Hero of Illusionary East

A Naruto/Touhou Project Crossover

A/N 1: Hello boys and gals, Satsujinki Nanaya here with the actual first chapter of my collaboration fic with Nanaya Zero. Heh... I'm as excited as I can get, seeing as this fic received so much attention so soon after it was uploaded... You guys make me happy. OK, I've got nothing else to say, bar thanking who reviewed and put this story on their favorites, alert list, or their communities; Well without further ado I leave the word to my pal Nanaya Zero and I hope you will like this chapter.

A/N 2: Yo, everyone. Nanaya Zero here. As my pal Satsujinki Nanaya said, I'm pretty pleased with how well the prologue was received! You all rock, and I hope you continue to stick with us as we try to take this story all the way to the end. So, without any more delay, let's get things started! The Wheel of Fate is Turning! … Wait, wrong series.

Disclaimer: We do not own any of the characters or locations depicted in this story. This is just a fanwork made purely for fun. This means we are not making any money off of this. Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, and Touhou Project is property of ZUN.

Tale 001: Orange Fox, Scarlet Devil

Silence... The one thing that reigned supreme in the room that Meiling had been asked (Read: ordered) to watch over. And it was really all she could expect, considering the only other person present was the still unconscious blond boy she had found passed out by the road.

"Though, I am surprised..." The gate guard muttered to herself. "Normally, the mistress doesn't welcome visitors so easily. Yet she allowed this boy to stay here to recover without hesitation... I wonder why?" Asking this to nobody in particular, Hong Meiling received no answer. At least, until a few moments later when a mumble of "ramen" was heard.

"Ramen..? I don't think the Mistress enjoys that kind of food, but... I guess anything's possible!" She said, nodding in a manner that gave the impression that she was agreeing with herself. However, she almost immediately stopped when she realized where the mumbling had come from. Looking to the bed which the blond boy was laying in, Meiling saw that he was beginning to come back to the waking world...

'Ngh... Crud... It was just a dream... I'm still starving...' This was the main thought on Uzumaki Naruto's mind as he slowly regained consciousness. He had been having a great dream where he had been in the middle of a field of nothing but large bowls of fresh ramen. However, the hunger-induced dream was not to last, as a mild amount of demonic chakra flowing through his system was jump-starting his body. So, with a groan, Naruto proceeded to push himself up into a sitting position before looking around.

"W-where am I..?" He asked as he saw that he wasn't back in Konoha nor was he in the field he had passed out in. He was in a small room with dark red walls, a bed in the back with a night stand beside the headboard, and... a red-haired girl sitting on a stool a short distance away, looking at him in surprise.

"Ah, you're awake! That's good to see. You had me worried." Meiling said, smiling warmly at the young jinchuuriki. Naruto just blinked in confusion.

"Who are you, and where is this place..?" He asked, suspicion and a bit of fear clear in his tone. What sane seven year old wouldn't be afraid of waking up in a strange new place with someone they had never met before?

"Oh, my name is Hong Meiling, though please try not to call me China..." She seemed a bit depressed at the last part of that. "And you're in one of the guest rooms of the Scarlet Devil Mansion!" She finished, smiling proudly as she stated the name of the manor at which she worked. Naruto just blinked, his confusion rising greatly.

"Scarlet Devil Mansion...? Is that anywhere near Konoha?" He asked in response, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly in curiosity. Now it was Meiling's turn to be confused.

"Konoha? I've never heard of that place. Is it near the Human Village?" The gate guard replied, causing the blond to sweatdrop. At least, until something occurred to him.

'Wait... What if I'm not even in Hi no Kuni right now...? I mean... When I was in that forest after getting separated from Jiji, I couldn't feel any normal chakra in the area...' He thought to himself, closing his eyes and knitting his brow in concentration as he tried to figure out just what exactly had happened. He was soon brought out of his thoughts by Meiling beginning to speak once more.

"Aah... It doesn't really matter right now. I bet you're feeling really hungry right now, aren't you?" She asked, smiling warmly at the young jinchuuriki. As if agreeing with her, Naruto's stomach gave off a loud growl right then. The blonde boy blushed shyly while Meiling giggled merrily at the boy.

Deciding against letting the boy stay hungry any longer, the Gate Guard for the Scarlet Devil Mansion picked up the tray that was sitting on the table next to her and set it down in front of Naruto. As he looked at the food-which seemed to be expertly prepared-a bit of drool escaped from the corner of his mouth. Meiling couldn't help but giggle once more.

