Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > River of the Night - Part 1
River of the Night - Part 1 (Chapter 15)
1 reviewShe found him on the remains of a battlefield. Wrapped in the arms of a red haired woman as she lay on the ground struggling to hold on to the last remains of her life. He looked at her with blue e...
1Ambiance
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and Naruto. I think I'm going to go cry in a corner now, it always makes me sad to write that.
Author's Note: First off… Holy fuck I can't believe they've stopped the Fairy Tail anime! I know that they just want to wait a bit for the manga to get ahead, but that isn't making me feel any better. The fuck!? I way prefer the anime over the manga and now I have to deal with that! It's just hell on earth. Well, this happened like ages ago now, but I'm only posting now so I deserve to rant.
Next, I think a lot of people were hating me for leaving the chapter like that. Yeah, that was a bit evil. I hate to break it to you, but this chapter is going to be just as evil because I'm going to leave a lot unanswered. Next chapter will be less so.
'Fishing' - Normal
'Fishing' - Spells
'Fishing' - Thoughts, Flashbacks and Dreams (Use logic to differentiate!)
Chapter 15:
A white light?
No.
Just light.
Sunlight.
He hated sunlight.
Why did he hate sunlight?
Weakness.
Weakness of what?
Mind, body, magic…
Weakness, just weakness.
And Pain.
He could feel… pain.
Feel his arms, legs, fingers, all of it.
Pain.
Why did he hurt?
A battle.
Lose or victory?
Laxus…
Was that his name?
No.
He was…
He was…
Naruto!
Gasping suddenly his body jolted into an upright position. Every muscle flaring to life like liquid white hit iron had flooded his veins. Wincing in pain it was only the shock of it that kept him from screaming. His eyes bulging out his sockets as his body tensed and arched. Before flopping back down limply onto the bed.
"Naruto," called a surprised voice from near his right. It was light, feminine and there was a hint of both worry and relief in their tone. He wondered who the voice belonged to. He was in to afraid the pain would back if he moved. All he could at that point was stare blankly at the ceiling and hope they came into his vision. Perhaps that would help him remember who them. He felt like he should and yet could not.
Her hair was white.
A colour that seemed to complement the bright blue of eyes and provide an almost innocent appearance. Something in his subconscious was kicking and screaming at that idea telling him that she was anything but.
"You really are awake," she whispered happily… or was it sadly. Perhaps it was both. He couldn't be sure and his subconscious seemed to be oddly quiet on the matter. There was a good chance it didn't know either. "Thank Kami-sama," she murmured.
Wait… there was a name.
On the tip of his tongue, she was…
"Mirajane," he muttered.
She smiled.
He felt like it was the first time he'd ever seen her smile that way.
Then she frowned, "I need to go fetch Master. He'll be pleased to know you're awake, at least."
Then who is it that is still asleep? he wondered as he watched her walk out the room. Hair swirling behind her in a wave of white. He found it entrancing. It was only as she left that he wished he could have spoken to her. Warned her that the blackness of unconscious sneaking back up on him. That he didn't have much time left in the waking world.
His eyes blinked closed.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
When he next woke it was with his memories restored. All, but the one that would tell him what had put him in such a state. Grimacing slightly he raised a hand to rub his forehead, hoping to soothe the incoming headache. Sighing slightly he opened his eyes and was once again greeted by sunlight, though at least this time he was aware of why he hated it so much. He would have chuckled had the fear of pain not stopped him. Still, he'd been able to raise his arm which was more then he could say for the last time he'd been awake. There was a good chance his health had improved since then.
Sighing slightly he twisted his head to check his mobility. First to the left, then to the right only to find himself frozen mid-motion as he took in the sight of Makarov staring at him from his seated spot between the two hospital beds. His gaze shifting past Makarov he found himself taking in the sight of an unconscious Laxus laying prone on the bed next to him. His body covered in bandages to a large degree. In fact it was really only his hair and physical build that allowed Naruto to guess it was him.
"He has yet to wake," Makarov spoke and Naruto found his gaze quickly returning to the aged man.
"But, he will… won't he?" Naruto questioned in a rough voice.
He nodded, "Porlyusica has detected no permanent damage that should prevent him from doing so. It is just a matter of time and healing. Though she certainly had her doubts about both of you when you were brought in several days ago."
"What happened?" he asked feeling surprised he'd voiced the question. He wasn't one to show weakness and even if it was only weakness of the mind it was still weakness, nonetheless.
"You don't remember!?" he yelled almost falling off his stool in shock.
Naruto smirked. This was more like the Master he remembered. Not the somber man of his most recent recollections.
"I'm afraid the events leading to my current situation still evade me, though I'm sure they'll return soon enough," he replied. And if they don't show any signs of coming back then I'll meditate the fuck out of them until they do, he added to himself.
