A/N: Please read this note, would you kindly?
As ever, reviews keep me writing. Without them, I -and this story- simply can't flourish. So speak up! Make yourself heard! Every little bit helps!
Well, I'm sure you've all seen the finale by now. That's a spirit breaker. WHY DID ROOSTERTEETH DO THAT?!
Now then, onto all your questions, comments, and concerns!
Q: How does the timeline work here?
A: Each chapter jumps forward two years. For example! Last chapter was Year one. Now we reach Year Three. Next chapter will be Year Five. Seven. Then Nine. Oh dear. Did I say nine? Why, its like I intended it that way!
*smiles*
In any case, medieval Remnant is a fascinating thing to work with, because the writers left a lot open back then.
Alright, lets have some fun. Be prepaaaaaaared~!
Q: How does magic stack up against chakra?
A: Magic is tricky; if only because it lacks restrain. With the right imagination, some spells are quite dangerous. Of course, so is Chakra. I suppose it comes down to the wielder...
Q: Is Naruto training Salem?
A: Ayup. He's teaching her all he possibly can.
Q: Sooo...what be the pairing? Sorry, my english is not being so good.
A: The pairing is bloody well obvious by this point; sadly, I can't speak of it without spoiling things.
Q: Naruto is still pure Naruto, yes, abilities and all?
A: Remember, he was basically ripped from his fight with Sasuke by Little!Salem before he lost his arm. As such, he's still, well, Naruto. He won't fight unless pushed, but if he sees injustice he'll leap into action. This chapter highlights just how poorly his views align with the current state of Remnant; to say nothing of the Brother Gods themselves. Just wait 'till they meet!
Q: I simply must ask about Naruto's age. Will he die in this story?
A: You do realize an Uzumaki ages very slowly, yes? Even moreso when they're a jinchuuriki. At this point, Naruto has a piece of just about every tailed beast's chakra inside of him. I'll not speak to his fate of course, that would spoil things.
Suffice to say, he's still very much in his prime. Old age is a very distant threat for him.
Alright then, I've kept you long enough. Grab some popcorn, some tissues, and get comfortable, because here we go!
I'm tempted to make puns of the chapter titles but I can't think of one right now. Maybe later.
I own no quotes, references, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one!
As ever, Little!Salem is adorable and must be protected.
"Save the girl. Save magic. Save the world."
~?
Year Three
"Achoo!"
Salem heaved a mighty sneeze and sniffled angrily.
"Daaaddy," she whined, her voice gone a sullen croak from coughing all day, "I don't feel so good...
"Sounds like a cold." Naruto laughed as he padded across the room. "You've been sneezing since last night." Wooden boards creaked softly beneath his feet as pressed a cool cloth to her forehead with one hand. The other eased her back into bed. Guiding her down to the pillows propping her up, he tutted softly. "That's a part of life, Salem. Everyone gets one."
She huffed and scowled the heavy blankets. "I hate colds."
Even when she was sick she still managed to sound imperious. Must be a Skill of some kind.
Nevertheless, her words stole a rusty chuckle from him. Such a fussy little girl she was. Too pure. Too precious. Must protect. Even three years out of the tower, some habits were harder to break than others.
Salem crossed her arms and sulked in bed. "I feel icky. I don't like this, not one bit."
"I can take if away if you like," he offered her his marked palm, "But you need to build up your immune system." she watched him like a hawk, child though she was. "If I keep curing you everytime you catch the sniffles, sooner or later you're going to catch something really nasty."
Salem considered his hand for a long moment. At length, she shook her head.
"You're right, of course." she crossed her red-veined arms before her chest and snuggled deeper into her covers like a bug in a rug. "It would be foolish of me to rely overmuch on a miracle or a whaaaaaatareyoudoing?!" her words dissolved into gibberish as he leaned forward and touched his head to hers. "My heart isn't ready!"
Kurama chortled softly in the back of his head. "Such a silly little girl..."
