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A/N
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Chapter 36
"Who are you?"
"We are Kindred."
"Both of you?"
"Yes."
Naruto's left eye twitched. He was sure he was dreaming, but the pain and the water had been real enough. Her touch was even real. How long was he out? Was this another trick by Kyuubi?
The white fox hopped and switched to her other foot to stand. Naruto had hardly noticed that she had been standing on only one leg the entire time. The other was bent awkwardly and resting against her knee like she was practicing a yoga move. The black fox head chuckled and floated around the room for a brief moment. The white one tilted her head to the side and switched feet again.
Sighing, Naruto gave in to his curiosity. "So what do you want to talk about?" He threw the blanket off. He was naked. Go figure. They asked him to strip before he went on the pain filled journey of getting the last seal placed on him. Clearly that was a smashing success. Kyuubi was still taunting him and making it very clear that his time was almost up. Was that why they were here?
The black fox head floated around Naruto as he pulled on some clothes. "We're here to see if you run!" Naruto stopped as he put on pants to give the floating head a sideways glance. It stopped in front of him, head slightly tilted as if mimicking its female companion. "I chase what does not willingly go."
"Go where?"
"To death," the white fox answered plainly.
Naruto picked up on her lack of emotion in her voice. Her odd tone was only stranger when he took in her form. She stood properly, like a woman of noble blood, yet her words were simple and devoid of real substance. Perhaps she saw herself in the light of someone immolating nobility? She already made it clear she was here for his life, if the floating head was to be trusted.
He threw on a shirt and turned to face her. "So you're here for my life?" She didn't move. "Get in line. I've gotta a bunch of people that wanna take shots at me. Good thing I'm too stubborn to be put down." Not a full truth, but not a full lie either. "I've got a good track record of breaking things that wanna try to break me. So if we're gonna fight, I'd like to do it away from innocent lives."
"We are not here to fight. We are to here to warn you." Naruto's left eye twitched again. The black fox hovered around him, cackling as he got up close to him. Naruto could see a red light inside his mouth. He thought of the terror that was his four-tailed form. He remembered enough to know it was a terrible thing. The destruction it brought to the Gray Orders' home was enough for him to understand what it could do if left unchecked. "Your power is waning. You have little time left. But as fate would have it, it does not end in death. It ends in life if you are strong."
"I am strong. So what's this warning about?" Naruto got bold and pushed the big floating head away. It snapped at him. He glared in return. "Down, Boy!" It laughed at him. "Tell him to go away before I pummel him into the ground. I haven't exactly had a good day."
The white fox looked to her companion for a moment, sharing a silent conversation. Begrudgingly the floating fox head moved closer to her and started aimlessly floating around the room. Naruto watched it for a moment before turning back to her. "Your life is nearing its final breath. In that moment, the creature within you will stir." Naruto's left eye twitched. She hopped to her other foot and tilted her head in the same motion. "In order to win against it, you must not give in to its unyielding rage. Embrace the warmth of the shadow in your mind. Only then will you be free to live once more."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that another soul resides within you, boy." The black fox head surged forward, snapping angrily at him. Naruto could see hatred in its eyes. "I don't speak of the fox inside you, either." Naruto snorted in disbelief. "Believe what you will. If you die, I hope you run."
"You make that sound like you're some aspect of death. Like a Shinigami." Naruto smiled at the thought. Could that thing kill Kyuubi? It was a deathless creature until faced with the truest aspect of death. Couldn't get any more real than the big cheese himself. If he wanted you dead, you were dead. Plain and simple…
"We are the truest form of death for this world. We are Kindred." The female spoke again.
Naruto rubbed the bridge of his noise. "I'm calling you Foxy and him Ghost!" he declared with a growl. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to two people talk as one while being completely separate from each other. It's annoying and makes my brain hurt." Ghost snarled at the name. Foxy did nothing. "So if you're aspects of death, does that mean you work alongside Karthus?"
Ghost chuckled and looked in total bliss to the name while Foxy tilted her head the other way, her shoulders arched, her chest rose, and her tone carried a subtle, yet hard to notice, edge to. "The singer mistakes melody for substance," she told him firmly. "We are not one with him. He is one we wish to kill, but lives in a place that is unwelcome to us."
Naruto read between the lines and came up with her real answer. They weren't welcomed on the Shadow Isles, had no business with anyone from there, and thought that their existence was a mistake. It was how the rest of the world saw them and gave Naruto an excuse to go see his friend on the island since he needed to pay Karthus a visit now. Maybe he'd know something about Kindred.
"We have said our piece. Do with it what you will." She called back the floating head and simply faded away before Naruto's very eyes.
Not even a goodbye from you, huh? Naruto walked out of the medical room and towards his room. He felt naked without his weapons.
(-)
"It what?"
Relivash knew she heard him right the first time, but if she wanted to hear it again, he was all for it. It sounded terrible and left a bitter taste in his mouth just admitting to it. "The seal we put on him didn't take." Karma slumped in her chair. Defeat was evident on her face. All of that hard work for nothing? She thanked Relivash for trying, but still, how did the seal not take? He sensed her question and answered before she can ask. "We think the original seals that were put on him might have interfered. We don't know for sure. But as it stands right now, he's being removed from all future fights on the Fields of Justice. We can't risk it now. I'm not giving him any jobs either. The threat he possesses is too real for us right now."
