A/N:Ok, so thankyou for reading. I noticed there's not that many westerns on here so I thought I'd have a go at one. I'm also not big on the title, but it's the only one I could think of, so any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated. And, I'll update within three days of the last review, so, if you want more,
GET REVIEWING.
Thanks
I don't own Naruto, nor do I claim any ownership to the characters featured in this story.
CHAPTER 1:
The day he entered town was the day things changed. The presence of someone new in town was always hot gossip between the locals, but that usually died down within a few hours. Not with him.
He rode in on a coal coloured horse, a silhouette against the endless plains beyond the town. His face was covered by an old stetson that had faded and flaked off in places thanks to the sun's unrelenting heat. He said no words as he reigned his horse off and dismounted outside the inn, which was called Ichiraku's, evident by a painted red sign above it's door, but a brief moment when his tattered poncho snagged on the saddle gave the locals something to talk about, as a silver Smith & Wesson revolver with a black pearl handle was revealed at his side for a brief second, before being covered again as he adjusted his clothing.
The stranger stroked his hand along the horse's grey mane, gaining an appreciative whinny from his steed, then cleared the single step up to the inn's front walk, not even giving a glance to the older townsfolk sitting on a carved bench beneath the building's front window, who watched the man with corn cob pipes dangling from their mouths and curious eyes, wafts of smoke clouding above them.
He pushed through the slatted wooden gate as he entered the inn, the hinges swinging the gate back and forth a few times before ending up in it's original position, and surveyed the interior for a moment, panning his hat covered face from the pianist in the far corner, whose hands glided jauntily over the ivory keys to form a cheery, upbeat tune in a vain attempt to impress the working girl that stood behind him with her arms drapped around his neck, then over the dozen or so circular tables where groups of high spirited men sat drinking whiskey and playing cards, playfully slapping the girls who accompanied them on the rear, then to the bar in the near corner, where he started off towards, navigating the maze of drunks with little to no hassle.
The barman-an older man in his forties, with a tuft of pale brown hair and a round face-looked up from the glass he'd been polishing to the stranger, who lay a handful of small golden coins on the bar's polished wooden top.
"I'd like a room." the stranger said, his voice low and serene.
The barman took the coins and, after flipping them in his hand, nodded. "Of course, name's Teuchi.." he smiled, reaching underneath the bar and producing a small iron key. "Anything else I can get you?..." the stranger nodded, taking the small key and grasping it gently in his hand.
"Some food, if it's not to much trouble, and my horse needs a feeding."
Teuchi smiled. "Of course, friend..I'll have someone bring it up to you, room four." The stranger tipped his faded hat and turned off towards the staircase, which sat next to the piano on the other side of the room.
He payed no attention to the groups of blackjack players that he passed on his way over to the stairs, but caught the attention of some as he stepped past their table. One-a bearded man with a weathered face and a thick scar on his fore head-who also seemed to be the leader, began calling out to the stranger.
"Hey..whatcha doin' in town boy?.." the stranger ignored him. "HUh?..." the stranger kept walking by, taking no notice of the man at all."Boy?...you one o' them retardeds?..."
The working girl who sat in the scarred man's lap-a pink haired girl with dark green eyes, who wore a tight fitting corset the colour of blood-slapped him playfully on the chest. "Don't bother with the new boy, Your attention should only be on me.." she giggled, flirting with the patron.
The bearded man turned his attention from the stranger to the girl. "Oh, you like'im?.." he shoved the pink haired working girl from his lap, who fell over and directly into the stranger's path.
The two collided, and the girl fell into the pianist, stopping the tune and sending the inn dead silent, apart from the scarred man of course, who laughed his head off. He was quite clearly drunk off his ass.
"Whatcha gonna do wit'im?..huh whore?..."he somehow got out through his maniacal chortling.
The girl, who was quite obviously embarrassed by the event, pulled herself to her feet and looked at the stranger, but his hat covered his eyes. "I'm sor.."
"Are you alright?..." he cut in. His voice showed very little care. She could tell he wasn't actually looking at her, his eyes were so far beneath his hat, she was surprised he could even walk straight.
"Yes..I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it's not your fault these drunks have no respect." he walked past the girl and began heading up the stairs, the scarred man stopped laughing when he heard the stranger's words.
