AN: I know I just finished chapter 1, but I have so much more that I wanna write that I'm gonna start the next one immediately.
First, I'll answer any guest reviews for the first chapter.
Guest 1: Yes, there will be a pairing in this fic. However, I will not be saying what it is until much later.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Accel World
"Speech"
Text/[System]
Thoughts
Distorted Voice
Special Move/Enhanced Armament/Command
Chapter 2: Nightmare (Acceleration)
"Look at yourself!" said the voice derisively. Naruto was standing in a gray courtyard, watching as people milled around him. As he looked around, the blond suddenly realized that they had no features; there were only silhouettes, while he himself was defined. But even he was gray, washed out, and couldn't move a muscle.
An ebb in the crowd allowed the speaker forward. It was yet another figure, apart from the same grayed-out color as Naruto. A pair of red eyes glared balefully at him. "Look at yourself," it growled, and with a start Naruto realized it was speaking with his voice, "You've spent six years drowning yourself in game after game, all because your sister said you needed to be 'faster.' And for what? You're a scrawny nerd, your mother worries about your sanity, and the only real friend you have completely outclasses you in any challenge you try against him. You're pathetic."
Naruto trembled in rage with every word, but no matter how much the slander burned in his ears, he could not let fly his retorts. His voice was stolen.
"And what even started all this?" snarled the silhouette, its dirty gray edges simmering with its own anger, "You overheard your obnoxious sister say some words you'd never heard before and got curious! Who on earth would be stupid enough to waste their life, half of their life on something that minor?!"
Naruto flinched, suddenly cold. The apparition was right. Even though he'd only heard Tomori say 'Burst Link' the one time, he'd latched on like a dog with a steak, even disregarding all of his old projects and hobbies to immerse himself as fully in the Virtual World as possible. He had a few friends, but apart from Haru, he'd never gotten the feeling that they'd accepted him into their little group. His knowledge only extended as far as gaming and Neuro Linker facts. The reason he had no friends was fundamentally simple: he just did not have anything to talk to anyone about.
The figure drew near, eyes blazing. As it did so, Naruto felt a burning sensation behind his back. Then its shoulders slumped its eyes dimmed. "You've…wasted your life," it said, suddenly quiet, "Wasted…"
"Is that so?" grumbled a loud, deep voice. The figure stumbled back, startled, and the burning sensation intensified. "You've been using a rather defeatist tone for the past while…Naruto."
To his shock, the mist surrounding the mysterious person finally vanished. He was standing face to face with himself. But then, he thought, who am I? Then the voice spoke again, and he realized that it was coming from his own mouth. "You say you've wasted your life? Don't be stupid. We've got our foot in the door. You heard Tomori: there's a whole new world waiting for us! A world where all those years, all that hard work and training, will finally pay off!"
As he shouted back in his own face, flames roared up around them, the faceless masses evaporating like the shadows they were. Before his eyes, the lookalike seemed to be gaining color, the red eyes fading back into blue.
"That boy, Haru, is more skilled than you, no doubt about that. But since when has Uzumaki Naruto let something like superior skill stop him? Since when have you stopped before reaching your final goal? SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU EVER GIVEN INTO DESPAIR, NARUTO?!" he bellowed explosively. The force of his roar rattled the bricks in the ground, windows shattering in the buildings around them.
Naruto looked up at him (up? Since when had he grown bigger?), eyes wide. "Who are you?" he asked, "Why are you here?"
He grinned, showing far too many teeth, and lay down, "So you truly have forgotten," he rumbled, "But still…where else could I be? Someone needs to watch your back for you. Now, stop wallowing in indecision and go show off those skills you've been polishing, partner."
The blond stared for a long time, uncomprehending. Then, recognition finally dawned in his eyes and he gave a soft smile.
"Yeah. I'll do that. Thanks…Kurama."
Naruto's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, panting. "Holy crap!" he breathed, wiping at his sweating forehead, "What was that?"
