"Just a photo?" Naruto tilted his head, adjusting his suit and padding out the creases.
He had just ironed it this morning and was hopeful he wouldn't need it for the day.
Something Ellen was also annoyed with, noting she was fluffing her skirt. Neither of them had the time to prepare their uniforms...
"Yes," Their client, a drab and sullen man closing in on middle age, tucked his head and nodded. His eyes were misty yet dark, only slightly sparkling as he ruffled the hair of his elementary school-aged son. "It is of our family... Before the incident..."
Naruto felt a shiver run down his spine. The man's tone gave him goosebumps. He noted Ellen was also affected, catching her shudder out of the corner of his eye.
They both likely came to the same conclusion.
"We'll find it for you. As a client of the Victoria Housekeeping Company, you have our word." Alexandrina gave a curtesy and a bow.
"It is our job to serve."
[ X ]
It was always devastating to see the ruins of homes within Hollows. And not ruined in the usual sense.
Very little was destroyed, although the rush of Ethereals definitely dealt damage once the Hollow settled. No, it was the absence of people on these streets of a once-thriving metropolis.
It was disheartening.
And it didn't help matters that cars and containers were left strewn in their wake and mired in the distortion. Navigating was already difficult for those on foot...
It was a breeze for highly athletic people like Ellen or those with chakra, such as him.
And since he had long since mastered the ability to climb and surface, water included, it was difficult for the rest of the company's members to keep pace with him.
Naruto was glad Kurenai drilled those exercises when they first started, mandating that he master every single one if he wanted to learn anything from her.
And, oh, how he struggled.
He remembered her saying something about his chakra reserves being unnaturally large. Even larger than many of the best shinobi she knew. For Naruto, controlling his chakra was far more of a challenge since he didn't start at an early age.
Still, Naruto always had to repress his grin at that thought before inevitably feeling a sense of loss. So what she really meant was that he would have been an exceptional ninja back home...
If whatever happened didn't strand them here.
Naruto shook his head. Didn't need to be thinking about that kind of stuff here. He was on the job.
"Do you have eyes on the Ethereals?" Phaethon's voice reverberated through his earpiece.
Carefully observing the strange monsters skulking around the car-strewn street, Naruto responded in a whispered tone. "They're moving erratically, but mostly staying away from the right side of the street. If we hug the wall, we can likely avoid any confrontation."
"Okay, give me a second..." Phaethon mused on the information thoughtfully.
Naruto hunkered down as he felt the nerves of his spine shiver, warning him of something. And in an instant, he observed the world shift.
The right wall he had pointed out morphed, the distortion fading, and became the street it once was.
"There! I created an alternate path around them. We should be able to get by without conflict." Phaethon chirped, satisfied with their work.
"Uh, sure." Naruto bit his lip uneasily, wearily gazing at the next street they formed through this distortion.
He had never seen a Proxy do something quite like this. He supposed it was possible by the best of the best, but to see it with his own eyes by a Proxy outside of the New Eridu Defense Force was unheard of! They snapped up most of the best Proxies to deal with Hollow Zero...
"The stories might be true..." Naruto muttered off his com, shaking his head in bewilderment, still struggling to fathom what they just did.
"Come on back, Naruto. Let's proceed." Rina soothingly called from the other end.
"Roger that. On my way." Naruto nodded, tapping his earpiece.
Glancing one last time at the Ethereals' positions, Naruto formed a simple hand seal.
And in an instant, his form shivered and faded from reality, cloaked by one of the many illusions his sensei had taught him.
[ X ]
This job had been simple so far. Naruto didn't expect it to be difficult, but to be this easy?
This Proxy was good—no, they were exceptional. They stood up to the stories he had heard about them and more, meshing well with his reconnaissance.
"Jerk." Ellen strolled beside Naruto and scowled, flicking her scissor blades at her side.
