A/N: I have news!
My first niece was just born!
Care to guess her name? That's right! Nora! I kid you not!
It only felt right that I update this story next. This one's for little Nora~!
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. I don't get days off anymore, so I try to respond when I can, but lately it feels like this has become a job in and of itself; albeit one I don't get paid for, one that it is often thankless...
No reviews? No inspiration. No inspiration? Sad writer. So speak up! Your words matter! That's no joke!
Now for your questions:
Q: Has Jinn staked her claim?! Is this your first NarutoxJinn story?!
A: *zips lips*
Q: Any chance you could save a Young!Cinder in this? It would really cut the legs out from under Salem.
A: That would be...difficult. At this time she'd probably be in Atlas training under Rhodes -maybe?- or nearing the moment she goes mad. Timeline is murky on exact ages, but we know her to be older than Ruby and Yang by a good bit as things stand.
I like saving everyone, I really do, but I just don't see how it would be possible here.
This fic may be chaotic, but its also somewhat rooted in realism. Naruto would need a damn good reason to go Atlas, and at present he doesn't have one.
Or does he?
Suppose that depends on you, the readers.
Q: Timeskip? And how is Naruto doing? He is good, yes?
A: Um...? I think I can decipher that. First, yes, a minor one, second, he's still trying to puzzle out his enhanced powers, and third, of course he's a good guy! Why wouldn't.
Better yet with so many people around him, our boy is startling to learn and adapt.
As we all know, a clever Naruto is a dangerous Naruto.
Q: Ozpin is baddie?
A: More like Ozpin is...concerned. As is Salem. And they have every right to be.Good luck stalling 'em, Leo~!
Lets see if your lion can reclaim his courage.
Q: Will Naruto be expanding his base of operations?
A: Read and see. At this rate, Kuryoyuri's gonna be an outright city...
Q: How old is the main cast?
A: At this point, the main cast of Ruby are still kids. Ruby's just a wee little thing and Yang's not much older. Same goes for Nora and the rest. Summer hasn't yet left on that ill-fated mission, and as things stands, she may never do so now.
But yes, this WILL eventually catch up to canon.
Q: Are you and Coeur Al'Aran working together?
A: No? I talk to him every now and again, but he's very much my senior and responsible for getting me into RWBY as a whole. When I first found his stories...well, they were the catalyst that made me want to watch all eight volumes, and the failures in said volumes brought me back to his stories all the more.
I doubt I'll ever be as good as him, but I admire him all the same. Enjoy your vacation, buddy! You've earned it!
Q: Have you see the new RWBY fairy tales shorts?
A: I have! And they've been a veritable font of inspiration.
Q: Will we be seeing the Maidens? Freeing the Relics? You hinted at it...
A: Read and see. Signora was very a one-off in that regard, I'm trying not to cram Genshin characters into my RWBY stories overmuch, because it upsets people. If I DO such a thing, I want it to be done in a tasteful manner, not the ham-fisted way I've been going about.
Q: Happy holidays!
A: And to you as well!
Alright, I've kept you long enough, I think.
Hope you enjoy the delightful madness that is this story.
As ever I own no reference, quotes, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one~!
"Let me put this in veeeery simple terms. This is my family. This my home.
Treat them with respect and we'll be the best of friends...
...however, if you even TRY to hurt them...
...you'll feel the wrath of the sun."
~?
Questions and Answers
It was time.
Naruto both knew and dreaded it in equal measure; if only because he'd practiced the words for the better part of an hour now. He taken Jinn to an empty room. Latched the shutters. Drawn the curtains. Locked the door for good measure, just to be certain. All the while Kuroyuri moved on without him. He didn't have time to delay.
"You could, if you want. Once we do this, there's no going back.
The jinchuuriki inhaled deeply, mulling over the question in his head, wondering once more if this would work. He'd put so much time and planning into this; to simply throw it aside now was too much to bear. This wasn't even for his sake, not really. He was doing it for Nora. She needed a teacher for her Maiden powers, and as much as it pained him, that teacher couldn't be him.
Resolve hardened into a diamond of determination in his chest.
"Screw it." he exhaled in a sharp burst and barreled on before he could second guess himself into an early grave. "Jinn!"
...finally settled on a question, have you?" She crossed one leg over the other in her chair, still savoring her physical form. "Very well." as always, her voice was musical beauty. "Ask, and I shall answer."
