Goddesses are masters of magic, not technology. Do not trust goddess-created machinery to work like you want them to. Especially if a troublemaker has access to this machinery.
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A Wish to an End
by MingShun
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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Ah! My Goddess. I am merely borrowing ideas and characters to create a story that others will enjoy. In no way do I intend to make a profit off of this story.
A/N: I've finally redone this chapter. This is the more serious, yet ridiculously crazy editor's cut. Frankly, I really can't bear to meet the reader's eyes after posting this.
I mainly use the metric system not because it's cool, but because the Japanese use it. So in the interest of making the story closer to canon...
60 cm is about 2 feet.
120 cm is about 4 feet.
1 cm is less than an inch
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In the last chapter, Skuld found herself unable to use magic and living with a stubborn kid named Naruto through a wish gone wrong (for her).
When she had started to stay here, Skuld was alone. Or so she thought. It took her some time to grasp how special her roommate could be. Perhaps this was when it started...
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Chapter 2: Robot Hijinx
Characters: Naruto, Skuld
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A door slowly creaked open, some light from the hallway partially illuminated a dark room within. A blond kid dressed in an oversized orange jumpsuit frowned before he took a step in.
The boy paused for a moment before bringing both hands to his mouth to amplify his voice. "I'm home!"
It remained quiet in the dark room.
Naruto started to take a step forward, when there was a clink as something shifted in the room.
He blinked. "Eh?"
Naruto suddenly screeched and leapt back with his hands in a warding position as a large explosion suddenly erupted from the center of the room. For a moment, the clutter occupying the living room was fully visible because of the bright flash that accompanied the bang. Darkness soon reigned once again.
There were several coughs as something made its way to the nearest window and ripped off a thick black cloth from the glass. His living room brightened immediately and Naruto watched as a figure concealed by a large ratty brown blanket his window open and gasped for air.
Now that he could finally see, he took a step into his living room and took a look around.
His floor was cluttered!
Except for a somewhat wide path connecting the front door to the couch on the left, the rooms straight ahead, and the kitchen to the right, taking a step would result in someone rolling on the floor and crying in pain when they cut their toe on something sharp. What used to be empty ramen packages, scrolls, and plastic wrap had been replaced by scrap metal and large odd metal things.
His eyes fell upon the smoking remains in the center of the room. He didn't know what it was.
Bored, his eyes fell back on the gasping figure at the window with the large hole in the screen. That hole was the direct result of a stray brick last year. At least his windows were open at the time. Having a hole in the glass when winter was coming was rarely fun.
The coughing gradually died down as the fresh air worked its magic. Soon all that could be heard were the gasps of heavy breathing.
But the silence ended quickly. Suddenly the figure rounded on him and threw off the blanket. Underneath of the overlarge blanket was his black-haired roommate with strange markings on her face, Skuld-chan. And she didn't look happy.
"Agh! I almost had it!" she screeched before she turned to him with narrowed eyes, "It's all your fault!"
Anger welled up within him. "What?! My fault?! I just got here!"
He shrunk back slightly when she glared at him. "If you hadn't opened the door at a critical moment, this wouldn't have happened!"
He stopped covering his ears to shout back. "I knocked! Loudly!" The door even shook because he was practically punching the door before he pushed it open.
She narrowed her eyes at him before she looked away, "Whatever."
"Why are you so mad anyway?" he said, his mouth echoing his thoughts.
"I'm not." came a clipped reply. He had a feeling that he had just been insulted, but he wasn't sure why.
He hesitated. "If you're sure," he finally said.
"Get lost," the girl rudely replied as she sat down at the coffee table and glared at the smoking object.
Instead of heading for his room, he quickly turned right and headed into the kitchen. Let Skuld-chan think that he was fixing himself a snack.
He cautiously peered around the corner and watched as Skuld-chan slowly reached for a screwdriver and started poking at the device again.
After several pokes, he quickly hid as another explosion erupted from the dead device.
He heard her cough several times before there was the sound of a screwdriver being thrown at the ground. He quickly looked around the corner again.
"Agh!" She was mad again.
His eyes immediately widened when he saw her pick up the piece of junk and raise it over her head.
And then the blood left his face as he heard what she said next. "I know you're somewhere nearby watching me! When I say get lost, I mean it!"
His room wasn't far! Okay, one, two...nevermind, RUN!
Turning around, he saw something flying toward him just as he slammed his bedroom door shut. There was a thud and the door shook slightly. Another angry scream filled the apartment as he shoved the button on the knob in with his thumb and locked it.
There were several more crashes on the other side before it was silent.
