A/N: I return! I've been away from this story for far too long! I've been updating my fics on a regular basis, and this one came up next in my docket. Sorry for the long wait :3 And with that being said, I am proud to return to this fic after so long an abscence! Now, with that being said...
...Off we go! Sorry if its short! Also, REMEMBER! For each chapter/update/new story, one of my crappy old ones is being purged! YE HAVE BEEN FOREWARNED! Oh, and one more thing...
...HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO YOU ALL! THIS BE ME GIFT TO EVERYONE! ALL HAIL NARUTO THE LOVE DOCTOR XD
"This. This is PRECISELY why we can't have nice things!"
~?
Downer
(Previously, on A Certain KnuckleHeaded Ninja's only Railgun...)
"Kuroko," Naruto's deadpan was barely concealed, "You wouldn't be using me to get closer to this Misaka person by any chance, would you?" A stray current of wind plucked at his tresses, promising pain if his kouhai didn't answer correctly. The target of his ire in question jumped, swallowing meekly.
"O-Of course not!"
His frowned deepened another inch. Aha!
"BAKAMON!
"Gyah!"
Saten could barely believe her eyes. She stared at the leaves swirling in the palm of her hand and marveled at them. They moved to her will-propelled by small bursts of air, forming a ring round her open palms. It was almost too good to be true! She had an ability now! She was an esper. And her ability was almost exactly like Naruto's!
This was...amazing!
At first she'd been afraid to try the Level Upper, fearful of what might happen to her, of what others might say. Even worse, Naruto, if she was found out. She knew he didn't approve of Saten really did like him, didn't want to lose him, or risk his rebuke. But now that she finally had...
Consequences be damned!
A giddy giggle escaped her lips as she gazed at the swirling currents in her hand.
I can't wait to show him!
Unfortunately, Saten was the furthest thing from Naruto's mind at the moment.
Because presently, he was trying not to strangle a certain mischievous teleporter. He stalked across the grass lawn, hauling Kuroko along by the scruff of the neck like a bad puppy in the park. The moment they reached a bench, he promptly dumped her onto it face-first, eliciting a groan from the young member of Judgement.
"Ugeh!"
"What am I going to do with you, ya lech?!"
"Sorry! Kuroko is sorry for deceiving you, Naruto-sama!" It was almost comical, really, how she squirmed away from him, arms and legs backpedaling like a drunken crab. Cracking his knuckles he started after her, the tiniest of breezes wafting between them to pluck at his hair. His menacing laugh was all kinds of nope to hers ears. Nope nope nope NOPE! All kinds of don't want!
"Not sorry enough, apparently!"
"No no no NO! Kuroko doesn't want to be punished anymore today~!" Poor Kuroko, she tried to teleport away, she really did, but he was just too damn fast. The moment she re-appeared he simply grabbed her again and tossed her onto the bench again-she was beginning to think of it as the danger zone-before coming at her once more. A mad cackle snaked through his teeth, and it was in that instant that she knew certain doom had come for her. She was going to be ravished by this hooligan, her sanctity tarnished...!
"No more punishment!" she wailed! "Please!"
Bop.
She heard a cricket chirp quietly as a hand gently knocked her over the head.
...ha?"
"You need to stop pining after her and actually do something genuine." Naruto instructed, slowly moving his hand away from her head. "None of these mad stunts you've been pulling. Trust me, its no fun being lonely in love. I've been there before. It hurts." Something cold and dark flashed through those blue eyes; Kuroko wasn't entirely certain she liked what she saw there. Like staring into the face of a hurricane. Outwardly it looked calm, but inwardly a raging maelstrom of pain and destruction within.
He knew what it was like.
Incredibly, Kuroko found herself bobbing her head in agreement.
"Such as?"
"Try buying her something." the blond answered as he slid onto the bench beside her, clasping his hands. "Clothes, maybe?"
A dark, lecherous look flashed in Kuroko's eyes.
"Ehehehehe, I can get Onee-sama's some proper panties~!"
"Alright," Naruto sighed, "I can see where this is going. Lets forget clothes for now. How about a date? Ask her out, ya know?"
"Perfect! I could brew a love potion!"