"He won't like this."
"He knew the risk." Relivash's knuckles turned white from his clenched hand. This was not how this was supposed to go. "I'll be informing him as soon as he's up. I'll need you to keep an eye on him. No doubt he's going to go back to Ionia and wait this out. But unless we can find a way back home for him soon, we're all gonna die."
"So we're living on bored time." Karma wanted to laugh. Not even a few months had passed since Ionia was reunited as a whole and now this was happening. It was like fate was deciding to slap them in the face. How would Naruto even take this? Surely he'd be reasonable. "How long do you think we have?"
"Days… Weeks… Months… Years if we're lucky. It's hard to tell." Karma nodded solemnly. It was like talking to a doctor that was powerless to save a life. You could only nod dumbly and accept what was being told to you. Karma was at that point now. What else was there to do? There wasn't any other trick they could use to fix the seal unless they went way out of the way and made a pact with someone from Morgana's world. The idea of such a thing wasn't pleasing either. "I know this is going to be hard on him. But you have to understand that his seal is the most…" he shook his head, unable to truly form words. "The seal is so complex that from what I've gathered about it, it ties to a creature of death itself. The seal is literally created with the power of death holding it in place."
"So death is losing its grip on it?" Relivash scratched his nose and shook his head. The seal on Naruto was horribly too complex for him. If there was such a thing of a God Seal, the one Naruto had might as well be it. Too bad it was falling apart. Karma stood up with a audible sigh of frustration. "I'll talk to him about this."
Relivash nodded solemnly. "Thanks…" He motioned to the door with a jerk of his chin. She nodded and departed. When he heard the soft click of the door shutting he growled and looked at his paperwork. Everything was right with how the seal had been placed, but something else had tampered with it during the process. It was on him and that was truly what mattered. Relivash grabbed a letter and scowled as he read the contents again. Garen, Prince Jarvan, and Katarina were working to uncover the incidents in Kalamanda now. If they got too close to the truth, he'd be uncovered.
Relivash grabbed a pen and paper. It was time to send another message out before things spiraled further out of control.
(-)
Syndra hummed happily after she was told the news on the situation. If there was any silver lining to any bit of that news it was that he wouldn't be leaving her any time soon. He'd be up on her temple until the end of days. She was okay with that. Dying with the one you loved was a normal thing. That was what truly happy couples did. They got together, lived a good life, no matter how short or long, and died together because that was what the other wanted in the end. It was like some depressing romance story where the other person tried to move on but couldn't and in the end took their own life to be with the one they loved. Sad, heartwarming, tragic. That was how she saw those stories but the truth was that she was now living one of those stories.
She was sad to know that the seal didn't take. That was the worst kind of news she could get concerning Naruto's problem. Death had a solution to itself. She'd kill herself to be with him. That was how much she loved him. She came to terms with that when Karma asked if they were trying to make kids. At that moment, Syndra realized that the thought of being with anyone else was a far off fantasy. She'd never be with anyone but Naruto and had accepted that with open arms.
It was during their talks that she came to one great conclusion: She needed to make the most of what time they had left and was willing to do whatever it took to get into Ionia and be there for the festival with him. She was going to be by his side and watch the fireworks this year. She wasn't going to be happy watching them with him from the safety of her temple in the clouds. She'd only be content if she could watch them from the capitals' streets beside him. With Akali, Soraka, and Karma supporting her, she knew that she would be able to walk through those city streets again. Perhaps everyone would hate her, but she could walk through them uncontested and free.
She rolled over and stared into the blues eyes of her lover. Naruto smiled softly at her and ran a hand over her the small of her back. Her back arched at the touch of fingers. His warmth was pleasantly strong tonight.
"I'll be talking to Irelia as soon as I'm back in Ionia." Naruto told her. Syndra sighed at the very thought of going through that. She didn't want to talk about this now. Naruto gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "The sooner we get her on our side for this, the sooner you can come to town and spend time with Ahri or Akali. I know you're tired of being up there. The faster we get this done the better." She nodded softly and brought her head to a rest in the crook of his neck. "Just think of all the fun things you're going to be doing soon. Going shopping, tasting new snacks, spending time with other women."
"Seeing your room." He laughed. She rolled over on top of him and looked him in the eye. "Are you giving up on it?"
Naruto shook his head. "No. I have an idea on where to go next. I just need to see a friend about it first."
"Can I come?"
"I'd rather you didn't, but I don't really wanna deny you this. So you can come." She smiled. "We're going to the Shadow Isles." She jerked upright and stared at him. "I saw something after I awoke. She gave me a warning. Said she was an aspect of death. She knew things about me that I didn't tell anyone else. She could also see souls. She saw something else inside me. Something I don't about. I think they might actually know what she was and if she was the real thing."
"What did she say?"
Naruto shut his eyes for a moment. Syndra put her head on his chest and listened to the beating of his heart. "She said I had another soul inside me. It was pretty clear she wasn't talking about Kyuubi either." Syndra blinked and thought back to the blurry image she had seen when inside Naruto's mind. That clenched it then. What she saw was real. There was another soul inside him. Naruto coughed to get her attention. "As much fun as this night has been, I really wanna get some sleep. So let's go to bed for real this time and worry about this in the morning."
