Shattered World
A flushed Pyrrha laughed happily as Naruto spun her around. "So Coach, am I getting any better?" He asked after pulling her into a stop.
She let out a giggle, holding a hand to her forehead to halt the slight dizziness. "You are indeed."
Naruto grinned "Oh good! I was worried that I was just hogging up all of your free time to myself for no reason."
Pyrrha smiled kindly "No it's fine, I enjoy spending time with you."
"Mind if we cut out early tonight? I'm kind of hungry, what about you?" Naruto asked as they walked over towards the desk with her Scroll on it.
"Famished actually, I didn't get a chance to eat lunch today." She admitted, blushing slightly when her stomach grumbled a moment later.
Naruto laughed "Well let's head to the kitchens then, shall we?" He held out his arm and she took it readily.
"Are we even allowed in the kitchens?" She felt the need to ask.
Naruto shrugged "Whether I'm allowed to do something or not has never stopped me before?"
Pyrrha let out an exasperated chuckle but continued along with him either way. Looking out one of the windows she could see a bright starry night, the full moon hanging up above. "It's beautiful."
Naruto turned, hearing get words. He turned catching sight of the moon then turned back to her, her face still entranced by the moonlight. He nodded "You should see it from the roof, on full moons it almost feels like you can reach out and touch it..."
"Do you look at the moon often?" She asked, hearing the wistful tone in his voice.
"More than I should." He answered, tugging her lightly so they could continue "Sometimes I look up there and just... search for answers. Like it's written up in the stars or something."
Pyrrha didn't feel as though she should pry but curiosity got the better of her "Answers to what?"
"Everything... sometimes I wonder if I should have done some things differently. Some days I wonder if my parents are up there waiting for me, are the proud of me? Other days I think about the future and what will come." His voice had taken a somewhat sullen tone. "Pyrrha..." He hesitated.
"Yes?" She encouraged.
With a sigh he stopped and turned towards her, the window behind her let the moonlight shine down around her like an aura. "If Vale were invaded tomorrow, what would you do?"
"I'm sorry?" She was caught entirely off-guard by the question.
"Things are happening Pyrr."He narrowed look at her "I need to know Pyrrha, do you think you could handle a war?"
"I- I don't know what to say?" Pyrrha was well and truly baffled by his responses "Naruto, what are you talking about?"
His brow creased as he turned back towards the hallway, spotting one of the classrooms he went towards it and made short work of the lock. Pyrrha followed him in and took a seat, feeling she would need it soon. "Pyrrha, sometime soon the White Fang will invade Vale. I want to make sure that you are prepared for that eventuality and that you can... survive it."
Her breathing hitched "Are- Are you sure?"
"Entirely." His face set itself into a mask "Lately when I look up at the moon only one thing stays in my mind. A name. The name of the greatest threat Vale and then Remnant will ever know."
"Who?"
"Kaguya."
"Why are you telling me this?" She was more than a worried now.
"If it came down to it..." His mask grew colder "If it was you or them, could you kill another person if it meant your own survival?"
She gasped, voice caught in her throat. "I-I-"
Naruto dropped his mask and sighed "I'm sorry for dropping all that on you so suddenly it's just that... look around. We're in a school full of kids who aren't ready for that kind of shit and instead of training them we have to keep it quiet so as not to incite panic and fear mongering."
"We?" Pyrrha asked, only just recovering from her shock.
"Three week ago I met with Ozpin and General Ironwood. You know I've looked into the White Fang for some time now and I had proof that they were gearing for an assault on the city." Naruto told her "While they were skeptical at first, I sent some images to Ozpin of the Faunus rally last week and how they had gotten their hands on some prototype models of the Atlesian paladins."
"Those robot suits?" She asked, only vaguely recognizing the name.
"The very same. Ironwood was furious that they had gotten hold of them but Blake and I used the bomb they planned on detonating during the Festival to destroy the building they were in. I met with Ozpin and the General that night and they both agreed that at the moment only those who need to know should be told."
"And-" She hesitated "And I need to know?"
Naruto nodded "I've been let in on a few other things and Ozpin wanted me to tell you about all this, not only so our team could be ready but you specifically for... a reason."
"A reason?" She was not entirely confident in that vague answer.
"What do you know of the Maidens?"
"As in the children's tale?" She thought about it "Not much."
"Long story short, someone gave four girls the ability to become magical girls or something and they could then pass on their gift to their heir. I thought it was a load of crap... up until Ozpin took me to one of them."
"You've met a Maiden?" Her eyes could not have gotten wider.
"Met is a strong word, more like watched her slowly wither away in a tube." He corrected "She was attacked some time before the year started, most likely by Cinder. Ozpin has developed a way to take the power from the Fall Maiden and give it to someone else, he believes you to be the best candidate."
Pyrrha was glad that she was sitting down as this was quickly becoming too much for her. How did a fun night with Naruto come to this? "How?"
Naruto took a seat on a nearby desk "They have to drain the power from her."
