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Night City Legends
Chapter Four: A Passion for the Ages
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"Hey Naru! Let's go out tonight, I promise I'll actually show you around the city this time ;-p'
He smiled at the message and typed out a response, it took a second but he'd get the hang of texting. "Yeah, sounds great. I'm at Reconciliation Park, where do you want to meet?"He'd grab a quick bite to eat from a nearby stand while he waited, he'd been meditating all day and could feel his stomach rumbling. Pretty sure he saw a guy selling ScopDogs not too far away. But before he could even stand and stretch, she responded.
"Oh lets meet up at the bar since you're close! The Coyote Cojo remember, where you met Pepe?"
He seemed to remember more than meeting Pepe that day, "Got it, see you soon."
"Ima get ready and I'll meet you there! :-)"
Well instead of a scopdog while he waited he'd have one to go, wonder what it tasted like?
-xXx-
Pretty bland to be honest he came to find out. Not sure what the scop in ScopDog was but it paled in comparison to a bowl of ramen. At the thought he felt himself start to drool, if only he could have such a heavenly dish, maybe he should look into making it himself? The ingredients couldn't be that hard to find right?
The run to the Coyote Cojo was quick, even with him eating on the move. After the first one, he really didn't want the second, it wasn't awful but it was… meh.
"Watch where you're going cocksucker!" he jumped back as a car nearly hit him while he crossed the road. It took him a second to make sure but he knew he hadn't been 'jaywalking', the jackass had run the light and then called him names?
Pissed, he threw the remaining scopdog at the car, a Thornton Galena if he wasn't mistaken and it spattered on the back glass of the small economy car with a surprisingly solid thump, causing the driver to slam on breaks with a screech. The driver side door flung open and a red faced man stepped out to find Naruto doubled over by the curb laughing and pointing, making his face start to turn purple.
"You stupid gonk faced punk!" the driver screamed, advancing on the ninja. "You think it's funny throwing shit at my car!"
Naruto couldn't help it, the sound that Scopdog made along with the sight of him steadily turning purple just tickled him for some reason. He needed to get a hold of himself and breathe before he hurt himself.
The driver bristled, the blond laughing was one thing but several other pedestrians had stopped and some were laughing along with this punk.
Naruto took several deep breaths and waved his hand, "Get back in your car old man, you ran the light and almost hit me. Consider yourself lucky, I could've done worse than throw a Scopdog at you." and he wasn't lying, hell throwing his shoe probably would have shattered the glass and hurt anyone inside. He had to bite his lip as the man walked up to gare at him, his face looked like a plum at this point.
"I got friends in the mayor's office punk!" he started. Naruto almost bit a hole in his lip at that. "And my son works in Militech," he actually did break the skin this time, "You better apologize to me now and clean that mess or else-"
He couldn't help it anymore and laughed harder than he'd ever laughed since arriving in this hellish city. This jackass almost hit him and now was threatening him, not with his own 'power' but with his son's 'position' in a corporation! How hasn't this man been killed by now?"How the man hadn't burst a blood vessel by now no one would ever know.
The man bristled at the blond and balled his fist, he'd show this idiot!
-xXx-
Walking into the Coyote Cojo, Naruto looked around for any familiar faces, he somewhat recognized a couple of the Valentinos playing pool nearby and gave them a grin with a little wave. They looked puzzled for a second before one nudged the other and said something he couldn't hear, making them laugh and raise a hand in greeting before going back to their game.
He didn't see Cami around but he did see Pepe behind the bar, talking to a guy in a blue jacket while popping the cap off a beer for a large man at the corner of the bar. "Hey Pepe!"
Hearing his name being called, the bartender looked up from his conversation with another paton and smiled, "Well if it isn't Naruto," he turned to the person he'd been speaking to and nodded, "I'll talk to you later Kirk,"
The man nodded, "Yeah sure, don't forget now ok? I'll be upstairs if you change your mind."
Naruto looked at the man as he passed between him and the bar, turning the corner and disappearing upstairs. "Didn't mean to interrupt or anything," he rubbed the back of his head and took a seat. The other guy at the bar was pretty big and looked solid, but he only spared the blond a glance before going back to his beer.
"Nah it's all good, just a little business getting handled." he waved the apology off, "Here for a drink?" He must've made a face at the thought of alcohol because Pepe chuckled, "Or maybe not, how about a Nicola instead?" the blond nodded, "Alright, I'll grab you one from the fridge, be right back." Pepe turned to glance towards the other guy at the bar, "Keep an eye on the bar for me would you?"
