A/N: EDIT: Fixed some errors and added more content. Hope you like it! Looking forward to chatting with you all~!
Still in a lot of pain thanks to my back/leg, but still writing...trying my best here...
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular...well, I won't be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs -taking on a third soon!- so 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.
Now for your questions, comments, and concerns. Feel free to skip these if you like~!
Q: Ayo, what's the Pairing? Tell us, please!
A: It depends on you, the reader, this time around. I'm hoping for something unique.
Q: Update schedule?
A: *takes a deep breath* At this point I have more than TEN new stories I could post -thanks for the help, Slifer!- but I desperately want to finish some things first. Said new stories are crossovers with: RWBY (Two of those), HOW NOT TO SUMMON A DEMON LORD, INVINCIBLE, DOTA: DRAGONS BLOOD. ONE PIECE, DARK SOULS, ELDEN RING, and so on.
Slifer's been a boon in that regard~! Thanks again, bud!
Presently, a good number of them are nearly ready to be published. Scarlet Sky (Naruto as Radahn) is all but ready to post, and Strings On Me (a surprise Elden story with an adorable twist) is all but written. Likewise, One With Spirits (NarutoxRoderika story) is coming along nicely under Slifer's steady hand. He's helped write the bulk of these three stories, as well as A Golden Soul (The Dark Souls story I promised) and others.
Just need to write up the summaries for them and BAM! Posted. But I'm trying my best to resist.
I'm afraid if I start posting new stories I won't be able to stop for a week.
Q: Will you ever write an Epic Seven story?
A: Epic what now?
Q: Dragons galore! Long live the dragons!
A: Naruto has the potential to become something more than man and dragon...assuming he can make peace with Kurama. Even if he doesn't...well.
Think Slyvion from DOTA, Dragon's Blood, but far more terrifying...and infinitely more destructive.
Q:...is Naruto being used here?
A: Not really. The dragons have their motives, but they are honest creatures and quite clearly fond of their "Brave little mouse" who knows no fear of them. They respect strength, and likewise, anyone unafraid of them. Fortissax might be a grumpy old bastard, but surely he'll come around...maybe? Hopefully? Of course it helps in the lore that Lansseax is especially fond of humans and wants a child of her own. Mama Lansseax indeed. And have you SEEN the sheer amount of dragons in Farum Azula? Just by looking at the sky, there's dozens, if not hundreds. Little Naruto's going to be protected as all hell.
Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough. Here we go.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one. They're merely tributes to those far greater than I.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
Now then, I hope you enjoy this merry little tale.
"Your mind is your greatest weapon, boy. Never forget that."
~?
A Strange Childhood
"Time for your first lesson, my Heir."
Naruto perked up, eager as any three-year-old could be. At least, Placidusax assumed he was three. Might be a little older. Or younger. It was so very difficult to ascertain the age of a human to begin with, and time passed strangely here in Farum Azula. While days dragged on outside this realm, years whisked by all the quicker here. Such would work to his benefit. Under his tutelage, their Heir could accumulate experience in a relatively short time, and strength alongside it.
One day, his might would grow to stand beside theirs. He would be a proper heir, not like those Dragonkin soldiers. In this one he sensed great potential, and greater power. Doubtless he would be able to change back and forth on a whim. Why, just thinking of it made him shiver with pride...!
But that was a matter for another time.
For now, there was much to teach him, and thankfully, plenty of time in which to do so.
Best get to it, then.
"We dragons are of lightning." he held out a gnarled old claw -having assumed his true form for the sake of this lesson- and willed a spark of red light to dance across his scales. "We are eternal. Ageless. Yet we are not immortal. We can be felled in battle, just as the great Gransax was. To think otherwise will lead to your demise. Do you understand?"
The boy clapped his hands and bobbed his head. "Aye!"
"Good." Heh. He'd learned another word when he wasn't looking. A flicker of pride fluttered in the old wyrm's chest. For once he let that tiny ember flourish. "In time you will learn to wield such strength as we do. But for now, your mind is your greatest asset."
