“Master, ahaha!” “Now you do it like this, son.” A silhouette of a kid could be seen, happily letting out easing laughter children, harmonizing the moment with the happiness the child expressed clearly with the smile on his face. Another silhouette was present, this one being one of an older man, possibly and elderly man. Both were having good times together, the younger silhouette seemingly learning things playfully from the older one. The background was only a piece of white, they weren’t existing in the present dimension, or timeline. Maybe the two was only apparitions, figures merging out of mere sub-consciousness of one’s mind, randomly taking the form of whatever could be in the mind of the beholder.
The scenery started to fade in white, the black silhouette becoming smaller and smaller in size, the voice of the two turning lower and lower in tone. It looked like the sub-conscious reality was being sapped away from whoever was experiencing it, and it was disturbing. As the delightful picture got theft away from the eye of beholder, consciousness slowly crawls back to mind. It was painful, the way the sight of the two disappeared without the experiencer knowing what was it all about, and what outcome did the shady situation brought to his life.
“Gah!” Naruto snapped from his sleep. The dream that drifted his mind further away from reality had brought him closer to the memory he had once oath not to loss upon, slightly relieved at the fact that the short event occurred. Wiping away the sweat on his forehead, Naruto didn’t slowly start to regain emotion like how usual people do daily after waking up. His waking up method explained though, so he wouldn’t really question that, not that he intended to do so even.
Somehow, the dream sucked his motivation for the day, dragging along such thing that kept his mind focused for the day he would have to go through. Everything seemed so far in reach, hence the saying so close, yet so far. He started the day lazy, even when taking his breakfast. Different from the usually energetic self of his, Naruto felt the day was something he wished could just be skipped, like how a child skips a round coming from a rope in a game of skipping rope.
Things went like how they would usually do in Naruto’s daily days, but it was Naruto himself that made the big difference in that day. His laziness, the obvious lack of motivation in his acts and his reduction of chats clearly showed what the kind of toll had the dream took on his body, or to be exact, his soul. The dream was really disturbing, it continued bugging his mind, even when Naruto tried killing it with things he would usually do to distract him greatly. Knowing that he’ll fail the day, Naruto decided to just not do anything that day, just some loafing and much resting.
Things went smoothly after, all like he wanted. The disturbing pieces of his past memory started to fade away, seemingly giving up in its attempt to continuously force Naruto into immersing himself into the past which he didn’t want to recall about. Deciding he would stop being a sloth, Naruto stood up from seat he usually take in the Fairy Tail guildhall, stopping just moments after he did. Something the two behind him was talking about caught his ears’ attention, being overheard what they said about towers and such. Using his stealthy skills, Naruto wanted to know more, hence the eavesdropping shortly after.
“Have you heard? That tower appeared again! This time, that gem messed up the timeline, bringing along dinosaurs and stuff.” “Wait.. what the.. So, seriously, this time climbing that thing will be harder than before?” “Yea, what do you expect, the last time it was meteor, stars and something like that, luckily it appeared right where there’s no one living. But this time.. Dinosaurs.. That gem is dangerous.” “It sure is, man.” All they were talking about was indeed, intriguing for Naruto’s interest, such facts that they talked about involving dinosaurs and all, it really was something very adventurous not to be missed. “Ahem, so what were you two talking about? I’m sure it is something to be shared among the Fairy Tail member’s, right?” Naruto appeared from behind them, joining the conversation without them hesitating to tell him more.
“Well, it’s the Sky Tower. It’s like, a tall building, and it’s thin. So tall, like a mountain. It’s supposed to be appearing here and there, disappearing in an instance for every time it appears.” “And why is that?” “Well, actually the Sky Tower itself is a usual tower, but there’s something powering it, a gem or something. I don’t really know about that gem, but from the weird stuff that always happen involving the tower, I guess it’s some kind of a time travel gem?” “Yeah, cause whenever it reappears, it’ll bring something from the past. Like, this time it’s bringing along dinosaurs back to the present time.” Naruto kept his mouth shut, the facts the two were telling him intriguing his best of interests. “Well, this time it’s near the middle of the world. Ahaha I mean, it’s like, somewhere around the middle of the map, where you can see almost everywhere from up atop.” The plump man stated, clearing Naruto’s momentary confusion about the Sky Tower’s whereabouts.
“But sure though, just like always, it’ll disappear in like, 3-5 days after it appears. Fortunately though, the Sky Tower takes like about 2 months or so to reappear, so it wouldn’t be much of a regret if you missed it. But there’s no telling what it’ll bring along the next time it reappears. This time dinosaurs, so when it disappears, the dinosaurs will too.” A long detailed explanation by the plump man, still up to Naruto’s interests’ standards. “I see. So how does it look like and all, if you two don’t mind telling me?” The men nodded in sync, the plump man starting first. “It looks tall, majestic and all. The walls are supposedly diamonds, glimmering and stuff. And when I say it’s tall, it really is. Like, 10 days of walks are its said reach of height.” “For the else thing, there’s supposedly an entrance and a long flight of stairs. Well, not that people had actually made it up, but some lived to tell the story, and so the story spread.”
Nodding over and over again, Naruto now started to get the gist of how the Sky Tower looked itself, and the greatness and all the values it held up for itself. The gem, especially, was the most special asset of the tower, and the young man decided to go up there to find out about things himself. “Well, I still have approximately three days to get to the top, with an extra of one or two days, right?” Naruto sighed, getting on his feet quickly after. “I’m going.” The two men was a bit surprised by the young man’s sudden claim, but was not taken aback for too much. The three were from Fairy Tail after all, a guild full of surprise and insanity that leads to the better of things. He stepped out, but not before the two older men stopped him by a grab on the shoulder. “Wait, young man.”
Turning around, Naruto was surprised by the things the two were holding one for each of them. “Here, supposedly, if things go bad, this thing will sustain anything that’s supposed to be for you, like injuries, damages or hallucinations. Anything. But it has its own limits, take too much and it’ll go crack, then go pieces.” “Also, this. It’ll be hard if you got knocked off the tower or anything, so here.” The thin man gave Naruto two sets of papers. “One is the Return Paper. There’s only one of it, so anyway, the other is the Set Paper. The set paper comes in 20 pieces, cause it’s something you use to set checkpoints and stuffs. If you are to be knocked off the tower, use the Return Paper, you’ll be transported back to where the last Set Paper you marked on is. It’s a lifesaver, so make sure you use it carefully. Oh, and the same goes to the Lacrima of Sacrifice my friend gave you just now.”
“Damn, never thought you two would be this useful.” Chuckling, Naruto made a joke on how the two chitter chatters would actually be of use at all. The two actually understood his point, chuckling along as they did. “Well, good luck lad. We await stories from you later.” Naruto nodded, giving them a promising smile. He decided he’ll make his way up, no matter what would befall him. Now, he was not only carrying his will, but he was also shouldering the two’s hopes and dreams on him, making it regretful if he was to fail. “Sure!” Naruto left after, a smile gleaming on his face as the two legs of his arranged steps for him.
Naruto started his walk outside the guild, which would be the streets of Magnolia itself. People were busy walking around, some on a date, some was just.. walking. Walking without any actual purpose. Maybe they didn’t have anything to do that day, hence the empty walks. Naruto had actually forgot to bring a map with him, and he had no clue of where this ‘middle of the map’ place was. Thinking his first task was to find a map or anything related, Naruto sighed, headed to a nearby souvenir shop. It was lively as always, the one of the ten souvenir shops in Magnolia. The Addem’s Gift Shop. The name was familiar, well, of course it was to Naruto, his old friend. Addem, the shop owner was one of the first persons he had first made friends with, his helpfulness being the part of him that Naruto was fond of most. “Yo Addem!” Naruto walked in, the metallic bell echoed its sound around the shop as the Naruto pushed the door open; a warm greeting by the bell.