"Shirai-san!" The sharp bark of his words bit into that thought. "We're trying to avoid the yandere route here, kay?" When she didn't explode with mad plots again, he dared to speak once more. "Here, let's practice. For all intensive purposes, you can pretend I'm that crazy biri-biri girl. Try asking me out."
Kuroko frowned, giving the sharp blond a withering once over. Her response nearly floored him.
...is senpai trying to flirt with me again?"
"Gah!"
Naruto face-vaulted so hard he nearly broke the bench!
"You're my sweet little kouhai." he drawled softly, climbing back onto the battered wooden seat with a supreme effort, stubbornly straightening a lock of messy blond hair out of his eyes. "What did I say about knocking your flag down, eh? Don't make me slap you with a rasengan again."
"Right, right." the teleporter actually blanched a bit at the mention of his signature attack. "I almost forgot about that."
"So?" Naruto poked her in the shoulder, expectantly.
"So?" Kuroko tilted her head to on side, absolute baffled. "Did you want something?"
"Oh, for the love of-ASK ME OUT ALREADY!"
"But you're not Onee-sama!"
A muscle jumped in the blond's jaw.
"We're pretending, remember?" With a magnificent surge of will, he kept himself from snapping at her. "Look, I'm doing this for your sake. The least you can do is humor me."
...as you wish." she huffed, puffing her cheeks out childishly. "If you're doing this for the sake of my and Onee-sama's love, the least I can do is humor you."
'I'm pretty damn sure she doesn't feel that way, but okay...
Naruto sighed wearily; the tension left in the air still weighing on him, he gently guided Kuroko back towards the topic at hand. "Come on. I'm waiting."
"Alright," Kuroko took a deep breath. "You're Onee-sama. Onee-sama...Onee-sama...
Then she started to twitch.
Now it was Naruto's turn to gulp. "Oh, boy. Here it co-"
"ONEE-SAMA~!" the force of her shout nearly blasted him clear off the bench! "KUROKO WANTS TO BARE HER ALL FOR YOU! PLEASE GO OUT WITH HER!"
"Chigau! Wrong! You're doing it all wrong! And stop using third person!"
"W-What's wrong, Onee-sama?" glittering eyes rolled madly in her head, spinning like crazy marbles! "It'll be fun! I could kidnap you and then we could do this and that...ufufufufu!"
That tore it! Enough was enough!
"THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
BONK!
Naruto glared for several seconds without letting up, veins throbbing visibly in his forehead as her glare down at his precious kouhai's prone, twitching form. Those sky blue eyes were cast in shadow, and gleaming with baleful blue light. His lips were curled back almost of their own accord, barring the blond's teeth in a decidedly vicious snarl. When he finally spoke, it was like a melody of death, promising pain and suffering:
"Ku~ro~ko~!"
"H-Hai?" she gulped as his shadow fell over her.
"You're absolutely hopeless!"
His hand descended furiously.
"Mercy!"
Vzzzzzzzzzzm!
Lucky for her, his phone chose that very moment to shoot off a text.
Pausing in his assault, the blond fished out his cell, frowning slightly at the cracked screen. Odd. That hadn't been there before. Must've been from his tussle with that sword-wielding woman. Just who was she, anyway? Come to think of it, he hadn't heard from Touma after he'd dealt with her either. Had something happened to him? Hmm. Questions for later. He'd have to check in on his unlucky friend when he had the chance. But for now, his thoughts were preoccupied, fixated solely on the phone in his hand and the message it bore:
"Up for some snowcones by the pachinko machine? My treat! Oh, and I've got something to show you~!"
~Saten.
"What about?" he texted back with his thumb.
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" came the almost instantaneous reply. "Its a secret!"
A seed of dread planted itself in his gut.
"Ara, looks like you get of easy today." he muttered, closing the phone.
Kuroko dared to open her eyes, half expecting a thousand years of pain.
"Which means...?"
"I believe you know what it means." Naruto's expression was withering.
"NYAH!" gasping, she flung up her arms before her face! "Kuroko is sorry for being so hopeless! She can't help herself!"
