I do not own anything.
POISON DOVE & MAELSTROM FOX
Chapter 7 - Unexpected Reflections Pt.2
"Hey, Semi-chan, did it rain a lot where you lived?" Naruto asked, taking a quick look outside the glass window while checking his umbrella for any holes in it. Instead of holes, it had grease stains in it as proof he hadn't quite taken good enough care of it. Perhaps while he was out, he could get a new one.
"I lived in a desert, Naruto, rain was as common as you'd expected. When it came we were thankful, when there was a drought I had to figure out who had offended the gods, have them appropriately punished and so forth." She commonly replied, looking out at the gray sky before them. Science, as they called it nowadays, marched on while she'd been dead. Modern audiences would have scoffed at her description, but that was how times were. More than once she'd had to order someone's execution when rain had refused to fall and the masses had grown restless forcing her to find a scapegoat. Those hadn't been fun times nor had she done so with a smile on her face. "In your village did your people ever pray for rain?"
"Well, some summers were pretty brutal, it was a little hard trying to find anyone who'd sell me some water so I personally just stayed around a few lakes and rivers I used to play around or hide at." He answered, pushing the double doors open and stepping out into the shower. "One year in the spring, just before summer we had this really bad rainstorm, flooded a lot of the rivers and when the sun came out the next couple of days were really scorching hot. Almost made it too hot for anyone to go out."
"Mudslides and such were the case for me." When the rain came it was usually a welcome relief for everyone, sometimes even Semiramis herself. Granted, from time to time it made poisoning somewhat difficult as she had to take the weather into effect so she didn't overshoot or undershoot. "It gave me time to contemplate and it allowed for easy watering of my garden."
"You had a garden? Really? How big was it? What kind of plants did you grow?" Asked the boy with evident enthusiasm.
"You don't seem like the type who'd take an interest in gardening." Semiramis noted as thunder boomed above her head. Strangely, she felt at peace with the storm above her, maybe because if she could learn how to handle the five-foot maelstrom beside her. The weather wouldn't be much of an issue.
"I'm sorta used to that, a lot of people don't think I have it in me to take care of myself, much less plants." Responded the blond, looking somewhat dejected. "Well, most people do. There's a few who I talk to about gardening from time to time since they're the only ones that take my hobby seriously or don't laugh at it."
At that, Semiramis wasn't all that surprised. From what she'd gleaned, Naruto had built something of a steady and commendable circle of friends or close associates. If his previous mentioning of them was anything to go as well as her own experience, he was probably amongst the slowest of the band, yet still close enough to the others. In a way Semiramis was curious about that, she'd sensed an inhuman power inside of him and had seen Naruto push himself above and beyond what she thought was impossible. Perhaps those traits had been what moved others to gravitate towards him as well.
And yet, there was still one thing Semiramis couldn't shake, or rather one person she couldn't shake.
Another crash of thunder went off over head while lightning arced like serpents leaping after their prey. Hundreds of feet below the sky, her feet firmly planted on the ground and her face just another, albeit beautiful, one in the crowd Semiramis felt her hairs stand on end as if in warning. Something about the lightning in this world unnerved her after diving into Naruto's mind. He seemed to associate lightning and thunder with…pain, sadness from what she'd picked up. All of it pointed her in the direction of the last person whose image Naruto had thought of while he was in the genjutsu illusion.
Her first instinct was question Naruto, perhaps sit him down somewhere, treat him to lunch, and go from there. He was smarter than he looked, but she was still leagues above him and Naruto had a long way to go before he could be called socially savvy. Actually, something in her gut told her while the blond would improve, he'd never quite reach the level she or those she politically sparred with in life were at. Naruto just didn't seem to possess the temperament or even the desire to pick apart a person from a distance to know what made them tick. Since he was unwilling to and his life was no tied to hers, Semiramis realized that job was now hers. There wasn't any problem with that. She was perfectly suited to the task.
That dark-haired youth she'd seen in his mind was bothering her. Semiramis couldn't quite place it, but something about the way Naruto's mind, even when under the influence of illusions seemingly bent and warped around him. In her experience that only happened when the person in question was of great importance to the target. Less than a day ago she would have used that information in another shot at her freedom, but after their "talk" Semiramis had to shelve the idea. Now she worried about how it could be used against her Master.