There was not many people around, just a couple or two. Well, it’s not the holiday season, so the current situation was indeed a familial routine to Addem himself. He was never seen with a bored face, a smile always beaming from his bearded face, his white snowy hair attracting many tourists over. His was no doubt, the most successful souvenir shop out of the ten others in the town, all belonged to his friends. His red eyes always looked warm, greeting those who steps inside his shop with a welcoming look on the eye.
“Oho, if it’s not my friend, Tamao the bro!” Naruto chuckled, Addem’s rhythmic reply sounded funny somehow. Addem waved over, resting his chin on his hands as his body stood slightly leaning against the counter. “So, what brings you here?” “Nah, nothing special.. just a Sky Tower.” Naruto heard a gasp from Addem shortly after, to which they both burst into friendly laughter. “Oh man, I never thought you’d be so adventurous, my lazy friend!” Addem replied, Naruto nodding, not believing the way he is at the moment himself. “Well, it sparked my interest, and you do know nothing’s stopping it till it’s satisfied, right?” Addem nodded, Naruto’s overwhelming interest had no stopping on it once it gets on the mood.
“Anyway, let me see.. Sky Tower, eh?” Naruto nodded, taking a seat on the counter’s customer side after. “Well, I do heard about it. Supposedly it’s in the middle of the map, right?” Addem guessed, his hand on his chin as he thought. “Yep yep. So it means, you do know what I’m here for.” Naruto added, looking around the shop as he spoke. Nothing changed, well, not much actually. Addem had just added a new section of his souvenir shop’s goods, meaning his business was going well. There were bobble heads, key chains and stuff, all unique and beautiful in their own way. “Of course I do know. A map, am I right?” Naruto nodded, Addem’s intelligence not something to be looked down upon. “You’re in luck, my friend. There is this one map that people won’t bother buying, it’s cheap and old, but I can’t see anything on it that can make it belong to the antiques section.” Addem turned around, digging into his massive storage room as he spoke loudly. Naruto waited, both patiently and eagerly.
“Here it is, amigo!” Addem returned to the counter not so soon after, with a rolled map tied with a red strap and a ribbon in the middle. “Well, nice- cough!” Addem blew the map as Naruto spoke, the dust flying straight towards him after. “Well, sorry, it’s old, and had not been touched since like, 10 years.” Addem remembered his dad failing to sell it, and he himself failed too after taking over the shop for his dad. “Sure sure, I understand- cough cough!” Naruto was a bit disturbed by the flocking dust, all going for his face at once. He waved his hands around, seemingly slapping the dust away as it flew away. “Well, that’s better.” Sighing, Naruto returned into his relaxed sitting stance as he looked at the map. Addem opened the strap tying, laying the old map onto the table flat after.
“Woah, this is.. Old.” Naruto stated his interest, but on a lower, surprised tone. It was the typical old map, with dust, some tore down parts on it and stuff. But still, the contents were intact, much to Naruto’s relief. “Well, at least the insides are unharmed.” Sighing, Naruto took a focused look on the map, the detailed graphs inside it still unscathed, perfect. “Yesh. I will buy this, Addem.” Naruto nodded, Addem rolling it back to how it was before. “Here.” “So, how much will it cost?” Addem sighed, smiling after. “Tamao my friend.. I have known you for a long time.. and yet, you’re still asking for prices and stuff. This map, like our friendship, is priceless. It’s all yours. Free of charge.” Patting Naruto on the shoulder, Addem held the map towards the young man, slightly hesitating, but took it anyway. “Thanks my friend! Damn you’re the best, Addem!” Naruto stood on his legs, keeping the map in his small bag as he spoke. Leaving the shop, Addem and Naruto exchanged smiles, both satisfied and happy with their ongoing friendship. It was something crucial, something irreplaceable that Naruto would treasure forever deep in him.
As he set to leave, Naruto turned around, only to see Addem getting back to business with his customers. Before he left, Addem took a second to give the young blonde man a thumbs up, another way of saying good luck, before attending back to the waiting customers. Naruto looked up upon the sky, hoping that day the odds will be in his favour. Next, Naruto went to a nearby food shop, where he planned to fill his food storage for the will be adventure. Entering the shop, he was greeted warmly by the female shopkeeper, Arika, dark purple hairs, light purple eyes. She had a cute look on her, the big ribbon on her head made her look attractive. There were ten to twelve customers that day, the male customers being the three quarter proportion of the total. Well, it was obvious, they were they to have their chance at getting to Arika. But knowing her, Naruto knew it’ll be hellish hard for the guys even if they had the best plan with them along. Shoving the flocking males at the counter, Naruto slipped through the many males with ease. “Yuuu, Arika!” A gasp, following a smile appeared from Arika, disappointing the males as she hugged him shortly after. “Narutooooo~!” He flailed, not having the space to breathe, her busty chest pressing against Naruto’s face. “Ugh.. can’t.. breathe!" Arika came back to her senses upon hearing it, letting go of the young blonde man quickly. “Oh I’m sorry!” Scratching his head, Naruto sighed, wondering when will she start thinking before doing things to him.
“Well, anyway, how’s things doing?” “Fine, thank you! And what would you come here for?” Naruto looked at Arika, and with a playful face, replied; “I came here for you.” Arika blushed after, eyes widening, not only hers, but the males too. “Damn that was a hit!” One of them shouted, the others started getting their hopes killed. “Ahaha, I was just kidding.” Chuckling, Naruto could hear Arika and the other males sighing in relief, somehow doing so in sync. “You’re still with the clumsiest response to things.” Naruto smiled, patting her on the head. The other males started to leave, knowing that Naruto would get the cute girl occupied for the time being.
“Stupid! Don’t just come and go spurt that kind of joke!” A bit angry, Arika frowned, Naruto only chuckling in response. “Hm, I came for food. Like, lots of them!” “Adventure, I see.” Arika smiled, walking around the store as she started taking the best, tastiest and the most nutritious foods her shop could ever provide a customer with. Naruto was the shop’s regular costumer, and it gave Ariak a sense of relief to know that he did not become the regular customer just for the delight of hitting on her. Instead, he merely came for food, and to make friends, which Arika herself won’t have a problem with. The basket she brought along as she rounded the shop got full with just a round, amazing both the customers and Naruto himself. “Hm hm, you’re also good with food.” Naruto nodded in agreement to his own statement, Arika blushing as she thanked him for such a compliment.
Done with the food, Arika went back to her loyal customer, putting the filled basket on the counter. “Here, I gave you, the best serve ever!” Naruto chuckled, playing along. “Well, look, one bite from one of these, and it can last you for 5 hours! How’s that?” Thumbing up, Naruto showed his amazement on how awesome can such mere food shop can be. “Wow, with these, I guess I can last up to 6 months, right?” Arika nodded, his guess hit the jackpot. “Nice, I’ll take it! How much will it cost?” Taking out his pouch, Naruto readied his jewels to pay for the food with. “Hm, it’ll actually cost 50000 jewels, but for a loyal, regular customer like you.. I’ll cost you.. uhm.. 10000.” “Aww yeah! Thanks Arika!” Naruto paid with said amount, stuffing the foods in his backpack after.
