The Fated Hour has Arrived.

Volume III is coming to a close.

The Bell Tolls.

Disclaimer: This Chapter Features Graphic Violence and Character Death. Reader Discretion is Advised.


Hours had long passed.

Tears faded and crusted, staining her cheeks.

The room had long since dimmed.

Darkness had fallen, not that she noticed.

But she refused to leave his side. She would not. Nothing would separate her from him.

Never again.

She would not let them take him. She refused. He belonged to her. He belonged here with her.

Everything had lost meaning, it had lost its purpose.

Nothing mattered.

Despite her vision in the darkness, everything was dark and gray.

The world had lost all color. All hope. All meaning.

What purpose did her dreams and aspirations have? She gave her hope and dreams to another who saw a similar vision and wanted to help build a world free of hatred. Free to be yourself and make your decisions…

To stand united with your neighbors and help one another in times of need.

But what did that matter now? Making those dreams come true was a difficult task that would take years of effort, but now…

She didn't care. The one she shared those dreams with wasn't with her anymore.

He was taken from her. Taken before they even had a chance to start living together. Trying to make things work when they are struggling!

When all they had was love and prayer. His genuine, unending love and care. His radiant smile. Those crystalline blue eyes that shone with splendor. His infectious personality. His steely will and determination. The attentiveness and desire to listen to her, even if it was only for inane reasons.

Just wanting to be in his warm presence one last time. To feel its glow. And know that everything would be okay. That somehow, someway, he would do the impossible as he did in all those stories he told before and pull through…

So that she wouldn't be alone any longer.

She kicked, shoved, and screamed at everyone to leave when they tried to take him. They were not taking him from her. She would not allow it, so she stole the gurney and shoved it back into the room. And she locked herself in it and refused to leave.

She wanted to believe in the witch. She had to be correct. That he would return, she just knew it…

But it had been so long, and now…

And he lay motionless.

So cold and void of the vibrancy he once possessed.

"Naruto…" Blake sullenly whispered as she raised her head from the gurney, shivering from both the cold temperature and her physical state, and her golden eyes glimmered in the darkness at his covered form. "I don't want to be left alone again. Not after everything. So, please. Just please…"

"Come back to me."


"I'm not leaving…"

Everything was cold.

It was so bitterly cold in this bitterly white hallway that smelled of disinfectant and bleach. Her body shivered, although she couldn't say it was from the cold alone.

Her reddened, dried eyes and blistered nose from all the tears she shed, trembling shoulders, and shivering wrists as her fingers tightly grasped around her thighs told another story.

She was emotionally drained as she sat away from others in the hallway, vaguely listening to everyone else standing before a door. She knew what they were trying to solve, and she could care less at the time…

Her friend needed her time. She wasn't there with him at the end…

She wasn't there with her loved one in his last moments.

And she was.

And she felt horrible about it.

That she spent one of the last living moments with her friend's mate and shared a bed with him all because of this ordained ordeal.

She hated it. She wanted her friends to be happy! She wanted them to live how they wished to without being forced into this!

They would have taken it slower if Fate hadn't pushed her father into this! Made all of this happen! Their relationship would have been even more beautiful and…

She hung her head as two sapphire earrings rubbed her shoulders. She stifled a sob as she hadn't even recognized the earrings she had put on this morning due to all the events that had occurred…

They were her Christmas gift…

The gift Blake got her.

"I'm not going home…"

Placing her right hand over her chest, tears threatened to spill again as she silently sobbed. Her heart was shattering. What could she say or do for her friend?

Would any of it matter right now? She was there, and nothing made her feel better. Everything felt numb. She felt broken. As if something irreplaceable inside her was shattered, and she didn't know what else to do.

Naruto had been such an indomitable part of her life since meeting him in November that she could hardly imagine what life would be like without him. It was a stupid thought as it had been seven months since they met, but…

Those seven months meant the world to her. With help from Blake, he showed her that the world wasn't like what she had imagined all her life. And while she wasn't ignorant of some things, it was still a jarring experience. But something inside her changed.

Something wonderful and wondrous. A new light had been born inside of her. One that she was sure her grandfather would be proud of. But now…

She was lost without the guiding presence that had pushed her along so far. She didn't know where to look anymore.

Then there was Blake, who was a writhing, emotional mess and had locked herself in a room with his body…

Not that she could blame him. She would be in there with her, too, given a choice. If it wasn't for her father trying to take her home...

"I'm staying here…"

Winter was here. She stayed by her side. Her father did not protest. In a rare display of kindness, he left the sisters be and took Willow and Whitley to the airport. They headed back to Atlas.

Professor Ozpin had let her know about that. Why he was staying behind and being as caring as he was left her on edge, considering how things ended at Beacon. However, it didn't matter for now.

Very few things did at the moment.

Winter had left to grab something for them both to eat, unable to coax her from her position. And here she sat, alone...

The loneliest one of…

No, no, she wasn't.

There was one lonelier than her.

Icy blue eyes focused on the closed door as a group huddled before it, discussing what could be done.

And she disliked everything she heard from them.

"I understand your frustration that one of your operating rooms is locked down. But my daughter needs time to process and is in a fragile mental place now." Ghira's voice echoed with slight disapproval. "My mate and I are trying to talk to her, but she's shutting us out right now."

"Sir, if she's not giving us any choice in the matter, we'll have to take the room by force with security." One of the doctors responded nonchalantly. "If it wasn't bad enough to take up our time trying to revive a corpse…"

"I would watch what you say." Kali hissed with an edge to her voice. "That boy has done more for this Kingdom in such a short time than anything you've ever accomplished, that's damn sure."

"And just try to force the door open with security. She's a Huntress and in extreme distress because her mate has passed away." Kali growled, incredibly upset with the current situation. "Not a single action she takes will be punished, and you know it. Given the situation, any council would turn a blind eye and let this go. I suggest you step back and let us figure out how to calm my daughter down."

"Unless you just want to make this situation worse than it already is." She finished with a cold bitterness as she seemed done dealing with this doctor.

Sighing as their fellow doctor did nothing to calm the situation, the other spoke in a far more pleasant consoling tone. "I understand she must be anguished, and we are willing to accommodate her in whatever way we can. But that is an operating room. It must be operational. Otherwise, the entire hospital and its patients are jeopardized due to lack of treatment capability."

"It's been far too long…"

Shakily standing up, her legs barely able to sustain her weight for a moment, Weiss stumbled forward and to the double doors of the operating room Blake had locked herself off from the rest of the world. Her strength was sapped, and she was dehydrated from all tears she shed, and stumbling into the door with a thud, she softly cried as she latched her hand onto the doorknob in desperation, her voice hoarse and silent. "Blake…"

"Oh, honey…" Kali immediately called out as she caught what she was doing and recognized she had moved from where she was as Winter had asked to keep an eye on her while she went to grab some food for them. "It's okay. We'll handle…"

"Let me in…" She silently whispered as she leaned against the door, delicately placing one hand on the side of the door. "I don't want to be alone over here…"

"And I don't want you to be over there alone. So please let me in…"

Kali stopped as her ears flattened, and she looked away, biting her lip. Her hollow voice stung, but what she said made her stop and glance at the door itself. Maybe she could reach her daughter. Both of them were deeply affected by losing him. If anyone else could understand where her daughter was coming from…

It was her.

Standing at the doors, trembling and dryly weeping as all her tears had long been exhausted, she hiccuped as she looked upon the doors, waiting for an answer. Any answer. Hoping her friend would open the door.

To see her again. To feel something that made her feel…

"This is my home."

"I can't do this..." Weiss whispered desperately as she shivered against the door, her breath steaming against the wood as she tried calling for her friend and reaching out to her. "It already feels impossible, but without you…"

"It's unbearable…"

To bring her back to her.

And silence reigned. It was deafening for her. It swallowed her whole, leaving her alone with whimpering, ragged breaths, and pitiful sniffles. She was weak and alone, and so was she. Together at least…

They could commiserate together until they were strong enough to stand up independently.

A click? Did she hear a click? And in her hand was…

The doorknob moved freely? Did Blake open the door for her?!

Snapping the door open without hesitation, Weiss slid into the room, and the door slammed shut behind her. And before anyone else could react.

The door clicked once more.


"Fuck me. This day cannot get any worse…" Qrow swore as he sat in the small recovery room as Tai sat on the other side of the room, his two daughters sleeping fitfully against him, Yang resting against his shoulder and shaking wildly as Ruby's head lay in his lap and hiccuped occasionally and shivered.

And in the middle of the room, lying in her bed, having woken up from recovery in a groggy and depressive mood, Raven leaned against the raised bed and looked at her brother. "Get my satchel…"

"Stole a lot of your liquor stash with Ruby. Kept some on me for after the job. But now, I need it for this shit. We all do."

"I would say you salty bitch, but, fuck I need the drink…" Qrow responded with exasperation before moving to Raven's satchel and pulled out the bottle, and rolled his eyes. "My finest stuff too."

"Well, if there is ever a time to crack it open for…"

"Now is certainly an ideal time." Taiyang softly spoke as he tried to let his exhausted girls rest as much as they could, physically drained from the toll of the day, before looking down at Ruby as he brushed his hand through her hair. "Can't believe it. After everything, given what he had been through and done, I thought the kid was indestructible. And to be honest…"

"Didn't want to think anything could happen. He helped teach the girls and pushed them when they were away, especially Yang. Inspired and drove them, maybe even too much so." Taiyang chuckled as he shook his head.

"Ain't that the truth? Gave them a little too much to fight for." Qrow muttered as he popped the bottle open and found a few plastic cups to pour the drinks into.

"And a bit too much to look at and ogle…" Raven muttered as she accepted her drink before receiving stares from both men. "What? You know I'm right. They both crushed on him and made things awkward. Too many heads in the bed doesn't make a healthy home…"

"Says the one trying to put all of us in one back in the day." Qrow quietly retorted before sighing as he handed Tai a cup. "But in this circumstance…"

"Not entirely wrong. You've finally started to learn." Tai finished, trying to be chipper, but his voice fell flat as his eyes were still fixed on Ruby, his hand coming through her head and brushing up against the scars in her hair before he took a drink. "But he gave me this greatest gift he possibly could have…"

"He made sure Ruby came home when she shouldn't have made it back." Tai gazed upon his youngest daughter before shifting his gaze to his oldest shuddering on his right shoulder. "I can't express my gratitude for such a thing. And now there will never be a chance to thank him properly."

