Chapter 155 - My SI Stash #55 - Living The Dream! by Leekz01 (MultiCross)

-Well I just found another Multicross fic~ This one's a bloody mess with 10 anime/game characters living in the SI's head like Sasuke, Laharl, Tsunayoshi, Killua and more. They also grant him different skillsets and the MC of course has game mechanics. Check it out~

Sypnosis: ???

Rated: M

Words: 54K

Posted on: forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/living-the-dream-semi-si-multicross.10480/ (Leekz01)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1+2

You know how most stories involving normal people getting sent to another world usually begin with the protagonist being run over by a truck and dying? That's how the legend of 'Truck-kun' was born, telling of an incredible and amazing vehicle capable of sending you to another world with a cheat power and the assured promise of a 'sweet love-love harem life' if you let it run you over.

I always thought that legend resulted in a few desperate Japanese shut-ins searching for a truck to jump in front of, only to be extremely disappointed when the driver stop in time or they wake up in the hospital later on, every year.

Me? One day I simply went to bed late after spending some time checking the links to my favorite fanfics for updates, only to wake up the next morning inside a different bedroom. A bedroom that was, I must stress because this is important, both unknown and for some reason completely familiar to me.

"The f.u.c.k?" I swore as I quickly threw away the sheets and sit up. I was quite understandably freaked out by the fact I didn't wake up in the same place where I went to sleep, but not as much as when I realized I just spoke with a voice that was not mine. I slapped a hand over my mouth, briskly pushed aside the realization my hand felt smaller than I remembered because there was only so much weirdness I could deal with at once, and looked around the room in search of anything that could explain what was going on.

Window next to bed. Same as before, but different curtains.

Desk with computer, manga and some games. Different position and PC's model, I was pretty sure that type of computer fell out of production seven or eight years ago. And the manga were... in Japanese? And somehow I understood the language as if it was second nature? Weirdness levels were rising, along with a few alarm bells because I know my tropes and the situation was hitting too many of them.

Another desk, this one with books, pens and other school materials on it. I knew I didn't have more than one in my room, yet I could distinctly remember doing most of my homework on it. Which is bullshit because I finished studying a long time ago, but also not?

A soccer ball. Something normal, when was the last time I-last saturday, when I spent most of the afternoon playing with Kenichi and the others.

Who the Hell was Kenichi?

Kenichi Saruyama, my only real male friend. We go to the same class. He is quite perverted and utterly without shame, but he's a good guy at heart.

That confirmed it: I have been Isekai'ed. With the body of someone else and his memories. In a Japanese setting.

F.u.c.k.

No. No. I needed to calm down. Considering the current situation and its implications panicking was perfectly understandable, but right now that would do more harm than good. I could freak out about identity crisis once I was alone and sure no-one would disturb me. What I needed to do now was to remain calm and think rationally.

It was not going to be easy. Nowhere near it. But I was confident I could hold up for a little while, which hopefully would be enough time to avoid unfortunate questions.

First thing first: I needed a good look at my current face. I stood up from the bed, which to my dismay confirmed I lost not only a few years but also a few inches of height, and made my way to the first reflective surface within reach: the screen of the computer. I just needed to find the right angle for the light to reflect on and-

The face of an average-looking Japanese boy with unrealistic spiky brown hair and golden-brown eyes stared back at me with a panicked and dumbfounded expression. I raised a trembling hand and poked my cheek. The boy did the same.

I... I knew that boy. No, I knew who I have been Isekai'ed at: Yuki Rito, the main protagonist of the manga 'To Love-Ru'.

"You know, that my life was an ecchi comedy manga don't surprise me. It explains so much."

The sudden voice out of nowhere startled me, but it didn't take me long to recognize it. "Yuki... Rito?" I softly asked with an identical voice.

"Yes, that's me. Lee, right? Sorry for not speaking before, I had no idea why I was back in my old room with someone else holding the reins, so to speak. I tried moving but it seems I need your permission first."

"Oh... Okay." Being in the body of someone I once thought was just a fictional character, with said fictional character speaking directly in my mind was beyond strange, but at least I wasn't mistaken for a body-stealing parasite or something. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Not a clue. I don't have access to your memories, just your immediate thoughts. My best guess is some kind of time or dimensional travel travel mishap, it would explain why I'm-sorry, why we are a teenager again."

Dimensional travel? Zelretch? God I hoped not, almost all fanfics have him being a troll of epic proportions. I didn't need an immensely powerful and bored vampire constantly messing with my life just for fun.

Then something Rito said caught my attention. "Why we're a teenager again?" I asked while sitting back on the bed. "You also mentioned this being your old room..."

"Well, this may come as a shock but the last thing I remember before waking up here is dying." My eyes widened. "Of old age, don't worry. 87 years and I was still in good health, if I can say so myself. That's why I think I either traveled back in time or ended up in an alternate dimension."

An old Yuki Rito? I almost couldn't picture it, but it explained why he was relatively calm.

"Not to make you panic even more, but do you think this is some sort of really weird afterlife?"

I hoped not. Even if I couldn't remember how I ended up here, I think I would remember something as traumatic as my own death, especially since I was still young and couldn't have died of natural causes.

"Do you mind checking the calendar?" Rito then asked. "It's on the left side of my work desk, the one with school books."

That's right, knowing when I was in the timeline was very important. I stood up and approached the desk, picking up the small handheld calendar lying face-down. Turning it around I confirmed it was May of the year 2006, with the last day checked being the 3rd.

"May 3rd 2006... That's right, Lala appeared in my bathtub the 10th! Man, that was an event I could never forget... for a large number of reasons."

I found myself grinning. "First time seeing a live chick n.a.k.e.d does that to people."

"Don't I know it..."

The small alarm clock I haven't noticed until now chose that moment to ring. Turning my head around I saw it was eight in the morning.

"You should probably start preparing: today it's a school day after all."

School... day? Oh, that's right: the Rito of now was still a high-school student. And so I was, I realized with a small amount of dread. "But I haven't gone to school for years!" I complained with what most certainly wasn't a whine.