The guy looked up and nodded, taking a sip of his beer, "You got it 'mano," then turned to look at Naruto with bloodshot eyes, "Let me guess, got shitfaced the night before? Seen that look before, you woke up in a puddle of our own piss and blew chucks all over the floor."
"Didn't piss on myself thankfully," naruto laughed, "Had a hell of a mess to clean though, took forever to get myself together in the morning though. I think I'd rather get my ass kicked than party that hard again."
"Gotta drink plenty of water before sleeping, keeps you from getting hungover in the morning." he finished off his beer and set it down before turning to face Naruto completely, "If you ain't here to drink then what're you here for. Looking a fixer?"
He shook his head, "Nah, going out tonight. Meeting her here since I was close. Haven't been around Night City long and she's showing me around. Her name is Cami." Naruto saw Pepe return with the Nicola and turned to him with a grin. "Hey Pepe, guess-" he stopped as Pepe's eyes widened
"Jackie, no!"
He raised his arm just in time as the other man swung his empty bottle at his face, the glass shattered against his cybernetic arm sending shards flying, several scratching his face. The other man looked like a raging bull, teeth clenched as he swung the now jagged bottle like a knife only for his target to scramble back, nearly falling off the stool as he moved out of reach.
"What the fuck's your problem!" Naruto yelled, it took a moment but the other patrons of the bar noticed what was going on as Jackie kicked the empty stool between them away and lunged at the blond again.
But unlike before, Naruto had slid from his seat and ducked under his wild swing, pushing him as he passed and making the man stumble a few steps.
"Jackie for fucks sake stop!" Pepe yelled. He was trying to get around to the other side of the bar and get between the two but Jackie had already turned to charge again but Naruto had all the time he needed to get ready and already fell into his stance. Despite him attacking first, Naruto didn't want to really hurt the drunk, when Jackie swung the broken bottle again, he caught his arm and slapped the weapon from his hand, sending it bouncing across the floor.
"I don't want to hurt you man!" Naruto tried to reason, blocking each wild swing or slapping them aside, making his face get redder and redder the angeryer he got at being unable to hit the blond. By now everyone was watching the brawl, either shaking their heads or cheering Jackie on. Pepe managed to grab him from behind and wrapped Jackie in a bear hug, swinging him away from the blond towards the bar, both yelling at each other in Spanish.
Sometime during Pepe yelling, Jackie planted both feet into the bar and pushed, not expecting it, Pepe stumbled back and lost his footing causing both to fall to the ground. Pepe was a big guy but even he couldn't take the weight of the slightly smaller Jackie landing on his torso, it knocked the wind out of him and there was nothing he could do as his boss lady's son scrambled to his feet and attacked the young man again.
"The hell another fight? Naruto!" Naruto glanced over to see Cami push through the crowd of bar goers and Valentinos… She looked amazing. It was just a split second but Jackie managed to slam shoulder first into his torso, picking him up and into the pooltable, its sturdy steel frame bolted to the floor so it didn't give an inch. Good for the owner, painful for Naruto.
"Fucking pendejo!" Jackie growled out, raring back and getting ready to start throwing punches.
"What the fuck are you gonks doing in my bar!" another voice called out. Jackie tensed for a moment at hearing his mothers enraged yell, the last thing he saw was a pair of red eyes then a sharp pain in his face, then nothing.
-xXx-
NCPD Officers J. Heartwell and E. Novak had seen a lot of shit during their time on the force, a combined 10 years to be exact. They'd seen the worst of the worst to the downright bizarre and what they were seeing now ranked in at least the top ten strangest things they ever came across.
Double parked next to an old hydrant, on top of a stop sign and half on the curb was a Thornton Galena hatchback with what looked like a ScopDog smeared across the back window. The words 'I touch kids' was written in the greasy smear on the glass but to top it off there was a very nude man hanging upside down from the traffic light above it all. From the looks of it, the car's seat belts were being used as rope.
"Heartwell… please tell me you're seeing this…" the cop muttered, leaning up and over the steering wheel to look at the scene before him.
His partner sighed and rubbed her eyes, "Yeah old man, your definitely seeing it… any chance we can just… you know, act like we didn't"
They shared a look and nodded before grabbing his radio, "Dispatch this is car 273, were unable to locate the subject. Calling it a night."
"Roger 273, report back for shift change."
Let the next shift deal with this shit, was the shared thought between the two. After years on the beat together they could almost read each other's mind.