"Aye!" The boy bobbed his head, little face writ with concentration So damn proud-nay! Focus!
"Ahem!" A beat of silence followed as he coughed into his claw. "Listen to me, my heir. You will be hunting demigods, and perhaps Gods themselves. They are no base prey. Facing these beings shall push you to your very limits and beyond. It may even cost you your life. Even knowing this, do you still wish to tread this path?"
A longer pause, then...
"...aye."
"So be it. You will know their names." he paused a moment to recall, then offered a claw. "Are you prepared?"
The boy slapped his hands against the ground in quick succession.
"Pay close attention, now." Lightning sang in Placidusax's grasp, but this time, he marshaled it with his will and forced it to take form. "Some of these beings have since gone into hiding, others may well be dead. Even so, I shall name each of them, just to be certain." Those scarlet sparks took Shape. Substance, gaining the likeness of his targets as he spoke their names, one after their other. "First and foremost we have...
The boy leaned in, blue eyes gleaming intently.
"Queen Marika the Eternal and her leal hound, Radagon of the Golden Order. These two, are, by far, the most dangerous. Neither have been seen since the Shattering. Nevertheless!" he swept a claw through the lightning, dissipating it and conjuring another image, no images. "Next come their children, and likewise, their descendants. Praetor Rykard. Lunar Princess Ranni. General Radahn." One after another the names came, each naming another of the queen's wretched spawn. "Miquella the Unalloyed. Malenia, his Blade. Morgott and his twin Mohg, Lord of Blood. Godwyn, now Prince of Death. And the least of them all, Godrick the Grafted."
He paused at the last, not wishing to overwhelm the poor boy.
"There are more foes, other Legends you may face." even now he didn't see so much as an ounce of concern on his face. "Queen Renala of the Full Moon, Hoarah Loux, Malekith the Black Blade and other, fouler creatures that lurk in the dark. But we shall speak of them another time. Have you remembered them?
Much to his surprise, the little lad nodded.
Impossible. Surely he hadn't...? "Recite them, then."
The boy did so at speed, lisping only a little over certain names.
"Ha!" This time, Placidusax didn't deign to control himself, nor the laughter that spilled from his two heads. "Clever little mouse...nay, you are not a mouse after all." he leaned down and delivered a light pat to the boy's chest, careful not to tear the brilliant red tunic he wore. "Very well. It seems we shall make a Dragon of you yet, my heir. It matters naught to me if you convert our foes to our side or kill them." he said it for the child's benefit as much as his own. "But they must be dealt with, each and every one, if we Dragons are to rise again."
"Hmm!" Naruto granted him a grin and he saw nothing but implicit trust in his smile.
That smile pained Placidusax. This was a child. A hatchling, by their terms. He should have a life, yet here they were, making him a weapon of war. There could be no proper childhood for one raised by dragons...no matter how he might wish otherwise. He wanted nothing more than to squirm away from such thoughts. They did not befit a Dragonlord. And yet they lingered still. This boy had no idea of the life he was missing, the life he was meant to have. That had been taken from him, just as their God was ripped away by the Greater Will.
"..."
On a whim, he assumed his human form once more, knelt before the boy, and took him into his arms.
...someday you will be strong indeed."
Innocent blue eyes beamed up at him. "Like Mama?
Placidusacx stifled a smile as Lansseax squealed in the distance. Oho? She'd heard that, had she? Good. Technically speaking she was his aunt, not his mother, but the boy simply refused to call her anything else and she was loathe to correct his mistake. She'd been surprisingly easy to win over. The only obstacle that remained was Fortissax. And really, he could go either way. Hmm...an idea dawned.
"That's enough for today." he drew back, holding his Heir by the shoulders. "Why don't you go play with your uncle?
"Really?! The boy's face lit up. "Can I, gramps?"
Placidusax chuckled. "Indeed, you can."
Naruto scarpered.
.
