A/N: WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! Read this! Please! Lest ye be baffled!
This chapter's on the same level of the "Cinder" surprise the gang and I pulled way back in one of the earlier chapters of An Untraveled Road. In other words, the events here are going to startle and delight people...or anger them. I dearly hope its the former; we've spent a month agonizing over the choice.
If nothing else, I'm pretty damn sure no one ever went with THIS angle before.
The twists come hot and heavy in this chapter; because we've hit the first story arc! On that note, this chapter may surprise you. Oh, who am I kidding, its going to blow your socks off. It maaaay get me and my team some hate, but we're prepared to endure it. The events in this chapter...well, they were always the plan. Next off, this chapter focuses more on a few key perspectives, rather than the branching paths we've seen for the last few chapters.
Not only is it a key part of the story, but after this, we start to see some timeskips. The gang and I couldn't find a way to squeeze both in without making the chapter feel cheap; and make no mistake, this chapter is downright HEAVY.
Rest assured, we'll see Sasuke and co. next chapter.
Funny thing about Aura and Semblances. They don't react well to chakra. Much less the divine chakra Naruto's throwing around...
So...here goes nothing. Hope folks like this. If not...we'll. Then I'll feel like a failure.
Naruto's well and truly furious; meaning Tock's in for a bad time.
*braces for hate*
"There is a fine line between justice and slaughter.
Take care you don't step over it.
Oh yes, take care indeed."
~?
Reasons To Protect
Time was invincible.
You cannot defeat it; nor can you run away from it. You can't hope to outlast it. Can one reason with eternity? Can one catch a storm in their hands? No. They cannot. You cannot bargain with a force of nature. It cares not for the clink of coin. It has no empathy to move, no feelings to sway. Because time is inevitable. Everlasting. Eternal. Everyone is bound to it. Everyone pays their due, sooner or later.
Tock had always thought she time was on her side. How could she not?
When your very Semblance revolved around it, you tended to develop delusions of grandeur. She'd believed her aura, nay, her very soul was connected to the concept. Even her name was a pun regarding time itself. Was that not destiny? Was it not fate? She felt it must be. Folks always teased her about that, but she took to it like a fish to water.
As a little girl she'd been fascinated with time, clocks, watches and the like. As a clockmaker's daughter she would spend endless nights taking such devices apart to see what made them tick. Then she'd try putting them back together again. More often than not she failed, meaning dad had to swoop in and fix things, but she loved it all the same. Those were happier times. Before mom died. Before dad's debt piled up. Before the drinking, the beatings, and all the awfulness that followed.
Before she'd unlocked her Aura and discovered her Semblance on the same day.
How happy she'd been back then. Time itself was on her side.
She though she chosen. That she was special.
So what if she couldn't make it into Beacon? So what if she failed Initiation all those years ago? It didn't matter. She didn't need anyone. She'd trained hard until what was once only single second of invincibility became a minute. Given enough training, she knew it could become yet more. An hour? Maybe even a day? No one would be able to touch her once she broke through that wall. She honed her skills and made a name for herself as a mercenary for hire.
But legends attract attention, often the wrong kind.
That was how Salem found Tock, made her an offer she couldn't refuse. Obey or die. What choice did she have? That woman was blessed -or perhaps cursed?- by time, too. Where she could render herself invulnerable for a minute, this woman could shrug off even the most mortal of blows and heal with ease. She did not die. She did not age. Time bowed to her and was made her thrall. Initially, Tock had lusted after such a power. Craved it like the blood in her veins. After all, Salem was so much more than she could ever be. Surely she could understand her. So she'd served willingly at first, hoping to know her secrets.
There was no such secret.
Hers was a power she could never have, and she'd unknowingly shackled herself to a heartless monster. There could be no would serve her until her dying breath.
Still, despite her recent run of bad luck, Tock knew time was on her side. It had to be, right?"
"Rasengan!"
Until quite suddenly, it wasn't.
Naruto's attack smashed through Tock's defenses and shredded her already weakened Aura before launching her away. The sphere bore into her stomach and slammed her down into the earth like a drill, painfully grating against her hardened skin until she finally managed to wrench herself free. She struck the ground and tumbled away, gasping as a sharp rock bore into her back. She ignored it and slammed to her feet, darting for the lip of the crater she'd been left in. Fear filled her every thought, her thoughts turning wild and frantic as her hand scrambled for purchase in the dirt.
This...thing was beyond her. She had to run. Flee. Escape. Get the hell out of dodge before-
"No, no, no. You're not going anywhere."
Clenched knuckles barreled into the side of her face before she could crest the rise. Momentum proved itself even more ruthless than her whiskered adversary. That vicious punch caught her dead in the face sending her skidding and skipping down the plain like a flung stone. Yet again, her Semblance failed to protect her; rather than render the impact moot it shattered like brittle glass, leaving her curling in on herself, retching for air. It hurt. Oh gods, it hurt. She hadn't felt pain like this since she was a little girl.
His shadow fell over her.
"How does it feel, Tock?!" a familiar voice hissed in her ear. "To be deconstructed?! To be the victim?!"
Blearly golden eyes looked up and met seething blue flames.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She wailed, scrambling out of his way. "I didn't have a choice! She'll kill me!"
"She?"
Maria hesitated, holding Summer safely behind her. Naruto showed no such mercy and chased her down. A spinning kick caught Tock's chest and sent her crashing into a wall of rock. A second stomp caught her chest and all put planted her there like a tree. Yet a third wedged her body into the stone like some kind of crude scarecrow, arms and legs spread helplessly to the sides.
