A/N: I'm baaaack~!
Monthly updates for Arcane, as promised!
Now then, we're still following the Ember's Rule here. Sadly, that's no joke.
Really, it isn't. If folks don't like this...well, it won't be continued. Every bit of feedback helps. YOU determine what stays and goes. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule, two jobs, and a load of paperwork. I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up!
Now for your questions:
Q: What's your update schedule?
A: A New Archon should be next, hopefully, followed soon thereafter by a RWBY update, then Arcane, and Demon Slayer. Trying to spread the love around here.
And as I'm sure you all noticed, I'm no longer holding myself as strictly to the "update every damn day" rule. I will if I can, but if a chapter needs more polish, then damnit, I'm gonna work on it a bit more. Case in point, I didn't update for two days straight at one point...but the resulting chapter was LOOOOONG.
Nearly 13K+ words in all.
Q: Please tell me this story has a happy ending!
A: Come now, you know I can't and won't spoil such things...
Q: Naruto is still Naruto, yes?
A: More or less. He's just...well, not jaded, that's not the word I'm looking for, but harder, I'd say. More stubborn, and willing to shed blood if it means protecting Jinx.
Q: Where are we in the Arcane Timeline?
A: As of this moment, we're into the events of Episode four.
Q: Is that THING in this story?! Its supposed to be in Demacia!
A: *zips lips*
Q: Fluff and action, please.
A: As you wish.
Alright, I've kept you long enough.
As ever, I own no references quotes, themes or memes.
So in lieu of a long authors note...here...we...go!
"We have five minutes."
"No...more like five seconds."
~?
Unleash the Beast
"How could you do this...?"
It was coming for her.
"I...trusted you...
She could feel it, see it, sense it. The monster was hunting her; stalking her through the night. Teeth gone sharp and eyes glowing red. She tried to run, tried to get away; but she couldn't. The beast was bigger than her. Faster than her. Stronger. It rode her down and tackled her, grabbed her by the shoulders and screamed in her face, all anger and wrath and...and...crows. Teeth and crows. They swarmed around her, buffeting her face, filling her vision, until all she could see was those eyes.
Those awful...red...eyes.
"JINX!" It howled at her. "All your fault!"
Blue eyes snapped open, wide and bloodshot. She jerked upright with a grasp, heart pounding, skin slicked with sweat. Wild blue eyes flitted about, half expecting the shadows to come alive. Any moment now her demons would drag her screaming into her dreams. A tiny shiver shook her shoulders, spurring a soft hiccup from her lips.
"Just a dream," she babbled and clutched at her head. "Just a dream...
The voices gibbered at her, filling her mind with doubt.
All your fault...all your fault...
"Shut up!" She bit her lip until she tasted blood and the acrid tang of Shimmer. The pain centered her, if only for a moment.
They never did. They never would.
"Jinx...
A faint noise at her side had her turning.
Naruto slept peacefully beside her, sprawled out in their shared cot, dead to the world.
Just looking at him was enough to quiet her fears. She reached out and gave him a nudge. "Whiskers?"
No response.
Jinx scowled. "Hey! Naruto!"
He continued to snore away unabated.
She reached out and tweaked his cheek. "HEY!"
An angry snort greeted her, accompanied by a jaw popping yawn. "Whuzza...?"
Some of her terror must've shown through on her face; because he blinked quickly. Comprehension dawned, followed by understanding. He sat up and propped himself up on an elbow. A rough hand pawed at his eyes to brush the cobwebs away. He blinked again. Once, twice, thrice now. And then, just like always, he opened his arms to her.
"C'mere."
No prodding needed! Jinx all but dove into him and nestled her head against his shoulder. He grunted at the collision, but didn't falter. His good arm came down over her back to pull her into his chest. She inhaled deeply, drinking in his familiar scent. It soothed her soul. The faint smell of cinnamon and sweat mingled with the heady tang of his...what did he call it again? Chalk? No, chakra. That was the word. Whatever it was, whatever it was called, it comforted her.
His hand stroked the back of her head. "Bad dreams again?"
She'd had nightmares before, but this one had been...different. Darker. Sharper. More real, somehow.
"I saw...a thing." She bit her lip, uncertain. "I don't know what it was. Teeth and crows."
Another yawn, tinged with a hint of laughter. "Foxes eat crows, y'know."
It was such a Naruto thing to say that she giggled. "Idiot."
