I do not own anything.

POISON DOVE & MAELSTROM FOX

Chapter 8 - Unexpected Reflections Pt.3

Reckless charges weren't Semiramis' thing. As a queen, stunts like that were best saved for the grunts and foot soldiers she often lorded over and sent headlong into the jaws of death. Her Master was one of those types of people, except he didn't wait for her orders or even give her much concern. That was going to be a problem in the future provided they lived past this little mess.

She stared at the towering blaze with cold eyes. Something was wrong and she had to get to the bottom of it before Naruto got himself injured or killed trying to play the hero. She was supposed to be the hero here, so it was up to her to use her brains. Semiramis felt her ears perk up and her face twist into a sneer, she faintly became aware of energy, chakra, amassing. Staring directly ahead of her where the flames danced about, she sensed a presence. "Show yourself!" She barked, not at all caring there were people now staring at her in confusion or fear. If they had a shred of common sense, they'd make themselves scarce before things started to get messy.

A shape appeared in the flames - humanoid, tall, male. Obscuring the face was a white mask with maroon-colored markings on the cheeks and the forehead. "Please, if you don't want to get hurt then don't interfere. We're just here for the boy!" He shouted, moving his hands in front of him then making various hand signs.

That only made the Assassin narrowed her slit-eyes further, her golden irises reflected the raging flames, making them colder and more daunting.

"Don't interfere? Worm!" A wave of her hand and the air was hardened and blasted into the flaming space before. Elemental magecraft was beyond her sphere of interest, but she knew a thing or two like how to generate a moderately powerful gust of wind. It was strong enough to blow out the flames as well as blind her fellow onlookers. Some got the hint and they turned tail, screamed in panic and ran finally. Others merely started backing away slowly, wariness and nervousness showed on their fearful faces. Semiramis mentally bit her lips, realizing Naruto would never let her hear the end of it. Her best bet was to kill the man quickly, scratch that, subdue him. She wanted answers and she was just dying to dip back into her old queenly self. The self that personally extracted information from rebels and spies who'd set their sights on her.

To his credit, the masked man didn't bend in the wake of her gust-like attack. His hands finished waving the mysterious signs, ending with his middle and index fingers pressed together. "Ninja Art-Invitation of Paradise!"

Reflect told her to strike out, literally, and that's exactly what she did with her chains. The man's arms were held out and Semiramis realized for the first time, his arms were completely bare revealing a series of scripture-like markings. No sooner had the words left his mouth did the markings begin to move towards the stranger's opened palms. A circular inscription had been painted into his palms and glowed with gold light. Semiramis' chains lunged towards the light as if repulsed by the near heavenly radiance, the Servant herself instinctively shut her eyes near seconds after witnessing the strange glow.

Earth, wood, and marble broke apart as her chains made impact, though she didn't hear any flesh tearing. Sneering, she swung her chains about in wide arcs, pillars and burned furniture shattered under the force of her weapons.

Semiramis stepped back and looked ahead into the darkness, noting her opponent had seemingly vanished from sight. Thanks to her attack, the foundations had been destroyed and with the fire still eating away the building, it wouldn't last long. If the weather truly had been turned to their enemies' side, it was only a matter of time until the building collapsed.

Far above her head sounded an explosive boom, telling her that time was going to be sooner rather than later. An electric jolt ran through her as her golden eyes shot skyward, shocked to see an orange-tinged mass went flying from the building onto a nearby rooftop. "Naruto!"

"Like I said, just let us have him and we'll let you go free."

Righteous fury welled upside of the Assyrian queen as she spun about in the direction of the voice. "Enough! If you want that child then-!" She was finally alone in a manner of speaking. The crowd that had been behind her was passed out along the ground; if not for their faint breathing Semiramis would have thought they were all dead. Immediately, the woman's guard went up as she surveyed the surrounding area for any signs of her foe. Naruto, just hold on until I can get to you! And for Anu's sake, don't do anything stupid! She had to hope her words would get to him, and that he'd be wise enough to listen.

A tingle ran down the back of her spine and she responded to it by lashing out with her chain. The dark-gray iron went far yet its path was cut short by the jaws of…a floating head? It looked like the torn off head of an oni-blue skin, crimson eyes, and a singular white horn arising from the forehead. Behind it flowed a mane of jet-black hair that swayed in the wind. Gnashing her teeth Semiramis yanked the chain, sending through it a wave of poisonous energy. In response, the head's eyes flashed azure blue, from its end of the chain came a light-blue colored cyclone that slammed into her poison wave and made her arm rattle.

