Naruto leaned against a stone chimney, watching as the pretty girl in white spoke with several men in suits of armor. Naruto had seen a few squads of them as he shadowed the female, coming to the assumption that these soliders were some kind of military police force. Interesting honestly.
There was one that drew his attention the most however; A man, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties. He had red hair, kinda like Gaara though a lighter shade. A bit taller than average, standing at six even it looked. He was wearing a black suit onsomble, with a white over coat. He seemed fairly important, if the deference of the other soliders was anything to go by.
A straight sword sat at his hip, on the left hand side.
'Right handed huh?' Naruto mused to himself.
He also carried a very powerful aura, even suppressed Naruto could feel the energy flowing off the man in waves. Maybe he would be up for a spar later?
Naruto allowed a smirk to fall over his face. A wonderfully evil idea forming in his mind.
(On The Street Below)
Reinhard Van Astrea sighed for what felt like the dozenth time. Leave it up to Lady Emilia to be robbed on the ONE thing she should never lose.
He had listened to the recount of her foray into the alley way, along with the strange blond she met. The descrption she had on the blond and the suspect seemed to fit, but there had been other accounts that contradicted her statement.
It was suppose to be his day off dammit!
He should be at the pub! Or training! Hell even sleeping would be..
Reinhard tensed. His left hand gripped the sheath of the sword at his hip tightly, a cold sweat broke upon the back of his neck.
This power...this raw unbridled pressure...this...this...
And like that it was gone. Reinhard cast his eyes around, keeping half an ear on Lady Emilia. His eyes caught movenment on the roof above and he focused on the chimney stack.
It was a man in orange, he wore a bashful smile, one hand waving the other rubbing the back of his head in perceived enbarassment.
Had...had that force of will been his?!
"Reinhard...Reinhard!" Reinhard brought his eyes back to Lady Emilia, who had nearly shouted in his face.
"My apologies My Lady. I...saw something interesting..." Reinhard trailed off.
Emilia cast her eyes to the roof top in confusion, not seeing anyting there of particualr note.
"Yes well...do you think you could help me?" Lady Emilia clasped her hands infront of her face with a pitiful look.
Reinhard sighed once more.
(Back on the Roof)
'Uh...oops.' Naruto felt a little bad. He had wanted to test the man, not cripple him with fear. Still the fact that no one else noticed the red heads reaction spoke of the mans self control.
'All well, no harm done really.' Naruto chuckled good naturedly as the girl, he still needed to find out her name, hugged the swordsman, before taking off with the redhead in tow.
Naruto sat on the roof and began to think. He needed information. This place was unlike anywhere else he had seen, and considering he had traveled the world over, and several other dimension, that was saying something.
The Girl and the Redhead both looked regal, and might be a good source of worthwhile info, but that just left one issue.
How to get on their good side.
One thought he was a thief and he probably just gave the other a months worth of nightmare material.
Naruto gave a hapless shrug. Hindsight and all that.
'Maybe I can help that girl find out who stole from her?' A hand cupped Naruto's chin as he pursued that line of thought. The only other person he had any kind of contact with was that other girl from the alley.
She had also been dressed in orange.
"Well, it isn't much, but I've worked with less." Naruto said to himself before standing up to strech.
Time to act like a sleuth.
Naruto had to laugh a little, guess those information gathering skills Jiraya had taught him would come in handy after all.
~Relapse~
Naruto took in the sights of the city outskirts. It kinda reminded him of his home, literally. That run down building looked like his old apartment!
He had been searching the city for hours now, but finally had a solid lead. Hopefully the approaching night would mean the girl hadn't moved on yes.
This girl he was after, of which he had learned the name of as Felt, odd name that, was a slippery character. He had tracked down several possible locations, only for it to be a bust.
Right now he was heading to the last place on his list, and as cliché as it would be, he really hoped he found the girl. This was becoming tedious.
'How Pervy-Sage did this most his life, I'll never know.' Naruto mused, hands in pockets as he trudged up to a run down bar.
He stopped and stretched out his senses, and registered three scents recent to the area. One of which was his query. The other two were unknown's but Naruto doubted they would be much of an issue.
He followed the scent he had come to recognize as Felt up to the wooden door of the building. He gave a few sharp taps on the frame with his knuckles, only to have his eyes narrow as the door creeped open slowly.
