Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto, D&D or Final Fantasy. That's all I can say about that...

Note: Still alive! Sorry I've been gone for so long folks. As many know (as I still answer PMs and reviews and the like) I had to move at the start of the year, now I'm a thousand miles for anyone I know save for my father, and he's not really known for his creative side (well, not for gaming) so a lot of my inspiration dried up (D&D with my friends got the engine running, if you would, and with it still running when I got home I could write) but I'm doing my best to get it back. :) first offering, Shadowmancer, I know many were hoping for other stories, but this is the one that came out of me, so there.

I'll probably get some flak for a few things that happen in this, but given just where Gaara is when this goes on, I don't consider it beyond the realm of possibility. And really, it just comes down to me wanting to do it. So there :P

And to address one review. I had someone call my Shiva a whore due to the speed of the relationship, at first this didnt bother me, but after mulling it over a bit it really grated on me.

I understand that I dont spell things out a lot for my readers, I like to think that many of them can read between the lines and see that when time is passing, I'm not always going to say as such. I personally find it damned annoying when people will do things like 'three years later' and then in the first sentence restate it. I don't mind time skips, but I hate repetition, it grates on me. I try and go out of my way to make sure that I don't use to many words or phrases to often, I like to think it makes me a better writer (and well, people are still reading my stuff, so I must be doing something right ne?). To that end I dont often say things that I imply. In this tale Naruto had spent an age with Shiva in her own dimension, time didnt really exit for them there, they had plenty of time to get to know each other there and grew close. Have they had sex? No. I'm not going to do their first time off screen like that, it's cheap. Have they played around? Sure, all couples do, even if it was a bit more than second base. (Well, this is more like being thrown out while stealing home :P)

I have a big background for Shiva, it's going to make her rather reluctant to go to that next step, she's physical, and affectionate, but not quick to lay with anyone.

anyway, enough rambling, that's not what your here for ne?

EDIT!: Special thanks to EndGame666 for catching a plot issue, I blame the gap between writing my fic :( Shikamaru's match had already taken place, so I replaced it with a different scene.

Shadowmancer
Chapter 3: Paragons

The crowd was still, a stunned silence lingering in the air as the gathered leaders could only wonder at the nature of the technique the blond had used.

Gaara, son of the Kazekage, was simply gone!

Genma was no exception to this shock, it took the blond turning to the man to get him to snap out of his stupor, "W-Winner, Na-"

The robed figure just held up a hand, "No, not yet." The man arched an eyebrow at him, "Gaara isn't done yet. This technique does not kill, unless he was weak." The oddly glowing eyes seemed to smile, "Gaara doesn't strike me as weak, don't you agree?"

"Kid, you're saying no to being the winner, you know that, right?"

The smile was clear in his voice, "Of course, such a thing would be hollow for all involved. Just wait. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed."

The man pulled the rag off his head before scrubbing his hand through his hair, "Look Naruto, we already agreed to no delays. We can't make exceptions."

The hat covered head tilted slightly, "Even at the request of his opponent? It's one thing if it's showing favoritism on the part of the leaders, but this is my choice, to not surrender or be declared the victor, at least until it's earned."

"Gaara wanted to fight Sasuke."

"And you didn't ask if he was willing to wait. It's hardly our fault you didn't ask. But I digress, in the end it will be the decision of the Kage."

With an annoyed sigh the man turned to his kage, it was his decision. The Third simply gave a small wave, as though shooing away something that would be a nuisance. Genma shrugged and gave a nod, "Very well, how long will it take?"

Naruto gave a shrug of his own, "As long as it needs to."

"As long as what needs to?"

"For him to find his own paragon."

"Another."

"Yes, another."

"But not the same…"

"No."

"No."

"This one is different."

"Insane."

"Madness."

"He is lost to the void, yet…"

"Not entirely."

"No."

For Gaara this was new, the darkness, the cold. It was overbearing, all encompassing. The voices, they scared even Mother, what was this place? "Where…How…"

"Our disciple."

"Yes."

"The one you call…Naruto."

The red haired boy scowled, "HIM! Where is he?"

"He is here."

"Yet not."

"No."

"No."

"TELL ME!"

"So much anger…"

"Useless."

"Pointless."

"Unfounded."

"Scared."

"Yes, this one is afraid."

The teen scowled, "I fear nothing! You can't hurt me!"

"Immaterial."

"All things end here."

"All things start here."

"How do I return? I must kill him! Mother wants his blood!"

"Immaterial. Should he die he will return here, to join the whole."

"This one is touched, like the disciple."

"Yes, the beasts."

"Beasts."