He gave a sigh before he turned around and leaned against the door. He slowly slid down the coarse wood as his breathing calmed.
Skuld-chan was becoming more and more unstable each day. At first, she had just ignored him. Now she became angry everytime she saw him. What happened to that nice lady from a week ago? Why did she have to shrink and stop being nice?
He looked out the window. It was nice and sunny out. Soon fall would turn to winter and days like these would become rare.
Putting his hands behind his head, he moved forward slightly so that he could lay down and gaze up at the ceiling.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Iruka stood in front of the classroom holding a clipboard.
"Skuld?"
There was no reply.
"Has anyone seen Skuld?"
"I don't think she's here today, Iruka-sensei." Sakura announced. There were snickers in the background as someone whispered, "teacher's pet."
"Again? Very well then." Iruka made a quick mark on his clipboard before he looked up again. "Toyama Kazuha."
"Here sensei!"
-o-o-o-o-o-
He sat up, his eyes wide.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Skuld-chan outside before. Maybe she was going crazy from being cooped up inside all day! Well, he was going to take her outside if it was the last thing he did. It's a promise!
-o-o-o-o-o-
A door creaked open.
"Skuld-chan! Let's go outside!" Naruto shouted determinedly.
He flinched when there was another loud explosion right after he said this. The girl in the center of the room coughed a few more times before she stood up and cried loudly at the ceiling. She turned to him, an angry look on her soot covered face.
Naruto backed away as she approached before his resolve firmed and he flexed his hand.
"I told you not to call m-," Skuld started to shout before she nearly fell over. "Hey! What are you doing! Let me go!" the black-haired girl cried as Naruto dashed ahead with her hand firmly in his grip.
"We're going outside Skuld-chan!" Naruto said from over his shoulder as he paused for a moment to jerk the door open. He quickly charged through, and then shot backwards like a rubber band when something stopped him from moving forward. Standing up, he turned to see what the problem was.
Skuld was holding onto the doorframe with her free hand.
"Let go brat!" She said with a glare.
Instead of complying, Naruto brought his other hand to help the first one. "You're going...whether," he braced his feet on the floor as he leaned back with all of his weight.
"...you like it..." he pulled as hard as he could.
"Eurrrrrrrgh" the girl growled as she refused to let go of the doorframe.
He leaned forward slightly as he relaxed a little. "...or..."
Skuld took advantage of the brief lull to look up and glare frostily at the boy. "let go," she coldly ordered.
Instead of complying, Naruto took the next moment to shout "...NOT!" as he gave a hard tug that ripped her from the doorframe. The two were unable to stop as their uncontrolled momentum sent them stumbling into the hallway. That was how Naruto found himself flattened against the wall as his roommate bodily rammed him.
Picking herself up, Skuld was about to stomp back into the apartment when she suddenly looked down at the foreign hand holding her own.
Buoyed by his first victory, Naruto enthusiastically dashed for the stairs. Caught unprepared, the exiled goddess was dragged off-balance.
That was how she found herself hopping wildly on one foot as the boy dragged her to who knows where.
Thump thump thump thump thump...
Naruto quickly made his way down the steps to the second floor. His roommate was crying in fear as her off-balanced hopping made the downward trip frightening and dangerous.
"Almost there!" he shouted happily as he neared the bottom of the steps and prepared to turn the corner and start down the final set of stairs.
The blond boy suddenly found his feet flying out from under him once again as something suddenly pulled back on his arm. The girl behind him gave a short cry as he fell hard on his rear. He gave a short shout as well when a spike of pain shot up his back.
Turning painfully, he saw Skuld gripping the railing tightly with her other hand. Her eyes were tightly shut, and tears were starting to form on the corners.
Naruto realized that he was hurting her! He almost let go. Almost. But then the thought of her thanking him and being nice again once she had a walk outside drove him to harden his heart and push on.
"Let go Skuld-chan!" he shouted as he painfully pushed himself up before he put his free hand on his other hand to strengthen his hold. Once again he played tug-of-war with her arm as the rope.
"You let go you imbecile!" Skuld agonizingly shouted as she struggled to hold onto the rail.
"You're going outside! Believe it!" he shouted in return as he pulled even harder.
"No I won't!" she bit out as tears formed in her eyes.
"Yes you...WILL." With a sudden burst of strength, he gave a really hard tug. Naruto stumbled and nearly lost his grip when Skuld's grip on the railing slipped slightly. However, the exiled goddess stubbornly continued to hold on.
Naruto knew that it going to be a long time before Skuld let go, and he was impatient to be outside.
