A/N: PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY? Its got some important info.
EDIT! Made the ending scene longer. Hope you like it.
First and foremost, we should see a chapter for Untraveled Road by Wednseday/Thursday, provided my health holds. Friday at the very latest.
Next, my apologies for any glitches or errors here, I'm getting tired and really not feeling well...T_T In a lot of pain while writing this. I think I might've broken something in my back. I can barely move...well, anything, without intense pain. Might have to see a doctor about this. And isn't that just a wonderful thing in today's current climate...
As ever reviews are the fuel that keep me and my team going. Without them, we going back into hibernation. Simple as that. All this incredible feedback helps keep us inspired and helps us to sustain the crazy updating pace we've been at thus far.
Now, lets answer a few questions.
Q: Still can't believe Naruto thinks this is all a dream. Lotsa mysteries you got going on here.
A: I'm going for more of a show-rather-than-tell theme in this story. It also plays into some shenanigans to. Case in point. In a dream, you can get away with just about anything. With that delusion, Naruto's pranks and stunts are...
...well, let's just say they're going to be legendary.
Q: Why not mass produce Steel? She seems quite useful.
A: Unfortunately for Ironwood, Project Steelheart is experimental tech. It -and Steel!- can't be reproduced for obvious reasons. Much like Penny, Pietro created her from his own Aura, his very soul as it were, to give her life and consciousness. From there, she was hooked into Naruto to learn from him. Pietro cannot create more of her AND repeatedly repair Penny without killing himself. And as we all know, shaving off his Aura like that is slowly killing him. He might not make it to Volume Nine at this rate...
Naruto and Steel gelled really well, but there was always the chance things could go wrong.
An unshackled AI is a dangerous thing, and caution is needed.
Q: Can we get an exact date for the timeline here?
A: As stated, the story speaks for itself, but if you insist. We're past volume four at this point. If folks want Weiss to have her own story that badly, she'll get one...
Q: James seems pretty chill in this story. Hope you keep him that way.
A: Ironwood's got the living definition of a NUKE on his side. It stands to reason that he would relax...just a little. By his reckoning, Naruto can raise moral, aid in evacuations, and push back Grimm in droves, all without risking a single soldier.
Conversely, if Naruto goes down or leaves, that system falls apart. Naturally he'd want to preserve that.
Naruto also serves as a check of a sort. He's not afraid to call someone on the carpet for their crap. If he sees James starting to use Mettle -his semblance- too much, he's gonna give him a good smack.
Full disclosure, I was blasting the Winter vs. Qrow theme once I started writing the duel. Really played well with this chapter.
Going for a rare pairing here, but that depends on the votes, I suppose. Let me know in your reviews!
As ever, I own no references, themes or memes. Not a one!
So now, I proudly present...something new.
"You WILL serve the family in this, Winter. You have absolutely no say in the matter."
"Or would you rather I retrieve Weiss and have her act in your stead?"
...no, father."
~?
A Bitter Pill
Their duel would take place in the courtyard of Atlas Academy at dawn.
Little more than a sanctioned spar to the uninitiated, it nevertheless drew a crowd as all duels do. Naruto found he could see them easily from the window of Ironwood's office; a veritable sea of bodies pressed in on every side, student and huntsmen alike all crammed in like sardines in a can. Apparently scuttlebutt was a thing, even in the military. He wasn't sure why the sight surprised him, only that it did. Early morning sunlight flickered across their grey-and-white uniforms like a flame, casting the yard in amber glow.
He hadn't expected to wake up to...well...this!
"Is all this for me?"
"In a sense." Ironwood's hand came down on his shoulder, earning a brief glance for the man in charge. "Its not everyday Winter challenges someone to a duel." together the two of them gazed down at the growing crowd below. "Coupled with your recent...altercation with the Ace ops, you've made waves in the ranks. The people want to see you. As they should."
"Affirmative." Steel chirruped in his ear. "I believe "celebrity" is the proper term."
