If people believe something is real, it is real in its consequences (W.I. Thomas Theorem).
Love is a great thing. Since I became a parent, I truly believe (although there might be a few exceptions) that parents all over the world always love their kids. When children can truly understand the love from their parents, it greatly helps them find themselves. So I really wanted to give Naruto that experience. – Masashi Kishimoto
oOo
(8 years old. In an orphanage in Republic City)
It was the same as it always was. Every day, Naruto awoke to the same routine. The Avatar's Children Orphanage in Republic City graciously opened their doors to the likes of the Triple Threat Triad, a criminal organization whose growing infamy spread quickly beyond the criminal underworld of Republic City. The owner, a wicked man by the name of Mizuki, smiled warmly as he bowed out of the way of the front door, granting a representative of the group to walk into the room and turn on the lights.
"Alright kiddos, time to wake up and earn your way."
Naruto's eyes opened as the light above his head flickered on. He sat up in his bed and looked around the room filled with rickety beds and nameless, faceless little children whose lives just so happen to revolve around the will of the men in power within the Triple Threats.
He got up, knowing fully well what he was expected to do. Within an hour, Naruto found himself out in the middle of a street, crying as he sat down near a lamp post, his hands smothering his face as he wailed uncontrollably. He put himself outside of his body in a different location so that, in a sense, he wouldn't be the one participating in this heinous ploy. As an eight year old child, what else was he to do but follow orders given to him by adults?
"So this is your address," she muttered, taking the small slip of paper from the young disheveled boy and reading it carefully. She watched him as he rubbed vigorously at his eyes, trying to hide his tears in shame. He looked embarrassed to be showing those tears to a girl so pretty. "No need to cry, little one. I know where this is. It's not too far from here actually, how lucky! I should be able to make it back to work on time too if I just take you there real quick!" She reached for young Naruto's hand and smiled brightly when he gave his up, allowing her warmth to radiate through the skin of his hand up his arm and worm its way towards his chest. He hated this game. He always lost the warmth when it was over.
She couldn't help but feel her maternal instincts drive her to help this lost boy. He looked so sad and lonely out there, and even when she spared her attention toward him he still did not seem to be able to comprehend her good will. She didn't think the situation was very peculiar, as there were many children in Republic City who lived through life as orphans and street peddlers. She knew some of the dangers in dealing with many of them who were connected to some of the gangster groups in the city, but this boy couldn't be a part of it! Those were just ruffians that pickpocketed their way and begged for scraps and change. He told her that he had a mother and they had gotten separated last night. How terrible, she thought, a whole night the child had to spend out here in the cold, away from his mother. What else could she do but take him home? After all, it was only a short walk away.
The boy did not overthink his actions. He remained objective and impartial to the day's proceedings. Even as he followed the young woman by the hand, tears still bubbling at the corners of his eyes as she led him to the address he showed her on a piece of paper that had been written down for him, he didn't think about what would happen to her. Or at least, he would never let it show. On his face he wore a mask like an actor in a play might, and Naruto had practiced and cultivated his act, learning the tools of the trade from those with far more silver tongues and shinier faces.
The only thought that preoccupied his young mind, heart shriveled and body beaten as it was by the lack of tenderness and bread in his life, was that, for another night, he would have food and a place to sleep. That was all he ever cared about anymore. He knew he didn't have a family. Not one like this girl had, at least, because his family was the rest of the faceless orphans at the Avatar's Children Orphanage. And even then, how did one converse with inanimate objects, such as these children had become?
His mind had no reason to wander or wonder. They never let him find out what happened to the people that he tricked anyways. He would just walk them toward the house that was out of the way and just on the outskirts of Triple Threat territory that it was hard for the police force to investigate well enough in order to put a stop to it on all fronts.
"Is this your home?" she asked, hopefully, smiling softly at the young blond child who looked up at her, still short of breath from all of the crying that he was doing. She sighed and knelt down beside him, using her blouse to wipe away his tears before he nodded quickly and she patted him on the head, "Good. Now, let's go in and see if your mommy isn't home, Ok? I bet she's just worried sick about losing a precious little boy like yourself!"
He didn't respond. He couldn't say anything. No one missed him. No one except for the triads knew that he existed in the first place.
oOo
They walked up to the house and she knocked on the door for him. To her surprise, it opened to reveal a dark living room that appeared to be vacant. She reached in to search for a light switch, but found none. Looking back at the young boy, she noticed that he didn't seem too excited to be standing there and it almost seemed like he didn't even recognize the place. Before she could deduce just what was going on, she shrieked when she felt a terribly strong grip on her arm. Within an instant, she was pulled into the house and dragged, kicking and screaming into the home as the door was shut in front of Naruto.
The young boy just stood there, watching in uncertainty as he heard her muffled shrieks of panic due to his proximity to the door. The neighboring houses were either demolished or void of legal inhabitants. No one would be informing the police as to the whereabouts of the pretty, young girl who escorted Naruto back to his 'home'. In fact, no one would ever see that girl again.
oOo
Except… that didn't just happen. No, Naruto looked up at the girl and saw her standing there with the same awkward smile that had adorned her face after she peered into the apparently empty house. Had he just imagined that whole scenario? Why? Had it happened before? He couldn't remember.
Instead of something evil and dastardly meeting the two, a pair of smiling faces showed up to answer the door, switching on the light, surprising both of them as they made their way toward the door.
"Hello, I'm sorry, but who are you?" asked the older gentlemen as he adjusted his tie and hung his coat back up on the coat rack as he stood in front of the open door, surprising the young girl.
"Darling! Darling! It's my baby! Oh, you brought my baby back to me, thank you so!" A beautiful woman ran up to the door after the good samaritan stepped aside and turned to look at Naruto who offered an uneasy smile.
He groaned when she lifted him up and cooed and played with his hair. He bit his lip and then broke out crying again, saying, "Momma!" as he threw his arms around her neck while his back was facing the girl. He let out practiced sobs while his face remained completely blank.
"Thank you for bringing our boy back to us. My name is Ping and this is my wife Mei. We have been looking for him all night… the spirit of the Avatar must be watching over us for you to have brought him here."
The young girl smiled and said, "I'm sure it's something like that! I saw him sitting underneath a statue near the market. I couldn't just leave him there on his own like that! My name is Yuu, by the way. How did you lose track of him? You must have been worried sick!"