"This one was sent here for another reason…we can feel it, the pull…"

Gaara's sand lashed out blindly, doing his best to find the sources of the voices, to strike them down before they could say more. He didn't know what they were, but he understood that that boy was allied with him, all the better to hurt him then. But time and again the waves came up empty, no resistance, no contact. Nothing.

This place….now that he tried to think…he couldn't even feel the ground… "Where…where am I?"

"We are everywhere."

"We are nowhere."

"We are eternal."

"We are the end."

"But this is not your end."

"No, there is another….like with the disciple…"

"Yes, he is chosen."

"The Stream."

"Yes, he must go…"

"Until your time has truly come…"

The disjoined voices joined as one, a booming shout that caused the sand to thicken around his ears, less he be deafened, "We will meet again…"

Gaara could only gape as the darkness was pierced by a blinding light, one that consumed him, and washed away all that he was.

"G-Gaara…" Temari was noticeably shaken, in one fell swoop the odd blond had made her brother, one of the most feared ninja in the whole of Wind, simply vanish into nothing, and now he was waiting, and with a smile on his damned-able face!

"Temari…this is bad…what are we going to do…what will father do?" His hushed whispers didn't reach her, her eyes were flicking between the blond and spot her brother had vanished from even as her hands tightened on her battle-fan. That little nothing, he took her family from her, he was going to PAY!

Shikamaru cast a wary eye to the blond not far from him, pitying Naruto for his upcoming bout with her. He knew well enough that vengeance was something that ruled their world. The number of Iwa ninja that still hated Leaf were testament to that.

Beyond that, his own mind was still reeling at the possibilities, shadow powers that vastly different were things never even conceived of in his clan, and his were a family of geniuses! But here Naruto was with blades, portals and Kami knows what else.

How did he learn them…

What did it have to do with the chasm?

And why was he being so…distant with his friends? It was almost like he didn't even remember any of them, just blank faces in the crowd…

"Annoying blonds…"

"Such a strange young man you have there Hokage-sama…"

Sarutobi could only look at his old ally with mild confusion, wasn't his son just killed? But then hadn't Naruto said that the boy wasn't dead? If that was the case then where did he go? What was this 'portal of shadows'? Was it a skill a Nara knew? And if so who taught him...He inclined his head slightly to the Kazekage, no need to let him know that something was amiss, "Indeed, Naruto was always known as the number one most unpredictable ninja."

The veiled man let out an amused chuckle, "Is that so…well it seems a moniker well earned Hokage-sama. However I must ask where he learned such skills, I'm quite sure that the only one who has mastered such techniques was your deceased successor. Was it the man who trained him? Your Sannin?"

The aged leader cast a steely gaze to the man beside him, his long years of stealth, planning, all the battles he had survived, they were all starting to point to one thing…

He'd found his attacker.

The one that sought to destroy his home.

A small smirk was hidden by the shadow his hat provided.

This was a man that would fail.

This was new…

A…comfort…

The likes of which he'd never felt, even with Yashamaru he was never this at ease, fearing those around him, be it as potential attackers, or for their fear of him.

But this…this was like soaking in a warm spring, but it reached so much deeper.

He fought the urge, the desire to open his eyes, to see where he was, what was causing this feeling, yet he was afraid.

Would it vanish if he opened them?

Would he be back in the desolate desert, no one to care for him…

Or worse…that endless plane of darkness.

"Another little one, it seems I'm becoming quite popular these days."

Gaara's eyes snapped open, not at the voice, no, it was what he felt.

Someone was…holding him.

Through the sand, through his clothing and armor, but who…

"Mother?"

A light, tittering laugh filled his ears, it was so beautiful, "What is it with everyone calling me their mother…though there are worse things I suppose. I've never been about to look away from the little ones."

"B-but my mother hated me…"

If anything the grip increased, the warmth sinking all the deeper, settling into his bel-His eyes widened in horror, he couldn't feel it, the feeling if his Mother deep down, instead there was this woman…she wasn't calling for blood, pain…

"W-who are you? What's happening!"

A ghostly hand drifted through his hair, he still couldn't see her, was he dead? "It's alright, we took the beast from you, it's been cleansed from it's madness, and while it's still hardly pleasant' He could almost feel her smile, 'He is sorry for his part in your suffering. He did have a message however."

"Sukaku?"

"If that's what he wishes to call himself. It's up to you if you wish to know this though Gaara, it's…about your mother."

"But…you…"

Again that smile laced her voice, "I'm afraid that I'm not your mother Gaara, though I'm happy that you think that, I have to watch so many…it's nice to be appreciated, and from two people in such a short time…"

"Two?"

"You know him as Naruto, he understood your suffering, and wanted you to know peace. That's why you're here, to learn."

