Crazy thing I've noticed when I looked into the Freezing wiki.
When the hell were the characters so short?! I… I was of the opinion they were all normal height but then I look at the wiki and it states that Dr. Elize Schmitz, at 5'9, is the tallest known Pandora!
W-What? Apparently, Satellizer is 5'6 and Rana is 5'4.5… I… I didn't even know.
… Damn, Naruto really does get to live out his dreams of being tall in this place!
Inspirational Songs:
Can Do by GRANRODEO
Last Moment by SPYAIR
~NRK~
The following Friday, he'd gone to class like normal but with far more fanfare than he ever expected from his classmates.
"He returns!"
Naruto had been crowded on sight, barely around the corner to get to his classroom and he'd been ambushed before he even made a step towards the room proper.
"Come on, prez didn't tell us anything!"
"Yeah, how'd ya do it?!"
"Give me your secrets!"
Many such things were yelled at the blonde as Kazuya and Arthur peeked around the corner he'd been caught at.
"You think we should do something?" Kazuya asked.
"... no, this, my friend, is called consequences," Arthur said sagely.
"Consequences?"
~NRK~
Getting to lunch had never been so relieving as it had when he was sitting with his head on his arms and food in his belly.
He lifted his gaze to see how friends chuckling, smiling, or smirking at his misfortune.
"This isn't funny, you guys! I'm being harassed wherever I go!"
"Well, when you make a scene, you deal with the consequences," Kaho said as she cut off a piece of a black apple. "I mean, you literally beat ten Pandora in front of a crowd with cameras. What did you think was going to happen?"
"I don't know," Naruto said with a flat frown. "God, I can't wait to head into the city," he whispered to the group, eyes flicking to the tables around them. "Just to get away from this'll be great."
"Well, there's only one class left, yeah," Kaho said quietly back to him, mindful of the listening ears. "And it's only for an hour after lunch, so that'll leave us all with tons of time to get ready and leave."
"Thank god," Naruto before he looked around. "I'll probably go on ahead and find us a place to eat before we go shopping."
"Got it," Arthur said as Chiffon came over.
"So, as it turns out, Dr. Schmitz and Ms. Kim were watching yesterday along with Sister Margaret," the president said, getting a group-wide blink. "They actually want to speak with you before your next class."
Naruto blinked, shrugged, and got up, his backpack filled to the brim with more letters of challenge and lust.
Yes, he'd already figured out that these women were crazy thirsty and he was not trying to be their cool drink!
"Alright, let's hit it."
~NRK~
"Huh, this is the third time I've ever been here," Naruto said with a raised brow.
"Yes, I remember the first two times, Naruto-kun," Chiffon giggled a bit. "I don't think I've ever seen the Sister that angry and yet amused, it was a good day to be me."
"Not me, I got a week's detention, a week in, I need to be more subtle about these things."
"Yes, shouting, 'It was I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't bother my friends again!' was probably a dead giveaway."
"... You gotta enjoy the classics, prez-senpai."
"Oh, I do," she said with a chuckle, knocking on the school's principal/nun/leader's door. "Not everyone sees it that way, though."
"Come in," came the familiar voice of the university's Sister, the two students doing as ordered. "... Ah, yes, welcome back, Mr. Uzumaki. Thankfully, it's not for one of your outrageous pranks again."
Naruto coughed into his fist as he observed his principal. "Same, same, same, same," he remarked, Yu-Mi doing her best to not smile from beside the principal.
Sister Margaret Lindman was a moderately average-height woman in her later thirties, possibly early forties. The few pictures he'd seen of her outside of nun attire were of her having long black hair in a braid on the right side of her head and dark grey eyes. Her skin was slightly wrinkled and yet bereft of any marks and the like.
As he'd said before, she wore a nun's outfit, all white, with a pair of white dress shoes to finish it all off.
"Hmm, this won't be long, Naruto, I just wish to ask some curious questions," Margaret said, the blonde in the room nodding as he took one of the two seats in front of her, Chiffon taking the other one. "How are you enjoying your time here, so far?"
"I like it a lot," Naruto answered with a grin. "I doubled my precious people meter in the past three days, it's been pretty good," Chiffon snickered a little.
"Precious people meter is what you call it?" Margaret asked with a slight smile.
"Yup, gotta take care of 'em which is the reason I'm here, right?"
"Yes and no," Naruto and Chiffon blinked. "Tell me, Naruto, how is it that you're as capable as you are?"
"Well, I've trained with my mom ever since I was little."
"Kushina, yes," Margaret smiled as Naruto chuckled. "I knew her back when we were Pandoras, she was my junior."
"Huh, mom only told me about her old Genetics days during her three years."
"She and I never really talked," Margaret explained. "She made it clear that she was going to give up her stigmata when she left so I focused on my military career. I didn't expect her son to show up here."
"Oh, no, mom's still a Pandora," the nun raised a brow. "From what she tells me, she and dad met sometime during her third year, he was the son of the Uzumaki Clan. Back then, it was known as a small weapons shop by the name of Namikaze Industries. She told me that dad had to do tons of things to get a personal permit to house mom as a Pandora."
"In school?" Chiffon asked, Yu-Mi wondering the same thing as Margaret looked surprised. "That sounds difficult. I've seen the process before and it's no cakewalk."
"Yes… But Minato Namikaze was understood to be a man of insane genius, Chiffon," the third-year looked confused. "During his first year at Genetics back then, he was touted as having the greatest Limiter scores in the world. Not just that but international exams, business classes, and even Pandora theory, he was a monster in the ways of knowledge."
"... How'd you end up the way you are?" Chiffon asked after some thought, Naruto cackling as she asked her question. "Naruto-kun, you're a B student on at best!"
"When it comes to that STEM stuff, I'm no good," the blonde said, getting a chuckle from the principal. "Trust me, I'm more likely to fight a math test instead of finishing it. Be grateful that even happens. God, I hate math and science. Why do we even need that?"
"It's for the sake of replacing, at least, some of the normal high school education you'd get if you went to a normal school," Yu-Mi answered with a smirk. "It's good for you."
"I find that hard to believe but, hey, I'm not the teacher here."
"... Hmm," Margaret considered something before focusing on Naruto. "It seems we got off track."
"Oh, well, me, mom, and dad would train all the time together," Naruto said with a nod. "I've trained since I was, like, six. Then me and dad went into deep meditation which allowed us to get stronger, faster while improving our reflexes. Trust me, my dad's way faster than I am and probably could have handled all ten of those girls way easier than I did."
Chiffon blinked with a frown. "I… I find that hard to believe."
"I can only tell you what I believe, senpai."
"Noted."
"All the normal exercises, weighted training, flexibility stuff, and combat practice with mom. I've done all that for the past ten years."
"That helps make more sense," Yu-Mi said.
"Well, it also has to do with Freezing as well," Naruto explained, getting a nod from those around him.
"Dr. Schmitz explained to me her observations," Margaret said. "You use the rebounds from broken Freezing fields to push your limits."
"Got it in one," Naruto said with a nod. "It's tough, trust me, timing's important but I've been doing this for over two years, I'm pretty good at managing my fields and control."
"It's true, ever since he's been revealed to have the ability to use Freezing without a Pandora, he's been allowed to try out the Limiter Courses. He excels in all aspects."
"I see," Margaret nodded to that, considering the blonde. "I also hear that you've been trying to teach some of your fellow Freshmen."
"Yeah, Kazuya and Arthur. Arthur's further along but he needs to work on his basics more," the blonde said. "And Kazuya's actually like me, he can use Freezing on his own."
"So I've heard… Continue doing what you have been, Mr. Uzumaki, it'd be good to see if you could pass on any of your skills or to see if this isn't a personal thing for you."
"Gotcha."
"You may leave, take him back to his class, Chiffon."
"Very well, ma'am," the girl said, she and Naruto getting up before they bowed and took their leave.
Once they left the room, Margaret reached into her drawer before pulling out a photo book.
"... School years 2035 - 2050?" Yu-Mi said, getting a nod from the principal.
Flipping through, Margaret nodded when she reached the right year.
Yu-Mi stared as the older woman pointed at a redhead. "That's his mother? I can see the resemblance in his cheeks."
"Hm, hm," Margaret chuckled at that. "Yes, Kushina, from what I know, was always teased for having rounded cheeks than usual," she said, moving to the Limiter section of the photos and nodding when she found Minato. "This was the boy's father, he's basically a copy with traits from his mother."
Yu-Mi could see that. This 'Minato' person looked a lot like Naruto or, really, Naruto looked the most like him.
"Hmph… What are you thinking about, ma'am?"
"... Something to be considered if Naruto can impart knowledge to his fellow Limiters."
"... That's kinda…" Yu-Mi chuckled nervously as Margaret chuckled.
"It's only an idea, Kim."
"I know, I know."
