Greetings!
Some minor format changes, sorry!
"The moments of peace we find sometimes are nothing but warfare thinly disguised. And sometimes surrender can be as savage as any attack." Takeshi Kovacs
Helicopter bladed spun rapidly, calm golden crosses clashed with cold cyan blue orbs.
Naruto Uzumaki and an unknown woman. She looked dangerous, her face was sharp, her eyes deadly serious with her hair tied into a high ponytail that went to her lower back.
She had several weapons on her person, two revolvers on the waist, another on the left ankle, a knife on the right, two short swords on her back and an utility belt filled with unknown goodies .
But that wasn't the main attraction, oh no. That honor belonged her chest, which was so large that the suit she wore did a horrendous job in containing them.
Naruto whistled. "{What's your deal? That outfit looks awfully tight. Can't be comfortable.}
She tilted her head.
'If she is like me then she should recognize our native language, because back home we only had one language, we never thought about actually naming it. If only she wasn't so far, I could maybe get a better read from her.'
Even with eyes a tad bit beyond of the capabilities of the people of this realm, he still had to squint them to see her silhouette and general posture.
'Maybe I should attack… no wait, here she comes.'
The woman charged him at speeds that were barely visible to the human eye. She leaped high into the sky, energy accumulating in her fists, a guaranteed disintegration for any regular human..
Unfortunately for her, Naruto was the farthest thing from a regular human.
He sidestepped and she struck the floor, cracking the ground and creating a large shockwave. Such was the strength that the nearest house collapsed from the tremors.
Yet he was unfazed.
"{Can you understand me?}" He asked with a calm voice, raising his arm just in time to block a punch with his forearm.
A shockwave occurred and their eyes met.
Ice blue to sky blue. Cold Detachment to a playful warmth
'Something about her is familiar.'
His eyes travelled south, something that didn't go unnoticed.
'Definitely familiar.'
She stepped back and drew her swords, coating them with her aura.
"Those look sharp..."
She swiped at his head and then at his waist, but he moved around both attacks and tripped her.
"Not much of a talker are you? Kinda rude to attack while someone's talking…" he lifted his foot to avoid a foot swipe. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're trying to kill me…"
Seeing that her efforts were fruitless, she sheathed her blade, drew one of her revolvers and shot him in the stomach.
His eyes widened and he clutched his stomach.
She shot again and he dodged, kneed her on the gut making her bend over.
"Not cool." He grabbed by the ankle, lifted her up to the air and slammed her onto the ground, leaving a crater in the ground. "Seriously not cool at all."
He repeated this several times before he sent her flying with a single vicious kick.
A shockwave resounded from the kick, she corrected her flight path before skidding backwards to come to a complete stop
The proverbial light bulb lit up over his head.
"Oh wait, I remember now, you're {Samui}!"
"{Samui}?" The woman got into a stance, although it didn't seem like it would hold up to much. "I know none with that name."
Her legs were shaking, her aura had dimmed and her breathing had become shallow.
Meanwhile several soldiers rappelled from the helicopters.
"Huh, strange. For some reason, I can sense you telling the truth." He became downtrodden. "Who are you then?"
"I am Nike."
"Aha, okay then Nike I'm sorry to cut this meeting short but I have other things to do." Naruto cracked his neck. "If I were to be honest, I confess I'm a bit disappointed.."
"Sorry I didn't meet your expectations."
"Not your fault, I should have expected as such… oh that was sarcasm." He sighed and gave a small smile then shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Time to get this over with!"
He charged and the helicopters and soldiers opened fire. Thanks to his speed outrunning their guns wasn't a problem. In two seconds he'd cross half the distance between them, on the third second he was just about reaching her when…
She fell to her knees and coughed blood.
He stopped and tilted his head until his he noticed something on her hand.
'Uh-oh.'
She threw it at him and it exploded in the air in a bright flash of light.
A flash grenade…
He protected his face with his arms and jumped away. The firing continued and he felt some of the bullets bounce off of his skin and others sink in.
'I feel several different calibers. The soldiers bullets are small, I hardly feel them, the helicopter munitions hurt but don't penetrate me, it is the woman's that is a threat… this is more like it!'
Having been shot three times in the chest and once in the leg, upon landing he backflipped to avoid further damage
Nike stopped shooting to reload and Naruto launched himself at her.
She rolled out of the way and narrowly avoided him, making him in punch the ground where she stood. A punch that shook the ground with such violence that the surrounding soldiers fell from the tremor.
Seeing Nike from the corner of her eyes he noticed her to have a large smirk on her face.
