Here I present myself with the second draft of the stories that are still in voting. This time, with the only crossover on the list.
For anyone who doesn't know about this, I have a poll on my FanFiction profile that will decide the next two stories I'll post when I finish the ones I still have current. The poll will be open until I finish those stories, so you will have plenty of time to vote.
In total there are four stories, and only the first two are the ones I will develop in the future. This is a draft, and should not be taken as the beginning of this story. I will only upload one chapter so that people will know moderately what they will be voting for. I'm aware that a single chapter won't be able to cover the whole basis of the plot, and that it would only be a fairly general overview, but at least you can get a better idea of what you'd like to read.
There will be people who like only one of the stories that is on the ballot (either for the main characters, for the pairing, or for the universe I would be using), but I invite you to read all four drafts, as you might come across an idea that you like more than another.
Remember that this is a draft. If this story comes out as the winner, you may see some changes in the prologue. Just a few, most likely it won't make much of a difference.
Going back to this fic, I would like to explain a couple of things:
The first is that it will be a plot that is specifically romance driven, unlike much of my stories that always run with a balance between romance and adventure. That's not to say there won't be adventure or action, but they will remain very secondary focuses. I think the only similar story I have on this theme is the Pokémon story.
The second thing I have to explain, is a theme that has already been presented in several fics. This story is based after the events of the two anime, where there will be several changes, especially in Akame Ga Kill.
The third point might be the most delicate, and the most cliché. There will be no NTR from Hinata towards Naruto, I decided it would be nice to break that theme. Basically they won't be a couple, though let's just say the protagonist will have some difficulties with Hinata. Although it will mainly be seen as Naruto's fault. You probably don't quite understand where I'm going, but I don't think I should over-explain or it would already be too much of a spoiler.
The fourth point, is that don't expect an Esdeath that falls for Naruto. I prefer to stick to how the character was, and to show certain philosophical discussions between the two of them, mainly led to the war. This does not mean that they will get along badly, they will simply have several conflicting opinions. It will also have a fairly large evolution, since she and Naruto are practically polar opposites.
The fifth and last point, it will be a plot created by me while using various components that were in other fics that I liked, so if you see certain similarities in some things it will be because of that.
Well, I don't think I have anything more to clarify. I just hope you enjoy reading it.
Let's start!
"I love you too. I would like to marry you when the war between the Empire and the Rebels is finally over."
"In the meantime, accept this ring."
Those were the last words Esdeath could hear before everything went dark.
That indescribable happiness she felt at that moment was shattered as the noise of the ice deafened her.
She could see nothing, and was barely conscious.
Her body was completely numb, she could not move a muscle.
After that, she didn't know how much time had passed...
He was not aware of where he was, let alone whether it was day or night...
Or how many days had passed...
Had it even been days?
She only remembered a very blurry talk her beloved had had with others.
"Kill her..."
"Indestructible ice..."
"Break..."
"Cordillera..."
"Not release..."
Those words would appear in her worn out mind, only to be followed by a loud thudding sound that shook her entire body.
At that moment, she would become completely unconscious...
In a dream from which she would never wake up...
Or, at least, that's what the Rebels would have wished for.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
A year had passed since that event.
A year for her to know freedom again.
"Are you seriously still planning to follow me?" A seventeen year old teenager with jet hair would question. He kept one of his eyes closed, while the other was a strong onyx color. He wore a white colored robe that was responsible for covering his entire body, except for his sword that stuck out a bit.
The man stopped his jumping in the trees, turning his gaze to watch as a golden-haired man landed next to him, wearing the exact same outfit, taking away the fact that he wasn't carrying a sword.
"You should know by now that it's not very easy to get rid of me, Sasuke!" The blond exclaimed with an energetic smirk between his teeth, getting the now recognized as Sasuke to shake his head as he drew a small smile.
"You're very annoying, Naruto." He replied as he jumped towards the ground, causing a vein to appear on his companion's temple.
"What did you say!" Naruto chided, quickly following after the one who was his best friend and rival.
"We're already at the borders of the Wind Country." Sasuke ignored Naruto's tantrum as was very usual for him these past few days.
"Hmmm, does that mean we're near the Land of Earth or Fire Country?" Naruto rubbed his chin as he asked his question, getting Sasuke to look at him with genuine surprise.
"I didn't know your brain could hold any geography, impressive." That comment caused Naruto to acquire a genuinely annoyed look on his face. "But, being on the borders of this country doesn't mean being borderline with the other two..." He would conclude, stepping through some bushes that blocked the view.
"What do you mean?" Naruto followed, and that question would answer itself as his jaws opened wide.
