A/N: As ever, we're going by the Embers rule.
This'll be deleted FOR KEEPS if folks don't like it. So speak up!
Make yourselves heard! Every bit of feedback counts! Seriously! It does!
Suppose you could consider this the second half of the first chapter; because many demanded the brawl continue...and well...I listen to my readers. Here you go!
Disclaimer once more, obvious tribute to "Seduce That God!" by Mystical Pie is obvious. That story made me laugh like I haven't in a long time. as well. Sadly, the author of the latter appears to have vanished for reasons unknown, possibly due to the Coronavirus. So...here we are. Second! Much like that story, this is a hard harem and will most likely be upgraded to "M" in the near future.
Now for a few quick questions!
Q: Glad to see you giving Yang the justice she deserves. How do you write her so well?
A: Lots of practice and bouncing ideas off others people. We all know she loves a good brawl; she's about to get all that and more. So long as you don't push the Raven button -or mess with her hair!- she's actually pretty chill.
Q: Is Naruto weakened in this story?
A: No. If anything he's even stronger now that Kurama's essentially become the ten tails. But he HAS been asleep for centuries; only makes sense that he's a bit sloppy.
Q: Pairing?
A: Massive harem the likes of which I haven't done in awhile. It will be done tactfully, don't you worry.
Q: What's next on the update schedule?
A: Some of the bigger stories.
Alright, I'll not keep you; I'll let the madness talk for me.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one.
Now then, hope you've got some popcorn; because we've got a good 'ol fashioned melee on our hands!
"Hey...dad. Can you come pick me up?"
"Yang...where are you!? Do you have any idea what time it is? What happened...?!
...alright, in order? First, I'm in jail, second its nearly six in the morning, and...well, its a bit of a long story. Also. I may or may not have a black eye."
"WHO PUNCHED MY SUNNY LITTLE DRAGON?!"
"Seriously? That's the part you're upset about?!"
~the future.
Brawling Blonds
Yang could fight!
A short, sharp burst of laughter sprang from Naruto's lips as she crashed into him. Rather than flee like any sane individual would, he took her tackle head on and allowed her to ram him into a wall. Breath burst from his lungs, but his smile never faded; even as her golden gauntlets barked against his golden body, ramming a raw round of dust against his ribs. The impact barely even tickled; although it did draw a smile to his whiskered cheeks. He raised both hands over his head and clasped his fingers together. The interlocked digits swung up and slammed down into her back like a piston. Yang flinched.
Still grinning, he repeated the motion. Once. Twice. Thrice. On the fourth strike she finally released him with a gasp.
"Ow!" she recoiled, hissing as she clutched at her shoulders. "That shit hurt!"
"Not as much as this will!"
She rounded just in time to meet his clenched knuckles. The blow caught her just under her stomach and bore her down into the ground; cratering the club floor beneath. An angry snarl greeted him but he didn't give her time to rise. A second swing sent them hurtling down into the depths of the building, then into the cellar proper. Poor Junior. His wine would never be the same.
Even as they fell they fought, trading blows like a pair of golden demons.
For all her fiery fury, Yang Xiao-Long moved with speed and ability well beyond her years. She fought harder than both the Malachite twins combined and bleary as he was from centuries of sleep, she actually managed to press him...a little.
It still didn't save her.
The very moment they hit the ground she dove at him again; to which he caught her by the ankle and whipped her through a towering cask of ale. Sure enough the wooden barrel ruptured as she crashed through, then came out sputtering on the other side, soaked in alcohol. That wild golden mane hung over her face for a moment before she reached down and pulled it aside. Her smile never faltered, even for a moment. Despite her soaked hair and ruined clothes, she looked more alive than he'd ever seen anyone.
She swayed but a little, raised her fists, and bounced on her heels. It did...fascinating things to her chest.
"What, is that it?" she grinned at him. "That all ya got, whiskers?!"
Kurama whistled in his head. "I think I'm in love."
"Feeling's mutual!"