"Yeah, you're runnin' a fever." Naruto pulled back, frowning at her oddly-red face. Curious. Why was she flushing? "Should be nothing, but let me know if it gets worse."
"R-Right." Salem clutched at her chest, struggling to control her racing heart. "I'll get right on that...does this mean no training today...again?"
Naruto felt his heart hardened at the idea of taking her out in this weather. "Absolutely not. You're in no shape for it."
She squirmed, knees twisting beneath the blankets. "But my surges...I haven't used a spell for three days."
"Your magic will be fine. And so will you." he tousled her pale hair. "Don't worry so much.
"M'sorry." she whispered sleepily. "Its my fault we're stuck here...
"Don't be. Its not your fault, Salem." he patted her head again and stole a quick glance outside, squinting through the frost-glazed glass pane to the towering snow drifts without. Last night's blizzard had not been kind to the cozy little cabin he'd build. He'd have to make repairs soon. Still, not even a madman would be out and about in this weather. You'd need more than fire magic and thick coats to make it through that much snow. Even he didn't fancy his chances out there in those freezing temperatures.
"We can go outside tomorrow if you're feeling better." he said, touching a hand to the glass. "Wanna build a snowman?"
"Snrk...
The faint sound of snoring reached his ears; when Naruto looked down he found Salem sound asleep, bodily tucked against his side. A small shadow of a smile plucked at whiskered cheeks. Such a stubborn girl. For all her sulking he knew she was exhausted. Perhaps it was her time in the Tower, but her health really wasn't the best. Even something as simple as a common cold threatened to flatten her at times. She'd gradually gain some semblance of resistance to those eventually. At least, he hoped she would.
When he tried to move the little girl latched onto him and made a mewling noise in her sleep.
"Nooo...
Naruto laughed. "Greedy girl."
It would be a simple thing to swap himself with a shadow clone, but he knew she'd not take kindly to that. Somehow, she always knew which one was real. Blue eyes pivoted to his desk across the room, and the book he'd left atop it. Well. If he couldn't get up without waking her...he had other ways. A golden chakra arm shot out from his body to snare the tattered tome, reeling it in like a fish on a hook.
Black leather binding creaked in his hands as he opened it to a marked page.
"Alright," he hummed to himself, "Now where was I...?"
Winter had finally come and with it heavy snows, leaving them trapped in the lodge for the last three days. He supposed that bit was his fault. Salem wanted to go north, to see what snow looked like. He'd seen no reason not to indulge her at the time; even going so far as to build this little dwelling. That had been...what, two years ago, now?
He'd done no small amount of research since then.
Squinting at the weather-worn words, he began to read once more, trying to make sense of the obscure references within. The written language of this world was one he'd had to learn from scratch, but he considered it well worth it if it allowed him to learn things that might have otherwise gone forgotten.
What was a Forsaken? Salem had been called such in the first town they visited. Clearly it wasn't a term of endearment. What few tomes -including this one!- he'd managed to find used the title obliquely, making vague references to something called Children of Darkness, of Gods and Curses and rituals he didn't understand.
Stranger still, the name "Salem" was mentioned more than once. Some books considered it an accursed name. Others, blessed. This one seemed to lean toward the latter, if one line was any indication.
Blessed is Salem. Blessed is the Undying. Blessed is she who commands the Grimm. Protector of the realm, and most holy. Beloved of our God. Long may she reign.
His finger tapped the words, considering them.
"Kurama?" his voice echoed into the silence. "Thoughts?"
...I think we may have stumbled upon something we shouldn't have."
Well. That was ominous.
But that didn't make any sense. The girl cuddled against him wasn't even a teenager. She certainly wasn't invincible. She'd cried for an hour when she cut her finger peeling potatoes with him. He remembered the moment well. Such a tiny cut, and yet she had been so upset. Poor girl nearly hacked her finger off and he had to heal it. She aged, she bled, she lived, just as any other human might. Was hers a name passed down through time? Some cruel cosmic joke; knowledge lost to time? Something more sinister?
