Original Posted On August 11, 2022
Beta Read by: Crowfeast, Darlord331
Review Response:
Umbra Lycan: I hope I can recover quickly.
Gamelover41592: I can't say for sure when Naruto and Loona reunite. But it will happen… eventually.
Jebest4781: I think you will find some enjoyment with this… middling chapter.
MichaelTheFox: Well, I have nothing better to do.
DaftMerc39: I think Naruto will like her hair cut short.
Calderoneric758: I just hope things work out for you, Cal. Good Luck.
KiritoUzumaki700: What story?
Tylerk6014: True, but none of them act like they are inbred.
Max Moreno: I loved writing it, but I wish Legacy of the Duelist put up more of a challenge. Could have gotten a better chapter out of it. LOL, true, but the disks already have the God Cards and Exodia.
Hellkeaper: I prefer building decks from scratch, but if I am going to get my arm twisted, I love Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
Nathair1: I would have attacked kids for a duel disk like that too man, it would have been awesome. Yep, she will wait for as long as she has too for him.
Autobot-Wolfsketch: Everyone is waiting for them to reunite, me especially.
NaruLemon Stories: Thank you, hopefully I can recover quickly.
PhillyItalian: I would keep it to original, and yes, I did do a Yugioh Story…. Years ago, to my embarrassment.
ShadowBloodedge9396: Thank you. I love Red-Eyes too.
Gaby11: Thank you, hopefully this chapter is tolerable.
AbyssWolf0198: Oh shit man, hope it come back.
Bender: *Chuckle* Agreed.
Armadon: I hope I recover fast.
Veil: Warriors, Spellcasters, and DRAGONS!
Guest: Hm, maybe if they overclocked the duel disk, but then it could probably break… via explosion.
Ferahgo: Love the idea, I might use it, if I remember.
Blank Lord: Hopefully, this chapter isn't… boring.
Angels Sabbath: I love the idea of NarutoXLoona.
Guest: No, this Naruto doesn't have chakra, though that idea would be funny… and a horrible way to get Lucifer's attention.
Sansnightmare139: Hello!
Jacksanity750: Hopefully this chapter is okay.
PLEASE READ: Damn…
Spark681: In time? In time for what? The Extermination?
OKAY, LETS READ THIS SHIT! I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR HELLUVA BOSS!
"Hey" = Speaking
'Hey' = Thinking
'Hey' = Memory
"Hey"= To be Determined
Chapter 16: Where We Are
Oct. 11th, Afternoon Millie and Moxxie's House…
Naruto was alone.
Millie and Moxxie left early in the morning to go to work, giving Naruto a small reminder to clean up any mess he might make cooking lunch.
Naruto stood at the stove, a country steak sizzling in the frying pan with a pot of country gravy and one with steamed broccoli cooking as his phone played music, the song it was playing ending and changing.
(Black Sabbath: Changes)
Naruto felt tense as the music hit his ears, looking down at his chest to look at the Jade.
"~I feel unhappy, I feel so sad
I've lost the best friend that I ever had
She was my woman, I loved her so
But it's too late now, I've let her go~"
The sun's rays entered through the open windows, a soft gust of wind blowing in, wafting the scent of the steak as Naruto thought of Loona.
"~I'm going through changes
I'm going through changes~"
His chest felt tight, the important organs within beating like they were being squeezed or a chest burster was about to be born.
Naruto flipped the steak, his shoulders shuddering as he wanted to hide from his pain.
"~We shared the years, we shared each day
In love, together, we found the way
But soon, the world had its evil way
My heart was blinded, love went astray~"
Remembering…
The scent of her hair, the feeling of her skin on his.
The sparks of ecstasy from each kiss, touch, and the sounds they made.
Listening to Verosika at the concert near the ice arena and taking the children to Scandia.
Naruto's teeth bit his lip, doing what they could to try to pull his thoughts away from his hurt.
"~I'm going through changes
I'm going through changes~"
Naruto turned off the burners and prepared his plate, putting the country steak and broccoli on it before pouring some gravy on it.
