A/N: As ever, we're going by the now infamous Embers rule for this story.
This WILL be deleted if folks don't like it. So by all means! speak up!
Make yourselves heard! Every bit of feedback counts!
I really look forward to reading and chatting with you all after a long day working back to back shifts. What little downtime I have is often spent writing these days, and that really has a tendency to wear me out these days.
Now then, no questions this time. I'll let the chapter do the talking for me. Hopefully everyone enjoys it.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one.
Now, I do hope you're prepared for this...
"Life's not fair, is it? Trust me. I know. Believe me, I know.
I know it hurts. I know you wanna scream.
So feel it.
Feel the pure rage of being unable to forgive the rotten ways of this world. Let it be what gives you the strength to take action. With that fragile resolve of yours you can't protect anyone. Or change this world. And you'll never get revenge on those who mocked you, those who scorned you, those who said what you did couldn't be done! SO FEEL IT! Every bit of it! Embrace those feelings and prove them wrong! March forward with your head held high and know what you did here will echo throughout history!
That's what it means to be alive!
~?
Face the Beast
"Nobody. Move!"
Naruto felt rather than saw Summer hide behind his back. Qrow and Ozpin, still sprawled out on the floor, froze all the same. They, who had argued against him only moments ago, now listened to him without question. knew why. None of them had their weapons to hand. In the time it would take for them to find their footing, the creature could easily tear their throats out. And yet, it didn't.
No, the Alpha Beowolf ignored them all in favor of him.
The beast was massive; not at all like the others he'd faced. Easily twice his size, all but rippling with muscle, back bristling with jagged white spines. It must've come from the deeper part of the forest. It took one look at Summer and ignored her, as it would any other Grimm. Not so Naruto. It loped forward. He saw it in his mind's eye, felt its curiosity as if it were his own. Its mighty muzzle cocked just so, regarding him with idle curiosity. As he looked on it plonked down on its hind legs. With that simple gesture, the blond released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Not hostile. No yet. Nothing had set it off.
"Alright." he raised his right hand with infinite care, "You don't want to hurt anyone here, do you?"
Its hackles rose in a growl.
"I said," he growled back, "You don't want to hurt anyone."
Just like that its once-fearsome snarl trailed off into a pitiful whine.
Summer's jaw clicked open. "Did he just just out-alpha a freaking Beowolf?!"
"There you go." he turned that same palm upright to show himself harmless, allowing it to take in his scent at its leisure. "See? I'm no threat to you. None of these people are."
Qrow hissed. "What're you doing?!"
"Saving your life." Naruto bit out. He didn't take his eyes off the wolf. Not once; he didn't dare. "Now shut up and let me work."
He felt the weight of the Wolf's regard pressing down on him like a heavy blanket, thick and cloying. It made it difficult to think, let alone breathe. But he didn't waver. Even as it began to sniff at him like some curious pup would unto a member of its pack.
Wait. Pack? Oh, dear.
"Oomph!" he grunted as its wet snout slammed into his chest, only to laughed as a rough and wet tongue all but slapped him the face; the action physically staggered him. "Stop that!" firm hands set themselves behind the beast's ears as it continued to nuzzle him. "I'm not part of your pack. I'm just passing through. Now lets get you out of here, eh?"
Ozpin watched with wide eyes from where he lay. "Fascinating...you really can control them...
"They're not evil." Naruto scowled. "Just sensitive to emotions. Its not their fault."
A shrill cry from the stairs cut him off. "Grimm!"
The Beowolf rounded on the sound and Naruto with it. He felt the fear next and beheld a flash of silver eyes as Ruby's frightened face peeking down at them from the staircase. Yang was behind her, trying to tug her little sister back, to no avail. The die was cast, the words spoken, and the silence broken.
It moved.
There was no sound, no warning, nothing at all. One moment it crouched beside Naruto, utterly at its ease.
In the next, it broke his grip exploded into motion.
Summer shrieked at it. "Don't you dare!"
And the wolf flinched.
Naruto wasn't sure why and he hadn't the time to ponder it. He dove on the monster before it could recover, grabbing it by the scruff of the neck to reel it in. It didn't like that one bit. Sharp claws slashed out at him as it writhed in is grasp, bloodying his arms and coat. He grit his teeth and slammed it back through the wall, sending crashed out into the yard.
He waded out after it, shucking his ruined cloak as he went.
"You just had to make things difficult, didn't you?" A spark snarled between his teeth. "I had it all under control. But no! Nothing ever goes my way!"
The beast bounded back up, snapping at him. He flung up an arm. Razor teeth clamped down around it, engulfing it up to the elbow.
"You want my arm?" he scowled at it. "Go ahead. Take it. If you can."
Its claws caught at his jacket, bloodying him anew.
