Disclaimer: [WWE Theme Song – Medal (V2) plays] Can you feel it, those emotions welling up in your chest. Your tears falling down your face, knowing that it's true. . . . Oh, it's true, its DAMN TRUE . . . . . YOU SUCK!
Reading Remnants of Who You Were
"Whoo hoo, update!" Ruby cheered as her arms were in the in the air.
Many of the members stop their daily things and began paying attention to the show as the opening song played and finished.
Chapter 5: Awaken I
"Ominous," Blake commented, her attention immediately grabbed by the name of the chapter.
It was worse at night, Qrow surmised.
Everyone's attention now was grabbed by the first sentence and watched closely to the chapter.
Naruto didn't know it but he mumbled in his sleep, tossed and turned too, like he were having a terrible nightmare.
The members of team RWBY and JNPR frowned in concern for the blonde, wondering what nightmares were haunting him.
Blake most of all wondered if Naruto's nightmare had something to do with his past.
It happened more often than not and those nights Qrow himself didn't sleep a wink. A single mistake in his Aura shroud and that malicious intent would alert every Grimm within a twelve mile radius to their location and that spelled trouble with a capital F.
"Fuck."
"Nora!"
"Oh, back off Pyrrha," the Valkyrie waved dismissively.
"No I will not!" The magnetism user stood her ground, she will not stop until Nora used decent and well-mannered vocabulary instead of her current vulgar one.
Heated glares of determination were shared, a new feud had begun and their friend were watching them in interest. Placing bets on who would be the first to dish out the blow.
One of the many reasons they couldn't just fly or take a boat and instead had to settle for the scenic route to Atlas.
"Well they sure are heading fast towards Atlas," Weiss commented in interest of the development.
Ruby mumbled childishly, she wanted her other go with them. Stupid school.
"Maybe you'll meet him?" The Schnee wasn't sure to whether agree or disagree with her female blonde friend.
"I admit, I would like to meet him. I think he would get along with me," Weiss confidently spoke.
"Ooh, hear that Ruby?" Yang nudged her younger sister's shoulder, "Weiss is trying to steal your man."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Ruby hissed in embarrassment.
Yang snickered, she admitted she never had this much fun since yoking her cape when they were kids.
Ruby frowned at her sister before moving on and asked her best buddy, Weiss, "What makes you think Naruto would like you?"
Hearing Ruby's question everyone hushed to hear Weiss answer.
Weiss scoffed at the question, "Ruby, please. This is me we're talking about."
"Yeah, I know. that's why I asked in the first place."
"Shot's fired!" Nora blew an air horn as everyone was grinning over the burn Ruby delivered to the resident Ice Queen.
Weiss scowled at her leader, her teeth gnashing at the insult.
"What did I do?" The scythe wielder asked innocently as teammate still glared heatedly.
The Schnee heiress sighed as she noticed Ruby's expression being genuinely confused, "Nothing, you get off the hook this time."
Many were disappointed with the response, they were hoping for physical blows and verbal spouts to be traded. Weiss and everyone turned back to see the show many missed the sly grin from Ruby as she too then faced towards the TV.
They'd been on the road for a month now and he'd honestly never pictured it would be this difficult. In-between the lack of sleep and that odd aura, even drinking couldn't help him. A scowl made itself at home on his pale face. That vile, red, hateful energy. It seeped underneath his skin somehow, crawling about, filling his head with dark thoughts. Qrow's eyes narrowed as he watched the sleeping blond who was unaware of the bloody haze surrounding him.
"Creepy." Many agreed with Jaune as they saw the silhouette of malice shrouded around Naruto.
"Count your blessings kid. If they'd have found you first. You'd be dead, or worse..." He mumbled, taking another swig of the silver canister in his hand after. This kid threw everything he knew about aura right out of the window. What happens when you get them back kid? Qrow had become quite used to Naruto. He had become used to the bright grins and the upbeat laugh. The wonder and curiosity. But...that wasn't Naruto. That was an empty shell.
Everyone in the room frowned at Qrow's comment when they heard that.
What if the real Naruto was underneath this bright made-up exterior? What if that murderous aura was actually his all along and he was just repressing it on accident?