Her second arm lashed and with it came her second chain, the spearhead having morphed into a cobra-like face whose fangs lunged for the floating head. Said head's eyes glowed with ominous light again, a mass of tendrils that quickly dissipated leaving the Servant's chains hanging in the air.

The head's next action became evident as the wind picked up, blowing Semiramis' waist-length hair to the side. A curtain of wind fell over her, obscuring the outside world from her view. The head reappeared, along with half a dozen duplicates whose mouths opened in a mocking grin. Semiramis responded by throwing out both arms sending her chains out. Poison dripped from the blades and tainted the heads as they speared through the lot of them, running them through the head or mouth as their owner mentally directed.

CRA-ACK!

And in doing so left herself wide open.

Shock and horror came to her eyes as they widened, Semiramis looked down to see the hand jetting upwards from the earth itself. The golden circle flashed bright, and this time she was too slow to react. DAMMIT!

Okay, talking heads, talking heads…talking heads! Naruto repeated over and over again as his feet furiously pounded against the wet rooftops. Behind him, the ground exploded as hardened bullets of mud crashed through the metal and wood tops. The whole thing almost reminded him of the good 'ole days, except instead of Anbu trying to non-lethally capture him, he had giant floating and talking heads after him, and probably trying to kill him.

Quit your yapping and focus on staying alive, you stupid brat! Screamed his inner demon from the confines of its prison. If either of those things capture you, do you want to know what being digested feels like!

They don't even have stomachs, or necks! Shouted back the blond in annoyance. From his left side came the second head. Its fanged-jaw opened and within it formed a condensed ball of swirling water. Instead of a bullet out came a laser made of compressed water. Yelping in shock, the genin practically hurled himself forward; during his roll, he caught sight of the water beam cleanly slicing through the rooftop surface. By the time he came up, the head had swung itself and its water cutter laser around.

The Kitsune-ken came out and glowed with azure light courtesy of their owner. Naruto's arms bucked against the pressure of the watery attack and his teeth gnashed. This was his first true test of the Kitsune-ken in battle, at the very least the blades hadn't broken like the rooftop tiles had. His contemplation came to a sudden end when he sensed a presence at his back, seconds before stand back erupted in pain as something hard and blunt slammed into him. Out of instinct, he swung his arms out, driving one of his blades into the forehead of the abomination behind him. He was rewarded with a spray of blood and a pain-filled cry. Reflex made him surge chakra into his right arm and into the blade, causing it to cut deeper into the mysterious creature. As his body hit the ground, he took stock in the fact his pursuers could at least be hurt. The realization didn't last long as from his left came a miniature tidal wave that caused the genin's eyes to go wide.

Chakra gathered in his remaining blade and was released as he swung it forward, releasing a blazing blue wave of power at the oncoming wave. The attack came to a roaring stop, splashing the rooftop with even more water. Snarling, Naruto turned to the head he had his second blade impaled in.

THUNK!

Getting hit with rocks had never hurt as much as it did in that moment. Naruto was sure a few of his bones were either cracked or broken, which ones were hard to tell and hopefully they'd heal in time, maybe with Semiramis' help. Blood crested his lips and pain flared throughout his body as he sailed through the air and crashed through glass before his back hit the ground. The second he opened his eyes multiple colors danced in his vision.

You know, you make a good ping-pong ball, who would have thought?

Shut…up, you stupid fox. His brain hurt almost as much as his body, no, maybe even more so. He rolled over to his side with a painful wince, putting him on his hands and knees then pushed himself upward. Glancing around, he found he'd landed in some sort of store. Thankfully it'd been cleared out. "Oh man, I really hope they don't chase us out of town for all the damages."

Hey, I think you've got bigger problems to worry about.

His hands and knees felt the ground shake again in another violent tremor. Naruto looked up to see multiple cracks forming along the ceiling and along the wall. The building was going to come down on top of him if he didn't act fast, but if he just ran out into the rain, he was leaving himself open. Biting his lips, he thought of plan after plan until he stumbled upon one that might help. It was dangerous and reckless like his other ideas, but if it worked it could turn the tables. Dismissing his blades, he put his fingers together and concentrated even as the first parts of the ceiling began to come down atop him like rainfall.

Naruto, just hold on until I can get to you! And for Anu's sake, don't do anything stupid!

