A/N: Finally back!
To be clear, this isn't an April fools prank.
This was delayed for a bit while I rewrote what I had planned, and now its finally in a place where I can be satisfied.
As ever we're still sticking to the "Embers" rule here, folks. If folks don't like this...well, I won't continue. Every review, every comment, 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. We'll keep it brief so we can get into the madness faster.
Q: Update schedule please?
A: We've got quite the schedule for this month; Rise of the Beast Hero, RWBY, Fate, and other categories.
Q: What's Naruto's goal? I know he's struggling to control his newfound ability -which reminds me of Escanor!-but surely he's got an endgame planned.
A: At this point, Naruto is keen on providing a good life for little Nora and Ren, and that life is in Kuroyuri.
But little miss Nora needs to get a hand on her maiden powers, and fast...
And wouldn't you know it, according to "canon" i.e., a line dropped by Nora in volume 8, her mom left her and ran away with the Grimm came. Whether that was in Kuroyuri or elsewhere remains to be seen, but it does impress upon one the fact that her mum might still be out there.
Q: You still stuck on Elden Ring?
A: Not that moment; got multiplayer, but no one came. T_T Still, I made it past Astel by cheesing him over an hour; in other words, poking him once, run like hell, rinse and repeat. Aiming for Ranni's ending, and now I'm just putzing around the world, having a blast. Haven't made it to the Erdtree yet.
That said, I'm having to ration my game time; because if I don't, I'll go crazy and not update at all.
Q: GIVE US ELDEN RING STORIES!
A: I have written two, NarutoxRanni and another Narutoxharem, but I'll not publish them unless folks want to see them. That's a promise.
Q: Protect Little!Nora and Little!Ren. That is all.
A: Well, since my niece IS named Nora...I'll see what I can do~!
Q: So where's Naruto headed?
A: This chapter explains it, leaps into it, actually.
Q: Has the pairing been finalized?
A: Ayup. You'll just have to read and see.
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~!
"Turn your face to the sun, and let the shadows fall behind you."
~?
Sunlight
How did it come to this?
Naruto couldn't figure it out for the life of him; everything had been going so well, too. He'd argued with Nora and Ren-put his foot down good and hard. Told them no time and again. It was too dangerous where he was going. Blast it all; he'd tried to be a good parent about it; even gone so far as to explain himself and his reasoning for it. Sure, it hurt to deny them thus, but it was for their own good. At the end of the day, Atlas simply wasn't safe for two kids.
So why, why, WHY were they here, holding his hands as he stalked down the street?!
"You know why." Kurama's laugh cut deep. "She started crying. Ren too, remember? You've always been a sucker for tears.
Urk. Had him there, he did. He winced, recalling the memory.
"No! You can't leave us here! You promised!"
"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!"
Just thinking of it made his chest ache.
Nora might put up a brave front at times, and Ren with her, but at the end of the day they were still children. Raven was waiting back in Kuroyuri -under the stern eye of no less than three shadow clones!- ready to rip a portal open for him the moment he needed one.
Because, in the end, it had to be Atlas.
Vacuo was a blazing hell, Vale had this Ozpin fellow Raven and Lionheart were keen to avoid, and Nora was Mistral's Maiden. Which left Atlas.
Cold. Bitter. Freezing Atlas.
Leonardo's leverage had proven a boon there; indeed his credentials had come in clutch, both for him, then the kids when it became apparent that neither Nora nor Ren could bear to be separated from him. Furnished with a brand new identity and a healthy disguise thanks to his transformation jutsu, the world was none the wiser towards them.
It certainly helped that he knew exactly where this Freya was. No spring chicken she, but he might be able to help her with that...
.
..
...just as soon as he dealt with his problem.
"Hmm?" Nora caught him staring. "You say something old man?"
"Nope." he blew out a sigh. "Just keep your head down until we find a way off this street, alright?"
"Mm'kay~!"
He could feel the sunlight on his back, his body swelling with strength narrowly restrained. Had to hold it back. Needed to stay in control. If he lost his temper here...this wasn't Kuroyuri, and these people weren't bandits to be slain at the drop of the hat. If he went on a rampage here, all eyes would be upon him.
They stumbled upon the hotel by purest chance.
