A/N: EDIT: Well, that's a lot of hatemail in the comments. T_T
Reviews really dropped off too, that really hurts...
As ever, we're sticking with the tried and true "Embers" Rule for this story.
If folks don't like it, it'll be deleted. I'm sticking to that. So speak up! Make yourself heard! Your voice matters!
DOUBLE EDIT: Added some more content and previews at the end. Give 'em a look!
And the daily updates roll on! In other news, I had that bloody vaccine and I feel like craaaaaaaaaap. Had to take a few days off work just to recover. I am...still sore and feeling awful, but writing helps to focus my mind and take the edge off. There are times when I wish I could make a career out of this, but oh well. Reviews are the only currency I'll ever receive.
Well, I've beaten Resident Evil Village during my recovery, so that was a thing.
That ending...hurt.
Still, my sources tell me we may be getting a prequel DLC involving the Four Lords BEFORE the game. Hell yeah!
Now for your questions. A handful will do this time.
Q: How strong is Naruto?
A: For those of you unfamiliar with him, the NGH version of Naruto isn't quite omniscient, nor is he omnipresent. But his is powerful. For instance, he can't bring someone back to life with a snap of his fingers. He needs material for that to work. Sure he can move bloody fast and throw nukes around like nothing, but he has limits. If anything he's more a demigod than anything else; because a REAL god could've fixed this in an instant. But, hey! That's no fun!
Does he like redeeming villains? Yup. That's his shtick.
To quote Castlevania, "Don't you think that's weirdly fucked up?"
It may well be, but he prides himself on saving people. Talk no jutsu at its finest!
Q: I haven't played Resident Evil Village yet. What do Dimitrescu's daguthers look like? Asking for a friend.
A: Well, then you should! But I suppose I can answer this. While Alcina's children are all pale of skin with striking yellow eyes and full dark lips, there are a few differences among them. Bela's blond, Cassandra has midnight black hair, while Daniela is a redhead. Hope that reminder helps.
Q: Wait, wait, wait! Eveline's from your "Not So Hazardous" story, right? So she's in this one, too?!
A: Three years older, but yes, she's here. Unfortunately, as this is a different universe, the events of Resident Evil 7 still happened. Can't have 7 without 8 after all.
And she's a treat to write.
Q: Don't forget the others! ESPECIALLY not Heisenberg! So much wasted potential!
A: We'll be dealing the other Lords, yes. Can't say anymore than that...
Q: What's your take on Miranda?
A: ...conflicted.
Alright, I won't keep you any longer.
Turns out this story really IS the first of its kind. I've not found another NarutoxLady Dimitrescu story out there. But seeing as I'm replaying the game -missed a few things and found a hidden boss or three- this just felt right, you know? weeell...
As ever I own no references, quotes, memes or themes.
Here goes nothing. Now then, here goes nothing.
Grab your popcorn.
"There is nothing in this world more terrifying than the wrath of an angry parent. I have seen women lift CARS to save trapped a son. I have watched a father wrestle wolves to rescue his daughter. And you say you know me? You claim to fathom the inner workings of my mind; a psyche shattered by centuries of life and death? No, no, no. You don't, Miranda. Not at all.
"BUT YOU WILL."
~The Future.
Not My Daughter
Eveline was a good girl.
Of course she was! Daddy said so. Daddy never lied.
Naruto was the best Dad ever. Anyone who said otherwise was a filthy liar.
He always, always, always did nice things for her. Things a Father should do for their Daughter. She didn't even have to ask! He just...did them for her! He took her to the park, gave her pretty dresses, tucked her in at night, read her bedtime stories, and celebrated her birthday every year. For a girl conceived as a bioweapon and meant to be nothing more, small acts such as these meant the world to her.
And if being good made him happy...well, then that was what she would do. He was her world.
Likewise, Eveline was determined to be the best daughter she could be for his sake. Anyone who said otherwise...well. They never said it twice, did they? Oh, she didn't kill them of course. Daddy said that was a big no-no. She was only supposed to use her powers on bad people. So she tore out their tongues instead. No big deal. They couldn't spout their filthy lies like that now, could they? Still...
He'd asked her to wait here in the castle while Papa talked to someone, and like any good daughter she'd listened.
That had been ages ago! Alright, five minutes. But still!