"Fine!" he shouted as angrily threw her arm down.
Skuld cast a brief smirk at him, before she turned to head back up to the third floor. Naruto gnashed his teeth angrily when he saw her smug look.
Just as her foot touched the next step, Naruto leaped forward and grabbed a handful of the back of her shirt.
"I won't break my promise!" he shouted as he charged for the wall.
His roommate only had time to gasp, "huh?" before she felt something try to pull her right off the staircase. She barely managed to tighten her grip in time to prevent herself from flying off the stairs and landing on the floor with the back of her head. But soon, only the tips of her fingers were all that were holding her in place.
With a frenzied cry, Naruto pulled one more time with all of his strength. There was a tearing sound and the two suddenly went flying. Naruto soon found himself momentarily planting a pair of fat lips against the wall when his roommate crashed into him again. They both fell to the ground.
Skuld panted heavily as she struggled to stand. However, she found a hand grasping her arm once again. She looked up.
Naruto was rubbing his mouth with the back of his arm while panting heavily. He swayed unsteadily on his feet, but it looked like he was ready to continue his mad dash outside.
Skuld wasn't going to let him grab her again though. "Alright!" she shouted as she slapped the offending appendage off.
Naruto looked curiously at her as he reached forward to take her arm again.
"Stop," the black-haired girl ordered as she pulled her arm out of the way. She turned and glared at the wall. "Go outside, I'll follow." she angrily said.
"How do I know that you're not going to run off when I turn around?" Naruto demanded as he crouched down so that their heads were about level.
She turned to glare at him. "I promised."
And just like that, Naruto was on his feet and laughing as he made his way to the stairs leading to the first floor. He paused and turned. "Skuld-chan promised!" He loudly reminded her.
Skuld grumbled as she shakily stood. Recalling the ripping sound, she felt around until she found the frayed fabric that indicated a rip. After feeling around for a moment, she decided that it was large, but not enough to be indecent. She slowly moved after him.
Naruto grinned before he made his way to the bottom of the steps where he turned around again with a curious look.
Silently fuming, Skuld slowly made her way down the steps.
The process repeated itself until they left the large steel door leading outside.
Naruto stood on the deserted streets and whirled around happily. Gray buildings surrounded them, a depressing contrast to the optimistic sky.
"See? Isn't this great?" He didn't care though as he swung his arms around a few times before turning to his roommate.
Skuld was calmly heading back in. She had promised to follow him outside, and now that that was done, she didn't have to stick around anymore. Hopefully he'd stay outside for-
"Let me go!" She suddenly shouted.
"Let's go see the old man!" Naruto said with a large strained smile as he pulled her toward the Hokage's tower.
-o-o-o-o-o-
After extracting another promise from his roommate, the two made their way towards the Hokage's tower. Along the way, they had to cross a crowded marketplace and a well-used park.
Skuld shivered slightly. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end for some reason as they made their way through the crowded marketplace.
She angrily glared back. It hadn't taken her long to realize that the reason for her discomfort was because of the crowd glaring at them. However, aside from one or two pairs of eyes turning away, the rest of the crowd continued to look at them with a less-than-friendly expression. She finally turned away and hunched over. 'Despicable ninjas,' she irritatedly thought. (2)
Naruto suddenly stopped, causing the raven haired girl to look up. In front of them was the grand structure that held the Third's home and office. She quickly looked at it from an engineer's point of view. The Hokage Tower wasn't so much a tower per se. While it was indeed taller than the other buildings in Konohagakure, it was far wider than it was tall, making it more difficult for something to topple it over or land a critical hit should invaders reach the heart of Konoha and begin sieging the building. In short, it wasn't just a majestic building, it was a fortress.
She reluctantly followed the blond boy into the building and up the stairs. They soon arrived at the third floor, the location of the Hokage's office. A reasonably well-protected room because it wasn't positioned on the topmost fifth floor where the elite nins would sneak in, and it wasn't near the ground floor where an invading army was most likely to break through.
"We came to see the old man!" Naruto shouted to the lady behind the desk.
"I'm afraid he's a bit busy right now," the receptionist replied as she coolly pointed a nail file at the boy before she used it to shape her long fingernails a little.
"I wasn't aware that I had something to do at the moment. Has the next stack of paperwork arrived already?" the Third asked as he appeared in the doorway.
"Hokage-sama!" the receptionist shouted as she sat up and fumbled with her nail file.
The Third ignored her as he turned his head to look at the two children. "Naruto-san, Skuld-san. How are you two today?"
"Old man!" Naruto greeted cheerfully before he turned and made a funny face at the receptionist. A low growl immediately emanated from her throat.
