Chapter17
And Boom Goes the Explosive Tags
Rangiku woke with an airy head, as if she were made of air, light as a feather, feeling free without a worry. She opened her eyes, and was caught to have a surprise, that she was not holding unto a snoring blond. She was, instead, holding fast to Anko, who did the same. Blinking a few times, she let out a confused-
"-eh?"
She was about to raise herself and untangle her limbs, when Anko tugged her back. Rangiku sighed, but let herself snuggle back in, glad that someone-probably Naruto-had placed a blanket over them. Before she could fall back asleep however, a realization dawned on her. It was only Anko and her, on the floor, so. . .where was Naruto?
"Where's Soi-Fon?"
Speaking of Soi-Fon, she and Naruto sat at a round table, drinking coffee. They had decided to leave-both usually the first two to get up anyway-and so Naruto suggested that they go out for coffee. She had never had such a thing, and so he egged her on for it. So, here they were, in a coffee shop, sitting in a windowed booth, across from one another. In truth, Naruto wanted to get to know Soi-Fon a bit better, and what way could he do that, you ask? Trying something new, see how they reacted to the experience.
"So, there are several kinds of coff-ee." Soi-Fon asked, trying the strange word on her tongue. She did not get out to the human world-especially this one-often, leaving her a bit bare trodden on these modern things. Oh she knew what a car was, she knew there was a thing call coffee and even of the internet. But that didn't mean she knew of how they worked, or in this case, tasted.
"Meh, many, cappicino's, iced coffee, pumpkin spice-think you'll like that one. But, for now, some hot vanilla creamer to edge off the bitter black coffee. I think you might like it." He told, a smile on his red goggled face, his fedora nearly hiding that fact. She was bright, but ill shown to the world, and he took some pride in broadening her spectrum of things to try. He watched her grasp the handle of her cup, picked it up, bringing it to her lips. She stopped, and he noticed that he was staring a bit to intently, so with a slight hardy laugh, turned his head away, glancing back with his eyes, however, to watch her expression.
Soi-Fon tipped it enough that she could take a sip, and when she did, found a bitter and sweet taste in her mouth. Her eyes widened, and the whole cup went vertical, tipping her head back as she gulped down the whole cup in one sitting. She slammed it down, and shouted for some pumpkin spice. The waitress immediately got on it.
"Hahahahaha, heheheheh. . .oh man~" Naruto let out a full hardy tittering of laughter, a big 'ole grin on his face. She let out a giggle that sounded more like that of a school girls and not of a prestigious second captain of the Gotei 13.
"You know, I did not like you much at first." Soi-Fon told.
"-thanks-"
"Do not give me that look. I simply mean, that at first, I believed you were nothing more than a nuisance I had to deal with."
Naruto's face turned sour, but it quickly shifted when she leaned over the table some, her dark eyes shining with a glint of light. "But, but now, I see that you have a heart of gold, behind that silver tongue."
The Uzimaki found himself flabbergasted, unable to speak for a moment. But, he regained his composer, and leaned forward. So close were they, that their noses nearly touched, and when Soi-Fon thought he was going to kiss her, he spoke instead.
"And behind your cynicism, I find a softy."
And he leaned back.
A smile crept up her face, a blush crossing her cheeks for a moment. They sat there, for a moment, before they noticed two shadows over them. Their heads turned, and came eye to eye with an irate Rangiku and Anko. Before either Naruto or her could say a word, they were grabbed, thrown over the shoulders of the two, and carried off. Just before they exited the coffee shop, Soi-Fon witnessed her pumpkin spice coffee delivered to their former table.
"Nooo, my pumpkin spice!" She cried as she was carried off to somewhere.
High up in the clouded sky, far above the unknowing people of the cloud village, stood four white clothed figures. Each bore some sort of semblance with that of an animal: A dark skinned woman with brown hair that seemed to poof out like a lions main, a black haired woman who covered herself in long sleeved robes with the eyes as precise as a snakes, and a shorter petite woman who squatted down with a wicked grin, the look of an antelope with the hollow mask remains on her head. Each off them had these remains, resembling what they looked like before gaining the power of the shinigami.