"Wouldn't that-"
"Kill her?" He interrupt, earning a nod. "Yes. Every Maiden dies when she passes on her powers to make sure that there were only ever four Maidens. The problem is that now Cinder has half of her power and the magic or whatever is behind the Maiden's powers is wanting to become whole again. Cinder being the healthier one and holding slightly more of the power is forcing the magic out of the current Maiden and into herself."
"But then wouldn't the same happen to me?" Pyrrha asked worriedly.
"According to Ozpin when there are two viable candidates for a Maiden's power at the same time, it instead of stealing the magic from one forces them against one another." Naruto told her "So if you accepted then you would have to be the one to deal the killing blow on Cinder and claim the Fall's powers as your own."
Pyrrha grimaced "That's rather dark."
Naruto shrugged "I've looked up some fairy tales and when you read between the lines most them are actually pretty dark."
"How am I supposed to beat Cinder though? I'm sure that she's more powerful than I am." Pyrrha asked.
"Well most of her strength came from stealing Fall's powers and if you took the other half then it would nullify that. I think that without the power of a Season behind her and with some intense training you could take out Cinder."
"What about Ren and Nora?"
"I'm already pushing them as hard as they can go for the Festival, anymore and I might do more harm than good. I'm going to tell them just before the tournament starts but right now I want them focus on training and not worrying about whether our home will be destroyed or not..."
Pyrrha frowned and reached over to grab his hand. This couldn't have been easy on him. How long had he know? How long had he been worrying about this while everyone around him was more concerned about some silly dance. "I don't think I can do it... I don't think I could go to the dance and pretend that everything is alright when there are enemies at our gates."
"You have to." Naruto urged her "The enemy is already here and watching us and you. If Ozpin feels that you are a worthy candidate for the Fall Maiden's power then I'm sure Cinder has her eye on you as well. You can give nothing away Pyrrha, you must not, or all of this will be for nothing."
Pyrrha's breathing began to pick up and her pupils began dilating as she stated into her lap "How? How can you be so calm about this? About all of this?" She pleaded, hoping he could offer her with some way to relieve her growing anxiety.
Naruto could understand, she had never experienced something like this before. To be watched, to be targeted, to know that war was coming to her home. This was all new to her and she was reacting as most would in her place. "Pyrrha." Her wide eyes snapped to his and he placed his free hand on the girl's cheek. "Look at me."
She didn't respond, though her erratic breathing did slow down somewhat when their eyes met. "You will survive this, you already promised me didn't you? To fight with everything you've got? Or was that just a lie?"
"N-No..."
"No what, Pyrrha?"
"No it-it wasn't a lie."
"You promised me that you would push through everything that would come at you, well now it's time to put my faith in you to the test. Can you do this or not? I need you to be sure Pyrrha, I need you to be one hundred fucking percent because hesitation from now on will only lead to death or injury."
She looked down at her trembling hands that were holding onto Naruto's own like a lifeline, slowly her hands and breathing settled down. She looked him in the eye, her own showed fear and uncertainty but it seemed to be fading as his hands gripped hers. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for all of this but... I can be. I must be. If you and Professor Ozpin both believe in me then I must do my best to live up to the faith placed on me."
Naruto cracked a smile, it was a softer one, one that was more real than most he gave. "Good, but remember you're not alone Pyrrha. You have me and Ren and Nora and team RWBY. It won't all be on your shoulders, we'll help you carry your burden."
"And how long have you had to carry your burdens?" Pyrrha wondered.
His smile only diminished slightly before returning "A shinobi is one who endures." He chuckled lightly "War is nothing new to me."
"I haven't heard of any recent wars though?" She recalled.
"Not all wars are fought in the light, the most frightful nights are when you know the enemy is there, among you and you have no idea who is who... so many people died before we discovered a way to distinguish the enemy 'plants'." He recalled the stories Sakura told him about how the Zetsu clones had infiltrated the camps during the night and begun slaughtering people and causing panic among the shinobi.
He remembered Hinata almost dying that night had he not come in when he did.
"Naruto?" He was pulled from his thoughts by Pyrrha's voice.
"Sorry just... remembering someone from long ago." He told her distractedly "Anyway let's eat." Moments later a Naruto clone walked in and handed Naruto a tiny scroll which he used to unseal their late dinner.
"When did you...?"
"Just before we walked in." He answered, already anticipating the question "I've become quite good at summoning my clones stealthily."
She giggled, helping release some of her tension "I'd say."
"So have you picked a dress yet?" Naruto asked conversationally, sitting down next to her and starting in on his food.
"Not yet, the girls and I were planning on going down to Vale tomorrow evening to go shopping." She responded. "What about you?"
"Well my dress looks great on me." He said making her laugh "Yeah, I had a clone run down and pick up a suit for me."
"Well I'm sure you will look very handsome in it." She said with a smile.
"Thanks." He grinned. "Are you excited to start taking missions soon?"