Shakily, he rolled out of bed and started getting dressed. As he glanced in the mirror, he caught sight of the familiar bright orange collar adorning his neck and thought back to the previous afternoon.
"…By the way, Naruto. Be sure to wear your Neuro Linker when you go to sleep tonight. Also, disconnect from the Global Net until I explain tomorrow."
"Eeeeh? Why?"
"Mm, it'll be easier to explain after 'it' happens."
I guess that's what she meant by 'it,' thought the blond, still reeling slightly from the surreal memory of the dream.
As he stumped downstairs, he swiped some toast and jam from the kitchen table (set there by his mother) and went to the living room. Tomori was lounging on the couch as usual, apparently still drowsy from her own night's sleep. "Ohayō, Nee-chan."
"Nn. Mornin'. 'Ave any nightmares?" she grunted back.
"So that is what you meant," Naruto accused, "And it wasn't that much of a nightmare, just really weird."
She lifted her head and squinted at him with one eye. "Weird how?"
"Er…" Naruto scratched his cheek, absently nibbling on his toast, "Well, first I was standing around in this courtyard with a ghostly guy ranting at me about…stuff. But then the ghost turned out to be me, and I was some giant monster that was arguing back. Dunno what I was talking about, but I think I won. Before I woke up, though, other-me called me 'Kurama.' Does any of that make sense?" he asked his sister, slightly unnerved.
The elder Uzumaki looked at her younger brother with both eyes, brows raised. Then she snorted and asked, "The hell're you asking me for? It's your dream."
"But you know why I had it," he pointed out.
She twitched. "Tch. True enough. Alright, you remember what I told you about what Brain Burst does and how it works?"
Naruto nodded and said, "Brain Burst manipulates the quantum connection between the Neuro Linker and the consciousness, accelerating the user's thought processes one thousand-fold by accessing the Thought Clock (AKA the Heart)."
Tomori blinked at him, slightly dazed by the sudden technobabble. "Er, yeah, that. But more understandable. Anyway, there is a drawback to this Acceleration ability: look at the icon on your HUD."
Naruto glanced to his left and spied the angular B. Next to it was the number '99.' "What's that number for?"
"Burst Points. They are Brain Burst's most important stat, and you always need to keep an eye on how many you have. Every player starts out with one hundred, but using the Burst Link command, like you did last night, costs one point."
"And…" Naruto's mind was running pretty fast even without acceleration at the moment, "If you hit Zero…what happens?"
Tomori gave him a very serious, penetrating gaze. "The moment you lose all your points, Brain Burst will automatically uninstall itself from your Neuro Linker," she leaned forward, "And you will never be able to install it again."
Naruto shuddered at the grim certainty in her voice. "Is…is there a way to gain more points?" he asked.
"Sure!" she said, suddenly cheerful, "That's why you had that nightmare last night! Brain Burst scanned your deepest Traumas and Desires, then created a Duel Avatar based on that."
"Duel…Avatar?" the term was in English, so it sounded weird to Naruto. However, after a minute, he got what it meant. "So I have to fight other players for Burst Points?"
She grinned and snatched the forgotten toast out of his hand. "Yep. All Burst Linkers are given a Duel Avatar in order to fight for the chance to keep Accelerating."
Scowling at his stolen breakfast, Naruto asked, "How do you challenge someone?"
"Just use Burst Link and open the Matching List. Be sure to pick an opponent who's around your level, otherwise you'll end up losing big. For opponents of your level, winning nets you ten points, but differences in levels get you more. Of course, other people can challenge you at any time, and if you lose, you'll lose the corresponding amount of points yourself."
"Got it," said Naruto, nodding seriously as he mentally jotted down notes. "By the way, what's your Duel Avatar, Nee-chan?"
Tomori laughed. "Oh yeah, almost forgot. I'm Spring Valkyrie, a Level 8. Don't even think of challenging me until you're at least at Level 7, 'cause I'll whoop your ass so hard!"
"And what's mine?"
"Dunno yet," she said simply, shrugging, "Just take a look at the Brain Burst menu. It should have your stats, abilities and Enhanced Armament- that's kinda like a special piece of equipment or weapon that suits your Avatar. There's no guarantee you'll even get one, though."
