Sixteen-year-old Naruto didn't appreciate slowness, not really. He knew discipline, how to be careful and considerate. But the power of going slow, it would take several years to reach his attention. And judging by how Kara writhed under him, she appreciated his enlightenment as each stroke was performed at a constant, deliberate pace. He could tell she was reaching her breaking point as she clawed at his back and moaned desperately.
It was flooding back, long shelved memories and emotions. A connection severed being reforged. The intensity of the moment overwhelming any concern for long term consequences. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had to know this was a mistake even if he hadn't felt this right in weeks; even if there was clarity in the storm of emotions and the echoes of Kara's voice was a more fitting soundtrack than any ever produced.
"N...Nar," she started but she hadn't need to say a word. He lowered himself and increased his pace. Slow drifted toward moderate that transformed to hurried and rushed to frenzied. She yelled as her climax hit, he clutched the sheets in a death grip when he followed right after. And as they came down from their towering heights, reality slowly regaining its color and dimensions the two slowly separated, Naruto briefly excusing himself but returning swiftly. After the evening's activities both drifted off before long.
The clock on his nightstand mocked him. Four AM was just a miserable time to wake up for almost any reason. Worst yet, he was rested. He didn't require much sleep when he got it consistently so he was wide awake. Which gave him time to think. He didn't want to think, at least not about the aftermath of last night. Besides, not much could be settled until the other half of the discussion was able to contribute. He decided on a shower instead.
He silently entered the attached bathroom, gently closed the door and engaged the silencing seals so the sounds wouldn't wake Kara. Naruto activated the digital control, the water and pressure both to a memorized setting so it is always to his liking. He slid in, closing the glass door behind him and enjoyed the sensation of the warm water falling from directly overhead.
He lost himself to the sensation of the warm water droplets, the steam surrounding the marble walls and his own thoughts. A soft touch broke him from his contemplation and he turned to welcome his guest, one he hadn't heard enter. He smiled when he saw her floating off the ground as he figured she must have done so to avoid the sounds of footsteps. He took in her form, naked and wet. His eyes continued to her slender neck, water trailing down to the valley between her breasts. Continuing to scan upward, he saw her slightly bite her lower lip while giving a faint smile.
It was then that Naruto felt guilty. He really was putting future Naruto in a jackpot with his poor decision making but he'd forgiven himself in the time it took him to claim her lips. He couldn't recall if he lifted her or she climbed him but the sensation of once again being inside of her, his arms wrapped around her waist as she clung to his neck.
It was now 7am and Naruto knew where he erred. He didn't have a plan last time and underestimated Kara. But he now had a plan, a series of steps to insure engagement happened on his terms. First, breakfast. In their… zeal they both skipped dinner so he would entice her with a French Omelette. Pillowy eggs, a little custardy in the center, a hit of flaky salt and herbs to finish. Undefeated, surefire win. Once she was consuming the omelette he could then broach the necessary but likely uncomfortable conversation they needed to have.
He teleported to the kitchen, a clear abuse of one of his home world's most coveted techniques (at least according to Minato), but he didn't want her to wake before he was ready. As he gathered up what he needed he thought about what he might say or, more directly, what he wanted. He never thought he'd be entertaining a relationship so soon after Pam but he needed to move on. It wasn't like he was pining away for her, not exactly.
So, faster than he expected but not unwelcome, it still didn't answer the question. And he could hear her stirring so he needed to come up with an answer fast. He wanted to blame the Old Man for this. All that sync your heart with others crap just screwed his head all up.
'He never told you to sync your heart through your genitals' Kurama offered, unhelpfully and swiftly closed the connection. The damn fox always wanted the last word. Naruto internally groused some more about the state of things, it only dawned on him he'd never started cooking when he heard a voice behind him.
"I can tell from here that big, sexy brain is in overdrive," Kara said. Naruto didn't like what he was sensing. Why was she feeling victorious? Like, supremely victorious? And mischievous? He was mischievous, not her. He didn't dare turn around.
