Chapter Text
Naruto was sleeping soundly, dreaming of ramen fountains and his face on the Hokage Mountain.
...did that just rhyme?
Meh, unimportant.
Anyways, Naruto was asleep, dreaming his sweet dreams and having-
*BR-BRAH-BUDDA-BRAH BR-BRAH-BUDDA-BRAH BR-BRAH-BUDDA-BRAH-BR-BRAAAH!*
Naruto shrieked and fell out of his bed, to see Soldier blaring through some bronze megaphone.
"ATTENTION, COMMIE-PRIVATE-MAGGOT!" Soldier yelled once he finished with the megaphone. Naruto stood up, glaring at the American as he did so.
"Is there a specific reason as to why you are my new alarm clock?!" Naruto demanded. Soldier growled slightly.
"PRIVATES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK UNLESS SPOKEN TO; AM I CLEAR?!" Naruto gave the Soldier a look, and remained silent. "TODAY IS THE WORST DAY OF YOUR LIFE, MAGGOT! TODAY IS THE START OF YOUR TRAINING! YOU WILL CRY, BEG, AND SCREAM FOR MERCY, AND I WILL DENY EVERY, SINGLE REQUEST!" Naruto gasped in excitement.
"It's Training Day?! Why didn't you say so?!" He bolted out of the room, too excited for his own good. "C'mon! I won't wait for you~!" Soldier blinked as he stared at Naruto's earlier location.
"...well! There's some hope for the Commie after all!" he stated with a glint in his eye.
...
..
.
"Alright Maggot! I'm starting you off with laps around the base!" Naruto nodded, a wide grin on his face. "Let's see... for today, I want five. I may not like you, but even I know you won't be used to this... however, I expect you to be able to increase that amount within a week, am I clear?!"
"Hai, Soldier-senpai!" Soldier frowned for a moment.
"What did you just call me?"
"Oh, it's a formality used in my village! I'm sort of calling you an 'upperclassman', because you've been here longer, and you're teaching me." Soldier nodded. He wasn't too sure about it, but the boy seemed to be giving him a level of respect.
"Fine. Now, GET MOVING MAGGOT!" Naruto jumped a little at the sudden increase in volume, and hurriedly began his laps around RED's base.
"Jane. How're things goin' so far?" Soldier whirled around to see Dell standing right behind him, as though he had been there all along.
"First off, I thought I told you to not use my name! Second, I've started him on doing laps. I won't give him too much to do today, since we just started, but this will be stepping stones for the kid." Dell nodded, surprised at Soldier's knowledge in training.
"Where'd ya learn all 'a this?" Soldier scoffed lightly.
"War didn't just teach me how to shoot a gun, Private..." Dell could only remain silent, not having experienced the War in Europe. They stood in silence for a few minutes, waiting until Naruto managed to circle back around to complete his first lap.
"Hi... *huff-huff* ...tou-san..." Naruto panted as he ran past. Soldier scoffed in disgust, and quickly jogged up next to the boy.
"Deplorable! If you have the breath to talk, then you have the breath to go faster!" Naruto groaned slightly. "That includes groaning!" Naruto bowed his head, focusing on running. "Keep your head up kid! You have to watch where you're going, otherwise-" Soldier broke off, as Naruto suddenly fell to the ground with a *thud!* "...yeah, that'll happen..." Naruto huffed in frustration, and picked himself up.
"C'mon! I'm not stopping just 'cuz I fell!" Naruto snapped. Soldier smirked.
"'Atta boy! We'll make a soldier out of you yet!"
...
...
"Alroight, Engie's got me teachin' ya how t' shoot." Sniper looked down at his temporary pupil, who was eager to learn from the marksman.
Seriously. Kid had a pen and paper with him to take notes.
"Has Engie already told ya 'bout how a gun actually works?" Naruto nodded.
"Yeah. The bullet has gunpowder in it, and you pull the trigger, and it sparks the powder which causes the silver part of the bullet to fly out...right?" Sniper smirked slightly.
"Pretty much. Of course, y'also understand that y'have ta aim, roight?" Naruto nodded. "Well, that's what Ah'm teachin' ya 'ere!" He led Naruto over to a table filled with different sorts of guns. "We've got a nice crop fer ya t'pick from, so choose what ya think y'can use." Naruto wandered around, eyeing the different weapons carefully. He grinned maniacally and picked up a rocket-launcher, causing Sniper to pale slightly. "Uh, kid? Soldier ain't gonna like you touchin' his weapons..." Naruto sighed heavily.