'That smell..' Naruto slowly stepped back from the door and drew a kunai from his thigh holster. His right foot flew forward and ripped the door off its hinges as it disappeared into the darkened building.
Naruto raised his arms, slowly trudging into the darkness. 'Being able to sync with Kurama would be great right about now.'
While he had a slight ability in sensing without the additional power ups he had gained through out his life, this whole situation left Naruto wholly uneasy.
As he walked further into the room, the stench of blood he had smelled at the door grew stronger. As his eyes finally adjusted to the dark surroundings, his feet crunched down on a cluster of broken glass.
Naruto froze as the noise bounced of the walls, tensing in preparation.
He stayed frozen for another five seconds before moving forward.
The first body he found was of a large man. He lay slumped against what seemed to be a bar counter. One arm upturned and empty handed, clad in grey and brown clothes. Blood bathed the body, leaking from the neck, stomach, and where the man's forearm should be. Naruto kneeled before the man, his eyes scanning for any signs of life.
Whoever did this was vicious, effective. The removal of the arm just before the elbow was clean, and the other two gashes would be barely if not for the copious amount of blood.
The man's eyes stared blindly at nothing, his mouth tapped open in fear and pain.
Naruto softly closed the man's eyes, a trembling hand assisting in laying the mountian of a man on his side.
This...this was sick. Naruto had seen war. Seen death. It never seemed right to him, and it made him feel ill every time.
'Sorry I couldn't help you, old man.' Naruto stood and continued exploring the dark store, trying to find any clues on to what had occurred.
At least one dead, broken glass items and over turned tables.
Whatever had happened, a hell of a fight was the consequence.
Naruto froze as his eyes landed on the form of his target.
When Naruto had seen her in the alleyway, she had seemed bubbly. And from what he had learned on the street, she was a very bright young girl. A prankster and trouble-maker...
Now she looked like a scene from a horror movie. Her eyes were dull in death, blood pooled around her, the sources being her throat and stomach. A strange mirror of the old man at the bar.
Naruto ran his hands over the girls arms and legs, looking for any unseen injuries.
Broken wrist on the right hand, dislocated knee on the right leg. She had put up a fight, which means the perpetrator may be injured as well.
Naruto focused his eyes on the girls knuckles. Two broken fingers, brusining up and down the forearm on her left arm. The girl tried very hard to survive. All defensive wounds.
Naruto sighed as he closed the poor girls once vibrant red eyes.
"Go in peace, and let the burdens of the world no longer weigh on you." Naruto clasped his hands in a small prayer.
A shift in the air made Naruto roll back from his kneeling position, just as a wicked curved knife landed in the floor were he had been.
Coming up from his roll, Naruto brought his arms up in a defensive stance, legs lightly spread, his kunai in his right hand in a reverse grip, his left hand empty and at chest height.
The attacker was still here.
"Oh my oh my...aren't you quick?" A sultry voice whispered from the darkness. A woman came into view from the darkness of a corner, her hips swaying seductively. She was clad in a black dress, cut in a steep v that exposed her chest and stomach. Her black hair melded with the darkness around her, tied in a single tail that rested on her left shoulder. Her purple eyes drooped slightly, making her seem much more homely than the aura she gave off.
Naruto tightened the grip on his kunai, a sort of calm coming over him.
'This woman...she's dangerous.'
The woman slid her hands up her body, moaning slightly as she stared at Naruto. "Oh those eyes! So much intent. Did you know these two? Is that why you look at me with so much anger and disgust?" Bringing her hands to rest on her cheeks, a dark chuckle left her lips as an insane glint flashed in her eyes. "Don't worry, you'll meet them again soon!"
The woman took a step toward the short sword she had thrown at the blond, intent to end this soon. She had a meeting to get to after all~.
Naruto charged forward, he could see what she planned, and he would rather fight an unarmed opponent if given a choice. His right hand flashed forward and his kunai sliced the wind, a slight ringing leaving the weapon.
The woman jumped back as a chuckle of glee left her. "Fast indeed! Please give me a good fight Whiskers~." the woman gave a dark teasing smile as she pulled a second knife from her back.