"You should eat it while it's still warm." Needing no further encouragement, the blond jinchuuriki immediately dug in. As he ate the delicious meal, Naruto couldn't help but let tears of appreciation fall from his eyes. This was something that didn't go unnoticed by the Chinese youkai.

"Ara? Is something wrong? It's not the food, is it?" She asked, concern evident in her expression and tone of voice. Naruto just looked to her with a sad smile, and after swallowing what was in his mouth, began to speak.

"Ah... Nothing's wrong at all. I'm just really happy..! Nobody aside from Jiji and the Ichiraku's has ever treated me this kindly before..." He said, wiping away his tears and offering a genuine smile. This disturbed Meiling a bit. What had the child before her been through in his life in order to be able to be so grateful for such a simple gesture..?

It was a surprisingly short amount of time that passed before Naruto had finished the meal that had been set before him, and leaned back with a content expression on his face. Meiling just blinked in surprise.

"Ah... That was delicious, nee-chan! Thank you so much!" The blond jinchuuriki exclaimed, giving a foxy grin to the Chinese youkai. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was just something about Naruto that made his happiness rather infectious. Hell, just being around him for the short amount of time he was awake for was already lifting her mood! She was soon brought out of her thoughts by the young boy speaking up once more.

"Ah, I almost forgot! My name's Uzumaki Naruto! Sorry for not introducing myself earlier." He said, hopping out of the bed and giving a mild polite bow. Meiling just chuckled slightly at this.

"Ah, you don't need to be so formal, Naruto-kun. At least... Not with me. The others here might be another story, though..." Meiling replied, beginning to wonder just what would happen to her if she let the strange boy roam the manor to meet the others.

She immediately shook her head afterward, as the thoughts were not too pretty. Ignorant of that fact, Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Others..? You mean there are more people here?" All of a sudden, Naruto's air of cheeriness was gone and was replaced by nervousness. Meiling couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this sudden change in the blond's demeanor.

"Hai. I can take you to meet them, if you'd like." She offered, holding a hand out to the young boy and giving him a reassuring smile. Naruto—who was still showing signs anxiety in regards to meeting the others—took the offered hand and returned her smile with one of his own, albeit shakily. With that, Meiling started leading the boy to meet the mistress of the mansion. It wouldn't do to be rude to her, considering the circumstances.

The walk couldn't have lasted more than several minutes, but to the young jinchuuriki... It was as if time stood still. His anxiety and fear of rejection was growing with every step, making him fidget every now and then as he contemplated running away now. Meiling took notice of the child's behavior, but didn't comment on it. She just had a feeling that if she did, nothing good would come of it.

Once they reached the large double doors leading to what looked like the entrance to a throne room—at least, to Naruto it did—Meiling opened the door slightly, and poked her head in.

"Remilia-sama, I brought the boy from earlier here. May we come in?" She asked. There was a bit of silence, as the eldest of the Scarlet Sisters took a sip of the tea she had been served moments before. Setting the cup down gently, Remilia looked to Meiling and gave a slight nod. "Yes, you may bring him in."

Without any delay, Meiling looked back to Naruto and gave him another reassuring smile as they both entered the chamber. Now, Naruto had several possibilities of what the mistress of the manor was like in his mind... Sadly, a cute girl who looked only slightly older than himself was NOT one of them.

"You must be our guest." Remilia began, bringing Naruto out of his thoughts as she stood up and approached the pair. The young blond took this time to notice the silver-haired maid standing by the table Remilia had just been sitting at. He wasn't sure why, but something about her just screamed "Danger" to his senses.

Once she was close enough, Remilia began to look Naruto over. It was as if she were sizing him up. Naruto fidgeted slightly under her gaze, the attention only serving to increase his anxiety further. All in all, there didn't seem to be anything special about him...

… Of course, that was until Remilia reached out and lightly prodded the boy's arm with her finger. What happened next surprised everyone present. A flash of crimson light filled the room for a split second, accompanied by a surprised yelp from Remilia. Naruto instinctively recoiled, as if expecting things to take a turn for the absolute worst. The fact the maid was now upon him with several knives suspended in air and aimed at his vitals didn't help either.

"Sakuya, stop." The violet-haired vampire said calmly. "I'm wasn't hurt, just surprised." The look she gave the maid now identified as Sakuya left no room for argument.

"... Hai, oujo-sama." The maid now identified as Sakuya answered as she moved away while removing the knives from the air. It was then that Meiling, who had seen the events unfold, threw in her two cents.