..
...
"Sorry, mine kindred," Placidusasx chuckled ruefully once he was certain he'd gone. "But that boy will need your deathly spells if one day he is to face Destined Death...
And if it helped the surly dragon open his closed heart once more...
...well, all the better as the saying went.
What could possibly go wrong?
(.0.0.0.)
"Play?"
This was hell.
"Play, play, play!"
Truly, there was nothing worse than this.
"Plaaaaaaaaay, please?"
Fortissax creaked an eye open and stiffled a sigh. "No."
Tiny hands patted his back in silent demand. The black dragon reared his long neck back with a long-suffering sigh to glare at the mortal perched between his four wings. He considered eating the little mouse once and for all-but no, the consequences of such far outweighed any momentary pleasure he might experience from the deed. Lansseax would never forgive him. Lord Placidusas would kill him...if he was lucky.
"Play!"
Must. Not. Kill.
"Nay." he growled back.
The boy hunkered down on his back, arms crossed.
Pah! The little mouse was persistent, Fortissax would give him that. Most would have given up by now. Not him. He had been touched by Destined Death itself; cursed by his ill-fated attempted to save dear Godwyn from the blight that claimed him. Now it marked him as well, affected his breath and his spells, the very core of his being. Few could approach him without fear of being tainted, and yet this boy-OW!
"Did you just bite me?!"
Steel blue eyes scowled up at him. "Play!"
"I SAID NAY!" Fortisax snapped deathly jaws at him. The boy didn't flinch. He'd long since stopped fear such things. "Why will you not cease?!'
The boy blinked. Frowned. And then. "...why so sad?"
Fortissax reared back. Clever, clever little mouse. He'd always been able to sense things he shouldn't. However! He would not be swayed by such churlish protest-certainly not by a few words!
...get off my back, little mouse."
Naruto shook his little head furiously, blond bang swaying side-to-side.
"Poke and prod me all you like." Fortissax hunkered down, closed his eyes, and curled in on himself, resolved to ignore the whelp. "It will avail thee naught."
The patting came to a halt. He almost dared to hope. Had the boy given up and gone to Lansseax instead?
Pat. Pat. Pat.
Lovely. Now he was walking the length of his back like some kind of tightrope. It was too much to think that he would let him be...
.
..
...why had he stopped?
Fortissax creaked an eye open.
He heard nothing, save the distant cries of his kin.
A seed of confusion sprouted among his thoughts. He craned his neck this way and that, trying to quell the pang of panic now bleating in his chest. The boy was no longer on his back. Where had he gone? Surely he hadn't wandered off again. Farum Azula was no place for a child; t'was a place of pitfalls and perils, a land far removed from reality. Their kind could flourish here. Humans could not. He was amazed the runt had managed to live so long-nay, not amazed, some other ersatz emotion. Irritated. Confounded. Exasperated.
"Where did that boy crawl off to this time...?
Still no sign of the boy...he had to get up, didn't he?
Unfurling his mighty bulk with a ponderous, the dread dragon looked about for his ward.
He found him not three yards away, tottering after a bird near one of the cliffs. Foolish little rascal. How had he gotten over there-
Before his very eyes, Naruto tripped and pitched over the edge into oblivion.
It would be so easy to let him dash his skull against the ground.
Fortissax cursed himself a moment later.
"No!"
His long tail flicked out to catch the boy by the back of his crimson tunic, reeling him in as one might a flopping fish. A squeal of delight reached his ears. Brat! He thought this a game, did he?! Slowly, carefully, he hauled him away from the edge. Too close. Far too close. Another moment more and the Heir would've plunged into the void, never to be seen again.
He could've let him fall. Let him die. It would've been no fault of his; indeed, he would've been blameless had he done nothing.
And yet he hadn't. Why? The notion nagged at him. Why had he saved the little scamp? Why rescue someone who drove him mad? He squinted down at the human with a scowl, but found no answers there. His body had simply...moved of its own accord. He'd not been able to stop himself.
