07: Sons and Daughters of Zaun
Powder looked on nervously as she stood on the side-lines with Ekko and Mylo. Claggor stood in the middle of the chalk drawn circle in between Vi and Naruto who were standing almost nose to nose.
Ekko had small notepad in hand and with pen in hand and on the latest page it had written on it.
Naruto vs Vi (2-2)
Powder's eyes flittered between her crush/best friend and her sister. They were both tough teens for their ages and they proved over the last two years since Jin rescued the direfox who was actually a boy.
And as Zaun tradition when growing up, especially when there's naught to do then squabble with rivals or even family, always trying to improve was a drive both Naruto and Vi shared.
Naruto broke eye contact with the older girl first looking past towards the observers and locked eyes with his best friend. The blonde smirked and raised his hand and wiggled his index and middle finger as a cute signal Powder taught last year.
The girl giggled at the older boy while Ekko slightly frowned.
"Oi Loverboy," Vi taunted with a smirk as she heard the blonde choke on his saliva "Ready to end this little series we got."
"Well, we did agree best out of five so…" Naruto snarked back as he rolled his eyes.
On the side, Mylo looked down to Ekko with a grin. "What do ya say Lil' Man whose ya money on?"
Ekko looked unsure before saying Vi.
"Damn it can't bet against you then." Mylo complained.
Powder just snorted.
"What?" Mylo questioned as he turned to his younger sister.
"You're only saying that because of your cru-"
"NA-NA!" Mylo shouted cutting the girl off from saying any more. "And besides pot meet kettle."
Powder flushed slightly before whipping her eyes to the three in the chalk drawn ring.
"Alright you know the rules… No biting, gouging and going low." Claggor said before stepping back. After both teens nodded as both took two steps away from each other, he looked over to Ekko and nodded as he stepped out of the chalk circle.
Ekko picked up a small pipe and dinged it against a rusty bell.
And with that Naruto stepped back in toward the centre of the circle standing practically toe to toe.
Vi swung first firing off a snappy jab that the blonde swerved out of range slightly as she tried a one, two combination that Naruto weaved in between with only the last strike almost slipping through his guard.
"Don't think so" Naruto muttered as he lashed out with a right hook that caught Vi on the temple that sent her stumbling slightly.
Vi rolled with the blow before planting her fear cracked the for tailed teen right in the ribs causing the boy to wince.
And almost mimicking what she had just done he landed a body shot on her liver.
'Gahh that one actually hurt.' Vi thought as she fought through the pain and stayed standing.
The blonde could see the hurt on Vi's face and decided to taunt the girl, so he lowered his guard and stuck his chin out and tapped his own knuckles against his chin. "This can't all you got right?"
Vi just spat off to the side before moving.
Naruto's eyes widened as survival instincts kicked in as the leant back slightly, just enough as he could feel the air displace as the pinkette's fist sail past. 'Fast?' the blonde thought before another fist drilled him right in the middle of his face causing him to stumble backwards.
On the side lines Powder winced with every heavy blow that connected. While Ekko was watching the two best fighters of their group go at it.
'One day I'm gonna be as strong them.' Ekko thought.
"They are really going for it." Claggor muttered as he posted up next to Powder.
"Yeah tell me about." Mylo said before wincing as Vi took another gut shot from the blonde. "They're monsters I swear."
'Please don't get too hurt.' Powder thought in worry as blue sparks began to appear around her.
"What the?" Powder said as the ground began to shake but only she could feel it as everyone continued on oblivious to the world around them.
Naruto and Vi dove in once more both launching haymakers at each other one right one left and just as they were about to make contact the world exploded in a horribly familiar blue light blowing Powder out of the alleyway.
As the girl stumbled to her feet she saw her family standing there with a lifeless look in their eyes staring at her.
"You're a jinx, who always screws up the job." Mylo sneered.
"He right nothing you do nothing but provide more stress, you needy brat." Claggor said flippantly.
Ekko was no longer a child but slightly older with actual hair but stood in line just as dead as the others. "I had a crush, until you started talking to the gun."
Vi stepped forward ahead of the group and grabbed the girl by the cheeks. "Mylo was right you will always be a jinx."
As Jinx ripped herself free from Not Vi's talking corpse Powder turned to run only to be met with Naruto as an walking corpse as he looked down softly at her. "Why would I want to be around such a broken little thing."