"Hey, I was going to make some omelettes."
"And then we could sit down and talk?" she asked, rhetorically. "We could. Or I could summarize it. We're both incredibly busy. We have a past. We're heroes, though you're in denial."
Ignoring what his empathy was telling him, he turned to address her final point. Hair pulled back with two strands framing her heart-shaped face. Additionally, faced adorned with a pair of black, pillow style frames she hadn't been wearing yesterday. And lastly, she was clad in one of his dress shirts, buttoned just enough to call attention to the swell of her breasts.
Critical Damage!
"We could talk," she said as she strided over to him with the utmost confidence, "and talk and talk. Or," she smiled. It was predatory, he didn't like it and liked nothing more at the same time. "We could, how you say… have fun?" her voice adopting an excellent French accent. Naruto, briefly, wondered when she integrated character work into her repertoire.
"Fun?" he asked as he closed the distance.
"Oui, Monsieur," she answered. The heroine was over his shoulder and on her way back upstairs in an instant. Naruto selected that method so he didn't have to see her face, though her emotions conveyed enough. She'd won the day and he'd let her have her prize.
"Kal," Diana welcomed with a smile. She wasn't sure why he'd come to pay her a visit but it was good to see one of her comrades outside of battle. The two were on a farm she kept just outside of Washington D.C.
"Diana," he returned. "Do you have a moment?"
"Of course, come in," she replied. "So, what can I do for you?" she asked after they'd settled in her living room. She smiled when he rubbed the back of his neck in a display of bashfulness.
"Well, I'm here to whip votes, you could say."
"For Shayera?" she asked after a moment of silent contemplation. He nodded. "I have to admit I'm inclined to vote against, Kal. If we cannot trust each other then our team will cease to function and one of us will get hurt if not killed while failing to save countless others."
"I understand and I don't intend to minimize yours or anyone else's feelings on the matter. I want her to stay, I'm sure that comes at no great surprise," he chuckled and she smiled. "But that was mostly because I want to see the best in everyone, especially those I fight alongside. However, that isn't the most convincing case so I sought the opinion of an outsider."
"Oh?" she said in mild surprise but instantly had an idea of who this outsider was.
"Yes. He had a different view and it was one I hadn't considered. Shayera betrayed us, there is no reason to deny this. But in truth, we are all loyal to people or places outside of the League. Yes, she was compromised and came in that way but could you not see a scenario where you were ordered to spy on an organization of super powered men to get a sense of our intentions? What if the Lantern Corps decided we were a threat? What would John do? Would Wally, Bruce, or myself intercede in a global conflict if it risked American interests? I'd like to think we would follow what's right but that's dangerously naive.
We never settled on how much loyalty we owed each other, we never discussed how to handle conflicts of interests. Regardless of what she did, that was an institutional failure. But even with being compromised, when she learned of what they were truly planning she risked life and limb to get us the information."
Diana remained silent as she mulled over Kal's words. The sting of Shayera's betrayal hadn't dulled completely and one conversation wouldn't make it happen, even if Kal did have a point. As an Amazonian she was taught to fight with honor, facing your enemy head on. It was the way she preferred it. But that way could leave you outwitted and make you predictable. She'd seen the benefits of more disreputable tactics, even if she'd be hard pressed to enact them herself. What that ultimately meant for her vote she did not know. She was ambivalent and that would have to do for now. Besides, her mind was pulling her toward a more interesting topic.
Diana would admit her first impression of Naruto Uzumaki was an erroneous one. Like the others of the League, she thought him a petulant, yet dangerous, boy and potential threat. A hero hater, likely molded by Lex to eventually come after them. But Kal clearly trusted him, believed in him. It was difficult to square those positions. Even after their brief exchange in Paris she still couldn't get a sense of him. Not until they arrived during the middle of the invasion did things start to click.
