You Have Your Demons and I Have Mine

Chapter 1

"You know, you really have to learn to slow down. I won't always be there to look after you, little brother." Guts growled to himself as he raised his head out of the mud. He wiped the mud off of his visor so he could properly see, scowling up at his older brother who stood protectively over him. Mercenaries thundered by on both sides of them, on their way up to the castle they were hired to assault. The battering ram had just broken through the gate, and it was time to earn their money. Guts had positioned himself at the front of the charge to ensure he got enough kills, only to be tripped from behind after only a few steps forward.

"Fuck you Naruto, I would have been up in there already if it wasn't for you." Guts knew he didn't have the brains that his older brother Naruto did, but it didn't take a genius to storm a castle. He pushed himself out of the mud, turning to his brother and stood on his toes to give him the height needed to look Naruto straight in his eyes. "You want this just as bad as I do."

Naruto smacked his younger brother upside the head as he looked to the sky in exasperation. "I know I've taught you better than this. You see how the archers on the walls are facing inwards now? Now we can go without getting shot before we reach the wall. Let those poor fools tire themselves out for a bit before we go in and start gutting them. You know damn well you'd tire out too fast, swinging that sword around like you do. It's as tall as you are." He grabbed Guts by the shoulders and forced him around to face the castle, before he slapped him on the back and took off running towards the battle. "Hurry up little brother" he called over his shoulder, "or there won't be anything left for you."

Guts hurried after the blonde, but his brother was too quick for him. By the time he made it to the melee, Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Guts noticed that the fighting had come to a standstill as the middle of the courtyard was being held by a giant armored man with an equally huge battle axe. Several bodies in various states of dismemberment already lay in a circle around him. The noble in charge of the assault was trying to marshal his men forwards, but no one wanted to be the first one to step up after seeing the slaughter. Appealing to the honor and sense of duty meant nothing to a mercenary army who would work for whomever had the coin. Guts recognized the desperation that the man was in as his assault was falling apart around him, and managed to weasel an additional promise of 7 gold coins from him if he could kill the giant Bazuso.

The crowd parted as Guts walked towards the giant, every eye in the castle watching the spectacle as people strained to listen. Bazuso was a showman, and knew the value of psyching out his opponent. He barely started his speech though before Guts was upon him. The teenager's sword was so large and heave, that his initial assault was able to push Bazuso off balance. The giant barely got his axe up in time to block a huge overhead strike from Guts, only to bring his axe down to stop the next strike to his side. As the teen readjusted his footing after his failed attack, the giant took the moment to go on the offensive. His first strike was met head on with Guts's sword. Their weapons' meeting point knocked a chip out of Bazuso's axe and sent hairline fractures up through the rest of it. The giants next strike was a roundhouse blow aimed at Guts's head. Guts made a split section decision to ignore the strike from the damaged weapon and put all his strength into a mid level swing at his opponent. The axe struck Guts's helmet and split in half, pieces of the weapon flying everywhere like shrapnel while his helmet was sent flying, the chinstrap unable to take the strain put on it. Guts's strike hit home, carving through Bazuso's armor, deep into his side. Bazuso fell to his knees, unable to hold up his weapon any longer. His last sight was Guts moving in for an overhead strike, which caved in his helmet and skull as it struck home.

Naruto paid attention to the battle out of corner of his eye as he scaled the side of the castle wall using his various cracks in the stonework caused by the earlier bombardment. He stealthy hoisted himself up into the hoarding, the wooden walkway attached to the side of the upper walls. He had spied helmets with plumage sticking out of them peeking over the rails and decided to investigate while everyone was distracted. He had hit pay dirt with his hunch. The general of the opposing army, as well as the local lord and his castilian were watching his brother's duel with a few guards. Naruto silently drew a long dagger with his left hand, while his right held onto a black hand axe. He would be needing stealth to pull this off perfectly, so his longsword would remain sheathed for now. Both of the guards had been standing a few steps back from their lord in a show of respect. This had set them up perfectly to receive a slit throat each, before being soundlessly lowered to the ground.

