A/N: EDIT: Flames all over the reviews again. *rolls eyes* Flames will be flames, I suppose.
Added some more content, too. A LOT more T_T
Warning! This chapter is all kinds of emotional.
Surprise! Double Update day for ya! I'm updating this story and...well. You'll soon see.
Would you look at that?! I can actually update properly when I have time to breathe~!
As ever, the Embers rule remains.
If people don't like this story? If they don't enjoy it? Well...I'll not continue it. That's no joke, folks. I'm so busy these days with two jobs; basically, I don't have time off. Not anymore. My free time is limited and as such, I can't afford to focus on something folks don't like. Reviews keep me writing in these times, and keep the daily updates flowing. Silence...silence only hurts. I hate having to beg for feedback, but without it...well, it feels like I'm not making an impact.
Now lets answer some questions:
Q: Is that woman in the preview... Ei?! Why is she out of Inazuma?! Why would she leave?
A: Excuse me? That's not Ei. Nor is it Vanessa. I all but said who it was, but a lot of folks were confused...
Although...now I do have an idea for our darling redheaded night...
Q: Well...Shenhe's snapped! We're all doomed!
A: Not sure on her exact age -its listed as Unknown, I believe- but she's had those red ropes awhile.
For good reason! If you've seen her past...the trauma she went through...ouch.
Now that they're off...oh, boy! Here she comes! TAKE COVER!
Q: If you make Naruto lose here, so too will I lose all respect for you.
A: Friendly chap, aren't you? Make no mistake, he's an Archon now. Meaning! Anemo powers added ONTO what he already has.
And what, pray tell, can an Archon do to a vision?
For instant, what have we seen Ei do?
Ehe~!
Q: What will you update next?!
A: I'm switching things up a bit for the next seven days! In tentative order it SHOULD be Arcane, Demon Slayer, Five Nights at Freddy's, RWBY, Fate, Genshin, then My Hero Academia.
Alas, me Muse is a fickle creature. I'll try to keep her on track as best I can. It ought to follow that line up more or less.
Q: Romance when! We want lemons!
A: Oi! Romance takes time, especially in this story. I'm not rushing it. Also, I won't write a lemon unless its a tasteful one. Maybe that's the writer in me, but if I write something, I want it to be done well. In this story, Naruto has hardly any clue what romance is. Granted, Lisa's working on that, but he's hardly gonna walk up and shag someone out of the blue now, is he?
But don't you worry. You'll have your romance, and your pairings...Naruto ain't the only one getting a partner in this story.
Alright, then. I think I've kept you waiting long enough.
Hope you're ready; because this chapter's got a bit of everything in it!
As ever, I own nooooo references, quotes, memes or themes. Quote is a spoiler, so YE BE WARNED!
"Its not fair! Why do you have what I don't?! Why you?!"
~An Enraged Crane.
A Devastated Damsel
Naruto could feel her pain.
It was everywhere; in the air, in his thoughts, in his head. For the first time since he'd gained the ability, he wished he wasn't able to sense negative emotions. It had always been such a useful ability before; downright essential even, during the war. Not only did it allow him to ferret out friend from foe, but it had helped in a number of other ways, too many to count. More than once, he'd thanked Kurama for the gift. So many times it had saved his life. Now?
It was going to get him killed.
"Just calm down!" He held a hand out and nearly lost it as her weapon flicked out. "I'm not your enemy! I don't even know who you are!"
"YOU WILL!"
That vicious lance whipped itself at him with impossible force, howling for its head. His hand snapped up and slapped it aside, but that did nothing to stop the frost from forming on his palm. He spared it a black look and batted the snarling spear-wielder aside. Away she went, tumbling across grass, only to right herself and lunge at him thrice as fast.
"Persistent little thing!"
On that, they were in agreement. He could barely think straight, much less focus. Because he felt it all. So much raw anger, wrath, pain. She was well past the point of no return. Her heart was ablaze, her very spirit set afire with wrath. Whatever those red ropes were, they must've been suppressing it. He could see why; see her sadness and sorrow like a living, palpable thing.
A new emotion bloomed now, as he kicked her away. Fear.
Fear was the path to darkness. Fear led to anger. Anger led to hate. Hate led to suffering. But he couldn't understand why she was suffering in the first place! What had he done?!
