Hunting or Bust

Dust 88: Fox On The Run II

This is one of the darkest things I've ever written.

I didn't want it dark or edgy or bleak. But to get across what happened I just had to go there.

Enjoy?

((((((((Hunting))))))))

It was coming too fast for Oscar to even handle. Every time he dodged it just left him open for a jab. Every time he blocked, the arm would bend and strike him with an elbow. Every time he had an eye on the handwork it just left him open for kicks and sweeps.

There was so much to account for in a fight!

"It's a good thing he's keeping you abreast of those factors."

Don't you start!

"Keep moving!" Naruto bellowed, "Stick in one place and you'll get beat!" To emphasize it, Naruto's feet blurred forward and Oscar desperately moved back, "And don't just go in one direction! Otherwise-"

His hand blurred out and caught Oscar's collar. The young farmhand was pulled in close as Naruto easily lifted him off his feet. The aspiring Huntsman groaned with irritation before he lashed out.

He jerked his head forward and head-butted the whiskered fox holding him up. Except instead of the efficient strike that would knock the victim back, slamming his face into the blond's only resulted in dazing them both. Naruto let him go and Oscar stumbled back as his vision swam for a moment.

"There was probably a better way of doing that."

Oscar's sight came back to him in time to see Naruto lunging for him. Knuckles wrapped around his collar and he was lifted off his feet again. He closed his eyes in preparation for the retaliation-

"No, you gotta open your eyes."

He hesitated but carefully peeled one eye open. He saw Naruto's critical expression as he waited for his attention. Oscar slowly unclenched his body and looked at his whiskered instructor as he explained, "Headbutts don't work like that. What you just did is basically slam your face into my chin which really only disoriented you. You felt that, right?"

"Y-Yeah. Everything went blurry for a second."

"Well you're probably gonna feel that anyway when you slam your head into someone else's. But anything can be useful in a fight so I won't tell you not to do it. Instead, make sure you're out of options and do it right." Naruto pulled one hand back and gently tapped his knuckles against the younger boy's forehead, "The forehead is the hardest part of your skull. The best place to hit with if you have to use it. Against any other part of the head that would be effective but the best place is the bridge of the nose. Stuns them. Possibly breaks the nose. Gets them to lose focus for a second."

"O-Okay."

"Do it on me."

"Huh?" Oscar responded in confusion. Naruto rolled his eyes and showed him that his fingers were covered with Manipulation, which meant his Aura was shielding his body. The aspiring Huntsman took a deep breath, reeled his head back, and slammed his forehead into the Faunus' bridge.

It knocked him back and freed Oscar from his grip, "Ah!" Naruto stumbled back and rubbed his nose, "See? Even with Aura that can sting like a bitch. Without it? Your opponent is reeling in pain."

Oscar rubbed his head, "I'm reeling in pain too."

"Like is said you're bashing your head against someone else's so it ain't gonna tickle." The blond rolled his neck and shoulders before getting into a stance, "Back to one."

Oscar took a deep inhale and a slow exhale before he stood across from his friend in a stance of his own. He should have been absolutely terrified of facing off against what was basically a Huntsman who was so much taller and stronger than him. And he was...

Just not as much as he used to be.

The sparring started again, with Naruto's speedy hands reaching out and throwing strikes. He was holding back and not striking at full speed but it was still really fast. So fast that Oscar had to rely on a mix of guesswork, Aura, and patterns he had tasted firsthand in order to block what he could.

They had been on the road for weeks now, and every day Naruto tried to help him learn something new. If it wasn't sparring it was movements with a weapon. If it wasn't Aura it was basic training. He wasn't a slave driver or merciless, but the man did not understand the meaning of a day off.

Oscar tried to stay at a distance away from his teacher's reach but Naruto just kept getting closer. The blond started to throw wide hooks and punches without much power. But they weren't there to break through Oscar's guard. They were there to widened it out and keep his arms to the side in order to strike the center.

Naruto's hands blurred in - almost too fast for the eye to see - as his palm swung out towards the freckled boy's ear. Here comes the clap to the equilibrium that would send him reeling for the next hour.

But something different happened this time. Oscar's body leaned in time with the swing that he avoided it entirely. And his hand planted in the dirt, turning his desperate dodge sideways into a somersault to avoid an attack. And in one movement, Oscar's foot lashed out on reflex and scored a hit against Naruto's cheek.

As Oscar landed back on his feet and stumbled to regain his balance he looked up. Naruto was looking his way with his hand rubbing his cheek. The two stared at each other in stunned silence.

"Wow!" Naruto broke it with genuine surprise and laughed, "That was great!"

"I-It was?"

"Yeah." The whiskered blond opened and closed his mouth a few times to make sure nothing was broken, "A dodge and counter all in the same movement? I didn't know you could do that."

"Yeah." Oscar looked himself over, "Me neither."

"I might be somewhat to blame for that. You recalled one of countless other fights I've had where I had to evade attacks similar to that. So it reacted on instinct."

'Huh. Guess it is useful to have an immortal wizard's countless years of experience when it comes to fighting.'

"Well this should be obvious but I don't much care for when you get hit and there's a ringing in your head. Like an echo chamber in here."

"Well, color me impressed." Naruto stood up and smiled, a genuine look of pride from the Faunus that Oscar hadn't seen before, "You're taking to these lessons a lot better than I expected. You'll be a fighter in no time flat."

That little bit of praise went above and beyond in bolstering Oscar's confidence. The young farmhand looked over himself, realizing how much less tired he was than when he started these training sessions, and knew that he was making progress.

He was getting there.

"And since you can do that I bet I don't need to hold back anymore."

"Huh?"

Oscar looked up in time to see Naruto's palm slamming into his face and also knocking his feet out from under him. In an instant Oscar found himself spinning through the air.

Once. Twice. Thrice-

Lost count.

Finally - mercifully - Oscar slammed into the ground and stopped spinning. Naruto stood over him and scratched the back of his head, "Uh, maybe we should just chock that up to beginner's luck?"

"I-I think you separated t-the liquids from the solids in my body."

"Oh stop complaining."

"It all hurts."

Naruto sighed and looked around, "Well, this was a good way to start the day." He walked over Oscar's groaning heap of a body and started collecting his stuff, "C'mon, we got a long way to go today and the sooner we move the more ground we can cover."

"I-I can't move."

"Get up you baby. We need-"

"Naruto, please. Let me rest for a minute. Or hours. I need hours."

"I'm not standing here for hours." Naruto sighed and shook his head over the defeated child. The whiskered Faunus blew a raspberry, "Okay, I'll carry you."

"H-Huh?"

"I wanna get moving so I'll carry you until you feel like walking again."

"O-Or we could just rest?"

"I like my idea better." Oscar groaned as Naruto continued, "So we got three choices; over my shoulder, under my arm, or I drag you by the foot. Your choice."

"I-I don't-"

"And if you don't then it'll be dealer's choice. And I promise I'll drag you by the foot."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"Can you not jostle me so much?"

"I'm trying man but you can only carry a guy on your shoulder so gently."

Oscar grumbled as he bounced on Naruto's shoulder and felt his stomach churn every time it hit his shoulder, "Fine but if I spew I'm doing it all over your back."

The blond scoffed, "Noted. But if you barf on my back I will drop you and be on my way."

"Noted."