"Well it's quite simply, really…" he began in a calm sedate voice. "You IDIOTS decided it would be a GOOD idea to activate the DRAGON FORCE!"
Naruto stared unblinkingly at the man for several moments before the words seemed to sink in. He slapped himself on the head with a groan. He couldn't believe he'd done that. The last thing he remembered was flying away from Laxus after he'd blinded him. What he'd done, even the thoughts he'd had after that were blank to him. There was only one reason that could have happened and Makarov's vehement shouting only sealed the deal.
"I can't believe I did that," he groaned.
He couldn't believe he'd resorted to that of all things. To forcefully activate the dragon force without the proper meditation techniques. It really was something of a last resort if even that. It should have been considered a forbidden technique considering the consequences of using such a method. The question of whether it was worth it, however, could be answered quite simply.
Sighing slightly he looked up at Makarov, "So did I win or lose old man?"
"You don't even remember that!?" he yelled, this time actually falling of his stool in shock.
"I just said that didn't I," Naruto replied as he fiddled with his hair, he was not pouting. He was not!
"Well, maybe I should just wait for you to figure it out yourself then," the old man suggested with a cheeky grin as he climbed back onto the low stool.
Naruto sighed and muttered, "Old people and children really aren't that different."
"What was that?" Makarov demanded. Giving him the stink eye.
"Nothing, nothing."
"Is that so?"
"Yes it is, and if you're not going to tell me I'm sure someone will be far more willing. Like Mirajane for example. I'm not entirely sure why, but she was being oddly nice to me last time I woke up. Though I have considered the possibility of it just being a hallucination."
"Hallucination! It never happened," Makarov declared with a wave of his hands.
"Oh really, now?"
The balding man folded his arms petulantly, "Really."
Naruto chuckled under his breath ruefully.
"Come on old man, who won?"
Makarov sighed and relaxed his pose, "I honestly think that both of you deserve to be S-Class wizards. Especially after the performance I saw, unfortunately there is only one winner to this thing…"
"Is this your way of trying to let me down gently? I promise not to cry like a broken hearted girl," he mocked when Makarov's voice trailed off.
The powerful wizard gave him a weak smile, "No, that is… you won. You won the S-Class competition…"
Naruto wasn't entirely sure how to react to the news. It really had seemed to come out of nowhere. He won, he was an S-Class wizard and yet… his gaze shifted to the injured form of Laxus lying on the bed. Who of two of them would have actually won if neither had activated the dragon-force? Who of them was truly deserving of the position. He wanted it to be him, he wanted to say he deserved it more loudly and clearly, but did he really? His gaze returned to the guild master who seemed to be watching him intently as if waiting for a reaction.
"This is going to be hard on Laxus isn't it," he murmured.
The old man nodded. "There's more news too… something happened while you've been unconscious. I wish I hadn't had to do it, but honestly with things as they were I had little choice. It's going to hit Laxus hard too. First this loss and then this incident with Ivan…"
"What happened to Ivan?" Naruto asked sharply.
"Nothing like that, as far as I know he's in perfect health. I was… forced to excommunicate him."
"What!?" he yelled in shock. "Why..."
The small man seemed to explode. "I didn't want to alright! But, I had no choice. I had given him time, given him opportunities to change and fix himself, but he only seemed to be getting worse. He was going against guild rules, torturing people for no reason other then enjoyment. What he did to some of the people… killing them would have been a better choice and you know I don't agree with that! I… I had no choice," he finished with a mumble.
Naruto stared at his slumped figure for several moments before sighing.
"I agree with you, it had to be done. It's just the timing… with things the way they are now you and I both know this is going to hurt Laxus."
"I know… I know."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
For the first time since his mastery of it Naruto wanted to jump to his feet and curse the heavens to high hell, a contradiction if there ever was one. In fact he would have if he wasn't sure that doing so would in fact end up with him lying on the ground writhing in pain. Being injured and was quickly becoming a pain in the ass. Sure he could walk around a bit, not that he was even being let out of the bed he was currently confined to. The damn pink haired she-devil made damn sure of that.
Even so that wasn't what was currently driving him nuts.
What was at this very moment driving him round the bend was his current inability to meditate correctly. Well, that wasn't entirely correct. He could meditate as any normal person could. He even still held the same quickness and ability to fall into a meditative state. So, no - it wasn't the actual meditation that had him feeling that way. Rather it was what he found during that state.
He'd hoped against hope that when Margidda had warned him about that she'd only been exaggerating the side effects in order to turn him off the idea completely. She'd always been one that liked to do things properly. He wished she'd been wrong, just for once. It was unfortunate that wasn't the case.
