A/N: As promised, here we are in March~!
Foxfire should be updated today/tomorrow, provided my healthy holds.
Daaaang that new MHA episode looks good. Helps to finally hear Nagant's voice at that; and I wasn't disappointed.
Warning! This chapter may be a bit...intense for certain readers. There. You've been warned.
Thanks for sticking with me.
As my fifteen year anniversary on this site draws ever nearer, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. The recent earthquake in Turkey/Syria serves as a terrible example. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
No questions this time around.
Alright, I think I've kept you waiting more than long enough. With that said here we go.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes! They're merely tributes.
Not a wit or a one. They're merely tributes to legends far greater than I.
And finally, a warning. Spoilers. Goes without saying, I suppose.
Minor verbatim for My Hero Academia here and there.
Alrighty, then! Heeeeeere we go~!
"You love him too, don't you?"
"M-Me?! What gave you that idea?! Nuh-uh! No way!"
"You're a terrible liar, Nagant. That's alright. I don't mind...
~Just a Shinobi.
Just a Cause
"Hit me with your best shot, Toya!"
The eldest Todoroki child certainly did just that; he gathered up all his heat, all his fire, all his power and flung it forward in a burning blaze of blue. His strength drained away with it, forcing him down to one knee as he saw his handiwork race across the mountain. A burning vortex of death; there could be no defending against it. He'd have to dodge and when he did-
Which was precisely what Dad didn't do; rather than retreat like any sane individual Naruto stepped to the side, did something with his hand, and the blaze drained away into the center of his palm. He curled his hand into a fist, tutted softly as he saw the burn marks there. Soon enough those vanished as well.
"Good," he chided, "But you can do better...
Tenko hit his back a moment later, trying to grab him. His arms closed around a log instead. An open palm struck his shoulders and sent him tumbling into the dirt.
...you too, Tenko." A finger wagged his way. "You hesitated at the last second there. How can you learn to control your quirk if you don't use it properly? You know I can take it."
The older boy groaned into the dirt. "M'sorry...didn't wanna hurt you...
"Don't be sorry, be better. And as for you," Stern blue eyes swung back to Toya with intent. "Anger is a weapon if you can control it, Toya. But it acts as a double-dged sword. It cuts both ways." he tapped his forehead for emphasis, finger clinking against the worn metal headband there. "It makes your attacks stronger, but less focused. Believe or not, I used to be angry, too...
Him? Not likely. Toya looked away with a grimace. "Whatever you say, shitty old man...
This time he found himself flicked on the forehead. "Language, boy."
He looked down and kicked sullenly at the dirt. "Sorry."
Naruto tilted his head and considered them for a long, agonizing moment; Toya felt the weight of his regard crushing down on them like a physical force. Tenko climbed to his feet and lifted his chin in defiance of it. Toya mirrored him. Strangely enough that seemed to please their mentor.
"Look," he allowed with a sigh, "You're making progress. But we have enemies. You need to be prepared.
Tenko stood that much straighter. "Then I'll kill them. I won't let anyone hurt our family. Not ever."
"Oi. There are consequences to flippant killing." he flicked Tenko's forehead this time.
The boy whined and rubbed at his head. "But you kill people. I've seen you."
Toya's head whipped around. He did? That was news to him.
"I do." Naruto heaved another sigh, shoulders drooping, if only for a moment. "But only when there's no other choice. If we went around killing everyone who wronged us, the world would be a much smaller place. That said, we will be the people we choose to be. Not heroes. Not villains. Us. Ourselves. Now, then...
He patted their heads, ruffled their hair, and walked nine paces backward. His right hand rose. Beckoned to them.
"Again."
Tenko went left. Toya went right.
Naruto didn't budge. He stood still as stone, tracking them with his eyes.
As ever his quirk responded readily; now that he'd found his balance -his center!- he needn't fear burning himself so easily these days. Wisps of pale blue flame surged around him. He marshaled them, swept them up in a tight cone let the flames roil until they were nearly white, until he felt his fingertips begin to smolder. Still he didn't dare let go for fear of hurting his half-brother.
He watched the two of them go at it; slamming into a mad melee he couldn't hope to keep track of. It was like watching two madmen. Tenko had been trained by Dad first. He was faster, if not quite stronger, and his quirk made all the more dangerous without his gloves. But for all that, he was still such a boy.
There!