"We all have choices." he stormed after her, eyes pulsing gold as she thrashed upright. "You chose to be a murderer. A killer for coin. I take that real personal."
Tock turned her head aside and spat a bloody glob into the dirt. A tooth went with it. She grimaced. This couldn't go on. She wouldn't last until nightfall at this rate. And yet his words stung her. She hadn't chosen this life. Sure, she'd been a mercenary before and she'd taken her share of bandits and thieves since -hey, it happened in her line of work!- but Salem had been the one to make her kill innocents. She didn't even get paid for this shit! Her "payment" was her life! That was it! And he dared to say he knew her?!
"Shut up!" anger bloomed within her as the sun began to set behind him. "You don't know anything! What I've been through! What I've seen! None of it! NONE-gack?!"
His fist slammed into her throat to silence her diatribe; leaving her head to smack back into the wall with a croak.
"I don't want your excuses." a tan hand clamped down on her face, wrenching it back to look him in the eye. "I want you to get on your hands and knees." he all but spat the words, "I want you to beg little Summer for forgiveness. I want you to apologize to Maria, and spend the rest of your life atoning for your mistakes."
...wow. This bastard was more naive than he looked. Did he really think forgiveness was that simple? It couldn't be. Never was.
"And then what?" Tock glared back, fear overwhelmed by defiance. "You'll let me join your merry little band? How's that gonna work out?" he released her visage and she tossed her head from side to side. "Even if it I mean the words, it doesn't change what I did. I tried to kill both of your girls over there. No way in hell they'll forgive me."
"They might not." his eyes flickered red for the merest of moments. "But you can still try make amends."
A lonely girl raised her head in Tock's heart. Maybe he was right. This guy clearly knew how to fight. He was no match for Salem -no one was!- but there was strength to be had in numbers. She'd tried that once, it hadn't worked back then, but maybe now? If she could keep enough bodies between her and her employer, then maybe...just maybe...?
Fear shattered that thought.
"I can't." she said instead. "She'll kill me."
"Who?!" Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders. "Give me a name!"
Tock bit her tongue until she tasted blood. She'd nearly answered. Nearly damned herself. Now? She didn't dare. Salem was always watching, she was probably observing them even now. Who was to say she didn't have a Nevermore nearby, or worse, one of the larger Grimm? If she acted even a little suspicious, her mistress would snuff her out like a blown candle.
'So that's it then?' a tiny voice hissed. 'Fight or die?! That's no life at all!'
Naruto must've seen some of the fear in her eyes; because his stance softened. Not with pity, never that, but just a sliver of empathy. As if he somehow understood her from that look alone. What was he, able to read negative emotions or something? Nah. An ability like that would be bullshit, not to mention overpowered.
"You're too late, whiskers." she whispered. "Twenty years too late."
"Bull." He didn't let go. "Its never too late to change your ways."
She flashed him a selfsame smile. "Yes, it is."
"Stubborn little...no." His eyes narrowed. "Have it your way, then. I'll knock some sense into you!"
Head spinning, mind whirling, she somehow managed to duck the swing that came flying down at her head. Stone shattered and she fell forward with gasped. It took everything she had and more just to push herself up on her hands and knees. A bead of sweat dripped into her right eye, forcing a squint from her. Oh gods, everything hurt. How was she still standing...?
"Is that...all ya got?"
Naruto didn't answer. Not with words, at any rate. He didn't have to. The silent fury in his eyes told her all she needed to know as he stormed after her. He was her judge. Jury. Executioner. Strange as it might sound, she lived on his mercy alone. He could have killed her at any time. Yet he hadn't. Why?! Why hold back at all?!
The notion galled her.
'C'mon!' she willed at her Semblance. 'Work! You're my partner, damnit! You're supposed to protect me!'
She was starting to feel like one of those old broken clocks from her childhood, broken on the inside, unable to be fixed, no matter how hard she tried to put it back together. Simply put, this blond bastard was picking her apart. There were no openings to exploit here, no weaknesses to take advantage of. Nothing. She couldn't get past at him to strike at Maria or Summer, the latter now firmly guarded by the Grimm Reaper herself. Even if she did somehow slip by, she knew the blond would simply tag team her. One of them was bad enough. She couldn't handle blondie AND that woman at once. Her Aura could not fail her. Not here. Not now!
"I'll try to make this quick." her tormentor advanced on her, and this time she saw pity in his gaze. It burned. "One way or another."
Tock dove her fallen weapons and snatched them up again, crossing them before her body in a loose X-formation. Naruto rolled his eyes and lengthened his stride, blue eyes glowing gold once more. She'd fought him long enough by now to know that look. Not patronizing, but not amused. Swords didn't work on him. Nothing did. Even unarmed he could shatter her Sem
So she pushed her Semblance hard, harder, hardest, until her head ached.
Naruto closed the distance in an instance, batted her shortsword aside, and ripped the other free from her hand. Tock never even felt him ram the hilt into her face until it was too late; didn't realize she'd blacked out at all until she hit the floor. She jolted back to wakefulness just in time to catch a boot to her ribs. She took the hit with a grunt and tumbled away, spitting blood.
"Stop holding back!" she yowled at him.
"I have to." he informed her primly. "If I hit you at full strength again, you'll break."
Even with her aura faltering and her body breaking, she forced herself to her feet again. To fail Salem here meant her death. But losing to him? Something told her that would be a fate worse than death. A strange sense of hopelessness began to overtake her. No matter what she did, what she said or what she thought, she was going to die regardless.
'Then why fight at all?'