The three remaining occupants of the hoarding were all leaning out of the windows now to watch the climax of the fight below, groaning as it looked like their champion was heading towards defeat. Naruto stepped forwards and grabbed the lord's hair, pulling it back and exposing the neck which soon received two quick stabs. The action was noticed by the general, who turned to confront the intruder while reaching for his sword. Naruto was ready for him though, and put his foot on the general's sword hand, trapping it against the hilt and stopping him from withdrawing his weapon. The look of disbelief on the general's face was ended in a flash as naruto plunged his dagger up to the hilt through the man's eye and into his brain. The castilian had taken off running the moment he saw the fight, and had made it halfway down the wooden path before Naruto's thrown axe appeared in the back of his head. Naruto retrieved his weapons, cleaning them off on his victims' clothing, before he drew his sword for the next part of his job.

The holdfast on the other side of the courtyard also held an audience for Guts's fight below. A crew of mercenaries carefully watched the fight with the critical eye of fellow fighters. "It looks like the other side has some great ones too, right Griffith?" questioned one of mercs. They were all mesmerized by the battle below them

The commander being addressed was a thin young man with pale skin and snow white hair pouring out the bottom of his hawk shaped helmet. He had glanced briefly at the duel below, but kept his eye trained on the assassination of his employers across the way by the single blonde man. He felt no need to ward them, seeing as how his mercenary band had already been paid, and the castle was clearly lost. "The castle is done for" he addressed his men. "Let's get out while we can." Everyone began to file towards the back of the castle, mad that their side had lost, but still proud of the fact that they had earned their pay.

The temporary peace at the end of the battle was coming to an end. Both sides knew that they needed to re-engage their enemy if they hoped to win today. "They're weak now" shouted the noble leading the assault. "Cut them down and end it!" He spurred his horse for effect, though it was marginalized due to him being at the back of his men.

"We lost Bazuso, but we can still win this men!" shouted one of the defenders. They still had the advantages of their fixed defences and the high ground after all. Guts lowered himself into a defense position. He was still in the middle of the open space from his duel, and would be the first one to re-enter the fight. The defenders began to move towards him, eager to avenge their champion.

"NO!" a voice echoed from above them, causing everyone to halt in their tracks again. Naruto knew he needed to act fast to save his little brother from being mobbed. He leaned out of the holdfast, holding the three severed heads of the lord, general, and castilian by their hair out for all to see. "Your castle is lost, and your leaders are dead. You have nothing left to fight for. Surrender now!" He tossed the heads down to the middle of the courtyard for added effect, watching as they rolled to the feet of the front line of defenders who were staring in horror. There was a pause as they contemplated their situation before the first man threw down his polearm. Once the sound of it hitting the ground was heard, a cacophony followed as the rest of the defenders disarmed to a man. A cheer rose up from the invaders as they realized that the battle was over and they were victorious.

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Guts watched as his older brother tossed a bag full of 50 gold in the air while they walked. They had cashed out and left the mercenary army after the campaign had ended and were on their way to the capitol to try and find a new contract. He once again tried to figure out in his head just how Naruto and he could end up so different when they were raised exactly the same. He knew they weren't really brothers, but they had been raised together under Gambino after his wife had taken them in. Guts had been picked up as a baby from under the corpse of mother after she had been hung in a tree while pregnant. Gambino's wife Shisu had taken him in to replace her child that she had miscarried earlier.

When he was 3, they had found Naruto. There had been a flash of light and an explosion one night. Gambino and his men had rushed through the forest to a clearing to find what looked like a blast site with flames licking the edges of the field. Narutos 4 year old body was found lying in a crater that had been so hot that the ground had fused into something glass like. Shisu had adopted him as well after he had been taken back to camp to heal. Naruto had no memories from before the blast besides his name.