'Just stop…' Naruto mentally begged his brain, seeing Loona as he sat down at the table. 'Just… please, leave me alone…'
Naruto shuddered as his breathing became labored lightly as he grabbed his fork and knife.
He wanted all of this to go away.
He had a family, Millie and Moxxie.
He didn't need to be constantly haunted by his past.
He didn't want it anymore because it hurt too much.
"~It took so long to realise
And I can still hear her last goodbyes
Now, all my days are filled with tears
Wish I could go back and change these years~"
'No, I don't… I don't want to go back…' Naruto thought as he shuddered, his tail moving between his legs like a whipped dog. 'I don't need it… just leave me alone…'
Naruto put his utensils down and pushed his plate to the side, putting his head down as he crossed his arms around his head, his tears and snot dripping onto the table.
"~I'm going through changes
I'm going through changes~"
Naruto sniffled as his ears lay flat on his head, sitting in silence as the song changed.
Pushing his emotions and thoughts down, putting them in a bottle and storing them away, Naruto wiped his eyes as he exited the Youtube app.
'Maybe I could…' Naruto thought desperately as he thought of something that could take his mind off.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
Human World
It was Thursday, and school was over.
"Need a ride, Gaara?" Fuu asked as she, Shino, and Gaara walked to the student parking area.
"Sure, I would like to get to work ASAP, so I appreciate it." Gaara said as he smiled.
It had been almost a month since Naruto was adopted and left the school to live on the East Coast, and it had been a bit quiet… well, not as quiet as it could have been.
The trio got into Fuu's car and drove to the orphanage.
"Sasuke buckled down." Gaara mumbled as he stared out of the window as they waited at a red light.
"Yeah, I think after that bull with Hyuga and Inuzuka, he and the others thought it was time to grow up." Shino replied as he pushed his glasses up. "After all, they won't let things go."
"True that, I swear that bitch is more annoying than before." Fuu said as she turned when the light turned green. "I mean, who do they think they will make believe them? A demon dog attacking the school? Wonder what kind of hallucinogen they took to see that."
"Don't, you might find your answer." Gaara joked, getting a dry chuckle from Shino and Fuu. "I just… hope Naruto is okay…"
Shino's phone went off.
"Oh, hey, speak of the devil." Shino said as he answered his phone on loud speaker. "Naruto, you mother fucker, where has this phone call been? We've been waiting for weeks."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Naruto said nervously on the other side of the phone. "Just… took longer to adapt than I had thought."
"NARUTO!" Fuu and Gaara shouted, Fuu nearly crashing as she wasn't paying attention, causing her to pull over. "You asshole!"
"Me?" Naruto asked.
"No, the milkman, yes you!" Fuu laughed as she was happy to hear his voice.
"Don't worry, we've been taking care of the kids, like you asked."
"What?"
Naruto genuinely was confused.
"Dude, I know it's been over two weeks, but you can't remember asking us to look after the orphanage in your absence?" Gaara asked.
"Oh, yeah, thanks." Naruto replied shakily. 'God damn it what are they talking about? I didn't say anything to them like that.'
"Anyway, we got to go to work, sorry to cut this short." Shino said as they pulled up in front of the orphanage.
"Okay, I'll call later this weekend then. Later." Naruto said as he hung up.
"Oh, God, it was so nice to hear him. He sounds like he has adjusted well." Fuu said as Gaara grabbed his bag and opened the door.
"Yep, and can I get a ride home?" He asked Fuu.
"You know it, Lil' Bro." Fuu said with a cheeky smile.
"See you guys later." Gaara called out as he stepped away from the car, Fuu and Shino driving off.
Gaara smiled as he entered the orphanage grounds.
"Gaara, how are you doing?" Evelyn asked as she saw Gaara arrive.
"Great," Gaara said with a bright smile. "Especially since Naruto just called."
Evelyn's eyes brightened up as she smiled.
