A/N: EDIT: Went back and added some things.
'Sup.
I LIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
I'm in a lot of pain at the moment, sorry for any spelling mistakes.
Surgery and the loss of a co-author kept me away for a few months, but I'm back.
On another note, this chapter is more of an episodic nature, told from multiple view points, with multiple scene breaks. Thought I'd let you know. Sadly, I won't be answering any questions this time around. If I say anything, I'm going to end up spoiling this chapter and the secrets it contains, so I'll hold back. As ever, shadow clones are absurdly useful for Naruto...and not in the way one might expect.
Well, I've kept you long enough. Here. We. Go.
"I'm not afraid of dying. Haven't been since I was summoned. Perhaps that has something to do with my Class. Maybe its lowered my inhibitions, or something. I don't know. Don't really care. At the end of the day, I'm me. That's all I can be. I'm not going to turn on my friends, no matter what you say. Torture me if you want. Draw out my death. Make it last days. Weeks. Months. Won't make a lick of difference. I'm not going to break. I won't stab anyone in the back. I. Am. Me.
My name is Naruto Uzumaki. And I'll gladly die for those I love. Over. And over. Over again. As many times as I need to.
"So go ahead. Kill me. But you better make sure it sticks. Because if it doesn't?
...you're gonna have a bad time."
~Berserker.
Revelations (Part II)
"This is juvenile."
"Is it, though?" Naruto hummed. "Is it really?"
Semiramis didn't deign to answer Berserker's question; rather, she regarded the strange confection in her grasp with keen eye. On some level she knew she was being had, but she just couldn't bring herself to toss the treat aside, not after the blond had gone out of his way to purchase it for her. It was a gift. Queen though she may be, she wasn't the sort to simply cast aside such a thing. He'd gotten it from a nearby stall in what she could only assume to be a festival of some sort. She'd never been to a festival before. Who knew Trifas held them? Still, her eyes strayed to the item in her hand once more.
All pink and blue swirls, it looked like some strange swirl of cloud on a stick. What had he called it again?
Cotton Candy.
It seemed absurd; this clearly wasn't cotton, for one. And what the devil was candy? She'd never had any before.
"I fail to see the purpose of this." she groused. "Our time would be better spend conducting strategies for the War. Not wasting it frivolously here."
"You say that," the blond pointed out, "But you haven't let go of your snack. C'mon. Live a little."
Assassin sniffed the Cotton Candy warily, half expecting it to rear back and bite her.
When it didn't, she dared to lean in and take a nibble.
"Hmm?!"
Her eyes widened in surprise as her lips betrayed her, a small moan of surprise leaping from her mouth. Her taste buds all but sang with joy. Sweet. That was her first thought as the sugar dissolved against her tongue. Not enough to be cloying or overwhelm the senses, but delicious all the same. Semiramis hummed in a rare moment of quiet pleasure and took a second bite. Then a third, followed by a fourth, all the while making little noises of appreciation as she ate, until quite suddenly...
"Enjoying yourself?"
Her mouth clicked shut around the last of her treat and she rounded on the voice.
Naruto -or rather the clone he'd assigned to her for the better part of the evening- regarded her with a faintly amused expression as he leaned against a nearby wall. He didn't laugh, didn't scoff at her girlish display, didn't even mock her for it. He just...smiled. That smile undid her ten times over.
A slow heat crawled up the back of Assasin's neck and into her face.
"You heard nothing!" she hissed.
"Pretty sure it wasn't nothing." he quipped.
"Silence! You will provide me with more of this. Now."
The clone sketched a faux bow. "As my queen commands."
Semiramis snarled and absolutely launched the empty stick at him.
(.0.0.0.)
Jack tilted her head as she cradled her hard won prize close to her chest.
"Is it really alright for us to have this, Papa?"
She hadn't done anything to deserve this. She hadn't killed anyone. She'd just walked around with him all day, playing games. Did she really deserve a gift like this? A tiny voice in the back of her head said that she didn't, that she didn't deserve anything. She was nothing. No one. Just a wretched little girl who only knew how to hurt.
Should...should she give it back?
"What're you doing?" And yet Naruto's hands pushed the item back into her arms when she tried to hold it out for him. "Its all yours, Jackie." a sheepish grin flashed out at her as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't win you the grand prize with my crappy aim. Berserker's can't shoot to save their lives. Maybe if I was an Archer...
Assassin's heard did a little flip in her chest.
"No, its fine! We love it!" she grinned as she squeezed the giant stuffed unicorn in her arms. If he said she could keep it, she would!
So~!
Very~!
Fluuuffy~!
