Fū had managed to do what she felt was almost impossible. After flying from small island to small island, she finally slid to a stop upon the shores of Vale's southeastern shores. She collapsed to her knees, sitting there for a moment, and breathing hard. Her back hurt from use of wings constantly, and had a small fresh scar lining up just over her left kidney.
The massive Grimm earlier last week had done some scarring, something about its own unique form of darkness disrupting even a Jinchuuriki's ability to heal. Fū knew that it would take some serious damage to even lay her down permanently, so it had to be some sort of poison. Why a monster, a giant one at that, would be spewing poison on its teeth was unknown to her. From what she observed, mostly, these creatures called Grimm were the antithesis of the actual animals living near them.
Was there a monster, a living monster, under the ocean waves that requires that massive Grimm to have such weapons? If so, did this mean that they evolved, or were being designed to specifically counter creatures. It made her fear the thought, that now since she killed one of them, that maybe the next one would have wings of it's own.
That terrified her, she imagined that monster flying over cities and just laying waste to people's lives. Sighing, the greenette gets up slowly before looking at the forest in front of her. She could feel the unease in her chest, but this was the only other large landmass besides the desert Vacuo. If she could find a place to lay low, perhaps run into the other Jinchuuriki, they'd together wouldn't have to worry about the surviving Akatsuki members.
"So, this is Vale, for some reason, the air here smells cleaner." She noted whilst taking deep breaths through her nose, "earthy too."
"That's because there is a higher concentration of natural energy here for some reason. On our home world, these places is where Sage Animals would congregate. It makes me wonder, perhaps they have something similar here too." Chomei chittered whilst it too felt the energy around them, it seemed to be in a more upbeat mood.
Fū shivers from the little jolt of cold water splashing on her back, "tide is coming in."
"It's nearing nightfall, come now, we must find shelter." Her Tailed Beast suggested before she got up, and stretched.
She began to take off into the woods. Her feet bouncing between tree branches when she launches herself whilst twisting her body to go in between the thicker parts of the canopy. Gliding through the trees, Fū come upon a clearing where she landed in the middle of it, noting that their seemed to be farmland nearby.
"Okay, I may actually get out of the cold for once," she thought before walking toward the farmland.
She noted a boy was with what appeared to a woman, who was working on a tractor. He had a light complexion, with freckles on his face. Dark brown hair went down to his ears, cut shot into a fade top. The greenette almost wanted to say that he was slightly cute. The boy was wearing a brown shirt, with black pants, whilst holding a hoe over his shoulder. His boots were caked in mud, whilst his face had dirt on it.
Obviously, they were trying to dig a new irrigation trench. A little early, but with the snow down this way melting and the ground pliable, she figure that they were just trying to get ahead of the game. The woman suddenly let out a small curse, leaning her head on the machine.
"Well, Oscar, we're stuck!" She announced to the boy before turning toward the hill, noticing Fū, "hey there. Mind giving us a hand?!"
The greenette didn't waste any time before quickly rushing over. A little fast, but not superhumanly so. She got to the woman, greeting her with a nod of her. The woman pointed at Oscar to get up in the tractor, whilst she and the girl got to the front of it.
"Okay, Oscar, put the tractor in reverse whilst we push!" The woman instructed the young boy inside the machine, "hopefully we can get this out!"
The greenette heard the engine of the machine start up, she saw fine dust in a compartment getting turned into smoke. She watches as the large wheels began to turn backwards, and then pushed hard with the woman. She found that yes, they were indeed stuck, so she decided to just use a tiny bit of her chakra to increase her strength!
Slowly, but surely, both women push the tractor out of the muck. With the woman, who looked similar to the boy, breathing heavily. She even had the same eye color as him, hazel, which seemingly sparkled with life as the tractor continuing backing up…and backing up.
"Oscar the brakes!"
The boy inside was too late, his leg really unable to reach the brake in time. He slammed the tractor into a fence, breaking it apart. Much to the woman's groaning scream, grabbing at her head. "Oh c'mon, we just fixed that fence last week!" she screamed whilst grabbing at her long dark brown hair, sighing in defeat.
"I'm sorry!" The boy, Oscar, called out whilst driving the tractor forward, getting it on level ground. He hopped off, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm really sorry, Aunt Freyja!"
Freyja, his aunt just sighs, "don't worry about it, Oscar."
