So, I've been on a real kick on watching this anime called Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Some of you may know it, others may not; but in either case, I love the eccentricities and silliness of the series.

Now, I'm a simple guy with simple pleasures, and one of those pleasures is an appreciation for the fairer sex in all forms of media (real, animated, drawn, etc.). A character that quickly caught my interest was Quetzalcoatl, or as she's known in the anime "Lucoa".

Don't judge me. I know you are, and I want you to stop! *pouting*

Anyway, with my good friend HaretaSora, I decided to make a story featuring Naruto and Lucoa together. To be honest, he had a similar idea to the one I'm presenting to you; but he is still trying to find time to type it up.

Be sure to be on the lookout for it, and also check out his other stories! He's a good author!

Before we begin, I wanted you all to know that I'm trying something different here. Instead of full-length chapters, each chapter will be broken down into "episodes" (roughly around two or three episodes per chapter).

Anywho, on with the story!

For future reference: I OWN NOTHING!

A Fishcake and his Dragon

Episode 1:

The Sad Wish of a "Demon Fishcake"

"Stupid jerks…"

This was the grumbling of a nine-year-old blonde with whiskered cheeks and stunning blue eyes. He was kicking a small pebble as he walked through the alleyways of the Hidden Leaf Village, trying to get over another day of people bringing him down with their cruel words and judging glares.

For as long as he could remember, he had been referred to as a demon by the populace. He didn't understand why they called him that; he didn't even know what a demon was. All he understood was that it was something that the villagers didn't like; something that made him different from them.

He kicked the pebble again, and it fell into a drain; out of reach. He sighed sadly at that, not feeling up to returning to his lonely apartment yet. He could've gone to Ichiraku Ramen for something to eat, but he didn't want the father/daughter duo to know he was feeling down. They had enough to worry about without him taking their time.

Deciding to clear his head, he walked towards the training grounds of the village to watch the ninja practice. It was something he enjoyed doing since it helped him see what ninja training was really like instead of the boring theoretical crap they tried to teach at the Academy.

He'd been there since his enrollment at age eight, and he didn't feel like he had learned a thing. He found it easier to understand if he could see someone doing something rather than explaining it to him.

Arriving at a random field, he saw an older man with silver hair that spiked upward and to the side sitting down and reading an orange book. The man kept reading for a few moments and the boy was about to leave before he saw the man put away his book and bite his thumb through his clothed mouth.

He went through a set of seals too quick for the boy to follow before he set his palm on the ground. To the boy's shock and wonder, a trio of dogs appeared alongside a deck of cards.

"You guys up for some poker? I'm honestly too bored to reread my book again," the man suggested, earning shrugs from the dogs before he shuffled the cards and started to deal.

The boy had seen enough though. To him, he saw exactly what he needed to do to make his home not so lonely anymore.

First, he would have to wait for dark. And then…

The Ninja Library. A treasure trove of archived knowledge that was free to access; provided you had the correct clearance for certain things. And the best part of the library, one might ask?

The Restricted Section; the place where stolen – but deemed safe – techniques and information were stored. Only those with Jonin Level Clearance could enter this section; but even they needed permission from the Hokage.

However, nobody ever counted on the Prank Master from Hell to sneak in and take a stroll. It was amazing how a section so prepared for ninja was so ill-prepared for a mischievous child.

Walking through the aisles of books and scrolls, he looked up at each section in hopes of finding something useful. So far, he had passed through sections labeled Mist, Lightning, Sand, and Rain. However, nothing captured his attention as he walked around. It wasn't until he caught sight of a section labeled Demon Country that he stopped walking.

A section devoted to a country of demons? That sounded perfect for a demon like him! Besides, it's not like anyone else would use it if the villagers' distaste for demons was anything to go by.

With a smile, he walked up to the shelf, frowning at the lack of inventory for this section. He picked up a random scroll and opened it, seeing it go over the geography of the country and how a Priestess that can see fortunes lived there.

While interesting, it wasn't what he was looking for. Still, he wouldn't mind going to visit the Priestess of his home country. Maybe she'd be more accepting than the villagers.

Moving to the next scroll, he rolled it open and saw that it mentioned a Summoning Technique. Curious, he read further and saw that it was almost exactly like what the silver-haired man from before pulled off. However, there were three different versions of the summoning; and each of them summoned demons of different types.

