A/N: As ever, the "Embers" rule remains in effect for now.
If folks don't like this, POOF! Away it goes. Deleted! 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! I repeat, every bit of feedback matters...even if people think it doesn't. That's no joke. Feedback gives me strength. Sometimes it feels like writing.. is the one thing I'm good at the one thing in this rotten world that makes me feel alive, sometimes. Kinda sad, eh?
Looking forward to charring with you all~!
Sorry if this seems short, it is; because the boss needs me to work a double today. Gotta pay them bills and keep food on the table. One of these days I'm going to tell that bastard to sod off, but not yet...not yet... And the daily updates roll on! Getting really exhausted, but I'm pressing on...
Now then, onto your questions, comments, and concerns!
Q: I come to bring you ideas! How does Counselor of Remnant sound? Basically Naruto going around playing therapy to everybody under the sun...with hilarious results. He'd start small of course and work his way up to the big bads themselves. Pairing would be up to you, but I'd like to see you challenge yourself with a large harem.
You could even make it an offshoot of Everybody Loves Cookies! What say you?!
A: *head meets desk* What did I say about new ideas?! Noooo...
Q: How goes the pacing? Feels like Naruto's been running from one conflict to the next; poor guy.
Let him cut back and enjoy his life, oi!
A: This one's more of a reflective chapter, hope you like it~! Here he's had a chance to actually kick back and relax, such as it is. He doesn't know that his clones have reached Salem in the Grimmlands, which is a good thing. If he did, he'd probably run right over. Bad Naruto! Relax, you must!
That's not to say his enemies aren't plotting, however.
Q: What's going to be updated next?
A: Golden Grimm and Untraveled Road, in theory. Of course, I may update Just A Dust Shop and Popular Monster early if folks are that keen on it..
Q: Don't tell the story's wrapping up already! Really feels like it...
A: Suppose that depends on the reception, no?
We all know how tenacious Cinder can be, and Salem's merely "talking" with those clones at the moment.
Of course, Remnant has no shortage of other threats out there. True, we have Tyran and Lionheart imprisoned as they await trial, and Hazel is very much dead, but that's only three pieces off the board; two of which may return in the future. Watts is lurking in the shadows, to say nothing of Neo and Roman, the White Fang. Hell, we even have those Crown bastards squatting in Vacuo, for those who read the books.
We also have our elusive Summer Maiden, still under wraps for now. Whoever could it be?
*whistles innocently*
And that's to say nothing of the Gods themselves. Bastards started this, and I imagine Naruto would have a lot to say to them, should they ever meet.
Q: Will Naruto and Amber ever meet the RWBY cast?
A: All in good time.
Alright then, I think I've kept you all long enough. Forgive an old man and his rambling.
As ever, I own no quotes, no references, no themes, and certainly no memes.
They're used for entertainment purposes and laughter alone!
"So? How does that future sound? You could have everything.
Everything you ever wanted. All of it. Every bit of it.
You just have to take my hand."
~?
Forging a Future (Reflection)
Amber sprawled on the couch with a pleased sigh.
"See, now this is nice...ah!" she gasped but a little as firm fingers massaged her aching legs. "Yes. Right there. That's the spot...!" Her back arched. "Harder! Don't stop!"
To his credit, Naruto's shadow clone didn't bat an eyelash. He merely chuckled and went about his work.
"You do you realize that you sound absolutely filthy right now...?"
"Hush, you." a lazy swipe missed his head by a wide margin. "I've been on my feet for so loooong!" her voice warbled as he found a particularly nasty knot and went to work on it. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get the mechanism right on your weapoooooooh! Right there!" her cries became a keening whine as his fingers traced the line of her inner thigh. "That's the spot!"
He hummed and went to work.
"So is that weapon of yours ready yet?"
"Maybe." Flaming golden eyes regarded him with thinly veiled intent. "That's a secret. Now, higher...
A blond brow rose. "Oi. This is a massage. Keep your kinks outta this."
"Never~!" she dove forward and kissed him with a laugh.
This was the life. Because she was alive. She, the girl who had been meant to die, little more than a footnote in history, was living her new life to the fullest. Her enemies were defeated, and those that weren't were left to scuttle about in the dark like the roaches they were. It brought her no end of pleasure.
Speaking of which...!
Her lips parted in a gasp as strong arms settled around her waist, lifting her with ease, pulling her into his lap.
Strong hands settled against his chest and pushed, nudging him back to the cushions.
Clone or not, Naruto's doppelgangers were every bit as impressive as the original when it came to matters like this. Still, she had did she have the distinct feeling she was forgetting something? Vaguely, she recalled the original mentioning he had something important to do; hence the clone he'd sent to visit her workshop. Meh, probably wasn't anything important. Right...?
Wait, wasn't today the day that Winter-oh, he was doing that thing with his tongue again...
Warm lips found hers once more and she stopped thinking such thoughts.
Her eyes flashed with fresh flame as she tilted her head back.
"Mine..."
(.0.0.0.)
Uptown Vale wasn't really the place one considered for a date.
It was certainly posh enough, make no mistake, but Naruto felt it lacked a certain element that made it feel human. From what little he could see of it through a window at any rate. Tall buildings loomed on either side of him in the late afternoon light, little more than blurs that he watched them go by. Cars really weren't all that bad in retrospect. Certainly not when he was the one being driven about like royalty!
"You know, I could get used to this...
'Don't.' he leaned back and tried not to sigh at Kurama's jab. 'I'd prefer not to make a habit of it...
