A/N: Sorry for the delays. T_T
It was difficult to wrangle my muse to write the next chapter for this.
And we're back! Castlevania references ahoy! Do let me know if you'd like further updates! Especially weekly ones!
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future ahead and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch lest it poison my mind; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
No questions this time. Someone complained. Ah, well. I think I've kept you waiting long enough already, dear reader
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes, or memes. Not a wit or a one! They're tributes to legends far greater than I.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
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~!
"I don't believe we've ever met."
"Ohhh, but we have. You know me. I've been with you for awhile now. Guiding you."
"N-N-No, that's impossible. I would have seen, would have remembered-
"You know me. We're old friends now..."
~Death.
You Know Me
Qrow Branwen did not fear Death.
Maybe that was his semblance.
Or his upbringing.
Maybe both? Meh, semantics! Either way, there were some things in this world you just couldn't fight. They said anyone who came near Naruto-or Nicholas as he was known these days-was destined for death. A bad end, if you would, game over, that sort of thing. Then again, if that were true he would've died the first day he met him. But he hadn't now, had he? Because you see, Bad Luck and Death went hand in hand. He didn't fear the old man anymore than he feared his crappy luck.
Maybe that made him a bit reckless, no, it definitely did.
But hey, when you had the Reaper himself sitting down for a drink with ya, there really wasn't a whole lot you could do.
Atlas wasn't exactly know for its drinking establishments; most of the bastards were too up tight for that. Thankfully he knew a seedy little dive down here in Mantle. Sure, it looked like shit and didn't smell much better, but they each had a good view of the door from their table and no one would think to look for them way down here in the dumps.
Ale still tasted like water-downed sawdust, though. He'd had to bring his own.
Really, it almost made him regret flying all the way up to Atlas.
Almost, but not quite.
If it weren't for this blond bastard Taiyang wouldn't exist, which meant he never would've met Raven and Summer, meaning Yang and Ruby wouldn't exist. Qrow adored his surly little spitfires. He'd do anything for them. Raven might have tainted their childhood by betraying Tai, but her mistake had inadvertently allowed Summer and Tai to get together, thereby bringing Ruby into the world. It was he only reason he hadn't hunted Raven down and dragged her back.
Then again, Naruto claimed to have met and "killed" her in essence already, so he supposed that was something.
For that alone, and so many other things, he was loyal to him. Always had been, always would be.
"So," he began apropos of nothing, "I heard you murked Tyrian."
"I did." Naruto eyed the bottle of scotch, but abstained.
Dead didn't drink. Not very often at least.
Didn't stop Qrow~!
"Good." he took a long draught to celebrate the bastard's death. "He was a pain in my ass."
Naruto grunted. "And you're keeping an eye on-
"Amber? Yeah," he waved a hand. "I stitched that seal into her cloak like you asked. Kid never noticed. Second someone makes a move on her, you'll know. But enough about that." leaning forward, he planted both arms on the creaky table and leered at him. How was it?"
Naruto quirked a blond brow, playing coy. "How was who?"
"C'moooon, don't be like that. Did she scream?"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Once again, who?"
"Goodwitch. Who else? Always took her for a screamer...didya at least hold hands?"
"We did. Felt nice to be old-fashioned for once. Is there a reason you're here to torment me...?"
"Ruby's getting her scythe tomorrow." his smirk became a shit-eating grin. "Figured you'd wanna be there."
Judging by the sudden gleam in his eyes, he was right. Ruby would be over the moon.
Heh. Score one for Drunkle Qrow.
...I knew you were my favorite for a reason. Did you fly all he way to Atlas just to tell me that...?"
"Yeah-actually, nah." He took a long swig from his flask. Definitely the booze talking. "I had some questions."
Naruto didn't answer. The Schnee patriarch merely waited him out.
Finally, he found his nerve. "Its about Summer."
A pause. "What about her?"
"I've been wondering for awhile now," Qrow took another drink to fortify himself, then rallied. "What was that mission she went on? Oz doesn't know anything about it, and she always clams up when we ask her. But you went after her, right?
"I did...
He slammed a hand down on the table. "Then what the hell was she doing?!"
Naruto regarded him for a long moment. "She tried to upset the natural laws of the world and kill Salem. It backfired. She ran. Tyrian hunted her down.
"Were you there?"
"To see the aftermath of her hare-brained scheme, yes." Death planted a hand on his chin and tilted his head. "I'm the reason Summer's still kicking and your terrifying Grimm Queen hasn't left her tower. Wouldn't do to let my daughter-in-law get killed now, would it? I said I would look after this timeline, and I did."
Qrow winced, briefly fearing what would have happened if he hadn't.
Yang and Ruby's tearstained little faces.
Taiyang sinking down into despair.
No. No, that hadn't happened.
It would never happen.
He wouldn't let it!
"And I'm grateful for that." Another swig came and went. "But now I'm startin' to worry about you. You sound so damn impersonal sometimes. You good?"
A hand waffled in the hair. "More or less."
He frowned. "You say that, but I'm starting to wonder why you became...this."
