This Chapter Will be Triggering for some.
There is canon equivalent gore of Berserk in the 4th scene.
And finally, the final scene is triggering, for like I said...
Death is Coming...
Reader Discretion is Advised.
Tick, Tock.
The room was sweltering. Beads of sweat clung to his skin, saturating his clothes. He felt the oppressive heat press down on his chest and make it difficult to take a breath. An invisible force seemed to be attempting to draw him to the floor, pulling at every fiber of his being and trying to force him into submission.
To yield.
He refused.
Naruto Uzumaki did not yield!
"And what exactly is there that we can talk about?" Naruto questioned as the wisp of golden light glowed in the middle of the room, its presence burning brightly and the pressure it was asserting making it difficult even for him to catch his breath.
He could see every member of the Schnee family struggle to breathe, with only Weiss and Winter showing any signs of resistance as their aura buffered the magnitude of the ethereal entity before them. And even their breathing was stifled.
Naruto could not waste time. He needed to get to the point as Fate's mere existence in this realm was causing the family suffering. He no doubt believed it would start to warp the very domain around her. She was not like Kaguya, that was for sure.
She was something more.
I exist eternally…
At all moments…
In all realities.
Your struggles are known to me.
I wish to end this farce.
Before it ends in our mutual destruction.
Fighting to keep his breath and stay on his feet before the omniscient being asserted her will on him, his ears flattened. His eyes dilated and narrowed, and he gnashed his teeth. "Our mutual destruction? Are you saying that in my bid to free myself of your control…"
"I will destroy both of us?!"
Affirmative.
Attempting to Route a New Course…
But…
Shifts Result in the same Outcome.
Our mutual demise.
So I wish to come to an accord.
Then we may peacefully exist.
And thus this world may be restored…
To the heavenly plane, it was meant to be.
Where Gods and Mortals can walk amongst each other yet again.
"Exactly how?" Naruto took a sucking breath, fighting for each word as he looked at the golden wisp as it hovered before him. "Even as your Champion, I have to say…"
"You have fucking screwed me at so many turns! You are worse at your job than your sons, and they screwed Ozpin and Salem hard!" Naruto growled through the pain, feeling his lungs would burst as he watched Klein fall to his knees and catch Willow as she stumbled.
Because you deviated from My Course.
You found Shifts.
You took them.
If you stayed the Path…
All would have been fine.
I chose you because I desired the challenge…
Of one that resists the Threads of Destiny.
Yet ultimately, plays their part.
But now something has changed…
You took the Anomaly as your Bride.
Instead of the Fated Queen.
Unacceptable.
She will be terminated.
"Fuck you! Blake is my mate, and you will not condemn her!" Naruto roared as golden specs began to flicker around his body, his eyes shifting to an orangish-gold hue as a blue orb tried to form in his hand.
Only for a gold light to shatter his Rasengan before it could form.
And then a second hit him straight in the center of his sternum, piercing through the entirety of his torso. His eyes widened in shock at the sudden force of the blow, and in that instant, he felt everything within him begin to drain. A lot of his chakra was being drained into the light as if it were being burned away. He wasn't sure which as it was so instantaneous, but at the exact moment…
He felt something else within him…
A power he hadn't felt in a long time.
Surging within and filling his very being!
And at that very moment, unbeknownst to him, a sun sigil formed in his right palm.
In a flash, Naruto was flung off his feet and driven into and through the study wall and crashing through what he could only imagine was, thankfully, bedding.
Unnecessary.
Useless.
Stop trying to summon that power!
I won't allow it…
Asura.
You are not a God here.
Not anymore!
And I won't let them through!
You are alone!
Obey and submit!
A pain-filled, hacking cough resonated in the stilled air as the dust settled. Yet the resolve in his voice grew stronger as golden flickers began to sparkle further. "For a being that exists at all times and everywhere at once…"
"You don't seem to understand who the hell I am! I will not give you the satisfaction of yielding! You better believe that!" Naruto bellowed as a golden spark temporarily filled the room as he stood from shattered bedding from the space over, and his boy was temporarily coated in the aura.
"Onmyōton!"
NOT ALLOWED!
Golden spears formed and shot faster than he could react, piercing through his torso, both biceps and into his thighs and calves. However, in the same instant, a black orb made of every element condensed before him and shifted into a spear shape.
And a return volley of a single black line shot forth of equal speed and crashed into the golden orb.
"Gudōdama!"
And in a brief second, there was an earth-shattering crack that shattered all the glass in the mansion and blew everyone off their feet. Furniture was toppled, and weaker furniture collapsed as a scream filled the air.
THIS PAIN!
For a brief and momentary second, the golden form of an angelic being was visible. A being holding a massive wheel in her clutches. Six golden wings spread elegantly across her back. And finally, there was the last piece that was seen: two fox ears perched on the top of her head and a fluffy swishing tail of a fox.
Then in a vacuuming snap that pulled everything towards itself for a brief second, a powerful shockwave sundered the building, collapsing it onto itself as the golden figure vanished.
But her scream weighed upon all to hear, trapping everything deep within the rubble.
I AM THE ALL-MOTHER!
MY WILL IS LAW!
RELENT AND OBEY!