With a roar born of equal parts fury and glee, Yang slammed her gauntlets behind her back. At first, Naruto couldn't quite comprehend what she was doing. Why throw her weapons back like that? Had she given up? But no, they barked dust and threw her forward like a golden meteor. He moved to evade, but his foot slipped on the slick floor, throwing him off. Yang showed no mercy. Her fist caught his cheek and launched him through a second tank, then a third, followed by a third, and finally a fourth.
Drenched in Junior's whiskey and ale alike, he thrashed to his feet, coughing and sputtering.
"Okay," he groaned. "I deserved that. Think I swallowed a little...
...
...
...why was the room spinning?
Alright, maybe he'd gulped down more than a bit. The room kept swaying, even when he stood still. Was this what it felt like to be tipsy? Weird. He'd never experienced it before. His high metabolism never allowed it; the one time he'd tried, he burned right through the stuff. But quantity had a quality all its own. Still it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, just...strange.
"Speak for yourself...!"
Yang rocked forward and he blurred to meet her.
Their fists collided anew, rattling the ceiling above. Both blondes looked up. Yang found her wits first and pushed forward to grapple with him. Naruto met her in kind. Fists threaded into fingers as they caught one another int urn. Their foreheads slammed together. Boots bit into the floor, digging deep trenches against the stone as they strove against one another.
Lidded lilac eyes met blazing blue. "Where have you been all my life?!"
"Sleeping under a rock!"
His head reared back and struck hers. She mirrored the motion and did the same to him. Chakra roared. Aura snarled.
Naruto reeled back with a laugh.
He wasn't fully awake; not entirely recovered from centuries of sleeping. And this...this simply wasn't his era. He realized that now and the notion brought him no small amount of sorrow. For better or worse, his world had changed while he slumbered. Under normal circumstance he would be...angry about that; waking to find everything and everyone he'd ever loved was gone.
Strange as it might sound...Yang was helping.
She wasn't trying to killing him, nor he, her. If anything they were stalling, drawing out the fight to see who could last longer. Brawling like this was more cathartic than anything else; it helped to bleed off all the stress anger and misery he'd been feeling since he woke up. Better yet, it was healthy! Well, healthier than crawling into the bottom of a bottle at any rate.
"Rah!"
Yang reared back and bit his neck, teeth sinking into the tender flesh just above his shoulder.
Naruto yelped in a rare moment of surprise and kicked back driving a knee into her gut. She made him pay for it. His head snapped to the side as she got another good hit in. At his peak, he could've dodged that. But he didn't. Instead he let the pain roll over him. Center him. His knee slammed up and she met it with one of her own, wincing but a little. He felt a flash of guilt; one that vanished as
"Don't stop!"
'That's right. This is real.'
His forehead struck hers and sent her tumbling.
'I'm alive again. I'll be back to full strength in no time.'
Ember Celica barked and he dipped out of its path, evading her weapon with ease.
'Focus on the fight. Not the past. Let it all out. Now lets. Kick things. Up a notch! Let it all out!"
They met in a whirlwind of fists, a drunken dance that had neither rhyme no reason, a wild waltz that only left destruction in its wake.
A brawl like this helped more than she could possibly imagine. Cleared the air, you know? He slapped a burning fist aside then countered with one of his own. Yang's feet lifted from the floor before she hit back twice as hard. What kind of ability was that? He actually felt pain! Was this why Lee and Gai were always so gung ho when it came to taijutsu? It felt good! Really good! Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he wanted more. No! He needed more!
"She just hit you! What're you going to do about it?!
His grin was just the wrong shade of vicious. "HIT HER HARDER~!"
He swung his arms up and smashed Yang through the ceiling.
Powerful legs tensed and he leaped up after the flailing blond with a roar.
Distantly, he felt he was forgetting something. Or rather, someone. Wasn't he...?
Meh. Probably nothing too important in any case. He'd remember if it was. The brawl awaited~!
(.0.0.0.)
Junior was out of his league.