Naruto rubbed his hands together and slapped his cheeks. Moment of truth.
"Alright." Blue eyes rose to meet the spectral woman hovering before him in his home. "I ask you to tell me where the other three Maidens are; so that I might know who would make the best teacher for Nora."
Bit off on the wording, but he believed it would work. He didn't think Jinn would try to trick him, but the rules that bound her -even loosened as they were- might not give her a choice. Hence the strange reason for his speech. It was a fair question through and through, one phrased as two, simple in its complexity and intent; neither asking of the future or the past, while simultaneously requiring a clear, concise answer.
Even so he wasn't quite sure he'd get one.
Jinn pursed her lips and tilted her head to regard him.
He knew he'd would when those lips curled in a faint smile. "Clever boy. You're learning."
That was all she said. Silence reigned supreme and in it, Naruto wondered if he'd made a mistake. Then he felt it. A butterfly fluttered past his nose, wings beating slow, slower, slowest. Life ground to a halt around as the unbound Relic took affect, reality turning grey as all the colors of the world bleached away. In this moment the very hands of time were frozen, and they, the only two aware of it. There would be no one to interrupt them this time.
Even so, he hid a small smile behind one hand. He really wasn't half as clever as she thought.
He had gone over the phrasing of his inquiry with Kurama time and time again. Then Raven, followed by Lionheart himself. Cowards had their uses, and for all his anger toward Raven, Leonardo was worth his weight in gold. repentant one more than most. Even now he remained perfectly positioned to aid him from the shadows. A liaison between him and Haven was useful enough, but someone who could keep this "Salem" distracted and fend Ozpin off in the same breath?
That made him downright invaluable. He wouldn't be letting him of his leash anytime soon.
"A bit harsh, don't you think?"
"Oi! I just meant I'll be keeping an eye on him!"
And he would. That much was certain. It wouldn't do for Haven's precious headmaster to have a relapse after all this. Raven he could trust not to run away and restart her tribe; if only because she knew he'd hunt her down. Lionheart's loyalty was a bit more...intangible. Still, he had a bead on the Faunus now and he'd certainly track him down if he turned his coat again.
But now was not the time for such thoughts. Now was a time for answers.
Ah, but Jinn was smiling at him once more. He didn't like that smile.
"Is that all you wish to ask?"
Naruto pursed his lips. He did want to know about this strange new power of his; the surges of strength he experienced whenever the sun was out, and how to master them. But he didn't dare. So long as he could control his outbursts and direct it at his enemies, he wasn't overly concerned. What was the old saying? There's nothing to fear but fear itself? That was the one. He could puzzle out that mystery on its own; it wasn't worth using one of Jinn's vital question.
"Admirable." perhaps realizing his intentions, the genie graced him with a pure laugh. "You show restraint, when others would pounce at the chance to use and abuse me." one arm rose, propping up her cheek. "Better yet you do not seek to monopolize me, as the old man did."
That got a blink from him. "Old man?"
"Be kind to him when the two of you meet." Her eyes glazed over, as though recalling an old memory. "He means well, but he often goes about things the wrong way...one last thing, if I may?"
He paused and looked up, realizing Jinn had actually...hesitated for once. She, who had been so lively and vibrant since Nora broke one of her shackles, seemed oddly silent and pensive now. She wriggled in her chair, seeming to shrink in on herself. No, she actually had. Before his very eyes she reverted to human size once more. It made her seem frailer somehow.
He waved her on.
"Before we begin," she steeped her fingers and laid her chin to rest atop them, "I would ask a boon of you." when frowned, she mistook his silence and hastened on. "I will answer your question regardless...but I am in need of your help."
Naruto's gaze shifted to the butterfly, still frozen in the air. Help with what? He wasn't sure he liked where this was going.
"I would ask that you free my brothers and sisters as your daughter has begun to free me." She held up an unshackled limb, massing her wrist where a manacle had once been. Her remaining chains clinked ominously against one another. "She is the key to all this. Do so, and everything I have is yours."
"Hey! He wasn't quite able to muffle his instinctual protest. "I was already going to help you regardless, but she's not my-
-daughter?" Jinn quirked a baleful blue brow and glided from her chair to regard him. "Your protests ring hollow, my friend. Do you not care for her as if she were you own flesh and blood? Both her and young Ren, you watch them as a hawk would their chicks."
