A/N: WARNING! This chapter hits hard.
As ever we're still sticking to the "Embers" rule here, folks.
Every review no matter how large or small, keeps me writing in spite of my busy work schedule.
No reviews? No inspiration. No inspiration? No story. So speak up! Your words matter!
After all, I do so enjoy chatting with my readers.
Now then, lets answer some quick questions. Really want to get into this chapter.
Q: When will we see Ren's mom?
A: You'll get to see An Ren in this chapter. That's all I'll say.
Q: Soo...I'm guessing the coward and the craven are rotting in jail at the moment?
A: Leonardo and Raven are both locked up tight in the cells beneath Kuroyuri, yes. We'll come to their fate later.
Q: Is Salem suspicious?! Does she know about Naruto?!
A: Why would she? All she knows is that Kuroyuri wasn't annihilated. She sent Leo to investigate-we all saw how that turned out. Likewise, Naruto isn't aware of the greater threat to the world as a whole. He's got his hands full with running Kuroyuri, rebuilding, among other things...for now.
Alright then, I think I've kept you long enough.
Lets get on with the delightful madness that is this story.
As ever I own no reference, quotes, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one. Now, then. Here. We. Go.
"I need your help. Its my mother. Ever since she woke up, she's been acting...strange."
"How strange we talkin' about? Because I've seen a few things in my day."
...best if you see for yourself."
~Young Ren and Naruto.
Inevitable
"Welcome home!"
As far as first impressions went, An Ren made a good one. Indeed, Ren's presented herself to Naruto Uzumaki exactly as one might expect from a widowed woman who had recently survived a near death experience; in that she seemed determined to ignore the reality of her situation and all its trappings. Were it not for the faint bandanna of bandages wrapped 'round her forehead, one might think her well and truly healed.
The young woman certainly cooked as though everything were fine.
Naruto balked inked a the simple fare arrayed on the table before them. To call this feast a five course meal would have done it a great disservice; for it surpassed anything such a restaurant might provide. A fine aroma wafted through the air to tantalize the senses. Roast goose lay on five plates, one to each chair; each meal drizzled with gravy, paired with fresh vegetable and fruit alike. She'd even gone so far as to serve refreshments; mulled wine for the adults and fruit juice for the children.
...this is a trap. I just know it."
"Ooh!" Nora cooed at his side. "That looks delicious!"
Truly, the girl's eyes were bigger than her stomach sometimes.
Naruto regarded it all with nothing short of absolute confusion. "You made all this for us...?"
Ren muttered something into the palm of his hand. "Mother, you shouldn't be up and about. Your health-
"Nonsense, son." she smiled at him, full of light and life. "You know what they about idle hands. Now go wash up. Supper's nearly ready."
In the end Naruto let the children go with a mere frown, idly watching as Ren went to wash his hands, while Nora all but clamored into a chair and tore into her meal. This was not what he'd expected when the poor boy begged him him meet his mother. Yes, all told, An Ren certainly acquitted herself well in his eyes. She'd made them a fine dinner. That was the problem. For someone who'd been comatose, she shouldn't be up and about like this. That could perhaps be attributed to her recently unlocked aura, but even then there was something about her smile that was...off.
Wait. Five plates?
His gaze shifted as Ren returned and he performed a quick head count. There were only four of them. Himself, Nora, Ren, and An herself. Who was the fifth?
Frowning a little, the wayward warrior pushed that thought aside and slid into a chair.
"This is all very nice," he hedged warily, "And I appreciate the meal, but what's all this for?"
"For saving my son, of course," An Ren bowed low and deep at the waist. "Thank you for taking care of him."
Naruto scratched at his cheek. "Yeah, well, anyone would do it...
"No, I don't think they would." She straightened again with that small smile of hers. "I'm sure my darling Li will want to thank you in person; he should be back from his hunt any minute now."
Nora put two and two together first, clever little girl that she was. Her eyes sought his across the table.
Kurama made a noise of discontent in the back of his head. "Oh, no."
Ren averted his eyes with a weary sigh. "Mother...
She blinked. "Yes, son of mine?"
...no, its nothing."
Naruto's gaze slid to the fifth seat at the table; an empty chair that would never be filled; a meal forever destined to go cold. His eyes swept back to An Ren, finally realizing just what it was about her smile that unnerved him so. Realization dawned in a thunderclap. Just how hard had she hit her head? An entire ceiling had crashed down on her during the siege and injuries to the brain were a terrible thing. They didn't always heal right. It might not even be an injury at all, but something altogether worse...
"Now you see why I wanted you to come." Ren looked to him with a miserable whisper. "She's been like this since she woke up. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Naruto gave him a nudge. "You and Nora can take your foot outside. Be careful not to spill it."
Nora dithered, just a bit. "What about you? Will you be okay?"