~NRK~
When he'd been returned to class, there wasn't much more than thirty minutes left.
So it seemed to fly by before the group got up and left quickly, the four Freshmen nodding to one another before the blonde asked Arthur if Genessa could get in contact with Satellizer.
"Yes, she said that she'd send her an email. Hopefully, she checks it."
They'd all run off after that, Naruto doing as he'd said and gotten out of school the fastest.
Wearing a pair of orange cargo shorts with thick blue bars down the sides of each pants leg, and a set of bandages around his right thigh, Naruto adjusted his blue ninja sandals.
He wore a long-sleeved, blue top with a wider collar so he could display a pair of pendants he'd had without making them look like chokers.
They both had their black cords to hang off and were a topaz in the shape of a Hiraishin kunai while the other was a red tomato with a pepper running through it.
Few would know the meaning of the latter, he thought with a snicker as he adjusted an orange bandana over his right bicep, and grabbed a combat dagger his dad had gotten him, before heading out.
He looked down the halls, watching the scant few Limiters coming and going before he decided to go outside via his window. Thankfully, he was on the first floor with his friends.
Naruto ran off towards the shuttle train, his knife holster bouncing off his thigh.
~NRK~
She walked, her far more eastern clothes standing out in the very masses of people!
'Oh, great Kunlun, please, show me the way to my fated one,' she thought, hands coming together in prayer as she closed her eyes and walked.
She dodged every person she walked by with ease, her perceptiveness all thanks for Kunlun!
She clapped her hands once before opening her eyes, finding herself by an area of green with a stone pathway through it and benches every twenty or so meters.
'This is a 'park' in this place, yes? De arimasu,' she realized with wonder.
The cities were so different from the calm countrysides… Oh, she hoped her fated one didn't dislike nature and her bounties.
'No! You must trust in Kunlun!' She shook her head, eyes determined. 'You'll find him, he'll love nature, and be as kind as nature itself!'
Of this, she would have no doubts!
Now… H-How did one do this in cities again? She doesn't remember having to pay to sit in a park.
~NRK~
Naruto walked away from the train shuttle station, folding his arms behind his back.
He walked for a good bit, looking around at the city with a whistle.
"Man, it's been a while since I've been in the city," he said to himself with a grin as he walked about. "Focus, Uzumaki, let's see where the group can go and eat."
He walked around in a half-mile radius from the station, knowing to keep his senses about to know when his friends got here.
He could still feel them back at the school, though a few of them seemed to have met up.
… What was Satellizer-senpai doing?
He sweatdropped at the panic he felt from his Pandora upperclassman's location.
~NRK~
"W-Which one should I wear?" Satellizer asked herself, looking at the three dresses on the bed. "T-This… This my first time having friends."
That's what he'd called them all, 'friends', going the extra mile to prove that point seeing as he was doing forty fights with Pandora a week.
She didn't want to betray that trust, especially with her condition…
She was friends with two boys… And a third, by proxy, but she focused on the two she knew.
The two she knew could touch her and not have her body violently react.
Naruto and Kazuya were such different people and yet similar in all the ways it counted.
Kind, helpful, funny, smiled a lot, those were all their shared traits.
That said, they had their good points even in their opposites.
Naruto was louder, openly jovial, and energetic. He carried a pearl of wisdom about him that confused Satellizer at times but she was thankful far more often than not.
Kazuya, on the other hand, was far more reserved and less overenthusiastic. He was a quiet boy who one could see sitting next to as you read books and have an idle conversation.
They were such nice people and Satellizer knew that there wouldn't be many like these two, so she wanted to cherish them in as many ways as she could.
And, right now, that meant picking the right dress but she was so confused!
There was a knock at her door and she jumped.
"W-Who is it?"
"It's me."
"..." Genessa wasn't the best person but she certainly wasn't the worst.
… And maybe she could help her pick a dress?
~NRK~
"I hope Genessa-senpai doesn't get into a fight with Satellizer-senpai," Naruto said to himself, nervously laughing as he walked by a nearby park, a small pack of rice balls in his hands. "... Hmm, I could just wait for them to show up. I'll just find a seat and text them."
Walking in, Naruto smiled far wider as he was surrounded by nature on all sides, eyes moving about to the trees in the area before finding a group of them to sit by.
He walked over with his arms behind his head before blinking at the sight of a young woman already by the patch of arbor.
She had deep blue hair in a set of thick pigtails that fell to the small of her back and had jagged tattoos under her left eye.
Her outfit seemed composed of a pale blue tunic with a thicker half mantle that was wrapped around her waist with a portion coming up to cover her right breast.
Her legs were covered by baggy-looking dark blue pants and black boots with a small tiger-patterned sash at her waist. The final parts of her outfit were a pair of sleeveless bicep-length sleeves that came down to the middle of her hands, dark blue as well, with said hands being wrapped in bandages.
Next to her was a large burlap sack pack, a self-made sleeping bag on top of it with wooden poles as the frame for the bag.
She was eating a rice ball with fierce hunger, getting a chuckle from the blonde as he approached, causing her to look up, the bandana acting as a hairband flicking as she did.
Bright blue met dark blue, their gazes locking as the wind blew a large number of green leaves in between, and around, them, ruffling their clothes.
"?" She tilted her head at him. "Do I know you?" She asked as she wrapped up her garbage.
A person with a kind Kunlun had offered it to her to help her as she journeyed and she'd never let such kindness go… But the hunger…
"No, sorry," Naruto said with a chuckle, taking a seat a bit away. "Just wanted to chill under the tree."
"Not the benches-de arimasu?"
"Nope… I like nature more than most people would think," Naruto said with a finger scratching his cheek. "It's just… more peaceful, I guess."
She stared at him, eyes widening before a large growl emanated from her stomach, her slightly tan complexion turning bright red as Naruto raised a brow at her.
"I-It's nothing-de arimasu!" She squeaked, hands waving about before another growl turned her complexion completely red. "... T-That is my t-training warcry?" She lied with watery eyes.
Naruto snorted a bit before offering her his pack of rice balls.
"Here, try some of these," he said with a grin, the girl tilting her head at him as her eyes locked onto the offering. "I don't know if you made that rice ball yourself, these are store-bought, so I don't know if they'll be as good-"
"T-Thank you!" She showed her gratitude with a deep, full seiza, bow that caught the blonde off guard. "M-May I now-de arimasu?"
Naruto blinked before chuckling and placed it in her hands.
"Go right ahead."
She didn't hesitate once she got his word, neatly tearing into the packaging before devouring the food rapidly.
Less than a minute later, the three rice balls were gone and the girl looked far happier as she laid down on the grass.
"Mmmm, thank you, sir, you must have a very kind Kunlun," she said with a smile directed at him.
Naruto blushed a bit, she had a pretty good smile. "Hmph, Kunlun, huh? Is that another word for the soul?"
"Hmph?" She sat up while looking at him. "Do you not know what Kunlun is-de arimasu? Ah, I haven't even introduced myself!" She said with a gasp and another bow. "Pleased to meet you, my name is Rana Linchen, I'm from Nakartse, Tibet-de arimasu!"
"Heh~ Pleased ta meetcha, the name's Naruto Uzumaki," he reciprocated her bow with a lot less body. "What's up, Rana-chan?"
She looked up at him with a blink and slight blush. "Rana-chan… Un! Y-Yes, I'm shocked to know that you have no knowledge of Kunlun-de arimasu."
"Well, tell me about… Kunlun."
"Hmm!" She smiled before returning to a sitting position, legs beneath her body. "Kunlun is the spirit within all of us, a pure existence that guides us through our lives and leads us from wrongdoing."
"I see, sounds like God," Naruto said.
"She's a being who is sacred, Naruto-kun," Rana explained. "Every person has a Kunlun who leads them through their lives… I wonder if ours simply meant we should have met-de arimasu?!" she giggled, getting a chuckle from the blonde.
What a kind person, his Kunlun must have been composed of much kindness and nature… She blushed a bit before considering her idea.
No… W-Would it happen so soon?!
Was Naruto her fated person?!
"Oi, oi, oi, aren't you a happy-looking couple, hah?" Came a voice of a man from a pair of them.
They looked sleazy and shady, so they were clearly up to no good.
Wearing a bandana, some jeans, a denim jacket, and a plaid shirt, the guy looked like a bastard from the offset. The goons behind him weren't exactly that far behind in looks.
"... What's up?" Naruto responded with a shrug as the guy hesitated for a moment as the blonde stood up, being about the same height as himself. "Can we help you?"
"... Yeah, we saw you two looking all lovey-dovey and had to recommend this food place down the way," he said, Rana blushing at the thought. "See, your girl seems to like it."
Naruto could sense the man's negative intent from a mile away. "Sure, tell me about it and I'll take her there," he said, ignoring the gasping Rana behind him. 'D-Does… Does she think this is real?'
He hoped she was just a good actor!