"Oh, you have no idea!" bellowed the older man as he stroked his very thin split mustache, offering a charming smile to the young girl. He laughed and patted his 'son on the top of the head as his 'mother' fawned over him with tears growing in her eyes.
Took her long enough, thought the young boy as he rolled his eyes when he saw the paltry amount of tears coming from the woman who was playing a mother as she held onto him far less dearly than any mother ever would. Then again, he laughed inwardly, he had to admit that he had no way of knowing for sure just how a mother held her child.
"Please, I know it is early, but please allow me to pay you for your good deed," begged the father, Ping, as he stepped up to the young woman who was in her teens still, his hungry eyes bearing down upon her like the evil beast that he truly was.
She laughed and shook her head, saying, "No no! It was my pleasure! I'm just glad that you have your son back, that's all," she said, smiling as she turned back toward the door. "I have to head to work now any-"
Her eyes opened wide when she heard the door slam shut and the light switch off. The only light she could see now was that which came in through the shaded window on the wall adjacent to them. Slowly, the girl turned around and swallowed in trepidation as she felt her knees buckle under the weight of her shivering spine and her finger tips scraped against the door in search of the handle to try and find her escape.
Her eyes turned to the young boy who was now standing on the ground beside his 'mother', who had walked off as she retrieved a cigarette and a lighter from one of the tables nearby. Before the young girl could ask what was going on, the 'father' leaned in close and, with only his index finger, burned a hot trail of embers down the front of her chest, tearing her clothes apart by burning the threads.
"No, Yuu… I insist. After all, it is my pleasure to pay you for what you've done for my boy."
Naruto watched quietly as her eyes locked onto his and she began to cry as her blouse fell to the floor, the threads glowing briefly before the cool air put out the small embers still left on the ruined cloth.
Tearless, the boy watched pitifully as she screamed, her eyes lit up like a fire was smoldering in them as she pointed at him, uttering, "Monster… Monster… You monster!"
Naruto watched Ping beat the woman to the ground, leaving her a bloody mess after he was done with her. This wasn't the first time that Naruto stood there and watched. After all, no one told him what to do after he brought the women, or sometimes men, to the marked houses. All Naruto ever would do was follow directions. He was only waiting for his next job, which was usually given to him after the whole ordeal.
"Heh, you're twisted kid. She's right, ya know, you probably are a monster if you were able to watch all of that."
Ping's observation aside, Naruto was pretty sure this was the first time that he had been called a monster. Though he had this sneaking suspicion that he didn't become a monster this morning, rather, it happened when he popped out of thin air, around eight years ago. Naruto had no visual memories of his infantile and toddler years, of course, but he remembered a spicy, flowery scent that Naruto liked to believe was the smell of his real mother's perfume, or something nice like that.
Ping huffed in annoyance as he ripped open the woman's purse and picked out a few measly Yuans, the basic unit of currency within the United Republic of Nations. She had a few other items but nothing that really interested him at first glance, so he threw the bag and its contents spilled across the floor in front of the bloody shape of the girl lying there. He smirked and bagged what he had stolen before calling back into the room for the woman who had walked off to smoke a cigarette. "Hey Mei! This stupid bitch didn't have enough to feed me after, you got any cash on you? I'm starving!"
As Ping left, Naruto just continued to stand there, watching the girl as she writhed about on the ground, begging someone to 'make it stop'. Whether 'it' be the pain or her life, Naruto had no idea.
oOo
Was she still alive? Yuu turned her head as her left eye flickered open but her right stayed sealed shut from the beating she had taken at the hands of Ping. Unknowingly, she had walked right into Ping's trap, the same Ping of the Triple Threat Triads that a girl like her had no business knowing about. She was just a shopkeeper's daughter at a local craft store. They sold interesting items like model ships and old swords from the 100-year-war period. She often sold or gave away baked goods as well that she enjoyed to make because she always liked seeing the satisfied smiles and grins on people's faces as they bit into them.
Ping's dastardly face appeared in front of her and Yuu let out a scream, burying her body deeper into the bed as she tried to hide her face away into her pillow, hoping that he would just go away.
When nothing happened and she didn't hear anyone talking, Yuu slowly lifted her head from the pillow and only saw the young boy who had lead her there in the first place. She noticed the distant look in his eyes and her fury toward the child sank as she realized that he was probably just as much of a victim as she was… Was she a victim? Of course, right? It wasn't her fault that Ping had forced himself on her. Also, it's not like if she had done something different then things would be different now, right? If she had just ignored the boy, perhaps…
"I'm sorry. Please, don't cry." Naruto said, his own tears finally breaking through past his nearly expressionless face.
She looked up at him and told him, "I'm not… oh my… I'm crying." She tried to reach her face using her arm, but both of them were sore and there was a shooting pain in her left shoulder. Deciding that it was best to just lie there for a while, she turned her head as far as her shoulder would allow and asked him, "How did you end up… doing this?"
Naruto stared at her with tears dripping off of his chin, but nary a sound of distress escaped his lips other than his reply, in which he said, "I have always done this… I don't m'member (remember)."
She sucked in shallow breaths of air, as if she was about to start wailing again, but she tightened her lips and closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from feeling pity or sorrow for herself. She could always do that later once she was out of this deathtrap. "I see," she said, her finger tips feeling around the bed, wondering if she had been raped here on this bed as well. She only remembered bits and pieces after Ping's initial assault, he made sure to hit her with everything he had any time she decided to let out anything louder than a whimper.
She heard Naruto moving and searching through a bag that she hadn't noticed he was carrying. She opened her eyes to look at him as he stepped up to her and held a small jar of cream in front of her.
"I brought you some ointment. For the burns."
She swallowed a deep, but sharp breath of air as she let out the lightest of chuckles at the way he talked. He has problems saying his 'r's still, she thought.
"Thank you… is your name really Naruto?" While waiting for his answer, she looked around her body and noticed that several burn marks left a trail of Ping's actions from before. Looking out through a small, barred window up above their heads, Yuu wondered how long she had been unconscious and whether or not she had a chance of escaping. She remembered what her father told her often, usually applying the saying to his business or business in general, but it was remarkably fitting for her current situation: 'As long as you're still alive, you've always got a chance!'
Naruto nodded in response to her question about his name and opened the jar as he began to elaborate over how he received that name. "Yup. One of the old geezers named me after the little fish thingies you get in ramen noodles. I've only had them once and they were really really good. Before that, everyone just called me 'kid' or 'punk'. Sometimes 'lil shit'."
