I'm back with yet ANOTHER new fic. It's a Naruto/Angel Tales crossover fic that starts out on a rather sad note. I expect skeptics and chronic flamers to flock to this, but the is FAN FICTION. While you are here, you are in MY world, and I think I speak for most, if not all authors on this site on this subject. I can't remember who I heard this from, but whoever said it, I back them up 100%.

Disclaimer : I do NOT own Naruto or Angel Tales. If I did, why the Hell did I join the Navy?

HOKAGE MONUMENT

Naruto sat atop of Mount Hokage, his feet dangling over the edge of the sculpted face of the Yondaime. This particular spot had always been a source of comfort to the young shinobi. Whenever he had been hurt, be it by the villagers, his so-called friends, or even his own teammates and sensei, he came here to calm his spirit and help heal his heart. Today had been particularly hard on the young Jinchuuriki. Today was the inauguration of the Godaime Hokage and everyone had come out to see her. Tsunade had given Naruto a special gaze and a wink to signify that she indeed thanked him for all he had done for her.

Naruto had proven himself to be a hero yet again. First, he proved it on his team's mission in Wave Country when he stood tall against Zabuza and Haku. Next, he had held off the dreaded Orochimaru in the forest of death in an attempt to save his teammates, only to have what little control he had crippled by a strange seal applied by the evil Sannin. Even after all that, he went on to defeat Kiba Inuzuka in fair combat, delivering some justice for himself and a dear friend. He then went on to swear vengeance and reap it against a Genin that even Sasuke couldn't have beaten. Directly after that, Naruto fought toe to toe with and defeated his fellow Demon Container, Gaara. After recovering from both his injuries and from the loss of the Sandaime, he and Jiraiya, his new teacher, set out to find the Slug Princess Tsunade to become their next Hokage, during which, he mastered the Rasengan, a jutsu thought to have been lost with it's creator, the Yondaime. With it, he helped to drive away Orochimaru and his assistant Kabuto and rescued Tsunade from herself.

He had indeed accomplished more than even a small handful of shinobi could lay claim to over the duration of their careers in such a short time, but this meant little to the people he wanted acknowledgement from like his teammates, sensei, and peers. They all still thought of him as a pathetic clown, not worth looking at or of even the most basic of courtesies and politeness. They knew nothing about him, but presumed to know everything. Even after his kunoichi teammate and long time crush, Sakura, had been told that Naruto was the one who rescued her form Gaara, she still vehemetly denied it and even took it out on Naruto himself, saying that he had no right to butt in on Sasuke's fight. She then hit him like she usually did, but this blow seemed to pierce his fragile heart, which brinds us here to this hallowed ground.

Unknown to anyone, even the Ichiraku's, Iruka, and now Jiraiya, Tsunade and her assistant Shizune, who had become like family to him, knew about this spots REAL significance, it's real meaning to the young shinobi. Only Hana Inuzuka and the late Sandaime, who cast a special Genjutsu over it to help Naruto protect it, knew about it. It was a series of seals that generated the illusion, operated by blood seal that was keyed to only open for Naruto himself. Hana called it the Garden of Tears. Naruto reflected on this hauntingly beautiful name as he gazes off slightly to the right.

The secluded part of the monument held a small patch of flowers that were all underneath a small Sakura tree. Under this tree in this beautiful patch of flowers, there stood 12 markers with twelve names on them. Each one held a vast array of both happy and painful memories attached to them as he looked over to the first marker, which had the name 'Yuki' engraved on it.

FLASHBACK

He remembered the day he first saw her when he was merely seven years old. He had wandered into the Forest of Death after evading a hostile crowd that chased him in there, but lacked the nerve to pursue him any further. He ventured further and further into the dangerous area until he was attacked by a wild beast that lived there. Just before he was dinner, another creature snagged him and dragged him up into the upper canopy of the forest, where it was slightly safer.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw that a massive white snake had coiled around him, looking at him with curiosity.

"Uhhh...Hey, how's it goin'?" He chuckled out nervously.

The snake seemed to study him closely, it's tongue flicking over him and getting his scent. The snake then took off with him through the trees at a rapid clip and delivered him to an area outside of the forest.

