A/N: Sorry if the chapter title scared you, wasn't intentional, just a reference.
Worry not, I'm still writing, just a bit sickly; but far better since yesterday's disaster.
Day 34 of no notifications/emails or stats FOR ANYONE on the website, with no end in sight. T_T
I'm starting to lose heart, motivation, even inspiration now, which is affecting my writing.
It hurts, and I'm losing hope. Will this ever be fixed? Follow me through the Fanfiction app, if you're able. We're getting notifications over there at least. As for the older web/desktop version...I don't think this is getting fixed anytime soon. Fictionpress twitter is imploding with nearly 700 people demanding answers from the admins and getting none. Its a crying shame, but at least now I know why, given the site slowly breaking/dying. Everything is still bugged to heck with notifications/email alerts and its driving me mad.
More than a month of this, with no fix from the admins, and the web/desktop version is getting progressively worse. But hey, the app works right? Only problem is, some of us can't us the app, or don't wish to. That's a lot of people not getting alerts AND KILLING MY MOTIVATION TO WRITE. Because folks can't see chapters, which means less feedback, which hurts even more.
Its driving me batty, and as a result, I'm also posting on other sites. I can't take much more of this Fanfiction mess, but I'm trying to endure because I love this site...
Alas, in other news depression's starting to hit real hard these days. Seriously. Like a sledgehammer paired with concrete. Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head anymore. I don't even know why I'm feeling this way! One moment I'm fine, then my mood craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. On and on, round the bend, forever and without end! Its rather annoying; as though I've become a prisoner in my own mind sometimes.
Sure, what's one more mental problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough, what with already being this old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes. Meanwhile, my doctor insists that I'm fine. Take a health walk he says. Go fishing. You'll be fine.
But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, quotes, themes or memes! They're simply tributes to legends far greater than I. I'm just an old man who writes as a pastime. I don't make any money doing this, not a single cent. This is ALL done for free. Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that. In other words...its up to YOU, the reader.
Do let me know~!
The quote below is a reference.
I'm fairly certain most of you will recognize it:
"At least I know what I'm fighting for, while you're fighting to be known!
You claim you're so much wiser, yet you choose to die alone!
"YOU'RE ALONE!
~a reference.
This is My Goodbye
And so they gathered together.
From the East and the West they came, from the North and the South and everywhere in between; all the allies he'd currently gathered in the Lands. He couldn't hope to count them all. It was...humbling. He hadn't quite realized just how many lives he'd touched, saved, and otherwise altered until today. He'd been so fixated on bulling forward, saving everyone within arm's reach-be it via his own hands or that of a shadow clone-that he'd never stopped to realize just how good he was doing.
He did now.
The moment his small army of allies arrived in Leyndell, they went to work. Morgott's still-slumbering from was shuffled out of sight, but not necessary out of mind. They left the old Omen in comfortable quarters and subsequently placed him under a guard of no less than seven shadow clones to make certain he stayed there should he stir. Meanwhile a serviceable facsimile of the Roundtable was dragged out of storage from the city cellars and planted beneath the Erdtree, with chairs for all.
Nor did surprises stop there.
Greyroll at least, he had been prepared for; because he knew how she acted, and to a lesser extent Lansseax. Not so the others.
Rennala and Ranni brought the full might of a conquered Raya Lucaria with them; together, Mother and Daughter conjured a series of beautiful barriers to protect their little enclave.
Loretta commanded a company of wolf-riding archers from the far north to serve as nimble scouts for the conflict ahead. Those alone were worth their weight in gold; not only could they cover great distances and report back quickly, but it meant he needn't waste more shadow clones on ranging parties far afield.
Nepheli proved her worth and brought forth a brigade of barbarians from a place she would only refer to as the Badlands. There could be no finer shock troops she assured him, and looking at the hardened men and women, he was tempted to believe her. A few of them looked like they could stand up to Blaidd, whom he had nothing but praise for.
Therolina brought little combat power to the table, but she did manage to wrangle a number of clerics under her command. They wouldn't lack for healing going forward. And speaking of Golden Order forces, the timely return of the now-quite outspoken Trish brought a number of the city's Tree Sentinels to their side, another unexpected boon he hadn't anticipated.