"Fiiiine. If I have to..." He put it back down, with Sniper breathing a sigh of relief.
"Why don'tcha take a look at somethin' smaller, or with less of a kick to it." Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"'Kick'?" Sniper nodded.
"The blast doesn't just go one way; it'll push the gun yer usin' back a bit... or a lot, dependin' on the bullets ya use." Naruto nodded again in understanding. Suddenly, a dark reflection caught his eye. He went over to the far end of the table, and picked up a single, black and silver pistol.
It was interesting in the fact that it had two barrels, one on top of the other, which meant it could fire from both at the same time, or go back-and-forth between the two. There was a small scope on top, allowing for possible long-range shots, and a laser guide as well in the event of that scenario. The most interesting feature it had was that the bottom of the barrels had a blade sticking out of it. If anyone ever got too close, a quick swipe with the gun would take care of them easily enough.
Sniper nodded in approval.
"Nice eye, kid. Double-barrel, meaning twoice as many bullets, scope fer any emergencies, and that's a fine blade it's got as well!" Naruto smiled, happy with his choice. "'Course, we ain't even checked if y'can shoot straight..." Sniper beckoned Naruto to follow, and the blonde obeyed. The two walked through the base until they came to a wide, open room.
"What is this place?" Naruto asked curiously. In response, Sniper pointed to a little area; a break in a chain-like fence, with a cinder-block in front of it.
"Stand roight there, 'n find out." Naruto complied, and he got into position and waited for something to happen. Suddenly, a cardboard cut-out of his tou-san popped up in front of him, except he was wearing a blue shirt instead of his usual red. Naruto had jumped slightly at the cut-out's quick entrance, but, as fast as it appeared, it sank into the floor, back to where it came from. Naruto turned to his temporary sensei.
"Sniper-sensei, what was that?"
"This 'ere is the Firin' Range. It'll give out targets, and all ya gotta do is shoot 'em. Easy enough, roight?" Naruto nodded, though a tad unsure. "Let's give ya a basic guide on how t' shoot: All ya have t'do, is identify your target, point, and shoot. Can ya do that?" Naruto nodded, and took a calming breath before looking back onto the target area. He hoisted his gun up, careful to not hold it by the blade, and situated it so his hand was holding it firmly. A BLU Heavy cut-out popped out of the ground, and Naruto's eyes quickly snapped to it. He pointed his pistol at the target, and squeezed the trigger.
The cut-out's head was blown clean off it's shoulders.
Naruto fell backwards onto his rump, having been knocked to the ground by the gun's kick.
Sniper couldn't help it; he barked out a laugh, which broke the dam and caused Sniper to descend into a laughing slowly picked himself up, and glared at the Australian.
"C'mon! I've never shot a gun before! You can't blame me..." Naruto pouted.
Sniper eventually calmed down, and wiped a tear of mirth from his eye.
"Alroight... c'n I see ya shoot 'gain? I noticed somethin', but I need t'make sure..." Naruto nodded, and assumed his position in the firing range. The BLU Spy jumped out of the ground, and Naruto fired within seconds.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Sniper frowned, seeing Naruto's apparent hatred for the enemy Spook, but he didn't say anything; it'd be hypocritical.
"Alroight, I think we're gonna have t'hold off on that gun for now..." Naruto whirled around.
"What?! Why?!" Sniper sighed.
"Well, y'don't have the proper strength t'hold it roight now. Y'spent a few seconds makin' sure your gun was level before y'fired, and that'll get y'killed out on tha field. On top of that, your hand was showin' signs of strain holdin' it; that'll throw off your aim a bit, which is also a no-no. I'm not even gonna mention how y' can only hold it single-handedly... but until we improve your wrist 'n grip strength, we can't have ya usin' that gun." Naruto glanced down at his gun, considering Sniper's words, and sighed in defeat.
"Fine... I'll still be learning how to shoot though, right?!" Sniper nodded, and he grabbed one of Dell's extra pistols that was being stored in the ammunition locker.