She let out a laugh, but the bruises along her ribcage and the damaged shoulder made her hiss out in pain. She could almost feel the burns along her body, but the pain was so all-encompassing that she couldn't quite pinpoint them without looking directly at them, and she barely had the strength to lift her head up from her pillow, much less sit upright long enough to access the damage done to her body.
"You should rest… I can put the cream if you want, or you can do it later. I also got you some bread." He started rummaging in his little leather knapsack again until he took out a still-warm piece of bread with butter soaked into it. Yuu watched as the young boy walked over to her and pulled off a piece of the bread and held it up to her, "Here, take it. There's more if you want some."
Painfully, Yuu lifted her arm up and reached for the bread, but once she had it she tightened her grip too much and broke it by accident, dropping some of it on the floor while the rest collapsed back onto the bed along with her arm.
Naruto looked down at the piece that had fallen on the ground and said, "That's OK," he then picked it up and blew on it before grinning and taking a large bite, talking with his mouth full, "I'll eat this. There's more anyways." Naruto then quickly stuffed the rest into his mouth and took the piece that was in her open hand and took a smaller chunk out of it, holding it up to her lips for her to eat. "I can feed you like this, big sis."
Yuu's eyes watched the young boy with mixed emotions flashing through them. She wanted to hate the boy for leading her here to this terrible place, but she also felt like she couldn't just blame him either. He was so young and he was only doing what he was told to do. He didn't understand that what Ping had done to her was wrong, or if he did, he probably felt helpless to stop the man from doing it, and only went along because his life was being threatened. Or maybe the boy's sense of empathy was skewered because of the life that he lived. She couldn't be sure.
Her lips parted to allow him to feed her and she decided that she would put her faith into this young boy. She'd believe that he was really a good person, and that he wouldn't grow up to be like Ping one day, because that was the best that she could hope for him at the moment. When he pulled his hand away, she chewed on the soft buttery center of the salted bread. She chewed very slowly; some dark place in the back of her mind told her that the boy had come back to poison her.
She sobbed right before she chewed, another tear following the trails of the others that had made their way down the side of her face past her ear.
Naruto watched her the entire time, sitting beside her as he waited for her to finish before holding another piece of bread in front of her lips. They didn't talk for the longest time, but finally, when the bread was all gone, Yuu looked up at the boy and she smiled, her eyebrows drawn close together as she gazed at him sorrowfully. "I didn't mean what I said back there… or rather, I wish I could take it back… you're not a monster." She slowly looked away as she tried her hardest to quell the anger that was boiling deep inside of her. She wasn't going to get out of this predicament by blaming an eight year old boy. All that calling him a monster would do would make certain that he couldn't be anything but.
Naruto looked at the young woman for the longest time before he started to cry. This time, however, his entire face and body matched the weeping sounds that bounced off of the walls within the dark room.
oOo
Ping, luckily for them, had lost interest in the young girl. He found himself worrying more about turf wars and dealing with the increased metal-bending police presence that had managed to set up a stronger network within their territory, making certain locations too hot to handle, so to speak. He never went back to check up on the girl to at least see if she was even still alive. He also didn't care for either of his accomplices, so cutting the string that connected the three of them seemed like a good enough idea at the time. After all, Mei was a stronger bender than he was and he wasn't about to try and tangle with that woman just to try and get a lay. It was better if he just went and joined up with another group deeper into the city.
Within a few days, even Mei, the woman who had played as his wife, ditched the small, abandoned home and left Naruto there with the young, sixteen year old girl. Naruto, meanwhile, stayed to watch over Yuu as she recovered, bringing her food and water when he was able to steal it or beg for enough Yuans to cover the price. With a little bit of practice, he found that stealing from some of the other children that were put out there was a generally profitable venture, so he did that from time to time, though he always made sure to wear something over his face and head so that they didn't recognize him. The last thing he needed was someone out there looking for 'that blond little shit, Naruto' because he had pinched a few Yuans from their kids' beggar's profits.
oOo
Yuu, after three more days, was finally able to get out of bed. She decided that it was time to leave.
Now, she probably could have sent Naruto for help a long time before this, but she felt like she would just get yelled at by her father, and she was worried that he might think it was her fault because he had always talked unapprovingly about the way she dressed. It wasn't that what she wore was bad or 'slutty', but he just didn't understand because women during his generation usually wore those long robes and dresses and rarely showed any skin, even along the arms or legs. He moved to Republic City from a small community of farmers, merchants and craftsmen that worked together and he brought with him extremely reserved notions of sexuality and self-expression. He always hated that she wore that skirt she wore because it didn't cover her knees. He also didn't like that she wore heels or the way that she liked to let her hair down.
She loved her father, but she knew that he was the last person who was be understanding about the current situation. She didn't have any other family here in Republic City, so Yuu would just have to go straight to the police after she went back home.
Then again, that wasn't the first thing on her mind. She worried, most of all, about becoming pregnant. Looking at the young blond boy as he sat asleep in his chair beside her bed, Yuu prayed that she wasn't, because she didn't want to have a son or daughter like Naruto; she didn't want her child to go through what he has had to go through.
oOo
When they stood outside of her father's shop, Yuu stared in through the glass to see her father sitting at one of the tables that they had for sale as he looked over some of his business expenses and tried to focus on the task at hand, though she could tell that he had been crying.
"It's been five days, hasn't it?" Yuu asked without turning to look at Naruto who was standing off to the side, hiding from view.
"Yup… six tomorrow morning."
Yuu nodded, "I see."
They stood there in silence for a while before Yuu turned to look at the young boy and walked over to him. His eyes widened when she dropped down onto her knees and wrapped her arms around him, whispering 'thank you' as she tried to keep from sobbing again. She was so conflicted about being nice to him that she was shaking as she held him, wanting nothing more than to throttle him and yell at him for tricking her, but she also struggled to refrain from kissing him on the cheek for taking care of her afterwards. She would have probably died due to the extensive burns that she had received from Ping and the lack of food that she would have suffered had he not been around to treat those ailments with ointment and buttered bread.
That was another thing, he always made sure to get her something tasty, settling with cheaper, cold bread without butter or salt for himself unless she offered him some of the one that he brought for her. Then he gladly ate whatever she offered, just like a kid would.