"Neither do I, but I don't think we have much of a choice. You could school skip today I guess, but as someone who in the eyes of society is still a fifteen years old boy you must go to school. Unless of course you want to deal with people and especially the police asking questions, in that case I'm glad I'm just a spectator."

I hated that line of reasoning, especially since he was right. "I don't remember you being so witty, Rito."

"I'm eighty-seven years old, boy." He replied with a chuckle. "People change as they age, plus everyone is an idiot to one degree or another when they're fifteen."

"And you were a spectacular one."

"Touchè. Anyway, I think you have my memories of this time period? If you follow them you should be fine: just go wash up and have breakfast with Mikan for now, we can worry about the rest later on."

Oh. I was so caught up in the situation I forgot I was not the only person currently living in this house. How shameful, how could I forget about Best Lil Sis?

"Treat her well or I'm gonna get mad."

"Yes, yes. I'll be the best big brother ever." I replied with a grin while doing some stretching to iron out the kinks in my body.

Afterwards I did as Rito said and tried to willingly summon the memories of him as a student. It went surprisingly well, as if they were events that happened only recently. Once inside the bath I let habitual instincts take over and perform my daily ablutions before drying myself and walk down the stairs to the ground floor, where I was greeted by a delicious smell: Mikan was supposed to be an excellent cook, and now that I had the proof right before me I could say it was completely true.

Said girl was already seated when I entered the kitchen, quietly eating the food laid down on the small table. There was steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles and a green salad. A small part of me wished for a more western breakfast, but everything smelled so good I couldn't find the strength to complain.

"Good morning Rito." The very cute twelve years old girl greeted me in a calm manner before going back to eating, hopefully missing how I completely frozen up, stunned at the sight of one of my favorite characters. I mean I saw a few realistic cosplay in the past, but this was the real deal: Yuki Mikan in the flesh.

Though that was not the time to fanboying over her, even if I really wanted to do that. "Good morning Mikan." I replied with a smile before sitting down in front of her. Now, Japanese people are really big on good manners and the like, right? I should probably start practicing getting into the proper mindset early to avoid making an ass out of myself, hopefully Rito's memories and assistance will be enough. "Thanks for the meal." I said while putting my hands together, I seemed to recall clapping is considered rude so I should refrain from doing it. Then I picked up my chopsticks and began moving portions of the food from the shared dishes on my own dish: it wasn't my first time eating Japanese, so I knew at least that much. Though I admit Rito's muscle memory was a great help when using the chopsticks.

"Mmh! This is really good!" I couldn't help exclaiming after taking a few bites. Rito you lucky bastard, you got to eat this every day? Somehow I knew he was grinning at me. "You're incredible Mikan!"

She blinked in slight confusion before smiling smugly, though in my eyes she still looked rather adorable. "Took you long enough to recognize my skills. That's right, praise me more."

"And in exchange I get to eat like this every day? You have a deal!" I cleared my throat before continuing with a purposely pompous tone. "My little sister Mikan is the best sister in the world. Not only she's cute and spunky, she's also an excellent cook too! Despite her young age she's very mature, if you are troubled she will always find time to offer advice-"

"Wait what?! Stop!" She yelped before pouting, a little bit of rosy pink coloring her cheeks. "Don't tease me like that! Geez, what happened to you Rito? You're acting weird today."

"Uhm. Well, you could say I woke up in a particular mood today." I cupped my chin while nodding, eyes closed and a smile stamped on my lips. It was even the truth from a certain point of view.

Meanwhile Rito was laughing.

====

After the frankly delicious breakfast (I'll say it again: you're a lucky bastard Rito) I got dressed in the Sainan uniform, picked up my school bag and, after saying goodbye to Mikan, left the house. It turned out the school wasn't located very far from the Yuki family house, but unless I ran it was still going to take a little while to reach it before the bell rang.

So I used the time to talk more with Rito. With some experimentation we discovered that not only I could access the memories of the Rito of this time period, but if I willed it I could let him access my own memories before the change. They were not exciting like his own memories, basically I was just a regular guy who had a average job and hobbies of playing games, reading manga and watching anime, but I felt it was an important step to build a rapport of trust. He treated me well despite having basically hijacked the body of his younger self, so it was only fair I paid him back the say way.

And then we reached my large mental library of hentai and smut.

"Oh come on! I know people make p.o.r.n out of basically anything, my dad was a manga artist, but this-even my female self?! Eew! No. No. No way. No siree. Do not want, send it back."

'Don't be like that.' I said in my mind to avoid being seen as a loon by the other passerbys. I didn't know if I was successfully concealing my amus.e.m.e.nt, though. 'You were really cute as a girl. In a [girl next door] way.'

"Please stop, I can physically feel my inner pride as a man shriveling up."

'Fine, fine.' I snickered. 'So, you were saying that in the future you married both Lala and Haruna? What happened to the Harem Plan?'

"Eh, it was too much for me. Blame my Japanese upbringing or whatnot if you want. Plus the way Momo tried to push it was honestly a bit creepy, she didn't really manage to endear myself to it. Though, I confess some times I wondered how things would have went if I did go with her plan... Nah, forget this old man's ramblings."

'No, no. It's perfectly normal to wonder about what-ifs.' It wasn't like I didn't often think about what I would do if I was in another character's shoes. And now that it really happened... but maybe this was not a conversation to have while walking to school. 'What about the whole [Emperor of the Galaxy] business? Did you succeed Gid?'

"No, I was just Lala's consort. Though I ended up helping Miss Sephie as an official job: you wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork involved with ruling the whole galaxy. We had to do a lot of decentralizing to reduce everything to manageable levels."

I winced: that sounded honestly bad. I knew Gid ran away from most of his responsibilities, but it seemed there was more to it that just him being spoiled and perverted. Still, I couldn't say that becoming king of the whole galaxy didn't sound appealing to me, workload notwithstanding. But having the title handed to me just because of marriage didn't exactly sit well with me: it sounded too easy. If possible I would like to earn it fair and square... but that would likely involve defeating Gid Deviluke in a fight, and that was not something possible for me even with knowledge of the future.