Tock shook the thought aside and slammed another Aura booster into her thigh to fight off the exhaustion. Her world burned white and a soundless gasp fled from her lips, but it gave her the strength to stand. Damn drugs didn't really enhance her Aura per se, they simply tricked parts of her body into producing more adrenaline, which in turn cultivated more of the precious protection she had come to rely upon. You really weren't supposed to take so many of them, but what choice did she have? If not for these, she'd be a stain on the ground by now.
He cannoned into her and she barely got a blade up in time. Against her better judgement she swung at his fist this time.
It was like striking rock; instead of cutting open the vulnerable flesh of his hand, her blade warped as the whiskered warrior pounded a fresh dent into it. What the hell?! That wasn't Aura! Aura didn't bend steel! She was still balking at it like a rank amateur when he swept her legs and left her sprawling once more.
"Kill me." she snarled up at him.
He shook his head. "No. I won't do that."
Spittle frothed at her lips. "If you don't, she will!"
"Even so." his brow drew down, hardening with resolve. "I won't kill you."
Something gave way deep inside Tock, altering the very concept of her soul. She flung herself at him like a wild animal and he beat her senseless for it. Each slap stung. Every punch pounded her into the ground. With each successive strike she grew weaker, batted about like a child. She felt like one too. Powerless, unable to control her destiny, doomed to die at one hand or another. If this blond bastard didn't get her -and it was looking like he would!- then Salem would. Even if she ran away here and now, she would be hunted to the ends of the earth.
It's not fair! A tiny voice in her heart wailed. Not fair, not fair, not fair! Not, not not!
She wanted a do-over! A reset! Something! Anything! Please!
Her fist lashed out in a wild punch, claws tearing at Naruto's face. He grunted, slapped her hand aside and drove a knee into her solar plexus. Air rushed from her lungs and she bent over his leg. Clawed fingers latched on to his knee, but that proved a mistake as he simply raised both hands over his head, locked them together and brought them down on her collarbone. Yet again her Aura faltered and her Semblance buckled as she crashed into the dirt, burned down to the very last dregs.
She wanted to live.
Her semblance, her soul, the very concept of time, reacted accordingly. For all her flaws and faults, it had been doing its darndest to keep her alive this entire time. Now, already overclocked and overworked by no small amount of boosters and outside forces, it took the only way out; the only route it could find. Even if it meant breaking her. Defense wasn't enough to win the day here. Offense wasn't enough. It would never be enough. She wasn't able to run away either. No amount of speed would save her. Something else was required. A miracle.
A sudden spasm rocked Tock's battered body. Why...why was she fighting again?
Everything felt fuzzy all of a sudden. The faunus girl shook her head against it and lunged again, fangs bared. Naruto didn't even deign to dodge; instead he chose to grapple her. Mistakes were made. He wasn't just faster than her, he was stronger, too. Much stronger. Within moments she found herself forced back on the back foot. Back. Back again.
"I won't let you...!" she snarled, spitting blood. "I won't let you beat me...!"
She kicked at his groin but missed, her heel arcing low, forcing him to release her and fall back once more. Huh? Wait, how had she missed? She neve rmissed. This time, Tock wasn't able to pursue him. Instead her legs buckled and she was forced to catch herself on a rock rock outcropping lest she topple down completely. Aura flickered anew, sheathing her bruised body one last time.
Another booster came and went, jammed into her thigh. Then another still. They should have helped. It only made things worse.
Her mind, already a chaotic mess, grew more and more muddled with each passing moment. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth; her thoughts swaddled in cotton. Her swords, already cracked and pitted by her opponent, suddenly became heavy, leaving her unable to swing or strike with her usual finesse. Too heavy for her to wield properly. Tock blinked blearily at them, not quite understanding what was transpiring. What the hell? They'd looked the same as always. Had someone done something to them?
Naruto closed in again and suddenly it was all she could do to defend herself. Had he gotten faster? Or was she just slower?
'Who am I?'
The thought hit her without warning. How silly. She was...who was she?
A pit of dread opened in Tock's stomach. Something was wrong here. Terribly, horribly wrong.
She felt...weird. Sick. Like she'd eaten too much for dinner or drank too much. She couldn't see straight. Everything was blurry. She looked up and wondered why she had to. They'd been almost eye level before. Did she knew this person? Her mind told her she should, but her head and heart felt disconnected. She fought wildly now, swinging her swords like a rank amateur, then despairing when she was unable to lift them at all. A fresh pang of terror bloomed in her heart, blinding her to all else.
Finally a spinning kick send her sprawling to the floor and she couldn't take it anymore.
The dam in her heart burst and a torrent of emotion poured forth.
"No!" she wailed. "Stop! Stoppit! You're mean!"
Naruto pressed in again, but something stopped him short before he could deal the final blow. A look of confusion flitted across his face and he dug his heels, coming up short, shock Just as well too; because Tock had made no move to defend herself. Rather, she was unable to. She had to crane her head just to look up at him now. Up. Up. Higher still.
Maria blinked rapidly at her. "What."
Summer followed suit. "The."
"Hell?" Naruto hissed.
It was all too much for Tock's broken mind to comprehend. Who were these people? They were bigger than her. They were scary. She didn't understand. Couldn't understand. Where was Daddy? Where had Mommy gone? With that final tremulous thought, her old self died. The last of her aura guttered out as her Semblance sealed itself away in the very depths of her heart. All that remained was a shell of her former self. A frightened little girl staring up at a young man with blood on his face and blazing blue eyes.