"How is he doing?" She asked the redhead as she got close. "Is he eating well? Is he getting along with his parents?"
"I don't know about that…" Gaara started before a water balloon hit his head, popping before sending the water over him.
"HE'S BACK!" Gaara heard as he wiped his face.
"Children, that isn't nice." Evelyn scolded.
The children didn't reply, but they scowled.
"He isn't Naruto."
"He will never be Naruto!"
The children ran to the backyard as Gaara took a deep breath.
"I am so sorry about that Gaara." Evelyn apologized as she and Gaara entered the orphanage to get a towel.
"Don't worry, I know why they are acting up." Gaara said as he accepted a towel from Evelyn. "They loved Naruto, so to see me trying to take his place, in a sense, scares them, thus they are lashing out."
Evelyn felt guilty as she nodded.
'This is what happened because we overly-depended on Naruto.' Evelyn thought as Gaara continued to dry himself off before he got ready to start work. 'The children grew up with Naruto, so someone else… it will take time.'
Gaara, now wearing a white polo shirt and an apron, walked out in the back and saw Patron Patton.
"Gaara, glad to see you here again." Patton said as he saw the redhead.
"It's good to be back." Gaara said as he narrowly dodged another water balloon to the face.
Meanwhile…
Fuu and Shino poured special nutrient fluid into the flowers.
"Ah, this smells so nice." Fuu said as she smelled the flower she was working on.
It was a pale pink with white flower that looked nearly closed.
"That's a peony." Shino said as he saw which one Fuu was talking about.
"Smells sweet and citrusy." Fuu commented on as she stood up.
"That's because peonies bloom only for a short period of time, but when they do, these lush, full blooms emit a fresh, sweet fragrance that can a fill a room with their wonderful aroma. Peonies come in an assortment of pleasing colors such as pink, white, lavender, and magenta." Shibi said as he walked past his son and Fuu with a large crate. "Pink and white double peonies tend to be the most fragrant while single peonies do not have a scent. With over 40 different species of peonies, their scent can range from sweet and fresh to citrusy and spicy, like ginger."
"Can I take some home after work?" Fuu asked as she was interested in the flower.
"You'll have to pay." Shibi chuckled as he opened the crate to reveal new terra cotta pots.
Fuu booed her boss and huffed as she continued to water the flora.
The door opened.
"Welcome…" Shino started with a nice tone, before his face and tone shifted into a distant, unwanted tone. "Hyuga."
Hinata walked into the store, ignoring Shino's greeting as she moved to a certain flower that she wanted.
The air within the shop was tense, even Shibi felt it as he had been informed of what had transpired.
The parents of all the students at the high school had been informed by the school, so who didn't know what Hinata and Kiba did.
"I'll take these Jasmines." Hinata said as she walked to the register, her tone uninterested.
Shibi rung her up, gave Hinata her change and receipt.
Hinata thanked the man and headed out, but stopped when she neared the door.
'What is she up to?' Fuu thought as she didn't take her eyes off of the disgraced teen.
"No word from Stray Dog?" Hinata asked, not looking at Fuu or Shino.
"Not sure why I would tell you anything." Shino replied stiffly as he pushed up his glasses.
Hinata's eyes narrowed.
"Whatever." She replied in snark.
"Bitch!" *COUGH* Fuu 'coughed' rudely as the door shut behind Hinata.
Outside, Kiba waited for Hinata.
"You got the flowers." Kiba said as he noticed the white jasmines.
"Let's just go home." Hinata said as she got in, holding the flowers in her arms, anger in her eyes and tone.
"Sure." Kiba said as he turned his key, his car humming to life as he drove them home.
Once at the Inuzuka house, Hinata and Kiba entered the house and went to the kitchen to drop off the flowers for Tsume, only to see her at the table with a cup of coffee.
"Mom." Kiba said in confusion as Tsume would normally be working at their family veterinary.
"Kiba, Hinata…" Tsume said as she drank some coffee. "Thank you for getting me the flowers, they are my favorite."
