Stand By Me

Chapter 11: Progression?

This should have been an impossible order. Only the most sadistic and insane commander would ever order his soldiers to do something like this with a time limit. Yet here they were, panting and exhausted, yes, but they made it; all the way across the ocean and then some. They couldn't very well swim up to the entrance the normal way since it would defy the whole point of them even attempting to arrive in Altissia like this.

The suits that Leader had given them had worked out perfectly. They had been slightly sceptical (okay, maybe a bit more than slightly) when they were told that wearing this would give them a significant edge but once they tried it out, they were pleasantly surprised by its functions. Needless to say, both of them agreed silently that they were going to buy something for the old man that made them the suits.

The whole trip was done underwater, and whilst there weren't any boosters attached to the suit, for some reason, they were able to swim at twice the speed they would have been able to had they been on the surface. No wonder Leader told them they didn't have to worry about getting to Altissia in one day.

Crowe and Nyx had successfully 'emerged' on Altissia's port without any complications, mingling in with the crowd with ease. Now, all they needed to do was get to the meet-up spot where someone was supposed to meet up with them and brief them on their next tasks.

Emphasis on supposed.

"I don't see him." Nyx mumbled as he checked the surroundings in a discreet manner, "Or her."

"I guess it was too much to ask for him to tell us who or what we're actually looking for." Crowe frowned as she too, failed to see who their target was. If this was his idea of a joke, it wasn't very funny for them.

The good news was there weren't any signs of Imperial soldiers yet, so at least they had some time on their side. The bad news was they weren't really making use of that time considering how they've just spent the last hour trying to find the person that was going to meet up with them. At this rate, who knows when the person might show up.

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong place?"

"Nyx, we've checked every possible place by now."

"We could have missed something."

"You said the same thing half an hour ago, so we switched areas and did a search once more."

Shrugging, Nyx crossed his arms and frowned, "You know, we might have been wrong in our search."

"Huh?"

"We've been looking for people who would know our Glaive signs, but come to think of it, Leader has never really used those, has he?"

Crowe drummed her fingers on her chin as she thought about it, "Now that you mention it…"

"What did he say before we left?"

"Ha! Don't worry, you'll see him easy."

Both of them looked at each other, "Easy… Meaning that person must stand out amongst the crowd."

"But, no one really stands out." Crowe grumbled frustratingly as she tried to figure this out.

"Maybe it's not a 'person'." Nyx's eyes, however, were now glued to a 'target'.

The brunette raised an eyebrow as she followed his gaze, "Really?"

"I'm actually surprised we didn't point this out earlier."

"But it's right there. I thought it was just a stray."

"Hm, a stray fox just roaming a city on water."

At that, even Crowe had to admit it was unlikely to be a coincidence for the fox to just be there. Come to think of it, it hadn't moved an inch from its spot. No one else seemed to pay it any mind, walking past it as though it didn't existed. The more she thought about it, the more surprised she was, "Wait, why are we only just realizing that a crimson fox is such an obvious target? And how come no one seems to care?"

Nyx sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "This might be that 'genjutsu' thing Leader used to tell us about. The art of mirages or something like that."

Crowe grimaced, "So it's very likely that the fox isn't normal either."

"I don't think a normal fox would stay that still in the middle of such a bustling city." Nyx gave a short nod towards his partner, before making his way towards it, "Let's give it a try. We could still be wrong."

"Doubt it. This would make the most sense."

With that, the two of them braced themselves and walked towards the fox that had been there the whole time they were searching. At this stage, they were pretty much ready for anything. Nothing else would surprise them.

"Keh, took you idiots long enough."

Nyx was just about to open his mouth to 'greet' the fox, only to raise an eyebrow as he heard that, "Did you…?"

Crowe on the other hand, had her eyes widening at an alarming pace, "What…?"

"Oi, stop gaping at my awesome presence and move it. We've lost enough time as it is."

With that, the fox stood on all fours, before waving its tail at them, as though beckoning them to follow it. It was quite interesting seeing such a disgruntled expression on the face of what was supposed to be a very cute animal, if one could overlook the fact that it did something no animal should be able to do.

