A/N: New year equals sick Neon. Bit of an update on things here; would you kindly read this? It would mean the world to this tired old soul.
Strike a Match, Running for the Edge, Apples and Atoms and Doctor of Demons will be updated this week most likely in that order.
Thursdays are, of course usually reserved for "Surpass Your Limits". I'm truly humbled by all the feedback that one's getting.
Foxfire is nearly ready, as is Dance of the Dread and Forgotten Son, Stag, and Shed No Grace on Me. I'm also debating making Vector Prime a story -see the last two fragments- as well as writing DBD -Dead By Daylight- story involving Naruto in addition to working MASSIVE OVERTIME to acquire a PS5 so I can finally properly play Baldur's Gate 3 and Honkai Star Rail.
I'm also doing all this while recovering from long Covid, to say nothing of updating other categories. Slifer and Advent are helping.
And strangest of all, I'm getting requests for me to do a Naruto x Yu Yu Hakusho stories. Why that now?!
So please have mercy on this old soul
Alright then, 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~!
You can thank Coeur for this. He gave me the idea.
Fellow can really write trauma well...
"What's your name, kiddo?
~A Rwby Reference.
From the Ashes
The town burned.
Again. He'd been too late again.
Naruto knew it even before he crested the hill and saw the ruins.
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. You're doing good out there. Ozpin always said that. 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 saving one village, this one burned.
He didn't so much walk as he did stumble past the broken gate; no guards challenged them. Not even corpses had been left behind this time. The Grimm had scoured everything clean. Unusual, but the burnt bloodstains told a story all their own.
Charred buildings awaited him within, ruined and pitted, shattered shells of broken wood and masonry, piles of shattered rubble where some had given way.
An angry Beowolf burst from one such pile of rubble and lunged at him.
Naruto unslung Sasuke's sword without even pausing, swung his good arm once...and sheathed it a heartbeat later. The battered blade clicked back into its scabbard as the beast buckled and fell apart behind him, carved into dissolving pieces faster than it could comprehend. His feet carried him onward. Nothing else challenge him after that.
Please.
He called out.
Just one person.
No one answered him.
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.
"He-Help...
There!
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 upboard.
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 three years old.
This silent, sole survivor was a mess, clearly in shock. Not only was she covered in dust, but she was covered in blood, and clearly half-starved. The blood on her back told an ugly story; someone must've tried to protect her. Their absence told a story all her own. His heart clenched at the sight of her
"What's your name, kiddo?
A quick pulse of healing chakra put her to rights but even then she didn't respond.
...me?" Finally, she blinked up at him blearily, this little redheaded girl with green eyes. "...Pyrrha." Another pause, now." ...Are the monster's gone?"
Dull green eyes blinked up at him, blank as glass. "Did you kill them all?"
He drew her up into his arms.
"Yeah, you're safe now...
A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaand scene.
Clearly, if this becomes a story, it would radically redifine the dynamics of Ruby.
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.
(Previews)
Little Pyrrha took a deep breath...
Closed her eyes...
...and cut.
A mountain crumbled before her.
Naruto clapped. "That's my girl!"
"You wanna sister?"
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