A/N: This is a little something my co-writer Adventreader221 penned up for me; an expansion on the "Speak Softly" fragment.
Mind you, its very rough!
Posting it here to see what folks think of it before -IF!- we make it an actual story.
To clarify! Its essentially a God of War Naruto with a helluva twist. Let's get that disclaimer out of the way for anyone who's confused
In other news, I'm really not feeling well. I'm just so tired...leaving for work in a few minutes, and its off the doctors afterward. Nevertheless! I wanted to at least update a few of the plot bins today to tide you all over until I recover.
Whatever Comes Our Way should be updated Thursday/Friday, alongside a few surprise updates. Sorry for the delay.
Long Covid's got me lookomg to the future and 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.
"You prepare for a distant future. There is much time ahead of us."
"I wish to better a future... that will exist without me whenever that day comes. For you, and our daughter. We will always walk together. You will always be a part of me. I will always be a part of you."
"And when you are gone, that part of me dies as well. To feel your absence—"
"The culmination of love is grief. And yet we love despite the inevitable, we open our hearts to it. When the pyre is spent and you've gathered my ashes, spread them from the highest peak in all the world. You will do this for me. To grieve deeply... is to have loved fully. Open your heart to the world as you have opened it to me, and you will find every reason to keep living in it."
~?
Speak Softly
Dawn rose as it always would, but with the coming morn, a sad feeling permeated the air. Footsteps fill the air as a hulking figure approached a white elm tree. He is roughly 6 foot six inches in height and has a body that seems to be sculpted like a mountain. He has golden hair, spiked and untamable, with several streaks of silver running through his head showing he was reaching an elderly stage of life. He holds an axe as he stands before the tree, and inhales as he takes notice of a golden hand print on it. He kneels down to it and gently places his hand on it and rests his head on it momentarily as he closes his eyes, showing that it clearly has some value to him.
Opening his eyes, he hardens himself before he stands, and grips his axe. With a grunt, he pulls back and swings-biting deeply into the trunk. Pulling the axe out, he grunts harder, biting through more wood, a third swing rips a larger chunk out of the tree before he swings with a growl, chopping another chunk off, before he pulls back and roars, and with a final swing, slices through the remainder of the tree. A creak fills the air before the tree begins to tilt over before inevitably crashing down to the ground. Taking the axe, he proceeds to chop off the limbs of the tree sticking up and out before clearing them off.
With a deep sigh, he sheaths the axe in its holster, and bends down to grab the tree, but bloody bandages on his right arm come loose. He freezes, and begins to slowly bind them back to his arms. As he finishes, a small child with red hair and a freckled face appears holding a bundle of flowers. She smiles softly as she holds them up, "Found some." she said to him.
The elder male nodded before his heavy hand settled on her shoulder.
She tensed, waiting for him to say something-anything...a admonishment of sorts for going off to play or some such when they had come out for a reason.
"...Help me lift, Girl."
It never came. The Girl tugged stray strands of scarlet hair out of her face and perked up, eager to be of use. If wasn't going to admonish her-then she wouldn't give him cause. Placing the small bundle of flowers in her back pocket by the stems, she then bent her knees and grabbed on lighter end of the tree. Blue eyes met green. He nodded. As one, the two of them moved. They lifted together.
And together, they walked.
Her eyes strayed to his back as they marched back to the cottage.
Father's axe technically wasn't even his, it was Mother's, and was just that. A weapon. A tool. Nothing more. He claimed it was the only thing they had left of her now. She envied him, envied his skill. She was no slouch herself; but her abilities paled in comparison to his. She had yet to master the sword and shield. Mama had taught her what little she knew when it came art of combat, but she preferred her Semblance and Magic than weaponry.
"Lift, Girl." Father chided her. "We're almost there."
The Girl sighed. A small part of her bridled whenever he called her that. This way, Girl. Over here, Girl. Keep up, Girl. Girl, Girl, Girl!
She had a name! Her name, was Pyrrha. He rarely used it these days. Not since...Mother. Not since she died.
Was it the Wizard's fault? She didn't know. Father didn't speak of his past, or the gods, or the Dark Witch that ruled the Dark Land. She only knew that they had done nothing to save Mother. She had suddenly taken ill one day and wasted away soon thereafter. Death was a mercy for her after the suffering she endured. Yet she would miss her all the same. Her pale face and emerald green eyes, her bright red hair, crimson as a fresh cherry ripe for picking. Sitting on her lap, listening to her stories, singing with her...
