A/N: Bit of a late update today, sorry about that. Physical Therapy kept me busy. After that did, a bit of cleaning.

But hey, we're back! Feels fitting to update this in February...and given what's coming.

As my fifteen year anniversary on this site draws ever nearer, 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. The recent earthquake in Turkey/Syria serves as a terrible example. 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 with my health being the way it is. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.

Only a few questions. We'll keep it brief this time.

Q: Update schedule! Give!

A: No need to be impatient. Archon should be soon, and I'm TRYING to update The Golden Son, alongside Rise of the Beast Hero but I've got so many folks asking for different updates.

Not to mention updating every on A03. Although it seems I've fallen a bit behind on that front...

Q: Oi! This is Resident Evil! Give us some horror! Give us some pain!

A: To quote a certain someone: Are you sure about that?

Q: Still no sign of Miranda...seems sus.

A: Mother Miranda seems to be playing the long game, unbeknownst to all.

Alrighty, then I've kept you waiting long enough. As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes, or memes. Not a wit or a one!

Seriously. I mean that. They're tributes to legends far greater than a measly writer like me...

There's a reference to Justice League Unlimited here; wonder if anyone remembers it...

...because things are about to get heavy. Its Donna's turn to shine!

...though she might soon regret that chance.

"We all have our own fears. Wants. Desires. Sometimes they help us, lift us up, enable us to rise.

...and for others, they are a shackle. A chain, dragging them down despite our best efforts.

And what of you, Interloper? There must be something, even for you.

What do you want, more than anything else?

Tell me. What do you fear?"

~Donna.

Sixth Bite

"Its a trap."

"Is it though? Is it really?" Naruto yanked on his coat with a pleasant him, slung a large bandoleer of knives over his chest and bent down to tug his boots. "I mean, I'm walking into this knowing its a trap." Left, then right now. "Kinda defeats the purpose if I-ow!" An open palm swatted his hindquarters, causing him to jerk upright and glare her way. "What was that for? You tryin' ta cop a feel or something?"

Alcina's pale face went red for a moment-then her scowl intensified. Heh. Worth it. "I want you to take this seriously!"

"I am!" he huffed. "For cryin' out lout, you're acting like I'm walking to my death or something."

"Are you?" Her hand shot out, cupping his chin, forcing him to look up at her. "Do you understand what -who!- you are about to face?"

Golden eyes raked over him, lingering a little longer than they should have, admiring the colors of her house. Couldn't much blame her for that. For all their disagreements he really did look good in his new attire. Now if he could just get her to wear something besides those pale gowns of hers. Ah, but she was still glaring at him, and he must attend.

The corner of his mouth curled in what he hoped was a disarming grin. "You know that tall and broody act doesn't work on me. Points for effort, though."

"Fool!" Sure enough she sputtered and her cheeks went pink again. Heh. So damn cute when she pouted. "Cease your courting and be serious for once!"

"Alright, alright." rather than break free, he raised a hand and touched the fingers pinching his chin. From there he ran his thumb over her gloved knuckles to trace the soft skin within. Alcina's scowl slipped and her grip slackened a hair. "If you're this worried, you could always come with me. Bring your daughters, too. We could make it a family outing, ya know?

"I cannot." she released him and granted him a severe look. "Donna's domain is one even I dare not enter. She can manipulate your senses through her plants. She will make you see things -feel things!- that aren't there. In her realm, its becomes impossible to tell reality from fiction. She preys on your fears, on your hopes, even your dreams. Where my daughters and I to accompany you...no." she shook her head slowly, setting her hair swaying. "It would not end well."

Naruto opened his mouth. Closed it again now as he considered the weight of her words.

Worst fears and best hopes. Yeah, he could see how that wouldn't end well. Illusions were a pain to deal with. They might even think him an enemy and attack him. He could fend them off, but emotional damage would be something else entirely.

...you're right." he stifled a sigh. "Don' suppose I could bring one of them along."

"It wouldn't be fair. Bela and Daniela had their turn, but to exclude Cassandra...

A blond brow rose. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, when you return...

She smiled and leaned in, whispering into his ear. His eyes widened. "Oh. Well that's something.

"Hurry back." she leaned in and kissed him quickly, cool lips brushing his as she spoke. "I'm not done with you just yet."

