WARNING!
If you are a reader who likes to feel "Omniscient", and likes to know everything about the story beforehand…prepare to be sorely disappointed. I reveal information as the story progresses, so patience will be necessary!
A/N: Thanks for everyone's support once again!
This chapter is another 'character development' chapter, but also explains some things, as well as the progress of the Grimm in Naruto's herd. See if you can point some things out!
I've also used quite of bit of references for this chapter, so see if you can pick those out too! One of them is a very old joke, so I'm wondering if anyone can find it?
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! It's short, but I did say my chapters will be anywhere between 2000-5000 words, so I'm within my promised limit!
Next chapter or two will also be for character development, but I can say it won't be long before some action/story development chapters appear. So look forward to it!
Next Chapter Release: Feb. 25th-March 5th. I'm still pretty busy, so I'll release when I can.
I do have a question for my readers at the end of this chapter, so feel free to answer or not.
Also, I may go back to add more into this chapter in the future
"In Oum I Trust"- Normal Speech
In Oum I Trust-- Normal thought
"In Oum I Trust"- Shared thought/phone/telepathy(link)
*Sigh*- Action
In Oum I Trust- Unique Technique/Semblance
"In Oum I Trust"- Authoritative/powerful/angered speech
In Oum I Trust- Authoritative/powerful/angered Thought
"In Oum I Trust"- Authoritative/powerful/angry Shared thought/phone/telepathy(link)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto, RWBY, the Re: Monster Franchise or any of its characters. I am but a simple man, with a simple desire to write a fanfiction that has been plaguing my mind.
The only thing I own in this story are my theories, original characters, and scenarios that did not exist in the original stories.
Chapter 4: Intoxication
-82 years before Canon-
*Hiss!* *Hiss!*
"Piss off! We were here first, bastard!"
*Hiss!*
"You really wanna start?! I'll skin you and make you into a purse!"
*Hiss?*
"If you don't leave, you'll find out what a 'purse' is first hand!"
It was another dull day in the life of Naruto and his group of Grimm as they could be seen resting within the forest of red, a place Naruto soon learned was called 'Forever Falls' thanks to Oum's bank of information that had been deposited into his mind.
As a Grimm, they really didn't need to rest since their bodies didn't work the same way a human's did. It was more for Naruto, than the others.
The downside of being more intelligent, was that he had little patience for stupidity. In other words, mental stress.
Of course, Naruto enjoyed the company of other Grimm, but it didn't mean he never felt overtaxed when dealing with them all the time. Especially with the new addition to their group, Karasuba.
Karasuba was…a handful, to say the least. It was overly attached to Naruto, borderline obsessive. It just seemed addicted to his presence, but Naruto wasn't sure why that was the case. When he tried to figure out the reason, he only found that the Nevermore just seemed to be more satisfied being close to him than not.
Whatever the reason for Karasuba's obsession, Naruto was sure it had something to do with his ability to influence the Grimm's growth. Karasuba may instinctually know that being near Naruto would make it stronger, or smarter. It just seemed too coincidental to be anything else.
Pumbaa and Gordy, however, didn't take to kindly to the avian Grimm's actions.
They were the ones with the longest connection to Naruto, and they were beginning to show signs of something outside of increased intelligence…emotions.
Though they may not be aware of it, and though there was only a very faint trace of it, there were definitely some hints of jealousy when they looked at Karasuba. This may have been because they saw themselves as the 'Right Hand' of Naruto, and that they should be the ones beside him at all times.
*Hiss!* *Hiss!*
"You think I'm scared of you? Size doesn't mean shit! Go 'hiss' somewhere else!"
Getting back to the current situation, Naruto could be seen arguing with another Grimm that had intruded onto 'his' territory.
Naruto was a pretty free spirit and traveled often, but he decided he would claim 'Forever Falls' as his own, which was normal for Grimm. All Grimm have the tendency to mark the areas they like the most, and Naruto was no different.
He just couldn't get enough of its intoxicating beauty and unique appearance. He seemed to have an attraction to different hues of red. Naruto noted that it must be a lingering attachment from his past, or something along those lines.
And the Grimm who was currently intruding in his area was one he liked the least out of all the Grimm…the King Taijitu.
It was a large, snake-like Grimm that was composed of two different halves joined at the center: One white, and the other black. It had bone plating on its skull with red markings, reminiscent in appearance to Naruto's.
