A/N: THE YEAR OF THE REQUEST ROLLS ON!

Sadly the reason I've been away from this story for so long is a sad one. I've been getting harassed by someone who wants me to kill myself, one who despises me so utterly that he feels the need to attack with cruel words and threads. So. That tends to cut into one's inspiration. He's persistent, going to the trouble of creating multiple accounts just to attack me, too...

So I say to him, sorry, I will not kill myself. I won't give you that satisfaction. I will live. No matter how much you scream or shriek at me with your words. If you don't like my stuff?

DO NOT READ IT THEN! GO BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE!

Its the kind of senseless hater that doesn't listen to reason, won't expect arguments and BLOCKS all Private Messaging so no one can get at him. He thinks he can hide behind a computer and try to bully me and other authors as he pleases, without being held accountable. Bullying kills, pal! You think you can just put people down without consequences?

Well, guess what?

THERE ARE.

Now, I don't want to perpetuate the cycle of hatred here, but this bugger found out my last name and the fact that I live somewhere in America, at that. So I feel its only fair to reveal his contact information as well. In fact, he used it to get at me the first time because I was naive enough to put it up on my profile. I AM SO TIRED OF BEING A NICE GUY ABOUT THIS. No more high road for me. Fuck the high road. I HAVE DECIDED TO FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE.

His gmail is gogharambe720 on gmail. That is, dot com. Let him have it. Maybe it'll make him see sense or show him how others feel. I'm done being nice about this and trying to ignore him, its only made him ramp up his attacks with his sock puppet accounts and boy is he PERSISTENT.

I just want him gone, guys.

Do as you will.

Sorry if this chapter is short!

And for those wondering how badly Naruto was burned by his last, desperate attack...

...think ALMOST Darth Vader burnt. So yeah not fun.

Oh, and aye, this chapter may be a wee bit corny. It's deliberate. And awfully hard on the feels.

Hope ya like it!

"...I can explain."

"I don't think you can."

"Give me a minute. Might surprise ya-

WHACK.

"Ow!"

~Napalm's Identity Revealed.

Fanning a Flame

'Well...that could've gone better.'

That was Naruto's first thought as he half-dragged, half-crawled himself out of the crater.

Badly burnt and barely breathing, he willed himself on, every breath agony.

Something told him he should avoid mirrors in the near future.

At least until he healed, assuming he ever would.

"Okay. Supernova. Point blank. Baaad." Naruto blew a ring of smoke and stood slowly amidst the wreckage, dusting himself off. "Very bad." His mask lay in tatters around his face, ripped to pieces by the explosion. He'd actually burned himself, such was the heat and-even though those burns were healing, he wasn't certain if his enemy was still looking for him. If he was-and if he did-that wouldn't be a fight. It would be a massacre. He couldn't feel his right arm; because it was gone. Who knew if that would heal, or not?

A bitter grimace strained at the corners of his mouth as he risked a glance at the charred stump.

Okay, that wasn't healing.

Not ever.

Snarling, he grabbed at a handful of dirt with his remaining arm and dragged himself forward. Relentlessly forward. Even now his body was still burning, but he daren't stop. To stop was to admit defeat. To admit defeat was to die. And if he died here, now, he'd never have his answers. Never get his revenge. Never see Mikasa again. Never hear her laughter, never enjoy a moment of quiet with her, never see her wonderful smile, never tell her how he felt...

Oddly enough, that last thought-the thought of her-filled him with more regret than the other two ever could.

"I'm not dying here, you hear me?!" he railed angrily at the heavens, "Not, not, not! I refuse to die until I get back!"

With his right arm in ruins and blind in one eye-it was all he could do just to pull himself forward at all. Even the ringing in his ears served as a painful reminder of his defeat. He hadn't beaten Accelerator. He'd wounded him perhaps, driven him away almost certainly, but defeated him? No. It didn't count as a victory when you lost yourself to your own power and went berserk. Even now he could still feel those fierce flames fighting him with every breath, straining at the fraying leash of his control.

Wildfire had been his last resort, and it hadn't been enough...

"Naruto...?"

His head whipped around so fast he nearly got whiplash, the least shreds of his mask crumbling away the sharp movement. And then he saw who was standing there. It wasn't Accelarator. He almost wished it were. The city's strongest esper would've been a far better sight than this. It wasn't even the Misaka clone he'd saved. He could see her a ways down the docks, sitting up, staring at him in disbelief. No. It was far worse than that, for he would have gladly faced any foe .

Oh, balls.

He was looking at the real Misaka, without a doubt the actual, genuine article.

Her face was perfectly blank, but already, he saw the anger stirring there.

Exhausted and unable to carry on, the blond laid his head down and groaned.

"This wasn't...supposed to...happen...

In the next instant, he finally lost the battle with consciousness.

(...Mikasa's Perspective...)

Misaka blinked.