"HOW HIGH!" he would shout at the top of his lungs as he pointed to numerous mountains that were between 5000 and 6000 meters high.
"This mountain range separates the Shinobi world with whatever is behind it." Sasuke would comment as he continued walking, admiring the height. "In the books there was no mention of it being this high..." He would conclude, agreeing for the first time with Naruto.
"Wait, are you telling me there's another Nation behind this giant wall?" Naruto would ask him, resuming his walk to match Sasuke.
"We learned that at the academy. It's normal that you don't even remember it, since you spent most of your time sleeping." Sasuke couldn't help but smirk as he managed to annoy Naruto once again. "In history it is stressed that we never came into contact with them, we only know of each other's existence. It is said that the diplomatic lack is due to the great mountain range that divides us, plus both regions are always too much in internal conflicts to care about the outside."
"I understand that, but what are we doing here?" the blond would ask, seeing how his best friend was giving him a sidelong glance.
"According to the map of the Wind Country, there is a small village that sits on the borders." He replied, turning his gaze back to the front. "Since it's so isolated, they most likely haven't heard about the end of the war yet."
Their mission came to the fore with those last words from Sasuke.
Naruto raised his gaze, remembering how he insisted on accompanying his friend with his journey of redemption to the point of weariness. In the end, Sasuke had no choice but to agree, as he knew well that he would simply follow him, even if he disagreed.
He also had several days to say goodbye, as both he and Sasuke had to wait for a new arm to be built because of certain "minor altercations" they had had in the past.
"What do you think this village will be like?" the blond hinted as he placed his hands behind his head.
"It's sure to be more of the same." He would reply, remembering all the outlying villages they had visited so far. "Rich or high prestige people must be taking advantage of the war to exploit the resources of the poorer and indefen..."
Naruto looked at him with slight confusion when Sasuke stopped. He could tell he was looking down at the ground, so he followed his gaze.
That only made Naruto even more confused.
"Snow?" he asked himself, then looked up at the sky. "But if it's clear..." He concluded, seeing that there wasn't a single cloud.
"And not only that, behind us there was no trace of it..." The jet said, looking back to see how the road was completely clear.
"Hey, wasn't the village near here?" Naruto couldn't help but get serious.
"Yeah, and this can't mean anything good..." Sasuke activated his Sharingan, stepping carefully into the snow. "I don't think it's anything deadly, but stay alert." He warned his friend.
The walk continued for several minutes. They could both make out how the vegetation and lush forest seemed to be progressively dying as they pushed further and further in.
The first thing they witnessed among such desolation, was a large smoke rising a few meters away from them.
"A bonfire." Naruto would comment, then reach out one of his hands to catch the quietly falling snowflakes.
"We're close now." Was Sasuke's simple reply as he stepped forward.
Naruto looked intently at the snowflake lying on his hand. His gaze grew serious and he closed his eyes. Soon after, his eyelids fluttered open revealing toad-like eyes.
The blond couldn't help but squint his eyes as he noticed different energies of nature that seemed to be going to the exact same point. Naruto decided to ignore this for the moment, as right now he wanted to know how the village was doing.
When he arrived next to Sasuke, his gaze twisted to one of disbelief.
They had been traveling for almost a full month, but this was the first time he had seen a village in such a condition.
The two began to introduce themselves among the various constructions. Sasuke didn't seem impressed at the appearance they found themselves in.
"There is a complete shortage of resources completely surrounding this village." The jet would think, looking around at all the residents who stood in complete silence. "No wonder the condition is so precarious..."
Meanwhile, Naruto would carry his gaze back and forth.
The roofs of the huts looked like they were about to fall down.
The civilians looked in horrible condition. At first glance it could be seen that they were not eating well, besides the clothes they wore to cover themselves from the cold looked really old and worn out.
The tents of the place were almost empty of goods.
There were even many dying people leaning against the cut trees or in different huts.
The silence was also a clear proof of the bad condition they were in. After all, the bustle of vendors and civilians was quite natural in any moderately crowded place.
This brought back memories of the Land of the Waves. Memories that were not very nice to be precise.
Some of the civilians seemed to look at them with great confusion. Something that caught Naruto's attention.
"Why are they looking at us like that?" He would whisper to his best friend, causing Sasuke to give him a sidelong glance.
"Surely it must have been a great amount of time since they've seen foreigners." He replied.
They both continued walking towards the campfire, until they finally arrived. They could both make out that this appeared to be the center of the village. The campfire was quite large, and many people who were not very well sheltered were sitting nearby to receive the warmth.