"Mm." Tapping the B icon, Naruto was presented with a metallic-looking series of windows and a toolbar. The whole thing had a gritty, 'this is serious business' look to it, which appealed to the blond's sense of aesthetics. Looking around, he hit the 'Install' tab and opened a window. Listed there were a series of actions for various skills.
Normal skill – Punch: Lower stance and throw out fist. (Naruto laughed that they explained something as simple as that.)
Normal skill – Kick: Swing leg up.
Special-
However, before he could keep reading, Tomori clapped a hand over his mouth. "Save it for later," she said, "I need to get ready." Flushing embarrassedly, Naruto realized that he must have been reading out loud. She got up and left the room. "By the way, if you connect to the Net, you'd better be careful!" she called back to him, "Anyone nearby can challenge you, and you can't refuse a challenge. Once you get to school you should be fine!"
But Haru's a Burst Linker, he suddenly remembered, And so's Kuroyukihime-san. However, Tomori had already gone out the door before he could mention this to her.
"Naruto!" called Kushina from the kitchen, "You'd better get ready too! Connect to the Global Net so I can give you lunch money, alright?"
So staying disconnected until he got to school wasn't an option after all.
About ten minutes later, Naruto slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out, bidding his mother goodbye.
So, what kind of Duel Avatars are there? he thought to himself, Nee-chan said hers was called Spring Valkyrie, but what kind of name is that? Did she set it herself? Or was it set when it was first made?
As the blond walked along the highly familiar path to school, though, his thoughts were brought to shocked, sudden halt as the world abruptly stopped around him. The entirety of Naruto's surroundings switched to a dull sky blue, including himself. He knew what the phenomenon meant; he had experienced it himself the previous evening when he'd used Burst Link for the first time.
His thought processes had been accelerated to a thousand times their normal speed, creating a time-stop-like effect. This blue scenery was merely a reproduction created using the images of nearby Social Cameras. But I didn't say the command, he thought, frozen but still conscious, What's going on? Or maybe…have I been challenged?
As he thought this, hexagonal polygons spread out from him, transfiguring the appearance of the surroundings. Suddenly, he stood in a smoggy, overcast street, the buildings suddenly soot-blackened and worn-looking. A persistent heat pressed in on him from all sides.
"The hell?" Naruto was surprised to hear himself speak and brought a hand up to his mouth.
*Ka*
His hand met a strangely smooth curve with what felt like a seam in the middle. In addition, the contact brought out a small, hard cracking sound, like rocks striking. He looked at the appendage, only to blink in further astonishment. His hand was covered in a smooth, black substance, finely segmented to allow his fingers freedom of movement. The rest of his arm was the same, covered in a carapace that shone like glass, faint imperfection lines swirling up the limb. He touched the forearm and noticed that, while being armored, his fingers still felt sensations. His arm was slightly warm, whether naturally or from the ambient heat he was standing in, he didn't know.
Looking down, he noticed that his torso was the same black material as the rest of him. For the most part it seemed to be one piece, but could clearly move like an organic body. No, wait, not one piece, he corrected himself. On his stomach, about where his navel would be, was a circular plate set into the armor, with a simple, shallow spiral carved into it. Looking closer (as best as he could, at least), Naruto also noticed a set of five small indentations around the spiral, about the size of his fingertips.
"Hm…this is a pretty detailed Avatar, all things considered," he said to himself, "Wonder what my face looks like?"
However, at that moment, red words flared up in front of his face, making him jump back. [Here Comes a New Challenger!]
Glancing up, Naruto saw a pair of health bars and a timer, the latter of which was counting down from 1800.
1799…
1798…
His health bar should be the one on the left. Looking at it, he noticed the diesel-punk theme of the bar itself. Underneath, embossed in metal, was the name Obsidian Fox.
"Obsidian, huh? And who's the other guy?"
Amethyst Ember
"Amethyst? Isn't that a gemstone?"
