Sorry for the delay, let's get right into the show!
'Power is energy. Feel the power the comes from focusing on what excites you" ~Oprah Winfrey
Chapter 4
Bakugo watched as Naruto descended into the crowd. As Aizawa canceled quirk after quirk and they fell to the strange polearm he wielded. It was quick work with the pair, only a select few grazes even appeared on his shirt as he danced in the field. The boy was in slight awe. He'd never seen someone move so fluidly in such a hectic situation. It was always a mess of tangled movements and other happenings but what he saw now seemed as if it was some play he'd watched in middle school. Most certainly not a death battle.
That was the other bit that caught his interest. Naruto wasn't doing anything extravagant but he was certain the men and woman Naruto struck would never get back up. Either in the near future, or ever again. It made him realize something. His sensei wasn't as weak as he assumed, and he'd yet to reveal his quirk!
Bakugo grit his teeth 'What could he have done to get to that level? He's barely young enough to have graduated school and he's running circles around these guys without a quirk!' His internal dialogue ceased when the woman he was supposed to protect tugged on his shirt.
"What?"
She pointed towards the doors "Something's coming." On que, the portal that appeared earlier, reappeared between the students and the door.
"Hello, students and teachers of UA. It is a pleasure to meet a wonderful basket of golden eggs such as yourself. Before we begin, I would like to state this is nothing personal against you or the school. We only wish to…..speak with All Might. For now, I'll get to work thinning the crowd."
"Well see about that" said Thirteen. Bakugo growled and wanted to charge the mass of dark purple energy but he held steady. He had a mission, to protect the wheelchair bound woman next to him against these villains. As angry as it made him, his job as a hero would see him in this situation multiple times.
"Have faith in your teachers" said Jeanne, trying to console the boy she could tell was holding himself back from charging.
"It's all about timing but while you wait look for a weakness" said Jeanne. The boy grunted but did as she asked, watching as Thirteen tried to fight the warp gate villain that quickly backfired on himself when he opened a gate from behind and let Thirteen's own attack turn against him.
"The problem with rescue heroes is the lack of combat experience. A fatal flaw, now time to separate you lot!" Just as Aizawa turned to make eye contact the villain suddenly swarmed the students in a dome of its own energy in the blink of an eye. A moment later, the energy disappeared and only a few students remained. Naruto sensed it before Aizawa said anything. He could see Izuku and two others falling into the ocean rescue arena, so he assumed others had gotten separated but with the mass of noise he heard it wasn't the entire lot.
"What now, sensei~" teased the boy in front of Naruto wearing multiple hands along his body.
Naruto's face hardened "Nothing. I'll continue cutting all of you down and trust in my student's abilities. This fodder isn't a threat to anyone."
Inside, the blonde was seething 'I can only assume Jeanne got caught up in the mix but I can't leave the front to go check. I'll just need to hold out long enough for All Might gets here. No ones really a threat in this entire group, only those two in the back and the third up there so the kids…should be fine. I need to finish this quickly and help them.'
"Aizawa, get down here! Let's clean this up!" shouted Naruto. The teacher hesitated at first, turning to look at the student left behind from the warp only to see the warp user had disappeared as Iida broke through the door way and sped off towards the school.
Uraraka turned to Aizawa "Go help Naruto-sensei! We'll keep watch on Thirteen!"
"I'll see to it this is dealt with quickly. Keep close and watch each-others backs!" He placed his goggles back on and jumped down the stairs, landing next to Naruto as the blonde gripped his pole arm tightly.
"Don't get in my way now" said Naruto with a smirk.
"I should be telling my junior that!" retorted Aizawa, rushing forward with his restraint straps shooting out.
With Bakugo
"Die!" was heard through the battered building as an explosion pushed the surrounding air back.
"Are you ok?" Kirishima asked Jeanne, propping her up against the wall as Bakugo stood guard.
Jeanne smiled weakly and nodded "Yes, just a little bruised from the fall but I'm ok."
"Hey, we gotta find a way out of here and get to the others" said Kirishima to Bakugo.
"Eh? You think I don't know that already? I'll keep point and you carry her."
"If you're supposed to watch her then why am I-"
"My quirk causes too much pushback near me. It might hit her if I try to fight like that and I can take care of most of these guys before they get close."
