There she was.
Samantha Eve Wilkins.
The last name made Naruto bristle, even now.
Wilkins. Wilkins? WILKINS! What kind of last name was Wilkins? Samantha wasn't meant to be a Wilkins. She was an Uzumaki girl through and through. Her fiery hair was a dead giveaway to anyone who had the eyes to see. If that weren't enough, she looked just like her mother. Yet she was living with...strangers, clinging onto a miserable life -ohhh yes, he could sense her pent up negativity- that she didn't even want. She was suffering, had been suffering for all of twelve years, and he hadn't been able to do a damn thing about it.
That stopped today.
Brandyworth had told him everything; more than that, he'd engineered the perfect opportunity to meet her, and in doing so, sway her to his side.
All he had to do was do watch and wait.
Together they'd watched her take down some B-list villain with only a little effort only a short while ago. Some crazy with a cannon who had the bright idea to rob a bank. Kill-something-or-other. Probably not important in the grand scheme of things. Couldn't be bothered to remember him.
But he remembered the fight.
Samantha acquired herself well in that dark alleyway. He was...
Dare he say proud? Yes, he was proud of her, this feisty little daughter he'd never met until this moment.
Mustering all of his patience, he stayed hidden, camouflaged in the shadows as Brandyworth fulfilled his end of the bargain. The good doctor confronted Samantha, gently chided her for using her powers. And in hiding, he learned something else. Another name, if you would.
Atom Eve. Wasn't a bad name for an up-and-coming heroine in training.
Ahh, but they were talking now. Moving. Best pay attention.
"Trade you a burger for some answers?"
Brandyworth heaved a sigh.
...that sounds lovely."
Naruto nearly broke cover then and there. Instead he followed them at a discreet distance -as planned!- while she led him to a fast food joint. Burger Mart or somesuch. Like the forgettable villain, he didn't pay attention to the name. He took a seat behind them, keeping his hood up and back to them, one ear half-coked as they tucked into a meal.
"Tell me about my parents." Samantha said suddenly. He didn't miss the quiver in her voice. "My real parents. You said I was adopted, so...who's my real dad?
Naruto's blood boiled and he bit into a hamburger to stifle a snarl. The food tasted like ash. He forced himself to swallow.
'Its me. I'm right here...
Kurama was silent as the grave, unwilling to test his temper.
All the while he waited for Brandyworth to say something, to betray his trust, to turn on him as the rest of the world had. If he did, he would kill him stone dead. Not in front of Samantha of course -wouldn't do to scar his little princess like that- but he absolutely would the first chance he got. His fingers tensed on the table, as old the man polished off the last of his own burger, wiped his mouth with a napkin. At length, he sighed:
"I didn't know your father until recently...
Samantha bolted upright, straight as a board. Clever girl, putting two and two together already.
"Recently?" there it was, the little warble within her words, the quiet plea of a forgotten child. "You mean...he's alive?"
"And kicking," the old doctor tented his fingers as he laid his chin atop them. "He was in a coma for quite some time. Twelve years, in fact."
For all his ire, Naruto felt his opinion of the man climb a little higher. He didn't have to do that, didn't need to defend him, explain his absence as he did. Yet he had. It spoke well to his character that he would. There was no fear in this weary old man. Just...exhaustion. A deep bone-tiredness, guilt, alongside the determination to right his wrongs and fix his mistakes.
He decided then and there that he would spare Brandyworth.
Everyone else involved in his and Polly's disappearance would be get what was coming to them, but this man would live.
"As a matter of fact, he actually sought me out, believe it or not." he chuckled ruefully into a closed fist. "You definitely get your stubbornness from his side of the family."
Eve leaned forward. He could sense her nervous anxiety, fear blooming into hope. "Who is he? Do you know where he is, now? Can I meet him?!"
"Of course you can, dear girl." The old doctor leaned past her. "I dare say he's very eager to meet you."
Samantha followed his gaze. Naruto felt her eyes on him.
That was his cue.
He stood up.
(.0.0.0.)
No way.
Just no way.
No freakin' way.
Samantha blinked. She blinked hard. Pinched herself now, for good measure. Pain snarled up her arm. She didn't wake up. Okay, not a dream. That was good. Right? Wasn't it? Her heart was beating so damn fast. Felt like it was going to burst right out her chest, you know? What did she say? What did she do? She'd imagined a moment like this ever since she'd realized she was adopted -which made an awful lot of sense; dad was a dick an' mom was practically a living doormat- but now that it was here, she didn't know what to do.
Oh god, what was she going to do?
What if he didn't like her? What if he hated her? What if-
'Calm!' she snapped at herself before her anxiety could get the better of her. 'Caaaalm. You can do this Samantha.'
"Doc?" she swallowed, trying to clear her throat. "Who's this...?"
Brandyworth smiled. "You know who he is. Go on, now. Don't be shy."
The hooded man chuckled aloud; it was low, yet strangely reassuring sound.
"Its a bit of a catch twenty-two." as she looked on the stranger tugged back his hood, revealing himself, letting wind flow across his fingers. In an instant she glimpsed bright blue eyes framed by whiskered cheeks, tawny blond hair, and a weary smile."For the longest time, my purpose was to guide life, protect life, and in that, I failed. You could say failure is my defining trait." that smile became a rueful grin, briefly lighting his dour face. "I've failed many times. And learned from each one. But what they did to you...no one has the right to alter or end life at their convenience. If I'd know what they were doing, what they intended...
His face. It was like hers.
She'd always wondered why she had these marks on her face. Her-not-dad called it a birth defect.
