A/N: Well, Happy Fourth of July!
Hopefully folks notice this update; wouldn't be too surprised if everyone's out partying T_T
As ever, reviews keep this old man writing.
Daily updates are getting...difficult with all this extra work, but I'm doing my best to keep them coming.
So lets answer a few quick questions:
Q: How powerful would say this iteration of Naruto is?
A: Pretty damn strong. And that's without chakra. Once he figures out how to use his, oh boy...
Q: Sooo...Yang's from a bad timeline, ain't she?
A: All but said that already. She's changed the game. You haven't even SEEN some of the changes she's wrought. But you will. Is that petty of her to alter the future this much? Yes. Very much so. In depriving Salem of many minions, she risks having the future spin out of control and preventing key events from happening.
However...
Q: Don't you dare skip that brawl! I wanna see what they can do!
A: Wish granted.
Q: Wait, if Future!Yang is running around actively changing the future...*realizes* oh no, that's baaaad...
A: Depends on your point of view. She's actively an ally of humanity, and she's convinced/recruited Ozpin to her cause. More than that, she's determined to see Salem put in the ground once and for all. To that effect, she's been quite busy...but as we all know, actions have consequences.
Alright, then. I've kept you long enough.
As ever, I own no references, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one. Alright then, here we go~!
Looking forward to your reviews, they're all that keep us going in this madness.
"See, that's the funny thing about the future. To you, its a game. But to me...
"Filthy wretch...what have you done?!
"I smashed the board."
~Future.
The Sixth Fracture
Everyone went mad.
Raven dove left. Willow went right. Glynda leaped back.
Unfortunately that left Naruto standing squarely in the middle.
"HEY!"
The baffled blond barely had time to raise an arm before Ghira was on him. Prophecy snapped up, interposing itself between him and the towering Faunus, to no avail. He batted it aside like a stick. Regardless of whether Ghiha had a weapon or not -and it didn't look like he did!-his opponent. didn't bother to use anything other than his claws; just pure brute strength.
It was nearly enough.
Calloused palms closed around his sword, utterly uncaring as the edge bit into his aura. Ghira bore down on him in spite of the minor injury, trying to tear the weapon from his grasp entirely. Rather than drop his weapon and retreat like any sane individual, Naruto dug his heels in and braved his blade with both hands. Even then he found himself bent backwards, spine nearly parallel to the groun.
"Nothing personal, friend." Golden eyes met blue as he pushed him , "But I'm afraid you're going to lose this fight."
Naruto twitched. "Yeah, about that...
Blue eyes shimmered with the faintest hint of red. He never noticed.
In a single seamless movement he took his hand from Prophecy's edge and reached down to his belt, grabbing the thick sheathe there. Then he jabbed it in Ghira's face. Aura crackled dully as hardened leather and steel met flesh. A thin line of blood ran down Ghira's forehead.
The faunus barely batted an eye. "Is that all?"
Naruto's smile was all teeth. "Not quite."
With that, the seemingly silent scabbard produced an ominous click; the telltale sound of dusts rounds sliding home into the chamber there. Before his very eyes the "sheathe" unfolded and began to gain mass. Segments clicked and whirred. Too late, he realized it wasn't a sheathe at all, but something much larger. Naruto's finger found the hidden trigger and hooked within it. Light built at the back of a freshly formed barrel, silhouetting a fox's grin within.
"Say hello to my little friend."
Ghira swore. "Shi-
"Bang~!"
Prophecy's cannon-sheathe barked once. Twice. Thrice. Each sound produced an awful crack and a blinding flash besides. It never occurred once occurred to him that he should let go of Prophecy's edge and retreat. More fool he. Naruto had been well prepared for it and closed his eyes well ahead of time.
Ghira wasn't so fortunate.
Aura protected you from dangerous wounds, but it did nothing to negate sheer impact. You still felt it. At the end of the day, pain was pain. Three cannon blasts between the eyes was akin to taking a hammer to your face and a brick besides. That shit hurt. Ghira's reserves might be strong, stronger than most even, but everyone had their limits. So did he.
A low groan greeted him. "But...that's...cheating...!"
Face singed and eyes spinning, the poor Faunus released his blade and toppled like mighty oak.
"Aura in the red!" Yin crowed from the sidelines. "You're out!"
Out cold, more like. Naruto nudged him with his boot. Ghira wouldn't be getting up from that any time soon.