Strong jaws crunched down on his limb, gnawing furiously for naught. He kicked it away and flung his will at it like a net, trying to curb its aggression and convince it to flee. Drunk on dark emotion- fear, anger, hatred!- it resisted wholeheartedly. It was awake now, its blood up, and yet for all that, it wasn't at fault here. He knew that. It had been calm until Ruby screamed. Until it felt her fear. Until it saw her silver eyes. Silver eyes. He didn't have time to make a correlation between the two. Already it was turning back toward the house.
Naruto flung his savaged arm out after the Grimm and his will with it. "Stop!"
His will, his command, hit it like a physical force, rooting it in place. He pounced. His hand came down on its mask, felt its frenzied mind clash with his, and pushed through. He loathed doing this to a creature that clearly expressed signs of reason and intelligence, but he had no choice. It was fixated on Ruby.
No! Not now! Azure orbs flashed into scarlet, black bleeding against the white of his eyes.
He spoke with a voice like thunder. "You! Will! Obey!"
Its body shivered.
"Stay!" he stabbed a finger at the monstrosity before it could bound toward Summer's home. His voice was word and light and power; there was no time for niceties. He didn't simply break the Grimm, he dominated it, all but lashed his will against its feeble intellect and shoved it down until such a time as it could resurface again. Black fur burnished gold as cracks scrawled across its mask. Those jagged bony spines on his back shrunk and curled inward, vanishing into its spine. Its once tense posture went slack as control was wrested away from it, however briefly.
Still he held on until the process was complete, fearing the Alpha Beowolf might break free.
But it didn't.
He felt the moment that it calmed, all its aggression slipping away like so much water through his fingers. The creature couldn't quite bow, not as a human could, but it still pressed its snout against the earth all the same with a soft grumble. Only then did he dare move his hand. Scarlet sparks scrawled across his palm, and he winced a little a the feedback. A little pain was a small price to pay for peace.
"Oh, wow." He heard Summer whisper somewhere behind him. "So...so...that's what it looks like."
Further back a cane clattered to the floor. "No. That's impossible...
Naruto cast a weather eye over his shoulder, already knowing what he would find there. Summer and the others had recovered while he grappled with the surly Alpha; now he found them looking at him as if he'd grown a second head. Casper popped out of his shoulder with a curious trill, and he didn't have the heart to shove the little geist back down. He must've looked quite the sight, battered and bloodied, lording over a giant Grimm as if he were some sort of king. Likewise, he read their expressions. Awe in Summer, shock from Qrow and suspicion from Ozpin.
He knew what would come next; what always did. It was time to leave.
"Good boy." Naruto slapped the beast once on the shoulder. "C'mon, lets get out of here. I think we've overstayed our welcome."
A wash of hot steam struck him in the face as the beast imploded from within. Bits of bone and golden fur blasted him in the face, sending him sputtering.
Naruto flung up an arm and squinted into the sudden haze. "What in the world...?!"
He looked. And then he saw. He soon wished he hadn't.
Something flashed in his peripherals.
(.0.0.0.)
"So glad I stayed!"
Lisa Lavender knelt yet lower in the bushes, concealing herself yet further from any prying eyes.
All the while her Scroll clicking rapidly -incessantly!- as it captured picture after picture.
Forget news! This might just be the scoop of the century! This was history!
(.0.0.0.)
Was he cursed?
Because he was starting to feel cursed.
Naruto all but flung up his arms and shouted at the heavens.
"Stop putting people in Grimm, damnit! The hell am I supposed to do with all these followers?!"
...excuse me?"
For once again, there was a person in place of the Grimm he'd just tamed. Whomever she might be -and this was most certainly a she!- they were a dark-skinned beauty, body well-toned and wreathed in scars. Clearly a faunus of some sort, judging by her grey wild beast-like ears and swaying tail to match. A lone silver eye regarded him curiously, warily, while the other remained a scarred mess, sealed by an old wound. All told she looked a warrior in every way; like some female amazon straight out of legend.
She was also naked. Very naked. Funny how he'd failed to notice that last bit until now.
"Oh, for the love of...!"
He flailed and flung his jacket at them. It landed around their shoulders loosely. She didn't even try to grasp at it. Her lone eye looked right. Left now. Right again. She shook her entire body as one might expect of a dog-or a wolf!-and finally craned her neck up at him. A slow, almost sleepy blink followed, as though she weren't quite awake. Her head turned just so, and he saw bits of a broken mask framing her face in a pseudo collar of some sort, one that branched toward her right ear.
And still she stared at him.
...at last. Freedom." when she finall spoke her voice was low indeed, the voice of a warrior through and through. "Feels...strange."
Back toward the house, Qrow made a noise and crashed backward in a dead faint.
"Who the hell're you and why were you in that Grimm?" Naruto took the lull for what it was. He dropped down to his haunches. Nearly kneeling before the woman, he fixed her with a fearsome scowl and continued his interrogation. "Is this gonna be a pattern or something?!"