Both glaives continued standing there like frozen statues, unsure how to proceed with their next course of action. Their brain was still taking its time to compute what they had just seen. This fox couldn't be a normal animal, ducks didn't talk, cows didn't talk, so why would foxes talk?! It must be a daemon, there was no other explanation, that would mean they must –

"Ow!"

"Hey!"

The response to that was a slap in the face from the fox's bushy tail, "I said move!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

***** ~ XV ~ *****

The sun was blazing in Cape Caem as the Amicitia 'slaved' away in the garden, taking care of the five carrots that the shady business owner insisted on buying. Till this point, Gladiolus still couldn't believe how much it took to just sort out five carrots. The amount of work that went into taking care of them (according to what Iris had showed him) was immense!

You would think sticking seeds into the ground, watering them every now and then would be enough, and voila, the next day you get five carrots! Sadly, it didn't work like that in this case. It was quite unsettling how that Claude guy just stood there, without moving from his spot. Like literally, he didn't move one step. He was dressed in a freaking suit for Eos sake, and in this blazing weather, Gladiolus didn't even want to imagine the amount of sweat that would perspire. Yet the French business owner seemed perfectly comfortable in his position. Unsettling, to say the least.

Sighing as he finally finished sorting out the soil, he was just about to go grab the fertilizer when Iris' voice sounded, "Onii-chan? General Cor is on the line for you!"

Blinking, the older Amicitia frowned, "Oh?" Quickly dusting his hands, he rushed into the house to see his sister holding out the phone to him with a smile, "Did he say what it's about?"

"Nope."

"I see. Alright, I'll take it."

"Hm!" Iris nodded and handed over the phone obediently, before heading outside, "Take your time!"

Gladiolus gave a grateful smile, before regaining his serious tone, "Gladiolus here."

"Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, it's fine. What can I do for you?"

"Ha! No small talk I see, same old Gladiolus."

The Amicitia shook his head slightly, holding silent for the question that would come.

"Well, in that case, have you got some time on your hands? I've got something that might interest you."

Frowning, Gladiolus replied, "Er, sure. Anything for you, sir."

"Meet me at Crow's Nest in Taelpar tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir."

With that, the line went dead. Gladiolus sat there for a moment, pondering the call. It wasn't every day the Immortal general just called you up for a chit-chat. He must have something important he wanted to convey to him.

Getting to his feet, he went back outside, searching for his sister, "Iris!"

"Yeah?"

"I've got some business to take care of tomorrow, so I'll be away for a couple of days, will you be alright by yourself?"

"Pft, I'm a grown up! I can take care of myself just fine, thank you very much! Besides, I've got Claude and the others to keep me company."

Rolling his eyes, he ruffled her hair the same way he had done over the years, "Just don't cause too much trouble, you little trickster."

"Hehe!"

***** ~ XV ~ *****

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me." Naruto grumbled as he sat at the table, munching away on his French toast, "You knew I was looking for her."

Lunafreya simply giggled at the disgruntled blond, "But you were having such a good time with Kurama-san, I thought it rude to intrude."

"No, you didn't. She told you not to tell me, right?" Jerking his head to the serene goddess seated beside him, Naruto shook his head, "Women are evil, all of you."

"I'm hurt that you'd feel that way." Gentiana spoke in that calm, silky voice of hers, "I can always leave and come back later."

"Oh no, you don't." Naruto growled as he glared at the Ice Queen, "You haven't told me what transpired in your talks!"

"Is that all I am to you? A source of information?" The teasing just never stopped with this woman.

"Oh for the love of…"

"Mo, Gentiana, stop torturing him."

"Ah, my apologies. I simply can't resist the temptation when it comes to this man." Those violet orbs shined with delight as she watched her favourite blond finish up the last of his breakfast.

"Keh, says the one who evaded my hug and sent me sprawling to the floor."

"That, my dear, was not a hug." Gentiana chuckled, remembering that particular scene.

"It so was! And you dodged it!"

"It was a flying tackle." The flat tone in her voice was loud and clear.

"No, it wasn't! Luna, be my witness! It was an honest to Eos hug!"

The Oracle had to stifle the laughter that was welling up as the scene from yesterday replayed in her mind. Naruto had truly been very excited to see Gentiana and for some reason, had decided to do a running start and leap towards the Goddess, leaving said Ice Queen no choice but to move to the left. The end result, of course was the blond spiralling into the wall and sliding down, face-first, onto the ground. He wasn't hurt or anything on the outside, but his ego was definitely bruised.

