A/N: EDIT: Not much in the way of feedback for this chapter, eh? Silence really hurts ya know...T_T
In other news, turns out I may need surgery after all. Long story short, the nerves in my back are all wonky, which is causing pain in my legs since early this year. Also numbness, which is never a good thing. I can still walk, but my legs just aren't as strong as they used to be. And that's worrying enough.
Sadly, Ronin is unable to help with this story -he's still getting caught up on Ei's quest atm- and I don't want to overwork him. Dark is more of an eidting chap, and Striker is recovering from Covid.
In other words, this story falls to me.
As ever, the Embers Rule persists. If folks don't like this...well. I won't continue it. Sorry, but its the sad truth. I don't have a team anymore, meaning I'm writing almost EVERYTHING by myself. At the end of the day, this is a HOBBY for me, one I don't get paid for. To top if off, I'm working two jobs. As such, I haven't the time to write a story no one likes. So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourselves heard!
Now for your questions, comments, and concerns. We'll keep it brief this time.
Q: Update schedule?
A: A bit hectic to say the least; I wasn't happy with the length of my last few updates; therefore, No Heroes Here is shaping up to be a LONG chapter, as is An Untraveled Road, Golden Grimm, Doctor of Demons, Take the Girl, Bones, Archon, Love Bites, Misadventures, and the rest. The list goes on. Likewise, I'm wrapping up several stories; Rags to Riches, All Things Must Die, Not My Lady, Best Served Cold, etc...
Again, the list goes on.
My dream is to entertain people, and short chapters just don't cut it these days.
Q: You updating your older stories?
A: Yup. Been doing that for a bit now. With three co-writers, anything is possible.
Q: Ayo, who's the big bad in this story now that Ei is -mostly!- calmed down for the time being?
A: Woulda thought that was obvious. You'll see.
Q: Wait, wait, wait...did that girl say PAPA?!
A: Read and see~!
Alight, I've kept you long enough.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, quotes, themes or memes!
I sincerely hope this chapter brings a smile to your face in these trying times...
"Yes, yes, of course, something interesting happens the moment I turn my back...
...well? Did you need something? You have a grim look about you.
Come now, don't make that face. Tell me what's wrong."
~Yae.
A Loving Audience
A day passed slowly.
Truth be told Naruto found himself somewhat grateful for the gradual grind of the hours; after all, he was in no hurry to see Mei and Ei come to blows. The outcome of the battle wasn't so much in question-why would it be, when he already knew who would win?- as much as the pain that would follow.
Yet more and more, it seemed they would come to such.
In two days time, they would fling themselves at one another, and only the strongest would triumph. One of them might even die.
He'd spent most of the first day -today!- trying to talk them down, and where had that gotten him?! Nowhere! They were so damnably stubborn! Keeping them apart didn't work either; both were hellbent on their duel. Short of tying them up and sitting on them, it was going to happen, one way or another.
...unless he found a way to distract them.
Still, he'd managed to wring a cessation of hostilities from them in the interim. Those two could snipe at one another all they wanted before the duel; as long as they didn't slay each another when he wasn't looking. And make no mistake, he was watching them. He had three squads of shadow clones on standby at all times now; one to watch Mei; another to observe Ei, and a third group dedicated to helping him ponder out the problem of their upcoming duel. That lot was behind closed doors right now, all fifty of them, arguing fiercely among themselves.
For now, he had no choice but to wait.
But waiting had never been his style. No sir, not him.
In the end, he sought advice from...not a friend, but an interested party.
...really?" a familiar voice rang in his ear, snapping him back to reality. That's the only reason you came? And here I thought you were thirsty."
"Persistent kitsune."
Naruto heaved a sigh. 'I don't wanna hear that from you!'
Nevertheless, he favored Yae with a bemused look. "Trying to get me drunk?"