A deformity, something she must cover up with makeup, something she had covered at this very moment.
...I always wanted a family," the blond man crouched down before her, "But things went wrong. I'm sorry." he reached out and laid a hand on her head. "I wish I'd known about you; wish I'd broken out sooner. I wish you didn't have to live twelve years of your life suffering like this."
...what's your name?"
"Naruto Uzumaki." he hummed. Hearing it reassured her somehow, made him seem more real. "That's your real last name by the way. Not Wilkins. Never Wilkins." whiskered cheeks dimpled in a wry smile. Its so nice to finally meet you, Samantha. Your mother would've been so proud of you."
Uzumaki, huh? It sounded way better. But this was all happening so fast for her...!
"Wait, wait, wait!" Panic got the better of her and she flung up both hands, conjuring a barrier to ward him off. She stared at him through it, choked a little, and found her words. "Are you saying you're really my...?"
...yeah. I am." he nodded once, but didn't budge, and most importantly, didn't push her. She appreciated that more than he could ever know. "Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
Samantha's brilliant mind fizzled out spectacularly, unable to comprehend him. "Forgive you?"
"For not being there for you." his smile was a sad one. "For missing all those birthdays."
Something tore deep inside her. The barrier quivered. "You don't think I'm a freak?"
"Of course not." he smiled back at her through the wall. "You're my daughter."
It was everything she'd ever wanted to hear.
Never in her life had she needed something so much and never known until she received it. Here was someone who understood. He looked at her powers without fear; didn't call her a freak, or a mistake, or a monster. He just...smiled and called her his daughter. Her "other" parents didn't do that. They called her weird. They wanted her to be normal. An average girl with an average life. As if she ever could be. She hadn't asked to be born like this.
And yet, despite all that, he smiled.
In the end, it was the smile that finally won her over.
Her face screwed up. Her eyes burned. A tiny hiccup tore past her lips. "Daddy...?"
"Always have been, always will be." He opened his arms to her, despite the barrier between them. "Wanna hug it out?"
Samantha's barrier shattered as she dove right through it.
She absolutely tackled him; her head hit his chest and that was it; she lost all self control. Her arms betrayed her, wrapped as far around him as they could go and held tight, never wanting to let go. Not ever again. His chin came down on her shoulder, bringing with it the faint scent of fire and autumn. She wasn't sure if she should remember that smell, or if she even could. She'd been taken from him before she was even born. Fresh tears flowed forth at the thought.
And she broke.
People said crying was a beautiful thing; they'd never seen a kid cry before. She didn't weep, she wailed, burying her head into his hoodie, unable to help herself as years worth of grief tore her self control to bits. Her powers sparked and fizzled through her fists as she gripped at his hoodie, singing the fabric in her grasp.
Even then dad didn't deny her, didn't refute her, didn't once try to push her away, even as she made a scene. He just held her. Like a parent should. Like her "other" dad never did. His body felt bony-proof of his captivity-like he'd gone one too many days without a proper meal, but she didn't care. He was here, he was holding her, and she was never letting him go.
She...wasn't sure how much time passed after that. Seconds? Minutes? It felt liek a lot.
Finally, after what felt like an awful eternity, she found her voice. "Where were you? All this time...
"I was unconscious." he drew back, holding her at arms length to answer the questions he knew were burning her up inside. "Kept in a coma for more than a decade. I only woke up a few days ago in a government lab and had to fight my way out."
That...was a really good excuse. She couldn't even be mad at him for it!
"Meanie." She sniffled a little, unable to help herself. "I hate you...
He saw right through the lie. "You don't."
"I really don't." She hiccuped and darted back into his arms, craving his warmth. "Never leave me again, okay?" words babbled out of her and she couldn't hold them back, didn't think she could even if she wanted to. "I wanna stay with you. Don't send me away!"
"Whatever you want, princess." he kissed her forehead. "I've got twelve birthdays to catch up on...and a costume to dig up."
Samantha couldn't help but laugh at that; it was a tiny, broken sound. "So you're a hero, too?"
"I was." He seemed oddly ashamed to admit that, for some reason. "A long, long time ago."
"Oooh!" She warmed to the topic. "Did you have a superhero name?"
His ears burned a bright pink. "I did...but it wasn't the best one."
"You can tell me!"
He looked away, face red. "...adow.
She blinked. "Huh?"
"Fire shadow." he muttered.
She snorted. "Okay, that's kinda bad."
Brandyworth coughed into a fist to hide his laughter.
Naruto -Daddy!- turned a dark glower on him. "Hey, hey. I didn't choose the name, Polly did!"
Aaaaand just like that he had her attention again. "Polly?"
His anger blew out like a candle in the wind. "That was your mother's name. You look just like her."
Samantha burned with fresh intrigue, her mind hungering for more information. "What was she like? My mom, I mean.
Dad's smile cracked a little. "She was a wonderful woman, the first person I met when I came to this world. It was love at first sight."
"Really?"
"She helped me more than I can possibly explain. There's so much I want to tell you about her. She wanted the best for you. We both did. But then..." He winced suddenly, as though recalling a particularly unpleasant memory. "Eve, sweetie, there's something else you should know. You have sib-
A distant explosion rattled the world.
Brandyworth heaved a sigh. "Oh, dear...that can't be good."
Sure enough, a cop car rushed by, sirens wailing. Naruto tensed as though he'd sensed something and doubled over, briefly clutching her close.
...on second thought," he stood, "Maybe its better if I show you."
Samantha blinked anew. "Show me what?"
"Hold that thought."
He swept her up into his arms.
Then he leaped and the world blurred