Ugh...
The morning after never felt great. Her head throbbed. Her stomach was twisted in knots. She felt like she needed to vomit...
And nothing she could ruin Moxxie's day with. Only her own... Dammit.
She had strange bruises and cuts. And worst of all...
Her fur was bloodied and matted, and her clothes were tattered!
...More than usual...
Loona groaned, blinking several times before cursing. "Fuck this shit! It's too bright!"
"Ain't that the fucking truth!" Loona froze in place upon hearing Blitzo's voice.
She blinked yet again. Was this... Not her room?
Patting the cushion she was on, Loona growled and glared at the stumbling Blitzo. "You left me on the couch?"
"Pfft! Like hell I would. He brought you back for me and dumped you on the couch before curling into a cute ball and passing out." Blitzo jabbed his thumb to the corner of their living room.
Loona's heart thumped. He? Did he mean... He was here now?!
Following where Blitzo pointed, Loona frowned, noticing a vacant corner. "Uh, who are you talking about?"
"Huh? What the fuck?! Where did he go?" Blitzo rapidly swirled around, swiveling his head wildly. "He was just here! How did he vanish like that while he was drunk as a mule? Fuck! "
Loona hung her head. She kind of wanted to see him curled up...
Clutching her mouth, Loona leapt from the couch and bolted into the bathroom, spinning Blitzo like a top in the process. "Fuck me! I don't need that right now!"
Blitzo grimaced, listening to his daughter's retching in the bathroom with disgust. "Oh, come on! You're cleaning that up once you're finished!"
"Fuck you!" Loona groaned while draped over the toilet.
"Oh, cry about it!" Blitzo rolled his eyes and turned away from the bathroom. "Get your ass in gear, would ya? We've got a job today!"
"Something about some bimbo who got cheated on and wanting to kill the bitch who fucked her husband."
[ X ]
"So she repurchased this place and restored it, huh? Wasn't this called the Happy Hotel last I checked?" Naruto whistled, seemingly impressed at the job Charlie had done.
Naruto exhaled and chuckled, overlooking the hotel from the top of a nearby building. "Doing good, girl...Hm?"
Naruto's eyes scanned the hotel. Something felt... Off.
There was a malevolent presence... More malevolent than what Naruto anticipated.
Scowling, unable to put a face to the sensation, Naruto growled. His eyes sharpened and continued to scan the hotel, searching for where it came from.
And he found him...
"Who the hell are you?" Naruto muttered, his gaze shifting behind him.
"My name is Alastor, Host of the Hazbin Hotel, good sir." A Sinner wearing an emblazoned red suit and the most unnerving, broad smile he had encountered, made all the more unsettling by the golden sheen. "Now, may I ask a question, if you will allow?"
"Why has the Embodiment of Death been observing my Hotel?"
[ X ]
Everything was so bright... So blissful— serene.
An angelic choir and demonic chorus sang on a stage behind her—angels and demons, sharing a space without violence.
It was wonderful.
And in her arms as they swayed to the music, rhythmically dancing was who she cherished most, happier than she had seen her in centuries.
Alas, this was but a dream.
She knew that. ...But...
Perhaps she could enjoy it a little longer. Enjoy her embrace for just an extra second.
Even as the world around them went up in flames, she just wanted the moment to last as she stared into her blazing gold and burning crimson gaze.
"I love you," She whispered, shyly tilting her head away.
Only for the love of her life to gently caress her chin with a single finger before they made eye contact, she trembled as her lips moved, expecting to hear the exact same words...
"Vaggie!"
And her dream collapsed in a pit of despair, engulfed in flames.
Typical.
[ X ]
"Vaggie!"
"It's you... No wonder my dream turned into a hellscape." Vaggie groaned, her eyes fluttering as she lifted her head slightly, staring directly into his cerulean hues. "What do you want, Naruto?"
Thankfully, he was better than most other demons when invading her privacy. He was at least perched on the foot of her bed like a particular comic book hero...
"The hell is the Radio Demon doing here?" Naruto squinted, a low growl reverberating in his tone.
"Why are you asking me?" Vaggie shrugged and rolled her eyes, exasperated, before glaring at Naruto. "I know you already confronted him, so why are you bothering me here?"
"Let me rephrase the question," Naruto's left eye twitched, repressing his growl and taking a breath. His eyes sharpened, and the air stilled as his intimidating gaze pierced hers. "Why have you allowed someone like him anywhere near Charlie?"
