A/N: Aaaaaand we're back in February, as promised!
Shorter than I'd like, but best girl deserved her own chapter and folks asked for it.
As stated last chapter, this story remains M-rated, as requested. Hopefully the reviews don't dip too much because of it.
As my fifteen year anniversary on this site draws near, I find myself reflecting on things. What was once a 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, 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 think overmuch about the latter; 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. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five?
But for now, I'm still here, still writing. Speaking of which...
I'll say it plain, if this email opt-in business with the site doesn't get resolved, I'm probably going to retire.
And right now? It doesn't look its going to be fixed anytime soon.
It HURTS to say that, but with this new system, reviews and readers have dropped to an all time low, many authors are leaving the site in droves.
If you're not already aware, ever since the 16th of November -about two sodding months now!- you now have to turn ON your email alerts in account settings-MAKE SURE YOU CLICK SAVE SETTINGS!-else you won't be notified when anyone updates. No alerts, no email, no nothing. Apparently that's a thing we all have to do every ninety days or so, now. Alas, not many are aware of it...which is a problem. As things stand this new "fix" as it were, has cut everyone's viewership/reviewers in half because most folks don't know about it. Authors are leaving/quitting in droves because of this.
Sometimes the app helps. Sometimes it doesn't. Really depends. Hopefully the devs can fix tweak/update this system.
No questions to answer this time, too many spoilers lie ahead. With that said here we go. I've kept you waiting long enough.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes! They're merely tributes.
Chapter tilted comes from Bang Bang by Hollywood Undead.
Really got me into the mood for this chapter.
"Alright, I'll bite. What's the plan?
Funny you should ask.
First, we'll need...
~?
Bang Bang
"Pass the paint, Becca."
Rebecca did just that and happily handed Naruto an overlarge bucket brimming with orange liquid. A black-gloved palm grasped its handle. It was the last bucket of many. Bright blue eyes considered it contents for an awful, ominous moment, hefted it high overhead with both hands now. She watched him intently, perched upon the platform, and waited for the moment to pass. His moment. Her moment. Their moment. They'd spent hours preparing this sordid scheme, acquiring the materials, waiting for the moon to rise. She'd be damned if she walked away now...
.
..
...when the whiskered warrior didn't waver, a small part of her began to wonder if he'd chickened out at the last second. She cursed herself for doubting a second later. No way. They were too high up to even think about turning back now; she knew they'd been noticed by someone. It was only a matter of time until the corpo dogs came barking, nipping at their heels.
And yet still he stood there! Spoilsport! She couldn't blame him for hesitating, even if she didn't enjoy it.
Arasaka Tower was a building among buildings, a massive skyscraper stationed in Corpo Plaza. More than that, it was a symbol. Not just to Night City, but the world at large. One they were about to deface for all the world to see. Damn shame. The view was really nice from up here...
He'd chosen the time of their attack well; night
"Oi." she nudged him with one elbow, unnerved by the sudden silence. "The hell are you doing?"
He turned a wide grin on her, azure orbs sparkling with mirth, teeth gleaming in the moonlight. "Savoring the moment."
"Yeah?" D-Damnit, she'd felt heart skip a beat just now. She wasn't blushing. Definitely not. Hell no!" Well savor it later. We're on a time limit here."
"..."
"Are you even paying attention?!" she jabbed a finger up under his chin. "You do realize this is gonna piss off Arasaka, right?"
"Yup." Naruto's expression didn't waver.
"I mean, its reeeaaally gonna piss 'em off. If they weren't coming after you before they're gonna do that now.
"Hey, they sent goons after David and me. They get what they deserve." So speaking, he tilted his head back, set the paint can down, and took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm good. Step back a little, will ya? Don't wanna spook you too bad when I break out the big guns."
Becca blinked at that. She blinked hard. "Big guns...?"
He flicked her a thumbs up as the wind lashed at their hair. "Big guns."
A plume of smoke bloomed behind Becca. Voices accompanied it. She spun to face them and nearly jumped out of her skin.
Because, you see, quite suddenly, they weren't alone anymore. Had that been it, she wouldn't be quite so startled. But it wasn't hat simple. Nothing with Whiskers was. Now she found herself staring at not one, not two, not three, but EIGHT other Narutos, each a perfect copy of the rest. As one mind, they bent to retrieve the cans of paint. As one body, each stepped forward to flank their leader, four to each side of him. Eerie, and kinda hot
"See?" Naruto's grin proved decidedly cheeky. Impish, even, like he'd expected this reaction all along. "Told ya you'd be surprised."
Surprised?! Yeah, that was putting it too damn lightly for her liking. "What the hell?! Since when can you do this?!
...always?" he tilted his head. "Why? Don't see what the big deal is."
Becca absolutely twitched. Naruto saw it and laughed.
"Anyways, suppose its showtime. Let's go, boys!"
Then they moved.
Naruto snatched up his paintbrush flung himself off the roof and hit the tower running. His clones rocketed down with him, forcing Becca to peer over the roof's edge just to watch. One by one, each began to glow gold-but it didn't stop there. Up and down they went, paint in hand, streaking across the length of the tower's surface. Up, now. Down again. Some went in circles, while others zigzagged in patterns she couldn't even hope to see, let alone comprehend. No side of the Tower was spared.