She had to laugh, because he was so funny, so nice, and so strange. Any sort of anger or resentment that she might have had toward him slowly ebbed away, the more she thought about what had happened.
Yuu smiled and gave him the kiss on the cheek anyways, saying, "OK… promise me that, no matter what, you never try and trick anyone like that ever again. Always think about what will happen before you do something like that, because then they'll suffer, and then you'll have to cry over it just like you cried over me, OK? And most of the time, things won't blow over like they did this time around… we're both lucky, you know."
He nodded, crying still as she smiled softly at him, wiping away his tears with the back of her hand.
"And promise me that you will always keep your word, no matter what, because your word is more important than anything else in this world."
"OK."
"Say, 'I promise'."
"I promise."
"I can't take care of you, but I can give you a free meal every once in a while. Just stop by whenever you want to talk to me, OK?"
Naruto nodded and said, "Big sis, I'm so sorry. I didn't want anyone to hurt you. I thought… I thought…"
Yuu smiled solemnly and said, "But they did hurt me. And that's why I want you to remember what I told you, your promise, and I also want you to stay away from that evil man and those gangsters. They're nothing but trouble. I'll see what I can do about getting you help, but for now you're going to have to live on your own for a while… I'm sorry." She turned to look into the shop and said, "My father will just kick you out anyways… I can't bring you in, so just stop by and pretend like you're window shopping next time, OK?" She grinned and turned to him, her eyes watery. "He'll be pissed if you don't buy anything, but he won't bug you for just looking."
Naruto nodded fervently, his eyes completely serious as he said, "Thank you, big sis! Your dad is coming, I gotta go!" He spun around suddenly, running just before the door opened and her father called out her name, tears of joy in his eyes as he extended his arms out toward his daughter as she knelt there on the pavement.
"Yuu! Oh Yuu! Where have you been? I've been worried sick?" Her father grabbed her fiercely, making her hiss in pain before he asked her what had happened. She wondered if he would understand, her eyes boring into his for quite some time before she just shook her head and offered him a smile.
He didn't need to know what happened just yet…
oOo
(Five Years Later – Streets of Republic City)
"Hey! You little fucker!"
"Wh-whoa, what's up man?"
"That little shit stole my pocketwatch!"
"What, that girl over there?"
"No, you dipshit! That blond kid running up the steps there! C'mon, he's not getting away!"
Groaning, Naruto huffed it up the steps to get as much distance from the two men as possible. He could have ran straight but he didn't want to be anywhere near the police headquarters with this chase going on. Turning into a small market, he cut around several buildings trying to get some distance between him and the two men that were chasing him. Naruto snickered as he continued to run, turning on another road just to make sure that they weren't behind him.
However, when he looked up he noticed that one of them was riding an ice wave as he followed closely alongside Naruto while on the roofs of the shops and other establishments that lined the road he was running on.
"Shit!" he cursed, his eyes catching the sinister leer of the man riding the wave above his head. "I knew that he was a gangster but I didn't think he was from the Triple Threats." Naruto turned to look over his shoulder as he ran and noticed that the one he had stolen the watch from originally was following further behind them by using the ground to propel him forward with each leap he took.
"Two benders…" Naruto growled and saw someone walking out of one of the shops up ahead with a giant vase in his arms. Naruto changed his trajectory, causing his two pursuers to tense up as they watched him carefully. When Naruto leapt over the shopkeeper's head and went into his antiques shop, however, neither one of the two gangsters thought much of it. The earthbender yelled up ahead, saying, "Hey! We've got him trapped now! Get in there, quick!"
Nodding, the waterbender made a ramp of ice that went straight into the shop, knocking the shopkeeper on his bottom as he blasted right past him. The man yelped as he started to fumble around with the giant vase until he was finally able to clutch onto it with both his arms and his legs in order to secure it from falling to the floor and possibly breaking.
As soon as the waterbender made it through the front door, he crashed into a large set of shelves made out of wood and glass in order to showcase several smaller items that were sold in the store. The stand was made of glass shelves and wooden frame and it toppled over easily as the waterbender bounced off of it, flipping mid-air and eventually ended up landing over on the other side of the front counter in the store. He crashed upside down, just missing the soft, cushioned seat that rolled out of the way harmlessly after he hit the sturdy wall and collapsed onto the ground with a groan.
Naruto snickered and threw a small porcelain figurine at the man, nailing him right on the side of his forehead. Without missing a beat, he jumped over the counter, sprung upwards and kicked off of a wall so that he could crawl up through a small window that was very close to the ceiling. It was barely large enough for his thirteen year old body to squeeze through, one arm at a time, and yet the boy easily made it through.
"Holy shit, really?" The brown haired waterbender just stared up at the small window, gaping in astonishment at the young boy's speed and maneuverability. That window was high up! He'd need a ladder to get up there if he didn't have bending, but even if he did try and go through the window he knew he wasn't going to fit through it.
Suddenly, the earthbender rushed into the shop and snarled, "Oenlok, where is he?!" There was a flame in his dark green eyes as he gripped tightly onto the door frame to keep him from moving and levelling the entire shop out of sheer fury at this damn kid.
Oenlok tilted his head toward the window as he stood up onto his feet, "He scrambled out through there. That kid is something else, Shi."
Snarling, Shi looked rather vicious as his hands gripped the door frame so hard that it bent the metal using sheer strength. He whipped his long hair back and yelled back at Oenlok, saying, "You're right about one thing: he's just a kid! A dead one!" When Shi took off running after where he thought the blond kid might have scurried off to, Oenlok rolled his eyes and rushed out of the shop, shrugging as he took off onto the rooftops by using water bending to create a short ice bridge that quickly melted away and returned to his water flask at his hip when the shopkeeper ran after him for a second swinging a broom back and forth at him as he yelled for him to pay for the damages.
"Go to hell, old man!" he called out, his voice gradually fading away into the distance as he got farther and farther away.
oOo
Groaning, Naruto looked up at the Republic City Police headquarters that he was trying to avoid in the first place. He knew he would have to stay nearby if he wanted to get out of this alive. He told himself to remind him later if he survived that he should do more scouting before picking any particular target, but this asshole really deserved it. And bender or not, Naruto was going to pay this bastard back for overall… bastardiness.
Is bastardiness a word? Tardiness is, so bastardiness should be one.
