AN: We Now Return You To Your Regularly Scheduled Programming
Also, a slice of buttered toast and a chicken to pet for all of my fellow Peach Creek Cobblers!
Disclaimer: Bonesboy15 doesn't own Helluva Boss or Naruto. The following is a written work of fan-fiction. It contains adult language and situations. Reader discretion is advised.
Who's That Father?
Next Big Thing
(Then: Earth, Scandinavian Forest)
"Oof!" A lean but scrawny teenager slammed into the snow-covered ground courtesy of a technicolor rainbow blast from above. The boy, with a mess of dirty blond hair, groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. He brushed the snow from the orange prison jumpsuit he was forced into prior to donning his disguise and shivered when the frozen liquid slid down the interior past his junk. He glared at the handful he scooped up with bright blue eyes. "What the fuck is this horrible cold shit? Some kind of cold brine?"
"That would be snow, Brat." The old, white haired, near seven foot giant that was Jiraiya's human disguise chuckled. His bright red eyes crinkled as he grinned toothily at the scowling teen. "It's the legit shit, too, not the frozen loogies from Envy or the fabricated Hollywood crap."
"And this is the place that started it all, huh?" Naruto asked. He huffed at the cold air that brushed over him. "I fucking hate it already."
"Sounds about right." Jiraiya nodded with a smirk. He stepped past Naruto and took a deep breath. "Ah, but get a whiff of that fresh air! Not a fucking soul to be seen, other than us of course. Welcome to one of the last untainted places on Earth, Runt. Better fucking appreciate it while you can, because it won't fucking last long."
"What the fuck does that mean?" The annoyed teen scowled when the older, disguised Hound snarled at him.
"It means that fucking humans are getting out of fucking control."
"Whatever...Bigoted old Perv." Naruto muttered as he rolled his eyes. Jiraiya's feelings on the descendants of Adam were nothing positive, never had been and never will be. Sinners were no exception to this bitter feeling. He preferred the company of most Hellborn or even animals to anything remotely related to humanity. It's why he avoided Pride like the plague. He crossed his arms and let his lip curl back to display his annoyance. "Now can you tell me why I'm dressed up like a fucking ex-con?"
"Fucking pups today, bunch of shitheaded ingrates," Jiraiya said, low enough not to be heard by humans – not that there were any, if what he said moments ago were anything to go by – but not quiet enough for Naruto to miss it. He glared glowing blue eyes and growled at the older Hellhound, but was ignored. "You asked me to toughen you up, believe it or not, that's the first step to becoming the toughest Hound in Hell. It's also the fucking hardest, so fucking kudos to you, Brat. That jumpsuit you're wearing will make you stick out like a sore thumb. You can't remove it for this exercise nor can you drop your disguise. If you have to piss or shit, use the zipper and flap."
"Gross, but fine." Naruto huffed. "What am I doing?"
"Surviving, dipshit." Jiraiya snorted and held a hand up when the fourteen year old opened his mouth to argue. "You have street smarts and a bit of a brain behind that, but in the real world – Hell or Earth – you need more than that. I'm going to hunt you for the month, the first two days are yours to accumulate to the environment. If you die, then, oh fucking well. If I catch you before times up? Clock starts over."
"What's the catch?"
"Like I said. You need to survive, Brat. That's it." Jiraiya smirked. "Have fun playing caveman."
He was gone in a rainbow colored flash, leaving Naruto to survey his surroundings.
"...Like fuck I'm going to die out here." He snarled and started to trek deeper into the wood. The faint salt of the ocean he could smell would be good to fish in, but he wasn't hungry. He was thirsty, though, so finding a stream or some kind of water source was his first priority. Now, there was only one small problem...
"What the fuck does Earth's freshwater smell like?"
(Now: Pride, I.M.P. Main Office)
Blitzø hadn't come home at all the day before, which prompted Loona and Naruto to take advantage of his absence throughout the early hours of Sunday morning.