He tousled her hair with a smile. "...I'll handle this."
"Whatever are you three talking about?"
The children scarpered.
Naruto watched them go, then counted to nine. Only when the distant sounds of their footsteps had faded altogether -and once his senses told him they were most assuredly not eavesdropping- did he dare rise from his chair and move to An's side. His gaze traced the repaired house as he did. They craftsmen really had done a fine job, repairing everything. An outside might think nothing had happened. But they knew. He knew. So did An, even if she refused to admit it.
"Miss Ren?"
"Please," she tittered and touched one hand to her cheek, "Just call me An. Miss makes me feel so old."
She didn't look it-no, don't avoid the subject. Doing so would be a disservice to poor Lie.
Blast it all, he was no good when it came to this sort of thing. An was waiting for a dead husband who would never return. Li was long dead, his body given to earth with the others. One look at An's glassy eyes and her false smile told him all he needed to know. He knew what it was to lose someone, make no mistake, but how did you deal with denial? You faced it head on...or you ran from that, too."
He knelt down beside her and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry about your husband. Ren's told me a lot about him."
"I'm sure he has." An flinched. It was a small thing, the slightest narrowing of the eyes, but it was there. "Li's fine. He's gone hunting."
Naruto knew couldn't afford to be gentle here. It would only feed her delusion and worsen her denial. Callous though it might seem, he needed to open this wound so that it might heal. Be cruel, to be kind.
"You need to face this."
Her eyes fluttered in a rapid blink. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes." his hand gripped hers, rooting her where she sat. "You do. Think about your son. He can't bear to see you like this. You're hurting him.
"I am thinking about my son." a fracture etched itself in her carefully crafted facade. "Lie Ren," she swallowed once, "He was named after his father. Did you know that? Such a wonderful name." when he didn't answer, she tried to steer the conversation to safer waters. "What does yours mean-
"An." His voice cracked like a whip. "You can't keep ignoring this."
"They never found his body." she babbled. "He's alive."
"They did find his body." Naruto interposed gently. "My clones found him. We gave him a very nice burial and laid him to rest just outside of-
His head twisted out of the way as a bottle whistled past his cheek. It struck the wall behind and burst in a shower of glass, staining the plaster a vivid rose red. Hard way it was, then. When An tried to stand he took her by the shoulders and gently-yet-firmly-forced her back down to her chair. She fought him for every inch, to no avail.
"How do you think Ren is taking this?" he went for the kinder kill. "If you act like nothing happened, you'll never be able to move on."
Naruto saw the blow coming a mile off and stood his ground. His head jerked to the right as an awful crack filled the air. Say what you would about her mental faculties, but An Ren hit hard. Even now he could feel a riot-red handprint pulsing against his right cheek. The pain meant nothing; it was the sorrowed look in her eyes that hurt all the more.
"And what do you know?!"
"More than you!" His eyes blazed with balefire, rendering those hateful words to ash on her tongue. "I've lost more than you can possibly imagine!" Her hand swung in at his face from the side; this time he caught it. "I've been where you are now! I've suffered and lost, lived and learned!"
"You don't know anything about-ow! Don't pinch my cheek!"
"I know it hurts!" his forehead touched hers, azure blazing into magenta. "All your anger, sorrow, guilt, its twisted up inside you like an ugly root, ain't it? I can even tell what you're thinking; because I've thought the same thing damn thing." when she didn't reply, he bulled on. "Why couldn't it be me? Why am I alive? Why did they leave me alone? You think those feelings go away if you deny them, pretend they're not there." she looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "But we both know that's not true."
"Li...Li is fine." Her voice warbled. "He's fine. Everything is fine."
"Do you really believe that?" Naruto felt his scowl redouble. "Ren doesn't. He's accepted reality. He's hurting, but he's trying to be strong. For your sake. All this?" he cast a hand around at the fine food before them, the faint simmering candles, her blatant refusal to accept reality. "You're spitting on his efforts." a scowl twisted his face. "I hate people who lie to themselves."
"Oi. Calm down!"
He would do no such thing!
"Its not fair!" her fists beat at his shoulders. "Why me?! I wanted to die with him! Why did you save me?! Why couldn't you just let me-
"Die?" something ugly reared its head in Naruto's heart. "Did you even think for a moment how Ren would feel?" when she looked away he grabbed her, wrenching her face back to meet his with firm anger. "He'd be alone in this world without you. Its a terrible thing for a child to grow up without a mother. I should know. I never knew my parents. By the time I did, I'd gone nearly two decades without them. At least you still have your son to live for."
Her lower lip trembled. "I...that's not...
"You have to face yourself, damnit!" he gave her a shake. "Blame someone if you want to, blame me if you have to, but don't live like this! This isn't a life."
It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
"I HATE YOU!"