"What time are we leaving?"
"Whenever you wake up." She smiled. He was always so nice.
(-)
Naruto banged on Zed's door as lightly as he could. Only a few champions and Summoners were up and Naruto didn't want to wake everyone in the hallway he was on. Since breaking and entering was illegal with a hefty price here in the institute, Naruto couldn't just lock-pick his way inside to wake his friend. He had to be subtle about it. Syndra didn't really have the patience for this, so she had opted to just destroy the door. Naruto stopped her and got her to go with a clone to go get something to eat while he stayed behind to wake his friend.
Naruto heard a soft groan of displeasure from the other side of the door and the soft patter of feet before the door was cracked open. Zed poked his head out, clearly shirtless from what Naruto could see and said, "What do you want?" in a tired and dry voice.
"Get dressed. We're going out on a job." Zed shot him an annoyed stare. "Do you wanna prove you're worth something to these people? They think you're a joke." That got him moving. He grumbled something and shut the door to get dressed. Naruto smiled and found Syndra. His clone wasn't holding any food, but it was holding a tray. He scooped in and dispersed the clone, taking the tray before it fell to the ground. "Zed's up."
She nodded like she cared. "Are we taking anyone else for this little adventure?"
Naruto couldn't think of anyone else that would willingly go to the Shadow Isles, even if there wasn't going to be any fighting. Naruto was only taking Zed because if a fight did break out, Zed would be capable of fighting off at least two of them inhabitants. Three if he was lucky enough to fight them while they were weak or distracted. Syndra could probably take out everyone but Karthus and the self-proclaimed big man himself. Naruto knew he could take on Mordekaiser. A need to have more people with them was a good thing just in case. If they caught Evelyn on a bad day she could actually handle both Syndra and Zed. Same could be said for the war pony.
"I can ask a few people," he told her quietly. There was a small jerk on his pant leg that spun Naruto around. Kennen was behind him looked bewildered by the scene. "Kennen! What are you doing, man? It's been a while."
"You hardly come back to Ionia anymore. You're always off somewhere else." He jerked his chin to her and said, "Why are you hanging out with her? And where are you going this time?"
Syndra considered squashing the little rodent ninja before Naruto's grin threatened to split his face in two. "I'm dating Syndra and we're going to the Shadow Isles to see if they can fix a problem with me." He didn't care. Kennen was his friend and the little Yordle was always happy to help him. His ears perked up a bit at the notion of going somewhere not safe. He didn't seem to care about the whole dating Syndra part, something that alarmed the Dark Sovereign. "You wanna come with me? If I take you, we'll have to tell Shen and Akali." He paused to gauge Syndra's reaction to that. She didn't seem to care either. "We should see about getting those two to come as well."
"Why on earth would you want them to follow us around?" she asked with an air of annoyance about her. Naruto shrugged. "I can stand Akali now that she's backing off of you, but I don't know much about this Shen person. For what I see of him on the Fields of Justice, he's a weak and terrible person."
"Much like Purple Ferret?" Kennan asked. Naruto was confused but Syndra got the joke. That was the best moment of her life and she was not going to let it slide while she still drew breath. That would forever be his nickname until death or something better came along. "So why are you going to the Shadow Isles? As much as I like the idea of going out on a job with you; going to a place like that just screams that you wanna get someone killed. So… Why go?"
"For the scenery." The two gave him a dead stare. Naruto laughed lightly. If he was going to tell Kennen about his problem, he might as well tell Shen. He was the only one not really in the loop on things. Maybe Akali already told him? He could only hope so. "I'll tell you when we go find Akali and Shen." Zed arrived with a visible scowl on his face as he finished fixing his gauntlet. Kennen looked up at him and blinked. Zed glared at the ninja Yordle. "Zed, this is Kennen. Kennen, this is Zed. Play nice."
"I know who the rodent is." Kennen rolled his eyes. Like he hadn't been called that before. "So where are we going on why?"
"How about you not call me that, and we can explain this." Kennen ordered. Zed brandished one of his weapons. Kennen just stared at him pulling out a kunai to clean under his nail. It was a testament to their lives, really. Death threats meant nothing to him now. He lived on the edge of death. What could Zed do to him that hadn't already been done on the Fields of Justice? Kill him for real? That was about all he could do since he'd been skinned by Rengar, poisoned by Twitched and Teemo, shot to death by almost every long-range fighter, stepped on by big people, eaten, frozen, set on fire, drowned, chocked to death, had his heart ripped out of his body, limbs removed, blood drained from his entire body, and skewered. At this point there wasn't much else anyone could do to him that he hadn't already had happened.
"How about I call you whatever you want while I watch you die in a ditch somewhere, Rodent," Zed offered with an evil glint.
"Kennen, behave," Naruto told him flatly. Zed beamed happiness, having finally won on battle in his life since joining this terrible place. "Zed, stop making fun of Kennen and call him by his name. You're both my friends and you're going to act it." Zed deflated. Naruto was a great deterrent for the thought of maiming the smug little Yordle. "We're going to the Shadow Isles to pay a visit to a friend that may or may not know something about a solution to my problem."