Hidden in the interaction, Kal's offer of recognition and Naruto's refusal laid a deeper meaning. He said what he'd done wasn't heroic, and while being dismissive had also stated the world needed its heroes. If he were a blind hero hater she doubted he wouldn't show them up and revel in their less than stellar performance. He'd only admonished Bruce for invading his space and John for shortsightedness.
"If you had to guess, Kal, what drives Naruto?" she asked. She laughed at his look of surprise though she could not fault him. He wasn't in her head, he had no idea where her thoughts had traveled to. She watched Kal look up with a slight smile on his face.
"The one time I got Naruto to explain his abilities he said he was imbued with an energy that was pure potential. Passively, he's stronger than any normal human, faster too but without training it wouldn't go much further than that. All the things he can do, each a skill he had to learn and continued to train so they don't atrophy. I'm sure he's had good instructors and I don't doubt Lex spared no expense in helping him maximize his talents. In essence, Naruto wouldn't be who he is without his potential, his hard work, and a community of people around him able and willing to help.
I think he just wants everyone to have the same; a community and a chance to find and hone their potential."
"That is not a small task," Diana observed.
"It isn't nor is it something one person can achieve by themselves."
"But it is a laudable goal all the same," Diana inserted and Kal nodded in agreement. "Then why? Why do you want him to replace you?"
"I believe he has the necessary mindset," Kal stated.
"Like yours?" Diana was surprised when Kal shook his head.
"No, better. Naruto earned his skills, I was gifted power. I think that reflects in our outlooks. I owe this world so much; owe it the very best of me. If I can help I will."
"What's wrong with that?"
"People progress when they are presented challenges that force them to grow, either in that moment or in failure. Naruto isn't wrong when he says we likely get involved in more than we should. I simply can't make myself not. It feels too close to playing God. But what are we inhibiting? What potential are we not allowing to manifest?" Kal shared, sounding as if he were unburdening himself with his answer.
"If anyone could convince him to walk the path of a hero it's you. I'm not sure if you could get the rest of the League to accept him, however."
"J'onn doesn't view him negatively. I'm guessing you don't either."
"Correct."
"I think Wally could be open to changing his mind so that just leaves three."
"I don't think you'll ever get Bruce to accept him," Diana observed. She watched Kal sink into her couch.
"It may be even worse than that," Kal cautioned. "I'm afraid Bruce's vehemence that Naruto is a danger will provoke the latter into doing something he can't take back and we can't ignore. I just don't know how to get through to Bruce."
Diana had no suggestions to offer her Metropolis counterpart. She'd know Bruce for a shorter time and wouldn't assume she knew the full of his character. She hoped Kal could figure it out. The Princess of the Amazons had no strong feelings on Naruto becoming a hero but it would shame her and the League if they pushed someone into becoming a villain; especially one they couldn't defeat.
Kara stirred, her naked body loving the feel of the high thread count sheets and bed that possibly cost more than she made in a year. She smiled at the memories of how successful she'd been. Though the initial plan was just for last night… the events left her desiring additional engagements. She had to admit the time apart had been very kind to her ex.
She turned, feeling light and refreshed, to see Naruto typing away on a keyboard. Her attention turned to the monitor that must have been lowered from the ceiling while she slept. On the display were various schematics and models for an apartment complex, an incredibly tall apartment complex. Sliding over to Naruto he wrapped one arm around her so she could snuggle closer.
"You sleep well?" he asked.
"Incredibly so. This is a magic bed, isn't it?" Kara smiled at Naruto's chuckle.
"Only if the magic runs on money," he answered in jest. "Mr. Wintergreen did us the courtesy of ordering lunch, it's downstairs if you want any."
"Ah, that explains why you're up," she responded.
"You make me sound like a glutton," he said with a faux pout.
"Only because I don't have a better word for it," she informed him. "Now, what's this?"
