A/N: Vacation begins today, posting a few things before I go, should be back by Sunday.

Having a few friends look after the house for me in the meantime, as a favor. They're good lads.

I'll be taking my computer with me, so I'll try to post if possible, but I can make no promises. October really messed up my update schedule with all those crises happening one after the other, I'm hoping the next few months will be better. I am TRYING to catch up in November, but everything is all over the place.

Alas, it seems site notifications are busted at the moment.

Folks get them in the app, but not on the web browser, which is becoming a proper pain for some of us. Hopefully they'll fix it soon...though it has been almost a month days with no response about the emails...

If this chapter gets a ton of feedback as well-hopefully!-then I'll do my best to ensure a weekly update again. If not...I don't know. I really don't.

Amazing what a bit of feedback can do. Really spurs me to write faster.

In other news depression's starting to hit even harder these damn days. Like a sledgehammer paired with concrete.

Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. I can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head anymore. I don't even know why I'm feeling this way! One moment I'm fine, then my mood craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. On and on, round the bend, forever and without end! Its rather annoying; as though I've become a prisoner in my own mind sometimes. Sure, what's one more mental problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough, what with already being this old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes. Meanwhile, my doctor insists that I'm fine. Take a health walk he says. Go fishing. You'll be fine.

*siiiigh*

Right. Suuuure.

Don't bloody feel fine, doc.

As ever, I own no quotes, references, quotes, themes or memes! They're simply tributes to legends far greater than I.

I'm just an old man who writes as a pastime. I don't make any money doing this, not a single cent.

I've kept you waiting long enough, lets go.

"Every creature in this world has its limits...

...even you are no exception.

What will you do now?

~?

A Most Unlikely Pact

"Misery, misery, misery. That's what you've chosen...you noble fool."

Matou Zouken poked the dying servant with his cane. The smoldering corpse didn't budge where it knelt, though it did rasp out a pained little breath. Remarkable. No other warrior would still drew after facing that Golden Archer. Ea was a vicious attack; by all rights it was a miracle "Assassin" still drew breath. Sakura had been gifted a powerful pawn in this war.

And what had she done with him? Nothing-no, less than nothing!

Worse, now his beloved "Granddaughter" was gone, well beyond his grasp. With her absence everything had fallen apart. All his plains ruined, all his schemes for naught.

"I'll have to start anew," he groused, glaring at the wrecked grail. "No matter. I'll find that girl, and when I do-

A hand latched onto his wrist.

"Still alive, are we?"

Assassin stared up at him with his lone eye, blue light shining through the mud that caked his body.

And then he smiled. It was not a nice smile; it stirred a nameless dread in the old worm.

"You ever hear the one about the suicide jutsu?"

Horror dawned in Zouken's black heart.

No.

Naruto grinned at him.

No, no.

"It goes a little something like this."

No, no, no!

The world inverted. Black light -could light be black?- filled the ruined cavern and swallowed the two of them up.

Matou Zouken died as he lived. Grasping for light and failing to find it.

The worm fell into darkness.

A/N: Aaaand scene~!

Well? What do you think? Don't hold back, I can't take it...I hope.

Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. Meaning folks don't like this, it won't be continued. If the story itself ain't popular/well-received...well, I won't be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs, holidays are here too, meaning I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.

So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.

So...in the immortal words of Atlas...

...Revieeeeew, Would You Kindly?

Now previews here.

So very tired...

R&R! =D