A/N. As ever, we're following the Ember's Rule here.

If folks don't like this, it'll meet the same fate as "The Golden Grimm" and nine other stories that failed to get a positive reception, or just didn't take off. So by all means speak up! Make yourself heard! Your feedback matters!

Not sure if this'll receive a positive reception given the finale, but I DID say I was taking requests awhile back...

Phew, sorry about that. Suffice to say the finale let me...a little rattled. In other news, I'll have heaps of inspiration for "Far From Home" considering the way things ended. Not spoiling anything! In that same vein worry not, the updates for "New Gods" and "Daddy's Little Devil" are coming, they just need a little more time in the oven, so to speak.

Now then, I won't keep you. By all means, let me know what you think~!

"Instinct keeps us alive. It keeps us safe. But what happens when you embrace that instinct?

When you give into anger, when you let your emotions hold sway over you...

...why, that's when you meet your inner demon.

We all have one. Each and every one of us.

I wonder what yours is like."

~?

The Gods Must Be Crazy

"You'll never take me alive!"

A new boy had come to the orphanage.

Cinder watched them from afar as one might a dangerous animal, wary of what they might say or do. She'd heard him long before she saw him. As far as first impressions went, it was certainly memorable. Loud and mouthy, with blue eyes, striking blond hair and whiskered cheeks, he made his presence known from the first. Clad in ruined orange-blue rags, he nevertheless fought the adults every step of the way, thrashing and spitting like a scalded cat on meth. How could someone so short put up such a fight?

There was a fire in his eyes, a spark of defiance few had when they first came here; one they lost over time.

Was he a Faunus? He didn't look like one, but those whiskers-no, it didn't matter. He wouldn't be here long. The loud ones never lasted. He would be no different. Someone would "take" him or, he'd disappear like the rest. Or those who tried to escape. They never got very far. Either the weather got them, the Caretakers, or...other things. Dark, nasty things that stalked the night.

Cinder didn't want to think about those things. She was only seven, after all.

Instead she watched as the adults finally grew weary of the boy's struggles and knocked him out. One of them threw him in an empty room and left him there. They didn't even bother to lock the door. Poor boy landed on his head. There was a horrible crack. He didn't get up again. They looted his sleeping body, took what few valuables he had on him, and left him there.

Even then, Cinder didn't dare approach until they were gone.

She shuffled forward a little, hiding herself behind a wall until she was certain they were gone.

Mistral was a cruel place, and this orphanage was much the same. The newcomer would learn, in time.

Some might say that the gods must be crazy to allow such savagery. Cinder didn't think so. This was the way of the world. The strong did as they pleased. The weak suffered. She didn't like it of course, but neither did she have the power to change it. Only the strong could change the way of this world.

Her parents had tried to do that. At least, she liked to imagine they had; that they might come back for her some day..even if she couldn't even remember their faces anymore.

Here, the strong thrived and the weak wished for death. If you didn't show strength, you were prey for the bigger kids. Prey. That was the worst possible thing you could be here. No one respected you when you were Prey. They pulled your hair, beat you, stole your shoes, your food, your...pride. So long as you made yourself seem big and mean, or too much trouble to be bothered with, they'd let you alone for the most part. It was something of an unspoken rule here. One that was sometimes broken perhaps, but still, it was better than lawlessness.

Still...

Cinder flicked a wary glance towards where the boy lay. He wasn't bleeding at least, but he'd be cold in those rags. Night was fast approaching, and winter with it. He'd freeze if left alone. She remembered her first winter here. It had been...unpleasant. Back then, the mercy of an older orphans had saved her from a frigid grave...and frozen to death themselves.

Her jaw clenched at the memory.

"Leave him!" she hissed at herself. "You don't even know him!"

Her mind said one thing. Her heart, still young and untainted, said another.

Before she knew it, her feet carried her back to her quarters. She snatched up her spare blanket -thin though it was- and returned quickly. The worn blue cloth felt impossibly sparse beneath her fingers, but still she held to it, trusting in what little warmth it might offer.

Glancing about to make sure none witness her deed, she darted in and draped the blanket around the boy's prone form. A bit of hay stolen from the stables served as an adequate pillow, propping up his battered head. He didn't move in the least. Didn't even react to her presence. It only took a few minutes, and then she was away, racing back the way she'd come.

A sleepy voice followed her.

"Thanks...

Cinder missed a step.

Her face flamed. "You're welcome."

Her good deed done, the fiery little girl grabbed a broom and scampered off to do her evening chores; it wouldn't do to be caught out by the caretakers. They were barely feeding her already. She didn't want to catch an extra beating, let alone lose what little rations they were giving her. She was alone here, after all. No one to back her up, no one to defend her, no one to put a good word in for her. She had no friends. She would never have any friends.

A lone tear ran down her cheek as she shuffled off to work, resigning herself to another long night.

Nothing would change here. An act of kindness wouldn't alter anything.

This was her destiny. Or so she thought.


(.0.0.0.)


"Give it back!"

