A/N: EDIT: Aww, look at the flames. Aren't they adorable? HA!
As ever, the Embers rule remains.
If folks don't like this story, POOF! Away it goes. Gone forever.
So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke!
Alright, now that we've got that way, onto your questions!
Q: Ha! A snarky Naruto! I like it!
A: I wouldn't say snark, more that he's able to see through bullshit at this point. Negative emotion sensing is a handy thing and Cinder REEKS of negativity...
Q: A Naruto who only wants to enjoy himself, yet remains good and pure. Well, damn. Bad guys are boned.
A: *cackles*
Q: Will you include Boruto villains?
A: Why is everyone asking me about Boruto lately?! Did I miss something? No, wait something tells me I don't want to know...
Q: Uh, Naruto? Buddy? Don't get too relaxed, there's way worse than Cinder lurking in Remnant.
A: The only thing stopping Naruto is the fact that he doesn't KNOW about the greater threat out there. How could he? The few that do know aren't likely to tell him. If he knew about the Gods, Ozma and Salem...well...he'd start cracking some skulls.
Lets see how long that ignorance lasts.
Aright, I think I've kept you all waiting long enough.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes.
"In my experience, there is no shame in the concept of deterrence.
Having a weapon is very different from actually using it.
Let me show you."
~?
We Burn
Ruby Rose tilted her head.
Then she tilted it a little more.
Nearly ninety degrees now, much to Yang's chagrin.
"Hey, ah, sis?" she all but heard the confusion in her sibling's voice and prayed for death. "You've got a lot of red marks on you." a pause. "You get into a fight with a briar patch or something?"
"Or something." Yang whined weakly through her teeth. "Yeah, something like that, Rubes."
...is that why you're hiding from dad like a chicken?"
Not so naive after all, little sister!
Meep.
Even with her gaze fixed firmly on the mirror Yang could feel those silver eyes boring into her shoulders. Not from anger or jealousy -really, Ruby avoided most people like the plague, to say nothing of boys- but genuine curiosity and concern. Somehow that made it worse. Each hickey was difficult to detect among the countless scrapes and bruises she'd received during her brawl...unless one knew what to look for. Unless she knew where to look. And she knew. Oh, yes. She knew exactly where to look now.
Morning had come, and with it freedom from her cell...yet not her memories. So many memories.
Yang craned her neck, wincing a little as her shoulder protested. Last night was a blur, but what a glorious blur it was.
His hands on her, holding her close as kissed her neck while she bit his shoulder. Her fingers fumbling at his jacket as she climbed atop him. His lips on hers as her hips ground against his. Too many clothes, off, off, she wanted them off, wanted to feel his skin on hers and-DOWN GIRL!
Yang's face flooded with color as she snapped back to reality.
Stop! Cease! Desist! She slapped her cheeks with both hands until her face stung.
"Yang?"
"Kill me." she groaned. "Make it quick. Just smack me on the back of the head and be done with it...
And there it was, the crux of all her problems. She remembered him. Naruto. His face. His name. Everything. Sure, copious amounts of alcohol had been involved, but still she'd enjoyed it and...aaargh! Yang reared back and slammed her head into both hands, muffling a groan, much to her sister's dismay. Maybe if she just hid under her bed she'd be able to get away from this humiliation. Yup. Sounds grand. No need for Beacon or any of that awful nonsense. Nope! Nuh-uh! Not happening!
Yang considered herself in the mirror and winced anew.
Really, there was no hiding the marks on her neck. Or her shoulders. Or her black eye. Not when faced with something like this. Dad was going to kill her when he figured this out. And he would. He always knew. She'd already fobbed him off with the excuse of a shower, but it was impossible to hide all these marks...or the strange feeling they left behind. For all the chaos they'd caused last night, they'd had one helluva time. She wanted to see him again.
He'd lit a fire in her belly. She wanted that.
Her knees twisted to and fro, writhing in thinly anticipation as the ghost of a smile touched her face.
Ruby saw it, of course. "You're blushing, sis."
She whirled and whipped a pillow at her. "Am not!"