"That's not entirely true…" Qrow frowned before taking a drink as his eyes narrowed while Tai looked at him as if he grew a second head while Raven's red eyes gazed deeply into his. "Well, it shouldn't be, but now I have to wonder, given what Winter told me earlier."

"You're right." Raven frowned as she struggled to swallow her drink, wincing as it did not feel as good going down as she had hoped, and blamed the surgeons and their lackluster work. "He was the Champion of Fate. He wouldn't be immune to death, but given his regeneration, I would figure his immortality would work like Salem's unless he was completely eradicated from existence."

"So what gives? What information did the older Schnee brat have?" Raven squinted her eyes at her brother while Tai was once more lost in everything he was hearing while hoping his daughters didn't wake up and hear the conversation taking place.

The last thing they needed to hear was this!

"Well, that a golden orb that Naruto directly called Fate appeared before them all in the Schnee Manor here in Vale." Qrow ran his hand through his hair and took another drink, eyeing the bottle for seconds as the taste ignited something within him. "And after he openly defied her…"

"Everything turned downhill from there, and she struck him down. But not before he did something to damage her."

As Raven looked surprised while Tai was still unsure what was happening, something snapped them into focus.

"Naruto… Damaged Fate?" Yang's voice muttered, and all eyes widened in the room as her head shifted against Tai's shoulder, slowly leaning forward, and her dried lilac eyes looked at the adults in the room questioningly.

"She struck him… Down…" Ruby bitterly added as her head shifted and slowly rose with her silver eyes reddened and blemished face.

Looking at the two girls, Qrow sighed softly. But he glanced into both of their eyes before nodding. "Yeah, that's what I heard. Don't have the full details, but that's what seems like what happened. She appeared wanting him to submit and well…"

"He's not one to kneel and yield."

"Yeah," Yang numbly nodded as she shivered and stared blankly for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I wouldn't expect anything less from him. Bitch has been screwing with our lives and has us on the brink of war…"

"And now she takes the one person willing to fight back against her out of the equation…"

"But…" Ruby spoke, looking at Yang momentarily, her silver eyes glowing before turning back to Qrow and then to Raven. "What about his…"

"Immortality?"

"Wait fuck. I slept through some of that. What?! I missed what?" Yang's lilac eyes significantly grew in size as they darted around before narrowing momentarily. "Wait, the witch said something like that to Blake too! It calmed her down momentarily to get her to jump into the portal with her and…"

"The hell is going on? If he's immortal, why is he dead?"

"That's not how immortality works, Yang. Trust me. I've worked with someone who was immortal long enough to know that." Qrow softly responded while trying to keep her voice down so a nurse wouldn't pop into the room and check what was happening.

Tai quickly solved that clue, cursed, and swallowed another drink. "For the love of the Brothers. You are kidding me, right? Ozpin?"

"Correct, in a sense." Raven sighed and shook her head, wincing as her recently closed wound aggravated her, and wishing the magic healing fairy was here to sprinkle dust to help this go away. "The bastard has been around for some time. He has at least one fairy tale based on him if not a few others based around him. That's how old he truly is…"

"The original version of him, at least," Qrow added before sighing and glancing at Ruby and Yang. "You know how Salem has a new host and is taking her over?"

As both girls nodded, Qrow sighed as he contemplated ways of explaining this. "For Ozpin, when he dies, no matter if it is through natural causes or killed by other means, his soul is freed from that body and has to search for yet another body to join…"

"And eventually fused with becoming the new Oz." Qrow winced as both his nieces looked startled by that realization as they thought of what was happening to Tealle, and he couldn't blame them.

It was an unwillful possession and seizure of the body. And there was no choice in the matter.

"However, until recently, Salem was quite different." Qrow continued before walking over to the window and gazing out the window. "It didn't matter how you killed her. She would return. Poison her. Rip her in half. Tear her to shreds. Rend her to the tiniest bit imaginable…"

"She came back nonetheless."

"What Naruto did was destroy every last fragment of her body so there was nothing left of her to regenerate from and forced her soul to move to another body to do what Ozpin has to do for once. When she returns to her full form, she'll return to how she was. Immortal and unkillable." Qrow looked longingly into the night for the answers he sought.

It did not.

And Raven picked up for him as she sipped the drink before her. "While it wasn't on any of our minds, we didn't know how Naruto's resurrection would work when he would die since he was the Champion of Fate. Would he return like Oz? Would he be as unkillable as Salem? A hybrid or something else altogether? We had no answers because we didn't know."

"All we knew was he was immortal. At least we thought he was…"

"I think it doesn't matter now." Qrow hung his head before throwing and looking away from everyone, trying to hide. "If Fate was involved in his death, the odds are…"

"Qrow, don't…" Raven stated as she looked at Ruby and Yang, seeing them shiver, feeling his depressive aura overwhelm them, and bit her lip and shook her head. "Let's hang onto some hope. Maybe there is something left…"

Turning to his sister, almost questioning who this doppelganger was, he stopped and gazed at Ruby and Yang's states. They didn't need to hear what he was about to say. They were already devastated. And being given the smallest amount of hope that Naruto could still somehow come back…

They didn't need that brutally ripped away from them. He would keep that to himself.

"Yeah, think I'm going to go find Oz," Qrow muttered, flicking his hand through his hair again. "Hate it, but with everything happening on at the moment, he's the most viable option for defending Vale. That should be my top priority right now."

"Leaving my sister and kids in your hands, Tai. Rest up for the night." Qrow stated as he walked to the door, feeling somehow unnerved as he had an unsettling feeling he couldn't shake. "I don't like saying this, but with my luck, I somehow don't expect things to get any better…"

"But hey, Ruby, Yang..." Qrow stopped looking at his nieces and smiled briefly before motioning his head to the window. "I know things are difficult with everything happening right now, but…"

"Take a look outside. I think your friends might want to know what's going on out there."

"What does that mean?" Yang questioned before she slowly and shakily stood up, crossing across the room as Ruby followed suit as she wondered what her uncle had spotted, for even Tai was curious as the corvid exited the room.

And the moment he did, Yang's voice echoed from within. "Wow! What the fuck is going on out there? Why are there so many people outside?"

"Need to tell Blake! Weiss! Now!" Ruby's voice echoed alongside hers, frantic in tone as she was unsure of what she was seeing.

Qrow could hear the two scrambling in the room behind him as he walked down the hall. He shook his head as he started his search for where Ozpin could be. He knew the headmaster hadn't left yet, given the circumstances. "Well, kid, you made your mark here on Remnant…"

"Now, let's believe in miracles, shall we?"


Staring up blankly at the hospital room's ceiling, he was at a loss for words. He wasn't strong enough to truly help everyone, even with the strides he made. He was happy to say he was better than most of the other first years, which was an accomplishment he didn't think he could believe. When he wiped the floor with Russell a few weeks before his unfortunate passing, it was alarming how easily he handled him…

And that was through all the training Pyrrha, and Naruto put him through.

But right now, Jaune still felt useless, given what they had to contend against. Criminals. Terrorist Organizations. Actual Huntsman and Huntresses. A Fire Witch. The most horrible Grimm he had ever imagined. The Queen of the Grimm! An army! A literal Goddess!

He knew he wasn't the only one, but he felt insignificant compared to the others. The others had to face some of these horrifying and powerful foes. They weren't strong enough to go toe-to-toe with some of these threats but held their own. But now…

All that came crashing down when the strongest, most indomitable person he had ever witnessed…

Was taken down.

It was more than he could fathom. He had seen what his friend could do—seen what he could recover from. Heard tales of what he had done in the past. And he believed every word.

Naruto wasn't the boastful type…

Well, a braggart type. He could be somewhat boastful about his deeds, but he admitted that he was pretty muted to what he had been from before.

And watching his friends break down around him, one by one, as they came in and saw the scene was a heart-wrenching experience. He couldn't contain his grief as he helped console Blake and Yang simultaneously when the callous doctor called his death. Not to mention Weiss…

He wasn't fine dealing with that. Naruto was one of the first people who didn't judge him and immediately thought he was useless outside his team and RWBY. He genuinely tried to help him from the outset and thanked him for that. When he heard Naruto was going to train everyone, he honestly was excited despite his training with Pyrrha…

Jaune wanted to learn from him. He had this way about him that reminded him of himself, but it seemed more…

Seasoned? Trained?

It was difficult to put it until he learned of Naruto's life, and it was because he was shaped into the person he had become. At some time, from what he was told, he was like a fusion of Jaune and Nora, which was a dangerous combination of personality traits to have. And he could see that, but…

He had become calmer and more relaxed after the many rigors and trials he had endured.

So, in a reverse twist on the familiar trope of the master wanting to train the pupil as he could see himself in him, he wished to train under Naruto as he saw something of himself in his fellow blonde. And he wanted to learn because if anyone could teach him to better himself…

Was someone who at least understood him.

After all, he was the worst in his class too.

"Jaune," Ren's voice echoed around him as he stared at the ceiling for a while longer. "Jaune!"

"Huh, what?!" Jaune snapped his head forward, his eyes bright red and puffy as he immediately grabbed a tissue from the nearby tissue box and blew into it, feeling his nose running and wiping the excess off. "Sorry, I zoned out there. Kind of lost focus."

"I know the feeling," Ren, with his hair untied and loose, shook his head as he sat beside Nora's bed. "I think we are all out of it. With everything that has happened…"

"I think zoning out is an appropriate response after the emotional strain."

Leaning back in his chair and against the wall exhaustedly, Jaune couldn't help but agree. He didn't know when he lapsed into thought, but it seemed to have been for a while. He didn't remember it being so dark when he last was coherent. "I guess. I just can't stop thinking about everything. Everything we did. And I can't help but feel…"

"That it still just isn't enough." Jaune hung his head before gazing up and away. "And without him, I don't know how we are expected to stand a chance. Dragged into a war is crazy enough but knowing there is a furious Goddess mad at us for trying to stand against their will…"

"What chance do we have if the most able of us falls? Do we stand a chance?"