On the other side of the spectrum Tanith and Zoryas-he still preferred calling the latter Rya despite the lamia's newfound confidence and appearance-offered the remaining Recusants of the Volcano Manor, an admittedly eclectic bunch, under his command. There were no finer assassins than these. Better to have them under his command than without.
And then there were other more amusing allies he hadn't encountered firsthand, but stumbled upon by sheer chance.
Most came willingly, others were otherwise brought/subjugated by his own entourage without him realizing it.
So many names to remember!
It was in such a way that he finally met Sellen the Sorceress, Kenneth Haight, a rather shifty-looking fellow known as Patches and a curiously blind maiden named Irina who seemed to know him despite the fact that he'd never met her. She even asked why he'd shaved his beard.
That question would mean something later; he just didn't realize it at the time.
There were others too, with whom he was at least peripherally acquainted. Boc, the seamster, Alexander the warrior Jar, the list went on and on.
Milicent, meanwhile, commanded no force of her own, but she didn't need to; with the Waterfowl Dance, his Blade was an army unto herself...even if she was strangely silent.
.
..
...hmmm. Had she not recovered? He didn't like that look in her eye. Might need to have a word with her sooner rather than later, once this was done.
Still, he'd been quite serious when he told Melina they would take Leyndell.
There was no other path forward...so they took the city.
At the end of the day, the capital had less than one hundred proper knights still defending her; alongside an assortment of pages, scribes, and other creatures. They could fend off the occasional tarnished on a good day, even hold the walls in a pinch, but against a concentrated force of battle-hardened shadow clones accompanied by warriors, sorcerers and assassins?
...the outcome was never in question; it was entirely too entertaining to cut loose with his allies and run roughshod over their enemies
Most of the knights and pages surrendered. Some even turned their cloaks to serve them. Those who refused were cast into the dungeons. Death was rather unreliable in the Lands Between after all; executions weren't a sustainable system, and besides he wasn't here to butcher everyone his path, no matter how much that might expedite things.
So, yes, all in all, they brought Leyndell under their control in relatively short order. All that remained were the sewers, something they'd save for a later date, which left him to mingle with the rest of his allies before they decided what in blazes to to with the Erdtree...
It was there that things became...complicated.
Much to his surprise, Naruto eventually found a stray shadow clone lingering among his erstwhile allies-a decidedly exhausted-looking one at that. Poor bastard had lost his headband somewhere at some point and much of his clothes besides; he wore little more than tattered rags, his hair messy and unkempt. He'd even begun to grow something of a bristly beard. Huh. He hadn't even realized a shadow clone could do that. Intrigued by such a development -alongside poor bastard's disheveled appearance and his world weary expression of course-he approached him next.
"And where have you been, buddy?"
"Hey, boss." His doppelganger slumped against a wall and granted him a tired grin, before replying further. "Would you believe me if I said places...?"
Naruto crossed both arms before his chest and tapped a foot. He wasn't used to his boys being this snarky. "Places, eh? And what were you doing in these places?"
A shrug. "Stuff."
"I see," he thumbed his chin with a frown, mildly annoyed by the evasive answer. "What kinda stuff...?"
The clone laughed nervously and looked away. "Important stuff?"
Naruto began to crack his knuckles.
"Alright, alright! I'll talk!" His counterpart raised both hands to ward him off. "Don't pull a Sakura on me!"
"Hop to it, then!"
"Look...its a long story an' it'll take me too long to explain the normal way." his other half looked away, idly scratching the back of his head. "Better to let my memories do the talking. Besides, I don't have much time left, anyway." he looked back his way and belatedly he realized just how blank those blue eyes looked, glassy and drained. "I've finally hit my limit, boss, and I've been apart from you for too long. Take care of her, will ya? I don't think she even knows I'm a clone...
Naruto frowned at his exhausted shadow clone. "Take care of who?"
A wink was his reward; because the bastard wanted to be cryptic. "Like I said, you'll see."
"You're talking like you're dying or something."
"Or something." his clone rasped a laugh. "My experiences, my memories, my emotions will live on in you."
"Oi!" he grabbed him by the arm, mildly concerned by its reticence. "You're starting to worry me! Just what in blazes did you get up to while I was gone?! I can give you more chakra if you need-
"..."
His doppelganger didn't answer. His eyes had already gone dull.