A shame, really. If only I or Rito had some kind of incredible power-

BA-THUMP

"Uh?"

"Uh?"

I said together with Rito, both of us startled. "Lee, was it my imagination or did I really hear a second, much louder heartbeat within our chest?"

'No, I heard it too!' I put a hand over my chest, but all I could feel was the slightly fast but still normal beating of my sole heart. That, that was strange: I had no idea what just happened, but I knew something like hearing a second heartbeat wasn't normal. Then again, nor was waking up one day in the body of someone I only recently considered mere fiction: so for all I knew this was normal, but I had no way to confirm it.

"Yo Rito!" My thoughts came to a screeching halt when I felt someone slung one arm around my shoulders. Looking to the culprit I came face to face with a grinning Saruyama Kenichi. "How are you today buddy?"

"Ah, Kenichi: if there even was a pillar of normality in my teenage life that was you. As paradoxically as it sounds."

'Did you ever tell him the truth about [Riko]?'

"When we became university students: afterward there was a lot of awkwardness, a fistifight and alcoholic drinks involved. Eventually we both laughed about it and renewed our friendship, even if the rampaging hormones made him even less bearable."

Oh oh, now that was a story I wanted to hear. "Pretty good, thanks." I replied to Kenichi before the pause between question and answer could grow awkward. "Remind me again what we have in program today? My brain has yet to fully boot up."

"I feel ya, man! I stood up until late reading, so I barely had the energy to get out of bed this morning." He chuckled. "Don't worry, today the worst we'll have to deal with is the usual sleepy lesson of Honekawa-sensei." His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, his lips turning up into a mischievous smirk. "You'll have plenty of time to stalk your beloved Haruna-chan."

"Jerk. Even if he's not wrong: damn my idiotic teenager self..."

I agreed with him there: even if I knew Rito's intentions were innocent spying on another person while hidden is definitely stalking. Than again, I supposed such a behavior wasn't uncommon among boys experiencing their first crush.

"Who the hell are you calling a stalker?" I feigned irritation and pushed Kenichi away. Time to use one of the excuses I came up to explain my gradual change in personality. "Today it's not like other days! I have decided!" I pointed a thumb at myself while looking confident. "I'm gonna build up my confidence with the ladies! That way I'll be able to properly confess to Haruna-chan!"

That's right: teenhood is a delicate stage of an individual's life where both the body and mind undergo great changes. So if you say [I'm going to change myself], then people around you will think that the following changes are the result of both natural growth and you making an effort to behave in a way you feel is more appropriate.

I was such a genius!

"As long as we don't constantly get chased around by jealous boys I'm fine with it. Seriously, do you know how long tales of all those perverted incidents haunted me? All my life!"

Truly, being Yuki Rito was suffering.

"I can recognize sarcasm now."

I knew.

Upon hearing my proclamation Kenichi stopped and tilted his head, a puzzled look on his face. "And how are you going to do that?"

"...I'll think up of something." I replied lamely. Can't have the changes happen too fast or they'll be back to being suspicious.

====

I'm not gonna lie, while I read about Japanese school-life experiencing it for myself was something else. I was a western guy after all, so even with the help of Rito's memories the differences between it and my old school life were quite surprising.

For example, changing shoes before entering the school building proper: I almost walked past the lockers without changing before Rito called me out to remind me of it. That was a bit embarrassing, especially since I properly put my shoes before leaving home. Then there was washing my hands before entering the classroom and, when the first teacher entered, standing up and bowing in unison with the other students for the daily ritual greeting. It got glossed over in the manga and anime by all the bizarre hijinks, but Sainan High was supposed to be a proper, if unremarkable, Japanese school.

Except for the principal. Seriously, what was up with him?

"You're asking me? Back then there was not a day I didn't wonder how that guy constantly managed to avoid getting fired, arrested or killed from all the crap he pulled. He even survived getting beaten by Yami, and she once confessed to me she never held back!"

'Is that guy even human?!' I exclaimed in shock within my mind. I could afford to ignore the lesson currently going on, it was all stuff I already knew. 'Wait, what if he's an alien in disguise like Ryoko Mikado?'

"I thought the same, but after graduation I didn't have to see him anymore so any thought of investigation kind of fell to the side... Do you want to look into it?"

'Absolutely!' Maybe I could discover he had some dirty secret and blackmail him into being less of a creep-that suddenly sounded like an hopeless endeavour, why is that? But I must persevere! For truth, justice and Mikan!

"While I agree with all three points, especially the latter one, I can't but feel a little concerned..."

====

Six. And a half. Hours of lessons. With just a small pause for lunch.

Japanese schools are insane!

"Those who attend a club or cram school stay even longer."

"Quiet you." I hissed as I walked away from the hateful palace of torture, thoroughly drained in both mind and body. The thought that I had to repeat it six days out of seven for the next few years was almost enough to drive me to tears: they never mentioned Japanese school-life was so hard for a western guy like me in all the isekai and self-insert stories I read! That was unfair, that's what it was! "And stop laughing!"

Since I, as Yuki Rito, had neither clubs nor cram school to attend to I decided to simply wander around, distracting myself by taking in the sights of the city. Sainan Town looked just like I remembered from the anime and manga, but now that I was physically walking through its streets I realized it was a lot bigger than I once thought, with hundreds of people and dozens of vehicles moving around me. From Rito I also learned Sainan was located on the island of Shikoku, though to properly visualize it I also needed to receive a quick lesson about the geography of Japan.

Once I grew tired I stopped by a park and sat down on the first free bench. There were few other people around at the moment and the bench was somewhat hidden by a file of trees, so for now I could enjoy some quiet and privacy.

"So Lee, have you thought what you're going to do now?" Rito asked after a few minutes of rest. "I mean, yes we both have knowledge of the future but for all we knew this is an alternate universe and events are going to play differently. Not to mention there are some messes in the future I would like to avoid, so I don't want to just follow the stations of canon."