Salem whimpered in her sleep. Naruto pulled her closer as he continued to read.
She had been born as she was. She didn't know much -and neither did he!- but she'd been rather adamant about that. He glanced down at his charge, still dreaming sweetly. What did that mean? Was this little slip of a girl the last of her kind? The first? Something in between? The books -and that no good arse of a shopkeeper!- certainly implied that there had been others who looked like this before her, but the common folk acted as if they were all but extinct. Were they? Or merely driven into the shadows? More questions than answers, there.
Moreover, all this talk of Gods worried him.
Naruto flicked to the next page and frowned at the horned beings within. He'd seen them before in countless tomes. This was no different.
Of them there had ever been a veritable wealth of information... not all of it good. Not one God, but two. Light and Dark. Brothers caught in eternal conflict. And they lived among the people despite said conflict? Didn't sit right with him; after all, he hadn't the best experience with divinity in the past. Kaguya certainly didn't make a good impression.
Closing the tome, he shook his head. "I'm getting paranoid. They haven't even done anything to us."
"Yet." Kurama sniped. "I wouldn't hold my breath, were I you."
Perhaps they were different. He wanted to believe they were.
At the end of the day Naruto wasn't a cynical person. He believed most people were good. So was Salem. Surely given time, humanity would come to understand her. She wasn't a threat. She was just a little girl trying to make her way in this brave new world. Maybe the legends were just that. Legends. Dusty old memoirs that held no bearing on the present.
Trust.
That was his first mistake.
Unfortunately, it would not be his last.
Below them, the door rattled as someone beat their fist against it three times.
"In this weather? Who could that be?"
With one last lingering glance at Salem, the blond tucked her in tightly and swapped himself with a shadow clone. He slipped past her, tugged on his winter cloak, and padded down the stairs.
The door shuddered anew.
"Come on out!" a man's voice brayed, giving him pause, muffled by the wood though it was. "No use hiding any more. We know who you are. More importantly we know what you are."
Naruto quirked a brow.
"Open up." the voice came on again. "No need for this to get bloody."
Never a dull moment, it seemed. Best to just confront them -whoever they were- and have this done with.
Naruto complied with a roll of the eyes. Threats hardly phased him these days. If they thought him some helpless farmer they were in for a rude awakening.
With a put upon sigh he grasped the worn metal handle, grappled with it for a moment against the wind, then swung it open. A bitter chill stung at his eyes, forcing him to squint in the fading light. Almost immediately he found himself face to face with men in brilliant whit-and-gold cloaks. Five in all, they stood before the door in a loose semi-circle, cutting of any and all avenues of escape.
Their leader lowered his cowl to reveal himself, exposing his visage to the elements.
His face bore a fierce ruggedness to it, framed by a mess brown beard and ragged hair. Keen eyes set within a gaunt face him intently reminding him of a starving bear sizing up its prey. A scarred lip curled at the sight of him, naked in its derision. Most certainly the leader then. The other four didn't speak, though their eyes were hard upon him. Staves in hand, they looked ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
"Hmm. I thought you'd be bigger." there was a rough drawl to their leader's voice, an odd lingering accent Naruto couldn't quite recognize. "But you're definitely the one." his smirk became a scowl. "Long way from home, aren't you?"
...do I know you?" The jinchuuriki felt the beginnings of a scowl begin to tug at his mouth. "What do you want?"
The leader drew himself up to his full towering height. "Oh, you already know the answer to that."
He really didn't. Some of his confusion must've shown through; because the man brayed on.
"Did you think our Lord wouldn't notice your interference?" He made a strange sign with his hands. "He sees all. He knows all. Your deeds are known to him."
Right, this was going nowhere and it was bloody cold out here.
"Whatever it is you seek, I do not have it." he feigned a smile he didn't feel and moved to close the door. "You should move on."
"Ha!" Laughter snapped at his back, causing his hackles to rise. "Move on, he says. And here I thought your kind was supposed to be so enlightened." he turned his head aside and spar. "So much better than us." Well-muscles arms moved, casting strange rippling shadows against the snow. "So much smarter. Yet you hide out here in the woods. Like a coward."