He'd gathered that much!
Just a dream. Naruto grit his teeth until he felt a molar crack. It doesn't matter. I'll wake up soon...right?
"Its barely been a day, though." He muttered. "Did you really leak information about me?"
James promptly shook his head in the negative. "Not my doing."
"That was me~!"
Both men turned to look over their shoulder as the elevator dinged once. Guileless green eyes blinked back them as Penny emerged, pushing a cart before her. Naruto frowned at the case it contained, but his gaze was drawn to her dazzling smile instead. She was grinning like she'd just won the lottery. Hmm. Did Atlas have one of those? Better double check.
"Salutations~!" she snapped off a chipper salute, halting only a few paces away. "I told as many people as I could!"
James chortle softly. "Not unexpected. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm."
Naruto clapped a hand to his face. "Penny, no...
Truth be told, he didn't much see the point in fighting Winter. Oh, there was a fierce, burning dislike between the two of them, but it all seemed...pointless, somehow. They were on the same side, weren't they? He still wanted to knock her upside the head, but tempered by sleep, the desire wasn't quite as strong as before.
Meh. Least he'd gotten a proper outfit out of this mess.
He'd since shed his borrowed uniform in favor of an outfit that both had some damn color and actually let him breathe; now clad in a cobalt blue jacket throw over a crimson tunic and a pair of pitch-black slacks, he felt more himself than he had last night. A good eight hours of sleep really did wonders for the body it seemed. Snug and warm with his matching gloves and boots, he was at least ready to face the bitter cold of Atlas, if nothing else. And hey! Color! Much better than the drab grey-white uniforms the students were forced to wear.
"I agree." Steel chirruped. "Blue and black are my favorite colors. Addendum. They are also the colors of bruises. Which Specialist Schnee shall soon be."
Well, what was oddly aggressive of her. Almost worryingly so.
"Hey. You, ah, alright there?" he asked tentatively.
"Specialist Schnee insulted you. I dislike her."
Naruto opened his mouth to agree, only to find Penny fiddling with the crate she'd brought in. Now that he looked at it, he noticed it was long, slender looking thing. Larger than him, even. He squinted at it. A weapon of some kind? No, it was far too big, even for James to carry. Which begged the question then...
What was in the box?
"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you not to hold back against Winter down there." Ironwood interjected abruptly, drawing his attention away from the container. "She'll hate you for it."
What, more than she already did? He didn't say it aloud. A blond brow quirked. "Even if she loses?"
"Even then." the general granted him a soft chuckle. "She's not a bad person, just...
...got a stick up her butt?" Naruto finished for him.
Penny giggled behind them and Ironwood coughed into a gloved fist. "I wouldn't go that far."
"Why?" Naruto felt his brow turn stormy.
Valiant superior that he was, James still tried to come to his subordinate's defense. "She's under a lot of pressure-
"And that gives her the right to take her anger out on me?"
"No." James knew when a battle was lost and withdrew his opinion. "As I said before, she doesn't trust easily. I believe the bout should clear the air between the two of you."
A roll of the eyes followed. "She's still gonna lose."
Now it was Ironwood's turn to smile. "That certain, are you?"
Naruto could think of at least a hundred different reasons why Winter Schnee would eat dirt today. It was a long list. He chose not to speak them.
"Just so we're clear, I'm going to humiliate her out there." Arrogant to say aloud, but it was the truth and James deserved to know what he'd signed up for. "I don't know how to hold back." He glanced down at himself, still frowning at the faint silvery lines threading his chest, visible even through his shirt. "Not like this. Hope you realize that." One hand touched his gleaming Rinnegan eyes, recalling the myriad techniques he had seen Nagato use so long ago. Techniques he didn't yet know how to use. "I can hold off using some of my more punishing jutsu, but that's the best I'll be able to do."
"That's all I ask."
Steel swooped in, good girl that she was. "I estimate our chances of victory at 99.9 percent."