Zed blinked and wanted to scream at him. That was his big job? That was a death sentence if there ever was one for stupid jobs. But this was Naruto. He didn't the insane and impossible every day of his life. He made friends with Syndra and was now dating said woman. No on in their right mind would have wanted to go near that piece of ass unless it was a final reward you got for doing so before death. And even then, who'd be stupid enough to do it? There was also his mission to Mt. Targon. Both missions, actually. Both of them were stupid and would have ended in his death had he not be either incredibly skilled or incredibly lucky.
"We going to get something to eat, go talk to Akali and Shen since I got make sure it's okay with them to take him with me, and then we're going to go on an adventure to the Shadow Isles." Naruto made it sound like it was going to be a day at the beach. Maybe he knew someone really powerful over there that could keep all the monsters away from them? That would be Naruto-like. "So let's get something to eat and then we go out for this. The sooner we get this done, the better." Naruto cracked his neck and grabbed his food. The others quickly devoured their food before going to find Shen and Akali.
It wasn't hard to find them either.
Kennen lead the way to the medical rooms they were at and found Shen going over some documents on a clipboard. When they all walked in, his brow arched at seeing them all together. "Naruto, Kennen," he greeted warmly. The duo smiled while Syndra and Zed glared. "What can I help you with?"
"I'm taking Kennen with me to the Shadow Isles." And just like that Shen's brow disappeared into his hairline. He blinked repeatedly before a loud cry from behind a curtain sounded. He jerked back and looked inside. Akali's sigh of frustration was heard on the other side of the curtain. A moment later there was a loud crack as feet hit the floor and out walked a Yordle with a long wooden staff and a funny purple hat. She walked by them rubbing her arm and crying. Zed glared at her the whole way while Akali came out with a used syringe. She spied the group and waved slowly as if she were out of place in a terrible scene. "So can I take him with me?" Naruto asked when Shen turned his focus back to the group.
"Why?" Naruto shut the door, receiving a loud, "Hey," as it was shut in the face of Darius. Naruto put his foot against the door and summoned a clone. If he broke the door down Darius was going to be in serious trouble. Maybe Naruto could drag him along as well? Noxus was still paying him back at the moment for the dirty secrets he had on them from sources he wouldn't divulge. Naruto doubted that they'd go that far with the information he had, but it was worth a shot in the end. Shen gave Naruto a sharp glance and then looked to the other two. "Why are you two here? You're not hurt… are you?"
"Not yet," Zed said sharply. He brandished his weapons again. Naruto gave him a sideways glance as if to silently ask 'Really?' to him. Zed put his weapon away and sighed. Damn Naruto and his overpowering skills.
"Is there anyone else in here?" Naruto asked seriously. Shen glanced at Akali. She shook her head as she came back doing some paperwork on a clipboard. "I have a nine-tailed fox living inside me and the seal holding it in place is about to break. The last ditch effort to hold it inside me failed and I was greeted by a being known as Kindred, who calls itself an aspect of death. They said my time is near and that if I was strong I could withstand this terrible fate. If not, we all die. But she did let me know that she's not welcomed on the Shadow Isles. So at this point since I got nothing else to really lose, since my death is almost certain in the long run anyways, I'm going to there to see a friend and see if they know anything about this Kindred person."
Shen's left eye twitched in irritation. Akali turned around and sauntered off to who knows where. Shen put his head in his hand as he fought the desire to yell at his friend for coming up with such a stupid idea in the first place, but moreover because he kept such a dangerous secret from him. It wasn't like they were enemies or anything. But if Naruto deemed it worth keeping until now, he had to have a good reason. He never left anything like this up in the air without a good reason.
"I'm coming with you as well," Shen finally said after a long pause. Syndra regarded him as one did a bug on the bottom of their shoe. "How do you intend to get their? By boat? All boats and other vessels that go there end up disappearing. Do you have some secret way of getting us there?"
"Yeah, I'll convince Sarah to take us." Of course he'd ask a friend to take him to the most dangerous island in the world. Who wouldn't bring friends along to their deaths? "She's taken me before and while she doesn't like the idea of it, she's more than willing to do it if persuaded properly." Naruto waved his hand out as though he were making a sale. Shen wasn't impressed. Akali returned in her gear and looked between the group with a blank set of eyes. "See! Akali's onboard for this and she doesn't give two shits about where we're going. Get dressed if you're coming along."
Shen sighed in defeat. If his girlfriend was going, he was going. He wasn't going to leave her in the hands of Naruto and his friends right now. Not when two of them would sooner see her dead than throw a bucket of water on if she were burning.
(-)
"How did he get you involved in this?" Akali asked Sarah Fortune.
Sarah looked over her shoulder to the female ninja that was on her pirate boat and thought it a little funny of their scenario. How many books did this go in? What was the outcome of those books? Didn't the pirates always win if the ninjas were on their ship? She couldn't remember. But when Naruto came aboard and asked her to take him to the Shadow Isles with his usual persuasion tactics, she could hardly say no. Now that she was putting it all together in her head, this was a little bit funnier than originally thought to be.
"He promised to help me with another bounty," she said as though they were talking about the weather. Akali looked over her shoulder to Zed and Shen. Both were sharpening their weapons. The only way to the island was under the cover of night.