Really, it was all she could think to do.

The sheer incredulity of the scene before her boggled the mind, threatening to overload her synapses and send her into shock. She starred at the battered blond before her-nearly unrecognizable thanks to his burns-the charred crater in which he lay, and her heart stopped. And in that instant, she knew. Somehow she'd always known, always suspected that he was keeping something from her, but never what. Now as the truth reared its ugly head before her, she found herself rejecting it. No, this couldn't be Naruto. He just...just resemble him! Yes, that had to be it. This wasn't him. This was Napalm.

The one she had been searching for.

The one she had been hunting.

The one she had just found.

For a moment, she actually believed it.

At least, until he groaned.

"This wasn't...supposed to...happen...

His ragged voice rang through her ears like a bell. Unfiltered, no longer distorted by the mask-clear as day. A pit of dread opened in her stomach as she watched him bury his head his head into the ground and exhale in one last, long, shuddering breath. Stricken, Misaka, half-expected him to pick himself up and laugh his injuries off, make some sly remark, the idiot, but none came.

Naruto didn't move.

Didn't twitch.

Didn't breathe.

With that, her heart went into a tailspin.

No!

Just like that the Electromaster's feet came unstuck and she was free, her legs flying across the ground. Racing-practically skidding-to his side, she frantically touched a hand to his scorched, neck searching for signs of life. Something. Anything at all. And though his body was still warm, she felt nothing. A spark shot from her hand and into his chest. Naruto twitched, and for a fleeting instant, she thought she felt a flicker of life in him, only for it to vanish a heartbeat later. Another spark. Another twitch, as the current coursed through his veins. Another check.

Nothing.

'Oh, God. He doesn't have a pulse! Don't you do this to me!'

Rationality abandoned Misaka and panic sank its claws deep into her, leaving her awash in emotion. Panic, betrayal, anger, anguish, despair. This was him, this was his face...she could never forget that tan visage even if it was missing an eye and an ear. The blond hair and the whiskers were a dead giveaway though his mouth lay absent of the once sheepish smile he usually wore. Dead and still in her arms. Gone. No. If he was gone, that meant he'd broken her promise, and if he'd broken their promise...

That couldn't possibly be Naruto, it just couldn't!

Look again, her brain demanded.

We are, they cried! He's real!

If this was Naruto, then it meant he'd lied to her, that he had BEEN lying to her all along. She'd seen the blast-felt it-and knew no level one was capable of such power. Naruto was Napalm and Napalm was Naruto. He'd been killing criminals right under her nose, worse, she'd believed him when he said it wasn't him. He'd fed her lie after lie and she'd swallowed them all, not once thinking to question him. They were friends, after all. He had never lied to her before, and she'd never once tried to deceive him. Now he was gone.

And she couldn't bring him back.

"No, no, no!" her voice broke, tears welling in her eyes as she tried to will life back into his corpse. "You're not allowed to go like this! You hear me?! Get! Back! Here!"

Frantically, she shocked him again with each word. And again. And Again.

"He is going to expire, Misaka states."

In any other situation, Misaka would've been startled out of her wits by the presence of a girl who looked exactly like her, but in this instance she didn't care. As she laid eyes on the battered, bloody girl, a knot of anger bound itself in the pit of her stomach, and she nearly rounded on her. This was all her fault! Knowing Naruto, he'd probably jumped into the fight to save her. If he'd just stayed out of it and let events run her course to the end-no, she ruthlessly rebuked herself, that wasn't it. She wasn't the one to blame...

"Shut up!" she railed at her clone before turning her attention back to her impromptu patient, refusing to admit defeat. "Naruto! Don't you die on me, you bastard!" her will began to falter as the body beneath her chose to remain as such, just a corpse, cold and unmoving. Misaka railed at it again. "I won't forgive you if you do! You CAN'T! Its not fair, do you hear me?! I still haven't...haven't...

...Misaka humbly suggests another form of resuscitation, Onee-sama." 9982 droned, her blank eyes falling to Naruto's still form.

"What? Wait, I'm already restarting his hear! What could you possibly-gah!"

Mikasa colored as her mind came to the inevitable conclusion.

Frantic, she did the only thing she could think to do.

"Misaka reminds you time is short, Misaka urges."

Steam. Her eyes were literally spouting steam.

"Moh! Y-You owe me for this!"

Furiously indignant she slammed both hands down on Naruto's chest once more, her palms thrumming with even more raw current. This time Naruto's body outright jumped, but his heart refused to restart. He needed air. Needed to breath. It didn't matter if his heart beat, so long as he didn't draw any air in. Which meant only one thing. And if it meant surrendering something as important as her first kiss, well...

Flushing, she pinched his nose, lifted his head, and after a moment's hesitation jammed her mouth over his.

Then she began to breathe.

And as if fate had been waiting for that very moment, Naruto jerked upright.

