Hunter of Shadows
Disclaimer: This is pure fanfiction. The characters and locations of the Naruto franchise are the sole property of Shonen Jump and the series's creator,Masashi Kishimoto. The characters and locations of the Star Wars franchise and all its spin offs, etc are the sole property of Disney and the varied creators. At no time is this fiction an intent to infringe upon their rights nor properties.
A/N: I'm back peeps! Hopefully for a long time. Just a couple of notes before we begin what I hope is a comeback piece Readers will enjoy.
Beta'd by WriterfromShadows
ABY:After the Battle of Yavin IV
BBY: Before the Battle of Yavin IV
"Hello" speech
~Hiyas~ thought
Chapter 1
Tatooine,9yrs ABY
Formerly Bib Fortuna's palace, now called the Daimyo's Palace
Throne room
Fennec Shand wasn't one to startle easily. She wouldn't have survived as long as she had nor garnered her reputation if she had. However she'd be lying if she said she wasn't surprised when the 8D8 droid trundled down the stairs to find her. He seemed nervous.
"Mistress, there are four….visitors…at the front gate wishing to enter and speak with Master Fett." the droid said in its normal monotonal inflection.
A sable eyebrow rose in curiosity, "At this time of day? Do they have an appointment?" she asked calmly though she felt a warning bell start ringing.
"No, Mistress Shand. Also…" a small pause indicated the droid's attempt to add emphasis, "They have the appearance of bounty hunters. And they are all wearing what seems to be Mandalorian armor."
The ringing grew into a gong sounding off, as she tensed. ~A crew of Mandalorians arriving all at once…without an appointment. Not good. At all.~ She took a slight breath before asking, "Is there a name to this quartet?" she asked as she discreetly thumbed a warning beacon in the back of her belt. Letting her boss know something was up.
"The Leader said his name was 'Shadow Hunter' and that Master Fett would want to see him." the droid replied, "Should I let them in?"
The gong in her head picked up speed. Relatively new at the game, this person had racked up an increasingly impressive bounty list. His reputation was one of ruthlessness and a frightening relentlessness that spoke volumes in the Guild. Not to mention the underworld. ~Adding to that, he had a trio for back up…~ "Send them in. After you get Krrsantan and Drash in here." she instructed as she moved to stand beside the huge stone and metal throne. Making sure she slightly took up and laid her blaster rifle across the left arm while her right hand was already gripping and her trigger finger rested lightly above the trigger well.
A flick of her fingers sent the dark furred Wookie and the red haired girl to their assigned positions. ~Overlapping fields of fire? Check. Angles covered? Check.~ Her thoughts interrupted as the droid returned, followed by the sound of a series of soft footfalls. Considering the gritty sand that always got inside, she was impressed.
She watched as the first three, all female, strode in without a word and took up a defensive position in the room. Turning just enough to cover each of their backs while maintaining a silent watch over the entire space.
Fennec immediately saw why the droid had worded his earlier statement as it had. Beyond the seemingly standard T or Y shaped visor, something about how the armor was put together seemed different or somehow "off". Then again, her exposure to the subject was limited to Boba and Din. She also noted they all had their armors painted over with different hues of…purple. Even their gauntlets and jetpaks. ~Interesting…enough of a difference to make them identifiable during combat…~ A small smirk of appreciation at the professionalism shown, down to the gloved hand resting at a hip, just above their blasters. Yet it was the fourth arrival that got her attention and kept it. Each step of the now recognizable as male made her pulse jump as tension rose ever so slightly in the air.
Fully darkened armor, to reduce potential glare, over dark gray clothing, he cut the necessary intimidating figure. His armor was shaped to represent or even simulate thick chest muscles and ripped abs(1). Instead of single piece pauldrons, he wore two overlapping layer spaulders. Gloved hands came to rest in front of him at waist level as he bowed briefly. The helmet hid his features but this person seemed to be human in size and physical configuration, maybe 166 to 170 cm tall.
"Fennec Shand. Elite mercenary and Master Assassin. An honor to make your acquaintance." He spoke in Galactic Basic with an odd and soft accent, straightening from the bow.
She relaxed minutely as the respectful greeting told her that she wasn't his target. ~This time…~ She nodded once in return, "The honor is mine. What brings you here this late in the day?" she inquired politely, hoping Boba got his ass down there soon.
"Word is that Boba Fett didn't die here on Tatooine five years ago. That same Word is he's the newest Daimyo of Mos Espa, if not all of Tatooine." was his reply, adding, "Just here to confirm it for… personal reasons."
All conversation halted as a different voice spoke out, "And if I'm not who you think I am, mate?" Stepping down from a different stairwell, donned in the iconic orange and green armor and the green and red helmet obscuring his features. The man strode into the room like a warrior before taking his seat on the throne intensely studying the quartet before him. "What are you gonna do about it?" Boba Fett challenged.
Everyone tensed and weapons rose slightly as the leader of the group reached up with both hands and removed his helmet. Revealing sunny blond hair that was slightly spiky up to the point it was pulled back into a short ponytail in the back. Deep cerulean eyes stared hard at the seated figure. Three whisker-like marks curled slightly as a broad grin formed, giving him a mischievous expression.
