A/N: I return once again! Having recently updated Counting Stars, I thought I'd return my attention to one of my new favorite genres. Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles! And I couldn't help but think of something interesting. Donnie's crushing on April. Leo's crushing on Karai. Mikey...er, well, he's MIKEY for crying out loud, so he's exempt. But Raphael? That stubborn, hotheaded turtle with a hair trigger temper?
Who else do we know that's like that?
And I thought to myself, oh, the things I could do with his idea! Of course, it needed some tweeking, and in the end, this was what came about. Funny thing though, I thought it up at work while I was stocking shelves only a few hours ago. I literally saw TMNT shirt while I was stocking DVDS at a store. Wanna guess what the DVD was? On another note, this Naruko is VERY powerful. Don't believe me? See for yourself. Remember, this is the 2012 series, not any of the earlier ones. She's also very hesitant to trust...
...Cue playback! Here we go! Also, you can expect another update for Fire and Ice soon! The series Once Upon A Time has given me quite a few ideas in that regard. Hope ya enjoy! Remember, our little spitfire is VICIOUS in combat. She kills her enemies. A lot. Leo and the others aren't going to like that...
...add to that the fact that Naruko is presently on her OWN, feeling sad, lonely, and vindictive as hell...and you've got a recipe for disaster
So please, please, please pretty please, review! There's a fair deal of Naruko and Raphael bonding time in this chapter! And a brief cross with Not Going Home...
"I am the end."
"Look, can we just talk about this?"
"NO."
~Naruko and Raphael!
The Devil you Know...
My name is Naruko Uzumaki, and I, am alone.
Part of me never wanted to admit it, but I am.
There are none like me in this world.
Human I may have been once, but my ascension to godhood has set me apart, made me more than just a girl. I've tried to ignore it since my "awakening" tried to live a normal life-or at least one with the trappings of normalcy-but the events of today have put things in stark clarity. I...do not belong in this world. I wish I did, but I do not. And I can ignore it no longer. I had bonds. Friends, family, and in an instant, it was all ripped away from me by one act of foolishness.
These powers of mine are to blame. I hate them! I want them gone!
I'd give it up if I could! All of it. But I can't. Even if that were possible who would I possibly entrust with such power such as this, this overwhelming ability to shift creation itself? No one. I don't even trust myself with this power, at times. I nearly wiped out the multiverse when I was bored that one time!
I created this diary to channel my thoughts. Haven't sunk to stealing.
Yet.
Never should have woken up.
But I'm awake now, and hibernation isn't an option anymore-
"Okay, I could feel you beng EMO half way across the galaxy, so what the hell?!"
...aaaaaand I have a visitor!
Naruko bolted upright with a startled yelp, snapping her journal shut.
"What in blazes?! Who goes there!"
A rough voice answered:
"The God of Ramen! Ha, just kidding...
Not a heartbeat later, she finally became aware of the looming presence behind her. So engrossed in her sorrow had she been, it'd simply failed to register on her intellectual radar. Sloppy. With a swing of her hand, she tried to eliminate it, wipe this intruder from existence; this sorry sod who'd dared to see her cry. Naruko expected the screams to start then, the agonizing cries, as she rendered his body atoms and blew him away upon the wind. No need to see him, no need to look at him, no need to...
...laugh?
"Aha...ha...ah...ha...ha...ehe...he...oho." Because that was precisely what the intruder was doing. A short, sharp bark of laughter issued forth from his mouth as his body swirled back into existence, regenerating almost instantaneously. Large hands clapped slowly, producing a sharp pop each time as the last of his flesh knitted itself back together.
"Nailed it!" he crowed happily. "Not a bad disintegration from somehow new into their godhood. It actually tickled."
Naruko felt an eye twitch.
"Whoever you are, I have no patience for you. Leave, or be destroyed."
Blue eyes glittered in the night.
"Make me."
Irate, she raised a hand, focusing a thought behind it.
