MERRY CHRISTMAS!
WORD STYLE
(Past)
Thoughts
{Billboard/signs}
[Tv/Intercom]
SHOUTING
TwIsTeD
Beasts Speak
Shukaku
Matatabi
Isobu
Son Gokū
Kokuō
Saiken
Chōmei
Gyūki
Kurama
Chapter 6: Vol 2 Begins Two Years Later
TWO YEARS LATER, ON FLOOR 28, DURING THE FLOOR TEST
"GET BACK HERE, KID!" Shouted one man with monkey-like features and a tail. He was swinging in a forest from vine to vine after Miseng, who was hurrying away from him, but it only took seconds for him to reach her.
"GOTCHA!" He goes for a swing, his needle, only for her to suddenly disappear. "What?!"
His face was clear of confusion before he heard something. He turned to find someone standing behind him.
"Yo, Monkeyman." Spoke the smiling and cheerful blonde, who gave a wave. "Gotta make this quick; sorry if my teammate's hologram screwed with you." He said while the guy took in his appearance, an orange jacket that appeared to be loose-fitting, with short sleeves and a white collar. Under it was a black long-sleeve skin-tight fabric with orange stripes below the elbow, with the cuffs having cloth wrapped around a couple of his fingers. Around the waist, a thick black belt cinched the outfit around the waist. This belt is wide and appears to be part of traditional martial arts attire. He wore a white-greyish skirt-like garment that reached his mid-calf to his knees. He wore what looked to be black pants tucked into the footwear that took the form of black-toe split-toe tabi boots with orange bands around the boot's edge.
"Wha—" He could not finish because he had already closed the distance and, with one hand, utilized a red aura that slammed into his stomach. The technique was a one-inch punch that knocked him out as he was sent into a tree, fell forward, and lay on the grass. With this, Naruto started making his way towards the opening of the forest, running out to find four other enemies having done the same. All four were looking at him, not noticing Goseng, Miseng, and Akraptor sitting above them all watching.
"Hello!" Naruto said with a cheerful wave before a redhead stepped forward in front of his group.
"Oh, look, another chick." This got a head tilt from Naruto.
Tailed Beasts: What the fuck?
"Chick?" He said as the four approached him, preparing themselves while the redhead had two Baangs of flames form at his sides.
"You remind me like the other blonde of my chick that died when I was young, but you dare betray me? I'll tear you to pieces!" Naruto just looked at his teammates, who were mouthing an apology to him.
Matatabi: Is he on drugs?
Shukaku: Can I have some?
"Time to fry you, Chick!" He smiles wickedly. I'll make sure to." His words die in his throat upon seeing a large wave of flames twice their size heading for him and his teammates.
"Mommy—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" All that was seen was a miniature explosion of flames, leaving behind a group of singed enemies with burns. The redhead is standing up, wobbly and covered in burns.
"How dare you betray me, Chick! " he demands of Naruto, who stares at him in utter confusion.
Shukaku: I'm not joking, I really want to know what he's on.
Gyūki: Your joke is as dead as they'll soon be.
The guy sends his baangs right at Naruto yet another wave of flames shot past him, stopping the baangs and angering him even more.
"Who's the bit-" When he finally turned, his face met a fist that knocked him out and sent him slumping on the grass.
"Geez," a female who put her hands on her hips muttered. "You gotta stop being friendly to the enemy; attack first, questions later. " Naruto just scratched the back of his head sheepishly, a blush forming on his face.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Before Naruto stood Yihwa, unlike two years ago, she had changed, and not just her age now being a full grown woman at age 21, but also her appearance. She now has her long hair tied, not having it down as usual, and with her clothing choice having changed over the last two years, her appearance had changed, not like her past self. She now had an athletic build and notable well-defined abs. She is dressed in a black sports bra that highlights her toned upper body, and she wears loose, black pants with a pink belt that matches her hairband. Over her sports bra, she has on a pink jacket that is unzipped, revealing her midriff. The jacket has a unique design with intricate patterns on the sleeves, most notably the Yeon family emblem.
[Yeon Yihwa, the Yeon Family's Flare.]
Shukaku: Ask her to let you put your head between her thighs.
"Shukaku, you're banned from the internet."
Matatabi: Finally!
Kokuō: Shukaku, forgive my rudeness, but you need help.
Shukaku: Worth it
"So," Naruto began, trying to repress his reaction to Shukaku's words. You've gotten way better at controlling your flames; the last test, you were struggling with aiming in a single direction." He pointed out, and she smiled happily as she started playing with her hair, and a blush formed.
