A/N: Alas, it seems this story isn't as popular as Vector Prime, which breaks my heart T_T
That's a crying shame, but I did my best. Cant keep overworking myself like this….
Still, here we go; the perfected version of "Just One Person", as promised~!
Hopefully folks enjoy this; if not, I'll likely delete it within a few days or so and put it back in the bin. This week's update schedule might be a bit scuffed, sorry about that. The coming updates may need more time; don't want to post anymore short chapter if I can help it.
Sorry for the delay. Covid knocked me flat for awhile and devastated my update schedule, to say nothing of the side effects from long covid. I'm still dealing with that more than a month later, though apparently its not life threatening so I have to just "ride it out" according to the docs.
Sometimes, when I look to the future, I wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; 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 sometimes. 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.
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 references, quotes, themes or memes. They're tributes to legends far greater than I.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild, wacky world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine what remains a story and what doesn't. Simple as that.
In other words...the fate of this is up to YOU, the reader. Doooo let me know~!
Running around updating a lot of categories today.
So in lieu of a long explanation...away we go~!
"If I can just save one person from this living hell...
...just one lost little soul...
...that's enough."
~?
Just One Person
In the end, I couldn't save anyone.
Not even one person.
Nobody.
Ironic, isn't it? I said I would protect everyone, didn't I? I said that I would beat Kagya. That I would take all of Sasuke's hatred and die with him. I promised, promised, promised so many things. I swore up and down that I would accomplish all my goals. I talked the talk. And for what? I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it didn't even matter.
Sasuke died alright, but not with me.
Kaguya rotted the poor bastard from the inside out.
I still see his death in my dreams. All I have left is his sword.
She killed Sakura next. Then Kakashi. Followed by Obito. One by one.
And I couldn't stop her. I tried! I fought her for days! Weeks! Months! YEARS!
But how do you kill a god by yourself?!
...I'll tell you how. You don't. You can fight until your knuckles bleed, scream until your voice his hoarse, but it won't get you anywhere. I fought her and fought her and fought some more. Until the ground cracked and the sky split; until the very force of our battle cracked our world and flung us apart. That final clash ripped me out of my world and threw me into another.
I wish I could say that was the end of my story.
That I know she's dead and gone.
But I don't even know!
Instead I found myself trapped in a world even more borked than mine. Monsters everywhere. Civilization tucked away to four kingdoms and a few outlying settlements, but even those are constantly under threat from these so-called abominations. Blackened beasts with red eyes, teeming with white bone, twisted soulless creatures who live for one reason and one reason alone; to extinguish life.
They call them...Grimm.
Huntsmen and Huntresses hold the line against them.
But there aren't enough of them. No, not nearly enough at all.
And so I threw myself into another war, stumbling from town to town, outpost to outpost, trying to make a difference.
Everyone I ever saved spat at my feet. Not fast enough. Not strong enough. Never enough.
Its been three years of this now, without end.
.
..
...Hunters Must Hunt. And so I do. I hunt, and hunt and hunt...but it feels like I'm not getting anywhere.
Let me make a difference. Please. I beg of you.
Please. If there's an actual god out there...
Let me make a difference somehow.
I want to save someone.
I'm begging ya, here.
Just One Person.
(.0.0.0.)
The town burned.
Naruto knew it even before he crested the hill and saw the ruins.
Again. He'd been too late again. For all his speed and strength, his body was still disappointingly mortal.
It didn't matter how fast you were, how strong you were, or even how smart you were. No man -not Huntsman!- could be everywhere at once. Not even him. They said he shouldn't feel guilty about that. Ozpin always said so. Glynda, too. So did Ooobleck and Port, even James when he could wrangle a word out the bastard. He tried to remember their words now. Tried to take solace from the knowledge that no one would blame him for this but himself:
Its alright. Everyone falls. Even us.
Please don't give up. The people of this world need you.
I know what is like to live with loss. Don't let it consume you, Naruto.
Don't fret my boy, you can't be everywhere at once. You're doing good work.
Its not your fault. Why can't you understand that? This! All of this! None of this is your fault!
Sure felt like his fault.