The once infamous assassin looked up from the pooled tent of her clothes, all of four years old.
Her lower lip began to tremble. Tears stung at her eyes, harsh and biting.
"Oh, shit." the blond yelped. "No, no, no! It's okay! Don't cry!"
He raised his arms, trying to ward her tears off...
His shouting only made things worse.
...the child bawled.
(.0.0.0.)
"What in the world?!"
Naruto frowned down at the bawling child at his feet; this wee slip of a girl who had once been a dangerous assassin and a determined enemy. No longer. As she was now, Tock couldn't hope to fight her way out of a wet paper bag. Much less hurt someone. Nevermind that! Who! What! When! Where! Why?! Moreover, how!
"Kurama?" he hissed. "What am I looking at here?"
"I believe that's a crying child."
"No shit, Sherlock!"
He stole a glance at his marked hand, alarmed to find it cold and inert. It had been pulsing for the duration of his fight with Tock, but now was curiously silent. Yet another mystery for him to unravel. Had he amplified Tock's Semblance somehow? Did it backfire from all those needles she'd shot into herself? Was that even possible? Might there be some outside factor at work here? He couldn't be sure. One moment he'd been pressing her in hopes of making her see sense; in the next, her Aura had gone berserk with that weird flash of green...and then this.
Maria swore softly as she stepped up beside him. "How did that happen?"
"Dunno." he shrugged honestly.
"Should we...do something about her?"
Blue eyes flicked back to Tock, and his heart went out to her. Only a monster would ignore a crying child, but something told him he was the last person she wanted to see right now. Instead he turned to face Maria once more. That was her name, right? Tock had let it slip during their brawl. Speaking of slip...ugh. Her right ear had been mangled by Tock's blade, badly at that.
"Let me see that injury of yours." he said at last. "Its a mess. I need to treat it before it gets infected."
The Grimm Reaper regarded him warily, but tilted her head regardless.
"If you say so, but I don't think you can-yee!"
Her words pitched into a help as he pressed his marked hand over her manged ear and focused. Just as he'd done so many times before. He didn't so much as heal it as he did make her a new one; just as he'd done once with Kakashi's eye so long ago. Her body knew its shape already-it was just as simple matter of helping it along and encouraging growth again. Much to his surprise, his mark hadn't pulsed at all just now. When he pulled his hand away Maria's ear was left hale and whole. The Huntress grasped at it, eyes wide.
"Well...that's certainly one hell of a Semblance." she muttered, her cheeks still rosy. "You must be in pretty high demand with a gift like that."
Naruto couldn't quite keep the smile from his face. "Its not a Semblance."
"Eh?" silver eyes blinked, a bit of her accent slipping through. "Whaddya mean its not a Semblance. Its gotta be!"
"Nope." Summer smacked her lips, bulling in between them at last. "Papa's got all kinds of them."
"Multiple Semblances? No, waitamnute." Silver eyes swiveled back to him. "He's your Da?"
Naruto and Summer exchanged a bemused glance. Tock sniffled and ruined it.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
"Oh, right." Maria turned and dared a tentative step toward their old enemy, "C'mere kiddo, lets get you taken care of, eh?"
"Scary!" the little girl wailed and flailed her arms, drawing a flinch from the reaper. "Stay away!"
Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Seems she doesn't like you."
"I'd like to see you try!"
Summer proved slower to follow them; if only because the orphan was gazing intently a the now-tiny-Tock as though she'd grown a second head. The younger girl continued to sniffle at their feet, clutching her clothes to herself like a tent and looking like she wanted to just disappear into them. She seemed so pitiful, lost even. Silver eyes swung back to him.
"Did you do this?" she asked.
"Yeah, no," Naruto waved his hands rapidly before crossing them in an x-shape before either could question him again. What, did they think he was a lolicon or something?! "That wasn't me. I can't do that." Not a chance in hell! "Pretty sure it has something to do with all those syringes she injected into herself. Look." One arm indicated the mess left behind by their fight. Everyone s all seen her amping herself up during their fight; if that weren't enough, the empty syringes scattered about told a grisly tale all its own. Small wonder she'd been such a mess by the end.
Still, to do this?
"We're told not to use Aura boosters unless its an emergency." Maria confirmed. "Its akin to injecting dust straight into your veins. You'd certainly be stronger for a time, but your body would begin to break down after a while...
His ward fell silent.
"This is worse than death." Summer declared suddenly, thumbing her nose. "Heh. Now she's a kid again. She's even younger than me!"
"I...um...?" Tock hiccuped softly and gave a fretful look, golden eyes wide and fearful. "W-Who're you?"
Just like that, Summer's good mood vanished. "You don't even remember me?!"
"No...?" Little Tock wilted. "You're scary, too."
Summer squeaked. "Me?! Scary?!"
"Whatever happened to her, she seems to have lost her memories." Maria mused, thumbing her chin. "Gods, its like she's a completely different person."
Naruto considered those words for a long moment. Child or no, Tock had undoubtedly been an enemy. Still, it didn't feel right batting her about as she was now. Which begged another question. One he really didn't want to answer at that. What to do with her? The sun had all but set now, and the last fading threads of light were leaving the horizon. They couldn't just leave her here. She'd starve to death. Summer was still glaring silver daggers at the poor thing, though. She might not take to kindly to her presence, temporary or no.
"How amusing."
Kurama bristled. "Did you hear that?"
An awful rattling noise caused their little group to jump.
"Nope! Not dealing with zombies!" Naruto flung up a hand in the direction of the bodies Maria had left behind. "I swear, if one of you gets back up, I'm gonna put you in the ground...!"