"I thought we had a connection, a bond! Now I know it's all lies!" Naruto declared as he drank his milk, "You were just using me for your own gains!"

Gentiana simply nodded along, with that smile on her face, watching the man she admired make a fool of himself, "If you say so."

"You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"Why, I would never do such a thing."

"That's a lie! You would do it on a daily basis if you could!"

Standing up, the goddess walked straight up to the blond and pulled the pouting 'child' into her arms, "There, are we feeling better?"

In response, the blond instantly returned the embrace, once again spinning the Ice Queen all over the place, "Mwahahaha! Plan 'pout until Gentiana hugs you' a success!"

Lunafreya shook her head at the childishness shown by the blond, but understood that this was part of his charm. She had never seen Gentiana look so content anywhere else after all. She would always remember the first time she heard the Ice Queen truly laugh from the bottom of her heart; it was quite the monumental achievement considering how calm and collected she always was. Yet this blond had managed to open her heart and bring out her playful side, something that she had forgotten about many, many years ago.

As the two were spinning about, Naruto's phone rang, shaking Lunafreya out of her reverie. Picking it up, she waved the device at the spinning couple and called out, "Naruto-san! Incoming call!"

The Sage noticed it and ended his 'twirling' gracefully, placing Gentiana back on her feet with an exaggerated bow, before thanking Lunafreya and answering, "Hello?"

"All done, I'll be meeting up with him tomorrow morning."

"Heh, nice work. Thanks, Cor."

"You really think he's ready?"

"That guy is always ready. Remember when we got you in there?"

"I thought for sure that was your way of getting rid of me."

"Pft, as if. I had faith in your abilities."

"Uh huh, a mention of how many people died in there before sending me in would have been appreciated."

"Now, where would the fun be in that? Besides, you fight best when you're pushed into a corner."

"Alright, shall I bring him to Altissia once it's done?"

"Oh, oh, are you going to come join in the fun?"

"I've got a couple of things to take care of on my end, but once they're done, I'll meet up with you in Altissia."

"Excellent!"

"If it weren't for your clones handling our resistance forces, I probably wouldn't be able to leave."

"Sigh, well, we don't have that many of them, but they are elites, so there's that."

"At this stage, it'll never be a full-scale war against Niflheim. Infiltration and assassination seems to be our only bet."

"It's weird to hear the Immortal General say that."

"I've been converted over the years."

"Aw, stop it, you're making me blush."

"Ha! That will be the day. Anyway, that's all from me. Take care of the Princess."

"Will do, catch you next time."

It was quite interesting when Naruto finally revealed himself to Cor, considering how long the general had searched for him. He half-expected the Immortal to either punch him or hug him. He got both right, though it wasn't so much a punch as an exasperated swat and the hug was way stronger than he was prepared for, almost as if he wanted to snap him in half (he probably did).

Regardless, they had convened, shared some stories, insight and all that and had decided in their next moves. It wasn't like Naruto hadn't left any clues for Cor to tell him that he was indeed alive and kicking; it just wasn't enough for the poor general to find out exactly where the blond was, which of course was plenty frustrating. Nevertheless, the Sage was 'forgiven' and now they were both working separately to find ways to help 'buff' up Noctis and his boys.

"Was that General Cor?" Lunafreya asked interestedly.

"Yeah, he's sorting Gladiolus out for me. There is a place perfectly suited for the big guy, and I think after his run-in with Ravus, he sorely needs a power-up." Naruto shook his head helplessly, "There comes a time when human physicality can only accomplish so much. Against daemons, your muscles probably won't be enough to save you."

"They faced off my brother?!" The Oracle gasped, "Are they alright?"

"Wow, ye of no faith." Naruto teased before he was whacked on the head, "Ow."

Gentiana retracted her hand in a graceful manner only she could manage after hitting someone on the head, "Don't worry Luna, they're fine."

"Oh, that's good to hear." Breathing a sigh of relief, she grimaced, "I'm still trying to understand his actions."

The blond shrugged, "I want to be really shallow for once and just say he's doing this out of revenge."