His words stung as the girl realised she was suddenly surrounded with all of the members of her family minus Vander and her parents screaming and shouting at the her causing to crouch and cover her ears trying to keep the voices out.
The 19 year old jolted upright, her blue eyes snapped awake from her cot at the memory turned nightmare. 'I'm Jinx, I am Jinx, Powder was weak, so she fell down a well.' She thought to herself as she shook off her subconscious mind being a dick.
As the girl looked around she couldn't see the blonde, but her ear picked something in the distance as an aroma made into her nose and she took a deep inhale. 'Naruto's making breakfast.' She thought in excitement before rushing off to the bathroom first.
In the wealthy North Ward of Piltover, where grand mansions of the elite cast long shadows over pristine streets, the Kiramman estate stood as a beacon of wealth and influence. The family was hosting Piltover's rising star, a young man of noble lineage and, through intricate family dealings, Caitlyn Kiramman's fiancé.
The blonde youth stood outside the estate's ornate gates his brow furrowed in contemplation. His piercing blue eyes scanned the horizon as he pieced together recent events.
"So, expensive Hextech-based gems go missing, enforcers turn up dead, and now Caitlyn has vanished without a trace," he mused, his voice a mix of concern and intrigue. The afternoon tea with the Kirammans had done little to quell his growing unease.
A low rumble drew his gaze skyward. An airship, its brass and copper hull gleaming in the fading sunlight, lumbered overhead. The young man's eyes followed its path, tracing an imaginary line from Piltover's lofty heights to the shadowy depths below. "I sense adventure, mystery and danger." The young man said as he thought back to his own daring explorer parents.
His lips curled into a determined smile as he adjusted the ornate gauntlet on his left arm. "Maybe I should take a trip to the Undercity," he declared, his voice tinged with excitement and a hint of recklessness. "
With a final glance at the Kiramman estate, the young man set off, his mind already racing with plans for his clandestine expedition into Zaun's depths.
Naruto was in the kitchen cooking up a storm, he even raided the good ingredients from Silco's fridge since he was out early this morning and Naruto spent most of the night up reading and studying those runes.
The had grabbed the record player that Jinx made and had it set up behind him.
(Play Our Love- Curtis Harding & Jazmine Sullivan)
The blonde closed his eyes and slowly swayed to the music as he stired the pot of food before him. After a couple of stirs Naruto felt dainty hands cover his eyes from behind.
"Guess whoo." A voice whispered.
"Oh, lemme guess… Council woman Medarda?"
One hand twisted his ear.
"Ow, ow, ow." Naruto griped. "I'm clearly joking Jinx." Naruto said as he turned and saw the look on her face. 'DEESCALATE!' was the only word in his mind.
As the girl was looking to storm off Naruto reached out and grabbed Jinx's wrist and pulled her in close. Still swaying to the music reluctantly she began to follow his lead.
Jinx rested her head on the blonde's chest using Naruto's heartbeat as a booming metronome.
"This was mums' favourite…"
"Was it?" Naruto asked as this was new information for him, he just liked the song.
"Yeah, I don't remember much about my mother, other that she smelt like axel grease… But Vander he let Vi and I know that this was our mother's favourite song."
"Well, your mum definitely had some good taste in tunes." The blonde complimented as the pair held one another before the smell of burning began to tickle Naruto's nose.
"Erm Naruto?"
"I know, just wait a couple of seconds the songs almost done." He muttered before spinning his dance partner and dipping her low, before pulling her close towards him.
By the end of the song the pair were touching foreheads two shades of blue lost in one another.
"Naruto…"
"Yeah,"
"The smell." She giggled.
"Ah a bit of burn never bothered no true Zaunite." Naruto bragged as he let go of the girl and turned back to the cooker. "Well eat this stuff and head out today. Silco wasn't home and all the morons below Sevika are running around like headless chickens."
Jinx nodded but wasn't really listen as she tried to temper the natural redness coming to her cheeks. "Yeah I got it."
"Good well then." Naruto said as he turned around pot in hand. "You ready for a not so toxic Zaunite breakfast."
Jinx just smiled and nodded and went to sit at the pre-set table.