Skuld was of a different mind when she saw the Third. She looked away, her eyes smoldering angrily.
Sarutobi appeared not to notice. "Well, I shouldn't keep you two waiting. Come in, come in. Ayane-san, please bring some cookies for the children will you?"
"Yes Hokage-sama," The receptionist said through gritted teeth as she stood up. It wasn't hard to see that she would rather take a vial of poison than comply with the Third's last suggestion.
Naruto eagerly followed behind the old man, however...
...the Third paused to look back. "Skuld-san? Are you feeling okay?" He asked when Skuld made no effort to follow.
The girl in question was staring intently at the plain-looking carvings in a nearby wall as a stormcloud darkened her face.
"Skuld-chan?" came a small curious voice from the boy standing beside the old fool.
Knowing that the two weren't going to wait much longer for a reply before they decided to pull her into the ultimate evil's room, Skuld took a deep breath before she forced a shaky smile onto her face. She turned to them. "I need some fresh air. It's too stuffy in here."
The Third nodded agreeably. "Yes yes, I know what you mean. I wish we could have more windows in here, but some comfort must be sacrificed for safety. Thank you for visiting an old man, Skuld-san. Stop by anytime to see me. Ayane-san will let you know when I am free."
"Yes...Hokage-sama," Skuld said as she felt her shaky smile start to become a scowl. She quickly turned and robotically headed down the stairs, past a dour secretary who was bringing up cookies.
-o-o-o-o-o-
As she wandered around, Skuld eventually found herself entering the main marketplace of Konoha. She didn't stop to wonder why the crowd wasn't glaring anymore because something had caught her eye.
She drooled at the small ice cream shop that sat on the outskirts of the marketplace. A man stood behind the counter, wiping off the glass with an old rag.
Her vision suddenly went black as she closed her eyes and fought with the temptation. 'Ninja ice cream was probably as vile as the ninjas themselves,' she reasoned. Of course she didn't want to dirty her tastebuds with the vile stuff. She didn't want any. Yes! She didn't want any ice cream!
She shook her head a few times to clear it before the world faded into view as her eyes opened. Her eyes widened when the world came into focus and a cone with a pink top came into focus. Her eyes slowly traced the hand, holding the ice cream, up the arm before she leapt back in fright.
The man that had been standing behind the counter was now standing right in front of her. "Here, try this, little Miss," the man said with a cheerful smile as he moved the luscious-looking cone forward a little.
And she couldn't fight it anymore! With an ungraceful swipe, Skuld had the ice cream cone in her hands and her tongue out to take an experimental lick. As the taste of creamy strawberries rippled up her tongue, her first thought was, 'not bad for ice cream made by ninjas.'
After a few more licks, she hastily revised her thoughts to 'this is good.'
Maybe ninjas weren't so bad after all. She turned to thank the vendor, but he wasn't there anymore. Instead, he was standing behind the counter once again. He gave her a cheerful wave. "Come back soon!" he shouted before he took out the old cloth and started to wipe down the counter.
When she saw his friendly look, Skuld suddenly recalled something. She quickly glanced around, but she didn't find what she was looking for.
Maybe she was standing in the wrong spot.
With that thought in mind, Skuld slowly made her way to the center of the marketplace, the cone in her hand all but forgotten.
Eventually, she stopped searching for any unfriendly faces directed at her and just observed the crowd as it went about its daily business. She watched as they shoved each other out of the way, shouted angrily at each other, and generally treating each other with blatant disrespect. It was so awful, but it was to be expected from a village of ninjas.
The feeling of something cold dripping onto her hand made her look down. The strawberry ice cream was beginning to melt. Skuld quickly took another lick of her cone, only to gag. She grimaced sadly at the cone in her hand. Because of the ninjas surrounding her and their rude nature a sour taste had entered her mouth which carried over to the ice cream.
"Skuld-chan!" someone shouted, causing her to look up. Naruto suddenly broke out of the crowd and tagged her. "Found you!"
The hairs suddenly prickled on the back of her neck. Skuld didn't have to look to know that the crowd was glaring again.
But this time, she knew that the glares and cold looks weren't directed at her.
"Let's head home Skuld-chan," the blond boy said happily, seemingly unaware of the glares.
She silently nodded in agreement.
On the way back, Skuld glanced at her roommate from time to time.
Naruto finally noticed. "What is it Skuld-chan?"
"What happened?" she gruffly asked, indicating his roughed up appearance. Years of practice had allowed her to conceal her worry rather well.
Naruto instantly had a hand behind his head as he laughed. "Ha ha ha, I tripped."