Naruto blinked. It seemed a struggle to muster emotion for a moment. "...it was necessary. The Tree showed me what I needed to be awhile ago."
"You mean the place where you became-
"Death." The lights dimmed as he said the words, drawing more than a few baffled looks from several patrons."If I knew how to get back, I would. It was a one way trip at the time." he raised a hand to inspect it, and a swirl of dark shadow shimmered over his fingertips. "I became this to bring order to world that flouted the laws of life and death. No one else was going to do it, and the balance worked...for awhile.
"Until it didn't.
"Until it didn't," Naruto acknowledged him with a nod. "We had an agreement. Salem broke it." slim shoulders rolled in a restless shrug. "Now she and Ozma will pay the price. I'm going to hunt down her agents, and then his if he gets uppity."
Aaaand just like that, Qrow Branwen was immensely glad he'd chosen to switch sides when it mattered most. "Yeah, but why Oz, though?"
"I've been killing him for ages." the old reaper replied. "One parasite is no different from another."
Okay, that he disagreed with. "He's done a lot of good for the kingdoms, you know."
"Yes, but he's also done a lot of bad, hasn't he?"
...that was before my time.
"I know, Qrow."
A beat of silence passed between Bad Luck and Death.
"Do you regret it?" Qrow asked at last. "Do you ever wish you didn't become...this?"
"Sometimes." Naruto surprised him by uncorking the as-of-yet-untouched bottle and taking a long languid sip, then set it down with a sigh. "But it had to be me. Someone else might've-
-gotten it wrong, yeah, yeah, I know." he stifled a yawn behind one hand. "You're always saying that."
"I say those words for a reason, you know. I chose to become this. No one else could."
"But that means...
In an instant he understood. Really understood. Naruto had been around for awhile. He'd been Death even longer. "Nicholas Schnee" was simply the latest face he wore. Far as he knew, 'ol Saint Nick -like hell he was, he'd scare the crap out of kids in a santa suit- had been around for as long as Ozma and Salem, maybe even a little longer.
"Just what did you give that things?
"She's not a thing, she's the Tree." Naruto admonished him. "Don't insult a lady. And I gave her." he tapped his chest "With a promise. Should I ever lose faith in this world, I'll go back to her."
Dread choked Qrow, turning his booze to so much swill in his mouth.
Wha? No, no, no. Ruby and Yang needed their grandpa! Nevermind everyone else!
He lunged across the table and grabbed his hands. "You gotta hit it off with Goodwitch! I'll be your wingman!"
Naruto hid his face behind the palm of a hand. "Qrow, no."
"Qrow, yes!"
...you're not gonna let this go, are you?"
"Like hell I am! I'll see you two married by the end of the year!"
Naruto surprised him, then. Rather than retreat, he started to laugh...
(.0.0.0.)
He'd made progress.
The realization shamed Pietro Polendia.
After all, he was a scientist at heart, was he not?
He should be delighted to push ahead; to excel by leaps and bounds, to forge new ground in the name of science. His kind pushed boundaries all the time. It was what they did. Atlas wouldn't be where anywhere near the technological superpower it was now without the innovation of brave men and women in his given field.
"Faith? Belief? Such things mean nothing to a Man of Science."
Watts had said those words to him once, before things went so very wrong...
.
..
...he missed those days. Things were so much simpler then. Before the Incident.
Funding for the Project had been running low. Dangerously so. He'd been desperate. So he'd made a deal with a mysterious benefactor. He didn't realize what -who!- he was, until it was much too late. His creation would be peerless, but the modifications suggest by said benefactor threatened to push her well beyond the capabilities of a huntress and into the realm of...dare he say gods?
There had been a time once, before he lost use of his legs, when Pietro scorned the existence of such beings.
But after what he'd seen?
He was a believer.
"Hello, Pietro." a low voice crooned behind him. "I'd like an update on the Project."
Speak of Him and he shall appear!
Pitetro whirled with a yelp. "Don't DO that, Nicholas! You nearly gave me a heart attack! He noticed the green bottle in his hand a moment later. "Have you...been drinking?"
Catching up with an old friend. He tossed the bottle over his shoulder. It shattered against the wall. "Now, I asked you a question."
"Y-Yes, of course," he stammered, hastily adjusting his glasses. I've made stellar progress. Here, let me sow you.
He didn't know what Nicholas Schnee was, only that he was very, very old, and didn't look a day over thirty. He'd found records of him dating back...well, far further than they should. He'd burned them at his request. No one should know such things. Because you see, Nicholas Schnee wasn't a man at all, oh no, he was something much worse...
"How's our program?"
The key was being thorough, and he was. Death did not discriminate. Death came for all.
But if you made yourself useful, if you were good, Death sometimes let you be.
Just a little while longer.
And if you irked Death, if you didn't value your life, he came for you with the fury of a thousand blades.
"S-See for yourself, sir." he gestured to an adjacent screen. "She's still just code at the moment; I'm working on her body, but she's very aware in most areas!" Not all of them of course, she was still being debugged at the moment, but she was very much his daughter. Even if she didn't wholly understand the concept yet. "There have been a few...minor hiccups, but rest assured, she'll be in proper working order soon enough!"