"You've got nowhere else to run kid."
Naruto smirked and turned around, pointing at the earthbender and saying, "Wow, you must be seven levels of dumbass to follow me here to Police HQ. Are you really standing there ready to earthbend? I'd put that stance back in your pocket if I were you, Mr. Triple Teets."
Arching a brow, Shi crossed his arms and said, "Well, all I'll have to do is turn you in, won't I? That watch is mine and the police will be able to tell since you obviously couldn't afford that kind of thing and I'm sure you had no family who could've passed it down to you."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto said, "I may be a kid, but you're a known gangster. Who are the po-po going to believe, an innocent, starving little kid or a ruthless drug peddling nutsack like you!? Hah? I don't hear youuuuuu…."
Yeah, he was just stalling for time. And also trying to get the guy to do something stupid, but he hoped to heaven and hell that someone would walk out of the building in a moment. Why the hell was it so vacant out there right now? Not one person was anywhere near the HQ… was there some sort of ceremony or something going on right now?
Right when Shi was about to try something, Oenlok landed behind the kid and grabbed him, "Alright, let's just take your damn watch back and get the hell out of here! If someone walks out here they're gonna think you're about to hurt this kid or something!"
Shi muttered something along the lines of, "Who said I wasn't?" when he heard something land directly behind him.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he grumbled, "Oh shit, not her…"
"What is the meaning of this?"
Shi turned around to see a slightly younger Lin Beifong standing with her arms crossed as her dark green eyes levelled with Shi's, making him flinch slightly. She wore the standard police wear, but she carried herself like she was a commander and the buck stopped with her. Slowly, she turned to look at Oenlok who immediately let go of the young blond in his custody and took a step back from him, saying, "Oh, hi there Miss Beifong. Sorry, we're just getting something that this little punk stole from us. It's worth a lot of money and the brat pinched it when he bumped into us on the street."
Shi turned to give Oenlok the look that he had been blabbing too much and then looked back at Beifong, waiting to hear her reaction to it all.
"That is Officer Beifong to you. If you wish for me to respect you then you will respect me and address me properly."
"Ah! Ah! Sorry, sorry. Officer Beifong… well, you know what's going on already."
Lin looked down at Naruto and her left eyebrow perked up just a bit when she saw the blank look on his face. Damn this kid has got a good poker face.
"Are you sure you didn't just drop this watch? What does it look like and when did you last see it?"
"It's a high quality gold with a custom face. It's probably one of a kind, actually."
"One of a kind, you say?" Beifong remarked, nodding with an acknowledging look on her face. "I see. I can understand why you would be so worried about losing it… but how do you know this young boy took your watch?"
"Listen, just check him and you'll see he's got it on him. We know because I lost it right when he bumped into us and we checked the floor already before we started chasing after him."
Beifong sighed, "Nice watch or not, I don't really have the time for this. Fine, young man," she said, turning to look at Naruto with her green eyes lightening up like the color in her irises was boiling, "This is your last chance to give up the watch if you have it before I check… I can't help you if you have it on your person."
Naruto nodded and said, "These jerks have been chasing me for like ten minutes already… they wrecked a shop trying to get to me and they were about to do something ugly before you got here. I'm glad you can prove that I'm innocent already!"
Beifong narrowed her eyes, "Are you sure?"
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Just check already, old lady!"
Glaring, Beifong stomped her foot on the ground and used earthbending to bring the boy right in front of her at eyelevel, where she grabbed him by the front of his orange jacket and pulled him close, her eyes burning through his skull as she said, "Show some respect, brat!"
"Are you gonna do your job already ya old hag or should I just get naked here and shake out my clothes?! Huh?!" Naruto glared back, unflinching even while both Shi and Oenlok reeled backwards as if they had been struck.
Beifong almost snarled as she used her earthbending to sense where the watch was on his person. When she didn't find it, she turned to look at Oenlok and used her metalbending to lift the golden watch up above his head before she brought it over to her for a closer inspection. Shi turned to gawk at Oenlok who just shook his head and muttered incoherent words as he tried to explain that it wasn't him who stole the watch.
"This is custom made. In fact, I know whose watch this is. You two should have cut your losses." Beifong narrowed her eyes before she sent her metal rods after the two benders, striking them each in vital points before wrapping them up as they fell down to the ground.
She then turned to look at Naruto and narrowed her eyes, "How do you always get yourself into trouble, Naruto?"
The teenager shrugged and offered a squinted-eyed grin as he threw his arms up above his head and crossed them behind his neck as he kicked at the dirt. "Hey, you know how it is, huh? I think I'm just lucky."
Beifong smirked and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, some kind of lucky."
"So whose watch is it, Big Sis?"
Beifong wouldn't admit it, but she preferred it immensely whenever Naruto called her that as opposed to "old hag" or "old lady". He seemed to have a penchant for getting himself into all kinds of trouble, and one of his best tools for facilitating that trouble were all of the snarky remarks that came out of that big mouth of his.
"It belongs to a friend of mine. I'm glad you returned it to me. He said he looked everywhere but he couldn't find it…" She looked at the pretty watch in her palm and smirked as she shook her head, "It was very expensive."
"I see…" he muttered, a slight grin appearing on his face for only an instant before he started to walk off, kicking his legs up in the air a bit as he pranced around on the stone walkway they were standing on; he seemed to be playing some sort of game where he could only step on the horizontal stones and not on the vertical ones, "Well, I didn't return it to you anyways, they did. Dumbasses!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at Shi who was still reeling from having his boys rocked.
"Did you have to hit them in the balls though?" Naruto asked, turning to look up at Lin who had a strange smirk on her lips.
"No." It was all she said, and Naruto had to slowly look away unless he wanted to crap his pants. This lady gave off a crazy freaking vibe sometimes… one that said, It's not that I can't kill you… and I don't have to kill you… but if you piss me off then you'll wish I did.
"O-K." Naruto said, trying to move on now that everything was settled. "Anyways, later Big Sis! Gonna go find something to eat."
Lin looked after him for a moment before she used earthbending to bounce the boy back over to where she was standing and said, "Keep an eye on them, I'm going to go get someone who'll book them and investigate the shop that they wrecked and you and I can go grab a bite to eat."
Naruto turned to look at the green eyed woman and smiled when she added, "My treat."
"OK! Whatever you say, Big Sis!"
