Dragon Up!

Wait… Wrong series *sheepish chuckle*

Anyway, here's the update!

Disclaimer in first chapter.

A Fishcake and his Dragon

Episode 7:

Revelations

Kobayashi stared at the three extra sets of footwear that had invaded her entryway, recognizing the pink shoes of a certain busty ('Understatement,' she thought blandly) Dragon. However, the matching – though different sized – sandals left her at a loss.

'PLEASE don't let it be more Dragons,' she mentally begged, tempted to pray for it to be true as she took off her own shoes and announced, "I'm home!"

"Welcome back!" she heard Tohru call back from the kitchen.

'Dinner smells good,' she mused with a small smile as she hung her coat by the door and finally walked into the living room of her apartment. 'Let's see here… A woman with very dark purple hair is sitting on my couch with Kanna while she watches TV, and Lucoa is seated at the table with some blonde whisker-faced kid in her lap.'

"Hey, Kobayashi!" Lucoa greeted with a friendly wave, her other arm holding the kid in her lap. "Hope you don't mind the sudden visit, but I just wanted to show off my adorable little Fishcake to you~!"

"Lucoa-chan…" the kid whined with an embarrassed blush.

'Fishcake…?' she mentally repeated while giving the woman a raised brow. "That's not his real name…is it?"

"No, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. It's uh…" he paused to tap Lucoa's arm, making her let go of him so he could drop down and give her a polite bow. "It's nice to meet you, Kobayashi-san."

Kobayashi couldn't fight the small smile at his nervous politeness. It was cute.

Returning the bow, she replied, "Nice to meet you too, Naruto." Turning to the other woman, she asked, "And you are…?"

"Yugao Uzuki," the woman answered. "I'm what you would call a chaperone for this little trip."

"Chaperone?"

"We're not from your world," Naruto answered with a smile. "We come from a place where Humans have access to an inner energy called chakra, which we use to fight."

"I wound up there when I was taking the pathways between worlds on my way home," Lucoa explained for Kobayashi. "I stopped at their world when I sensed Naruto-kun trying to perform a ritual summoning."

This was the first Yugao had heard about that, as seen by the shock on her face. When she turned her gaze to Naruto, she saw that he wasn't meeting it and was letting Lucoa do the talking.

"What the hell was a little kid doing a ritual summoning for?" Tohru asked, just as surprised as Yugao.

Lucoa looked unsure of how to answer, but Naruto decided to come clean. "I was hoping to summon a demon, because I felt alone in my village."

Yugao winced, understanding dawning on her about his reasons.

"Back home," Naruto continued, looking down, "most people ignore me or glare at me; some of them even calling me a demon. For a while, I thought they might've been right…"

Kobayashi slowly took a seat at the table to listen while Tohru set the stove to a lower heat. They both took note of Lucoa looking upset while Yugao looked…ashamed?

"I felt alone in a place full of strangers who hated me. So, after seeing someone summon some dogs," Yugao's brow twitched at that, "I figured that I could do something like that. So, I snuck into the Restricted Section of the Ninja Library," another twitch from Yugao while Kobayashi rose a brow, "and found a section on a place called Demon Country. Looking through some of the books and scrolls, I saw three different methods for summoning demons, so I took them with me back to my apartment."

"It was when he was trying them all in a single summoning that I intercepted the gateway and arrived in his apartment," Lucoa picked off. "After telling him that he wasn't a demon, he asked me to stay with him and I agreed. I've been living in his apartment ever since."

The two women were stunned at the story, giving Naruto a look and seeing that he was grasping Lucoa's hand while still looking to the floor. It was almost like he was guilty for his actions and holding onto the one good thing that came out of them.

"There's something I don't understand," Kobayashi began. "Why would your village label you as a demon when you're obviously not one?"

"That's something we haven't figured out yet, unfortunately," Lucoa answered with a frown. "It's obvious that a lot of people know, but nobody will say anything."

"Because it's forbidden," Yugao revealed, sitting with her arms crossed and eyes closed. "The Hokage, our village's leader, placed a law that punished anyone who spoke the truth with death."

"What?!" Kobayashi cried out in shock, flabbergasted at the punishment for telling the truth.

"You know, don't you?" Tohru accused, narrowing her eyes at Yugao.

"…I do," the ANBU admitted, "but I cannot break the law of our village. There are people I care about that I don't want to upset with my death."

"Who will know?" Lucoa challenged with a raised brow. "It's just the three of us here in this world. It's not like that Old Monkey will know the very moment you say it."

