AN: Okay, so here's sort of a blend between my previous works. And this time, I'm not going it alone.
Co-Written by Engineer4Ever
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Young Justice!
Rise of the Titans
9: Luminescence
Jump City, October 29th, 2010
Victor Stone didn't know what to think anymore.
His life had changed a lot after his accident: one minute he was the star quarterback of the Jump City High School's Springers, and the next, he woke up on an operating table with half his body gone. His Mom was suddenly out of the office and back in the house, but he was confined to their island off the coast of Jump City. His promising scholarship and career were lost along with any hope of being seen as 'normal' among the populous. Life seemed meaningless without people, and he was tempted to disappear into his new technological side, but that all changed when he met Stargirl.
He didn't know it at the time, but she was just as new to heroism as he was. Granted, anyone could tell that she was new to the city when they spotted her zipping from one side of Jump to the other, trying to spot the building fire that was being covered by all news stations. A few weeks ago, she was a showboat, doing all that she could to soak up the spotlight after she successfully stopped a crook, like she had something to prove.
With time that changed and, not to brag, but Vic liked to think that he had helped her curb that habit a bit. Their first 'meeting' went about as well as any vigilante interaction: she thought he was a bad-guy, and he thought she was a ditz. Needless to say, they were both in the wrong and have apologized, both to each other and the city for the damage their misunderstanding caused. Since that day, Stargirl and Cyborg have been Jump City's self-appointed enforcers of justice, much to their respective parents' grievances, but that was still being dealt with.
The Zombiepocalypse, though, that was something that came out of left field. Never in a million years could he have anticipated that happening. He even did the math, the chances of successfully anticipating a Zombiepocalypse, let alone surviving it (and that was calculated with the variables of the Justice League and/or villains uniting to solve the problem; the odds still weren't good), was less than one percent.
At first, Vic thought it was one of those Improv Everywhere things, promoting the new zombie show that would premiere on Sunday. Then Courtney called and demanded to know why he was "lazing around" during an attack on the city. On that note, he really needed to develop a system to determine what was a serious threat and what wasn't, maybe a city-wide scanner that could detect acts of violence. The software would be the trick to that idea, but schematics that he may or may not have 'borrowed' from S.T.A.R. Labs would help with the hardware - he was getting side-tracked.
When that freaking monster - Granny? Gunny? Whatever. - appeared, he was thrown off his game. His sonic cannon did absolutely nothing to harm it - that moment when it ate the first blast would forever be logged in his databanks - and it knocked him, him, off of his feet and into the air. Victor wasn't very proud about his body, being that about ninety-one percent of it was machine, but it took a lot of power to launch the weight of a fully grown african elephant into the sky.
That was with one hand.
Vic's processor continued to blare math at him while he and Stargirl tried to fend off the creature. After her failed fire attack, chances of survival dropped to below zero. Below zero. It was negative! He was pretty sure it had been damaged in the initial attack, but still! Below zero?!
Running away seemed like a great idea at the time.
He didn't know that Courtney had exhausted her energy to fly, otherwise he would have done more to help her.
He didn't know that a Green Lantern would be there to help them, or that said Lantern could clone himself.
He definitely didn't know that a Green Lantern could make a forest appear outside of Jump City.
What Victor Stone aka Cyborg did know, was that he owed the Lantern for saving his city, for saving his friend, and for saving his ass.
That's why he offered his place when the Lantern, Sage - Courtney and Vic shared a snicker over the irony - as he insisted to be called, damn near about passed out on the street once the rest of the zombies were taken care of. He claimed it had something to do with his cloning metagene, that their experiences became his own once they were destroyed and their exhaustion piled onto his. The talking to thin air thing and the bags under his eyes made Vic think that maybe the Lantern was more exhausted than he thought.
"And so you brought him here? To a privately funded S.T.A.R. Labs facility?" Dr. Elinore Stone leveled her son with an incredulous look. It was a look that Victor was familiar with, the same 'you-can't-be-serious' face that she gave him when he said he wanted to become a professional football player. She pulled her glasses off of her face and rubbed her eyes. "Victor, when you began this ridiculous crusade on behalf of the city, I warned you about the risks-"
"I wouldn't have to resort to this crusade if I didn't look like this!" Victor gestured at his body and his mother's voice caught in her throat. It was the same argument whenever his choice came up, one of the few arguments he could 'win'. He let his arms drop to his side and his shoulders sagged. "Mom, this isn't about me. He needs my help. Our help. It's the least we could do."