"We'll work on your aim wit' a regular pistol, until we can upgrade ya t'your original one. Now, I also noticed y'stance earlier was off a tad, so I'll work on that wit you for now. So, when y'holdin' a pistol, you'll grasp it like this with one hand. Then, shift your body... like... that, there..."
...
...
"Now, has anyone explained to you about my Medigun?" Naruto shook his head slowly, and Medic sighed. "So wie ich es erwartet..." Medic mumbled to himself.
"Does it heal us? That sounds like that's what it would do..." Medic smirked lightly.
"Impressive, kind. Yes, zhat is vhat I do out on zhe field; I keep all of you alive. Of course, zhere is alvays zhe chance I von't be accessible out zhere... So, vhile you are vith me, I vill be teaching you First Aid." Naruto nodded, a pad of paper situated on his lap and a pen suddenly appearing in his hand. "Vell... at least you are eager to learn..." Medic deadpanned.
He started to pace while he talked.
"Out on zhe field, zhere are quite a number of injuries you and zhe ozhers may receive, which includes, but is not limited to..." He walked over to a cord hanging down and yanked it to reveal a giant chart, filled with the descriptions of different injuries and ailments(1).
Naruto dropped his pen.
"...these." Medic grinned at the sight of Naruto's panic attack over the sheer number of injuries he'd be expected to treat. "Now, zhe good news here is zhat ve haff zhe Respawn system in place. Zhat means zhat you can always 'mercy-kill' one of us in zhe event zhat you do not know, nor have zhe tools to treat us." He grabbed a marker from a random table, and tossed it to Naruto. "So, vhat I vant you to do is circle all zhe different injuries you believe you should treat, and do not circle the ones you vould 'mercy-kill' for." Naruto nodded, and walked over to the chart. He studied it for a few minutes, mumbling quietly to himself while he did so. After his careful scrutiny, he walked up to the chart, and, after making sure Medic couldn't see, wrote out something before circling it. He then calmly walked back to his seat, and waited for Medic's report.
Medic, on the other hand, was very curious as to what the junge was up to. He walked over to the chart, and bent down so he could read the single word written in marker and encircled.
(何事)
Medic stood up straight, and turned to face Naruto.
"Vhat does it read?"
"It says 'everything'."
"Explain your reasoning."
"Respawn shouldn't be used as an excuse to not heal someone; besides it wasting several precious minutes for the person to get back onto the field, it causes extreme pain for those inside of it. Besides, it's not about me making sure they'll be fit for battle... it's about making sure they'll last until you arrive." Medic blinked as he processed Naruto's reasoning.
"Like I said earlier, you never cease to surprise me, kind."
...
...
Naruto eyed the sleeping drunk, unimpressed.
"Tou-san... what was Demo-san supposed to be doing again?" Naruto asked his father, who happened to be walking by at that exact moment. Dell paused to look at the pair, and frowned at the pitiful sight of the Scotsman.
"DEMO! WAKEY-WAKEY!" Dell yelled. Demo yelped (in a completely manly way), and started swinging around an imaginary sword.
"Demons! Nessie! Come out and fight, ye cowards!" Demo yelled, stuck in a dream. Dell expertly avoided the wild swings, and quickly smacked Demo in the head.
"If I recall right, y'said you were trainin' Naruto today, yes?" Demo, fully awake and aware, hung his head down meekly.
"U-um, yessir..."
"And yet, here I stand, having just woken you up from yer hangover!"
"U-ummm... I c'n 'splain, sir-"
"No excuses!" Dell barked. "Now, are y'trainin' him? Or should I find someone else while you 'n I have a... talk?" Demo swallowed visibly.
"U-uh I think I c'n handl' it..." Dell nodded tersely, and walked off to his original task. Demo turned to face Naruto, a light scowl on his face. "Y' tryin' to git meh in Respawn, boyo?!" Naruto smirked.
"Sorry, I just wanted the training I was promised. Is that too much to ask?" Demo sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Fine... fine, I'll train'ya. 'Course, I'm not gonna make it pleasant fer'ya now, understand?" Naruto frowned slightly, but nodded his consent. "Great! To the War Room!" Demo marched off, Naruto following close behind.
"What's the 'War Room'?" Demo chuckled.
"S'not really a War Room... we just meet 'ere for Solly's 'Strategy Planning' for th' day's battle. 'Course, that's what ah'm teachin' ya! Strategy!" Naruto groaned in agony. "What?! What's wrong wit' it?"