"This is bad, the reserves are about to run out..." Naruto and Sasuke looked towards the source of the voice, noticing that it was a man.
They both sensed that it was the leader. Not from the words they could hear from him, but from the fact that he was the only person who didn't seem to be so out of alignment as well as well fed.
"What's going on?" The balding middle-aged man met his eyes with Sasuke's, noticing immediately that they were not from the village.
"Foreigners?" the man would ask. "We're sorry, but as you can see, we're in no condition to host anyone..." His speech was muffled when he noticed the bandana Naruto wore on his forehead. "Wait, you're ninja?" the man asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
"We're from Konoha." Naruto adjusted his bandana with a toothy grin, as was his custom. "We are traveling to announce to all the isolated locations that the Fourth Ninja War is now over."
"That's a relief." The man would comment, knowing that, if he was from Konoha, it meant that the Shinobi Alliance had emerged victorious.
"But from what I see, the war wasn't the main problem for you guys." Sasuke commented, making clear reference to the condition of the village.
"You are correct." The man nodded immediately. "We don't know what's going on, but we've been subjected to a winter that has lasted for a year now." He would explain with some disappointment. "We don't know what's causing it, but we certainly understand that it's not natural. After all, the sky is usually clear for many days and even then it doesn't stop. We also know that the affected area is limited to a certain part of the forest, as we have sent many people out to look for food and dry wood to resupply ourselves." The man lowered his head even further as he closed his eyes in regret. "The problem is that the snow extends for several miles and we are mere civilians. It's not impossible to sustain such extended travel for much of the time. People have been getting sick, and things have gotten really complicated." He would conclude.
"Haven't they thought of leaving the village?" Sasuke would ask.
"By what means of transportation?" the man would question. "We are a very poor village, so it is impossible for us to make such long trips. You should know that the connection between the nearest village is about 500 kilometers, and the time is considerably lengthened by not having roads built, simply traveling through the middle of the forest brings no guarantee."
"Hum, it's a really complicated situation..." Naruto would comment while rubbing his chin.
The blond and the jet watched as the man knelt down in front of them.
"You're ninjas!" The man would exclaim, gritting his teeth tightly. "Surely you can help us!" he would raise his face, his expression possessing a countenance shrouded in helplessness. "We don't possess any wealth, but I swear we'll pay you back somehow!" The man buried his head in the snow again, causing nearby civilians to stare at the interaction in confusion.
The man's trembling relaxed when he could feel a warm hand land on his shoulder. When he raised his face, he was greeted with a bright smile coming from a certain hyperactive blond.
"Don't worry!" He exclaimed, giving a thumbs up that only bestowed reassurance.
Sasuke would only close his eyes to deliver a small smile.
If there was one thing he admired about Naruto, it was his constant thought of helping anyone who needed a hand. Regardless of whether they were asking for help or not.
Obviously, she would never tell him this, because she knew the blond might get quite upset if she gave him that benefit.
"Thank you so much!" The man buried his face in the snow again, managing to turn Naruto's smile to a slightly nervous one. "When you find something, ask around the village for me!"
"By the way, what's your name?" Sasuke would ask, causing the man to stand up from the snow.
"My name is Tanaka." Would reply the now recognized as Tanaka.
"Alright, let's get going." The jet commented, walking past Naruto.
"Oh... See you later, old man!" He exclaimed with a toothy grin, then rushing to Sasuke's side.
""Old man..."" Tanaka thought of the nickname as he watched the blond boy catch up to the other. "Wait, I didn't even ask their names..." He thought aloud again, watching as the strange duo left the village.
"Do you have any suggestions on where to start?" the jet would ask, glancing sideways at his best friend.
"Just follow me." Naruto walked forward towards the mountains, getting Sasuke to look at him with some intrigue.
He found it strange that he would choose a place so quickly, but he knew he must have his reasons and for that very reason he followed him without complaint.
His accelerated pace through the dead trees came to a forced halt as the trail of vegetation dwindled to zero. Their speed was reduced when they were forced to run through the dense snow. In fact, it was so dense that it was almost up to their knees.
Sasuke's gaze couldn't help but rise when Naruto stopped, as they were at the foot of the giant mountains.
"It's over there, buried in the snow." Naruto pointed to a specific spot, getting Sasuke to look at him with great interest.
"How do you know that's its exact location?" He questioned him, opening his robe slightly to fully uncover his lips.
"There's something that's emitting energy from nature. Ever since we ran into the snow I could feel that presence, so it's obvious that it must all be the fault of whatever's buried down here." Naruto would explain, an explanation that seemed to convince Sasuke.