"…I can't. As much as I feel he deserves to know, I can't…"

Multiple frowns were aimed at her for that, but they stopped when Naruto let go of Lucoa's hand and walked to the front door.

"Naruto…?" Lucoa started with a concerned tone.

"I need to take a walk…" he answered softly after putting on his sandals and leaving the apartment.

Yugao was about to follow, but a sudden weight held her in place while making her tremble at the power felt behind it. Shakily, she turned her head to see that Lucoa had her eyes shadowed by her hat while her fingers curled and clenched in her hands.

For the first time in years, the ANBU actually felt fear.

Hands in his pockets, Naruto walked down the streets of Koshigaya as his thoughts centered around why it was forbidden to tell him the truth. He didn't even know what said truth was, but he felt that he deserved to know since it involved him.

Why was he always kept in the dark about things concerning himself personally? First his parents and now the reason for the village's animosity…

"It's not fair…" he muttered to himself as he arrived back at the park that he had landed in with Lucoa. Taking a seat on a bench, he tried to guess what it was that he was hated for. "It's gotta have something to do with the Kyuubi… My birthday is the same day it attacked…"

When speaking to yourself, you usually don't expect any sort of response. To Naruto's surprise, he got one.

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter," a deep and whispery voice stated defensively.

Naruto blinked in surprise at the voice and looked around to see who had spoken.

"You won't find me in the physical world, kid. I'm linked to you through your chakra."

'My chakra…?' he repeated.

"Correct. Give me a moment…"

Naruto was confused about that before he saw the park surrounding him bend and twist, distorting and changing into a dark hallway that was barely lit and had water that went up to his ankles. The confusion slowly changed to worry at this before a small gust of warm air escalated his worry to fear.

Slowly turning around, he was greeted to a massive set of thick barred gates held closed by a sealing tag. Within the gate was a pair of gleaming blood red eyes with black slit pupils that extinguished any light surrounding them.

The eyes closed for a moment and Naruto heard something huge shuffling the water before the owner of the eyes stepped into the light.

"K…Kyuubi…" he gasped out, his blue eyes wide as he took an involuntary step away from the eyes.

"Half of it, anyway," the Bijuu corrected the boy. "When the Fourth sealed me into you, he split me in two halves and took one into himself before he was taken by the Shinigami."

"Lord Fourth…sealed you into me?"

"Yes. I've had some time to come to terms with this; especially since you are not the first Uzumaki I've been sealed into."

"Wait… You say Uzumaki as if they were a…"

"Clan?" finished the fox, earning a hesitant nod from the boy. "They were both a Clan and a Nation, boy. They once resided in the Land of Whirlpools, and they even had their own Hidden Village. It is because of their bloodline that an Uzumaki body is the only type that can safely hold in my power."

"So…you were sealed into me…because nobody else was available?" Naruto guessed.

"You were a last resort. Your mother was an Uzumaki, and she was also my previous host. She offered to take me back into her body so that I would die with her."

"She was dying…?"

"Removal of a Bijuu from their Jinchūriki – the proper term for a Human holding a Bijuu – almost always results in the Human dying. This is because our very beings are merged into your chakra, and taking us out is almost like ripping out a large of your chakra from your body. The strain is too much for a normal body to handle. Your mother, being an Uzumaki, was not only able to survive; she was able to help the Fourth in sealing me away again."

Naruto looked down at that. "Mom gave up her life for me then, huh?"

"Admittedly, I performed the final blow that killed her," the Kyuubi confessed. "Blinded by my rage about being used and being sealed once more, I tried to stop it by targeting you."

Naruto looked back at the Bijuu with a tearful glare.

"However, your mother was already a foot in the grave that night. My actions, and her reaction to them, pushed her the rest of the way in. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that I took away your parents from you. My creator – someone I respect above anyone else alive or dead – would be ashamed of my actions."

Wiping his eyes, Naruto kept his glare aimed at the Bijuu. "…The Fourth was my dad, wasn't he?"

"That's a good guess; though, it isn't hard to see the similarities between you both. You may have your mothers face, but your hair and eyes are red flags about who your father was."

"I know…dad's name because it's in books and the villagers all respected him. But, what about mom? What was her name?"

"Kushina…"

Using one of its tails to poke the water, the Bijuu used its control over the sealscape to have the water rise and take shape before color and form completed the image. Standing in front of Naruto was a perfect replica of Kushina Uzumaki, who was giving him a smile before she grinned in a manner that only he could pull off. And to Naruto, she looked like nothing less than an angel.

"Mom…" he choked out, wanting to rush over and hug the replica; but the knowledge that it wasn't truly her held him back.