"I'm sick of learning about strategy! All day, they would teach us about different battle tactics at the Academy! It sucked!" Demo scoffed.
"Look, ah'm teachin' ya all da basics, then we're goin' out and practicin' it; did they do that at y'fancy Academy?!" Naruto paused, thinking back to his school days for a moment.
"No... they didn't really..."
"Then that's th' problem! You're a doer, not a thinka, so bein' stuck in a classroom all day isn't gon' help ya. 'Course, we're gonna talk 'bout the strategies before doin' 'em, but I think y'can manage..." Naruto nodded.
"As long as I'm not being put in the hell that is a classroom!"
...
...
"So, what're you gonna teach me, Heavy-oji?" Heavy had brought Naruto into a room with a square stage that had ropes bordering it.
"Heavy will teach leetle племянник how to fight with fists!" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
"But... wouldn't I just shoot people?" Heavy shook his head.
"Nyet. There may be time where BLU babies get up close to племянник. племянник won't be able to shoot, so племянник must be able to fight with fists." Naruto nodded, seeing the logic.
"So I need to learn how to punch people?"
"Yes."
"...what about my gun?"
"What gun?"
"Well, Sniper-san took me to the Weapon Room, and I picked out a gun that had a huge blade attached to it! So, wouldn't I just be able to slice them with it, if they get in close?" Heavy considered this.
"Leetle племянник could... but what if племянник lost gun?" Naruto raised a finger, as if to argue, but paused as he thought over his uncle's scenario. The finger slowly fell. "Best for leetle племянник to be ready for anything, yes? That is why Heavy will teach племянник boxing!" Heavy walked out of the square, and picked up a giant cylinder that was lying on it's side. He brought it back inside the stage area before hooking it to the ceiling by the chain attached to the top. He then went over to the edge of the square, and picked up two, giant gloves before putting them on his fists.
"Heavy will show leetle племянник punches for now. племянник must get new hand before practice."
...
...
"You're teaching me stealth?" Spy quirked an eyebrow. He had requested the boy meet him in his private smoking room (to which he ordered that Naruto never come in here again without explicit permission from Spy), with the intentions of teaching Naruto stealth techniques that could come in handy throughout his career in the Gravel Wars.
"Is zhere a problem with zhat, enfant?" Naruto scoffed.
"I've been able to avoid entire platoons of ANBU, jonin, and chuunin for hours, something I did on an almost daily basis!"
"...I am afraid I don't know what zhose are."
"If I was to graduate from the Academy, I'd be a genin. Then it's chuunin, then jonin, and ANBU would be the highest ranking shinobi before jiji."
"Zhen I'm afraid zhey aren't very good if zhey cannot even capture you."
"You wanna bet?!" Naruto suddenly bolted out of the room. Spy followed rather casually, walking out the door and into the hallway to find out what Naruto had been planning. He froze when he realized that, in the two seconds he dally-ed in the room, the boy had vanished from sight. He suddenly noticed a piece of paper stuck to the wall on his left, and he snatched it off so that he could read it.
"Spy-san,
If you can find me before dinner tonight (which is about three hours), then...well, you can do whatever you want to me as long as it's not anything dangerous.
HOWEVER: If you can't find me, then you have to admit, at dinner tonight in front of everyone, that a seven-year-old child was able to out-stealth you.
Happy Hunting!
~Naruto
P.S: This is written in English because I asked tou-san to write it out for me.
P.P.S: Which means that yes, the rest of the team knows about this challenge, so I suggest you take it seriously.
Spy tore the paper to shreds with a snarl.
"Merde..." he muttered. He started off down the hall, looking through various rooms intently.
If only he noticed a shadow sneak back into his smoking room...
...
...
"So, Naruto, what'd ya do today?" Dell asked as he served Naruto his dinner. Naruto grinned widely.
"Well, you saw me this morning with Soldier-senpai, right?" Dell nodded. "After that, Sniper-sensei was helping me pick out a gun and then we had target practice, then Medic-san started some First Aid training, after that Demo-yossaikuropusu (Dell choked on his food for a moment) had me study different strategies... ugh... then Heavy-oji showed me boxing moves, and finally... hey, where's Spy-san?" Naruto broke off after having realized the masked man was nowhere to be seen.
