Crimson Hand
A Xenocide Production
AN: Greetings, True Believers. As some of you know, I recently released Ch. 7 of Dead On Arrival. Wow, what a mistake that was. I had forced myself to finish it, and it showed none of the promise or the quality that I've tried to bring you guys. So, in shame after a particularly scathing, but correct, review, I took it down to be extensively reworked. This chapter was written in apology, and in the hopes that I haven't lost my touch.
For those of you reading this at TFF, these are my notes, so disregard them or read them as you like. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, as always.
Also, "--hkjhkl--" is meant to portray Japanese
Enjoy and review…………please?
Summary: More often than not, a hero's most epic battle is the one you never see. It's the battle that goes on within him or herself. Not all of these battles are won. But neither are they all lost.
Disclaimer: I own neither Marvel nor Naruto. I would sell my first born child to any who give me either one. Any takers?
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Chapter Three: Stranger In A Strange Land pt 1
Why does this crap always happen to me?
Our costumed red and blue hero was perching cautiously on a branch, deep in the shadows and hidden from the evening sunlight. He was peering down through the foliage at a boy that couldn't be any older than sixteen or seventeen. He had a decidedly oriental cast about him, though blonde hair was most unusual for anyone from the east.
A quick glance told the older man that the boy was indeed a natural blonde. A quirky gene from the primordial pool, perhaps?
Though a blonde Asian is indeed a quandary, it was, unfortunately for our hero, not very high on his priority list. Naked people don't just appear from thin air in the middle of New York City for no good reason. Because he'd let his sense of moral fortitude get the better of him, as he had let it many, many, many times before, it was his duty as a superhero to investigate any and all strange occurrences in his territory. He was quite tempted to just pass the green flash of light as a trick of the mind, but in his experience, leaving the multiple strange happenings in New York to themselves tended to end badly.
As in 'city wide collateral damage' type badly.
He didn't begrudge serving the people. That's what he lived for. But really, was it too much to ask for to not have a universal crisis every month? Just once, he'd like to have an entire week of nothing but mundane bank robberies and a few jaywalkers. As much as it depressed him to admit it, that prospect did not seem likely at all.
Sheesh. Hey, can't somebody get this kid a fig leaf?
He leapt down gracefully from his perch and landed with a soft thump on the forest floor, crushing moist leaves and grinding twigs into the dirt underfoot. He crouched down next to the boy and began to take his pulse.
Central Park was a prime camping ground for the homeless. In the winter, they moved to the underpasses, the alleys, and the charity houses. But in the summer and late spring, spots in the forest went fast. It was almost like a community, and the cops didn't have the heart to run them completely out of their "homes".
And for some reason, the little grove behind the duck pond seems to have become the unofficial meeting place for the Swinger's Club. He tried to avoid that place as much as possible. The last time he had to break up a riot there still caused him to shudder in disgust. Aunt May would have died of mortification had she learned of the place, and MJ would castrate him, just to be on the safe side.
The boy on the ground, however, was no mere bum or vagabond, as he had been hoping. Instead, he was naked and unconscious.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Unofficial Hero's Handbook #312A[Mysterious Strangers: All mysterious unconscious and/or coma induced persons/beings found in even more mysterious circumstances are big trouble. Hang up your capes, shrinkwrap your spandex, and put away the make-up case. Mysterious Strangers usually herald the End of the World or the Death Spiral of the Universe. You're screwed.
The boy's pulse was steady, if a bit faint. His color was good, and he seemed to be having no trouble breathing.
Spiderman rocked back on his heels, studying the boy intently. A perfectly healthy, normal human being was lying naked and unconscious in Central Park. Stranger things have happened. He knew this all too well, to his chagrin.
He plopped his chin into his hand, resting his elbow on his knee.
Now…..what to do?
If it were any other ordinary citizen, he would merely take them to the hospital and let the good docs over at NYSH sort him out and take care of all the paperwork. But, he also had to take into account that mysterious flash of green light. He couldn't very well drop a harbringer of doom or a possible enemy in the middle of an emergency room.
But, where else could he take him? Back home was out of the question. Secret identities aside, there was just no way that he could find room for a fourth person, even if it was only temporary.
He sighed.
What to do, what to do?
Wait a sec………Parker, you're an idiot!
He smacked his forehead in exasperation.
"Duh!" He shook his head exasperatedly. "Avenger HQ would be perfect!"
He stood up. "Man, Spidey, you've been a loner for far too long. You keep forgetting that you've moved up in the world."
He bent down to take ahold of the young man and sling him across his own shoulders. Avenger HQ would be best equipped to deal with the boy.
Whether he was a threat or not.
Problem solved, crisis averted, and now all he had to do was find a way to keep Pym from cornering him and attempting to convince him to write down that damn Chaos Recombinant equation.
"Come on, kid. I've got a nice, long, boring evening ahead of me at home and I'm looking forwards to it."