It had deep, crimson eyes with many fangs in its jaws. It was very unique from other Grimm due to the two different color shades, as well as its checkerboard design that joined them in the center.
Although Naruto didn't mind most Grimm, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around snakes, this one being included. He always imagined himself being swallowed by one, and he wasn't willing to take any chances.
After a long string of yips and hissing going back and forth, the King Taijitu eventually had enough and slithered away.
Seeing this, Naruto stood proudly with his snout held in the air, "Yeah, you better slither! If you wanna hiss, go to your own snake pit and hiss! Try coming back again, I dare you! You won't even have a pit to hiss in when I'm through!"
Naruto was starting to become unreasonable in his taunts, and was just shouting in dominance at this point.
He was always uneasy around snakes.
After the King Taijitu disappeared in the distance, Ganesha walked until he stood beside Naruto.
"My Alpha, you were a bit strange with that Grimm. Did it upset you somehow?"
Naruto turned to the large Grimm beside him and sighed, "No, I'm just not good with snakes of any kind. Especially large ones like that."
Ganesha nodded, "I understand, my Alpha."
Naruto couldn't help but shake his head at the wise Grimm. No matter how long they spent together, he would never call Naruto something other than 'Alpha'. Naruto seemed to come to terms with this, but he was still getting used to it.
Ganesha was very different from the other Grimm, and probably was the best company for Naruto to have, compared to the rest at least.
While he wasn't very active and outgoing like Pumbaa, Gordy, and Karasuba, he more than made up for it with his intellectual curiosity and complex conversation.
Ganesha himself was very indifferent to a lot of things despite being the oldest, and the physically strongest one in the herd. It was more focused on learning from Naruto, than anything else. It seemed that through the small talks they had during their travels, Ganesha formed a thirst for knowledge, something Naruto was more than happy to indulge him with.
Ganesha was his only true conversational partner, and through each discussion they had, Ganesha became more intelligent and spoke with greater clarity. It reached to the point that Ganesha no longer spoke with pauses between words, and Naruto couldn't be happier.
Outside of being a fast learner, he found that Ganesha was also a capable teacher. He managed to teach Pumbaa and Gordy to say their first words a couple weeks ago (through the link)! Unfortunately, their first word was 'Alpha', so Naruto was stuck hearing this same damn title until Ganesha taught them more words.
But he supposed it was a good start.
Karasuba was still young, so it still needed more time to develop greater knowledge. On the plus side, however, it was growing at a very fast rate in physical terms. It was now twice the size it was before, easily towering over Pumbaa and Gordy, though still smaller than Ganesha.
Speaking of the two, Naruto looked in their direction and saw them fighting Karasuba…again. Though with Karasuba's increased size, it was much faster than before.
The boars were starting to get smarter too, and would catapult each other in an attempt to shoot the avian Grimm down. They would also use the trees to their advantage to increase their height.
Naruto ignored their actions, mainly because it was helping them get stronger and more skilled…plus it gave Naruto a much-needed break.
Watching them scuffle a bit more, Naruto couldn't help but release a foxy smile. He did like seeing them play around like this, it just reassured him that there truly is more to Grimm than humans think. It was like watching children in his eyes, but more than that…he felt like they were a family.
I guess I can let them play a bit longer, thought Naruto as he laid in the red grass, watching over his herd.
"Ganesha…"
"Yes, Alpha?"
"Why is that Ursa…passed out?"
"What does 'passed out' mean, alpha?"
"…never mind. I'll tell you later."
A short while after Naruto's run-in with the King Taijitu, he and his herd began to travel once more until they stumbled upon this scene before them.
Currently, there was an Ursa Major sleeping under a large, crimson tree with…something red on its mouth?
From the scent alone, Naruto could tell that it wasn't blood. It was much too sweet, and looked to be sticky in substance.
Looking away from the Ursa, he noticed the same red substance seeping from the bark of the large crimson tree.
Is that tree sap? And it's also red…how strange…
Would someone normally be so intrigued by the natural production of sap coming from a tree? Probably not…
But Naruto wasn't someone normal. He was elated once he saw this red sap, as he continued to look between the Ursa and the tree.
This Ursa looks…content. Does this mean…
Naruto gulped a mouthful of air as he processed what this situation meant.