The reason behind that smirk came in the shape of several disks spread around Naruto.
"Fuck."
-Meanwhile-
Brown and green eyes watched as the two titans lashed out at one another.
Following Naruto's advice to get out, Erza and the now awake scientist had escaped and fled to the woods where they watched the fight.
Erza had grabbed some curtains and made a makeshift bag to put everything she could be find of use in the house. A bag that is now over her left shoulder, Matsu's arm over her right one.
The scientist seemed pretty normal for someone that worked at the facility, although they hadn't talked much after noticing the fighting going on in the distance.
It was something that came straight of the comics, something they didn't think they'd ever witness in their wildest dreams.
"W-what are they?" The scientist stated as she observed the ongoing battle, trying to wrap her mind around the power the combatants
"i don't know, maybe mutants, or aliens." Erza squinted her eyes.
"Could they be some kind of mutated infected, I recall reading something the files about several mutated strains?"
"He wasn't bitten when we found him, and we'd all be dead if that were true."
"Right…" Matsu glanced down at her leg. "I still have to thank him for this. Hadn't he cut it off I probably wouldn't be around anymore, or at least not alive."
"You'll get a chance lat- damn she fights dirty..."
"Yeah, c'mon start fighting seriously!"
In the distance the woman had drawn her gun and shot him in the stomach him.
Both flinched when the sound reached their ears. Then he grabbed her ankle and began to slam her body back and forth into the ground like he was attempting to drive in a nail, it reminded Erza of a scene in a movie she watched involving a "puny god" and a not so jolly green giant.
"He's mad now..."
"He's brutal…" Matsu looked on wide-eyed.
"He certainly is…"
For a second Matsu felt that Erza was admiring him. Glancing to the side she saw that the woman absently licked her lips, unsettling the scientist a small amount.
The combatants slowed down their battle, it seemed that they were talking to each other.
"You think they know each other?"
"They might, from wherever they came from…" Erza narrowed her eyes as the troops surrounding the blond man got into position. "He might be in trouble now."
"What makes you say that?" The auburn scientist raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't seem pressured. He probably has some sort of trump card hidden in his sleeves."
They open fired and he blitzed towards the woman avoiding the bullets. For the brief seconds he ran following him with their eyes was like following a race car on a track.
But as abruptly as he a started to run, he stopped when she began to cough blood.
Then a flash of light.
Erza shared a look with the scientist. "That bitch fights dirty."
"And he's too nice. If he keeps holding back like that then she'll kill him!" Matsu groaned in pain. "C'mon idiot, beat that skank up!"
The woman and all the surrounding soldiers and helicopters opened fire at him.
"C'mon idiot, move!"
As if hearing her, he backflipped away then launched towards her soaring through the air.
It was a trap. The woman jumped away when Naruto landed in her place, creating a massive explosion.
-Back to the Fight-
Smoke and dust engulfed the battleground from the explosion.
Nike rolled away.
The helicopters descended and the blades fanned away the smoke to reveal a standing silhouette.
"Tch… still not down." Nike got up and opened fire at the silhouette.
The helicopters ascended once more.
Nothing happened.
The smoke cleared to reveal him relatively unharmed. His clothing was mostly blown away, his skin had first degree burns and he was bleeding from the earlier shots she fired.
Click. Click.
Dammit, guns empty..
He extended his hand and opened it. Several silver bulletheads fell to the ground.
"Silver bullets, you imbued them with your energy, that's why they can hurt me. Very interesting." Naruto cracked his neck. "Still, I'll give you a C for effort and teaching me something new."
His skin peeled off to reveal unblemished skin.
"What the hell are you…"
"I'm {Naruto Uzumaki} or in the closest translation of Japanese, Naruto. Pity there isn't an equivalent to my family, surprising that there is for my first name at all. Heck I think it's funny that Japan has the sushi type I was named after." His hands opened and closed. "Now I'm done holding back. Nike or {Samui}, you're going down bitch."
Crimson aura seeped through his skin and disintegrated everything on his person, leaving him naked and impossibly clean. His skin became a tone or two lighter and the surroundings and floor began to melt and cave in due to the corrosive energy.
The helicopters and surrounding soldiers opened fire.
Thousands of bullets were rained upon him, but it was all for nought for they disintegrated upon contact.
The woman stared at him with a tint of red on her face.
His aura expanded and tripled in size creating a protective circle of crimson flames around him. Dwarfing the woman's own aura several times over.
The flamelike aura danced with the wind and pulsed along with his breathing.