Except one.
She had a shaggy head of blond hair, her short sun kissed locks nearly covering her eyes. She had a high collar covering her face. Her form was very matured, curved, with a short bleach white jacket revealing the hazel skin of her smooth belly. She wore hakama pants that didn't hide the sides of her hips. When she spoke, her voice was not far from the tone of Samui.
"I feel his presence, that man that Aizan-sama has assigned us to take. But," her eyes narrowed, "I also feel three others, two are shinigami, and the third has little Reiyuko, but a strange energy is there as well."
The antelope like one stood, taking a step on the air, pointing down at the village.
"So what! Let's just get down there and kick some asses!"
Before she could do anything, the lion like one grabbed the smaller one by the collar, holding her up. "Hey, we can't go 'till Harribel-sama says so Apache!"
The smaller one butted heads with the larger one, gritting her teeth.
"Shut up Mila-Rose! We're stronger than them, we might as well get down there and have some fun!"
The two began to bicker, and the snake-like one began to giggle behind her sleeve.
"Both of you are idiots." Her voice was like jingling bells.
"What was that Sun-Sun!" Both tall and short woman glared over at the conservative one.
The bickering became so much that the leader had to step in.
"All of you, please stop, we are going down there."
The short loud one looked at her leader with wide hopeful eyes.
"And kick some ass?"
Harribel looked at her fraccion.
"Yes."
Naruto found himself encircled by Rangiku and Anko, cornering him in an ally, both woman glaring down on him, Soi-Fon was at the side, confused and a bit sad that she didn't get her coffee. He too was confused, why were they mad at him for? Its not like he eloped with Soi-Fon or anything.
"What did I do wrong?" He asked, getting both women to glare at him a slight harder, before both finally sighed.
"We wanted coffee too..."
"-really?"
With his own sigh, Naruto smiled.
"Fine, lets go get you guys some. . ." His smile suddenly disappeared, his face becoming stern, a frown across his face. The girls were confused, wondering why he was so quiet and serious, but they found out soon enough.
With swiftness, Naruto drew out his saw cleaver, pulling the trigger to extend it. The girls had wide eyes, not because of what he did, but because of what they felt, even Anko felt the build of Reiatsu around them. They too, drew their zanpakuto, Anko pulling out her kunai, forming a circle with Naruto, ready for anything.
A twitch of the ear was all Naruto got, the sound of swirling Reiatsu his only warning.
He leapt away, hoping his shout got the others attention-given the sudden burst of a golden yellow beam shooting down from the sky, as if some irate god decided he no longer liked them. But, he turned in the air, leaping up with shunpo, noticing the others began to increase the amount of Reishi-Chakra with Anko-leaving him certain that they were fine, but that feeling disappeared when he felt a very powerful amount of Reiatsu begin to overwhelm his own. He pushed out more of his power, balancing the struggle with his and the mysterious source, at least for now.
Before him, appeared a woman, her sudden existence exalted by the static boom that accompanied her. She was likely the one who fired the shot of Reiatsu at him and the girls, which left a bit of a bitter taste in his mouth. Naruto would have to teach this woman what it meant to mess with his girls.
Anko found herself in an estranged engagement with a short girl, a white mask forming a horn above her head. Since the blast and the warning shout, this girl had gone after her with relentless swings of her fists, a grin on her face. Anko at first was surprised, but sobered up, and began dodging, blocking the kicks that this girl could snap out like a whip.
Anko caught a fist to her face, her head twisting with it. She didn't let the force go to waste however, and let the momentum carry her own leg out, her shin connecting firmly with the mis-matched eyed girl's head, rolling her over. The sound of two distinct-SHINK-soundssnapped Apache's eyes open, the fist of Anko forcing her to stumble back into what felt like netting.
"Gya!" She screamed as it wrapped around her, restricting her from moving. Falling flat on her face, Apache glared up at Anko with her amber eye, her teeth grit like a steel trap. She saw a large grin on Anko that promised pain, but-to her surprise-Anko leapt away as a sizzling sound filled her ears. And-
BOOM!