For a second, the transmission blinded him and disrupted his chakra control. Confusion came on his face, Naruto briefly looked around him to see if his Servant had followed him. But he was alone, and running out of time.

"Think we might have gone overboard?" Inquired the first rogue ninja as the echoes of the building's destruction resounded through the street.

"Nope, if he's anything like Lord B then he should just walk out of this with a headache. And when he does, we'll capture him and hook back up with the others." Answered the second, crossing her arms.

The two floating heads were less willing to believe their summoners and Masters, and their passive faces showed it. They knew the power of their prey, perhaps more so than the humans that had freed them and proclaimed themselves the masters of the Ōkubi. Though he looked and talked like a normal human child, the supernatural entities knew better; they could sense the malice, the rage, the sheer destructive force the blond child carried within him. It was lunacy to think such a simple tact would be enough to subdue him, and idiocy to believe two hands alone would be enough to stop him should he choose to unleash his terrible power.

Blood trailed from the left side of the male's forehead and tainted the puddles beneath it, crimson red. Its corresponding left eye was closed and its right was constantly fluttering open and shut. The poison racing through the Ōkubi was potent, not enough to kill it, but enough that the demon had to do its utmost best to remain afloat. Its wounded condition wasn't of much concern to its owners, only its "sister" took notice, her icy blue eyes flickering to the male every few seconds in naked worry. A second passed and the worry turned into panic as her eyes widened. The male's did as well sensed the build up of chakra and chaotic energy.

For the Ōkubi it was a glorious sight, for the rogue ninja it was an unexpected and unwanted shock. Hundreds of spiky-haired blondes, all wielding glowing blades, erupted from the house remains and rose into the rain-soaked sky like some angry spirit. The anger became fury as the clone swarm pulled their collective arms back then swung them forward, each one sending a four to six foot-long blade of blazing blue chakra towards the assailants.

"Shit!" Cried the male ninja, his eyes widen inside the black holes of his mask.

"T-There wasn't any intel on this!" Cried the female, her voice leaked out in bafflement, before turning to the female head. "Now! A shield, something, anything!"

The female head, a pale-skinned creature with white-lined and blue marks, moved in front of the group to face the oncoming wave of attacks. Her jawed mouth opened and from it spun out a torrent of water that immediately shaped itself into a massive disc-like wall. The chakra slashes slammed hard into the water wall causing it to bend, yet it did not break.

At first.

Seeing more effort was required, the Naruto horde threw out their chain blades. It was terrifying and oddly-beautiful, dozens of orange-tipped blades heading straight for one target like a mass of striking vipers. If the attack connected, it was debatable if anything would remain of the rogue ninjas or their supernatural minions.

Snarling with feral ferocity, the male head surged forward to join its female compatriot. The ground shook then erupted upward into a massive wall hidden by the swirling water shield. Naruto's blades piecered the first defense and dug into the harden barrier beyond it.

Seeing the cracks form, the two rogue ninja grinned behind their Anbu masks.

"Wind Style-Great Breakthrough!" They shouted in unison.

The earthen wall broke apart with the force of the wind blast hitting it from the back side, and the shattered fragments were launched skyward at near blinding speed. Dispersing the water wall, the female head fired several cannonball-sized masses of water in the same direction.

Earth, wind, and water, all heading his direction. "CRAP!" Screamed the Leaf shinobi with widen eyes and his assorted clones whipping their chains forward in a futile attempt to knock down the oncoming swarm of projectiles. Only a handful of the rocks and water bullets were destroyed while the rest continued toward their target. Mentally bracing himself, Naruto did as he'd seen Semiramis do a few times with her chains. The gray-colored steel coiled around his body while his clones threw their weapons around him, sealing the young ninja in a steel cocoon. Within the darkness, Naruto braced himself for another round of human ping-pong ball.

Smoke and dirt exploded in the middle of the rainy soak as if the pin to an invisible grenade had been pulled. Naruto's bleeding and torn body shot out of the aftermath like a bullet leaving a trail of crimson and clothing fragments in its wake. Through a haze of pain and red, Naruto spotted lightning flashing in the sky then blacked out completely once his body made landfall again.

This time he'd hit dirt, hard and soaked by the afternoon rain and likely his own blood. A part of him didn't dare open his eyes for fear of the sight of finding a red pool forming around him, or finding a limb had been torn or blasted off. He coughed once, then attempted to move his arms, silently praying they were still there. At first, he felt nothing in any part of his body, then after a second his wounded body sent him responses.