Still, in the boy's innocent mind, all he saw was that these techniques could summon fellow demons like himself. It'd be nice to be around people like himself; even if it was only for a short while.

Anything to not be so lonely anymore.

The next hour was spent looking for the three different methods before he put everything else back and left the library. No one was any wiser of the boy's infiltration.

Having spent the previous night actively reading the three different methods, the boy was naturally tired during class; not that it mattered. He was ignored by his instructors, even when he had questions about the topics at hand. This was one of the reasons why he constantly ditched school or pranked his teachers.

If they weren't going to do their jobs and teach him, why should he show up or respect them? That was his thought process, anyway.

It was a relief to leave school that day, and he rushed home in excitement. Entering his apartment, he was surprised to see the Hokage there waiting for him; at least until he remembered that it was the first of the month.

"Here's this month's living expenses," the Old Man informed the boy, setting an envelope down on the table before heading for the door. "Don't waste it."

"Hey…" he couldn't help but call out, sitting on the counter near his sink. When the Old Man turned to him, the boy asked, "Why don't I have a mom or dad…?"

He hated feeling like this; so sad and confused, yet also angry. He had asked this before, but the Old Man didn't give him an answer then. He was hoping that, with the years between the first time he asked, he would finally get a real answer.

The Old Man sighed at the boy, his eyes closed to avoid the piercing look of his blue orbs. "Didn't I tell you before?" he asked rhetorically. "Although it was some time ago…"

His anger grew as he cut off the Old Man. "That's not what I want to hear! You're gonna talk about when the Kyuubi ran amok, right?"

Silence filled the room, and the boy looked at the floor while the Old Man waited for him to speak again.

"That's not what I'm asking about! I just want to know," he continued, turning back to the Old Man as he leapt down from his counter and onto the wood flooring. "Who were my parents? What kind of people were they?"

He looked to the Old Man, his blue orbs glistening pleadingly for some kind of answer that would help his damaged heart. The two stared at one another before the Old Man turned back around and resumed leaving the apartment.

"There's no use asking about that," he shot down as he walked off, missing the look of hurt and sorrow in the boy's face. "It won't bring the dead back." (1)

The boy stood in the doorway as the Old Man left his apartment, silently letting some tears fall at once again being denied a straight answer about his parents. It hurt so much to have the Hokage, someone that the village respected, wave off his questions and throw back the fact his parents were dead in his face.

Wiping his eyes, the boy frowned at the floor before he moved about his apartment. Locking the front door and windows, closing the blinds, and locking himself in his room, the boy opened the three scrolls of Demon Summoning and started to work on mixing them together.

After all, if a single method brought forth one demon, then the three of them together should bring three demons. It made sense to him, at least.

Carefully drawing the three summoning circles so that they overlapped each other in a triangle pattern, Naruto Uzumaki bit his thumb and drew blood before slamming his hands on the mixed formula. Pumping his chakra, he started the process and lit up his room in a brilliant crimson glow.

Episode 2:

The Ex-Goddess Arrives

"Thanks for having me over, Kobayashi-san."

This mention of thanks came from a woman with unreal curves and flawless skin. Her eyes were closed – though they didn't hamper her vision – and her golden blonde hair fell to her shapely rear, bleeding from blonde to green and finally blue. Her clothes were simple: pink shoes with black socks that reached up to her thighs, booty short jeans, a black sleeveless top that was stretched by her chest, and a pink ball cap that had a pair of horns poking out the sides.

Simple, but they hugged Lucoa's body wonderfully.

Her host, Kobayashi, was a young woman with red hair and glasses, dressed in a button-down shirt (that emphasized her lacking breasts) and jeans while her hair was tied in a simple tail. She was enjoying a cup of coffee with the woman while another woman with horns cleaned the dishes.

The third woman was, oddly, dressed in maid attire; but she didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, she looked more than happy to wear the uniform as she cleaned. This was Tohru, a Dragon from the Chaos Faction who left her world for this human one. She met Kobayashi one night and, after the human helped remove a sword from her Dragon form, became the woman's maid.

There was a third Dragon that Kobayashi knew; this one with a human form looking like a small child. This was Kanna, and she had followed after Tohru in the hope of bringing her back home. But, after Tohru declared her decision to stay with Kobayashi – saying it was out of love – Kanna was offered the choice to stay after it was revealed she couldn't get back home on her own.