If she had a body, he would've given her a big hug.
"Speaking of which!" Penny wheeled the cart over at last, its contents now visible for all to see. "We found these with you. The general asked me to bring them up for you to inspect."
"Bring whaaaaaat the hell is this thing?!"
Naruto found himself balking at a wickedly sharp tooth, easily larger than he was tall. At least he assumed it was a tooth, given the shape. Yellowed with age perhaps, but sharp all the same. He rapped its knuckles against it on a whim, only to wince as a wicked jolt of pain shot up his hand. Solid as a rock too; despite the wear and tear. But why show him this?
"This was the smallest of the bones we excavated near you." Ironwood waved a gloved hand at the jagged tooth. "I'd hoped you could shed some light on what they were."
"Do you know?"
"Nah, Steel." Naruto shook his head. "Not a clue."
The blond touched a hand to the bone, and so too did a frown touch his lips. Even now he could still sense chakra. For a moment, he feared what he might find. That was...well, it was a very large tooth, and he could think of several large creature to whom it might belong. Impossible as it might seem, it would explain his partner's absence.
His fears were for naught.
There was chakra there, but it was...dark. Twisted. Like an ugly, gnarled root. Little more than a remnant of its former self.
"This isn't him." he muttered, quietly awed -and relieved!- as he ran his fingers over the bulky bone. "It doesn't belong to Kurama. This isn't his chakra. 'Sides, he didn't have a body. This...I don't know what it is." He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Whatever they were, they were rich in chakra. Overflowing with it. Yet another odd little mystery for him to ponder. "And you found these with me?"
"Yes. But...who is Kurama?"
The faintest ember of hope sparked in his chest. "Maybe you'll met him someday...unless I wake up."
A long suffering sigh echoed behind him. "As you say...
James had tried to challenge him on the "this is a dream" notion, once. Once. Never again. Perhaps he realized it was best to keep him in good spirits. Maybe he understood that a mental breakdown would be imminent if pushed. Perhaps he just pitied him. Would could say? Regardless he didn't push. Good man, Ironwood. He knew better than to poke and prod a broken man. But he didn't give up ghost, either.
"Dream or no, you don't want to make a fool of yourself down there, do you?"
Naruto felt his face twist in a grimace. Blast it. James had a point. He was a general after all...and backing down now would just leave a foul taste in his mouth. Moreover, he knew Winter would never let him live it down for the rest of his days. Dream or not, she was a prickly one. If he gave up, she'd call him a coward. He'd call her something worse. One thing would lead to another, weapons would be drawn, blood would be shed, and finally someone would di-NOPE! All the nope! Not in his dream!
"Alright." he croaked, turning toward the elevator. "I'll do it. But I'm going to take her down quickly. Hope you don't mind."
"Excellent." James steered him towards in, Penny falling in beside him. "We'll see to acquiring you more...comfortable accommodations after the duel."
Penny moved past him and clapsed Naruto's hands in hers. "I wish you luck in your fight, boyfriend!"
Ironwood missed a step and walked into a wall.
Behind him, Naruto tripped. "Boy-?!"
"Are you not a boy and my friend?" she blinked innocently. "I shortened the word."
His face went a nuclear shade of red
Naruto groaned. "Penny, no...
James chuckled.
"Ha!" As ever it was a rusty sound, but within moments it grew louder. Bolder. Stronger Beneath his beard, Naruto saw his lips twitch into a smile. Ironwood wasn't able to hide it. Not this time. "Thank you. I think...I think I needed that." the general sighed, wiping a mirthful tear from the corner of one eye. "I can't seem to remember the last time I laughed that hard."
"Shall I give him a kiss on the cheek if he wins?" Penny posited. "Father suggested it would be a suitable reward."
Naruto's once-measured retreat became a full rout.
(.0.0.0.)
Winter considered herself a sensible woman.