"Shinra Ten-
"Etagen!" He barked some strange, eldritch word that sounded like "negate" in reverse, and power sputtered and died within her, turning into a harmless breeze. "What, was that it? I was expecting more of a challenge from someone of your stature!" A vein pulsed in her temple at the veiled insult. Evidently, whoever this was they would require her full attention. Nothing less.
Good, something to vent her frustration on.
"You know," she began slowly, her hair rising in an unseen breeze, "You picked a really crappy day to fuck with me."
An awkward silence pervaded the air, at that."
"Sorry, sorry," a clawed hand rose, "You're cute and all, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass."
Naruko felt her cheeks grow hot. "You...!
"Me?"
"DIE!"
The Rasenshuriken roared to life in her hand, created and lobbed at him all in the same instant, its bright light obliterating the shadows between them. Somewhere over the roar of the keening sphere, she thought she heard laughter but no, no, that couldn't be right...
...until his hand snapped up, cradling the sphere effortlessly, crushing it in hand.
"Nice trick." the stranger drawled, the perpetual shadow of his being laughing as she turned, trying to get a better look at him, "I mastered that a long time ago. Yours is still a little sloppy, too much speed, not enough power. You haven't learned to wrap it in your aura, either." Tittering softly, he leaned forward, into the light. "Still, not bad for a beginner, not bad at all. It almost reminds me...
...of myself."
Looking like a creature out of myth and fantasy, his face resolved itself into existence before her.
Naruko nearly choked on her own spit.
It was her face.
Male, with horns and white hair, but her face.
Her.
Face!
Kaguya's face! And yet...not.
She could see the whiskers, the bright blue eyes, shining like twin, merry jewels in his skull. It was both Kaguya and not Kaguya, Naruko, and someone else. Like an older, snarkier brother. Blech. The thought made her shiver slightly. Her mind refused to accept that-couldn't rationalize it. That a being like her existed shouldn't be possible; there was only one Kaguya-one Ten Tails-and she had devoured them both. It shouldn't be at all possible for this being to be here, standing before her, like some pale reflection.
"Ooooh, I know that look." the newcomer cooed, stroking his chin, "You've got questions, and I've got answers. Unfortunately, you'll have to work for them."
"How?"
"Simple. DODGE!"
Before Naruko could hope to react, something large and unseen slammed into her back with supreme, unholy force. Smacking her away from the rooftop as though the hand of an angry god had reached down to smite her in recompense for her temerity, her body flew, spiraling in freefall. She struck a nearby skyscraper and burst through it, sending the building toppling to the ground with a sonorous crash. Distantly, she felt the lives within perish, snuffed out like a candle. All the while her mind raced, struggling in vain to make sense of what had just happened.
Who...what...when...where...?!
"Don't pass out on me now, lambchop." a dark voice whispered into her ear, purring. "We're just gettin' started!"
Snarling, she spun, her arm scything out-
-only for a hand to close around her head, smashing her into the ground.
Naruko yelped in startled pain, cried out, spitting blood, but her foe wasn't finished with her just yet. He took off at a high speed, dragging her face along the ground, sharp rocks buckling and tearing at her skin. When they reached an open street, her aggressor finally let go, letting her hurtle away and crash to the ground on the other side of the block. He floated down after her, walking slowly towards her. Naruko struggled to stand, turning to face him in disbelief even as she wiped a thin line of blood away from her nose.
He stood over her for a long moment, hands jammed into his sleeves, saying nothing.
Hurt.
She'd actually been hurt.
For a moment, just a moment, shock overcame her.
Someone had actually injured her against her will, taken her, and tossed her across the city like a rag doll. Part of her was livid. The other...excited. Thrilled, to finally face someone on her level. And yet on another level terrified. Was this how others saw her? As some chaotic beast, who delighted only in causing destruction? NO! Her mind rebelled violently against such a notion, and she forced herself to straighten, throwing a blow. The strike zoomed harmlessly to the right as he evaded, tripping her up, tossing her onto a roof.