Fortunately -or unfortunately depending on your point of view- the door to their room crashed open and their argument was summarily forgotten. Why, you ask? Because Taiyang Xiao-Long stalked in, shotgun in hand.
"Alright?!" he cocked it with righteous intent! "Who punched my sunny little dragon!? I want names! Who is he and where do I find him?!"
Yang's face went chalk white. "Daddy, no!"
Ruby toppled backward with a giggle.
(.0.0.0.)
This wasn't happening.
No, this could not be happening; because if it was, if this wasn't some fever dream, Cinder needed to reconsider her life choices. She was a master manipulator, able to sway the hearts and minds of men and women alike. All fell to her sooner or later, be it through fear, power, or even base lust. There was only one woman she feared in this world, and Salem was currently a continent away, plotting in her tower.
So why?!
Who was this blond fool?!
And why was he utterly at his ease?!
For the life of her, Cinder Fall couldn't figure him out. He was an enigma to her, a puzzle she longed to unravel, yet found herself unequal to the task. Time and time again she tried to bait him into speaking his intentions, or at the very least leverage his debt to her, to no avail. It just didn't seem possible.
Anyone capable of fighting a huntress -even one in training!- to a standstill was an asset she could use.
Denser than a black hole, this one. Was he deliberately being obtuse? Did he not understand the precarious position he found himself in?
No matter what she said, what she tried, what she did, he just didn't seem to get the message. Subtle promises of power? Nope. Riches unimaginable? Didn't want them. An unbelievable night with her? Sailed right over his spiky blond head. Really, she'd resorted to just about everything short of overt threats, and somehow she didn't think those would phase him any more than her other offers. He seemed content to have thrown his lot in with Junior and the Malachites; a fact the little trio seemed far too smug about.
Her gaze met Hei's behind the bar. Cheeky bastard waved at her.
So. He thought he could slip his leash, did he? He would learn. There would be a reckoning for this indignity. She swore it.
Her scowl redoubled when the mobster didn't flinch. While Hei had cleverly positioned himself so that this curious young man was between the two of them, she was now well aware of the twins lurking at her back. They thought they had her cornered, did they? It seemed another lesson was in order...once she put this fool in his place.
...nope." the young man said suddenly, snapping her back to reality. "I don't think we can help each other after all. You're annoying."
A tight knot of anger coiled in Cinder's gut; a serpent snaking through her every thought. Who was this neophyte to speak her in such a way? He looked weak. Yet he spoke to her not as if they were equals, but as if she were beneath him. Lesser. It burned. He wasn't intimidated by her, and while she could respect that, she loathed being looked down upon.
It was those eyes.
Those damn blue eyes.
Calm, she cautioned herself. Mustn't lash out...
"Listen to me," she began anew, gripping the edge of the table with smoldering hands, "I am offering you the opportunity to discharge your debt to me. We can both benefit from this-
"Oh, I am listening." Naruto clicked his tongue once as he reclined in his chair. "Y'see, that's the problem." his smile didn't waver in the least. "I don't like what I'm hearing. Or sensing." he sniffed once, as though scenting the air. "I don't think you're any friend of mine..."
Sensing? Whatever was he on about? Was that a semblance of some sort...?
"Cinder, was it?" he continued softly, addressing her as one might a wayward child. "I've had a rough couple of days. I appreciate you being blunt with me. Really, I do." his smile said otherwise. "But right now I am this close," he held his thumb just over his forefinger, "To hitting you with a very nasty jutsu." there was a shiver in the air as he spoke the words. "So here's what you!" a tan finger poked her forehead, drawing a scowl from the woman in question, "Are going to do for me.
His eyes bored into hers like twin daggers.
"First," he held up a finger, "You're going to shut up. Second!" Another finger rose to mirror the first. "You're going to stand up and turn around. Third!" Three digits now, and there could be no mistaking the bite to his words now, "You'll walk your pretty little arse right back out that door. Right now."
"And if I refuse?"