A loud murmuring made him look up in surprise. A great number of what looked like robots where perched on top of the buildings, some pointing at him.
"Who's that? A newbie?"
"Hoh…it's rare to see a Black Avatar like this. Especially so dark. Wonder what his story is."
"Doesn't look like anything special. He doesn't even look like a fox."
Naruto bristled at the last comment but kept from retorting. A small compass appeared in his vision, pointing slightly to his left. He lowered his gaze and saw another Avatar stalking towards him down the street. Guess that's Amethyst Ember, he thought to himself. The figure was covered in a deep, rich purple armor from head to foot. Not even a centimeter of skin showed through, and there probably wasn't any anyway. These Avatars seemed designed to be purely robotic in appearance. As he (?) drew closer, Naruto was able to better appreciate the detail put into the Avatar. The limbs were covered by simple, overlapping panels. His face was obscured by a visor, charred nearly black and dotted with holes, through which smoke leaked.
"Hey kid!" called one of the spectators, "Get the show on the road! We don't have all day!"
Suddenly, before Naruto could retort that this was his first battle and that he had to get his bearings, the other person charged. Sprinting forward at a surprising speed, Amethyst Ember closed the distance between himself and Naruto in a second, a gauntleted fist cocked back.
Caught off guard, he fell back to avoid the fist as it passed over his face. As if in slow motion, he saw an orange glow underneath overlapping plates of purple armor and felt a scorching heat on his face. As he hit the ground, he rolled to the side and leaped back to his feet, landing in a defensive crouch.
"Hoh…you've got some decent reflexes," commented Amethyst Ember suddenly, relaxing. His warm-sounding voice was nowhere near as violent as his actions made him seem, "Sorry about that. I was just impatient and ended up attacking first." Ominously, smoke billowed from under the panels on his limbs. "I'm guessing this is your first battle, am I right? Oh, and you can just call me Ember."
"Ah, um…yeah," Naruto admitted, scratching the back of his head (which produced a rather disquieting scraping noise), "I wasn't expecting to be challenged so quickly."
Ember nodded, then put up his fists in a boxing stance. "You'll get used to it eventually," he said simply, then darted forward.
This time, Naruto was ready for him and batted his fist aside, stepped past the other punch into his opponent's guard and threw a heavy right hook directly into Ember's face. It connected with a sharp, satisfactory crack of metal and stone, causing Ember to stumble back with a grunt. At the top of Naruto's vision, the HP bar on the right decreased by about 7%.
"Hn. A nice punch," grunted Ember. Without another word he exploded into motion, literally. Red flames erupted from his fists as he lashed out, dashing forward. Desperately Naruto flipped backwards as Ember swung, crying out as one blow grazed his foot. Even as he landed and tried to keep his footing, the purple Avatar relentlessly kept up his attacks, raining fiery punches onto him. Two in the chest to wind him, four in the arms to keep him from moving them, and two heavy blows crashed across his face; all he could do was stumble back, dazed. All the while, his HP slowly dropped against the assault. Finally, Ember suddenly hopped back and stamped one foot behind him, causing it to ignite with orange fire. His nearly-full Special Gauge dropped to 75%. "Blaze Kick," he intoned quietly.
Naruto had no time to move, no way to dodge. The previous combo, which had shaved off about 30% of his HP, had also completely destroyed his sense of balance. Agony exploded from his chest as his opponent's foot connected solidly, obsidian shattering against the metal heel that ground into him. Then, with a loud boom, the kick exploded into flames and he was thrown off his feet. He flew a good distance, bouncing and rolling limply when he hit the ground. His surroundings were aflame. The pain was almost blinding and he couldn't breathe, but oddly he didn't feel any heat from the fire. Dismally, his HP dropped to about 35%, almost in the red zone. "Sh…shit," he gasped, bringing a hand to the massive, jagged hole in his chest. Orange sparks spilled from the large cracks around it like blood as he coughed, "And I just got this thing too…" Meanwhile Ember, seemingly satisfied that his opponent wouldn't be getting up any time soon, was walking casually over. Alright, so my HP is in the danger zone, my Special Gauge is pretty much maxed, and the enemy is cocky. I need something to turn this around. Shakily, he reached up and touched his name, causing a menu to pop up. He quickly found skill menu and opened it.