The room fell deadly silently. There was no answer. Jaune didn't expect one as he spoke his mind, which often got him into trouble. But the oppressive mood only intensified as Ren grimaced and looked away. Nora's eyes shimmered and looked on the verge of tears as she gripped the bed sheets on her thighs.

"That's what I thought…" Jaune exhaled defeatedly and smacked his head back, not caring if it bounced against the wall, and he could feel the throbbing in the back of his skull.

The pain was numb anyway.

However, something caught his attention as he brought his head back forward a moment later, examined the room, and frowned. "Wait, where is Pyrrha?"

"Said she needed fresh air," Nora mumbled and pointed outside the room, her aqua eyes still on the verge of tears. "Said she was having a rough day and now had this to come back to…"

"Shit!" Jaune cursed and bit his lip as he pushed up and out of his chair before grimacing. "I really zoned out if I didn't notice her leaving. I don't think any of us need to be alone right now."

"I would have accompanied her, but she was pretty adamant about being alone and saying she would be fine." Ren sighed as he put his hands on his temple and shook his head. "But, then again, I don't think I am the right person to help her anyways…"

"It should be you, Jaune." Nora glanced over at Jaune and forced a smile. "You two always seemed to have shared a bond shortly after our team was created, although it didn't start the greatest. She's warmed up and has taken a shine to you and…"

"I think you can reach and help her."

A genuine surprise came over Jaune as Nora expressed her confidence in Jaune. And even Ren nodded and nodded in agreement with the assessment. "Yeah, it really should be you."

"I think she said something about heading out of the front parking lot and to the nearby park. She might be looking to vent off some excess stress before…" Ren grimaced as he knew what came next.

"Breaking down like all the others." Jaune finished, hanging his head as he had a front-row seat for most of the others, and seeing Pyrrha would be the most painful for him, having spent so much time with her and training with her.

And to see her breaking down would be devastating.

Ren nodded. While she shed her tears and cried amongst the others, it was far from the outburst he had expected. To be fair, he knew she had strong feelings for Naruto at first.

It was an obsession. Which boiled over and unfortunately harmed Jaune in the process, but…

Everything worked out best in the end. So now it comes full circle…

Life had its cruel ironies.

"All right, I'll find Pyrrha. She doesn't need to be alone at the moment." Jaune waved before heading out the door, taking a deep breath. "I can do this. This is one thing I can do. I may not be the fastest, strongest, or most athletic, but…"

"I am not useless…"


The night breeze brushed against her skin as she looked down at the night lights of Vale below her. They were beautiful, hiding the corruption beneath that had slowly been rooted out over the last four months by her dear friend. And beneath that…

A severe threat to the Kingdom as a whole lay beneath it.

But for now, it was so minuscule that she could take a moment to look upon the scene and gaze upon it and wonder…

How many things would have been different if he hadn't arrived here that fateful day? What if she hadn't found him and brought him to this same hospital all that time ago? What if she had taken the first step before Blake…

"Velvet," Yatsu's voice called her back as her teammate stood at her side as she sat at the edge of the rooftop, looking upon the Kingdom before a large blanket was wrapped around her. "You look cold."

"Thank you." Velvet tucked herself under the blanket and stared at the lights below before sighing softly. "Yatsu…"

"Has Blake calmed down yet?"

"No," Yatsu sighed and hung his head in shame, unsure what to do. "She's still locked the door and barricaded it. Won't listen to anyone. Her mother and father can't even get her to speak to them. Don't know if anyone from her team has tried or is ready to try yet."

"Ruby and Yang have settled down and are dealing with Yang's mother being wounded and whatever happened to her and Ruby in Mistral. And Weiss has gone catatonic since all her family, but her sister has left." Yatsu finished softly as he kept tabs on everyone and their actions.

As a soft wind fluttered through her hair, Velvet closed her eyes as her ears dropped and rolled against her head while she shamefully looked away. "I can't blame them, especially Weiss, given everything that has happened…"

"I can't even bear facing her. Not right now. I lack the courage to stand in the same room with…"

"With…"

"It's okay," Daichi responded gently as he leaned forward, rested his arms against the roof's edge, and joined her in gazing at the city below. "There is no shame in that. We're all struggling and handling it differently."

"We all lost someone that was a dear friend and, for her, someone that meant the world to her."

A long silence fell after his words as the two stared at the night lights below, watching the cars go by. The world seemed unconcerned if it wasn't for the lights and sigils drawing her attention as she looked down below, trying not to break down further.

Small tributes were paid in front of the hospital in the parking lot as a small crowd gathered, seemingly led by a large burly man and two canine faunus. A few police officers in uniform joined the tribute, most likely called in due to the disturbance. However, they helped section the gathering properly so the hospital could run without disruption and the demonstration could be conducted in a peaceful manner.

A sign of progress she welcomed.

Among the crowd, she could see some of the farmers she remembered helping him on a Village Defense job in one of the nearby farming towns during Christmas. She even spotted her aunt in the group, lighting tributes and sigils for the children, one small black-haired girl wearing a very familiar bow…

"How long have they been here?" Yatsu's voice spoke up, looking at the group gathered just outside in reverence at what he saw. "I knew the impact he was having, but…"

"It started out small about an hour ago," Velvet answered as she gazed at the scene below her, fighting back her tears as she had shed so many already. "And slowly more have shown up, and the gathering keeps getting larger."

"I think the hospital will have a larger problem than Blake sectioning off an operating room to grieve. They're not going to have an entryway here momentarily…" Velvet bitterly scoffed weakly before she lifted her head to the skies and sighed. "For being here for just a short time…"

"He made an impact…" Yatsu looked at the crowd gathered and couldn't comprehend everything before frowning and turning to Velvet. "Are you sure you are okay, Velvet? I know…"

"It's okay." Velvet closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out before glancing over at her friend, not bothering to force anything and showing her withered and fragile state. "I made peace with that a long time ago. And while it still hurts, I can't help but think…"

"What is Blake feeling right now?" Velvet bit her lip and looked down, and cursed her weakness. "Or even poor Weiss, who was there when it happened? That was wrapped up in all of this horrible mess. The pain both must be dealing with is excruciating, yet here I am and…"

"I can't even deal with mine. How can I help my friends when they need me? What kind of friend am I?" Velvet trembled and shivered beneath the blanket Yatsu had given her, and she grimaced. "They need me and…"

"They need you to be able to help them first." Yatsu stood to his full height and wrapped his arms around the slender faunus, comforting his friend and teammate. "You're not going to help anyone in your condition. You must take care of yourself before you can help anyone else. And right now, you can't do that. I don't think any of us can…

"We all were good friends with Naruto. This hurts us all too much." Yatsu inhaled profoundly, gazed into the night sky, and looked at the stars above. "I wasn't prepared to lose my friend today, despite that it is our job as Huntsman and Huntresses to put ourselves at risk daily to protect the citizens of Remnant…"

"I was not ready for this. Not like this or in this manner…"

It became too much to hold back, and the tears streamed down Velvet's cheeks for what felt like the hundredth time of the day as she softly cried into Daichi's grasp. And he firmly held onto his dear friend, expressing his sorrow as he comforted his dear friend the only way he could.

It was all he could do.

Shuddering and shivering in Yatsu's grasp, looking down below at those gathered, Velvet swallowed the lump in her throat. "I don't know what to do…"

"I don't think any of us do." Yatsu rubbed Velvet's back as he gazed at the scene below, looking at the candlelight vigils below, and sullenly smiled at what he saw. "But, I think…"

"We probably should go inside and find Coco and Fox before they go on a bender or worse, given everything happening. I don't want to think about what they could do given…"

"I resemble that remark!" Fox's voice came from behind as a door opened, and both their heads turned to see Fox and Coco entering the fire escape rooftop. "Don't have the energy for it…"

"Besides, going in without a plan or backup would be the stupidest mistake of our lives, and I'm not about to make that after this day." Fox sighed as he carried a to-go box as he walked toward them, his face sullen as he offered the box to Velvet as she and Yatsu slowly broke their embrace. "Know you might not be hungry, but I picked you up something anyways in the cafeteria here. Think everything is vegetarian. At least Coco and the cooks said it was."

"Thank you," Velvet tried to force a smile but could not and hung her head.

"Don't force it." Coco came to the edge, having long forsaken her hat and sunglasses, focusing solely on Velvet, and shook her head and wiped the tears still building in her eyes. "We just lost such a dear friend. There is no shame in showing you're hurt and wounded."

"Hell, at times, I felt like I was only kind of there, and it still stings as I know how much closer he was to each of you. I regret that I couldn't figure out how to get nearly as close as any of you three did without making it weird or a competition. Although I did think he enjoyed it every time I came up with stupid ideas on how to compete and who was the best between us now that I think about it…" Coco gingerly added as she finally took her gaze from Velvet, looked upon each of her team, and finally settled her gaze below.

And then her eyes snapped wide, and tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. "Oh, by the Brothers…"

"It is something special," Velvet whispered as she looked at the scene with her team as Fox frowned and used Ada to scan what was happening to get a better idea of what was happening. "To see so many people come out and pay tribute to him…"

"Oh," Fox slowly interpreted what he learned from Ada's scans, and hearing what Velvet said left a shiver traveling down his spine. "That's a lot of people and…"

"Ada's scans showed more are coming."

"So much good done and yet…" Yatsu silently added as he looked down and grimaced while he fought back the tears building once more.

"Let's finish the job." Velvet slowly stood from her position, balancing on the edge of the building, and gazed at the gathering below as the muscles in her face tightened, her sullen expression turned steely, and finally, her ears stood straight on her head once more. "They don't know what's happening here or what he died for, but…"

As she garnered the attention of Coco, Fox, and Yatsu, Velvet's eyes glimmered as a fire burned within. A burning passion ignited as she clenched her fist and gazed upon the Kingdom, knowing what to do. "We can't let it be in vain. We'll protect Vale in his stead."