"Remilia-sama, I think what just happened was the second source of qi reacted violently to your energy coming into contact with his own." At this, the Chinese youkai adopted a thoughtful look. "But, I've never heard of something like this... Nor of someone having two sources of Qi, for that matter."

Now, young Naruto was still a bit terrified. Who wouldn't be, considering what the maid had pulled? However, as he watched the three girls interact, he noticed that there was little to no hostility in the air around them (Save for Sakuya, who still seemed to be on edge). It was a skill he had picked up on the streets of Konoha, and it had served him well many times.

"A-ano... Meiling-neechan," Naruto spoke up, getting the red-haired girl's attention. "Who are those people?" His tone still held some nervousness, but it was slowly being replaced by curiosity.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto-kun! I didn't mean to skip introductions!" Meiling replied, a sheepish smile tugging at the corners of her lips before she gestured to Sakuya. "That's Sakuya, the head maid here. She's really protective of the mistress. As long as you don't make her mad, nothing bad will happen." At this, Sakuya gave the blond boy a curt nod of acknowledgment.

"And this is Remilia-sama, the mistress of this mansion! She's the one who you should really thank, since it was because of her that you were able to get food and medical attention." Remilia chose this time to approach Naruto once more, a small, relaxed smile crossing her features.

Despite Remilia's non-threatening approach, Naruto assumed a guarded position with his muscles tensing and his gaze becoming guarded. Something which didn't go unnoticed to the mansion's residents present, making them wonder why a child this young would react in such a manner.

To Naruto, the violet haired girl's approach was a rather unnerving experience, as his senses— which were more developed due to his life on the streets of Konoha—were screaming at the boy that the girl approaching was not human and very much dangerous. Even more so then the silver haired maid that had nearly attacked him moments ago.

Remilia eyed the blonde in front of her, maintaining her non threatening approach, but her eyes immediately caught the boy's reaction. Intrigued by the fact she saw the boy who was sensing her power on an instinctual level.

'Who are you to intrigue me so much, boy..?' thought the Scarlet Devil Manor's mistress as she stopped in front of the boy.

"Welcome to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, boy. I hope our hospitality was to your liking." Remilia spoke with an elegant tone in her voice, as if she was intending to impress the blonde. Remembering the courtesy lessons Ayame—the daughter of Teuchi-jiji, who owned the Ichiraku Ramen Stand—had the boy practice, Naruto bowed to Remilia.

"Ah... Yes. It was very pleasant. I thank you for giving me such kindness, Remilia-dono." Remilia smirked at the boy's words before walking towards the throne at the at the far end of the room, where the silver haired maid stood near a table with some chairs and a pot of tea. Sitting on the throne, Remilia gestured towards one of the chairs that stood near her throne while accepting a cup of tea the maid handed her.

"Please, sit down. After all, a conversation over a good cup of tea is much more enjoyable. Don't you agree... Naruto, was it?" Naruto nodded, still keeping his guard up as he walked to the table and sat down in the chair. When Sakuya offered him a cup of tea as well, he hesitantly accepted it. Taking a sip of the drink after watching Remilia do so, the blonde boy's eyes widened. He hadn't been sure what to expect, but something so pleasant and relaxing was definitely not on his list of outcomes.

"It's good." He said with a surprised tone in his voice. Remilia smiled and nodded towards the silver haired maid before replying.

"Indeed. Sakuya is capable of making superb tea." Sakuya gained a very discrete blush upon hearing her mistress' praise. "Now, Naruto, can you tell me what you were doing where Meiling found you?" Remilia asked. Still sipping his tea to calm his nerves, Naruto decided to explain as best as he could. No use in trying to lie in a situation like this, after all.

"I was walking with my jiji in the forest outside of my home... He and I were separated, so I started to retrace my steps hoping to find him... But, I suddenly found my surroundings to be different and soon I was lost. It was when I was at my limit, weak with hunger, that Meiling-neechan found me and brought me here... Thank you again for taking me in, Remilia-dono. I really owe you a lot for saving me." He explained, finishing with a grateful tone in his voice.

The Scarlet Devil Mistress smirked at the blonde. "Think nothing of it," she began. "You have already shown me something really interesting in exchange. But please, tell me where do you come from so we can see to send you back." At this, Naruto took another sip with a frown on his face

"I already tried with Meiling-neechan, but she said she never heard of it it's Konoha or Hi no Kuni..." He said, a mix of sadness flashing across his face as the thought of never being able to return home ran through his mind.