"What's taking him so long?!" She flopped down on her chair with a put upon sigh. "I'm boooored~!"
Another howling creature -a lycan!- shambled her way, attracted by the noise she'd made. Eveline scowled at it. Ugh. The last one had ruined her new blue dress. Her gaze narrowed upon the twitching corpse and it went still. She wrapped her will around it and pushed, squeezing what remained of its puny brain. A quick compulsion caused it to fold in upon itself, dissolving to so much mold. There. Much better. It was already a monster. No one would care for its passing.
She scowled when another beast surged forward through the door.
"Pain." She snapped.
Her power, honed from three years of practice, took hold at once. The slavering beast slammed forward with a yowl as its skull turned it to paste. She sneered at and sneered again when three more bounded over its cold corpse. They died just as their brother had. These beasts were nothing to her. They were not the family she was promised.
And for that?
They could all. Just. Die.
She killed them in droves until, finally, their bodies blocked the door.
When the assault finally ceased, Eveline released a heavy breath. Her right arm trembled a little and she clamped a fist around it until the tremors ceased. It was alright now. No one hated her. She wasn't alone anymore. She would never be alone.
No matter what anyone said.
Family was family, and family meant nobody got left behind. Papa had promised her a BIG family in his strange new land. He'd sworn to give her a mother and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles galore! Maybe even a grandparent or two. He'd been a bit murky on the last bit. Something about someone named "Miranda" being mad as a hatter. But that was alright. They were all mad here. Nothing wrong with a little more madness. He would do all this and more because he loved her, and she loved him.
She couldn't wait for his return.
With her senses on high alert, she heard them long before she saw them.
A long and heavy stride reached her ears, eliciting a slight frown from the small girl. Who was that?
"What is the meaning of this?!" A woman's rich voice pierced the silence with. "Who let these filthy beasts into my castle?!"
Clawed fingers swept through the mountain of bodies, scattering them like wheat from chaff. Someone stepped over their ruined forms, golden eyes blazing like balefire. Despite the rage twisting her pale features, she still held herself with grace and poise, so much so that the young girl couldn't help but take notice. Indeed, young Eveline's first impression of her could be surmised as thus:
Big!
"Wow. You're tall." She immediately said as much. And then! "Are you my new mommy?"
Golden orbs locked onto blue. "And who are you, child?"
"Eveline." she swayed a little, knees twisting in thinly veiled alight. She had a feeling about this woman. A really good feeling. "You're the one, aren't you? Papa said he was going to talk with somebody really tall."
She liked this new woman already! She looked awesome!
"Did he now?" the faintest flicker of amusement passed through the woman's face. "Well, then." She pivoted on one heel, to regard someone only just now stepping through the entrance. "Perhaps you can explain why he felt the need to go traipsing about MY castle, trekking dirt everywhere!"
Eveline blinked. "He...?"
"Hey, don't be rude!" their retort was immediate. "I needed your daughter's genetic material; now that we have it we can-oh! Hey, Evie!"
Sure enough Eveline saw him next, his arms laden with three heavy jars...jars containing dirt? No, it was too pale to be dirt. Calcified dust? She wasn't sure. It was a minor curiosity, one immediately forgotten as his eyes saw him. It had only been five minutes but it felt like forever. There could be only one response.
She launched herself at him. "Dad!"
"Aha! There's my girl!" he smoothly dropped the jars and caught her halfway, laughing as her arms settled around his neck. Her head slammed into his chest as her feet kicked against his shins, struggling for purchase. He caught her and swept her into a a warm embrace, chin coming down just over her shoulder. Eveline melted into it with a sigh. This. This was all the reminded she needed of her worth. That she was loved.
She pulled away first with a smile. "I waited right here, just like you asked!"
"I noticed." he quirked a blond brow at the corpses. "Had fun, did you?"
"Mmhmm!" she grinned back. "Lots. Did you bring me a present?"
The smile proved infectious. "Something like that...
"Ahem!" their guest coughed. "While this is a rather touching moment, I believe you owe me something?"
Naruto quirked a brow. "So do you."
"Don't be gauche." The pale beauty looked away with a glower. "I'll uphold my end of the bargain."
Eveline's gaze swung back to him. "Who is she?"
"Right, right." Her proud papa feigned a sheepish smile. "Eveline, meet Lady Dimitrescu. Or you can just call her Alcina. Whichever you prefer...?"