As they walked through the rain, Naruto's umbrella held up high to protect them, it occurred to Semiramis that she still knew so little about her Master. Little over a week verging on two weeks had passed since her summoning and yet they were still almost perfect strangers to each other. Were this a Holy Grail War that wouldn't mean much since odds were the war would have been over or entering its final phase. Typically, Holy Grail Wars were prepared for years in advance only to be swiftly ended in a couple of days. A somewhat bitter irony she'd always found a sort of dark joy in. Maybe because it hearkened back to her own life, or that it resonates with her, a person who liked distasteful matters settled as quickly as possible. In the ordinary span of three days she would have deemed her Master worthy or not and that would have been the end of it, in this case she didn't really have much choice.
Not to mention though it hadn't exactly been what she'd been expected, Naruto had proved himself to be an interesting enough Master.
Naruto himself wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the people of this city, but she was. Just as she thought, eyes were drawn to her like moths to a flame. It was only natural of course, she was after all a foreign to this entire world. Semiramis had already resigned herself to the reactions they were seeing as they passed from block to block together. Naruto kept silent and simply gazed in slight awe at the buildings and shops they passed while Semiramis always made sure to keep an eye on the lookout. What had been started last night wasn't over, she could feel it in her bones.
The men were the most drawn to her, which was entirely naturally. Semiramis was beautiful, the most beautiful woman in all of Assyria during her time. While there might have been a few contenders none could entirely match her, at least not when it came to the things most men of note found attractive. That was no different here in this realm based on that of Japan.
Men leered at her from their places on the streets and from behind the windows of the dozens of shops they passed. Greed, lust, ambition, they were all so painfully easy to read it was almost criminal. A part of her actually somewhat enjoyed the attention, after remaining in reclusive hiding for so long it was a little nice to be able to strut her legs; the attention that came with it she could bear.
As the men couldn't help but give her either their full or undivided attention, the women gave her a somewhat colder reception as Semiramis had predicted. Some looked at her with envy or awe, while others looked at her with scorn for stealing the attention they believed was supposedly theirs. Mentally, the Servant turned her nose to them, they had no one but themselves to blame for not being able to hold their man's attention.
Briefly, she looked back to her Master, still looking the same wide-eyed and innocent-hearted child she'd first met. He was completely blind to the looks not only she was receiving but the ones being directed his way. Semiramis was actually somewhat thankful for that. Some of the men were looking at Naruto as if he were an ant trucking across their foot, no doubt on account of him being so close to her whereas they couldn't even work up the courage to return her sideways glances.
"Hey, Semi-chan? You okay?"
"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just…remembering the last time I walked the town such as this. This is actually the first time I've done so in the rain and there are still people out and about."
"What were rainy days like?"
"Days for reflection." She answered calmly. "Did you spend them playing in the rain?"
"Once I spent them training all day, Grandma Tsunade and Sakura weren't exactly happy when I showed up two days later for a mission with a cold." Answered the genin.
"So, this is a trait of yours? Running head-long ahead? Wonderful."
"Hey! Just because I don't stop and plan out my every move, doesn't mean I'm not cautious! I can be careful!" He shouted in protested. Was this going to become a regular thing for them? Worse, he recalled what she'd seen earlier about the two of them sharing memories, he really didn't want the black-haired woman's muses to be validated. Or at least not without him being able to put up some sort of argument in his defense. "Look, I was all better in a day or so, no biggie."
"You mentioned those names earlier, Tsunade and Sakura? Who are they?" She was going to have to start learning about him eventually, why not start now. "You kept calling this Tsunade person grandma, can I assume the two of you are related? Long lost relative you never truly asked for?"
"Sorta, not that we're related by blood or anything. Remember how I told you the leader in my village is called the Hokage and there have been four? Well, she's the granddaughter of the village's first Hokage, but you wouldn't know it. Oh, and she's also Pervy Sage's old teammate, again, not that you'd know that."
"Why?" So far, this Tsunade was sounding slightly interesting, granted Naruto's description was raising a few concerns. All that aside, her heart went out to this woman due to being that old hermit's teammate. She could only speculate his perversion must have started with her and simply went from there. Already the woman has my sympathy. "You keep saying I wouldn't be able to tell."
"See, unlike Pervy Sage, she uses jutsu to keep herself looking young and pretty. She's really just as old as Pervy Sage, but looking at her you'd think she's in her twenties or something." Naruto explained, screwing up his face.
"…Really? That's it?"
"Huh? What do you mean that's it?"
