A/N: Maybe this story isn't as popular as it used to be... I just don't know sometimes...T_T
Apologies for the short chapter, but everyone was chomping at the bit for one...it was either this, or nothing at all for another month, and I dearly didn't want to make anyone wait any longer...
Can anyone see this? If so, let me know in the comments, would you kindly? Here we are, switching things up two days in a row, since folks appear to be growing weary of the constant RWBY, GOT, and Elden Ring updates. I'll do my best to dedicate more time to stories outside of those categories, namely Mondays/Tuesdays/Wednesdays...
...but I DO need a day off, ya know? Writing six days a week is difficult enough...T_T
Dylan helped bring this one back from the brink; another of my co-writers retired. A lotta the lads in our writing group have been at this for a bit, but I'm the only one of the old guard remaining after almost seventeen years. Alas, he's not particularly fond of working on this story anymore, so I'm left to take up the mantle once more.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes or memes. Not a wit or one. They're tributes, one and all.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
SPOILERS FOR CHAINSAW MAN MANGA AHEAD:
"Tell me, what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
This would be an apt description?
See for yourself."
~A discussion.
Contact or Contract
Power pouted.
Truly, it was a most fearsome pout.
Anyone else would've folded like a house of cards.
Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. "We are not doing this."
She stomped a sullen foot. "This is completely unfair!"
Must not chop. "Sure, you say that, but-
She sniffled. "Unfair, unfair!"
He sighed. "Listen to me-
"Unfair, unfair, UNFAIR!"
CHOP~!
His hand descended with stern speed, five firm fingers once more crashing down between her horns in a singular chop. It had the desired effect; the blood devil recoiled with a whimper, covered her face with both hands and summarily glared up at him between the gaps of her fingers.
"You're so mean!" she whined, squirming where she stood, hips wriggling. "You slaughtered prey without me!"
He flung up his arms, wholly exasperated. "That's what you're upset about, oi?!"
She grinned toothily "Well, that and you not kissing me-
Makima made a dangerous noise behind him. "My, but someone's gotten awfully bold all of a sudden. Care to say that again? Unless you'd rather me remind you of your place in the pecking order...?"
Powder gulped. "Meep."
Wuh-oh.
Naruto clamped a hand over Power's mouth before she could thrust her foot in it again and eat it besides. "One more word about this and I swear I'll take you over my knee an' spank you here and now for everybody to see. Understood?"
Power paled and nodded fervently against his palm.
"Good girl." And he didn't miss the rosy hue in her cheeks when he said those words. "Now, I'm gonna let go. Will you behave?
Another nod, slower this time than the last.
"We'll see."
Releasing her, he fixed the fiend with a glare. "Anything to say?"
She pinched her lips shut and shook her head.
"Good." he flicked two fingers her way to show he was still watching her, and reluctantly turned his gaze to the remaining trio.
Right, one down, four to go.
What were their names, again? Makima had mentioned them briefly...
Aki. Himeno. And...Kobeni? Was that last one right? He hoped so.
Throw Power into the mix and you had a recipe for disaster.
At least he knew how to handle her to an extent.
These three...not so much.
Naruto looked at the trio, brow raised. While Makima hid her emotions well, He could sense the storm that was her feelings as they strained the confines of the metaphorical bottle she crammed them into. She wasn't fond of interruptions, these least of all.
In short, inasmuch as Makima was angry at seeing these three -and he himself rather irked at being interrupted- he could hardly let them throw away their lives here. People were squishy, and he knew from experience that she liked getting her way.
Also! Looking downright murderous right now! Better fix that...
.
..
...I'm gonna have to bite a bullet here, aren't I?'
Kurama echoed his sigh. "Yuuuup."
He hugged her with one arm.
Makima went still against him, eyes widening just so as she found herself pressed flush against him, face buried in the groove of his neck. Her cheeks looked a little red. Or maybe that was the blood she was covered in.
Come to think of it...
Raising the other arm, he eyed the viscera dripping from his jacket and willed himself to exhale. Slowly. Wouldn't do to startle them any more than he already had.
One of them, the shortest of the three -Kobeni!- clutched her head in her hands and muttered fretfully under her breath. "How the heck did he make her listen to him?! Nevermind that, how's he holding her without losing an arm...?!"
Aki and Himeno just stared. The latter with a bit more interested intrigue than he would've liked...
Right, that settled it; time for a change of venue; the "date" was all but ruined anyway.
"Mind if we get the Leech Devil blood and guts off, then we talk?" he asked.
Aki, Himeno, and Kobeni all looked at him, eyes wide, not daring to utter a word. Eventually, Aki managed a numb nod and his associates mirrored him. Well...it wasn't like he couldn't understand the burning desire to remove the rotting guts of a dead devil. Such was part of the job...
In short order -and cleaner clothes- introductions were made once Makima brought them back to her apartment.
By then, she was finally calm enough to speak without eviscerating someone.