-xXx-
Cami was excited for this, actually going out on a trip around town. Not exactly a date but not, not a date you know? Earlier today she had a long talk with Jackie's mother, just clearing the air and her checking in, especially since Jackie had called and they argued earlier that morning, turns out Mama Welles had overheard Jackie yelling in the phone and that was how she knew what happened. She had been afraid to mention the blond to her at first, talk about fucking awkward. But ever the saint, Mama Welles knew all too well how the world worked. Jackie was the one that threw her away. She didn't blame her for finding something else although she was disappointed that things happened the way they did.
Not wanting to get all cleaned up for her 'not-a-date' in the motel, she got a friend to let her use her bathroom and mirror. Gossiping with her about the deets between how she and Naruto partied the night before. Marrie was so jealous too, especially when the dirtier details surfaced.
She told him let's meet at the Coyote Cojo, of course this would happen.
When she got there to the door she instantly knew that a fight was going on, after years and years of going there, she just knew the sounds of a barroom throwdown by heart. Somehow the thought of Naruto and Jackie bumping into each other hadn't crossed her mind, this was a safe haven to her as much as it was to Jackie.
"-Naruto!" she couldn't help it, seeing him fighting her ex she couldn't help calling his name in shock. And of course he looked, she distracted him and it cost him, Jackie slammed him against the pooltable and she knew from her own barroom brawls that it hurt like a bitch.
"What the fuck are you gonks doing in my bar!" It was a voice she knew well and a tone she knew all too well. Mama Welles was pissed and about to start cracking skulls.
Then the fight was over.
Jackie crumpled to the ground like a mech after being hit with an EMP and for a split second she feared that Naruto had killed the man. Despite how pissed she was at him she didn't want him dead, for mama welles' sake at least. When Naruto climbed back to his feet the others in the bar went silent, she couldn't describe it but she was afraid? Several others around them took a step back as the blond looked their way and she soon saw why. His optics were glowing red, not the usual glow like when someone used their chrome to connect to a system but red and slitted like something straight from hell. Specks of blood had spattered on his face and in his hand was a bloody queball.
One Valentino crossed himself, one even flinched as the blonde dropped the ball to the floor with a clatter.
"He's gonna need some help." Naruto's voice broke them from their stupor and everyone got moving again. Two Valentinos went over to Jackie and rolled him over while another went and helped Pepe up. Cami glanced at Jackie and grimaced, Naruto knocked the hell out of him with that ball, his nose was shattered at least, he'd definitely need to see a doc.
"Naruto what happened?" he glanced between her and her ex as she got close, hands roaming his face where she pulled a small shard of glass from his cheek, he hadn't even noticed it there. "Come on and sit at the bar." she felt a shiver at his glowing eyes and if she wasn't seeing things, wasn't his teeth a little sharper? What weird implants.
She led him to the stool at the end and had him sit down, "I'm fine Cami, just wasn't expecting another fight here to be honest." She reached over and grabbed a bottle of something from the bar and a rag. "Who the hell was that anyway?" he winced as she cleaned the spot on his face.
"My ex." she winced along with him.
"And my son." Both turned to see a tired woman with mostly graying dark hair wearing a synth leather vest and looking at the two with something between an angry glare and a sad scowl.
Pepe staggered back behind the bar with a groan around the same time, "Easy jefe, it's my fault. I didn't even think about how Jackie's react and left them alone at the bar, seeing Jackie taking a swing at him with an empty."
She gave them a long look followed by a longer drawn out sigh mixed with some colorful curses, "I always told Jackie his temper would get the best of him. He's been here drinking all afternoon. When he wakes back up I've got some choice words for him, he's starting to act like his father…" Naruto noticed all three winces at that and wisely chose not to comment, especially as she looked him up and down. "I wont act like i'm fine with what you did to my son but I can't say he didn't deserve it."
"Ma'am I tried not to hurt him,"
"Save it," she interrupted him with a raised finger, "Just… save it. I'm sorry for how he acted and I know he attacked you first but he's still my son."
Naruto only nodded, "I don't want to cause any trouble… well, anymore trouble," he spared a glance to where Jackie was laying, it looked like he was slowly coming around. He didn't put his full force into the swing, not wanting to kill the guy but he'd be stunned for a while. Kinda impressive that he was moving at all so soon to be honest. "I'll ah… keep my distance from the place, no hard feelings or anything."