"Maybe," he pulled her a little closer, "But I'm yours."
He didn't know how badly she needed to hear those words. Maybe that made her weak. Maybe she relied on him too much. Maybe that was her mistake. She didn't care. When he ran his hands through her hair, she felt a pleasant shiver shoot down her back. She didn't wear her long braids to bed anymore, not these days. Kinda helped when you had someone to do your hair, you know? She liked it when he touched hers...and when he touched her. She wanted to touch him.
And so she did, snuggling closer. Heh. He was warm. A girl could fall asleep like this.
"Lemme know if you have anymore bad dreams, alright?"
...kay."
"Look at me." he thumbed her face back to him before she could doze off. "There you go. That's it. You don't need to change." his forehead kissed hers. "You get me? You're fine just the way you are. Jinx is perfect. Ain't nothin' gonna change that, not now, not ever."
Those words warmed her broken heart. Her lower lip trembled. "We'll always be together, right?"
He wiggled his pinky finger at her. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."
Jinx released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Heh.
She could figure out these feelings later. For now?
...can we stay like this a little longer?
Naruto muttered something incomprehensible, but didn't let go of her.
Jinx cuddled closer.
It was enough.
(.0.0.0.)
Dawn came with surety, and work with it.
Sevika was almost surprised when the brats were the first to meet her on the barge. Early, at that.
How unlike them.
"Now remember," Sevikia warned, "You stay with the cargo."
Jinx rolled her eyes as she sauntered past with a keg of Shimmer. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, boss lady."
No argument? She must be in a good mood. "Naruto will stay up top with the rest.
The blond snapped off a salute as he set two more down. "Sure thing, mom."
Urk.
Sevika's face burned in a way that had nothing to do with the sweltering afternoon nor the up-and-coming operation. Cheeky little devil. Jinx was one thing, but the boy was another. She could no sooner push him away now than she could stop breathing. These last few years he'd followed her around like a lost puppy until she cracked. How could you say no to a face like that?! It just wasn't possible.
Some of the goons snickered in the background. She swore to throttle them later.
"Don't call me that in public."
He grinned. "Whatever ya say, mom."
The pair shared a firm embrace and scarpered to their positions.
Huh. They were actually behaving today. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all...
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto felt his right ear twitch.
He thought he was imagining it at first, but no, the longer he listened, the louder it became. A low drone filled the air from above; a noise so distant, so faint as to be barely be noticed by anyone else. If it weren't for his keen senses, he wouldn't have heard it until it was too late. But now?
He checked his watch. "They're bit later than I expected, but still on schedule."
A small, rueful smile graced his face as he went about his work. Firelights. Just like Silco said. No way they'd ignore a shipment like this. It was too large a target, too juicy to let be. They were going to attack in force; with each passing second he heard the low rotating whine of their boards growing louder.
And yet, for all that, he felt no fear. Why? Because they'd planned for this.
Blue eyes rose and caught Sevika's across the way. She quirked a brow and he nodded, flicking two fingers toward the front and the back of the ship. She didn't question him. Never did. Heh. Mom was the best. She might act surly in public, but in private, she was one big softy.
Now was not such a time.
"Show time, people! Sevika's artificial arm swept up as she whistled. "We've got bogeys incoming! Get those weapons ready! Port and starboard sides!"
Tarps flew away. Weapons came up.
They were well prepared when the attack came.
True to form, the Firelights swept in with a storm of sound.
Right into a hail of gunfire.
Sevika's arm slammed down. "Loose!"
Gatling guns empowered by his chakra roared to life as one entity. A rain of molten death ripped riders from their boards with ruthless precision. Armor meant nothing. Bullets punched through armor and flesh without fail, opening grievous wounds and ending lives. Credit where it was due, they reacted quickly. Only five fell to enemy before they changed tactics.
Their "Leader" whistled sharply.
One of them flung a strange earthen-colored sphere at him; he caught it in his fist and crushed it. Crystal crept up his arm, only to be burned away by vermilion chakra.
"Well," he hummed. "That's new."
Others weren't so fortunate. Lacking his speed and reflexes and likewise weighed down with their heavy weaponry, they were unable to react in time. A series of startled sounds at his flank told him of their fate. One by one, the guns went silent. Another slammed into Sevika's chest, pinning her to the deck in a mass of earthen crystals. Blue eyes gulged.
"Mom!"
"Don't worry about me!" she snarled. "Protect the cargo!
