Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Resident Evil
AN: Yeah, my update schedule is really messed up. I just can't seem to find a way to organize myself and I have no excuse for not updating sooner. I really need to start giving more attention to this.
And to make it up to all my fans, I'm gonna be updating this story a lot more. I'll be focusing on this as my biggest priority. I wasn't too keen since the Naruto Manga has disappointed me for months and I wasn't in the mood to write anything involving it. But I'm back now. Part of the reason why I took more time is because I've been planning a bunch of stuff for this story. I'm gonna make the Resident Evil story my own.
Anyway, now that Naruto has been bit by the snake, they need to get the antidote to save his life. I was gonna have them head on towards the shed to meet with Lisa Trevor, but then the chapter would be too long and I wanted to get this done so you guys would know I'm back. So, this chapter will be about saving Naruto and solving the Death Masks fiasco.
Also, people really liked the moment between Naruto and Rebecca so much in the last chapter that they wanna see her be with him and Claire. I'm not sure I wanna do that. I much rather just stay with NarutoxClaire if anything.
Enjoy
Chapter 4- Race
Jill's eyes widened as Naruto collapsed in front of her and Chris. Her rapid breathing, due to nearly getting eaten by some giant twenty foot snake just moments ago, became pretty much her choking on the air that clogged up in her lungs. She stared worryingly at the fallen boy beneath her, taking in the sight of the bloody and quickly swelling bite mark on his ankle.
Purple liquid, quite obviously the poison that was implanted into him, was oozing out in small doses from the two fang size holes. Mixing with the poison was streams of blood, creating some sickly dark red color that stained Naruto's skin. The new color crawled slowly down Naruto's foot with the sound of the liquid dripping onto the wooden floor echoing into the tense quiet room.
Her mind was racing with things that she could do to try and help him, but none of them checked out due to her not really knowing anything medical. Sure she knew something about chemicals, but not enough to get the poison out of Naruto's leg without any medicine. She wasn't even sure where the medicine room was exactly.
Naruto and Chris told her about Richard, but when they said that the medicine room was on the first floor she felt that could've been anywhere. This place was so fucking huge that that really didn't help in narrowing down where the room was. They could mean right below her, but Jill would end up on the other side of the mansion. Based on this night's events, she wouldn't put it past that happening.
Her face paled as Chris kneeled down to Naruto's fallen body, shaking his shoulders to try and get him to wake up. The kid's breathing was ragged, coming in very short verses that Jill wouldn't have known was happening if she didn't look. His chest was rising very slow, and only getting slower as each second passed on by.
Chris looked really concerned and scared for the kid's well-being. Jill knew that they were together throughout the majority of this nightmare, fighting zombies and crazy creatures together. She had to figure that they had developed some kind of connection. Men just seemed to bond with one another by killing shit.
And this night has been filled with nothing but killing one thing after another.
Jill had her fair share of that this night as well.
She and Barry had ran into many zombies, dogs, and even crows and wasps. She couldn't count the number of times something had come close to biting her. There was too many to even guess. The number would be too huge.
She hadn't run into any of the other members of Bravo Team and Captain Wesker had become a fuckin' ghost of sorts; even Barry seemed to be running off every now and then to do his own thing and leave Jill alone. She was lucky that she stumbled onto Chris and Naruto when she did. She appreciated the company and help.
Being in this place alone with no idea where anyone was gave her unsettling nerves in her otherwise strong stomach. Not even the monsters here did that and there were enough different varieties of disgust and 'shit your pants scary' here that would make any normal person blow chunks.
Even if the wasps freaked her out a little more than others due to her dislike for flying bugs.
She encountered the wasps in some room on the second floor, after forcing a locked door open with her boot in a moment of hysteria, and only found some kind of crest with a symbol for wind on it. What it meant, she hadn't the faintest idea. Still, she held onto it after seeing the layout for this place and the track record of old items being needed for later. Just like how they needed the masks, they may need the crest for later.
The pained groan that barely escaped Naruto's lips had Jill's heart stopping for a second. Even if she didn't know him as well as Chris might, she didn't want him to be in pain. Especially since it was poison from a giant mutant snake? She wouldn't wish that on anyone, even those who deserved it.
Naruto's pain gave her really bad chills in her spine and chest. He was just a kid. A kid that reminded her a little bit of Chris' sister Claire, whom she had gotten along with the few times she's dropped by to visit Chris.
A great girl, she remembered. A little nuts, but great. Really pretty too, but Claire told her that she didn't like the compliment, saying some shit like she heard it one too many times and it was annoying to hear now.
She almost laughed, but Naruto's barely edible gasp silenced her once again.
He seemed like such a nice guy. The stupid grin that he had on his face as they traveled to this place to get the final mask made her wanna smile back. The way he seemed to somehow stay positive in this bleak situation was admirable. Jill didn't know anyone who would try and retain some kind of happy emotion in this place. Maybe someone who was crazy.
Thinking on it, she quickly realized that Naruto was kinda crazy. Some of the remarks he made about the zombies being retarded cannibals had her laughing for some time on the way here. Chris laughed too, but he shook his head more than he laughed. Jill chalked it up to Chris having heard a good number of jokes like that all night.
They all sounded stupid or crazy. Just like him.
He was crazy, but unique. A good kind of unique. One she didn't want to see die so young.