"Mmm, we could show you."
"Nah, bro, I can navigate around. It's not my first time in the city," Naruto said with a wide grin that the man seemed to back down from. "Actually, while you're at it…" the blonde leaned in close. "You may want to hide all that bullshit somewhere I can't smell. Oh, and the knife, too."
The man's eyes bugged out along with his goons and Rana.
"H-Huh?!" She shot to her feet. "What-de arimasu?!"
The guy grimaced before Naruto saw flashing steel coming from the man's jacket pocket.
The guy held up his empty hand. "You think you're hot shit, don't ya, you son of a bitch…?" the guy threatened the blonde with an empty hand, his eyes looking at the hand that'd been wielding a knife. "W-Where-?"
"Looking for this?" Naruto asked, balancing the knife on the tip of his finger. "Man, if you're gonna mug me it'd be a good idea to get a better weapon," the blonde said with a shake of the head.
He allowed the knife to fall off his finger for a moment before a blur flashed right by it, the weapon breaking apart as Naruto pulled his fist back.
The guy paled as Rana stared in awe at Naruto's back.
'H-He's also in possession of a strong Kunlun?!' W-What was her luck?!
This man… He had to be her fated person! There was no doubt!
She blushed at how… romantic their first meeting had been. Ooooh, she wished she'd been prepared!
The guy's henchmen rushed forward, Naruto putting a hand on his hip as they did.
Their boss made to punch his face and the blonde flowed around his fist before slightly hitting his chin with his fist.
The man fell as his goons came to a stop, Naruto raising a brow as they looked at him in horror.
"Take your stupid leader and leave. Also, if I catch you pullin' this shit again, I will find you and, trust me, you don't want that to happen."
They picked up the first dude, wilting under Naruto's gaze as they came in close, before running off with their tails between their legs.
"Honestly," Naruto sighed before turning back- "Whoa, now!" He jumped back as Rana's face of joy appeared in front of his vision. "Y-Yo! Uh, don't surprise me like that, please!"
"You were amazing, Naruto-kun!" Rana grinned, getting a slight blush out of the former shinobi. "I didn't expect such prowess from a person in the city-de arimasu!" Her eyes shined as Naruto laughed nervously.
"Well, being fair, I'm not just a random-" There was a ring from his pocket and the blonde's eyes widened as he answered it. "... Dammit!" He opened it up, laughing nervously as Rana shot him with a tilted head.
"Yeah, no, Arthur, sorry, I got caught up. I'm in the park by the station. Like, yeah, right next to it," Naruto said to his friend, nodding to the person Rana didn't know or see. "Yeah, you'll see me, I'm not that far in, promise. See you guys in a bit," he said with a sigh and a nervous smile.
"The city is so odd," Rana said to herself. "I believe that is called a 'cell phone'-de arimasu?"
"Yup, it allows people to talk from all over the world."
"Mmmm, oh!" Rana's eyes widened as a melancholic smile took over her face. "I've seen them before… Once, a few years ago, there were a few men who came to our village and one of them was a doctor."
Naruto, feeling her sadness, laid a hand on her shoulder.
Thump.
Her eyes widened as her body throbbed, cheeks gaining color as Naruto nodded at her.
"I'm sure this guy was pretty cool," he said with a smile that caused her heart rate to rise. "And, there are a whole lot of other things that the city has to offer," Naruto added, taking his hand off her shoulder.
Rana held her hands in front of her chest as the throbbing… No, as the resonance stopped.
'I-It's true?!' Her eyes gleamed with light at the blonde's grinning face. 'It is him!'
The way her Tears of Kunlun reacted… This was her fated person!
She grinned. "Y-Yes, he was… T-Though, Naruto-kun-"
"There you are!" Came a call from the entrance of the park, getting a jump from Rana. "Usually, you're so good at rem-Oh, hello," came Arthur's call and then a sly expression as Naruto shot him a raised brow.
The far more classy blonde was in a white hoodie and blue jeans, a pair of black sneakers on his feet as he was trailed behind by many of the others.
"I didn't know Naruto was… busy," Arthur said with a sly undertone, Rana blushing more as he did. "Well, well, well, Naruto, never knew you were like this," he said with his chest puffed out in pride. "Haaa, this definitely makes up for forgetting to give us your location."
From behind him, Kaho's eyebrows rose along with Genessa's.
Kaho was wearing a collar-wide, yellow, blouse and a dark blue skirt, her feet in a pair of brown high-heel sandals.
Behind her, wearing a similar expression to Arthur, was Genessa, the redhead wearing a pair of brown jeans that showed off her long legs along with some black sandals, her top being a tan dress shirt as she allowed her hair to be free.
"Yes, this seems very interesting," Genessa said with a dark chuckle, confusing Naruto. "Oh, you poor, clueless, boy."
"Why does everyone keep calling me clueless?"
"I don't know, Naruto-kun," Kazuya said with a nervous chuckle. "I'm worried for when it's said to me."
Wearing a pair of light blue slacks and a tan jacket over a black shirt with a white border around the collar, his feet covered by a pair of white sneakers.
"I'm sure it's coming, don't worry," Naruto said with a nervous chuckle before turning to their last member. "Glad to see you were able to come with us, Satellizer-senpai. I got the feeling you were… panicking," he said as Genessa started laughing, Satellizer's cheeks reddening.
Wearing a pale yellow, sleeveless, halter dress with black around the chest, her glasses were on as always. On her feet were a pair of white heels with straps across the top and, like all of the girls, she had a purse with her.
"S-She looks good, ya know," Kazuya said with some red on his cheeks as their blonde upperclassmen burned a brighter red. "I guess she was really preparing to look good for this," he praised.
Naruto threw her a thumbs-up and grin. "Looking good, senpai!"
Satellizer blushed at the compliments as Kaho chuckled nervously.
'You'd think both of them were her boyfriends with how easily they can compliment her back-to-back,' the Freshman girl thought with a shake of the head. "Hmph, who's this, Naruto-kun?"
"Oh, this is Rana-chan," he introduced Rana who blushed before bowing to the group. "She's from… Tibet," Naruto figured trying to pronounce what she called her city wouldn't end well.
"Hm, hm, I'm Rana Linchen, I'm from Nakartse, Tibet-de arimasu."
"That's an interesting way of speaking," Kazuya said as Satellizer frowned. "Hmm, what are you doing in Shintoshi near West Genetics?"
"Hmm," she blushed a bit before smiling. "Being one given the Tears of Kunlun, I was sent here to help fight against those filthy invaders! Along with that, I-I wished to find my fated one," Rana said with a nervous laugh and a blush.
Even if she was already done with that second mission.
"Fated one?" Arthur asked. "Hold on, Tears of Kunlun?"
"Yes, when I meet my fated one, the Tears of Kunlun will resonate and my true power, even within this mortal body, will be of full use-de arimasu!"
"... Wait, hold on," Genessa raised a brow. "Rana… Where are these Tears of Kunlun of yours?"
"Embedded in my back," she said, turning before lowering the high-reaching part of the mantle on her waist, that was on her side, to show a bit of her back revealed from her tunic. "These blessings make it my mission to find my fated one."
"Those are stigmata," Kaho said as Rana blinked at her. "Rana-san, we call those stigmata here. If what you're saying is right-"
"You mean a Limiter, right?" Naruto asked with his arms behind his head, getting a tilt of the head from Rana. "It's… Well."
"Let me explain…" Kaho said before going into the specifics of their school, West Genetics.
"I see, you all must see it differently from Nakartse," Rana said with a tilt of the head. "I wasn't given my Tears of Kunlun but born with them."
"Wait, what?" Naruto blinked as she nodded.
"Back home, in the past, that doctor who came, that I told you about, he said that I was a rare type of… 'Pandora', you call it?" Rana asked and Naruto nodded. "... Is that really that odd?"
"It is," Genessa said with a frown. "I've never heard of people being born with stigmata in their bodies, man that's crazy."
"... Wait, Rana, how come you came all the way here to find a Limiter?" Arthur asked in confusion. "Surely, there would have been other branches."
Rana shook her head. "My Tears of Kunlun didn't resonate with anyone in the village. My village doesn't even have that many men within so that's also a part of why I was sent here," she said. "And, as for why I'm here, specifically, I believe it's because of that doctor. He helped us and made an impression I believe even the great elders saw promise in."
"Huh," Naruto cupped in his chin in thought, eyes closed as he tilted his head. "Well, I'm glad you might find your fated person here," he said after some thought with a grin.
Rana blushed and fumbled with the sash on her waist. "Y-Yes, I'm sure I will find him, soon-de arimasu!"
"... Uh-?!" Kazuya made to comment only for Kaho and Arthur's hands to come around his mouth. "?!"