Unaware of his near brush with death, Naruto giggled and grinned gormlessly up at him, still dangling from his tail. "Again, again!"
...just this once." Fortissax poked his chest with a claw. "But you must stay away from the cliffs. Do you understand?"
The boy nodded eagerly, delighted by what he no doubt saw as entertainment, "Mmhmm! Okay, uncle!"
Urk.
Uncle.
He'd been called that countless times in the past, yet hearing it now, Fortissax truly heard it. For all his faults and flaws, the little mouse trusted him implicitly. He felt no fear in his presence. Most human children would've looked upon him and running screaming for the hills. Yet this one didn't. Hadn't. Wouldn't. He must know of the danger, but for all that, his faith remained unshaken. Perhaps that trust of his was misplaced. Perhaps it would ruin him. Perhaps it might even lead him to an early grave...and yet...
.
..
...so be it.
The lichdragon laid him down. Much to his chagrin, the boy didn't budge. He just...smiled at him. Damn him. Damn that smile. It reminded him of Godwyn.
"I shall teach you a spell." Fortissax intoned. "Speak not to Placidusax of this, or I shall be very cross with you."
Naruto nodded eagerly, an apt pupil ready and waiting for instruction. Good! As he should be!
Fortissax huffed, expelling a plume of steam. When the boy didn't cave, he did.
"Very well, little mouse. How would you like to fly, as dragons do?"
The boy's smile was answer enough.
(.0.0.0.)
Lansseax heard footsteps.
It began as a faint scratch of bare feet padding against upturned cobblestones; a noise she knew all too well, one she'd grown accustomed to over the years. T'was a dark and cold night, as evening in Farum Azula often were. Dragons were used to such things. Their thick scales protected them from heat as much as the chill...
.
..
...the same could not be said of humans.
Some were strong. More we weak. A few cruel. Others, gentle.
Their kind had always fascinated her; ever since she was a hatchling herself, and as such, she'd endeavored to learn as much as she could about them. While most Dragons were born of similar structure, humans were so very different. They came in all shapes and sizes, different colors all. Some were pale as the driven snow, others with darker skin, baked by the some. Others were tall. Some were short. Stout. Craven. Loving. Cruel. She had seen much of their kind, and learned much as well from her dear Vyke...
Hmm. Now there was a thought. Perhaps, when the time came, he might be able to aid in the boy's training...?
She did so enjoy being a mother. Her Knight might make a good father, and it would do Naruto well to have another human to learn from...
.
..
...yes, she rather liked the sound of that.
Ah, but in her eagerness she digressed. She must attend to her guest.
There was shadow on her doorstep. And so Lansseax opened her eyes, knowing full well who she would find at the foot of her bed. "What troubles thee, little mouse of mine?"
Naruto sniffled once, clutching his blanket in one hand, rubbing his eyes with the other. He did not shed tears. He was too stubborn for that. "Had a nightmare."
She shifted to one side, reaching out to pat his head with a claw. "Of what, pray tell?"
He whimpered a little. "Bad things. A giant fox. Blood. Lots of it."
Her brow furrowed. Fox...? Ah, yes. The beast that dwelt within him. Lord Placidusax had divined such last year. That...thing would need to be dealt with sooner or later.
Mistaking her silence for sorrow, their Heir bowed his head. "M'sorry...
Lansseax did not laugh at her ward. Nor did she scorn him as other dragons would. For all his smiles and eagerness to learn, their Heir was still a human child. He had human thoughts. Hopes. Dreams. Fears. Placidusax and Fortissax sometimes forgot that. Not she. She knew well what it meant to be human, for human she often was. She preferred to sleep as a Dragon, true, but more often than not she found solace in this flesh illusion. and the emotions its brought.
And so she raised one of her wings.
"Say no more, child. Come. I will keep you safe."
Naruto scurried over. Nestled against her side. Shivered. She knew the reason why. Poor child. Her brave boy wanted to be held.
