A/N: Slifer wrote the bulk of this bad boy, and its a doozy! And a good thing too, I have less and less time on my hands, and I'm still not quite recovered yet. But I will be...eventually.
Doctor's got me on some medication for my cough/lungs, only problem is that said medication makes me sleepy and irritable.
That said, depression's starting to hit real hard these days.
Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. Bloody annoying, it is.
At this point, even I can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head.
I don't even know why! One moment I'm fine, then my mood craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. Its rather annoying; as though I've become a prisoner in my own mind sometimes. Sure, what's one more mental problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough, what with already being this old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes. But when I go to the docs and try to talk to someone, they say oh no, you're fine, you're just tired. HA!
*siiiigh* Trying to find an affordable therapist isn't easy, but I'm still seeking one out all the same...
As of late, with my fifteen year anniversary on this site 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~!
"There is nothing so mad in this world as love."
~?
Mad Love
Meeting the gaze of the man in front of him, Naruto felt a single eyebrow raise in befuddlement.
He was currently perched on a stool in front of a counter, its long surfaces paddled in rich dark woods with a collection of beer pumps affixed to one side in brass. It was quite clearly a tavern of some kind, its appointments warm and homey with a roaring fire set in the hearth and the booths upholstered in exotic fur pelts to help enhance the sense of warmth. It had been a few weeks since his rather bombastic departure from the now-trashed Fishcake Island, and a combination of water walking and flight had put him clear beyond the burgeoning archipelago of Totto Land. After a while, he had grown bored with the seemingly endless mix of sky and sea and had endeavoured to call on Isobu's gifted powers to swim at intense speed as far east as he could.
At least he had assumed it was east; many years of Shinobi life had indelibly burnt the fact that east was the direction of the rising sun, but who knew anymore when he was quite obviously in a new world entirely. The stars in the night sky were different, and he was sure there was nowhere near as much ocean back home.
Let alone these so-called 'Sea Kings'.
'Some kings they were, swam back to the depths with one punch to the head,' he thought glibly. So many things had been trying to eat him for so long now that it didn't exactly phase him anymore. Instead, he was more overcome by the weirdness of his current locale. Despite being sure beyond all doubt that he had headed east, his present island was stuck in perpetual winter.
Yukiryu Island, the bartender had called it, was appropriately named given that the snow-covered rock formations made it look like a great icy wyrm perched atop frigid waters. Was east actually north here, then?
Ah, perspective, Naruto, keep your mind on the present weirdness. Particularly the bartender currently having a heated conversation with the third biggest gastropod he had ever seen.
"Badabadabadabdabda…Badabadabadabdabda…" Burbled the Transponder Snail, its creepily animated eyes locked on the bartender as he lifted the receiver to his mouth. "Cachak!" A beat passed before the snail's face morphed into a cartoonish approximation of the bartender's brother-in-law. "Hey, Ganta, it's me. I'll be back with the wood in about half an hour. Is that Mink-faced blonde still cadging for a drink?" said a gruff voice, causing a tick mark to appear at Naruto's temple.
The bartender rolled his eyes before shooting Naruto an apologetic look on behalf of his brother, "Open-Snail, ya dumbass. Just get back with the wood before sundown." he informed the snail before putting the receiver down. He turned to Naruto fully, pulling a glass from behind the bar, and set it down on the counter. "Sorry about that, it's not every day Yukiryu gets visitors, let alone one that walks on the water."
"S'all good," Naruto drawled, still studying the gently breathing snail intently, "Sorry I got nothing to pay for a drink, though."
The bartender waved dismissively, "Nah, you'll make for a good story to my wife, and on account of my brother running his mouth, I say you deserve one on the house."
Naruto grinned, ordering a glass of orange juice and ice. When the tumbler of vermilion-coloured juice was placed before him, he sipped at it slowly, letting the sharp citrus sweet ease his mind and let him finally have the time to consider the series of events that had brought him to this strange new world.
It had been mere moments after they had been returned from Kaguya's dimension to the foot of the Divine Tree at the hands of Hogoromo and the returned Kage when Sasuke had done the unthinkable. Declared his ill-fated rebellion. Yet as Naruto and the rest of Team 7 had debated the ethics of what the last Uchiha had envisioned, Naruto more than ever could see the darkness in his spiritual brother's heart, the honest to god belief that what he had planned was right, and that the previous two days of abject carnage had taught him nothing. Choosing to cage up the freshly released Bijuu in front of their own creator had been the final straw for Naruto; the brother's feud would end, once and for all.
And thus it was that he and Sasuke had journeyed to the place where it all began that Naruto had deceived him. A single clone remained at the battlefield with Sakura and Kakashi until the original and Sasuke were halfway to the land of fire before making its way to the freshly made Chibaku Tensei that Sasuke had trapped Yang Kurama within, stowing away within the foux celestial body until just the right moment, chipping away though its insides until at last, he laid his hand upon his captured partner. In truth, it was this success that had propelled him to this new plane of existence. Absorbing Yang Kurama, the Clone had dispelled seconds before he and Sasuke's final attacks had collided, supercharging Naruto's Rasengan with the totality of the nine-tailed fox's chakra.
He grimaced once, remembering the image of his golden Rasengan ripping through Sasuke's lightning-shrouded fire, warping space and tearing the Uchiha to shreds.
"Don't weep for fools. He made his bed, and now he sleeps in it with the rest of his clan." Kurama groused from the back of his mind.
Naruto swallowed thickly; he had washed his hands of Sasuke, yet he couldn't deny, 'He died screaming. He deserved some dignity-'
"No, he really didn't," Kurama replied, an edge of steel to his voice. "I felt his soul and mind as he drew in my chakra to power that Arrow of his. He would have enslaved me and my siblings for the rest of time, using us to beget misery out of some deranged belief that if everyone hated him, then they would be united. You showed me humans have worth, he reminded me that you're one in a billion."
Knocking back more of his drink, Naruto smirked without mirth. 'One in a billion eh? Guess that makes me some kind of monster.'
Kurama did not reply, thinking on his words. Naruto accepted the pleasant silence, reflecting that Kurama did have a point. After all, Sasuke's failed dying gambit to use some kind of Spacetime Ninjutsu, one that Naruto's attack had apparently hypercharged to leave him here, right up to facing Linlin. 'Hope I never have to see her again.'
The door to the tavern slammed open, and Ganta's brother came barreling in, dropping his logs on the floor as he panted. "huh…huh…huh…P-p", he stammered.
Ganta threw down his bar rag, "What in the name of Saint Elmo is wrong with you?" he grumbled, rounding the bar. "Take the back entrance-"
"P-p- PIRATES!" the brother finally yelled, causing the blood to drain from Ganta's face.
Naruto looked up, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. There was no way.
Ganta closed the door, shutting out the cold wind, before walking to the window and pulling a spyglass from his pocket. Looking through it, Naruto watched as the older man slowly turned as white as a sheet of paper. "Oh gods no, it's her flag. The country destroyer!"
'That sounds… familiar.' Naruto adopted a constipated look before making his way to the window. In the distance, slowly cutting through the sheets of thick white snowflakes that gusted down from on high, was a single smudge of hot pink. 'I mean, maybe someone else uses a pink ship?'