A hero's work is never done. And nothing ever seems to go right. At least, not for very long. New York's wall crawler knew that particular law of physics all too well. He was about to be painfully reminded of it, and in the worst possible way.
He reached down and grabbed the blonde's shoulder. And that's when all hell broke loose.
The boy's eyes snapped open.
Spiderman froze in shock. The boy should have been out cold! And why the hell didn't he wake up when his pulse was taken!?
The boy's pupils were unfocused, but when they passed over the masked hero, they gradually refocused. First was confusion, then puzzlement. When he took in the older man's appearance, fear ghosted across his face. When the boy realized that he was naked, he snapped like a taunt wire.
With a hoarse shout of --You fucker! Where the hell are my clothes!?--, the blonde boy grabbed a completely surprised Spiderman by the forearms, who was shocked that his Spider-sense hadn't given him an inkling of danger, planted a stone foot in the hero's stomach, and proceeded to somersault him directly into a tree trunk behind him. The spandex clad crusader attempted to twist out of the way, but unprepared as he was, he crashed sideways into the trunk of a tree, a glancing blow that blew the breath out of his lungs ever so slightly, and most likely bruised his ribs.
The boy leapt to his feet, and quickly scuttled to the other side of the small clearing, covering his private parts and glaring suspiciously at the older man opposite of him.
--Where the fuck are my clothes, dammit!?--
Spiderman drew a shaky breath, and picked himself up from the forest floor.
What the hell is going on!? That toss felt like something Rhino is capable of!
He stood up slowly as possible in order not to aggravate the already frantic boy any further. He held his hands up slowly, trying to demonstrate that he meant no harm to the kid. The last thing he wanted was a fight with a scared little kid with the apparent strength of one of his strongest foes and the ability to outsmart his Spider Sense.
"Hey, calm down, kid. You look like you've taken a bad fall. I was just going to take you somewhere where you could—"
The blonde youth scowled in confusion, his head tilting to the side and his ears almost twitching in befuddlement. The three whisker marks on either side of the boy's face only helped to serve the illusion of a slightly bestial appearance.
--I can't understand you! Why can't you talk like a normal person!?-- The boy's eyes narrowed in further suspicion as he took in the appearance of the stranger. The man in spandex was a ridiculous sight. --Why are you dressed like that and why am I naked? Are you a pervert or something?--
Spiderman grimaced.
Just great. 'Course the kid wouldn't speak English. I think that's Japanese, though I'm not 100 sure. I totally bombed Spanish in high school and what little Japanese I know is what every damn tourist in Tokyo knows.
He assessed the situation, noting the boy's flushed face and dilated pupils.
The poor kid is scared shitless. Maybe if I talk to him a bit and get him to lower his guard, I can get him before he bolts. He sure as hell looks like he could snap at any second.
Indeed, Naruto was breathing heavily, crouched slightly behind a small bush and his eyes never leaving the strange man in front of him. He was disoriented, he was naked, and he was pissed. He jumped slightly when the man's lips moved under the mask and spoke slowly.
"Konn-ichwa." The older man held up a hand in a somewhat friendly greeting. The man's speech was awkward, and something was slightly off in his pronunciation, but Naruto understood him clearly enough. Still, he didn't answer, remaining crouched on the ground and watching the other closely.
Crap. That's all the Japanese I know. Spiderman unhappily assessed the situation. The second I move, he's going to bolt for it. For his sake, and my own, it would be best if I just webbed'em before I drag him to HQ.
The tense silence stretched out between the two.
Cobalt blue eyes bore into eyes covered by cloth.
I've only got one chance at this. Got to be quick.
The wall crawler was confident that he could nab the frightened lad before the boy could react. While he may have been strong, no way was his speed up to par with the famous Spiderman.
In one fluid motion, the agile web slinger crouched and sprang up into the air, letting fly two strings of webbing even as he vaulted himself up into the braches of the nearest tree.
FWPT! FWPT!
The twin strings of webbing flew towards Naruto, and his eyes widened in shock.
A vile epithet tore out of his mouth, Shit, and he threw himself to the side in a controlled roll, causing the webbing to impact on the clump of bushes behind him, coming up to his feet in a smooth manner and instantly darting into the thick confines of the forest, which would eventually lead him to the city streets.
Spiderman could only stare dumbly at the webbed bush.
How the fu— No one could avoid getting hit at that range!
He saw the boy roll to the side and take off running into the undergrowth.
"Damn it!" The spandex clad hero spat.
With not a moment to waste, he sprang off into the forest, frantically trying to catch up to the boy before he hurt himself, or worse, someone else.
ß---------------------------à
Leaves flew into his open mouth as he panted harshly, branches dug into his skin as he heedlessly ran through the undergrowth, and his heart was pounding as if it would burst out of chest.
Naruto's thoughts were as frantic and fleeting as his footsteps.
Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap! I'm naked, a spandex wearin' freak shot white stuff at me—
and here, something murmured in the back of his mind, something that was almost a memory about a similar man who dressed so, but it was out of his psyche's grasp before he could think to hold on to it.
