Naruto wheezed in a sharp breath as he fell to the dirt, huffing in breaths as the bullet tore into his gut like the swing of a damn sledgehammer! It didn't start the sharper sort of pain until the shock and force wore off. He tried his damnedest to breathe, and found he was able to. The blood pooling to the dirt around him was only a trickle, and the pain was already fading, though still quite intense.
Just another breath.
He focused with everything he had, trying to stay present, trying to just take one breath at a time. It didn't help that the bullet was cutting him on its way out. The little lead ball shredded him a second time as his body regenerated, forcing it out via the path of least resistance, the entry wound.
The shooter didn't even wait for him to finish healing; he spoke as soon as the breathing was steady.
"Well?" he asked tersely after placing the simple flintlock down on a nearby table.
"It definitely hurts more coming out; I don't know that it was any different from a regular bullet otherwise," he offered, managing to drag himself upright as his breathing grew steadier. The hole in his stomach was barely bleeding anymore; the worst was over.
"Do you think it dealt more harm going in?"
"Not really, but maybe?" he offered, managing to take a deep, heavy breath. "It didn't go in as deep either; at least it didn't seem too,"
"That makes sense, more drag, more resistance," the pale-eyed man threw a small pair of metal pliers underhanded to him. "Let's have the bullet back; see if it's damaged,"
Damaged it was. Naruto saw that after the delightful chore of pulling the spike-covered lead ball out, two of the barbs, at opposite sides, seemed to have broken off. Idly, he wondered if they were still in his body and if they would be forever. This took a backseat to far more pragmatic concerns when a small coin purse was thrown at his feet.
"You can finish healing before you leave, but do not loiter and do not bother anyone," the Hyuuga researcher reminded him, looking down at him quite literally as he held his palm out, waiting for the bullet. Still, Naruto smiled brightly as he handed it over. This was by far the best job he'd ever had, and one where he didn't have to hide what he was to boot!
For not two hours of work, including the walk here, he had fifty eels! Enough to feed everyone back at the squat for a week! Two if they rationed, which if they were wise, they would. Not tonight though; tonight he was bringing dinner home and he got to decide how much they'd eat! More immediately, he also got to lie down and stop talking.
The sky overhead was gray and ever-shifting with smog. He'd heard outside of the city, and even on the far northern end of it, the sky turned all sorts of colors, bright blue, red, and just about everything in between. Part of him doubted it. Though he'd never been across the great Bari River to the northern half, like most of the folk in his class.
Hell, it was something of an oddity for a family as important as the Hyuuga's to have an estate in the south; even in the industrial district, old money families tended to consider living here beneath them. Such questions were far beyond his knowledge though, and he was glad for whatever unusual circumstances brought them here.
That was before he heard that angel's voice.
"A-are you okay?" it asked softly, drawing his eyes. The woman was definitely a noble of some sort; he could tell from the fat on her and lack of a stench alone. Had he ever seen a woman that looked so soft? She had to be a head shorter than him but about his weight, with wide hips and a bussom that was visible even through her pristine lavender sundress. Not wanting to risk staring up that dress, he yanked himself upright, giving a friendly, assuring smile, trying to hide his embarrassment with a short laugh.
Weight was one thing Hinata noticed as well. No small part of why she felt so guilty looking down at the poor young man sitting on the dirt; he was lanky, not eating as much as he should. There was no way her family was paying him enough for such gruesome work. It filled her with guilt foremost, but also fear.
Abusing the forever-infected just felt so unwise to her; it was humanity's only real communication with the strange new lifeforms from the stars, and they were treated like lepers! This one seemed kind though; his smile felt genuine, perhaps even happy. It made her blush faintly pink as she smiled back.
Whether this lifeform was human or not, he definitely looked like a man, a handsome one, even. Vibrant blue eyes, short blonde hair and a strong jaw. Having taken his shirt off for the experiment, which she watched with grim fascination from her window, she had quite a good view of him. A stolen glance at his pecks seemed to remind him of that fact as he spasmed.
Like a flash, he lifted his shirt from the floor, a simple gray color that didn't show too much dirt.
More importantly, it was thick, warm, and easy to slide over his head.
He returned to smiling at her as soon as it was over, intrigued as he noticed her blush darken at the action, oddly enough. Part of him started to wonder…. It was a longshot, but could he invite her on a walk? Would that count as bothering someone to his employer?
Yeah, almost certainly.
Still, for a woman that cute, it might be worth the risk. Something told him she'd accept. Fortunately for both, the callously stupid idea was interrupted by a boisterous voice from inside.
"Hinata! Get away from that thing and come inside, now!" the man at the doorway looked about her age, though it was hard to tell with the distance. His fancy black cloak clearly marked him as a noble, and Naruto knew better than to argue with his meal ticket. So, as the girl scurried to obey, he said his words quietly.
"Nice to meet you, Hinata~" he said genuinely, pulling himself to his feet and delighting in the further darkening of her blush.
What a great day!
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