"Naruto, in my time such things were entirely common." Semiramis scoffed. "A woman's vanity can know no bounds, since apparently you've had very little female influence in your life it falls to me to do so. Besides," she leered at him with a slight smile. "For all you know, I could be an old crone using magecraft to make myself look young and beautiful. Would that lessen your opinion of me?"
"N-N-N-No, I-I'd like you with whatever appearance y-you took! I-I'd just want you be honest with me! That's all!" Comically exclaimed the panic boy making yet another scene. Eyes turned to them at the volume of his voice and antics. Normally, Semiramis would have slapped him for bring them unwanted attention, but in this case she could let it go. Fooling with the boy did offer her some level of amusement. "I just mean I prefer people that are honest with themselves. Anyway, like I said, unlike Pervy Sage, you wouldn't be able to tell she's in her fifties. Just seems kinda like vain thing to do."
"Vanity is part of a woman's nature. Someday, when you begin to take an interest in women, you'll understand." She wrote off. "What about this other girl, Sakura? Who is she?"
"She's my teammate and one of my friends. I…kinda…um…you…she and I are…" Naruto began then slowly rambled off, looking away.
Oh yeah, this little fool's already fallen for someone. Though something tells me the feelings aren't exactly recuperated. Thought the ancient queen with a mental eyeroll. "What is she like?"
"Loud, very upfront when she wants to be, but she's one of the smartest people I know. Truth is, with my team she was the smartest." He laughed, looking back on pleasant memories. "But she's got a very strong right hook, one that I've…uh…been on the receiving end of several times."
"Care to explain the circumstances to me?"
"Do I have to?" Whined the male.
"Very well, I'll take what I want from your memories. It makes no difference to me." Her nonchalant remark made his eyes widen.
"What?! Wait, you said the memory thing was random!" Naruto shouted.
It was, it wasn't like she had total control over what memories she was able to view nor was Naruto. The illusion she could was just one little power she'd hold over his head until things changed. There'd be no harm in it, plus it was an easy way to keep him in line. "Moving back to this Tsunade woman, you continuously call her Grandma, and she lets you get away with this despite her being your superior? Either you're very bold or this woman is incredibly lax with you."
"Well, I don't know about that, but I know Grandma's got a heart beneath everything she tries to put up."
"I see," She said solemnly, looking away. Naruto spoke of this woman in the same way people spoke of their nagging parents or grandparents, nagging but affectionate. So, he at least has a mother figure in his life. That's… She never finished the thought, either out of disinterest…or because continuing it would have been too painful for her. "Dare I inquire to know what her relationship with the hermit is? Ex-lovers?"
"Maybe, Pervy Sage does something stupid, she hits him, rinse, wash, and repeat is all I see." He answered, looking completely dispassionate.
So that's a yes. Semiramis thought with a mental dry stare. This woman was either crazy for becoming involved with that white-hair buffoon or their separation had been the catalyst for Jiraiya to become the person he is today. She wasn't sure which reason was more depressing.
"All that aside, she's the best medical ninja in the world, she can cure any injury. She even helped this friend of mine, Lee. She healed his legs after they were broken and everyone kept saying he'd never be a ninja again, not to mention she helped my sensei and other teammate, Sasuke."
"So…she's a healer." That was…somewhat unexpected, yet Semiramis felt like it must have been felt. Naruto seemed pretty close to this woman who on top of being his supreme superior, was also a healer, the best in this world. Interesting set up, Zelretch. "I wonder if her healing capabilities are a match for my poisons. Perhaps one day we'll clash and see which is stronger."
"Um, I…don't think that'd be a good idea." Naruto muttered, looking visibly unnerved at the thought.
"Why? Don't think I have it in me, Master, are you doubting your dear Servant?"
"N-N-No, I-I just, gah, why do you keep doing this to me?!" Shouted the red-faced boy, looking like he was on the verge of a breakdown.
"Because, you make it so easy and enjoyable." Semiramis laughed as a somewhat frigid wind blew through the street. To her it wasn't anything to be concerned about, but she did take it as an omen. "Say, has your stomach started growling yet?"
"Well, I think it's about to. Earlier, didn't you say you didn't need to eat?"
"True, to me there's just the simple pleasure that comes from it." She explained, looking wistful. "Though I doubt anything in this shoddy little town can compare to my own town, I'll take what I can attain, not to mention I've grown rather tired of those 'home-cooked' meals of yours and the hermit's. I'm interested in having some actual food."