Naruto cocked his head and squinted, regarding her a fox might a hare. Something in those gentle blue eyes shifted. Before her very eyes those placid azure orbs became a rimmed shade of violet. Color seemed to bleed from his skin, his flesh gone a pale ghastly grey. But only for a moment. She blinked and it passed, leaving her to wonder if she'd imagined it at all. Had she? Surely here mind was playing tricks on her...
"You know, you remind me of an old friend."
Cinder edged back in her seat. "I do...?"
She had a bad feeling about this.
"Yup." the whiskered warrior leaned forward, steeping his hands to lay his chin atop them. "He was pretty arrogant, too. I wonder what he'd think of you?" his lips pursed suddenly and his attention seemed to fall inward. "Fair point, Kurama. At least Sasuke had a reason for what he did...
Her brow furrowed anew. What in blazes was a Kurama?
"I'm thinkin' you should leave." Hei called from the bar. "For your own good."
"Leave...?" Golden eyes fluttered in a slow blink. Here at last, her tongue betrayed her. "If you think I'm some damsel to be intimidated, you have another thing coming."
"Right, I tried talking." Baleful blue eyes narrowed upon hers. "Thousand years of death, it is."
Cinder slammed to her feet. "What is a thousand years of deeeeaaaath!"
Those words piqued into a startled shriek as something hard slammed into her hindquarters from behind.
Pain!
Her feet came unstuck from the floor as her head struck the ceiling and stars burst before her vision. Up became down, and down became ground as the floor rushed up to greet her like an old friend. She struck it at speed and left a decidedly Cinder-shaped impression behind. She tried to speak, but only gibberish emerged.
"Sorry." His smile was pure ice as she sprawled down to the floor. "I think I've had enough of you for one day."
Someone was laughing at her. Several someones. She couldn't hear them over the roaring in her ears.
Cinder climbed her feet. One hand flew to her posterior, face gone red like roses. "You dare...?!"
Naruto's left leg blurred, upended a table and its drinks alike in her face. Cinder raised an arm to defend herself, scowling at the rapidly spreading stain across her dress. A shadow flitted behind her in the chaos. She saw rather than felt a sudden flicker of movement in her peripheral vision; just for an instant, a single sliver of a second.
And then.
"Nothing personal, kid."
Taut fingers scythed into the side of her neck, caught her by the shoulder and yanked her back down before she could hope to escape.
"Do you know why I avoid killing people?" his forehead crashed against hers, eyes bold and intent. "Because its easy."
THRUCK! He rammed a knee into their torso. Ribs shattered like brittle glass as she hurtled through a wall.
"Once you've started, its hard to stop."
CRUNCH! Five firm fingers slammed into Cinder's throat, turning her reply to a raspy croak. She wheezed and stumbled way, gasping for air that wouldn't come. Fire flickered at her fingertips and was summarily snuffed out as his hand closed around hers. Bone didn't just break. It absolutely splintered. She grit her teeth around a scream, only for an open palm to strike her across the face and send her sprawling once more.
"I've seen so many people die. So many."
Somewhere in the background, a Scroll clicked. She was too busy snarling into the floor to hear it.
"Congratulations." a shadow fell over her and she looked up, squinting around her rapidly swelling visage. "I'm angry. Haven't felt that in awhile. Bye now." a hand reached down for her. "Have a timeout, think about what you've done...and don't come back!"
This couldn't be happening. She was Cinder Fall! She had a destiny! This...this could not be that destiny!
...could it?
In all fairness, Cinder tried to crawl away. He caught her by a leg and hurled her facefirst through the double doors, back the way she'd come. Something crunched in her face. Blood spattered. It felt disturbingly like her nose. Her world went black as sleep took her. She struck the street, bounced once, and lay still with a faint groan. Mercifully, she was quite unconscious when someone whipped out a broom and pushed her out of sight. Several scrolls began to click as she was dragged away, persevering the moment forever.
Naruto clapped his hands.
"All done! She won't bother ya now!"
Junior whistled, low and sharp. "Holly hell."
"Holy shit." Melanie hissed. "I...I think I want that."
Miltia could only nod numbly. Want that?! That was HERS!
(.0.0.0.)
Miles away.
Yang Xiao-Long sneezed.