“Wait, before you leave, mind telling me what will it all be about?” Like Naruto’s, Arika’s interest sparked with all the buying from Naruto. “I’ll tell you, when I get back, okay?” Naruto gave her a thumbs up, Arika nodding in response. “I await for an exciting story later, so don’t die!” Smiling, Naruto replied her with a nod, leaving the shop shortly after. Exiting the shop, Naruto was by then complete; all that’s left for him to do was just start to venture through the harsh path towards the Sky Tower, having only 4-5 days to reach there before it disappears again, much like how it always did before, or so he was told. Walking away from the shop, Naruto sighed, ready to take on anything.
First off, the map. Taking it out, Naruto unrolled the old map, carefully and as gentle as he can. It sure was old, there were details about places that existed in the world no more, such as the Grenge Highlands, it was torn down to the ground by an unexpected earthquake 7-8 years ago. It was so strong, the whole world shook. Magnolia, Hargeon, everywhere. Everyone was in fear of dying in the natural disaster, that destroyed almost 4000 houses and buildings, took nearly 2000 lives, and made a change in the scenery. All that, and it took only 5 minutes for the earthquake to leave such a mark on the living. Unknown to everybody, it was not sure if the massive earthquake happened by natural means, or if somebody messed up with his or her powers, causing the destruction.
Now on the dirt path, Naruto looked around, trees starting to show up more and more as he walked further away from Magnolia. “Well, this means I’m reaching the forest then.” Naruto sighed, checking up on the map and his compass frequently to keep track on his steps. It showed to the north, so Naruto decided to just go along the south, where the forest in which the Sky Tower would be. It had only been 4 hours since he left Magnolia, so it wouldn’t be a good idea yet to stop for a rest. “I might go for maybe.. 3 hours walk before I have my first rest.” Sighing, Naruto looked around, hoping the scenery would ease his mounting tiredness up, but to no avail. He didn’t like trees, and all there were in the scenery were of course, trees. Trees here, trees there. All green and.. woody.
Naruto continued the walk, glad to see some birds flying here and there, though not often. It was still something, better than having to walk along the path to only have trees and more trees in his sight. He wondered what happened actually, the silence a bit disturbing. Even though the place was a forest, the silence in it was somehow.. off. Did something happen? Or was it the official keep your mouth shut day for the animals? Shrugging the questions off his mind, Naruto walked along the path, again with his short routine of checking the map and the compass for like, once per 10 steps. It was not long till he found a good place to rest, there was a small pond next to the small grassy field surrounded by thick, green bushes.
“Nice!” Naruto walked into the grass field, walking over the bushes which served as its gate. It was a nice scenery, and luckily, birds take their rest from the long fly just around the field, though it was concealed under the tall trees and all. The branches helped them with the clinging, providing them for a safe place to rest on without the worry of having themselves shot or caught. Relieved at such sight, Naruto sat down near the pond, where the water was crystal clear, fish swimming here and there. Frogs on top of lilies and all, it was all beautiful. “Well, maybe this trip to the Sky Tower would be a good, memorable one after all."
“Sky tower? Did you say Sky Tower?” Naruto jumped slightly at the sudden low voice that started talking to him. He looked around, but couldn’t see any human in the surroundings. It was clear though, and he was sure that he wasn’t only daydreaming or stuff. There was someone with him, and he knew that person was still around. “Who’s there? Come out.” Naruto stood on his legs, a sandwich on his hand. Whilst waiting for a reply from whoever it might be, Naruto took a bite from the sandwich, keeping his cool at the moment. “You seriously think you can survive even going there?” The voice suddenly appeared again, this time asking. “Ahaha, well, you shouldn’t ask such trivial question.” Naruto smiled, now seemed more relaxed. “Of course, I will!” “Hmph.. such confidence..”
It was a slight instance, but Naruto could feel it. The sharp wind breeze blowing against him in a split second, a sudden approach. “What the…” Eyes widen, his pupils became tense at the sudden realization that someone was standing behind him, a hand on his neck. “How ignorant.. Do you really think you can survive when you’re as weak? Fool.” Naruto was indeed shocked, having nothing to reply with. “What? Do you think just by having a strong will, can you survive with somewhat a miracle? How.. absurd.” The figure started to apply more force on his hand, threatening Naruto with death by maybe a snap on the neck.
“Stop it, Range. You don’t want to kill him.. just yet.” Another voice came through, revealing a man standing two to three metres away from Naruto. The figure disappeared from his behind as he felt the same wind, now reappearing in a blink of an eye next to the newly arrived man. “Hmph.” An expressionless man, there was no frown nor a smile on his face, yet his straight face told Naruto something; he’s deadly. “Now, young man, you should turn around, return to your home.” The other man started talking again, Naruto listening still with his battle stance on. “Turn around, this is no place for you. Not the Sky Tower.” “Heh, and what? You’d expect me to stagger back home, shivering in fear?” Naruto replied sharp, he didn’t want to do as the man said. “Precisely.” Naruto’s eyes widened, a second hadn’t still passed after the man talked, but the one name Range (Rang-ge) was already in front of Naruto, ready to attack. “Fast!”
Range gave Naruto a kick on the stomach, he tried blocking it but it was too fast. Staggering backwards a few steps, Naruto felt the wind again, this time Range standing behind the still staggering blonde. “Heargh!” Naruto spun around, attempting to land his fist on Range’s face, but missed due to his unreachable speed. “What the heck.. that was too fast!” the other man decided to just watch as the one sided battle went on. Naruto had just now got a chop on his cheek, to which he was thrown aback for a feet, landing on his body. “Ugh.. strong..” Range stood straight, looking down on the laying man, his cold, straight eyes penetrating through Naruto’s sturdy emotions. “Dammit.. Why am I scared!?” Shouting internally, Naruto groaned, the pain put him in agony.
“Now, you are warned. Go home, young man.” The man turned around, stopping after taking a few steps away. “Or waste your meaningless life here.” He disappeared from the scene right after saying his last sentence, Range tagging along after. There Naruto was, looking helpless on the ground, shaking in agony. And fear. He had never faced such a strong opponent, losing without him being able to even lay a finger on his enemy. “Dammit.. Ugh..” Naruto sighed, still in pain. Gritting his teeth, Naruto got on his butt, sitting down as he took steady breaths to calm himself down. Everything that just happened were too sudden, and he was still in shock. Shocked by the sudden approach by the two men, and the display of deadly strength by the one named Range.
Naruto’s eyes slowly opened, a wild jungle cat licking him on his face as he regained consciousness. “Eh?” The cat jumped in shock, backing away shortly after. Naruto had difficulties as he tried waking up, the pain on his back overpowering him. He only managed to get on his butt again, his legs still too weak and in pain to support his bodyweight to stand. It was night, and the darkness made it hard to look around. One hand up, Naruto ignited his flame, killing away the poisoning effect of his fire for the time being. Having a light source, Naruto burned a thick stick he found nearby, staggering as he reached over for his backpack. “Ugh.. that still hurts.. what the heck is with that strength.. geez.” Naruto sighed, lucky that his food storage was unharmed, only that his last sandwich were eaten away by the cat earlier. It stood there still, next to the fire, possibly keeping warm. “Oh, it’s you, cat.” Naruto approached it, and it tried running away. “Wait wait. I’m not going to harm you. Ahaha, wanna go with me for an adventure?”