"It feels good to finally let loose. You're the first like me that I've encountered so far and I've been wanting to know." Naruto frowned and glanced down. "Do you also get that feeling? An intense anger, an inner rage pounding at your chest just begging to be unleashed?"
She didn't answer, but from a look that she gave Naruto understood that she hadn't a clue on what he was talking about.
"I see… so it's just me. What a shame, turns out we aren't alike after all." He lifted his arms over his head. "I can't hold back any more than this without giving into my rage."
His eyes gleamed maliciously. "So do try your hardest not to die, ne?"
He brought his hands down and a wave of flames was sent towards the woman, carving a path of destruction as it went.
Nike responded by erecting a hexagonal barrier using her aura.
Wave struck barrier and an enormous explosion ensued, making the surrounding helicopters crashed forming several other explosions.
'Whoops, think I might have overdone it.'
His aura vanished.
There was absolutely nothing around the blonde in a fifty meter radius, the only existence of the skirmish was scattered debris from the crashed helicopters and a deep groove in the ground that seemed to be about a mile long.
Everything else was for a lack of a better word, erased.
-with Erza and Matsu-
A wave of pressure pushed them back and a large crimson flame covered him.
It was hard to look at, but at the same time hard to look away. The flames lit up the ground like a second sun, replacing the one setting in the horizon.
Flames colored as dark as Erza's hair, majestically pulsing with the wind and his breathing. Consuming everything around him including the ground beneath.
"Hey, you're seeing this too right?" Matsu adjusted her glasses.
Erza wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and blinked twice. "I am, its beautiful…"
A wave surged from the flame and the woman focused her aura into a barrier.
Wave struck barrier and a blinding light ensued, forcing the two bystanders to shield their eyes.
*BOOM!*
One deafening explosion occurred, followed by several others.
'What on earth was that?!' Erza opened her eyes to see the remnants of a large dome of crimson flames instead of the clearing they fighting in.
Their mouths opened and closed but no sound came.
The attack unit had been vaporized and erased by a… naked Naruto?
The two stared dumbfoundedly at the naked blond, wondering when he decided to strip mid-battle.
Erza shook her head and tried to move Matsu to a more secure location, only to facepalm when the scientist began to drool with a glazed look in her eyes.
"You're staring…"
"S-so are you!"
"... Now's not the time to ogle him, we need to get out of here and find any of the survivors."
"Right…" Matsu glanced at Erza's makeshift bag. "You got clothes in that right? Think he might want them now, or not- look he's on the move, going back to the town."
"Must be looking for us, he asked me to get clothes, and hold onto his head-band… he must have known this was going to happen." Erza adjusted Matsu's arm and steadied her. "Let's return, I have to return his head-band, and he's our best shot out of here alive."
"Okay," Matsu blinked for a second. "He has a name?"
"Naruto."
"Naruto huh? As in the food topping? Thought it would be something, I don't know, more badass?"
Erza rolled her eyes and the two made their way back to the village.
'What am I getting myself into?'
-With Naruto-
Naruto's eyes followed the trail of destruction and the groove that came from the epicenter of the explosion.
It would no doubt lead to Samui, or rather Nike as she called herself.
Naruto had a feeling she was still alive, and would survive.
'I don't think I can help you now, I have a plan but I'll need you to hang tight.'
Naruto turned away and returned to the town.
Not much had changed, the ground was bathed in blood, gore and scattered body pieces. If one thing had changed it was that the nearest houses to his battle had collapsed.
It was dead quiet. No birds, crickets or even dead walking.
Were there birds and crickets before? Naruto wasn't sure, but the silence didn't bother him, so he gave it no further thought.
'I wish my Aura didn't disintegrate my clothes… I can't be losing all my stuff every time I get serious.'
He began walking around the town and stopped at the ruins of the main building.
'Nothing here. I must have gotten all of them, but where have Erza and Matsu gone? I hope they're safe.'
He glanced at the gradually dimming sky, watching the sun slowly disappear beyond the horizon. There was a blanket of gray clouds off in the distance, it seemed it would rain sometime soon
'I need clothes… Erza still has my head-band, I need to find her to get it back. Oh wait, there she is.' Naruto spotted the two redheads on the edge of the town. 'Think about the devil, and she shall appear. The scientist is also still with her, glad they made it out.'
Naruto waved at them.
Erza and Matsu stared at the naked Naruto, for some reason they'd thought he'd at least get a branch or something to cover himself, but nope.
'They seem to be having a hard time walking because of Matsu, maybe I should run up to them…'
-With Erza and Matsu-
"There he is… and still naked. Why did I expect otherwise…" Erza said to herself under her breath.