"Such a wonderful little repertoire you two have."

Oscar rolled his eyes and tried to get comfortable as Naruto carried him through the path. It had been over a week since they had passed another settlement where they had been able to stay in an inn. Since then it had just been a march through the wilderness and camping outdoors.

"Why do we walk everywhere?"

"What?"

"I mean I've kinda reluctantly accepted that we aren't taking the train anywhere. Still boggles the mind but I've learned to cope." Naruto jumped a small rock and made a particularly hard landing that knocked the wind out of Oscar's lungs. The freckled boy continued, "But what about other transportations? Like a cart or a bike or a car? Do you just like walking?"

"Do you not like walking?"

"I don't really mind it either way."

"It's good for you."

"Is that why you like walking?"

"I don't really like walking either."

Oscar waved his arms around, "Then why are we-"

"Because I'm used to it now." Naruto interrupted aloofly, "I can trust myself to get there on foot so that's how I do it."

Oscar looked back at the blond's head and then hung silently for a moment before asking, "But you didn't get here by foot, right?"

"I mean we've been walking together-"

"I mean Anima! You couldn't have gotten here by foot!"

Naruto walked silently for a moment before scoffing, "How do you know I'm not just heading to Mistral from the western shore?"

"Well since you're already basically a Huntsman you'd probably be in the areas they are likely to gather, like Mistral and the cities closest to it. But instead you're going there from the west, coming across our farm in the process. And since you're coming from the west it's a lot more likely that you're coming from Vale instead of just having skills like this training on the coast."

Naruto stopped and looked over his shoulder questioningly at Oscar. The freckled boy paused and sweated when he saw his mentor's stern glare. He...he might have gone a bit too far with that.

"I know you're enjoying getting the upper hand with him, but be too suspicious and you'll obviously get his attention."

"Why Vale?" Naruto questioned in a tone that said he wanted an immediate answer, "There's Vacuo or Atlas or even Menagerie. Why'd you immediately go to Vale?"

"L-Lucky guess?"

Naruto huffed and then continued forward, walking in silence and clearly suspicious after Oscar's observation. The freckled boy sagged in relief as they kept walking for several moments in heavy silence. He shuffled around awkwardly, hanging over Naruto's shoulder like a dead animal, until he finally spoke, "So? How did you get here?"

The whiskered fox kept silent for a moment before finally speaking, "I walked across Vale after the Fall."

Oscar's breath hitched as his eyes slowly widened, "B-But if you did it then, wouldn't there have been Grimm everywhere?"

"Yep. Around every tree. Over every hill. They were everywhere you could see and everywhere you couldn't. But I didn't exactly have a choice." Naruto said bitterly, "I woke up outside the Kingdom's defenses and after it happened...well I couldn't make my way back to the city through the horde." The young man listened in shocked disbelief as the blond continued, "So I walked. For weeks. Trying to find anything to help me get back. Until I finally found a settlement on the coast."

Oscar noticed Naruto's hands grip tighter, "Did they help you?"

"I had to help them first. Clear out some Grimm and get their home back. And I did. After that..."

"After that?"

"To answer your question Oscar; I got here on a boat."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"I-I just want to go home! I NEED TO GO HOME!"

They didn't listen. No one did. The bastard and his people all left the - t-this - I had no fucking idea where I was! A room full of bars and cells and people that were so thin and pale it looked like they hadn't seen light in ages.

A cell I was in.

"This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening! This isn't happening! This isn't-"

"It is." The woman beside my cell spoke up. I pulled my head off the bars and looked at her. I think she would have been beautiful if she didn't also look like she was one slip away from being a corpse. She leaned against the bars and looked up at me with hollow eyes, "You're stuck here. Just like the rest of us. Might as well get comfortable."

"I'm not stuck. I'm not stuck here. T-This is just a mistake." I denied, shaking my head as a faint ringing filled all four ears, "The old guy! Y-Yeah, that's right! He'll clear it up! That masked prick was just lying-"

"We're already out at sea. Too late for that."

...

No. No. No no no no no.

"I have to get out of here." I went to the cell bars again and tried to shake them open. I pulled and pushed and shook them as much as they would, only giving away a little but still holding strong. I grit my teeth, "Fine then!"

"Wait I told you not to-"

I tried to project my Aura and form my Semblance to tear the door off its bars completely. But the moment I tried the collar around my neck rang and administered I don't know how many volts into my system. This time I did manage to scream in pain as I dropped to the ground and convulsed in agony.

I'm not sure when it stopped but it felt like my nerves were still on fire and I twitched on the ground. Drool seeped out the side of my mouth as I gasped for air, "W-What-"

"I already told you to watch out. The Dust in the collar reacts to projected Aura and activates." She said casually as she watched me struggle to stand up.

I reached up and grabbed the collar with the desire to rip it off.

I realized the instant I saw her grimace in the corner of my eye that it was a bad idea.

Another wave of electricity ran through me and I dropped to the ground again. The pain seemed to pass quicker this time as I gasped for air and looked up at her. She shook her head, "You got a shocker. Sucks for you. But at least you didn't get a burner." She raised her neck and I could see along her collar was burnt, shriveled skin that had been exposed to intense heat, "Be lucky you didn't get a freezer. Those are the fucking worst."

"W-What is this?"

"Should be obvious. But if you still want an answer I'll tell you later." She said apathetically, laying across the floor and trying to get comfortable as I gasped and writhed in my cell, "I'm sleepy. You should sleep too. I know you just woke up but it really helps the days go by."

I tried to calm down, getting the last of the shock and shiver through my body. I asked, "W-What's your name?"

"Kurotsuchi."

"I-I'm Naruto."

"Hey Naruto. Welcome to the Price of Life."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"Wake up!"

That awful voice followed by the brief shock from my collar woke me up. The electric shock caused me to jump and scramble along the ground, kicking my bucket over and spilling whatever remained since it had been washed.

"Hah! Look at that! An animal in its own filth. Anything more natural than that?" Some unwashed prick with yellow teeth laughed just outside my cell.

"I liked the sound he made waking up." A ratty woman said right beside him as she held up some trigger and looked at me with unsettling eyes, "Sweet little voice he has."

I flinched and sat up, "W-What is-"

"Hey!" The mad bastard yelled at me, "Shut your mouth mutt!"

"I don't think he's a dog. Probably not a cat either. Don't know what he is."

"He's a mutt as far as I care." He turned and sneered at me, "Hey mutt, ya hungry?" I didn't answer, only narrowing my eyes in return. That must've set something off in him because he snarled, "What the fuck are you looking at?!" He tried to snatch the switch out of his partner's hand only for her to keep it away, "Give me the thing! I wanna teach the pup a lesson!"

"No." She shied away and kept it close to her chest, "Captain says I get to play with the button. And to only use it when we need to keep the merchandise in line." She stood their silently and looked down at the button before smiling. She flipped a switch and pressed it anyway, causing my collar and the collar of everyone else to activate.

In a cacophony of screams from the entire room, the woman smiled as we suffered, "Good morning everyone! Time for breakfast!"

The pain finally stopped and all of the prisoners dropped to the floors of their cells. As I felt my body spasm, my ears twitched as I heard more footsteps make their way between the cells. I looked up and saw several men and women, Faunus and humans, walking around and tossing food bars into every cell.

