A/N: 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.

Great.

With my sixteen year anniversary on this site rapidly approaching, 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 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.

So in lieu of a long explanation...away we go~!

"That's not a knife. This is a knife.

See the difference?

Watch."

~?

A Most Unlikely Knife

"...I will...kill...you...

Death came for the King of Heroes.

Ha! Death was but another foe for him to crush.

And yet he saw it in the glint of his adversary's weapon; it was a black knife, sharp and twisted, made for one purpose and one alone. Gilgamesh saw his own end reflected in the metal, that blackest of blades, and for a moment, just a moment, he felt a flicker of...

.

..

...fear?

Was this fear?

No! Nay! Never! Preposterous!

How could he fear this wretch? He was half-dead! He'd blown one of his bloody arms off! He feared nothing! He was the king of heroes, the lord of all! None could stand against him! His Gate bridled behind him, ready to wipe this foolish foe away, him and that foolish Einzbern girl he protected. Then he'd take her heart and they would be done with all this...nonsense?

Why did he feel cold?

They say the pen is mighter than the sword. By that very logic, could not a knife better than any blade, then?

He looked down, baffled to find the Black Blade buried in his chest

As he looked on aghast, it sank deep. His eyes bulged wide.

"You filthy mongrel...

Naruto had no words for him. He, no, Assassin twisted the blade, blue eyes ablaze.

Pain surged up the chest of Gilgamesh.

Darkness claimed him.

A/N: Aaand scene~!

I do hope it entertained someone, somewhere, somehow.

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?

No previews here. Too sickly.

Sorry...T_T