"Well, at least he's not bad on the eyes..." Matsu giggled as he waved at them.
His "sword" swaying along with his arm as he did so.
Matsu adjusted her glasses. "Hohoh I like where this is going."
'Oh god, he's not going to run like that...' Erza shook her head. 'Yes he is, oh boy, look at him go..'
Erza kept her cool, but the same could not be said about Matsu. She'd tried to stifle the giggles but lost it by the time he took the second step. Not that Erza could blame her.
It was quite the sight, he was much different without his ragged and torn clothes. So much different that it was as if he were a different person.
He wasn't all that muscular, nor was he flabby either… the goldilocks zone for body types… it felt just right.
"I wish I had a camera…" Matsu said to herself, earning her a raised eyebrow from Erza.
And then the show was over, much to Matsu's dismay he'd reached them.
Naruto glanced between the two, eyes stopping at Matsu. "You're staring..."
"I'm sorry..." She glanced to the side, then noticed his wounds. "You're bleeding!"
"I know. She nailed me a couple of times, didn't she? Didn't know there existed bullets for me." he turned to Erza, "You have something of mine."
"Your headband, and clothes in here…" Erza dropped the makeshift bag then gestured to Matsu. "Hold onto her for a second."
The glasses wearing ginger was passed to Naruto. The height difference between them was much more noticeable with her than with Erza and thus was more difficult to wrap her arm in the same fashion. Not without getting very close that is, just the way she liked it.
The bag opened when dropped and spilled its contents. There wasn't much in it, a first aid kit and some clothes. Meanwhile Naruto removed the bullets and the wounds closed a second after.
Erza blinked and stared at the two for a second, noting Matsu to be shamelessly catching a feel of him. Then after a few seconds it got weird, so she grabbed the headband and clothes and tossed it at him and Matsu.
He caught the headband, but the rest fell to the floor at his feet.
One would think that getting underwear and pants would be the priority, but nope. First thing's first, the headband.
Working around Matsu he brought the headband to his forehead and tied it around and winked. "Priorities. I'm not naked anymore, happy?"
"Oh I'm happy alright…" Matsu said to herself.
Erza's eyebrow twitched. "Just cover yourself already."
Among the clothes were loose red boxers, a white button up shirt and blue shorts. The boxers were a tight fit, the shorts ended up loose. The shirt wasn't comfortable so he choose to forgo it.
"So what are we going to do now?" Naruto asked the two, only to receive shrugs in return.
"By the way, did you find the two men you were with earlier Erza?" Naruto asked her, wondering where Dave and uh… the 2x4 dude went.
"I haven't seen them since we parted, I think they went into the forest like us. I'm pretty sure they're fine, I mean you pretty much carved a path for them."
"Yeah… I did," He glanced around. "Then we should get moving too, before reinforcements arrive.
"Carry me like a princess?"
"Nope. Piggyback, or like a sack of potatoes."
"Piggyback."
-Several Hours later-
Matsu was having the time of her life piggy-back riding Naruto. She felt that trading her foot for her life ended up being the best deal she'd ever made
'The only that would make this better would be for me to get naked too, then we could participate in the best way of 'riding' hohoho…'
"Oi, Matsu you still here?" Naruto flicked her in the forehead, rousing her from her rather lewd daydream.
"Owie… what was that for? Rude! You got to be gentle with me." The Scientist pouted, while Naruto shook his head.
"Well, we're almost back to civilisation Matsu, I need you wide and awake."
"Wide and awake, hohoho... only because you say so… but we have to ditch Erza first. "
Naruto shook his head at the strangely clingy scientist's antics, whose roaming hands travelled around his chest and pecs.
"What was that?" Erza whipped her head in their direction.
"I said you seem pensive. Got something on mind?"
Erza raised a brow. "I'm thinking about how you seem to be enjoying your ride."
"Not as much as I could be. I can think of other ways I'd be enjoying this ride," she winked at Erza with a grin.
'She would've gotten along well with the pervy sage.'
"I'm right here…" Naruto said to himself and got a light slap to the cheek.
"Yes you are, and for cutting my foot a free ride is the least you owe me."
"If it makes you feel better I was aiming for the head…"
"Hah-hahah… you're joking... right?"
"Sure."
His lips curled into a smile and Matsu felt it beneath her hands and tugged on his cheeks.
"You're so mean… not funny."
"Right, how are you feeling now anyway, the foot. It still hurt?"