"Um," they both turn to Fū, "if you need helping to fix that I could help…"
Freyja then crosses her arms, "whilst I'm flattered young lady. Who are you?"
"Oh, my name is Fū Midori, I'm sorry mam for intruding here…I was just walking around the woods." She played off whilst, trying to act like an innocent girl, "you see, um, I'm not exactly from here and I lost my way."
"Where's your parents at, girl?"
That question caught Fū a little off guard, she then sighs, "they're gone miss." Which wasn't a total lie, her parents had died back in her home world.
"Oh," the woman looked slightly crestfallen, "poor dear."
"Aunt Freyja, do you hear that?" Oscar asked whilst hearing a grumbling noise, they both then turn to her. She was sheepishly rubbing the back of her head with her right whilst gripping her stomach with the left. "I guess she could me fix the fence, and we can pay her with some food?"
"You know what, Oscar, that isn't a terrible idea. It's nearing dark too, we wouldn't be decent folk if we didn't let the wee girl spend the night to avoid the Grimm." Freyja noted before walking over to the tractor, getting out a toolbox, "it's up to you if you want to my nephew, I'm going to feed you regardless…little girls shouldn't wonder out in the woods all alone."
Fū shook her head, "no, I'll help him. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't earn my way."
"Sheesh, okay then, Oscar." She watched as Oscar went over to his aunt, grabbing the tools he would need, "Oscar will be doing most of the work…just hold the posts in."
"Yes mam!" Fū saluted before following the boy.
"Off to work you go, Fū." Chomei chittered whilst buzzing his wings inside of her head, "It will be nice not using my chakra to keep you worm a change."
"Least I can do if they're wanting to feed me and such…they probably think I'm some lost orphan." Fū realized whilst she walked over to the fence with Oscar, he got a pair of wire cutters, and began to get to work.
She noted that he was going to recycle the metal wiring for the next batch of fences, and she smiled whilst seeing him work with his hands. It reminded her a few friends in her village of Taki, where they would work some of the small livestock farms, and rewire fencing.
He finishes the task, quickly, and then looks at her. "Now the hard part, bear in mind that I don't usually miss." He told her before picking up a sledgehammer.
"Just not the face!" She immediately joked back, grabbing a post and holding it up, "go for it!"
About an hour later, with the moon starting to come up, Oscar slammed down the sledgehammer one last time to get the post in whist she held it there. The young boy, maybe slightly younger than her, was strong. He stood there, dropping the ten-pound hammer, before wiping his brow. He checked the wiring, making sure they were tight.
"Alright, guess we got it, thank you um… Fū, right?" Oscar nervously asked while thanking her, making sure he didn't butcher the name of a possible new friend.
"Yeah, that's my name, Oscar, wasn't it? I really do appreciate you guys offering to feed me, and stuff." She replied before walking with toward the small house up on a hill. "How long have you lived out here?"
"Most of my life, when my parents died of illness years back, my Aunt Freyja took me in. She's always be the owner of the family farm, and well, I earn my way here by doing chores." Oscar answered whilst adjusting his shirt, which had mud all over it. "Hopefully the water heater is going strong, Aunt Freyja may ask you shower…do you have any clothes?"
"No, not really save for the ones on my back." Fū almost blushed when she told him that, not used to the kindness. "I couldn't possibly ask for clothing."
"Nonsense, we're good, I got plenty of clothes myself. I'm pretty sure you'd fit my shirt, and shorts. We'll wash your clothes tonight, so, why are you out here all alone?" He inquired whilst walking up the porch, "it's not exactly safe you know."
"I understand, but my…family aren't around. I've been traveling for a while by myself, I hide when I need too." Fu semi-lied whilst smiling softly, "what is that smell?"
Oscar took a deep breath, his mouth water a little bit, "Svartsoppa. It's my Aunt's specialty."
"Your aunt asks that you both take a shower first, Oscar, be a gentlemen and let the girl shower first! I have towels put on in the bathroom. Go on, get to it, dinner will be ready by the time you two had time to shower and rest." Freyja ordered them before smiling as Oscar let her go by him, watching as Fū walked past them.
She smiles at how lingeringly Oscar stares, "Oscar, it's rude to stare…"
"Sorry Aunt Freyja!"