Naruto was in shock. This snake was...different from the other animals in that whacked out forest. The very next day, he wandered inside again and managed to find it lounging in the sun. He approached the snake carefully and let her get his scent. After she did, she coiled around him gently and cuddled him, much to his amusement and joy. She became a friend to him. He gave her the name Yuki, due to her beautiful snow white scales.

His happiness wasn't meant to last, as the Chuunin Exams were now in progress. He was still inside the forest when a team of shinobi happened upon him and attacked him. Yuki came to his rescue and shielded him from a Fire jutsu, but it cost her her life. Naruto had some how managed to get her over to his favorite spot and buried her, placing her marker at the base of a cherry tree.

FLASHBACK END

He missed her very much, even thought they were together for such a short amount of time. It was one of the reasons why he hated Fire jutsu and Sasuke's almost exclusive use of them. His gaze wandered to another marker, this one marked 'Ran'...

ANOTHER FLASHBACK

Naruto was given a pet to help him cope with how lonely he was all the time, a small goldfish that he named Ran, after a water lily that he saw earlier and that the fish had the same color. He put her into a bowl and kept her close to his bedside as he poured out his heart and soul to her.

"Ahhhh...It's not like you can really understand me, but if I just pretend that you can, it makes everything...not hurt so much." He confided in her one day as he left to go and grab some fish food for her.

Unfortunately, he was always subject to angry people coming into his small apartment and raiding it. They found Ran's fishbowl and got a nasty idea. They poured massive amounts of salt into the water, strangling and killing Ran. When Naruto returned with her food, his heart broke. He put her in a small wooden box that he scavenged from a flower shop and buried her at he special place.

"So you can still listen to me..." He whispered as he carried himself home.

END

Those small one-sided conversations may have made him look like a loon, but they meant the world to the lonely boy. He found that his memories just couldn't be suppressed as his gaze fell upon a third maker, marked 'Ayumi'...

AGAIN...YOU KNOW THE DRILL

During a new year's festival that he managed to sneak into, he won a ring toss game and won a prize, a small turtle. Upon thinking of a name for his new companion, he just watched her plod around in a bowl he filled with half sand and water. Finally, it came to the eight year old.

"Aha! Ayumi-chan!" He declared as he paraded around his small apartment, holding him new friend aloft proudly. He brought her where ever he could, even to the Academy. There, she served as a focus for him, helping him concentrate and actually do better for a short time. His upward rise wasn't unnoticed by his peers, especially one Sasuke Uchiha and his pack of fangirls. He didn't like the fact the dead last was improving at a rapid pace and carried himself so differently and he sought out the reason why. He found out that it was because he believed his pet turtle was a sort of good luck charm.

As a malicious prank, he waited until classes were over and tripped Naruto outside of the classroom, causing him to drop Ayumi on the floor. Sasuke was quick to snatch her away and dangled the helpless turtle in front of Naruto's face.

"What's the matter, dobe?" He mocked as he flung to small turtle to the ground, expecting a splat, but her hard shell prevented what he wanted. In a fit of rage, he stomped on her, crushing her and killing her before Naruto's eyes. They all stayed just long enough to get a look at the despair on his face as they laughed at and taunted him.

Naruto scraped up what was left of her and managed to cut class long enough to head out to what was becoming a small private graveyard that was coming to be known as the Garden of Tears. There, he buried her next to the others that had brought him brief periods of joy and happiness. Iruka saw what had happened and allowed him to cut class, just this once. The loss of a close friend was devastating, and to the boy who had no one, he would never be quite the same again.

END

Ayumi was a good companion. She made him feel more...normal. He'd still never forgiven Sasuke or Sakura for that to this day. Once again, he was dragged back into his vault of memories as his eyes unconsciously fell upon the next marker, 'Tamami'...

HERE WE GO AGAIN...

While wandering the streets one night in the rain, Naruto heard a meow coming from an alleyway. His natural curiosity getting to him, he went to investigate. After a moment of searching, he found the source of the noise, a small cat. The kitten walked up to him and brushed against his leg, asking to be picked up. Naruto obliged and took her home with him after he saw that she had no collar.

On the way home, he was thinking of a name as he passed a jewelry store. Then, he looked into her eyes and saw that they were a beautiful teal color. He stopped and looked at the window display and saw a jewel of the same color, then it hit him. The perfect name for her.