Her peace said, Lady Dimitrescu turned -fled, really!- and strode away at speed, ducking down through a door.

"Huh." Naruto touched a hand to is mouth. "She actually managed to one up me. Clever girl...


(.0.0.0.)


The Interloper was coming

Donna could sense him now, feel her heart beating with his every step. Pounding really, a steady thump thump thump that hammered in her ears until she could hear little else. That was hell he was walking into, yet he never once faltered as he strode through the fog. She could see him through her plants and knew he was near. Indeed, the fool walked right into her domain, utterly unaware of the peril. He'd already inhaled the pollens from her parasite, by the time he reached her home the Interloper would be already ensnared. And he didn't even know it. Poor fool. He'd go mad soon...

She cold not control what it was that he saw; such was beyond her ken. Her plants exuded a powerful pollen that created equally powerful hallucinations

...and yet she worried.

"Are you suuuure about this?"

Donna jolted and glared down at Angie, the moment lost. "What?"

Her doll tittered cruelly in her arms. "Preeetty sure Miranda told you to watch, not take action. Aren't you going against her orders...?"`

Donna's heart skipped a beat in her chest. S-Surely she wasn't. Surely mother would want this. Surely she would understand.

Unless she didn't, of course.

If she was wrong, Donna knew she would be punished. Brutally. Much like Moreau had been the last time he'd displeased Mother.

Angie laughed all the louder. "Someone's gonna be in trouuuble~!"

No! She cursed herself for the slip. Don't think that!

The blond brute was a threat. Threats must be eliminated. Simple as. He'd already subverted one House. Dimitrescu's daughters fawned over him, called him daddy, and by all accounts, he was working to subvert Lady Alcina. Who was to say he would stop there? Would he come for her next? Break her with carnal pleasure as he had them? Her cheeks heated at the thought. Foul thoughts. Treacherous thoughts that threatened to unnerve her, leave her weak in the knees...

"Naughty, naughty!" Angie cackled.

Nonsense. He couldn't possibly care for an ugly, scarred woman such as she.

None knew where his ambitions lay. Mother would see the truth.

But what if...what if she was wrong?

Doubt slithered up to Donna, a sinister snake sli around her heart, sinking its fangs deep. Fear gripped her heart in an iron vice. She found herself gripping Angie tight. Second thoughts found her at the last. It was too late now! She'd already sent the letter! He was coming for her! She had to kill him! She had no other choice!

"Poor stupid Donna," Angie tittered at her. "You really can't do anything right, can you? But its alright." a spindly hand touched hers. "I'm here for you."

Donna glared at her furiously. "You were the one who said we should do this!"

"Was I?" her other half laughed. "Or was it you? We're the saaame~!"

It would be alright. It had to be. It must.

"Talking to yourself again, are we?"

Donna jolted; if only because she knew that voice.

"Heisenberg?!" she couldn't quite keep the squeak from her voice as she pivoted. "When did you get here...?!"

He pushed off the wall, tilted his shades down and grinned back at her, the utter dastard. "Been standing here for the last five minutes, kiddo. Called your name once or twice, too. You didn't hear me."

Donna bit her tongue until she tasted blood. She never knew why her Power didn't affect Karl. Maybe it had something to do with his own Gift...or perhaps he'd simply found a way around it. He was a crafty one. Clever. Dangerous...and disloyal. Everyone knew the ill-will he harbored toward Mother Miranda; snark and sarcasm veiled by a thin veneer of charm.

Which begged the question; why was he here, visiting her, at the eleventh hour?

"C'mon, don't make that face." He must've sensed her question; because he sketched a shallow bow. "Can I not check on my dear sister?"

Her lips thinned in a scowl, anger giving her the strength to speak. "We're not kin and you know it."

"True enough." he hefted his hammer with a grin. "Still, I couldn't help but overhear your little...problem."

Panic! Everybody panic! "What problem?" she drew her veil back over her face and spun away, mustering a smile to hide her anxiety. "I don't have a problem."

"You really do." Damn him and his charisma, his indefatigable swagger. "Rant into your little "interloper" in the garden." his grin grew even as hers faded. "We had a reeeaaal interesting chat. He should be along any minute now"

Donna gulped. Play dumb. Admit nothing. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you mean."