"Lickin' his wounds, no doubt 'bout it..." Dell joked.
"Well, that's the last thing I did; hide from Spy-san until about... two minutes ago!"
"ZHERE YOU ARE!" Naruto turned his head, to see Spy glaring at him.
"Oh, you found me!" Naruto stated with mock surprise.
"WHERE ZHE HELL WERE YOU?!" Spy yelled.
"I hadn't even gone two feet away from the door, and you passed right by me. Once I was sure you weren't watching, I snuck back into the room." Spy's face lost all trace of anger, and simply fell into shocked silence. "...you didn't even think to check back in your smoking room?"
The rest of the table burst into laughter at Naruto's feint, Scout and Sniper being the most enthusiastic.
"Kid faked y'out, eh ya bloody Spook?!" Sniper wheezed. Spy growled, and glared at Naruto with the utmost hate.
"As per our agreement..." Spy looked like he was in pain. "...a seven-year-old child managed to... out-stealth me..." he somehow managed to get out. The table whooped and cheered for the young boy, who stood up and took a bow.
Spy decided that he was going to stab Dell in the back tomorrow.
...
..
.
Naruto jumped out of bed, yelling in shock at the sight of the red lights flashing and the sound of alarms blaring.
"TOU-SAN!" Naruto yelled. Dell rushed through the door, wearing nothing but an undershirt and boxers.
"Naruto! I am so sorry! I forgot to tell you we were going to work today!" Dell exclaimed. His voice had to be louder than normal, due to the alarms going off.
"Oh... is that what's going on?!" Dell nodded. "Okay... you go get ready! I was just scared something bad was happening..." Dell nodded, and, after making sure Naruto would be fine, went to get geared up for the day's battle. Naruto, meanwhile, covered his ears with his pillow to try and block out the alarms.
After a few minutes, Dell came back in fully dressed, and the alarms had finally ceased.
*ATTENTION: Mission starts at 0900 hours.* The announcement rang throughout the base.
"Wasn't that Sumirekage-sama?" Dell stared at his son.
"'Violet Shadow'? Is that yer new name for her?!" Naruto nodded, and Dell chuckled slightly. "Well... that's a new one..."
"Come on! I spent a lot of time coming up with that!" Dell just smiled, and led Naruto to the kitchen where the other mercs were eating their breakfast... even though it was rather minuscule.
"Rations today, fellas?" Dell asked tiredly. Eight heads nodded in unison.
"So... what's the kid supposed to do?" Scout asked bluntly. Dell sighed, and rubbed the back of his head in exasperation.
"Hol'up! Got 'n idea!" Demo slurred out, before leaving the room. Everyone just stared at his exit, not sure what just happened.
He came back ten minutes later, a big smile on his face.
"Good news, boyo! Got th' Administrator to let th' tyke watch us from the big screen!"
"Why do I need to do that?" Naruto asked. Demo pouted.
"Yerr suppose t'be learnin' Strategy wit' me! What better way t'learn than t'have ya watch our real life battles?!" Dell pondered the idea.
"'Spose it makes sense... you 'kay with this, son?" Naruto nodded.
"Don't have much else to do today... except for the studying Medic-san gave me, so I'll just do my work while I watch." Dell nodded, pleased things were working out so nicely.
"Good. Now, we'll be gone 'til around 5:00 'n th' evenin'. Can I trust you t' keep the base secure until then?" Naruto saluted his father, brimming with the pride little children have when given an important task.
"You can count on me!"
...
...
"Are ya sure you'll be alright?" Dell asked, for the hundredth time. Naruto groaned in annoyance.
"For the last time, yes! I will be fine, tou-san!" Dell sighed worriedly.
"I'm just worried... I dunno if any'a those BLU bastards might try t'snatch ya..." In response, Naruto pulled out his hidden pistol. Dell's eyes narrowed.
"Where did you-"
"Sniper-san gave it to me yesterday after we realized my first choice was too heavy for me to carry, but that's beside the point. My plan is this: If you don't come in here, and tell me the title of the Bijuu I hold, I'm shooting." Dell blinked, then began to chuckle.
"Thinkin' more like yer old man every day!" He gave his son one last hug, then strode out the door.
*Testing, testing. Do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?* Naruto looked over to the screen, where an image of the Administrator in her chair was being shown. Naruto walked up hesitantly.