Normal skill – Punch
Normal skill – Kick
Special Ability – Shape Change (Fox): Turn stomach panel 90 degrees.
Normal skill – Claw (Fox only): With fingers curled, swing arm.
Special Skill – Tail Swipe (Fox only)
Special Move – Bite (Fox only): While running, open mouth wide, then close with great force.
Special skill – Wall Walking: Your Fox form can stand and run on any vertical surface.
"Shape…Change?" asked Naruto confusedly, "Why do I have an ability like that? And no Special Move in this form? Something's weird…shit, nothing for it!" As Ember stalked toward him, Naruto finally staggered to his feet. On the HUD, he noticed that the timer had dropped past the midway point.
If Ember was surprised, his posture didn't show it. "So, you'll make a final stand?" he asked calmly, "Fine by me. Just don't feel too bad, newbie. Not everyone wins their first battle."
In answer, Naruto put his hand to the circular panel on his stomach, his fingers fitting easily into the five indentations around the edge. "I ain't done yet! Shape Change!" He twisted the panel to the left, causing his Special Gauge to drop to 0%. Immediately a shudder ran through his form and his knees buckled. All over the Avatar the obsidian armor cracked, splintered and reformed, becoming duller and rougher, vague spikes forming in the surface. His feet split, becoming forming toes, while his fingertips extended and tapered out into sharp claws. The top of his head cracked open, a pair of triangular, crude ears extending upward and with a click, his mouth came open. Finally, his back split open slightly and he felt something slide out. Without looking, he knew it was a tail. He crouched low, balanced on the balls of his feet and his hands, claws digging into the asphalt. A ragged breath escaped from his maw, which was lined with sharp teeth of the same material as the rest of him.
"Ah," murmured Ember, scratching the side of his head, "I guess that's why your name is Fox."
Naruto sprang forward. Crawling on all fours should have felt too unnatural to be fast, but somehow he had no trouble with it. His surroundings blurred past as his legs dug into the ground, launching him towards his opponent. His left hand lashed out, claws raking down and across Ember's chest with a loud screech. The purple Avatar gave a cry of pain as sparks burst forth, his HP dropping 15%. However, he recovered quickly and kicked out, unleashing a large ribbon of fire. But Naruto was now too fast for him, jumping and shooting off to the right as a black blur. In fact, his jump was so strong that he struck the wall of a nearby building and stuck there, his clawed digits easily holding him up. For a second he eyed his opponent from his sideways position, then took off again. Another set of claw marks gouged themselves across Ember's back, cutting off another 15%, but by this time Naruto was moving so fast that his enemy couldn't keep track of him. Left, right, in front, behind, Naruto ricocheted all over the place, his black color rendering him even harder to see in the dim light of the stage. All the while, Ember's HP dropped steadily as a swipe found its mark.
"Oi…d-don't you get…carried away, newbie!"
Suddenly, between one jump and the next, Naruto was counterattacked. As his next Claw approached his opponent's neck, Ember's fist, wreathed in red flames, abruptly struck him in a vicious backhand. His attack went wide as the feral Avatar broke off and hopped back. His HP dropped to 25% as his cheek smarted.
Ember panted, still holding out his fist as he stood shakily in the aftermath of the assault. The entirety of his deep purple body was covered in long, deep scratches, including his visor, which was billowing with smoke now. "Not…not bad," he gasped, putting a hand to his knee, "That speed isn't something you'd normally see on a such a green Level 1. How'd you get reflexes like that?"
"I played a lot of video games," Naruto deadpanned, still rubbing his cheek. Beneath his hand, he could feel his jaw moving and suddenly remembered his Special Move. Looking up, he saw that his Special Gauge was almost completely full, while Amethyst Ember's HP was about level with his. "Oi, Ember-san. How about we end this with one more attack. For the viewers."