"Don't worry Rito, that was never my intention." I reassured him. He was right of course, there was no reason for me to just follow the script and hope for the best. I needed to plan ahead and prepare contingencies, or I would get completely blindsided by the first unexpected occurrence.

Again, things would be so much easier if I had some kind of superpower.

BA-THUMP

I stiffened. There it was again, the mysterious second heartbeat. "Rito?"

"I heard it."

BA-THUMP BA-THUMP

And now there were three of them!

BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP!!!

Four, five, six... Ten additional heartbeats!? What the hell was going on here?!

"WHERE THE HELL AM I??!" A voice very different from Rito suddenly shouted within my mind. Then it was followed by other voices, all of them also shouting at the top of their lungs, which gave birth to an absolute bedlam right inside my own skull.

"Oh man, what is it now?"

"Who are you? Answer me or I'll kill you."

"If you really think you can intimidate me with a parlor trick then you're a fool."

"Alright, where I am and who do I need to blame this time?"

The last thing I remembered thinking before fainting is that I was glad no one was there to see me.

====

"Lee, wake up. You really need to wake up."

For the second time in less than twelve hours I woke up with no idea about what was going on, though this time I was greeted by a voice I recently became familiar with. "Uh, my head..." I complained while sitting up, only for my eyes to shot wide open when I realized I was speaking with my old voice.

And were those explosions I was hearing in the background? What the f.u.c.k happened while I was knocked out?

"Good, you're awake." I felt a hand land on my shoulder, and it was with understandable confusion that I realized its owner was none other than Yuki Rito himself, back in his old body and wearing the Sainan male uniform. Though his current expression was that of a grandfather who need to deal with a bunch of rowdy kids and seriously require help. "Now we can hopefully find a way to calm down the others."

"Preferably before they manage to kill both us and each other." Another voice said from the side. I turned my head, and the sight that greeted my eyes was so surprising I felt my mouth hanging wide open.

Minato Sahashi, Tsunayoshi Sawada and Rin Tsuchimi. The protagonists of two manga and one visual novel I knew very well were standing before me: the first two looked clearly worried, while the third was exuding the calm and confidence of Future Tsuna despite being fourteen years old.

My day had just reached a completely new level of weirdness.

"Alright, let me begin by saying I know who each one of you is. What I don't know is what happened after I blacked out." I stood back up on my feet and looked around. "And where we are right now."

We were in the middle of a decorated hall straight out of a fantasy castle, but one so wide it could have held a whole army. The ceiling stretched so far above it was hidden by clouds, as far as I knew it didn't even exist and the pillars as big as skyscr.a.p.ers rising up from the floor and disappearing into the clouds were not holding up anything. I could see walls in the distance, and what looked like giant doors.

"Good question." Tsuna replied, eyes briefly flashing with the orange of Sky Flames. "This place doesn't feel real, but it's not an illusion. I believe this is an inner world created within a mind or a soul. It would explain how we're able to meet and interact with each other since I feel none of us are currently occupying a physical body."

Was that the famous [Vongola Hyper Intuition] at work? Neat.

"Before you woke up mister Yuki explained to us about the events that preceded our meeting." Tsuna gestured to Rito. "The circ.u.mstances of mister Sahashi, mister Tsuchimi and myself are identical: we arrived here after dying of old age, and from your earlier words I guess our respective lives were also portrayed as a fictional work of art in the world you came from, mister Lee."

"Just Lee is fine. At this point it's easier if we use each other's name." Something blew up in the distance. "Now, what about the explosions?"

"That would be the six other people that appeared here with us." Minato grimaced. "They jumped straight to violence."

"Since all hints point to this inner world belonging to you we were hoping you can do something to calm them down." Rin continued.

A beam of flames rose into the distance, followed by some kind of wave that cut straight through a pillar.

I winced. "How strong are we talking about?"

"Making a comparison with Dragon Ball..." Rito assumed a thinking pose. "Two of them can fit in the Z series, though I have no idea if they're still holding back or not. The other four are more end of the first series."

I winced again. "Dude, needing to use Dragon Ball as a measuring stick is already terrifying on its own. No need to pour salt into the wounds. Do you recognize any of them?"

"Two of them are fictional characters in my world too... But it's probably better if you see it for yourself." Rito pointed a thumb behind himself, where the sounds of conflict where coming from. "It's a scene straight out of Jump Super Stars."

"Of what?" I asked, having never heard of it.

"The Jump Stars games were never serialized outside of Japan." Minato added. "Basically it's a fighting game featuring popular characters that appeared on Shonen Jump."

"Oh, I see." I nodded in understanding. "Well, let's go: hopefully I can really do something."

====

We approached the battlefield while using the pillars as cover, though once I was close enough to see all six fighters I realized they were too busy with each others to pay attention to their surroundings.

Up in the air Laharl from the first Disgaea game was fighting someone in red armor I recognized as the Scale Mail form of Boosted Gear, which probably made that person Issei Hyodou.

On the ground, meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto was fighting Killua Zoldyck from Hunter X Hunter, the two boys firing lightning bolts at each other like they were going out of style.

Finally, also on the ground but a little to the side, Riku from Kingdom Hearts and Ranma from Ranma ½ were jumping around like crazy grasshoppers while exchanging blows of various nature.

I was seriously starting to question my sanity.

Chapter 2

"I-I recognize all of them." I stammered, almost overwhelmed by the unbelievable sight in front of me. Like Rito said it was like watching characters from a multicrossover story duking it out, except it was real and not an animation. I was actually having some trouble following their movements, and the noise produced by their clashing was almost deafening. Was this what a real battle was like? "Which ones do you recognize Rito?"

"Sasuke and Ranma. I mean, who has never heard of Naruto and Ranma 1/2?" He scratched his head. "Though it has been years since I last read manga in general, so I don't really remember the details..."

"I also recognize Killua from Hunter X Hunter, Yukari was very fond of that manga. Well, of all shonen ones to be honest." Minato mused.