Currently, Tohru had invited Lucoa over to catch up since the two were close acquaintances. Kobayashi was still surprised that Lucoa – who's true name was Quetzalcoatl – was once a Goddess; even going so far as to label herself as Ex-Goddess, despite being a Dragon. The four women enjoyed some dinner and drinks while Lucoa caught up with her old friend.

"Well, I should get going," Lucoa bid, setting down her cup of coffee and standing up from her seat with a stretch.

"So soon?" Tohru asked sadly.

"I can't stay here for long, or else things may go outta whack, y'know?" the Ex-Goddess explained with a gentle smile. Her laidback nature made her easy to get along with, and she was usually all smiles. "I'll come visit again soon, though. I promise."

"It was nice meeting you," Kobayashi bid, offered the busty Dragon a smile. "You're welcome here next time you visit."

"Thanks. I'll see you soon, Kanna-chan."

Kanna, who was enjoying some fruit, gave Lucoa a silent nod before resuming her treat. This made Lucoa chuckle at how Kanna was before she left Kobayashi's apartment and headed off under the nighttime sky.

Heading for a park, she felt that she was alone and opened a portal between the realms before jumping through it. The Space Between was full of vast colors and brilliant lights, with each realm looking like a crystal ball that showed images of their inhabitants. She passed by many different realms, each with their own unique features and lifestyles.

However, it was when she was passing a certain realm that she stopped in place as her eyes opened slightly in surprise; showing heterochromatic orbs. Her right eye had a green iris with a distinctive pattern and a black pupil that had a yellow slit in its center. The left eye had a black iris, yellow pupil, and green slit.

"Wait… Is someone performing a Ritual Summoning?" she mused aloud, looking at the representation of the realm she had stopped next to. Using her power, she had the image change to the summoner in question and saw that it was a young blonde boy. "He's mixing three different methods together? That's not good." Waving her hand to brush her fingers against the ball, she made an opening large enough for her to go through. "Might as well!" she declared as she dived through headfirst.

From Naruto's point of view, the centermost part of his triple summoning circle gained a brilliant glow before a woman popped out from his floor. The lights from the summoning hid her body from view below her face, but he saw that she was smiling calmly with her eyes closed.

Another flash made him cover his eyes, not wanting to be blinded and unable to see his summoned demon. When he uncovered them, he was slightly surprised to see that the woman looked human, save for the horns coming from her odd hat; though, they could've been decorations for said hat. Thankfully, for his innocence, she was clothed as she stood in the center of his summoning circle.

"I… I did it!" Naruto cheered excitedly, earning her attention. "I summoned a demon!"

She was confused about his excitement, knowing that only the desperate or selfish ever chose to summon demons. Based on what she was feeling from him, she deduced that he was of the former category; desperate.

"Sorry, sweetie," she apologized, stopping his cheers. "But, I'm not a demon. I'm actually a Dragon."

His look of disappointment tore at her, but what he said next almost made her snap. "But…I wanted to summon a demon. I don't want to be the only one here…"

'Who in their right mind would think this little boy is a demon?!' she mentally raged, staying calm on the outside so she wouldn't frighten him. "What makes you think you're a demon?"

Hugging his legs, Naruto replied, "Almost everyone here in the village calls me that. I don't know what it even means," he missed her twitch, "but I know that it's obviously different than what a human is."

"But why would you try to summon a demon? They're not exactly the nicest of people."

He flinched at that, and she mentally cursed herself for bringing him down. "Yesterday, I saw someone summon some dogs to keep him company, and I thought I could do the same. So, I snuck into the Ninja Library last night…"

'Ninja…?' she repeated in her head. 'Must be what the people here call those with power.'

"I went into the Restricted Section to try and find anything on summoning. I saw this section labeled Demon Country, so I thought it was perfect since I'm a demon."

"Let me stop you right there," Lucoa cut off, getting his attention. "You are not a demon. You're human, just like everyone else here in this place. Demons are not something you want to be associated with."

His blue eyes were wide at that. "But then…why does everyone call me demon and treat me so badly?" He looked down with a sniffle. "I didn't do anything to them…"

Her heart went out to him, and she moved over to crouch down so that she could pull him into her arms. Resting his head against her bosom, she brushed some fingers through his hair as she tried to comfort him.

"Hey now… No tears, sweetie. I don't want to see a cute kid like you crying when you should be happy." She held him for a few more moments before holding him out, yet still having her hands on his shoulders. Removing one, she used a thumb to brush away some of his tears while giving him a gentle smile. "What's your name?"