Naruto, at that moment, was actually wishing he hadn't asked. The answer was a tad bit more than what he was expecting, or wanted to hear. "Gee, picky, aren't you?"
In response, she shot him a sideways glare. "I'm a queen, even if I must lower myself to the role of a Servant, I still have my pride. You can't expect me to throw that away, death will claim me long before that happens."
Taking note of that declaration, Naruto turned his attention to any restaurant that might have served to satisfy his Servant. His original plan of finding a ramen stand had just gone out the window as he was sure if he did offer it, Semiramis would have his head. It also raised something of a dilemma on what to do when they finally returned to the Leaf Village. Would she be willing to try Ichiraku? Could he at least convince her to visit it every now and then if only for his sake?
Congrats, brat, you've taken your first step into adulthood. Cackled a feral voice deep within his subconscious. Learning how to put your mate's desires over your own, have fun in slavery!
Hey! I'm not a slave and she's not my mate! Don't compare us to you! Shouted back the angry but flustered genin, wishing he could materialize some form of his inner demon to smack. This was in no way what growing up was like. Was it?
"After hearing all that, do you still want to go through with this?"
The blue-masked ninja snorted in disgust at his companion. In response, the bald-headed rogue refused to flinch under his partner's piercing glare as so many before him had done. They'd done this song and dance so many times it'd almost become boring. "If we shirked away from challenges like this we never would have made it out of the academy, much less made Anbu. Besides, Kichiro, if we back out now, where exactly do you suggest we go? We've bet everyone on this."
The brown-bearded ex-Anbu bit his lips and tightened his hands into fists at the unfortunate reminder of their situation. Kichiro had never been a betting man, and yet for better or for worse he'd found himself practically attached to the hip of a man who seemed hellbent on gambling away everything of value in his life. Coming up through the ranks so many of his peers had placed high hopes on him, and many expressed their disappointment when he chose to follow Maebara into his self-imposed exile. According to them, he bore little to no blame in the blunder that had cost the Hidden Cloud several good shinobi and blown diplomatic relationships with the Land of Water, and yet he'd chosen to follow his old friend into the darkness. The same old friend who now hid his scarred face behind a mask.
Maebara took his associate's silence as an answer onto itself. Turning back to the ledge, he looked through the eye-holes in his Anbu mask, one of the few reminders of his past life and honor as a ninja of the Hidden Cloud Village. "We'll separate the two of them, subdue the Jinchūriki then hightail it back. By the time either that old bastard or that strange woman realize what's happened, we'll be long gone."
"Again, a bold assumption." Kichiro declared, stepping up beside him. The rain had grown harder and steadier to the point not even his hoodie was able to completely block out the moisture. If he'd been a more sentimental man, he would have taken the downpour and constant rumbling of thunder as a sign that their plan was foolhardy and borderline suicidal. "Maebara, surely you can sense it as well, that woman is not normal."
"…I can, and that's why we have to remove her from the board." Dark eyes watched the pale-skinned woman move through the crowd, her own gaze slightly shifting from one portion of the street to the next. She knew they were being followed, and no doubt the minute they showed themselves she'd kill Maebara and his entire team. His blood tingled a little at the thought if entering into a potential life or death battle. It was just like the old days. "I have a plan, but in order for it to work I'm going to need your help."
"You believe my jutsu will be enough to subdue her?" Kichiro questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"It's never let us down before, has it?" Chuckled the ex-Anbu captain. "We've been tailing the brat and his Master for almost four days, that woman is bound to that kid by some form jutsu or agreement, she wants her freedom. All you have to do is give her a world where she's free to do whatever she wants, by the time she realizes she's been tricked she really will be free. If anything, she'll be thanking us."
Kichiro was less willing to believe the woman would take kindly to being fooled. She had an aura of danger and otherworldly darkness around her that silently warded off the weak-willed and unworthy. Without a doubt she and the blond Jinchūriki were an odd pair, the dark-haired woman gave off the look and feel of a person who wouldn't be caught dead with the likes of a Jinchūriki. Then again, given her own malicious aura, perhaps it was just case of evil attracting evil. "It won't be easy."
"Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, old friend. Based on what we've observed, the woman isn't to be underestimated, so we'll remove her from the board first. The kid's nothing but a genin so he'll be easy pickings."