And the mansion beneath was laid in rubble as the absence of its presence slowly washed over the area. Dust began to lift, and pebbles of debris were shifted and tossed aside. Heavy hacking and wheezing filled the space as artificial materials filled their lungs.
Jacques was the first to call out, with his lungs still filled with toxic matter, looking around to see his daughter defensively hunched over him. And his eyes were wide with worry and amazement seeing her, along with a dispersal of smoke showing there had been another protector. "Winter! Dear, are you all right?!"
Covered in the soot and remnants of the mansion, staging her once white attire and pale appearance, Winter struggled to breathe as she collapsed to her knees and clutched the side of her torso. And she winced, feeling a piece of debris buried in her ribcage. She felt her aura crackle, and she knew the shield she used to protect herself and her father was not enough. Even the clone wasn't enough…
"Been better…" Winter grimaced as she felt crimson staining her hand; her eyes shifted to the rest of the debris moving. "Mother, Weiss, Whitley…"
"Alive and still without much of a scratch from that somehow." Whitley let his sister know he was alive as the broken ceiling part cracked and shifted as a plum of smoke revealed their location, showing Weiss covering Whitley. "I dare say my dear sister took the brunt end of that…"
"I'm so sorry."
"As long as you're okay. I can take serious hits." Weiss groaned through half-lidded eyes as she shook her head, her entire body rippling as her aura could no longer sustain itself, and she slid to the ground tiredly. "Why does this keep happening?"
"By the Brothers, is this normal for you?" Whitley retorted with a shocked expression and genuine worry as he checked on his sister.
Weiss did not respond as she took her time to catch her breath; having struggled to breathe in the last few moments and taking the debris of the sudden mansion to protect her family was more than she was prepared for. Her eyes confirmed his question with a subtle glance, and he grimaced.
"Oh, dear. That's troubling indeed…"
"Willow!" Jacques barked as he stumbled, trying to get his bearings, but even he felt struck by the weight of the debris. "Dammit, all…"
"We're here!" Willow called out as the debris moved, and to his relief, his wife and Klein seemed relatively unharmed outside the coating of dust and debris.
He sighed in relief until his eyes fell onto the other figure with them, collapsing on Klein's shoulders. The one that had protected and defended his wife and butler.
An unconscious blonde faunus bleeding profusely, several holes piercing his body but worrisome…
Through his chest, one, in particular, was very close to piercing the young man's heart. And the look on Klein's face as he quickly moved him as safely as he could to the ground and began to check on him let him know instantly what was wrong.
Without hesitation, Jacques reached into his pocket and drew his scroll. He didn't care that it was Atlas tech at the moment. He needed to use it as he made the call. "This is Councilman Jacques Schnee! I request the services of as many emergency airlifts to my residence here at Vale this instant! A terrorist attack has leveled my mansion, and we need assistance! My family needs treatment and…"
"Huntsman Naruto is in critical condition! Get here now!"
"Come on, Glynda is always punctual. I've never known her to be late. She'd be the one to rise from her casket to berate her hearse drive if she was a quarter of a second tardy." Qrow grumbled as he held his scroll and looked up at the call, waiting for the reporting officer to inform him that she had walked into the station.
"I'm sorry, Huntsman Qrow. However, she is not here at this time, and it might be some time before she's in. Given she went down to the docks personally this morning, it could be a while before she arrives at the station." The night shift responder, Alice, he believed her name was, held his call and was waiting to see if she came in or if something was wrong. "I should take a message for her in case something happened this morning…"
"No offense to you, doll, but at this moment, I'm not trusting anyone giving messages after the debacle I heard about yesterday. She's going to have a row, and people will be fired or imprisoned for dereliction of duty before the day is out." Qrow responded with a noxious tone, suggesting that he didn't trust any of the officers.
Or many people for that manner. He was a naturally distrustful kind of person.
It seemed on the other end of the line, Alice took it rather personally. She tried to restrain it the best she could, but a muffled hiss was heard from the other end. "I can only do so much…"
"Oh, here she is. Chief Goodwitch. Huntsman Qrow is on the line for you!"
"About bloody time…" Qrow muttered as he waited momentarily for the receiver on the other end to be handed off to the person he was looking for. "Glynda, I…"
"Qrow, I don't have time for this. Where the hell were you last night? I thought you were going to be there for that debacle!" Glynda lit into Qrow from the other line, staggering the Branwen against the cabin he was leaning against and catching the attention of the other person standing nearby.
"Shit, I'm sorry, okay! I knew the kids were going and…"
"You let the children go into an ambush situation instead of going yourself! You call yourself a man!" Glynda roared, and Qrow fumbled his scroll as the venom in his friend's voice put fear into him and made it difficult to grasp the tiny object. "Those were my students, not to mention your flesh and blood was there too, Qrow! And you let them walk into a warzone without preparation!"
"Glynda, there was hardly any time and no way to know they would react in such a manner. James would not have allowed such drastic measures to be taken if he was aware…" Qrow attempted to elucidate, yet he was interrupted again.
"And you didn't find a discreet way to inform me before sending me there too! Pen and paper exist, Qrow! Use them! The next time I see you, I will make you regret your life decisions!" Glynda ripped into the corvid through the scroll, making him pale as he knew what she could do to him.