Here they were, gathering trees for her pyre.
Pyrrha was only seven. Papa was papa. Mama was mama. Simple as that.
Her fingers bit into the bark of the tree. It started to splinter beneath her strength.
"Careful." Father tutted." A stern blue eye peaked over his shoulder, framed by rough blond hair and whiskered cheeks. "We're almost there."
Her stomach growled.
He laughed, a now rare, hoarse sound, "I know today hasn't been easy. We'll hunt after this." he promised.
Little Pyrrha perked up. "Hunt what?"
"Whatever you like." his smile was tired, but it was still a smile. She'd take it.
The woods of vale were lush with life. She considered their options. "Deer?"
He shrugged his broad shoulders. "If you like."
"Where will we find it?"
A low rumble of a laugh. "In the direction of deer."
He turned back, hefting the log a little, forcing her to do the same.
"I wasn't the best person when I was younger. I was young. Naive. I made mistakes." he rubbed his bad arm, fingers tracing the web of scars there. "Going forward...you need to be better than me. Do you understand?"
Her head bobbed in a jerky nod.
"Good. We should finish this journey while I still have strength."
Pyrrha nodded. She wouldn't let him down. She would do as he did.
They peaked the hill and immediately saw their small cottage on the other side. With a grunt, Father began to march down the hillside towards their home. She followed and her stomach grew heavy with grief. When they reached home, they would be saying goodbye for good. The walk back was silent, eerie, and utterly dreadful. They reached the pile for the pyre and set the massive tree down, "That was the last." Father said heavily.
She knew that papa was in his own state of grief, but he was staying strong for the both of them, for Mother. She watched as he pulled the ax from his back, slamming into the trunk as he began to slowly chop the tree apart, allowing her to walk away and enter the house... to say her final farewell to Mother.
Walking inside, she inhaled shakily before grabbing a lit candle on a nearby shelf and walked over to the wrapped body. She slowly placed the flowers upon her chest area and began to slowly light the candles, whispering her wishes for a safe trip to the next life, a bountiful life of love and happiness. Upon finishing she rested her head on the wrapped body, sniffling as she tried her best not to burst into tears. A creak in the doorway alerted her to her father's arrival causing her to stand up and turn around where she saw his imposing shadow in the door, "She's ready." the child said softly through slowly shedding tears.
Father silently walked over to the table and leaned over the wrapped body, his eyes softening, "Find your way home. You are free." he whispered to her in farewell, and then proceeded to gently lift the love of his life up off the table and turn around to exit the house. Walking outside, he made his way to the pyre he had prepared and gently laid her down, slowly rising back up to reach behind him and remove her axe... his axe, from his back. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a sheet of flint and kneeled down beside her, scraping the rock against the steel once-twice-thrice before a spark ignited the wood and began to spread the fire across the wood.
She watched as father stepped away, the fires growing to the point they were readying to engulf Mother. She looked upon the wrappings and took note of Mother's Lucky Knife. Without thinking, she rushed to the pyre and grabbed the knife, unaware that the blade was glowing red from the heat. She gasped in pain as she dropped the small knife to the ground where it hissed against the snow. She looked to her papa in apology, "I'm sorry, Papa." she said softly.
Father grunted as he stepped over to her. he looked at her hand and knelt down to the ground, grabbing some of the snow and placing it in her hand, "Squeeze." he told her softly before reaching down to grab the knife, "This knife, it was hers. Now, it is yours." he told her as her free hand took it from him.
He then proceeded to rip of a strip of his bandages and gently secured it around her palm to protect it, "Now, about that deer." he said giving her a look as his progeny perked up, "Do you still want to go looking for it, or do you want to wait?" he questioned as he watched the little redhead began to shake in excitement before she put the small dagger on her hip before rushing inside to grab her gear. The blond man softly snorted as the little one rushed into the cottage for her things-if she could decide properly on what she wanted to use.
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Loud bangs filled the house as someone banged upon their door causing father and daughter to swiftly turn, "Come on out!" a voice demanded boldly, "It's no use hiding anymore!" the speaker snarled through the wooden framework, "I know who you are..." he stated through the doorway.