Heat hit his cheeks. "That's-
"Have you not not devoted yourself to their protection?"
She had him there. "Now wait just a-
Jinn did not. "Are you not fortifying this village for their sake, that they might have a safe place to live?"
"..."
Kurama laughed. "She's got you there."
Nosy genie. She really did know too much for her own good.
"I am a being of knowledge, Naruto." she said. "You have loosened my shackles. I choose to whom I give knowledge, now."
She reached out, cupped his cheeks, and drew him in, butting her head against his.
"And I choose you."
Naruto's heart hammered to life in his chest. He had a brief, wild inkling of what was to come, but he she was just too close and he wasn't quite quick enough.
"For your heart is pure, your cause a worthy one."
He tensed, only to blink as she delivered a swift peck to his cheek.
"This is what I know." Jinn waved a hand and the world whisked away in a torrent of white, leaving them standing in the void. "Open your ears and heed me."
In a swirl of smoke, Naruto found three women standing before him. One stood at the forefront. Older than the rest, her eyes a pure icy blue, should-length dark hair flecked with streaks of silver. Not an old woman, but not young either, only the vaguest of wrinkles touching her pale face. He waved a hand before her image before he realized she was just that, an illusion, a facade conjured by Jinn to better aid her in the tale she wove.
"I shall first speak of Freya, she who holds the power of the Winter Maiden...
(.0.0.0.)
This was her life now.
On a certain level -every level!- Raven Branwen knew she'd been had. Beaten, made a slave in all but name, her tribe scattered to the winds and any chance of her claiming Spring's power with them. Most were probably rotting in a cell somewhere. Such was the fate of the weak. If they couldn't evade the authorities or Lionheart's huntsmen, then they weren't fit for the Branwen name. Just like her.
Oh, how that stung!
Today's humiliation -being forced to meet old face and reconnect with her past- was merely the latest in a long line of embarrassments that she swore to repay...in time. Eventually. After a certain blond berserker and his line were long dead. Maybe then she'd finally be in control of her own destiny again.
'He'll likely outlive you, though.' a nasty little voice whispered in her ear. 'Look at you. You're no spring chicken...'
Raven tossed her head from side to side, sending the dark mane of her hair swaying. "Shut up!"
'Just accept it. You're his bitch now. Next thing you know, he'll get you a collar and-
Bah! Deceit! Treachery! Even her own monologue betrayed her!
"You alright there, Rae?" A hand waved before her face, snapping her back to reality. "You're spacing out."
Raven glowered bloody red daggers at the culprit sitting across from her. What was it with her and blonds? Were they destined to drive her mad? She was beginning to think herself cursed!
"Taiyang, I will harm you."
A chortle. "Not in that skirt, ya won't."
Yet another galling truth. She could hardly fight in this absurd outfit without flashing someone.
...besides," he thumbed his nose at her, the cheeky prick! "she's right there."
Raven looked down, recalling the weight in her lap.
She felt almost comfortable here, sprawled on the grass, Yang in her lap, head resting on her knee, making pleasant noises as she stroked her hair. Those lovely little lilac eyes wouldn't stop looking at her. In many ways Yang had found her Mother, and while Raven felt an undercurrent of anger there, she couldn't deny the bond between them. How else would she have a portal to her. Maybe if she'd waited a few more years, she might've been able to harden her heart, to shove the girl off and walk away.
But...seeing her now...she just...couldn't.
Maybe she'd hit her head one too many times during her duel with Naruto. Perhaps she was losing her touch. She might've just been afraid of Summer's reprisal. What right did she have to this happiness? Her heart clenched, and with that thought she couldn't bear to look at hera nymore.
"Run long and play with Nora." she nudged her progeny on a whim. "Have fun."
"Really? Can I?" Yang clamored upright and wriggled in excitement. "We can right, right?"
"You'll lose." Naruto's brat was growing stronger every day. The maiden powers only hastened her growth. "Don't even try."
Naturally, her spawn took that as some sort of challenge -it absolutely wasn't!- and stomped a foot. "Nuh-uh! I'll win! You'll see!"
"Tell you what," the seed of an idea sprouted in her mind, "If you win, I'll...?" What did kids like these days? "I'll buy you some candy."