"Perish the thought." her lively eyes sparkled with mirth. "I'm not one to engage in suicidal endeavors. Besides," she hummed a little and matched him, drinking deeply before continuing, "The field is a little too full for my liking at present. Were I to make a move on you now, I might find myself struck by lightning...but I can still look, so long as I don't touch."
He chuckled. "I'm flattered."
"You'd best be." she batted long lashes at him as she refilled their cups. "Really, its a pity I didn't find you first. The mischief we would've made...but no." she composed herself after a moment's pause. "As I said before, in another lifetime, perhaps."
'You say that now, but just how long have you been alive-
Wicked violet orbs locked onto him, no doubt sensing his thoughts. "Finish that sentence at your own peril."
Kurama chuckled, sending a rush of heat to his cheeks.
"Alright, alright...
The grand narukami shrine was a peaceful place indeed; better yet, at this hour, it was nigh on deserted. So late in the evening, many of the maidens had gone home, and while he had glimpsed what seemed to be a little tanuki girl scampering about, she seemed intent on hiding. Far be it from him to bother her. He had more important matters to attend to.
Just the two of them and the sunset...as intended. He didn't want anyone else to overhear this.
"So," he said apropos of nothing, "I'm stumped. Any idea on how to stop them?"
"Hmm. Lets see here." Yae thumbed her chin, ears flicking as she began to count down on the fingers of one hand. "Impossibly stubborn, jumps straight to the most extreme course of action imaginable, presumes her sheer will can see her through despite a near impossible goal that requires nothing short of the very peak of her abilities? Yes, that sounds like Ei, alright." A coy smile graced her lips. "And now she's upset the Shogun, also impossibly stubborn in her own way. Did you expect anything less?"
"Yae!"
"What?" she tilted her head, setting her Vision swinging. I was simply being honest. And then there's Mikoto to consider." a pale finger flicked his nose, drawing a scowl from him. "Tell me, how DID you manage to craft her a body? You spent a week in the plane of Euthymia after all...
Blood rushed to his face for an altogether different reason.
Makoto was off running interference between Mei and Ei, bless her soul. They might have come to blows already, if it weren't for her. Things between the two of them remained complicated to say the least. Even now he found it hard to believe that she'd started all this. Had she planned to be resurrected after all these years? It was hard to believe, but with her, anything might've been possible...
Which in turn begged the question-what was her endgame?
"I...don't know. I mean, I don't think I intentionally made her a body, that is." he hastened to explain at Yae's baffled look. "A fragment of spirit was in Ei's sword, and when she stabbed me with it, something happened." he touched a hand to the still mending wound in his chest. "Next thing I knew, I could hear her voice, see her. Things went downhill from there...
"Hmm." Yae tapped her chin. "Seems to me she drank up a fair bit of your life-force and used that to reconstitute herself."
A grimace touched his face. "Good thing I've got a lot of it...
"So from what you've told me of her, the two of you met in the past, no?"
An angry lance of agony stabbed at the back of his skull. He could recall that much, damaged though his memories on the matter were. "Yeah."
"And yet you never met Ei until you came to this era?"
Of that much, he was certain.
"Oh, my." A tail manifested behind Yae and began wagging to and fro. "My, my, my." Judging by the blissful expression on her face, he doubted she even noticed it. "Yes, I think I've got the grasp of it now. She kept you secret, even from Ei, her own twin." her grin was mischievous indeed."And when, with her dying breath, she sent you to the future to help her recover from the pain of her demise. In doing so, Makoto must've knowingly or unknowingly erased your memories of her. You only began to recover them when the two of you were reunited upon the plane of Euthymia...don't move!"
She bolted to her feet with a sudden cry, raced off, and returned with pen and paper.
Plonking herself down before him, she began to write feverishly.
...what're you doing?"
"Taking notes." Yae hummed, not once looking his way. "What else would I need these for?" A second tail bloomed behind her, joining the first in swaying glee. "This will make for a fine light novel." As he looked on aghast she began to giggle. "A bestseller, I think." was she panting with glee? It sounded like it. "I'll play you royalties, of course...maybe make a few tweaks here and there...yes, yes! This'll be wonderful!"