"Will she, now? Lets test that."
Pietro keyed up the interface with fumbling fingers.
A series of green letters raced across the computer's black interface.
"Hello~!" the speakers overhead chimed in a female voice, faintly tinny. "I am Penny. Pleased to make your acquaintance!"
"Remarkable." Naruto smiled. "You actually did it. Hello, granddaughter. Its so nice to finally meet you.
There was a pause as Penny's program processed the words. "What is a granddaughter?"
Pietro damn near choked on his own spit. Blast! Of all the things for her not to know!
"Simple," The smile that split Naruto's face was almost sad by comparison. "It means you're family."
"That sounds sensational," she replied, "But what, pray tell, is a family?"
"Hmm. Well, a family is a little something like this...
He told her.
A/N: *whistles*
Penny's gonna be POWERFUL in this story.
Aaaaand scene. Hop you this tidbit made you smile.
Last Wish/Castlevania references abound, hope you enjoyed 'em!
How many grandkids/kids, you ask? The answer is YES. Not all the cast, but yes.
Its heavily implied that Naruto's is a grandfather in this story, aka Nicholas Schnee. Also a stone-cold killer wielding the infamous weapons of Death himself. Strangely enough, it fits when you look into Nicholas' backstory. They're a lot alike.
Aaaand there we go. Hope you enjoyed it.
Soooo? Should this be a story? Yay or nay? Need to hear from you here.
Hoe someone, somewhere, enjoyed this. I just don't know anymore these days.
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review...Would You Kindly?
Hope you enjoy the previews~!
They're condensed for now.
Also so many tributes!
References ahoy!
I own nothing!
(Previews!)
Scared yet? I have a feeling we're getting there. And what you did? Not cool. You have no idea. I don't think you realize just how angry you've made me. But...I think you're going to be up to speed shortly. You'll regret meeting me, hell, you'll wish you didn't even know my name. So. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to kill one of you. Everybody's at the table, waiting for me to order. Blink, breathe, cry, I don't care.
You say this is all a game to you? Well I choose to continue. Which means game over! For you. You're a bully and that's it. You take the easy, nasty way out, and get the quick reward. Good for you. I'm sure you're real proud of yourself Me? I do things the right way. I help others and make something bigger and better than little 'ol me. Good always wins in the long run. You've hit your limit! Limit? LIMIT?! I've got your limit right here! "I thought you were my friend. I thought you were the brother I never had. But everything I care about, you take away from me. You owe me a debt. And I'm here to collect.
You know me. I don't believe we've ever met. We have. I've been with you for awhile now. Guiding you. You know me. We're old friends now. I am Death. And you took something from me. You gawping little shit. I can fight armies. I can take an entire wrld teeming with life and bleed it to death. Death is my meat. Why is it that the people of Remnant make such stupid decisions? People, faunus, artificial life...don't you think that's weirdly fucked up? In your human greed, your human need, you could and would do anything to realize your goals. So get up. Finish what you started. It'll be fun. Or I'll kill you right here.
And you'll never, EVER see her again.
Adam crashed through a tree. His sword skewered the bark inches from his face.
"Pick it up."
"Be nice to each other. You both want to be Hunters, after all. Might as well get along.
"Yes, grampa.
"Okay, grandpa."
Ruby waited until he left the room. Then she grinned. "He's kinda scary, huh?"
The blond boy nodded. "Yeah...
"Well, duh." Ruby tilted her head. "Scary is what grampa does. He only kills bad people, though. Don't worry!"
Jaune gulped. "That...is not encouraging. Wait. Did you say grampa?"
"Yeah, why...?"
"I have a cousin!?"
"I have a cousin, too?!"
"You know, I'm not a cat person. Never have been. Really, I tried with Kali, but I just can't help it." Run along, kitty-kat." the hooded figure made a shooing motion. "Monsters come out at night.
Blake grimaced. "Who are you?"
His smile took on a bemused edge. His head tilted to the left, just a little, exposing tawny blond hair. "Ask your mother. Or better yet, ask Sun."
He gulped. "Ah...hey gramps. I promise this isn't what it looks like."
"No? Looks to me like you're hunting White Fang...
"Sorrysorrysorrypleasdon'tbreakmyeverything-
...without me! How could you?!"
Death walked among them. Amber couldn't think of any other word for it. It was all she could do to hold her wound shut, to watch him wade in. They couldn't touch him. Three to one and none of them came close; not even once. Steel flashed, sickles danced and they were the ones to fall back, bleeding badly.
"Three against one, hmm?" he tilted his head beneath the hood, grinning as an arrow whistled past his cheek. "Now that's unfair...
His sickle flicked out. One of their attackers pitched back, headless.
"Oops." he smiled thinly." Two, now. Better, but not quite."
A lazy swipe took another head. Someone yelped.
"And then there was one...
EDIT: Hope this made you smile! Have a great day and may you be blessed with lots of luck~!