Pyrrha leaned over as she gazed at her Father, "What's going on?" she asked, "Do you now him?" she questioned nervously.
"More importantly, I know what you are!" the man jeered.
"Girl, beneath the floor. Now!" he hissed to the child.
Pyrrha jumped in shock, "But, you told me to never go down there!" she whispered back nervously. Who was this person to make even her father warrant him breaking his biggest rule of staying out from underneath the housing, "Who is that?" she questioned scared.
"I do not know." he told her honestly as he briskly walked over to a large black rug and ripped it off the floor revealing a secret hatch built into the floor.
"What's he talking about?" she asked him.
"I do not know." he answered as he opened the floor, "Get in!" he hissed at her before closing it after she silently jumped inside. With the floor closed, he quickly covered the hatch and stood up and walked towards his door.
"Just tell me what I want to know! No need for this to get bloody!" the speaker stated before the blond man opened the door. Walking out of the door of the house, the blond slammed the door shut and gazed upon the interloper.
He made for an imposing figure for a Bug-Type Faunus. A long winding Scorpion tail swaying back and forth as he looked upon the elder male coming out. He was a pale man with gold eyes and a brown ponytail braided to resemble said scorpion's tail. He wears nothing over his chest, exposing lean pectoral muscles that are crossed with prominent scars. He wears brown leather pants that hang to just below the knees and are held up by a leather belt. His arms are covered with cream-colored bandages and leather vambraces up to his lower biceps, what was exposed of them were sheathed in flowing azure tattoos. On each earlobe is a silver, ring-shaped earring, and near the top of his left ear is another matching earring.
Yet for all his menacing appearance, despite his wild look and scarred chest, it was the eyes that truly made his gut clench. They were...chaotic. Vacant, yet brimming with madness. As though they'd been deprived of all sensation, leaving behind a hollow husk of a man. Something deep within him gibbered softly at the sight of that wild gaze. It was the expression of man who'd gone numb to the world. A soul who had lost everything, one who indulged in every pleasure he could find, yet found no satisfaction in this.
A strange, almost morbid fascination dawned in his seemingly almost dead eyes. As if he'd been searching for this one moment all his life, and having finally found it, didn't know what to do with it. Then that mad gaze that looked at him gained a different emotion in them, almost like a curious cat. He watched as the man looked up and down as if to judge him in some sort of way before he spoke up, "Huh." he mused, sizing the pale warrior up. "Thought you'd be bigger. But you're definitely the one. Long way from home, aren't you?" he questioned.
Naruto almost bristled, "What do you want?"
The Stranger grinned and edged forward, "Oh, you already know the answer to that." he answered in response.
A spark of anger flickered to life in Naruto's chest, demanding recompense. "Whatever it is you seek, I do not have it." however, refusing to be riled, Naruto turned away from the Stranger, edging the guards toward the door. "You should move on." he told the Stranger.
"Hahaha!" Hoarse laughter greeted him the moment he turned his back. "And here I thought you and your kind was so supposed to be so enlightened!" he raised his arms, voice lilting, mocking him. "So much better than us, so much 'smarter'." he sneered as he motioned his arms up and around mockingly, "Yet you hide out here in the woods...like a coward-ah." he stated.
Naruto growled, deep and low in his throat, "You do not want this fight." he said seriously.
The Stranger sneered, "Pretty sure I do." before a open-palmed slap cracked across his face, jerking the blonde's bearded visage to the side. He did not retaliate. Instead he accepted the blow without hesitation, weathered the man's contempt like a stone against the ocean.
A twitch of his muscled neck brought him about to face the tattooed invader once more, but this time the guard caught the telltale glimmer of anger lurking behind those eyes. This time, when the Stranger stepped forward, Naruto immediately moved to meet him, glowering down at the shorter man with the controlled fury of a thousand warriors, "Leave. My. Home..." he growled out, his voice barely restraining the rage.
A wide sneer greeted him, "You are going to have to kill me for that to happen." the Stranger challenged. Clenched knuckles barreled into his face again, and once more, Naruto didn't budge. A fist slammed home into his stomach and still, he remained rooted where he stood. Irritated by his refusal to fight, the stranger snarled and struck him once more in the face, then reeled in his arm to do so again-
On the fourth, he wasn't so fortunate.
A open palm shot out and caught his fist in mid-swing, drawing a startled grunt. Eyes ablaze, Naruto twisted the stranger's arm backwards in a vicious vice, bending him over himself where he stood, "I warned you." Naruto growled out.