Now it was Remilia's turn to frown as she calmly drained the remaining tea in her cup. "Konoha? Hi no Kuni?" She wondered aloud. "I'm sorry, but I have never heard of such places... Do you know of them, Sakuya?"

The silver haired maid shook her head in the negative. "I'm sorry ojou-sama, but I have never heard those names before." She replied calmly. This info caused Naruto to slump in his seat a bit, his sadness growing. Sure, a part of him hated Konoha for how the villagers treated him most of the time... But it was still his home. It was where all his most precious people were.

The others in the room watched as several different emotion ran through the expression on the seven year old boy's face before finally settling on sorrow... But they were caught a little off guard by the brief flash of anger and hate that marred the blonde face for a moment.

'What has this child been through to warrant such an expression..?' This was the main thought shared by the three others present in the room.

"Do not feel too bad, Naruto," Remilia spoke up, catching the boy's attention. "There is someone that lives here that may know of those places you mentioned. I will present her to you so you may ask her, but that will wait for a later time." She began, causing a gleam of hope to appear in the young jinchuuriki's eyes. What was said next, however, caught the blond off guard.

"So, now that you have shed some light on your home, let us get to the most important question... Who or what are you, Naruto?" The tone of voice Remilia used gave Naruto the chills. His senses screamed at him to get away from the dangerous entity in front of him...

Recoiling from the Scarlet Devil's presence, the young boy trembled a little as he stammered out a response. "I… I don't know w-what you're talking about Remilia-dono..." His voice was shaky, as he felt that if he took one wrong step here... It would all be over for him.

For what felt like an eternity—but in truth was, at most, several minutes—Remilia's gaze pierced Naruto's very soul, as if measuring his worth... However, it finally ended when the oppressing aura vanished and Remilia regained her calm demeanor.

"I see you speak the truth… How intriguing. My apologies, Naruto. I needed to be sure you wouldn't be a danger to my mansion or it's inhabitants." She said, causing the blond to release a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "For now, you may get back to resting as I am sure you are still feeling rather tired from all that has happened to you. We will talk more tomorrow."

Naruto—still a little shaken—simply nodded, before bowing to Remilia and following Meiling out of the room.

"Is it a good idea to let him rest within the mansion, ojou-sama?" Sakuya asked after a few moments of silence, only to receive a smirk from Remilia.

"There is something in that boy that intrigues me greatly, Sakuya... I intend find it what it is, and what better way to do that than keeping him here where I can do so without any problems?" Remilia explained, earning a nod from the head maid.

With Naruto and Meiling...

The walk back to the guest room went by in an uncomfortable silence, with Naruto still slightly shaken by the end of his conversation with Remilia. Meiling, seeing this, tried to think of a way to get the blond's mind off it... And had a brilliant idea when they reached the door.

"Naruto-kun," Meiling spoke up, getting the blond's attention. "I have something for you, to commemorate your recovery." With that, the Chinese youkai produced a hard-cover book with a lock on the front and handed it to the young boy, who looked at in in confusion. Seeing the expression on his face, Meiling proceeded to explain.

"It's a journal, Naruto-kun. You use it to keep track of everything that goes on in your life, and to preserve your most important memories." At this, Naruto looked up to her with surprise evident in his eyes... Before he hugged her as best as he could.

"Thank you, Meiling-neechan! I'll be sure to write in it every day!" He exclaimed. It wasn't often that someone gave him a gift like this, and to get one from someone who was nothing more than a stranger less than 24 hours ago was rather heartwarming for the blond.

With her self-appointed job of cheering up the young jinchuuriki accomplished, Meiling bid good night, before retiring to her own room while Naruto retired to the guest room... And after finding a suitable light source to see the journal in, unlocked the book and began to write in it's pages...

Tale 01: Orange Fox, Scarlet Devil... Complete

A/N1: Hey, everyone! Nanaya Zero here, and I'm glad that this chapter is finally done! We had a lot of technical setbacks in writing this chapter, and we're really sorry for the wait... But it's here now, and we hope you all will enjoy it!

A/N2: Wow we finally did it, as my pal Nanaya Zero explained we had a lot of setbacks but in the end we finished this chapter, and so here we have a little interaction of Naruto with the Scarlet devil people so expect more on the next one as we will cover how Naruto arrived in Gensokyo and what will he do when he finds where exactly he is so stay tuned for more .Which we will hopefully give to you faster then this time , I'm not promising anything tough. Anyway hope you enjoyed this.