"Sorry." Naruto stepped over he stunned form and stalked into the melee. "We're here to win."
The cries of combat told him Raven and the rest had likewise engaged their opponents. Warmed his heart, that did. Not even a team for a day and already they were proving themselves. For all their plots and plans, no one on Team GMBT had considered that those of GRWN would have a plan of their own; let alone the sheer disparity in their skill set.
Tyrian crashed backward with a yelp, parrying wildly as Raven harried his every step. Omen was a red blur in her hands, ever seeking his vital points.
Willow was likewise engaged with Marcus, her own weapon a whirl of light. At a glance it looked be a strange cross between a fencer's blade and a dagger; not quite a sword then, but not a rapier either. Its edge sparked with dust, weaving torrents of ice where it struck, be it flesh or ground, keeping the agile fighter at bay. One arm was already a frozen hunk of ice, hanging limp at his side. She needed no help there.
But where on earth was Glynda, and why was there so much smoke-
"A little help here?!"
Kali went stumbling past with both arms flailing, armor scuffed and face positively peppered by debris. Her weapon was nowhere to be seen. All too easy. Naruto took pity on the poor girl and gave her back a gentle nudge as she swept by. She stumbled as his hand slapped between her shoulders, lost her balance, crashed down to her knees...
A buzzer rang. Yin's hand swept down mercilessly. "Out!"
...only a step out of the arena.
"No fair!" her hand slapped at the mat. "They ganged up on me!"
"Tough." their instructor sang back. "Be aware of your surroundings next time."
Glynda flicked her crop once with a smile just shy of smug. "All's fair in love and war, dear."
"Right, then." Naruto collapsed his sheathe and gripped hilt blade with both hands. "No point holding back now. Time to break out the gig guns."
He reached around it and squeezed the trigger located just below the guard and handle. With a whirring click, the whip sword thickened, segments lengthening and condensing into something else altogether. What was once a simple sword became something altogether larger. Jets flared just below its new base, threatening to rip it from his grasp entirely.
"Raven!" He barked. "Portal!"
A crimson tear opened before him and he whipped Prophecy through.
Heh. Her evolved semblance really was absolutely broken when it came to fights like this.
Tyrian looked positively startled when he found himself face to face with a rocked-propelled claymore. He tried to duck, sway out of the way, something. Anything. Under any other circumstance he would've gotten away clean, had not Raven seized him by the tail. She turned his lunge into an aborted jump; one that left him wide open. Prophecy caught him right in the ribs, denting his aura. She released him and he shot away from her at speed to slam into a terribly unprepared Marcus. Both boys went sprawling with a shared shout, tangled up in one another.
"Willow!"
She reacted accordingly; her weapon flicked out and an ebony glyph burst into existence beneath Marcus and Tyrian alike, lifting each from the floor. Glynda's soon joined hers and kept them there with her semblance, much to their great chagrin. There could be no more tempting target.
Naruto pounced, snatching Prophecy up from the floor as he ran.
Raven was only a beat behind, grinning from ear to ear.
Red and blue blades descended.
The last of Team GMBT didn't land out of the ring. They flew, struck the hard-light shields, and slid to the floor in a miserable heap.
A klaxon blared once, sealing their fate.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Give it up for Team GRWN!"
Polite applause ran through the arna.
Naruto preened a little as he spared a glance for the screen detailing their aura meters; not a single member of Team GRWN had gone below the green-
"Na~u~to~!"
Missile incoming!
"We won!" Raven flung herself at him with a laugh, shattering his thoughts. He stumbled and caught at her as best he could, even as slim arms flung themselves around his neck and her head hit his chest. She buried her face in his coat as her long legs lifted into the air. "We won!" She nuzzled her head against his shoulder, unable to her her childish grin. "Ha! That'll show 'em!"
"Well, somebody's happy...
Raven dithered for a brief moment, perhaps realizing what she'd done in her exuberance. Her eyes swept left, now right. Then she darted in like her namesake. Warm lips alighted upon a whiskered cheek. Yin whistled. Qrow absolutely gagged from the sidelines. Willow hummed in quiet appreciation. Naruto...was of a lesser mind on the matter. Blue eyes buled.
"What," he coughed once with red cheeks. "The hell was that for?!"
"Making a statement."