No one moved, yet the noise still persisted. He rounded on the sound and found a silver suitcase nearby, sprawled beside one of Tock's men, just out of reach. Hard one of them dropped it? They must have. Then again, he'd not paid them much attention during his brawl. Was there...something in there. Stalking toward it, he gave the metal case a firm kick. That made it worse. So he kicked it again. Thrice for good measure. Rather than fall still like a good inanimate object, the the suitcase continued to thrash about wildly, until quite suddenly...
"What is that thing?!"
...something emerged from within.
Whatever it was, it didn't look right. Even for a Grimm. If anything it resembled some kind of hideous red-and-black jellyfish; one filled with noxious red fluid and brimming with with sharp tentacles. Nasty thing. It hung there in the air for a long, ponderous moment. Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he leveled his staff at it.
"My, my." a rich, indulgent voice emanated from within the Grimm's crimson depths. "I haven't been this entertained in quite some time."
Without warning the creature began to convulse, tentacles curling around its bulbous body. As though caught in a giant's fist, so too did it crumple, cracks etching across what might have passed for its face. Tock wailed at the sight and ducked her little head, covering her face with tiny arms, but no attack came.
Instead the Grimm crashed to the ground and went still.
Kurama blew out a sigh. "I suppose its too much to hope that'll be the end of it?"
Naruto squared his shoulders and pushed Maria behind him. She did the same with Summer in return.
As the unlikely trio looked on, a swell of sinister ebony mist engulfed the fallen Grimm. Rather than dissipate the mist coalesced from the creature's corpse, a malevolent red light shining within. Soon enough it took on the towering shape of an unfamiliar individual; the specter of one being most foul. Just like that, they found themselves face to face with the mother of all evil.
"And so the brave Hunter bests the wicked Witch and saves the princess." the voice intoned anew, its owner regarding him intently. "Congratulations."
Red eyes rimmed by black sclera burned with a pale face framed by startling scarlet veins and ashen hair. Though her body was smoke below the neck, and so little of her form could be glimpsed, the sight of her still filled Naruto with mounting unease. Hers was an ethereal beauty, cold and cruel. Ancient beyond measure. Full lips quirked into a small smile at the them. It did not reach her eyes. Those were fixed firmly on him.
"And you must be Naruto." she crooned, lacing his very name with poison. "So nice to finally put a name to the face that ruined my plans."
"Feeling's mutual, miss...?"
Her smile shrank.
"I have been called many things in my time." the woman raised a pale hand, inspecting the dark nails there. "Queen. Empress. Conqueror. My names are more numerous than the stars themselves. But you?" that sly smile came back with a vengeance and brought property in his heart. "You may call me Salem. Leader of the Grimm."
Oh, bugger.
Summer sucked in a sharp breath behind him. A single look had her hiding behind Naruto's legs.
"Salem, then." he granted the specter a wary nod, not trusting her for a moment. "Look, whoever you are, whatever you want, we didn't come here to fight you."
"Nor I, you. I only wish to reclaim what is mine." the specter's gaze swept past him and alighted upon poor Tock. "Or rather, what once was." Red eyes narrowed as she saw her reduced state. The girl quailed under her gaze. "Oh?" she swept closer, her misty form gliding across the ground with ease. "What have we here? Your semblance backfired, didn't it?" she shook her head. "I warned you not to rely on it overmuch. Now look what has become of you. You're a shadow of your former self."
"W-W-Who're you?!" the one-time assassin tried to crawl back, only to trip over herself. "Go away!"
"I think not child." Salem drifted closer. "Do you even remember me?"
Little Tock whimpered softly. "Please! Stop!"
"No? Then I suppose I should just kill-
"That's enough!"
In hindsight, Naruto wasn't sure what compelled him to act; only that his legs betrayed him and he he started moving. Three swift strides carried him forward; two more placed him firmly between the fallen assassin and her employer. Another brought him well within reach of Salem. His marked hand arced up, palm burning like a second sun.
"Protecting her, are we?" Salem regarded his hand with mild curiosity. "How quaint. Was she not your enemy only a moment ago?"
"What she is ain't none of your damn business."
"Oh, but it is." Salem leaned forward, nearly pressing her forehead to his. A bitter chill came with it. "We have a pact, that girl and I. She has failed me twice now, and as such she must be punished for said failure. Inept children deserve such. Do you not agree?"
She moved forward, prepared to pass through him.
Instinct compelled the blond to step in and swing his arm upright. "No!"
His marked hand met her halfway, bringing with it a burst of Kurama's golden chakra. Salem recoiled with a startled hiss and shot back, clutching at her now-smoldering chest. A chunk of her shadowy form was missing, burned away by his very touch. When next she raised her gaze, baleful red eyes regarded him. Not with fear, but wariness all the same.
"I...felt that." she touched a hand to her smoky chest, frowning as though it had betrayed her. "What are you?"
Naruto risked a glance down as he felt someone tug on his leg. Little Tock looked up at him with something resembling hope. Damnitall. He couldn't just leave her to die, could he? Sasuke might be willing to do something like that, but not him. Never him. Only a demon let a child be slaughtered before their very eyes. When he raised his own, he allowed them to flicker with a crimson spark of their own.
"I'm no one special." he felt the beginnings of a smile tug at his lips. "Just a shinobi."
"Is that so?" Salem's smile returned, but this time it held an edge all its own. "Allow me to make you a counter offer then, shinobi. Serve me."
Blue eyes fluttered in a rapid blink. "Excuse me?"
Kurama coughed. "Well. Didn't see that one coming...