They were painting...something. She couldn't see it from this angle. Whatever it was, it must've been big. Had to be-else folks just wouldn't notice. Still, what the hell was he making...?
Nine seconds passed. Becca counted, watching with a smile.
"Orah~!"
And then, with a triumphant cry and a final flick of his wrist Naruto cast aside his now-empty-paint can and zipped back up onto the rooftop to join her. His clones didn't; they vanished into so much smoke, leaving the two of them alone once more...well mostly alone.
A chorus of muffled groans and shrieks answered him.
"Nrrrgh!"
"Mmrrgl?!"
"Mmmrph?!"
Right, right, she'd forgotten all about their prisoners.
"Oh, hush, you." Naruto idly patted a captive's guard's head, heedless of the gagged man's panic or his thrashing as he railed against the steel wire binding him. "Just sit still, don't struggle, and I won't have a reason to hurt ya...hopefully. Maybe don't move too much, yeah? Wouldn't want you to roll off the roof now, would we? Its a looong drop...
Becca thumbed her chin. "Might be easier just to kill 'em."
More whimpers ensued, followed by yet more muffled begging.
"No." Naruto's response was immediate...and surprising. "Not this group."
"Hey, hey, don't go soft on me now. People die here all the time, buddy." Becca shrugged." Dozens a day sometimes. You get used to it."
"People shouldn't.
"But they do." she shook her head with a shrug. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"
"Whatever I can." Naruto growled, bless his pure soul. "This way of living ain't right. Life is sacred, it shouldn't be thrown away unless there's no other choice! And don't give me that live free or die hard shtick." he reached around and grabbed a captive by the scruff of their vest. "This way, we'll have witnesses. I WANT witnesses. After all...if this city is rotten, then there's only one thing to be done...
Becca tilted her head, watching him further as his eyes glowed red
...YOU HAVE TO PULL IT UP BY THE ROOTS."
His victim slumped with a gurgle.
"Tch." Naruto dropped him with a sigh. "Bastard passed out on me. Rest'll get the message.
Their remaining captives nodded their fervent agreement.
"Great!" His smile returned tenfold.
Becca flicked him a sidelong glance. Yup, that settled it once and for all. Definitely. Whiskers was insane. Hot, but insane. She didn't much have a problem with insanity, everybody was loco one way or another down here. Night City was as Night City does and all that jazz. She knew he'd been preparing a prank of some kind; even if the details were scarce. But this? This went beyond the pale.
...did she care?
Meh. Nobody liked Arasaka. Night City was a city of greys. Hardly black and white. Becca liked grey. Sure it was complicated sometimes. Sure, people were fucked up. Sure, it could be better. But you did what you had to survive down here. Goody-two-shoes never lasted long. If the bad luck or blind stupidity didn't take them out, the gangs did; and when you REALLY pissed 'em off the corpos even put out a price on your head.
Naruto's was unique in that they wanted him alive for some reason or another.
Arasaka might just change that to dead after this, though. Japanese corpos were real big on honor and he'd just kicked them right in the balls.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
"Alright, then!" Naruto clapped his hands, snapping her fully back to reality. "Guess that's our cue! Shame we can't walk back down...
"Ha?!" Becca rounded on him, incredulous. "Whaddya mean we can't?! Your legs broken or something?!"
"Well, I worked hard on this masterpiece. Seems a shame to walk all over it, ya know."
"How the hell are getting down from here in one piece, then?!"
Naruto's grin grew. "Weeell...
A spotlight snapped onto them from above, bathing the world white.
Shit. Corpos must've caught on faster than she thought.
"This is Arasaka security!" An unfamiliar voice brayed from a looming craft above. "Surrender or be fired upon! This is your only warning!"
"Lemme answer your question with another question." Naruto knelt and offered her his hand in the spotlight, bringing himself eye-level with her. "Do you trust me?"
"Is now really the time for this?"!
Blondie didn't budge. He didn't say a damn word.
Becca eyed his palm warily. Trust, he said. She shouldn't...but she did.
Her hand edged out over the gap between them; slowly at first, inch by inch, before she finally found her nerve and took it, fingers threading through his own. Huh. His hand was pretty damn big. Warm, too. She wouldn't mind holding it for awhile. Felt like she was holding the sun in her hands. She never wanted to let go. It was a silly, girlish thought, one she'd never say aloud, yet it nevertheless brought a faint tinge of pink to her pale cheeks.
.
..
...screw it. She'd given Gloria plenty of time. David's mom still hadn't made a move on him yet. If she hadn't, she would.
Some said love was war, and while Becca wasn't sure if this was love, she damn well wanted to find out.
Her lips parted...and gunship opened fire with a deafening roar.
Golden light absolutely erupted from Naruto's back, almost too fast for her to see. For an instant, she could've sworn she saw a fox. Yeah, right. Her mind was playing tricks on her again. Whatever the damn thing was, it was large and big and fucking fast; fast enough to swat the gunship out the sky like some annoying gnat. Then it was gone, leaving the spotlight to wink out a the burning wreck plummeted down to the empty grounds below. It detonated in a fiery explosion. Hot wind lashed at them, blowing their hair back.