'Damnit...' Naruto thought, hard to hand had never been his strong suit, and after the events of this morning, his chakra was still dismally depleted. Of all the days, bad luck seemed to be on his side now.
The woman speed toward the blond with speed that slightly caught the shinobi off guard. 'Fast!' Naruto narrowed his eyes as he ducked under the blade that aimed for his face, his own knife flashing up to catch the woman in retaliation.
A quick step back meant Naruto missed as well, both fighters took a step back, measuring their opponent as much as they could. As one they rushed back forward, blades meeting before them, showering the room in a flash of sparks. The woman's dark grin only grew as they attempted to over power each other.
"You aren't bad for a human Whiskers~." The woman spoke as she lept back and broke their clash. Naruto just raised an eyebrow, "You say that as if you aren't..." the blond tested. The shinobi has seen some fantastical creatures in his time around the city, but this woman, aside from her bloodlust, seemed fairly normal.
"Oh indeed Whiskers~, You see, I am a vampire." The woman gave a flourishing bow, and swung her arm out. "Elsa Granhiert, at your service." She stood, and slowly brought her knife before her face, her tongue sneaking out and sliding along the blade.
Naruto shuddered at the look in her eyes. With her eyes and dress, she could be another Anko!
A taunting grin crossed the blond's face. He could never resist a good introduction. Naruto threw his kunai with speed and precision, immediately replacing it with another from his pouch, already sure the woman had moved. "Call me Naruto." The blond spoke casual, as if he hadn't just tried to impale the woman.
"Oh my oh my. So cruel, to try and harm a lady such as my self." The woman pressed the back of her free hand to her forehead in a faux impression of fainting. Naruto just shook his head ruefully. This woman was crazy, no doubt about it.
Everything froze as the room was bathed in candle light, a soft voice crying out into the room. "Hello! Is anyone here?"
"Shit! Run! Get out of here!" Naruto screamed to the door way, his eyes leaving his opponent for a split second, movement in the corner of his left eye warned him of his mistake. His kunai came up and stopped the blade that had flown at him, and as he prepared to counter, he froze in horrified realization.
She had thrown the knife!
"Fuck!" Naruto turned to the door to see the demented woman already halfway to her next victim, and Naruto reacted as he always did when someone else was in danger.
Without thinking.
"Gah!" Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood, a grimace coming to his face. He should have figured that...the woman's hand had slid through his flesh and bone like butter, her sharp nails shined in the pale moonlight of the door way with his blood.
"Are...are you...okay?" Naruto asked, even as he griped the wrist of the hand that had pierced his lung. Darkness filled his vision already, and he knew he was spent. 'Damn...if all the days for Kurama to...' another mouthful of blood left him, as he pulled the wrist forward a little, then violently snapped it, bringing a cry from the vampire behind him. Naruto swung his left elbow back and cleanly connected with his assailants neck in a feat of acrobatics. A sharp crack was his reward.
The dead weight of the woman brought Naruto to his knees before the arm slipped from the new hole in his chest.
A rough cough brought him to his hands and knees, even as a voice cried out to him. He couldn't really make out what was being said. 'It's probably the blood loss...' Naruto was rolled to his back, and his head was rested against something soft. He opened his eyes long enough to see silver bathed in moonlight, pale skin and purple blue eyes gazed into his own. He assumed it was his blood splashed along the soft face above him.
"Hey...you're...that girl..." Naruto began softly.
"Don't talk! This is a serious wound! Puck can you help him?" The sorrowful and worried voice of the girl from early panicked as the small cat from before once appeared before the blond.
"Lia-tan...you know I.." the soft cat spirit spoke to the girl softly. It was already almost midnight..even if he could help, the mana she had used just to summon him was staggering...to heal a wound like this might kill the girl. He wouldn't...couldn't do that.
"Hey...you're the...weird cat...Pack?" Naruto raised a hand weakly and scratched the cheek of the grey feline.
"Puck...my name is Puck..." the feline spoke, a deep sorrow in his voice. This stranger had just taken a blow meant for his Emilia. For no other reason than just because from what he could tell.
He had protected her...just for the sake of protecting her.
"Man...this really...fucking hurts..." blood leaked from Naruto's chest freely. He knew he would pass out soon, the fact he was still conscious was still amazing in of itself.