"Move." The jet ordered, making several signs with his hands.
"What?" Naruto's gaze went blank when he recognized the signals, and for that very reason he jumped as far away as possible while giving a shout.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
A huge fireball shot out towards the front wiping out the entire snow completely.
"You could have given me more warning!" Naruto would exclaim with a vein in his temple.
"Look at that." Sasuke ignored his complaint, pointing to something sticking out of the infertile ground.
Naruto's anger instantly vanished when he noticed what his friend was seeing. It was indeed a rather unique sight.
"Ice?" Naruto couldn't help but tilt his head to the side as a small spike of ice protruded from the cracked earth from the previous attack.
"My jutsu couldn't melt it." Sasuke made his point. "Help me dig it out." Naruto nodded and followed him instantly.
Naruto crouched down a few feet from the ice. One of his hands mingled with the wind element and he proceeded to place it over one of the many cracks in the ground. The air would release with enormous pressure, causing the cracks to transform into debris in a matter of a second, debris that flew out and left the ice completely exposed.
At that moment, the gaze of the two widened considerably.
In front of them lay some sort of ice shell containing something.
"A woman?" wondered Naruto very strangely as he saw a beautiful young woman with light blue hair and a general's suit dyed in a black and white color.
A rather curious suit, since they had never seen one like it in their lives.
Sasuke approached with some caution, then placed one of his hands on the ice.
"This seems to be holding her captive..." The jet deduced aloud, sensing the blond approaching from behind.
Naruto stopped his gaze on the woman's face. At that moment, he felt regret and empathy take over him.
It wasn't because of what his eyes reflected. In fact, they were closed.
But...
But it was impossible for him to ignore that crystallized tear that was positioned below his right eyelid.
Those thoughts were interrupted when Sasuke activated a part of his Susanoo, getting Naruto to look at him with great confusion.
"What are you doing?" He questioned him.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke answered him with another question, at the same time flexing the Susanoo's bony arm backwards. "I'm going to destroy it."
"But you'll kill it..." The blond would comment with great concern.
"I don't know how she got here, or why they locked her up like this. I only know that they must have had their reasons..." Sasuke's icy words were interrupted as Naruto landed in front of him with a completely serious countenance.
"You won't do that." Naruto's words sounded utterly defiant and coated with confidence, something that made his best friend frown.
"Naruto, you know she can be very dangerous..." The Azabache tried to reason with the blond, though he already knew it was something impossible.
"You can consider yourself as someone very dangerous too." Naruto commented with that absolute seriousness, which was replaced by a challenging smile for what he was about to say. "Nevertheless, here we are."
Sasuke just deigned to look at him while he had the Susanoo still activated. They shared that look for a few seconds, until the jet snorted and turned off his Mangekyou Sharingan, then turned away.
"Do what you want." She commented, taking a few steps back, only to look at him sideways. "...As long as you take responsibility." She culminated, only to close her one open eye when she saw Naruto hand her a toothy grin.
"You can count on that!" She exclaimed as she gave a thumbs up.
Naruto looked back at the woman who remained captive under the ice. That goofy grin on his face would fade practically instantly after seeing her.
His gaze drifted from her face to her hand that remained outstretched. To be more specific, he saw the one ring that the woman held in her hands.
A ring that had a light blue and white color that glowed with a completely abnormal intensity.
"The energy is coming from that ring..." Naruto rubbed his chin as he tried to deduce a way to free that woman.
A small lamp lit above his head, managing to bring his trademark grin back to his face.
Sasuke only deigned to look at him with great interest when he saw how the blond bit one of his fingers to make it bleed, so that he then began to trace some seals on the floor with his own blood.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A small curtain of dust appeared where Naruto placed his hand.
The blond's smile increased after seeing a toad with a slightly larger than normal stature, adding to his somewhat distinctive skin color which was an orange color with purple lines. His stature was not the only thing that stood out, as he possessed a blue open shirt.
"Did you call me, Naruto?" that toad would ask with a friendly tone that exuded nonchalance, who greeted the blond with a smile.
"That's right, Gamakichi." The aforementioned commented, giving him his typical smile. "I need help with this." Naruto pointed over Gamakichi's body, causing Gamakichi to turn with a jump to see what he had to deal with.
"Hmm..." The toad hummed as he hopped over Naruto's shoulder and looked at the ice capsule with utmost interest. "This is really strange..." He would conclude, looking at the ring the woman wore.
"What did you discover?" His summoner would ask, getting Gamakichi to become somewhat serious.