The hard look she gave him faltered a bit, "No… just, no." she rubbed her eyes for a second and huffed, "Just, give it a few days before you come around again. I'm not banning you just, I wanna set Jackie straight on a few things first. Ok? I still want to have a talk with you," she looked to Cami who'd been silent. "I'll call you on the holo later ok, go on and have fun. I'll let you know how things go and when to bring him back ok?"
Cami nodded and gave the woman a hug, getting a kiss on her forehead in return, "You got it Mama."
-xXx-
Ever since those vids of someone running along the side of a megabuilding in Heywood surfaced, Arasaka has been digging into all they could concerning their main rival Militech. Counterintel had long since known that they had been researching antigrav tech and trying to reduce the size but so far nothing had come of it, hell they even stole some of the earlier research but even their own research and development teams called it a waste. Well it looks like RnD had really stepped in it now, this had to be some kind of Militech test run.
It was so close to the offices too. If this wasn't some kind of middle finger to their rivals then what the hell was it?
"You see Jenkins and Abernathy earlier?"
"Yeah, this whole Militech situation has them both riled up."
"What's the old saying… like blood in the water?
"Probably worse than that choom. With the Special Operations Director up for retirement both are gunning for that promotion. Finding intel on that tech would give one a head start over the other."
"Shit, didn't think about that."
"Goodluck getting that vacation time approved."
"What the fuck is this 'vacation' thing you speak of? But ugh don't get me started, the corporate gods must fucking hate me"
"Still good for drinks after work?"
"Let them try and stop me."
-xXx-
"Naruto, I'm really sorry, I should've known better. Of course he'd be at his moms bar… i just."
The blond in question stopped short and spun around to the blue haired girl and wrapped his arms around her, earning him a squeak of surprise. "Cami, stop it. It's not your fault ok?" her blue hair filled his vision for a moment before he pulled back only for her to stay latched onto his chest. "Cami, seriously, it's fine. I'm not upset or anything. It was just… unfortunate timing."
"..." she mumbled something against his chest but he couldn't hear it.
"Huh?"
She moved a little and looked at him with slightly red cheeks, "I said you smell nice,"
After a second he snickered before yelping, "Ah let go! Let go! let go!" When she pulled back with a pout, he rubbed his chest vigorously, "Ow, you bit me!"
"Hmm, serves you right for- ah, I'm sorry please let go, ahh!" she gasped in shock as his left hand shot out and pinched her nip while his right rubbed the bite mark on his chest. She squeaked and turned redder when he gave a final tug and let go.
"Why Cami, no bra," he had a shit eating grin on his face.
After rubbing her own nip, she stuck her tongue out, "Dont act like you dont like it."
Naruto couldn't help but just take the sight of her, dark blue hair up in a messy bun with a few strands falling down around her face, a snug white tank top underneath her usual baggie dark hoodie that he just noticed had roses printed on it, he could see some of her tattoos through the material of her shirt as well. She was suddenly right up against his chest, lips next to his ear, "I'm not wearing panties either," she whispered before nipping his earlobe and backing away with a wink.
His blush made her giggle as she turned, "Come on Naru, let's go grab a bite to eat." he swore she swayed her hips a bit more just to mess with him… and he was right.
-xXx-
"Stop, play it again… Slower and run it through again, I want both the BC and drone footage cleaned,"
The techs in the room shared a glance and did as they were told. No one felt like telling her that the NCPD body cam footage was as good as it would get. They just were not optimized for long range video, newer models like that used by their security forces could boast higher quality visuals but not at this distance.
But you didn't last long under a senior member of Arasaka Special Operations like Susan Abernathy by pointing out the obvious. This was her white whale and she'd make things difficult for anyone that got in her way.
"Ma'am, footage from the drone is finished," another tech spoke, regretting it quickly as the woman in question stalked over, the heels of her office shoes clicking on the floor. She had to admit, if she wasn't so terrified when Abernathy leaned over her shoulder it would've been a turn on, she actually smelled pretty nice too.
The screen showed a much clearer picture of a man dressed in a sleeveless orange vest and pants, a hi-vis testing suit most likely. "The cybernetics needed to generate an antigrav field capable of this must produce a lot of heat," another tech spoke as they all queued up the footage to see. "Test pilot must be outfitted with multiple implants. Look at the drone's speed, it's going at the max and can't keep up."
There were several agreements around the room as they each studied the video. The subject was moving at an incredible speed far outpacing any human capability. There had been theories on the use of a Sandevidtan but that was scrapped shortly after. Even the latest military grade models couldn't handle the stress of being active so long and there wasn't a being alive that could handle the strain. The pilot wouldve fried his own system well before now.