"You can't!" Maria found her voice at last and rushed to his side. "She's pure evil!"
"Silence, fool." Salem scowled down at her. "The grownups are talking. Misguided children should know their place."
Naruto flung up an arm before the Grimm Reaper could snap back. "Take Tock and Summer. Just...let me handle this, alright?"
His words earned him a baleful look, but he didn't back down and she yielded soon enough. Muttering to herself the young huntress dipped down, pried Tock from his leg, and retreated seven paces before repeating the same process with Summer. Both girls immediately kicked up a fuss; it was all he could do not to look back at them. She didn't take them far, just far enough for Salem to lose interest in them. Precisely what he intended. Better him than her.
He dare not take his eyes off her, not even for a moment. Ghost or not, specter or no, she was someone to be wary of.
"Shall I make the same offer to your friend as well? We need not be enemies." As he looked on in mild distaste, the queen's spectral form sank back and reclined upon some distant and unseen throne. "I have seen your skills for myself. You're quite talented. As is the Grimm Reaper." one hand rose beneath her chin as she tilted her head to regard him, exposing the slender expanse of her neck most invitingly. "You are, the both of you, more than Tock could ever hope to be." her lips pursed now in distaste. "Good help is so hard to find these days, wouldn't you agree?"
"Can't argue with you there." he shrugged. "Maybe you should try making friends. Might do you some good."
The Queen scoffed and turned up her nose at him. "I have no need of friends."
"See, I'm thinkin' ya do...you reek of negativity."
"Do not bandy words with me, boy." Her brown turned stormy as a note of warning crept into her voice. "This is not an offer I make lightly." one hand rose, a spectral palm held out to him "Join me, stand at my side, and I shall grant your heart's desire. Refuse," that hand clenched now into a fist, trailing wisps of dark smoke. "And we will be enemies."
Naruto wrinkled his nose.
Something tugged in his chest. Her words tempted him. His heart's desire? A chance to go home. Could she provide that? Was it a trick? Yes? No? Maybe? A part of him wanted to go back; to find Kaguya and punch her in the mouth for stranding him -and the rest of his team- here in this gods forsaken world. He dared a quick look over his shoulder, back to where he knew Maria had taken the girls. They were waiting for him. To simply toss them aside for the sake of a selfish wish...could he really do that? He knew his answer.
"Sorry," he shook his head and linked both arms in his tattered sleeves. "I'm gonna have to decline. Also, nope."
Now it was Salem's turn to blink. "Pardon?"
"We may not be friends," Just as quickly, he pulled them apart and offered a hand of his own. "But that doesn't mean we have to be enemies."
Her expression turned contemplative. "Are you suggesting a pact of nonaggression, then?"
"Nah." he waved his marked hand like a torch. "I'm thinkin' more along the lines of what I said earlier." when his words earned him only a slow blink, he sighed and palmed his face. "Despite what you said, I'm thinking ya really do need a friend...else you wouldn't feel so damn sad." her brow darkened again, but he barreled on. "I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed," a finger tapped his forehead, "But I'm a damn good sight at reading negative emotions. And you? Lady, you're one big bundle of them. So here's my counteroffer to your counteroffer."
He offered her his hand again.
"You want me to join you?" he called out into the night, "Then talk to me. Treat me as an equal. Convince me that your side is the right side."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then we find each other and fight a year from now." he shrugged. "Winner take all. Sounds fair, yeah?"
A slender brow rose. "Why a year? Are you that afraid to face me?"
Really? She was going for it? He'd thrown the number out on a whim; if only because he wasn't eager to leap headlong into another brawl. Something told him this "Salem" wouldn't be easy to face. He needed to prepare for her. Anyone who had Tock quaking in her boots was someone to beware. Of course he couldn't say any of that without alerting her to his harebrained scheme.
Instead he shrugged. "Isn't that the norm for this sort of thing? I just got out of one battle. I'm not eager to leap into another."
She clicked her tongue. "I am immortal, you fool of a man. I cannot be bested."
His grin grew. "Then why refuse me? You've got nothing to lose."
"What the hell are you doing?!" Kurama hissed!
'Going with a gut feeling! Shut it!'
The Mother of All Grimm regarded him with wide eyes. Baleful red orbs flicked down to his hand. Back to his face. Down to his hand again. A host of alarming emotions flashed across her pale visage and despite the many miles separating them -perhaps it had something to do with her spectral body- he was able to read them all. Shock. Delight. Rage. Hope. Fear. And a hint of...was that longing? Wait, why would she be feeling that? Alas, while wise in some ways, he was still thick as a brick in others.
"...ha!"
A peal of delighted laughter burst out of Salem with neither word nor warning, nearly causing him to jump. It was a short, sharp sound, almost raw, as if she hadn't used it eons. Almost like she'd forgotten how. Her body bent double as she clutched at her sides, nearly folding herself in half as she snickered at him. An unladylike snort escaped her, but she didn't stop. Almost made her sound human, really.
"My, you are a bold one." she cooed, straightening her back. "To think you'd try to seduce me."
Seduce? No, that hadn't been his intention at all.
"If only we'd met a few centuries ago." she regarded him with a wistful sigh. "You might have been...no." she shook her head slowly, hardening her resolve. "That time is long past. I accept your challenge, Lightbringer. But when you lose and lay broken before me, know this." She bulled in suddenly, and for a moment, she almost seemed solid.
"You WILL bend the knee to me."
"Sure." He grinned fearlessly back at her. "If you think you can make me. And when you lose to me, we have to be friends."