"I have no objections to this." the lady in question replied. "Let her call me what she will. She seems a sensible girl."
Eveline looked left. Eveline looked right. Eveline blinked.
"Is she going to be my...?"
She didn't dare finish.
Naruto laughed.
"Yup."
Her heard leaped. This was happening. This was actually happening. They even looked alike, if one were to ignore Alcina's striking eyes. She was the perfect image of what she'd imagined for her Mother. It was almost too good to be true. She dared a step forward, then wilted a little when those piercing golden gems narrowed upon her. Still, a small, quiet voice cried out in her heart.
Naruto gave her a nudge. "Well? What're you waiting for? Go give her a hug."
She tried to speak, but her voice warbled a bit. "Can I?"
"Oh, very well." Alcina knelt with ponderous grace and opened her arms. "Come here, child. I promise not to bite."
No more words were needed. Eveline didn't walk. She ran into her arms.
Despite her size, Lady Dimistrescu actually flinched when she hit; as though she weren't quite sure how to react. She was a statute, firm and unyielding, her body strange cool without being cold. Eveline didn't much care. She latched on and held tight, burying her face in the crook of the woman's shoulder. Slowly, almost stiffly, she returned the embrace. Eveline held tight and nuzzled closer with a laugh.
"Such a strong little thing." She barely heard the whisper when it came.
"Hello, Mother~!"
She knew it seemed a silly thing to say, but she didn't care. No. Words had power and saying this? It made this real. It must've reminded the Lady Dimitrescu of her own daughters too; for her grip tightened. Strong arms closed around her, not enough to harm, but just enough to hold. She nu
"My children." her voice broke but a little with emotion as she climbed back to her feet. "You promised."
"So I did. Alright. Bela. Cassandra. Daniela." Naruto ticked the names off one by one on his fingers. "Just to be sure. Which is the eldest?"
She watched him like a hawk. "Bela. What of it?"
"Which means Cassandra would be the middle child and Daniela the youngest. Right." he thumbed his chin. "Helps to remember that. This'll be a bit different from what I usually do, mind you." a hand rose when she tried to interrupt. "You already know their bodies are comprised of flies, and they can't much stand the cold...not since someone shot out all the windows.
Alcina snarled. "Blasted hooligan. When I find him, he will pay for what he's done!"
Naruto chuckled softly.
"Lady, your daughters were cracked." his shoulders rose and fell in a careless shrug. "From what I gathered, Bela was blood-starved, Cassandra tortured people, and Daniela's just plain crazy." when she made no move to deny this, his voice sharpened. "You may love them, but you weren't the best when it came to raising them. That's going to change. Here and now. No more feeding on innocents."
Golden eyes burned with a hint of shadow. "You would make demands of me in how I raise my daughters? Why?"
"Because I believe in second chances." Naruto's riposte proved as quick as it was vicious. "After all," a hand came down on Eveline's shoulder, "Evie wouldn't be here if I didn't."
Eveline preened and smiled up at him. No matter what happened, she had been first. She would always be first. If her new "sisters" thought they could take her place...well! She'd teach them the pecking order right and proper. But right now, she just wanted to meet them. She squirmed restlessly under Naruto's grasp, so much so that he finally let her go; she immediately took the opportunity to scamper back to Alcina's side.
Mother. She finally had a mother. Life was good.
"In any case, I'm only doing this because you dearly love your children." he straightened and picked up the sturdy jars once more. "If you didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place." considering one of the containers, a thoughtful smile marred his whiskered cheeks. "I could improve, you know." he regarded the others jars intently. "Make them human, with all their abilities intact. They'd be able to go outside as they pleased...
...I would like that." she murmured.
"Your precious "Mother" Miranda certainly wouldn't."
Lady Dimitrescue bridled. "Mother Miranda would never harm me or mine-
"Silly girl." Naruto chided her with a shake of the head. "She doesn't love you. Once she learns you're acting on your own...well. You'll learn. But enough talk! Time for action!"
And so he set each down into a separate pile and stepped back. Blue eyes flashed, burning with inner fire. He touched a hand to the ground and strange runic script burst from his palm; spreading like oil and tar. As they looked at the strange writing it encircled the ruined mounds, one after the other, walling them off in yet more of those eerie words.
"Right." he hummed. "I have them. Now, unless you want me to screw up and fuse them together, everyone needs to be quiet."