"Sorry, manga in my world were quite different so I can't help you here." Rin shrugged. "The introduction of real gods and devils must have caused, what was the expression, butterfly changes?"

"Alright, so some of the people present here were fictional characters in other worlds too, not just mine." I didn't know why, it seemed almost arbitrary, but it wasn't a mystery I was keen to investigate right now. "In terms of raw power the two in the air are the strongest, but the others all have special abilities that will hurt a lot if they hit, so trying to subdue them by force is definitely out of the question."

"That may not be as much of a problem as you think." Tsuna suddenly said, eyes locked on the fighters. "It happens very quickly, but all six of them heal back from whatever damage they suffer. Not only it happens the same way for everyone, but although they concealed it to different degrees they all were surprised the first time it happened. At such it may be a property of this world rather than an ability they possessed before coming here."

I blinked in surprise. "Like, this is a world where only souls or minds can enter and none of us has a physical body, so we can't really hurt each other?" It wasn't an entirely foreign concept, I remembered seeing it used in various media. But... "What about abilities that affect the mind or soul?"

"I have considered it." Tsuna nodded. "Do you remember if any of those people have such an ability?"

Sasuke. He has the Sharingan after all, and if like the others he died after living to old age then he must have a crapton of skills and experience using those hax eyes... But then, why is he fighting Killua with Raiton instead of using a Genjutsu? Tsukuyomi would put the young killer out of commission very quickly, and family of super-assassins or not I doubted the white-haired boy had a hard-counter to such a powerful illusion. Yes the world of Hunter X Hunter is pretty crazy, but so is the one of Naruto.

Maybe there just was something I wasn't seeing yet? Some kind of detail in the background?

There was also Riku to consider: he had a Keyblade, and from what I remembered of the games it was implied that he followed Sora to wherever they ended up after the third game. Probably some kind of wacky adventure or several of them. The point is, going by the lore a Keyblade is crazy powerful so if Riku had the time to master his own he is bound to have a lot of special abilities that affect the Heart, which in context is likely something close to either the mind or the soul, maybe both.

"One for sure, and another is very likely to have one such ability." I answered slowly. "But then, why haven't they used them yet? If they have noticed their regeneration and still insist on using attacks of a physical nature..."

"Are they fighting just because they can?" Minato finished, a disgruntled look on his face. "How wonderful, we're dealing with battle maniacs."

"Oh, I wouldn't say it's the case for all of them." Tsuna tossed a brief glance at Laharl and Ranma. I was sure he didn't need his Hyper Intuition to pick up on it. "But there's definitely that, and maybe testing their suddenly rejuvenated bodies." He opened and closed his right hand a few times. "While I miss my height, I can say being young again is definitely a good feeling."

"Guys we're getting off tracks here." Rito warned us. "Lee, why don't you start with Ranma? Of those I know he's the one more likely to see reason."

That was true: Ranma was a bit of a jerk, true, but he also had a lot of honor and would never attack someone who isn't even defending himself. Riku was a bit more of a grey area, I knew he matured greatly during the various games, but outside of his friends he always acted a bit cold. Still, compared to the pair of demons and the one of assassins they certainly were the best choice to start with.

That said, I wasn't above preparing some insurance. "I'll start with him and his opponent, Riku. Tsuna, could you come with me in case things go south?"

"Of course. I have a lot of experience as a peacemaker after all, and even if right now said role is more suited to be played by you I hope you'll accept an old man's wisdom." He said with a grin that didn't quite fit his boyish features. Uh, I needed to remind myself that despite their young looks those were my favorite characters after they became old men: it was a bit disquieting, but I felt like I could rely on them even more.

"Good, we have a plan. Go for it, us normies will wait here until the ultra-violence is over and we can talk like normal people." Rito nodded several times, eyes closed and arms crossed while sitting cross-legged. Minato and Rin quickly imitated him.

I narrowed my eyes. "...Weren't you the kind of guys who'd jump into the fray even if there's realistically no way for you to make a difference if it mean helping a friend?"

"Of course I will! When you're in danger!" Rito waved a hand while smiling.

"I will shout encouragements. I have gotten very good at it." Minato proudly stated.

"Don't worry: everything will be alright." Rin said with a polite smile.

Those guys! They were among my favorite characters, the least they could do was giving me a thumb-up and telling me a cool one-liner like 'Don't worry: leave it to me', not toss me to the wolves!

I felt a hand on my shoulder, which belonged to none other than Tsuna. "They have their own pride: don't begrudge them for it." He told me with a kind, understanding tone. It took me a few seconds to understand what he meant, but then I realized that Rito, Minato and Rin had something in common: they spent the majority of their lives along people much stronger than themselves, and were forced to come to terms with the fact they couldn't directly help those people when there was a need to fight.

And it was odd in hindsight but at that moment I could really understand what was like, not just on an intellectual level. As if my capacity to empathize with others just shot through the roof... maybe it was because they were in one form of another all idols of my childhood days and I knew what they went through.

Or maybe Tsuna was just doing something with his Sky Flames. Could be either way. It was useful, yes, but in the future I would have to set down some hard rules concerning the use of mind-affecting powers, especially when the target was myself.

I sighed. "Let's, let's just go." I rolled my shoulders before approaching the martial artist and the dimensional traveler, the tiny mafia boss on my heels. What was the best way to approach it? Obviously body language played a big part, it wouldn't do to give the impression I was looking for a fight. I guessed acting natural was the best choice, it worked the previous times I had to play peacemaker in my old life. The part I had to be careful with was my words: showing I knew about topics Ranma and Riku considered private would upset them, at least until I had the time to properly explain how I knew about them. Before I discovered I could show Rito my memories, but I didn't know if I could do the same with the others.

Well, if I could I knew exactly what to show them in case things started to escalate.