A crew mate stopped by our cells. He grabbed one and tossed it in for Kurotsuchi to pick up. He made his way to me and was about to toss it before the dirty pirate snatched it out of his hand. He hissed and pushed the other crew mate to the next cell before he smirked at me, "Hey mutt, you want your food?"

"If you think I'm gonna beg some grimy toothless slimeball like you for anything, I'm gonna save you the time and suggest you just shove that up your ass and move along."

He didn't appreciate my response. The other pirates all laughed at his expense. Apparently he didn't have friends anywhere on this ship. He turned his eyes to me, eyeing me over for a moment before offering the food bar. I didn't immediately jump at the offered treat which probably just pissed him off. But as I heard Kurotsuchi nibble on hers beside my cell my stomach started to rumble.

I can't remember the last time I ate. I was so hungry. So despite my best efforts, I cautiously reached out for the bar.

Should've known.

He smirked, dropped the bar, and grabbed my wrist. I struggled and was about to pry his hand off before his partner pressed the button again. The electricity rushed through my body without pause and I dropped to a knee as he held tight. The shock finally ended and I felt something sharp get jabbed roughly into my arm.

He let go and I fell back cradling my arm. I looked up to see the duo looking down at me with a syringe of blood in hand, "Thanks for the gift."

"Now enjoy your treaties, mutt."

They walked away and I laid down trying to catch my breath. The horrid smell of the bucket's contents spilled all over the floor made catching my breath a trying task.

"What'd you think of Dickhead and Bitch?" I craned my neck up and saw Kurotsuchi casually chew on her food bar, "No, that's not their names. But I don't know them, I don't care to know, and frankly the nicknames work really well."

"Nicknames. She gave them nicknames. Like she's having fun-"

"Uh, I'm right here. You can have your conversation with me if you want." She interrupted, frowning at me before pointing to my side, "You should eat that."

I looked at the food bar, "I'm not hungry-"

"Yeah, yeah. You don't have an appetite. You don't wanna eat what they give you. You gotta focus on breaking out and you're too much of a badass to eat. But they only feed us once a day if we're lucky - once every few days if we're short on food. So I suggest you eat what you can when you get it."

I growled, relenting as I snatched the food and picked myself up. I slid down the bars to sit right beside Kurosuchi on her side of them and took a bite. Nearly gagged, "This tastes like shit. Do they not have any tastebuds. I could pack a dog turd together and make it more appetizing than-"

"You talk to yourself a lot, don't you?"

"I-" I sighed, "Yeah, I'm used to it." I forced the gunk in my mouth down my throat before asking, "So where are we exactly?"

"On the ocean. Don't know where." She flippantly answered, "But we're on a merchant ship on its way to sell its goods. And we," She gestured around as my stomach dropped, "Are the goods. Slave trade and trafficking."

"H-How is that possible?" I muttered in disbelief, "Slavery's been abolished for nearly a century."

"And murder is bad. And drugs. And illegal arms sales." She casually answered, "So done in the same ways those have been done. Quietly. Without attention. And still to this day."

I gawked in horror and looked around at all the cells on the multiple levels and all the broken people inside, "All of them?"

"Yep. Though they've been traded around from shop to shop a few times. Some will be workers. Some picked as underground fighters. Some will work in the red lights districts. And some...well their insides could probably do some good." I looked horrified at her bored explanation as she pointed in the direction the two pirates walked off, "That's why they have your blood. Test you and get some results back. Gotta give the buyers all the information they can when they go to market."

I nearly threw up hearing that. And I was disgusted at the way she talked about it so nonchalantly. Taking a deep breath I tried to calm myself down and think properly. Take account of everything at my disposal and see what I could use. I only had my pants and a shirt on, the assholes who picked me up taking my boots and what was left of the arm guards Tenten's dad made for me.

I had a rusty bucket at hand. Not much help there. And my Aura was restricted with this collar so I couldn't project it. But luckily I knew after years of living with it that my Manipulation wasn't too concerned about it. My Aura would heal me passively from the inside, as even the needle mark I had gotten a few minutes ago was closed and sealed tight. I still had healing, but without my Semblance this made things harder. Did the pirates have their Aura? Were they fighters?

"What can you tell me about these guys?" I whispered to Kurotsuchi who just eyed me in confusion, "If I can get the jump on them I might be able to get us a way of out here. I was still in school but I'm a Huntsman-"

"Ahahahaha!" She burst into a mocking laughter before I could finish. She slapped the ground a couple of times before taking a deep breath, "O-Oh, a Huntsman? We're saved!" Her patronizing tone grated my nerves before she smiled, "Then why don't you talk with Erica over there? Or Tylon? Or any of the other people with combat training or licenses who ended up here? Maybe they'll be able to help."

I grit my teeth in anger and was about to snap at her for not being willing to help escape from this place. But before I did I noticed just how empty her smile was while she laughed at me and how blank her eyes were. So instead of chiding her, I asked a question that suddenly came to mind.

"How long have you been here?"

Her joyless smile remained as she nodded, "I lost count. But I'm pretty sure over a year now. You lose track when you haven't seen the sun and moon directly." She shrugged, "They can stop us with the collars and if you leave your cell with it on without their consent it'll turn on and not stop until they come get you. I've seen it. Dozens of times." She looked at me, "That's why you should get comfortable."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

It was a few days after that when something finally happened. The doors opened up and the other prisoners - I refused to call us slaves or merchandise - shied away as pirates came by. And as they approached I realized why.

Kakuzu. The bastard behind it all. The captain. And as he made his way over with some of his crew, Bitch and Dickhead chief among them, I realized something I hadn't noticed when I met him in the refugee camp.

The people around him were petty thugs and thieves.

But Kakuzu...had a different air to him. He might have just been another pirate but there was something about him that was unsettling. I didn't want to say I was scared...but it felt more like I was staring at a monster or a Grimm than I was another person.

"Been awhile since we chatted." His deep, gruff voice slipped through his mask as he stopped in front of my cell, "How are you liking your new accommodations?"

I glared at him and slowly stood up. I was tired and my body ached, unaccustomed to being stuck in a cramped cell after weeks of constant movement. I faced him and immediately considered several ways to attack him, but nothing I could have done would have helped me other than given me a moment of vindication, "Why did you take me?"

"Consider me impressed." He said, "I thought you were just a some dipshit kid with a bark too big to handle. But that Semblance you showed me piqued my interest. And it only doubled when you succeeded in culling an entire settlement of Grimm by yourself. Couldn't let that chance pass up." I swore I could feel him smile behind the mask, "So like I said I made a deal with the leader to have you taken in return for some supplies. You notice you haven't eaten as much lately? That's because of you. Aren't you proud?"

My eyes narrowed as I felt veins pulse on my head.

"I see you still got the spitfire in you. I think it'll take awhile before it blows away, but I know it will eventually. You should be honored." He stepped back from the bars, "Usually I just gather these people up through the trade and shops. You're only the second person I've ever collected personally. The first one..." He looked over and I followed his gaze to see Kurotsuchi huddled in the side of her cell, curled up and trying to ignore his presence. It was the first time I'd seen her react like that to anything, "Well the first one had its ups and downs."

"What do you want with me?"

"I have a buyer or two in mind who would love a chance to see what you can do. It's gonna be quite awhile before we reach that port so you should get comfortable."