Shisu had fallen ill and died when Guts was 4, leaving him and Naruto at the tender mercies of Gambino. The mercenary leader blamed Guts for his wife's death due to her finding him as a baby under his dead mother. He was considered a bad omen. Gambino knew better than to throw away potential recruits though and officially adopted them into the mercenary band. He proceeded to train them into the ground daily, toughening them up as quickly as possible. Guts had started out with a sword way to big for him, but was too stubborn to admit he couldn't handle it. This lead to him developing a style of his own revolving around working with massive blades and a crossbow to back it up when needed. Naruto on the other hand, had concentrated on speed and dodging, with the necessary strength to back it up. He would rather use a different type of weapon in each hand when possible, to allow him more flexibility in the battlefield. Where Guts would act like a berserker, wading headfirst into battle until it had ended, Naruto believed in surgical strikes where you cut off the head of the enemy and let the body die. The brothers complimented each other's strengths and covered for each other's weaknesses. Gambino encouraged this as it meant he had to spend less time babysitting them on the battlefield.

It also made the two nearly inseparable though. One night Gambino had been heavily drinking and had sold Guts for the night to the pediphile of their group, Donovan, a large brutish man. Guts had been gathering water for his tent when he was blindsided and dragged off. He woke up in Donovan's tent naked, with the big mean looming over him telling him what his fate for the night would be. Naruto had been out searching to Guts after he hadn't returned, and heard his brother's cries for help. He rushed into the tent, only to find Donovan about to mount his brother. In a fit of rage, Naruto pulled his dagger plunged it into the man's neck, then pushed him off of his brother. The rest of the mercenaries had heard the commotion and surrounded the tent. They were confused to see Guts leave the tent wrapped in a blanket until Naruto followed after him with his dagger still dripping blood. He took one look at them and stated plainly "Anyone who lays a finger on my brother will die by my hand." His voice was cold, but the men could have sworn that his eyes had flashed red for a moment. No one stepped up to confront them on the issue, so the boys continued back to their tent leaving the mercenaries to argue over how to deal with Donovan's body.

Gambino lost his leg in a skirmish a few days after Guts's 8th birthday. The brothers officially became the bread winners of their house while Gambino spent his time drinking heavily and playing with a dog he had adopted while they were on the road. Naruto would receive praise for his accomplishments, but nothing Guts did was worth anything but scorn. It was up to Naruto to encourage Guts and let him know he was doing well.

Then one day, Guts returned from the battlefield with an extra reward for killing the enemy leader. Gambino ignored this completely and struck Guts in the face with his crutch for not getting meat for his dog. Naruto watched this happen from the tent's entrance, knowing that things would soon come to a head. That night, Gambino's pain became too much. His life was worthless without his wife and without his leg. He decided he had to end the reason for his suffering and attacked Guts that night. Naruto had been having a bad dream, and had woken up with a start to find Gambino laying on top of a bruised Guts with a sword sticking out of his neck. The room reeked of alcohol, blood, and death. A fire had started when the lamp lighting the tent had been knocked over. Naruto took all this in, then grabbed Guts's hand and pulled him outside. Naruto climbed up on Gambino's horse and pulled Guts up in front of him, before taking off into the night.

They had only made it a short ways before the rest of the mercenary band was upon them, looking for vengeance for their slain leader. Naruto was shot with a crossbow bolt, having it travel through his side, and into Guts who sat in front of him. They fell from the horse, into the ravine that they had been riding next to. The mercenaries gave up the chase at that point knowing the boys were near death, and not willing to risk injury going down the steep slope in the dark.