Yeah, unfortunately, it turned out that they couldn't slip away after the movie night because Himawari started crying when their second film choice, a classic action flick from the 90s called Live Rough, started with a literal bang in the form of a building's explosion. So, rather than try to slip away from the clearly traumatized pup – what? Yeah, Loona was a horny bitch that wanted a good fuck from her hot DILF boyfriend, but she wasn't that much of a horny bitch – they slept in a big Hellhound cuddle pile. Himawari squeezed between the couple, Loona's arms around her while Naruto's massive body cuddled them both. It was something Loona hadn't done since she was younger than the pup in question, if she had at all.
Instead, it was between the time the puppy slept in that morning and while she washed and played in her morning bath, that the two adult Hounds put quite a few notches in Loona's bedpost, and damn near broke the frame in the process. They also managed to share a shower while the Squirt ate a bowl of cereal and watched Pride's shit excuse for morning cartoons. Was it as nice as taking a night for themselves? No. Was it still amazing and reaffirmed her growing plans to fully lock in on the Hound she was dating? Hell fucking yes. Even if it meant she might have to continue to babysit occasionally.
Strangely enough, she found herself not wholly opposed to the idea. Something that was made known when Naruto asked Himawari if she was ready to go after they got dressed. Rather than suffer through a rough goodbye, she offered to take the puppy for the morning and would bring her down to Gluttony after work.
"She's not so bad to hang around...for a puppy, I mean," She had said with a shrug. The puppy turned her damned adorable pleading face on her father – which fulfilled some proper vindication on Loona's part; serves him right for not properly hiding his amusement when his stupidly adorable little puppy pleaded at her for a sleepover she was never against in the first place on Saturday night – and he folded faster than a piece of paper, or Blitzø when any form of alcohol was in his immediate vicinity.
Needless to say, Loona was in extremely high spirits when she walked into work that morning – because Hell didn't have 'nine to five' workdays, since it's Hell; bills had to be paid before evictions took place and with how crowded the Pride Ring was, evictions were a constant threat – despite her boyfriend's puppy once more at her heels. Shit, that was even part of the reason for her high spirits, much to her surprise. They stopped at Hothead's for her fifth cup of the day while the pup got a shake. Hopefully, the sugar rush would have a heavy crash that Loona could take advantage of to get back in touch with the few friends she made at Bee's Party last week.
"Here you go, Mr. Moxxie!" The Squirt chirped as she held a plate of their remaining treats up to the Fatass. He slowly blinked his eyes, evidently still reeling from the horror of mornings – on that, Loona begrudgingly left him alone. She hated waking up this stupid early for the job, too; stupid Sinners and their weird sleep habits or lack thereof – and stared blankly at her. His old lady elbowed him and he shook himself.
"I'm sorry, what was that, sweetheart? I'm still, erm, waking up."
"Miss Loona and I made cookies on Saturday! Have one!" The Squirt offered again cheerily, bushy little tail wagging nonstop.
"...She baked cookies?" Fatass muttered lowly, scrutinizing the older She-Hound with a dubious stare. Loona curled her lip at him and sent him a quick growl. The Squirt, oblivious or ignoring the older she-hound's response – if it were the latter, Loona would need to have a talk with her; she didn't hang out with disobedient pups, no matter how hot their dads were – continued to smile.
"Yep! Iced them ourselves, too! Daddy said they were really, really good!"
"Well, ain't that fuckin' sweet?" Millie smiled at her before she snatched one from the top of the pile. She took a bite and froze mid-chew before she reached out and gave the Hellpup some gentle scratches. "These are so good! Thank you, Lil' Wari."
"Himawari." The puppy corrected even as she preened under the little hag's affectionate touch. Loona huffed and felt some tension melt from her shoulders.
"That good? Well, I'm trying to watch what I eat, but one cookie–" Fatty aimed a scowl at her as he took the next available cookie – also, the one covered in the most icing; yeah Fatty was watching his diet her fine ass – from the plate, and she ignored the dirty look just to make a point. "–shouldn't deviate it too much."
He stuck the cookie in his mouth, bit down on a small piece of the corner and then, mid-chew, he also froze. Sulfuric eyes looked down at the cookie in hand, up to Loona, back to the cookie in his hand again, then down to the puppy, and finally back down to the cookie in his hand once more. He swallowed.
"Oh my Satan."
