A/N: Hey there~!
Are you prepared? Yes? No? Maybe so? Let's find out, shall we?
Sorry if this seems short, got a denist appointment. Owowowow! I don't wanna go...
As ever, reviews are the fire that keeps me writing. Without them, I cannot put pen to paper. Simple as that. Every bit of feedback matters, large or small~!
Your voice matters! Speak up!
Still not quite sure if this story should be kept or not based on the reception, but I'm willing to keep going if everyone's with me. This story has already begun to change for the better, and I'm looking forward to this journey with you all.
Now for your questions!
Q: Just how much has the world of Remnant changed with Naruto's presence?
A: Canon has already begun to change, of course.
Q: Did Naruto "let" Cinder blind him? Been wondering about that?
A: Lets just say he had to make a choice.
We all know how he is.
Q: So we've got a mute girl, a blind guy, what's next, a deaf kid?!
A: Don't tempt me~!
Q: When do we get to see Naruto's vew
A: As per tradition, we'll get a Naruto P.O.V. come the third chapter...if there's a third one. That depends on you, the reader.
In other news, the next chapters for Untraveled Road, All Things Must Die, and Partners in Crime are proving longer than expected. Very long indeed. So much so that I had to step back and work on other stuff just to maintain the update schedule.
Chapter titles are henceforth going to be based on the lyrics of "One Thing" aka Neo's song.
As ever I don't own any references, quotes, themes or mes. Not a wit or one. That should be obvious by now.
Now then...I do believe its time to continue this merry little revenge story of ours, no? Grab some popcorn and kick up your feet...
"Don't mind him, missy. He might talk a good game, but he's a softy.
Look after him, won't ya? He needs someone like you."
*nods*
"Thatta girl."
~?
Kill for Kill
A mute woman and a blind man walked into another seedy, downtown bar.
Honestly, Neo was just waiting for the punchline at this point.
"Well, well, well! If it isn't my favorite blind bastard!"
...that wasn't it.
Naruto crooked a small smile as someone slammed into his chest and embraced him, all but pinning both arms at his sides in their haste to get at him. They didn't so much hug as they did hoist him; physically lifting him into the air. Neo tensed and reached for her blade, half expecting the blond to fly into a whirl of motion, fight his way free...something! Anything. He didn't. Instead, he merely chortled once.
"I'm the only blind bastard you know, Malachite."
"Semantics!" she set him down and stepped back with a smile. "You look good for a dead man."
His smile gained an edge. "I got better."
"So you did!" their host laughed. "Come in! Sit! I'll break out the good glasses."
In short order the three of them were sat, bottles of precious wine in crystal decanters arranged before them. Naruto drank without hesitation; Neo sipped sullenly, impatient to get on with things. Drinks were all well and good to celebrate, but they hadn't done anything yet. She needed to be at her peak to face Cinder. Nothing less would do.
Still...
Little Miss Malachite was...not what Neo had expected. She was short, for one. Clearly size didn't matter if she was able to lift someone like Naruto. Clad in white and violet garb with a spider tattoo etched into her left arm and a smile to match, she certainly didn't lack for personality. This woman queen of her domain to be sure; she held power of a different sort. She couldn't hold a candle to them in combat, but she could learn things they couldn't. Knowledge was power, and the Spider of Mistral had amassed a great deal of that indeed.
She soon found herself appraised by the woman in turn. "And who might you be?"
Neo huffed and crossed both arms before her bosom.
"Sassy little thing, aren't you?" There was a cheery drawl to her words that bellied her good humor. "He always did like to take on charity cases." she stiffened, but before she could remark on that the woman looked back to Naruto. "You know, the twins miss their uncle. You don't call, you don't write, what's a gal supposed to think?"
Naruto looked away; for the first time since they'd met, he actually seemed sheepish.
"Sorry about that." he scratched a whiskered cheek. "I've been busy."
She frowned. "Family makes time for family, Naruto."
"And I will...
Neo's head snapped towards the unlikely duo. Them? Family?! How?! They didn't look a thing alike!
As if reading her very mind, Naruto gave a rusty laugh. "We're not related. Malachite's something of a... friend."
"Friend he says," the information broker slapped his arm with her fan. "I took him in ages ago when he first landed here. I was taller back then...and didn't look like this." she gestured at her thickened figure. Neo quirked a brow. Malachite saw it. "Don't give me that look, you little tart." a finger prodded her nose. "You try having twins and keeping your figure afterwards. No mean feat, I tell you!"