"Wait, stop. Check out his arm." one tech motioned for his friend to pause and pointed at the dark spot on the screen
"So what? It's a cyberarm."
He shook his head and snapped, "No shit gonk fuck." only to wince, that was much louder than he wanted and now he could hear heels coming up behind him.
"What did you find?" Abernathy was over him like a looming shadow.
The man pointed at the subject's arm, "That arm, Ma'am. It's old, not like last gen old but several generations old. Granddad probably had something like this in the 30s."
Susan Abernathy crossed her arms and hummed. This was interesting, now why would a man testing probably the most state of the art chrome be chipped with something so obsolete? Operational security? Older tech didn't have the computing power most systems do today and some could only do a system diagnostic via hardline. Meaning it couldn't be easily hacked. Was he outfitted in such a way to prevent runners from disabling him and stealing the tech during the test?
It wasn't much but it was more than what her people reported Jenkins having. Last she heard the man had sent agents out on the streets. A desperate move from a desperate man but she'll be damned before she let that psychopath be promoted to Head of Special Operations, she already had a foot in the door now all she had to do was make sure said door slammed on Jenkins' foot
-xXx-
While the sun had set, the night was still young and Night City rarely, if ever slept. Camilla had taken him to Westbrook or more specifically, Kanzaki street in Japantown to go to the Cherry Blossom market. It was a large square almost fully covered by a glass roof that reminded him of the festivals back home, filled with vendors selling random things from stalls ranging from streetfood to old memorabilia. The outskirts of the square was also nothing but shops and stores that Cami told him could be something totally different the next time he visited.
"I found a pair of genuine leather boots here for like 50 eddies!" she told him excitedly while linking arms, "But there's something a lot better that I wanna show you." she didn't really give him a choice and pulled him along into the crowd. "Remember what you told me the other night?"
"Uh…" he really didn't, the amount of alcohol did a number on him and the drugs didn't help either, but she didn't wait for him to try and figure out what he had said as she stopped on the other end of the square and gestured to the entryway leading down into a restaurant. It was surprisingly homey and felt oddly familiar to him, the couple behind the counter wore outfits similar to what they wore at Ichiraku. But unlike the father daughter combo of Konoha, this couple were in the middle of a heated argument where the woman was trying not to yell at the man.
He had to look at the sign to make sure only to sweatdrop. "Miso… Hungry?" he deadpanned.
"They got good ramen." she told him.
This time he was the one to pull her along and before she knew it, they were seated at the bar, Naruto squirming like a child on a sugar rush, looking around like a lunatic… It was oddly adorable. The pair saw them sit down and the wife gave a parting snap before turning and walking to the stoves while the guy walked over with a friendly smile that faded once he saw the excited blond.
"Oh please not another one…" he pinched the bridge between his eyes, "Let me guess another psychofan wanting to bask in the glory days where their favorite chromeband played? Hate to break it to ya but nothing is left from the original,"
His attitude was a bit too much honestly but Naruto quickly pushed it aside "Nope, the biggest bowl of ramen you got… no two, plus whatever the lady wants."
The cook blinked for a moment then nodded dumbly, "Ah yeah, sure… sorry about that. I thought you were… nevermind. How about you miss?" Cami took a minute to look at the menu and ordered the same as naruto, although only one small bowl. The pair were silent for a few minutes, just taking in the sounds around them. Somewhere behind them, back in the marketplace someone had started playing music but it only added to the noise but he could make out some of the words.
Yeah, we lost everything!
We had to pay the price!
"Hey Cami, I wanted to tell you something. I got a job, sorta." he scratched the back of his ear near the fresh, now fully healed shard slot he'd been chipped with the night before.
She turned in her seat to look at him fully, pushing a blue curl back behind her ear with a surprised look, "Really? That was pretty fast. Wait like a 'job'?" she made a little air quotation with her fingers, "or like a day to day 9 to 5?"
"Hehe, I doubt I could find a regular civilian job," he weakly chuckled, "No, a guy helped me out a little while back. Guess he saw my moves and wanted me to join up with his crew, we went over some details and it's basically some contract mercenary work. Guys name is-"
She put her hand on his and shook her head, "Don't kiss and tell Naru. I don't need to know details or anything alright?" He gave her a slow nod. "Good. Besides you never know who's listening and solos with a rep of talking too much don't get much work… besides, I like a little mystery."