The moon did a lot more good than it did harm for the Shadow Isles. While the black mist was hard to see through, the night sky and the large moon allowed better visibility for people that could see through it clearly enough. Her first mate had good eyes, but one of his friends that went to the island and lived had better eyes. Stories surrounded the odd man. Some said he was one of them. Others said he was one of the many people that had gone to challenge the terrors of the Shadow Isles and came back a broken man. No one knew anything about him.
"I remember the last time we went there," she confessed. Akali focused on the pirate/bounty hunter. "It was right after the last Harrowing. A lot of people died. It was a terrible thing. Gankplank and I came to terms and fought them to a standstill. We pushed them back when morning came. Beaten and tired, Naruto came to us when we were all about to crash and asked to be taken to the island. I said he was a fool. He said he probably was but he wanted to go. I took him since he promised me a favor. I think that was when I noticed that he was a truly devoted person to those who called him friend. He went there and I watched as he beat down the Shadow of War himself. He didn't kill him. He beat him with an arm taken from an old woman too tired and weak to fight. She lost her arm and wanted some pay back. Naruto took it and just beat him senselessly."
"That sounds like something he'd do."
Sarah laughed as something else came to her mind. "Ever since then he's sort of gone there without any problems. I don't know how he does it, but I've heard of people taking him and coming back days later. He was always fine and anyone that saw any of these creatures said that they were beaten up or angry with him. So I think he's capable of just beating them all up."
"Have you ever stepped foot on the island?" Sarah shook her quickly. Akali figured as much. "Well you might get your chance. I'm sure if you come he'll give you a reward or something."
"There isn't anything on this world that I want that could make me step foot on that island, short of it being an invasion fleet to completely destroy them. But since every fleet that goes out there doesn't come back, I'm still keeping my happy ass away from this place. We're already too close for my liking." She walked up to the man that could see through the fog.
Akali retreated to where Shen and Zed were talking. She caught the tail end of an insult from Shen on Zed. Shen looked up at her and offered a wet stone. She shook her head and sat down on the crate beside them. "So how bad do you think this is going to get?"
"We haven't been discussing that," Zed told her flatly. Shen gave his old friend a withering glare. It was the best he could do at the moment. Between learning Naruto's dark secret, coming to terms with the reality of what they were about to do, spending time with his former friend turned enemy, and now being on a boat with at least two people that would rather see him dead sort of took up most of his strength at the moment. "We've been throwing insults back and forth for a bit. Wanna join, bitch?" Akali gave him a crude glance before smiling. Zed shivered a little. Only being around her for a few days made him more than aware of what that meant. "Don't do something you'll regret."
"I won't regret it. You will though." She smiled knowingly. Zed grumbled and returned to sharpening his weapons. Shen sheathed his weapons and returned the stone to Zed. Akali watched the exchange with mild fascination. "How do you think this is all going to go down?"
Shen stood up and stretched. "We're all going to probably die," he told her truthfully. Why did he even agree to this? This was a death sentence and he knew it.
"As long as they kill you two seconds before they kill me, I'm fine with it." Zed told him plainly. "Gives me time to laugh at you."
"I'm sure you'll have all the time in the world to do that when you're dead with me." Zed chuckled. Shen rolled his eyes. This was the best way he could describe their friendship anyways. "So how long have they been a thing?" he asked. Zed blinked, pretending he didn't understand. "Syndra and Naruto… How long have they been together?"
"They agreed that it was about two months," Akali answered. She was looking at her nails and faking disinterest. Shen noticed it. Zed didn't. "It supposedly started back when Naruto returned from his little adventure in the Voodoo Lands. She sought him out and they fought. After that they just sort of ended up together." That was a real head scratcher. How did you start fighting each other and then end up together. This wasn't one of those books that worked like that. Life was not that crazy. She looked and Shen and then considered that it was. She fought him when Naruto broke up with her when she was finally ready to get with someone. Shen was not happy with her attitude about her job and tried to speak to her about it. She fought him. They ended up naked and the next thing she knew they were together. Such was the woes of young life. Hormones sucked.
The ship rocked and Sarah started giving orders. The ship came alive as her crew began getting the boat ready for them. With the anchor dropped, Zed and Shen felt a great sense of dread wash over them. Naruto, Syndra, and Kennen came up top and surveyed the island. It was almost in perfect view. A few thick blankets of fog were all that stood between them for the most of it, but it could clearly be seen.
"We'll give you three hours to do what you need. If you're not back by then, we're leaving you." Sarah told him.
Naruto nodded and dropped into the boat they were lowering. The others followed him. Naruto and Zed paddled towards the island. It was quiet the whole way there. As soon as they were on dry land, they brought the boat ashore and started moving. Naruto looked up at the darkened clouds that hung overhead and sighed. It wouldn't be long before Hecarim showed up to great them. He'd be leading his Iron Order towards them. They ventured towards the forest in silence. Naruto was the only one to walk without caution. The others had their weapons out or magics formed for an attack. They jumped at every shadow and whisper in the wind.