She followed Chris' lead, kneeling down and looking over Naruto's wound. The skin was starting to swell up badly, but it wasn't clear if it was from the poison or from the bite itself. She didn't dare touch it, not knowing the pain it could and most likely would bring Naruto if she did.
"Naruto?" Chris had his hand over the poisoned boy's neck, checking for a pulse. Chris' relaxed breath indicated there was still one there. Jill could barely see the rise and fall of Naruto's chest now. It was at a slight stand still, not falling, but not rising either.
"He's in really bad shape, Chris." Jill stated the obvious to him as his eyes darted all around Naruto's barely moving body. "He needs some antidote or he's gonna die."
"You don't think I know that!?" He snapped, regretting it after the look Jill gave him. "I'm sorry. It's just... although he's a real pain in the ass and never shuts up, he's a great kid. We been through so much shit these past three hours together; more than anyone will ever go through with anyone their whole lives... which I wouldn't even have if not for him..." he remembered all the times Naruto's killed something to save Chris and get him to the next life and death situation, only to repeat the cycle and save his life again while Chris would occasionally do the same to him.
Jill nodded. Naruto saved hers too against that snake. She was sure she would be dead if he hasn't used that explosive to distract the snake.
"He's..."
"He's your friend..." Jill finished for him, Chris nodding slowly in response to Jill's declaration.
"Yeah... he's my friend..." Chris sighed. "And I don't want anymore of my friends to die."
Chris would kill to hear Naruto make some stupid remark to his little confession. He could just picture the words coming out the kid's mouth that that was kinda gay the way he admitted they were friends. Although upon further thinking, he concluded that maybe Naruto would've taken it in stride and admit they were friends too with that stupid grin of his on his face. The kid seemed to love the idea of making friends.
He was all for being best friends with Claire and Naruto hasn't even met her yet.
He didn't want it to end like this. He refused to let it end like this.
He's known him for a total of three hours, but Chris owed this kid his life. He wouldn't have thought to take that bag of chemical that ended up getting them one of the masks, so he helped them get closer to escaping. He wouldn't have gotten through some of their encounters with the zombies and the dogs if Naruto wasn't there to bail him out.
And he could've been the one on the ground dying if Naruto didn't use his explosive device to get the snake to retreat.
Hell... maybe the mutant fuck would've eaten him whole.
He owed Naruto his life... and he would do whatever he could to save his.
He also thought about what would Naruto do if the roles were reversed and Chris was the one on the ground with the bite wound. There was no doubt in his mind that Naruto would do anything he could to help him. Kid was a fuckin' saint.
With that in mind, Chris' choice was abruptly clear.
He stood up. "I'm going..." Jill stared up at him. "I'm going to that medicine room to get the antidote."
Jill gave him a pointed look, "I have no doubt in your abilities to defend yourself from these monsters, Chris, but your skill in medicine is... how do I put this... horrible." She answered honestly. Chris couldn't tell Advil from Tylenol if his life depended on it. He could go and think he got antidote for the poison, but it turned out he instead got some medicine that helped a headache.
Chris frowned just a tiny bit, "I know I'm not the best with medicine, Jill." He sighed. "Still... I gotta try something..."
"I know you do, Chris." Jill sympathized. "But you also gotta take into account the possibility that you'll take something that could hurt Naruto more."
Chris frowned again, but made no comment.
"Rebecca is most likely not there anymore. She would've moved Richard to a safer place. If she were still there, I would say go for it." Jill gave him a sad look. "Unless you can find her, go back to the medical room, and then get back here before the poison fully circulates through Naruto's system, I don't see how we're gonna do this..."
Chris growled, punching the wall behind him hard enough to splinter off chunks of wood. He saw the reasoning for Jill's thinking. Even if he were to take everything from the room, it still wouldn't help their chances in saving Naruto.
He saw the labels on some of the bottles when they brought Richard in and none of them were labeled in a way that Chris knew how to read. He couldn't tell one thing apart from the other and anything Rebecca had said as she rumbled through the vials and bottles was lost on Chris. Naruto had put it best for him:
"The what goes with the huh?"
Couldn't have said it better himself.
But anyway, he was still gonna try. Even if he gave something that didn't help Naruto and he still ended up dying, at least Chris could tell himself at night when he couldn't sleep that at least he tried.
At least he would if he even managed to live past this.
He sighed as he faced Jill again. "Even if he still dies..." he checked the clip in his handgun, seeing he had seven bullets left in this clip. He put the clip back in. "I'm still gonna try to save his life."
Jill nodded. She could understand that. Even if the odds were very low against them, she saw it was better to try and fail than not try and living with the guilt that you could've tried. She just wished she had a definite answer so they wouldn't fail at all.
"I'll stay with him," Jill offered. "You go and get anything that you feel can be used."
Before Chris could nod, the sound of the doorknob turning silenced their breathing and forced the air back down their throats. Chris took a offensive stance with his weapon raised as Jill kept a hand on Naruto's chest and held her handgun up with a single hand.
The door slowly opened, the barrel of a gun entering their sights before they noticed the small hand holding the gun. Two seconds later, the form of Rebecca Chambers waltzed into the tiny hallway.
Chris noticeably relaxed upon seeing her. "Man, am I glad to see you, Rebecca." He gave her a small smile, one she returned before she saw the fallen form of Naruto on the floor.