His senses, in tune with the flow of nature even without Sage Mode, slowly expanded over the intervening distance, feeling the emotions of every living thing on Yukiryu Island. The brothers to his side were hysterical with fear while the tiny hamlet at the island's heart sounded the alarm. Yet it was not with the men and women of the island that the most concise feeling was given but the animals. From the smallest insect to the most giant bear, all looked in the direction of the oncoming ship with a unanimous agreement.
A storm was on its way.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, a glimpse of movement snatched amidst the snow. Something blurred from the front of the ship into the skies above the island and was rapidly approaching in a loping parabolic arch. A streak of pink lit the sky, and Naruto could say this was the angriest of them all. He lifted his glass and finished his orange juice before quietly thanking the two brothers and stepping outside. His feet crunched against freshly fallen snow as he looked up at the approaching human comet, hearing a loud, shrill, all too familiar voice locked in a battle cry.
"WHISKERS!"
Naruto tensed his legs, watching her like a hawk as she grew closer before, with a grunt of exertion, he lept, taking to the air with a crack of thunder, a shockwave emanating from where he had once stood.
Rocketing through the air, gravity all but an afterthought, Naruto kept his aim firmly on Linlin, face set in an annoyed scowl. Linlin's head snapped to look at him, her observation Haki clocking his approach, yielding a savage grin while falling to reach his rise. She reared back her fist to chamber a punch. It flashed once before being covered in the black sheen of armament haki, not taking any chances this time. Naruto accepted the challenge and answered in kind, albeit with a twist. Pulling back his own fist, he flooded the limb with Earth Style chakra, causing the forearm to slowly darken to an earthen brown that was almost black, hardening as he had once seen Kakuzu of the Akatsuki do.
Throwing their hands forward in some unsaid signal, the pirate and ninja collide in the air, their fists slamming into one another with extraordinary force. Their collective strengths kept them airborne for a few moments, his golden chakra pushing against the purple energies of the Soru Soru no Mi, yet in that time, Naruto was able to look up into the attractive face of Charlotte Linlin. It was twisted by rage and passion, yet as her eyes burned with the anger of the scorned, her plump lips split into a savage and self-indulgent grin.
One that, despite Naruto's better judgement, he returned.
The two auras, gold and purple,.thickened around the pair, shockwaves buffeting the island below and creating an empty space in the snow that had now been kicked up into a blizzard. As before, this was no clash of conquerors haki; the sky did not split, but instead, the storm above the island seemed to grow more intense until finally, with a shared yell of exertion, their power struggle broke, each one blasting backwards towards one of the serpentine rock formations that gave the island its name. As he fell, Naruto performed an Ukemi to gracefully touch down upon the grey stone while Linlin landed hard, the heels of her maroon thigh-high boots biting deeply into the rock.
Eyeing her, the blonde noted she was mostly the same as she had been on Fishcake Island, save for a few minor cosmetic differences. She had changed her blouse to one with an ascot worn fully buttoned closed while her captain's coat had gained a furred lining to deal with the cold.
Naruto suddenly felt self-conscious of his own ragged clothing that he had not had time to change, "Uhhh…hi?" he said slowly, his breath coming in great clouds of steam. "Please leave."
"Hey! You can't talk to Mama like that!" Prometheus growled, popping up on Linlin's right shoulder.
"Yeah!" parroted Zeus, emerging from the left, their eyes sparked with each of their respective elements. "You messed up her island and then ran away!"
Naruto pouted, "Not my fault. If you didn't want to wreck your own island, why fight me there? I mean people call me dumb, but I don't shit where I eat." he chuckled, enjoying the mix of fire and lightning that shot from the annoyed homies. Linlin, however, didn't speak, keeping her eyes locked on Naruto while slowly drawing her cutlass, he noticed that the cracks he had put into it during their last fight were still there. "Don't tell me you own this one too. Still no flag." he gestured around.
Linlin finished drawing her sword, tapping her foot in anticipation. "No, this one isn't mine, there's not much call for it, but who knows, maybe after I kill you, I'll take it as my territory and use your head as the sign."
Naruto's eyes narrowed, "I don't die so easily…" Wind nature chakra began to swirl around him, both arms darkening with Earth chakra.
Linlin took her sword in both hands and raised it beside her face, her glowing orange eyes reflected in the steel. "Neither do I, but it seems you grasped Haki quick enough."
Naruto looked down at his arms, tilting his head in curiosity, "The heck's Haki again? Cause this sure as hell isn't it."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!" Linlin raged, surging forward with sword held high, jumping into the air for extra force. Naruto crossed his arms and took the blade on his hardened forearms, hissing in annoyance at the pain. He may have her beat in physical firepower, but it didn't change the fact he only weighed 112lb, and she was struck with several hundred tonnes of force.
"I can't, there are people around!" He pushed her away with a shoulder bash, hitting her in the stomach due to the height difference. She went skidding backwards, and in that moment, Naruto formed a cross hand sign, a dozen clones popped into existence in a puff of smoke before jumping off the side of the rocks to the island below. "Plus, I have no reason to kill you."
Grabbing Zeus, Big Mom squeezed him tightly until he began to discharge large bolts of violet-coloured electricity that concentrated into a slowly lengthening lance of lightning. "I AM TRYING TO MURDER YOU YOU LITTLE BRAT!"
Naruto flashed through three hand signs before grabbing his right wrist, blue sparks starting to jump from his hand.
Linlin stamped a foot forwards, catering the stone beneath her forefoot before bending at the knee, levering herself forwards for maximum force. The lance grew three times in size before, at last, she let it fly, "VAJRA!" The purple lightning sped forward, leaving burnt ozone in its wake, less an electrical attack, but rather a thick stream of pure energy sent barreling right towards Naruto.
She cackled in the joy of battle, but a different sound also filled the air: a thousand flapping wings.
Naruto tracked the lightning bolt. It was nowhere near the first time he had been forced to dodge lightning, but he had no intention to, not when it could take a chunk out of the populated island they stood upon. He took his hand, surrounded in a potent haze of blue lighting and thrust forward to meet the Vajra head-on, a name ripping itself from his throat. "Raikiri!"
The front of the lightning bolt appeared to deform on contact with his Sensei's jutsu before the piercing power of Lighting Style did as it was bayed, giving the technique its name. Naruto split the purple lightning bolt right down the middle, the two remaining halves sent in either direction, harmlessly dissipating over the sea.
Linlin paused in that instant, transfixed, the sight and sound, the fury and serenity, this whiskered blonde who she intended to kill, taking her attacks and responding in kind… was he always that dashing?
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Mamamamamamamamamamamamamamaama!" she laughed, hearing the distant boom of thunder out over the sea. "Backwater idiot you might be whiskers, but you've made my day this time!" She allowed Prometheus to roll up her arm and cover her sword, "SHOW ME A GOOD TIME WHISKERS!"
"Context, Lady, geez!" Naruto barked in reprisal before leaping forwards once again, Yukiryu island was soon swallowed in a blizzard of thunder. "And by the log, my name is Naruto! Uzumaki! Naruto!"
(.0.0.0.)
The ship pitched and yawed in the water, its crew doing its level best to pull in the sails lest the tremendous tempest being kicked up by the feuding monsters did not tear them from the masts and leave them crippled. They had thought they had made the perfect preparations for this, in Struelson's opinion, foolish endeavour, to the point where the pink polkadot-themed ship had been equipped with an ice ram to navigate the icy waters surrounding the winter island.
