Hi there! I thought I would make something clear. There has been some question as to the ages of Naruto and Natsu. While their ages are technically unknown because of the whole Dragon thing, for this story I have Natsu around 17-18 and Naruto 13-14. Hope this clears away the confusion!

Anywho, on to the story-

Igneel- Way to go. Confuse 'em more why don't ya? Oh. I know. Add Aliens and unicorns, that would send them through a loop.

Me- What? How did you get here?

Igneel- Where did you think I went? YOU put ME on the SIDELINE. Now you're turning Red into some kind of psycho, mixing an exceed into it somehow, messing with my sons, and you expect me to be QUIET?

Me- ... O.o

Igneel- Just... start the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto of Fairy Tail

'Pretty Flames, Dancing flames. Fire fire fire. Books burned down… yes… nothing but ash!' A creature hummed. The beast jumped along rooftops and laughed to himself, still lost in his mind. He felt the Cat laughing with him but that didn't much matter. 'Happy flames… Angry Flames. Hungry Flames.'

He stopped his jumping to watch some people down below. 'Tear them? Rip them to shreds? Yes… But no. Beast must not hurt these ones. Why…? Listen. Beast will listen.'

He jumped down next to the small group of people. They were arguing. One was a white haired female, she was strong. Beast could tell from her scent. Another was short and old, but big. Beast knew he could be big. The third was… Natsu. Yes, the beast knew that name well. Excitement bubbled in his chest. He felt like running up to Natsu and throwing him into the air and tearing his… 'No, not tearing him. Just throwing Natsu into walls! Yes. Over and over...'

The feeling was almost overwhelming. But, he restrained himself and ducked into the shadows.

'Listen Listen.' The beast reminded himself, stopping his shaking.

The short man spoke. "Let's not overthink this. It could very well just be exhaustion. You know how he works himself to the brink of death. It's just his form of training, probably one of the reasons he is as strong as he is. We should wait for him to wake up and ask what he remembers." Old man nodded to himself and crossed his arms.

The girl spoke up gently, "What if he does remember? Will he go on another escapade to-"

"He will. No doubt about it. If he even thinks that he might have seen Red… Man, he just got back." Natsu punched a wall, making it shake a bit. It looked feeble...

Beast tilted his head in a confused way. 'Break the wall? Break the wall. Beast MUST break the wall now!'

"Natsu...' The old man sighed. "Very well. I shall talk to him. Damn the brat. So much trouble... Huh." The old man's eyes took on a happier look. "I remember when he would rush into the guild and throw something or other into my face. He thought everything he found was a treasure…"

Mira smiled, "Yes. He was a curious boy. Remember when he stole someone's color changer? It was hard to explain to them that his 'little fox' actually took it."

The short old man nodded, chuckling lightly.

Natsu growled angrily, turning from the wall. "Red. The fox's name is Red."

"Natsu-" The old man tried, but was interrupted by the pinkette.

"No, you don't get it. You didn't see how Red was. He was like an older brother to us. When Igneel- All we had was Red. Sure, he might have been made up. A form of Dragon Slayer magic, whatever. But he was very real. He watched out for us, and trained us and... And now Naruto sees him as a bad guy." Natsu looked troubled. Beast wanted someone to break the wall.

"Red is a manifestation of Naruto's magic. That's why only you two could see him. That's why he only spoke to Naruto. It was the only explanation. It was cute for a while, but you grew out of it." Makarov, for beast remembered his name, said slowly. Repeating facts to calm the slayer down.

'Smart old little man. Beast must be wary of that one.'

"Now we have to help Naruto understand so he can move on. It is unhealthy for him to rely on an unstable power like that. Manifestations reflect what the wizard actually feels. For example, Naruto wanted that color changer. He wanted it, but knew that stealing was wrong so he didn't take it. But his manifestation did steal it, because right or wrong he wanted it." The old man said, giving Natsu a pointed look.

"It was only-" The boy started, but was cut off by the older man.

"Yes, it was only a run of the mill item. It was easy to give back and fix the problem. But what if it had been something more? What if Naruto met someone he didn't like, but knew better than to hurt the other so he didn't. But the manifestation could and would. The boy is only human… and far too young to be expected to reign in his emotions. You understand, don't you?"

Natsu was silent, his eyes covered by shadow.

"Look… If Naruto wasn't so powerful I think we would have let this happen on its own, but…" Mira tried, but couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence.