"Uh, not to step on anyone's toes, but, I'm-I'm really okay with sleeping outside. Really! I've been doing just fine for the past few weeks," Sage said, scratching the side of his covered face. Dr. Stone gave the young Lantern 'the look' and Victor fought back a grin. Before Sage could protest further, his wrist was snatched and he was gently pulled inside.
"Oh, no. You're staying with us. Victor, get the guest room set and a few of your old clothes for - what's your name again, dear?"
"Uh, Sage, but, really, I can't impose-" Sage tried to protest, but didn't fight back. Vic grinned at the sight now. The guy really wanted to live up to his name. Most street kids would've jumped at the offer of a shower and free room for a night.
"It isn't imposing if we insist. Now, I'll take you to the bathroom and you shower up. You might not look it, but you certainly smell like you've been living outside for weeks and just fought a plethora of reanimated corpses," Dr. Stone said as she led the teen into the lab and ushered him towards the decontamination showers. "Victor, you better decontaminate, too, just to be safe."
"I already ran a full system check and scan, I'm good, Mom."
"Don't argue with me, Victor Stone. You'll decontaminate and flush your systems after Sage's washed and dressed."
"Yes, Mom." Victor said and went to the supplies closet to dig out some patient scrubs for their guest. His cybernetic eye determined Sage's size and knew anything he had would look ridiculous on the guy. As he ducked into the room, he got a ping on his communication system. He accepted the call and grinned. "So, how long are you grounded for?"
Courtney's groan told him it was long enough. He didn't bother to hide his amusement.
"Yeah, I get the feeling I'll wake up with a few combat systems blocked," he said.
"Pat didn't even say anything to me. He just gave me a look and then disappeared into the garage!" Courtney complained. "I think I like it better when he yells, because then I know what he's feeling. Mom was the one who acted as the judge, jury and executioner. I'm officially on Trick-or-Treat duty."
"Handing out candy?"
"Worse. Mike's going as Toto. Guess who gets to be Dorothy?"
"Ouch," Victor said, a chuckle escaping him. "Are they making you dye your hair or wear a wig?"
"That's yet to be decided," she said. He heard her groan again and the protest of bedsprings as she flopped back onto her mattress. "Maybe Sage should've let me take that hit."
"That's not funny, Courtney," he said, sombering. He would never be able to forgive himself if he'd left her to die. He leaned against the supplies closet doorway and crossed his arms. "You proved to the city that you're the heroine we need. That's more than I can say."
"Vic, c'mon, you're not blaming yourself are you? You didn't know I couldn't fly and I didn't tell you. Water under the bridge," she said. "Besides, you got most of the clean up done and got to share some spotlight with Channel Five."
"Oh, god, don't remind me," Victor said, covering his face. The reporter for News Channel 5 was a determined, fast-talking man that went by the name of Steven Stanhope. He was short, prematurely balding, and had a slight Irish accent that often made Vic think of a leprechaun.
"Admit it, he made you look good!"
"Girl, he can make a step-stool look good!" He argued.
"Victor!" Dr. Stone's voice called. He muted his mic so as not to blow out his friend's ear. "Where are those clothes!"
"Had to dig a bit, Mom!" He called back. He unmuted and said to Courtney, "Gotta go. I was supposed to get Sage some clothes for after his shower. Did you know he's been living in the woods for the past few weeks?"
"That would explain a lot. So, gonna dress him up in the onesie?"
"Never should've showed you my 'before' pictures," Victor said while he grabbed up some green scrubs. "The guy saved our lives, I'll let him be for now and humiliate him next week."
"Aw, aren't you just the sweetest? Be sure to get some pics for me," Courtney said. He heard her smirk over the line.
"You've got the internet, use it."
"You're no fun."
"Goodbye, Dorothy."
"Later, Vic!"
Jump City, October 31st, 2010
Cyborg and his mother Dr. Stone were very kind and accommodating. Dr. Stone was strict and stern, but didn't press him for too much information or try to dissect him as he was worried she would. She did give him a few shots, though.
"Vaccines to keep you healthy," she told him. Sure they were, and Naruto was from the moon. Stupid needles aside, they were good people. Victor had showed him around the facility that he called home. It was, in a word, massive. Easily three times larger than the cave within Mt. Justice, the S.T.A.R. Labs facility was dug miles underground, with a large, single-floor living area above the surface.
