A/N: Shorter than I'd like, but we're back!
Hope I managed to capture Jinx's personality here.
Been a bit, hasn't it? I'll understand if some of you need to catch up.
Had a particularly persistent chap asking me to update this, so here we are.
My health has been...better. Between back and breathing problems I'm feeling the pains of being old. I still refuse to take those bloody muscle relaxers. Not a chance.
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
Minor verbatim from Arcane here.
"You're no sister of hers. You keep calling her that.
Would a sister do what you've done?
WELL?! WOULD SHE?"
~?
Reunion
"Why are you smiling?"
Because he was. Whiskers was absolutely grinning.
Ear to ear now, like he'd just won the lottery. "I got you a present~!"
Jinx looked up from her workbench, and the gem set within. There was something in Naruto's voice just then that made her perk up. He sounded...smug. Was that word? Yeah, that was the word. Really smug. Even his laughter sounded smug, echoing in her workshop. That usually boded poorly for their enemies and well for her, buuuut today was different.
He'd come rushing in all of a sudden, grinning ear to ear, smiling fit to burst.
And what was all this about a gift...? That made her even more curious.
"What kinda present? What's going on?"
"Come and see~!" Rather than tell her outright, her he took her by the hand and led her away from her workshop.
Just like that, up they went.
Up he led her, up from the chasm where she kept all her bombs and barrels, her toys and traps, up to the warehouse through a maze of twists and turns. Soon enough she realized where he was taking her and that made her all the more curious. Why take her all the way up to the surface in the first place?
At length he stopped before a rather heavy, iron-wrought door; one flanked by two bruisers.
The guards stood at attention and while they didn't salute, Jinx thought it a near things indeed. Heh. Bozos.
On squeaky hinges the door creaked open, revealing a room with ugly wooden floors, a dark blue ceiling and peeling violet wallpaper. Try as she might, Jinx couldn't find the symmetry in it. looked like someone had gone loco with a paintbrush in here. Or maybe it was all bloood? She couldn't tell with all the crates sprawled about...
She'd soon find out.
Humming softly to himself, her paramuor stepped in ahead of her and shuffled aside some crates. Belatedly, she realized there something behind him.
There in the center of the room, he'd propped something up and draped a heavy, colorful orange tarp over it.
.
..
...was it her imagination, or was it moving?
"Really had to work for this," he hummed. "Hope you appreciate it-bah, who am I kidding?! Of course you will!"
"Wait, what're you-
Naruto stepped back, grabbed the tarp, and yanked it free. "Tada~!"
Vi's gagged, panicked face stared back at her, eyes wide. He'd chained her to the chair with heavy metal links, binding her arms and legs. But not her face. Dirty and bruised though she was, Jinx recognized her at once. A painful beat slashed through her heart and she found herself gulping,
Jinx sucked in a startled breath."Sis...?
Her sister. Here.
She was looking at her only sibling, back from the dead.
Her brain fizzled helplessly. Who, what, where, when, why and how?!
Joy and fear fought in her heart and tore one another to pieces. All that remained was confusion...and the voices. They were loud, now.
"Shut up! She hissed at them. "I need to think." anxiously, she turned to look at Naruto. "How did you...?"
Thankfully, her took her questions in stride. "Well he tapped one finger Vi's bound mouth, "It went a little like this. I found her, I fought her, and I finished her." He counted off on three fingers, beaming ear to ear. "Simple as that. There was also this annoying sheriff girl with her, but I left her behind to bleed.
Sheriff shmeriff! She didn't care about little miss goody two shoes. She only had eyes for Vi.
Feeling was mutual apparently, judging by the way her "sister" was staring at her. Although...
.
..
...why did you gag her?"
Naruto shrugged. "She was noisy."
Jinx turned a withering glare upon him. "Take the gag off."
He grimaced and looked back to her sullen sister. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Just do it!"
He shrugged and tore it free.
"Ow!" Vi winced, all but snapping at him. "Bastard!"
Naruto cuffed her upside the head."Not the finest start, miss punch-a-lot. Start talking."
She growled him. "Untie me!"
"No."
Jinx cleared her throat. "Maybe-
"No." he repeated, turning baleful blue eyes upon her. "Not until you decide."
Jinx bridled, put off by the anger in his eyes. "Decide what?"
"Whether we're going to kill her or not."
Vi cast an anxious look her way. It made Jinx feel small. Worthless. But one look at Naruto told her he wouldn't budge. Why? This was Vi. It had to be. Those eyes...that face, her hair. It couldn't be anyone else. Why was she looking at her like that? Why was he? Did she have something on her face? The voices gnawed at her again. She struggled to shove them away and looked Vi's way.
"Vi?" she hated how weak she sounded as she down before her now. "Are you real?"
Her sibling bridled against the chains holding her. "Wha-of course I'm real!"
"Are you?" she hated the weak warble in her voice. "Things changed when you left. I changed.
"I know, you did what you had to. You survived-
"Survive?" Naruto leaned in, eyes gleaming like red rubies. "That's rich, coming from you."
Vi glared at him through a black eye. "Who the hell is this guy, anyway?
Indignation sparked within her. "He's not some guy! He's mine!"
Her sister scoffed. "Your what?"
"My everything. You don't get to make fun of him."
Naruto preened a little behind her, but held his tongue. Good.
Vi wasn't so easily swayed. She balked at Naruto like he'd grown a second head or something. Which would be kinda freaky, really. "He's crazy."
Indignation became anger. "Hate to break it to ya, sis, but so am I."
"And why is that, I wonder?" Naruto tapped a finger to his chin. "Oh, wait. Because you left her."