"Oh, so you can think!"
"Eh!? Whadya say?!" As Bakugo stepped closer to the two Jeanne felt her six sense start to act up.
"Bakugo, on your-" Before she even finished his right hand connected with the formerly invisible body of a gecko like man. The force behind the swing sent him tumbling to the ground in an unconscious heap. Kirishima took that as a sign to grab Jeanne and prepare to move but she didn't miss the look of surprise and curiosity Bakugo gave her when she called out that the man was there.
Jeanne knew that was the second time she'd called something out that had yet to reveal itself. He only knew it was there because he could hear the footsteps from where he was but the blonde woman was too far away to hear them. If she was anything like her friend and his homeroom teacher, she must have some kind of powerful quirk. However, now wasn't the time to contemplate her abilities. He needed to focus on his own so they could make it back to the others.
"I don't even hear anyone else here. Let's make a run for it" said Kirishima.
"Go then!" shouted Bakugo. Jeanne sighed, the boy was gifted in his quirk and natural fighting ability but his prideful nature caused him to butt heads with everyone at a moments notice. She only hoped Naruto was faring better than she was.
With Naruto
The blonde stood at a standstill. Most of the mob was down, only a handful remained in other areas but everyone in the main area was no longer an issue. However, the three in front of them were beginning to cause him a lot of trouble. They surprised Aizawa from behind and bashed him into the ground before he could step in and rescue Aizawa. Now, he was facing off against the strange creature in front of him with his senior teacher kneeling just to the side of him.
"What's the plan now?" asked Naruto as he held his defensive posture.
"Sensei! Is everything ok?!" asked Izuku as he ran up with Tsuyu and Mineta.
"For now…..but this quirk is going to get on my nerves. I can't pinpoint what it is."
"Oh, trying to find ways to defeat Nobu? Hehehe, good luck! His shock absorption will cancel anything you can throw at him and he's built to take down All Might with his strength. You can't do anything~" said the masked boy in a sickly-sweet tone.
"You have so little faith" said Naruto with a smile back "If there's a will, there is a way. Don't doubt the abilities of people you know next to nothing about."
"Oho, tell me teacher-san. What makes you think you can compete with him? If I decided to fight you myself with my partner and send Nobu off to the kids behind you what would you do? Ne, teacher-san, what could you do?" Naruto gripped his polearm tightly and frowned, his anger beginning to rise.
"Izuku, fall back with Aizawa to a safe distance. I'll handle the rest from here."
"But, sensei-"
"Do as your told" said Naruto, his voice hardened. Midoriya flinched at the sudden edge in his tone but complied and helped Aizawa get near the stairs right as Bakugo's group and Todoroki met with them.
"Is he gonna take them all on?" asked Kirishima, placing Jeanne down on the steps as Bakugo stood to her side.
"Have faith in your sensei. This is his job, don't doubt his abilities" said Aizawa, forced down to just one eye now. He took severe damage to his face when that thing slammed into him but eve with one eye he could use his ability.
"Watch him, and know that what he does, he does to keep you safe" said Jeanne, the calmest one of the group. She showed no fear, no concern, only a straight face as Naruto's back faced them.
"Perfect! This is perfect! I get to bash someone in and get some merit to my name all in one go. I'm glad you guys made it so easy for me but I'm more upset you thought it'd be a good idea to go after the kids behind me." Naruto pulled a string that held the banner together on his polearm and slammed it into the ground. With that motion the flag unraveled and stood proudly beside him, the white and gold banner holding the same symbol on his necklace. Naruto brought his hands together, as if he was praying, and closed his eyes.
"Oh lord, high in the heavens above. Grant me thy power so I may smite those who wish to attempt to ransack this noble establishment. Answer my call, Bishamon!" There was no explosive power, no grand move, nothing extravagant. Naruto's body only seemed to outline faintly in gold before he brought his hands down and opened his eyes. The large beast tensed, preparing for a fight while his two partners narrowed their eyes. No longer did they stare at ocean blue eyes, now gilded gold looked at them with boredom.
"Come forth, so I may deliver the justice you so greatly deserve" said Naruto but they didn't move. The two in the back seemed to only be assessing the situation. So he moved first. One step, followed by another, slowly. He made no intention of speeding up either. His pace matched his posture, relaxed and confident.