"Not entirely." Grunted Kichiro, crossing his arms. "Remember, this boy tangled with the Demon of the Hidden Mist, fought the Sand Village's Jinchūriki, defeated the lord of the Land of Snow, and protected the fat king of the Crescent Moon Kingdom. At some point all this crosses from luck into outright skill." In truth, the former Cloud ninja was actually quite impressed by the boy's record. It may have been a slow start, but it truly was beginning to show he was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
"All that taken into account, he's still a hyperactive brat prone to getting in over his head." Maebara replied, "We take advantage of that and it should be smooth sailing."
"I've heard that before." Thunder echoed his statement, causing Maebara to roll his eyes behind his mask.
"How about we get this operation under way so you can finally stop worrying? We went through a lot of trouble to get these summonings, what better test for them than fighting the strongest of the nine Tailed Beasts?"
"Maebara, we already tested the Ōkubi, we've tested them dozens of times. You're just looking for an excuse to show them off, aren't you?" Asked the genjutsu user.
"Well, why not? It'll certainly look better when we're able to return to the village with not only the Leaf's secret weapon, but a weapon of our own capable of overcoming a Jinchūriki in battle."
"Alright, now you're really getting delusional."
"Just shut up and get into position!"
Sighing in exhaustion, the former Anbu did as instructed, already knowing something in this carefully put together plan was going to go wrong. It wasn't as if Kichiro was a pessimist, he simply did his best to read the situation and mood and make the appropriate decision. Then there were times when that option had to be thrown out the window. This was one of those times. Kichiro never really relished those times, but something in his gut told him that this time, this time there were going to be far graver consequences…for everyone involved.
"Smh, whmlf dolf you thult?"
"Please, do not talk with your mouth full." Groaned the Assyrian queen, throwing a hand over her head. "It's incredibly disrespectful and ungentlemanly, not to mention you're giving us a bad image." Through her fingers, she dared glance around at the other dinners finding a fair bit of attention had been drawn to them, or rather her. It had followed her in from the streets into this decent-looking dinner. The second she walked through the door, Semiramis felt almost all eyes instantly fall upon her, filling the Servant with a partial sense of pride and annoyance. "But, to answer your question, yes, it's surprisingly better than what I was expecting."
She had to admit, there was something childishly cute about seeing Naruto's stuffed face smiling at her. It was so…innocent and blissful. Come to think of it, she'd actually never had someone eat like that around her, hell, she'd never had anyone act the way Naruto acts around her.
For years she'd become used to eating nothing but the finest possible food prepared by cooks, well aware a swift execution would be a mercy if they failed in satisfying her and her possible guests. Instead the cooks were honest, hard-working common folk who likely couldn't even pronounce her name, let alone cared she was royalty. Her food was already prepared and normal-looking set of meat slaps and chicken ran through on a stick, dipped in sauce that worked its way into her nose and had her licking her lips in anticipation. Against all odds, it tasted as good as the patiently-crafted and well-cooked meals of her royal court. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that for the first time since childhood, she felt…ordinary.
"S-Sorry, about that." Naruto finally said with a sheepish grin, grabbing a set of napkins to wipe his mouth. "So, you're um, okay with eating at a place like this?"
"Naruto, I already told you, while I do have standards I'm not as ungrateful as to deny what's being offered to me when its of value." She'd eaten through four skewers already, and still she was feeling hungry. Semiramis had no idea how much money Naruto had on him, but if it wasn't enough hopefully a few ancient Assyrian coins made of pure gold would be enough to square their debt. By all signs the workers here were just as foolish and greedy and those back home so hopefully she wouldn't have to raise too much of a fuss. "I'll say this, eating…commoner food, isn't as bad as I thought it would be."
"Let me guess, you ate nothing but five-star meals cooked by some cooks and ate in some big fancy dining rooms?" Naruto guessed with a quirk brow.
"Well, actually, I suppose I did somewhat live like a commoner and eat like one until my first marriage. It's just that time was so long ago I hardly remember it."
Her matter-of-fact tone both surprised and worried Naruto somewhat, and it showed on his face.
"That is to say, I'm…rediscovering some things about myself by being at your side. I did have little meals like this with my father from time to time." Her gaze turned from him to the window where outside the rain had picked up greatly. It seemed almost as if the streets were beginning to flood a little, forcing many inhabitants off the streets and into shelter. In spite of that, Semiramis were looking out at the rain as if it were an evening sunset, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "My father was a fisherman, he met my mother by a river and sometime later they spawned me."