"Good shit, right?" Millie asked with a grin. She snagged another cookie after she topped the first one off and ruffled the puppy's hair again. "Thanks for the sweets, Sug! C'mon, Mox, it was Blitz' turn to get the coffee so we might as well go use our stash to get a head start."
"Right, right." Fatty muttered as he stuffed his cookie into his mouth and then snagged another. And then another. He got all the way to the far office door before he ran back with a third in hand.
"Um...should we just give these to Mr. Moxxie, or was that another for one Miss Millie?" The Squirt looked up at her questionably. Loona stared at her for a moment before she smirked.
"No, we'll leave the rest on Blitzø's desk. He'll throw a fucking bitch fit if we let the fatty eat all of them."
"Okay! Can we cross the calendar days off after? I brought my markers!" The wide-eyed smile and frantic tail wag made that stupid fucking vice wrap around in her chest again. To alleviate some of the pressure, she allowed herself a small smile and gently scratched the puppy's head.
"Sure thing, Squirt."
(Wild Things Facilitated - Main Offices)
With eyes on the verge of crossing out of sheer boredom, Naruto looked over the next report of the various Freelancer Assaults on the Familiawit Knolastname's warehouses and fronts last week. Over three billion in damages and the Greed-born Imp families that 'paid' for protection at these locations were demanding recompense on top of that. Buster had done what he could to mitigate the damages, but there were so fucking many frustrated Freelancing Hellhounds at Naruto's company right now. He had to find some way to pay up before this went over his head and bankrupted the PMC, and was consequently going over the report in the meantime.
"Anti-Christ, at this rate I'll have to fucking ask Bee." He grumbled, as he rubbed his eyes.
Torturing Crimson to near death and then forcing him into his servitude had alleviated a lot of the CEO's stress, almost as much as sex would, but doing it so soon and before Saturday left him on fumes for that venture. Vortex's departure on Friday appeared to have thrown Bee off of her game, and she seemed to realize it, as she asked for a rain check halfway through round three. He didn't ask any questions other than to confirm it, and once that was done he dipped back to Pride to pick his puppy up and fill his girlfriend in. That ended up being the first time they stayed a night at her place.
Side note, her bed? Not great for him or their favorite joint activity. Himawari, however, loved Loona's bed and slept a whopping two extra hours past her normal wake up.
"Ask Bee for what?"
The sudden question started Naruto from his recollection of the best Saturday night this far. He glowered up at the smirking abnormal Hellhound he loosely considered a friend. His lip curled back and he rose up from his seat to stand eye to eye with the Hound that had seemingly manifested in his makeshift office.
"Could you just fucking not do that, Rama?"
"It's not like I could knock, brat." Rama smirked at him and looked around. "Hm, and here I thought you said Himawari was out of school. Your personal assistant didn't have her, and her scent is faint."
"Loona took her today." Naruto admitted as he walked around the desk and stood just within the other Hellhound's arm's reach. He and Rama had a complicated relationship, but the support of the Hellhound that was older than he appeared was part of the reason Naruto made it this far along in life. Naruto cherished that support and the friendship they had – even if Rama became one of the most vicious and volatile of his friends, that would badmouth Vortex – enough to show him a semblance of respect.
Whether or not that would remain the case depended on Rama's answers to his questions.
"Oh? Is this Loona a candidate for mateship?" Rama pressed. Naruto narrowed his eyes and warned the older Hound off. The abnormal demon chuckled and his five fingered claws waved off Naruto's threat. "Calm down, Naruto. I only met her the one time; back at Queen Bee's party, so I was curious. You haven't called on me in ages, my friend, not until this morning. I was still under the impression that you and Roxanne were, how did you put it last? Taking a break?"
"Break turned out longer than anticipated, and we had another argument before the deal was called off. She went on tour." Naruto leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. "I raised my Pup. So, here we are."
"Here you are." Rama chuckled and let his hands fall behind him as he looked around. "This temporary arrangement is quite homey. Comfortable. More than the rest of your employees have–"
"They set it up, not me." Naruto narrowed his eyes. Rama smirked and he snarled. "Can we cut the 'reunion' shit and get on with it?"
"Get on with what?"