"I like her." Tai gave his friend a mocking grin as he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the cabin on the other side of the door. "She does have her priorities straight."
"Fuck off, Tai! This isn't the time!" Qrow snapped at his family as his red eyes glanced wickedly at the dusty blonde near him. "I'll tell her about us and make this entire thing blow up before it gets started!"
"I already know! Yang is very open about her personal life!" Glynda's response caused both Tai and Qrow to show their astonishment with simultaneous expressions.
It was clear that they weren't amused.
"By the Brother's girl! Learn to shut your mouth!"
"And I don't care one way or the other! That has never bothered me. We can work out a day later, but for now, there are much more serious things to deal with," Glynda glowered from the other end of the line. "I assume you are finally calling as you are finished, or he's dead."
"Come on, give me some credit. I'm not that sloppy." Qrow chastised his friend over the scroll before he grimaced.
"No, but she would have killed him if he didn't break soon as she started to carry out her threat…" Tai's expression changed as the door slowly opened, and a third person came into view.
Her ears perked up as she carefully wiped a streak of blood from her face. Her eyes, once shimmering gold, now glowed with fury and intense alertness. "He talked. That was all we needed. We got what we wanted."
"You let her interrogate the man! Qrow Branwen, your respectability is dropping by the second!" Glynda steamed on the other line. "She still isn't seasoned enough…"
"Do not tell me I am not seasoned. I have been in the room when police have done such things to faunus before." Blake hissed as she heard Glynda clearly and angrily retort to her former Professor. "I have watched as informants have been dealt with in such a manner before in my time in the Fang. I knew what needed to be done, and I did it."
"I accept the consequences of my actions, and may they haunt me for the rest of my days. But I will not stand and let my new home and my new life be put in danger because Fate wants to drive this narrative that she controls all!"
"The hell she does! Humanity and Faunus-kind control their destiny and will shape it with our own two hands!" A faded black aura sparked lightly around Blake as she growled viciously and began storming away.
And it was momentarily quiet as Qrow and Tai watched the faunus girl retreat before Qrow whispered to Glynda over the scroll. "Yeah, send someone over to pick him up. He's not in the best shape to be transported back from here the way I brought him. She came in like that as something lit a fire in her beyond what was already there."
"Whatever gets in her path will be scorched to cinders…" Tai observed as she paused abruptly and took out her scroll to answer the call, her expression reflecting displeasure.
"Unfortunately, you might be more on point with that statement than I fear if Miss Nikos doesn't decide soon…" Glynda gathered her thoughts and made the call to organize the retrieval of the apprehended assassin.
"What?! Hold on, does that mean what I think it does?!" Qrow furrowed his brow as his eyes darted at the scroll's screen as that was something that was left out. "I know Oz was there last night, but he can't be coming back to her. Not now! Fate is targeting her…"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NARUTO IS NOT BREATHING?!"
"Despite your magic fairy dust, my head still fucking hurts…" Yang swore as she sat at her kitchen table, poked at the waffle she had taken out of the toaster, and poured syrup on it. "Thought it was supposed to heal me faster, stupid magic bullshit fairy…"
"I did what I could!" Puck mumbled as he glared at the blonde-haired girl in the room before he gave her a raspberry. "It's not my fault you didn't get a good night's sleep and aren't relaxing as I told you to! You need to give yourself a break! All of you do, or your wounds will not heal!"
"I swear you are all just as stubborn as Guts!"
"That's not necessarily a bad thing with everything happening," Tealle spoke softly, smiling at Yang as she cut a waffle. "Thank you for breakfast."
"Yeah, don't mention it. The least I can do if I'm watching you today with Jaune." Yang mumbled to herself as she ate her breakfast and readjusted her t-shirt, which felt tight.
She stretched against the chair's backrest, then thrust out her chest as she yawned loudly. Roughly shaking her head to combat the mild drowsiness, Yang brought her attention to Tealle while still mid stretch. "No letting the witch do what she did yesterday to Blake and Velvet. Let's have a nice and calm day today."
"She says that is unlikely as it is not up to her today. She feels a presence in the air." Tealle chewed on her food as she spoke.
"Ahk!" Jaune tripped at the visage he was being presented with and couldn't help but stare as he waited for his waffles to finish popping from the toaster and instead stuffed his hand in there. "Hot, hot!"
"Yes, I am." Yang grinned as she knew she had caught Jaune taking a peek and felt her confidence boosted ever so slightly seeing the fellow blonde flush in response. "I can also kick anyone's ass that doesn't agree, so Jaune, am I hot, cold, or just right?"
"That is a loaded question!" Jaune fired back he flushed furiously as he looked over at Yang. "I swear if this was about looking directly at…"
"Relax." Yang giggled into her meal and leaned back in her chair, unconcerned with the way that this position thrust her ample chest toward Jaune. "You're fine. Pyrrha isn't here to lambast you in any way. And it's not like I care either."
"Men's opinions don't matter to me anymore. I had one or two guys whose opinions truly mattered, and that's it. Otherwise, I don't care. I prefer women."