The Kyuubi let the image sink back and return to water. "I'm sorry, boy… I can understand if you hate me. I've lived with hatred for years, and I know what can cause it as well as what it can do."

"As much as I want to," the blonde child began, "I can't… You've told me what I've wanted to know for long; what was hidden from me by the village and the Old Man. My parents… They…"

He looked back to the Bijuu, smiling through his tears.

"They really loved me… They didn't abandon me, think I was some sort of demon, or hate me. They gave up their lives to protect me. While I wish they could be here with me, I'm still proud to be their son."

The Kyuubi stared at the boy before it, expecting him to have shouted or screamed out his rage to the beast. Instead, the Uzumaki had simply said that he was happy to know the truth; not an ounce of anger in him from what the fox could sense.

"…Kurama."

"Huh?"

"That's my name; Kurama. I don't share it with most people; mainly the other Bijuu and my creator. I'm telling you this because I don't want there to be any animosity between us."

Naruto stared as he saw a massively furry fist slowly move toward his form before stopping a couple feet in front of him. He gazed at it before looking down at his right hand. Slowly clenching it into a fist himself, he raised it up and bumped it against that of the Bijuu.

A spark was felt within him, catching him surprise for a moment before he grinned and gave out a happy chuckle that was shared with Kurama.

"Here's to a fresh start, Kurama…"

"To a fresh a start…"

When Naruto knocked on the door to Kobayashi's apartment, he expected her or Tohru to open it. To his surprise, Lucoa practically ripped the door open before she engulfed him in a hug. Feeling the warmth that he had come to love, he returned the hug and let her hold him for however long she wanted.

After a couple minutes, she finally let him go and set him back down on his feet. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Nodding with a smile, Naruto replied, "I'm better now."

Lucoa moved aside so that he could leave his sandals at the door before the two of them stepped into the living area of the apartment. Kobayashi was on the couch with Kanna while Tohru and Yugao were at the table.

"Hey," Kobayashi greeted, giving him a smile. "Get everything sorted out?"

"Yeah, I did. I know everything, now," he answered, confusing the women while Yugao's eyes widened.

"Naruto… Did you…?" The ANBU couldn't finish her query, but she saw Naruto nod an affirmative to it. A sigh escaped her as she deduced, "So, it told you everything?"

He nodded again, and Tohru decided to speak up. "What are you two talking about?"

"The Kyuubi," Lucoa stated, earning a surprised look from Yugao while Naruto simply smiled. "I had hoped I was wrong, but that didn't happen. It's sealed into you somehow, isn't it?"

"Hold up," Kobayashi interrupted. "Kyuubi… You mean like a Nine-Tailed Kitsune from Japanese lore?"

"For the most part," Lucoa answered. "Naruto-kun told me that it was a demon that attacked his home village years ago."

"I was half right, though," Naruto admitted, earning everyone's attention. "See, the Kyuubi and the other Bijuu are actually living constructs of chakra. They're energy that have thoughts, feelings, and dreams like Humans and Dragons do. Kyuubi is the strongest of the Nine, having the most tails."

"Thank you for not using my name."

'Can I tell it to Lucoa later? I trust her.'

"I want to speak to her first. We'll do that later."

Mentally nodding to Kurama, Naruto continued, "I'm currently the third person to hold it; its third Jinchūriki."

"Power of Human Sacrifice…?" Kobayashi repeated. "That's a pretty messed up title to give yourself."

"I didn't come up with the name," Naruto clarified.

"Who held it before you?" Kanna asked, surprising everyone since they didn't think she'd be interested in the conversation.

Smiling, Naruto replied, "My mom held it before me, and an older relative of hers held it before her."

"You know about Lady Kushina?" Yugao asked in shock.

"The Kyuubi told me everything about what happened the night it was sealed into me." He gave her a narrowed look and added, "I know that the Fourth Hokage was my dad, too."

The ANBU woman cringed at his blunt declaration, knowing that such knowledge was on a need-to-know basis. In her opinion, no one else in this room fit that category.

"You're the son of a village leader?" Tohru asked, looking slightly impressed. "Why are you treated so poorly, then?"

"Because no one else was told," Kobayashi deduced. "They were told that Naruto was chosen to hold the Kyuubi, but nobody was told who his father was. So, all people see when they look at Naruto is a vessel for the Kyuubi; or, they see him as the Kyuubi itself in a Human disguise."

Naruto nodded sadly in confirmation. "Exactly…"

"Why the hell would that Old Monkey hide that information from you?" Lucoa questioned, sitting at the table with crossed arms and an angry frown. "You, of all people, should've been told who you came from."