Tenko slapped a hand to Naruto's right leg. Cracks spread across his limb as it buckled. The injury healed instantly, but they slowed him.
Jut for an instant.
It was enough. More than enough.
Toya brought his hands together and unleashed hell.
This time, Dad didn't dodge. He either didn't have the time to, or chose not to. He stood his ground and raised his right hand, uncaring as Tenko tumbled to safety. Fire slammed into his palm head on. He tried to absorb it as he had before, but the blaze was too much for him; it consumed him, swallowed him whole, until-
POOF.
He became so much smoke.
The faint sound of clapping swelled in the air behind him.
"Well done, boys!" Three little words. Three little words and Toya felt like flying. "You finally beat one of my clones! Now that's progress!"
He marched right up to them and wrapped them tight in his arms. Toya found himself smiling despite it all. This! This was what he wanted. Dad looked at him. Saw him. Praised him. New dad, better dad. Don't think of the old one. Endeavor could go suck a shoe for all he cared. Naruto treated them equally. There was no divide between him and Tenko; far from it. Just the way he wanted.
But there was still one thing he needed to know.
"Hey dad," he asked, hating the hoarseness of his voice, "You're stronger than All Might, right?"
Tenko scoffed. "What kinda question is that?! Of course he is!"
"Hmm." the blond thumbed his chin, considering the words. "That's the number one hero, yeah? Well, I wouldn't know for sure without fighting, buuut," he made a pinching motion, "I'd say your old man's just a tiny bit stronger.
'Course he was. But that wasn't the real question he wanted to ask now, was it? "Do you think...me and Tenko could surpass him someday?"
"Definitely!"
No hesitation. Not even a bit. Toya scrubbed at his eyes before he could cry. "You really think so?
"I know so." Naruto thumped a fist against his chest. "With my training you'll be the best damn person you can be. That's the truth. You can be a hero if you want Toya, but that's your decision. I can't make it for you. However! He held up a finger. If you're going to be a hero then be a real hero, alright?
"Mmm! His head bobbed.
Shoto? Who cared about Shoto or Natsumi, Fuyumo, or any of them?
Dad could have as many kids as he wanted. Toya didn't care. He had his dream. His goal. It was all he'd ever wanted.
Dad looked at him. Saw him! He'd make him proud.
So he swore.
(.0.0.0.)
Curious kept her word.
Her "interview" aired not a week later.
And from that interview...the world of Heroes and Villains changed that much more.
(.0.0.0.)
...what...is this...?"
Toshinori Yagi, or All Might as many knew him, was a paragon of peace.
More than that, he'd become the very Symbol of Peace itself. It fell to him to provide hope for citizens; to alleviate their fears in the face of rising crime rates. At the end of the day he was the one the people, no, the world looked to for hope. It was a concept he'd come up with himself, passed down by his beloved mentor. She'd given her life for the sake of such peace, a peace he wished to protect at all costs.
Peace that may well be soon shattered by the individual on the screen before him.
This broadcast had come out of nowhere, hijacking the airwaves. All attempts to shut it down had failed spectacularly. That had been five minutes ago. He'd not been able to look away since. The young man seated on the screen before him went by many names, nicknames, perhaps even blessings curses, depending on whom you spoke to. It didn't change who he was; nor the growing following he'd cultivated. The strange blue woman he spoke to was a different matter-Toshinori didn't know her name, but he suspected he soon would once this was done.
"Thanks again for having me, Curious."
There it was, that codename again. Baffling.
"The pleasure is mine, Naruto. Can I call you Naruto?"
"If you like." The young man sat a little straighter in his seat. "Now to answer your last question," he planted his chin in one palm, "You might say Endeavor did't mean for things to turn out the way they did, but it doesn't change the fact that they did. I really had no choice but to step in. I can only hope that he learns from this and becomes a better person."
Her head bobbed. "Some say you might've jumped the gun."
"Then I jumped the gun." the man onscreen shrugged. "I'm as human as anyone else, and I did what any human would do. I saw an injustice before me and I acted."
"Isn't that a little heavy-handed?" Her smile said she was leading him and he damn well knew it.
"Perhaps."
Toshinori could see where this was going. Sure enough he wasn't disappointed.
Curious thrust her microphone at him. "And you'd be open to letting him see his family again someday?"
"If he genuinely reforms a few years from now, then yes. I believe in second chances. Third chances even. His family deserves to live a safe and secure life until then. And if he tries anything, I'll shove my boot so far up his ass he'll be spitting leather."