'Hmm… Manifestation. Red...Cat?' The cat had no ideas. Red let it go. That wasn't why he was listening.

"Then why did he leave the first time?" Natsu asked softly, his fists clenched.

Makarov gave Mira a sideways look.

"Gramps," Natsu repeated, "Why did Red disappear? Naruto didn't know any of this then."

Makarov sighed, closing his eyes and letting his arms fall to his sides. "I don't know. It could have been because… because of Lisanna's sudden…" He paused, unable to continue.

"Grief affects everyone differently. Maybe this was Naruto's way of dealing." Mira finished for Makarov. She too avoided Natsu's gaze.

The three fell into silence. Beast was bored with them. He had listened enough.

'The boy… The book… Give book to boy. Yes, Uzumaki needs book. But how… Break the wall. Need to break the wall!'

The beast couldn't hold it back anymore. He had to destroy the wall that Natsu couldn't. A howl of laughter from the fox was the only warning he gave.

Bringing his head down, he sprung from the rooftop and just as Natsu looked up, he rammed into the brick full force, sending the three flying back from the impact. Stone fell in a shower around the beast. He grinned in pleasure, stopping to enjoy the crumbled pieces under his feet.

He blacked out. Maybe he broke more walls, maybe he didn't. It might very well be that all he did was stand there grinning at the ground.

This happened often. Beast would get so happy and feel so strong he couldn't remember what he did. He never dwelled on why or how, never pondered what might be the cause. He just accepted it and let it happen.

But he always snapped out of it.

A sound brought him back to himself. A girl was shouting to someone in a polite yet commanding tone.

Beast blinked the darkness he hadn't noticed before from his eyes.

He was in a different part of town, right next to a church. He saw people running away or scrabbling under debris. Walls on every dwelling were blown clean through, like a wrecking ball hit only once and moved on.

The white haired girl caught his attention.

Mira was caught under a pile of brick. Natsu was leaning against the side of a house, and Makarov was nowhere to be seen. The beast didn't plan on fighting. Or tearing. Definitely not here to these wizards.

The beast shook out his fur, feeling like looking his best before making his way through the rubble and to the white haired girl who had managed to free her leg out from under the ruined house.

Had Beast broken the house too? Nice.

He stopped inches away and bent his nose down to sniff her head.

She looked around, confused. "Master?" She said uncertainly. Her usually pristine dress was a little torn up.

'No. Uzumaki is not here. This way. Boy is this way,'

The beast turned to leave, but pink hair caught his eye and he paused. Natsu jumped up and looked around wildly, finally spotting the fox.

"Red? What-" But Beast didn't hear the rest. He was gone.

XXxXXx

"Naru? Hey, you doing ok?" Happy let himself into the hospital like room, scanning the beds for the one that was occupied. He saw the lump of blankets and unkempt blonde hair.

"Naruto?" Happy went closer and pulled himself onto the end of the mattress. "Hey, buddy. How are you doin?"

Naruto sighed, then sat up. He faced the small cat and gave him a sad look. "Happy, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." The fish loving cat smiled, making himself comfortable in the moon lit infirmary.

"Well, first I was knocked out of the guild by gramps-"

"I know. You got some good air!"

"Yeah...Then I was stuck in Fire dragon armor, and believe me, the people of Magnolia have no sense of humor. Anyway, got to the clearing and wasted my magic away to try and get out of it when...when Red showed up."

Happy's mouth dropped open, but Naruto was on a roll so he kept going.

"He started pushing me all over the place... But that wasn't the bad part. No, he was laughing. Laughing and talking about Uzumaki... I don't know Happy. If you'd have seen him you wouldn't have recognized him." The blonde paused, rubbing his neck.

Happy looked deep in thought. "You're sure it was him? I mean… he went away years ago… Could have been a different creature?"

Naruto shook his head. "No it was him." Happy watched the boy pull a book out from under his pillow and run a hand over the cover, like he was making sure it was real. Then he offered it to the blue cat.

Happy took it from him with a questioning look, then read the title. "Orange hope?"

Naruto nodded solemnly.

"What does this have to do with seeing Red?"

An undefinable look passed through the boy's eyes before he looked at the cat.

Naruto hesitated before answering. "He walked in here and gave it to me." With that, he got out of the bed.

Happy looked at the book with new found curiosity and opened to the first page as the blonde found his clothes.