She let out a gasp. "What happened to him!?" She rushed over, bending down and falling to her knees to examine his damaged body.
"That snake that bit Richard..." Chris slowly responded, figuring that was all Rebecca needed to catch up on what happened to Naruto.
Indeed, she caught on quickly. "Oh no..." She whispered, keeping a palm on Naruto's chest, feeling a very faint heartbeat behind his skin.
Chris looked down to Jill. "Rebecca, this is Jill Valentine. She's another member of Alpha Team with me."
Jill gave a nod over to the young Bravo member. "We can have introductions later," she said. "Right now, Naruto is gonna die if we don't get him something to fight off this poison." She reminded.
Chris gave a smile of realization. "It's actually a good thing you're here, Rebecca." Her eyes were on him. "I was gonna go back to that medicine room, but I wouldn't know what to take for this situation. I got lucky with that first serum bottle I found for Richard."
Rebecca nodded, seeing where he was going with this. "Okay, I get it. I'll accompany you to get the serum while Jill here stays with Naruto." She looked to the other female in question. "Try to bleed out as much of the poison as you can. That can keep him alive a little longer."
Jill nodded, wrapping her hand around Naruto's ankle and already going to work with her part of the job.
Chris brought out his knife as Rebecca stood back up. "Time to go..." He said. He saw Rebecca give a nod to him as she stood back up. Chris paid Naruto a glance. "You better not die on me, Blondie. You still have to work with my sister to maim me."
He and Rebecca then headed towards the door. Rebecca exited out the room first as Chris stood in the doorway. He cast another glance over his shoulder to Naruto's body, seeing his panged breathing. He exited right after, feeling more determined than he had in years to accomplish something.
Jill gave a tiny smile as the door closed. "I can see it now..." She nodded. "How close you are to him, Chris..." She continued to bleed out the poison. "That closeness is why you won't fail. You'll save him and you two will be back to making horrible jokes and being the best of friends in no time..."
...
Chris closed the door, his hand still clasped around the doorknob as the painted image of Naruto's dying form stayed in his tired and exhausted mind. His chest immediately went to constricting at the reminder of his dying friend.
"Chris..." Rebecca's voice brought him away from his thoughts.
He nodded. "Yeah..." He mumbled as he dropped his hand from the doorknob. "No time to waste. Let's get moving..."
The two ran, the clock that only they could hear ticking away faster than they would've liked.
...
"Where... Where am I?"
Naruto found himself in a black space, hovering around like a hawk looking down at its meal. He didn't remember coming here. He remembered being in a room with Chris and Jill and some giant snake...
Oh yeah... The snake bit him...
His eyes widened as a thought came to him. "I'm dead!?" He screamed. "What?! I can't be dead! The snake didn't rip anything off!"
But it was poisonous. He recalled that guy Richard that Rebecca was tending to when he met her.
"Damn it!" He couldn't move his hands or else he would be grabbing at his head. Actually, now that he thought about it, he couldn't move anything. "How could I be so careless! I'm a ninja for gods sake! I should be able to dodge a snake!"
He stopped with his mental screaming as it was only giving him a headache. He glanced around the black area, only seeing darkness stretch for long and long acres of space.
Actually, that sounded weird.
He sighed. "I wonder if I killed the snake at least. If I am gonna go, I at least wanna have taken my assailant down with me." He knew that with Kurama on rest due to cushioning the fall between dimensions, he won't be able to wash out the poison. Although it felt like years since he came here, it's only been two hours at most.
In simpler terms... He was screwed.
"I can't believe I failed," he mumbled. "I promised to help Chris and the others survive this and get out of here, but it looks like I checked out before that could happen..."
If he could, he would ball his fists. "I failed my home too. Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, everyone... I abandoned them and they're all probably dead! Dead because I couldn't stop Madara!"
Tears fell down his face. "I thought maybe I could make up for that here. That maybe I could help the people here and be able to sleep at night, but it looks like I messed that up too!"
"I'm sorry Chris. I'm sorry I didn't help you and your friends. I hope you guys get out alive and you see your sister again..."
His vision was clouded by a white light that opened up above him. It was almost like a riff, spreading out slowly until it was a tiny beacon in the darkness he was trapped in.
"Huh?" He obviously asked as he saw tiny rays of light shining down towards him. "Yep... I'm dead..."
"Naruto?"
He blinked at his name being called. "Huh?" He asked again. "Who's calling me?"
"Stay with me. They'll be back soon."
"Wait a second... Is that Jill?" He wondered as he listened to the voice. "What's she talking about? They? Who's they?" He blinked. "Wait... So I'm not dead..?"
He grinned. "Hell yeah! I knew I wasn't dead!" He cheered. That meant he was currently hovering between life and death and still had a chance to make it. If he wasn't hearing things, then whoever Jill meant was trying to save him. "Is Chris one of them?"
Much to his surprise, he was slowly flying upward to the rift above him. He wasn't arguing. Now that he knew where he was exactly and where Jill's voice was coming from, he wanted to go faster.
"I still have a chance..." He realized. "I can still help Chris and everyone else escape here alive. I haven't failed yet."
He never sounded so relieved in his life. He was pretty damn lucky that he was even offered a second chance at all. Well, that was only if whoever Jill was talking about saved him.