Yang didn't budge. Tai chuckled a little. Raven felt her face begin to win.
"Bah, fine! If you put up a good fight I'll train you! There! Happy?!"
Yang shot off like a rocket.
Taiyang sighed in her wake. "You shouldn't goad her like that."
Anger knotted in the pit of her stomach. She held it in until she was certain Yang was out of earshot.
The moment she was, Raven rounded on him.
"What do you want me to say?' She hissed. "That was I was wrong? A coward? I am?" a snarl tore out of her as she looked away. "I'm a miserable coward and a failure of a mother." Try as she might, she couldn't conceal the tremor that ran over her right hand. "I ran." she clenched her fingers into a fist to still it. "I had my shot. I took it. And now...that life is over. I doubt Summer intends to share."
She flicked a gaze across the courtyard and found her there, sitting with Ruby and Nora. They'd cornered poor Ren; even now they were braiding his long hair. No escape for that one. Yang was making a beeline for them. She was almost curious to see what might happen...
Still, Taiyang clung to hope, sentimental sap that he was. "She might be."
Her throat closed. No. Not hope. Not now. Too painful.
"Stop." she rasped. "Just stop."
"But Yang-
"I didn't say I was giving up on the little shit." she snapped her teeth at him when he made to protest. "I left for her own good. I can't do that now because someone forced my hand."
She could see she'd intrigued him. Good. Maybe he'd leave her be now."
"That's good."
Raven squawked like her namesake. "What?!"
"You need someone to keep you on the straight and narrow." Taiyang kept his legs crossed beneath him as he leaned forward to flick her forehead. "If you've found someone else, I'll give you my blessing."
Air burned Raven's throat. Her?! And him?! No chance in hell! "Dolt! We're not like that!"
"Aren't you? I see the way you look at him. There's no shame in it."
She headbutted him for it. "Because he beat my ass!"
"Is he that strong?"
Another shiver, this one not entirely of fear. "More than you know..."
(.0.0.0.)
Qrow found the kid first.
Say what you would about him, he looked young. This "Lord of Kuroyuri" wasn't even a man. He was loud, brash and not at all used to giving orders. Easy to tell, and even easier to read. Whoever he was, and wherever he had come from,, he was clearly struggling, There was a part of him that wanted to tell 'ol Oz all about this, if only to repay his kindness. Ozpin had resources. Kuroyuri needed them. But in the same vein, fear and uncertainty held him back.
This guy had Raven. No, he'd beaten Raven, thrashed her so badly she was acting like a flighty bird around him. How strong did that make him?
So held his tongue for the better part of a day now. He was beginning to wonder if that was a mistake.
Naruto stumbled out into the yard and nearly collided with him; so much so that he had to catch the blond lest he topple over. He looked more than a little haggard.
"You alright there? You look like you saw a ghost."
"Technically, I did." the young man muttered.
"Come again..?"
"Nothing, just the Price of knowledge." he muttered, waving him off. "I'll be fine. Just got a headache. Where's Nora?"
The harsh crack of thunder split the afternoon, chased by the laughter of children.
Qrow waggled a dark brow at him.
"That answer your question?"
(.0.0.0.)
Yang hit hard.
Nora expected nothing less; a lilting laugh burst out past her lips as she hurtled into the air, aura crackling over her body like a second sin. For anyone else it would have meant certain defeat. If the punch didn't do her, then the landing surely should have. And really, it would've.
For anyone who wasn't a Maiden.
A thought was all it took for her power to surge again; for the heat in her soul to writhe to the surface. Pale blue eyes burst into fire. A pulse of flame flared around her feet and right herself, turning what should have been a debilitating dive into a stylish sweep. Alright, maybe she overbalanced a little, but hey, she still made it look damn good.
"Go Yang!" Ruby's voice halooed from below.
Nora scowled here way. "Hey! You're supposed to on my side!"
The would-be reaper winced and flailed both arms. "Um...go Nora, too?"
Beside her, pumped a fist into the air with singular enthusiasm. "Fight well."
Summer cupped both hands to her mouth and cheered them both. "Do your best, girls!"
Nora basked in the praise, letting it warm and suffuse her spirit. Was this what it felt like to have a proper family? She liked it. Da-Naruto!-and Renny were more than enough for her, but maybe it wasn't so bad having a few friends. More than a few. If Auntie Summer had her way, she'd be having a few more besides Yang...