Of course she didn't believe him. And it bothered her how there was a relation between the glaring and his current appearance.
...she immediately frowned as she angrily quelched her pitying thoughts. She didn't like him!
How could she help him if she just...didn't like him?
-o-o-o-o-o-
That night, Skuld sat in the bathtub as she stared quietly at the calm water.
"Skuld?" Her eyes widened as she turned to the fogged mirror. A head of brown hair popped right out and looked around.
"Belldandy!" she shouted happily, catching her sister's attention. A confused look came over her face. "How come you're here?"
Her older sister blinked once before she smiled and pulled herself out. "Father gave me permission to visit."
"Really?" Skuld asked excitedly. Father was careful with his exceptions. Belldandy must have had something important to say! Maybe...
"Does that mean that the wish has been canceled?" she excitedly asked.
A thoughtful look appeared on her older sister's face as the goddess of the present looked upwards for a moment. Her cheerful face suddenly disappeared as a serious look replaced it. "I'm afraid you have to remain here until the wish is fulfilled."
Skuld struck the water with her fist before she glared angrily at it.
Belldandy smiled again. "It's not all bad, Skuld. Naruto is a good child," Her sister cheerfully said as she walked over and carefully sat down on the edge of the bathtub.
"He's a ninja!" Skuld angrily retorted.
Belldandy had a serious look on her face as she reached forward and took her younger sister's hand. "While they have forsaken their kind, ninjas are humans too."
A stormcloud appeared on her face. "So?" Skuld heatedly retorted as she pulled her hand away and turned to face the wall.
Belldandy remained silent, but Skuld knew that her older sister was frowning disappointedly at her. But her sister was wrong this time! Every ninja was the same!
The two didn't say a word for some time. Skuld finally lost some of her steam. "Bell?" she quietly asked as she turned to look at her sister.
Curious eyes looked back at her.
"Why does everyone glare at him?"
A shadow passed over her older sister's face taking Skuld by surprise.
"Naruto is...special," Belldandy finally said before she hesitated. "He contains a guardian within him." she finally added.
"A guardian? Isn't that good?" she asked.
Belldandy pursed her lips before she looked down into the water. "Father has forbidden me from saying more. You have to find this out yourself younger sister. Please. Be careful with who you ask." she quietly said with a slight lilt of pleading in her voice.
Her eyes widened at her normally optimistic sister's caution. "What?"
"I cannot say more, I'm sorry." Belldandy quietly said as she looked away. Skuld knew that her sister was doing this to avoid her eyes.
Skuld watched her sister quickly stand up and drift to the mirror. But before her older sister touched the mirror, she hesitated before turning around and calling out, "Skuld."
Skuld blinked curiously.
"Even if he is a ninja. He is also a child. No child should suffer rejection like that," Belldandy whispered, a serious look on her face. The look soon disappeared as a kind smile grew. "Take care sister, I'll see you soon." She happily said. And just like that, she was gone.
Skuld wordlessly bobbed her hand in the water as she thought about what her sister had said.
Why did Belldandy want her to protect a ninja?
She looked up as a spark of life seemed to enter her eyes. Did it matter? She could build something! Something that could protect the child in her place. She felt almost giddy as a design leapt to the forefront of her mind. A guardian robot that she had built hundreds of years ago, at a time when life was far more carefree.
-o-o-o-o-o-
(Three Days Later)
"There! Done!" she happily shouted. Blowing out a deep breath and wiping off her forehead with the hand holding a large wrench, she shut the hatch and hesitated before pushing a large button on its back. The two-foot robot in front of her whirred to life. After the upper half of the body spun around several times, it turned to the shortened goddess.
"Mistress Skuld, what are your orders?" A robotic voice from its speaker grill tinnied
She hugged it tearfully. Modeled after Banpei-kun, who she immediately promised to rebuild once she found his body, Banpei II-san was a challenge that she joyfully embraced. It wasn't easy given her lack of magic and the low-grade parts that she had on hand, but...
She suddenly shrieked and leapt out of the way of a lost training kunai. Through unbelievable means, it lodged itself right into the robot's side.
"Skuld-chan! I'm sor-" Naruto shouted as he ran up.
"You idiot! How many times have I told you-huh?"
Skuld was surprised when she suddenly found herself high in the air. Looking over, she saw Naruto in the same predicament. He was shouting and flailing wildly as he struggled to break free. The long arm holding the blond up belonged to...she glanced backwards...a robot half their height.