"My guess," Kobayashi began, "is that his parents were well known enough to have made some dangerous enemies. It may have been for his safety."

"That's still no reason to deny a lonely child any information on his parents!" the Ex-Goddess argued.

"I'm not saying it is," Kobayashi placated calmly. "I'm only saying that I can understand why the Hokage would make that excuse for not telling him. He thinks he's protecting Naruto, but he's only pushing him away by constantly hiding the truth from him."

"Besides," Naruto added, "it's not like I would've gone shouting it to the village. They don't like me, so it's not like they'd believe me if I tried telling them the truth. Plus, even if they did, I don't want my dad's legacy to be the reason they stop hating me. That would be the easy way out."

Kobayashi and Tohru both smiled at that while Lucoa patted Naruto's head and ruffled his spiky hair. "Dragons don't back down from a challenge, Naruto-kun," Lucoa said proudly. "And you've got the heart of one, for sure."

He grinned at her while Yugao sighed quietly to herself. 'I'm glad that he knows the truth now; but if this gets out to Lord Third, there could be trouble.' She watched as Naruto talked more with the others, speaking and smiling naturally and looking truly relaxed and unafraid. 'These people accept Naruto for who he is, ignoring what he carries and the burden he bears. It's almost like he hit the nail on the head with his earlier comment; he really was alone, living in a world of hateful strangers…'

She noticed that Naruto had said something that got Lucoa gushing, as seen by her picking him up and nuzzling him while leaving the poor boy a blushing mess as the others laughed at his plight.

'Lady Kushina… Lord Fourth… I'll do whatever I can to protect your son,' Yugao mentally promised, a spark briefly seen in her eye for anyone who bothered to look. 'Even if I must go against Lord Third, I'll keep Naruto safe and happy; I promise.'

Episode 8:

Fishes and Dragons

The next morning, Naruto was escorted around town by Tohru while Lucoa, Kobayashi, and Kanna went to go speak with the two other Dragons she said were in the city. Yugao was with him currently, dressed in long-sleeved black shirt and some comfortable pants while still wearing her ninja sandals.

He himself was dressed in an orange short-sleeved hoodie over a simple blue shirt, black shorts, and his ninja sandals. Despite the temperature cooling down from the autumn weather, Naruto wasn't cold. He enjoyed the breeze and how it caught some of the leaves and carried them; almost making them dance in the air.

"So, what does Kobayashi-san do?" Naruto asked, curious about what his fellow Human did as a job.

"She works in this office with a bunch of other Humans working on a computer all day," the Maid Dragon answered.

"What's a computer?"

Tohru saw that he looked completely lost and tried to explain. "It's like…a television, but it has this thing plugged into it that you can type with. There's also this thing called the Internet that a computer can connect to. You can look up all sorts of things with it."

"Technology in this world is far more advanced than our own," Yugao commented in disbelief.

"It was a real culture shock for me too," the Dragon admitted, leading the two through the open market she frequented in the city. "But it's been a really big help in helping me adjust and understand this world."

"So, what are doing at the market, Tohru?" Naruto asked, taking a moment to check out a stand before catching up again.

"I'm buying ingredients for dinner tonight! Kobayashi-san wanted some grilled fish and fried rice, and we were out of fish."

"Can you teach me how to cook fish?" the Uzumaki requested. "Before Lucoa started living with me, I had to learn to cook for myself; but I don't know many recipes."

"I'd be happy to," she replied, stopping at the fish salesman. "First, you're going to want to have some fresh fish of good quality. Sometimes, it will cost more to get quality fish; but it's worth it in the end."

As Tohru went over the "dos and don'ts" of cooking fish, Naruto listened with rapt attention. Yugao saw a bond already starting to form between them, and she felt ashamed of her home village once more. Where the villagers – both civilian and ninja – saw the Kyuubi in Human Form, Dragons and other people from this world saw a bright and eager boy who had the potential to be something great.

She saw as the two laughed at something the salesman said to Tohru, and the woman smiled at the scene. 'At least he's making more friends. He needs more good to balance out the bad…'

"I don't see why I'm needed for this," grumbled a man with long black hair and red eyes with slit pupils. This was Fafnir, a Curse Dragon that was an acquaintance to Tohru and Lucoa. After deciding to stay in this world for a while, Tohru helped him find a place to stay.

Well, she tried to at first.

Thankfully Kobayashi's coworker, Makato Takiya, had accepted letting Fafnir stay at his place. It didn't hurt that he had gotten the Dragon into gaming; specifically, online gaming.