Fighting more sniffles, the boy answered, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki…"

"A cute little Fishcake, huh?" she complimented teasingly, earning a pout from him. This only made her giggle, and he slowly smiled back. "See? There's the smile I was hoping for~!"

He enjoyed how she tussled the top of his hair, feeling a comfort he had never experienced before. "So…what's your name?"

"You can call me Lucoa. So, you tried to summon a demon so that you wouldn't be lonely anymore. Do you live by yourself?" He nodded sadly, making her frown slightly. "And your parents…?"

"The Old Man told me that they died when I was born; but he won't tell me who they are or what they were like. He said that there wasn't any use asking about them… That it wouldn't bring the dead back…"

She fumed at that, not seeing why this Old Man was keeping information on Naruto's parents away from him. He had a right to know!

"But," he continued, bringing her back from her anger, "I was able to summon you, right?"

The desperation in his voice nearly broke her heart, and she couldn't find it in her to tell him that she intercepted his summoning so that no real demons would show up. So, she just nodded with a sad smile.

"Then…can you stay here?" he pleaded, making her heart ache again. "I don't want to be alone anymore…"

He looked so defeated standing before her, but there was a sliver of hope that he was clinging to with everything he had. Part of Lucoa told her that if she left, he would never recover from the emotional pain he had gone through. Being alone was its own torture, and a child's loneliness would lead to making the wrong decisions.

Making a decision, she reached her hand and cupped his cheek, making him look up from the floor and see her smiling with her eyes opened slightly.

"The way I see, if something is summoned it stays with the summoner until they don't need it anymore. Right?" He nodded in agreement with her assessment. "Then, because you summoned me, I'll stay with you for as long as you need. Okay?"

His eyes went wide, growing misty before he started to sob and leapt into her arms. As he wept, he choked out, "Thank you…!"

Her smile remained as she held him, feeling the negative emotions he was radiating die down under the relief and joy his heart was feeling. She let him vent in her arms, sitting down to lean against the wall. It took some time, but eventually his venting gave way to exhaustion and he fell asleep against her with a peaceful smile on his face.

The image made her mentally gush at how adorable he looked, and she stood up to carry him to his bed. Setting him down, she then sidled up beside him so that he could snuggle against her; his head once again resting against her breast. Reaching over him, she wrapped an arm around his frame to hold him close as she relaxed herself to sleep.

"Don't worry, Naru-baby…" she whispered. "I'm not going anywhere." (2)

Episode 3:

First Day with a Dragon

Morning came too soon for Lucoa. It started when she shifted in her sleep and felt that she was alone on the bed. Cracking an eye open, she saw that Naruto had left and there was the smell of food coming from the kitchen.

Curious, she got up with a stretch before leaving his room. Entering the kitchen, she saw that he was making a simple breakfast of eggs and rice, cooking enough for two people. This made her smile since he was being considerate.

"Morning, Naru-baby," she greeted, making him turn away from the stove and offer her a smile.

"Good morning. Sorry that I don't have much to cook with, but I was going to go shopping today."

She smiled at his concern, waving them off as she sat down at the table. "No worries. I'll go with you so that I can see what this place is like."

Naruto served her some food and offered her some chopsticks before he served himself and sat down. Her clapped his hands together and offered thanks for the food, making Lucoa giggle.

"What?"

"I'm just surprised that you honestly thought you were a demon. Demons don't care about gods or other divine beings. If you really were a demon, then you'd certainly stand out with that."

He blushed in embarrassment, making her giggle again before she reached over and gently ruffled his hair. "So…demons really are bad?"

"I've met a couple that were decent; but most of them aren't. Why do you ask?"

"On the night I was born, the village was attacked by a demon called the Kyuubi. It's a giant Nine-Tailed Fox that is said to be super powerful. The Fourth Hokage gave up his life to beat it."

She mentally frowned at that. If such a powerful demon truly existed, then it would be impossible for a human to defeat it one-on-one. Whatever this Fourth Hokage did, it must've been an alternative method of defeating the Demon Fox.

"Sounds like this Fourth Hokage was pretty talented. Do you want to be Hokage?"

"I don't know…" he answered softly, taking a bite of his food.

"Why not?"