The sub-floors had rooms dedicated to scientific research, most of it off-limits for Naruto, which he was fine with,
Still, though...
So many needles, Naruto thought with a shiver as he stepped out of the high-tech shower. He'd spent a good portion of the day training, and had only stopped when Victor came in to kick him out of the gym, telling him that he worked too hard. After that came another physical with another dozen needles with more of those so-called "vaccines".
Personally, Naruto thought that Dr. Stone just liked seeing the holes seal up.
"Stop being so dramatic," Kurama said to him. "It's not like that's the worst thing that punctured your flesh."
Chirps of lightning and red eyes with three tomoe within them flashed to the forefront of Naruto's mind. He shivered again and pulled on the boxers and green scrub pants that he'd set aside earlier. His fishnet-shirt settled against his skin right as there was a knock at the door.
"Yeah?" He asked, opening the door. Victor's grinning face caught him a bit off guard.
"Come on," Vic said. He held up three rectangles with various creatures on them and waved them back and forth. "Courtney's bringing the tiny terror over any second. I got us movies for days!"
"We're going to watch them for a few days?" Naruto asked.
"N-No," Victor's grin faltered. "It's a figure of speech, man."
"Oh. Weird, never heard it before," he said. He stepped out of the bathroom and followed the larger teen to the center room. He interlaced his hands behind his head, casually reaching out and asking The Green if it needed him. It was quiet, so he guessed not.
"So, I haven't wanted to pry, but I've been wondering, what rock did you crawl out of?" Victor asked. Naruto glanced at him.
"I'm from Happy Harbor." It wasn't technically a lie, but cross-dimensional beings were never seen as a good thing. So Wally used to tell him, anyway.
"You're from Rhode Island?" Victor arched a brow.
"Yep," he grinned. He held up his ring-bearing hand and it flashed accordingly. His smile fell a bit. "I, uh, used to be part of a team. Did something I wasn't proud of, so I had to leave."
"This thing you did," the cyborg stopped walking and leveled him with a look. "It wasn't...evil, was it?"
"Um, yes and no? It's-it's complicated. But, but, uh, no one died from it!" Naruto was quick to add. Victor's scrutinizing gaze remained for a minute before he shrugged.
"Alright."
"...That's it?"
"What? You said it wasn't evil. Dude, you saved my city. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt." The words caused Naruto to relaxe and a small smile spread across his face.
"Thanks, Victor."
"Besides, if you try anything now, I'll stop you with a bit of boo-yah!" The taller teen hopped into an exaggerated fighting stance and Naruto laughed.
"You haven't been able to stop yourself from being hip-tossed yet," he said, smirking. The few spars they had over the past two days showed that Sage could match Cyborg in strength. Cyborg wasn't too good at hand to hand, despite downloading all there is to know about something called Greco-Roman wrestling and Karate.
"Okay, first, I'm part machine and even I think that's cold," Victor said, putting a hand over the glowing center of his chest. He then held up two fingers. "Second, if you want to play that way, you still can't beat me in F-Thirty!"
"Video games make no sense!" Naruto groaned and threw his arms in the air. "First Wally with his Netflix cartoons and now you and your video games! Why are you all so enamored with television accessories?"
"Because they're awesome? Duh," Victor said. He opened his mouth to say more when there was a trill of bells, alerting them that someone at the door. He closed his mouth and looked back down at the younger blond. "Truce?"
"Yeah, I guess ...for now," Naruto said. They shared a grin of rivalry before the taller of the two ran off to get the door. He let his hands intertwine behind his head again and leisurely followed behind.
"...I needed to get as far away from Kansas as I could, so did what any teenage girl would do in that situation: I snuck out," he heard Stargirl say.
When Naruto rounded the corner, his greeting died on his lips. She was out of her costume and in a checkered dress, frilled socks, and glittering ruby slippers. There was a bag in one hand and her staff in the other. The makeup made her look like a noblewoman that he'd seen when travelling or on missions back home.
Despite the scowl on her face, she looked very cute.
"Well, I bet you two looked so precious," Victor said, playfully gushing.
"Cyborg, so help me, I will dismantle you." Stargirl growled. She pushed past him as he chuckled at her expense and stormed into the facility. Since she was glaring as hard as she could into the floor to the point that she didn't notice him, Naruto stepped out of her way. He looked back at Victor with an arched brow and gestured at her with a thumb thrown over his shoulder.
