Chapter 5
Disclaimer, I do not own Naruto nor the Skulduggery Pleasant Series
How's it going guys and gals and welcome back to my very first try at writing/crossovering/whatever the hell I'm doing and would like to remind viewers… readers that this story was done at a flight of fancy after far too many days without sleep. May contain OOCness, AU and other applicable nonsense
For those that may or may not have noticed, the reason why Naruto's gender keeps switching every other chapter is due to whose views the chapter is more partial to. In that when it is more partial to Naruto's—Prologue, Chapter 2 and 4—it will refer to as male since he/she still views self as male, while in the other chapters as female since it is in Valkyrie's partial perspective and Naruto looks very much like a woman outwardly in this fic. For those that have taken their time to read this please help yourself to a free virtual cookie as a reward (note: No cookies actually supplied)
Note: The longest chapter of this story by a very large margin, sorry for the long wait... if you were waiting, if not carry on
On with the story
A year.
She had been searching for him for a whole year now.
Well to be exact—this was something Naruto would remind her repeatedly—was that it had only been eleven months that passed, not twelve.
Eleven months of following down clue after clue, kicking down door after door, and running through endless miles of dark streets. You get the idea. All in search of a single skull out there in the world.
But then again, it was his skull.
She had traced the skull from the goblins that stole it from Skulduggery, which ended up in the clutches of a sorcerer named Larks. That was where Skulduggery's investigation kinda ended and she had to pick up, and she had to say, the skull did not live a boring life(?).
It was first bought by a woman as a surprise and macabre wedding gift, only for her to kill the groom with the thing, which in turn had it falling into "mortal" police hands for investigation. The skull, now dubbed the Murder Skull, wound up in the black market of all things and the ownership of it was changed four times before it wound up in the hands of another sorcerer named Umbra. Within a year it fell into the hands of Thames Chabon and that was where it ended.
It was morbidly fascinating how many people want the remains of another person's skull. Sure Naruto had told her that people liked to keep trophies of their victories. But they didn't even win the skull and as far as she knew they didn't know who it belonged to. It made no sense whatsoever and the rabbit—Valkyrie's special nickname for her—agreed with her completely.
It has been an almost-year of non-stop searching for the skull of Skulduggery Pleasant.
"Valkyrie, she's being held in the holding cells… again."
"Urgh."
Make that almost non-stop searching.
Apparently Naruto had a knack for mischief.
That was an understatement. She had a mischievous streak as long as the sun was large and she swore that wasn't an exaggeration. She couldn't remember the amount of times she has had to spring Naruto from the Sanctuary and "mortal" Police cells. Although it wasn't like the girl couldn't break out by herself, or that the authorities could find any actual proof to connect her to her "crimes".
The crimes she has been currently accused of are as follows: Defacement of public property, Disturbing the Peace, Impersonating a clergyman, Impersonating an Officer of the law, Public indecency while under the influence of alcohol, Aggravated Jaywalking and the list goes on. And that was just from the "mortal" laws, she didn't even want to mention about what the Sanctuary wants her for. Not like they could prove she is guilty and how exactly does one Jaywalk in an Aggravated manner?
"I'll go get her," Valkyrie muttered, walking out their current base of operation, being Bespoke Tailors' since they still weren't working for the Sanctuary.
"Hey Val wait up," Tanith said, trailing after her. "Let's take my ride, I wanna see how she's been doing."
It wasn't odd for Naruto to suddenly up and vanish, but what irked Valkyrie was that every time she did, a lot of police tape followed. She should have kept the girl on a leash, that way she would get into less trouble.
"It's been a while since we last saw her," Tanith remarked as she mounted the motorbike.
"Three months this time," Valkyrie muttered softly in response as she did the same.
"You miss her?"
"…No."
"Hehe, you miss her." Tanith chuckled under her helmet as her motorbike roared through the streets.
"Thanks for busting me out guys."
Valkyrie wasn't one to say out loud, but even she could openly state that the girl before her was beautiful, and would only grow up to be a knockout.
Rabbit-esque horns were hidden by an illusion, didn't want to startle anyone if she had to guess. Her oriental clothing had been replaced by a pair of black trousers, with the legs going over the similarly mid-thigh length high heeled boots. For her upper clothing she wore a black vest, made from a material Valkyrie wasn't aware of, on top of a white long sleeved button up shirt of the similar material. A black tailcoat was currently draped over her shoulders as she pranced towards them and her clothing did little to hide the healthy amount of curves on the growing girl.
