Hello Again!
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…
…See what I did there?
Anyway, we're back! And with longer, more frequent updates too!
I'm happy to say that of my 6 other fics, this one has been the most well-received! So thanks for that!
Also happy to announce that last chapter had the highest review count yet, with a total of twelve!
Quick shoutout to Uzumaki Crossover (his works inspired me to write fanfics in the first place), Kenchi618 (for the pretty much the same reason), coronadomontes, Observer01, Justus80, and WordSmyth for reviewing repeatedly, and Tenma Sosei for just being awesome.
What I'm trying to say is that, whether you loved it, hated it, or somewhere in between, if you read this fanfic, thank you. I couldn't have gotten this far without all of you.
Now, the next two chapters focus on the backstory between Naruto and Maka, so expect several flashbacks.
Additionally, since I don't think I mentioned it before, Naruto never fell for Sakura; they're just friends.
And now, on with the story!
- x - Chapter 11: History - x -
"Is he a Genin or Chuunin? Is he a One-Star or a Two-Star? No way! Is he a Three-Star!? C'mon, answer me!"
Liz's constant rambling had continued throughout the half-a-mile trek between the demolished stadium alllllllllllll the way to the assigned rendezvous point, the Hokage Monument.
The blonde girl sighed, "In order, Naruto Uzumaki, Old Friend, Yes, Yes, Yes, No, Maybe, No No, Hell No, Possibly, Yes, Orphan, Yes, Probably Not, Yes, No, and No."
Kid nodded in approval, "All in one breath too, nice."
The nearby white-haired weapon gave a sharp smile as they approached, "Hey, how was your break?"
"Hm? Um...it was good. Yeah, it was good!" she said, flustered.
"Oh? Just 'good'? I think you mean 'very good'..." said the older girl.
"Q-quit it Liz!" Maka cried, trying to put a gloved hand over the weapon's mouth.
"What's up?" asked Ox.
"Nothing! Nothing happened!"
"I dunno', it sounds like something happened," said Kim, walking over, "So what is it?"
"Oh, just Maka here and an 'old friend' getting 'reacquainted'."
"Well, why didn't you just say so?" asked Spirit, misinterpreting the situation, "And what's so embarrassing about that?"
Liz walked up and whispered in his ear.
The man's face turned as red as his hair as she finished speaking, backing away at his expected outburst.
Instead, the man cleared his throat, trying to clear the blood from his face.
"I don't need detailed reports of my daughter's love life, thank you very much!"
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait, you're not mad!?"
He quirked an eyebrow, "Mad? Why would I be mad?"
"Hang on, what's going on?" asked Tsubaki.
Liz tapped her on the shoulder and spoke into her ear. The girl turned as red as a tomato as steam poured out of her ears.
"What happened? What happened!?"
Tsubaki leaned down and whispered into her meister's ear.
…
…
"WHAAAAAAAT!? MAKA KISSED ONE OF THE CONTESTANTS!?"
Liz facepalmed.
"Way to keep a secret, Black*Star."
"EEEEEEEEEHH!?"
Cries of surprise and astonishment rose from the crowd, as the ash-blonde girl was bombarded with questions. Said girl looked like she wanted to die of embarrassment.
"What!? Seriously?!" cried Soul, directing his attention to Spirit, "And you're not mad about this!?"
"Like I said, why would I be mad?" he asked, calmly.
"Well, you're always super protective of Maka and all, so…"
"Usually, yes," he said, straightening his tie, "But I know Naruto personally, and I trust him with my little girl."
A series of "Aww"s and similar sounds were heard from the girls as Maka blushed even deeper.
Tsubaki nudged her shoulder, "Wow, he trusts him? How did that happen?"
"I-it's a long story…"
"We've got time!" chorused the class.
Stein's glasses glinted in the sun, "We're going to be scaling the monument to meet up with the others anyway, so you might as well."
"Ooh, I want to hear this!" cheered Marie, getting closer to the girl, dragging Azusa with her.
"...Right. Anyway…"
"It all started 7 years ago. Mama, Papa, and I were sent to live in Konoha by Lord Death…"
"The day I met The Boy with a Dream."
- x - (7 Years Ago) - x -
(Day 1)
"Alright ladies!" came Vic Mignogna's voice as Spirit dropped his bags, "Welcome home!"
The trio had stopped before a small house on the corner of the street. It was one of many, lined up on the side of the road within the inner circle of Konohagakure no Sato.