"And you came all this way just to tell me that?"

"No. Not just that." As he said that, I heard Kurotsuchi whimper and shake in the other cell. Her behavior drew his attention as well as he stepped over, "I'm feeling a little sluggish. I need a pickup."

"No." She muttered, "Dammit, pick someone else."

"But you're the perfect example for the new arrivals." He said while sparing me a glance. Bitch skipped over and held a card to the cell door for a few seconds before it clicked open. Kurotsuchi struck me as the kind of woman that would maul you to death the instant someone stepped in her cell. But as Kakuzu walked in with his subordinates training their guns on her, she looked up at him in disgust.

"Come now." He whispered almost pleadingly to the weakened, frightened woman, "You know how this ends. Whether you struggle, or fight, it always ends the same. If you just allow it, it can be done faster." He held out his hand, "Isn't that what you want? For it to be finished faster?"

She panted quietly, her breathing hastening as he prepared for something. I watched her slowly pick herself up until she was standing across from Kakuzu. Their size difference became quite clear, but the short woman just glared at him in spite as he touched her shoulder.

"Good girl."

She gasped and suddenly struggled to breathe. I watched as her skin flickered with the light of her Aura under her skin. But I also noticed a pattern of black lines going along Kakuzu's arm and running along Kurotsuchi's flesh. Her pale red Aura flickered as his black Aura grew more pronounced. And as the seconds ticked by Kakuzu stood up firmly while Kurotsuchi sunk down.

"Not as quick as I promised." He whispered, "I lied."

Her fingers latched onto his forearms and clawed frantically. Her scratchy and broken nails lefts cuts into his arm that lightly drew blood. She toppled to her knees and gasped for air as her eyes watered-

"HEY!"

I slammed the side of my cell and roared at the top of my lungs. In return someone activated my collar but I weathered it, gripping the bars to hold me up as I tried to glare Kakuzu down. But the longer the shock went on the more it hurt and the less intimidating I must have appeared.

Kakuzu finally let go, the black lines disappearing off Kurotsuchi's body and his skin as well. She dropped to the ground and took in a desperate gasp for air as the shock finally stopped and I could relax again. The masked bastard looked down at his hand and the bloody scratches he had earned as he stepped out of her cell, "I guess I indulged myself a little much there. But I should be set for awhile."

As Kurotsuchi writhed on the ground and I tried to pick myself up, Kakuzu walked away, "Make sure to get comfortable. You'll be staying for a bit."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

It was after a day that Kurotsuchi was ready to talk again. She tried to reclaim her easygoing, apathetic demeanor I was so used to. I thought she was just pessimistic or nihilistic, but after watching Kakuzu drain her Aura like that it wasn't hard to see why she acted like that.

I offered to listen if she wanted to tell me what it was like.

She told me to go fuck myself.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

We hit a storm that caused the boat to rock and shake like nothing I had ever felt before.

I finally experienced motion sickness for the first time, and I understood Jaune's plight when we first met all those months ago.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

This time I heard growling and the boat rocked around violently before being followed by explosions.

Grimm. They were drawn to a ship full of prisoners and were attacking. But I guess this ship and its crew had defenses ready to protect them.

I wondered if I could have made an escape if the Grimm had reached the hull.

According to some of the other captives, they were sad that the ship didn't sink with them all in it.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Kakuzu came back down and feasted on another person's Aura this time. They didn't take it nearly as well as Kurotsuchi did.

Their bloodcurdling screams of fear and anguish echoed through every level of the room.

It wouldn't be the last time he came down here to eat.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Kurotsuchi finally decided to tell me what it was like.

She described it as having fire and ice pumped into her blood as the breath was pulled from her lungs. Like her body wanted nothing more than to thrash and crawl away but in his grasp no one could.

She warned me that if I stayed around I'd get to experience it at some point myself. And then I'd see there was no way out.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Bitch and Dickhead were making their rounds through the levels. The ugly bastard had a chip on his shoulder for Faunus but he particularly didn't like me. Which was fine since I hated him too.

He stopped by with the switch in hand, lent to him by Bitch as she got to watch. He spent some time playing with my collar-

"Stop!"

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Naruto stopped and looked back at the boy over his shoulder, "You good to walk now?" He lowered Oscar to the ground and rotated his arm a few times before his ears twitched, "I think I hear some water rushing over there. Let's grab a drink while we're here."

Oscar looked at the blond in horror as he walked away. As if the story he had been told wasn't the most harrowing and awful thing he had heard in his life. And the man who lived through that horror wasn't just walking over to a stream to refresh himself.

Did Naruto – the man who trained and fought alongside him – really have to go through such evils? Just the thought of it made his stomach knot in anger. But not just his own anger as he slowly realized…

"Sorry. I should be more composed than this. It's just hearing what has happened to one of my students, someone I personally invited to join my school, after it fell…it's more than I expected."

Ozpin still kept some measure of composure while feeling this anger. But Oscar was brimming with disgust and disbelief as he ran after his friend. He found the whiskered Faunus kneeling by a stream and cupping his hands to drink from. The freckled young man shook his head, "I-Is that - w-was that story true? Did you actually go through all of that?"

Naruto silently looked down and washed his face over with the water. When he finished he turned and looked up at Oscar, showing an honest and quite pitiful expression. The young farmhand took a shaky breath and plopped down to the ground as his legs gave out underneath him, "Why...why did you tell me all of that?"

Naruto frowned and looked down at the stream below them. He shook his hands dry in silence before shaking his head, "I...I don't know." He looked at Oscar, "I've never told anyone what happened to me. I've barely talked to anyone since I left Beacon and you-"

"Naruto."

Naruto stopped and shook his head, "I need to stop. Should have just said I got here on a boat and left it at that." He grabbed his bag and slipped it over his shoulder before getting up, "Let's just leave it at that. C'mon, if we keep moving-"

"Wait!" Oscar lunged over and grabbed Naruto's wrist before he could step away, "Y-You can't just stop at that! Don't try to ignore this or play it down like the other things!" Naruto frowned at him but Oscar shook his head, "I-If this happened to you - really happened - then I wanna hear about it." The freckled boy's eyes pleaded, "You need to talk about it."

...

Naruto slowly stopped tensing his body and looked down sadly. Oscar let go of his wrist and the fox didn't make a move to walk away or stop the discussion. The young freckled boy sat down in the grass and looked up at his friend expectantly.

Naruto finally sat down across from him and just stared down at his lap. The sound of the creek flowing to their side offered a calming tone to ease their anxiousness.

Oscar swallowed the lump in his throat, "So...what happened next?"

Naruto hesitated and took a deep breath, his ears twitching slightly on his head before he exhaled, "It was pretty much more of the same for...fuck I don't know how long. But we stopped at a few ports. Some people were taken off. Some new people were brought on instead. It all blended together until..."

"Until what?"

"It was my turn."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"Wake up!"

I was startled awake by the cracking on the bars on my cell. I sat up to see Dickhead and Bitch standing just outside smiling at me. The bulky racist unlocked the doors of my cell and pulled the door open, "The captain wants to see you. Time to see if he can sell a broken animal."