Margidda was a powerful dragon, one of the most powerful and consequently it meant that her dragon slayer had the potential to be more powerful then most, at least if they wielded the magic they were given to their full capabilities. The magic is only as powerful as the one who wields it after all. It refers to the pure natural force of the magic. Margidda's was a powerful one. The downside to that was the fact that it was harder to control then most magic was. In fact the more powerful the dragon the more trouble the dragon slayer had controlling their magic. It was one of the reasons Margidda had placed so much emphasis on staying in control. It was one of the reasons losing any form of control could cost him so much magic in battle.
However, there were even greater consequences to using the magic incorrectly then just that.
Far graver consequences.
While most dragon slayers could forcefully activate the dragon force without anything beyond acute exhaustion effecting them at deactivation, that was not the case for him. When you activate the dragon force you are in effect channeling a force of nature, allowing the spirit of your dragon to flow through your body. Was it any surprise then that being a dragon slayer with one of the most powerful dragons as his patron that he faced greater effects for forcing the dragon force against its will. Upsetting a balance within himself. Especially for dragon slayer whose dragon force activation relied so much on maintaining a balanced calm within.
Yes, most could get away without greatly averse effects, but not him. He would suffer the pain of destroyed memories. All those thoughts, all those actions and feelings that took place during the activation of his dragon force no longer existed in his mind. It was not that he couldn't find them. It was that they were completely destroyed. Ceased to existed in his mind.
That was why it was practically forbidden.
A scowl marred his face as he flung the blanket from his body and swung his feet down to the floor. The wooden texture a familiarity to the roughness of the boys feet - given his refusal to wear shoes. Climbing to his feet he stalked towards the door. Intent on ignoring the pink demon's evil instruction. He couldn't stand being in the room any longer. A feeling of claustrophobia was caving in on him.
Flinging the door open he came face to face with a surprised Mirajane her body frozen mid-reach for the door handle. Her eyes widening in shock as she realised exactly who was standing in front of her. Suddenly remembering something from his earlier moments of waking Naruto relaxed his stance and gave the girl a smile.
"Ohayo, Mira-chan," he greeted with a smile.
Mirajane's shocked expression was immediately replaced with scowl.
Do you know how horrible it is to be able to see every moment of your demise, but being incapable of doing anything to stop it? Naruto thought only Margidda could make him feel that way. It was in his slow injured state he rediscovered the feeling.
It was a combination of Mirajane's fist.
And his stomach.
Then Mirajane's fist slamming into his stomach… that… that was what reminded him of the feeling.
Collapsing to the floor in a heap Naruto groaned like a pathetic lump of meat on the floor. Now he knew the real reason that angelic saint of a healer had recommended he stay in the room. It was because this evil force awaited him on the other side.
Clearly Makarov had been right.
He had been delusion when he'd thought Mirajane was being nice to him.
Hallucination indeed.
Suddenly he felt a hand grab him round the wrist, haul him to his feet and drag him stumbling out the door.
"You're going on a mission with me!" she declared as she frog marched him down the passageway.
"In case you haven't noticed Mirajane I'm kind of off duty at the moment. Porlyusica has yet to pass me for active duty yet. In fact she hasn't even given me permission to leave the infirmary yet," he replied. He would have taken the physical action to yank his arm out of her grip and walk away as fast as his legs could carry him, but she had a tight grip and he wasn't strong enough to take a two year old smacking him in the face.
"I don't care!" she declared glancing back at him with a slight blush before turning back around and glaring straight ahead.
What the fuck? he wondered in shock. Mirajane was acting beyond weird. Sure the whole violence thing made sense. She tended to take joy in peoples pain with a certain sadism he could admire… from afar. Not up close and personal. She'd never shown any interest in going on mission with him before.
"I really don't think this is a good idea," he pleaded as he tried to remove his arm from her grip.
Some S-Class wizard I am, he thought despondently. Only after I've been declared as such do I become a white haired demon's play thing. My life is some fucked up shit… I want it to fucking stop! Make it stop Kami-sama!
"Look Mirajane," he attempted in a serious tone of voice, "I'm really don't feel like going on a mission right now okay?"
She stopped for a moment and spun round to stare at him.
He briefly thought she might actually be considering listening to him. It was rather unfortunate that she crushed those hopes under her black heeled boots when she turned back around and continued on her mission.
He sighed and accepted his fate. It's not like he enjoyed being her plaything, but he had little choice in his current state.
"Are Lissana and Elfman coming with us?" he wondered out loud.
"No," she replied shortly.
They'd now entered the guild hall which was quite empty though given the early hour it made sense. The sun had was still making it's rise and the sky outside was a dark blue tinged by the soon to rise sun. It still meant that people were able to witness his complete embarrassment, on the bright side it meant they might send someone to go rescue him. Was that more or less embarrassing?