"You noticed." She said. "I took Matatabi's words to heart and tried candle training from up close, far, and behind objects. It wasn't easy compared to her endurance and mental training. I still wonder how she knew it would help." This got a shrug from Naruto just before they heard the alarm blaring.
[GAME OVER. TEAM RAMEN WINS THIS TEST!]
Upon hearing that, Yihwa was surprised, while Naruto just smiled as the two walked side-by-side, chatting. The other defeated members stared at their backs, where they lay, with the redhead sniffing.
"Chicky, why...?" He asks tearfully as his teammates just sigh audibly.
It took several minutes before Naruto and Yihwa arrived to find Wangnan, Horyang, Prince, Goseng, Miseng, Akraptor, and Viole chilling with snacks on the goalpost. Miseng again passed out snacks to everyone, handing one to Naruto and Yihwa upon arrival.
"This just sucks!" Voiced Wangnan suddenly while Naruto was hewing on his candy bar, looking at Arkraptor questionably.
"Stop it, Wangnan. We won in the end, and we should be grateful." He told the younger man as the voice of reason, which caused him to look depressed.
"What's exactly the problem?" Yihwa asked as she finished the snack and discarded the wrapper in a nearby trash can.
"Just two years and so many things have changed." Wangnan said as he looked at the surprised Yihwa. "You, Naruto, and Viole are the strongest in our group. Hell, I don't even know who would win if you fought Viole seriously." As he mutters that, he glances at Viole talking to Miseng with a smile as he accepts her snack. Yihwa is surprised while Naruto chews on his candy.
"A few years ago, my only wish was to pass the 20th floor, and now, Naruto, you expect me to try and become the king of the Tower yet-" He was cut off by Naruto tossing a wrapper compacted in a ball at his face.
"What was-" Naruto pressed a button in his floating pocket.
[I! WILL! CHANGE! IT! I'LL BECOME THE KING OF THIS TOWER! I'LL CHANGE EVERYTHING IN THIS TOWER...THAT MADE HIM LIKE THIS! I'LL ENSURE THAT NO ONE ELSE ENDS UP LIKE HIM OF NIA EVER AGAIN! THAT'S THE DREAM THAT DRIVES ME TO GO UP THE TOWER! EVEN IF PEOPLE LAUGH AND SAY IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! EVEN IF I FAIL THOUSANDS OF TIMES AND GET BETRAYED! I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!]
Naruto ends the recording, leaving Wangnan rolling on the ground and covering his face in embarrassment as the others snicker.
"You still have that recording?!"
"It gets me hyped when I listen to it."
His words only get Wangnan to blush in embarrassment.
Isobu: It's always fun to see him become flustered.
Son Gokū: He hasn't improved much; he won't be able to rule the Tower with strength at this point.
Kokuō: Ruling doesn't always have to be solely on strength.
"Let's keep pushing until we reach the 30th floor." Wangnan suddenly said after getting over his embarrassment, leading the others to look at him while Naruto threw away his wrapper.
"Why the 30th Floor...?" Arkraptor asked, and as Wangnan responded, all the color on Naruto's face vanished.
"The Workshop Battle is on the 30th Floor in two months." Despite explaining, Naruto began tuning everything out as flashbacks started happening. Yet before they consumed him, he jolted upon a hand resting on his shoulder and turned to meet Yihwa's worried yet reassuring gaze. Naruto took a deep breath and let it out.
"We'll join the battle and get all the good items." As Wangnan spoke, Naruto stepped forward.
"Actually-" He was cut off by Goseng speaking up suddenly.
"Hey, come and have a look at this." Goseng calls the entire group, who turn towards her. They gather around her lighthouse, which is activated to show its feed. Naruto stands back, but his gaze meets Yihwa's, and he nods before they join the group.
"I found this one in the box. Doesn't he look similar to Horyang?" The picture shown was of a man amongst a small crowd with a hairstyle and outfit similar to Horyang's.
"Cassano…?"
"Who?"
"Cassano Beniamino, he's the Devil's Right Arm."
28F RESIDENTIAL AREA
The group had returned to their room, a large, spacious living room with grey walls and a black, rugged floor. Prince and Miseng had fallen asleep, leaving the rest of them to listen to Horyang, who sat before them all.
"He's my childhood friend and the Devil's Right Arm, who you've all heard of." This was a surprise because many rumors about the said individual had been heard.
"Cassano and I were abandoned kids in the middle area because having babies without permission is prohibited in the middle area; many kids are abandoned, with the exception of certain families that have been given permission. It's obvious how they'll turn out. They'll die or be sold. Cassano and I were lucky to be sold as material to the Workshop." When Naruto and Yihwa heard the last part, their eyes widened as Yihwa glanced back at Naruto, whose face was a mash of many emotions, with Viole noticing Naruto's reaction.