If looks could kill, though...
.
..
... well, there was a reason poor Power was currently huddled in a corner, knees tucked into her chest. Makima's dogs fussed over her, showering the poor girl with affection as only mankind's best friend could.
Well, at least Power was getting kisses, albeit not the kind she wanted.
For his part, Naruto plonked himself down on the sofa and kept a deceptively docile Makima planted firmly in his lap -she was gonna tease him about that later, he just knew it- one arm draped over her legs, with the other wrapped firmly around her waist, the better to hold her in place. Locked in against him, she couldn't use those finger guns of hers to blow a hole in somebody, or her chains to start eviscerating anyone.
Part of him wondered if she might try.
She was still irked about having her date interrupted, no matter how calm she might appear. He could sense it, plain as day.
What was the saying? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Ha! Hell hath no fury like a woman whose date has been interrupted!
Makima, for her part, took full advantage of his caution -and knowing he wouldn't usually restrain her like this- to lean back against him and press the full weight of her body against him. He was intimately aware of every inch of her, every curve, ever line of her body, and they both knew it. Damned devil subtly ground her rear against his groin, forcing him to hold her even closer just to make her sit still.
Her smug smile said that was her goal all along.
Plans within plans, plots within plots.
Wicked woman.
"Naruto," she practically purred his name, smug as the cat that caught the canary, "These are my...well, I suppose you could call them my underlings."
He didn't fail to notice the dangerous lilt on the last word, nor the way in which the trio tensed at it; they knew their peril and practically tripped over one another to speak.
"Miss Makima...
"We really didn't mean to interrupt!"
"So that's your new boytoy, hmm? Not bad...
Huh. One of them sounded markedly less concerned than the rest.
Nevertheless, he granted them a nod. It wasn't merely a matter of meeting and greeting them but understanding them, integrating himself among them, and better yet, befriending them. What a strange world this was.
"Tell me about it." Kurama huffed deep within the seal. "If I were here without you, these louts would consider me a devil and try to hunt me down! The gall of it all!"
Honestly, he didn't blame his partner; they were a bit of an eclectic bunch from what he could telll...
One of them was far more fearful than the other two.
It was the small one, obviously.
Kobeni.
She wasn't a thing like Aki or Himeno; the poor girl was trembling just looking at him and Makima; it felt as though she might faint at any moment. Yet despite her own innate anxiety and primal panic, there was a core of strength in her, a little ball of steel under all that squishy jelly that he belatedly recognized, having seen it in others. She might be a nervous wreck, but this girl undoubtedly had...
Potential~!
One look at Kobeni and he made up his mind.
Such a small, fearful little thing...
...he really ought to help her.
"Alright, I've decided." Swapping himself out with a shadow clone to hold Makima in place, he sprang forward and clamped both hands down on the skittish girl's shoulders, effectively rooting her where she stood. "I'm mentoring you."
"Hweh?!"
"You don't have to call me "master" or anything, but I'm gonna help you deal with those nerves of yours, okay?" when she didn't answer, he touched a finger to his chin considering. "Or would you rather I adopt ya? Never had a sister before, but surely it can't be that hard...?"
She babbled helplessly. "I...you...why...?!"
Honestly was the best policy, he found.
"Because you're cute, of course~!"
Kobeni went boneless in his arms and fainted dead away, forcing him catch her lest she dash her head against the coffee table.
Makima made a bemused noise. "My, my...
Power howled her fury from across the room. "Unfair!"
At that, the woman with the eyepatch chuckled hoarsely, the sound akin to a dangerous him. "First time I've seen someone knock Kobeni out that fast. You're one of those mature, teasing types aren't you?"
He quirked a brow at her. "And you're what, the resident big-sister type? That the vibe I'm getting here?"
Himeno winked at him with her good eye. "Bingo~!"
"...Right, you're going to be a handful..." Naruto groaned, rubbing his eyes.
Great...another Anko. Well, this was going to be "fun" to put up with...
He looked to the last member of the dubious duo, this "Aki" fellow; the latter of whom was glaring daggers at him.
"And you?" He cocked his head. "Nothing to say?"
Ultimately, he didn't get a chance to.
A sudden rush of pressure heralded a new arrival that practically filled the apartment; a giant fox's head bearing white fur with multiple giant red-orange glowing eyes covering it, each bearing eerie concentric circles. They were, all of them, fixed upon him, much to his annoyance.
Aki recoiled. "Fox?! What are you doing out here?! I didn't call you!"
Makima hid a smile behind her hand. "I was wondering when she'd make an appearance...
"Contract," the fox devil leered at him, "You. Me. Now."
Naruto smirked, confused, but undaunted. "Nah," he shot her demand down in flames, "don't need one with you."
The fox head narrowed its eyes, "And why is that-
He quirked a brow for all of a second, then pulled on his chakra.
Hard.
