Chapter 27: Place Your Bets, Hokage's!
It was very stuffy in the racing arena, Naruto noticed. The Square had been open since morning and had already seen many races already. The stench of Chocobos and sweat filled the air, but that was only because they were all huddled together. It would soon disperse once the race started.
Naruto patted Shu's head and she closed her eyes, indicating that she enjoyed the feeling.
"Let's do our best, Shu," he whispered and the chocobo nodded.
Joe was also in the race, and gave Naruto a wink as he entered the arena with Shu. His Chocobo, Grey, was a white Chocobo with neatly trimmed feathers and sharp, focused eyes that eagerly looked at the racecourse, stamping its feet down impatiently. Naruto tried to ignore the intimidating looks of the other jockeys and promptly climbed onto Shu's back, holding onto the reins as he waited for the race to start.
Meanwhile at a certain house in Heaven…
A spiky, blond haired man and a long, red haired woman were sitting in front of a huge, wide screen TV. The man had a huge smile on his face as he looked at a certain figure on the screen. The woman had a warm, soft smile on her face as she concentrated on the same person on the TV.
"Twelve years ago if someone told us that our son was going to participate in a race in another universe I would have pointed them to the nearest psycho ward but now its happening," said the man.
"Indeed, I'm so proud of our son," replied the woman.
There was a knock on the door and the blond got up and walked over to the door. Opening it only served to make his smile get even wider.
"Twig! Puddle Splasher! Saru! How you doing?"
Three people were standing in front of him. The first on was tall and had long, brown hair with thin strands falling in front of his face and dark brown eyes. The second had long, light grey, spiky hair and light brown eyes. And the third was an old man with short grey gair and black, kind looking eyes.
The one referred as 'Puddle Splasher' started fuming and yelled, "Stop calling me that!"
"Why? It's fun to get a rise out of you," the blond replied with a big smirk.
"Now now Minato," said 'Twig', "we're not here to go out drinking though that might be a possibility after we watch the race."
"That's right! I want to cheer Naruto on," said Saru.
Minato pouted a bit but moved out of the way to find two more people behind them.
"Zabuza! Haku! This is turning into quite a party. I assume you're here to see the race?" he asked.
"Yeah, since I haven't been able to get any info on what is going on I thought I would come and watch," said the ex-Devil of the Mist.
"He's just worried," Haku said while smirking.
"I am not!" yelled Zabuza.
"How about you just come in. The race is about to start," said Minato.
They all filed in and walked into the lounge room. The woman was still on the couch but when she saw the guests she stood up and bowed to the newcomers.
"Welcome Shodame-san, Nidame-san, Sarutobi-san, Zabuza-san and Haku-chan. Did you all come to watch the race with us?"
"Kushina, good to see you, and yes we did," said Sarutobi.
"Well it's just about to start. Oh by the way, have any of you placed any bets?" asked Minato.
"I did. It was good odds. If he wins I'll be able to afford watching his travels in my own home," explained Zabuza while rubbing his hands.
"Hey, looks like it's starting," pointed out the Nidame as he looked at the TV.
Back at the race…
At that moment the lights signaling the beginning of the race began to flash, and all of the jockeys prepared to launch their Chocobos into a quick, sudden dash to get them a good position at the start. Then, when the last light turned green, the race began.
The jockeys all set off, pushing their Chocobos forward in a quick, sudden dash past the starting line and through the short tunnel that was shaped like a Mog's mouth. Naruto ran with them, startled by the sudden rush of exhilaration that came with the thrill of a race.
As they passed through the Mog Mouth Tunnel and onto the blue path that quickly turned into a rainbow-coloured tunnel, the jockeys finally pulled back on the reins and forced their Chocobos to slow down a little, using just enough stamina to break ahead. Now they were more spaced out and not so cramped together, and that was when the true race began.
Naruto found himself in third place when he pulled on Shu's reins and forced her to slow down. Shu spoke just loud enough for only Naruto to hear.