"Why are you here mom?" Kiba asked as Tsume took the flowers from Hinata, standing up to walk to the sink, where she had a pot ready to be used. "Shouldn't you be at work."
"I had a short day." Tsume replied as she transferred the flowers to their new pot. "Also, I found a really nice place."
"Okay, what place?" Hinata asked, her stomach churning in anxiousness.
"A nice place." Tsume said as she put the pot on the counter and pulled out a piece of paper. "A nice apartment with a vacancy."
Kiba and Hinata's eyes bugged out of their sockets.
Tsume… had just told them to get out.
Elsewhere…
Sasuke stood before Itachi, both having their hands up in boxing gloves and mouth guards.
Itachi threw a faint, rotated his body clockwise and punched Sasuke in the head as Sasuke leaned forward and straight shot Itachi's shoulder.
"Alright, boys, that's enough." Fugaku said as his timer went off.
The two brothers pulled away from each other, Sasuke spitting a bloodied mouth guard out as he collapsed into a chair, Sakura running to him with water.
Itachi swayed to keep his balance but was caught by Izumi, pulling his hand out of his glove and removed his mouthguard.
"That was a good set, Sasuke." Itachi gasped out with a proud smile. "You've been hitting the gym."
"Of course." Sasuke said as he took a towel and wiped his face. "I am going to do my best to join you and dad in the police force, so I need to get stronger to prepare for the physical test."
"Don't neglect your studying either." Mikoto called out from the house as she watched her stories, not wanting to see her sons beat each other.
"Either way, I am happy you are doing better." Fugaku praised Sasuke as he put his hand on Sasuke's head, much to the latter's annoyance. "I am proud, Sasuke."
Sasuke scoffed, turning away as he drank his water, but Sakura and Itachi knew Fugaku's praise made Sasuke very happy.
"Have you heard anything about Naruto?" Itachi asked as he wiped his face down. "It has been a few weeks since he was adopted, right?"
"No, no one has heard from him. I'm not super concerned, the guy is a ball of happiness, but I am a little worried." Sasuke admitted. "I mean, he should have called his friends every day, but he hasn't. I wonder what is going on."
Hyuga House…
Neji sat up and stretched, Lee following suit before he stood up and did a few squats to wake up his legs.
"Thanks again for helping us study, Neji." Tenten thanked as she lay on the ground, mentally exhausted.
"It is no problem; besides, I worry about you guys." Neji said before they heard a knock-on Neij's bedroom door. "Come in."
The door opened and revealed Hanabi.
"Oh, Hanabi." Neji said in surprise as his cousin usually never came to him. "What do you need?"
"I…" Hanabi said before pausing, avoiding her cousins gaze. "I just wanted to ask if Hinata is doing okay…"
Neji's eye brows were raised.
"Well, last I checked, Hinata was doing fine. She seems to have calmed down with her accusations, but she is fine." Neji said as he looked at his pre-teen cousin.
Hanabi smiled faintly before she dismissed herself, closing the door.
"Man, she loves her sister, doesn't she?" Tenten said in sadness. "Didn't you explain what happened?"
"Yes, but at the end of the day, they are sisters, even when one does something bad, Hanabi will still love Hinata unconditionally." Neji replied with a soft smile.
"True," Lee said with some worrisome doubt. "But how bad does the 'something bad' have to be before the sibling decides to not love their sibling anymore?"
There was a pause.
"Damn, Lee, that is dark, especially for you." Neji said in shock, just staring at his friend.
"What? Do I have to be happy go lucky all the time?" Lee asked before Tenten laughed.
Sabaku House…
"In another month or so, if he doesn't screw up, Kankuro will be released." Rasa said as he cooked dinner with Temari.
"I know, I can't wait for him to come back."
"Even if he steals your make up?"
Temari's smile became goofy while her eyes held irritation.
"Yeah, even if he does that. He is my brother; I'll love him regardless." Temari answered as there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it."
Temari took off her apron, revealing a knee length skirt and a cobalt blue blouse as she walked briskly to the door, making sure her hair was put up properly before opening it.