She nodded happily "I am, while I've enjoyed my time here at Beacon I have longed to see the world outside of our kingdom walls."
Naruto nodded "I feel the same... there's been a question on my mind ever since I came to this place and I feel that my answer will be out there somewhere."
"What question is that?" She wondered.
"What happened?" He took a bite of his steak "I'm looking for someone... or someones I should say. If I find even one of them then I might get my answer."
"Who?"
Naruto gave her an apologetic smile which she understood and nodded. She had already learned so much about Naruto today, it's only fair that he be allowed to keep some things to himself.
Naruto continued eating, mentally wondering where a Bijuu could be hiding in this world. The majority of the world is simply old ruins so it wouldn't be too difficult to hide among the rubble.
"Naruto?"
He blinked and turned towards his friend "Sorry I was in thought, did you ask me something?"
"No, I was just wondering what had you such deep in thought... you seem to do that often." Pyrrha admitted sheepishly.
Naruto chuckled "Well given what I've just told you, I'm sure you can tell that I have a lot of shit going on up here." He said, tapping a finger on his temple.
Pyrrha reached over and placed her hand on his once more, offering him her support this time. "Don't forget what you said to me Naruto. You have others you can depend on, our team and RWBY... you don't have to do everything by yourself Naruto. We're partners aren't we?"
Naruto looked down at her hand and smiled, giving it a light squeeze "Yeah. Yeah we are."
"If you ever need help with anything, you can always count on me." Pyrrha said softly.
"Thank you Pyrrha, that means a lot to me." She blushed slightly at his words, with a shy smile on her lips. He suddenly hated himself when another face layered over her own.
"How about we finish our dinner and head to bed? We have early morning training tomorrow and we should a good night's rest." He quickly offered to take his mind from her.
"Yes! It is getting rather late so we should hurry." She thankfully agreed and Naruto focused on his food.
Why does she still come to mind? Naruto looked out the large windows that showed the full moon in all it's glory. Hinata...
000
"What time is it?" Cinder asked as she kneeled down on the floor, facing the moon.
"8:45." Mercury answered as he checked his scroll.
"Good it's almost time then." She woman said to herself, her subordinates watching silently as she did her monthly ritual.
There was a light tapping coming from behind them causing both Mercury and Emerald to turn only to see their fourth member for this mission stood there. When she finished Neo held up her phone. 'What is she doing?'
"Meditating." Emerald whispered.
Neo looked confused but shrugged 'I'm here by the way, we just arrived an hour ago.'
Mercury nodded and showed her their tablet. "These are your targets. Pyrrha Nikos and Naruto Uzumaki. You're to watch them and learn their semblance." He told her quietly so as not to disturbed his boss's concentration.
Neo looked at the two pictures, first Pyrrha and memorizing her features before switching to Naruto. She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly before letting up, a small smirk drawn on her face. 'Can do.'
"Good." Emerald said with a smile before pointing at a bed. "That one's yours."
'Thank you.' The petite woman picked up her luggage and walked over to her assigned bed, sliding her stuff under the bed before taking off her boots and laying down on the bed.
A master of illusions like herself needed to learn how to tell every little detail of a person's features to not only copy them if need be but to also see through any of their disguises and just not she saw the one person she never suspected of being here.
The smirk on her face widened. So that's what you look like under your mask, my love?
A soft, almost girlish giggle escaped her lips but she made sure to muffle it. He has cute whiskers.
Meanwhile Cinder's conscious was pulled from her body and summoned to another plane. "Cinder."
The black-haired woman instantly went on her knee. "My Lady."
The being regarded the woman in front of her. Thus far she has been a very effective pawn but soon even she might fail her. "There is something you must know, my freedom and greatest threat has finally shown himself."
"My Lady?" Cinder dared to look up, the woman in front of her was pale white with glowing red eyes and a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
"I suspect that you will soon meet a man named Naruto Uzumaki. Do not let his appearance fool you, he is the only being that could match me in power at the moment."
Cinder's eyes widened "How- How is that even possible?" That was the fool that crashed into her some time ago.
Salem sneered "My foolish son gave that boy and his friend his power and together they annihilated my body long ago. When I had finally gathered enough strength to create the avatar you see before you I could sense that we shared the same cell."
"The moon?" Cinder questioned.
"Yes. While this world is an alternate version of Earth's moon, he resided within the true Moon in a hibernation. Now he has awoken and has the power of both of my sons... if he were to ever find a way to this place before I the ritual is complete then he might just destroy me for good this time." Salem said with a growl, her earlier battle with the host of the Nine Tails replaying in her mind.
"So the plan still remains, My Lady?"
"Yes, you are to shoot the girl with that arrow and it will send her here so that I can complete the ritual." She ordered.
"It will be as you say, My Lady." Cinder said, bowing her head once more.
"Good. Leave now, the window is almost closed." With her words Cinder began fading from this reality leaving only Salem sat atop her throne. Looking up once more at the eight floating orbs.