"Coy motherfucker–" Naruto bared his teeth and straightened up. "Who the fuck are you, Rama? And what the fuck are The Shadows of Sin? Why does Bee-Lzebub hate your guts–?"
"Well, that last one is easy. She's mad at me because I make sure her actions have consequences."
"What do you mean?"
"She took what was mine and broke The Arrangement that exists between The Seven Deadly Sins and The Nine Shadows of Sin. In recompense, I took what she believed was hers." Rama explained. Naruto growled at him and his red eyes rolled where they rested in the void-like patterns that went to his ears. "I speak the truth, Naruto. I would not lie about this, especially not to you, my dear friend."
"Friends don't keep secrets like this from each other."
"Hm, is that what you think?" Rama smirked. He shrugged. "Maybe you're right. I don't know. The culture of Hellhounds, of Gluttony, does not align with my attributes."
"...This isn't answering any of my fucking questions." Naruto grumbled. The crimson hound chuckled.
"No, I suppose it wouldn't. To explain, I need to ensure we have complete and total privacy. Do you mind if I do so?"
"As long as I get my answers? No." Naruto waved his hand. "Go nuts."
"Dangerous to give me a blank check like that. Very well." Rama lifted his weird right hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly, they were in a dark void before a faint, ugly light started to shine upon them. Something wet tickled at Naruto's paws. He stepped back and there was a faint trickle of water. Blue eyes scanned around.
"Rama?"
"A moment, Naruto." The deeper, larger voice penetrated his being more than just his ears. There was a gentle shudder and a ripple tracked across the low tide of water. "I was just... overcome by my nostalgia."
"Nostalgia? Rama where–? Unholy fuck!" Naruto jumped back with his claws raised and teeth bared as a massive orange fox emerged from the shadows. Easily thrice if not more than the size than the building he ran his PMC out of. Naruto growled and felt his hackles rise before the fox's eyes opened. White surrounded the red, parted the black, but now...now he was recognizable. His fists fell, as did his hackles, tail and jaw. "Rama?"
"Kurama, actually." The massive creature, Rama, Kurama, whatever his name was, said. Two long arms, solid furred and ended with five dexterous claws, swung out below his head and crossed. The massive beast lowered himself down to grin at Naruto, and when he spoke, his mouth didn't move. A pseudo-telepathy? The outright act would be a possibility, but Naruto couldn't fathom it. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Kurama, the Kyūbi no Kitsune, Ninth of the Tailed Beasts, The Shadow of Gluttony's Violence."
"...Hi." Great first words to a friend that turned out to be, what, an Archfiend? A Fallen Demigod? Naruto shook that off. He crossed his arms and straightened up. "Shadow of Gluttony's Violence? So, what, you're empowered by Queen Bee's negative 'Vibes'?"
"Tch, 'Vibes'. A simplification of feelings I never quite understood, and to be frank with you, I doubt Beelzebub understands it herself." Kurama grumbled, eyes flashing before he huffed a sigh and Naruto was granted a gust of hot air to the face. No particular odor, just a very prominent heat. Wonderful. "No, Negative Emotions are what I fuel myself with, and if left unchecked, the unbalance Beelzebub makes by devouring the Positive around her will devastate the realm. It is a balance that the Shadows create, to ensure that this realm won't go the same as the last too soon by its inattentive rulers."
"...The last?" Naruto asked, brows furrowed as he absorbed the information. It sounded like the Shadows weren't against the Sins, exactly, but acted as a limiting force. How strong were they to actually contest that? Naruto didn't much like the implications.
"A tale for another time." Kurama tilted his head and grinned. "Just know that 'Hell' is much older than a mere ten thousand years."
"Bullshit!" Naruto took a step forward and pointed at the 'Shadow'. His chest burned as if Beelzebub were trying to get his attention, and maybe she was. He was busy, though, so she could wait. They agreed to hold off until Saturday. "Hell came to be when Lucifer fell! He rallied the Fallen beside him to stand as Sins! And from there, the Goetia and other ranking demons fell in line!"