"Hoh?" The holes in his visor started to glow, "Sounds good to me. But what Special Move do you have, I wonder?"
The blond grinned behind his Avatar. "Why don't you find out?"
He heard a snort, then his opponent spread his legs in a stance, thrusting his fists out to either side. The panels on his forearms retracted to reveal a series of holes, from which spewed more orange flames. His Special Gauge dropped to 50% and he growled, "Fist Burner."
Naruto bent his knees to spring, placing a clawed hand on the ground for balance. Setting his jaw, he felt something whir in the joint as power began building up in his limbs. Whether it was excitement to test out his Special Attack or if his body was just that powerful, he didn't.
510
509
508...
For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, as the timer finally hit five hundred seconds, they charged. Ember leaped forward, head low and fists up. Naruto kicked off, the ground cracking from the force. Just before they collided, Ember struck out with a lightning-fast straight punch, the flames transforming it into a blinding streak of light. As it approached, Naruto's mouth opened wide, wider than would be possible on a human mouth. The strength of his jump carried him directly into the path of the punch.
"Meteor Jab!"
"BITE!"
Naruto felt his jaw snap shut with such force that he winced. Blinded by the intensity of the flames, he dimly felt something else give way between his sharp teeth.
The two combatants hit the ground, having exchanged their blows. Naruto blinked, trying to clear his vision. Shit. Did I hit him? I couldn't see anything... Suddenly, he became aware of a weight in his mouth. He opened his jaw to let it fall out and get a good look at it. His eyes widened and he heard whispers from the audience.
"Holy shit, did you see that?"
"That was a knockout punch if I ever saw one and he just..."
"I haven't seen a bite like that since Pard-san!"
"Is that a hand?"
Indeed, lying on the ground was the paneled gauntlet of Amethyst Ember, a jagged tear at the elbow showing where it had been bitten off. Shakily, Naruto put a hand to his mouth, feeling the zigzagging groove that his triangular teeth formed when closed. "D...did I really do that?" he asked shakily. As if in answer, the arm dissolved into bright polygons and vanished. At the same time, Amethyst Ember's HP finally dropped to 0.
The words 'YOU WIN!' burst into being in his sight, in the same angular, welded-metal, flaming letters as before. A small counter appeared in the upper left hand corner, going from 99 to 109.
And just like that, the real world resumed. Naruto found himself standing on the sidewalk on his path to school. He kept still, highly disoriented, until he finally remembered what he was supposed to be doing. "So that's the Accelerated World, huh?" he asked himself, "What a wild kind of game..." He shuddered, remembering the severed arm lying on the ground. Now that I think about it, I didn't hear Ember-san cry out at all. Having your arm bitten off must be really painful, but I didn't hear anything from him at all! Gingerly he put a hand to his mouth, relaxing as he felt normal skin on his face. "What kind of messed up personality do I have, to get a freaky Avatar like that? Well...it was cool looking, at least."
He mumbled all the way to school, only to be receive a shock when he remembered that Haru was also a Burst Linker. That probably means that Kuroyukihime-san is one as well, since she invited him, he thought as Chiyu greeted him. Haru seemed decidedly nervous himself, as well as slightly dejected. Probably got suckered into his first duel, the blond thought, snickering. Then he frowned. Might as well 'make contact' later. As they walked through the school gate, a notice popped up saying that they were now disconnected from the Global Net. A sudden thought occurred to Naruto and he murmured, so quietly that Haru couldn't hear, "Burst Link." Even as the world turned blue and stopped, he raised a hand and brought up the Matching List. Sure enough, there were barely any names listed now that he wasn't connected. In fact, there were only three.
Lvl. 1: [Obsidian Fox]
Lvl. 1: [Silver Crow]
Lvl. 9: [Black Lotus]
"Hm..." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the two other names. Black Lotus was obviously Kuroyukihime, since she was the Parent. That meant Haru was... "Silver Crow, huh?" he asked himself. He snorted. "I wonder how good he'll be in a fight. Burst Out!"