Not exactly true, the thing about solos talking too much that is, most mercs like to gossip like schoolgirls at the bar but this early in the game it could hurt an aspiring runner.
Her little wink made him chuckle, "Yeah, sorry. You're right."
The chief returned with their food and a much better attitude than before, "Here you go chooms, two large orders for you and a small one for the lady." He gave them a self-satisfied grin as they paid but noticed another customer had arrived, "you two enjoy. Let us know if you need anything else. Welcome, welcome, what can I get you-"
They dug in, it definitely wasn't Ichiraku but it was raman… for the most part.
"Hey Naru, I know you can handle yourself in a brawl. But what else can you do?" it was something she'd been wondering all day. The few scraps they got in the night before along with the one earlier proved it, but she couldn't help but feel like there was more.
"I thought you said I shouldn't talk too much?" he smirked, bowls and chopsticks now in a neat little stack. She couldn't help but stare when she noticed, it hadn't been more than a minute or two at the most. Hell she hadn't even swallowed the first bite yet!
"H-How?" she sputtered, a long strand of noodle falling back into the broth. He had even downed the broth too!
He grinned and leaned towards her, "It's all in the tongue," he whispered, eyebrow wiggling suggestively. "I seem to remember nothing but praises for my lipwork too."
She sputtered, trying not to laugh only to choke on noodles, making a mess. He pushed her bowl away as she spun around to hack and wheeze, patting her back while apologizing to the owner's wife as she came over and wiped up the spill with a dangerous look.
"Oh you ass," she muttered, coughing again before sitting, punching him in the knee which only made him laugh more. Cami grabbed at the hem of his shirt and wiped her face on it, getting an indignant squawk in return. Both laughed after a few moments, unconsciously leaning a little closer together.
"I was a little bit of everything I guess… no actually, I'm not a hacker so I guess not everything huh? Lets see, escort jobs, snatch and grabs, infiltration, hell my team used to handle run of the mill chores too when we first started out." Naruto seemed to have lost himself in memories with a sad smile while Cami listened. "We were Ninja, best of the best."
Well shit, that did explain a lot. He was a former Saka Ninja, the Arasaka boogie men… no actually there was already one 'person' that could be called that, Adam Smasher. The Saka Ninjas were nothing compared to the Borg in combat but you'd more than likely never know they were after you until it was too late. Once she hears back from the Padre she'd get them together for a meeting face to face, the fixer was always interested in talent and a Arasaka trained Ninja, former or not, ranked pretty high on the talent scale.
-xXx-
Jackie Welles couldn't help but wince as his face was cleaned up by Doc Ryder, not from the pain mind you, the doc was pretty liberal with the meds. But by the dressing down he was still getting from his mother was cutting deeper than anything, ever since he woke up on the ride over she'd started fussing at him for acting the way he did.
He hadn't seen a problem at first, Cami… no Camilla had already started seeing another guy? They'd split not even a month or two ago. How did she already have a new guy, they had to have been talking well before they broke up, she had to have been cheating on him. The thought killed him inside and made him sick to his stomach.
The doc was a pretty big dude himself, looking at him you'd think he was one of those Animals gangers that roamed the city. But he was a pro for certain, even as his mama laid into him the doctor went about his work, only cutting between them to have him move one way or another.
"Mijo, what you did today… it wasn't just embarrassing, it was…" she buried her face in her hands and gave a long drawn out huff he almost took for a sob. "When you fell, you didn't move at all. I thought I'd lost you and he was standing over you… you were bleeding and oh lord his face." if it wasn't for the doc planting his hand firmly on his chest, Jackie would've tried to stand and embrace her. "Jackie, I thought he was going to finish it, I thought I was about to see my baby die and there wasn't anything I could do."
This time she did sob, all her anger gone, replaced by fear of what could've been. She moved to sit on the only other chair in the office, a rolling stool next to the bed he was on. "Jackie, I've only been that afraid one other time in my life."
"Mama?"
She took his hand in hers, the doc had picked out some glass from the broken bottle he'd used and cleaned him up a while ago. "It was years ago Mijo… oh lord you must've been two or three. Your father…" When he tensed she cleared her throat, "Raul, he… put his hands on me at the bar, it was the first time he ever did it in public. I remember falling down and just covering my head when he kicked me."
"Excuse me," Ryder spoke up, standing, "I need to go and get some equipment. I'll ah… give you two a minute to talk." It was clear that the man was uncomfortable but he played it off coolly and left, shutting the door behind him.