Really, it was a trick of the light; a faint glimmer of sunlight snagging on a sign. It happened to catch his eye across the street, little more. With his head aching and soul smarting, Naruto all but pounced on it. Anything to get out of the gold.
"Glass Unicorn, eh?" her read the sign only in passing. "Works for me."
Taking Nora and Ren aside, he drew them up short just shy of the building.
"Alright, we'll be staying here for the night." blue eyes flicked between them both, sharp and keen. Be sure and behave."
Guiless pink eyes blinked up at him. "Yessir."
Not so Nora. "Are we really gonna break into the-
"Shhhhh!" Naruto clamped a hand over her mouth before she could say anything else. "Not so loud!" "I wouldn't call it breaking and entering. We're just going to pay this Maiden woman a visit, get a few tips, maybe a notebook if we're lucky, then scarper.
"With her." the little maiden planted both hands on her hips.
His brow furrowed. "Nora, no.
"Nora, yes! Came her cry." Aqua orbs burned with azure flame, seething at the edges. "You saw where they're keeping her! She's a prisoner!"
He heard Jinn chuckle in the lamp. Of course she'd hide now. Cheeky genie. Loosening her shackles hadn't helped.
"She's older than dirt," he tried to reason, opening the door. "We can't move her, not without a plan."
He slipped inside.
Glass sculptures of great Grimm loomed to greet them; it seemed the hotel lived up to its name. Garish didn't even begin to describe it. Nora hissed and drew into his side. Ren went pale. He couldn't even blame them for their fear; they had every right to be wary, sculptures
"Stay." he stabbed a finger toward a pair of couches in the lobby, thankfully away from the statues. "And try not to break anything, yeah?"
Without bothering to see if they listened strode to the counter and tapped the bell for service.
In short order an older woman appeared. Her smile thinned when she saw his face.
"Ahem."
He followed her lone digit as she pointed downward, catching sight of the small sign therein.
"We don't serve Faunus...?" a blond eyebrow quirked at this brown-haired woman. "What're you talking about, lady? I ain't a Faunus." he touched a hand to his cheek. "These are scars."
Her scowl deepened. "What proof have you?"
"Alright." The second brow rose to join the first. "You really wanna do this dance, missy?" Blue eyes burned a molten shade of gold as days of accumulated power rose in response to his temper, straining now against the thin leash that held it at bay. "I have lien here...
He slid a card across the counter and watched her eyes grow wide. Heh. Lionheart had been generous.
...and I'm willing to pay for a night, or two, but...!" he yanked it back when she made to grab at it, "Not for this. Do you understand?"
...this is not the sort of establishment, sir."
Naruto coughed. "Wasn't saying it was.
The madame had the good grace to flush and stammer out an apology. "What'll it be, then?"
"One large room for me and the kids."
She ripped his money from the counter and stalked off with a huff. Huh. She flounced when she was angry. Good to know.
"Should've just killed her."
...nah. If we went around murdering everyone who upset us, the world would be a cold hell."
"True, but mark my words, I've got a bad feeling about her-
"Hey! Listen!"
Naruto's head whipped around. "You're kidding.
Ren at least had the good grace to look chagrined. "I tried to stop her...
"Oh, hush, Renny! Look old man!" Nora skipped over, grinning from ear to ear. "I made a friend!"
"I left you alone for a minute!" He flung up his hands. "Only sixty seconds! How did you make a friend that faaaaaa...
.
..
...aaaaaw, hell." His words died an ugly death as he beheld just who Nora had wrangled.
Pale of face with stark golden eyes and dirty black hair bound back in a ponytail, she was at least three years Nora's senior. Her white uniform -he assumed it was such- looked to be in dire need of a good cleaning, as did the rest of her. Poor girl. When was the last time she'd taken a bath?
Those eerie golden eyes drilled into him.
"You," she swallowed once, coughed a little, then steadied herself. "You're a huntsman, aren't you."
Panic bleated in the back of his mind. Lie, lie, lie! No one could know why they were here!
"Of a sort," he hazarded.
"And these two?" her gaze raked across Nora and Ren with something akin to desperate hunger, as though shew ere searching for something.
...my apprentices." Another lie.