With a dark look at Glynda and Willow alike, she touched one hand to her sheathe and flounced away. Her hips swayed in a manner that just had to be deliberate. Naruto refused to believe anything else. A rueful smile touched the corner of his mouth as he watched her go.
"Wow. Didn't know she had a girly side. We really kicked butt...
"Ahem!" Glynda coughed into a fist, drawing his attention away from those swaying hips. "I believe you're forgetting something?"
"Well, it was a team effort." he scratched the back of his head. "You were both great. Especially you, Willow!" she beamed beneath his words. "That was an awesome setup there at the end-
A low growl put paid to those words.
"Uzumaki!"
Naruto pivoted and found Ghira Belladona stalking towards their way, hands clenched into fists at his sides. His expression was nothing short of thunderous. Bugger. The blond blanched a little at the look of sheer fire in the young man's eyes. He wasn't sore about that loss was he? Surely not. He'd won fair and square.
"Ghira, no!" Kali tugged at his arm, to no avail. "Don't be a sore loser!"
He totally was!
Willow bridled, but held her ground, and Glynda with her as the two men stared one another down.
Abruptly, Ghira's stormy expression softened.
"An excellent match. I wasn't prepared to face you, and you took full advantage of it." He offered a large hand, fingers splayed. "Well played. You won't catch me with the same trick next time, however."
Naruto blinked. Frowned. He didn't sense so much as an iota of anger in the man. A smile bloomed across his whiskered visage and he reached out to clasp his hand.
"Heh. Right back at ya, big guy." Ouch! Strong grip! "Never thought you'd go for my sword like that. Took guts."
"And a pit of pain." Ghira revealed his ravaged hand, still red and sore. "Then again, I didn't use every tool at my disposal either...
Naruto nodded. "Fair."
Was he talking about a weapon of some sort? His semblance, perhaps? Did he even have one? What was it? Regeneration? Strength? His mind whirled, trying to assess it, and failing utterly. Blasted secret. He enjoyed any mystery as much as the next chap, but that made him want to solve this one all the more.
"So...friends?" he asked, apropos of nothing.
A low laugh rumbled in Ghira's chest. "So long as you don't shoot me in the face again."
"That! Was! Glorious!" Tyrian crashed down on Raven's shoulders not a yard, startling the sulky bird and the rest of them alike. "For a moment there, I thought I was going to die!" he squeezed her tight. "We simply must do that again sometime!"
Needless to say, Raven wen absolutely berserk. "Get off me, you lummox!"
"Never!" he sang! "I'm in love!"
"Sorry about him." Kali sighed. "He's always like this. You get used to him, sooner or later. I'll fetch him...
Glynda flicked a glance at Naruto. "I sympathize with your plight."
He flipped her off. "Oi! Stuff it, Goodwitch."
"No can do, sir."
All across the rings, others were making amends of their own.
"Now bad, Schnee." Marcus lifted his chin just a hair as Raven finally thrashed herself free. "You really smacked me around back there."
"Indeed." Willow preened. "You were quite capable yourself. I nearly didn't see through that awful trick of yours.
Naruto felt his right ear twitch. Trick? What trick? He hadn't seen any such trick. Another mystery to solve in this strange place. And was Marcus blushing? He was! Willow wasn't paying a lick of attention to him, but even he could see the admiration in those grey eyes. Nope, not touching that with a ten foot pole.
Thankfully, Raven was quick to save him; when she slung an arm around his shoulder, he all but leaned into it.
"I say we celebrate!"
Glynda quirked a brow. "What did you have in mind?"
"I'm game." Willow flashed a pale gleaming card between her fingers. "What say we hit up Vale?"
Raven nearly fell back on her arse. "Holy crap! Is that thing platinum?! How much lien do you have on that?!
"Not bad, runts." Naruto stiffened as a familair voice fell upon them. "That last move reminded me of an old favorite of mine."
Naruto quirked a brow. "Which one?"
"This!"
"Quick as a flash Yin was upon him, grinding her knuckles down against his head. He struggled to no avail.
"Lemme go, ya crazy witch!"
"Not a chance! You're so cute like this! I could just eat you up!"
He growled at her. "I'm gonna beat you up if you don't stop doing that-
"So you can work together after all." Her lips brushed the outer lobe of his ear in a low growl, cutting his rant short. "Good. Remember this feeling." Her words chilled him to the bone. "Wouldn't want you die now early now, would we?"
"Wha?"