"Will they be okay?"
Mirajane glared, "What do you take me for an irresponsible idiot. Of course they'll be okay. I've pre-cooked every meal they'll need and left enough money for anything they might need while I'm gone. This isn't the first time I've gone on a mission without them. Besides, I asked Erza to make sure they were okay while I was gone."
"Erza!?" he repeated eyes widening in shock.
"I may hate that bitch, but I know I can trust her to look after them," she replied.
Naruto blinked several times, the shock still stalling his system. He didn't get it. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in his head. Perhaps it was a woman thing? A thing always beyond his comprehension. He stared at her for several moments before shaking his head. That couldn't be right. He stared at her a bit longer. He decided it wasn't a woman thing - just a Mirajane one.
He nodded with her sagely.
"So what's the-"
"Here," she interrupted shoving the mission paper into his face. "Read it yourself."
His temper flared.
He really did hate people telling him what to do. It was rare that he ever had to take shit from anyone, usually because he could smash them into the ground and completely annihilate them if he wanted to - barring special cases like Makarov, Gildarts, Laxus, the Council, any of the Ten Wizard Saints, a lot of S-Class Wizards and Margidda - if he was just counting off hand. Being on the receiving end of this was getting on his nerves.
He didn't like it one bit.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Was it a dream… or reality?
He stood as a viewer of events. A third party in his own life.
At first his vision was black. Then with an unexpected suddenness it returned. It returned and yet the quarry he'd been searching for was nowhere in sight. Anger and frustration surging through his system the blonde wizard flew in search of his opponent. It was fortunate his opponent came to him then. A large pillar of purple light surging up into the sky caught his attention and the familiar feel of the magic alerted him to its creator.
Letting the lightning flood his system he charged towards to origin of the pillar.
He grinned.
The little punk was going to get it now.
Cutting the full body morph he landed neatly on the ground with a soft thump, lightning still sparking round his body uncontrollably with the current power that was pumping through his veins. Focusing his gaze intently on the mass of purple energy he only had a moment to vaguely recognise the shadowed form within the energy before it released and the current ended its flow.
Despite his advantage he felt afraid to move.
There was something dangerous about the boy in front of him. Something familiar that suddenly felt fundamentally different. His body frozen Laxus could only watch as the kneeling figure slowly rose to its feet, an aura of abyss black shrouding his body in an oppressive aura that forced him a step back.
The figure began to raise it's head.
Did he want that to happen?
His lips were curled into a dark grin. Fangs pricking his bottom lip with the extended length. Scales lined his closed eyes round his cheeks and up on his forehead like a criss-crossing of dark scars. Suddenly the aura round him seemed flare. Burst out like a wave of darkness that completely surrounded his form and rose up like a dragon into the darkening sky. The oppressing feeling seemed to increase even further and he found himself bound frozen with fear.
Then those closed eyes opened. Eyes that shone like white silver beacons in a world of black.
There was a roar.
A shuddering sound that shook the earth.
A blur shot forward… and…
Eyes flickering open Laxus stared at the ceiling He had not jumped in shock as some would expect at the waking from such a dreamlike memory. His eyes were not filled with tears nor did fear fill his being. In fact he felt very little at that time.
He stared at the ceiling unblinkingly before turning his head to the side.
His expression unchanging.
"I lost."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Author's Note:
Worry not my pissed off reader's. You will eventually get to see the rest of the fight. I'm not so cruel as to keep it from you. In fact I guarantee that next chapter you'll get to read it.
Sorry if that conversation killed any sort of suspense you felt, I could have made Makarov keep it from him until he remembered, but that would have been completely unrealistic. I understand that it might have been too quick and straight forward, but it seemed the best way to me. First time I've ever used capitals for shouting. Makarov was really pissed off.
Not exactly sure when Ivan was excommunicated, but I think it was around that time. This is obviously going to have an effect on Laxus, I don't mean he's going to turn into the same asshole but… there will be side effects of it.
I made Mirajane a bit tsundere about her feelings towards Naruto, at least for now. She isn't exactly sure how to act about them. It is sort of how she acts when she's younger though. Only her siblings are ever on the receiving end of that 'dere' side though. It's only later on that she becomes less 'tsun' and more 'dere'. I won't over create that though because even if she does bear similarity to a tsundere she isn't one by definition, she takes way to much pleasure in the pain she causes. I just think it's how a younger Mirajane would handle those sort of feelings, at least until she comes to terms with them completely. Sort of like a boy in a playground tugging on the hair of a girl he likes.
Next up you finally get to see the end of the battle, then Mirajane drags Naruto on a mission while he's still not healed properly. What kind of trouble will that cause? And it will cause trouble because honestly, how the fuck could it not?