"The Workshop is not just a place where items are made. They do anything for their own experimentation. It's not a big deal for them to use abandoned kids as experiment materials. Even now, a number of kids in the middle area are sacrificed as material for the Workshop. For one weapon to be completed and sold to us, you can't imagine how many lives are sacrificed. I was one of those lives, and I was grown for a long time in an incubator so I could be used as a testing material-" Horyang stopped when he heard Naruto's name being shouted and looked up to see he was grabbing his chest, taking deep breaths with a look of panic on his face as Yihwa was shouting his face as the blonde collapsed onto the ground with Horyang's eyes widening as the others running to his side.
Shukaku: Dammit, his words caused a panic attack!
Matatabi: Naruto, take deep breaths, and calm down!
Isobu: Don't think about the past!
Son Gokū: We should have shut his mouth!
As this was happening in Naruto's mind, Horyang watched the others gathered around Naruto before his eyes widened in realization.
"He was also-" He was cut off when he met Yihwa's gaze while she was kneeling down next to Naruto, giving him a look that said to drop it.
"Why did he just fall over? Is he hurt?!" Wangnan asked, worried, just as Prince and Miseng entered the room to see Naruto's state. Miseng ran to his side in worry as he was shaking.
Gyūki: I thought he was finally conquering the past?
Kokuō: He tries his hardest not to think about the past, and he finally managed to talk about it a while ago, but it doesn't make sense for him to react like this.
Chōmei: We were lucky until now, but it doesn't make sense.
Gyūki: Kurama, you need to-
Naruto's eyes widen before they close as his body goes still, shocking the others, who panic as Wangnan goes to get help.
1-8: KURAMA!
Matatabi: You know we chose never to impede our will on Naruto; why did you knock him out?!
Kurama: It's better this way. After finding out he wasn't the only one. In fact, realizing how many others went through the same torture he went through, hundreds of thousands being used for experiments, has plunged him into a deep despair. Knocking him out was the best way to stop it...
As this happened, darkness overtook Naruto, but as it did so, he saw an image of someone he did not recognize: a blonde-haired woman smiling with her face blanked out.
(Natsuhiboshi, why are you so red?
Because I had a sad dream last night.
My eyes are red from the tears I've shed.
Swollen as I cried.)
A pair of eyes open to be greeted by a familiar feeling before they widen, and he sits up in a panic but stops upon seeing Yihwa asleep on the side of the bed, sitting on a chair.
Matatabi: She hasn't left your side...
"I see...thank you, Kurama, everyone..."
Kokuō: Naruto, go back to bed you should rest.
"This needs to end, I can't keep being afraid of the past..." As he thought those words, he stared at his hands and started shaking as he recalled his family and the hundreds of graves he didn't know about. "I can't stop the shaking..."
Saiken: Naruto...
His vision began to blur, and tears started to form in his eyes before he heard or felt movement. Yihwa had begun to stir, and Naruto rubbed his eyes just as she woke up, her eyes widening.
"What time is-" He was cut off as a pair of arms wrapped around him, pulling him close into her chest.
"Yihwa...?"
"Whenever it feels like you can't hold yourself together, talk to me about it..." As he heard those words, he felt something wet hit his face, and he looked up to be met with her teary eyes. "Because you're not the only one who suffers when you get like this..."
When he heard those words, his eyes widened as he felt something stirring in his chest and immediately bubbling to the surface. He sat up, wrapping his arms around her, and before she said a word, he hugged her as her head rested against his chest.
"N-Naruto...?" She said, appearing to get flustered at the sudden switch of who was being hugged. She looked up to have her tears wiped away by the teary-eyed Naruto, who was smiling down at her.
"Thank you. I'm okay now. Whenever I'm feeling down, I'll talk to you about it, so please don't cry." His words had taken her by surprise, and she flushed before they separated, with Naruto rubbing the tears away.
"It's late, but Horyang should still be up. I... I need to talk—" he stops, seeing her shake her head suddenly.
"Viole said he was going to be late coming back after he talked to him, yet there still hasn't been any sign, and he's not answering his pocket." At this point, Naruto gets out of bed.
"Where's Viole-" The door opens, and they turn to see a surprised Wangnan, all dressed up for the cold, now looking surprised as he runs to Naruto.
"Naruto, are you okay?" he cut him off as he grabbed his shoulders. "Where's Viole?!"
This got a look of surprise before he got serious.