No one spoke after hearing that. They admitted that the old huntsmen's word may hold some truth but they also refused to believe it. They wanted to believe that Naruto was a good person.
Blake was pessimist at many things but she quietly hoped that the evil energy wasn't him, she held on to the theory that it belonged to that thing that lurked behind him.
Qrow's thoughts would have veered even further down the path had a slight rustling not broken his staring contest with the fire. The first thing he laid eyes on were two balls of vermilion red, with pupils that didn't quite look right on a human.
Weiss shared the same thoughts as she was reminded of the red eyes once again of the opening intro of the show.
Blake frowned, worried for Naruto's state.
Yang and Ruby wondered if the blonde protagonist was going to attack their uncle, they hoped that that was not the case.
"I had another nightmare."
Many sighed in relief, seeing that Naruto was still lucid.
Qrow blinked once.
Naruto stood there, a frown on his face and cold sweat dripping down his oddly marked cheek. His eyes didn't look menacing, but the change was off-putting to say the least. He however didn't even seem aware that his bright blue was now blood red.
"Yeah, even I didn't know that my eyes turned red with my semblance activated at first," Yang shared with her friends.
"It's also pretty helpful, since it lets me know when your mad." Yang chuckled as she brushed her little sister's hair in affection.
Qrow fought the urge to scowl when he needed to forcibly relax his tense shoulders. I'm just tired. He told himself.
"Yeah uncle Qrow, Naruto is a good boy!" Everyone laughed at Yang's humorous joke, for some reason they found it funny to hear it.
Sighing, the Hunter patted the spot next to him and beckoned the blond over. Naruto didn't hesitate to take his usual spot, and with his eyes staring into the flames, the blond told his story.
Everyone inched closer to the screen, not wanting to miss a word or detail.
"I was on a bridge. It was cold and I couldn't feel my feet. There was a boy in my arms. I don't remember his name, but I knew him. He was...my friend." Naruto said the words as if he were in a trance, a tiny frown on his face. "He was my friend and he was dying. There was another boy. He was older than us and he was wearing a mask. He could move through mirrors and could manipulate the ice. And he was killing us. In the end I was stupid and I didn't listen and my friend...he saved my life." Naruto was almost breathless at this point. "After that I felt angry, and scared, and like I didn't want to die here. And then I heard it, I think for the very first time...
How embarrassing. You really are weak. Here, let's see what you do with this gift."
Everyone shuddered at how Naruto's voice turn from normal to demonic sounding. Everyone had a good idea what part of his story Naruto was mentioning, the song intro did show him fighting a person with a mask who governed ice at his call. They had the feeling that it was the demonic voice that helped Naruto pull out a win at the end.
Qrow whistled, already knowing what he was referring too. It was the voice. The variable that made this whole thing so damn confusing. "Man, you sure that's just a dream?" The blond remained silent at his question and Qrow stifled sighed. "Alright, and what happened after that?"
Naruto looked back at him after a moment and Qrow was pleasantly surprised to greet that familiar blue again.
I like them better as blue, Weiss eased as Naruto's eye turned to their original sky blue color.
"I don't know. That's when I woke up."
Everyone groaned an mumbled but none of them were disappointed as Blake. She was hoping for more, guess she wasn't getting it anytime soon.
. . .
"Ahhh come on kid, you were just getting to the best part!"
"Ugh, I know," Blake shared her sentiments with the veteran huntsman, she hated cliffhangers.
Naruto scowled.
"That's not funny."
"It kinda is," Yang smiled, she knew that her uncle was trying to alleviate Naruto's concerns with some comedy.
"Who said I'm trying to be funny? I'm being serious here!" When Naruto continued to glare, he pushed the kid with one arm and groaned. "Damn kid where did your sense of humor go? Did you suddenly forget that too?"
"No I didn't!" The blond bit back. "I just don't think it's cool to try and crack lame jokes in the middle of something serious."
"Exactly," Weiss wholeheartedly agreed with the blonde.
Ruby blew raspberry, "C'mon Naruto be cool don't be all uptight like Weiss, loosen up dude."
The Schnee glared at her leader.
"C'mon Rubes, let Naruto decide for himself. He can be loose and tight at the same time." Blake gave her partner in battle a dry stare, not missing the innuendo.