"CFVY, let's move out."


Emerald eyes stared in wonder at what she saw before her with her jaw partially agape. She blinked incisively, trying to make sense of it all.

Was all of this happening in front of her? Was all of this real? Could any of this be happening right now?

All of these people in front of the hospital…

Setting up tributes.

Holding up signs.

Lighting small sigils and burning incense.

Placing small shrines and blessing them with what seemed to be salt and other peculiar items.

Everything before her was so…

Unbelievable.

Did Naruto touch this many people with his actions? She knew he had done quite a bit of work to combat corruption and crime behind the scenes. However, with the number of people here…

She couldn't fathom it.

Staggering into the crowd, looking for answers as she was at a loss for words, Pyrrha scanned around, hoping she would find anything. She didn't know what she was looking for. She didn't understand why so many people were here, truthfully. Sure, the Gale Fox name was popular, but to have left this much of a mark…

And the condition of some of these people was rough. Some of them looked and smelled like they hadn't bathed in days. Others looked like they had been beaten down by life and trampled on. Yet others seemed perfectly ordinary citizens. A few seemed even upper echelon wearing business blouses or suits yet were still here as if they had just gotten off work…

Well, the one of those in office attire made sense as she looked closer at her. If she didn't know better, she thought she was related to Velvet…

Then there were the children. A good few children were here with their families, not faring well and not afraid to show it. Many were crying and unable to be consoled, while others tried to stay strong at their parents' side and show respect.

All of this spun Pyrrha around. She couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Was this all Naruto had done from taking down corruption?

Or was there something more occurring on that she wasn't seeing?

Nearly stumbling and losing her balance as she felt her leg catch bump against something, Pyrrha immediately apologized as soon as she realized it was a younger boy, she nearly tumbled over. "Forgive me. I'm just a little…"

"Overwhelmed." A middle-aged woman with medium-length, dusty brown hair finished as she gently drew her son back and closer to her so he didn't accidentally get in the way of anyone else as the crowd got larger.

A simple nod was all Pyrrha could respond with as she was still too startled by all of this. She was unable to express or convey her feelings adequately. And looking around at everything still around her, she could not help but speak about what was on her mind. "What is all of this?"

"His memorial." The woman said softly as she gazed at the hospital with deep remorse. "It's the least some of us can do for what he has done…"

"Mom came home because he acted and did what no one else would!" The young boy cried as he looked up at Pyrrha. "He held those big wigs in check and ensured they weren't able…"

"James Silver, hush now!" The mother gently rebuked the child and shook her head. "There's no need to bring up your father's words here, honey. This is a place of remembrance."

Pyrrha's eyes snapped to the woman as an epiphany came to her and a startling realization of who this woman was. And she grimaced. This was one of the people Naruto had helped before. It made perfect sense why she was here and for her family to be here. They were personally affected.

It was simply everyone else that left her confused and flabbergasted.

"I suppose you knew him personally if your gear is anything to judge by." The woman stated as her eyes gazed upon Pyrrha, who still seemed at a loss.

"Ah, I, uh, well, yes." Pyrrha stumbled over her words, unsure of what to make of everything, before taking a deep breath and exhaling, her face becoming somber. "Yes, we went to Beacon and trained together for some time. We worked together, and while we weren't as close as I would have liked when we first met, he is one of the people I can say…"

"Was a dear friend of mine."

"Oh," The woman gave Pyrrha a forlorn expression before bowing softly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, but…" Pyrrha bit her lip as she turned her head, looked at the hospital, and shuddered, closing her eyes, turning her head, and hanging it in shame. "I really don't need it. She needs to see this more than I do…"

"The Schnee girl?" Pyrrha's eyes snapped open as the woman stated before she continued, her voice distraught. "She must be devastated. Knowing the wedding was more than a month…"

Wanting to snap back and tell her the truth, Pyrrha trembled as she bit her lip and shivered. It wouldn't do any good to let them know that, while Weiss was broken and torn apart about this as well, there was another that was utterly distraught at his passing. And she was who she meant, not Weiss.

"I'm sorry, I need to go." Pyrrha shook her head and turned away from the woman as her eyes glimmered, not wasting another second.

She clenched her fists repeatedly. How did Blake deal with it? She could hardly handle hearing it once. She would have snapped if she was in her position.

Her friend was a saint!

Finding herself in front of dozens of individuals and what seemed like a candlelight vigil, Pyrrha's eyes suddenly wavered. Watching the scene as people took a lit candle and slowly placed it on the curb of the hospital, she choked back a sob. A small girl held a candle and put it on the curb. She didn't recognize her, but it was what she was wearing…

A black bow was tied in a particular way. And considering how it drooped, she knew what was hidden underneath…

That was Blake's bow. She was sure of that. Seeing her without it after all this time was refreshing. However, suddenly seeing a young girl wearing it in the same fashion, she suddenly understood. Naruto and Blake had been doing things on their own, at the very least, and affecting the community positively.

What had they been doing? Was it warranting all the people here? She didn't understand…

"Hey'o?" A voice caught her attention as she felt someone poke her and draw her attention, and before her stood the scrawniest, mangiest gray wolf faunus she had ever seen wearing rather ragged clothing, but in his hands he held an outstretched candle to her. "If you're stan'in' line, you might wan' one of these, lady."

"Oh, I, uh…" Pyrrha was once more lost for words before closing her eyes and calming herself enough to hold out her hands and accept the candle. "Thank you."

"Don't men'ion it!" The mangy wolf grinned despite the situation, seemingly jittery, before looking at the scene and sighing. "Looked like you were 'ost. Thought I could help. What I think 'aruto would do."

"You knew Naruto?" Pyrrha was genuinely taken aback by the rough-looking faunus knowing her friend and couldn't help but wonder where the two met. "How did you two meet?"

"Jail!" Pyrrha coughed as spittle flew out of her mouth suddenly, not expecting that answer before her eyes narrowed, and then her body froze at the thought of what that meant. "Names Vajo!"

If Naruto met this faunus in jail, that meant…

He met him the same night of…

"Pyrrha…" She responded as she tried to catch her breath and saw how far Naruto's connections had gone.

"But after that, he 'omes to our community on 'ifth Street and has been helpin' out not too long after." Vajo smiled as the little girl that placed the candle waved at him, and he waved back at her. "He and his mate came 'ooking for info but ended up helping us. We gla'ly give any when we got it, but it seems he 'ust prefers being a good guy and helping 'eople out…"

"Also helps when 'ometimes solving the problems ta'es out a 'ot of bad guys in the process 'ut that only happene' a couple of times! Most ti'es he was doing small fa'ors, assisting us by get medicine and 'ig stuff like that we had issues with to helping find 'eople. Problems we couldn't 'olve on our own." Vajo added as he tilted his head and grinned as he scratched his head.

Pyrrha was left in utter shock after hearing the scrawny wolf. It was difficult to understand him, but she could piece together what he was saying as it was coherent enough. The broken words weren't enough to stop her from piecing together that he and Blake were helping what sounded like a homeless community make ends meet and…

That made sense for some of what she saw out here. He was making a difference on the streets too. Helping the homeless. Helping those in need. Blake joined him, it seemed, and he had been doing this for quite some time. She had heard and seen the news reports that crime had steadily declined over the last four months. However, to think he had also done this kind of thing…

How did he have time to do other things? Have a social life?

Many questions remain unanswered. But some understanding took hold as she looked at the candles and saw the flames gently flicker up against the darkness.

In some manner or another, Naruto had touched all these people. Whether directly or indirectly. Through his actions as a Huntsman in such a short period, he did incredible work and made a positive change.

He truly lived up to the standards of an exemplary Huntsman in such a short time…

"Can I get a light?" Pyrrha asked as she held out her unlit candle.

"G'cha covered!" Vajo responded as he quickly lit a small match from a matchbox he was carrying and held out the candle she was gently holding out to her.

"Thank you," Pyrrha whispered as she turned to the small curbside memorial and slowly and reverently walked toward it.

Thoughts rushed through her mind as she did. About all the missed opportunities. The chance to spend time with one another. To learn more from him or about him. But as she took a deep breath, as she knelt before the altar. Her emerald eyes reflected the flickers of the flames.

And she began to think of all the moments when he stood for something more. When he used all his given gifts and all the arduous work he put in, and took a stand for what was right. A friend willing to risk his well-being and relationship to help and save others…

Defiantly refusing to accept his destiny…

Her emerald eyes shimmered as her red hair blew gently in the wind at that thought. She always believed in destiny and fated events. And she was unfortunately proven to be horribly correct in her assertion of beliefs, and now…

She wanted nothing more than to defy its very existence. To stand and stare into the very eyes of the preordained and say she was not afraid. Yet everything she saw was something else. It horrified her! There was always something new beyond her wildest imagination that made her question everything but…

All the power in the world didn't change the fact. Remnant was a frightening place. If it could take someone as powerful and well-natured as him, it could take anyone, including her with little trouble…

It didn't matter if she had magical powers.

Standing as she looked upon the fiery vigils, Pyrrha took a deep breath as her emerald eyes burned at the sight before her before gazing up at the hospital. "What am I doing here? There's more I could be doing…"

"Isn't that the truth?" A familiar voice echoed next to her as someone stepped beside her and scoffed at the scene. "This scene is pitiful."

"All this for an animal? Pathetic."

Time came to a stop. The flames stilled. All other noises vanished, and the somber buzz silenced. Every person in the vicinity seemed frozen to their spot, not even breathing as Pyrrha's head turned and her emerald eyes were greeted with silver eyes.

Pyrrha's eyes shimmered. Her breath hitched. And her blood boiled. And finally, she exclaimed with hatred.

"You!"


The room was silent as she stumbled in, and she heard the door click behind her after it was roughly slammed. It was colder in here than outside, but before she could feel how cold the floor was, an arm wrapped around her waist as her legs collapsed.

And they both tumbled to the floor, neither strong enough to stand, let alone keep the other from falling.