"I swear if Chris is one of those people and he fails to save me, I'm gonna haunt his ass for the rest of his life." He swore as he flew past the rift, being surrounded and encased in light as he went blind.
...
Chris jammed his knife into the skull of a zombie that was on the second level above the dining room. He coulda sworn he and Naruto had cleared this floor when they were exploring the mansion the first time around. He guessed that somehow, they managed to get through the doors.
God help him if they were getting intelligent. They were all screwed if that happened.
Rebecca had settled for a gunshot instead of a knife, probably due to being short in stature and not wanting to risk going in for hand to hand combat. He totally understood. Better to be safe than dead.
He wiped his brow as he sheathed his knife. "These things just don't quit..." He commented.
Rebecca nodded in agreement. "It's like they spawn in when you walk into the room."
"Made even worse that me and Naruto already cleared this floor..." He pointed to the still very much dead corpses that weren't just put down by him and Rebecca. Saying his friend's name however, got Chris to pipe down, having temporarily forgotten about his state in favor of fighting to survive.
Geez, that was the worst choice of words he could say to himself.
Rebecca noticed his sudden muteness. "You're close to him, aren't you?"
Chris kinda saw that coming, knowing that his relationship with Naruto was kinda confusing, even to him. They got along pretty well, but they antagonized one another a lot during their solo two hour journey together. The one that stuck to Chris the most was the chemical bag that Naruto found that Chris called worthless.
Why? Naruto proved him wrong, and the grin on his face made Chris wanna punch him in the mouth. Now? He would like to see that grin again. At least he would be okay.
Chris shrugged. "We get along and I guess we respect each other. We only just met. We're still strangers to each other in ways."
Rebecca ohed in response. "I just assumed since you two get along so well..." She checked her ammo, seeing she had eight bullets left before she continued. "Plus, you're so keen on saving him."
Chris chuckled. "Yeah... I guess I am..." He admitted. He checked his ammo too, seeing that he had six bullets. He should've taken the clip Naruto had from Kenneth's gun. He needed it right now more than the kid did.
He then placed a hand on the doorknob to the door that he recalled led to the medicine room. He had his Beretta raised with one hand as Rebecca had hers raised with two. Sharing a nod with her, the two sucked in a breath as he shoved the door open, taking point with Rebecca behind him on alert.
No zombie in sight.
That was either really good or really bad.
Chris didn't waver as he walked forward. He wasn't sprinting, but he wasn't tiptoeing either since time was something they did not have right now. He and Rebecca passed the door where he and Naruto went out to use the dog whistle. It was still wide open, Naruto's kick having ruined any chance of the door ever closing again.
"What happened here?" Rebecca asked from behind him.
Chris had to smirk. "Naruto got angry from all the doors we were finding, so he kicked the henge's off of this one in anger." He explained.
Rebecca was dumbstruck. "Did he take into account that there could've been zombies behind there?"
"Naruto? Pft, not a chance..." Chris shrugged. "We found dogs instead."
Rebecca winced, remembering the crazed canines she had seen and heard around the outer rims of the mansion. It frightened her in a way James Marcus hadn't been able to do the night before.
They circled the corner to the short corridor of three doors, all locked still, and saw that there were three more zombies here. Two were shuffling around the doors and another was around the corner near the staircase.
"When we need something here, they're all ready to strike us." Chris scoffed as he unsheathed his knife.
"That's the way the world works," Rebecca nodded, taking aim towards the one alone.
"Wait," Chris stopped her. "Save the bullet. We're gonna need them later..." He holstered his gun. "If he gets too close to me, fire. I'll try to kill them all with my knife."
As her superior, Rebecca nodded to his plan, even if she wasn't particularly a fan of it. She held her finger in front of the trigger as she watched the lone zombie like a hawk eyeing its next meal.
Chris tightened his hold on the knife so that there's no chance of it loosening in his grip. Walking towards the first of the two nearest zombies, he slashed horizontally across; making the zombie fall off to the side from the attack.
With one zombie stumbling, Chris used this as his chance to grab the second by the neck. The undead creature made it very difficult to keep that hold, as it chomped towards his neck with its hands grabbed around his vest. Chris groaned as he held the knife under the chin of the zombie, the tip digging into the flesh of the rotten creature. With the first zombie regaining balance and the third making its way towards him, Chris dug the knife through the chin of the zombie. Its grip died with it as Chris shoved the corpse to the first zombie he slashed, the sudden force causing both to fall to the ground.
"Chris!" Rebecca's voice warned him of the incoming third zombie. Chris turned around to see her finger itch towards the trigger.
"Do not fire that weapon!" He command in an authoritative tone, one that would make Wesker proud. Rebecca lowered her finger as Chris met the zombie halfway. Not wasting any time, he shoved the zombie over the railing as it collided with the stairs. It bounced off like a kid in a bouncy house and plummeted down to the ground similar to a bag full of rocks. The squashed head with blood oozing out was all the answer Chris needed that that zombie wasn't gonna be a problem anymore.
That left one. One that was currently struggling to get out from under the zombie that Chris threw at it.
He stepped towards the zombie before wasting no time in slamming the knife into its skull, twisting it for good measure before yanking his weapon out.
Rebecca eyed the two dead bodies, "Good work, Sir." She congratulated to the Alpha member.