Naruto had used his body to cushen Guts during the fall, and had been knocked out. The bolt had torn free from Guts but still remained in his body. Gut's shakily raised himself to his feet, still holding Gambino's sword and trying to recognize his surroundings. He noticed movement in the distance, only to discover a pack of wolves had tracked the scent of blood to him and Naruto. Guts stood over his brother's body, sword raised and waiting for the wolves to strike. The pack leader threw itself at Guts only to be impaled on his sword, taking them both to the ground. Guts was barely able to push the dead body off of him and get back up in time to sill the next wolf that had moved in to take a bite of Naruto's leg. A few minutes later, the wolves were dead, their blood steaming in the cold night air as Guts collapsed next to his brother, passing out utterly exhausted from his flight, and subsequent fight. A traveling mercenary band noticed their bodies a few hours later and made the decision to rescue the boys to see if they had the potential to become fighters later on.

'That was almost 4 years ago' Guts reflected to himself as they walked. He couldn't believe how fast time had passed for them since then. He was 13 years old now, standing at 5'2, with a large body and developed muscles due to growing up on the battlefield and using his oversized sword. Hiis nose had a large scar running across it courtesy of Gambino on the night he escaped, and he kept his black hair cut decently short to avoid it interfering with his fighting. He had upgraded it over the years to ensure that its size grew to match his body's growth as well. Using a smaller sword now just felt wrong. His brother Naruto had just turned 14, being a few months older than him. He was 5'5 now and had a body nearly as developed as Guts now, with a focus on speed instead of power. His long blond locks poured down to frame a perpetually smiling face with faint whisker marks on his cheeks. No one ever asked about their origin and they were widely assumed to be birthmarks. Guts thought they made his brother look like a fox.

Their heads both perked up and as they heard a horse whinny from a hill to their left. They seen any riders yet so they continued on at a quick pace, hoping to put some distance between themselves and whatever group was near them.

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Corkus was plotting again. The last contract that he and his men had participated in paid well enough for a simple castle defense. Unfortunately it ended too soon for his tastes. Now he was still short on money to pay the debts he had accrued getting his armor upgraded and needed another option before he was blackballed by the blacksmith and armorer guilds. He could always ask Griffith for a loan from the treasury, but his pride had taken enough of a hit already without admitting he couldn't handle his own finances.

As if the Gods were providing an answer to his prayers, he saw two travelers on the road below them. They looked well armed, but nothing a team of 10 or so men couldn't handle. He took a moment to further examine his prey, only to grow even more giddy. He called his men over and pointed down at the road. "Look, it's the guy who killed Bazuso yesterday! He must have gotten a reward for the kill. I bet his pockets are well-lined."

His team was getting psyched up enough to ride with him, when one of the newer guys decided to pour water on the fire. "I don't know" he said. "That guy managed to drop a 20-manslayer like it was nothing, and the blonde down there is the one who annihilated our sides leadership. I don't think it's worth the risk." Just like that 4 of the 10 men with him stepped back and headed back to the rest of the group.

Corkus knew he needed to act fast to save face and make sure he wasn't going to end up running the attack solely by himself. "We can handle them fine guys. You three will separate the blonde away while we finish off the other one. We'll join you afterwards if you need help." The men nodded at this, and mounted up. Corkus ignored Casca's faint chuckling, knowing that he couldn't afford to get drawn into an argument that would make him lose more face at this point. He started the charge down the hill, slowing his horse enough to let the brasher members of his group get a lead.

Naruto observed the 7 riders charging them while Guts took the moment given to get in a battle stance. He saw the leader fall back somewhat and grinned to himself. 'I see someone else subscribes to my battle methods' he thought. 3 of the riders had split off to attack Guts directly. Naruto watched as brother killed the first rider with a slash to the side and took the arm off the second one. He watched another rider break from the group to try his luck with the blonde instead. Naruto sighed to himself at the amature tactics while drawing his dagger and throwing it through the visor of the attacker and burying it in his nasal cavity.