"...Why do I get the feeling someone just declared war...?"
(.0.0.0.)
Miltia found her voice first.
...tell me you recorded that beating."
"Ha!" Melanie crowed! Every damn bit of it, sis! She'll never work in this town again!"
Naruto's head whipped left and right as the entire Club howled with laughter, heaving from side to side with mirth. He basked in it, not quite comprehending why he was receiving such adulation, only that everyone seemed inordinately pleased with him for reasons he didn't understand. Even after all these years, centuries spent asleep, it still felt pretty damn good to hear people cheer him on. Now if he could just figure out why...?
"Don't look at me. Humans are weird."
He scratched the back of his head. "Too much?"
"Not at all!" Melanie couldn't stop laughing. "That was priceless!"
Miltia doubled over, whipping a tear from her eye. "How did you even do that...?!"
Was that a rhetorical question? "Well, it was pretty simple. She wasn't that strong really-mmph?!
Melanie dragged him in for a wild kiss that turned his thoughts to pudding. Her tongue tangled with his for all of a moment. His brain fizzled.
"Not that strong?!" she pulled back with a cross look, tried to shake him by the shoulders, realized she wasn't tall enough, and settled for his arms instead. "She cleaned our clocks when we stood up to her! But you...! Mwah!" she dragged his head down and welded her lips to his yet again, stealing his breath away. "You got that bitch good! Tell me how you did it!"
"Bwuh?"
"Bwuh, he says." Milita rolled her eyes as she guided him down into a chair and plonked down into his lap. "I think you broke him...
"Ain't nothin' wrong with that...
"I'll say." Junior clapped him on the back, his chin, looking on with a smirk of his own. "Mighta been a mistake to leave her alive, though." his gaze flicked back to the doors, lingering. "I could have someone finish what you started-
Just like that, his pleasant high came to an abrupt end. Why were they answering to him?
"No." he bit off the word.
"I think you're making a mistake, kid."
Something hardened in Naruto's heart at those words. The last of his mirth drained out of him. It was so easy to end a life. Too easy. Maybe it would've been better in the long run to simply kill that woman. Maybe not. Who could say? Not him. He believed in second chances. Whomever that Cinder woman was, she'd learn from this. Hopefully it would help her become a better person.
Kurama disagreed. "I would've eaten her...
"No." he repeated. "Let her go. She's learned her lesson. If she hasn't, I'll deal with her."
"You sure? Ya know what they say," Junior slid a drink his way. "The only good enemy is a dead enemy-
"Nope." he fumbled for it, knocked it back and smacked his lips with an audible pop, cutting the gangster short. "Not true."
"Wha?"
"It means no." Naruto chirruped, slamming his now-empty glass upon the table. "Try it sometime. What I'm saying is, out of everyone I fought, most of them ended up being my friend by the end." Technically true. After all, Madara and Kaguya didn't count. They'd been too batshit crazy by the end. Nine times out of ten a good beating or a good talking set most people to rights. Usually both. "Who knows? She might be a friend someday...
Junior glanced back at the doors. "Kid, that's a pretty twisted idea of friendship...
"Hey! That's the first time I used One Thousand Years of Death on anyone! Cut me some slack. And besides," here his brow furrowed, "If I went by your logic, the three of you would already be dead."
They clammed up. He hadn't meant that as a threat, but they'd mistaken it for one. So many misunderstandings.
"Fair point." Miltia muttered. "Lets not do that."
Naruto offered a selfsame smile and a shrug. Really, if he went around killing anyone and everyone who looked at him sideways, the world would be a barren and empty place. He didn't want that; this second life was his to live, and he intended to live it to the fullest while he could. Future or no, he wanted to savor it.
"Savor it, he says, bullshit I say...you just want to be lazy this time around...
"Oi! I've earned a vacation!"
"In any case," Melanie shooed her sister off his lap, "You might wanna get out of here for a bit...
"Wha?" Naruto sulked. "You're kicking me out? Why?"
As though to answer that very question, part of the ceiling -the very portion he'd slammed Cinder into- came crashing down. Naruto winced, then flinched again when a wall crumbled. Alright. He could repair that...and oh, there went another wall...and a bit more of the ceiling...