"She seemed a bit angry."
"Ah, she's fine. Just embarrassed that she rushed out without thinking about changing first," Victor said, waving his hand. "Let her change and cool off. In the meantime, I'll show you just how awesome video games can be."
A foreboding chill went up Naruto's spine and he groaned.
After a few humiliating defeats, Naruto got to put the controller down when Stargirl finally came out of the bathroom. She was dressed in her costume, the hero one, as she walked into the room with her eyes closed. Her hair looked a bit different, as if it were just washed.
"Man, I needed that! Remind me to thank your Mom for getting shampoo - who are you?" She asked, coming to a stop at the arm of the couch. It took Naruto a minute to realize it, but her eyes were locked on him. When it clicked that she was talking to him, he arched a brow and then held up his ring. Her cheeks darkened. "S-Sage?"
"Yeah?" He asked slowly, not sure why she was so surprised. She continued to stare and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Anyone ever tell you it's not polite to stare?"
"You're not my Mom," she snapped, apparently out of whatever thoughts she'd been lost in. Victor snorted and Naruto stared at her owlishly, wondering what brought on that comparison. She crossed her arms and looked at the screen. "Is it the new millennium or something on your world?"
"What?" He asked. Victor's elbow nudged his side.
"She's asking about your mesh, dude."
"It's not-! Ugh, I hate repeating myself, 'ttebayo," Naruto groaned into his hand. He looked back at Stargirl, who was pointedly avoiding looking in his direction. "Look, I'm not an alien. I'm not a Green Lantern, I'm an Agent of The Green, the Life-Force that governs all plant life. I just happen to use a ring and make constructs like Green Lanterns do."
"He's also from Rhode Island," Victor said. Stargirl still looked away and Cyborg rolled his human eye. "C'mon, Courtney, take off the mask and relax. Don't think I won't rat you out."
"Yeah, thanks, Victor. So much for a secret identity," Stargirl, or rather, Courtney said. She reached up and pulled down the mask so that it bundled around her neck.
Whoa, and I thought she was cute before, Naruto thought.
"It would appear that someone's hormones are acting up." Kurama snorted.
Screw off! I wasn't much better around Artemis or Megan, and Megan was dating Superboy!
"You say that like I should care about your meatbag friends and their mating rituals."
I - You - ...Shut up.
"Hello?" A hand waved in front of his face, drawing him from his inner conversation with a blink. Courtney let her hand fall to her hip and arched a brow. "Talking to the voices in your head again?"
"Yes. No, er...It's complicated," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry, The Green and The Red have a habit of making small talk."
"Lying on the first date won't help you get in her pants," The Voice taunted. He groaned again, but ignored the voice. It wasn't worth the headache.
"That must be annoying," Victor said. He grinned. "I know what'll cheer you up. A good ol' fashioned horror movie night!"
"Now we're talking!" Courtney said. She jumped into the seat on Naruto's left, which left little space between them. As she set her staff against the arm of the couch, he scooted a bit to give them a bit more space. He was just grateful that it was such a large couch, otherwise he would've gotten an odd look from Victor.
"Alright, since he seems to have come from beneath a boulder," the cyborg in question said, standing and holding the three options up. "You choose, Court. We have the pants-wetting horror flick of last year, Wicked Scary; the gore-filled, cringeworthy Splatterhouse; or the so bad it's good cult classic, Man-Thing."
Upon hearing the titles, Naruto cocked his head to the side.
"The Man-Thing?" He asked. "That's a movie?"
"It's a cult classic!" Victor reiterated. "The monster of a South Floridian swamp goes around protecting his land, killing a bunch of greedy bad guys as he does!"
"Sounds like a rip-off of The Swamp-Thing, I don't know how he'd feel about that," he said and crossed his arms. He wondered how the Avatar of The Green would possibly react to a film like this. He snorted, knowing the Avatar of The Green he'd probably take it as a compliment.
"The Swamp Thing?" Courtney and Victor shared a look before they looked back at him and asked, "I thought he was a myth?"
"If he's a myth, then call me one, too. He's the one that taught me about The Green," Naruto said. They continued to stare at him and he rolled his eyes. "Believe me, that's not the strangest thing I could tell you, -ttebayo."