One didn't run a criminal empire on pride alone. You had to be smart. You had to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. He was no huntsman. He knew that. Still, he knew he wasn't a slouch; he could hold his own in a fair fight, at least for a little while. Thrown down with the best of them, even. Granted, it did mean he would win, but he'd put up a least a little fight.
But this? This was madness!
He'd been beaten in an instant; laid low by a look with the Twins besides. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
A deafening crash shook the Club once more, drawing a wince from the battered man.
"Stop blowing holes in my club!"
If either blond heard him, they did precious little to show it; probably couldn't even hear him down there, the cheeky little shits. Every attack shook the building from top to bottom; a near constant quake that threatened to bring the very building down on their heads. They'd crashed down into the cellars and not come out since-no wait. He told a lie.
There they were.
With neither word nor warning Blondie -Yang!- sailed upright through a gaping hole in the floor, body bent double, long hair thrashing in the wind. She was still airborne when her fellow blond caught her with a roundhouse kick; one that launched her out of the club entirely. Neither returned. A distant explosion confirmed his greatest hope; they'd taken their fight elsewhere.
Junior looked left. Junior looked right. Junior folded like a wet noodle.
Melanie's head poked up over the bar. "Is it finally over?"
Miltia joined her a heartbeat later. "Are they gone?"
"Yeah," he all but croaked out the word. "I think they left...
One last blast barely rocked the floor, rattled the broken glass there. He dared to hope. Wherever those two had gone, they were far, far from here. Thank the brothers for small miracles. Bloody powerhouse. He'd tossed his girls around like nothing and fended off that other one with ease. Fast, too. Really fast. He'd never seen someone move like that. Not even...her...
Unbidden, a thought occurred to him. Hei Xiong sat up just a little straighter against the ruined bar.
If they had a powerhouse like that on their side...well. Things might turn around for the Xiong clan. Maybe they could even use him to get out from under the thumb of that wretched fire witch. Roman might actually thank him for that...once he finished wringing the thief's neck. And yet, the more he thought of it, the more his mind began to warm to the idea. How to go about it? They couldn't beat him a fight, fair or otherwise. He'd proven that much already. Moreover they had nothing he wanted. Not information, not leverage, nothing at all.
Or did they?
Junior's gaze strayed to the twins.
They'd put up a decent fight. Whiskers had even shown interest in them. It was a long shot among long shots, a risky gamble that might well blow up in his face. But what did he have to lose? Nothing at all. And yet, if his gambit succeeded...if by some miracle this one-in-a-million wager paid off...
Junior came to a conclusion.
"Seduce that bastard if its the last thing you do!"
Miltia and Melanie exchanged a wry look. "That's not very likely...
(.0.0.0.)
Without word of warning, their brawl came to an end.
It wasn't planned on either of their parts; Naruto and Yang had long since left the club behind to engage in something of a running battle through the city streets. Each gave as good as they got, but it had to come to an end sooner or later. A mistimed block on Yang's part left her wide open and Naruto capitalized on it. Burning knuckles seared past his face as he stepped in. His arms snapped back, and he had a brief moment to relish the flicker of surprise that burned through her now-crimson eyes.
Then a vicious rabbit punch struck her skull and left her spinning into the street.
"Ow!" She went down with a gasp and landed on her rear. "Hey, no fair! That was a cheap shot!"
"All's fair in love and war!" Something in him saw that as a victory, petty though it was. "Ha!" he pumped a fist into the air, slurring his words only a little. "I win!" I WIN-ack?!"
Yang was a sore loser. Who knew?
Not he; because he was wholly unprepared as she yanked at an ankle and sent him spilling down into the street. His head kissed an upturned water pipe and stars burst before his vision. For a moment -just a moment!- his vision went white. Yang took full advantage of his brief blindness and landed atop him, straddling her hips against his.
"Not bad, Whiskers." she gasped the words out. "Haven't had a fight like that in awhile...
Naruto groaned weakly. "I aim to please...?"
"Sure do." she granted him a tipsy grin. "Whaddya say to round two?"
Probably a bad idea. All that alcohol was finally getting to him. His head ached abominably and...