A spike of anger stabbed through Naruto's heart. He suppressed it. He refused to rise to the bait, however, and so the man continued.
"We've come for the girl, friend. Give her to us and you'll not be harmed."
As one, the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck rose. The girl? Salem. Must be. Couldn't be anyone else. His brow furrowed, regarding the group before them with his sixth sense. These folk reeked of negative intent and worse things besides. Did they honestly think he'd just hand her over to them? No! Never! They were out of their gourd. For a moment he considered thrashing them within an inch of their lives; if he weren't such a good person he might've done just that.
"You've clearly been misinformed." he spoke clearly and eloquently, seeking to throw them off. "There's no girl here. I live alone-
"Daddy?" Salem's voice called somewhere behind him. "Where did you go? Can I have a glass of wa...oh.
The leader smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. "No girl, eh? Who's that, then?"
Naruto felt a weight press against his leg and knew who he'd find there.
Frowning, he nudged her away. "Get back inside, Salem."
"But I can help-
"Salem!"
She flinched, and for a moment he felt guilty. He'd never raised his voice to her before. She made a noise caught somewhere between a snarl and a sob, then scampered back up the stairs. Judging by the noise she made she wasn't much pleased with him. Too bad. She could be angry with him all she wanted once this was over. It was for her own safety.
The leader hissed. "She already has a name?!"
"She'd a child, you dolt. Naruto's scowl redoubled. "Of course she has a name."
"She is a child of dusk, is what she is." the bearded man scowled at him. "A daughter of darkness. She must die. The God of Light demands it." he offered him a hand. "We are Inquistors, tasked by is Light to rid this foul word of sin and corruption. You will give her to us."
"Yeah...no."
Dark eyes bored into blue.
"Step aside or there will be violence.
His eyes flashed. "Then I choose violence."
He expected more blustering, anger at the very least.
Naruto received none of these things; only joyous laughter. "Excellent."
Humming softly to himself, the man pulled his arms from the sleeves of his cloak and shed it, letting the robe fall down across his legs. Now naked from the waist up, he cut a rather striking figure in the dim light. Every inch of visible skin stood sheathed in blue tattoos, from his neck to his chest. All corded muscle he was, lean and strong. Naruto quirked a brow at the sight. Some of those markings looked painful. Self-inflicted, even. Yet it did nothing to detract from his strength. This was no priest. This was a warrior.
"Look, pal." He grit his teeth. "You do not want this fight. Trust me."
The stranger smiled, supreme in his confidence. "Oh, I'm pretty sure I do...
Naruto felt the negativity spike, saw the blow coming long before it connected. He could have slain the man seven ways to sunday. Murdered him, ripped out his entrails and left them for the crows. He didn't. Instead he let it connect. His head snapped to one side as he turned the other cheek.
Blue eyes flashed gold. A low growl tore out of him. "Leave. My. Home."
"No, I think not." The stranger met his gaze with a strange smile. "You...are going to have to kill me for that to happen."
He lifted his chin in stoic defiance. "I don't kill."
"Good. More fun for me."
Not satisfied with such deference the Inquisitor struck him again. Naruto grunted, chest spasming against the quick jab. Twice now. He'd give him one last chance. Clenched knuckles barreled into his stomach. He pushed down the anger, locked it in a box and buried it deep.
Time unspooled as a third blow hurtled his way.
This one, he caught in an open palm and wrenched aside. "I warned you."
Rather than fear, the man's eyes flashed in a vicious shade of glee. "Finally! Its no fun when they don't fight ba-aargh?!"
A vicious headbutt wiped the smile from the man's face and left him spitting teeth. Momentum smashed him backward into his fellows, flattening three of them. The fourth and fifth each leveled a gnarled staff in Naruto's directions. His arms swung up and knocked each aside, sendt the retaliatory bolts shooting wide, and grasped them by their heads. A vicious twists flung them into their fellows, leaving them sprawled out in the yard like a twisted ball of arms and legs.