"At the…very least…I've got all my arms and legs." Groaned the young teenager as he struggled to right himself, wincing in the process. Everything hurt, everything. Moving his legs, much less his body, was like attempting to bench press boulders. That was Lee's thing, not his. While there was a good chance his nine-tailed "friend" would step in, something told Naruto that was precious time he wasn't going to have. "Damn, rock showers suck."

"If you don't want another one, you'd stay down and come quietly."

The voice was belittling and came in a tone he recognized all too well from past encounters. Rising to his feet with blood trailing from his arms, his stomach, legs, and cheeks, Naruto snorted. The dizziness and pain had pasted for the most part, the sense of rage rushing through him had been efficient in pushed them down and filling his veins with renewed strength. What the sight before him stirred up old and bitter memories that had his blood boil and his hands gripping his Kitsune-ken with a tighter hold.

Both wore masks, Anbu masks with raincoats and hoods protecting them from the downpour. The owner of the female voice had a slender build and had her arms crossed in front of her. Everything about her posture told Naruto she was somewhat annoyed he was bothering to put up a fight rather than surrender. The mask she wore was that of a bear with blood-red dots in a triangle formation on the forehead and cheeks. Her compatriot held a somewhat stockier frame, though there was little doubt in Naruto's mind he could probably move just as fast as his associate. His mask was that of a bird with black marks across the beak and cheeks. Behind the pair floated the heads, the wounded male head still dripping blood and slacking off, forcing its female counterpart to hold it up. Neither humans looked too concerned about them.

"You know, I've heard that line before, give up, sorry but it's not happening!" Naruto barked, taking a fighting stance.

"Oh, a tough little guy, aren't you?" Inquired the female, dark amusement in her voice, cracking her neck. "That's good, I heard you had spunk, but it's not going to help you in the long run. Trust us, we've dealt with your type before."

"Not to mention you're not half the container Lord B or Yugito are." Echoed the second rogue, his voiced revealed his arrogance.

For a second, Naruto's grip slackened. "What? B and who?"

"Your seniors, but don't worry. If you're lucky, you'll meet them and perhaps they'll be able to give you some pointers. If not, don't worry that little spikey head of yours." Chuckled the female before holding out her right hand. At the snap of her fingers, the male head behind her groaned and levitated forward.

Immediately, the teen braced himself for the attack he knew was coming while keeping a wary eye on the second head. It may have been brief, but Naruto's blue eyes met those of the head's. He could see pain and sadness, a tinge of regret before action was taken. Roaring so loudly, he could see the rain itself bend that Naruto grimaced as a wave of rock rose upward and raced toward him while the ground around him began to crack and split. At that moment, Naruto wished Semiramis had taught him how to spray acid from his weapons like she was able to do using her weapons, it would have came in real handy at the moment. He was going to have to improvise, again.

A squadron of clones appeared before him in a pre-arranged formation. Not missing a beat, Naruto ran up the bloodied backs of his duplicates until he got to the last one, who held out his Kitsune-ken in a cross formation for him to use as a foot hold. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, he got some good air time. The clones disappeared in the torrential earth wave that smashed it way through the street. Two chakra slashes flew forward only to be intercepted by a water bullet. His left eye beginning to take on a slightly red pigment, Naruto threw out his right-arm blade with a mild guess on where the head would be located through the screen of smoke and water vapor. A cry of pain rewarded his guessing and made his lips twist upward in a grin. Screaming a ferocious battle cry, he gripped the chain and pulled himself towards his prey, his left foot swinging outward once he came within striking distance.

The female head smacked against the ground with a loud thud and Naruto's blade came loss with relative little ease. Falling behind the head, he got an idea he'd seen Choji and Lee execute a few times. Focusing all his chakra into his right arm, he threw it forward, smacking it hard against the downed demon head. Roaring in pain, it was launched towards its owners and fellow head, a steady trail of blood flying from its spinning form.

"Saburo." Snorted the female.

"Right," Echoed the male, stepping forward while performing head signs.

"Wait! Please!" Screamed the injured head with a look of alarm on its face.

"Shut up! Earth Style-Boulder Fist!" Rock instantly materialized around the outstretched arm and molded itself into a definite shape. The round-bodied ninja gave a bellow of effort before hitting back the female head in the direction of Naruto.

Snarling in irritation, the young ninja fell into a crouch which he sprung from once the rolling head came within range. His body tucked in, he threw his Kitsune-ken outward impaling them both in the head. The second his feet came back onto the ground, Naruto gnashed his teeth in effort and summoned all his strength to hurl the makeshift bowling ball forward. Once more, the female head screamed all the way the towards its masters.

