Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Naruto, Disney or any of its affiliated properties. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this now would I?
"The connection of our hearts…" : Speech (Bold for yelling ,Bijuu, or massive creatures)
'The connection of our hearts…' : Thought
Nottingham, England, a few months after Naruto was allowed to live there…
It was a rainy morning in the town of Nottingham – dense clouds obstructed the weak rays of the sun and the townspeople were all hunkering down in their homes with a warm cup of tea and a plate of buttered toast. The streets were muddy and puddles were everywhere, almost as if they were intentionally placed there to dissuade any would be pedestrians and while that was fine for most of the town's residents, some of them weren't so lucky.
"Man, I really love my devil's luck sometimes – walking around in this muck would have been really annoying if I didn't have a thick fur coat! Stuff's water resistant, cold and heat resistant while doubling as basic armor – I am almost jealous that humans don't have one! Wish it wasn't a such a pain to groom though…" Naruto said as he walked to the local apothecary at a brisk pace, the rain sliding off his wet fur.
His time in Nottingham so far had been a good, with the local peasants being of the welcoming sort. After apologizing for giving them such a fright and getting Alan to vouch for him, he was quickly welcomed into the fold of the town and he took advantage of this auspicious overture by being the fox to call for any odd jobs. His young age nonwithstanding, it was hard to argue on matters of propriety when a teenager was bigger than any adult in the town and stronger to boot. Alan took all this in stride, insisting that he would work twice as hard as Naruto since he took his job as his guardian quite seriously.
But alas, while the rooster's heart was in the right place, it was a fool's errand to try and keep up with an inexhaustible fox with the power of youth on his side. In his futile attempt to try and provide for the two of them as a mere musician, he had overworked himself and had caught a nasty cold. Which brings us to what Naruto was currently doing, rapping on the rickety wooden door of the apothecary.
"Oh come on! Open up – just because I can weather the rain doesn't mean I like being doused with it!" Naruto said as he rubbed an annoying drop of water dangling off his snout before the door finally opened, revealing the face of an old dog with droopy eyes and a lazy smile.
"Oh hello Naruto! What brings ye to my doorstep in such inclement weather? I daresay yer time would be better spent waiting this rain out with Alan…nobody's going to be up to much until it passes." The dog said, Naruto grimacing a little before nodding in defeat.
"Yeah, yeah Winfred…I get it but I need your help. Alan caught his death of fever a few days ago and I need something to help ease his pain. Do you have anything you could spare? I'll pay you back as soon as I can!" He said watching Winfred gasp in shock before the old basset hound shuffled into his house to rifle through his cupboard for some herbs. After a few minutes of searching (Naruto also followed him into the house in the meantime – he knew Winfred would take a while searching anyway and he had his fill of the rainfall), the apothecary turned to Naruto with three satchels clutched in his shaking paws.
"Here ye go Naruto – these herbs are thyme, yarrow and rosemary. Give these to Alan or make them into tea and he should be right as rain in a few days. Now go, hurry home lest you catch yer death of cold yerself…" Winfred said, watching as Naruto scoffed a little before taking the herbs and heading out the door with one last parting remark.
"Thanks for the warning old chap but this fox is made of sterner stuff than you'd think. I best head to Alan immediately though – thanks for the help, I promise to pay you back as soon as I can!" Naruto said, rushing out into the rain while Winfred shook his head good naturedly before walking over to close his door.
"Foolish boy, you already do more than enough for me and the other people of this town – I was glad to help in any way I could since you already made this old dog's life much easier than you could possibly understand…" Winfred said, standing at his doorstep watching Naruto run at blistering speeds to his house in an attempt to keep the satchels dry.
A few minutes later, at Naruto and Alan's home…
"Hey Alan! I'm home and I brought some stuff that'll fix you up in a jiffy!" Naruto said as he looked over to Alan, who was lying in bed and lazily strumming his lute.
"Oh! That's good – what did old Winfred give you? How much do we owe him?" The rooster asked as Naruto simply smirked at him before turning to head to the kitchen to boil some water.