"Riiiight. You know, its funny. The way you're acting, well, its almost like...

He walked right up to her. Peered at her. Close enough to touch.

Donna contemplated driving her dagger into his chest then and there, if only to silence him. This was her chance. Her moment. She could do this. No, she must do this. Surely he'd say something to Mother. There could be no failure here, no faltering, no foolishness. To do so would bring shame before Mother Miranda...

"Go on, sis." he set his hammer down and spread his arms. "Hit me with your best shot

.

..

...she couldn't do it.

"Ha!" Heisenberg drew back abrupty, howling with laughter. "I knew it! You're sweet on him! Oh, this is riiiiich! "Don't worry." his hand came down on her shoulder and squeezed, pinching the nerve, drawing a pained gasp from her. "It'll be our little secret. Besides, I know a thing or two about monsters."

Her brow furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're screwed." Heisenberg tipped his hat and walked away. "From one to another, good luck. I'll take the back exit.

He sauntered off with a laugh.

"Try not to die~!"


(.0.0.0.)


...creepy place, huh?"

Hardly the most succinct description, but Naruto felt it suited this house all the same. It felt...empty. Hollow. Not quite right. As though he were walking through the past. He'd already run into that strange fellow with the hammer out in the garden -unless he was another one of the hallucinations he was suffering from- yet this took the cake. He'd come up an elevator into...wherever the hell this was.

It wasn't even a bad place per se; in another light it would've been downright cozy. Not so today.

The halls were silent, the floorboards creaked under his feet, and he heard whispers nagging at his ears.

He'd seen enough outlandish things already, possibilities he knew couldn't be real; the corpses of his friends, the ghosts of his father and others who had been just fine the last time he'd seen them. They were persistent, but everything from his past was. Whatever strange power this "Donna" had, she really didn't know him well enough to use it. Or perhaps she had no control over these hallucinations at all and they were simply going for sore subjects to upset him. If so, they were failing.

By comparison, a haunted house was the least of his worries...even if he couldn't sense a thing hereabouts.

That...concerned him more than he cared to admit. He'd grown so used to sensing emotions, the presence of people that the sudden lack thereof left him feeling blind. Must have something to do with the house; that, or he was trapped in one hell of a hallucination.

"Hello?" his voice rang, bouncing off the walls. "Anybody home?"

An eerie laugh ran through the room, high pitched and mocking. "Never should've come here...

Naruto scoffed and kept walking. "Gonna have to try better than that."

He couldn't rightly tell if he'd been ensnared in another hallucination yet, but nothing had jumped out at him since he'd entered the house. He'd take what he could.

The lights went out overhead.

"Seriously?" he squinted in the dark. "Oldest trick in the book." A cold puff of air hit his ear. He jolted, strangling a yelp at the sudden drop in temperature. "Oi! That was a low blow."

On came the lights.

There was a girl standing before him. He couldn't get a proper look at her.

Was she real...?

"Hey, there!" He raised a hand. "I'm looking for Donna. Any chance you could give me direc-

She most assuredly did not, the little waif took one look and him and bolted with a scream. "Monster!"

Naruto winced a little despite himself and was left scratching his head. "Who in blazes was that? Why'd she run off?"

He rounded the corner after her, only to find another door yawned before him. He swept it open and walked headlong into a corpse hanging from the ceiling.

It was his own.

Blue eyes rolled in thinly veiled agitation.

Irritated, he clasped his fingers together again.

"Release." he muttered under his breath, pulsing his chakra vigorously.

Same result as the garden. Nothing. The scene before him didn't waver in the least. Not a genjutsu then, which was frankly more than a little concerning. Was it something he'd breathed in? Flushing his system didn't do him a lick of good if he kept breathing in the same stale, pollen filled air. This was a trap he'd willingly walked into, but he was beginning to lose his patience.

If the Lady of the House wouldn't show herself, maybe a rasenshuriken or two would flush her out.

"Worth a try. Whatever this is seems to be affecting you, not me. Lets knock some walls down.

Wind keened in his palm. "Thanks ever so much."

He rounded a corner, flung open a door, fully intent on smashing whatever obstacle he encountered, and found himself face to face with another horror.

The jutsu guttered out in his hand.

Children. Four of them. All girls, dressed in black rags, gathered round over...what was that? A torn teddy bear?