"River, huh? Bit of a weird place to meet a goddess." Noted the blond.
"Not so much since my mother was a fish goddess, I believe the closest term for her appearance would be she was a mermaid."
"Your mom was a mermaid?! That's awesome!"
"Not so loud!" She hissed. "She…never mind, let's not talk about the topic of parentage since I imagine it's just as painful for you as it is for me." Since her eyes were shut, she failed to notice the brief flash of depression that colored Naruto's face. Maybe she felt it as she quickly decided to change the topic. "This training trip you're on, was it suggested by Tsunade?"
"No…actually. I…sorta decided it myself, kinda." His eyes darted to the side then focused back on Semiramis who was now looking at him. For better or for worse, he'd caught her attention and now he had to pay the toll. "You see it all-"
Just before it happened, Naruto caught the widening of Semiramis' eyes. For a hot second, he had enough time to put two and two together; inwardly he clapped his hands in joy as it seemed some unseen force had just saved his ass. It just came at the expanse of everyone else's sense of safety and calm as the entire diner shook like a boat out on open water. Panicked screams and shrieks went up as lunch-goers gripped their tables and each other while in the back the sound of metal crashing and clinging resounded like the thunder outside. At first, Naruto thought the shaking simply was due to the thunder, but three seconds later and he knew the shaking wasn't from the thunder.
Outside the window, pandemonium had taken hold of citizens and was holding them in an iron vice grip. Those who were still outside hugged the ground in fright, even as the rain-soaked earth began to crack and groan and eventually splitter open in several places. The water that had once flooded the streets now began to drain away into several fissures that lead into a black abyss. Cracks formed in windows, and some windows outright shattered as did several wooden stands and vendors taking with them their products. The owners were far too concerned with their own safety to care too much about their lost goods.
This isn't right. The Servant immediately deduced. While everyone in the diner, her Master included, panicked and screamed their heads off, somewhat annoyingly, Semiramis remained perfectly calm. Those around her had become a collection of stormy waves while she remained a long ship out at sea, her mast held high and her course being decided upon. Even the skewer in her hands remained where it was, inches from her lips. Across from her, Naruto's plates clattered to the ground, speaking of which, he'd joined many others in dropping beneath the table.
"Semiramis! What are you, nuts?!" He shouted from down south with his hand pulled over his head.
"Need I remind you that I am leagues above the average human thus a tremor like this is little more than a gentle breeze?" Her voice was stoic, so quiet the genin barely heard it over the nonstop shaking plaguing the town.
Peeking out from the table, Naruto stared at his Servant in open-mouthed shock. As everything around her fell apart, she remained so chillingly calm that she seemed almost superhuman. Naruto was both impressed and horrified.
Even when they heard what must have been the literal crash of thunder did she remain as cool as ice.
Naruto, as did many others, quite literally jump in his skin. The end result was his spiky head smacking hard against the table, causing him to rub his skull while cartoonish tears formed in his eyes. Semiramis would have taken the short second to reprimand him, but her eyes were alert and her face had turned serious. She may not have been scared, but her attention had now been fully captivated. Her golden eyes swept to the window, or rather where the window used to be. Her nose smelled smoke, lightning had struck somewhere and fire had been born in its wake. Four more earth-shaking crashes shook the diner and everyone in it before Semiramis felt as if the mayhem was beginning to wind down, mind you, the ground was still trembling near non-stop leaving many hugging anything stable for support.
What felt like an hour passed before the violent tremors came to an end. Silence swept over the block, and possibly the entire town like a tidal wave. All of her lunch-goers were breathing in hushed whispers, like a bunch of rats hiding out from a stalking cat, but Semiramis was no rat. She stood up, her proud and regal figure once more drawing attention onto herself. Without a word she left her table, or what was left of it, along with her partner and headed out. She didn't really need to push the door open on account it had collapsed. A swift lashing of her chain blew the rumble apart leaving a decent-sized hole in the wall for her to exist through. A few frightened cries called out to her, but Semiramis ignored them.
Quite a woman you've been saddled with. You know, if you follow her, there's a chance she's going to end up leading you into hell. You realize that, don't you?
