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

Somewhere on the wilds of Neverland…

"Wow! Who knew Neverland was so big and full of wonders! The other fairies are really missing out!" Tinker Bell said as she flew around the forest she and Naruto were exploring excitedly. Watching her innocent delight in her discovery of the unknown, Naruto had to bite back a chuckle before sighing wistfully.

'Hahaha…I guess she'd have really clicked together with Snow and Ella given her excitable nature. I wonder if they're alright…' Naruto thought as he followed after Tink, his face set in a serious expression. He couldn't sense the life forces of the girls and women when they were in Wonderland (something about the fact that that dimension existed in the shadow of England and was only one of many pocket parallel worlds tied to it being the reason why pinpointing anyone without the use of magic was a futile endeavor…Naruto conked out before Ella could finish explaining…). This left him feeling more than a little frustrated and with his current predicament (being stuck as a fairy that is...), searching an entire country for clues didn't seem very appealing.

After a few minutes of internal monologuing, Naruto was broken out of this thoughts by a pouty Tinker Bell.

"Oooh you infuriating man! How can you be lost in thought when you are surrounded by so much beauty? Emphasis on the beauty before you of course~…" Tink said as she hovered in front of him with her hands on her waist, all while intentionally jutting out her modest bust to try and elicit a reaction from the hunk before her that was playing hard to get.

"Whoa, calm down there Tink. I am just thinking of how to get back to my friends is all…I left them hanging in a pretty sticky situation after all." Naruto said as he shrugged his shoulders while Tink looked at him curiously as they flew over a sandy beach where some mermaids were shooting the breeze in the shade, away from the balmy heat of the afternoon sun.

"Hmmm…I remember you telling the Queen and I about something like that but I don't understand how that would work. I was literally nothing before a baby's first laugh brought me to life in a dandelion seed. How could you have been alive before being a fairy?" She asked scratching her head in confusion as Naruto sighed and smiled at her consternation.

"Well…to put it simply, I was a human once – a magical one too! I was exploring worlds with my four female companions before coming to this one and meeting two new additions to the group. We were attacked by two aggressors though, and after the attack, I regained consciousness as a fairy!" He said as Tink gasped in surprise and more than a little shock at his revelation.

"You mean that you don't even come from this world! Wow! You must have so many stories to tell!"

"Hehehe, I guess that's one way to look at it…thanks Tink for putting a positive spin on my downer mood." Naruto said as he ruffled Tinker Bell's hair, smiling at her pleased smirk and rosy blush.

"No problem! Couldn't let my fairy buddy be all sad now could I?" She said as she giggled and pulled on his hand, dragging the larger fairy with her on a haphazard flight through the treetops, the sunlight passing through the canopy lending the scene a tranquil feel.

After goofing about for a few hours, the two fairies found themselves on a deserted beach on the forest's edge where the ocean's waves were the only sound to be heard for miles around, with no pesky birds or insects to bother them (Naruto could have easily taken care of those nuisances but felt that it would be going too far…they did have a right to live after all…).

"Look at that incredible view! You're telling me that we'd have to cross this massive ocean to even get to the mainland?! Ugh…I can feel my wings shuddering in fear of the miserable task before them!" Tink said as Naruto hummed in agreement, noting that even with all his powers, he was still all of three inches tall and the ocean was several leagues in length.

"That's true…we'll have to find a means of alternative transport. Perhaps there are other intelligent beings here who have ways to traverse this ocean…let's not give up hope just yet. If all else fails, I could build a small boat for us that we could set aloft with my energy and a moonstone I managed to find in one of the mines back in the Hollow…" Naruto said as he pulled out a small cloudy looking rock from his satchel.

"That's it? I thought a moonstone would look more impressive than that…" Tink said, wondering how such a murky looking rock could even be considered a gemstone.

"Appearances can be deceiving my dear friend- all this baby needs is a good polishing and it will look like a pearlescent mirror! Besides, I saw the moonstone in Queen Clarion's study when she wasn't around so I know I got the right type of rock!" Naruto said as Tink looked surprised at his research skills before deadpanning at his admission to basically snooping around in their reigning monarch's quarters.

*Giggle* "Sometimes I worry about you Naruto – you can say something that makes so much sense one minute and say something so outrageous the next! How did you even find the time to do all that?" She said as the two of them rested on the warm sandy beach, feeling all the aches in their wings and back simply melt away with the pleasant heat of the sand.

"You know I have no real job in the Hollow right? After checking to see if my energy – called chakra by the way – could be transmuted by a moonstone, my only commitment is to regularly visit the dust fairies every six months or so to refill their stores of blue pixie dust." He said as Tinker Bell pouted, her hands playing in the sand as she let the fine grains slide all over them.

"Lucky~tinker fairies usually have so much work, I have to sneak of the workshop before Maria, the forewoman, catches me…" She said as Naruto laughed at the image of Tink trying to sneak away from a harsh taskmistress.