"Will you at least tell me your name?!"
"SHENHE!" It was more a scream than a statement.
She struck out at him and he retaliated in kind, Skyward Spine sang in his hand. Calamity Queller struck it head on and created a shockwave, setting their spears to spark. Naruto grit his teeth and reached out with his free hand, grabbing a handful of her hair. A furious hiss pushed through Shenhe's grit teeth; piquing now into a yelp as he whirled and flung her over his shoulder.
"Cool your head!"
For all her wrath, Shenhe could not fly, much less react in time. Certainly not at the speed with which he'd thrown her. As such, she was utterly powerless to stop herself from smashing into the lake. She vanished beneath its glassy surface with nary a sound and barely a splash. A moment passed. Then another. Yet another.
Naruto straightened, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "What got into her?"
He could feel Lisa and the others looking on from the sidelines, wanting to help him, needing to make sure he was alright. Paimon was already making angry Paimon noises as she raced his way.
"Razor?" he heard Lisa call, "Be a dear and go get the knights, would you? I think Jean would like to have a word with our...guest."
Naruto didn't have a chance to hear the wild boy's response, because quite suddenly, Paimon was upon him.
"Who the heck was that?!" she skidded to a halt in the air before him, her face filling his vision. "Paimon nearly had a heart attack just now! Are you alright?! No, nevermind! Let Paimon check!" she darted around him in a heartbeat, inspecting him for any injuries. Finding none, she flitted back to glare dark daggers at him.
"I'm fine, Paimon. Wait," a crooked smile touched the corner of his mouth as he realizing something. "Were you worried about me?"
"Of course Paimon was worried!" She stomped a foot in the air. "That crazy crane lady was trying to kill you!"
Somehow, her excitable nature soothed Naruto's seething spirit. Pure child. Must protect. His hand zipped out to pat her head and for once, Paimon didn't try to escape; on the contrary, the little fairy leaned into his hand with a frustrated noise. Not a single excuse was given. It showed just how worried she was. On a whim, he dragged her into a quick hug. She didn't resist that, either. A tiny sniffle reached his ears.
Wait, wait, wait. Was she...?
"You're not allowed to die, got it?!" a tiny hand pinched his cheek, unable to do any real damage. "Who's gonna protect Paimon if you croak?!"
Her emotions really were too pure; he read them like a book and understood her unspoken plea.
Still, calling poor Paimon out on it would've embarrassed her, so he went a different route.
...you're like family to me." he let her go, grinning a little when it looked like she wanted to jump back into his chest. "Or, well, the closest thing to family since I landed in this wild world." well, would you look at that? She really could blush. "Of course I'm gonna protect ya."
Lisa cooed from the shore. "Adorable. Wish I brought my camera...
"Wait, wait, wait!" Paimon flailed her arms. "Did you just say what Paimon thinks you said?"
"Depends on what you thought I said...
Poor girl. She really was far too easy to tease. Naruto whistled a jaunty tune and walked back to the lake.
"Hey! Wait for Paimon!"
"Stay put." he turned to face her and held up a hand. "I'll go fish her out. She's after me, not you-
An awful crack echoed behind him. Paimon yelped.
It was his only warning.
Naruto whirled as a towering shadow fell over him to blot out the sun. Blue eyes pulsed green as his Gnosis sang. Paimon squeaked and huddled behind him. Skyward Spine swept up, bisecting a massive chunk of frozen ice that fell from the heavens. No, he realized as the giant halves hurtled by. Not from the heavens. It had been thrown. He spared a glance for the water, only to find a fractured sheet of ice there.
"I'm not done!"
Shenhe stood atop it, sopping wet and snarling fit to burst, one arm still extended from her throw.
Realization dawned as his gaze trailed across the once pristine surface. She'd frozen it solid. Not all of it, but enough to give her a pathway right back to him. Enough to freeze a portion of the lake and launch it at him like a missile. Under any other circumstance he might have admired her persistence...if here emotions weren't trying to drown him.
"Look," he raised a hand as she stalked back his way. "This is all a big misunderstanding. Whatever I did, whatever you think I did, I apologize. Can't we let bygones be bygones?"