"This kid's got some guts. Gotta give him credit for that, but this isn't a schoolyard fight! Wind Style-Great Breakthrough!"

"Please! Enough!" Cried the wounded male head, now having completely lost sight in its left eye. "My sister isn't a volleyball!"

The intelligent thing to do would have been to ignore the cry for mercy and keep attacking. Naruto wasn't exactly what one would call intelligent, at least not in the logical and battle-sense.

He let the head crash into the ground beside him, noting how the pained groans rolled off the strange beast like the ringing of a bell. For a minute, his heart twisted in sympathy at the strange entity despite its various attempts to kill him. Pushing those thoughts aside he stepped to his right, then recoiled when he saw a twisting blue object heading for him. The ground at his feet erupted into an array of azure and white-colored sparks while electrical cackling filled his ears. Snapping upwards, he saw the whip made of blue lightning heading for him again and parried with his blades.

"Earth Style-Rock Pistol!"

"Eh!" He'd had quite enough of being pelted with rocks for one day so he decided to do something about it. His training with Semiramis had taught him to advance while deflecting or attacking, and that's exactly what Naruto did. He was going to spill the big one's guts across the street, morality be damned then find Semiramis. Speaking of which, he had to wonder where she was? He'd waited for some sort of pull or tug in his gut but so far there was nothing.

Once he was in striking range, he aimed for the neck as he'd been taught. The round one responded by disappearing into the ground, literally. For a brief second, Naruto believed the man had to be a rogue Hidden Stone ninja considering what he'd seen so far. At his six o'clock sounded a crack then came the eruption. Instinctively, Naruto swung out only catching a brief glimpse of his target. While he did hit the mark, the mark in question wasn't what he thought. Mud began to slip from and pool at the feet of the clone, who merely chuckled at Naruto while he attempted to pull his arm and weapon free.

"Like we said, kid, you're twenty years too young for this." Cackled the disgusting mud clone.

Naruto's impending response was cut off by the sight of a spray of water heading his way. The blast pushed the mud clone onto him, splattering his whole body while at the same time sending him skidding across the ground. Once the torrent ended, Naruto immediately tried to sit up, but cried out in alarm finding his right arm and most of his upper body had been covered in a clay-like material. "What the hell?! What is this stuff?!"

"Something that'll keep you from causing too much of a ruckus, be grateful we're not covering your mouth." The female rogue ninja walked towards him with a hand on her hip. "If you don't want your little mud coat to get tighter then you'll-"

SLISH!

Behind the mask, Naruto was sure her eyes widened. His Kitsune-ken was little more than a blazing blue torch of fire he swung around with vigor. Cursing, the pair fell back while ordering the floating heads forward. They groaned in composite annoyance but heeded the orders nonetheless. Naruto saw the male head encase itself in layer of earth before charging at him, a demonic bellow falling from his lips. Meeting the roar with one of his own, Naruto rammed his knives into the stony face while digging his heels into the earth.

"You have…spirit!" Growled the head as it summoned every ounce of strength in its singular body to overpower the blond jinchūriki.

"I could…almost say the same about you!" Naruto grunted back, attempting to find some way to break the deadlock. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, why the hell are you after me!?"

The response he got was merely a frustrated growl that left him feeling madder than anything else. He knew this fight was dragging on and had to end it.

Suddenly, a jolt ran through his body starting from his legs and racing upward. Glancing downward, he saw a strange syrup-like liquid had been sprayed across the ground covering his feet up to his ankles. Already he could feel the traction he'd gained slipping. He couldn't break away meaning his only option was to press forward, and that's exactly what he began doing.

"Perfect, now just hold that pose for a little while longer!" Shouted the female, performing a series of hand signs.

The female head, who'd finished expelling the syrup-like liquid, took immediate notice of what her masters were about to do. "Wait! Stop! At least give him time to-"

"Shut up!" Harshly shouted the masked woman before calling out her chunky partner. "Saburo!"

"I'm ready!" He shouted back, holding up his hands.

Lightning danced amongst the swirling clouds which seemed to focus on Naruto and the Ōkubi head he was deadlocked with. Thunder boomed as the precursor to what was about to follow.

"Lightning Style-Divine Strike!"