They bantered playfully for a few minutes, enjoying their environs before a rising plume of smoke caught their attention. It appeared to be coming from the western side of the beach they were on, where the sand took a sharp turn to allow a natural cove to form (perfect for docking ships and the like).

"What was that?! That smoke rising from the forest over there must have been from a recent fire – it sure wasn't around when we just arrived!" Naruto said, rising to his feet and getting ready to fly over and investigate.

"W-wait, shouldn't we get help first? We aren't water fairies you know?" Tink said, shakily walking over to Naruto and holding onto his arm (fairies were relatively timid creatures when in the presence of harsh elements and fire was definitely one of them – she could practically feel her wings go up in smoke from the heat if she was to venture there…).

"That maybe true but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Besides, I feel like this smoke is not coming from a natural source…"

Having said his piece, Naruto took flight, quickly making his way over to the smoke, with Tink following immediately after (marveling at his bravery all the while).

Red Indian Village, on the coast of Neverland…

Tiger Lily considered herself a sensible young lady – wise and mature beyond her years, she was already a symbol of leadership to rally around for the younger members of her tribe, befitting her standing as the chief's only daughter. Her tribe lived a humble life, sustaining themselves off of the bounty of Nature that Neverland so generously provided and were generally merry with their lifestyles as hunters, gatherers and warriors. Combine that with the peculiar ability of all tribe members being capable of choosing when to grow up, they were a relatively peaceable lot, rarely venturing beyond their territory.

Of course, given the prosperous nature of their tribe and her position within it, it came as no surprise when pirates attacked them for the umpteenth time. The brigands, led by their Captain – one James Hook routinely laid waste to their settlements to take their food and other resources (she suspected that they did this either purely out of spite because the pirates weren't exactly smart or that they didn't really have any other means to get food – either too lazy to find it or too dumb to know how…probably the latter…). The tribe gave as good as it got, fighting the thieves tooth and nail to protect their home. As a proud member and defender of the tribe, Tiger Lily also joined in the battles with the pirates, her agility and skill with a tomahawk ending many an unfortunate pirate's career (while not a killer, she did know how to cripple a man from the waist down, among other things…).

This also meant that she'd get captured for a ransom – not all the time but often enough that she knew Captain Hook's ship quite well. Which is where we find the poor girl – with her hands tied behind her back, her mouth gagged and on her knees as Hook announced his demands to her irate father. It was all rather routine – he wanted meat, ale, rum, sugar and spices along with any treasures they might have found from the shipwrecks around the island.

"As you can see Chief, I have kidnapped your daughter and if you do not wish to see a single hair on her feisty little head harmed, you will comply with my demands! Don't make this any harder than it has to be – a gentleman always relies on dialogue before violence after all…" Hook said, his otherwise handsome visage marred by the downright smarmy and oily smirk he had while gesturing toward Tiger Lily, who merely looked away from the man (his physical appearance nonwithstanding, he was a despicable man with no honor and ergo was not worth her attention). Her eyes saddened at the sight of the burning houses in her village – while not a great loss, it irked her that this was the statusquo – her tribe simply couldn't compete with the resources Hook and his pirates had at their disposal. Bows and arrows couldn't stand against cannonballs and burning tar after all…

As the captain kept droning on about his many ransom demands, Tiger Lily noticed two motes of light quickly approaching the ship from its stern, not raising the alert from the pirates and making their way over to her. To her great surprise, the balls of light soon revealed themselves to be fairies, one male and the other female.

"You there! Do you need help with those binds? It looks like those ruffians have really done a number on your little settlement here…" The male one said, looking outraged at the spectacle before him (she applauded his righteous indignation but noticed his reluctance to engage in combat…he must have seen battle before she concluded).

"Oooh! Are those actual pirates? Their captain is a handsome one – shame he had to be such a despicable creature…oh well! At least you're a shining example of what a hunk should be like!" The female said, coming close to the male and holding onto his arm, barely giving a glance to Tiger Lily, who deadpanned at her antics (she knew fairies could only feel one emotion at a time so she figured this little lady must have been jealous of her to dismiss her so readily).

*Mmmnn!**Mmmn*

"Oh right! Forgot about the gag – here, let me help you with that…" The male fairy said, flying over to her face and pulling out a small dagger with which he frayed the threads of the gag to the point she was able to bite through it.

"Fairies here so far away from Pixie Hollow? Unusual but not unwelcome. My name is Tiger Lily." She said, her short, factual statements catching the fairies by surprise.

"Oh, how rude of me – I am Naruto and this lady here is Tinker Bell. We saw the smoke and decided to come and investigate. Perhaps we can help you get rid of those pirates?" Naruto said as Tinker Bell looked at him curiously.

"But how do we do that? We can't fight those giants alone…" Tinker Bell said as Tiger Lily nodded at Naruto.