"Because I did at first; but now I'm not sure. People respect the Hokage, and they look to them to protect the village and its people. But…I don't know if I can bring myself to try and protect people who treated me like garbage and called me a demon…"

She hummed in understanding. "I can understand that. It's hard to be concerned for others when they've proved they wouldn't do the same. But, do you think you have it in you to prove to them that they were wrong about you?"

He was silent at that, taking a few more bites of his food. "I don't know if I should…"

She smiled sadly at his response, knowing that it was mainly his hurt that was answering for him.

Gently grabbing his hand and getting his attention, she spoke, "You don't need to make a decision right away. You've got plenty of time to decide what you want to do about them. Just know that I believe in you."

He smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Lucoa-chan…"

"Anytime, Naru-baby."

He pouted at that. "I'm not a baby…"

"Maybe, but you're my baby~," she teased.

"Lucoaaaaa…!" he whined, making her laugh.

Naruto was used to being either insulted or ignored by the villagers. It was how they had behaved since he started walking through the streets.

So, seeing them look his way in surprise was both different and unsettling; especially since their surprise seemed to stem from the fact that Lucoa was walking beside him. Thankfully, the Dragon took their looks in stride as she looked at the different aspects of the village and followed the whiskered blonde to the village market.

"This place is kinda different from Japan. I get the same Asian feel, but your village seems way behind the times from Kobayashi-san's home," she mused.

"Who's that?"

"She's a human from another realm that some friends of mine are staying with. I'll take you with me to visit them someday."

"Really?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course! I want to show you off to them, after all~!" she answered with an excited giggle.

He sweatdropped at her response, chuckling awkwardly. "Right…"

Entering the market district of the village, Naruto led Lucoa past some of the food stands and ignored the looks being sent his way. Lucoa filed away those looks for later, mentally frowning at how such a large portion of the village would seek to ostracize a sweet boy like her Naru-baby.

"I'll take some rice and bean paste, please," Naruto spoke, grabbing his toad wallet to grab some money.

The stand owner gave him an annoyed look, but he caught a look from Lucoa, who opened her left eye slightly and scared him with the black orb within. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he nodded to Naruto and grabbed him a bag of rice and a small case of bean paste.

Surprised at how easy the transaction went this time, Naruto paid the correct amount and grabbed his purchased goods before moving to another stand to purchase some eggs. Next were oranges, apples, and finally spices. To his relief, each transaction went as easy as the first; which never happened before.

Lucoa smiled proudly behind her blonde summoner as they left the market district and made a stop at a local convenience store. While there, he bought some milk and juice before he caught Lucoa looking at the sake section.

Walking over to her, he asked, "Do you want some?"

"Hmm? No, that's alright. I know that you're on limited funds, and I probably shouldn't anyway."

"Why not?"

She blushed faintly in embarrassment. "Well…alcohol is fine in moderation and if it's brewed correctly. But if you have too much, or if it's not made right, or if it was tampered with, then it could end up badly for whoever drinks it."

"Oh… Did you have bad alcohol before?" he asked innocently.

"…Yeah, and it led me to doing something stupid that cost me my job."

Naruto paid for the milk and juice before he and Lucoa headed back to his apartment. "What was your job before?"

"Believe it or not, I was once a Goddess."

"Wait, really?" he asked in shock.

"Yep! But I lost that job, so I like to call myself an Ex-Goddess. Either that or Feathered Serpent…or Venusian even!"

"I don't know what that last one means, but it's pretty cool that you were once a Goddess, Lucoa-chan! You must be super strong, right?"

She chuckled. "I'm strong enough," she answered modestly.

"Hey… You think you can teach me?"

"I don't think I can teach you any ninja stuff, Naru-baby. Sorry…"

"Well, what can you teach me?"

She took a moment to think, tapping her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Well, I've access to vast magical power. Maybe I can help you learn magic?"

"That sounds cool," he agreed, an excited smile on his face.

"We'll need to help you channel magical energy before I can teach you anything, though. So, try to be patient, okay?"

"I can do that, ttebayo!"

A blush erupted on his face at the verbal tic, and it grew to supernova levels when he was snatched up into Lucoa's arms as she gushed, "Oh~! You have just the cutest verbal tic, Naru-baby~!"

"I-It's not cute!" the boy argued, comically struggling to get out of her death hug. "I'm supposed to be a badass ninja! I can't be cute!"

"But you are cute~!"

"LUCOA-CHAN!"