"You mean always."

"Hey, I resent that! I may act shallow but that doesn't mean I am shallow!"

Lunafreya simply shook her head, "That was what I thought at first, but he was the one who encouraged me to make the right decision. Kurama-san was there with me too, he saw it."

"What."

"He and I may not always see eye to eye on everything, but I know he loves me still. Even during his most outrageous moments, he still wanted to keep me safe."

"Welp, if he's trying to take down Niflheim from the inside, he's playing the spy game very well." Naruto scratched his head, "Though it would coincide with what my source has told me. That kid is way too complicated for his own good. Then again, I can't really blame him."

Gentiana smiled as she sat next to her charge, "Do you believe in your brother?"

The Oracle nodded silently, though her worry was plain as day, "Of course, it's just that, sometimes I fear he may be trying too hard to right what he deems wrong."

"That… is surprisingly accurate." Naruto rubbed his chin as he assumed his thinking pose, "Either way, no need to worry. I've got tabs on his activities so if worse comes to worse, I'll get him out of there."

"Thank you, Naruto-san."

"Don't mention it. I did promise your mother to take care of both of you. Since he rejected my help openly, the only way to look after him was from the shadows, which ironically enough, has always been the Shinobi way, heh."

Lunafreya smiled gratefully, before asking, "Speaking of which, where is Kurama-san? I haven't seen him all morning."

"Ah yes. He's gone out to pick up your bodyguards."

The Oracle's eyes widened slightly, "Bodyguards?"

"Yep. You're pretty familiar with one of them. I managed to sort out the mess in Insomnia somewhat after you escaped from there."

At that moment, a knock sounded on the door, "Oi, we're back, let us in."

"Speak of the devil." Sending out a chakra pulse just to make sure no unwanted presence was nearby, Naruto opened the door and let the 'visitors' in, "Alright! I see you guys made it here… fine… Er, what happened?"

Kurama simply strolled towards Lunafreya and plopped himself in her lap, snuggling into a cosy position, "Saaaa, beats me."

The Ice Queen chuckled in mirth at the bemused expression on Naruto's face as he tried to figure out the reason why his subordinates seem unfocused. The female one was muttering 'it talks' constantly whereas the male seemed slightly disturbed but was silent about it.

"Commander Nyx!"

Said 'commander' blinked, shaking himself out of the distorted world of animals chatting with each other wherever he went, "Huh? Oof!"

Lunafreya had placed Kurama on her shoulder and rushed towards Nyx, pulling him into a tight hug, "You're alive!"

"Princess?" Staring in surprise at the warm welcome he had received, he quickly smiled reassuringly, "Yes, I managed somehow, thanks to Leader over there. It's good to see you're well too."

"Hm! How is Libertus-san?"

"He's recovering, his leg should be completely healed in another week or so, at least that's what he was hoping for."

"Oh, that's good." Her smile was contagious as one could just feel the relief rolling off her, "I just… I thought the worst had happened to you two after the incident at Insomnia…"

"Ha! I know, right? It's like this guy tries his hardest to kill himself whilst doing the most heroic of things." The brunette next to him finally spoke up after witnessing their interaction, "Pleased to make your acquaintance Princess, I'm Crowe."

"Nice to meet you, Crowe-san." The Oracle responded easily, "Are you part of the Glaives too?"

"Yep. Got picked up by the great Uzumaki Naruto and hadn't let up since."

"Aw, stop it you guys, you're making me blush."

"I was going to say how Nyx picked up more than just fighting skills from you." Crowe smiled roguishly, "He learned your daredevil tendencies at the same time."

Nyx could only smile thinly as he tried to signal to Crowe to shut up.

"Oooh, now that you mention it, it did feel a bit déjà vu-ish when – "

"Annnd stop. Let's not discuss our suicidal urges right now." Naruto gave a big, loud cough to try and stop the stampede of comments.

A short burst of laughter echoed throughout the room before things settled down.

"Crowe, you'll be up front and close to Luna."

"Yes sir."

"Nyx, sniping distance, no closer."

"Yes sir."

"You make it sound like you're assassinating her." Gentiana teased playfully.

"It's a habit of ours. We had that one mission where we had to convince others that we were going to assassinate someone but were actually ordered to protect all the way. It kinda grew on us and we stuck to this code ever since."