Matsu sighed and Naruto holstered her upwards adjusted his hold on her bottom.
"It still hurts a little bit, but I'm getting used to it. I could use a nice soft bed and a cheeseburger."
"Me too..." Erza interjected in their conversation. "Hopefully we get somewhere soon. It's getting dark, we might have to stop and make camp."
"Wherever we get, wouldn't it be like in that place?" Naruto asked while tilting his head to Erza.
The terrain was changing along the way, the ground was shifting from dry leaves and sage to rock and the trees were becoming sparse.
"Nah, there is no global apocalypse… yet. That was just a test. The Zs are far from perfect."
"How so?"
"For one they still eat one another. It isn't my division though so I don't know much." Matsu scrunched her face. "About civilization tho, I didn't get out of the lab and wasn't very high in the food-chain. But if I were to make an educated guess… we are maybe eighty to a hundred miles from civilization."
Erza's eyebrow raised. "If you didn't go out much, how do you know that?"
"I like numbers, boring math involving the average speed of a military helicopter of the size that brought me from the checkout point. Trajectory and swirls it took… you don't want want to know the details."
Naruto's curiosity peaked about those details, but another question popped up in mind.
"What are you doing working for these people?"
"I needed a job, got a letter with a pretty great job offer, good pay, dentals and everything. Real sweet deal… should have known it was too good to be tru- atchim!" She sneezed and then rubbed her nose. "Sowwy."
Naruto was reminded of a bunny with the way her voice pitched during the sneeze and how it twitched after.
A very perverted bunny. Which sums up bunnies and rabbits in general, the term 'breed like rabbits' existed for a reason.
They reached a large rock in between two thick trees.
"This cold isn't doing you well. That nice bed will have to wait, let's camp here, that boulder should help breaking the wind."
He knelt down and Erza took the cue to help Matsu off his back.
"Camping huh, I always wanted to go camping. Didn't think my first time would be like this."
"Yeah well first times usually aren't how you imagine." Erza added while slugging Matsu's arm over her shoulder.
"Alright…" Naruto sighed and glanced around.
He'd become insensitive to the human basic needs of survival such as it temperature changes. But it wasn't always like that and the fragility of human mortality wasn't so far in the past that he didn't remember its annoyances.
There was a lot to do, time to get to work.
-2 hours later-
The following two hours were busy, especially for Naruto.
The first thing they'd do was make a makeshift bed of leaves and branches above ground for Matsu to lay on. Afterwards came the campfire, a twenty minute hunt for a wild boar and the rest skinning and preparing it.
Making a fire was the simplest among the tasks. An art that took millennia to master, to Naruto could be replicated with one loud finger snap. Hunting the boar was also a simple task skinning and preparing… that was tedious.
He left that part for Erza. Sleep wasn't coming her way like Matsu and she needed something to keep her busy.
The pork was roasting over the fire, loins, ribs legs, ham and everything else besides guts. Erza knew her way around the kitchen, or the campfire in this case. She'd plunder a knife at some point before and had used it to cut the pork.
Naruto laid besides the campfire, staring at the flames as they danced around the pieces of meat, flickering ever so often as fat dripped. "Is it ready yet?"
"No." Erza flipped the ribs with her knife, not sparing the blond a glance.
"What about now?"
"Still no."
"But it smells ready~"
"It isn't!" Erza got up and grabbed her hair, her knife falling to the ground besides the fire. "Do you even eat?"
"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?"
"I don't know, you shoot flames and rip zombies apart like paper..."
"Right, I can do those things." He shrugged and wiped the drool from his mouth. "I don't need to eat if that's what you're asking. Or at least I think I don't, maximum I stayed without eating something is two months. It still hurts a bit, on my mind, and I get sleepy. Food is great tho, I love to eat… now gimme something, anything, the smell is killing me."
"Huh, you have heightened senses, like an enhanced nose?
"Nose, eyes, arms, tongue, penis… I'm all super baby… I'll just get the ham myself." he reached to the fire and grabbed a chunk pertaining to the lower belly, aka the bacon.
Erza blinked a couple of times. "What even are you anyway? Some type of super hobo?*
"Super hobo?" Naruto snorted, and took a bite at the bacon. "Super hobo, I like that… but haven't you heard, I'm Naruto. I don't know of a word for me, but back where I come from I am a {Jinchuriki}."
"{Jin-coebfki?}" Erza tried and failed to mimic the word, entangling her tongue in the process. "You are like that woman you fought back there?"
"Yes and no? I'm a limited edition like me there ain't nobody else… wow this bacon is really good! Matsu should try it, think we wake her up?"