A thin mist of blue miasma trailed off her shoulders. Why were her eyes glowing-crap!
"Repent with your life!"
She leaped at him, trying to deliver a flying dropkick to his head. He caught her by the ankle and dunked in the lake a second time. She came back up sputtering; faster this time. Yet more of the bay froze over. He sighed and moved to meet her, steel ringing aganst steel. She was fast, but he'd seen faster. Strong, but he'd fought stronger. It was only a matter of time until she slipped up.
At this rate, he would have to wound her...or worse.
And so he did what he'd done all his life.
He endured.
(.0.0.0.)
Shenhe saw red.
Red, red, all of it red! Every bit of it! Her thoughts swam in an ocean of red. Her soul drowned in a torrent of seething scarlet. Her emotions sank into a crimson abyss from which there was no escape. She could no sooner control herself than she could stop breathing. It just wasn't possible. Everything had flew out of her hands, like a crane on the wind, and she was powerless to reign herself in.
Years of emotion, decades of restraint, all ruined in an instant. She hated it.
No. Wait. That wasn't quite right. She hated more than that. She loathed the one responsible for this. The man who had burned away her red ropes, and with them, any hope of controlling herself ever again. The man who had the one thing she never had, the man who even now, was batting her about like a child.
Hate, hate, hate!
Negative emotions clashed against one another in a vicious cycle; festering desires made manifest, an endless feedback loop that only grew strong with each passing moment. Perhaps, had her been given a chance to explain himself, -had she not stumbled upon this scene- things might have been different. They might have discussed things like rational individuals.
"RAAARGH!"
She struck out at him and his spear stopped her again. Blasted thing. The mere act of wielding it seemed to make him faster. Sparks flew as they clashed. Calamity Queller, her beloved weapon, drank in her rage and grew all the more powerful. She surged forward, polearm dancing in her grasp. He gave ground readily, never once letting her land a telling blow. His family cheered him on from the sidelines and she wondered if she ought to hate them, too.
It wasn't fair! Why did he have a family, when she had been denied hers?! Why was he happy, when joy itself had forsaken her!
Remember, little Shenhe. Cloud Retainer's voice filled her mind, hearkening from a distant lesson. You must never lose yourself to your emotions. Should you do so...you'll become little more than a beast in human form. You must keep the red ropes on you at all times, even when you sleep.
She couldn't. They were gone, and her control with them. She wasn't even sure she wanted to anymore.
You are a cursed child! Father's words welled up, drowning her once more. Your life brings nothing but disaster to us all. I wish you were never born!
Shenhe missed a step and faltered. She clutched her head in her hands and grit her teeth against it, to no avail. Anger bubbled up, causing her to bite her lip until she tasted blood. The pain didn't help. It only served to exacerbate her misery.
'Master...!
Her vision blazed. Frost crept across the ground at her feet.
She threw her head back and screamed.
"Its not fair!" the words escaped her in a wail, the cry of a little girl trapped in a woman's body. "You have all that power and yet you're just fine! No anger! No urges! Nothing!" just as quickly her head snapped down to glare at him. "And yet I...I was cast aside by my own father! Forgotten! Forsaken! Why?!"
...I'm sorry to hear that." Pity gleamed in the eyes of her most hated foe. "You've had a rough life, haven't you?" As she looked on aghast, he lowered his weapon. "We don't have to fight." a hand rose, outstretched to her as no human ever had. "Why don't we just sit down and talk this out, eh...?"
No! Not that! Anything but that! It was those eyes. Those damned eyes.
"DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
Their spears clashed. Wind warred against ice, shards of deadly glass flying with ever blow.
"Hold still and let me stab you!"
He parried with his right hand and slid back.
"Can't we talk about this?!"
"No! Is it because you're a god?" she growled at him. "Because I'm mortal? I hate it! All of it! Answer me! ITS NOT FAIR!"
She struck again, hoarfrost blasting out from her spear. Naruto swayed out of its path.
A shard of ice flashed by and slammed into the little red girl's shoulder. She cried out and recoiled, clutching at it. Just like that, Naruto -the Archon!- went still. Terribly, horribly, still. Focused on the fight as she was, lost in the eddying currents of her rage, Shenhe paid it no mind. An accident. Nothing more.