Struelson dug his short cutlass into the frosted deck of the ship for support, the overburst from the latest clash shaking his thoroughly frozen bones. "I knew this was madness, what was I thinking letting Linlin lead us here?" he shouted over the tumult, standing as two streaks of purple lighting streaked overhead, detonating amidst the snow into potent thunder. 'I should have just accepted Xebec's invitation on Linlin's behalf and had him meet us halfway!' To say this small contingent of the burgeoning Big Mom pirates were having a bad time was an understatement. Since her defeat at the hands of the whiskered blonde, she had a single-minded focus to hunt him down and make an example of him.
And in that respect, they had made mistakes. For the sake of speed, they had been forced to take a single reasonably large ship as opposed to mustering part of their fleet; this meant that they were disconnected from their supply lines and for someone apparently lacking a ship, the interloping Uzumaki could certainly cover distance with supernatural speed. He grimaced, turning the collar of his winter coat up against the frigid winds, what bothered him was the fact that Linlin seemed so dead set on chasing the blonde down.
While she had been murderous with fervour, her focus on the matter was arrow straight and backed by a will harder than sea prism stone. With the exception of food, drink and attending to her infant children, Linlin had spent every waking moment standing at the prow of the ship, eyes practically welded to the horizon. The very moment she had clocked the blonde's presence on the currently blizzard-trapped island, she had used her herculean strength to leap kilometres of distance in a single bound, her intent clear.
That, Struelson realised for the twelfth time these past weeks, was a problem.
Linlin was many things to Struelson. His ward, his apprentice, his captain, his former lover and mother of his son, but her abnormal power and overly naive end goal had been a boon for him. It kept her focused on their shared desire of Totto land, and her more destructive impulses could be channelled into creative projects that benefitted them all, especially him. But this apparent Mink hybrid, the cook had never seen the blonde for himself, only knowing he had whiskers from Linlin's descriptions; he had Linlin's undivided attention and the strength to match her.
The longer this pursuit continued, the more progress would be lost, and the more his hold over the pink-haired 20-year-old would begin to slip.
"God damn it all," he grunted under his breath.
A chess soldier ran up the stairs towards him, snapping off a harried salute as frost gathered along the blade of his polearm. "We have a report, Sir Strulson!" the rook-themed crewmate said loudly, keeping a respectful tone despite the evident discomfort. The cook gestured for him to get on with it. "We have confirmed that Mama has engaged her pray on the island and has broken into a vicious battle!"
'No shit.'
Unaware of the short man's thoughts, the soldier continued. "The maelstrom is preventing us from making landfall on the island, but our reconnaissance teams have got a look at what's going on the rest of the island."
"Anything of note?" the curly-haired man replied, wondering if any plunder might be had to make this trip somewhat worthwhile.
Nodding, the Rook said, "There is a modest hamlet located in the centre of the island, mostly villagers living off the game in the forests."
"At least we might be able to restock on rich meats, Linl-" he coughed, catching himself, "Mama puts a real dent in our stores this far away from resupply ships."
Turning to sweep back along the deck, he was brought up short when he added, "There is one other thing, Sir."
"What?"
"Mama's prey, he's evacuating the hamlet to the far coast."
Pausing, Stuelson looked over his shoulder at the crewmember with a deadpan expression before looking at the blooms of distant fire and lightning rumbling from atop the stone pillars of the very much still-in-battle Naruto and Linlin. He looked back at the soldier, who sweated profusely. "Huh?"
"There are reports of 'clones' of the blonde moving through the island to evacuate the citizens from their homes and avoid collateral damage. Perhaps it's some kind of Devil Fruit."
"Oh, that's just perfect," Stuerlson drawled, sarcasm dripping from his words like poison. "Order the recon teams to take anything not nailed down from the empty houses," he added, ever the opportunist, hoping he could spin this in their favour.
Far above them, perched atop the yardarm with his arms crossed, one of Naruto's clones looked down at the crew, totally oblivious to his presence. He clicked his tongue and maintained his silent vigil. While most of the other clones had been drafted to evacuate the hamlet from the rampant destruction his clash with the fedora-adorned pinkette was already producing, he had been sent to spy on the pirate ship to ensure they didn't pull anything underhanded. Much to his chagrin, these pirates seemed to be reverting to type.
It was a good thing they wouldn't get far with the sabotage he had unknowingly wreaked on their ship under the cover of the storm. It would take them at least half an hour before they released that their dropped anchor had been welded to its port, the gunpowder was all wet, and he'd used Saiken's corrosive ooze to dissolve the rudder chain.
His ears perked up, something carrying over the blizzard, the unmistakable sound of a child's cry. Crouch, walking along the yard tips of the crosstree masts, he spied the door to the interior had been opened and now clattered back and forth in the wind. But much to his horror, the children. He could see four infant children, crawling out on the deck towards the ship's edge. Three of them were very young, triplet boys of only a year each, while the fourth was slightly older, a cute little toddler with aquamarine hair. She was the sole female of the group of children and the one who was crying, drawing the attention of the scarlet0haired member of the triplets while the others looked around, bewildered.
Why on earth were their babies on a pirate ship…unguarded on the deck in the middle of a blizzard!
Despite the fact that it risked revealing him, he could not allow the innocent to come to harm by the negligence of the chess and food-themed crew, so without a second thought, he stepped off the yard and gracefully fell, landing on the snow-covered deck with the nearest crunch. Instantaneously, the maroon-haired babe saw him, and Naruto got his first proper look at the triplets.
The smallest one was a young boy with vibrant orange hair and a broad face thick with baby fat, while the other had closely cropped blonde hair. The third of the triplets, the crimson-haired baby, was slightly taller than his two brothers, nearly as tall as his crying sister.
"Hello," Naruto said gentilly, flashing the four children a bright grin. "What are you all doing out here?" he asked, unsure if the children so young could even understand him. A quiet observation told him what he needed to know. A hailstone the size of a brick had shattered the nearby window of the cabin the children had been staying in. Suddenly, they were woken from their nap covered in broken glass and hit by the freezing gale coming in through the window, the confused children had left the room looking for help. After all, one of them had been hurt.
Eyeing the crying girl, Naruto saw she was hurt, her pudgy little hand was bleeding slowly, and a blood-stained fragment of glass by the door must have cut her as they crawled over the glass to escape the freezing room.
Naruto stepped forward and, to his surprise, saw the boys close rang around their sister, the scarlet-haired one pride of place, his pudgy face set in a childish, albeit emphatic frown. But it was his eyes, they were strong. They held a drive and fire to them that no baby should have, their intent clear as a cloudless blue sky.
Naruto's grin changed to a small smile, "You're a protector, aren't you little guy?" he asked. The babe could not and did not respond, but he held Naruto's gaze and kept himself between the blonde and his elder sister. "I'm not going to hurt you, in fact, I'm here to help." Naruto moulded fire chakra within him then slowly released it from his pours, an aura of warmth rolling over the cold children.
Compote's tears immediately slowed while Oven and Daifuku basked in the warmth, melting away the cold. But the eldest of the triplets, Charlotte Katakuri, kept his siblings behind him, never once breaking Naruto's gaze.