"U-Uhm!" I began, stopping at what I judged to be a safe distance: close enough to be heard, but distant enough that Tsuna would be able to react. How I knew it? Because Tsuna started slowing down when we approached i, and I could take a hint. Seeing I was ignored I slightly raised my voice. "Please, can you stop fighting?! You saw it, we can't hurt each other! This is not a trap! If you want answers I have... some..." Finally Ranma and Riku jumped away from each other before stopping, looking at me with neutral stares. "But not all... Sorry?"

There were a few moments of silence before Ranma snorted. "Well, an incomplete explanation is better than none at all." He folded together his fingers before stretching his arms above his head. "Beside that was the best workout I had in years, so I'm actually in a good mood."

Riku snorted, Keyblade resting on his right shoulder. Now that I was close I could see he looked like he did in Kingdom Hearts III, and his Keyblade was the Braveheart. AKA, the giant pin tumbler lock key. "You enjoyed it."

"Aren't denying it. This the first time I fought someone using a giant key as a weapon, it was a novel experience." He put a hand on his chin and assumed a thinking pose. "Well, unless you include that guy from Sendai but they were smaller, had an actual edge and he used them like shurikens."

And now I was reminded that everything in Ranma's world could be turned into a martial art. Everything.

"Sounds like a loon." Riku raised an eyebrow before turning to me and Tsuna. "So, do you have names or should I call you Glasses and Shorty?"

Glasses? But I didn't wear gla-my hand, which instinctively came up to me face at the comment, stopped when the tips of my fingers touched the unmistakable metal frame of a pair of glasses perched on my nose. It wasn't blurry at the edges of my vision so my sight didn't worsen and those glasses were probably just ornamental, but what really threw me off was realizing the skin color of my own hand was much darker than it should be. "My name is Lee." I replied to Riku in a distracted tone before looking down at myself for the first time since I arrived in this strange world: black shoes, black pants and a white shirt. All normal things I owned, except for the black coat with a fur-lined collar and orange-bronze linings covering my upper body: that, I never owned.

But I once used it for a certain design.

"And I'm Tsunayoshi, but you can call Tsuna for short." The brown-haired boy then added under his breath. "Really missing my height."

"Give us a few moments please." I told Riku and Ranma before leaving towards the mafia boss and whispering. "Tsuna this is important, please quickly tell me my hair and eyes color!"

One of his eyebrows slightly raised in response, but he nonetheless answered. "You have orange eyes and silver hair."

That confirmed it: I had my old voice, but looked like the character I once made for the mmo Mabinogi. Why I had no idea, but it sounded like the kind of things a bored ROB would do.

Or, since I sure as hell didn't have the powers of my Mabinogi character, I had this appearance simply because deep down I thought looking like my character would be really cool and my inner world granted my wish.

Right. Important conversation later, fashion reasons later. "I already know who you two are, Riku and Ranma Saotome, but how I do would sound unbelievable to you without proof and I'm not really able to provide them at the moment. But rest assured I am too a victim of an unexpected occurrence." I explained. "Just to confirm if is this is indeed a recurring theme: did you also found yourself here after peacefully dying of old age, back in the body of your younger selves?"

"Peacefully my ass, it was winter and my back hurt like a motherf.u.c.ker." Ranma grumbled, making me raise both eyebrows in response. "What? The method to live as long as the old bat and the old pervert did would have turned me into a midget like them, so I refused to go through with it. I had my dignity, you know?"

More like narcissism, but I was expecting as such from Ranma Saotome: 'Jerk with a Heart of Gold' was a trope made for him, even if every now and then he needed a good walloping to put him back on the right track. I wondered how reaching a.d.u.l.thood and then old age changed him.

"...Yes, I ended here after dying of old age. That's all I will say about the matter." Riku said with a tone that suggested he considered the matter closed. "I suppose this is not the afterlife? Because I don't see Hades anywhere, and I know that hot-head would not miss the chance to brag despite being unable to do anything else."

That's right, Hades from Kingdom Hearts was the Lord of the Dead and ruler of the Greek Underworld. Him being able to meet and talk with the souls of dead people made sense, and so was him being able to travel to different afterlives, although I supposed his strength outside of his own realm was limited.

"No. Well, I hope it's not the afterlife." I shook my head. "It's just a hypothesis for now, but this place seems to be an inner world inside my soul. I'm the only one that didn't arrive here after dying, though I must point out I have absolutely no idea how I ended here. I actually woke up a few hours ago in the younger body of one of the other people present... Uuh I know that sounds bad but I didn't do it intentionally. We talked and came to an understanding! He's alright with it, honest!" I looked down in embarrassment, one hand rubbing the top of my head. "Uhm... We think this is the result of a time or dimensional travel mishap...?"

"Mmmh..." Ranma was rubbing his chin. "I met my fair share of body-snatching spirits in the past and you don't give off the same feeling as them, so I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, Lee-san. Just don't start kidnapping people or suddenly pulling out marriage contracts, alright?"

Both Riku and Tsuna blinked. "Marriage contracts?"

The martial artist shrugged. "Pops was a bastard."

"Aah." Tsuna nodded in understanding. How was the relation between him and his father, Iemitsu? I didn't remember that part very well.

"Once again I'm surrounded by the crazy and the absurd." Riku massaged the space between his eyebrows. Just what happened during the time he disappeared along Sora? "Fine, I'll also give you the benefit of the doubt for now. My Keyblade is picking up some strange stuff, and I need to see more to make sense of it."

"What kind of... strange stuff?" I asked, but all I got in return was silence. Guess he had not completely warmed up to us, which was understandable. Still: I was not Sora or Kairi, but I was confident that, given time, I could gain some trust from Riku.

"So, what now?" Ranma questioned, one hand in his pocket and the other hanging freely. "In case you haven't noticed we weren't the only ones fighting." He jabbed a thumb towards the other two battles. "Those guys are intense: anything we need to know about?"

"Those flying are demons. Well, a demon and a devil." I specified. "The other two are a ninja and an assassin. Oh, but they're all good guys ar heart... If you look deep enough. The only exception is the giant pervert: you can see it immediately if you just ignore his passionate speeches about b.o.o.b.s."