While he'd been off trying to save one village, this one burned.
Everything burned in the end, didn't it? No matter how hard he tried.
He didn't so much walk as he did stumble past the broken gate; no guards challenged them. Their corpses were crushed, their bodies broken. The Grimm had scoured everything clean of life. Burnt bloodstains told a story all their own. There had been a fight here, perhaps even a fire, but he already knew the outcome. Untrained villagers against a horde of monsters
Those encounters only ever ended one way.
Charred buildings awaited him within, ruined and pitted, shattered shells of broken wood and masonry, piles of shattered rubble where some had given way. No signs of life. His heart clenched at the sight. He cast a quick glance about and squinting as the wind picked up, creating a mournful cry threading between broken buildings.
"I'm sorry." he spoke the ruins. "If only I'd been quicker...
An angry Beowolf burst from a nearby pile rubble and lunged at him.
Naruto unslung Sasuke's sword without breaing stride, swung his good arm once...and sheathed it a heartbeat later. The Grimm barreled past him; only to pause as battered blade clicked back into its scabbard. It tried to turn and face him and its body buckled; fell apart behind him, carved into dissolving pieces faster than it could comprehend.
His feet carried him onward. Nothing else challenge him after that. He almost wished something would, if only to distract him from the anxiety gnawing at his chest.
Please.
He called out.
Just one person.
No one answered him.
Please, if I can just save one person!
He hollered until he was hoarse and his voice cracked, and still no response.
His shoulders bunched as he stifled a sigh. Another failure. Just once, he wanted to save someone who needed it; someone who wouldn't spit at his feet. Just once...
"...!"
There! He sensed something!
Naruto whirled toward a crumbling home and spied a flash of color half buried amongst the rubble. Blood. Fresh blood. Three quick strides brought him forward. His sword swept out and obliterated the rubble barring his path, annihilating stone and wood with ease. Nothing was cut that he didn't want to cut.
He followed the trail of blood until he finally came to a battered cupboard.
Slowly, gently, he knelt, took hold of both handles and eased it open.
It parted with a soft creak, revealing...
.
..
...a child hunched in on herself.
She couldn't be more than five years old.
This silent, sole survivor was a mess, clearly in shock. Not only was she covered in dust and dirt, but she looked like someone had bathed in a bucket of blood. Whomever she was, she seemed half-starved. The cuts on her arms and face told another story as well; someone must've tried to protect her. Their absence told a tale all her own. His heart clenched at the sight of her.
A quick pulse of healing chakra put her to rights but even then she didn't respond.
Slowly, warily, he gave her a nudge.
"What's your name...?"
(.0.0.0.)
...what's your name...?"
The girl couldn't bring herself to answer.
How long had she been hiding in there? She didn't remember. Minutes? Hours? Days?
It felt like forever. Forever, since Mama hid her in here. Forever since she watched her die through the cracks in the cupboard. Forever and ever and ever. She had hid here even after the roof caved in, long after all of the shouts and screams and shrieks had died off. Even then she kept hiding. Tucking herself away as the laughter rang out, as the sound of footsteps faded away.
And now someone had come for her.
She hoped it wasn't the Scorpion.
It took a great deal of effort to raise her gaze and look him in the eye.
He looked...tired, this weary man, his face drawn and gaunt, sporting dull blue eyes, whiskered cheeks and dusty blond hair. He wore eclectic armor of red and orange and black with a pair of strange metal pauldrons over each shoulder, just the sort of colorful attire you might think to find on a Huntsman. They were supposed to wear bright colors, right? It helped them stand out, helped them bring hope. She remembered Mama telling her that once. But that sword at his hip told her all she needed to know. Something twisted in her chest at the sight.
Hunter.
No, a Huntsman.
Powerful, strong, superior.
Why hadn't he come before?! Why hadn't he been here?! Why...?
She tried to speak, and managed only a pitiful rasp. "Do you kill Grimm?"
He granted her a grave nod, looking. "I do.
"You're huntsman." it wasn't a question
...in a sense."
He knelt down and her close.
A faint tremble passed through her tiny body.