"C'mere, you."
...something told him that wasn't what she meant. Yang leaned forward, cupping his face in her hands. Golden hair tickled his nose and Naruto stubbornly clamped down on a sneeze. Perhaps they were both punch drunk. Maybe it was the tanks they'd crashed through. They were, the both of them, soaked in whiskey right about now. He could scarcely think, let alone bring himself to react in time. He tried to prop himself up on one arm but she shoved him back down. Her forehead touched his, and their noses brushed.
Surely she wasn't going to; nope, she was.
Something warm and soft pressed against his lips, light as a feather's touch and gone thrice as fast. He blinked up at her, mind gone blank. His first kiss it most assuredly was not -REPRESS THE MEMORY!- but it left him reeling all the same.
"Mwah~!" Yang leaned back and wiped her mouth with a cheery hiccup. "And there's your reward~!" she swayed a little atop him, eyes bleary as her hips ground against his. "Care for another?"
"...she's definitely drunk. Feels like I am too..."
"Naw, we're...hic...fine...!"
"Damnit, Kurama!"
She didn't give him a chance to answer; for she leaned down again. Her mouth molded against his, head tilting for a better angle.
And something stirred in Naruto; rather, something awoke.
With a vengeance.
Funny thing about alcohol. It doesn't just lower inhibitions; it absolutely shatters them. Despite his own initial reservations the buzzed blond found himself responding. His hands rose to cup her waist, holding her steady. Yang made a pleased noise against his mouth and pushed against him. This close, he could smell her; she reeked of whiskey of course, but with it came the faint scent of fire and lilacs. It was a strange smell, intoxicating and deadly.
He wanted more.
"Alright, frisky." Yang pulled away batted his hands back with a laugh. "That's enough. I'm," she hiccuped again, slurring her words. "Gonna do somethin'...ah...!" Her words piqued into a startled cry when he pursued her; gasping as his lips alighted on her neck, "Stupid at this rate...hey, c'mon...!" she mewled a little when he didn't cease. "Quit it...you're rilin' me up, damnit...!
Stupid sounded really good right about now. His trousers were uncomfortably tight, and she was so warm, so soft...
When her hands fisted against his jacket and started to play with it, he knew he had to stop. Any further and he'd really do something foolish. He gave her a nudge and she toppled back.
'Too close! I almost...geez...this is why I shouldn't drink...
With a groan, he turned his gaze back to Yang. She'd not budged from her place in his lap. He didn't want to move her. No doubt she'd have a hellish hangover come morning...as would he. Hard to believe all this started over a few strands of hair. In hindsight it seemed almost silly. Downright childish even. Friendships and rivalries had been formed from less...and more. Women were crazy. He didn't know what to make of her. But he could at least do something...
"I'm ah, sorry about your hair." he winced and reached up toward her. "Here. Lemme fix it...
He touched a marked hand to the side of her face, regrowing the golden locks in no time at all. It was like flicking a switch; she leaned back and those scarlet slits flicked back into lilac, as her grin regained some of its luster. It did nothing for her glazed eyes. He nudged her back and she tumbled off him, still looking ever bit like the cat that caught the...the...what was the bird again? Ah! Right. The canary. That was the one...
"Damn, you throw a mean right hook!" she grimaced, rubbing her jaw. "Not even Uncle Qrow punches that hard. You wouldn't happen to know a woman named Raven, would you?"
Naruto tilted his head at her and frowned. "What, like a bird?"
Yang grimaced. "Don't ask about the name."
He winced as his stomach protested violently. "Can I ask about food instead...?
She balked back at him. "What, seriously? You haven't eaten all day?
His stomach growled anew. "Not really...? Does whiskey count?"
His fellow blond cocked her head at him, regarding him like a wary dragon. Her thoughts remained a mystery, but eventually she seemed to reach a decision. She didn't so much stand as she did stagger her way over to him, and even then she nearly fell again, only narrowly catching herself on a way. Still, she made it to his side.