Naruto watched her leave and grinned impishly as he reached into his jacket and pulled out two wallets full of Yuans and emptied them before tucking them under the pair of criminals who just stared at him in shock.
Shi let out a loud yell, "You little… You've got to be kidding me!" That snaky son of a bitch snuck off with their wallets as well? When the hell had he pulled that one off?
"Great Avatar…" said the waterbending Oenlok as a tear fell from his each of his eyes, "Please revive and come smite this boy where he stands."
"Let him try," Naruto whispered, tucking the folded Yuan notes into his jacket before looking back toward the HQ. He grinned and then put on his 'cute and innocent face' as he stood with his arms crossed behind his back, waiting patiently while he stood in front of the two 'criminals'.
oOo
"Big Sis! How'd you know I liked ramen?!" Naruto let out a happy squeal as he pulled the giant red bowl closer to him, nearly spilling some of it on the front of his jacket as the broth swayed back and forth in the bowl.
"We've come here before, don't you remember?" Lin asked, rolling her eyes when she realized he wasn't paying attention and rather he was just slurping up the green noodles like his mouth was a vacuum.
After a while, the young boy sighed happily and pushed the bowl away, leaving the chopsticks inside as he swallowed what was left of the ramen broth inside of his mouth. "That was… aaaawesome!"
Smirking, Lin said, "Alright then. Now it's time for us to talk."
Naruto arched a brow and frowned, crossing his arms on the top of the table as he rested his chin along the top of them. "Ok, shoot."
"Well, first of all, I'm glad that you helped me get my friend's watch back from those thugs. It would've been hocked in a day or two, I'm sure, and then my friend would be without this watch that I… I mean, I would have to file a police report and all that, you know how it goes…" Lin groaned. She never stumbled unless she was talking about that kooky old man. God, if he was old, what did that make her?
"Ah, so you got it for him as a gift or something a while back? Is he your friend-friend or just a friend?" Naruto asked, holding up a pinky as he gave her a wink.
Beifong growled and grabbed him by his collar saying, "Don't misunderstand me, brat. He's just a friend."
Naruto laughed and nodded, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, definitely an ex-boyfriend. I know about these things, ya know. I've done it already, you know?"
Lin eyed the boy curiously as she leaned in, looking him straight in the eyes. He didn't flinch though, so she reeled and muttered damn. Freaking kid has the sturdiest poker face I've ever seen. She didn't want to believe him, because if he had then that was… a little sad. A little boy like that already lost his virginity? Was it with a girl that he liked or was it some hooker that wanted to see what it was like messing around with such a young, lonesome little boy?
"You're serious, huh? Wow kid. I've got to admit, if your balls were anymore steely, I could bend them up and smack you across the chin with them."
Grinning, Naruto said, "Thanks Big Sis. I know, I'm told stuff like that a lot."
Lin felt some maternal instincts tickle her rib cage a little, but she mercilessly killed that butterfly feeling and just rolled her eyes, saying, "I swear kid, you surprise me more and more every time I see you… anyways, we're off-topic." She leaned in again, uncrossing her arms as she pointed at him with one hand while the other hand slapped the surface of the table to get his attention. "Now listen here, I don't want you running around stealing from all of these gangsters anymore. Scratch that: I don't want you stealing, period."
Naruto arched a brow and said, "Stealing? What the hell? I don't steal from anyone! What do you take me for, Big Sis? Some little thief?"
Narrowing her eyes, Lin Beifong muttered, "Little kid, little squirt, little brat… however you want to put it.
"OK, well, whatever."
"Promise me," Beifong said, looking at him seriously.
Naruto's poker face suddenly dropped like a brick wall collapsing. He looked at her seriously for a moment before saying, "I… I can't promise you…"
"Naruto, please…"
Lin Beifong was not ready for him to stand up and slam his hands down on the table, "It's the only way I know how to live, alright! Don't take this away from me… I already promised someone special that I would think about the consequences of my actions before I did them!"
"Well," Lin scoffed, glaring back at the young boy to match the glare that he was giving her, "Did you stop and think about the owner of that shop that was wrecked? I haven't gone to assess the damage, but I'm sure it's going to come out to a lot! What, you didn't think through that far ahead?"
Naruto's glare was rock-steady. He crossed his arms and sat back down, pouting, "I did think that far… trust me, it's going to get taken care of."
Beifong rolled her eyes, "Whatever kid. You are just trying to justify this bad act of yours. Well, it's not working. You ought to know better than to be stealing from people, especially when you have someone like me who-"
"Who what, huh?!" Naruto yelled, an ugly scowl on his face. "Someone… like you… who's caring for me? Watching out for me? Well fuck you, you old hag. I don't need your damn help or your damn ramen!" He then stood up and walked right out of the ramen shop while Lin just rubbed her temples at his loud outburst in the middle of the restaurant.
"Shit kid… you talk that big talk and you still walk out on the bill…" She rolled her eyes and leaned over onto one palm, balancing her increasingly heavy head with her arm as she stared off into the distance.
"Is everything alright?" asked a young waitress who walked up with the bill in hand.
"Yeah yeah, just drop the bill and leave me alone for a second…" After a few seconds, Lin Beifong sighed and said, "I'm sure he was just making a big deal out of it so that he could skip out on paying. What a little shit."
Laughing, Lin paid the check and walked out, heading over to find out what was going to happen with that shop that was wrecked.
oOo
Ok, now she was having a fucking headache.
"So… wait a second… you're saying that someone paid for the damages?"
"Yeah, and get this, the shop owner said that the stand that was knocked down didn't have any merchandise on it, so none of it except this glass and wood display piece was actually broken. Oh, and one figurine, but he said that it was inexpensive… something around 10 Yuans. I think he said that he received about three thousand Yuans… should we confiscate it as evidence?"
Lin Beifong frowned and rolled her eyes, "No, I do not think that is necessary… I'm going to talk to the shop keeper. Did you already get a written statement to cover our hides?"
"Yessir! First thing I got. Uhm, he said that the money came in through that window up there by the way, hanging from a string."
Rolling her eyes, Beifong walked outside of the shop and climbed up the cobble steps until she was peeking in through the small window that was near the floor of the level she stood on. She looked at the dirt ground and saw two little wavy prints that she was pretty sure matched the size of the blond brat.