He crumbled in his grasp and turned to so much smoke.
And the very moment he did..memories rushed in.
When the clone popped, that last little sliver of chakra it possessed came rushing back, bringing with it months of experience.
And emotions!
So many emotions!
He saw all the clone had done, all it had seen, all it had experienced and said.
It wasn't a seamless transition, not by far; one moment his psyche stood upon solid ground, in the next he found himself swamped by a flood of memories. He tried to rally against them; to shove them back and out as he sought to sift through the myriad mass in which he was submerged. In the end it was the little things that added up. The laughter of a gentle maiden. The touch of a hand in his. The warm fuzzy feeling he experienced as he sat beside her and shared a meal with her. OhAnd there, above it all, a name.
Irina.
"No, I don't want these memories!"
Irina?
"This is his life, not mine! I don't deserve..."
IRINA!
She was in his head now; he knew who she was, and precisely why his doppelganger had taken pity on her when they'd first met. It was all there in his head, much to his chagrin, tinged with the rampaging memories and emotions of the clone who had dedicated the very last bit of its chakra to bring her here. It was as if he'd lived every moment, every step, as though he'd been there in person.
From a purely logical standpoint, one might wonder why he'd gone to such lengths for her.
Irina had limited combat potential -though her old man apparently commanded a castle down on the Weeping Penninsula- and knew only a few spells for her own personal protection. She wasn't a front-line fighter, or a scout or even a proper sorceress. It didn't bother him. Possessing the knowledge of his doppelganger, he knew full well that wasn't the reason he saved her.
Because you see, Irina was...good. Innocent. Dare he say pure?
She'd wished only to be reunited with her Father and even afterward hadn't dared hope for anything else with him beyond a quiet chat or holding hands under Edgar's watchful eye. He'd refused to let the Lands Between gobble her up on the roadside back then and he absolutely refused to do so now. But the question remained:
What do do with her?
Bah! He already knew the answer.
It was obvious. Must protect at all costs.
Naruto slumped against the wall with a soft sigh and cursed his clone.
"You cheeky bastard...now I gotta do something...I can't leave that poor girl alone...
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto was still reeling from those memories an hour later when everyone sat before the Erdtree.
Bringing everyone together had been the easy part. All it took was an ask on his part.
Getting them to agree...not so much. Everyone had their own opinions after all.
Some mere more vocal than others of course:
"Heretic!" Therolina thrust a finger at Melina across the table. "What you are suggesting is madness! The Erdtree is sacred! Sarconsact! To even entertain the notion of burning it is a sin!"
Melina looked to her with a an irritated scowl. "And what would you know of it?!
"I know such a thing is sacrilege!" The healing maiden sprang to her feet. "If you think I shall allow this, then you are truly mad!"
Melina mirrored her. "I'll show you mad-
"Hey, hey!" Naruto flitted between the duo before they could come to blows. "Calm down!"
Greyroll and Lansseax chortled softly, content to let chaos take the table as he forced the bickering maidens apart.
Rennala heaved a sigh from where she sat. "Do behave yourselves. We've come here to talk, not to fight."
Ranni sniffed in haughty disagreement. "Speak for yourself, mother."
Milicent nudged his side with her elbow, a silent sign of solidarity. But why wasn't she speaking? He briefly felt the need to spirit her away, find a bed and cuddle up with her...but no. There was a time and a place for that and it wasn't here, no matter how much he might wish otherwise. He flicked her a quick grateful look and reluctantly turned his gaze back to the others.
-even so." Nepheli was saying something, responding to a question he hadn't heard while he'd been distracted. "Just chop the damn thing down. We have a small army here. Why not make use of it?"
"And how do you intend to do that?" Latenna chided her gently. "It would take years to cut it apart. Our weapons would blunt long before the bark ever did."
The barbarian bit her lip and settled down with a mulish look. "At least I'm offerin' ideas. I don't hear the rest of you coming up with anything."
"She's got a point." Blaidd snorted in mild annoyance. "Still, that's a mighty tall tree to chop down. Better to burn it and be done with it."
Therolina absolutely twitched, such was her ire; he though she might actually attack the half wolf. "I shall not allow-
"Yes, yes, we know how you feel about this Therolina. Be quiet and let the adults talk."