"That ring comes from the White Wolf Clan." The toad would comment, getting Naruto to cross his arms. "It's a ring that their summoners use to advance faster over Senjutsu control. To put an analogy you can understand, let's say it's like the Oil Cascade." Toad's eyes would narrow slightly. "And you could say that this is the example of what would happen to you if you don't have enough control over the Senjutsu, though at least you don't turn into a toad statue..." He would conclude, getting Naruto to raise an eyebrow.
"Does that mean she's a summoner?"
"That's impossible." The direct answer visibly unsettled the blond. "After all, the White Wolf Clan died out centuries ago. Only a few memories remain, and let's just say that ring is one of them." Gamakichi couldn't help but frown. "That means someone did this to him knowing what would happen. After all, I find this position very strange..." Toad made his point, looking at the panorama for emphasis on his words.
"Is there any way to remove the ring?" Naruto would ask with great concern, knowing that this was the only way to save that woman.
"Normally it would be something impossible for anyone, but you're not just anyone." Gamakichi would look at Naruto, giving him a small smile. "If you combine the Kyubi Mantle with your Sage Mode you should be able to do it without something bad happening to you."
"Understood. Thank you very much, Gamakichi." The blond would comment with a toothy grin, getting the toad to nod.
"Well, if that was all, I'll be on my way." Gamakichi disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving the two friends alone again.
Sasuke didn't turn a deaf ear to what the toad commented, so his strong suspicions about the captive woman were confirmed.
Anyway, it was already something that did not concern him, so he just leaned on the snow to see how the blond came and combined his two most powerful modes.
Naruto placed one of his hands on the ice, watching it slowly melt. His worried look intensified even more as he studied the woman more closely. Her tight clothing made him see that her body had suffered quite a bit from a year of not making any kind of movement.
The fact that she was still alive was somewhat surprising.
Something that indicated that she was not a simple civilian.
In fact, he could tell she was someone strong from her clothing and the aura that surrounded her.
Her hand continued to press into the ice, until it finally touched his hand.
At that moment, the endless cold sleep that Esdeath had been subjected to began to disappear.
That horrible cold was replaced with an overwhelming warmth that emerged from his hand, which did not take long to completely surround her.
She was still unconscious. But he could assure that this beautiful warmth was embracing her with great kindness, as if something or someone was protecting her in his arms.
Naruto couldn't help but smile tenderly at how the unconscious woman acted out of pure instinct as she moved her arm weakly to cling to her savior's white coat.
"Are we leaving already?" Sasuke stood up from the ground, seeing that the blond was already done with his work.
"Let's go." Was the blond's reply, who didn't remove his chakra cloak as he saw that the woman seemed to be enjoying it too much.
A moment later, in the village...
Sasuke always used to be a rather cold and reserved person, that triggered his emotions to barely come to light. It was very difficult to witness a noticeable change in his facial features, due to the fact that he always held a stoic expression.
But, the elderly leader crashing his face into the snow numerous times caused the jet-haired man's right eyebrow to start twitching, denoting his nervousness.
"Thank you so much, thank you so much!" He shouted, getting Sasuke's countenance to change more and more.
He had never even felt this uncomfortable in front of the various fangirls that tormented him in his dark time as an emo avenger.
That alone made him remember something very important.
The fact that the nasty women had stopped bothering him was only because he wasn't surrounded by any of them in the first place.
The jet couldn't help but pat his face in frustration after the thought of having to face Sakura when he returns to the village.
Good thing the vast majority of people view him with fear thanks to his past, so he probably wouldn't have as much trouble regarding that nowadays.
"Lord ninja?" Sasuke woke up from his thoughts as he saw the older man snap his fingers in front of his eyes.
"Are you done yet?" The jet would comment, watching as the man brushed off traces of snow that were on his face.
"I just wanted to ask you one more thing..." He commented, causing Sasuke to turn his attention to him. "What will happen to the woman?"
"We'll just keep her here until she recovers." He would instantly clarify. "Naruto will take care of her, so don't worry about that matter." Sasuke would divert his gaze to the large amount of snow surrounding the place. "I think it will take quite a while for the weather and vegetation to return to normal." He would clarify, watching as the older man nodded somewhat sadly.
Though that sadness didn't last long, as he watched as the young man had performed a summoning jutsu right in front of him.
"I'll go make a quick trip to resupply them." He would comment as he stroked Geruda's wing. "She's pretty good at cargo transports. I'll deliver you enough goods to hold them over for a couple of weeks." Sasuke would mount on his summon, giving the older man one last look. "Once we resume our journey, we will go to the Daimyo to let him know about the current situation. He will surely help you." He would conclude, beginning to take flight.