"Hello dear reader." Happy read outloud, "I have spent a lifetime and a half collecting the myth and lore of the famous Orange hope and compiling it into this very book. True, there are some facts and information missing from these pages and undecipherable glyphs that we can only hypothesize as to their meaning, but I shall guide you through the pages of my life's work and share with you my expert take on the subject. To begin we must first-"

"Why would Red give this to you? It's soo boring." The cat deadpanned.

"I think it's a clue. Like he's trying to tell me something. Maybe what happened to him? Well… It has something to do with this Orange hope guy." Naruto grabbed the book from Happy's paws and put it carefully inside his red drawstring bag.

Happy noticed the new outfit. When had he had time to get that?

Naruto now wore a black skin tight shirt with an orange rectangle on each sleeve. On his right wrist was a metal band with 'Firefly' engraved on it. On his other wrist was a time lacrima and compass. His black fighting pants seemed to be too big for him so he used his scarf like a belt, tieing it in the front. To top off his… unique… outfit off he wore dark brown sandals.

"You're going again… aren't you." Happy said sadly, letting his tail droop.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I am. Going alone this time… We both know what Natsu thinks."

"I'll go with you! Naru, you can't-"

"No, Happy. Your place is here. I... I can't let this go. I know what gramps said back then but..." His voice cracked with emotion, "but I still believe in him. I know he doesn't want to be this way and I have to help. And if I can't then... I'll be the only one who could..." He wouldn't finish that sentence, but the feline could fill in the blanks.

He would put the fox down. So Red wouldn't hurt anyone else.

Happy sighed, wiping his eyes with a little paw and jumped at his friend, grabbing onto his neck. "Be careful, ok? And come back a ton! At least… once a week!" The cat sobbed.

Naruto hugged him back, "What are you… Erza? Come on Happy, it's me. Who's gonna mess with the Firefly?"

Happy sniffled and hugged him tighter, only serving to choke the poor boy.

"Yeah… ok." Naruto finally said.

XxXXXx

Lucy bursted into the guild full of questions. So many she felt the need to prioritize them in order of importance… so taking a deep breath she calmed herself down enough to yell, "WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?"

A tired looking Mira looked at her with a small smile. "You mean you haven't heard? There was a storm…"

"Yeah, right. Like I'll believe that. My landlady thought I was trouble even before she let me have the place. Now I'll be hard pressed to convince her it wasn't my fault the freakin wall imploded." Lucy sat in a bar seat gruffly.

Mira suddenly didn't look so tired. "Imploded? You mean… Oh! Is your house alright? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine now. I just have to get a new desk... And a few lamps... But nothing else was terribly broken." Lucy rubbed the bridge of her nose, attempting to calm down.

Mira looked relieved, then reached for a cup and poured coffee into it, handing it to Lucy, who took it gratefully.

Mira put a hand on the other girl's shoulder said, "On the house." and walked away.

Lucy cupped the warm beverage close and tried to relax a bit. Maybe things weren't so bad. Lamps weren't too much money... Right?

"I need a job." She groaned, looking over to the request board. Deciding that it was high time to try it out, she stood up and made her way over.

She passed Gray and Canna, who were having a heated debate on proper beach wear. She decided to say hi later. At a near-by table she spotted Natsu and Naruto hunched over a book.

She took one look at their confused faces and gave into her nosey tendencies.

Must- Find out- What they're reading!

"What're you looking at?" Lucy asked, peering over Natsu's shoulder.

"Orange Hope." Natsu answered, glancing up at her with a welcoming smile, and offered her a seat.

Lucy's eyes lit up with recognition and she sat down, put her head next to the brothers and getting a better look at at orange and gold cover. "Oh! I've heard that story a million times... But I didn't think it was that long." She picked it up quizzically and browsed through the chapters.

"You've heard the story before?" Naruto said incredulously.

The girl nodded, "Yeah, it's kind of like a nursery rhyme... But not. Ya know?" She assumed they knew what she was talking about.

Of course, they didn't.

"What! No one ever told you guys Orange Hope?" She deadpanned, "That's sad."

"Guess so!" Natsu smiled, but his brother narrowed his eyes.

"Igneel told us plenty! I bet the Salamander and the fly trumps this stupid book." He crossed his arms.

"Umm, ok?" Lucy tried to appease the slightly agitated slayer. "Anyway, it's really simple. A warrior was tasked with fighting the world's greatest evil. He went out to do it, gathering a great army that follow him without question, and when the battle started, the warrior disappeared. His men died and the evil warrior won. That's where the phrase 'Don't give me orange hope' came from." Lucy explained, the other blonde looked troubled.