Jinx flinched at the reminder, painful though it was
Vi was worse. "I meant to come back-
"Yet you didn't." Naruto interposed with a face carved from stern stone. "That's just what you do, isn't it? Promises, promises. So much air. How has that worked out for you? Not so well, I take it." Every word was a knife in Jinx's heart, all over again. A reminder of what she's suffered In an instant she understood. Vi and Naruto would never get along. But he wasn't finished. "You always mean to come back, you mean to say this or that, but you never do. Everything that happened that night can be traced back to you. As far as I'm concerned you're no sister of hers-
"Hey!"
"Buuut Jinx clearly cares about you." Naruto drawled right over her. "So let's have her decide. Your little sheriff friend is after this, isn't she?" he stabbed a hand into his pocket and came up with the blue gemstone she'd been working on. Must've filched it when she wasn't looking. "And so are you. You didn't come back for her at all. You just want to help your topside friends."
Jinx turned wounded eyes on her sister. Her voice sounded wretchedly weak, even to her own ears. "You were playing me...?"
Powder, please. I don't even know what that thing is!
Her heart hardened. ...liar."
"Powder-
"NO!" She grit her teeth. "Stop calling me that! Its Jinx now. Powder fell down a well!
"I never should've-
"Stop talking to me like I'm a child!" she thrust her pistol in her sister's face. "You're a class act sister." her finger tightened on the trigger. "Sister thought I missed her! Bet you wouldn't miss her."
She wanted to pull the trigger. But something held her back.
Her gaze flicked to Naruto. "Untie her."
"Jinx-
"I wanna talk to her!" The words burst out of her, sharper than she'd intended. "Alone."
He stood his ground and frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea-
"Untie her and get out, damnit! I won't ask again!"
...fine. Don't say I didn't warn ya, missy."
Reluctantly, he did as she asked. In no time at all, The chains crumpled to the floor. Vi rubbed her raw wrists and rose slowly, not making any suddenly movements. For once, she didn't speak. Good. If she said something stupid she would absolutely blow her head off and shoot her to kingdom come.
"There." he looked downright mutinous. Too bad. "Happy now...?
"Yes." She waved the gun at him. "Now scoot."
He didn't budge. Something in her folded.
She darted forward and kissed his cheek. "L-Let me do this." Damn stutter! "I have to do this. Alone. Please."
All the resistance bled out of his expression. "You're sure...?"
Not at all! But she had to try. Had to be certain.
Two possibilities stretched out before her. If Vi had really come back for her, then that was good. But if she hadn't, if she didn't believe her...
Well, she'd been betrayed before. And she had plenty of bullets this time. She wouldn't endure that again.
Naruto turned toward the door. "I'll be right outside if you need me...
(.0.0.0.)
"She's down there, then?"
Naruto sank into his seat with a sigh. "She is."
Silco's slumped behind his desk. His heart thumped oddly in his chest. "How did it go?"
"She's very, very angry with Vi." he palmed his face. "And so am I. She told me to get out. Wanted to talk to her "sister" alone...
.
..
...because that could only end well.
No, no, he reprimanded himself for the thought. It wasn't Naruto's fault. He was doing what he thought best. How could he expect any better, when he'd raised him this way?
"You do realize of course, that there can be no peace between me and that foolish girl so long as one of us lives."
Naruto winced. "You don't know that-
"I know enough." he held up a hand to forestall an argument. "If Jinx truly wants nothing to do with her then I'll let her sister be and good riddance, but the same cannot be said of her. You know why. Left unchecked, she will chase me, she will pursue me, and she WILL try to kill me.
Because you killed Vander." It wasn't a question.
"Because I killed Vander. He granted him a grim nod. "Looking back, I'm not proud of what I did that day, but what's done is done. Its in the past."
"You're not going to die."
Silco granted him a careworn smile. "Vi may have something to say about that."
"Then I'll tear out her tongue!" He felt a tiny twitch of pride in his heart at that remark, but the boy wasn't done; he was pacing now, working himself into a towering fury. "She doesn't want Jinx. She wants Powder. That crystal, too. She doesn't even understand what she did to her that day; she still thinks she's the same little girl she was back then. But she isn't. She can't see that, can't see how much she's hurting her. We have to do something.'
Perhaps he was right. Maybe he wasn't ready to die just yet. There were things he must still do. He had miles to go, an promises to keep-
BANG!
A harsh craaaaack echoed from the cell downstairs, sharp and poignant.
Naruto exchanged a startled glance with Silco.
He saw the concern in the boy's eyes.
They both knew that awful sound.
Someone had just fired a shot.
Naruto booked it.
A/N: Aaaaand scene~!
Cliffhanger, I know, but we'll pick back up here shortly.
As ever, we're following the Ember's Rule here. That's no joke. Really, it isn't.
If folks don't like this...well, it will remain, but I'll not be able to continue it. Every bit of feedback helps. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule, I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up!
As ever, reviews are my lifeblood, my fuel, my sustenance. Without them, I cannot write.
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas... ...Revieeeeew, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the previews. References are strong here...
(Preview)
The door crashed open.
And they saw.
Blood.
"Don't forget again."
"You never learn. Its almost sad, really, how utterly predictable you are...
"I warned you."
"Fe...ar..."
"Black and white and gray, I don't know what to do with gray...
Silco sighed and knocked back his flask. "Is there anything so endearing as a daughter?"
"Enough! I won't let you get away with this!"
The blond berserker righted himself with a grunt. "Nice hammer, pretty boy. Lets see if you know how to use it."
EDIT: Hey, you made it! Sorry for the lack of length. Still down with the sickness, as it were.
As ever, the Embers rule remains. If folks don't like this story...well, it will remain, but it won't be continued. With two jobs, and rent to pay, my free time is at an all time low. I'm lucky to have four hours to write a day. I can't afford to pen stories that no one enjoys. So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke!
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work,
~Nz.
R&R~!