Fū had never felt something so luxurious as a shower in a long while. Nearly two and half months of running. She let the water cascade over as she sat in the tub. She breathed a sigh of contentment before seeing the grime come off and turning the pure water brackish and brown. Gods, how filthy had she been living?
She took a moment, using bar soap to scrub herself clean whilst more grim and dirt rolled into the cool water. Not daring to take away more than she was, especially since this was their home, the hot water sounded nice but it wasn't needed. Just feeling like she didn't have watch her bac whilst taking a slight skinny dip in the ocean was well enough.
The joys of running!
"Do not get complacent, Fū, such things are the death of many great shinobi." Chomei warned her before it chittered, "still this must feel rather nice to you, all things considered."
"Well when that masked bastard grabbed us back near Suna, I thought we were done for. My uncle is probably already got a grave marker up for me, there's no way home. Might as well try to find meaning here, besides it's not like we're alone…" Fū replied through the mental link before finally getting to her hair, watching as gray rolled down her shoulder, her mint green hair having been filthy.
It was getting long enough to tie it into a small ponytail if she wanted, but she didn't know how she felt about it. Her mother had a ponytail, her uncle had one, but was she wanting one? Humming when she pulled it back, looking at the reflection off the tile, she pursed her lips. Perhaps they wouldn't mind her borrowing a hair tie?
Stepping out of the shower, she stretches before walking over to the clothes. Obviously, and embarrassingly, Oscar had been forced to scour part of his aunt's laundry to get a couple of more womanly products. She sighed, taking the chance to change. Pulling up the yellow shorts, whilst slipping on the blue shirt overtop.
It had the name of a band on it, "The Achievemen?" she read questioningly whilst seeing their faces on the shirt. Sighing, she exited the bathroom before seeing Oscar. He slight blush on his face before looking away from him, "he's a little awkward, isn't he?"
"Awkward is knowing that you've seen the story of a princess falling in love with a farm boy more often than not. The heart wants what the heart wants, not saying you should pursue him. He looks a little bit your junior, I say you're year older. This isn't the shinobi world either, I have a distinct feeling that things are incredibly more laxed here." Chomei summarized before chittering, "I'm going to cut the link for now, I need some sleep."
"Goodnight Chomei," Fū told him before feeling the link get cut, "sweet dreams."
She walked into the kitchen stretching, "man what a shower, I've been needing one for a minute."
"Hopefully Oscar doesn't take too long, poor lad has been working all day." Freyja stated before pouring a bowl of the soup out into a bowl, "don't mind the look of it…it's an old family recipe."
"I don't care if you handed me a bowl of crickets at this point, if it's cooked I'm eating!" Fū proclaimed before shooting her a big smile, "I've been living on my own for nearly three months now…and…well I got pretty good at hunting."
"Ahh, poor thing," Freyja pitied her with a small smile before pouring her own bowl. "Please, help yourself to a second."
"I couldn't impose…"
"Nonsense! You're a child out in the woods, what kind of human being would not feed you? I'm going to make sure you go to bed on a full stomach," Freyja stated before sitting the table, spoon in her soup. "So, Ms. Midori, are you by chance a faunus?"
"Um…" she rubbed the back of her head, "…yes?"
"Ahh girl, don't be shy about it. We're not able to choose how we're born. So, what do you have?" the older woman questioned, genuinely curious.
Fū decides to roll with, forming two wings behind her, "I have bug wings."
"Oh, that's very…unique, you might've accidentally ripped my nephew's shirt though…" Freyja pointed out softly, making the dark skin of the greenette turn slightly pink.
She felt behind her, noting the two holes where her wings had came out. She 'folded' them back in, when it reality she dispersed them, and bowed in apology. "I'm so sorry, gah, I'll pay you and him back! I swear!" She nearly kowtowed, only for Freyja to wave her hand.
"Don't worry about, now eat greenie, don't want that food going down cold. The juice tends to congeal once cool, and has a funky taste." Freyja pointed out before sipping on the hot soup with her spoon.
The young Jinchuuriki did as she was told, sitting at the table before sipping on the soup. She hummed at the unique flavor, "this is amazing."
"Oh really, not many people from other than mountains like it, it's called Svartsoppa." The brunette in front of her told her before taking a bite of the veal inside of the bowl.
"Svatop…Savatop…Sfart…" The greenette tried to say the name, "yeah, I'm giving up on the name. What is that broth? It's so good!"