Her overall appearance hadn't change that much, her face has retained the pale complexion and her hair seemed to flicker like fire under the moonlight, which shared the same shade as her grinning lips, which she tied in a braid that almost brushed against the floor if it wasn't for the extra height of her heels. Her eyes have remained the same pupil-less pale blue that reminded her of China's, and her currently closed, vertically opening eye disguised, looking more like a tattoo than anything.
Valkyrie didn't need to be an expert on clothing to know that the suit was expensive, not to mention that is pulsed with what felt alarmingly familiar. It felt like the power of Necromancy to her. Which asks the question of how exactly did she got the money to afford them, and where did she attain her use of Necromancy?
"…again," Naruto remarked before laughing sheepishly, before she wrapped her arms around the dark haired girl. "It's so good to see you guys again."
"And where exactly have you been?" Valkyrie muttered darkly to the still shorter girl, less than pleased that her little shadow had disappeared for three whole months. Sure she received a lot of information on the skull from the redhead, but that wasn't the point.
"She's saying she misses you," Tanith supplied on the side casually leaning on her motorbike.
"Aww Val, I missed you too~!" Naruto purred, rubbing her head on the Valkyrie's chest. "And I've been here and there."
"Yeah, right," Val's attempt at a casual deflection was ruined by her red cheeks before changing the subject. "So how are we getting back?"
"Why on the bike of course," Tanith answered cheerily.
"All three of us?"
"What's your point?"
"It's just, do people actually do that?" Valkyrie replied in a deadpan.
"Yes."
Along the other two's conversation, apparently Naruto had become bored and had opened her usually closed third eye.
[Amenominaka]
Valkyrie barely stumbled this time when they suddenly appeared inside Ghastly's store. The others in the shop, Ghastly and Fletcher, were startled by the sudden appearance of Naruto, Tanith and herself in the shop. Oh yeah, and Tanith's bike as well. She needed to get better used to the rabbit's teleportation method.
"How did…?" Ghastly started to ask only to trail off.
Naruto only smiled.
"Never mind."
"So do we have the money?" Valkyrie asked, bringing the subject back to more relevant terms.
Tanith gestured to the duffle bag on the floor. "Yup, it's quite a lot. Good thing we don't personally need'em hehehe."
"Speak for yourself," Fletcher muttered. He was ignored.
Behind her, Valkyrie felt her little shadow drape her upper body around her shoulders, just like usual, as she said something that really irritated most of the people in the room. "I don't know how much you need, but I'm pretty sure I could've taken care of it."
"You're joking." Tanith said dryly.
"Nope not at all."
"It's only been eleven months since you got here, how much money could you have?"
Naruto promptly flipped her phone open, which displayed the amount of money she had stored at her bank account.
Tanith's jaw dropped at the amount.
Ghastly was frozen in his place with wide eyes.
Fletcher didn't know numbers even went that high.
Valkyrie, finally tired of not seeing what was up, moved the phone so that she could see the screen.
"I kinda hate you right now," Valkyrie muttered slight annoyance.
"I love you too~," Naruto crooned back, nuzzling the taller girl's neck.
"All my hate."
"That's the Murder Skull?" Tanith needled, still sceptical at the sight of the skull. Technically speaking they didn't even know what his original skull looked like, well maybe Ghastly did, but he wasn't there and this skull looked a lot like Skulduggery's current skull. Or any other normal skull, for that matter.
"Positive," Chabon replied.
"He's lying," Valkyrie's little rabbit whispered to her ear from her position on Valkyrie's lap.
"Are you sure?" she whispered in return.
"Positive," Naruto replied, mimicking Chabon's earlier reply, before she smoothly stood from Valkyrie's lap, "I have placed the entire café under an illusion, do as you will."
Chabon seemed to not have caught on to their suspicion, as he continued to gaze at them blandly, especially the strange red head that left the lap of the girl that had been searching for the skull.
"Where is the Murder Skull?" Valkyrie asked, not pleased by the developments, not one bit.
"A wrong answer results in a slow and painful death," Naruto added, gaining strange looks from Tanith and Valkyrie.
"Don't try to threaten me, girl. I have been thr—" Chabon's potentially long spiel was cut off by the blade-like bone that began to protrude from her palm until it reached two feet in length, her horns reappeared on her head and veins began to bulge around her temples. Valkyrie smirked at the scared look on his face, although it did raise some questions, like why has she never showed that bone thing during their sparring sessions?
"Any attempts to leave…" Naruto scratched the plant on their table with the bone and it turned into ash in seconds.
The threat was obvious.
Move and disintegrate
Valkyrie smirked inwardly, he might have been a professional, but she doubted he has ever been threatened by complete and utter desolation.