Before he could inquire further, she gave him a shove and sent him stumbling toward his fellows.
"You know what?" his fellow blond quirked a brow and placed her metal fist upon her hip, "As a reward for doing so well, you're excused from class for the rest of the day."
Naruto's brow shot straight up to his hairline.
The rest of the class erupted.
"What?!"
"That's not fair!"
"Can't give them special treatment!"
"Can! Am! Have! My class, my rules." her shit-eating grin said otherwise. "That's the way it is. I know, I know," she temporized with a raised hand, "I'm an awful teacher. Don't give a shit, ya know."
"Hey!" Naruto's brow furrowed. "That's my line! Don't go stealin' it!"
Yin regarded him with a small, sad smile. "Tough."
"Naruto!" Raven called a this back. "Forget about her! We're leaving!"
"Coming!"
With one last glance over his shoulder.
Neither noticed Yin's longing stare as they left.
"Well," she muttered, "I've created a monster. Still, so long as they live...
Right! Back to work!
Tossing her head from side to side, she rallied and pivoted to face the rest of her victims-erh, students. Definitely students. Not victims. Nope. Not at all.
"Alright, maggots!" she slapped a fist into an open palm. "That's round one. We've got two more to go. Sooo, lets see...how about Team STRQ? C'mon up here and I'll give you a lesson you won't soon forget."
Qrow all but dragged himself into the ring, looking like a man who was facing his doom.
A collective groan arose from the audience.
It would prove a trying day.
(.0.0.0.)
"To team Crown!"
Three cans of beer clinked against one another with a hollow clank.
Naruto tipped his back and drank deeply, savoring the comfortable buzz that had fallen over his mind. Really, it was the simple pleasure that got you. Why rampage around Vale when they could simply retire to their dorm and have a drink to celebrate? Well, a drink or two. Or three. Four...you got the point.
"Should we really be doing this?" Glynda regarded her own can with trepidation. "Aren't we a little young for alcohol?"
She'd been dodging this for the better part of an hour now, and he wasn't having it.
"Bah!" he slapped her on the back. "Don't be a party pooper!"
Her lips pursed into a thin line. "I'm not sure...
"Fine, be what way, will you?" he hiccuped once. "Well, I'm the team leader aren't I?"
The ghost of a smile touched those lovely lips. "Despite the name...
"Then as team leader," a swaying finger jabbed her right in the forehead. "I order you to enjoy yourself. Dink!"
...yes, sir."
With a put upon sigh, Glynda lifted the can to her lips and indulged herself.
"That's the way!" Raven slammed a fist into the air and nearly fell off his lap for her troubles. "Chug, chug, chug!"
Gods, he'd forgotten how much of a lightweight she could be when she'd had a few-oomph! Heavy bird. She really needed to stop squirming against him. That o lose some weight...not that he'd be telling her that. Many things he might be, but suicidal wasn't one of them. One did not simply insult Raven Branwen and live to tell the tale.
"Technically we're all odd enough to drink." Willow swayed back on her cot with a sly smile. "This isn't illegal."
Glynda tilted her head just so. "Still, we're skirting a line.
"Oho!" Raven snatched up another can and cracked it open. "Not illegal, eh? Seems you're not so prim and proper after all!"
"I've had a glass of wine a time or two in my time," the Schnee wrinkled her nose as she drank anew. "Vale fare is...different from what
"Why even come here anyway?" Raven swayed a little.. "Thought you posh types liked Atlas more."
Willow wilted. "If you must know, I was recruited."
"I'm sensin' a story there!" Naruto chime din.
Her face closed down completely. "Perhaps...another time."
Definitely a story there. One she didn't seem keen to tell. Far be it from him to press her...for now.
"Fine, more for me." Raven moved on at once, her fear momentarily forgotten. "So long as we're not soused come morning, its all good, yeah?"
"Easy for you to say." Qrow's weary voice emerged from the leftmost wall. "That bitch put us through the wringer after you left!"
"Qrow? You've got the room next to us?"
"Wish I didn't." came the muffled reply. "You're all too damn loud!"
Raven thumped the plaster with her fist. "Then get your ass over here! We've got plenty-
She was still speaking when the door crashed open. Qrow all but dove into the room head first; a running tackle took him the rest of the way and soon saw him with a can in hand. Miracuously he landed with both legs crossed beneath and still managed not to spill a single drop of his newly acquired drink. Felt like watching a master, that.