Yang smiled at her Faunus friend with a cheesy grin and a two finger salute.
Qrow shrugged. "Sucks for you kid, but you're hanging with a guy who once tried stand-up at a funeral."
"Oh my god!" Weiss wondered if this man even had a soul!
Nora laughed while everyone was shock to learn that the old huntsman would do such an act.
Yang right brow twitched agitatedly while Ruby was trying to comprehend her uncle's action much to her shock as well, sadly no answer was still not found.
"You have no soul."
"Probably the only answer," Weiss agreed with the blonde.
"You don't need a soul to fight Grimm.
"He's not wrong in a way," Pyrrha said unsurely.
Now get back to bed, we've got an annoyingly long trip ahead of us and tomorrow we're crossing the Rainbow Rapids. We'll more like you'll be carrying me since you can run on water and all that jazz. I'm pretty heavy too, all muscle weight, so you should definitely rest up."
Yang and Ruby smirked as they couldn't wait to see the scene of their uncle piggy back riding on fourteen-year-old kid that was barely half his size
"Screw you."
"I'll make you eat those words."
Yang blanched, she hoped her uncle wasn't a pedophile.
Rainbow Rapids was as every bit as rainbow-like as Naruto expected, with colors of every creed and misty rainbow's of every size spanning the wide river. And of course, splashing torrents of deadly waters that could send you tumbling into a pit of sharp rocks where you'll be beaten and torn to death, to accentuate that beauty.
"Truly it's beauty cannot be matched." Everyone chuckled at Ren's sense of humor.
"You're actually not that heavy."
"Well his body is made of eighty percent of alcohol," Yang quipped.
Ruby snickered as she watched the scene. It was funnier than she imagined.
"Maybe you're just a freak."
"Someone's sensitive," Weiss smirked, she was hoping for Qrow to say another mean spirited comment to make Naruto feel justified in him throwing him off.
"Uncle Qrow does have feelings you know." The Schnee sighed as she would've never guessed, sometimes Ruby missed a lot in her social cues.
Naruto contemplated shaking the older man off of his shoulders as he carefully jogged over the unsteady waters, but decided against it.
Weiss frowned sadly at this. Her feelings were shared with Yang and Nora for two different reasons of course.
He had become rather used to Qrow and his seemingly endless wallet. Especially the wallet. Eating berries and fruit got stale after a while.
"How much longer until we reach Atlas?" Naruto asked.
"About a week, maybe two if I get drunk enough."
"How helpful of you," Weiss grumbled feeling sad that Naruto had to support that deadweight longer.
Naruto stifled a groan. "You know you still haven't told me why we're going there?" He added dryly.
"I did tell you. I told you it's a surprise."
"Yay, surprises," Ruby smiled widely, she liked surprises.
Naruto began to reconsider his earlier idea of shaking the man off and leaving him to drown. He wrestled with the idea, but once again decided against it.
"It's okay Naruto, I'll forgive you if you throw him off," Yang cooed supportingly being backed by the Glyphs master herself.
The food and company was worth it. With his mind made up, the blond picked up the pace. Eager to get the smell of booze away from his nose. He dashed in a bee-line, skipping and jumping over whirlpools and jagged rocks, his one arm holding a simple blade Qrow had purchased for him close and at the ready.
As dangerous as this all was for anybody else, Naruto couldn't help but marvel at the beauty.
Many agreed with the visual perspective Naruto was showing towards them on the screen.
"Why is this place so famous?"
Qrow deadpanned. "You mean other than the dozens of rainbows and the death trap?" He unhooked one arm and took a quick shot, swigging the inside of his mouth before downing it entirely. "Well...there is a rumor that a giant Sea King sleeps underneath these waters. It's only a rumor though."
"A Sea King?" Naruto echoed.
"A Creature of Grimm." Qrow explained. "Commonly referred to as a Sea Dragon. They're rare and powerful creatures. They used to plague the waters of every river and ocean until the Hunter Society was formed."
Yang palmed her face hard as she heard that bit of information, cursing him.
Weiss jaw dropped at the utter carelessness of the Huntsmen before her.