Orderly, if not rational. She knew what she liked. The military. Training. Ironwood. Not necessarily in that order. Conversely, she knew what she disliked. Father. The Schnee name. Herself. Winter, Specialist of Atlas, was not Winter Schnee. They were two separate beings and she would see that they remained as such. All her life she had been able to separate the two into simple, distinct categories. Her professional life did not cross realms into her personal one, nor did she -despite what others said!- allow her emotions to affect her rational judgement.
Then along came Naruto Uzumaki, throwing her neat, order life into disarray.
General Ironwood was obsessed with him -rather, the potential he presented!- and worse, the boy knew it. He'd taken full advantage.
"Hey!" Aways behind her, a man slapped a wad of lien down on a hastily erected table. "I'm putting a hundred on the kid."
"Ooh!" Someone rallied to his cry. "I'll take that bet!"
Winter fought down a snarl and flicked her saber out, tracing a thin line of ice against the ground.
Traitors. The lot of them.
Everyone wanted to see the new boy; to meet the young man who had knocked one of their strongest squads about like a bunch of children. Would that Clover and his team were here to see this. Ironwood hadn't allowed it. He'd left them stewing in a cell overnight for their transgressions. They wouldn't be released until later this evening. Winter didn't believe that they'd been bested so easily. Even with the footage flung in her face, she'd not been able to accept it. Surely there had been a trick of some sort.
This brat, this friend, this cheeky churl!
Honestly, he was worse than Qrow! At least Branwen had known better than to broach her personal life. Moreover! How did Naruto even know it?! He'd been frozen in ice and strapped to a table thereafter! She'd never spoken so much as a word to him until yesterday!
He'd said such horrible things to her, dragging her past out in front of everyone. The truth cut deep.
She regretted leaving Weiss and Whitley behind all those years ago. She regretted leaving them with Father and Mother. She regretted...so many things.
It was that implant of his. Had to be. Her scroll had been hacked; she'd seen the notification after she returned to her quarters. Wretched little parasite. Too clever for her own good, that one. She'd cautioned the General against reactivating that project. He hadn't listened. No one listened to her. Not since they'd found him. AI were dangerous. Penny was different of course, trusted even, but she'd proven her worth. This one was unknown. Untested. Couldn't they see the danger presented by that kind of artificial intelligence? No. Of course not. Her protests had ignored.
And therein lay her problem. Winter didn't like being ignored.
Perhaps she was projecting her anger. She didn't care. To have such hypocrisy flung back in her face...it was too much. And Father wanted her to seduce him? No! Never! She'd not have it!
There he was now, entering the ring.
Winter glowered furiously at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction he sought from her. He raised an arm in greeting. She turned away with a huff. Yes, he might be good for Atlas. Yes, she might have misjudged him. Yes, he might even be a good person underneath his scars and cutting wit. But he would never have her hand. He would never have her respect. Nor her loyalty.
She would beat him so badly badly that he'd never look at her ever again.
He would know his place.
So she swore.
(.0.0.0.)
Winter looked fit to stab him seven ways to Sunday.
Naruto felt her gaze upon him like a physical force, threatening to freeze him where he stood. Her gaze followed him as he climbed into the ring. Intent. Probing. Searching for any sign of weakness, or an opening to exploit, perhaps. She'd not find any. Good thing this was a dream. If it weren't, he might actually feel bad about what he'd said to her. Now was as good a time to test the limits of this dream body. He'd stared down immortals and gods that would've left Winter quaking in her boots.
Why would he be afraid of some silly Schnee?
"She appears to be cross with you."
He sighed. "Noticed that."
Glancing about, he could see why Ironwood chosen the courtyard for their duel rather than one of the many rings in the academy; out here there was more than enough room for him and Winter to range about as they pleased. Someone had gone to great lengths to erect bleachers, and a number of vendors had been allowed onto the grounds. He even spied what might have been a betting table near the back bleacher, and those were packed to the brim. Huh. Seemed even Atlas could loosen up once and awhile. Maybe this kingdom wasn't so stuffy after all.