I looked to Kurotsuchi as she watched me with a tinge of something that could be concern. Huh, I guess I did manage to make an impression on her. I stepped up to the door but didn't step out for fear of sparking my collar up to act. Bitch must have realized and stepped forward, holding up the switch to our collars up to mine until it beeped. She stepped aside and made a show of swinging her arm out, "It won't shock you, but try anything and we will~."

They led me through the levels of the ship and through its entire interior. We passed several crew members along the way who were maintaining the ship's engines, moving the supplies, and guarding the cells. There were more than I had seen before but not as many as I expected to fill a ship this big. The door was unlocked in front of me and I stepped out...

Into the deck of the ship. Outside. I was outside again. I could taste the fresh air and the salt that wafted on it from the sea. In the distance I could see the lights of a settlement on the sands of Vacuo and in the sky the broken pieces of the moon illuminated everything.

Before I could enjoy it anymore I was pushed forward, "Move!" Me and my escorts continued across the deck and up a flight of stairs. We arrived at the captain's cabin, "Captain? We brought the mongrel like you asked."

"Enter."

I was pushed into the cabin and once I was inside my blood boiled with how much better off it was than any other part of the boat. I saw several bottles of fine and perfectly aged liquor probably several times older than me sitting next to drinking glasses. A glass cabinet to the side filled with antiques and souvenirs from every location on Remnant. And at the back of the room a chair and desk where Kakuzu was currently working on paper.

Bitch stepped in and threw the collar remote across the room. Kakuzu caught it without even looking as he nodded, "Leave us."

She happily complied as her partner sneered at me before stepping out. And as the two guards stepped out, I realized that I was alone in a room with the captain of the ship and the man behind the worst experience of my life.

"I wouldn't risk it." He warned, as if reading my mind, "Even if you somehow kill me - which I doubt - this device doesn't unlock the collars. You need a key to do that. And if you activate your Aura while wearing it you'll still get a nasty shock."

"You reading my mind?"

"Hardly. But every captive that's walked through that door has had the same thought as you." The masked man answered, "Some have tried to reason with me. Some attempt to seduce me. But most just try to kill me. Screeching like a Grimm, lunging across the room, and trying to claw my throat out. I lost a great bottle of Atlas White I was nursing because someone broke it and tried to stab me with the edges." He stood up and looked at me, "As you can see it never works."

I eyed him down as he faced me. As I looked at him I felt an overwhelming urge to bash his head in and toss him into the water so he could drown. Suppressing that desire I just asked, "What am I doing here?"

"I wanted to speak with you." Kakuzu walked around his desk and past me to the liquor. His machete was at his hip but he had so many openings it would only take me a second to attack. Was he baiting me? Tempting me to attack so he could retaliate and put me in my place? Or was I just overthinking it and missing an opportunity? He poured himself a drink and raised it towards his mask, "I'd offer you a drink but I don't want to."

I scowled at him and just looked around instead. When I looked at the cabinet again I saw all the remarkable antiques he had lined up. I wasn't even going to pretend I liked or admired them but even I could tell they probably cost a lot, "How exactly does some worthless pirate end up owning such expensive crap?"

"It helps when the worthless pirate has connections with powerful people." He said, "I got those antiques as payment for prior sales. I prefer if they were actual monetary gains, but with enough time these things will sell for a pretty lien."

"How exactly does someone get involved in this?" I asked while looking around.

"Born into it. My family were traffickers for generations. Smuggling and trading, contraband and supplies. And people too. Just when I started getting a handle of it the laws passed that forbade slavery in every Kingdom. Which just meant I couldn't be as public about it as my predecessors. But I adapted with time."

"What do you mean it stopped when you started? Slavery was abolished decades ago - after the Great War!"

...

"How...how old are you?"

"Older than I present myself." He lifted the mask over his mouth slightly and I saw a withered, wrinkled, and cracked jaw that didn't match the rest of his youthful appearance. He sipped on his drink and lowered the mask again, "Fortunately I've had luck with a nice life, good diet..." He raised his hand and the black lines formed along his hand, "And a Semblance that has helped me live longer than expected."

I half excepted him to reach out and grab hold of me to make a point. But as the lines receded and he lowered his arm I breathed a little easier, "I hear getting touched by that thing is awful."

"Oh yes, a truly terrible experience to be on the unlucky side of." He casually agreed, "But from my side it's a rush of relief, ecstasy, and revitalization all in one go. And it helps me live a little longer so that's always a plus."

I would have vomited if my stomach didn't feel so empty. I scowled at him and it drew his attention, "Why did you bring me here?"

"To make you an offer." He put aside his drink and looked at me, "I'm guessing you still want to leave, right?"

"What kind of fucking question is that?"

"Fair enough." He walked back around his desk and pulled the curtains open so he could look over the illuminated ocean view, "We're bringing on a buyer interested in people with powerful and unique Semblances. Should be obvious why I picked you up now." He sat back down and looked up at me, "I want you to make a good show during your spar and show off your Semblance. Get him interested and I'll secure a hefty payment for procuring you."

My ears flickered as my scowl twisted my whole face, "And why the fuck should I help you sell me off to some slaver?!"

"Because do it and I'll give them a faulty controller." He waved his around for emphasis, "Maybe a wire will be crossed? Maybe the battery is finicky? But it won't work and you won't be shocked. Kill him, take the key, and you'll be free to go wherever you want. Explore Vacuo. See the sights. Or if you're still interested in visiting the ashes and debris you can see Vale for yourself." That was just to set me on edge and I knew it, "Just work with me for a moment...and you'll be free to go home."

A chance to make my way home. All I needed to do...was play along.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

I was brought out to the deck of the ship, a platform placed in the center and a crowd of crew members around it. Dickhead was at the top of it, eagerly cracking his knuckles and waiting for me to join him. Looking back I saw a man standing besides Kakuzu watching from above for the match to start.

He said I needed to show off my fighting ability first. After that they would take my collar so I could show off my Semblance and then the sale would be made.

Kakuzu tried to sell me on the idea...but the choice was obvious.

Me getting my ass kicked must have been a show because they all cheered and laughed as Dickhead beat me. His punches were pretty heavy but nothing I hadn't taken before or even worse. So I had to make it look convincing that every strike rattled my head or knocked me off my feet.

I really tried to sell it. Threw a few punches and kicks as well. But the form and moves were so bad that I'm sure anyone who knew me would be extremely disappointed. Fortunately it did help sell that I was trying to fight back but failing. No injury he gave me lasted very long with my healing, but if he ever drew blood I spit it out to make it seem worse than it was. This went on for a few minutes-

Until something pierced my shoulder and rattled my body.

I dropped in pain and grasped my arm as I saw a bullet hole open on one side. I covered the wound and everyone looked up at the tallest point of the deck. Kakuzu handed the gun back to his subordinate before announcing, "I know what you're doing. If you don't want to keep fighting with more holes in you I suggest you actually start fighting."

"I-I don't know what you want from me!" I sobbed, lowering my head and blubbering, "I told you! You made a mistake! P-Please! Please just let me go!"

Eyes turned from me to Kakuzu as they waited for his response. The masked man sighed in disappointment and turned to walk back into his cabin, "If this is what you want then let's see you follow through."

I looked up as Dickhead cracked his knuckles and approached me. And saw things flash between black and white as he continued to beat me.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"Get in there!"