"Tamami...Yeah! C'mon, Tamami-chan! We're goin' home!" Naruto crowed as they marched off to his apartment.

Over the next few weeks, the cat had become completely comfortable around the blond boy as he constantly talked to her as if she were human, laughing and playing with her. She wound up following him everywhere, even to the Academy. During his lunch breaks, he'd always be seen with her sitting on his lap, purring in contentment. Sadly, one day as he was on his way to school, he was running a bit late, so Tamami was running to to catch up with him since he was rather fast for a human. A horse drawn cart that barely missed him...had run over her. She died almost instantly.

In following with a sad tradition that was developing with all of his pets thus far, he buried her lovingly in the Garden of Tears.

END...AGAIN

'Another friend...gone...I wish you were still with me.' He thought sadly as his couldn't stop himself from looking at the next marker, 'Midori'...

MAN...MORE TO GO...

Naruto's apartment had just been trashed again and he was still in the process of repairing and repainting it when he heard a small clatter from inside his apartment one night. He got up from his bed, wielding a kunai that Sarutobi had given to him, and searched out the cause of the noise. Hearing it again, he dashed into his kitchen, where his paint cans were, to find that they were knocked over and saw small paw prints of green paint leading up to his fridge. Peering inside, he saw a small Tanuki, covered in green paint, eating some leftover noodles.

Instead of getting angry, he almost laughed himself sick. He had too much of a heart to kick the small creature out, so he made a make shift bed for her and cleaned her up. He noted that she was surprizingly calm about the whole thing. When he was finally finished, he saw that she had a spot of green paint on her coat that would not come off, but it gave him a inspiration for a name.

"It's time for bed...Ne, Midori-chan?" He winked at the Tanuki, who seemed pleased to stay with him as it crawled under his covers.

Naruto sighed. "I guess you can sleep in the bed for tonight. I just gave you a bath, after all."

Again, Naruto had a companion that helped him stave off his loneliness and again the villagers were angry with this development.

Midori was a highly curious and adventurous little Tanuki who would go where ever he went. She also had a habit of trying to snag a nibble of what ever Naruto was eating, too. That habit...became her doom.

A couple of merchants that wanted Naruto gone pretty badly had gotten hold of a particularly nasty pathogen and shadowed him to the Ichiraku Ramen Stand. Once there, they distracted the stand owners and Naruto, dumping the poison into his food. Midori snagged a bite of pork while Naruto got one too, but they both immediately fell ill. Teuchi and Ayame wasted no time in taking them to the hospital and alerted the Sandaime, who forced them to work on Naruto and fetch an Inuzuka vet to help out Midori.

Luckily for Naruto, a perk of having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him was that he had an insane immune system and an inhuman resistance to any and all poisons. This virulent poison was no match for it.

Midori on the other hand, she didn't have his strength. As he got over the effects of the poison, he rushed out of the hospital and over to the vet clinic. There he was met with a friendly Inuzuka named Hana who was trying to treat Midori, but she had some terrible news for him.

"Naruto-kun...I'm sorry. She didn't...make it." The vet informed him sadly.

Naruto moved past her without a word and scooped her body up. The Sandaime put a hand on his shoulder and the two flickered away to his special place and lifted the Genjutsu that protected it. Then, Naruto gave her a silent funeral, Sarutobi performing a small Doton jutsu that opened a small hole in the ground and buried her gently. From there, the old Hokage brought the heartbroken boy home.

END...AGAIN

Midori held a very special place in his heart, as did the others. He later went back to the vet clinic and thanked Hana for what she tried to do for Midori from the bottom of his heart. As he left, she sighed as her heart went out to him.

"Truly...The gods seem to hate this innocent boy. I didn't think that they could be this cruel..." She mused sadly as he left, but he overheard her.

There were more deaths of his beloved friends, more sad and heart shredding separations. There was Nana, a puppy he found and took in. Ruru, a small frog that had hopped into his apartment one rainy day. Mika, a rabbit that he freed form a trap and nursed back to health. Momo, a small monkey that became attached to him during a small hike. Tsubasa, a parakeet that had hurt it's wing and he helped heal it. Kurumi, a hamster that had escaped from someone's cage but stayed with him for some odd reason. but the one that hit him the hardest was fairly recent and made him hate most of his classmates, especially Sasuke and Kiba, driving him to the very brink of hating the village as a whole.