"Ummm... I copy?" A ghost of a smile graced her lips.
*I guess that'll do. How is your training coming along?*
"I've only just started, and my... injury is making it hard for me to practice the things they taught me... But I'm watching them now, so that I can copy them later!"
*Interesting... Well, while you're here, the Demoman asked me to keep an eye on you while you sit here. I will need to focus on my job, however, so stay quiet while you work, understood?*Naruto nodded, and pulled out the many notes Medic had given him the day before, along with a small First Aid kit. *...what are you doing?* Naruto looked up in surprise.
"Oh! Well, Medic-san told me that I'm a... a... 'kin-tes-nick'? learner."
*Kinesthetic?*
"Yeah, that! I don't learn best by reading about something, or hearing a lecture; I learn best when I'm doing. So, I'm going over the notes for small injuries, and pretending they're on me so that I can perform the 'treatment'." The Administrator nodded, pleased with the news.
*Well, I suggest you enjoy the show; the battle has begun.*
...
...
Naruto hummed to himself, looking more and more like a badly wrapped mummy by the second. Helen made sure not to watch him, otherwise she'd dissolve into a giggling mess in a second, which would just ruin her image. Naruto would look up every once in a while, checking on his dad who was sitting directly beneath one of the cameras for him.
Currently, Naruto was re-reading the directions for a broken arm, confused as hell.
Was he supposed to wrap it around his neck before or after tying it underneath the forearm?
*I suggest you remove the wrappings from around your neck; I'd rather not see you choke yourself only after your first day of training.* Naruto grinned sheepishly up at his future employer, and quickly unwound himself.
"For once, I agree with a ningen. You'll kill yourself faster than I would..."Naruto's head snapped up in shock.
"Kyuubi?!" Helen looked down at him, confused.
*Where?*
"Keep your trap shut! I'm still inside you, I'm just talking with you without bringing you into the mindscape. Contrary to popular belief, it's not exactly a party everyday in here!"Naruto snickered quietly.
"Um, well apparently, the fox is talking to me through the seal." The Administrator raised an eyebrow.
*Well... that is rather interesting...*
"I know, right?! And now-... I'm not even gonna repeat what he just said; that's just not right." Naruto returned to teaching himself how to bandage wounds (and failing miserably), while Helen returned to watching the screens to see how the battle was-
The camera that had the only view of Dell went out.
Helen quickly tapped the keyboard, trying to get it back online. When that didn't work, she contacted the Engineer directly.
"Engineer, the camera above you just went out. Do you copy?"
*I-I do, ma'am. BLU Soldier launched a rocket at me, but it hit th' camera 'nstead.*
"...Directly?"
*Surprisingly... yes.*
"...I see. Find yourself a new camera, and quickly." She cut the connection, and looked back to Naruto...
...just in time to see the RED Engineer walk into the room.
'So, this is his new plan. Let's see how this plays out... Naruto.'
...
...
Naruto growled in anger as the bandages got tangled up again.
At least it wasn't wrapped around him this time.
As he struggled to unwind the wrappings (which is extremely hard to do with one hand), the door to the room suddenly opened, and in walked his father.
"Hey, son! Just checkin' in on'ya! You doin' okay?" Naruto brightened up considerably.
"Oh, yeah! Just practicing my First Aid! Are you guys still doing okay?" Naruto looked back to the screen, and saw that the camera his father was on had gone black. His face lost it's smile, and he stood up slowly.
"Heh, th' camera got blown up by th' BLU Soldier, so I thought I'd just come by-" Dell broke off, seeing that Naruto was suddenly pointing a gun at him.
"...say it." Naruto demanded.
"S-say what?" Naruto's grip on the gun tightened.
"I-I don't want to have to deal with you! Please, just go and I won't tell tou-san you tried this!" Naruto begged. The 'Engineer' smirked.
"And if I took you? How would you tell 'tou-san' zhen?"
"I wouldn't, but she would." 'Engineer' (who was obviously the BLU Spy), paled when he saw the Administrator on one of the screens, staring right at him.
"Madame... I did not know-"
"Just get out!" Naruto yelled. Spy stared down at the young blonde, wishing he hadn't made the decision that he didn't need his weapons to grab the boy.