"So… he really did have it covered." Lin smirked and swept her foot over the footprints on the floor before walking back around and downstairs to talk with the shopkeeper.
oOo
Naruto sat at a bar with his left hand popping cashews into his mouth from a small bowl sitting on the treated pine. He looked over at his 'friend' and said, "Hey, are you done drinking yet? You told me that you were going to show me how to paint the female figure."
The white haired old dog smirked and leaned over, saying, "Well my boy, you certainly came to the right man! I am the legendary, masterful, erotic, stoic, rambunctious and scrumdiddlyumptious Master Jiraiya! No one knows more about the womanly figure than myself, inside and out!"
Groaning, Naruto said, "Whatever, you perverted old fart. I haven't been taking this art classes with you to tag along on your little binge-drinking adventures. I'm here because you said you could paint and that you were offering classes on how to paint women."
Jiraiya smirked and reached over for a bottle of beer, saying, "Listen, kid, why do you even want to know how to draw women anyways? You don't strike me as the type of guy who is into the artsy smartsy stuff. Maybe, at most, some doodling but…" He rolled his shoulders and made a face that said, Well, I guess even fish want to fly… otherwise why the hell do they jump so high anyways? I'm pretty sure that saying ends bad… not sure, don't remember all of it.
And Naruto saw every bit of that expression and could read it like fucking pamphlet. "Hey, quit trying to think so hard or you're going to blow a fuse in there." Naruto pointed up at the old man's skull and said, "It must be hard for your old ass heart to keep pumping blood to your brain since you're so tall… and most of it is probably going to your groin anyways."
Rolling his eyes, Jiraiya smacked the kid on the top of the head with his beer bottle as he turned around in his seat and stood up. Chugging back the drink, Jiraiya was oblivious to Naruto's furious slew of curse words that he spat at the old man, trying to get his attention to get him to apologize for smacking him on the head.
"Thank you for the drinks, Gai, keep my youthful tab open, will ya?" Jiraiya asked, grinning widely at the bowl-cut wearing man who was busy pouring drinks while doing a handstand with only a single hand while he used the other to pour.
"Ha! Yes, Master Jiraiya! Please come back and join us and our youthful bar again soon… ah! Lee! Get away from that bottle! I told you to wipe down the tables, not drink people's leftovers!"
Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed what was left of the cashews in the small bowl before following Jiraiya out of the bar.
"You're not gonna pay him back are you?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes at the old fart.
"Meh, whenever I get some extra cash I will. I've been going there for a while and he hasn't asked me for it yet, so whatever."
Naruto glared. "You're exploiting his kindness… I should bust your kneecaps."
Jiraiya smirked, "You think you're tough shit, don't you, kid? I'll have you know that I was a mean old toad back in the day. Well, mean… spry tadpole, I guess, but I'm definitely a … eh… huh, guess I didn't think that one all of the way through."
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Whatever. You're an artist. What the hell do you know about living out on the streets you old coot?"
Jiraiya chuckled and said, "I guess you're right about that, you spry tadpole you."
The troublesome duo walked for the longest time in the dark until finally they stopped in front of a three story building with red lights coming from inside.
"Where the hell are we?"
"Oh-ho! So little Naruto doesn't know about this place, does he?"
"Not really." Naruto looked around and then glared at the old man. "You better not be trying anything, you perverted old shit."
"Quit cussing, you don't get bigger balls doing it, kid."
Crossing his arms, Naruto looked away and said, "I'll cuss if I want to fucking cuss, you fat piece of fuck with melted cunt hair on top."
Bonking him on the head, Jiraiya laughed sinisterly as he crept into the building just before throwing his arms out above his head in a loud gesture as he called out, "Ladies! Your almighty Lord Jiraiya has come back to rescue you from the tyranny of these sad and lonely men!"
"Jiraiya!" "Master Jiraiya!" "Ji-ji!"
"Agh! Hey, listen, I fucking hate when you call me Ji-ji, Anko! Quit that shit, alright?"
Naruto elbowed the old man in the rib and said, "Your balls must be as big as they were when you were born. Scratch that, they're probably all old and shriveled up by now and they look like raisins barely hanging in there on the vine."
Jiraiya glared and said, "Oi, listen up kid. If you keep talking about my junk I'm going to whip it out and scar you for life, because these balls are so big and juicy you won't be able to tell if they're testicles or fucking grapefruits! Just ask any of these pretty ladies here."
"Ji-ji!" Anko smirked and wrapped her arms around his waist as she crashed into him, "It's been so long… why were you gone for so long? Did you travel the world like you said you would?"
"Yes cutie-pie, and guess what? I even brought you a little gift!"
Anko squealed and started searching under his coat, saying, "Where? Where is it? A souvenir? From where?"
Naruto just stared at the two of them as Jiraiya smirked back at him and said, not looking away from the blond as he raised his eyebrows together to accentuate the knowing look. "Oh, you'll see. They're nice and big too, and juicy."
Slapping his face, Naruto just shook his head and said, "Listen, old man, how are we supposed to study a woman's figure here? Do you even have any painting supplies?"
"Jeez kid… you're denser than a freaking meteorite aren't you? Don't you worry. Just leave that up to Master… no, Lord Jiraiya!"
Laughing out loud, Jiraiya picked Anko up and swung her around before landing her back on her feet and leaning in close to her ear. He whispered very specific directions to her and the blushing young woman smiled and said, "You got it, Ji-ji, but it's gonna cost you!"
"Oh, money isn't an issue tonight, my sweet little daffodil."
Blegchkk! Naruto opened his mouth and made like he was going to force himself to throw up.
Smirking, Jiraiya watched as Anko walked off and Naruto walked up to him.
"So what is going on then?"
Jiraiya smirked and said, "Shhh… just… enjoy the moment… and watch."
The nameless establishment was not very well known by the criminal underworld, as it was privately owned by a woman who never showed her face and never allowed just any customer in. Many of the escorts and entertainers here were benders as well, making this a ridiculously difficult place to try and start anything funny in. And when an order was given, that was that and anything could happen. Jiraiya even remembered witnessing a murder here, but he knew no one was ever going to say anything. Not if they valued their lives and those of their loved ones.
Right now, however, there were probably close to forty patrons in the entire building, first, second and third floors. What Naruto saw next stole his breath away.
Suddenly, every man who had come to partake in these women's services, whether they be important politicians or criminal druglord, was kicked out without another word. Some of them tried to complain, but they reminded them just who they were dealing with. After all, the other thing that made this place so dangerous was that, to partake, one had to give up all important personal information including address, date of birth, citizen identification number and all other pertinent information.