Everyone was worried, praying for safe travel for Naruto of course, Qrow can die somewhere else honestly.
Naruto felt a sinking feeling in his gut.
"And...what makes people think one of those things is still here?"
Qrow pondered the question before responding. "Well, the Rapids are the easiest way to cross over to Atlas without taking a boat or an airship, but most people avoid them because of how dangerous the area is. Even experienced Hunter's don't come near without a team and proper gear." With every word Qrow spoke, the sinking feeling worsened. "The four Kingdoms are the only real safe Havens, everywhere else runs the risk of an attack by Grimm. The borders are the worst. Most of them are left unguarded because of how dangerous it is."
"Okay...so why are we here?"
"Because I'm exhausted and I've barley slept for four weeks. I don't know. Just giddy-up or something..."
"He's dead to me," Yang proclaimed with absolute monotone in her voice, Naruto didn't deserved to be dragged into this mess.
Don't throw him off. Don't throw him off. Don't throw him off. Naruto repeated the mantra.
"Throw him off, no one will see you. You claim it to be an accident." Yang fully supported Weiss suggestion of eliminating her worthless deadbeat uncle.
Ruby could only smile somberly, she wouldn't hold it against Naruto for doing it.
Amazingly enough the two crossed the waters without much trouble, and Naruto was glad to let the eccentric alcoholic off of his back.
"Wow, talk about a skip." Many agreed with Jaune at the progression of the chapter.
As he rolled his shoulder, smiling when a satisfying pop echoed, the blond couldn't help but muse aloud.
"You know that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I usually have pretty shit luck."
"Hey! You're just a kid! You mind your tongue!"
"So that's were you got it from." Ruby nodded in acknowledgment as Weiss and everyone one of her friends understood her swear word free tongue despite coming from Qrow of all people.
This time, Naruto deadpanned.
"You're an alcoholic with a bad temper who picks on cripples. Besides, what's the worst that could have happened—?"
"One must not tempt fate," Ren sighed sadly for Naruto, he hoped the blonde would make it out okay.
As if on cue, a beast covered in thick black scales burst out of the waters, glowing red eyes glaring menacingly at the two ant sized humans below. Its massive jaw unhinging and it unleashed a deafening roar that echoed for miles and sent waves crashing against the bank. A set of wings so huge and so wide that from their position on the ground the bat like appendages blocked out the light of the sun.
Ren looked at the size of the Grimm and concluded sadly, "Your adventure has been pleasant Naruto."
"Wow dude, don't write him off just yet," Jaune laughed awkwardly, he hoped Ren would never do that to him.
"Yeah, he's got good ol uncle Qrow with him," Ruby smiled optimistically.
Many wanted to shared the scythe wielder's optimism but they realistically were concerned nonetheless.
Exactly as the rumors said, yet again.
Qrow uttered two words as he shook of the excess water that splashed all over his person.
"Fuck me."
"Uncle Qrow, language!" Yang laughed at Ruby despite the grimm situation at hand.
"See! You're where I get it from!"
"That's no excuse!" Pyrrha frowned, she knew Naruto was just using as an escape way to curse.
"You shut your mouth! This is your fault!"
"Don't you mean yours," Weiss reminded critically.
Naruto raised a finger and opened his mouth to say something, but found the words dying on his lips. "Ah, well, that may be true but you brought us here in the first place!"
"Exactly!"
The man brought a hand up to his rub his temples and sighed, his free arm flicking the trigger of his weapon, the gears shifting until Fran took its sword-form. "How hard do you think you can punch that thing? Can you make it open its mouth? You can't touch a Sea Dragon from the outside by any normal means, you've got to kill it from the inside."
"Brutal." Everyone took a step back from the Valkyrie as her bloodlust spiked in joy.
Naruto grinned and extended his arm.
"I'll make it barf!"
"Eeew." Naruto had better take a shower if he was going to do that.
"Please don't."
Whatever else would have been said was interrupted by the sharp claws of the Sea Dragon smashing itself over they previously occupied, rubble and smoke blocking the scene. Naruto threw himself out of harms way in the nick of time, his back colliding with the dirt as he rolled and came up into a crouch, blue eyes narrowed. "It's pretty fast for its size." He whispered to himself, before breaking into a powerful sprint. The blond channeled as much aura into his legs as they could manage before leaping, the ground cracking underneath the force of his take-off. He soared and and extended his feet, prepping them for a rough landing atop the Dragon's trunk of an arm.