"Hmmhmm." Curious leaned back with a peal of bell-like laughter. "So they're not your hostages?"
"Not at all!" He barked a laugh. "I see to their every need and they're free to leave whenever they wish, so long as they're safe about it. After all we both know what would happen if the HPSC got their hands on them now, don't we? Even with their old leader...out of the picture, their heavy handed ways haven't changed, as we all well know."
"Indeed we do." the reporter was all smiles.
All Might bit back a grimace. That all but confirmed it, then. They'd had their doubts, but this only confirmed them.
-and really, I don't want to make a fight of this at all," The Shinobi prattled on, claiming his attention once more. "Half the time its someone stumbling onto me, or folks refusing to take no for an answer."
Curious laughed awkwardly and looked away. "You're not going to let that go, are you...
"Nope. At the end of the day, justice is what you make of it. In the last few weeks, I've taken more monsters off the street than most heroes. Is that a crime?
"Well said. One last question, then." Curious swept a strand of pale hair behind her ear. "Earlier, I asked your thoughts about the divide between quirks. Would you care to elaborate?"
Toshinori tensed. They wouldn't...!
...my thoughts?" Naruto crossed one leg over the other. "You sure about that? Fine. Here's your answer. It doesn't matter."
His words seem to shock her. "How so?"
"I'll say it again." his smile had far too many teeth for Toshinori's liking. "I said it doesn't matter. Not who you are, where you were born, whether you have a quirk or not." he stabbed a finger forth toward the ceiling, as though to pierce the very heavens themselves. "The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant…it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are. I'll say it again; what matters is your life. What did you do with it? Who did you help? How will you be remembered? If so, for what?
He turned to look toward the camera now, rather the screen directly.
"History doesn't remember blood! It doesn't remember quirks! It remembers NAMES! DEEDS! PEOPLE!" He reached up to grab the camera, forcing it to focus on him. "And it will remember me. Because y'see, I'm going to fix this rotten system. Fight fire with gasoline. That is my cause."
The screen clicked off.
All Might sank into his seat.
His phone rang not a moment later.
All Might wasn't the only one who saw the interview. It was seen the world over. Everyone saw.
(.0.0.0.)
Endeavor slammed a fist through the screen.
It burst into flames.
"Damn him!"
(.0.0.0.)
"..."
A shadowy figured clicked their remote.
The television fell silent. At length, they stood and walked way.
(.0.0.0.)
All for One laughed.
He laughed and laughed and laughed some more.
"How amusing! Perhaps I'll let this farce go on a little longer...
(.0.0.0.)
Rumi Usagiyama -Mirko!-tilted her head. Tilted it some more, now.
"Hmmm? So that's the guy who bodied Endeavor?
She wanted to fight him so damn bad.
(.0.0.0.)
Yu Takeyama whisted. "Well, he knows how to make an entrance, I'll give 'em that...
She wondered if her own debut as Mount Lady would be quite so successful. Maybe she could...?
"No, no, no." she shook her head. "Don't think about that."
Her?! Capture someone like that?! Not a chance in hell. ...right?
(.0.0.0.)
"Aaargh, I sound so corny!"
Naruto slapped an arm against his forehead to hide his eyes. It did nothing to dull the footage blaring forth from his own phone as he strode down the street. Disguised, of course. Wouldn't do for someone to see him just after the fuss he caused. Best to let things die down before he struck again. Not that they would; everyone he passed seemed glued to their phones, chattering over the spectacle he'd caused. No one noticed a man carrying a few bags of groceries. He was, for all purposes, just another faceless civilian to them.
Still! Curious wasn't supposed to air that last bit! He'd said that in a moment of passion!
Whatever happened to interviewer-interviewee confidentiality?!"
"Pretty sure that's not a thing."
"Not now, Kurama." fresh heat rose to his cheeks as he rewound the last scene again. He'd wanted to make a point at the time, and he had, but hindsight was twenty-twenty and seeing yourself on the big screen had an awful way of bringing your flaws to light. Case in point, him right now. "I sound like some b-list revolutionary. Rei's never gonna let me live this down...
She wouldn't even be mad he knew; far from it, she was probably laughing herself silly.
So distracted was he that he failed to see where he was going; nor did he realize the pace at which he was moving.
"Meep!"
He did now!
"For the love of...!"