Before Skuld could say anything, she heard it. At first it was silent, even a cat sneaking around was louder, but soon the fast-paced strains of battle music thumped loudly from the small robot's loudspeakers. The two were thrown aside.
Skuld landed in a bunch of parts while Naruto bounced off of the floor.
The robot's torso took a moment to make a complete revolution so that it could throw a pair of items at the two children. A large paper fan, half as long as she was tall, landed on Skuld. For Naruto, Skuld's debugging hammer, a long thin stick with a small weight on one end, bounced a few times before it came to a rest right next to him.
They barely had time to pick up the weapons before the robot charged.
And promptly turned an old couch into shreds of cloth, fuzz, and wood planks.
"My couch!" Naruto cried in horror. Nevermind that he wanted to replace it months ago, the robot had ripped apart an important fixture of his home.
"..." Skuld had nothing to say as she mentally compared the weight of her creation with the weight of the couch. A very big difference...
...something was wrong here...
A bang pulled them from their thoughts. They turned in time to see the robot with a stack of papers in its hands. Skuld's blueprints for another invention. She hadn't gotten around to making the static electricity power generator yet...
...and it looks like she probably never will.
Skuld gaped at the bits of paper floating down from the ceiling for a long moment before she glared angrily at her creation. "Stop!" she ordered the rogue robot.
The next thing to be destroyed was a metal frame that Skuld had been working on for half a week now. Her creation shredded it apart in less than five seconds at the same time the battle music hit an interesting melody.
"Stop Banpei II-san!" she ordered again as she ran up and swung.
Thwack
The robot shook from her hit. Skuld breathed a sigh of relief when it stopped moving and the music disappeared. Her relief was short lived.
There was a click, and then the ramping up that preluded a boss song began.
The menacing red eyes slowly turned to her. Before Skuld knew it, she was sent tumbling into the remains of the couch as the small robot ran to the coffee table. She let out a cry when something jabbed her painfully in the back.
After flailing for a bit, she finally managed to get off of the pointy thing and sit up. She rubbed her back soothingly before a thwack caught her attention.
Turning to look, she saw her robot strike the coffee table again with a paper fan made from old newspapers. Then it turned to her. Before she could react, it was in front of her and striking her solidly on the side of her face.
Skuld had a hand to her cheek as she gaped open-mouthed at the robot. A grim look soon appeared as she stood up and swung her fan like a golf club. It struck the robot in the chest, causing it to jar in place as the loud music stopped once again.
The robot reared back, as if it were taking a deep breath.
And then it suddenly shot forward with the fan high above its head and the best part of the boss music cheering it on.
It swung, causing Skuld immediately winced as the robot struck her wrist. She quickly tightened her grip on the handle before she counterattacked, she managed to land a glancing blow on the robot's smooth face.
From there, the two took turns whacking each other with paper fans. Several blows were exchanged and soon Skuld's right arm was an angry red while the robot looked slightly scuffed but almost as pristine as when it had just been built.
Skuld screamed angrily as she swung downward with all her might and struck the robot once again on the head.
Banpei II-san easily shrugged off the blow as it swung back.
Skuld pulled her fan hand back in time, but she had to yelp anyway as the offending fan struck her hip. There was a tearing sound as the abused newspaper fan finally ripped in half, leaving the robot to stare at the remains of the hilt. The boss music ground to a halt as the slow melody of a sad song of defeat replaced it.
Skuld had a savage smirk on her face as the robot kneeled before her and held out both hands, the remains of the hilt resting upon its palms.
And then, like a beacon in the darkness, a large paper fan flew over her head and landed in front of the robot. She saw her Banpei II-san glance at the fan as she turned to roar at the one who had just sent the robot a new weapon.
The brat was gleefully grinning at her as he gave her a thumbs up.
Before she could rip her unwanted roommate a new one, she stumbled as Banpei II-san struck her in the back of her shin with a stiff new paper fan. The sad song ended as a tune for the final boss ramped up.
She immediately swung downwards and landed a glancing blow on the robot's arm and the two began trading shots once again. As the tempo of the song increased, so too were the speeds of their swings. Soon, it almost looked like they were striking their opponent twice with each swing...
...they were.
Skuld winced as she felt a strike on her elbow immediately following a strike to her side. She retaliated with a vicious triple combo to the robot's head before she tried to block her creation's next attack.
She seemed to be winning again, Banpei II-san's weapon was fraying around the edges again.
And then another fan landed into the middle of their battlefield.
"Naruto!" she screeched angrily before she raised her fan to block a wild blow. She had no time to exact divine justice on the blond idiot because her creation was now holding the second fan in its other hand.