"Just you wait! I'll have you kissing my feet!" Salem reared back, supremely smug in her triumph. "One year. Make your preparations. They will avail you naught."
"We'll see." he chirruped.
"One year." she repeated, stabbing a finger at him. "When the chose day comes, I will find you."
"Sure hope so." he planted both hands in his pockets. "I don't really know where you are."
Something strange flashed across her face. "Do not disappoint me, Lightbringer."
She vanished in a swirl of black light before he could get another jab in. He still hadn't asked about the title she'd given him. Lightbringer, eh?
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!"
"Ow!" he winced as Kurama's shout filled his mind. "Not so loud! I have a plan, damnit!"
"You'd best!"
Naruto blew out a sigh as his partner continued to rant at him, dug a finger into his right ear to get the ringing out and shook his head. Only then did he stomp his way back to where he knew Maria was waiting for him. Two kids to keep an eye on now, and another stranger with Silver Eyes to boot. And he'd just made deal with the devil, all in the hopes of a single harebrained scheme, because he felt she could be saved. Still, there was more than to skin a cat, or in this case, beat an immortal...
He could only pray his friends and family were having an easier time of things.
Alas, how little he knew of their plight.
How very little indeed.
(...And So Passes A Week...)
"You have a visitor, my lady."
Sakura didn't look up from her book when one of her guards called to her. Maybe if she kept her head buried in this medical tome, they'd leave her be? If she pretended to be busy long enough she could ignore potential supplicants, applicants, or any word ending in ants. She'd had all she could stand of this malarkey. If one more person called her that...!
...is it Kali?"
Hey, a girl could hope!
A pause followed. "It is not my lady. She's still sound asleep."
As she should be! It was too damn early in the morning for this! Sakura fought down a cranky sulk as she snapped her book shut and set it aside with the others. It had become woefully apparent that Menagerie was well and truly behind the other kingdoms in terms of medicine and the healing arts. She'd begun to address that, but it would take time on her part. Five more years, at the very least, maybe a little longer. The island needed a a proper hospital with clean rooms, proper procedures, medical equipment...so much to do, so little time.
"Send them in, Silas." she sighed, shoving the thought away.
Her bodyguard, a big burly brute in heavy armor, snapped off a salute. "As the goddess wills it."
Lady of the Isles. Goddess of the Green. Chief of the Haruno Clan. She didn't even have a clan! Her titles were far too numerous now, and her once-simple-chair was beginning to resemble a throne. She wasn't sure if she liked that. Naruto and Sasuke would laugh their assess of if they saw her like this. She just knew it. One of these days, Sakura swore. One of these days she was going to make everyone stop calling her that. But not this day. She was too tired to knock their heads together at the moment.
Whoever had come to see her better be dying, or they would be when she was done with them. She wanted to sleep!
For all their faults and flaws, these people were eager to learn if nothing else. Another point in their favor. She'd started teach classes on proper medicine and hygiene alike and many had taken to it. These folk would not be caught unprepared when she left the island. They listened to her, and they were eager to answer her questions. It also brought up inquiries of her own.
These people lacked chakra, but they made up for it in other ways she marveled at. Night vision was only the beginning. Some of them possessed unique abilities. Not just Aura and Semblances, but gifts unique to their own Faunus features. She'd even glimpsed a girl who could blend in with her surroundings. Could some of these people be trained as ninja? Could they be taught? It was a thought she'd toyed with over the last few days, among other things. But now was not the time for such.
When the doors creaked open, she willed herself to straighten her back and sit up properly. Ugh. How she hated it. Proper posture was a pain.
A stranger in a beige cloak shuffled into her hall, shepherded by two guards. Because she had those now. Ugh times two.
"And who are you?" she asked.
"At last." The woman smiled. "Long have I searched for someone like you."
Sakura regarded the old crone before her with wary eyes. She clearly had business with her. Why else come all the way out to Menagerie? She looked like she was on her last legs; the very act of standing seemed to drain her visibly; even now the elder leaned heavily against her gnarled wooden cane, hunched back quivering with every breath. She raised a veiny fist to her mouth and gave low, rattling cough.
"Oh, dear!" Despite her earlier irritation, the medic in Sakura sprang to life and she descended the dais. "You're terribly ill! Let me have a look at you..."
Her guest made no effort to move.
"My health matters not, dear girl." a wrinkled hand slashed through the air to forestall her advance. "I have come to assess your worth. If you are who you claim to be, I would give you my Power."
For a moment, the very air seemed to tremble between them.
Sakura stopped only an arms-breadth away.
Green eyes narrowed. "Power...?"
"You know not of it?" keen eyes regarded her beneath the shadows of her hood. "Perhaps that is for the best. Regardless, I wish to be rid of this burden." with a painful crack, she straightened her back and stood, fingers trembling as she supported her full weight against her cane. "You would wield it far better than I; indeed, I suspect none would be able to take it from you."
A faint feeling of dread reared itself in Sakura's heart and she took a half a step back.
"Such a pure soul." A hand pulled back said hood, exposing a tanned face lined with age, framed by dark hair and eyes like dull blue eyes sapphires. In them, Sakura glimpsed now a careworn smile. "There's no need to be afraid, dear girl. You do not know of what I speak. You will, in time."
Sakura's right eye twitched. "And you will lay down if you know what's good for you...!"
"No." a trembling hand intercepted her. "You misunderstand. I did not come here for healing. I have come here to die."
She pulled a weapon from her sleeve and the guards bristled.
"Gun!"
"No!" Sakura flung up a hand! "Don't!"