Water splashed along his face, and Naruto rolled his eyes to the face above him. 'Hey...she's crying...' "what's...wrong?" Naruto forced out as his eyes closed slowly. Just some rest. That's all he needed. A little rest.
"Why...why did you do that? Why did you get in the way?" The girls sobbing voice caressed his ears. No one had ever done something like that for her. He didn't know her, the only conversation they had ever had, she had accused him of theft! So why!
"What...do you mean?" Naruto asked, his head sliding slightly in confusion. Why wouldn't he?
"I'm a half-elf! I accused you of a crime! I tried to attack you! So why?!" She held the blond's head like one would a new born, cradling the blond softly.
Her crying stopped as a finger poked her in the cheek. She opened her watery eyes and looked at the blond in shock.
He wore a bloody smile, his eyes still closed. "What kind of man would I be if I let such a pretty girl get hurt...hehe." The blond coughed roughly after, splattering blood on his face.
"Ya know...I never...introduced myself. I'm...Naruto..." the hand that had poked Emilia dropped to the ground, the strength in his arm leaving him.
'So...this is what normal people feel like when their hurt...' Naruto though in slight wonder. Usually, Kurama and his own chakra would already be at work healing him, but his reserves were still low from reforming the seal, and Kurama hadn't responded all day. 'Is this how I die?'
Naruto felt his smile widen a little. It was kind of a let down. Killed by some crazy vampire in the dead of night. Who would have thought?
"At least...it's in the arms of a pretty girl..." Naruto mumbled softly.
"What? What did you say?" The girl questioned in desperation. If he had any last words, she HAD to hear them. She owed him that!
"Hey...what's...your name?" Naruto asked as his breathing began to slow. The silver haired girl looked at Naruto in confusion, only for her tear stained face to soften.
She hadn't even given her name to the man that took a fatal would for her.
"It's Emilia..." she whispered to the blond softly, slowly lowering her forhead to his. Her tears began flowing with renewed vigor. She felt so useless..
"Emilia...huh...it's...pretty.." Naruto breathed out as the rise and fall of his chest stopped.
"Naruto..." Emilia kept her forehead pressed to his, trying to will the blond to breathe. "Naruto!" She tried calling to him again, hoping for any kind of reply.
"NARUTO!"
The still darkness of the night was her only answer.
~Relapse~
Naruto drew in a sharp gasp as his eyes flashed open. He took in his surroundings in shock and surprise. The alley way...
Naruto looked around and patted himself down. He...seemed okay. Was...was that all a dream?
"Look what we have here boys..." a voice drew Naruto's attention to three men that had entered the alley way.
Wait a minute..
"Didn't I curb stomp you idiots already?" Naruto asked blandly as he pointed at the three.
"What was that you little shit!" The big one shouted as he rushed forward to lay the blond smart ass on his back.
He was folded of Naruto's fist like a lawn chair.
"Yeah...it sorta went like this didn't it?" Naruto said, mostly to himself. He ducked back as a knife flashed before his face, before grabbing the extended wrist, using his other hand to collapse the elbow and drive the knife into the wielders own opposite shoulder. Well, that's big and ugly, and weird and skinny down.
Naruto looked at the diminutive man, who once again coward against the wall. "Boo."
"Ahhhh!" The short man tore out of the alley, shrieking all the way.
"Huh...maybe it was like a premonition?" Naruto took up a thinking pose, only to snap his fingers. 'That means!'
Just then, the same girl as before landed in the alley, only to glance around in shock. "Damn~, what happened here?" The girl asked in surprise. Looks like a street fight.
"Hey! Your name is Felt right?" Naruto asked as he pointed at the girl. She looked at th blond in shock. How did he get so close!?
"Ahh...uh...whose asking!?" The girl, stumped on how to reply at first, quickly became defensive.
"Oh! I'm Naruto, nice ta meet ya, nice vest by the way." Naruto replied, easing back a little. It seems what ever he had seen was true, but slightly different...which means this girl may or may not be the thief from his...whatever it was. "Say, did you happen to steal something from a silver-haired girl?"
Naruto was many things. Subtle is not one of them.