"But this book is themed around the origins of the story itself. It's really very impressive...Actually I've seen this before! It was at a library. How'd you get it?" Lucy asked, but Naruto wasn't paying attention anymore. He was thinking, and judging from the furrowed brow, not pleasant thoughts.

Natsu answered for him. "He doesn't know. Just found it, I guess. Anyway, Lucy I wanted to talk to you..." And with that, he dragged her off the rest of the way to the request board.

Naruto sighed. "That doesn't really help... I just need to know why Red gave it to me. Wait... I know! I'll just ask the author! He's bound to know something." The boy figured. He heard Naruto and Lucy leave, probably on a mission. Good, they're gone. That'll make this next part easier.

It was time he set out. To find the old fox, the author... And that guy.

He gathered his things, stood up, put the book back in his bag, and turned to come face to face with a frowning white haired master. And he looked pissed.

This happened a lot actually. Naruto would do something, Makarov would catch wind of it, and punish accordingly. For some reason, he made it a point to send him flying through a window or wall… and if he really blew it… a train.

Naruto gulped before smiling weakly at the master of Fairy Tail.

"Hey gramps." Naruto Dragneel greeted, "I was about to leave, so-"

This only served to make the old man even angrier as he growled, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out. I'm going to find Red." He answered, meeting the guild master's eyes questioningly.

"Naruto," He said with barely controlled rage, "You may be an S class wizard, but you are far too young to go on such… such journeys." He calmed down as he spoke, but the fire in his eyes didn't die. "Red isn't your friend. It's time you understood that."

The blonde didn't respond. For all his spirit, his face hardened.

Oh. That's what this was about.

"It's an unworthy cause for you! You could be doing so much more… like perfecting your new technique. Going out on some ludicrous journey to solve a problem that could just as easily be solved right now. Accept that Red is nothing more than your imagination in magic form. Once you do that, you can move on. Do you understand, Naruto?" The master was now nose to nose with the younger man, standing on the table to do so. The rest of the guild was watching the scene now, stopping mid conversation.

The guild listened for the blonde's response.

He didn't know how to.

Naruto could feel their stares and hear their soft whispering. He spared a glance at them, who darted their eyes. He knew what that meant.

They felt the same way.

His guild mates- no, his family didn't believe him. They thought what Makarov did. That Red was a manifestation of Dragon Slayer magic. Nothing more than a boy's glorified imagination.

"Red isn't real. Stop deluding yourself into… some… fantasy! Do you understand?" Makarov Dreyar was looking at Naruto like he was nothing more than a problem, but Naruto smelled something else. Something like regret.

The boy may not know much, but he knew what it was taking for his grandfather figure to say this. He was intentionally trying to convince one of his 'children' to give up on a goal… the complete opposite of what he had said many times before. The old man must truly think Naruto was getting into something bad. Something he wanted to protect him from.

That hurt Naruto more than he thought was possible.

They didn't believe in him. All they saw was a boy unable to let go of his imagination… and willing to put his life on the line for it. Die if necessary. They saw an unhealthy ambition.

Not someone who wanted to save a friend.

"Yes Master Makarov, I think I do." Naruto said after a long beat. His head lowered to hide his tears. But before Makarov could let go a sigh of relief, he continued, "I understand that on this one... I am alone."

Makarov was mortified, "No! That isn't at all what- How dare you even-"

Naruto held up a hand, stopping the old man's words. He had heard enough. Anymore and it might break him into millions of pieces. He started for the exit, and paused before leaving. He turned around and studied the faces in the room. Makarov. Macao. Wakabe. Mira. Elfman. Everyone looked back; saddened, shocked and ashamed.

They didn't believe him.

They weren't going to help him.

He was alone, and he just confirmed it.

All of this went against everything the guild stood for. They were supposed to be a family, having each other's back no matter what.

He rested a hand on his scarf, needing it's comfort.

"Fine then." Naruto said darkly. Slamming the door behind him and ignoring their cries for him to return. He left with nothing but the clothes on his back, a book in his bag, and the will to save a friend.

At that moment, it was enough.

XxxxXxx

North of Magnolia there is a mountain range. No one travels here by choice, due to the number of monsters and harsh environment. It snows nearly every day at the top and rarely rains at the bottom. This is a land of concentrated magic and unexplained happenings. To settle here would be asking for trouble. However, unknown to all but two, someone did live there. This particular lad doesn't get many visitors, for if someone happened to wander… He couldn't guarantee their safety. There was a reason for his isolation.