The redhead in question stirred in her sleep.
"I think the smell will wake her up soon enough. Tell me more about yourself, like where you from?"
"I think I've said enough about myself. " Naruto patted the floor next to him. "Sit, tell me about yourself. Who are you, Erza?"
"My story would bore you, you don't want to hear it…"
"I think I know what I want, c'mon sit."
Erza glanced at the fire, then at Matsu in the back, then him. Was it an invitation or a demand? She had a choice? What would he do if she said no?
"You seem pensive, don't have to worry. I'll only bite if you want me to,' he flashed her a wink then bit off another chunk of his bacon, being almost done with it.
Erza complied and took a seat besides him. "Okay then, what do you want to know?"
"I don't know, who are you? What did you do before this?" He finished eating and sat upright, then stuck his hands in the fire, the grease dripping from his hands making the fire glow brighter. "Hobbies, likes, dislikes, things of the sort."
"Hmm, I was a waitress until last week. I spent a few years in med school but decided i wasn't my thing. I like tennis and working out… what are you doing?"
"I'm cleaning my hands, they're all greasy and we have no water…" he retracted his hands. "Right... water. We should probably get water, you humans needs tons of that."
"You're saying that like that you aren't human." Erza said skeptically.
"Oh yea I did, didn't I? Like I said, special edition like me there aren't any else," he flashed a grin and gave her a wink.
"That sounds lonely…What did you do before this?"
"It's silly to ask questions that you already know the answer to. What was it that you called me… a 'Super hobo', heh, crude but seems about right. I lived in some park back in Tennessee."
Erza's eyebrows scrunched together. "I don't get it, why would someone like you live in a park. Couldn't you be some type of Olympic athlete or professional fighter or something?"
Naruto yawned and slouched back. "I tried fitting into society, that isn't for me. Living on the streets gives me freedom to do whatever I want, sleep however long I want, plus there is plenty of excitement."
"How come?" Erza yawned back and mirrored him.
"I'm not exactly sure on how to explain. Trouble always find me wherever I go. For example, the people that took us, there are thousands of homeless spread around the continent and yet they ended up catching me. This isn't even my first time being kidnapped, probably won't be the last time either."
Talk about luck, of all the homeless people they could've kidnapped, they kidnapped the super alien.
"Last time for… what?" Matsu stirred awake in her makeshift bed. "Mou… You two better not be having fun without me, that'd be mean."
Erza jolted from surprise and Naruto's lips curved upwards.
"We were just talking. You should eat, the pork is just about ready," Naruto gestured to it with his thumb and got up. "I'm going to go get us some water. Anything happen, then just scream."
And thus he left.
Matsu sat up and her eyes fixated on the roasting boar. "Oh that smells amazing, I'm starving can you bring me some of that ham?"
Erza nodded, took two large loin chunks and gave one two Matsu, who dug in as soon as she could.
Not very 'ladylike' but damn was she hungry and there was no need for table manners around Erza, not without a table nearby.
Erza watched Matsu 'attack' her dinner for a couple of seconds before digging in herself. Not with the same veracity of the scientist, but close enough.
Five minutes later and they'd finished, or at least staved the hunger and slowed down enough to re-adjust and adapt a more leisure pacing.
Matsu giggled and pointed at Erza, "You got some on your cheek… over there."
Erza's eyebrow twitched at the irony. "Thanks, you got some too.. all over."
"Oh, teehee." Matsu gave a sheepish smile and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smudging it even further to the point that she looked like a chubby eight year old that had just gotten her hands on her favorite cake after a week-long "diet".
She certainly seemed as happy.
Noticing Erza's stare, Matsu continued to wipe it away, and it lessened but traces remained.
"So… you and him… you two seemed very close earlier."
"We talked to pass the time." Erza stopped placed the remaining back meat over the fire "You like him?"
It was obvious enough that her fellow red-head was into the man.
Matsu 'eeped' and shifted in her spot. "Was I that obvious?"
"As a drowning bear eating Michael Phelps."
"Oh… you think he noticed?"
"Yep, he probably did…" Erza replied with a blunt tone and noticed Matsu deflate. "But I think he's into you too. I'd say you got a decent shot."
"You think so?" Matsu's eyes shined with something Erza couldn't quite identify.
"Sure, go get 'em girl."
"Get who?" they heard from behind and Naruto walked past Matsu and sat between them. Between his hands was a large hollowed out log filled with water.
He took one look at them and snorted. "Drink up and get rest. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow."