"You're not listening!"
"This never would've happened if lord Rykard were still here...
Rennala swooped in like a mother hawk. "Whatever happened to him, dear Tanith? Oh, yes. He challenged Naruto and died. Leave the dead to their rest. The living have work to do."
"And speaking of the dead, why is that witch here?" Therolina recovered and shot a glare Ranni's way. "I was under the impression only friends were welcome here."
The lunar princess paid her all the care one would a small mouse, which is to say none. "Silence, churl. Your betters are speaking."
"This from the woman who caused the Shattering!"
Silence reigned, if only for moment.
"Can we not simply blast our way through the thorns?" Those words came from Trish; it was the most he'd heard from her since he'd healed her voice. "Surely we haven enough strength to do that, at least."
Greyroll chortled. "We already tried. They're surprisingly sturdy.
"Then why don't we-
"That won't work!
"We should...
On and on it went. No one could agree.
Naruto closed his eyes and let their words wash over him.
He knew Therolina would be one of the few to resist such a plan, but he hadn't expected everyone to be quite so...vocal.
No one else seemed to oppose the idea of bypassing the Erdtree save Therolina; it was merely a matter of how. Zoryas was all for burning it, others like Nepheli proposed simply cutting it down, while yet more like Trish were content to agree with whatever he suggested. Which didn't help, because he'd called this council to get ideas, not have everyone agree with him!
"Enough!" Melina slammed a fist down on the table, breaking theimpass. "If none of you will see sense, then there is no point in this!"
Her peace said, she left in a huff.
Naruto let her. Perhaps she had a point.
Tempers were running high, and weapons higher.
He heaved a heavy sigh, raised an arm, and brought it crashing down on the table.
"Lets break for lunch."
(.0.0.0.)
Rya found him sulking some time later.
He'd claimed Marika's bedchambers for himself while everyone cooled their heads; it wasn't particularly comfortable, but it was close enough to the Erdtree that he needn't worry about missing anything. Even from here he could hear more than a view raised voices. The arguments continued apace without him it seemed.
But not Rya. Rather than bicker with her grandmother, mother, or anyone else, she sought him out.
Honestly, she was such a sweetheart. He really didn't deserve her company.
Still, misery loved company and he was hardly about to turn her away...
"Sure, why not," he chuckled into his palms as the young lamia slithered up to his bed. "Already had the Irina bombshell dropped on me...
Guileless green eyes blinked at him. "Irina?"
He told Rya about the blind girl in no uncertain terms. She hadn't been present at today's council but had instead retired to the guest rooms shortly before the discussion began. He knew where she was mind you, he could sense her -and her father three doors down- well enough, but he didn't know what to say to any of them.
When he confessed as much to Rya, she fell silent.
Her tail flicked lazily before curling around his left leg.
It was his one and only warning; well, that the building bundle of emotion he'd been sensing for the better part of the last five minutes now.
Weary as he was, he wasn't quite quick enough to do anything about it before-
Yoink!
Rya ripped him off his feet, pinned him down, and pressed her lips to his.
She drew back, pale face redder than a rose.
"That was my first kiss," she informed him primly. "Just thought you should know."
She promptly gave him her second, and third, followed by her fourth, then fifth, and sixth for good measure until his world went dizzy and he was left reeling for air.
"You don't get to break now." Her voice was soft, but he didn't miss the steely undercurrent lurking beneath. N"ot now, not after all you've done. We need you. I need you. An if that means I have to kiss you silly, I will! Now go get your affairs in order and talk to those poor girls!"
He quirked a blond brow at her. "I don't suppose we could just lay here awhile...?"
Rya pinched his arm and stared. "Naruto...get."
Naruto got.
(.0.0.0.)
Irina was blind.
Oh yes, quite so, really.
Try as she might, she couldn't see a thing.
It was sad fact of life, a facet she had resigned herself to ever since she was small. And she had made peace with it. Really, she had. True, there were times when she was not...best pleased with her handicap, but she had learned to live despite it, no in spite of it. In her blindness she had developed her other senses to compensate. She'd quite the keen sense of smell for one, and her sense of touch was nigh on unparalleled within the Lands Between.