"Uh-huh, sure." Courtney rolled her eyes.
"At the start of the month, I came here with a few other heroes to save a young alien girl from intergalactic slavers," Naruto said. Oblivious to their disbelief, he pursed his lips and rubbed his chin. "I wonder how Kori's holding up. Hope she's okay."
"You're really not kidding about this are you?" Courtney asked.
"You'll know when I'm joking," he said with a shrug. His hands interlocked behind his head. "Are we going to watch a movie or what? I could be training right now."
"You need a hobby," Victor said.
"Training is my hobby." He paused and tilted his head. "Well, that and ramen tasting."
"Ramen?" Courtney asked. A mechanical hand clapped over Naruto's mouth before he could say anything.
"Don't get him started. Trust me. He and my mom argued about it all day yesterday," Victor said. He held the movies out. "He's got a point though. Pick a movie before your folks come looking for you."
"Splatterhouse," she said after a moment of thought. Victor nodded and prepared the film, and Naruto settled in for what he would learn to be called a "80's Cheese"-filled night. There was a lot of jokes thrown between the two teens that flew over his head, due to a cultural history he'd yet to catch up on, but he still had fun.
It was also important to note that Kurama absolutely loved the Slasher Film genre, and demanded they watch more in their spare time.
Jump City, November 3rd, 2010
The Green loved Jump City. That's the only reason Naruto could find that would explain why he'd felt no need to leave. It was a rarity in the country, having parks that weren't uprooted or destroyed on a daily basis, and now had a large amount of greenery that surrounded its borders. Though, the cause of that greenery may also be reason enough for him to stay. Who knew when The Rot would try to revive its Avatar again? It was a comfortable excuse to remain.
The Stone's island home was a pretty nice feature, too.
Today, however, they were away from the S.T.A.R. Labs building. Victor and his mother had argued over something earlier, but Naruto was far too tired to care; he had long ago accepted the fact that he would never be a chipper morning person.
Hence why he was a bit bitey when Victor shoved a large gold and blue jersey over his head, but the cyborg forgave him easily enough; the pinky digit was replaced in record time. The cyborg rushed through the facility while Naruto ate his breakfast and processed whatever information The Green decided to relay to him. By the time he was 'awake', he found himself back on the mainland, being guided by Victor to sit on an uncomfortable metal bench.
"Uh, did I miss something?" Naruto asked, looking around and finding most of the other people wearing regalia like the jersey he wore. Across a large field of chalk-covered grass were more people, although they'd been dressed in green and white colors. On the field were a bunch of men, half wearing gold and blue, the other half in white and green.
"Football-l-l!" Victor cheered, punching the air with both fists. People around him had similar reactions. The large teen had a blue hoodie on, a golden spring with fists and large comical eyes plastered on the center of his chest. He grinned down at the blond. "This is the greatest sport in the country, I used to play before...y'know. This."
He gestured to his cybernetic eye and Naruto smiled.
Victor had been trying to be inclusive, to help Naruto understand the world - particularly this corner of the world. Video games weren't knew, but the mechanics of cars and technical jargon of computers that he was sure Robin would have a hard time following didn't click with the blond's thick skull. It was touching that the teen wanted to help him understand, and he would never refuse an extended olive branch.
"Then I guess you're the best guy to teach me about it," he said. A gleam appeared in Victor's human eye, and he excitedly dove into the sport's history, rules and regulations. Fifteen minutes passed before Naruto was saved from Victor's enthusiasm. Victor was halfway through the explanation of an average offensive play when they were joined by Courtney and her stepfather, Patrick "Pat" Dugan.
"You're the one that saved their keisters, huh?" Pat asked, lowering his voice a bit as he shook Naruto's hand. Pat Dugan was a large man, and not in the rotund fashion. He had a sense of wisdom to him, the same sort that Jiraiya had, that Kakashi had. It was a wisdom of combat, of war.
"They were doing fine, I just stepped in to deal with Cyrus. It's sort of my job, -ttebayo," Naruto said. Pat chuckled and took his hand back. He sat down on the girl's other side, sandwiching his stepdaughter between them. Something, Naruto noted, did little to improve the slightly annoyed look that was on her face.
"Courtney tells me that you're a Green Lantern?" Pat asked, a twinkle of amusement in his eye.