Of course, Naruto was on his way there now. To blend in with the normal crowd of people, he donned a brown traveling cloak that covered his face from the strong winds. He also had on brown leather gloves, long tan pants, boots, and a black coat.

He hadn't gone on this path for months, and neither had the other boy.

Naruto came to a patch of trees he recognised, stopping to check the bark of the tallest. He rubbed his thumb over a carving of a G and moved to the base of the mountain.

He removed the cloak from his ears and called out, "Hey! It's me! Where are ya?" He was standing on a clearing of sand and rock, looking baren to untrained eyes, but Naruto saw a campsite. There was a small circle of charred wood and a pile of leaves that made a bed. Small and simple. This was the guy he was looking for.

Naruto listened hard, waiting for a response or gruff welcome, but there was nothing but the wind and shuffling trees.

This wasn't that unusual. The boy he knew was… disturbed. He had a burden that no one should have to bear. But, a deal was a deal.

"Gaara, I know you're here." Naruto grumbled, scanning the trees again.

A rustle and a muffled sigh finally answered. Someone appeared from behind a rock.

"Naruto." A gravelly voice said coldly. The blonde turned, and grinned.

"So, what's new?" He said cheerfully, and moved closer to the other boy. "Wow, you got taller! But, not taller than me."

Gaara rolled raccoon- like eyes. His torn red cloak rested loosely on his shoulders and his grey shirt peaked out underneath. "What do you want?"

Naruto pouted comically, "Really? I make the journey all the way out here and the first thing you do is scowl? Maybe next time I won't bring candy!" He held the candy bar up almost tauntingly.

Gaara's features changed. His almost aloof behavior was forgotten and a hungry one replaced it. His blue eyes followed Naruto's hand as he moved it back and forth.

Yup. This got him.

"Give. That. NOW!" Gaara said, in a hypnotized way. He began walking forward with a purposeful glare before grabbing at the candy.

Naruto dodged out of the way and pulled the candy with him, "Not before I get a hello!" And dashed away up the mountain side.

"Naruto! Get back here!" The red head roared, his appearance forgotten and his desire for the holy food overwhelming, he chased after the laughing boy.

Xx Three years ago Xx

"Reeed, where are we going?" A grumpy Naruto whined. He was seated atop the fox, Natsu trailing beside them, a little Happy on his head.

'Shut up. I have to check something out..'

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. Really, all he wanted to do was go home after the day they'd had. Actually, it was more like a week of non stop missions. Natsu was saving up for a house... And of course Naruto had to help.

It was a pain in the butt for the younger boy, who in all honesty, just wanted to goof around at the Guild hall all day. If it hadn't been his only older brother who asked...

The pink haired Dragon Slayer sniffed the air suddenly, "Hey, you smell that?"

Naruto took a deep breath in, then tilted his head. "Smoke. Hey, I thought you said nobody lived here."

Natsu nodded, "That's what Gramps said." Then he sped up, like a dog after a bone... Or a Dragon slayer after an intriguing scent.

'Interesting... Even I wouldn't have guessed...' Red hummed, and ran to keep pace with the pink haired boy. The open plains they ran through soon turned into a sandy mountain base, and the four halted.

There, standing not ten feet from them, was a black deamon... And it wreaked. The Slayer's sensitive noses were nearly fried and they recoiled.

"What the heck is that?" Naruto gawked. It was like a pile of sludge, constantly changing form and about fifty feet high, a house across. Glowing red eyes peered at them from the black brown goo, almost with mirth.

While anyone who took off and never came back wouldn't be called cowardly in this situation, I think it can be assumed what the brothers decided to do.

"Who cares? I think it's flammable!" Natsu grinned and extended his right arm to light it on fire. The orange flames danced excitedly, mirroring their master's mood.

Naruto wasn't as certain. "Natsu, it hasn't even done anything yet. We can't just-"

"GAURRRAHH" The thing seemed to utter a battle cry as it sprouted arms and flung them at Naruto.

"Nevermind! Get fired up!" The boy disclaimed, and Red took the boy out of the way. They sprinted to the other side of the sludge as Natsu charged.

The older boy pulled his hand back and sent it crashing into the thing's base, causing it to splash back onto him, coating him in sludge.