Naruto really wished he could go back to the days when the Nine Tails was just a silent observer. Now he had to deal the damn furball's backseat comments, and since Semiramis had came into the picture he'd gotten a lot chattier. And not in the good way. The mysterious black-haired woman had left the diner without so much as a word or hint of fear in her step; Naruto couldn't help but admire that. That admiration naturally translated into a challenge. Stepping out from beneath the table, he fished around in his wallet then dumped what he hoped was the right amount of cash onto the remains of the table.
"Hey, I left the money on the table just so you know!" He shouted before sprinting after his Servant.
Thick silence hung in the air of the diner as the mysterious pair disappeared out the hole the female had made. Stunned looks manifested across the face of residents and workers along as they all glanced at each other. The sound of cracks forming could still be heard in some parts of the building as well as the outside.
That is, until one person couldn't bear the silence.
A male, possibly in his late teens, looked to the cracked table where Naruto and Semiramis had been sitting with greed gleaming in his eyes. With a feral grin, he crawled out from his hiding place and made a dash for the money that had been placed down.
BANG!
"OW!"
"Hey! No stealing! This place may be cracked to hell and back, but that money is ours, got it!" Shouted a disheveled looking cook, standing up from the remains of the counter. "Anyone else feeling like pulling a move like that?!"
To absolutely no one's surprise, silence greeted him.
"Hey, Semiramis, was that really lightning that struck?" Naruto called out from behind her.
"Possibly, maybe it was just a giant tree fall! Perhaps when trees fall here they cause smoke to arise!"
Okay, admittedly that was a bit of a dumb question. Looking to his far right, Naruto saw it - a column of jet-black smoke rising upward into the cloud sky. Painting the surrounding buildings as well as the lower clouds were flames, their bright color standing out amongst the blanket of rain that continued to pour down. Clenching his teeth, the ninja picked up his pace and ran forward catching up to his dark-haired partner.
Wreckage colored their path every step of the way as fissures and holes marred the ground like trees in a field. Some were small and others not so much. Quite a few buildings still stood tall, though almost all of them had cracks and holes in them owing to the power of the sudden earthquake that rocked Komaki City. Naruto fought back the urge to summon forth a troop of Shadow Clones to help with the damages if only because something in his gut was telling him to conserve chakra because he was going to be needing it.
The physical obstructions did little to stop them as before long the pair reached their destination, and the source of a massive. At just about twelve stories the building would have been a thing of admiration and its design one of beauty, but with fire ravaging the top four levels it had become an icon of horror for onlookers. The heavy rain was doing little to fight the flames as they seemed to roar and rage in protest at nature's attempts to quell their rampage. Lightning flashed again and was echoed by a crash of thunder that truly added to the ominous look.
"Well, I'll admit, we didn't have too many of these back home." Semiramis spoke in a monotone.
Mere seconds after the former queen had made her statement, an ear-piercing scream rocketed the ears of onlookers, almost drowning out the thunder. Immediately hushed whispers and such broke out as countless fingers pointed and at the peak and calls for action were made.
"Semiramis, wait down here."
"Huh?"
For the first time since the storm began, the Servant showed visible shock and surprise. It was only short lived as she watched her Master surge chakra into his feet and break off into a sprint towards the skyscraper. Frantically, he pushed aside anyone who got in his way; by the time Semiramis realized what had happened, Naruto was already speeding up the tower.
"You idiot! Wait! If anyone's going to go it should be-"
"Aftershock!"
Normal people had to worry about such trivial thing such as aftershocks; Semiramis was fully capable of surviving the first quake and its followers all without making any sort of a fuss. What irritated her was the fact the one person she had to show concern for was now hugging a burning building as its foundations were battered like a training dummy. Screaming several curses in her head, she watched Naruto struggle to keep his feet level as the building shook, giving the impression any second it would collapse taking whoever was inside and him along with it in its journey into oblivion. For once Semiramis wished she knew a thing or two about Reinforcement magecraft and the like, not because she cared about any of these people but because her fool of a Master had shown himself to be the time to care for the masses. To a suicidal extent.
To her amazement and relief, Naruto managed to keep his balance and continue onwards, screaming for whoever was inside to hold on all the while. On the ground the black-haired queen began to fill something nagging at her, an almost supernatural chill. It was the same feeling she got mere seconds before the earthquake rocked Komaki City throwing everyone and everything for a loop. There was only one explanation - something else was about to happen, something bad.