"Nomu, wipe that smirk off his face." Only a grunt was heard in reply before it shot off like a cannon, barreling towards Naruto. His steps never waivered right until the beast was within a few feet of him did his eyes narrow.
"You'll be a difficult one to deal with." Naruto leaned forward then jumped, letting Nomu run right under him. Just as the being was close to passing him Naruto brought his legs down right into Nomu's back. A moment later, a shockwave rumbled through the arena and a large dust cloud formed from the blow.
"When the hell did he get all this power!?" shouted Bakugo as both he and Kirishima shielded Jeanne from the debris blowing past.
'He's pushing everything he can out right now. His control of his energy is still amazing, transferring every ounce of power he has into each blow to eliminate wasted energy and amplify the output. However….that thing won't go down in a single blow' thought Jeanne as Naruto jumped backwards and Nomu began to stand back up, slowly.
"Without that quirk that nullifies my hits like before, you can't take much" said Naruto before he suddenly ducked to avoid a large swipe.
"Still fast though." From there, Naruto began to see if he could wear down the beast. Dodging blows time and time again, never hitting back and putting all his energy and focus into avoiding the hits. As time passed, nothing changed. It never waivered in its hits in the slightest.
'It'll take too long to try and drain his stamina, seems it never ends. I guess…oh, it's about time.' Naruto ducked from another hit and slammed his right fist into Nomu's gut, pushing it back a few dozen feet. Naruto continued with the blows, one after the other but then he hit and nothing happened.
'Shit, I forgot about Aizawa's injury!' In that split second, the Nomu jumped over Naruto and rushed straight for the group.
"Did you think he'd just keep going for you? No, he knows what's bothering him most and it's not you, sensei~" said the masked man in the back. Naruto spun on heel and rushed after the beast, using every ounce of power to his legs in an attempt to catch up but the Nomu had jumped so far the distance created was greater than he'd expected. He'd just barely not make it in time.
"Todoroki-san, Bakugo-san!" shouted Aizawa. He couldn't defend them in his state, he had to trust his students quirks in stopping that thing long enough for Naruto to get there.
"Don't" said Jeanne, causing them to stop.
"I told you before, put faith in him." She spoke calmly, her expression never changing from its neutral look. Not a hint of fear and that rubbed onto the others as they backed off while the Nomu charged. He began to near the pole Naruto had placed in the ground when the blonde shouted.
"O my banner, defend my brethren! Luminosite Externelle! (God Is Here With Me)" What they saw next could only be described as a car smashing into an immovable wall. The Nomu got within a few feet of the polearm before it suddenly began to glow and the beast crashed into….some kind of forcefield. It's body crushed into it and nearly collapsed before it shuffled back and hunched over. It's limited knowledge and thinking capability was trying to comprehend why it was stopped. Nothing stood in its way besides the pole and it was sure it hadn't hit that yet.
"This isn't really my style but I guess I can indulge him a little" said Naruto before he slid through Nomu's legs and stopped, his palms on the ground and his legs faced up.
"Hey Nomu, Go beyond!" shouted Naruto, thrusting his legs up and sending the Nomu high into the air. The large doors in the front of the building burst open as a figure suddenly jumped to meet the Nomu in mid air.
Two words echoed through the building "PLUS ULTRA!" In a single mighty swing, All Might blasted Nomu through the arena covering and high into the sky. Naruto jumped to his feet as the towering figure of All Might dropped down next to him, not a smile to be seen from either.
Bakugo wouldn't admit it out loud to anyone, his pride wouldn't allow it but right now he felt weak. He felt so small, so insignificant just starring at the backs of those two. All Might, a living legend amongst all likes and his new sensei that just took on something supposedly created just to deal with the hulking man next to him. Just how far was their sensei from them in terms of power?!
"Nice to see you made it just in time to show off" said Naruto and All Might huffed.
"If I had known this was happening, I'd been here much quicker. I'll handle them, go-"
"No" snapped Naruto "I'll handle them. You're faster than me and it won't be much work to save the other kids. Once you finish up just meet up back here if you still can. Don't worry, they'll be safe."
All Might looked behind him the turned to his right "They weren't the ones I was worried about but if you say you can, then I'll trust you as a fellow teacher. Don't take too long!"