"Ach!" He exclaimed, but continued his assault. The black demon, of course, noticed and growled again. With surprising speed it moved forward, attempting to run the pink haired slayer over.

Natsu responded by dissipating the sludge faster, but was falling behind as the sheer amount of it overwhelmed him. Natsu gritted his teeth and saw his only chance was to get out of there. He tried to retreat back, but stepped on a bit of the slimy substance. His legs fell out from under him and the boy fell onto his back.

It was almost in slow motion.

The sludge descended, going to cover him completely and… He held Happy close.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, preparing for the worst, when "Fire Dragon: Roar!" Sounded, and Naruto appeared next to him, giving him a 'let's go!' look and Iron fisted the sludge. Where Natsu was falling behind, Naruto's attacks kept up perfectly, covering the three of them in a dome as the sludge surrounded them.

Natsu was surprised. Naruto… Saving him? Little did he know that his was Naruto's realization as well.

He could protect his brother.

Natsu pushed himself off the ground as Happy whined, "What's going on?"

Now side by side, the brothers could strategize.

"Ok, what's the plan?" Naruto growled, sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

"Well… We're surrounded on all sides by sludge, getting knee deep in the stuff, and running out of oxygen. What do you think we do?" Natsu said, helping to scrape a dome around them.

Naruto didn't miss a beat as he replied, "Double roar?"

Natsu grunted affirmative and filled up with what little air remained, as did Naruto. Through unspoken agreement, they targeted one spot in the pitch black oncoming sludge and released the pent up power in a swirling vortex of blue and red flames.

The explosion busted a hole through the remaining blob, giving the boys just enough time to get out, and roll in the dirt. They looked at eachother, then at the creature.

They'd knocked the thing down to size, taking thirty feet from it at least. It was still advancing, however, bubbling and making gurgling sounds.

Red went to them, sniffing then recoiling.

'Gah! You smell like death.' He said in Naruto's mind.

Naruto ignored him, "Natsu did you notice?"

"What?'

"The black stuff on the ground everywhere, why hasn't he absorbed it back up?" The dirty blonde boy gestured to the field of goop.

A lightbulb went off in Natsu's head, "It can't!" He exclaimed, "Lay it on heavier!"

As one, they jumped at the thing and gave it another round of Double roar, and the attack blew away the rest of the goop.

All that remained was a pile of sludge.

"Yes!" Natsu whooped and threw Happy in the air, catching him, and repeating.

"That was so much easier than punching it." Naruto panted, leaning over to catch his breath.

Natsu laughed, agreeing with him. "Well, we learned one thing. It doesn't catch on fire."

That, for some odd reason, made them all laugh, causing Happy to chirp "Aye!"

'Yes. You're both stupid.' Red snapped, he maneuvered his head to look Naruto in the eye, 'Idiots! What did Natsu think would happen?! Gurr.' The fox snorted and snapped his jaws at the pink haired dragon slayer.

"Relax, nothing happened! And the thing's dead, isn't it?" Naruto looked back at the pile of motionless gunk, only to take back what he just said.

There, lying in the middle of the sludge, was a skinny boy wrapped in rags. He was motionless… almost like he was dead.

Naruto went closer, against Red's warnings, and felt his neck for a pulse.

But, that wasn't necessary as the red haired boy slurred, "N-n- no. Naruto… Must find Naruto…"

XxxxXxx

Back to the present, we find Naruto and Gaara sitting around a small campfire in silence. The red haired boy was sucking on a lollypop, and the blonde was staring at the flames hungrily, a blue blanket wrapped around his shoulders for comfort. Not that he was cold, but after the day he'd just had…

The only sounds were the crackling of the fire, and the bugs singing to fill the air.

"So… What do you want?" Gaara asked, not as hostile, but still wary. He focused his pale blue eyes on the other boy, who continued to look at the fire.

"Why do you stay out here?" Naruto finally said, not looking up.

"You know why. I can't be among… among normals." Gaara's face was neutral, but his voice betrayed his true emotions. Frustration, longing, and sadness was all in the word Normals.

"Why didn't you let us find you help that day… There are so many people we could ask..." Naruto trailed off, already knowing his answer but asking it anyway. He always asked these questions.

Gaara wasn't in the mood.

"Naruto, answer my question. We both know why I am here, what I want to know is why you are."

The blonde pulled his blanket closer around him and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He let his shoulders sag and his head bow, studying the ground in front of him.