Warm, too! She was going to cherish it forever and forever and ever. He'd brought and-or-won her so many things today that she didn't know what to do with them all. He'd even bought her a shiny new black dress that went past her knees. Papa had something about public decency when he'd asked her to wear it. Not that she knew what the word meant. Her mind was already whirling for the next source of entertainment. She didn't want this day to end.
Golden eyes alighted on another stall further down the street.
"Can we play that game next?!"
Berserker feigned a frown. "I don't know...its getting late...
"Pleasepleaseplease?" Jackie latched onto his arm like a limpet.
His free hand descended to ruffle her pale hair. "Alright. Suppose a few more won't hurt."
"Yay~!"
Clone or not, Jack knew Papa was Papa. His doppelgangers were merely an extension of himself, a way to be in many places at once. She liked that. It meant he would always be with her. Her fingers threaded with his as she let him guide her to another stand. Was this what it felt like to be loved? He'd taken her in when no one else would, offered her a home when the world rejected her. When she got bigger -and she swore she'd find a way to!- she was going to marry him. No one could hurt him. She wouldn't allow it.
She'd slaughter anyone who dared try.
(.0.0.0.)
"Aw, man! I got stuck with a clone!"
"Sowwy." Naruto's doppelganger slurred the word as Mordred tugged his cheeks. "Atalanta picked out the weal one."
Maim! Murder! Destroy!
"Tch." A wave of bitter self loathing washed over the Knight of Treachery as she released him and rose from her seat with a huff, feast forgotten in her anger. "Clever bitch went and got one up on me!"
"Is that really so bad?"
Saber fought down a flinch and resisted the urge to elbow her companion, knowing she might dispel him if she did so. Still her anger persisted, like a petulant child forgotten at Christmas. She should have known this was too good to be true; should've realized something was up when Berserker -damn zombie!- offered to treat her to such a banquet. But she hadn't. Instead she'd been naive.
Now that damn cat was running off with the original!
"Hey, now." she glared bloody red daggers at the copy when he grabbed her wrist and wrestled her back down into her chair. "I may be a clone, but that doesn't mean I'm necessarily a fake. I -that is to say we- still thing and feel the same as the original, ya know. We're just fragile."
"Yeah, but you're not the real one!" She sulked.
"And yet for all intensive purposes, I'm still him." the clone retorted sagely. As she looked on, he thumbed his nose. "Case in point, I'm not one for serving others...but as you are now, you'd make a good King."
Mordred's face turned the shade of a thousand burning supernova in all their glory. "W-What the hell?! Don't just spit that out! I'll sock you one!"
"You could that." he turned and began to tuck into a side of roast beef, "But then who would pay for your meal?"
"Damnit." Against all odds, Mordred found herself curious. "How does that clone shit work, anyway?"
"Language."
"Piss off." she tore into a drumstick. "You're not my old man."
That earned her a mildly bemused look, but he didn't challenge her further.
"Its like creating a copy of your thoughts and pushing it out with a bit of chakra." the shadow clone raised a lecturing finger. "We share memories, too. If one of us "pops" or dispels themselves, then the original receives whatever memories and emotions we were feeling at the time."
Mordred perked up. "That so?"
She dithered, suddenly feeling more nervous than she had any right to be.
Stop being such a pussy! she cussed herself out. You already made up your mind this morning! Don't chicken out now!
Laying her meal down, she turned to regard her fellow blond with a baleful growl. In truth, the growl was an act. She didn't mind him. No, if she were being honest with herself, she kinda enjoyed being around him. Just a little! Alright, a lot. 'Sides, this was her one and only chance to get a leg up on Archer. Vow or not, she knew Atalanta would make a move soon. Someone had to.
So, like the treacherous knight she was, Mordred decided to act first.
"Hey, Zombie." she hung her head as she used the original's nickname. "C'mere for a sec."
"Eh?" the clone regarded her warily. "Why? You're acting weird. Well. Weirder than usual, I suppose...
Stupid zombie. Couldn't he read the mood here? Huh. Maybe he could. She scowled at him. "Just do it, already!"
"Alright, alright, don't pout." he blew out a sigh as her hand caught his sleeve, allowing her tan fingers to tentatively tug him back to her.
Without warning Morded pulled, harder, spinning him about in his seat like a top.
"Eh?" Blue eyes bulged. "Huh? Oi. Wait, what are you...
Strong hands clamped down on either side of his face, holding him fast as she gazed at him. Her piercing eyes never left his. Mordred continued to peer at him, searching for even the smallest sliver of any treachery or duplicity. She found none. Only honest confusion, and a hint of something else. Something that made her heart race. She watched his eyes widen, saw his eyes move. He said something but she couldn't hear him over the roaring in her ears.