"Now where is the skull?" Valkyrie repeated
"I don't know where it is," Chabon said, still staring at the redhead wearily. "I had it, but someone else offered triple of what you had. I met with her just an hour ago and gave her the skull."
"What did she look like?" Tanith asked, hand on the hilt of her sword, just in case she needed to threaten him some more.
"Dark hair. Pretty enough. All business."
Tanith drew her sword slightly and Naruto aimed her bone projection at him.
"She's American—Boston if her accent is anything to go by. And she's got that eye thing—you know, heterochromia—one green and the other one's blue."
"Davina Marr," Tanith muttered in distaste.
Ugh it had to be Davina, Valkyrie thought bitterly. She really did not like the new Irish Sanctuary's Prime Detective. Not at all. The few times they had encountered each other was enough for her. At least the woman knew better than to try anything when her horned shadow was nearby. Then again, despite how cute the girl was, she seemed to have the amazing gift of unnerving anyone she doesn't like too much. Her aunt Beryl was proof of this, Valkyrie was sure her aunt was still afraid of her "friend" as she put it.
"If Davina has the skull then that means Guild has it," Valkyrie muttered forebodingly. "And if he has it, then that means it's been locked up where no one can get it."
"So what do we do now?" Tanith asked, looking directly at Valkyrie.
"We steal it!"
"I have to say, you simultaneously had the best and worst plan I've ever heard."
"Shut up rabbit."
Valkyrie trudged forward heatedly through Aranmore Farm, still irked by her wounded pride by Davina. On the bright side, they got Skulduggery's skull from Guild's office, which got a healthy dose of neon orange graffiti from Naruto, and said girl currently on her back was being extra affectionate because of that.
Sure it was nice to see Davin get knocked a couple of notches and back into a metal wall by an open palm strike, but Valkyrie wished it was her that did it instead of the redhead. And it was amazing how someone could use Necromancy in a way that it left a path of destruction in their wake, yet left her opponents with wounded prides and bodies. She swore she heard several hallways collapse when they left.
"Aww, but you looked so happy when I saved your from Marr," Naruto teased, poking Valkyrie's cheek in amusement.
"I would have been fine," she muttered in response before relenting. "…But thanks for helping."
"Anytime!"
"If I'm not interrupting anything," China said standing next to the steadily widening portal, "It's time."
The portal looked like fire, the circular parting in space floating there grew large enough for a grown man to enter. "Remember you only have an hour to find him," China warned, "Whether you find him or not, in one hour we'll open the portal again and getting you out."
"Don't worry, we'll find him," Valkyrie replied confidently, before she, and by proxy Naruto, ran right into the pretty glowing circle in the air.
"BOO!"
Valkyrie screamed in terror as the skeleton suddenly came to life and startled her. Startled was an understatement, she nearly peed herself in surprise by the loud sound he made.
And she wasn't overly happy by the sound of Skulduggery laughing like it was the most hilarious joke he has ever heard. Or the almost silent giggling she heard behind her. Honestly, she would have thought the rabbit would be the one that should have jumped in fright, she was the one that used to be scared of the talking skeleton.
"Are you done," Valkyrie glared, his response was to laugh louder, before she turned to Naruto. "And you, you're not helping right now."
After a while his laughter died down. "This isn't good, I'm deriving amusement from my hallucinations," ignoring the fact that he still sounded amused.
"You think we're you're hallucinations?"
"Of course you are, but don't worry it's perfectly fine"
"But we're real."
"That's the spirit, never give up on your dreams… or are they technically mine…"
"No they are mine, and that's not the point, I'm really Valkyrie," Valkyrie then lifted Naruto from her shoulder and brought her forward. "And this is really Naruto."
"You'd be surprised how many say that in my delirium. They usually do a lot more dancing and singing though. And usually Naruto would have suddenly grown into curvaceous blonde woman in her teens by now with an overly large sword and a red dress."
"Umm what?" Naruto muttered as she floated her way behind Valkyrie again, not really sure what he was thinking with that.
"How can we prove we're real to you?" Valkyrie asked.
"I could slap him around a bit." Naruto suggested.
"Don't do that."
"Actually that might work," Skulduggery interjected.
"No! You, stay there," Valkyrie said pointing at Naruto before pointing at Skulduggery. "And you, don't encourage her."
"How else are you planning on providing the validity of your existence?"
"W-well, how about telling you something only I know."
He paused. "Fascinating. In theory, that might prove that you are real, since if you tell me something I don't know then it follows that my subconscious would not either, which would mean you are not my imagination."
"…Right… What do you want me to tell you?"