"I'm gonna help your sister, okay," Naruto said goodnaturedly, holding out a hand to the little boy, palm up in a show of placation. Katakuri looked between the hand and his siblings before moving minutely to the side. Slowly, Compote shuffled forward, her hands shaking in fear and pain, but Katakuri's presence and Naruto's bright smile assuaged her childish concerns, and she lifted her small bleeding hand to rest in Naruto's much bigger palm. Naruto cupped it with his other hand, and soon, they were covered in a translucent sheen of mint green healing chakra. Compote made a confused burble at the odd feeling that pleasantly rustled against her skin, but it was better than the pain. When Naruto opened his hands, the eldest daughter of Big Mom opened her mouth in a little 'o', greeted by her hand now totally healed, a peel of melodic giggles coming from the tot of Totto.
"Ya see, all good," Naruto uttered happily, giving Katakuri a lengthwise smile. Katakuri looked unsure for a second before finally opening his mouth, his face splitting into a bright grin of needle-sharp pointed teeth.
Naruto was overcome with the urge to swoon in cuteness but suppressed it as his negative emotion senses blared in warning. He stood and threw himself in front of the four babes.
"INTRUDER! HE HAS MAMA'S CHILDREN!" shouted a chess soldier desperately, only now noticing the mysterious blonde standing on the upper decks, a bell soon rang out and in a few moments, a crowd of Big Mom's crew stampeded up the stairs with weapons in hand, stopping about ten feet away from Naruto and the children. Struelson pushed past the much taller henchman to stand at the head and finally lay eyes on Naruto and, more importantly, the four infants huddled behind him.
"Get away from the children!" the cook with a large nose shouted, pointing his cutlass at Naruto, who looked thoroughly unimpressed and not at all intimidated.
"Don't worry, I'd never hurt a kid this young, but do you mind lowering your weapons? I got bad memories of trigger-happy mobs and snow storms." Naruto replied, the memories of Wave seeing like a lifetime ago.
The pirates exchanged uneasy looks before slowly lowering their weapons, not willing to risk a negligent discharge when three princes and one crown princess of their burgeoning nation could be caught in the crossfire. Naruto let out a sigh of relief before addressing the scowling first-mate. "I'm guessing that big-nose there is the boss around here?"
Strulson gritted his teeth at the barb, thumbing his nose and tightening the grip on his sword. "Yes, now what do you want?"
Naruto hummed in thought, "Not much, I've done what I came here to do and beyond watching to make sure you guys didn't attack the villagers while the boss battles 'Thigh Highs' over there," he jerked his thumb to the concussive shockwaves ripping out from the island, referring to the somewhat provocative footwear the 20-year-old captain had taken to wearing. "As a matter of fact, the only reason I'm here is cause this little one hurt her hand."
Compote burbled in confusion, looking between her brothers, the man who had helped her and the crew, unaware of what was happening. Struelson's brow knitted together in confusion, not understanding the altruism from an enemy. Was he another soft-in-the-head monster like Linlin? He was happy that Perospero had been safely sent back to Whole Cake Island weeks ago.
"So you'll leave then?"
Naruto nodded before seeming to think better of it, "Actually, there are two things you could do for me."
The crewmates bristled, shouting obscenities at the interloper for holding the children hostage in exchange for services but a stern look from Naruto and they felt an almighty weight slam down on them.
"Within reason," Struelson ground out between gritted teeth, sheathing his sword.
"Great, you got some brains. The first thing I'm gonna need is a blanket; the fluffier, the better." The blue-eyed teen requested banally, and the First Mate gave the order to acquiesce. Soon, a fluffy pink and red polka-dot blanket was tossed at his feet.
Naruto bent down and retrieved the blanket before wrapping it around the four children, who snuggled into its warmth. He spared a glance to Katakuri, the babe looking up at him in fascination. "Keep your siblings safe, little man. You're a protector, I can see it," he said before getting back to his feet.
"And the second thing?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, cringing as the nearby island shook. "I really don't want to muss up this Island when people live here, but I know 'Thigh-Highs' won't stop til I beat her again, so can you tell me where the nearest uninhabited island is?"
"That's it?" Naruto nodded, and Struelson looked down at his wrist where his Log Pose was strapped. After a few moments of thought, he pointed out over the sea, "There's an abandoned island about 40 nautical miles southeast of here. Will you leave now?"
Naruto nodded in thanks while chuckling, "I was never here in the first place." just like that, the clone popped, vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Beady eyes looked around wildly, "Is he gone!?" he demanded to know, the observation haki users amongst the crew shaking their heads while other members of the crew carried the children back inside.
A flicker of golden light caught his attention, and looking out towards Yukiryu, he saw an orb of brilliant gold rocket away from the island, flying in a south-easterly direction at high speeds. Linlin followed, riding atop Zeus as if he were her chariot.
"Follow them!" he ordered, waving his arms around wildly for emphasis and sending the crew running to their stations.
Alas, Naruto's parting gift made itself known.
"Sir! He's disabled the rudder chain!"
"DAMN!" echoed out over the icy waters as the retreating forms of Naruto and Linlin vanished over the horizon.
(.0.0.0.)
The chase over the ocean had persisted for several minutes until they eventually arrived at the deserted island, and Linlin could honestly say she preferred it that way. The whisker-faced menace could fight her with so much more ferocity that she felt her bloodlust sing in chorus with the storm that inevitably followed them to the island, turning the icy surface and rocky landscape into volcanic glass before a volley of gigantic Rasengans had once again introduced her to the dirt. By the time she had regained her bearings, he had once again vanished into the wind, little more than a speck of gold light disappearing over the horizon, slipping through her grasp once again.
She followed on Zeus as best she could, discarding her now-destroyed cutlass, but the blonde's aerial speed was not a gap she could easily cover, and to her immense displeasure, she was forced to return to her ship for food and drink. Letting out a blast of her Conqueror's Haki upon discovering he had thoroughly disabled it, and by the time a replacement ship had been able to relive them, it seemed that their target had vanished into the ether for good. But despite what few thought and even fewer would speak aloud, Linlin was not an idiot.
Beautiful? Certainly. Set in her ways with a temper that could boil an ocean? Without a doubt. But an idiot? No sir. Charlotte Linlin, when not strung between her projects and vices like a blood-drunk Sea King, could display an unsettling level of critical thought. She had the means to track Naruto at any time and the passion to learn from her missteps so that when their final clash eventually came, she would be able to quite handily pound him into the ground and force him to lick the dust from her heels.
It was a month before she found him again; word of a curious golden fox having sunk a Marine near the Red Line sent Linlin on the warpath, discovering Naruto once again on the jungle-packed island of Punk Hazard. She arrived with a flotilla of twelve ships at her beck and call, bombarding the island's shores with cannon fire to keep the duo henned in by a ring of fire. The battle, as always, began a storm of biblical proportions and, as before, ended with Linlin's defeat. Naruto had conjured a dragon from each element and left her temporarily submerged in water, robbing her of her strength long enough for him to smash her blockade and escape.
Again and again, this process repeated. Naruto would slip away to explore part of the New World, but eventually, Linlin would track him down, resulting in a blood-spilling battle that, more often than not, resulted in Linlin's defeat.
This was not to say that she did not make progress.