With that horrific howl, An Ren broke his grip and surged up in his arms. Her head hit his chest, arms flailing wildly, to no avail. Her hands hooked into claws, tearing at him. When that didn't work, they became clenched fists to beat at his torso. Naruto endured it all; a silent rock, quiet and stoic. them. She wept, she wailed, she cursed and spat at him, until even her words ceased to have any meaning at all; until she wasn't even hitting him anymore. She sobbed and sobbed, and sobbed some more. Her tears ruined his already shredded jacket. He let her be. Just...held her.
"Why...?" she whimpered into his chest. "Why couldn't it be me? Why did it have to be him...?"
There were no more words to give. He simply held her. He wasn't sure how much time passed after that. Minutes. Seconds? Hours? It felt like the later.
Eventually, An spent herself, as all consumed by grief do.
...I'm sorry." when she finally spoke, her voice was a world weary croak. "I don't hate you. Really, I don't. You've done so much for this place, and I...
"Its not your fault." he muttered, shamefaced. "Didn't mean to cuss at ya."
"Don't be." when she continued, her voice was tiny small. "You're right. He's dead. I need to face that." Soulful pink eyes glanced away. "He was long gone by the time you arrived, wasn't he?"
...he was." it shamed him to admit it. "I would've saved him if I could. There was nothing I could do. If I'd just been a bit faster-
"Can you raise the dead?"
Now it was Naruto's turn to wince. He'd known someone who could. Several someones. Edo Tensei. He'd seen the jutsu in action more times than he could count. Did he remember the signs? No. Did he understand the complex process and preparation that went into making it? No again. Did he want to dive that rabbit hole? He already knew the answer.
"I can't." he said at last." Its different when there's still a spark of life left in them...but I don't know how to bring the dead back life."
Even if he did, he wasn't certain he wanted to try. Some things were best left alone.
An's soft voice drew him back to reality.
"How did he die?"
"Well, I think." he thought back to the body he'd seen. "With his bow in hand and an empty quiver on his back."
"Gods, that's just like him." she touched one hand to her cheek and turned a wistful gaze to the ceiling above. "He would've liked you, I think. You're a fighter. Just like him. No risk too great, no challenge too grand." Her eyes gleamed with fresh tears, but these she held. "My son told me what you did. I'm alive because of you. I should hate you. There's a part of me that still wants to, even after all you've done. "But I can't. So...
She looked back to him and leaned closer. Her breath was warm on his face.
"...I'm going to say this now, while I'm still in my right mind...
"Thank you for saving me."
Full lips alighted upon Naruto's cheek. Little more than a peck, it startled him all the same. Danger! His mind slammed on the brakes even as his body surged to his feet.
"I've upset you." An saw it and recoiled as well. "Was it something I said? "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me...
Her hand touched his chest, lingering...
A knock at the door saved him from doing something terribly dishonorable.
"My lord?" a sentry's voice came through, muffled by the wooden barrier. "Leonardo Lionheart is awake. You told us to inform you when he did."
It was enough to burn away his embarassment...for now.
"Is that so?" Blue eyes flashed with a hint of cold gold. "I think I'll have a word with him."
With one last furtive look at An, he bowed low and the waist and moved to depart.
"Wait!' Her voice rooted him. "Who are you, really?"
He spared a rueful glance over his shoulder.
"Just a shinobi."
(.0.0.0.)
Leonardo regretted opening his eyes almost immediately.
He stirred to find himself laid out on a straw pallet, sprawled in the cramped confines of a cell.
That wasn't what frightened him so.
It was not the stone walls of his prison, nor the hardened iron bars, or even the lack of his beloved weapon that set him so ill at ease. Rather, it was the memories. They were merciless; crashing down on him in a bitter wave, drowning the brief ignorance that came with the first fleeting moments of waking.
No! He didn't want to remember. Ignorance was bliss!
But remember he did, every second of it, every instant that brought him to this moment. The orders he'd received from Salem, what he had seen here, followed by the mind-numbing existential terror that came with it. He felt the fear now, trailing searing fingers of shame down his spine.
So afraid.
Too much heat.
Those eyes. Those terrible eyes.
"Quit whimpering." someone growled from the cell beside him. "You give huntsmen a bad name."
Leo peered into the dark and regretted that too, as he saw the cell opposite him. Wrathful red eyes glowered back at him within the dark, framed by a mess of dark hair. He recognized her vaguely in the dim light. Ozpin had introduced them once upon a time. Such a long time again.
"Raven...?" He stammered out her name. "I don't understand. Why are you...
She took one look at him and rolled over. "You fought him too, huh?
"Not quite...