Was he with the Scorpion after all? Was he going to kill her? Was he-
An awkward, rough palm caressed the top of her head, rubbing her red hair. "You can cry, if you want."
Her thoughts shorted out; a poignant pause followed as she struggled to muster a measure of response. "I don't think I can anymore...
Could she? She'd cried and cried and cried when the Scorpion came with his Grimm, but that didn't change anything now did it? Everyone still died. Why? It wasn't fair. She'd been a good girl, hadn't she? She'd kept quiet like Mama said. Mama hid her here and Mama promised to come back for her when she led the Scorpion away.
.
..
...but she hadn't, had she?
Another dull thought surfaced in her shattered mind. "...Are the monster's gone?"
The Whiskered Man stood and looked out over the village, his expression unreadable. "...most of them."
Dull green eyes blinked up at him, blank as glass. "Was there anyone else...
He shook his head.
Something tore loose in her heart with an awful crack.
A sniffle filled the air, warping into a sob. Oh. She could cry after all.
She could hear still that man's manic mania. That awful scorpion and his laughter echoing in her mind. Over and over and over.
"Little girl, little girl, come out and play! Its no fun if you make me wait all day!"
If Mama hadn't led him away, she would've been found.
Taken.
And now Mama was gone.
Which meant he'd killed Mama. Not just Mama, but all her family and friends.
I'll kill that man. She looked up at her savior and grit her teeth as the tears finally ran over, spilling down her cheeks. And his monsters!" her hands clenched into fists at her sides, biting down until they bled. All of them! Each and every last one of them! I won't rest until every single Grimm is dead! Every last one of them! She'd wipe them all out!
It was a promise. An oath. So she swore.
And the instrument of her vengeance stood before her.
"Take me with you." She grabbed at his pant leg, suddenly afraid he would leave her here. "I can't die here!"
His words seemed to sadden her savior somehow. He didn't say a word. Those blank blue eyes just stared at her.
"Please!"
...its alright." he said suddenly, startling her. "You don't have to fight."
Anger sparked in her. Who was he to say what she could and couldn't do?!
"I want to!" She pushed herself upright to glare up at him. "I'll fight whatever I can!"
His brow creased, furrowing ever so slightly. "What's your name? he asked of her again.
"Pyrrha." Her last name didn't matter. Not anymore.
...don't get involved in this, Pyrrha."
Why wouldn't he help her?
Her world rent red.
"What do you want from me?!" she snarled at him, overwhelmed by emotion. "You don't know anything! You're strong! You haven't lost anything!" when he refused to speak the last tattered thread of her temper snapped entirely. "If you're not going to help me, then leave!" She snatched up a stray pebble from the floor and threw it at him. "Just get out!"
It bounced off his aura.
"Leave!"
She flung another pebble at him.
"Just leave!"
It struck his metal headband.
"I said LEAVE!"
Pyrrha kept throwing things at him; flinging pebbles, bits of wood, everything she possibly lay hands. He stood there and weathered it all with a stoic expression. His aura took it all, golden sparks sizzling silently as she tried and tried and tried to make him leave her alone. What was the point of it all if he wasn't going to help her?! She wished he was gone! She wished he would leave her alone! She wished-
And then she heard it.
Howls echoing in the distance.
Her anger guttered out as her hackles rose and her heart sank into her stomach.
Grimm.
They must've sensed her negativity; the stragglers were coming back to finish what they started. She couldn't see them but she could hear their cries, baying for blood. But not just any blood, oh no. Her blood. Louder and louder came their howls, doubling in number with each passing moment. Before long the ground began to shake underfoot, causing her very soul to quake.
Here at last Pyrrha felt a flicker of fear. She didn't want to die. No, she couldn't die. She absolutely could not die! She couldn't face mama and papa in the afterlife like this! She'd be so sad...! She still wanted revenge! She wanted power! She wanted...!
Anything but this!
Her eyes sparked green flames.
The Whiskered Man inhaled in a sharp, sudden burst of shock.