Becca didn't dare turn around. "What was...
"Sorry about that; didn't hear your answer." Naruto reached up to clasp her hand with his free palm, sandwiching her fingers between his own. "Do you trust me?"
A small, girlish part of Rebcca's soul giggled at the madness of it all. Her! Giggled! She didn't giggle! Blasted blond was corrupting her; if she hadn't been interested in him before, she certainly was now. He'd just smacked a shit out the sky for her. Not flowers or chocolate or any of that silly sweet shit, but simple, gratuitous violence.
Made her feel nice and warm, that did.
"Yes!" Becca's tongue finally betrayed her, and damn did his face light up. The sight left her weak in the knees in more ways than one. "There, I said it! Happy now?!"
"Great." ignorant of her feelings Naruto gripped her palm tight then yanked, swinging her up into the air to land on his back. "Then don't let go."
"Wait, wait!" she latched onto his neck and shoulders and flared down, not quite comprehending. "Whaddya mean don't let goooooo~?!"
Naruto leaped into the abyss with a laugh, turning her words to a terrified shriek.
All the world became a blur, but only for an instant.
In that single blessed instant before panic truly took over, Rebecca looked back, desperate to at least get a glimpse of what he'd done to Arasaka Tower. She'd never forgive herself if she didn't at least see it firsthand. Her eyes flashed, determined to carve it into her memory, no matter how grainy the footage might be.
She wasn't disappointed.
Of the once grand Arasaka tower, all that remained was an utter mockery. A grinning face leered back at her, carved in mangled mess of orange paint and other eldritch graffiti she didn't understand; but she didn't have to, because there, atop it all, painted in great glowing letters:
"ARASUCKA~!"
That was a bad pun. Rebecca knew she should feel bad; if not for that, then the corpos he'd tarred, feathered, and roped atop the building. But she didn't.
It flipped her switch. She startled laughing.
Latching onto the back of Naruto's waist with her legs for better balance, she released his shoulders, leaned around, and grabbed him by the back of the head. The blond made a confused noise, but she didn't give him time to process what she was doing. She had a second enough to glimpse baffled blue eyes, and then...
"Mwah~!"
...her lips him a wet, sloppy kiss.
"That settles it!" she drew back, squeezed him tight, and kissed his cheek again. "If we pull this shit off without dying, I'm gonna bang your brains out!"
Naruto's sputter was sweet, sweet music to her ears.
They vanished in a streak of gold.
A/N: Ooops, did Naruto just accidentally a war?
Next chapter title: Welcome to the Circus. Yeah, the one by Five Finger Death Punch.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. If folks don't enjoy this, it will remain, but won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? Well, it won't be continued. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- 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 matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And because its a habit!
POTENTIAL PREVIEWS.
If this story stays off the ground.
If not...well. Suppose it depends on you.
(Preview)
...you're warm."
Naruto sputtered a little.
Apparently she liked to cuddle.
Click.
What was that noise?
Click. Click.
Blast it, there it was again!
Click. Click. Click!
Exasperated, he stalked toward the sound and found its source. Yanked off the tarp.
A crudely-drawn smiley face starred back at him, attacked to...
"Oh."
The world burst into flame.
"Kid's cracked!
"You just figured that now?!"
"Hello~! Is this Araska~? I'd like to make a withdrawal~!"
"You don't seem to understand. This city belongs to the people. Not the gangs. Not the corporations. And certainly not you."
"I have an army!"
A golden finger pointed to the sky. Explosions rippled outward as each hovercraft died in a roaring fireball.
"We have a Kurama. Your argument is invalid."
"Nice?! You think he's NICE?! Listen-that kid could annihilate this entire city if he wanted to!"
"I won't let you...get away...with this!"
Blue eyes snapped into red.
"I WON'T LET YOU!"
"I'll always remember that day. The day the sky turned black. You could see it for miles around...
"I won't die." he patted her head, fingers running through her hair. "And I won't let you die. That's a promise. So don't worry, alright? Everything's gonna be okay."
She hiccuped. Sobbed, really. A lone tear ran down her cheek. "Liar...
"Hey now, I never go back on my word."
"We're having a moment here!"
"Heard about you from Maine. I'm Sasha." She offered her hand. "Nice to meet you. Got a job you might be interested in...
"Adam Smasher, was it?" he stepped over the corpses, uncaring of the blood, and lifted his chin to glare up at the machine man. "Not a bad name. Gives me an idea. Wanna hear it?"
The lumbering titan growled down at him. "And who the hell are you supposed to be, meatsack?"
Blue eyes boiled seven shades of searing scarlet, snapping into furious slits.
No. No freakin' way. He wasn't gonna...
.
..
...he was gonna.
"NARUTO SMASH!"
EDIT: Hey, you made it! Thanks for reading!.
I worked really hard on this, and I never have enough time to write these days, even so, I wanted to make folks happy...T_T
So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Looking forward to hearing from you all when I get back from work~!
R&R~!