"How about 'what colour underwear you have on?'" Naruto supplied teasingly, grinning mischievously.
"Why would he want to know that?!" Valkyrie exclaimed indignantly, her face red.
"Because he wouldn't know," the rabbit explained.
"She has a point," Skulduggery supported.
"It's red by the way."
"There you go."
"Now do you believe we're real?" Valkyrie asked testily.
"Nope, not at all, I might have made that up subconsciously."
"Argh!"
"Alright I'll throw you a bone, figuratively and ever so slightly literally" Skulduggery said, "If you can fetch my missing limbs for me, I might be more inclined to believe you're real."
"You mean these?" Naruto asked out of the blue, Valkyrie turned to face her, finding that she was waving around an arm and a leg, both skeletal of course.
"So you were just carrying those around with you…"
STARE
"…Okay."
With as much tact as she could, the redhead handed them—read as tossed at—to Skulduggery, who placed them back on, in obviously painful and difficult actions while cheerily whistling 'Dry Bones.
"Not to be the downer here, but you might wanna hurry up," Naruto muttered, staring at the horizon from the mouth of the cave.
"Hmmm? Why for? I'm still not convinced you're real." Skulduggery replied as he stopped whistling.
"Something's coming," she muttered ignoring Skulduggery's remark for now, turning her head to look at Valkyrie. "We don't have much time."
Valkyrie soon felt the presence Naruto felt, her ears popped, as she shivered as she was hit by the same sensation she felt eleven months ago.
The Faceless Ones were coming.
Valkyrie was worried.
Okay not worried. Worried was a light word compared to what she was feeling right now.
Usually, when you have an almost constant companion, you tend to have a greater grasp on who they are and how they act compared to others. Naruto, her mischievous and fun loving shadow, was definitely not acting lie herself.
When your friend starts becoming an unhealthy pale colour and her lips darken to an almost black, red colour and she begins floating, it usually not a good sign.
Of course being suddenly tossed into a rift in space by said person also caught Valkyrie by surprise.
She was hit instantly by the freezing winds blowing whipping her hair about her face. That and the suit wearing pile of bones that was Skulduggery. It was almost like how she met Naruto for the very first time.
It begs the question: why is it that people always seem to land on her?
"You make a wonderful landing cushion, anyone ever tell you that," Skulduggery said as he casually sat on her back.
Valkyrie growled before shoving him off and standing up, zipping her jacket to keep her warm and pulling her hands into her sleeves and shoving them into her pockets. She knew cold, but this was a different type of cold.
"The rabbit might have mentioned it once or twice," Valkyrie replied grumpily, moving about to keep herself warm.
Looking around she was met with sight of massive frozen mountains and canyons, massive icicles, a lot wider than her, covered the canyons walls. Over the distance on a cliff, she could see what looks like a castle, she could barely make out any of its details but could tell it was massive.
"Well… now what?" Valkyrie asked, still cold.
"Well, since you so nicely cushioned my fall I guess I could give you the benefit of the doubt." Skulduggery replied, not all too bothered by the cold.
"You're still on about me being you imagination?"
"You could be figment of my subconscious, I suppose."
"I cushioned your fall!"
"That might have been a draught."
"That doesn't even make any sense."
"It does a little." Skulduggery muttered, before wrapping an arm under her waist. "Now do try to hold on."
"Hold on to wh—" Valkyrie was cut off as they rocketed off into the air. What followed was her screaming a whole lot. When she did find finally relax into it, she actually enjoyed it. "You can fly?"
"It tends to become boring when you have to walk around everywhere you go," he replied, floating upright, in what she suspected was in the direction of the castle.
"You've gotta teach me."
Looking at it, she saw that it was actually larger than what she thought it was. A lot larger. Any other castle she has seen so far was nothing compared to it. Hell, any mountain she has seen so far looked similar in size to it.
Skulduggery manoeuvred them to the highest tower on the castle, which was massive, and she was amazed the windows were still intact with all the freezing winds blowing. Oh yeah there was also the large piles of gold and other types of jewellery all over the tower floor. Really, they weren't even large piles, more like large hills of gold if anything. Everything in the room looked either irreplaceable and/or extremely valuable.
One thing in particular that caught her eye was a nifty sword standing on a small glass-like podium, it had a blue handle with a gold cross guard with blue details, the sheath covering the blade has a gold colour decorated with blue crisscrossed lines. An ineligible—to her anyways—language was present on the gold surface of the sheath.
Just looking at the sword made her want to pick it up and use it. It filled her head with visions of battles and victories.