By the time she recovered he was there, pouncing!
...you...!"
"Man, is that it?" now he spread those arms wide, grabbing her and holding tight, as though he were welcoming an old friend, pinning her. "Where's your stamina?! What happened to all that spunk?! What happened to the girl who swore she'd protect her friends?!"
"SHUT! UP!"
With a vicious countertwist she writhed in his grasp, smashing the back of her head against his nose. His fist shot out, but she had him by the legs and they went down in a tangle. Coming up on top, she lashed out with all her might, striking him in the face once, twice, thrice...each strike became a blur to Naru, each blow a muddled strike of red as she wildly slashed out at him. Her foe didn't resist. He just laughed and took it, allowing her to whale on him with all of her might, all of her fury...
...until nothing remained.
Finally, when she'd exhausted herself, Naruko leaned back, gasping. Sobbing. The well of her anger had long since run dry. Now she felt vacant. Hollow. Empty inside.
"Shut up..." she cried, brokenly, scrubbing at her face. "Just shut up, shut up, shut up...
"Feel better now?" he asked, raising his head.
...no."
"Didn't think so." the horned stranger sighed. "C'mon now, calm down, don't cry...
Clamoring off her prey, she looked down at him. Baffling man. Strange creature.
"Who...who are you?"
"Naruto." rolling over, the entity rubbed at his face, reducing the swelling, the flesh of his visage stubbornly knitting itself back together before her very eyes. "And right now? Hell of a headache. To think, I came all this bloody way just to make ya feel better..."
"That doesn't answer my question!"
"Basically? You." the horned deity answered with a yawn, pausing just long enough to pick something out of his mouth with a clawed digit. She flinched when he pulled out a broken tooth. "Well, a version of you, if you want to get technical. And I don't. There are a lot of us, way out there in the cosmos and I lost track after what was it... one thousand and twenty five? In any case I'm more sensitive to negative emotion than most so your little angst-fest caught my attention. Plus my friend here simply can't stand ugly things like sadness, so she insisted I pay you a visit."
Naruko blinked, making room for him on the roof.
"Friend? I don't see any-GAH!"
A young girl of eight years poked her head out from behind the whitehead's back, startling her. Where...WHERE DID SHE EVEN COME FROM?! She hadn't been there before!
Bright eyes shone from a cherubic face, framed by deep ebon locks. The color itself stood in stark contrast to the brilliant blue-green dress she wore; a fine, silk robe that looked as though it had stepped from the pages of an ancient, medieval tome and into reality. Those eerie, ageless eyes gazed into hers, and the blond felt herself humbled.
By a child, of all things!
"Naruko, meet my daughter, lil' Brangaine, formerly known as the Archdemon Urthemiel, goddess of beauty, reincarnated." A hand descended, mussing the angelic girl's hair, causing her to frown. "Or you could just call her Ur. Raised her myself."
The child raised a tiny, white hand, waving.
"She, ah, doesn't talk much." Naruto clarified. "But look, you're probably wondering why I'm here, right? Ah, of course you are. When beings like us have a breakdown, others feel it. Long story short, my girl here," once more, he motioned to the silent child at his hip, "Knew what was going on before even I did. She's the one who came here first-I just followed. From there, tracking you down was easy. You're not exactly a master when it comes to hiding your energy."
"I never had the need to." Naruko found herself confessing. "I've never needed to do many things. Controlling myself, reigning my temper in, being friendly, I never had the need. Now I'm alone again, because of that."
"Life sucks, I won't lie." he fellow deity agreed, nodding sagely. "Sometimes you just wanna keel over and die."
"How do you bear it?"
"At first?" He laughed. "By being a dick."
"Seriously?"
A short guffaw rang between them. "No, you baka! I was just pulling your leg!