Ironwood stepped up on nearby podium and spoke briskly.
"I'm sure you all know why we're here, so I'll keep this brief." His piercing gaze flicked between them both. "You will fight until one of you yields, is forced out of the ring, or your aura is exhau-
Naruto's hand shot up, cutting the general short. "Question!"
Muted laughter greeted him, but he ignored it. This was a dream, after all. He wasn't about to go knocking heads together for something like this.
"Yes?" Ironwood called back.
"If this is about Aura, I don't think-
"You have it." Steel whispered quickly.
Naruto blinked. "What's this now? I didn't catch that."
"Aura." for a moment, he thought he felt ghostly fingertips brush his chin. "You have mine. And what's mine is yours. I will not let her harm you."
"Wait, don't you need a soul to-oh." realization dawned anew. "Oh!"
If Penny had a soul and by definition Aura, then it stood to reason that her little sister would have the same, albeit in a lesser quantity than her sibling. Even if she lacked a physical form, she had a consciousness. She thought. She reasoned. She felt. Did that not constitute the essence of a spirit? Even if she was little more than a chip in the back of his neck at the moment, she existed. Pietro had made her as he'd made Penny. And at the end of the day, a soul was a soul.
He wasn't one to judge.
-Winter has enough." he pivoted quickly before he could make a right fool of himself in public. "Isn't this a little unfair to her?"
A few whistles -and an angry squawk by the Schnee!- rippled through the crowed.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Ironwood favored him with a smile.
"Whatever you say, pops."
Winter seethed.
"If I may suggest a course of action?"
"Hmm?" the whiskered warrior turned his attention inward. "Thoughts?"
"I would suggest making her angry. Specialist Schnee has a temper. She doesn't fight well when irritated."
"Alright." Anything to wrap this up quickly. "Angry. I can do that. Should be easy." Placing on hand to the side of his face, he called out to her, raising his voice to be heard by all. "What's wrong, Ice Queen? Not gonna have your butler fight for you? Ain't that a thing you posh rich types do?"
The crowd gasped.
Winter sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth. "Cease your drivel."
"Nah." Naruto adopted a grin and threw himself into the facade wholeheartedly. "Do you even know how to swing that sword of yours? Want me to give you a lesson or two? A lie of course, he barely knew how to use a blade at all, but she didn't know that. His words needled her all the same. "Tell you what." he smacked his lips, "I'll do it free of charge."
A muscle jumped in her jaw.
"If you won't hold your tongue," her voice became a hiss. "Then I will gladly remove it for you!"
"Well, that's just kinky." His grin grew. "But y'know, that line seems kinda familiar. Might be quotin' someone here, buuut...
Violet eyes flashed as he took stance.
"Come take it."
It was the right thing to rile her up; because Winter hung her head, shoulders going clack. When she raised her gaze, her eyes were much like her namesake. Did the temperature just drop a few degrees? His breath rose in a faint cloud of steam before his face. Before, she'd been angry. Now? She looked downright murderous.
"You!" She bit out the word. "You're even worse than him!"
Naruto blinked. "Who?"
"QROW!"
With a yowl she closed the distance and got right in his face.
Her first strike slipped into his guard, trying to carve a bloody trench across his face. Naruto tilted his head to the right and evaded it, then swayed left as she cut out at his unguarded side. Right again. When it became clear she wouldn't be able to lop his head from his shoulders she aimed for the center of his chest instead. Aura sparked and her blade skittered off a raised knee. Another. And another. Another still as he blocked each strike exclusively with his legs and nothing else.
"Stop mocking me!"
"Mocking?" he frowned genuinely. "I ain't. Just don't feel like usin' my arms. They're still sore."
"Raargh! She spun and tried to hamstring him, forcing him to hop over it. Easy to see, easier to read. He alighted atop her saber and planted himself there with a pulse of chakra against his heels. Winter's face went white as her hair. As if she were staring in a mirror. For a moment Naruto stood there, perched upon the razor's edge. A blond eyebrow arched down at her.