"Ah, sweet ambrosia!" he slammed the can to his lips. "Come to papa!"
Nor was he alone. Someone was behind him, peeking their way inside.
"That your partner?"
"Hmm?" the young Branwen wiped his mouth with a belch. "Yeah, that's Summer. She's alright."
Naruto looked over his shoulder and frowned at her. Dark hair, darker than dark, with a white cloak wrapped around her shoulders, nearly concealing her uniform. Something pricked at the back of his brain and he began to recall words spoke long ago by an old crone.
"You have silver eyes."
"Eh?" The poor girl sputtered and tugged her cowl down over her face to hide them. "Is there something wrong with that/?"
"Not really, no." Naruto shrugged. "Just making an observation."
Bah. Who cared for the prophecy of some wizened old hag?
"This from the boy who named his weapon such?" a low voice growled in the back of his mind. "I swear, I'll never understand your mortals...sage knows you don't make any sense...
Naruto's blood ran cold.
"Raven? Did you say something?"
"Who, me?" She looked up, an arm slung around Glynda's shoulder. "Nope. Didn't say shit."
Odd.
'Hello? Anyone there?'
Silence reigned supreme.
After a moment he gave up and shrugged. Must've been the booze. Probably imagined it. He didn't want to consider the alternative-
"Qroooow!" Summer's wail cut through his thoughts. "Give it baaaack!"
Baffled, the blond turned to find his brother-in-arms dangling Summer's hood over her head. How he'd gotten it off her he had no idea.
"C'mon, don't hide your face! We're all friends here!"
Summer lunged at him. "Gimme!"
"Not a chance!"
"C'mon, don't bully the poor girl." Raven cackled. "If you wanna get in her pants, say so."
"Oi!"
Qrow and Summer absolutely squawked. Glynda made a face. Willow toppled backward with a shriek of laughter and Naruto found himself joining her.
Weird voices aside, if this was to be their life for the next four years...well. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.
Good food, good fights, good friends, and not a worry in the world.
How little he knew.
(.0.0.0.)
"I'm home~!"
Yang's hand tightened around the doorknob as she closed it behind her. She pivoted in place with a grin.
...welcome back." a soft, almost whispery voice called from the couch.
A little girl of seven years looked up from her storybook.
Golden eyes rose to regard lilac orbs warily.
"How was your day, Cinder?"
A/N: As ever, without reviews I cannot write. 'Tis a simple, yet painful truth.
Hope you're enjoying the holiday. Yup. Yang's gone mad and adopted a young Cinder.
Might do a flashback chapter on that if folks want to see it. Might not. Depends on the feedback.
After all, Yang -or Yin, as her alias- isn't the main focus of this story. She's just a player in a grand game.
Of course, if one thinks about it, this is totally something she'd go. The rest of her team would hold a grudge.
Not Yang.
Yang knows what its like to be abandoned.
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review Would You Kindly?
Oh, and before I forget. One last time!
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
SPOILERS BELOW!
BEWARE!
(Preview)
Naruto woke in bed with a start.
There was a body sprawled on his left...and another on his right.
"Ah, hell."
...why is Qrow streaking?"
"Probably drank too much.
"How was your day, squirt?"
As ever, Yang ignored the tightness in her gut when she saw her.
In the future Cinder was a monster. But now...
...good." a quiet voice whispered. Golden eyes regarded her intently. "I read a little.
"Look, I'm not gonna hurt you. I meant that when I took you out of that awful place."
Of course she was wary. She'd only had her for three months. Trust wasn't something that could be forged so swiftly. Least of all for someone like this.
She'd sworn to undercut Salem at every turn, and so she had. Jinn had told her all she needed to know, and she'd used that knowledge ruthlessly. Tyrian would never worship her as a goddess. Hazel never lost his sister. Watts...well, she hadn't been able to find him yet, but she was certain she would in time. Jinn was never wrong. He just wasn't where he was meant to be. Yet. Mercury would never be born to an abusive father. And Cinder...the awful Cinder Fall...the bane of Remnant, responsible for so much death, so much terror...
She wasn't even ten. Seven at a stretch.
"Hungry?"
Cinder nodded.
"Now what do you say?"
Golden eyes rose to regard hers.
"Please?"
She patted her daughter's head.
That's a good girl...
R&R~!