"Moving on," Naruto slid between the two of them before they could come to blows, "Do you have the information I asked after? Cinder Fall. You're sure she's here."
A shadow passed over the Spider's face. "If I'd know this was about the bitch that took your eyes, I would've done this pro bono."
Neo's frown redoubled.
"Naruto always was a bit of a softy." the rather rotund woman confided in her. "I warned him, you know. Said it would catch up with him someday." she tsked softly. "Have him to tell you about his eyes sometime. If he'd just let that girl die-
"I am right here." Naruto tapped the table with a calloused hand. "Blind, not deaf, remember? An' for the record, I'm still paying you." when Malachite tried to argue, he forestalled her with a raised hand. "I know times have been hard around here and in Vale." when she didn't challenge him, his grin grew. "You've been sending every bit of lien you can scrounge to your daughters." those milky white eyes creased in a smile. "Give Melanie and Miltia my regards. Tell them I haven't forgotten their birthday."
...you're not going to budge on this, are you?"
"Nope." he smacked his lips with an audible pop. "Not gonna happen."
"Alright. Cinder Fall." a worn photograph slid across Malachite's desk. "You're in luck. She hired me only yesterday."
Aha! At last, a lead. Neo leaned forward and patted Naruto's face to gain his attention. Unseeing eyes turned towards her, perhaps sensing the unspoken question lurking in the depths of her mind. Creepy. She shivered a little bit, and not for the first time, wondered could he see her. He was blind!
"Sorry." whiskered cheeks dimpled in a worn smile. "Didn't mean to scare you. If it helps, you can think of this of it as a blend of telepathy and echolocation."
Those unseeing eyes swiveled back to Miss Malachite.
"What does she want?" he asked the burning question for her.
"She's after a bunch of damn brats who whipped her sorry arse." Miss Malachite flicked her fingers and one of her minions placed another series of pictures upon the table. "She paid good lien for me to ferret out their next port of call. Matter of fact, we were supposed to meet later this evening, but now?" she tittered softly. "I'll give her a false trail. Probably best if miss Fall gets lost in Vacuo...assuming you're not here to kill her.
Naruto and Neo exchanged a glance. He spoke for her. "We are."
"Lovely." the blond steeped her fingers. "I can give you a few hours to freshen up and prepare. Use the old attic room. I'm sure you remember it."
Naruto nodded. "I do. It'll be nice to get rid of all this dirt."
Neo burst to her feet, eyes ablaze.
Finally! Vengeance.
"Before you go...a warning." Malachite raised her voice before she could scamper off, "Fall didn't come here alone. There was someone with her." her expression darkened, reliving a poignant memory. "Real mean looking bastard; barely said two words and kept his hood up the entire time. My boys couldn't get a good look at him. Not sure if there was anyone else. They might've waited outside. Just," she swallowed once, stifling a surge of emotion. "Be careful. You know how vicious that bitch is."
Naruto sketched a bow. "Thank you."
Neo mimed the action, unable to contain herself. So close. She was so very close now. She couldn't wait to see the life leave Cinder's eyes. She would die feeling the same helplessness Roman had. Kill for kill. Eye for eye. Blood for Blood. Time to die. Her fingers twitched restlessly at her side, aching for action. Naruto sensed it and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Its nothing. Family looks after family. Tell you what." Malachite's grin was just the wrong shade of vicious. "I'll lend you a few of my boys. Lets give this bitch a good 'ol fashioned Malachite welcome.
By contrast, Neo's smile was downright beatific.
Yes, she thoughts. Lets do that.
Roman would be avenged.
(.0.0.0.)
"You're pacing."
Neo cast a restless glance over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue. Only then did she remember who she was "talking" to. Maybe he wouldn't notice a small gesture like that. In the dim light of their temporary quarters she could only just see his silhouette, little more than an indistinct shape in the gloom. Grinning, she flashed him a one-fingered salute.
"I saw that, too."
Cheeky prick he was!
The little hellion folded both arms beneath her bosom, stomped a heel and resisted the urge to sulk. Blast him! That ability was bullshit!
Within the rafters of the attic two killers waited for their prey.