The two women shared a look, Matsu giggled in relief that he hadn't heard what they talked about.
"Yes sir…" Matsu saluted and then pointed at the fire. "In that case, pass me those ribs. They look yummy."
"I'm going to sleep. Good night." He closed his eyes and slumped.
"Is he asleep…?"
"I don't know…" Erza poked him and he fell like a limp sack of potatoes. "huh… he is. That's interesting."
"Another skill of his then, sleeping on demand…" Matsu poked his cheeks. "I wish I could do that. His skin is so soft."
"He's also a heavy sleeper. He slept through almost everything." Erza touched his neck. "I can't even feel his pulse…- oh wait there it is… wait a second… again. Twice in fifteen seconds, very faint too, that explains why I thought he was dead."
And so they resumed eating and talking around the campfire until sleep overcame the two ladies.
-Next day-
Indeed the journey ahead was long. The group had awoken with the sun, packed their things and leftover meat and left to the East, following the sun.
They trekked for hours through the woods with short breaks in between until a reward in the shape of a giant billboard appeared far in the horizon.
It was far but the giant and colorful Dairy King billboard re-lit their fire to move on, and soon enough… they'd arrive to it, or at least close enough.
The group climbed a hill adjacent to the billboard to get a better view of the surroundings: an asphalt highway with a decent amount of traffic, a large sign written "Riverside 15 Miles ahead" and the billboard that caught their attention in earlier.
"Riverside… never heard of it," Naruto shrugged and glanced at Erza. "Looks like we've reached civilization…"
"Yeah, I can't wait for a warm shower…" Matsu tightened her grip around Naruto's neck and snuggled.
Erza squinted her eyes. "Does something feel strange to you two?"
"Nope, everything seems normal… oh," Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Right, yeah that is strange."
"Not really," Matsu tugged on his whiskered cheek. "There wasn't a world-wide apocalypse, why you think they had to kidnap you. That was just a field test."
"That makes sense," Erza wiped sweat from her forehead, "what should we do now?"
Naruto rubbed his chin. "We have to go there anyway, find a place to rest, gather our thoughts, have a bath and move on."
"Sounds to me like you're talking about us getting a motel…" Matsu leaned near his ear. "So bold of you."
Naruto sighed and glanced back at Matsu with an unreadable expression.
Erza cleared her throat. "If we are to stay in a motel, then we got a problem. Motels cost money, and last I checked we don't have any."
Matsy shook her head and grinned, unfazed by Naruto's lack of reaction. "Correction, you two don't have money. I still have my wallet."
"You do?"
"Of course, I always keep it on me. I'd have to make a withdrawal at an ATM though."
"Wouldn't you alert them by using it? Whoever abducted us?"
"It could, but I doubt they would know where to look. The base was blown up and the cleanup-slash-fixing group all got blown up afterwards. As far as they know I died back there, and they don't have any reason to think otherwise."
Naruto shifted Matsu on his back. "Are you sure about this?"
"I'm a scientist, I've never been a hundred percent sure… but close enough. Don't think they deactivated my old accounts, but it is possible. Worst that could happen is they find us, but even they wouldn't mobilize an operation large enough to take you on in the middle of a populated town. That would attract way too much attention, which is that last thing they need."
"Good enough for me, let's get out here."
-A Few Hours Later-
Turned out that Matsu's accounts were indeed still activated.
She hadn't been paid since she started working but at least she still had her savings, which added up to about two thousand dollars.
Not all that much money, but it paid for a change of clothes, a meal and a night at a motel, which brings them to their current location.
Fetish Motel.
Naruto looked at the sign displayed proudly outside in neon lights
On the desk there was a gothic looking girl with a bob-cut. She had a round face, couple of piercings and pink highlights.
The woman looked at the three, and the corner of her lip twitched. "Welcome to Fetish Motel the place to explore your kinkiest desires. Its eighty a night, breakfast at six. Pay when you guys check out."
"Hey can we talk over there." Matsu whispered in Naruto's ear.
"Okay, give us a second, be right back." Naruto told Erza and the hotel attendant then carried Matsu to a secluded corner.
"So~ I was thinking… how about we get a room... and leave Erza to play by herself?" She smiled and batted her eyelashes.
Naruto blinked twice and gained an understanding look. "Matsu, do you trust me?"
She nodded.
"Then listen carefully because we don't have much time…"
-Later that night.-
In the end Matsu paid for two rooms, but not for Erza to sleep alone as she hoped… no, they had to share, Erza and her.
The rooms were fancy, lots of accessories, his was red and white like a santa costume with a pink bed.