Naruto glanced over his shoulder as he stared Jinx's back, her braids swaying with each step. 'This is my peace, nothing in the chaos that is Zaun will ever ruin this…' the blonde paused as Jinx turned and locked eyes with him.
'Why is he staring at me?' Jinx thought as she brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear, her cheeks warming again.
'Stunning,' was the only thing on his mind before he shook his head sideways. The blonde just coughed into his hand before he returned to dishing up breakfast.
In the depths of Zaun's underbelly, where the forgotten and abandoned struggle to survive, a dilapidated shack stood at the base of a rusted water tower with a. spiralling light fixture, a stark contrast to the surrounding gloom.
Inside the ramshackle dwelling, an hour had passed since Vi had ingested Shimmer-laced medicine to heal a severe gut wound. The potent concoction, while mending her physical injury, had plunged the pinkette into a nightmarish delirium. Caitlyn, her face etched with concern, cradled Vi's head and neck, desperately trying to keep her still.
"Enforcer first aid training does not prepare you for this," Caitlyn muttered, her voice a mix of frustration and worry. Her eyes darted between Vi's contorted face and her nearby rifle, ready for any potential threat.
Vi's body writhed as her mind battled against the Shimmer-induced hallucinations. Her voice, raw and filled with anguish, broke the tense silence. "Powder, I'm sorry," she mumbled, her words slurring together. "Naruto, Mylo, Claggor, Vander..." Her voice rose to a heart-wrenching cry, "Powder, NO!"
'They must be her family?' Caitlyn thought as she wondered what kind of painful memories this admittedly attractive ex-convict was currently reliving.
The names tumbled from Vi's lips, each one a testament to the ghosts that haunted her past. Caitlyn, witnessing this vulnerable moment, began to understand the depths of Vi's trauma and the complex web of relationships that defined her life in the Undercity.
As Vi's nightmare raged on, the spiralling lights atop the monument outside cast eerie, shifting shadows across the shack's interior, mirroring the turmoil within Vi's mind and the uncertain future that lay ahead for both women.
In the Lanes at The Last Drop was empty in comparison to when the Jinx and Naruto were here last, apart from a couple of patrons and the bartender, when Naruto and jinx walked in. the bartender spotted the taller of the pair first and his eyes widened in fear.
'Shit whenever Ninez is around then so….'
"Boo!"
"Gaah! Jinx!" the bartender shouted as the girl just popped up at the bar.
"Theirry!" Jinx shouted back with a manic energy.
"Sup T," Naruto said as he sat on the next to Jinx on the barstool.
"N-ninez, Jinx… what can I get you and for the last time its Theiram." The bartender with an anxious energy as he couldn't chose one person to look at.
"You can grab our usuals," Naruto responded as he spotted a package behind the bar with his name on it. 'What's that?' he thought to himself glanced at the box with mild interest.
"So, where is everybody?" Jinx asked looking around as her hands began to fidget with straws and anything else she could get her hands on.
Spotting the girls boredom start to take hold Naruto reached into his pocket and rolled the Hextech gemstone along the counter into the girls' hand. "Don't knock yourself out," he muttered as their drinks were placed before the pair.
"Here you go, and the boss man put the word out that everyone is looking for two girls." Theiram answered before he remembered something that started to make the man sweat.
'Whatever you do, don't tell Jinx who we are going after.' Silco warned.
"What girls, anyone we know?" Naruto asked with wiggling eyebrows.
"No!" The bartender shouted before coughing into his hand. "No, I mean no one of importance."
'That was a lie.' The blonde thought with a smirk as he discreetly tapped the counter with the point of his nail.
Jinx heard the signal but did not outwardly react as she dropped the gemstone into her drink as she played with both the gem and straw.
"So, if Pops called in everyone why are the three of us here?"
"Well, obviously I'm not needed for a couple of girls. I heard one was even an enforcer."
"Really now that's interesting." Naruto said with a grin, as he downed the rest of his drink. "Well, it can't be Firelights cuz we have enforcers for that the blonde continued before tapping the counter once more.
"But after the last Topside stunt you two pulled they don't want to play ball anymore.
Naruto and jinx both arched a brow. 'Bold,' they both thought at Theiram's blatant lie.
Naruto side eyed the girl to which she matched.