"Tch, insulting my speed like that. Low blow" said Naruto with a smile as the man disappeared in a burst of speed. Naruto could feel his thunderous movements still, racing across the arena floors to save the scattered students.
He let out a sigh "Good, they'll be safe soon" and he turned to the others "Get going to the front. I'll meet up with you in a few minutes." As soon as he said those words, Aizawa's body fell, finally giving into the exhaustion and blood loss.
"Todoroki, Bakugo, cover the escape. Izuku take lead while Asui takes Aizawa with Mineta and Kirishima takes Jeanne. Help the others head to the front and wait on the other teachers to arrive."
Naruto turned and held out a fist "I'm counting on you right now, so hurry." With the final deceleration, the group quickly got up and began to move towards the stairs as quickly as possible. All while this happened Jeanne saw Naruto start to stretch out a little.
'You can fight unabated now. Show them what they need to fear in you. Show them your faith, the unwavering resolve you showed me. Come back alive.' As if he heard her thoughts Naruto looked ahead but casually held a thumbs on with his left hand. Almost as if he was telling her there was nothing to fear. Of course he would do that, he knew her better than he let on a times and quelled her fears without a second thought.
'As things are now, I don't see them fighting anymore for the sake of loosing more than they already have. However, if I can incite them to go after me I might be able to surprise them and take them out. Otherwise, I'll play it safe from here."
"You…you filthy heroes! Ruining my plans!" shouted the man in the back as his assistant seemed to try to quell him.
"Shigaraki-kun, please calm down. We need to keep focused on the task at hand and-"
"Oh, what's the task at hand? All Might is healthy and taking out the remainder of your forces while your left with little too nothing. I'm here as your opponent now if you really feel like battling. That Nomu didn't last long anyway" said Naruto. His casual tone and shrug only infuriated the man even more.
"I'll come back, I'll find you, and I'll make sure you regret ever existing in the first place. After we take care of All Might, we'll go for you then those kids you care for so much! Like every other shitty hero!"
Naruto crossed his arms and stood tall "Try and try again, boy. Each time you come, I'll be here to grind you into the dirt just like today. I'm a teacher after all, I don't mind giving some lessons to a boy who thinks he knows everything." Before it became uglier, the warp gate user quickly retreated with his teammate which left Naruto alone in the main area. He scanned around, looking for any signs of a threat, or life, in the scattered bodies of villains before letting out a sigh and returning to his polearm.
Just as it had appeared, it disappeared into a flow of gold light, reforming back into the watch on his wrist. Taking a moment, the teacher composed himself, dusting off his clothes, rebuttoning his collar, brushing a scuff from his shoe and scaling the staircase. As he reached the top Naruto saw the remainder of the class exiting the doors as All Might met up with him.
"I assume they made a speedy retreat?"
"It seems that way for now. Is everyone ok?"
"Regarding the students, yes. Everyone sustained nothing more than minor hits and scrapes. Thirteen is going to be hospitalized with Aizawa but their condition isn't life threatening" said his fellow teacher as they walked towards the door.
"I'm glad, I was worried for the students but I didn't even know Thirteen had been taken out when Aizawa came down. The police should be arriving in no time at all" said Naruto as they exited just before most of his class swarmed him.
"Sensei! Sensei! Are you ok!? You fought so many by yourself but you look ok! We were so worried!" said Mina Ashido.
"I could hear your battle from where we were! You're so strong!" said Kaminari.
"I'm glad you don't see worse for wear, Uzumaki-sensei" said Momo in the most reserved manner of the rest but her look spoke volumes of her concern.
Naruto couldn't help but return it all with a bright smile "You guys really are just the best! I'm glad your worries about myself but I'm more happy to see everyone made it out ok. I'm proud of you all for enduring what you never needed to go through so early on. You have my upmost respect as your teacher." As Naruto moved to do a round of checks on everyone the remainder of the teacher arrived, followed swiftly by the entourage of emergency response.
The blonde waved off any help from the medics, stating his minor injuries would be no problem over the students and teachers injured. He made way over to Jeanne and some of the students grouped near her. As he neared them Naruto held his hand out towards Bakugo, confusing him at first before he shook his teachers hand.