He looked up and saw Salem watching from the window, eyes wide. A smile creased his visage.
"There. Now leave and never come back-
"My turn."
Naruto dodged the leader's spell with ease; saw it in his mind's eye and simply stepped aside.
Not so the attack that followed.
Another spell caught him even as he evaded the first, a wicked curse of some sort that set his blood boiling in his very veins.
His back stiffened. Every muscle in his body clamped down.
An invisible fist slammed into his body from five simultaneous angles, momentarily overwhelming his defenses to launch him through the roof of the lodge and into the air. For a fleeting moment the world burned white and he found himself weightless, tumbling end over end. Gravity sank its cruel claws into him and he came crashing back down. It wasn't enough to stop him. He wouldn't let it. He hit a tree then summarily kicked off it, flinging himself back into fray. Blue eyes blazed gold.
Through blurry eyes saw the other men barge into their home below; then he heard a scream.
"Enough of this! Take the girl!"
Something snapped.
No more games.
His hands snapped together, creating a pair of shadow clones. They surged into the lodge after them.
"You fool!" the tattooed man barked at him as he crashed down beside him. "Don't you know who I am?! My name is Baldur! I'm an inquisitor, you dull creature! I've been blessed by the God of Light himself! You are, all of you beneath me and...why can't I feel my everything?"
Said inquisitor toppled backward onto his rear, blinking at the stumps where his legs were. No more. There was no pain. Sheer shock prevented it. All that existed was a red ruin where his ankles once stood. He stretched an arm towards them, only to balk as it ceased to exist below the elbow. That same limb was snatched out of the air. It cracked across his face as someone slapped him with it, streaking blood across his vision. Again. Yet again. The
"I hate zealots." a low snarl reached his ears. "Always so proud. Always so arrogant. Always so sure of themselves. And yet...?"
Blazing red eyes dominating his vision, denying everything else as a golden specter appeared before him. A vicious kick shattered the Inquisitor's ribs. Another collapsed his left lung. A third obliterated his right eye and an ear with it, sending him tumbling to the snowy soil like a broken toy.
"They break so easily. All of you. Take away your magic, and what are you?" Baldur raised a trembling fist and his spell guttered out like a windswept torch. "Nothing. No. Less than nothing. Filthy mages. I didn't want this-didn't want any of it. But you just had to keep pushing!"
A terrified squeal pierced the gloom. "M-Monster! Demon! Devil! No many should have this kind of power!"
"Monster, am I?" he leaned forward. "Perhaps you should speak more softly to me, then...
Baldur crawled backward, a terrified crab in search of safe sand. "No! Stay back!"
"What's wrong?" Naruto smiled, exposing far too many teeth. They thought him scary? Alright. Time to put on a show...one that wasn't feeling entirely feigned at the moment. "You were talking all that good shit a second ago...until I blew your fucking legs off! Go on." he cast them down at his feet. "Grow them back." he stomped down, drawing a screech from his prey. "Summon up your familiars, unleash your magic, call your God! Hit me, fight me!
His victim only whimpered wordlessly.
Red eyes narrowed to vicious slits. "Or just die."
He stomped down on the inquisitor's throat and wrenched his ankle to one side, snapping his neck. That was all it took. Baldur knew no more. By all accounts it was a merciful death. Better than bleeding out certainly. Yes. A merciful end by every accounting.
Others weren't.
"No! Get away! Don't touch me!" Behind him, Salem shrieked. "STOP!"
Naruto whirled and nearly died for it. Their cozy little home shattered from within, showering him with splinters of razor sharp wood.
He turned and winced at the sight he found awaiting him there.