The cat just looked, not nodding nor shaking, still on its cautious stance. “Hm, not that you can understand me anyway.” Naruto sighed, done with the packing up. He didn’t know anything of a first aid treatment, and so decided to let his body heal by itself without him helping. Landing next to the fire, Naruto slowly closed his eyes. He was in a dilemma deep inside. “Should I go back… or should I continue?” But he was tired, and so decided to just think about what to do the next day, having wasted half of the day fainting after the painful battle in which he lost.
Something brushed along his cheek. Something moist, soft and squishy. It was nice and all, but it went on, eventually being disturbing. “Uh hey!” Naruto jumped back into reality, his sleep disturbed. The sun was already hanging on the sky, so he assumed that it was sometime between 8-11 a.m. at the moment. “Damn, I woke up late.” Naruto sighed, and as he turned around saw the same cat. It was just sitting next to his backpack, seemingly waiting for him. “Eh? Why are you still here?” The cat turned to the backpack, staring at it without meowing or anything. “Oh, I get it, you’re hungry.” Chuckling, Naruto took out a tuna sandwich, giving it to the cat with a smile. It took the tuna sandwich slowly, no signs of happiness nor sadness, nor anything. Naruto shrugged, turning back to the backpack after.
Having ate his breakfast for the day, Naruto sat still on where he was, the pain on his body slightly healed overnight. He went blank, thinking over things that happened yesterday. “Damn..” He didn’t know if he should turn back like how the other man said, or continue and face Range sooner or later. As he think, Naruto leaned more to the decision to just turn back and fail, but suddenly got bit on the hand by the cat. “Ugh!” Naruto looked at the cat, the pain on his hands completely made him forgot of the pain that Range caused yesterday. “Ah.. What was that for-..!!” Naruto snapped, a sudden realization came through. He was relying on his pain and fear to make the decision for him, that he forgot that there were hopes, dreams and wishes for him to fulfil. “No, I can’t fail here.” Recalling the moments he had with the two older men back in his guild, Naruto was also motivated by the wish from his two friends, thus deciding to go on no matter what. “Thanks, cat. You helped me.” Patting the cat on the head, in didn’t retaliate, a slight sign of trust.
“Well, time to get going!” Naruto stood on his legs, ready to make a leave for the Sky Tower. The cat followed, hopping onto his head before saying anything. “Eh? Cat, you going too?” The cat kept quiet, Naruto taking it as a yes anyway. Stepping out of the grassy field, Naruto looked around, everything as silent as it was yesterday. But this time, there were no birds flying around, the sky, too, only had clouds as its sole ornament. Naruto sighed, patting the cat by his head before setting off, headed towards the Sky Tower, though he still couldn’t see it anywhere.
“Hmph, how persistent.” Range was looking from atop a tree branch, hiding under the shades of the many leaves of said tree. Still with his straight facial expression, Range’s cat-like eyes eyed Naruto all the way till he disappears from his sight, annoyed at such a display of stubbornness. “He was given another path, yet he still walks down the path of death. Such idiocy.” Range then disappears from the scene, the leaves shaking slightly from the blow of the same sharp gust of wind.
Naruto checked up his location with the map and the compass once in a while, making sure he kept his steps in the right direction. The cat fell asleep on his head, and Naruto didn’t want to disturb the feline in its slumber. Checking the map, Naruto wasn’t sure if he went the right direction, but judging from the compass, he might have misstep a little angle. Turning back to the proper direction, Naruto walked, now it had been 2 hours since he started walk. Sighing, Naruto decided to take a rest in the next 3 hours, his legs too sore and in pain to walk too much like how he could yesterday.
Sighing, Naruto sat under a big shady tree, resting as he leaned against the massive tree trunk. The cat woke up as soon as he started taking the rest, leaping off of Naruto’s head soon after. It stuck around with him as the two rested, Naruto taking out a loaf of bread as they did. He started biting a huge chunk of it, and as he chewed, offered the cat some of the bread loaf as well. But it shook its head, and didn’t take it, not even sniff it. “Well, I guess you don’t want to.” Shrugging, Naruto continued eating on his own comfort, without the cat bothering, and without anyone to battle with. Yet. He figured out that this time, he’ll be prepared if such thing was to happen again.
Naruto fell asleep inadvertently after finishing the whole bread loaf, much to his amazement himself. Waking up after the short nap, Naruto’s heavy eyes opened, him seeing the same sight of the forest. He checked up on himself, and nothing had happened, much to his relief. But, Naruto couldn’t see the cat anywhere, and not even calling it will make it return. It seemed like it ran off after seeing something terrifying or something. “Oi, cat!” Naruto wouldn’t want the cat to delay his conquest, deciding he’d leave the wild feline if it didn’t return in like, 1 hour. From his judgement of the surrounding, it was approximately 4 p.m. in the evening, and it was about to get dark, no doubt.
“And 3.. 2.. 1. Alright I’m leaving.” Naruto stood up after, preparing to leave. Strapping the bag back on his shoulder, Naruto looked around one last time before he leaves, it had been 1 hour and 15 minutes since he waited for the cat to return, but there were no signs of it returning, so the cat had probably go back home with its mother or something. Or maybe something bad had happened. Naruto started to worry though, but hid the worry in his face from himself even, lying to himself into believing that the cat would do just fine. Forcing the worry away, Naruto took reluctant steps down the path leading to the Sky Tower, wondering how long will it takes to climb it as he tried distracting himself off of thinking about the little wild furry feline.
The bushes along the dirt path shook, the gusts of wind blowing against them. The sound coming from the shake filled the atmosphere, Naruto looking around, cautious. It might be dangerous, so he wouldn’t want to let his guard down, especially not in this kind of place and time. He stood in his prepared stance, ready to take on anything, or simply run away if the challenge would prove to be too much for him. Luckily, he had just rested, but he had a catch; his wounds and bruises. The last beat up he got was still stinging its pain on him, making him grunt lowly for almost every move he made with his limbs. It still hurt, it wasn’t that severe, but there were multiple injured parts, so the pain collected, then stung Naruto’s brain all at the same time, causing more pain as he moved around.
The wind gusts became more and more harsh per every passing minute, the bushes and the tree leaves making annoying loud shaking sounds, joined with the whooshing sound coming from the violent wind blows. “Ergh.. This wind.. Dammit, not now..” Naruto looked around, the wind blowing at the same pace, the cold chill from the wind grazing along his skins, making him shiver slightly of the coldness. It was not long after, before the same sharp wind felt beside him, making his eyes widen and showed signs of tense, the abnormal speed never ceasing to surprise the eye of the beholder.
“Hmph, you still on with your shitty dreams. What are you, an insolent fool?” Range’s voice could be heard from behind, this time no threat coming from his hand like the first time the two met. “Heh, sorry, but my persistent is the type which you call, the one that kills its own master.” Smirking, Naruto backed away from the man, though knowing that it’ll be useless against a man with Range’s speed, but it still wouldn’t hurt to back away anyway. “Sorry, but your last beating gave me quite the injury, so can’t really fight well.” Staggering as he stepped away from the man, Naruto went straight, telling Range of his handicapped status at the moment.
Range stepped closer to the blonde man, his eyes showing no change in expression. The same straight eyes that gave him the cold stare, something Naruto found rather frightful. “Eat this. It’s a med that’ll cure all those injuries away.” He threw something that looked like a little gumball to Naruto. Naruto caught it, rather in a clumsy style. Range’s eyes were not ones to doubt, so Naruto decided to take a chance and ate it, trusting that Range wouldn’t be a dirty trick playing man.