.
..
...why was she in the ground?
Not on. In. Slammed down into it, nearly one with it.
Reality reasserted itself with a start and with it came sensation once more...followed by pain. Pain, as a snarling sphere smashed into her lower torso and slammed her down into the ground. Agony as she arched her back and coughed blood. Torment, when a booted foot stomped down, pinning her in place. Where was her spear? Where had it gone...?
...that's enough." her foe loomed over her, one hand poised to deliver a mortal blow. "I've let you vent and tried not to hurt you. But don't you DARE hurt the kids! They're mine!"
Clouds gathered high above, darkening what had, only a moment ago, been clear skies. Something in his chest glowed a deep a verdant green, turning his eyes a most startling shade of jade. The wind sang with it, a loud and furious dirge that promised pain. Still, it howled.
"You think you can get away with that?! No! Not here!"
As though a great were speaking with him.
Through him.
(.0.0.0.)
Back in the castle, Dvalin felt it.
She lifted her head.
"Here it comes...
(.0.0.0.)
The gnosis sang in Naruto's chest, echoing his scream.
"I won't...let you...GET AWAY WITH THIS!"
His eyes blazed with light.
"I won't let you!
(.0.0.0.)
Jean peered out her window into the chaos below.
It really was him. No matter what he said.
Barbatos.
(.0.0.0.)
"No more games!"
He raised a glowing hand.
And the heavens answered their master.
(.0.0.0.)
The Tsaritsa felt it.
No doubt every Archon had.
The stormed was stirred, his wrath awakened.
She reclined upon her throne of ice and smiled softly, sadly to herself.
"And so it begins...
(.0.0.0.)
"Fall."
Shenhe didn't see Naruto move.
There was no transition between one moment and the next; she was laying on the ground, the next she was airborne again. Wind lashed at her, shredding her defenses alongside her outfit, buckling her body, tearing cuts opening across her arms and shoulders. Just as quickly she was cast down, wasted and spent.
Still, the storm did not abate.
High above her the clouds began to shift and funnel, giving birth to twin tornadoes. Those terrible twisters touched down on either side of her to hem her in. Neither budged, held in check by his will alone. She looked up and found those awful green-blue eyes glaring down at her. Was this the power of an Archon? She'd heard the stories from her Master, but to witness this power firsthand, to feel it carved into her body...
Movement in her peripherals.
A fist struck her cheek and hurtled her away. Trees burst before her back, which then struck the ground, carving a righteous furrow through the dirt.
Sanity broke through for a blessed instant. 'Am I...going to die?'
An awful sensation stirred in her. It felt like fear.
It was all she could do to rise now to prop herself up on her battered spear, face the maelstrom, and stand fast. Wind howled in her ears, threatening to deafen her. Tears stung at her eyes as she squinted at her foe. He wasn't smiling anymore. Somehow, that terrified her more than anything else.
Chest heaving, she struggled upright. "I...will not...yield!"
He didn't deign to answer.
There was no need.
His hand snapped out and glowed a sunny green. Shenhe felt her Vision twitch in her hair. Confusion broke through the haze of rage. Wait. No. He wouldn't. He couldn't!
He could and he would.
An eerie Anemo symbol pulsed in his palm. With a keening white her Vision ripped itself from her braid, destroying it in the process. Left undone, her pale tresses fluttered down her back. She scarcely noticed. A sudden surge of weakness drove her down to her knees, taking her elemental strength went with it. Her polearm felt heavy in her grasp, near impossible to lift. Her vision smacked into his open palm. So close. Yet so far.
"Huh." here at last he looked down at it, nonplussed. "Wonder if all Archons can do this...
His words lit a spark of defiance in her. He already had so many things that she didn't. Now he took her Vision, too? Her curse weighed heavily on her shoulders. Fate was laughing at her. She could hear it. A thin line of blood ran down her forehead and into her right eye, staining her world scarlet once more.
...back."
Those glowing eyes beheld her. "...no."
She lunged at him with a shriek. "Give it back!"
He moved to meet her, raising the twin tornadoes with a hand.
Time slowed in her mind's eye. Death. This was death. She was going to die here and now.
Shenhe shrieked her fury, screaming at him until the rage became something else, threatening to morph into a sob-
"STOP!"