Naruto bit his lip. Ellen was annoyed. She seemed anxious, ready for a fight, and unable to release that pent-up energy she had been storing.
Seeing that, he couldn't resist and poke the bear... Or in this case, the shark.
"What?" Naruto bantered as they crossed the street unimpeded, nearly upon their destination. He smirked before playfull poking her in the shoulder. "Seems like someone is pent up."
"Shut up." Ellen hissed, throwing a shade glare in his direction.
Naruto chuckled with amusement. He knew it irked her that he was used as a scout on jobs such as these to help secure safe passage or engage the Ethereals if conflict was inevitable.
And she was more than capable of it. She was quick, hit like a truck, and could avoid detection when needed.
He was simply better.
Naruto was trained by a kunoichi who excelled at illusions and espionage. And while he didn't excel in either, he was fluent with them. Close-quarters combat and traps were his game.
And he was used to fighting on expeditions into Hollows!
With his scouting, Phaethon's navigation, and his ability to open other paths through the distorted space, they avoided all encounters. It was annoying, as he wanted to test himself to some extent.
But there was an old saying Kurenai taught him. An unnecessary fight avoided was a fight won. There was no telling what was around the corner and lying in wait...
Typically.
He had learned that a good Proxy could warn of potential encounters ahead of time. Giving them enough time to prepare and take the fight on their terms.
These siblings were even better than that.
Naruto had never worked with another Proxy with this much talent, even when they went through and worked with the Defense Force. It was a wonder they hadn't been recruited by them yet...
"Ow!" Naruto hissed, feeling a slap against his ribs, and noticed the seething glare from Ellen.
"I didn't expect you actually to shut up!" Ellen scowled and squinted.
"Eh, sorry. I was lost in thought." Naruto scratched his head.
"That's new. Don't think too hard. The gears in there are accustomed to working." Ellen quipped with a sly grin.
"Shut up!" Naruto glowered, flustered, lightly bumping into a smirking Ellen.
He would admit that he was horrible with classwork. The classroom setting didn't gel with him. He wasn't suited for that kind of life, despite how necessary it happened to be. He learned better by doing after a visual demonstration. He could count the number of times he surprised Kurenai-sensei with how quickly he caught onto concepts by doing it.
"Flirting, are we?" Naruto and Ellen froze as Alexandrina's spooky presence snuck up behind them and laid her hands on their shoulders.
"No!" Naruto and Ellen denied simultaneously before glaring at one another.
"Now, now you two. Let's try to focus. We're almost done. We just have to collect our client's treasure, and we'll be off. And you two can continue your date." Rina's smile unnerved them before her words caused them to seethe.
"It wasn't a date!" They cried in unison once more.
"Dangit, I lost the bet." The male sibling in the Bangboro's body exhaled.
"Told ya." The female half of Phaethon smugly laughed.
Ellen glowered and huffed while Naruto threw a dark glance their direction while muttering. "If we didn't need you..."
"We're joking!" The siblings chuckled together before focusing on the job, scanning the area as they neared the client's home. "Everything is clear so far. No Ethereal readings nearby."
"Let's wrap this up!"
[ X ]
The residence was in a mild state of disrepair.
It was understandable, given their rush when the Hollow suddenly expanded upon the district and evacuation orders were issued. They grabbed whatever mattered on their person and left in a hurry before their place was overrun by Ethereals.
Didn't make their job any easier. They had to clean up the ransacked premises to find the client's last treasure left behind.
Photos of their family.
Through their combined efforts, they had made quite a lot of progress despite the mess. Still, they hadn't...
"I think I found the photo," Ellen called for everyone's attention, lifting a shattered picture frame, barely holding together.
The picture, while blemished, was intact.
However, the expression Ellen made while gazing upon it caught Naruto's attention. It was a mixture of sadness and heartache.
The photo showed the father and son posing beside a woman, smiling brightly in front of their home.
A picture of a mother and their client's wife.