"It's not home," muttered a 7-year old Maka, "Home is back in Death City."
Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't be like that. We're only here for two months."
The girl simply harrumphed, shrugging the hand off.
- x - x - x -
It was much bigger on the inside.
There were 2 bedrooms, side by side, with the connected kitchen and living room across from them. Each bedroom had its own bathroom, as well as a television, closet, dresser, and mattress.
'Not bad,' thought Spirit, 'Not bad at all.'
The kitchen was simple, with a sink, stove, microwave, and oven. Several pots and pans were in the cabinet below the stove, but the pantry, as well as the refrigerator, was empty.
The living area was basic, with a small sofa, a coffee table, and two individual chairs opposite each other. A television hung on the wall with a couple of DVDs underneath them. Upon further examination, Maka found they were "Princess Gale" movies.
"Papa, why are these here?" asked the girl, calling him over.
"Well," he started, scratching his chin, "We're not the first ones here. Lord Death has sent several agents here in the past, and they all used this house."
"So, they forgot these?" she asked.
"Probably. Or they left 'em for us," said the Death Scythe, "Either way, we're havin' a movie night!"
"Oh, great! What do you want to do for dinner?" called his wife from the hall.
The exhausted girl didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she plopped down on the couch, drifting off into peaceful slumber.
- x - (Day 5) - x -
(9:12 A.M.)
(*AAAAAAAUUUUUHHH…*)
The Death Scythe let out a tired yawn as he walked down the hall of their temporary home, in his black skull pajamas. It was their 5th day in the Hidden Leaf Village and negotiations were bothersome to say the least.
The first matter of business had been convincing the Sandaime Hokage that they were actually Agents of the Shinigami. It went rather well, calling the Death God in a nearby mirror, and seeing the old leader's advisors passed out on the floor, spasming and frothing at the mouth.
After that mess (and a demonstration of Soul Resonance), the old man had agreed to having some of his ninja tested for this ability. The first up was young Kakashi Hatake.
The masked nin appeared a good 3 hours after he was called, reading a certain orange book.
"Yo."
He was met with a pointed glare.
"You're late."
"Sorry, I got lost on the road of life."
A set of sweatdrops were seen on the married couple.
'That's the best he could come up with!?' they thought in unison.
"...You're lucky that you're the best damn Jonin in the village," muttered the Third, "Otherwise, I'd have you demoted."
He gave his leader an eye-smile, "Glad to hear it. Now, what's up?"
"We're going to test your chakra's spiritual aptitude," he said, getting a mildly surprised look from Kakashi.
"And why would we do that?" he asked.
"These two here," he said, gesturing to the duo, "have demonstrated a special technique that utilizes the spiritual aspect of chakra. Only those with more potent "Soul Wavelength"s can use these abilities to their full potential."
He glanced over at the two, "And how would you test my 'Soul Wavelength'?"
"Well," said the woman stepping forward, "I have a special ability called 'Soul Perception'. I can analyze several things about your soul from a glance, everything from your spiritual potential to your personality."
"Really now?" he asked, quirking a visible eyebrow, "Well, I'm ready when you are."
The woman nodded, closing her eyes…
They snapped open seconds later, revealing a set of keen eyes pointed into a scrutinizing glare, completely different from the kind gaze they'd seen earlier. They bore into the man with practiced ease, sizing him up quite quickly.
And one eye-blink later, they were gone.
She bowed, "I am sorry, but your wavelength is too small to use our techniques effectively."
He nodded, "I understand."
The Hokage nodded silently, dismissing the man. The Jonin disappeared in a swirl of smoke and leaves.
As soon as he did, the aged leader locked eyes with the woman.
"Is it really true? That he can't handle the training, I mean."
"No, that's not it. His wavelength was quite large, and he would definitely be quite the deadly force if we taught him to use it."
His eyes narrowed, "So why..?"
"His soul...there was so much sadness in it. And with it was rage...the thirst for vengeance against somebody...and it was all bottled up in there. Any prodding and it would exploded."
His gaze settled, "So he would 'snap'?"
She nodded in the affirmative, "Yes. I would not trust such a volatile man with the knowledge of our techniques."
The old leader nodded, calling the next person in.
- x - x - x -
That was all 3 days ago. Since then, the same cycle had been repeating; it was the same day after day. And little Maka was left with nothing to do but read.
He entered the kitchen, noticing the sleeping girl on the couch. He decided not to wake her just yet, instead, starting on cooking breakfast.