The outburst surprised him. He knew it, sure, every Hellborn with basic education knew it. It's why the Hierarchy was as it was. Still, it didn't explain why Hellhounds were bottom tier, when their myths and legends compared to the rest of Hell's denizens were vast amidst Earth's dominant populace. But if Hell was older than ten thousand years...That could explain a lot.
"My, but that indoctrination runs deep doesn't it? Or is that just your Will of Fire reading its head again?" The will of what? The fox continued before he could press. "No, boy, that was the name they granted the event. In their attempt to control the narrative. The 'Fall From Grace, Descent Into Hell' shortened to a measly four letter word." Kurama shook his head. "Sentients are the same no matter the origin, no matter the loop, but again, that is a conversation best left for another day. I answered your questions, boy."
"Fuckin–! Fine!" The Hellhound scowled and crossed his arms. "What did she take?"
"You." Naruto let his jaw drop again. Kurama grinned wide and his eyes flashed brightly as a chuckle echoed around them. Nine tails waved in childlike amusement behind the massive beast. "Yes. You are Mine, Naruto Uzumaki, just as I am Yours. We are bound together by bonds stronger than that of blood or kinship."
"As flattering as it is, what fucking bonds are you talking about?" Naruto scowled as his tail lashed behind him.
"Combat. Conquest. Collaboration." The Shadow narrowed his eyes. "You and I...We have such a rich history, Naruto Uzumaki. And I wish I could clarify everything for you now, but to do so would divulge secrets to Beelzebub that she really doesn't need to be told about."
Great, so the Sin's House Seal doubled as a relay. Fucking awesome. Naruto growled at the implications.
"We will convene again at a later date–" The Shadow of Violence looked up and his smile fell for the first time throughout the conversation. "Naruto, you are needed. Remember, you have my number. Anything, if it is in my power..."
Just as suddenly as Rama appeared in his office, so too did Kurama and his – pocket dimension? ..That sounds right. Fuck, what the shit did he get involved in? – pocket dimension vanished. Naruto was left alone in his office, leaning on the desk. Before he could really get his bearings, Priscilla stepped in with her tablet in her arm.
"I could have sworn you blocked the nine A.M. slot for a meeting, but he never show–Shit! Naruto?!" Priscilla rushed over and jostled his shoulder. He blinked a few times and sniffed. Was someone bleeding? "Naruto? Your nose is–"
Ah, it was him.
"Bleeding? Great." He accepted the handkerchief that was given to him and covered his bleeding snout. Priscilla continued to stare at him. Nerves frayed, he scowled. "Fucking what?"
"Your eyes ..are red. Were red?" She rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses. "I must be seeing things."
"What do–?" What? He glanced at bottle canter of Beelzejuice that had a reflective surface. Nope, still yellow-blue, near green in the reflection. Then what was Pris–? A flare on his chest had him stop and scowl down toward the orange light coming up from his collarbone. He growled at it and shunted the sharp burst of 'interest' aside. "Get over yourself, Bee. We agreed to Saturday."
"Queen Bee giving you a hard time?" Priscilla asked with a knowing look. He held a finger up and closed his eyes while he kept pressure on his bleeding nose. He felt a fucking migraine forming and it wasn't even noon yet.
"I'm not in the fucking mood, Pris. Don't fucking start."
"Alright. Well, since your nine o'clock is a no show, your schedule is clear for the next hour."
What? Naruto looked at his watch. Did all that conversation happen in...A minute? Less? Fuck. He lowered his arm and groaned as he rubbed his head.
"Boss? The handkerchief?"
"...I fucking hate today." Naruto groaned and let his head hang as he dropped the hand from his head, the bloody handkerchief in it just slightly smeared. "What's happening later today?"
"Nothing too pressing–"
His phone howled. Loona must have reached her limit with Himawari. He sighed and sank onto his desk, ignoring his P. A.'s questioning stare. Instead he mustered up a smile, not too hard because he was genuinely happy to hear his girlfriend's voice.
"Hey, Loo, what's–?"
"Uzumaki." That was a pointedly male voice. Not Loona, not any of the IMP employees. Male. Unknown. His mouth clicked shut and a growl built into the back of his throat. "I have something that belongs to you."