...he'd do more than that. Anger sparking in his heart, Naruto stepped up and caught a stray Firelight by the face as they flew by. Firm fingers closed around their skull. Momentum did the rest; ripping their hoverboard away to send it careening into the abyss. A cry of pain was muffled against his gauntlet. They clawed at his armored arm, to no avail. He squeezed and squeezed and squeezed, until their mask splintered under his fingers and blood began to-
"NO!"
A pipe came whistling in from the right; he caught it with his free hand, yanked it down, and drove an elbow into their mask.
It bought his victim a moment to wriggle free while he was distracted. Naruto let them limp away into the smoke.
He recognized the mask. He'd seen it before, so many times before. A smile touched his lips.
"New toy?"
A wry grin touched his cheeks. "Something like that. Scram. This is your only warning."
The leader stood his ground.
An ember of guilt flickered in Naruto's heart. He stamped it down. "Have it your own way...
Another firelight - a boy with wild violet hair- lunged while he was distracted. They smashed something -a hammer?- into his skull. It shattered, leaving them clutching a worthless stick. Without looking back he caught this one by the face, too. This time he didn't let go.
The man kicked at his chest, to no avail. His grip was ironclad. First their mask crumbled. Then his skull. One final squeeze. That was all it took for him to crumple. His gauntlet clenched and he ceased to be. What was left of them hung from his arm by a thread.
"Monster!"
"Am I?" He cast their body over the rail and into the void, uncaring of the anguished noise the Leader made. "Time and time again, I gave a chance to run. To retreat; to lick your wounds. And yet!" His eyes bled red as anger finally had its day. "When I fight back and your people die, suddenly I'm the bad guy?!" More chakra began to bubble up from his stomach. He tried to quell it and failed. Scarlet chakra shrouded his shoulders, not quite forming a tail or a cloak, yet shrouding his soul in strength all the same.
It was so infuriating. He wasn't Jinx. He couldn't kill without remorse. He remembered each kill, and that regret from them was an ever present weight around his neck. But it had to be done. He understood that now. You could put an enemy down; rough them up, even knock them out, but at the end of the day, they'd always come back for more.
Sasuke had taught him that lesson. Silco had merely expounded upon it. Because you see, the only good enemy was a dead enemy.
He turned to face his next victim. "For what its worth, I'm sorry."
The Firelight Leader lunged with a roar.
Slow.
Naruto's arm snapped up and barked. Jinx's gadget worked like a charm; maybe a little too well even. He made a fist, swung, and the gauntlet barked. The blast caught his prey unawares and launched him away. He struck the deck, bounced once and tried to tumble to safety.
Not this time.
Naruto leaped after him, caught him by the face with a clawed hand smashed him into the deck. It wasn't enough to stop him. The Firelight Leader tried to rise. So he smashed his masked face down again. Porcelain began to crack, sturdier than the others. It only made him angry. He hit him harder, whaling on him.
"Can't!"
Slam!
"You!"
Slam!
"Just!"
SLAM!
"Listen!
SLAM!
"For once in your life?!"
SLAM!
A stray Firelight raced by on their board and raked a weapon across his back. His cloak lashed out and tore them in half at the waist. The Firelight Leader howled beneath him, too wounded to do anything more.
Another lunged at him while he was distracted.
"Bastard! You don't fight with honor!"
"Of course I don't." Naruto swayed out of the way, smashed a rasengan into a Firelight's chest, vaulted another, and tore him apart. "I'm a ninja." He became a red dervish of death; writhing and twisting, whirling and whirring without a care in the world. "How did you think this would end?!"
A sharp and sudden bang from the bowels of the ship caught his attention.
He whirled just in time to see the hatch fly open, then Jinx came flying out with a cry. Good girl.
Movement at his feet caught his gaze. He looked down and found the Firelight Leader crawling away. A dazed eye blared hatefully at him through a hole in the mask. Younger than he expected. He hesitated for a crucial instant, resolve faltering.
"This...isn't over...!"
It really was. Naruto reached down.
Someone screamed. His head snapped up.
When he looked back he found Jinx frozen, rooted to the spot. Paralyzed by fear. Unable to move, even as another drew a bead on her. She'd caught one of the Firelights by the wrist, smashed their mask off...and why wasn't she moving? Did she not see that big bastard behind her?!
He saw her lips move. "Vi...?"
The Firelight brandished a flare, ready to drop it into the Shimmer. She'd burn. They both would.