"Look-"
*BANG!*
Both froze at the sound, and their eyes slowly traveled to the masked man's chest. A red dot appeared, right where his heart lay, and slowly grew bigger by the second. Spy looked back up to Naruto, to see the boy standing there, frozen in fear, with a smoking pistol in his hand.
"I-I'm sorry..." Naruto stuttered. Spy nodded, resigned to his fate.
"Well, a-anozzer time, z-zhen..." Spy choked out. He fell to the ground in a heap, and did not move again. Naruto watched the body of his father fall, then looked back at the gun in his hand.
He screamed.
...
...
*...Engineer?*
"'Scuse me a minute, ma'am... BLUs are tryin' ta kill me..."
*Engineer.*
"Just give me a moment, please!"
*Dell. Conagher.* Dell completely halted.
When did she, of all people, use the mercenaries' full names?!
"...what's wrong?"
*Tell me: when was the last time you saw the BLU Spy? Before or after that rocket destroyed the camera?*
...
...
"NARUTO!" Dell yelled as he ran into the base. He got weird looks from the others on the battlefield, both RED and BLU, but why should he care? "NARUTO! ARE YOU STILL IN HERE?!" He burst into the conference room, and nearly slipped on the puddle of blood.
'B-...blood?' A gunshot suddenly resounded throughout the room, and Dell jumped back in fear. He finally realized Naruto shot the gun to get his attention, and by then the gun was already pointing in his face.
"S-say it..." Naruto mumbled, eyes wide and terrified. He was sitting in the middle of the room, curled up into a ball and shivering, shock written all over his face.
"N-Naruto? W-what happened?" Naruto fired a bullet, which barely missed hitting Dell.
"I won't tell you again; say the damn code, or I'll shoot you again!" Naruto shouted in a panic.
"The Kyuubi no Kitsune." Naruto allowed the gun to drop from his fingers.
"Y-you came..." Naruto breathed. Dell nodded, unsure of how to react. "T-the BLU Spy... I shot him. Right in the chest. He died..." Naruto pointed to the pool of blood on the floor. "...right there. I watched as he bled to death... and I-I was the one who k-killed h-him..." Naruto fell onto his side, yet did not make a sound. He just continued to stare at nothing.
"A-...am I a monster?" Naruto asked quietly.
"W-what?"
"AM I A MONSTER?!" Naruto screamed.
"...well, do y'think ah'm a monster?" Dell asked. Naruto blinked. "I kill people fer a livin', Naruto... and so does your jiji. And everyday, I do mah best t'cope, along with all th' others. Demo drinks his Scrumpy, Scout brags about his 'achievements', Heavy cleans his gun, Sasha; we all have our different ways to forget. The only way you'd be a monster, is if y'kill fer fun or pleasure. D'ya see what ah'm sayin'?" Naruto slowly turned his head until he was staring right at his father.
"Th' guilt you feel now is how y'know you're keepin' yer humanity, because once ya enjoy the feeling of when ya kill...yer life is forfeit."
...
..
.
RED had managed to pull off a win that day, even with the absence of their Engineer during the second half of the battle.
No one knew what had made him run off like that, leaving behind all his sentries despite the BLU Spy sapping them incessantly. After he did, the rest of the day just ended up being more difficult for RED. Even though they won, their anger over their missing comrade pushed the victory aside.
"HARDHAT! Where the hell are you?!" Scout yelled the moment he stepped foot into the base.
"YOUR AWOL STUNT WILL BE DEALT WITH HARSHLY, MAGGOT!" Soldier supplied. The rest of the team stayed silent, but they weren't any less angry.
Heavy, however, had an inkling as to what might've happened while the battle raged on, and he was worried.
"Move, babies! Heavy has to see something!" Heavy shoved his way past the team, and hurried over to the conference room he last saw his little племянник in. He opened the door, and his heart dropped.
There Dell sat, by the light of the static-y conference screen behind him, holding the small, yet unmistakable, form of Heavy's племянник.
"What happen to племянник?" Heavy asked while entering the room slowly. Dell looked up, showing his eyes without goggles over them (for once), and that he was crying.
"Their Spy attempted another kidnappin'..."
"охуеть!" Heavy swore loudly, causing the little boy to twitch. Dell shushed the large Russian.
"He's not doin' good, Heavy..."
"What happen to сука of BLU?" Dell swallowed heavily.