There was absolute silence (beside the distant sounds of fighting) for a few seconds before both Riku and Ranma facepalmed. "This is painfully familiar."

"Same here."

====

After that I took the time to introduce Riku and Ranma to the others before approaching what I judged to be the most difficult task ahead.

Persuading Sasuke Uchiha and Killua Zoldyck to be reasonable people and listen to common sense.

Alright, so maybe I was blowing it out of proportion: they weren't the fanon versions of themselves (God I hoped they weren't), and surely not two-dimensional characters, otherwise I would hear a long-winded speech about revenge and hate and... well, and everything else that makes the Naruto fandom such a shithole with just a few hidden gems.

Yes I had bad experiences with shitty Naruto fanfics. Sue me.

Thing is, I knew very well both of them were taught how to kill and fight to the death since a young age. Killua started hating killing, especially after meeting Gon, but he never hesitated doing it if he thought it was necessary. In Sasuke's case, I guessed he reminded Killua too much of a fellow assassin so all it would take were a few badly chosen words to start hostilities. Same with Sasuke, who most likely thought Killua was a fellow ninja.

Which left me with the monumental task of de-escalating things and persuading the two paranoid boys their logical suspicions and suppositions were wrong.

Yay. Ganbatte me, you can do it.

"Having doubts?" Tsuna asked with an understanding tone, to which I could only answer with an awkward nod. Nonetheless the kind smile on his lips and his following words managed to put me more at ease. "Among us you're the one with the best chances to do it, and we'll be right beside you to help in any way we can."

Ah, so it was true: the Sky envelops and accepts everything. I didn't know what I would do to be able to do the same.

BA-THUMP

I stiffened, a gesture that was imitated by the other six guys. "You too?"

"A second heartbeat? Yes." Tsuna tapped his chest with an intrigued expression. "Mister Riku, if I understood it right you're an expert of Hearts. Is there anything you would like to share?"

The silver-haired boy was silent, switching his gaze between his chest and the Keyblade in his hand. Then, finally, he spoke. "Our Hearts. The Hearts of everyone here and even those four other jokers... they're connected. There should be no bond or memory tying them together, but they're linked all the same."

"For Heart, you mean the soul?" Minato asked.

"No. Where I came from a living being is composed of three parts: the Body, the Heart and the Soul." He explained. "To put it simply the Soul is the will, the Hearts the emotions and the Body the vessel to hold them. Research into it caused a lot of problems so I don't have definite answers beside what I learned during my travels, but I know our Hearts are connected in a way I only saw in close-bound friends before."

Crossing his arms he tapped a finger on his lips while giving me a penetrating look, though there was no hostility in it. "Whatever's going on here is strange but not malicious. And you seem to be the linchpin of it, Lee."

"Me?" I pointed a finger at myself in disbelief. "I know about what's going on even less than you, how can I be the cause? Alright I admit there are a few holes in my memories, but I have never been able to do something like this before. Hell, I once thought magic and other supernatural stuff was just fiction."

"I'm not saying you're the cause of this all, merely that it's centered around you." He shook his head. "But let's wait before everyone have calmed down and is on board before making theories. Time may flow differently within the soul, but if you fainted in the middle of a park there's no telling what may happen to you if we waste too much time."

Like what? Someone finding me and calling an ambulance, which ends up worrying Mikan and Rito's parents? A stray dog pissing on me?

....

"Let's get going already."

====

Since my first approach towards Riku and Ranma worked I thought to replicate it for Sasuke and Killua.

Except the moment I mentioned I had answers Sasuke disengaged from Killua and shot towards our group without letting me finish. There was a blur and before I knew it I had a blade made out of electricity worryingly close to my neck, while what I assumed were Shadow Clones were keeping Tsuna and the others busy. "Start talking." The Sasuke holding me at sword-point said with a voice cold enough to freeze water. "Lie to me and I'll show you immortality means nothing if you can still feel pain." As if stressing his point a few sparks jumped out of his sword and fell on my collarbone. I winced by reflex.

Except... there was no pain?

Sasuke twitched, his free hand coming up to rest on his own collarbone as if he was the one being hit. Eyes widening in surprise he jumped away while dismissing his clones, allowing me to look down at my shoulder and see there was no damage: no burnt skin, no damaged clothes, nothing.

What the hell?! Had Sasuke Uchiha just attacked me? That hurt a little, despite his flaws I actually liked Sasuke so being threatened with violence by one of my favorite anime characters was quite shocking. Alright I understood why he was so much on edge, but what kind of prick threaten the messenger waving the metaphorical white flag?

Then I remembered that Sasuke Uchiha is a prick and everything made sense. I was not Naruto, Kakashi or Sakura but suddenly I felt the urge to smack some sense into his thick head.

"Tch, so the feeling of pain is redirected back at the attacker?" Sasuke swore under his breath, hands forming a seal as his eyes switch to the red of the Sharingan. "Then I-"

"WILL YOU CALM THE F.U.C.K DOWN AND LISTEN!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, surprising even myself at the strength behind my voice. "I came to help you and this is what I get? Where are your manners? Did you lose them while going all 'Lone Wanderer' through Kaguya's dimensions or do you think it's okay to be as rude as you want if you're the strongest person around? Well I have big news for you, Sasuke Uchiha!" A distant part of my mind was equally amused and befuddled by the shocked look on the ninja's face, and if he was still a child and just got caught doing something naughty be his father. "Bad boys get punished!"

Before I could properly reflect on the consequences of my actions I summoned every memory of every Naruto Yaoi doujinshi I have ever read and, just like I did with Rito, willed the whole lot of them to go into Sasuke's mind!

I'm a horrible person and yet I had no regrets~!

Sasuke's face shifted through a multitude of expressions, many of which I never saw before, faster than the speed of sound as the color of his skin turned first deadly pale, then purple and finally green. The incredible spectacle came to an end when he slapped both hands over his mouth and jumped behind a broken pillar, which was followed by loud sounds of retching.

I really, really had no regrets~!