"Thank you again very much!" The old man bowed deeply again, before looking back at him. "By the way, would you do me the honor of knowing their names?"
"Sasuke Uchiha." The jet pointed to himself, indicating that was his name. "My partner's name is Naruto Uzumaki." He concluded, taking flight rather quickly, causing the man to lose sight of him in a matter of seconds.
"If memory serves me correctly, those two clans are quite famous..." The man would think aloud, then fix his gaze on a certain hut where the blond was standing. "No wonder they solved the problem so quickly." He would raise his face to the sky, seeing that the snowflakes had finally stopped falling after a long, long year.
That was clear proof that they weren't lying to him.
Turning back to Sasuke, the jet settled into Geruda and began searching inside his small ninja bag for something to kill time with.
In those moments, his thoughts would wander to his best friend, so he couldn't help but frown.
"I hope that idiot doesn't do anything stupid..." He thought, unable to help but feel a bit worried because of Naruto's personality. "His kindness is his only weak point..."
His gaze would widen slightly after seeing an orange-covered book. He would take out the book and look at it for seconds, remembering something rather interesting Naruto had told him not too many days ago.
According to the blond, he began to read the contents just to find out why Kakashi-Sensei liked it so much. He had soon found that all the contents were mostly junk, except for the jutsus found there. He affirmed and reaffirmed to him that he had never heard of jutsus just like it.
"Icha Icha Paradise."
Sasuke seemed to think for several seconds whether he should open the book or not, until he finally downplayed that fact.
"Let's see if that's true..." He would think to himself as he began to read the first page of Jiraiya's book.
Unbeknownst to him, the blond was reading that very book as he sat in one of the wooden chairs.
"Come to think of it, maybe this might do the trick with her..." He would think, touching the leg of the unconscious woman lying on the bed, noticing that her muscles were tighter than bloody hell. "But, the truth is, she'd need several days of rehab. In fact, I most likely won't even be able to feel my legs because of poor circulation." Naruto closed the book, unable to help but look at Esdeath with much concern.
His gaze drifted to the place, seeing that the hut wasn't in as good a condition as it should be for treating someone, but it was one of the best he could find in the village. After all, it was the only bed that had 0% damp mattresses and fairly sturdy wood.
Because he was intent on something else, he failed to notice how Esdeath's eyelids squeezed tightly together, indicating that he was about to wake up.
After a time that seemed quite long, the most feared General in the border region felt like she was waking up from a sleep that had lasted a great number of days.
The darkness finally disappeared as her beautiful light blue eyes opened, only to cover her face almost instantly. It was strange, she was sure that there was hardly any light coming into her room, so the light stimulus should not have caused such an adverse reaction in her.
"Uh, you're finally awake!"
The voice she heard was not Tatsumi's, or her warriors, or any entity she could remember.
That caused his eyes to snap open and he uncovered his face in one swift movement, making out how a very smiling golden hair was watching him.
"Who are you?" the woman couldn't help but narrow her eyes in great suspicion. "Who gave you permission to enter my room?" Esdeath would glance down at her blankets, denoting that that was nothing she had.
Her gaze drifted to the rather unkempt place and another question was asked as her killer instincts began to well up dangerously.
"What is this place?"
"Don't you remember anything?" Naruto would ask, keeping some distance as he noticed that Esdeath seemed to want to kill him with her eyes. "In case you don't know, you were imprisoned because of this ring." Naruto showed him a ring that was covered through a crystal, getting Esdeath's eyes to widen beyond belief after remembering everything that happened.
At that moment, Naruto couldn't help but worry as the woman's face crossed different emotions. The one that stood out the most in her was sadness and pain.
A sadness and pain that seemed too deep...
They both stood in silence for a while, watching as Esdeath seemed to want to cover much of her face with the blankets so that she could not see how her soul and body was continually shattering at the arrival of memories.
"...How long?" Esdeath seemed much more susceptible and submissive right now, unlike before when she seemed to have clear intentions to kill him.
"We don't know exactly, but I think you were about a year locked inside the ice." He answered her, watching as Esdeath's expression barely seemed to change.
Not that he could see much, since he had covered half of his face with the blankets.
Still he would think that reaction was normal, since clearly something much more painful had happened to him than being a year without consciousness.
If he had to guess, Naruto would say it was all the work of someone very close to her who ended up betraying her.
But he wasn't one to gossip, so he cared little and nothing about the reason. He just wanted to make her shattered face change, even if just a little.
"I don't have time for this, I must get back to the Empire..." Esdeath tried to move, but found herself quite surprised when she couldn't feel her legs.