He barreled into someone at speed. Disaster struck. His phone went flying and the grocery bags with them. His arms shot out of their own accord, catching the poor soul he'd smacked into with one arm, then the groceries in rapid succession. The end result left him in a rather precarious position, staring. Less so when said phone came down and landed squarely in his messy hair.
"Phew, close call!" he mustered a grin as he found himself staring into a pair of bright eyes, "You almost went flying back there."
"I'm sorry...
"Don't be. What's your name?"
"...thank you for the timely rescue." The slender young woman he'd nearly run over stood and swept a strand of dark hair from her face. "Oh heavens, I'm being terribly rude, aren't I? Please accept my apologies again." she flashed a fretful smile his way and in that instant, Naruto counted himself lucky for his disguise. "Inko. Um...!" She sputtered for a second, then rallied with bow. "That is to say, my name is Inko Midoriya...
His heart skipped a beat. He shook it to center himself and focused on the tiny bundle in her arms. "Who's the kid?
She smiled down at the little lad clutched against her breast. "This is my son, Izuku. Say hello, dear."
"Bah!" The toddler babbled happily and waved a pair of pudgy hands at him.
Naruto felt his heart twitch, just a little. "Cute little bugger."
"My, my, seems he likes you...
"Does he?" He prodded a tiny palm with a finger and drew a delighted giggle from him. "He's a lively one."
"...yes." Inko's smile fractured. He wondered why. "He is, isn't he? Izuku takes after his father."
"Ha! Sounds like an energetic fella...!"
Kurama swore. "Fool!"
'What did I do?!'
The young mother's expression absolutely crumpled and he knew at once he'd said the wrong thing. He tried to laugh it off. It didn't work. Tears glimmered in her eyes. Crap. Mistakes were made and they were all his. He could feel the sorrow bleeding off her like a sieve now. He'd just stepped on a landmine there. Now it was his turn to apologize.
...I'm sorry." he raised a hand to ward off what he knew was coming. "I didn't mean to offend ya. He's not around anymore, is he?"
Jeez. Just how recently had the poor bastard passed away if she was getting this worked up about it?
Very recent indeed; because Inko Midoriya latched onto his shoulder and bawled.
(.0.0.0.)
Everything was fake.
That was the truth, Lady Nagant knew. Reality, society, all of it. Fake, fake, fake. Every action she took for her superiors perpetuated the ruse-strengthened the charade, pulled the wool over humanity's eyes and for what? All so everyone could live their happy, peaceful little lives,blissfully unaware of the darkness teeming underfoot.
Until he came.
At first she'd thought Naruto a fool like the rest; a blind bloody fool who refused to wake up to reality. Then he turned the tables on her-rather, she realized how alike they were. He wasn't a naive idiot who refused to kill, either. In the days since they'd teemed up, she'd seen him crush more than a few irredeemable bastards with his bare hands. But only ever the wicked ones; those truly deserving. Murder was but another tool in his grand arsenal, one he only ever used when absolutely necessary.
More often than not, he talked to these so-called villains, calming them down.
Although the way he looked right now...yeah, far from calm.
"Rough day?"
Naruto turned to face her as she kicked her way upon onto the rooftop after him. She saw the blood on his hands, and the crumpled corpse of a man at his feet. Pity. He'd gotten started tonight without her. "You don't know the half of it. I stuck my foot right in my mouth and spent most of the day cheering up a mother and her kid because of it." he palmed his face with a sigh and shook his head. "Nevemind that other disaster...
Lady Nagant squinted. She squinted hard. "What other disaster?"
"You mean you don't know?" he turned a quizzical look on her. "Seriously, Kaina?"
"Know what?" she stifled a yawn behind the back of her hand. "I've been sleepin' most of the day after last night." much to her confusion, he absolutely choked. "What, did I miss something?"
"Look at this." He held up his phone for her to see.
Kaina did as he bade...saw the footage within...
.
..
...and laughed.
"Oi! Naruto sputtered. ""Its not funny!"
It really was! Lady Nagant laughed and laughed and laughed until her eyes were wet and her stomach hurt. Then she took a deep breath and laughed some more. Nearly a full minute passed; by the time she finally straightened up to look at him, Naruto's face was beet red. It only made her laugh all the louder.
"You're some kinda cracked, you know that?" she righted herself with a giggle. "I didn't think you'd go public with this."
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Should I not have?"