...it has been so long, and my path so dark." she seemed to visibly struggle with the words, as if speaking were an effort after so many years of silence. "I no longer remember my name."
"Well, that's going to be a problem." Very much so, in more ways than one, because he had no idea what he was doing here. "What do I call you?"
"I...led a pack." the young, dusky-skinned woman frowned, silver eye flashing as she gazed upon him. "Alpha. My name is Alpha."
This was all too much. Way above his pay grade. No, wait. He wasn't even getting paid for these shenanigans! He just wanted to show the world that the Grimm weren't evil, that they could be lived with, instead of fought. Instead he'd stumbled upon a secret best left forgotten. Were Grimm really people? Or were people Grimm? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. How could he? They were treading new ground here, and he didn't know the way forward. There could be no going back. The only way out was through.
"Not the best name, I guess, but it'll do." He reached down and helped them to their feet. "Easy, now...
Unfortunately in standing, the newly-named Alpha lost the jacket he'd flung over her body. It crumpled to the floor at her feet. Naruto felt his cheeks burn a bright vermilion before he wrestled his eyes under control. With a supreme effort of will, he stooped down, snatched up the tattered garment and held it out to her with one hand. For his good dead, he received only silence.
Naruto pinched his brow and pointedly averted his gaze. "Clothes, now. Please. Wear them."
Alpha frowned and cocked her to one side. "Why?"
"Why?! Because you're human again!"
Another blink, lazy as the last.
...and?"
This really wasn't his day.
He wanted to say more, and would have...if he hadn't looked up.
He looked up and saw countless red eyes staring at him from the woods. More Grimm. Had to get away. Now.
His hand swept out toward them. His will touched theirs, begging them to be still, and they complied. He'd never tried to sway this many at once...
A ring of concentric green light swept out behind him; forcing him to duck and drag Alpha down with him. It kept going and smote the rest as one; rendering their bodies so much ash on the wind. Naruto flinched, feeling their deaths as if they were his own. Connected to each of them, it was like a dozen deaths. All gone, in the blink of an eye. They hadn't deserved that. They were only curious.
Alpha snarled into his side, screaming a single word. "Murderer!"
"Unfortunately for you," a familiar voice drawled, "History will not see it that way."
Naruto climbed to his feet, hauling the struggling woman with him. He already knew who he would find there. Sure enough, Ozpin had finally recovered from his shock and was now advancing upon them, cane in hand. His expression remained carefully neutral as he stopped some feet away.
"Impressive," here at last, he smiled, and it was a stern thing indeed. "Most impressive. I had no idea you were truly capable of this. Now that we've dealt with that little interruption, I must insist that you surrender yourself." his cane came up, flourished as a fencer might their blade. "I truly mean you neither of you harm, but I will use force if necessary."
Naruto bridled. "Never."
He placed two fingers between his teeth and whistled.
Nothing happened. Ozpin quirked a grey brow. "And what was that meant to accomplish?"
"SKREEEEEEE!"
Ozpin made the mistake of looking up, if only for a moment. It would prove his undoing.
An ear-piercing shriek filled the air as a dark shadow swooped down from on high; an arrow of purest black and white midnight. Naruto couldn't quite hold back a smile at the sight of it. His Nevermore -much recovered thanks to its day of rest- struck the ground like a ballistic missile. The sheer shockwave of its landing blasted the sage back, forcing him to retreat when faced with its sharp beak.
At his side, Alpha made a faint nose of approval and stalked forward. Her visible eye gleamed with murder.
"No! No killing!" Naruto frog-marched her forward. "Get on the damn bird!"
...as you command."
His noble steed flared its wings, sending razor sharp quills shooting into the dirt. They fell well short of Ozpin...as intended. Their impact alone kicked up a cloud of dust from the word dirt road; a smothering smokescreen that forced the stubborn wizard to shield his face with an arm lest he be blinded. It bought them precious seconds to climb aboard the great bristling bird; time enough for it to beat its wings and take flight.
A shard of wild green light pierced the haze and struck the creature's chest. It faltered in midstroke, but didn't fall.
Naruto saw the next, caught it, and sent it slamming back to its owner. Ozpin grunted and went sprawling.
For a moment, just a moment, the haze cleared. And he saw again.
Naruto cast one last fretful glance down at Summer, and her daughters with her. There was so much he wanted to say. To do. He would've liked to talk with her a little more. To say his goodbyes to Ruby and Yang. To explain. To make them see that he wasn't the villain here, that he'd never wanted to be. Shame colored his face. They'd be terrified of him after this. Definitely. Probably. Who could possibly befriend a man that walked with the Grimm? Even children knew better-
The girls looked up, saw him, and waved, in defiance of everything he'd expected. His heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Bye-bye, uncle!" Ruby hopped in place, waving furiously. "Thanks for bringing mommy back!"