With but a thought her towering form folded inward, assuming human guise once more. She tucked him into her arms. He curled up against her and held tight, seeking solace in her embrace. Her brave little boy. One day he would be the scourge of demigods and all their ilk. He would usher in a glorious new age for all dragonkind. But for now, he was just that, a boy. Her darling boy.
She could tell by his quick breathing that he didn't yet slumber. How best to remedy that? A story perhaps, or...ahah!
A lullaby came to Lansseax quickly, and she was quicker still to hum it; lulling him to sweet sleep.
"Hush dear child, don't say a word...mama's gonna buy you a rocking bird...
(.0.0.0.)
A war began soon thereafter.
The demigods called it the Shattering. The dragons, foolishness.
Looking back, that was the moment everything changed; thereafter, the Lands Between would never be the same...
A/N: Please read this note, would you kindly?
Really need to hear from you guys and gals, here. Should we stick with the Young!Naruto and the fluffy moments awhile longer, or leap right into the events of the Shattering with all the madness and bloodshed that entails? Or perhaps some mad blend of the two I've got a draft written up for either choice, but I'd appreciating hearing your thoughts on the matter. Yes? No? Maybe so? Lemme know! Make yourselves heard!
Will this be a slaughter? Or something else? Feel free to guess.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this particular story, and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular...well, I'll not be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs -taking on a third soon!- so 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.
Aaaand there we go. As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write. So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly? And have some previews.
Warning! SPOILERS AHOY!
(Previews)
"The demigods warr amongst themselves. None have perished yet. Hunt them down. Make them see the light...or slay them and drag their bodies to it."
Young Naruto clapped his hands. "Alright, I can do this. C'mon. Red lighting." he rubbed his palms together frantically. "Just a spark...
The resulting explosion devastated a wall, blasted him forth from his feet, and knocked him on his arse.
Hacking and coughing, he raised his head. "Ha! Got it."
Silence stretched unto eternity.
"That is my son. My heir." Placidusax craned his many necks upward. "And you would do him harm?
Golden dragonfire licked at his teeth, ready to be unleashed. Clouds rolled in high above, turning the already ominous sky pitch black.
...if you acknowledge any gods, start praying. Now."
"A dragon may have as many mates as they please."
"If I'm a monster, guess I'll own it. C'mere. I'll eat you alive."
"Oi! Just because I've got a few scales on my face...I'm still human!" He ducked again. "Can we just talk this out?! I don't wanna hurt ya!"
Radahn reared back. "Speak, then, dragon."
Naruto beamed. "Gladly~!
"My thanks for thy timely aid." She was silent for a long moment. And then. "A most strange creature thou art. Might I have thy name?"
Naruto gave it.
"Ah." four hands folded in her lap. "As I thought. One of his, then. A pleasure to meet thee, little dragonlord." he caught a smile beneath her hat. "I am the witch, Renna."
A crack scrawled across his face, a fracture etched from stone scales. It was their only warning.
...you little traitor."
"Can't be a traitor if I was never loyal in the first place. Have fun dying in a ditch, demigod. The dragons send their regards.
"I HATE YOU! Why did you do make me do this?! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!
"Insignificant wretch." another hammer blow snapped his head to the side. "That is what you are. All your hopes. All your dreams. They will amount to nothing in the end. The dragons will not return. They will die. As you will die here, today."
He dragged himself upright. "I don't fear you."
"Then you will die braver than most."
"What is this?"
A blessing. May thou wear it well."
"Is this all the dragons are capable of?! Pitiful!"
Naruto skidded backwards, warding a mangled arm before his face.
"Stop." Black-red scales crawled across his whiskered visage. "You're makin' me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Please, just put the sword down. I didn't come here to fight. I want to talk!"
"Talk? his foe sneered. "I am not so easily swayed like the others, son of dragons! Stand! Fight me! Give me the challenge I seek-ack?!"
Clawed fingers closed around their face.
"I WARNED YOU."
R&R~!