Currently, he was expressing his unwillingness to adhere to the request Lucoa had made of him and Takiya as the group sat at a table just outside a local café. Sitting next to him was Elma, another Dragon that was from Harmony Faction.

Elma was dressed in a casual suit with some frameless glasses. She had black hair with purple tips and bright blue eyes that were glistening happily as she drank her sweetened tea she had ordered.

Elma truly loved trying new food; no matter what it was.

Rounding off the group was Kanna's friend and classmate, Riko Saikawa. Saikawa was a girl of 8yrs with brown hair and blue-green eyes. Initially jealous of Kanna on the Dragon girl's first day at school, she admitted that she really wanted to be friends with Kanna after trying to assert her dominance among their classmates.

She also had quite the crush on the loli Dragon.

"C'mon, Fafnir," the busty Dragon pleaded. "Naruto-kun has it rough in his home village, and he's never had a real chance to celebrate his birthday like normal children do. I want to give him that so that he doesn't need to keep associating it with so much negativity."

"I have no interest in Human affairs," he shot down, making her pout.

"Well," Takiya began, "I'd be happy to pitch in. How old is he going to be?"

"Ten. And we don't need to do anything too big; just a get-together with us celebrating the day."

"Where would we have this get-together…?" Kobayashi asked, feeling like she already knew the answer.

"I was hoping we could use your place, Kobayashi-san."

"Of course, you were…" the redheaded woman sighed out. "Well, I don't mind having it at my place."

"Do you want us to get him some presents?" Saikawa asked. She didn't know this Naruto, but it was obvious that one of Kanna's friends cared about him. Besides, it was his birthday!

What's a birthday without presents?

"You don't need to, but I'm sure he'd appreciate it," Lucoa answered the girl with a kind smile. "It's in a couple days, so don't really expect you to get him anything in so little time."

Kobayashi hummed at that, sharing a look with Takiya. The two otaku smiled briefly and nodded, saying nothing as they listened to Lucoa tell them things that Naruto liked.

She just hoped that Tohru wasn't getting into trouble with the kid.

"Thank you so much, dear boy!" a woman graciously said as Naruto handed her back the purse that he had recovered from a snatcher that tried to run.

"No problem, Miss," Naruto replied bashfully, rubbing the back of his head and blushing at the words of praise and compliments he was receiving from the people of the market. "I just did what anyone else would."

Yugao was massaging the bridge of her nose, astounded how civilians who had never seen ninja in action before could be so accepting of a casual display of speed and power. 'Probably shouldn't mention this in my report…

Meanwhile Tohru was grinning awkwardly, remembering the time she did the same thing Naruto had done and how the people had been so grateful. 'Probably shouldn't mention this to Kobayashi-san…'

'Why do I feel like I just jinxed it?' Kobayashi blandly thought before she refocused on the others as they planned out the party. After a little while, they all departed and went their own ways.

It was the early hours of the evening when Yugao – or rather a Shadow Clone of her – walked out of a store with a wrapped bundle in her arms and a smile on her face.

"Just in time," she said to herself before someone's voice made her jump.

"That for Naruto-kun?" Lucoa asked from behind the ANBU woman.

Taking a breath to steady her nerves, while mentally berating herself for being snuck upon, Yugao nodded an affirmative to the question. "Yes, this is for his birthday. I...felt like I should do something for him."

"What'd you get him?" the Dragon asked as she followed the Shadow Clone back to where they were staying.

"I felt as if some formal clothes would be fine, since I doubt Naruto has any. So, I bought him a kimono while having the seamstress place the Uzumaki symbol on the back."

"I see. Well, I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"Thank you. And thanks for doing this…"

"Doing what?"

"Planning a celebration for Naruto," Yugao clarified. "You've already done so much for him by just being there for him. Not to mention that you've started teaching him that magic you told me about before. And now, you're giving him something he's never truly experienced before; and not just a birthday."

"What am I giving him, Yugao-san?" Lucoa asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"You're giving him hope…"

Episode 9:

A Fishcake's Birthday

Soft breathing came from Naruto as he slept on his bed. Laying next to him was Lucoa, resting on her side with her head in her hand as she watched him sleep with a gentle smile. With her free hand, she brushed some stray hair away from his face before resting her palm against his whiskered cheek.

She almost gushed when he instinctively leaned into her touch and smiled in his sleep. Sadly, for her, he started to wake up; but she never lost her smile as he blinked away the rest of his sleep.

Seeing her smiling at him, Naruto smiled back and greeted, "Good morning, Lucoa-chan."

"Happy Birthday, Naru-baby," she replied, making him pause in surprise. "I know you never really celebrated before; but that's back in the village. Today, I have something special planned for you, and I asked the others to help me with it."