Her temperament with regard to the blonde had slowly but surely cooled from its burning hatred to a rivalry that prickled with emotions that she could not truly identify. She enjoyed fighting him, enjoyed the thunder of blood in her ears with each fantastical display of strength and plethora of questions he opened up. What was he? Definitely not a Devil Fruit user given how adept he was at swimming. 'An offshoot Lunarian?' she had thought once as they danced across the lava fields of Pirodo, Naruto summoning up great eruptions of magma that he shaped into fox maws to snarl at her. Oh, wouldn't that be a treat, the only race not present on Totto land being a conquered ancient race. 'No, he doesn't have anything other than that golden energy of his.'
As Naruto's form was once again wreathed in golden light, Linlin felt her spirit soar. For every battle that they had had, the appearance of the Golden Cloak had been the sign that he began to take her seriously, and that acknowledgement, the thrill of being able to make someone she was coming to see as an equal try…
'I want him to acknowledge me,' she had thought, wrapping herself in Prometheus like a cloak of fiery armour, electrified fists trading blows with a volley of chakra arms jackhammering down on her. 'I…' The ethereal arms moved with blinding speed, each rocking her to the core as he pummelled her into the blackened lava field. The air hummed with their passage as they danced like golden serpents, delivering a barrage of blows with pinpoint accuracy. The very ground quaked beneath their ferocity until, once again, Naruto rendered her unable to move.
He stood there, the cloak bleeding away, and panted lightly, resting his hands on his hips while she glowered weakly up at him. He gave a cheesy grin before turning on his heel and leaving. As he began the trek to the coast, he called out to Linlin over his shoulder. "Say hi to the kids for me."
Linlin eased herself into a sitting position, watching as he went, her glower lowering to a smile and cheeks flushed with red. "I want him."
(.0.0.0.)
Tonagari Island stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the lapping blue waves of the New World, though not for what you might expect. While all islands in the second half of the Grand Line were weird to the point where the first half had long been dubbed "Paradise" by comparison, Tonagari was the odd one out. It lacked the grand scale of the closed-off Wano, the submerged intrigue of Fishman Island and certainly not the constant violent lightning storms that had mysteriously intensified over Raijin island these last few months. No, Tonagari was, for lack of a better word, normal. It had no odd shape to it, no strange weather or rampant sea king problem, just twenty kilometres of mild weather, green trees and a sea breeze.
If one were to not count the colossal red and white tower in the centre of the island. Situated in the centre of the island was a tower made from a four-legged base sunk into a parabolic dish before rising up a thinning neck cross braced with red and white striped metal lattices, the very apex topping out at 333m on the dot. With its colour and shape, one might think of it as a colossal striped windsock jutting into the sky.
'Kinda looks like a metal Shinju,' Naruto observed, his blue eyes reflecting the odd vertigo-inducing phenomena that all tall buildings seemed to produce against the sky, as if in motion while knowing it was still.
Kurama roused from his nap, shivering unpleasantly, "Don't bring up that thing so early; if I never hear the word again, it will be too soon." The fox breathed out slowly.
Naruto sent a wave of apologetic feelings to the fox, cringing lightly as he put his hands behind his head in whimsy. The air rustled his clothes as it passed him.
The Uzumaki no longer wore burnt and shredded scraps of cloth for clothes, having been able to cobble together an outfit he was somewhat fond of. Naruto was dressed in an off-red long captain's coat with cobalt blue lapels and gold, military-styled epaulettes on each shoulder. His lower body was clad in a pair of somewhat baggy green pants with the bottoms taped tight to his ankles by a roll of white bandages, his feet tucked into black soft-soled shoes with a notable point to their tips. He accented this with a blue sash at his waist, a matching scarf over his mail undershirt and his Konoha headband worn around one arm. He liked the outfit, even though he thought the leopard print coat lining was a little much.
"Are you listening to a word I'm saying, boy?" said a woman's voice, causing Naruto to quickly look down at the woman in front of him. A wizened old crone in a lab coat sat at the controls of some kind of computer.
Naruto blinked several times before shuffling in embarrassment, he ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry, grandma, I was a million miles away."
The old woman growled in annoyance that he wasn't taking this seriously, "So are the celestial bodies you're asking me to look at, keep your mind on the present and you might just learn something!"
Naruto nodded as the woman pointed to the screen displaying seven planetoids of varying sizes. "As I was saying before you zoned out, our world's mesosphere, that is, the part of the atmosphere with air in it, extends far further beyond what you would think, maintaining a breathable atmosphere in the blackness of space. Within this Super-Mesosphere are seven moons that orbit the planet, the biggest of which is what most call the Moon, as it is the one that reflects the most light at night. The sky-islanders from Birka call it 'Fairy Virth'."
Naruto absorbed the information like a sponge, adding it to his growing stock of knowledge about this world that had become his home for the last year.
Yes, a year.
Almost 12 months to the day he had crash-landed on the outskirts of Totto land, the now 18-year-old shinobi felt no real rush to get back for two reasons. The first reason was that there was no real need. About a month after his arrival, in between his frequent travels between the islands of the New World, Naruto had felt a familiar yank at the back of his consciousness and was dragged into the orange-hewed psychic dreamscape shared by the Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki, called there by the ever rhyming heir apparent to the rap throne of Kumo and his Jinchuriki brother, Killer B.
The reunion, fleeting and incorporeal as it had been, was a joyous thing indeed, and Naruto would be lying if he said he hadn't shed a tear, a fact that he would fervently rebuke Kurama whenever he brought it up. The two had exchanged words and stories about what Naruto had been doing while stranded and how Bee had managed to break out of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. As it turned out, Kakashi had been the mastermind behind the freedom of the world. He had initially thought it impossible to undo the fruit of Project Tsuki no Me with him stranded, given that Hagoromo had specified that 'the chakra of all 9 Bijuu and a Rinnegan is needed to break the jutsu.'
But his Sensei had proved a resourceful one indeed. He had had Sakura transplant a Rinnegan from Madara's corpse into his head before using the chakra of the eight Bijuu and the remnants of Kurama's chakra in the Kohaku no Johei to break the global scale genjutsu. He'd even been crowned the Sixth Hokage after Tsunade had stepped down in the aftermath of the war, the lucky bastard!
Naruto had been practically waiting for Bee to break into a heartfelt verse about how soon he would be home… but all he was greeted with was an ominous silence. The second reason he didn't go home was… well, he couldn't. Whatever Sasuke had done to send him here, the 'dimensional distance' was so great that while the Bijuu could telepathically contact him, he could not be reverse-summoned back home.
It had been a pretty desperate few minutes after that, grasping at straws before he came to a conclusion and smiled.
So what?
So what if he couldn't go home right now? The world was at peace, the Bijuu were free, and he knew his people would work towards some kind of way of bringing him home and in the meantime, he could always talk to them via the telepathic link. But what to do in the meantime? Why travel the world, of course, as Jiraiya had done before him. In the last 12 months he had been travelling from island to island, people to people, learning all he could about this land and its peoples. It was a long process, given there were over fifty million islands on this planet, but he wanted to see all it had to offer and, if he found wrongs, maybe put them right.
"-and this one here is called Oda, it's the furthest away from the planet and has its own minor satellite called Natfurixu." the old scientist said, tapping a button on her command console. With a sound of hundreds of tonnes of scraping metal, the red and white tower slowly tilted, pointing towards a different area of the sky.