With Araya out of their lives, classes were much less tense that day. They were still boring, but now Naruto had no reason to get mad for his friend. He did notice, however, that something seemed to be on his mind.
Once Lunch came around, Naruto tapped Haru on the shoulder and said, "Oi, Haru, mind if I talk to you for a bit?"
"Ah..." the portly boy seemed taken aback. "A-actually, Kuroyukihime-senpai asked me to m-meet her..."
Naruto only grinned wider. "Oh, good. I actually wanted to talk to her as well, so I'll go with you."
"Eh? EH?" Haru's already wide eyes grew even more and he panicked. "N-no, that's-! Th-the things we're talking about are...are absolutely private!"
Chiyu seemed taken aback by Haru's sudden outburst and narrowed her eyes at him. Naruto, however, smirked predatorily and leaned in.
"That private stuff...it wouldn't happen to do with Brain Burst, would it, Silver Crow?"
The round boy went ramrod straight, skin as white as paper. "H-ho-h-ho-how-?" he croaked.
Naruto laughed and slapped him on the back. "C'mon then!"
"Hey, wait a-" Chiyu started to say, but the two boys walked off without her. "Oi! Naru-kun, what're you talking about?!"
"Sorry Chiyu-chan! It's a private matter!" Naruto called back cheerfully, frog-marching Haru down the hall.
"Mou! That idiot..." she growled.
[Ten minutes later (Normal time)]
The dark, elegant figure of Kuroyukihime looked up from her lunch to see her Child walk up the table, looking highly nervous. Next to him, grinning cheerfully, was a taller boy with spiky blond hair and whisker marks on his cheeks. "Ah, hello Haruyuki-kun," she greeted gently, "And...you're Uzumaki Naruto, aren't you? Haruyuki-kun's friend?"
"Yup," said Naruto, as Haru scrambled into a chair, "Sorry to intrude, but there was something I wanted to talk about with Haru. But since that thing kinda involves you, I figured I kill two birds with one stone."
"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow, "And what is it that you wanted to talk about?" She indicated that he pull up a chair, which he did.
As he sat down, he gained a pensive expression. "Hm...to tell the truth, I so excited that I forgot to think about where to begin." He scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "Well, I guess I might as well come out and say it. I'm a new Burst Linker, like Haru."
Clearly, this was not what Kuroyukihime was expecting, as her fork slipped from her fingers and clattered on the plate. Apart from that, she did a good job of hiding her surprise, because she only said, "Oh. I see."
"How long have you known, Naruto?" Haru asked quietly. He was looking down at the table, morose.
The blond winced, realizing that his friend's low self-esteem was in danger. "...Er, actually I've been one as long as you have, Haru. I've known that the Brain Burst program existed for years, but I was not a Burst Linker until last night."
Haru looked up, surprised. "Eh? R-really?"
"Yup."
Kuroyukihime nodded slowly, frowning. "If you knew about Brain Burst from a young age, I suppose that means your Parent is someone in your family. Am I right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. My older sister, Tomori. I couldn't become a Burst Linker until now, though. I just had my first battle this morning as well."
"Ah!" Haru's eyes widened, "I fought too! Someone named Ash Roller. I lost, though..."
"Tough luck," said Naruto sympathetically, "I fought this guy named Amethyst Ember and won."
Haru stared him with a mixture of incredulity and betrayal. "Naruto...you actually beat an opponent before I did?"
"Can it, butterball," he deadpanned.
Kuroyukihime giggled behind a hand. "Well, that's what you get for connecting to the Global when I told you not too."
The brown-haired boy looked down, chastised. "S-sorry. My mother had to give me lunch money..."
"Same," sighed Naruto, "Good thing Nee-chan told me about the whole Duel Avatar thing before leaving, otherwise I'd've probably been steamrolled." At the word 'steamrolled,' he noticed Haru twitch.
"By...by 'Duel Avatar,' do you mean that weird body I had when I fought?"