"Thank you, and good job. For keeping her safe" said Naruto as he looked to Kirishima "And to you as well. Both of you did a splendid job on your own, with a civilian to protect and made it out without any major injury. I'm proud to see how well you both preformed together under the situation and that goes for your group as well, Midoriya, Tsuyu and Mineta. Todoroki, I think you know just as well as I do that you did a fine job taking care of your side before moving to the next area to assist those nearby. Head back onto the bus with the rest of the class unless you need any medical attention." A choruses of thank you could be heard from his students as they filed away and Naruto knelt down to pick up Jeanne.
She smiled brightly at him as he lifted her up "Let's not forget how well you did too, Naruto. I know you didn't want to use your powers as much as you did but it was for the right reason. I only wish you hadn't pushed yourself so hard."
Naruto smiled "It's the main thing I told myself I wanted to do, what I'd push every ounce of being into. Protecting them, and their future, as best as I can. If that means taking out some villains here and there then so be it."
Jeanne nodded but frowned as she looked into his golden eyes "I only wish you'd turn your power off. The threat is gone."
"It may be but…my body wants to give out right now. If I keep the flow of power low, I can still move just fine till we make it home. I cant' fall as long as these children are with me, as both their teacher and as a saint."
"Very well, but you heard the principle. School's going to be closed for the rest of the week so you better rest up!"
"Yes ma'am" said Naruto with a small smile as he set her down on the bus seat and turned to address the students on the bus.
"I've said it a few times now but truly, I'm proud of you all. You did a wonderful job and you all did well under the pressure you weren't supposed to be under. I will say one thing though, those villains were foolish to do such a thing. They underestimated you, and our school. Now they'll run off limping and you'll have grown stronger from this encounter into the adult world. As much as I regret having to see you all in such an environment you will grow from this. If they come again, you'll be prepared for what they throw at you. You'll crush them!" said Naruto with a confident smirk, thrusting his fist out as the students cheered.
"Regarding school, the principal has decided to take a break for the remainder of the week so the police can investigate immediately and without any concern for contamination. He also wanted me to tell you not to worry, everything will be handled while your away. So once we get back, get changed and head home for an extended weekend. Relax a little, you all earned it." Naruto sat back down as the bus erupted in conversations once more.
"They truly are foolish to do such an act. This class has grown significantly from this. Their teamwork, trust in one another, and their ability to act under pressure has increased drastically" said Jeanne "Even now, they're talking how things went and what they could have done different. Such bright children." She smiled as she watched the converse, seeing such faces after an event made her all the more hopeful for the future of heroes. She turned to see Naruto was starring off ahead, seemingly in his own world but his fists were tightly clenched. His thoughts were abruptly stopped when he felt a soft hand grab onto his own. Turning his head, he saw Jeanne's worried expression.
He smiled at her "Sorry, just thinking back a little."
"What's wrong?" her gaze never waivered.
"Let's talk on the way home, if that's alright."
"Very well, but I won't drop this until you talk about it. You like to keep it bottled up too much until you explode."
Naruto pouted a little "I do not."
"Whatever you say, dear" said Jeanne, shrugging and ignoring his glare before they arrived at the school a short while later. Naruto stood at the bus doors outside, watching everyone exit with Jeanne in his arms before she waved at them.
"I'll see you all next Monday so try not to get into trouble before then. I won't be there to clean up the mess!" Naruto ignored the insults and began his walk towards the train station. As he left, Bakugo seemed to focus on him a little longer than most.
"What is it?" asked Kirishima, both he and Todoroki staying behind a little when their classmate seemed stuck in one place.
"You noticed his eyes changed color when he fought, right?"
"Yeah, from blue to gold. Why?"
"Their still gold. Does that mean he's still using his powers right now?"
"Huh? What for?"
"He's probably exhausted, more than us anyway. He's our teacher, so he's trying to set an example of his strong will" said Todoroki as if it was a normal thing to do.
"Yeah, probably. Why are you all around me!?"
"We were worried!"
"Die!"
With Naruto, on the train home
"So you're worried you might not be able to fend off everything they throw at us. It makes sense, you aren't omnipotent. You are only one person" said Jeanne, leaning on him as he sat hunched over, looking at his hands.
"I pride myself in my abilities, and those I use to protect these kids. If I can't do that, what's the point in being a saint if my abilities as a ruler can't do anything?" Jeanne's soft hands grasp his own before she rested her head against his.