"Oh, you're what mother calls a lesbian!" Tealle loudly proclaimed as she took another bite of her food, and Yang nearly choked on her bite as she sat back up while Jaune sighed in relief, as his stress was relieved as he didn't have to deal with twin peaks poking out at him. "I think that's nice. You should be able to love who you prefer."
Beaming brightly at the young teenager, Yang's lilac eyes twinkled proudly. "Yeah, you're right. You should."
And that's when Jaune opened his mouth, and Yang twitched.
"That is true," Jaune commented as his waffles popped out of the toaster, and he quickly set them onto his plate, managing not to burn himself this time. "But in Yang's case, I think she's more attracted to anything with two legs and thinks is good-looking."
"Yo, you want to go!" Yang roared as she banged her hands on the small kitchen table and stood hunched up at the table, her eyes glaring heatedly at Jaune. "Cause we'll go! Right now!"
"Oh, this coming from the hothead fawning over every guy at the start of Beacon flexing their muscles and drunkenly hitting on her teammates. That's rich." Jaune passively waved off Yang's rage as he poured syrup onto his waffles. "What are we going to do? Get my ass kicked in Acadia Fighters? News flash that's a daily occurrence for me. I live with Nora."
Scowling as she stood up straight and screwed up her eyes, continuing to glare at her fellow blonde, Yang gave a quick vertical glance as she studied him. And then the smallest trace of a grin appeared on her lips. "When did you grow a spine? I like it!"
"When Pyrrha shoved one down my throat, and I learned to stand on my own two feet," Jaune responded as he put the syrup before picking up his plate, walking over and setting it on the table, and scratching the back of his neck as he sheepishly grinned. "Although, I do know when not to push back when she is still pissed off at me. Sometimes I clearly screw up and deserve her ire."
"Boy, have I screwed up way too often, and I understand that." Yang rolled her eyes and sat down as Jaune joined them at the table. "If I had a penny every time I nearly messed up my relationship with my friends or did or said something I shouldn't have, I'd be rich as a Schnee. For Brother's sake, I inherited my mother's tact, and she was never around for me to learn that from her!"
"I guess there is some truth on both sides of the nature vs. nurture argument." After cutting into his waffles, Jaune took his first bite, smiling in satisfaction. "Oh, I haven't had a waffle in forever. It has to be pancakes in the mornings with Nora around. And don't get me wrong, pancakes are delicious, but having the same thing over and over…"
"Gets stale," Tealle frowned before she happily took a bite as Puck fluttered nearby her shoulders before landing on the table. "Living on the road means our diet is almost always the same. And with my health the way it was before, I was subjected to a very strenuous and particular diet."
"Tealle…" Puck looked up at his young ward from the table in a caring manner before giving her a warming smile and seeing the sudden spark within her.
"So getting to try new things like processed food is exciting!" Tealle's green eyes sparkled as she took a bite and grinned. "It has this weird paper-like crunchiness, tastes like cardboard, and is super tangy! I like it!"
"Why do you know what cardboard tastes like?" Jaune asked inquisitively as he tilted his head and gave Tealle a worrying look before turning his attention to the elf. "Why? What did you let her eat when she was a kid? I'd blame you if she ever ate it! You are far less responsible than her father, that is for sure!"
"Hey! I would never allow Tealle to do such a thing under my watch!" Puck flew off and fluttered into Jaune's face, holding his spiky flower in his hand, and stared him straight in the eyes. "You wanna go?! I think I can take you! Let's take this outside!"
"Little guy, this is a fight you don't want! Don't test me!" Jaune narrowed his eyes as he returned the glance and popped his knuckles warningly. "I might be the weakest of my group, but I think I can handle…"
His words were cut short as the back door was slammed open, and all four of them turned to see who had entered. After the series of events that had occurred, Jaune and Yang carried their weapons to breakfast so they could be on guard in case anything else happened.
And given with what they heard transpired last night, they wanted to make sure.
But Taiyang stood at the door, out of breath and clearly panicked as he looked around. His eyes landed on his daughter immediately. And with a grunt of frustration, he motioned for her to come with him. "Yang, get in the Jeep now. I need you to keep your friend calm and keep her from mauling me as I take her to the hospital!"
"What?!" Yang knocked her chair over as she jumped to her feet, grabbed Ember from the table, and fastened it onto her wrists. "Dad, what's going on…"
"Yang, I don't know! We were out at the place your mother is staying, as that's where Qrow was. Blake received a call, and all we know is Naruto is being airlifted without a pulse right now! With no way to get there quickly, I offered her a ride, and currently, she is in the jeep screaming and in a blind panic!" Tai explained what was happening to the best of his abilities.
Yang looked thoroughly shaken, Jaune's fork dropped from his hand and clattered against the plate upon hearing news of such magnitude. Naruto, the unstoppable force of a friend they had seen tackle impossible tasks and come out on top in better condition than he ought to be…
Was flatlining on his way to the hospital?
"As her friend, I need you to do what you can to keep her calm! As her friend, you are the only one I can think of that has a chance to do that right now!" Tai quickly responded as calmly as he could despite the rigidity of his body on how edge he was given, seeing the look in his daughter's eyes, knowing she wasn't that much in a better position upon hearing the news. "You need to do this! You are the only one who can. From the sounds, the Schnee girl was there, and she is a broken mess, too, and on the airlift."