Does this mean that Grimm can eat something…other than humans?!
Naruto couldn't be any more ecstatic than he was now!
It needed to be understood that Naruto spent months trying to find an alternative food source outside of humans. It was only in desperation that he finally consumed one, and many afterwards…but what if he no longer needed to?
Naruto decided to wait with bated breath as he watched the unconscious Ursa. He decided to wait until it awoke to see if there were any repercussions from consuming the sap. Why experiment on himself when there was already a willing subject?
He anxiously waited a few hours before the Ursa finally awoke, but he was patient. He could care less about the duration, it was the results that mattered.
When the Ursa got up, it seemed to stumble in its step, and was a bit clumsy. When it noticed it wasn't alone, it looked to find several other Grimm staring at it. It let out a low growl, but that subsided once it took in the appearance of the very large Goliath that stood behind Naruto.
Being a lone Grimm, it decided to not fight for the tree it rested under and hunkered away with slow steps, occasionally faltering in stride, but otherwise leaving normally.
The Ursa seemed a bit groggy, but that could be because it had just woken up, noted Naruto. He also realized it was strange that a Grimm would be sleeping in the first place, considering Grimm don't sleep. It was more that they hibernated until they could sense prey to pounce on, but the sap seemed to shut off their senses. This made it more like they were asleep, than it was a hunting mechanism.
This worried Naruto a bit, but he figured that it would be fine as long as no hunters/huntresses were around, and he was surrounded by trusted herd-mates.
"Ganesha, keep an eye on the surroundings, I'm going to try the sap the Ursa had."
Ganesha appeared a bit confused, but did nothing to reject Naruto's orders. It acquiesced with a nod of its head, and turned to keep its focus more on the area around him.
Seeing this, Naruto finally stepped up to the tree, and found a spot that had the most concentrated amount of sap.
He sniffed it a few times to be sure, but all he could smell was a genuine sweetness he hadn't sensed in a long while. Deciding to go through with his actions, he took a small lick of the sap, and let it roll around his tongue.
After a few moments, Naruto's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "I…I can eat it! This is amazing! And its soo good! Like liquid candy!"
He then took in more of the sap, but this time in gulps. As the sap trickled down is throat, he began to feel another sensation, one different from his prior feelings.
The sap is sweet to the tongue, but there is also a strong sting, or tingle, as it goes down. My body starts to heat up, but it doesn't feel bad…not bad at all!
It was a strange feeling, but Naruto paid it no mind. He was much too happy at the discovery of this edible sap to care!
He was still being cautious, but after waiting a few moments without any adverse effects, Naruto decided to take in a bit more.
Naruto continued to bask in the flavor about 10 minutes before he started to feel something else.
That Ursa passed out somehow, so maybe it just had a larger amount? But I don't see how-
As Naruto was continuing to indulge himself in the sap, he started to feel his thoughts slur a bit as he gradually became dizzy.
His chest began to heat up, and his face began to flush in warmth. His face began to relax into a stupid smile and his breathing became a bit heavy with small *hics* between breaths.
His body was starting to slump a bit, and he felt himself become more…relaxed, and loose.
This feeling is…familiar…but what?
Naruto's words began to slow as he spoke, trying to understand his current feelings. At some point…he just stopped caring. Out of nowhere, he started hopping from place to place with renewed vigor and wild abandon. He seemed more like a child than the mature Grimm he was before.
He did falter in his step more than a few times, but he could have cared less. He continued to prance around like a normal young kit would, occasionally tumbling into trees and piles of scattered, autumn leaves.
He began to release a series of yips that translated to laughter, "Haha, wow…this feeling is…fantastic…"
Noticing that Naruto was beginning to act strange, Pumbaa decided to approach Naruto with careful steps, unsure of how to act in this situation. Karasuba and Gordy merely watched from a distance, hoping that whatever was happening would end soon.
"Alpha…you…okay?"
Naruto turned towards the voice of the Grimm who spoke, and saw the figure of Pumbaa only several feet away from him.
Naruto approached the Grimm with quick steps and stared into the eyes of Pumbaa that was…intimidating to say the least. His gaze was unblinking as he stared into the sunset hue of the boar's eyes, almost as if he was searching for something. Whatever that was, it remained a mystery…much to Pumbaa's confused despair.