Naruto would have wondered if he had to give anything, but apparently Jiraiya was well liked in the establishment, so the young boy was treated as a special guest and never actually found out about the stringent requirements of this particular brothel.
The blond watched as the last of them scurried out of the brothel, some of them naked still and pulling on articles of clothing as they hobbled outside the door. Naruto turned to look at Jiraiya for a second until he saw the white haired man pointing back at the door.
When Naruto turned to look again he blushed at the sight in front of him. Over twenty-five women, each gorgeous and intriguing in their own distinct ways, lined up along the door as the lock was clicked shut. Naruto couldn't help himself, he just pointed at three random girls and said, "OK, you, you and you. Oh, and you… and you and… oh my god… you. You. And you… Jiraiya, can I have all of them…? Please? I'll carry your balls from now on in a bucket if you let me. You've got balls so big that I swear you could use them to keep you afloat out on the sea."
"That's right, you little shit. And don't you forget it!" Jiraiya grinned and waved the girls over as they surrounded the two men and led them away into a private lounge in the back with a stage in the center.
Naruto wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I knew it. I died in my sleep this morning didn't I? I thought it was a nightmare, this whole day, but then… this… and the stage and the women and the… oh my god, are those two kissing?"
Jiraiya smirked and dropped down onto the center of the very long couch and groaned as Anko sat right on his lap and three other girls surrounded him, talking into his ear and asking him what he wanted to drink or if he required any special services that night.
When a pretty black haired girl with chocolate brown eyes came up to him and said, "You're too cute… I bet you've never seen these before."
Naruto, of course, kept his poker face on the entire time as she unbuttoned her blouse and let the twins out for his personal inspection. He only said, "Nope… never seen anything like that before… never. Gotta look closer… closer…"
oOo
Needless to say, they spent that night learning everything there was to know about the human figure. In the back of his mind, Naruto thought that maybe he should be worried about just how this was all going to be paid for but… nah, Jiraiya was good for it, right?
They tried to paint, they really did. But most of the paint missed the canvas somehow and ended up on the models. How odd.
oOo
In two years, Naruto was a master painter and had a tongue built for persuasion. He learned many things under Jiraiya's tutelage, but one of the most interesting things that he learned how to do was forgery.
Naruto spent the next three years, from age sixteen to eighteen, learning how to forge signatures, bank notes, wills and testaments, search warrants, medicine prescriptions and other things. Even counterfeiting Yuans became a meaningful hobby to him for a while.
Meanwhile, he also honed his pickpocketing skills further, learning how to swipe coins without even having to really squeeze his palm. He learned about misdirection and about the power of suggestion, about the formula that was required to instill both joy and fear into someone's heart. Naruto had ascended past the label of the 'thief' and was now a pocket assassin. He pinched whole crowds without even a single witness, and could even steal the shirt off of someone's back if he was really motivated to do it.
Naruto's painting ability actually drew in some funds for him to get started on living on honest life, but he found that the more he tried to get away from his past as a scoundrel the harder it pulled him right back.
He didn't mind that, really. He just wanted to live his life in quiet and away from the groups that he knew would ruin his life. He visited Yuu from time to time, but she moved on. Apparently she told her father about the rape and the police couldn't do anything about it. Naruto still felt obliged to the young woman for ruining that portion of her life, and possibly the rest of the life that she had left by making the mistake of leading her to that house.
Naruto always hoped that one day Yuu would love him, as he loved her. But the more he visited, the more obvious it was that she had become just more and more hollow. He tried bringing it up once, telling her how he felt, but his tongue flip-flopped in his mouth and tied itself up into a knot and he couldn't say anything. He held her hand and listened to her when she told him she was going to move away from Republic City. Her father had recently passed away and she had no reason to stay there. She decided that she was going to move back to her home with her family and see if she couldn't start a new life there.
She even asked him to join her, and Naruto realized at that moment that this was his chance for him to find happiness with her. To settle down and get away from the terrible life that he had led, because leading a girl to her rapist wasn't the worst thing he had done in his life.
Naruto gave her his most sincere smile and declined. She said she'd miss him, but knew that he wouldn't be able to go with her. She just wanted to 'put it out there'.
When she was gone, so was Naruto's ambition. All of the energy and spark that Naruto had fled Republic City with that beautiful, yet tragic young woman. He did give up 'the life' for a short while. That is, until the anti-bending movement, known as the Equalist Movement, shifted the underworld into a whole new dynamic that no one had ever imagined before. Then, a few months after the 'Movement' went public, Avatar Korra made her announcement in Republic City.
oOo
Author: Hey there. Hope you like my new story. I am not done with Gilded Hero, but I really needed to get this dark out before I could start putting the funny back in (Notice it start to come back with Jiraiya? Lol). Otherwise, I'd make Gilded more than what it needs to be and I don't really want to do that.
This story is a 'drop Naruto and co' in TLOK universe and see what happens… except I have a good idea of where it's going and I don't plan on making this very long.
Please let me know what you think of Naruto and his 'abilities'. I didn't want to make him a bender because I think that sets up for a formula that I will eventually have to follow to make sense of the story (like I would in Gilded because he's so freaking strong after that point in the Manga).
I tried to think what he would be like without the 'Kyuubi' (note: sort of) and in a world where all he wants is to find something to hold onto. Yuu was going to be that something, but to make the story interesting I've thrown her out of the picture for now. I believe her actions after the act were the only thing that she could do, because she's the good hearted type of person who didn't see Naruto only a 'monster', and rather realized that he was also a victim of the world in which he lives in. Calling him a monster was also a parallel to the actual series where all of the adults in Konoha seem to think that he is the Kyuubi, the Killer 9 tailed fox, and not Naruto, an orphan boy just trying to find someone to latch onto.
I even gave Naruto his self-defense mechanisms that he seemed to have in the beginning of the original series where he acts out and does certain things, and I feel like I justified his mantra of staying true to his word and not backing down and all that, which he shows some of with Beifong.
Anyways, thank you for reading, sorry for the long note, but I also want to express that if you have any questions then people ask them in a review or go to ~NarutoLovesKorra on deviantArt and ask me there :) We have some cool artwork if you guys want to take a look and favorite/watch us there too :D!