"I collect things." He continued, touching the sparking blade belted at his right hip. "Meet new people." Brangaine hummed softly in his lap as he combed her hair with a hand. "Do stuff. I'm always traveling, going on grand new adventures. Its fun, really. I never lack for company, and there's always someone by my side whenever I get lonely. At some point I stopped doing it to distract myself and actually started having fun. This week its Dragon Age, and I'm STILL having loads of fun over there. Actually on a bit of a break right now to see if the Mages and Templars can get on without me. Isn't that right, sweetie?"
The child nodded happily, beaming.
"Is it fun?"
"Immeasurably." came the reply. "There's never a day when I lack for anything. I've lost friends, and I've had some sad times sure, but the good always outweighs the bad. I like to think that, at the end of the day, my loved ones-those I've lost-would want me to be happy."
"Maybe I could-
"No." his voice went flat, eyes cutting to hers. "The whole universe hopping thing? That's my shtick. Don't want, or need others cutting into it. You, you've got this world. You're its goddess. Its protector. I don't belong here. You do. Really, I just came by for a pep talk. Your friends. Those, ah, turtles and their rat master. You care about them, don't you?"
The younger god flushed. "Yes."
Impossibly, Naruto's grin grew.
"Do you liiiiiiiike them?"
Her flush deepened.
"Would you ever willingly hurt them?"
"What? No!"
"Then you have your answer." nodding, the elder god stood, pulling Brangaine up with him. "Go back to them. Apologize, and do your best to atone for your mistakes. But first if you really want to keep them safe, go after the ones who WOULD hurt them. Do that," his hand descended, mussing her hair, "And you'll go far kid."
"How?"
"Upset the established order." he hummed, cocking his head aside. "Introduce a little chaos. The rest will take care of itself."
"I admit...I've thought about that...
"So what the hell's stopping you?"
When next she looked, he was gone...
...and in his place was the very yellow bandanna she'd discarded.
Naruko paused, considering. Unbidden, her eyes tracked back to Karai's battered body, remarkably intact, if unconscious, a rooftop away. It was obvious whom she served, obvious what must be done. So Naruto gave it some thought, paused, thought about it again...
...shrugged.
"Oh well, in for a penny...
...in for a pound."
Bradford never felt the blow that killed him. He only heard those words, experienced them as a soft lullaby in his ears. Distantly, he was aware that he should be worried-terrified even-that someone had managed to get behind him, successfully sneak into his blind spot so expertly. Numbness descended upon him moments later and oh...why was his chest suddenly so...red...and what was that shiny, sharp thing sticking out...of...him...
"What?!"
Xever fared little better; he heard the hulking mutant fall in the darkness, heard the harsh crash, but that was all. He, at least, managed to see his death coming for him, mere moments before the sword descended on his head in a devastating slice. He too, felt nothing...
...nothing but the cold embrace of death as a Goddess stepped over his corpse and into the church.
"I believe this belongs to you."
Shredder started violently as a battered, beaten body crashed through the stained glass of the church and landed at his feet in a heap.
The rest of the Foot gathered around him in an instant, ready to die for their master, but no attack came.
There was only the body.
For a moment he didn't understand what he was looking at, didn't recognize the bruised face in that messy mop of dark hair. But he knew the armor, knew its make, and his mind caught up with what his eyes were oh so desperately trying to tell him. He stood slowly, rising from his throne with all the casual grace of one who didn't care, but inwardly, his mind was already racing, trying to understand what was happening. Her chest still rose and fell with breath, but clearly, she'd seen better days.
"Karai...?"
"Don't worry," a voice reassured echoing overhead, "She's alive. For now. You? You won't be."
In the next instant a yellow-white blur streak snapped into existence between him and the broken form of his daughter. Cold, blue eyes, like chips of permafrost blazed out at him, her whiskered cheeks pinched in a wry scowl that didn't look like it belonged on such a young face. Clad in little more than tattered rags from her last battle, this strange intruder marched forward at him, glowering. Her eyes hidden behind a bright bandanna of some sort, the yellow fabric only served to make those eerie eyes even more unwordly.