A flash of red caught Shenhe's eye and her body betrayed her. Her feet physically dug into the ground, bringing her up short. Likewise, Naruto -the Archon!- stopped short of unleashing his attack. Glowing green eyes ebbed back to blue as he looked down at the responsible party
"Klee?!"
"No more fighting!" though her right arm bled, Shenhe watched the girl's left hand clench into a fist. "Families don't fight! Fighting is bad! Say you're sorry! Both of you!"
Shenhe's throat closed. "Family...?"
"Enough of that. Naruto choked out. "You're bleeding. C'mere and let me heal you."
The blond knelt and touched a hand to her injury. It healed at his touch, and the little girl gave a happy chirrup. Then her eyes narrowed upon Shenhe.
"Auntie!"
She physically flinched. "E...Excuse me?"
"You're an Auntie now!" The little red hellion thrust a finger at her. "Naruto's is Klee's uncle, so that makes you an Auntie! There!" she crossed both arms before her chest, supremely satisfied with herself. "You're part of Klee's family now! So you can't fight! Not allowed!"
"Klee," Naruto put in, "You can't just decide something like that!"
"Klee can, and Klee will!" She turned watery eyes upon him and he winced.
Silence passed between the adults.
"I will give this back to you," Naruto held Shenhe's vision just out of reach, "If you promise to behave."
She managed a trembling nod.
"Here, then."
The New Archon opened his fist. Her vision floated back to her, to land in her trembling hands. She tried to breathe and choke. Her knuckles whitened around it.
No. She mustn't cry. She was an adepti disciple. She was stronger than this! She would not falter...until her body betrayed her, like everything else.
"I...!"
Tears spilled free, rolling down her cheeks, dripping down her chin. A fresh wave of misery hit her but this one proved more powerful; more poignant than ever before. She tried to speak, but managed only a faint whine. Her knees buckled anew, driving her to the dirt. This time, she didn't have the strength to rise.
"Just like that?" The word escaped her in a sob. "After all this...? You'd just make me a part of your family...?
Klee tilted her head as only a little girl could. "Isn't that what the Crane Lady wanted?"
Naruto's head whipped away as Lisa made a pleased noise.
"Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind a bit of competition...
Shenhe scarcely heard it. Deep down, a tiny little voice in her heart cried out. She'd wanted a family. To be cherished. Loved. To see others having what she did not, what she could not, and then be denied it; such had wounded her more than words. Still to see Spent at last, her fury faltered and her soul cracked. She didn't cry. She wept. Her body shook with great heaving sobs. With her anger spent a new emotion welled up within her, joined by another, and another, then yet another...pure, bright, and powerful.
"I'm sorry!" She bawled the words out, unable to control herself any longer. "I didn't mean to...! I was just so angry!"
She had meant to at one point. She definitely had. But she daren't say that.
Those keen blue eyes red her like a book regardless.
"Oh, jeez." Distantly, she heard the Archon sigh, saw him crouch before her through teary eyes. "Don't cry...
He laid a hand on her shoulder and drew her heard into his chest. Shenhe jolted. The motion startled her; she hiccuped softly, moreso when his free hand began to stroke small circles against the small of her back. No one had ever done such for her before. Not even Cloud Retainer. Was this something Family did for one another? It made the tears burn all the more. How could someone so powerful be so kind? Only moments ago he'd been ready to kill her. She truly believed that. And yet now...?
"There, there," he hummed softly. "You're alright. Lets just let bygones be bygones, eh?"
It flipped Shenhe's switch and she lost control once more. She slammed into him; all but tackling the blond in her haste to embrace something. Anything to push this awful feeling away. Naruto had absolutely no chance. He toppled back with a startled squawk. She drove him down to the ground, uncaring of her ruined attire. His arms closed around her body to catch her -likely to keep her from dashing her head against the rocky shore- and that was it. It was the final straw. She latched on for dear life, and latch hard she did, nigh on burying her head into his shoulder as she bawled like the child she'd never been.
"M'sorry." she mumbled into his shoulder, babbling in her haste. "Sorry, sorry, sorry...
"Hey, now!" she heard him cough. "Your clothes! I can feel your...you know!"