Too late.
Three shots rang out. Three bullets found their mark. The woman toppled backward, a triumphant smile wreathing her face. Sakura dove forward to catch her, only for the woman's"weapon" to clatter agaginst the ground with an odd sound. She balked at the bauble for a moment before she realized it was just that; not a weapon at all, but a plastic toy. This woman had not come here to take lives, but to be killed. Why? Who came all the way out here to the middle of nowhere just to die? It didn't make sense!
"At last," the crone croaked in her arms. "Release...
A quick diagnostic jutsu confirmed her worst fears. She'd taken two rounds in the lungs and one in the heart. There could be no coming back from this. It was a miracle she wasn't dead already. Even now her lifeblood had begun to stain her crimson dress an even darker shade of scarlet, pooling on the floor. Such a waste of life. It hurt to see it, hurt her more than words.
"Why...?" she croaked out.
"Protect the Power." a veined hand closed around hers. "Keep it away from the Dark One and the Man of Many Faces...
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
Unfortunately, the old crone held no more answers for her; or if she did, she chose not to give them. Those eerie bright eyes went dim and her body sagged, head lolling lifelessly to one side. Sakura grimaced and forced a pulse of healing chakra into the woman's chest, trying to resuscitate her.
And then it happened.
Unseen by anyone else, a flash of light surged up out of the woman's chest, into Sakura's palm and up her arm with impossible force. Living fire coursed through her veins. Startled, the kunoichi gasped and wrenched her arm away, only to find her breath stolen with it. The light found its home in her chest and latched on with all its might, binding itself to her, body and soul. She tried to form words, but none would come to her. Only a faint summer breeze and the odd scent of desert sands.
'What...is this?!'
Her attention shifted inward as she pushed still more chakra to her hands, searching for the anomaly, the poison, whatever the hell this was. She could breathe again, think again, but that wasn't enough. This madwoman had done something to her, given her something against her will. Whatever it was she'd find it, and root it out...!
Air rushed back into her lungs...and something expanded in her soul.
There was power inside her now. Strength untold, lurking beneath the surface. She could feel it burning like an inferno in her chest, choking her, spreading to every inch of her body and soul. Separate from her own chakra, yet so much more. With each passing instant it grew stronger, a mighty blaze building deep inside her, begging to be unleashed. The air crackled around her like a coming storm even as ice frosted over her fingers. She grit her teeth, choking down a scream as tongues of blue flames forced themselves past her teeth.
Stop! She hissed at it! This is my body! Not yours!
Frantic, she hugged both arms to her chest and wrestled it down as best she could. With every scrap of her resolve she willed it -whatever it was! -to be calm and still within her. Not a raging flame, but a gentle river flowing downstream. It fought her every step of the way, howling for release, and she ruthlessly denied it. Choked it as it had choked her, shackled it and bent it to her will. She wasn't sure how long she knelt there, how long it was until she finally got her body back under control.
Seconds? Minutes? Hours?
When she finally looked up, she found her guards gaping her.
"My lady," one of them made a strange sign with their right hand, "Your eyes...
Her eyes? What about them? Someone offered her a small handheld mirror. Sakura accepted it with a grateful nod, not quite understanding what all the fuss was about. She could see just fine...though now that she squinted, she could see the faintest outline of something shimmering at the edges. Dismissing it as nothing, she gazed into the mirror. In an instant, she saw her reflection. Oh. Oh, dear.
Her eyes all but burned with wild emerald flames.
Sakura touched a hand to her face.
"Well, that can't be good...
A/N: HOLD!
Well, I did warn you.
Tock's broken, Naruto's arguing with Salem, and Sakura's become a Maiden. Should be obvious which one. Lord knows I dropped enough hints. Yes, its the Summer Maiden. At this point in time no one really knew who she was, so...
Told you~! Major events.
Well, Summer got her wish. Tock suffered a fate worse than death. Her memories wiped away, her Semblance sealed for now, and reduced to a wee slip of a girl. The "incident" with Tock's semblance was, quite literally, a miracle. A one off event that cannot happen again. One that occurred due to incredible stress and outside forces.
As stated, Naruto's able to amplify Semblances much in the way Jaune does; albeit he doesn't NEED to hold onto someone for it to work; a single touch will do and the effects last for some time after he places his marked hand on someone. Its not neccessarily something he can control right now, and it has drawbacks of its own.
With that set aside, now we can truly
The hilarity and chaos have only just begun~!
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly!
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
(PREVIEWS. Don't say I didn't warn you~!)
And yes, there's a bloody good reason we haven't seen Tai yet...
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Naruto shrugged.
"No...?"
Nicholas Schnee offered him his hand. "You're hired.
Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Glad you saw things my way."
"Do forgive my daughter, she's only twelve. If you could perhaps train her...?
"You ask us to trust you, yet you bring an army to our doorstep." Haven's headmaster regarded him warily. "Why should we form a pact with you?"
"A reason to trust me?" Sasuke blinked. Was that all? Easily remedied. "That's it? Alright. Perhaps a demonstration is in order."
His eyes pulsed and violet flames bloomed around him as a blazing giant towered over the academy.
"This is the gift I offer you."
Maria smiled softly. "I think she's sweet on you; she sees you as her big sister."
Naruto continued to rock the smaller girl in his arms, soothing her to sleep.
Summer looked at Tock like a snake. "I still don't forgive her."
The younger girl regarded her with bleary eyes.
"Sis?" she lisped the word. "What did I do?"
"I...you...oh forget it...I give up...
STAY TUNED! R&R! =D