-to be continued-
(post was too long, the thread won't let me post all 15000 words of them into one post)
The scenery started to fade in white, the black silhouette becoming smaller and smaller in size, the voice of the two turning lower and lower in tone. It looked like the sub-conscious reality was being sapped away from whoever was experiencing it, and it was disturbing. As the delightful picture got theft away from the eye of beholder, consciousness slowly crawls back to mind. It was painful, the way the sight of the two disappeared without the experiencer knowing what was it all about, and what outcome did the shady situation brought to his life.
“Gah!” Naruto snapped from his sleep. The dream that drifted his mind further away from reality had brought him closer to the memory he had once oath not to loss upon, slightly relieved at the fact that the short event occurred. Wiping away the sweat on his forehead, Naruto didn’t slowly start to regain emotion like how usual people do daily after waking up. His waking up method explained though, so he wouldn’t really question that, not that he intended to do so even.
Somehow, the dream sucked his motivation for the day, dragging along such thing that kept his mind focused for the day he would have to go through. Everything seemed so far in reach, hence the saying so close, yet so far. He started the day lazy, even when taking his breakfast. Different from the usually energetic self of his, Naruto felt the day was something he wished could just be skipped, like how a child skips a round coming from a rope in a game of skipping rope.
Things went like how they would usually do in Naruto’s daily days, but it was Naruto himself that made the big difference in that day. His laziness, the obvious lack of motivation in his acts and his reduction of chats clearly showed what the kind of toll had the dream took on his body, or to be exact, his soul. The dream was really disturbing, it continued bugging his mind, even when Naruto tried killing it with things he would usually do to distract him greatly. Knowing that he’ll fail the day, Naruto decided to just not do anything that day, just some loafing and much resting.
Things went smoothly after, all like he wanted. The disturbing pieces of his past memory started to fade away, seemingly giving up in its attempt to continuously force Naruto into immersing himself into the past which he didn’t want to recall about. Deciding he would stop being a sloth, Naruto stood up from seat he usually take in the Fairy Tail guildhall, stopping just moments after he did. Something the two behind him was talking about caught his ears’ attention, being overheard what they said about towers and such. Using his stealthy skills, Naruto wanted to know more, hence the eavesdropping shortly after.
“Have you heard? That tower appeared again! This time, that gem messed up the timeline, bringing along dinosaurs and stuff.” “Wait.. what the.. So, seriously, this time climbing that thing will be harder than before?” “Yea, what do you expect, the last time it was meteor, stars and something like that, luckily it appeared right where there’s no one living. But this time.. Dinosaurs.. That gem is dangerous.” “It sure is, man.” All they were talking about was indeed, intriguing for Naruto’s interest, such facts that they talked about involving dinosaurs and all, it really was something very adventurous not to be missed. “Ahem, so what were you two talking about? I’m sure it is something to be shared among the Fairy Tail member’s, right?” Naruto appeared from behind them, joining the conversation without them hesitating to tell him more.
“Well, it’s the Sky Tower. It’s like, a tall building, and it’s thin. So tall, like a mountain. It’s supposed to be appearing here and there, disappearing in an instance for every time it appears.” “And why is that?” “Well, actually the Sky Tower itself is a usual tower, but there’s something powering it, a gem or something. I don’t really know about that gem, but from the weird stuff that always happen involving the tower, I guess it’s some kind of a time travel gem?” “Yeah, cause whenever it reappears, it’ll bring something from the past. Like, this time it’s bringing along dinosaurs back to the present time.” Naruto kept his mouth shut, the facts the two were telling him intriguing his best of interests. “Well, this time it’s near the middle of the world. Ahaha I mean, it’s like, somewhere around the middle of the map, where you can see almost everywhere from up atop.” The plump man stated, clearing Naruto’s momentary confusion about the Sky Tower’s whereabouts.
“But sure though, just like always, it’ll disappear in like, 3-5 days after it appears. Fortunately though, the Sky Tower takes like about 2 months or so to reappear, so it wouldn’t be much of a regret if you missed it. But there’s no telling what it’ll bring along the next time it reappears. This time dinosaurs, so when it disappears, the dinosaurs will too.” A long detailed explanation by the plump man, still up to Naruto’s interests’ standards. “I see. So how does it look like and all, if you two don’t mind telling me?” The men nodded in sync, the plump man starting first. “It looks tall, majestic and all. The walls are supposedly diamonds, glimmering and stuff. And when I say it’s tall, it really is. Like, 10 days of walks are its said reach of height.” “For the else thing, there’s supposedly an entrance and a long flight of stairs. Well, not that people had actually made it up, but some lived to tell the story, and so the story spread.”
Nodding over and over again, Naruto now started to get the gist of how the Sky Tower looked itself, and the greatness and all the values it held up for itself. The gem, especially, was the most special asset of the tower, and the young man decided to go up there to find out about things himself. “Well, I still have approximately three days to get to the top, with an extra of one or two days, right?” Naruto sighed, getting on his feet quickly after. “I’m going.” The two men was a bit surprised by the young man’s sudden claim, but was not taken aback for too much. The three were from Fairy Tail after all, a guild full of surprise and insanity that leads to the better of things. He stepped out, but not before the two older men stopped him by a grab on the shoulder. “Wait, young man.”
Turning around, Naruto was surprised by the things the two were holding one for each of them. “Here, supposedly, if things go bad, this thing will sustain anything that’s supposed to be for you, like injuries, damages or hallucinations. Anything. But it has its own limits, take too much and it’ll go crack, then go pieces.” “Also, this. It’ll be hard if you got knocked off the tower or anything, so here.” The thin man gave Naruto two sets of papers. “One is the Return Paper. There’s only one of it, so anyway, the other is the Set Paper. The set paper comes in 20 pieces, cause it’s something you use to set checkpoints and stuffs. If you are to be knocked off the tower, use the Return Paper, you’ll be transported back to where the last Set Paper you marked on is. It’s a lifesaver, so make sure you use it carefully. Oh, and the same goes to the Lacrima of Sacrifice my friend gave you just now.”
“Damn, never thought you two would be this useful.” Chuckling, Naruto made a joke on how the two chitter chatters would actually be of use at all. The two actually understood his point, chuckling along as they did. “Well, good luck lad. We await stories from you later.” Naruto nodded, giving them a promising smile. He decided he’ll make his way up, no matter what would befall him. Now, he was not only carrying his will, but he was also shouldering the two’s hopes and dreams on him, making it regretful if he was to fail. “Sure!” Naruto left after, a smile gleaming on his face as the two legs of his arranged steps for him.
Naruto started his walk outside the guild, which would be the streets of Magnolia itself. People were busy walking around, some on a date, some was just.. walking. Walking without any actual purpose. Maybe they didn’t have anything to do that day, hence the empty walks. Naruto had actually forgot to bring a map with him, and he had no clue of where this ‘middle of the map’ place was. Thinking his first task was to find a map or anything related, Naruto sighed, headed to a nearby souvenir shop. It was lively as always, the one of the ten souvenir shops in Magnolia. The Addem’s Gift Shop. The name was familiar, well, of course it was to Naruto, his old friend. Addem, the shop owner was one of the first persons he had first made friends with, his helpfulness being the part of him that Naruto was fond of most. “Yo Addem!” Naruto walked in, the metallic bell echoed its sound around the shop as the Naruto pushed the door open; a warm greeting by the bell.