Anxiety was all she could feel. What could she honestly do for Blake? She wasn't sure if she was okay herself after hearing that news. To have it dropped on her so suddenly that the strongest friend she knew, the one leading them during all this craziness, was quite possibly dying?
And she had to help her friend through it? She wasn't sure if she could, but…
Feeling a lump in her throat and water collecting in her eyes, Yang wiped away any tear that threatened to spill out. She had to do it. It was like her father said. She needed to do this. She had to be strong.
It was like how she had to be strong for Ruby earlier in their lives. The irony was her father saying those words, but he had learned the hard way…
"Okay." She sniffled a response as Yang looked her father in the eyes and bit her lip, trying not to shudder and keep the trepidation building within from showing.
"Good girl. Let's go." Tai gave a reassuring smile as he opened the door only to be nearly pushed aside as Tealle walked past both of them, not noticing the back veins bulging on her now pale skin. "I don't think it is a smart idea to go out…"
"Silence. I will deal with this myself. However, I do request your assistance, blonde girl. The child is still weak from my over-possession during all this mess." Salem's voice resonated over Tealle's, her red void eyes catching Yang's briefly as she walked past and toward the jeep.
"Oh shit, no, no, no!" Yang cried as she rushed past her father before calling for Jaune. "Jaune, the witch is in control again! What else could go wrong?"
"Dammit, this is not the time!" Jaune roared as he approached the door with his weapons equipped and prepared. "Just what is happening?!"
Opening the Jeep door, the possessed Tealle narrowed her eyes at the terror-stricken Blake as she was in the driver seat, trying to hotwire the vehicle. In her desperation, she didn't even try to wait for her friends. "Enough! This vehicle isn't able to get you there any faster than what it's capable of, and your pitiful attempts are futile."
Blake's golden eyes snapped into Salem's voids as all her raw emotions came to bear. "What else am I supposed to do?! The love of my life is dying…"
"For a brief moment, he might, but Fate will not allow him to die!" Salem snapped back at the desperate faunus hissing and yowling in the corner of the jeep as her hands frantically tried to hot wire it. "He was granted immortality, girl! He can never stay dead until his connection with Fate is severed!"
"It's time to see what kind of immortality he was given! Now come with me! My method of transportation is much faster than these measly creations." Salem held her hand and ordered her to get out of the jeep.
Without hesitation, Blake leapt out of the Jeep and grasped the hand of the possessed teenager. She didn't trust the witch, but she knew that the witch needed Naruto. And without him, all her plans would fail. And if she was offering a method of transport to him this instant…
She would take it.
"Not without me!" Yang grabbed hold of the handhold with her lilac eyes narrowed, even if she dreaded what she would find on the other side, as Jaune quickly joined them. "We are coming too, whether you like it or not!"
"Just take me to my mate!" Blake roared, hysteria building further into her crazed eyes as she glared at the possessed witch without a hint of fear or regret in her actions.
Salem only grinned as a puddle of murky Grimm liquid slowly engulfed and swallowed their feet. Tai froze in horror as he knew exactly what it was. He had seen it all over the island, and watched as both his daughter and Jaune were slowly drawn into it, their eyes widening in horror as they began to sink in. "Yang!"
Salem's eyes shifted to the man and glimmered for a moment before she returned to the group, noticing only two members' panic. That would have to do. The other was dealing with her own terror at the moment. She would relish this as best she could as their heads began to sink into the goop. "Be warned. Don't let go, or you will die."
"I've lost a few minions that way."
"Oh, by the Brothers, no!" Was all that was heard from Jaune as they slid into the Grimm pool and left a frightened Tai at what he had just witnessed and a startling realization.
That his children were possibly working with the witch that Qrow had recently informed him of and the murderer of his very wife…
And that meant Qrow and Raven were too.
What the hell was going on?!
"Oh, Brothers…" Pyrrha gasped as she held her hands over her mouth the moment those she was with passed through the portal, her emerald eyes wide at the scene before her.
She nearly fell back through, but the portal closed. Instead, she stumbled into a tent, and her eyes were horrifically drawn to something that should not be adorning the tent.
Ruby said nothing. Her stomach churned, and she fell to her knees as a nauseating smell permeated the air the moment they arrived. The stench overwhelmed her and stimulated her gag reflex, and her stomach contents lurched forth, spewing onto the crimson-stained ground.
And she screamed as she realized her hands were stained with the liquid when she fell to her knees.
Raven was paralyzed with fear. The traveling camp she once called home was torn asunder and stained crimson. Torn limbs were strewn across the ground, littering the tents and shattered crates that housed much of the loot they had acquired over years of raids. Guts, intestines, and other internal organs were sprinkled throughout, some finding their way onto tents, acting as if they were decorations.
And the dirt and grass beneath was soaked with a fresh, warm crimson glow as blood shimmered from every tremble of her feet.
Then a trickling, lapping sound caught her attention, and her red eyes snapped with fury as several Beowolves arrived on the scene to taste the fresh blood spilled.
A hollowed scream bellowed from Raven's lips as she streaked past. In an instant, she was behind the Grimm, tearing through all but one of them as she looked back at them with her enraged eyes glowing with blue.