Oscar came in, smiling whilst grabbing a bowl, "it's goose blood believe it or not."
She stopped eating, swallowing slowly what little she had in her mouth. Fū took a moment, nodding to herself before and cracking a begrudging smile, "I just had to ask didn't I?"
"I know, it throws everyone off, but never be afraid to expand the culinary pallet!" Freyja chimed in before watching Oscar take a seat, "did we ever get mail from Rosenburg?"
"No, Mr. Rosenburg hasn't been at his farm for a while either…I hope he's doing okay." Oscar answered whilst shivering a little, "I used the cold water Aunt Freyja so the hot shower is yours for the night!"
"Aww, thank you my sweet boy, wait… Fū, didn't you use the hot shower?" Oscar's Aunt asked inquisitively.
"Um," she looked down at her feet, "not really…I kind of figured you all deserved it more."
Freyja sighs before leaning back in her chair, "alright then I suppose, but what are you planning on doing tomorrow?"
"Honestly," Fū thought about that, and realized hadn't planned that far ahead. "I don't know, probably head north."
"The trek is dangerous in the winter, girl. Please, as long as you work here, you're more than welcome to stay till the spring." Freyja offered whilst smiling softly, "although I'll warn you, I am a bit of a taskmaster."
"She isn't lying," Oscar added in, "and she's unforgiving about breaking stuff."
"You break it, you fix it, no buts or anything of the other sort." She topped before looking back toward the orange-eyed girl, "what do you say, Fū. No sense in a little girl like you roaming in the cold alone and blind if a snowstorm smacks into you."
She took a moment to think about it, and then thought back to her journey so far. Staying in caves, clearings, on islands was fine. However, this was the first time she had legitimate human contact that wasn't trying to kill her. Nodding her head, she smiles brightly.
"I think I'll take you on that offer, Ms. Pine!"
Naruto was currently cross-legged on top of rock, near a river. He had found the snowdrops, which now rested inside of a satchel on his hip. Slowly, he breathed in through his nose, and out his mouth. Taking timed breaths whilst his eyes were closed. There was different methods of doing this, but he found this one strangely the most relaxing. Whilst sitting in the meditative position, he didn't hold his hands parallel with his elbows to the side. He instead held the elbows to his knees, with his fists connected together, relaxed, and leaning ever so slightly forward.
It has been two days since he had the talk with Madame Mallari. Taking her advice to heart, before even the crack od dawn, Naruto found himself out into the woods. Where he stumbled upon this gorgeous sight. Snow fell around him, slowly, with the small snowstorm having came and went yesterday.
From dawn, the crack of the sun rising in the east, until dusk yesterday where the sun fell over Patch's tallest mountain. Naruto had sat here, occasionally he would get up, and stretching. Run laps around an imaginary track to get his blood pumping. Would do crunches, sit ups, and squats to keep his body in shape. Sometimes, throughout the day, he would take his jacket off to whilst activating his aura. He would let the cold hit him hard, but he would force his aura to hug him closer and closer.
Normally, prior to his training with meditation, Naruto would have a bleed off rate of one percent per minute. Now, it was falling under one percent every two minutes. It meant that in the span of a week, he had doubled the limit of time his aura would maintain naturally. Still, it wasn't enough, he would have cuts on his upper arm from where he would take his kabar knife and test the bleeding effect off his aura.
Sometimes his aura blocked the cut, other times he was forced to stop and heal. It didn't matter though, he was seeing results, slowly and surely. An alarm chirped on his borrowed scroll, making him open his eyes before he shoved his jacket back over him. Slowly, getting up, he started to move around and walk.
He took a stick with him, using the kabar knife to sharpen it. Going over to the river, he saw the fish in the stream, Valian Trout. Keeping his aura active, he tentatively stepped onto the water. Using what little chakra he could must whilst using the aura to keep himself up on the surface. Slowly, he snuck up on the large trout as it tried to swim upstream.
Lurching toward it, stabbing the makeshift spear forwards, he saw blood erupt out of the water as he pivoted upward. The large fish, every bit the size of his forearm flopped around the makeshift spear. Walking back toward the surface, whilst keeping his aura active, the blonde took a moment to walk over to makeshift fire put.
