A/N: PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?
Sorry if this seems short, work's running me ragged something fierce...
Aaaand the daily updates continue! Holy crap, we're nearly at a thousand reviews for this story. Wow~!
As ever, reviews are my fuel. Without them, I can't find any inspiration; no inspiration, no writing. So by all means, speak up!
That said, I do want to thank everyone for the feedback. I've been having a bit of a rough time as of late, but somehow I've been able to keep the daily updates coming. Starting to get a little tired though, and its...difficult, given that I only have one day off a week. Two jobs keep me busy.
I've had to cut back on reading and TV time as a result. Thankfully, this is something I enjoy doing.
Well, that and chatting with you all~!
Alright enough about me! time for the good 'ol Q&A! Here we go:
Q: Timeskips when?!
A: Um...? Timeskips now!
Q: Are you still taking RWBY requests?
A: Not so much taking them as I am receiving them; these days I get at least a ten or more a week. Lets see which ones I can recall off the top of my head:
(1) First we have "Bottoms Up" otherwise known a a more positive offshoot of "All Things Must Die" in which Qrow enlists a drunken Naruto's aid in Mistral during Volume Five.
(2) Then we have "Butcher of Beacon" a branch of "Everybody Loves Cookies," in which Naruto is basically a terrifying teacher in Beacon...with Tyrian as his sidekick.
(3) Not to mention "Take the Girl." Which basically has Naruto raising Yang by his lonesome after...bad things happen.
And each story. Has pairings. That I've not done before.
So yes, I've gotten a lot of requests. *head spins*
Q: Wait, if Naruto made Freya young again, does that mean he can do the same to anyone?
A: Shhhhh! He sacrificed a good bit of his lifeforce to do that! An Uzumaki may live for awhile, even a reborn one, but he has his limits.
Q: So how does the Maiden power work here?
A: Naruto and Emerald are basically sharing the power of Fall between the two of them; and that was only made possible due to the unique nature of Naruto's semblance. Even then, its a power they both share, and one that Team Nebula has to adjust to as a whole. And of course, Cinder is a sharp little witch, so don't think she won't notice something like this in time.
Or maybe she won't...?
Alright, then. I think I've kept you all long enough, no?
As ever, I own no references, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one!
Now get ready for some humor, some chaos, and...more than a few surprises.
"Impressive. Most impressive. But you're not ready yet.
...hey. You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Why, whatever do you mean~?"
~Two Weeks Later.
To Rise Above (Interlude)
"Training begins now!"
Freya's attack came with only three words for a warning; so sharp and sudden that Naruto barely had time to raise one of his shields.
A torrent of ice slammed into his defenses, sending him skidding back three paces. Once upon a time, such a declaration would've ended with him flat on his back; a groaning, insensate mess down here in the Vault. Now? He grit his teeth and endured, uncaring as hoarfrost crept up his arms. His semblance flared to life; the eternal hunger that was his gift draining the element long before it could turn his limbs numb. What was once strong became weak, brittle as false glass. A quick flick of his wrist shattered it completely, sending the shards skittering across the floor.
Freya regarded him across the fault, eyes burning with pale flames.
"Well done!" she bounded in place, made giddy with his success. "You've come far since we've started."
Naruto kept his eyes locked with hers, refusing to look anywhere else. There was no place for distractions in a fight. She'd used her beauty to distract him more than once in the beginning; entice him with one hand, then launch a devastating assault with the other. Suffice to say, two weeks of training had since inured him somewhat to her surprise attacks. From that he'd learned another valuable lesson.
"What can I say." he planted his feet and swung his arm back. "I had a good teacher."
Teamwork was all well and good...but ambushes were even better.
A shadow appeared behind Freya. Thief's Respite barked.
Emerald's attack skittered of a thick place of ice.
"Damnit!"
Naruto ripped his remaining shield from from his shoulders flung it forward like a frisbee.
Freya laughed. "See? Told you. Ya weren't ready."
Rather than retreat as any sane individual would, the revitalized Maiden scoffed, slapped his shield aside like a piece of cardboard, and sent him crashing backward with a wave of wind. His back hit the ground with the force of a sledgehammer, sending him skipping across the floor of the vault like a flung stone. Emerald joined him not a moment later, tearing another divot in the already sundered metal as she skidded to a halt beside him.
Burning red eyes regarded pulsing blue, each trailing flames of their own.
"Why," she turned aside to spit a wad of blood onto the floor of the vault, "Did we agree to this again?"
...because we're learning to control this power?" Naruto pushed himself upright with a groan. "And we need training?"
"I get that," she groaned and wrenched herself upright, "But why is he down here?"
As if to echo those very words, the harsh bark of a familiar weapon reminded them that they weren't alone.
Across the way, Pyrrha cried out as Qrow kicked her to the ground. Blake didn't fare much better; she somehow evaded the next strike by virtue of her semblance and cut out at his leg, only for the wily Branwen to grab her by the scruff of the neck like a naughty kitten and slam her into the stunned redhead.