Why, she could identify someone merely by touching the calluses on their hands, and that was to say nothing of her hearing. She could detect the slightest of vibrations, the quietest of pin drops. Father called it a blessing, even if wasn't true sight. That "blessing" It was one of the reasons she hadn't bumbled off a cliff before now. Sometimes, when it rained she could almost see. It was not true sight, not really, but her ears painted a better picture for her than useless eyes ever could.
And yet, now, more than ever, she found herself wishing she could see.
Her champion had vanished a few hours ago, leaving her in her lovely new quarters and asking her to wait.
She'd been a good girl and done as he asked, contenting herself with all the strange new sounds in this broken capital of light.
And in time, he returned to her.
She heard his footsteps a mile away long before he made himself known; even then she pretended to be surprised for his sake.
"There you are." she stood carefully and sketched a clumsy curtsy his way. "How did it go?"
"...it went." she heard him sigh before his footsteps drew closer.
Irina reached out to find his face and let her.
"So you're not done, then."
"That's a simple way of seeing it." he must've realized what he said, because he coughed. "Sorry. I didn't mean
She patted his face, tracing his whiskers with both hands. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
...I'd like to do something for you."
He seemed nervous. Anxious. She wondered why.
"Are you going to try and heal me again?" a small, sad little smile lifted her lips. "It didn't work the last two times, remember?"
"It didn't?" For some reason, that only seemed to embolden him. "Well, third time's the charm...
Heat speared through her face. It truly was touching, how much he cared for her.
And so she let him touch her again; felt him lay both hands on either side of her head, thumbs cupping her face just below her ears. She didn't think he would succeed but it was clear that he wanted to try, if nothing else. His forehead touched hers a moment later as he muttered something under his breath and then-
PAIN!
Fire in her face!
Terror! Torment! Travesty!
A thousand stinging needles of sensation invaded her numb eyes and she squirmed in her grasp, voice rising in a keening whine. Realization blunted her agony for a moment as she reeled. That was why he'd held her. To keep her still.
The darkness began to recede and for the first time in years, she saw.
Right up until something snatched her up and away.
And all the light died.
With neither word nor warning she found herself int he dark, senses laid bare, unable to make heads or tails of her surroundings. No, that wasn't quite right. As she looked about herself she found not the capital but a void in its place, a towering empty space that seared her senses and granted her sight in equal measure.
Tongues of hungry flame rose from the ground, ascending into the air like so many yellow streamers.
As she looked on aghast, they formed something.
There was a presence.
It loomed before her a nebulous mass of twisted yellow flame among the stars, seething with frenzy.
"Why do you still live?" it asked of her.
She recoiled from it. "W-What? Why ask me that?!"
"You, who were never meant to have that body." it addressed her with utter scorn. "You who where meant to die. Surrender your flesh to "Hyetta" and let the world be cleansed in flame."
"N-No."she reeled back from he fire, not quite comprehending it, but feeling fearful of its flames all the same. "This is my body, I won't."
The flames pushed in, reaching for her, trying to push into her. "You have no say in the matter. Chaos shall take the world."
"Yeah, hard pass." A hand settled on her shoulder and she jolted.
Naruto stood beside her, shining like the sun.
No, that wasn't quite right.
He was the sun.
His very body burned like the ugly fire before her, but brighter. More pure. Simple and clean. His presence chased the darkness of the void away and empowered her; kept the fire from reaching into her.
With one arm he tucked her into his side.
With the other he reached up and thrust a hand up at the Yellow Fire, palm up, fingers splayed.
"I figured you were a little like me; connected to something greater than yourself. But this ain't a Bijuu." he squinted up at the roiling mass of fire, which had begun to resolve itself into the guise of a three-fingered hand, and sneered at it in return. "This is a Biju. It means tailed beast."
"FILTHY USURPER-
A great golden fox loomed over him.
And from this, the truest of flames, a mighty giant fox was born.
"I don't care who you are, or what you are." he scowled up Outer God and its emissary." This world has no need of your wisdom, or your light. Go back to the shadow."
The fox roared above, and then there was true light.
Irina shielded her face with one arm and...
.
..
.. saw Naruto fully in the light of the rising sun for the first time.
Irina's heart hitched. Her throat closed. Her eyes stung with tears for the first time in years.
Blinking through blurry eyes that had never once beheld another, she finally saw her savior and...well. Oh my, my, mine.