With one final reluctant glance over his shoulder, he reared a wrapped arm back to strike.
The Stranger simply laughed, "Finally!"
In a wordless roar the blond's fist rammed home against the stranger's face with a sickening crunch, flinging him head over heels into the snow. Blood burst. Cartilage cracked. Bones broke. Impossibly, the Stranger's short-lived flight didn't last long; grunting, he flopped onto his hands and knees, shaking his head in disbelief. Naruto sighed, "You would not listen." he said before he paused, lowering his still outstretched arm. A glimmer of confusion flitted across the blonde's face given what he'd just witnessed.
His strength was nothing to scoff at, he'd shattered boulders with single blows, so that begged the question-
How in the Hell was this man still conscious?
With startling speed he crossed the sundered ground to the stranger and snatched him up by the arm. Heedless of his morose muttering, "No, no no no no no no..." then he hoisted the man up. Staggering like a drunkard, the tattooed stranger offered little resistance; if anything he seemed disoriented by the blow. An ember of pride flickered in Naruto's chest. He hadn't a clue of who this madman might be, but clearly he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Served him right for picking a fight.
Grunting, Naruto pulled the swaying stranger upright.
As he began to move to evict him from his home, the man sighed.
"Fine. My turn."
Without warning the Stranger struck like a coiled viper, slipping out of his grasp and lashing out with a blinding uppercut. This blow exceeded all others, colliding solidly with Naruto's chest to launch him into the air. His spinning body clipped part of the wooden wall of his house as he soared past. Like a bird taking flight he rocked past, tumbling into the air. He seemed to hang there for what felt like an eternity, spinning end over end as he soared through the other side of the cottage. Then gravity sank its cruel claws into him and he finally fell, plummeting to the ground with a harsh crash.
Laughing, the Stranger simply jumped up and followed after him, landing on the roof above. He looked down and watched as Naruto begun to rise, and leapt into the air. Sensing the shift in the air, he rolled out of the way as the unknown man smashed into the ground and cratered it in a blast of dirt and stone, "How incredibly...disappointing that was." the man said in a clearly bored tone as Naruto got to his feet and turned to face him, "Come on then." he egged the blonde who saw red. Not the red of rage, but the red of anger at this man who dared attack for no reason.
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"When Salem sent me here, I just needed answers, but... YOU, you had to act all proud. Throw whatever you have at me... I'll keep coming. That old body will give out. But before I end this, I want you to know one thing...I haven't had this much fun in ages!
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Gather your things. We are leaving.
"Thought I wasn't ready?" she asked nervously.
Father shook his head, "You are not. But we have no choice now. Prove me wrong." he ordered her.
Pyrrha smiled happily, "Yes, sir." she said eagerly.
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4 Maiden's
Pyrrha Uzumaki-Summer
Cinder Fall-Fall
Winter Schnee-Winter
Raven Branwen-Spring
XxX
4 Horsemen
Tyrian Callows-Death
Arthur Watts-War
Adam Taurus-Strife
James Ironwood-Conquest
"Luck! That's all this is!" Tyrian called out in panic.
Naruto snarled as he swiped the spear in his hand, breaking the lock allowing for the enraged Uzumaki to ram the shaft up into the Faunus' chest where Naruto picked him up off the ground, "Yeargh~!" WHAM~!* and then slammed him into the wall of rock behind them, causing a section of it to collapse from the force. With a quick shove, he planted Tyrian into the wall as he drew the spear back, and then stabbed into his arm where he pinned him to the wall, causing the Scorpion to cry out in agony, "AARGH! OKAY! STOP! STOP!" he pleaded in agony.
Naruto was breathing heavily, not from exhaustion or the like, but he was calming himself from nearly having release all of his anger upon the man who was threatening everything that mattered to him. As he stepped back, he watched with narrowed eyes as Tyrian looked up at him, his eyes glaring at him in apathy, trying to discern how everything had come down to this moment... and then he realized something... Naruto had been fighting off sheer instinct alone, "Wait...What's going on in that damn head of yours?" he demanded, and then he began to shake his head, "Oh no no no no no... You're going to spare me, out of pity!" he demanded.