"Oh, just some herbs like thyme…I am making some tea so you can get better. Don't worry about the money though – I am going to the castle after this since Richard is paying me to play guardsman for Marian and Kluck…" Naruto said, remembering how he got the job after Richard sparred with him a few weeks after he got settled in Nottingham. Needless to say, the king got his royal keister handed to him (Naruto did go easy on him since he noticed that everyone was a weapon user and didn't really have skills in hand to hand) with nothing but martial arts. Impressed with his techniques, Richard gave him the opportunity to serve as part of the castle staff, particularly as the manservant and bodyguard of his niece and her lady in waiting.
The girls took this in different ways – Kluck was happy to hear the news as she enjoyed the bold brash approach Naruto took to life and spent her time happily chatting with the fox while also getting some tips on how defend her honor (she was already growing quite quickly and as such, felt a certain kinship with the similarly overgrown fox). Marian on the other hand had some difficulty getting over her shyness – puberty had just began to sink its teeth into the vixen and she was experiencing a lot of unfamiliar feelings…something that wasn't helped by the fact that she had two very different foxes that both commanded her attentions in different ways. On one hand, she had Robin, her dear childhood friend that she had been nursing a crush on for a while but on the other, she had Naruto, an especially gregarious and physically stunning specimen who ticked all her boxes in a potential mate (it didn't help that he was a more worldly individual whose moments of quiet wisdom left her in awe). However, the mind tends to favor those who occupy most of its attention at any given time so Marian found herself growing closer to Naruto over time and in the few months she got to know him, also started falling for him (Robin was none the wiser, having thrown himself into weapons training after he discovered his prodigious talent with the bow). Naruto was none the wiser; his mind still coming to terms with the fact that he was a fox now much less trying to find anyone 'attractive' (for now at least – he could admit that the females here still had the womanly curves of a human).
All this meant that Naruto was paid to hang out with his friends under the pretense of protection. He wasn't complaining, especially since the pay was good and all the odd jobs he did around town didn't make him a lot of money.
*Cough**Cough*"His Majesty is still keeping you on as a guard for Maid Marian? That's nice – I don't want you overworking yourself helping everybody out all the time…" Alan said, pausing to take a shuddering breath as fierce coughing racked his body. Naruto was quick to respond, taking the whistling kettle off the fireplace before dipping the herbs into it and pouring the contents into a teacup which he offered to the wheezing bird.
"Hey, hey – take it easy there Alan. I don't have any problem with helping everyone with their problems since you know I have energy to spare anyway. Now drink the tea – I'll leave the kettle nearby so you can keep pouring yourself some more tea. I'm off to the castle now so stay safe…I'll be back by sundown." Naruto said as Alan took a slow sip of the herbal tea before letting out a relieved sigh, the warm drink tickling his innards in a delicious fashion. Puffing out a warm and steamy breath, Alan waved Naruto off before going back to drinking his tea (he was going to take a little nap afterwards…he was really tuckered out).
Twenty minutes later, Maid Marian's chambers…
"Why hello there Naruto! We were actually wondering if you'd grace us with your presence today – you came by rather late and it's raining cats and dogs outside…would you like to dry off before you play with us? Marian here just got a deck of playing cards from her uncle!" Kluck said as the two girls watched Naruto walk over to them, his whole body sopping wet and his clothes sticking to him like a second skin (a sight both girls appreciated a great deal despite the species barrier for Kluck).
"Sorry about that girls, Alan got a cold and I had to visit Winfred for some herbs to make him some tea. Sure, I won't take long to dry off – Marian, I am borrowing your private bathroom for a second." Naruto said before gingerly tip-toeing his way into her bathroom, where he proceeded to shuck his clothes off and wring them dry.
Meanwhile, Marian was on the receiving end of Kluck's merciless teasing.
"Oh my Marian, whatever will you do? You have a strapping young fox stripping just a few walls away while your erstwhile crush is off in the forest– how do you feel?" Kluck said, smiling impishly as Marian blushed prettily; the mental image of Naruto's sculpted body fresh in her mind.
"Oh spare me your teasing Kluck~ it is hard enough that I thought I loved Robin for almost four years only to have my faith shaken when Naruto appeared…at least one of them pays attention to me and actually visits regularly! Robin and Little John are always gallivanting off in the forest on some adventure and while Naruto isn't too different, he's a responsible sort." Marian said as Kluck tut-tutted in amusement.