The smell soon roused his wife, who joined him at the table, and eventually his daughter, who sat there, eating cereal.
"Maka, dear?" started the woman.
"What is it, Mama?"
"Well...you've been reading since we got here. Why don't you go outside and play with other kids?"
"I donwanna'," she slurred in her half-conscious state, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Come on dear," said Spirit, "Listen to your mother."
"...Fine," she said, getting up and walking out the door, book in hand.
'Not that you ever listen to her, Papa...' she muttered to herself.
- x - (Day 5) - x -
(12:47 P.M.)
(Maka)
"Hey! Hey you!"
I looked up from the novel in my hands at the boy who'd called me. He was my age with brown hair and black eyes.
"What're ya' doin' here?" he asked.
"What does it look like?" was my sarcastic response, showing him the book.
"Yer' readin'!? Why!?"
I shrugged, "I like to read."
"C'mon, are ya' fer' real? Why don't you just play ninja with us?" he asked, gesturing to a group of children behind him.
"...Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine where I am," she said, waving him off, "Why don't you ask him to play with you."
The him I was referring to was a blond boy sitting alone at the swing a little ways away from me. He hadn't moved in the past 3 hours since I'd gotten there, his face seemingly frozen into lifeless gaze.
"Who, him? Oh...we can't."
"What? Why not?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, my mom said to stay away from him…" he murmured.
"My dad said he was dangerous!" chimed in another boy.
"My parents said he was a monster!" cried a girl, shivering.
"Seriously?" I asked, looking over at the blond, "I've seen real monsters many a time, and he doesn't look anything like one."
The boy before her scoffed and crossed his arms, "Fine. Don't believe me. Don't blame me when he climbs in through your bedroom window and strangles you."
It was my turn to scoff, "He looks too malnourished to even move, let alone climb up a two story building," I muttered.
The small group walked off, leaving me alone to read my book.
…
…
"...Thanks...for that."
I looked up at the boy, who hadn't even turned his head as he spoke.
"No problem," I said, turning the page.
- x - (Day 5) - x -
(5:07 P.M.)
(Regular)
"Hey, sweetie!" called her mother from the kitchen.
"Hey mom," she called back with little enthusiasm.
"So, did you have fun? Did you make any friends?" asked her father.
She walked down the hall to her room.
"...I don't know. Maybe."
And she shut the door behind her.
- x - (Day 6) - x -
(11:48 A.M.)
(*WHUMP*)
The lifeless look left the boy's face as he stared in surprise at the girl who'd sat down next to him.
"W-what are you doing?" he asked in a weak voice.
"What does it look like?" said his fellow blond, "I'm sitting here, reading a book."
The duo sat in silence after that.
…
…
"I'm Maka, by the way," she said, not looking up from the pages.
…
…
…
...
"My…...name..is Naruto."
- x - (Day 7) - x -
(11:33 A.M.)
(Maka)
"So what're you reading, anyway?"
The boy on the swing seemed to be in a more cheerful mood today, as he leaned over my shoulder to get a better look.
"Oh, it's an adventure novel that was released recently," I said, "It's called "The Exploits of the World's Top Meister". It's really good!"
"Adventure, huh….?" he mumbled, "So you like adventure books?"
"Yeah," I said, still in a good mood, "My parents keep a close eye on me most of the time, and I rarely get the chance to go outside and do stuff. So reading about an adventure is as close as I'll ever get to going on one. Even sitting here and talking to you is the most free time I've had in weeks, since we've been moving around constantly."
"Huh? But if you move around a lot like you said, isn't that itself an adventure?" he asked.
"Not really, since we never stick around. It's like seeing the world pass you by in a blur, just outside of your reach."
I sat up against the trunk of the tree, "That's why I want to become a Meister. So I can see the world with my own eyes, and not just pictures on a page."
"What's that word mean, anyway? 'Meister', I mean."
I gave him an incredulous look, "What!? You don't know what a meister is?"
He shut his eyes in concentration, "Nope, not a clue."
"Well, it's like this," I began, going into lecture mode, "Meisters work together with 'Weapons' to collect the Souls of evil people. These souls are used to power the weapon, eventually strengthening it enough to become a Death Scythe. A tool for the Shinigami himself."
"Wow, that's so cool! And these people really exist?" he asked, excitedly.
"Yep. My dad's a Death Scythe, courtesy of my mom," was my response.