Using his survival training from the time he was in Konoha, he managed to get the small going whilst laying a thin stone over it. The kabar of the knife stripped the fish down to the bone, his aura making the weapon much sharper it seemed. Rending the first slice of flesh, he tosses it onto the rock. It sizzled from the heat, and he cleaned the other side of the fish quickly. Placing it down, the blonde took stock of the time.
Getting out the scroll, he folded it open to see that it was just now eleven in the morning. The scroll buzzed, and he opened it to see a message from Pyrrha. She had sent a him thumbs up icon as he explained his training procedures. She then sent him some advice, and he read over it.
"The best way to get used to aura, and let it activate while channeling properly is to be in a constant state of use. Bleeding was an issue of mine as well, the more practice with it, the better it gets. Eventually your bleed will stop, because your soul will naturally acclimate to the use, and conform. It'll take months, but you got this!" She had encouraged over the text message, he smiled, typing back to her and thanking her for the support.
He thinks to himself, "I hope it doesn't take months," whilst flipping the fish over to let both sides cook.
The cold air blue hard against him as he sat with jacket hanging on his shoulders. With the first fish done, he quickly put a cleaned stuck through it and picked it up. Biting into the flesh, he savored the natural gamey flavor of fresh trout. Sucking his lips of the juice, he bit into it again, more akin to animal feasting than a human sitting at a dinner table. He heard rustling in the bushes behind him, and snapped to judgement as he brought his spear to his side before spinning on his knee, pointing it upward and thrusting it.
"Whoa, oh shit!" A familiar blonde-haired teen with lilac eyes shouted out with the spear inches from her face, "same team same team!"
Quickly pulling the spear back, Naruto bowed his head before tossing it to the side. he tried to sign for the word, "sorry," but obviously the girl didn't understand. If her confused arched eyebrow wasn't an indicator.
Naruto rolls his eyes before reaching down to Maria's scroll, typing in the text-to-speech command, and pressing play. "I'm sorry, thought you were a Grimm." The computerized voice churned out without soul, or feeling.
"Well thank fuck I'm not, whew, you're pretty quick on the draw there!" She proclaimed before looking at the makeshift fire, "and I walked in on your dinnertime it seems."
He shrugs his shoulders before grabbing the stick, offering it to her. She shrugs, picking up the fish, and sitting down on the log. After a few moments, she took her first bite. Indeed, fresh trout trumped anything store bought. Naruto took to typing on the scroll again, and pressing the play button.
"Who are you?"
The lilac-eyed girl hums at the question, speaking a mouthful, "I'm Yang, I live about a few miles south from here. You look familiar, don't you stay at Madame Mallari's place?" She inquired before taking to biting another piece off the freshly cooked fish.
Naruto took a moment to check to see if his aura was still going, and it was. He looked at her before nodding his head. Typing in the scroll, letting the app work it's magic, "I'm staying there with my grandmother."
"Aww, I didn't know Madame Mallari had kids. Wait," Yang thought for a moment, "there is another old woman with goggles there…that your grandmother?"
He nods in confirmation, finishing the first fish with another quick bite. She noticed the whisker marks hidden under his long blonde hair. It was noticeably a shade darker than her own, which is why it hid them a little better. Then she remembered the call with her sister, and so she let curiosity get ahold of her.
"Hey, you wouldn't of happened to take a road to with three others? My sister called me the other day, saying someone came up to our mother's grave and fixed it." She questioned whilst looking at him, and noted when he paused before nodding, a little weird. "You a faunus, or something?"
Jury was still out if Naruto recognized himself in that category, but he was always called human. So, in the spirit of his heritage in the shinobi world, he declined the notion of taking a faunus identity. He shook his head, discarding the fish carcass into the river.
He could already see minnows coming up to peck at the carrion. She hums at his response, "little weird, because you got whiskers." Yang pointed whilst looking at them, and then noticing they were real, but like tattoos.
"Birthmarks," came the computerized voice off the scroll.
"Do you got a throat infection, bronchitis, or something?" She asked point blank whilst watching him bite his cheek, blushing slightly, "I'm not trying to be rude…just kind of weird."
"I'm mute," the scroll in his Naruto's hand chimed, "do you know sign language?"
"Aww," she realized before sighing, "No I don't. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't put you on a spot or something."