Naruto burst through the nearest window with feet force and landed upright. "Hey! Is anyone here?! I've come to get you out!" Nobody answered him beyond the sound of wood burning and breaking under the immense pressure. "Hello?!"
"AHHHH!"
The sound sent Naruto's heart into overdrive, forcing his body to move in the direction of the scream. His feet made the burning and splintering wood crack and groan; somewhere in the back of his mind it occurred to him if he wasn't careful, he was going to be falling through the floor to what probably was a fiery doom. The mental note he made was promptly stuck to the side so he could focus on finding the source of the voice. He shouted again, hoping for a response and got another panicked call for help in return.
If he stayed within the inferno any longer, he knew his lungs were going to start feeling some serious burn, his eyes were already beginning to sting a bit as he searched and searched. Dammit! I can't afford to drag this out! I gotta find whoever the hell is in here! Now! Removing his left arm, he summoned his Kitsune-ken to both hands and began slashing. "Hey! Whoever's in here, stay put! I'm coming for you!"
"I'm over here!" Cried a female voice over the cacophony of flames and thunder outside.
Turning to his left, he began hacking and slashing with the weapons. "I'm coming! I'll be there in a second!"
"Actually, don't worry about it, we'll come to you."
Though female, the voice was different from the one the blond had heard earlier. For starters, it was threatening. Instinct caused him to raise his blades upwards in a defensive position just in time. Through the curtain of reddish orange and yellow came dozens of fist-sized rocks, stone bullets that savagely tore apart the wood and plaster between them and their target - Naruto. Striking out, Naruto deflected each bullet, either splinting them apart or sending them off into a different direction.
"That was pretty good, but try to stop this!"
His ears popped at what sounded like a cannonball being launched, a second later Naruto found that's exactly what happened. His blue eyes caught the massive sphere of rock heading towards him almost five seconds before it could flatten him, blades or no blades. Diving to the side, he listened to the giant projectile tear through countless obstacles before finally exploding. The entire building rocked once more. Recalling his earlier mental note, the genin began to consider just maybe he might have been a bit hasty in telling Semiramis to stay on the ground. Now he really could have used her assistance.
"Hey! Whoever the hell you are, come on out and face me!" He shouted over the growing veil of smoke and fire.
"Very well then," Responded the female voice.
"Just remember, you said the magic word." Echoed a male voice.
Almost immediately, Naruto knew he'd said something stupid and wished he could take it back. From his right came a shower of rock fragments he deflected with little to no difficulty. With his mind set when the giant boulder came rather than dodge, he lashed out with his blades. Just as they did in practice, the orange-tinted weapons cleaved through the energized boulder like a knife through butter sending both halves hurdling past the Jinchūriki.
In the short interval that followed, Naruto felt the hairs on the right side of his body stand on end. Spinning on his heel, he turned with his blades at the ready, but it was too late. The invisible force slammed into him like a miniature cyclone causing him to see a multitude of colors as his body flew backwards. With his body already clouded with pain, he barely registered how he broke through support beam and wall alike until he hit open air. He sailed an unknown distance until gravity began to pull him downwards and there is when the haze of pain cleared up, allowing the rays of agony to grace his consciousness.
"Ooooowww. Man, that hurt worse than I thought." Groaned the young ninja with a wince, rolling onto his hands and knees in an attempt to sooth the pain. He'd taken some nasty blows over the years, but that one was probably going in his top ten list.
"That was just a taste of what's to come if you don't be a little freak and do as we tell you."
Immediately, rebellion coursed through the genin's veins driving away the pain and replaced it with anger. "Oh, yeah, well prepare for a nice…good…?!"
"That will be somewhat difficult to do." Began the first being.
"For as you see-" echoed the second.
"-We possess no asses for you to kick." Spoke the two floating demonic heads in perfect unison. Several bolts of lightning streaked across the sky further illuminating the blood-red light emitted by three orbs each of the heads possesses, as well as their pale white fangs that extended from their lips outward.
"What…what…the hell have I gotten myself into this time?" Spat the dumbfounded ninja, rising to his feet. "What the hell are you?"
"We are hunters, and on this day beset by storms, we have come for you, demon fox child." Spoke both heads, giving the young boy a dual glare. "Now surrender."
Naruto looked between the two heads, noting the flowing mane of hair each possessed that swayed in the raging wind. "Here's my answer."
And like the wind itself, the Kitsune-ken lashed out, howling for blood like the savage beast within the soul of their owner.
To be continued…