"Jinx!"
There was only one choice.
He ripped a pistol from his belt and squeezed off a shot.
It struck the Firelight center mass. She crumpled with a gurgle, the flare left unspent. It clattered to the floor and fizzled away. He lunged at the Firelight behind her and kicked him away over the side, spear and all. Only then did he realize his mistake. He whirled back to the Firelight Leader and found him tumbling over the railing, with the last of his men, dragging his board with him. The moment he vanished, he heard the whine of an all too familiar engine.
"Damnit! Get back here!"
He hastened to the side, poised himself to leap down after them...and paused.
They were gone. Only morning mist remained.
Naruto sagged back with an angry oath..
Failure. But was it really? They'd protected the shipment. Even now he could hear the sounds of crystals shattering, of Sevika -Mom!- and the rest breaking free of their bindings. Not a single barrel of Shimmer had spilled, and the corpses of their enemies lay sprawled about. No alarms rang. No enforcers came running. It was, by all accounts, a clear victory.
And yet.
Jinx stomped up to him, hauled him back from the rail, and snatched at his wrist, heedless of the fading chakra boiling around it. "Why did you do that?!"
Naruto blinked, taken aback. "Do what?"
"That was...!"
...no one." he walked over to the gir, nudged her with a boot and rolled them over. Glassy eyes stared back. "See? We've never met her before."
"Her face." Jinx didn't seem to hear him, eyes gone wide. "It was her face...I saw it...
His brow furrowed. "Whose face...?
"Vi...my sister...! No!" She clutched at her face and shook her head. "Stop it! Shut up!" though he said nothing, she batted his hand away when he reached for her. "Powder isn't here anymore! Powder's gone! Powder fell down a well!"
"Jinx, calm down! You're alright! You're safe!"
She crumpled to her knees and wept.
"All my fault...all my fault...
(.0.0.0.)
...what happened?"
Naruto stood his ground under Silco's gaze.
Jinx didn't. She growled and looked away. "Sevika already told you.
Silco leaned back in his chair, unruffled behind his desk. "I'm asking you, Jinx."
She physically flinched as if she'd been struck. "One of those...firelight wackos was a girl. With pink hair."
Silco palmed his face. Now it was Naruto's turn to wince. Understanding dawned, and it wasn't at all a pleasant one. He watched the proceedings and felt like an intruder; an outside party bearing witness to something he shouldn't have. But to leave now would devastate Jinx. And so he stood his ground, holding his tongue as they began to bicker.
"Your sister's gone." Silco spoke before he could. "You know that as well as I do."
"Y-Yeah." she snatched a pen off his desk and fiddled with it, twirling it between her fingers. ."Can't live with 'em, can't stuff 'em back in the 'ol baby maker, right?"
Silco didn't rise to the bait. "Losing that shipment would've set us back weeks. We were...fortunate, that Naruto was there with you."
"I get it, alright?" Jinx kicked at the floor, shattering a board with her strength. "I screwed up. It won't happen again."
"I know." His expression sobered. "You should focus on your gadgetry. "Take some time."
Jinx huffed. "I don't need time."
"Take it anyhow."
A web of complicated emotions flashed across Jinx's face. Shock, sorrow, betrayal. Her fists clenched at her sides, and for an awful moment, Naruto feared she might fly into a rage. She didn't. Instead she whirled, braids flying -one smacked him in the face- and stalked toward the door. She ripped it open, nearly tearing from its hinges. Bright blue eyes glared back at them, brimming with tears.
"Fine!"
The door slammed with a deafening back.
Naruto waited until her footsteps had fully receded. Only then did he dare speak. "She gonna be alright?"
...she will." He sounded so certain. "She just needs some time."
He hoped so. But he wasn't willing to let the matter rest so easily as she.
Silco leaned back in his chair and steeped his fingers. "You have to something to say?"
Naruto dithered for a moment, kicked one foot against a rotten floorboard and marshaled his courage.
...is her sister really dead?"
His mentor blinked once. It was a testament to their familial relationship that Silco didn't simply order him out then and there, much less snap at him for his sudden insolence. He stood his ground. Silco respected that. Enough to lower his guard and offer him the eyedropper on his desk.
"To the best of my knowledge, yes." he didn't flinch as he brought the tool just over his damaged eye. "Marcus assured me that he killed her with his own two hands."
Naruto nodded once, squinting a little as he lined up the needle within. "I don't like that one. He's slippery."