"Wow." Ranma commented. "What did you do to him?"

"Filled his head with yaoi doujinshi starring him." My grin widened when the others all winced at the same time.

"That was evil. Like, really evil. I approve." Killua commented as he finally approached us, having so far watched the whole thing from a distance. "So, I assume you want to gather everyone present in order to search together for the cause of our current predicament?"

"Pretty much, yeah." I nodded. "And before you ask: no, I don't think this is the afterlife."

"Given I expected to burn in Hell for eternity after kicking the bucket I'm not complaining." Killua shrugged before perking up. "You wouldn't happen to have chocolate or some other sweet, do you?"

"Sorry, no."

"Damn. So this may be Hell after all."

Right, Killua had a massive sweet tooth. And also some kind of gambling problem... I thought so at least: it happened only once to my knowledge, I don't have eidetic memory.

"Have you peasants finished doing peasant things?!" A loud, boatful voice exclaimed from above. Looking up I saw Laharl was hovering above us, both ends of his scarf working as wings. Beside that he looked exactly like he did in Hour of Darkness, and in his right hand he was holding... was that the Yoshitsuna?! Holy shit! That was endgame equipment!

"Actually we were planning to approach you after getting those two onboard." Tsuna explained. A glance to the side revealed Issei hasn't moved, though I could felt his gaze on us. "But it seems our intervention is not necessary anymore."

"I got tired of waiting! If the plot would not come to the great Laharl, then I have no choice but to go there myself and beat it half to death as punishment for showing disrespect! Ahahahahaha!!" The young Overlord laughed after declaring something in the unreasonable logic only an ego as big as the moon could follow.

"Right, the plot." I slapped a hand on my face. I kind of forgot Disgaea characters don't just break the fourth wall, they perform parkour all over it. "Laharl, do you mind fetching the red armored guy you were fighting until now? We'll do the same with the last dude and then gather everyone together so we can share what we know."

"Nobody can order me, the Overlord, around!" He declared imperiously, crossing his arms as the Yoshitsuna vanished into motes of light. "However, just this once I'll be magnanimous and offer you an helping hand. Don't expect this to be a regular thing!" He warned before flying towards Issei."

"That guy thinks too highly of himself for my tastes." Ranma commented.

"What was that expression...? Ah, right." Riku tilted his head towards Ranma. "The pot calling the kettle back."

"Hey! I resent that! I'll have you know each and every one of my boasts is fully justified!"

I had the feeling I would have to get used to those guys butting heads on a daily basis. It couldn't be helped I supposed, their personalities were just too strong to do otherwise.

Together with Tsuna and Killua, who has decided to tag along on his own accord, I approached the place where Sasuke was still puking, though by that point it was mostly dry heaving. "You... You're a sick monster..." He gasped when he saw us.

"You know, that's funny coming from you." I raised an eyebrow. "In case you're wondering I didn't make those comics, I just read them: I don't have that much imagination." Nor could I draw like a professional manga artist, but that was beside the point. "And it's not even all the material I have-"

"No. Just, just no." What was showing up on Sasuke's face was less a grimace and more a rictus of unending, mind-scarring horror. "I'll listen to what you have to say if you promise to never do that again."

"Mmh... Alright then: you have a deal!" I grinned, already planning a few ways to bypass that promise, and extended a hand. "Name's Lee."

He looked me up and down, silently mouthing something about 'eyebrows' before reluctantly taking my hand. "Sasuke Uchiha, but you already know it."

I was shaking hands with Sasuke Uchiha! Weeee!!!

====

"Before we begin let me ask something!" Issei began once we were all gathered together. He was wearing the Kuoh school uniform, Boosted Gear encasing his left hand. There were also tears around his eyes, though I couldn't fathom why. "What did I do to deserve going to Hell?!" A small pause. "Beside being a Devil, I mean?"

I blinked in confusion. "Why do you think this is Hell?"

"Are you kidding me? Have you looked around?" He waved his arms. "There are nothing but dudes in this place, without even a single chick in sight! What can this be but Hell?"

...Why was I not surprised? I stared at Issei for a few seconds, making sure to express my current thoughts on the matter with an appropriately blank look, before facepalming.

"Let me guess." Ranma pointed a thumb at Issei while looking at me. "Is he a moron?"

"More like an idiot." Killua added.

"Hey! My reasoning is perfectly valid!"

"In which universe? Because it's sure as heck not this one."

"Look, can we just calm down for a moment? Arguing will get us nowhere." I sighed before trying to appear as serious as I could. "So, to recap: all of you ended up here after dying of old age. The only exception is me, which initially woke up in the body of Rito-" I pointed at the brown-haired boy, who nodded. "-Without any explanation or memory to explain it. Not only that, I currently am in the past of his world, though it could also be an alternate dimension. We all came from different worlds. All of you are considered fictional characters in my world, and in some of the other worlds too. This is explained by the multiverse theory, which infers everything that can possibly happen does so somewhere. If you don't fully get it think of it as a series of bizarre and improbable coincidences happening for real."

"That's dumb. This is obviously a multicrossover story." Laharl declared before holding out an open palm. "You're clearly incompetent, so hand over the role of Protagonist to me! I'll make a much better use out of it than you!"

"...And what make you think I'm the protagonist?" Riku had said I was the linchpin of everything, but to say I was the protagonist was a bit of a stretch. And beside, if this really followed the most common tropes where was my MC-tier special ability, uh?

"Simple!" He pointed a finger at me. "Your special ability!"

...

.... "Come again?"

"What, don't you even know how to access your Status Screen? Be grateful: I, the great Laharl, will show you how! Ahahahahaha!!" After laughing again Laharl raised a hand, grabbing something and flipping it around.

And just like that I could see a translucent blue screen in front of me.

[Name: Lee

Title: In The Shadows Of Giants I Walk

Level: [REDACTED]

​

Skills:

[Utopia Di Anima Leggendaria] Through #%##%%###%% and the intercession of #$()#*$#%#% you have awakened a power that surpass fantasy itself.​

...Uh.