Naruto coughed into a fist. "Getting off topic, here!"
"Hmm?" Her tails ceased swaying, but they didn't disappear. He didn't dare call her out on it. "I suppose we are, aren't we?" she scribbled down one last note and stowed it in the sleeve of her robes. "Makoto was ever the clever sort. Kind, generous, selfless to a fault. Always willing to share the rewards she reaped from life. Really, its no wonder she thought to send you Ei's way before her death." Something of his apprehension must have show through; because her smile dimmed. "Don't worry. Gods are capable of great things. I'm sure your memories will return in time."
He almost wished they wouldn't. Things were complicated enough with Mei and Ei, but now Makoto...?
No, he'd deal with that hurdle when the time came. For now, he needed to stop Mei and ei.
But how?
Makoto kept him on his toes, which made Mei huffy; that in turn, caused Ei to sulk.
She flounced when she sulked, ya know. Really put a swing into her hips-blast, he was getting distracted again.
In many ways the three of them had become an integral part of his new life; Makoto was the catalyst to it all; a past he couldn't quite recall, yet looked upon with fond apprehension. Mei was the present, as Shogun, she became the very embodiment of the change he'd sought to bring to this world. And Ei...she was the future. Distant and uncertain at times perhaps, yet brimming with potential.
Now if he could only find a way to help them coexist without killing one another...
"You're worried about them, aren't you?"
...yeah." He touched a hand to his head. "Terrified, really. Not of them, but what's about to happen. I don't think I can stop them from fighting...and if I force them apart, that might make things worse...
"And you fear Mei may murder Ei, just as Chiyo nearly did."
...that is a possibility, yes. How is she, by the way?"
"Well enough. She'll wake any day now...
His shoulders slumped. "Unless she can give them a reason to stop fighting, it won't help.
Yae fell silent for a time.
Had she given up, to? Whatwever were they going to do?"
"Give me three hours." Her sudden statement startled him. "Then call those silly girls here."
Naruto's head snapped up. "Eh?"
"Did I stutter?" the shrine maiden climbed to her feet, dusted down her robes, and stood. "Now shoo. I need to pay a visit to the Sacred Sakura tree, and I can't have you poking about-no, wait. I tell a lie. Give me your hand. Left or right. Doesn't matter."
Without thinking, he offered her his right palm. She grabbed it, flicked a clawed finger across it, and drew a bead of blood. He recoiled with a hiss, just in time to see her ferret the crimson liquid away into a vial. That too vanished up her sleeve, for purposes unknown. What in the world was she up to...?
"Yes, this will do nicely." the kitsune whispered, "Now I just need a bit of their hair...
Kurama whistled. "So that's what she intends. Clever girl. Well, it might just work...or blow up in her face."
There was something about Yae's words -and his!- that concerned him just now. "Your tone worries me."
"Oh? Does it now?" Her tails flicked, side-to-side. "Whatever for?"
"Oi," he grabbed at her sleeve. "What are you going to do?"
"Come now, let a lady keep some secrets...now shoo."
She sashayed away with a pleasant hum.
...he just couldn't let her have the last word. "Your tails are still out."
The noise Yae made -and her blush!- was well worth it. "You couldn't have told me sooner?!"
(.0.0.0.)
They arrived not three hours later. Right on the dot. Points for punctuality, he supposed.
Mei made it up the steps to the shrine first, just a beat ahead of the Ei and Makoto. Her eyes flicked to his, then roved up-down his body, as though she'd expected him to sustain another injury in her absence. He raised a hand to ward her off, to no avail. She was already upon him, snatching his arm and lifting it, checking the bandages on his chest.
"Hey! I'm fine!"
...acceptable." she huffed but didn't let go of his arm. He didn't miss the way her fingers slid down into his, nor the noise Ei made. "You are well, then?"
"Well enough...?" he shrugged.
Makoto and Ei caught up a heartbeat later; then came the questions.