Later that afternoon, Naruto was seen practicing his kunai and shuriken training on the roof of his apartment building. Across from him was a human-shaped dummy that was riddled with cuts and puncture markings from previous practice sessions.

"There!" he cried, throwing a kunai with all his strength. Unknown to him, his stance and motion were off balance and the kunai went off-target. "Dammit…"

"You're too wobbly on your feet, Naru-baby," Lucoa spoke up, sitting on the bench the rooftop had. Getting up, she stood behind him and moved his legs and body into a different stance before asking, "How's that feel?"

He hummed thoughtfully as he gripped another kunai, going through his throwing motion without releasing the kunai. With a small frown, he then threw the kunai and saw that it landed exactly where he was aiming.

"See?" she asked rhetorically. "A good stance is a must for throwing things. Stance helps with balance, and balance helps with your aim. Understand?"

He nodded, though he was still frowning. "…This was how I was taught to throw kunai at the Academy. They've been teaching me the wrong way since my first year."

She fought a frown at that, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey… Don't think about that now. You're improving, and I'll help you if anything else feels wrong or if I spot something myself. Okay?"

Nodding again, he dropped his frown for a small smile. "Thanks, Lucoa-chan."

"Anytime, Naru-baby. Now, why don't we go to that ramen stand you were talking about before? I'm getting kinda hungry."

"Sure! I want you to meet Pops and Ayame-nee-chan too!" he agreed before he led her out of the apartment and down the road to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Order up!" Teuchi called from the kitchen, placing two bowls of freshly cooked ramen in the window for Ayame to grab.

"Thanks!" she bid, taking the bowls to her favorite customer and his guest. "Here you go, Naruto-kun. One miso ramen for you and a chicken ramen for your friend."

"Thanks, nee-chan!" he replied, breaking a pair of chopsticks and offering thanks before digging in.

Beside him, Lucoa took in the delicious aroma of the ramen and smiled in delight before joining Naruto in eating, the two blondes slurping up their ramen noodles happily before they both finished at the same time.

"As good as always, Pops!" Naruto called out to the kitchen.

"Hah! Would you expect anything less, my boy?" the man replied.

Lucoa wiped her mouth with a napkin. "That was delicious. Thanks!"

"We're glad you enjoyed it," Ayame bid, taking the empty bowls to the sink to wash later. "So, may I ask who you are? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Oh, that's because Lucoa-chan is a Dragon!" Naruto answered excitedly. "I accidentally summoned her into my apartment last night and she's staying with me. She's really nice, and her hair is awesome!"

Lucoa gushed at the praise thrown her way, grabbing her fellow blonde and hugging him enthusiastically. "Oh, my Naru-baby is such a charmer~!"

"Lucoa-chan…!" he whined in embarrassment, much to Ayame's amusement.

"Careful, Naruto-kun. You never know if something you say will be just the thing to win over a woman. Looks like Lucoa-san might have already staked her claim on you, though."

"And Dragons are pretty territorial with things they like~."

Naruto's ears were blowing out steam, his face was so red. "Not you too, nee-chan…"

She giggled and reached over to pinch his whiskered cheek before sighing dramatically. "It's a shame, really. I would've been more than happy to wait to marry you; but I don't want to compete with a Dragon," the waitress distressed playfully.

Teuchi was laughing boisterously from the kitchen while the two women giggled and Naruto pouted at the teasing thrown his way. However, Lucoa was happy to feel that Naruto's emotional pain was far away from this place. She made a mental note that the two Ichiraku were people he trusted and cared for, and that they provided a place where he could be happy.

Now, if only she could figure out why those odd people wearing those animal masks were following them since they left the apartment that morning.

It was well into the night, and Naruto was studying a scroll from the Academy while sitting in Lucoa's lap; something she insisted on so that she wouldn't have to read over his shoulder at the table. She had him lean back against her and rested her chin in his wild hair, which she found to be surprisingly soft; almost fur-like in touch.

"So, chakra is a blend of physical energy (chi) and spiritual energy (reiryoku)," Lucoa noted as she read the scroll with him. "And everyone has chakra?"

"Well, animals and plants have chakra too, according to this scroll," Naruto informed her. "It's a life essence that we need to survive and depleting it all can lead us to death or something close to it."

"Hmm…" she hummed, getting a feel for the chakra coming from the younger blonde. "Well, you certainly have chakra to spare from what I can feel."