"One of Lex's final projects and possibly a lasting gift to humanity. He figured out a renewable energy source, incredibly low costs and high efficiency. His lone model could power city blocks for years before the power supply would need to be swapped out. But even with what he did, his work rested on a few outdated assumptions, something I've debunked with Issie's system."
"Issie?"
"Isabelle, my all electric Lincoln Continental Convertible. A singular beauty of style, grace and comfort."
"Of course it's a car," Kara said with a roll of her eyes. "For someone with enhanced speed I don't understand your fascination with cars." Kara said before pausing, as if beset by a memory. "Besides, I thought Georgie was your one, true automotive love," Kara teased but saw Naruto tense.
"Rose… Rose stole my precious Georgie from me while I was in California and keeps moving her before I can hatch a rescue."
"A rescue… for a car?"
"A 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442."
"Sorry, of course. Anyway, the apartment complex," she asked to refocus him so she wouldn't have to endure any car talk.
"Yes well, I've improved it. I thought the first prototype might pair well with some new construction that helped combat urban sprawl or help modernize developing nations as installation would be cheaper than any existing alternative." With a few keystrokes, the schematics were gone and the monitor/keyboard were stored away "So, what would you like to do for the rest of the day?" he asked.
"No clue. I don't want to interrogate you but I have so many questions. You're like a new person almost," Kara provided.
"Ok, shoot."
"You said Kurama was sealed into you, how does that work?"
Naruto channeled some chakra to his stomach to make the seal visible as he began to explain, "My people have a branch of chakra manipulation called Fuinjutsu or Sealing Techniques. Most literally it is putting something into something else. An item can be stored. Or a phenomenon like an explosion in which it is later released. But more broadly, fuinjutsu allows for greater flexibility and creativity when it comes to chakra manipulation.
Ninjutsu is guided by a system of hand signs, twelve primarily. Fuinjutsu utilizes as many characters as some alphabets. But it is also one of the hardest, if not the hardest discipline to truly learn given the mix of precision, knowledge and creativity required for original seals."
"Could I see an example; one you created?"
"Sure," Naruto answered. "I actually had one with you in mind as a sort of apology," Naruto confessed.
"Apology?"
"For how I ended things. It wasn't just about you being Supergirl or primarily that. My finding out just happened too soon after my last blowup with Lex and I wanted nothing to do with that world. I shouldn't have let you fear I'd reveal your secret."
"Thank you," she replied but wanted to keep the mood light. "So, how would this work?"
"I would use a special kind of ink to paint it on your body and then activated. So, if you're comfortable with this and you trust me it's just a matter of you picking where you'd want it."
"My lower back," she said with no delay. She watched as Naruto's whiskered cheeks lifted up in a smile.
"Lay on your tummy and try to remain as still as you can, I'll be right back." She did as requested and heard his return less than a minute later. She almost jumped when she felt the cold ink touch her skin but remained motionless. Feeling the soft brush against her skin was an unusual but not unwelcome sensation. After ten minutes or so, she felt Naruto lightly blow on his work. She then felt a warming sensation as his plam touched her back and he muttered, 'fuin'. The warmth traveled through her body for a fraction of a second, leaving as fast as it arrived.
"Ok, done," he said as he departed once more. Upon his return, she returned to his side. "I'm guessing you're curious as to what the seal does, right?" Kara nodded, kicking herself for not asking before he'd placed it on her. "Alright, I'll show you but before I do I need to explain something. Some people from my world have the ability to generate crystals, it is called Shoton or Crystal Release. Lex discovered I could do this and used to drill me on it.
Sometimes he'd let me handle actual gems to see if just experiencing them would allow me to mimic them. He'd also give me a crystalline structure and ask me to reverse engineer what the substance was with just my chakra. That is why I can do this, I never set out to learn it. I was just a kid playing with his dad."
"Learn wha…" the words died on her lips when she shifted focus to Naruto's outstretched hand. In his palm was a shard of Kryptonite. She was intimately familiar with the substance and yet she didn't feel sick or weak. Tentatively she reached out for it and touched it with no ill effects.