The people who dragged me to my cell didn't exactly gently toss me in. I slammed into the floor and coughed up blood as I laid there. My eyes were swollen shut and I had bruises all over my body after the pathetic display I just gave. The pirates that dragged me here grumbled and walked out before finally leaving the cells altogether.

"Heh, how'd it go?"

A gagged and spat up something in my mouth before weakly whispering, "About as good as I look."

"Well I guess that means things worked out, huh?"

I wanted to laugh but it sent me into a fit of gagging and raspy breathing. I slowly turned myself onto my side with my injured shoulder out towards the ceiling. I carefully pulled my hand away and pulled my finger out of the bullet hole, hissing in pain as I did. When I noticed Kurotsuchi look at me oddly I snickered, "Couldn't let the wound close over while the bullet was still inside."

"Need some help?"

"C-Can you dig out a bullet?"

"Sorry. When I offer to help I don't really mean digging in your wounds to yank shit out."

"Figured." I tried to slip a finger into my wound and hissed as the pain was far greater than I expected. The pain and the fact I had to go even further caused me to hesitate so I growled, "Then can you at least talk for a second? Distract me while I go rustling around in here."

"Do I have to?"

"Dammit can you just do me this favor!"

Kurotsuchi sighed as I started to dig in. I hissed as she started, "Well you remember a while back what Kakuzu said to you about being the second person he captured personally? Well obviously the first was me. I was pretty famous around Vacuo and he caught word of it."

I groaned, "Famous how?"

"Well I lived in that shitty sandbox my entire life. Pretty much every day was a lesson from my grandpa about how wonderful and resilient Vacuo was back in the good ol' days." She said that with a bit of derision and a roll of her eyes, "Hearing about how wonderful and prosperous our Kingdom was back then makes the pile of shit it is now all the more evident."

I reached the bullet and gasped, "No love for home?"

"I think Vacuo makes people tough and hard to the bone. And I think anyone still reminiscing on the past is missing the point of living there. Grandpa loved the place and in the end it took his life. Misery's Kiss slowly took him and I was left to fend for myself. So I decided I'd walk the sands instead and took a small crew of people with me."

I tried to get my finger by the bullet so there would be some wiggling room, "A-And how exactly does this get you stuck on a boat?"

She chuckled, "Well I made a bit of a name for myself while walking the sands. Me and my crew were small but we were tough. Killed any Grimm or animals that attacked us. Scared off the bigger tribes we passed that wanted to integrate us into their group. And no one ever messed with us. Might have been the reputation I made after...ripping a guy in half."

I stopped, "You ripped a guy in half?"

"Yeah. Longways. Might not look like it but I'm super strong with the right conditions." She flexed her bony arm, "And that got people talking about me. Unfortunately that word carried around until it finally reached Kakuzu."

"And they came for you?"

"Yep. My 'tribe' ditched me and ran off into the sands as I fought the crew. Did pretty well. Killed some of them. But Kakuzu hit me with some knockout drug or something and I went down. Woke up here."

"What happened after that?"

"He was planning to sell me to some interested pervert in Mistral that wanted a tough girl he could break. When he came to my cell he asked for a preview."

"What'd you do?"

"I gave him what he wanted. Sweet talk. Heavy petting. Then I got my hand around his thing...and squeezed. Harder and harder. They activated my collar to make me stop but I didn't. I blacked out from the pain but his screams went a few octaves higher and I felt the thing in my hand squish. So I ruined his sale."

"Ah!" I pulled out the bullet and dropped it on the ground. Once I was in the clear I laid flat on the ground and gasped for breath, "I guess it was worth it putting it to the masked asshole, huh?"

"I thought...but in hindsight I should have gone with him."

I looked up and saw Kurotsuchi's blank eyes stare ahead lifeless. She muttered, "After that Kakuzu kept me around as his feeding bag. Sucks on my Aura and life force when he's tired or bored. And I can't escape it. Tried so many times I've lost count. But they always get me again." She sighed and shook her head, "Our Aura recovers with time but when he does it...it feels like something more was taken away. Something that doesn't come back."

"I wonder...maybe...if I should have just gone with them. Would it have been better than this?"

Her expression stilled and Kurotsuchi looked absolutely empty as she stared ahead. I took a deep breath and curled up on the ground, still in pain and waiting for my injuries to recover.

As the idea that I surrendered the possible chance I had to escape finally settled...a tear ran down my face as I closed my eyes.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"Wake up mutt!" Dickhead slammed on my bars as I laid face first on the ground of my cell, "The captain has plans for you."

"Captain's pissed at both of you for ruining the sale." Bitch giggled at our expense.

"Yeah, I was just beating a wild animal like I was supposed to but he's mad at me. Because of you. So get up."

I didn't. I laid down and didn't react in any way. It went exactly as well as I expected.

My collar activated and an electric shock ran through my body. It had been weeks now and I had gotten more accustomed to the feeling but it still hurt like shit. But I bit down on the inside of my cheek and my tongue so I didn't scream or make a sound. I was sure I was gonna slip-

"What the fuck?" The collar finally stopped and I relaxed on the ground as the cell door was pried open. He marched in while his partner stood by the door and watched, "Get up you little shit-"

Now!

I twisted on the ground and lashed out, kicking Dickhead in the side of the knee and toppling him over. As he let out a cry of pain I jumped over his body and immediately hit the ground, sliding out and kicking her feet out from under her. She toppled towards me but I lashed out with a fist and knocked her aside.

What followed was less of a fight and more like animals squabbling around in a cage. I lashed out with fists and kick in any and every direction I could throw them. The two pirates hit back but I took it in stride and kept trying to overwhelm them with quantity.

The dirty bastard grabbed my knee before I could slam it into his face and caused a lull in the attack. That's all the psycho sadist behind me needed to reach for the controller and activate my collar again. But I reacted faster, reaching out to grab something and tossing it at her.

Unfortunately for her, the only thing in my cell was the bucket I went in.

She caught it and all the contents spilled against her body and face.

As she gagged and heaved in disgust, I slammed my elbow down on the top of his head and stunned him for a moment. I whirled back around, jumping up and grabbing the top of my cell before slamming my heels into her nose and knocking her head back against the other side of the cell. I turned to finish off the bastard-

He had a gun trained on my head and pulled the trigger-

"Ha!"

Kurotsuchi reached through the bars and pulled him back as the bullet whizzed by my head. She grabbed his arm and pulled it against the bars as he tried to pry her hand off. I took the chance and lunged in, slamming my knee into his nose and repeating it several times before he finally passed out.

"Your collar!" She yelled through the bars, the screams of all the other cells overlapping as she pointed towards Bitch, "Grab the keys and get them off first!"

I scrambled over and pulled the key off her belt. I held it up to my neck and felt the weight drop from it as I took a freeing breath. But I didn't waste any time, turning around and slipping it through the bars to her collar as it unlocked and fell as well. As I saw the life return to her eyes, she pointed down, "Grab his cell keys and gun! Hurry! More will be coming!"

I did just that, taking his pistol and keys as I made my way out to the aisles and started opening cells. Kurotsuchi passed the collar lock through the bars for the next person to use as I followed and opened their cells. She took the gun off me and stood guard as I made as many rounds, unlocking cells and removing collars with whoever would help.

"Hey! Wha-"

Their question never finished. The moment a pirate rounded the corner, Kurotsuchi shot them up and killed them. I knew we had no time to waste so I passed the keys on and ran over to the corpse. I grabbed his automatic weapon and we started making our way through the halls.