"Because he offered to help when no one else would." Vaggie exhaled, defeated as she sat up, shuffling in bed so her feet were dangling off the side. "Look, I don't feel great about his presence here either. All he wants is to be here when it inevitably all falls apart to soak in the moment. And as much as I hate it, we need someone like him here to handle the trash."
"He told me as much... What do you mean handle the trash?" Naruto began, before his gaze furiously sharpened, and he snarled.
"Oh... Ah..." Vaggie's head snapped up, and she nervously stumbled over her words, struggling to find them with his intense gaze. "You see... An incident happened with... Sir Pentious."
Naruto's snarl increased in volume before abruptly ending, drawing out a notepad and pen, scribbling furiously.
"Alastor handled it!" Vaggie alarmingly jumped to her feet and attempted to diffuse the situation. "There's no need to do anything drastic! He won't be bothering us for quite some time!"
"When I'm done with him, he'll never bother you again," Naruto growled with righteous fury, polishing his shotgun that he suddenly withdrew from his pocket dimension.
"Killing him is unnecessary! That goes against everything Charlie stands for!" Vaggie yelled, sternly putting her foot down, her features faltering as she sullenly looked at him. "What you used to stand for."
Naruto exhaled, his expression worn and weathered. Checking to ensure his shotgun was in working condition, he slid it back through the portal and met Vaggie's gaze. "I'm not going to kill him, if that's what you are worried about."
Vaggie sighed in relief. Any time she saw him draw his divine weaponry...
"The next time I see him, I'm gonna make him wish he was redeemed when I'm done with 'em."
Releasing an exacerbated wail of despair, Vaggie slumped over, defeated.
At least he was leaving the chance of redemption...
"Are you heading out?" Vaggie glanced up, noticing a draft in the room. She flinched, noticing Naruto had left his perch and had almost made it to her window. "You know... You should see Charlie before you leave... She misses you."
Naruto paused at the window seal. He turned his head back and gazed deeply into Vaggie's eyes.
He leapt from the window without another word.
Vaggie hung her head as she moved to close the window. But a swift breeze almost knocked her down. She cursed and shut the window close, hissing in the back of her throat.
And jumped when she heard her door click shut.
Rapidly wheeling around, scanning her room for another intruder, her eyes focused on a single detail—a business card wedged into the crease of the door.
Vaggie didn't hesitate and investigated the card before laughing. "IMP, huh? You're working for those guys? You must be hard up or just don't give a shit anymore! But thank you..."
"She genuinely has missed you having you around... And so have I."
[ X ]
"No, this won't do!" Alastor held out his hand toward the decor of the main hall while walking with Charlie. Niffty immediately sprang to action, rapidly taking down the decor Alastor motioned toward, replacing it with more... lavish and luxurious materials. "Yes, perfect, my little darling!"
"Thank you, Sir!" Niffty ecstatically bounced about and continued her work, sweeping the halls and tossing out much of the decorations and furniture she and Vaggie worked very hard to procure...
"Is this... Uh... Necessary?" Charlie winced, watching her hotel be renovated from the ground up.
"Absolutely!" Alastor nodded, addressing the hall with a sweep of his hand. "My dear, we must maximize on the aesthetic and make this place as welcoming as possible if you dare to dream of achieving your goal. This hotel must become a beacon of hope for all those who enter! It's the only way to set them up for success and eventual fall!"
"Ahaha, I guess?" Charlie nervously chuckled. However, her smile never faltered even when Alastor's grin somehow widened and he laughed.
He was a... Strange fellow.
"Could you keep it down, speaker? I could hear you from across the street!"
Charlie froze. Her heart skipped a beat. She recognized that voice...
She hadn't seen him in years!
"Oh, it's you." Alastor almost seemed disappointed, even if he didn't show it as they turned around. However, his eyes shone as he saw the stars welling within Charlie's eyes. "Oh, you know this barbaric heathen?"
"Uncle Naruto!" Charlie instantly crossed the distance of the rug and wrapped Naruto in a tight embrace. "How did you know where to find me? I haven't seen you in forever!"
"I watch TV, ya know?" Naruto chuckled as they broke the embrace. He perked his brow before whistling. "Kiddo, did you grow taller? I swear you weren't this tall the last time I saw you!"
"Well, you know how tall Mom was..." Charlie forced a laugh after bringing her mother up. However, her expression pursed, and she placed her hand on her hips. "And where have you been? You haven't been answering any of my calls! Most went straight to voicemail! ...I thought..."