"The heart of a saint will always bleed when paired with the hand of a ruler. No matter your power, no matter who you stand with, it will bleed. Nothing can stop that but you can limit it. Some things are inevitable, no matter what you do it will happen but you can stop others. You stopped a class from dying today. You did your best, and then some. Be proud of that. You belittle yourself too much sometimes. You're amazing." She reached up and grabbed his face, turning to her own to see his now ocean blue eyes.
"I chose you that day, because I saw something great inside you. I saw potential unlike any other and you've shown me today that I made the right choice. You may not see yourself as a hero in the technical sense but I'll say this. You're my hero, Naruto-kun." He smiled and was about to respond when suddenly she captured his lips with hers. His body froze, in total shock from what was happening. Even as her hand caressed his cheek before she separated and smiled that same innocent smile of hers.
"Don't forget that, ne? Looks like we finally got home!" She seemed to roll over what she did and grabbed onto his neck as he lifted her up. Due to the events of today, Naruto opted to talk to her about what she just did tomorrow. His brain needed the rest right now. So he remained silent, walking them down the path and right until he got to the door of the house and stopped. Jeanne, assuming he needed her to open it, reached out but suddenly he shift away so she couldn't reach it. She looked to him in worry as he set her down near the door.
"The door is cracked open, and I know I locked it before I left" said Naruto, glancing around for anything out of the ordinary.
"Call for help and let's head back to the train st-"
"No, I'll go in. If we retreat someone back go back and I'll have you in my arms. I can't react in time if something happens so I need to take care of this now. Take my phone, if things start to turn ugly, call the police so they can report it. Hopefully, it's just some two-bit thug that looked for something to steal" said Naruto, standing up and handing her his phone.
"If it's not?"
Naruto held his hands together as his eyes once more shifted to gold "It'll get a little louder in a minute then."
"Be safe" whispered Jeanne as he opened the door and the last thing she saw was his smiling face before he stepped inside completely and began to search the area.
Here. He's here. He's with another, no matter. They'll both fall and become one. She'll become one with that demon of a man. Then, the door slid open and she readied herself in her hiding spot. As he began to close in, she could feel her heartbeat speed up, her breath became heavy and her whole body felt warm. Ten feet, five, two, one.
"Finally~" said the girl in a quiet voice before pouncing on her prey. However, her world suddenly was turned upside down as a rush of wind passed. In a single fluid motion, her body was thrown through the window and out into the yard on the side of the house. Her prey jumped quickly out, landing a few feet from her as she stood and smiled.
"I got it~ I got what I wanted, even though it's just a taste~" said the girl, standing up and licking the blood she got from her swipe before he threw her outside. Before his eyes, he saw something he wasn't sure what to do with at first.
Jeanne heard the shuffling before the window broke and she heard someone land just to her left side. Using every bit of strength she had, she stood against the wall and made it to corner where she looked over to a strange site. Naruto was standing near the house facing off against….Naruto?
"Huh?" was the only remark she could muster. A moment later, the Naruto standing in the yard seemed to disappear into a muck of strange goo as a woman was left standing in what looked like some school uniform.
"That's quiet a nifty quirk" said Naruto.
"With this, I can become one with you. I can be you~ My idol~" said the woman, now sporting a massive blush. Naruto did his best to steel himself but he couldn't help but twitch back a little at her response.
"I take it that's why you're here."
"Yeah, and cause someone showed up asking if I could kill you so I said sure! But they don't need to know I'll keep you alive just enough to have fun~" Her smile stretched out even more as she spoke but Naruto just sighed and put a hand on his hip, looking to the ground.
"Someone, huh? Wanna tell me who that is?"
"Hmm, I don't know their name. He just had some kinda light blue colored hair, almost white actually. Maybe it was white? He kept this hand like thing on his face though!"
"Guess that settles it then."
"Settles what?"
"I'll keep you around for a bit and get what useful information I can out of you."
She smiled "You mean I'll keep you around."
"No" said Naruto. She blinked, he was gone and her world went black as she fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. Naruto bent down and tossed her over his shoulder and turned to Jeanne.
"Sorry about that, I guess we'll have a guest for a few days."
Jeanne narrowed her eyes at him "You're going to keep her here? Isn't that unsafe?"