"Never betray me." she hissed the words.
Mordred leaned in and rammed her lips against his.
(.0.0.0.)
"Please?"
This was the greatest battle of Jeanne's life. Everything she'd ever done had led her to this moment. Orleans was nothing compared to this. All the skirmishes she had fought suddenly seemed small by comparison. What a waste her life had been. How strange it was to actually want something for once in her life. Now that she knew what it felt like, she never wanted to let it go again.
"No." her opponent declared steadfastly. "Put it back."
"But its just a little thing!" Ruler begged anew like the girl she was currently possessing. "Please~?"
Her foe folded both arms before his chest and held firm in the face of her pleas. "Beg all you want, you can't have it."
Ruler stomped her foot.
For once in her life, Jeanne wanted to be selfish. Greedy even. A saint she may well be, yet at the end of the day she was but a stray heroic spirit possessing the body of a human girl. Perhaps her host had rubbed off on her. Just a little. Perhaps Laeticia was to blame for this. Perhaps not. Who could say? Regardless, she'd made her decision.
The kitten mewled pitifully in her arms, a tiny orange tabby cat without a home. A lone paw swiped at the air between the two of them. Jeanne cooed at it. Naruto held firm.
"Jeanne, you can't adopt a kitten.
"But I've already named him!" She cried.
Blue eyes flicked down to the kitten. Back to her.
...do I even want to know?"
"His name is Ser Pounce!" she declared with a triumphant cry.
"Right, that does it." The shadow clone slapped a palm to his face. "I give up...
(.0.0.0.)
Once more, Atalanta wondered when she had come undone.
Had it been their first meeting? When he'd come crashing through the trees to seek her out? Or was it some slow, insidious thing that she'd failed to notice until now? She wasn't sure, only that it had happened. She'd not been a good companion; she'd betrayed his trust when he needed her must, made absurd demands of him, proven flighty, stuffy, and outright rude...
"May I have this dance?"
...and yet none of this changed the awkward situation in which she found herself.
Archer regarded Naruto's open palm with singular suspicion. She waited for him to pull it back and laugh, crack a joke, or otherwise tease her as he'd always done before. When he didn't, her keen gaze drifted away from him and fell upon the street itself and the other couples congregating in the square as the sun began to set. Some swayed together with hands intertwined as a jaunty tune swept through the street. Others stood apart. Some simply basked in the presence of one another, saying not a word.
It would be a festival. Just her luck.
No wonder the streets had been empty during Berserker's brawl. Many had gone deeper into town and failed to notice him fighting with Rider. Doubtlessly Naruto's clones were bringing Jeanne and the other girls no small amount of chaos even now. Had he planned this, she wondered? Was he capable of such a thing? No, surely not. Was this ill luck on her part? A curse of some sort? Was she destined to make a fool of herself wherever she went?
Her eyes flitted to his hand again. Narrowed.
"This is pointless." the words escaped her before she could think to hold them back. "I can't dance."
"That's alright." to her great dismay, Berserker chuckled ruefully. "Neither can I. Suppose we'll both be learning, then."
Beneath her hat, Atalanta felt her ears twitch. Her tail, wrapped around her waist to avoid being seen by others, bristled at his words. By the gods, he wasn't going to let this go, was he? She recognized the mulish spark in his eye, that fierce glint of determination she knew all too well. Her cheeks began to burn.
"I'll make a mess of things." she whispered.
His smile didn't waver. "So will I."
Someone shoved her.
Atalanta rounded on the culprit. "Achilles?!"
Rider of Red flashed her a cheery grin and stepped back into the crowd. "Have fun, you two!"
Atalanta's right hand chose that very moment to betray her and grasped Naruto's palm, fingers threading between his. Archer gawped at her arm, stunned by her body's sudden treachery. Traitor! Naruto took full advantage of it and stepped back, tugging her along with him.
"Wha-no! Stop it Berserker!" she hissed, putting up a token struggle in his grasp. "I don't want to!"
"Oh come on!" he prodded. "It looks fun! You said so earlier! Just for a bit!
"No, it will be AWFUL! You can't make me! Absolutely nooooohdear."
For all her protests Naruto still swept her away into the throng of people and drew her out into the street, heedless of the curious stares her snarling earned. Atalanta struggled a moment more, and then, recognizing the futility of her actions, gave in. For only the second time in her life, the huntress allowed herself to be led by a man. Someone laughed in the distance and the reluctant archer growled them into silence.
"You do realize that this means war." she hissed as Naruto pulled her close.
He chuckled. "I've fought a few of those. I think I'll survive."