There was not many people around, just a couple or two. Well, it’s not the holiday season, so the current situation was indeed a familial routine to Addem himself. He was never seen with a bored face, a smile always beaming from his bearded face, his white snowy hair attracting many tourists over. His was no doubt, the most successful souvenir shop out of the ten others in the town, all belonged to his friends. His red eyes always looked warm, greeting those who steps inside his shop with a welcoming look on the eye.
- Spoiler:
“Oho, if it’s not my friend, Tamao the bro!” Naruto chuckled, Addem’s rhythmic reply sounded funny somehow. Addem waved over, resting his chin on his hands as his body stood slightly leaning against the counter. “So, what brings you here?” “Nah, nothing special.. just a Sky Tower.” Naruto heard a gasp from Addem shortly after, to which they both burst into friendly laughter. “Oh man, I never thought you’d be so adventurous, my lazy friend!” Addem replied, Naruto nodding, not believing the way he is at the moment himself. “Well, it sparked my interest, and you do know nothing’s stopping it till it’s satisfied, right?” Addem nodded, Naruto’s overwhelming interest had no stopping on it once it gets on the mood.
“Anyway, let me see.. Sky Tower, eh?” Naruto nodded, taking a seat on the counter’s customer side after. “Well, I do heard about it. Supposedly it’s in the middle of the map, right?” Addem guessed, his hand on his chin as he thought. “Yep yep. So it means, you do know what I’m here for.” Naruto added, looking around the shop as he spoke. Nothing changed, well, not much actually. Addem had just added a new section of his souvenir shop’s goods, meaning his business was going well. There were bobble heads, key chains and stuff, all unique and beautiful in their own way. “Of course I do know. A map, am I right?” Naruto nodded, Addem’s intelligence not something to be looked down upon. “You’re in luck, my friend. There is this one map that people won’t bother buying, it’s cheap and old, but I can’t see anything on it that can make it belong to the antiques section.” Addem turned around, digging into his massive storage room as he spoke loudly. Naruto waited, both patiently and eagerly.
“Here it is, amigo!” Addem returned to the counter not so soon after, with a rolled map tied with a red strap and a ribbon in the middle. “Well, nice- cough!” Addem blew the map as Naruto spoke, the dust flying straight towards him after. “Well, sorry, it’s old, and had not been touched since like, 10 years.” Addem remembered his dad failing to sell it, and he himself failed too after taking over the shop for his dad. “Sure sure, I understand- cough cough!” Naruto was a bit disturbed by the flocking dust, all going for his face at once. He waved his hands around, seemingly slapping the dust away as it flew away. “Well, that’s better.” Sighing, Naruto returned into his relaxed sitting stance as he looked at the map. Addem opened the strap tying, laying the old map onto the table flat after.
“Woah, this is.. Old.” Naruto stated his interest, but on a lower, surprised tone. It was the typical old map, with dust, some tore down parts on it and stuff. But still, the contents were intact, much to Naruto’s relief. “Well, at least the insides are unharmed.” Sighing, Naruto took a focused look on the map, the detailed graphs inside it still unscathed, perfect. “Yesh. I will buy this, Addem.” Naruto nodded, Addem rolling it back to how it was before. “Here.” “So, how much will it cost?” Addem sighed, smiling after. “Tamao my friend.. I have known you for a long time.. and yet, you’re still asking for prices and stuff. This map, like our friendship, is priceless. It’s all yours. Free of charge.” Patting Naruto on the shoulder, Addem held the map towards the young man, slightly hesitating, but took it anyway. “Thanks my friend! Damn you’re the best, Addem!” Naruto stood on his legs, keeping the map in his small bag as he spoke. Leaving the shop, Addem and Naruto exchanged smiles, both satisfied and happy with their ongoing friendship. It was something crucial, something irreplaceable that Naruto would treasure forever deep in him.
As he set to leave, Naruto turned around, only to see Addem getting back to business with his customers. Before he left, Addem took a second to give the young blonde man a thumbs up, another way of saying good luck, before attending back to the waiting customers. Naruto looked up upon the sky, hoping that day the odds will be in his favour. Next, Naruto went to a nearby food shop, where he planned to fill his food storage for the will be adventure. Entering the shop, he was greeted warmly by the female shopkeeper, Arika, dark purple hairs, light purple eyes. She had a cute look on her, the big ribbon on her head made her look attractive. There were ten to twelve customers that day, the male customers being the three quarter proportion of the total. Well, it was obvious, they were they to have their chance at getting to Arika. But knowing her, Naruto knew it’ll be hellish hard for the guys even if they had the best plan with them along. Shoving the flocking males at the counter, Naruto slipped through the many males with ease. “Yuuu, Arika!” A gasp, following a smile appeared from Arika, disappointing the males as she hugged him shortly after. “Narutooooo~!” He flailed, not having the space to breathe, her busty chest pressing against Naruto’s face. “Ugh.. can’t.. breathe!" Arika came back to her senses upon hearing it, letting go of the young blonde man quickly. “Oh I’m sorry!” Scratching his head, Naruto sighed, wondering when will she start thinking before doing things to him.
- Spoiler:
“Well, anyway, how’s things doing?” “Fine, thank you! And what would you come here for?” Naruto looked at Arika, and with a playful face, replied; “I came here for you.” Arika blushed after, eyes widening, not only hers, but the males too. “Damn that was a hit!” One of them shouted, the others started getting their hopes killed. “Ahaha, I was just kidding.” Chuckling, Naruto could hear Arika and the other males sighing in relief, somehow doing so in sync. “You’re still with the clumsiest response to things.” Naruto smiled, patting her on the head. The other males started to leave, knowing that Naruto would get the cute girl occupied for the time being.
“Stupid! Don’t just come and go spurt that kind of joke!” A bit angry, Arika frowned, Naruto only chuckling in response. “Hm, I came for food. Like, lots of them!” “Adventure, I see.” Arika smiled, walking around the store as she started taking the best, tastiest and the most nutritious foods her shop could ever provide a customer with. Naruto was the shop’s regular costumer, and it gave Ariak a sense of relief to know that he did not become the regular customer just for the delight of hitting on her. Instead, he merely came for food, and to make friends, which Arika herself won’t have a problem with. The basket she brought along as she rounded the shop got full with just a round, amazing both the customers and Naruto himself. “Hm hm, you’re also good with food.” Naruto nodded in agreement to his own statement, Arika blushing as she thanked him for such a compliment.
Done with the food, Arika went back to her loyal customer, putting the filled basket on the counter. “Here, I gave you, the best serve ever!” Naruto chuckled, playing along. “Well, look, one bite from one of these, and it can last you for 5 hours! How’s that?” Thumbing up, Naruto showed his amazement on how awesome can such mere food shop can be. “Wow, with these, I guess I can last up to 6 months, right?” Arika nodded, his guess hit the jackpot. “Nice, I’ll take it! How much will it cost?” Taking out his pouch, Naruto readied his jewels to pay for the food with. “Hm, it’ll actually cost 50000 jewels, but for a loyal, regular customer like you.. I’ll cost you.. uhm.. 10000.” “Aww yeah! Thanks Arika!” Naruto paid with said amount, stuffing the foods in his backpack after.