Cinder leaped with all her might, straining for the loaf of bread dangling above her. So close, and yet so far. Cruel laughter rose in her ears as she missed. Undaunted, she lunged up again. Her fingers brushed the food for but a moment before her tormentor yanked it out of her reach. Fury flashed through her, white hot and vicious. She stamped it down, refusing to feed the fire within. She was better than this. She'd not fall for their taunts and tricks. She refused.

"Aw," a rough voice drawled at her, "You were so close that time. Keep trying."

She hopped in place once more, to no avail. "Quit it, Bert! You've got your own food! That's mine!"

"Is it now?" Her tormentor dangled her afternoon meal just out of reach, grinning like a loon. "Doesn't look that way to me. Right boys?"

Laughter spilled through the air as she dove and missed again.

Bert was one of the older boys here at the orphanage, and the cruelest by far. There was a reason he'd not been "adopted" as of yet. Bastard had a mean streak as long a she was tall. Lanky and pale, his pale face was oft twisted by a sneer pimply mess framed by shaggy red hair. He was everything Cinder hated about this gods-forsaken place. She couldn't be bothered to remember the names of his two cronies. One was short, the other was...well...also short. They weren't even worthy of recognition. They could be Dumb and Dumber for all she cared. Usually, they let her be, but today they'd chosen her as their latest victim.

She knew why.

Her one act of kindness, and of course, someone saw it. She had no one but herself to blame. "Give it back already!"

The bully sneered. "Maybe I will if you give me your blanket...or lick my feet...Fall."

Cinder grit her teeth until she felt a molar crack. She loathed her last name. It wasn't even hers! The boys had bestowed upon her as an insult; because she always fell to others. To the caretakers, to the other children, to the dogs, even herself. Clumsy, clumsy Cinder Fall. She was no one. She was nothing. Her temper began to boil, an angry cauldron seething just beneath a loose lid. Hot. Noe of this was fair. Hotter. Why couldn't they let her be? Hottest.

"Don't," she swallowed, voice breaking, "Don't call me that."

"Aw, what's wrong?" Bert saw it and gave her shove. "Gonna cry, miss-no-parents?"

Cinder wanted to. She really, truly did. But she didn't dare. Bert and his bullies would never let her live such weakness. To shed tears here was to admit he could get to her; and if he could get to her, that meant he owned her. No one owned her. She was a slave to no one. Not the caretakers, not her temper, and certainly not these boys.

"At least I have some." she whispered. It was the wrong thing to say.

"Hear that, boys?" Bert hefted the loaf higher. "Little miss Fall still thinks her parents are coming back for her. Ain't that a hoot?!"

Cinder twitched as her fragile hope came under attack. "Stop...!

"What's wrong? Can't handle the truth? You're no better than us, Fall. No," and here he sneered, thrusting his visage against hers. "You're even worse. Your parents threw you away. They didn't want you. Didn't need you, didn't care about you. Hurts, doesn't it?

"Stop it...!"

Her dream began to buckle. A house of glass that was even now shattering. Angry tears became scalding steam in Cinder's eyes. Something shifted in her very soul. She hated them. All they did was talk and talk and talk when they really knew nothing at all. They lorded their strength over everyone else while the rest of them starved. NO. No more She refused to starve...!

"That's right!" Bert shouted over her. "You're no one! Nothing! Not even worth a loaf of bread!"

Something dark and angry twisted inside of the little girl's glass heart.

Cinder's head snapped up. "I SAID STOP!"

Twin palms flared red and she shoved Bert in the gut. Hard as she possibly could. It shouldn't have done anything.

Something was screaming.

Oh. Cinder realized belatedly. Its me. I'm the one screaming.

Bert pitched back with a yowl, clutching at his stomach as if he'd had too much to eat. The telltale scent of burnt fabric and flesh filled the afternoon. His cronies stopped laughing.

Perhaps had she been in her right mind, Cinder might've realized what she'd just done. What she just inadvertently unlocked in her rage. But she wasn't in her mind. Everything was burning. Her eyes, her mind, even her hands. Was this her Semblance? The angrier she became, the more heat she generated? Or was it something else? She didn't know. Didn't care. There was only the all consuming heat.

"I HATE you!" she shrieked, and for a moment it felt like someone cried out with her. "I wish you'd all just burn!"

She saw the fear in his eyes as he scrambled back like a drunken crab -weakness!- and pounced, tackling him before he could hope to rise again back up. She all but dove on him, grabbed him by the face with a scalding palm and smashed him down. Flesh sizzled in her grasp, so much grease over an open fire. She squeezed, muffling his cry against her palm. Vicious red welts boiled upon his skin. A feral grin tore across her face as his arms slapped at her, pushing at her chin, her shoulders, her wrists, to no avail.

Strong arms closed around her from behind, pried her off, and flung her down.

Those blasted boys of his grabbed her by the arms, wrenching her upright. One of them kicked her knees and forced her down. Meanwhile Bert stumbled to his feet, clutching at his scorched visage; rather, the burning handprint now etched into the right side of his face just over his eye. He might well lose that. Cinder couldn't help but grin at the sight of it. She'd marked him. He'd never be able to rid himself of that for the rest of his days.