"No shit, you're calling me from my girlfriend's phone." Naruto felt his lips curl. Loona was tough, she faced him down plenty of times and he'd done his research on her just as she had on him. Her rap sheet wasn't anything too special, a few assaults and attempted theft in Greed that didn't amount to much of anything, so he wasn't too worried. But if they had her phone, and were using it, that meant she was unconscious or worse.
Don't be a Pup-snatching. Don't be a Pup-snatching. Don't be a fucking Pup-snatching!
"Say hi." The phone jostled over the other end and a whimper caught his ears. His heart plummeted to his stomach and his blood ran cold. No, no, no...Fuck!
"Daddy?" The soft sniffle didn't just confirm his fears, but it broke his heart.
"Pickle." Naruto was back on his feet and snapped his fingers at Priscilla. His free hand flashed through various gestures, and he watched his P.A.'s eyes glow brighter and brighter with each passing second, just as he knew his were. He nodded to the entry to his makeshift office and turned away as she left. "Hey, Baby Girl. Are you okay?"
"Th-They t-took Miss Loona. Th-They put...they put somethin on my head. It really hurt my muzzle."
"Are you hurt?" That would decide how fast the abductors died. Regardless of the answer his puppy gave him, the fact that they dared put them in his crosshairs.
"...lil bit...Daddy, I wanna come home," his puppy whined. He heard her trying to hold back her tears. A sharp keen broke through and she let out a sob. "I'm-I'm scared!"
"Shh, shh, shh...It's gonna be okay, Pickle. Daddy's going to come get you and Miss Loona and he'll bring you both back home." Naruto started to pace before he heard the phone shuffle about again. He bared his teeth in a silent snarl at the soft breath that came over the receiver. Before the Unknown could even talk, he snarled, loudly: "Listen, motherfucker. I don't know who the fuck you are yet, but I hope you realize that you just signed your own fucking death warrant."
"Careful now, I have a terrible memory. It's so easy for me to forget how…fragile... children can be, regardless of species." The emphasis he put on 'fragile' made Naruto's fur bristle. He snarled over the line and the speaker chuckled. "There's a good dog. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to make a trip, schedule some flights, maybe book a hotel. You're unreachable for the foreseeable future."
"And I take it this spontaneous vacation of mine will be to a meeting point of your discretion?" His claws dug into the top of his desk.
"What a clever dog you are. Fresh out of treats, though. Sorry."
"Bummer. I'll have to make due somehow." Naruto growled as his left eye twitched. He was going to rip this smug fucker's head off of his shoulders. Or wherever it was, some demonic anatomy was just plain fucking weird.
"Oh and, it should be obvious, but I feel it prudent to say that if you try anything…" There was a yelp and the sound of whimpers that caused him to tighten his grip on his Hellphone. "Well, like I said, I am very forgetful."
"Where and when, fucker?" Naruto snarled, jaw clenched tight.
"Tonight. At the coordinates texted to your phone."
"It's a date." Naruto growled and waited for the line to go dead. He pulled his phone from his ear and switched to a different contact. He hit it before he stormed out of the makeshift office tent. Awaiting him was the Lambda Team, geared up and ready. His preferred AR was held out by Haze, the 'muscle' of the group, and taken with a nod. As they moved as one, Mitch put a finger to his ear.
"Control, this is Lambda One, we're on the move to the transport depot. Over."
"Brat." Naruto heard in his own ear as he fumbled with the radio collar Jay – Lambda's beagle-like technician – tossed to him. "Do you have any fucking idea–?!"
"Himawari's been taken!" Naruto snarled as he followed the Squad to the APC that their latest acquisition so kindly donated to their cause. Alpha was already loaded up and Rex helped him into a seat beside Lambda's techie. Jay held up a small tablet in front of Naruto, the contents on the screen made his blue eyes shine bright. "Heading Topside, my guess is it was the local excuse for a government that did something and got ahold of her. Run damage control or follow, I don't fucking care which!"
"Deep breaths kid. You'll get the pup back. What happened? I thought she was with your girl?"
"She was! Loona doesn't go into the field, she should've been safe! I just–." Naruto clenched his jaw when he felt his eyes begin to burn. He had to lock it down, he had to put that reaction off until after he got his puppy back. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "She should have been safe. Something has gone wrong. I was sent some coordinates to go to later tonight."