Grimacing at the sound, Naruto shot the old woman an askance look. "Doesn't the sound bother you?" he asked unsurely.
The scientist shot him an amused look before reaching towards her ear where a black shell earpiece protruded. Pulling it from her ear, Naruto raised an eyebrow, seeing that it was a tiny snail, a smaller breed than the Transponder Snail. "I went legally deaf 10 years ago, sunny, been on hearing-snaids ever since."
He pulled a face, watching the slippery gastropod disappear back into her ear, "Doesn't that feel weird?"
"Nah, got used to it, and he eats my earwax, so it's a good trade; plus, if it means I can keep using the most powerful radio telescope in the world, then it's worth it!" she enthused, putting her hands on her hips, "Those stuffy old bints on Ohara can look into history as much as they want, all I care about is the world beyond the stars!"
Naruto nodded sagely at the words, masterfully hiding his incredulousness. Then again, was he not the same, one that had been chased by and was probably still being chased by Big Mom.
Oh, on that account, he was definitely the strange one. It did not matter how far he went or how fast he ran, nor how severely he buried her in the dirt, Charlotte Linlin, Queen of Totto Land, always found him. 'I still don't know how she's managed to catch us so many times, that Haki crap's so cheating.' he mused quietly, curious as to how she consistently achieved the feat. The longest he had ever had before she tracked him down was two months; he had last seen her about a month ago on Raijin island, where she had been consumed by a Kirin he had called down, channelling the entire island's lighting discharge into a singular animated beast.
"Ha!" Kurama barked from within, drawing Naruto's ire, "The irony that you are being stalked by a pink-haired girl who wants to jump your bones is not lost on me."
Naruto gritted his teeth at the comment, 'Break my bones, not jump em ya fuzz butt.'
"Same difference."
'It's really not!'
"Then your human courting rituals are truly beyond me." Sarchasm boiled from the words.
Breathing deeply to calm the nerve Kurama was enjoying poking, Naruto reflected that maybe something was there. He was unsure when it had happened, but after so many battles, Linlin's bloodthirsty grin had morphed into something disquietingly more innocent. Enjoyment. Her thunderous battle cries had transformed into whoops of jubilation as she did battle with him, exchanging small talk as much as promises of pain. She had even, much to his IMMENSE surprise, actually started putting up territory markers.
He was oddly proud for some reason.
The hair on the back of Naruto's neck suddenly stood to attention, his sixth sense for all things intangible roused, an awareness of something incoming. The professor was in the middle of her speech describing the exodus of the Sky peoples from the outlying celestial bodies down to the White White Seas when suddenly a wave of Conqueror's Haki washed over the entire island, invisible to the naked eye but appearing to Naruto as a pink-purple haze. The professor was cut off mid-sentence, eyes turning blank and rolling back in her head before slumping back limply in her chair, unconscious.
The wave of Haki dissipated shortly, and Naruto could not help but pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Well, at least she has the manners to announce herself without cannon fire now," he said, finding a silver lining before turning on his heel and making his way out of the complex, passing dozens of similarly passed-out residents of Tonagari along the way. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Naruto took the time to prop up every fallen person and ensure they were okay. He knew she'd wait.
Progress.
Walking through the forest that surrounded the radio-telescope complex, Naruto eventually alighted on a sandy beach and saw her, totally unsurprised by her appearance. Now 21, Linlin looked more or less the same as she had a year ago in terms of appearance save for the fact her captain's coat had gained a yellow lining and her fedora had a long pheasant feather sticking out of the fabric band. She sat atop of Zeus in a relaxed repose, Prometheus hovered at her right shoulder.
"Linlin," he greeted boredly. "Zeus, Prometheus."
"Naruto!" Zeus greeted excitedly, a far cry from their first meeting. Prometheus gloward at his 'brother' homie being so informal with their enemy.
"Hey, Whiskers, nice island you got here, far less stormy than Raijin, you put me in traction for a week, you little bastard," she complained with a small smile before rising from Zeus to her full height. Again, Naruto could say she was the tallest 'human' woman he had ever met. She slowly walked towards him, her Homies floating either side of her. "Did you at least get treats for my boys?"
Naruto smirked and slowly raised both hands. Channelling chakra into them, he conjured an elemental microcosm in each hand, lilac-coloured lighting in his left hand and Matatabi's blue fire in his right before flicking his wrists to second them at the two homies. Zeus lept up with a cheer, opening his mouth wide to gobble up the high-yield electricity and munch on it like succulent candy. Prometheus was far more reserved about nibbling on the globe of azure fire, but it was clear by his cartoonish blush that he was enjoying it.
"Thanks for using Haki to knock everyone out rather than just barging in with the intent to kill, you've come a long way." Naruto smiled.
Linlin cocked an eyebrow, "And what's that supposed to mean, it's only right that a Queen and a conqueror uses her power to prevent an audience of prying eyes."
"Keep telling yourself that," Narut chuckled, a dusting of red flushing on Big Mom's cheeks at the tinkling sound. "Where's your ship, by the way? You usually have one Tarte to glower impotently at me from the sidelines."
The statuesque woman walked along the waterfront, dismissively looking out at the cerulean waters. "They were taking too long to resupply, so I came by myself. More than enough to deal with a backwater little half-mink."
"How many times do I have to tell everyone I'm not a mink? I've been to Zou, and even they think I'm part mink." Naruto complained, remembering the Dukedom on the back of an elephant wandering the seas.
She looked over his face searchingly, "You just have a creatine vulpine charm to you, Naruto." Her use of his name so casually caught Naruto flat-footed, causing him to sputter to Big Mom's amusement, "I take that you won't give me the fight I want with those people on the Island, but we're in luck," she raised her arm, twirling her finger in a show of theatrics before pointing North. "There just so happens to be an abandoned island forty kilometres that way."
Looking at Linlin, Naruto considered her, unsure of what her endgame was anymore, but it was fine to acquiesce if it got people out of danger. Approaching the lapping waves, he casually stepped onto the water and began walking across it in the direction she had pointed as she mounted up on Zeus.
(.0.0.0.)
The island shook violently, a tempest of invisible wind shaking the forest to its foundations. Once again, the Queen of Totto and the last Uzumaki met one another in battle, sparks of clashing weapons flowing across the treetops like a water of ephemeral fire.
"STAY DOWN!" Naruto yelled over the scratch of a slowly expanding Rasenshuriken, carving a smooth crater in a plateau, his opponent in the centre.
Silence rained for a solitary moment before the beautiful woman's laughter echoed.
"Ha! You're strong, Whiskers!" Much to his chagrin, the young woman clawed her way upright again, shrugging off the sting of the Rasenshuriken. "No one gives me a thrill like you! Not like Newgate or Shiki, not even that wildman Rocks can knock me for six with such style! More! I want more!" she yelled, launching an Ikkoku sovereignty at Naruto.
She swept low under it before raising his own weapon, a black bo-staff slightly shorter than him and caught the magenta-coloured flying slash. It seemed to curl around the staff before condensing into a glowing maul on the end of his bo, and he ran forward, twirling it in one hand before launching it like a javelin back at Linlin. She predicted the move via her observation haki and lept to the side but was caught blindsided when the rock she had been standing beside vanished in a poof of smoke, revealing it had been no more than a transformed shadow clone who caught the pipe and turned into the momentum, bringing the bo around like it was a mace and crashing the captured Sovereignty into her hip. She let out a grunt, pain burning up her side as her own attack detonated against her and sent her skipping back, smashing through the forest in splitters as she was sent through trees by the shockwave.