"Mama, I-"
"No Jackie, I need to tell you this." she shushed him and squeezed his hand, he winced a little but didn't say anything. "One of the bar girls helped me up and got me to the restroom, but when I came out all I could see was your father laying there, some nomad on top of him with his hands around his throat." his mother sniffed and wiped her eyes, she'd always tried to hide her crying from him. "I was pregnant too, a little girl they told me… I lost her that day."
He froze, it was as if his blood turned to ice. He'd had a little sister and his father killed her? Jackie had never needed any more reasons to hate his father for all the pain and suffering they endured at his hand but this…
"Jackie when I saw you today, all I could see was Raul and how you've been acting just like him."
"What?"
Shame filled him, he was acting just like his father. The monitor hooked up to him beeped in warning as he started to hyperventilate a little, it was only his mothers voice that calmed him down and made him take slow deep breaths. "Mama, I'm so sorry."
"It's ok mijo, it's ok." When she leaned over and hugged him he did the same, "I'm sorry too."
The moment lasted a while longer until Jackie coughed and cleared his throat, "I promise I'll be better, I'll make things right."
"I know you will mijo,"
*Knock* *Knock*
The door opened and Doc Ryder walked back into the room holding a datapad, "Mr. Welles, I went and took a look at the scans and well… There's good and bad news. You'll make a full recovery but the damage to your bone structure is pretty severe, if not for your existing chrome you might not have been so lucky. Thanks to medical advances we can repair the bone with little difficulty but we're gonna have to replace your chrome with something a little different."
He motioned to the datapad in his hand "These are what we have available that will work for you, please look through them and select your choice. But first, I'm sorry to say that we need to speak about payment."
Mama Welles looked a little uncomfortable but Jackie waved it off, quickly swiping past several implants without looking at them, "Don't worry doc, been saving up for a replacement anyway," he stopped at the one showing thick gray cyberlines over the models cheeks and down to it's chin with silver nodes here and there with a larger node in the bridge of the nose. "You got these in gold?"
-xXx-
Their walk through Cherry Blossom market was pretty nice, there were so many different stands set up, everything from tech and BDs to clothing and shoes. Cami had bought a pair of leather ankle boots with little silver rivets on the straps and had Naruto carry the bag with a grin. Almost everything was second hand for the most part, although she had pointed out a few new wreaths and cyberdecks she also warned him to stay away, they were most likely bootleg tech.
"You sure you don't see anything you like Naru?" Cami pouted a bit, she'd found something for herself pretty easy and didn't want him to leave empty handed too. "How about we check out the- Naru?" She stopped when she noticed that he wasn't next to her and was looking over the crowd. "What's up?"
He jolted when she poked his side right below the ribs, "Ah, sorry Cami. Hey let's check this out over here." She didn't expect him to grab her hand but didn't try to shake him off and followed suit.
The blond led her through the square, weaving through the crowd with ease and stopping at a red stand manned by a elderly man dressed in punk clothes sitting on a folding chair drinking a beer. "Hehehe, hey their kids." his voice was like gravel and he was obviously drunk, "Looking for a blade or something sharp? I got the best around."
There were dozens of weapons under the glass counter, knives of all kinds, machetes, hatchets, even one Chainsword. Up on a display on the back table were several Katanas with Japanese masks hanging above them. Cami had to admit, she fell in love with the fox make, it reminded her of his whiskers.
Naruto on the other hand was disappointed when he got here, the swords looked familiar at first but now he could tell they were just some cheap knockoffs. The other knives around looked interesting though, but he didn't need or like the fancy fantasy blades or the folding- 'wait a minute!'
In the corner of the display was a Kunai, several of them in fact! "Hey old man, do you have more of these?" he asked, pointing at the knife in question.
"Fancy yourself a shinobi huh?" he laughed, handing Cami the white fox mask decorated with pink flowers she'd just bought. "And bite me punk, I might be old but still got some moves," Naruto had to bite his lip as the man took a crane stance and held it for a moment, only to wince and grab his back with a curse. "Yeah see, I know some Kungfu."
He opened the case and set a few of the knives on the top, "Got these a while back but no one appreciates em, they're not sharp enough or they don't feel right," he spat, "Gonks wouldn't know a quality blade if it hit em in their Mr. Studd."
Naruto picked each up and played with it for a moment, they weren't supposed to be high quality he couldn't help but think, these were use em and lose em afterall. You didn't worry about having to go pick them back up when you threw them across the battlefield.