"Ugh," Naruto dropped his head into his hands. Victor and Courtney laughed while the whiskered blond gave the older man a tired look. "I'm different, but yeah. Sure. Whatever! I don't care anymore."
"Yes you do!" The Voice teased. Naruto would've glared at it, had he known A) what it looked like and B) where it was coming from.
"Then," Courtney began, "You're not an alien?"
"No."
"You're human?"
"Last I checked."
"From Rhode Island?"
"It's where I lived after I was booted out of the swamp, -ttebayo."
"With the Swamp-Thing." Both she and her stepfather were giving him an incredulous smirk. He rose a brow in challenge.
"You guys do remember that I made a bunch of trees come out of the ground, right?"
"Alright, so maybe you did meet the Swamp Thing," Courtney said with a shrug. "What did you do before that?"
"Before what?"
"Before living in a swamp?"
"Oh. I trained to be a ninja."
"...I can't tell if you're being serious or not," she said, oblivious to the way Pat's eyes had narrowed. Naruto noticed, but chose not to comment. Instead, he plastered a grin on his face.
"Thus proving my point," he said.
"That doesn't prove anything," she huffed.
"Of course it does!" he argued. "How do you think I could make clones? Or use the Rasengan?"
"Those are ninja tricks? I thought ninja were supposed to be silent assassins, not WMDs."
"lling."I don't know what that means."
"What what means?" Victor asked, sitting back down. He now had a bag of popcorn. Naruto had to do a double take.
When did he-?
"While you were speaking with the meatbag, the half-meatbag went and got food," Kurama said.
Oh, thanks. "WMD. What does that...Ah!" His cheeks burned and looked away from his fellow blond. He didn't think she'd ever call him that. How would she even know that? "Wow, uh, I'm...I'm flattered, but-"
"W-What are you even thinking about?" Her flustered response to his flustered response served as a good source of amusement for the other two members of their group.
"Well, you clearly meant-" Naruto was cut off when the ground began to shake.
The field began to collapse, most of the visiting Coast City Sharks falling with the ground into a pit. The Jump City Springers soon fell to the same fate, and before long, the entire football field was rubble. People screamed.
From the devastation rose a dark figure. Clad in a formfitting black and purple uniform was a man. On his head was a red helmet shaped like a star. A large replication of the man appeared behind him.
"People of Jump City!" The man shouted, his voice enhanced through the massive doppleganger. "I am Evil Star, and you will all bow to me!"
"Oh, no he didn't just say that!" Victor growled, as he pulled off his hoodie. He let it drop to the ground and his arm shifted into a cannon. "He did not!"
"Cyborg get the people out of here, I'll be right back!" Courtney said as she pushed through the frightened crowd to get to somewhere concealed. Pat, likewise, slipped through the crowd after her. Victor forced his arm to shift back and began to usher people to safety, his towering form standing out like a beacon in the night.
Naruto, like minded, brandished his ring and changed into his Sage attire with a green flash. The crowd saw this and parted out of his way as the Agent of The Green rose into the air. People on both sides of the field began to cheer.
"Hey jackass!" He pointed his finger at the star masked man. "You made a big mistake coming here."
"Yet another Green Lantern," Evil Star sneered. He smirked. "Are you earthlings so weak that you require four Green Lanterns?"
"What. Did you. Just call me?" Naruto asked through gritted teeth. He really didn't think that he'd get as annoyed as he did, but
"Called it!" The Voice jeered.
"Run along, boy. I won't mind ripping that ring off your severed hand," Evil Star said. His condescending attitude hit the right buttons to get the blond angry.
"Well," Naruto said as he rolled his neck from one side to the other. The cracks filled the air and he brought his arms up in a ready stance. "I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."
"And he has spirit!" the villain laughed. His smirk remained on his face. "I will always be amazed by how fast the young die."
"Far more than I should," Naruto said again, mostly to himself.
The two stared each other down, the world going mute around them, before the massive Evil Star's hand rocketed up in a smack. Naruto shot across the air and smashed into the stadium billboard. The people cried out in horror and Evil Star let his head rear back as he laughed.
"All bark and no bite! How pathetically typical of the Green Lantern Corps," he said. His smirk fell into a confused frown when the body indented in the billboard was suddenly enveloped in smoke and a splintered log fell onto the ground.
"What?" The villain rubbed his eyes and stared at the spot. "I didn't think humans were that fragile. Or made of wood."