His boot slammed into her face.
Winter recoiled with a grunt and slammed down to one knee, taking her blade with her and forcing him to back-flip away. He came down upon a nearby railing and waited for her to rise again. It would've been so easy to end things there. His every instinct screamed at him to do so. He couldn't, if only because he knew it wouldn't be a satisfying end.
She stood, wiping a thin line of blood from her nose. She didn't whine. Didn't cry. All he received was a nod.
Winter could fight!
Honestly, the realization surprised him. Jab at her face. Catch her saber on the back of his arm. Retaliate with a headbutt. A wild grin flashed across his face as she staggered back. Could be a trap. Wait. Don't pursue. She snarled and sure enough, a glyph sprang into place where he would have been standing. Naruto waited for it to fade.
"Afraid?" she jeered.
"Nope." he smacked his lips. "Just giving you a chance to catch your breath, princess."
Her blade stabbed down, creating a glyph beneath her. A storm of frozen birds burst from it, catching him unawares.
"Alright, neat trick. But unless you intend to peck me to death-
Icy jaws closed around his shoulder. Naruto reared back and shattered them with a single punch.
Summons?! She could do that?! For a moment, just a moment, it'd felt like he was facing a shinobi. Surprisingly, it angered him. Another wolf came on with only a snarl, and he shattered that as well. This...this felt like a bastardization of the summoning jutsu. She created mindless constructs to do her bidding.
This...this was wrong. He didn't like it.
Her dagger swept at his eyes and he swayed back. When she made to do the same with her saber, he grabbed it and yanked her in. His fist planted itself in her stomach. Breath burst from her lungs and she folded around his arm like wet tissue paper. His free arm soared in, ramming an elbow down on the back of her neck. She fell, and he reared back to stomp down between her shoulder blades, pushing her face into the cold stone.
"Yield."
"Never!" she growled, slashing upright.
A second glyph howled to life beneath her boots and she was on him again.
Parry! Parry, parry, parry! He gave ground quickly, allowing her to set the pace for once. Winter didn't rely on team attacks like the Ace Ops. She didn't seek to swarm her opponents through raw numbers, but sheer skill. Finally he spied an opening and kicked out with his heel, driving a boot into her solar plexus. Her boots bit into the pavement as she slid back. Surprise flashed through her eyes. Followed by caution. She didn't rush back in to face him. She was wise in that, if nothing else. He'd fought the Ace Ops in a blind panic, with no thought but escape. There could be no running here.
"Would you like to enter combat mode?" Steel asked suddenly, startling him. "If so, please say Mask. That is the password."
Why not? Now was as good a time as any for a field test. Naruto snarled. "Mask."
S.T.E.E.L. answered immediately, her voice darkening. "COPY."
Nanomachines surged up and over his body; through his blood and out of his veins. Naruto felt rather than saw what happened next. It felt...odd, all things considered. Like a thousand ants crawling under and over his skin at the same time. Not particularly painful, but not pleasant either. Something swarmed up and over his face, rendering his world a single slit of vision. A green visor slid over his eyes. At least, he assumed it was a visor. Hard to tell.
Everything felt oddly...light. As if he'd drank a little too much and gotten himself buzzed.
Winter balked. "What...what did you do?"
When he didn't answer, she reacted, bursting forward from another glyph. This time, Naruto caught her blade in his bare hand.
Sparks skittered. Her weapon stopped cold.
"Well, well, well." much to his surprise his voice was darker, muffled by the pseudo helm Steel had encased his head in. "How the turns have tabled." Placing one hand beside his back, he shoved Winter away and beckoned to her once more. "C'mere, Ice Queen. I'll make a slushie outta ya."
Now that he thought on it, there was something he'd always wanted to try. And if this was a dream...well. Free of consequences.