"Shuuush," Kaho told him as Naruto and Rana chatted. "Hm, hm, hm, this is our time, Kazuya-kun!" She whispered as Arthur nodded, Genessa chuckling behind the two as Satellizer tilted her head in confusion. "Don't you see it? Rana believes Naruto is her fated person!"
Kazuya's eyes widened. "S-She does?!" He whispered after they removed their hands, his two fellow Freshmen nodding. "... Then shouldn't we tell Naruto?"
"What, no, that's not how this situation works," Genessa added in their huddle. "If Rana didn't say anything to him yet, she's probably waiting for the proper moment. She likely doesn't want to rush things as well, these are precious times, I'll have you know."
Kazuya sweatdropped. "Doesn't Naruto get, like, a dozen love/invitations every day, though?"
"Ignore those girls, they don't have class," Kaho said.
"Yes, beside…" Arthur smirked. "Naruto has spoken to me at length of his type of girl. Not only does he like girls with long hair, who smile a lot, and he's also into ones with nice legs, that one I figured out after some prodding."
The five looked at Rana's legs in thought.
"She's wearing baggy clothes, how do we tell?" Genessa considered before her eyes widened and a grin formed on her face. "Oh… I have a good idea."
Explaining to the others, Satellizer was left looking at Naruto and Rana chatting about some random subject.
… He was her friend, yes? S-She should be happy b-but…
Fear gripped her heart as a familiar feeling flittered about her mind.
Kazuya blinked as he looked at the blonde sophomore.
Seeing her worried face, he frowned.
'What's wrong?' He wondered. '... I'll ask her when we go shopping.'
She was his senpai, his friend, and someone he wanted to know and help.
As Naruto said, Satellizer needed people she could rely on and Kazuya wanted to be the first step to help her trust people more.
"Hey, Naru-Naru, Rana," both individuals turned to Genessa who grinned. "I mean, we were gonna go and shop around, why not come along, Rana?"
"Hmm? Really?" Rana blinked, considering her situation before nodding with a smile. "Very well-de arimasu!"
Naruto chuckled as he nodded, picking up her large backpack with ease.
"E-Eh?! I-Isn't it heavy?" Rana asked nervously as the blonde shifted the pack on his back.
"Nah, I lift way heavier stuff like this when I train."
"You train? Well, that is, I'm not surprised but… What kind-de arimasu?" Rana asked, slightly flustered, and attracted, by this fact.
T-They could train together! Maybe he knew some close-combat skills?
"Oh, well, my friends think I'm weird," Naruto explained as the group took off. "100…" He explained his workout to the awed Rana.
"That sounds interesting!" Those who weren't health nuts balked. "Back home, training always took place in the deep forests. Using the waterfalls for focus, traversing the jungle terrain to hunt, search for food, and keep an eye out for dangerous creatures were important and helped nurture our bodies."
"Whoa, that sounds so cool!" Naruto said with a grin. "I should totally go see what that's all like one of these days."
"?!" Rana's face burned bright red but her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Y-Yes! You should-de arimasu!"
"... You know, it's kind of scary to look at how easy he does it," Arthur said with a nervous chuckle as Genessa smirked. "I was a total mess when we first met…" he blushed bright red as Genessa became as colored as her hair. "... It was a good vi-"
"ARTHUR?!"
"I-I said nothing, dear!" He snapped to standing straight, saluting his Pandora as sweat rolled off his head. "W-Why, it was a grand memory! Hahahahahah!"
"What are you laughing at?!"
"... Nothing!"
Naruto and Rana chuckled at the two.
"Hm, hm, I'm glad she's met her fated individual," the blue-haired girl said with a slight blush as she turned to him with a grin. "It's an amazing feeling, I believe-de arimasu."
Naruto blinked at her, slightly stunned before he blushed and grinned.
"I'm sure it is, love's probably one of the most powerful things on this planet," he said with a soft expression, the wind blowing back his hair as he shook it at his friends' bickering. "Geez, you two, get married already!"
"?!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"N-Naruto?!"
Rana was left there stunned, eyes wide as she replayed his soft expression before burning bright red and holding her cheeks.
L-Love?! W-Well, he wasn't afraid of the word like she thought most boys were!
Satellizer felt joy in her heart and yet that feeling returned.
That feeling that made her feel like the only person in a room who watched everyone play outside as she sat at her desk.
A hand resting on her shoulder broke her out of her dark thoughts, Satellizer turned to see Kazuya giving her a worried look.
"Senpai, is everything alright?" He asked her, looking her in the eyes. "You've been acting strange ever since we met up with Naruto."
"..." Satellizer winced at that. "I-It's…" She looked at the blonde and Rana, the Tibetan girl having joined in on the teasing of Genessa and Arthur. "Kazuya… Have you already found someone you want to be your Pandora?"
Kazuya blinked at the question, rubbing the back of his head as he looked down.
"Being honest, with how everything's gone these past couple of days, I've never really put much thought into it…" He admitted, scratching his cheek with a finger. "... What of you, senpai? Have you found someone you wish to be your Limiter?"
"... I've… never had good experiences with… Boys, Kazuya, I've never thought of it. Not with the way I am…"
"..." Kazuya nodded with a determined stare. "... T-Then… If you're willing," he blushed as she looked at him in shock, face growing hot. "T-That is! Y-Ya know?" The boy wanted to drink something, anything!
He was too hot!
Red spread across her cheeks and Satellizer fiddled with the skirt portion of her dress as he rubbed the back of his head.
Naruto smirked as he and the others saw the two.
Genessa blinked before grinning ferociously, Arthur laughing nervously before Naruto's hands rested on their shoulders.
"Now, hold on, guys," he said. "Let them have this moment. Remember, Satellizer-senpai doesn't really do the whole 'I have male friends' thing. Never mind whatever the hell is going on, right now," Naruto insisted as Kaho smiled proudly.
"I'm so proud~," She said as Naruto laughed nervously. "Now…" Kaho's eyes went to Rana who blushed. "If you'd find a nice girl to partner up with."
"Every time, you never stop."
Rana came to the realization, as Genessa and Kaho shot her looks of approval, that her affections weren't as hidden as she thought.
The Tibetan girl burned bright red.
~NRK~
He placed his hands together, rubbing them as his stomach growled for the ramen before him.
"Yes~," Naruto said as he swallowed before he broke apart a pair of thick, wooden, chopsticks over the top of his bowl. "Thanks for the food!" He told the chef before digging in.
Rana tilted her head at him before nodding and smelling her food, her bag placed between her and her, inevitable, fated one.
She clapped her hands together once. "Thank you, oh great Kunlun," she raised her prayer to her sacred one. "..." Rana blushed uncontrollably as her nose caught another whiff of her food and her stomach made itself known. "C-Control yourself-de arimasu!" She shouted at her stomach even as Naruto and the others chuckled at her hunger.
"Come on, eat up, it's my treat after all," Naruto said as the chef in the back of the place laughed. "Love your stuff like always, Hongou!"
"Hmph," the chef shook his head. "You just keep visitin' like always, boyo."
"Damn right," Naruto said as he wiped his mouth, the others balking at his empty bowl.
"Was that some kind of trick?!" They exclaimed at him, Rana giggling at this fact as well.
A man with a good appetite meant that he was full of vigor and energy! She'd learned all her mother's cooking techniques for a future with a man such as this!
She nodded to her food with a smile before using the chopsticks to eat some of the food.
She smiled at the taste, the savoriness of the food, reminding her of some old Tibet dishes.
"Hmm, I believe this is… udon noodles-de arimasu?" Rana asked the chef who nodded.
"Yup, I test a few mixes on occasion with Naruto as my test dummy."
"For the most part, they all just need to be more stable," Naruto said as another bowl, his third, was handed to him. "The taste is great but they need to be stabler."
"Hmm, have you tried some barley?" Rana asked and the chef considered it. "It's a lot dryer and probably absorbs the broth well enough."
"Hmph, I look into it, little lady." Rana giggled. "Fourth bowl, boya?"
The group blinked as they saw the stack of three bowls next to Naruto.
"... T-That's not fair!" Genessa said with a tone of despair, Kaho nodding furiously. "I couldn't eat that much and get away with it!"
"You know you could train, exercise-wise, more often, right?" Naruto asked.
"Your training is gonna be the death of me."
"Drama queen."
~NRK~
Rana considered the outfit before her, left in only her cloth coverings on her private regions.
Kaho believes it should be noted that Rana didn't seem to care at all, somehow. Tibet must have been a whole different kind of place.
Before the blue-haired girl sat a black crop top and a pair of blue yoga pants with a dark blue waistcloth.
"Hmmm, I like them," Rana said with a smile as she put on the crop top, the article of clothing hanging off her chest. "Is that… how it's supposed to work-de arimasu?" she asked, confused.
"Yeah," Genessa said, sporting a black sweat and a pair of jean short shorts. "Being fair, clothes depend on what you want them to do. That top's meant to show off your chest. There are crop tops that don't do that as well."