—and I have no idea where the hell I am!
The late evening sunlight streaked through the leaves as he ran. He could hear his pursuer not far behind him, leaping swiftly through the treetops as if he belonged there, and was steadily gaining on the boy.
The evening sunlight filtered through the treetops and flashed into his retinas, burning trails of desperation and fear in them as he fled from his would be captor.
He cursed loudly as he stumbled over a protruding root in the damp ground. Regaining his footing, he pushed himself even faster as he heard the loud thunks of his pursuer leaping from branch to branch in pursuit.
Somehow, the thought that a mere human being could leap gaps of twenty feet in between branches with ease did not bother him in the least. But of course, he was more concerned with keeping ahead of the mysterious man, not pausing to admire his athletic ability.
FWPT! FWPT! FWP—FWPT!
A barrage of white filled his field of vision and some strange sort of spitting sounds assaulted his ears as the man chasing him tried to entrap Naruto with ropes and nets of the mysterious substance.
He managed to dodge the first couple of shots, ducking and weaving in an almost graceful motion that he wasn't even aware of, the ones that were aimed directly at his body. But then, the man got smart. He paused, crouched on a branch, and took careful aim.
FWPT! FWPT!
The tree crawling freak cut off Naruto's escape to either side of the small clearing he had run into, leaving Naruto no choice but to dash straight forwards between two oak trees, and smack dab in to the middle of the glistening white rope strung out between the trunks in a web-like fashion.
He knew somehow that the white rope would entrap him instantly if it managed to touch him, as he could see by the way it clung to surfaces, but what else could he do? The only thing to do was charge straight ahead and hope for he best. Maybe he could break through!
As he raced towards his imminent capture, his mind raced frantically, seeking any avenue of escape.
Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit!
He was almost there, and he could practically feel the smug grin behind the man's mask as it bore into his naked back.
Naruto's eyes scanned the web, and found his salvation in the upper right corner.
A fierce grin spread over his face, and he dashed even faster towards the web.
ß---------------------------à
Spiderman was indeed grinning smugly behind his mask. The boy might have caught the hero off guard and even given him a run for his money for a short while, he was no match in wits for the colorful crusader.
Trapped like a rat, kid.
He shook his head as he saw the boy speed up. Many a villain and crook had made the mistake of thinking his webbing to be as flimsy as its real life counterpart. They often forgot that in proportion to the spider spinning the web, the webbing was as strong as steel, not an easily snapped string by a giant.
The kid would probably freak out when he found himself unable to escape, much less move, but it was for the best. The streets were just a yard or two through this clearing, and then he'd have a hell of a time trying to catch the speedy brat in the urban jungle.
He made a leisurely leap to the next branch, sure of his success—and nearly planted himself face first into the ground as he saw the boy crouch slightly in mid run, leap smoothly into the air with his arms stretched above his head and his legs snapped together, and neatly escaped his web by sliding through a hole just barely big enough for the boy to fit through.
On the other side of the web, the boy tucked himself into a ball, and when he hit the ground, once again somersaulted forwards to spring to his feet and continue running, losing only a minimal amount of speed.
Fuck almighty, I hate that kid!
Regaining his footing, Spiderman sprang in the air frantically over his web, cursing his sloppy work, cursing that damn mysterious kid, and cursing life in general.
FWPT! FWPT! FWPT! FWPT! FWPT! FWPT!
He blindly and frantically shot at the boy's back, trying to nail him, but every shot of his missed. Badly.
The boy disappeared into a small copse of trees, making his way to the next clearing, and the deep rumble of New York was on the other side of it.
ß---------------------------à
Naruto was crowing with delight as he raced through the small patch of woods.
He had outsmarted that poofy looking bastard! Now, all that was left to do was lose him, and figure out what the hell to do next.
The outpour of evening sunlight from the trees ahead, and he spurred himself on to greater speeds. He burst out of the treeline, only, instead of feeling dirt beneath his feet, and hard, smooth road ran roughly against his soles.
He stopped instantly and clapped his hands to his ears. Such noise! It was so loud that it pounded into his head and took residence in his skull. Bright lights were flashing by him, large spotlights sprinting by at speeds no animal he had seen ever each.
HONK! HONK!
He whipped his head to his left with wide eyes, just in time to see a demon from hell descend upon him, eyes glaringly white, and maw gaping wide open to swallow him whole.
Then, there was darkness.
ß---------------------------à
Spiderman swung himself out of the treeline and onto an overhead lamp pole, arriving just in time to see a red SUV slam into the small body of the boy with a sickening crunch and send him flying twenty feet before coming to a red, wet stop.
Pedestrians screamed and cars squealed to a stop.
His heart stopped, and time seemed to slow to a crawl.
He hadn't been fast enough, and he'd been too cocksure and happy go lucky, as usual.
Oh, fuck. What have I done?
Another tentative chapter added to this experiment in progress. Lend me your thoughts and opinions.