Please review and let me know any thoughts you have! Thank you for your support so far! These reviews are my oxygen. They provide me with life, and I am not above begging for my life!
Author's Note: First off… Holy fuck I can't believe they've stopped the Fairy Tail anime! I know that they just want to wait a bit for the manga to get ahead, but that isn't making me feel any better. The fuck!? I way prefer the anime over the manga and now I have to deal with that! It's just hell on earth. Well, this happened like ages ago now, but I'm only posting now so I deserve to rant.
Next, I think a lot of people were hating me for leaving the chapter like that. Yeah, that was a bit evil. I hate to break it to you, but this chapter is going to be just as evil because I'm going to leave a lot unanswered. Next chapter will be less so.
'Fishing' - Normal
'Fishing' - Spells
'Fishing' - Thoughts, Flashbacks and Dreams (Use logic to differentiate!)
Chapter 15:
A white light?
No.
Just light.
Sunlight.
He hated sunlight.
Why did he hate sunlight?
Weakness.
Weakness of what?
Mind, body, magic…
Weakness, just weakness.
And Pain.
He could feel… pain.
Feel his arms, legs, fingers, all of it.
Pain.
Why did he hurt?
A battle.
Lose or victory?
Laxus…
Was that his name?
No.
He was…
He was…
Naruto!
Gasping suddenly his body jolted into an upright position. Every muscle flaring to life like liquid white hit iron had flooded his veins. Wincing in pain it was only the shock of it that kept him from screaming. His eyes bulging out his sockets as his body tensed and arched. Before flopping back down limply onto the bed.
"Naruto," called a surprised voice from near his right. It was light, feminine and there was a hint of both worry and relief in their tone. He wondered who the voice belonged to. He was in to afraid the pain would back if he moved. All he could at that point was stare blankly at the ceiling and hope they came into his vision. Perhaps that would help him remember who them. He felt like he should and yet could not.
Her hair was white.
A colour that seemed to complement the bright blue of eyes and provide an almost innocent appearance. Something in his subconscious was kicking and screaming at that idea telling him that she was anything but.
"You really are awake," she whispered happily… or was it sadly. Perhaps it was both. He couldn't be sure and his subconscious seemed to be oddly quiet on the matter. There was a good chance it didn't know either. "Thank Kami-sama," she murmured.
Wait… there was a name.
On the tip of his tongue, she was…
"Mirajane," he muttered.
She smiled.
He felt like it was the first time he'd ever seen her smile that way.
Then she frowned, "I need to go fetch Master. He'll be pleased to know you're awake, at least."
Then who is it that is still asleep? he wondered as he watched her walk out the room. Hair swirling behind her in a wave of white. He found it entrancing. It was only as she left that he wished he could have spoken to her. Warned her that the blackness of unconscious sneaking back up on him. That he didn't have much time left in the waking world.
His eyes blinked closed.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
When he next woke it was with his memories restored. All, but the one that would tell him what had put him in such a state. Grimacing slightly he raised a hand to rub his forehead, hoping to soothe the incoming headache. Sighing slightly he opened his eyes and was once again greeted by sunlight, though at least this time he was aware of why he hated it so much. He would have chuckled had the fear of pain not stopped him. Still, he'd been able to raise his arm which was more then he could say for the last time he'd been awake. There was a good chance his health had improved since then.
Sighing slightly he twisted his head to check his mobility. First to the left, then to the right only to find himself frozen mid-motion as he took in the sight of Makarov staring at him from his seated spot between the two hospital beds. His gaze shifting past Makarov he found himself taking in the sight of an unconscious Laxus laying prone on the bed next to him. His body covered in bandages to a large degree. In fact it was really only his hair and physical build that allowed Naruto to guess it was him.
"He has yet to wake," Makarov spoke and Naruto found his gaze quickly returning to the aged man.
"But, he will… won't he?" Naruto questioned in a rough voice.
He nodded, "Porlyusica has detected no permanent damage that should prevent him from doing so. It is just a matter of time and healing. Though she certainly had her doubts about both of you when you were brought in several days ago."
"What happened?" he asked feeling surprised he'd voiced the question. He wasn't one to show weakness and even if it was only weakness of the mind it was still weakness, nonetheless.
"You don't remember!?" he yelled almost falling off his stool in shock.
Naruto smirked. This was more like the Master he remembered. Not the somber man of his most recent recollections.
"I'm afraid the events leading to my current situation still evade me, though I'm sure they'll return soon enough," he replied. And if they don't show any signs of coming back then I'll meditate the fuck out of them until they do, he added to himself.
"Well it's quite simply, really…" he began in a calm sedate voice. "You IDIOTS decided it would be a GOOD idea to activate the DRAGON FORCE!"