"Mwah!"

Relief flooded her in a cleansing wave, only to be drowned by surprise at what came next.

Misaka's eyes shot open with a start at the impromptu kiss, his mouth now caging hers firmly and intently with the repressed passion of an entire childhood. His remaining arm had wrapped itself tightly around her in a crushing hold, pinning both arms at her sides before she could think to escape. Wide brown eyes met blue and for a moment, neither moved. This close, Misaka could feel his pulse hammering against her, nearly feel it beating in her own veins as the blond slowly, painfully came down from the rush of adrenaline that came with his revival.

Then she lost all control of herself.

In all honesty, Misaka had never kissed a boy before.

Oh, she'd longed to do such things of course, but she'd always been too embarrassed, never having the opportunity. Never seeing the point. By the time she had taken an interest in Naruto that shame was so deeply rooted that she hadn't dared to so much as attempt holding hands with him. She'd been too concerned with reason and making an idiot of herself to even dare

Until now.

Exerting her leverage against the battered blond, Misaka pushed him down against the scorched earth and welded her lips to his once more, too caught up in joyous relief and the way it felt to care of the spectacle she made. Emotion had its say in court and reason was promptly shouted down and out as she kissed him fiercely. Naruto for his part, didn't struggle or try to escape her grip. If anything he seemed to welcome it, his good hand tracing small circles against the small of her back as his mouth tangled with hers, his uncaring as she pinned him down.

Fresh tears welling in her eyes, Misaka embraced the revived esper as best she could, and for a moment all was well.

But only for a moment.

"Ah. They're kissing, Misaka states."

That seemed to be the wake-up call Napalm needed.

"Oh." he managed eloquently. "Well...shit."

Realizing the enormity of his actions, her fellow esper drew back at bit, his forehead resting against hers, simply basking in one another and the awkward silence that followed. Misaka let him speak first, simply savoring the fact that he was alive at all. She'd come so close to losing him for a split second, and it...it frightened her. More than she could ever hope to describe. So let the moment last while it could, because when it was over there would be hell to pay and oh would there be a reckoning!

"Hey." he croaked weakly. "Guess I'm back."

"Idiot." she sobbed. "I thought you were...

"I think I was." Naruto muttered. "Actually saw the pearly gates there for a second. Good thing an angel dragged me back."

"That's so corny."

"Ouch, you wound me!"

"Speaking of wounded, there...

Then she remembered she was angry with him.

...you lied to me, Naruto-kun."

Naruto must've seen it, heard in her the faux sweetness of her voice, because he tried to scoot away from her. To no avail. Mikasa's leg shout out, pinning him. Even injured as he was, the blond someone managed that damned grin of his. Misaka leaned over him, her eyes spitting sparks. She didn't even pause to consider her compromising position; she was too busy considering how to wreak payback on a certain blond. But not to kill him oh no, she wanted him to wish he were dead...

"N-Now wait just a second! Alright, you're angry. I get that, but can we-

Silence reigned.

"...I can explain?"

"Yeah, I really don't think you can."

"Give me a minute. Might surprise ya-

WHACK.

"Ow!"

Then she slapped him so hard he saw STARS.

A/N: And there we go. THIS STORY IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE AFTER A YEAR! Aye, I went there with the kiss and I'm not ashamed of it. Expect Naruto and Misaka to hash things out further in the next chapter, but for now the secret's out of the bag and there's going to be hell to pay. Especially with Naruto being in a weakened state as a result of his injuries. Will he receive some manner of cybernetics? Will he heal? Will he ever recover? And what kind of hijinks will ensue? Find out next time!

So...in the immortal words of Atlas and myself...

...Would you Kindly Review this Story? And of course, enjoy the preview! Guess what's happening! I dare ya!

(Preview)

"How is he doing this?!"

Aureolus Izzard shrank back with a whimper.

Naruto-Napalm-!didn't answer, instead he simply continued to hum, streamers of golden flame bleeding from his body. The fire seemed almost alive, rising around him to form the vicious shape of a great and flaming bird. The enemy reeled back in disbelief, realizing the gravity of their error. You couldn't mix magic and science! It wasn't possible! Yet he just had, he'd pushed him too far and something had snapped inside of him, something had broken and fallen away and in its place stood a creature out of myth and legend, a being so far beyond comprehension that it boggled the mind.

Glowing eyes leveled on him.

"Sorry," the fire spoke through him, "Naruto's sleeping right now. You said it yourself, I'm like a beacon. No matter how many times you hurt me, I'm just reborn. You imagined me, so here I am."

"W-What are you?!"

A dreadful pall fell over the warehouse.

And then Naruto-rather, the creature he'd become-began to smile.

"I am the Lord of Fire. I am the Unburnt. I am the Rebirth."

It was a ghastly, soulless thing, that smile.

"I AM PHOENIX."

R&R! =D