"Man, that's awesome! If I wasn't already gonna' be Hokage, I'd definitely wanna' try it!"
It was my turn to look confused, "What's a 'Hokage'?"
"No way! You're sitting right here in the village and you don't even know who the leader is?!"
"Ah, I see. So the Hokage's like the leader of the village then?"
"Heck yeah, he is! He's the strongest ninja ever! And all the ninja here respect him!"
"And you're going to be the next one? You're not making this up?"
He nodded back vigorously, "You bet! I'm gonna' be the 5th Hokage! Believe it!"
- x - (Day 8) - x -
(11:56 A.M.)
"Here."
The boy stared numbly at the book in my hand.
"Wha?"
"You seemed to be interested in what I talked about yesterday, so here! 'Everything You Need To Know About Meisters'!" I said proudly, shoving the book into his arms.
"O-oh, okay. Thank you, Maka-chan..."
He sat on the swing roughly, his eyes flying over the text with incredible speed.
I smiled to myself, starting my own.
…
…
…
…
…
"Maka?"
"Yes?"
"I can't read."
The girl proceeded to facefault.
- x - (Day 12) - x -
(6:15 P.M.)
"I'm heading out!" I called, grabbing my coat.
"Take care!" came my parents' voices from the living room.
I'd barely heard them, already rushing out the door.
It had been an entire week since I'd first met the blond boy named Naruto. The boy I'd been teaching to read and write. The boy whom everyone had scorned. The boy who everybody had called a demon, or a monster.
And honestly, I couldn't see why.
He was a very kind boy (though not too bright at times) and he really tried his hardest at everything he did, whether it be writing or whatever else we'd do to pass the time. He was an honest, happy, friendly person.
So why did someone like him have to go through dumpsters for a scrap of food?
He'd let it slip out once, and I hadn't let it go since. After that, I'd bring him whatever I could smuggle out under my coat, and he'd devour it with the ferocity of a starving wolf.
Today, I'd brought 5 slices of bread and some sliced meat leftover from supper the previous night before. It wasn't much, but it'd have to do.
'I wonder how far he got in that book I gave him...'
(*WHUMP*)
"Oof!"
I rubbed my head in slight pain as I looked at the man I'd bumped into. He had spiky silver hair that spilled over the headband that covered his eye.
"Oh. Are you Spirit-san's daughter?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm Maka Albarn. Who are you?"
"My name's Kakashi Hatake. I was sent by the Hokage to pick up your parents. Funny that I ran into you on the way."
He placed his hand on my head, ruffling my hair.
"Stay out of trouble, alright?"
He walked off without another word, throwing a casual two-fingered salute over his shoulder.
I continued my journey, rounding the corner of the wooden fence to the Academy's playground.
"Konbanwa Naruto-ku-huh?"
There was nobody there, not a soul. The wind blew through the trees, causing the swing to sway back and forth.
And gone was the wide smile that usually went with it.
I dropped the bundle in shock as my blood ran cold. My mind went back to the words he'd said.
"You'll always find me here. There's nowhere else for me to go after all."
And before I even knew what I was doing, my legs were already in motion. They were rushing forward with repeating strides, each a heavy (*CLOMP*) upon the earth. I raced into the woods, frantically shouting his name.
"NARUTO?! NARUTO, WHERE ARE YOU!?"
I don't know how long I had been running for. It could have been anywhere from 5 minutes to 3 hours. But everything froze when I heard it.
"AUGH!"
I almost tripped when stopping myself at the sudden noise. It had come from outside the forest, and was accompanied by shouts of anger and cries of anguish.
And I knew that voice anywhere.
"NARUTO!"
I dashed out of the trees and into the street. The road was pretty much abandoned, since it was already almost nighttime. I followed the sounds into a darkened alleyway.
There was a small band of men in a circle, each of them holding some kind of weapon, from broken bottles to rusted pipes. They were thrashing whatever was at its center with these, howls of pain heard each time they did so.
And I caught a glimpse of a familiar golden-yellow.
"NARUTO!? GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
I burst through the crowd, and leapt on top of the boy, shielding his body with my own.
"What's this?" asked one of the men (obviously drunk, if the alcohol on his breath was any indication), "Who the fuck do you think you are girlie? Do you even know who this shitstain is?"
"Of course I do! He's Naruto Uzumaki, and he's my best friend!" I cried, eyes still clenched in anticipation for pain.
"Ha! Friend? That's laughable."