"The seal blocks the radiation from various forms of Kryptonite. I wouldn't let anyone stab you with it but no longer will merely being in its presence harm you."
At that moment, Kara was sincerely moved by Naruto's gift. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone had ever done for her. It would leave her so much more useful in the field, not having to worry about someone whipping out those accursed rocks. It was sweet, protective and reminiscent of the Naruto she knew before he had to keep people at a distance. But she could feel those walls crumbling, not even he could deny the weight of their shared history.
However that was secondary. For much of their post relationship interactions he had the advantage, always with a quip. She'd finally turned the tables and couldn't resist teasing him. Standing up, letting the sheets fall she adopted a power pose and stared into those lavender orbs.
"You like my body," she mockingly sang.
"What, stop being weird," Naruto responded.
"You think I'm sexy," she continued.
"You've been warned," he stated.
"You wanna do ahh!" she yelled and laughed when Naruto swept her up.
"Yes," he said before he kissed her. "Yes," he reiterated as he ran his hands down her body, one inching ever so closely to her honeypot and stopped a hair's breadth away, "Maybe later." He vanished but she could hear his laughs down below. No concern for modesty, Kara chased after him, dead set on teaching him a lesson.
The sound of two suppressed shots from a sniper rifle was their signal. Killer Croc grabbed the two dead guards and tossed them overboard. Findings and scaling the floating fortress had been the easy part. They knew there was little chance they could do this quietly, the gun shots would have alerted others. Cold and Boomerang took up defensive positions and with Deadshot shadowing them from a helicopter, it would have to be enough. Another shot alerted them to the upcoming offensive. Harley departed with Bronze Tiger and Killer Croc. Luckily, they knew exactly where to go.
Croc and Tiger were adept at handling any guards that got in close. She was a good enough shot to take care of any that hung back, though the semi-automatic pistol was not her preference. Waller didn't seem to care. Harley would delight in making her, provided she survived long enough. The shouts and the gunfire were deafening. In their panic, the guards were firing wide.
This should have been exciting but Harley felt empty. As bullets whizzed past her, as the dying gasps of the black armor clad guards echoed in the facility she felt nothing. She just shot and shot and shot. When she ran out of ammo for her gun, she picked up one of theirs. Dancing, flipping and flowing through them, she'd shoot at weird angles and left them defenseless. Their training made them rigid, her insanity gave her flexibility.
It was nothing to shoot one guard in the gut, roll over his bent body and shoot two more in the face and neck respectively before turning around and shooting him in the back of the head. She felt nothing and also had no idea the encroaching dread and hopelessness her team were instilling.
The closer they got to their target, the heavier the artillery became. Automatic rifles gave way to rocket launchers, the wielders not even caring if they caught their comrades in the crossfire. She required her teammates to distract the pair as she shimmed up to their level, managing to take one by surprise, his skill emitting a brilliant shade of red. The second man was aware of her presence and prepared to take aim, if he hadn't been impaled by a pipe thrown by Croc.
Harley heard her voice demand the last guard open the reinforced doors. She felt so divorced from it all. She felt herself take aim with a discarded rocket launcher, prepared to make good on her threat. She recalled squeezing the trigger, the rocket flying past the barrier that was in the process of opening. She saw it hit the containment unit. It wasn't powerful enough to blast through doors but it fried the electric lock and opened the very large, mobile prison.
Harley knew what she was looking at but it didn't intellectually click for her. Not when the monster beheaded the guard with a bone protrusion. Not when Tiger and Croc yelled at her to run, the trail off of their voices suggested they'd been doing the same. She just stood there, disconnected from it all. She understood she was about to die but couldn't muster up the regret of having failed to avenge Ivy. It was just the end and she accepted it. The beast was upon her faster than she'd ever hope to move so she waited for the pain or the end.