"Doesn't feel so nice, does it?" she hissed.

It would well worth the beating that followed, or so she reasoned.

"You'll pay for that, Fall!" his remaining eye glowered on her, wild with rage." I'll kill you!"

He never got the chance to make good on that promise.

Bert was still raving about what he would do to her when a fist-sized stone arced across the clearing and slammed into his nose. He toppled back again, clutching at his ruined visage with a loud gurgle. Distracted by the unfortunate plight of their leader, his cronies turned to face the new threat. Cinder didn't even have a chance to deal with them herself.

A snarling shadow fell upon them before she could. "Pick on someone your own size!"

She caught a flash of blue eyes before it was done. A vicious kick to the back of one's leg brought him to a knee, bringing his head within reach of a roundhouse punch to put him down. The other was a bit quicker on the uptake, but even then it wasn't enough. He threw a clumsy punch that didn't go anywhere near his intended target. His reward for such bravery? Clenched knuckles barreled into his stomach. His body folded in half and all but crumpled to the floor in a quivering heap.

Cinder's savior turned to face her. "You okay?"

It was the noisy boy from before; she recognized him immediately. He'd since bandaged his head with a bit of black cloth, and claimed the tiny blanket she'd given him as a long cape of all things. Even now the azure cloth concealed the lower half of his face, while the rest fluttered in a faint breeze, like something out of a fairy tale. She'd never liked those kind of stories. She couldn't read, after all, and had been reduced to guesswork from picture cutouts.

Seeing this now...she understood that words -and appearances!- had power all their own.

"You too?! You want some?!"

Bert stumbled upright, insensate from rage.

The blond boy blinked at him,or rather, his face. "You should really get that looked at."

"Shut up!"

He slugged him dead in the mouth. Incredibly, the blond didn't fall. He merely turned the other cheek, face twisting but a little.

"Is that it?" a lazy blue eye blinked up at him. As Cinder looked on, it began to shimmer a ghastly shade of slitted red. "I've met five-year-olds who hit harder than you."

Quick as a flash, he lunged upright and drove his skull into the taller boy's chin. Bert crumpled with a wordless cry, gone limp on the floor. His companions took one look at the blond, followed by their leader. Back to the blond again. Once more to Bert. Their decision made, they grabbed the ruined boy up by the shoulders and hauled him off.

"We'll remember this!"

"So will I!" The boy shook a fist at them as they retreated.

And then he rounded on Cinder.

She flinched, not sure what to make of his timely intervention, let alone those strange eyes. But they were already changing, bleeding back into gentle blue. As she looked on, he knelt down and retrieved the loaf of bread Bert had dropped and inspected it. A quick pat dusted it off; then he offered it to her like some grand jewel.

"This is yours, right? Sorry. It got a little dirty."

Her fingers twitched toward it. Hesitated. "You're not going to eat it?"

"Nope." he grinned and pushed it towards her. "Us orphans gotta stick together, ya know?"

Cinder eyed the retreating boys. "But they're orphans, too."

"Nope." the boy smacked his lips. "They're jerks. Totally different category. Probably eat mud pies."

A small smile plucked at the corner of her mouth. "You're weird."

"Nope again!" He laughed, and the sound made her heart race. "I'm Naruto." his other hand came for her, palm splayed. "Wanna be friends?"

"Just like that?"

He frowned. "Well...why not?"

Cinder knew she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Still, she hesitated.

"You're really not with them?" when he shook his head she dared another question. "Where did you come from?"

"Funny story, really." his grin flashed out, brighter than any sunbeam. "I kinda fell through a weird portal a few days ago, then a bunch of adults dragged me here. Did you fall through a portal too?"

Portal? He wasn't just weird. He was cracked. Cinder laughed at that; it was a short, sharp sound, one that had seen precious little use. Before long, Naruto joined her. A little while after that, they split the loaf of bread and shared it between themselves. It would prove the beginning of a strange friendship. Truly, The gods must be crazy, sending someone like him to her. Even if he was a little...off. But what was normality anyway?

Yes, she decided. The gods were certainly crazy.

But maybe that was alright.

She was crazy, too.

A/N: Remember, Embers rule. This will be deleted forthwith if folks don't like it. Forthwith! So speak up! Make yourselves heard!

Not to much to say here...but Little!Cinder is just too adorable to bully. Lets see if she can have a normal life this time around. After all, with Naruto around, there's no way she can possibly turn into the monster we see in canon...right? *takes a look at the next arc* Oh dear...

As stated above, reviews are my lifeblood. Can't write without 'em."

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly?

And enjoy the previews.

(Previews)

"I'll take them."


Cinder nestled into the blanket with him. "Cold."

Naruto didn't challenge her lie. He knew she'd had a nightmare.

Just before he drifted off, he heard her whispered words. "I don't want to be a monster. Don't let me become a monster...


Killing intent flooded the room. "Don't touch her!"


"Run away with me."

"I can't!

"Of course you can!"

R&R~!