Pumbaa had never felt so powerless under his gaze before, and his presence was overwhelming him. Naruto's narrowed, slit eyes seemed to bore into its very being. It felt like Naruto was studying its every move and fiber of its existence, from its bone-plated mask, down to the black hairs of its body.
It was a tense silence between the two, before Naruto released a sly grin, "Hey…Pumbaa…"
Pumbaa listened to Naruto with close attention, afraid Naruto's scary gaze may return if he did otherwise.
"Repeat after me…Hakuna...Matata."
Pumbaa paused, trying to understand the word…but failed to do so, and could only look at Naruto in confusion.
Seeing this confusion, Naruto clarified with his mischievous grin, "Hakuna Matata…it means no worries…"
Seeing Pumbaa continue to stare at him blankly, Naruto's grin morphed into a dark, and irritated frown.
He then spoke with a sinister undertone, "Say…it!"
Frightened, Pumbaa complied, "Hakka…Mata!"
Well…tried to comply, but Naruto wasn't satisfied.
The current Naruto seemed to have forgotten that Grimm struggled to learn new words, or pretty much anything in general. This was evident by the obvious irritation present in his tone due to Pumbaa's mispronunciation of the phrase, and his forcefulness to get Pumbaa to say it correctly.
"Again!"
"Habakkuk…Tata!"
"Again!"
"Hakuku…Matat!"
"Again!"
After a series of trial and error for what seemed like hours, Pumbaa finally managed to succeed.
"Hakuna…Matata!"
Finally, Naruto released a complacent smile as he laughed.
"Good! And…what does 'Hakuna Matata' mean?!"
With a small grunt of fear, hoping it wouldn't see Naruto's scary visage it had already seen before, it immediately replied with crystal clarity.
"It means…no worries!"
Naruto began to laugh once more, "For the rest of our days! Haha, Good, Good! Keep practicing Pumbaa."
"...Or else…" Naruto finished, temporarily returning to his commanding, heavy tenor.
Hearing this, Pumbaa nodded vigorously in fear as it continued to repeat those words over…and over…and over, until it became like a mantra or prayer.
This moment would forever scar Pumbaa, even as he reached the pinnacle of intelligence for Grimm. Whenever he became startled, or frightened by Naruto, it would immediately respond with "Hakuna Matata!" The trauma of Naruto's dark expression was deep and proved to be too much for the old boar to withstand, and haunted him for the rest of his life.
Naruto would never remember this moment to regret it, only treating it as a strange quirk of his.
Poor Pumbaa…
Naruto smiled upon seeing this…until he turned his attention towards the other Grimm.
Not wanting to be in this situation, Gordy made the smart move and disappeared in the area, as well as Ganesha. Unfortunately, Karasuba wasn't that bright.
"Hey Karasuba~" He spoke in a sing-song voice that did little to hide his mischievous intentions.
*Caw?*
But it seemed to be convincing enough for the birdbrain.
Naruto's grin turned sinister once more as he slowly approached the poor, clueless bird.
Naruto would later realize that the sap was the Grimm's equivalent to alcohol. It was a concentration of Nature, aura, and hints of dust…amongst other things. The concentration and ratio was peculiar, in a way that it would cause Grimm to exhibit abnormal behaviors.
In Naruto's case, it seemed his plethora of useless knowledge came in full swing and altered his behavior…much to his herd's horror.
"Does Polly want a Cracker?"
…Poor Grimm…
A/N: End of Chapter!
The chapter was short, but it was mainly just to build upon my current set of characters. I may have another chapter or two like this one, but I can promise that some action & story development will happen after those one or two chapters. My first Arc ends somewhere between 5-10 more chapters.
Do look forward to it!
Leave a review with any questions, comments, or unbiased criticism! The best motivation for me is your reviews. It is also the best way for me to improve my writing, so don't be shy!
I will answer what I can through PM, but I do admit I won't be able to get to everyone (sorry!). There's just too many, and I already have a lot on my plate.
Also, I'd like you guys to take a guess on which of these Grimm will be next to join the herd! I will only be adding one more…for now. I've already decided on which, but I'm curious on the guesses.
Why am I curious? Because my readers are pretty smart, and guessed some things I planned for later in the story. Not completely accurate, but they were pretty damn close! I just want to see how perceptive you guys really are.
Death Stalker
Beringel
Geist
Nuckelavee
Ursa
~Stay cool, but don't Freeze