"Mmm, fashion in the city is so… provocative-de arimasu."
"Huh?" Kaho blinked, wearing a small fur-lined jacket. "R-Rana-san but you seem… comfortable with t-taking off your clothes… Ya know?" the girl said with some embarrassment.
"Hm?" Rana raised a brow. "Mm, the elder did say that some parts of city life were different-de arimasu… Well, being bare isn't new where I'm from. To hunt, we need to be as close to nature as possible-de arimasu."
"Huh…" Genessa didn't seem as affected as Kaho had expected. "So it feels different for you if you're wearing clothes?"
"Yes," Rana nodded. "To hunt means to have no distractions, to feel everything, and to know one's surroundings. Clothes get in the way so we wear the smallest amount-de arimasu," the Tibetan said as she found a dark blue crop top that clung to her skin. "This one is also a crop top-de arimasu?"
"Yeah," Kaho said before laughing a bit as she turned to the changing rooms, the head of Satellizer peeking out of them. "S-Satellizer-senpai, we can't give you our advice without seeing the clothes."
Satellizer looked down a bit with a blush and Kaho had to wonder how she thought the woman was scary before with how cute she looked right now.
'Rumors,' she realized with a mental sigh. 'I really should have listened to them about that one.'
Kaho was a shameless gossip and she'd never reneged on those qualities of hers.
But, maybe, she should take things with a bit more grains of salt.
Satellizer swallowed before coming out in a long white t-shirt and some blue yoga pants.
"It looks fine, senpai," Kaho said encouragingly as Satellizer blushed further. "It's not like it's lingerie-"
"What are you talking about, Kaho?" Genessa asked as she shot Satellizer an expecting look, the blonde blushing further. "I gave her some new lingerie to try, that outfit isn't what I picked."
Kaho blinked before turning back to see a bright red Satellizer shakily lifting her shirt to reveal plaid… transparent lingerie?!
"Senpai?!"
"Fufufufufu!"
"Do you have, like, no body fat?" Arthur asked as he, Kazuya, and Naruto stood in the men's changing room, he and Kazuya seeing Naruto's lean build. "Like, I don't see anything, Naruto."
"It is a bit surprising," Kazuya said, sliding through his phone before showing Naruto a picture of a bodybuilder. "You look like this, Naruto-kun, how?"
"I've always had a crazy fast metabolism," Naruto explained. "It's how I can eat so much and not gain weight. Of course, I also train which helps as well."
"Huh," Arthur nodded, his own build's slight musculature something he nodded at. "I want that kind of body. You're lean, Naruto, and that's my goal."
"Well, it's good to have a goal," Naruto said with a slight blush and a laugh. "What about you, Kazu? Any fitness goals we should know about?"
Kazuya crossed his arms in thought, looking at Naruto's body in consideration. "I guess I'm like Arthur as well. T-Though," he blushed. "I wouldn't mind being strong enough to l-lift a girl up easily."
The blondes chuckled in unison.
"Well, for that, I think thighs, chest, biceps, and just good cardio will do that for you," Naruto said as Kazuya sweatdropped. "Hey, man, take it from me, take your time. No one gets where I am in a single year. Remember, I do all that training and, back in the day, I'd train with my mom and dad. I've got all kinds of reasons to get to this point."
"I guess," Kazuya said. "So, what, weights?"
The three chatted tips before trying on different tops.
"Yup, dress shirts seem to be your bread and butter, Arthur," Naruto said as Kazuya leaned on his friend's shoulder, nodding. "... As much as I hate them, you could probably wear a tie with that fit."
Arthur nodded, rolling up the sleeves before undoing the first two buttons. "How's the 'I just got out from a party' look?"
Both his friends threw him a thumbs-up.
Next, Naruto wore a grey muscle shirt.
"Yeah, maybe get one size smaller and I can see it," Arthur said, leaning on Kazuya's shoulder. "Yes, ever considered wearing an armband?"
Naruto considered it.
Finally, Kazuya wore a slightly baggy long-sleeved white top.
"... Dude, he looks like that guy from that detective manga you keep trying to get me to read," Naruto realized to Arthur who blinked.
"... Holy crap, he does! Kazuya, have you ever read Death Note?"
"Y-Yeah! It's one of my favorite manga!"
"Yes!"
~NRK~
The group sat down in a cafe a bit away from the clothing store, bags at their table's feet.
"So you're going to be a second-year?" Naruto asked as he drank his smoothie, a new bright orange hoodie, with black insides, over his orange top with green leaves on the back. "Wait, how old are you, Rana?"
"Hmm, I'll be eighteen this year," she answered, enjoying her smoothie. "I was supposed to have left earlier but I needed more training. I had to learn how to control my Tears of Kunlun," Rana said with a frown and a clenched fist. "It is the power that I need to protect my people no matter how many show up-de arimasu."
Satellizer stared at her. "How many?"
"Huh?!" Rana's head snapped up and she cringed. "N-No, it's nothing-de arimasu," she said with a grimace.
Naruto hummed for a moment. "Well… You're our friend now, so, wanting to know what's up is normal," he said, getting a confused look from Rana. "Looking after one another is just a part of what friends do."
"I-I didn't say that!" Satellizer said with a pout and some red on her face as Rana looked at her with a tilt of the head. "Mmmm," she mumbled as Kazuya chuckled a bit.
"If you don't want to talk about it, Rana-san, then you don't have to," Kazuya said with a nod as Naruto grinned.
"He preaches truth!"
"Glad to see we've got a whole lot of nationalities," Arthur said with a chuckle as Genessa smirked, the others raising their brows. "Well, you're Tibetan while Naruto, Kaho, and Kazuya are Japanese."
"Hmm, yeah," Naruto said. "And my dad's an American-Japanese mix so I'm also part American."
"Ho-ho!" Arthur grinned. "I've got French blood in my veins while Genessa is part German."
"Wenn du es nicht wusstest, tust du es jetzt," Genessa said with a grin as the others blinked.
"Hehe," Arthur said. "And I believe Ms. Bridgette is British, yes?"
"... English," she corrected after a second. "I'm from the United Kingdoms."
"Wait, really?" Arthur looked shocked as she nodded. "Wait, so we were, at some point, from the same country! Hehehehe~"
Satellizer looked surprised by that. "W-We were… I never really paid that much attention in History all that much."
"Man, who would?" Genessa said with a grumble as Naruto nodded along.
"History is way too boring to be a real class. Dattebayo."
"T-That seems right."
"Totally!"
The rest of the group nervously laughed at the three's apparent distaste for the class.
"Now, all we need are people who are Chinese and Spanish and we'll have the whole set."
Naruto snickered at that. "Hm, hm, h-?" The spiky-haired blonde's chuckling came to an abrupt end as his eyes narrowed at the table. "... Oh, this is gonna be annoying."
"Huh?" Kazuya made a confused sound before the group was approached by a group of five men. "Who-"
"Sup, bitch," came the familiar sleazy guy from way earlier, Naruto's eyes trailing to the guy's face. "Hmph, brought up your little group of bitches with you?"
"Who the hell is this guy?" Kaho asked with a frown even as Naruto got up. "N-Naruto?"
"Can I offer you another fist?" He asked as he got all up in the guy's face, the sleazeball flinching back as cold blue eyes appeared up-close. "I said it earlier, you dumb bastard."
Then there was a click and Naruto's eyes moved around the guy towards the two suited men behind him.
Their hands were in their pockets but he knew what that sound was.
"... Hey now," one of them said with a grin. "You don't know who this guy is? He's the Naruto Uzumaki. Son of the weapon manufacturer?"
"... Do I know you two clowns?" Naruto said, gaining their attention. "Now that's rude!" The blonde said, hand gripping the first dude's hand as it came to punch him in the stomach. "That's not smart."
The guy grimaced before the two came up to the spiky-haired blonde.
"How about you come with us?"
Naruto's expression went flat before he turned back to his group.
"I'll be right back, guy-"
"I'm coming!" Rana declared, her eyes narrowing on the opposing group. "Naruto-kun, I won't back down-de arimasu."
"Hmph, sit your ass down, girl," one of the two suited men said. "Unless you want more drilled into you then-"
A hand gripped the man's cheeks, lifting him off the floor.
Blue eyes glowed as they glared.
"I suggest you mind your damn language before we cause a scene," the blonde said as the guy punched at his head to little effect. "Are. We. Clear?" Naruto asked as he squished the man's cheeks in further before dropping him, the thuggish suit falling on his ass. "Alright, Rana, let's deal with this," he said to the Tibetan girl who nodded back.
The first guy, the sleazeball, sneered at the back of the blonde before Rana walked right past him, not even sparing him a glance.
The group at the table made to get up, Genessa and Satellizer's eyes narrowing at the group.