"Because… I don't know where else to go." He admitted softly. "It's never happened before… but I can't go go back to the guild."

The red head wouldn't pretend to understand that statement. He didn't know much about the boy across from him… But he could tell it was a big deal.

Still, that didn't explain why he chose to bug Gaara.

"Humph." Gaara snorted, "So, what do you plan to do? To me, you seem suicidal. You've seen what I become-"

"Shut up about that!" Naruto shouted angrily, "I'm tired of you using that as an excuse! You think I don't know the real reason you're out here? It's not because you can turn into a monster. Stop pretending it is."

Gaara looked away from the whiskered boy, who had stood up and clenched his fists.

Naruto sat down, and looked at the fire.

They let the conversation die, finding it easier to stay in silence than face the elephants in the room. Though, Gaara couldn't help but wonder what the fox rider really wanted.

XxxxXxxxxXxx

Cries of horror, shed tears, and a bloodlust were all this girl could feel at the moment. She was a bookworm. Sakura Kisho was a freakin bookworm and she accepted it. Embraced it even. She wore round glasses, always had her light pink hair in a ponytail, and carried a book in her arms at all times.

She. Loved. BOOKS.

So, when someone messed with her dealer… or… Library, she was TICKED. PISSED. ANGRY BEYOND A MORTAL'S COMPREHENSION.

The girl was mad, get it? Like… beat someone over the head with a brick mad.

"Whoever they are, I will find them. And I will kill them." She swore, and turned on her heel away from the burning rubble.

"Umm, miss? Why are you going that way?" A nicely dressed man asked, rushing to keep up with her and holding an umbrella above her head.

"Not now, Mike. I have some research to do. Revenge to plan. People to murder. CHA!" She roared at the sky, promising her words to the universe.

"I don't believe your mother would approve…" Mike said weakly, but was promptly ignored as the two made their way away from the carriage and toward town. She knew what to do… Who to call to help her…

"Mike, get me a Guild request form. I think it's time I called in a favor with a certain Phantom Lord."

XxxxXxx

Red was buried once again. He could see what was happening, in a way, but he couldn't keep up with his own mind.

It frustrated him to no end.

It was like being sealed away all over again, except inside a mad man… well… again.

"I will kill that she devil!" He roared, running full force into his newest prison.

The Beast's mind was always shifting. That meant the mind scape was shifting as well, from a burning town, to a mountain, to cages.

No warning, no pattern. Just madness and confusion.

"Good luck with that." A female voice said in a bored way.

Kurama glared at the exceed next to him, who was lazily staring at the ceiling of their newest prison. A cave.

"Not now. Not when I need to know! Does he understand? He is the book! He must not remember…"

"Then why'd you influence Beast to do it?" The red furred cat demanded, propping herself onto her elbow.

"I didn't. The beast just picked up on my… what I thought were suppressed memories. If only we hadn't tried to stop the creature from here."

"Yeah, that was my bad. Big deal, we'll have better luck next time!" She said, jumping up and studying the cave around them. "Yes, if we can just…"

"Humph. No, I will not try again. If anything, I will try to get the Beast to kill himself." Now there was a good idea.

Shock and anger overcame her calculating cat emotions and she rounded on the big fox. "Like hell I'll let you! If He goes, we could go." She snarled.

Kurama didn't respond, but instead laid down, sighing.

"That's what I thought. Now listen, I had an idea…"

XxxxxXxxxx

Hmm… This is so so short… But! I think it's a good place to stop. I would just like to point out that the first chapter took me a whole 6 months. I know I like it when the chapters are let out faster and kinda shorter than really really long and years between. I don't know… Tell me what you think. I could do it either way :/

I know the whole scene with Makarov and Naruto was uncharacteristic. Normally, the guild would be like "Go for it!" But bare with me, it'll all be explained.

One more thing, I need a beta. I've been looking around for one, but I would love suggestions!

P.S. I can't read minds, so until I can… Review?

Next Time-

"Gaara, want to help me out?" Naruto asked, for once not sporting his trademark smirk. He was being serious, giving the other boy an opportunity to get out of his forest. A chance to escape…

"ATTENTION PHANTOM LORD!" A girl roared, interrupting the guild's previous subdued mood. Gajeel Redfox grimaced, praying quietly to whatever god was up there that it wasn't THAT girl… "GAJEEL, come here." He died a little inside, letting out a groan.

Find out on… Naruto Dragneel