Feeling Blake land on top of her in a heap as she crashed to the floor on her hands and knees, Weiss laughed pitifully. "We are the worst right now. Can't even take care of ourselves…"

The faunus, exhausted and trembling, lay limply against Weiss' back without response for a moment. She weakly gazed at the white hair in front of her eyes. She then hung her head and gave a pathetic yowl in response. "Like it even matters…"

"The witch, the headmaster, even Ruby's uncle. They lied." Blake muttered as her golden eyes wearily gazed upward at the gurney and bit her lip. "I wanted to believe. So I sat by his side all this time, keeping them from taking him away from me! But the longer I wait, the more I realize..."

"He's not coming back," Blake whispered as she hung limply against Weiss, who delicately turned using her shoulder to keep her friend up, and she faced her friend and helped push her up, and onto her knees so they sat up. "Thanks…"

"Thank you for letting me in." Weiss placed her hands into her lap as she shivered, the coldness of the floor not helping in the slightest, before shifting her gaze. "I was so tired of everyone trying to comfort and console me. Giving me encouragement…"

"I don't want any of it! Someone I cherished passed away. I'm not okay! I know you aren't okay! I just want to be given the space to grieve and not be told all will be okay. It's not! I just lost…" Weiss angrily cried as she clenched her fists along the hem of her skirt before losing her voice and trailing off.

"The love of my life." Blake finished as her ears lay flat on her head, her body twitching, and her breathing labored. "I am…"

"So tired, Weiss."

Biting her lips, Weiss could see the blankness in Blake's golden eyes despite the darkness in the room. They were devoid of life and energy. They didn't possess that spark and fire she saw when speaking to her friend. And her voice was hollow and frail. It sounded like everything in her withered and left her a shell of nothingness left inside.

And it was horrifying.

"I'm afraid Weiss. This entire ordeal with Fate has left me scared and has got me thinking, has she been targeting me all along? All the heartbreak and effort she has gone through to break me. And now that I think about it…" Blake looked down at her hands, turning them to see her palms and flinching. "My hands are stained in blood because of her. All those I fell in love with are dead or trying to kill me or my family! Everything that happened with Adam. Learning that Ilia's with the Black Fang and now Naruto…"

"I bring those I love pain or death!" Blake screamed as she reached out and gripped her head, and shuddered. "I am a walking curse, doomed to destroy all I love until Fate gets her hands on me!"

"I'm better off letting her take me before she takes anyone else I love!"

The resounding smack as Blake's right cheek blistered red snapped her back into reality. The stinging sensation left her eyes shimmering and brought her eyes to the culprit to see a seething and tear streaming Weiss with her hand outstretched.

She lunged forward, nearly tackling her to the ground, wrapping her arms around her neck, and placing her head on her shoulder. And she sobbed violently into her ear. "Don't you ever say that? It's okay to be afraid and fearful of all those things! I'm scared too! We saw what Fate was capable of, so don't think you are alone in this!"

"I will stand by your side, okay? I'll fight with you, and we'll find a way!" Weiss shuddered as she held tightly onto a shaken Blake. "I'm not going to give up on a friend that's helped me so much. I'll be with you to the very end…"

"Because you mean so much to me and helped open my eyes to the world with him," Weiss whispered as her tears dripped onto Blake's shoulder. "So don't you dare give up. Stay with me, and we'll figure this out."

"We'll overcome Fate together."

Blake's eyes shimmered uncontrollably as she shivered in Weiss's grasp. She didn't want this. Not again. Not now. She tried to move. To push her away. She didn't want to hurt anyone else!

So why was her body accepting her touch?! Why was she crying? No! She needed to run! To flee and give her friend a chance at another life. A better life! She didn't want to subject her to this…

She already was. Weiss was so well woven into this mess that she was not getting out of it. She had been dragged in from the start and was the plan, and she was an interloper. She was in Fate's gaze already…

But there wasn't a guarantee that everything hadn't changed with Naruto's death. Weiss may no longer be favored but then…

She may no longer be targeted.

No, she couldn't risk that. It was…

"Blake, stop…" Weiss pulled her head back, and her icy blue eyes pierced her golden ones. "I think I've gotten to know you pretty well in the short time we've known each other, and I have to say…"

"Don't. I'll chase you down and bring you back home." Weiss flatly responded as she stared into her eyes. "Or wherever we are staying at the time. We'll figure it out as we proceed. I just know we'll do it together, okay?"

"I'm not losing you too."

Golden eyes came to life with those words. Gazing into the icy blue eyes before her, she snapped her arms around Weiss and buried herself into her, tears overflowing. And her wails filled the small room as she nuzzled against her smaller framer. And soon, her tears followed, and the two shared them in unison.

Moments turned into minutes as the two embraced and cried until their tears were no more. Even then, they shivered in one another's arms and did not break. Finally, a sob broke the silence as Blake shuddered, an overwhelming sense of fear still plaguing her. "Weiss, I don't know what to do. If Fate is still after me after all this…"

"And then, if I'm really pregnant…"

"We have friends and family," Weiss whispered, pulling her head back to see Blake's face. "In this case, preferably your family and maybe my sister. As for Fate…"

"I guess we'll have to stick with our plans for now and see what we can do. That's all we have." Weiss bit her lip and looked at the center of the room, flinching at the sight of the gurney. "He got us so far. It would be a waste to give up now…"

"Even if I feel like the weight of the world is crashing down upon me."

"You're not the only one," Blake responded in a downtrodden fashion before she instinctively leaned forward, briefly nuzzling against Weiss' cheek, and then quickly threw her head back as the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

"Don't try that any time soon," Weiss shivered as she leaned back and away from Blake before trying to stand on her own and failing. "Oh, no. I don't have any strength left…"

"Mine left some time ago…" Blake muttered as she knelt on the floor, looking away from Weiss. "Don't know how I made it to the door to let you in."

"I'm thankful you did." Weiss sighed as she looked over and at Blake before looking at the door. "Well, I don't have a scroll anymore to call for help…"

"Girls!" The doors smashed open, the lock being an unnecessary factor, as Yang snapped the door open with a heavy shove and looked around the room worriedly. "I know everything is horrible, but…"

"Um, what happened here?" Yang stared dumbfounded at Blake and Weiss kneeling on the floor and couldn't figure out what her friends were doing down there before moving to assist Blake in helping her up. "Wait, tell me later! I know everything is shit! I'm not trying to comfort you and make you feel better! But…"

"Need to see! Need to see!" Ruby took Weiss by both hands and gingerly helped her rise to her feet before pointing to the window. "Important! Outside!"

"I'm not ready to leave…" Blake hissed as she looked over at the gurney and grimaced at the covered figure before turning away, her body shivering.

She, however, stopped abruptly and turned her head back before shaking her head. It was only her imagination. She swore she saw something glowing golden. Like a sparkle. She was probably hallucinating due to delirium and dehydration.

"I will bring you right back! There is a window right here to look out of to see this!" Yang retorted as she assisted Blake's movement, and her right eye twitched, seeing how weak her friend was. "And then I'm bringing you some damn food and water! You are eating, girl, if I have to shove it down your throat! He wouldn't want you to do this to yourself!"

"Fine," Blake growled while accepting whatever Yang and Ruby were trying to show, for it seemed like they weren't trying to trick her from Naruto's side.

The doctors and even her parents looked out the window, along with Weiss' sister. And this caught Blake's curiosity as Yang brought her over. "Wait, what is happening?"

"Is this for…" Weiss' eyes couldn't believe what she witnessed, and she was shocked.

"It is!" Ruby nodded as she pointed out the window and at some of the signs she could see. "They all came… To celebrate his life!"

"To show that in such a short time here, he did quite an amazing job and left an impacting impression." Ghira softly spoke, noticing his daughter's expression as she looked in awe at what she saw below. "To move enough people into action is a truly inspirational gift."

"And they all came to show their support and solidarity for those grieving," Winter added as she stood beside her sister, gently touching her shoulder. "To let you know you are not alone. That together, we all stand strong."

"I…" Blake was left speechless at the sight before her and felt dizzy at seeing the number of people outside, recognizing a few of the faces amongst them. "I think I need to…"

"Pyrrha? Jaune!" Blake caught sight of her friend before her eyes caught the motion of the crowd, and her eyes focused on what was happening. "No! Why is he here?"

"Pyrrha's hurt! And Jaune is…"

"Shit, move! Going through!" Yang roared as she took a step back and waved everyone to the side, and with a leap, she barreled through the glass, and Ruby followed shortly after.

"Why the hell is he here?"" Weiss screamed as she tried to follow suit but fell to her knees. Winter holding her back, her icy blue eyes shimmering in rage. "That bastard started so much of this!"

"I'll kill him!" Blake yowled as she tried to follow but was too weak to follow her team and collapsed to her knees and fought against her mother as she tried to restrain her. "No! I need to help!"

"Blake, calm down!" Kali tried to reason with her daughter, wincing as she thrashed again as adrenaline filled her veins. "Your friends can handle…"

"I will not lose someone else! Not again! I'm done with losing my friends!" Blake screamed out, breaking free of her mother's grasp and reaching the window before being suddenly pulled back and harshly set on the ground.

And she stared into brown eyes as three other figures leapt out the window. "I'm not letting my friends put themselves in harm's way when they clearly can't help themselves. So if you want to get there, you're coming through me, Blake."

"You need to stay here and let us handle this. We got this." Velvet whispered, her brown eyes gazing into golden eyes with fierce determination.

"Believe in us as you believe in him, all right? We won't fail…"

"What is that?" Velvet's eyes became fixated on a site behind everyone and past two broken doors.

At that moment, everyone's heads turned, and a gold light illuminated the room and hallway.


"Whoa, whoa!" Vi grinned as he deflected a fierce sword strike from Milo, as his silver eyes glimmered as he gazed into Pyrrha's intense emerald eyes. "Take it easy there, warrior princess! Might break a nail!"

"You dare come here! After all, you have done!" Pyrrha roared as she drew Akouo from her back with her left hand and, with a hefty heave, threw it forward in a punch-like manner. "Leave this place! I will not let you defile his memory!"