Her gaze widened, even as her heart leaped into her throat. "Oh, you're well fit, aren't you?"
Naruto, her champion barked a sad little laugh. "You don't look half bad yourself."
There was an undercurrent of sorrow in his words. A mourning, or perhaps a longing. That would simply not do. If he was sad, then there was only one thing for it. There was but one thing she could offer her champion, inexperienced though she was.
She leaned up, stood on the very tips of her toes, and kissed him.
Naruto immediately placed both hands on her shoulders and took a step backward.
Her heart went with him. No, no, no! Not like this! He couldn't just deny her after all they had been through-
"I'm not sayin' no." he rallied quickly, as though sensing that very emotion. Perhaps he could. Hadn't he mentioned it before. I remember you. He pulled her close, buried his head in her hair and chuckled softly. You mean a great deal to me."
There it was again, the faintest twinge in his voice just then, something she couldn't quite quantify. It took her a moment to understand what it was. She could sense him more clearly than before and...
.
..
...ah. It took her a moment to understand. He wasn't a shadow clone.
All this time she'd been traveling with a doppelganger, a copy, a mere facsimile of the genuine article, who know stood before her.
...what of it?
Naruto was Naruto. He meant the world to her, flesh and blood or no Even now he sought to preserve her honor when she would have happily thrown herself into his lap just to keep him.
"I want to talk with you more," ah, but he was speaking and she must attend. "Get to know you more. We have a lifetime ahead of us, ya know? Lets not rush into things."
...but you love others, too," she whispered softly, words nearly lost on the wind. "Like Melina."
"I do." he nodded without hesitation. "I wish I could say sorry for that...but I'm not."
That should've hurt more than it did. Thankfully, the pain was tempered by understanding.
He had many redeeming qualities; he was kind, brave, and confident; not only willing to fight for what he believed in, but quite willing to help any and all he encountered along the way. Any woman in the Lands Between would lucky to have him as their paramour. She suspected he had more than a few admirers waiting in the wings. She should've known others would've found him an attractive partner for more than looks alone. After all, only just regained her eyes and if she hadn't been smitten with him before she certainly was now.
"Umm...?" She tried to rally, faltered, and pinched her arm until the pain broke through her barriers. May I be so bold as to offer a counterpoint?
"I mean, I don't see why not-
Irina stepped into him, pressed her head to his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Thank you."
That got a baffled blink out of him. "Eh?"
"For finding me," she elaborated. "For saving me. You're a good person, my champion."
Naruto warbled a little at that; little did she know those were the very words he'd been longing to hear; words few had said to him.
"You don't know that." Irina could tell by the tone of his voice that he was fighting a war against his own emotions. "You don't know me. Not really."
"Of course I do." Unwilling to look at him without blushing, she instead buried her head in his armored jacket and took a deep breath. "You're exactly as I remember." he was so warm she couldn't help but nuzzle him. "Maybe a little less scruffy, that's all. And now you've saved me from some fell god that wanted to burn the world. What is that if not courtship? If my father has a problem with our relationship, then he can stuff it!
He laughed and squeezed her back.
The very moment he did, she looked him square in the eye.
"Now go have a word with Melina before she does something foolish!"
(.0.0.0.)
Melina drifted.
Her feet carried her away from the raised voices of Naruto's so-called c
She knew she was welcome at the Council in theory; but she simply couldn't bear to be there after that last argument.
Wandering aimlessly through the empty halls of Leyndell brought her little solace, only distractions.
She could hear voices here, see specters of past, of a life she had not lived.
Here she saw Radahn tending to a long-since-dead-garden long since overgrown by weeds. There she espied Rykard balancing a small child on his knee as he read from an old tattered book of fairytales. She glimpsed the ghost of Godwyn walking around the corner talking to a woman in dark robes. Ranni's shade stalked past her, arguing with a much younger Blaidd about some prank or another. Miquella sat upon a nearby windowsill, chin in hand, watching Malenia practice her bladework in the yard below.
She stumbled upon more of such scenes the deeper she went into the castle; ghosts of the pasts that never once seemed to see her.
A younger version of Marika -Mother!- walked right through her, a strange veil clutched tight in one hand and her hammer in another. Almost immediately thereafter, the Eternal Queen donned the veil and vanished in a shower of golden light.