Naruto extended his hand, tapping into Magnet style and recalling the Bo staff to his hand. It may have looked metallic and black, but in actuality, the material was so densely covered in Shukaku's curse mark that it appeared black. He twirled it idly from hand to hand as he waited for Linlin to come again.
"What the fuck was that!" Big Mom came stomping out of the forest, face set in a happy grin, "Felt like I got smacked by the sea itself."
"Just a little something I picked up from some guy with a panda mask in Strumia. It's apparently made of some kind of 'Sea prissy stone'?" he answered, tossing the bo like it was a conductor's baton before catching it, "All I know is it's hard as hell and perfect for smacking people with weird powers like yours."
Sea Prism Stone…he had a stick made out of Sea Prism Stone…Linlin tilted her head, slack-jawed; it explained why her Homies were currently knocked out, but still, this was impossible, inconceivable; it was just so… so…
"Mamamamamamamamama! That's so you!" Linlin guffawed, drawing her cutlass and rushing Naruto. She brought down her sword, and he blocked with his staff, sparks flying between them. "I think I just fell in love!"
That caught him off guard. She capitalised, kneeing him in the solar plexus.
Naruto skidded back before performing a back handspring to get distance and regain his balance. A bead of sweat ran down his brow. "What the hell're you?!" he shouted, confused at the sudden declaration.
She grinned, taking up a power stance. "A woman who knows what she wants! Now fight me!" Her Haki enveloped her entire body, growing thicker around her sword, her eyes hiding nary a lie. "There is no person on these oceans like you, no one so unique, no one so carefree. You simply do as you want and face power with power, so I must have you! You will be my-"
Grrrrrggurrrgllrrrreeehhhhh
The sound echoed over the clearing with a sour note. Linlin's face drained of colour, and her eyes swam with pain, the shroud of Haki around her guttering like a candle in the wind. "Not now!" she hissed under her breath, placing a hand on her stomach and clenching her fist in dismay. "Not when I'm so close!"
Grrrrrggurrrgllrrrreeehhhhh!
"Aagh!" she screamed, her sword falling from her fingers to clatter against the ground. Doubling over in pain, it took a superhuman effort to keep herself from falling over as her midsection caught fire.
It had been some time since she had felt this agony, her body asserting its will with such ferocity that conscious thought nearly evaporated from her mind like water on a skillet. No! She would not lose to a hunger pang! She was a queen, she ruled, she was not ruled over! She was not a monster-
"What's wrong, Thigh Highs?"
Orange eyes widened. Linlin slowly looked up into the tanned face of Naruto, his features set in a concerned expression. Another groan came from her stomach, but this time, it did not seem to hurt so much. Why? Why did he look at her with concern when her hunger pangs had only inspired dread and fear in her crew?
Naruto seemed to consider her for a long time before he sighed, sealing away his Bo staff with a poof of smoke before a larger poof of smoke revealed a box of supplies and…bowls?
"How about we call this quits til we get something to eat."
It was music to her ears.
(.0.0.0.)
The sun had set by the time the two had prepared dinner, and Big Mom's two cartoonish meteorological phenomena slept soundly by the fire. Naruto and Linlin could be seen slurping from giant bowls of Ramen animatedly. Linlin ate like a ravenous beast, spilling the broth down her front as her hunger slowly receded, and while Naruto was slightly more controlled in his consumption of the comically large portion, he was able to keep pace with the tall woman. Light and shadows danced over each of them; the warm glow of the fire and the crackling of logs provided a pleasant ambiance, and in the darkness you could almost forget they had nearly trashed the island in their battle.
Naruto was the first to finish and covered his mouth to hide his belch, having enjoyed the break in the fighting for his favourite meal. "You're looking better, so it seems you just needed some grub, lucky I picked up a catering pack of Ramen, though I didn't expect that I'd have to share it."
Linlin finished tipping the last of the broth into her mouth before putting her bowl aside, "Haah! Much better," she huffed in contentment, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She narrowed her eyes at Naruto conspiratorially, "Food is meant to be shared, not hoarded by one person. But it seems your manners have won out over your bad upbringing, whiskers."
Naruto snorted, leaning back against the fallen tree he was using as a seat. Big Mom smiled, slipping into a contented silence.
The silence slowly grew awkward, neither really knowing how to broach the subject of conversation without mortal combat at play. The older woman eventually broke the silence, "If you're going to stare, Whiskers, then take a picture, it will last longer."
Naruto rolled his eyes, but it was a good enough easing of tensions, he supposed. "You're the one who's been chasing me for a year, Thigh-Highs, if anyone has obsessive issues, it's you."
"The difference between and obsession and a quest is the chance of success, and it seems you and I are breaking bread over a campfire, that's a win in my mind." she rationalised, removing her fedora and resting it on her lap, her long pink hair free to flow down her back.
Had she always been that pretty? Naruto beat the stray thought into submission but let his curiosity eventually win. "So are we going to talk about what you said or just go back to trying to kill each other?"
"Mamamama!" she giggled at his banal breakdown of their dynamic. "My declaration has you hot under the collar? Good, there's hope for your common sense yet. There's nothing strange about the truth, I… I think I love you."
Naruto rested his chin on the back of his fist and pouted, "Linlin, in my short life, I have seen a LOT of weird things, and let me say this, the truth is never normal and always strange." a thought occurred to him and he leant forwards, "Speaking of weird shit, I've always wondered how you were always able to track me down."
Linlin glowed with mirth, tapping her fedora knowingly. Seeing Naruto's lack of comprehension, she slipped a finger into the fabric band of the hat and withdrew a small square of blank yellow paper that she lay on the palm of her hand. Naruto watched as the piece of paper began to slowly, without prompting, edge itself closer to Naruto by minute increments. His eyes bugged out, "When?"
It was a Vivere card, a standard method of navigating used in the New World to bypass its wacky magnetics, taking a nail or a hair of someone and combining it with special paper created a link to the lifeforce of the target, monitoring their life and moving in their direction whenever not acted upon.
She returned the scrap of paper to her fedora, "End of our first clash last year, you left a few of your hairs in my rings."
Naruto facepalmed, it seemed so obvious in hindsight from what he had learned of this sea in the last year.
"As for my love for you, I don't see a problem, unless I'm too much woman for you~" She trailed her fingers down the line of her waist corset to her wide hips and enjoyed the blush it incurred in the firelight.
"No, It's not that, it's just, I'm finding it very hard to see how we can go from enemies to loved ones without so much as a kiss- oh my god, this is like one of Sensei's books. It's actually freaking happening Pervy Sage, you old letch." Naruto muttered, flashing to a thousand-yard stare born of three years of proofreading smut manuscripts for Jiraiya.
Thumbing her chin, Linlin pushed on with her explanation. "I know the pleasures of the flesh; sex is fun, but I've never felt anything like what I do for you, like an attraction that calls over the sea. You are so strong, yet you don't flaunt it. I… find that unique, attractive. And what is love? An unexplainable force that attracts two things together for no given reason other than itself." Big Mom offered sincerely, "You'll make a fine addition to my crew."