Chris nodded. "Thanks," he holstered the knife and took out the gun again. "Let's hurry. Naruto probably doesn't have too much longer..." Rebecca agreed and followed Chris down the stairs, making the effort to avoid the blood puddle that Chris had created when he threw the zombie over.
Making it to the door, they opened it up to the familiar medicine room. They were, however, surprised at the discovery, or rather lack of one...
Richard was missing.
"Shouldn't he still be resting here?" Chris asked.
Rebecca nodded rapidly. "I told him I would be right back when I left here. Why'd he leave?" Now on top of the race back to Naruto, they had to replace Richard back on the missing persons list. Why couldn't one thing go right tonight?
"We gotta worry about him later," Chris interjected. "Naruto's life is the priority right now."
Rebecca went to work rummaging through the shelves of the many vials of medicine. She swiped; she cursed; and she grew aggravated before she seemed to find what she was looking for.
"Did you get it?" Chris asked.
Rebecca grabbed a small bottle. "It says Snake Antivenin. This is what he needs."
Chris grinned like if he just hit the lottery five times in a row. "Then let's hurry back!"
Rebecca held the bottle in her hand as she double checked to make sure. Satisfied, she pocketed it before she turned to Chris.
"Lead the way!"
...
Naruto's vision became cloudy as he barely opened his eyelids. The dampened ceiling was barely audible behind his foggy eyes, high pitch noises filling his ears as his body worked to try and regain consciousness.
He could faintly make out the feeling of something gripping his ankle. There would be tiny pressure that felt more like a prickle for one second and then would subside the next before repeating. With moving his head being too difficult for the moment, he had to hope that it wasn't one of those zombies trying to eat him.
With his luck the last few hours, it wouldn't surprise him.
"...ruto..."
Naruto caught something in his ear that didn't sound like something blew up a little too close to home. A living person was near him since he very easily figured out that these zombies can't speak.
'Huh?'
"...aruto."
'Who's calling me? Chris?' He would've shaken his head if he could. 'No, too feminine, even for him... Unless his voice suddenly got higher the last couple minutes or hours or however long I've been knocked out.' He would've laughed. 'Oh that would be awesome.'
He was getting his vision back slowly and his hearing was improving. His eyes caught sight of the face of Jill, her blue hat acting as a beacon for Naruto to focus onto. So that's who was calling him, he figured.
"Naruto?" She asked, not too sure if she was seeing this right. His breathing had gotten lighter and she swore she saw his eyes moving. She passed it off as wishful thinking when he didn't do it again. She was needless to say surprised to see him conscious again.
"I never noticed it before somehow," he weakly said. "Probably due to only really being around you once." He continued.
Jill was confused. "What?"
He gave a weak grin. "You're really pretty," he complimented. He barely widened it when Jill blushed. "You and Chris' sister Claire are both really pretty." He really didn't know why he was saying this. The thoughts just came to his head and his mouth spoke them. Maybe the poison was making him act more than think.
"Chris' sister?"
"I saw a picture of her when he dropped his wallet." He explained. "Very cute."
Jill smiled. "Don't call her that in front of Chris. He'll think you're working something on his baby sister."
"Pft, Chris doesn't scare me..." Naruto scoffed.
"You haven't seen Overprotective Chris yet. That Chris scares even our captain and he's a stoic bastard." They shared a laugh. Naruto's died down as he asked what was worrying him greatly.
"I'm gonna die, aren't I?" He asked in such a chilling tone that it almost made Jill stagger back. She would've had she not been on her knees bleeding out the poison. The way he said it sounded like he had already resigned himself to his fate. Jill hoped she was just overdramatizing things.
"Chris and Rebecca are getting the antidote for you." She said. "You're gonna make it."
Naruto laughed. Jill blinked in confusion. "Sorry, it's just that I said something like this once to a friend of mine... Right before he died."
Jill gave him a sad look. "Well we're not gonna let you die."
"What're you doing to my leg?" He'd been meaning to ask.
"Bleeding out the poison. This way, you'll last longer and give Chris and Rebecca a little more time to get what they need to save you." The female Alpha member stated.
Naruto was in awe. "That's smart..." He mumbled before laughing. "I guess I should say thanks for keeping me alive."
She smiled. "It's my job to help people and to keep them safe. I also happen to like you, Naruto. You're a good kid."
"And you're a good woman." He answered back. "Remind me a lot of a woman who was like my grandmother... When she wasn't throwing tantrums and punching holes in the wall." He would've saddened upon thinking of Tsunade, but he was still a little out of it and still had trouble keeping his eyes open.
Jill laughed. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment." She said.
"It was meant to be one, so good."
They shared a laugh. The tension of the invisible death clock that was above Naruto's head was momentarily forgotten, although Jill never quit in her job of bleeding out the poison.
"Thank you..." Naruto suddenly said.
"For what?" Jill was honestly surprised to hear him say that. He didn't have to thank her for anything. She was just doing her job and what was right. That wasn't called for any thanks.
"Keeping me alive when you can be out there looking for a way out." Naruto didn't wanna be a burden to Chris and Jill. In a place like this, extra baggage would only end in your death if you weren't focused on the task at hand. He didn't wanna be what would end in their demise.