Skuld quickly shrunk back when a mad grin seemed to appear on her robot's face. She didn't know how it was possible, Banpei II-san didn't have a mouth to grin with.
The music tempo dramatically quickened as her crazy invention charged forward. She was soon cowering within the remains of the sofa as the robot dual wielded the paper fans with terrifying efficiency.
"Skuld-chan!" Naruto shouted.
"Help!" the girl screamed, her hands covering the back of her head as the robot swung again and again and again.
Punt!
The near-continous attacks and the loud music suddenly came to a stop and a loud cheer took their place.
Curious, Skuld opened her eyes and raised her head. She saw her latest creation lying on its back, both fans still in its grip. Naruto stood protectively in front of her, his foot still up in the air and his arms upraised in a victory pose.
The boy stopped gloating when he saw the robot sit up and shake its head. It turned to look at them, its red eyes glowing menacingly.
He stared at the hammer in his hand for a moment before he tossed it aside. Ripping the paper fan from Skuld's hand, he leapt forward, and swung.
Thwack!
Banpei II-san shook slightly from the moderately light blow to its head. However, instead of playing a new song, the diminutive iron mecha remained silent as it took a swing and struck the blond boy in the arm with the right fan.
Naruto winced before he determinedly brought the fan up to strike again. Only to drop his hands immediately to cover his ribs when the robot exploited the momentary opening to strike his unprotected side with the fan in its other hand.
He fell over when the robot used its first fan to strike him on the knee.
Naruto was now lying helpless on the ground as Skuld's creation menacingly raised its weapons high into the air.
First there was a ping as sunlight glinted off of its metal exterior.
Then a rock n' roll love song began to play as the robot swung down with one fan. Once that hit, the other fan came down as the first one rose back to its starting position. It repeated this sequence several times before it had a rhythm going. Soon it was mercilessly whaling on the boy as it struck to the beat of the drummer in the background song.
"Owie! It hurts!" Naruto cried as he soon started resembling a hot tomato.
"What did you expect?!" Skuld shouted back from her crouched position, hands still protectively covering the back of her head. It hurt too much to move.
Banpei II-san's efforts soon had Naruto sizzling and looking worse and worse by the moment. Right before Naruto reached extra crispy, the song ended and the small robot finally stopped swinging. After a brief analysis, it decided that it had appropriately neutralized its target and it looked around for a new one. It suddenly froze for a second before it threw the smoking fans aside and rushed away with disco playing in the background.
As the two folded pieces of paper floated gently to the ground, there was a crash as the robot made a new doorway into the kitchen. It promptly ground the kitchen table into kindling.
After several more crashes and the near constant shattering of dishes, the robot reentered the living room and peered around with its beady red eyes. It froze once again when it found its next target. A variant of the imperial march ominously hummed in the background.
At this time, Skuld had finally managed to ignore enough of the pain so that one of her hands was now resting on her forehead. However, it still hurt too much, to move her head, so she had to use the corner of her eye to see what her creation wanted to destroy now. Her eyes widened.
"Banpei II-san! Stop!!" Skuld shouted in terror. Instead of listening, the robot charged for the one device in the room that held an unstable power source.
"Stop!" Skuld screamed again. If the robot ripped apart the pickle juice and apple cider reactor, the brief exposure to air would cause it to explode. The next day, all that would remain of Konoha was a crater...and memories of darker times.
Well, the dimunitive robot finally did stop. But not because it heard her. Instead, it was standing in front of the device and reaching forward.
In moments, it would all be over.
"Nooo!!" Skuld cried as she ignored the burning pain and hurried to cover her head again. She hadn't wanted to use such a volatile combination, but she had needed a primary generator because she sometimes needed something stronger than a standard power socket
Crunch! Crash! Bang! Boom!
...
It was silent. Even the terribly loud music had stopped for more than a few seconds.
Skuld looked up, half-expecting to find herself in Asgard and half-wondering why her body still hurt.
Her eyes widened. Instead of seeing a Valkyrie holding a notice saying that Kami-sama would like to see her immediately, she saw wisps of smoke wafting off of her blond-haired tomato-colored roommate as he stood in front of the smoking remains of Banpei II-san.
"Heh, the hero always comes at the last minute," the boy said as he turned to her with a giant fox grin. He moved slightly so that he could shakily lean on the handle of her debugging hammer.
Skuld didn't care for his coolness, she was too busy gaping at the shattered remains of her small robot. Even if it caused problems until the end, she had really enjoyed building this robot. It brought back memories of happier times. To see it like this was...too...
"Naruto...you...you..." she sputtered, unable to form the words.