'Marcus is too much of a punk-ass to tell Silco no.' Jinx thought before she hummed focusing back on her drink and the gemstone within.
The blonde nodded before hopping over the bar causing Theiram to spin around missing Jinx move. "Oi! Wait you can't be back here."
Naruto stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly.
Theiram froze on the spot as he heard the metal in the bar creak around him. "Really T, are you telling me, me of all people that I can't come behind a bar I used to live in and pick up a package addressed to me?" Naruto said coolly as the threat was clear.
Theiram's face dropped all pretence. "My apologies 1000-fold."
The metal groaning stopped as Naruto released his control of his power before picking up the package and recognised Silco's writing. 'Did he get me an early birthday present? Or something… the blonde thought as he grabbed his package and left the away came only without the bluenettes by his side.
The blonde stopped at the doorway and glanced over his shoulder only to see Theiram back at the bar serving another customer.
Naruto just clicked his fingers, and a pin was removed.
In the middle of pouring the drink ticking could be heard by the patron and Theiram as they both panicked the patron ducked for cover. While Theiram ran on the spot like he had a live grenade on his back,
Naruto counted down the seconds before "Boom" he whispered before leaving the bar as the bartender who just feared for his life realised it was a paint grenade. As his back was covered in pink paint.
'Don't ever lie to our faces again.' Naruto thought as he stared at the Lane's before him. "Now then if I was looking for two girls." He said while putting up bunny fingers, "And one is an enforcer where would I go down here." The blonde thought for a moment, 'With everyone being so suspect over these girls and specifically not telling Jinx or me? What the hell is going on Pops.'
Naruto took off toward an old friend of Vander's with an unopen box in hand. Jinx's face flashed into the forefront of his mind. 'Something is coming.' He thought from just a feeling.'
In the dimly lit confines of Silco's office, Sevika burst through the door, her face contorted with frustration and pain. "Girl got a solid right hand," she muttered, massaging her aching jaw as she stepped into the room's centre.
"We lost 'em," Sevika announced to the seemingly empty office. Her words hung in the air for a moment before she felt an almost imperceptible tug at her ankle. Her eyes widened in sudden realisation. 'Is that a trip wire?'
Before she could react, a hiss filled the air as green gas erupted from hidden canisters. The office door slammed shut with a resounding thud, trapping Sevika in the rapidly filling room.
"The fuck?" she sputtered, desperately trying to cover her mouth and nose. Her vision began to swim, the room's edges blurring into a hazy fog. 'Shit, my vision...'
The chair behind Silco's desk slowly swivelled, revealing Jinx, her eyes gleaming with manic glee behind a gas mask. "Lost who?" she asked, her voice muffled but unmistakably taunting.
Sevika lunged forward, her movements sluggish and uncoordinated. She reached for the mask, a last desperate attempt to save herself, but her fingers grasped only air.
With practiced ease, Jinx slipped on the mask, watching impassively as Sevika collapsed at her feet. The older woman's consciousness faded, her last thoughts a jumble of confusion and anger. 'What the fuck is wrong with Vander's kids? Goddamn troub-'
"See... nothing but an ogre," Jinx muttered, her voice tinged with disdain. She stood over Sevika's prone form, a predatory gleam in her eyes. "Now, let's get to work."
As the gas settled, Jinx began methodically securing Sevika, her movements precise and practiced.
In the neon-drenched underbelly of Zaun, Naruto stood before the Lane's premier pleasure establishment. The pulsing lights cast an eerie glow on his face as he contemplated his next move.
'If my hunch from the bar is right...' he mused, grateful for Jinx's absence. 'Explaining this would be... complicated.'
Stealthily, he approached the rear entrance, rapping on the metal door. A slot slid open, revealing moss-green eyes and a scarred cheek.
"What do ya want?" growled the doorman.
Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who do you think you're talking to?"
Recognition dawned as the doorman spotted the whisker marks. Fear flashed across his face as he stammered an apology, hastily swinging open the door.
Inside, Naruto fought to maintain focus. The air was thick with a cloying mix of perfumes, sweat, and liquor, assaulting his heightened senses. The establishment's patrons and workers eyed him with a mix of wariness and appreciation. Some glared, still bitter about the Piltover bridge incident, while others – particularly the workers – offered kind smiles, remembering his past interventions against the less civilised clientele.