Melanie planted a hand on her hip. "We've got some cleaning to do. Go take a walk."
With a put upon sigh, the last shinobi dragged himself from the chair.
"Awww...
(.0.0.0.)
Cinder Fall lay in the gutter, her pride in tatters.
Each breath served as a sullen reminder of just how badly she'd been beaten, of how she had been broken.
This wasn't over. It wasn't as if she'd enjoyed being dominated...had she? N-No! Certainly not!
...why did she have the strangest feeling she was forgetting something?
(.0.0.0.)
Neo bounced in place.
Actually bounced, as in hopped up and down like some crazy kangaroo.
Roman quirked a brow at her. He'd never seen the like before.
"Alright, I'll bite. What's gotten into you...?"
She shoved a picture at him. Or rather, her Scroll. Roman took it from her hands and blinked at it. Once. Twice. Thrice. Something from Junior? Why would that crafty bastard bother to send him anything? And what was that message tagged there at the bottom?
"Watch this...?"
...well, that wasn't ominous at all.
As luck would have it, this wasn't a picture, but a video. He pressed play, wincing a little at the choppy footage that followed -the massacre that came with it!- and its unfortunate dark-haired star. His cigar fell from parted lips to clatter harmlessly to the floor. He scrubbed at his eyes with the back of a hand, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Look again! His brain gave a cry! They can't be real!
We are! Said his eyes! It is!
And he laughed.
(.0.0.0.)
Just like that, the day was his.
Laughter staggered out of the door after Naruto as he slipped out onto the sidewalk. He couldn't help but chuckle at it
Admittedly he found himself at something of a loss; where should he go? What should he do? Find a place to stay, perhaps? What was that saying? The world was his oyster? Something along those lines? He could go anywhere, do whatever he wanted, see the sights, savor the sounds...
"With what money?" Kurama chimed. "No, pretty sure you're stuck in the Club for now...
"Damn you and your sense...
"Its what I do."
In the end, he simply let his feet carry him.
The streets of Vale were heaving with life, veritable rivers of people on the sidewalks and crossways besides. Her streets were clean yet even, lending his gait a spring in his step. He took a moment to admire the view as he went about his business, all the while trying not to gawk at the looming stone and brick edifices around him. Strange metal boxes whisked by on the road, fascinating hum further. So many houses. Buildings, buildings, buildings, as far as the eye could see. Amazing. It put his village to shame, even if only in sheer quantity.
He spied misty spires in the distance and recalled Yang's words.
"That must be Beacon...
His mind contemplated wandering that way for a moment before he thought better of it. Nah. Not interested.
Maybe this really wouldn't be so bad after all.
He missed a step as something -or perhaps someone?- bounced off his chest. He reached out and caught them by the wrist before he could fall. A startled help greeted him; whomever they were, they must've been tall; because he ended up headbutting them by accident. He'd been so absorbed in his thoughts that he never once thought to look where he was going until it was too late.
"Sorry about that!
Someone sniffled. "Its alright...
A pair of rabbit ears caught his eye.
He looked down at them. No. Her. Frowned.
"Who are you? No, wait," He scowled now, as he beheld her teary eyes. "Why're ya crying?"
A/N: DO NOT MESS WITH THE BUNNY.
Once more, the Embers rule remains. If folks don't like this story, POOF! Away it goes. So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here!
Reviews are eternal. Reviews are Immortal. Reviews are precious to me.
Sooooo...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review, Would You Kindly?
No previews! I've got bit plans coming!
Alright, just one...
...or two~!
(Preview!)
Hours later, she gave him a name.
Cardin.
...and I took exception to that. I HATE bullies."
"The world used to be a bigger place...
"The world's still the same, Kurama." he winced as he dodged a metal car. "There's just less in it...
"This isn't over...!"
"Yeah, I'm thinking it is." he waved a hand at her. "Now scram before I call your parents."
Her face turned red.
"Tell my tale to those who ask. Tell it truly, the misdeeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly, the rest…is silence."
R&R! =D