Well, she waited. Naruto had taken a shower at Malachite's behest, changed clothes, fallen into a cot and slept like a baby. That had been...what, four hours ago? Five? She was losing track of time up here. And still no sign of Cinder Fall. Where was she? Malachite had mentioned waiting a few hours, but by the brothers this felt like an eternity! How much longer?! She'd forsaken sleep altogether, not wanting to miss a moment of her sweet, sweet revenge. Mistakes were made. Now her nerves were beginning to fray.
Perhaps sensing her distress, Naruto sat up in his cot.
Quick as you please, he snapped his fingers, conjuring an ember of flame. He set it to a candle, casting flickering shadows about the room.
"You're gonna run yourself ragged like that, partner." he shook his head, caught the cushion she flung at him, and clutched it to his chest. "You've barely eaten anything since we got here. Ya feeling alright?"
Neo scowled at him. She would fee better when Fall was dead.
...I hear that," he agreed with her thoughts, "But what happens after she dies?"
Her world lurched. No. Don't think about after. There would be time enough for that later. Neo tried not to. She really did. But her mind got away from her. Had Cinder acted alone? She wasn't sure. Didn't she have those two pawns with her? Were they complicit? Did Cinder answer to a higher power? Were they responsible for the disaster that had befallen her dumb-dumb? If so...
No!" she shook her head, tossing her hair from side to side. Cinder first. She would keep killing until he was avenged.
"Would you like your voice back, Neo?"
The assassin nearly missed a step in her pacing and crashed into a wooden beam. Naruto heard it and chortled softly.
"Ironic, isn't it?" he laughed, leaning back against a wall. "The man who can heal others can't heal himself when it matters most. But my offer stands. I can heal you." he showed her his marked hand. "Give you your voice back. You can have a normal life after this, if that's what you want. You'll be able to leave all this behind her.
Neo touched a hand to her throat.
She'd never dreamed of such a thing. Did she dare...?
Paranoia reared it ugly head once more, causing her to cast another glance at her erstwhile ally.
Limned in the flickering candlelight, Naruto looked...worn. Not old or particularly tired, just weary. His was not the face of a man who'd given up hope. Nor the expression of a good soldier following orders; not at all. His was the visage of someone who'd resolved themselves to do something ghastly for the sake of the greater good.
Neo felt no such compunctions.
Cinder had taken her dumb-dumb, and for that she needed to die. Simple as that. A tiny yawn stole out of her and she growled, shaking her head against it. No! Nay! Never! Sleep was for the weak! She needed no such thing! She could sleep when she was dead! She...no! No nodding off! When the hand came down on her shoulder, she wanted to fight it. Fight him. Her eyelids drooped. She was just so bloody tired...
"Get some rest. I'll wake you if anything happens."
Naruto guided her head into his lap, letting her rest on his knee.
She only closed her eyes for a moment; she swore. An instant. A second. A sliver of time. Nothing more
When she opened them again, the candle had burned down to harmless wax. Someone was shaking her awake. Naruto...?"
"Wake up." he whispered. "I hear footsteps."
Mismatching eyes eyes widened. Was it finally time? Her vengeance nigh?
The door burst open, revealing one of Malachite's men. "Boss sent me ta get ya. She's here."
(.0.0.0.)
Scarlet eyes opened in the dark.
The beast yawned.
"Finally."
(.0.0.0.)
Cinder approached the bar.
Neo knew her at a glance from the rafters; she'd never forget -or forgive!- that insufferable visage. Even disguised as she was, it was impossible for Fall to truly conceal the face lurking beneath that cowl. A lone golden eye glanced warily about, framed by a ratty and disheveled mop of dark hair. Neo preened at the sight. Oh, my. Someone was jumping at shadows. She'd bandaged one of her arms, too. Curious. Were her wounds from Beacon truly hampering her that much?
Could she kill Fall, weakened as she was now?
She shifted forward, ready to pounce upon her. Naruto caught her by the shoulder and steered her gaze away.
"Do you know who that is...?"
Begrudgingly, Neo turned her eyes upon notice Cinder's companion...what little she could see of them beneath that thick black cloak. Blast it. Malachite was right. She hadn't come alone after all. Who was that? It looked like a man, but she couldn't be sure. Was that a weapon hidden in his cloak? Another mystery.
She shook her head.
"Thought not." he muttered. "Doesn't matter, I guess. He stands with her, he dies."