"No fair!" Her new bestie hollered up at her. "You've got superpowers! I don't!"
Lies!
"You totally do!" Nora shouted back, straining to make herself heard over the wind. "I can't smack ya without getting hit twice as hard!"
Yang flinched and scuffed a boot agaisnt the ground. "Yeah, but you can fly!"
Not for long, and not for very well. She was still getting the hang of it, but she wasn't about to tell her knew bestier-better-than-the-restie any of that. Yang would be on her in an instant. Her jaw still ached where she'd driven that fist into her chin.
And so Nora did what any child would do. She stuck out her tongue. "Nyeh!"
"Come down here and say that to my face!"
"M'kay!" a wild grin split her visage, one a girl her age had no business wearing. She rocketed down. "Chaaaaarge!"
They collided in a shower of spars and flame, grappling with one another.
One day these two would be fearsome huntresses. But for now? They were just children. Neither of them had any weapons to their name, only fists, aura, and their powers. Nora wrinkled her nose at that. Yang had said something about her dad making her gauntlets, which made her long for a weapon of her own. No fair. She wanted a hammer.
"So?" she grinned as they strugged. "When ya gonna bust out your semblance?"
She laughed. "I already have, silly."
"Uh, no." the little blond wrinkled her nose, kicked out, and forced her away. "My dad says people can't be semblances."
She missed a feint and fell for a throw that slammed her into the dirt. That didn't make a lick of sense. "Why not?"
Yang's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. "Huh. Fair point."
"So why are we doing this again?"
Nora wiggled her fingers at her. "So I can learn how to shoot lightning at fools?"
"Ayyy!" Yang flicked two finger gun at her as she giggled. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."
They collided again, no rhyme or reason, no rhythm, no cohesion, just the happy brawl of two children. Nora wasn't sure how long it went on for; frankly, she didn't much care. Yang proved quick on her feet; all too willing to take a beating and dish it back twice as hard. Crazy girl had aura for days! That suited her just fine. After all, she was crazy too. Gradually she became aware of others watching, but she couldn't bring herself to care. It didn't matter. They didn't matter. She wanted to win. They fought like two tiny berserkers, raging back and forth across the yard while others cheered them on.
Finally, she lost her patience and took to the skies once more. "Its over, Yang! I have the high ground!"
The blond growled up at her. "You underestimate my power!"
Nora giggled. "Don't try it!"
She tried it; more aptly, she leaped up at her, handing going for her shoulders. A brief bolt of light lit the evening. Aura crackled. Yang yelped. Her back struck the ground, followed by a groan. She tried to rise, propped herself up on her elbows, and crumpled with a growl.
Nora shrugged. "I did warn ya...
She heard the footsteps before she saw Naruto.
"Hey!" another word -dad!- welled up in her, but she couldn't bring herself to say it when she faced him. His face was carved from stone. "You alright?" she winced a little at his stoic expression. "You look...angry."
He crouched down before her. "We need to talk."
"Um...?" she gulped once. "Okay? Talk, then."
Naruto told her the news.
And all her world came crashing down.
"W-What? Whaddya mean you're leaving?!"
A/N: One must not underestimate the high ground. Least of all when Nora has a portable version of it. PORTABLE HIGH GROUND! Cookie for you if you get the reference. Maybe even a request if my health holds out.
As ever we're sticking to the tried-and-true "Embers" rule. That's not joke. I'm quite serious about that.
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!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
And have some previews.
As ever:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
Potential plot points ahoy!
Read at your own risk!
(Preview)
Nora realized what he was up to at once. "No! You can't leave me here!
"I'm coming right back!"
"NO!"
"You're bringing Jinn!"
"Because she won't leave my side!"
"Well, neither will I! D...Da...!" she choked on the words, and for a moment he thought she'd say it. She didn't. "Don't go!"
Raven planted a fist on her hip. "You do realize I can't make you a portal there. You'll have to walk."
A blond brow rose. "And this inconveniences me how?"
"Nobody's that fast. Not even you!"
He smiled. "About that...
"Who are you?"
The sun burned hot over Atlas.
"Nope. Not having it. You're done. All of this? Done!"
"Under whose authority?!"
"MINE."
"I don't have to run now...
"IDIOT!"
Rhodes took a sharp step back.
R&R~!