“Wait, before you leave, mind telling me what will it all be about?” Like Naruto’s, Arika’s interest sparked with all the buying from Naruto. “I’ll tell you, when I get back, okay?” Naruto gave her a thumbs up, Arika nodding in response. “I await for an exciting story later, so don’t die!” Smiling, Naruto replied her with a nod, leaving the shop shortly after. Exiting the shop, Naruto was by then complete; all that’s left for him to do was just start to venture through the harsh path towards the Sky Tower, having only 4-5 days to reach there before it disappears again, much like how it always did before, or so he was told. Walking away from the shop, Naruto sighed, ready to take on anything.
First off, the map. Taking it out, Naruto unrolled the old map, carefully and as gentle as he can. It sure was old, there were details about places that existed in the world no more, such as the Grenge Highlands, it was torn down to the ground by an unexpected earthquake 7-8 years ago. It was so strong, the whole world shook. Magnolia, Hargeon, everywhere. Everyone was in fear of dying in the natural disaster, that destroyed almost 4000 houses and buildings, took nearly 2000 lives, and made a change in the scenery. All that, and it took only 5 minutes for the earthquake to leave such a mark on the living. Unknown to everybody, it was not sure if the massive earthquake happened by natural means, or if somebody messed up with his or her powers, causing the destruction.
Now on the dirt path, Naruto looked around, trees starting to show up more and more as he walked further away from Magnolia. “Well, this means I’m reaching the forest then.” Naruto sighed, checking up on the map and his compass frequently to keep track on his steps. It showed to the north, so Naruto decided to just go along the south, where the forest in which the Sky Tower would be. It had only been 4 hours since he left Magnolia, so it wouldn’t be a good idea yet to stop for a rest. “I might go for maybe.. 3 hours walk before I have my first rest.” Sighing, Naruto looked around, hoping the scenery would ease his mounting tiredness up, but to no avail. He didn’t like trees, and all there were in the scenery were of course, trees. Trees here, trees there. All green and.. woody.
Naruto continued the walk, glad to see some birds flying here and there, though not often. It was still something, better than having to walk along the path to only have trees and more trees in his sight. He wondered what happened actually, the silence a bit disturbing. Even though the place was a forest, the silence in it was somehow.. off. Did something happen? Or was it the official keep your mouth shut day for the animals? Shrugging the questions off his mind, Naruto walked along the path, again with his short routine of checking the map and the compass for like, once per 10 steps. It was not long till he found a good place to rest, there was a small pond next to the small grassy field surrounded by thick, green bushes.
“Nice!” Naruto walked into the grass field, walking over the bushes which served as its gate. It was a nice scenery, and luckily, birds take their rest from the long fly just around the field, though it was concealed under the tall trees and all. The branches helped them with the clinging, providing them for a safe place to rest on without the worry of having themselves shot or caught. Relieved at such sight, Naruto sat down near the pond, where the water was crystal clear, fish swimming here and there. Frogs on top of lilies and all, it was all beautiful. “Well, maybe this trip to the Sky Tower would be a good, memorable one after all."
“Sky tower? Did you say Sky Tower?” Naruto jumped slightly at the sudden low voice that started talking to him. He looked around, but couldn’t see any human in the surroundings. It was clear though, and he was sure that he wasn’t only daydreaming or stuff. There was someone with him, and he knew that person was still around. “Who’s there? Come out.” Naruto stood on his legs, a sandwich on his hand. Whilst waiting for a reply from whoever it might be, Naruto took a bite from the sandwich, keeping his cool at the moment. “You seriously think you can survive even going there?” The voice suddenly appeared again, this time asking. “Ahaha, well, you shouldn’t ask such trivial question.” Naruto smiled, now seemed more relaxed. “Of course, I will!” “Hmph.. such confidence..”
- Spoiler:
It was a slight instance, but Naruto could feel it. The sharp wind breeze blowing against him in a split second, a sudden approach. “What the…” Eyes widen, his pupils became tense at the sudden realization that someone was standing behind him, a hand on his neck. “How ignorant.. Do you really think you can survive when you’re as weak? Fool.” Naruto was indeed shocked, having nothing to reply with. “What? Do you think just by having a strong will, can you survive with somewhat a miracle? How.. absurd.” The figure started to apply more force on his hand, threatening Naruto with death by maybe a snap on the neck.
- Spoiler:
“Stop it, Range. You don’t want to kill him.. just yet.” Another voice came through, revealing a man standing two to three metres away from Naruto. The figure disappeared from his behind as he felt the same wind, now reappearing in a blink of an eye next to the newly arrived man. “Hmph.” An expressionless man, there was no frown nor a smile on his face, yet his straight face told Naruto something; he’s deadly. “Now, young man, you should turn around, return to your home.” The other man started talking again, Naruto listening still with his battle stance on. “Turn around, this is no place for you. Not the Sky Tower.” “Heh, and what? You’d expect me to stagger back home, shivering in fear?” Naruto replied sharp, he didn’t want to do as the man said. “Precisely.” Naruto’s eyes widened, a second hadn’t still passed after the man talked, but the one name Range (Rang-ge) was already in front of Naruto, ready to attack. “Fast!”
Range gave Naruto a kick on the stomach, he tried blocking it but it was too fast. Staggering backwards a few steps, Naruto felt the wind again, this time Range standing behind the still staggering blonde. “Heargh!” Naruto spun around, attempting to land his fist on Range’s face, but missed due to his unreachable speed. “What the heck.. that was too fast!” the other man decided to just watch as the one sided battle went on. Naruto had just now got a chop on his cheek, to which he was thrown aback for a feet, landing on his body. “Ugh.. strong..” Range stood straight, looking down on the laying man, his cold, straight eyes penetrating through Naruto’s sturdy emotions. “Dammit.. Why am I scared!?” Shouting internally, Naruto groaned, the pain put him in agony.
“Now, you are warned. Go home, young man.” The man turned around, stopping after taking a few steps away. “Or waste your meaningless life here.” He disappeared from the scene right after saying his last sentence, Range tagging along after. There Naruto was, looking helpless on the ground, shaking in agony. And fear. He had never faced such a strong opponent, losing without him being able to even lay a finger on his enemy. “Dammit.. Ugh..” Naruto sighed, still in pain. Gritting his teeth, Naruto got on his butt, sitting down as he took steady breaths to calm himself down. Everything that just happened were too sudden, and he was still in shock. Shocked by the sudden approach by the two men, and the display of deadly strength by the one named Range.
Naruto’s eyes slowly opened, a wild jungle cat licking him on his face as he regained consciousness. “Eh?” The cat jumped in shock, backing away shortly after. Naruto had difficulties as he tried waking up, the pain on his back overpowering him. He only managed to get on his butt again, his legs still too weak and in pain to support his bodyweight to stand. It was night, and the darkness made it hard to look around. One hand up, Naruto ignited his flame, killing away the poisoning effect of his fire for the time being. Having a light source, Naruto burned a thick stick he found nearby, staggering as he reached over for his backpack. “Ugh.. that still hurts.. what the heck is with that strength.. geez.” Naruto sighed, lucky that his food storage was unharmed, only that his last sandwich were eaten away by the cat earlier. It stood there still, next to the fire, possibly keeping warm. “Oh, it’s you, cat.” Naruto approached it, and it tried running away. “Wait wait. I’m not going to harm you. Ahaha, wanna go with me for an adventure?”
The cat just looked, not nodding nor shaking, still on its cautious stance. “Hm, not that you can understand me anyway.” Naruto sighed, done with the packing up. He didn’t know anything of a first aid treatment, and so decided to let his body heal by itself without him helping. Landing next to the fire, Naruto slowly closed his eyes. He was in a dilemma deep inside. “Should I go back… or should I continue?” But he was tired, and so decided to just think about what to do the next day, having wasted half of the day fainting after the painful battle in which he lost.