"Your companion is right, brave small one. It would be futile to fight them yourself and I fear that my father wouldn't fight against the pirates for fear of my safety." She said as Naruto looked at her and Tink with a contemplative look.

"That is true – I haven't gotten around to fighting in this body yet but I do still think we can help you out. Hey Tink – do you still have some pixie dust left in you?" Naruto said as Tink nodded at him, wondering just what he was up to.

"Yes, I made sure to stock up before we left. You thinking of sharing some with the girl here? How would that help us?" She asked as she handed him a small sack of dust.

"Oh, just wait and see. I have a little theory about how this dust and my energy will react and if I am right, Tiger Lily here will liberate her home all by her lonesome, no help required!" Naruto said as he sprinkled the dust over Lily while flying around her body, emanating a haunting blue glow all the while.

The results were immediate. Hook, his pirates and the Indians all stopped what they were doing when a powerful flash of golden light blinded them for a few seconds. Turning to the source, they were all flabbergasted to see Tiger Lily floating the air before tearing through her binds like wet paper as two glowing lights, one yellow and the other blue, swirled around her.

"Thank you for your assistance Naruto and Tinker Bell. With your magic, I can rid this village of its unwanted visitors!" She said as Naruto grinned at her before flying into her headband, Tink quickly following suit.

"No problem – now go kick some butt!"

"Gladly…now hold on!"

Coming back to his senses first, Hook then yelled at his crew to get themselves back together.

"Don't just stand there! SEIZE THE GIRL!! I WANT HER IN BLOODY CHAINS…let's see her break through that!"

Tiger Lily then swooped down to meet the rushing pirates headlong. Grabbing her tomahawk from the ship deck, she was about to start swinging when she noticed something interesting. While she could fly as fast as falcon, she now seemed to possess the strength of a raging bear, as evidenced by the fact that while pushing some of the pirates to get some room to swing her weapon, the pirates were shoved clean off the ship and into the ocean a few meters away.

"My strength…it's tremendous! How is this possible?" Tiger Lily asked, floating into the air while looking at her hands in wonder.

Naruto then flew in front of her face.

"Does it matter? Our powers seem to resonate with your emotions so use those abilities to save your precious people!"

His words striking deep within the girl, Lily then came down on the pirates like a Valkyrie of legend, her fists flying in a tornado of punches that sent the brutes flying (think of how Asterix and Obelix fight against the Romans). They stood no chance against her overwhelming strength and speed – not even five minutes into the fight, Hook called for a complete retreat, taking his ship and men away from Tiger Lily, who watched the whole affair from the air like a wrathful angel.

"Wow! You really showed those guys who was boss! Not bad, although your hand-to-hand could use some work…" Naruto said as he and Tink flew around Tiger Lily excitedly as the girl smiled at him warmly.

"Thank you my friend. Both of you have done me a great service and my tribe and I owe you a great debt." Lily said as she let the two fairies land on her open palms as they sheepishly chuckled at her earnest expression.

"It was no problem – nothing a little fairy magic can't fix!" Tinker Bell said, looking mighty proud of her contribution.

The Indian chief then approached his daughter and after making sure she was fine, turned to regard Naruto and Tinker Bell with fond eyes.

"Fairies have my gratitude. You have saved my dear daughter. Given her the wings of a swift falcon and the strength of the mighty bear. For your heroism, I dub you Little Brave! You and your companion are always welcome here." The chief said as Tiger Lily looked happy about the development.

"That's great! I guess I could come over and teach Tiger here a few tricks I know!" Naruto said as the girl looked at him curiously before smiling at him, her brown eyes twinkling with joy.

A few weeks later…

Naruto kept his promise – he and Tink visited the Indians regularly to visit Tiger Lily. Naruto's re-discovery of his Henge ability came in handy too (although it had some unexpected side effects on the girls, specifically Tiger Lily, who didn't expect her instructor to be a heartthrob). Now though, Tink wanted her own human to partner with, seeing as Naruto had Tiger Lily as his partner (she didn't care for flight but could definitely see the use of super strength, which Naruto's blue pixie dust seemed to give her).

With preparations done, the two fairies made their way to England, using the winter winds as a means to carry their bodies across the ocean's expanse, onwards to new adventures and a fateful meeting with the boy who would be known as Peter Pan.

And that was chapter 29! Naruto and Tink met Tiger Lily, with the former being her partner like how Tink is with Peter. Unlike Tink though, Naruto grants Lily super strength like how Tamaraneans access super strength (not to the same level but the emotional cues are the same – kind of like how boundless joy unlocks flight). Next chapter will introduce Peter before the 40 year timeskip to the era of Wendy Darling (Alice=1860, Wendy=1904) and the story will really get moving!

If you'd like to support me you can find me on Patreon (40+ chapters there) on the 'search for creators' bar under DudeWithaMac (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!