The ground shuttered with the force as explosive tags went off, leaving a smoky mess. Anko stood atop a building, that grin on her face ever prevalent, but as most things go for smoke clearing from an explosion, her target was still there, standing, with not but a scratch. And, was she more pissed off than anything?
Soi-Fon was fairing just the same, though in the air, staring down the calm smile of Sun-Sun.
"Oh, what a pity, I seems you have to fight me~" The girls light giggle made Soi-Fon's ears twitch a slight. This thing, this girl, had the feel of a hollow, and a shinigami, a mix that she had only felt with the intruder but a month ago or so. If that was the case, then their fight would be a hard one, which meant she had no room for holding back.
With a flash of yellow light, and the removal of her captain's cloak, she released her shikai.
Speeding forth with shunpo guiding her feet, Soi-Fon leapt up, rolling as she came down, the air whistling with her movements. Sun-Sun's eyes widened, but narrowed a moment later, using her sonido to avoid the strike. Cat and mouse was played as Soi-Fon went after the snake like woman, getting under her radar as she landed at least one strike against her, the form of a butterfly appearing on Sun-Sun's back. The woman suddenly turned on Soi-Fon, two pronged weapons appearing from her sleeves, one of them cutting Soi-Fon's side, the other keeping the gauntlet like weapon from piercing her again.
"Oh my, it seems you are out matched~"
Rangiku found herself staring down at a tall, amazonian woman, a double edged sword clutched in her hands. Rangiku drew her Haineko, but did not make a move, instead, she asked the woman a series of questions. One that drew confusion on the Mila-Roses face.
"How far, do you wish to take this?"
The ebony lion did not speak at first, but instead let one hand draw away from her sword.
"As far as Harribel-sama wishes."
To this, Rangiku smirked, a glint in her eyes.
"Let me ask you something else then. Do you know what Haineko means?"
A blank look, then, ". . .ash cat?"
"Yes. Now, where do ashes come from?"
". . .fire, but why-"
"Correct, then, if 'ash' comes from fire, and this is my shikai, then what would be my second release?"
Mila-Rose did not like where this was heading, and decided that these questions will end, cutting them off by the source of the annoyance. She dash forth on a booming sonido, even as the words were spoken, even as the blinding fire began its turbulent and explosive beginnings. All too late was she, far too away and too slow was her sonido, as the words catalyzed the event.
"Bankai, Moeru Haineko!"
And a flash of light and fire was all that could be seen in the sky
Naruto felt them increase their power, everyone of them, fighting to their best extent that they could, brawling against one another. He found himself staring at a calm collected woman, who's demeanor was much unlike the others. Finally, he asked her something.
"Why are you attacking us?"
She took a moment to answer.
"Aizen-sama has ordered that we take you to him, so that you may be used in his army."
"What about the others?" He asked once more, eyes narrowing.
"...they do not matter. You are the only one we require."
Naruto did not like that answer.
He probably can't release any Suta Suraisa or Burasuto-thus leaving his blunderbuss weapon in his cloak-and considering the village he was in would blame konoha and war would ensue and blah blah blah. But, he could release something else that he'd been saving. Naruto just had to wait for the right time.
Harribel would have frowned if, well, you know, but she was sure the slight glare she gave was good enough, and decided that if this man was going to draw his blade against hers, then she only had one option to take course to. She drew her own sword, sparks kicking out when she did so. She held the hollow blade aloft, and let her body take control, shutting down her mind, and falling into instinct.
She dashed forward, sword tucked across her abdomen. A static boom filled the air as she disappeared. Naruto's eyes widened, but narrowed in a short time, sliding one foot back as the other snapped out the other way, twisting him in the air. In that same instant, his sword arm lashed out, preventing the tres espada leader from gnashing his side. Sparks snapped out from the collision, and both had a single moment as they stared into the others eyes.
And then it was gone, both combatants zipping about the air, clashing together with such force that thunder seemed to peal with each strike, the air whipped away and howled as if it were alive and being sliced as their swords crashed together. Naruto found himself smirking, finding this to be a good fight, but reminded himself that he was fighting for his girls, for the cloud village, fighting for his own life.