A floorboard creaked under his foot. They all looking up at him.

One was a redhead, the other a blond, the third had raving black hair, and the fourth stood nearly a head taller than her "sisters". Didn't take much to guess who they were or where they'd come from. Even if he couldn't guess, each of them held faintly whiskered cheeks. You'd have to be blind to miss the resemblance. He was many things, but a fool wasn't one of them.

"No." he took a step back despite himself. "Not this. C'mon, this is too cruel...

The shortest of them, the redhead, looked to him with teary eyes. "Why don't you want us, papa?"

Naruto flinched.

Alcina's words came back to him. Fears and hopes. This was a mad blend of both. Family. Something he'd always wanted, and simultaneously feared. Four perfect girls stared back at him. One of them, the blond, tugged on his sleeve and hopped in place. He made a strangled noise. She smiled gormlessly at him and raised her arms.

"Papa! Up!"

...you know this isn't real."

Of course he knew. Didn't make it hurt any less.

He wanted to hug her so badly. Really, he did. But he couldn't give in. No matter how much he might wish to. This went well beyond a hallucination. This was worse than a vision. This was pain, all his fears and hopes and dreams and nightmares wrapped up in a tidy bow. They couldn't be real. Not yet. He knew that. He sucked in a shuddering breath. Walk away. That was all he had to do. Walk away...

.

..

...His legs betrayed him and he dropped to a knee.

The urchins swarmed him with a chorus of happy sounds. He flinched, half-expecting an attack. It didn't come.

"You're home!"

"Welcome back, papa!"

"Why were you gone so long?!"

"Never leave us like that ever again!"

Naruto grit his teeth. Don't fall for it. This was a trick, an attack on his empathy to keep him here. It was a very good hallucination; his senses told him they were real. He could feel them grabbing on, holding on for dear life, hear them chattering, smell the faint scent of roses. They were the possibility of a not-so-distant future, of what might come to pass if he invested himself fuly in this world.

And right now, they were in his way.

"Girls...I'm so glad I got to meet you this early." his hands drooped at his sides, unable to harm them. "But...you're not real." his face softened as they turned quizzical expressions on him. "None of this is."

They crowded around him, clinging to him still.

"Daddy, no!"

"Don't say that!"

"You're scaring us! Stop it!"

"You have to stay here! With us! Forever!"

"You're all perfect, everything I ever wanted in a family." he bulled on despite their stricken expressions. "But I have responsibilities." His spirit ached as he tugged free from their grasping hands. "And I...have to go now." Their whimpers tore his heart in half. "I won't forget you." he reached and pulled the four of them into his chest. "Any of you. I promise." he looked down, forcing himself to memorize their faces. "Maybe, someday soon, I'll see you again."

One by one, they vanished.

The last of them, the tallest, looked to him, eyes wide with fear. "I don't wanna die...!"

"Sh, sh, you won't." he shushed the last girl and pulled her close, knowing full well whose daughter she was. "Its alright. I'll see you soon. Promise."

She looked up at him with grave, golden-blue eyes. "I don't believe you. You'll abandon us. Like you did everyone in your world. We'll never be born...because you're too much of a coward to commit."

"...!" The words were a knife in his mind. "That's not-

Her body shattered against his chest like so much glass, leaving him grasping empty air.

Naruto took a deep, shuddering breath to steady his racing heart.

...you did well." Kurama's voice was a balm to his ragged nerves. "Its over now. You made it through the worst."

"..."

"Kid? You alright?"

No.

No, he was not.

No, not at all, not in the least.

His ears were ringing. He clenched a trembling hand into a fist. Was this anger? He hadn't felt it in so long. Yet it wasn't the same. Not the mindless rage he'd experienced before. This was a sharper pain. Older. Colder. Downright he knew these hallucinations were his own fault; the Pollen had turned his worst fears and hopes against him; it was a product of his own mind, nothing more.

But on an emotional level...

"Is this the worst you can throw at me?" he climbed to his feet and looked up, drawling at the silent ceiling in the dark. "Jokes on you, my fears are pretty damn normal compared to most people!" his voice piqued as he spoke, ire building. "I fear the future. No way you can twist that anymore than you already have; you can't possibly hurt me more than this."

Silence reigned supreme. Nothing else came forth to torment him.