And the skies billowed as several bolts of lightning struck it repeatedly, searing the Grimm's flesh before she unleashed another hollowed scream as she severed the head with a single stroke of Omen.
Its dispersal into smoke did nothing to satisfy or quench her hatred. What had happened here? Why did this have to happen this way? Why did no one listen to her? This could have been avoided!
"This all could have been avoided. You damn fools!" Raven wailed as she clutched Omen tightly in her grasp and looked upon the grizzly scene before her as the tears stains that blemished her cheeks were joined by a steady stream. "If only you had listened to me, maybe we could have turned a new leaf…"
An unearthly howl filled her being with dread as it came from nearby. It felt so demonic. Yet it felt so raw—Beastial and untamed.
Taking steps forward through the carnage, squishing any flesh and crunching every bone beneath his feet, Guts made his way toward the noise unflinchingly. His face was schooled to an impassive scowl as he held his gaze forward as he walked past the three and spoke to Raven. "Take them back to town. They are not ready for this."
"Return in ten minutes. The deed will be done whether I survive the encounter or not." Guts finished as he kept walking forward, his cape billowing behind him. "If I do not make it, make sure the armor makes it to the boy…"
"It may be his last hope to push past these immeasurable odds."
Raven's eyes snapped to the man walking toward the gates of her old camp and moving toward the demonic screech not too far in the distance. The collected tone. A stoic demeanor despite everything around him. She felt the horrid feeling from the howl, yet he moved forward as if it was nothing. This scene didn't even cause him to flinch, and he desecrated the body as he walked through as if…
Frowning, she watched his retreating back as he left through the shattered remains of the gate. And as she did, Raven knew. He had been through this before. This was nothing new to him. He had been through this many times before, and it had become an old habit. What sort of life did one live to have to become desensitized to such things?
"Ruby. Girl. Stand. We move." Raven snarled as she turned her gaze to the young huntresses and snapped at them. "You want to learn on the job. Now it's time. Get used to this sight!"
"This is what happens when you are too late!" Raven stalked toward her daughter-figure as she shook and trembled at the sight before her, lifted Ruby by her cape, and stared into her silver eyes. "You've taken a life before. This is what happens when dozens lose theirs! This is the true brutality of the situation!"
Tossing her back to the crimson-stained ground, Raven focused on Pyrrha and coldly gazed at the Mistral-borne warrior. "You have been late before, from what I heard. You have seen what Apathy do to a body. This is what humans and other Grimm do to people! This is why this world needs Huntsmen and Huntresses to do their job!"
"This is why I tried to stop being a bandit! I grew a conscious about my actions the moment I fell in love with the outside world and a stupid blonde idiot and an exquisite rose!"
"I-I…" Pyrrha stuttered as she looked upon the blood-soaked gory scene before her, unsure how to process and take everything she saw before her.
"Grow up!" Raven snapped as the wind blew, her eyes glistening with magical intent. "This world is cruel and heartless! The faster you understand that, the better. Otherwise, it will swallow you up, girl! You are next in line to become a maiden. It only gets harder from here! Everyone you know and love becomes a target! You must always protect yourself!"
"If this is all you have, you better back out now! You aren't ready!"
"Raven?" A voice echoed, and the snarling corvid's eyes softened as she stared down a terrified Pyrrha before she shrunk back from each, and every word screeched at her, unable to respond as the situation was all too much for her to handle.
And with a quick shift of her red eyes, she turned and saw a blood-soaked figure slowly rise and crawl out of the broken tent, looking very shaken. Despite the condition, she could immediately recognize the shape and body regardless of the crimson spray and entrails coating it.
"Vernal!"
Rushing over and dropping to her knees, uncaring of staining her flesh with the blood of her clansmen, Raven grasped the blood-soaked figure by her shoulders, and her eyes flickered with joy seeing her. "You're alive! Praise be that…"
"Praise!" Vernal hissed as she looked around at the camp before shoving Raven away, and a desperate cry bellowed from her. "Look at this place! Everyone is dead, Raven! Our entire clan was wiped out!"
"Where the fuck were you or Qrow when we needed you most?!" Vernal hollered as a look of spite peered into Raven's eyes as she spat the unpleasant taste of cooper out of her mouth. "Those who were sent all those years back to be trained in the ways of hunters to defend us in case of some bullshit like this! And especially you! With those fucking powers of yours! Why weren't you here?!"
"Vernal, I was exiled just like Qrow, dammit! I was with my family!" Raven trembled while she attempted to reason with her clansman, only to be shot a foul glare back.
"Because you wanted to coexist with the outside world! That has never been the way of the Branwen! We are cold, heartless bandits that raid, pillage, and burn!" Vernal screamed back at Raven as her words echoed through the camp as she gave her fellow Branwen a detestable stare. "Your family doesn't mean shit to us! We were here the entire time! Your little girl should have been brought here to be trained like a bandit like the rest of us! Not a soft little brat like she no doubt is!"
Raven snarled as she stood straight up; her eyes shimmered in rage. "Don't you dare talk about my daughter in such a fashion! She was raised both as Branwen and in a civilized manner, so don't you dare tell me my daughter is soft!"