"Those were good times." Crowe mused, before shaking her head, "What happens when the Imperials come?"

Naruto scratched his cheek idly, "Eh, just blend in with the environment. I'll have a chat with Camelia about giving you a temporary position and the necessary access to stuff."

"Sweet!"

"As for Nyx, do what you do best. Scouting, observing and planning."

"Will do."

Clapping his hands together firmly, Naruto declared, "Yosh! Now, all we gotta do is wait for Noctis and co to show up. The Chancellor appears to be on his way over here, so it should only take a couple of days max. For all we know, he might show up in the next five minutes. Luna, make sure to rest up, alright?"

"Okay, I will."

"As for me, well, Gentiana and I have some things to catch up on before we see if we can have a chat with a friend of hers." Grinning, the blond shrugged, "We'll see if my luck holds up this time."

***** ~ XV ~ *****

"So what's your next destination? I can give you guys a short ride if you'd like." Aranea offered as they made their way through the grove.

"Somewhere clean would be nice." Prompto grumbled as he stared down at his dirt-covered self. He had to do a lot of rolling and dodging against that stupid bird. Noctis was fine because he had his warping abilities and Ignis was just his usual self, calculating where all the hits would land way beforehand. Him being the long-distance shooter, was rushed quite a few times by that bird, leading to several embarrassing moments in the fight. He doubted anyone would let him forget those.

"Well, old man Cid did mention we had to get this mithril treated before we could use it, so maybe Lestallum? We were going to play it by ear and see if there was anything we missed around here before heading back."

"Hmmm." Aranea raised an eyebrow, contemplating her next words, "Well, if you aren't in a hurry, there is something that might interest you."

"Oh?" Noctis answered, curious as to what this woman would suggest. Throughout their journey into the dungeon, they had bonded in an odd way, considering how this woman was the enemy and had fought them hard in that Imperial base. Yet, her honesty and laid back nonchalant attitude reminded him of another blond in his life and they found out she was actually really easy to get along with.

"There is this place, not far off from our current location. You might have heard of it before, called the Myrlwood?"

"Ah yes, we had a hunt request for a Treant in the Myrlwood. It was one of our options, but I'm guessing that is not the reason why you're mentioning that place?" Ignis replied.

"Well, we've never bothered actually venturing into that place to find out for ourselves, but there is this rumour that hidden within the depths of the woods is a tomb." Her eyes twinkled as she let that information sink into their head.

"A… tomb you say." Noctis tilted his head slightly, "Interesting…"

"We should totally go have a look then! Aranea-san wouldn't have suggested it unless she really cared about us!" Prompto cheered, before his head drooped, "Or she's got this huge ambush waiting for us there to skin us alive. Eeeek!"

Ignis rolled his eyes as Aranea waved her spear threateningly at Prompto, "Doubtful. If she wanted to ambush us, there really wasn't any need to help us with the Quetzalcoatl. What do you reckon, Noctis?"

Instead of answering Ignis immediately, the Prince instead chose to look at Aranea, "Mind showing us the way?"

The Captain blinked, before smirking, "You've got some guts, kid."

Noctis returned the smirk easily, "Oh you haven't seen nothing yet."

Ignis and Prompto looked between the two, before resigning themselves to their next trip.

"Oi, Biggs!" Aranea yelled out at her subordinates guarding the Airship.

"Yeah?"

"Set the coordinates for Myrlwood, that's our next destination."

"Ehhhh?! But I thought we were supposed to –"

"Do it!"

"Yes Mdm!"

"And tell Wedge to get some food ready for us!"

"Yes Mdm!"

Turning back the group, she gave a slight bow, before grinning, "Well then, Prince, shall we?"

***** ~ XV ~ *****

A/N: Sorry for the delay and the shorter chapter. I've been playing Persona 5 as much as I could and I've finally managed to finish it. So far, for me at least, that game is GOTY. So much entertainment and replay value. About 3 trophies away from plat-ing it in New game plus, so that's what I'll be doing, heh. I'll make sure the next chapter has more progression and will include the Gladiolus DLC (which was disappointing, to say the least). Either way, comments are always welcome, as usual, cheers guys!