"Nothing? Fine." he palmed his face. "No more games. You don't seem to understand." blue eyes drifted shut. "I'm not trapped in here with you...

When next they opened, they were the slits of a beast, burgeoned by Kurama. Chakra burned through him with such force that he gasped in pain. It centered him; helped to shattered the hallucination he found himself trapped in. With shared senses he stretched out and found a single human life-source. One, no, two floors above. Faint-yet-twisted. She'd chosen her hiding place well; as far from him as humanly possible while being able to influence him with her pollen. It still wouldn't save her.

...you're trapped in here with me." he growled. "And you've made me angry."

He surged upward through the ceiling.

Dimly, he heard a startled shriek.


(.0.0.0.)


He'd broken through!

Donna had all of an instant to realize it before the floor beneath her shatter; to draw back in disbelief as something hurtled through. The Interloper? But no, he was glowing gold from head to toe, covered in strange black marks she couldn't comprehend. What was he?! His gaze roved across the study and locked onto her. He looked at her, saw her, through the illusions.

"Found you~!"

Angie flung herself at him with a shriek, bladed arms scything at his face. "Die, you!"

"Go away, doll. The adults are talking." A fist swept outward even as he spoke and struck the deranged doll center mass. She fell to pieces. Her head struck the floor. Not satisfied with her body's destruction, Naruto rared back and punted her skull through a window. Donna reached out for it, to no avail. Then the Interloper was upon her.

"Eyes on me!"

One hand closed around Donna's throat. The other grabbed her by her veiled face and whipped her around hard, slamming her headlong into a wall. The plaster cracked; burst now as he forced her through into the room beyond. Something popped in her back. She kicked out at him to no avail. His grip held firm. Fear rushed in as he held her there. Tears gathered in her good eye. Fear! Panic! Death! This was death! She could just imagine him squeezing, choking her out, all the world going black around the edges ...!

"I'm sorry!" the words tore out of her as she kicked and flailed at him, twisting her head side to side like the child she still was at heart. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll be good! Please don't kill me!"

He tore her veil aside. Paused now, as he saw her face.

With neither word nor warning, grip shifted on her; he grabbed her by the shoulders and...

.

..

...planted her in a chair?

"Hello there." The Interloper leaned closer and pressed his forehead to hers, teeth gone sharp, eyes blazing red. "You must be Donna; lets you me have a little...chat. But first, I'm gonna fix your everything."

Donna tried to say something. Anything at all, really. All she managed was a singular meep of fear.

There could be only response when faced with such mindless terror.

It was super effective.

Donna fainted.

A/N: That reference though.

We're not done with Donna yet!

Feels good to write something with humor, but also concrete drama.

So? Should this continue to be a story? Yay or nay! Really need to hear from you guys and girls here. Helps a lot.

Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story...and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular...? Well, I'll not be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs with ever-increasing hours so 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 matter! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustains me. Without them, I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.

So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter!

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review Would You Kindly?

And enjoy the previews!

They're mostly the same. Mostly, but not all.

And spoilers for the DLC, though I'm sure everyone's played it by now.

(Previews)

"CASSANDRA! Come here! Now!"

Oh, dear. Mother sounded angry. Very angry.

"He's been gone for days!"


"Hurts, doesn't it? It must've felt like tearing off your own arm.


"Fascinating. I didn't know such a result was possible...

A most curious experiment indeed.

Perhaps I shall...partake."


"You must be pretty tough, huh?"

"Take a swing at me with that hammer. See what happens."


Donna peeked through her fingers. Her face was practically pink.


Alcina peered over his shoulder. "What ARE you doing?"

"Making something." He held it up for her. "See?"

Her eyes widened.


Moreau glowered at him. "We don't need you here. Leave."

"Whoa, hey! Where is this coming from?"


"You can't just take a kid!"

"I did her a service. The poor girl's practically feral. No one in the village wanted to look after her."

Little hands reached for him. At least, he assumed he was reaching. Naruto sighed.

"Well, she is kinda adorable-ouch! She bites!"


"I was first!"

"First at what?" He sat beside the girl.

She tucked her knees into her chest, bunching up her blue dress. "...who're you?"

EDIT: Hope these made you smile, and have a wonderful day~!

R&R~!