'Akane...Sometimes, I can still feel you with me.' Naruto cried inwardly, a few tears making their way down his face.

IF ALL OF THIS HAPPENED TO YOU, YOU'D START TO QUESTION IF THERE WAS A GOD, TOO...

It was in the summer before his final year in the Academy and he was training near his special spot on Mount Hokage when he heard a whine coming from a bush near where he was resting after a grueling training session. Upon further inspection, he found that it was a young fox that was making the sounds and it's front leg was injured.

"Shh. Hey, I won't hurt you." He tried to soothe the young vixen as he tried to reach out to her, but she was distrustful of humans. She clamped down on his hand, but Naruto didn't jerk away. It hurt, because she had some really sharp teeth, but he held firm and held back his pain.

"See? I promise I won't hurt you and I never break a promise." She told the golden coated vixen.

She could see that he truly meant no harm, for she relented and let go. Feeling a tad guilty, she licked the wound she gave him to make him feel better. He responded by tearing off a piece of his shirt and soaked it with his drinking water, wrapping it around her wound. He then stood up and went to sit on top of the Yondaime's head to rest a bit.

She followed him out there and sat beside him, nudging him slightly to announce her presense. They felt a sort of connection to each other that transcended all, just like with all of his other companions.

"Beautiful sunset, ain't it?" He asked, getting a yip in reply.

She could feel that something was different about this human, like he was more fox than human with his scent. His scent and feel were both warm and inviting, she just couldn't tear herself away as he patted her on the head lightly and scratched just behind her ears, causing her to move closer.

"Y'know...I need to think of a name for you. Mine's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." He introduced himself as he continued to think of a name while looking into the sunset. It was breathtaking. It was a symphony of scarlet hues on a grand backdrop and it was while he thought of the perfect name for her.

"Akane...of the Scarlet Clouds. A beautiful name, ne?" He said aloud, grinning at her with a sidelong glance.

From that moment on, they were inseparable. Her presence seemed to agitate the villagers even more than usual, but he didn't care and neither did she. She followed him everywhere and Iruka even allowed him to bring her to the Academy as a nin animal. Many of the faculty members were outraged by this, but the Hokage silenced them quickly. Iruka had his own reasons for allowing it. He knew all too well the kind of life Naruto had led, and he needed all the friends he could get, even if they weren't human. The vixen seemed to be a calming influence on him, as the pranks stopped and he quieted down. He was finally starting to recover from his heartbreak form all those previous tragedies that seemed to follow him around.

The villagers took his change as a sign that he was gearing up for something big and sought to stop him before something happened. They couldn't do anything to him without bringing the Hokage down upon them, so they got their children to do their dirty work for them.

It was the day of the Kyuubi festival and his 12th birthday. He had long since stopped desiring a big birthday party thrown for him with lots of presents like he'd seen with all of the other kids. Now, he just wanted to be left in peace. This night, however, proved that the village was determined to never allow him a moment's peace or a shred of happiness. He had gotten a message to come to a party at the Academy. He figured that it couldn't hurt to check it out but he also let his guard down.

He arrived at the school with Akane right behind him. It was dark and no one was around.

"I don't like this, Akane-chan. Let's go." He told her, but they turned to leave too late as he felt a blow hit him from behind. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was the sound of a pain filled yelp from Akane.

He woke up to being slapped across the face by someone who face was shrouded by the dark. He opened up an eye to see people standing around him, mostly adults, but with kids his age around. He could tell who two of these people were. One had eyes that were an onyx black and the other had a dog perched atop his head and both had stances that screamed of arrogance.

'Sasuke-teme, Kiba-teme...What the hell is going on here? Where's Akane-chan?' He thought frantically.

"Where's Akane-chan? What did you do to her?" Naruto snarled at them, only making them smirk.

"That little fox bitch? I'll turn it into a pelt and wipe my ass with it. I'll give it back to you, of course. Maybe THIS will teach you your place, dobe." Kiba laughed in his face as Sasuke stabbed her with a kunai right in her chest, killing her slowly. The last thing she saw was Naruto screaming frantically for them to stop and calling for help.