"We have all the time in the world to figure a way out." Jill said, appalled at Naruto's answer. "I'm not giving up on you until your dead and neither are Chris and Rebecca. We'll keep going until you take your final breath, and we're not gonna let it make it that far."
Naruto was touched. He wanted to cry. He barely knew these people but yet they were risking their lives to save him. It was a beautiful thing to him.
"Jill... Thank you so much..."
She nodded with another winning smile. "No problem, Naruto. Plus, we can use little tricks like the one you used against that snake to get us on out of here."
He grinned. "I may or may not have a few more like it." That was true, although he wasn't sure how long he would have to wait before he could use jutsu. Although it felt WAY longer than it actually was, he's only been here for two or three hours.
"Well I can't wait to see 'em."
The door slammed open, Chris and Rebecca barging in with speed that would knock even his father on his ass.
"We got the antidote!" Chris exclaimed.
"Oh thank God!" Jill was relieved.
"You're gonna be okay, Naruto." Rebecca smiled ecstatically at the good turn about they had.
Naruto's smile matched hers. "Thank you..." He was given the bottle to drink, finding the taste revolting but didn't hesitate in swallowing it.
They all waited a minute before Naruto started to get color back to his skin. He had his vision back one hundred percent and was getting feeling back to his wounded ankle.
Naruto stood up, which made Rebecca worried. "You gotta be careful." She pointed out. "Too quick and you'll get dizzy. Your body is still in shock too from the poison."
"I've been through worse," he commented. "Thank you for the worry, though. I really do appreciate it." He smiled, which made the young lady blush.
Chris nodded. "Glad you're not dead, kid."
"Glad you're still a dick, prick." Naruto countered. Chris frowned while the girls giggled. "Still... Thanks for risking your ass for me."
"All part of the job." He said. He did smile a little on the inside seeing that the kid would be okay. He already failed a few of his friends tonight. He was glad he at least helped saved Naruto's life this time.
Naruto nodded. "Let's get outta here..."
No one argued that.
...
Five minutes later, the trio of Naruto and the two Alpha members were back in the main hall of the mansion. Rebecca said that she was gonna continue looking for Richard and the rest of Bravo Team while they solved this mask business. Despite Naruto's protests that she stay where they can all protect each other, Rebecca kindly said that it would be faster this way. She was right. None of them wanted to spend a second longer in this mansion than absolutely necessary.
So, Rebecca was off on her own much to Naruto's chagrin, which Rebecca felt very flattered due to.
Chris saw an amazing opportunity for teasing.
"So..." He playfully nudged his shoulder as they walked towards the staircase. "You and Rebecca..."
Naruto groaned. "It's not like that, Chris." He did have a tiny blush at being accused, something that had Jill giggling. "I just wanna see everyone make it out alive. All of us together will make that go smoothly." He argued.
"We'll eventually meet back up with her, Barry, and Captain Wesker." Jill said. "They're all pretty tough. They'll stay alive long enough to find Bravo Team and us. Then we can leave here for good and show you the wonderful city of Raccoon."
Naruto laughed. "A city is named after an animal?" He couldn't believe it. Although, now that he thought back, he had villages in his world named after Rock and Sand, so maybe it wasn't as weird as being named after an animal.
Jill shrugged. "It's a great town," she said, not at all fazed by Naruto's comment. "Great scenery as well. I'll be sure to give you a grand tour once we leave here..." She almost said 'if', but refrained from doing so due to Naruto's earlier promise that he'll help them get out. She wanted to see how that worked out, so she'll assist him how she can.
Naruto smiled. "It's a date then."
Jill smirked. "I'm way older and way out of your league, kiddo."
Naruto's eyes bugged out at the comment. "Hey!" Chris and Jill lost it, both exploding into fits of laughter. It was a welcome addition to the seemingly endless pain and dread they had been enduring the entire night. Naruto frowned at their seemingly laughing at him. "It's not funny!"
The two S.T.A.R.S. members halted their laughter. "Okay," Chris nodded. "We'll shut up with the laughing." 'For now.' He added to himself. He would be enjoying reminiscing about this later if he lived to see the next sunrise.
"I'm sorry Naruto, but that was funny." Jill shrugged, still smiling slightly at Naruto's now defeated face. She pinched his cheek. "But I'll gladly take you up on that date."
'Wow, he shows up and gets a date from Jill in zero percent the amount of time it takes other guys to even ask her...' Chris observed. 'And this is the first time she agreed. I didn't think she knew how to say yes to a date.' It was why Chris didn't ask her out himself. Not for fear of rejection, but because it was a waste of time if Jill was gonna say no anyway. Guess he was proven wrong.
Naruto slapped away her fingers. "You can do without the pinching..." He whined, getting another small laugh from his future companion. He paled when he looked behind Jill's shoulder. "Ummm... Chris..."
Chris looked where he was looking, almost screaming when he saw a door that he swore wasn't there before. He felt bubbles of anger, resentment, and even agony build in his chest. He really hated doors now.
"No..." He shook his head. "Screw it. We got the masks, so I'm going back to that place we found the key."
Jill joined in the staring at the door. "We need to check it anyway, Chris. Someone can be over there. Barry, Captain Wesker; any of Bravo Team. We can't just ignore a lead."
"Plus, try explaining to your friends that you left them to die just because you got lazy." Naruto snickered. "I would love to see that..." He cracked.