"Shit!" Vi slid back as he used his aura to shield himself as the shield slammed into his left arm, and he slid back. "Yeah, not happening…

"Vermin had it coming." Vi spat as he stood straight, his eyes glistening as he licked his lips. "But I have to say. You've gotten stronger. Hitting a lot harder than you did four years ago. Way faster too. Good thing I am too!"

Disappearing from her sight in a flicker of motion, Pyrrha's battle-hardened expression narrowed. She knew he was coming, but couldn't tell where the swing was coming from. She couldn't feel his sword when he swung it. It looked metallic, but something was off. She didn't feel the magnetic pulse as she could of anything metal base, so did that mean…

He rebuilt it? Did he rebuild his cherished Lion's Heart just because of losing to her? And stripped off all his armor too?

Was he that paranoid after losing to her?

Pyrrha gasped as the sound of a gun sounded off, and she couldn't feel the presence of the bullet. She turned quickly at the sound of the weapon firing. However, the round dented into her right breastplate, and she winced at the sensation. Despite this, it was not enough to deter her as she looked at Vi once more. She transformed Milo into a javelin with just a flick of a switch. With a seamless transition, she shifted her feet and tossed it with all her might toward the former Mistral champion.

"That's not fair! You don't miss because of your bullshit power!" Vi lashed out as his weapon transformed, and he slashed horizontally with Lion's Heat as the blade seemingly ignited in what seemed to be a beam of violet light that arced from his sword, doubling its length and size as it deflected and drove Milo into the ground. "Dodging your throws is impossible as you can just correct your aim!"

"Maybe for one with skills lacking like your own!" Pyrrha closed the gap, drawing Milo from the ground with a pulse and back to her hand as she threw her arm forward with Akouo toward Vi, his focus entirely on her opposition.

"Oh, you are not telling me that worthless forest barker could!" Vi roared as she slashed with his lengthened beam blade, the heat sizzling against Akouo as Pyrrha brought the shield up for protection, the warmth of the blade nicking and cutting into the shield.

Only for him to be pushed back as Pyrrha stepped forward, pressing her shield into the blade. She shifted Milo into its blade state, moving him back into a wall. He was forced to disengage from the swing and roll to the right as she came in with a thrust. He switched the hands of his blade to his left and aimed at the unarmored portion of her back. And she rolled through, avoiding the swing as she switched Milo into rifle mode during the roll. She dropped Akouo on the ground and landed in a crouch, and focused her aim.

But she held the trigger back as Vi instinctively bolted from the spot, and too many people were around to fire. The possibility of hitting someone else would be catastrophic. She snarled as she transformed Milo into her sword stand and lifted Akouo back up to her left. He had purposely came here to pick a fight.

He wanted this area to be a battleground. He didn't care about shedding some blood here. As far as he was concerned…

These people were expendable.

Standing and gazing at her surroundings, Pyrrha needed to change the venue. She needed to get him away from the area so she could fight freely and without constraint. Even as people ran and the few officers tried to corral the situation, there was nothing they could do.

They had no power to intervene in a duel between a Huntsman and Huntress. Even if it was ill-timed and put citizens in danger, they couldn't stop one if they tried…

Not if the Hunters wanted it, and Vi wasn't willing to stop. He came here with the purpose of starting trouble. And he found it.

And she would give it to him!

Knowing a park was nearby, if she could draw him after her, she could keep everyone safe and fight freely. And it would be too much of an issue considering all it seemed was he wanted to stir trouble…

Feeling the shift of pressure above her, Pyrrha instinctively lifted Akouo above her to defend against the heated overhead slash as Vi came in from on top. She did not hesitate to return with a thrust to his stomach to make him pay for a foolish decision. He winced as he could only shield himself with his aura and roll from the blow, a shallow cut streaming from his belly as he landed to her side.

And with a quick turn of his heel, a heavy and powerful horizontal slash arced for her backside.

Bursting aura from her feet, Pyrrha vaulted over the swinging blade, the tips of her hair being singed by the burning heat of the violet aura burning around his sword that she couldn't manipulate. As she arched her back and leaped over his swing, she couldn't counter with her swing. He was just out of range. But what she could do was amplify her jump speed with her polarity and…

Flipping her body mid-air, the heel of her left foot struck Vi's chin, catching the Mistral Huntsman off guard and staggering him into a daze. And Pyrrha did not land very elegantly either as she tried to catch herself, landing on her rear, her feet unable to get under her fast enough. It wasn't a maneuver she had tried before, but she quickly hopped back onto her feet.

Her instincts told her to charge forward and end the fight, but with so many eyes watching, she grimaced. This was what he wanted. He wanted to make a display here. To show off and either make a fool of one of them or depose them somehow. She needed to move this fight away from here. To get away from this place.

So she turned and ran toward the exit of the parking lot, knowing the park was a short distance further down the street. And seeing a large gathering of people around, watching, terrified of what was happening, she grimaced as she waved as she tried to get people to disperse so they weren't in the way. "Please move! I need to take this fight away from…"

"No you don't!" A gunshot roared out, and Pyrrha's honed reflexes saved her as she crouched and drew her shield, taking the shot in the center of Akouo as her emerald eyes turned and narrowed at her opponent. "This is right where I want it to be! I am not leaving here! I want people to witness it as I defeat the mighty Pyrrha Nikos once and for all!"

"To tarnish the name of the supposedly magnificent Gale Fox!" Vi exclaimed as he transformed Lion's Heat back into its sword form as he held out his arms and almost preened to all the attention gathered among the crowd. "Your so-called hero was a fraud, sheep! A narcissistic pretender! That animal could never be half the man that…"

A javelin nearly pierced his head as he was only seconds from deflecting it, his violet aura erupting from his sword as Pyrrha violently tackled him, shield first, and slammed into his torso before tossing him to the side and into a heap onto the ground. "You know nothing!"

"All he did was fight and protect people! Fight against a corrupt system and work for real change!" Pyrrha recalled Milo to her hand as she slowly walked toward him.

And a murmur of those watching filled the air when a voice of a woman, a brown-haired faunus with two children and a husband, stepped up. "She's right! He stepped up and saved my family when no one else would! When all else was lost, and my husband was kidnapped by the Fang, he did it out of the goodness of his heart!"

"Kid kept giving and changing the lives of many in our shelter. Came out and helped us whenever we needed it and got us what we needed when we needed it." A large, bronze man spoke up with his voice carrying over the crowd.

Nearby a tired farmer stood out and spoke. "It may have been contracted, but he saved our farms along with his group when Grimm kept attacking our village. He then stayed in the village until newly appointed Huntsman were assigned to secure our village permanently. He fought off the Grimm while lending us his ear and time to help with what he could. He sacrificed his time and commitments to keep us safe."

"I am ashamed to admit I was thinking of joining the Vale sector of the White Fang a few months ago." A young male faunus with antlers stepped forward. "But as their base collapsed on itself from our leader's actions, it wasn't someone from the Fang that rescued or saved me! It was the person that actively tried to stop us, showing compassion and saving everyone he could! Only someone truly righteous would do something like that, and it made me question my own virtues and life decisions."

"He saved Mom and brought her home! He's stopped all those bad men hurting people!" A young brown haired cried out before his mother and father pulled him back.

And further murmurs and cries began to shout out as Vi's eyes darted around frantically as he uncomfortably tried to get to his feet. Then they were drawn to Pyrrha as she stopped before him, standing above him, looking down upon him with her emerald eyes burning as she held her hands and gestured toward the crowd. "Look and listen and tell me what you hear. Nothing Naruto ever did was a lie. He was an honest and genuine person…"

"Unlike you, you narcissistic, arrogant worm!"

"Shut up!" Vi screamed as he sprang forth, his aura blade connecting against Pyrrha's shield as she predicted the attack. "I will not be lectured by a privileged aristocrat who was handed everything she needed to succeed! You are as horrible as the animals and deserve to burn with them!"

Pyrrha's muscles tensed. She gnashed her teeth. Her emerald eyes gleamed brilliantly. And with a tribalistic shout, she parried the blow with Akouo before thrusting Milo through the open section of her shield as he lost a momentary step, catching him in the collarbone.

Vi gritted his teeth and shouted in pain as the javelin pierced his collarbone. When it was ripped out as she moved to continue the assault, his silver eyes shone as he looked over into the distance for a brief moment. Refocusing on Pyrrha, he stepped into her attack unflinchingly, moving to the side as he swung his beam blade toward her midsection. However, he met her shield once more.

This time he could block and parry her thrust as she continued to attack, and he matched her fury, swing for swing. He was still faster, but with her shield and armor, he was at a disadvantage at close range. Stepping in closer, rolling further to his left, he slashed into her weapon hand. With his extended range, he could keep her further away and cut into her weapons to an extent. However, she kept pressing the attack and bringing it within reach, and thanks to the shield, she could get near.

A flurry of swings and blades and swings were seen to the naked eye as they watched everything unfold. It was all too fast to follow. Occasionally there was a stop as they settled and paced one another before Pyrrha continued the charge and pushed into Vi. However, it looked like no one gained the upper hand.

Vi could not hit Pyrrha or get far enough away to make his range or sustained contact matter. Pyrrha couldn't land a more substantial hit after her first blow as he was too quick. And neither seemed to tire or to struggle for breath, so to the outside eye, it seemed like a stalemate.

Shifting Milo into its blade form for a change of tactics, Pyrrha came in once more, with Akouo taking the defensive swing of Lion Heat, knowing it was a bait swing. Its force wasn't enough to deter her, only enough to make her honor the attack. He withdrew the blade quickly, shifted his feet, and met Milo's swing. But she carried forward, using her charge to use Akouo and her weight as a blunt ram and force the issue.

"Dammit!" Vi bounced off and was forced to deactivate his semblance so he didn't cut himself with his blade as Pyrrha ran her shield into him.

And with the full extension of her left arm, she sent him flying and painfully skidding into the pavement on the ground. His aura cracked around him, his eyes narrowing as he rolled over and landed in a crouch. She sprinted toward him, quickly descending upon him as he gripped Lion's Heat's gun-like handle.

Two shots rang out.