And if the employees had been their longer than 4 years then they would remember the names Nessie and Rachel, and the justice Naruto and Jinx brought to those girl's names.
Vander's voice echoed in his mind: "Hey Naruto, I'm not saying you should save everyone... Just who you can."
Steeling himself, Naruto approached the bar where Florina, an older woman, greeted him.
"What can I get you, honey?"
"Florina, I need to speak to Babette," Naruto stated firmly.
A flicker of recognition crossed Florina's face before she masked it with a practiced smile. "I'll see if she's busy."
As she turned away, Naruto's keen ears caught a subtle gasp. 'She definitely knows something,' he thought, his suspicions deepening with each passing moment.
Back over at the Last Drop the world was spinning for Sevika.
SLAP
Flesh slapped against flesh echoing throughout the office.
Sevika snapped awake from the shock and as her eyes opened she saw Jinx's smirking face. "You little…" Sevika growled as she lunged towards the younger woman before realising she was tied down to Silco's symbol of power.
Jinx used her feet to slightly pull Sevika in closer. "I feel like you and I got off on the wrong arm…" Jinx began before reaching for the same knife that mortally wounded Vander. And moving it over towards Sevika's a non-mechanical limb. "Maybe we should try the other." The girl threatened.
Sevika growled at the threat. "I don't think Naruto would appreciate that."
"He'll be sad, but he'll get over it… to think you're playing the big sister card." Jinx rumbled as she held the edge of the blade closer to Sevika's throat.
"Still would change how he looked at you."
'A monster, a curse is all he would see.' A voice whispered in the back of Jinx's mind.
"Shut up." Jinx snapped as she looked to her left before focusing back on her prisoner. "Now then you gonna tell me who it is you lost?"
'Fuck it I ain't dying for this.' Sevika thought as she felt the cool metal lightly graze against her throat.
Silco's number two raised her head and smirked. "No need… It's your sister."
Jinx's eyes widened, as voices began to creep back into a psyche.
"She's back, she's looking for you." Sevika continued enjoying the slight discomfort on the younger girl's face. "Oh, don't worry, it's not what you think, she's with some girl enforcer… probably to do with that stunt you pulled Topside" Sevika paused as the knife was lifted from her neck. "If I had to guess… I would say she's replaced you."
Jinx snarled before lunging forward stabbing the blade, the point stabbing into the wooden chair nicking Sevika's ear. "You're lying!"
"Why bother." Sevika laughed, "With your sister back in town, it's only a matter of time before you implode. And then Silco will see you for the ticking timebomb you really are."
"Naruto or Silco wouldn't."
'You, so sure about that, everyone betrays you Jinx because you are a curse. A blight to all who love you.' A voice whispered.
Jinx ignored it.
"Look all I'm saying is go do you're thing whatever it is, Naruto maybe not be able to see it but he will and same with Silco… You are as about as good for our cause as you were for your family." Sevika finished with cruel smirk.
"Ah…Ah… Ah." Jinx sniffled "Ahchoo!" She sneezed in an over-exaggerated fashion kicking Sevika's chair away while giggling to herself. "10 out of 10 toots." Jinx said while hopping off the desk. "I think I just know how to deliver that message." She said as she drew her pistol and whipped around Sevika's dome sending the older woman unconscious, once more.
Caitlyn glanced around the dim, musty room as Vi stirred, shaking off the remnants of delirium. Her sharp eyes caught details scattered throughout: faded graffiti on the walls, a tattered jacket hanging on a broken chair, and scuff marks on the floor that told a story of years gone by. It all clicked into place.
"You used to live here," Caitlyn said, turning to Vi, who was now fully dressed and adjusting her gauntlets. Her voice softened, curious but cautious. "And… who's Powder?"
Vi froze for a moment before her lips tightened. "My sister," she said tersely. "I thought she was dead. But now… I have to find her."
Caitlyn frowned, stepping closer. "How do you not know if your own sister is alive or dead?"
Vi's jaw clenched, and she turned sharply, her voice a growl. "You might want to check your privilege, Cupcake. It's hard to check on your family when you've spent years rotting in a concrete cell."
Caitlyn hesitated, her words faltering. "What about your parents?"