Salem stood amidst the wreckage, bleeding from an ugly cut just above her brow. Black blood trickled from the wound. The rest of her was spattered with yet more. None of it was her own. Of his clones, he saw no sign; they'd likely been destroyed in the blast. Surrounded by the broken bodies of those who desired her death the little grimmling stood tall and strong, heaving for breath. Fierce plumes of steam fogged the evening air as her chest hitched furiously. A dark miasma stemmed from her shoulders, polluting the air around her. The light of the mangled moon shone down upon her, casting her pale body in ethereal glow.
Naruto winced despite himself. "Salem...?"
She whirled with a snarl and turned wild eyes on him. Wretched flames sprang into her palms, fireballs ready to flung at the slightest provocation. And for a moment -just a moment- he saw what she might become. A fell beast unlike any other. A terrible dark lady commanding millions. Scourge of this world, its people, in all her horror.
With a blink the vision vanished, leaving him alone with the maddened girl.
"Its alright." he raised both hands to prove himself harmless. "You did good, Salem." she really had. "They're dead now. We can rebuild this-
He sensed the attack coming. Disbelief dulled his reflexes. Fire seared through his ribs and pain blazed his world red, even as he twisted his body aside.
The blond doubled over, stunned at the gaping hole in his torso.
Kurama hissed. "Naruto!"
"I'm fine!" he grit his teeth and spat blood. "Well...maybe not okay." Reaching around to clutch the wound, he pushed some chakra through it, numbing himself. "Calm down, Kurama. Its not her fault. She's scared. She's never had to fight for her life like this before. She's probably surging."
She hadn't used her magic in three days. And she'd been terrified. It wasn't her fault.
Blue eyes swept back towards Salem.
"Salem? Sweetie?" he hissed a little as his ribs stitched themselves back together, "I need you to listen to me. No one's going to hurt you. Your safe now. Come back."
When the next spell bolt came, Naruto was prepared and not blinded by shock. He knew she wasn't in her right mind and acted accordingly. A golden palm cracked out, shattering it into harmless sparks. He dared a step forward. Salem snarled at him, baring her teeth like a beast, raw in the worst way. He shrank back as her fear hit him like a physical force, wild and primal and fierce. So much fear. He nearly drowned in it.
"Alright. I won't move." Instead he bent a knee and opened his arms. "C'mere. Give me a hug."
He knew what she would do and tensed, preparing himself for what was sure to come.
She flew at him in a rage, spurred on by the flames in her hands.
...are you sure about this?"
His head bobbed. "Yup."
Salem crashed into his chest and tore at him like a girl possessed. Rather than resist, Naruto caught the crazed girl and pulled her into his arms, pinning her arms at her sides. Her back stiffened and she spouted words in a language he didn't recognize; whatever it was, it didn't sound human. Magic blasted over him, scorching his skin. He grimaced and held on.
"You're going to make me sing again, aren't you?" he chuckled hoarsely, alright. "I'll sing you that old lullaby again. Do you remember it? The one that calms you down?"
A furious shriek was her only response as her magic tore into him.
Naruto sighted. "Take my hand. I'm here to protect you."
Salem went absolutely berserk. Somehow she got an arm free and slammed it into his shoulder, clawing at him. Blood spattered the snow. Naruto grit his teeth and redoubled his grip on her thrashing form, enfolding her in his arms once more. It only made her flail like a hellcat. Still he didn't relent. His resolve hardened for every bruise and cut she inflicted upon him.
"Nothing will stop me."
His ward screamed and kicked at his shins.
"Understand, there's no sacrifice I won't make."
With all other avenues of attack denied to her, Salem reared back and bit into his neck. Her teeth sank deep spraying rich arterial blood into the air and across the snowy dunes. Naruto barely batted an eyelash. Pain was an old friend by now. He simply raised his voice to make himself heard over her shrieks.
"I'll risk it all to keep you safe."
Gradually her struggles began to abate.
"Trust me to be strong."
The haze fled from her eyes.
"I'll be your hero."
She went limp.
"Just hold on."
Salem twitched once in her arms and exhaled, the last of her magic spent. With no more fuel to feed the flames, and no panic to fan them, the last of her Surge abated. The poor girl blinked once, then twice, thrice now as reality slowly crept back in. Her head cocked and she coughed once, expelling a faint plume of smoke. A small, sleepy smile crossed her pallid face.