"Go fuck a Grimm, Raven!" Vernal spat as she wearily stood on her two legs and gnashed her teeth to meet her former clan leader's gaze. "You should have been here, and you weren't! So be with your so-called fucking family instead! That bitch's daughter is as close as you're ever going to get to be with her. So why don't you fuck he… Ugh…"
"Vernal…" Raven quietly whispered, her bangs covering her eyes, as a single hand quickly reached out and clasped around her clansman's throat as the clouds around the camp began to build overhead.
And her crimson eyes sparked with magical fury as thunder cracked overhead. A vicious snarl left her lips, and her hand unclipped Omen from its sheath. "Never talk about Summer or her daughter like that…"
"Stop!" Ruby's voice calmed her fury as her crimson eyes were drawn to the girl of roses as she was mere steps from them, holding her hands out. "Enough…"
"Too much violence." Ruby tried to keep from stuttering as her body trembled from everything happening. "Hate. Anger. Rage. All too much. Need to calm."
"Let's go. We need to help." Ruby pointed out the gate despite her still fearful stance at seeing everything around her. "Needs to be done. For everyone."
"Before others suffer."
Seeing a brief image flash before her eyes, Raven bit her lips as she shook her head and took a breath before shooting a sharp glare at Vernal. She pushed her back down on the ground and away from her. "You're right. She's not worth our time. We need to help the Black Swordsman slay Shay…"
"He was right. He's not even human in this state and more Grimm than anything. It's a mercy to put him out of his misery."
"Right." Ruby nodded in agreement as she walked alongside and toward the gate when she noted Pyrrha was still shaken and hadn't moved from the spot she had fallen against earlier. "Pyrrha. Need to go!"
"Need to help save." Ruby separated from Raven and started to jog toward her friend, wanting to help her in her time of need.
Raven rolled her eyes, knowing that it was a waste of time. She had seen this many times before. The redhead had seen something she wasn't prepared for, and she snapped and lost the will to fight. It was a shame, given her skill set, but it happened even to the most talented. "Ruby, she's broken…"
The earth cracked directly behind Ruby as a black blur smashed into the bloody pool, splattering crimson fluid. A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the camp.
And a man in a full suit of black armor covered in rusted and fresh blood, with many arrows and various weapons pierced through it and a glowing eye crouched in a hunched position holding a sword directly behind Ruby. In a single motion, a loudly haunting screech followed as he swung it wildly at her unguarded back before she could even turn around.
"RUBY!"
He tapped his cane lightly as he read the morning news on holograms projected in front of him, but then set down the cane and picked up his cup of coffee when finished. Not liking what he was seeing at this point, Ozpin sighed deeply. Sipping on his first cup of coffee to start the morning, not that he slept much after the hectic night.
It was interesting, to say the least, after splitting up after shielding everyone from the explosions. Thankfully, his magical powers and Semblance combined were defensive, and no one was harmed, just slightly shaken from the demolition Naruto had caused. And knowing that many casualties would result from it.
But it was a necessary sacrifice if they were intending to attack so brazenly. Turn the ambush situation on itself. It was something that the ninja was quite proficient at, and while this one was more accidental, it was due to using a historical place for them that was not adequately cleared out that paved the way to it succeeding in their favor.
Luck didn't begin to describe that, but he would take it.
Taking another sip of his coffee, Ozpin was sure that the plan he was setting forth with Glynda would make his old friend's life quite miserable. No, he would not play mercifully with James for this act, even if he could see what the man saw in his actions.
Attacking another's home had dire consequences regardless of intentions.
Hearing the ding of the elevation, Ozpin didn't even bother to look away from the holo news he was reading as he took another sip of his morning brew. "Ah, James, so gracious of you to answer my summons to a meeting."
"Considering the state of affairs this morning and how everything has been between us, I dare say I did not expect you to come."
Holding his hands behind his back as he looked at the office he had not been in for quite some time, Ironwood exhaled deeply. A deep scowl appeared across his face as he walked slowly toward the desk, glancing at the holo news himself. It was already reaching out and spreading quickly. And while it wasn't known who any of the men were, thanks to his quick action...
There was the knowledge that Atlas Tech was involved in a shootout and explosion in the docks. It was a horrid look for him as he defended their kingdom.
"How are you, James?" Ozpin asked as he poured a second cup of coffee he neatly set aside on his desk before slowly turning and offering the cup to his friend. "I figured you could use some. It must have been a rough night."
While not one who would take trust so easily, James sighed as he took the cup offered. Even if he could hear the sarcasm and jadedness in his old friend's tone, he knew well enough that there would be nothing lacing the coffee.
That was not Ozpin's game, and he knew it.
"Thank you," Ironwood took a slow drink of his scalding-hot coffee, sighing as he felt it burn down. "I do appreciate what you do with your brew. Others seem to fall short of the same quality."
"It's a specialty of mine. But, I dare say the secret will die with me." Oz smirked, and Ironwood had the faintest smirk on his face before it returned to his gloom and rigid demeanor.
A deep breath was then taken, and he stared sternly at the holo news. "I have made many mistakes. Far too many, and I am…"
"Uncomfortable with how everything has proceeded up to this point."