He grabbed me by the base of my hair, to which I yelped in agony. He ripped me off the boy, holding me by my two twin-tails.
"That fucking brat is a demon. Don't you forget that, stupid bitch!"
He tossed me out of the alley like a rag-doll. I hit the earth with a rough (*WHUMP*), and I could taste the mix of sand and blood in my mouth.
"He's not a demon!" I cried, standing, "HE'S A HUMAN BEING, CAN'T YOU SEE!?"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" one of them roared, flinging a blunt piece of metal in my direction. The scrap struck me in the leg, bringing me to my knees again.
"You….YOU BASTARDS!" I heard the boy cry, before he was silenced with a knee to the face.
"Eh? What was that, you piece of crap? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
The blond sat up, wiping some of the blood from his face.
"You can...you can hurt me…"
He rose to one knee, the leg still quivering from the trauma.
"...Hate me…"
He was standing now, blood running down his clothes from the slashes and scuff marks of the beating.
"...and beat me down all you want…"
He stood tall, despite the wounds he had sustained. Dried blood caked the entire left side of his face, and his torso was littered with numerous gashes and lacerations.
"But the second you touched her…"
His face darkened, eyes flashing as crimson as the blood he'd shed.
"Your lives were forfeit."
The men backed up in fear at the blond's change in voice. Some dropped their weapons and fled, others stood their ground.
Those others were ended rather swiftly.
"HUAAAGH!"
In a cry of rage and a flare of power, they were blown back out of the alley and into the street, sailing right over my head.
He stepped out of the alley, the shadows seeming to bend around him like some kind of cloak. He walked up to me, stopping when he stood between me and the attackers.
He turned to me, his kind and caring expression contrasting sharply with his new features.
"Maka," he said in a calmer voice, "Can you walk?"
I shakily rose to my feet, "Y-yeah, I think I c-can."
His eyes turned serious again, "Then I need you to run. Fast. And as far as you can."
"What?! No I'm not leaving you!"
His head whipped around, eyes narrowing in frustration.
"Maka…"
His eyes returned to their normal sparkling cerulean.
"You..took those hits for me...you let yourself get hurt…...because of me….and after all that you've done…."
"Now it's my turn."
He spoke more confidently than he had ever before.
"No matter what….I'll protect you with my life."
"Because that's my ninja way."
I stared in amazement at the young man before me, whose words had left me speechless. He gave me one last look. One that told me everything would be alright...
"Now, go," he said.
And his eyes turned red with rage as he faced the men once more.
"You bastards wanted to kill me right?" he muttered.
"Well, come and try it!"
(*WHOOSH*)
The boy was stopped by a cloud of smoke that appeared between them.
And a familiar set of faces emerged from that cloud.
Or rather 2 ½ familiar faces.
There in the middle of the street were my parents and the silver-haired masked man I'd seen earlier.
"Now, just what's going on here?" he asked, getting a set of nervous gulps from the men.
"K-k-k-kakashi of the Sharingan!? What the hell are you doing here!?"
The man's only visible eye narrowed as the temperature seemed to drop.
"I'll ask again."
"What happened?" Kakashi asked, deadly serious.
Meanwhile, my mother had run over to where I sat, fussing over my slight injuries.
"Maka! Oh my god, are you alright? Where does it hurt?"
But I didn't heed her as I lay unmoving, staring blankly at the blond boy before me.
"No matter what….I'll protect you with my life."
"Because that's my ninja way."
And I continued to stare as he began to fall…
"Naruto-kun!"
I ran to him just as his body hit the ground. His eyes had reverted to their original blue once again, and the aura of malice he'd radiated was gone.
"M-maka…"
He gave a small smile.
"I can't get up...hehe…"
I laughed lightly at how nonchalant he was, like nothing that had happened.
"Here, give me your hand," I said, offering mine.
He reached out and took it, as I eased him to his feet.
And the second he took my hand in his…
A bond was formed.
- x - x - x -
Hey guys!
Yeah, this chapter and the next are about the backstory between the two. The next one will definitely be longer though.
I'll probably rewrite this chapter too, when I'm not half-conscious.
Ah well. Next up are "A New Beginning: Chapter 6 - Bell Test", "The Tail of Naruto Uzumaki: Chapter 7", "Secrets of the Goddesses: Flag 2.0 - Wind", and "Hello Again: Chapter 12 - Bonds"!
'Til Then!
- Objection234 (Akane Sasu Sora on YouTube)