His men immediately moved between him and the strange girl, to which she slowed.
Those eerie orbs flicked upward, regarding him.
"I'm not in the best of moods right now," the blond growled, "So unless you want your boys to be paste, tell them to back off, would you kindly?"
When no such order or command was given to the unfortunate ninja, Naruko, she exhaled softly. That was it. All she did. A single, tiny breath, and everything blasted backwards, men and women lurching from their feet to shatter against the sides of the church. Just a breath, and they were ground to gory red smears, bits of blood and misted viscera raining down on the blond. Bloodied, she turned to survey her handiwork, then, with a benign smile, she continued on.
Now, once more unimpeded, she started for him.
"What do you want?"
Snap.
In a sudden flicker she stood before him, gazing coldly up into his mismatching eyes.
"No," she said slowly. "No words. You're like the dog and the fish. don't get to talk."
Her hand shot out, lightning fast, seizing his helmet and ripping it away, casting it to the floor with a clatter and exposing his scarred face to the world. A small hand crushed against his skull, squeezing. Paralyzing him. Naruko stared at the Shredder for a long moment contemplating. Something stabbed against his mind, a probing tendril, gone as swiftly as it had come.
...heh."
Then she laughed.
It was not a pleasant thing, that sound, Oroku Saki thought; it was a bitter, sorrow-filled, lonely sound. Naruko's head snapped back as she cackled at the ceiling, her entire body shaking wildly. Even in her disheveled state, it conveyed a level of menace that utterly terrified him. Madness modulated to a darkened degree, the laughter of an insane goddess who'd judged him, and just found him unworthy. She didn't care, he realized with a small jolt of surprise...
...she didn't care about anything.
And then it stopped.
"That's it?" she scoffed, laughter quelling as he looked on, her face setting itself into a scornful scowl. "THAT'S your reason for being such a dick? You didn't get the girl, so you decided to do this? You kidnapped a baby, just for your own, twisted little revenge, raised her as your daughter, made her HATE her own father...just for that?"
"You have no idea-
"No. I have every idea." a hand waved, slamming him back down into the throne. "You're unworthy of living. Unworthy of that armor. I'm taking it."
Her arm shot up in the same instant that he struck; uncaring as the deadly blade of his gauntlet slid through her slim arm, bloodying her shoulder. Her free hand rose slowly, pointing. Poking him in the chest plate with what looked like no effort at all. Smiling, she flicked her little finger and his chest shattered.
His armor quite literally broke to pieces and fell away, bits of steel and platinum crashing apart.
"Pity." the girl blinked. "I still don't know my own strength. I'll have to fix that. After I kill you."
"You can't!"
Blue eyes flash white.
"I AM A GOD YOU DULL CREATURE! I SHALL DO AS I PLEASE! BEGONE!"
That was all he heard before the air around him inexplicably combusted, hurtling him to a three story drop below...
A/N: Alright, wait, stop PAUSE! Before you go any further dear reader, I'd kindly ask you to review before proceeding to the preview below. I'm really hoping to get at least a few solid reviews for this story, I've gotten so few for the others that its making me wonder if I should even continue writing here. I know they're MY stories, but I write them for you guys and gals, so you can enjoy a change of pace, a different reality in this messed up world, something to enjoy, to make yous mile despite all the violence raging around us nowadays.
After all, without feedback, what am I? TT_TT I'm terribly sorry for taking up your time and begging like this, but without those wonderful reviews I simply can't write, and if I can't write, then I'll have no reason to be here anymore, and that'd make me really, really, REALLY sad...
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! This story'll be following the episodes, but they'll be radically different!
(Preview)
Raph nearly choked on his own spit.
"You're...covered in blood."
Her head bobbed once.
"Is it your blood?"
She shook her head.
"Oh.
Another nod.
"Good...
A blink.
...THEN WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"
R&R!=D