"Oi, jackass!" Evil Star turned around, only to have a massive green hand swat him like a fly right where he had sent the teen. Naruto grinned and cracked his knuckles as their constructs dispelled. "Get turbed!"
"Boy…" Evil Star growled as he got back to his feet. Energy built around his hands as he floated into the sky. "I will eviscerate you."
"You're welcome to try," Naruto said. He sidestepped the sharp construct that engulfed Evil Star's hand. A barrage of jabs followed, each an attempted stab that Naruto avoided. "Whoa! Careful there, -ttebayo! You almost got me with that one!"
"Is it a necessary requirement for every Green Lantern to be as obnoxious as you are?" Evil Star asked around his stabs.
"Okay, that does it, asshole!" Naruto caught the next stab in his hand. He pulled Evil Star in close and glared into the man's whited eyes. He brought his fist back. "I'm not a Green Lantern! The name's Sage!"
The punch that followed sent Evil Star rocketing towards the ground. The villain's descent was stopped abruptly by a white stream of energy that caught him around the waist. Evil Star gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs. He looked up to see a blonde girl clad in a starred costume holding the staff that had caught him.
"Hi, we haven't met yet," she said. "I'm Stargirl. You just attacked my city."
"Your city?" Evil Star repeated. "What sort of city has two heroes?"
"Well, about that." Stargirl spun in the air and whipped Evil Star towards the Jump City bleachers. Before he could hit them, Cyborg lifted his cannon-shaped arm and delivered a massive blast to the villain's face. The shot knocked him back into the air.
"That's for my stadium, jerk!" Cyborg called after the flying villain while the people cheered.
Evil Star caught himself in the air and glared down at the cyborg. He lifted his hand, prepared to fire another round, when Naruto spoke from behind him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. Evil Star jumped and spun around.
"Whoa, jeezus! Remind me to put a bell on your corpse," the villain grumbled. He scowled at Naruto, purple energy gathering around his hand. "What's wrong? Can't fight your own battles, boy?"
"Not just my battle," Naruto said. He pointed up and Evil Star followed his gaze. Stargirl came flying in and delivered a heavy smack with her staff. They watched the villain shoot to the ground and hit the rubble he caused. Naruto turned and nodded at the girl. "Nice one."
"It's a terribly well balanced staff," Courtney said, smiling at the weapon. "If it was too top-heavy, I'd lose power on the swing."
"I'll take your word for it," he said. He watched the helmeted villain get back to his feet and cringed when Victor dropped an elbow down onto the man's back. He knew from experience how painful Cyborg's strikes could be, but didn't want to know what a metal joint being drilled into his spine felt like. His attention went to the edge of the field, where people had gathered to help the players.
"We need to end this," he murmured. A hard smack followed by a scream drew his gaze back to where Victor had been. When he found the half-machine man, Victor was falling back towards the earth. Stargirl rushed off to his aid, leaving the Agent of the Green alone to face down the rising villain.
"Boy, you've exhausted my patience," Evil Star growled.
"He calls that a growl?" Kurama mocked. "I've had gas that's sounded more intimidating."
"I tend to do that." Naruto shrugged. He held his hands up and gestured in. "What'cha gonna do about it?"
"Oh, I'll show you what I'll do," Evil Star said. His fist gained a shell of light around it and he rushed the blond hero. "I will extinguish your fire with one hit!"
"Wow, my granny said something like that once," Naruto said. He held his hand out and caught the villains fist. He concealed a cringe - there was something about the energy that Evil Star gave off that The Green did not like - and basked in the masked villain's look of shock. He grinned. "Yeah, not as impressive. Granny actually made me move when she hit me."
"Impudent little-! I will murder you!" Evil Star's other fist shot out and he caught that one, too. He tightened his grip on the villain's hands. He threw Evil Star's hands out to either side and then grabbed the man by his head. Naruto reared his head back and then flung it forward. He hovered, dazed for just a moment, and Evil Star was knocked back, but remained in the air.
"Did...Did you just headbutt me?" The villain asked while he rubbed the new dent in his helmet.
"Yeah. I've really got to stop doing that," Naruto said mostly to himself. He shook off the remnants of the ringing bells and rushed the villain. He extended his arm and caught Evil Star around the neck, before flying away from the civilians.
"Let's take the scenic route!" Naruto said to his captive.
"Release me, boy!" The villain shouted in outrage.