Eveline plopped down to wait.
This was her favorite part. She loved watching his techniques. As she looked on in rapt fascination bits of broken mold and frozen flies flowed upward. Defying gravity they began to float transposing themselves into motes of wild green light. Almost like fireflies. So pretty! Naruto raised his right hand and the leftmost swirled into an odd pattern, slowly assuming human shape. Light became fire. Fire became flesh. Now came the middlemost pattern, followed by the right. His arms trembled. Sweat beaded down his brow as he struggled.
And then, with a sudden rush of heat...there they were.
Oh!
Three young women stood before her, each balking at one another. Clad in cowled black from head to toe, they reminded Eveline of dark angels, or ladies in mourning. One was a blond. Another held hair pure as the night sky. The final woman bore red hair not unlike that of fire itself, fierce and red. A babble of startled voices went up among them. Neither seemed to understand what was happening.
"Mother?"
"Why am I...?"
"What happened...?"
Lady Dimitrescu did not fall to her knees. She did not weep or wail, nor did she cry tears of joy. Eveline knew she was too proud for such displays of sentiment. But she did round on Naruto. And when she did? She moved. He didn't even resist. The proud woman ripped him from his feet, held him aloft, and crushed him to a wall. Full lips pressed against his, leaving him reeling.
Oh! Where they going to give her another sister already?
Eveline hummed.
"Bwuh?" Naruto croaked out.
"Honestly!" Lady Dimistrescu sighed as she set him down. "This is my life now, isn't it? I'm part and parcel to this madness. I owe you a debt I can never repay."
Her words seemed to reboot Naruto, if only a little.
"C'mon now, don't be that way Alcina-ow!" He stiffened as pearly white teeth clamped down onto his shoulder. "Bad Bela!" he swatted at the blond, scowling as she danced back with a giggle. "Don't bite me when I'm not looking! Wait for supper!"
"Now, now, girls." Alcina smiled in mild reproval. "There will be enough for everyone...eventually."
Daniela cooed. "We can keep him?!"
"I should think so. He's your new Father."
It was the pebble that started the avalanche.
Naruto gulped, just a little. "Now wait just a second-
Alas, his cries went unheard as the gaggle of girls piled onto him.
"My blood!"
"No, he's mine!"
"But I was the one who bit him first!"
Eveline giggled and clapped her hands. "Fight, fight, fight!"
This life might be mad. It might even be insane. But none of that mattered.
Because at the end of the day, this life belonged to her and her alone. She couldn't wait to see what came next.
A/N: Remember we're sticking with the tried and true "Embers" Rule for this story.
If folks don't like it, it'll be deleted. So speak up! Make yourself heard! Your voice matters!
What Eveline wants, she gets. Hope you're ready, Miranda...
And there we go, folks! Second chapter done! References, references for days!
There you go, semi-happy ending for Lady Dimistrescu. Might give her another chapter or two; hell, maybe even do an "epilogue" if folks want it, though this story really doesn't need one after that ending.
You know what they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the previews!
EDIT: Added some~!
(Previews)
Even as Naruto pivoted on the grinning girl, Cassandra snuck up and took a nibble of his neck.
"Hey!"
Of course, that meant Daniel had to try. "My turn!"
"Stop trying to eat me, damnit!"
"Phew! Helluva hallucination there. That was quite the trip you put me through!"
"Impossible!"
"Not impossible. Merely unlikely. Hello, Dona." his forehead pressed against hers. "Or should I say Angie? I want to play a game..
The young woman flinched a little. "What kind of game?"
He grinned. "The best kind."
"Oh, Moreau...look what as become of you...
"Stay away!"
Acid spat forth.
It splashed against an upturned palm.
"I will not, dear boy. Its high time someone fixed you."
"Heisenberg, you magnificent bastard!" the stranger sauntered through the front door, grinning from ear to ear. "I've come to bargain!"
"Not a bad village. Bit of a fixer-upper, but nothing a little elbow grease can't solve. Think I'll live here once this is done."
"Working with those lunatics...you're insane!"
"I most certainly am, but then again, I'm trying to redeem them. Now run along, Chris." the horned blond gave him a shove. "Go punch a boulder or something. Or better yet, find Ethan. Preferably before he dies. Go on, now. Shoo!"
R&R~!