Atalanta stomped on his foot.
Berserker hadn't spoken in jest. He didn't know how to dance. Not in the least. Neither did she. Their jig couldn't even be called such; it was a stilted, awkward thing that had them tripping over one another at every turn, stomping on one another's toes like a pair of clumsy children. They made an absolute mess of things. Warriors they were, dancers they were not. Their place was on the battlefield, not the dance floor. Even as allies, she knew they'd have to fight one another eventually. The Grail demanded it. Even this second life was a fleeting one. It could only end in sorrow.
So...why was she smiling? It didn't make any sense. Yet she was.
"You sir, are an oaf." she said as much.
"Yup~!"
A small, tiny part of her rejoiced in this, though she knew not why. There were no enemies nearby for her to be wary of, no threats to sense, no targets to eliminate. An invisible weight fled from her shoulders, leaving her feeling lighter than ever before. For the first time in an age, she felt...well, not free, but relaxed. She could breathe.
"See?" Her partner hummed. "This isn't so bad."
It really wasn't, Archer thought. Not that she'd ever admit it.
She stumbled and kicked his shin. Naruto yelped. "Sorry!" she apologized.
As with all things in life, eventually they found their rhythm, if only by mimicking other pairs.
Without warning the song's rapid tempo changed to a slow waltz. Atalanta sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth when Naruto missed a step and accidentally reeled her in a bit closer than he should. Her face bounced off his chest. She inhaled reflexively, his scent flooding her nose before she mastered herself. Somewhere above her she heard him mutter an apology.
Looking to answer him proved a mistake, if only because she met his gaze.
He was warm against her, his hands gentle on her waist as she rocked into him. Those bright blue orbs seemed to flicker and shift in the light of the setting sun, those fading rays catching his hair and burning through it like chastened gold. Her mouth went dry and her vow suddenly seemed so small now, a weak and petty declaration made by a foolish girl. She'd sworn that oath to Artemis a lifetime ago. And what had been her reward for staying true to the goddess? Pain. Misery. Fear. Loneliness.
She regarded Naruto with half-lidded eyes.
He made no untoward moves to her, careful to keep her close, yet also at a distance. For that alone, she respected him. He'd not made any effort to force himself upon her, as some might. Maybe he respected her vow, or perhaps he was simply giving her time to sort out her own thoughts. She adored him for that. No. Not adoration. Not simple lust, either. Lying to herself had served no one and nothing for too long.
Was it so wrong to be happy? Just a little?
She'd been fighting this for so long.
Atalanta was tired of fighting.
So very tired of it.
"Forgive me."
"Forgive you for what?" Naruto blinked as she buried her head into his chest again, not quite catching her meaning. "You've not done anything wrong. There's nothing to forgive you for."
"Yes, there is." she said. "Forgive me for being a fool."
Then she stepped into him and gently pressed her lips to his.
He tasted of fire and smoke, of old secrets and promises best left unspoken. Her teeth clicked painfully against his and she winced in her pain, but forged on. She'd never kissed someone before after all; she'd sworn never to do so, to never indulge in intimacy of any sort. But now? With her blood up, her pulse pounding, and his lips on hers?
To hell with it.
Naruto tried to respond to, tried to pull away, but Atalanta wasn't having it. She didn't want his words. She wanted him. All his words withered into a gasp when her lips brushed against his again, tongue pushing past them, questing for his. Her arms draped around his neck, pulling him closer even as she titled her head for a better angle. His hands tightened around her waist, fingers locked in place as though terrified to move. That wouldn't do. She pushed him back half a step, trying to elicit a response for him, and those fingers came alive and pulled her in, crushing her against him.
Cease.
Atalanta ignored the voice.
Cease this foolishness at once, Atalanta.
She felt something snap deep inside her and shoved it aside.
Are you deaf, child? still it came on. I told you to stop. Cease. Desist.
Naruto chose that moment to try and pull away again; this time, he actually succeeded. Atalanta tried to pursue, tried chase him, but his hands came down on her shoulders and held her fast. She cried out and struggled against him, but his strength exceeded hers.
"Let me go, you bastard!" she shook her head, hat flying free to expose her ears.
"I will!" he reassured her. "Once you'e got your head screwed on straight. You're not thinking clearly."
With those words the the dam in Atalanta's heart burst; all the emotions she'd worked so hard to keep in check now flowed free in a great flood.