As if Naruto understood her thoughts, she slowly uncovered the woman to her embarrassment as she realized she was in her underwear. He was going to reprimand her rather harshly at that action, but put that on the back burner as he saw the deplorable condition her body was in.
"I guess that's what happens when you don't move a muscle for a year..." Naruto tried to be funny, but realized it was a joke in very poor taste when the woman glared at him.
If there was one thing she took great pride in, it was her body.
Not because of how strong she was, but because she was told all the time that she was beautiful.
She now possessed only sagging breasts and a flabby abdomen. Her arms and legs seemed to have met the same fate to her horrendous misfortune. I couldn't see how her ass was doing, but it was obvious that I didn't even want to see it right now.
Seeing how she was still looking with great embarrassment at herself, Naruto decided it was best to deflect the subject so she wouldn't dwell on it so much.
"By the way, we didn't meet in the Empire." That answer made Esdeath push her thoughts away for a moment. "Apparently, someone threw you off this side of the mountain range in the hopes that you would die with the impact of the fall."
"Yes, I know..." She grunted and clutched her head with one hand as some fuzzy memories came to her.
"If you want, I can help you..." Naruto approached with the chair, stopping short when he saw Esdeath give him a death glare.
"Don't you dare touch me!" She hissed with great venom, denoting that she didn't trust him one bit, regardless of the fact that he was her savior.
"I'm sorry, but there's not even a doctor here who can treat you in a proper way, we're practically in an isolated village." Esdeath showed no hesitation despite Naruto's words, causing Naruto to sigh. "Whether I was a doctor or not I guess it wouldn't matter, I doubt you'd let yourself get checked out..." He would whisper to himself, then begin to search through his small bag at the distrustful and furious look on his future lover's face.
Esdeath tensed even more than he already was when he watched as Naruto pulled a kunai from his small bag.
He slowly approached the bed with his chair, until he was finally at her side. Esdeath couldn't help but grit her teeth and shut her eyes tightly as she watched him bring the weapon dangerously close to her.
"Here." Esdeath's eyes widened in utter disbelief when she saw that the blond was offering her the kunai.
At first she thought it was some sort of trick, but she knew well that she didn't stand a chance in her current position. After all, she didn't have her Teigu, she couldn't feel her legs, and she could barely move her arms.
She finally accepted the weapon, then looked intently at the blond beside her.
Naruto simply smiled at her, making his protégé feel a little more relieved, though that didn't make the grip on the kunai relax.
The blond took Esdeath's hand and to his great surprise brought it up to his neck.
"If I do anything unnecessary, you can cut my throat." He commented, at the same time as a blue energy burst from his hands.
Esdeath took him at his word practically instantly and the cold edge of the kunai landed on the young man's throat.
"What is that blue energy?" Esdeath's tone demanded an immediate answer, or else he would have a very bad time.
"Don't you know what chakra is?" she would ask with great surprise. She simply stared at him, indicating the obvious answer. "Chakra is the life energy of people. It is usually used to perform rather destructive attacks or strategies." She could feel the edge of the kunai tighten a little tighter at her throat after those words. "But, it is also usually used for medical purposes." The Chakra began to shrink greatly, leaving only a thin aura appearing over Naruto's palms. "This... Could you let me swallow?" he would ask with a nervous smile.
After a few seconds, Esdeath seemed to give him some of her confidence.
Naruto seemed to focus more as he rubbed his chakra imbued hands together after feeling the kunai relax quite a bit and no longer touch his throat.
"This is a type of massage I learned in a book. I'm going to have to touch you, so, well..." Naruto paused, looking at the woman with a weak smile. "Don't kill me."
"If I see you try to do anything strange, I'm going to slice your throat down to your windpipe." Esdeath gave her permission in her own way, getting Naruto to smile.
She couldn't help but watch with mild curiosity as the blond's smile disappeared completely and his face took on an expression of utter concentration.
When Naruto's hands gently rested on her feet, the warm and pleasant sensation was not long in coming.
Naruto could distinguish how the grip on the kunai seemed to waver for a second, something that denoted that those massages did work.
And yes they did, as her hands went up on her feet and he could see how the fingers of the woman's free hand squirmed a little at the immense pleasure the delicate touches were giving her.
Esdeath's eyes twitched a little as she felt all her joints seem to release a little as the large contractures gave way.
He never thought a massage could be so fucking soothing and pleasurable.
He could feel how every fiber of his skin that was touched by those hands made his system vibrate with just the right intensity to generate the most pleasure he had ever felt in his life.