"Why have you brought us here?"
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Is something wrong?"
"No, no, everything's fine." He opened his mouth to retort further that effect. "Well, its kinda complicated-
"Good," a familiar voice hummed, cutting him short. "You're all here. Right on schedule."
Naruto pivoted, eyes wide. When had Yae gotten behind him...?
She looked paler than he remembered, yet still she smiled.
"There's someone I'd like you all to meet." she declared, sweeping an arm behind her back. "She's been dying to meet you...
Her peace said, she stepped aside. The shrine fell silent in the night.
Naruto squinted. "Eh? Who's the runt?"
A little girl clad in elegant amber-on-black robes blinked up at him with startled violet blue eyes framed by hair not unlike that of...oh. Oh, dear. Said eyes widened as she saw him-her gaze tearing up with recognition. Her mouth worked wordlessly for a moment, as if she wanted to speak, but couldn't quite find the right words. And then.
"Go on, now." Yae nudged her. "Aren't you happy to see him?"
Naruto knew what was coming when she smiled. Somehow, he just knew.
She flung herself forward and hit his right leg; tiny arms latched on for dear life.
Faint, whiskered cheeks dimpled up in a smile brighter than the sun itself. "Papa-sama!"
"Papa?!"
Mei blinked, baffled as a butterfly in a windstorm. Ei gasped, hands flying to her face. Makoto tilted her head.
Naruto's reaction eclipsed them all. His eyes rolled back in his head and he keeled back with a wheeze.
The last thing he saw was that startled little girl gazing down at him. Papa, she'd said.
'Wait, wait, wait...that means...?! I have a kid?! I don't remember having a kid!'
His head struck something hard, firm, and utterly unyielding.
Sleep was a blessed release from this madness.
A/N: Yae, you clever girl...
Vote on the kiddo's name if you like. I'm open to suggestions.
Anyone care to guess what she did? I wasn't subtle. Naruto's kid pulled out of the future by a catalyst? Magic from the Gods? A clone of some sort?
One of these answers is correct, the other two are false. So by all means, guess.
Still, that's one day down, two to go. The duel creeps closer...
As ever, the Embers rule remains. If people don't like this story? If they don't enjoy it? Well...I'll not continue it. That's no joke, folks. I'm so busy these days with two jobs; basically, I don't have time off. Not anymore. My free time is limited and as such, I can't afford to focus on something folks don't like. Reviews keep me writing in these times, and keep the daily updates flowing. Silence...silence only hurts. I hate having to beg for feedback, but without it...well, it feels like I'm not making an impact.
Hell, it might even be ending soon. That depends on you, the reader.
By all means, speak up! Make yourselves heard!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the Previews!
As ever:
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Read at your own risk!
As ever, these are from the far flung future...or are they~?!
(Preview!)
"What's your name, kiddo?"
The little girl beamed. She couldn't have been more than seven years old.
"My name is...
"Her origins aside, it begs the question." Makoto steepled her fingers with a motherly smile. "Whose daughter is she?"
Ei and Mei exchanged a baleful glance with her. One spoke. "Well clearly she descends from me-
"On what grounds? She clearly has my regal bearing; none of your indecisiveness.
Sparks flew between their eyes as they glared at one another.
Felt good to relax, you know?
Of course, that wasn't to say his days were quiet either.
"Inazuma will not tolerate the Fatui here. Begone.
The Fatui Harbinger frowned. "Most unwise."
The Shogun was as good as her word and Ei was still recovering from her bout with him.
Which was why it came as something of a surprise when a stranger knocked on his door.
She took him by the hand and tugged him into a dark alcove.
"Hey, wait a sec!"
"This is my house." he raised a hand, palm keening with wind. "You came into MY house and pull a stunt like that?!"
Much of Inazuma has been chafing against the Shogun's policies for quite some time. You've led others to believe they can rebel and do what you did."
"For the love of...
And so the day of the duel came.
R&R~!