So did Pyrrha. She had no way of knowing, you see. Then again, neither did he; of realizing the power that was contained within her. The power she'd inherited by sheer chance. The power her mother had died to protect. The power that sinister scorpion had seen her town destroyed for. He had tried to find and take her, but he had failed, oh yes, and now because of that failure...
The world changed.
She glanced down at her palms, watching them spark with fitful fire. "...is this me?"
Green eyes erupted into an inferno and well that they did; because the treeline shattered and the horde poured forward, surging down into the village. All it took was a spark to set them off. Much like her.
"Damnit," The Huntsman swore as he drew his blade and turned to face them. "Stay there. I'll handle them...
Pyrrha scarcely noticed.
Surreal calm crept into her thoughts, quelling the creeping tide of her fear. She climbed to her feet and stood, pushing past him. The Huntsman made a grab for her arm, but she slipped out his grasp like an eel and strode forward, forcing him to follow or be left behind entirely. He tried saying something to her, but she could scarcely hear him.
Everything seemed so quiet now. Muted, even. Distant.
The Grimm swarm rushed forward in an all-consuming tide dozens strong, boiling down the street to get at the. And yet Pyrrha felt no terror, horror, or even fear. Why had she been so afraid at all? Here and now it felt like she could do anything. Everything. The very elements bent to her will. It all made sense now. All her fears, all her doubts, all her anger, it washed away, replaced by a single searing realization:
She just had to kill them. It was simple. Easy.
Her right hand rose, conjuring a cone of wind, even as her left summoned baleful green fire.
Meshing the two, she crushed the conflicting elements between her palms and flung them forward with a single command.
"Die."
And die they did.
Power rushed out of Pyrrha in an instant, blasting her hair back. Heat. Fire. Annihilation.
It wasn't even a contest; dozens of Grimm went up in so much smoke, evaporating as the flames struck them. She reaped a bloody toll, wiping dozens out in an instant. The Power surged up out of her, rushing through the channel she'd opened, the path she'd created. She couldn't control it; could only aim it in a given direction, send the heat searing across the street. Empty buildings burned. Cobblestones cracked beneath the heat. And the monsters...
.
..
...those mad mindless creatures raced headlong to their demise.
Proper foes would've sought to flank her, but not these; what the Grimm lacked in strategy, they made up for in sheer tenacity and numbers. Ordinarily, that was enough.
Not here. Not now. Not against this.
And then as quickly as it came, her newfound strength was gone, drained to the last drop. She could barely breathe; her heart constricting painfully in her chest. She crumpled to her knees and clutched at herself, wasted and gasping for air.
It wasn't enough.
Yes, she'd killed dozens, but a few remained; those few still came on, barreling her way with single-minded hate.
She looked to the Whiskered Man, who was still staring at her, eyes wide and round with disbelief.
A trembling hand reached for him. "Please...help me...
Grimm swarmed in.
"Please!"
That word seemed to reactivate the Whiskered Man. Quick as a flash he stepped past her, knelt, removed his battered headband and wrapped it tight around her forehead. Pyrrha didn't know what that meant. Somehow, it numbed the ache in her chest. A hand tousled her hair, and when she looked up, she saw his smile at last, the smile of a man who had finally saved someone. His voice was hoarse as he finally spoke to ehr.
"Of course I will."
He stood woodenly.
"Of course I'll help you."
Walked a few steps away.
"OF COURSE I'LL PROTECT YOU!"
A pillar of golden light burst from his body to pierce the clouds, revealing the shattered moon far above.
His hands swept forward, body bathe in black and gols. Red and blue light smashed together in his palms, forming a towering dark sphere of some sort. In her dazed state, it was the only name Pyrrha could think to give attack. All that golden light from him wrapped around the sphere as the Whiskered Man pivoted and brought it to bear on the approaching horde.
He took a step forward. Pushed both arms forward and brought them down in a single sweep.
The sphere flew forth from his fingers. "Bijudama!"
Let there be light.
All the world burned with searing radiance; so much so that Pyrrha found herself forced to look away for a moment. Shielding her face with one arm did her no good; she still had to close her eyes just to save herself from bloody blindness. A low roar rattled the world, threatening to deafen her. The sheer shockwave blasted her back; would've sent her flying if not for a guiding hand on her shoulder.
