Young Justice: Kage

Chapter 17: Image

"Artemis..."

Paula rolls into her daughter's room to find it a mess. There are clothes and shoes all over the place. Her daughter is not the neatest of people, but she has never been this messy. "Ugh, why can't I find anything that matches?" curses Artemis staring at her closest.

Chuckling, Paula leaves the room. It is nice to see her daughter acting like a normal girl. After everything that has happened over the years, she is glad that Artemis didn't follow in the footsteps of her father and sister. She is not thrilled that Artemis is out playing hero, but it is better than the alternative.

As she enters the kitchen to finish making the last preparations for dinner, Paula's mind drifts to the young man that is dating her daughter. Uzumaki Naruto is a young hero that popped up around a year ago. According to her old friends, Kage, or Uzumaki Naruto, is beloved by the entire country of Japan. Other stories that she heard are that the kid is as cold as ice. A few have compared him to the Dark Knight of Gotham.

As much as she respects Batman, she never liked the hero. There is a coldness in that man. She truly hopes that Naruto doesn't possess that same aura.
A knock at the door interrupts her thoughts. "Artemis, I believe your guest is here!" shouts Paula.

"I'll be there in a minute!"

"I am going to answer the door!"

Rolling over to the door, she grabs the knob and gives it a turn. The door swings open to reveal a handsome teen. He wears a plain black t-shirt, baggy blue jeans, and clean white sneakers.

"Hello, I am Uzumaki Naruto," greets the teen.

'I have been expected you. I am Paula, Artemis's mother. Please come in."

Naruto enters the small apartment. He makes sure to close the door. "Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Artemis is getting ready so please have a seat at the table." Paula leads him over to a small table that can barely fit three people. With a small nod, he takes a seat. Paula glances at the quiet teen who stares back at her with an unreadable expression.

'Those eyes, thinks Paula. She has seen such eyes. Those are the same type of eyes that she used to possess. Eyes that not only have seen death but dealt it out.

Naruto watches as Paula heads back into the kitchen. Even in a wheelchair, it is obvious to him that she was an assassin like him. Her eyes instantly analyzed his body type the moment she opened the door. She was trying to find vulnerabilities before he even got his name out. He would have liked the chance to fight her back when she was in her prime. It might be a bit one-sided, but he is sure that a fight against her would have been fun like when he spars against Canary.

The sound of footsteps draws his attention. Artemis comes into the living room. Naruto stands up. She is wearing a spaghetti strap white top that reveals a good amount of cleavage, skinny black jeans, and her bare feet have a fresh coat of dark green nail polish. "Hey," smiles Artemis. "Sorry, I was trying to find the proper outfit."

"You look good."

Artemis smirks, "Thanks." She walks up to him. Both of them take a seat. "My mom hasn't been grilling you or anything?"

"I heard that."

A groan escapes the girl. "She went to the kitchen after letting me in the house," says Naruto. "Are you alright? You seem worried."

"I am fine," says Artemis. Naruto nods. "Thanks for coming. Never thought our second date would be meeting my mom."

"Is it really that big of a deal?"

"She can be a little overprotective."

Naruto gives a shrug. "When you care about someone it is only natural to want to protect them. It is something that I have learned while being on the team."