"Oh I am not arguing on your choice of husband dearie…it's almost shocking how the fox with a ferocious visage is more of a family type than the one with a more friendly mien – that one looks like he'd leave his wife at the drop of a hat to go on some adventure!" Kluck said as the two girls giggled mirthfully. Naruto, for all of his strength and imposing size, was actually a softie that took care of everyone around him like a great papa bear (unknown to them, the reason why Naruto was that way was because his mind was already that of an adult – he knew how to be organized in life). His fearsome face (particularly his eyes and fangs) put the fear of God in anyone who didn't know him better though, which was why Naruto only had a few friends at his physical age.
The girls then started chatting while playing cards until Naruto popped back into the room, now ninety percent drier than he was before (he still had the freshly showered look which only enhanced his charm).
"Alright I am back – what were you guys talking about?" Naruto said, rubbing one of his ears while the girls shared a glance before answering as one.
"Oh, just girl talk – are you ready to play with us?" They asked as Naruto sat on an armchair in front of the girls (Marian was on her bed and Kluck was on a divan close by).
"I am ready – before we start though, a warning to the uninitiated! I have been told that I have the devil's luck so don't get annoyed when you lose to me!" Naruto said, grinning at the disbelieving looks on the girls' faces.
"Oh we'll see about that mister – Marian, let's show this upstart whom he's dealing with!" Kluck said as they started playing, Naruto letting out a stray chuckle as he saw their fired-up expressions.
Three hours later…
"Ha! I told you girls that I had insane luck! Twelve straight victories in my favor – this has got to be a record!" Naruto crowed in triumph as the girls looked at the cards in their hands in sheer disbelief.
"I don't believe it…" Marian muttered as Kluck collapsed in the divan with a dramatic flourish.
"Darling, I would call you a cheater if I didn't watch you like a hawk after your third win…" The hen said as Naruto smirked at them.
"I warned you didn't I? Anyway, it's getting late so I have to go back home, check to see if Alan is getting better…I will also check the forest to see if Robin can come and visit you later Marian – I know you;ve been missing him for a while." Naruto said, patting Marian on her head (she let out a nigh inaudible squeak at that) before waving goodbye to them and leaving.
Now alone once more, Kluck turned to Marian with a gleam in her eye.
"Okay, when are you planning to confess to that fox? Because if you aren't interested, then maybe I can try to see if he'd like a shot at these feathery goods~…"
"Kluck! Stop it!"
"Hihihi…I am only teasing dear…"
Back with Naruto…
Naruto was leaving the castle when he was suddenly waylaid by the Sheriff, who told him that Sir Hiss and Prince John wanted to meet him. While he thought that the two slimeballs weren't worth his time, he did understand that they still held some measure of power that he had to respect lest he break the law (he was trying his best to avoid busting heads and becoming an outlaw in the process).
When he entered John's room, he was faced with Hiss and John, who looked surprisingly happy to see him (quite the shock since the duo tended to avoid him like the plague most of the time).
"Ah, welcome Naruto! We wanted to congratulate you on being selected to join Richard on his crusade to the holy land!" Sir Hiss said, his sibilant voice sliding through Naruto's ears like oil on a plastic counter.
"What?"
"Oh yes, my dear brother needs the best of the best to join him on his quest and there is no one more fit for the job than you – I would advise you to inform your friends that you'll have to leave in a few days since Richard is pretty excited about this trip…" John said, mentally cackling at his grand plan to manipulate Naruto's perceived debt to his brother to remove a thorn in his side (he could at least keep him away for a decade since he had Hiss hypnotize Richard).
His piece said, the prince dismissed Naruto, the fox now no longer an issue to his domination of the town of Nottingham and soon enough the entirety of England. However, he underestimated Naruto's tenacity as he would indeed return, ironically just in time to foil his grand plans…
And that was chapter 55! In the next chapter, we'll start the movie arc, with everyone at their respective ages. Polls have picked Maid Marian as the romance option so our resident ninja will be stealing that vixen's heart post haste!
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