"What?" Ren craned his neck back. "No, we're not-mmph!"
"Sure!" Nora leaned over his shoulder, one hand clamped firmly around her friend's mouth. "Apprentices. That's us.
"I knew it." A small shiver raced through the girl; she stole a glance around her suddenly, making sure no one was watching, then looked back. "Only a Hunter would have a weapon like that."
Naruto touched a hand to the gilded ax at his back and sighed.
Kurama absolutely howled with laughter in his head.
"Clever girl." he reached out to tussle her hair and she flinched away.
At once he found himself reminded of a stray dog he'd seen in his youth; a good little pup back in the village, until one too many kicks from the local bullies made it skittish...then mean.
Poor pup hadn't survived winter.
"Cinder!" A woman's voice shrilled from the kitchen. "Where are you?! The floors need scrubbing!"
...coming."
She stole a tiny, furtive glance back their way, grappling with something deep in her heart, yet unable to say it. He thought of the god again. In the end Naruto took pity on her.
"Cinder, was it?" The servant flinched again, and he barreled on bullishly before she could bolt. "We'll be staying here for a few days if you want to visit."
She dithered. "I shouldn't...
"Aw, c'mon!" Nora grabbed her hand with both of hers. "It'll be fun."
A blank look. "I don't know what that is."
"You should." Ren took her side at the last. "Don't try to run, Nora's inevitable when she gets like this."
"Here," Naruto snatched Cinder's palm before she could slip away, pressed a bit of lien into it, and forced her fingers around the money. "I'm paying you for your time. Your boss can't say anything about it now, can she?"
She balked at the card, eyes wide. A faint, trembling smile touched her lips. "This is a lot...I don't have change...
"Meh, keep it." he waved. "Never really had a need for money, not these days."
The older girl pulled a face. "You one of those kid snatchers?"
Ren snorted. "If he were, I'd fear for our sanity."
"Brat." Naruto batted his shoulder.
Cinder took the chance to scarper. As she did, he saw the necklace. It danced in his peripherals, a flash of gold crystal on wire. Something about it didn't sit right with him. His eyes were drawn to it-and not at all in a good way. The fingers of his right hand twitched.
"Kid."
"I see it."
As she turned he flicked a finger out and hit the dust crystal in her necklace with a faint pulse of chakra. Just a tiny one, so quick and small so as not to be noticed. With his speed, none saw. Cinder paused, feeling a faint and sudden breeze, but failed to notice the now cracked crystal above her heart.
Cinder looked at him for a long moment.
"You're like him. Rhodes." She turned and bowed stiffly, lingering just out of reach. "Will you really be here tomorrow, then...?"
"Sure." Naruto patted her head quickly, drawing a fearsome scowl from her. "Lemme know if you have any problems."
Something sparked in those molten golden orbs, desperate and hopeful.
"Truly?"
"Sure." he grinned. "I keep my word."
He had no idea what he'd just unleashed.
A/N: Aaaaand there we are.
As ever we're still sticking to the "Embers" rule here, folks. If folks don't like this...well, I won't continue. Every review, every comment, 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...
So by all means, speak up! Make yourselves heard! Your words matter!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review...Would You Kindly?
Not many previews this time around. Surprises await~!
(Preview)
"Rhodes, was it? That girl looks up to you. No, she adores you. Don't let her down. Take her away from here."
"Be that as it may, I'm a huntsman. The law-
"THEN THE LAW IS WRONG!"
"Hey!" a sudden cry snapped him back to reality." Watch where you're going!"
He had time enough to spy a young girl with white hair and crystal blue eyes. He muttered an apology and kept walking.
"Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Didn't ask, don't need it, go screw yourself.
Nora waved over her shoulder.
Never underestimate a ninja.
Least of all one who can use transformation jutsu.
Naruto whistled softly and walked right through the chaos, marching up the steps.
Heh. Disguises were easy. Maybe he should try this more often. Crazy equals genius, after all...
"I don't have to run now."
Freya smiled softly. "Hello, little Maiden. Come closer, won't you." a trembling hand beckoned. "Let me have a look at you."
Nora crept closer. "So...you're a Maiden? Like me?"
"My dear, I've been around quite awhile...
R&R~!