"HEY!..WHAT'D YOU JUST CALL ME?..." the scarred man pulled himself from his seat and leant on the table as the stranger climbed the staircase to the next landing.
"HEY?...I'M TALKING TO YOU!..." he pulled a rusted Colt from his belt, cocking it and aiming directly at the stranger's back, who stopped.
"ANSWER ME BOY!..." the stranger didn't turn.
"I called you a drunk with no respect..."
The scarred man's expression became a mixture of anger, disgust and embarrasment. "I should shoot you where you stand...no man has ever disrespected me like that and lived to tell the tale..."
The stranger still didn't turn. "I'd leave if I were you."
The scarred man fired a shot, which hit the step that the stranger stood on. He didn't seem to flinch though.
"I want you outside, right now." he cocked the revolver again, the stranger still didn't turn, but a thin smirk appeared from beneath the stetson's wide brim.
"A duel?..." he said to himself, though loud enough for everyone to hear.
A shiver went down the pink haired girl's spine, she'd seen the scarred man duel a few times, and knew that there was no way the stranger could beat him.
"No, not now, how about you and I go outback and I give you something special, free of charge." she grabbed onto the scarred man's gun arm, hoping to tear his attention away from the stranger, but instead got the gun's chipped wooden handle to the face in reply.
"Get the fuck offa' me whore..."
She fell back onto another table, grasping her face, a few tears seeping from her pained green eyes.
The scarred man turned to her, raising his gun and waving it inches from her face. "Don't you ever fuckin' touch me again, you worthless fuckin' whor..."
"Hey..." the stranger called, he'd now turned around, but only just so that he could look over his shoulder. "You'd be smart to take your gun from the girl's face, if you want to keep that hand."
The scarred man began grinding his teeth, his lips pursed like he was eating something sour. "You threatening me, boy?..." the man spat at the stranger's feet, though it didn't phase him. "You better have the balls to back up that big mouth'a yours..."
The stranger smirked again. "Outside.." he walked backwards down the half a dozen stairs and began heading towards the door, the scarred man following him with an ugly grin on his face.
Everyone in the bar followed them out of the inn and onto the dirt that formed the road through the center of town, where they were soon joined by most of the town's citizens, who must've heard the scarred man's intimidation shot and come out to see what the hassle was.
The pink haired girl forced herself to the front of the group on the inn's porch. She didn't want an innocent man to die because she spoke out of place. She began looking up and down the road, her eyes resting on the sheriff's office, who she realized could stop the coming slaughter, and began sprinting along the dirt, finding resistance in the wall of citizens that had come to see the show, the need to constantly push and dodge the thick mass of people that had already gathered slowing her down.
When she made it through, she began screaming at the top of her lungs for the sheriff, praying that he would hear her and that he'd help the stranger.
"SHERIFF...SHERIFF KAKASHI?..." she reached the office just as a young blonde boy with sky blue eyes and dressed in a less than expensive pair of dark pants with matching vest came out, causing her to crash into his arms. "Naruto, thank god, I need the Sheriff!, where is he?..."
The blonde boy watched her as she hopped onto her toes, trying to look over his much higher shoulders. "Sakura..Kakashi's not here, he's up at the mayor's, what happened to your eye?.." he questioned with a puzzled look on his face.
Sakura took what she could get. "No time..come on" she took his arm, and began pulling down the street to where the group of onlookers stood, surrounding the stranger and the drunk patron.
Just as they reached the back of the group, a shot rung out, which stopped Sakura in her tracks, then an ear shattering scream burst out. Naruto pulled his revolver from the holster at his side and pushed in front of Sakura. "Move, sheriff's office, out of the way..." he said loudly, pushing himself through the small gaps that separated the people, Sakura sticking close behind.
Naruto aimed his gun as the two got to the front of the pack. Sakura feared the worst for the stranger, but, when they enterered the open area, she found the drunk on his knees, squealing in torment as spurt after spurt of scarlett blood erupted from his gun hand. The gun itself lay on the ground, surrounded by a small pool of blood and the drunk's mutilated thumb and index finger.
Sakura looked up to where the stranger was, as he slid a black handled revolver into his holster, before turning on his heels and heading through the crowd and into the inn, tipping his hat and apologising to Teuchi, before disappearing from sight, up to his room where he wasn't seen again for the rest of the night.
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