Not a minute later did the Shadow of War himself show up. He charged the group with two of his knights trailing behind him, ready to fight. Naruto greeted him with a smile and slapped his weapon aside. Hecarim was not detoured in the slightest. He rode around them, turned sharply, and raced to run him down. Naruto held his hand out and caught his weapon before it could skewer him. Hecarim came to a stop behind him, his weapon removed and a scowl on his specter face. The others stood back to back as they waited for the Iron Order to rush them with their swords.
"Stand down," Naruto ordered. They didn't obey. Hecarim laughed. Naruto smiled and turned to the Shadow of War. "Stop your bronies before they get put down, War Pony." Hecarim bristled at the name. Naruto turned to Zed and gave him a nod. Shadows erupted from each Iron Order knight and like a puppet with its strings cut they fell lifelessly. They'd be dead for only a few hours at best. Nothing could ever truly die here in the true sense of the word. You were either undead or undying. Though the same, there was a difference if one were to look at such creatures as Karthus or Hecarim. "I need to speak to Karthus and Thresh."
Hecarim stomped the ground, his lower half mimicking the actions of annoyed horse. "Why should I?" he asked through gritted teeth. More of his Iron Order would be here soon. If he could stall them long enough, Mordekaiser would be rid one terrible enemy tonight. "I see no reason to let you on our island while you are…ugh... alive."
Naruto smiled wider as he lifted the weapon of his head and brought it down on Hecarim's head without much concern for the inevitable consequences. Hecarim yelped like a kicked puppy and stood to his fullest as he reared up to stomp the life out of Naruto. The blond put a hand forward and caught him before he could fall on him. Hecarim was then caught as his back legs were forced to hold his weight. It wasn't something that would tire him at all, it was just that the angle in which he was caught made it difficult for him to fully balance himself.
Naruto stabbed the weapon into the ground and kept on smiling. "This is how this is going to work, War Pony. I'm going to go find Karthus and Thresh with our without you. You are going to either guide me to them or I'm going to break all four of your legs… again." Hecarim growled at him and shoved his weight backwards to get him away from the blond. Naruto chuckled and picked up the weapon he stole from him. Hecarim regarded Naruto with a scowl. He was not going to take this lying down. "So what'll it be? You gonna take me to them or I'm breaking your legs again."
"As much as I enjoyed you breaking my legs, I'll have to pass. I prefer the option where you die." He whistled and a large order of knights arrived. Naruto sighed and reached out to Hecarim. In the blink of an eye he had him down to his knees and was glaring at him. Hecarim stared wide eyed into Naruto's red eyes. Too many bad memories surfaced too quickly. "Stop!" He ordered. His knights did as instructed. Naruto didn't release him. "I'll take you to them."
Naruto smiled brightly, but it was fake. Hecarim could see it clearly. Naruto released him and handed the weapon back. "Good," he said plainly. "Now lead the way. And if you think of double crossing me, we both know what that means for your legs." Naruto started walking. Hecarim followed with a scowl. The others followed shortly after. Zed looked to one of the knights and saw a whisper of flesh that clung hopelessly to the face of a knight. Cold eyes greeted him and he swore he saw his own death in those eyes. "Don't look directly at them," Naruto warned. Hecarim hissed a laugh. "They may not look it but they want to live again. So they'll rip your soul out and take it for their own if possible."
"You act like you know so much about us," Hecarim said with a snort. Naruto might have been smiling. It was hard to tell now. "Why do you wish to speak to them? Planning on joining us?"
"Just trying to prevent the release of terrible demon that would love nothing more than to eat you and everyone here. You know… The normal stuff I do on a daily basis."
"I can't wait to see him."
"No you don't. You're not even a tenth the size of his claws." Hecarim might have enjoyed that knowledge more than one was allowed to know. That didn't really do any justice to Kyuubi's size either. It just made the others think he had large hands and not much else. They came to a stop and Naruto looked around. Hecarim turned to walk away. "Can't leave the coast unprotected, can you?" he teased. Hecarim's tail twitched and he disappeared in a thick rolling mist. Naruto shook his head. He understood enough about Hecarim to know that he was once a great man that became corrupted by a need for bloodshed and fame. That was centuries ago now. Whatever man Hecarim once was died with his corruption. Only a few people that called this place home truly retained any form of the past lives if they were lucky enough. Most weren't.
At the very heart of the island was a cathedral. It stood as a last will and testament to a land once pure and full of life. The windows were knocked out. The walls were weathered by rain, wind, hail, and war. Around it was a once promising garden that had grown stubborn but died like the rest of the land. At the front of the doors was a woman dressed in leathers. Her red hair stood upright, defying gravity. She was buffering her nails as they approached. Shen put his hands on his weapons when she glanced their way. A sly smile akin to a mouse playing with a cat touched her lips.
"Unsung Hero," she cooed. Syndra and Naruto both sighed but for different reasons. The woman sauntered around them, touching Naruto and dragging a finger around his form. She paused at the sight of the others, namely Zed. "Purple Ferret," she greeted. Zed's weapon sprang to life. She made a scolding noise and wagged a finger in his face. "I'm a Champion of the League. You can't kill me, Purple Ferret." Naruto tapped the woman on the shoulder and gave her a toothy grin. "When was the last time we spoke, Unsung?"
"Not long enough," Naruto said with a strained face.