"He has his uses."
The blond quieted his heart and squeezed the trigger.
Silco grunted once and doubled over with a gasp as he injected the much-needed medicine. A moment passed between the two of them, between Father and Son as Silco collected himself. A single violet tear ran the length of Silco's cheek, dripping from his blackened iris. At length he straightened, fixed his hair once more, and leaned back against his chair.
Only then did he speak. "Why the sudden curiosity? Do you know something?"
He didn't. But he suspected.
"Its just...!" when his gaze met his, Naruto refused to back down. Instead he pursed his lips. "I've just got a bad feeling about this. I wanna talk to him."
"I'll arrange a meeting." he waved a hand. "Let me know if his story...deviates from what he's told me."
The agreement startled him. "Just like that? I thought you'd disagree with me."
"Trust your instincts, boy. They've not steered you wrong before.
He cracked a smile. "Thanks, dad."
Silco coughed once but didn't deny him...nor his words. Naruto permitted himself a vindictive little thrill. Heh. Got 'em.
An idea struck Silco, then. He saw it in his father's face, the slight widening of his good eye.
"These...clones of yours. How many can you create?"
Naruto's smile was positively contagious. "As many as you need. Why...?"
"Just a thought." His fingers drummed across the desk. "I may need you for an...operation, three days from now."
Well, that didn't sound ominous at all. They preferred to keep his abilities hidden, the better to keep Piltover off balance. But if Silco wanted him to use his gifts openly for once...it meant their timeline had moved up. If they'd lost today's shipment, things might've been set back weeks. But they hadn't. And now things were advancing, the cause marching relentlessly onward. The thought warmed him.
"Is there anything else?"
A pause, considering his words. "No."
Naruto gave a nod and turned to leave. "Alright. I'll be going, then."
"Son."
A pleasant little thrill sot down his spine. He paused and looked back. "Yeah?"
Silco met his gaze intently. "...look after her."
The ghost of a smile touched his face.
"Always will."
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto found her.
Of course he found her.
Jinx didn't expect any less of him.
He always knew where to find her when she was down; when she felt weak, tiny, helpless and small. Maybe it was magic. It might be some sixth sense of his, fine-tuned just for her sake. She liked that idea. To be honest she didn't know, and truth be told, she didn't really care how he managed it.
He was here. Now. That was all that mattered.
She heard the heavy clomp of his boots against the metal floor, a steady thud-thud-thud as he neared her hidey-hole. In her mind's eye she imagined the lively beat of some great drum pounding away in her ears. Almost brought a smile to her face, that.
"He doesn't care about you."
Her smile faded. "Shut up. What do you know?"
"C'mon, Jinx." Naruto's voice cut through the static. "Why're ya sulking? We kicked ass today!"
"..."
He was trying to get a rise out her; to make her respond and reveal herself. Well, tough tots! She wasn't falling for that. Not this time.
She'd hidden herself in one of the maintenance tunnels leading to her workshop...or it had been a tunnel, once upon a time. These days it was a passageway of mismatching pillows and blankets, a riot of color, a fort of sheer fluffiness; the entryway of which was concealed by a single tattered sheet.
They'd built it together. It was her own little refuge, a quiet place tucked away from the world where she went when it felt like everything wanted to hurt her.
And right now? It felt the entire universe was pressing down around her ears.
"He'll leave you."
Piss off! Pesky voices!
"What, nothing to say?" She heard him smack his lips with an audible pop as he wandered their workshop. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
His footsteps came close. Closer. Closest still. His shadow lingered just beyond the sheet. Yup. He definitely knew where she was. Blast him. She squirmed backwards too late; a hand swept under the worn fabric and lifted it, careful not to tear the ruined sheet further.
Bright blue eyes beamed back at her, framed by a cheeky smile. "Hello, clever girl."
Despite her best efforts, Jinx felt a faint heat bloom in her face.
Clever girl. His nickname for her. He only ever used it when she was at her wits end. She certainly felt like it now.
He saw her indecision and winked at her. "Room for one more under there?"
Jinx scooted aside and he joined her in the ruined fort.
The moment he did, Jinx felt her resolve crumble. Her body betrayed her; she found herself leaning into him. Her forehead kissed his shoulder. An arm came down around her waist and pulled her close. She reveled in it, embracing the simple warmth his body offered her. They sat like that in companionable silence for some time content to just sit and be.
