Sage of Hearts

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

Red Indian Village, early morning…

It was a calm and ordinary day in the Red Indian village of Neverland – the skies were clear and sunny, the ocean's waves slowly lapping at the beach, creating a soothing atmosphere. Looking closely however, one could spy a girl running through a makeshift obstacle course while a small blue mote of light flew around her, seemingly making the ordeal even more challenging.

"Hah…hah…you are a harsh taskmaster Naruto but today is the I finally, as you might say, catch you off guard!"  Tiger Lily said as she flipped over a ditch and rolled under a swinging log while sending Naruto a challenging grin.

"Hoho! Looks like you're particularly energetic today huh? Shame Tink's not around to see your progress though – she normally enjoys watching our training sessions…" Naruto said as Tiger Lily rolled her eyes discreetly, as she didn't want to tell her friend exactly why Tinker Bell enjoyed watching her get thrown around like a rag doll or otherwise strained by the many trails Naruto put her through.

After their first encounter with the human girl, the two fairies kept visiting her tribe to check up on them, fearing that Hook and his pirates would return for a rematch. However, they were pleasantly surprised by the fact that Hook seemed to have set his sights elsewhere on the island and upon observing two weeks of peace, Naruto decided to offer Lily tips on hand to hand as well as one handed blade combat (his memories from his ninja incarnation playing a key role here but to Naruto, it was just another perk to the vivid, yet strangely informative dreams his chakra gave him – hell he even got the name for his magic from them after all…).

Tiger Lily was all too happy to learn anything he had to offer, understanding that this little fairy was a lot more than he appeared. Tinker Bell on the other hand threw a little hissy and pouty fit, grumbling about how Naruto wouldn't be spending as much time with her anymore (to the girl of course – she had to maintain appearances in front of her crush…) but quickly changed her tune when she noticed just how much work Naruto put the poor girl through. She took no small degree of sadistic pleasure from watching the girl tumble and fall as she slowly polished her combat skills. This schadenfreude lasted until Naruto decided that he'd step up her training to include spars with live opponents. Of course, the obvious follow up questions from both ladies, fairy and human, was exactly how that would even work. Naruto's answer was to simply transform in front of the gobsmacked duo, turning into his seventeen year old self (he reasoned that it was probably because he lacked enough control over his chakra in this form but little did he know that as Lily's unofficial fairy partner, her trust, belief and slowly growing affection for his person was actually unlocking more and more of his powers as time went on).

Tinker Bell was more than a little shocked, immediately pestering him about how he was able to do that and whether she could do the same. Tiger on the other hand was simply starstruck – her plucky and clever fairy teacher had a downright handsome human form! Mind you, the people of Neverland (born and raised) had the peculiar ability to choose when to grow up – they could basically stay as children indefinitely until they decided to grow up. While Tiger hadn't yet lived long enough to achieve this power yet (she was only thirteen years old chronologically), she never felt a need to hurry to get it. This stand was rapidly changing though as with every session the fairies had with her, her respect for her instructor grew from respect to a blossoming crush that was only limited from evolving into full blown love by two things. The first and most obvious one was that Lily wanted to let herself settle down and accept the possibility of a relationship after getting to know Naruto for a few years at least (she was still too young to even register as a blip on his radar, and she knew it). The second one was something she learned while listening to his idle chatter about his 'human' form as he was explaining to Tink and Tiger. Apparently, this wasn't his true form as he was a little older looking – it was a little complicated but he didn't age physically past his peak in his previous life (on the mainland, to Tiger's shock) which was around twenty four years old. Ergo, it only made sense to her to save her only chance at speed aging for when she knew the exact age she'd need to aim for after Naruto reassumed his original form.

After settling down and getting used to Naruto's new form, Naruto and Lily then began their sparring sessions (both hand to hand and weapon combat). The girl was a quick study, taking to the lessons like a fish to water and this is where Tink's ever present jealousy resurfaced. She also demanded lessons from Naruto, who saw no harm in giving her one on one lessons in the yard of their shared home in Pixie Hollow (Tink looked especially smug about that last part to Lily but the girl had already learned that fairies were creatures of singular passions and that her adoration for her fairy 'buddy' as she called him could switch from lovey dovey fanaticism to extreme jealousy at the drop of a hat…come to think of it, that was also one reason she was able to accept Naruto's tale of not really being a fairy since he didn't have this issue). And so, Naruto trained both women every day since he had no real job and while Tinker Bell couldn't come and 'visit' (more like watch so that hussy wouldn't steal her man…) Lily all the time, she still got her training in the evenings so she had no real complaints – she got her own Naruto time after all.