An upswing dashed his saw cleaver away, a kick brought him to his knees, and finally, Harribel's short sword pierced his side.
"Guh! G-guuuh."
"I will not kill you, but we will take you."
Naruto's vision lapsed for a moment as he gurgled. In the back of his mind, he damned himself for not focusing, but knew that would get him no where, so he decided to finally release that move. Hocho O Mimashita collapsed, retracting and wrapping itself around his arm. Harribel was further surprised when he brought his hands together to form a box over his eye.
"Deddo Seishin Kai!"
Harribel was thrown back as a miasma of black exploded out from him, wrapping itself, binding itself to the form of the man it came from, making him larger, covering him with sticky tar that boiled and popped as it became like that of a large fox. The sound of lost souls cried out with gnashing teeth, as if to call forth the hand of a god, to rip them from their master, but it was never so. For, the fox that formed from the familiars, it glared down at Tai Harribel, as if about to devour her.
And it opened its mouth, letting loose a hollow cry, thunder pealing at its lost soul woven tongue. It was about to lunge, when suddenly a hail of kunai erupted from out of no where, a net full of explosive tags attached. Its large eyes widened as the net wrapped around it, but before they could go off, the very wave creating a haze of smoke, the beast seemed to liquefy, slipping through the net, and out the other side it went, covering Harribel by accident.
The explosion rocked the air, sending the beast right into Harribel, just as it unraveled and receded back into Naruto. The blonds tumbled into one another, Naruto feeling something harder than ribs crack and burst beneath his chest. A cry of pain came from Harribel, but he could do nothing as they fell.
The ground, it was coming up fast, and it would most likely kill the woman. Now, the blond Jinjuriki didn't rightly know what got in his head to do what he did, but did it none the less, despite the great pain he was going to feel. Grabbing something soft-he couldn't tell at the time-with one hand and wrapping her form with the other hand, he twisted 'round, moving her so that she was on top. And not a moment too soon, the ground unyielding as it was painful, breaking nearly every bone in his body, each piece snapping like twigs, the sound was chilling just as well, as if kettle corn were being popped all at once.
His eyes were shut tightly, reeling from the feeling, his whole body in shock, it was so much that he decided to use a familiar up in recompense. He felt his bones snap back in place, sealing together once more. The gashes and cuts closed too, leaving him with not but a scratch. This was when he opened his eyes.
Harribel was still atop him, her eyes were closed, but the collar to her jacket was ripped open. What was that strange, hard looking thing on her face? It looked like a shark toothed mask had covered most of her lower face, that is, until he crashed into her, shattering it-and something lower-to the point that only a few remnants remained on the very edges of her cheeks. Then, he realized that, because the mask was gone, her lips were exposed.
By complete accident, they were kissing, or at least, they were as Naruto pulled back and away. Blood was in his mouth, he tasted the iron, but knew it was not his. Which, if the healing wounds and scratches to go by were anything, that would mean she had just become his familiar.
"Well, this, complicates things."
"What?"
Naruto realized she was conscious, her eyes gleaming down on him with, well, not anger, nor confusion, both? Maybe? But he had no time to question, only to act.
"What are youuuuu!"
With a heft, he lifted Harribel from her feet, holding her in his arms. He really hadn't expected to be helping her, but by the fact that those were shinobi weapons that nearly killed both of them, it would seem that the Raikage was not happy about intruders. So, out of the alley he went, using shunpo, looking for the closest one of his girls he could find.
Anko was surprised by the strange bracelets this girl pulled out of no where, them having jagged tips to them and all. But, was surprised her even more, as they fought on even grounds, was the giant beast that had appeared in the sky. But, she had little to fear, feeling that it was Naruto's presence, mixed with the foxes-probably why it had that appearance. Though, shortly after, netting enveloped it, leaving a large explosion to rock the area. It was then that Anko nearly lost herself, ready to kill whoever did that, but felt his Chakra once more as he zipped around. Then, out of no where, he was before both her and Apache, his expression no longer that of a grin, nor was it sad. It just looked like he was really, really, really pissed.
