Victoria left Danzo's side as soon as she felt the gate open. The gate was a more important problem than the council. The only person who should've been able to open the gate was Lori, but she didn't have enough of the pieces for the stone to be complete. That left Naruto. She bit her lip in frustration. How in the world had he managed to open the gate? She had made sure the price was enough to wipe away anything connected to the guardians.
She could feel Danzo attempting to contact her through the link all his subjects shared with him. "Yore," he said. "Return immediately. If you disobey my orders I will have you eliminated." Victoria rolled her eyes and broke her connection with him. She could hear him gasp as she severed it. He was a truly foolish man to ever believe he actually had any control over her. He had no more control over her actions than Saya had. She was ashamed to call the women her counterpart. They were both fools, and she wasn't about to let their stupidity ruin everything she had sacrificed. She gritted her teeth as she was assaulted with another image. She almost fell over with the sheer force of it. The image shook like a tremor in her head and ran blood through her vision. The girl whose throat she had slit open reached out to her pleading with her eyes. "I do not feel guilty!" Victoria yelled banishing the image. She had identified the location of the energy from the door. If the Kyuubi brat insisted on being a problem, she would just do what she should've done in the first place.
The door released Naruto back into his own mindscape. He turned around and was surprised when it disappeared. "The door will come back when the price to remove your memories is returned." That was surprising. Tallah's voice actually sounded really close to him. He turned around and almost jumped out of his skin.
There was a woman standing directly behind him. She had semi-dark skin and long unruly brown hair with a faint red tinge to it. She was wearing a tan dress that went to her knees. The sleeves and bottom of the dress looked like they had been ripped away, and there was a slit going up the right side of it. What freaked Naruto out were the jagged brown wings jutting from her back, and the glowing red eyes. He jumped back and pulled out his kunai. The woman just cocked an eyebrow at him as if he were no threat at all. "You're excitable for just visiting Truth. Although, when I think about it that actually makes sense. He isn't the most pleasant person in the world." she said.
Naruto just stared at her, and she waited patiently for the wheels in his head to click. "… You're Tallah?" he said after a moment. She grinned showing him her pointed teeth. "You're a bit slow aren't you?" she teased him. Naruto frowned. Yep. That was Tallah. "Why can I see you?" Tallah played with a strand of her hair looking bored. "Well one reason is that Lori's close to where you're located. The other less desirable reason," she said dropping the strand. "Is the additional seal I put on Kura…, (1) I mean Kyuubi, is starting to crack. The additional chakra is strengthening your ability to sense me." Naruto scrunched his face in confusion. "Exactly why is that not good for you?" She raised an eyebrow. "Let's just say I have a complicated relationship with the rest of the Biju."
Naruto examined Tallah with interest. He spotted the dragon mark winding around her right leg. "Lori's your Jichuriki." He said looking up at her face. "Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?" Tallah frowned. "The condition for the price was that you had to figure out what you were really looking for on your own. No one knows your mind, heart, and soul better than yourself."
Naruto frowned. "Why did you and Airi's counterpart pay my price? Tallah studied her hand. "The universe is a fragile thing." She said solemnly. "If someone hadn't done something when Victoria took your memories, the gate would've been lost to us until the Kyuubi was delivered to a new host. The universe would've collapsed before we ever found them." Naruto eyed her warily. "What did you pay?" he asked his voice was filled with dread.
"My freedom." She said looking him in the eyes. "What else does a Biju have left to pay? As for my counterpart, her ancestors will all be bridge builders. They now have no choice in the matter." Naruto clenched his fists at his side. "Why?" he said. "Why would you both pay that kind of price for me?" He was surprised when she literally laughed in his face. "You really are a naïve boy aren't you Naruto? This isn't some game where all options are open to you. In fact, if it weren't for the Sage of Six Paths this would have nothing to do with you. It's a tiny sacrifice in a multitude of big ones."
Naruto blinked and looked down gripping his hands at his sides. "You have no guarantee I'll even be able to help stop either of them." He said. "And?" came her curt reply. He stared her in shock. "We don't need a guarantee." She said bluntly. "We just need you to help my idiotic host open the gate so we can get rid of Victoria. Is that so hard?" Naruto couldn't help it. He busted out laughing right there while she just scoffed and shook her head.
The moment was abruptly over though when a look of shock crossed Tallah's face. Her eyes widened and she grabbed him by the arm. "You have to wake up now!" Naruto balked. "What? Why?" asked Naruto. "Victoria sensed the door's energy. She's coming for you!" Naruto's eyes widened. Seriously? He watched as Tallah raised her hands in a strange gesture. In fact, She looked like she was about to attack him. Wait… "Whoa!" he said putting his hands up. "What are you doing?!" he yelled. "It'll only hurt for a minute!" she said concentrating. Naruto balked. "What?! No! Tallah, don't you dare!" he yelled. She ignored his protests and his eyes widened as he was lit on fire.