Naruto felt weak and useless. "No...Not again...Please no...The gods can't be this cruel..." He cried openly as he tried to crawl over to her body, only for Kiba to have Akamaru snatch her from his reach.

Kiba and Sasuke, along with a few of his other classmates, teachers and some of the parents, began to advance on him until a trio of large hounds blocked their path, a young woman in a Chuunin vest and Inuzuka clan markings behind them, ready to fight to protect the boy.

"If you want to get at this boy, you'll have to go through me." Hana snarled, her hounds growling at the crowd.

"Sis! What the hell are you doing?" Kiba whined.

"Kiba...I'll only ask you once. Return the fox to Naruto-kun and go home. Mom and I will deal with you and Akamaru later." She told him with cold fury. Akamaru knew better than to argue with an Alpha, so Akane's body was returned to Naruto, who clutched her while he cried his eyes out.

"Akamaru! Why'd you do that?" Kiba yelled at his nin dog, running at Naruto to get the fox back only to receive a powerful backhanded blow from his elder sister.

Hana glared at him and told him to go home, and he obeyed her reluctantly, only pausing long enough to give Naruto a dirty look. She then turned a sad gaze at the young boy who's world was once again falling apart. She backed up slowly to him, keeping the hostile crowd in sight as she grasped his shoulder. Once she had hold of his shoulder, she teleported them both away from the area, leaving an angry crowd to be dealt with by the Hokage and his ANBU.

They flickered into the area where the Genjutsu key was located, Naruto biting his thumb for the blood he needed to release the seal protecting his special place. The woods before them shimmered and revealed a beautiful meadow that had a gorgeous Cherry Blossom tree in the middle of it, a circle of markers around it. The way the moonlight was hitting it gave it a magical quality.

"This is so beautiful..." Hana breathed, spellbound.

Naruto used a small Doton jutsu that the Sandaime taught him to open a small hole in the ground. Wrapping Akane lovingly in his jacket, he lowered her into the hole and with another small set of handseals, he slowly closed up the grave and walked away. Hana felt her heart break as she walked out behind him, Naruto re-activating the Genjutsu.

"Akane-chan...I'll never forget you or the others. I'll always love you all." He murmured as Hana helped him home.

MAN...I FEEL DEPRESSED...

A few tears came unbidden as he stood up. This trip usually made him feel better, but he wasn't. If anything, he was now angry. He stood and said a silent prayer as he walked away. He looked up to the sky, wondering if his beloved friends saw all that he had accomplished and if they would be proud of him.

ELSEWHERE...

Unknown to our blond hero, somebody WAS watching him. She had been watching him for years. She cried for his pain, she smiled at his proudest moments.

"Naruto Uzumaki...Your soul is pure and spirit strong and brave. You loved them and saw them not as your pets, but as companions and equals for your heart to be broken so by their passing. You have endured evils that would have driven prople twice your age and experience into madness, but came out of it stronger than ever before. You even saved a fellow Jinchuuriki from himself and your selfish teammates from death at the risk of your own life. You, more than anyone, can lead this troubled world into the peace that had eluded it for so long. You, more than anyone I've ever seen, have proven yourself worthy of a Guardian Angel to help you along your way. I have just the candidates for the job." The woman stated with a proud smile.

She was exceptionally beautiful with long purple hair, a flowing white gown and holding a glowing staff. She was indeed proud of the boy and the immeasurable promise he showed and the unconditional love he was capable of.

Behind the woman, there were several girls there in robes, with halos and wings. The first three stepped forward. One had long red hair, the second hair aquamarine hair that was done up on the back with a clip. The third was shorter than the other two, her brown hair done up in a two bao.

"We are ready, Megami-sama." The tall red haired girl stated.

"I shall get things started, then." The now identified Megami-sama replied as she disappeared in a flash of white light.

A/N: THIS is my newest brainchild that has been lurking in my notes for the past year or so. For those unfamiliar with the Angel Tales series, go to G o g o a n i m e . c o m to see it. I'm still in work on my other fics, but my muse has been rather...finicky. Ja ne!