Just like that, the time had come - nearly before he knew it!- and he found himself face to face with his destiny. But was it really destiny if he chose to grab it by the horns and meet it? He tried to tell himself as much, but it did precious little to stop his hands from twitching in his lap. Anxiety roiled in his stomach like a storm of nervous butterflies, threatening to burst free at any moment.
This was just a simple date.
Just an outing to satisfy Winter's request. One and done. Testing the waters, they were. It didn't have to mean anything. No. Certainly not.
So why had she sent a limo to pick him up?!
Not for the first time he was glad Amber was still downtown working on his weapon; she'd have an absolute fit if she saw him gawping like this. The rest of Team Seven certainly would have. The thought brought a pang of melancholy stabbing through his thoughts and he shook it off quickly.
All told the limousine itself was larger on the inside than without, room enough for him to kick his legs back and more besides.
"More wine?"
Sat across from him, Winter offered him another glass.
Naruto sighed. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Nonsense." she smiled. "Live a little."
...
...
...
...fine."
He offered her his glass and she poured with discreet care. Dark red liquid bubbled up; after a moment's hesitation he knocked it back, further fortifying himself with liquid courage. That was the fifth glass he'd had hence, and they still hadn't reached their destination. Anyone else would've been drunk by now. He barely felt tipsy. What could he say? He liked sweet things. Even when they were cold.
And right now, Winter looked...good. Really good. Better than him considering he was clad in his usual outfit.
She...was wearing something else altogether.
Clad in a sinful snow-white gown that hugged her curves, hinting at what lay beneath without being too overt, she was every bit a beauty. Her dress hugged her curves and was cut low, yet not so low as to be considered crass; merely hinting at the warmth beneath. Hers was an icy elegance, distant and refined at a glance. Up close it thawed. She cleaned up well out of uniform. A far cry from the stern officer he had once squabbled with. She moved with pose and purpose alike; there was an restless sway to her hips, unable to quite stay still.
On and on they went, trading small talk as the care weaved its way through the madness of the evening.
"How do I look?" she preened a little when she caught him staring for what must've been the umpteenth time. "Is it too much...?"
Naruto's looked away with a cough. "No, no, its fine...
"Definitely too much." Winter relented with a sigh and much to his chagrin, tilted the entire bottle back to her lips. "Blast it all." she drank once and set it within the ice once more. "I wanted tonight to be perfect, yet here I am making a fool of myself...
He touched a hand to hers. "We're not perfect."
"We really aren't." she handled him the bottle, and he drank in turn. "Tell me, what would you prefer to do? I can cancel our reservation if you wish."
Naruto fought down a flinch. "You don't have to."
"I feel that I should, if only to salvage what remains of my dignity."
"Weren't showing much of that earlier...
Her face turned red. "That's not...you're enjoying this, aren't you?"
His lips pursed, trying to hiding a smile. "No, no, perish the thought."
"Naruto!"
His laughter died as something hit the roof of their car. Blue eyes snapped up. Widened as a crimson blade sliced clean through. Winter fumbled for her weapon, but the wine had dulled her reactions by a hair; as such she wasn't quite quick enough when all hell broke loose.
Someone ripped the shielded plating away. Light spilled through.
So too did a familiar visage, red eyes narrow with wrath.
"You." Raven growled. "A word. Now."
His brow furrowed. "Now's not a-
She yanked him through.
It would've been the simplest thing to break Raven's grip; Naruto even considered it as she tossed him into the street. An iron-clad sense of self restraint held him back instead; he hit asphalt on bended knee, sprang back up, and promptly found himself face to face with an angry Maiden. Her forehead smashed against his, earning an irritated grunt.
"YOU DID THIS TO ME!"
Naruto quirked a brow at her. "What did I do...?"
Omen tickled his throat. He didn't bad an eyelash. Didn't even twitch.
Raven glowered, face a fierce shade of embarrassed red. "Don't make me say it! You know damn well what you did! You...you...YOU...!"
She grabbed his hand and slapped it against her stomach.
Kurama guffawed. "No. You've gotta be kidding."
"Take responsibility, blast you!" Raven howled.
There was a silence. And then.
Naruto bolted. "Nope!"
"Get back here!"
A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. NOTE.
As ever, the "Embers" rule remains in effect for now.
If folks don't like this, POOF! Away it goes. Deleted! 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! I repeat, every bit of feedback matters...even if people think it doesn't.
Things are changing, and we're nearing a time skip~!
Well, that's all I have to say this time around.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the previews~!
Speakin' a which...
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
(Previews)
One does not simply give therapy to the Queen of the Grimm.
Well, really, one shouldn't. It wouldn't work...right?
The clone adjusted its glasses. "Continue."
Cinder slammed her palm down to the sands. "Where are you hiding the Summer Maiden?! TELL ME!"
The hooded man merely lifted his chin "I will do no such thing, dear girl."
Her lone eyes gleamed with hatred. "Then you will die!"
"Better foes than you have tried, pup."
The Crown will rule.
"Oh, isn't that just adorable."
"Here you go~!"
Naruto took the Weapon from Amber with quiet reverence.
"Wow. This is certainly...something." He turned it end over end, admiring it sleek form. "You really thought of everything. And its not a shield..."
"It certainly isn't." Her staff whirled out, eyes agleam. "Care to give it a test? I promise you won't find it lacking. Oh, and press the trigger right there near the base."
He found a slight protrusion and squeezed it with his thumb.
"Alright, but I don't see-HOW DID YOU MAKE THIS?!"
R&R~!