"Lucoa…"

She stopped him from saying anything more by gently placing a finger to his lips. "None of that, Naruto-kun. I wanted to do this for you, so just enjoy what will happen. Okay?"

He smiled again and nodded his acceptance. "Okay, Lucoa-chan."

He became a blushing mess when Lucoa brightened up and kissed his cheek. "Good boy. Now, let's have some breakfast before we go out and seize the day."

"R-Right…" he replied, feeling a warmth spreading from where her soft lips graced his cheek with their touch.

Yugao decided to respect Lucoa's desire to give Naruto a good birthday by limiting her presence. It was no surprise that Naruto wasn't particularly fond of her presence; he practically said as much before they even left the Elemental Nations.

So, she was there as they ate breakfast, wishing him a Happy Birthday before giving them some space under the guise of "scouting the city for her report". While it was true that she was scouting, it was mainly a Shadow Clone doing so while she watched Naruto and Lucoa from the shadows.

A respectful distance she may give, but she still had her orders to keep an eye on Naruto. Plus, she wanted to make sure Lucoa didn't go to far with Naruto; especially since she was being much more affectionate today.

So, she kept back and watched.

Naruto was all smiles as he and Lucoa left the park, having spent the past couple hours simply walking together and another lesson on magic. Lucoa decided to give Naruto the first steps to a magic known as Perception Blocking.

What that did was "remove" visual presence of the user from others. While the user was invisible to the world, they could still interact with it. What made it potentially useful was that, as Lucoa showed him how it worked, Naruto tried to find her with chakra but couldn't. In his eyes, Perception Blocking could be classified as a genjutsu, and the Academy briefly went over how they worked by messing with his chakra flow.

So, Naruto tried to pulse his chakra to break it; but it didn't work. He could hear her explaining the technique and feel her tussle his hair; but he just couldn't see her. This made him even more excited to learn it, which helped fuel him as he attempted the first steps.

While he wasn't successful, Lucoa told him that he would get it one day with practice. They couldn't continue though, since Lucoa said they needed to get ready for Kobayashi's place.

Returning to where they were staying, Naruto got himself cleaned and ready while Lucoa sat on the couch and watch Yugao arrive in a burst of smoke.

"Thank you for keeping your distance today," the Dragon said.

"I figured he was a little tired of me being around all the time," she replied, sighing despondently. "This attitude he has towards me… I know it's not even close to how he's experienced it from the village; this feeling of dislike or disapproval of your presence. I can't complain about it since I know he's had it worse."

"At least you're starting to understand. It's sad that people can't understand the pain of others unless they themselves experience a similar pain."

"I get it…"

They stopped their talk when Naruto came out of the bedroom dressed in a nice orange shirt and black shorts. "I'm ready to go."

"Great!" Lucoa cheered, getting to her feet happily and making her breasts bounce. She giggled to herself when she saw Naruto blush while Yugao scoffed and looked away. 'Yep. I still got it.'

To Naruto's joyful surprise, it was a small party that awaited him at Kobayashi's apartment. A few people he hadn't met yet were there, and he was happy to introduce himself to the two Dragons, Kobayashi's friend, and Kanna's classmate. While Fafnir gave off bad vibes, at least he disliked Humans in general and not just him. And Elma was polite and easy to talk to; even if she was more interested in eating than talking.

Saikawa was pretty expressive, and he got along with her easily since she had this self-confidence that he had when he first started the Academy. He also found it funny how she was obvious about her feelings for Kanna, but the child-like Dragon seemed fine with just being friends for the moment.

Yeah, Naruto felt safe to say that he liked everyone he had met in this world.

Dinner was ramen, to his joy. What made it better was that Tohru was just shy of making it as delicious as Ichiraku did back home. When he told her this, he had a good laugh at her getting comically upset at "being outdone by Humans". Lucoa also found it funny and laughed alongside him, much to Tohru's dismay.

After dinner was cake. Nothing special, just a white cake with chocolate frosting; but Naruto was happier about how they sang for him and how he had a chance to blow out candles. It was something he had seen other kids do when they celebrated birthdays at the Academy.

And now it was his turn.

He pondered what to wish for briefly before looking at everyone gathered in Kobayashi's apartment. As he looked to them, he felt a warmth in his heart that began to grow and smiled when his gaze landed on Lucoa.

Knowing what he wanted, he turned back to the candles and thought, 'I wish Lucoa-chan would stay with me always…'

He blew with his eyes closed, not wanting to see if he didn't get them all. His fears were extinguished when he felt Lucoa hug him, prompting him to open his eyes and see that all the candles were blown out.