From the sky came the lightning bolt, a slender blue snake that strike with blinding speed. Its bite was that of a thousand boulders, all crashing atop of each other in seconds. Naruto and the floating head screamed out their pain as their bodies were completely engulfed in the torrent of white fire that burned their skin and muscles alike. In the ensuing pain they broke apart, Naruto's blades fall to the ground while the head's rocky armor shattered. Just as quickly as the bolt had descended it disappeared, leaving two paralyzed and wounded creatures in its wake. The head fell to the side, pained groaned rolling off its red lips while Naruto somehow remained standing. His clothing and been charred and beneath it his skin had turned black and red.

"What the hell? That should have brought the kid down!" Shouted the portly one with genuine amazement in his voice.

A cough sent a spray of blood onto the black earth. Slowly, the blond rose his head upward revealing crimson, feral eyes and increasingly darkening whisker marks. He sucked in a breath to speak, in another boom of lightning overhead it turned into a scream as his back hit the smoking ground.

The female ninja glared at the downed teenager with cold eyes behind her mask. "All you had to do was come quietly, freak. Blame yourself for this when you wake up." Gripping his stomach, she increased the voltage of the lightning she'd channeled into her fists sending blue arcs across the boy's body.

Clawing at the dirt Naruto kicked and screamed, but the assault was too great and his body too tired. High in the sky he saw lightning continuously flashing. He tried to focus on that, tried to remember it back that turned him and walked off into the darkness; Naruto wanted to give chase to it, but instead of going forward he fell, fell and cursed himself and his weakness until even those thoughts vanished in an abyss of pain.

Semiramis had never exactly been a morning person, which might have come as a surprise to those that knew her. She didn't like being an early riser possibly because from time to time she found herself staying up until the wee hours of dawn working on various matters. On the positive side, as queen she was allowed to sleep in whenever she wanted - a private indulgence she enjoyed. Not to mention for a little while she had someone to wake up to, and that someone always brought a smile on her face in one way or another.

Onnes liked to joke he didn't mind her sleeping in because his "old bones" needed all the rest they could get. He may have been old, but Semiramis knew better than anyone he could still move like the wind when he wanted to. This wasn't one of those times.

"Out of curiosity, how long do you plan on staying in bed?" He whimsically asked.

"Until I'm ready to begin the day. Last I checked, I was queen." Semiramis responded, burying her head deeper in the pillow. "Besides, I had a rather odd dream the likes of which I'd like to forget. The longer I can stay in, the better."

An arm fell over her waist and a head rested on her shoulder, providing her with a layer of comfort. "Do you want to talk about it?" Onnes whispered.

"I…I would like to, but I can't." Strange dreams were something of rarity, and usually something to be concerned about. What made things worse was the fact she couldn't remember a thing about the dream, even though she stated it upset her. It was…odd, terrifying almost - having a literal hole in her memories she tried but couldn't feel. She scratched and clawed at it, yet nothing came to mind somewhat infuriating her. "Perhaps breakfast would do well to get my mind off of it, besides, we need to fill that old stomach up, don't we?"

The salt and pepper-haired man laughed at her joke and kissed her on the cheek. Outside the sun continued to beam down on the arid kingdom she ruled over. Walking up to the window she looked out to it, taking a few minutes to bask in its radiate glow. Truly there was no place like home.

"I'm from the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

Her moment of peace ended as she silently but intensely looked around her for the source of the voice. The void within her was tugged at, nearly making her claw at her chest. Pushing away the thoughts, she turned her attention back to getting dressed.

Breakfast as usual was a first-class meal, and for some reason that bothered Semiramis even as she ate.

"Forgive us if it's not up to your golden standard." Chuckled an old voice that filled her with annoyance.

"I already told you two, I don't require food. That boy over that sustains me with more than enough nourishment." The Wise Queen huffed.

"You know how that sounds, right?" A white-haired man appeared in her mind, his eyebrows raised and his face twisted into a cheeky smile. It irritated Semiramis to the point where she wanted to tear the man's whole face off.

"Um, what are you guys talking about?"

Semiramis tried to focus in on the second male figure, but she couldn't. Mentally biting her lip, she tried harder yet the image refused to properly materialize. It bleed into reality as she was faintly aware of the guards and cooks becoming unnerved as her eating grew more and more intense, and her face became darker.

"Um, Semiramis," Came her husband's voice. Looking up from her plate, she noted the concern on her bearded lover's face. A mixture of shame and embarrassment redden her cheeks as she realized the scene she was unintentionally making. "Perhaps a walk around the gardens will clear your mind, my treat?"