The rest of the men looked ready to cut and run at this point and Corkus knew he had to lead the next attack himself to keep them there. He spurred his horse at Naruto seeing how the blonde hadn't retrieved his dagger, and didn't possess any more of them. Naruto slowly drew his handaxe while assessing the distance of the enemy rider. When the horse was about 10 lengths away, Naruto drew back and hurled his axe into the horse's neck, making it crash forward and hurling its rider into the air. Corkus came crashing down and slid on his belly to stop at Naruto's feet. He rolled over with a groan and looked up to see a pair of blue eyes looking at him with both amusement and a promise of violence. Naruto moved to draw his sword, only to jump back as an arrow flew into the space his head had just occupied. He looked up to see a pretty boy in white armor, a female raider, and a 8 foot tall man built like a brick shithouse all bearing down on him and his brother. "You know we're going to need to separate to avoid getting overwhelmed" Naruto said to Guts. "Whoever gets the 2 on 1 battle will just try to stay alive until the other can help him." Guts nodded to the idea, before sprinting across the road to wait for the attack.

The pretty boy broke off to follow Guts, his eyes focused like a bird of prey on its next meal. Naruto didn't have anymore time to watch though as he parried the woman's strike, only to need to duck under the mace strike from the big man before he could capitalize. He maneuvered until the woman's horse was in between himself and the giant, then blocked her next strike with a single hand, leaving his other arm free to strike a nerve on her thigh where the armor ended. With her leg deadened, she was unable to maneuver her horse and still swing her sword effectively. Naruto was able to yank her from her horse in the next round of strikes, pulling her back to his chest with an arm around her waist while he held his sword to her throat. The giant had immediately stopped allowing Naruto to glance towards his brothers fight, only to find Guts passed out on the ground with the pretty boy kneeling over him. The raider was staring a hole through Naruto while he kept his sword at Guts's neck.

No one moved as they each tried to find a way out of the situation without being placed in a worse position. Naruto knew time was his enemy in this and decided to take the initiative. "My name is Naruto, and that is my brother Guts, who you are kneeling on. I'd like to know the name of the man I'm speaking with."

The white haired man nodded at the request. "My name is Griffith and I'm the leader of the Band of the Hawk. You are holding my second in command Casca at the moment." Naruto rose an eyebrow at this, not realizing the true value of his hostage until now. His attention returned to the conversation as Griffith continued. "I'd like to propose a temporary truce for the time being. I need to attend to my men, and your brother has a hole opened up near his heart that needs attending to before he bleeds out. We can continue this after we have recovered. I'll offer up my medics to help treat him if you'll allow it. He has impressed me greatly and I don't want to see his life wasted."

Naruto knew there was more to it than that simple explanation, but the longer he waited, the worse Guts became. He lowered his sword and pushed Casca forward get some distance from the angry woman. She wheeled around, ready to continue the fight, only to have the giant grab her and throw her over his shoulder. He nodded to Naruto and spoke slowly and deeply. "I'm Pippin. Grab your brother and i'll show you the way to the medical tent." Naruto threw Guts over his shoulder and hustled after Pippin towards the white tent in the middle of the camp.

Guts was out for 2 days, his body going into a mild case of shock due to blood loss. Naruto tried to help but had to settle for waiting and guarding the tent. He was surprised to see Casca approach the tent wearing a robe about an hour after the doctor gave Griffith and him an update on Guts's condition. She motioned for access to the tent with a tilt of her head. Naruto frowned at the strange behavior, but opened the tent flap for her, before following her in. She stood there for a moment, silently staring at guts and contemplating something before her expression shifted to resignation as she came to a decision. She addressed Naruto without turning around. "Griffith ordered me to lay with your brother and keep him warm. I need your approval to do it." She mistook Naruto's surprised expression for one of distrust, and proceeded to allow the robe to fall to her feet. She spun around slowly with her arms out to her sides. "As you can see, I'm no threat and I don't even possess a weapon."

Naruto chuckled at her comment, before correcting her. "I know just how deadly you can be with out any weapon on your person my lady. I thank you for what you are about to do for my brother though, and if you need any assistance, I'll be maintaining my vigil right outside the tent." He handed Casca back her robe, gave a quick kiss to her hand, and walked out of the tent. Casca turned to his brother with a light blush still on her face. She wasn't used to being treated as anything more than one of the guys and didn't know how to handle chivalry directed at herself. She climbed into bed with Guts, pulling the covers up over herself and hoping that he would recover sooner than later.