"Nice job, boy. And Happy Birthday."

'Thanks, Kurama…'

Cake had been served and eaten, the leftovers were put away, and the dishes were cleaned. Now, it was time for presents. First was from Kanna and Saikawa; much to his surprise.

"Here you go, Naruto-san! Happy Birthday!" Saikawa said happily.

"Happy Birthday," Kanna added calmly.

Smiling gratefully, Naruto unwrapped the gift and saw that it looked like a binder with plastic sheets in it. "What is this?"

"It's a scrapbook," Saikawa answered. "You save photos in it."

"Save photos from today," Kanna suggested, holding up a disposable camera before surprising him by snapping a photo without warning.

Blinking his eyes after the unexpected flash, Naruto thanked them for the gift before moving on to Tohru's gift. It was revealed to be a cookbook for beginners with plenty of recipes for him to try.

"I figured that you should keep learning since you'll be going back soon. Next time you visit, we'll see just how much you've learned," she suggested.

"Thanks, Tohru! This will be a big help back home!"

Fafnir then tossed Naruto a small device that was revealed to be a handheld gaming system with a game called Pocket Monsters. "Don't give that to anyone in your home world. Treat it like a treasure and destroy those who try taking-"

"Thank you!" Lucoa declared as she easily grabbed the game before – in a move that caused Naruto to blush brightly – sliding it down between her breasts and out of sight. "I've seen what games can do, Fafnir. While I'm sure Naruto-kun will love his new gift, I'll definitely be limiting how much he plays it."

Fafnir grunted out his annoyance at being interrupted and called out.

"Now, Naruto-kun," Lucoa continued, "if you want to play, be sure to ask." She then grinned and added, "Or, if you really can't wait, you could always…reach in to grab it."

Steam shot out of his ears and Naruto fell off his chair with a tomato blush and swirling eyes; strangely hearing the sound of a "Knockout" bell in his head.

"Poor kid," Kobayashi couldn't help commenting, despite smiling at how amusing it was to see Naruto's reaction.

"She just had to say something that damn toad would love putting in those books of his," Yugao grumbled before she helped Naruto recompose himself and get back in his seat. "Here, Naruto."

Silently thanking her for both the help and the gift, Naruto opened it up to reveal the kimono Yugao had gotten him. It was mostly black, but it held orange wave patterns and a distinct red swirl on the back.

"That swirl is the symbol of the Uzumaki," Kurama explained. "Your clan was an ally of the Hidden Leaf since they were a splinter of the Senju Clan. When they were wiped out, the Hidden Leaf added their swirl to their uniforms to honor their old ties."

'Huh… Neat.'

The last present was from both Kobayashi and Takiya. Inside of the box was an odd looking uniform that Takiya offered to help him put on. They went to one of the other rooms to get him dressed before Takiya stepped out first, hiding Naruto behind him.

"You were right, Kobayashi. He looks good in it," he stated before stepping aside and revealing Naruto in a cute butler suit.

He had nice black shoes, gray slacks with darker gray vertical striping, a white button-down shirt covered by a gray vest, a black coat with longer coattails in the back, an equally black tie, and some white gloves. He stood shyly in the uniform while Kobayashi smiled and nodded to herself.

"Looking good Naruto. Now, I want you to…" She whispered the last part into his ear, making him blush and look at her unsurely. "Trust me," she assured him.

Still nervous, he nodded and moved over to Lucoa. Blushing slightly at her inquisitive gaze, he stood as straight as he could, left arm bent behind his back, and right arm folded across his chest.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he said as professionally as he could though his nerves, "How may I serve you today, my Lady Lucoa?"

*thump! thump!*

Lucoa had the faintest dusting of pink on her cheeks as she felt her heart throb at his gesture and words. It was so surprising and adorable that she couldn't help feeling hear heart pound in her chest. She couldn't resist!

"Oh~! You are so adorable, Naru-baby~!" she gushed, hugging him to her and nuzzling the top of his head.

In her grasp, Naruto's face erupted into another tomato blush, steam once again shot out of his ears, and his blue eyes were replaced with dazed swirls as he passed out in Lucoa's arms. The feeling of her holding him so affectionately and his growing feelings for her were too much to take at once!

Yugao sighed and gave Kobayashi a dry look. "You know that uniform is more of a gift for her than for him, right?"

"Maybe," the redhead relented. "But, you can't deny he looks good in the uniform."

Yugao took another look at Naruto and couldn't deny the younger woman's words. She said nothing and simply looked away with a faint blush while Kobayashi smiled knowingly.