"Sounds like Buckzo fucked up, to me." Jiraiya growled. "Alright Brat, I'll look into those coordinates on my end. You focus on getting your puppy back."
"Right, yeah."
"Hey, I fucking mean it, Brat. Focus." Jiraiya ordered before his call ended.
"Okay. Focus." Naruto closed his eyes and leaned back. He took another deep breath and tried to clear his head. His lip curled, all he could hear was his Puppy crying. A balled fist nudged into his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see Rex sitting down opposite him. The white hound nodded at him.
"We'll get her back, Boss. Not one fucking Hound under you that will let this shit stand uncontested." Rex told him as he strapped in. His red eyes flashed and he bared his teeth. "No one hurts our pup and lives to think about it."
"Damn straight!" Kodiak barked from where he sat in the driver's seat as he steered them to the not-so-secret, extremely secured exit to Earth. The rest of the Hellhounds in the APC growled their assent and the unified agreement helped Naruto quell his worry for his puppy enough to let his cold fury at her faceless abductor take hold. His Hounds' ravenous hunger for this unknown enemy's blood was infectious and his glowing blue eyes lit the dark interior of the military grade vehicle along with the eight sets of red.
Right. Naruto let out a relaxed breath. He adjusted the com link collar around his neck and put the receiver in his ear. He pressed down on the comm. "Control, this is Foxtrot, equipment check. Verify, over."
"Foxtrot, this is Control." Priscilla reported over the radio. "I verify, equipment check is good. All Teams, this is Control. We have a Code Purple. Alpha, Lambda and Foxtrot: en route. Beta, Gamma, Echo and Iota: ready up and standby. Over."
"All Teams, this is Foxtrot." Naruto cued in once his P.A. had finished and full messages of assent – begrudging on the parts of Beta, Gamma, and Echo, but professional on the freshly formed Iota – came through. "I won't sugarcoat it, Assholes: we are going in blind. Possibly outnumbered. Maybe outgunned. If anyone has any reservations about this operation, you know where the fucking door is. Standby."
He waited. No one spoke, shit, not a single Hellborn breathed. Naruto closed his eyes again. Fuck, but he was a lucky sonovabitch to have such a loyal group. He put a claw to his microphone again.
"All Teams, this is Foxtrot. This is a rescue operation first and foremost. Friendly VIP is pediatric, so for fucks sake, you will demonstrate a full control over your trigger fingers. Control, I want Medical standing by and ready for pediatric and various Hellborn, read back, over."
"Foxtrot, Control. I read back, Medical standing by and ready for pediatric VIP and Various Hellborn, over."
"Correct, over."
"Wilco, over."
"Roger, out." Naruto put his claw down and flared his nostrils. He growled and leaned up to the driver's window. "Kodi, ETA?"
"Five minutes, Boss."
"Shit, I knew signing up with this PMC had some perks, but damn!" Haze, a black labrador-like Hound chuckled. "Ain't never gotten on and off the Beelzebub Bypass in under three hours before!"
A scattering of chuckles filled the APC. Something didn't add up.
"How'd we get past the guards so fast?" Naruto asked.
"Didn't have any to stop us." Kodiak returned. Naruto and Rex shared a look. That was...not good, to put it mildly. Naruto put a claw to his collar again.
"Control, this is Foxtrot. Be advised, the bouncer is on break. I say again, the bouncer is on break. Over."
"Foxtrot, Control, I acknowledge. Sending Beta to secure the kitchen. Over."
"Roger, Control. Out." Naruto growled as he let his claws fall back to his AR. He locked eyes with Rex. "Major, I'm going to need you to run the lead on this one."
"I can do that, sir." Rex nodded.
"Good." Naruto closed his eyes. "Catching a wink. Wake me when we stop."
"Yes, sir."
Hang on, Pickle. Daddy's coming to get you. Hang on.
AN: Ugh, god it took too long to get this chapter done. I blame Helldivers II. I wasn't playing it, but I do blame it...I dunno, Steve, why do you think I blame it?!
Expect next chapter soon.
Thanks for Reading!