It never came. Instead she felt a strong gust of blazing hot wind blow by her, heard a loud crack and saw the behemoth fly back. Standing in front of her was a hooded figure several inches taller than her.
"I can't believe the Green forcefully contacted me for this. Harley, where is Pamela? I can't sense her anywhere."
'Naruto,' she realized and began to answer, "Someone named Amanda Waller sent a containment squad after us. Ivy fought back too hard so they killed her." Harley immediately felt the icy grip of death around the entirety of her being.
"Oh," Naruto said with no emotion. She watched him pull out several weird shaped daggers, each tri-pronged as he spoke to her, "I'm going to handle this thing then you're going to tell me everything so we can decide who dies. For now, you leave before he finishes regrowing his head." Harley absentmindedly obeyed but wondered how dangerous or delusion was Naruto to think he could defeat something that almost killed Superman.
Naruto vs Doomsday… you know you want it! And Papa will deliver.
Nothing much else to add except I have an Omake submitted for your reading pleasure by kano547. So, without further ado:
OMAKE:
There was a moment of silence between the two as Naruto waited for the Caped Crusader to reveal why he was bothering him.
"Alright, fine I'll bite," Naruto said, rubbing his brow with a knuckle as if trying to ease an oncoming headache. "What do you want this time?"
Batman glared back at Naruto, arms crossed and chest swelled, clearly trying to look as intimidating as he could. Something that probably worked great on the goons he normally fought but it didn't really do much to someone who was completely aware that he could fold The Bat into a pretzel right here on the veranda and nobody could stop him.
"Superman trusts you. I don't agree with it, I know you're a murderer, but I want to know why. So I'm going to offer you a deal."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'Oh this should be good.' Stifling his bemusement he agreed with Kurama's contribution to the conversation and made a 'get on with it' gesture toward Batman.
"Tell me everything. What your powers are, what you can do with them, where you got them, and how long you've had them. Everything you know about them. Tell me about your training and everywhere you've been during it, tell me about every crime you've committed and every life you've taken."
'...The fuck?'Thought Naruto.
'... The fuck?'Thought Kurama.
"You also need to let me go through all of Lexcorp's servers and documents. If I go through everything and don't find any evidence that you're involved in anything illegal or wrong, then I might be willing to trust Superman's word about you."
Silence as Naruto stared at The Bat for a moment with a curious look on his face, before asking, "Are you high right now?"
Batman somehow managed to make his glower even sterner, but before he could say anything Naruto continued.
" Alright Pajama Sam, let's start off with a firm 'Hell No' and continue on to the fact that even if I wanted to, I employ almost half-a-million people and all of their personal information is on those servers. It would not only be irresponsible but illegal to give you access to that information, and while I'm aware that you don't really care about the law if it inconveniences you, I kind of do.
And if you're that insistent about knowing everyone's business then why do you wear a mask, huh? Maybe I'll let you into those servers if you come down to the office later and tell everyone who's hiding under there, how about that?"
Batman's glare just got darker and darker as Naruto kept speaking.
"And as for my information, I'm going to tell you something that you seem to be entirely incapable of comprehending." Naruto leaned slightly closer and his expression became something completely without humor. " I. Don't. Answer. To. You.
You aren't a cop or a judge or any kind of law enforcement official, you're just a jackass in a gimp-suit playing at being one because he feels guilty that he couldn't save his parents. You have no right to question me, you have no right to investigate me, and you certainly have no right to harass me.
The only authority that you can exercise is an authority that you gain from money and threats of violence, which is exactly the same as people like the Falcones or my father. You are no different than they are Bruce, they just didn't feel the urge to dress up in fetish gear before they hurt people"
Naruto paused for a moment with a disgusted look on his face. "At least I hope they didn't. Now if that's everything you had to say Mr. Terror-That-Flaps-In-The-Night, get off my property."
With that said he turned away and walked back into his penthouse, leaving Batman to stew for a moment before he leaped off the roof and vanished.