Yang cupped both hands to either side of her mouth. "Don't get caught!"
His throat closed. In the end, only two words came. "I'm sorry."
Summer lurched forward, arm outstretched. "Wait...!"
Too late, his mount beat its wings anew and they soared into the sky, leaving her behind.
(.0.0.0.)
Red eyes opened in the gloom.
And in that darkness, Salem smiled.
"There you are," she cooed, "Little usurper...
(.0.0.0.)
The wilds of Vale were lush and beautiful.
A savage land yet unconquered by man, yet teeming with life all the same. There were no settlements this far off the beaten path; no roads to follow, no hunters to avoid, no sign of civilization to be seen for miles on end in any given direction. No one could find a man in this place if he didn't wish to be found.
It was into this paradise that Naruto bid his Nevermore land, allowing it to alight upon a grassy knoll.
Alpha dismounted a heartbeat before him, all but throwing herself from the beast's back.
Naruto cast a weather eye at her pallid expression. "You alright?"
"Bleurgh!" She dropped to all fours and heaved upon the grass. "That was awful! If man was meant to fly, he would've been born with wings!"
...so, not alright then."
Naruto dismounted next, biting back a smile. He didn't much understand this strange woman, but at least he didn't have to worry about ferrying her back to a family...that he knew of. The more he dwelt on it, the more he wanted to believe. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. He had done good, and that was good enough. He might never see Summer again, and though the thought stung, he could at least take some solace that she was safe with her family. It would be fine. Only a fool would try to hurt her now.
"All's well that ends well, I guess...
"I'll say!" A peal of euphoric laughter caught his ears. "What a rush! That beat a bullhead by a mile!"
Naruto whirled just in time to see a familiar figure tumble off the bird's back and land in the grass. He blinked, not quite comprehending what -who!- he was looking at. He blinked again. Three times for good measure. Hit himself upside the head. Scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. Nope. Still there. Which begged the question. Why was she here?!
"You must be joking...
Alpha straightened and rounded on her with a snarl. "Intruder!"
"No!" Naruto yanked her back by the scruff of the neck before she could pounce. "Don't!"
She stilled once more. Their Nevermore began to preen its feather, wholly unconcerned with its hitchhiker. Naruto circled around the great raven and scowled down at the individual in question. Hair disheveled from the frantic flight, they beamed back at him without a care in the world, without even the slightest regard for their well being.
"Hello~!" Lisa Lavender flashed a jaunty little wave from where she lay. "Long time no see!"
Naruto felt his right eye twitch. "We literally spoke less than an hour ago."
She waved his words away. "Semantics!"
He growled. "Why. Are you. Here?"
Lisa grinned up at him.
"I already told you," as he looked on she sat up, ran a hand down her rumpled clothes, and fished out her scroll. "I want to tell the world your story. I meant it. And after what I just saw?" that small smile gained an edge, one he found himself admittedly fond of. "You're news. I never let a good story get away from me."
A disbelieving guffaw burst from him. "You jumped on a Nevermore, all for that?!"
"Eh," she offered a selfsame smile. "I've done crazier things. Also, I'm staying."
Naruto couldn't help but sigh. "I don't get any say in this, do I?"
Lisa's grin reminded him of a shark. "Nope~!"
The ghost of a smile touched his face.
"Stubborn girl...
A/N: As ever, we're going by the Embers rule. This'll be deleted quickly if folks don't like it.
So speak up! Make yourselves heard! Every bit of feedback counts! Seriously!
Strange at it may seem, I can't write without reviews. That's no joke.
Worry not, we haven't seen the last of Summer or the rest.
To clarify, Alpha is essentially Ghislaine from the now infamous anime Mushoku Tensei, albeit with a Silver Eye rather than red. I had toyed with the idea of Maria instead, but who knows? She might appear later down the line.
Didn't see that coming now, did you?
Aaaand there we go. As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write.
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
Have some new previews!
As ever, a disclaimer:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD!
BEWARE!
(Previews!)
"They must be dealt with, James!"
"I disagree. Where you see peril, I see...potential."
Naruto smashed his head against a tree. Once. Twice. Thrice.
"I swear! I'm surrounded by crazy people!"
Lisa grinned. "Sooo, is that a yes?"
"Not the time!"
"Can't blame a girl for trying...
"We should run tests on her."
Taiyang grit his teeth. "Absolutely not!"
"Only a monster deals in absolutes. I will do what I must."
"Ha! You will try, dear boy."
"No. I will SUCCEED."
"You can't help anyone! You can't save anyone!"
"Who decided that?!"
"We are prepared to offer your sanctuary in return for your assistance...
Naruto pinched the brow of his nose. "No.
R&R~!