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Guts woke up feeling worse than when he had his first hangover, his side was bandaged up and still tender as hell. He could see a small amount of blood seeping through the bandages, but still counted it as a win considering how close it was to his heart. He was surprised to not see Naruto anywhere as he stuck his head outside the tent flap. He closed his eyes and simply listened for a second before he heard his brother's voice. Opening his eyes, he headed in that direction, noticing the angry eyes of most of the camp as he walked by. He wasn't surprised. He was an outsider wherever he went, though his brother always managed to fit into what ever group they were with.

Speaking of the devil, he rounded a corner only to see his brother sitting around a campfire with the giant and woman he had fought earlier, along with a younger blonde preteenager, and a young blonde man with shoulder length straight hair. His brother had just finished with his story and the majority of them were laughing openly, with the woman cracking a soft smile. Naruto noticed Guts approach and stood up to greet him. "There's my little brother back from the dead. I was wondering how long you were going to sleep. I had intended to shave your eyebrows if you were still out of it tonight." Guts drew back in horror as the rest laughed. He knew Naruto didn't make idle threats like that, he fully intended to carry it out. "You can thank Casca here" his brother gestured to the woman, "for laying with you for two days to take care of you during your recovery from bloodloss."

Guts turned to the woman and gave her a stiff nod. "Thank you. It appears I owe you one now." He was about to continue on, but she had already crossed the distance and punched him right in his wound. Guts sank down to his knees in pain, only able to mutter a soft "bitch" under his breath as his world spun around him.

Casca scowled as she stared at the pig that she had to lay with. "I only did it because Griffith ordered me to" she said with a look of disgust before storming off. She had learned from previous experiences that she had to make it clear early on that it meant nothing or he might get the wrong idea.

Naruto shook his head as he watched his brother try to stand again. "You still have a way with the ladies I see." He pointed towards the large tent near the end of the camp. "Griffith refused to speak with me until you woke up. He demanded that you be part of any discussion. We should head over there now if you're up for it." Guts gave him a quick nod and started moving in the tent's direction, his brother falling in beside him.

Griffith was standing outside of his tent talking with Casca. He gave the brothers a smile as they approached. "I'm sorry about avoiding our talk," he addressed Naruto, "but I'd imagine you would both want to hear my offer." He turned to Guts with a smile, "I want you, Guts."

Guts reared back as if he had just found a snake. "Are you a homo?" he bluntly asked. Naruto barely avoided facepalming at his brother's lack of manners.

Griffith could only laugh though. "No" he chuckled, "I was there 4 days ago in the castle when you fight Basuzo. If his axe wasn't cracked you would have lost your head." After Guts agreed with him, Griffith couldn't help but admire him for his honesty. "Its like you bet your life whenever you charge into battle no matter how large or numerous the enemy is, yet you also struggle just as hard to make it out alive afterwards. That is why I want you."

Griffith then turned to Naruto. "Your brother is easy to read, he lives his life like an open book. You on the other hand are like a mystery wrapped in an enigma. You are obviously extremely skilled in direct combat from what I have seen, yet you took the sneaky route of assassinating the enemy leadership instead of participating directly in the battle. You are one of the most cheerful people I have met with an open warm smile, yet I also have seen your serious expression as you have held a sword to Casca's throat. Even more amazing is that she has already forgiven you for it." Naruto blinked at the detailed description of himself. He hadn't figured Griffith had enough time to notice all of those details about himself. Griffith continued on as the blonde refocused on him. "I don't understand your motivations yet, but I'd be a fool to not want your skills at my side in the Band of the Hawk." He turned to encompass both brothers at this point. "So what do you say?"

Guts leaned forwards before Naruto had time to even think of a reply. "You piss me off!" he said pointing at Griffith. "Who the hell are you to act like you know me when we just met. It makes me sick, besides the fact that your group attacked us and I've already killed two of your men. We're enemies."