The others were with him-including the subordinates of the blond woman in his arms. With them all together like that, he was about to suggest that they leave, but found himself frowning as the rush of feet and shouts surrounded them. All about them, encircling them, were shinobi of the cloud village, all drawing out their own weapons, ready to strike them.
It was then that Naruto cursed his bad luck, realizing that even they, him and his girls, would be coupled with the four who attacked them. If he did anything to provoke them further, there would be hell to pay, war. That was the last thing he wanted, especially for Rangiku, Anko, Soi-Fon, and even Kyuubi. The sound of a flash-step was barely heard as Yoruichi appeared, standing by Naruto with the rest, her arms raised in a stance.
"Got yourself into some trouble I see?"
"Not my fault, the people came out of no where and decided to fight us."
"You went into a fight without me?"
"Kinda happened on the fly."
Naruto heard her giggle a slight, nearly making him smile, but his scowl was still present, especially when the Raikage showed up, holding someone struggling by the hair. No, not just anyone, no, it was Samui. Why though? Why was he doing that to someone he obviously trusted?
"You come into my village, after being invited, and getting to roam around freely like a citizen, and yet this is how you treat me? No, I will not let you get away with this, you will pay, with blood."
he tossed the struggling lass to his feet, her expression downcast even as Yoruichi helped her to her feet.
"She should have warned us of your attack, so, I will personally have you all, executed, together!"
Suddenly, blue flames erupted from him, covering him, this thick Chakra. He rushed forward with incredible speed, but before he could do anything, clones of Anko appeared, not soon after, large snake summons came to their aid. A crashed through the clones, poofing them with his fists, and continued, slugging one snake after the other.
"Everyone, get close!" Naruto shouted, letting out his familiars, all of them, to surround them in one, large, black ball of those he caught. Many were frightened by the piercing crimson red eyes of thousands of whatever it is made up that sphere. On the inside, Naruto turned around in the dark.
"Is there anyway for you three to get us out of here? By the looks and feel of it, you guys have hollow powers. So, is there a way for us to get out the way you guys came in?" He asked, hoping they wouldn't have to make a mad dash around an entire village of people raised to kill. The tall lion like woman took a step forth.
"Yes, there is."
She turned around, and suddenly, as if her mere presence was knocking on a door, the air ripped itself asunder, like a mouth opening. Out of that, they could see the dunes of white sand, that forever, seemed to go on ever more, with the canvas of a bleak sky above.
"Alright then, let's-"
"Wait wait wait! Before we go, before, we go. I gotta do one thing." Apache interrupted Naruto. The latter asked the former what they meant. "Just, can they hear us out there?" The tom-boyish girl let loose a grin that Naruto could say was an ornery one, and he liked it!
"Sure," he answered as someone thudded against the familiar wall.
"I will punch you!" The faint voice of A was heard, making both Apache and Naruto grin madly.
Going up to the wall's side, Apache yelled out for all to hear.
"This is my own private domicile! And I will not be harassed!" she turned to Naruto, trying to conceal a laugh as they both shouted with a hardy bellow-
"BITCH!"
And with that, they leapt through the gargunta, Naruto's familiars vanishing and returning with him as a dumb-struck army of shinobi stared on in disbelief. Behind them, the opening closed on A, just before he could get to them.
A/N
Hahaha! I couldn't resist that last one, the Jessie Pinkmen moment was too good to pass up, especially considering how often Apache says the word 'bitch.' but, I digress, I was hoping this chapter to stir some things up, and I do hope it satisfies you guys. I know I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoyed the read.
So, what happens now that Harribel is Naruto's 'familiar,' because for some reasons, I don't think he should let her go just yet. You know, the whole-gonna kill your girls after we escape an army of ninja-thing kinda comes to mind. But, that doesn't mean stuff ain't gonna happen between the two. And, Samui is there, A betrayed her, so obviously she won't quite stay loyal after that.
Anyways, you guys have a great day, R and W
:^)