When the smoke cleared and her vision with it, all that remained was a towering crater; of the horde, only fading black smoke could be seen.
Her mouth went dry.
He'd brought that black sphere crashing forth, annihilating the rest in a single stroke. Fire. Death. Annihilation.
The Whiskered Man had wiped them out. All of them. Just like that.
She wanted that.
"A maiden," she heard the Whiskered Man mutter to himself. "I went and found the bloody Spring Maiden by accident. You've really stepped it now, Naruto...
That was his name? Naruto? It sounded so...silly!
A bird fluttered down behind him and alighted upon a broken building, distracting her from that thought.
As she looked on through bleary eyes, it cocked its head to regard them. No, not her, Naruto.
Almost like it recognized him somehow.
"You're late, Raven."
In a flicker of feathers it assumed the shape of a pale deadly-looking woman, with blood red eyes and long dark hair." ...m'not late. I arrived precisely when I meant to. She snagged a battered silver flask from her belt an' swaying a little, lifted it as she glowered his way. "Don't blame me for this." the newcomer took a long drink from it as she looked on, looked around, and heaved a sigh. "She the only one you found?"
Pyrrha perked up, intrigued by the sight. "How did you turn into a bird? I want that, too."
Naruto snorted into one hand to hide a laugh.
The woman stared at her, long and hard. "No, you don't."
Who was he to tell her what she did and didn't want?! "Yes, I do! Can you teach me? I wanna be strong!"
For some reason, that made the dusty old bird wince. "Oh gods, she sounds like a mini-me. Where'd you find this one?"
...hiding in a cupboard. She's a maiden."
Raven's selfsame smirk died an ugly death. "...shit."
Pyrrha made to reply, only for her stomach to growl sullenly.
Naruto rounded on her, stark blue eyes intent. "When was the last time you ate anything?"
Minutes? Hours? Days? She didn't know. Time got funny when you were hiding.
She shrugged helplessly. "I dunno...?"
Naruto heaved a sigh.
"C'mere...
His warm arms drew her upright before she could even think to protest, and by the time she did, it was already much too late. He held her close like Mama used to, tucking her head against his chest. And then he began to rock her side to side, as though she were no more than an infant. Her mind fizzled a little at that. Why? Why were his arms so warm? Shouldn't he be cold? Why did she feel so safe with him...?
Pyrrha didn't understand...but a small part of her wanted to.
Exhaustion crept in, overwhelming her anxieties.
She passed out.
A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaand scene.
I'm sure you all noticed that Raven's the drinker here. Which begs the question. Where be Qrow?
Well? Did you like this story? Should it receive weekly updates? Or go back in the bin? Feedback is the wind in my sails~!
Pairing will most likely be NarutoxGlynda, NarutoxRaven, or Narutoxharem. Do let me know which you'd rather see. Clearly, if this becomes a story, it would radically redefine the dynamics of RWBY. Hope you enjoyed this little tease. Soooo? Should this be a story? Once again! This is an AU.
Hope someone, somewhere, enjoyed this. I just don't know anymore these days. Its terribly hard to tell...
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review...Would You Kindly? Let me know what you think!
Only a few previews this time. And a certain Batman reference for those who can spot it.
I wonder if anyone remembers it?
(Previews)
"You adopted a child?"
...more like she adopted me."
Ozpin hid a smile behind his hand.
"Don't laugh. She latched onto me. Not my fault."
"I'm not laughing."
"You most certainly are, my old friend.
Little Pyrrha took a deep breath...
Closed her eyes...
...and cut.
A building crumbled before her.
Naruto clapped. "That's my girl!"
"You wanna sister?"
EDIT: Batman reference is best Batman reference.
"You tried to take control of my city, destroy my home, and worst of all, you messed with my kid. So this is gonna hurt, and I...am gonna enjoy it.
So you're going to Beacon, then? Be safe. I'm just one call away.
"What's this I hear about you dating a blond boy?"
"Daddy, no.
Daddy yes! Naruto wants details!
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed!
Sorry...T_T