Chris frowned. "Fine... Let's go see what's behind Door five thousand!"
Chris and the others were now wishing they stayed behind.
They were in a greenhouse like area on the outside, many different tree branches dropping leaves onto the crystalline structure floor. A glass table was situated behind a clear window that extended times three to a corner where you can enter the plant room. It was a nice sight to behold besides all the dead plants, but the dead plants weren't what were making them wanna turn back.
...
No... They found a member of Bravo Team. What was bad about this?
He was dead. Many holes were in his skin, his now grey skinned head bent down with his black hair flowing in the small breeze they felt. His blue S.T.A.R.S. vest was dirty and also had holes in it, his arms slumped to the side as he remained still in the chair like a deformed manikin.
Chris was the one to speak first.
"Forest..."
Jill gasped. "No..."
Naruto wasn't sure what to say or do. Sure he felt bad that their friend was dead, but he didn't know him. He couldn't offer any words that weren't already said when he and Chris found Kenneth. You can only say you were sorry so many times before it became like a track you played when things got dim.
Jill walked over to get a better look, Chris only staring at the slumped form of his friend. She ran a hand over his broken skin. "He looks like he was pecked to death."
"Birds got him?" Naruto had to ask in bewilderment. He's seen people die before. Hell, Neji was pretty fond of birds himself, but to see prove that birds had killed someone shocked even a ninja like himself. He figured he's seen everything by now.
Jill nodded as she took note of a grenade launcher by Forest's chair. She took it, bowing her head in respect as she stood back up.
"We can't just leave him." Chris finally spoke, but it sounded ominous and monotone.
"We can't drag his body with us." Jill countered. Chris frowned, but didn't argue back.
Naruto looked to his friend. "We'll come back here once we find a way out. We'll take him and give him a proper burial." He promised.
Jill nodded as she rejoined them. "He's right. You just need to wait a little bit." She told the saddened and angered man. The three of them turned, Chris giving Forest a long gaze, before they began walking.
As they walked away, a low moan filled the air. With the silence of the night, they heard it louder than it actually was. It sent chills down their spines and made their blood freeze.
Chris shakily turned back, not sure if he was prepared for the obvious source to the moan...
Forest stood up from the chair and began walking towards them.
"Forest..." He whispered, sad to see his friend reanimated like this. It was a far worse than death and Forest's wasn't peaceful by any means based on his wounds. He had textbook shitty luck at the end and even beyond.
Jill and Naruto both turned back as well to see Forest finish standing up. Jill gasped. "No..."
Naruto felt the pain as well, remembering seeing friends of his like Itachi and Nagato brought back from the dead as well against their will. A reanimated dead friend was probably one of the worst things to face. He hated that Chris and Jill were going through it more than he had back in his world during the war. He wanted to help them...
And he think he knew how. His hand itched towards his gun.
Chris swallowed, knowing what needed to be done as well.
Jill saw him raise his weapon. "Chris..." She mumbled. He didn't look. "He's your friend more than mine. He's your rival."
Naruto froze. His rival? Chris had himself a rival as well? It made him think of Sasuke, which made him halt what he was about to do to spare Chris and Jill the pain.
"You don't have to do it. I'll-"
BLAM!
Chris shot Forest's head, jerking his body back as he fell dead for the second time.
Jill clutched her new Grenade Launcher tightly in surprise as Naruto was brought back to reality.
"Wha?" He asked as Chris lowered his gun, his head following suit. He looked like he was chained to an anchor and trying to hold himself up over a cliff. "Chris..." His words were ignored when Chris walked over to Forest's corpse.
"You should've let me..." Jill said, knowing how hard that was for Chris to do.
"Or me." Naruto added. "I didn't know him. I could've easily do it. You shouldn't have to kill your friend."
Chris kneeled down to Forest's body. "It's because he's my friend that I should be the one to have done it." He argued. He stunned Naruto and Jill long enough for him to shut Forest's eyes, take his S.T.A.R.S. knife, and stand back up. "He's... He was my friend and I had the most obligation to put him down..." He paused, lowering his head to stare at the grey eyelids of his fallen comrade.
"This is what he would've wanted. If he had to go, he would've wanted it to be like it was at our target practice sessions..."
"Me being the one to pull the trigger first."
Jill was stunned at Chris' logic. She wasn't sure whether to call it admirable or plain stupid. Chris knew Forest better than she did. Maybe he was right? But it didn't make it any easier to see Chris hurting because of doing the dirty deed.
Naruto had words to say however.
"I get it..." He started. Chris didn't turn back to stare at him. "He's your friend, you have the right to mercy kill him. In a messed up way, you're right..."
He clutched his fist. "But... Don't give some bullshit about how it's your obligation to kill your friends!" He snapped. Jill was shocked at his tone while Chris' shoulders stiffened, the only sign that he was paying attention.
Naruto softened his tone. "Taking all the burden on yourself isn't right. Watching them die is bad enough, but putting them down yourself and feeling its your obligation, like you have no choice in the matter, isn't fair to you."
"A friend of mine once told me to never take the pain on my own, that it'll just morph me into a terrible person." Itachi's words after he released himself from the reanimation was playing through his mind, hoping Chris could see the light like he did.