But instead of another bone-crushing dent in her head as she'd expected, Naruto lightly pushed two fingers against her forehead, smiling softly. The pinkette looked up at him, baffled by the brotherly gesture. His smile seemed almost sad, somehow. Worry niggled at her. Ordinarily she'd never have bothered to insert herself in his affairs, but that look...
"Senpai? Is everything alright?"
"My bad, Kuroko." he squinted, whiskered cheeks dimpling in a grin. The expression made him look oddly fox-like, she thought. "We'll have to finish this talk another time."
It would be the last time he smiled like that for a long while...
...a very long while indeed.
Saten felt like her heart was about to explode.
Her pulse pounded in her ears the drums of a great hunt, out for her blood. Every second she stood here she could feel her heart racing, slamming against her chest as though it were a writhing creature, about to break free and explode out her...! Urk. her shoulders convulsed in a preemptive shudder. I never should've watched that Alien movie last night. Brr! How the hell do Americans enjoy that stuff?! She tried to distract herself on that thought, but it was no good.
Run run run! her mind wailed like a child! Just get out of here and tell him you couldn't make it! He'll understand!
Ah, but there was no turning back now, was there? She'd already sent the text, and with his ability, Naruto was likely only moments away. Escape wasn't an option, even with her newfound ability. Terror gripped her at the thought of revealing it to him, her excitement withering away like a dried root at the thought of his reaction. What would Naruto say? More importantly, what would he do? Would he understand her actions? Or, and she feared this most of all, would he condemn her for them?
Would he turn her in?
Saten wanted to believe that he would be support her like a good boyfriend. She really did. Surely nothing bad would happen...right? There were reports of some people going into comas-and boy did she wish she'd had known that BEFORE using the damn thing-but it still should be okay...right?
Right?
"Sa~ten~chan~!"
Well, it was definitely too late to back out now.
Pivoting on a heel, the new esper turned just in time to feel a violent gale upon her face; to watch as her skirt flew up in her eyes. She felt a sudden chill against her legs...among other places. Her mind took a full thirty seconds to reboot, her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. A light flush tinged her cheeks, tingling all the way down her spine.
...what.
"Ah." Naruto grinned back at her as the long garment flopped back down. "They're red today. Nice color."
"Naruto!" Saten squeaked, shoving her skirt back into place! That was her shtick!
"What?" he beamed, standing. "You can flip my coat but I can't flip your skirt?"
"YOU CANNOT!"
"Hehehe, sorry." As ever, his smile nearly turned her boneless. It really was impossible to stay mad at him, sometimes. "How about we go and get those snow cones now?" a hand rose, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead as she looked on. "Its gettin' kinda hot out here...
"S-Sure...
In the end they each bought a snow cone of their own and found a bench in the shade. Saten settled against him quietly, almost afraid to speak. Texting it had been one thing, but to actually reveal an ability that she'd simply not had until only a few hours ago was another thing altogether.
"Aw, what! You got blueberry?!" he cried.
Leave it to Naruto to break the ice.
Literally.
Despite her own anxiety, Saten couldn't help but laugh. "Shouldn't have chose cherry then."
"C'mon, you don't mind sharing, do ya...?" he pleaded.
"Nope! It's all mimmph!"
Her words warped into a surprise moan as he lunged forward and his lips met hers, tongue savagely plundering her mouth to have a taste for himself. Mmmmhmm. All the tension drained right out of her, replaced by a different kind of energy. She angled her head back for him almost without realizing it, arms wrapping around his neck in a loose tether even as his hands came to rest on her slender waist, pulling her into his lap with an almost primitive ease. This time, she couldn't be bothered to blush about it. Bliss. Sweet and perfect bliss. That's what this was.
For a handful of those perfect, eternal seconds, she forget all about her terrible secret. Her stress. It was wonderful.
And it was over all too soon.
"Hmm. You do taste good." she purred, gasping slight as he pulled away. "So? What were you up to today?"
"Nothing much."
"I highly doubt that."
His lips met hers in another kiss, this one chaste.
"Well, I was kinda busy with Kuroko...
"Oh?" her eyes narrowed slightly as she pulled away. "And just what were we doing with Shirai-san, himm?"