Naruto continued to move his hands upward, completely oblivious to all the sensations hitting Esdeath. He finally reached her white panties and circled her waist, getting Esdeath's eyes to widen as immense pleasure hit her. Naruto quickly moved past that area and continued massaging her abdomen.
A thin blush stained Esdeath's cheeks as her breathing began to become ragged.
She felt fantastic as if she could take in all the sensations her body was transmitting to her.
But, even though her body was making her feel so good, her mind remained completely cold at all times.
That was demonstrated quite clearly when Naruto moved a little higher until he moved underneath her breasts. The blond stopped instantly as he felt a drop of blood slide over his throat. The kunai was squeezing harder than the previous times, while Esdeath was giving him a death stare.
"If you dare to go any higher..."
"If you don't decontract your body completely, then you won't be able to exercise again. It would be too painful." Naruto looked at her with great seriousness. "He can see that you're a warrior, so you should know that quite well."
Esdeath would stare at him for a short second.
The tension was palpable in the room. The only thing that could be heard was a drop of blood falling onto the bed after descending down the edge of the kunai.
"It'll only take a second, right?" She questioned him, without removing the weapon from his neck.
Naruto nodded slowly, as he didn't want to cut himself even more.
Esdeath couldn't help but sigh as he lowered the kunai.
"If you take just one more second, I'm going to kill you." The woman would clarify, giving Naruto permission.
The blond simply nodded with a smile, only to become serious again.
Then, at that precise moment, Naruto's hands passed over Esdeath's breasts and chakra entered her body.
As he promised, it was only for a second...
But that second had been too much for Esdeath, who had to cover her face with her forearm so he wouldn't see how her eyes closed tightly when her mouth opened, though she had enough strength not to let out the loud moan.
"See?" Naruto would deliver an innocent smile, watching as Esdeath uncovered her face to deliver him an exhausted look. "It wasn't that big of a deal!" He would conclude, beginning to treat his arms.
"Yeah, it wasn't that big of a deal..." Esdeath couldn't help but mock the blond internally, as he didn't seem to understand that these massages were conveying immense pleasure to him.
"Before I continue on your back, perhaps it would be a good idea for you to take a bath." Naruto would comment, glancing sideways at her. "Don't worry, I know very well that you can do that on your own." Esdeath simply nodded wordlessly.
"Hey, why are you taking such a risk?" He would ask, denoting a look that for the first time didn't seem aggressive, murderous or sad.
"You mean the kunai?" Naruto couldn't help but hand her a smirk as he continued his crafts.
Esdeath's gaze widened in an oversized way as the blond snatched the kunai from her hands without even her being able to notice.
"It's because he wasn't taking any chances in the first place." He would conclude with his typical slutty grin covered in confidence, getting Esdeath to look at him with even more interest. "After all, I'm no idiot."
For the first time, Naruto could tell how the woman seemed to be smiling.
It certainly didn't look like a friendly smile, more like she was about to tease him.
But it was a smile after all. A goal he had been looking for ever since he saw her wake up.
"That last one could be debated." Esdeath commented, then raised an eyebrow. "I don't think people giving a kunai to a stranger to press against their own neck is a very smart thing to do."
"Hey...!" Naruto tried to get angry at her, but seeing that beautiful smile on her face he simply couldn't do it.
Instead, he began to laugh. She followed soon after, though her laughter was much more muffled and subdued, though hearing that sound was just as beautiful as being able to see her smile.
Once they both stopped with their banter, they both went back to a smile.
The blond could instantly tell that his protégé had finally gained some trust in him, and his much softened look was proof of that.
"'By the way, what's your name?' Naruto would comment, finishing his massage to rest in the chair.
"My name is Esdeath." The woman replied, fixing her gaze on the blond, denoting great interest. "Could you tell me yours?"
Naruto gave her a big toothy smile and adjusted the bandana on his head to say the following words.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, don't forget it!"
END!
(Remember that this is a translation, English is not my main language. Any mistake or annoyance that seriously messes up the flow of the story let me know, and I'll correct it as soon as possible. Thank you very much for understanding!)
That's all for now. I remind you to vote in the poll on my FanFiction profile if you want this story to come out as the winner.
As I mentioned before, there will most likely be some changes regarding the final result since this is a draft. Most likely I will only make some readjustments of certain dialogues or events, plus a longer chapter. Obviously, always talking about the hypothesis that this story will be a winner.
There will also be another Naruto story of which I will have a draft in the near future in case you want to read it. It's a rather unusual pairing, but I think it could be an interesting development.
Hope to see you soon!