Naruto grimaced and bit his lip. His suspicion was correct, and he understood why he treasured it.
She didn't survive the evacuation.
This photo was a lasting memory of them as a family.
"Allow me," Naruto withdrew a scroll from the pouch he added to his hip when on jobs such as these.
Ellen handed it to Naruto with a deflated sigh and a wince. With a flick of his wrist, he opened the scroll and applied a small flicker of chakra against the seal within and the photograph.
A plume of smoke later, the photo was sealed within, and Naruto rolled the scroll up and slid it into his pouch.
"What is that?" Phaethon expressed surprise, turned away, and went toward the house door.
"Oh, it's something I learned..." Naruto started his explanation, accustomed to explaining his peculiar abilities to others.
Only a few individuals whom he was aware of possessed it.
And then he noticed the Bangboro was straying towards the door cautiously.
"What do you sense?" Rina expressed concern yet lifted her hands, strings dancing at her fingertips.
"A powerful Ethereal is rapidly approaching! Faster than anything I've seen before! There is no avoiding this! Prepare for a fight!" Phaethon announced, fleeing from the doorway.
Naruto and Ellen had their weapons drawn, prepared for a fight. But they were unprepared for the hellacious, eardrum-shattering screech that shook the home's very foundation.
And brought it down on top of them as they recoiled and covered their ears from the sound.
[ X ]
A tall, slender figure of ash skin stood atop the rubble. An irradiated green glow illuminated the wreckage, the light wrapped around a core that could be labeled a black hole that was once a head.
The creature stood and arched its back, releasing a shriek that reverberated and shook several further buildings, bringing them tumbling to the earth.
Yet after its roar, the rubble it stood upon continued to rumble. It looked down and seemed confused at the strangeness.
And it was blown off its feet as ruins explosively burst and a way of blonde butlers shot out in all directions, swarming the Ethereal.
Jumping it, attempting to pile on.
One horrid screech and a violent shockwave ripped through the clones, turning them into smoke.
But that smokescreen hid two small Bangboros within, guided by nearly invisible strings, swept past him. Rolling bolts of lightning followed, striking and stunning the Ethereal before a ball of pure electricity slammed into its emaciated torso, knocking the gangly creature back and off balance.
And Ellen struck with her scissor blade. Despite its frail appearance, the abnormal body was made of an abnormally thick material that protected its true core, and the blade only scraped its body. However, that wasn't the intention.
It was simply the start.
"It's time for a shark-nami!" Ellen bared her fangs, swirling her scissor blade gracefully as a wave of ice crystalized, impacting the Ethereal and the air around.
Moisture was collected and turned into spikes, smashing into the hard exterior body of the Ethereal—ice shard after ice shard.
Until the Ethereal flicked its hands forward and unleashed a horrid screech stronger than before, unleashing ground-cracking shockwaves faster than Ellen could react.
Ellen was swept up by two small Bangboro pushing her into a faster sprint to lessen the cracking of her eardrums. Still, it caught her and knocked her off her feet...
Only to feel propped in someone's warm embrace, holding her up, instead of scraping against the cold, hard concrete.
...And a particular hand brushing against her tail.
"Thanks..." Ellen muttered, flushed, before standing back onto her two feet and glowered. "Its body is as tough as an Ethereal with heavy armor. It's not going to be easy to crack."
"Then let's weaken and melt that shell!" Naruto grinned, signing through a series of hand seals as plumes of smoke dispersed from all the remaining buildings surrounding the creature.
Ellen's eyes sharpened, recognizing a thin layer of smoke clouds dispersing in the distance, all along the buildings and rubble around the Ethereal. At first, she couldn't make out what they were doing, but she caught the shimmer of something hanging in the air.
"Ahem, do remember, maids and butlers must remain composed at all times," Rina chided her younger partners with a light smile. Her concentration shifted toward the Ethereal as it slowly stalked toward them, moving with purpose. "Shall I begin?"