"Naruto... h-he..." His eyes glanced away from Heavy for a moment, but that was all Heavy needed. Heavy looked in the direction Dell had, and saw a solitary pistol, laying there ever so innocently.
"племянник... shot him?" Heavy asked. Dell nodded, and the Russian sat down heavily. "...сукин сын..." Heavy cursed again, this time in shock.
"Tell me 'bout it..." Dell sighed. "He's been in shock ever since, but I might'a been able to calm him a bit..." Heavy managed a small grin.
Of course, Scout and Soldier chose that time to enter... loudly.
"HARDHAT!" Both yelled loudly and in unison. "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU-" They cut off suddenly, as giant hands suddenly covered their mouths to shut them up.
"Heavy suggest Scout and Soldier stop talking. Heavy might crush skulls... on accident, of course." The nonchalant tone, coupled with the fact that Heavy could (and will) do something like that, quickly silenced the two loudmouths. Soldier said something in a normal tone, although muffled, so Heavy uncovered his mouth. "What?"
"What's going on here?" Soldier asked calmly.
"Leetle племянник had... first kill..." Heavy admitted. Soldier's face lost all anger.
"I see..." He stood there for a few seconds, then turned and marched to the door. Before he exited, he looked back. "I... I don't expect to see you out there tomorrow, kid." With that, he left. Scout, meanwhile, ceased his struggling to free himself from Heavy's grip, and stared at the boy with a weird expression on his face. Heavy released him, knowing Scout wouldn't yell anymore, and waited to see his reaction.
He didn't do much, except turn and leave.
The rest of the team was looking in through the doorway, with mixed expressions of pity and anger. Dell watched them, too emotionally exhausted to even try to yell at them.
"...are y'all just gonna stare at us?" Dell snapped tiredly(2). Spy scowled slightly, then vanished without a trace. Medic sighed, then headed back to the Infirmary. Demo went to go get himself drunk, upset by what happened to Naruto, and Sniper gave a nod to Dell before heading off to his nest. Pyro was the only one who decided to come inside, and he shut the door behind him.
"Mmph hmm hrm-hmm?" Pyro asked. Dell blinked.
"Ummm..." Pyro sighed, and yanked at the mask. After a few seconds of struggling, he managed to pull it off to reveal a young face (several years older than Scout, but still young), with a mop of wavy, red hair, green eyes, and a sprinkling of freckles(3).
Dell blushed slightly, glad it was too dark for anyone to see his face.
"I asked, how's he doing?" Pyro repeated, a small vein on his forehead twitching.
"Oh... well, he's... doin' th' best he can, under the circumstances..."
"How so?" Dell swallowed heavily.
"Th' Spy... was disguised as me... when Naruto shot him." Pyro's eyes went wide, and Heavy had to cover his mouth to keep from cursing again.
"Oh my god..."
"So, he made his first kill, he shot his 'tou-san', 'n he spent almost a full hour thinkin' he was a monster fer killin'... he is not in a good frame 'a mind right now." Pyro sighed.
"Alright... I'll leave you two alone." He made to put his mask on, then stopped. "And don't either of you mention I took my mask off! There's a reason I keep the mask on!"
"Uh, why?" Pyro didn't answer, choosing to slip the mask back on before leaving the room. Heavy glanced at the door, before grinning apologetically at the Texan.
"Heavy will leave you two now... Heavy probably not suited to help with this..." He left the room, albeit reluctantly. Dell sighed again, and stood up carefully so as to not wake Naruto. He walked to the boy's room, and gently set him down in his bed before tucking him in. He was about to leave, when a voice stopped him.
"Tou...san?" Naruto asked sleepily.
"Yeah, it's jus' me..." Dell answered in a whisper. "Jus' puttin' ya t' bed..."
"D-don't... don't leave..." Naruto pleaded. Dell's heart soared and shattered at the same time.
"...d'ya want me t' sleep with ya tonight?" he asked. Naruto nodded, and Dell smiled. "Alright... I'll be back in a moment..." He quickly went to his own room and changed into his pajamas before heading back to Naruto. He quickly climbed into the bed, and managed to get the two into a comfortable position. Naruto hugged his father's arm like a stuffed animal, and Dell could barely contain his happiness.
"G'night, son..." Dell yawned.
"Good night... dad."(4)