A red blur rushed past him and Naruto could just barley make out a haughty, "Keep up, kid." Grunting, Naruto's body took on the familiar blue hue and he bolted after the smirking Qrow. "I'm trusting you to do this! Give it all you've got!" He heard the man cry out before he took to the skies, both hands over Fran as he lifted the blade high up and it began to glow.
Everyone was at the edge of her seat, they were going to see a true veteran huntsman in action with the help of his unofficial mystical ninja sidekick. They wondered what type of skills they would showcase to them.
Naruto nodded and then clenched his fist, a roar escaping him as the blue hue exploded into a coat of flames. The energy rushed throughout his body and then began to concentrate over his shaking fist, a thin trail of neon blue following behind him. His feet became a blur and when he jumped, he gave it his all, eyes wide and expression fierce as he cocked his fist back and launched his attack. When his fist met the scale of the Dragon it was as if a bomb had just gone off. He poured all he could into his limb without outright destroying it. The Sea Dragon's entire frame shook and but it did not waver.
"What!?" Everyone said in shock, they were expecting the move to actually hurt the beast.
"What!?" Naruto froze up, outright glaring at the tiny dent his attack had made. He'd put all he could into that and expected results. He did not expect to fail. Without any time to prepare and in his shock, he began to fall, eyes wide and still firmly set on what he deemed as outright pathetic even as gravity took him.
The watchers gasped as they watched Naruto fall down slowly before them.
"Naruto!"
He fell and fell and fell for what seemed like forever, and for whatever reason, he was reminded of that night...
Everyone then visited Naruto's flashback and were soon revisited by a familiar scene in chapter one.
"D-Damn you, if I could fight back...I'd...slaughter...you...all."
What was about to happen was clear, he was going to die. He was too weak. Too injured. And, most of all, he was outnumbered. There was no way out. With a grimace, he steeled his resolve as best as he could, in spite of this however a single thought ran through his mind. I don't want to die here!
In that very instant a fire spread throughout his body. It was not comforting or warm. It did not feel natural. It felt like fire. It was fire. It burned and consumed everything in its path, taking him over. His once cloudy vision grew sharp, and despite his pain, the aches that plagued him gradually vanished until nothing remained. The Grimm lunged at him, blood eyes flashing in the darkness and something batted them away like flies.
A mass of bubbly red, darker and much fouler than the crimson of the Grimm's eyes. He heard the ear piercing shrieks and watched them burn away like cinders before sleep took him. His entire being exhausted. And right before he could see, or feel, or think no more. A malevolent voice whispered into his ears.
"How amusing...
When will you learn child? That without me you are nothing?
Without me, you are weak."
No one spoke, they were too transfixed over the events that were occurring before their eyes. Every revelation about the blonde made him equally more mysterious.
Qrow overestimated the extent of Naruto's abilities. He had forgotten that despite his amazing potential, Naruto was still just a boy, one with minimal control over his own ability. A Sea Dragon! You thought he could take down a fucking Dragon!? You damn idiot! Qrow rushed toward the blond, his previous attack forgotten as he rushed to save the unprepared blond from the gruesome death below. But, he was too far, and far too unprepared. With wide eyes he watched the stupefied blond fall as if in slow motion.
"Damn it, Naruto!"
The Sea Dragon roared and Qrow watched as a multitude of familiar beady eyes began to spring up from behind the cover of the surrounding woods, waiting patiently as the greater Grimm provided a show. All aware that they, being himself and Naruto, were the Dragon's prey. For now the weaker Grimm would not intervene.
Then...the impossible happened.
Weiss frowned as she wondered what that meant. She had this dreadful feeling that the impossible was something gruesome down the lines.
Before his body hit the torrents of rushing water below, it was consumed in a red bubble. Qrow had seen it happen, and when he landed over a nearby chunk of rock, a sinking feeling overcame him. Somehow the world seemed to come to a halt. The air felt thicker, heavier. Even the Dragon stopped his thrashing, a low hum emitting from its thick neck as it watched the bubbling waters below. It felt as if something unfamiliar was now with them, something hateful, something that did not belong...