"I have lots of stamina for this race so we don't need to slow down," she said.
"I know, but it would seem suspicious so we'll slow down for now," replied Naruto.
Shu nodded and they continued on in silence. He was not surprised to see Joe leading the race as they moved out of the rainbow tunnel and into the patch of grass and forest, a single red sign with a yellow arrow pointing them round to the right slightly where the rest of the racecourse was waiting for them. Joe's Chocobo had been bred specifically for riding, and with a perfect pace and speed, but Naruto was confident that Shu could pass him.
One thing Naruto noticed as they went progressed steadily through the racecourse was just how strange and different every single area was. First had been the Mog tunnel and its blue path, and then into a short rainbow tunnel with its multicolored walls and floors, so perfectly painted they looked natural, and now they were running on grass. It was not real grass, for Naruto could see the faint signs of dark blue-black of rubber that held the artificial grass up, but it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
The rubber was also helping the Chocobos move along through the racecourse. With each slam of their clawed feet against the floor it seemed to propel them along, giving them extra bursts of speed that wouldn't use up their stamina. Although Naruto was unaware of the position of the other three riders, he could see Joe and the second-place jockey right ahead of him.
Following the grassy path area came another area that was again distinctly different from the previous areas. The new area had a floor that was like a chess board, covered in black and white squares that ran on and on ahead of them before curving sharply to the right. Naruto saw Joe push his Chocobo a little harder and swerve slightly to the right as he approached the turn, wanting to get close to the wall before the Chocobo ran round and swerved towards the far wall. Naruto figured he ought to do the same, and quickly made Shu swerve towards the near wall.
It was a lucky thing for Naruto that he did do it right then, for the jockey in front of him swerved just a little too late, so that when he reached the corner and ran round, his Chocobo moved dangerously close to the wall. The realization of that and a quick flash of panic caused him to tug harshly on his Chocobo's reins, and the Chocobo staggered and nearly fell over. This mistake caused him to stop as Naruto sailed past on his Chocobo, and it was only after another rider passed him that he was able to start again.
Back in Heaven…
"Hooyaa! That's my boy. Win it. Win it. Win it!" yelled Minato as he was bouncing up and down on the couch.
"Come on win! I want you to win!" called Zabuza.
"Yeah! You can do it. I know you can," said Sarutobi passionately as he kept his eyes firmly fixed in the screen.
Everyone else was watching calmly as the three were doing all the cheering for them. If only certain people in Konoha could see them now.
Back at the race…
Naruto didn't look back as he continued to run around the large bend, focused on keeping Shu's agile and energetic body in check and as close to the wall as possible so that he didn't lose control of her. He knew when the bend came to an end for he saw Joe ahead of him relax his grip on the reins, and his Chocobo slowed into a less controlled run.
They were now running on an upward slope, heading towards a small wooden bridge with yellow lights shining up on it that would guide them into the next area. Joe was still steadily pulling away from Naruto, and the blond knew he had to catch up to the rival jockey before he pulled too far ahead, otherwise there would be no way he could win.
Now running on a brown track, passed a gigantic open oyster shell with a huge shimmering pearl glistening inside, Naruto focused on using a little more of Shu's pent up energy and speed in order to try and pass Joe and get in the lead of the race. He got the feeling that the racer behind him was getting in fairly close and would pass him if he didn't take a risk on Shu's stamina. He dug in his heels slightly and leaned slightly forward. He felt Shu's relieved response instantly as she began to run faster, but only until Naruto tugged gently on her reins to tell her that was the speed she needed to go. Shu did as she was told and ran steadily forwards, and they gradually began to catch up on Joe.
Turning around into the next area Naruto was awestruck by the high stone pillars that lined their path, each one tipped with a ball of holographic flames. Even though they were only holograms Naruto could feel the artificial heat against his skin, but Shu didn't seem to mind it at all. So Naruto kept on leaning forward and pushed her onwards.