Naruto shrugs while looking at the river, still keeping his aura active. Yang took note of this, watching as he kept staring out toward the river. It was if he concentrating on something that was there, but she didn't see anything. She noted the look in his eyes, although they held a small glimmer of light in them, they were mostly dulled.
"So, what are you doing out here by yourself?" She asked noting that he turned back to her, already typing on the scroll. "I didn't even see his head move…hmm…"
"I'm training, trying to master my aura control before going into a prep academy." The computerized voice answered before he stopped and his face suddenly perking up.
Confused, she saw a shadow swimming in the river, surely, he wasn't thinking of going after it? Her thoughts were broken when he suddenly crouched down, grabbing the kabar knife in reverse before stalking closer to the shore. She followed him, confused before seeing that it wasn't a swimming Grimm, but a large catfish.
She heard him take deep breath before jumping in, a large splash erupting out of the river. "Are frigging crazy, it's freezing out here, you idiot!" Yang yelled out but watched as red bubbled to the surface before he quickly emerged with the catfish in his hands.
His aura was still actively on, and she knew it was bleeding off. Normally bleeders, term she learned in school, couldn't maintain their aura for more than few minutes. Yet, here was this blonde, younger guy in front her keeping it casually going. Dragging the fish by the tail behind him, he looked over to her, delivering a goofy smile.
"Huh, I guess fortune really does favor the bold…wait didn't he just eat?" Yang thought whilst watching him beginning to cut up the fish, casually tossing guts to the side. "Wow, he's really good with that knife…is he being trained?"
She then decides to call him out on it, "are you getting trained or something?"
Naruto turned back to her, nodding his head with slight bow before cutting into the fish more. Removing the spines, head, and tail. He began to cut the fillet up, taking string and wrapping the meat up before walking back toward the river. The blood of the meat was washed off, he took a deep breath before walking back over to the fire. Sitting the meat down in the snow.
"How long are you going to be out here? I'm not trying to drive you off, just don't feel comfortable leaving someone out here all alone." She stated before watching him raise an eyebrow this time, "I mean all you got is that knife."
His only response was to shrug, taking two pieces of meat he hadn't tied up and tossing it onto the stone. The meat popped and sizzled before Naruto turned back to her. Typing into the scroll, "more fish?" He inquired before placing the scroll back into his pocket.
Yang wanted to say no, but her stomach slightly growls, "sure. Why not, I mean this isn't the weirdest encounter I had in these woods. Just the other day I took out an Ursa."
Naruto humphed at the information before taking the moment to reacquire his scroll from his pocket. "I took down a Wendigo just little over a week ago," the computerized voice said before he further added, "and five beowolves two days ago."
"Holy shit, he's gotta be lying, Wendigo even give my dad trouble!" She mentally accused him before pointing a finger at him, "you took a Wendigo down?"
He nods his head, flipping the catfish over with a stick. Getting up, he took a moment to stretch, exposing his stomach. He had the beginnings of a six pack. His abdomen was lean, lacking any true baby fat on him. She heard several audible pops from his shoulders before he checked his scroll. Her eyes slightly widened, she saw the aura percentage on it.
This guy must be working through the bleeding effect, since it was still at seventy percent. "You know, a lot of people with strong auras have that issue. Did anyone tell you the best way to keep your aura up is to use it constantly?" She inquired, just checking to see if someone actually teaching him.
Naruto breathes out before leaning forward, touching his toes, he looks at her before nodding his head.
She took a deep breath, and asks him, "why Pharos Academy?"
"My grandmother has contacts there, plus with my knowledge in fighting, I could potentially skip a couple of grades." Came the reply off the scroll before withdraws the catfish meat, putting one on a stick for her.
She smiles, taking a bite out of it and swallowing before continuing, "you could also do that in Signal. I mean, my dad's a teacher there, we do advance placement testing in the spring." Yang offered up whilst looking at him flash her a curious glance.
"Thought about it, but I need to make my own weapon, and I haven't the slightest clue." The computerized voice of his scroll revealed to her, he then took another bite of his catfish before smiling.
She looks over at his satchel, "isn't that snowdrops?"
Naruto nods before setting the scroll down on the log, reaching over and grabbing it. He revealed the snowdrop flowers, with Yang smiling.