We attacked and robbed any pirate we came across, taking their weapons when we did. However they got the drop on us a few times, killing some of the freed prisoners who weren't able to fight. We had the numbers but they had the weapons.

An alarm started going off on the boat to signal the jailbreak. Chaos was unleashed as pirates tried to capture us but were overwhelmed and attacked in return. Kurotsuchi led a group of them around who had grabbed weapons to try and take the ship. And I headed to the most crucial point we had to take.

The deck was in bedlam. People being killed and shot and tackled and beaten around every corner. But I only focused on the captain's cabin. I ran up the stairs and kicked the door down, training the weapon ahead to find Kakuzu. But the room was empty and he was nowhere to be seen. I slowly stepped in-

A flash of metal flew down in front of me and cleaved the rifle in my hand to pieces. The machete turned and swung up towards my head. I ducked aside and rolled into the room, landing in a crouch and spiking the broken gun part at the masked man. He dodged and quickly leapt aside to avoid the giant orange fist I threw as a follow-up.

I covered my arms in Aura and squared off with the taller pirate who spun his machete around in his hands, "Should have guessed it was you. First you ruin the sale and now you cause a breakout."

"Didn't expect us to fight back?"

"I always expect you lot to fight back." He cracked his neck as he faced me, "Just makes it all the more infuriating when I have to cull the batch and refill the cells."

I jumped forward and extended a giant punch towards him. Kakuzu dodged aside and ran beside its length before swiping at my head with his machete. I dropped back and watched it sail over my face before twisting around to lunge at him. I swung my arms, extending and expanding my Aura in hopes of catching him in their reach. But Kakuzu jumped and dodged with surprising dexterity. He weaved through my arms and launched a thrust for my neck-

My Aura encircled around his arm before it could get any closer. I slammed by knee into the pommel of his weapon, sending it flying out of his hand and embedding it in the ceiling above us. I was about to strike again-

His hand lashed out and grabbed my throat. And then it happened.

My control faltered, the Aura encompassing my arms wavering and fading away. I-It felt like my skin and muscles were being pushed and pulled all at the same time. My body went cold and I struggled to breathe. I-I could feel it. I could feel my Aura being siphoned from my body.

"I was right." Kakuzu said over me, "You are quite the meal the feast on."

I-I tried to get away. I reached up for the hand squeezing around my throat and tried to pull it away but my strength was failing. It was so cold. I couldn't believe something as awful as this was happening. This was what Kurotsuchi felt every time I saw this happen to her. Feeling the very essence of our souls being feasted on like a parasite.

Then I remembered...what I saw when he did this to her.

My hand limply held the hand clamped around my neck. I struggled for breath but tried to focus, holding onto two of his fingers as I steeled my grasp.

And bent them back as far as they could physically go.

"AH!" Kakuzu pulled his hand back and clutched his broken fingers as I dropped to the ground and felt my senses return to me. He looked down at the fingers bent into opposite direction from the rest of his hand and growled, "What did you do?"

"I-I saw you drain others Aura whenever you came down to make a show of it." I still felt a chill in my body as I mocked him, "Every time you did it she struggled and scratched your arm. She even drew blood. You know what that means?" His eyes narrowed at me, "It means when you use your Parasite to drain our Aura, you have to lower yours. It leaves you vulnerable."

He hissed as he grabbed his fingers and snapped them back into place. They were still bruised and purple but they moved when he made a fist, "I knew I was right to sell you as a fighter."

"Your mistake was picking me up at all!"

I roared and tired to grab him with my Aura again but he raised his hand and used his Parasite. The instant our Auras touched they negated each other and I had to pull back. Realizing I couldn't grab him with my Aura while we were like this, I stretched my hand out and grabbed his machete instead. I couldn't tell behind his mask but I felt like that really pissed him off.

I kicked a table at him to force him to dodge and then made my move. Without hesitation I slashed and started cutting the masked monster. I felt the resistance of his Aura against the blade but I persisted and just kept cutting. Every slash reduced his Aura just a little bit more and brought him closer to zero. Once he was then this was finally over.

I pinned him to his desk with a pillar of Aura against his chest. Before he could feed off it I dissolved it and rushed him, slicing across his torso and face. He blocked some of the strikes but I was quicker and landed more hits. But his knee lashed out and struck me under my ribs. He tried to reach for my face but I made some distance, making sure to never fall in his reach.

But even after I put some distance between us I still felt sluggish and out of breath. It felt like my attacks weren't landing as hard as I needed them to and he was catching up to me. D-Did siphoning my Aura make him stronger and faster? Was taking my Aura making it hard for me to breathe? How-

"I can see your brain trying to figure it all out." I looked up and saw Kakuzu leaning against his desk. He scoffed and jerked his head towards the cabinet filled with his priceless antiques and artifacts. I looked over and noticed the reflection in the glass-

...

What?

I saw a sickly pale creature in the reflection. Thin sunken cheeks and bags under its eyes. Wiry blond hair that had lost its color and luster. It looked like there was barely any resemblance of muscle and lean body training it had gained from years of work.

W-Was that me?

I-I touched my face, and the thing in the mirror mimicked my movement. T-That wasn't - no-

"It always takes longer for the ones who are confident and believe they can get out. But I told you...that spitfire of yours was going to fade eventually."

H-How - he - he did-

"WRRRAAAHHHHH!"

I charged him! I'd make him pay! I'd kill him! I swung and screamed and scratched but he wouldn't die! Just die! Just die! DIE! DIE! DIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!

His fist slammed down on my arm and knocked the machete out of my hands. I didn't care! I tackled into his chest and dragged him into the wall. We destroyed his cabinet with all his precious antiques and wrecked all his expensive drinks. I wanted to break everything and anything he-

"HAH!"

Kakuzu lifted me off my feet and tossed me through the air. I slammed into the windows behind his desk and cracked them as I dragged the curtains down with me. Before I could even lift myself up he picked me up again and slammed me down onto his desk. I tried to pry him off me but his fist lashed out like a hammer against my head over and over again. I tried to get him off and almost did before I felt something I had only experienced a few times in my life.

My Aura broke.

And his fist just kept dropping down on my head. He slammed down on my mouth and nose and eyes. The back of my head bounced off the desk with every hit as everything started to flash and go blurry. It continued for several seconds of agony before he finally stopped.

It sounded like he was catching his breath after pummeling my head like that. I could taste blood and could barely breathe through my nose. Kakuzu looked like he was saying something but the ringing in my ears was so bad I couldn't even make it out. He stepped aside, walking around the desk and leaving me laid out atop it.

He was going for his machete. To end this and the entire jailbreak.

My hand hung off the side of the desk and grabbed a cloth. Despite the exhaustion in my body and that it felt like I was made of lead, I forced myself to move.

Flashes of my friends and family filled my mind as I moved.

I took the torn curtain and wrapped it around his neck before he could reach his blade.

I pulled back and tightened it as much as I could. If I could cut off his breathing then that would be my best chance. He tried to buck me off and rip the curtain apart, so I planted one foot on his back and the other on his head as I pulled with all my strength. My hearing started to clear out and I could hear Kakuzu gasping for air. He fell to his knees and struggled as I twisted and brought him with me-

I slammed his temple into the side of the desk. And I did it again and again. Until a black flicker covered his body and broke away completely. And then when I did it again, I earned a pained groaned as it hit the desk and drew a splash of blood.