"Let's do th... What the...?!" Naruto confidently started his response when the Ethereal suddenly vanished with only a ripple of energy left in its wake.
And appeared behind the threesome, its arm sweeping toward them.
Naruto didn't hesitate to push Ellen and Rina away and took the brunt of the heavy arm, arms held up to protect his head. He grimaced and was sent flying, ricocheting off the concrete several times, tumbling against the concrete before righting his momentum and skidding to a stop.
Ellen would complain later, and she wouldn't be wrong, but he was built differently. He could take far more punishment, and he knew it. Any injuries inflicted, unless severe, would be healed within a day. He learned that after breaking his leg after falling off the top of a building while learning how to wall walk, he walked it off the next day.
Concrete wasn't as forgiving as grass and dirt.
How time changed things. Naruto chuckled as the thought came to him.
It was night and day in the difference. This thing hit as hard as he did after that free fall. And this time, he barely felt a thing.
His attire, however...
"Man, Lycaon's gonna be pissed at me again..." Naruto grumbled, noting the dusty ruffles and rips.
His eyes sharpened as his stomach boiled and his chakra churned. This Ethereal may not understand how much this would cost him, but it was gonna pay for it with its hide!
Naruto approached the Ethereal step by step, his scowl deepening as his anger was contained yet focused. The creature's screech rocked the concrete, shattering it with a shockwave.
Naruto flinched, stopping momentarily before pushing forward, a small trickle of blood dripping from his ears. He stopped before the Ethereal as it shrieked again, its roar ineffective this time, before it swatted Naruto again.
However, this time Naruto didn't budge.
Unknowing to him, his coworkers recoiled, noticing a flicker of red within Naruto's eyes before vanishing.
Something was off.
His arm held up, shielding his head from the strike. Naruto didn't bat an eye or budge as the Ethereal's scrawny arm recoiled against Naruto's. He simply glared at the monstrosity. "You're gonna pay for this, ya know?"
With a battle cry, Naruto drew back his arm and lunged at the Ethereal, his punch striking true, directly into the false core on its head. It lurched back from the blow before several more strikes cracked into it.
And with one devastating flying front kick, launched it backwards...
Right into his trap.
Rina didn't hesitate. With a flick of her hands, almost transparent wires tied amongst the area strung up the Ethereal, and left it immobile.
And with a flicker of hand seals, ending with tiger, a fire burned at Naruto's mouth as he released a flaming dragon that used the wires Rina strung up and guided its path.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire!"
The Ethereal screech could not protect itself as the flames engulfed it with white-hot intensity. Its hardened skin molted, exposing its core before the shriek snapped the wires and put out the super-heated flames.
But it fell to its knees, stunned and weakened.
And with another leap from above, Ellen struck, and an icy barrage shredded through the rest of the hardened body for one good strike with her scissor blades, directly into the core.
With a satisfied and smug smirk, Ellen turned to Naruto and blew a raspberry. "The kill is mine again! I'm up thirty-three to twenty-nine!"
"What?!" Naruto loudly called out to Ellen, staring at her, confused.
"Oh dear, his eardrums must be busted." Rina shook her head.
"He'll be fine in a minute." Ellen waved Rina's concern off before calling the Proxy. "All taken care of!"
"Oh... Sure..." Phaethon's Bangboro blinked, stumped at the fight they witnessed.
These people were Housekeepers?! They were insane!
These Housekeepers fought as if they were part of the Defense Force!
[ X ]
The sense of dread had long since set in. This part was always the most difficult.
He would take fighting powerful Ethereals without hesitation over this. This was the worst part of his job. Unfortunately, this was a part of the reality of their world.
This was an apocalypse, and humanity fought with every fiber to survive while maintaining a sense of normality in their daily lives.
"I can take the photo. You have done enough. Go enjoy the rest of your day." Rina gently settled her hand on his shoulder, stopping Naruto and comfortingly smiling as they reached the main office.