Golden chakra erupted around him forming a massive golden fox with black around it's eyes that curled into it's long ears and almost hand shaped frontal paws.
When it stopped and the energy avatar vanished, the Uzumaki looked at the devil. "As you can see, I already HAVE a badass fox for the ultimate partner."
Aki clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You...just what the hell are you? Are you a devil? Do you have a contract with something...?"
"Buddy, that's a long story that we don't have time for...
The swordsman scowled. "I have not, nor will I ever be, your buddy. Refrain from calling me such.
What was this, Sasuke 2.0? "Sure thing, broody mcbrood boy. Want me to pull that stick out your arse while I'm at it, or you wanna leave it in there...?"
"Excuse me?!"
Himeno howled with laughter.
The fox devil, for her part, stared at him.
Balked, really. And then:
Movement.
In all honesty, Naruto wasn't quite sure when she moved, only that she suddenly did, and he found his hands, his chest, and a fair bit of his face squashed against a white, cuddly muzzle. The sudden charge knocked him back against a wall and would've smashed him clean through it if he hadn't dug his feet in. Even then, he found himself utterly at a loss by the sudden behavior.
She wasn't attacking him.
No, this was something far worse.
By comparison, what came next absolutely floored him: "Mate with me!"
Naruto squawked.
Kobeni whimpered in her sleep.
Power sprang to her feet. "No fair! I called dibs!"
Makima tutted ever so softly. "I believe you were second, and only because I'm considering it.
The Blood Devil promptly yelped and resumed cowering in the corner. "Yeeek! Yes, Makima, sorry Makima, please don't kill me, Makina!"
Aki facepalmed. "Is this a dream? Right, that settles it, I must be dreaming." Aghast, he looked to his companion. "Himeno-senpai. Pinch me."
"Sure thing~!"
"Ow! Not so hard!"
Naruto, for his part, pushed the fox away with a long suffering sigh. Not AGAIN! He could'vr sworn he heard Kurama laughing at him. Well...show off a massive amount of power that came from a fox spirit to another fox spirit, gotta deal with the consequences, he supposed...
"Speaking of mating...
Makima smiled suddenly.
For once, the sight sent a chill through him.
"There's someplace I'd like you to take me tonight...
Alas, fhe Fox Devil chose that very moment to lick him.
Naruto flung up his arms with a cry of despair.
"Aw, c'mon! I just changed clothes!"
A/N: Wuh-oh.
What's she up to now...?
Fox Devil human form when?!
As ever, had a blast writing this. Next chapter(s) will be longer, provided I'm not rushed. In thet vein, would you like weekly updates? Ya or nay! By all means let me know!
So...in the immortal words of Atlas... ...Revieeeeew, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the previews. You'll see them soon enough.
If this remains a story, of course.
Ya'll ain't prepared for the last one.
It might be a joke, or it might not. I'll leave it for you to decide.
(Previews)
"Are these four walls not enough? Am I not enough? What more do you need?
Tell me. Anything you like. I'll give it to you.
Just stay with me. Please.
Naruto hummed. "Everybody wants to trash talk me lately. Unfortunately for you...he made a pinching motion with his hand. My friend happens to be hungry.
"Oi, Power. Kick his ass.
Power didn't need to be told twice. Vengeance shall be mine!
Denji tilted his head. "Wait, if Makima's basically the mom, does that make Naruto the dad?
Aki absolutely choked on his spit. "How can you even say that?!"
"I mean its obvious, ain't it? They got that parent vibe, yo."
"...do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me? Now be a good boy and die."
"Makima, no."
"Aww, not even a little?"
Naruto began to tap his foot.
...boo." she dropped her victim with a sigh.
"Denji, my man, trust me when I say you DON'T wanna stick it in crazy."
"Ain't that what you're doing?"
"Yes," Naruto flicked his forehead, "But the difference is I can beat Makima's ass if she does something stupid. I've done so several times. Here, lemme tell you a story...
"Oi, oi, oi...just what the hell are you?"
"Annoyed is what I am." Naruto dug the bullet out of his forehead with a sigh. "Really? Guns? You thought guns would stop me? I'll let you in on a little secret. Makima pretends to be nice. I don't." he made to run a hand through his hair, only to realize he'd gotten blood all over it. "You just ruined a perfectly good suit and tried to kill Himeno." huh. the world was tipsy. Was he drunk after all? "Time to die."
He swept past and tore a gunman's head clean off their shoulders.
The girl panicked and raised her right hand. "Snake-
"I don't think so. Kurama! BITE!"
"Pleasure to be meeting you! Quite the pleasure."
"And you are?"
"Call me the Radio demon."
Naruto tilted his head. "Demon, not devil?"
"Quite so!" the fancifully clad man twirled his staff and set both hands upon it. "There's a rather important distinction. I'm sure Makima's told you all about me."
"She hasn't said a word about you, really."
The smiling man twitched.
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed~! Have a great day~!
R ! =D