"No, no," she flailed her hands at him, frantic to correct herself. "You were right to! Way to throw down the gauntlet. You've got some stones." Another thought occurred to her and she pounced on it. "That's why you killed my boss, isn't it." His lips pressed together. She wasn't having his silence. "It really was you, wasn't it?"
...yes." His admission was frank, honest, welcome even. "He was determined to torment you after I quit, and he wouldn't, so I put him down. Hard."
Her lips quirked in a small smile. "...good."
How freeing it was to say that; like an awful weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She'd borne it for so long now. Almost forgotten what life could be like without it. Was this freedom? She'd not felt free since she was a little girl. When she looked at her hands, she still saw the blood on them, as she had that day, but she no longer felt shame.
Because you see, his hands were bloody too.
But he didn't care. Or maybe he did, but he'd long since learned to live with the weight of it all; he was willing to do the hard stuff, to take the risks needed, all in the name of protecting what held dear. And if that meant cracking a few skulls at night and fleecing villains blind, doing real work-good work!-then she could get behind that.
'Small wonder Rei snatched him up. He's determination personified."
Blast it all, it just wasn't fair.
...you alright?"
"Huh?" Lady Nagant blinked back, wondering why her eyes hurt all of a sudden. "I'm fine. Why?"
"You're crying, Kaina."
"Ah!?"
Nagant squeaked as she touched a hand to her cheek and found it wet; from there she rubbed her visage with the back of her left hand, but it was already too late. The damage was done. He'd seen. Damnit. He'd think her a crybaby at this rate. She refused to be seen as such. Not here. Not now. Not in front of him.
"M'sorry, don't know what's gotten into me..."
"It's alright." Naruto offered her a blue handkerchief from his coat pocket. "Ain't a sin to cry, ya know. Now, or in the future."
She hiccuped a little, blew her nose, and rallied. "Stop that! You'll get me going again. S'not fair...
"And speaking of the future," he walked past her and planted his boot on the edge of the rooftop. "I don't know what the future holds, but I'd like to spend it working with you." A merry blue eye winked at her. "You've got some real skills, ya know."
"Don't praise me like that." Another tear ran down her cheek. It just wasn't fair. "Where were you ten years ago...?"
"Not on this planet." he grinned. "But I'm here now. That count for anything?"
"Cheesy bastard." A peal of bitter laughter tumbled past her lips as she scrubbed at her face again. "You need to work on your pickup lines...but you really do have a hero's heart."
"Hero?" he scratched the back of his head. "Nah. I'm just a shinobi. And those weren't pickup lines, ya know...
"Whatever you say, my hero." she hummed to hide another laughing fit. "Sure. We're ninja. Is that why you don't wear a mask when we're out like this? Really sneaky."
"That's different." he glowered at her. "I want people to know this is us; you and me, cleaning up the streets at night.
Us, he said. Damnit. "You really are...
"Are?" He tilted his head.
"No, its nothing." she turned back to face him, hands clasped behind her back as she looked over her shoulder. "I'm happy. Rei was right about you after all...among other things."
"What's this about Rei now?"
The shade of a smile tugged at her lips. "She doesn't mind sharing."
Naruto went still. "Eh?"
Kaina didn't give him time to dwell on her words. She dove forward instead, flung her arms around his neck and captured his mouth with hers. Target acquired. He instinctively caught her with both arms, if only to steady her and keep them from falling off the rooftop...and pushed her away.
Her heart damn near snapped in half.
"Are you sure about this?" he looked hesitant for the first time since she'd met him, downright anxious even. "I'm hardly husband material-
No, no, no. No doubt. She wouldn't let him lose faith in himself.
"The people at the Hero Comission only show the bright side of things to the public." She grabbed his shoulders with both hands and gave him a good hard shake. "How is that any different from brainwashing?" His baffled expression didn't waver. Did he truly not understand? It fell to her to make him see, then. "The future you're trying to create sounds a helluva lot more transparent than theirs." her voice piqued in distress as she turned a desperate gaze on him. "For that, I'll fight. I'll be with you. I'll silence anyone who want me to, kill anyone you tell me to! Just don't leave-!"
Naruto thrust a finger forward, sealing her lips shut. "What did I tell you last time?"
She looked to his finger, still pressing her lips shut. "Mmm?"
He blew out a sigh.