Radagon danced with Rennala beneath a tree that had withered away to a desiccated husk.
Godfrey marched off to war, Serosh snarling upon his back. For a moment he paused and almost seemed to notice her-
Melina kept walking, head down.
It felt like she was stumbling into their past; a wayward stranger peeking through time.
The experience was as haunting as it was humbling...
...and humiliating.
What was she to do now? Naruto had usurped the medallion from her and would not allow her to fulfill her purpose. It mattered not if she made the journey to the Mountaintops of the Giants alone, she needed him, he HAD to take her there, else she could not set the Erdtree aflame. Nor could she simply for a secondary contract with another tarnished. No one else had as many Great Runes as he; no one else was fit to become Elden Lord.
What was she to do...?"
A glimmer of light caught her eye, shadows stirring in the dusty gloom.
She whirled, drawing her dagger. "Who goes there?!"
"Who do you think?" Naruto stepped out behind a rusted stand of armor, hands up. "I'm here to talk."
She lifted her chin and sniffed angrily. "We have nothing to discuss. You clearly don't value a single word I have to say."
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What do you want from me, Melina? To let you die? Nope." he shook his head. "Ain't gonna happen."
"But-
"I said no." His hand slashed through the air between them, kicking up a breeze. "Next question."
"Why do you go to such lengths for me? Can't you see the only way, the reliable way, is to let me go?"
She expected rage, anger. Naruto never gave it to her. He just...tilted his head and smiled at her, that sad little smile that broke her heat.
"Because I love you, ya silly girl." Seven little words and yet they set her blood ablaze as no flame ever could. "There. I said it. Is that what you want to hear?" he dared a step forward, only to pause as she shrank back. "Because I do. I love you." he spread his arms wide and for a moment his body almost seemed to shimmer gold in the low light. "You ARE loved, no matter what you might think. Why else would I do all this for you?"
Melina winced. He'd put up with so much for her with barely a word of complaint, yes, but to hear the words.
"...but its clear that you don't trust me, so the feeling doesn't appear to be mutual..."
It was! How could he say such a thing! "I do trust you, foolish tarnished!"
"Do you?" His words were a searing knife cutting through her confidence like so much butter. "You've got a funny way of showing it."
"I have shown it time and time again!" she kicked at his leg. "Despite you recklessly rushing ahead into battle after battle and bedding nearly every woman you come across!"
Naruto didn't rise to her bait. He never did; no matter how hard she tried to get a rise out of him. "I know you didn't mean that."
"You don't know me!" she snapped at him. "Not what I am, nor what I am meant to do!"
"At least I know what I'm fighting for, while you're fighting to be known." he stepped to her, not raising his voice, not once. "Since you claim you're so much wiser, why do want to die alone?"
The words were a slap in her face and she found herself taking a step back despite them.
Alone. She thought someone would at least mourn her passing.
"I...I never said...
"You're alone, Melina." Naruto didn't chase her, and only shook his head. "There are other ways to deal with the Erdtree, but you either can't or won't acknowledge them. We all want to help you, but you're being vain and selfish. Prideful, even."
She smacked his chest. "So are you!"
"I am." he nodded at that, oh-so-infuriatingly-calm. "But at least I'm honest about it; because I know what I want. Do you?" his gaze flitted up and down, searching for something and upon failing to find it, he shook his head. "I don't think so. You call me reckless and sentimental, but those are my best qualities, and I won't given them up. If you actually think I should...then this is where we part ways."
His peace said, he shook his head, pivoted, and walked away.
No.
Too late, Melina realized her mistake; she'd pushed too hard, too far, too fast.
Wait.
Was he really just going to walk away from her like this; after all was this his goodbye?
Come back!
She didn't even realize she'd closed the distance until she did, seizing his sleeve. It was a wild, desperate grab, childish, even. But she couldn't stop herself. Nor could she stop herself from e
"Please don't go...
Naruto turned his head, a blue eye peeking over his shoulder. "Tell me you want, then."
"I want a purpose." the words tumbled out of her, the dam bursting once more for the last time. "A place to belong. A reason to be."
He turned to face her and she lost her grip on him as he spoke. "And you think dying will grant you that purpose?"
Yes? No? Maybe so?"