"Impress you? I don't know why you'd want that, but, okay!" He grinned and began to spin them. As they spun and flew, he shifted his grip to resemble that of the Primary Lotus, pinning the villain's arms to his sides. When The Green told him they were outside of city limits, he angled them towards the ground.
"Let! Me! Go!" Evil Star shouted.
"Don't worry, I won't let go!" Naruto closed his eyes and hoped that he did this right. Just before they hit the ground, he shouted out, "Primary Lotus!"
The dirt and sand that was knocked into the air would be enough to refill the football field five times over.
With a groan, Naruto pushed Evil Star off of his body and rolled to his hands and knees. He stumbled getting back to his feet, but straightened out and put a hand on his slightly aching head. His attention went to the unmoving man and after a quick pulse check, he was relieved to note that the man was alive.
"Phew! Good thing I let go." He chuckled and then grimaced. His hands went back to his head and his eyes closed. "Ow, Bushy-brow, how did you do that every time?"
"...Die."
That was all the warning that he would get before Evil Star leapt from the ground and delivered a brutal, organ-rearranging uppercut to his gut. Naruto was knocked off of his feet and landed on his ass. After he rolled onto his hands and knees, a cough of blood burst from his lips, followed by a gasp for air.
"Wow, I actually felt that one," he said once he could breathe again. The weak chuckle was followed by a pained groan. Evil Star snarled and punt kicked him in the head, knocking him back down. The villain, clearly all energy power and not endurance based, panted.
"If it weren't for your cheek, I might miss you once your dead," Evil Star snarled. He kicked Naruto in the gut, knocking him to the side by a few feet.
"Aww, I feel all warm and fuzzy, now." Naruto coughed again and pushed himself to his hands and feet. He grinned at the villain and raised his fists. "That all you got?"
"Do you ever stay down?" Evil Star asked. More purple light gathered around his form.
"Not really," he said. "But you would not believe how many people ask me that, -ttebayo."
"I admire your tenacity. You've lasted longer than the other Lanterns I have faced," Evil Star said. Then, a sickening snap filled the air. Followed by another. Evil Star's labored breaths evened out and within seconds, the light dimmed. Evil Star brushed off his shoulders and smirked at the dumbfounded teen. "Did you really believe I was so weak to be done in by children?"
"Buddy, you don't want to know what I thought about you," Naruto said. He closed his eyes as Natural Energy began to fill and heal his injuries. He chuckled. "However, I will admit. You know how to dish out a punch."
"It's strange, having an enemy I so dearly want dead, but actually enjoy bantering with," Evil Star said. His hands started to glow again and he grinned. "I now know why The Rogues are so enamored with their Streak."
"I think you mean Flash."
"Shut up and die," Evil Star said. He threw his hands in front of him, releasing a large stream of violet-white that Naruto matched with a beam of green. They were locked in a stalemate, neither one side gaining or losing ground. Evil Star grit his teeth. "Your ring does not radiate the same energies of a Green Lantern!"
"Did you just notice that?" The Green's Lantern asked, amused. He glanced behind the villain and his grin grew just slightly. "I told you before, the name is Sage. I'm not a Green Lantern."
"He's one of us."
Evil Star glanced behind him, but he wasn't able to move in time to avoid the blasts that hit his back. The pain drew his attention away from the stalemate, and Naruto poured more into his beam, overwhelming the violet-white energy. Evil Star was enveloped by the full power of sonic, cosmic and The Green. The collision of the energies caused a small explosion that forced the teens to cover their eyes.
When they could see through the smoke, they found Evil Star laid out in the center of a small, black-ringed crater. His body was smoking, his helmet off to reveal his eyes were rolled into his head, and his chest heaved the barest amount to show life.
"I think that calls for a 'Booyah!'" Victor said as his cannon shifted back into his hand. He grinned at them, which both Naruto and Courtney returned fully. They glanced down at their unconscious foe and shared an uncertain look with each other.
"So, what now?" Courtney asked. "JCPD can't hold this guy. He goes head to head with Green Lanterns."
"Hey." Naruto frowned.
"That's a compliment."
"...Not a Green Lantern, 'ttebayo." He grumbled.
"Well, if you don't want him, I'll gladly take him off your hands," said a familiar voice from above.
AN: Wow, this one's longer than average. Next time, we revisit a bit of canon, with a twist.
Y'all know what to do!
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