Which reminded her, she needed a weapon. Skulduggery had his revolver and Tanith had her sword, even China had those symbols on her body. Why couldn't she have her own weapon? And on the offhand that this belonged to the rabbit, she doubted the girl would mind if she used it… right?
It did look expensive…
"No," Skulduggery said, not bothering to stop surveying the terrain.
"No, what?"
"I know what you are thinking, don't do it."
"You make it sound like what I'm about to do is going to kills us."
"You would be surprised."
"…"
"…"
"I'm going to do it anyways."
And besides what else could she grab. The spear? She didn't really know how to use one, even if she did she would have to choose between the two she saw. The thingy with a cylinder that might have been the blade that might be a sword? It didn't look so useful. The chain? She just knew Naruto would make a joke about bondage if she returned with that.
And besides, she thought she would do well with a sword. She killed a god the last time she used a sword. Well part of a god, but that wasn't the point.
Yeah, okay maybe it wasn't a good idea. The thing was heavy. Like, really heavy. Although it wasn't super heavy that she needed both hands to constantly lift it.
"I'll get used to it," she muttered in a pleased tone.
"I'm sure you will." Skulduggery said in return.
"Find out where we are yet."
"Yes."
Valkyrie waited a moment for an answer. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"You going to fill me in?"
"Ah yes, we seem to be in the middle of a frozen wasteland in an unknown location, or rather a location I do not recognise."
"Thanks for that."
"No worries."
"What should with do now?"
"Now? We wait, until your friend brings us back."
A loud roar was heard in the distance.
"And we make sure we don't meet that."
Trouble seems to gravitate around them.
One minute she was just practising swinging her pretty and new sword, and the next they were being chased around by what she could only describe as a dragon.
It had icy scales like a dragon. It can fly with wings like a dragon. Almost disappointingly enough it couldn't breathe fire like a dragon. Almost. And it was flipping massive, occupying the whole hallway they were flying through. Well Skulduggery was flying, she was just along for the ride.
Fun fact about her new sword, when the blade is drawn the sheath fades into her hand. Where exactly does it go? She didn't really know, but it reappeared whenever she wanted to sheath the blade again. That and she could shoot waves of pure awesome with it if she focused, kinda like Necromancy only with light… Sorta. Well that's how Naruto would have put it anyways.
So here they were flying through the halls of the castle, dodging pillars of ice and falling icicles, which did nothing to phase the dragon behind them, while she was sending wave after wave at it.
"What's the plan?" Valkyrie yelled, fighting to be heard above the winds, starting to tire from using the sword.
"There isn't really a plan." Skulduggery replied. "Although I never knew I was this imaginative."
"Still going with that?"
"Of course."
They didn't even get a single warning when the world shifted.
Again.
While they were flying.
"So want to explain what happened rabbit?"
"I have to be honest with you, I have no idea… And quit calling me that!"
Valkyrie and Naruto found themselves within, what they both recognised, was one of the rooms in the Hibernian Cinema.
Valkyrie's landing with Skulduggery wasn't exactly the smoothest. Scratch that, it couldn't even be called a landing at all, they outright crashed. In fact she was sure they both broke or fractured the same amount of bones.
What happened to the rabbit was a lot worse. When they emerged—and landed painfully—they found the girl on the ground, the grass around her was charcoaled in a circle. Her clothing was doing a great job of keeping together despite being barely presentable in decent company and the power of her Necromancy was leaking out of it. That wasn't even mentioning the top right half of her horn, broken and her left side was burnt very badly while the arm was barely attached to the shoulder.
Fletcher's expression when he saw them might have been comical to her, if she wasn't so worried for Naruto herself.
And it was only just now that she just recently woke up.
"So you don't remember anything?"
"Noope~"
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing."
"Weird."
"By the way, I can help but notice… is that my sword you have there?"
Valkyrie looked over her bed, there leaning on the foot of it, she could just see the upper part where the guard connects to the sheath.
"Umm yeah…" Valkyrie said.
"My sword? From my personal collection?"
"You don't mind right?"
"Did it do anything when you touched it?"
"Not that I recall."
"Nothing?"
"I don't know what you want me to say… it might have sparkled a little bit when I picked it up."
"…Interesting, ah what the heck, keep it."
"Really? Sweet."
"Of course I'm gonna have to drill you to the ground on the basics first."
Yeah, that wasn't what she really wanted to hear. The rabbit could be a slavedriver when it comes to training.
"Oh goody."
"Yup, wouldn't want to disappoint the old wielder of that."
End
The sword might be familiar, or not…
Next Chapter – Getting back to the flow, Training Days and Visions of the future
That's all for now, hoped you like the ooze that poured from my head
As always thanks for reading ^.^