She wanted to hit or yell at something, yet the demigoddess knew she had an image that had to be maintained. For the rest of the meal her hand lay by her cheek, a distant look on her face as she tried to recall who that unknown person was.

Loud.

Abrasive.

Hard-headed.

Honest, surprisingly honest.

Decent.

Blond?

Blond and decent?

Alright, that rolls out that supposed King of Heroes. Not that she'd ever admit to dreaming about him. Death would come before that happened. Yet, it still raised the question, blond hair?

She tried to put the piece together as she and Onnes walked through the royal garden of the castle, her pride and joy. It warmed her heart to see the literal rainbow of flower petals that she'd grown over the years. The scent, the wind, the mere beauty of it, all of it she took in as she walked arm-in-arm with Onnes. Overhead a clear blue sky with a burning sun shined down upon her.

And yet Semiramis still felt something was wrong.

"Do you want to tell me what the dream is?" He gave her a curious brow.

Her face screwed up a little, concentrating to remember before failing. "I would if I could, believe me. It's…strange, it feels more like I'm forgetting something."

"Really? Given your antics, the fact that you could forget something comes as a bit of a surprise."

"That's precisely why I'm worried, what if I feel like I'm forgetting something important." Semiramis came to a sudden stop as she looked up at the sun blazing overhead. "Strike that, I feel like I am forgetting something important, what it is I can't tell. It bothers me."

"Then perhaps the key is taking your mind off of it." Onnes suggested, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know the habits you get into, the more you think about something, the more unaware you become of the surroundings. The last thing we need is an unfortunate servant asking you the wrong thing at the wrong time."

Servant.

"I'm your Servant Assassin."

Putting a hand to her forehead, Semiramis attempted to rouse herself free of the thoughts. "Y-Yes, maybe, but I will have to get back to work eventually."

"That's fine, but even queens need moments to themselves." Softly fired back the older man. "Who knows, maybe watching good show will help jog your memory."

Show.

Show.

Show.

"I will give you this, Master, you know how to put on a good show. It's enough to keep me entertained so I suppose you'll do for the moment."

Snapping her head up to the sky, she realized she'd seen the bright shade of blue before, they were the eye color of a certain someone. Those eyes that looked at her with shock and later hope, kindness, and honesty. Eyes like that she hadn't seen in centuries. Her gaze drifted to the sun which shined without equal. His smile was like that, so impossibly bright and peppy Semiramis wondered if the boy even knew the meaning of the words bad or evil.

Hair golden like the sun.

Eyes blue as the sky.

And three whisker marks on each of his cheeks.

"Naruto," His name sounded almost natural coming off of her natural pink-tint lips.

A lone wind blew through the garden, it felt cold, near arctic which was highly unusually given the time of day and position of the sun. Semiramis spun, not sure what she'd find - she found nothing. Onnes was gone as were the guards that patrolled the garden, leaving her all by herself. Suddenly, the colorfully array of flowers, statues and archways had lost their luster. Semiramis turned upward, finding the still present sun had seemingly forsaken its ability to warm and inspire, now all she felt as she looked at the solar mass was a growing sense of dread and silent anger. Her hands tightened into fists so tightly her nails began to dig into the palms of her hands. Blood dripped from the accidental wounds, upon hitting the ground it sizzled and began to eat through the polished marble pathway.

Seconds in and the poison droplets began to spread about into a puddle around her. Foul-smelling smoke began to rise upward and fan out, turning the colorful field of flowers all shades of black, gray, and even green. Petals wilted while steams rotted away along with the soil. The stone and marble cracked and turned sickly with multiple cracks forming.

Her eyes then slowly narrowed, her golden orbs with snake-slits showed the venomous fury in them as she noxiously snarled with her teeth grinding hard against each other and the upper portion of her face darkened in shadow.

"You…will…PAY FOR THIS!" Screamed the Servant in vengeful rage as her head raised to the sky, throwing her arms out causing the cloud of toxicity to erupt into a whipping geyser of toxic energy. Everything disappeared from her line of sight; the very land itself vanished beyond the dark-green veil she'd summoned. Just barely audible was the sound of cracking, like glass shattering. It was fitting as Semiramis wanted that noise to resonate all the way into the brains of the casters of this illusion. In short time that sound would be their bones accompanied by their breaths turning into whimpers as poison ate out their lungs and stomachs.