Something brushed along his cheek. Something moist, soft and squishy. It was nice and all, but it went on, eventually being disturbing. “Uh hey!” Naruto jumped back into reality, his sleep disturbed. The sun was already hanging on the sky, so he assumed that it was sometime between 8-11 a.m. at the moment. “Damn, I woke up late.” Naruto sighed, and as he turned around saw the same cat. It was just sitting next to his backpack, seemingly waiting for him. “Eh? Why are you still here?” The cat turned to the backpack, staring at it without meowing or anything. “Oh, I get it, you’re hungry.” Chuckling, Naruto took out a tuna sandwich, giving it to the cat with a smile. It took the tuna sandwich slowly, no signs of happiness nor sadness, nor anything. Naruto shrugged, turning back to the backpack after.
Having ate his breakfast for the day, Naruto sat still on where he was, the pain on his body slightly healed overnight. He went blank, thinking over things that happened yesterday. “Damn..” He didn’t know if he should turn back like how the other man said, or continue and face Range sooner or later. As he think, Naruto leaned more to the decision to just turn back and fail, but suddenly got bit on the hand by the cat. “Ugh!” Naruto looked at the cat, the pain on his hands completely made him forgot of the pain that Range caused yesterday. “Ah.. What was that for-..!!” Naruto snapped, a sudden realization came through. He was relying on his pain and fear to make the decision for him, that he forgot that there were hopes, dreams and wishes for him to fulfil. “No, I can’t fail here.” Recalling the moments he had with the two older men back in his guild, Naruto was also motivated by the wish from his two friends, thus deciding to go on no matter what. “Thanks, cat. You helped me.” Patting the cat on the head, in didn’t retaliate, a slight sign of trust.
“Well, time to get going!” Naruto stood on his legs, ready to make a leave for the Sky Tower. The cat followed, hopping onto his head before saying anything. “Eh? Cat, you going too?” The cat kept quiet, Naruto taking it as a yes anyway. Stepping out of the grassy field, Naruto looked around, everything as silent as it was yesterday. But this time, there were no birds flying around, the sky, too, only had clouds as its sole ornament. Naruto sighed, patting the cat by his head before setting off, headed towards the Sky Tower, though he still couldn’t see it anywhere.
“Hmph, how persistent.” Range was looking from atop a tree branch, hiding under the shades of the many leaves of said tree. Still with his straight facial expression, Range’s cat-like eyes eyed Naruto all the way till he disappears from his sight, annoyed at such a display of stubbornness. “He was given another path, yet he still walks down the path of death. Such idiocy.” Range then disappears from the scene, the leaves shaking slightly from the blow of the same sharp gust of wind.
Naruto checked up his location with the map and the compass once in a while, making sure he kept his steps in the right direction. The cat fell asleep on his head, and Naruto didn’t want to disturb the feline in its slumber. Checking the map, Naruto wasn’t sure if he went the right direction, but judging from the compass, he might have misstep a little angle. Turning back to the proper direction, Naruto walked, now it had been 2 hours since he started walk. Sighing, Naruto decided to take a rest in the next 3 hours, his legs too sore and in pain to walk too much like how he could yesterday.
Sighing, Naruto sat under a big shady tree, resting as he leaned against the massive tree trunk. The cat woke up as soon as he started taking the rest, leaping off of Naruto’s head soon after. It stuck around with him as the two rested, Naruto taking out a loaf of bread as they did. He started biting a huge chunk of it, and as he chewed, offered the cat some of the bread loaf as well. But it shook its head, and didn’t take it, not even sniff it. “Well, I guess you don’t want to.” Shrugging, Naruto continued eating on his own comfort, without the cat bothering, and without anyone to battle with. Yet. He figured out that this time, he’ll be prepared if such thing was to happen again.
Naruto fell asleep inadvertently after finishing the whole bread loaf, much to his amazement himself. Waking up after the short nap, Naruto’s heavy eyes opened, him seeing the same sight of the forest. He checked up on himself, and nothing had happened, much to his relief. But, Naruto couldn’t see the cat anywhere, and not even calling it will make it return. It seemed like it ran off after seeing something terrifying or something. “Oi, cat!” Naruto wouldn’t want the cat to delay his conquest, deciding he’d leave the wild feline if it didn’t return in like, 1 hour. From his judgement of the surrounding, it was approximately 4 p.m. in the evening, and it was about to get dark, no doubt.
“And 3.. 2.. 1. Alright I’m leaving.” Naruto stood up after, preparing to leave. Strapping the bag back on his shoulder, Naruto looked around one last time before he leaves, it had been 1 hour and 15 minutes since he waited for the cat to return, but there were no signs of it returning, so the cat had probably go back home with its mother or something. Or maybe something bad had happened. Naruto started to worry though, but hid the worry in his face from himself even, lying to himself into believing that the cat would do just fine. Forcing the worry away, Naruto took reluctant steps down the path leading to the Sky Tower, wondering how long will it takes to climb it as he tried distracting himself off of thinking about the little wild furry feline.
The bushes along the dirt path shook, the gusts of wind blowing against them. The sound coming from the shake filled the atmosphere, Naruto looking around, cautious. It might be dangerous, so he wouldn’t want to let his guard down, especially not in this kind of place and time. He stood in his prepared stance, ready to take on anything, or simply run away if the challenge would prove to be too much for him. Luckily, he had just rested, but he had a catch; his wounds and bruises. The last beat up he got was still stinging its pain on him, making him grunt lowly for almost every move he made with his limbs. It still hurt, it wasn’t that severe, but there were multiple injured parts, so the pain collected, then stung Naruto’s brain all at the same time, causing more pain as he moved around.
The wind gusts became more and more harsh per every passing minute, the bushes and the tree leaves making annoying loud shaking sounds, joined with the whooshing sound coming from the violent wind blows. “Ergh.. This wind.. Dammit, not now..” Naruto looked around, the wind blowing at the same pace, the cold chill from the wind grazing along his skins, making him shiver slightly of the coldness. It was not long after, before the same sharp wind felt beside him, making his eyes widen and showed signs of tense, the abnormal speed never ceasing to surprise the eye of the beholder.
“Hmph, you still on with your shitty dreams. What are you, an insolent fool?” Range’s voice could be heard from behind, this time no threat coming from his hand like the first time the two met. “Heh, sorry, but my persistent is the type which you call, the one that kills its own master.” Smirking, Naruto backed away from the man, though knowing that it’ll be useless against a man with Range’s speed, but it still wouldn’t hurt to back away anyway. “Sorry, but your last beating gave me quite the injury, so can’t really fight well.” Staggering as he stepped away from the man, Naruto went straight, telling Range of his handicapped status at the moment.
Range stepped closer to the blonde man, his eyes showing no change in expression. The same straight eyes that gave him the cold stare, something Naruto found rather frightful. “Eat this. It’s a med that’ll cure all those injuries away.” He threw something that looked like a little gumball to Naruto. Naruto caught it, rather in a clumsy style. Range’s eyes were not ones to doubt, so Naruto decided to take a chance and ate it, trusting that Range wouldn’t be a dirty trick playing man.
-to be continued-
(post was too long, the thread won't let me post all 15000 words of them into one post)
Last edited by Dragofox on 2nd January 2014, 3:14 am; edited 1 time in total