"Don't," Naruto ordered. "You all need to focus on stopping these guys' back-up dancers outside the building. You'll need to focus on those guys," he said before walking past the grimacing second suit. "Don't waste my time, where are we going?"
"Grrr!" The first suited dude growled as he got up, thoroughly embarrassed in front of a watching cafe. "We'll deal with this in the construction site." He said with a scoff before walking ahead of his fellow suit. "Grab four of the others."
They walked ahead of Naruto and Rana, the Pandora girl frowning before Naruto shook his head as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
Thump.
He truly was her fated one, she thought with a grin as she felt her body resonate with his touch.
She tightened her bandages. "You all, please watch our bags," Rana said before Naruto's hand found the back of the first guy's jacket.
"Come along, class is in session," the blonde said with a wicked grin as Rana nodded before appearing behind the guy's original two goons, lifting them by their collars with ease. "Come on."
They walked out with the now-pale, struggling, men in their grasps.
Genessa frowned as she sat back down, a small flash of light erupting from beneath the table to rest a chain head in her lap as she saw a group of black suits coming into the restaurant.
Satellizer's mouth set in a grimace as Arthur stood up with a sigh along with Kaho.
"Alright," both said with determined frowns. "Let's do this."
Kazuya frowned before following his friends' example as that group of men came in with a long woman who held a gnarly knife in hand, a second one appearing in a flash of Volt Texture.
"Ah, that's why he told us to stay put," Kaho said with an understanding nod, a pair of dual blades appearing in her hands. "Let's make this quick."
The Pandora looked smug for all of several seconds before blinking at two lines of hexagons holding her legs down.
She looked down and then up before getting her face slammed in as Genessa, Kaho, and Satellizer attacked.
Kazuya blinked before looking at his fellow Limiter whose hand was out.
Arthur smiled at him and Kazuya chuckled nervously before raising his own hands.
"Remember, to not freeze them, remind your Freezing that they're comrades," the blonde instructed at his closed-eyed friend.
Kazuya breathed in before deploying the technique.
"Freezing!"
~NRK~
After having dropped the three goons in front of them, Naruto and Rana walked behind them as a black car followed behind.
"So, that car," Naruto said as Rana nodded. "There are two Pandora in it. I can feel them and they both have two stigmata. They're not that strong but keep an eye out, I'm pretty sure these guys have guns."
"Guns?" Rana frowned in thought. "I've heard of those before, they're dangerous… Are you alright with that, Naruto-kun? Guns, that is-de arimasu?"
"Yeah, I've got good enough reflexes to handle some guns. What about you?"
"Hmm, this will be my first time facing them," she said as he nodded before placing his hands on his hips.
"When they come out of the car," Naruto said quietly as they entered a vacant construction site. "Bump fists with me and then go after the Pandora, I can handle these normal dudes."
"... Truly, you are amazing-de arimasu," Rana said with a smile that he grinned at, the guys ahead stopping to turn on the two with smiles on their faces.
"Ya done getting your ballet stage?" Naruto asked with a raised brow as he jabbed a thumb behind him. "And these are your back-up dancers, yuh?"
The five's grins fell away at that.
"... You come with us and this all goes away," the suited second one said with a calming smile and hands spread out in a welcoming gesture. "You're worth your weight in good company."
"I can tell you aren't from these guys being around."
"... Kid, I don't think you know your place," Came one of the Pandoras' calls, a lithe woman wielding a pair of axes. "Wouldn't want to have to hurt you~," she said with a grin.
The other Pandora brought out a saw-like greatsword, the weapon blunted around its back and tip.
They dressed like stereotypical bikers and Rana felt her blood boil as she tightened her fists, Volt Texture overtaking her hands and feet before a pair of gloves and boots, with metal along the back, shin, and upper foot appeared.
"Hmph, close-quarters type, huh," Naruto said as Rana placed her back to his, her body filling with warmth as her mouth's frown flowed into a grin. "You know the plan," he said, holding his fist over his shoulder, a single orange hexagon over the front of his knuckles.
Rana saw it and bumped her fist-
Her eyes widened as she felt energy, power, flow into her that stimulated all her senses.
The air was far dirtier than she remembered, the son a bit more pleasant, the world around her clear as she felt every last one.
Each of their opponents, her senses picked out each one and she smiled.
"Aren't you cocky?" Naruto as his pupils elongated. "Well, let's see how they like us-"
The two crouched in unison.
"-Now!"
Two of the thuggish men from both sides let out wet coughs, two pairs of fists finding their stomachs.
Rana grinned as she rotated to the side before slamming a kick into the third male behind the Pandoras.
The one with the axes turned around only for Rana to appear next to one of the four males on her side, knee coming up and slamming into his forehead.
"... Hmmmm," she breathed out a breath that felt like it returned to the world.
She breathed back in and the world's crisp, if slightly dirty, breath filled her lungs.
'My beloved,' she blushed as she grinned, hand to her chest. 'You are truly special!' Rana's eyes widened in joy, pupils outlined by gold.
She grinned as she turned to the shocked Pandoras.
Naruto, meanwhile, slammed his knee into one of the folded men's faces, breaking his glasses as he knocked him out.
He rotated, driving his elbow into the face of the other, the man flipping in the air before slamming into the floor.
The blonde shifted to the side as a gunshot rang out, the sleazy dude had a gun in his hands, eyes wide.
"I'll fucking shoot yo-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as the blonde thumped his food against the floor. "Guwah!"
Naruto removed his hand from the guy's neck, the bastard falling unconscious and collapsing a moment later.
"Ah!" One of the last two men jumped before his friend found a foot in his chest, flying back into a wheelbarrow. "W-What the hell are you?!"
Naruto appeared behind the last goon. "Better than you."
The guy dropped as the last man on the other side did, Rana and Naruto looking at one another before turning on the Pandora.
The two women froze as the blonde and blue-haired ones turned to face them.
A-All the men had been defeated in a matter of seconds?! From the Pandora, it was not as surprising… But the boy!
How had he accomplished that with such speed?! What the hell was going on?!
"Now, we're dealing with you two," Naruto said with a frown. "I hope you like cool bars because you'll be staring at some for a white."
The woman with the saw cleaver glared before widening her stance with her blade held back.
"All that matters is to take you, the girl won't be living past today if you don't cooperate."
"You're not much of a threat," Naruto said as he bounced back and forth off his heels. "So, tough luck."
The dual ax-user grimaced before facing Rana. "Last chance, kid."
Rana simply got into a boxing stance, the woman's words unheeded.
The Pandora thugs grimaced as things came to a head.
The two teens exploded forward, already within the adults' personal space.
The ax-wielder's eyes widened along with her cohort and she threw out a diagonal slash in a panicked fashion. Rana slid forward with an arm held out, the ax's side brushing against her forearm before she pulled back on the back of her opponent's hand as she stepped in.
The older Pandora spat out spit as Rana's shoulder slammed into her chest and upper stomach.
The younger woman didn't hesitate, stomping down on the woman's foot to harm and keep her in place, Rana gripped the woman's right hand before rearing back her own right side.
"Nagare Futan." (Flowing Burden)
Rana's fist found the woman's kidney and blood slipped past the offending woman's lips before her cheeks bulged out.
Rana stepped back as blood left the woman's mouth in large amounts, the thug dropping her Volt Weapons as she fell to her knees before collapsing completely.
"Uzumaki Rendan!" (Whirlpool Barrage)
There was a crack and crash to Rana's side, the girl waving away and blocking the dust and debris to see a knocked out Pandora in a crater at her side as Naruto landed, in a crouch, a moment later.
Getting up from his crouch, the blonde locked eyes with Rana the two nodded, hi5-ing as the sounds of steps made their way to them.
"Naruto! Rana!" Came the call of Kaho as the rest of their group's members found the two of them. "... Are those Pandoras?"
"Eh, they're not that strong," Naruto said as a bruise on his cheek was his only reward for their fight. "Honestly, Rana-chan could probably have handled it herself."
Rana blushed at the praise before noting his bruise.
"You got hit," she said, Naruto shrugging as closed the eye above the wound.
"I mean, I had to get a little creative to not get hit with that damn thing," he said, jabbing his thumb at the large weapon in the dirt a bit away. "So-"
"Mm-mm, hold still," Rana said as she removed a roll of athletic tape from her pockets before biting off a piece and plastering it over his wound. "Hmm, ignoring wounds isn't manly, Naruto-kun."
"I-I wasn't!"
"Mm," she shook her head at him, fists on her hips. "Then, next time, let me know you got hurt."
"I-I…" The blonde blinked at her. "... Uhhh, sure?"
She grinned. "Un! That's right… Now, tell me what form of martial arts you use."
"Eh?!"
Watching the two interact was like watching a romance-based shounen.
Arthur chuckled as Naruto explained to Rana that he didn't have one.
Satellizer breathed in through her nose as Kazuya placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Trust in us. If you want to talk, like we told Rana, you should only when you want to."