Her chains materialized along her arms and draped along the contaminated ground. With a feral sneer, she would allow no one except the soon to be dead see the black-haired queen lashed out at an unseen foe. The black-iron weapon ringed with spikes went long and strike with power, slicing through the air itself and leaving a jagged hole in the world from which a burst of light shot through.

"GAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"NARUTO!" Bursting forth from the dream Semiramis shot her body forward, then grunted in shock when she found it'd been paralyzed. Wide-eyed, she looked down finding a set of chains had been wrapped around her. "What the hell?! Who dares?! I'll have your heads for this!" With savage fire in her eyes, she scoured her immediate surroundings finding she was still on the street, surrounded by a literal sea of passed out civilians. Odds were, they weren't going to be awakening from their delusional sleep anytime soon. But at the very least, they weren't tied down to anything.

The pillar of rock must have stretched almost twenty feet into the air while the chains around her had been made out of the strongest metal available as a simple tug wasn't enough to get them to shatter. Immediately, she summoned forth her divine power, then yelped in pain when she felt a jolt of electricity race through her body.

It took a minute to clear the rage from her mind but eventually Semiramis saw it. A barrier, a seal, barely six feet in diameter but more than enough to keep her restrained. Her opponent had done the wise thing and not underestimated her.

But there was a world of difference between her and these pathetic rogues.

First, she inhaled, then she exhaled the poisonous material from her nose and lips. Instantly, it began to fill up the invisible prison and eat away at it. Laying her hands flat against the stone rock, she secreted acid from her skin that began to race up the stony construct. Seconds passed and though she felt a desire to break free immediately, Semiramis knew she had to remain calm. She needed a clear head if she was going to find her Master, and said Master wouldn't be pleased if she caused needless deaths in her haste to rescue him. Not to mention even Semiramis somewhat bristled at the thought of harming innocent people. Biting her lips, she could only pray the blond could hold out until she got to him.

The stone pillar behind her went first, then the barrier preventing her from moving. A grim look remained on her face as the last of the crimson wall dissolved. As soon as she was free, she made for the rooftops, noting the echo of thunder in the pitch-black sky. It was hauntingly appropriate.

Naruto! Naruto! Can you hear me?! All she received was darkness, not even a mutter or whisper. In the back of her mind, she acknowledged the hollow beating of her heart while her more regal side tirelessly worked to figure out a plan of action. Obviously, her Master was the target, why she had an idea she'd verify later. Speaking of masters, where was Jiraiya's? Of all the times that old fool would…wait a minute. Wide-eyed, she glanced around the city realizing wild fires had sprung up in all directions while smoke columns ascended. This whole thing was a trap, they lured Jiraiya away since he was Naruto's only protection. Semiramis realized. She had to admit, it was a pretty decent plan. They'd been tailing them for who knew how long and waited patiently for them to arrive in Komoki City. Afterwards, they must have gotten to Jiraiya's contact and used him to lure him away. All of it had worked so painfully well.

Except they hadn't counted on her.

Three doves came to her when she held out her arm. "Two of you, find that old pervert and help free him if needed. Lastly, find Naruto's trail and follow it. Signal to me when you've found it." Without missing a beat, the birds flapped their wings and departed. And not a minute too soon. "And as for you..."

The chain lashed out, but was smacked away by the swirling wind barrier the head threw up around it. Quickly withdrawing it, Semiramis fired back with her second, this time she drew blood.

"Fast like striking vipers." Stated the white-skinned demon before her. The head regarded her with cold green eyes whose glare she returned with equal scorn. "Give up on the boy, his fate is no longer in your hands."

"That, demon, is where you are wrong." Around her feet the water began to sizzle and rise upward. The rain that pelted Semiramis' body turned dark green, and in some cases black as it all formed together into a definite shape. Coiling around her, the serpent hissed at the single-horned demon like a cobra about to strike. "That boy's fate is in my hands, and it will remain there until otherwise. Now then, if you wish to avoid returning to the abyss where you came from then you will answer me - where is he?"

Thunder echoed the arrogant laughter the Ōkubi answered her with. "And if I refuse? Woman, what will you do?"

Overshadowed by the poison-composed serpent, Semiramis smiled on her enchanting face. It was a smile that promised pain, it promised despair, and most of all, it promised those things would not be short and sweet. "Oh, you're going to wish you hadn't said that. I can be quite creative you know."

Next chapter will see the end of this little kidnapping arc and kick-off the next big step in Naruto and Semiramis' relationship, as well as Semiramis finding out while floating heads are bad, her Master's got something MUCH worse sealed within him.