Naruto shook his head "I'll keep her tied down in the storm shelter and lock it up from the outside. I'll take care of anything that needs to be done involving her. Can you get inside ok or do you want to wait on me to get her tied up?"
"I'll do my best on my own but I may stop at a certain point so go looking for me" said Jeanne with a weak smile and Naruto turned with a chuckle as he walked towards the storm shelter out back.
"I'll always come looking for you, Jeanne. Always." Jeanne watched him walk out of view and she turned to make her way inside the house. With the help of the wall she was leaning on, her progress was fairly quick for her and in less than a minute she'd made it inside. As she made her way and sat down on the tatami mat across from the kitchen table Naruto walked in and scoured the house. With a final check up done, he nodded, walked next to her and sprawled himself on the ground as he rest his head on her lap. The gold color of his eyes faded and his entire body seemed to slump even further than it already was. Jeanne giggled a little and began to run her fingers through his hair as he rested his head on her lap.
"Jeanne. Be honest, are you ok with this?"
She tiled her head as they made eye contact "With?"
"This job, what it's going to bring to us. I won't be able to be left alone anymore. I doubt we'll even be able to stay here much longer either. As it stands, this is too far away from any point of help and the neighbors don't need this mess brought to their farms. We'll move somewhere in the city, or much closer, and it'll just get messy from there. I…I don't want to drag you into something that may become much bigger than just a simple teaching job. I knew it would be more but this…..to keep them safe, and to fight this sudden surge of villains after these kids, I'll need to begin some hobbies and start up some contacts. It'll only get more dangerous and I don't want you feeling like you're forced to be here just because of me."
In that moment, Jeanne saw how weak Naruto truly was then. His worry for her wellbeing, blaming himself on the situation and the overwhelming task in front of him was sinking in. She responded in kind by laying a single kiss on his forehead to distract his roaming thoughts and focus on her.
"You needn't worry about myself. My choices are my own and I can assure you I can push through whatever this place throws at me. I've seen more than you can imagine, as I told you before. If you need to create a network I'll help you. I'll speak with Mercury about more details and try to get us started somewhere good. Don't fret over such small details and don't think I just follow you around. I may be a cripple in body for now but my mind is still as sharp as ever."
"Yeah….yeah, you're right. Thanks Jeanne, that means…..a…..lot….." said Naruto as he slowly drifted off to sleep. Jeanne kept silent, listening to his soft breathing through the silence of the house. She began to let her mind drift away, quietly falling asleep with Naruto in her lap.
Here's a long awaited chapter with my multi-update story surge. Sorry for the late replies, due to some life issues I wasn't able to find time to write much but I did take the time to collect my thoughts and settle a few issue stopping me from writing more often. Right now, I'm in the process of getting a new computer in the next few weeks, hopefully, and a powerful one at that. So, by mid to late November expect a regular update schedule sometime in that month since this old dinosaur of a laptop is finally trying to die at every corner. I can't even load up word without waiting nearly 10 minutes anytime I turn it on which is a big killing factor when once it does load it can't even keep up with normal typing speed.
Just to state, yes, you win. YOU ALL WIN! From reviews, to PM's, Jeanne is seeming to be a massively popular parring for our dear Naruto here so this is the start. Don't expect a whole lot, as Naruto sees things, that was simply thanks for his hard work that day. As the chapters pass and they talk more and more deeply into one's feelings, we'll see a true relationship blossom as time passes.
I'll exclude a hero tag this chapter so I can get a few other chapters finished and written up so I can update all at once time. In that same note, nothing has been checked besides my own skim through which doesn't do a whole lot. I'll work on kicking my old Beta up and running once I get back into a update schedule. Till next time!
Announcement- Due to a few people PMing me, bothered by the fact I can't really thumb up any ideas for my older stories at the moment I'll be placing them on permanent hiatus until further notice. The Next Legend has already been stated to be on one while I work on the massive fixing work. Others will be placed on it. Here's the list Ne
Contingency—Gods of SAO—Legend of the Noblesse—HOTD: Naruto Style—New Breed—Real Me—The Next Legend
Everything else either has partially finished chapters I am currently working on, I'm currently creating a special one for Halloween or will once the new computer rolls in. Appreciate everyone's support! You help make the magic happen!