And then. "Wanna talk about it?"
She huffed. "No."
"Alright."
Her lips pursed, forming a thin line hard enough to bruise. "He thinks I'm weak."
She half expected him to argue, to say that she was wrong. All she received was silence. Terrible, awful silence. It dragged on and her thoughts went with it, spiraling down, down, down into something ugly. Did he think the same? N-No. Of course not. He wouldn't do that. Would he?
Jinx rounded on him. "I'm not weak!"
She wasn't prepared for his smile. This one was different than the others. It had an impish air to it, his inner prankster peeking out behind the glass of his eyes.
"Never said you were." His grin deepened, becoming pure teeth. "Lets show him how strong you are."
All her fears burned away to ash. "Really?"
"Yup. C'mon, I've got an idea...
(.0.0.0.)
It was a rather nice explosion, Naruto thought.
Below him, he could hear the screams as the fairground burned.
...it was a decent distraction. Some enforcers would die because of Jinx's trap, but no innocents. No children. The guards would rush down there, blissfully unaware of what they'd done. What they'd taken. But they would know. Sooner or later. Because of him. Because of her. People had died tonight. There could be no turning back from this. He hardened his heart to them and kept walking.
"Whiskers...?"
"Let 'em burn, Jinx." a shimmering red eye glared over his shoulder, the eye of a beast. "Its no longer our concern." he held the blazing blue gemstone in his off hand; held it up before his eye, considering it. "We got what we came for." his fist closed around it.
...mm'kay." she squeezed his hand and skipped on ahead. "Best date ever~!"
Naruto nearly missed a step and stumbled. "Date?"
"Well, duh!" she winked over her shoulder. "What did you think this was?"
A rueful sigh escaped him. Hardly what one would consider a date, this. Then he paused. Considered her anew. Frowned. Because you see, Jinx had paused too. She was looking back at him now. Really looking at him. He wasn't sure he liked that look; if only because he'd never seen it before. His lips pursed into a baffled line. "Uh, you alright?'
...don't move."
She stepped up, grabbed him by the face and kissed him. It was a soft, shy thing, almost tentative really. He was left with the linger scent of smoke and something sweet. Almost like sugar. He nearly licked his lips then thought better of it at the last second. If her gaze had been sharp before, now it was smoldering.
"There." she retreated quickly, hands clasped behind her back. "How did that feel?"
Naruto blinked once, tried to speak, and managed a string of gibberish.
Her grin was too pure. "I'm guessin' that's good? C'mon! Lets go!"
Laughter spilled into the night as they ran.
A/N: Jinx stakes her claim!
Vi, honey, you'd be better off staying in Stillwater. You really don't want to mess with this...
As ever, we're following the Ember's Rule here. That's no joke. Really, it isn't.
If folks don't like this...well, I won't continue it. Every bit of feedback helps. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule, I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up!
As ever, reviews are my lifeblood. Without them, I cannot write.
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Revieeeeew, Would You Kindly?
They keeps an old man alive.
And enjoy the previews.
As ever:
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Get ready to smile~!
Obvious references are obvious~!
(POTENTIAL!) Previews! What can I say? I've been busy.
Jinx whimpred. "I'm the only one you need. You...you wouldn't lie to me, right?"
Marcus slammed backward. "I don't know anything. She's dead! I swear."
Red eyes locked on him. "Swear to me...
"Its time to let the monster out."
...you love her, don't you."
"Yeah." Naruto looked away to hide the head in his cheeks. "I think I do."
"Today's the day you die, Naruto."
...no. I don't think so. You can burn. All of you. Burn!"
"Six enforcers! Dead! DEAD! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
"Actually," Jinx held up the gemstone, "I do. Look at this~!
All of Silco's anger withered away.
"That is why we fight."
Naruto huffed. "I hate needles."
"There, there." Singed patted his shoulder. "You're doing very well. I had a child once, you know. A daughter."
His right ear twitched. "You did? What happened to her?"
The silence was telling.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. The fault is mine, not yours. And this "chakra" of yours will change the world...
"We can do it. With him at our side, Piltover will fall."
"I will KILL whoever I have to, if it means keeping her safe."
"Oh, Powder...
"Don't!" She slammed back. "Don't call me that!"
"Fear...
Naruto looked up.
"I'm afraid of a lot of things. Not you. And this is my dream." his body twisted, blue eyes blazing red. "Not yours. NOW GET OUT."
R&R~!