Pyrrha's emerald eyes shimmered.

And she silently screamed as two rounds penetrated her.

One in her exposed right thigh.

And the other in the palm of her left hand.

What were these alloys?!

They didn't have a pulse!

Stumbling and losing Akouo from her left hand's grasp for a fleeting second, she could not recover fast enough as Vi lunged forward, the blade igniting one last time.

Her world came crashing upon her as she felt her aura shatter around her and watched blood splatter before her.

Milo dropped to the ground with a clang.

Followed by the meaty thud of her right arm.

Pyrrha's scream echoed throughout the parking lot as she fell to her knees. Her eyes shimmered in and out as she looked at the bloody stump where most of her arm used to be. Blood poured and pooled on the pavement as her emerald eyes flickered and wavered as her body convulsed.

Vi grinned victoriously, flicking Lion's Heat into its revolver form as he gleamed at the gunman as a silver-haired young woman walked out of the crowd, having hidden herself among them. "Thanks for the assist, Flora."

"Now it's time to put this bitch out to pasture." Vi turned with narrowed eyes and pointed his head at the back of Pyrrha's head as she was absently lost in shock. "I would say nothing personal, Pyrrha, but for me…"

"This one is extremely personal."

"Get away from her!"

"What?" Vi was caught off guard as suddenly what looked like a heater shield was tackled into him at high velocity and driven into the ground forcefully. "Fuck that is a strong tackle! All my ribs!"

"Who the hell are you?" Vi roared as he kicked the blonde-haired boy back with the shield as he stood up, extremely annoyed, before glancing at Flora. "Where were you on that?"

"Came out of nowhere! I didn't notice him either!" Flora exclaimed as she drew her pistols before turning to the officers in the area and heard sirens in the distance. "Vi, I think we need to leave. We're causing too much of a scene! Sirens are coming, which means that bitch of a police chief is coming, and we can't deal with her!"

"Fine, just a minute!" Vi stood as he looked at the blonde that interfered with his kill. "I don't know who the hell you are, blonde shitstain, but you will regret this. This was personal for me."

"And it is for me too!" Jaune countered as he drew Crocea Mors to his right and stared heatedly back at Vi. "I already lost one friend today, and I am sure as hell not about to sit back and watch you kill my teammate and friend! You can get the hell away from her!"

Upon hearing his words, Vi's eyes darkened, and a vicious snarl of hatred glinted as he deflected the first swing of Jaune's sword. This amateur hung around both Pyrrha and the animal? They let weaklings like this into their little group? He wasn't in the most ideal of conditions right now. Otherwise, he would put the whelp in his place…

That was until he blocked his counter swing and swung back. He felt his cheek gash open.

This blonde welp cut him? Someone that wasn't worthy to shine his shoes was able to cut him even if he was weakened and his aura was nearly depleted!

"Pathetic worm!" Vi indignantly roared as he kicked Jaune back, catching him in the ribs, his eyes furious at the disrespect of what had occurred. "No more of this! I am over all of this!"

"What's the matter? Get the better of you?" Jaune grimaced and stood up from a knelt position before focusing again, preparing like all the times he did with Pyrrha's training and all the physical endurance training he received with his friends.

"Just shut up and die!" Vi screamed viciously as he lunged out, his sword blazing furiously as he swung wildly for his head.

"Oh shit!" Jaune ducked and rolled, knowing he needed to last a little longer, seeing how fast the guy was.

And applying aura to increase his speed helped, but this guy was on a different level. He swore he was as fast as Blake, maybe even Ruby! And he seemed exhausted! He was thankful he could react at that speed; otherwise, he would be in trouble.

"Still am!" Jaune grunted at his inner monologue as he took a boot to the shield, sending him stumbling back, and saw a quick follow-up as the shimmering blade of energy burned toward him.

As he reacted, Jaune held Crocea up to defend himself as his shield was knocked down. Too low to respond fast enough, Jaune's blue eyes quivered. His family's historic weapon was gone. In a single moment, the blade was severed as the heated aura beam sliced through without issue and continued forward.

"Ahk," Jaune grunted as the gash burned through his chest, and he staggered back, falling to one knee.

He had his nicks, cuts, bruises, scraps, and even a few broken bones from training, but this was an unfamiliar sensation. It cut rather deep, too, under his pectoral, and if it wasn't for his armor, he felt it may have penetrated even deeper.

But it was challenging to breathe. Every breath he took caused significant pain. It was torturous and…

His eyes fell upon Pyrrha as she limply knelt nearby, paralyzed as she gazed at her stump of an arm. Seeing her in such a state…

It wasn't right. She was such a shining example of what a Huntress was supposed to be. And Naruto was the gold standard for what a Huntsman was. And now he had to witness his friends die and be maimed before him.

And it was so wrong!

Jaune's eyes glowed vividly as aura pulsed around him, his wound closing rapidly as he brought forth his shield and withstood Vi's swing before yelling out, slamming his shield into the Huntsman and driving him back.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha muttered, her eyes blinking as she trembled as the world around her was so cold and felt off, her vision focused on her bloody stump with burns that were not enough to sear the wound close.

Why did she hear him here? Shouldn't he be with Ren and Nora upstairs? She didn't want him here for this. She didn't want to see her like this…

"The hell are you?" Vi roared savagely as he regained his footing, rolled off the shield bash, and narrowed his eyes as the blonde turned back in his direction. "I am so done with you! With all of this!"

"When you meet your friend in the afterlife, tell him fuck you!" Vi screamed as he swung violently, Lion's Heat burning brighter and faster than before.

Pyrrha's eyes snapped open, and she reached out desperately, seeing everything before her as it happened. She couldn't stop it. She wanted to. She tried to use her semblance, but her aura was drained by the wound she received. And she had to watch it all unfold before her eyes.

And she screamed as she watched the blade burn through his skull as glass shattered.

"Jaune!"

"No!" A burst of silver light scattered the area as dozens of red and white rose petals scattered across the concrete.

And blood gushed and dripped to asphalt as a scythe blade entered Vi's collar bone, his sword barely holding the rest of the weapon back as she stared back into enraged silver eyes…

That were illuminated by mystical wings.

"No!" A second voice rang out clearly behind them, as they charged in.

Several shots rang out, Flora firing upon the intruder that attacked her leader. But the sounds alerted the young black-haired assailant, and Ruby ripped Crescent Rose out of Vi, earning a gasp as he tried to counter. Only for her to suddenly disintegrate into red and white rose petals as the bullets passed through along with his blade.

Only for the petals to rapidly converge directly behind Flora at a velocity their eyes could hardly track. A flash of silver light was the only thing that alerted the in-training huntress to her presence as her scythe gashed through her back. She tumbled forward and into Vi, grimacing as she struggled to deal with the cut.

"Okay, this is something all new!" Vi roared as he transformed Lion's Heat and fired several times, only for his target to disintegrate into petals before him. "How the hell can you do something like that?"

"Fuck!" He screamed as the blade end tore into his chest before Ruby reappeared before him and dispersing as several more shots were fired as Flora unloaded her rounds at point-blank range.

"Bole!" Flora shouted as she swiftly reloaded, pressing a device on her ear. "Extraction! Now!"

In a fizzle of blue light, a muscled bound young man with no hair stood above Flora. His eyes widened upon nearly getting hit as Ruby appeared but dispersed again as several shots were fired. "What happened?"

"Vi went overboard!" Flora screamed and looked straight into Bole's eyes. "Get us out of here now!"

"No you don't!" Yang bellowed as she leapt over as Bole placed his hand on Flora and Vi. She cocked her fist back as Ember activated, her aura burning around her. "I'm not letting you get away with this!"

The pavement cracked and shattered around her as Ember fired. However, it was too late, even as petals scattered around her, and Ruby joined, her scythe slicing in. They vanished as a blue aura fizzled around her as she stood up, her crimson eyes burning as her hair wisped like fire. Rapidly looking around her as she searched for anything that resembled them fleeing, Yang screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell to her knees. "No, no, no! Wasn't this enough!"

"Did you have to come and take more from us?"

Crescent Rose clanged against the concrete as Ruby fell to her knees, her entire body shivering as the silver magic in her eyes slowly receded and was replaced with tears. And a hollowed scream followed as she looked up at the skies above.

"Jaune, Jaune…" Pyrrha weakly crawled over as several nearby officers quickly rushed over, and the doctors at the entrance watching horrifiedly started coming out of the entrance. "No! Stay away from me! Jaune!"

"Pyrrha, he's gone!" Yang screamed as she grabbed her temples as she held her head, rocking back and forth as Ruby wailed in agony. "He's gone! He's not coming back!"

"Half of his head is fucking gone!"

Pyrrha's eyes flickered in and out at Jaune's body lying motionless before her. Her one arm, which she had crawled toward him with, reached out for him desperately. "No, Jaune! Jaune!"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Fox cried out as he, Coco, and Yatsu arrived, and he screamed to the world. "They came out here to keep this shit going! What the hell are we supposed to do if they're attacking us like this?!"

"Dammit, he didn't deserve to go out like this!" Fox screamed at the top of his lungs and to the world as the wind began to blow and rain droplets started to sprinkle and fall from the sky.

After a momentary pause, as several aids came to Pyrrha's frantic side as she still resisted care, Yatsu nodded. "The heavens seem to agree."

"Something had to…" Fox muttered as he saw Coco kneel before Pyrrha, trying to calm her friend down.

But something was off. He couldn't shake the feeling that this rain didn't feel right. That it didn't feel…

"The hell?" Fox took a deep breath and could feel the world in the rain and energy in each and every drop but more importantly…

"What the hell is…"

"Naruto?!" Fox exclaimed loudly as he felt an overwhelming presence surge before something was instantly upon them and at Pyrrha. "Woah, what the hell is going on?"

"I am so sorry I'm late."

A golden figure with ten black orbs floating behind him burned brightly as he stood before Pyrrha. Her eyes glimmered in shock at what she looked upon what she was seeing, and everyone else couldn't believe their eyes.