Below them, Miss Malachite played her part well. Words were exchanged. Lien slid across the table. Negotiations were dragged out. She listened intently as the Spider spun a fanciful web about Team RWBY and their allies destination, claiming it was none other than Vacuo. Cinder lapped it up like a starving dog, never once suspecting that she might be led astray. The hook was baited and she swallowed it whole.
And then Malachite gave the signal; spoke the phrase they'd agreed upon.
"Maybe put away the good glasses."
Cinder frowned. "What are you-
Those were the words!
Guns came up with an audible clack. Naruto leaped down behind Cinder. Neo opened her parasol and did the same, gliding to a halt at his side.
"Hello, Cinder!" the blond sang happily, capturing their attention. "Long time no see. How's life treating ya~?"
"You?!"
It was a funny thing, to see one so powerful so...afraid. The woman's back stiffened as she gasped; as she pivoted on one heel to reveal her scarred face. As such, Neo saw the precise moment the change came over her. All that anger and arrogance bled away, replaced by fear. Her hooded companion tutted softly, put out by the sight before him. Neo grinned right back, eyes alight.
Not so Cinder; she went ash white. "Neo...?!"
"You won't even say my name?" Naruto drawled the last word. "I'm hurt. I thought we were friends. Say hello, Neo." She rolled her eyes at the theatrics, but complied as he barreled on. "Who's your friend?" his gaze shifted to the man beside her. "Not going to introduce him? How rude."
The cowled man glanced back at his companion. "This wasn't part of our agreement, Fall."
She glowered at him. "I'm altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."
The man grumbled something under his breath.
"Blasted deal's getting worse all the time...
Naruto drew his staff in a languid movement. "Step aside, pal. We're not after you."
Neo hoped he would; if only to make things easier for them. She rather liked her odds two against one. Alas, it was not to be. Fate was seldom that kind. She knew it when she she saw the man's jaw tighten beneath his hood. His visible arm clenched into an angry fist, causing his glove to creak ominously.
...that, I cannot do." he growled. "She's promised to help me find someone, you see. Until then, I need her."
The cowl swept back, revealing red hair and horns, framed by a hideously scarred face. A crimson blade ripped free from its scabbard with a raspy hiss. Then it swept at Neo. Naruto caught it with his staff, parrying what would've been a vicious decapitating stroke.
"Hey, now!" the blond snarled over crossed weapons. "Would you look at that. Monsters really do work well together."
Adam Taurus growled.
"You do not want this fight, fool."
Naruto's grin grew. "Ohhh, I'm pretty sure I do."
His fist snapped forward, sending the Faunus crashing through a wall.
Neo drew her blade and lunged; she had eyes for Cinder and Cinder alone. Nothing else mattered. All hell broke loose.
A/N: Next chapter brings the brawl. Sweet, glorious chaos...
Remember, Embers rule. I'll delete this quite soon if folks don't like it. So by all means. Make yourselves heard.
Pretty much a single pairing here, rare as that is. Never really wrote a Blind!Naruto before. Its pretty fun, even if this particular iteration is a bit like Daredevil. That said, this...is going to be a short story. Probably five-ten chapters at most. And I'm not pulling the same shit the finale did. Really! What even was that?!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the previews.
(Previews)
A wise man once said only the blind truly saw.
How right he was.
He'd made a choice back then. Lose his eyes to save an innocent. A fair trade.
Adam crashed backward. "What are you...?"
Naruto twirled his staff and brought it crashing down. Blind eyes shimmered with a hint of gold.
"Just a man. I'm sorry, Adam." he tilted his head, evading Wilt by the narrowest margin, uncaring as the shockwave opened a thin cut against his cheek. "But you have to die now."
I don't have time for your misplaced blame, girl. I didn't kill your boss. If you want revenge, take it up with little red!"
Neo dove at her and they descended into a whirl of blades.
"You're not the only one with a grudge against Ruby!"
She cried out as a blade pierced her thigh.
"I don't know who Ruby is." a familiar voice hissed in her ear. "And I don't care. All this started with you. Now it'll end with you."
Cinder ripped the blade free and sprang back. Naruto and Neo stalked after her.
Emerald frowned and looked up at the skies of the Grimmlands.
A sudden shiver stole over her.
"Cinder...?"
She was fine. Surely. Cinder wasn't invincible. She...she couldn't die, right?
R&R~!