Naruto wanted to take the offer. To avoid what came next.
Yet...
"No," Naruto shook his head in response, and with a deep breath and a wistful sigh, Naruto proceeded inside.
On the couch sat the man and his son. They were obviously nervous. The way the man cradled his downtrodden, young son. The fear of losing him, evident.
Despite all the pain and loss, Naruto could see a glimmer of hope in his eyes—the will to push on and continue moving forward.
A testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Seeing that strength, the jitters Naruto had felt earlier faded away. He knelt before the man, bowed his head as he withdrew the photograph, and offered it. "It appears to have weathered while exposed to the Hollow and Ethereals within. If you desire, I know someone I can recommend to restore it."
The father's reach faltered as he went to retrieve the photo for an instant. Pondering Naruto's option before he thinly smiled, taking the picture. "Thank you... But it is fine as is. It is a reminder of how fragile life is... And how we must treasure it."
"No thanks are required. It is our duty to serve our clients." Naruto calmly responded and bowed his head.
Inside, his stomach was twisting into knots. But he dared not display his feelings before their client, who was bearing a far heavier weight than he was.
He simply bore the brunt of his weight and took it as his own, vowing to end this pain... This suffering. Even if he didn't know how.
But for now, he would allow this family to grieve, having the comfort of having a lasting memory of their loving wife and mother to hold onto.
[ X ]
His apartment was dark and gloomy on his return.
Naruto exhaled, setting aside his uniform on a hook just inside the door before he strolled into the apartment. The thought was there to think it felt like he did internally, but that was far from the truth.
Sure, he was gloomy. His job wasn't always easy, and days like this made him question everything.
And left a fire within to do something to change it. A boiling anger at the state of the world and the desire to fight against it.
But what could he do? He was one person...
"Huh?" Naruto squinted, stopping at the kitchen counter.
Someone had broken into his home again, and they left a basket of fruit once more. But for the first time, a letter with his name written on it was wedged inside.
Repressing the urge to growl, Naruto scanned his apartment. He couldn't be too sure the perpetrator hadn't stayed behind. It would be a struggle to hide in this place. It was a single-room apartment with all the rooms merged into one, with a small bathroom and a meager closet.
And no one was hiding in those.
Taking the letter, Naruto flipped it open and scrutinized the details.
Tomorrow Night, Rooftop.
For a while, he thought it might have been Kurenai-sensei who had been sneaking in and leaving his fruit. She always complained about his diet...
But this was not her handwriting. It wasn't anyone's writing he recognized.
Naruto didn't like it. This could easily be a trap, but he couldn't think why anyone would want to ambush him... Except...
Someone had been following him. Could it be...
A knock at his door caused Naruto to withdraw a kunai while dropping into a readied stance before relaxing, setting the note back on the counter. The person who wrote this letter wouldn't just announce themselves in such a manner after leaving him instructions.
And he recognized the perfume on the other side.
"Ellen?" Naruto opened the door with a raised eyebrow to see his friend on the other side.
With take-out bags.
"Figured you would be hungry after... Yeah... I know I am." Ellen pushed past Naruto and the threshold, setting the bags onto the kitchen counter. Her gaze wavered momentarily before she turned back to Naruto. "And I still feel a little pent up, you know? Thought we could blow off some steam. Up for a few rounds?"
Naruto's brow raised further at her verbiage. Even if she had jabbed her thumb toward the television, and knew what she meant...
He couldn't help himself!
"Oh, I didn't know you wanted to do those things with me. Thought I was a jerk." Naruto slyly responded.
"Shut up! You know what I meant, jerk!" Ellen tossed a pair of chopsticks at Naruto, her face furiously flushed red from embarrassment and anger.
"I know, I know!" Naruto laughed, catching the chopsticks, closing the door behind him. "I'm starving. So let's eat..."
"Then we can go for a few rounds."