Victoria cursed when Naruto rolled out of her scythe's path before she could embed it in his skull. She glared as he bolted upright and took a fighting stance. "You're supposed to hold still." She told him in frustration. The blonde looked at her like she was nuts. She gritted her teeth. He reminded her too much of Terren. Brave, strong Terren who still managed to spout nonsense even when she was coughing up blood. She had grown up with her. Yore shook her head chasing away thoughts of the betrayed Key Keeper. She did not feel guilty. She pried the scythe from the ground twirling it in her hand. Naruto finally spoke up making her eyes narrow. "Victoria I'm assuming." He said. He did his best to hide the fear in his voice, but she had trained herself to see past such things long ago.
"Don't call me that. That name is dead to me." she said evenly. She could feel her fury building as she stared at him. The determination in his eyes made her want to laugh. She smiled. He would be an easy kill, but no one said she couldn't play with him a little. "I guess Truth told you about me, but you don't have your memories back yet so that's a plus." She said baiting him. She watched as Naruto narrowed his eyes examining her. "Just out of curiosity, exactly what was the payment for those memories?" he asked. She cocked an eyebrow at him.
Suddenly her skull rocked with pain. Yore blinked rapidly as she realized he had somehow made a clone when she wasn't looking. The clone had gotten behind her during their stare down and hit her in the back of the head. Her head was in agony. She tried to clear her vision, but she couldn't. All she could see was red, red, and more red drowning and pouring and painful. Naruto wasn't there anymore. She forgot where she was, why she was there. There only blood soaking her hands, and the brown haired girl with the slit throat.
Naruto dispersed his clone after Victoria had fallen to her knees. He began backing away with the intent to call Yamoto and Kakashi if they weren't already on their way. Victoria's eyes darted around the room unfocused. He knew from what Truth and Tallah had indicated that Victoria was not an opponent so easily beaten, but for a moment he wondered if he had actually seriously injured her. "Blood." She said almost inaudibly. Naruto blinked in surprise. Her head was bleeding, but she wasn't paying any attention to it. She was staring at her hands with a mixture of horror and anger and grief that he didn't understand.
Before he could register what was happening, her head snapped up from her hands and her eyes focused on him. She let out an inhuman snarl of rage that terrified him, and her knee was suddenly in his stomach. Naruto didn't even have time to recover before she swung the stick end of the scythe into his spine. Naruto fell back to the ground, and she planted a foot on his chest and held her scythe against his throat. "God you're pathetic!" She said. "You think I'm stupid enough to give you to key to all the questions you have? You think I'd actually give you a chance to erase me, or forgive you for trying?" Naruto blinked in a mixture of terror and confusion. Erase her? Why that word? She smiled at his unease. "Truth didn't tell you did he? About my punishment for all this chaos my counterparts and I caused? Even fighting to live has a price." Naruto eyed the girl's scythe trying to formulate a plan to get away from her. "So what?" he said. "You're just going to kill more people so you can survive? You're going to live with that?" Victoria pressed the blade deeper into his skin making him wince in pain. Her expression surprised him though. It wasn't triumphant or happy. It was lifeless. "I feel nothing." She said. Naruto blinked uncertain as images of an angry red-haired girl holding him down so long ago surfaced in his mind. "Who are you trying to convince?" he asked.
Before the surprised ex-guardian could reply, roots suddenly shot up from the ground and rushed towards her. Victoria jumped back and faced her new opponent. Yamato crouched on the floor with his hand out. Kakashi stood behind him with his Kunai at the ready. "Now Yore what kind of violent business could you possibly have with Naruto?" asked Yamato. Said girl flashed Yamato a crude smile. "Yamato, it's always such a pleasure to see you. However, I believe my business is my business. Don't you both agree?" Yamato tensed and Kakashi's gaze was as equally unfriendly. "Normally I would," Kakashi replied. "But when you start aiming such severe kill intent at one of my students I tend to want an explanation." He fired up his chidori and rushed the girl. Victoria scoffed. "Please." She said. "As if that little trick could stop a Guardian." Seeing what she was going to do Naruto reached out his hand. "Kakashi-sensei wait!" His warning came a little too late though. The girl was suddenly behind Kakashi. Her scythe blazed across his back creating a huge gash and knocking him to the floor. "Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled. He and Yamato both attacked the girl. Yamato tried using his tree roots, but she clapped her hands together and there was a purple flash of light that sent the wave rushing right back at them. They slammed into Yamato pinning him against the wall. Naruto got close only to have the girl abruptly grab his arm and force him to his knees on the ground. He stared up at her cold black eyes. She raised her scythe once more and Naruto's blood ran cold. He was going to die. He closed his eyes.
He kept waiting for the pain to come, but it never did. Hadn't Victoria hit him yet? Victoria cursed sounding farther away from him. He opened his eyes and saw the last thing he would've expected. Standing over him protectively locking her kunai with Victoria's scythe was Airi. Naruto gaped at the girl. "Why are you here?!" he yelled. Airi glared. "Is now really the time to be asking questions?!" she yelled back. He realized she had a point, and went to help Yamato. As he helped his team captain get free, he watched as the two guardians clashed.