A flash of light suddenly zipped past Naruto and made him jump. Shu squawked loudly and fluttered her wings a little, just as a second wave of eerie green light fell over her and Naruto.
Naruto looked up and saw more holograms floating above the racecourse. Holograms shaped like spaceships – at least two of them – with a number of pointy aerials and domed tops flew overhead, the light coming from the centre like some sort of beam that was scanning them over. Naruto kept his hold on the reins as they ran through that area, though Shu had calmed down a lot.
He was immensely relieved once they passed through into the crystal area, where clumps of blue-shaded crystals bordered the path, and Naruto once again focused on catching up with Joe. Thankfully Joe's Chocobo had also been startled by the holographic UFOs and had fallen back a foot or two, making Naruto a little closer to him.
Naruto used this to his advantage and began to push Shu in his direction, hoping to pass him on the right before the course swerved around again past a series of showcases containing small black globules. Slowly but surely Shu gained speed and eventually reached the tail end of Joe's Chocobo, and was steadily getting closer to being level with them.
Joe finally noticed Naruto running up next to him as they passed the showcases and onto a second grassy path, with a log bridge just ahead of them. He smiled at Naruto and gave him a wave as Naruto ran up beside him, clearly enjoying the race more than anything else, and he seemed very impressed that Naruto had managed to catch up with him.
Naruto smiled and waved back, before something else caught his eye and he turned the other way. They were now crossing the log bridge, and to their right was a holographic waterfall, with the hologram continuing its realism way below them. There was a holographic rider on the waterfall, sitting in a canoe right on the edge. As Naruto ran past he saw the canoeist turn around sharply and quicken his strokes, trying to break away from the edge before he fell. He failed, however, and he tumbled over the edge and down towards the water. Again Naruto wondered who had designed such a racecourse, with its different areas and strange designs.
'Weird,'
"I agree but we must keep our focus on the race,"
'You're right, thanks,'
He and Joe were now coming up to what was most likely one of the final areas of the racecourse. The ground beneath them seemed to disappear until it was just a semi-transparent blue path, and, looking around, it looked as though they were running through space itself.
The air around them seemed very dense and Naruto felt as though it was much harder to move. Shu had ducked her head low and was running almost at an automatic sprint as she ran alongside Joe's Chocobo, almost neck and neck, leaving Naruto to gaze at the scenery.
Below them was a large moon, obviously not life-size but very realistic. Floating above the path was a huge satellite, and Naruto nearly fell off as he craned his neck back to look at it. He didn't take too long to look around, for they were already coming to the end of the space area, and with Shu pulling just slightly ahead of Joe's Chocobo, he had to be prepared for what would be the final sprint.
As they passed through the final turn of the space area and broke free they rapidly picked up speed again, and Naruto realized that Shu was now running full tilt towards the finish line ahead.
Joe was just a split second behind but was steadily falling back. A quick glance back at his face made Naruto think that he was holding back a little on purpose, which surprised him a little. Still, it made him glad, for now they were in first place and so close to the finish line.
Back in Heaven…
"GO!" everyone shouted as they all stood up.
Back at the race…
The finish line – a beam of green light that ran horizontally from end to end of the racecourse, flashed brightly as Shu passed through it. The echo of loud and happy cheers came through the walls of the racecourse as Naruto pulled harshly on the reins and made Shu skid into a sharp stop.
Joe stopped just a second later and instantly jumped off his Chocobo, pulling off his helmet as he did. He went straight over to Naruto and shook his hand firmly, just as the last of the racers finally pulled into the finishing area.
Back in Heaven…
"YEAH!" yelled Minato as he punched the air with his fist.
"I WON!" screamed Zabuza like a girl that surprised everyone.
Haku shook her head at Zabuza's antics as she gazed at Naruto as he was walking off the race track.