"It seems you've forgotten, so I'll remind ya; you're not a gun." the words escaped him in a low growl. "You are not a weapon. You are a person. Do you understand?" she nodded against his finger and made to speak, only for him to hold her in place. "There's more than black and white in this world. The entire world is gray." His free hand rose at his side fingers splayed, reaching up as though to grasp the very stars themselves through the clouds above. "And that's fine. I'm going to reach out to all those people."
He clenched his hand into a fist, gloved fingers grinding together.
"Quirk or quirkless." his voice piqued as a rumble of thunder overtook them from the dark clouds above. "Strong or weak. Young and old. Children like Tenko and Toya will never have to suffer again. To that end, for the sake of that goal, there's nothing I won't do. But I won't lose sight of myself on that path. Neither should you. "Do you understand?"
His finger fell from her lips.
Nagant nodded quickly, hair bobbing.
"Do you?" he glared at her. "Say it, then."
"I'm not a weapon." she repeated dutifully. "I'm not a gun."
Naruto planted a fist on his hip, tapping his foot for good measure. "Aaaand?"
"And I'll make my own choices rather than follow you blindly." she turned away, heat rising in her face. "But if I have to choose...
Naruto watched, her rapt with attention. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
...I choose you."
Surprise flitted across his face. "Is that your final answer?"
Enough. Her brow furrowed. Naruto."
A chagrined smile "Yes?"
"I'm going to kiss you now. Any objections?"
"None that I can think off-mmph!"
She silenced his words with her lips and pivoted, pushing him against the nearest wall she could find.
His arms tightened around her waist and at long last, the heavens opened up above them.
Lady Nagant scarcely noticed Let the rain fall. Let it pour.
She didn't give a damn.
Not anymore.
A/N: The Domino effect continues~!
Naruto's broken the status quo, whether he realizes it or not.
Well? Whaddya think? Should this continue? Should it be a story? I await your feedback.
As ever, the Embers rule remains. If folks don't like this story...well...I'll not be able to continue it. With two jobs and rent to pay, my free time is...at an all time low. I can't afford to write stories that no one enjoys. So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
Here, have some juicy previews.
Well, future ones at least.
Potential ones, too..
God of War ahoy!
(Preview(s)
...good job, Izuku. Why don't you go play with Fuyumi for a bit?"
"M'kay!"
"You're good with him...
The child she'd inadvertently saved laughed and clapped their hands. "Giant mommy!"
Mount Lady balked. "Eh?!"
The she saw him. HIM. Her heart leaped into her throat.
"Wait, wait, wait! I wasn't trying to start anything! Honest!"
Naruto slapped his forehead. "Here we go again...
"My superior would like to meet with you."
"We seem to share the same goals. What would you say to an alliance?"
...what kind of alliance?"
Mirko tilted her head. Tilted it some more, now.
Naruto quirked a brow. "Can I help you?"
...I thought you'd be taller."
He twitched. "Ha?"
"Eh, doesn't matter. Can you fight?"
"I don't think I should answer that question-OI!"
His hand snapped up, catching her by the ankle when she tried to smash her heel into his head.
Her grin was wild. "And there he is!"
You don't seem to understand. Hero? Villain? When on earth did I ever claim to be any one of those things?
...that's right. I didn't. Nope. Not once. I've only ever been one thing. A shinobi. As you're about to learn.
Hmm? Long way from home, you say? You know, you're right. I definitely am. Unfortunately for you...
...I'm here to stay. Now, then!
CLENCH YOUR TEETH.
"Go on, then." they smiled at him as he dragged himself upright. "Pretend to be everything you are not. Teacher. Husband. Father. You cannot change. "I see the real you, the beast inside." that soulless smile became a mad grin now as they stabbed a finger his way. "You act all high and mighty, but you're not! You're just an animal. Passing on your cruelty and rage. You will never change. You will always be a monster.
...then you don't know me."
"I know enough. You weaken yourself with this "family" of yours.
"And who are you to say that? Everything I do, I do for my family. For those I swore to protect."
"Surrender. Society demands it.
He cracked his neck. "No."
"...Good."
EDIT: Hey, you made it! Congrats! Thanks for taking the time to read this!
As ever, the Embers rule remains. If folks don't like this story...well...I'll not be able to continue it. With two jobs and rent to pay, my free time is...at an all time low. I can't afford to write stories that no one enjoys. So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback, big or small, matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke!
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work~!
~Nz.
R&R~!