As if in defiance of that very statement, the door creaked open on rusted hinges. Light steps descended the stairs at a languid pace. Leo didn't want to look. He truly didn't. knew what awaited him, saw that horrid ax in his mind's eye. This was where he would die. He imagined that great golden edge coming down on his neck, the spatter of blood that would follow.
Against his better judgement he looked up.
Naruto dragged a chair out and sat down before them with a sigh.
"I've had a rough night." he spoke slowly, deliberately, drawling his words with a callous disregard for those around him. "I just finished telling a young mother that her beloved husband won't be coming home. Then I had to comfort a young boy who will grow up without said father to raise him." his hand tightened around the haft of his ax. "THEN I had rock a little girl who had NONE of those things to sleep, because I'm all she has left in this rotten world."
Raven remained silent. Leonardo dare not speak.
"So. Here's what's going to happen." Blue eyes blazed in the gloom, rising to regard each of them in turn. "There are things I don't know about this world. And you? You're going to tell me."
This was his chance! His way out! If he could make himself useful...!
"Yes, yes of course." he all but tripped over his words. "I never wanted to be Headmaster of Haven. You can have it. If you let me go I can help you, provide you with resources, supplies-
"No."
"No?" Leonardo squeaked back.
"I said no. Not yet. You're gonna tell me who you work for. While you," his eyes cut to Raven, "Are gonna explain other things."
She actually had the gall to lift her chin, the fool! "What do we get for it?"
"You get food and water. Freedom, for good behavior. Maybe more.
Leo dared to venture the question. "And if we refuse?"
"You'll still be fed and cared but, but neither of you will see the light of day."
"Why do this?!" Raven snapped at him. "You're like a god to these people! Why lower yourself to help them like this?! The world could be yours!"
"They'll get it all wrong without me." the golden god shrugged helplessly. "I hafta to help them."
Branwen turned her head aside and spat.
"A wise man once said, never be cruel and never be cowardly." Naruto pushed himself upright, grimacing a little. "Hate is foolish and love is always wise." he planted his ax in the ground with a dull crack, sending webs of fractures splintering across the stone. "Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind. Laugh hard. And fast. Be kind."
"Kindness doesn't win wars!" Raven snapped back. "It only dooms you to failure."
"I'm not trying to win." the whiskered warrior cocked his head. "I'm not doing this because I want to beat someone, or because I hate someone, or because," he paused, worked his mouth for a moment, then shook his head. "Or because I want to blame someone. It's not because it's fun and God knows it's not because it's easy." his brow furrowed, turning dark indeed. "It's not even because it works, because it hardly ever does. I do what I do, because it's right! Because it's decent! And above all, it's kind. It's just that. Just kind.
"..."
"If I run away today, good people will die." an arm swept back to the door he'd come through. "If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. But they'll live."
The words resonated with Leonardo. He'd been brave like that, once. Bolder.
"Hey, you know, maybe there's no point in any of this at all, but it's the best I can do, so I'm gonna do it." Naruto bulled on, eyes burning furiously. "And I will stand here doing it till it kills me. You're going to die too, some day." his gaze swept between them both. "How will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for?"
Silence answered him.
"Who I am is where I stand." their captor finished. "Where I stand, is where I fall. That's all."
Leonardo flung up his arms. "Then you will fall alone!
"No." Naruto grinned. "Never alone. Now speak."
Freedom, or eternal darkness in this pit. It wasn't even a choice. Damn him for a fool. Damn him for being weak. Damn him for wanting to be brave like this young man. He craved the courage in those staid blue eyes, the simple resolve to stand for what he believe in, for what was right, even if it killed him. He was just too much of a coward to grasp it.
Leo broke anew. "Salem! I work for Salem!"
Naruto tilted his head, a curious fox regarding them. "And who is Salem?"
"Someone who can't be killed." Raven put in with a snarl. "You're a fool to oppose her."
An awful silence pervaded the cells.
...
...
...
And.
Then.
Laughter.
"Heh." A low chuckle pierced the gloom. "Is that all? I've heard that word bandied about an awful lot lately. Immortal." he scoffed, rolling his eyes at them. "Can't be killed. Unable to die. Let me assure you, there are fates worse than death and I know them. You? You don't know what death is. Let me show you."
A towering golden fox head burst forth from his body.
It grinned down at them. "You have no idea what death is. Now talk."
Raven and Leonardo sang like canaries.
What other choice did they have?
A/N: Once again, As ever we're sticking to the tried-and-true "Embers" rule.
I don't want this to meet the fate of other discontinued stories, but I'm very much a man of my word.
So by all means, speak up! Make yourselves heard! Your words matter!
And now Naruto's got more on his plate.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
And have some previews.
(Preview)
...what do you know of Relics?"
An watched him go with a lingering look.
Raven scowled at her.
Naruto flung up his arms. "Why do I have a cult?! This is why we cant have nice things.
The Grimm came again.
R&R~!