"Sorry, am I late?" Shikamaru asked with a playful smirk, holding up a small bag. "Happy Anniversary, Temari."
Temari ushered Shikamaru in, kissing his cheek as he passed her.
"Afternoon, Mr. Sabaku…"
"Call me Rasa, Shika." Rasa called out from the kitchen. "You and Temari have been dating for a while now, so just call me by my name."
"Alright… Rasa." Shikamaru said as he felt nervous as he handed Temari the small gift.
'What could it be?' Temari thought as she accepted the gift and opened it.
"It's a watch." Temari said in surprise.
It was a gold Rolex with military time.
"Yeah, I remember you saying your job didn't want you on your phone, and there isn't a clock outside of the breakroom, so I bought you this watch." Shikamaru told Temari. "I set it up before hand, that's why the box was…"
"I love it, thank you." Temari said as she hugged Shikamaru, smiling as she did.
"I am glad you do." Shikamaru replied softly as he hugged her back, enjoying the moment.
Rasa, seeing this scene, smiled as he was proud his daughter found a nice man to love.
'Karura would have liked you, Shikamaru.' Rasa thought as he looked at an old photo, one of himself, Pregnant Karura, Kankuro and Temari before Gaara was born. 'But if you hurt my little girl, the devil himself wouldn't stop me!'
Hell…
"AAAAAAAAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOO!" Lucifer sneezed, interrupting the speaker at the meeting.
Lucifer, not feeling shame or embarrassment, pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his nose.
"Excuse me, continue." He said as he put his handkerchief away.
The speaker nodded and continued his report of Hell's current status, the influx of Sinners on the daily basis, and how many citizens they would lose in the upcoming Extermination.
Stuff like that.
Skip, Oct 17th, Morning, Millie and Moxxie's house…
"Oh, crap." Millie said as she realized she forgot her axe as Moxxie locked the door.
Millie moved to the front of the house where Naruto's balcony was.
"HEY, NARUTO!" Millie shouted as she cupped her hands around her mouth.
She heard the sliding door open and Naruto walked out.
"Yeah, Mill?"
"I forgot my axe in my room, can you grab it for me?" Millie asked as she knew Naruto would be able to grab it faster than she could. "It is in the closet next to a filing cabinet."
"Sure, Mill, give me a minute." Naruto said as he re-entered the house and entered the hallway.
He walked a few feet and entered Millie and Moxxie's room.
It was a few feet bigger than Naruto's room, which made sense since the two shared a big bed, and they had several large pictures of themselves and a few of Naruto hanging on the wall.
Naruto headed to the closet and opened it, seeing it was a walk in.
'Next to a filing cabinet.' Naruto thought as he turned on the light. 'Found it.'
Naruto walked in and grabbed Millie's axe.
'Woah, this is a bit heavy… how does she use this thing?' Naruto thought in confusion as he had to use both hands to carry the axe due to the axe head carrying a lot of the weight.
Turning the light off and shutting the door with his tail, Naruto makes his way to the bedroom door.
'Come on, don't… TRIP!' Naruto thought as his balance was heavily off due to the axe and when he tried to correct, he ended up tripping over his foot.
*BAM*
Naruto hit the wall, headfirst, four of the several pictures hitting the ground with glass breaking.
'Shit, shit, shit!' Naruto thought in panic as he saw the glass. 'They are going to… kill… what is this?'
Naruto moved one of the cracked frames and saw a manilla portfolio…
One that had his name on it.
"What the fuck?" Naruto mumbled as he picked up the file and opened it.
Chapter 16, DONE!
I know, this chapter is 'filler' to some, but I wanted to end the chapter at this point, and someone asked what was going on with Gaara, so I went from there.
Besides asking to check out Boo1194 on Deviantart, I don't have much to say, I am honestly shocked that I was able to get this chapter done, but I persevered.
If you enjoyed or disliked this chapter, leave a review because it will help me become a better author.