"Discussing tactics." he answered evasively. "Among other things." No way was he mentioning the Mikoto incident.
"I see."
"I'm totally innocent here." he insisted.
"I see."
"Could you please stop saying that? Kinda making me nervous.
Her stare didn't waver in the least. "I suppose you are."
"You know, its stuff like this that almost makes me think you're secretly a yandere, ya know." he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Wait...you're not, are you? Because they're kinda scary. Like really, really, chop your balls off kinda scary. Not that there's anything wrong with that...!"
Double urk.
"I...have no idea what you're talking about." she dodged the question. "But enough about that! I'll forgive you for being late, just this once. Anyway, I wanted to show you something." Shifting her delicious frozen treat to an off hand, Saten held a palm up before his face. Naruto frowned, thoughtfully.
"Um...that's a very nice hand?"
"Not that, baka! I wanted to show you something else." Saten insisted, plucking up her courage.
"Hmm?"
"This."
In the next instant, he felt a strong breeze brush his cheek. Even Saten was surprised. It was much stronger than it had been only a few hours before...!
His heart stopped.
"Look, look!" she beamed, holding up her hand! "My ability's just like yours. Just...smaller! I'm sure if I practice with it, I'll be just as good as...as...why are you looking at me like that?"
Naruto was silent for a very long time.
"Well...say something!"
The normally cheery blond closed his eyes as he pondered the significance of what he had just witnessed. That second dragged on into minutes as he turned the events over in his mind. Finally, he uncrossed his legs and stood, rising to his feet and towering over her.
"We need to go the hospital" he said. "Now."
"What?" she guffawed, laughing. "No! I'm fine, really!"
"Did you use it, then?"
He knows.
Dread seized her heart in a vice.
In that instant Saten didn't know how but somehow, she knew that he knew. Knew that she'd used the level upper. A lone bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, traced the line of her jaw, and fell from her chin. And still his gaze never left hers, didn't relent. It only drilled deeper into her. She felt dirty inside. Tainted somehow. Guilty. As if she'd betrayed his trust. No she hadn't! Telling herself that only made her feel even worse, as foul as one of those skill-out punks.
"Use what?" she forced a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Did. You. Use. It."
"Naruto, you're scaring me-
His hand gripped her wrist in a vice, yanking her arm into the air.
"You did, didn't you?! the words were a shout! "ARE YOU INSANE?!"
"You're hurting me!" crying out, she shook her arm free, wincing at the pain.
"That thing's dangerous!" Naruto exclaimed. "What were you thinking?!"
She jerked up her chin, challenging him. "I was thinking it would be nice to live a day in your shoes."
"What?" he blinked, astounded. "What do I have have to do with this?! I specifically told you not to use that thing! How could you take any other meaning from that?!"
"That's exactly it! You're the reason I tried it in the first place!"
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into!" Naruto barked back, pointing an irate finger at the glaring girl. "This is unfamiliar territory, here! Your brain-
"Don't you "my brain" me, buddy! I can do what I want with it!" Saten made an angry noise between her teeth.
"Did you just HISS at me?!" Naruto exclaimed disbelievingly. "What's gotten into you?!"
"Why can't you just understand!"
"I do understand!" he shouted! "I understand you did something really stupid just to gain a dangerous power!"
SLAP.
She'd struck him almost before she truly realized what was going on; one minute he'd been standing over her, the next, his head jerked backward. Not a slap; not this time, but a closed fist, smashing right into his jaw with a surprising amount of force.
"Saten...
"What do you know about being weak?!" she cried! "You were born with it! Is it so wrong that I wanted to be like you?!" Thick tear welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over the edges. "I want to be able to fly! To wave my hand and see the wind dance!" Around her, the wind began to move once again, swirling violently. "I'd give anything for it! Just once, just once, I want to go out without others looking down on me!" Overhead, the sky darkened, storm clouds rolling in, blotting out the sun.
"Oi!"
"SHUT! UP! I'm not finished!"
Naruto tensed, eyes following the heavenly movements.
When the wind hit, he didn't move.
He simply stood there, weathering it all.
Somehow, that only made Saten even angrier.