"What else will?" her lone eye began to sting, but she just couldn't help herself. "My own mother made me for the sole sake of burning." when the tears inevitably came she scrubbed at her face to hide them, but it was no use; she knew he could see them. "What else do I have? This is my purpose, the one I chose, the only way I can help you by removing the last obstacle in your path-
He grabbed her hands, cutting her off. "You can help me other ways!"
She gave him a shake. "How?!"
"By living."
He kissed her.
Not as roughly as she would have liked but slowly, gently, his lips sealing hers. It made her feel as if she were afire. Need sparked to life within her and she found her hands fisting in his jacket. It would be so easy to give in, to just trust him and believe in his success as she once had so long ago.
She tried to argue, tried to rally, and succeeded- until he kissed her again.
It happened every time; whenever she tried to rally, his lips found hers.
...she wasn't going to win this argument, was she?
Bugger.
This was a goodbye indeed, not to him, but to her old and oh-so-very-foolish self.
"Alright," she rasped between breaths. "Alright. You can stop now. I'll listen to you rplan."
"..."
The silence was his answer.
...you don't have one, do you?
Naruto scratched the back o fhis head. You kinda stormed out before any of us could think of one."
Melina buried her head in his chest and laughed into his jacket. "Oh, beloved. What am I going to do with you..?"
A/N: Aaaand scene.
Melina decides she wants to live after all.
Well? Did you like this story? Yes? No? Maybe? Would you like weekly updates?
By all means, speak up! Make yourselves heard! Your voice matters~! Silence hurts worse than any flame. Looking forward to reading your feedback when I get home from work~ If this chapter gets a ton of feedback-hopefully!-then I'll do my best to ensure another early update again. If not...I don't know. I really don't.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story.
If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself isn't popular? It will remain, but it won't be continued! I'm working two jobs to keep the lights on, as such I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas....Review, Wouldst Thou Kindly?
And have some previews. Some are quite a ways off, but still...
Mind you, most of these previews are the same.
Wouldn't do to spoil what's coming up.
Vote for what you want to see!
And as ever:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
SPOILERS LAY AHEAD!
YE BE WARNED!
(Previews)
She lifted the blanket, exposing herself to him, wearing naught but threadbare undergarments. "Lay with me."
His throat went dry. So that's what she looked like under alll those robes.
Daaaamn.
Ranni leaned back, eyeing him warily. "You want my Great Rune?"
A shrug. You threw it away, so...
"You know not what you ask."
Why do you hesitate? Everything in this life is a tool, a key to victory. Use it.
Open that door. Do not linger in the past. Regret will kill you.
Advance! Charge forward! Never look back!
Ever onward! Ever upward!
ADVANCE!
They had him by the throat. So why...why was he smiling?
Naruto grinned, heedless of the blood on his face, the fingers biting down into his windpipe, even the crater he was being crushed into. "Not bad! Lets kick it up a notch or two!"
An open palm smashed into their ribs and they went flying.
...what is that thing?"
Hewg offered him the Weapon.
"Its what she asked for. The power to kill a god."
"I'm so sorry!"
"GIVE HER BACK!"
He grabbed the needle.
There was a blade in his chest. He looked down with a sigh. "And you thought this would work because...?"
"Please don't go...please...I can't do this without you...
"What was this? A projection? He didn't think so. And yet...
"I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella. And I-
CLONK!
-am not in the mood." Naruto finished as he stalked over her prone form. "Buzz off."
...wait."
Aw, hell.
"Whoa, now!" He waved up at the fire giant. "Friendly! Friend! No stomping, please!"
The behemoth squinted down at him in utter confusion. Progress.
Naruto beamed up at it. "Wanna be friends?"
"I AM HOARAH LOUX!"
"I AM NARUTO UZUMAKI!"
Two titans collided with a snarl. And the Erdtree trembled.
Naruto's head snapped back against a rousing right hook barreled into his face, leaving him spitting blood.
Godfrey did the same, eyes squinted shut as he reeled in pain.
They reared back and their fists collided!
EDIT: Hey, you made it! Hope you enjoyed this!
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself isn't popular? Well, it won't be continued. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.
So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Silence...silence only hurts.
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work~!
May you have a good day filled with luck and peace,
~Nz.
R&R~!