Here was a woman that irked him. She was the very notion of what Naruto saw women as when he was a child. He saw them as things to be feared for more than just his normal reasons. They were to be feared because they changed their ideas and wants on the drop of a hat. They demanded money for services you were going to provide anyways. They were cruel and terrible people that would take your feelings and love and hopes and dreams and then just crush them in their hands right in front of your eyes. This woman was no different. She wasn't going to be bound by some earthy ties. She dated Twisted Fate and dumped him for someone new; kissing the man she left him for right in front of him. That man was later found dead, but that wasn't really the point. What was the point was that she was a cruel, sadistic, manipulative, vile woman that was good at what she did.
This was Evelyn, the Widow Maker. She was proud of that title. She led men and women to their deaths with her tempting words and terrible power. There were more rumors about here than there were stories about the Shadow Isles. That spoke volume about her if she was more mysterious then the dreaded island she sometimes called home.
And it just so happened that she had her eyes on Naruto for her own vicious reasons she wouldn't divulge to him. Not that he really cared in the long run.
"Did you come to see me?" she asked huskily. Naruto rolled his eyes as Syndra put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and lower herself so that she was eye level with the Widow Maker. "Jealous much?" she asked, folding her arms under her breasts and pushing them up.
"Back off, bitch. He's mine." Naruto chuckled nervously as the two women had a stare off for a long time. When Evelyn broke her gaze her eyes hardened and a scowl form on her face. Syndra smiled triumphantly and grabbed Naruto's arm to hold it close to her breasts. Naruto sighed and looked at his girlfriend longingly. "Is this where we're supposed to be?"
"Somewhat," Naruto answered truthfully. He looked to Evelyn and smiled. "I know that Karthus and Thresh are here. I haven't seen your boss, but I'm going to assume he's here somewhere. So how about you get out of our way or tell me where Karthus or Thresh is. I really need to talk to them… or him. One of the two."
"How about I take you on a romantic date instead?" Syndra brought her magic to its fullest and Evelyn gave her a hard stare as if tempting her to attack. Naruto put a hand on Syndra and pulled her back before she could make a terrible choice. "Mordekaiser is here and he is aware you're here. Otherwise I wouldn't be out here." She checked her nails. She raised her hand to the moon and smiled. "Well, you two can go see him. He wants to speak to you, but I know she's not going to let you leave. So go ahead. But the others remain." She snapped her fingers and twisted creatures walked out of the mist. "I'd hurry if I were you." She made a shooing motion.
Naruto scooped up Syndra and departed before the fighting started.
The four ninjas brought their weapons out and glared at each creature as it stalked towards them. "So Purple Ferret," she called out playfully, electing a growl from Zed, "why a useless person like you would come here is a mystery to me. Why'd you come here, little man?"
Zed licked his lips and smiled wickedly as Akali and Kennen shared a laugh at his dispense. "Okay then," he said darkly as his shadows licked off his body and created a dozen copies of himself. "You die first."
(-)
Naruto and Syndra walked through the cathedral as the sounds of fighting soon became music in the mist behind them. They ran through a dozen different hallways before ending in a large throne room. The only color was black and what few rays of light that gifted the darkened room were brought only by witch lights and candles.
Syndra held her breath at the sight of Karthus and Thresh, both looking unhappy to see them. Flanking them on either side were two liches dressed in robes so old that they lost all forms of color and design. What few pieces of armor they might have once worn were ruined by the passing of time, reduced to nothing but blackened hunks of metal. Their skin was all dried out clung to their bones. Empty eyes greeted them with unforgiving rage.
But that wasn't what stopped her breath.
Behind them, sitting atop a throne of bones and metal, was Mordekaiser. His weapon, Nightfall, sat peacefully at his side. Behind him stood the spectral form of a dragon more dead than alive. Its wings had holes in them and its tail was nothing but burnt bones.
Truly a terrifying sight if they she had ever seen one.
Naruto glared at the three of them before turning his sights to the two men up front. With a cold blinking stare they glared each other down. Syndra prepared for a fight.
"Thresh!" Naruto exclaimed happily.
"Naruto!" Thresh threw his hands up and rush towards him. Karthus sighed while Syndra floated completely dumbfounded to what she was forced to watch. Naruto and Thresh played a mockery game of patty-cake before Thresh brought his lantern up and slammed it into Naruto's head, sending him into a pillar and forcing him to disappear in a cloud of smoke. "Me next! Me next!" Naruto appeared and drove him into the ground.
As the dust settled, a laughing Chain Warden came out dusting himself off. Naruto giggled. "How have you been?"
"Good! You?"
"Still kicking!"
"That sucks! When are you gonna join us?"
"Hopefully never, but don't hold your breath." Thresh started laughing. Karthus shook his head, unhappy with their antics. "I need to talk to you both about something important."
"And you have no words for me?" Mordekaiser got to his feet and hefted Nightfall. The dragon roared and came alive. Naruto gave him a hard look before turning back to Thresh. "It's not wise to ignore your betters, Naruto."
Naruto looked around and then back to Thresh. "You hear something?"
"Only the screams of agony from my victims," Thresh said sagely. He looked to Karthus for a moment and then back to his blond haired friend. "So why are you here?"