"Well then… guess I'll have to kill you, recycle the armor, cut up the body and feed it to a Sarlacc. Again." He chuckled with a shake of his head. "Hey, Old Man."
The tension ratcheted even higher at that bold declaration before Boba Fett began laughing. Not a polite laugh. Not even an evil or sinister laugh. But a sincere laugh of genuine amusement, as if he was long used to hearing these kinds of threats. Removing his own helmet after a moment or two of humor to reveal the darkly tanned flesh of the bald head and clean shaven visage, he wiped an eye before he replied firmly, "Hello to you too…son."
A thermal detonator could have rolled into the room, gone off, and no one would have noticed.
Drash's left hand, a droid replacement starting slightly above the elbow and painted over in red enamel, had come up to cover her mouth, her eyes wide. ~Ohhh… this is gonna be good! ~
Krrsantan was seemingly rooted to his spot as well. His yellow eyes flickered between his employer and the new arrival. Searching for any kind of resemblance. A soft rumble beginning in his chest.
It was Fennec that broke the silence as she turned her head with a cocked eyebrow. "Son? You failed to mention having a kid." her tone chiding even as her finger slid down to curl slightly against the trigger.
"Adopted." Both men replied simultaneously and in a matching tone.
"I see." she replied neutrally as she slung her rifle back over her shoulder and gave the all clear with a short jerk of her head. Giving the infamous eyebrow treatment to Drash as she hung around.
"What?" the redhead asked with mock innocence, "There's gotta be a story behind this." she said eagerly.
Stepping over to the Mod, Fennec replied quietly and tersely, "I'm sure there is. But it's not public laundry…"
Drash made a face and reluctantly left the throne room. Her posture and gait made it clear she wasn't happy about being left out.
Fennec walked over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of her favorite spotchka. Seeing that five pairs of eyes watched her amble over and lean against the right arm of the throne, she took a swig and asked, "Like she said. There has to be a story behind this. Unlike her…I'm not going to miss a word of this." her gaze swiveled to the supposed son of the infamous bounty hunter, "Can I get a name or should I just call you 'son' too?"
Boba nodded to himself and said simply, "Oh there is, but it can wait. First, would you be so kind as to introduce the ladies accompanying you son? We can catch up over dinner shortly."
The blond man raised an eyebrow as he spoke to Fennec, "My name is U-zu-ma-ki " a pause then, "Na-ru-to. In Basic, it translates to Maelstrom. Please call me Naruto." He then gestured to his companions.
The first woman stepped forward. She stood around 170 cm tall and her armor was done in a soft purple set over black garments. Hands covered in purple fingerless gloves removed the helmet. Which revealed sandy blonde hair, pulled back in a flowing ponytail that was taped from the shoulder region down until a small length remained. Her dark eyes studied everyone before she spoke in a smooth cultured tone while bowing, "I an Nii…Yu-gi-to. An honor." Straightening, she took a step back.
The next was slightly shorter, standing at about 160 cm. She wore a hue closer to lavender than purple. Her raised helmet revealed flowing black hair that seemed almost to have a bluish tint and a very fair complexion. Her eyes were pupil-less with a slight lavender color to them. Her bow was just as smooth and her voice was soothing in its softness, "I am Hyuu-ga Hi-na-ta. A pleasure to meet you both." she said before stepping back as well.
The last one wore a royal purple hue and her movements were just as fluid as the others though her tone was a little bolder. She was 163cm tall, fair skinned and blonde. Although her hair was more of a platinum blonde than sandy like Yugito's nor golden like Naruto's. Set in a high ponytail at the back of her head. Her eyes were a light blue. "I am Ya-ma-na-ka I-no." she said before bowing quickly and taking a step back.
Fennec studied them as each introduced themselves, making mental notes. ~This Yugito is older than the other two. That's obvious by her mannerism and body language. The other two are near or the same age. All three carry themselves well yet the dark haired one seems somehow more reserved maybe? Regardless, all three of them are dangerous if they have his trust…~ She cleared her thoughts as Boba rose to his feet to step down from the throne so the two men could give a simple one armed clasp to the other.
"Dinner is probably about to be ready, let's eat." Boba said in that calm matter of fact way of his and led them to the dining hall where a table was laden with a wide variety of dishes and carafes of who knows how many different kinds of wine or liquor.
Boba kept the conversations light and constant while the six ate and drank. Telling them of the series of events that started with Jabba's sail barge and lead up to his ascension as Daimyo of Tatooine.
Fennec could only watch as the banter flowed freely between the two men. It was weird to see the ready smile and laughter they shared. ~They definitely share a strong bond…~ she thought just as she asked bluntly, "So how did you wind up adopting a kid?"
A/N:
Similar to the muscle cuirass used by the Roman Legions, but without the leather fringe or Pteryges along the waist and shoulders.
I'm keeping this chapter short as a testing of the waters. Seeing if I still got the knack. Please Read and Review!