7 A Trip Through The Void (Rewrite Finished)

As the days passed, the despair became ever so persistent. When would they show up again? Would they show up once again? The questions were there, but the answers were not.

"Lord Hokage!" He looked up to see his student, Kakashi staring at him.

"Kakashi, don't call me that. You know I hate it, makes me feel like such a bigshot."

"Well, you do know that you are the Hokage, right?"

"Yes, I don't have to be reminded. It's enough that everyone else calls me that. But, you, my student could at least have the courtesy to call me, sensei or something. I don't feel particularly worthy of the Hokage mantle at the moment." No one needed or reminder of why. The whole village knew about the slaughter two Hokage's and the village's best faced against two strangers.

"We should be glad we didn't lose both of you. Also, Lord Third always said you would surpass him. How about you prove him right, Lord Hokage." Kakashi said calmly.

"You're dismissed!" Minato's head hit the table, hard. Kakashi only shrugged his shoulders and walked out. He had a mission to complete and he knew better than stay and argue with his sensei. He had adopted his wife's stubbornness.

"Sarutobi. What am I to do?" Minato spoke onto the desk, hoping for a miracle.

****

Far away, two mighty strangers were relaxing on a beach. Having just decimated the Hidden Leaf's strongest fighters, they found themselves gravitating towards the sandy shores.

"Again, please. You expect me to serve you for eternity. After I just got freedom?" Kurama asked slowly.

"Yes. Did I not make that clear the first two times?"

"No, you did. It's just that I don't know what you are expecting here? Everything I can do, you can do better."

"Obviously. But, what if I wake one morning and don't want to leave the bed. Who would bring my coffee? I didn't bring my maid with me. She is back home tending to my house. So, you are replacing her. You are my new maid." Maleficent said nonchalantly.

"No freaking way! I am no fucking maid, I'm the demon fox. I can make the world bend the knee if I want!" He regretted the tone almost as soon as he spoke. But, luckily she didn't seem to even notice his disagreement. She looked perfectly peaceful sunbathing in her bikini.

"My cat could destroy this world. You are the strongest tailed beast, that's why you deserve the best position. My personal maid. It's final!" Now she added just a sliver of a promise of hurt in her tone.

Kurama just couldn't believe his luck. Or more like the lack of it. Servant of God is not the worst thing, he wouldn't mind that. But, to be referred to as a maid. Him! A tailed beast, over a millennia-old world-destroying monster.

"How about something else? Anything but a maid!"

"Chief of staff then. How about that?" She summoned a foil reflector as she glanced at Kurama.

"What would that entail? I don't a God like you starting a business or something." He looked at the piece of aluminium with confusion. What the hell was that supposed to do anyway?

"Well, I will create the strongest fighting force. They will be the core part of the new first heaven."

"Wasn't that place supposed to be one of a kind. Why would you want another one?" Kurama asked calmly.

"I talked with my father about making a place of my own. Moving out, as a mortal would put it. I this case, I would create an independent existence away from this one. Where my father has no influence. All I have to do is obtain omnipotence, or steal my take my father's." Problems of the cosmic were for the cosmically aware. Kurama found himself completely overwhelmed.

"I can't even begin to try and comprehend what you just said. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that there are other worlds and dimensions out there."

"You'll get there in time. The more time you hang around me, the more your mind will... expand, I suppose we could say." She adjusted the angle of the foil reflector slightly.

"I'll take your word for it." Kurama relaxed slightly in his seat. "I guess I am your new Chief of Staff. Fun!"

"You'll love it, cub."

****

In a densely forested area, a young girl was hopping around happily. She stopped suddenly when a spiralling circle appeared in front of her. From within the blackness fell a giant man. Short spiky reddish hair and arms like cannons. Despite his fierce exterior, he looked utterly terrified.

"NEVER AGAIN!!" He shouted to the moon hanging overhead.

"Drama queen. The little cub is afraid of cross-world travelling." A young goddess walked out behind her.

She wasn't aware such an entity had appeared before her, but her beauty couldn't be explained any other way. Small stature, similar to the girl herself, silky smooth black hair with a face perfectly pale. If the world was an uncut diamond, then she was the polished, perfectly cut sister-diamond.

"What was that!? That... presence!"

"That's the void. The in-between, you could call it." Her gaze met with the quiet girl standing and regarding them both.

"We have a guest. Make yourself presentable, useless cub." Maleficent, the aeon-old goddess smiled kindly to the girl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. We just arrived as you can see. Name's Maleficent and this loser is Kurama, my maid." She pointed at the fox on the verge of a breakdown.

"Y-You promised!!" He waved his arms flamboyantly. "I am her Chief of staff. I am NOT a maid!" He looked threateningly at the girl. She looked mostly confused, not really understanding what's what.

"If you say so. I'm Mavis Vermillion. The guild master of Fairy Tail. Do you guys need help or something? And was that a portal you came out of? Are you mages?" She gave little room to answer between questions.

"Slow your rolls, girl. One question at a time. And can you take it slower, I think your talking is making Kurama nauseous." Maleficent said happily. Kurama didn't look nearly as amused as he struggled to stand.

"Ok. Are you mages, that would make it easier?" She looked hopeful.

"Not specifically. But, I have dabbled in magic once or twice before. It was sort of fun I suppose." Maleficent said calmly.

"Okay. So, was that a portal you came through? I haven't seen or felt something similar before."

"Yes, it was. Though I would think that was obvious. Maybe I overestimated mortal intelligence."

"What was that?" Mavis asked, confused.

"Nothing, darling. Continue." Maleficent smiled. And Mavis looked all-too ready to get to talking.

"Do you need any help? And where did you come from?"

"We came from far away. Beyond what you can comprehend probably."

"And we don't need your help, just leave us alone." Moaned Kurama when his head had stopped spinning. For someone as mighty as him, this was unbecoming.

"Is he gonna be okay? I can take you to the guild and we can look after you there. We have soft beds and warm food." She smiled wide as she spoke. There was warmth in her tone, showing she cared for the guild.

"Bed, take me to it!" Whined Kurama almost pleadingly.

"This way, it's just beyond that hill," Mavis said and pointed due north.

"Let's go! To Fairy Tail!!" Yelled Maleficent. Very unbecoming of someone of her status. She seemed more child than a goddess.

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End