wizard of the Ten Saints."
Eyes widening, Naruto snorted. "Me? But I'm not even a wizard!"
The knight shrugged. "It is not for me to question. You managed to defeat Jose, thus they requested you as a stand in, mage or not."
Makarov decided to speak up when he saw Naruto open his mouth. "Boy. Think very carefully about what you have to say. To be offered such a prestigious position, especially at your young age is something incredibly significant."
Looking down at Makarov, Naruto went to say something, thought about it for a moment and then slowly closed his mouth. The members of the room grew quiet as they expectantly watched the blond for his answer. Time began to drag slightly, so the head knight spoke. "Well? Have you a reply?"
Looking up, Naruto shook his head slowly. "No, not yet. I really need to clear my head and think about this before making a decision."
Sighing unhappily, the knight nodded never the less. "I suppose that is a wise decision. The inquest into Phantom Lord will most probably continue for another couple of days, so if you wish, you can have until the end of those days to make your choice."
Nodding, Naruto turned and walked from the tent. A pair of guards went to grab him but an outstretched hand from the head knight stopped him. "Let him go. We can find him later."
Turning back to Makarov, the knight allowed himself a small grin. "You seemed to have picked up a most troublesome youth."
Rolling his eyes, the small guild master let out a sigh. "You have no idea."
Exhaling slowly, Naruto let the waves of natural energy run over him and he opened his eyes. A couple of startled birds took flight from his shoulders as he twitched. He had been sitting in a meditative pose on a piece of wood balanced on the top of a narrow rock out in his favourite training field. He had been trying to clear all the excess thoughts from his mind about everything that had been happening recently and it had just started to work before he sensed someone's presence. Looking down calmly, he saw Erza walking up to him, a lopsided smile on her face. "Well now, I didn't think I'd ever see you sitting so still."
Smiling at her, Naruto shrugged. "I don't usually unless I'm meditating. You'd be surprised how long I can remain motionless like this."
Standing easily on his platform, the blond dropped to the ground. Dusting himself down, he heard Erza snicker to herself. "What?"
Pointing over his shoulder, the mage raised an eyebrow. "Maybe next time you should put a scarecrow up beside you because one of those little birds left you a present."
Eyes widening, Naruto grabbed his shirt and pulled it forward to reveal a little, yellow-white patch on the back of his jacket. Groaning, the blond let go and the fabric settled back into place. "Well that's just brilliant."
Chuckling, Erza handed him a flask of water from somewhere on her person. "Here, use this."
Smiling thankfully, he drenched his shirt and removed the stain. Handing the flask back, Naruto concentrated for a moment before a shockwave of air shot out from him; drying the patch on his shoulder.
Watching with interest, Erza tucked away her flask. "That's a curious little trick."
The blond grinned. "Yeah, made it up myself. So what are you doing all the way out here?"
Folding her arms across her chest, the mage gave him an amused smile. "The Master showed us the entire article in the Sorcerer Magazine."
Growling, Naruto kicked at some dirt at his feet. "I'll have you know I'm not camera shy, he just blinded me with that damn flash of his and made me trip. Oh, and if anyone takes to calling me the 'Orange Rocket', I will hurt them. Such a tacky name should never be used to defile orange. The Orange Flash, that's more like it! But rocket? It sounds like the title of a crappy movie."
Laughing at him, Erza covered her mouth. He gave her a dirty look, but smiled soon enough. "Indeed. I'll make a point to relay that to the relevant guild members. The Master seemed pretty cranky that you were linked to the guild though."
Nodding, Naruto growled. "Yeah, something about not wanting to deal with the paper work I'd generate outside the guild."
Holding her hands behind her back, Erza smiled. "That's just his way of saying he'd rather you in the guild because then it wouldn't be a chore."
Looking at her curiously, Naruto tilted his head. "Does he mean that or are you just saying it to make me feel better?"
Shaking her head, Erza sighed. "Have you forgotten about what happened back at Clover already? He asked me to interview you as a guild member candidate."
Looking up in thought, Naruto nodded. "Oh yeah, that's right."
Feeling Erza's eyes trained on him, the blond looked down and noticed her staring at him intensely. He watched her for a moment before she spoke. "Do you have your answer yet?"
He looked at her cautiously. "To what?"
Rolling her eyes, Erza sighed patiently. "Honestly, you are so much like Natsu in some ways it's uncanny. I mean in regards to your entering the guild or not. You said at the time that you couldn't make that choice yet. Well, I'd say it's been plenty long enough for you to definitively say whether you want in or not."
Nodding slowly, Naruto ran his tongue along the underside of his top lip. Seeing him thinking, Erza decided to lay on a little pressure. "You have pretty much solidified yourself in the guilds heart as it is. Your efforts with Phantom Lord and Lullaby were impressive enough in themselves, but you have also managed to befriend a great number of our more significant mages."
She blushed lightly as she looked down. "You even... helped me with my own personal demons when no one else could. You have proven yourself a trustworthy man, and even if you don't join, you will forever have my gratitude. That would be easier to covey however, if you do decide to join..."
She trailed off and looked up at Naruto from under her fringe. Looking down at her, Naruto waited a little longer before sighing. Truthfully, he had already made his mind up, he just liked watching her suffer a little. Scratching his head, Naruto exhaled and nodded. "So who else wants me to join?"
Smiling slightly, Erza chuckled. "Who doesn't?" She began ticking off her fingers. "There's Levy, Jet and Droy for starters, Lucy definitely would love your company, Master Makarov would be relieved so he doesn't have to deal with your external problems, don't even get me started on Natsu and Gray, Cana wouldn't have a problem at all if the breakfasts you make her are as she describes..."
Erza smiled as she saw Naruto stick his tongue out a little and scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "And then there's Mirajane. I don't think I have ever seen her so taken with another guild member before."
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto repeated Erza. "Taken with me you say? But that's just how she is."
Shaking her head with a smile, Erza looked at Naruto. "I've known her long enough to know when she acts differently around someone."
Widening his eyes, Naruto leaned back on the rock behind him. "So, she... likes me, you say?"
The woman shrugged mysteriously. "Well, everyone likes you, how much though, that's not for me to really say."
Thinking over this new piece of information, Naruto grew silent as he rolled it around in his mind. A soft thump beside him made him look over as Erza lent back beside him. Looking into his eyes, she smiled. "So, what would your answer be?"
Looking back up to the sky, Naruto smiled. "Well... I suppose if you put it like that, I can't really say no can I? Especially after what the old man said to me yesterday."
Feeling a hand grip his arm gently, Naruto looked over to see grinning. "That is exactly what I was hoping to hear."
Pulling him from the wall, Erza took a few steps back. "Come on then, let's go formally induct you."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto let himself be dragged from his spot and pulled back towards the Town.