"Timeout, timeout, TIMEOUT!" the latter cried, scrambling back. "We weren't ready!"
"Life won't give you a timeout, princess!" Harbinger cut down after the champion, forcing the younger girls to brave her shield with both hands or risk a punishing blow. "This here's a trial by fire! Fight!"
The ribbon of Gambol Shroud wrapped around his neck, hauling him back. Pyrrha tumbled forward and took up her sword again. Her rifle barked, warding Qrow back. Harbinger intercepted the bullets with a lazy twirl as the older huntsman gave ground, laughing all the while.
...because he's a sadist?"
"And just where," Freya's voice crooned, "Are you looking?"
The telltale bite of Winter in the air was all the warning they received.
Freya was relentless in a way only a fully realized Maiden could be; her instruction even moreso. While she tended to rely upon ice, the other elements were not beyond her. She was the eye of the storm, and the storm knew no mercy. Freezing winds blasted from her and even as he clamored up on knee, she flowed into another stance. A bare foot stomped down with impossible power. Nature responded in kind, sending a line of jagged ice hurtling his way. Emerald was just a little bit slower on the draw, knees buckling before she could to tumble to safety.
No time to dodge!
Naruto whipped out a hand, calling upon his new power. Blue eyes burned with azure flames. Beside him, Emerald mirrored the motion.
The power of a Maiden wasn't complicated; more a thing of emotion than anything else; it ever simmering just beneath the surface, aching to come out. It simply didn't like Naruto. This gift was meant to be used by a woman, not a man. Yet thanks to his Semblance this heady power burned between him and Emerald both; ready. It responded to one's emotions.
And it answered the call now.
An angry pillar of sapphire flame sprang to his hand and slammed against her frigid element. Heat warred against cold, to no avail. For all his strength Freya was infinitely more powerful. Her avalanche plowed on in spite of his attack; a wall of frozen death that would swallow him whole if he let it.
And then, incredibly, it veered aside, ramming into wall.
Naruto heaved out a thankful breath as he climbed to his feet. "Thanks, Em...
"What're friends for?" His partner glided forward with a nod, sickles flicking out at her sides.
"Clever girl!" Their mentor applauded her ingenuity. "That semblance of yours really is one of a kind. I daresay your maiden powers have made it even stronger. But you'll never win like this~!"
Naruto hummed softly, kicked his shield up into his waiting hand. Emerald drew her sickles back.
The two thieves exchanged a sidelong look; then they launched themselves at her.
All the world descended into a mad whirl of combat, a wild waltz with no rhyme or reason. Limbs blurred. Ice crackled. Dust barked. It felt like an eternity to Naruto; when in truth their clash didn't last long at all. little more than thirty seconds. A shield bash transitioned into flowing sweep with one of Emerald's blades. Freya stumbled as the chain caught her heel and for a moment, just a moment, he thought they had her.
Then she ripped her way free and caught their weapons with ease, arms crossed at her chest.
"Did I ever tell you two about my semblance?"
Naruto gulped audibly. "No...?"
"Let me show you."
He didn't see what she did, but he certainly felt it. An invisible force hit him and Emerald at once, sending the duo flying into the air. Naruto's back struck a wall and he slid down it, head spinning. Freya landed atop him with a cheery smile. Breath whooshed forth from his lungs in a painful cry. "Ow!"
"Not bad, boy. You're learning."
He glared up at the ceiling. "Is that why I feel like death?"
"Yup." the reinvigorated maiden smacked her lips with an audible pop. "It takes a bit of concentration at first, but soon it'll be like second nature to you and that lass of yours." Emerald staggered up behind her, only for a fresh gustof wind to knock her flat. "See? I've had years to practice. In time, the two of you...well." she tilted her head, regarding him with lidded eyes. "I daresay you'll be invincible."
An unintelligible gurgle greeted her across the vault.
"Walk if off, dear. You think I'm rough?" she scoffed and flicked a stray strand of scarlet hair over her shoulder. "Wait 'till you meet Maria. Once she gets here, she'll make this seem gentle by comparison."
Naruto creaked an eye open. "Who? Don't know any Maria...
"A dear friend of mine." The Winter Maiden looked away just a bit too quickly for his liking. "You'll like her, I think. She's got spunk."
Blue eyes narrowed. "Freya. No. Whatever you're thinking, no."
"What?" the Maiden looked away just a little too quickly. "All old people know each other. Its a thing."
"You're not old anymore."
"Is that so?" Freya cupped her breasts and flashed him a saucy smile. "Why, you're right!"
She leaned forward, lips brushing the outer lobe of s his ear.
"How silly of me to forget."
Naruto shivered.
"But I'll leave you be for now." When she finally deigned to stand, she was grinning from ear to ear. "Wouldn't want a dagger in my back, no~? You two get some rest." she reached down and flicked his forehead just so, her fingers lingering on his forehead. "We'll continue where we left off tomorrow. Calavera should be here in about a month or so. Until then."
Naruto watched her sashay away, hips swaying. He caught himself staring and shook his head. Honestly, he swore she was doing that just to get a rise out of him.