Vi's eyes flared with anger, and she stepped into Caitlyn's space, her voice razor-sharp. "They were killed. By enforcers."
The room grew cold with the weight of her words. Caitlyn's breath hitched, guilt flashing across her face, but before she could respond, a faint sound from outside snapped both women to attention.
"Stay here," Vi whispered, her voice low and firm. She moved to the door, gripping the handle tightly. "And stay quiet."
As the door creaked open, the chilled night air filled the room. Vi stepped outside, her eyes scanning the scene. What she saw made her blood run cold.
Six figures loomed in the dark. Three cloaked figures stood off to the side, shadows hiding their features. In the middle of the group stood Silco, his ever-present sneer twisting his scarred face. Behind him, two hulking bodyguards flanked him like statues, and at his feet, three shimmer-addicted junkies clawed at the ground, desperate for their next fix.
"Vander's prodigy," Silco said, his voice smooth, laced with mockery. He tossed a vial of shimmer to one of the addicts, who scrambled for it like a starving dog. "I've regretted that we've never had the chance to speak. Until now."
One of the addicts locked eyes with Vi, recognition dawning in his bloodshot gaze. He didn't wait. Grabbing his prize, he bolted into the shadows.
Vi took a step forward, fists clenched. "What have you done with my sister?"
Silco smirked, tossing two more vials to the remaining addicts, who snatched them greedily. "I freed her," he said, as if it were the simplest truth. "You and the big guy, you were… promising. But Jinx?" He chuckled, savoring the name. "And Naruto? Their potential is beyond anything I've ever seen. A gift."
Vi's teeth ground together, her fury bubbling to the surface. "I'll find her," she snarled, her voice low and dangerous. "And I'll erase every twisted thing you've put in her head."
"Oh?" Silco tilted his head, his good eye gleaming. "And what about Naruto? Or do you care as little for him as you did Powder?"
Vi flinched, just for a second, before steeling herself. "Powder is my only concern."
"Interesting," Silco murmured, taking a step back. The addicts, having drained their vials, began to convulse. Their bodies twisted and swelled grotesquely, muscles tearing and veins glowing with an unnatural purple light.
Vi's stomach churned. She'd seen this before. Deckard. Vander. Now these poor souls.
Silco's voice cut through the chaos. "You're just like Vander," he said, almost wistfully. "Bold, reckless. You don't know your limits. That's what got him killed. Your father was the same way."
Vi's eyes widened at the words, her mind reeling. 'He knows my father?' But there was no time to process it. The mutants were fully transformed now, their guttural growls filling the night.
Her gaze hardened. "Just know this, Silco: I'm coming for you. I'm bringing your whole bloody empire down. Piece by piece."
Silco gave her a measured look, as if weighing her words. Then, almost imperceptibly, he sighed. "I am sorry, Felicia," he whispered under his breath, his damaged eye narrowing.
Vi didn't hear him. She turned and sprinted back into the shack, her mind racing. Slamming the door shut, she scanned the room for anything she could use. Her eyes landed on the rusted support beams.
"Caitlyn, move!" she barked.
The detective scrambled out of the way as Vi swung her fist with a deafening clang. The weakened beams groaned, and the entire structure shuddered.
Outside, Silco looked up, his smirk fading as the towering water tank above them began to tilt. 'It's like a mini-Vander, fuck me.' He thought idly.
Vi stood her ground as the first beam snapped, metal shrieking in protest. "You don't get to take my family from me," she muttered, her voice a vow.
With one final strike, the tower gave way, collapsing in a cacophony of metal and rubble. The light fixture crashed down, engulfing the scene in darkness.
Lbr-
Jinx stood on the crumbling edge of an abandoned rooftop, overlooking the Undercity she once called home. The sprawling network of chaos and grime stretched beneath her, a labyrinth of memories, pain, and unresolved questions. Her gloved fingers trembled slightly as she held the decade-old flare in her hands. The metal felt cold, but the emotions running through her were anything but.
Vi's voice echoed in her mind, haunting and bittersweet.
"Light it up… wherever you are, I'll find you."
Her lips twitched into something between a smirk and a grimace as she pulled the pin. The flare hissed to life, sending a vibrant, powder-blue plume spiralling into the air. The colour burned against the grey smog of the Lanes, unmistakable, undeniable.