"Now let's go drinking together!" called out Minato to everyone. They all agreed as they piled out of the door to go have one of their drinking sprees.
Back at the Golden Saucer…
"Congratulations!" Ester cried happily. She ran over to Naruto as he entered the waiting room with Shu and threw her arms around him cheerfully, despite the fact that he was still hot and flustered from the race. "Now you're home free!" She gave Naruto a tight squeeze before she released him and quickly held out an envelope. "Oh yeah, the owner told me to give this letter to you when you won."
Naruto took the envelope and ripped it open, wondering what Dio had written. As he slowly unfolded the letter and looked at the hasty joined-up writing, he hoped that Ester had managed to do what she said she would, and they would all be free. He could feel Ester's eager gaze on him, and so he read the letter aloud.
Boy, if you're reading this letter, then you must've won. And won a victory I'm sure you earned. Now that you are victorious, I promise that you and all your friends will get a full pardon, and you all will be set free. And also, by way of apology, I prepared a little gift for you to use on your journey. Sorry I couldn't be there to tell you this in person, but I am a very busy man. Sincerely, Dio.
"A gift?" Naruto asked, looking over at Ester. She didn't reply, but there was a smug smile on her face that made him figure she had something to do with it. He never had the chance to ask her, for a buzzing sound in his pocket made him jump. He took out his phone and flipped it open, putting speakerphone on.
"Hey, Gaara here,"
"Hey. You guys alright?"
"Yeah we just got out. Dio gave us a buggy to help us with traveling. Aeris seems to be on a sugar high at the moment. We'll be waiting outside for you," and then he hung up.
Naruto put his phone away, picturing Aeris running towards the buggy in her usual state of happiness, eager to take the wheel. Just thinking of that made him shake his head pitifully, his blond hair shaking in front of his eyes. He looked down at the letter and saw faint marks of writing on the other side.
'Hmm? The letter continues…' he thought, and turned it over to continue reading.
P.S: I just recently met Sephiroth. He must have a lot of fans with boys your age. Why don't you get his autograph? It seems he's headed towards the South of the river, towards Gongaga.
"Well at leased we have a destination now," he said to himself. He folded up the letter and placed it carefully back in the envelope.
So Sephiroth had been at the Gold Saucer after all. Naruto did wonder how Dio had come to meet him, and even more, how he had got out of it without being killed. But then, from the look of Dio as Naruto remembered, he figured that even Sephiroth would have a hard time getting his sword through those muscles.
"I guess this is goodbye," said Ester, and Naruto looked at her. "Yeah. If you ever have time, come back again. I'll take care of your registration and everything. I'll see you again."
The buggy sure was something, and, as Naruto had expected, Aeris was sitting at the wheel with an excited look on her face. She, Tifa and Cait cheered as Naruto walked up, and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Naruto turned to Shu. "Thank you for helping me in the race Shu,"
"No problem, I had fun. I'll see you later Naruto," Shu said as she winked at him before poofing back to her own realm.
Naruto climbed up into the back of the buggy, sitting with Gaara and Cloud with Nanaki on their laps, as Barret had taken the seat next to Aeris. Tifa, Yuffie and Cait sat in the middle.
"Where to?" asked Aeris from the driver's seat.
Everyone slowly turned to Naruto, waiting for his answer. "I got a letter from Dio saying his apologies and said that he met Sephy and that he was heading south to a town called Gongaga. Cloud, do you know how to get there?"
Cloud nodded. "I'll direct you,"
"Well then? Let's go!" said Naruto, rubbing Nanaki's ears as he closed his eyes in contentment. Aeris started up the buggy and headed out across the sands.
JRK: Oh yeah. The first book finished. Keep the reviews coming.
Kyuubi: The second book will be called ….. um… what will it be called?
JRK: Book 2: Holy and Meteor.
Naruto: Ooooooo.
JRK: Yep, it's going to be good and thank you to everyone who reviewed this book. Thank you to Divine Emperor for his ideas.