"That Madame Mallari never forgets! My sister has been going through that new virus. She's been having such terrible headaches, Mallari said she'd sent someone to hunt us down some of these, and since I haven't seen her come by in a few days, I figured the snow was too much. Which is why I'm out here," Yang explained the entire situation behind them meeting. "You wouldn't mind if I took these to her, I know Mallari probably told you to deliver them to her…but seeing as I'm here."
The cerulean eyed blonde just scoots them over to her, whilst reaching into his pocket. It was taffy candy, with herbs inside of it. She realized Mallari made the same things to help people sleep, he deposits a couple of them in the satchel. Smiling slightly before facing toward the river.
"That was sweet of you, you wouldn't happened to be the guy that fixed my mother's grave…would you?" She asked.
That got his attention before he turned back around, pointing at her with his freed-up hand whilst typing, "that's your house?"
"Yeah, it is, I really do appreciate that. Ruby, my sister, she was going to do it but she's been super sick. I didn't really want her out in cold, question, how old are you?" Yang questioned before watching him hold his left pointer finger and three of his right fingers. "No shit, get outta here…you both are the same age."
Naruto gave the best hum he could despite his throat, he typed in the scroll, "do you want the catfish? I can get more with ease, plus it's practice for me." He told her before nudging his head toward the stringed up fish fillets on the snow.
She noted that his aura has begone to conform to his skin since they talked. Perhaps he was some sort of prodigy, or he had been at this for a while already. At thirteen, with having that much aura, and claiming to have taken a Wendigo. She had little doubt in her mind if he wanted to do the advance placement, he would easily be on her grade level as long as his book studies were up to date.
Warming her hands by the fire, she suddenly notice that mirth go out of his eye for some reason. He got up before suddenly slinging his knife into an approaching shadow in the water. It emerged, stumbling up onto the surface. It was a frigging Ursa!
Before she could move, Naruto was already on him. The young blonde's daft hands pulling the knife out of it's skull armor before stabbing it several times in the neck before ripping upward on the last stab. The beast roared out, chokingly so, before collapsing to the shoreline. He sheathes the knife before jumping off it. Yang had only managed to get up, and start activating the bracelets on her wrist.
"Wow…that was frigging awesome!" She exclaimed whilst watching him walk away, "dude how the fuck aren't you in an academy?!"
He shrugs, getting his scroll, "been trying to train myself like my grandmother did before." Not an entire lie, but he wasn't definitely coming up and saying he was from an entirely different planet either.
"I think she did a good job so far!"
Naruto smiles before typing, "would you believe me if I said I am only getting started?"
Broken Moon!
"Success is usually the culmination of controlling failure."
-Sly Stallone
Yang Xiao-Long was walking up her front porch. She got her key out, unlocking it. She didn't mean to come back a little later than planned. Luckily, she had the snowdrops with her. Ruby was laying on the couch, whilst having an ice pack over her head.
Zwei, the family dog, was laying on her feet. She shook all over before coughing up, Yang had taken off school today to help take care of her baby sister. Their dad wanted to, but then again, he had two mouths to feed. Plus, Yang was ahead in her classes anyway! She got the taffy candy out, walking over to Ruby. Placing it on the table.
"Hey cookie monster, I got you some good stuff. I'll be making that snowdrop tea in a minute to help your headaches. Really crap timing," she comforted her sister before feeling her forehead. "Your fever is going down a little bit, that's good. I also got some catfish."
"You…went fishing?" Ruby breathed whilst eyeing her sister incredulously, "thought anything truly slimy got you in hissy about your hair…"
"I didn't say I caught it, turns out I ran into that guy from a week ago that fixed mom's grave. Well, I say guy, but he's really your age." Yang explained to her sister before getting the meat on the cutting board, intent to make some fired catfish for them both and their father. "He's actually pretty nice!"
"Ooh…that's good," Ruby moaned before leaning up, moving her feet a little. "I'm sorry Zwei…"
The dog barked in response before walking his little black and white bread buns toward a food bowl. He began to chow down whilst Yang began prepping dinner. Ruby coughed into her hand, groaning when she noticed the candy on the table.
"Yang, what's this?"
"Oh, he gave me some of those. He's living with Madame Mallari, those are usually for those have insomnia or nightmares, but I don't think they could hurt you if need some extra shut-eye." Yang stated before beginning to cut, whilst getting the air fryer out. "Ruby, what seasoning do you want?"