Naruto pouted in confusion, weirded out and flattered by the words, he had hardly expected things to get so philosophical with the so-called 'country destroyer… but who sat before him right now? It was a far cry from the legend of Charlotte Linlin who annihilated countries on a whim, whose bounty numbered in the billions. She looked so… relaxed, huma- no, not human. An innocent monster who, despite the way the world viewed her, had a mind, feelings and viewpoints all of her own. Curiosity teased words from him, "I'm not even a pirate, and I hardly want those seagull-heads running after me."
"It may be a bit too late for that," Linlin replied, she began to rummage through the pockets of her captain's coat, causing her bust to jiggle a little to Naruto's watching eyes. He averted his eyes a few seconds after he should have. She made a triumphant sound and withdrew a rolled-up sheet of brown paper and tossed it to him, "You've made a name for yourself, whiskers."
A pit of dread formed at the base of Naruto's stomach, and with trepidation, he slowly unrolled the parchment, revealing a familiar whisker-marked face set in a fierce snarl.
WANTED
DEAD OR ALIVE
UZUMAKI 'TYPHON' NARUTO
B 99,000,000
The vein in Naruto's forehead all but exploded, throbbing visibly, eyes bugging from their sockets. "Wanted for crimes including but not limited to Vandalism, theft, thuggery, disrupting the peace, multiple counts of island demolition and sinking of a Marine battleship carrying Celestial Dragon tribute to God Valley….WHAT THE HELL!?"
Linlin roared with laughter, her orange eyes running with tears of mirth while Naruto did a stunning impression of a fish in how he sightlessly looked between her and his bounty poster. "It's a good starting bounty, Whiskers! I think sinking that battleship really pushed it over the edge."
Naruto had never really stayed long enough on one island to pay attention to the goings on of the world, but that did not mean the world had not paid attention to him. Linlin informed him that the blonde had slowly but surely earned a reputation as a herald of destruction as every time he showed up on an island, Linlin would inevitably find her way there and their clash would scare the population to death.
By the time the explanation was over, he simply stared at the poster in confusion, seizing on random elements of it. "Does someone at the Marines not know how to spell typhoon?" he asked glibly.
"It's probably a reference to an old legend, Typhon, the storm giant who laid the continent puller Oars low. Probably because of the storms our battles have kicked up over the new world." Linlin hypothesised.
"Great, that's just great!" Naruto scowled, gesturing at Linlin using the rolled-up poster. "Last thing I needed was getting slapped with the pirate label, now I gotta worry about Marines everywhere I go."
Linlin turned pensive, "Not all pirates are bad. Sure, you've got rough ones like John, Wang Zhi and that hoodlum Rocks, but some of us have noble goals."
Naruto sent her a searching look. "Really? The last year tells otherwise-" he snapped before getting a collar on his annoyance. He took a deep breath and asked Linlin for her side of the story. "What do you want, Linlin?"
"What I want." Linlin began, closing her eyes and letting passion fill her voice. "Is a place where everyone, of all races, colours and creeds can sit around the same table and enjoy dinner in peace. A utopia where people no longer have to know hunger, prejudice, persecution or hate… where a little girl doesn't have to wonder where her mother and siblings went."
Naruto remained silent, letting her talk, no, listening. He listened to what she was saying, not simply allowing the words to flow over him as many of her crew did.
Honestly, part of her would have preferred it that way, being listened to and not feared was… it made very old insecurities sit up in the back of her mind. "Is that so wrong of me to desire?"
Before answering, Naruto thought about her words and actions and perceived and believed nature. "It's not wrong, but I've seen before how noble intentions are insidious traps that can lead good men down bad paths. There's nothing as scary as the evil of a good man, 'cause demons run when a good man goes to war," he said firmly.
Something inside Linlin broke, shattering like glass. A veil lifted itself from her eyes to see the world anew, truths long hidden… no… truths she had refused to see, began to wriggle from the dark. "What about you? What is it that you desire?" she asked, begging to slowly move closer.
Naruto hummed in thought; his obvious answer was somewhat untenable at the moment, and the thought of a future in this world was something that had never evolved beyond idle fancy. But now, after such a heartfelt bearing of the soul, he had to answer in kind. "I… I didn't have a very good childhood. It wasn't the worst, but it wasn't good either. But I can say that the cause was something out of my control… being seen as a monster…" The words seemed to catch in his throat, but he gathered himself, "I wondered at times, was I a monster? What even is a monster? Some mouldering thing that crawls from a wet and cold place? A ghost from a book, no! A monster is something that does not fall in line with common sense, and to blame a child for that? How could I do anything that is not for the children in this world who suffer for no other reason than the world says they should."
He finished, staring into a pair of beautiful orange eyes. Linlin had crossed the distance to him as he had spoken, his words growing more impassioned until now she was just a few inches away. They looked into one another's eyes, feeling the tickle of their breaths on one another's face, frozen in a moment in time by a campfire in the middle of nowhere.
Slowly, as if testing the waters, Linlin leaned in and captured Naruto's lips in a kiss, his eyes going wide. He did not respond at first, but eventually, he began to respond, sucked into the hypnotic rhythm of a kiss, lips dancing to the beat of their hearts. Getting over the initial awkwardness, he returned the affections, and Linlin let out a pleased moan, her painted red lips melding with his until, finally, they were forced to break for air.
Both panted lightly, hearts thumping in their ears at the enjoyment of the touch of tantric tetatet.
Mastering herself, Linlin sat up and looked deep into Naruto's eyes, a delicate hand slowly tracing the neck of her blouse and unhooking a button. "So then," another button popped, the top of her cleavage emerging from the shadows, "together we might just make a country for those children to know only peace."
Naruto swallowed thickly before finally he decided to try.
It was mad, insane, MONSTROUS even….
After all, he'd try anything once
Once, he said. Poor Naruto.
How little he knew.
A/N: And there we have it! Hope you enjoyed!
Weeeell? What did you think? Should this remain a story? Yay or nay? Really need to hear from you, here.
As stated, this has a high chance of being upgraded to M later down the line, but I need to know if folks want to see that.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. Meaning folks don't like this, it won't be continued. If the story itself ain't popular/well-received...well, I won't be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs, holidays are here too, meaning I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.
So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
So? Should this little tale continue? Or fall into oblivion?
By all means, speak up! Make yourselves heard!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas…
...Review...Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the Previews!
As ever:
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Read at your own risk!
As ever, these are from the far flung future...or are they~?!
Previews are mostly the same, wouldn't want to spoil things now.
(Previews!)
"Kill them!"
"Enough."
He couldn't see the man through the blindfold. But he could hear his voice.
He listened to every bit of what followed and how it morphed into pained screams of terror.
"It's alright, now." a hand came down on the back of his head, "I'm here."
This was strength. This was power.
This was a Monster.
"Teach me!"
"Doflamingo, was it...?"
There was so much anger in this boy. He could feel it. Sense it.
Did he really want to leave him alone? Let him go down a dark path...?
Still, that attitude of his would need some work.
"Please...?"
The toddler's rows of needlelike teeth twisted into an oddly cute smile and pointed at the blonde. "Papa!"
Naruto clutched at his heart, violently suppressing the urge to coo at the child.
R&R~!