...daddy?"
"There you are. Welcome back." Naruto tried to force a laugh for her sake, but the words emerged as a hoarse whisper. "You really had me worried for a bit there."
"What happened...? Oh, no." bleary eyes focused. Saw his wounds. "Again?" A whimper fled form her lips. "Did...did I...lose control?"
"Naw." he lied through his teeth. "This wasn't you. I fell down some stairs."
She sniffled despite herself. "You're an awful liar."
"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll be juuust fine."
Her voice warbled. "Are you going to die?"
"Nope. This is just a flesh wound."
"Wounds, more like!" she flailed at him, pressing her hands to one of the holes she'd torn in him. "You're bleeding!"
"Nope!"
Her eyes began to water.
"I'm sorry!" she all but wailed the words. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" her head collided with his bloody chest. "I'll never get angry like that again! Never, never ever!" tiny pale hands held tight, quivering horribly. "So please...please don't leave me!"
"Nope! Not a chance." The blond coughed but a little and massaged the small of her back. "Silly girl." his chin came down over her shoulder, locking her in place. "I already told you, you stuck with me. it'll take more than this 'ta kill me...
She sniffled anew. "Promise? Swear you won't die?"
He kissed her forehead, uncaring of the blood there. "Yup. Didn't I just tell you? I'm your hero. Heroes can't die. That means I can't die."
"But you'll get old eventually!" Salem warbled.
"Ha! I've fought a god before. Time can't be that difficult."
She blinked. "Are...you quite right in the head? You won't live forever. Eventually, you will die."
"I'll die of old age? Who decided that?" he denied her denial with a laugh. "Its my body. I decide such things. Time can screw right off!"
"Okay...I believe you." incredibly, she listened. "You're special. You can't die. I won't let you die." Salem's head slammed into his chest all over again. "I'll help you. I'll keep you safe. You're my hero. My knight." Heedless of the mess she made, she clung to him. "Mine." Utterly insensate and at her wits end, she began to bawl, deep heaving gasps rocking her thin frame. "Yes...mine...forever and ever and ever...!"
Naruto didn't speak further. There was no need to. Angry at this little slip of a girl? No. He never could be.
Instead, he found himself angry with this world. Any realm were a little girl would be hunted down like a dog was not a world he wanted to live in. Salem hadn't done anything but be born into said world. It was not a sin to be alive, no matter what some people might say. Nor was it a sin to be free. And yet despite that, men had come for her, determined to kill her all the same. As far as he was concerned, she'd defended herself splendidly. But more would come. If this God of Light was truly sending his followers out to kill children, to slaughter little girls...!
Maybe it was time things changed.
A/N: And there we go. Looking forward to your feedback/chatting with you all! No review is too large or too small! Thank you all! By all means, speak up! Make yourself heard!
And so passes Year Three. Next comes Year Five.
Its not that easy to escape your destiny, little Salem. You have to fight for it. You too, Naruto!
I'm genuinely shocked by the amount of reviews this story has received; looking forward to reading through your feedback when I get back from work. Well, until then! I'll talk with you later!
Once more, Reviews help keep me going, truly, they do. Every bit helps! Speak up! Make yourself heard!
So In the Immortal Words of Altas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
(Preview)
"You don't seem to understand." Naruto cracked his knuckles. "This world isn't yours to conquer...
"Submit. It is your destiny. Your legacy."
Salem grit her teeth. "NO!"
One man walked into a god's domain. "I've come to bargain."
Salem's heart skipped a beat.
At some point, her feelings had begun to change.
She was falling in love. She...this was wrong, wasn't it? She dare not speak of it.
"There comes a time in every man's life when he must make a choice. I've made mine. And I'm prepared to live with it."
"You fool! She'll destroy us all!
"Maybe. Maybe not. That's a risk I'm willing to take."
R&R~!