Felt's eyes widened, before she jumped up to the roof and sped away. Naruto watched her go, more put out than anything. She could have at least answered. "Hmm well, I guess she did then. Innocent people tend not to run. If that's the case at least I know where she'll be at some point today...anyway...next!" Naruto pointed at the alley entrance, and was greeted by the surprised face of Emilia, one that quickly turned to anger!
"Oh yeah...she thinks I stole her whatever..." Naruto mumbled to himself.
"Are you the thief!?" The half-elf shouted. And Naruto was hit with a sense of déjà vu. So somethings were different, but others were the same? What caused the changes though?
"Ahhh I think you have me mistaken. Your name is Emilia right?" Naruto asked, a soft smile crossing his face. He was probably freaking strangers out by knowing their names, but it was kinda fun.
"How do you know me Stranger?" The girl demanded her hands coming forth, seemingly ready to attack. Naruto just raised his hands in a placating motion, trying to defuse the tension in the girl.
"Maa, maa, would you believe me if I told you we met in a dream I had? It was pretty cool if I'm honest."
Well, at least she didn't look ready to attack anymore. Though she still seemed suspicious.
"What do you know of me Stranger?" Emilia asked, lowering her arms slowly. He didn't SEEM dangerous...though the groaning men in the alley did throw her off.
Naruto followed her eyes and waved his hands franticly. "Ah! That wasn't my fault, they tried to mug me see? Hahah.."
"I see...you didn't answer my question." She would ignore it for now, if for no other reason than to find out why he knew her name.
"Not much actually. Just your name and that your a half-elf? I'm guessing anyway. Never met an elf before so that's cool. Oh! And you have a summon named Puck. He's very soft and grey." Naruto spoke as he nodded sagely. That was about all he knew of the girl in his dream anyway...was it different here?
Emilia just looked at the blond in surprise. He may not know much, but what he did know wasn't common knowledge either. How peculiar.
"Maa, Lia-tan, it seems I have an admirer." A flash of light revealed the small cat in question. He was curious about this young man as well. He held the taint of the Witch on him...but he acted very carefree. Most of the Witches followers were deranged, so to see someone so normal was...odd.
"Ah there he is!" Naruto rushed forth and started to pet the cat generously, and soon enough, it was a puddle of fur in his hands.
Emilia just looked on at the odd sight. It was strange that the blond could even touch Puck! Perhaps he was a spirit user as well?
"Ah the thief!" Emilia screamed and made to run off, only for Naruto to grab her wrist and stop her. She looked back to yell at him, but stopped at the charismatic smile on his face.
"Oh don't worry, the girl you're looking for is named Felt. I can take you to where she'll be later in the day." 'And hopefully get everyone out of this alive.' Nauto didn't see the cat in his free hand look at him strangely.
"How...do you know that?" Emilia asked, shock clear on her face.
"Well, everything else in my dream has been pretty accurate, so I'm assuming this will as well." Naruto went back to scratching the cats head, and began to exit the alley at a sedate pace. Emilia followed suit, confused at the blond's attitude.
"Say, do you know a guy with Red hair and straight sword? Has a really cool coat and is right handed?"
"Ah...Maybe?" The half-elf replied, this boy was very strange!
Naruto just nodded as they entered the market distract, hands still ideally combing Puck's fur. He may need the back up if his dream/vision/weird thing was true. That vampire was strong, and with him feeling as spent as he did...back up would be the safest bet.
Maybe he could ask the red head for a spar after all was said and done?
"Say, what did that girl steal anyway?" Naruto looked at his traveling companion of the moment, only to tilt his head in confusion at the embarrassed blush and indigent look that crossed her face.
With a huff, Emilia launched into an explanation on who she was.
A.N. Yo! So update here. Before anyone starts railing, Naruto does the way he did because of a few factors. Low chakra, no healing from Kurama, and self-sacrifiual tendencies. This will only happen maybe two or three more times through out the story, depending on how I need to appease the source material, Re:Zero. It won't be a lack of skill, but something that sorta needs to happen to save other important characters. He WILL NOT be dying against Elsa again, of that you can be sure. Eventually, his powers and stuff will be back, probably around the hakugei arc. And I do mean all of them. The story will diverge about from here on out, so get ready for some fuckery. I'm a bit disappointed in the fight scene, but I've never been good at those, so any advice is appreciated. Other than that, tell me what ya think!
DarkStar, out!