Nightfall fell between them. Thresh didn't flinch. Naruto looked at the metal man with a confused look. "I will not be ignored!" Karthus snapped to attention and brought his staff to bear. A spear flew through the air and knocked it from his grasp. He summoned it back and looked to the shadows. All four of them did and spied a woman with a spear through her chest. She was clearly dead. "Kalista," Mordekaiser hissed her name. "Do not make me destroy you, wretch." She readied another spear silently. Thresh jiggled his chains and she came to a halt. Mordekaiser regarded him darkly before turning back to Naruto. "You will speak to me only, Unsung. Do I make myself clear?"
"Not at all." The bigger man hefted his weapon and brought it down on Naruto. The blond sidestepped it and looked up to Thresh. "What do you know about an aspect of death named Kindred?" Mordekaiser was about to hit him again when he paused and stepped back. Thresh had a look of shook on his face. Karthus and Kalista both glanced to each other before looking at the blond oddly. Naruto read the room. "So that name does have a meaning around here. They came to speak to me about something. Made it pretty clear that they're not welcomed here."
"I can imagine why," Karthus said. Mordekaiser and his liches backed off. This was a topic beyond him. War and destruction was his thing. This was beyond him. Karthus pressed forward, circling around the duo as he spoke. "Kindred is the truest form of death for this world. She once was a pale man with dark hair and wielded a large axe. To make his loneliness end, he took his axe and split himself in two so that he would always have a friend. Throughout the ages when death has called to those who do not wish for immortality, they take a form to great them. You see the last person to see them and tell the story saw one as a white Lamb and the other as a black Wolf. Lamb is the calm aspect of death, giving anyone who does not fight a peaceful way out. Those who fight it are rundown by Wolf who kills them viciously."
"You know a lot about them."
"When one delves in the power of death, it hard not to." Kalista gave a knowing nod. Karthus returned his sight to Naruto. "So why come all this way? What reason do you have?"
"Aside from wanting to see an old friend?" Naruto waved to Thresh. The Chain Warden comically waved back. The whole thing was lost on Kalista and Syndra. "I'm here because I was seeking an answer that I thought you might have. Clearly you don't. At least not that question now. But I do have another." His gaze shifted to Thresh and he became serious. Thresh sensed it and did the same. "She said I have two souls inside me. I know about mine, but she warned me and said that I can live if I embrace the second soul. The second wants me dead."
"Second?" Thresh questioned, cackling as he did. He began swinging his chain-sickle idly. "My boy, you have more than two inside you. If you count the mass of energy I see in you, you have a total of four soul's altogether." Naruto put his hands in his pockets as he mulled that one over. Thresh cocked his head just a little bit to the left, a grin tugging at the corners of his skeletal jaw. "You never knew, did you?"
"No. But do you have any idea on what it means?"
"Can't say." He reached out to touch Naruto. The blond stepped back. "If I was going to torture you, I certainly wouldn't start with your seal." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I know of that creature and the seal that binds it. I sense its weakness. How much longer it'll hold, I do not see. But I see enough to know that when it breaks, everything will change."
"And the souls inside me? What about them?"
"They'll most likely die," Kalista responded. She stalked around the group. She readied a spear. The door behind them detonated into splinters. Zed and Shen came marching out carrying a few dead foot soldiers for the army of the Shadow Isles. Zed slung something else at their feet. It was a piece of leather cloth. "You are very brave, betrayer."
"Who the fuck are you?" Zed hissed.
Before anything else could be said, Naruto turned on his heels and started walking. "It was nice talking to you all. Thresh, I owe you a beer for trying to help Irelia during her first match." Thresh might have been smiling. Naruto passed the others, saying, "We're leaving."
"Did you get what you needed?" Akali asked as she ran up to him. The others followed.
"No."
"So this was a wasted trip?" Kennen asked tiredly. He was nursing a cut on his arm. He fared better than Evelyn. Left to Zed's cruelty she didn't last long. She was lucky to still be alive… wherever she was.
"Not entirely." They made it to the boat and shoved off. Hecarim appeared at the waters edge and glared at them. Naruto gave him a sharp glance before looking straight ahead. So I have four souls inside me in total. I think I need to start taking up mediation.
A/N
So I have never played Mordekaiser or Hecarim and I hope I got them well enough. I pretty much went by their lore. Not the old one. The new one. The old lore for Hecarim was "Sign up me for the League of Legends, or more people are gonna die," while Mordekaiser was just, "My armor protects me and I'm a slave," or some shit like that. I actually like their new lore and I was really eager to get to this part if only because to round off the odd friends Naruto has is that he's friends with Thresh. I wanted there to be that one friend he had that was just so mind numbingly confusing that it couldn't be explained. And Thresh was the one. He was the only one that could truly fit at the time for when I was putting this whole thing together before we had champions like Kalista out there.
Also, I'm not gonna lie, I laughed for about three minutes to my own joke of Naruto beating Hecarim with an old ladies arm well before I wrote it and laughed even harder when I wrote it because it was like a dream come true at that point.
Before anyone asks: Naruto is working with the theory that he has nothing left to lose. There is no hope for him and he's not giving up, but he understands that he is living on bored time and has nothing else to really lose. He dies, the world ends. That's how he sees it. That's also why he doesn't give a damn about how powerful some of them specters are.