Her clenched fists relieved themselves of their tightening before she looked down in thought before turning to him. She nodded and he grinned, getting a small blush from the sophomore.
Genessa and Kaho grinned at the two pairs.
Well, some things were getting done, at least.
Coming back to the school had taken, at most, an hour as they'd traversed far from the train station.
Rana stared in shock at the sheer size of West Genetics, on her feet as it truly came into view. "T-That's it-de arimasu?!"
"Yup," Naruto smirked as he stood as well, pointing to different parts of the school. "That's the third-year dormitory, actually speaking of, you might see me for a bit on the weekdays."
"Hm? How so-de arimasu?"
"Well…" Naruto chuckled a bit. "I got into this whole thing…"
He explained what'd happened with the others pitching in when they could.
"Haaaaa!" Rana looked shocked as the blonde nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Naruto-kun!"
"Look, I know, I know!"
"That's so brave!" The entire group nearly dropped at that. "To stand for what one believes in takes great inner strength! There is no doubt in my mind that you are in the right-de arimasu!"
"... Hehehe~" Naruto blinked for all of a moment before grinning like an idiot. "Thanks, Rana, that's not what I expected, being honest."
"You need to have more faith in me-de arimasu."
"... You're right, thanks," Naruto said with a grin. "Whelp, that's more support."
"Support?" The blue-haired girl blinked as she crossed her arms. "I'm fighting with you, Naruto-kun-de arimasu."
Naruto stared at her in shock as Arthur, Kaho, and Genessa snickered behind their hands.
"W-With me?!"
"Of course!" Rana said with a shake of the head. "To stop wrongs from happening, one must involve themselves. It's the right thing to do-de arimasu."
"Like, yeah, I get that, it's just. Are you willing to, possibly, get into trouble with me?"
"Yes-de arimasu."
"... I guess we'll have to talk to Chiffon-senpai about this," the blonde said after a moment before grinning. "Well, no matter what happens, welcome to the team… If things go the way I think they are… I have the feeling we're going to need all the help we can. With me, Satellizer-senpai, and I'm sure Kazu wishes to help-"
"I do!" Kazuya said with a nod as Naruto and Rana grinned. "I don't think it's fair to either of you as well."
"See. So now we've got a four-man team. I get the feeling the real issues will start coming when Pandoras start bringing their Limiters."
"You've fought ten so far, yes?" Rana asked. "All without Limiters… de arimasu."
"Look, a lot of the girls at this school aren't exactly hiding the beast, so to speak."
"Naruto?!"
"Yes, yes, prez-chan," Naruto waved off Kaho's look of horror. "I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before some of them start coming at me for a set 'without a set'."
"Hmmm," Rana considered something as red brushed over her cheeks. "I-I see… T-Then, let me help train you-de arimasu."
"Hm, what kind?"
"You said your family only has a self-taught martial arts style, yes?" Rana grinned with red cheeks. "Then I can help teach you some of the Seimon Hakkyoku-ken-de arimasu." (Sacred Gate Eight Extremities Fist)
"That was your fighting style, right?"
"Yes-de arimasu."
"... Rana are you sure you can teach me that?" Naruto asked with a frown as Rana did as well. "Not saying you can't teach it because you're bad at it, I mean, is this allowed?"
"O-Oh!" Rana blinked before scratching her cheek. "Well… the elders would not be happy knowing a man, not with the village, which doesn't have that many men in the first place, would have it-de arimasu."
"Hmmm… Hey, Rana, is there a martial art with lots of palm strikes and punches?"
"Of course," Rana said. "But I don't know any outside of Seimon Hakkyoku-ken-de arimasu."
"Then, if we looked up Tibetan martial arts, could you give me pointers?"
"... Maybe," she considered the idea before grinning. "... Yes, I'll do my best-de arimasu!"
Naruto beckoned her into their seats and he pulled out his phone.
As the two skimmed through Youtube videos, the others just watched on with small smiles.
Even Satellizer, who'd been feeling not so happy with this situation earlier, watched the two with an observant eye.
She wanted him happy and, with how they'd gone through things today, Rana wasn't… a bad person. Satellizer didn't dislike the girl that much, a bit of that simply came from her trying to take one of the few people whom she could actually touch without worry of a violent reaction.
… S-Should she test out her condition within the group? The thought made her both horrified and yet, possibly, excited.
She swallowed, turning to Kazuya who tilted his head at her.
She blushed before urging him closer, pointing to his ear.
Sufficiently confused, he leaned in.
She explained her… situation and her possible tests to try.
Kazuya blinked before grinning like an idiot.
"Sure!" he whispered back. "When do you want to try it?"
"W-When we're in a place I can't… break," she said with a blush as the younger teen chuckled.
"Hmmm, well, today's only Friday, Satellizer-senpai," he noted. "We don't have that much homework yet so we could all meet near the forests or in the Simulation Rooms and try it out."
Satellizer bit her lip but looked excited by the idea, nodding her head furiously.
They had an odd day ahead of them.
~NRK~
Naruto laughed as he ended up at the principal's office again, Ticy in tow this around with Abel.
Next to the blonde stood Rana, now back in possession of her bag, held a hand to her chest before she took in a few deep breaths.
"Alright, I'm ready-de arimasu," she said to her seniors, in class, not age.
The two were still dressed as they had been from their trip into town while Ticy was in white dress and Abel in a clean soccer uniform.
"Once again, we get another transfer," Abel said as the group went in, Naruto shrugging at his upperclassman. "Is she another prodigy too?" he asked the blonde discreetly.
"... Yeah, actually," Naruto said with a look of confusion. "... Abel, I think everyone who transfers in will be some kind of badass."
"Oh no!"
Rana giggled as Ticy facepalmed, even if the latter held the tiniest of smiles on her face.
Knocking on the door to the principal's main office, they got the go-ahead to come in.
"Ah, Naruto, glad to see you in here from helping another student," Sister Margaret said as the blonde coughed off to the side, Abel looking very amused by her words. "Ah, you must be Rana Linchen, yes?"
"Yes-de arimasu!" Rana saluted the nun who chuckled.
"And so polite," she said with a smile and nod, the transfer lowering her salute. "Well, I've seen your records and I'd say you should be fine, educationally. From your scores, you should pick up on the subjects well enough," Margaret said. "Tell me, Linchen-san, are you aware of how things work at these academies?"
"Yes, my new friends have made me perfectly aware!" Rana answered with a smile. "They've told me of Pandora, Limiters, and Nova. All the terms reside in my mind-de arimasu."
Ticy nodded in approval at Naruto. "So you went to pick her up as well?"
"What? No, we just met in a park," Naruto explained with a shrug at Ticy's raised eyebrow. "Things just seemed to happen."
"Our Kunlun made this meeting happy, Naruto-kun!" Rana insisted as Naruto chuckled, hands behind his head. "This was all meant to happen-de arimasu!"
Abel wore a sly smile as he leaned towards his Limiter.
"I bet you he has no idea what she means."
"Hmph, foolishness…" Ticy's eyes discreetly went to the chuckling Naruto. "... A fool's bet."
"Hehehehehe."
~NRK~
Genessa stretched in her pink nightgown, her and Satellizer leading Rana to her room.
"Mmmm! The Laundry rooms are at both ends of every floor. It helps to not give us trouble getting our clothes washed," Genessa explained as Satellizer nodded.
"If you go downstairs from the right, there's another door outside. It's less crowded and closer to the lunch hall," the blonde said as Rana perked up and Genessa let out a giggled.
"That's not surprising or anything," the redhead said, Satellizer pouting as she did. "Oh calm down, it's cute. Why, imagine if you and Kazuya just snuck around using that way, hmm~?"
The blonde froze before her face burned bright red, Rana putting her hands on her hips.
"W-What?!"
"Mmm, yes, I understand," Rana said with crossed arms. "Satellizer-san already has her fated one-de arimasu."
"W-W-Wha?!" Satellizer burned bright red. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
"It's fine to be honest," Rana said with a smile at the bright red Satellizer. "We're all girls here-de arimasu."
"Speaking of honesty," Genessa turned Rana's words on herself. "What about you and Naru-Naru, hmm?" Rana blushed. "Yes, we've been seeing it all day. You've got the hots for a spiky-haired blonde."
"I-I wouldn't say it like that…'' Rana pouted a bit, cheeks redder than red. "... N-Naruto-kun is… amazing and I believe that, yes, he is my fated one-de arimasu."
Genessa and Satellizer blinked, slight flushes on their face.
"W-Whoa, I… I didn't think you'd be able to say it so quickly," Genessa said with a hand on her cheek. "Oh~ So it's Satellizer who needs to be honest."
Rana's willingness to confess that straightforwardly had put the blonde in a stunned state.
"I-I…" She stayed red, cheeks slightly puffy. "..."