Jill was silently watching in awe. Naruto's words were spoken with clarity and with experience. Wherever he was from, he had to have seen or go through some kind of great trauma to have to be told that. She wanted to know more than what he told her to keep himself awake and alive longer for Chris and Rebecca to get the antidote. He was an interesting and mysterious kid.
Chris didn't move.
"He was right. If you keep pushing yourself to do these hard things, you'll only push yourself down a hole you'll have no chance of climbing back out of." He paused. "Would your sister want you to turn into a monster?" Chris stiffened again. "I don't know her, but I think any sibling would hate for their older brother to willingly turn himself into a heartless person. Let us help you. Don't force yourself to kill your friends if it comes down to it."
Jill nodded. "He's right, Chris. We're in this together and I'm not about to watch as you destroy yourself to do something that we can do together. Claire wouldn't want her brother to destroy himself and I'm not letting my friend go either."
Naruto grinned. "Damn right!"
They couldn't see it, but Chris was letting tears fall from his face. He was touched by Naruto's speech, seeing the truth in them. He couldn't become the executioner. Seeing his friends die was enough for him. He didn't wanna have to sleep with their undead blood on his hands as well. He just wanted to be the tough guy. The guy who could do all the hard things that had to be done.
But even tough guys needed help. No one can stay strong forever.
And he didn't want to lose himself and hurt Claire. They already lost their parents so young. He didn't want her to have a brother that lost himself and went off the deep end. He didn't know what losing him would do to her, dreading even thinking about the possibilities.
"Thank you..." He whispered, although it came out a little shaky. He hoped Jill and Naruto missed it. He at least didn't wanna be seen or heard crying by them. He at least wanted that tough guy quality to stick.
Unfortunately for him, Jill and Naruto caught it and smiled to one another.
Chris blinked whatever tears he had left away. Turning around, he strolled back over to Naruto and Jill. Holding Forest's S.T.A.R.S. knife in his hand, he flipped it around so he was holding the bladed part. He looked to Naruto as he held the knife to him.
Smiling, Naruto grabbed the handle and took the knife away from Chris. The Alpha member nodded as he brushed past him and headed to the door back inside the mansion, Naruto behind him.
Jill smiled as she too followed.
...
They were back where they found the key. The dimly lit basement corridor torture chamber like room sent chills down Naruto's spine. The sound of what could be made out as gears turning or chains being pulled echoed in the disturbance of the room.
He, Chris, and Jill were standing in front of four mask outlines to the right of the entrance. Chris was holding two masks while he and Jill each had one, weapons holstered or set down for the time being.
"So..." Jill was barely heard over the chains being pulled. "Do we just put the masks in their spots?"
Chris nodded. "That's what the book said... Kinda..."
Naruto looked to his; the one without everything. He strangely felt off when he looked at it, shuddering as he stared at the non existent pupils of the mask.
"What do you guys think this will do?" Jill wondered as she looked at hers. The one with no eyes. "Will we get another key? Will a secret passage open?"
"Or will we open a trap door that'll drag us all to hell?" Chris retorted as he looked at the masks that had no nose or mouth.
"I think we're already there, Chris." Jill commented.
Chris shrugged. "We still gotta put these masks in, no matter what may happen."
"So let's do it..." Naruto was quick to put his mask in place. Once he did, the sound of something snapping boomed within the small confinement they were in.
Chris and Jill almost jumped at the sudden increase in volume. Nodding to the other, they each set their masks in place; hearing the sound of the chains snapping three more times. After that third time, however, a sound that was all too familiar with the noise you would hear when something fell from a great height entered the room.
The trio each turned around, weapons ready when they saw a coffin on the ground that definitely wasn't there before.
"Where the hell...?" Jill asked.
Chris looked directly up where the coffin laid, seeing what was left of the chain work. "There..." He pointed.
Naruto wasn't too keen on seeing what was inside. He had enough twists and turns from the moment he stepped into this hell. He could do without another one.
Well... Lady luck wasn't on his side as something crawled out of the coffin. It was another one of those crazy looking zombies from before.
This Psycho zombie had blood drooling at the mouth, a destroyed suit that barely clung to its body, chunks of skin destroyed, and claws that it used to wipe its mouth. It crouched into a hunching pose and slowly stalked over to the trio.
Chris summed up their thoughts perfectly:
"Fuck. This. Mansion."
End of Chapter 4 of The Never Ending Battle
Well this chapter is finally done. We got some very clever, at least I think so, foreshadowing of a few prominent character arcs; Jill and Naruto getting closer; Chris showing the value he has in his and Naruto's dysfunctional friendship; Richard M.I.A.; Chris putting down Forest; Jill getting a grenade launcher; and meeting Mega Crimson Head! So much done!
We'll meet Lisa Trevor for sure next time! Plus, small spoiler, Chris will finally get his shotgun! I love shotguns! They're awesome!
I know you guys are eagerly awaiting Naruto and Claire's meeting, but it'll have to wait a little while. I'm trying to tell not just a love story between Naruto and Claire, but a story of how Naruto's presence alters the Resident Evil world. And let me tell you, he's gonna cause some MAJOR alterations to the story. I don't use that word lightly.
Anyway, hope you guys are still here and liked the chapter. Leave a review telling me how baffled you were by me actually updating this and I'll have the next chapter done ASAP. And no, it's not gonna take nine months this time. Nine days maybe, but not nine months.
Next Time: The Cabin in the Woods.