"Naturally. Which is why I summoned you here." Ozpin sipped his coffee and continued to eye his former comrade, who uncharacteristically flinched at his nonchalant response. "To help you, my friend, as I dare say you have pinned yourself into a corner."
"No need to be so brutally honest." James took a deep breath before closing his eyes. "So, how much are you aware of?"
"All of it." Ozpin casually sipped the last of his coffee before placing the cup down on his desk and before he deathly scrutinized his former colleague as he laced his fingers together. "James, you know what I am about to tell you. This is your only option if you wish to redeem yourself in any capacity."
"Turn yourself in."
Oz let his words hang in the air as Ironwood's eyes opened, and their gazes met and bore into one another. "Otherwise, I can't help you. You know what your fate will be if you press forward with this. You know what you are up against."
"This is a fight you cannot win."
"Even when he is currently pronounced dead, friend?" James asked as the monitors on the holograms told him the same story it told the headmaster of Beacon.
The Gale Fox's time of death was eight fifty-seven in the morning.
And Ozpin had the audacity to smirk as he brought his hands to his chin. "And since when has death stopped me, my dear friend?"
"Now it's just a question of how his immortality works, isn't it? And you are praying it works like mine and not like Salem's. And if you bet wrong…"
"You will lose everything."
There were so many sounds.
The rush and blur of everything was too much for her to handle.
Everything was happening too fast!
And seeing the compressions repeatedly, followed by the inevitable shock…
"No, no, no!" Weiss cried as she was held back in the medevac Bullhead, her sister Winter grasping her tightly as the only person strong enough to hold Weiss back. "This can't be…"
"I've seen him physically regenerate from a similar wound two months ago in the same region! He should be recovering! What is wrong?!" Weiss screamed at the top of her lungs as she reached out for the faunus on the gurney where the first aid responders were performing life-saving resuscitation.
Without a response, they continued to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation while staring at one another. Jacques was angry and snapped at them, holding tightly to Willow while she in turn held onto her silent Whitley. "Dammit, answer my daughter and give us a status update! What is the problem?! As my daughter said, his physical condition is unparalleled! This doesn't make sense! For Brother's sake, he was recovering from damage at the cellular level when I first met him! Make sense of this!"
"We don't have an answer, sir. The only thing I can say is our scanner is saying his aura has been depleted entirely." The offhand medic responded as he prepared the defibrillator while the second medic moved. "Clear!"
And a shock was given as the Bullhead came to a stop, Naruto's chest lurching forward. Yet there was no response or reaction as the airlift slowly descended below.
Weiss' world began to crumble before her as those words left his mouth. She watched the blonde faunus, who changed her life, lying motionless on the gurney before her. And despite their earnest efforts, nothing they could do could revive him.
Naruto was drained entirely of his aura? Of his chakra?
Of everything she saw him do, she only saw the scanners on him reach around fifty percent after the train incident. And at that time, he was in recovery, which was still above it. So just what did those light flashes do to…
Her eyes widened at the realization. They were the same lights that hit and killed the faunus from the train. Adam! Only one was needed, and it struck him down in a single blow in the middle of the chest, and from what she heard of him in the med room…
The scanner said he had no aura either.
Weiss trembled as she reached for Naruto again, seeing his hand dangling on the gurney as the Bullhead landed and the hangar opened to reveal several doctors waiting for them along with…
"No…"
"NO!" Blake's scream reverberated around the landing platform as Yang struggled to restrain her struggling partner.
She wasn't sure how they were here so quickly. It horrified her that they were. Seeing Jaune move forward, concerned at how violently Blake was fighting back and nearly knocking Yang off of the platform on which she stood, she trembled as she listened to her friend's screech. "NARUTO!"
A morbid feeling swelled in Weiss as she watched the gurney being escorted down the ramp toward the doctors while hearing her friend holler in agony. She wanted to feel hopeful that they could save him, but…
"How long has he been like this?" The first doctor arrived and frowned at the state of the blonde faunus, looking at the scanner at the vitals attached to him.
"Their doctor had been performing CPR for about five minutes before we arrived and took over. So I would say almost twenty minutes." The medic retorted as the gurney hit the end of the ramp, and he looked at the doctor with almost pitiful anticipation of what was to happen.
"Call it." The doctor, without ill intent or malice but with a practiced tone of resignation in his voice, turned to his partner and sighed before making his way up the ramp toward the Schnee family.
"No, no, you can't!" Weiss screamed with such intensity it pierced her sister's ears and allowed her to wrench free of her grasp.
Scrambling down the ramp next to Naruto's gurney, she looked at them with delirious eyes as if pleading for help. "You can't! He's not..."
"Time of death, eight fifty-seven."
And at the uttering of those words, a deathly shriek reverberated through the hospital and the surrounding area.
"NARUTO!"
* - Onmyōton - Yin Yang Release
* - Gudōdama - Truth-Seeking Ball
Death is inescapable.
And Naruto wasn't on the table.
Three Chapters left.
The Hourglass is Still Pouring...
Tick,
Tock.
But before I leave...
For those that loved my work with Neo.
I've decided I have another ride with Naruto in me.
A smaller-scale story.
Hushed Dreams.
A Naruto|Neo Pre-Canon RWBY story.
For those that haven't found it yet.
Might be something you'll enjoy.