Lisa made a startled noise. "Oh, dear...they're quite visible."
Paimon squeaked. "Somebody get her a jacket!
Perhaps had Shenhe been in a more coherent state of mind, she might have tried to cover herself. At this moment, she was far from sane. Because you see, she felt warm. Safe. Protected. A curious feeling, one she'd never thought to crave in all her days, yet now that she knew its touch, she wanted nothing more. She didn't care about anything else. Anyone else. Nothing would move her right now; not even Rex Lapis himself. Her heart had quieted, but in the absence of her rage, a new feeling persisted.
It felt like...she didn't know what it felt like. Good. Pure. Regardless! She was never going to let it go.
Naruto must've realized it too; because he stopped struggling. "You're not going to let me up anytime soon, are ya?"
"..."
Shenhe wasn't sure how much time passed after that; how long she simply clung to him. Until her tears ran dry? Possibly. She might have drifted off in her exhaustion. She wasn't sure. Who could say how long she spent like that? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? But surely time must have moved on, because she heard a sudden sharp noise behind her. It jolted her back to reality.
"Look, look!"
She craned her neck to find Klee pointing at the bay.
"A ship's coming into port!" she all but hopped in place, eyes shining with glee. "A really big ship...I wonder whose on it?"
A/N: EDIT: Yes, ships can come to Mondstadt by water. Its just a long, winding path. See the map.
Sorry, sorry, sorry! Shenhe stole the show this time!
There we go!
Once more, the Embers rule remains. If folks don't like this story? Well...I'll not continue it. That's no joke, folks. I'm so busy these days; basically, I don't have time off. Not anymore. My free time is limited and as such, I can't afford to focus on something folks don't like. Reviews keep me writing in these times, and keep the daily updates flowing. Silence...silence only hurts. I hate having to beg for feedback, but without it...well, it feels like I'm not making an impact.
Right then, as ever, Reviews are love, Reviews are Life.
Reviews keep me safe from any and all strife.
So in the immortal words of Atlas...
...review, Would You Kindly?
Every bit helps out!
(FUTURE! Previews?)
Some are very far out indeed...
Hope you enjoy the taste of what's to come. HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS!
(Previews!)
"And you are?"
Morax -Zhongli!- hummed softly.
It had been some time since such a disguise was required. Nevertheless, the part was well played. No one suspected a thing.
"Call me Mor-ahem!" she coughed into her fist to hide her slip. "Maeve will do."
Naruto laughed.
"The day you learn how to use your strength for the good of others, is the day you can truly become part of human society? Your master said that?" he tapped her on the nose when she nodded. "Alright. Let me add something to that. Listen to your heart, but don't ever let it control you. Do what you think is right, ya know?"
Shenhe sniffled into her flagon of ale. "You sound like my master."
"Do I?" he smiled at her. "She sounds like a very wise woman."
Shenhe scooted closer, brushing her hip against his.
"Ever drank before?"
The ghost of a smile touched Naruto's mouth. "Once."
"Good." Beidou all but purred the words. "Then you won't mind a drinking game."
In the background, Shenhe tilted her head and contemplated bloody murder. Her eating fork stabbed into the table.
Cloud Retainer tutted once.
...perhaps someone needed to retrieve little Shenhe.
"Hmm. It has been some time since One wore the guise of a mortal...
She craned her long neck to make certain no one was watching. Ganyu was far from here. Likewise, those old fossils Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver were also away, doing whatever it was they did. Content that none were present to witness her flight of fancy she drew her wings around herself and hummed softly. At her call light burned, impossibly bright, obscuring her form from view. Wind sang, stirring the flowers around her. As the luminescence fade it died, bare feet settled upon the ground.
Human feet.
"Hmm." full lips pursed, considering her naked skin as she blinked with stark silver eyes. "One may need to acquire...clothes."
Klee touched a finger to her lips. "Does this mean I have another auntie?"
Naruto toppled back with a wheeze even as Lisa giggled.
She couldn't allow herself to die. Not yet.
There was so much to live for.
"So, any chance you know this Archon guy."
"No."
Childe blinked. "No?"
Lumine scowled. "No. I don't trust you."
The Harbinger physically flinched. "Ouch! So mean, girlie...
~Nz.