"My mind's never been more clear! I'm tired of fighting this. I love you." the words tumbled from her lips before she could hold them back, leaving her feeling like an embarrassed schoolgirl. "I want to be with you." her fingers betrayed her once more and wrapped themselves in his jacket to prevent his escape. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you," she nuzzled her nose against his lips teasing his cheek as she ground against him. "I want to be yours and I want you to be mine, forever and and ever, until the end of time." A strange, warm heat suffused her cheeks and her resolve faltered as she looked away. "Children...children would be nice too...
For once in his life, the chatty Berserker looked at a loss for words. "I...didn't know you felt that way."
"And now you do." Atalanta growled back at him. "Do something about it."
Something sparked in his eyes and he drew her close.
Not close enough.
No! More! A tiny, keening whine fled from the huntress's lips as she grabbed Naruto by the hair, yanked him in again, and melded her mouth with his his. She wanted more of this. She wanted him closer. Skin against skin. Flesh to flesh. To hold him in her arms and never let go. A burning need ignited deep within her chest, leaving Archer longing to push him up against the first wall she could find. Why had she forsaken this? She'd never known what she was missing. It was intoxicating, and like a drunkard she drank her fill and gladly came back for more.
So you've broken your vow, then. that strange, familiar voice came on again, whispering in the back of her head. You would forsake the Gods? How very...disappointing.
Naruto suddenly stiffened against her, blue eyes flying wide open.
"Get back!"
A mighty palm collided with Atalanta's chest and sent her slamming backwards into the street. She barely had time to blink before she struck the floor and tumbled away. Still, she was a huntress and recovered quickly, tucking into a roll to land on her feet. Shock and confusion vied within her, warring with a strange keening pain she didn't recognized. Had he rejected her? Pushed her away...and for what?
"Naruto...why...?"
Her words trailed off as she beheld the grisly sight before her.
No.
Naruto stood still as a statue, a look of grim satisfaction etched into his face, arm still thrust out to push her away. It was the last move he'd ever make.
No, no.
Because there was a sword sticking out of his chest.
No, no, no!
Her heart screamed, even as she realized what he'd done. He'd sensed his attacker and pushed her away. If she'd resisted she would've been skewered in his arms with him. No. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. She waited for him to laugh, to scoff, to rip the black blade free from his chest and rage against whoever had struck him.
It never happened.
One trembling hand rose to grasp the sword, only for his assailant to hack it off at the wrist, rip their weapon free and strike again, burying it in his stomach. Blood bubbled past the blond's lips and he toppled to his knees, gasping for air that wouldn't come to pale lips.
"Oh," he croaked, grimacing with bloody teeth. "That's...not good."
Someone screamed in the background, townsfolk fled left and right, yet Atalanta heard none of them.
"Thy time has come." A burning blue shadow passed over Naruto and Atalanta beheld his assailant in all their grisly glory. Ghastly blue eyes blazed out of a hideous skull, an armored body wreathed in blue flames bearing a hideous shield. "Traitorous servants who defile the purpose of this war," the being intoned. "Judgement has been passed upon thee." that emotionless visage inclined a fraction of an inch. "Thou art guilty. Thou shalt be slain by the Blue and the war will resume."
Blue? She blinked at the words. Not Red? Not Black? What devilry was this?! There couldn't be a third faction. There couldn't!
"Atalanta." Naruto grit his teeth and tried to stand. "Run!"
"No!" she cried. "I won't leave you!"
"I'll be fine! Go!"
"Nay," Assassin of Blue raised his sword. "You will not. AZRAEL."
Atalanta lurched forward as the blade scythed back down. She tried to draw her weapon, tried to knock an arrow to her bow, but she wasn't quick enough. Too slow. Just as she'd been in life. Always too slow. Never fast enough. The one arrow she managed to loose was summarily ignored as it skittered off the greater Servant's shield. They didn't even deign to look at her. They'd chosen their victim and would not be denied. No amount of shouting or pleading on her part could change that.
In his final moments, Naruto smiled at her. His smile shone like the sun and shattered her heart.
"Don't...worry about me." he gasped the words out. "Everything's gong...to be alright."
Alright? Alright?! It wasn't alright! He was going to...going to...!
King Hassan's sword cut through flesh and bone.
Naruto's head flew from his shoulders.
His body slumped to the ground.
Atalanta screamed.
A/N: Poor kitty-kat. I hate to do this to her.
The Blue Faction has begun to move, say goodbye to those peaceful days.
I'll leave it to you to guess what I'm planning here, dear reader. Remember to look underneath the underneath.
Now I'm sure you all have questions. Feel free to ask them in your reviews, and I'll do my best to answer them. If you could find it in your heart to drop a review, that'd mean the world to me. Reviews feed my creative engine! They are the wind beneath my wings and keep me going.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
No previews this time.
R&R~!
~Nz.