Griffith took a step back in surprise. "What do you intend to do then?" he asked.

"That's easy" said Guts as he raised his sword. "We'll settle it with these. If I win I get to put a matching hole in your chest. If you win then I'll be your soldier, or fag boy, or what ever."

Griffith closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them and raising his sword towards Guts. "I agree. I don't like to doing these things by force but I can respect your decision." He turned to Casca, who had come running once she had seen the swords drawn. "Stay out of this Casca! I will obtain what I desire." Casca hung her head as she stepped back to watch the fight. "What say you?" he questioned, turning towards Naruto. "Will you abide by your brother's agreement as well?"

Naruto shrugged, looking between Guts and Griffith. "I can abide by them, though I'll be damn if I go gay for anyone. Guts can fill that role all by himself."

Griffith nodded, turning around to see Guts's sword already on its way towards his head. He quickly parried it, along with the follow up blows, choosing to retaliate by slashing light cuts all over Guts to get his point across that he could win anytime he wanted. Naruto had walked over to stand by Casca. He shook his head as he observed the fight. Griffith was making a deadly mistake in delaying the match's outcome. Guts became more dangerous as the fight continued.

Guts realized he wasn't going to win in a straight up sword battle, so after the next series of clashes, he buried the top portion of his sword in the dirt. As Griffith closed in to capitalize, Guts through the dirt his sword had plowed up right in his opponent's face. Griffith reeled back, furiously scrubing his eyes as Guts moved in for a full overhead strike, looking to split Griffith in two. He hadn't followed the move fully, but one second he was getting ready to finish griffith, and the next he had his sword stuck in the dirt with Griffith perched on top of it holding his smaller sword inches from Guts's neck. "Do you yield?" asked the leader of the Hawks.

Guts just snorted before responding in scorn. "Let me show you how a mouth is really supposed to be used in battle!" With that said, he bit down on Griffiths sword, holding it in his teeth. Blood could be seen trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Griffith was too stunned to react quickly, so Guts took the initiative of forcing both of them to tumble down the hillside. The landed hard at the bottom, but Guts recovered first and was able to catch Griffith with a vicious cross that drew blood from the white haired boy's mouth. Guts felt extremely proud of himself knowing that he had mostly likely popped the perfect boy's cherry for getting hit. He made his fatal mistake of lunging into a body tackle at Griffith. The Hawks leader simply dodged to the side, letting Guts pass by before putting him in an armbar with only inches from dislocating his shoulder. "Do you yield?" he asked the stubborn teen.

Guts only response was "Go to hell" as he still tried to get out of the hold. Griffith leaned forwards, and with a loud pop that echoed over the clearing the fight was over, and Guts was once again immobile.

Griffith caught Naruto's nod of recognition for his win, and turned to his men, who had come running as they witnessed the fight. "I give you the newest members of the Hawks, Guts and Naruto!" The men cheered. They were all mercenaries and understood the battlefield politics. Yesterday's enemy was tomorrow's ally. It would also do their group a world of good to add two bruisers to their ranks like Naruto and Gats. The men broke out casks of wine and ale to celebrate. Naruto joined the fire with with his new friends after carrying Guts back to the infirmary again. He was assured that his brother would be up and moving before the party ended.

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The party had ended and everyone had passed out asleep. Some had made it to their tents, while others didn't make it off of the grass they had started out the night sitting on. The moon was high in the sky, full and bathing the land in it's soft glow. Two figures could be seen facing each other on top of the hilltop that Guts had fought on earlier. Naruto and Griffith squared off with their respective weapons. "Just to make this clear, this has no effect on the deal earlier" stated Griffith. "I can't lead men that I'm not confident I can beat. We need to know where we stand on who is a better fighter."

"I couldn't agree more" said Naruto as he and Griffith raced towards each other, the clashes of their weapons lighting up the night.