Jinx stood motionless as the smoke curled above her, but inside, her thoughts were chaos.
Vander. Claggor. Mylo.
Their names brought with them a tidal wave of memories. Their faces flashed before her, frozen in time—smiling, laughing, then terrified in the moments before it all went wrong. Her grip on the flare tightened, and her breathing hitched as she stared into the blue haze.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, though no one was there to hear it.
Across the Lanes, Vi and Caitlyn ran, their footsteps pounding against the cracked pavement. Dust and debris clung to their clothes, remnants of the latest fight they barely escaped. Vi led the way, her shoulders hunched with determination, while Caitlyn trailed behind, struggling to match her pace.
"Vi, wait!" Caitlyn called out, coughing as she pushed herself forward.
Vi glanced over her shoulder to make sure Caitlyn was keeping up but didn't slow. Her head snapped forward just in time to collide with something—or someone—solid. She staggered back, cursing under her breath.
"Watch where you're—" Vi froze mid-sentence, her words caught in her throat as her eyes widened.
Caitlyn, finally catching up, looked past her partner and saw what had stopped her in her tracks: a young man with wild blonde hair, whisker-like scars across his cheeks, and a single, swishing tail behind him.
"Vi? Is that Silco signalling someone?" Caitlyn asked, squinting at the blue smoke rising in the distance. She reached out, trying to grab Vi's attention, but the brawler remained rooted in place, her mouth slightly open.
"N-N-Naru?" Vi stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Naruto's eyes widened, his shock mirroring hers. "V-Vi?" he said, the name carrying a mix of disbelief and relief. He hadn't expected this—bumping into the woman he'd just learned was alive. His tail flicked uncertainly, his instincts torn between staying still and stepping closer.
"Vi, look!" Caitlyn shouted, cutting through the moment.
Both Vi and Naruto turned in unison toward the distant column of blue smoke that pierced the skies above the Lanes.
"Powder…" Vi breathed, her tone a mixture of hope and heartbreak.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. Jinx? The name echoed in his mind as his gaze shifted back to Vi, who was already moving. "You really gave her a powder flare?" he muttered, but she was too far gone to hear him, her feet pounding against the ground as she ran toward the signal. Caitlyn hurried after her, a flash of blue hair trailing behind.
Naruto sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Well, shit…" he muttered, glancing at the rising smoke one last time before bolting after them.
Jinx watched the streets below, her pulse quickening as she saw no movement— no sign any figures were racing toward her signal. Her grip tightened on her weapon as she felt the rising tide of conflicting emotions. The past was colliding with the present, the ghosts she had buried clawing their way back to the surface.
She took a deep breath, her lips curling into a nerve ridden grin, though her eyes betrayed something deeper, revealing old anxieties she knew were never truly gone, just buried. The blue smoke swirled higher into the sky, a beacon calling them all together—Vi, Naruto, and Jinx.
As the flare began to die out Jinx heard something.
'You really thought she would come for you,' Mylo's mocking voice whispered over a crow's cawing in the distance.
"AAAAHHH!" Jinx screamed as she lobbed the flare into the distance, before shaking her head and pulling out the hexstone she had on her.
"Powder?"
That voice froze Jinx on the spot, her minigun hung from her shoulder as she slowly turned around. Jinx gasped slightly as she saw a figure in the fog. "Vi?" she asked cautiously.
"Oh Powder…" Vi said as she ran over and wrapped the smaller girl up in a hug. Relief flooding her veins as she held onto her sister.
Jinx dropped the Hextech gem in the confusion of her sister being her and alive. 'I knew Sevika was wrong, just trying to mess me up.' She thought with tears flowing she hugged her older sister back.
"I'm so sorry Powder, I tried to come back I swear but then I got arrested."
"Marcus?" Jinx responded with.
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter, I thought I would never see you again." Vi said before hugging Powder once more.
"A-are you real?" Jinx asked her emotions bare.
Vi pulled away, "Of course its me, its Vi. And I am right here, I'm not going anywhere." The older girl tried to comfort.
More tears flowed from both girls.
"Things changed when you left… I changed."
"I know Pow-pow, you did what you had to survive." Vi said softly, "Me to, what matters is that we're together."
Another caw in the distance as footsteps ran up the metal stairs to the rooftop.