What she didn't tell him was the secondary source of chakra she felt from within him; one that held chakra wilder and more potent than his own.

'I'm just imagining things… There's no way that they did that to him… Right?' she mused to herself, worried and unsure. Unconsciously, she pulled him a bit closer, which caught his attention.

"You okay, Lucoa-chan?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking about this scroll and how I can help you understand it," she answered, hiding her earlier worries.

"Well, I find it harder to understand anything when I'm just reading it. It's much easier to get when I see somebody demonstrating for me, or if I just see it for myself."

"Sounds like you're a kinesthetic learner, Naru-baby."

"Kin-what now?"

"It means you learn by doing," she simplified.

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds right! You're really smart, Lucoa-chan."

"Aww~! Little charmer," she gushed, nuzzling the top of his head and making him blush again.

The moment was interrupted by a knock at the apartment door. Lucoa pouted at their time being ruined while Naruto got out of her lap and walked to the door, opening it to the sight of an ANBU kunoichi wearing the Cat Mask.

"Uzumaki-san," the woman greeted politely.

"Uh, good evening…?" he greeted back unsurely, earning a faint chuckle from the operative.

"Relax, you're not in trouble. I'm just here to tell you that Hokage-sama wanted to talk with you and your…friend tomorrow in the morning. Preferably before noon."

"Well…I guess we can go talk to him. Did he say why?"

Shaking her masked head, Cat replied, "No. He only ordered me to tell you his wishes."

"I see…"

Truthfully, Naruto wanted to ignore the call just to spite the Old Man for withholding information on his parents. He was still feeling pretty sore about the way his questions were waved off. But he knew that ignoring the Hokage would lead to further problems; especially since he personally delivered Naruto's monthly stipend.

"We'll be there… Goodnight, Cat."

"Have a nice night, Uzumaki-san," she bid before vanishing in a blur, allowing Naruto to close the door and walk back into his living room.

"Everything okay, sweetie?" Lucoa asked in concern.

"The Old Man wants to talk to us tomorrow…"

"Oh… You don't sound like you want to go, though."

"I'm still mad at him for not telling me about my parents… But he gives me money every month for food and other things while taking care of my rent himself. If I get him mad at me, he might stop doing that."

"I see…" She waved him over, pulling him back into her lap so she could replace her chin atop his head. "I'll be with you when you talk to him. If anything happens, I'll help you."

Softly, almost in a whisper, he asked back, "You promise…?"

She lifted her head from his, letting him turn to look at her face. A smile formed on her lips as she gently brushed his head with her hand. "I promise, and a Dragon always keeps their word."

He slowly smiled back and hugged her, which she returned a second later. "You think I could be a Dragon too?"

"I think that you can be anything you want to be, Naru-baby…"

"Hey…" he whined, but he was still smiling in her embrace. "I told you I'm not a baby…"

She giggled at that, simply enjoying the warmth her little Fishcake gave off. 'It's funny… I thought it was odd how quickly Tohru got so attached to Kobayashi-san…'

Looking down at the blonde slowly falling asleep in her arms, she brushed her fingers through his hair again with a tender smile.

'But I can see where she's coming from, now. Humans, no matter what realm, are so interesting. And some of them just have that certain spark that even Dragons can't ignore. Tohru noticed Kobayashi-san's spark, and I can see the same spark in Naruto-kun.'

Ending her internal musings, she lifted up the sleeping boy, carrying him through the apartment and killing the lights before settling them both in bed. Letting him snuggle against her once again, she easily fell asleep with her Naru-baby in her arms.

Tomorrow, they would worry about the meeting with the Old Man. Tonight, they would simply enjoy their sleep.

1: This moment actually happened in the anime. Naruto was shown living on his own with Hiruzen delivering monthly stipends to him, and Naruto did ask about his parents. It was a moment that produced the FEELS since it was a somber moment of Naruto's childhood.

2: In the English Dub of the Dragon Maid anime, Lucoa refers to Shouta (the boy she stays with) as "Shouta-baby". I wanted to incorporate that with Naruto, showing Lucoa's acceptance of him.

Tada! Episodes 1-3 finished!

How's everything look? Like I said, this will be different compared to my other stories; but I think that this method of writing will work best with this crossover.

Did I portray the characters right? Will you come back for more?

I hope you do!

…please say you will…

Until next time!

~pain17ification~