Which brings us to the current situation as Naruto flew around the obstacle course, with Lily chasing him through it. Once she finished the course, she turned to watch Naruto suddenly glow a luminescent blue as his body expanded into his human form to prepare for their sparring sessions.

"Okay, let's start with some warm up exercises – a test of melee combat perhaps?" Naruto asked as he got into a fighting stance, teasingly keeping one eye closed as he watched Lily puff her cheeks at his attitude before letting out a calm breath and following him to the deserted span of beach designated as their fighting grounds.

"Careful Master Naruto, you know what they say – pride cometh before the fall after all…" She said as she settled into her own stance, the comfortable weight of her tomahawk settling on her back as her usual dress had been foregone in favor of the trousers and robes that the men of her tribe wore.

"Well…I guess you're right. But it's not pride if you know it's true! Come on – impress me!" Naruto said as he gave her a devilish grin (which did wonderful things for the girl's heart…).

Incensed by his casual dismissal, Tiger then leapt towards Naruto with a battle cry, her lithe body flying through the air as she tried to open the fight with a jumping kick. The fight then became a test of skill, with Tiger trying to land hits on her ever elusive master.

"Take this!"

"Too easy!"

"Well then, how about that!"

"Your body betrays you – I can see your moves before you make 'em! Come on – surprise me!" Naruto said as he ducked under an uppercut she sent his way.

"Grrr…you're too fast for me to hit. How do I do this?" Tiger said as she panted in frustration, sweat coming down her temple in rivulets while Naruto bounced on the balls of his feet, looking as fresh as a daisy.

"It's not about how fast or strong I am – it's all about the rhythm of the battle. All fights are a dance of sorts – go with the beat, match my steps and soon you'll be fighting like a master!"

"A dance? Truly? It can't be that simple…" She said as she looked at him curiously. Naruto then smiled warmly at her before gesturing towards her village as the sun rose higher in the sky.

"Ah, but the truth is that it is – take your village for instance. Listen to the wind in the trees, the sound of the waves on the beach. Now listen to my feet on the sand and watch how I move to the beat. Finally, try to match that with the beat of your heart and think about what drives you to fight. For in this dance of violence, it is the stronger will that prevails, not the stronger fighter." He said as he looked towards the beach, reminiscing about his lost loves while Tiger looked taken aback at his peaceful, yet wistful smile as a warm blush crawled up her dusky cheeks.

'Master…you truly are something special to have ensnared my heart so easily. Hopefully someday, you think that fondly of me as well…' Tiger thought as she looked at her hands before clenching them in fists.

"My will…I see. Prepare yourself my dear Naruto – I will now resume my attack!" She said as she rushed towards him, her body flowing around his blows like water while her own flew out with the ferocity of a tigress.

"Yes! That's it! Keep up the pressure!" Naruto said as he watched her enter his guard. While she wasn't a threat to him in combat, he could easily see her taking down anyone in a fight if she fought like this.

"Not yet…you're still not taking me seriously yet!" She said as she did something that really surprised Naruto (and the Indian chief, who was watching from a distance, in awe of his precious daughter's prowess).

She leaped onto Naruto's body, knocking the wind out of him as her legs wrapped around his chest and making the two of them fall onto the sand. Tiger's hands were now on Naruto's broad chest, her legs holding his arms to his torso, leaving him 'defenseless'.

"Wow! Nice move there Lily! Should have expected a pounce like that given your first name!" Naruto said as he grinned at the girl, who began blushing at his praise as her hands began stroking his face.

"Thank you for your kind words Master. What ever would I do without you?"

"Oh, you'd do just fine Tiger. You're a smart and spunky little spitfire – all I did was make you more of a force to be reckoned with. It is a pleasure to teach someone like you." Naruto said as he gave her a closed eye smile as Lily smiled faintly at him before leaning closer to his face before giving him a peck on his nose and rushing off into the village to hide her massive blush.

'Sorry Tink, but all's fair in love and war.'

Tiger Lily's father, who had been watching the proceedings from a distance, only chuckled at his daughter's antics before retreating back to his teepee, thinking about what to name his grandchildren.

Naruto was surprised by her actions, so surprised that he turned back into a fairy before he slowly flew back to the Hollow.

'Well that was unexpected…still, I can't forget that I still need to find Snow and the others before pursuing any new romances…'

A few hours later, at Naruto's and Tink's home in Pixie Hollow…

When Naruto returned to the Hollow, he was met with a strange sight – Tinker Bell flying in and out of a music box while the Hollow itself looked to be recovering from a thistle rampage.