"Sorry about that, kiddo. I'll try to be better about answering if the call goes through and going through my voicemails. I don't even want to know how bad my backlog is." Naruto grinned, whipping out what looked like a brand-new phone and displaying it to Charlie. "It's just I can't stop breaking these damn things! Brittle as fuck! Went through six to seven hundred of these last year alone!"
"How is that possible?" Charlie blinked, flabbergasted as she counted her fingers. "That means sometimes you go through at least two a day..."
"Yup!" Naruto laughed, flipping his phone and catching it with the tip of his fingers, attempting to pocket it. Instead, it snapped into pieces in his hand. "Son of bitch! I just bought this one this morning!"
Charlie stared at her uncle, flummoxed when another familiar voice diverted her attention. "I'm surprised you don't have a more rugged model. I think Ms. Carmine would sell them at a discount for you."
"She already does. All her strongest models are tested by me personally." Naruto grinned as Vaggie deadpanned before palming her face.
"I thought you a brute. It looks like I was proven correct." Alastor nodded to himself, and Naruto shrugged, not allowing the Sinner to get under his skin.
"Sometimes I just don't know my own strength even when I'm holding back, ya know?" Naruto returned and sharply glanced at Alastor, an underlying growl in his voice.
Alastor only nodded with a taunting hum, turning his focus to Charlie and Vaggie.
"Vaggie! Good morning!" Charlie greeted her partner with a warm hug. "Did you sleep well?"
"Well enough," Vaggie contentedly sighed, simply raising her brow and giving Naruto a mild stare.
"Oh, ruin her lovely night of sleep, did we?" Alastor laughed, before moving toward the two lovers. "As much as I hate ruining such a wonderful spectacle, alas, we are conducting an overhaul and must not dally! Much work to do!"
"Oh, shoot. Al is right," Charlie grimaced, her shoulders shrinking as she glanced at Naruto longingly. "I'm sorry. Are you..."
"I'll be around," Naruto tilted his head and smiled.
"In fact, I might be closer than you think."
[ X ]
"Where have you been?"
Naruto repressed a groan. He was expected to be asked that first thing upon entering the office. However, his ears perked when it was Loona who asked, sitting at her desk, reading a magazine.
"Taking care of family business," Naruto replied with a shrug, strolling past the desk and toward the break room to check what was in the fridge.
He paused, catching a glance of a peculiar book on the desk. One he immediately recognized.
And knew who it belonged to.
"His ass is gonna be in hot water if others find out," Naruto rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Wasn't his business, regardless. He didn't care if this was a shady operation or not. What business wasn't?
"You have a family?" Loona mildly jumped and looked shocked.
"Not much of one... Not here anyway," Naruto responded before muttering the last part to himself. It didn't seem like Loona heard him.
She almost looked depressed.
"I just stopped by to say hi to my niece. She works nearby at the Hazbin Hotel. Used to be the Happy Hotel." Naruto jabbed his thumb behind him and in the general direction of the hotel.
"Huh, never heard of it." Loona frowned despite the noticeable uptick in her expression before shrugging. "Just so you know, he's going to be pissed at you when they get back."
"Oh, was there a mission?" Naruto's ears perked before he grinned, lifting his left hand into the air before him. "Well, shit! Better late than never! I should get going! Don't wanna miss out on the fun!"
"Guess so. Might save your ass with him." Loona shrugged, reaching for the book. "Let me open the portal..."
"Nah, don't need one." Naruto's grin widened, the very air stilling in the office as a golden hue engulfed his left clawed hand. Sticking a single forward, he plunged his finger through the air as if it were paper. The very world began to shimmer from his touch.
"What... What are you..." Loona stammered, unable to process what she was witnessing.
"I don't need a portal for I tear open this reality to get where I want to," Naruto whispered, a hiss held in the back of his throat.
And even with this power...
He still wasn't able to rip open a way home.
"Where the fuck where you, dickbag?! You left us high and dry! That job could have killed us if those pricks knew what they were doing!"
Naruto stopped what he was doing, and the world reverted to its natural state. He turned around to see Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie standing behind him, having just stepped back through a portal from Earth.
And Blitzo looked pissed.
Thankfully, Naruto was always prepared.
"Procuring a fat job," Naruto slipped a sheet of paper from a portal, handing it toward Blitzo. "Carmie wants a few weapons dealers merc'd on the other side. Sounds like she wants their services down here, if you catch my drift? ...You in?"
"Huh, well..." Blitzo glowered before he looked at the sheet Naruto handed him. His expression immediately shifted to bewildered excitement. "Holy fuck! That's a lot of zeroes! Oh, yeah!"
"I'm fucking in."