Naruto stared unblinkingly at the man for several moments before the words seemed to sink in. He slapped himself on the head with a groan. He couldn't believe he'd done that. The last thing he remembered was flying away from Laxus after he'd blinded him. What he'd done, even the thoughts he'd had after that were blank to him. There was only one reason that could have happened and Makarov's vehement shouting only sealed the deal.
"I can't believe I did that," he groaned.
He couldn't believe he'd resorted to that of all things. To forcefully activate the dragon force without the proper meditation techniques. It really was something of a last resort if even that. It should have been considered a forbidden technique considering the consequences of using such a method. The question of whether it was worth it, however, could be answered quite simply.
Sighing slightly he looked up at Makarov, "So did I win or lose old man?"
"You don't even remember that!?" he yelled, this time actually falling of his stool in shock.
"I just said that didn't I," Naruto replied as he fiddled with his hair, he was not pouting. He was not!
"Well, maybe I should just wait for you to figure it out yourself then," the old man suggested with a cheeky grin as he climbed back onto the low stool.
Naruto sighed and muttered, "Old people and children really aren't that different."
"What was that?" Makarov demanded. Giving him the stink eye.
"Nothing, nothing."
"Is that so?"
"Yes it is, and if you're not going to tell me I'm sure someone will be far more willing. Like Mirajane for example. I'm not entirely sure why, but she was being oddly nice to me last time I woke up. Though I have considered the possibility of it just being a hallucination."
"Hallucination! It never happened," Makarov declared with a wave of his hands.
"Oh really, now?"
The balding man folded his arms petulantly, "Really."
Naruto chuckled under his breath ruefully.
"Come on old man, who won?"
Makarov sighed and relaxed his pose, "I honestly think that both of you deserve to be S-Class wizards. Especially after the performance I saw, unfortunately there is only one winner to this thing…"
"Is this your way of trying to let me down gently? I promise not to cry like a broken hearted girl," he mocked when Makarov's voice trailed off.
The powerful wizard gave him a weak smile, "No, that is… you won. You won the S-Class competition…"
Naruto wasn't entirely sure how to react to the news. It really had seemed to come out of nowhere. He won, he was an S-Class wizard and yet… his gaze shifted to the injured form of Laxus lying on the bed. Who of two of them would have actually won if neither had activated the dragon-force? Who of them was truly deserving of the position. He wanted it to be him, he wanted to say he deserved it more loudly and clearly, but did he really? His gaze returned to the guild master who seemed to be watching him intently as if waiting for a reaction.
"This is going to be hard on Laxus isn't it," he murmured.
The old man nodded. "There's more news too… something happened while you've been unconscious. I wish I hadn't had to do it, but honestly with things as they were I had little choice. It's going to hit Laxus hard too. First this loss and then this incident with Ivan…"
"What happened to Ivan?" Naruto asked sharply.
"Nothing like that, as far as I know he's in perfect health. I was… forced to excommunicate him."
"What!?" he yelled in shock. "Why..."
The small man seemed to explode. "I didn't want to alright! But, I had no choice. I had given him time, given him opportunities to change and fix himself, but he only seemed to be getting worse. He was going against guild rules, torturing people for no reason other then enjoyment. What he did to some of the people… killing them would have been a better choice and you know I don't agree with that! I… I had no choice," he finished with a mumble.
Naruto stared at his slumped figure for several moments before sighing.
"I agree with you, it had to be done. It's just the timing… with things the way they are now you and I both know this is going to hurt Laxus."
"I know… I know."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
For the first time since his mastery of it Naruto wanted to jump to his feet and curse the heavens to high hell, a contradiction if there ever was one. In fact he would have if he wasn't sure that doing so would in fact end up with him lying on the ground writhing in pain. Being injured and was quickly becoming a pain in the ass. Sure he could walk around a bit, not that he was even being let out of the bed he was currently confined to. The damn pink haired she-devil made damn sure of that.
Even so that wasn't what was currently driving him nuts.
What was at this very moment driving him round the bend was his current inability to meditate correctly. Well, that wasn't entirely correct. He could meditate as any normal person could. He even still held the same quickness and ability to fall into a meditative state. So, no - it wasn't the actual meditation that had him feeling that way. Rather it was what he found during that state.
He'd hoped against hope that when Margidda had warned him about that she'd only been exaggerating the side effects in order to turn him off the idea completely. She'd always been one that liked to do things properly. He wished she'd been wrong, just for once. It was unfortunate that wasn't the case.