Of all the accessories only one mattered to Naruto at that moment, and those were scissors to trim his hair off of his eyes.
He sat in front of a mirror with only his pants on, his headband was on top of the sink and his shirt on the bed.
"Now how am I supposed to cut you…" he raised the scissors to his face.
Knock. Knock.
Naruto stopped and placed the scissors down. "Come in, it's unlocked."
The knob turned and a red-head poked out, no glasses, Erza. "Hey… um… what you doing?"
"Trying to cut my hair. You wouldn't happen to know your way around a pair of scissors?"
"I'm no hairstylist, but I know what to do." Erza entered the room and approached. "If you want I can give you a hand."
She wore a white button-up shirt and a black skirt.
"At this point I'll take anything," He handed her the scissors. "Do me."
"..."
"..."
"I regret nothing."
Erza shook her head and ran her fingers along his hair. "How do you want me to do it?"
"I don't know yet, something out of my eyes."
"Hmm… okay then." She picked up a fine tooth comb. "Hair is one of our defining traits, in a way you can tell a lot about someone from their hair. If the eyes are the window to the soul, hair show personality."
"What if you're bald?"
"They are a special case… they can be shiny? I don't know." Erza began combing his hair backwards. "I think you know what I mean."
"Sure, I had a friend with hair that looked like a duck's butt. Really brought out the asshole inside him." Naruto gave a wry chuckle. "He wasn't so bad. Only shoved his hand in my chest once.
"I guess you can say… he knew his way into your heart- pft, sorry I couldn't resist."
Naruto laughed and shook his head. "No, no, don't apologise, that was a good one."
Snip.
"Don't worry I won't cut too much. I have just the cut in mind…"
-Some time later-
The floor was covered in golden hair. Naruto was facing opposite of the mirror.
The final snip was given.
"Annnnnnnd done!" Erza turned Naruto towards the mirror and presented him his hair.
She'd cut it on the front and combed it backwards, and on the back she trimmed it so it was just a bit above the middle of his back. (1)
"I like it." Naruto got patted some hair off his shoulder. "Thanks a lot, I wouldn't have done it without you."
The bathroom
"It was nothing." Erza helped him remove the hair on his shoulders, before tracing his jawline.
"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow as her cool fingers ran across his chest, leaving goosebumps behind. Her hot breath tickled his skin. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing?" she whispered into his ear, her fingers travelling south through his chest.
The blonde grabbed her hand, stopping her gentle touches.
"Look around you and at where we are. I'm a decisive woman, I know what I want. Don't you?"
Naruto stood from the chair and turned towards the redhead with smouldering golden eyes, eliciting a small gasp from Erza.
He clicked his tongue and gave a small fanged grin. "I know what I want. You can't handle me."
She pushed him to the wall and pressed herself against him. "You don't know what I can handle. I'm tougher than I look."
"Is that so?"
"You. Have. No. Idea." She said as she trailed gentle kisses down his body before getting on her knees.
-Several hours later-
Motels have always been been a refuge for weary travelers, but it seems this motel can also help one find the one true lord, if the moans from one particular room served as any indication.
Why else would one scream for the Lord's name for hours without rest if not to worship?
Said worship lasted through out the night, adding to the reputation of the motel, which was already known to have loud attendees.
Now we go back to the worshipers in question.
The AC had been on for hours, yet the room felt like a furnace. Erza laid atop the bed, naked as the day she was born, her chest rising and falling from her soft breaths.
Her hair was wrapped in a red towel, her skin glistened with sweat and water.
Naruto laid beside her in a similar condition, fast asleep.
Erz-no Irene smirked.
"Mission Complete"
(1) The story picture cover. Appreciate it guys, took me lots of tries to get it right for y'all.
A moment of silence for our precious Matsu that just got NTRed… don't worry guys, I'll give her some lovin later. Everything in due time.
Again, everything isn't as it seems.
Omake
-In Heaven-
A bearded man in a black suit sat at a desk with a telephone in front of him.
*Ring* *Ring*
"Heaven Inc. What is your pra-"
"Oh God! Harder! Har-"
The man hung up the phone.
*Ring* *Ring*
"Heave-"
"Oh God it's so de-"
The man hung up the phone, his eye slightly twitching as he did so.
*Ring* *Ring*
"It's going to be one of those days…" he sighed and picked up the phone. "God?"
"GOD! Fuck! Deeper you fucking stud!"
He slammed the receiver back down and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You know what…" he glanced around and smiled. "I'm re-routing these prayers to Olympus… its their problem now."
-End-