"... It's fine, Satellizer-san," Rana said after seeing her fellow female's despair at the question.
"W-What?!" Genessa balked. "S-She's right here! Ripe for the teasing!" Satellizer covered her face as she glowed neon red.
"While true, she's not comfortable," Rana said, patting her fellow Pandora's shoulder. "You'll be fine, my new friend. I'll help you with this all the way through-de arimasu!" The Tibetan said with a fire in her eyes as Satellizer stared at her with heat lowering from her cheeks and a slight bit of nervous laughter.
"Alright, alright, ruin my fun," Genessa said with a pout as they stopped by a door. "Here, this is… You've gotta be kidding me," the redhead said in disbelief as she looked to the left of the door. "Sister Margaret must have done this on purpose!"
"?"
"Rana… These are our doors," Satellizer said as she pointed to the left and right rooms next to the Tibetan's own. "W-We're neighbors."
"Mmm, Kunlun leads me again!" She cheered before considering a question, red cheeks a hint to her question. "Actually, I wonder where one more thing I wish to know the location of-de arimasu…"
~NRK~
Naruto yawned as he got out of the shower, drying his hair.
"Today was great," he said to himself, drying his face. "I know tomorrow's gonna be awesome."
They'd made a new friend today who was strong if his senses were telling him right.
And… W-Well, she had a pretty c-cool smile!
The blonde blushed a bit as he dried behind his ears, considering their new addition to West Genetics.
Rana Linchen. She was a pretty happy girl whose values aligned with his own a lot, he noted. She stood up for what was right, strong, not afraid of a little training, and had an amazing hair color.
Even though it wasn't red, Naruto found that her deep blue hair was so noticeable. He always found his gaze moving towards it, no matter whenever he looked at her, that was the first thing Naruto focused on.
It was a really beautiful colo-
There was a knock on the door, disturbing the blonde's thought process.
"Huh?" He blinked as he walked towards it, still dressed in only a towel around his waist. "Coming!" Naruto called out before powerwalking over and opening the door. "Sup-"
"Hello-"
Rana and Naruto blinked at one another, the blonde shocked at the girl's presence while Rana blinked at a, basically, naked Naruto.
The two paled and then burned bright red, Naruto slamming the door shut five seconds later.
"Crap! S-Sorry!" He shouted, the sound of rummaging and curses flying from the door.
Rana, on the other hand, was a nice shade of pink as she remembered her fated one's body.
'?!' Her eyes bugged out as she held her head and rocked back and forth. 'That had been too stimulating-de arimasu!'
She remembered the contours of his body, the calm shapes of his abdominals contrasting well with his more sharply shaped pectorals!
The door was fumbled with and Naruto was out with a blush on his face, dressed in a pair of light blue pajamas.
"S-Sorry," he said with a hand rubbing the back of his head, swallowing as she fumbled with her hands in a way, dressed in a dark blue cami top, and short shorts, her feet covered in nothing but bandages. "Uhh, that is, yeah?" The blonde said nonsensically.
Come on, Uzumaki! What the hell was that?!
Rana smiled embarrassedly at him, hands resting on her waist. "I-I just wanted… too…" Her face glowed a brighter shade of red as she, too, fumbled over her words. "... I-I just wanted to wish you a good night!" Rana managed to say.
"O-Oh, well…" Naruto cleared his throat. "... Wanna come in?"
She blushed brighter but nodded, the blonde opening the door for her, and Rana accepted the invitation, Naruto following after her.
When the door closed, Kazuya and Arthur popped out of the former's room, the sounds of anime from the Japanese boy's room.
"Think this is what I think it is?" Arthur asked.
"M-Maybe? This doesn't seem like it was planned that thoroughly," Kazuya answered back as they looked at their friend's door. "... We'll ask him tomorrow."
"Dealio."
Sitting on the blonde's bed, Rana looked around the room of her fated one, her Limiter, as they called it, here.
The bed was as large as her own, being king-sized but it was covered in white sheets with orange borders.
Next to it was a large window about 1.5 times the bed's length and width, allowing Naruto to get an amazing view of the moon.
In front of the bed was his closet and next to the closet door was the bathroom door. Next to that was a large TV hung against the wall. To her left was a set of short dressers, above them being posters of frogs and ninja-esque things.
"You like frogs-de arimasu?"
"Huh?" Naruto looked where she was looking before chuckling. "Yeah, frogs and foxes are my favorite animals," Naruto said as he adjusted the light slider by the front door, brightening the room a bit.
Also next to the door, Rana noted, were three pairs of gauntlets, one red, one orange, and one orange with hexagon patterns on it. Next to those were a set of dumbbells and weighted vests, wrist & ankle weights with some weighted belts as well.
Finally, on the bed she was on, that was against the wall with the posters, was a large laptop with a small bookcase beneath the windowsill by the bed.
"Hmm, I prefer mastiffs and yaks," she'd said as he came over and sat down on the bed, leaning down on his knees. "They're both big and strong-de arimasu."
"I see, you like strong things, huh?"
"Well, cute things work as well-de arimasu."
"Heh, I guess no matter where in the world, girls like cute things."
"Un."
Naruto considered his situation, blushing a bit before figuring that he should keep the conversation going.
"So, how'd you like your room so far?"
"Hmm, it's big… a bit too big," Rana admitted with her hands in her lap. "I'm used to spending time at home with my mother and… my belated older sister," she said with a soft frown, head dipping a bit.
Naruto shuffled over before bumping shoulders with her, a smile on his face.
"It sounds like this sister of yours was an amazing person," he said as she pressed their shoulders together. "Go on, tell me about her. I'm all ears."
"... Her name was Luna," Rana said with a sad smile. "Luna Linchen, she was the former head of our tribe before a horrible event happened-de arimasu."
Naruto focused and breathed in, Natural Energy pulled into his being and passed onto Rana in subtle amounts.
The Pandora breathed out, blinking before looking at her hands and then at him.
"So I was right," she whispered as he raised a brow. "When we bumped fists earlier… the world had never been so open to me before-de arimasu."
"Heh, I'm an avid meditator," Naruto said. "I love meditating and, by doing it, I can pull in energy from the world around us," he said, shocking the girl a bit. "It's called Natural Energy, I can use it to strengthen myself, others, items, and the world around us with Freezing. I connect to everything my form of the move touches and can pass along the energy after it mixes with my spiritual energy."
Rana was floored by this revelation. To be accepted and partake from the world at large, to be so blessed by the earth herself…
She nodded with a large grin. "I'm glad we got to meet-de arimasu."
Naruto grinned back. "Same. Now, come on, tell me about your super-sis, I want all the details and won't take no for an answer."
Rana giggled as they pressed their shoulders together further.
And so she spoke of the tale of her passed elder sibling. An amazing woman who took on all the responsibilities of her clan, even if it burdened her.
A woman who met and fell in love with a doctor who came to the village.
He learned of the tragedy that followed, eyes softening as he held the girl in a one-armed hug.
"You alright?"
"... Yes, I… It wasn't that far back but I am…"
"?"
"May I… stay here, for now, that is?" Rana asked as she leaned on his shoulder, Naruto's eyes widening before he let out a soft breath, holding her closer.
"Sure."
The two fell asleep mere moments after they decided to lay back on the bed, asleep against one another.
~NRK~
So we get a good amount of information in this chapter.
I knew how Pandora can choose to give up their stigmata if they don't wish to join Chevalier. I thought the personal permits explained some things but then I see that Pandora are in the employ of the Bridgette family and I'm like, what?
I'm gonna leave that in but, if anyone can explain that for me, I'd be super grateful.
So, yeah, Kushina joined Minato's company out the gate of graduation and Minato was already the heir to a small company.
Outside of that, this entire chapter was dedicated to Rana and her interactions with the group. Naruto and Rana have a romantic meeting, a sharing of traits, and a nightside rendezvous.
They're really attracted to each other as Arthur notes that Naruto likes women with good legs, colorful hair, and who smile a lot. To be honest, that makes sense to me on why he also would have liked Sakura in the beginning as well.
Finally, finally, Satellizer's willing to try and find people who she can touch comfortably… Within her friend group, at least. We see a little bit of a surprise as Rana's little event at the end will confuse her in the morning seeing as no reaction was given when the girl touched her.
Rana's cheerful, open, and comforting, I don't see Satellizer hating her this time around because she's not only not after Kazuya but extremely kind to Naruto and wishes to make him happy. Satellizer learns that she wants that for her friends but fears being alone again wherein Kazuya comforts her, letting her know that all she has to do is talk to them.
P.S. Note that since she wasn't late for the group shopping trip due to Genessa being far more friendly and, as such, can help her pick something out.
I hope you all love this one.
Ciao.
P.S.S. The E-Pandora harem idea isn't for this fic, reminder. As for Chiffon… Well, that's going to require a LOT of support for me to do that as well.
Words: 14.5k
~NRK Out~