Margidda was a powerful dragon, one of the most powerful and consequently it meant that her dragon slayer had the potential to be more powerful then most, at least if they wielded the magic they were given to their full capabilities. The magic is only as powerful as the one who wields it after all. It refers to the pure natural force of the magic. Margidda's was a powerful one. The downside to that was the fact that it was harder to control then most magic was. In fact the more powerful the dragon the more trouble the dragon slayer had controlling their magic. It was one of the reasons Margidda had placed so much emphasis on staying in control. It was one of the reasons losing any form of control could cost him so much magic in battle.
However, there were even greater consequences to using the magic incorrectly then just that.
Far graver consequences.
While most dragon slayers could forcefully activate the dragon force without anything beyond acute exhaustion effecting them at deactivation, that was not the case for him. When you activate the dragon force you are in effect channeling a force of nature, allowing the spirit of your dragon to flow through your body. Was it any surprise then that being a dragon slayer with one of the most powerful dragons as his patron that he faced greater effects for forcing the dragon force against its will. Upsetting a balance within himself. Especially for dragon slayer whose dragon force activation relied so much on maintaining a balanced calm within.
Yes, most could get away without greatly averse effects, but not him. He would suffer the pain of destroyed memories. All those thoughts, all those actions and feelings that took place during the activation of his dragon force no longer existed in his mind. It was not that he couldn't find them. It was that they were completely destroyed. Ceased to existed in his mind.
That was why it was practically forbidden.
A scowl marred his face as he flung the blanket from his body and swung his feet down to the floor. The wooden texture a familiarity to the roughness of the boys feet - given his refusal to wear shoes. Climbing to his feet he stalked towards the door. Intent on ignoring the pink demon's evil instruction. He couldn't stand being in the room any longer. A feeling of claustrophobia was caving in on him.
Flinging the door open he came face to face with a surprised Mirajane her body frozen mid-reach for the door handle. Her eyes widening in shock as she realised exactly who was standing in front of her. Suddenly remembering something from his earlier moments of waking Naruto relaxed his stance and gave the girl a smile.
"Ohayo, Mira-chan," he greeted with a smile.
Mirajane's shocked expression was immediately replaced with scowl.
Do you know how horrible it is to be able to see every moment of your demise, but being incapable of doing anything to stop it? Naruto thought only Margidda could make him feel that way. It was in his slow injured state he rediscovered the feeling.
It was a combination of Mirajane's fist.
And his stomach.
Then Mirajane's fist slamming into his stomach… that… that was what reminded him of the feeling.
Collapsing to the floor in a heap Naruto groaned like a pathetic lump of meat on the floor. Now he knew the real reason that angelic saint of a healer had recommended he stay in the room. It was because this evil force awaited him on the other side.
Clearly Makarov had been right.
He had been delusion when he'd thought Mirajane was being nice to him.
Hallucination indeed.
Suddenly he felt a hand grab him round the wrist, haul him to his feet and drag him stumbling out the door.
"You're going on a mission with me!" she declared as she frog marched him down the passageway.
"In case you haven't noticed Mirajane I'm kind of off duty at the moment. Porlyusica has yet to pass me for active duty yet. In fact she hasn't even given me permission to leave the infirmary yet," he replied. He would have taken the physical action to yank his arm out of her grip and walk away as fast as his legs could carry him, but she had a tight grip and he wasn't strong enough to take a two year old smacking him in the face.
"I don't care!" she declared glancing back at him with a slight blush before turning back around and glaring straight ahead.
What the fuck? he wondered in shock. Mirajane was acting beyond weird. Sure the whole violence thing made sense. She tended to take joy in peoples pain with a certain sadism he could admire… from afar. Not up close and personal. She'd never shown any interest in going on mission with him before.
"I really don't think this is a good idea," he pleaded as he tried to remove his arm from her grip.
Some S-Class wizard I am, he thought despondently. Only after I've been declared as such do I become a white haired demon's play thing. My life is some fucked up shit… I want it to fucking stop! Make it stop Kami-sama!
"Look Mirajane," he attempted in a serious tone of voice, "I'm really don't feel like going on a mission right now okay?"
She stopped for a moment and spun round to stare at him.
He briefly thought she might actually be considering listening to him. It was rather unfortunate that she crushed those hopes under her black heeled boots when she turned back around and continued on her mission.
He sighed and accepted his fate. It's not like he enjoyed being her plaything, but he had little choice in his current state.
"Are Lissana and Elfman coming with us?" he wondered out loud.
"No," she replied shortly.
They'd now entered the guild hall which was quite empty though given the early hour it made sense. The sun had was still making it's rise and the sky outside was a dark blue tinged by the soon to rise sun. It still meant that people were able to witness his complete embarrassment, on the bright side it meant they might send someone to go rescue him. Was that more or less embarrassing?
"Will they be okay?"