"Well…it has to be strong for me to taste it, but I don't want to go to the bathroom every thirty minutes afterwards." Ruby pondered before groaning, "just pick something sis, I'm fine with whatevs…"
"Okay, well if you are going to take some of those taffies, wait until you eat. I got the snowdrop tea brewing, plus I'll have some whole milk and cookies to give you!" Yang called out from the kitchen, bending down to scratch Zwei's fluffy ears, "you taking care of mama, Zwei bean?"
The dog barked in response, happily wagging his little tail.
"Of course, he is, Zwei!" Ruby kisses for him, clicking her tongue, "c'mere boy!"
The little furball waddled over to his mother, jumping onto the couch, and into her arms. Her silver eyes puffy, whilst she stroked his back fur. She took a deep breath, looking at her scroll, "man you've been gone for a like two hours."
"Oh, well, I kind of talked to the guy a little bit. He seems sweet, but he's mute." Yang said whilst leaning out of the kitchen, making a x mark with her hand over er throat. "Plus, he seemed a little weird."
"Aren't will all though?"
"True, I mean we're all a little weird. However," the buxom blonde tossed the fish into the air fryer. "He took down a effing Ursa with a kabar knife like it was not a big deal."
"Wow," Ruby got stars in her eyes a little bit before thinking, "are you jealous Yang?"
"What, me, nah Ruby. I don't get jealous about someone fighting, I get better!" Yang proudly boasted before humming a tune, "I was thinking putting you to work on helping me upgrade Ember Cilicia when you got better!"
Ruby smiles before thinking, "I'd love too, but I got a date with Crescent Rose first."
"Ooh oh, my little sister is dating multiple weapons now, naughty naughty~" Yang teased before getting the fish out of the air fryer, putting them on a plate. "Okay, Ruby, fish is done I'm just waiting on your tea!"
"Okay Yang, man, I really can't wait for this cold to go…and the cold weather." The silver-eyed girl stated before thinking. "Hey, did you end up finding the snowdrops on your own…or…"
"Hehe, well I actually didn't, he already had some. Gave me the fish too, with the candies. Seemed like he was genuinely being nice, didn't ask for anything in return!" Yang revealed whilst stirring the tea, adding a little bit of honey to sweeten it up.
Ruby smiles softly, and then offers up to her sister, "think we can make him some cookies when I'm better?"
"Sure, I guess," Yang honestly said whilst walking toward her sister with a plate of fish and small cookies with whole milk. "He might end up going to Pharos Academy in the spring."
"Wait…he took down an Ursa with a kabar knife, and isn't a student?" Ruby questioned whilst seemingly impressed, "Wow…remind me to not get on his bad side."
"He's weird, but sweet, so…wanna watch some adult television unsupervised on my VBO account?" Yang questioned whilst sitting next to Ruby, scooting Zwei over.
"Can we watch Game Of Four Thrones?" Ruby asked whilst blushing a little bit, "I want to see what happens to Nicholas Snow."
"Oof…" her sister tensed up a little bit, "I hope you ready for some rage."
"Oh no, they didn't…The Grimm Watch…" Ruby then cried out, "not another main character, gah!"
"Well he was being played by Jaune Bean, what did you expect?"
End Note.
Wow, 400 followers tonight guys, you are the best. So…we're moving into a small time skip soon. I can see some of y'all in the back going "ABOUT TIME!" and yes. It is.
I'm thinking of giving Naruto one these instruments…you know because it'd be something to help him express. I can't decide myself because they're all frigging good choices.
guitar, flute, shamisen, Taiko drums, or if we're getting him to the point of petty extra…Violin and you know very well why!
So, I've been talking to RWV3N about some future parts in this story that are WAAAAY down the line. I've been generally getting good feedback from you all, so I've been doing stuff right. Introducing Oscar this early was a plan, simply because I wanted Fū to parallel Naruto a little bit.
Now the big question is…where is "Madara" and Konan? Well, we might just find out next time…or…not. Really depends on how I want to flow this. Especially with the worst of Winter on the way!
Thank you all for being incredibly supportive, please leave a review. I'm listening viking music as I write this. I would like to say I'm a writer, but this raid music be hitting…something special in my blood. Ooh, that's a nice little mushroom…excuse me while I go ask this village next to me kindly to give some gold…
Kindly…VAHALA CALLING MEEEEEE!
See you all next time!
Blazeraptor54.