"C'mon, whiskers. I pay my debts." She reached down, grabbed him by the hand and hoisted him upright. "Lets get you something to eat; it'll be my treat." Lidded eyes regarded him. "Maybe even a little more.
Yup. Definitely buzzed. Still, food? After all this? Yes, please!
Naruto let himself be tugged along, leaning against her but a little. "Well, if you're buying...
Sirens wailed in the distance, cutting him short.
Yang froze like a deer in the headlights. Naruto slammed into her back and nearly knocked her over. When she didn't move he turned to follow her gaze, only to see yet more of those strange metal vehicles from before. A number of them blocked the road ahead. Those...were a lot of lights. Why were they coming closer...?
"Oh, crap. Cops." his fellow brawler winced. "Might have to get a raincheck on that meal."
Despite Naruto's best efforts, an angry whine escaped him. "Nooo...
Yang squeezed his palm gently, swaying but a little.
"Um," she hiccuped, "I'm sure it'll be fine...
An angry officer burst out of a car.
"You're both under arrest!"
...it was not fine.
Not at all.
Nope.
A/N: As ever, Embers Rule.
I repeat, we're going by the Embers rule. This'll be deleted very quickly if folks don't like it. So speak up! Make yourselves heard! Every bit of feedback counts!
This story will have spicy bits, and may be upgraded to "M" in the near future. You've been warned.
And with that, I'm done with new stories for the year! I've paired Naruto with Ruby in "Killing Monsters" followed by Blake in, "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover" then Weiss of course in the recent, "Chef of Beacon" and now we come full circle with Yang in "Gimme That Fire!" Finally! Requests are done!
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
Review...Would You Kindly?
And have some biiig prreviews.
(Preview!)
"Hey, buddy. Remember me?"
Naruto whistled softly.
"Phew! Talk about a close call. Glad we got that sorted...
Kurama disagreed. "You do realize this Taiyang fellow is going to be furious with you...
"With me?" he crossed both arms behind his head. "Nah. This'll all blow over. Not like we did anything criminal." A jaw-popping yawn stopped him short. "Although I wouldn't say no to finding a bed for the night...its been awhile since we exerted ourselves like that.
"Just need somewhere to camp out for the night." he reasoned to himself. "I'll explain everything in the morning."
He had been asleep for so...very long now. He wasn't exactly aware of the state of the world. The hour was late and the moon was full; shining down in all its shattered splendor. Well, that was new. Last he remembered, the moon wasn't busted up like that.
"What now?"
"What do I want to do? I'm not really sure." tan fingers drummed loosely against the table. "Already saved everyone once. Maybe I'll try to conquer the world with ramen this time around...?" He shrugged. "But me? Go to Beacon? Why would I wanna do that? I already sat through school once. No way am I doing that again."
"What about teaching?"
He frowned. "Huh. Never really done that...might have to think about that...
A groan echoed in the back of his skull.
"In that case, wake me up nine centuries from now...
"No!" he mentally shook his partner awake. "We already tried that!"
He was a relic of a bygone age, woken to a world changed. And he had to change with it.
In the end, his wandering path carried him somewhere most familiar. He recognized the Club only by its sign; most of the front had been sadly trashed.
Hei Xiong looked up, broom in hand, and turned white as a ghost. "Not you again!"
"Sorry, I need somewhere to rest my head, ya know."
Strangely enough, he didn't sense any negative intent from the man. He seemed eager to please. Almost too eager.
...fine, you can stay in the attic with the twins. But just for tonight."
"I'll be gone by morning. Scouts honor."
Someone latched onto his arm.
He swayed on his feet. Right, he was definitely drunk.
...but maybe that wasn't so bad..
"Twins, huh?" he laughed. "Could be worse."
With a shrug, Naruto let them lead him upstairs.
"Alright. Second life, not caring, just having fun. I can do that...right?"
"Bah!" Kurama snorted. "You'll be saving the world by the end of the decade. Mark my words."
"There is no shame in deterrence. Having a weapon is very different from actually using it. Let me show you."
R&R~!