"You're a level five, Naruto! You've always had your power, even when you were younger! I didn't! I'm sick of being labeled a zero like the rest because of a stupid test!" Oblivious to the heavenly happenings around her, she continued to rail at him, raising her hand, fingers twitching. "You don't know what its like! Shirai and Misaka may be different, but everyone else...everyone else...I don't want to be like everyone else...I hate being a nobody...hatehatehatehatehate I HATE IT! I WANT THIS POWERLESSNESS OF MINE TO DISAPPEAR! FOREVER!"
"Saten." when he finally spoke, it was little more than a murmur.
"WHAT?!"
Eyes like bitter blue diamonds stared back at her.
"Lower your hand."
She looked up, suddenly aware of what she'd done, the gale force winds she had created, the angry sphere swirling at the edge of her fingertips. Aimed at him. Oh, god. No. No nononono...her anger deserted her, dried up like an oasis in the desert. Reality came rushing back, the intoxicating rush of power abandoning her in an instant.
"No...I didn't mean to...Naruto...
Words trailed off into a tiny sob as she buried her face in her hands.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...
"We're going."
She didn't answer. Not at first. No. Wait. Now she couldn't...?
Odd.
I can't move my legs...
When her voice did come, it was barely a whisper.
"Naruto...Naruto...I don't feel so...cold...I feel cold...
...what?"
Naruto's snow cone tumbled from his hand, showering him and Saten with shards of the dairy treat. Lifting his head slowly, he turned.
Too slowly.
Dark hair flashed before his vision in sleek, ebon curtains as she fell.
He saw it, then, that thin line of blood running from her nose.
"Saten-chan?!"
He lunged, catching her at the last instant, saving her head from smacking against the unyielding concrete. She felt so cold. "Oi, c'mon now! This isn't funny! Saten-chan!" She wanted to answer him, she really did, but it was dark now, so dark, and he seemed so far away. Dark. Why was it so...dark...?
"Saten?"
No response.
Naruto's blood went cold.
"SATEN!"
A/N: ...Did I just do that? Yup, I reckon I did. We'll have to see if Saten lives, and if she does and it be a BIG if there folks, will she keep these new powers? I'm not sure Academy City can handle a second shinigami running around, but hey, it'd be great for laughs...
SO VOTE IN YOU REVIEWS!
Yup, there you go! I've been rewatching To Aru Kagaku No Railgun and To Aru no Majutsu, and doing my best to correlate between the two. Its not easy! But I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying myself. They're just so damn funny! Especially Kuroko's antis Misaka! One can only wonder what might happen if she learns that a certain railgun likes a certain ninja. And alas, Saten has used the Level Upper. For those of you who've seen the series, you should be able to guess where this is going. And with that, I'm off to work! I sincerely look forward to reading your reviews when I get back!
So...in the immortal words of Atlas...
...Review...Would Ya Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! THAR BE TWO THIS TIME!
(Preview!)
"I! WILL! FUCKING! KILL HEEEEEEEEEER!"
Uiharu blinked over the rising sound of the storm. "Isn't that Na-
"DODGE!"
Misaka yelped and dove under the desk the moment she heard that voice, dragging her kouhai with her. Less than an instant later the tornado hit and the roof was gone. Just like that. There was no pause, no preamble, no cause and effect. A great grinding noise bored into ears and just like that, the roof was gone. For a terrifying moment the keening of the wind was all she could hear, the screams of hapless bystanders as they found themselves violently sucked away into oblivion.
Then, just like that, the winds died.
A livid Naruto alighted less than a yard away, hovering over the facility like an angry god.
"Where is she?! Where's the one who started this Limit Upper bullshit?! I'll find her! Rip her throat out!"
Naruto twitched.
Just a tiny move, lobbing the grenade between them.
It landed well short of its target, exploding well short of its target. A noxious green mist wafted over him harmlessly, tickling his skin, and then it was over.
"Ha?" he frowned. "What the hell was that supposed to be?"
"Wait for it."
The Level Five made the mistake of inhaling, then.
Accelerator gagged. No! His one weakness! The one thing he couldn't deflect.
"What the hell is that smell?!"
"STINK BOMB BITCH!"
R&R! =D