"I'll take them all, you got anything else like these?" Naruto had to ask, these were like a taste of home. The revolver he carried was a decent weapon but having kunai on hand just felt right.
"Hm, got some throwing stars too I think, let me check…"
Cami looked between the two and at the knives Naruto wanted, 'boys and their toys' she mused to herself with a smirk as the man reappeared from under the counter and both started haggling over the lot. She just hoped he liked what she got him just as much and held the bag holding her gift and her mask. As their haggling got more heated she covered her face, ok now it's getting embarrassing… when she peeked she was mortified to see them loudly playing rock paper scissors.
The difference between their prices?
2 eddies.
She shook her head, what a couple of children.
-xXx-
To be continued…
-xXx-
Any opinions on V's lifepath? I've got different things planned in general and I really enjoy them all but story wise I still have plenty of time to make that choice. Also as much as i'd like to write and answer some of the questions posted in reviews im probably not going too so sorry dude.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed this, I really like cyberpunk and wish I had more to read on it , you know? I'm even replaying it now just for fun.
But here's a small preview of the next chapter cause I love ya!
-xXx-
Six months later…
-xXx-
Hey Naru! I know you're all busy with work and can't talk, but I just wanted to let you know that I can't wait for you to get back. Mama Welles keeps picking on me too asking me when your gonna knock me up lol. :p Pepe even asked me if I wanted some of their baby stuff. Can you believe it? Oh and I've been looking at some apartments for us to rent, found a few good ones but I want you to see them with me before choosing.
Anyway, stay warm out there. I hear the badlands get cold as hell some nights… if you need a little help warming up I sent you a little something. ;-p
Img:...
Sitting on the hood of an Archer Quarts, a small two door economy car covered in scratches and dust along with a multitude of less than safe modifications, Naruto tapped the attachment and grinned as two pictures popped into view. Oh that tease…
The first was of her bare chest and pinching her nipple and the second was of her squeezing her naked rear.
While he wasn't sure exactly what they were to each other it was clear even to someone as dense as him that there were feelings. He truly did care about her and it seemed like she did as well.
"Hey kid. You in position?"
He put his phone away and reached for the radio laying next to him on the hood. "Yeah, I've scouted the area. Waiting for the nomads now."
"Remember these aren't your regular nomads, these are Raffin, Nomad Outlaws. Gunners boys are smuggling something and I want to know what.
"Yeah, if they're working with the Raffin then there's no telling what they're trying to move." Naruto slid off the hood and pockets his phone, he was so far out that he barely got a signal at all but he liked to reread his messages from Cami every now and then when he had some down time. "Managed to track their route, this abandoned town looks like it's been fixed up some. Probably use it as a camp for long drives."
"What's your plan?"
Naruto shrugged, "I'll take up position until they get cozy for the night. Locate the package and take it out from under their nose without them being any wiser." he used a salvaged sniper scope to look out on the horizon and spotted a dust cloud in the distance. "Looks like they're a little early, might be scum but they're punctual."
"Goodluck kid."
Naruto chuckled, "I'll keep you posted Rico."
Turning the radio off, he turned to the car and opened the trunk where his gear was waiting.
Rico's promised gear wasn't too much, just some of his old NUSA army gear. A plate carrier with some pouches which kind of reminded him of the Chunin vest Iruka always wore. There weren't any plates in them as Rico explained that he had taken them out a while ago when his old set took some rounds. That was fine though, he didn't plan on being shot in the first place. A large 6 was painted on the back, the only thing he would have to show his 'Allegiance' to the 6th street gang.
He threw on the gear with practiced ease and tied a headband around his head, he still hadn't forgiven himself for losing his old one and this strip of cloth was a poor substitute in his opinion but it had to do for now. Revolver strapped to his thigh, a combat knife on his hip, pouches with his kunai and shuriken at the small of his back. He felt ready to go.
But lastly…
Wrapped in a shirt was a mask, given to him by Cami. Her logic being that ninjas were stealthy and needed to wear badass masks when sneaking. It was reminiscent of the masks some tiger claws wore and caused some issues with other gangsters in 6th street which he basically ignored. Cami had gotten one as well, a long eared, full face fox mask covered in pink flowers while the one she picked out for him was a half mask painted orange, his favorite color.
Putting the mask on his eyes hardened as he mentally prepared himself… what was the name some of the gangers called him again… oh yeah, the 'Shino of 6th Street'
-xXx-
Have a wonderful day guys and gals. Much love.