The grin dropped of his face as a confused look took over. "Skuld-chan?"
"I-I...I really really hate you!" she shrieked as she shut her eyes, covered her ears, and ran to her room. There was a tremendous slamming sound as she threw her door closed behind her.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Naruto stared quietly at the remains while Skuld-chan's last words echoed through his mind. She was mad at him for destroying her robot. So all he had to do was fix it and everything would be fine, right?
But until this day, Naruto had only watched as Skuld-chan worked. Never before had he tried to help. The larger than normal explosions that happened nearly everytime she worked scared him a lot. Skuld-chan knew what she was doing so she wasn't hurt badly whenever she was caught in one. He had no illusions about his own survivability though.
But...
He firmed his resolve, stepped forward, and reached for a wrench. If only to make Skuld not mad at him anymore, he would gladly risk his life.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The next day, when a calmer, but uneasy, Skuld came out to apologize to Naruto, she stopped searching to stare at a beat-up Banpei II-san puffing away merrily as it cleaned their apartment.
Naruto, she finally found at their kitchen table sleeping away the morning. She immediately noticed his injuries. Several parts of his hair were blackened and smoking slightly. He seemed to be missing an eyebrow. Or maybe it was the heavy soot on his face hiding it from view. He had a large wrench in his hand, and he held it in such a way that most of his fingers were in plain sight. There were band-aids on each finger. Skuld looked up at his face again, there was an extra large piece of gauze on one cheek.
She stepped back slightly to get a wider view. Now she had a glimpse of something that looked like omelettes sitting in front of him. Instead of lying facedown in the food, his whiskered cheek was resting heavily against the large wrench. She was pretty sure his face would look funny later.
She leaned back even more to peer around the entrance to the kitchen. She saw a banged-up but functional robot in the living room again.
Moments later, she turned back to gaze at the brat once again. There was a confused look on her face. This boy...
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Omake! Ichi!
"Ne ne, Skuld. I think Banpei-tousan is angry with us today..." Naruto remarked as the two soaking wet kids were hung to dry by a midget robot with menacing red eyes.
"How many times do I have to tell you, it's Banpei II-san," Skuld shouted as she struggled to free herself from the clothesline and exact divine retribution on her blond roommate for getting them into another fine mess. Nevermind that it was in her room when it went berserk. Or that it was her robot. Or an odd bug in the code that she couldn't find made the robot act strangely from time to time. Nope, this was all Naruto's fault.
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Chapter Preview!
"Mr. Naruto! Is it my turn yet?" the pink-haired girl asked as she jumped out onto the stage.
"Who are you?"
∗Sniff∗ "Uguuu...Mr. Naruto forgot who Miya was already..."
"Hey hey, I was just kidding." Naruto laughed nervously.
"Waaah!"
"Miya-chan! Wait!"
Next Chapter: My New Friend, the Housecat
See you then!
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Skuld's Inventions:
Naruto: "That was such an awesome fight! Let's do it again Skuld-chan!"
Sign on Door: Mystery Character! Please insert 2 credits to unlock.
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Banpei II-san
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While it would appear otherwise, Banpei II-san is not a demolition robot.
- Chivalrous to a degree. It won't strike unarmed opponents, but if you're holding a weapon you're fair game.
- 60 cm (about 2 feet)
- Modified from Banpei-kun design. Instead of protecting buildings, Banpei II-san was designed to protect a person.
- Has a loudspeaker and a cd player that can hold 5 cds at a time. I'm not sure if it had the FF7 soundtrack as one of them, but it would be funny wouldn't it?
- After Naruto worked with it, Banpei II-san had a problem in its code that Skuld couldn't find. The end result is that the robot's primary function is to clean, and in rare cases it goes on a rampage. The two still haven't figured out the trigger yet.
Naruto's Inventions:
Skuld: "What inventions? He's a dumb useless mortal."
Sign on Door: 2 credits or no tuna.
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A/N: The ratings are in, senseless violence with odd weapons is a seller!
A/N: Toyama Kazuha? Detective Conan. Yes I'm perfectly aware that I selected someone to fail the genin exam. No, I don't hate her. My justification is that she's not cut out to the difficult life of a nin.
A/N: Skuld has a stereotype. In a ninja village, everyone inside is a ninja. In other words, even the civilians are ninjas.
Cheers goes to HolyKnight5 for pointing out that I'm probably the second to create a Skuld / Naruto fanfic on March 15. More than half a month ago! Divine by Kyubi88 came before me. I can't say I enjoyed it, but it is well done. You also get a level of Naruto and OMG detail that you won't find in mine.
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