"He left to bring Viole back. He tried to hide it, but something was up; Arkraptor, Prince, and I were about to head out, but we needed help getting a ship." This shocked both of them before Yihwa looked serious.
"I'll take care of that." The two of them looked at her determined face. "If you're going to chase after him, I can rent a floating ship for us. I'll be able to get one from my Family."
With that said Naruto cracks his knuckles.
"Let's go save our friends!" Hearing his words and seeing the determined look on his face, they smiled.
THAT VERY NIGHT, NEAR SUNRISE
"What happened here?" Muttered Naruto, standing next to Prince, Yihwa, Akraptor, and Wangnan and staring at the rubble of the destroyed monument of The Hand of Arlen that Horyang went to and Viole as well; it appeared no one was nearby with chances of being crushed high.
"VIOLE! HORYANG!" Naruto suddenly shouts as he claps his hands together. All nine beasts appear, taking them by surprise as they scatter amongst the rubble. Naruto looks around for any sign while Yihwa stares at her pocket in confusion.
"What's wrong, Flame Thrower?" His question only caused her to cross her arms.
"Mr. Viole's pocket is un-"
"Over here!" Shukaku shouted, gaining the others' attention as they gathered in the center. "I sent sand down the cracks and crevasses. There's someone trapped and unconscious, luckily alive."
"How will we get him out of there?" Yihwa asked, not knowing what method to use. Then Wangnan chucks his explosive Pokeball at it, causing an explosion that shocks them.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Arkraptor demands as he grabs Wangnan's jacket collar. They could be —" He is cut off as Naruto is already sliding down as the other beasts disappear. When they look down, they find Naruto walking out of the crater with a blue-haired guy being carried in a piggyback style and gripping Viole's pocket.
A startled awakening was what a certain Khun family member was staring at a ceiling before turning his gaze to see a sleeping Naruto sitting at his bedside on a chair. Slowly, he started to sit up before he froze. He felt something on his back, causing him to jolt and turn, and he was met with a miniature white horse lying on the bed behind him, staring at him.
"I am Kokuō, I suggest you not try anything. Naruto needs his rest." Hearing those words, the blue-haired guy's eyes widen.
"Anima, huh? His Shinheuh appears to be intelligent?" He glances back at Naruto, still asleep. "Is he part of the Lo Po Bia Family?" He starts to think about what he could do in this situation as he looks around for the Bowl that he presumes would contain Kokuō. His eyes widen as he feels a chill, and he turns to see a miniature Nine-Tailed Fox sitting on the bed, one eye open and staring at him.
"If you value your life, don't try anything and wait for him to wake up." That single warning unnerved Khun, who glanced back at Naruto. Seeing as he had no plans on getting away, he simply obeyed, lying back in bed.
By the time his eyes opened again, his eye started to twitch at seeing Son Gokū, Gyūki, and Kurama playing cards on him as if he were a table; Kurama's butt was in his face, his gaze moving to see Naruto wasn't in the room anymore.
"Got any 3's?"
"Nope."
"Can you get off me." Khun asks, gaining all three of their attention.
"We are in the middle of a game; if you don't shut up, I will fart." His threat caused Khun to sweat drop and look in disbelief at how they were taught, but his eyes moved to the door when it opened to show an awake Naruto.
"Oh, you're awake, guys. Can you get off him?" His words gained groans as they puffed away, leaving the two alone. Naruto sat beside him, holding a plate of apple slices and a knife. He sat in the chair beside the bed, placing the plate on him as he cleaned off the cards.
"Sorry about that; they tend to do odd things." As Naruto spoke, Khun eyes the knife. "They were getting bor-" Naruto was cut off as Khun grabbed the knife and went to grab Naruto when suddenly his hand was caught, the grip almost crushing, which caused him to flinch as he moved his gaze to Naruto, expecting anger, but his eyes widen seeing a sad look on his face.
"I don't know you, not even your name. But my friend left his pocket with you, so he must trust you enough to do something like that; after all, he's a good person, and you're only alive now because of him." His words surprised Khun before his eyes widened when he saw Naruto grasp his hand with his free hand and lift it as if praying; looking up, he met a different gaze in his eyes: determination. "If he trusts you, I will also trust you, so please...help me save him and Horyang." His words caused Khun's eyes to widen all the way; many things went through Khun's head: how foolish he sounded, how unbelievable he sounded, and how untrustworthy he sounded. Yet despite those things, just meeting his gaze, Khun's own heart had a different answer.
"Why...do I feel like he reminds me of Bam?"
xxxxxCHAPTER ENDxxxxx
Author Note: With this, the next part begins, and how the volume ends will affect the canon events.