At least Blake and Pyrrha were still putting up a fight against Qrow. Then again, they didn't have a new power weighing them down, sapping their strength like a broken sieve. The thought rankled him. They were, all of them, improving, but it felt so slow. They needed to get stronger. Soon. Something was coming for them. He felt it in his bones.
He was still laying there, sprawled out on the floor when Emerald finally reached him.
She didn't so much sit as she did fling herself to the floor. "I don't like her."
His head shifted. "Em."
"I don't!" she rounded on him, eyes trailing scarlet flames. "Ever since you did...that," tan hands flailed, failing to find the words, "She's been all over you. I'm not sure if she wants to adopt you or take you for herself." A spark of defiance shot through her gaze. "You won't let her...right...?"
"'Course not." He uttered a jaw popping yawn. "I'm not that easy."
He half-expected her to kick him for that. Nothing happened, and he looked at her anew.
Emerald gripped her wrist until he heard the bones creak beneath her grasp. "Please...never leave me."
She'd been fearful lately. He didn't like that. Beacon was meant to be a fresh start. Not...this...
And so he laughed instead. "Nope! Never. You're stuck with me. Till death do us part."
She shifted but a little, tucking herself down into his side.
...wait, didn't you say you were gonna live forever?"
"HA!" he chortled. "Then that's what we'll do." an aching arm shifted, pulling herself against his side. "Trust in me. I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve."
A few tricks indeed.
He still held a trump card, one he wouldn't use in combat, one he'd kept secret from the others. He'd not used it in...well...years -for good reason, due the the caveats that came with it!- but a thief knew better. It was always best to keep an ace up ones sleeve. A power like that was dangerous in the wrong hands, downright intoxicating in others. He'd seen firsthand what that kind of Semblance did. No. His ironclad rule held. This was something he would only ever use on an enemy, only in a life or death scenario, and only then word of it couldn't be traced back to him.
He hadn't let Jax's mind-control semblance die with him back in the deserts of Vacuo.
Perhaps that was weakness on his part; the inability to give up such a useful gift. He'd ripped it from that lunatic moments before his death; as a result it was degraded, weaker than before. Part of him loathed holding onto it all; while the rest of him recognized the ruthless pragmatism of it all. He'd held onto it because they needed an edge against their enemies, a means to defend themselves when all hope was lost. but still powerful in its own right. Not all powerful.
Emerald would be furious with him if she knew the truth. How fortunate then, that he was such a good liar.
Vacuo raised many things, but weaklings weren't one of them.
...so why did he feel sick to his stomach?
(.0.0.0.)
Something had changed.
Cinder could feel it in the air; but what it meant, she knew not.
There was a strange tension in the air that hadn't been there before, a whisper of warning that only she could recognize. The signs were all there. One had but to read them. Team Nebula had been conspicuously absent from combat classes for the last two weeks. Not from the main campus itself, but absent nevertheless. The team had kept mostly to themselves -much to the annoyance of others. Perhaps this was something to look into. Perhaps not. After all, a man couldn't possibly inherit the Maiden power. It just wasn't possible...
How little she knew.
A/N: And there we have it.
This was more of a training montage, but I'm doing my best with my health as it is.
As ever, lack of reviews murder my inspiration. Without inspiration, I can't write. If folks don't review, I tend to think they don't like a story, you know?
Don't worry, we'll get to see more of Adam and Ilia next chapter, their time is coming...
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ...Revieeew... Would You Kindly?
As ever, enjoy the previews! And of course!
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
(Preview)
Adam quirked a brow. "What is this?"
"Right on time." Naruto gestured to an empty chair. "Please, sit."
He didn't budge. "This isn't what you called me for."
"Master thief, remember?" Naruto crossed one leg over the other. "I lied. I do that."
Blake scowled in her own seat. "This is pointless. We have nothing to discuss."
"No?" the blond tilted his head. "I happen to think the three of you have a great deal to talk about."
"Three...?"
He stepped aside, revealing Ilia.
Adam struggled only a little, but the blond's grip was ironclad. He let himself be wrestled into a chair.
Blake burst to her feet. "You're supposed to be on my side!"
"I am." he pushed her back into her seat. "But we need to hear them out as well." An arm came down on Illia's shoulder, guiding the subdued girl into the fourth and final chair. "None of us are leaving this room until we settle things."
Roman swore. "Shit. This changes things. We're gonna need more men...
"Fine, fine, twist my leg why don't you." Maria sighed, straightened her aching back and squinted up with her mechanical eyes. "Alright, I'll bite. Why did you bring me here Freyyyyyyyyoulookdifferent!"
The revived maiden smirked. "Notice that yourself, did you?"
Coco clapped slowly. "You came to the right person. Ain't nobody better than me when it comes to fashion."
Emerald twitched. "I'm already regretting this...
"Nonsense!" the brunette sang and spun her around. "Now lets get you ready for your date~!"
The closet swung opened, revealing an array of dresses.
Emerald tried to bolt
"Velvet, grab her!"
R&R~!