"...Naruto?"
What responded was not the happy-go-lucky kid he'd grown used to.
A red hand, hazy and bubbly like churning blood, the size of the Dragons own, it burst from the water without warning, steam emitting from where the liquid met the burning aura. The human-like hand swung itself like a rope and latched onto the torso of the Grimm, a hissing noise telling the wide eye Qrow that whatever that coat of malice was, it was acidic to the touch. More steam obscured the area and Qrow had to narrow his eyes just to see. The beady red eyes of the Grimm were easy to make out, and the Dragon's stature was even easier to spot...but...there was something else now. A figure, hunched over with one arm extended.
Everyone's bugged out in shock as the saw the malefic bubbly red appendage burst out. They only stared at awe at the way it grabbed tight on the sea dragon Grimm before them.
It looked like a human, but, Are those...ears?
"Really, they look like horns to me." Some argued with Jaune about the reddish figure hidden over the steam but in a matter of perspective they did look like horns at least in some angles.
The Sea Dragon flapped its mighty wings and the steam was blown away in seconds. What was revealed was something Qrow had never laid eyes on in all of his years as a Hunter.
Pyrrha gasped, summing up everyone's reaction as they clearly saw who it was behind that evil power.
Naruto...
If he could even be called that now...
He looked like a monster.
Everyone frowned they didn't want to label him like that but sadly Naruto feral features and hunched bestial pose wasn't taking away that monster title any time soon.
The silhouette of a creature surrounding his already altered form was anything but human, the two long-rabbit like ears twitching above his wild shaggy hair and the slender tail flickering behind him as if it were a sentient being even less. The second he laid eyes on it, Qrow knew that this was what was hiding underneath that cheerful smile. A being that emitted more raw hatred and unrivaled malice than any army of Grimm he'd ever gone up against. Qrow could feel his heart pound and his body tense, his finger a single twitch away from sending Fran into overdrive.
This...this...Grimm. This was not Naruto!
"He's not a Grimm. . . ." Ruby whispered lowly, her friend heard her and they desperately wanted to agree.
The creature unleashed roar that rivaled that of the Dragon's
The ferocity of his deafening roar startled the teams, amazed and frightened by the vocals of the beast-like blonde had produced.
and made a pulling motion, the massive limb latched onto the Dragon's torso responding in accordance. With wide eyes, Qrow watched the hulking beast be pulled down and forced to the ground with but a gesture, its hulking head slamming into the rocks below. It screamed and struggled, but it could not fight the absolute grip. What happened next Qrow would never forget for as long as he lived...
The same could go for them too.
AN: Man, did anyone watch the latest episode of RWBY cause I sure did. Man, Cinder sure is starting to regret from ever joining the Society of Evul'z (terrible nickname, I know) maybe Cinder alludes more to Cinderella than just the name, their backstory may have the same cruel stepmother and sometimes sisters (depending on the stories). Heck Cinder might be what Cinderella could be if she fell of the wagon, hell thinking about it and seeing the summary of the lore of the original story. If Cinder does end up having the same cruel Stepmother in the RWBY story then this is an irony of her being no better than her abuser. It's pretty clear that Cinder is practically a nobody and probably poor given to her quote.
"I want to be strong. I want to be feared. I want to be powerful"
She obviously has a massive chip on her shoulder to be saying a quote like that. Or maybe I'm reading things wrong and she ended up admiring her stepmother and wanted to be like her. Maybe it's a little bit of both in a sense if you choose that. This is just me spouting a stupid theory. What do you guys think?
Once again, please support the main fic written by Reain dude deserves the favorites and follows. Heck I want the guy to get 1k favs and follows honestly.
Also if your interested in more from me than check out my profile and read some of my original fics.
Also please don't leave a review and say that chapter X is up like that guest reviewer, it's annoying honestly especially when I was working on the goddamn chapter. Geez man, I have gmail app on my phone and it notifies me everytime if a story or review is updated, as well as followers and PM messages. I almost the quick decision to delay the chapter but quite frankly I'm not that spiteful.
Once again thanks for reading.