Mirajane glared, "What do you take me for an irresponsible idiot. Of course they'll be okay. I've pre-cooked every meal they'll need and left enough money for anything they might need while I'm gone. This isn't the first time I've gone on a mission without them. Besides, I asked Erza to make sure they were okay while I was gone."
"Erza!?" he repeated eyes widening in shock.
"I may hate that bitch, but I know I can trust her to look after them," she replied.
Naruto blinked several times, the shock still stalling his system. He didn't get it. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in his head. Perhaps it was a woman thing? A thing always beyond his comprehension. He stared at her for several moments before shaking his head. That couldn't be right. He stared at her a bit longer. He decided it wasn't a woman thing - just a Mirajane one.
He nodded with her sagely.
"So what's the-"
"Here," she interrupted shoving the mission paper into his face. "Read it yourself."
His temper flared.
He really did hate people telling him what to do. It was rare that he ever had to take shit from anyone, usually because he could smash them into the ground and completely annihilate them if he wanted to - barring special cases like Makarov, Gildarts, Laxus, the Council, any of the Ten Wizard Saints, a lot of S-Class Wizards and Margidda - if he was just counting off hand. Being on the receiving end of this was getting on his nerves.
He didn't like it one bit.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Was it a dream… or reality?
He stood as a viewer of events. A third party in his own life.
At first his vision was black. Then with an unexpected suddenness it returned. It returned and yet the quarry he'd been searching for was nowhere in sight. Anger and frustration surging through his system the blonde wizard flew in search of his opponent. It was fortunate his opponent came to him then. A large pillar of purple light surging up into the sky caught his attention and the familiar feel of the magic alerted him to its creator.
Letting the lightning flood his system he charged towards to origin of the pillar.
He grinned.
The little punk was going to get it now.
Cutting the full body morph he landed neatly on the ground with a soft thump, lightning still sparking round his body uncontrollably with the current power that was pumping through his veins. Focusing his gaze intently on the mass of purple energy he only had a moment to vaguely recognise the shadowed form within the energy before it released and the current ended its flow.
Despite his advantage he felt afraid to move.
There was something dangerous about the boy in front of him. Something familiar that suddenly felt fundamentally different. His body frozen Laxus could only watch as the kneeling figure slowly rose to its feet, an aura of abyss black shrouding his body in an oppressive aura that forced him a step back.
The figure began to raise it's head.
Did he want that to happen?
His lips were curled into a dark grin. Fangs pricking his bottom lip with the extended length. Scales lined his closed eyes round his cheeks and up on his forehead like a criss-crossing of dark scars. Suddenly the aura round him seemed flare. Burst out like a wave of darkness that completely surrounded his form and rose up like a dragon into the darkening sky. The oppressing feeling seemed to increase even further and he found himself bound frozen with fear.
Then those closed eyes opened. Eyes that shone like white silver beacons in a world of black.
There was a roar.
A shuddering sound that shook the earth.
A blur shot forward… and…
Eyes flickering open Laxus stared at the ceiling He had not jumped in shock as some would expect at the waking from such a dreamlike memory. His eyes were not filled with tears nor did fear fill his being. In fact he felt very little at that time.
He stared at the ceiling unblinkingly before turning his head to the side.
His expression unchanging.
"I lost."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Author's Note:
Worry not my pissed off reader's. You will eventually get to see the rest of the fight. I'm not so cruel as to keep it from you. In fact I guarantee that next chapter you'll get to read it.
Sorry if that conversation killed any sort of suspense you felt, I could have made Makarov keep it from him until he remembered, but that would have been completely unrealistic. I understand that it might have been too quick and straight forward, but it seemed the best way to me. First time I've ever used capitals for shouting. Makarov was really pissed off.
Not exactly sure when Ivan was excommunicated, but I think it was around that time. This is obviously going to have an effect on Laxus, I don't mean he's going to turn into the same asshole but… there will be side effects of it.
I made Mirajane a bit tsundere about her feelings towards Naruto, at least for now. She isn't exactly sure how to act about them. It is sort of how she acts when she's younger though. Only her siblings are ever on the receiving end of that 'dere' side though. It's only later on that she becomes less 'tsun' and more 'dere'. I won't over create that though because even if she does bear similarity to a tsundere she isn't one by definition, she takes way to much pleasure in the pain she causes. I just think it's how a younger Mirajane would handle those sort of feelings, at least until she comes to terms with them completely. Sort of like a boy in a playground tugging on the hair of a girl he likes.
Next up you finally get to see the end of the battle, then Mirajane drags Naruto on a mission while he's still not healed properly. What kind of trouble will that cause? And it will cause trouble because honestly, how the fuck could it not?
Please review and let me know any thoughts you have! Thank you for your support so far! These reviews are my oxygen. They provide me with life, and I am not above begging for my life!
Sign up to rate and review this story