On a whim, his hand cracked out as Winter flew past, striking her hand on the flank. Her charge turned into a stumbling walk and she rounded on him with a squeak, face flaming. "Rogue and reprobate!" she sprang back, warding her saber to prevent another attack. "You dare?!"
"I'll dare a lot more than that. Less chatter, more splatter!"
And he moved.
He'd been fast before, but with Steel's aura and nanomachines coursing through his veins, he felt lighter than ever before. Winter had barely been able to press him before. Now? It was all she could do to strike him. Yet more proof this was a dream. None of her attacks hurt. Her blades skittered harmlessly off his skin. Steel laughed in the back of his head, inordinately pleased with herself. It was such a rare sound that he found himself mirroring it; actively chuckling, much to Winter's dismay.
Each strike forced her back. First one step. Then two. Three. She neared the edge of the ring.
"Shall we end this?"
Fine by by him. "Yeah. Lets."
In a moment of desperation, Winter launched her dagger at him, cutting a line of ice into the air. Rather than dodge, Naruto swapped himself with a shadow clone at the last instant, overcharged it with chakra, and turned the poor doppelganger into a smoke bomb. From there it was a simple matter to muffle his footsteps and get behind her in the smoke. He heard her sputter and snarl curses into the fog as she searched for him. All the while, she remained blissfully unaware of the foe at her flank.
Armored legs bent, hands forming a familiar seal as he took aim with vengeful intent.
"Hmm?" For a moment, he felt Steel's innocent curiosity. "What are you doing?"
Naruto didn't answer; speaking aloud would've given himself away.
Ahh, memories. He knew this technique well. Kakashi had inflicted it upon him a lifetime ago, back when he'd been but a boy. Just thinking of it drew a wince fro him. Hurt like a bitch back then. It was certainly going to hurt now. Forsaking modesty, he struck hard and true with a shit-eating grin.
"ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!"
A girlish shriek split the air and Winter's aura abruptly flatlined with an ominous crack. Momentum caught up with the surly Schnee a moment later. She did not simply leave the ring. Oh, no. To say so would have been a lie. Winter did not walk out of the ring. Nor did she run. She certainly didn't crawl. Nay! She rocketed out of the haze and past the boundary, clutching her rear like an embarrassed schoolgirl as she hollered her lungs out. Her butt struck the ground once and bounced, skidded, then bounced again...
"Out!" Ironwood's arm slammed down on the podium, all but sealing her defeat.
...leaving her firmly out of the ring.
The noise reactivated Winter.
"What?!"
At her cry, the crowd -curiously quiet in the wake of Winter's short lived flight -erupted into noise. Naruto sketched a graceless bow for them. He couldn't tell if they were with him or against him. Meh. A small part of him wondered if they had seen his little trick. The rest didn't care. He was too busy laughing. He'd already committed this moment to memory; he would forever remember the mortified expression Winter Schnee wore. Those wide ice blue eyes wide, her jaw hanging open, face red as a rose. His gaze met hers. She knew exactly what he'd done.
And by the log, he was never going to let her live this down.
Naruto laughed even harder.
Priceless.
A/N: Nanomachines, son!
Cookie for you if you get the reference, among others.
In a lot of pain while writing this. I think I might've broken something in my back. I can barely move...well, anything, without intense pain. Might have to see a doctor about this. And isn't that just a wonderful thing in today's current climate...
As ever, reviews are the lifeblood that keep me and my team alive. Without them, we going back into hibernation. Simple as that. All this incredible feedback helps keep us inspired and helps us to sustain the crazy updating pace we've been at thus far.
Without them we just wither away in the silence...
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
(Preview)
"You lost, so you owe me a favor. Simple as that. I'll cash it in later."
"What?! No! Never! We made no such agreement!"
"Does a Schnee not honor her debts...?
Winter sputtered. "YOU...!"
"You want me to form my own team? As in pick and choose?! Nope! No way! Bad idea!"
"Is this what a date feels like?"
Naruto palmed his face.
"Penny, no...
R&R~!