Late in the evening, Naruto was seen on the roof of where he was staying. Before he, Lucoa, and Yugao left Kobayashi's, they partook in some pictures to put in Naruto's new scrap book. His favorite so far was one of him sitting in a chair with his brands glowing with magic while Lucoa hugged him affectionately from behind.

He was watching the moon and reflecting on how much he had enjoyed his first real birthday celebration when he felt a familiar warmth hugging him again from behind. He smiled at the embrace, wrapping his arms around Lucoa's as he relaxed in her hold.

"Thank you, Lucoa-chan," he stated with the utmost sincerity. "I'll never forget this day and what you did."

"Of course, Naruto-kun. I've said many times that I'll do whatever I can for you. This was just another thing I could do."

He hummed in grateful agreement as the two blondes watched the moon together.

"I never gave you my gift to you," she spoke softly after a little while.

"You've done more than enough for me, Lucoa-chan," he replied, trying to stop her from feeling like she was obligated to getting him something.

"This is something I wanted to share with you, Naruto-kun," Lucoa clarified as she let him go and enshrouded herself in rose colored energy.

When the flash of powerful light cleared, Naruto was left in awed silence as he saw Lucoa's humungous Dragon form. She was a long and serpent-like amphithere Dragon with broad feathered wings and a mask-like skull. She let him look at her for a few moments before she and him were enshrouded in her Perception Blocking power.

"Wanna go for a ride?" she suggested, her voice echoing in her true form.

He just mumbled dazedly, still trying to reboot his mind as he stared at her form. It got to the point where she wriggled in embarrassment and gushed at his stunned expression.

"Mou~! You're making me blush, Naruto-kun~!" she whined with a giggle, succeeding in breaking Naruto out of his daze.

"Wow, Lucoa-chan! You look amazing!" he praised with bright eyes and a grin that stretched his whiskered cheeks.

"Impressive size, and her power is even more impressive," Kurama stated, his tone respectful to her revealed form and power. "I think she'd give me a run for my money if I was at full strength."

"Aww! Thank you, Naru-baby! Now, why don't we go for that ride? I want to show you everything I can about this world."

"Sounds great!" Naruto agreed excitedly, jumping from the roof to her masked head. To an outsider looking in, they wouldn't see Naruto's form unless they were close enough for Lucoa's masked head to encompass everything in front of them. Anything less would have him look like nothing more than a speck on her face. "Let's go, Lucoa-chan!"

"Aye, aye~!" she replied in equal enthusiasm, moving across the air and away from Koshigaya.

It wouldn't be until hours later that the duo would return with Naruto asleep peacefully on her head. If one were next to the blonde Uzumaki, they would see that his peaceful rest was perfectly accompanied by a warm smile. He was then in Lucoa's arms as she retook her Human-like appearance.

"All wiped out, huh?" she asked rhetorically, smiling at his peaceful expression. Her affection grew as she leaned down and gently kissed the top of his head and hugged him closer to her. "I'm glad you were able to enjoy yourself, Naru-baby. Don't worry about wat the village will do when we return. I promise that I'll keep you safe. After all…"

She started heading inside so that she could tuck him in before joining him on the bed.

When she was sure he was comfortable, she continued, "You're my Naru-baby, and I won't let anyone take you away from me." Absently, she finally felt a connection with Fafnir as she held Naruto and snuggled against him. "I don't care who or what they are; you are mine…"

She gazed at his sleeping face and kissed his forehead before resting her own against it. Her smile went from affectionate to loving as she finished her declaration.

"And I am yours…"

Unconsciously, Naruto's smile grew in his sleep.

Finally finished with this update! And I did it in my hotel room while I'm in San Jose for the Crunchyroll Expo! I'm feeling pretty proud of myself!

Hope you all liked these three episodes! The next will have Naruto, Lucoa, and Yugao return to the village after one last outing in Koshigaya.

Also, I want to let you guys and gals know about something that has come up. Now, normally I don't take on Challenge Ideas since most times they ask me at a bad time, or I feel I have too much on my plate.

HOWEVER!

A fellow author by the penname XXX777 has offered me a challenge that was rather simple. I've already discussed what I would like to do for it with them, and they've given me their total support.

The challenge is simple: a Naruto/Highschool DxD crossover where Yasaka and Kuroka wind up in Naruto's world and choose to stay with him.

That's it! So, I've decided to accept! As a heads up to anyone who will read it when I post, I want you all to know that I'll be making this a triple cross between Naruto, DxD, and Monster Musume!

Until the next chapter for this story AND the first chapter for the challenge idea!

~pain17ification~