They were still locked in a stand still. Airi's kunai and Victoria's scythe scratched against each other making the metal send out screeching sounds. He marveled at the amount of chakra rolling off both girls. He could just make out the outline of Airi's guardian mark on her right shoulder. If he looked close at Victoria he could just make out a faint mark on her left arm. It wasn't a dragon like Airi's and Tallah's though. It looked like a circle with an intricate spiral pattern that had five layers to it and a flower in the center. (4) The whole thing was black. The strain against the weapons was suddenly too great, and the girl's finally broke apart. "Stupid Bridge Builder!" Victoria yelled at Airi. "Shouldn't you be helping the gatekeeper and your other pathetic friends steal the gem shard from the Iron?" Airi smirked at the girl. "You're right I should be helping them, but I just can't resist the chance make things that much harder for you." Victoria shrieked with rage. She lunged for the other girl. The two danced around each other deflecting each other's blows. They were evenly matched, and Naruto wasn't sure who would win.
Airi finally sighed. "I really hate using so much chakra," she said. "But you know what? I hate you more." Naruto and Yamato watched as Airi formed a series of hand signs that they couldn't make out, and aimed them at Victoria. The girl was suddenly frozen in midair by some strange green symbol that appeared underneath her. Victoria looked around frantically. Naruto could see her trying and failing to use a release sign. Airi glared at her menacingly. "You disgust me. You don't deserve to take Yore's place in this world." She made an earth hand sign, and vines hurled themselves at Victoria. At the last second Victoria dispensed enough chakra to move from the circle, but wasn't fast enough to avoid it entirely. "AHH!" she yelled as the vine pierced through her shoulder and was pulled back out.
She and Airi stared each other down. Airi's voice was packed with poison. "Get out of here, and go back to Danzo before I decide to end you right here." She said icily. Victoria glared at her sending shivers down Naruto's spine. Even in Sasuke's eyes he had never seen such hate. After assessing the situation Victoria or Yore or whoever she was disappeared from the room. Airi's gaze was concerned. "She's getting more unstable."
"Why does she hate you so much?" Naruto asked.
Airi looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Naruto shrugged. "Well she was perfectly calm before you got here, and she looked at you like you killed her best friend or something."
An odd look came over Airi's face, but it was gone before Naruto could decipher it. "I swear I'd love to just stab her and get this over with." She commented.
Naruto frowned. "Why can't you just send her back to her own dimension?" he asked. "It's not like you're helpless against her."
Airi looked up at his declaration. "So you were the one that opened the door." She said.
Naruto looked at her in shock. "How did you know about the door?" he asked.
She scoffed at him. "Are you kidding? The Guardians are tied to the door. Opening that thing is like setting off a beacon. It's about as subtle as your outfit."
Naruto glared at the ground thinking how that would've been nice to know earlier. Wait what was wrong with his outfit!? Kakashi and Yamato were both staring at the girl in confusion. She blinked and motioned to Kakashi sternly. "I'm a medic-nin I can heal the gash on your back." Yamato looked at her uncertainly. "Naruto," he said. "Would you care to explain what's going on?" Naruto was about to reply when Airi interrupted him. "As much I would love to catch up everyone on everything we're running short on time. Naruto needs to get his missing memories back as soon as possible and we need to find Lori. All you need to know is that I'm on your side for now." Yamato nodded in acceptance. He obviously didn't trust her, but he could live with that response for the time being. Naruto, on the other hand, was more interested in the first thing she had said. "Lori's here?" Airi stared at him annoyed. "Yeah she's here, and as we speak she and the others are going after the gem in the Land of Iron." Naruto blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected to be this close to finding her already. Airi was suddenly alert like something had changed in the air. "We need to go. Now." She said.
Kakashi looked at the girl nodding in agreement. "She's right Naruto as far as we know Madara is attacking the summit along with Sasuke and his group. We need to get there as soon as possible." Airi frowned. "I'm not worried about Sasuke being there as much as I am about him running into Lori or Lori running into Danzo. Whatever Sasuke does there you can't interfere." Naruto and the others stared at her in confusion. Yamato was the one that voiced the question. "He's going there to help Madara start a war with the Shinobi! Why are you telling us not to interfere?" Naruto expected many responses, but nothing could've prepared him for the words that left Airi's mouth. "Because Sasuke's going to help Naruto get his memories back."
(1) For those of you that are not up to date with the latest episodes or manga chapters the Kyuubi's true name is revealed to be Kurama. Tallah avoids saying it because the tailed beast's names have to be given voluntarily.
(2) Lorienn is Lori's real name. Iruka calls her that in my prequel story "Secret Friend of the Past."
(3) This is a reminder from the last chapter that Victoria is from the Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood universe. She's going to use a lot of references to Alchemy.
(4) The mark Naruto sees on Victoria is the mark the guardians from the Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood have.