Jinx opened her eyes to see another person standing behind Vi. Causing the bluenettes to back up and take hold of her favourite weapon. "Who's she?" Jinx asked her sister.
"Who are you?" the hooded girl asked in return.
A shadow dropped from the heavens and landed with a heavy thud dispersing the fog upon there landing revealed the whisker faced blonde they had just bumped into in town.
"Now I know some Piltie Enforcer is not coming to our side of the bridge and being impolite now, is she?" the blonde said as he sent a glare to the blue haired girl not named Jinx.
'Naruto,' Jinx thought with a small smile before focusing once more.
"Back off Naruto." Vi snapped as she tried to placate and cool the simmering situation. "It's ok she's a friend." She said turning back to her sister.
"Sevika wasn't lying, you're with an enforcer?"
Then pen finally clicked for Caitlyn. "Your sister is Jinx?"
All three Zaunites could hear the accusatory tone.
Vi turned away from Jinx as Naruto moved around as well keep equal distance from Caitlyn and Vi. 'There is something fishy about this whole situation.' He thought to himself as his trigger finger began to itch.
"Caitlyn just listen ok… We can work this out." Vi explained.
"This is a trick!" Jinx shouted as she backed up slightly. "You're playing me." She accused as she aimed her minigun at the pair of girls.
'Of course, they're tricking you they think your stupid and useless.' Mylo's voice mocked once again.
"Shut up! I'm in no mood." Jinx snapped.
Naruto's eyes slowly widened as he knew what was coming it was just a matter of time with Vi back in the picture.
"We didn't say anything." Caitlyn tried to explain before Jinx trained her mini gun on her.
"Wait let's cool it." Vi said attempting to step in the way. "Powder co-"
"Her name is Jinx." Naruto shouted as his revolver flew from the holster and into his hand.
"She's my sister I'll call whatever I like Naru." Vi snapped back.
"If you stayed you might have that right." Naruto argued.
Vi looked like she had been slapped. "Listen here runt."
"Oi you don't get to call him that." Jinx snapped at her sister before aiming her minigun back at Vi. "
Naruto was not going to preen over Jinx defence of him, but a smirk did slip through.
"Powder my bad I'm sorry."
"Stop calling me that, its jinx now." She snapped. "Powder fell down a well."
"You're not a jinx, god I should have never of called you that."
"But you did." Naruto said stepping next to Jinx by her side. "Stop talking down to her." The blonde said with a snarl as another crow cawed in the distance.
Naruto raised his gun and fired into the distance and after a few seconds a thud was heard. 'Finally, I hate damn crows,' he thought as he returned his focus back to this matter.
Jinx's foot knocked the gemstone. "Is this why you came, for this stupid rock?"
"No, I don't even know what that is." Vi responded as she watched her sisters face go from betrayed to malice in the blink of an eye.
"You're a class act sister. Sister that thought I missed her." Jinx sang as she readied up her mini gun. "But you wouldn't miss her."
Vi knocked the barrels from her face. "Fire that damned thing if you want. But I am here you and only you, I'm not going anywhere."
"I told you don't even think about it." Naruto repeated as he stopped in between the two. "You don't get to hurt her, not again." Naruto growled lowly as static built up along his skin as the muzzle from his revolver still smoked from its latest discharge.
"Get out of my way Naruto." Vi warned.
"Come make me." Naruto challenged.
The END
A.N.
Several drafts later we are here Chapter 7 complete
and im warning you know next chapter will start with a certain scene which remain explosive (act1ep3)
not much action in this one but you got move the pieces into play so yeah.
New player entering the foil and he's blonde too can ya guess who this is. (Should be obvious)
We had some soft moments wit Jinx and Naruto
I was gonna add Silco being in Marcus' house but it didn't make the cut past draft 2
Vi and Naruto's relationship is a tricky one the love and care for each other but there famial love language is normally phsyical violence along with Naruto doesn't know about prison just that Vi is back and Jinx is his priority over any and everyone else just comes 2nd place.
Hope you enjoyed that next chapter probs wont be as long as this we shall see.
Also Naruto in the brothel it should implied that he found out about Vi being back in town with an enforcer with a really bad accent.
No Q&A this time
Lemme know what you thought in the reviews if you wanna share if not...
Stay Chilling Y'all