Before Naruto could open his mouth, Kuroyukihime cleared her throat, giving him a look. He chuckled and held up his hands. "How about I let your Parent explain things?" He pushed his chair back as the Student Vice-President held out a wire for a Direct Connection with Haru.
After a few minutes if silence, which were probably actually full of explanations, she disconnected and looked at Naruto. "Naruto-san, would you like to challenge Haruyuki-kun?"
"Hm?"
"Eh?"
Both boys let out noises of confusion and surprise. "Normally I'd have let Haruyuki-kun challenge me and let the time run out, but with another Level 1 in the school, not to mention one who's friends with him already, it'd be more efficient to let you two fight."
"Hm..." Naruto frowned, thinking it over. "Sure."
"Eh?!"
"Well, I want to see what your Avatar looks like."
"B-but to fight because of that..." sputtered Haru.
"There is no other way," Kuroyukihime informed him, "While you can look at your list of moves and such, you have to get experience through actual combat." A small, devious smile crossed her pale face. "Besides, don't you want to get revenge on that Ash Roller fellow?"
"Th-that's..."
Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Haru! I won't beat you too hard!"
"Don't say that so casually!"
A fox-like grin spread across the blond's face. "Burst Link!"
AN: Ugh, fine, I'll end it here. Here lies the close of Obsidian Fox chapter 2. Wow. I can't believe I finished TWO chapters in the same month! Awesome! At least something good is coming out of these long Tuesdays...
Chapter Summary:
1. All OF chapter titles will follow a pattern of 'Word (Another-word).' It's a little aesthetic thing, hope you like it.
2. So we start out with Naruto having his Duel Avatar Nightmare. For those of you not familiar with Accel World mechanics, this is how the game produces a Duel Avatar, by analyzing the traumas and desires present in the dream.
3. However like most dreams, this one gets weird, since Naruto finds himself on the wrong side of himself.
4. The presence of Kurama is, in fact, the real thing. I can't explain why, yet, because of spoilers.
5. Tomori explains to Naruto about Burst Points, how their won and lost, and what happens if you lose them all.
6. As per the challenge, Tomori's Duel Avatar is Spring Valkyrie.
7. Almost as soon as he gets out the door, Naruto is set upon by his first challenger.
8. I rather liked describing Naruto's first discovery of his Duel Avatar body. I hope I conveyed the sensations well.
9. Amethyst Ember is an OC Burst Linker. In fact, he is William Terme of the Gormim. Whether he and Naruto will meet in real life or not remains to be seen. Rest assured, though, they will meet again in the Accelerated World.
10. Naruto discovers that his Special Ability is to transform into a Fox form. This ability functions rather like Blood Leopard's with some differences.
11. In Fox form, Naruto's speed and agility are greatly increased. He gains the ability to cling to walls, as well as use certain animal-based attacks (claws, tail, biting). His tail is segmented and has a bladed tip.
12. Because his armor is made of Obsidian, rather than the normal metal that is present in Duel Avatars, Naruto is highly resistant if not immune to certain elemental damage such as fire and electricity.
13. While inexpensive Special Gauge-wise, Naruto's Bite attack is quite powerful, able to tear through metal quite easily. The downside is that A. as a human he's not used to putting his head forward in an attack and B. he must be in Fox form to use it.
14. He also cannot properly use his Tail yet, seeing as humans don't have one. He'll get the hang of it soon enough.
Pairing: I already know who Naruto will be paired with, but I don't want to spoil it. Those who want a crossover pairing will be disappointed, but those who know my preferences will not be surprised. I don't know who I want to pair Haru with. Let me know and I will take your advice into consideration.
As always, if you have a question, please leave a review or send me a PM. If you actually want those questions answered, make sure that I am able to respond to you (lookin' at you, SeanHicks4).
No challenge at this time, but if you would indulge me by looking at my challenge list (under CoG: Meddlers from In Between), I would greatly appreciate it. I would appreciate it even more if someone would take one of them.
Anyways, I think that's it. The next fic to be updated will be ANKoM.
North South out.