"Let it go and you may live." Naruto said quietly, seriously. His anger may have abated due to him finally managing in gaining and calming his emotions, but he wasn't going to stand there and take insults like a child.
"Is this about that little harlot?" the Faunus questioned, a sneer covering his face as he leaned forward, "Well, now I am definitely going to gut h-AARRRRGH~!" he screamed when Naruto snapped his fingers, causing the spearhead holding Tyrian to the wall to detonate and tear his arm off.
"This is your final warning." Naruto told him seriously.
Tyrian cradled the amputated arm as he glared at Naruto in agonized raged, "You think you get to just walk away!? No. That's not how this works...You do not get to decide my life! You're dead, you hear me!?" he screamed at him in rage.
"Salem...Get out of my head..."
"There's nowhere you can hide, Uzumaki. Put as much distance between you and the truth as you want, it changes nothing." the woman sneered at him, "Pretend to be everything you are not: teacher, husband, father." she goaded, upon her last word, Naruto turned to her with a deep scowl etched on his face before he returned to what he was doing, "But there is one unavoidable truth you will never escape: You cannot change." she told him, gloating, condescendingly, "You will always be a monster." she sneered out to him, as if she were his better.
Naruto grasped the handles of his past, watching flames rush through them as the steel glowed and revealed the age as the air ignited. He inhaled deeply as he spoke softly, "I know." he responded, but his face changed to one of acceptance before turning to a annoyed look as he gazed upon the woman who dared taunt him, "But I am your monster no longer." he told her, unshackling himself from his past at long last.
"Mind your tongue, girl! Until our journey is complete, one of us must remain focused! Do not mistake my silence for lack of grief." he said deeply.
"I'm sorry, I-I didn't know..." she said softly.
"No, how could you, you do not know my ways." Father snorted.
"The Truth. I am a god, girl, from another realm, far from here. When I came to this dimension, I chose to live as a man. But the truth is... I was born a god. And so were you."
Qrow sighed happily as he leaned back, "In fact, we would do well to sit here in silence for the next few moments and reflect on both of their capacity for cruelty." he said as he closed his eyes, a long pause of silence filling the air between each of them, and then he perked up, "And so-" he went to speak more only for the blond male to interrupt him-
"Reflect longer."
"You killed against my wishes. You lost control." he said upset by what he had seen.
Pyrrha scoffed, "Haven't you been teaching me to kill?" she questioned her sire.
Naruto responded curtly, "I have been teaching you to survive!" he corrected her, "We are gods, child, and that makes us a target. From now until the end of days, you are marked." he explained to her, "So I teach you to kill, yes. But in defense of yourself, never as an indulgence." he reprimanded her.
Pyrrha snorted in response, "And? Nobody cared about him anyways. What's the difference?" she asked him uncaringly.
Naruto growled as he called out angrily, "There are consequences to killing anyone, and you killed a Horseman!" he told her angrily.
Pyrrha ripped her arm from his grasp, "Why? How do you know? HOW DO YOU KNOW?" she demanded.
Naruto stood up and loomed over her as his tone turned dark, "WATCH. YOUR. TONE. GIRL." he told her, coming close to simply bending her over his knee and giving her what she truly needed-something he had not once ever done before.
Pyrrha stalks off with a scoff, "Whatever..." she responds coldly.
"You're giving me your axe?" she asked curiously.
Naruto snorted, "I'm letting you HOLD my axe." he corrected.
"Don't touch the water." Naruto told her as he paddled across the lake.
Pyrrha looked at him curiously, "Why?" she questioned.
Naruto quirked a brow, "Do you know what's in the water?" he asked back.
Pyrrha shook her head, "No... It's pitch black." she responded.
Naruto gave her a pointed look, "Then don't touch the water." he repeated himself.
"A broken quiver will slow your draw." he told her as he broke an arrow tip off and slid it into her quiver and tied it down, "Pain, we endure... faulty weaponry, we do not." he explained to her.
"You have nothing to offer me. So take your questions, take your threats, take these two worthless wankers and piss off!"
"There are no good or bad people out there. Everything comes down to choice. A man can save a woman from drowning, just as easily as a woman can choose to take a man against his will. This world is not black or white, it is jaded in clouds of gray. Choice is the only thing that binds everyone to it. The choice to do good deeds or evil is the simple connection between all of them. Human and Faunus both choose to hate one another despite the fact Faunus are simply humans with animal parts and senses."