Coco lost her balance and fell onto her rear as Yatsu looked on wide-eyed. Fox wasn't sure what he was feeling, but the overwhelming natural energy was overwhelming, but everything Ada was pulsing back was telling him was the figure belonged to Naruto.

When she heard his voice, Yang turned, and she recognized that visage. It was only brief, but she remembered it, but even now, it seemed different from last time. This was the same form she saw two months ago when Naruto saved…

When Naruto resurrected Ruby.

Was he planning to perform another miracle again?

Ruby's scream died in her throat.

That glow!

She knew it!

It was when her world was changed! The day Fate tried to murder her, he altered the course of their destiny!

And now she had a chance to watch him do it again!

Slowly kneeling before her, grimacing at the sight around him, Naruto clenched his fist as his eyes lay upon Jaune before taking a deep breath. He needed to relax and stay calm. His friends were more significant.

He could deal with them later.

Taking note of Pyrrha's wound, he scanned around and found her arm in the distance. With a snap, he held out his hand as his eyes morphed briefly, and a newfound power filled him.

Morphed into a gray shade with several rings within.

"Banshō Ten'in."

The arm began to tremble and stutter before seemingly something was pulling at it. It then was dragged through the air, flying rapidly until it was clasped in Naruto's golden hands. His eyes now reverted to orange. "Still warm, this might work. But that's going to take some time to get used to…"

"Pyrrha, I'm going to need you to stay perfectly still for me. I'm unsure if I can reattach this when the wound is this severe. I wasn't able to completely heal Gai with it. Kurama, think it's possible?" Naruto placed his hand on Pyrrha's left shoulder in a comforting manner as he had her look into his eyes and had her focus on his.

"Sir, we are doctors, and that is…"

"I think it could work given the changes now, Brat. I'd give it a shot." A bubbling fixture formed into the shade of a second head behind Naruto and took the shape of a fox before a deep growl emanated from it toward the doctors. "I suggest you watch and learn little pissants."

"You're about to lose your jobs!"

"No, Jaune…" Pyrrha looked up at Naruto's golden form before realizing this was the power he said he had possessed before.

The one that could heal and even…

"Save Jaune, please!" Pyrrha begged as tears poured from her emerald eyes as she gazed into Naruto's strange cross-covered eyes. "I can live with one arm, just please…"

"Pyrrha," Naruto stopped her with a soft but firm tone as he looked her straight in the eyes. "He's moved on to the Pure World. I can't resurrect the dead. I'm only able to help you. Let me do what I can, please."

Everything fractured for Pyrrha as darkness crept around the edges of her vision. A screeching wail echoed as she shook her head, her body convulsing as she flailed wildly about for a few moments before rolling onto her back and screaming out into the storm.

It was all too cruel. That she would be spared and that Jaune would lose his life? What kind of irony was this? That somehow, despite having her arm cut off, she could get it back without any consequences? Yet Jaune stepped in and defended her when she couldn't, and he was left without his life!

One last scream left her lungs at the world as darkness slowly consumed her.

Unable to do anything more than watch his friend wallow in misery for that brief and agonizing period, Naruto quickly acted the moment she was out. Placing the arm and matching and aligning it properly, Kurama took over as the fox had a keener eye for that detail than he did. The fox growled at him. "Do it, kid. She's going into shock."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Naruto muttered as he focused on balancing his Yin and Yang chakra, harmonizing it slowly and pushing into her amputated arm, attempting to regenerate her lost tissue and reconnect the limb.

He had replaced organs within Gai, so it was possible. He wasn't sure about the bone, but if he remembered correctly from Sakura and Tsunade's lessons, it was made of far harder and stronger tissues. Naruto wished he had paid more attention as he struggled during those lessons. Medical gave him a massive headache. Thankfully he could heal without knowing what exactly needed to be done otherwise…

"There we go." Naruto sighed in relief as he watched muscle fibers connect and forge anew between the arms, and even amazingly, he saw new bone start to reform.

And it was all happening so quickly. He was almost relieved that Pyrrha had passed out. He knew wounds regenerating stung, which had to be on another level as he could see her face tensing and her body quivering. But soon, the arm was restored, and he sighed in relief. "Glad that worked half as well as I expected."

"I'm calling it! Good as fucking new!" Kurama barked before the golden fox's head swiveled at the doctor's, looking on in utter shock and awe. "Go on, bask in our glory, maggots!"

"Kurama," Naruto muttered in embarrassed annoyance as he reached out and grabbed the fox's head with his hand and silenced the fox. "A little too much. Need you to reign it in some. They're not ready for you yet. I don't think I'm ready for this side of you."

"Fine," Kurama growled before his head receded into Naruto's golden form. "I'll admit I'm not good with people. But kid, there will be a whole new slew of issues now, given what I assume just happened…"

"That I am aware of." Naruto sighed deeply as he looked at the doctors and motioned for them to take over. "She still needs plenty of blood. They are less severe, but her other wounds need care."

"Naruto!" Ruby sprinted over, wrapping her arms around her neck and happily burying herself into him. "I was so…"

"Hey, it's…"

"Get over here!" Yang roared as she jumped on and joined in, squeezing tightly. "Never do anything like that again, you hear! You scared us to death!"

"Asshole!" Coco screamed as she slung in hard and tackled the three of them, grasping onto the pile. "Do you know how worried you had me?!"

"Fucking worried! My entire team was in fits all because of you! And me! Screw you and your golden ass! And what's with the talking head?"

"Guys, I'm glad to be back and see you all too, but," Naruto whispered as he focused his sight upon Jaune as an officer laid a sheet over his body, taking a deep breath. "I don't think this is the best time…"

As his somber tone reflected them, slowly, all three detached from their embrace as their eyes were drawn to the sight of a covered Jaune. And the air stilled as they each lowered their heads, a depressive mood settling in. And Fox stepped next to them with Yatsu, his head drenched in the increasing rainfall. "Glad you are back too, but…"

"In the end, we still lost a friend today." Yatsu finished as he hung his head and clenched his fists.

"Yeah, yeah, we did." Naruto gazed upon the rainy sky before taking a breath as the rain slowly faded and the clouds dispersed to the amazement of all as if something had been controlling them all along. "Gonna have to get used to that…"

"Wait, did you just…" Yang, partially drenched from the rain pouring during the few minutes coming down, looked at Naruto, who seemingly ignored her, gazing into the sky.

"Trivia, you got someone to keep you company over there," Naruto whispered as he closed his eyes and felt the world around him and what felt like the Pure World itself. "I've got a lot to deal with over here. Make sure he's doing okay and adjusting, all right?"

Feeling a particular presence, for the briefest of seconds, he smiled. She got his message. Jaune was in good hands.

And with one last deep breath and in a flicker of light, Naruto had disappeared as he felt two distinct presences watching him from above.


Stepping onto the hard linoleum floor in front of a broken window, Naruto could feel every emotion. A mixture of so many raw expressions of anger, anxiety, horror, sadness, worry and so many more that he couldn't even begin to name them all. Those were just a few of the emotions he felt immediately, but the most overwhelming was…

Relief.

"Naruto!" Two familiar voices echoed simultaneously.

One shaded of black, the other of white.

And they embedded themselves into him, embracing him tightly as he looked at their trembling figures. Letting his aura fade around him as he wrapped his arms around their frail and tender frames, he closed his eyes and bit his lip as face-tightened tears slowly dripped down his cheeks.

No words were needed at the moment. For now, emotions were enough, and he had more to share.

It had been a long, draining experience, and they only knew half the story. Learning each other's half would be...

An experience. But for now, at least for now…

His eyes opened and burned with tears as he looked at Blake and Weiss crying into his chest. He could pick up the pieces and start anew.

This was his new start. The old man sage gave him a new beginning…

Kurama had reunited with him once more.

He was bound by Fate no longer.

Freed of these chains!

For the first time, Remnant was about to experience the full force of this Maelstrom. Ironwood, Gold, Vi…

Even Goddess Fate. Would not be excluded.

…It was time to do this the Uzumaki way.


This Pain…

This Agony…

Course Correction…

Completed.

Adjusting Route…

Implementing New Course…

A Path to New Eden.

Initializing…


With that…

Volume III is brought to a close.

Jaune was always Fated to pass here.

And he won't be the last.

There is only one more Volume left…

And…

Let's talk honestly here, me out of my Unus Annus persona.

Volume III's close was disastrously difficult for me to write to the point I burnt out several times. It was hard for any of you to tell as I was always ahead of schedule and chapters prepared. But combined with life and my method of storytelling, the emotional toll took some hits by the end of this.

So I took a break. I don't think many of you would have noticed that, as I was ahead of schedule again. Started to work on Volume IV after a while and…

Nothing I wrote for it has been to my liking. Honestly, chapter II wasn't bad, but I can't keep it if I've rewritten the first chapter several times, and nothing is working. It kind of has to fit smoothly, and right now, it doesn't.

The long and short of this might take some time before the next update comes out, as I want Volume IV to be just right. And as is tradition, I want to be well ahead before I post. It may take a few months before the next update, especially given how busy I can get during the day. Volume IV might turn out and look like Hushed Dreams (My Naruto/Neo story if you haven't checked it out), which is a much smaller, manageable chapter size per chapter for me.

So don't worry. FoR isn't going anywhere. Still working on it. Just figuring out how to proceed in the future. And now that this chapter is out and I am nearly a year older as of Monday, it makes me realize…

Despite the years work took me away from posting, I've been doing this for quite some time. On FFN alone, I've been doing this for almost sixteen years. Even when I wasn't posting, I still occasionally tried my hand at writing now and then. Was crafting story ideas. Wanting to write something worthwhile to post, returning to an old story. I just did not have the time to do so…

Now that life is a little more balanced, and I have some time to write a little, at least, it's kind of comforting to come back and see I still get a fair reaction. So I thank each and every person that came with me on this journey so far, as this was to be my last ride.

You changed that, as I now have other stories, and I'm enjoying writing again.

So expect more sometime soon. I will be working on this story, I just need to get more built back up again, and I also need to pry my focus a little away from Hushed Dreams as it has dominated my writing as of recently (But Neo, great now I'm arguing with myself…).

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, my friends.

Peace out.