"Uh…Tink? Everything alright? The Hollow looks like it saw some hard times…and where did you get that music box from?" He said as Tinker Bell jumped in shock before turning to Naruto with a shaky smile.

" Oh the Hollow? We just had a little issue with the summer thistles getting out of control…everything's under control now!" She said as she tried not to look too guilty (she didn't want to tell him it was her fault and now she was being grounded by the Queen, ordered to fix this music box by herself as punishment as well).

"Uh huh. Okay. Well, next question would be just why is there a music box in our backyard? How did it even get here?" Naruto asked as Tink began explaining that Tinker fairies fix many things, even things from the mainland (mostly the possessions of children).

"That's great! So you'll be travelling to the mainland with your lady friends once you finish fixing this box then?" Naruto said as Tink looked a little annoyed at that.

'Oh no. It's bad enough that Lily likes you. I am not sharing you with my other friends as well – they already crush hard on the unofficial Prince as it is…even the Queen is no better off!' She thought as she shook her head at him.

"No, I will be going with you actually – since we both want to visit the mainland, we can go together. Just make sure to bring your moonstone with you." She said as Naruto jumped in excitement, rubbing his hands together.

"Capital news! So, do you need any help?"

"What? You know what this is?"

"Oh yeah – I have had to fix one too many of these things for Snow as a child you know (given the two had no secrets between each other, Tink did know about Naruto's other beaus)."

Early Winter, Bloomsbury England…

"So this is the place huh? Not Oxford but I can see nothing much has changed around here-looks like my battle hasn't unraveled reality around here…" Naruto said as he carried the music box while Tink was guiding the two of them to the house it belonged to.

"By the way, do you know where we're going? I haven't really been to this place before…" Naruto said as Tink simply shrugged at him.

"I don't know – I can just feel it I guess. The house we want should be right around the corner here…" She said as they flew to a medium sized house on the edge of the block.

"The Darling residence eh? They must have a young daughter if we're bringing this box over. Come on, let's go." Naruto said as the two fairies entered the house through a third floor window, finding themselves in the bedroom of a young girl (whose name was Mary, from what Naruto could see of her personal effects…).

"Okay then – Naruto, leave the box on her table and we can be on our way again." Tinker Bell said as Naruto saluted her.

"Aye aye ma'am!"

Their job complete, they were about to fly over to Neverland when Tinker Bell noticed something troubling.

"I-is that a boy asleep in the snow?! We must help him!" She said as she flew over to the poor lad, Naruto quickly following suit.

The boy looked to be about thirteen years old, with brown hair and black eyes (which they noticed when they woke him up).

"W-what are you creatures?" The boy asked, shivering in the cold until both Tink and Naruto flew around him, bathing him in their magic to lend him some warmth.

"We're fairies dear boy. Now, can you please tell us why you're out here in the cold alone? Don't you have a family to return to?" Naruto asked as the boy's face hardened.

"I aint got no family – I ran away from the orphanage a long time ago and I don't plan on growing up, ever! Nobody wants to adopt a kid my age anyway…" He muttered as Tink turned to Naruto pleadingly.

"Perhaps we could bring him back to Neverland with us? He could live around the Hollow and even make friends with Tiger Lily…" Tink said as Naruto hummed contemplatively before nodding at her.

"Yeah – it looks like he's got nowhere to go anyway so we might as well." He said before the two of them flew around the boy once more, now granting him the power of flight.

"H-hey! What are you doing?"

"Taking you to our home silly! If you don't have a family, we can be one for you. But before that, what's your name? Mine's Tinker Bell and this here's Naruto!" Tinker Bell said as the boy looked shocked for a second before giving them a wide grin.

"Taking me away from this horrid place? Sounds grand – the name's Peter. Peter Pan!" Peter said as he was whisked away to Neverland, a place where he would soon become a legendary figure to all children everywhere.

And that was chapter 30! Seeing as Walt Disney rejects the origin of Peter as an infant whisked away by fairies, I changed it to what you see now. The music box owner has also been shifted to Wendy's mom instead of the girl herself to make the Tinker Bell movie and Peter Pan timeline make more sense. Time in Neverland is static and never changes anything significant so in 40 years, Peter will have fully embraced his role with his fairy partner (Tink) and mentor (Naruto). Tiger Lily also won't be a classic damsel in this story, given her relationship with Naruto.

If you'd like to support me you can find me on Patreon on the 'search for creators' bar under DudeWithaMac to read 50 chapters ahead(I only get free time on Sundays since money's extremely tight-details on Panacea chapter 14). Alternatively, you guys can follow this link: p#at#re#on.#com/DudeWithaMac (remove the hash tags). Reviews and comments are always welcome!