With our Auras gone and our bodies exhausted the cloth finally slipped from my hands. I dropped to the ground and greedily sucked in air as Kakuzu touched the bloody gash on the side of his head. We both looked over and spotted the machete lying to the side. We stumbled, crawled, and reached out for it-

I grabbed it and whirled around to point it at his neck. He stopped, slowly panting for air as I lifted myself up to a knee, "You're done."

Kakuzu kept struggling to breathe, "You really think the rest of you are going to take the ship from my crew?"

The door slammed open and I looked back in surprise. Only to sigh in relief when Kurotsuchi walked in, exhausted but still alive. I smirked and looked down at Kakuzu, "Yeah, I think so."

"And what now?" He chuckled, raising his head and exposing his neck for me challengingly, "You're supposed to be a Huntsman, right? Are you going to arrest me? Capture me? Make sure I pay for my crimes? I'd love to see what the rest of your plan is."

I snarled, gripping the machete a little tighter before I took a breath-

Something slammed into my hand and knocked it forward.

I looked down in shock to see an inch of the machete lodged into Kakuzu's throat as he gargled up blood.

I...I-I didn't do that.

Kurotsuchi lowered her foot after kicking my hand and walked up to Kakuzu. I watched in shock as she lowered herself to his level and smiled, "Don't worry," She grabbed the handle, "I'll make it quick."

I looked away but I heard the whole thing. His dying gargles as she dragged the blade through his neck as hard as she could.

After a moment I looked again. She still knelt in front of him, drenched in blood and holding the machete with a satisfied smile, "Not as quick as I promised. I lied."

There was blood on my hands as well and I stared at them in shock before looking up at Kurotsuchi. She smiled, "We did it!"

((((((((Hunting))))))))

I walked out onto the overlook of the deck after I finished washing up and getting changed. The clothes I found were baggy on me but they were a fine change from the rags I had worn before. Kurotsuchi look out proudly over the boat in her own new clothes and greeted me with a smile, "How'd you like the shower?"

"Forgot what it was like to feel clean."

"I know right!" She smiled and laughed, a fresh change from the lifeless expressions she had shown before. She waved me over and pointed out over the deck, "Look! Look! It's ours now. Can you believe it?"

I walked up to her side and...I paled in shock.

The pirates that had captured us were being beaten and killed on the deck. Some were forced to jump off the side of the boat into the ocean while others were shot off. Piles of bodies were gathered together to be tossed overboard after cleanup. Bitch was being tormented with three collars on her body all activated at the same time as Dickhead was shot to death. And Kakuzu's body had been hung from the front of the boat in celebration.

There was barely a fifth of the prisoners alive after our jailbreak had ended. They had all been killed in retaliation while the others attacked the pirates in the chaos. We had won...but the losses were plain to see.

"Hey captain!" One of the former prisoners called up to Kurotsuchi as they hauled a crying pirate up beside them, "What about this one?"

"No you idiot!" She answered, already settled into the role of captain with Kakuzu's machete secured to her hip, "That's the navigator! We'll be lost without him! So no killing!"

"Can we beat him?"

"Of course! But like I said no killing!"

The new crew cheered and continued to indulge themselves in making their tormentors pay. Looking out over the bloody deck I couldn't help but feel my stomach turn in disgust.

"Hey." A palm patted my shoulder and Kurotsuchi offered me a bottle of liquor, "Drink up. You still look miserable with that black eye and swollen jaw. You should be celebrating! You did this! You set us free! Hey!" She pulled out the machete and raised it up to get their attention, "Let's have some cheers for Naruto!"

"To Naruto and our new captain!"

"Our heroes! Hooray!"

I was admired and adored by the former slaves killing and torturing pirates. All of this...was because of me.

I sighed and sipped on the booze.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"He deserved it."

Naruto looked at him as Oscar's eyes slightly brimmed with tears. He wiped them away and repeated, "T-That guy? The one that captured you and tried to sell you? He deserved what happened to him."

Naruto didn't react in any way other than a solemn nod, "Yep. I agree."

"When you talked about your fight and how he died you looked disappointed or sad. But you shouldn't! What he did to you - all of those people - he shouldn't have just been arrested!"

The whiskered blond slowly picked himself up and turned to the creek beside them, "I wasn't upset that he died. I think...I was angry that I didn't get to kill him." He admitted, "Kurotsuchi pushed my hand forward but it wasn't me. And I keep thinking back to that moment and how I wanted to do it."

Oscar blinked, "O-Oh, okay. B-But that's alright! After what he did to you-"

"But it didn't use to be alright." Naruto interrupted, "I didn't use to think like that."

"What-"

"When Naruto was training he always tried to strive to be a good and upstanding person. A true Huntsman people could look up to. To be there for his friends. To help those who needed it most. To fight evil until it was stopped. He never reveled in violence or cruelty, and the fact that he regrets missing the opportunity to kill a man - even a monster like this Kakuzu - scares him."

"I've changed since I was in Beacon." The blond whispered more to himself than anyone, "When Kurotsuchi said she felt like part of her was taken away when Kakuzu fed on her Aura I didn't believe her. But after he did it to me...maybe I am different."

After what he had been through it was natural that someone would be changed or feel different. And to hear the honest story from his friend for the first time...

"Naruto, why do we walk everywhere?"

...

"Because I don't even know if I'm going to Mistral or not."

Oscar's eyes widened, "What?"

"I've been putting it off for awhile. Every time I think I've mustered the courage I see a road to the city or a train and I just...turn." The fox confessed with a shameful nod of his head, "I can't bring myself to go there."

"Why not?"

"Because I know when I do go there I'll have to find out all of it." Naruto sighed, "How Vale was destroyed. How I couldn't stop the monster in time. How communications failed because I didn't do my part! And not just that!" His hand curled up in his hair, "I'll have to find out how I failed everyone! My friends who I left fighting in the school! My friends who were missing but I didn't help look for them! My friends who were exhausted and beaten and maimed who I promised I would help get to safety but failed anyway! My partner who had his throat ripped out! My teammate who I ignored while she begged me to stay! My best friend who I left fighting in a Grimm-infested city alone! And my dying father who tried to stop me! If I go to Mistral..." He took a deep breath and slumped over, "I'll hear how they died."

"N-Naruto-"

"Vale is gone!" He exclaimed, groaning into his hands as he violently shook his head, "I tried to ignore it and argue every time I heard about it but I couldn't. The world is in ruin. Nothing is left of Vale. And everyone is in danger now because-" He grit his teeth and lowered his head, "Because we failed. Because I failed. They're gone...they're all gone."

...

Naruto dropped to the ground, sitting by the creek and staring out ahead, "Oscar, you need to go. You wanted to go to Mistral to be a Huntsman, right? Well you might not get there traveling with me. So if you really wanna go...you need to go on your own."

...

Oscar said nothing. He just silently sat down my his mentor and friend as they listened to the water rush along. No more questions. Nor more stories.

No more fighting today.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Done

I sag and sigh a breath of relief.

My god this was a beast. Way longer than I expected it to be. Sorry about that! Just...so much to cover.

Forward we go...

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