The pale boy clenched his eyes and fists, Naruto. "T-tell me…the message, I need to know, why did she hate me? Because I killed her?"

That grip returned almost a hundred fold, phantom hands pulling him into the soft embrace of a woman's chest, while he couldn't hear a heartbeat, he could feel a thrum of pure power.

One of comfort, and love.

"No Gaara, she didn't hate you. Her hatred was of her village for forcing this upon you. Her husband tried to stop it, but the orders of his leader could not be ignored. Faced with the choice of seeing him die for disobeying orders, or accepting the order she did what she could to save her love. She vowed to protect you, with her dying breath she swore that she would always be with you. Despite his rage at being sealed, and the madness of the priest, it respected her sacrifice, and offered this much to you. Your sand is her legacy, mothers love made manifest."

Gaara could only stare ahead at the shifting greens around him, could it be true…did his mother love him, and protect him? If so, then why did Yashamaru say what he did? The phantom's words replayed again and again. His father was ordered…even the Kage's had to obey the daimyo, but why would he have want-of course, every leader wanted a great weapon, something to secure their strength and borders…what was the life of one family, even a Kage's, when compared to a nation?

He willed his sand to rise once more, looking at the fine grains in a new light. This wasn't the curse of the one tail, this was the love of his mother.

He didn't understand it at first, the sting he felt at his eyes, thinking that his sand had strayed, like he had seen with the others of Suna in their time, but that didn't make sense, his sand never hurt him…

Then he felt the warmth, the wetness creating twin trails down his cheeks.

Tears.

"It's alright Gaara, everything will be alright now."

For one lonely boy, he took the chance, for the first time, to let all his barriers fall.

Within the arena, Naruto smiled.

"Gaara, as much as I would love to keep you here longer, there are greater forces at work. You know of the plan in that village, and before you go back there is one that wishes to meet you. But I warn you, he may be slow to anger, but once that is earned, nothing on earth can stop it."

"Who?"

"He is very old, and very powerful. He senses great potential in you, and should you be found worthy…well there are very few who could stand against you."

Gaara took a few moments to compose himself, scrubbing at his eyes before steeling himself, his sand quickly reforming into its gourd. "You've done so much for me…please, show me this man."

Gaara felt the ghost of lips on his forehead, right on the kanji for 'love', yet he knew, on some level, that it wasn't the voice…it was something…someone, much closer to him. "Good luck, and remember, patience is a virtue."

The crowd was growing restless.

It was understandable, this was the finals of the chunin exam, and after that remarkable display there was just nothing.

For the lords and ladies in the stand they were starting to starve for entertainment, even with the renewed betting going around the stands things were…dull…

It had only been a half hour, one would wonder how they would have reacted to having to wait for Sasuke and Kakashi.

For two though they were seething.

Sabaku no Temari.

And Sasuke Uchiha.

For the former, she was imagining new and creative ways to disembowel the man in the area. The thought that this man had just killed her brother had easily driven away the thoughts of eye-candy and marriage.

For the later he was raging at the loss of his match, but beyond that, it was the small trill of fear making its way up his spine that he hated. That dobe had somehow not only won, but had made his foe cease to exist! Not to mention that technique, the speed, how had he done it!? Not even his Sharingan had been able to track him! He was simply there one moment, then gone another! It was madness!

"Kakashi! What happened to him in that month! What did you teach him!"

The taller of the duo was doing all he could to maintain his cool façade', but inside he was just as lost, what had Jiraiya taught him! "Sasuke, you know I didn't teach him, I was with you the whole month…"

The jonin suddenly felt a chill dance up his spine, turning slowly he looked over his shoulder to find the grinning face of a beautiful dark haired woman, her long hair cascading in curls about her shoulders, "Oh…do tell Kakashi-san, why didn't you teach your other student over the course of the break? A ninja of your prowess surely knows a technique that would allow him to be in two places at once…"

While the smile was a welcome one, he didn't reach this ripe old age (for ninja) with just his Sharingan, finely honed senses were telling him to speak his next words very carefully. "W-Well I knew that Sasuke was going to have to go up against Gaara, and after seeing how he had dealt with Lee I knew he would need a bit more attention. Dividing my chakra like that would have been a problem."

If anything the woman's smile grew, though the slight shadowing to her eyes were ringing a BIG warning bell for him, "Oh my, I didn't realize that the young man had such potential, to force an elite of your caliber to devote all his time, not to mention considerable energy, to his training. Is that way you were late? That you couldn't muster up the chakra to be here on time?"

The Copy Nin just gave her his patented eye-smile and a small wave of his hand, like trying to blow out the embers of a fire…Kurenai was one that was slow to anger, even tolerating his book with only a look of distaste, but she valued the bond of teacher and student beyond any save for perhaps Gai…

Now she found out he had ditched one of his students…

Oh dear.

"N-Now Kurenai-san, I didn't just abandon him, I'd chosen Ebi-"

"Oh, I know quite well who you picked, I was in the hot spring when the man was knocked out with one flick from Jiraiya-sama. It's a pity that he didn't do a better job…"

That threw the man for a loop, and had Sasuke looking on intently, Naruto, the dead last, was trained by a Sannin!?

"What do you mean? Obviously he did a great job, Naruto's power is-"

"Unknown.' That made the man quirk an eyebrow, 'Naruto was missing, presumed dead after your vaunted author threw him off a cliff!"

Kakashi's lone eye widened even as Sasuke scoffed, "If the dobe couldn't survive that they he really didn't des-"

"The Endless Chasm."

That silenced the two. Even Sasuke knew not to go near that place, stories were told of the lack of ability to climb out, the walls were to smooth, something about the earth disrupting chakra even beyond that, but for Naruto to have been thrown in, and to be before them…

"W-what happened to him?"

"None of us know. This is the first we've seen him since he vanished two weeks ago."

Both turned back to the arena, watching the blond stand still, his staff held lazily in one hand, turned into the crook of his arm and along his shoulder, much like a spearman at ease.

That however, became the least of their worries.

Those oddly glowing orbs snapped back open as he grinned, within him, Shiva perked up and mirrored his expression. The two speaking in unison, "It's time."

"Genma-san, please step back, my opponent is about to arrive."

The bandana wearing nin quirked an eyebrow at the teen before doing as instructed. Then he felt it, the sudden…weight of the power bearing down on them, it was almost enough to make his knees buckle. "W-what's ha-"

It was unnoticed at first, the small grains of earth rising from the ground and forming a ball, but as it grew so did the oppressive power, yet it wasn't evil, nothing really wrong with it.

It was just…heavy.

Still the ball grew, finally coming to a stop when it was roughly four foot around, the odd thing hovering for a time two feet above the ground. "Well well Gaara…you took your time."

The ball suddenly burst in a great wave of sand, the particles swirling about the red-head like a great storm before settling around him. All in all he didn't change much, he just seemed to carry himself differently, not quite as slouched, his eyes a bit less sunken.

And he held a smirk, just a small one, but a smirk all the same.

"Naruto…We have much to discuss, you and I."

The blond just smiled back, "But of course. Genma-san, you may wish to leave the arena, this is going to get a bit…intense."

Temari could only look on in shock, Gaara, her little brother, Scourge of the Sands, was smiling, and it wasn't one filled with bloodlust or hate, it seemed…could that really be…fondness?

"Gaara…what did he do to you?"

Next to her Shikamaru was thinking the same thing. It had only been dumb luck that had let the lazy nin find Gaara that day and stop him from killing Lee, being that he had been in Chouji's room that day, just down the hall, he had felt that bloodlust and went to investigate, despite his better judgment.

He may have been lazy, but he wasn't about to let a murderer run loose in a hospital.

At that time it had taken all he had just to hold the teen. The young man only backing off when Gai had shown up yet again to thwart what would have been two murders if he was just ten minutes later.

But that man in the arena now…he just didn't give off that same feel…it had only been about an hour…what could have happened in that short amount of time?

Troublesome...

"How would you like to start this off Gaara-san? I think it would be a bit….sudden if we went to strongly right at the start, wouldn't you say?"

The sand user's smirk became a smile before his eyes closed in a small nod. "You're right…We'd cause more trouble than anything else…they may interfere…"

"We can't have that, now can we?" With a small shrug the staff came forward, the blond giving it a small twirl before letting it impact the arena floor, a small shockwave of frost jetting from the butt.

"No, not at all." The sand which had been drifting lazily in the air streaked to the owner, wrapping sharply around his arms, his fists looking like great mallets.

"Oh? Taijutsu? That's rare for you…"

Two larger sets of knuckles impacted off of one another sharply, "A ninja must never be predictable."

The blond grinned before giving a small 'hmm' of agreement. "So a melee to open with…seems you will have the advantage…" Naruto quickly released the staff, against the laws of physics it stayed vertical as he made a few grand gestures, Gaara only smiling as he prepared himself, dropping his hips a bit and pulling his arms in close, a basic horse stance.

The audience watched in tense silence as the blond finished his motions, both hands having three foot blades of shadow, straight, like wedges of ink, drinking in the light. "I believe you saw my Blades before yes? Let's see how you measure up…"

"Didn't I say? Don't be PREDICTABLE!"

To accent his point, the red head charged, the blond reciprocating.

Part two of the finals, had just begun.